Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1878-03-06
Danger TO Character.

Character and reputation are related to
one another as the brittle type of lead in
the compositors hands to the black letter
on the printed page. There must needs be
:, correspondence between the two. Every
mans life is an unfinished book. Some of
the chapters have been concluded, others
are not written or imposed upon the press
of providence, none have yet their COM
nlete and bound form. There is room and
opportunitv for contradiction in every life.
A GOOD beginning may make bad ending.
IF there is to be unity in the testimony of
4 life, great care must be taken in its
composition and in the process, by which
if is published in the world and to the gen.
CREATIONS. that are to succeed. However
faint the outline upon each printed page,
still from the letter may be inferred the
tyne. Its legibility depends much upon
the pressure, which imprints it. Those
who, through affections and trials. are
brought under the providential hand of
God, leave deeper lines of record and clear
er manifestations of character in the
world than those, whose days glide smooth
" down lfe's stream unrutlled by tide or
adverse winds. Character is in every
mans power. Reputation is in Gods
hands. There are abundant promises to
encourage the Christian to expect that the
Lord will defend his good name. When
a mans ways please the Lord" says Solo
mon. He maketh even his enemies to be
at peace with him. Commit thy ways
unto the Lord" says David, and &" He
shall make thy righteousness rs II light
and thy judgment rs the MONDAY" No
man is able, all through his life, to appear
either better or worse than he really Is.
Our one great concern is with character
Reputation we may leave with God We
are compositors to set up the type; God in
His own way will do the press work and
bring out the book in its completeness.
The delicacy and difficulty of maintain
ing Il good and true character beggars all
comparison. A single leak in the ship
may be the precursor of its wreck. A lit
tie crack in the dyke prophesies the inva-
sion Of the sea. The lamp must be held on
your doorstep with great care lest the
will tell US that there are more falls at the
foot of the hill, where the road is lust
commencing to be level, than at any other
part of the progress. A momentary loss
of balance in the life may prove like the
stumble upon MohametS bridge to para
disc. One lie, one act of dishonesty, one
sinful deed, may be fatal stab to let out
the e-blood of the character. God in
His mercy may heal the wound, but there
shall be IL cicalrce left. All this intenSites
the plea OF the apostle, Take heed" We
walk in slippery places. He, who will
walk securely, must steady himself ut
each step. He, who would walk success
fully, must keep in mind all the difficulties
which beset him in his bath. No mans
character is perfect yet, but he may have
made great progress in the edilication of
which we spoke last Sunday evening And
yet, so long asssin remains in any of rs,
there are not only enemies around, but
= traitors within the fortress, that we are
appointed to keep. Entomologists tell Us
that in the caterpillar there is the image of
the butterfly; the worm hides itself in the
chrysalis and, after cue time of waiting
is past the new manifestation of life is
perfected by the divine hand. But the
ichneumon fly has treacherous way OF
piercing the chrysals and depositing his
egg in the butterfly that is to be. The egg
is hatched The worm destroys this germ
of future and more glorious life and, when
the time of demonstration comes, instead
of the beauty which seeks to bask and soar
in Gods sunshine, there is nau9ht but Il
worm to grovel on the ground. So it is in
very many lives. The sin, which does SO
easily beset us, may destroy the higher
life-principle and leave us but the shell Of
characters. II. Iyng, Jr.
The little brown cottage in Springfield