Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1910-12-10

+ OF the Psalmist-"O, give thanks unto the
I Lord, for he is good. for his mercy endur-
eth forever (cxxxvi. u. The speaker was
confident that the original institution OF
: Thanksgiving Day was from the best or
rnotiyes--a reverential acknowledgment OF
+ Indebtedness TO the Creator. He doubted
not. either. that the day was observed
after the same manner BY many earnest
Christian people. Neither would he dis
pute the appropriateness OF such day ia
the future amongst truly pious people whc
knew what they did and why they did IL.
He believed. however. that the masses
OF the people had no real appreciation
OF the Day and Kept IL merely as a holi-
day without the remotest sentiment OF
thankfulness to God. He felt that such
formal ana perfunctory thanks. devoid OF
either the letter or the spirit. would be
( far from acceptable to the Great Creator.
Who Ia TO Be Blamed For This?
/ Is education in general, or Higher Crit
icism In particular. 10 be blamed for this
condition OF unfaith IN God and his prov
/ idence-for this unthankful. perfunctory
Thanksgiving which God must despise?
Pastor Russell thought that a large share
OF the responsibility lay at the door OF
the Higher Critics and Eyolutionists and
the undermining OF Christian faith which
they had so successfully accomplished
during the past fifty years. But he saw
another cause back OF the Higher Critics.
back OF the Evolutionists. There he
charged the real responsibility for the IN
faithfulness 10 God today prevalent
throughout The world. He charged that
false doctrines, mistranslations and mis-
interpretations OF the Bible were respon-
sible for present conditions. The light of
education has merely shown up the in
consistencies OF doctrine evolved during
the Dark Ages. The light OF our day,
shining upon those false doctrines OF the
past, has nauseated Christendom and pro-
duced the present unbelief amongst the
masses, and has led the moR intelligent
class TO seek for something more rational
along the lines OF Higher Criticism and
Evolution.
Locating the proper source OF our trou-
BILE, whatever its character is q very Inn
portant matter All intelligent people are
agreed respecting the absurdities OF many
OF the teachings OF the past handed down
10 Us by venerable and reverent fore
Y fathers. who were themselves deceived.
Our difficulty has been our general as
sumption that the creeds OF the past
rightly represented and interpreted the
Word of God. the Bible. Hence when we
repudiated tae absurdltles or our creeds
many of us at tho same time abandoned
all faith in the Bible. which we enron
oously supposed was the basis for those
irreconcilable creeds. Pastor Russell de-
clared that ii Is now high time that Gods
people-yea. all the reverent of human
ity-should take notice OF the fact that
the Bible, allowed 20 interpret itself, one
passage throwing light upon another
shows forth the most glorious and NEST
X reasonable Plan OF Salvation for man.
kind imaglnable-more grand than We
could have asked or thought. He de-
clared that IL is due time. not only for
those who idolise creeds to awaken from
their supersttions and make fresh study
Of the Bible. but it IS high time also. he
said T1fnhnr Critics and EVOlnfi lon
lists should lay aside their prejudices and
view the Bible from it's own scientific
standpoint
Why Some Were Unthankfu
Some were unthankful because their
cup was full of adversely and misery. In
stead OF full OF happiness. Some were
unthankful because OF pinching poverty.
poor crops. lost friends Some could not
give thanks because OF sickness, pain.
sorrow. Some. because born in sin and
shapen in iniquity." could not give thanks
because of perverse dispositions prone to
sin as sparks to fly howard Some could
not give thanks, because their poor
brains. guided by an erroneous theology,
not only saw little 20 hope for IN the
present life. but everything to dread in
the hour of death and onward to all eter-
nifty. Pastor Russell thought that this
latter class. some OF them looking for
ward to Purgatorial sufferings OF cen
turtles, and others to eternal torture,
might find II very difficult TO have prop
eriy thankful hearts fer anything con-
nected with this present life. They could
/ scarcely be blamed Tor regretting that
| they had even been born.
Can we blame these people for lack of
thankfulness while they have such blind
| ed minds as respects the Creators Love
and Mercy and Provisioe for them the
| Pastor asked. His reply was. that our
10 14rs
still remains for the Great Creator. whose
| plans and arrangements for his creatures
have been so sadly misrepresented.
Thanks Because God Is Good
Pastor Russell called attention 10 has
text-that II declares that thanks should
be given 10 God because "he is good. lie,
cause his mercy endureth forever. Talss
he said. signifies in the Hebrew 70
completion--o long as mercy could have
proper Offset. He declared that this
same expression was repeated IN The
Psalm twenty-siX times and asked Have
we not, as Christians, sadly misrepre-
scented the facts of the case and en0eaY-
ored to have people give thanks TO God
for unkindness. injustice. levelessness-to
a God whose mercy never reached us and
would never reach any but small pro-
portion OF our race through the knowl-
edge OF Christ to n God whose mercy.
even to the one-tenth Of those who had
ever heard OF him, he SAID. would endure
only for the present life and even TO
these bring a blessing only 70 a mere
handful OF the electl
Let US go back to the Word Of God and
free our minds OF the prejudices Of super
stition and mIsinterpretation handed down
from the Dark Ages. Let US see the
glory OF Guy God. as revealed in the
Bible. Let Christians give thanks that
by the grace of God. their eyes and ears
OF understanding are opening TO better
knowledge o: him. Let them give thanks
not only for redemption from the death
sentence bot also for their call to saint
ship and its consequent suffering in this
present time and its promise OF reward
Of glory on ire spirit plane by ard by
Let the wc;ld give thanks in proportion
as It Is AHA TO discern Gods goodness
and mercy FOR Adams race-that event
ually through the chanas. 81 tie gloTi.ea
Church the Divine blessing viii be ex-
tended to every member or Adams race.
giving opportunity to all 10 attain life
everlasting with ful! human perfection
and an everlasting Eden upon this now
sin-cursed earth.