Thanksgiving in America

The First Thanksgiving, reproduction of an oil painting by J.L.G. Ferris, early 20th century.

TO ALL YE PILGRIMS

Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this yearan abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, beans,squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made theforests to abound with game and the sea with fish,and inasmuch as He has protected us from the rav-ages of the savages, has spared us from pestilenceand disease, has granted us freedom to worshipGod according to the dictates of our own conscience;now, I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all yePilgrims, with your wives and little ones, do gatherat ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, Novemberye 29th of the year of our Lord one thousand sixhundred and twenty-three, and the third year sinceye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to lis-ten to ye pastor, and render thanksgiving to yeAlmighty God for all His blessings.

William BradfordYe Governor of ye Colony

For over three centuries, on a day inthe fall of each year, most of the inhabi-tants of the United States of Americacease all work, close and shutter theirbusiness establishments, abandon farmwork except necessary chores; and gatherin family homes to join in a day of friend-ship, the point of which is the eating of alarge meal called: “Thanksgiving dinner.”

Nowhere in all the rest of the world isthere quite such a day. Oh yes, manynations and religions have “holidays,”some have scores of them through theyear, but only in the United States is a“Thanksgiving Day” commanded by thecivil authorities; even by a PresidentialProclamation, sanctioned and urged bythe church, and participated in by such alarge percentage of the populace.

And this proclaimed day does not cele-brate some victory in war, nor a momen-tous event of history, nor does it honor along dead national hero; it has but onedeclared purpose, TO GIVE THANKSUNTO GOD!

This is one national holiday which thesecret and open antichrist enemies ofAmerica and Christendom have beenunable to change or subvert to anotherpurpose. Although they may hate andmalign the Christian religion and theUnited States of America, they seem tohave their mouths “stopped” from criti-cism of this NATIONAL HOLY DAY!

Thanksgiving cannot be compared tothe more religious “Christmas,” which hasbecome mostly an organ for the manifes-tation of commercial ingenuity and theselling of cheap goods at high prices.Christmas weeks (sometimes months)long “season,” participated in by the unbe-liever and antichrist for “fun and profit.”No such degrading motives can be

ascribed to those who observe“Thanksgiving Day.” In fact,Thanksgiving Day seems to demandquietness, and a peace before God such asno other day of the year. It is almost a cer-tainty that in millions of homes inAmerica, where none stop to “thank God,”for any meal the other 364 days of theyear, someone is bound to be asked to “saygrace” at the Thanksgiving table beforethe eager children and adults pitch in tosee how much they can consume of thebounty of the land set before them. Andoften, those who demonstrate no piety ofthanksgiving toward God the rest of theyear, either add their thanks, or at leastrefrain from previous blasphemous utter-ings. Editors and cloumnists, who arenon-religious, or even anti-religious, at allother times, write articles commendingthe giving to God thanks for the gooodthings in the land. And millions of chil-dren, who are never taken to church, par-ticipate in a “feast” during which adultsbow their heads to say, or hear, “thanks-giving unto God.”

Why does “Thanksgiving Day” havesuch an effect on our people? Why is sucha “feast” held in America; sanctioned byboth civil and church powers? Why ONLYin America? Just what is this strange andunique ritual in which we participate eachyear? It it related only to our Christianheritage? Or is it perhaps older than theChristian doctrines? Let us examine theBible, and see.

Thanksgiving is Christian

Paul wrote to the Christians at Corint,thanking them for contributions to hisministry and to the poor saints atJerusalem, and said to them, among otherthings: “Now He that ministereth seedto the sower both minister bread foryour food, and multiply your seed

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sown, and increase the fruits of yourrighteousness; being enriched in everything to all bountifulness, (liberality)which causeth through us thanksgiv-ing to God.”

2 Cor. 9:10-11

Their prosperity and abundance inboth material goods and Christian right-eousness was desired by Paul, because, ashe wrote, it brought about “many thanks-givings unto God.”

To the Philippian Christians Paulwrote: “be careful for nothing; (don’tworry about anything) but in everything by prayer and supplication withthanksgiving let your requests bemade know unto God.”

Phil. 4:6

It is not just a case of making God toknow your requests, but to do it with“thanksgiving.”

The Christians at Colosse wereinstructed in this same doctrine: “As yehave therefore received Christ Jesusthe Lord, so walk ye in Him: rootedand built up in Him, and stablishedin the faith, as ye have been taught,abounding therin with thanksgiving.”

Col. 2:6,7

Their being built up in Jesus, and theirestablishment in the Christian faith, wasto be accompanied with “thanksgiving.”

That non-Christian religions are notreligions of thanksgiving is indicated byPaul as he immediately followed theabove with this warning: “Beware lest anyman spoil (rob) you through philosophyand vain deceit, (lies) after the tradition ofmen, after the rudiments of the world, andnot after Christ.” (verse 8) Only theChristians, of all the worlds people, are

taught, and believe, that giving thanks toGod is not only commendable, but theirduty.

If any should think that “thanksgiv-ing” is beneath them as men, they should read" John's written account of his visionof the throne of God in Revelation 7where the angels "stood round aboutthe throne.. Saying, Amen: Blessing,and glory, and wisdom, ANDTHANKSGIVING, and honour, andpower, and might, be unto our God forever and ever. Amen."

(Rev. 7:11-12; emphasis added)

From the very brief references in theNew Testament above, we can be assuredthanksgiving to God is decidedlyChristian. Let us now search in the OldTestament, more correctly called the OldScriptures.

