The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, November 24, 1901, Page 10

10 THE SUNDAY CALL. S we approach the annual Thanks- giving season, what more beautl: ful or appropriate sentiment cou be suggested for the hearty con- ration and quiet meditation of person than that contained exhortation to the church at fving thanks always for all orof all to be thankful to the active source of all bles providence and ipients every in of God's d return of thanks- in ereation, in All are rs which ly God's right, but , and not to render it is God and oneself. It is mely” and “pleasant” both Thanksgiving and t of earth as well owe thanks- It is solacing indeed to think of at least re whole year when, the rigor and v 1l possess to some g spirit. Like the uld come to God of thanksgiving to God and blessing; for is han to recelve.” 1 to glv A came to the altar with festive gladness in their hearts, because peace was established between God and themsel and reconciliation was real- uld we all unite in a y and thanksgiv- , through our 1 pleasure. The raelites were an expres- tude to God, an ac- te power and their reverent f God’s goodness to them, and of e service to him s ancient people of God did ways approach him with requests e with offerings intended ksgiving. ers of God, should seek God when we have requests r when some danger threat- i presses; but there him e and. thanksgiving. en the language of all hall I render unto the toward me?” ' “Thanks be wise sh to render sof gracious bene- time when the ! grace, like the ot rowing out many r full forms? »on all nature to ato God t from man being, unless gratitude naturally d hu ve and move and vet we find the ebuking Israel for 1g them that put them to shame. lepers cleansed by healing no record is ing of the no doubt b back, pri e came G “noth he excuse which is were thankless and grace- ese two q ies of character hey were hard-hearted ey thankful” is me! for. were f the marks of man’s apos- atitu to man what e ship. A ship should or the sail it car- way can it have the A man with great s but who is without the e and praise tp God is to make shipwreck on the rock A man who realizes his right God will have the right ap- d consideration of the ben- erred upon him and he will know esteem and value them. While ases his sense of re- dependence the 1dea of thanks- sincere and spir n a spirit of thanks 1t is tmpossible hankful in the true and thanks- ip, for while existence finite In power and art denies his existence. it would not_be ac- se it was not offered anksgiving without faith and beca s The Psalmist O Lord, my G w for great has been thy mercy toward me.” We find then that the thankful heart is the most worshipful, for the spirit of & is the predominating element which is the essence of true Worship is only acceptable to nen it is the joyous expression of c nd reverent heart. It is then n is brought under the spiritually power of God, whom he raise,” said one, “is the rent d, and the larger the farm 1t is to be feared fine farms from which he receive or no rent. “In everything giye anks, for this is the wil God concerning you.” e we have appointed and convenient ving seasons when special atten- d to this obligation, yet the spirit is to become a dis- glving thanks always.” Ac- Faber there was a beautiful g the Jews which Lancisius hilo It is to this effect: created the world he ls what they thought of his hands. One of them re- t . was 8o \35([ and perfect that e thing was wan g to it, n y ere should be created aa:lne:lr) y and harmonious voice, whicl uid 61l all the quarters of the world ssantly with its sweet sound, thus day offer thanksgiving to its to But instead of that one mighty night voice God has designed that every human voice and every living creature and all ‘:1\r<'f' chould hymn forth inces- tiy his praise, “The heavens declare the glory of God :ndk the firmament showeth @is handl- vork. “Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. “There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.” ‘What is needed is the thankful dispo- sition that takes thanksgiving up as a life work and joy, like David, who said: “As long as I live I will praise thee.” Thanksgiving with us is not to be “tran- sient—a fit of music and then the instru- ment hung by the wall till another gaudy day of some remarkable providence make thee take it down,” but our incessant em- ployment, yea our life. Our Lord is to abide in us and we in him. Like Caleb of old, we should acknowledge God’s gra- cious keeping in all the experiences of our lives. He attributed to God’s mercy all that he was; he traced the stream of life, health and strength to this source. “The Lord hath kept me alive,” as he said. Think of the multitudes who live without any thoughts of thanksgiving whatever. It was the law In some old monasterles that the chanting of praise should never be interrupted and that a choir of monks should relieve another in the holy service. How * beautiful the thought. fl}’ it be more than mere sentiment to us, May gratifude become the common spirit of our lives instead of the exceptional im- pulse. “Giving thanks always.” Another beautiful thing "about this thankful disposition is that it learns to be thankful “for all things.” Many are thankful for some things, for great favors, agreeable and pleasant oc- currences of providence and temporal biessings. But when it comes to the little favors of God and man, to the adverse experiences of life and to spiritual and eternal blessings, they