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they wo uld conquer and dispossess
us. Not our treng th o r might have
saved us: our salvatio n is of the
Lord.
"The re fo re it is hig hly becoming
us to rendcr thanks to G od o ur de–
liverer. .. ."
The Continental Congress a lso
proclaimed severa ! d ays of thanks–
giving during the American Revolu–
tion - days during whi c h the
colonists co uld rejoice in their
homes and churchcs for victories
won. In 1778. Genera l George
Washingto n proclaimcd a day on
which to give thanks for the impor–
tan! treaties which the Thirteen Col–
onies had jus t conclud ed wi th
France.
Washington's Thanksgiving Day
Proclamation
In 1789. during the firs t year of his
pres idency. George Washington is–
sued America's first Thanksgiving
day proclamatio n. th e reby setting a
preccdent fo r succceding pres idents
to follow.
In Washington's national Thanks–
giv in g proclamat ion, he said: " ... it
is the duty ofa ll nations to acknowl–
edge the Providenee of Almighty
God, to obey His will. to be g rateful
for His benefits. and humbly to im–
plore His protection a nd favo r.''
Presiden! Wa hingto n. th erefore.
se t aside Novcmbcr 26, 1789. "to be
devoted by the peop le o f these
Sta tes to the ·e rvice of that g rea t
and glorious Being who is the ben–
e ficent author o f a ll the good that
was, that is, or that wi ll be: that we
may then all unite in rendering unto
Him our s in cere and humbl e
thanks... ."
Wa s hington askcd hi s fellow
Amerieans to give thanks for their
God-given vieto ries during the Rev–
o lut ionary War. fo r " tranquillity,
union. and plenty ... [for] constitu–
tions of gove rnment for ou r safety
and happiness. and particu la rly the
nationa l one ... for the civil and re–
lig ious li berty with which we are
blessed .. . for a ll the great and va r i–
o us favo r whieh He has been
pleased to confer upon us.... "
Lincoln's Thanksgiving
Proclamation
The next Th anksgiving day procla–
mati o n was mad e by Pres ident
The
PLAIN TRUTH November 1976
Abraham Lincoln . During the
bloody Civi l War. many Americans
carne to look upon that eonOiet as a
punishment from the ha nd of God.
Abraham Lincoln a lso believed that
to be so. He issued the natio n's sec–
ond Thanksgiving d ay proclamation
on Octobe r 3, 1863:
"T~ c
yea r that is drawing toward
its close has bcen fill cd with thc
bless ings of fruitful fie lds and
healthful skies. To these bounties.
which are so eonstantly enjoyed that
we are prone to forget the souree
from which they come, othcrs have
been added which are of so extraor–
dinary a na ture that they cannot fa il
to penetrate and soft en even the
heart wh ich is habitually insensible
to the ever-watchful providence o f
Almig hty God....
•· o human counsel ha th devised
nor hath any morta l hand worked
out these g reat things. They a re the
gracious gifts of the Mos t High
God. who. while dealing with us in
anger fo r o ur sins, hath ncvc rthe less
remembered me rey...."
Earlier that same yea r. on Mareh
30, 1863, Presiden! Lincoln had des–
ignated a day of fas ting a nd prayer
that God might restore peace and
union to th e natio n. In that procla–
mat ion he sa id:
"We have been the recipi ents of
the choices t bounties o f Heaven: we
have been prese rved these many
yea rs in peace and prosperity; we
have grown in numbers, weal th , and
powe r as no ot he r nation has ever
g r own. Bu t we ha ve fo rgo tten
God...."
President Lincoln, therefore, pro–
claimed "the 30th day of April,
I 863, as a day of natio nal humi li–
ation, fas ting, and prayer" in t he
hope that th e American people
might be reconciled to God. forgiv–
en , and hea led.
Needed: A Modern-day Lincoln
America today faces far greater
threats than during our terrible
C ivil War. Each yea r millions die
prematurely - because we have for–
go tten the laws of God. Our fair
land is polluted. The food we eat,
the water we drink. and the ve ry air
millions of us breathe is polluted.
Vio lence and sex fi ll o ur TV screens.
and pornography seems to be every–
where .
Crime. juvenile delinquency, a nd
lawlessness climb relentlessly. Cor–
rupt ion and bribery a re rampant.
Immora lity and licentiousness fill
o ur land. Di vorce and broke n
homes are common.
Truly. America needs anothe r
Abraham Lincoln to ea ll the na ti on
to fasting and prayer- with tpanks–
giving to God for our many bless–
ings - so that we ca n be delivcred
from these things tha t se ri ously
th reaten to dcstroy this g reat nation
of ours.
America needs
to
heed th e words
of her firs t presidcnt. given in his
farcwcll addrcss: "Of a ll the dis–
positions and habits which lead to
politica l prosperity. religion and mo–
rality are indispensable supports. In
va in would that man cla im the tribute
of patrio tism who hould labo r to
su bve rt these grca t pillars of human
happiness. thcse firmest props of the
duties ofmen and c itizens."
Also, we need to rcmemb r t he
advice of Amcrica' dynamic Presi–
de n! Teddy Rooseve lt who encour–
aged "the virt ues or couragc. honor,
jus tice, truth. sincerity, and ha rdi–
hood - the virtucs that made Amer–
ica. T he things that will dest roy
Ameri ca are pros per ity-at -a ny–
price, peaec-at-any-price, safety–
firs t ins tead of duty-first, the !ove o f
soft living. and the get-rich-q uick
theory of life."
G ene ra l Do uglas MacArthur also
gave America these sobering words
on December 12, 195 1: " ...
lt
is es–
sential that cvery spiritua l force be
mobilized to defend and preserve
the religious base upo n which this
nation was founded. For it is that
base which has been the motiva ting
impulse to o ur moral and na ti onal
growth. History fai ls to record a
single preceden! in which nations
subject to moral decay have not
passed into pol itica l and economic
decline. There has been either a
spiritual reawakening to overcome
the moral lapse, o ra progressive de–
teriora tion leading to ultima te na–
tiona l disas ter."
As Americans observe the ir up–
eoming T hanksgivi ng day, they
must remember tha t it is meant to
be a day of thanksgiving to the c re–
ator-ruler of the world for th e many
blessings he has bestowed upo n this
great nation.
o
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