God’s Law CovenantWith Israel

God gave Israel a divine set of laws,statutes and judgments, as recorded inthe Books of Moses in the Bible. The LawCovenant was made with the House ofIsrael at Mount Sinai. God offered tomake Israel “a peculiar treasure untoMe above all people” if they would obeyHis voice and keep His covenant (Exodus19:5). They, as a people, agreed to do so(vs 8), so God gave them the ten com-mandments and other laws, and it wassealed with the blood of a sacrificed bull(Exodus 24:5-8), completing the agree-ment or "covenant". and making it bind-ing upon Israel.

In the midst of this Law Covenant wefind this, "Three times thou shalt keepa feast unto Me in the year. Thou shaltkeep the feast of unleavened bread:(thou shalt eat unleavened bread

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seven days, as I commanded thee,(indicating this feast had alreadybeen given) in the time appointed ofthe month Abib; for in it thou camestout from Egypt: and none shallappear before Me empty:) And thefeast of the harvest, the first fruits ofthy Labours, which thou hast sown inthe field: and the feast of ingathering,which is in the end of the year, whenthou hast gathered in thy labours outof the field." (Exodus 23:14-17)

We are here interested in the thirdfeast, the one at the end of the harvest,but I shall briefly identify the first two forthose who may not know them.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

The first one is familiar to most Biblestudents as the feast following thepassover, here called “the feast ofunleavened bread.” It was first institut-ed on the night Israel was delivered fromEgypt by the slaying of all the first born ofEgypt, and is recorded in Exodus 12. Thelamb was sacrificed, its blood placed onthe door posts of the children of Israel toprevent the angel of death from entering,and they were commanded to eat the fleshof the lamb before morning. They were,also, told to prepare unleavened bread,which was to be eaten for seven days;these seven days being called "the feast ofunleavened bread."

God commanded Israel, "Ye shallkeep it a feast by an ordinance forever." (Ex. 12:14)

The Passover is kept by Christianstoday by the substitution of Jesus Christas "the Lamb of God" (John 1:29,36)who has redeemed us with His Blood "asa lamb without blemish and withoutspot" (1 Peter 1: 19), and as "the Lamb

slain from the foundation of theworld." (Rev. 13:8) Jesus is called "theLamb" 26 times in the Book of Revelation.He is called "our passover" in 1 Cor. 5:7,and the “bread of life” in John 6:32-58and 1 Cor. 10:16-17. Christians acknowl-edge Jesus as the passover Lamb and thebread in the ordinance of communion. Noothers do this.

The Feast of The Harvest

The second feast is less well under-stood in Christendom; perhaps because ofso much preaching against the law bymodern ministers. It is called "the feastof the harvest," and the real clue as towhat it is follows, "the firstfruits of thylabours." It is very simply the tithe, thetenth of one's income that belongs to God.Yes, God calls it a "feast," but so few supat its table today, that Christian churchesand the entire nation suffer because of it.Verse 19 (of Exodus 23) makes it a littleplainer, "The firstfruits of thy landthou shalt bring into the house of theLORD thy God."

It is too long to quote here, but youshould read Lev. 23:9-21 on this offeringof "the firstfruits of the harvest." This wasapparently to be done at the very begin-ning of the harvest, not at the end. Paulmakes it plain in Hebrews 7 that thetithe is still to be paid, and Malachi tellsus a. man who does not pay the tithe "iscursed with a curse: for ye haverobbed Me " (Malachi 3:9) He furtherstates that the whole nation suffers whenthe people do not tithe, and the wholenation will be blessed when the people do!

Further provision in the Law authoriz-es those who cannot bring the product ofthe field for the offering, are to converttheir gain (harvest) into money and bringthat to the priest. For a more complete

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understanding of, this subject, write to mefor a copy of "The Law of Tithing inScripture" by Pastor Curtis Clair Ewing.The following is a quote from WilliamArthur, a Wesleyan Methodist minister ofLondon, England, from his famous lectureon systematic and proportianate giving: "Iasked a friend of mine who had adoptedthe principle of giving a tenth early in life,and whom the prospering Hand of Godhad raised from humble beginnings to aposition of great and valuable influence, ifhe ever knew a case in which a man setout on the principle of giving a, tenth toGod, and PERSEVERED IN IT, and thenfailed in life? He answered “not one.”

The Feast of The Ingathering —The American Thanksgiving

The third feast of Exodus 23, whichIsrael was to keep, was called "the feast ofthe ingathering," and the time of the yearwas stipulated as "when thou hast gath-ered in thy labours out of the field.”Where would we find such a “feast” beingobserved today? Would it be logical toexpect it among the children of Israel?

Almost every Christian Americanknows it was the Pilgrims who beganwhat has now become a national custom,the setting aside of a "day ofThanksgiving." But how few may haveany understanding of WHY they did sucha thing, or the circumstances which ledthem to do so. So we shall give our readersan all too brief glimpse. Below is repro-duced, from William Bradford's "Historyof Plymouth Plantation," a portion of theaccount of the many trials and sorrows ofthe Pilgrims in Europe BEFORE theycame to America:

