Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1861-04-11


The vritcr has but one child and he has
gone to be with Je,us. OF his many sweet
sayings, Uhjcl viii cycr live in grateful
memory, coming home TO the heart with that
tender aud soothing influence which can be
borrowed only from tie splrit.land, ono Of
the swcetos is that which we nave quoted
above.
Such vas the state Of this little boys
health, during tho latter part Of his brief and
happy life, that many Of his Sabbaihs we're
spent with his mother at home. Ga those
days, u double portion # the Spirits inAu-
ences seemed to be impaired to him. They
descended gently upon him like the dew of
heaven AID like the light Of heaven, they
seemed to penetrate aad %pery4Ie every ave
nue. OF his soul. Thcy iradiltod his coaa.
%tculncc they tranqai,izaI his spirit; they
filed him with a holy joy in c9n,ersi { on
tho thin5s q Christ, in listening to that
sweet story Of Cd, and ID singing with sub.
dued voice, tho praises Of hun VINO said,
" Let the little ones cen unto me
Ga one q those peaceful ~SibbAths, which
Afforded so deli ,htiul a l%oretlSte Of the eter-
nal res, into which he as about 10 enter, his
thoughts dsolt long AL 4nxious.y Ga those
porPieXing questions winch, sooner Or later,
a%g.tatc ~!uos, every thoughtful mind, rciat-
ing to the freedom Of man aud the sovereign.
ty OF God, and csf ecillly, to the possible in
hueacc Of prayer On al Infinite Being, who
is " OF one mind anil whom none can
tCro.' Nearly the en- ire interval OF diyio c
service was spent IN attempting to remove his
dfi mites, and u present tbcse great themes
IN such a Iig !; as woaid, ut east, relieve his
feelings, if not solve The ny stery in which
those questions viii ever &c involved. Grad
ually, tGe light scencl to dawn more fully
upon him the clouds lifted and rolled back:
faith enabled him to accept what io could
not fully comprehend and an unwoOtei
pence poryadcd his believing aud loving
heart, At length, compelled TO interrupt
this hallowod interview, by tie summons
which babe u. speak, to more than one, oil
the things which belong to their everlasting
peace, We we're about to hasten away, when
looking up with a composuro aud Joy Of
c0untenlncc which will never be ctflCed from
our memory, and 2etking with an earnest
ness and sweetness of voice which seems still
10 fall upon our cars like the words Of d" her.
aid angels he said, " Father, | fee. 50 hap
py!"
We do not suppose that this dear boy,
then, Tor the irst time, experienced the sane.
tityins power Of the Holy Spirit: but We do
believe that he then drank deeper at the
fountain OF living water than ever belore.--
From that time, lie evidently dwelt 10 a SC
rener atmosphere than is ever breatned far
from the gates OF the celestial city. From
that time, the Gospels, which he had long
loved, were increasingly precious to him /;
prayer, which had for years been his deli !ht,
became his " vital breath AID songs Of
praise, which he had warbled from infancy,
were breathed from his lips With unwonted
me, or5are.
Those ave words were, thenceforth, the Ian.
gage Of his life. We now sec them to have
ben promo tory OF his approaching change,
and eau understand why he was moved to
utter them. We can now appreciate, better
than ever before, he power OF consolation
whicL may be inlolded in the brielest saying
of u departed object Of the hearts affection.
We daily bless God for that brief utterance
Of a triumphing faith. We praise him for
the glad echoes il continues to wait to us
from the celestial plains, and especially, for
the assurance it affords, that, however great
the happiness Of our darling boy then was,
it was not wo thy u be compared with the
Joy which no now k%uows-joy such as il
hath not entered into tho heart of man to
conceive. -Coayregotioaalnt.