142. “George Washington’s Sacred Fire” by Peter A. Lillback with Jerry Newcombe is a brilliant and detailed refutation of that notion. 76. William Jay, The Life of John Jay (New York: J. Hugh A. Garland, The Life of John Randolph of Roanoke (New York: D. Appleton & Company, 1853), Vol. . Benjamin Rush, Essays, Literary, Moral & Philosophical (Philadelphia: Thomas & Samuel F. Bradford, 1798), pp. 5, p. 245, July 9, 1776 Order. 4. . Thomas Jefferson, Memoir, Correspondence, and Miscellanies from the Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Randolph, editor (Boston: Grey & Bowen, 1830), Vol. We all agree in the obligation of the moral principles of Jesus and nowhere will they be found delivered in greater purity than in His discourses.64, I am a Christian in the only sense in which He wished anyone to be: sincerely attached to His doctrines in preference to all others.65, I am a real Christian – that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus Christ.66, You this day. 66. All three formed Jesus’s inner circle. I have said much to you on this head, and I hope an indelible impression is made.20, Grateful to Almighty God for the blessings which, through Jesus Christ Our Lord, He had conferred on my beloved country in her emancipation and on myself in permitting me, under circumstances of mercy, to live to the age of 89 years, and to survive the fiftieth year of independence, adopted by Congress on the 4th of July 1776, which I originally subscribed on the 2d day of August of the same year and of which I am now the last surviving signer.22, I, Charles Carroll. Here are some of the surprising faiths of our founding fathers. I, pp. John Witherspoon, The Works of John Witherspoon (Edinburgh: J. Ogle, 1815), Vol. Paul was martyred by decapitation under emperor Nero’s command in AD 65 or 67. Thomas Jefferson, The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Albert Bergh, editor (Washington, D. C.: Thomas Jefferson Memorial Assoc., 1904), Vol. Who was John the Apostle in the Bible? 50. VI, p. 542, to James A. Bayard, April, 1802; see also, Alexander Hamilton, The Papers of Alexander Hamilton, Harold C. Syrett, editor (New York: Columbia University Press, 1977), Vol. . . Reports of Committees of the House of Representatives Made During the First Session of the Thirty-Third Congress (Washington: A. O. P. Nicholson, 1854), pp. Consequently, they arrested Jesus under fraudulent charges and ensured He received the death penalty. 59. III, p. 506, to Benjamin Rush, April 21, 1803. Whoever believes in the Divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures must hope that the religion of Jesus shall prevail throughout the earth. 23. Washington was on God’s side, and, more importantly, God was on his. . I would encourage you to follow the link below and read for yourself what they had to say. Charles W. Upham, The Life of Timothy Pickering (Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1873), Vol. And may the associated distribution of the Bible proceed and prosper till the Lord shall have made “bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God” [Isaiah 52:10].7, In the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. . Paul was also instrumental in the persecution of the early church. There our love to God and each other will grow stronger, and our pleasures never be dampened by the fear of future separation. Onward we go with the cornerstone and foundation of the Church. Will of George Mason, attested March 20, 1773. Bernard C. Steiner, One Hundred and Ten Years of Bible Society Work in Maryland, 1810-1920 (Maryland Bible Society, 1921), p. 14. Caleb Strong, Governor of Massachusetts, Proclamation for a Day of Fasting, Prayer and Humiliation, February 13, 1813, from a proclamation in our possession, Shaw #29090. 9, pp. John, son of Zebedee, was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. Never since the foundation of the world have the prospects of mankind been more encouraging to that hope than they appear to be at the present time. Noah Webster, A Collection of Papers on Political, Literary, and Moral Subjects (New York: Webster and Clark, 1843), p. 291, from his “Reply to a Letter of David McClure on the Subject of the Proper Course of Study in the Girard College, Philadelphia. 40. The Declaration of Independence laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity.8, SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION; DIPLOMAT; PRINTER; SCIENTIST; SIGNER OF THE CONSTITUTION; GOVERNOR OF PENNSYLVANIA, As to Jesus of Nazareth, my opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the system of morals and His religion as He left them to us, the best the world ever saw or is likely to see.29, The body of Benjamin Franklin, printer, like the cover of an old book, its contents torn out and stripped of its lettering and guilding, lies here, food for worms. The authors have anecdote after anecdote to accompany discussions of the culture of those days to explain why Washington – and others of his day and faith – expressed themselves as they did. John Adams, The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States, Charles Francis Adams, editor (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1856), Vol. Noah Webster, History of the United States (New Haven: Durrie and Peck, 1832), p. 6. His writings and teachings have influenced millions of Christians and make half of the New Testament. (Revelation 22:13). William Jay, The Life of John Jay (New York: J. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! . In an endeavor to remember and appreciate their legacy, I have compiled a list of twenty-five men whose works still influence us today. . You are well acquainted that the most perfect and consummate doctrinal knowledge is of no avail without it operates on and sincerely affects the heart, changes the practice, and totally influences the will – and that without the almighty power of the Spirit of God enlightening your mind, subduing your will, and continually drawing you to Himself, you can do nothing. . I went. 95. Thomas Jefferson, The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Alberty Ellery Bergh, editor (Washington D.C.: The Thomas Jefferson Memorial Association, 1904), Vol. They, therefore, who enlist in His service, have the highest encouragement to fulfill the du¬ties assigned to their respective stations; for most certain it is, that those of His followers who [participate in] His conquests will also participate in the tran¬scendent glories and blessings of His Triumph.58, I recommend a general and public return of praise and thanksgiving to Him from whose goodness these blessings descend. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. XIX, p. 325, from a letter of Elias Boudinot to his daughter, Susan Boudinot, on October 30, 1782; see also, Elias Boudinot, The Life Public Services, Addresses, and Letters of Elias Boudinot (Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin, and Company, 1896), Vol. & J. Harper, 1833), Vol. 165-166. And for the next three years, Jesus traveled from city to city, proclaiming God’s kingdom and calling sinners to repentance. 48. No one can deny that many of the founding fathers of the United States of America were men of deep religious convictions based in the Bible and faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible will also inform them that our gracious Creator has provided for us a Redeemer in whom all the nations of the earth should be blessed – that this Redeemer has made atonement “for the sins of the whole world,” and thereby reconciling the Divine justice with the Divine mercy, has opened a way for our redemption and salvation; and that these inestimable benefits are of the free gift and grace of God, not of our deserving, nor in our power to deserve. 669-670, Samuel Adams to Elizabeth Adams on December 26, 1776. V, p. 278, Sermon 15, “The Absolute Necessity of Salvation Through Christ,” January 2, 1758. ( Log Out / I, p. 521, to Jeremy Belknap on July 13, 1789. 112. Putnam’s Sons, 1904, p. 185). II, p. 709, to Peter Augustus Jay on April 8, 1784. John Sanderson, Biography of the Signers to the Declaration of Independence (Philadelphia: R. W. Pomeroy, 1824), Vol. 729-730, Gouverneur Morris to General Anthony Wayne on May 21, 1778. . John referred to himself as the apostle whom Jesus loved (John 13:23;19:26; 21:7), he was the only disciple present during the crucifixion and was the one to whom Jesus entrusted the care of His mother (John 19:26-27). Benjamin Rush, Essays, Literary, Moral & Philosophical (Philadelphia: Thomas & Samuel F. Bradford, 1798), p. 93, “A Defence of the Use of the Bible as a School Book.” See also Rush, Letters, Vol. I, p. 260-262. John Hancock, Proclamation For a Day of Fasting and Prayer, March 16, 1789, from a proclamation in our possession, Evans #21946.