Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1880-03-31

LYNN Vi, Dr. Gauntlet
BETHANY CHURcH-Mr Hincks preached from
the text, John Xxx: 20, "Then the disciples were
glad when they saw the Lord He called atten-
ton to the simplicity and sobrety of this state.
ment so in contrast witch the extravagant demon
STATIONS Of joy which false account of the res
direction would have attributed to the apostles
Reflection made it apparent that the conduct OF
the apostles was in the highest degree true to hu
man nature. Great joy is not hysterical; it j.
calm. And especially must joy which has
religious basis tranquilize rather than disturb tn,
soul. The joy of the apostles is the joy of Chris
tians of all ages, and therefore some OF the rea
sons for this JOY, in the indication of importan
truths by the resurrection, were stated at length
1t would, however, be doing injustice, as well to
the apostles to ourselves, not to admit that the
most immediate cause for joy was one that wa,
personal to our relation to Christ. The apostle,
rejoiced to see Christ restored to them becau. e
they loved him, and now that he had overcome
death nothing was able to come between them
We, in like manner rejoice, being from thi
event persuaded that neither death, nor life, no
angels, nor prncipalities nor powers nor thing
present, nor things to come, nor height, MOI
DEPTH nor any other creature shall be able Il
separate us from the love of God as manifested
in him. To rejoice, however, as Christians re-
joice over the resurrection Of Christ one must b,
a disciple. The apostles were glad when they
sao the Lord, and the vision of the glorifed Lord
risen for their justification, is reserved for dis
ciples alone. From this truth an important les
son should be learned. The Christian life, when
truly led is joyful life, and its joy is of quiet
and constrained kind. The spirit OF heaven is
one Of joy, and the highest Christian attachments
should be marked by the highest gladness Of
spirit. The consciousness OF Christ's glorified
presence may be with us at all times. Happy
shall we be II now hereafter, and always, it shall
be true OF us, which is written, :" Then were the
disciples glad when they saw the Lord"
CHURCH OF THE MEssIAH.-'The floral decora-
tons at the Church OF the Messiah were not a.
extensive as they have been on some such occa
sons, but by artistic arrangement, favored by the
location and shape of the pulpit, they showed
to great advantage. The services were through
out adapted to Easter. Mr.. Wrights text was
To be spiritually minded is life, Romans viii
6. Abiding to the joyous celebration of Easter
throughout Christendom, and the light that the
resurrection of Jesus threw on the question Of
Immortality, Mr.. Wright asked, Why do men 80
long for another life? and, in reply, suggested
various reasons for this almost universal longing
He then turned to note the serious inconsistency
between the actual mode Of spending life here, on
the part Of large numbers OF people, and their de
sire Of an infinite extension OF 1t hereafter Many
are planning TO "kll time here, and yet they
want more time by-and-by. They neglect to per
form the kindly offices of kinship and affection
here, and yet yearn to meet their relatives and
friends in another realm. They avoid mental effori
now, but hope to have great problems solved then
They make no appreciable intellectual or moral
advance for years here, but claim that they want
another opportunity to develop their powers there
They persist in a course of wrong-doing in this
life, but hope for another in which to amend
Now, life beyond the grave is a matter OF faith II
may be to the Christian a matter OF very con-
fdent expectation; still, he cannot affirm thai
he knows 1t. But this one can say that he
knows. He knows that he can do much of what
he hopes 10 perform In another sphere now, II he
sets about II now He knows that 1t is in many
cases possible to intensity life here, and make it
| OF double significance and worth, II there be the
! will. There Is no accuracy in our common meas
| urements of time as related to life.
we live in deeds not years In thoughts not breaths
In feelings. not In nguTer dial,
We should count time by heart til obs. He lives
Who thinks most, feels the nobest, acts the best"
Think OF the dull, istess, lethargic way in which
many spend their time existing like moles in win
ter, or like alternating bears in their dens-exst-
| ing, not living. Think on the other hand, of the
| stupendous achievements Of the few. Think OF
the hints of marvellous powers which may reside in
all, but which as yet appear only rarely-and then
calculate how many more years, II we lived to the
limit of our abilities, might be crowded into the
ordinary span Of human lifel The familiar phrase,
"a live man, applied To him who is exception
ally active and energetic, indicates that the ma
rate while New Testament language reminds
us that even Give" men, II active in iniquity,
are not to be thought really alive. They are
dead, Paul says, Dead in trespasses and sins. -
Whatever the future may set before us, then. we
need primarily to make better use OF the present,
We want not so much more days, as more life
not so much more time, more being; aud,
however few the years Of our earthly careers may
be, their worth, their essential length, will be
grandly enhanced by crowding them with deeds
OF truth and love; for
| lie liyeth long who liyeth WELL"
The Sunday-school OF this church held an Easter
service In the yestry In the evening, under the
direction OF Mr., Fred blanchard, their superin-
tendent There were responsive readings and
Rotations, anthems and songs in which the
choir led, an address by the pastor, etc. The
| platform was tastefully decorated with flowers,