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abD'S PRAISES SUNG ; HIS WORKS FORGOTTEN. 
 
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 PREACHED ON THE PUBLIC THANKSGIVING, 
 
 NOVEMBER 30, 1830. 
 
 'XH THS 
 
 MEETINGrHOUSE OF THE SECOND PARISri, 
 
 .,,,.■ ,1) . 
 
 AT PORTLAND. ^ .,, 
 
 SY EDWARD PAYSON, 
 
 __LISHED BY REQUEST, 
 
 »-%« 
 
 PORTLAND ; 
 
 fHINTED BT AB.THCR SHIRLBT , 
 
 JVo. 11, iTonet' Row. 
 1820- 
 
.«ei ,'.c .'i.iii!.:. 
 
 The Author wat assured by those who requested a copy of the 
 follommg Sermon for the Press, that it shmtd he made to produce 
 something for Missionary purpoiis.' ' fiiis is his only apology....in- 
 deed his onlt reason, for consentit^ to its publication. 
 
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SERMON. 
 
 ■ PSALM. 106, 12,13. 
 
 S PRAISE ; THE* SOON FQRi 
 
 i. HIS was said of that generation of the Israelites, AVhich came 
 out of Egypt. The chapter Vehich contains tM portion of their 
 history here alluded to, begins with rapttiroiUs 'expressions' of 
 gratitude, and ends with the murmurs of discontent ; both uttei*- 
 edby the same lips, within the short spacS Of three days. Their 
 expressions of gratitude were Called forth by that wonderful dis- 
 play of the divine perfections,' which t3eli\^ered them fromi'the 
 host of Pharaoh, and destroyed their enemiesV Their murmure 
 were excited by a comparatively trifling iiicqnvenierifce, which in 
 a few hours was removed. 'Of 'persbni!,*' whose thanksgivings 
 were so quickly, and so easily changed io murmurings, it mr^ht 
 well be said ; — though "they sang God's praises', they soon for- 
 gat his works." ' ' ' 
 
 Unhappily, the Isip-aelites are by no means the only persons, 
 of whom this may, with truth, be said; Tfieir conduct, as here 
 described, affords a striking exemplification of that spurious grat- 
 itude, which oifteTi bursts forth in a Sudden flash, when dreaded 
 evils are averted, or unekpected favors bestowed ; but expires 
 with the occasion that gSive it birth ; a gratitude resembling the 
 joy excited in an infant's' breast by the ^ift of sotne glittering 
 toy, which is received with rapture, and pleases for an hour ; 
 but when the charm of rtovelty vanishes', is thrown aside with in- 
 difference; and the hand that bestQ\yed it is forgotten. Spring- 
 ing from no higher principle than gratified self love, it ii Mither 
 acceptable to God, nor productive of obedlenC'e' to his laA?s;hor 
 
eyery appearance of thankfulness, and even of regard to our 
 Benefactor had vanished ;— to hear the language of impatience, 
 discontent, and perhaps of profaneness, from lips which had just 
 been employed in uttering the high praises of God ; and to see 
 the tide of national depravity, after a momentary ebb, flowing 
 again in all its accustomed channels, with all its fdrnier strength • 
 Would he not exclaim ; — might he not with truth Exclaim ; " This 
 people sing God's praise ; but they soon forget his works ?" 
 
 But without, at present, farther insisting on our national incon- 
 sistency, ingratitude, and forgetfulness of God ; evils, which 
 though we may lament, we cannot remove ; I shall proceed to 
 mention some instances, in which the works and perfections of 
 Jehovah engage our attention ; excite our natural affections ; 
 and, perhaps, call forth expressions of praise ; but produce no 
 salutary effects upon our temper or conduct ; and are soon for- 
 gotten. 
 
