Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-12-23

once for that matter. Oh, the distressing
souse Of shame and failure Who can ever
forget it, 1t takes the light from the eye,
the color from the check, the very marrow
from the bones. That sermon almost cost
me spoil of sickness but now l shall have
my revenge.
How patient and how long-suTering are
congregations, and how uncertain, too is
their response! l spent weeks and almost
months on this discourse on 1.-The q pOsteriori
argument for the being and attributes of
God" and half the people went to sleep
when gave it, And there is that superficial
sermon ON MARY and Martha" which l
dashed of at a sitting and people said twas
grand Pretty hard it is to tell sometimes
what diet a congregation will digest best.
Well, I've nearly reached the bottom of the
box. They are rather vealy down here.
These are two or three that preached in the
Seminary. have had grace given to me
never to preach them anywhere else. And
there is No /, the head of the list, not 30
bad as it might have been; and here is 1867,
the last Of the list, not so good as it ought to
have been. Alpha and Omega, the first and
the last, the beginning and the end.
Pure, sweet, and soul-thrlling memories,
let them rise. The old church bell is ringing
in my ear. / caa see the people crossing the
village green. I am standing once more in
the old pulpit Before me are the sanity
forms of those loved Soft sweet harmo-
MICS from the organ float upon the air. We
raise our hymn Of praise. We lift our hearts
in prayer. Together we read the word.
Once more l feel the indescribable Joy of
him whose heart is fired with the Holy Ghost,
who breaches with authority and not as the
scribes Then my speech and my preaching
were not with enticiug words Of mans wis.
dom, but IN demonstration of the Spirit and
of power; that their faith should not stand
in the wisdom Of men, but in the power of
God
lis worth all the pain aud toll and self
denial to have this alluring recollection, and
with 1t surgos in the memory Of happy
homes, perfumed with the sauctities of AZ
lection, where | was ever welcome; hours
spent IN delightful converse Mt the social
board aud the unfalling remembrance, too,
of the patient sufferers languishing on their
beds of pain. and yet illustrating the sweet
ness and the sublimity of the Christian faith.
l always brought away more than carried
How often have | held their hands as they
entered the vale aud CROSSED the narrow
stream, when 1t seemed to me as If the very
windows Of heaven were opened and tue
glory Of God shoue ON the traushgur,d face
Was It the door bely Did you Ray he had
come? ! meant to be ready, but dropped
into reyerie. 1t is soon done. Put on the
cover. Another nail, If you please. 1t seems
like mailing down my own cUfiin rs If l We're
a pall-ba grer at my own funeral. There it is.
All ready. Take them up gently, lift them
with care Stop! Let me write the cpl
taph -
Ny coyds shall pass a,rdy, but Tie cord Of
The LOrd haH eHdVre toreCT.
N1m@dAdum IN cash Rock
Sold to Illeston q Hollingsworth POI lbs
OF paper at cents .........................S52 -
Then in a bold hand beneath the entry !
RECEIVED PAYMENT.
-CAristida Register