Happy Thanksgiving From Log College Press!

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Carlos Martyn wrote of the Pilgrim Fathers and the sufferings they endured that first winter they spent on Cape Cod in 1620, and then speaks of the blessings that they enjoyed the next summer when their harvest abounded. “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy” (Ps. 126:5).

Fowl were so abundant in the autumn, that "four men in one day killed as much as, with a little help besides, served the community almost a week." "There was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison." The fowlers had been sent out by the governor, "that so they might, after a special manner, rejoice together, since they had gathered the fruit of their labors;" this was the origin and the first celebration of the national festival of New England, the autumnal THANKSGIVING. On that occasion of hilarity they "exercised their arms," and for three days "entertained and feasted" Massasoit and some ninety of his people, who made a contribution of five deer to the festivity. Health was restored; household fires were blazing brightly; and in good heart and hope the lonely but thankful settlers disposed themselves to meet the rigor of another winter (The Pilgrim Fathers of New England: A History (1867), pp. 132-133).

As Americans gather around the Thanksgiving table today, it is fitting to praise our God for the blessings he has bestowed on the church, our nation, our families and ourselves. We at Log College Press give thanks to God for his good hand upon us in so many ways. We are thankful for Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and its ministry. We are thankful for our readers and supporters. We are thankful for the work of those who have digitized so many good old books. We are thankful for the labors of those Presbyterian men and women who have gone before us. Matthew Poole (an English Presbyterian minister) once wrote: “Ministers are living Books, and Books are dead Ministers; and yet though dead, they speak. When you cannot hear the one, you may read the other.” In spirit, we give glory to God that technology has helped us to make Log College Press a resource that aims to contribute to the edification of Christ’s Church.

Theodore L. Cuyler gives this counsel:

Thanksgiving Day is a fitting time to inventory your mercies and blessings. Set all your family to the pitch of the one hundred and third Psalm; and hang on the wall over your Thanksgiving dinner these mottoes — 'A merry heart is a good medicine' — and 'He that is of a cheerful heart hath a continual feast.' (‘𝐴 𝑀𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑦 𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝐷𝑜𝑒𝑡ℎ 𝐺𝑜𝑜𝑑': 𝐴 𝑇𝑎𝑙𝑘 𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑠𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐷𝑎𝑦 (1897))

From our house to yours, we at Log College Press wish each of you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving From Log College Press!

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The history of Thanksgiving is always a fascinating (and sometimes, controversial) topic. The site of the first Protestant Thanksgiving in America is usually associated with the Pilgrims of Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621, but Virginia also puts forth a claim to an earlier observance of Thanksgiving at Jamestown in 1610, and even prior to that, Thanksgiving, including the singing of a psalm, was observed by the French Huguenots at Fort Caroline, near modern-day Jacksonville, Florida in 1564.

Moving forward to the colonial and early American eras, magistrates began to follow these earlier examples of gathering to give thanks at appointed occasions and they issued Thanksgiving proclamations. Two notable Presbyterians who had a hand in this were John Witherspoon and Elias Boudinot IV.

Witherspoon served on a committee which drafted the Thanksgiving proclamations by the Confederation Congress for 1781 and 1782. Boudinot, who served as President of the Confederation Congress, and later, as a representative of New Jersey in the U.S. House of Representatives, signed the Congressional Thanksgiving Proclamation for 1783, and also proposed the resolution calling upon President George Washington to issue a Thanksgiving proclamation in 1789.

Witherspoon’s 1781 Thanksgiving proclamation called upon Americans to:

assemble on that day, with grateful hearts, to celebrate the praises of our gracious benefactor; to confess our manifold sins; to offer up our most fervent supplications to the God of all grace, that it may please Him to pardon our offences, and incline our hearts for the future to keep all his laws; to comfort and relieve all our brethren who are in distress or captivity; to prosper our husbandmen, and give success to all engaged in lawful commerce; to impart wisdom and integrity to our counsellors, judgment and fortitude to our officers and soldiers; to protect and prosper our illustrious ally, and favor our united exertions for the speedy establishment of a safe, honorable and lasting peace; to bless all seminaries of learning; and cause the knowledge of God to cover the earth, as the waters cover the seas.

Boudinot’s 1789 Thanksgiving resolution called upon President Washington to

recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably a Constitution of government for their safety and happiness.

