St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-05-23
As Thy Days.

Hgl0uS lie mOfDlu ana unreal. L OF
man to ask himself deliberately on hi
wedding morning whether he is so re
fectly prepared to consent to his BRIDE
immediate death, is preposterous folly
The grace he needs just then, is the
grace to make him heartily grateful tC
God for the new brightness and Joy
which have come to him, and grace tC
enable him to treat his wife with the
cbivalrOus devotion she has a right t.
claim, and grace, while he loves hel
with what seems all his heart, to love
God still better. If we have honestly
accepted the will of God as our supreme
law, we shall receive strength from God
to do Gods will and submit to it as oc-
casion demands. When God sends us
work He sends us strength to do it
and when He sends us trouble He sends
us strength to bear it. For troubles
which we imagine for ourselves, and
for work we imagine for ourselves, we
must go for strength to orr imagiua-
tion-not to Him.-ReU. &. W. Dale.
The New York Tribune on the morn
ing of Good Friday, observed in many
churches with exercises which they
deem appropriate to the anniversary of
the death of Christ, contained an edito-
rial remarkable in the columns of a
secular newspaper. Having asked why
this one death stands out apart from all
others it proceeded:
1t behooves business men, and secu-
lar newspapers, too, to ask this ques-
ton, for there is no power at work as
real or as actual as that which comes
"om Calvary, nothing which so solidly
ulderlies and gives basis of motive
to the least part of the everyday life
and business of the world as the faith
IN or disbelief of that death upon it.
All other things change and 60 and are
forgotten. Ten years from now, who
will know or care how stocks stood to-
day, or what bills passed or were We
toed Even conquered army or
nation dying of famine is forgotten in
few months, with all other dead. But
If Jesus has not died, if there be any
mistake or deception about the life and
sacrifice of that Man yonder upon the
Cross, then the lives, the purpose, the
deeds of all Christian men and women
have been ludicrous, CHASTITY failure
then, all the finest civilization, all the
reforms, all the progress of the world,
in short, for two thousand years have
been a lie and built upon a lie.
This story of Calvary was meant for
the hearing of all humanity; it is Gu
riOusly free from all national traits.
Socrates died Greek among Greeks,
but Jesus, man for men. Every de-
tail of those days is vital with meaning
to each one of us here, in New York,
to-day. Take, fol instance, the night
on which He was betrayed the awful
solitude in which He stood. We forget
the God in the man, as we watch Him
clinging to those friends whom chad
loved as death drew near, just as we
shall cling, when that last hour comes.
How, as they sat at meat for the last
time, He gave to them remembrance
of Himself, bidding them farewell in
words whose infinite pathos and hope
have lifted the world to higher levels
for all time, but which their dull ears
did not comprehend how He took
those who were dearest to Him out
with Him to the mountain to watch
with Him while He passed through that
unnameable agony which no human
soul can understand how they would
not watch, but took their ease and
slept. Angels ministered to Him, but
surely the touch of one human hand-a
mans whom He loved and for whom
He was dying-wOuld have given more
strength i'll that hour than all the aid
OF the heavenly host. How, when He
was dragged through the streets by
night to Judgment, they all forsook Him
and fled. How, at last, standing alone
IN the palace of the High Priest. He
was condemned to be guilty of death;
and the crowd spat on Him and buffet
ed Him, and the very servants struck
Him with their palms: and standing
atar Oft was Peter, his friend, the man
who two hours before had sworn to die
with Him. he cried out as loudly now,
81 know not the man." "Aud the
Lord TUNED and looked upon Peter"
The rePrOach, the Judgment in that
look has come down to us through all
the ages.
And we here in New York TODAY {?
Do we not call ourselves His disciples.
Just as did PeterP Are we beside Him
when His cause is on trial before the
world We go to church regularly.
very likely; we have kept Lent and
shall not eat meat until Easter. 1t is a
credltable thing to go to church, and
Lent Is just now "A popular observance.
Peter, too, was faithful friend while
the multitude crowded about his Mas
ter. But what about our behavior at
heme, or at Change, or in the Office 2
Are ESQ patient, so honest, so truthful
that the man who buys goods from us,
and the boy who sweeps out the Office,
have no doubt that we "know the
ManT Or does it need only a petty
annoyance or temptation to make us
turn our backs on Him, and deny as
loudly as PeterP
We coll