to repress the longing—“O that Thou wouldest hide me in the grave, till the secret of Thy wrath is past!"a It is the consciousness of sinning, even when one is fighting with the sin, and resisting almost to the death. It is this which is such agonizing suffering the seeming to sin against God, and to fight against Him.

and "very

Yet do not struggle, for it increases nervous suffering fearfully. Just lie still, and say, "Lord, Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love Thee;"b or say, "Lord, have mercy on me; this is a sore trial, help Thou me." For He knows the heart. "He seeth not as man seeth;" and "He is love," pitiful, and of tender mercy." e Surely then He is grieved for and with you; is "touched with a feeling of your infirmities;" for "He was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." He bore nervous sufferingshow intensely He must have entered into them; every nerve of His was pierced, and wounded, and stretched. Say then, "O Saviour of the world, who by Thy Cross and precious Blood hast redeemed us; save us, and help us, we humbly beseech thee, O Lord!" "By Thine agony and bloody sweat; by Thy Cross and

a Job xiv. 13.

• 1 Sam. xvi. 7.

• James v. 12.

g

b John xxi. 17.

d 1 John iv. 8.

f Heb. iv. 15.

Service for the Visitation of the Sick.

Passion; by Thy precious Death and Burial;. by Thy glorious Resurrection and Ascension; and by the coming of the Holy Ghost, Good Lord, deliver us." a "Fear not; He will strengthen you and uphold you by the right hand of His righteousness." b

IX.

TAKING OPIATES.

It is often a point of great difficulty and distress to sick people, whether they are right to take opiates. Their doubts generally arise from two

causes:

1. The fear of acquiring so bad a habit, which can scarcely fail to increase upon them as their needs increase; and,

2. Questionings whether it can be right in them to subdue the sense of pain, when God Himself has sent the pain; when Christ Himself endured such extreme suffering, and refused to drink, even in the midst of His agonizing thirst.

These reasons are not only very plausible, but contain much truth. There can be no question, that to get into such a habit would be very injurious, and very sinful; but this sup

a The Litany.

Isa. xli. 10.

poses that there is no necessity for it; and if there be none, it is simply a wicked indulgence. If a medical man considers that an opiate is necessary, then the patient has no more right to refuse to take that, than he has to take any other medicine. The taking of any medicine needlessly and habitually would be a very bad habit to acquire.

The nature and measure of all medicine taken should be regulated wholly by a medical man; and we should take all these things passively from his hand, looking to him as the representative and the servant of God, sent by him to relieve us. If we find the opiates cloud our minds, we should mention it to the physician; and if he says that there is no help for it, that it surely will be its effect in our case, and yet that the remedy is necessary, then we are bound to submit our will and pleasure, and to take the medicine, and to bear the trial as part of the necessary discipline. The patient should of course exactly learn the quantity that he is to take, and strictly to keep to it, neither diminishing it because of his own scruples, or increasing it, if it produces pleasant effects, taking it always simply as a matter of obedience. It is certainly true that God sends pain to us; but the same argument which would prevent us from taking opiates would apply to all remedies, and we should refuse to try any, lest they should alle

viate our suffering. The argument, that our Lord refused all alleviations does not hold good, for He drank the whole cup of suffering, that He might know it all, and understand it all, and be able to sympathize with us. He refused every alleviation, that He might not escape from tasting one drop which any of His servants might hereafter be called to drink.

X.

AT

FANCIES ABOUT FOOD.

Ar times you may be very much tried by fancies about food. Some particular thing you may desire, and if it cannot be obtained, nothing else will content you. Or you may wish it dressed in some particular way; your directions are mistaken, you either refuse to eat the food, or do so with disrelish or disgust, or with a very discontented mind, complaining the while of your cook's stupidity, being angry with her, and perhaps speaking of it to other people; or you may wish for it at a certain hour, you may be kept waiting, and then lose your desire for, or will to eat it. Or when food, however dainty, is brought, you may have set your mind on something else; and either be

thoroughly discontented, or loathe the food altogether. Or you may fancy first one thing and then another, until your friends find you so hard to please, that they are at a loss how to meet your wishes. Or you may fancy something which you know is out of season, or only to be had at a very high price; or you may hear of a thing, and a sudden fancy takes you that you must have it, and you are restless until it is procured.

All these are most trying and humiliating things; they do indeed speak of the "corruptible body," "the vile body;"b and they are trials which the best disciplined minds and the most self-denying people are subject to; but certainly not equally with those who have been accustomed to indulge their appetites, and never made any attempt at resisting their inclinations.

To many it is a matter of real consequence what they eat, because it increases their illness to take certain things; but they may soon so far ascertain what suits them, as to let it pass into a habit of their lives, which they scarcely ever need to consider. Of course, each one will feel it a duty to take the food, either that is ordered by a medical man for them, or else which they find agree with them best.

To some perhaps the following suggestions may be helpful:

• Wisd. ix. 15.

b Phil. iii. 21.