Page:Meditations For Every Day In The Year.djvu/386

 readily discover,  with  what  great  propriety  you  may  employ the  publican's  prayer.

II. You ought  to  deem  it  a  motive  of  great  confidence, that after  your  repeated  sins  and  transgressions,  you have for  your  advocate  the  Judge's  Son,  and  besides, that Christ  Himself  is  your  propitiation. For, "  He  is  the propitiation  for  our  sins,  and  not  for  ours  only,  but  also for  those  of  the  whole  world." (1 John  ii.  2.)  Although He be  always  and  every  where  merciful,  yet  He  is  never more so,  than  in  the  holy  Eucharist,  in  which,  in  order that he  might  be  more  propitious  to  us,  He  condescends to be  incorporated  with  us. That which  covered  the  ark of the  covenant  in  the  old  law,  [was  called  the  propitiatory; with much  more  reason,  therefore,  may  the  Eucharist claim that  name,  for  it  contains  and  conceals  the  living ark of  the  true  covenant  between  God  and  man.

III. The Jews  were  forbidden  to  do  any  servile  work on the  day  of  propitiation. "You shall  do  no  servile work,  in  the  time  of  this  day,"  because  it  is  a  "day  of propitiation." (Lev. xxiii.  28.)  Sin  is  properly  a  servile work. "Amen, amen,  I  say  unto  you,  that  whosoever committeth  sin,  is  the  servant  of  sin." (John viii.  34.) Abstain, therefore,  from  sin,  even  from  the  least  fault, especially on  days  of  communion;  say  to  your  Lord, when he  enters  your  soul,  "For  Thy  name  sake,  O  Lord, Thou  wilt  pardon  my  sin,  for  it  is  great." (Ps. xxiv.  11.)

I. As  a  perfect  master  of  spiritual  life,  Christ,  whilst He was  teaching  on  the  mountain,  did  not  omit  to  inform His  disciples,  how  they  ought  to  pray. The prayer,