Clean Transcript

The Black Robed Regiment

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

• I want you to open your Bibles, if you would please, tonight to Hebrews chapter 11, Hebrews chapter 11. And since this is kind of a historical theological conference, I want to do something again tonight along the line of history, but I hope that you're going to see how appropriate and how applicable it is today. If you look in Hebrews chapter 11, let's begin reading there verse 32. Hebrews 11 verse 32, the author of the book of Hebrews writes, "And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah; David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths

  #1 | 0:00 to 0:49 | cleaned

• of the lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again, and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword.

  #2 | 0:49 to 1:17 | cleaned

• They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented; of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains and dens and in caves of the earth.

  #3 | 1:18 to 1:29 | cleaned

• Now I want you to note that we refer to Hebrews 11 as the hall of fame for the heroes of faith. But the truth is there are a lot of heroes of faith that are not mentioned in Hebrews chapter 11. There have also been a great number of heroes of faith that have appeared throughout history after the canon of scripture has been closed. We can read Hebrews 11 and rejoice in these men. But there are some things we need to really learn from reading Hebrews chapter 11.

  #4 | 1:30 to 2:03 | cleaned

• The first one is this: God is pleased to use men. That's very obvious. Secondly, we need to learn this, that God is pleased to use these men, not for the glory of the men, but for the glory of God himself, and that we would praise him through these men and their exploits and their feats. And then, of course, I believe as we read Hebrews chapter 11, there is a call for each of us to be strong in our Lord and to stand and to quit ourselves like men, because these men always stood in faith.

  #5 | 2:03 to 2:42 | cleaned

• Now, years ago, I saw a little poster and it showed this hayseed of a fellow, country hick, with the grass seed sticking out of his mouth. And of course, everything was misspelled. And the little sticker said, "Six months ago, I couldn't even spell postman. Now I are one." Well, you know, when you think about that, I'm thinking about that in reference to the pastors that we have in America today. And I can certainly talk about pastors because I have been one for 42 years. And even in my lifetime,

  #6 | 2:42 to 3:26 | cleaned

• I can tell a great change that has taken place in the ministry. We used to really and truly have pastors and preachers. Today, we have administrators and entertainers and successful program runners. I want to bring a message today which I have entitled, "The Black Robed Regiment." And I want to tell you tonight about the pastors during the American Revolution. The Black Robed Regiment was the name, really, that the British gave to those pastors during the American Revolution. So the Black Robe Regiment then refers to those pastors, those ministers who prayed for, who fought in, and who advanced the war for independence, sometimes called the American Revolution. You've got to remember back during those days, all of the pastors wore long, flowing black robes.

  #7 | 3:28 to 4:31 | cleaned

• It was a symbol of their office. I've been threatening for years to preach a message on the stealing of the robes. And of course, I have mentioned this in one or two other messages, but you just stop and think how the robes have progressed. Of course, originally it was with the family, the patriarchal, and that's why Joseph got that multicolored robe, by the way. And I'm not going to get into what all that meant tonight, but then it went from the family to the church and then from the church to the colleges, the universities—notice graduation, the long flowing black robes—and then from the universities to the Supreme Court or to the judges. And there's been a stealing of the robes because the robes always spoke of the office of authority. Now, when you hear about the black robe regiments, you've got to remember it was these pastors who sparked the war for independence. These pastors were despised.

  #8 | 4:31 to 5:31 | cleaned

• They were hated, they were eagerly sought after by the British, prices were placed upon their head, and when they were captured they were ill-treated and very readily and quickly murdered. One such was Pastor Moses Allen of Georgia. He was so cursed and so hated by the Tories, they said that he was more obnoxious than the military leaders of the Patriots, and hence they constantly uttered deadly threats against him. His enemies said that this rebel parson—that's what they called him—did more injury to the cause of the king than did a dozen military colonels. Therefore, when Savannah, Georgia fell, they made it a point to make sure that the church and the home of Pastor Moses Allen was burned to the ground. During this battle, he was captured and he was placed in a prison ship along with a lot of other patriots in Georgia at that particular time. Starvation stalked that ship as well as disease and a multitude of other ill treatments that was fostered upon those men by the Tories. And Pastor Allen did indeed continue to minister to those men until he found an opportunity to escape.

  #9 | 5:32 to 6:59 | cleaned

• And when he saw his opportunity to escape, he jumped over the ship and began swimming to shore. Now, his escape was good. But because of the ill treatment and because of the basic starvation, he just did not have strength enough to make it to the shore and he drowned. And of course, when the other prisoners saw it, they begin to clamor and say, "Look, this was a pastor.

  #10 | 7:00 to 7:24 | cleaned

• This was a man of God and he needs to be buried." And so the British soldiers, to show their contempt, said, "You want him buried? We'll bury him." So they took a little boat, rowed out to where he was, picked him up, carried him to the shore, stomped him in the mud, and left his arms and head sticking out for the buzzards to eat. So here was a man that was so hated and so despised just simply because he was a pastor and stood for independence and freedom.

  #11 | 7:24 to 7:58 | cleaned

• It was pastors like Moses Allen that nursed the flame of piety and the love for civil liberty. These men prayed, they preached, and they fought for liberty. Many of these pastors went into the army as chaplains. Others, of course, stirred the people at home with patriotic sermons and swelled the rank of the colonial army. And others just simply showered the enemy with sermons and tracts and pamphlets, while some joined in thought along with their fellow patriots with temple arms. So it was these pastors then that taught their people to reject with utmost abhorrence what is known then as the divine right of kings. They taught their people to resist the teaching of passive obedience and non-resistance.

