Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1845-03-28
STATE OF VERMONT.
A PROCLAMATION
BY THF GOVERNOR.

Pentence, humiliation aud prayer are at once
the duty and the privilege of guilty, dependent
man. While the Almighty knoweth the proud
afar off, standing towards them in the attitude of
nfexibIe justice, he delightelh to dwell with the
humble and the contrite, and promises to the poor
in spirit the richest of all conceivable blessings
And with repentance and humiliation he connects,
also, blessings to communicated the turning
away from them of deserved wrath and threaten
ed judgments. CAT what time | shall speak con-
corning nation and concerning Il kingdom, to
pluck up and pull down and destroy it, if that ma
ton against whom have pronounced, turn from
their evil, | will repent of the evil that | thought
to ito unto them" BY such motives are we, as
individuals and AS community invited and en-
couraged TO humble ourselves before God, and
seek his favor and his blessing through Christ our
Redeemer.
do, therefore, in accordance with the hallowed
custom derived from our puritan fathers, and i'm
PEELED by of our need of the divine forgive
ness and blessing, hereby appoint Friday the eiev-
enh day of 9prt neat, to be observed by the peo-
pie of this state as day of fasting humiliation
aud prayer. And | do earnestly recommend to
them suspension, on that day, of all labor and re-
creation, inconsistent with just sense Of the nc
ceSSity, and the purpose Of its observance.
! Let us, on that day, as Individuals in our pla-
ces of retirement, as families around our dnnes-
tic affairs, and as II community, in the places con
secrated to public devotion, make confession Of
sin, implore forgiveness, and promise amendment
Let it be made an occasion of thorough individual
selt-eXamlnation, and thoughtful consideration
of the public sins, both of our own community
and Of the nation Of which it forms a part-taking
as our standard Of judgment the word of the living
God IN Its plain, direct and comprehensive teach
ings. And let us ask God to search us, and t
search this naon to show us our individual sim
and the nation its transgressons; and to lead US
and the nation to true repenance-the repent
ance which consists in an actual turning from evil
undong of wrong, and doing that which is RICH
in the sight of the Lord
Let it afflict us when we survey the desoation
of Zion; when we see how few come up to he
solemn feastS; when we consider how little she
possesses of the self denying spirit of her Master
and Lord; and when we behold, every where, thu
love of pleasure and the lust Of gain absorbing st
much Of the energies demanded for the high ant
holy purpose of mniStering to human want, anC
mitigating human woe
And with our confessions of sin let there ii
mingled the charities of the gospel-drawng on
our hearts in compassion for the ignorant and de
graded, sympathy for the oppressed, and effort
for the highest good of all. And let us conside
that our oblatlons will be vain, and even multi
tude OF sacrifices to no purpose, unless we pu
away the evil of our dongs, cease 10 do evil am
learn to do well. Let the fact he such as God hat
chosen-to loose the bands OF WlckedneSS, una
the heavy burdens and break every yoke; to dea
, our bread to the hungry, bring into our houses tn
poor that are cast out and hide not oursey es rot
our own flesh, so that our light may break fort
as the morning, our health spring forth speedily
our righteousness, go before u.s. aud the glory
the Lord become our reward
r Aud finally, let us pray that, through the Unfit
ence Of the Divine Spirit, efficacy may be give
y to ruth-pure and indebted religion be revived
men every where be reclaimed from sin, and tn
world he brought back to its allegiance to Hcayel
and elevated to the dignity and blessedness O con
munion with its Creator aud Lord.
Given under my hand ut Mddlebury, this Fl
teenth day of March, in the year of our Lord OF
thousand eight hundred and forty-iyc, and of ii
/ independence of the United States the sxty-nnt
i WILLIAM SLADE.
By the Governor,
GEO. H. BEEMAN, Sec'y.