In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. — 1 Thess. 5: 18.
WHAT trait of character is more beautiful than gratitude? "What baser than ingratitude? **Blow, blow, thou winter wind, Thou art not so unkind As man's ingratitude; Thy tooth is not so keen, Because thou art not seen, Although thy breath be made." Ingratitude means unthankfulness. I. If unthankfulness to man is so despicable, what shall we say of unthankfulness to God? 1. This, Paul says (Rom. 1:21), is the greatest sin of the heathen world. He tells how God revealed Himself to the heathen, even His everlasting power and divinity, so that they are without excuse, because that knowing God they glorified Him not as God, neither gave thanks. The climax of this wickedness was unthankfulness. Ingratitude is heathenish. 2. From the heathen world God took out a people for his own possession. He revealed Himself to them as He had not done to other peoples. With a mighty hand He delivered them from their oppressors. For forty years He manifested Himself to them in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, 299 300 SPECIAL SERMONS while He fed them with angels' food. He led them on with increasing blessings. Recounting those blessings in his farewell address, Moses said: ^ * The Lord alone did lead them, And there "was no strange God wi*th them. He made them to ride on the high places of the earth And they did eat the increase of the field: He made them to suck honey out of the rock And oil out of the flinty rock: Butter of kine and milk of sheep. With fat of lambs^ And rams of the breed of Bashan and goats, With the fat of kidneys of wheat; And of the blood of the grape did they drink wine." Now they are about to enter the land promised to their fathers, ''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 fig- trees, and pomegranates ; a land of oil olive, and honey ; a land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarce- ness, and thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones were iron, and out of whose hills thou may est dig brass. '^ Having enjoyed such wonderful blessing in the past, and now about to enter into the enjoyment of blessings still more wonderful, one would think the hearts of those people would have overflowed with gratitude, but as Moses looked upon them, he said : '^Jeshurun waxed fat and kicked. They waxed fat, they grew thick, they became sleek, They forsook God who made them. And lightly esteemed the Rock of their salvation." As I read those words I imagine I can hear the old man who for forty years had patiently borne with the unbelief and the ingratitude of the people whom IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS 301 he addressed. He compared them to fat bulls that bad been pampered and had grown sleek, and never thought of the hand that fed them and groomed them and gave them a place where they could lie down in safe- ty. "What scorn there must have been in his voice as he uttered those words! Who was it that had thus grown fat and sleek? Jeshurun. Who was Jeshurun? Jeshurun means righteous. They were not a heathen people, but a people who professed to know God, and to worship and to serve him. But they were un- grateful. Still God led these people, who did not thank Him, into the land of Canaan. He kept His covenant with them. There they inhabited cities that they builded not, dwelt in houses filled with all good things that they filled not, drank of cisterns which they digged not, ate of trees and vineyards which they planted not — ^yet they forgot God. And he said through Isaiah, ''The ox knoweth his owner and the ass his master's crib, but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.'' And through Hosea He said, ''She did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and her gold, which she pre- pared for Baal." The blessings that God bestowed, de- voted to that beastly heathen god! What a prostitu- tion of noble gifts! Is it not repeated in Christian lands? But all did not bow the knee to Baal. In contrast with the words of condemnation uttered through prophetic lips, the Psalmist exultingly sings: "0 give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the people. Remember his marvelous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth." 302 SPECIAL SERMONS II. If men were called upon to thank God for His gifts in former dispensations, how much more should we call upon our souls and all that is within us to bless and magnify His holy name in these times and in this land where God is pouring out upon us blessings in such rich profusion! "We sing -^^ Count your bless- ings, name them one by one," but that is impossible. They are innumerable. Some of them are so rare and wonderful, and we are so dull and stupid, that we can not recognize them. But let us think of those that we can number. Truly God has not dealt with any people as he has with us. Think of this good land which He prepared for us. In the ages past, He lifted up a great chain of moun- tains as a backbone for our continent from which slopes half the arable land of the world, then He traced mighty river systems and scooped out broad lakes till He had made a way for five-sixths of the fresh water of the globe, then He laid away under this soil un- paralleled wealth of oil and gas and coal and iron and precious metals. Through uncounted millenniums the great Architect toiled to prepare a fit place for our nation. Then He prepared a people to compose this nation. Who were they? The men and women from whom sprang those who were worthy to lift the torch of liberty to enlighten the world. They came from among men and women who had felt the thrill of that new life which was born from the revival of learning and the Protestant Reformation. From these people