Gtcotr/ws070407
It is certain that God governs in the affairs of man.
Psalms 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people He
has chosen as His own inheritance.
234 years ago on this date 56 brave visionaries fixed their signatures to a
newly written document entitled ‘The Declaration of Independence’. These men,
the forefathers of our nation, deserve a high position of honor and respect for
their courage and commitment. With their signatures they knew they were signing
their death warrants and would be hunted down, arrested and executed if
possible by the British. These men were:
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple
Matthew Thornton
Samuel Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas McKean
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton
John Hancock
With this Declaration of
Independence a new nation was birthed
under the guiding principles contained therein, the most memorable and quotable
being:
We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and
the pursuit of Happiness.
The last sentence of that July 4, 1776 Declaration signed by these 56 men reads:
And for the support of
this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence,
we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
This was not the first time men were willing to risk their lives for this
divine cause we call, The United States of America.
I hold in my hand a book wherein is written the words spoken byChristopher Columbus as recorded in his “Book of Prophecies”. Let me read as you
consider his heart and the call of God which he believed was on his life.
It was the Lord who put
into my mind – I could feel His hand upon me – the fact that it would be
possible to sail from here to the Indies … All who heard of my project rejected
it with laughter, ridiculing me … There is no question that the inspiration was
from the Holy Spirit, because he comforted me with rays of marvelous
illumination from the Holy Scriptures … For the execution of the journey to the
Indies I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics, or maps. It is simply
the fulfillment of what Isaiah had prophesied … No one should fear to undertake
any task in the name of our Savior, if it is just and if the intention is
purely for His Holy service … the fact that the Gospel must still be preached
to so many lands in such a short time – this is what convinces me.
As well, a little more than 100 years after Christopher Columbus sailed, there
were those who formed, wrote and adopted The First Charter of Virginia, April 10, 1606, which included:
… for the furtherance of
so noble a work which may by the providence of Almighty God, hereafter tend to
the glory of His Divine Majesty, in propagating of Christian religion to such a
people, as yet live in darkness and miserable ignorance of the true knowledge
and worship of God, …
In 1620, The Mayflower Compact included such wording and reason for the
undertaking of these adventures:
… having undertaken for
the glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith …
1639, The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut contained:
… the Word of God requires
… an orderly and decent government established according to God, to order and
dispose of the affairs of all people …to maintain and preserve the liberty and
purity of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus which we now profess … the truth of the
said Gospel is now practiced among us …
On July 4, 1775, one year before the signing of the Declaration of
Independence, General George
Washington’s Orders, as commander of the
Armies of the Revolution, were thus:
The General most earnestly
requires and expects a due observance of those articles of war established for
the government of the Army which forbid profane cursing, swearing and
drunkenness. And in like manner he requires and expects of all officers and
soldiers not engaged in actual duty, a punctual attendance of Divine services,
to implore the blessing of heaven upon the means used for our safety and
defense …
On July 7, 1787, 81 year old Benjamin Franklin rose and spoke in an attempt to break the 5 week
deadlock of the Constitutional Convention, by imploring these men to stop, pray
and seek Divine guidance. In his argument he offered:
I have lived, Sir, a long
time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth-
that God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the
ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire cannot rise without
his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that "except
the Lord build the House they labour in vain that
build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his
concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better, than the
Builders of Babel:
John Adams, signer of the Declaration of Independence, the
first Vice President of the United States, and the Second President of the
United States, a diplomat without equal, wrote in a letter:
The Holy Ghost carries on
the whole Christian system in His truth. Not a baptism, not a marriage, not a
sacrament can be administered but by the Holy Ghost.
There is no authority, civil or religious – there can be no legitimate
government – but what is administered by the Holy Ghost.
There can be no salvation without it. All without it is rebellion, perdition,
or, in more orthodox words, Damnation.
Charles Carroll, a signer of the Declaration of Independence
and a framer of the Bill of Rights wrote:
I am grateful to Almighty
God for the blessings which, through Jesus Christ our Lord, he has conferred on
my beloved country.
Thomas Jefferson, credited with writing the bulk of the
Declaration of Independence, who was also a signer of the Declaration and went
on to become the Third President of the United States, 1801 – 1809, wrote in
1816:
I am a real Christian,
that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Christ.
He would explain such doctrines in a later letter in 1822:
The Doctrines of Jesus are
simple, and tend all to the happiness of man.
1. That there is only one God, and He all perfect.
2. That there is a future state of rewards and punishments.
3. That to love God with all thy heart and thy neighbor as thyself,
is the sum of religion.
John Jay, one of the three men most responsible for the
content of the Constitution of the United States of America and the first
Supreme Court Justice as appointed by President George Washington, wrote in a
letter dated October 12, 1816,
Providence has given to
our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty as well as the
privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians
for their rulers.
It is still evident in this day that God guides in the affairs of man. And:
Psalms 33:12 Blessed is
the nation whose God is the LORD, The people He has chosen as His own
inheritance.
Our nation is a Christian nation, founded on the Judeo Christian principles of
the Holy Bible, God’s Word of Truth.
On this day, especially on this day, July 4th, the day on which we celebrate
the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the United
States of America, we should not forget the lives, work and wishes of our
founding fathers.
Along with them we should also be moved to pledge our lives, our fortunes and
our sacred honor to preserve the ideals upon which this nation was first
adopted, the ideals of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the divine guidance of
the Holy Ghost.
I agree with our very first Chief Justice of the United States of America,
Chief Justice John Jay, who knew the Constitution of the United States and the
intent of the original framers better than anyone else who has ever lived …
Providence has been given to us, “we the people”, the choice of our rulers, and
it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to
select and prefer those who embody Christian faith and practice for our rulers.
God will continue to bless America as America continues to be a blessing to
Him! And listen to me people … ‘You are America!’
Happy Birthday America and Thank You God!