Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1876-02-09
A SeXtOn's Letter.

he following Is an exact transcript
of a letter from a sexton to the clergy.
man Of his church -
Dear Revd. Sir.
| avail myself Of the opportunity of
troubling your honour with these
Numbered up lines which i hope you
will excuse which is the very senti-
ments of your humble servants heart,
ignorantly rashly, but reluctantly
gave warning to leave your highly q
respectful Office e. most amlable duty
at being your servant q clerk # this
your most well wished Parish q place
Of my succour and support. But dear
Sir we'll know that it was no fault of
yours or IRON any of my most worthy
parishicners it were because thought
were not sufficiently paid for the in.
terments of the silent dead. But will
be Judas e. leave the house of my
God e. the place where his honour
dweleth for 4 few pieces Of silver.
No. will l be a Peter & deny myself
os a office in his sanctuary & cause
me to weep bitterly. No. Can | be
SO unreasonable as TO deny if l live e.
am well to ring that solemn toll that
speaks the departure of a soul. No.
Can leave digging the tombs for my
neighbors q acquaintance which have
many time made me shudder &
think of my mortality when i have
dug up the mortal remains perhaps Of
some as | well knew. No. and can i
so ABRUPTLY forsake the service Of my
beloved church of which | have not
failed to attend every Sunday for this
seven & half years save one. No.
can leave waiting upon you minis
ter of that being that stitch between
the Cherubims &c tlee,h upon the
wings of the wind. No, can leave
that place where our most holy ser
vice nobly calls forth & says those
whom God hath joined together d
being as am a married man Let no
one put asunder. No. and can i
leave that ordinance where you say
thus 4 thus I baptize thee in the name
OF the Father Son & Holy Ghost, g.
becomes regenerate grated in the
body of Christ Jesus. No and can
j think of leaving OF cleaning at East
er the house of God in whom take
such delight IN looking down her
Alsles and beholding her sanctuaries
a. Table of the Lord. No. anG can
i forsake taking d part in that service
Of thanksgiving of women after child
birth when mine own wife has been
delivered these ten times. No. and
can l leave Of waiting upon the con
gregation of the Lord when you well
know Sir it is my great delight. No.
and can i forsake the table of the
Lord at which | have feasted for i
should suppose full thirty times. No
and dear sir can forsake you who
has ever been kind to me. No. and
know you will not entreat me to
leave neither to return from following
after you, for where you pray there
will pray where you worship there
will worship Your Church shall be
my Church your people and your God
my God. BY the waters Of Babylon
am | to sit down & weep & leave thee
oh my church q hang my harp the
trees that grow therein. No. one
thing have | desired of the Lord
which l will require even that i may
dwell in the house of the Lord & visit
this temple more to be desired of me
oh my church than Gold yea than
much fine Gold sweeter to me is thy
service than the honey & the honey
comb. Now kind sir, this is the very
desire of my heart, it is still to wait
upon you which i hope you will find
to be my delight which hitherto has
been, but I unthinkingly and rashly
said would no longer for which I
have roared for the very disquietude
of my heart, now if you think me
worthy to wait upon you please to tell
the Church .wardens that all is recon-
ciled & if not will get me away into
the wilderness and hide me in the
desert in the cleft of the Rocks. But