The First Continental
Congress opened with Bible reading and prayer on September 5, 1774, at
Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia, PA. Fifty-six Delegates were present from all
13 colonies except Georgia. Among those present were George Washington, Richard Henry Lee, and
Patrick Henry from Virginia and Samuel Adams and John Adams from Massachusetts.
The delegates met to discuss how to deal with Britain’s oppressive mandates toward the colonies.
Beginning with the Stamp Act of 1765, relations
between the colonists and Great Britain had steadily deteriorated as King George
continued to pile on tyrannical taxes and regulations about which they had no
say. With the outbreak of protests, especially in New England, George had sent
six regiments of British soldiers who had locked down the city of Boston and
closed its port.
Before beginning their discussions, the
delegates agreed to open with Bible reading and prayer. Samuel Adams, a Puritan
from New England, suggested they invite Rev. Jacob Duche, an Anglican minister
of Philadelphia who was known as a man of deep spirituality, to come and lead
them in payer.
As the elderly, grey-haired Duche
stood before the Congress, he began by reading
the entire 35th Psalm, which
powerfully impacted everyone present. It is a prayer of David for deliverance
and begins with the words, Plead
my cause O LORD with those who strive against me; fight against those who fight
against me. The Psalm ends
with praise for God’s deliverance.
After reading the Psalm, Duche began praying for the
delegates, for America, and especially for the city of Boston and its inhabitants
who were under siege. As he began
praying, the Anglicans, such as George Washington and Richard Henry Lee,
knelt in prayer, according to their custom. The Puritans, according to their
custom, sat with bowed heads and prayed. Others prayed according to their own,
unique customs.
But although their outward manners differed, there was a
singleness of heart and purpose as they all united in prayer for God’s
assistance and intervention for America. Duche lifted his voice in prayer,
saying,
O Lord, our high and mighty Father,
heavenly king of kings, and Lord of Lords, who dost from Thy throne behold all
the dwellers of the earth, and reignest with power supreme over all kingdoms,
empires, and governments. Look down in mercy we beseech thee on these our
American states who have fled to Thee from the rod of the oppressor and thrown
themselves on Thy gracious protection, desiring to be henceforth dependent only
on Thee. To Thee they have appealed for the righteousness of their cause; to
Thee do they now look up for that countenance and support which Thou alone can
give . . . Shower down upon them and the millions they represent, such temporal
blessings as Thou seest expedient for them in this world and crown them with
everlasting joy in the world to come. All this we ask in the name and through
the merits of Jesus Christ Thy Son and our Savior. Amen
This was America's founding prayer and it was recorded in the official proceedings of the Congress. John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, of the impact of
the Bible reading and prayer on the delegates, saying,
Who can realize the emotions with
which they turned imploringly to heaven for divine
interposition and aid. It was enough to melt a heart of stone. I never saw a
greater effect upon an audience. It seems as if heaven had ordained that Psalm
to be read that day. I saw tears gush into the eyes of the old, grave pacific
Quakers of Philadelphia. I must beg you to read that Psalm (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 108).
Rev. Duche was then invited to be the chaplain for the Congress and begin each session with Bible reading and prayer. He agreed and this first Congress became a place where God's word and prayer in the name of Jesus were valued and given priority.
Sadly, these historical facts have been censored from the secularized modern versions of America’s history. It is, therefore, vital that we restore them to the American public for as Carl Sandburg said, "When a nation goes down or a society perishes, one condition may always be found; they forgot where they came from, they lost sight of what had brought them along."
This article is derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt's book, 1726: The Year that Defined America, available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.
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