"I cannot but here take occasion, not onlyto mention, but greatly to admire ye mar-velous providence of God, that notwith-

standing ye many changes and hardshipsthat these people, wente throwgh, and yemany enemies they had and difficultiesthey mette with all, that so many of themshould live to very olde age! It was notonly this reved mans condition, (for oneswallow makes no summer, as they say,)but many more of them did ye like, somedying aboute and before this time, andmany still living, who attained to 60 yearsof age, and to 65 diverse to 70, and above,and some nere 80, as he did. It must needsbe more then ordinarie, and above natu-rall reason, that so it should be; for it isfound in experience, that chaing of aeir,famine, or unholsome foode, much drink-ing of water, sorrows & troubls, &c., all ofthem are enimies to health, causes ofmany diseaces, consumers of naturallvigoure and ye bodys of men, and short-ners of life. And yet of all these thingsthey had a large parte, and suffereddeeply in ye same. They wente fromEngland to Holand, wher they found bothworse air and dyet then that they camefrom; from thence (induring a long impris-onmente, as it were, in ye ships at sea)into New England; and how it hath beenwith them hear hath allready beeneshowne; and what crosses, troubls, fears,wants, and sorrowes they had been; lyableunto, is easie to conjecture; so as in somesorte they may say with ye Apostle, 2 Cor.11:26,27. they were in journeyings often,in perils of waterers, in perills of robers, inperils of their owne nation, in perilsamong ye heathen, in perils in yewilldernes, in perils in ye sea, in perillsamong false breethern, in wearines &painfullnes, in watching often, in hungerand thirst, in fasting often, in could andnakednes. What was it then that upheldthem? It was Gods vissitation that pre-served their spirits. Job10:12. Thou hastgiven me life and grace, and thy vissita-tion hath preserved my spirite. He thatupheld ye Apostle upheld them. They

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were persecuted, but not forsaken, castdowne, but perished not. 2. Cor. 4:9. Asunknowen, and yet knowen; as dying, andbehold we live; as chastened, and yett notkiled. 2 Cor 6:9. God, it seems, wouldhave all men to behold and observe suchmercies and works of his providence asthese are towards his people, that they inlike cases might be incouraged to dependupon God in their trials, & also blese hisname. when they see his goodnes towardsothers. Man lives not by bread only, Deut:8:3. It is not by good & dainty fare,. bypeace, & rest, and harts ease, in injoyingye contentments and good things of thisworld only, that preserves health and prolongs life. God in such examples wouldhave ye world see & behold that he candoe it without them; and if ye world willshut ther eyes, and take no notice therof,yet he would have his people to see andconsider it. Daniell could be better likingwith pulse then others were with ye kingsdainties. Jaacob, though he wente fromone nation to another people, and passedthrow famine, fears, & many afflictions,yet he lived till old age, and dyed sweetly,& rested in ye Lord, as infinite others ofGods servants have done, and still shalldoe, (through Gods goodnes,) notwith-standing all ye malice of their enemies;when ye branch of ye wicked shall be cutof before.his day, Job15:32. and ye bloodyand deceitfull men shall not live out halfetheir days. Psalm 55: 23. . . .”

The small part reproduced above wasbut a summing up by Mr. Bradford of over100 previous pages of the years of perse-cution in England and the years of dis-courgement in Holland. Many of thePilgrims had been imprisoned, many hadtheir homes sacked, their possessionseither destroyed or confiscated by theauthorities for their persistance in hold-ing worship services not authorized by thecrown.

Few Christian Americans today have atrue vision of the sufferings of those whowere literally driven out of England by thestate church. The enemies of Christendomhave been writing the school textbooks inAmerica for over two generations, andthey slyly ridicule, or make light of, theevents preceding the founding of theAmerican Colonies, and often completelydelete the history of the first generationsof the Christians in America.

That their purpose in making the dan-gerous voyage to a new and strange landwas based entirely on Godly andChristian motives can be deduced fromtheir stated attitude toward the oldchurch in England as a “pache of poperyand a puddle of corruption,” and theirwillingness to leave all of civilization, asthey knew it, and risk life and health in awild land occupied by unknown savagesfor the simple purpose and hope expressedby William Bradford in the lines below:

"Lastly, (and which was not least, ) a greathope & inward zeall they had of layingsome good foundation, or at least to makesome way therunto, for ye propagating &advancing ye gospell of ye kingdom ofChrist in those remote parts of ye world;yea, though they should be but even asstepping-stones unto others for ye per-forming of so great a work.”

As they left Holland for England toboard the Mayflower, John Robinson,their Pastor, likened them to the childrenof Israel leaving Babylon to rebuildJerusalem, sing as his text Ezra 8:21,“Then I proclaimed a fast there, at theriver of Ahava, that we might afflictourselves before God, to seek of Him aright way for us. and for our littleones, and for all our substance.” Thefrightful (for landbound English men,women and children) 66 day voyage to

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America, afflicting them with sickenss,bad food and bad water, left their highpurpose undaunted, for they wrote in theMayflower Compact, signed before theywould set foot on America, that they came"for the glory of God, and the advance-ment of the Christian faith."

After two and one half months on thewinter Atlantic, the Mayflower, a vessel of180 tons, reached the shores of Cape Cod.Contrary to general belief, the Pilgrimswere not of one mind. Those who hadjoined the ship at Plymouth had no inten-tion of submitting to the Leyden group.But they all had sense enough to knowthat if they were to survive in the bleakwilderness, they had to submit them-selves to some form of government. Forty-one of the members drew up a covenant,

which is known in history as theMayflower Compact. Winston Churchillcalled it "one of the remarkable docu-ments in history, a spontaneous covenantfor political organization." It is as follows:

IN THE NAME of God, Amen. We, whosenames are under-written, the loyal sub-jects of our dread sovereigne Lord, KingJames, by the grace of God, of GreatBritaine, France, and Ireland king,defender of the faith, etc., having under-taken, for the glory of God, and advance-ment of the Christian faith, and honour ofour king and country, a voyage to plantthe first colony in the Northerne parts ofVirginia, doe, by these presents, solemnlyand mutually in the presence of God, andone of another, covenant and combine our-selves together into a civill body politick,

