June 13

Thursday of the Third Week after Easter

Cease to do evil; learn to do well. Isaiah 1:16, 17.

THERE are two sorts of work before us to be done by the grace of God: first we have to strive against the whole body of sin, everything which is against the holy will of God, "every evil inclination, all iniquity and profaneness, neglect and haughtiness, strife and wrath, passion and corruption, indolence and fraud, every evil motion, every impure thought, every base desire, every unseemly thought." Secondly, we have all some one besetting fault, which is our own special hindrance. Both of these we must learn by looking into ourselves. No two persons have exactly the same temptations, as no two minds are exactly alike; and so we ought not to judge of others, nor can we judge of ourselves, by them. We must look into ourselves, and this is the examination of ourselves which we are bidden to use, of which the Church reminds us. We have these two searches into ourselves to make, one into every part of ourselves, the other into that part of ourselves which is the weakest, and through which we most often fall. Of these, holy men recommend that we should begin with our besetting fault. For many reasons. It lies, most likely, at the root of many other faults. It burrows under ground as it were, and comes up at a distance where we look not for it. It branches out into other faults; twines round and kills some grace; hides itself behind other faults or virtues. It interferes with, or overshadows or overlays every grace. But the more this one fault spreads, the more, if you uproot it, you will clear of the field of your conscience; for

One furnace many times the good and bad will hold, Yet what consumes the chaff will only cleanse the gold.