 Of these instances the first, which I shall notice, is furnished 
 by the works of creation ; or, as they are oft^n^ though not very 
 properly, called, the works of nature. In so impressive a man- 
 ner do these works present themselves to our senses ; so much 
 of variety, and beauty, and sublimity do they exhibit; such 
 power, and wisdom, and goodness do they display ; that perhaps 
 no man, certainly no man who possesses the smallest share of 
 sensibility, taste, or mental cultivation, can, at all times, view 
 them without emotion ; without feelings of awcj or wonder, or 
 admiration, or delight. While contemplating " the moon walk- 
 ing in her brightness," or " the sun shining in his strength ;" the 
 "heavens,thc work of God's fingers," or the bed of ocean hollowed 
 by his hand ; the wonders of greatness and distance brought near 
 hy the telescope, or the no less astonishiai; wonders of littleness 
 revealed by the microscope ; who has not felt emotions allied, 
 apparently at least, to religion ; has not felt almost persnaded to 
 become religious ; has not felt constrained to exclaim, — " Mar- 
 vellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty ; in wisdom hast thou 
 made them all ?" Who has seen the face of heaven " gather 
 
Idackness ; the clouds rising and rolling on in mountain over 
 mouritHiii ; the lightning's flash, quickly and more quickly re- 
 peated, illuminating them with a sudden glare ; the storm sweep- 
 ing the land, and rousing ocean to fury ; while the barriers pla- 
 ced bf' omnipotence repel its rage, and say, — " Hitherto shalt 
 thou come and no farther ;" without feeling, that Go^ is, " fear- 
 ful in praises," and " terrible out of his holy places ;" ; that, " He 
 hath his way in the whirlwind and the storm,; and thecloud&are 
 the dfist of his feet." -> > 
 
 And in the morning of the day, in the spring of the year; 
 when God seems to repeat his work of ci-eation, and, in the lan- 
 guage of the Psalmist, " renews the face of the earth;" when his ■ 
 unseen, but swiftly taoving pencil repairs the ravages of winter ; 
 restores to faded nature the colors, the bloom,' the freshness of 
 youth ; and adorns with unrivalled tints the forest and the fields , 
 — when all is mildness and serenity ; when the whole landscape 
 smiles, and happy warblers give it a thousand tongues ; making 
 every grove resound with the expressions of their joy ; — wlio 
 has not felt his breast swell with emotions which resembled, ^d 
 which he, perhaps, fondly -called, love and gratitude to the Crea- 
 tor, admiratioh of hiS works, & delight in his perfections? But alas, 
 how transient, how unproductive of salutary effects, have all 
 these emotions proved? Appetite arid passion, though hushed, 
 for a moment, soon renewed their importunities ; the glitter of 
 wealth, and distinction, and power, eclipsed,'in our view, the glo- 
 ries of Jehovah ; we sunk from that heaven toward which wc 
 seemed rising, to plunge afresh iiito the vortex of earthly pleas'- 
 ures and pursuits ; we neglected and disobeyed Him, whom we 
 had been ready to adore ; and continued to live " without God,^' 
 in a world, which we had just seen to be "full of his glory." The 
 rays of that glory, darting upon our mindsj enkindled indeed a 
 sudden flaine ; and the flame thus kindled flashed up toward 
 heaven, but sunk and expired With the flash; Thus we isanfg 
 God's praise ; but soon forgat his works. Our einotions were 
 of precisely the same nature with those, which are exettedbj • 
 
some grand display of human powers ; and, like them, ihey pro* 
 duce no reformation of conduct ; no amelioration of th« heart; 
 A second instatlce of a similar nature is afforded by the man- 
 ner, in which ibch are often affected by God's " works of provi- 
 idence." Irt these wrtrks his perfections are so cohstaatlyi and 
 often sO clearly displayed; our dependance on. them is at all 
 times so ri;al, and sometimes, so apparent; and they beal",' in 
 many cases, so directly and evidently upon our dearest tempo- 
 ral interests, that even the most insensible Cannot, always, re- 
 gard them with indifference. I lere nations and individuals stand 
 on pre<ii8ely the same level. Both are equally^ that is entirely, 
 dependent on the providence of God ; and b6th are occasionally 
 constrained to feel and acknowledge their dependence. But 
 the feeling is usually transient; and the acknowledgement is 
 forgotten almost as soon as it is made. How often have we seen 
 chrisiiaft ri&tihns, when scourged by war, pestilence, or famine; 
 and when " the help of man" was evidehtly " vainj" addressing 
 public and united supplications to heaven for relief^ And as often 
 have we seen them, after relief was obtained, singing with appap'^ 
 ent thankfulness, " Te Deum laudamus," — Thee O God we praise ; 
 and then proceeding without delay to repeat those sins, the pun- 
 ishment of which had just been removed. , 
 
