Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1882-04-19
Bishop James to his Buried Daughter.

My Dear Daughter Title When it was
your turn for letter from father before,
for reasons | need not name, did not ad.
dress you. But as your turn has come again
| feel unwilling to pass you. This will not
be the first letter l ever wrote you which
did not expect you to read. wrote you
many in your early childhood that dear
mother had to read to you. have also
written you many 1 did not expect you to
answer, not only in your childhood but in
your long illness. 1t was happiness to me
to write you. | cannot expect you will an
swer this letter with pen and ink. That
beautiful hand-it will not make you vain
to say there never was more beautiful one
will never write dear papa again. am
not certain but that you may see this letter,
and as an evidence of loving remembrance
it may give you pleasurable emotion. At
any rate like to continue this habit of love,
of writing to you. Have you not been cog
INFANT of all my doings since you left me
Have you not witnessed my travels and SER
vices ? Perhaps so, and consequently | can
give you no information concerning myself.
Though you may be acquainted with our
outward circumstances, doubt whether you
can read our hearts. You may know from
the tear on our cheek that we are unhappy,
or from the smile on our lips that we are
rejoicing, but the cause and character of
our experience probably you may nor dis
Germ. do not think you know how lonely
and sad we felt after you left us. While we
had your precious body with us our loss was
but partial. But when in the most delicate,
honored and religious manner possible we
had laid that out of our sight. and realizod
that its eyes would no longer beam on us,
its lips no more address us or face no more
smile on us till the resurrection morning,
we felt very desolate. There was great
vacancy in our sweet home, an irrepressible
desire for the loved presence, an anxious
looking for her appearance; and then the
painful recollection, she will never come
o it was wonderful experienced With me
it still remains-I think will ever continue
until you hail me partaker of all your glory,
Even if ! knew you would read this state
ment l should not fear it would pain you.
believe all painful experience with you is
past. But if you were susceptible of sor-
rowful emotions, do not think this knowl-
edge would make you unhappy. In the
| light that now shines upon you, you under.
stand the reason for this providence, you see
how it works for our good. Gods ways are
all plain and pleasing to you. 'Alleluia
for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth,' il
the song of your heart. And if you know
our sorrows, you also know our joys. You
know how God comforts us.
"You also know how frequent our recol
lections of you are; how sweet and stronl
our assurance is that Jesus will watch you
sleeping dust, and bid it rise again like unit,
his glorious body. You know how we hav
delighted to think of you as enjoying tn
beatitudes of the heavenly estate. hav
allowed myself to imagine how things oc
CURED with you, and how they seemed h
you as you entered the realm of glory.
have thought it not improbable that tn
spirit of him who enables you by faith l.
behold the Lamb of God, who taketh ava
the sins of the world, had some agency il
bringing you to the open vision of the glori
Gus Saviour ! am certain that vision wa
not withheld from you. To see Christ as h
is, o, who could turn away from that ente'
tanning sight even to look after loved an
loving friends upon earth ? Still believ
such are the powers of the glorifed spirit
that somehow or other, while they enjo
heaven, they are familiar with earth. ca
never cease to love Tillie-I do not believ
she will ever cease to love me. Because
love you l rejoice in your happiness.
"Tillie, know where you are you ar
not lost. know Wnat you are. In
knowledge of your welfare, how it comfort
me am willing you should be there.
would not call you away. | had ratht
pass through what remains to me of lii
without the cheer of your presence than il
terrupt your enjoyment of your Saviour, {
divert you from his praise. l suppose 20
have seen angels and seraphs-and the spi
its of the just made perfect. How gls
; aunty was to welcome you Have you nc
seen grandpapa and grandmamma Yo
4 did not know them in this world. judl
they have found you, and rejoiced with yc
ere this. Have you ever thought, / wi:
' father and mother and brother and siste
knew how happy am 2 Well, we do kno
all we can comprehend-thank God for Il
: Holy Bible Let me assure you we are col
. ing to see you; we shall let our Heaven
= Father set the time, but we are all comm
J. The time may seem long to us, but it W
!, not seem long to you. We are all comir
we are even going to bring little Gl
! with us.
"Till we meet thus, remain your lovir
Q NEATUER" i"