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

the Simpson Methodist Episcopal the
WaShburn street and sumner Avenue
Presbyterian, and the Plymouth church
Joined. The service at o'clock was
well attended by the Young people.
j.. j. Price. of the plymouth C0ngrc-
gational church, led the meeting. The
service consisted of hyulnal singing,
prayers, and SCriUturai reading. AT
1890 O'Clock when the main service
in the Plymouth church began the
beautiful and spacious auditorium was
seated TO its fun capacity by West
Side church followers. Rev. Thomas
BELL, pastor of the church. opened the
meeting by reading, the THANKSGIVING
Day proclamation. This was followed
hy n prayer 10y Rev. j. Z. Muffatt, pas
tor % the Washburn Street Prcsbytcr-
ian church. The eXhnrtatiun was Il
fcrvcnt one, eloquent. Rev. j. II. Sweet,
pastor of the Simpson Methodist EDiS-
Cppal church. read a portion from six
tcenth chapter, First Chronicles. y
collection was then taken IN for the
benefit of the West Side hospital. Dur
ing the service hymns We're sung by
III" congregation, My Country 'Tis of
Thee closing the rrceting. Besides
the ministers mentioned there Were
present, Rev. j. Jones and Rev. ID.
l.. Jones, of the Welsh CungrcCa-
tiOnal and Tabernacle congregational
churches, respectively. Rev. :. +. Mat
hcWs, pastor. of the Scranton Street
Baptist church. preached the sermon.
which was q thoughtful and eloquent
effort. The texts We're from Exodus
xiii, 1G, And the Feast Of the Har-
vest" also, Revelations, vii, II, "Aud
THANKSGIVING he unto our God forever
and ever" The sermon was as fol
lows:
REV. MR.. MATTHEW'S SERMON.
1t is no ordinary occasion when sum
moncd alike by the supreme voice Of the
executive authority of the nation, and the
highest voice of the state, we meet at
the altar of Almighty God in solemn ma
tional recognition of that fealty which V =
bear: not only as subjects to great hui
man government, but to- that government
spiritual and high. which in its authority
ard power overshadows the allegiance of
all lesser powers beneath the eternal
throne.
II is no ordinary occasion when the
voice solemn and potent of God himself
summons cocvai with that of human rule,
to His altar and to His presence. in the
human recognition of the divine merCieSs
and benefits that make the record of -
year, ana that in beauty, grace. and love
hnCSs. fresh from the hand of divine beno-
Violence have made orr fields, our homes.
our abiding places. rich and abundant with
the harvest Of God, tn" grand atlluent
cons,Immation of His generous promise.
THAT the seed time and harvest should
never fall"
And II il no ordinary occasion when.
with willing feet and hearts and Willing
hands, oheying with glad conviction tina [
other voice, the voice of the consricnr".
as 1t gratefully and lovingly acknowl-
edges fathers care, we press TO the very
altar's base: that human hearts may at
test the goodness of Him. who. in spite
of human fraiity, fOrEctfulness and neg
nnIlrgI ft.tts
magnificent stream from the creative
hand and power-that wonderful harvest
that bread truly from heaven. pure and
sweet, whose abundance means TO n
world. JOY, laughter, contcntment. peace
and prosperity. and whose Withholding
means the dark, fearful shadowing of
those twin angels of sorrow--death and
famine
The institution of the THANKSGIVING SER
vice-as an act of human recognition of
the experimenting care of n superior in
tell!gence to that of man--iS not the out
growth simply of an intellectual appre-
citation on the part of humanity, of the
right on the part Of the unseen director
OF nature. to some grateful token from
man for benefits received: nor is II the re-
suit Of an emotional sentiment swelling
the heart Of the race and prompting it to
the doing Of some act of devotional SER
vice. whereby the debt OF conscious graft
tude we feel may in part. be expressed.
DIVINE INSTITUTION.
on the contrary, 1t is the solemn AMI
divine institution of Jehovah Himself.
whereby He demands q religious, spirit
ual recognition of the momentous fact,
that man Is the pensioner of the divine
bounty: the dependant creature. whose
very existence hangs upon the unceasin2,