The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-11-27

tn" CNCntfu, span u! human NE. IL iS the
supreme avowal in solemn form anu once
in most significant ritual. that IN the very
material. as well as the spiritual universe
of the living God, He is all in all, and that
without Him are nothing.
That the feast of the harvest, or the
feast Of thanksgiving. was TO unit Ills
people as one and to make them singular
in this annual praise above all the nations
Of the carth--a praise acceptable because.
II WAS intelligent and founded en- His WEI
and wish--was expressed by the minor
Ger, monies of the august and solemn res
tibals revealing in them the type of that
unilu. ana united people, who destined
To succeed the Hebrew. should In the ages
to come he known as the church of Jesus
Christ, whose praise and whose worship
should be as incense to Goi-not because
IL came through ritual. from law; but as
the spontaneous, grateful offerings OF a
redeemed nature.
The supreme idea then of the thanks
giving directly from The hand of God; and
The public acknowledgment of the great
fact-consecrated by this public worship
and service Of prayer-that the eternal
God has blessed Ms, has crowned the year
with blessings, AMI has given us cause
for gratitude and thanks. as We measure
the divine gifts: within our hands, our
hearts, our homes.
Let caviiiing ignorance and subtitle in
fidelity ask that first great question ot
the snecring world What great cause
have we for thanks, as We measure the
crime, the sorrow, the grief, the horrors
of human life and the graves that open
ing at our very itct. swallow up SO mucn
that We price and battle ior:'
LET THE SKEPTICS TALK.
Let cavillins, subtitle skeptcsm ask
again. what thanks to God for what ".
eat. when sweat and toll and labor and
pain in the sad past. wrung it from the
grudGng soil and gave it To humanity as
the work of man.
Let conscious Christianity answer, as
with grateful gaze it scans the mighty
arch OF heaven where broods the Color
active vital Hfe-that mans toll would
have been in vain, had God not unlocked
his fingers to give; that all human effort
would have been in vain, though the per-
feet grains with living germ had been
within the hand of man, and the soil pre-
pared, if the great Engineer of the uni
verse had not toilcd when humanity slept
as well - when it worked; if air and soil
anl earth had MOI stirred with the life
cf God. and rain and sunshine and matter
FASTENED to do His VIII, whose eye ami
hand was upon each separate grain, when
The poor feeble, trembling hand of man
had lost IL in the dust.
What have we to bc thankful for? Let
the Christian answer rs he points to the
north, the east, the south. the west,
where IN" "waye sheat once pointed, let
him point in all truth to the harvestthe
rich, ruc golden and silvery harvest
that called of God. has come in all of its
abundant fulness, and infinite variety.
from the four quarters of the globe to
bless ana comfort and to strengthen man.
the glorious assurance on the part of i'll
finite love and mercy. as the winter dark
ems around MS, and the ground freezes To
adamant-that want and famine shall not
disturb the children of men and that their
bread shall be sure till the summer and
tho harvest shall come again:
What have We to be thankful for? For
the peace that has cnWr1pped the glob"
In its mantle of forbearance. for the
I ace that has shut the cannon's mouth,
and cnNreathCd its bra2en throat with
rarlands, not from graves, but conscrva
tories, for the peace that on the doves
tluttering pinions, has winged her Hight
from nation to nation, breathing in loves
to man" that has covered with her white
gentle hand of diplomacy the red, ruth
less hand of war ana in a Saviour's tones
| ana voice has said Peace be still
CAUSE FOR THANKS.
What have we to be thankful for? For
the deep, profound, marvellous, thrilling
stir IN the heart and conscience of the
millions of civilization in regard to IN"
',accSsity of the On tranchs,mcnt of man
T. man from the chains of that moral
slavery to appetite and passion that we
call ntemperarcc. oh. deep the thanks
deep the eternal gratitude to God, when
here was no arm to save and no apparent
nope OF deliVerance from this worse than
Egyptian slavery. God heard and hears
he cry of suffering humanity, and from
the burning bush of tn. divine anger and
Of the diN inc compassion is preparing the
captains of thc Lords host. To lead in "A
rot far Off day. the awaking nations, out
and on to temperance, truth and soldity.
What have we To be thankful for" ! or
the blessings of home ana education! for
the blessings Of virtue and morality that
the true home indicates. and that true
education gives. What abundant reasons
for thanl;fulnusS, when we know that all
things of science, all things of politics. all
thlngs Of culture. all things of education
are making in the light and spread of
Christian EnOwlcGs" and power to the up
lit of homr. to its purification, TO its 81"
tsr hp I,l1
Wher" God and man alike shall work out
he problem of human happiness and of
human virtue.
Thank God, that in the marvellous reach
of American art, of Invention. of freedom
Of thought. of freedom of action, of the
growing freedom of American character
| and of American, genius. that the home
dcgcncratcs not; that ii becomes more con-
ScrNativ", higher and hiSh"" in its moral
impulses aud its aims, al.1 higher and
noblcr in its intellectual endowments.
What have We to be thankful for? Ey
the &racc of God, for our great and pro-
found dcliverancc as IL nation, from the
tremendous vortex of passion. falschood
and slander, which has opened like
Guif on tn" surface of American politics.
and around which upon its very brink of
destruction the ship of national veal has
syrated in spite of ruddcr, keel or sail.
rhant God that though the national SOW
| orcignity has hung in the balance of con-
tending parties as Il price to be won and
fought for and the deepest feelings of
American iafuSahShlp mas been stirred 10
its inmOst center until it become the an
NiouS thought of genuine statesmanship:
if the magnificent fabric of American lib
crty-bought and cementcd by human
blood-coud stand the awful strain, yet
it stands and has stood ii all!
SAFELY RIDDEN OF STORM.
The beautiful vessel of a nations hopes
and praycrs--bnilt and founded by the
wisdom Of IA Washington, sanctiticd by
the blood of Lincoln, and made glorioIs
by the valOr and heroism of II Grant-has
ridden the storm in safety; the promise
ana earnest of more glorious future,
when uurer politics, more educated
thought. noblcr than mere PARTISAN
ship. shall chant in unison, the poets
prayer without fear of reverse or failure:
sail on. sail on. thou ship of state,
Sail on, q Union strong and great.
In snitc Of rock and tempests roar,
In spite of false lights on the shore;
sail on. nor fear to breast the sea-
Our hearts, our hopes are all with thee"
And. now. | ask the last question Of
all, what have We to be thankful for'
And, | answer as one among the mil
lions Of Gods people, not only in this land
but Gods land of the world. for the spirit
of union, a true heartfelt union without
the sacrifice of one personal religious Opin-
ion: that Is drawing the whole Christian
church of the world closer and closer to-
%ethcr in the divine essentials of love,
charity and work for that blessed Master,
who stretched out His hand over all His
truly redeemed ones. and calls them by
the name of children, whether they he
black or white, bond or free, civilized or
hcathen. Thank God for the time almost
come, now almost near. when the leaders
of Christianity. its great hearts" its dis
passionate thinkers. its true workers.
shall rejoice less in their tribal nanN'
and more in that efficiency of union. that
shall make them almost Irresistible in
crushing the forces of sin and corruption
into the dust OF final annihilation
lr.f Iun t,.s.
text the feast of the harvest" so far,
let me close by just one thought of the