  #12 | 7:58 to 8:49 | cleaned

• And they inculcated these doctrines into their hearers so that the people understood and identified with them. And basically, the people were at one with them. And therefore, it was pastor and congregation who stood for freedom and liberty. And they taught and they preached and told the people that civil government was ordained by God to be a ministry of justice and to establish God's law and to carry out his orderly way.

  #13 | 8:50 to 9:20 | cleaned

• If you will study the pastors in the American Revolution, you will find them huddled at Valley Forge. You will find them facing the storm and the wintering blast on Trenton. You will find them covered with the smoke at the conflict of Bennington. You'll find them standing under the enemy's fire at Yorktown. At Lexington, three pastors fought along with the men there. Thaxter of Westford was one, and also Pastor Foster. You will find pastors, as you study history, attached to every expedition, no matter how hazardous and no matter how exhausting. It was the pastors during the American Revolution that were the leaders and the shakers and the movers in that war. These men led the people in preaching, praying, and fighting. Now let me give you one illustration.

  #14 | 9:20 to 10:15 | cleaned

• One election sermon that was preached by Gad Hitchcock from Proverbs 29 and verse 2 took place on May the 25th, 1774. Let me just read to you Proverbs 29 and verse 2. Here the Word of God says this: "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn." Now listen. When the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn. Well, Gad Hitchcock was a pastor and he had been asked to preach this election sermon because the governor had now been elected. And so he consented well in advance to preach this election sermon.

  #15 | 10:17 to 11:00 | cleaned

• And when he got there, guess what? He found that the new governor was not the governor that he had thought, but the new governor happened to be General Gage himself, sent over by King George III to put down the rebellion. And there sat General Gage, now the appointed governor, with his soldiers. Gad Hitchcock preached. And here is just one excerpt of his sermon. Listen to what he said. Now, remember, he's facing General Gage. General Gage, the new governor, is backed up with his soldiers.

  #16 | 11:00 to 11:45 | cleaned

• And Gad Hitchcock preaches and says this: "If I am mistaken in supposing plans are formed and executing, subversive of our natural and chartered rights and privileges, and incompatible with every idea of liberty, all America is mistaken with me. Our continued complaints, our repeated humble but fruitless, unregarded petitions and remonstrances, and if I may be allowed a sacred illusion, our groanings, which cannot be uttered, are at once indications of our sufferings and the feelings since we have of them." Then he says this.

  #17 | 11:46 to 12:23 | cleaned

• "Let the governor in his chair of state hear it. We not only mourn, but with groanings that cannot be uttered, and all because the wicked bear rule. The castle cannot shelter him from the scorching thunderbolt. Families are divided, brother is arrayed against brother, friend against friend, society is cut loose from her moorings, and hate and consternation reign on every side, and all because the wicked bear rule. King George may say that the evils that produce this state of things are imaginary, but I tell you," says Gad Hitchcock, "and I'll tell the tyrant to his face, it's because the wicked bear rule." Wow!

  #18 | 12:24 to 13:05 | cleaned

• Can you imagine having a pastor like that? Facing General Gage with all of his soldiers, he said, "And I'll tell the tyrant to his face. Here's the problem. It's because the wicked bear rule."

  #19 | 13:06 to 13:19 | cleaned

• Now, as you can readily see, the pastors who preach liberty were bold, brave, courageous, and I might add, they were extremely influential. And the British understood this and they hated the fact that here this tremendous authority and influence that these pastors wielded in the colonies was on the side of independence.

  #20 | 13:19 to 13:42 | cleaned

• Now, they called it, of course, the rebellion. They said, "Here all these pastors are on the side of rebellion." Well, in 1774, the same British governor of Massachusetts refused the request of the Massachusetts General Assembly to appoint a day of fasting. Now, this is 1774. And all the Massachusetts General Assembly wanted was a day of fasting, and the governor refused. Here's what he said, that he was refusing the request because the request was only to give an opportunity for sedition to flow from the pulpit.

  #21 | 13:42 to 14:28 | cleaned

• Now, I want you to note what the tyrant says. The tyrant says that truth and liberty is sedition. And he is calling a refusal to submit to slavery and tyranny rebellion. Learn one thing tonight. If you don't learn anything else, learn this tonight. Do you realize, and it doesn't matter the government, but official governmental proclamations, official governmental sanctions and indictments do not change truth, righteousness and justice.

  #22 | 14:31 to 15:11 | cleaned

• They may deny it, they may denounce it, they may denigrate it, but they cannot destroy it. Truth is still truth and righteousness is still righteousness. Dr. Timothy Dwight, who is an author, theologian, chaplain, and president of Yale University, and also son-in-law to Jonathan Edwards, I might add, he urged that a Declaration of Independence from England be publicly stated long before it was done. Here's what Dr. Dwight said. He said, "I urged in conversation with several gentlemen of great respectability, firm Whigs, and my intimate friends, the importance and even the necessity of a Declaration of Independence on the part of the colonies.

