Evening star., 1917-11-24
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.
ways done whom wealth is quickly &C
cumulatod.

ways dono Wnon wealth Is QUICKLY &C
cumulated.
In the contest that took place for the
adoption Of the Constitution. when each
Of the colonies and the adherents Of
tho various religious bodies were
jealous Of one another. He guided our
ernment wherein both church and
state recognised their mutual interde-
pendence and their independence. This
has made America, with its many
the world. The failures of the nation
from religious point Of view may be
claimed by many. but the deep and
abiding spirit Of America is recogni-
God. who created all men equal and
endowed them with certain inaliena-
BILE rights" including life. liberty and
the pursuit of happiness" He has
caused the nation always to battle only
for freedom just as today our men are
engaged in the final struggle between
autocracy that oppresses and democ-
racy that enables all to have an op-
portunity personally to develop and do
Gods will. The Lord of hosts is sure
The patriotic psalmist identified him.
self with his nation. He recognized
his oneness with them In their sin and
iniauity which the Lord had con-
children" SO God had extended His
grace to them because they were Pc
culiarly His people; therefore He had
blotted out their sins. This unmerited
their condemnation. pardoned their
shortcoming and given them another
chance, because God was in a peculiar
sense the nations Father. In his view
of Jehovah as father the psalmist
sounded for the first time the note
that filled the message Of Jesus with
hope for men. While the Old Testa-
ment frequently refers to Gods love,
this Is the only reference found in its
records that refers to the fatherhood
1t almost distinctive Christian mes
sage. especially with it's emphasis upon
the everlasting love. mercy and the
throne of God. which calls for uni
versal gratitude.
The contrast presented between the
Fathers everlasting love, grace and
power, and mans fraility and iniquity
filled the psalmist with sorrow as he
recalled his own weakness. wayward-
ness and wanderings. The strain OF
melancholy does not last long when he
Is hlled with his conception Of Gods
character. so that he summons the
innumerable angels of the Lord, the
vast unseen heavenly host to unite with
all OF Gods creative works in nature
to join in singing great oratorio that
would fill the earth and the heavens
with the praises of the Lord, who
heavens, and His kingdom ruleth over
all"
During several years past our hearts
have been saddened by the brutal and
uncalled-for war which Germany has
forced upon the earth. When our ma
tton. following the time-honored Gus
tom OF It's history. assemblies In its
various meeting houses next Thurs
day to render thanks unto God. the
American people ought to thank Him
for what remains. in spite of the Huns
efforts to crush by his great military
machine. for there still abides in the
hearts Of men the desire to save
democracy to such an extent that the
love OF freedom exists under the very
that has filled the world with the hor-
rors of war.
Let the nation rejoice for the abid-
Ing faith that America possesses that
through the supremacy Of the divine
rule in the affairs of men permanent
peace will finally come that will en-
able all men to live in the world as
brothers through their faith in the
Lord. The advance OF the temperance
army and the marvellous protection
given to our armed forces that have
gone over the seas to battle for free
dom demand that we praise the Lord
II is a subject for thanksgiving that
the nation has not been moved by any
selfish or sordid desire. but because OF
Americas love of justice and liberty
that she has answered the call Of hu-
manity and of God to enter the con-
hict for tho right against wrong, SO
that through her sacrifices of men
money and munitions she may heir
bring peace and hasten the coming OF
the universal kingdom. whose coming
is the hope of the world. May God
hasten It in His time