By Pastor Dave Farmer
On July 4th, 1776 we declared our independence from the British Empire. This year marks our 236th celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. As a Christian, I wear two hats. I am a Patriot, and I love my country. I am a Christian, and I love my Lord Jesus Christ. I am therefore a Christian Patriot. I ask all true Christian Patriots to join me in reading that great national document afresh and reminding ourselves that freedom is never free.
Remembering the Declaration of Independence
Introduction
As we celebrate this July 4th, I hope we will reflect on the fact that freedom is never free. The 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence pledged all they had in the effort to win our independence and many paid dearly. Nearby is a college whose entrance I drive by almost daily, Richard Stockton College. His name is on the sign, but I wonder just how many people in New Jersey, and even the students who attend the college know who he was and what he did?
Richard Stockton was the only signer to be put in irons, starved, and imprisoned under brutal conditions. He was captured by the British four months after signing the Declaration of Independence. He paid the supreme price for placing his signature on that Declaration.
His home was occupied by British General Cornwallis. Dr. Benjamin Rush [ his son-in- law] wrote: “The whole of Mr. Stockton’s furniture, apparel, and even valuable writings have been burnt. All his cattle, horses, hogs, sheep, grain and forage have been carried away by them." Stockton’s library, one of the finest in the colonies, was burned and he was forced to accept help from his family and friends to survive. Because of Stockton’s poor health while in prison, General George Washington appealed to General Howe for his release. Dr. Rush wrote that it took Stockton nearly two years to recover his health. He was paroled by Howe requiring him not to participate in the war effort. He resigned from Congress and took up his law practice until his death. He lost his wealth and his health to the cause of our liberty. He died before the war ended. He never saw the victory.
This is our American heritage, and I am thankful for Richard Stockton and others who gave so much for our freedom. Today, I proudly wear two hats. I am a patriot and love my country. I am a Christian and love my Lord Jesus Christ. I am a Christian patriot.
On July 1, 1776, the delegates from the thirteen colonies gathered in Philadelphia to debate the motion to break all ties with England.
John Adams rose from his chair, speaking with quiet power and conviction:
"Before God, I believe the hour has come. My judgment approves this measure, and my whole heart is in it. All that I have, and all that I am, and all that I hope in this life, I am now ready here to stake upon it. And I leave off as I began, that live or die, survive or perish; I am for the declaration. It is my living sentiment, and by the blessing of God, it shall be my dying sentiment. Independence now and independence forever!"
The report of the proceeding states that there was a hushed silence. No one rose to speak. It is as if everyone was counting what it would cost them.
Suddenly, the door swung open and in strode a mud-spattered figure with two others behind him. It was Dr. John Witherspoon, at the head of the New Jersey delegation. He was a Scotsman, and the only ordained Pastor to sign the Declaration of Independence. Dr. Witherspoon was also the president of Princeton University. Apologizing for being late, he said that although he had not heard the debate, “New Jersey is ready to vote for independence. In our judgment, the country is not only ripe for independence; we are being in danger of becoming rotten for the want of it if we delay any longer.”
The congress preceded to vote, and nine of the thirteen Colonies voted with New Jersey that day. Pennsylvania and South Carolina voted no, New York abstained. Delaware was split, one delegate for and one against. Congress acting as the committee of the whole must have a unanimous vote. On July 2, 1776 - debate resumed.
There is the great story about Caesar Rodney, who had left early to tend to a business emergency. The Delaware deadlock had to be broken. Rodney was for separating from the Crown. An express rider appeared at his home at two in the morning bringing word that the debate would resume in less than seven hours. Taking his best horse, he rode all through the night. The ride was dangerous, but by 1:00 P.M. he arrived at the State House just as the final vote was being taken. He was so exhausted that he had to be helped into the assembly room. He was barely able to speak. So with great effort, he said, "As l believe the voice of my constituent and of all sensible and honest men is in favor of independence, my own judgment concurs with them. I vote for independence."
The Delaware deadlock was broken, and the other delegations voted the same way, except New York which abstained. 12 to none. At that moment the Colonies had just become the United States of America.
Just as before a sullen silence fell upon the assembly as they pondered what this now meant. John Hancock broke the silence: “Gentlemen, the price on my head has just been doubled.” Samuel Adams rose speaking: “We have this day restored the Sovereign, to who alone men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven and from the rising to the setting sun, may His kingdom come”.
This same day, the British landed on Staten Island with 55,000 troops. The War for independence had started.
July 4, 1776
The Declaration of Independence was agreed to:
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
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.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly, all experience hath shown, that humans are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.
The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offenses
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighboring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes, and conditions. In every stage of these Oppressions, We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have we been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. 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.
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Every time I have read this document, I am absolutely amazed at the courage of these people. Their faith in God, " with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence" is an example to all of us who love this country.
When you read the proceedings of the convention held to determine the future of the colonies, you can't help but notice how often the delegates spoke of their dependence on God. They trusted God, but today, we the people are trusting in the government. They depended on their creator to aid them, but today we trust the government and its hundreds of agencies to help us.
How bad is it? When a people turn to government to secure their happiness rather than look to the God who gave us this government, then we are under a strong delusion. The downward plunge into decadence and depravity will continue until the fifth cycle of judgement will remove us from the list of nations. How long do we have?
I wish I knew. My prayer is that there still exists a small cadre of believers, Christian patriots, who love the Lord and whose prayers are that our God would come to our aid and keep us free from the tyranny of government. This is our responsibility.
1 Timothy 2:1-3
1] Therefore l exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,
2] for kings and all who are in authority that we may lead a quiet and
peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
3] For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior
These verses explain our Christian responsibility. We are to love our country, to support its institutions, to pray for its leaders. "My country right or wrong, if right to keep her right; if wrong, to make her right."
Our nation provides freedom for us to live our very own spiritual lives and pursue the worship of our God and that is something to be thankful for. Freedom is a wonderful word. Many in the past have valued it more than their own lives. They made great sacrifices for our freedom. What are we doing?
Today in many churches, the celebration of the 4th of July will also include a Communion Service. It is a common practice to hold this service on the first Sunday of the month. It is a time when we remember the Person and Work of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. It is a double blessing kind of day. We remember the cost of those who gave us our political freedom, and we remember our Lord who gave to us spiritual freedom, freedom from the tyranny of the world, the flesh, and the devil.
ln Jesus’ own words, he declared:
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32
What is the truth that Jesus spoke of? He has come into this world because the people of this world are spiritually lost. They are without God, alienated, and separated from Him. He said this is My mission, "to seek and save the lost." He is the Savior, the One who comes to rescue us from grave danger. When you acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, He will set you free from a sinful nature and a Christless eternity. Be truly free, trust in Him today!