Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-11-29
THANKSGIVING SERVICES.


Union services were held at the Universal
ist church Thursday forenoon, nearly all the
churches in the city participating. The con-
gregation was large one, the house being
we'll filed There were eight clergymen of
different denominations in attendance. Rev.
Mr.. Fuller uttered the invocation and Rev.
Mr.. Bradlee offered the opening PRAYER. Rev.
Mr.. Libby of North Augusta, read the proc
lamation. A graceful and appropriate dis
course was delivered by Rev. A. L. Skeele,
pastor of the Congregational church. Fol-
lowing is synopsis
Acts l4:l7. "Yet he left not himself with
out witness, in that He did good and gave
you from heaven rains and fruitful seasons,
filing your hearts with food and gladness"
Thanksgiving Day is essentially a christian
institution, and should be held firmly to its
religious connection. The complete use of
the day is not hereby to count our mercies
but also to be thankful to God for them.
While enjoying keenly the good things OF
providence. we must send our thoughts up in
sincere gratitude to God, and out in generous
benefcence TO the needy. The day ought to
make us more devont. IL ought TO bring US
under the power Of the thought of God, it
ought to give US acquaintance and commun-
ion with Him. All things in which we re-
joice to day, our health. our comforts. our
prosperity, the blessings of the year, the
bOunteous harvests, the wages of industry.
the returns from business, the peace and
prosperity Of the nation; these and all the
works of God, are His witnesses and are
speaking aloud to u of God telling Us that
10 j. fluk Il = -Ft.1 .irI
good. 1t is well for US to call up these
witnesses. and to hear them speak of God.
that our thought OF Him may be clearer, and
our consciousness of His presence more vivid
as give thanks.
The Bible puts the idea of God before Us as
something TO be sought by the intelligent use
of our mental faculties. Our reasoning must
/ be probable rather than axact, yet none the
I less trust~orthv. We must discover. col
lect and classify the facts of nature, weigh
them. and make a candid Judgment according
/ tn the best use OF our powers OF probable
reasoning.
/ The frat argument for the existence of
| God is found in the existence of the world.
! The existence of anything starts the mind at
once in search of the cause, the power which
stands behind it and which brought it into
existence. There are only three possible
answers to this question. Everything that
exists must depend on chance, or on a cause
| in itself, or on n cause outside of itself As
to the first answer, chance, there is no such
thing, IL is only cloak for our ignorance.
The second answer is equally impossible,
that the cause lies in the thing itself Those
who say this are materaists The third, and
/ only true answer 10 that there is behind all
matters and quite independent of it a great
first cause, one eternal power which created
it. "As every house is buided by some
man, so He that built all things is God"
| II. The second argument by which we come
to the existence of God is that from design.
/ Every design must have designer, nature
is the great design, its designer is God. Take
single instance of skilful adaptation of
means % an end then consider the countless
number and variety of them in nature, and the
number that have been applied in the arts by
the skill OF man, take man himself and his
mind with all its wonderful powers, and we
can infer nothing else than mind behind all,
that is, the existence of an intelligent God.
Our duty to tn, 81 truths is not done in hear
/ ing them, we must put them TO the test of our
observation ana reasoning. Especially on this
! day so full of the tokens of the present love
of God-his wituesses--let us receive them
all with gratitude, let us stand before them
thoughtfuly aud listen to the living testimony.