National events: Thanksgiving, Civil War, July 4th. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated · Sabato Morais Digital Repository · Legacy Projects from Judaica DH at Penn Libraries

Title

National events: Thanksgiving, Civil War, July 4th. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated

Author

Morais, Sabato

Location(s)

United States -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia

United States -- Pennsylvania

Format

18 pages on 6 sheets

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?

Language(s)

English

Source

Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies

Sabato Morais Collection, Box 11, Folder 5

Has Format

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p33r0qd2j/manifest.json

Link to Colenda

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p33r0qd2j

Provenance

Transfer of Custody from the Hebrew Education Society, 10 March 1913.

Is Format Of

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/judaicadh/morais/main/TEI/SMBx11FF5_4.xml

content

A sermon for theThanksgiving-day

Beloved hearers! To judge every person favorably, is a maxim of our Sages, which, if it were exercised in all our dealings with our fellow-men, would render us happier, and gladden the earth with an abundance of peace. How frequently the misinterpretation of a word incautiously uttered, has occasioned strife and enmity, and yet a little more charity, a more amicable disposition on our part, would have pacified the exasperated mind, and reconciled the alienated heart. And in such a spirit it is that I would recommend the proclamation of our Governor, to be regarded; namely, with charity and friendliness. Could the magistrate of this enlightened commonwealth, have so far been unmindful of his duty, as to offend by an anomalous expression a large portion of citizens under his jurisdiction? Could a reverer of the Bible, have so prodigiously erred, as to neglect inviting them, who taught mankind how to pray to the Maker of all and how to thank Him, when the hundreds of thousands of human beings that populate this State, were to gather themselves with that sacred design? No, let us rather believe that a long established habit of rendering the term "Christians" synonimous with a civilized nation, has given it a place in his proclamation, and that in it he imagined presumed to comprehend all the denziens that

breathe the free air of Pennsylvania. It would be inopportune on this day consecrated to the Lord, to discuss whether the usage alluded to, when subjected to an important analysis, could be declared, the offspring of truth, or merely an unfounded assumption. We will leave the solution of that query to a more seasonable period; to-day it will suffice us to know, that the temporal Director of this Community, did not deem the general acceptation of that phrase, a cogent reason to impel us to observe the day with our brethren of a different creed, and that he has appointed this Sabbath in its stead.
But if in compliance with his counsel, we have delayed offering upon the altar of the Eternal, sentiments of gratitude, yet, neither is their intensity relaxed, nor are our [?] wishes less2 fervent for1 the prosperity of this country, than those which the followers of other doctrines have already poured forth. Doubly sacred then is this Sabbath, when we assemble to worship God as Israelites, in obedience to the Decalogue, and to thank Him as citizens of this Republic, on which He has bestowed numberless blessings. Dear Brethren! If the recollection that, alike the heavenly glory of Sinai, and the terrestrial lustre of the American Constitution reflect upon us, is capable of arousing within us a dignified sense of our lofty position, we must indeed heartily join in timing a hallelujah to to Him whose grace has been peculiarly manifested toward us; we will

indeed let the benefits of the past, prompt us to acts that may insure a future equally felicitous.
"Many O Lord my God! are Thy wonderful works which Thou hast done, and many are Thy kindly thoughts towards us, they are too many to be enumerated; I would recount them, nay, I would enlarge upon them, but they are endless" The words which I have just recited, and which I selected as the text of my discourse, are the outpouring of a heart, whose thrills of devotion have pierced the immensity of space, and reached the ears of thousands of generations. Not alone his faithful descendants, but they also who spring from a branch severed from the root of Jesse, delight to address the Deity in the inspired language of the Hebrew King.
The harp of Zion may hang still upon the willows, but methinks I hear its echo reverberate, when the voice of multitudes shouts to the Lord the sweet strains which it did once accompany with its mellow notes. And to this sublime accord, to this unison of voices and thoughts, our grateful hearts urge us, on this day of thanksgiving. Yes, many are, O our divine Benefactor! the benefits Thou hast showered on us, too many to be narrated. Whether we regard ourselves as Israelites, or as Americans, the tribute of thanks we owe the Omnipotent, is as vast as the spaciousness of the seas,

