Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-11-26
REV. WILLIAM sPIKER breaches
THANKSGIVING DAY SERMON
70 SOUTH oTTuMWANs.
UNION SERVICE
South ottumwans Gather In Rev
Jonathan Lees Edifice to Give
Thanks For Blessings Of
Today-The Program.

South Ottumwa people joined in
monster union praise service thl
morning in the South Ottumwa Baptis
Ichurch, where special Thanksgiving
day services were held. The sermon
Of the morning was delivered by Rev
William d. Spiker, pastor OF the Fly
mouth Congregational church. WHIT
took. his text from the Psalms 1852
"What shall render unto the Lore
I, for all his benefits toward me-. Inc
services we're opened by Rev. T. :
Shook, pastor of the Willard Stree
M. E. church, who gave the scripture
reading. Rev. s. Isaac Elder, pastor
OF the Davis Street Christian church
followed with prayer. The reading
of the Thanksgiving proclamation was
by Rev. George Burgin. pastor OF the
Moore Street Brethren church. TneI
followed the sermon by Mr.. Spiker
The choir of the church gave spec
ial musical program.
Mr.. spiker's Sermon.
Mr.. Spiker's sermon was character
lied by spirit Of thanksgiving, and
his audience was told in many words
what to be thankful for. He said in
part:
/ have chosen this text because IN
II the psalmist has used the first per-
son singular. We have fallen into the
habit in our prayers and testimonies
of speaking in the plural number
what shall we render unto the Lore
for all his benefits toward u.s.? and
"us' does not mean anyone. In the par
ticular. Let us make It personal mat
ter, What shall render unto the
Lord for all his dement's toward me
David had been contemplating the
goodness OF God to him and as ne
Counted his benefits they continued TO
increase and increase until his feelings
burst forth in the beautiful language 81
the text. It is good thing to 40. NO
one who sits down to count his bless
ings can but burst forth in words OF
gratitude and praise to God
Gods Great Blessings.
But many there are who never stop
to consider the goodness OF God. Their
vision Of the good Is ever obscured by
the dark veil Of evil. Now, one o.
Gods great blessings to humanity is
this beautiful world in which 1t is our
lot to live. When God had crea ted II.
He looked on it and pronounced II
rood; but there are many who look
out upon this world, behold all It's SIN
and suffering. and not only deciare
that the WOri0 rs ufu, uul"uCuDS -, - :
wisdom and goodness OF the God that
made it. Note these words from
Thompson's Getty Of the Dead:
"Who a most wretched In this dolor-
GUS place ?f
think myself; yet would rather be
NV miserable self than He
who formed such creatures to His own
disgrace.
The vilest thing must tie less vile than
From whom it has its being, God and
Lord.
creator Of all woe and sin. abhorred
Malisnant and implacable! l vow
that not for all Thy power, furled
and unfurled.
For all the temples TO thy glory
built,
would assume the isnominious
OF having made such men In such 9
world
And SO thousands have come to feel
as they behold the sin, want and mis-
God Has Made the World Good.
Now. / want to bear witness to the
fact that God made the world good
and that He has never bestowed any
thing but goodness upon humanity. lie
Is not the author Of evil. It Is we our
selves, wicked men. who have brought
and who still bring npon the race tne
earth a paradise for His children and
It would still be paradise but for the
doines of wicked men. We bewal the
presence of Indebtedness. poverty and
restitution that Is in many places
even here in our own city; and today
charitable men and women will carry
baskets to many homes of dest1tu-
ton: but why are there such places?
It Is because OF mans inhumantty ia
man. We ourselves have created the
condition. II one could cast out the
evil men with all their internal devices
for impoyerishins and destroying hui
mainly, our city would be veritable
paradise The curse is not Of God, but
OF men. Man. is the "pestilence that
walketh in darkness" Man is the de
struction that wasteth at MONDAY" II
|is as IL some artist were to put all his
soul into one great master piece:
should work at It day after day for
we'll might a lifetime until 1t became
complete, perfect work Of art. and
then some villain should creep into his
studio, seize a brusl, and daub 1t all
over with hideous blotches.
|, Gods Greatest Gift.
The greatest OF all Gods benefits 70
the world since the creation is the gift
of His own Son who came into the
world to redeem humanity from hui
manity's self incurred curse. Few OF
us realize what all Jesus Christ means
to this world. How little we appreciate
what he has DONE All that we have
and are. better than the heather. we
owe to him. Our free government. our
schools, our libraries. our marvellous
machinery and Inventions. the arts
and sciences. !. our comfortable homes
the clothes that we wear and the very
food that we eat. in short. every
blessing that our Goth century civili-
cation bestows. we owe to him. But fol
him. we would still be roaming the
primeval forests eating meal 81
raw meats and parched grains in some
rude tent as did our fathers two thou
sand years ago. Thousands there are
who are .reaping all the benefits OF his
kingdom and still denty the Christ
But many Of us do believe: many
of us do recognize God as the giver OF
every GOOD and perfect gift and the
Thought Of our hearts Is that OF the
Psalmfst What shall we render unto
the Lord for all his benefits toward
us ?"
We cannot render unto Him material
things for all material things are His
we cannot render unto Him intellec-
-tual things for He il all intelligence
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