THE SUNDAYS IN LENT. THE PROPER LESSONS Continue the series begun at Septuagesima from Genesis and Exodus, dwelling on the history of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, and on the mission of Moses. On Palm Sunday Proper Second Lessons are appointed; for the Morning Matt. xxvi., the narrative of the Passion, down to the deliverance to Pilate; and for Evening, Luke xix. 28-48 and xx. 9-21, the story of the Triumphal Entry and the first words and deeds of the Holy Week. The First Sunday in Lent. The special lesson of this Sunday is the lesson of that kind of SELF-DISCIPLINE of which fasting is the example and representative. It recognises the undoubted power of the body to affect the soul (which modern science so forcibly teaches); and has three objects, (a) Self-chastisement, in case of previous excess and self-indulgence; (b) Self-control, by subdual of even natural appetites, "en during hardness as a soldier of Jesus Christ;" (c) Predisposition to devotion, and especially to penitence. Its method and extent must vary with age, occupation, climate, and constitution; and hence are left by the Church to the conscience of her members. THE COLLECT (composed in 1549), addressed to Our Lord, and citing His own fast in the wilderness, prays for the grace of Abstinence, (a) for subdual of the flesh, and (b) for preparation of obedience to "the godly motions" of His Spirit. THE EPISTLE (taken from St. Paul's unwonted disclosure of his own "spiritual experience") brings out especially the difficulty and responsibility attendant on the glorious privilege, both in His ministers and His people, of being "fellowworkers with God." Then it describes the proof to be given of true service to Him (vs. 1-4); first by sufferings and hardships cheerfully borne (vs. 4, 5); next, by all the "natural" graces of purity, knowledge, patience, kindness (v. 6); then, by all the supernatural gifts of the Holy Ghost in love, truth, power, righteousness (vs. 6, 7); lastly, through all the contradictions, real or apparent, of the spiritual life here (vs. 8-10). It shows thus the need of the watchfulness and self-discipline implied in the Collect. case to THE GOSPEL urges the same truth by example, in St. Matthew's record of the Temptation of Our Lord. It should be noted, (a) that the Temptation followed the great outpouring of the Spirit at His baptism, and was prepared by the guidance of the Spirit, though brought on by the malice of the devil; (b) that it appealed in each natural impulse-the hunger of appetite, the ambition to do some great thing for God, the desire to feel and to test God's protection over us-and that the principle of the sin involved was the indulgence of such impulse, without thought of God's will, and against the spirit of faith; (c) that each temptation was answered by Our Lord from Holy Scripture (Deut. viii. 3 & vi. 16 & vi. 13), in that reverent faith in God's Word which is a pattern to us; (d) that the Tempter quoted Scripture to his purpose (Ps. xci. 11, 12), by omitting the pregnant words "in all thy ways," which contradicted his abuse of it; (e) that the order of temptation differs in St. Matthew and St. Luke, the one probably following the order of fact (see the dismissal of the Tempter by Our Lord in v. 10), and the other the general order of idea in temptation, through the appetites, the passions, and the spirit; (f) that the intense reality of the struggle is shown by Our Lord's need of the ministration of the angels, as in the Agony of Gethsemane. The Collect. LORD, who for our sake didst fast forty days and forty nights; Give us grace to use such abstinence, that, our flesh being subdued to the Spirit, we may ever obey thy godly motions in righteousness, and true holiness, to thy honour and glory, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen. The Epistle. 2 Cor. 6. 1. many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. The Gospel. St. Matth. 4. 1. THE HEN was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an-hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered WE then, as workers together and said, It is written, Man shall with him, beseech you also, that ye receive not the grace of God in vain; (for he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation;) giving no of fence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed; but in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; by pureness, by knowledge, by long-suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down; for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou_dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and behold, angels came and ministered unto him. The Second Sunday in Lent. The Collect. The Epistle. 1 Thess. 4. 1. E beseech you, brethren, and LMIGHTY God, who seestport you by the Lord JeA that we have no power of our selves to help ourselves; Keep us both outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our souls; that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. sus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk, and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication; that every one of you The Second Sunday in Lent. The second and third Sundays follow out the line of thought begun on the first Sunday. For both bring before us, in the Gospels, Our Lord's casting out of devils, conquering Satan for others, as in the Temptation for Himself; and in the Epistles urge upon us struggle and prayer against the works of darkness, especially against sensual sins. THE COLLECT (translated from the old Sarum Collect) places our helplessness in body and soul under the protection of God-of His Providence against adversity, of His Grace against evil thoughts. THE EPISTLE (taken from St. Paul's earliest Epistle) is a repetition of his own oral teaching to the Thessalonians, of earnest warning, mainly against lust and uncleanness, secondarily (as often in his teaching), against the spirit of covetousness (which is in some points akin to lust, and often replaces it in old age). So