The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-12-06

Thanksgiving politically suffer mutilstion un-
avoidably.l
Text-PsAIx cxLvI, eo-"He hath not dealt so
with any nation"
The adequate man must be an inspired
man; higher power breathing in and
through him. Inspiration toward adequacy
is not accidental; it follows rational lines
of thought, sympathy, choice. The man
who, having a great part to perform and
needing great power to perform it would
be adequate to it, must give attention to its
conditions, and so perception of obligation
and opportunity will kindle power in the
soul. The thoughtful man will be able to
perceive his possibilities and be allured to
bend his energies to their attainment.
This National Thanksgiving Day has
large utility in the recuperation of fading
souls and their re-dedication to all lofty
endeayors. Its record of the past, its out
look on the future, are favorable to these
perceptions of obligation and opportunity,
which inspire courage, devotion and effect
iveness.
The speaker suggested three lines OF
thought as suitable to inspire gratitude
and courage:
THE BASIS OF THANKSGIVING.
This is Christian institution and pre-
supposes Christian ideas. Gratitude is to
be joyfully expressed to a Divine Person
for a treatment graciously bestowed. Gra-
titude is a refining, cleansing quality of
character. Ingratitude is base and de-
basing. In the view of the philosophic
Paul, ingratitude TO God was a cause of
paganism-Rom. i, 81, %: Because when
they knew God they gloriied him not as
God, neither were thankful, but became
vain, and their foolish heart was
darkened. They became FOOLS"
Not otherwise is it now. Ingratitude to
God descends through stages of indiffer-
ence, vanity and ignorance into hopeless
folly. All the invigorated powers Of the
grateful Christian soul applaud the senti-
ment of David-Ps. xcii, L: 1T is good
thing to give thanks unto the Lord"
There are two views of God, Man and
Nature which will not adapt themselves to
the Christian idea of personal thanksgiv-
ing to personal God. One is the atheistic
view-No God. Man and Nature are alike
material. All things and events happen
fortuitously. Call the atheist to thanks
giving? Howf To whom? Why? The
utmost he can do is to congratulate him.
self that he happened to be made a man,
and that it has happened to him to get any
enjoyment so far. The other ill-adapted
view is that which places God far away
from interest in personal affairs. There
was a creation once; then God left every
thing to go by natural law-rigorous, un-
relenting. No Providence; no present
acting of God. This view yields no place
for gratitude.
But the Christian view-a God, personal,
wise, loving, active, assiduouslY seeking
the best interests of all his creatures, ever
present, intensely sympathetic, training
men for everlasting glory and felicity as
far as. each consents and co-operates, a
Father-thisv view inspires gratitude deep,
rapturous, fit. Looking backover troubled
experiences, God is recognized as deliverer,
and looking forward to the future He is
hailed as leader. Christian gratitude ex-
ults as Moses and Merriam did at the Red
Sea-
"sound the loud timbrel Ger Egypt's dark sea,
Jehovah hath triumphed, his people are freei"
"The Lord hath done great things for us,
whereof we are glad"
u.-soME PERSONAL REASONS FOR THANKS
GIVING TO GOD.
1. We should give. thanks for life and
its conditions.
| Life itself is boon. To be articulated
into the human race, to share its veal and
woe, is something valuable. 1t is not a
trifle to belong to race of which Moses,
Isaiah, Elijah, Paul, Shakespeare, Colum-
bus, Washington, were members; race
into the fortunes and features of which
Jehovah himself once camel The angel
hosts shouted songs of thanksgiving
when the race was born, for they saw the
grand design. Life itself must be a good
even if an infant but breathes and sobs
and dies. To be part of the race, to have
opened eyes a moment upon the under
side of heavens arch, is something to
commemorate gratefully.
Tue conditions of life to most of us may
seem harsh. Restrictions, weighty i'm.
pediments; yet as the heroic Apostle
when fully enlightened, rejoiced in tina,
"thorn in the flesh" so we may be CRATE.
full for any conditions of life which are
manifestly appointed by the giver of it.
being assured of their benign purpose.
| Twenty-tour centuries ago Plato, walking
in the shady suburbs of artistic Athens
used 10 say that he had three reasons fol
thankfulness-frst, because he was born q
man, not a beast; second, because he was
Greek, not q barbarian; third, because
he was philosopher. II poor Plato, away
back twenty-four centuries ago, could thus
exult, what emphasis of gratitude ought
we to express who stand in the Nineteenth
century, in the foremost of nations, with
the richest inheritance of knowledge and
opportunity that ever yet fell to the lot o.
mortalsl
2. We should give thanks for God.
mercy. If He has done well in bringins
US into life, He has certainly treated VI
well since we came here. God has alwayi
treated US better than we deserve-witi
mercy. At any time justice would b,
J fatal to us.
1t will require courage and faith to ad
just to this view some of Gods dealings
Losses, Affections, sorrows, bereavements
are merciful corrections for which, no
without tremors, the bravest one will un
dertake to be thankful. But knowing
God, albeit we do not know all his res