Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-08-31

ness-has been lost sight of too much by us.
The relations, views, opinions and cccleslas-
tical enactments Of men arc what men love
to teach. There is danger lest we estimate
the Christianity of our neighbors by these
man-made opinions.
Do Gods will that is Christianity. This
is the great principle Of Christs life what
he processes and teaches that he does.
Religion is not a religion of profession but
one of practice. 1t IS no. merely the activity
of Chrisl's life but the thoroughness OF his
actions which commands itself to our admia-
| ton.
Thoroughness of character is derived from
Christianity 1t is its soil aud therefore 1t
is best exhibited in a Christian life. He'll
gon is more than q profession. 1t is an
every day practice, power in the soul.
Be ambitious to excel in everything
proper. but above all be ambitious to excel
| 10 your everyday Christian life In oder
to do So never forget what was the inspra-
| ton of Christ's life. 1t was prayer. True
thoroughness of life cannot exist in a pray.
eress life. Prayer gives us grace AMI
| strength to do the best we can, with the help
of God.
Rev. j. G. Perkins followed in eXhorta-
ton.
In the evening prayer meetings were held
in the Middlebury cottage and in the Rut-
land Tabernacle. At o'clock also meet
ing for ministers wives took place in Rev.
ID. +. Brooks's tent. AT 7o'clock were SER
vices with prayer by d. G. Ayers and ser
mon by Rev. Benjamin Cox of West Addi-
son. The text was ii Peter, lilo, II and Is
For we did not follow cunuingly devised
fables, when we made known unto You
the power and coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ, but we were eye wit
nesses of his majesty; For he re-
ceived from God the Father honor and
glory when there came such voice to him
from the excellent glory, This is my beloved
Son, in whom | am well pleased" The topic
was the certainty of immortality as shown
by the text and the lessons derived from the
text and the lransiigurati)n of Christ Rev.
B. S. Taylor followed IN an cXhortation,
The annual business meeting of the Woman's
Foreign Missionary Society will be held to-
morrow at the conclusion of the afternoon
service.
Friday Morning.
Friday mornings rising sun brought prom
Use of beautiful day, which was amply full
filled. The rain had laid the dust and
frightened the foliage and all nature seemed
to rejoice as the worshipers gathered for the
o'clock prayer meeting. The chapel was
filled and the meeting was prolonged until
III O'Clock and was very Instrumental in
bringing encouragement aud strength to the
worshipers.
Tho Forenoon Service.
commenced shortly after 10 O'clock The
audience was greatly increased beng larger
than any heretofore assembled.
Prayer was offered by Rev G. G. Thomas,
after which the presiding elder. Mr.. Noe,
spoke feelingly for some minutes on the
necessity for united and prayerful wo.k on
the ground to. day and expressed his convic
tion that the results OF the days work would
be very gratifying.
Rev. J. q. Perkins of Wcybridgc then
preached, taking as his text, "And thou
mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy
body are consumed, "-Provcrbs v: II. The
sermon was an earnest and effective appeal
to the unconverted.
The topics considered were : The certainty
of Immortality; the theory of probation
after death q mistake; the certainty that
there is a hell and that the wicked will mourn
in another life for their conduct in this life.
After setting forth the great possibilities of
life the speaker proceeded to consider the
question "Who are the mourncrs referred to
in the text ?" The fact, he said that there
will be mourning when the body and the
flesh has decayed not only teaches us that
men have souls but it leaves another CUTE
ajar, so that no one can mistake who the
mourners of eternity will be. We know
that there are mourncrs here in the world ;
the fact of human mortality is everywhere
apparent, but as regards the world TO come,
al believe, teach and preach, and are upheld
by reason and revelation in 50 doing, that
there will be no mourners in heaven.
After graphically picturing the beatitudcs
of heaven and the condition of those there
the speaker drew the conclusion that those
who will be the mourners at the last will be
the unsaved. This being the case that the
wicked can mourn at the last moment,
"Whcn the body and flesh are consumed"
it is great error that is made by some in
pretending that the soul can be anything else
than immortal If the soul can mourn then,it
will mourn in eternity. Some teach that the
wicked will be annihilated at death. The
text is either erroneous or else such teaching
is erroneous. If II man has no soul then he
ought not to question the plain teaching of
the Holy scriptures How could being be
annihiated at death if he never had soul.
The speaker combated the idea that there is
probation after death.
The text he said emphatically calls our at
tention to the fact that some will mourn af-
ter death. What will be the cause of the
mourning then? 1t will not grow out of the
conduct of bad men after death. Beyond
ded.h there will not be place of probation.
To suppose such tLJg would be mex, thing
to purposely myslifying the truth. For II
reconciliation is possible after death then the
present offer of salvation is only half
| measure. III there was such probation in the
world TO come 1t would be letting down of
present obligations.
The conduct of this world carried into the
next Will be the cause of mourning. 1t is
also certain that those in mourning in
another world will ut times, at
least, possess u keen, lively consciousness.
| Their mourning at the last assures us that the
mind of the wicked will reflect on conduct
in the present life which might have been diff
f,rent Mourning will not be the whole con-
dition Of a wicked mans life. He will only
mourn at times.
He closed in earnest exhortation to all to
seek to live such life that they will not
mourn in the next world.
Rev. j. w. Bennett followed in earnest ex-
hortation, emphatically denying the possibi-
lily of probation after death. 1t is written
that we must be Judged in the world to come
according to the works done in the body.
Here is the only place where we occupy the
body. Hence, how is a future state of pro-
baton possible. Ingersoll and his TO flowers
exhibit great Ignorance of the church when
they say that it teaches that God has created
man in His own image and then Furnishes him
and laughs at his discontinue. The church
does not teach it, but, on the contrary, the
Bible expressly declares the contrary. lie
urged upon all the necessity of rejecting such
doctrines and of seeking salvation now, lest
the sinner mourn in another life the lost OPP
portunitY.
Afternoon.