The herald., 1898-11-25
PULPIT VOICES FROM AISLE AND ALTAR
Union Services Appropriate Thanksgiving Day-Specal
Song Services and Beautiful Decorations

truly when l say it has been good year
l have not been unmindful of the war, etc.
but l remember also the wealth of our soil
our mines and our shops. 1t has been a
good year and God has given us many gifts
The greater gift always includes the lesser,
and do not hesitate to say that all our pros
perity, all our wealth, all our social stand
| ing, can be traced to one source: God gave
us in the fullness of time his son.
"We speak of our nations greatness and
from pulpits today there will go up peans of
! praise for Americas glory. Ours is not an
| original glory. 1t is reflected. So today
utter my thanksgiving for God S unuspeaka-
BILE gift"
"Unto thee, o God, do we give thanks;
yea, unto thee do we give thanks" psalm
lxxv:D was the text
Spirit of Thanks announced by the
giving Day Rev. B. w. r. Tayler
at st. Johns Episco-
pal church yesterday morning. Among other
things, he said Il doubt whether the ma
jority of our citizens have even read the
presidents proclamation, and so far have
seen it in but few of our newspapers. And
vet how strongly does he insist upon the
emphatic recognition of the hand OF Al
mighty God in those stirring events which
have marked the past year The abundance
OF the harvest the increase OF trade ami
commerce, the knitting together OF closer
bonds of unity between sections OF our
country which have been estranged, the mar
velous success of the late war with Spain
all these blessings he ascribes to the Lord
of Hosts. And somehow l feel as l read
this excellent proclamation, uttered as be-
ieve from heart which recognizes Gods
hand and guidance in national affairs, that
either we have failed as a nation to realize
our blessings or that we are unworthy of
such magnificent proclamation and such
whole hearted call to the worship and
praise of God. Perhaps of all days of the
year, pessimism is most out of place On
Thanksgiving day. But what true American
who loves his country and who respects and
reverences his God, can on a day like this
day, when the whole nation should turn out
en- masse to thanksgiving services and crowd
the places of worship to sutfocation because
of the wonderful history of the past year;
who, l say, can fail to feel at least tinge
of pessimism when the very object and
genius of Thanksgiving day is so heartlessly
disregarded? The words of our text should
this day be yelling out of the heart of a
grateful and God-blessed nation. We have
reached period of national life when it be-
hooves us to pause reverently and ask God
what it means and to give us discernment
to understand what it means. We were but
a few short months ago nation whose aims
and ambitions seemed to have been bounded
at the very farthest by the North American
continent. The development and progress
of the United States seemed task sufficient
ly gigantic to engage all of our attention
and demand all Of our resources, at least for
another century.
In few months we have found our
selves world power, with interests and con-
Germs and responsibilities of which we never
dreamed. Those responsibilities we cannot
disregard, for it is the Lords doing. We
find ourselves with three great countries on
our hands-Cuba, Porto Rico and the Phil
ippine islands Their regeneration, the
future stability of their government are
duties laid at our door, whether we like it
or not.
"There must be something providential in
this. The addition of territory, the increase
of commerce. the multiplying of population,
are, after all, secondary to the civilizing in
fluence which will follow upon them. And as
a Christian nation and people, believe that
these are gifts from God for us to put to
proper use. We need a deeper and more
humble sense of our share in all these
great concerns. Let us be more thankful
to God. Let us show him more gratitude
for what we are and what we have as
nation. Let us echo from the heart the
words of the Psalmist: Unto the Lord let
US give thanks."'
David Walk, in the Church of Christ, on
Eighth street, near Central avenue, read
Ecclesiastes villa: 'In the day of pros
perity be joyful, but in the day of adversely
consider: God also
Meaning of hath set the one over
Thanksgiving against the other,
to the end that man
should find nothing after him." He an
nounced as the subject of his sermon, 1.-The
Counterbalancing Factors of Life"
This Scripture indicates the proper moods
of the soul under the various conditions of
life to which it may be subjected.
A simple exegesis of the Scripture before
lis teaches that, while in the day of pros
perity we should be joyful, we should in the
day of adversely consider. Consider what?
to the other in the system of divine provi-
dence; and that it is God who has set the
one condition over against the other, so that
even those circumstances Of life which are
evil in themselves are employed to bring
about His wise and benevolent purposes
the children of men,
Take these two words which stand to
each other as answering voices: "Prosper-
ity"-" "adversity," and what do they teach
us? If we have learned the deep lessons of
life Alright, they teach us that "the alterna-
ton of joys and sorrows in human life is
necessary to our souls health. Our nature
is too weak to bear an unvarying experience
without being hardened and corrupted. We
need to be startled into sudden surprises
in order to keep our attention awake" So
when joyful occasions are meted out to us,
our feelings should find joyful expression.
comes from God and should be
a cause for devout thankfulness and Joy.
| may be told that it is easy to rejoice
in days of prosperity, but how about the
other side? How about the night of ad-
versity? And my answer is, Consider"
Consider that it is God who has set the one
over against the other; and consider that
the hand of God is in the one as surely as
it is in the other. And consider, also, that,
within certain limits, it is as proper to give
to feelings of sadness and gloom
as to those Of joy and gladness. Adversely
is just as much and as certainly from the
hand of God as prosperity; and unless we
have altogether misused the true aim and
as well as the philosophy. of adj