which our forefathers have traversed. Neither in the light of the former, nor in that of the latter, can we cast a look to the days of old, without feeling that the memory of the salvations, of the victories, and of the redemptions achieved by the arm of the Lord in our favor, follow each other with the velocity of thought. For, whom did the Almighty wrest from the grasp of the tyrannical Pharoahs,? Whom did He succour, when the blaspheming Assyrian had besieged the holy city with a formidable army? Whom did He rescue form the wily schemes of a boasting minion of a Persian Monarch? Whom did He miraculously shield, at this very period of our year, against the insults, the vexations, the bitter persecutions practised by a Syro-Grecian despot? Whom? but us; the flock of his pasture. Whom, I say, did He oftentimes lift from the earth, wherewith the violence of men had levelled them, but us; his peculiar treasure? And for whose sake did He curb the imperious Albion, when its rulers had decreed, but submission and subjection? In whose behalf did He interpose, when the irregular pretensions of a self-willed court, sought to drain the sources of wealth which this favored land profusely offers? For whose cause did He raise the man, nay, the redeemer; and gifted him with an enlightened mind, a dauntless heart; and a spirit of unparalelled magnanimity? For whose

account did He lead him victorious mid sanguinary battles? but for ours; for whose benefit, I say, did He inspire the fathers of this country, to establish a perfect Union of civilization, of freedom independence and religious liberty?; but for our benefit; O citizens of this American Republic? "Many O Lord my God! are Thy wonderful works which Thou hast done, and many are Thy kindly thoughts towards us, they are too many to be enu--merated, I would recount them, nay, I would enlarge upon them, but they are endless." No, we cannot show forth in a becoming manner the innumerable favors, which a Merciful God has exhibited towards us; the fibres of our hearts, may, at their recollection, throb with gratitude, but our lips would falter in their description; let us therefore repeat with the Psalmist, "To Thee O Eternal! silence is praise.".....But what is it, that despite my resolve to hold my peace, impells me to speak? Why cannot I restrain this tumult of conflicting thoughts affections? If I know my inadequacy to render to due homage to the Deity, wherefore should I persist in the attempt? My Brethren! The feelings which this day stir in my breast, are not alone love and gratitude, but likewise piety, sorrow and detestation. Our main object in assembling at this peculiar

period is, to recall to mind the advantages which, during one year, we have enjoyed in common with our brethren of the Union; but while our prosperous condition elicits thanksgiving to the Dispenser of all good, it painfully contrasts with that of a large portion of our fellow-beings. I have said painfully, for, if there be a man, who, breathing this exhilarating air, can hear unmoved of the desolation occasioned by a protracted war, of the miseries it entails on widowed mothers and fatherless children, of the dearth of every substance which sustains life, and of the continual drainage of private wealth, he is indeed a spurious son of this generous land. Perhaps the time is not yet ripe, when nations shall look trustingly towards their transatlantic brethren, and the gigantic arm of this Confederacy shall stretch forth beyond the vast ocean, as a support to the feeble and as a terror to their oppressors, but right we in defect of that, to shrink within ourselves? And, because peace harbors in our borders, and our marts are replete with the increase of our soil, because the road that leads to preferments is free from the obstacles which elsewhere clog and impedes its course, should we indulge in self-glorification as if we were the authors of our fortune, and they who suffer, the victims of their own misdeeds? Ah! no, away from us such presumptuous thoughts; for, who can secure to us the

permanency of our national felicity? A powerful King, who became intoxicated by success, vowed once to punish the sea, which had baffled his device, but the waters proved mightier than his gallies, and in a naval combat, his army was discomfitted. In a time less remote from us, a potentate boasted that the sun never set on his domains, but of his colossal power there now remains only the skeleton. No, "Lift not up your horn on high; speak not haughtily, for, promo--tion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the South; but God is the Judge, He putteth down one, and setteth raiseth up another." We may reasonably anticipate that the admirable system of government framed by American patriots, will preserve us against many of the evils which afflict millions of our fellow-creatures in other climes, and that, whilst that invaluable heirloom is left unimpaired, we shall under Providence, enjoy national happiness; but further than the expectation of this probable issue, we hold no control over our future destiny. We cannot order the seasons to be propitious. The husbandman who despondingly leans upon his spade, cannot burst open the flood-gates of heaven open, and satiate his thirsty land. And if the Sun withholds its genial rays from the work of his hand,

he cannot tear aside the mist that envelopes it. Nor could he by his skill stem the deluge which will suddenly destroy all his sanguine hopes. Man's wisdom and man's ingenuity may, to a degree, succeed in tempering the severity of such calamities, but the Creator alone rules the elements, and, to say it in the language of Job "God thundereth marvellously with His voice; great things doeth He, which we cannot comprehend, for, He Saith to the snow, be thou upon the earth, and likewise to the small rain, and to the impetuous rain that attests his strength. Out of the South He sendeth the whirlwind, and cold out of the North. By the breath of God frost is given, and then the expansion of the waters is straitened; and even in a clear day he condenseth the thick cloud, which scattereth its light abroad; and by His wish it is turned round about, that it may do whatsoever He commandeth upon the face of the world, and He causeth it to come, whether for correction, or for warning, or for mercy" Yes, it is God that directs nature, and He has suffered it to smile upon us. We have plenty, and we have peace: our granaries are teeming with the produce of this land, and out of them not only we and our children, but peoples whom we never beheld, will satisfy their hunger. Our vessels traverse the seas, and we live not in dread that

