Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-11-24
TALMAGE
SERMON
By Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE. DID,.
Pastor of Jefferson Park Presby-
terrain Church, Chicago

century are wildly sketched in this
sermon by Rev. Frank De Witt Tai
mage on the text Psalm C. 4, "Be thank
ful 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 "In-
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 Mayhower, whose sacrifices made
the pilgrims first Thanksgiving day
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
cur noble ancestors, whose names have
made the Plymouth colony immortal,
we should never cease to thank God
Tor 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 few
days ago, appointing the day when the
0utumnal queen of American festivals
shai 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
nrst Thanksgiving day was really a
harvest home festival. On that men,
orable morning the new governor-for
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 a home day, as a day
or 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:
sour 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
tions, 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. AnC
they went out and killed five deer
which they brought to the plantation
and bestowed upon our governor anC
upon Captain Miles Standish and 9th
ers. And although it be not always
60 plentiful as it was at this time will
as, yet by the goodness of God we ar
50 far from want that we often wisl
you partakers of our plenty"
The First Thanksgiving.
Yes, even among all their sorrow
and troubles the pilgrim fathers ha'
many, many blessings surrounding
them on that first Thanksgiving day
And 1t is to catalogue some of thei
ancient blessings, as well as some o
the multitudinous blessings of our ow
time, that preach this sermon.
The pilgrim fathers rejoiced in re
ligious liberty. They rejoiced that the
could not only worship Christ in thei
own way md according to their ow
belief, but also because as Congregi
tionalists they could select their ow
pastors and elders and deacons an
have their own kind of church go'
eminent. 1t was in order to win tn
religious liberty that the little band {
pilgrims first endured the persecution
In the village of Scrooby, England.
was to win this kind of religious lii
erty that in 1909 they emigrated frol
the English shores and became exile
In Amsterdam. 1t was in order to WI
this religious liberty that the lit
band of pilgrims in 1910 broke ava
from Amsterdam and, under their pa
tor, the famous John Robinson, wei
TO Leyden. and 1t was in order to W
this religious liberty that the immort
102 passengers Of the Mayfiower fins
II crossed the seas and emigrated to
new and unknown world. Religio,
liberty means more than life and col
fort ard money to strong, consecrat'
men. Ii means their combined tel
poral and spiritual existence. 1t mea
ird ~ y,