God picked the sturdy Pilgrim Fathers to found the New England colonies. From brave, liberty- loving Holland He brought men that were needed to found New Amsterdam; Quakers and the choicest IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS 303 souls of Germany He brought to cultivate the fertile fields of Pennsylvania; high-born Loyalists with their chivalry and culture He brought to be the great planters of Virginia; the noblest hearts of France, longing for religious toleration and the right to think for themselves and to act as their consciences dictated, He brought to people the Carolinas. From the off- spring of these varied types assembled the first Con- gress to decide the great principles for which this nation was to stand. Some one has said, '^That Con- gress was composed of the finest body of men ever gathered in the history of the world." From the day on which that Congress adjourned, the mighty hand of infinite wisdom and goodness has been over this nation in divine benediction. Our land has had its days of adversity; at times it seemed as if the nation would be torn asunder because of policies that seemed irreconcilable. But out of these conflicts God led us into times of peace and prosperity. To-day safe investments are available; conscien- tious labor is rewarded; luxuries are possible to the many, while few are without the necessities of life; the unfortunates are provided for in wisely managed institutions sustained by the generosity of a philan- thropic people; education from the common schools to the university is accessible to all. More is being done to-day in this land of ours for the physical, intellec- tual and moral good of the people than ever before. We have driven out the diabolical liquor traffic, never to return; by the enfranchisement of woman, we have put the ballot into the hand of the most moral, the most independent, and, some would say, the most intel- ligent element of our nation. Truly we can say, ''God has not dealt so with any other people.'' 304 SPECIAL SERMONS But there are blessings as far transcending those which we have enumerated as the heavens transcend the earth. We live in a land where the influence of the Bible is shed on every side; every individual feels it; every institution is affected by it; it is the chief cause of our prosperity and happiness, the bulwark of our liberty, the guaranty of our future national welfare, the foundation of our progress, the anchorage of our destiny. It is the Bible that makes God known to us as our Creator, Preserver and bountiful Benefactor; who watches over us as individuals so that not a hair of our head can fall to the ground without His knowl- edge; who has appointed the bounds of our nation, and who, if we permit Him, will preside over its councils so that we may know the meaning of that Old Testament beatitude, *' Happy is that people whose God is Jehovah.'^ Still more wonderfully does the Bible reveal God to us in Christ Jesus, our Saviour and our Lord, through whom so many enjoy the blessings of pardon and of adoption into the family of God, becoming heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ to an in- heritance that is incorruptible, undefiled and that f adeth not away. In anticipation of this inheritance, the Holy Spirit is bestowed upon us; He is called in the Scrip- ture the earnest of our future possession; He takes our inarticulate groanings and presents them as inter- cessions at the throne of grace; He witnesses with our spirits that we are the children of God, and through Him we are able to bring forth those beautiful fruits of righteousness that adorn the Christian life. Lan- guage can not express the value of these spiritual bless- ings which God has bestowed upon us in Christ Jesus. IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS 305 These blessings are general so far as God's children are concerned. They are enjoyed by all who have named the name of Christ. But every one has his own peculiar blessing, some special joy or de- liverance. Perhaps chief of all we should think of that help that came to us in time of trouble, or the good that we were conscious of receiving from what we thought at the time would break our hearts. Did it not prove to be one of the greatest blessings of our lives, when the thorn tormented us, to hear God's voice saying, ''My grace is sufficient for you, my strength is made perfect in your weakness''? And we learned how to cast our care upon God, knowing that He careth for us, and we came to know that all things work together for our good because we love Him, and are called according to His purpose. So among our blessings we give a prominent place to our afflictions because they wean our affections from the things that are seen to the things that are not seen, give us a fineness of character that can come in no other way, and lead us to that happy place where we shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; where the sun shall not smite us, but where the Lamb shall lead us to living fountains of water, and God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes. I have mentioned but a few of the blessings which the Father of lights has bestowed upon us, but sure- ly they are sufficient to cause us to acknowledge that it is ''a good thing to give thanks to Jehovah." III. How shall we give thanks to Jehovah? How shall we bless His name? 1. In our worship. The Psalms that David wrote to be sung in the temple services were full of thanks- giving. How the hearts of the worshipers must have 20 306 SPECIAL SERMONS thrilled as they heard the full chorus singing with jubilant strains, ''Bless the Lord, my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits/' Still more should our hearts be thrilled as we think of the