The Portland daily press., 1900-11-30
REV. BowLEY GREEN.
Address al Union Services ON Thanks
giving, and ITS significance.

Interesting union Thanksgiving day
Sc ryices were held at the First Parish
church yesterday morning. A large con-
gregstion was In attendance. The SER
mon was preached BY Rev. Bowley Green,
the pastor Of the First Baptist church.
Several Of the clergymen OF the city 90
cnpied seats In the pulpit and took part
in the devotional services.
MIR. Green selected for his text the first
and second verses OF the l0S Psalm,
"Bless the Lord. oh my soul and all that
is within me, bless His holy name. Bless
the Lord oh my soul, and forget not all
OF His benefits
much OF the history Of a nation can
be read IN its observance OF Its holidays, "
said Mr. areen. "He was wise man
VINO said sing to me a nations songs
and i will write that nations history
Of all deeds of love and heroism that
marks the lives OF the early Pilgrim
fathers nothing more clearly reveals to US
their nobility OF character than this set
ting apart OF one day in the year to give
thanks to Almighty God. By this very
act they laid the foundation OF a great
people. They taught the world much that
can not be forgotten and that Will not be
forgotten They esteemed liberty OF
thought, liberty OF speech, liberty Of CON-
science, liberty of worship and of creed
and Gods gifts, as their In alien.
able rights. Let us not prove reoreant TO
these sacred truths nor deny to others
those liberties that come down from
heaven. Let us recognize this as God
speaking to us In spiritual song this
morning. Let us not regard these as
foolish words. God has often spoken TO
man In poetry. AS we look at the flow
ers this morning we may say that thers
is one of Gods poems. He has written
It for u.s. We look out on the landscaps
and there we see that God again speaks
to rs In majestic splendor. When God
speaks to Christ the people say that IL
thunders. They have eyes, but see not;
ears, but hear not David would give
thanks in the first place by remembering
the benefits that he had received. Is
there any danger of man as richly
enowed as David .torgettingf All, there
is danger. Any danger OF him for
getting the bread that nourished him or
of the house that covered him? Yes,
there is a danger OF even David, the In
spired poet OF God, forgetting his benefits.
1--WE meet every day men who say to us,
the world owes us a living All the
claim that have had l have forfeited q
thousand times and have no claim. In
our own name we have no claim to
single gift. David said that thoughtless-
ness or forgetfulness Of these benefits was
the root OF much ingratitude. David said
to his soul, be not forgeiful. Men are
ungrateful for the most part because they
are forgetful, because they are thought
less. We think, too, that Burns out OF
ingratitude, wrote that line, Mans In
humanity to man makes countless thous-
ands mourn Don't forget all. This is
the first step in true Thanksgiving.
David, In the second place, recognizes
God as the source OF II his benefits. One
of the saddest phrases in our modern life
as think, is that men are not taking
God into ACCOUNT, that God is not in
them. And yet every murmur and every
breeze is the Fathers voice. But there
are those who ars living to take God ont
OF nature, to look to another source than
Him. There is also disposition to even
take God out Of the Bible, to take God
out OF human lifeand TO throw the Divine
Providence to the winds.
1--WE read articles In the periodicals try
ing to account for Moody. You must
look heavenward If you want to account
for Moody. Let us believe with ali of
our souls in kind and heavenly Provi-
denoe 1t is rsmar liable that the richer
a man becomes the lass credit ne gives TO
God, and the more credit he gives to him
self. He regards with complacency all of
the splendor with which he Is surrounded
and gives no credit to God. Having eyes,
he sees not II / became a rich man
probably would forget God. After hav-
ing recognized God as the source Of all
his benefits, David pours out his soul in
Let us this morning
thank Him for all OF the benefits and
blessings, let every heart In alteration
offer praise to Him.
A collection was taken for the Portland
Provident society, and the -benediction
was pronounced by Rev. Asa Dalton,