  #23 | 15:12 to 15:56 | cleaned

• For myself, I regarded the die is cast and the hope of reconciliation vanished and believed that the colonists would never be able to defend themselves unless they renounced their dependence upon Great Britain." Now, here's the pastor. Here's an author. Here's the theologian. Here's the president of Yale University saying we need a Declaration of Independence. Some of you have heard of Dr. Jonathan Mayhew. I'll tell you right now that Dr. Mayhew is the originator of the Confederation or a more perfect union. Robert Treat Paine called Dr. Mayhew the father of civil and religious freedom in Massachusetts and in America. John Adams called Dr. Mayhew the morning gun of the revolution. On August 25, 1765, Dr. Mayhew preached a sermon against the Stamp Act from Galatians 5, verses 12 and 13. His sermon was full of divine truth, and Dr. Mayhew was very well loved by the people. But George Bancroft, and if you can ever find his, I believe it's a five-volume set, maybe six-volume set on the history of America, you need to buy it.

  #24 | 15:57 to 17:15 | cleaned

• But Dr. Bancroft said this concerning Dr. Mayhew. He said, "Whoever repeats the story of the revolution will rehearse the fame of Jonathan Mayhew. He spent whole nights in prayer for the dangers of his country. Light dawned on his mind on Sunday morning, July 1766, in which he wrote to Otis saying, 'You have heard of the communion of the churches. While I was thinking of this in my bed, the great use and importance of the communion of the colonies appeared to me in striking light.'

  #25 | 17:15 to 17:48 | cleaned

• "Would it not be decorous in our assembly to send circulars to all the rest expressing a desire to cement a union among ourselves? A good foundation has been laid by the Congress of New York. It may be the only means of perpetuating our liberty." This suggestion of a more perfect union for the common defense originated with Jonathan Mayhew on Sunday morning as he lay in bed praying and thinking about the communion of the churches.

  #26 | 17:49 to 18:20 | cleaned

• By the way, July 1766 was the forerunner of the Articles of Confederation, which then came on down to the Constitution in 1787. You see, it was pastors who were the leaders and the shakers in the movement for liberty and freedom and independence.

  #27 | 18:23 to 18:48 | cleaned

• Now, I want to give you very quickly a number of little short pictures and tell you about just some of the pastors. Pastor John Woodhull, of the Freehold Presbyterian Church of New Jersey, was a man who was singular in his devotion to truth and fighting for liberty and freedom. He was one of the most active patriots in his day. And he taught his church the duties of civil government based upon the Bible and their responsibility to civil government. And on one occasion, when fighting had to be done, every single man in his church followed Dr. Woodhull out to battle except one feeble old man who only had enough strength to bid him Godspeed. And the entire congregation followed their pastor out to fight the British. There was Dr. David Ely of Huntington, Connecticut, and although he was surrounded by Tories who preached liberty and freedom so, so fiercely and so defiantly and so courageously, the Tories around there said that when the rebellion was put down, they would hang him from the oak tree nearest his church.

  #28 | 18:49 to 20:07 | cleaned

• Oh, they hated him. Joseph Fish of Duxbury, Massachusetts, when he was 76 years of age, was invited by General Washington to address a number of men and to encourage them to join the colonial army. And after he gave a stirring sermon, the 76-year-old man concluded it like this. He said, "Were it not that my nerves are unstrung, and my limbs enfeebled with age, on such a call as you have, I think I should willingly quit the desk, put off my priestly garments, buckle on the harness, and with trumpet in hand, hasten to battle." Seventy-six years of age, and he's wanting to go out and fight.

  #29 | 20:09 to 20:56 | cleaned

• Jonah Stearns of New Hampshire not only preached independence, but he sacrificed most of his worldly wealth to sustain it. When he was coming home from a meeting in Exeter, he told his sons, he says, "Boys, if this call succeeds, it will be a great blessing to our country. But if it should fail, your father's head will soon be a button for a halter." And then he bid those boys to fight for independence and sent them off to join the army.

  #30 | 20:58 to 21:33 | cleaned

• John Mills of Delaware, although he was kind of a nervous and timid man, he was certainly not lacking in courage. He preached from 1 Kings chapter 12 and verse 16, where the ten northern tribes, you remember, separated from Judah because of Rehoboam's taxation. And he took that text, "What portion have we in David?" to "To your tents, O Israel!" And he was saying, "What portion do we have in Great Britain? Separate from them. Let's leave. Let's get out of there because of the corruption and the wickedness in the King of England." And certainly he did so very successfully. It was David Caldwell, another pastor of Pennsylvania, who had his house burned to the ground, his library burned to the ground, all of his furniture, all of his belongings burned to the ground, and then he was hunted like a felon all over the land just simply because he preached liberty and freedom.

  #31 | 21:34 to 22:32 | cleaned

• It was Dr. Thomas Reed of the same state in 1776 who shouldered his musket and with 40 or 50 others marched to help fight the British. It was also this same Dr. Reed who helped save General George Washington at Elk Ferry because he knew the countryside and he led them, therefore, to victory through and through his knowledge of the countryside. It was David Robert Davidson of Maryland who addressed the colonies and the people and the assembled troops there from 1 Chronicles 5 and verse 22, "For there fell down many slain, because the war was of God," and he was encouraging the men to fight against the British.

  #32 | 22:33 to 23:17 | cleaned

• There was Pastor William Graham of Paxton near Harrisonburg. And when he saw the backwardness of his young men to join the militia, he stepped up and enrolled his own name and shamed them into joining as well. There was John Steele, another pastor of Cumberland, Pennsylvania, who not only served as a captain in the army, he led 900 men and he always preached with his gun by his side. Oh, I could tell you story after story concerning that, but John Steele was quite a man. Pastor Ezell Rowe was head of the militia in his little area. And the militia was kind of backward because they were untrained and they didn't really want to fight. You know what Pastor Rowe did?