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The Mayflower Compact — A Conception of Freedom

Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower. Now free to worship as their consciences dic-tated, a group of pilgrims signed the famed Mayflower Compact, a short set oflaws, which established certain concepts of religious freedom. The documentlater became a basis for democratic government in the colonies. This painting,by Robert W. Weir, hangs in the Capitol at Washington, D. C.

for our better ordering and preservationand furtherance of the ends aforesaid; andby virtue hereof to enacte, constitute, andframe such just and equall laws, ordi-nances, acts, constitions, and offices, fromtime to time, as shall be thought mostmeete and convenient for the generallgood of the Colonie unto which we promiseall due submission and obedience. In wit-ness whereof we have hereunder sub-scribed our names at Cap-Codd the II. ofNovember, in the year of the reigne of oursovereigne lord. King James, of England,France. and Ireland, the eighteenth. andof Scotland the fiftie-fourth. Anno. Dom.1620.

GOD'S children are like stars thatshine brightest in the darkest skies; likethe chamomile, which, the more it is trod-den down, the faster it spreads and grows.

"The glories of Christianity in Englandare to be traced in the sufferings of confes-sors and martyrs in the sixteenth and sev-enteenth centuries; and it was under theinfluence of Christian principles, imbibedat this very period, that the Mayflowerbrought over the band of Pilgrims toPlymouth. . . We should never forget thatthe prison, the scaffold, and the stakewere stages in the march of civil and reli-gious liberty, which our forefathers had totravel, in order that we might attain ourpresent liberty. . .

“Before our children remove their reli-gious connections. . . before they leave theold paths of God's Word. . . before theybarter their birthright for a mess of pot-tage — let us place in their hands thischronicle of the glorious days of the suffer-ing Churches, and let them know that

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Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock

they are the sons of the men ‘of whom theworld was not worthy,’ and whose suffer-ings for conscience' sake are here monu-mentally recorded.”

— John Overton Choules, August.,12,1843 — Preface to the 1844 reprint ofNeal's "History of the Puritans", 1731

__________The Landing of The Pilgrims

By Felicia D. Hemans

The Pilgrims set sail in the Mayflower fromDclftshaven, Holland, July, 1620, and landed onthe coast of Massachusetts, December 21, 1620.

Lest We Forget

Some may think the poems andaccounts of the Christian people who firstcame to these shores are too highlyromanticized, or that we may too muchexalt their pious motives or character.Perhaps this is partially true, but at thesame time, let us not forget that theirtravels, their work, and their lives, wereoften hard, sometimes extremely so, andmany of these courageous Christian fore-fathers of ours died untimely deaths.Those who worked so hard, suffered somuch, and dreamed such great dreams,had a large part in the creation of thegreatest Christian nation of all history,the United States of America, and neitherthey, nor their motives, should be forgot-ten or slighted.

The Voyage

The hardships of their voyage to theNew World, with 102 passengers on a tinyship, hardly designed for 30, can scarcelybe imagined. For lack of deck space, theywere forced to spend most. of their hoursin the crowded quarters below, where poorventilation, lack of sanitary facilities,spoiling food, and contaminated water,made many of them sick and despairing oflife. Halfway across, the main beam underthe deck buckled, leaving the ship in dan-ger of breaking in two in high seas. As thePilgrims prayed, someone rememberedthe heavy screw they had brought fromHolland, it was placed under the break,and they were able to force the beam upand reinforce it.

Bradford later described the voyage atsome length, summing it up thusly: "Itwas a long, tedious and uncomfortablevoyage. On several occasions the windswere so fierce and the seas so high thatshe could not carry sail and took to drift-

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THE breaking waves dashed highOn a stern and rock-bound coast,

And the woods against a stormy skyTheir giant branches tossed;

And the heavy night hung darkThe hills and waters o'er,

When a band of exiles moored their barkOn the wild New England shore.

Not as the conqueror comes,They, the true-hearted, came;

Not with the roll of the stirring drums,And the trumpet that sings of fame;

Not as the flying come,In silence and in fear;

They shook the depths of the desert's gloomWith their hymns of lofty cheer.

Amid the storm they sang,And the stars heard, and the sea;

And the sounding aisles of the dim woods rangTo the anthem of the free.

The ocean eagle soaredFrom his nest by the white wave's foam,

And the rocking pines of the forest roared;This was their welcome home!

There was woman's fearless eye,Lit by her deep love's truth;

There was manhood's brow, serenely high,And the fiery heart of youth.

What sought they thus afar?Bright jewels of the mine?

The wealth of seas, the spoils of war? —They sought a faith's pure shrine!

Aye, call it holy ground,The soil where first they trod!

They have left unstained what there theyfound

Freedom to worship God!__________

ing for days on end." But God broughtthem through and would not allow themto be lost at sea.

The First Winter

But, as many have forgotten, or per-haps never knew, they were bound forVirginia and warm climes, not for thecoast of Massachusetts to which God final-ly delivered them in early November.Finding they were so far to the north, theyattempted to go south toward.Virginia,but winds and currents drove them backnorth, and God brought them into what isnow Cape Cod Bay on December 20 in theYear of our Lord, 1620.

