, 1875-11-27

aud not themaclsth that tIelcrrn1neI tho daY.
Now what in tho great fshturo OF our 1hankcyiv-
ing-Day1 IL II not that II aIwayn hatl ami yrt
LAS, i.s ayos o t,aein, not IN huY ertrapri1pary
jnctlents. btt In Tho national sear'y hencfac-
ttona and fncrcIos nf AlnJght7 Onl7 Tl,srofore
our annual ThAnksEivlnR-nay Ia neither in Is
origin fton Now England. nor In jts character Ia
Again. did orr civil rulers establish ti,fs s'ay
nmong us7 Wo fayn already senn That Thanks.
gs.tng-D Day for tho fruits nf thu earttI had its
origin IN tho will of DAD and that pnEpctuity OF
ssnes"'s soness s srs" do 70 ,a s d y s Ssjss 5S
obeuryan"c Of tlo day. Among tho
earliest national lolngs in tllIa land not only Ia
skn'wrle'lgo Of That csssblIahcd grateful reia-
Ia publicly anh practically acknowledged. What
meant tl,d appointment Of days OF Thanksgiving
by ConErohs from l770 10 17H5 bnt thle Aoknow'-
otgsnont7 BIT did Couzroau entabIis!, TAaaks-
givinH-l}hy either annual or other7 Mo. Il rnT-
ernntlg accepted such daya ~ already an carly
appointed part uf tho Christian schomn. and It
devnHt'y used anl enforced thdin M ait oVorlah-
s nty of to Christian lIto II made 70 no r.. A..
For AZ thu Puritan held himself forbidden by
tho srr'rtureH to arrange Anch dhss, anti thnro-
fnro wauIi not arrange thon1; SO Col,grota know
S ss aac,S H 70 .oynS ot ao '0
ci'hor OF religion or any part nf rnliGinn. it
Inauc no enactment. Thankagsing. "as ac-
ccptni observed, and recommended By Congress,
but 1t waa not hY C0ngrcsa established.
Yol It waa established i.o.c and In early years,
but by wl,om2 IL tbs Church. l.y 1t a fixed
day wna not apart for tl,o auuual observance Of
tho Ereat festival. aud m RMch enactment was
lna,1a by tho othor religious and Protestant
taat its dyinelv enforcel obscsyauco WAS snalo
hero obligatory Mnon Christian people, /. was
so carly Al tho autumn Of 1733 lt1 At tlla first
1cnorat Convention OF tho Church, that 1t WIS
TIL. As.$
every year. forever, shall 10 observed hy this Church
=. iay Of general Thanksgiving 70 Almighty Col, for
tho flts nf the rarth. and for all tho Ulher bcsangs
of Ills Fneretfu! pgo.!denee.
Hero you Will observe that caro- was taken not
to entarEn, not to GlGiuIhh, hut only royerontly
to roioat, tho Divine ordinance, Not a delegate
was prcaont from No" England. Tho dolcgatos
wore from New York, Now Jersey. Pennsylvania,
Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, anI South Caro-
liua.
1hcn daya Of national thanksgiving wcro not
introduced into shia land al a ne,s religious
duty, but AZ duty already essabliH!,cI reaching
back through Tho centuries, isa existence and All.
thorty IN lhn appointment Of Hod. Hncl, days
we're not introduced into this land through Now
England Of by tho Pnrltans, but BY tho early
genetal religloltsness Of our whole people; and
ne,thes by tho Fnrtans nor by Tho civil su.hori-
tics wna our American Thanksgiving Day fixed
and established, but that was plainly au1 cor
tainty dono BY tho Church.
Tho journal Of tho Conyontion Of 17a5 docs
not plainly show wilstber any service for lhanks-
giving. Day WAS net apart in tina: year. Tho
journal Of tho next Convention {li13) shows
TINT Tho 1ionhea of BsahnpH and clerical and 1ay
deputies wero engaged IN con eidering, altering,
and maturing a,icl soryico. which mtst lavo
baon prcsouted III 1855. The trcsty OF praco
concluding our Revolution waa made with Great
Britain iu the autumn OF 1883. Early In 1854,
the first form in this land for psrpotual day Of
thanksgiving annually was arranged hr Chu.el-
men In Virginia, with whom Washington AMI
other leadoro In tho Revolution co-o2etatcd.
This form Wca probably carried to tho Church
Convention OF 1855, for tt Ia mainly tho ehni
form now In use.
Al the Convention Of 1889. in addition to tho
Statea already mentioned. delegates wcro PROS
ont from Connecticut, Massaclu >et's, aud Ncw
Hampshire, b4shop Seabnry taking d full part IN
forming TINT service.
And here, in passing, let me remark that It Is
worth remembering that tue custom Of the Pres
it"nt Rottlng aside special day Tor thanks-
giving was not introduced by President Lincoln.
Gen. Wnshipgton's first Thanksgiving Tlocla-
nation, issued in 1859. This proclamation ie
worry like our special eorvlco for this day, aud
was undoubtedly shapod By tue service Which
and pcoplo Of Virginia. And over since 1850
tho Church hiss read tho sorvico for IN annual
Lbgislng-Day. as now Btaadn0 In tho
PRAYER. nook, only that the day Of tho week iH
altered from Tueaday to " the frat Thurgday In
November, or on auob other day as shall be ap-
pointed b7 tho civil authority"
This Is Church. law, our Thanksgiving Day
neTor having been left to the capriccs Of thn
popular wisl ncr to The possible indner-
onco Of lhone In authority. tho annual recur-
renee aud tho annual observance OF our national
day Of thanksgiving 10 based on law-that tho
last ThntsJay Of November IN every year. for
ever. shall bo kopt as such day. Tho Church has
mover d:Ahonored her onphatio Language. nor
haa Hho over changed it. Whenovor her n1em-
bcrn baro diesogarded or forgotten tho law. it
has beon whore ingratitudo or worldliness las
lncrussed tho heart or has submerged faith.
A.