Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1906-05-25
Bishop hall AZ Christ Church.


Bishop Hall at Christ Church.
lie annual visitation Of the Bishop q
Vermont J. slssys al eagerly auliciTai-.l
e'eut by the I-"plr Of Island Paud gu
orally, but most especially - 10 thr
congregation a Christ Church. aud tina,
81 last week Friday evening VA no ~
oepiioo. the r-aiity fully ias,ii, iug the
anticipation. Tie service t-sau Witl.
the ordinary short form II Ey-u~ouc.
followed hy Jhr. Confirmation 81 ta-iv-
candidates. closing with a mu>t iut-,-
esting aud eloquent address hy the Right
Reverend Father ou tie Resurrection.
After calling attention to the fact that
the crucifxiou. death. burial aud resur-
rectiou were not ouly recorded With the
most minute detail by the four Evaugel-
lists, but also that these things had been
enshrin-d in the historic Greed, aud ~
peated Ia every service Of catholic Chris
tendon from the beginning, thus Great
ing an unimpeaehahle witness to th-
truth OF the greatest event that has ever
happened in the history Of the world.
the Bishop went on TO explain what 1t
all meant to US. First. it gave our
blessed Lord the power Of perfect SYM
pathy with us in all our suffering aud
sorrow. Before the Incarnation Con
had no actual experience Of what suffer
ing aud sorrow was, but His great love
for man whom lie had created in His
own image, induced Him to send lis
Own only begotteu and beloved Son Into
the world to gain that experience. fla
man who had always enjoyed robust
health. had never endured pain and suf-
fering, should visit another living on
bed OF sickness and should express his
sympathy in the most tender words at
his command. it would not comfort the
sufferer so much as the same words Ut
tered 10y another who had passed through
the same experience, because the latter
could not only speak to him, bat also
feel for him. sSec0ndly Our Lords SUIT
ferings. death. burial and resurrection.
are a sign to Us. BY His death He won
the victory over death. and took away
its sting, and hy His resurrection from
the dead He assured us that We also
should rise to a ike glorious immortal-
~. Thirdly, the resurrection OF Christ
was also All example to TVS. lie not only
died for sin hut he also died To or tro,s
sin. In explanation of the meaning Of
dying Ia sin, the preacher gave the fol-
lowing illustration. a good sample of
the many striking and familiar ones
which pointed his arguments throughout
the whole discourse. The attention of
the congregation was called to the little
printed slips sent round with the tax
lists by which voters We're required to
declare which party ticket they intended
to vote at the coming election, as a quail
fication for membership in the primary
caucus. If a voter expressed his inten-
tion to vote with one party then he WAS
dead TO the other. He would have moth
ing to do with it, aud would not he rec
ognized in it. lie would be politically
dsad to it, aud only alive to the party
which he had joined. Being dead to
sin. therefore means alive to the oppo-
te-righteousness. I he conclusion
was words of encouragement. The cru
cifxion was a lingering death. Some
times the poor victims fingered oil for
days, aud though the time was, perhaps,
mercifully shortened in our Lords case,
it did not change the symbolism Of the
kind of death which Christ suffered
Similarly our death to sin may linger
What We need, however, is the Steadfast
purpose to live unto righteousness. 1t
is not only signing the pledge, but the
keeping the pledge. Not only the re-
nunciation OF ''the devil aud all, his
works, the pomps aud vanities of this
wicked world. and all the sinful lusts of
the flesh" but it is the mot following.
nor being led by them" 1t is seeing
that the nails hold us to the Cross of
Christ till We are crucifed with Him,
| and the whole BODY of sin is dead,