  #33 | 23:18 to 24:18 | cleaned

• He stood out and exposed himself to the enemy's fire. I mean, balls were whistling all around him. His men were begging him to step down. He said, "No, I will not step down until you promise me that if I fight, you will fight." And they finally promised him that they would fight, and so then he stepped down and led them in the fight. Azel Rowe. Charles McKnight of Shrewsbury, on account of his devotion to liberty, and the gallant work of his sons on the battlefield, this man was not only hunted down, but thrown into prison and brutally beaten and treated like a savage.

  #34 | 24:20 to 25:01 | cleaned

• And here he was, a pastor. You can go on and on and you will find these men lost everything. Dr. Samuel McClintock, he had four sons that he sent into the army. Only one returned home. Dr. Hezekiah Ripley had his home, had his church, had his library burned. He lost everything. John Martin, another pastor, after praying with the soldiers at Bunker Hill, seized a rifle and fought gallantly to the close of battle that day.

  #35 | 25:01 to 25:31 | cleaned

• And then he preached to them from Nehemiah chapter 4 and verse 14, where he said, "And I said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not afraid of them." And then there was Pastor Nathaniel Bartlett of Reading, who was also chaplain to General Putnam, and he always made his parochial visits with his musket on his shoulder because the Tories had threatened to murder him and hang him as quickly as they found him.

  #36 | 25:31 to 25:58 | cleaned

• Now, I could go on and on, but let me tell you, there was a few pastors who were reticent. One of those men was a man by the name of Payson of Chelsea. In fact, Dr. Headley, in his book on chaplains in the American Revolution, writes this concerning Pastor Payson. He says, "There too was the amiable and learned Payson of Chelsea. He was so adverse to bloodshed and all the horrors of war that he had felt it his duty to preach patience and even submission. His bolder and more resolute brethren took umbrage at this and they refused to let him preach in their pulpits.

  #37 | 25:59 to 26:42 | cleaned

• They wanted no conciliatory doctrines taught to their people. The brutal outrage of Lexington transformed this peaceful scholar and pastor into a fiery, intrepid soldier, and seizing a musket, he put himself at the head of a party and led them forward to the attack. The gentle voice that had so long spoken only words of peace suddenly rung out like that of a prophet of old. A body of British soldiers advancing along the road, he and his men poured into them such a destructive volley that the entire group were either slain or taken prisoner. He was a man of peace and conciliation, Dr. Headley says, until blood was spilled. And then he became a man of war.

  #38 | 26:43 to 27:30 | cleaned

• Now, tonight, I could sit here and tell you story after story, but I'm not going to do that. I've chosen about five men that I want to develop and let you know what happened in their lives, and give you a taste of what it used to be like to sit under a real preacher and a real pastor. The first one I'm going to tell you about is Thomas Allen. You remember I began telling you about Moses Allen, the pastor who was stomped down in the mud by the British? Well, Thomas Allen happened to be his brother. When the British soldiers converged upon and covered the hills at the Battle of White Plains, the colonists there were outnumbered, and I might add, they were outgunned. But Pastor Allen was there, and he knew that they were facing great odds, and he wanted to encourage all of the colonial soldiers to fight.

  #39 | 27:32 to 28:35 | cleaned

• And so he preached the sermon, and I want you to listen to just several paragraphs of this sermon. Here's the preaching of a pastor during the war for independence. He says, "Valiant soldiers, yonder," pointing to the British that lay in sight, "yonder are the enemies of your country who have come to lay waste and destroy and spread havoc and devastation through this pleasant land. They are enemies hired to do the work of death." And when I say enemies, remember King George III hired the Hessians, the Germans, to come over. So he says, "They are enemies hired to do the work of death and have no motive to animate them in their undertaking. You have every consideration to induce you to play the man and the active part of the valiant soldiers. Your country looks up to you for its defense.

  #40 | 28:35 to 29:25 | cleaned

• You are contending for your wives, whether you or they shall enjoy them. You are fighting for your children, whether they shall be yours or theirs, your homes and lands, for your flocks and herds, for your freedom and for future generations. For everything that is great and noble, on account of which only life itself is worth a fig. You must, you will abide the day of trial. You cannot give back while animated by these considerations.

  #41 | 29:26 to 29:56 | cleaned

• Suffer me on this occasion to recommend to you without delay to break off your sins by righteousness and your iniquity by turning unto the Lord. Turn ye, turn you, you ungodly sinners, for why would you die? Repent, lest the Lord come and smite you with a curse. Our camp is filled with blasphemers and resounds with the language of the infernal regions. Oh, that officers and men might fear to take the holy and tremendous name of God in vain. Oh, that you would now return to the Lord, lest destruction come upon you, lest vengeance overtake you. Oh, that you were wise and that you would understand your latter end. I recommend to you the strictest attention to your duty and the most punctual obedience to your officers.

  #42 | 29:57 to 30:41 | cleaned

• Discipline, order, and regularity are the strength of an army. Valiant soldiers, should our enemy attack us, I exhort you and conjure you to play the man. Let no danger appear too great. Let no suffering appear too severe for you to encounter for your bleeding country. God's grace assisting me, I am determined to fight and to die by your side rather than flee before our enemies or resign myself to them. Prefer death to captivity.

