The Dominion of Providence Over the Passions of Men (Jn Witherspoon; Signer of Dec. of Independence)

In the first place, I would take the opportunity on this occasion, and from this subject, to press every hearer to a sincere concern for his own soul's salvation. There are times when the mind may be expected to be more awake to divine truth, and the conscience more open to the arrows ofconviction than at others. A season of public judgment is of this kind. Can you have a clearer view of the sinfulness of your nature, than when the rod of the oppressor is lifted up, and when you see men putting on the habit of the warrior, and collecting on every hand the weapons of hostility and instruments of death? I do not blame your ardour in preparing for the resolute defense of your temporal rights; but consider, I beseech you, the truly infinite importance of the salvation of your souls. Is it of much moment whether you and your children shall be rich or poor, at liberty or in bonds? Is it of much moment whether this beautiful country shall increase in fruitfulness from year to year, being cultivated by active industry, and possessed by independent freemen, or the scanty produce of the neglected fields shall be eaten up by hungry publicans, while the timid owner trembles at the tax-gatherer's approach? And is it of less moment, my brethren, whether you shall be the heirs of glory of the heirs of hell? Is your state on earth for a few fleeting years of so much moment? And is it of less moment what shall be your state through endless ages! Have you assembled together willingly to hear what shall be said on public affairs, and to join in imploring the blessing of God on the counsels and arms of the United Colonies, and can you be unconcerned what shall become of you for ever, when all the monuments of human greatness shall be laid in ashes, for "the earth itself, and all the works that are therein shall be burnt up."

Wherefore, my beloved hearers, as the ministry of reconciliation is committed to me, I beseech you in the most earnest manner, to attend to "the things that belong to your peace, before they are hid from your eyes". How soon, and in what manner a seal shall be set upon the character and state of every person here present, it is impossible to know. But you may rest assured, that there is no time more suitable, and there is none so safe as that which is present, since it is wholy uncertain whether any other shall be yours. Those who shall first fall in battle, have not many more warnings to receive. There are some few daring and hardened sinners, who despise eternity itself, and set their Maker at defiance; but the far greater number, by staving off their convictions to a more convenient season, have been taken unprepared, and thus eternally lost. I would therefore earnestly press the apostle's exhortation, 2 Cor 6: 1-2... "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."

Suffer me to beseech you, or rather to give you warning, not to rest satisfied with a form of godliness, denying the power thereof. There can be no true religion, till there be a discovery of your lost state by nature and practice, and an unfeigned acceptance of Christ Jesus, as he is offered in the gospel. Unhappy are they who either despise his mercy, or are ashamed of his cross. Believe it, "There is no salvation in any other." "There is no other name under heaven given amongst men by which we must be saved." Unless you are united to him by a lively faith, not the resentment of a haughty monarch, the sword of divine justice hangs over you, and the fulness of divine vengeance shall speedily overtake you. I do not speak this only to the heaven-daring profligate or grovelling sensualist, but to every insensible, secure sinner; to all those, however decent and orderly in their civildeportment, who live to themselves, and have their part and portion in this life; in fine, to all who are yet in a state of nature, for "except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God". The fear of man may make you hide your profanity; prudence and experience may make you abhor intemperance and riot; as you advance in life one vice may supplant another and hold its place; but nothing less than the sovereign grace of God can produce a saving change of heart and temper, or fit you for his immediate presence.

While we give praise to God, the supreme Disposer of all events, for his interposition in our behalf, let us guard against the dangerous error of trusting in, or boasting of an arm of flesh. I could earnestly wish, that while our arms are crowned with success, we might content ourselves with a modest ascription of it to the power of the Highest. It has given me great uneasiness to read some ostentatious, vaunting expressions in our newspapers, though happily, I think, much restrained of late. Let us not return to them again. If I am not mistaken, not only the Holy Scriptures in general, and the truths of the glorious gospel in particular, but the whole course of providence, seem intended to abase the pride of man, and lay the vain-glorious in the dust.

From what has been said you may learn what encouragement you have to put your trust in God, and hope for his assistance in the present important conflict. He is the Lord of hosts, great in might, and strong in battle. Whoever hath his countenance and approbation, shall have the best at last. I do not mean to speak prophetically, but agreeably to the analogy of faith, and the principles of God's moral government. I leave this as a matter rather of conjecture than certainty, but observe, that if your conduct is prudent, you need not fear the multitude of opposing hosts.

If your cause is just, you may look with confidence to the Lord, and intreat him to plead it as his own. You are all my witnesses, that this is the first time of my introducing any political subject into the pulpit. At this season, however, it is not only lawful but necessary, and I willingly embrace the opportunity of declaring my opinion without any hesitation, that the cause in which America is now in arms, is the cause of justice, of liberty, and of human nature. So far as we have hitherto proceeded, I am satisfied that the confederacy of the colonies has not been the effect of pride, resentment, or sedition, but of a deep and general conviction that our civil and religious liberties, and consequently in a great measure the temporal and eternal happiness of us and our posterity, depended on the issue. The knowledge of God and his truths have from the beginning of the world been chiefly, if not entirely confined to those parts of the earth where some degree of liberty and political justice were to be seen, and great were the difficulties with which they had to struggle, from the imperfection of human society, and the unjust decisions of unsurped authority. There is not a single instance in history, in which civil liberty was lost, and religious liberty preserved entire. If therefore we yield up our temporal property, we at the same time deliver the conscience into bondage.

