Nebraska advertiser. [volume] (Brownville, Nemaha County, N.T. [Neb.]) 1856-1882, 1869-12-23

H.
made happy by them; for, ''as in wa
ter face answerth to face, so the heart
of man to man."
There is the fvmily groupe. Thous-
ands to-day will seek to be together;
some of the scattered members will
have travelled hundreds of miles to
talk over the past and present; to as
semble in Gods sanctuary and cele-
6rate this Thanksgiving Day in swe6-
test union in each others company.
1t is meet that they should thus do,
for it is the last many will thus enjoy
in this world of ours.
The members of the church, and of
various churches, are called together
for no idle pastime, out of no vain
curiosity, but for holy convention,
to bring to remembrance what is
good. to forget the sorrOwful, to sus-
pend wanting labor, to initiate Heav-
en-, and "vie with Gabriel as he sings,
in notes almost divine. We want
for this that time has been set, and
has come; it is ours, ours to use, ours
to Oenjoy. We can forget names and
church distinctions, while we drink
in the spirit of heaven, and initiate
the inhabitants of the skies. Christ
ian society and religious converse
with a flow of soul" constitute
rich feast, pleasing pastime and are
profitable as well as pleasurable.
Is not this also another occasion for
thanksgiving - our privilege to
meet, meet as christians, to enjoy the
present as we'll as remember past mer-
cies ? Here we are before God, to
hear, to speak, to sing, to pray. The
object which brought us together
should not be forgotten, nor so many
as are present make failure /
We should also remember that nu-
merous hosts of Gods elect, probably
in nearly ever State of the Union,
join US to-day in this delightful en-
ploy. We, in this, are not alone.
The practice grows, as well it might,
in this land of plenty; and a Govern
or that would regard it not, is unwOr-
thy of public confidence, or vote. 1
Again, our Free Institutions claim
a notice.
In the possession of these, no nation
can rival us, though we are only in
our infancy. Free schools are what
despOts, aristocrats, and Catholics
(slaveholders) dread. An educated
people will not, can not be enslaved
and if oppressed they will throw off
the yoke, or herOicly carry on life
long war. The great thirst that has
been created in the tens of thousands
of our youth, might alarm the powers
of darkness, and awaken a hope in
all the benighted nations of the earth.
The great institutions of learning
have been set up like lighthouses all
through the land by christian heads,
philanthropic hearts and willing
hands, until the means of iIfOrma-
ton and sound learning are ample
ignorance is made culpable, and for
which there is no excuse, for since the
war, a 81 ,000, 900, 900 have been eXpen-
ded for educational purposes by this
Nation. The printing presses too, are
running night and day with unparal-
lelled success.
Hundreds Of thousands, yea! al
most millions of Bibles and Testa-
ments annually drop into the lap of
the nation; other books, theological,
historical and scientific are multiply
ing with an ever increasing ratio
tracts are becoming abundant, like
leaves of autumn, while our daily and
weekly sheets are being scattered
broadcast like the srOW-flakes of
winter.
Steepled and unsteepled churches
dot the land everywhere, into which
the thoughtful crowds gather weekly
to hear and devOutly worship. There
sit the wise and reverned of the land,
the tender youth and study man, the
buoyant and fair. In the sacred desk
stands the man bearing the highest
commission, and obeying the divinest
behest to mortals given. The word of
God is his message, the arm of God
his strength and shield, the promise
of God the encouragement of his
heart. and the love of God the life of
his soul. With such divine surroun=
dings and helps, how can he faint or
fail? There is no necessity of either.
If all of Gods ambassadors were only
all abiaZe, flaming with seraph's fire
and all aglOw with the love of God;
what would they not accomplish.
Though sin has turned the world up
side down, they would soon turn it
right side up again.
Here then we have abundant means
for information upon politics, science
and religion. "WhOsO runneth may
read" and he that reads may learn.
Thirdly; The history of our nation.
The likesnever was +! 'GOd in histO-
ry" has been teaching us that he de-
signed to make us, In many respects,
as distinct from other nations in the
latter, as the Jews were in the former
ages of the world. 1t is a nation that
is as certainly a child of providence as
the Jewish, for it was taken up from
a foreign country and planted here
and it has as nearly eXterminated the
former inhabitants of the land as were
those of Palestine by the Jews. They
were divided into tribes and we into
States. Each tribe was limited and
each State is bounded. They two
have not only likes, but OppOsites.
They were of one blood, we are COM
posed of all tribes their language
was one, ours many; their religion
was one, with us is found every vari-
ETY.. In these respects they were one
granite rock; we a great conglOm-
crate.
The God of nations has made us q
great power in the earth has given
us a aide place upon his footstOOl,
with possessions at home and mighty
influence abroad. Extending from
the great chain of northern lakes to
the gulf, and from ocean to ocean ; for
size, climate. soil, productions, and
for the enterprise and intelligence of
its inhabitants, the like has never
been found upon the whirling sphere.
God had a deep and benevolent de-
sign in planting such nation as this.
1t was his work, and is itnOt GOd-like?
All Of ifs vast Territory has been dedi-
Gated to God and Liberty on the alter
Heaven made, Plymouth Rock.
Our Pilgrim Fathers fled from Op-
preston, and when they came to this
New World they bore in their hearts
an unquenchable love of liberty. They
took the tender scion and here plan
ted it with their prayers, watered it
with their tears, and watched it night
and day; and even made wall Ofde2
fi.nee around it with their own bodies.
The thrifty shoot grew, and about the
time of "'76'' became a tree, at which
fime. 100 000 Of our Revolutionary