Delaware State journal and statesman., 1864-12-02
Sourmal auU atatesntE'r
THANKSGIVING Sermon.

worship, ln this city, on Thanksgiving dA
morning. +-.Rr
Lat US come before Ills presence with Thanksgiving,
Palm 95, y 'rW .f'..
II does the souls Of men good to be Thankful
10 God. Aud IL all the people Of our country
North and South, were 10 states Of mind to reh
der true Thanksgiving and praise this day, I,
Almighty God, tho day would close with uni
versal shout of victory from every man ant
woman, citizen and soldier, black and white, il
the entire land--vctory over Satan and hit
kingdom, over self aud the world. For true
living. heartfelt thanksgiving can never be
offered but from love to God aud the neighbOr
And whore all hearts possess that love ii ia
Heaven.
How changed then would be the scenes of our
country, after que such thanksgiving day A
mild and placid sphere would pervade the camps
and battle fields hushed to silence by the sooth-
ing voice Of prayer. Instead Of the roar Of can.
non aud the din Of arms, the joyous notes OF
praise 10 God, borne upon the breath of gIati-
tnde and love, would greet the glad souls OF all
the people. Calm would be the rest Of the Ma
tion, and sweet its dreams after such days
deVoiions. And il would arise from its slumbers
prepared to enter, with faithfulness, upon it's
new dnties. The rising eun, casting his cheer
ing beams upon the dew -bespangled scene, would
present land smiling through tears, joyous
amid sorrow Joyous that peace and rest un-
inistakable, in the 81 itit Of Jesus, had truly
come; eorroWfu that sin and Wckedness had
detained them 30 long and done go much evil
And when fully engaged in the new work Of love
10 God and the neighbor, bearing aloft the new
banner OF Peace on earth and good will toWdrd
men, how warmly all hearts would Join in tho
anthem
Yes, such would be the glorious result, were
the Presidents request to be carried out, in
spirit and life, by oil the people of the country.
For hearts that eau render true thanksg
aud praise to God, are hearts that will deal
justy with all men, and do unto others as they
would that they should do unto them.
but alas We as a nation, North and South,
can have no such thanksgiving day at present.
rev. indeed are the people at the present time,
anu under the present circumstances, that can
enter unbiased, unprejudiced, aud unsehshly,
into Thanksgiving service
selfish man is selhshly thankful. If he thanks
the Lord at all, II is for the good that comes 10
himself nnd his friends, and not for the blessnes
bestowed upon his enemies. lie sees not The
impartial character of the merciful God who ia
the same heavenly Father and equal friend Of
all, Kind to the uuthankfu aud the evil
Thus we see that when Southern arms prevail.
the rebels give thanks aud we fast, aud when
ours prevail we give thanks and thoy fast. In
Their victories they claim the Lord as on their
side; In ours, we claim Him ns on our side
But 10 all this, how bliud are they and we to the
Lords true character
God ID at all time and unchangeably for the
real good of all, let the battle 20 which way Il
may His great regard is for mans future vel
iAFe-hls souls good. His efforts are always 10
MAKE everything subserSient to the anal we'll |
pslng Oh each and all, as far as possible He
therefore looks beyond physical things. exoept I
Us they affect spiritual things The question |
Win hlm is not so much, how this war will |
aheet the physical condition and comforts Of |
mahkind, the. outward prosperity Of the people
and the worldly growth and power Of The Ia.
uon' as how II will affect their souls and the
Souls q their posierity throughout ths future
ages OF this world and the next. tl
IL IL often good" for men "to be sflIietsl' -
And II ia good for the minds and souls, Of those
VINO have health and property, TO provide and
take care Of the wounded, sick and destitute
and 10 use their means liberaly for the support
OF their country. How much The Sanitary
euort has tended to call into action the sleepine
and charity Of the human heart. 10
wean i from its seldshness and make il more
heavenly and happy And even the death Of
Ihe BODY, terrible us ii sometimes is, does not
nnrt the Soul. 1t only takes it homo. And
doi knows when ii is best for men to 20. We
may rest assured that none Of the deaths and
distractions, calamities and troubles Of this
lie hurt men spiritually. whether swept away
ny wars, pestiences or famines, by the sinking
lr burning Of ships, by the crush Of ears. the
tornado, earthquake or Volcano il effects mot for
VII the souls Of men.
Ihese terrific features of the Divine Proyl
1enee' terrible as they appear, contain nothing
Dn God's part towards man's real self towards
bis soul and it's present and future peoda anj
Happiness, but what is gentle and meroifu with
he klndest efforts 10 bless and save. And while
hey do not hurt us spiritually, they are needful
OF the uncertainty Of This life md
II the things OF this world
But when we consider the mercifu character
" our Heavenly Father, in connection with the
sroans and tears and human suffering which
iArken 'he whole historic page OF our race,
ouohtng more or less the life of every individual
10 should remember that ali euoh snfTaring
'omes from tue violation ind disregard Of the
mental and physical laws Of life and health:
avs which man was made free to obey or dis
'ney that this freedom, with the gift Of reason,
mani o peculiar endowment, the one wonderful ,
luman principle by which he is neither beast
Tor Q machine, but an immortal intelligence,
apable OF becoming either an angel or a devil, l
u being happy or miserable i
Therefore the calRmiiies which we ara now y
unerlng as people and nation, are the oonse- !
luent fruits OF our selashness, or of our violation
u the laws OF love to God and the neighbour
lad we adhered to these laws these caamities
7onld have been avoided. They might have [
'sen avoided We know better Than 10 steal. /
10, murder, or to infringe in any way upon the
'ghta Of men. What We are suffering, there :
ere, is good for us. And il should teach us the =
important lesson, that no free government can |
tand, but upon the platform of virtue and ius.
ice, well lived out. A ganee at fallen human i
nature and the history OF nations will show that,
y order to sustlin Republican government,
he people must DO charitable and regard each l
thers rights; that they always fail for the want
vrtuei that men can be governed only by the 1
owe Of the law or tho fear Of it's penalty.
Therefore u is certain that Republican ma
ion, OF the magnitude of the United states,
aust in order to stand, be highly intelligent
nd vrluous people. For snoh vast nation /
nust either be an enormous desp0tism with an q
IMMENSE standing army, holding the masses 10 e
rder by fear or they must love God and the
ieigbbpr, and thus freely hold themselves to-
5etheF. Thereis no other alternative We have s
'ad, IS nation, great and high privileges, and d
70 have been wonderfully blessed Ia them.- d
religious freedom, freedom of the press and Of /,
Peseh, free schools and free balOtng These !,
IRTe been our blessed privileges. And had we "
lone our duty, they would have made us the U
trongest and best nation Of tue earth.
But we have abused those privileges, until we a
AVE lost sight OF their value. Indeed we have q,
endeTed ourselves unworthy of them, and are
consequently involved in civil war. And thus
70 are Teaping the reward of our sins. h
This might have been anticipated, for our
government was an experiment. Our ancestors |,
anne here to get rid of oppression, and in time I
hey established a "lree government" And the
ons Of oil Europe have been emigrating hlther 81
veF since, saying, as they left their old homes,
hey were going to "free country" Tho free. s.
om Of "Columbia" has been proclaimed from n
lOle to pola. The immortal vhrsn an rlv nlnnah :