CWRT9TTAM HKRALD.
9
Thanksgiving Sermon.
men,has led us away from the true land of ours. There are many army, and they were saved from
Delivered by Prof. .1. Durham, at Williams Cal.. {sole star of our nation’s success strange events occur in the affairs Cornwallis ; and God sent a storm
Nov. 30, 1882. .
and glory. Some form of govern of men that after the lesson has at the siege of Yorktown to pre
“ I will praise the name of God with a song ment has always existed; God has been written it is easy for us to vent the retreat of the British
and will magnify him with thanksgiving.” Ps.
given man the foundation of read it. At the close of the ten across York river. And when Gen.
oiilfnrfnien wonid fiWIM ttWfAird’ftjrtt*-•
jjoVernmen
t, The '■princtfffcsnriU 1H wp ® T WWIICTWU LuBain ei they uu p po i iud Wftwhingtnu was found in, imroeti
gootlness, and for his wonderful works to the
children of men.” Ps. 107 : 8.
it being left in the hands of man the followers of Christ were all prayer for the success of the
The idea of a thanksgiving day as to’its exact form, but when that crushed out, but when Constantine A'mèrican ' cause, a . British officer
was first suggested by the Feast of government is thus formulated God came to the throne, he said he saw
said, “ We will never be able to
Ingathering at" the end of the holds man responsible for its a representation of the cross of
conquer that man.”
year as was enjoined upon the management, for a government is Christ in the air enclosed in with
Now let us see what has been
children of Israel. “ And the feast for the “ punishment of evil doers the words “ hoc vinci,” by this you
of harvest. the first fruits of the and for the praise of them that-do si i all c onq uer. Tlie'persenitîbns the result of this great problem.
labors, which thou hast sown in well.” “ Reverence to God is the ceased. The Christians were simply w v utoc isv, a iree ciiurcn ; mid, a
the field; atld the feast of in- tap root of all true patriotism," for renting. The dark ages came on, free government ; 3rd, an equaliza
gathering which is in the end of “ happy is that nation whose God a dark pall, gloomy and sad en- tion of society, with the lad lot box
the year, when thou hast gathered is the Lordf ' and these who as slirouded. the world of mind ; but as the national safeguard. This
in thy labors out of the field ” Ex. semble and live out these thank*, .in the course of time, in the login nation has no Westminster Abbey,
23: 16. Thanksgiving has been are the salt of the Republic.- Many ning of the eleventh -century, the a spot wherein is concealed the
observed in Europe for about 400 will spent this day in the many crusades crumbled the opposing dust of kings. No, America needs
years. The first ever observed on whirl and Bacchanalian.. revelry forces, and as things melted away none, it may matter little where
the American continent was after and call it all thanksgiving service, the church emerged from the mist the dust of her heroes rest so their
.the first harvest in the colonies at but with such God will not be well and gloomy shades, Then the great good deeds are a living entity in
Plymouth in 1621, yet we will not pleased, for all worship, to l>e Reformation followed, led by tin* hearts and lives of a free
ignore the fact, that in 1620, when acceptable to him, must be in har Luther and others. .Luther shrank people. . We look around us at our
the May Flower dtopped into that mony with his nature. ' A nation from the idea of departing from the own happy land an<l see what slier
lovely harbor, and, for tl ic fi rst or people that stands out opposed ~Tëfr>7nn <>f his fathers, but th>d wa s has wrought out for the world.
time, the hand of the white-matt- To Ins design will not ■ prosper. in- the- movement, tdiu clbuds^uf. She has given her public school
drove the Atlantic’s murmuring Certain influences will arise that .superstition were to l>e riven and
billows against old Plymouth rock, will prostrate thdir power and their the scroll of darkness thut hung Japan, which, till ’71, was closed
against other nations. She has
while the receeding wavy left the pride.
over the pure word was to l»e torn given to thé world the telegraph,
ocean’s briny tear of joy dangling
“God moves in a mysterious way,
away, and in time God sent the the steamboat, tire telephone,- the
His wonders to perforin ;
to the rocky crag, to greet the
Wesleys and Campbells to America electric light, and a thousand other
lie plants his footsteps on the sea,
morning sunbeam which was too
to prepare the minds for deeper
And rides upon the storm.”
of the grandest improvements and
glad to form the gilded bow of pro
piety
and
to
take
the
Bible
alone
Ohl Babylon got in the way of
discoveries, that have appeared on
mise, to those noble Puritan sires
as
the
religion
of
Protestants
Thus
who, with gladdened hearts and God’s will, and her king, Nebuchad was the plan fast being executed the earth. Her natural resources
footsteps light and free, leaped nezzar, was made' to dwell with the for the préparation of this lain I for and position on the glbbe, make her
the gem of the ocean. And as a
upon the new world, kissed the beasts and cat grass as the ox, and the Gospel in its purity.
