Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-04-17
THE RUTLAND HERALD.


Fast Day.
IN accordance with the proclamation
ofU,s Excellency, the Governor, Fri
,., was set apart "to be observed
hv the people of this State as a day of
fs.tipe humiliation and prayer. He re-
.onmendea and earnestly requested that
.,hs neople rest from their usual labors,
,ssanhlc themselves together in their
,,rscas of worship, and there devoutly
acknowledge their dependence upon
Divine Power and Grace" 1t was a pro
oarsnd timely request, as we'll as being
in accordance with approved custom.
The day selected wss, too, peculiarly ap-
,-,griatp. In the calendar of the Pro-
,..t,nt Eoiscopal Church and the Cath
olic Churches, tits called" ."Good Friday,
and is set apart as solemn fast to com
nonorate the crucifxion of our blessed |
Savior and Redeemer. We care not to |
Jiscnss-t makes no difference-wheth-
er or not the day wss the proper time for
such commemOration. There is no
claim that it is the exact anniversary. |
but we believe the fact is undisputed |
that the crucifxion took place on the
Friday after the Passover, and that this
occurred at the phase now shown by the
moon. As we have said, however, this
Is a matter of no consequence. The
event was one Of terrible, as well as
blessed, import and meaning to the
world. BY the cruel and shameful
death ON the cross of the Son of God,
we profess to found our hopes of saliva
,iap. II was necessary that one should
,ip that all might live. We all profess
10 believe this. We do believe it. 1t is,
therefore, beautiful and appropriate that
dav should be set apart for its com
memoration. A large portion of the
Christian world have designated Good
Friday" which occurred Friday, for that
purpose, and we are glad that the Gov
ernor has seen fit to appoint the annual
State Fast on the same day Special
times, seasons and days designated for
humiliation, fasting or prayer are as OLD
as the Jewish dispensation, as old as the
creation of the world We find among
the laws that Moses was directed to pro-
mulgate for the government of the chill
dren of Israel, that certain day was
appointed for "a day of atonement;
1T shall be-" says Holy Writ, " an holy
convocation unto you. and ye shall atfiict
your souls, and offer an offering made
hv fire unto the Lord. And we shall do
no work on that same day for it is a
day of atonement, to make an atone
ment for you before the Lord
your God For whatever soul it
be that shall not be afflicted
in that same day, he shall be cut off
from among his people. And whatso-
ever soul it be that doeth any work in
that same day, tue same soul will l de-
stroy from among his people. Ye shall
do no manner of work: it shall be a
astatute forever throughout your gen.
eratons in all your dwellings. 1t shall
be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye
shall afflict your souls. This is the
command of God unto His chosen peo-
pie. They were commanded to aff1ict
their souls-that is, humiliate themselves
to abstain from work, and to fast and
pray. How terrible was the penalty for
non-obseryance He shall be cut off
from among his people" 1t is true that
the old dispensation has passed away,
and with it some Of its observances and
penalties, but the duties enjoined by the
Bible can never be dispensed with. We
find all along down through the Bible,
both in the Old and New Testaments,
the same duty of fasting and prayer EN-.
Joined and enforced. Christ himself sci
an example to us, by scrupulously OBJ
serving the feasts and fasts of the times
in which He was ON earth. History
shows as that days for fasting anC
prayer have been observed in all coun
tries and in all times. Even in thos'
lands, where 1" the heather in his blind
ness bows down TO wood and stone,
they, on certain specified days, abstain
from food, humiliate their bodies AM
pray to their insensate gods. The Cath
olic Church, the Protestant Episcopa
Church and the Greek Church have
also, had their fast days-and still cor
tinue to observe the same. The sam
custom, if we mistake not, now pre-
walls, and has always prevailed anon
all religious denominations, in this cour
try at least. There is, in fact-an
these uniform observances demonstrat
tan mate feeling that fasting, humil
alton and prayerIto Almighty God is due
proper and necessary in partial atone
ment, at least, for our many sins an
transgressions. The annual g Stat
Fast" however, is peculiarly Ne
England institution. Morton, in b
New England's Memorial under th
occurrences of 1923, quantity tells u
that 6 it may not here be omitted, thu
Notwithstanding all their great pair
and industry, and the great hope the
had of large crop, the Lord seemed I
threaten them with more and sorer fan
Inc by great drought, which CO
tinued from the third week in Ma
until the middle of July, without ar
rain, and with great heat of wealth
for the most part, insomuch that the
corn began to wither away, although