St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1867-09-27
The Trial Sermon.
A STORY OF TODAY.

1t was one thing to the rich parish,
and quite another to the poor minister
whom they had sent for to preach on
trial. He had gone TO his present coun-
try home, in the retired little country
town among the rugged and barren New
England hills, when he first left the
divinity school. The four hundred dol
lars salary they offered him had seemed
quite competence i'll those days; and
when he married and brought home his
wife, and they gave him in addition the
rent OF the little parsonage close by the
old church, he had been well satisfied
and thought he could live and die there
But is the Yeas passed on and three
children played i'll the small rooms-threc
/ children 10 be warmed and clothed and
/ tcd-and then the war came, and prices
doubled, times grew hard with him and
he knew that some change must be
made
The minister did not blame the little
parish Of his first love- Times wcr,
hard with them, too. They had raised
his salary one hunlred dollars, and five
hundred year, besides the parsonage,
was as much IS they could afford 1or
among the farming people Of his parish
money was not made easily, and none of
them were rich. Henry Eastman would
have been 9 lad 10 remain with them.
He knew that no other people and no
other place would ever be 50 dear: But
it seemed to him that all his energies
were used up in the single struggle tc
keep out Of debt; and every year hi,
children needed more, We're growing more
rXpcnSivc. Yes, he must 20: and the
Woodburn church must content them
selves again with some Young man, hope
tuI and unembarrasscd as he was once
who would be willing to come to then
for his ministerial (novitatc) They un,
dcr>tood it all and though their heart:
clune to him, they were unscl!ish enough
to wish him God-Spced
And So it had come about. through th'
iniIuc .ce OF cousin OF one of his " ood
burn peoplc--a lady who had listened t
him in many summer vlSlt-that IN
had been sent for by the large and inhu
ential parish of Colonore, to preach
trial sermon iii their uSt then vacant pull
pit. 1t was one trial among many t
- them. They were sure OF being suite
by-and-by, and could afford to wait, I
him it was an epoch of the most intens
and tcverish interest.
: Before he left home he had talked tn
whole thing over with his wife. 1t wa
a grcat matter to choose what sermon
take, among the eight or ten which /
accounted his best. Usually his vii
was the most simple and unworldly {
women. She seemed almost to torgt
!. that God held control in this as well {
in other concerns of life. Her cheel
glowed, and her hand was feverish. liz
voice fairy trcmbled as she said, the veI
G last thing:
20 Henry, don't think Of FILLING, II
,v member the children-how soon they
o. need to 60 to school and collese-ho
OF much you'll want TO see them grow up
the midst OF refinement and culture
0. She had not thought Or spoken OF he
selt-AIice never did lie thought
her none the less, however, as he ro'
on, in the numbering farm wagon, t
wards the five miles off station, where
- was to set out on his journey to Colonol
How pretty she had been ten years az
$, how young, how bright lie knew tn
-eF something more than ten years h;
changed her to the pale, hollow-eyed W
t' cs; man who had just hidden him good-by
AMI H" The cares, which had pressed heavl
ilr5 nIo enough on him, had fallen with dout
hcr l5,: weight on her. lie knew how she h
'!Js ne lost youth and brightness. And to wh
good he asked himself, in thankles
stu almost despairing mood.
AS llclC was ~ Oc q SaODotn Sc0(
:sy IS. concert in the afternoon, he was not c
a.h- nst, pccted to preach but half OF the day, a
'tle had chosen at last among his sermon
$ one from the teXt-'ln my Fathe
and md house are many mansions; ii 1t We're l
eni yai so | would have told YOU Ihls v
l5 n5, a discourse of the kind which otfends
abe 4 one, yet which all agree in describing
ms the one adjective, beautiful. MIR. Ii
sor, man had chosen it because it could
J. upon no ones prejudices. Colonore,
. had heard, and heard with regret, W
. well, let us say-a very conservative P
eid ,uld i,h. There were few such left in &
! has .r necticut, low be it spoken. 1t wo
Also not do to preach to them that fiery
and and mon in which, as his old deacon grlI
an AM told him he had proved himself v
"son of thunder" from the text,
n. 'But he, willing to justify hlms