Thursday Before Easter—The Traitor Good Friday—The Cross Easter Even—The Last Sabbath Easter—The Day of the Lord Conclusion—Looking Back A LENT IN EARNEST _ASH WEDNESDAY._ _REPENTANCE._ THE keynotes of the services for Ash Wednesday are repentance and confession. Theirs is the spirit of the first collect, of the prayers which, in the American service for the day, follow the Litany, of the portion appointed for the Epistle, and of the Lessons, "That we, worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness;" "Turn Thine anger from us who meekly acknowledge our vileness." "Be favorable to thy people who turn to Thee in weeping, fasting, and praying." We often use words, even very common words, without any clear or exact idea of their meaning. "I know, but I cannot tell," is an expression familiar to every teacher. Now the truth is, we cannot be quite sure whether we know or not, unless we try to put our knowledge into words. Let us, then, examine a little our ideas on this very important matter. We find these two duties of repentance and confession constantly conjoined in both the Old and New Testaments. The Psalms are full of them. "I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me." (Ps. li. 3:) "Heal my soul; for I have sinned against Thee." (Ps. xli. 4.) "Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin." (Ezek. xviii. 30.) Our Lord's own preaching began with repentance, as did that of His forerunner, John the Baptist. (S. Matt. iii. 2; S. Mark i. 15.) It was the first commission of the Apostles (S. Mark vi. 12), as it was the burden of their preaching after the day of Pentecost. (Acts ii. 38.) So with confession. We read in Lev. xxvi. 40, after the most terrible denunciations of woe against the chosen people in case of unfaithfulness, these reassuring words: "If they will confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, ... if, then, their uncircumcised heart be humbled, and they ... accept of the punishment of their iniquity: then will I remember my covenant with Jacob!" So in Psalm xxxii. 5, Joel ii. 12, 1 John i. 9, and many other places. Our Church, too, in all her services, constantly presses these things on our attention. Since, then, they are so important, is it not very needful that our ideas about them should be clear and definite, free from mistake or haziness? What, then, are repentance and confession?