The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1900-11-30

| which also may be an OCCASION Tor
| thankfulness to us was in the fact that
| though God had called him into CON
fiict and trial he had thereby called
him to the extension of his kingdom.
Going down to Rome, appearing, be-
fore Caesar, could not mean much to
him by way of hope that he would be
delivered from conflicts and that
4 henceforth undisturbed peace would
be his. But it did mean much by
way of expectation that he would have
opportunity to preach the gospel in
Rome, carry the principles of chris
tianity into the Roman empire and
possibly as was actually the case into
Caesars household And for this he
sincerely and ferventIy thanked God.
70 take his religion to Rome, not that
christianity might be paganized, but
that pagan Rome might be christian
lied, was to him far greater occasion
| for thanksgiving than deliv8rance
from stripes and bonds. And his
opportunities and the reach of his in
ffuence in this regard were far beyond
what he could anticipate. His coming
into Rome was not the Introduction
of christianity there, but it was
the one event that gave permanence
and power to the go pei in that center
of influence, and led to its after
growth, and it's dissemination from
thence into distant parts of this earth.
Far better is it to thank God for the
opportunity to extend the principles
o; his kingdom even though it be
through suffering and sacrifice, than
to thank him for freedom from these,
without influence and service. In
our individual lives have we this
year come up through something of a
struggle, reverse, burden, toll and
conflict of various kinds. And as
we take the outlook today does it seem
to us that the future is to be but
repetition of the past MAY we not
be impressed with the fact that we
have occasion to be thankful that God
sends us out into all OF them to
take the principles of righteous
ness, and the expansion of his king
dom. We may maintain in these a
high order of manly and christian
character and find opportunity for the
rendering of invaluable service. The
supreme occasion for christian thanks
givi is not that the battle of life is
fought, and no enemy to our peace
will meet us in the future, but that
great forces and principles of manly
character are offered us from God
which we may OF only employ our
selves in meeting the enemy. but which
we may generate in others for their
larger and better warfare.
In public affairs our supreme graft
fication and gratitude should be not
that all our troubles are ended, our
designs accomplished and peace. purity
and prosperity all we may now ex-
pect. Ii we assure ourselves that such
will be the case we will soon discover
that we are deceived. But our salts
faction and thankfulness should be in
the fact, that in the great problems
to be solved as difficult as any people
ever undertook, in the great obstacles
to be overcome some of which seem
almost insurmountable, we have OPP
portunity to extend in the world that
high civilization of freedom and hu-
man rights, and those principles of
free christianity which have contri-
buted so much to our peace, prosperity
and national greatness. Not the ex-
pansion of territory certainly not for
selfish and greedy ends, but the extern
sion of humanitarian and christian
principles should be our watchword.
If territory come legitimately as a
result of the latter we may receive it
as coming from God And as Paul
found his way with the gospel into
Caesar household and through that
into almost all parts of the world so
may we not hope that we will find
our way of justice, liberty and human
rights, as will also the blessed gospel
of which these are the fruit, not only
into the new territories over (which
we NAV axarcisa tamnOrarV or Dorma-