Norwich bulletin., 1917-11-26
INNOVATION AT THE
 CENTRAL BAPTIST CHURCH
Congregation Bows in Silent Prayer While Organist Rendered Star SpansIed Banner.


 SpansIed Banner.
 An innovation was inaugurated at the Central Baptist church on Sunday morning immediately after the scrip ture reading. The orsanist rendered one verse of the Star Spangled Banner while the congregation stood facing the flag and bowed in silent prayer for the success of the nation in the tight for democracy. This innovation from now on will be 8 part of the order Of exercises at both the Sunday morn ing and evening services.
 The pastor, Rev. Arthur F. Purkiss preached a special Thanksgiving ser mon at the morning service. In part Rev. MT. PurkisS spoke as follows:
 No Thanksgiving ever came to the world with more bewilderment and pain than this one. The whole world is on fire. The nations of the world are bleeding at every artery, and noth- ing but ruin faces many of the nations unless the war soon stops.
 Our country is so rich and so power full that she has not yet begun to feel the full strain of the war. but if it continues long she too will stagger under the burden, for the allied nations are looking to us to do what, thus far, they have been unable to do.
 The families of our country are un- der terrific strain, for so many of our boys have gone, and many others will go.
 In this time of world crisis and per sonal crisis it is my desire to dig as deep into truth as we may, and find ourselves and our destinies. It is not that we afraid of suffering. The human race has never been afraid Of suffering, but they want to see some meaning in it all. I want to bring to you the thing that most of all has helped me praying God that it may be helpful to you also.
 l have chosen for our Thanksgiving text-is it not a tremendous one. All things work together for good-on the marginal reading God works all things together for good.
 1. My first proposition is all things are not good.
 phasfze this point. but a blind optirn ism has declared Whatever is,. is right" Gods in his heaven. alls right with the world" The greatest test of faith men have is the presence of evil in unan life. Why should God do this to me?" q can't understand why this should come to me"-just if God were responsible for everything.
 Physical ailments. The laws of our body are perfect, as all other laws of God are. If we should study our phy- sical organism. and the laws govern iEg it, and then sobey those laws, we his wonderful work to the children of men.
 Much of our own misery comes from our breaking the laws of God s is not mocked. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Jacob cheated his brother Esau out of his birthright and his blessing. He cheated I4aban out of his cattle and sheep. So when his ten older sons sold Joseph into captivity and brought sorrow upon Jacobs old age and lied to their father about it, he was only receiving pay ment. ..
 My dear friends, the moral law of this universe is pablo. What you SOW you will reap-sooner or later. The longer the harvest waits the more terrible the harvest is.
 But our most terrible suffering comes not from ourselves but from our loved ones. What your husband does, what your wife does, what your chil- dren do. The innocent suffer more than the guilty. for they have more loved ones is drunkard. Of course he feels a sense of shame, but do you think it is as great as yours, who watch him as he stumb1es in. reeling gone wrong, and of course she isn't happy. No sinner ever is. But is not your misery thousand times greater than hers.
 We are in the midst of world war It was inflicted upon the world by a dia bolical. hellish body of ruling Ger mans. They wanted to extend their borders and rule the world-this is by their own confession. They trampled upon their promises-they treated them as mere scraps of paper. They have shot helpless women and children, they have sunk merchant and passen- ger vessels. they have bombarded cities and towns. hospitals and ty and loud profession of Christ, in this time of unparalleled education and culture, they have done this Why did not God stop tiff he is all power full?
 My friend, you have the wrong idea of God. God gave us freedom of will and we may do what we will. God has so ordered life that man has the power to choose. The old doctrine of the Cmnipotent God has had to be sur rendered to the Christ idea of the suf- fering God. If the Cross of Christ has any significance, 1t is in the fact that God is not attempting to rule the world by force but by the power of a love enough to insure eventual victory.
 ?. Things by themselves do not work out for good.
 Take the early Christian church. Take it's devotion its joy, it's faith, its power. It overran the whole known world and empire crumbled before it's mighty onslaught. But the church had not finished corQuering the world be-
 
 church.. The church Of Christ did conquer heathenism, but heathenism conquered the church, and rank super stftion covered the earth.
 Again, take the Reformation. It was a wonderful piece of work. But creeds became so important and indi- vfdua1 salvation so tremendous thing that the churches quarreled and fought over creeds, and salvation of the soul from hell was preached to such an ex- tent that the great heather world was untouched.
 This great war has offered no new facts. A short trip through the -slums of modern city will show you all tlas desolations of war without war Fre- Quent the. hospitals and 7asylums as have done, go into. the homes of pow erty and sin as II have done, and often into beautiful buildings sometimes misnamed homes as have done, and you will face hell itself J
 B.. How cain man facing a9world like this be thanxfd1?
 |. My job is not tozcomprehend life nor understand it, but to live it. If