Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1861-04-12
FAST DAY

The churches, with the exception of the
Baptist church, the pastor of which is abb
sent, and the occasion was generally improv-
Ell to consider from the pulpit the signs of
the times.
At the First Calvnistic Congregational
Church, Rev. j. H. WORCESTER preached
from Amos IlI-6. "shqH there be erH in a
city, and the Lord hath not d,ne il ?''
Regarding our National troubles as in a
proper sense from the Lord, Mr. Worcester
considered the question, what have we done
for which such evil might be expected at the
hand of God? lnstancing the views Of men
on each side of the slavery question-grant
ing that there has been wrong on both sides,
and that if either party had acted rightly
much Of the error and wrong Of the
other side would not have existed,
and leaving the endless charges and rejoin-
ders which follow from a partisan view. he
proceeded to look at the subject from
higher stand point, and asked what a just
God might be expected to do with such in
stisutions as ours. Granting that the Con-
stitutlon with its questionable concessions to
slavery, was the best that could have been
adopted under the circumstances, God has
taken no oath to sustain il. lie may be
prepared to take away such protection to
wrong as is afforded by Union like ours.
But if this be objected to, as too distinct
a recognition Of the special providence of
God, then he showed, by a calm review of
the history of the question, that by the very
law and course of Nature, it could not fall
out otherwise that a Union combining
such elements as Slavery at the South, and
Freedom, free speech and free press at the
North, could not naturally be expected to be
undisturbed.
In view of the circumstances he urged the
duties of owning the providence Of God ; of
performing our part as citizens without party
bitterness, and if it can be done consistently
with higher interests, without fraternal
strife of doing right towards all classes
and all races and of humbling ourselves as
a people and as persons, and praying for de-
liyerance The sermon was a very clear,
strong and fresh presentation Of important
truth.
REV. Jo.HUA YoUNo preached calm and
Al ,A
from Judges Y. 10. And the Children Of
I,raeI cried unto the Lord, saying ,ce hare
sinned against tiee, both because re hare for
saken our God, and also serred B00iim.'
The preacher set forth the great sin of par
ties and public men in cutting loose from the
principles of moral integrity, which they
acknowledge to be binding on private indi-
viduals He lnmented the moral lukcwarm-
ness which he believed to be characteristic Of
the time, and maintained that the true inter
ests of nations. az of individuals, cannot be
divorced from their duties to God and man
kind. Coming down to the crisis, he de-
clared that he was not, as he had been charg-
ed to BE-, an advocate of the dissolution o.
the Union But while viewing with sorrow
the falling of stars from the American gal
axy, he believed that the Union was made
for msn, not man for the Union. that there
were worse evils than its dissolution, and
that it could not stand in opposition to the
of eternal justice and the rights OF
humanity.
Tho two Methodist churches united in one
in the Pine Street church where
Rev.J. NJ. EDGEKroN preached from Psalm
Ii, 4,"Aqo'nst thee ,fhee only hare | sinned and
done thus eril IN thy sight, The Reverend gen.
tleman. in his discourse, urged with earnest
ness the doctrine ofindividual responsibility,
that there are no national sins,
as distinguished from the sins of the indi-
yiduals who compose the nation and that the
remedy for Sabbath breaking, Intcmperance,
Slavery and other prevailing sins. is in per-
sonal repentance and obedience to God.
The Third Congregational Church held
their service in the Courthouse, as
usual, Rev. GEO b. Stafford preaching
the sermon from Daniel III, l6, Il and is.
"Shadrach, Meshacb, and Abed-nego, answered
and said to the king. o Nebuchsdnezzsr, we are
not careful to answer thee in this matter.
If it be 50, our God whom serve is able to
deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he
will deliver Us out Of thine hand, o king.
ba - m n hat
we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden
image which thou hast set up
From this passage the preacher in an cx-
ceedlngly clear, able, and original discourse
enforced the doctrine Of a higher law, and
the duty of obeying God rather than man,
in cases where human enactments come in
conflict with Divine comm nds. He further
inculcated the duty of disregarding calcula
tions of the consequences in questions Of
moral right and wrong. Applying these
principles to the duty OF the American citi-
zen in the present crisis, he urged the duty
of conceding matters of convenience and
material interest, to any extent necessary to
avert the evils of disunion and civil war but
if the concessions demanded require the
abandonment of principle, or compliance with
and extension of system Of oppression and
wrong, the Christian citizen is not
to calculate the consequences, how
ever terrible they may be,or to be careful to
answer in the matter" He and the nation,
must do right, trusting il God to deliver
them from the threatened penalty, but in
any case to do only what is right.
Devotional exercises were held, but no
sermon preached in the Episcopal Church,
and High Mass in the two Catholic Churches.
The "tLowER QUEEN" was performed Oh
Wednesday evening to a delighted audience
that filed floor and galleries of the Town
I'll avo, 10 tho rida saat. rbo~a pott;pD