an enemy may seize upon them. But, I will repeat it, let us take much heed, lest so great a prosperity may engender pride, and by imagining that our own merit combined with our natural adroitness, have wrought all this, we may look with disdain upon those who suffer civilly and politically; for, verily I tell you, in foreign countries, as well as here, love for rational freedom, such as we enjoy, and habits of industry and thriftiness exist, and in a high degree, but whereas here the means are at our disposal for their peaceful exercise, then (at least in many of them) their scope is narrowly limited. Whilst here thousands of square miles lie fallow and need but the hand of the laborer to yield their hidden treasury, there, the product of the land scarcely suffices for the sustenance of its denziens. Whilst here handicraft is fairly remunerated, there, its pursuit affords but a scanty subsistence. Here an enlightened people offers upon the altar of their country a small portion of their wealth; for the mental culture of their off--spring, for the preservation of civil order, and for the support of authorities which their own free suffrages have constituted; there, gold is exacted to maintain institutions which are cankers to the very vitals of the nation; Monarchies set up upon the ruin of Communities, oligarchies whose pageantry shockingly

contrasts with and mocks the abjectness of the masses; a privileged caste of dignitaries who labour to maintain prejudice and not to disse--minate religious knowledge. Fain would there many a patriot demolish from the foundation, systems which oppose the law of progress, that a creation of God ought, without check, to follow upon earth; but their arms are shackled, their thoughts briddled, and the fire which burns within them, consumes their existence. Wherefore have I said, that the feelings which this day of thanksgiving arouse, are not only love and gratitude, but also pity, sorrow and destestation. In fain would nature have implanted within us, the two first, if the others were not withal entwined in our breast. And in point of fact, what is it that makes the pulsations of our hearts beat more vehemently, when we read the exploits achieved in olden times to approve withstand a tyrannical power? or, the abnegation undergone to obtain freedom? What else? but an innate sense of love for the good, and of abbhorrence for the evil? What? but an inward voice that says, "those heroes who lived so many centuries before you, were your brethren, and they over whom they prevailed, were their fell persecutors." And the same inborn sentiments, awaken within us conflicting passions, when we are reminded of the present suffering of those,

who, with a a mind capable of appreciating freedom, are held in subjection, with a a hearts that yearns of for the moral advancement of their country-men must needs witness their degradation, with an indomitable will in the prosecution of the good and the useful, are paralysed in their endeavours; when we remember that this day, which is to us of so much felicitation, may be to them one of indescribable affliction, for, the hydra of despotism assumes continually a new aspect, and whether in a paroxysm of fury, it slays hundreds, it puts thousands to flight, or it infests [?] their borders, its power is not less terrific. It is at the recollection of this, that commiseration and ire alternately stir our bosom. But I will not harrass your feelings by dwelling on evils, which you perchance cannot yet avert; my object was solely to set, as it were, in relief our pre-eminence in the scale of civil and political liberties, and draw forth thereby such sentiments as this day is intended to elicit.
To you, my beloved hearers, will I then address my word, to you, dwellers of Philadelphia, for towards none has the loving-kindness of God been more visibly demonstrated. In the past as well as in the present He has showered his beneficence upon this noble city of ours. He has made

her rich with the produce of inexhaustible mines; He has made her prosperous by a flourishing commerce; He has made her grand, by monuments which significantly point out her inward and ever-growing strength; and He has moreover chosen her as the conservatory of that hallowed structure, whence came the oracle of independence and the organic frame of our government. Other cities may combine within their limits great and valuable advantages, but Philadelphia lacks nothing, whatsoever the others possess, she bountifully affords. But, what proves this our beloved city, to be under the immediate protection of God, is, the miraculous manner in which almost yearly she escapes those scourges, which afflict vast portions of this globe, even in our Union. Two years since, a pestilence cause a havoc among the inhabitants of our southern territories, but its deadening influence did not affect our domiciles; the summer which succeeded that calamitous year, brought on an epidemic, that left its traces bloody vestige nearly in every clime, but its virulence here was scarcely felt; and even this year, while the tidings of ravaging diseases, alike in our shores as in foreign regions, have grieved us to the heart's core, here, our health has been generally preserved, and if

