The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-11-29

SouEnt him out from MS oDScurfty in
his fathers house In Benjamin. BY
wiliful disoIbedience. by mad rebeilious-
ness. ne turned his great privileges in
to curses correspondingly great. God
called him out for . high place and he
found ruin and disgrace proportionate-
~ great and deep. Poor Saul. how
blessed Of God. how cursed by HIM
self
There is none of u but has reason
to thank God to-day for special bless
ings and privileges. Each OF us has
peculiar evidences OF Gods favor to u.s.
Every good and perfect gift has come
TO us from a kind Father In heaven.
These are our ma tural powers and ca
liabilities. our favoring circumstances
of position in life. The congregation
which assemblies on Thanksgiving day
u composed for the most part Of those
with whom God has dealt very kindly
and generously In these things The
distribution has not been an even one.
far from II. and why some are so much
more GENEROUSLY dealt with than Others.
why some. as Saul. stand head and
shoulders over their fellows. Is one OF
the mysteries of Gods government
granting that there IL not a soul here
to-day VINO can not think OF thousands.
aye! millions. who have not Jared as
wem as he. You are greatly blessed
The lesson OF Saul's life to you to-day
Is this: BY right use of Gods gifts to
you make them blessings indeed. Turn
them all to best and noblest God-serv-
ing purposes. Forget yourself and do
this. and you will find yourself In pos
session of kingdom, "a kingdom great
er and more blessed and extensive
than that for which God destined Saul
among earthly Kingdoms, and an eter-
mai one. But refuse to do this and In
willful disobedience employ them for
your own selfish qualification and they
Will change into curses. with weight OF
final awe and blight as leaden-heavy
proportionately as your privileges are
great. The time! Redeem 1t because
the days are evdl! That means IL you
do not redeem the days from evil they
will deliver you No the devil. The class
which at the same time has the most.
exalted opportunities and II In greatest
danger OF a deepest hell 10 the leisure
class. 80
Time is the most exalted opportun-
ity, or dt rs the deepest damnation.
Thank God for money IL you have II.
10 use 1t rightly is to make to your
selves friends of the mammon OF UNI
Righteousness and to insure yourself
welcome at the hands OF God and your
benefciaries In an eternal heaven. But
to live here Tor the mere sake OF maxi
ing money Is to coin your SOUL A
hoard means a hell hereafter. Social
position IL a kingdom that angels
might not despise. Opportunity Of use
fitness and influence unlimited.
But to use 1t for social frfppiness
and to devote yourself day after day to
empty nothings is to shrivel your soul
and shrink your life and to visit GODS
curse upon your head. God has prepar-
ed a kingdom for everyone OF His
children. His supply is not limited. as
Napoleon's was. There Is one for each.
He has Amounted you with the sacred
oil. Work with and under Him and
you will find all things working to-
gether for you. Gods great kingdom Is
SO ordered that all its vast resources
are bent always to the possession and
extension of your kingdom-just your
kingdom, as though there were no 9TH
er for Him to look after and attend to.
Only seek We, first, the kingdom of God,
and all other things, as much as your
faiuhfulness and ability and self-con-
troll and best interests entitle you to,
shall be added unto you.
"Second-As applied to nations the
lesson is the same. High privileges are
blessings or cursings, according to the
nations use of them. Nowhere are the
great providences of God-work more
apparent than in the calling and an
nointing of the nations. And manifest
ly here, even the cases of individuals,
others. National advantages, superior
characteristics in their people. these
and other things are distributed in no
equal measure among nations. Are any
among nations 50 favored as our own?
Our heritage is practically a continent.
Our ramports are the oceans. Our re-
sources unlimited; we haven't begun to
know them. Panics may come. but
they cannot last. 1t Is simply impossi-
BILE to hold this great country back for
any length of time. The calamity
howlers. through whatever horn they
blow. always get their mouths stopped
with the effective silence of the coun-
try's inevitable prosperity. We can
pour billions of dollars worth of rum
down our threats and yet be marvel
1ously rich. The blessings of a good
education are scattered free on all
sides. Our national character has been
tried and tested and has proved itself
to contain ingredients which have won
the admiration Of our observers and
furnish US good cause for abundant
thanksgiving to God. who brought us
into being; and with the experience of
the whole past history Of mankind to
profit by.
I'VE have every advantage for a new
and good start in the making of a
brighter and better history for man
kind In the future. Our possibilities
are dazzling. enrapturing. Matthew
Arnold says. America holds the future
of the world Gladstone says, America
Is another name for opportunity; In
his American Commonwealth James
Bryce predicts that the child is now
living VINO will yet see 100000 900 of
people in the United States, exclusive
OF Alaska II Is not to be wondered
at that we are not as modest as Saul
was when they ran and fetched him
from his hiding place and stood him
among Them to discover that he was
higher than any of the people from his
shoulders upward, and Samuel said to
all the people. See you him whom the
Lord hath chosen. that there Is none
like him among all the people, and all
the people shouted and said. God save
the king. There Is no doubt Of IL. We
are head and shoulders above the rest
OF them. and the Lord hath chosen us
for good Kingdom. Our hearts ought
10 overflow with Thanksgiving; there ie
need to remember Saul. and while the
nations shout. and we shout louder