Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1866-05-16

IL fbe only kind OF building that suggests It's
sacred pses, and helps religious services. AT
once 1t brings the heart of the true worshipper
into harmony with his sacred service. Il is
Itself pr r2yeT, sermon, wrought III stone
and wood, aHd lends an impres i've force 10 all
Scripture reading and instruction. The build
ing cts On The religious sentiments. Ii helps
tno songs Of praise. they reverberst te and
are lost, like angels music, the vaulted arches
Ii helps the sermon, for 1t IS rot cold, sepul-
chral or gloomy, but fills the mind with spir-
itual suggestions. and makes the loving heart
believe that this is none other than a Bethel
house OF prayer and the gate of heaven. Ii
helps the w0rshipper and fills him as he enters
with the emotions which belong to sacred
place, and inspires him with the sentiments
that are conducive 50 right reception Of the
truth.
This is its tendency. | will not say has Is
It's uniform effect. Too often the best effects
are defea ed by the vicious and profane ten
denotes of our own souls. Meu may look ON
the mountains and never dream of Him who
established their strong foundation and reared
their cicad-capped summits. They may hear
the voice Of the thunder, nor once think OF the
Goo of Glory. They may survey The placid
lake, 4nd neVer recall the image of Him " no
once hushed ne stormy waters Of Gennessare,.
SGil nature not cbsrgeabie with our atheism
nor rs truly Christian structure, which en-
bodies mere largely than another the ideas ii
our faith, chargeable with our levlty and folly.
Ii Is 10 oOjecuon 10 the best sacred architec-
ture, that, while il helps the devotion of ne
believer, 1T never removes she sin of the heart,
nor produces OF itself the Il w of Christian
feeling. L. may No. always change our mood.
Ii certainly never changes our character. AID
yet il NAV be and Is of those minor trib-
utaries which helps swell the volume of Chris
n t. 4
which became new when Chri.t came INTO the
world.
| need not Fay that Christian feeling strives
ever more ~ xpress Itse IN these outward
forms. / can worship and sing and preach
ard pray q dens and caves of she earth IN
the fastnessed OF the mountains, IN the re-
treats Of the wilderness. Ii can serve and
worship the Father, neither on this mountain
nor get 1t Jerusalem, but IL the sOlltudes of
the forest, in the catac0mno OF the dead, IN
barns and hoyeis. IN rude gOrges, Or 10 splendid
ca hedrais. its real temple ls the heart of the
living Christian, its real architecture is
spiritual temple, and its best ritual is the
In passioned cry of peniience or the joyful
shout of exulting faith. Yet, still, Christian
lty loves to give its bes5 things to God. 1t
loves 10 have the glory OF the latter house
exceed the glory OF the former, aud 20 see old
things passing away and all things becoming
new. Not only IL mora and spiritual things
wouli Il forget :hst which Is behind, but also
IL Ia ural aud mats,lai things. Ii Is al first
content with such rude places as 1T Is able
10 tno or build but u comes at length To
desire better things, and 80 Fless forward 10
that winch Is before IL the infancy OF SO
ciety, in the weakness or poverty of resources,
II is satisfied with rude accollluo datious, ana
worehip- GOO sincerely under the ch of
the SKY as uoder the roof of a church. BIT
with advancing ahiilty, culture, resources,
taste. Il long, to give a stronger and better
expression 70 It's Taliglous IDEAS The ad-
vancIBg epIris Of Oh 5ist;anIty Just - naturally
builds better houses OF worship as Is builds
better characters. Ii makes all the elements
of growth trIbu. airy 10 X. That IS the reason
why the Oil things are passing away and all
things sre made new. That IS the reason
why our old churches, adopted to the wants
of an earlier society, are one alter another
demolished and abandoned Christian senti-
Inent Is trying o emaJdy itself IN more beau
tful and attractive forms ot architecture,
and g!oEiiy wIln lis increased resources the
sanctuary ol God. Thar ls the reason why We
are gathered noE in TINS place for the lass time.
The Old pEsses AVA IL obedience to L sentl
ment a8d pCinci pie winch Christianity has be-
gotten, and which makes us unw Hing th At
our religious architecture and conveniences
That IL ths regscu why We have prayed and
labored and made our munifcent offerings
It Is right tha5 Christ should have our best
things They are nos co. good for him
Tho cause Of Christ should feel IN every direc-
tIon the effects .. our ma. a.orIal :fuRress We
would not wish % buIit la the :. .antOnness
Of wealth noF IN tie vain ministry to the
desire of the eyes OF the pride Of life" We
would noe new nor lay one stone Of the new.
nor remove from its place one timber or BRICK
of the Old, for any st fish ambition OF AFRO
CANT passion, but only because It is fitting
shat our precious Things should be poured ike
s,ikenard On tn head of Christ Ii wa.
with such a feeling and principle the old was
built liz is with such 1t muss pass away and
make room lor The new.
But let me refresh your recoilections with
the history of this old building. This village
had been settled abous len years, and had coli
lected a CONSIDERABLE population, before It was
discovered, with the certainty OF CONVICTION,
that religious ideas and worship were essen
rial to the lite OF a community Then. moved
by wants OF the spiritual nature which had
found NJ supply, the town, ut a legally warned
meeting. voted, Jan. 10, 1900, to choose a
C cJmmi6ree ot three persons, 10 employ o
teacher OF the Christian religion, 10 be com
out of the town treasury The
engaged 10 1905, the Rev. Clark Brown, tor a
year. He was 2 man of considerable talent,
bu. not ot very acceptable views for at the
close If SIX nths OF his term the citizens
nes at the tavern one Sunday and voted to
pay him for the whole year, and release him
from any further iabors In his ministry. At
Ter this summary dismissIon of Mr.. Brown,
there was no regular religious worship for
three years. The town was filled with diss-
patton and immortality. In 1906, twenty-nine
persons me and signed Il resolution 10 observe
the Sabbath, TO attend meetings every Sun
day in the Academy to sing and read sermons. |
La 1907, there was a preacher employed for
few weeks. In 1908. the people had learned
wisdom from The experience of irreligion and
atheism, and on she 18th day of April, eighty |
three men, ali the leading and bess men OF the |
village, organized themselves into religious
society, By the me of The First Congrega
tional Society in Montpelier. They pledged
themselves 10 each other, so lay aside trIhiog |
differences. and maintain regular meetings, |
aud contribute 80 tbe support OF preaching
Of that number all but one have passed from
Garth. Samuel Goes still waits 20 be ushered |
INTO the heavens. On the 24th of June, Mr.. |
Chester Wright was invited 20 settle in the
Gosnel ministry in this place. On the 10th |
,f July church consisting OF seventeen per- |
sons was organized But two OF that number |
Ire living to-day. The religious services of
the society were held III she old Academy un- |
Ill 1910. Between 1910 and 1920, /, wor-
shipped m the old Slats House.
On the 10th OF Oct. 1877, the Montpelier |
Meeting House Society, was organized under |
the general act of the Legisa ture, and in . |
ew weeks enrolled one hundred and five
names of the inhabitants OF this and the sur |
.ouuding iowDs. OF that number, whose au- |
oeraphs can be seon in the books of society, |