  #43 | 30:42 to 31:11 | cleaned

• Ever remember your unhappy brethren, made prisoners at Fort Washington, whose blood now cried to heaven for vengeance and shakes the pillars of the world, saying, 'How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not charge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?' Rather than quit this ground with infamy and disgrace, I should prefer leaving this body of mine, a corpse on the spot. I must finally recommend it to you and urge on you again and again, in time of action, to keep silence.

  #44 | 31:12 to 31:39 | cleaned

• Let all be hushed and calm, serene and tranquil, and that the word of command may be distinctly heard and resolutely obeyed. And may the God of heaven take us all under his protection and cover our heads in the day of battle and grant us his salvation." Wow. Did you hear what this pastor said? Listen to this: "God's grace assisting me, I am determined to fight and die by your side rather than flee

  #45 | 31:41 to 32:08 | cleaned

• from our enemies, or resign myself to them." And then he says this, "Rather than quit this ground with infamy and disgrace, I should prefer leaving this body of mine, a corpse, on the spot." Rather than run, I'll die.

  #46 | 32:08 to 32:28 | cleaned

• Now let me tell you what happened. Thomas Allen, of course, was not in charge of the military. The military leaders knew that they were outnumbered, knew that they were outgunned, and they decided the safest and the wisest course of action would be to retreat. And they did, without a battle, without a fight. And Pastor Thomas Allen took his men, the Berkshire militia, and went home. A little bit later, he received word from General Stark to bring his men because they were going to be a battle.

  #47 | 32:31 to 33:17 | cleaned

• It was the 16th of August. He and his men left a little before daylight and before they got there, there was thunder and lightning and rain was just literally pouring down. This brave pastor wanted to make dead sure that what happened this time was not like what happened the previous time. And so he decided that he was going to face General Stark immediately. And although it was pouring down rain, it was late at night when they got there, he went immediately to General Stark's tent. And when he went in, he said, I'm quoting, "General Stark, the Berkshire militia have often been summoned to the field without being allowed to fight. Now, if you don't give us a chance to fight this time, we'll never turn out again."

  #48 | 33:19 to 34:11 | cleaned

• Stark, who was a hero himself and loved to hear the true metal of courage, was not offended. He was rather amused at the young pastor, and he looked at him and smiled and said, "Do you wish to march right now while it's dark and rainy?" And Pastor Allen said, "No, not at this moment." "Well," said General Stark, "if the Lord gives us sunshine tomorrow, I promise you, I will give you your share of fighting or I'll never call you out again." And so the next morning when the sun came up and it was bright and beautiful, Pastor Allen and the Berkshire militia began to form in line. One of his men said, "Pastor Allen, we'll have to do our own fighting today." "Yes," said Pastor Allen, "we'll have a good time with the enemy, but we're not quite ready just yet." And so he called all these men around and then he led them in prayer. He prayed that God would give them the victory. Pastor Allen had no intention of just simply doing the praying and let his men doing the fighting.

  #49 | 34:13 to 35:22 | cleaned

• He determined he was going to fight himself. And if his example could encourage his men, they were certainly going to be encouraged by it, because there would be no cowards that day in the Berkshire militia. When the Hessians approached and came in sight, Pastor Thomas Allen, in his long flowing black robe, walked out in front of his men, in front of the line, stood on a stump, and with a loud, clear voice, he called out to these Hessians to surrender and to save this infusion of blood. And he promised them generous treatment if they would just simply surrender. And about that time, bullets started whizzing by Pastor Allen.

  #50 | 35:22 to 36:13 | cleaned

• In fact, one went through his hat. And of course, he went back then with his men and the battle was on. And he fought with those men that day all day long. He noticed one brother who was not shooting too well and Pastor Allen realized he was a much better shot. So he looked at his brother and he said, "Joe, you load and I'll fire." And so he fought that day with his men. And when the battle came to an end, it was Pastor Allen who was first over the hill, leading the Berkshire militia, and the victory was theirs. While many other men were out trying to rummage around and pick up whatever they could pick up, Pastor Allen caught a mule who had veneers of wine and some medical equipment on him, and he then began to go to the weak and the wounded and minister to them. Not only his own men, but the enemy as well. And, of course, after he had ministered to everyone that he could minister to and the battle was over, he took his men and he went back home because he had to preach then on Sunday.

  #51 | 36:13 to 37:30 | cleaned

• Well, his church heard about the battle and they heard that he fought in that battle. So one of his parishioners came up to him and said, "Pastor, is it true that you fought in the battle like a common soldier?" "Yes," said Pastor Allen, "I did. It was a very hot and close battle, and it became every patriot to do his duty." "Well," said the parishioner, "Pastor, did you kill anybody?" "Well," said Pastor Allen, "I don't know that I killed anybody, but I happen to notice a frequent flash from behind a certain bush, and every time I saw that flash, one of our men failed. I took aim at that bush and fired. I don't know that I killed anybody, but I put out that flash." Do you realize those men like this that gave us our independence, and by the way, Pastor Allen lived until 1810 when he died of natural causes at the age of 68. Have you ever heard the name of Naphtali Daggett? Naphtali Daggett was a pastor and president of Yale College, West Haven, Connecticut.