show no signs of gratitude. Thankful “for all things”? I beg you have me excused; I cannot go that far with you, they say. He who is only thankful for some things is brother to him who is thankful for nothing. This is the point at which the spirit of thanksgiving with many stops. Here they become very pessimistic. How can a man be thankful for the dark chapters in his life, the deep sorrow that has wrinkled his brow, bent his back and whitened his hair? How can he be thankful for the cares and misfortunes that have blighted his happiness and robbed him of his peace of mind? He can be thankful for these afflictive experiences of life only when he realizes their purpose. We don't requite the physiclan and surgeon for their distasteful medicines and painful cuttings with thanks and praise because we like these things in themselves, but because they are the means to restore us to health. If we would look at the af- flictive experiences of our lives in_ the same light, believing that he who holds our lives in his hands, through them de- signs to rid us of our sins, restore us to spiritual health, and prepare us to be heirs of his everlasting kingdom, then ‘we would be thankful for trouble and sor- row as well as for ease and pleasure, What an {llustrfous example of this faith we have in the life and death of President Willlam McKinley, He lived in the faith that “God's way” is the safe way and that he plans best who plans with God. The spirit of resignation and brave submission manifested in his suf- fering and death was a part of his life. He felt from hi§ young manhood that a higher power was working through him and beyond him, and sometimes, no doubt, seemingly agalnst him, and yet making chapters of a kind of history that was to last. It was easy for such a noble man of God to say in his last hour: “It is God's way. His will be done! This Thanksgiving day finds this country of ours and the whole world under new obli- gations to _be thankful for the life 6f our martyred President. ¥ As there are some trees that will not thrive unless their roots are laid bare, so it is said to be a rare soul that can be kept In any constant order without the smarting remedies incident to this life. How cultivate the thanksgiving spirit? That it may be cultivated is obvious. That all have it in germ and that all should cultivate it is not realized by many as it should be. How to cultivate the thanksgiving spirit, even among the most selfish of persons, is not difficult of solution. Annie M. Tooley say: “It has no narrow creeds or tenets—mo special forms of devotion for the exercise of its influence. It is simply an annual, heaven- born incentive to do good and to make others happy and grateful to our Maker.” One way to acquire this spirit is by human charity and pity. The real thanks- giving spirit sends its prayers in a bas- ket or wagon to the poor widow; it proves its pity with its purse and shows its heart with the palm of the hand. Only when the solemnities of a Thanksgiving day leave such an impression on the people as that they are more careful and cheerful in_doing their duty afterward are they indeed acceptable te God or profitable to man. Some people are llke a bog which tches the surface water of the sur- founding country. but which has no out- let, they have an unlimited cupn(‘.ty,r r receiving and absorbing, but they neves give out to others. The eem b.e:.\ea ,\] the constant stream of God's mercies and their life is full to overflowing, yet I E,» give not to others that which would make them happy. Blessed with plenty of money. heaith and congenial assoclations, they withhoid ‘that from others which might make them happy forever as weél as_themselves. Selfishness and lugr‘dn- tude are conjoined. The selfish life is a narrow and untrue life: it is a stagnang marsh. But how subiime is_the life of the thankful soul who, forgetful of itself. is devoted to God and duty, and wh ‘e brother's good is his good. There IS nothing more divine or Christlike than a man whose whole life is possessed with desire to help others. trall of human life, e dark the forest through which it runs, however many and strong the spiritual enemies that infest his way, his heart is kept in perfect peace, because he feels he is a coworker with God in his great work of bringing men into his kingdom. This is the spirit of brotherhood that will make po-fl%le the dream of Olive Schreiner. Who says: I dreamed I saw a land. and on the hills walked brave women and brave men, hand in hand; and they looked into each other's eyes and were not frald. ."‘..:nd I sald to him beside me: ‘What place is this? 3 “And he said: ‘This is heaven. “I sald: ‘Where is it?” He said: ‘On earth.” And I sald: ‘When shall all these things be?” And he answered: ‘In the fu- ture.” " We have reasons to rejolce that the angels’ carol is being translated into Christian experience—"On_earth peace, good will toward men.” It is sald that the true thanksgiving spirit cements be- ond the fear of dissolution the fraternal inship of Christianized humanity. The urfllh man and the unbelieving man who ignores the sacred obligations of the hristian church and the house of God is standing in the way of the real broth- erhood of man. It is only as the spirit of him who gave himself for us leavens the heart of men and permeates society, that the proper adjustments can be made be- tween capital and labor, the employer and the employe in the economic world. Marianne Farningham, in the Chris- tlan World, expresses