Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1847-03-18
STATE OF VERMONT.
A PROCLAIM NATION,
BY THE GOVERNOR

thoughtful survey of our past lives and con
duct must ever present to our view abundant rea
son for repentance and self abasement Our in
gratitude to the Giver Of all good for the unnum
bered blessings which we have been continual,
receiving from His gracious hand, and our nu.
merous violations of His holy law, appear before
us to fill our souls with confusion and shame
and warning us that we have exposed ourselves
to the righteous judgments of Heaven-judg-
ments which we cannot hope to escape, unless
by timely repentance and humbling ourselves
before God, the just anger of the Almighty be
turned away. And to the exercise of such re-
pentance and humiliation we are the more ur-
gently and impressivey admonished when the
judgments of God are, as now, so manifestly a.
broad in some portions of the earth
do, therefore, hereby appoint Friday, the I'd
day of April next to be observed throughout this
State as day of PUBLIC HUMILIATION
FASTING, and PRAYER. And recommend
to the people of the State to lay aside, on that
day. all recreations and pursuits inconsistent
with the proper observance of such an occasion
Let us, on that day, in our public places of
worship, and in our private dwellings, humbly
confess our sins, both as individuals and as a
people, our ingratitude for the blessings which
have been conferred upon us, and all our numer-
Gus departures from the path of duty And while
we humby impore forgiveness for all our Offence
es, through Christ our Redeemer, let us resolve
in the strength of Divine Grace to break off from
our iniquities that we may keep such Fast as
will be acceptable to the Lord
And, incumbent, as it is, upon us ever to be
afflicted in the affections of cur fellow men. let
us not, on this occasion, forget the condition of
those who are now suffering from Famine and all
thevarous ills which ordinarily fellow in its train
Let us recognize the hand of Heaven in this in
fl cticn, and remember that it may be designed
not only to remind us of our dependence upon
God, but to give exercise to our deep sympathies
with our felloW-men, and to teach the Nations
a lesson of charity and kindness. Let us, there
fore, not think of contentIng ourselves by sly-
inc to these our hungering brethren" be fed )"
but. according to the me ms which God has Civ
en- us, let us contribute freely to their relief
trusting TINT the ordering Mercy of our God
may now be reldy to say to the Destroying An
gel =" it is enough" and that nothing waits but
that we should do the work which Heaven assigns
us. Thus may we be prepared to pray in SINGER
ity and in faith, that the supplies which we have
aided to furnish may be borne slfey and speedi-
" dCEOSS IlC uCCp3 LCotOlLl8 SlduilCoo W lit uIS
from which it has long been a stranger, and stly-
ing the desoatlng progress of that sore distress
under which a nation mourns.
And let us for ourselves, look heedfully to our
own ways and endeavor to learn the will of the
Most High, lest in turn He lay His heavy hand
upon us also. Let us so humble ourselves be-
f,re Him, and so heed the admontions which
His elings are designed to give, that we mly
not need to be ourselves visited with His sore
cAastsements before we shll suitably lie I'm tn 1t
greh truth which He designs the n1tions of the
elrh should learn and know-the truth thlt
there is a God in Heaven. Let US endevo
m re ms al y to recognize His be1eicence as
ever active IN providing for our welfre, and as
necessary to give furtherance and success to all
our pllns and purposes of G Cd lefcence
of which we are prone to be the more unminG-
flu, because its bounties have been wont to come
down to us in nevcr-fliling sire lms.
And thus deeply impressed with sense of
our unceasing dependence on the preserving
goodness of our Heavenly Father, let lis pray
that His smiles may rest upon the lrbors of the
coming year; that blasting and mdew may not
cut off the fruits of the elrth, but that the kind
ly influence of sun and shower may be given to
bring them to maturity-so that the husblndman,
sowing his seed in hope, may reap his harvest
with abundant joy.
Let us pray, also, that there be no dearth a.
mong us of spiritual blessings, but that all our
churches may be visited with rich illusions of
Heavenly grace that the Gospel may be en-
braced by multitudes who now refuse obedience
to its holy requirements and that religion, pure
and undefled may take root and thrive in all our
hearts, and exert its benign influence upon all
our conduct.
Let us pray that our valuable institutions may
be preserved and prospered, and that the cher
ished privileges and blessings which flow from
them may not only be perpetuated to us, but be
diffilsed and extended to all our brethren Of the
human race.
And finally let us pray that war and strife, that
injustice and OPPRESSION and immortality and vice
of every name and character, may be driven from
our land, and that we may become, in all our
ways, such people as the Lord will ever delight
to own, to prosper and to bless.
Given under my hand at Enosburgh,
this tenth day of March, in the year OF
L. s. our Lord one thousand eight hundred and
forty-soven and of the Independence OF
the United States the seventy first.
HORACE EATON.
Bv the Governor.