The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-02-08
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asked how many Of you had family prayers.
10 you know anything more helpful than
family prayers? Your old father and
mother, now sleeping, had family prayers.
You know they were right. Again ask
you, Are you offended at me or at the
TRUTH am speaking very plainly, AZ this
VIII DC tile last opportunity that / shall
nave TO speak OF these things aud intend
to get clear down to the truth.
Again, ! have given offence because
have strongly discouutenanced the use of
cider in the home and on tho table.
why, brethren, with the history OF Mont
pelier before you, pointing to some OF
the sons OF lawyers, doctors aud promi.
nent men who had cider and wine on their
isthers tables, was wrong In speaking Of
them az did? l tell you, my dear friends
you may say what you will now, but the
June Is coming when you aud 1 shall stand
before God. Then you will thank me. You
viii come up to me over yonder and saw
You were right. l wish other ministers
had done as you did Now, dear friends,
are you offended at me for this or at the
truth Of Col? l tried to show you your
plain duty In the matter.
Again, l have given offence because
have said something about the way the
money was raised that was used in the
church. Why couldn't we raise money az
the Uoitar ians do? We believe Christ was
divine - they believe that he was only
human. No church on Gods earth has u
right to be supported by the town, BY
operas, dances, etc. l believe the church
OF God should be supported by the believ.
era in Christ by self-denial and sacrifice,
because IL Is more blessed to give than to re-
ceive. Now, dear brethren, again l ask
you, were you offended at me, or the truth
which laid bare the beauties OF a Christian
life2
again, / have given offence because 7
have said that the policy of this church In
lntr Artn I'm NIL
creasing the subscriptions was all wrong.
At the time that DR.. Lord was your pastor
this church was filed with wealthy men aud
women, but you let his salary 60 down,
You called Mr.. Hincks at 5000. His sal
AIRY went dom to $1,000, and then you
couldn't raise IT, With all this wealth, you
did not pay these salaries. Your spirit
uality did not increase. You know how low
the spirituality in this church was when l
came here, and how few young people there
were. You called me at $1,000 and par
sonage. / didn't ask you to do il; it was
your doing, not mine. When l first came
here you took me riding. We visited the
Bixby house, the Walton house and other
places. You said you were going to buy me
parsonage, and / supposed you meant
just what you said. Then pretty soon some
one suggested that pay the rent of my
house. Now, who is true in this matter,
you or II Is 1t not true that Won have been
in the habit of lowering the minister's sal.
airy aud not raising your subscriptionsP
lone thing want to say. want to thank
you for paying my salary promptly. Some
even who were opposed to nue. have paid
their subscriptions promptly You called
me as church, and surely / present my
resignation to such.
Again, it Is said that have been talking
OF resigning for some time. Who wouldn't {,
after being treated as 1 have; and after the
way you have treated my wife, who wouldn't
talk OF resigning?
And still again, a sermon preached two
years ago offended you-a sermon in which
| committed the objectionable sin of telling
the truth. l might have done it more ten,
derby and sweetly, perhaps; but that ser
mon was born out of the burning core of ex
perience in my own family and this church
The burden of that sermon was that strife
aud dssension in this church ought to cease
Ii had been like some ministers, l might
have done differently. When l came here
was not man OF mild ways-making state
ments, then modifying them. spoke the
God-directed truth. am sorry II L offended
you. l don't want to make my personality
prominent; and ii that sermon offended you
it was more of the truth of God that was il
1T than my own personality that offended
you. But gladly turn from this unpleas
ant duty: Ny dear brethren, may God bless
| you ALL"