Norwich bulletin., 1912-11-29
At Park Church,

The Thanksgiving service at Park church on Thursday morning was well attended and an excellent sermon and fine music repaid all those who braved the storm. The offertory trio-On Thee Each Living Soul Awaits, from Haydn's Creation-was an especially beautiful part of the service
 Rev. Dr. Howe's text was Acts 27; 22-36, "Nor 1 exhort you to be of good cheer" And they were all of good cheer and they also took food" In the western highlands of Scotland is a wild and picturesque tract through which the traveller makes a lonely and steep ascent of a mountain range on foot attended by no little physical fatigue but rewarded with a vast sweep of exquisite scenery. At the summit of the steep acclivity is rude seat of stone bearing in deeply cut lettering the words Rest and be thankful" It is a good inscription for today. when at the behest of our gov ernor and president we do homage to the venerable tradition of our ances tors and reserve one day for making in public form our grateful ackn0w Judgements of the good providence that has brought us on our way Circum- stances, temperament or climate may be given as a plea for the cheerless life. To all of these the text gives | answer, spoken under circumstances l certainly not favorable to gratitude. But Christianity had made an optimist l of Paul as 1t ought to make of Ur and ! must If 1t makes anything of us. Cheerfulness, thankfulness hopeful ness, gladness joy are the common coin of the Christian realm. The lash of the scourge, the rattle of the lictors rods, the thud of tho stones upon his head from the hands of the Syrian mobs, the reek and drip of Roman l prisons where he was confined, the roar of the tempest about a sinking 1 ship on the Mediterranean were not sufficient to break the serenity and 1 sweetness of a spirit that breathed everywhere and always an atmosphere of joy. His life answers the questions does this gospel of good cheer meet all 1 emergencies? can 1t be lived in ad- verse circumstances? can it change transform sorrow and give it a bene- ticent ministry? It has done it and can again.
 But the spirit of good cheer has some sturdy antagonists. The spirit ! of doubt is one of them. Resist it as we may, but we must have a creed We must have a sunny creed if we are going to find sunshine and gladness ir this world of Gods. Doubt of Gods word, of Gods love, unbelief in Gods gospel of good cheer will make a life of cheerfulness impossible.
 A second antagonist is the spirit o1 worry and fret, which resents the ap- portionment of trouble and diversity It is not a difference of lot, but 2 difference of temper and spirit to mee it. One man is bowed to the ground under his load another with the same load has the faith that overcomes the world Don't worry and fret all the other people with your worries. Some people give you the impression tha they have but one smile and they art lreluctant to part with 1t.
 A third antagonist is the synica spirit. There is nothing that make such war upon the habit of cheerful
 ness as that small minded cynicisn which, as the word means, is alwayI snapping at other people. This spiri is generally malicious. It Is deat against the spirit of charity, In who's
 sunlight all true joy alone can live, ant so you will always find the cynic es tranged from joy. The applications o
 the subject are endless and near a
 hand We want the spirit of cheerful
 ness for our personal life, for our per
 sonal battle; we want 1t for the home
 where every day. should be made radi
 ant and beautiful; we want it for tn
 church. Christian work can never b
 done by the petulant, grievance culti
 vating spirit. Serve the Lord witt
 gladness and enter his courts wit ] thanksgiving.