Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1869-02-16
The First New England Sabbath

The following is an extract from a
work entitled journal of the Pill.
grims at Plymouth, 1920" The work
is by Rev. DR.. Cheever of New York !:
That island is very sacred spot.
We would put monument there soon-
er than on Bunker Hill-a monument
to God. to the Sabbath, to the faith of
the pilgrims, to the hidden life of So
cial, civil and religious freedom, of
which the Sabbath is the safeguard.
A monument there where. spiritually,
the first battle was fought and the
first victory gained on this northwest
ern continent against the powers of
darkness, against the spiritual wick
edness, in the high places of earth
and of the soul.
Verify, if we may suppose the ene-
my of God and man looking on and
watching that movement that Sab
baths work, that Sabbath's reverent
and submissive stiffness, and prayer,
and praise, land why may we not :?
tor not alone in civilized Europe was
the god of this world supreme and
busy, but here, from one of the CONT
tinent, in savage rites he and his wor-
ship;) if we may suppose the enemy
Of mankind gazing when that island
was first trodden by the pilgrim feet,
awe-stricken would he and his hosts
have beheld the solemn employment
of that day!
1t was a most wonderful consecra-
tion OF all New England to God, this
religious keeping of the first Sabbath
day spent upon its shores, amid such
storm, such fear, such heart-chilIing
cold and frightful desolation. We
should like to see a granite monu-
ment on that island. and the words in
scribed Oh it, The First Sabbath of
the Pilgrims. We say again, great
er battle was fought and won there
than that on Bunker Hill, and foun-
dauOn of spiritual freedom laid there
without which that last battle for civ
il rights never had been fought, nor
the institutions of freedom in this
country established. That Sabbath
contained the prediction and assur-
ance of success to the infant colony.
1t was God who kept the pilgrims
through that Sab0ath-keeping piety.
They may sneer who please at the
strictness of the puritan Sabbath !;
should its spirit die out of our land,
there might be French fckIeness and
infdelity, and political corruption re-
manning. but the old-fashioned, social,
civil, and etigious virtue and happi-
ness of New England would 0e no
more.
How many a descendant of the pill
grlms, under the pressure of a much
less necessity, has put the claims of
conscience beneath those of expedien-
cy, and made the demands of Gods
institution to wait upon mans con-
venlence ! None to be affected by their
example? And what one movement
or act of those pilgrims, or sentiment,
or opinion, or coloring of life, that will
not exert an influence to the latest
generation They so acted in this
matter of keeping the Sabbath that
the world might initiate them. That
day, kept for God on that island, has
sent down a blessing for all the pos
terity of the pilgrimS-those costly
prayers and praises-a preserving
sustaining influence throughout New
England to make the descendants of
the pilgrims Sabbath-keeping peo.
pie; and none but a Sabbath keeping
people can be truly free.
The above furnishes a complete
: answer to pamphlet issued by the
Parker Fraternity" attacking the
Christian Sabbath.
r The ARCTIC REGIONs.-The follow
ing is btiet report Of a lecture re
Gently delivered upon Alaska and th,
, Arctic regions:
The north pole has never beel