The leader., 1897-12-01
A THANKSGIVING ADDRESS
Delivered by Rev. T.. III. Mounger, ID. D.,
Mt the Presbyterian Church I'm
Brookhnyen, Nov. 81, ,'0T.

Delivered by Rev. f. II. Mounger. ID. D.,
Mt the Presbyterian Church In
Brookhayen, Nov. 81, ,'07.
By the courtesy of Rev. E. II. Noun
ger, Presiding Elder ofthe Brookhaven
district, Of whom a copywas requested,
The LEADER is permitted to lay be-
fore its readers the following copious
extracts from the splendid address de-
livered by him at the Union Thanks
giving service at the Presbyterian
Church In this city on the 18th ult.
1t is deserving OF wide and thought
full reading:
ut becomes US as dependent and at
the same time grateful beings to pre-
sent ourselves as we do today in the
courts of the Lords house, in order
that we may praise His holy name, and
thankfully remember all His kindness
unto us. The Sabbath is Gods day,
then we are to worship and serve Him,
abstaining from all ordinary and un-
'hallowed work. But If we are really
grateful to the Lord for all His bene-
fits we will not be satisfied with Sab
bath remembrance of God. We will
be willing to devote one of the COM
mon and work days of the year to the
special and sacred purpose of Gods
worship. The president of the United
States and the governor of Mississippi
so appoint and recommend, and in ac-
cordance thereof we meet today. :.
!. In our usual worship we act as indi
viduals, or as members of the mystical
body of Christ, His church, redeemed
by His bloods but it is important for
US as members of the commonwealth,
citizens of the State of this nation, one
of the. governments of this world, or
ganized for the maintenance of law
and order to insure the happiness of
its subjects, it becomes Us as such to
recognize Gods sovereignty and to
adore His providence. If we perform
our duty wewill certainlydo this. "The
nation and the kingdom that will not
serve Thee shall perish: yea, that ma.
tion shall be utterly destroyed" God
is the God of nations and peoples as
we'll as of men. sHe setteth up one
and pulleth down another" The ma
tion that will not fall into the line of
His purpose and work His will must go
to pieces. 1t is therefore our bounden
duty as communities, and in kind of
political way or character, to confess
God. He has prescribed laws for the
control and actions of Kingdoms, as
we'll as of individuals and these must
acknowledge God as we'll. All along
the path of history are to be found the
wrecks of nations that have refused or
failed to work out the divine purposes.
They have been stubborn and rebel
lions, idolatrons and impious, or they
have proven vicious in their weakness,
the clay being mixed with the iron,
and thus they have been rejected
What names are. recalled. today as we
look back on the misty past. nations
and people, swept away by Him who
sits king above all the water foods of
human opinions and events. It is
great truth that the final judgment of
nations is on this earth. Dead nations
and kingdoms never rise again. :.
Sometimes the interposition of divine
providence is as clear as the noon day
sun. The empire is given. to the peo-
pie of Greece, then the seepter is
transferred to Roman hands. When
the corruptness of imperial Rome be-
came exceeding great. and through
sloth, luxury and vice she was, slowly
sinking into the bottomless sea Of ma
tional ruin, then. that vast migration
If peoples began from the East which
ipturned society in Europe, inundated
The Roman world, put to shame all its
glory, and laid the foundations Of all
the existing States and powers of that
continent.
Gods hand guided Columbus across
the waste of waters to find broad
home for the crowded populations of
The old world and place for liberty,
where she might reign a. thousand
,ears. Here WAS the interference of
livine power in the revelation which
lrove the Stuarts from the throne in
Great Britain, and in our own struggle
ior independence. and in the French
revolution which rounded up the 18th
century in blood and in the late strug-
4 gle between Germany and France.
I God rules in the world; this is our
faith. Accepting it therefore as un-
questioned, it will serve to kindle our
gratitude if we dwell for time on the
blessings that have been ours the
present year.
/. Let US rejoice today in the bestow-
Enent of life and in its continuation.
Intelligent life is an awful and blessed
lift. No words can. proparly measure
the vast interval between the conscious
Life off human beings and the orders
i md ranks that are beneath us. We
topped on the topmost round OF ex-
stence, capable of looking back on the
|Tnff'c Pills