Introduction and Scriptural Foundation

Weaver reads Hebrews 11:32-35 and introduces the topic of the Black Robe Regiment, establishing that God uses men as means to accomplish His purposes.

Hebrews 11, verse 32, God says:

Now let's go back to verse 32 just for a moment, because I'm going to be bringing a message today entitled, "The Black Robed Regiment." Verse 32 said,

Watch carefully,

Now may I remind you that Hebrews 11 is chock-full of men that God has placed in the heroes of faith. And by the way, there are a few women there as well. So these are individuals that God has used. Let me establish three simple principles to begin with. Number one, God uses men. Now, I understand that God does not have to use men. He is not bound to that. There are two terms that we use theologically speaking. We say that God may work immediately or mediately. When we talk about God working mediately, we mean that He uses means. He uses men. But when God works immediately, He does not use men. He does not use means. But generally speaking, God does use means. And therefore, God uses men. Now let me just hasten to tell you number two, the message that I'm going to be preaching this morning is not designed to glorify men. I am not praising men. But I am praising the God who used those men. And I want you to understand that God has given a great many men character and insight and fortitude, and we're to be thankful unto God for everything that He has given to all of His servants.

The Black Robe Regiment Defined

The Black Robe Regiment refers to the colonial pastors who sparked and advanced the American Revolution through preaching, prayer, and fighting, and who were despised and hunted by the British.

The third thing I want to point out is this. I believe once you hear this message, it ought to call upon each of us to be strong and to quit ourselves like men. It ought to encourage us. And at the same time, it ought to really motivate us to pray for God's preachers in America. So let's begin today with what I'm going to call the Black Robed Regiment. Now the Black Robed Regiment was the name given to the ministers who spoke and who fought in, who sparked, who prayed for and advanced the war for independence, commonly referred to as the American Revolution. Now you must remember back at that time all ministers wore long flowing black robes. And I point out the fact that the robes were symbolical of their office. One of these days, Lord willing, I'm going to bring a message which I'm going to entitle "The Stealing of the Robes." I want you to note, if you would, basically how most pastors today do not wear robes. But if you will note, however, that the college professors wear them, especially during graduation, and the judges wear them.

So there has actually been a theft of the robes of authority from the church. And now it's placed in the universities and in the courtrooms. So very obviously, the pastors wore these black robes. Now, these pastors were despised. They were hated. They were eagerly sought for by the British. In fact, the British hated these pastors so much that they placed bounties upon their heads. And when the pastors were captured, they were brutally and ill-treated and oftentimes murdered.

The name of Pastor Moses Allen of Georgia was cursed by the Tories. He was more obnoxious to the British than the military leaders of the Patriots. Hence, the most deadly threats were uttered against him. In fact, his enemies labeled him the rebel parson and they said that he did more to hurt the king and the king's armies than did a dozen military colonels. Therefore, when Savannah fell, Pastor Allen's church and home were burned by the British in Midway, Georgia. During that battle, Pastor Allen himself was captured and he was placed into a prison ship.

The Cost of Leadership: Pastor Moses Allen

Pastor Moses Allen of Georgia was hated by the British, captured, and died attempting to escape a prison ship; his body was left unburied as an example of British cruelty toward pastors.

The name of Pastor Moses Allen of Georgia was cursed by the Tories. He was more obnoxious to the British than the military leaders of the Patriots. Hence, the most deadly threats were uttered against him. In fact, his enemies labeled him the rebel parson and they said that he did more to hurt the king and the king's armies than did a dozen military colonels. Therefore, when Savannah fell, Pastor Allen's church and home were burned by the British in Midway, Georgia. During that battle, Pastor Allen himself was captured and he was placed into a prison ship. There, in cramped conditions, unsanitary conditions, disease and starvation and cruel treatment was rampant. But during all of this, he ministered to all of those men who were under his charge in the prison ship until God, in His grace, seemingly opened a way for Pastor Allen to escape. He took that escape based upon his obedience to the sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill," which the positive is "Thou shalt preserve life." And so when the men were not looking, he dived over the ship and attempted to swim to safety. Well, his escape plan was good, but his body had been so weakened by the starvation, by the disease, and by the mistreatment that had been heaped upon him by the British, before he could reach land, he gave out and drowned. Well, many of the men, of course, clamored to the British that here was a pastor, here was God's man and they pleaded for the opportunity to bury Pastor Moses Allen, which of course the British refused and then they unceremoniously just stomped his body into the soft mud and left hands and head and

everything exposed just for the buzzards to eat. So this is simply the way most of them treated the pastors.