 If there is a solitary instance to which Jhis remark does not ap" 
 ply, it is afforded by our fathers ; the fathers of New-Englaaid. 
 How often they were placed in circumstances of distress and 
 danger, from which God alone could deliver them ; and how of- 
 ten, in answer to their supplications^ he grant0d them.^pliverance, 
 yoH need not be informed. Well may we exclaim, with the pos- 
 terity of Abraham, — " Our fathers trusted in thee,' O God ; : they 
 trusted in thee 5 and thou didst deliver them." And while they 
 trusted in God for deliverance, th^y were truly grateful for its 
 accomplishment. They did not, " forget the mighty; works of 
 the Lord," but taught " them diligently to their chilt^en ;" and 
 endeavoured to have them preserved, " in everlasting remem.- 
 krancer" Witness their establishment of the custom^ in corapli- 
 
9 
 
 ance with whibh, we are now assembled for thanl!;sgiying in this 
 house of prayer. 
 
 But if our fathers furnish in exception to the remarjks, which 
 have been made respecting the ingratitude pi nations ; it is evi- 
 dent that theii: descendants do not. Though We have equal rea- 
 son with theni; Id be grateful for the kind intdrpositions of prov- 
 idence in their favor 5 since to those interpositioas we are indebt- 
 ed, fot all our civil artd religious privileges | yet how entirely, al- 
 most, are tliey forgotteii ? Hciw seldom is the annual celebra- 
 tion of our independence marked, by aiiy acknowledgement of 
 God's 'goodness ; any direct reference to his providential inter- 
 position ; any thing which indicates a grateful recollection of his 
 past favors. True, he is, sometimes, on these occasions addres- 
 sed in prayer ; and his praise is perhaps siing ; but it is too evi- 
 dent that his works are soon, very soon, forgotten ? Do not 
 those days, as they pass in review before Him, to whom w.e owe 
 bur independence, appear stained with more, and fouler pollu- 
 tions, than, perhaps, any other day of the year ? And does not the 
 " cry" of our national sins, at all .tinies l.dud, then " come up be- 
 fore him," with peculiar urgency ? Thjls, niy hearers, is some- 
 thing wor^e than forgetting God's woks. It is selecting the an- 
 niversary of that day, on which be gave us one o,f the greatest 
 temporal blessings which a nation can receive^ to be employed 
 in offending him ,with more than ordinary diligence. It is turn- 
 ing a day, which ought to be observed, if observeij ai all, as ai 
 festival of gi-ateful recollection, into a season of idleness, intem- 
 perance, profaneness, and evefy species of excess. 
 
 But once more passing by evils, which no efforts of an individ- 
 ual can remedy, let us turn, for farther illustrations of this subject, 
 to our families, and to ourselves. On reviewing our personal and 
 domestic history, we shall all find too many instances, in which, 
 though we may have sung God's praises, we have forgotten his 
 works. Say, ye, "who go down to the sea in ships, and behold the 
 wonders of God in the deep" ; did you never there experience the 
 wonders of his niercy ? Have none of you been reduced to 6X' 
 B 
 
10 
 
 tremities which caused you to say,"all hope that we should be sav- 
 ed was taken away" ? And did no conviction of your depend- 
 ence on Him, " who holds the winds in his hand," then pervade 
 your minds ." Did no wish that he would interpose for your de- 
 liverance arise in your breasts ; a wish which assumed the form 
 of a prayer; or which would have assumed that form, had not 
 guilty fears, and want of confidence prevented ? And when God 
 mercifully granted what yon. perhaps,^ dared not ask. did noth- 
 ing like an emotion of gratitude ; nothing like a half formed res- 
 olution to devote your lives to Him, from whom you had twice 
 received them, mingle with the joys of unexpected deliverance ? 
 Has that emotion proved lasting ? Has that resolution been 
 fulfilled ? If not, you must be classed with those, who sing God's 
 praises, but forget his works. 
 
