The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-11-30


and the contrasts of our approaching an
niversary with that celebrated by the pill
grim fathers Of the seventeenth century
are wildly sketched in this sermon by
Rev. Frank De Witt Talmage on the text
Psalm c, 4. BE thankful unto him.
Thanksgiving day of 1920 is our theme
today. Plymouth rock is the pulpit. The
mighty trees Of the American forests are
the massive pillars of the sanctuary. Our
dome is the blue skies of the heavens.
The sunshine of the 'Indian summer,
which derived Its name from the Massa-
soits visit to the pilgrims guest on their
first Thanksgiving day, shall be our illu-
mination. The waves of the fathomless
deep, with their white fingers Of foam
playing upon the many KEYS of project
ing rock. shall lead in our singing. The
bold, bluff hillsides overlooking the shar-
Dor Of Plymouth shall be our auditorium.
And we shall gather within these four
walls as worshipers the stern faced. iron
muscled and godly voyagers of tho little
sailing ship Mayfiower whose sacrifice
made the pilgrims first Thanksgiving
day a possibility. Surely, If Governor
Bradford and Elder Brewster and Captain
Miles Standish and Edward Winslow and
isaac Allerton and John Alden and that
little band of two score and ten men and
women and children had anything to be
thankful for 81 years ago we Americans
now living ought to welcome the Thanks
giving day of 1902 with open arms. After
the example OF our noble ancestors.
colony immortal, we should never cease
to thank God for the goodness and the
mercies he has showered upon us and our
land during the past twelve months.
The proclamation which President
Roosevelt sent forth few days ago, APP
pointing the day when the autumnaI
queen of American festivals shall summon
all people to worship at the sacred affairs
OF church and home, was very similar in
spirit to the verbal proclamation which
Governor Bradford gave to the pilgrim
fathers and mothers in the autumn OF
1871 The first Thanksgiving day was
really harvest home festival. On that
memorable morning the new governor
for John Carver the first governor, had
lately died-personally led his people and
guests into the house of worship, where
religious service was held There the
psalms were sung. There the prayers
were offered. There Elder William Brew
ster thanked God that he who had fed
the flying birds and had clothed with fur
the wild beasts of the forests had fed and
clothed and protected them. Then the
rest OF the day was spent as a home day,
as a day of feasting and frolic and fun.
Let me read to you the account which
Edward Winslow, the historian of the
famous colony and one of the partici-.
pants, wrote in reference to that day:
Our harvest being gotten in, our gov
ernor, William Bradford, sent four men
on fowling, so that we might rejoice after
special manner, after we had gathered
the fruits of our labors. At which time.
among other recreations, we exercised
our arms, many of the Indians coming
among us, among the rest their greatest
king, Massasoit, with some ninety men,
who for three days we entertained and
Toasted. And they went out and killed
five deer, which they brought to the
plantation and bestowed upon our govern
or and upon Captain Miles Standish and
others. And although 1t be not always
so plentiful as it was at this time with
US, yet by the goodness of God we are so
far from want that we often wish you
partakers Of our plenty"
The First Thanksgiving.
Yes, even among all their sorrows and
troubles the pilgrim fathers had many,
many blessings surrounding them on that
first Thanksgiving day. And it is to cat
alogue some of their ancient blessings
as we'll as some of the multitudinous
blessings of our own time, that preach
this sermon
The pilgrim fathers rejoiced in religious
liberty. They rejoiced that they could not
only worship Christ in their own way and
according to their own belief but also be-
cause as Congregationalists they could
select their own pastors and elders and
deacons and have their own kind OF
church government. 1t was in order to
win this religious liberty that the little
| band of pilgrims first endured the perse-
cutions in the village of Scrooby Eng
land. 1t was to win this kind of religious
liberty that in 1909 they emigrated from
the English shores and became exiles In
Amsterdam. 1t was in order to win this
religious liberty that the little band of
pilgrims in 1910 broke away from Amster-
dam, and, under their pastor, the famous
John Robinson, went to Leyden, and 1t
was in order to win this religious liberty
that the immortal 102 passengers of the
Mayf1ower finally crossed the seas and
emigrated to a new and unknown world.
Religious liberty means more than life
and comfort and money to strong, conse-
Grated men, 1t means their combined
temporal and spiritual existence 1t
means so much that, though one-thrd OF
that memorable pilgrim band died the
first months after they had landed upon
the American shores and though all at
one time were helpless on account of sick
ness except seven men and women, yet
when the time came for the sailing of the
Mayf1ower back to England not one of the
survivors would return to their old home,
even though Governor John Carver and
the company were ready to let any one
go who would. The spirit which led the
descendants of the pilgrim fathers a CEN
fury and a half later to shed their blood
at Concord and Bunker Hill to prove that
taxation without representation was
wrong and must not exist was that same
spirit which made the pilgrim fathers on
Americas first Thanksgiving day rejoice
in religious liberty. They thanked God
for religious liberty, even though the dead
sleeping upon Burial hill outnumbered the
living. They thanked God for religious
liberty, even though to protect it, they
had to go to church armed. While the
main congregation prayed with their eyes
shut, their sentinels on guard had to pray
with their keen, vigilant eyes wide open.
So, next Thursday, fellow countrymen.
let us thank God for religious liberty.
Let us thank God that when we arise
in the morning we can gather our little
children about the family altar and have
morning prayers without having any
Lord Claverhouse pounding upon our door
or without hearing the tramp of any
HBloody" McKenzie's hirelings ready to
lead us out to execution. When 10 O'clock
comes next Thursday morning and we
hear the bells of Gods sanctuary tolling,