The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-09-09
Correspondence.


Correspondence.
EDIroR or REGISTER: 1t will afford US pleasure
Is we'll rs your readers in general we think, t o
Tee and read the following article in tho REGISTER
1t very forcibly'mcets bjecton which is yet
too rife in tho churches.
Elder o. GREGG,
Rev. d. Z. IIuLBuRD.
"Spring Grove" Camp Meeting.
This meeting and the lovely grounds
were worthy Of each other The site is
in New Haven, some four miles from
We claim the honor Of De-
ing the prime and sole mover and devisor
Of the plan of purchasing few choice
acres for camp meeting purposes. Hav-
ing set the ball in motion, we were ap.
pointed with others as a committee for
the selection Of suitable grounds. As a
result "Spring Grove" was chosen and
purchased, and in the opinion of all they
surpass in beauty and utility every spot
of the kind in the State.
The camp meeting just closed, com.
menced on Tuesday, the 10Th, and held
over the Sabbath and closed Tuesday
morning, the 26th. 1t ought to have
been protracted until Saturday, the 30th.
For forty years we have been warm adj
vocate for camp meetings, and moreover
to include Sabbath in their continuance.
A camp meeting without Sabbath in it
is greatly shorn of its strength. There
is something "rotten in Denmark when
the Sabbath is excluded from our grove
meetings. Camp meetings were never so
popular in the United States as at this
present time; consequently the grounds
and its occupants were never so respected
as now. The enclosure is now regarded
by the most rude and profigate as vast
cathedral or church, and they fear to in.
wade or trespass on the rights of its re-
ligious worshippers. The most perfect
order and Jecorum prevailed at "Spring
Grove" throughout the entire Sabbath.
Among the six thousand attendants made
up Of all religious sects and all classes of
the community, not one of this vast nnm.
~. vuargvaDle with lrreverence or
disrespect to the public services. This is
mainly due to the increasing popularity
Of camp meetings by all religious people.
The Congregationalists Of Rutland were
more largely represented at "Spring
Grove than were the Methodists. Rev
Mr.. Partridge, Pastor of the Congrega-
tional Church, Salisbury, TOOK a seat on
the " Preachers Stand" and exhorted
the people to repent and be saved. Other
pastors, Congregationalists and Baptists,
we're interested listeners in the audience,
By actual count there were 145S vehicles.
each bringing precious cargo of hui
manity to attend divine service in this
beautiful grove on the Sabbath, and ac-
cording to the best estimates, not less
than $500 yeople were present
The grounds within the year have been
much improved by plank walks and roads,
and by the erection of quite number of
handsome COTTAGES. The stock of tho
9. M. Association, which sells at So per
share, finds ready purchasers when offered.
The idea prevalent for some years
past) that camp meeting must commence
on Monday and close on Saturday, thus
limiting the actual period of religious
work to about four days, is being ignored
and regarded as an evil of untold magui.
tude. During this period little else can
be effected than to enlist the church and
place all their mental and moral forces
under sound drill and complete workiu :
trim. Time is requisite for this. 1t is
absurd to suppose that large religious
force taken from the absorbing duties OF
the farm, the shop andthe counting room
can be rendered as effective in assaultins
the kingdom of darkness during the fr,t
four or five days, as they can during the
four or five succeeding days, when they
are reclad in divine paooply and their
souls are so imbued with light from the
Sun of Righteousness, that they shed a
warming and Illuminating influence on
sinners.
These facts apply with great force also
to the sinner He cannot be routed from
his strong holds in moment. Entrenchcl
in sin, welded to vile habits, and united
with wicked associates, it requires time
and more than is comprised in period
Of four days, to ply him with gospel
truths and thoroughly awaken him, AMI
move him to action and bring him over
to sound conversion and plant his feet on
the Rock Of ages. Hence the poverty oI
the results of these brief meetings. 1t i:
painful to think Of it. To remedy thi:
comparative failure, let the call be fol
ten days at least 1t is morally and phys
ically impossible to secure large and dc
sirablc results in less than about this time
1t is in violation Of natural laws to ex.
pect to reap on the next day after the
seed is sown. 1t must receive rain aud
sun ere it vegetates and begins to grow
So it is against every princinln ef ...o"'"
philosophy to calculate that the conver.
sion of a sinner from the service of the
adversary to that Of his Redeemer car
be commenced, carried on from step to
step and fully consummated in moment
1t requires time to produce the menta
changes necessary to this great result
We give an instance in point. At 4
camp meeting on Burlington District ;
few years since, the meeting was wisely
protracted from Saturday to Monda :
morning. AS the result seventy-fve were
added to the twenty-three converted pre-
vious to Saturday morning. 1t is his
toric fact that the last two duys of ;
camp meeting are productive Of double
or treble the number of conversions o
the first four or five. Philosophical
and morally it cannot (other things beiu:
equaD be otherwise.
Nothing less than a ten or twelve day
siege on the DEVILS kingdom, should b'
contemplated or be satisfactory to the ad
vocates and friends of campmeetng
This period seems absolutely necessary t
storm aud take the Richmond" of sil
and plant the colors of our Redeemer OIL