Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1914-12-03
Big Union Services in Baptist
Church November 20.
REV. MASON DEL|VERsADDREss
Fine Music and Splendid Services
are Enjoyed by Large Crowd

held by most of the churches in the
Baptist church last Monday morning
with Rev. William Mason delivering
/ the /ermon. He gave expression to
some fine thoughts and his message
was greatly appreciated by all pres
ent. Special music was rendered by
the Baptist church choir.
In substance, Mr.. Mason's sermon
was as follows:
Text Chronicles 1854.
90, give thanks unto the Lord, for
He is good: for His mercy endureth
forever"
1t is a good thing to give thanks
unto the Lord. Even a dog licks the
hand that feeds it. Yet while it is
very common for us to look to God
for blessing, it is by no means so COM
mon for us to give any adequate ex-
preston of our gratitude to God for
his wonderful bounty and care. There
! is an old legend which tells of two an
gels-the Angel of Requests and the
Angel of Thanksgiving-leaving heav-
en- to gather the petitions of men to
be carried up to God. Each angel
carried a great basket in his hand.
The Angel of Requests soon had his
basket full and he carried it back to
God. But after a long quest the An
gel of Thanksgiving had to return to
God with his basket only sparsely fill
ed. You say, "That is only legend"
But there were ten lepers who were
healed in the olden times and only one
returned to acknowledge the blessing.
We flee to God whenever we are sore
/ ly in need of help, but how often do
we remember to thank God for the
many good things with which He is
] continually enriching our lives? Sure
ly every one can find something for
which to give God thanks! Thales, the
old Greek philosopher, always thank
ed the gods for three things-frst,
that he was human being and not a
beast; second, that he was a Greek
and not a barbarian; third, that he
was man and not a woman. While
the ground of his gratitude may not
have been of the noblest sort, the fact
that he was grateful at all is worthy
Of praise.
Thanksgiving is distinctively an
American holiday. AS such it ought
to appeal to our highest instincts of
patriotism. During the last century
not few decidedly un-American in
/ fluences have insinuated themselves
/ into our American life.
There was a time when America
had a sabbath. But today there is a
very widespread and insistent move
ment to replace it with the European
Sabbath, which is void of all rever-
Ience and all worthy worship and praise
In view of the all but universal dis
position to devote Gods day to pleas
ure and the pursuit of profit it needs
to be said with all emphasis that when
this nation forsakes the Sabbath and
the God of the Sabbath, the day Of
the nations decay is at hand.
Thanksgiving is distinctively a re-
ligious holiday. 1t carries in it the
thought of God, and God is the most
fagrantly neglected factor in our mod
ern American life. Business is too
universally barren of God. Much that
passes for society is without God.
Education too frequently presumes to
reckon without God. Even churches,
Peoples Churches" and "Churches of
the World" try to get on without God.
In our pride and prosperity we boast
of our independence of God. Yet every
one is absolutely dependent upon God.
The whole world would starve in
single twelve-month were it not for
the harvest covenant of the covenant
keeping God. Starvation is only IL
months away from America, the most
favored nation in the world. Europe
is only six months ahead of starva-
ton. But India is only thirty days in
advance of starvation. What does this
mean? 1t means that if there should
be just one crop-failure throughout
the world the last man and the last
woman, and the last child in all the
world would perish from hunger in
single year. Where is there room
for any pride of independence?
This day ought, therefore, to be
kept sacred to worship and praise. 1t
should never be dedicated to unbridled
license or unrestrained carousal. II
thanksgiving stands for anything, it
stands for the public and private ac-
knowledgement of earth's obligation
to God, and to suffer this sentiment to
be slain in the house of self-gratifca-
tion and self-indulgence, is to inflict
a most serious wound upon the ma
tion and the nations flag and also to
offer an offence to God who has cloth
ed the nation with blessing and grac-
ed the flag with glory. Some one