Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1889-08-30
JACOBS DREAM.
o. the Presentnes- Of Gsd aud BeIi-
nious ThfuRs.
REV @. W. 1ILMANs FAREWELL SERMON.
PREACHED Ar THE rNfvERsAL1sT CHURCH .
LAaI .LNmAN MlHNINu-


LAST SUNDAY MORNING.
An audience which crowded the Univer
salist church gathered last Sunday morn
ing 30 hear the sermon Of Rev Mr. lllman
closing his pastorate of something more
than two years over that society spir-
it of sadness pervaded the large congrega
ton, but It was evidently not in Mr. nj.
man s thought 10 make the occasion funereal
10y appealing 10 the emotions Of his hearers
10y pathetic illusions Of any kind On the
contrary, his sermon was devoted 10 "A d-
rect incisive summary aud exposition Of
the religious thought aud principles which
he has sought 10 emphasize IN all his preach
ing His text was from the account Of ia
cob's dream "And Jacob walked out of his
sleep, and he said, surely the Lord is in
this place and knew it not
The teaching Of this dream 10 Jacob. Mr.
lllmau said, was that Jehovah was not, As
the patriarch had been taught. Ia one place
only, aud that place his home, but that he
was always with him, "A present aud pro
tecting power and so the incident teaches
the presentness Of God and religious things
The church does not appear 10 me, the
| speaker said. tO bee an institution whose
mission is ended and therefore claiming ON
| ~ an inherited respect and so / have tried
b. present religious truths 30 YOU as pres
ent truths. veritie- Of vital quality exist
iug close at hand ! am child of my day
/ and ] glory in the fact believe these
present times are Gods times and that it is
duty FOR us 81 live IN them AZ such fully
and strongly. II before the eager uues
tiOning and truth seeking which marks our
day the teeth Of the timid and SLOW of heart
chatter for fear lest faith be DESTROYED. we
must console ourselves with the Thought
that such chAtterlug yea aud tearing hv
teeth, have been the accomplishments of
every progressive period Of history But
God goc, marching on all the same
Religion has been presented n us as "A
set oi past facts rather than rs ii series of
present forces. 1t has appealed tu historic
memory rather than present spiritual con
sriousness. tod mas seemed b people IA re-
membrance rather than reality Hi,
power and inspiration we're once on IA time
rather than are now. We hear much
about belief 10 the gospel histories. but lit
Tie about daily inspiration from the great
soul of the holy Nazarcuc The ntmo-
pherc OF religion hn. been "a breath from
entumhrd ages 10 has lacked the vital
quality of presentnes-
a religion cd reminisceuce cannot sati--
iy the healthy soul. and my ann has been
/ 10 substitute consciousness of eternal real
ties Tor historical "reminiscences. using the
past b. show what can aud ought to he t..
. uhN lhe ,hNihehess oi other davs to bring
OUT Tine dlNinehee- OF tins We need to
7 nave repeated Jacob experience and wake
up ." discover That Tod aud all his power
and inspiration and all eternal realities are
with Us ia their iuiiness ia the place where
we are now All times are Gods Every
plh't l' MS mouse The stairway 10 his
abode starts up from our feet
tencsi forth my heart shall sigh no more
'I o'lrn unir ana h"ii"r shurr
Arr. nov and herr. and ..,ar,vn,.r,
From, this mint Air u,,,o, ....,., ,.,, ,
suank of some ~ In. t.,,I,,,1,. .l,,t -.
Illustrations of bispr.seutnsss ,,f tho tb,,,,.
of reb,,,nu cod. pr.s.,,c.. I'll. !,
real his providence tbrort,b tb. ,,,,,,,,,,,
Idle order ,f patur. ~ a. go. 81 H.. Iii
i. done as realIy ms s,,,,u.,l' a.. a. a,,
da,. mp reriod since. ti,.. ,.r..,+,.,,'
AS with providepc. 50, Nth ,,s,,,r,t,,.,,
b. 4. universal Tier. ID. d. -, - a.,
.ouI uybar. tb,. di,.,,,. and NM. lJ.,.I
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2 ,...,......-.,..l T., -. "a "a '''''
dovyu tine cart,r,as tb., ,,lrl3,. ,..,.,,,,,,.i
teacher mud ,ns,,,r., n ha,.. 80 ,I
emphasi. oif tni o,,-.,.i... an; - !,
mn him has rs,so,,si,,,. .,,,J ,,i,,.ra,,,.,. 4.
necaus. tbel ar. a. M In -.
"a d,r,r,sli, s,.iJ.,,,' "a ,,,,.,,'. "
,,biie he j.. Fan ,,cra.,,,., ..,.;i'
81 miracle ,,.,,rt..r h.. -
As nm ,psp,ra- and g,,;.i,,,ai III. ~ PIs'
ion,. more =, toia,, ,ba,' La Al IN ~
past
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