CHALMERS CHURCH.

Timaru Herald, Volume XC, Issue 13237, 18 March 1907, Page 5

CHALMERS CHURCH.

HAKVK.S'T THANKSGIVING. Harvest tliniikrsgiviiig services were held at Chalmers' Church yesterday, 'the church was suitably decorated tor the occasion, villi corn, flowers, and greenery, and a row of (allien in front of the preacher's ]ilatform bore tangible texts for his discourses in dishes'oi' various kinds of fruit. The Kcv. 11. Jackson conducted the services, which in every clement bnrc mii)n the themes of harvest and thanksgiving ; readings, hymns and anthems were selected for their appropriateness, and the discourses dealt with the bounty of the Creator and the creature's' duty to lie grateful therefor. At the 'morning service the address to the children impressed upon them, by means of an old nursery tale, the fact that God is a giver, not a seller of good things; but that good things desired must be properly asked for and thank.'.: duly given for them. The sermon was founded on the text:' " Give us this clay our daily bread," and the pre.icher (rented the subject from many points of view. People who live in the midst of plenty, as is the forluna,le lot. of New Zcalanders, are apt to take their happy condition as a matter of course. A trial of starvation diet has been found to awaken a lively sense of gratitude when relief rune. ■ Man thinks he had a full and .perfect right to all the food he gets because he tills the ground, sows thi? seed, and harvests the crops; but really he has done very little towards producing his store of food. The prayer tmight us by Jesus implied many things.', First:, that ' \yp were to desire enough, but not more than enough, and therein was implied a desire, for equitable distribution, and etpv.il fulfilment of the necessary conditions of sharing in the slock of food. The chief of these conditions was the labour of production, and therefore everyone should do something to earn his or her share. To have a superfluity was as wrong as to have too little. The prayer implied that plain food should bo desired, and experience proved that plain food was the best. ;' Above all the prayer expressed a sense of dependence upon God. It was ii. form, of recognition of the fact that all good things are His gift. Hence followed the duty of gratitude. The parents .whose children left hoitic, and forgot the father and ino'llierWho brought them up. did not want payment for nil That, they had done for their offspring, but did look' for some tokens of gfa<titude, snme tokens of remembrance, and were hurt by the neglect .of,, the .obvious duty of gratitude. F.verypne:,coiild understand that, and that the ingratei were not more but less happy, for,their neglect. So too. men would lie happier fny, feeling grotiHide to God. and'•they, Would ,feel the happier for assemblitig" together to give ii combined expression of their thanks to God for the harvest. Most of them neemed to prefer to give their thanks in Solitude and in silence ; or perhaps they neglected to u'ive thanks at all. ■ : A gift, from a friend wi.-i.s cordially received antl cordially acifimVVedgedr'ir'it-'was'"yrilWdNit all: and the gifts of the Creator should not, be accepted as a matter of course. Special collections were made, as tlimilc offerings, fo.r a fund from which help may be'given to needy members of the congregation, during,'the..,coding "ffinler.