The Mayflower Compact was drawn upand signed, and they went ashore tosearch what must be done, hopefully tobuild houses against the winter cold. Butthe lateness of the,season, with its begin-ning winter cold, prevented this, and theywere forced to live aboard the Mayflowerfor the winter. The damp cold, hardly alle-viated by the only allowable heat, cookingfires, must have been enough to makethem wonder, as the Israelites did in thewilderness, if God had but delivered themfrom the bondage of the Old World, toabandon them in this bleak and howlingwilderness that was Massachusetts inDecember of 1620! To return to Englandwas out of the question, for they had notenough food for the journey, and the dam-aged and weakened ship would neverhave survived the winter storms of theNorth Atlantic.

With fish, and a few deer and smalleranimals, they added to their meager foodsupply. But by March, when it becamewarm enough to. move ashore to tempo-rary cabins, only five of the eighteen mar-ried women had survived, and only ten ofthe 29 young men and servants were left

alive. William Bradford, at 44, was theoldest colonist to go ashore in March of1621. John Alden was 21 and PriscillaMullen was 17. I wonder how many teen-agers in Christian homes today couldhave borne such circumstances?

The IndiansDid Not Save Them

Twentieth Century subversives, whowrite much of our present text-books, and"history," try to tell us the English Colonywould have perished if it had not been forthe "noble red man!" That is a strange the-ory, but the truth is even stranger, forthere was not one Indian within 75 milesof Cape Cod Bay in 1620!

This was wondered at by. the Pilgrims,who actually attempted to search out theIndians in hopes of bartering for food.They did find a few caches of dried berriesand meat, obviously stored by the nowmissing Indians, which they took forthemselves, and. these did prevent thedeaths of some who would, otherwise,have died. But they found no livingIndians.

It was not til several years later thatthey learned the reason, from otherIndians from further away who slowlymoved into the area. We will take thestory as .told by a Puritan, CaptainEdward Johnson in his "Wonder-WorkingProvidence of Sions Savior in NewEngland," published in London in 1653:

"Now let all men know the admirableActs of Christ for His Churches and cho-sen, are universally over the whole Earthat one and the same time, bur sorry mancannot so discourse of them . . . And there-fore let us...tell of the marvelous doings ofChrist preparing for His peoples arrival inthe Western World, whereas the Indiansreport they beheld to their great wonder-

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ment that perspicuous bright. blazingComet (this was the celebrated comet ofNovember, 1618, so bright as to be visiblein daylight), anon after Sun set itappeared, as they say, in the Southwest,about three houres, continuing in theirHorizon for the space of thirty sleepes (forso they reckon their dayes) after whichuncouth sight they expected some strangethings to follow. . . . which he now tells).The Summer after the blazing Starre(whose motion in the Heavens was fromEast to West, poynting out to the sons ofmen the progress of the glorious Gospel! ofChrist, the glorious King of His Churches)even about the yeare 1618 a little beforethe removeall of that Church of Christfrom Holland to Plimoth in New England,as the ancient Indians report, there befella great mortality among them, the great-est that ever the member of father tosonne tooke notice of, chiefly desolatingthose places where the English afterwardplanted. By this meanes Christ (whosegreat and glorious workes the Earththroughout are altogether for the benefitof His Churches and chosen) not onelymade roome for His people to plant; butalso tamed the hard and cruell hearts ofthese barbarous Indians, insomuch thathalfe a handfull of His people landing notlong after in Plimoth-Plantation, foundlittle resistance . . . ." (old spelling kept)

The antichrists may scoff, may beguileus to forget, but it is certainly a miracle,and who but by God, that no hostile orsavage Indian was left alive in the land towhich God had driven the littleMayflower. Only after they had been firm-ly planted, and had grown from their firstweakness, did the Indians return, andthen they mostly looked on these strangeWhite Men with awe, as their primitiveminds made connection between thecomet, the plague, and the sudden arrivalof these "Christians."

Spring

Their troubles were not over, althoughthe warming weather ended the deathsfrom pneumonia and cold, and now pro-vided roots and other edibles from theforests, and made fishing easier and moreproductive. But crops were necessary, anda goodly harvest, if they were to survivethe next winter. Some wondered if theyshould return with the Mayflower toEngland and home, but none did, for asElder Brewster had said, "It is not with usas with other men whom small things candiscourage, or small discontenmentscause to wish themselves home again." Itis highly probable that not one man in athousand, perhaps not one in ten thou-sand, of modern Christendom, findinghimself in similar circumstances, butwould elect to escape in whatever mannerand by whatever means possible. Of a cer-tainty, these were uncommon men andwomen, hand-picked by the God ofAbraham, Isaac and Jacob for this pur-pose. Who can explain it any other way?

With the coming of Spring, and. therevival of both their spirits and strength,they set about the necessary work ofbuilding, clearing small trees, and prepar-ing for a permanent settlement. The firstlarge building constructed was the "com-mon house," used for many years for wor-ship services and necessary civil meet-ings. The Mayflower left for England, tocarry'news of their situation, and to makeprovision for others to come, including thewives and children of some of the men stillalive.

As the weather warmed, they began toplant the precious seed they had heldfrom eating during the long winter, know-ing that if they were to consume it, itwould have meant the end of the colony,and Spring, would have required theirreturn to England.

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They had no machinery, such as we areaccustomed to use to break and plant theground, not even horses, so all was doneby hand, by bodies weakened by long con-finement on the ship, and by poor nourish-ment. Their first year’s crop was a meagerone, but with fishing, hunting, and trap-ping, they had food for the second winter.

