and make amends to the Lord, even amidst the martyr glories of their high deeds. Divine Scripture saith, Azarias stood up, and prayed, and opening his mouth made confession before God, together with his companions, in the midst of the fire."

Daniel also, after the multiplied grace of his faith and innocence, after the good pleasure of the Lord, oftentimes shewn toward his virtues and praises, still endeavours to gain His acceptance by fasting; enwraps himself in sackcloth and ashes, sorrowfully making his confession, and saying, “O Lord God, Great and Strong, and Dreadful, keeping Thy covenant and mercy to them that love Thee, and to them that keep Thy Commandments; we have sinned and have committed iniquity, and done wickedly, and have transgressed, and departed from Thy precepts and from Thy judgments; neither have we hearkened to the words of Thy servants the prophets, which they spake in Thy Name, to our kings, and to all the nations and all the land. O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto Thee, but unto us confusion." These things did men, meek, simple, innocent in gaining acceptance of the Majesty of God; yet now those who have denied the Lord, draw back from seeking peace and intreating Him.

I beseech you, brethren, give way to wholesome remedies, and obey better counsels; join your tears with ours, and to our sighs add your own. We intreat you to make us able to intreat God for you : we first turn those prayers to yourselves, wherewith we would implore God's pity in your behalf. And

yield not to that unwise error or vacant senselessness of some, who, when involved in sin, are stricken with blindness of mind, and can neither understand their sins nor lament them. This is the greater plague of a wrathful God; as it is written, "God gave them a spirit of deadness ;" and again "They received not the love of the truth that they might be saved; and for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie; that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." Pleasing themselves in unrighteousness, mad in the bewilderment of a deadened mind, they contemn the precepts of the Lord, neglect the remedy of their wound, and refuse to repent; unwise before they sinned, and obstinate after.

But you, dearest brethren, who have a ready fear to God-ward, and whose mind, even amid its fall, is conscious of its misery, do you in penitence and sorrow gain knowledge of your sins, recognise the deep charge upon your conscience, open the eyes of the heart to an intelligence of your offence, not despairing of the Lord's Mercy, yet neither making light claim to His pardon. God, as with the affection of a Father He is ever indulgent and kind, so with the majesty of a Judge is He dreadful. As we have sinned greatly, let us weep greatly. For a deep wound diligent and long tending must not be wanting; the repentance must not fall short of the offence.

If any man offer prayer with his whole heart,

if he groan in the true misery and tears of repentance, if by a continuance of good works, he bend the Lord to a pardon of his sin, He Who in these words expressed His tender mercy, will shew mercy to such a man; "When you turn and lament, then shall you be saved, and know where you have been." And again, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked," saith the Lord, "but that he turn from his way and live." And the Prophet Joel declares the graciousness of the Lord, by the Lord's own Word, “Turn ye,” saith he, "to the Lord your God, for He is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and of great mercy, and repenteth Him toward the evil which He hath inflicted." He can shew indulgence; to the man who is penitent, who does good works, who intreats, He can graciously give pardon, He can impute whatever for such an one martyrs pray, and priests perform. Or if any one move Him yet further by his own satisfaction, if he appease His wrath, the displeasure of an angered God, by worthy supplication; He grants weapons again, wherewith the conquered may be armed, recruits and invigorates that strength, whereby his refreshed faith may be quickened. The warrior will return to his warfare, will renew the fight, will challenge the enemy, by his sufferings only made stronger for the conflict. He who has thus made satisfaction to God, who through repentance for what he has done, through shame for his sin, has gained to himself an increase, both of virtue and faith, from the very suffering which his fall occasions, heard and helped by the Lord, will bring

gladness to the Church, whom he had grieved, and purchase not only God's pardon now, but a crown also.

De Laps. xix-xxii.

First Thursday in Lent.

WORLDLY CARES. S. CHRYSOSTOM.

"CONSIDER the lilies of the field."

Hereby Christ teaches us not only to take no thought, but not even to be dazzled at the costliness of men's apparel. Why? such comeliness is of grass, such beauty of the green herb, or rather the grass is even more precious than such apparelling. Why then pride thyself on things, whereof the prize rests with the mere plant, with a great balance in its favour?

And in the end after its triumph "it is cast into the oven;" and if of things mean and worthless, and of no great use, God hath displayed so great care, how shall He give up thee, of all living creatures the most important.

Wherefore then did He make them so beautiful? That He might display His own Wisdom and the excellency of His Power, that from everything we might learn His Glory. For not the Heavens only declare the Glory of God," but the earth too, and

this David declared when he said, "Praise the Lord ye fruitful trees and all cedars." For some by their fruits, some by their greatness, some by their beauty, send up praise to Him Who made them. If then to the grass He hath given that which it needs not, how shall He not give unto thee that which thou needest? If that which is the vilest of all things, He hath lavishly adorned, and that as doing it not for need, but for munificence, how much more will He honour thee the most honourable of all things, in matters which are of necessity.

Now when as you see, He had demonstrated the greatness of God's providential care, so they were in what follows to be rebuked also; yet even in this He was sparing, laying to their charge not want, but poverty of faith. Thus, If God," saith he, so clothe the grass of the field, much more you, ye of little faith."

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Now if for bare necessaries one is not to take thought, what pardon can we deserve, who take thought for things expensive? Or rather, what pardon can they deserve who do even without sleep, that they may take the things of others?

"Therefore take no thought saying, What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the nations of the world seek." Seest thou how again He hath both shamed them the more, and hath also shewn by the way, that He had commanded nothing grievous or burdensome? As therefore when He said, "If ye love them that love you, it is nothing