Morning journal and courier., 1893-12-01
THANKSGIVING SERVICES.

THANKSGIVING SERVICES.
United Service at Historic Old Center
Church-Disceurse by Rev. HI. L.
Hutchins OF Taylor Church.
The Thanksgiving day united services of
churches at Center church
yesterday were we'll attended, several hun
dred persons being present. The sermon
was by Rev. Il. L. Hutchins, pastor OF |
Taylor Congregational church. Clergy
men present were Rev. DR.. Smyth, Rev.
DR.. Munger, Rev. DR.. Twitehell, Rev. DR..
McLane and Rev. Dr. Phillips, whose con-
gregations united with Center in the GER
vices. The singing was by the congrega- |
ton. A collection was taken up for the
Congregational union. Last Sunday the
help make glad homes on Thanksgiving
day through the agency of the Organized
Charities association. R.v. Mr.. Hutchins
preached an excellent sermon. The text
and summary of the discourse follows:
Text; Cor, xix, IS. Thanks be unto God for
His unspeakable gift"
Many themes might stir us to the
spirit of this hour, historic, social, civic,
economic, all involving the religious
element and fervor befitting them. I am
lead, however, to offer for your thought
what is more distinctively religious. I
know of no higher or inspiring theme or
emotion voiced from our hearts than this,
the theme for eternity as well as time, that
w may believe struggled for uttersnce in
forcssting song and prophesy in prsad-
ventsl history, and that first burst forth
In flood of triumphant praise from the
gates of heaven, when in due time the
earth drew near enough for her king to
step upon his field of conquest for Gods
glory and mans salvation; the theme
that Is the new song put In
to our mouths that We may mingle
our praises with the celestial host.
'Thsnks be unto God for His unepesk-
or even homileticaIly, but hope to draw
from it the truth which seems to me scrip
turally verified and that I believe was
evolving in the apostles heart in its utter
anee and has been unfolding more and
more in all the ages of Gods progressive
revelation. A truth becoming more and
more the truth, the truth that Is more
and more the fact of facts, the indispensa-
BILE gift to man of the man Christ, Can
nointed," ''ses apart" Jesus, "to save His
people from their sins," the man, but very
oou, tuO udu, Out blulcS5 Ouc, LILO o6e-
pissed, yet king of truth. Alb! the light Of
dsrkened world and the life of man In
some mysterious way. Thanks be to God,
the very type. the type of a true Son of
God. 81 in them and them in me, that
they may be made perfect in one, that the
world may know that thou hast sent me-"
More and more man is rescuipg the
known from the unknown. Mystery must
fise before his torch, science and discov-
cry. Hypothesis must give place to sound
principle and the abstract resolved into
the concrete. "Know myself" is the phil
osopher's wisdom, but God watches it with
His unepeaksble gift made unto us, wis
dom, Righteousness and ssnctifcation, re-
| demption. Man has not found himself in
history, science or philosophy, though he
has sought increasingly. Everything else is
| bsing uncovered, but his concrete self adapt
ed toa II conditions Ali 1t Ia not things
exhaustless the world wants, but man SIM
plifed, morally magnifed and glori-
ritied in his right relations. To this
| Gods progressive revelation is pointing
the creating and the browning, not civil
ization nor science nor religion; but a
being, personality like unto Himself, for
this the word was made flesh. Ths man
the world has had sitting on it's thrones,
leading its armies, ruling in the world of
thought and principles, doing our business
and building our institutions, has also been
I too often but fragment Of the man God
made for the world, too often the smallest
fragment left from the fail. When will
these fragments all be put together "that
nothing be lost7' Christ's work In the
world is union, peace. "For He is on1
peace, who hath made both one and hath
broken down the middle wall of partition
between us, having abolished in his Aesb
the enmity, even the law of commandments
for to make in Himself of twain one new
Paul exultingly shouts forth his joy as in
our text.
| Inevitably the purpose of God must not
fail and all that is or has been be as an idle
dream and mans psssimistic speculationt
prove true, the light has shown in tn.
darkness and the darkness is apprehendins
1t. "There Ia spirit in man and the in
SEPARATION of the Almighty giveth 1t under
standing. The light of the glory is chin
ing In the face of Jesus Christ, the glory ii
it not Of delivering up at last His OWL
without spot or wrinkle 1t was thus tina
the image Of the invisible God became tn,
first born of every creation. Man has beer
hunting in the wrong place for ';the miss
ing link" that alone completes the tru
system of the universe. 1t Ia in THU
new man is involved all else that i.
natural, in him alone God completes tn,
cycle of development, because he has by
creation. On sublime thought! the ele
ments, and possible capacities to begin IL
tho duet of the earth and to reach tn,
supsrnsl heights of soulship with God -lik,
to his elder brother. Her. is enough te
thank God for to-day. Is this unspeak
able gift yours thus to-dsy2 Have yor
found Him thus precious to your soula
/ AT ffo 10 al Ip = ~
you are in the spiritual world, not walking
} the golden streets of the city but walking
with Its king. Our life lies with Christ IL
God, and to be filled with all the fulness O.
) God.
Let US, then, thank God that in this ma
terisl sgs, driven by machines, sustained
by money, glutted with things that perish
with the using; this yet more religiou
than Christian age, erecting it's many altar
to unknown gods, "thst the mystery hit
from ages and generations Is now mad,
manifest to his saints. which is Christ IL
you, the hope of glory" whom, Paul says
We preach warning and teaching every mar
that we msy present him perfect in Chris
Jesus. Let US, then, as we gather in oul
homes with this song of peace resoundins
from the four heavens, thank God, for al
this gift has brought tons from the gate,
of Eden till now, for the eternal repriev.
| no IL u US, lOE UE0 TSOSlptlou auu al
| that it means of Gods estimated values IL
US. Let us thank God that this indsscrib
able gift in us has given us back ourselves
YES, dear friends in Christ, We are tn,
greatest eifts to the world next to Him
Oh, that our gratitude to-day expressed il
words may be embodied in our lifel W,
are to transmit this unspeakable gif
to others through ourselves. Thus SHOULD
we move through this glorious world
, uncrowned kings dispensing the royal gift
of the spirit of truth. God be thanked alst
for the moral force this gift has Intervene,
} into the ibres of mans being, working it
self out slowly but surely and strugglin,
! for utterance in art and poetry, stone ant
j brass, law and institution of all ages Coz
be thanked for complete manhood
God be thanked for the brotherhood O
man in Him. Link by link He
, forging, till it now eneirclss tn
world. How have the wise men from tn
east, guided by His western star, been do
ing homage to Him in their gifts of though
at the parliament of religions? Thanks b
to God for universal peace assured in Him
All things are ours in Him. Oh, Christian
soul, bought by His precious blood, let u
signaiizs this day wish His enthroned lif
within us, showing forth His love whicl
constraineth usl
ORGANIZED CHARITIES.
Acknowledgement of Contribution
for Thanksgiving Day.
The Organized Charities association