The penny press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1859-1860, 1859-11-25

can not bo denied without denial Of His
reroeptiye, intelligent presence among His
creatures, the providence of God presidei over
the fortunes of men, and from llim they
derive and receive all they possess.
The health of this country, especially our
own great State, called for this highest praise!
No epidemic had stalked in ghastly robes
through our midst.
The religious prosperity calls for grateful
remembrances. Who can deny that another
century like the past win nearly eyangelize
the world. The cry comes from China, Az
rica, India, "COme over and hel US, and may
We not say to day, in our innost souls, as to-
ward our heavenly Father "Waft, wait ye
winds His story, &c.2
Increase of Christian lberalty is seen eve
rywhere, and all good men must rejoice that
though creeds can not blend, the acrmony
known and felt in years past is disappearing.
Let us rejoice, then, to-day, while We praise
the Lord for His goodness, and remember
with grateful hearts the power and influence
OF prayer, when gushing upward from the
warm hearts of Christians.
SERVICES AT THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
The services at the First Congregational
Church, corner of Fourth and Race, were
largely attended and the address by Rev.
NJ. D. Conway, was quite eloquent and de-
lVered in his most impressive manner. The
Reverend gentleman had chosen for the basis
of his sermon the following words
"And Jacob rose up early in the morning and took
the stone that he had put for his pillow and set it mp
for pillar"
He first spoke of the circumstances which
made Jacob @ wanderer and said he was not
abandoned for the wrong he had done his
brother, for which, after ell, his mother was
as much to blame as he, Grievous as il was,
he had grievously answered it, and the
heart would not be human, much less divine,
which could see him out there in the wilder
ness between Beersheba and Haran, the sun
gone down, setting stone on which topillow
his head, and not feel pity in place of indig-
nation, Perhaps there was no ono Of the old
visions Of which we read with more pleasure,
than that which visited those weary eyes.
"And he dreamed, and behold q ladder
set up on earth, and the top Of it reached to
heaven; and behold, the Angels Of God as
cending and descending upon it,"
From this we como to See how tho human
spirit, filled with n ChrFtian faith, could take
the hard stone in its earthly faith, could AXE
its SpY5rest sorrow, and even make it u pillow
to Fest upon. With q high tHith, that in some
mysterious way all ia for the best, it can trust,
aud even rest where it cannot see. We dis
cern, then, though not by this figure, how the
faith OF Christ was celestial ladder, risiog
from the strong grief to the Heaven which
watches over it, and upon ii the ascending and
descending angels of consolation and strength
But sorrow has only passed. half-way into ex-
parience, has only ploughed and sown nothing
when it has been met with resignation and
calmness. Jacob pillowed his head on the
stone during the darkness; but when he rose
up in the morning ho did not feel thai
the stone had wrought its whole work
When he laid his head down uponA it, il
meant only his hard extremity; when no rose
up from it, it meant q celestial ladder with
angels miniStrant. Ho said, "the Lord is ia
this place, and l knew il not''-not until be
had learned it of the stone. "Aud he was
afraid, and said, How awful is this place
! This is none other but tho house of God, and
this is the gate of heaven" Such splendors
Iadiate to-day from what had been only hard
stone the night before. Mark! tbs not that
he peroeives that God WAS with him in bis
suffering to sustain with his promises; but thai
the suffering itself was the holy thing; that
wilderness, that stone was tho house of God
and the gate of Heaven. What had been done
for Jacob was notso grand as what he does FOL
himself, and the man who wrote this story
felt how grand it was that o man should raise
his loss into his gains, his sorrow into biz
strength, his stony pillow into his heart
strong pillar,
This thcn, 10 the second and higher lesson
to DO learned amid lite's hardships, that ~ her
wo have grown able to suffer calmly we have
yet much more to do by our hardsbips. 1t it
much, if in the storm we can secure our an
| ,bnro In iolt
our heads on the pillow God gives though il
be stone; but to trausmute sorrow intc
moral strength, to raise up severe experience
into the stronghold of character, that is in
fnitely more. A Lesson most appropriate, il
seems to me this Thanksgiving Day, for tc
find rest for the spirit amid sorrow is the de
gree of a resigned heart--to turn Borrow into
strength is the degree Of thankful one.
1t was when an embryo nation transcribed
into its life this experience Of Jacob, that our
Day Of Thanks was instituted. How well do
| remember the day when l, who had been
reared where The day was but litto known OF
observed, was first impressed with the depth
of its significance. L was spending a day al
Plymouth, and in sight Of tho spot where the
Pilgrims landed. At dinner, found singI,
grain of corn on my plate; thinking it had
fallen there by accident, / was about to cast
it away; but on looking up, a smile going
the round, told me that something was meant
Every plate had its grain of sorn. Then was
tho traditional story Of the Day Of Thanks
related to me. l was pointed to the spot
where, two centuries and half before, the
entire band Of pilgrims, men, women and
children, sat out on the shore, scanning the
bleak horizon with paliid lips and streaming
eyea, for they had been reduced 10 their asi
grain of corn; expected supplies had not ar
rived, and starvation stirred them in the face
But next morning, as rose tho sun, their hope
arose; white sail shone on the sea. Then
went they up to the first Christian church over
reared on the continent, and kept the first
Thanksgiving Day.
(Our space precludes q further report of this
lecture which throughout was impressive aud
often eloquent. 1t was attcntvely listened to
and was in every way worthy tho intellectual
reputation Mr.. Conway has already attained.
OUR BORROWED BLEssTEGs--BY REV. KINGSTON
GODDARD.
Rev. Kingston Goddard delivered an clio.
quent Thanksgiving discourse, yesterday
morning, to large congregation in Christ
Church. The text was the exclamation report
ed in the Scriptures, at the loss of an Ak in
the stream, which was recovered by miracle;
"Alas, Master, it was borrowed" This re-
cosnition of ownership in property was made
the occasion to depreoate the prevalence OF
agrarian doctrines, and to remind the possessors
of wealth that their riches were only borrowed
and that an account must bs rendered therefor