The Cecil Whig., 1881-12-10
THE PULPIT.
A THANKSGIVING SERMON,
Delivered by the Rev. T. J. Aikcr, in the
Presbyterian Church, at Pors Ee-
post. November 2l, 1891.

post. November Fl, 1881.
Ezekiel IL. -. Is clause: Behold there
FIRE | have stretched pur my hand over
t,"" aud have diminished thine ordinary
food"
/ Another year, in the providence of God,
his rolled away. "nd with it our deeds
and words, bearing them to that book on
which the eye Of God ever rests. fixing
them N that mind that never for9ets:
and we ART here in this temple of the
Lord, at the call of our Rulers, both OF
the Nation and the State. to think OF and
make mention of the loving kindess OF
our God: and we would call your special
attention to the wording OF the call OF
our Chief Magistrate. and ask you. if it
does not bespeak us a Christian nation.
In our text God warns Israel ere lie
strikes the fatal blow. They had sacri-
feed their children unto false gods and
built houses to idols. Now God comes
to frighteu. may not say. certainly to
warn them. lie shows His knowledG &c
ofhuman nature, for nothing will frightcn
rs or bring US 10 terms quicker than cut
ting off our supply Of food. At the same
| time thine Gods promise oi !. harvest
lcver fails: true. it may be mere largely
| uitilled one year than another; nor may
It be equally fulfilled in all lands the
,ame year: still the eyes of all look
| into Him, and lie giveth them their
portion in due season. The great thought
,od uouI! impress on our minds by these
words. is our dependence upon Him. :" |
stretch forth Ny hand and give abund-
tutly. if you are deserving; or. il You
! iio;cc Ne to punish you. diminish your
| ordinary food. He would teach that we
must not exclude Him from the opera
| ,Jns Of Nature, "for she did not know
that | gave her corn and new wine and
oil. ans' multiplied her silver and gold,
which they prepared for Baal." We
| know there are causes working i'll nature
| that the finite mind cannot understand,
| explain. or control. "Dost thou know
| illt b1Idlltlle vi NV tioutlS Nit
any among the vanitieS of the Gen;ilcs
that can cause rain Surely we are de-
pendent upon God; and il the clouds do
not gather over us and the rain fall, it is
because we have forgotten our need of
| Him.
These words would also hespeak na-
| hoHa! repentance. Am ] afflicted in my
person. l must go to my Father in
| heaven and ask that it may be sanctitied
| to me- General calamity, as dlminish-
ing food in the Withholding of rain, is
the "!ingin,5 Of the great bell of Provi-
lence, summoning a whole nation to re-
! pent.'' because thou hast forgotten
| the God of thy salvation. and hast not
been mindful of the Rock of thy strength,
| therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants
and shall set il with strange Slips. In
the day shalt thou make thy plant to
! rrow and in the morning shalt thou
make thy seed to ilcurish but the har-
vest shall be a heap in the day of grief
| 'iiiN VI hS>i'cidtt Scj <hHu tii'ii
such "a time affords an opportunity for
| sympathy and the exercise of charity
for instance, our friends i'll Michigan
having suffered from the scourge of fire.
| Much has been given. but much more is
| still needed for their relief, and to keep
them from suffering this coming Winter.
| This Iitni ~ Sbin,r ,,,ootb fro,1 the ord
as has been said, ia teach us humility,
patience. thrift. economy, tiuer sympa-
thy; to develop trade, commerce, and the
opcning doors tor gospel truth. What
blessed results followed the sending OF
Jacobs sons to Egypt to buy corn in Il
famine. iil countries came to Joseph
to buy. Again, the withholding of oul
ordinary food tends To bring men TO fee
their need OF greater blessings. Some oI
tho greatest rcvivals that have ever
blessed our land have come when tho
harvest was Scant and business was dull
| God has promised the neccssaries of life
tn His children and they trust lin. Reao
Iabakkuk 3. l.. Is and then will yol
nc able to say with David psalm 81, )
~ Let ali the people praise Thee. I
God, let ali the people praise Thee. Thel
shall the earth Weld her increase: ant
Hud, even our God, shall bless us. An'
nD This Thanksgiving day. we ought t,
note the mercies OF our God, that graft
tule may rise from thankful hearts w
"U.ht also to dwell upon the outcryin.
sins of the nation and repent of them
yea. Danish them. lest the drought COM
again and the food diminished still more
LIT us ricSCnt to you som" facts tina
should make us clad and thankirl to-day
Daring he last ten years the population
of tlis ro..nlrN las Increased twenty -hv
per cent. IL The same period the mem
brrShip Of th, church in some denomiua
tons has increased twenty seven per cent
In some twenty nine and 4 half per cent
and il some rs high az sixty-une per cen;
. | The average increase III the six leadin
q denominations is forty eight per cen,
/ The church has not only kept abreas
:, with the progress of the age, but in
{ decade when the population has bee
: swollen by vast streams of cmigratio
d from every part of the world. The at
vance OF the church has far outstrppe
an increase Of population that is 4 maj
vel in the history of any people. y fca
inl fight has been waged with infidelity
u but we see no reverse, no surrender o
=. the heart leap with JOY to say, there ha
y been victory along the whole line. II
v intensest struggle has been around I'll
'! theory OF evolution: but that citadel h;
>, been taken. Prof. Tyndall admits thi
=, thn theory of development is lamentabi
&c deficient i'll proofs: that it is simply a
~ hypot hesis X0prr"Fd, and has therefor
lg no place in the domain of science. n
the defeat has been on the side of IL
- enemy. The church of the living &c
y stands unscathcd: no rampant has bee
or her OF truth is out upon the outer wal
=" and under it the good and brave gath
Or together Swell out, then, with throa
J. filling words, We narrow minded, sou
contracted Col. Insersnl, o. any 9TH
> nan with Ike propensities, even to u
size Of the OK; tray rs loudly as tho
I'd canst, and the church in our fair lar
r. ir will laugh at your imbecility. From on
- half 70 two-thirds Of our populatio