The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1882-12-07
Thanksciyin. Sermon.

Thanksgiving Sermon.
The following is a synopsis OF tn,
Thanksgiving ermon delivered by Rev
J. H. B~ratton, at the Baptist Church il
Eaton:
ISAIAH, 1875.
Sing unto the Lord, for He hath done
excellent things.
The book of Isaiah is a prophetic book
One may well image when he reads
this book that he is reading history anG
not prophecy. The prophet had just beer
speaking of the peaceable kingdom
which Christ should establish. Then
the future so looms up before his vision,
that it becomes to him a blessed reality,
and he calls upon the people to sing un'
to the Lord for the excellent things that
He hath done.
The song is the expression of gladness.
1t is a hard thing to sing with a sad
heart. The Hebrews could not sing ever
their own songs of Zion in a strange land.
But when they returned to their Mother
Jerusalem they could sing with their
whole hearts, songs of Thanksgiving
David could not sing while the ark was
in the hand of the Philistines, but when
it was brought into the city, then he Of
fered up burnt offerings and peace offer
ings unto the Lord, and he dealt to every
mar and to every woman a cake of bread,
a good piece of flesh and a 1agon of wine,
and they had a regular old fashioned
thanksgiving dinner over it. According
to a time-honored custom We, the people
of the U. s., are called upon by the
Chief Executive of our nation to give
thanks to-day. And it may be we'll for
us to recount for a little some of the eX-
cellent things which God hath done for
us, as individuals, as families, as a COM
munity, and as a nation. There may be
some who feel in their hearts that there
is not much for which they, as individu-
ais or as families, can be thankful. Fa-
miliar voices that NICE sang with US in
the house of God are not heard to-day.
Familiar faces that we loved to see in
our family gatherings are not there to
cheer us to-day. While we drop a tear OF
sorrow, or of tender sympathy, may not
our hearts go out in Thanksgiving to God
for these tender hearts of sympathy and
of love which he has placed within our
very being? Let US turn from the shady
side of life to-day and see the beautiful
sunshine that is playing all around US.
The world is full of it.
One Of the excellent things which God
hath done for US, is His gift of rest. Ma
lures sweet restorer, which we call
sleep, comes and takes us in her arms as
a loving mother does her darling babe,
and he is carried away into dreamland,
there to enjoy for a time the wonders OF
another existence-SometlmeS pleasant,
sometimes the reverse; and especially
thanksgiving night when, for reasons
which we might mention, there appears
to be a disposition on the part of certain
departed ancestors to make their visits.
But withal, sleep is q grand'blessing, for
perhaps, we are very thankless.
Among the excellent things for which
we should sing and give thanks to-day is
day of rest, which he has appoint
ed for his creatures. History, expert
ence and observation show that the OBJ
servance of this weekly rest is essential
to the healthfulness of the moral, the
physical and the religious natures of
man. Another of the excellent things
God hath done for us as a people,
is the establishment of that dearest OF all
spots upon earth, which we call home.
There is no purer, higher, happier type
of heaven upon earth than the truly
christian home. Idonot mean that place
you stay, and frown and scold,
and eat and sleep. Neither that home,
however grandly it may be furnished,
blinds are closed, whose rooms
are darkened and its every part forbid
den ground but the home whose every
part, from attic to cellar, is open to re-
ceive the sunlight from heaven, and
every room is a little paradise,
where may be found love, peace and
dwelling together in harmony. The
home is the precious jewel of happiness
which God hath entrusted to our care;
if we Keep truly polished, will re-
feet for our view a true image OF heaven
itself.
Thus, did time permit, could the ex-
things which God hath given US
be mentioned without limit. This is an
annual feast, and to-day we want to taste
of the most ~palatable food of the year,
and leave that which is d~istasteful in the
vend Of forgetfulness.
The year that is past has not been an
e yentful one, SO far as the history OF our
nation or of the nations Of the world are
concerned, yet in many respects it has
been a peculiar lie. The oldest inhabi-
tant possibly had never seen so mild a
winter, so cool a summer, such poor pros
poets for crops. Yet by some means I'M
explainable, the g%raineries have been
filled to overfowing, until men have been
almost literally compelled to pull down
their barns and build greater; and after
all they will say we are poor. 1t is SO
hard for people to see the excellence Of
what they have. We have seen the green
fields of early summer gradually changed
into the greenbacks-and these are eX
cellent things. And now are we seeing
the golden harvest coming into the store,
houses and there exchanged for the gold
en- eagles, which make the heart to sing
with Joy; for what is more excellent in
all the earth than the fine gold. God
has sent the former, and the latter, rains,
He hath withheld the frosts until the
corn has ripened, and to-day plenty is
written everywhere. Everywhere a
bound the excellent things of the earth
Let us eat and drink and give God the
thanks. Never perhaps in all the histo'
ry of our country has there been such
spirit of improvement as during the pas
year. There has been work for every
body, and everybody at work. This
brings prosperous times to our country
Men have almost ceased their demand
for the issue of more greenbacks; they
have discovered that there is an abund
ance of them, and the thing needed is
better distribution of them among thu
people. The multitudes have gone t.
work and the wheels of industry are scat
tering far and wide the treasures of tn
nation, and the people sing for joy TO
the excellen. things which the Lord hail
wrought.
There is one very delicate subjec
which preachers must handle with tn
utmost care, and it may be expected tina
1 should at least touch upon it to-day
But if I take it up I want to handle j
with a very long pair of tongs, and hav
the wisdom to drop it before l myself b
injured or break the heart of some ten
der nearer. 1 refer to the political statu
of our country. By some means, l knoN
not why, there has been a wonderful oy
erturning in the political field within tn
past few months. Idon't know whethe
our celestial morning visitor has ha
anything to do with it or not. There az
pears to be an opinion on the part {
some that it will yet strike earth in tn
near future and put an end to all thing
terrestrial. Some n said not long az