The
young preacher, dressed in his Anglican clerical robe, stood on the steps of
the Philadelphia courthouse and addressed the massive crowd of 10,000 or more
gathered before him. It was 1739 and the preacher was 25-year-old George
Whitefield who had come from England to America with the prayer in his heart that the people
would no longer live as 13 divided colonies but as “one nation under God.”
Knowing there were
people of many sects and denominations in the crowd, he decided to challenge
their divisions and so mimicked a conversation with Father Abraham whom he
pictured as looking over the banister of heaven at them all.
Looking up toward
heaven, Whitefield cried out, “Father Abraham are their any Anglicans in
heaven?” The answer came back, “No there are no Anglicans in heaven.”
Whitefield continued, “Father Abraham, are there any Methodists in heaven?” The
answer came back, “No, there are no Methodists here either?” Whitefield cried
out again, “Father Abraham are there any Puritans in heaven?” The answer came
back, “No, there are no Puritans here either.” “What about Baptists and
Quakers,” cried Whitefield as he continued to gaze heavenward. The answer came
back, “There are none of those here either.”
Finally, with a
note of desperation in his voice, Whitefield cried out “Father Abraham, what
kind of people are in heaven?” The answer came back, “There are only Christians
in heaven; only those washed in the blood of the Lamb.” Whitefield then cried
out, “Oh, is that the case? Then God help me, and God help us all, to forget about
labels and become Christians in deed and in truth.”
There were many audible sighs,
groans, and tears as Whitefield presented his case for Jesus being the center
of our faith. Benjamin Franklin was one of those in the crowd and he described
the profound influence of Whitefield’s preaching on them all, saying, “From
being thoughtless or indifferent about religion, it seemed as if the whole world
were growing religious” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America,
79).
It Was a Jesus Revolution
It was the
Christ-centered preaching of Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, and others that ignited what historians call "The Great Awakening." I am here calling it a "Jesus Revolution" because of the exaltation of Jesus in every aspect of the Awakening. Denominational and sectarian allegiances were dissolved and a young George Washington prayed, “Bless, O Lord, the whole
race of mankind and let the world be filled with knowledge of Thee and Thy Son
Jesus Christ” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 132).
It was this
Christ-centered preaching that led to a common cry during the conflict with Great
Britain, “We recognize no Sovereign but God and no king but Jesus!” This cry originated
just before the gunfire erupted at Lexington in April of 1775. The British officer,
Major John Pitcairn, shouted to an assembled group of minutemen, "Disperse,
ye villains, lay down your arms in the name of George the Sovereign King of
England." Rev. Jonas Clarke, who was standing with the minutemen, shouted
back, “We recognize no Sovereign but God and no king but Jesus” (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots (Second Edition), 117)!
This
cry caught the imagination of American patriots everywhere and soon rang
throughout the colonies. It became so prominent that a British-appointed governor,
Jonathan Trumbull, wrote back to England, “If you ask an American who is his
master, he will tell you he has none, nor any governor but Jesus Christ”
(Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots (Second Edition), 117)!
The First Congress Opens with Prayer in the Name of
Jesus
Against
this backdrop, it is not surprising that the First Continental Congress opened on
September 5, 1774, with an extended time of Bible reading and prayer in the
name of Jesus. Fifty-six Delegates were present from all 13 colonies except
Georgia. They had gathered at Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia to discuss how
they should respond to the British invasion of their land.
It
was a very troubling time. King George of England had sent six regiments of
British soldiers who had occupied the city of Boston, closed its port, and
revoked the right of the people to self-government. British soldiers were being
quartered in people's homes apart from their consent. This was George’s
tyrannical response to protests that had erupted, especially in New England,
over his burdensome taxes and regulations on the colonists without any input on
their part.
Having been
impacted by the Great Awakening and its Christ-centered message, the delegates,
which included Anglicans, Puritans, Presbyterians, Quakers, and others, agreed
to open with Bible reading and prayer. Samuel Adams, a Puritan from New
England, suggested that 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 Dusche 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.
America’s
Founding Prayer
After reading the Psalm, Dusche 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, such
as Samuel Adams and John Adams, 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, in the name of Jesus, for God’s assistance and intervention for
America. Dusche 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.
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”
(Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 108).
America for Jesus
In
early America, there was no hesitancy about mentioning the name of Jesus as the
object of faith and expressing the desire that such faith be spread throughout the earth.