 But it is not on the sea alone, that the preserving mercy of 
 God is needed, and experienced. Many of ray hearers have been 
 brought, by casualty or disease, to the gates of the grave. Have 
 none of you in t hat situation looked for help to Him, who dis- 
 penses life and death ? And when the voice of his providence 
 said respecting you, — " Deliver him from going down to the 
 pit"; — when you felt health and strength gradually returning to 
 your enfeebled frame ; — when, on first leaving the chamber of 
 sickness, you delightedly gazed on the face of nature smiling with 
 new charms, and eagerly inhaled the refreshing invigorating 
 breeze ; — what were your emotions ? Did no expressions of 
 thankfulness to the Great Physician escape frqm your lips ? 
 Did you make no promises that you would serve him more 
 faithfully ? And have you not violated those promises ? Have 
 you not forgotten his works ? 
 
 And ye, whose friends were thus unexpectedly restored toyou ; 
 ye, who have gat, day after day, by the sick bed of a child or rela- 
 tive, in "the gloomy post of observation," and seen it grow "darker 
 every hour;" while you hoped against hope, and felt hope struggle 
 with despair ; ye too, who have feared, and had hourly increasing 
 reason to fear, that the perils of the sea had proved fatal to a huF 
 
11 
 
 band, a father, a son or a brother ; — who have known the pro- 
 u-acted agonies of suspence, — the sicknessof heart which " hope 
 deferred" occasions j'— what record of vour feelings and conduct 
 in those trying hours has memory preserved ? Did you not al- 
 ternately weep and pray ; and' pray arid weep ? Did you not cry 
 in your hearts, if ,nqt with your lips;- — O, if God will " hear 
 me but this once ; — if he will grant me this one favor ; my whole 
 life shall '^ew my gratitude. He did grant it. The cliild, the 
 friend, whom you had, in imagination, followed to the grave, or 
 seen buried in the deep, was given back to your arms ; and in 
 the first transports of joy excited by this scarcely hoped for gift, 
 the Giver was not forgotten. With grateful admiration you ac- 
 knowledged his goodness ; perhaps returned him public tjianks, 
 and called upon others to unite with you in his praises. But soonj 
 though not immediately, you forgot his woclis. The favor you 
 had received caused you to forget them. The restored object 
 of your affections was before you. You felt happy in fiis pres- 
 ence, You no longer needed the special interposition of God, 
 You had no particular favor to ask ; no pressing sorrow or want 
 to drive you to his mercy seat ; ani he was therefore neglected 
 and forgotten. 
 
 Nor is it only when children are given to us a second time, 
 and restored to us, as it ^^re, from the deadj that we sing God's 
 praises. Permit me to remind those of you who are parents, of 
 your feelings, when you first became entitled tp that appellation ; 
 — of your previous anxiety ;-^— of your vows inade m secret ;■ — of 
 the tears of joy which felj fast upon the unconscious object of 
 your desire and affection, when first placed in yoiir arms. And 
 did nothing like gratitude mingle with that joy ? Did the father 
 feel that he owed nothing to God,for a wife preserved, and a chilq 
 bestowed ? Did the mother feel unindebted to Him, who spared 
 her to enjoy the pleasures, and perform the duties, resulting froro 
 • that relation? If the debt of gratitude was then felt and ac- 
 knowledged, has it not long since been forgotten, and its paynjjent 
 imJefinitely postponed ? 
 
12 
 
 On ttiis part of our iribject it would be easy to enlarge. Bui 
 sufficient has been said to convince all, who are accessible to con- 
 viction, that it may justly be said of us, with reference to God's 
 providential dispensations, — " they sang his praise ; they soon 
 forgot his works." 
 