this great truth in the following lines God's world is very large, Ours is so small; Our love is for our own, His love for all. The Father's light and love No change can dim; Why bave his children grows So unlike him? Faces careworn and bard, Hearts of unrest, Hands swift to snatch and hold For self the best. Insatiate greed of gold, Luxury, ease— What do the sons of God, Craving for these? Oh, for the love of God, Keep love to man; Study the Father's will, Further his plan. Self-love is never joy, ver knows peace, ve, in the God-like soul Seif-love must. cease. Children of love divine, Learn larger ways; Cherish the nobler life Filled with God's praisa Sorrow will lose its power, Morning will break, If_the heart lose itself For love's dear sake. Another way of cultivating this Thanks- giving spirit is by counting our mercies. We all have more blessings than we are mindful of, but we get so used to them they become common to us and we fail to_appreciate them. We look upon the dews of the evening. or the crops in the harvest. as something regular and customary, , deprived of sel justified in uttering our their bestowal was not 11 forth thankfulness. We daily receive supplies of water and the rays of the sun, and we gaze upon the stars of heaven which God kindles nightly as though they were very com- men things. The very frequency of our blessings and the regularity of their coming make them common to us and lead us to forget the Giver. We accept many of our blessings God gives us as If they 'vwre not sent Mapy are prone to dwell upon their sorrows and rehear: m who never count God’s mercies to them. None are so- skilled in numeration as to be able to count all God's exhibitions of goodness, which are as numberless as the sands by the seashore. Oliver Wendell Holmes gives us a beau- tiful and suggestive illustration of the thankful heart, ing abundant mercies. o one should give u: re were particles iron in it, I might look with my them and search my clumsy fingers and be unable to find them; but let me take a mag and sweep and how it would draw to itself the most in- visible partic mere power of at- traction. The heart, like my finger in the no mercies, but let the th: u weep through the day, and, the magnet 3 fron. so it will find in every hour some heavenly bl ngs! only the irom in God's sand is gold Then count your many blessings. name them one by one. and you will find much to be thankful for. Jesus taught that a man’s life does not consist in the abund- ance of the things he possesseth. It is not the abundance a man has that makes him thankful: it's being faithful in that which is least. Thankfuiness, like justice and truth, is the companion of the soul, A sunny spirit is always a thankful spirit, and to look on the bright side of things is a fair way to cultivate the grate- ful heart. If we were just as quick to hunt for the bright places In life as we are for the dark ones we would find less use for sighing. We might mention one more way mn Wwhich to cultivate the Thanksgiving spir- it, and that is by considertng the rela- tive importance and value of the things seen and unseen. The constant apprecia- tion of the brevity of life and the hops of Immortality will rob Iife of its drudgery and make it worth living. We are told that over the triple doorways of the whire marble cathedral of Milan there are three Inscriptions spanning the splendid arches. Over one is carved a beautiful wreath of roses and underneath s the legend, “All that which pleases is only for a moment."” Over the other is a sculptured cross, and these are the words, “All that which troubles is but for a moment.” Over ths great central entrance, in the middle aisle, is the tnseription. “That only is which is eternal.”” To live in the light of these reat facts will develop a thankful heart. he hope of the life which is to come makes this life worth living. The belief “‘that life here and now has its roots in immortality, that here and now we have close kinship with heaven, and that t purposes and hopes that animate us t day. instead of being de: shall find their completior fruition in the realm beyond death,” will crown life here with joy and gladness and you- der with glory. Cultivating this upward look toward life and immortality beyond the grave is to bring Into our lives a sweeter and richer consclousness of the heavenly world: rob our lives of much of their bit- terness and lighten the shadows which bereavements have cast over our path- way. It Is an inspiration to live In an- ticipation of reaching the city which hath foundations, where we shall be reunited with “those whose bark sped out into the night and over the sea, while we stood weeping upon the shore. May Thanksgiving day find us enter- ing into “peace with God” by bringing to him the “sacrifice of peace offering,™ which is “a broken spirit” and “a broken and a contrite heart.” ‘And while we call home our dear ones and hold our family reunions around all our hearthstones, while we render to God services of praise and thanksgiving for the bounteousness of the harvests and of our general prosperity, may we also give ourselves to deeds of brotherly kindness and loving charity, endeavoring to “give back the upward looking and the light™ to the sorrowing and to “rebufld in thens the music and the dream.” How appropriate are Addison’s lines: ‘When all thy mercies, O my God, My rising soul surveys, Transported with the view, I'm lost In wonder, love and praise, i - However lonely mH however deep an Y L E