Posted on 10/02/2023 5:59:35 PM PDT by Perseverando
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven," preached Rev. John Peter Muhlenberg, from the book of Ecclesiastes 3:1.
He closed his message by saying: "In the language of the Holy Writ, there is a time for all things. There is a time to preach and a time to fight. And now is the time to fight."
John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg was a 30 year old member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, who was also a pastor.
At the end of his sermon, January 21, 1776, John Peter Muhlenberg threw off his clerical robes to reveal the uniform of an officer in the Continental Army.
Drums began to roll, men kissed their wives, and they walked down the aisle to enlist.
The next day, Pastor Muhlenberg led 300 men of his church and surrounding churches to join General Washington's Continental Army as the 8th Virginia Regiment.
John Peter Muhlenberg was born OCTOBER 1, 1746, and he died the same day sixty-one years later, OCTOBER 1, 1807.
As a youth, he lived with relatives in Germany from 1763-1767: first in the city of Halle (Saale) in the southern part of the German state Saxony-Anhalt; then in the northern German port city of Lübeck in Schleswig-Holstein.
John Peter Muhlenberg served briefly in the German dragoons.
In 1767, he returned to America to finish his schooling at the Academy of Philadelphia (University of Pennsylvania), which was founded by Ben Franklin, who helped build the school's first hall for Evangelist George Whitefield to preach in.
In 1772, John Peter Muhlenberg traveled to England where he was ordained as a minister in the Anglican Church, a necessary requirement for him to pastor the Lutheran congregation in Woodstock, Virginia, as Virginia was established an Anglican colony.
(Excerpt) Read more at cdn.shopify.com ...
"In 1774, Pastor John Peter Muhlenberg was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses. He served as a delegate to the First Virginia Convention.
He heard Patrick Henry's famous "Give me liberty or give me death" speech in 1775, and was inspired to enlist.
General George Washington gave him the rank of Colonel and personally asked him to raise a regiment of soldiers.
John Peter Muhlenberg and his men endured the freezing winter of Valley Forge and saw action at Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth, and Stonypoint."
I read about him many years ago, quite an amazing guy.
Indeed!
I read about him many years ago, quite an amazing guy.
bkmk
John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg? Really? Those were his middle names? Was he at Congress’s genesis?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.