The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-11-25
THANKSGIVING SERMON

Thanksgiving sermon delivered
at Central Union Church on Thurs
day, November, "a, 1892. by Rev.
S. E. Bishop.
Isaiah 42:1. "He shall bring forth judg-
ment to the Gentiles."
Is not our greatest public blessing
here in Hawaii, outside of the 1nesti-
mable gift of Christ's gospel, that of
good and just administration of gov
eminent?
Our Pilgrim progenitors of the Ply
mouth colony, instituted in 1921 this
annual festival of Thanksgiving, in
order to praise Gods goodness in res
pect to sorely needed temporal mer-
cies-for relief from famine by an
abundant harvest. Their pious hearts
rose warmly in grateful love to the
good Father who had crowned their
first autumn with plenty filling their
empty gamers and their hungry chill
dren.
Thanksgiving became New Eng
lands most enjoyous feast-day. In
time it became a national festival,
observed from lakes to gulf, from
Cape Cod to Golden Gate. Yearly
the President calls upon all the peo-
pie to meet on the last Thursday be-
fore winter and praise God for his
earthly bounties.
In this favored Hawaii, we OF
American origin gladly join in this
happy festival of our fatherland. And
for what specific earthly good have
we more eminent reason to praise
God than for a just and righteous
administration of government strong
ly established i'm the land?
1t is to the greatness of this bless
ing that / would now seek to lead
your thoughts, asking you to consider
the way in which just government
has been given and secured to us in
common with those few and favored
lands where it prevails.
Our text tells us that "He," the
coming Messiah or Christ, ''shall
bring forth judgment unto the Gen
tiles.u He is "my servant whom L
uphold, my chosen in whom my soul
delighteth." In the progress of His
redeeming work, He shall evolve
among the nations of men, govern
ments which shall be just and pure.
Judgment" or justice in efficient
action, should be established among
the Gentiles. or the vast body of the
nations of mankind. A righteous
and beneficent administration of gov
eminent should by Christ's working
be made to take the place of that
cruel oppression, that grinding ty-
ranny, that greedy fraud and pitiless
injustice that in Isaiah's day every
where prevailed, and that rendered
nearly every government more or less
the great devourer of the people.
Among the several beneficent and
regenerating functions of the worlds
Redeemer, he stands conspicuous in
prophecy as the Deliverer of the ma
tions from tyranny.
Read Ps. 72:4-"He shall judge the
poor of the people; he shall save the
children of the needy, and shall break
in pieces the Oppressor." And VS.. II:
'He shall deliver the needy when he
crieth; the poor also and him that
hath no helper"
"He shall not fail or be discouraged,
till he have set judgment in the earth;
and the isles shall wait for his law"
Is. 42:4
"I will keep thee and give thee fol-
covenant of the people, for q light
vi tAc W OpcA tAC
eyes, to bring out the prisoners from
darkness out of the prison-house." Is
41:6, Z.
"rrhou loveth righteousness, and
hatest wickedness; therefore God, thy
God, hath anointed thee with the oil
of gladness above thy fellows" Ps
45:6, z.
Such is the bow of bright promise
which overhangs the storm-beater
world of oppression. How the pity
ing heart of the father of all souls i:
revealed as bending in tender com
passion over enslaved mankind. Those
nations are YEARLY waiting for theil
LiberatOr to appear. "Behold 1 have
given Him for q witness to the PEG.
pie, leader and commander to tn,
people" Is. 1854. A greater thar
Moses should arise, and lead forth
not one, but all the nations from thei
Egypt of political bondage, into tn,
Canaan of liberty and justice.
Think of the political misery of tn
world when Christ appeared. TEEN
ing with cruelties, anarchies, wastin:
rapines, vengeful wars, or else helples
in the grasp of tyrannous princes. /
was either systematic robbery by on
tyrant, or the pitiless plundering o
many marauders. Where Justice wa
organized, it was corrupted by patron
age and bribery. "Justice was fallel
in the street, and Equity could no
enter.n Seldom was there any wis
or benefcent administration. No MAJ
felt sure of the reward of his labor
Cupidity, revenge, arrogance, ma
lightly were in the upperhand.
To see the prevailing state of tn
old world Kingdoms, we may thin
of the very best as enjoying strong
but mitigated tyrannies like Russis
while the prevailing types of civiiize
rule resembled Turkey, Persia or Nc
rocco. The free, ordered, enlightene
government of advanced Christendor
was absolutely unknown.
In contemplating the wretchednes
of some nation having great capacit
for well-being, like the Persians fo
example, one feels: "Oh, if only som
wise, strong, upright ruler could arts
and enact justice for that nation, VI
root oppression, suppress bribery an
fraud-One vigilant and powerful I
remove evil officials and uphold goo
ones What q glorious thing it wOul
be if Persia and Turkey and Morocco
could have even as beneficent govern
ment as despotic Russia enjoys, or 6
France is giving to Algiers, or Ems
land to Egypt and India. How niue
more of these worn and trample
peoples could be lifted into the joyou
confident freedom of England and OF
own America ~
The best and highest of such pOli