Arizona republican., 1915-11-29
THANKSGIVING
 LESSON TAUGHT
Sermon By Rev. George R. Varney of First Baptist Church. "The Relation of Men to God and To- ward One Another"

The congregation of the First Bap- tist church listened to 2a interesting instructive and uplifting Thanksgiving sermon by the new pastor, Rev. George R. Varney last Thursday. His text was taken from I Chronicles 16 and 31st Pro verbs Said Mir. Varney: In this six teenth chapter of First Chronicles We have the account of the ancient thanksgiving service, the occasion of which was the placing of the ark in the tent that David had made for it. The service had d distinctly tWofold relation: upward toward God and downward toward the people. In its upward relation toward God, it con sisted of praise for the past and pc tition for the present. In it's down ward relation toward the people it con- sisted of the presentation of bread to the poor and the proclamation of Gods blessing to the people. It was simply an ancient way Of saving Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbor as thyself' Unless l misunderstood Gods word and our national history our modern Thanksgiving services should partake largely of the character of this ancient one. There should be an upward re- lation toward God and a downward re- lation toward man. In the upward re- lation toward God there should be praise for the past and petitions for the present. In the downward rela- tion toward man there should be the proclamation of the gospel and the giv- ing of our goods for the poor. remem- bering that "Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry and shall not 0e heard :"
 Following a description of the rela- tions of men toward one another. the extension toward one another of kind nesses MT. Varney said. Whether We get into heaven by such methods or rot. We shall at least, bring a little heaven into our lives and that iS Christlike and will not fail of it's re- ward in that day when Christ shall say Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of the least, ye did it unto me Per haps. if we were less anxious to get men into heaven hereafter and more anxious to bring the blessings Of heav- en into the lives of men here. We should he showing more of the spirit Of Christ and would succeed better in winning men to him.
 My supreme thought in all I have said has been that it Is the highest duty and sweetest privilege of the in diviGuaI, the church and the nation to | look to God for help and then to go out l and give self in absolute selfabandon as Christ did, for others. You and I need to learn this lesson in relation to 1 those about us to the country and to l the world The church needs to learn ! it in its relation to the city in which ! it stands. and it's relation to humanity 1 in civilized and heather lands. And | our nation needs to learn the lesson in i it's relation to the rest of the world 1 God has blessed this nation in the past and is leading Us on today not in order that we may build a wall of legis l lation about our country to exclude the l commerce and the people of other i lands. but in order. as Washington ' said, in that first national Thanksgiv- ing proclamation. to render this coun- try more and more. a safe and proof | tious asylum for the unfortunate ot other countries and to impart to al the blessings we possess or ask fol 1 ourselves. to the whole family of man.
 kind.
 Not even the Wilfullv blind can fai
 to see in our national history the work irg of the natural and divine law ot progress. oh, that God would give u. prophetic vision to see that this law o
 progress is simply the means by whicI
 the law of redemption is to prevail When this nation shall raise into that
 higher sphere, as arise it surely vii where it will feel the thrill of the di-
 vine impulse to redeem the world
 there will come with that vision tho
 profound conviction that the work O redemption is possible only in alliance
 with God, and we shall as individual. and as a nation hold to him with
 vital grasp and tug. as never before
 to bring humanity and God nearer to 1 gether. Let Us pray for that visiol
 for the church and for the nation l working q g t,.e. r.r-l,. !,