Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1906-12-04
THANKsGIv!Ns SERMON.
In Corvallis Rev. Gibbs the
Speaker. Discourse i'm Part.

PIE COuiu uOt dltCdo luS aAioA
Thanksgiving services at the
Presbyterian church, and for that
reason, and in order chat other
readers may share in the sermon,
a portion of the address is here
given.
The services were we'll attend
ed and highly interesting.
Most of the pastors of the city
were present and took part in the
services. The collection taken
was given to the w. G. T. U.
society to be used in the interest
of their free reading room in Cor
Wallis. Some excellent music
was furnished by the Presbyter-
ian choir, and Rev. M. S. Bush,
the pastor of the church, con-
Quoted the preliminary services.
) The sermon was preached by
Rev. G. H. Gibbs, pastor of the
M. E. church, South. The SER
mon throughout is worthy of
publication, but our space is too
limited to give anything more
than a short sketch. The fol-
lowing is a part of the discourse:
"This is a day set apart by
our nation that we may make
public acknowledgements of our
gratitude to God for his Dless-
ings. 1t is time Of special re-
jolcing-au hour when Thanks
giving and praise should flow
from all hearts and lips. Nature
all about US is full of glee. Birds
chant, kids frolic. the
little brooklets sing and all the
trees OF the field clap their hands
for joy. Surely all people and
especially christian people. should
be joyous and thankful. Ma MS
duty is not only to obey God,
but to enjoy and praise him for
ever.
Thanksgiving has three-fold
character-sportive, festive and
religious. 1t is the religious
feature of the day that we admire
and enjoy most. Thanksgiving
has its origin in the Bible. God
himself sent out the first procla-
nation. He said to the Jews,
"Thou shalt keep the feast of in
gathering, which is in the end
of the year, when thou hast
gathered in thy labors out of the
field"
After the flood when Noah was
presenting his thank ofeling, |
God renewed the covenant with |
him saying, while the earth
remaineth, and time aud harvest,
and cold and heat, aud summer
and winter, day and night shall
not CEASE" This covenant is
the assurance from God that dur
ing the existence of this earth
his natural laws shall be su-
preme and that man beneath his
providence and mercy shall not
b. denied the results of honest
toll as he works in harmony with
these laws and the returning sea.
sons.
Thanksgiving Day was first
celebrated in America in 1921 by
the Pilgrim fathers. The first
national proclamation was issued
in 1868 by President Lincoln.
Thanksgiving has come to stay.
President and governors conform
to the popular enactment now,
and issue their prociamatious as a
matter OF course. |,
Thanksgiving is more than a
holiday. 1t is a memorial OF
our trust in God 1t is better
confession of out ua,ions faith IN
God than an amendment could
be which would put God in the
of the United States.
Established custom is stronger
than written statutes. We can
say with the Psalmist, BLESSED
is the uation whose God is the
Lord" He hath not dealt so
with any nation," The Lord
hath done great things for us,
whereof we are glad" God hath
done great things for us in re-
specs to population, territory,
education, churches,
Bibles. freedom, union and
peace. The text exhorts us to
sLet the peace of God rule in
our hearts" Tue peace OF God |