Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1903-11-19
Bishop HAHN Randolph.

/ Ri. Rev. Arthur G. A. Hall, DID,, bishop
OF Vermont visited ST. Johns church last
Sunday morning. He was assisted in the
services, Morning Prayer and Holy Com
munion, by the rector, Rev. A. Carswell.
] The bishop preached on the subject of
prayer. The sermon was a powerful as
well as a beautiful presentation of the
whole subject, but only a few leading
/ thoughts can be given here. Prayer, he
said. was the lifting up OF the soul TO com
munion with God-not a demand on God
to fulfill our will and pleasure. II may
consist OF confession OF sins and supplica-
tion for mercy, or OF petitions for the sup
ply of what we consider our neecs or
worthy desires.
Referring TO the Lords Prayer, he said
we pray to sour Father" not to "My
Father and we pray for the best good OF
ALL and not for our own selfish interests,
thus exhibiting not only a tilial but a
fraternal spirit. He said we should pray
with a proyiso, "if il be thy will" leaving
IL to the infinite wisdom OF God to decide
whether our petitions shall be granted or
not.
/ He showed how two opposing parties,
equally religious, may consistently pray
! for success to their cause or to their arms,
/ instancing, in illustration, the struggle in
South Africa between the British and
Beers. Both sides properly prayed to G ID,
but IL their prayers were made in the right
spirit, they were not for the selfish triumph
OF the British nor for similar triumph OF
the Beers, regardless of the right, but for
what God saw to be best for both parties
and for mankind.
We are too short-sighted to be trusted
with the exercise OF omnipotent power,
and we should pray 10 God to do this, that,
or the other, for us, II ii is in accordance
with his will.
The bishop was suffering from hoarse-
ness. but in twenty minute discourse he
threw a great deal OF light upon subject,
about which philosophers have wrangled
much.
In the afternoon the bishop preached in
Grace church. at the Center, and in the
evening was at st. Johns again. The usual
union meeting was postponed to next sun
day, and the pastors and some OF their
people came to St. Johns to hear the
bishop, making large congregation. He
took his text for the evening from st.
John XVI. 13-"Howbeit when he, the
Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you
into all truth
When Christ was on earth, in bodily
form, he was not so near to his disciples,
his daily companions, as the Holy Ghost,
whom he sent as a comforter, is to us.
Christ was with them, an external pres
enee, but the Holy Ghost is within us,
guiding us into all truth. The doctrine OF
the Trinity-sometimes considered hard to
understands really simple in explana-
ton. There is God, the Father, without
form or body, who pervades all space, who
is not confined to temples built with
hands, who is in the home, the shop, the
places OF business and of pleasure, in the
congregations of worshipping Christians
and the councils of evil persons; God, the
Son, God made flesh, who DIV cit among
men and became Precipitation for their
sins; and God, the Holy Ghost, who is
within us guiding us into all truth-in
the mind to enlighten it, in the heart to
purify il and in the conscience TO make Il
more tender.
We need no fresh and startling devices,
no new religion and no new and curious
prophets TO guide us into truth; the Holy
Spirit has been sent for that express pur-
pose and dwells within us. III we say that
we are Christians, yet water our financial
stock and sand the sugar we sell, we de-