The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1892-01-29

| cdiiiiot SUCCESSFULLY contend agauIol
these small sorrows that come down
single handed, what will You dc
when the greater disasters of life
come down with laundering artil
lery rolling over your soul9
Again, we must bring the religion
of Christ into our commonest bless
ings, When the autumn comes, and
the harvests are in, and the Cover,
nors make proclamation, we assem-
BILE IN churches, and we are very
thankful. But every day ought to be
a thanksgiving day, We do not rec,
ognize the common mercies of life.
We have to see blind man led by
his dog before we begin to think our
selves of what grand thing it is to
have eyesight, We have to see some
one afflicted with st. vitus' dance
before we are ready to thank God for
the control of our physical energies.
We have to see some wounded man
hobbling on his crutch, or with his
empty coat sleeve pinned up, before
we learn to think what a grand thing
God did for us when he gave us
healthy use of our limbs.
We are so stupid that nothing but
the misfortunes of others can rouse
us up to our blessings, As the OK
grazes in the pasture up to its eyes
in the clover, yet never thinking
who makes the clover, and as the
bird picks up the worm from the fur
row, not knowing that it is God who
makes everything, from the ami
malcula in the sod to the seraph on
the throne, so we go on eating,
drinking and enjoying, but never
thanking or seldom thanking; or, if
thanking at all, with only half a
heart.
DO BRUTEs AND PLANTS PRAISE GOD?
compared our Indifference to the
brute; but perhaps | wronged the
brute. do not know but that,
among its other instincts, it may
have an instinct by which it recog-
nizes the divine hand that feeds it.
| do not know but that God is,
through it, holding communication
with what we call irrational crea-
ton" The COW that stands under
the willow by the water course
chewing its cud looks very thank
full; and who can tell how much
bird means by its songl The aroma
of the flowers smells like incense,
and the mist arising from the river
looks like the smoke of a morning
sacrifice. Oh, that we were as re-
sponsivel
Yet who thanks God for the water
that gushes up in the well, and that
foams in the cascades. and that laughs
over the rocks, and that patters in the
showers, and that claps it's hands in
the sea- Who thanks God for the
air, the fountain of life, the bridge of
sunbeams, the path of sound, the great
fan on a hot summers day2 Who
thanks God for this wonderful phys
ical organism - this sweep of the
vision-this chime of harmony struck
into the ear-this soft tread of a
myriad delights over the nervous
tissues-this rolling of the crimson
tide through artery and vein-this
drumming of the heart on our march
to Immortality We take all these
things as matter of course.
But suppose God withdrew these
common blessings! Your body would
become an inquisition of torture, the
cloud would refuse rain, every green
thing would crumple up and the
earth would crack open under your
feet. The air would cease it's healthy
circulation, pestilence would swoop
and every house would become a
place of skulls. Streams would first
swim with vermim and then dry up,
and thirst and hunger and anguish
and despair would lift their scepters.
Oh, compare such a life as that
with the life you live this morning
with your families about you'll Is it
not time that, with every word of our
lips and with every action OF our life,
began to acknowledge these every
day mercies9 Whether ye eat or
drink, or whatsoever We do, do all to
the glory of God" Do l address
man or a woman this morning who
has not rendered to God one single
offering of thanks2
l was preaching one Thanksgiving
day and announced my text, "Oh,
give thanks unto the Lord, for he is
good; for his mercy endureth for
ever" do not know whether there
was any blessing on the sermon or
not, but the text went straight to a
young mans heart. He said to him
self, as l read the text: oh, give
thanks unto the Lord, for he is
good Why, have never rendered
him any thanks. Oh, what an in
CRATE | have beenT Can it be, my
brother, that you have been fed by
the good hand of God all these days
that you have had clothing and
shelter and all bene icent surround
ings and yet have never offered your
heart to Code
Oh. let a sense of the divine good
ness shown you in the everyday
blessings melt your heart; and if you
have never before uttered one earn
est note of thanksgiving, let this be
the day which shall hear your song.
What l say to one, / say to all of this
audience. Take this practical religion
| have recommended into your every
day life. Make every day a Sabbath,
and every meal sacrament, and
every room you enter holy of
holes. We all have work to do; let
us be willing to do it. We all have
sorrows to bear; let us cheerfully
bear them. We all have battles to
fight; let us courageously fight them.
If you want to die right you must
live right.
Negligence and Incidence will win
the hiss of everlasting scorn. while