We shall pass quickly over the nexttwo years. 35 people arrived from Englandin the summer of 1621, to add to theirnumbers, and to add to their need for food.The winter again took the frailer folk, butnot so harsh as that first one aboard ship.Also, by this time Indians had appeared,some trading was done, and the now leg-endary Squanto had shown them how toplant and fertilize corn with a fish toincrease the yield. Split shingles, beaverhides, and other forest products were sentoff to England to pay for debts incurred inmounting the venture, and it seemed as ifthey were finally being established intheir new home.

The Third Year

More Pilgrims arrived the thirdspring, including a number of wives andchildren of men who had come on theMayflower. This was certainly a time ofrejoicing, but what happened during thesummer and fall can only be explained asthe Hand of God preparing them to dosomething special, something He requiredof them AS GOD'S PEOPLE! Let us readit in the words of William Bradford, writ-ten several years after the event:

“I may not here omite how, notwithstandall their great paines & industrie, and yegreat hops, of a large cropp, the Lordseemed to blast, & take away the same,and to threaten further & more sorefamine unto them, by a great droughtwhich continued from ye 3. weeke in May,

till about ye midle of July, without anyraine, and with great heat (for ye mostparte). insomuch as ye corne begane towither away. though it was set with fishe.the moysture wherof helped it much. Ye atlength it begane to languish sore, andsome of ye drier grounds were partchedlike withered hay, part wherof was neverrecovered. Upon which they sett a parte asolemne day of humilliation, to seek YcLord by humble & fervente prayer. in thisgreat distrese. And he was pleased to givethem a gracious & speedy answer, both totheir owne, & the lndeans admiration,that lived amongest them, For all yemorning, and greatest part of the day, itwas clear weather & very hotte, and not acloud or any signe of raine to be seen, yettoward evening it begane to overcast, andshortly after to raine, with shuch sweeteand gentle showers, as gave them cause ofrejoyceing, & blesing God. It came, with-out either wind, or thunder, or any vio-lence, and by degreese, in yt abundance,as that ye earth was thorowly wete andsoked therwith. Which did so apparentlyrevive & quicken ye decayed corne & otherfruits, as was wonderfull to see, and madeye lndeans astonished to behold; andafterwards the Lord sent them shuch sea-sonable showers, with enterchange offaire warme weather, as, through hisblessing; caused a fruitfull & liberall har-vest, to their no small comforte and rejoyc-ing. For which mercie (in time conve-niente) they also sett aparte a day ofthanksgiveing. This being overslipt in itsplace, I thought meet here to inserte yesame. . . “

The above excerpts arc from the origi-nal manuscript, written 1647, (1901Edition)

“They Also Sett Aparte a Day ofThanksgiving”

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If we have believed, and I believerightly so, the events so far related cameabout by the Guiding Hand of God, wouldit not follow that God, also, caused theheat to almost destroy their crops, thatthey might "seek ye Lord by humble & fer-vente prayer," and then answered thatprayer with just the right amount of rain.and just the right temperatures, to pro-vide to them their, so far, most bountifulharvest?

Is it so far beyond the realm ofChristian reason, but to believe that God'spurpose was TO CAUSE THEM TO PRO-CLAIM "A DAY OF TIlANKSGIVING?"That it was done, and following suchunique and marvelous events, shouldserve as greater proof than any argumentI might offer.

“Three Times Thou Shalt Keepa Feast Unto Me In The Year”

God had told Israel, as we have seen,that there were three "feasts" (rituals)they were to keep for ever and ever (seeprevious Scripture quoted). Other historygives us proof that the Christian Pilgrimswere honoring the first two "feasts" ofExodus 23:14-16, by, as we have shown,keeping the "passover" and "feast ofunleavened bread" in the ordinance ofcommunion and acceptance of JesusChrist as the substitutionary Lamb andBread of Life, and the second, the "feast ofharvest," by giving their tithe, or thetenth of their earnings, to the church forChrist's Work.

But, we have no record of anyone, any-where, keeping that which would fulfillthe third feast, "the feast of the ingather-ing, which is in the end of the year, whenthou hast gathered in thy labours out ofthe field," until God’s circumstancesled our Anglo-Saxon forefathers to

“restore” it in the end of the harvestin 1623 — in the new world, in whatwas to become the greatest of allChristian nations — The UnitedStates of America!

Isn't it strange, or at least provoking ofthought, that only in America, is thethird feast of Israel kept? And by almostunanimous agreement, it is kept by theentire White population, the descendantsof those English and other Europeans whomigrated to this continent by the millionsbetween 1620 and 1920?

Restoration

The Israel Prophets foretold a time of"restoration." Jesus Christ even spoke ofElijah, who was to come "and restore allthings." (Matt. 17:11) To those who lookfor Jesus' second coming, we point to Acts3:21 and the words of Peter, filled with theHoly Ghost, and speaking of Christ,"Whom the heaven must receive untilthe times of restitution of all things,which God hath spoken by the mouthof all His holy Prophets since theworld began."

Jesus will NOT come until the "timesof restitution of all things." Again, is it sofar beyond reason to believe that theevents related in this short story of our"Thanksgiving Day," could be God restor-ing His Ways among His Children ofIsrael?

Christian friend, have you reallylooked at History in the Light ofProphecy? Are the events of the world justso much confusion to you? Or is God work-ing out His plan upon the earth andworking it out in His chosen, Israelpeople?

The simple facts of history, that thePeople of Anglo-Saxondom, comprising

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perhaps 95% of all Christians in theworld, keep, however poorly, God'srequired Israel feast days, should leadyou to search the Bible, and history, to seeif perhaps your understanding of justwho God’s Isreal people really are,could use some enlightenment.