blessings which God has bestowed upon us, far surpassing those enjoyed by Israel of old, and as we sing such songs as ''When all Thy mercies, O my God, My rising soul surveys, Transported with the view I'm lost In wonder, love and praise." Our prayers should be made up largely of thanks- giving. The apostle says: ''In everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God." ''Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.'' "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." Let us cry like suppliants at the throne of grace, but let us not fail to bring the sacrifice of praise to God, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to Him who is the giver of every good and every perfect gift. 2. The Jews expressed their gratitude to God by a thank-offering. "We must do the same. The thank- offering of the Jew was a lamb slain and laid upon the altar. The thank-offering which we bring is far more precious than that of the Jew. The apostle says, "I beseech you therefore by the mercies of God" (then it is a thank-offering) "that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." This means that the whole body is to be devoted to God — the head to devise plans for His honor, the heart to be aflame IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS 307 with holy passion, the hands to do His will, the feet to run cheerfully in the way of obedience, so that, no matter what we do, it shall be for the glory of God! This is thanksliving, and what is thanksliving but practical thanksgiving? 3. Again it is said, ''To do good and to communi- cate forget not, for with such sacrifice God is well pleased.'' So when v/e minister to the needy, when we visit the widow and the orphan in their affliction, we are presenting an acceptable sacrifice to the giver of every blessing, not a sin-offering, but a thank- offering, than which no offering is more acceptable. IV. What does this do for the individual who thus expresses his gratitude to God? 1. It brings a blessing that can come in no other way. It means enlargement of soul. An ingrate can not be happy. Ten lepers came to Christ. They were all healed on their way to the priest. Only one re- turned to give glory to God; to give thanks to Him that had cleansed him of his loathsome disease. In his grateful heart he received a blessing greater than his cleansing. So it is with us when we thank God for the blessings that we receive. ^'Ten thousand thousand precious gifts My daily thanks employ; Nor is the least a cheerful heart That takes those gifts with joy.'' 2. But ingratitude! How it debases! Read Romans 1 and learn the awful degradations into which men fell because of their ingratitude. They became vain in their reasonings. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of corruptible man, and of birds, and of four-footed beasts, and creeping 308 SPECIAL SERMONS things. For which cause God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to uncleanness, unto vile passions, so that they received in their hearts that recompense that was their due. We have an example of the fruits of ingratitude in Nebuchadnezzar. God gave him greatness and glory and majesty, but he was unthankful. Then he was driven from the sons of men; his heart was made like the beasts, his dwelling was with the wild asses, he was fed with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven. What a picture! Just as graphic would be the picture of any man to-day who de- scends to the low and animal plane of ingratitude. What is hell? The abode of ungrateful souls. Paul's picture of those who did not give God thanks is of men going down, down, down, till they get lower than the beasts in their vile passions. You find what he says in Romans 1. In this sermon I have not quoted the worst. Read it for yourself. How awful is the revelation which the apostle makes! It teaches us that ungrateful souls slip down little by little till they find themselves in utter darkness, where there are weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. Oh, friends, if we have been unthankful, let us repent, let us cry unto God for forgiveness, and let us resolve that we shall, as long as we live, continue to bring forth fruits meet for repentance. V. But what is the outcome of a grateful life? Listen! John says: '*I saw, and behold, a great multi- tude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing be- fore the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands; and they cry with a great voice, saying, Salvation unto our God who sitteth on IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS 309 the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels were standing round about the throne, and about the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, say- ing, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, he unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And the four and twenty elders, who sit before God on their thrones, fell upon their faces and worshipped God, saying. We give thee thanks, Lord God, the Al- mighty, who art and who wast; because thou hast taken thy great power, and didst reign." So heaven is a place of thanksgiving. There the redeemed, whose robes are washed white in the blood of the Lamb, who have come up out of great tribulation, who have laid aside the sword of conflict and have taken up the palm of victory, form an innumerable com- pany; each one of them has seized a harp of thanks- giving and they are all engaged in a sublime anthem of praise; while the angels, folding their wings in silence, listen to such a song as they have never learned to sing. The spirit of heaven is the spirit of thanks- giving, and he who has most thanksgiving in his heart has most of heaven in his life.
by Mark Collis