Corporate giving of thanks to God as Creator and Governor of the Nations, through Christ, King of the Church and the Nations, has been the practice of Christian families, churches and nations for centuries, but as the holiday of Thanksgiving is a peculiarly American institution, it is helpful to reflect on its early history in colonial times leading up to the foundation of our republic.

Theodore L. Cuyler once wrote:

Thanksgiving Day is a fitting time to inventory your mercies and blessings. Set all your family to the pitch of the one hundred and third Psalm; and hang on the wall over your Thanksgiving dinner these mottoes -- 'A merry heart is a good medicine' -- and 'He that is of a cheerful heart hath a continual feast' ["'A Merry Heart Doeth Good': A Talk For Thanksgiving Day" (1897)].

We at Log College Press are thankful for our readers and their support, and we wish each of you a very joyful and Happy Thanksgiving. May God bless you and yours richly!

Four Centuries Since the First Traditional American Thanksgiving

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O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever (Ps. 107:1).

Apart from the French Huguenots who celebrated a thanksgiving at Fort Caroline, near modern-day Jacksonville, Florida on June 30, 1564, and the celebration at Jamestown, Virginia on December 4, 1619, what is traditionally referred to as the first American Thanksgiving, observed by the Pilgrims at Plymouth, Massachusetts, took place in the autumn of 1621, four hundred years ago.

George B. Cheever tells us briefly about this special occasion in The Pilgrim Fathers: or, The Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, New England, in 1620 (1849), pp. 231-232.

We find in this volume the very first instance of the New England thanksgiving. It is referred to by Mr. Winslow in his letter to a friend. It was after the gathering in of the harvest, and a fowling expedition was sent out for the occasion by the Governor, that for their Thanksgiving dinners and for the festivities of the week they might have more dainty and abundant materials than ordinary. That week they exercised in arms, and hospitably feasted King Massasoit and ninety men. The Governor is said by Mr. Winslow to have appointed the game-hunt after harvest, that so the Pilgrims "might after a more special manner rejoice together, after they had gathered the fruit of their labours." This admirable annual New England custom of Thanksgiving dates back therefore to the first year of our Forefathers' arrival.

W. Carlos Martyn also recounts the tale in The Pilgrim Fathers of New England: A History (1867), pp. 132-133, also drawing on Edward Winslow.

"There was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison." The fowlers had been sent out by the governor, "that so they might, after a special manner, rejoice together, since they had gathered the fruit of their labors;" this was the origin and the first celebration of the national festival of New England, the autumnal THANKSGIVING. On that occasion of hilarity they "exercised their arms," and for three days "entertained and feasted" Massasoit and some ninety of his people, who made a contribution of five deer to the festivity. Health was restored; household fires were blazing brightly; and in good heart and hope the lonely but thankful settlers disposed themselves to meet the rigor of another winter.

As we reflect on that moment in church history which illustrates the goodness of God to his people, and the tradition that is known as the American Thanksgiving, and as we count our blessings with gratitude to God, we thank you, dear friends, once again for all of your support for Log College Press. It means a great deal to us. We wish each of a very Happy Thanksgiving, and God’s richest blessings to you and yours.

Happy Thanksgiving From Log College Press!

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This years marks the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrim Fathers’ arrival at Plymouth, Massachusetts, and we are now in our third year of the project to make the past come alive and give voice to Presbyterians from a by-gone era — known as Log College Press. At this time of Thanksgiving, we want to express how thankful we are for the saints who have gone before us and paved the way for Christians in 21st century America, and how thankful we are for you, our readers and supporters, who do so much to help make this project — as we trust — a blessing to the Church.

“The First Thanksgiving, 1621” by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris.

“The First Thanksgiving, 1621” by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris.

We are conscious that 2020 has been a hard and challenging year for America and the world. The year 1620, too, presented enormous challenges (and rewards) for Christians such as the Pilgrims. The Lord often brings judgments upon sinful people and nations, and yet always gives cause to be thankful. One striking message on this parallel working of God is J.R.W. Sloane’s God's Judgments, and Thanksgiving Sermons: A Discourse (1858). It was a time of financial distress for America, and war was brewing on the horizon. Yet, in the midst of judgment, Sloane found cause for thanksgiving and rejoicing, as well as for personal and corporate repentance.

God is more merciful than we deserve, and we can even be thankful that He chastises His people, calling them to return to Him, and not forsaking them utterly. As Ecclesiastes teaches us, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance” (Eccl. 3:1, 4). And as Martin Luther teaches, in this world we are called to joy while walking through a vale of tears: “We say, 'In the midst of life we die.' God answers, 'Nay, in the midst of death we live'" (cited by Roland H. Bainton, Here I Stand, p. 290).

