St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1875-03-12
Eternity of God.
FkANCIs WILLIAM PITT GREENWOOD.

| ~ ti' anu tlliltlIi
aud loss follow decline and change an,
loss i'll such rapid surccSsion,- W,
can almost catch the sound of univer
sal wasting. and hear the work of desc
iition going "n buSilN aruund us. "Th,
mountain falling comcth to mauwht. AN,
The rock l. removed out of his place
lie waters wear the stones. the thing.
which grow out of the dust of til,
earth are washed away, and the hop,
of man is destroyed"
Conscious of oar own instability, We
look about lis for something to rest on
but We look IN vain. The heavens and
the earth had IL beginning, and they
will have an end. The face of til,
world is changing daily and hourly
All animated things grow old and die
The rocks crumble, the trees fall. the
leaves fade, and the grass wither<
The clouds are flying. and the water,
are flowing, away fIuiu It's.
The trmc>: works Of man, too. ar,
gradually giving way The ivy cling,
To the m"uldcring tower. the bricl
hangs ont from the shattered window
and the wall flower spIimg, trum tn,
di<j"inted stones. The founder, ut
these pcIiShal'lc works have shared til,
same fate, lnn" ago. If We look back
To the dwellings of former times. they
become Immediately associated in unl
imaglnationS, and only make the feel
in% of instability stronger aud deeper
than before.
In the spacious domrS which one,
held our fathers. the serpent misses and
the Wild bird SCREAMS The halls which
once were crowded with all that taste
and Science and Labor would procure.
which rcS"undcd with melody and
were lighted up with beauty. are buried
by their own ruins. mockrd hl then
own de>olati"n. The voice of mrrri-
mcnt and of Wailiug. the steps of the
busy and the idle. have ceased in the
deserted courts. and the weeds chukt.
the entrances. and the Ion" grass waves
upon the hraltII>tonc The works of
art. the forming hand. the tuml~. the.
very ashes th,N contained. are all rome.
While "" thus walk am"n" the ruins
of the past. Il sad feeling of insecurity
comes over is and thai feeling l. hl
no mcaiI> diminished when We arrive
al home. II We turu Ia our friends. We
can hardly speak to them before the,
bid us farewell. We see them for ::
few moments. and IN Il few moments
more their C"llntruaucr> aIc changed
and they ale sent aWIN. II matters
not how near aud dear they are The.
Ties which bind H. tu.cGhcI ar, never
Ia" close I" II" parted, or too >tIomg L"
he broken. Fears were never known
t" move tn" king "t tcrr"r>. neither i
IlInll th fh.II
render one. "r two. "r many of rh,,-r.
We love t"r though the price j. 80
great. We buy no ti,uI with it. and nul
hold on tI">, VIII" rcmIin i ~ Slight a.
ever. Ihr >htd"W> I'LL cIudc "IIr grasp.
and follow one another down the val
ley.
We gIin no confidence. then. no feel
my at security. 10y turning to oar con
t~v.rui.!ii,~ and kindred. We kuu,,
that Ihr forms which arr hlratIiiug
around u> are rs short lived aud hr,t-
lug aS those which have been dust tor
centuries. Tine sensation "t Naui',
uncertainty. and ruin i cqulllN strong.
whether We mIi>e ou Whur has lniy
been pr"~rr,ttr. "r gazc "u ~ hat is tall
IuC now or viii illl 81 soon.
II everything which comes under our
notice has endured f"r 50 >hu!; i time.
and IN 80 short Il time Will hc no unnIr.
We c:Iun"t say that We receive the least
ASSURANCE 10y thinking ON ourselves.
When the. on whose tate we have
been mctitLiiug. were engaged in tlr.
active scenes of life. a> tull of health
and hop" I> We ate NOV. " hat were.
We We had no know ulcd.rc. no con
L., H.
single thing IN the wide universe " hirh
knew H.. And a'trI the same Interval
shall have elapsed. which now divides
their days from ouI>. what shall We. h,.
W hat they are now.
When Il few more friends have left.
!: few more hopes deceived. and a few
more changes murkcd u>. I've shall hc
brought To the grave. aud shall rymlin
in the tomb the clnd> of the valley
shall he >NrC unto u>. aud every man
shall follow u~. rs there are inuum, rI-
bile before Us. All power will have
fo1 ~IkCn the strongest. aud the lolIi,.>f
viii he Land low. aud every eve will hr
closed, and every voice hu>hcd. and
every heart Will have ceased lis beat
ing. And when we have gone ourselves.
'
uS long. \ few of the near aud dear
will bear our likeness in their hoSom>.
till they too have arrived at the end of
their journey. and entered the dark
dwelling of unCOnSclou>nr>S.
In the thoughts of others we shall
live only till the last sound of the bell.
" hirh informs them of our departure,
has ceased To Nihratr III their caI> \
stone. perhaps. may tell some wanderer
where we lie, when we came here. and
when we went AWAY but even that
will soon refuse to bear H. record
ctfIcing fingers" will he busy
ON its surface. and at length will wear
it smooth and then the stone itself
will sink or crumhlc. and the wlmdercr
of another ag" will pass. without Il
single call upon his sympathy. over our
graves.
Is there nothing to counteract the
sinking of the hcmt which must ht the
effect of observations like these Can
no support he offered Can no source
of confidence he named . YES, there
is one Being, (" whom we can look with
il perfect conviction of .inding that
security which nothing about us can
give, and which nothing about us can
take away.
TO this Being we can lift up our
souls, and ON him we may rest them.
eNclaming i'll the language of the
of Israel, "'Bcforc the noun
tains were brought forth. or ever thou
hadst formed the earth and the v"ld.
even from everlasting to everlasting,
thou art God - ''Of old hast thou laid
the foundations of the earth, and the
heavens aIe the work ut thy hands.
They shall perish, but thou shalt en-
dime VOL Ill of thcm sLull MaN- old