The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1863-12-25


as national affections. so also in bis on' ,ro
nc spfere' In Is every citizen, it seems to me.
- in' Sc words come TO every lover of the r
m I'll uon' OF humanity, of religion, of &c
III III SPEAK X, TO the people that they 60 torward
ne Ii. lhe path of a nation is through the $
=, ~ never great nation yet, but had its Red $
!e oap'ism. "All these things of Jewish his,
III ,Iis-ha2pened unto them for ensamples a,
% 'nVy are written for orr a,imonition nm,
%hon the ends of the world are como ;
lhat passage is known as a ban,;sr .
u would not that ye should be ignoran, h
'e that all our fathers were under the cloud ~ ~
q al passed through the sea and were all ba,
e 1zed unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea m
4 4 ''e r, ,he words o: Paul to the Corinthians.
u ne sea thus became their symbol of col
Secration: They were passing to a new cor
; , 'htnt'-the land promised their fathers E
oil inheritance and from an abiect to free
nooier and purer condition, and they ar
brought through the sea that they may hav
: an outstanding -,;""oI of their con-refa
t ,ii;as? II: ms ne" and promised ,~''mg plac
""o 'hiS new national and .e!igious life
was no natural necessity that forced them I,
try this passage. But there is a moral ne
eesslty tr'it. It is the providence ef Goi
for men. They need their haptism. The,
must have national symLol of consecra,;oI
t' this lew life. And here is a world-his;or
ic fact and necessity. This Red sea baptism !.
as Necessary Tor nation as necessary for gov
einmeHts, as It's baptismf,r the Church. In
deed It signifies much the same in either
case. In church baptism We have symooi
Of the transition from the old life OF SIN to
the new life "r holy conservation TO God.
! Much ,Le same with the national baptism.
Baptized i'll the sea of trial and suffering
means consecrated to new and better ma
tional life How did the ISraelirrs look
back years, even centuries after. to this SYM
bolic passage through the SEA. How much
their scriptures talk Of this historic event.
investing it with all the power and meaning
OF a sacrament. Nations have their monu-
ments commemorative of their great hiStor-
ic DAYS and chiefly ct the sacrificial scenes
Of their past. Ii reminds them of what they
passed through. what suffering and sacrifice
IN reaching the present greatness and re-
nown. 1t is a necessity of LOYALTY 10 be
| thus reminded OF what the present great
ness cOs:. Here the children. the mothers
and the fathers can come as to the national
altar. to quicken their patriotism and to OTTER
the sacrifice of reconsecrated hearts and lives
to the nations good. Just as men go to their
: tehS'"us nltars, to quicken and rec0nSecrate
/ their lives.
/ And this great historic event to the He
hrews was the sea passage, and the scripture
record is Their commemorative monument,and
this is why tins story and the scriptures that
interpret It's meaning We're READ 50 often in
the hearli z Of the W hole cOngre cation OF the
people. Often as the words fell upon their
ears, ii said 10 them, Remember the bap-
,;A',' 'n@. t.t,. cor SaGa ionncss, We who once
We're slaves and to the promised inheritance
ye VINO once forgot the na,icnal songs and
the national worship in the land of IN.
stranger. Saved by water is written OF all
The nations OF earth, and concerning us to-
day may 1t not he written The ike Fl .ure
whereunto. even baptism, DON now save MS. "
and the meaning of the baptism ,bis-tbe
answer of good national conscience towercs
God in rscoLsecration to 4 new career OF
universal freedom. We were baptized in
our infancy, according to that most impress
i've scripiural authority, for a national as an
individual infant baptism. The land was
corsecrated the nation was consecrated to a
new career of freedom here. and God
made US great nation and multiplied US as
the stars Of heaven and blessed us and made
~. ""n"n great and in us how many of the
nations OF the eartn wr.~ Ll,osod Iong
the people remembered the earlier baptism.
There were national days and monuments to
the great leaders. ard of the great scenes
and all tie children knew the story well
But we we've forgetting our infant baptism
) and some remembered to forget il. We be-
. came urcean. Conservation must be a re-
: peated work that the first scenes of conse.
r cratian, however strongly symbolized may
be controlling. The Hebrews forgot the Rec
sea how often, and how often the Prophet:
must charge them with talsity to their his
tory. And so we forget too much the eide
times. The great days had less meaning
7 the monuments less power, and the story Wa
S rehearsed less frequently and patriotically il
the schools And in the greedy uss for othe
y gods,the gods of Egypt,this great god Nam
r mon. chief in the Pantheon, VIZ forgot tn
e ever guiding God. who hronght is from tn
| house of bandag. and thr ugh our sea O
: trial and danger. The people became pa
= warning And how many sought to fal
t sify our history and proclaimed that the zap
n tism meant not conservation 70 the interes
If of universal humanity, but only to self. par
e tv, class interest ard instead of fresdor
It to the captive it meant captivity more an
: more-captivi.y without the jubilee; CAP
q tivity aOw and forever. This was the foI
5. indigni;y and iupious lie put upon our infar
h consecration. So again We pass through tn
r sea. Again God conseCraies the people t
le his work, again He calls upon the people I
l. reconsecra,e themselves. He baptizes tn
.e living for the dead. He sprinkles the natio
4 with the blood of patriots, and forth frol
ID this reign of death, he evokes new ords
n OF life.
to Thus speak these desoIate fields of deaf
n, these countless graves, these stricken hous
to holds of the land. Awful. appalling, teyor
II, utterance were such scenes, sacrifices ar
T. sufferings, but for this divine virtue and 81,
y, nifcance for the living. Every added hart
ay ship of the field, every new scene of sickne
a and of carnage, every fresh grave. evel
d. groan of the languishing prisoners in fiji
lie dungeons, every new sorrow of the hous
ht hold, is a consecrating voice, as of from Gt
I'd himself.
IN The other day at Gettysburg, the natit
C. consecrated the graves Of the patriots fallt
", there What does it mean9 1t means tn
re a loyal people reverences and commemorat
he and perpetuates the names and deeds of t
or heroes that fell on that field of stri
o. in defense of the nations honor and exi
IS tence.
ng But more. 1t has a meaning for the Ii
ot ing. 1t should signify also conservation the
ar to new national career. 1t should spe
We of new life from the death that saddens al