Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1845-11-20
Peace Department.

4 fitting theme for the occasion.

VS
The piety of our forefathers has beqneathed
to us this favorite festival of gratitude to God
and, as the past year has been signalized to US
by the unexpected preservation of peace amidst
many rumors and fears of war, WE would invite
public attention to the fact as a special call for
individual and national thanksgiving, and would
suggest to christian ministers of every name, the
p%ropriety and expediency of selecting the sub
iect of Peace, in one or another of its manifold
aspects, for their theme of discourse on that oc-
casion.
1t would be difficult to exaggerate the impor-
lance of this theme, or the urgency of its claims
upon good men in an age like the present. Peace
is obviously the greatest want of the world, as
well as one Of the chief glories Of our religion /;
and we can hardly suppose any argument neces-
sary to enlist every true-hearted ambassador of
the Prince of Peace in cordial, jealous advoca-
cy of an object so strictly evangelical, and so
vastly important to the temporal and spiritual
welfare of mankind.
We have no wish to dictate, but, accustomed
to solicit from preachers of the gospel an
annual plea for this cause, relying mainly on
them as its heaven-selected advocates, and be-
%lieving that the good providence which has thus
far avertea the horrors of threatened war, calls
for our warmest gratitude, and demands very
special notice from the pulpit at the approach
ing anniversary Of public thanksgiving to the
God of all our mercles, we earnestly hope, that
his ministers throughout the country will seize
upon the occasion to urge the claims of peace
with zeal and power. We ask them to ponder
the prophecies Of peace recorded in the Bible
to examine the principles of peace taught in the
gospel to dwell on the countless, uuutterable
evils of war to consider how many blessings to
our land, to christendom and the world, are in
cluded in a single year Of general peace, and how
essential its continuance is to our temporal and
spiritual prosperity, to and every sec
ular pursuit, to the revival Of pure religion, and
the success Of every enterprise now in progress
for the spread of christianity, and the ultimate
recovery Of our world from sin and its woes.
God grant that his ministers may soon learn
more fully their duty, privilege and power on
this subject Let the twenty-five or thirty thou
sand in our own country unite with the still lar
ger number in the land of our fathers and breth-
rem, to enforce Alright the pacific principles of the
gospel in their application to nations as we'll as
to individuals and how easy for them under
God to insure the perpetual peace of these two
countries, and eventually of christendom and
the world.
In behalf Of the American Peace Society,
GEO. c. BEcKwITH, Cor. Secretary.
Benton, 90 1-2 CornhiH, Oct. "a, 1916.
P. S.-If ministers or others wish for help in
the examination of this subject, we shall be hap.
Ply to furnish them at very small expense, and
they will take up a collection after preaching
we will gladly send their people in return oul
tracts or periodicals for general circulation.