The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1859-11-23
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Thanksgiving Sermon.
By HENRY WARD BEEcHER.

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And all the people departed every man to his honse
and David returned to bless his house-I CHRONICLES
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I have read ia your hearing the ceremony
and worship of Thanksgiving, recorded in the
Old Testament, performed by David aud bis
servants. upon a memorable occasion of the
restoration of Gods long-exiled Ark to his
House. Yon will observe that / have select
ed the closing verse of the chapter for r4a7text.
4 When the public ceremonies Of thanksgiy-
ing were done, every man returned to bis own
house, and David, the chief man of the ma
ton, its King.set the example.an returned to
bless his House, The sanctuary and the House
the public Congregation and the private
Household,the Church and the Famiy-these
were the features Of that Hebrew polity, which
acting through ages, has stamped its influence
upon Western Institutions .a For when the
Jews had been torn up, and part of them des
atroyed, and the rest scattered like chaff in all
the world, the shadow of their old institutions
fell upon modern days and like the shadow
Of the apostles, it has had more power in it
than the living influence Of most institutions
which the world has had.
,s. The Greeks have left to the world rem
nant and an ideal of art-a language. and moi
. philosophy, but motive toward iphitoso-
phising--but not a single Institution Ar
Institution is an organized power, either, o.
ideas or of implements of power Il do not
remember one that came from the Greeks
The Romans--less than the Greeks in Ian
guage, less in philosophizing tendency. less il
sart-have left to the world most powerful or
ganized tendencies. The law of the World
has had Roman leaven in it. .. 5n1 s = ..i - :
tions to the world. The first, institutions bas
ed upon natural instincts !; the second base'
npon ideas and arti fetal wants. The jew OF
ganized the affections /; the Roman, the civ
rights Of. man. The family is Jewish tb
bcivil law is Roman. Both of these are ye
& Living Forces. But one works at the roo
the other in the branches. The one shape
the inward life and substance of mems nature
the other shapes the outward life and actions
Our puritan ancestors we're men of the Of
Testament Dispensation, planted in New Ens
land. They were mighty, but not normal.-
They were driven by disgut into re actio
against amenities, graces, innocent sports. an
the spirit Of art and beauty No man forme
by reaction can be normal. They wei
driven by suffering and persecution clear bae
of the New Testament into the Old. Ar
as the Jews we're sometimes driven out of 0
Jersusalem and compelled to hide from the
enemies in the mountains round about. SO Il
Puritan was driven out of the New Jerusale
) ofthe Gospel and compelled to find rest and ri
suge in the more rugged passes of the 0ldTt
4 lament. The Old Testament was Child
Storms. twas the gradual product Of tim
Of suffering and wrong 1t contains the vie
Of truth which peculiarly sustain man und
such influences. The views of God the e.
hibition Of Divine Justice ; the whole rvel
tion of Providence. are such as to comic
men who are stripped by misfortune and 6all
n by persecution. And, in every age, men W
are deeply religious and called to suffer per
cution for moral principle have taken refu
/ Ia those views of God which the Old Test
mert gives. And they will continue to do
till the end Of the world. Criticism may d
stroy it, and skepticism turn it under like
X double deep-but the moment men are bl
\ into distress by wrong they will search it c
n and dig it up. and live upon it Being
b driven, our Puritan fathers became thorou
y y imbued with Old Testament ideas.
' was fortunate for us that it was so. Th
are no such influences in the world for
formation Oft the Family as the Old Testam
influences. All other institutions we're sub
iary to the Fsmily--this was the paramo
one. Customs, festivals, worship. ritual t
ple-all were to give way at length-the F
81 iiy never. And while these lived they we're
the servants Of the Family, and whatever
Huenees came from the more general and ]
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