Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1840-11-27

reads and looked startled, as if something
Uncommon were about to happen. 1t was
,nly handsome, bold-looking young man,
who walked up the aisle with naughty step,
md cntcreda pew on the opposite side from
hat occupied by the mother and daughter,
and somewhat nearer the pulpit. A battery
Of glanccs was levcled on him from the gal
cries, but he looked carclessly up, and even
smiled when young girlby whom he seated
himself, drew back with look of ndigna-
ton to the farthcst corner of the pew.
The old deacon looked up as those bold
footsteps troke the stiffness; his thin cheek
and lips became deadly white, he graspcd
the railing convulsvcly, half rose, and then
fell forward with his face on his hands, and
mOtlonlcss as before. Well might
the wrongcd old man yield, for a moment, to
the infrmitcs of human nature, even in the
house of God. That bold man who thus au-
dacionsly intrudcd into his presence, had
crcpt like serpent to his hcarthstone--had
made his honest name by-word, and his
daughter, the child of his old age, a creature
for men to handy jests about. But for him,
that girl, now shrinking from the gaze of her
own friends, would have remained the pride
of his home, and a lamb in the church of
God. Through his wiles she had fallen from
the high place of herrcligious trust, and now
in the fulness of herpenitence, she had come
forward to confess her fault and receive for
givencss of the church it had disgraced.
The old deacon had lost his children one
by one, till this gentle girl alone was left to
him he had folded love for her, his latest
born, in his innermost heart, till all uncon-
consciously she had become to it as an idol.
The old man thought it was to punish him
that God had permitted her to sink into tenn
tation; he said SO beseechlngly, to the elders
of the church, when, at her request he call
cd them together, and made known her dis
grace. lie tried to take some of the blame
upon himself; said that he had, perhaps, been
less indugent than he should have been, and
so her affections had been more easily won
from her home and duty-that he feared that
he had been proud man-spiritually proud
but now he was more humble, and if his hea-
venly Father had allowed these things in or
der to chasten him, the end had been obtain
ed; he was stricken old man, but could say
1.-THE will of God be DONE" Therefore he
besought his brethen not to cast her forth to
her disgrace, but to accept her confession OF
error and repentance; to be mcrcitul, andre
ceive her back to the church. lie went on
to say how humbly she had crcpt to his feet
and prayed him TO forgive her how his wife
had spent night after night in prayer fol
her fallen child, and so he left her in thei
hands, only entreating that they would dca
mercifuly by her, and he would bless then
for it.
Willingly would the sympathising elder,
have received the stray lamb again, withou
farther humiliation to the broken-heartet
old man; but it could not be. The uncodl,
were willing to visit the sins Oh whcl,
community. The purity of their churcI
must be preservcd-thc penance cxactcd.
From the time of that church meeting, tn,
poor father bent himself earnestly to til,
strengthening of his child's good purposes
lie made no complaint, and strovc to appca
hay, to be-resigned and cheerful; he still
continued to perform the Office of deacon
though the erect gait and somewhat dgnilict
consciousness of worth that formerly distin
guished him had utterly disappeared. o,
each succeeding Sabbath, his brethren OBJ
served some new prostraton of strength
Day by day his cheek grew thin-his voic,
hollow, and his step more and more feeble
1t was plteous sight-a man who had beer
remarkable for bearing his years so bravclv
moving through the aislcs of that old mcctin
house with downcast eyes, and shoulder
STOPPING as beneath a burthen. At last th
mlldew of griefbegan to withcr up the mem
ory of that good man. When the first indi
cations of this appeared, the hearts of hi
brethren ycarned toward the poor deacon
with united feeling of deep administration
The day of Julia's humiliation had been an
pointed, and the Sabbath which preceded it
was sacramental one. The old deaco,
was getting very dccripit, and his friend
would have persuaded him from porlormin.
the duties Of the day. He shook his head
remarked that they were very kind, but h,
was not i'll, so they let him bear about tn,
silver cup filled with consecrated wine, as h,
had done for twenty years before, though
many an eye filled with tears as it marke,
the continued trembling of that hand, whicl
more than once caused the cup to shake, an,
the wine to run down its sides to the floor
There was an absent smile upon his fac,
when he came to his daughters seat. Or
finding it empty, he stood bewildcrcd, anc
looked helplessly round upon the congrcga
ton, as if he would have inquired why sh
was not there. Suddenly lie seemed to re
collect; mortal paleness ovcrspread hi
face. The wine-cup dropped from his hand
and he was led away, crying like child.
Many of his brethren visited the Athlete,
man during the next week. They alwav
found him in his orchard, wandering abou
under the heavy boughs and picking up tn,
wilhered green apples which the worms ha
eaten away from their uuripe stems.
These he diligently boarded away near
large sweet briar bush which grew in cor
ncr Of the rail-tcncc. On the next Sabbat
lbs appeared in the meeting house, accompa
MED by the minister as we have described t.
be outraged in the vciy house of God by tn
presence Of the man who had desolated hi
home. II is little wonder that even there
his Just wrath was, for a moment, kindlcd
The service began, and that erring girl listen
ed to it as one in dream. Her heart seem
cd in n painful slccp: but " hen the ministc