The Minnesotian. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1851-1852, 1852-01-03
THANKSGIVING SERMON.

In compliance with the call of our ex-
ecutive and in keeping with the time hon
ored custom Of our fathers, we have as
sembied for the purpose of expressing in a
proper manner the gratitude Of our hearts
TO the great Author of life, and "Giver of
every good and perfect gilt"
Ingratitude demonstrates the Inost des-
perate state Of heart. He who has no
feeling of thankfulness for benefits con-
ferred, is an outcast from society, and is
regarded as destitute Of all that is desra-
BILE, or lovely or good in the human char
acter. While he who has thankful, or
grateful heart, is supposed 10 possess the
germ, at least OF every ennobling grace and
virtue; these are the canons of social and
civil life. And if true, when applied to the
minor relations Of society, how pre-emi-
nently true when applied TO the rela-
ton existing between the exuberent foun-
tain of all good, and man, the favored
pensioner Of His bounty.
! AS appropriate to the occasion, atten-
ton Is invited to a portion of divine truth
recorded in the fourteenth verse of the
fifteenth psalm, & offer unto God Thanks
giving"
The text, though brief is sufficiently
comprehensive for our purpose, and au-
thorizes the inquiry:
First. Why should we offer Thanks
giving to God?.
In answering this question, let us no
tice briefly the causes of gratitude which
we find in man himself. A common char
acteristic of almost every system of unbe-
lief is, that which they pall,ate, excuse,
or deny the moral pravity of one common
nature, they greatly undervalue that ma
ture itself.
BY some it is denied that there is a
spirit in man, and that the inspiration of
the Almighty giveih him understanding /;
the lofty distinction between mind and
matter is confoundcd, and the organiza-
ton of a clod is thought sufficient TO give
birth to reason and feeling; TO all that dig
nifies the nature of man in comparison
with the capacities of mere animals.
If few allow that this frame Of ours,
disorganized by death, shall live again by
the power of resurrection; and fhis
make death mere rarenthesis in our ex-
istance, the majority take much wider
sweep into speculative unbelief, rend the
robe Of royalty with which a muniiicent
Deity had mantIed our humanity, close
the volume of cxistance at the preface,
crush every hope of life, and answer the
universal cry Of a gEoaning world, for ex-
istance with the astounding announcement,
that death is an eternal Sleep.
Another school of skeptical philosophy
would teach us, that man is so perfectly
insignificant; so mere speck in the vast
ness and magnitude of the works of God,
that to suppose ourselves the objects of
his attention, or regard, much less aflec-
ton, is an arrogant and presumptuous
conccit.
That vice should exult at the proclama-
ton, that the rein should be thrown loose
on the neck of unhallowed desire, that
virtue should flee as an alien, where such
sentiments prevail when not only porch
and portal, but the main pillars of her
temple, lie in broken confusion, are but
the natural results of such opinions.
When virtue has nothing to expect and
vice has nothing TO ofear beyond the pres
cnt life, the sun Of hope is extinguished
in the moral heavens, and no barrier can
be raised which shall keep humanity back
from its headlong plunge to ruin.
That such opinions should exist, so soul
chilling in their character, so degrading
in their views, and so ruinous in their
tendency, is a mystery that can only be
solved blythe factthat ''thc heart is deceit
full above all things and desperately wick
ed"
With the views above alluded to, the
faith of christians and the revelation of
God stand out in clear bold and beautiful
contrast. True, the scriptures not only
admit, but teach, that this nature has be-
come deranged, cnfeebled, and liable to
pain and misery, yet this is not the result
of an original defect. but merely acciden-
tai, and for a recovery from which there
is full and ample provision.
That nature itself is represented as fear
fully and wonderfully made, as crowned
with glory and honor, as being a bright
reflection Or image of its Creator set over
the works of his hands. an object Of af-
fectionate regard by infinite love, and for
whose recovery all heaven swells and
heaves with deepest and most intense
emotion.
! We find in man then as cause of graf
itude to God, the gift Of an intellectual
nature.
Previous TO the creation no claim could
have been held by any even to existance,
and it was of course optional with the
Creator TO give TO each part just that
grade in the scale of being which he saw
fit, none having the right to say "why
hast thou made me thus" To create a
material universe would manifest ellis
eternal power and God-head;'' yet this, a
mere world Of matter, would remain un-
conscious of its own existence. To bcstow
on portion of that creation, concious-
4 4