The Penn's Grove record., 1915-11-19
give GOD THANKS
Especially at This Time His Chill
dren Should Not Fail to
Show Gratitude.

all that is within me bless his !
name. Bless the Lord, 0 my soul
and forget not all his DEMENT'S.
Psalm 1912.
The Feast Of T~abernacles, which
was the Jewish thanksgiving festlVal
by divine appointment, may Suggest
to us in large part the spirit n
manner in which our national Thanks-
giving day can be most fttingly op-
served. The people were directed TO
turn aside from their accustomed
secular pursuits and devote the time
being to celebrating the goodness OF
God in grateful and joyful recognition
of all that he had done for them. IL
was a religious feast, but had its so
cial features, which were also OF bene-
fetal effect.
1t was intended to specially IN
press upon the minds of the Israelites
a proper sense of Gods gracious deal
ings with them, and to call forth
their gratitude in consequence he
had kindly cared for them, had
brought them into the pleasant n
fertile land. He had promised them'
and had given them bountiful har'
vests; and It was a good thing for
them to have an annual thanksgiving
feast during which to recall his bless
Ings to them and praise his great
goodness. They would thus be moved
to ascribe to him the many Dement'S
they enjoyed and to express their
feeling of obligation and gratitude to
him.
Ingratitude is a great sin and a
very common one. There is too much
of a disposition to forget that all u
blessings come from God. There is
also an inclination to dwell upon the
seeming evils and disadvantages OF
life. It is eminently fitting, therefore,
that we should pause at times In the
midst of our worldly cares and occu'
pations, and review the mercies OF
God toward us and see how much rea'
son and occasion we have for graft
tude to him.
Thank Him for Gifts.
Thank God for your being and for
all the mercies with which he has
crowned your lives. Thank him for
your homes and their comforts, fol-
health and friends, for sustaining
grace under trouble and deliverance
from evil, for the privileges and bless
ings CT his Gospel and his church
for this highly favored land in whose
pleasant places your lines are cast
for abundant harvests and the large
measure of prosperity that has at
tended us as a people. Thank MIN
too, for the trials and sufferings that
have come upon you, and which under
his directing hand have issued IN
some form of good. "Men are prone
to thank God for those properties OF
vine and mead and shop and sh1I
which made life easy and comforta
BILE: but they are rarely grateful fol
those happenings which make life III
fcult and great A mai IS spe
cially and divinely fortunate, not
when his conditions r easy, but
when they evoke the very best that 1s
in him; when they provoke him to
nobleness, and sting him into
strength; when they clear his vision
kindle his enthusiasm, and inspire his
will"
Another purpose that the Thanks.
giving Feast Of Tabernacles sub
served was that it taught the supreme
importance of spiritual realities. II
directed attention to that which is
higher and better than that which
pertains exclusively to the worldly
life. The people were to turn then
thought for a while specially to Goo
and his goodness and his worship
They were to remember that true life
is found in the way of righteousness
in useful service for the glory of Coo
and the good of man. Our thanks
giving must have its true counterpart
in thanks living. We must give the
chief place to spiritual and eternal
things. This will make life what II
is designed to be.
Home the Foundation of All.
The Feast of Tabernacles afforded
I'LL OppOl utility " liz
families and friends and for social
intercourse. In keeping with this is
the character of our Thanksgiving
day. It is a time for the social gath
ering together, in the old homestead
or elsewhere, of the various members
of the family, old and young. The
home is a divine institution. 1t is at
the foundation of good government
and national prosperity. Religion
makes the home what it ought to be-
In proportion as Christian precept is
needed, the home becomes a place OF
hallowed affection and sweet and holy
and elevating influence. "Moral de-
cay in the family is the inevitable
prelude to public corruption" The
safety and welfare of the nation de-
pend upon the purity and sanctity OF
the domestic ties.
This is the practical significance OF
our national Thanksgiving festival,
md If we Law to heart the great truths