  #52 | 37:30 to 39:01 | cleaned

• He instructed his students on the biblical doctrine of civil government. He showed them why God ordained government, what was the purpose of government. He taught them everything. In 1779, General Tryon, British general, landed five miles from West Haven with 2,500 soldiers. The little college and the little town was hurriedly broken up and there was 100 young clergymen chosen to face the British and fight a delaying action while the rest of the students in the town escaped.

  #53 | 39:03 to 39:47 | cleaned

• Well, confusion kind of reigned in the streets for a while because people were running hither and yon and horses going every which way. And finally, everything got in order and the young men with their fife and drum marched off to face twenty-five hundred British soldiers. And there were only a hundred of them. They had not gotten far down the road until they heard the hoofbeats of a horse. And they looked behind them and here came old Dr. Daggett in his long flowing black robe on that horse.

  #54 | 39:49 to 40:26 | cleaned

• And they saw him coming and they began cheering. And he had in his arm a long fowling piece, one of those old muskets. And he rode right through them. Didn't stop. Rode right through them. They parted and they cheered him as he went by. And he was heading straight for the British soldiers. Well, Dr. Daggett got in front of them and he found a hill and some cover up on that hill, and he rode his old mare up there, tied the mare, and got down and began to survey the situation. He looked down, he saw the 100 young men meet the advance of the British army, and those 100 young men whipped the living daylights out of that advance. In fact, they defeated them so quickly and chased them so far that before they realized it, they were face to face with the rest of the twenty-five hundred British soldiers and they knew they had to get out of there or they were going to be consumed. And so those young divinity students turned and began to flee.

  #55 | 40:27 to 41:33 | cleaned

• And of course, they happened to look up on that hill and see the reflection of that old fowling piece. And all of a sudden there came the retort of that long musket and the British kind of, you know, ignored it until all of a sudden a soldier would fall. A few minutes later, another British soldier would fall. And finally, it could not be ignored anymore. And so General Tryon said to some of his men, "Go up on top of that hill and stop whoever's up there shooting our men." And when they got up to the top of the hill, here was old Dr. Daggett. He could have run.

  #56 | 41:33 to 42:13 | cleaned

• I mean, his mare was right there. He saw them coming, but there he was reloading his old fowling piece so he could get another shot. So when the British soldier got up there and he sees this old man in these long flowing black robes, he knows he's a preacher. And he gets rather amused rather than angry. And he says, "What are you doing there, you old fool, firing on His Majesty's troops?" Dr. Daggett never even looked up, he just kept reloading, he said, "Exercising the right of war, young man, exercising the right of war." "Well," said the soldier, "if I let you go this time, you old rascal, will you ever fire on His Majesty's troops again?" "Oh," Dr. Daggett replied, "nothing more likely, son, nothing more likely." And so he was forced to take the old man a prisoner. And then they put Dr. Daggett in front of the British soldiers and force marched him back to West Haven. And of course, the old man was beaten and ill treated.

  #57 | 42:13 to 43:28 | cleaned

• And although he recovered, he died 16 months later after the incident because of the beating and the wounds that he sustained. But here was Dr. Daggett. Can you imagine a man who was willing to face 2,500 soldiers alone? And when he had opportunity to leave, he would not leave. Has anybody ever heard of John Witherspoon? John Witherspoon was a Presbyterian pastor. He was a patriot. He was a congressman.

  #58 | 43:29 to 44:09 | cleaned

• He was president of Princeton University. Did you know it was John Witherspoon, a pastor, and Roger Sherman who were the two men responsible for the hard money clause in the Constitution, when the Constitution says no state shall make anything but silver and gold is legal tender and that Congress shall have the power to coin money and regulate the value thereof? It was John Witherspoon and Roger Sherman who were responsible for that hard money clause being put in the Constitution. John Witherspoon, as a congressman, was there when the Declaration of Independence was being discussed and debated.

  #59 | 44:11 to 45:05 | cleaned

• There were some timid congressmen there. But after the discussion, John Witherspoon stood up. And he addressed the president of the Congress, and he said this, "Mr. President, that noble instrument on your table, which ensures immortality to its author, should be subscribed this very morning by every pen in the house. He who will not respond to its accents and strain every nerve to carry into effect its provisions is unworthy of the name Freeman.

  #60 | 45:07 to 45:40 | cleaned

• Although these gray hairs must descend into the grave, I would infinitely rather they should descend thither by the hand of the executioner than desert this Christ as the sacred cause of my country." And then he sat down. Listen to what John Witherspoon said now. "Although these gray hairs must descend into the grave, I would infinitely rather they descend thither by the hand of the executioner than desert my country in this time of crisis." What was he saying? I'd rather be executed as a criminal, as being a traitor against George III, than I had desert my country at this time. One timid congressman rose up and said very meekly that he did not think the country was ripe for such a declaration of independence. Pastor John Witherspoon stood up and said, "In my judgment, sir, we're not only ripe, we're rotten." And the Declaration of Independence was signed. Why? Because there's a pastor there who stood up and said, "I'd rather be executed as a traitor than desert my country in this time of crisis."

  #61 | 45:41 to 47:09 | cleaned

• Where are our pastors today like that? You know, I've got a message, I haven't preached it in a long time, but I have a message entitled, "Comest Thou Peaceably?" If you were to read 1 Samuel 16, when little Samuel goes to Bethlehem, the elders, the Bible says, trembling. The elders trembling said to Samuel, "Comest thou peaceably?" Man, that's a strange question to ask a preacher, isn't it? Why would they ask Samuel, the prophet, the man of God, if he was coming peaceably or not? Well, you've got to remember in 1 Samuel 15, it was that little meek, quiet Samuel that took a sword and hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord. No wonder they wanted nobody's coming peacefully. Can you imagine today?