So the God fearing and God loving peeple,
his
son,
Belshazzar,
made
a
great
sod, dedicated it to God and his
United States stands to-< lay as the
Here Hyacinth said on his eve of
glory, sang their first song of fca^t and praised the gods of gold advance guard of invention
and departure to his French home, “ I
and
silver,
and
that
night
his
des
praise, and offered the first prayer
Christianity, and should we not,
will go and tell my people what a
of thanksgiving to the Giver of all tiny was given in a hand writing kind friends, come together
with
nation you have here who honor
good for this land of the free and on the wall. Soon was that king thankful hearts. Josephus
says
home of the brave, and then bared dom brought to desolation. Rome when the Jews were subject to the God artd revere the Bible.” So
their foreheads for the heavenly rose to be the mistress of the world, Romans that two times a day they when foreign immigration comes in
benedictions of the angels of the but “ loose revelry, and riot bold,” offered prayer for the Emperor they are Americanized, and the
led her nobles; and vice and folly
Romanists see this, hence thev
Most High.
God’s purposes cannot l»e opposed,
marked
each
footstep,
and
where
is
want to overthrow' our public
In New England, in July, 1623,
so he lias always had a praying and
Rome
to-day
?
A
thing
of
the
school system, for they know the
I
a day of fasting and pra/er Was ap
thanksgiving people somewhere
past,
now
only
being
exhumed
from
second generation will l>e Protes
pointed on account of a drowth ; a
whom
he
would
guard.
When
the
rain came abundantly while they the debris of ages, while history May Flower started for America, tants. Gladstone said, “ The balance
were praying, and Gov. Bradford marks her l>y her classic bards and God sent a storm that stranded the of trade is in favor of America ”
appointed a day of thanksgiving heroes of the forum. Three hun French fleet that followed the pil Loqk at England, our mother, she
which was observe*! with religious dred years before Christ, Epecurus, grims, and Puritanic strictness was ought to be the happiest of all,
services; and an annual thanks an old Athenian philosopher, arose not entirely disfavored by oui mistress of the sea, the sun always
giving was observed during the with his followers, with the belief Heavenly Father: it was to be shining on her territory some-
Revolution, but no national ap that pleasure was the chief good, crystalized .into the national heart where, and her civilization every-
pointment was made till after the and that life was a chance, and for a purpose. Through the Révolu where ; but she is oppressed in
general thanksgiving for peace in there are many Epecureans now tion we can see plans being con- finance; the laboring classes at
1784; and the first national ap who have the same motto, “ Eat, sumated. The ragged regiment home and in (Ireland crying for
pointment was made by Washing drink and be merry, for to morrow that Gen. Gates w-as ashamed of bread, with oppression and starva
ton in 1789 for the adoption of the we die.” And I doubt, not that was raised up to help defend oui tion at the door, her farmers in dis
were we, as a nation, to take this
tress and her urtizans packing tlibir
constitution.
__ __
We need to stop our business, for our motto, that the hand writ liberties, and each drop of blood tools and turning to our “.Land of
occasionally and express bur nation ing of our destiny would soon be from the feet ’ of Washington’s the .Free and home of the Brave.”
army at Valley Forge was a seed oi
al thanks—like a ship at sea, we seen on the wall of tins great Re
Across the channel, go to France,
should examine our log-book that public. It seems very plain that American . lilierty. God sent the the home of Lafayette, a Republic,
we may know whether the political God was working out a plan in the heavy rains that raised the Cataw- but with a lack
that m<i>al
t
ba
behind
the
retreating
American
’
counsel
of
his
own
will
for
this
tide that sweeps over the affairs of .
principle and godly reverence that