The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-11-29

Gods will. You can't cheer grief by the action of contrast You cam never laugh man out of his noes, We must meet afIlictions as they are, not ignore them; not attempt to explain them away or prove them light, but to use them as Gods best gifts to us at the time and accept them as the necessary discipline of the soul. Unless I am resigned to Gods will I can't praise Him,
 Thanksgiving is the highest point of prayer, the crown on the brow of the supplant. It Is above beseeching and asking, It is joy in receiving. Prayer Is prospective-for mercies to come and gifts yet to be bestowed. Thanksgiv- ing is retrospective counting the bless ings already received and the glory i'm victories already won.
 Thanksgiving reaches its highest point of excellence when it Is adora- tion. Rejoicing in God because of His character and glory. Thanks for bless ings received may have mixture of seltshness in them, but when We praise God for His own sake-when we rise into the experience of Paul, 'We joy in God by whom we have received the atonement," then our song is on the key note of heaven, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for Thou hast created all things and for the pleasure they are and were created"
 Having thus defined the nature of Thanksgiving let us pass on to notice its scope. For all things" Surely here are materials out of which we can erect a monument to God to-day. The catalogue is too long to enumerate Every event, every gift, every loss, every pleasure, every sorrow--all things from the cradle to the coffin, if we could see the relations of things to the spiritual and to Gods eternal purpose, would furnish materials for thanksgiv- ing.
 We are not to select 8 few things, a few choice specimens, and from the mountain tops of life give thanks, but for the whole range of existance-"for all things" We are not to take separate pieces of human life. some dark event, some sad moment, some strange occurrence, and exclude God from these, and only erect our altars of praise on some tall Pisgahs of promise, but take into the account the whole history of our lives, the har- monious and complete discipline of God for our spiritual we'll being. A child, looking at this crag and that dell, this mountain and that valley might question the rotundity of the earth, because 1t looks at the earth in detail. Not so the geographer, who does not measure the earth's surface by feet and yards, but in his compre- hensive grasp takes in the whole globe.
 So, in our thanksgiving to-day, let us not select, simply few joys and some days of prosperity and thank God for these, but in our vision take in tall things" This world is under moral government and it is not for us to criticise the sovereign of the throne but with loyalty of soul and gratitude of heart sing praises to the Eternal King.
 | Ourinstruments of praise are not to be tuned and used to-day, and then hung on the willows until another national Thanksgiving day-for God comes to us not grest-like, with occasional visits, but abides with us
 Therefore like David we shoud take up our harp for a lifetime. "As long as I live will I praise Thee" Thy praise shall be continually in my mouth" Praising God should not be like sparks out of flint, occasional and sudden, but like rays of light from the sun, natural free and constant. 1 r. but thankfulness, our hearts ever full of praise and our lips singing perpetual doXologies to God.
 "In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ"
 He is Gods alnoner. AM blessings come through Him. God, who spared not His only son, but delivered Him up for us all. Shall He not with Him l also freely give us all things" Christ is the mystic ladder, connecting earth and heaven, upon whom ''the angels of God ascend and descend" Thereafter ye shall see heaven open." The com- munication is established and com- merce begun, and welcomes extended land the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man" The angels never stand still on the ladder. Along that highway fly the chariots of God with blessings, de- scending to us-blessings of pardon and peace, given not as beggars, but with
 the ceremony of royalty, and with the salutation of the angels.
 Shah we return the chariots empty? Shall the angels ascend without our praises to God? Shall no thank offer ings go up to the throne for the bless ing and joys which have come to us. "In the name of Our Lord Jesus Christi" For His dear sake let us to- day render to God thanksgiving.
 Why have we sunny homes and cheerful firesides? Because He was homeless and had not where to lay His
 head.
 Why are our stables spread with plenty and blessings crown the board,
 while with gladsome hearts and happy faces we enjoy the feast? Because 1 Christ was aihUngered and athirst. Why are we surrounded by kind friends and loving hearts? Because He was friendless. Why do we live? Be- cause He died.
 | Why do we anticipate immortal ioys