 In a similar mannr r are men often affected by God's " works 
 of grace ;" or those works, whose design and tendency it is, to 
 promote the spiritual and eternal interests of man. These works 
 most clearly display, not only the natural, butjthe moral p^ec- 
 tions of Jehovah. Here his character shines, " full orbed and 
 complete." Here, " ail the fulness of the God-head,'' all the? 
 insufferable splendors of Deity, burst at once upon our" aching 
 sight." Here the " manifold" perfections of Jehovah ; holiness 
 and goodne<^s, justice and mercy, truth and grace, majesty and 
 condescension, hatred of sin and compassion for sinners, are har- 
 moniously blended, like the many colored rays of solar light, 
 in one pure bbze of dazzling whiteness. Here, every thing 
 that is suited to arrest the attention, ^o enlighten and convince 
 the understanding, to seize the imagination, or to melt the heart, 
 is made to bear upon us with an energy, which it would seem im- 
 possible to resist. That an exhibition of these wonders should 
 make, at least, a temporary impression upon our minds, is no 
 more than might naturally be expected. When " the glorious 
 glad tidings of the blessed God," are proclaimed in our ears ; 
 when the riches of his mercy, the treasures of his grace^ the ful- 
 ness of his condescension, compassion, and love, are poured 
 out before us, from a heart which has felt their influence, by 
 ' lips,' which have been " touched," as with a " five coal" from 
 the altar of God ; when, with a pencil dipped in the vivid colors 
 which inspiration affords, he is drawn in the attitude of an af: 
 fecticmate father, grieved at once by the sins, and the miseries of 
 his children; beseeching them in the kindest language of en- 
 treaty to return ; and giving them a savior in the son of his love ; 
 —when the beauties, the glories, and the sufferings of that savior 
 ^e portrayed by one, who has sat at the foot of the cross, and 
 
13 
 
 geeo " the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ 4 when, wit^ 
 a countenance full of invitation, compassion, and love, this divine 
 friend of sinners stands and woos them to himself, assuring all, 
 who will come of a kind reception, and freely offering rewards 
 such as " eye hath hot seen, nor ear heard"; — when these re- 
 wards are displayed ; when the immartal g}ories of an opening 
 jieaven are made to shine around us ; when the echo of its tri- 
 umphant songs vibrates upon our ears ; when kingdoms, crowns 
 and thrones, eternal as their bestower are presented to our view ; 
 it is almost impossible, that even our obdurate hearts should be 
 always unaffected, or retain their characteristic insensibility. 
 For a moment they seem to be melted. We feel, and are rea- 
 dy to acknowledge, that God is good ; that the Savior is kind ; 
 that his love ought to be returned ; that heaven is desirable. 
 Like a class of hearers, described by owr great teacher, we re- 
 ceive the wprd with jqy ; a joy not unmingled with something 
 ivhich resembles gratitude ; and we sing, or feel as if we could 
 with pleasure sing, God's praises. But we leave his house ; the 
 emotions there excited subside ; like tlie earth, when partial- 
 ly softened by a wintry sun, our hearts soon regain their icy 
 httrdness ; the wonders of divine grace are forgotten ; and God 
 has reason to say in sorrow and in displeasure, — " Your good- 
 ness is as the morning cloud 5 and as the early dew jt goeth a- 
 Way." 
 
 But some of tho^e whom I address have been more deeply 
 affected by God's works of grace. For this you were prepared 
 by previously passing through a state of i-eligious anxiety. 
 Conscience was roused to perform the long neglected duties of 
 her office ; and her reproaches you could neither silence nor 
 etrdure. Your sins were, '^ set in order before your eyes ;" the 
 curses of God's violated law thundered in your ears ; " des- 
 truction from the Almighty was a terror to'' you 5 His " arrows,'? 
 the poison of which drinketh up the spirit," pierced your souls ; 
 and despair and death seemed to be your portion. How ar- 
 dently did yon then desire relief ; what promies, what protes- 
 
14 
 
 iationa, vhat vows did you make ? At length, jour desircj 
 seemed to be granted. Relief was by some means obtained, 
 and rapture succeeded to despair. A persuasion that God had 
 pardoned you, and that he would make you forever hnppy, rais- 
 ed your affections to their highest pitch. You felt as if you were 
 in a new world. Then every thing seemed, in your view, to be 
 praising God ; then you thought it pleasant to praise him ; and 
 your language was,- — " I will sing unto the Lord so long as I 
 live ; I will sing praises to my God while I have any being.'' 
 For a time, this seemed to be the language, not of your lips 
 only, but of your conduct. Gradually, ho)veverj though not im- 
 mediately, you forgot God's Avorks ; your gratitude languished 
 and expired ; its half ripened fruits withered upon the stalk, and 
 insensibility or discontent have usurped its place. Your histo- 
 ry, there is reason to fear, wijl resemble that of the Israelites, 
 like them, you passed the red sea ; like them, you triumphant- 
 ly sang God's praises on its shores ; like them, you said, — " AU 
 that the Lord hath spoken we will do, and be,obedient ;" like 
 them professedly following God, you entered the wilderness ; 
 but unbelief arrested your progress, as it did theirs ; and like 
 them you will, probably, " die in your sins," and never reach 
 the promised land ; never indeed, unless a recollection of yqur 
 ingratitude and unfaithfulness should lead to repentance. 
 