far it is an enforcement of high morality on a corrupt age. But it goes on to brand these sins as a dis grace to our Christian calling, as drawing down God's vengeance, and as outraging the Spirit of God; and thus supplies the vital religious motive, which is the true strength of morality. THE GOSPEL is the record of Our Lord's casting out the devil from the daughter of the SyroPhoenician (marked here as a 66 woman of Canaan," i.e. of the accursed race). It is especially notable, (a) for Our Lord's apparent neglect of her petition, designed to draw her on to greater earnestness; (b) for His limitation of His work in life (with few exceptions) to the "lost sheep of Israel" (comp. Matt. x. 5, 6; and contrast John x. 16; Acts i. 8 & xiii. 32, 33), till the time, when He should be "lifted up to draw all men to Him; (c) for the marvellous faith of the woman, accepting the opprobrious title of "dog," and turning it to the account of her own humble request for the mere crumbs of His bounty; (d) for the special blessing given (as in the case of the centurion) to this Gentile faith. The Third Sunday in Lent. THE COLLECT (from the same source) prays even more simply for defence against all enemies, spiritual and temporal. THE EPISTLE takes up the subject of last Sunday, but now in the fuller and deeper teaching of St. Paul's later Epistles. (a) It begins (carrying on the lesson of the previous chapter, vs. 31, 32) with an exhortation to Love, after the pattern, first, of God's free beneficence; secondly, of the self-sacrifice of Our Lord as the Son of Man. (b) Then it goes on to warning against uncleanness, covetousness, ribaldry, as involving an idolatry of the world and the flesh, and therefore a loss of the kingdom of God. (c) This warning is emphasized by a contrast of the old state of darkness, with its "unfruitful" works, now to be utterly scorned and rebuked, Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent, but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord; yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. The Third Sunday in Lent. The Collect. WE beseech thee, Almighty God, look upon the hearty desires of thy humble servants, and stretch forth the right hand of thy Majesty, to be our defence against all our enemies; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. B The Epistle. Ephes. 5. 1. walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named amongst you, as becometh saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish-talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient; but rather giving of thanks: for this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ, and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them: for ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as chil dren of light; (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, and righteousness, and truth;) proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them for it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. JES The Gospel. St. Luke 11. 14. ESUS was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub, the chief of the devils. And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven. But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. If and the new state of light, in which (for so it should be rendered) "whatever is illuminated by light becomes itself light" to others. (d) Finally (in a quotation apparently from some Liturgy or Hymn), it calls "to awake from sleep" of carelessness, "to arise from death" of sin, that "Christ may dawn” upon the soul. THE GOSPEL is the record of the malignant cavil against Our Lord's miracles, not able to deny their reality, but referring them to Beelzebub (the power of magic). (a) His answer appeals first to their reason, urging that He who set forth the Kingdom of God could not be furthering the kingdom of Satan, and next to their own practice, able to cast out devils in the name of Jehovah, and of it alone. (b) Then He goes on to paint the picture of the ceaseless war between Satan and Himself, "the strong man armed," and the stronger," "his conqueror. In this war neutrality is impossible, and neglect of deliverance given brings back a sevenfold bondage; (c) the whole closes with the natural exclamation of a woman, "Blessed is the womb that bare Thee;" and His answer (deeply instructive as to the true position and true blessedness of the Mother of the Lord, see Luke ii. 19), "Blessed they who hear the Word and keep it," in whom it becomes the "engrafted word, able to save the soul” (Jas. i. 21)., The Fourth Sunday in Lent. This, being Mid-Lent Sunday, was called the Dies refectionis, "the day of refreshment," in the austerity and watchfulness of Lent. THE COLLECT (again from the old Sarum Missal) marks this idea, acknowledging our worthiness of punishment, but asking to be relieved, that is, refreshed (ut respiremus) by the knowledge of God's mercy. THE EPISTLE carries on this idea by dwelling on the glad freedom of the Gospel-covenant of love, as distinguished from the bondage of the Law riveted by fear. The passage (like 1 Cor. x. 1-12; 2 Cor. iii. 6-18) is a striking instance of symbolical interpretation of the Old Testament (Gen. xxi. 1-14), not explaining away, but applying, the simple historical reality. He who clings to the Law is, like Ishmael, a child of nature and bondage, a citizen only of the Jerusalem which now is, to be cast out of the family of God; the true Christian is, like Isaac, a child of promise and of the Spirit, a citizen and heir of the Jerusalem which is above. The quotation, "Rejoice," &c., is from Isa. liv. 1. The lesson is not only the promise of refreshment, but the warning against the spirit of legalism and Pharisaism, which is especially a snare of the watchful and selfdisciplined life. THE GOSPEL similarly (harmonizing with the name and idea of the Sunday) is the record of Our Lord's great miracle of refreshment to the 5,000 in the wilderness-the symbol of His boundless gifts of grace and blessing to the many wanderers |