Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1903-12-10
THANKSGIVING SERMON
Preached in the H. E. Church, Woodbury.,
Nov. %. 1908, by
REV. GEORGE W. TOMsON,
Published by Request.
Text Luke ls-5: ..How much owest thou unto
my Lordgn
REV. GEORGE W. TOMsON,
Continued from Last Week.


been feeding millions Of people throughout
the centuries, His benefaction is not con-
fined to one day in the year, but covers all
the days of the year, and all the years Of
the worlds life. If he should close his
kitchen for day the world would starve.
How much owest thou unto my Lord,
sswho crowneth thee with loving kindness
and tender mercies, who satisiieth thy
N nth with good things?n Item 3. ] lay
before you bill for taxes. It has pleased
God to make us citizens of the greatest
country under heaven. In TERRITORIAL ex-
tent, there is nothing like it on this round
globe. Take five of the first class powers
Of Europe, Great Britain and Ireland,
France, Germany, Austria and Italy; then
add Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Dem
mark and Greece and you could lay them
all down in the United States West o. the
Hudson river, once and again and yet again
three times and still have something to
spare
Nature has peculiarly favored this land
for agricultural purposes, supplying all the
conditions for the supogt of great pOpula-
tion. From our wheat fields and our cotton
fields, we supply the markets of the world.
1t country that abounds the wood and
stone and coal and iron and precious met
ais aud all the staples. Its resources are
50 distributed as to require an extended
commerce, the varied activities of agricul-
ture and manufacture and trade, all Of
which are blessings to any nation, giving is
foundation and vitality and strength. Once
England olliisii boast OF being the richest
nation on earth, and Russia once could
make similar claim, but to-day, that dis
tincsion whether good or bad in its omen,
must be yielded to America. Here liberty
and peace dwell together under the pro-
tecting stars ind stripes in union COM
plete and sacred. Here the workmen gets
the fullest remuneration for his toll Here
ambition and honest worth find the broad
est and surest field for their exercise, for the
highest positions are open to the humblest
aspirants, and the only aristocracy that is
really recognized is the aristocracy Of merit
What providential signs Of the divine
favor, are to be observed in our history
from the earliest settlement of the colonies,
down to this present year of grace. Our
land, as writer remarks was not allowed
to be settled by effete despotisms Of church
or state, not by despotic Spain, nor by gay
and flippant Francs, but by Britain, whose
own people had graudiy battled their
way to constitutional liberty, and who had
the richest language and the grandest
literature, and the most solid progress, in
al the line Of European nationalities BY
the very flower of England, was our land
colonizsd by the God-fearing few, who
would rather die than be false, and were
willing to brave the unknown perils Of an
unknown and savage land, in order that
they might have freedom to worship God .
All this was by the order of the God of
nations, the king invisible and eternal
His hand has figured prominently and de-
cisisely in the history Of this land, from
the fixing Of it's bounds and the determin-
ing of its natural contour. and its varied
resources, along through its marvellous
growth and prosperity, down to the glor-
ions achievements within the last few years.
To-day the despotic power Of Spain, with
it's 400 years Of misru and crime, is
broken and her 81 ry is buried with her
navy. While the stars and stripes wave
brighter aud purer than ever before, at
home and over the redeemed islands Of the
sea, and the American nation has created a
respect and awe among the nations Of
the earth, which angurs we'll for the inter-
ests OF peace aud humanity, the world
over. Never have Americans had greater
canse for thankfucuess than now. The old
sores Of two score years ago have been
healed, She stars and bars have been woven
unto the stars and stripes, and one hae
floats proud and beautiful over purged
and united country. There is no North Of
South, or East or West to-day, but one
solid and glorious Rspub ic from sea to
sea, and from lakes to gulf. Il is blessed
country, rich and vast and prosperous,
recognized as never before, as one Of thr
great world powers. Il is Gods country.
and ours because it is bis, and what it i
becanse it Is his. Who would live any
where, but where be could look up now
and then, and behold the assuring folds Of
Old Glory, and think that be is . lineai
heir to a. that that peerless banner stands
Tor How much owest thon unto my