 On some of my hearers, however, God's works of grace have 
 made, I trust, a more lasting impression. Your religion, my 
 Brethren, has not withered and died, like that which has " np 
 raot ;" but have you not too much cause to apply to yourselves 
 the language of our text ? Remember, " the kindness of your 
 youth ; the lave of your espousals ;" the joys, the grateful joys 
 which attended and followed ypur conversion. Where are they 
 now? Where is your "first love?" Remember too, how of- 
 ten your conversion has, in effect, been repeated ; how often 
 you have, in consequence, renewed your vows and thanksgiv- 
 ings ; and, in weeping admiration have exclaimed, " who is a 
 God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by tran^- 
 
16 
 
 gtession !" Recollect also, the numberless temporal and spir- 
 itual mercies, mercies "new every moment," ivhich have at 
 difTerent times excited your gcatitude, and which you fondly 
 hoped would render it lasting. But has it proved so ? Ifave 
 not some days, whose morning hours witnessed your expressions 
 of thankfulness, heard from your lips before night, the language 
 of peevishness and discontent ? When you have ardently desired 
 the salvation of a child, a relation, a friend; when with suppli- 
 cations and tears ydu have asked this favor of Him, " who hears 
 prayer ;" and he has at length given you reason to believe, that 
 your request waS granted ; has your gratitude always correspon- 
 ded with your obligations ? Might it nof rathdr have been said of 
 you, " He rendered not again according to the benefit done tihto 
 him ; for his heart was lifted up ?" But I need not press you far- 
 ther, with these enquiries ; for you will readily acknowledge, that, 
 however often you may have sang God's praises, you have ever 
 been prone to forget his works. 
 
 It might now be useful to consider the causes to which itis owing, 
 that our religious emotions so often prove transient ; ^ are so sboa 
 succeeded by forgetfulness of God. But this wolild lead us into 
 a wide field,' which time will riot allow us, at present, to explore. 
 I s^aft only observe, tfiat men are willing to offer God praises 
 and thanksgivings, because it is an offering which costs them 
 nothing ; and because, wtile it seems to shield them from the 
 charge of ingratitude, it involves the renunciation of no favorite 
 sin ; the performance of no disagreeable duty; the practice of 
 no self-denialr But they are not willing to make those constant 
 returns for God's goodness, which he deserves and requires, be- 
 cause this is, intheir estimation, an expensive offering ;' because 
 it implies sacrifices, which they are not disposed to'make, and an 
 attention to duties, which they dislike to perform/ 
 
 The preceding remarks can scarcely fail to excite many pain< 
 ful reflections in ever;^ serious mind which acknowledges their 
 truth. On huriian nature, they look with a most unfavorable as- 
 pect.' They shew us, that while it is constantly and strongly 
 
prone to evil, it is, with respect to goodness, " unstable as water,'^ 
 which receives, and loses impressions with equal facility. They 
 strew us, that ingratitude to God evet has been, and that it still 
 is, one of its distinguishing features. The hatefulness of this fea- 
 ture is acknowledged by all. " Call a man ungrateful," sayS 
 one writer, " and you can call him nothing worse." " Ingrati- 
 tude," srfys another, " is a vic^^ odious, that the man was never 
 yet found who would confeajf himseUT to be guilty of it." But 
 imgrateful, man must be c£j|fa while truth is allowed to speak ; 
 of ina;ratitudej the most bas* and inextusable; he must acknowl- 
 edge himself to br guilty, if he would prove that he is riot pro- 
 foundly ignorant of his own character. 
 
