St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1902-02-05
The Fear OF DishOnOr.

Last Sunday morning Rev. Edward M.
Chapman of the North church spoke from
the text, "In the fear of the Lord is strong
confidence" The sermon throughout
was replete with practical points. We
give herewith an extract from it, bearing
directly upon our communal life;
at is this same fear of dishonor thatI
wish we might cultivate here in ST. Johns
bury-this tear ofthe Lord that's a towns
strong con6dence,-that may be a
fountain of civic as well as individual
life.
81 hear men speak sometimes as though
it might hurt us if evil were shown up
and diligently washed out. AS though
it might give US a bad name and be
harmful to our prosperity to let all the
world know that we propose to have a
clean instead OF dirty town, and make
our common life a plain endeavor to
know and do the truth, instead of to
cover up lie.
at means great deal to US and to
our children it means great deal to
your home and mine; it means more
than anything else can mean to our
prosperity and permanence as a COM
munity, whether we cultivate the fear of
the Lord that delivers from all other
Iear or live in belittling and cowardly
I endeavors to let evil in and keep it cover
ed up, to handle pitch and keep our
| hands clean, to dress up lie so that it
shall pass current for the truth. If st.
Johnsbury's prosperity be built upon
! such foundation, or be dependent upon
such conditions, then we are doomed
both socially and financially, and the
sooner we find it out the better.
"But l do not believe it. trust and
believe in the deeper sense Of right; the
truer honor for law; the real reverent
fear of God that | know to live in your
hearts. pray you to go out with this
great helpful doctrine of the fear Of God
and the worth of simple rightco ousness,
and by means of it to put to shame the
cowardice that threatens to find lodg-
ment among us and to dictate the char
acter OF our civic lite.
There ought to be in this town a fear
of dishonor-open dishonor or covert dis.
honor-so strong as to make us fear
nothing else.
This is the truth stated positively. as
it is in my text, that | wish we might
carry to our homes to teach there, and
that we might keep in our hearts, for our
perpetual cheer and enlightenment.
"You are weighing some course OF ac-
tion; or puzzled in the face OF some prob
lem life thrusts upon you. What solu-
ton would an honest fear of God die
tate? Settle it so, and you will step out
upon the way of freedom. You have
children whom you would be glad to see
finding, and living in, the right Do they
STE as they look at your life that you fear
God en- ugh to be brave toward every
other power in the world? Do they see
that you are willing to meet unpopu-
larity for the sake of the right; that you
are willing to take pains and undergo
toll for the maintenance OF the truth 1t
so, you have taught them lesson that
time can never efface.
"You are reasonably convinced that
Christ is the Master for you to serve; he
is the Lord for you to own; his work is
the work for you to be identified with.
But there are so many things to be con-
sidered so many compromises to be
made with public opinion. So many
things that this one or that one may say,
the answers to which must be already
prepared beforehand. So much of the
future to be forecast. Suppose now that
for one day-this day-you forget all
that and decide what you will do simply
in the reverent fear of Cod
81 ask you today to see and choose the
path OF freedom. 1t is plain TOR every
man. 1t is good to walk in. The air is
healthlul there. 1t inspires courage.
The experience of the way molds charac-
ter. 1t is not always easy experience
but it is always experience worth having.
And at the end OF it lie spiritual wealth
and peace of soul"