Pastors as Spiritual Magistrates and Leaders

Pastors taught against the divine right of kings, passive obedience, and non-resistance; they led in every major battle and acted as spiritual magistrates when civil magistrates were loyal to the king.

Now, it was pastors such as Moses Allen that nourished the flame of piety and the love of civil liberty. These men prayed for, preached for, and fought for liberty. Many of the pastors went into the army as chaplains. Others stirred the people with their patriotic sermons and swelled the ranks of the Continental Army. Others showered the enemy with tracts and pamphlets just simply enunciating the righteousness of God and the righteousness of the patriot cause.

Now, it was these pastors who taught their hearers to reject with the utmost abhorrence the divine right of kings. It was these pastors who taught their people to reject what is known as passive obedience and non-resistance. Further, it was these pastors who taught their people that rights came from God, and that governments were instituted among men to protect these rights, and that it was government's responsibility, therefore, to establish God's law and God's orderly way. Everywhere you look in the American Revolution, you find pastors. They were everywhere. They were huddled together at Valley Forge. You find them facing the storm and the wintry march on Trenton. You find them covered with smoke at the Battle of Bennington. You find them standing under the enemy's fire at Yorktown. At Lexington, the first battle, there were three pastors fighting there as common soldiers. Two of them were Faxter of Westford and then a pastor by the name of Foster. You will find chaplains and pastors attached to every expedition no matter how hazardous and no matter how exhausting. So pastors then were the leaders of the war. May I remind you, they had to be the leaders of the war. Because pastors are magistrates as well as civil magistrates are, however they are spiritual magistrates. And you've got to remember back at that time, all of the civil magistrates were the king's men. And so we find pastors then, acting as spiritual magistrates, leading the people in preaching, praying, and fighting. I want to give you a number of examples today, and you've got to remember that back in those times, there were numerous types of sermons.

Bold Preaching: Gad Hitchcock and Others

Pastor Gad Hitchcock preached a bold election sermon condemning wicked rulers, and other pastors like Timothy Dwight and Jonathan Mayhew were instrumental in shaping the ideas of independence and union.

One of the sermons was known as an election sermon. Anytime there was a voting, anytime anyone was to be elected to a civil office, there was always a sermon addressed to the gentleman who won that civil office as well as to the people; they all flocked there to hear the election sermon. The sermon that I'm going to quote from just now momentarily was preached on May the 25th, 1774 by Pastor Gad Hitchcock. He was preaching from the text Proverbs 29, verse 2:

And here is what Gad Hitchcock said, and I want you to note the boldness and the plainness of this pastor. He said, and I quote, "If I am mistaken in supposing plans are formed, and executing, subversive to our natural and chartered rights and privileges, and incompatible with every idea of liberty, then all America is mistaken with me. Our continued complaints, our repeated humble but fruitless, unregarded petitions and remonstrances, and if I may be allowed the sacred allusion, our groanings that cannot be uttered are at once indications of our sufferings and the feeling sense we have of them."

Now listen to what he says. "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 that scorching thunderbolt." Did you hear what he said? The king's not going to protect you, governor. "The castle cannot shelter him from that scorching thunderbolt. Families are divided. Brother is arrayed against brother. Friend against friend."

