Celebrating Liberty

It has become rather standard in our day for a small number of clamorous protestors to decry and defame the great heritage of the United States of America. Some are self-proclaimed scholars, attempting to rewrite American history with broad strokes of systemic racism and oppressive imperialism. Some are athletes, bemoaning the gross tyranny of our republic, all while enjoying unprecedented freedoms which allow them to excel and overwhelmingly prosper in recreational activities. Some are politicians, apologizing for the evils of our democracy, yet representing a government which provides them unequaled protection so that even ridiculous objections might be raised. Some are Hollywood elites, railing against vile inequities in our society, while gorging themselves on the wealth of the most affluent nation in the history of the world. Such boisterous voices can begin to rise above the overwhelming mountain of history which proves ours to be a nation which has thrived under the blessing of Almighty God.

Without question, ours is a republic which is imperfect. We are not without great national sins which have stained our past. Our national participation in the slaughter and displacement of Native Americans, and our wholesale involvement in the African-based slave trade are examples of the worst of our nation’s history. Even today, our nation is shamed by the comprehensive massacre of the unborn and the proliferation of gross immorality. However, our republic is such that even these national wrongs can be righted. We have renounced slavery and the injustice it prescribed. Even now, significant legislation is being offered to protect every life, from the womb to the tomb. In spite of our transgressions, God has ordained and maintained the United States of America as a great force for good in our world. Countless souls have been spared from tyranny due to the might of our power and the justice of our cause. For the sake of the gospel, no other nation on earth has given more for the cause of missions than ours.

So, as we celebrate our nation’s 245-year history since our Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776, it is helpful to hear the perspective from some of the very ones who gave of themselves so valiantly in the cause of the American Revolution. May their words remind us to give thanks to God for our nation and to continue to seek after His righteousness (Proverbs 14:34).

Who knows but the country for which we have fought and bled may hereafter become a theatre of greater events than yet have been known to mankind? May these invigorating prospects lead us to the exercise of every virtue – religious, moral, and political. May we be roused to a circumspect conduct – to an exact obedience to the laws of our own making – to the preservation of the spirit and principles of our truly invaluable Constitution – to respect and attention to magistrates of our own choice. . . . And may these great principles in the end become instrumental in bringing about that happy state of the world when – from every human breast joined by the grand chorus of the skies – shall arise with the profoundest reverence that divinely celestial anthem of universal praise: “Glory to God in the highest! Peace on earth! Good will towards men!” [Luke 2:14].

—Elias Boudinot, President of the Continental Congress, noted theologian, and first president of the American Bible Society

[O]ur fathers were men – they were heroes and patriots – they fought – they conquered – and they bequeathed to us a rich inheritance of liberty and empire which we have no right to surrender. . . . Yes, my fellow freemen, we have a rich and growing empire – we have a lucrative commerce to protect – we have indefeasible [inalienable] rights – we have an excellent system of religion and of government – we have wives and children and sisters to defend; and God forbid that the soil of America should sustain the wretch who [lacks] the will or the spirit to defend them. Let us then rally round the independence and Constitution of our country, resolved to a man that we will never lose by folly, disunion, or cowardice what has been planned by wisdom and purchased with blood.

—Noah Webster, considered one of America’s three most influential educators, given the title “The Schoolmaster to America”, and also a soldier in the American Revolution

From the omnipotent Power Who dwells in the unclouded serenity of being, without variableness or shadow of change [ James 1:17], we proceed as from the Fountain of Good, the Author of Hope, and the Source of Order and Justice, now that we assemble to commemorate the revolution, the independence, and the advancement of our country! . . . The festival which we keep is the festival of freedom itself – it belongs not to us only but to man. All the nations of the earth have an interest in it, and humanity proclaims it sacred! . . . Trusting in the Providence of Him, the Universal Father, let the country advance to the glory and prosperity to which – mindful of its exalted privileges – it aspires! Wherever its voice is heard, let it proclaim the message of liberty and speak with the divine energy of truth [and let] the principles of moral goodness [be] consistently followed in its actions! And while the centuries – as they pass – multiply its population and its resources, let it manifest in its whole history a devoted attachment to public virtue, a dear affection for mankind, and the consciousness of its responsibility to the God of nations!

—George Bancroft, distinguished historian, given the title “The Father of American History”, served as Secretary of the Navy, responsible for founding the Naval Academy at Annapolis, and served as the Secretary of War (now known as Secretary of Defense)

We ought, in the first place, to be grateful to the all-wise Disposer of Events Who has given us so great a portion of political happiness. To possess such a country with the blessings of liberty and peace together with that security of person and property which results from a well-ordered, efficient government is – or ought to be – [a] matter of constant thankfulness.

—Dr. David Ramsay, noted physician, member of the Continental Congress during the American Revolution, and a famous historian

The effects of this Declaration are now everywhere visible. Look through the country and behold our accumulated blessings: see nature robed in beauty, fertile in rich luxuriance; see health and plenty everywhere around you; see a dense and settled population stretching from the cold regions of the North to the exuberant [rich] valleys of the South, from the prolific intervals of the East to the flourishing prairies of the West; see your shores washed by two oceans and the soil your own. Are not these motives for rejoicing?

—George W. Adams, Son of John Quincy Adams (Sixth President of the United States) and grandson of John Adams (Second President of the United States)

Happy Fourth of July!

Jason