The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-12-01
RATE OF sUBsCRIPTIoNs.
THANKSGIVING.

III lhe NAuECneS Vi the NIty Labl
Thursday.
We present, this morning, brief syn
opses of the sermons preached in the
churches of the various denominations
on Thursday last, Thanksgiving Day.
CHAPLISE STREET NJ. E. CHURCH.
Rev. Samuel Steele, Pastor.
TeXt-"Let US come before His presence
with thanksgiving'-Psalm 952.
In compliance with the proclamation
of the President of the United States
and the Governor of our own State, we
are met to offer up praise and thanksgiv-
ing to the Father of all our mercies
and the God of all consolation" for the
national and individual mercies of the
past thanksgiving year. This has been
laudable custom from time imme-
mortal, in all nations, but particularly
amongst the Jews; and we would do
we'll to follow the example of that ma
ton in their attachment to the service
of God, but not in their wanderings
from, and rebellions against Him.
David, who l presume was the author
of our Psalm, in the fullness of his
gratitude to Almighty God for the
( benefits, temporal and spiritual he had
received from HIM, cries out in the first
verse, so, come, let us sing unto the
Lord" dc. How natural for us to sing
when God gladdens our hearts by His
mercies, "make joyful noise to the
rock OF our salvation" David and his
people had obtained some signal deliv-
erance at the hand of God, and were
now assembled together probably on
the Feast of the Tabernacles, and hence
he could add in the language of our
text, addressing himself to ali the peo-
pie, "Let us come before His presence
with thanksgiving" In our text we
have a duty enjoined and the manner
in which it should be discharged or per-
formed.
I. The duty enjoined.
BY the presence of God, we are to un-
derstand His presence as visibly man
ifested in the Tabernacle, where He was
worshipped by all the Jews from all
parts ofthe Holy Land, at stated times
during the year, and where pious Jew S
no doubt often presented themselves to
offer up sacrifice and to worship the
God of their fathers; hence this coming
into the presence of God implies the
worship of God. Now that God ought
to be worshipped because He is our
Creator, Preserver and Redeemer, none
will deny, but the Psalmist merely
glances at these reasons for worship,
and fixes upon the power and great
ness of jehovah, as to his mind, at the
time the most powerful motive for
worship. For" says he, "the Lord is
a GaiL NIbp8 anu kLSdL hlIR hDONG All
Gods" How great that Being who ere
Rted the world from nothing, put
bounds to the sea, and since then, as be-
fore that time, governs all things "ac-
cording to the good pleasure of His
will" This power of God was mani
Tested in tine miracles of our blessed
Saviour, who although "God with God
became man with men," and whilst
manifest in the flesh" raised the dead,
unstopped deaf ears, cleansed lepers,
Himself burst the barriers of the tomb
and ascended up into heaven. The
power which He wields over nature.
animate and inanimate, will be more
fully seen when the sleeping millions
of the earth shall, at the voice of the
Son of God, rise from the graves OF
earth and sea in a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, "by the mighty
power whereby He is able 10 subdue all
things unto Himself.'
This power is further seen in the
triumphs ofthe Gospel. See few men,
when their Lord and Master was cruci-
fed, dead and buried; but SO soon as
their risen and ascended Lord sent
down the baptism of the spirit upon
these hopeless men, they throw
away their timidity and boldly
preach Jesus and the Resurrection, -
and in little more than three centuries
the throne of the Caesars. No wonder
the Apostle says, 81 am not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ, for it is the
power of God unto salvation to every
one that believeth. Rom. l; l6. He
had seen the triumph of the gospel in
Damascus, in COrinth, in Athens. 1t
is still the power ofGod unto salvation.
Thirty years ago a few missionaries
(MethOdist) landed upon the Cannibal
Islands of Eeejee, without fleets and
armies. These holy men began preach
ing this gospel, and in these islands in
the nineteenth century, as in Asia,
Africa and Europe, in the first three
centuries of the Christian era, the gos-
pei was found to be the power of God
in subduing canuibal propensities and
in abolishing idOlatry, and in changing
the hearts of these degraded beings.
The only weapon used was the sword
of the spirit, which is the word of God,
and this was mighty and powerful to
the pulling down OF the strongholds OF
sin and satan.
This year, in South Africa, Rev. VIM.
Taylor, of this State, but now of San
Francisco, was made the Instrument in
Gods hand ofa powerful revival, which
resulted in the conversion of two thou
sand Europeans and natives, and the
good work is still going on there. Praise
! God. Have we not every reason 10
worship our Lord by coming into His
presence with thanksgiving.
II. We are now to consider the man.
ner in which this duty is to be dis
charged or performed-with thanks
| giving.
Thanksgiving and praise-speaking
after the manner of mems what God
expects from us in view of the national
and individual blessings We have re-
ceived from Him.
He has delivered US from the most
! gigantic effort ever made in any nation
/ or by any people to destroy our nation
ality. During the great rebellion our
| hopes for the future of our country were
! sometimes very weak. Three years
ago, on Thanksgiving Day, the great
army of the Potomac was in motion.
/ Everywhere the hopes of loyal men
1 were raised-surely this time Richmond
will be reached. The Rapidau was
| crossed and the army pushed vigorous
/ iy forward to Mine Run. Alas! for our
! hopes, one ofthe corps commanders did
not make the connection in time, the
! opportunity was lost, and the men sor-
! rowfulIy retraced their steps and reoc-
cupied their old camps north of the
/ Rapidan, How our hearts sickened al
| the intelligence, and we Thought on
times that the rebellion would never be
subdued. But God gave US the perse'
vering spirit and eventually gave usthe
Further, He has placed by this deliv,
erance, our Government upon a more
permanent basis than any other Gov.
ernment on earth. All the govern.
\ ments of the earth are much troubled
at this time. Great Britain has Feuian'
ism, tenant right and the extension Of
the franchise TO trouble her, and she
! will scarcely come out of the coming
conflict, which now appears inevitable
as strong a government as when she