Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1858-11-25
NASHVILLE.


day to be observed as a dry Of thanksgiving and
prayer, and has earnestly invoked the people
throughout the State 10 observe It as such. The
day win also be Observed in similar manner in
The following States, by appointment Of their seve-
ral Executives: Maine, New Hampshire, Massa>
ohusetts. Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware, Ma
rylan5 North Carolina, South Carolina Georgia,
alabama Mississippi Florida, Kentucky, Missouri,
Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, Ohio, NlinnesO-
10 and Indiana snd in the District Of CoIumbia. In
New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the 18th
was observed, and in Vermont the ID Of December,
win be observed day Of thanksgiving and prayer
There are but five States in which appointments
have not yet been made, viz: Arkansas, California,
Louisiana, Texas and Virginia
To-day win be observed by SO large portion of
the people Of the United States, that it may With
prosperity be termed grand national jubilee. The
observance Of q day Of thanksgiving and prayer is
Of Puritan origin, but It has become part Of our
common and ceremonial laws, until all the families
Of the land look for and enjoy It q national jubi
lee The Puriians bad for every day sort Of joy,
but one stately day Of joy they set aside in every
year, and il vas q strange mixture Of Wassail and
worship as historians tell as. Thanksgiving morning
10 New England stiff as their tau pines and sol
emu as their granite. The Puritans went up to their
churches gravely and awfully ana gave " thanks to
God for his goodness, and for his mercy which en-
dureth forever" The religious exercises over, the
Puritan returned to his house. and laying aside his
austere gravity, the merry laughter rang out from
the children Of his household, and the old home
stead was vocal with joy, while the tables smoked
and groaned vi h unaecustomed luxures, solid and
dainty, ard the remainder of the day was devoted
to feasiing and mirth. Hence our thanksgiving day.
We cannot better impress upon the reader theduties
OF to dsy in the spirit in which our worthy Cover
nor has invoked the people Of the Stale to observe it,
than in the eloquent language Of Rev. CHARLES
WADWoRrH, Of PHILADELPHIA, on the occasion Of
the observance Of thanksgiving day in Pennsylva- |
MIA one week ago
Oh how happy we ought TO be before the Lord
to-day! The man who complains now, must be that
very Goliath Of unrest whose discomfort feeds upon
Gods mercies-Whose eyes are like the owls panied /
only by LIES bTightness-and who grumbles the
most grandly, just and only because he hath nothing
to grlimbls at
We do not say that there may not be troubled
hearts here. Oh, no indeed For we know too well
how lfes roses have thorns and life'F music its
dertonesi We know how some Of you have come
up 10 Gods house, from homes made sad by beresVe-
ments. Your stream in the desert hath been EN-
FILTERED like Marah Your garden Of life, darkened
like Gethsemanel And yet know as well, that
even unto you, God hath not forgotten to be grs
cious There vas a sweeteuiDg branch by the desert
spring; and a strengthening Angel in the gardens
shadow! Aud the pulses Of your stricken hearts
bound in grateful love unto your sustaining and com
foriing Bedeemer!
Sure are We there should be no Ihsukless heart
to-day in the assembly of Gods people. Unto no
creatures out Of Heaven, hath there ever been
corded lot like our lot. Living here, in this nine
L. -
to stand on the very mount Of God, flung up in the
waste of Ages for the enthrOn ement OF His great
MAN-CHLD We look backward, and 10 all the past
has been working togetheT for national and in
dividuGl hcatitudc PatriarChs, prophets, bTds,
sages mighty men, coRquerors have all been our
servants. Generation after generation, that have
lived ana died-great Empires that have risen, and
h0urshed, and rod imperial paths, and passed away
for ever seem 10 rise from their old death dust, and
march in vision be laying down all their ac-
cumulted thoughts, and arts, and bOnors-al the
trophies of their mighty riumpbs in homage at cur
feet We look f0rUard and The eye is dszzed with
the vision Of the glory about to be accorded to Gods
kngly creature, MAN! when standing up on this re-
deemed world, he shall assert his right-G child
Of cod here! an her Of God fOreUer!
