The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1902-11-28
TALMAGE
SERMON
By Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE. DID,.
Pastor of Jefferson Park Presby-
terrain Church, Chicago

and the contrasts of our approaching
anniversary with that celebrated by
the pilgrim fathers of the seventeenth
century are wildly sketched in this
sermon by Rev. Frank De Witt Tai
mage on the text Psalm c, 4, "Be thank
full unto him."
Thanksgiving day of 1920 is our theme
today. Plymouth rock is the pulpit.
The mighty trees of the American for
ests are the massive pillars of the sane
tuary. Our dome is the blue skies of
the heavens. The sunshine of the I'm
dian summer" which derived it's name
from the time of Massasoit's visit to
the Plymouth colony to be the pilgrims
guest on their first Thanksgiving day,
shall be our illumination. The waves
of the fathomless deep, with their white
fingers Of foam playing upon the many
keys of projecting rock, shall lead in
our singing. The bold, bluff hillsides
overlooking the harbOr of Plymouth
shall be our auditorium. And we shall
gather within these four walls as wor-
Slippers the stern faced, iron muscled
and godly voyagers of the little sailing
ship Mayaower, whose sacrifices made
the pilgrims first Thanksgiving day a
possibility. Surely, if Governor Brad
ford and Elder Brewster and Captain
Miles StandiSh and Edward Winslow
and Isaac Allerton and John Alden
and that little band of twoscore and
ten men and women and children had
anything to be thankful for 2S1 years
ago we Americans now living ought to
welcome the Thanksgiving day of 1902
with open arms. After the example of
our noble ancestors, whose names have
made the Plymouth colony immortal,
we should never cease to thank God
for the goodnesses and the mercies he
has shOwered upon us and our land
during the past twelve months.
The proclamation which President
Theodore Roosevelt sent forth a few
days ago, appointing the day when the
autumnal 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 Brad
ford gave to the pilgrim fathers and
mothers in the autumn of 1921. The
first Thanksgiving day was really a
harvest home festival. On that men,
Orable 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 a religious service was held.
There the psalms were sung There
the prayers were offered. There Elder
William Brewster 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 home day, as 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 participants,
wrote in reference to that day:
"Our harvest being gotten in, our
governor, William Bradford, sent four
men on fowling, so that we might re-
joice after a special manner, after we
had gathered the fruits of our labors
At which time among other recrea-
lions, 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 feasted And
they went out and killed five deer,
which they brought to the plantation
and bestowed upon our governor and
upon Captain Miles Standish and 9th
ers. And although it 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 catalogue some of their
ancient blessings, as well as some of
the multitudiEous blessings of our own
time that preach this sermon.
The pilgrim fathers rejoiced in re-
hgious liberty. They rejoiced that they
could not only worship Christ in their
own way and according to their own
belief, but also because as Congrega-
tionalists they could select their own
pastors and elders and deacOns and
have their own kind of church gov
eminent. 1t was in order to win this
religious liberty that the little band of
pilgrims first endured the prosecutions
in the village of Scrooby, England 1t
was to win this kind of religious lib
erty 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 Amsterdam and, under their pas
tor, the famous John Robinson, went
to Leyden, and it was in order to win
this religious liberty that the immortal
102 passengers of the Mayfower final
ly crossed the seas and emigrated to a
new and unknown world. Religious
liberty means more than life and COM
fort and money to strong, consecrated
men. 1t means their combined tenn
poral and spiritual existence. 1t means
so much that, though one-third of that
memorable pilgrim band died the first
month 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 Mayfiower 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 century and a