Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-11-05
All Saints Day at St. Peters. &.


Last Friday, all Saints Day, was OBJ
served at st. Peters church by the cele-
braton of the Holy Communion in the
morning and second service in the
evening at 1870. Exceptionally beauti-
tiful white chrysanthemums were in the
altar vases and on the credence shelf,
sent by Mrs. Chas. T. Burt and Mrs.
Mary Booth, in memory of departed par
ishioners of St. Peters. A part of the
Rector's address at the morning service
follows;
II. Corinthians, 81, "Blessed be God,
even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of merCies and the God of all
comfort: who comforteth us in all our
tribuation. that we may be able to COM
fort them which are in any trouble by
the comfort wherewith we ourselves are
comforted of God"
The Christian should not dwell much
upon the thought of death; neither
should he avoid 1t, He should not dwell
upon it because his chief concern is with
life. God, his Father, has endowed him
with the precious gift of life, to be used,
not to be overlooked nor neglected How
to make the work of life and the best of
it, how to make life as rich and full and
high and fraitful as is pos.
sible - that is every mans
chief concern, and the Christians
most of all. 1t is morbid misrepresen-
tation of Christianity which makes it a
thing of death beds and tOmbs and weep.
ing. Il am come that they might have
life" Jesus said, and upon life and its
possibilities and opportunities, the fol-
lovers of Jesus ought most constantly to
fix their attention. But, on the other
hand, the Christian need not avoid the
thought of death, simply because he
need not fear it, Death has its myster-
les, but Gf the Resurrection of Jesus
Christ has any meaning), it has no longer
its teTrOrs. The Christian is not afraid
to face it. II has become merely an in
cident of life. On the tombstone of
Dean Afford there was placed at his di-
rectiOn, Latin inscription with this
meaning: The Inn of a Traveller, on
his way To Jerusalem" That is a sub
lime thought-a Christian looking at
death through Christ's eyes. For our
Lord would not sympathise with our
faithless wondering about another life
after DEATH" The life He gives is one
life, divine and eternal. Death cannot
break nor change it,
This knowledge, which the Son of God
has brought, is the eternal ground of
comfort, in all our tribulatiOns. The
Father of mercies has other comfort
which he bestOws upon His children,
but this must be the deepest and the first.
Unless we take Him at His word as to
this, how can He teach us beyond this?
Sometimes in the hour of great bereave-
ment the peace of God does not fall upon
our hearts ana we wonder why he with.
holds it. 1t is because we are allowing
ourselves to be doubtful about the one
great central principle of His mercy:
"ThiS is the record, that God hath given
to us eternal life and this life is in His
Son. When the certainty of that has
become as much part OF us as the con-
fidence we put in our senses, death has
no longer any sting and the way is open
for those special and tender miniStra-
tiOns of the messengers of God, where
by He strengthens those who trust Him,
even as His angels mlniSteTed to His Son
in the night in which He was betrayed.
Here also is the key to that power of
comfort for which we long when we are
brought in contact with the trouble of
others. How intensely bitter is that
feeling of helpleSsness and failure, when
in the presence of some great sorrow we
stand dumb, longing to comfort but not
knowing how! Why is it? Why have
we no expression for the desire of our
hearts? All the reason is plain. We
never really are able "to comfort them
which are in any trouble" unless we can
share with them "the comfort where
with we ourselves are cOmfoTted of Cod
Loved ones all taken, and we try to STAN
mer to the bereaved something of the
blessed message of All Saints Day, to
tell of those unspeakable joys which He
has prepared for those who unfeignedly
love Him. We say, "It is better so.
They are happier now. Death does not
mean anything; it is only for the mo-
ment." But the words fail on our lips.
We do not know In our inmost hearts
that they are true. We have not the
faith to help. If we do know and are
sure, we do not need to say one word,
for the comfort wherewith we are com
forted of God" fairly shines out of us,
and the peace of God IN our faces is a
benediction. One sometimes sees peo-
pie who so trust God and bless their gen
eration-alas! how few among multi. |
tudes who ''profess and call themselves
Christians"
Our parish has suffered many losses
since last All Saints Day. The names
of beloved dead are in all our hearts. |
Surely it is right to say of them:
THE lord grant unto them that they |
may have mercy of the Lord in that |
day"