Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-04-11
Congregations Church.

| MIR. johnson preached one OF his most
excellent sermons Sabbath morning, to
a large audience His text was Luke
XIV: II, IS and 10, the discourse being a
companion one of that delivered two
| Sabbaths ago, and a continuation of the
same subject, his theme being an answer
to the question, ''What is Conversion ?"
Expatiating first upon sin and its ma
| ture, he said, substantially Men are
| slow to perceive sin in the qualification
| of their desires. They do not even ask
themselves if it be sinful or, knowing
| it to be so, seek some excuse or Justitica-
ton. Some who are engaged in sinful
callings strive to quiet an awakened con-
science by giving largely to the church
and charitable objects. He knew such
a man, who gave of his unjust gains to
the church, and then declared himself
on a par with clergymen and other Wor-
| thy Christians, because he had given a
portion of his wealth to further the in
| terests of religion but he afterWard
spent a season of retirement in jail, and
possibly found flaw in his argument.
Some men are given to such habit of
eXaggeratiOn that they don't seem to re-
alize when they are telling an untruth,
| and actually get to believe their own
outrageous statements. Such person,
when surrounded by an auditory who
are pinching themselves to restrain their
laughter, is the only one of the party
unconscious of the utter ahsurdity of his
remarks. There are few amusing and
perhaps not over harmful liars In this
community who would do well to sWal-
low this morsel of truth and digest it at
their leisure.) Some who occupy posi-
- - ~,
habit of stealing from corporations that
it has become a second nature to them,
and they see no wrong. Their COnsCi-
ences slumber as they sit in their COM
Portable peWs and listen COmplaCently to
the preaching they help support ! The
church, like other organization. is de
fective, but he who would draw near to
God should ally himself with it, As
well might men 90 forth to battle as in
dependent fighters and expect victory to
crown their efforts, as to enter upon the
fight of faith without consolidating
fOrces-withOut uniting with the church.
There is nothing so eloquent, nothing so
terribly real, in all literature as the heart
spoken condemnation of some particular
vice by one who is a victim to it, and it
is to be regretted that the victim 50
rarely shakes off his letters. Each sue
ceeding season of remOrse is too apt to
be followed by another abandonment to
the indulgence, and 1.-The last of these
shall be worse than the first" But
there is no forsaking sin without turning
to something better encouraging words
to the weak and erring, who are striving
against their temptatiOns.)
[ would like to give fair abstract of
this sermon, but have neither ability nor
newspaper space. Mr.. Johnson is a
conscientious worker in the Masters .
vineyard He is not always laundering
the anathemas of the Almighty in the /.
ears of his hearers, but he does not Law /.
himself open to that objection so often .
made against clergyman, that of being .
in constant tremor of timorousnrss lest .
he wound the tender and sensitive feel .
ings of some wealthy sinner in his con- .
gregation. He believes that the law of .
persuasion is a mighty power, and is
good lever to move the unrCgcncrate
and open the eyes of the wiIlfully blind.
He closed with fervent appeal to the
unconverted- arise and 90 to
thy Father. GIDEON.