Thank you, dear friends, once again for all of your support for Log College Press. It means a great deal to us. We wish each of a very Happy Thanksgiving, and God’s richest blessings to you and yours.

The 400th anniversary of the Mayflower Landing and the Mayflower Compact

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WEDNESDAY, 6th September, the wind coming E.N.E., a fine small gale, we loosed from Plymouth, having been kindly entertained and courteously used by divers friends there dwelling; and, after many difficulties in boisterous storms, at length, by God's providence, upon the 9th November following, by break of the day we espied land, which we deemed to be Cape Cod; and so afterward it proved. And the appearance of it much comforted us, especially seeing so goodly a land, and wooded to the brink of the sea; it caused us to rejoice together, and praise God that had given us once again to see land. And thus we made our course S.S.W., purposing to go to a river ten leagues to the south of the Cape; but at night, the wind being contrary, we put round again for the bay of Cape Cod; and upon the 11th November we came to an anchor in the bay, which is a good harbour and pleasant bay, circled round, except in the entrance, which is about four miles over from land to laud, compassed about to the very sea with oaks, pines, juniper, sassafras, and other sweet wood. It is a harbour wherein a thousand sail of ships may safely ride. There we relieved ourselves with wood and water, and refreshed our people, while our shallop was fitted to coast the bay, to search for an habitation. There was the greatest store of fowl that ever we saw. — Edward Winslow, Mourt’s Relation in George Barrell Cheever, The Pilgrim Fathers: or, The Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, New England, in 1620 (1849)

The Pilgrims who sailed to America from England and The Netherlands in 1620 did so trusting in God to preserve them through stormy seas and an unknown wilderness. The hand of God brought them to Cape Cod on November 11, 1620 (O.S.) [November 21, N.S.], where they signed the Mayflower Compact and first stepped ashore at Provincetown Harbor.

Signing the Mayflower Compact 1620, a painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1899).

Signing the Mayflower Compact 1620, a painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1899).

The following month (December 11/21) the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Harbor — tradition locates the spot at Plymouth Rock — where they would begin to build a home, Plimoth Plantation. After a harsh first winter, assistance provided by Native Americans, and a bountiful autumn 1621 harvest, leading to a Thanksgiving celebration — the story of which is told by William Bradford, Edward Winslow and others — the Pilgrims’ story became embedded in the American consciousness (see Timothy Alden’s story of John and Priscilla Alden). It is a narrative that is challenged by some today, but the story Pilgrims’ journey in search of freedom to worship God without fear of persecution was treasured by many 19th century American Presbyterians.

"Daily the Pilgrims turned their eyes westward, hoping for a sight of the new land. They had shaped their course for the Hudson river, of which the Dutch navigators had made favorable reports. As the voyage lengthened, their longings for the land increased. They had been tossed on the sea now sixty-five days, when, on the 9th of November, the long, low coast-line of the New World gladdened their eyes. They thanked God for the sight, and took courage. On the 11th of November they dropped anchor within Cape Cod. Sixty-seven days they had passed in the ship since their final departure from England, and one hundred and twelve since the embarkation at Delft Haven. They were weary, many were sick, and the scurvy had attacked some. They might well rejoice that they had reached these shores." — Charles W. Elliott, The New England History, quoted in William Carlos Martyn, The Pilgrim Fathers of New England: A History (1867)

In this quadricentennial of the Mayflower Landing and the Mayflower Compact, we remember the sacrifices and faith of the Pilgrims, the contributions of the Native Americans, and the legacy of faith and Biblical civil government which the Pilgrims brought to America, as cherished by American Presbyterians.

Pilgrim Anniversary, 22d Dec., 1842

Two hundred and twenty-two years
Have flown over Fore-fathers' rock,
Since th' era our home-love endears, —
There landed the brave little flock.

The ocean, the air and the land
Bent on them a stern winter frown,
But in faith and devotion that band,
Bold founders of empire, sat down.

The Pilgrims! a patriarch race,
Left country and kindred to find
For religion and freedom a place,
A home for th' oppressed of mankind.

The frail little Mayflower bore
The germ of a nation to rise
From East to Far West's distant shore,
And brave every clime 'neath the skies.

Ye fathers of millions,
I gaze with thrilling emotions on you,
My spirit goes back to your days,
Pure virtue, firm valor to view.

