Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-02-07
Rector of Trinity Church, Who
Preached Timely Sermon Yester-
uay on Proper Lenten
ObSerVanceS.

the crime of being Protestant. A
tyrant by nature, he spent his life in
planning assassinations, in torturing
thousands of innocent victims, in DESC
lating Europe by unjust wars. This is
the man who thought himself without
spot, who imagined that in some sweet
way he was the favorite of heaven.
Listen to him on his death-bed: In all
my life,' he said calmly. I have never
consciously done wrong to anyone. If
1 ever committed an act of injustice, it
was done unwittingly, because 1 was
deceived by circumstances
"This is what his celebrated histor-
ian says of him: IF Philip possessed a
single virtue, 1t has eluded the con-
scientious research OF the writer of
these pages. If there are vices, as
possibly there are, from which he was
exempt, it is because it is not permit
ted to human nature to attain perfec-
ton even in evil
Probing of COnsciences.
THAT is the way man can deceive
himself who is too busy in sin to get
acquainted with himself. Lent is for
the probing of the conscienCes of such
people who cannot conscieniously say
that they are vile earth and miserable
sinners; for, let them once be real
with themselves, let them once be hon
est. and they will find that even those
words do not express their condition.
LAS we get better acquainted with
ourselves, as we grow more real in
our words. then the meaning of other
words comes over US, words which we
never could comprehend before, which
certainly we could never apply to our
selves. We begin to understand the
words of Christ: He that will come
after Me, let him deny himself and
take up his cross daily and follow Me-
Or the words of st. Paul, which al
ways seemed so unreal to US: I am
crucified with Christ I bear in my
body the marks of the Lord Jesus
And, then, as the high, exalted words
of Gods saints become familiar and
real to us, we will see that this reality
is thing which insult go farther than
words, we will see that we cannot even
say the words honestly unless we put
JnCIl lllIO dSbAOAis LkiflI VIC NSAAhOl tciAhs
say. of the grace of God unless we
make it a real thing to ourselves by
coming to confirmation and holy COM
where the grace of God comes
to us-that we cannot talk about the
glorious gospel of the blessed God I'M
less we bring some man within hearing
of it, that the word sacrifice is a mock
erv on our lips if we spend our Lent in
an easy chair.
Honest Words and Doing.
1--WE will see that there is a neces-
sary connection between knowledge of
ourselves and honest talking, and that
there is a more vital connection still
between honest words and real doing,
and we will lift our eyes to Him who
not only said, Blessed are the. poor
but took upon Himself life of pow
erty, who not only said. Blessed are
the meek but at the last supper grid
ed Himself with a towel and washed
the disciples feet, even 10 the man
who betrayed Him. who not only said,
Blessed are the merciful, but had
compassion on the multitude and show
ed mercy on the penitent Magdaline;
who not only taught us to pray, For
give us our treSspasses as we forgive
those who trespass against u.s. but
from the bitter cross looked down upon
His enemies and up to His God and
said, Father, forgive them, for they
know not what they do; who not only
said Blessed are We when men shall
revile you and persecute you but was
revived AID spat upon and scourged
without a murmur.
Does it strike you as we speak of
these things that there is an awful In
congruity somewhere between the
things that have been suggested and
the comfortable footing that we are on
today with our Savior? Does it strike
you that the life we have been living
placid and peaceful and comfortable is
not the life that Christ designed for
His followers, is not the life that will
commend itself to the man who is hon
estly, earnestly looking for the Christ
in the lives of His disciples. that it is
not the life that will convert the world:
that it is a long way from being hon
est. long way from being real? Is it
the life that you want to live when you
look at a crucifiX? Is it the life that
you want to be judged by at the judg-
ment seat of Christ? Or will you make
it better, will you make it deeper, will
you make it real?
Measures From Depths.
''Dis you ever see an instrument for
measuring earthquakes? A block OF
stone, "a solid feet in depth, thrust into
the ground, with vacuum carefully
preserved on every side of it. On the
top delicate instrument poised which
rctualiy writes with pencil the vibra-