  #62 | 47:11 to 48:11 | cleaned

• Pastor Omar, Pastor Temple, Tingle going up to the county meeting and before they could ever get in some of the councilmen come out and say, "Now, are you fellows coming peacefully?" Come on, can you imagine that? Why in the world? Because these men had authority, they knew they had authority. And they knew how to use that authority under God and as unto God. You know, everyone in this room knows about the Battle of Lexington and Concord. The shot heard 'round the world.

  #63 | 48:13 to 48:52 | cleaned

• My wife and I have been there. Some of you have been there. But you know what most people do not know? That battle took place on the Church House Green. The pastor was Jonas Clark. Jonas Clark had taught and trained his people. Samuel Adams and John Hancock had oftentimes found asylum in the home of Jonas Clark. Jonas Clark was such a scholar and such a pastor and such a teacher that his people, to a man, agreed with him and received his teaching.

  #64 | 48:55 to 49:48 | cleaned

• And his teaching was so clear, those teachings even today are embodied in instructions to their delegate to the provincial legislature as an expression of their determination and their wishes. And they remain today engrossed in the town records as a standing memorial, not just to the men, but to Jonas Clark as well. It was between the hours of twelve and one in the morning that Warren received intelligence that the British were coming. And they were coming after the stores at Lexington. So Adams and Hancock and Pastor Jonas Clark held a quick conference. The church bells pealed. And 150 men came out.

  #65 | 49:49 to 50:46 | cleaned

• And answered roll call name by name. Here stood the pastor, here stood 150 of his men. Under the stars. Around 2 o'clock in the morning. Adams and Hancock had one question. And they asked Pastor Clark this question. "Will the men fight?" Pastor Clark said, "Will they fight? It is for this hour that I taught them and I trained them." You've got to remember, these men were farmers, mechanics.

  #66 | 50:50 to 51:43 | cleaned

• They were not professional soldiers. But Pastor Clark knew that they would fight. They had their weapons and they were standing on the green. When the British soldiers came up and began to bark out their orders, "Throw down your weapons, surrender, throw down your arms and disperse, throw them down now." Pastor Clark knew when he heard those words what was going to happen. All of a sudden, a shot rang out. And then a volley of shots rang out.

  #67 | 51:44 to 52:29 | cleaned

• The smoke was so thick. You could not see what was happening. Until just a few minutes later, when the smoke disappeared. When Pastor Clark looked out on the church house green, there lay seven of his stalwart men stretched stiff in death. Many more were wounded. One of those killed was Jonas Parker, the strongest man and the best wrestler in the county. He had said that morning that he will die on the spot before he runs, that he would not flee. And there he lay.

  #68 | 52:33 to 53:23 | cleaned

• Not only shot, but bayoneted as well. There too lay old Caleb Morgan, his gray hairs daubed in blood. And there lay Caleb Harrington, fallen dead on the church house steps. Do you know why he was on the church house steps? Because he was running into the church building to get more powder for the men. They kept the powder and the ammunition in the church building. Pastor Clark gazed long and hard on these men. He wept.

  #69 | 53:24 to 54:19 | cleaned

• But although there were tears of sympathy, there were no tears of regret. Those lifeless forms of his men that lay on that ground had given themselves, he knew, upon the altar of their country. And Pastor Jonas Clark said this, that he had no misgivings for what he had taught his people and how he trained them. He said, "For from this day, will be dated the liberty of the world." The shot heard around the world began in a churchyard at the teaching and the training of a pastor. Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg. He was the pastor of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Dunmore County, Virginia. He preached that Sunday morning and then told his people

  #70 | 54:21 to 55:31 | cleaned

• that he was going to preach a special sermon that afternoon at 3 p.m. on the duty that men owed their God and their country. At 3 p.m., the church house was packed. Men and women were standing around outside. He opened his Bible to the book of Ecclesiastes chapter three. And he read from the text, "There's a time to war, a time of peace. Time to live and time to die." When he got through reading the text, he closed his Bible.

  #71 | 55:34 to 56:18 | cleaned

• And preached one of the firest sermons that any of us probably have ever heard in our lives. When Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg finished preaching, he reached up and he grabbed that long flowing black robe and jerked it off. And there he stood in full military uniform. He pointed to a young boy whom he had already prepared and asked him to begin drumming for recruits. That afternoon, 300 men volunteered. It was Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg, their pastor, who led them to help George Washington defeat Cornwallis at Yorktown.

  #72 | 56:19 to 57:17 | cleaned

• In defending his course of action for leaving the pulpit and joining the army, here's what he said. "I am a clergyman, it is true. But I'm also a member of society, as well as the poorest layman, and my liberty is as dear to me as any man. Shall I sit still and enjoy myself at home while the best blood in the continent is spilling? Heaven forbid it.

  #73 | 57:23 to 57:52 | cleaned

• Do you think if America should be conquered, that I should be safe? Far from it. And would you not rather fight like a man than die like a dog? The cause is just and noble. Were I a bishop, even a Lutheran one, I should obey without hesitation. And so far from thinking that I am wrong, I am convinced it is my duty to do so, a duty I owe to my God and my country."

