Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1844-11-28
For the Herald of ,he Times.


llDb VI tHN'tiNH) " thy Sp''s ~ S'''
slider our obligations to Him who guides
and governs the Universe, is once more
at hand A day appointed by the civil
authorities "as day Of Thanksgiving
aud Praise to our Heavenly Father for
the bounties and blessings which He
has bestowed upon US"
When public beneiactor goes down
to the grave, millions mourn in tears
over the bereavement, and cover his
tomb with the tributes their affection;
but how much more gratitude do we
owe to God, from whose liberal hand
we receive every good and glorious
gift. Let Us contemplate, for moment,
the grandeur, the glory, the power, the
mercy and the goodness, Of that mighty
Being at whose nod nations tremble-a at
whose voice nations kneel at his foot
stool with reverence and awe. The
savage, as well as the civilized, recog-
nizes the existence Of ii superior Power.
The poor Indian sees an image of the
Great Spirit in the setting sun, and bows
down in homage before it-he hears the
voice of the Great Spirit as he rides by
in his Chariot in the storm Of night-he
sees the glance Of his awful eye in the
lurid lightning, as il leaps from the
clouds and rcnds to atoms the lofty oak,
the monarch Of the mountain, which
has braved the storms Of centuries
and he marks the beneiicence of the
Great Spirit in the tall grass, that waves
in the night breeze, and in the gorgeous
livery Of the green and golden wood
lands. Every nation and people on the
globe, however cnvcloped in the mid
night of mind, have acknowledged &
God, whose power is infinite, ard whose
existence 10 unbouhdcd.
We arc Indebted to the Supreme
Ruler Of the Universe for all the bril-
lance aud beauty he has spread ou'
around us. The gittering globes, (which
are hung in the hall of Heaven to ilu-
inmate the night, as they wheel on il
their ccascless course, are cmboms o
his goodness, his grandeur, and his glo-
ry. When we wander amid the sublime
solitudes of nature, and survey the
wonderful works Of ,ha, grand and sub
lime Being, we are struck with aston
ishment that he is mindful Of Man
The terrific ocean, lashed into fury by
the stormy winds, as it rolls its white
capped pillows to burst upon the shore
is faint emblem Of his mighty power
No matter whether we view him in the
storm-clad clouds, the leapins light
ming. the rolling, ever restless ocean
or the sunlit hills, green valleys, an,
howery fields, grooming with their load
Of golden grain. In every aspect h'
is the same grand and glorious Being
Whether we view his power in the tiny
plant, or in the magnitude of the plane
~ hether VIC view ii in the remains o
the mighty mammoth, or in the micro
scopic mite in which matter is almos
annih!ateG whether we view his power
in the bIushing flower, or the fancy col
ored fly he is the same incomprehenslbl'
and sublime Being; the same ctcrna
architect.
Ills mercy is exhibited in every thin.
around US. We feel it in every breath
we see it in every blossom that burst
into bloom; wo hear it in every soun,
that enraptures the soul with a sense 0
the beautiful, the grand, the awful, o
sublime in nature. The very air W,
breathe is strong proof Of the mercJ
and goodness Of God. But we nee,
not unroll the pages or the Arcana o
science for IA proof Of the mercy ant
| goodness of God, or that we shoulC
thankfully bow down and humbly adore
him. AT every step, the contemplativ'
mind is sensible Of the gratitude it owe
for the many blessings IT enjoys, and al
the goodness vouchsaled from above.
l The goodness of God is displayed
every where. The glorious sun, as h,
rises in grandeur over the eastern hills
and bursts into briliance on benight
ed world, is type Of that more glori
Gus ght which Eliminates the Universe
The changing seasons display his good
ness, and every fruit, every flower
4 speaks of it to hearts with trumpc
tonguc. Walk forth in Spring, on tn,
green carpet Of May, and listen to th,
icaihered choir in the great church o
nature, as they sing their mornin,
| hymns IN praise Of Him who mad,
them. They are Offering up thci
orisons to Heaven for the happincs,
they ENJOY. They swell t.eir lttl,
ihroats with ccs,acy, while they loul
upon the gloliogs things around them
and poriakc Of the bounty from above