Introduction It was John Adams who in 1774 praised John Witherspoon (1723–94) by calling him “as high a Son of Liberty, as any Man in America.” Adams had visited Witherspoon in Princeton on his way to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia.

Adams made no mistake. Less than two years later, Witherspoon was so caught up in the colonial cause that he signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, the only clergyman to do so. Not only did he sign – he remained an active member of the Congress for the next six years. Though his support of the patriot cause was complete, he never thought of himself as a radical revolutionary or primarily a politician. Indeed, his contribution to the new America in the late eighteenth century went beyond politics to religion and education. His enduring influence, seen clearly in his Works, is more that of a churchman and educator than a statesman.

BIOGRAPHY

A son of the Presbyterian manse in Gifford, Scotland, in the rolling hills of East Lothian, John Witherspoon was born on February 5, 1723. His Christian faith seems to have taken root at an early age; he credited his “pious mother” for helping him to begin reading the Bible at the age of four. After attending the nearby grammar school in Haddington, he entered the University of Edinburgh in 1736 when he was thirteen, though this was not an unusual age for university entrance at the time. In Edinburgh he studied Latin, Greek, logic, science, mathematics, and moral philosophy. After successfully defending his thesis, he was awarded the Master of Arts degree in 1739. He remained at the University to study divinity from 1739 to 1743. After passing the professional examinations administered by his Presbytery, Witherspoon was ordained and installed in 1745 as a minister of the Church of Scotland parish in Beith in the west country. Two years later, age twenty-four, he married Elizabeth Montgomery. Of the ten children which came from this marriage, only five reached adulthood.

(snip)

On August 7, 1768, after taking nearly three months to cross the Atlantic in a sailing ship, Witherspoon, his wife, and their five children landed in Philadelphia en route to their new home in Princeton. On the night of their arrival, every window in the imposing multipurpose college building, Nassau Hall, was illuminated by a candle. Formally installed on August 17, Witherspoon held the position of president of the College until his death in 1794.

With no experience as a college administrator, the new president was able to see immediately what had to be done: college finances and accounts cried out for swift attention, fund-raising tours had to be scheduled, curricular reform initiated. In a lengthy promotional piece with the rather curious title, “Address to the Inhabitants of Jamaica, and Other West-India Islands, in behalf of the College of New Jersey” (vol. 4, pp. 185–201), the president outlined the College’s four-year curriculum and the several advantages of a liberal education at Princeton.

(snip)

Then, in 1774, he made public his position on the controversy with Great Britain, joining the Somerset County Committee on Correspondence (these committees were formed to urge opposition to British measures and express support for the Continental Congress), and formulating his thoughts on American relations with Britain in an essay entitled, “Thoughts on American Liberty” (vol. 4, pp. 297–300). This is his first known writing on the subject of American independence. While not yet arguing for independence and still professing loyalty to the King, Witherspoon was nevertheless critical of current British policy. He stated his support for the upcoming First Continental Congress, and even mentioned the possibility of war, urging the Congress “to declare that we are firmly determined never to submit to [the claims of Great Britain], and do deliberately prefer war with all its horrors, and even extermination itself to slavery riveted on us and our posterity.” By now John Adams could also say of Witherspoon: “Dr. Witherspoon enters with great Spirit into the American cause.” He certainly had. So on July 4, along with fifty-five other colonists, he signed the Declaration of Independence.

But Witherspoon’s work in national politics did not end on July 4. Until 1782, with only a few interruptions, he served in the Continental Congress at a time when that body was the government. Witherspoon – ever the cleric and wearing his clerical attire while sitting in the Congress (!) – was appointed to more than one hundred short and long-term committees, three of which were of special significance: war, finance, and foreign affairs. His literary endeavors of the time reflect the same focus; one example is his 1782 “Memorial and Manifesto of the United States of North America” (vol. 4, 365–73), directed to the mediating powers in Europe. It is a calm, judicious assessment of the American need for independence and for the war itself.

The knowledge of God and his truths have from the beginning of the world been chiefly, if not entirely confined to those parts of the earth where some degree of liberty and political justice were to be seen, and great were the difficulties with which they had to struggle, from the imperfection of human society, and the unjust decisions of unsurped authority

The knowledge of God and his truths...have been chiefly...confined to...where some degree of liberty and political justice were to be seen...

The message of freedom rings out from scripture, and especially from the Apostle Paul and Galatians. This message of spiritual freedom affected thought throughout Christendom to where freedom in this temporal realm also became an earnest yearning. America resulted from such a yearning.

We are compelled to pay attention to Rev. Witherspoon's contention that there is a time to fight for one's temporal freedom because when it departs, so does our freedom of conscience and religion.

These are the times that try men's souls.

From what has been said you may learn what encouragement you have to put your trust in God, and hope for his assistance in the present important conflict. He is the Lord of hosts, great in might, and strong in battle. Whoever hath his countenance and approbation, shall have the best at last. I do not mean to speak prophetically, but agreeably to the analogy of faith, and the principles of God's moral government. I leave this as a matter rather of conjecture than certainty, but observe, that if your conduct is prudent, you need not fear the multitude of opposing hosts.

Using the same conjecture as Witherspoon, we can expect God's blessing on us when our cause is just. Even in this present conflict with those who would steal our faith, our freedom, and our property, we know the One they are afraid of. The Lord of Hosts mocks their arrogance and supposed strength of arms.

But are we unified under our Lord?

...O thus be it ever, when free men shall stand
between their loved homes and the war's desolation!
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land,
praise the Pow'r that has made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just;
and this be our motto: "In God is our Trust.
!" And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave,
o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!"

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