For example, in a meeting with chiefs of the Delaware tribe, who had brought
some of their youth to be trained in American schools, George Washington said
to them, “You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all
the religion of Jesus Christ.” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America,
172).
John
Hancock served as president of the Continental Congress and his signature is
the largest and most prominent on the Declaration of Independence. While
serving as governor of Massachusetts in 1793, he proclaimed a Day of Prayer and
Humiliation and asked the people to pray for, “The spreading of the true
religion of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, in all its purity and power, among all the
people of the earth” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 173).
Although
Thomas Jefferson was known to have questioned the deity of Jesus, he was
convinced that the moral teachings of Jesus were the key to a stable and
prosperous society. Take, for example, the so-called “Jefferson Bible,” which
is a misleading misnomer by modern historians. Jefferson titled it The Life
and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, and in it, he meticulously brought
together the teachings of Jesus into a single volume for his own study but also
for evangelizing and instructing Native American tribes. He even took money
from the federal treasury to pay for a missionary to the Kaskaskia tribe. Jefferson
was a Jesus Revolutionary, and he once said,
The
philosophy of Jesus is the most sublime and benevolent code of morals ever
offered to man. A more beautiful or precious morsel of ethics I have never
seen.
The Fruit of this Early American Jesus Revolution
Americans Became a Tolerant People. This should not
be surprising for it was Jesus who said, Love your enemies, bless those who
curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use
you and persecute you (Matthew 5:44). They, of course, never lived up to this
standard but it was acknowledged by all and served as a positive force pulling them
in the right direction. This tolerance showed itself in an early July 4th parade in Philadelphia. Dr.
Benjamin Rush (1745–1813), a devout Christian and signer of the Declaration of
Independence, wrote, “The rabbi of
the Jews locked in the arms of two ministers of the Gospel was a most
delightful sight” (Hyatt, America’s Revival Heritage (Second Edition), 97.
Slavery Became Anathema throughout America. In my book, 1726, I have documented how a
powerful abolition movement was ignited by this Jesus Awakening that turned
every Founding Father against slavery at a time it was accepted and practiced
in most of the world. Impacted by the Awakening, abolitionists used the teachings of Jesus to oppose
slavery saying that if people lived by His teachings, such as “love your
neighbor as yourself” and “do unto others as you would have them do unto you,”
it would quickly put an end to slavery (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 98-99)
Denominational Divisions
Were Healed.
The animosity between Anglicans, Puritans, Baptists, Quakers, and others ran
deep. In the Old World, the Anglican Church, the state church of England, had
harassed and persecuted all these groups, which is why they fled to the New
World. But in the New World, the Anglicans of Virginia, the Puritans of New
England, the Baptists of Rhode Island, and the Quakers of Pennsylvania all
persecuted each other. But in the Christ-centered preaching of the Awakening,
these divisions melted as the people saw Jesus Himself to be the essence and
object of their faith. Commenting on Whitefield’s final visit to America in 1770,
the historian, Benjamin Hart, wrote,
The true Spirit of
Christ had dissolved sectarian differences. America considered itself to be a
nation of Christians, pure and simple, as Whitefield noted with satisfaction.
“Pulpits, hearts and affections,” he said, were opened to him and any preacher
of whatever denomination who had a true Christian message to share (Hyatt, 1726:The Year that Defined America, 87-88).
With religious,
racial, and cultural barriers being breached, the people began, for the first
time, to see themselves as a single people—"one nation under God” as
Whitefield had prayed. This is why the late Harvard professor, Perry Miller, declared,
“The Declaration of Independence of 1776 was a result of the evangelical preaching
of the evangelists of the Great Awakening” (Hyatt, 2000 Years of CharismaticChristianity, 112).
America Must Have Another Jesus Revolution
The hymn, “O For a
Thousand Tongues to Sing,” was written in 1739 by Charles Wesley, a very close
friend and mentor to George Whitefield at Oxford University. This Jesus-honoring
hymn must have been sung by Whitefield and the massive crowds to which he
preached in colonial America. One stanza says,
Jesus! the name
that charms our fears,
that bids our sorrows cease,
'tis music in the sinner's ears,
'tis life and health and peace.
So, let us pray
for another Jesus Revolution across America that will impact people of every religious
and theological persuasion. It is the Biblical thing to do. It is also the American
thing to do.
This article is derived from books by Dr. Eddie Hyatt including, 1726: The Year that Defined America and America's Revival Heritage (Second Edition) and Pilgrims and Patriots (Second Edition). These books, and more, are available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.
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