Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1868-08-06
The Hay-Now Sermon.

The Hay-Now Sermon,
How many persons now living have
ever read, or even heard, of this once
celebrated sermon--a very few OF tho old.
est inhabitants may remember it, but to
most il !. piece of lost literature, a re-
vival Of which is my present purpose.
The sermon makes small pamphlet of
ten pages, and the title-page is inscribed
stephen Burroughs Sermon, delivered
in Rutland, on hay-mow, to his audi
tory, the felhamiteS, at the time when
mob Of them, after having pursued him
TO Rutland, in order to apprehend him
because he had abruptly departed and alb
seconded from Pelham, where he had been
preaching the Gospel, shut him into a
barn. where he had run for asylum, when
he ascendcd a hay-mow, which was inac-
cessible, except in one place, with a wea-
pom OF defense i'll his hand, with which he
kept off his pursuers, as mentioned in the
authors memoi.s. PIP 30, ~, and delivered
to them the following sermon on the oc-
casion. Printed for the purchaser; 1907
lie does not take any text, but com
mences by saying that "the p6lhamites
being gathered together, from the east to
the west, the north to the south, Stephen
the Burronite being the Prophet of Pei
ham, ascended the hay-mow, and lifted
up his voice, saying, the anger of the
Lord is kinkled against you, on account
of the follics committed by you against
the Lord and his annointed For verify.
saith the Lord, ! have given you my
prophets, rising up early and sending
them. But the first Mr.. Abercrombiel
you soon rejected. The second Mr. Grey
ham, on account of your cruelty, took
to myself The third Mr. Merrill YOU
drove away with great wrath. Then,
said the Lord, | will give them a minis
ter, like unto themselves, full of all de-
ceit, hypocrisy and duplioity. But whom
shall send Then came forth Il lying
spirit, saying, | will 20 forth and BE- u
spirit in the mouth Of Stephen thu Bur
ronite." So Stephen n.es sent, and the.
result was "he sorely oppressed the Pei
hamites, taking from them ten sheckels Of
silver. a mighty fine horse and changes OF
raimeut, and ran Oft to Rutland" The
Felhalnites pursue after, and the "proph-
ct ascend> the hay-muw, and whom Ne
hemiah, the son of Nehemiah, and Dan
icl, the son OF John" and John, the son
Of John, who was trader in potash"
tried to lay violent hands on him. he
lifted his rod. which he held in his hand,
and smote John konky1 the horse trader
in potash across the right arm, and broke
it in sundyr, but the rod breaking and
falling out Of his hand, he caught up
great millstone, aud cast it on the lead Of
Nchimah Dr. Hind, and sunk him to the
ground" lie speaks Of "the fiji tree aud
the shttim wood, which grow 10y the way
side as thou gocst unto. Dam; which is
called in Syriac' Worcester. IT being
place Of Il skull The Prophet escapes
this way and the Pclhamites come to tho
pass of Jordan" and find IN army Of Lin
colnites" defending it. They try to de-
ceiye them but are t,,j 10 "slv faith"
" Their the Pclhanitcs say it'll and are
put to the sword. Then fo,lows the lament
alton: The beauty of Pelham is slain up
on the high places is slain is slain up
ON East Hin. The Gray, the McMullens,
the Hindses and the Konkeys, are fallen.
Tell not in Greenwich. publish it not in
Leverett," Their hearts are troubled and
they draw around the ''altur of St Pat
rick to know how they have offended.
but receive no answer, much to their dis
may-at this juncture "Ahab the Tish-
bite remembers that there lives "in the
wilderness OF sin, cunning woman ope
Goody MeFall, who hath h familiar way
and dwelleth alone even with her cat" So |
the chief men go to consult her and she /
brings up for them the spirit of Father
Abercrombie," who predicts their entire
defeat at the hands Of the Lincolnites on
the morrow. This takes place, and they
are carried away captives. Coming to /
their senses, the Pelhamtes beseech jam /
my the Bostonian" to remember mercy
and promise TO leave, assembling them
selves together to talk politics and to fol-
low their occupation of raising potatoes"
So "Jammy' had ''ccmpassion on them.r
The sermon concludes-"they then sung
an hymn, after which the prophet passed
out OF their hands and fed from their
sight Of course, the local illusions are
lost TO us Of the present day, but the
pamphlet is an interesting reminder of
how such things were done in the olden
time. SELMA.