Connecticut western news., 1876-02-04
Religion I'm Vermont.

MIR. EDITOR: OQe or the TemaTKAOle signs of the times is the almost universal deep thought upon the subject of religion that pervades the public mlnd. Hardly a hamlet can be found where there is not a deep, earnest religious sentiment working among the people. In many places meet ings have been commenced and are held daily for exhortation and prayer. In others, as yet, the feeling has not assumed tangi- ble form, but the people throughout the land seem to be ready for one of those re- markable revivals of religion that has occa- sionally swept over our country, and con- verts have been numbered by thousands, many of whom at one time were notorious only for their wickedness became humble, penitent believers, and during the remain der of their lives were shining lights in the Christian church. Having occasion to spend day or two in this place, embraced the opportunity given to attend the meet ings now being held. The manner of con ducting them was somewhat unusual, and at the same time were made very interest ing. They are under the charge of band of young men sent out by the association of the churches of Vermont-one from each of as many Young Mems Christian ssociations-strangers to each other, but all intensely in earnest. The following IS the order of exercises:
 The announcement is made by proclama- ton from the several pulpits that series of meetings will De held under the auspices of the Association of the Churches of Yer mont preliminary meeting is held for prayer, at which time request is made that all persons coming to the meetings will bring their Bibles with them. After open ing the regular meetings with singing and prayer, small slips of paper, on which texts of Scripture are written or printed, are dis tributed through the congregation and al are invited to take one. The subject fol consideration for the evening is then an nounced, as for instance: The testimo2ie! of the divinity of the Saviour-His trials crucifixion, resurrection and ascension. On these slips of paper are the texts refer l New Testaments where His coming is fore told by the prophets and His life work by the evangelists and others is given. Thes' texts are then called in their order, ant the person in the congregation having tha text on his slip of paper arises in his plac' and reads from his Bible so much as relate directly to the subject under consideration and so on, for the space of an hour o more, they have this Bible reading, and be ing so selected that the mass of testimon, is produced, making the exercise intensel. interesting. After this comes season o exhortation, singing and prayer. No regu
 lar preaching, but reading the testimonie to reach the heart, and the power of earnes exhortation is relied upon to awaken thu
 conscience of man. At or near the clos
 of the meetings, an invitation is given fo
 all to rise in their places who especially de
 sire the prayers of Christian people In thei
 behalf-and sometimes as many as twent,
 or more respond at time. But the grand
 est feature of it all is, that the meetings ar
 participated in by Baptists, Methodsts an,
 Congregationalists in one accord, and
 seems as if the problem of Christian unit
 is about to be solved. No narrow sectarial
 bigotry steps in to mar the good work go
 ing on.
 After the meetings are .fullylorganize
 and the spirit of religious truth workin
 among tbe people, the band of young men
 laboring under the direction of the associa ton, leave the further work in the hands 0 the regular clergy and seek new fields flo labor. And so the work goes on, and ma be the great revival of the centennial yea will be remembered through the life time o the generations now living ana become } matter of history in the future.
 OBSERVER. l Manchester, Vt., Jan. 18th, 1876,