  #74 | 57:53 to 58:17 | cleaned

• Now, listen to what he said. "Do you think if America should be conquered, that I should be safe? Far from it. And had you not rather fight like a man than die like a dog?" You know what most people think? Most people think somehow, some way, we're never going to face the judgment of God. They think somehow, some way, America is going to escape. Let me tell you what I believe the real problem is in this country. The real problem is our preachers. It's our pastors.

  #75 | 58:21 to 59:20 | cleaned

• You see, in the 1700s and 1800s, we had men who were leaders, men who were scholars, men who had knowledge and not only did they have knowledge and understanding, they had courage and conviction. And they were willing to stand and face the enemy head on. We today have sired a generation of sweet, sickly, effeminate, sentimental, emotional preachers who's afraid of anyone and everyone and wants everyone to think well of them.

  #76 | 59:24 to 1:00:06 | cleaned

• It doesn't work like that, folks. I'm going to tell you, study the prophet Jeremiah, how he was hated, the weeping prophet. Preaching the truth, arrested, thrown in the dungeon. Study Isaiah. Study Noah. Study Amos. Study Hosea. Any man that has ever preached the truth and stood for the truth have had people to despise them and hate them and misuse them and abuse them. But they still stood.

  #77 | 1:00:08 to 1:00:46 | cleaned

• We will not get our country back, folks, until we get our preachers back. Until we have men with backbone. Intestinal fortitude and down in South Georgia, that's just plain old guts. That will stand and say, "This is what God says and we're not backing down." I was so grieved when I heard that General Pace apologized for his remarks. Why apologize for truth? Sodomy is immoral. It's not only immoral, it's sin. It's wickedness.

  #78 | 1:00:54 to 1:01:46 | cleaned

• What he should have done instead of apologizing was name a whole lot more that was wrong. And if the preachers who claim to represent Jesus Christ and if the preachers who claim to have the word of God, the whole counsel of God, if we will not declare it, who will? If we will not tell the truth, who will? If we will not stand for righteousness, who will?

  #79 | 1:01:52 to 1:02:19 | cleaned

• If we will not teach and lead our own people, who will? I want to tell you something. We live in a day where the media manipulates and controls and propagandizes and bamboozles the average American, and if you want to make sure that you're not propagandized, and that you're not brainwashed, you better make sure you know the Word of God very thoroughly and you stand on it. If you know the truth, you will see through error. But if you don't know the truth, you will believe error. I need and I want and I pray for God to raise up some men in this country, and especially some preachers, who will say, "God, help me.

  #80 | 1:02:22 to 1:03:29 | cleaned

• What's right is right and what's wrong is wrong." You know what we need to come to the place as a pastor, as a preacher, we need to come to the place—and I'll tell you why we don't come to this place, but we need to come to the place where we say, "If we lose our building, we're going to stand for truth. If we lose the people in the congregation, we'll stand for truth. If everybody hates us, we'll still stand for truth." The reason the average preacher will not stand is because he's in debt up to his eyeballs. And he's got the 501c3 tax exempt status. And he's afraid to preach the truth because if somebody leaves and there's not going to be enough money for the sinking fund payment. Let me tell you something, folks.

  #81 | 1:03:31 to 1:04:37 | cleaned

• I'd rather have the whole world hate me and despise me and malign me and have God to smile upon me than to have the whole world smile upon me and God despise me. He said, "But Brother Weaver, you stick your neck out." Let me tell you something, if God can't protect you, you're not going to be protected anyhow. We are immortal, folks, until God is through with us.

  #82 | 1:04:39 to 1:05:13 | cleaned

• As Charles Haddon Spurgeon once said, "Plagues and death around me fly, till he please, I cannot die. Not a single shaft can hit until the God of love sees fit." And since that's the truth, we may as well stand. As the Apostle Paul says, "Stand, and having done all, what? Stand." May God give us men. May God give us preachers who are willing to lead and teach the truth irrespective of what the world thinks and what the world says. And I'll tell you something, you may not have a big congregation, but the ones you have will be worth a hundred of the others.

  #83 | 1:05:19 to 1:06:13 | cleaned

• One of my pastor friends, he's now dead. He was one of the best preachers that ever lived. I asked him one day, "How many do you have on Sunday morning?" "30." "How many do you have Sunday night?" "30." "How many do you have Wednesday night?" "30." "How many times?" "30." He may have only had 30, but he had 30 real, genuine Christians. And let me tell you something, folks, I had rather preach to five people who really, truly want the Word of God

  #84 | 1:06:15 to 1:06:49 | cleaned

• than I had preach to a thousand who could care less. I have people all the time ask me, "Do you preach like this to your own people?" I tell everybody, "Hey, I try it out on them first." May God give us men. May God give us preachers. You look at what we did have. And you look at what we now have. I know there are a few exceptions. I understand that.

  #85 | 1:06:50 to 1:07:23 | cleaned

• And I'm thankful for that. And I believe this church is one of those exceptions. But I'm just simply saying, folks, generally speaking, we don't have any real preachers in this country. And we need to pray that God would give us men, real, genuine men, who are not afraid to stand. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask for Your grace and Your mercy. Father, raise up men. Give us, Lord, godly men, holy men, righteous men, courageous men who will lead and guide Thy people. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray, Amen and Amen.

  #86 | 1:07:23 to 1:08:09 | cleaned

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T01:02:37Z