"Society is cut from its mooring, and hate and consternation reign on every side, all because the wicked bear rule. King George may say, the evils that produce this state of things are imaginary, but I tell you, and I tell the tyrant to his face," says Gad Hitchcock, "I tell the tyrant to his face, it is because the wicked bear rule." Needless to say, these pastors were not reticent. They were courageous, they were brave, they were bold, and I might add they were also extremely influential. You see the British were extremely aware of the authority and the influence these pastors wielded in the colonies and they viewed with alarm that authority and influence was thrown on the side of what they called the rebellion. In 1774 the British governor of Massachusetts refused the request of the Massachusetts Assembly to appoint a fast day. That would be simply a day of fasting and prayer for the conditions in the community or in the state. And of course, on a fast day, there was always a fast day sermon that was preached. And here is what the governor of Massachusetts said when he refused to appoint a fast day.

For said he, quote, "the request was only to give an opportunity for sedition to flow from the pulpit," end quote. Now I want you to understand to the tyrant truth and liberty are sedition. I want you to note to the tyrant liberty and freedom and non-passive resistance is regarded as rebellion. So if a man then will stand for liberty and freedom and truth, the tyrant will call him rebellious. He will say that the very proclamation of that truth is seditious. Let me put it like this, official governmental proclamations and sanctions and indictments do not change truth, righteousness, and justice. They may defame it, they may denounce it, they may deny it, but they cannot destroy it. And so the governor said it's only for an opportunity for sedition to flow from the pulpit. Dr. Timothy Dwight, who was an author, a theologian, a chaplain, and president of Yale University, urged that a Declaration of Independence from England be publicly stated long before it was ever done. Here is what Dr. Dwight 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."

"For myself, I regarded the die as 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." So here is Dr. Timothy Dwight, a pastor and the president of Yale University urging independence before the Declaration was ever authored and proclaimed. Dr. Jonathan Mayhew was the originator literally of the phrase, "a more perfect union" or "a better confederation." Robert Treat Paine called Dr. Mayhew the father of civil and religious liberty in Massachusetts and America. John Adams called Dr. Mayhew the morning gun of the revolution.

On August the 25th, 1765, he preached a sermon against the Stamp Act from Galatians chapter 5, verses 12 and 13, where the scripture says,

And his sermon was full of divine truth about the nature and the exercise of government. George Bancroft, who is an American historian and a Christian man—in fact, if you can ever find Bancroft's history of America, you need to get it. It's in five or six volumes. Here's what Bancroft said concerning Jonathan Mayhew. Now listen carefully. "Whoever says Bancroft repeats the story of the revolution will rehearse the fame of Mayhew. He spent whole nights in prayer for the dangers of his country. Light dawned on his mind on a Sunday morning of July 1776, and he wrote to Otis," that would be James 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 a striking light.'"

"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 liberties." The suggestion of a more perfect union for the common defense originated with Pastor Mayhew and it was the first public expression of that future union which has been the glory of the American Republic and it came from a pastor on a Sunday morning under the inspiration of heaven while he meditated upon the Word of God in his bed." You see, pastors were the leaders. They were the inspirers. They were the movers and the shakers in the war. Let me give you a few quick examples of what I'm talking about. There was Pastor Reverend John Woodhull. He was the pastor of the Freehold Presbyterian Church of New Jersey. He was one of the strongest leaders of the patriots of his day.

Examples of Courageous Pastors

Numerous pastors are highlighted for their bravery, including John Woodhull, David Ely, Jonathan Fish, Jonathan Stearns, John Mills, and others who led their congregations into battle or sacrificed greatly.

And his zeal for his country and his zeal for liberty and freedom were well known. In fact on one occasion, listen carefully, on one occasion every man in his church went out to oppose the enemy except one feeble old man who was unable to do so and he prayed for them and gave them God's speed. And it was the pastor, Pastor Woodhull, who led his congregation then in fighting the enemy. Dr. David Ely of Huntington, Connecticut, though surrounded by Tories, preached liberty and freedom so warmly and so effectually that the Tories said that when the rebellion was put down they would hang Dr. Ely from the closest oak tree to his church.