The Children of Abraham

God told father Abraham, "And I willestablish My covenant beween Me andthee, and thy seed after thee in theirgenerations for an everlasting com-enant, to be a God unto thee, and tothy seed after thee.” (Gen. 17:7) Godsaid to the Israelites after He had broughtthem out of Egypt. "For thou art an holypeople unto the LORD thy God: theLORD thy God hath chosen thee to bea special people unto Himself, aboveall people that are upon the face ofthe earth.” (Deut. 7:6)

These, and hundreds of other verses inthe Holy Word testify of a special people ofGod. Where, and among what people,would you have found such in 1620 and1623? Where, my Christian friend, do youfind the people blessed by God above allpeople upon the face of the earth today?Looking at the subsequent history of thecolonies, their growth, their eventualindependence from mother England andthe emergence of the United States ofAmerica as the pre-eminent nation of thisage, can any rational, Bible-believingChristian consider that Captain EdwardJohnson was wrong when he called theSaxon-Christians — "His chosen?

For Your “Thanksgivings”of the Future

It has been three and one-half longcenturies since that little band ofChristians bowed their heads and

thanked the God of Abraham for His over-powering Hand and Providence in theirlives. There is little I can add to their act,to the True Faith to which they wererestored, but I will reproduce here a fewthoughts of great Christians who followedthem, and will leave them all with myprayer that "Thanksgiving Day" willmean more to you this year, and in theyears to come, for your having read thishumble effort to bring you a glimpse of thegreatness of the Christian men andwomen who left so much. and came so far.and began so well, that which has nowbeen left in our hands. Surely, asAbraham, they believed God, and it wasaccounted unto them for righteousness.They certainly believed Jesus, who said,"No man, having put his hand to theplough, and looking back, is fit for thekingdom of God." They made Jesus Christthe foundation of this Kingdom inAmerica; may we build on no other. MayGod bless you, and true Israel in America.in Jesus Christ,

Sheldon Emry_______________

The Significanceof Pilgrim Endurance

NOTHING can be trivial which relates tothe voyage of the 'Mayflower' or the firstfour years' experience of the Colony.

“There is importance in every event,which in any degree, affected the questionwhether the settlement should be main-tained or abandoned; for reading betweenthe lines of that question there is seenwithin it another, as to whether posterityshould behold an Anglo-Saxon state onthe American continent. Had Plymouthbeen deserted by the Pilgrim Fathers in1621 - 22, Massachusetts Bay would haveremained desolate, and even Virginiawould doubtless have been abandoned.

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Then, before new colonization could beorganized,. France would have made goodher claim by pushing down our Atlanticcoast until she met Spain ascending fromthe south, — unless, indeed, Holland hadretained her hold at the centre. . . Suchwere some of the momentous issues thatwere largely-decided by the, apparently,little things which makeup the Pilgrimhistory. . . Sir Thomas Hutchinson, whosetastes would not have led him to an undueestimation of the uncourtly and unchar-tered settlers at Plymouth, thus spoke ofthem in his History: 'These were thefounders of the Colony at New Plymouth.The settlement of this Colony occasionedthe settlement of Massachusetts Bay,which was the source of all the otherColonies in New England. Virginia was ina dying state, and seemed to revive andflourish from the example of NewEngland."

The above excerpts are from John A:Goodwin's "The Pilgrim Rcpublic" — 1888

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"Let divines and philosophers, statesmenand patriots, unite their endeavors to ren-ovate the age, by impressing the minds ofmen with the importance of educatingtheir little. boys and girls, of inculcatingin the minds of youth the fear and love ofthe Deity and universal philanthropy,and, in subordination to these great prin-ciples, the love of their country; ofinstructing them in the art of self-govern-ment, without which they never can act awise part in the government or societies,great or small; in short, of leading them inthe study and practice of the exaltedvirtues of the Christian system. . . "

Samuel Adams, Boston, October 4, 1790_______________

The following are excerpts from "A

Discourse delivered at Plymouth, on the22nd of December, 1820 by DanielWebster," Vol. I, The Works of DanielWebster — 1851. This speech was uponthe occasion of the dedication of theStatue of Faith on the 200th anniversaryof the landing of the Pilgrims atPlymouth:

"The morning that beamed on the firstnight of their repose saw the Pilgrimsalready at home in their country. Therewere political institutions, and civil liber-ty, and religious worship. Poetry has fan-cied nothing, in the wanderings of heroes,so distinct and characteristic. Here wasman, indeed, unprotected, and unprovid-ed for, on the shore of a rude and fearfulwilderness; but it was politic, intelligent,and educated man. Everything was civi-lized, but the physical world. Institutions,containing, in substance, all that ages haddone for human government, were organ-ized in a forest.

"Cultivated mind was to act on uncultivat-ed nature; and, more than all, a govern-ment and a country were to commence,with the very first foundations laid underthe divine light of the Christian religion.Happy auspices of a happy futurity! Whowould wish that his country's existencehad otherwise begun? Who would desirethe power of going back to the ages offable? Who would wish for an originobscured in the darkness of antiquity?Who would wish for other emblazoning ofhis country's heraldry, or other ornamentsof her genealogy, than to be able to say,that her first existence was with intelli-gence, her first breath the inspiration ofliberty, her first principle the truth ofdivine religion?. . . .

