Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-01-10

'hsi t"e VNNeslvh was iulIiVNNN ~ u us
course somewhat historical aud personal 10 it.
character And we are confident that our
editorial columns, this week, can be devoted to
no better purpose than to give the material
portions Of this sermon In multitude, both
at homo and abroad, it cannot fail to awaken
crowd Of precious memories.
The History aud Hopes OF BcihauI Chunch.
1sA 5ii t-i3s "Behold will iay thy s,onos with
lair oolors and will lay Thy foundations with mpphlres
And will make Thy windows of a.ntcs and tly alto,
Of careuncle' and nl Thy vricr. o. pleasant stonot
sfeat shall De the peace Of ily childrcnn
We have come together, my friends, to-day,
according to my intimati0n lat Sundny, 10 do
honor to the memories of the past, and t. romind
ourselves Of tie duties aud hopes Of the future
The occasion is q small one, hardly significant III
itself, and yet one which the providence % God
has made significant and oycntiul
There is but little in the advent Of young min
lister to country parish, and his first appearance
in strange pulpit ns candidate for tho suffrage.
Of his audience, to enlist moments attention
or attract an hours thought Yet somcu tine,
small things nre big with great results and an
unnoted event at the time becomes noteworthy
as time proceeds The place, the hour, when the
thread of one life joins with the threads Of hun
dreds Of others, destined To tone aud shade their
quality by the most constant and s1crcd interpen-
etraiion, assumes more and more interest as tie
years 90 on. What at first was only an impress.
sion, becomes at last force. Whatat the outset
wns mere impulse, that might Or might moi
continue, becomes in time real and effective law
Twenty five years Of ministry among You ha.
made the insignificant occasion Of my first sun
day in Montpelier a memorable event Whether
We thought it or not, whether we sought it OF
not two currents were then Joined, two Drcc.
were then interviewer, acting and reactng upon
each other for unreasonable ages aud infinite
good or evil. To the world in general this is o
little moment, but it IL full Of significance 10 U.S.
And to-day let our thoughts be occupied not with
ourselves or our own private interests, but with
the principles Of our common life, the duties W,
owe to one another, and the hopes of this on
And first, will say word Of the past history
Of Bethany church It's earlier history was cs
pecially worthy 1t was period OF noble mcr
and women, of heavenly influences, Of spiritual
powers. We are not living beyond their rencl
yet, though most Of them have gone out Of oiI
reach.
The little seed which they planted and nur-
tured 80 carefully has grown and lourished, and
the hopes and sorrows Of multtude- have taken
shelter under the shadow Of its branches. 1t ha,
gathered into one family, in strange but harmoni
Gus unity, multtudes, born in this village born
in other villages, from the households of the hum
bic and the dwellings Of the rich The Lord ha.
built the house. aud they have not lost their labor
who began to build it. The element of highest
strength, Gods blessing found in prayer, a
mightier power than the labor Of men who toll
on their houses OF pride or dwellings Of pleasure
or ambition, has not been wanting here. No
earthly society, club, no association Of men for
narrower and lower purposes, could have done II
1.-THE of the good to its members, or a thousandth
of the good to this community, TINT this church
has done in all the generations Of its history
They were wise men who laid its foundations and
builded on them They took Gods lest and
greatest gift to our world and enclosed it in the
walls Of christian society, in the sanctuary Of
honor and love, and defended it with their might
The nobest men with whom God hlo.sas s--
manity are they who are not bent on pleasure OF
seliishness or wealth who aspire not to rear pal
aces Of sensuality or structures Of ambition unC
vain glory, but who strive to give Gods word ant
spirit dwelling place, and room and scope t,
To- ii nd 10
Of mans life are in God, or they are doomed T.,
dry up and perish The roots Of tie life Of 9
community are in the sanctuary of God, or the,
are destined to wither SO the founders OF thi
church thought, when they established it in III,
midst of the atheism, the unbelicl the riot an,
sin, the intemperance and Sabbath Dissertation
which prevailed here before they organized it
They took Gods gift to man, the gin whereby
man is raised above the angels the gift by whcl
God speaks to our souls the giit whereby III,
children that are born into our households ar
born into the arms of faith, and baptised into H.
hopes Of heaven the gift whereby the emotion
Of human hearts nre made 10 thrill responsive {
the heart of Christ, and give expression to tn
worship of God the gift by which the " lip 0
utA'ilhk thihSH hnptliuAnt'
and unadorned, reaches with it, passionate yoic
through hundred generations" by the help o
the Spirit of God the gift Of His truth, of III
love, of His grace in Jesus Christ the divine Su
of God and organized it into a church-enclose
it within christian organism nnmured it i
the hearts OF it's members, and it became the cit
adel of this people, the heart through which al
the good life blood has flowed to this community
Ii has been the mother tree of other churches d
Christ the nursery Of faith, the stronghold 0
virtue, the proteotress Of purity, the reyollsr o
better things, the preacher Of immortal hope
and the giyer Of immortal strength, ever since
was organized Think of that, We young men
with your young families growing about you
whose infant faces in vain plead with you for tn
chrsm OF Gods benedictions, aud whose heart
call in vain for your christian instruction and ca
ample, because you now think worldly associa
ton or club is better than the church, or III
fumes Of social good cheer are sweeter than IT,
incense Of prayer and praise. Your fathers, whe
of your age, knew how and where to build S
that God would lay the stones they put in til
walls with fair colors and transform the lounda
ton into sapphires. They knew aud priced, an
cared for and honored the best things, and +
God made their windows Of agate. Do you thin
that your houses will stand, not being built O
Christi Ask Of the winds and waves which hay
destroyeda thousand dwellings built ON the sant
Your houses will stand. WIN they? Did an,
thing ever yet stand whose foundation was n,
eternal whose principle was not right who's
law was fame or money, or pleasure or selfsl
ness? Ask Of the ages. The winds of all III
ages howl over the ruins Of all such structure,
Only against the church, the gates of hell sha
not prevail The Wrights, the llowes, tn
Worthingtons, the Reeds, the Spaldngs, IL
Premises, the Waltons the Gosses, and their n,
bic compeers, knew well that the Christ of Go
was the rock of ages 10 any community, ii
% basic element " OF its prosperity aud 50 know
ing, they built on Him, built for themselves, lc
their descendants. Their children can g. /
Christ and be strong or they can deny Hin an
brood on their " stone eggs and warm them wit
the heat Of their own bodies, aud see what wi
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