ist the
blind, or unlearned, in uniting their voices with the rest of the
people. It is moreover an exercise of the privilege of approach to
God, granted by our Lord (1 Pet. ii. 5; S. Matth. xviii. 19, 20), which
is sometimes forgotten in thoughts of the ministry which He appointed.

_Progressive Duplication &c._

The groups of sins and sufferings from which we desire to be delivered
supply instances of progress, from that which is less, to that which is
more, serious. Most of these are obvious, and call for no further
remark.

Deprecations (Prayer for deliverance).

1. _Spare thy people, O Lord_: Joel ii. 17.

2. _Crafts and assaults_: The crafty enemy is one who cannot, or dare
not, attack openly. Hence assaults imply greater strength, or greater
courage, than crafts.

3. Of personal defects, _Blindness of heart_ may be due at first to
causes for which we are not responsible. _Pride_ is that which is too
well satisfied with itself: _Vain-glory_ is that which seeks admiration
from others; _Hypocrisy_ is that which seeks admiration on false
pretences.

_Envy_ is the desire to injure, and grows into _Hatred_, which has
perhaps a vestige of candour that is absent from _Malice_.

3 and 4. _Deadly sin_. All sin is deadly unless it is forgiven by God;
on the other hand "after we have {163} received the Holy Ghost, we may
depart from grace given, and fall into sin, and by the grace of God we
may arise again, and amend our lives," "the grant of repentance is not
to be denied to such" (Article xvi.). It should be remembered that our
Lord has taught us to interpret the Commandments inclusively, so that
they comprise all duties, and all sins--envy, hatred, and malice, as
well as murder, for instance. The old distinction between deadly sins
and venial sins has in it only an element of truth. Those named deadly
sins were Pride, Covetousness, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Anger, Sloth. Of
these Pride, Lust, and Envy are mentioned here, being notable amongst
sins which war against the Soul. Two phrases here include all sins:
"all deadly sin," and, "the deceits of the world, the flesh, and the
devil." It is not easy to decide whether such a sin as Idleness falls
under the head of Covetousness, or Sloth, or Pride; nor whether it is a
deceit of the World, the Flesh, or the Devil. These classifications
do, however, help in self-examination, and sometimes suggest helps in
the battle against our sins.

5. _Plague, Pesti