Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-07-09
The True Hope Of Society.

And what it may be asked, is my hope
for the future Of the race Where do
find the stability and the progress of the So
cial order of our time answer in the power
of that religion of Jesus Christ, the incar-
nate Word of God, and in the grace of the
Holy Spirit dwelling among the faithful.
With the cardinal believe that society
without God or Christ is society doomed
to destruction, hurrying to the natural
chaos in which alone it can end. But for
our life do not seek God and Christ in the
hierarchy or the sacraments of particular
church, and did ! not know that these
powers of the life that ends as well as of
| the life that is endless, might be otherwise
! gained for man, history warns me with blood
and tears, shame and DEATH not TO seek for
them at the hands of him who proclaims
himself theivicegerent of Christ and arrogates
the attributes of Eternal God. But the life
and order of the human family are found in
the personal faith and the Christian virtues
of each of u.s. There is Holy Catholic
Church, invisible as the air is invisible, but
the breath of humanity, the life of man.
There is a power, mighty as gravitation,
constant, conservative, giving equilibrium
and force, and by it all things human exist,
and that power is the love of God and Jesus
and outworking itself in the society which
we all help to form. Here, then, is our
answer to cardinal and skeptic alike. We
have no despair for man, for we believe in
Christ, we live in Christ, and Christ is living
amongst men. To be sure, the future of
mankind seems devious and the way is
often dark. To-day there is much cloud of
blackness, and of night Vast piles of human
ignorance and selfishness, and greed are roll
ling upon our sky. There is luxury and
pride amongst the rich, and there is hatred
and restlessness and the wild passion of de-
spair amongst the poor, and indeed the way
is dark and we are far from home But
God is with us, Christ is with us, ever has
been with us, aud he guides his people, and
he leads his children ever. And we still
pursue our pilgrim way, and still we pray,
and even though for us there is no vast
prospect and no prophetic vision so that any
one shall tell us what the issue may be, that
very theologian, doctor, cardinal, whose
forecasting of the future we receive not, and
whose Interpretation of the present we doubt,
shall yet give to the better nature within us,
as he so often has given in the pure, sanity
faith which he possesses and which he
quickens ever for many who love him, though |
far away and unknown to him as he to
them, the voice of prayer in whose utterance
we may forget the differences that mark us,
the divine rites we celebrate, the wide separa-
tion of creed and church, of race and COM
munion, and know only as we kneel beside
him that we are brother-men and fellows in
our faith in the one eternal God, Jesus Christ,
whom he has sent.
Lead, heavenly light, amid the encrcng gloom,
Lead thou me on;
The night is dark, and am far from home
Lead thou me on;
Keep thou my feet; do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step s enough for me.
was not ever thus nor prayed that thou
Shouldst lead me on;
love to choose and see my path; but now
Lead thou me onl
love the garish day, and spite Of fears,
Pride rules my will. Remember not past years
So long thy power has blest me, sure 1t still
viii lead me on
Ger moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent till
The night s gone,
And with the morn those angel faces smile
Which have loved long SINCE and lost awhie