The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1886-11-25

For the. fair and stately temples ii
Heard BY prayer and faith to Thee, A
Chant, and Hymn, and Litsny.
We bless and praise Thy glorious name
And ny vs rsscs, lifs's harvest DER. b i'i
'' '' y -HSas H 4. Bsoensn.
CONTINUOUS THANKSGIVING.
The Negative ana Poaitivs Msroiss snd
Blsssings showsrsd Upon Us Cause for
Never Fading Songs Of Praise to Gsd.
Thanksgiving Day Is set apart by
National custom and by the recommen-
dation Of the President Of the United
States and the Governors of the sever
al States, to be observed throughout the
length and bresdth of the land. We are
called upon as in iividuals. Is families,
as . Nation. in private and In the usual
places Of worship, to offer up our
thsnks to Almighty God, the Giver Of
every good and perfect gift, for the
blessings of the year. 1t Is we'll to in
quire, thoughtfully and narrowly, into
the occasions that we have for engag-
ing in this service of Thanksgiving.
What have we for which to render
thanksp
I. For our many negative mercies.
When the war Of our Revolution was
ended, and Great Britain had been
forced to acknowledge our independ-
ence, the King, it is said. proposed to
one of his Bishops that the Nation
should observe day of public thanks
giving. ''Thanksgiving!' exclaimed
the Bishop. IN establishment. "What
is there. your Majesty, to be thankful
for? Is it that we have sunk such vast
sums Of money, and that so many Of
our brave soldiers have perishedP'
"No." replied the King, mot for that"
''ls it, then, that you have lost the thir-
CROWN" ..No," said the Monarch,
mot for that" "What, then, is there
for which VIC should render thanksgiv-
ing?" I'VE should be thankful-de-
voutly thankful" said the King. "that
matters are no worse!' &,
And so. it is said, gentleman was
once telling his friend of the wonder
full mercy of Providence to him, that
though his horse stumbled on the very
verge Of q frightful precipice he him
self was not thrown over, but es capped
in safety. "Ah," said his friend, II
had far greater mercy than that; my
horse did not stumble at all!''
And SO, to all OF US, the negative
blessings of life, little as we are apt to
consider them, are, perhaps, the most
multiplied. il not the greatest. of all,
and call for deep and constant thank
fulness that we are not in deep pover-
ty, or on beds of sickness, or in sharp
suffering; not without homes, and
friends, and social comforts; that war
does not desolate, and pestilence does
not sweep. and famine does not rage
in the land; that We are not without
knowledge. and books, and schools.
and colleges, and senainaries Of learn
ing, and the instructions and consola-
tions of religion; that we are not the
slaves of despotism. or the serfs or vic
Tins of arbitrary power; not without
freedom of person, and conscience.
and religious opinion, and the full lib
erty to worship God. For all this is
there not reason for deep and devout
thankfulnessp
As in temporal, so in spiritual
things-that we were not born in
pagan lands and Of heathen parents;
not trained up to idolatry and nurtured
in superstition; not left without the
Bible and the Sabbath and the many
means of grace and the clear knowl-
edge Of the way of salvation by Christ
in word, that we are not suffering
from all the possible and actual ills ol
life; that we have not fallen before
every temptation, or been delivered
over to every kind Of iniquity; that the
evils 30 often feared have not come
upon us, and the sorrows we may have
dreaded have not overtaken US; for all
that we are not, and have not, and
dread not, and suffer not, should We
not be deeply thankful
But not to stop at mere negative
mercies. let US be thankful also
2. For our positive blessings. o.
the excellent John Newton it is related
that when reading one day the expires
sion of the Apostle Paul: by the
grace of God I am what am," he
paused for . moment, and ther
thoughtfully and seriously said: 81
am not what l wish to be, nor what
hope to be, not what I expect to be-
but thankfully l can say: by tht
grace of God / am what I ami 81
we may not have all we could wish OF
hope or ask for from the kind Giver O
all good. But every one of us can say
that through the ceaseless goodness o.
God We have numberless positive bless
ings. We have life. health, food. raj
ment friends, dwellings to cover us
social enjoyments and multiplied fam
lily blessings. There are homes for thu
orphan. hospitals for the sick and suf
fering and charities for the poor ant
needy. In public there is peace ir
our borders. occupation for our people
prosperity in our business, laws to pro
tcct us. conscience unshackled, SCHOOL,
to instruct. the press to inform, homer
that are safe and happy, and all the in
stitutions of education and religion
sustained and prospered. And, abov,
all, we have the Gospel of the blessed
Saviour shining from ten Thousand
san0tuaries and pouring the light from
above not oaly on the way to Heaven
but on ell those duties and relation
which, IL rightly fuliilled. make liz,
here both happier and better. md q
us for brighter world. In all thess
and thousands of other blessing, i
there not reason for heartfelt and de
vout thanksgiving to the Author o
every mercy and the God of every
hopep
How, then, shall we prove ant