Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1882-04-24


and peace, from God our Father and the
Lord Jesus Christi $50, as much as in
me is, am ready to preach the gospel to
YOU that are at Rome Also" Romans l..
Z, Is.
A farewell and a welcome. A
goodbye and salutation. Each
phase of life meeting in turn due
preparation and embodying peculiar
lessons. Home is always more en-
ioyable after an absence as work be-
comes pleasanter afterrest. Thoughts
of sorrow and hearts of grief at part
ing are replaced by feeling of joy at
returning. Six months since by your
courtesy was permitted to leave for
a short period. AS the last sabbath
we spent together before our absence
each left for the other the words
of our text, "Stand fast in the
Lord" so it is fitting that our first
sabbath should be spent in reviewing
the past and planning for the future.
A goodbye presupposes a welcome
upon meeting again.
Our theme is chosen for us as an
aid to this definite subject it, becomes
us to 1st, Define and apply the salu-
tation of the text, as a model well
come to Christian church and 2nd,
To explain explicitly the object for
which we have thus assembled and
given such a Christian salutation.
1. Please notice the true meaning
of the salutation in our text. Cour-
tesy demands passing recognition,
this custom would have been met if
the writer had simply said, ''Paul an
apostle of Jesus Christ to the Roman
Christians greeting" In the case
before us we have more: on your re-
turn home open your Bibles to this
chapter and read carefully the seven
verses composing the welcome, until
you see gradually disclose itself, the
wonderful truth embodied. You will
see that in one word almost, he tells
the Romans of his solemn ordination
as minister, then proceeds to the
comforting thought that the Gospel is
not mere novelty. The precise
phraseology of our text alone is sub
stantially the following in it's practi-
cal applications, ''To all called to be
saints, i. e. to all devoted to the ser
vice of God as distinct from idola-
try" Grace implies all mercies
suitable to Christians. Peace con.
veys the idea of salty and prosperity
including from the connection of this
verse with the context an idea of the
reconciling power of Christ. The
passage as whole plainly suggests
the apostles thought. He connects
Christ with the father, for he places
them both in the same relations t(
bestow the same blessings. Paul be
lieved Christ was divine. The salu
tation then embodies a prayer for al
spiritual blessings upon church, in
vokes temporal peace and spiritua
reconciliation with God through tn,
divine Christ. What forcible wei
come for a stranger to send to
strange people.
Apply the meaning of "Grace fo
you, to ourselves. During th
winter past, here and there the spiri
of God has seemingly been at wor
in our section, while you have bee
left, others have had ''Pastor'' t
help, and you have been without
Other churches have enjoyed grea
numerical increase and you sustaine
barely your own. Grant all this
yet this prayer of welcome remain
intact. You may derive a blessin
from learning to work without pas
tor far more useful to you than coul
have been my feeble efforts. 1t
worth something to learn to depen
upon God and ourselves. rather tha
God, Pastor, and omrselyes. II
sterling worth of your character as
50 church may rank higher because 70
cd have not been subject to the eIrol
lie attending evangelistic work. A GU
is is tom about which so many good me
he and good churches feel is liable
es more injury than good, may Ell
ts body its ''greatest blessing" fro
'' what you have escaped by its los
: In a word "grace for you" meal
all such spiritual privileges as thes
Have you learnt the value of perso
al work and need of active labor,
so, in such fact is there ''grace f
you?" Have you learnt by the wi
ter's experience to trust God more,
pray earnestly, to labor faithfully f
Christ? If so, the invocation of t
text will bring "grace to YOU" L
prayer involves all benefits best tt
is best which developes charact'
1t should be that this very presst
upon you as church has purifi
you spiritually, or if your recc
reads, ''negligence" such a fact wes
L ems your christian strength. t
salutation invokes also reconciliati
with God, including in such a f;
:. temporal peace.
d d; A traveller overtaken by sto
n, stopped at a log cabin for shelf
He saw firearms there and it was
N. rough looking place. This alarm
the stranger who had large amo
we of money with him. Soon the ow
of the cabin himself came in. plac
ich gun roughly down upon the fc
The visitor was still more terrifi