Your children now sip every stream
That waters our wide-spread domain,
Who of them so base as to dream
Descent from the pilgrims a stain. — James Lyman Merrick (1803-1866), Missionary to Persia, The Pilgrim’s Harp (1847)

Charles Hodge: He cares for the sparrows

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Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them (Matt. 6:26).

Charles Hodge, in an autobiographical reminiscence about his childhood, teaches us how we all ought to live if we would but remember that God cares for the birds of the air, and even more so for His beloved children.

Our early training was religious. Our mother was a Christian. She took us regularly to church, and carefully drilled us in the Westminster Catechism, which we recited on stated occasions to Dr. Ashbel Green, our pastor. There has never been anything remarkable in my religious experience, unless it be that it began very early. I think that in my childhood I came nearer to conforming to the apostle's injunction: "Pray without ceasing," than in any other period of my life. As far back as I can remember, I had the habit of thanking God for everything I received, and asking him for everything I wanted. If I lost a book, or any of my playthings, I prayed that I might find it. I prayed walking along the streets, in school and out of school, whether playing or studying. I did not do this in obedience to any prescribed rule. It seemed natural. I thought of God as an everywhere-present Being, full of kindness and love, who would not be offended if children talked to him. I knew he cared for sparrows. I was as cheerful and happy as the birds, and acted as they did. There was little more in my prayers and praises than in the worship rendered by the fowls of the air (A.A. Hodge, The Life of Charles Hodge D.D. LL.D., p. 13).

Happy Thanksgiving from Log College Press!

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J.R. Miller in The Book of Comfort (1912) writes:

Thanksgiving implies thought of God. One may be glad all the day and never think of God. Thanksgiving looks up with every breath and sees God as Father from whom all blessings come. Thanksgiving is praise. The heart is full of gratitude. Every moment has something in it to inspire love. The lilies made Jesus think of his Father, for it was he who clothed them in beauty. The providence of our lives, if we think rightly of it, is simply God caring for us….He who has learned the Thanksgiving lesson well has found the secret of a beautiful life. "Praise is comely," says the Hebrew poet. Comely means fit, graceful, pleasing, attractive. Ingratitude is never comely. The life that is always thankful is winsome, ever a joy to all who know it. The influence of an ever-praising life on those it touches is almost divine. The way to make others good is to be good yourself. The way to diffuse a spirit of thanksgiving is to be thankful yourself. A complaining spirit makes unhappiness everywhere….Thanksgiving has attained its rightful place in us only when it is part of all our days and dominates all our experiences. We may call one day in the year Thanksgiving Day and fill it with song and gladness, remembering all the happy things we have enjoyed, all the pleasant events, all the blessings of our friendships, all our prosperities. But we cannot gather all our year's thanksgivings into any brightest day. We cannot leave to-day without thanks and then thank God to-morrow for to-day and to-morrow both. To-day's sunshine will not light to-morrow's skies. Every day must be a thanksgiving day for itself. (pp. 167, 170-172) HT: Dorothy Simpson

For your Thanksgiving reading pleasure, be sure to check out the full chapter in Miller’s book titled “The Thanksgiving Lesson.” Also, you may wish to peruse William Carlos Martyn’s classic The Pilgrim Fathers of New England: A History (1867). Earlier this year we shared a post about Presbyterian Timothy Alden, Jr. ‘s account of his Mayflower ancestor John Alden’s courtship of Priscilla Mullins. We have also written about an earlier Thanksgiving celebrated by the French Huguenots in Florida in 1564. Many Thanksgiving sermons can be read here.

Pilgrim Thanksgiving.jpg

We here at Log College Press are thankful to God for the men and women of faith who have gone before us, and left us with such a rich legacy that our generation is able to rediscover through the blessings of technology. We are thankful that God has not left us without a witness to his faithfulness from generation to generation. We are thankful for the team of contributors who help Log College Press to bring the writings of earlier generations to the eyes and ears of the modern world. We are thankful for all of our readers, and all the kind expressions of support which we have received. Thank you all, and Happy Thanksgiving!

An American Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has long been a national American tradition, dating back to the first Protestant thanksgiving in America at Fort Caroline, Florida as observed by the French Huguenots on June 30, 1564, upon their arrival after a cross-Atlantic journey, and more especially, as observed by the Pilgrims at Plimoth Colony, Massachusetts in the autumn of 1621, after a difficult first winter and a promising first harvest.