 Anothet- painful reflection, naturally suggested hy the prece- 
 ding remarks is, that little as there appears to be of religion in 
 the world, there is much less in reality than in appearance. In 
 men who possess some real goodness^ a single grain of goM gilds 
 a large surfoce of baser mslterials ; while in other men, varnigh 
 and tinsel supply the place of the gold. Much of the religion, 
 even of good men, consists of merely animal emotions and 
 natural affections^ baptized by a christian name 5 and all the re- 
 ligion of other men, if we except external forms, is of the same 
 character. This, there is reason to fear, is the character of our 
 national religion, if we can be said to have any. As a nation, we 
 ueat Jehovah, very much as heathen naiions treat their gods ; 
 only with less apparent respect and veneration. We compliment 
 him,as they do their gods, with the name and attributed 6{ Divinity. 
 We publicly implore his aid, as they do that of their idols, when 
 evils oppress^ or dangers threaten us. When relief is obtained, 
 we, like them^ have public seasons of thanksgiving, and offerings of 
 praise ; and our festivals, like their's, are marked by sensual in- 
 dulgencies; and followed by no rfeformation of national sins* 
 What then are we to think of our annual seasons of thanksgiv- 
 ing ? In what light, must we suppose, they arfe regarded by "Him^ 
 whose judgment is according to truth ?" Must he not, in view of 
 pvery thing by which they arp attended and fbllowed) regard 
 
17 
 
 them as a mere empty form ; as the copy pf a heathen festival • 
 or, at best, as only a repetition of the insincere praises of Israel ? 
 Must, he not regard them, as an earthly monarch would regard a 
 book, inscribed to him on, the title, page, and preceded by a pre- 
 face filled with flattery ; but containing, on every following page, 
 a gross libel upqn his character aijd government ? Like such a 
 book, thi^ day is dedicated to God. Likesueh a preface, it \s 
 filled with his, praise ; while everj^ther day of the year, like 
 every other page of the boolq,.speE|||.aJanguage most offensive 
 to his ear. Mistake me not hovi^ever/ f would be far .from in- 
 iinuating'or entertaining a wish, that this custom, established by 
 our pious fathers, should be discontinued. I only wish, that itp 
 original character may be restored ; that it may become th^ 
 preface to a whole volume of praise ; that the stream ofgratj- 
 tudc,.which Seems tO; burst forth so copiously on this day, may 
 •Ontjfiaeto flow, though more silently, through the year. Espe^, 
 cially do I wish, ttiat the gratitude of this state may thus flow pe- 
 rennially; that her annual festivals, of thanksgiving may resemr 
 ble, in their character and consequences, those , of our fathers. 
 This festival she now, for the first time, observes, as an Indepen- 
 (3ent State. Her voice now, for the first time, joins in sacred 
 chorus with the voices of her sister states, ; and helps to swell the 
 annual song of praise. And is it not highly desirable,— must it 
 not appear so to every one, who prays for her peace. and prosper*' 
 ity, that now, when her voice is first heard in heaven.; it should 
 Utter nothing but the sincere language of truth, and unsiffected de- 
 votion ; that now, when the incense of her united praiseg first 
 ascends in a separate cloud, before the throne of the Eternal, the 
 flame on her altars should not be Jiindled with unhallowpd fire ? 
 Shall we, ^. on this most interestmg occasion, give Him, whom 
 we worship, reason to say of us ;rr*' This people lie unto me with 
 their mouths, and flatter me with their tongue^ ; fpr their hearts 
 are not right with me, neither are they steadfast.in my covenant ?* 
 ^od, in mercy, forbid ! God in mercy forgive those, if such there 
 «ife, who constrain him to say this of them ; who pollute, 
 
 C 
 
18 
 
 with heartless praises, the first public " thankoffering" of this 
 State ! Of pardoning mercy, in its fullest extent, all who on 
 this, or indeed on any other occasion, offer such praises to God, 
 will stand in no common need. To utter thSpraises of Jehovah, 
 to offer Him our thanks, is, my brethren, however lightly we may 
 now think of it, a most solemn and important act ; an act which 
 will be followed by consequences, awfully interesting. By ut- 
 tering his praises we acknowledge, that he deserves them, that he 
 is supremely worthy of all those affections, of which praise is the 
 language, the propier expression. By giving him thanks we ac- 
 knowledge, that he has been kind to us ; and that we are under 
 obligations, to regard and treat him as our benefactor. Should 
 we then refuse or neglect to place our affection? on him ; should 
 Our future conduct be inconsistent with our praises and thanks- 
 givings, they will rise in judgment against us at the day of retre- 
 bution. They will prove, that we were acquainted with the 
 character and works of God; that we had experienced and 
 known his " loving kindness"; that we had been made sensible 
 of our duties and obligations. It will thus be made to appear 
 evident, that we refused to love and serve a Being, whose glo- 
 ries shone around us so brightly, — ^whose favors descended upon 
 us so profusely, that we oould neither avoid perceiving, nor re- 
 frain from acknowledging them. Of course no plea of igiiio- 
 rance can be urged in our behalf. We shall be left without ex- 
 cuse. We shall be condejnned out of our own mouths. 
 
