Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1880-11-24

to the great sea. So 1t is with the church under
this commission OF the Savior. II purifes itself,
the church life, by Its outflow, not by stagnatiou
which breeds all reptile and venomous and foul
forms Of life, but going onward, grows purer and
more full OF life as II hurries down TO the oceans
Now, to keep this flow Of life-or, to continue
the figure, TO keep those forces OF this river, all
forces of this world conflicting with the Arctic
snow and ce-what we need is to bring back the
Sun, Jesus Christ, giving this command for the
conversion Of the world as the great orb of gravi-
tation to his church, and drawing on her forces
and purifying them, and giving perpetual life to
her movement.
It is not by carving out form of life from some
iceberg, not by freezing into some new FORM that
this winter and night OF the world is to be broken.
1t is by bringing back the sun into those skies
when he has wandered far off towards the south
ern pole Let ms, therefore, brethren, met this
day and in this place, under the sense Of this
great commission which is upon you and me, and
upon us all, for which some OF you have many
years, and some Of us few that we can reckon for
its work-let us place ourselves under that com
mission II will put you in sympathy with Christ,
with the true spirit OF Christianity. 1t will test
and gauge and determine and grade forms OF be-
lief, thought and action that you may entertain.
It will tend to practicable your Christianity and
sentiment.
Let us meet, therefore, to-day, feeling that this
great command is upon us, and may the gravitat-
ing orb that Is still in the heavens as much as
Calvary or Bethany at the ascenson-let us feel
the force OF that orb and move onward to the
great command, purifying ourselves as we move
along the on-fow Of that mighty force, placing
ourselves under the Holy Spirit that quickens,
that illumnes, that transhgures, that softens the
human soul, and makes it full of sweet and beau
tiful and living things, and II it rests upon you
will make your communion here blessed and sweet
and be remembered in long years to come, and
will constitute this session an epoch In the history
of the Kingdom of Christ in this part OF the
world.
That Holy Spirit, that coming thus and breath
ing love into your souls shall lead you up like the
beloved Apostle to the bosom OF Christ where you
shall hear his sweet whisperings.
And let us feel that we are here under present
Christ q living Christ and living God, God of
the living as OF the past Under that present
Christ who Is to us light and life and love, let
look with thankfulness. Let us feel that awe, the
presence of that great
CROWD OF WITNESSES
that environs Gods people in the strife of this
world, but let us look from that cloud to the
thor and finisher of our faith as the supreme
object. Glorious, brethren, Is that cloud of wit
nesses. It's constellation outshnes Orion, or Arc
turus or the Peiades, but more glorious still is
the author and fnisher Of faith and their faith
Glorious are the shining elders that grid the Jas
per throne More glorious he that sits thereon.
To him the faces of all that shining world are
turned ever more.
Glorious the millions on the sea Of glass that
are hymning forever and ever praise to him that
sits on the throne of God and the lamb. Glorious
is that sea OF glass, rejecting cherubim and sera-
phim, angel and archangel in its bright bosom.
| Yea, and martyrs; glorious army, and heroes OF
faith OF all ages, and psalmists and seers. Yea and
those whose living faces, remembered faces, are
pictures of holy beauty that shine through this
dark world, to you in your walk through the
shadows evermore Glorious is that sea of glass
but more glorious that river OF the water of life
that comes ever from the throne Of God and the
lamb, that pulsates with life through all holy be
ings, that penetrates with its love, its beauty it.
likeness to God, its TRANSPORTATION to the holy
beauty OF Christ, all souls that are saved.
| Let us look away from all to him that hath
loved us and washed us from our sins in his OWL
blood, and made us kings and priests unto God
to him that is yonder to-day, leader in the arme,
camping grounds in the celestial Zion. but send,
them forth on victories Of TRUTH and love-lik,
through this time-world and on the plains o
Heaven. To him be all the glory. Let the Who'll,
world be full of his glory. Amen and amen.