Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1884-12-04
THANKSGIVING
Sermon Delivered by Rev Thomas
Balph, D. D., in the U. p. Church, st,
Clairsville, November, "a, 1884.


CIairsvilIe, November, "a, 1884.
Psalm lie, 12.-"What shall render
unto the Lord, for all His benefits TOT
ward me" I
This is gratulatory psalm. 1t is a
continuation of the great Hallelujsh
sung at the Paschal feast. 1t is per-
sonal song, in which the believing soul.
reminded of bondage and deliverance,
speaks with gratitude, and praises God
accordingly. Personal, active piety fos-
tered by personal experience of redemp
tion is its theme. There Is here
1st. A profession of love. and the rea-
son of it: Gods goodness Ia bearing and
delivering.
I'd. A profession of dutiful attachment
by obedience, confession and future
confidence.
3d. A declaration of thankfulness and
the manner of it: What shall render
unto the Lord for all His benefits toward
me-"
The question of the text is a very prop
er one. The Lord has rendered 50 much
mercy to US that We ought to look about
us, aud within US, and see what can be
done by US to manifest our gratitude
His benefits are so many that we cannot
number them, and our ways of aeknowl-
edging His bestOwments ought to be nu.
merous and varied in proportion. The
Lord sends to each special benefit. Let
each one inquire, What shall | render
unto the Lord for all His benefits to-
1t-d fln lNor
fits? From nOn-existence He walked us
into being; when wewere made in secret
and curiously wrought in the lowest part
Of the earth; when we were poured out
rs milk and curdied like cheese; when
we were clothed with skin and fenced
with bones and sinews; when we were
granted life and favor and Thy yisira-
tloD preserved our spirits. He ennobled
Us with reason, giving us more knowledge
than the beasts of the fields, and more
understanding than the fowls Of Heaven
He taughG US arts to promote the means
of life; doth the pl0wman pl0w all day
to SOW? doth he open and break che clods
Of the groundP When he hath made
pain the face thereof. doth he not east
abroad the fitches, and scatter the cum
the appointed barley, and the rye, in
their season? For his Lord doth instruct
him discretion and doth teach HIM, for
the ftches are not threshed with q
tbreshing instrument, Leither Is cart
wheel turned abUus upon the cummin
but the ttcheS are beaten out with q stall
and the cummin with rod; bread corn
is bruised, because he will not ever be
threshing it, nor break it with the wheel
of his cart, Nor bruise it with his horse
men. This also eometh forth from the
Lord of Hosts, which is wonderful in
counsel and excellent in working" He
commanded the prolific earth to yield its
nurture and al nature to pour her treas
sures about our feet BLESSED be the
Lord fuI His land, for the precious things
of Heaven, for the dew, and FOR the deep
that coucheth beneath, and for the pre-
ciOus fruits brought forth by the sun,
and for The precious things put forth by
the moon, aud for the chief things of the
ancient mountains, and for the precious
things of the lasting hills, and for the
precious thiLgs of the earth and fulness
thereof, and for the good will of him that
dwelt in the bush" "Who bath blessed
thee with blessings of Heaven above,
blessings of the deep that lieth under,
blessings of the breasts, and of the womb,
the blessings of thy Father have pre-
vailed above the blessings OF my progen-
itors unto the utmost bound of the ever
lasting hills"
For us the rain descends s-"Thou vis-
itest the earth and waterest it; Thou
greatly enrichest it with the river of
God, which is full of water; Thou pre-
parest them corn, when Thou hast so
provided for it; Thou waterest the ridges
thereof abundantly; Thou settlest the
burrows thereof; Thou makest it soft
with showers; Thou blessest the spring
ing thereof; Thou crOwDest the year
with Thy goodness, and all Thy paths
drop fatness. They drop upon the pas
lures of the wilderness, and the little
hills rejoice on every side. The pastures
are clothed with aocks, the valleys also
are covered with corn, they shout for Joy,
they also sing"
For US the sun sheds forth his creative
beams; for us is given "a good land, a
land of brooks of water, of fountains and
depths that spring out of valleys and
hills, a land of wheat and barley, and
vines and fg-trees and pomegranites, q
land of oil, olive and honey, land where
in thou shalt eat bread without scarce
ness. thou shalt not lack anything In 1t;
u land whose stones are iron, and out of
whose hills thou mayest dig brass. Where
thou hast built goodly houses and dwelt
therein; where thy tocks and thy herds
and thy silver and thy gold Is
and all that thou hast Is mul-
tiplied." Where our sons may be as plants
grown up In their yonth. our daughters
AS corner stones, polished after the SIM
ilitude Of palace; our gamers full. af-
tording all manner of store; eur sheep
bring forth thousands and teu thousands
In our streets; our oxen strong to labor,
there being no breaking in nor going ont,
and no complaining In our streets. For
US every new object presents some new
enjoyment, through the boupteous grace
of Him who is good unto all men and
whose mercy is over all His works.
These. with ten Thousand times ten