 If we would avoid this fate, our future conduct must coirespond 
 with our present services ; our gratitude must be practical, aiid 
 our praises unceasing. And ought they not to be so ? If the per- 
 fections and wOrks of God ever deserve our praises, do they n*t 
 always deserve them ? Is he not, ^' yesterday, to-day, and forev- 
 er, the same ?" If his favors deserVe'any return, do they not de- 
 serve a constant return ? Are they not, " new every morning ;" 
 and can we hope to discharge, in one day, a debt, which we have, 
 during the whole year, been contracting, and which Loutlv 
 increases ? "^ 
 
19 
 
 . Should the thanlsfulness, which our fellow citizens this day ex. 
 press, prove to be of the spurious transient "kind described abovej 
 they will be peculiarly inexcusable; for the dispensations of 
 providence, as they respect our political interests, are admirably 
 suited to excite, not a momentary burst, but a continual flow, 
 of grateful affection. God's mercies have descended upon us, 
 not in a sudden torrent, but in a gentle and constant shower. If 
 we have not, like some other nations, been recently freed from 
 the pressure of overwhelming evils, it is because that from all 
 such evils, we have, for many years, been graciously preserved. 
 But this circunftstance rather increases, then diminishes our obli- 
 gitions to the great disposer of events. The mariner who finds the 
 sea tempestuous ; who is often in imminent danger of shipv. reck ; 
 4nd who, after despairing of life, is brought in safety to the desir- 
 ed haven, may feel, artd ought to feel, strowg emotions of thank- 
 fulness. But has he more real cause for gratitude, than one 
 whose voyage is uninterruptedly pleasant and prosperous ; and 
 who experiences no striking interpositions of providence in his 
 favor, because none were necessary ? Such, in a degree unex- 
 ampled in this age of storms and convulsions, has been our polit- 
 ical voyage ; a circumstance, which surely calls for gratitude, as 
 uninterrupted as our prosperity. Permit me to add, that whatev- 
 er difference of opinion may have existed, respecting the expe- 
 diency of our separation from the parent state ; no one will deny, 
 that, since this event has taken place, we are under great obliga- 
 tions to Him,^hose watrhful car* prevented the evils which 
 might have ensued ; and rendered the dreaded shock of separa- 
 tion so geptle, that it was scarcely felt. 
 
 ' In fine, who have cause for continual thankfulness, if we have 
 not? From what nation of the earth may God justly expect a 
 constant tribute of gratitude or praise, if not from this. Go 
 through the world, my hearers ; visit every nation ; compare its 
 situation with our own ; and on your return you will be con- 
 strained to cry ; — " He hath not dealt so with any people ;" 
 i' Surely the lines are fallen to us in pleasant places, and we 
 
20 
 
 Jiave a goodly heritage." Go, and urge other nations to praise 
 God; and, if they know what you enjoy, they will reply; — 
 " Give us your lot, and our praises shall be unceasing." Shall 
 •ur expressions of gratitude cease then, with this day ; cease even 
 before its close ; cease as soon as we leave the sanctuary ? Shall 
 all God's wondrous works ^e so soon forgotten, and this, like 
 our former days of thanksgiving, only close one year of sin, and 
 begin another ? Shall we write our history, or constrain God 
 to write it, in the words of our text ; and make the character of 
 the perverse, ungrateful Israelites, who justly perished in their 
 sins, forever our own ?" Rather let this day witness, your as- 
 sumption of another, an opposite character. Rather let the 
 thanksgivings of this day never end, 'till they are swallowed up 
 in the praises of eternity. Not only now say, but through life 
 continue to say ; — '•Unto- thee, O Lord, do we give thanks,''' 
 " do we give thanks ; f»r that thy name is near, thy wondrou? 
 worlss declare.". 
 
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