"Lastly, our ancestors established theirsystem of government on morality andreligious sentiment. Moral habits, they

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believed, cannot safely be trusted on anyother foundation than religious principle,nor any government be secure which isnot supported by moral habits. Livingunder the heavenly light of revelation,they hoped to find all the social disposi-tions, all the duties which men owe toeach other and to society, enforced andperformed. Whatever makes men goodChristians, makes them good citizens. . . .

"Her eyes look toward the sea. Forevershe beholds upon its waves the incoming‘Mayflower’; she sees the Pilgrims land.They vanish, but she, the monument oftheir faith, remains, and tells their storyto the world. This our generation too shallpass away, and its successors for centuriesto-come; but she will stand, and, overlook-ing our forgotten memory, will still speakof them and of their foundation of theRepublic on the Plymouth Rocks ofLiberty, Law, Morality, and Education."

— John D. Long

Statue of Faith Pilgrim Monument

"If the blessings of our political andsocial condition have not been too highlyestimated, we cannot well overrate theresponsibility and duty which they imposeupon us. We hold these institutians of gov-ernment, religion, and learninig, to betransmitted, as well as enjoyed. We are .inthe line of conveyance, through whichwhatever has been obtained by the spiritand efforts of our ancestors is to be com-municated to our children.

"We are bound to maintain public lib-erty, and, by the example of our own sys-tems, to convince the world that order andlaw, religion and morality, the rights ofconscience, the rights af persons, and therights af property, may all be preservedand secured, in the most perfect manner,by a government entirely and, purely elec-tive. If we fail in this, our disaster will besignal, and will furnish an argument,stronger than has yet been found, in sup-port of those opinions, which maintainthat government can rest saiely on noth-ing but power and coercion, . . .

"The cause af science and literature,also, imposes upon us an important anddelicate trust. . . .If, almost on the day aftheir landing, our ancestars foundedschools and endowed colleges, what obli-gations do not rest upon us, living undercircumstances so much more favorable,both, for providing and for using themeans of education? Literature becomesfree institutions. It is the graceful orna-ment of civil liberty, and a happy restrainton the asperities which political contra-versies sometimes occasian. Just taste isnot only an embellishment of society, butit raises almost to the rank of the virtues,and diffuses positive good throughout thewhole extent of its influence. There is aconnection between right feeling and rightprinciples, and truth in taste is allied withtruth in morality. . . .

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"Finally., let us not forget the religiouscharacter of our origin. Our fathers werebrought hither by their high venerationfor the Christian religion. They journeyedby its light, and labored in its hope. Theysought to. incorporate its principles withthe elements of their society, and to dif-fuse its influence through all their institu-

tions, civil, political, or literary. Let uscherish these sentiments, and extend thisinfluence still more widely; in the full con-viction, that is the happiest society whichpartakes in the highest degree of the mildand peaceful spirit of Christianity."

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“Go and proclaim these words towardthe north, and say.... Turn, O back-sliding children, saith the Lord: for Iam married unto you: and I will takeyou one of a city, and two of a family,and I will bring you to Zion: And Iwill give you pastors according tomine heart, which shall feed you withknowledge and understanding.”

Jeremiah 3:12-15

“Look unto Abraham your father, andunto Sarah that bare you: for I callhim alone.... For the Lord shall com-fort Zion: He will comfort all herwaste places; and He will make herdesert like the garden of the Lord: joyand gladness shall be found therein,Thanksgiving, and the voice ofmelody. Hearken unto Me, My People,and give ear unto Me, O My nation.”

Isaiah 51:2-4

Whereas it is the duty of all nations toacknowledge the providence of almightyGod, to obey His: will, to be grateful forHis benefits, and humbly to implore Hisprotection and favor: and

Whereas, both houses of Congresshave, by their joint committee, requestedme "to recommend to the people of theUnited States a day of public thanksgiv-ing and prayer, to be observed by acknowl-edging with grateful hearts the many andsignal favors of almighty God, especiallyby affording them an opportunity peace-fully to establish a form of government fortheir safety and happiness";

Now, therefore, I do recommend andasssign Thursday, the 26th day ofNovember, next, to be devoted by the peo-ple of these states to the service of thatgreat and glorious Being who is the benef-icent author of all the good that was, thatis, or that will be; that we may. then allunite in rendering unto Him our sincereand humble thanks for His kind care andprotection of the people of this countryprevious to their becoming a nation; forthe signal. and manifold mercies and thefavorable interpositions of His providencein the course and conclusion of the latewar; for the great degree of tranquillity,union, and. plenty which we have sinceenjoyed; for the peaceable and rationalmanner in which we have been enabled toestablish constitutions of government for

our, safety qnd happiness, and particular-ly the national one now lately instituted;for the civil and religious liberty withwhich we are blessed, and the means wehave of acquiring and diffusing usefulknowledge; and, in general, for all thegreat and various favors which, He hasbeen pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then, unite inmost humbly offering our prayers andsupplications to the great Lord and Rulerof nations, and beseech Him to pardon ournational and other transgressions; toenable us all, whether in public or privatestations, to perform our several and rela-tive duties properly and punctually; torender our national government a bless-ing to all the people by constantly being agovernment of wise, just and constitution-al laws, discreetly and faithfully executedand obeyed; to protect and guide all sover-eigns and nations (especially such as haveshown kindness to us), and to bless themwith good government, peace and concord;to promote the knowledge and practice oftrue religion, and virtue, and the increaseof science among them and us; and gener-ally, to grant unto all mankind such adegree of temporal prosperity as He aloneknows to be best.

Given under my hand, at the city NewYork, the third day of October; A.D.1789.

G. WASHINGTON

George Washington’sThanksgiving Proclamation

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