The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1869-11-26
THANKSGIVING SERMON

: THANKSGIVING SERMOl
at the congregational Church, Thur,
day, Nov. Is, 1869.
q, give thanks unto the Lord, for he isgoo
for his mercy cndure;h forever.-PsALM
cxXXvi,l-
1t is our duty, as rational depend
ent creatures, to give thanks an,
praise to Almighty God for ever
mercy he bestows upon US, and L
humble ourselves before him. Tn
duty is obvious. God has made
so by special and perpetual ordinan
ces-constant as their divine obi
cations, occasional as TO time ant
season OF special celebration. /
belongs to each individual to deter
mine for himself, SO far as the specia
celebration of these ordinances O
God appertain to matters wholly
personal TO himself, all belong to tue
head of each family to determine
concerning his household. In like
manner it belongs to the tribunals oI
the church to determine the times
and season for their observance, in
the congregation and people under
their care, and to the civil mag.
istrate to recommend to the peo-
pie of any country OF which
he may be chief, to set apart unto
God special days and times in fitting
recognition of God as the author OF
our being, and all blessings, temporal
and spiritual. In obedience to the
Proclamation of the President of the
United States and Governor of Ohio,
we are come together at this hour to
give thanks to God for the manifold
mercies he has vouchsafed to us the
past year.
Thanksgiving iHvOlves a right ap-
probation OF the character OF God and
the benefits he bestows upon u.s.
From the language OF the President 6
Proclamation, we are led to believe
that he recognizes God as the sOver
eign of nations, as well as indIvidu-
ais, and in tracing the history OF
nations and individuals, Gods benifi-
cence and providence are most
clearly seen. God has his agencies
at work ia this great world OF ours.
His word reveals him to US as a
present help in time of trouble.
God does not ge. knowledge of
his empire by hearsay and report, but
by his own personal inspection. 1t
is a glorions truth that He is Himself
in our world. He is not merely
here by representation. lie has mil
lions of agents, both In the material
and spiritual world but the Great
Father of the world is here in per-
sou. The world has not only his
agents and his works, but his eyes.
His all-seeing self is here. In all the
scenes Of my mortal life, in the quiet
fields of holy nature, in the hustle of
life, in the solitude of the chamber,
in the loving circle of family and
friends; wherever-the Lord is at
hand, bestowing every blessing, mark
ing every movement, directing every
event, demanding the homage Of
every throbbing passion, and every
passing and fieeting thought.
There is ground for fervent, last
ing gratitude to God for those clear
and unmistakeable providential man
ifestations of his immediate care
over US. Looking forward, all seems
dark and impenetrable, and We can mol
see the face of God nor apprehend
his ways, but, as we look out after
him, and mark his pathway of glory
can we not understand some of his
ways enough to impress on us his
great goodness, ,and the important les
son that he uses individuals to work
out his great plan which shall finally
result in the greatest good to the
human family? God has something
for us to do, and much to do with
us-much with US as individuals. As
a demonstration of this proposition,
let us look back and mark the career
of individuals, and see how God has
used them in perfect accord with
their will to work out the greatest
good to men, and thus gave impulse
to his kingdom. We cannot see much
as we look upon the face of the bright
sun in the western sky, but as we
turn and look away from it to the
distant objects on which it throws
its clear light, it briugs out objects
clearly to the vision. So, when we
look right into tie face of God-by
penetrating the future--we see but
little, but, when we look back, we
clearly see the hand of God leading
our race. Let us take Saul of Tar
sus as an illustration. In the early
training and education of Saul, how
foreign his thoughts from the great
work in which he was 70 engage in
Gods great moral field. Educated
a strict sectarian, bound by all the
ties of early prejudice to the peculiar
institutions OF his day and church,
eyes sealed to the greatest good of
the greatest number of his fellow
men, he was leaving Jerusalem,
breathing threatening and slaughter,
breathing out of Saul's plan,
but, before reaching Damascus, he
meets Gods plan. God blinded his
ewes, that he might see less of Saul
and more of God, and leading him
in way he knew not OF. Is this
PauPs wayf "By the grace of God
! am wha. am, and His grace, which |