we except a few cases of private bereavements, which, for a period, cast a gloom over our spirits, we may say that an invisible shield has screened us against the arrows of the Destroyer. Verily, "the angel of the Eternal encompasseth this city around, and He hath delivered us". With hearts overflowing with gratitude it behooves us then O Philadelphians to thank our Celestial Benefactor, for our lives which He has spared, for our aliment which He has granted, for the peace which He has dispersed, for the glory which He has maintained, and for the civil and religious freedom, over which He has watched to save them from the ruthless agression of some misguided enthusiasts. But what manner can be deemed the most becoming, whereby we may acknowledge such benefits?.....Listen my Brethren! The sentence which I have selected for my text, is followed by these three verses. "Sacrifice and offering Thou dost not desire, but mine ears has Thou opened; burnt offering and sin-offering, hast Thou not required; then said I, lo, I come, with the volume of the book in which my duty is prescribed; I delight to do Thy will O my God, yea, Thy law is within my heart". The Royal Psalmist after having demon--strated our utter impressility incapacity to enumerate the mercies of

the Almighty, teaches us the method by which we can evince our thankfulness; not by slaughtering hecatombs, but by hearkening to his word, not by bringing to his altar the choice of our herd, but by sacrificing our will to the execute what He has ordained. Need I add more before an an audience of Israelites? No...Nothing; save a friendly advice. Brethren! from the days of yore, you were appointed the guardians of that book, wherein our obligations are defined. Whatever the world may say, you have been the pioneers of civilization, and of your holding fast of that volume, even the equitable laws distributed in this matchless republic, are a direct consequence. Woe to you then, if the skeptical phylosophy of the North, or the specious doctrines theories of sophists, divert your attention from your sacred charge, and seduce you to go whorring after new-fangled doctrines. Better it is that you should be scoffed at and spit upon, by sef self-constituted teachers, than relinquish one moment what God Himself has entrusted to your custody. For, depend upon it, the day of re-action will speedily dawn, and they who were designed contemned for their tenacious adherence to the dictates of the living God, will be exalted as those, who saved mankind from lapsing into barbarism and infidelity.

American Israelites! Let us vow to the Lord of battles, who has repeatedly combatted for our sake, that we will remain true to the Constitution of our glorious confederacy, that we will devote hand, soul and wealth to sustain that palladium of our liberties, but that neither our attachment for this country of our adoption, nor our community of interests with our fellow-citizens, will ever render us unmind--ful of our origin, of the charge entrusted to our faithfulness, nor of our religious obligations.
O Lord God! from whom salvation springs forth! Show Thy graci--ous favor to this Community of Israel, who hope in Thee, and fervently pray that Thou mayest remove from them sorrow and danger. Let Thy wonders be wrought in their behalf, and let them be evinced also towards their children, so that in perfect unity they may enjoy much unalloyed peace. And as Thou didst hast hitherto proved a might shield, whensoever they were surrounded by evils and tribulations, in like manner mayest Thou vouchsave to let Thy heavenly protection screen them from all disasters, in order that they may continue prosperously and tranquilly on this land generous land, beneath the shadow of whose benign- laws they have taken shelter. O Eternal! Let Thy glory

abide among them, for then they shall be surely saved, and in them shall the words of Thy inspired servant be verified, namely "you have cleaved unto the Lord your God, and you are all alive even this day" Almighty Father! Grant that the desire of those among Thy children who have approv--ed Thee with fast and prayer, because of a painful occurrence in their hallowed courts, may be fulfilled, and that through Thy mercy, their health may remain unimpaired, and their mind sound, to devote themselves to Thy sacred service. O Lord!...Before Thy holy ark, the depository of that law which we revere, and on which we delight to meditate, and in Thy divine presence, we entreat Thee, that if through our misdeeds either voluntarily or unwittingly committed, any evil was decried against us, the bodily prevation we underwent, and our sincere confessions, may be valued as an expiatory sacrifice, and the merit awarded thereunto be, length of days, unalterable peace, and eternal beatitude. Omnipotent King! Turn compassionately towards this Congregation, and grant that their years may glide away in the fruition of the blessings which Thou has profusedly bestowed on this country of their adoption. Grant that the words of Thy law may be ever cherished

by them, grant that they may speedily rejoice at the restoration of the outcasts of Judea within the walls of Thy holy city, because for that salvation we incessantly hope. May the words of our mouths, and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable before Thee, O Lord our Rock and our Redeemer! Amen.

Identifier

p33r0qd2j

identifier

SMBx11FF5_4