In William Adam’s 1873 volume titled Thanksgiving: Memories of the Day, Helps to the Habit, the author speaks not only of the nostalgia for the past, but shows us the Biblical and historical basis for setting apart times of thanksgiving for the particular mercies of God. It is good to take note when God answers prayer, or when blessings are bestowed, and not to let such mercies go without giving God the glory.

In memory of the day, be sure to look over William Carlos Martyn’s The Pilgrim Fathers of New England: A History (1867).

Since we last wrote about the American Presbyterian tradition of Thanksgiving sermons a year ago, many more have been added to our inventory. Here is a sample of what we have:

George Dodd Armstrong (1813-1899) preached a July 1861 Thanksgiving sermon giving thanks for the Confederate victory at Manassas, Virginia.

Lyman Hotchkiss Atwater (1813-1883) preached an historical Thanksgiving sermon commemorating the bicentennial of Fairfield, Connecticut in 1839.

William Pratt Breed (1816-1889) spoke eloquently on the distinction between church and state, and quoted Samuel Davies powerfully, in The Lights Which God Hath Shewed Us: A Thanksgiving Discourse (1861), a sermon delivered in Philadelphia following the commencement of the War Between the States.

George Burrowes (1811-1894) preached a patriotic 1852 Thanksgiving discourse.

Samuel Davies (1723-1761) preached a Thanksgiving sermon for national blessings received in 1759 (Serm. 71 in Vol. 4 of his Sermons). 

Robert B. Davidson (1808-1876) preached The Evils of Disunion: A Discourse Delivered on Thanksgiving Day, December 12, 1850 (1850) directly in response to the Compromise of 1850.

George Duffield II (1732-1790), who had served as a chaplain to the Continental Congress, preached a 1783 Thanksgiving sermon following the conclusion of the American War of Independence.

George Duffield IV (1794-1868) preached an 1820 sermon titled Judgment and Mercy: A Sermon, Delivered...On the Day of "Humiliation, Thanksgiving, and Prayer,” in which he took note of America’s national sin in failing to acknowledge God in the U.S. Constitution or requiring religious standards for public officials, as well as God’s mercy to this nation nevertheless.

George Duffield V (1818-1888) preached The New Capitol; or, The Wilderness Rejoicing: A Thanksgiving Sermon (1878) following the completion of the construction of the state capitol building in Lansing, Michigan.

Ezra H. Gillett (1823-1875)'s November 1862 Thanksgiving sermon was meant to inspire his Northern listeners in the midst of a great civil conflict. 

Francis James Grimké (1850-1937) delivered a 1914 Thanksgiving sermon which addressed racial injustice, as well as a 1918 Thanksgiving sermon in which thanks was given for the Allied victory in Europe at the conclusion of World War I (see Vol. 1 of his Works).

Drury Lacy, Jr. (1802-1884) preached A Thanksgiving Discourse, Delivered in the Presbyterian Church, Raleigh, N.C. (1851) to give thanks for mercies received by the State of North Carolina and the United States of America.

Samuel Miller (1769-1850)'s 1799 Thanksgiving sermon was delivered after a terrible epidemic struck New York City. 

Benjamin M. Palmer (1818-1902) preached a notable 1860 Thanksgiving sermon on the eve of war, which was to provoke a strong reaction by Charles Hodge. 

Gardiner Spring Plumley (1827-1894) preached an 1866 Thanksgiving sermon titled Piety Secures the Nation’s Prosperity: A Thanksgiving Discourse.

James Renwick Wilson Sloane (1823-1886) published a sermon God's Judgments, and Thanksgiving Sermons: A Discourse (1858) in response to the international economic panic of 1857.

William B. Sprague (1795-1876) preached an annual (December) Thanksgiving sermon in 1824. He would later preach another during the War Between the States in November 1861 entitled Glorifying God in the Fires.

Gardiner Spring (1785-1873)'s November 1861 Thanksgiving sermon called attention to national sins which had provoked the "Great Rebellion," as well as blessings received.

Robert Lodowick Stanton (1810-1885) preached a sobering sermon titled Ungodly Nations Doomed: A Discourse Preached on the Occasion of the Annual Thanksgiving, November 29, 1849, Recommended by the Governor of Louisiana (1849).

Charles Wadsworth (1814-1882) was known for delivering annual Thanksgiving sermons. We have here his Thanksgiving sermons from 1852-1856, 1858-1859, and 1868.