Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1918-11-29
Union Service Crowds Presby-
terian Church, Where Metho-
dist Pastor breaches
THIS THANKSGIVING
UNLIKE ALL OTHERS
Preacher Calls Attention To Spe-
cial Object OF Thanks And
Points To New Duties

yesterday by joint service OF the ma
jority of the churches of Annapolis.
the audience crowding the Presbyter-
ian Church. The sermon was preached
by Rev. L. NJ Bennett, pastor of Mary
land Avenue Methodist Episcopal
Church, and the following took part
in the services:
Rev. Maurice 5. White, pastor of the
Presbyterian Church: Rev John S.
Sewers. minister of the College Ave-
nue. Baptist Church. DR.. III. Wilson
Burgan. pastor of the First Methodist
Episcopal Church; Rev A. f. Owens.
pastor of Trinity Methodist Episcopal
Church, South. and Rev. G. r. Hahn.
pastor of ST. Martins Evangelical
Lutheran Church. The congregations
of all these churches were represented
in the audience.
The preachers text was from 18th
Psalms. 18th to 14th verses: What
shall / render unto the Lord for all
His benefits towards me? / will take
the cup of salvation, and call upon
the name of the Lord. ! will pay my
VOWS unto the Lord now in the pres
ence of all his people.
AT the opening of his sermon, Mr..
Bennett said that he felt the tremen-
dous responsibility that was upon him
in being called to deliver the message
at such time. The note of this
Thanksgiving, he said, was different
from that of previous occasions. when
the people met to give thanks for fine
crops of harvests, the abundant pro-
ducts Of mine and factory and COM
merce. The occasion goes deeper than
all this, he said, for today we give
thanks for the cessation OF the awful
bloodshed that has been going on for
more than four years, and because the
great majority of our soldiers are un-
hurt and will soon return TO us. God,
he said, has been very good to us. and
has brought the war to a close sooner
than any of us dared TO believe
The world. he said, had been con-
fronted with much of the kind of thing
that had confronted Jerusalem from
the Assyrian. The Assyrians, he said,
were the Germans of those days, and
Hezekiah. though his terms had been
met, had broken his agreement, and
camped up against Jerusalem. But
the Angel of Death went into his camp
that night and slew 10000, and
caused the rest to flee in panic. It
was this thing, he said, that caused
the writing Of the Psalm, from which
the text was taken, and which should
be the spirit of the present Thanks
giving.
While the war was in progress and
when many of the terrible things of It
were occurring, the preacher said that
many were asking, the question,
Where is God?" and were saying that
Christianity had failed. Now the
answer had come. and il had been
shown that Christianity had not failed,
and that God had not lost his hold on
the things of the world, but would
work them out for his own ends and in
his own time
God showed his connection with the
things of the world in three ways, Mr.
Bennett said-as a consuming fire, a
voice and as cupbearer The fire
was not TO be stopped. and would con-
sumo thrones and nations and peoples
that deliberately opposed his will. He
speaks by words and by deeds, and
happy the people who will listen to
his words. Finally, as a cupbearer, he
puts he cup of salvation to the lips Of
those who will receive it. France, he
said, had been drawn TO God as never
before, and he quoted the words of a
gifted and famous atheist who, in the
face of the sorrow that had inflicted
his country and the need of strength
that was greater than human strength,
took back all that he had written, and
pleaded with France for return to its
early religious faith.
In this connection, the preacher
spoke of the wonderful opportunity
which the war had opened up to Chris
tian people to take the cup Of religion
to the people Of all the world The
world, he said, would never be the
same, and its experience had made it
ready to learn the things that God
would have it learn. Our armies, he
said, have made the world safe for
Christ. We have heard much talk OF
the League of Peace. Let us so live
that the world shall belong to the
Prince of Peace
The preacher said that when he
thought of the great mission Of Christ
in the world, and what religion could
do for people. he felt that we had
merely been trifiing with the great
thing which had been given to us. He
closed with an earnest appeal to
Christians to live closer to God. to
commune with him in prayer and to
bear their part in the great opportuni-
ties which were to come of spreading
the influence Of Christ throughout the
world