Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1839-07-10

ulstinctlon between the officer and the
brother. His sef-respect, at least, will
prompt him TO place the preacher upon
the basis of his office. 1t is assumed. in
every step the hearer takes toward the
house of God, that the preacher is to ad-
dress him in the name and by the author
ity of Christ Shall the preacher ascend
the pulpit, and there take it upon himself
to utter the sentiments of holy writ as his
own mere opinions or adUicep He could
not be guilty of greater arrogance. He
could not give his hearers a greater in
suit. No 1t is due to them. that he de-
mean himself as the servant of Christ =
that he exhibit 70 them not 0d0ice, but au-
thoraty, not opinions, but decisions. not
the words which mans wisdom teacheth,
but the word of the Lord which abideth
forever Boldness in the preacher, as
the servant of Christ, is modesty in him
as man.
Bo.dness accords with the character OF
the Christian revelation. Bold, beyond
comparison, are the spirit and manner of
the Bible-its descriptions of natural Oh.
jects-its striking delineations of hell,
and heaven, and God. BoAre its NOR
tai portraitures--its reproofs and rebukes
for sn-its denunciatioas of woe to the
gnilty-its demands Of universal and un-
conditional repentance-its threatenings,
pointing down to the chambers of death
Its promises, revealing the gates oil
life.
The best preachers have been singular
for boldness. Such were the Edwards
and the Tennents of our own land. Such
were Baxter. and Whi,e6eld and the
Wesleys, of Great Britain Such were
Knox, and Luther, and Zuinglius, of an
earlier era. Such were the noble army
of martyrs and The company of the no.
ly apostles Such preacher was Paul
Behold him at Athens: he stands on the
summit Of Mars hill: the lofty .Acropolis
with its GROWING Parthenon, towers be-
hind him; the Egean, gemmed with
green islands, stretches away in the dist.
ance before him; the splendid city O
Athens, with her temples, and affairs, and
images, lies at his feet; an immense
throng of Athenians have gathered
1 around him; he stands among them, blu
? he stands alone-a barbarian, a Jew,
4 stranger in city of strangers. He haC
: come from distant land, in fulflment @
J a commission from the Savior of men,
J He had come to city, whose laws de
nounced death to the man who should in
, ltroduce foreign deity. He now stand
: before a most august assembly, body @
! men venerable alike for their learning
: their experience. and their years; befor
! the very tribunal which had recently con
: demned the purest and most patriotic G
their own philosophers for alleged hostiI
f ity TO their religious rites. He stands t
). preached among them Jesus and the res
q urrecton'-a doctrine utterly hostile t
n their civic gandeur, their state polio,
n their proudest and most cherished supe
v stitions. Will the tribunal, which spare
5. not their own Socrates, now spare tt
< stranger2 The question enters not h
,e mind. He comes forward to this tribu
Sc al, no: to retract his obnoxious doctrine
: but to re-assert them; to bind and riv
d. them with still greater power upon Il
is Judgment and the conscience. He Iii
as his arm to speak, and it is with the m
is jesty of one on whom rests the Spirit
H. the living God. He exhibits that last
at cisive energy of rational courage WIFI
an con6des in the Supreme Power-a cou
NJ age which makes a man intrepidly da
to everything that can attack him within t
es whole sphere of mortalty-which wou
COR make him retain his purpose unshak,
Ii. amid the ruins Of the world.
NY 1t is my impression that the following anecd
GU has been in the Telegraph, at some former peri
on But the hands in the Office think it has not: S
In give it place, it being one of those articles
eA- are capable of entertaining the second time.
ale ANEcDoTE OF THE Rev JAMES Az
- STRONG. Some years ago, the Rev. I
ne Armstrong preached at Harmony, nj
Isl, the Wabash, when doctor of that pla
Ian protested Deist or Infdel, called W
not his associates to accompany him, WI
but he attacked the Methodist" as he 81
to At first he asked Mr.. A., If he I" follow
les' preaching to save souls o. he answe
me- in the affirmative. He then asked Mr.
to "if he ever saw a soul ~ No.
he he ever heard soul p mo" If
eak ever tasted a soul2 mo" "If he
err smeh soul?' No. s. If he e
ia felt soul 2" "Yes. thank God,'' /
ms Mr.. A. Wel,' said the doctor, 18th
MS are four of the five senses against one
5 70 evidence that there is no soul !''
not Armstrong then asked the gentlema
AMI he was not doctor Of medicine, and
save answar.d II the Affirmative. He ,
the asked the doctor "if he ever hea
test pain?" mo" "If he ever taste
able min p, ..Non eff ne ever SIN,
NAL. pain % "No." "Ifhe ever felta pal
,ther !. ysso M then said .sthert