Verify. we have cause for Thanksgiving. " The
Lord hath done great things for Us, 0hsre9f zee are
glad"
Let US give then free course to our grateful emo
tiuus! Thankful for the present trusiu for the fur
turp let us rejoice before God with the joy Of Har
vest. As the old Hebrew husbandman came with
his Offering Of First Fruits, forgetting, IN his pres
ent moods Of joy, all past Dispute ude-the weary
toll Of the seed-time, and wstching-ume-the wild
storm; the soothing rain; the chilling blight; the de-
vouriug insect-forgettiBg these, or remembering
them only deepen his sense Of that Divine Good
ness which, in spite Of them all, have brought the
full corn the caring. So let US, fOrgetful OF all
past trials and Dispute udes-ah shadows that dark
ened our sunshine-all storms that troubled our
waters-all financial reveTses-sll political and par
tizau jeaousies-a'I ecclesiastical and sectsrIsn
strifes forgetting all these, remembering them
ouy as new reasons for present thanktulness-turn-
ing from all shadows of old gyies; from all valleys
Of sadness if thitherward have wandered our Pill
grim fge; and coming up, this morning, to the Sc
rene mountain top, where the sun shines, and the
dews Of heaven lie fair and sweet; only mindful OF,
and thankful for the present hours OF JOY. Like the
mariner, that with his bark anchored for BRIEF
day, COOS ashore to his childreu's cottage on the
hills Like the warrior, that released for an hour
fran the stern bvouac and battle, embraces his
cumbrous mail and pitches his tent with the nus
bsudmeU.--Ihus standing together on earth's high .
places let Us he strong and rejoice IN the living .
kindness OF God! And when here in our cho- /
sen sanctuary, as the Jew on Mount ZIon We
have paid our solemn VOWS, and rendered our /
First Fruits Of love TO God in a living oonsecra-
tion-theu as that same Jew returned to his distant
heritage filling the soft airs of Palestine with glad
songs and waking the echoes Of its landscapes with
bounding feet; so let get US again to our homes
these earthly dwellings as truly Gods gift as those
11oszpssio1s in Canaan-these homes haHOWed by |
Divine Goodness; by The voices, the ministries the |
gentle looks Of love; by memorials tenderly SAD II |
may be- but cherished ard heavenly, of the beloved
dead these 6yesides where children play; these
boards where knslok ga her. driving out every rep
tile OF discomfort every bird Of evil omen from our
bowers Of peace; hanging the heavenly lamp Of Hope
from our lOwly iutel-Our hearts, like the lark that
having FIRST SCARED TO the sky to Warble It's praise
around the portals Of the Temple Of Heaven, sinks
again softly and gladly 20 lis nest Of love IN the deFy
grs.s! So let us 20 down from our Iion as the Jew
from The Mount o. God TO his own humber dwelling
in lens Of vine and olive, valleys golden WI h /
ccrn-peacefu. joyous thankful for the present: and
for the future full of faith Of hope; looking forward
10 that h0ur-tJ some Of Us so near-when, IN the
great Autumn of Time gathered by Augel-reaPers,
borne by Gods flaming chsriO. 70 such Harvest
home as no hUsbandman ever knew! We shall take
our JOYOUS way up through these lustrous heavens,
along ION starry paths through those gates pearl,
through those go len streets, through those portals
Of the Many Mausions-that therein that Eternal
Temple in those blissful homes where this mortal
Love puts on Immortality there, with the beloved
dead; with the countless multitude bearing palms
and white r0te= with Angel and Archangel before
the Throne; We may keep unto Coda GREAT FEAsT
OF HARVEST!
We are requested to state that the Code is being
distributed to those provided for by law rapidly
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