There was Jonathan Fish of Duxbury, Massachusetts, who was 76 years of age when he was invited to address the people assembled at the call of George Washington. He immediately cried out for volunteers after a stirring sermon, and then he said, "Were it not that my nerves were 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 the battle." 76 years of age. There was Jonathan Stearns of New Hampshire. Not only did he preach liberty and freedom, but he sacrificed most of his worldly goods in the course of his preaching liberty and freedom. When he returned from Exeter, he decided on a course of action and he called his boys together to give them his decision. And here's what he says, quote, "If the cause succeeds, it will be a great blessing to the country. But if it should fail, your old father's head will soon be a button for a halter." And then he sent his own sons into the army, bidding them to strike manfully for liberty and freedom.

There was John Mills of Delaware. Though he was normally of a nervous temperament, yet he knew no fear himself. And a few days before the Declaration of Independence was signed, he preached a sermon from 1 Kings 12, verse 16, where the Word of God says,

And so he proclaimed that the colonies no longer had any part with George III of England. And then he said,

And of course, very obviously, from that time he sought to overthrow all allegiance to George the Third by any man who lived in that colony. Dr. David Caldwell of Pennsylvania had his house plundered, his library and furniture burned while he was hunted down like a common felon over all the country because of his devotion to liberty. There was Dr. Thomas Reed of the same state in 1776. He shouldered his musket with 40 or 50 others from his own church and marched to Philadelphia to aid in defending it against Howe and the very next year he saved Washington and Washington's men by his knowledge of the country when he led them when they were overwhelmed at Elk Ferry. There was Dr. Robert Davidson of Maryland who preached to his troops on 1 Chronicles 5, verse 22.

"There fell down many slain, because the war was of God." There was William Graham of Paxton near Harrisburg. When he saw the backwardness of his young men and their reticence to enlist in a company of volunteer riflemen, then William Graham stepped up, had his own name enrolled as the first volunteer, and shamed his congregation into volunteering and picking up their muskets and fighting. There was John Steele of Cumberland, Pennsylvania, who served as captain and the lead advance company of 900 men in their march to the seat of war and often preached with his gun standing by his side. There was Ezel Rowe. Now listen to this. To make the militia of his parish fight, he put himself under the enemy's fire and refused to move until he obtained their promise that if he would fight it out to the end, so would they. And when they agreed to fight it out, he removed himself from the enemy's fire and joined them and fought with them in the battle. Later on, he was captured and thrown into the infamous Sugar House of New York. There was Charles McKnight of Shrewsbury, who on account of his devotion to the cause of liberty and the gallant conduct of his patriotic sons on the field of battle was thrown into prison and was treated with brutality that would disgrace a savage. There was Dr. Samuel McClintock of New Hampshire who often represented in the Battle of Bunker Hill his robes of office and sent four of his sons into the army of whom only one returned and heard the anthems of peace. There was Dr. Hezekiah Ripley who was a friend of Washington who went back and forth comforting the sick and the wounded.

Who always preached to the troops, trying to animate them to fight. And as he walked along, consoling the men who were wounded and sick, he carried his musket on his shoulder because of the threats against him by the Tories. There was Pastor John Martin, who after praying with the soldiers at Bunker Hill, seized a musket and fought gallantly to the close of the battle. And shortly afterwards, he preached from Nehemiah chapter 4, verse 14,

Then there was Nathaniel Bartlett of Reading, Pennsylvania, who was a chaplain who also made his parochial visits with a musket on his shoulder.

Now, not all of the preachers were as eager to fight as some of these that I've just mentioned. There was one pastor by the name of Payson of Chelsea, who was an amiable and learned individual. This pastor was so averse to bloodshed and all the horrors of the war that he felt it his duty to preach patience, even submission. I mean his attitude was, let's wait and we'll take a wait-and-see attitude. Well some of his other pastor friends were so offended at his position they refused to allow him to preach in their pulpits.

Thomas Allen: Preacher and Fighter

Thomas Allen preached a fiery sermon to troops at White Plains, then later led the Berkshire Militia in battle at Bennington, fighting alongside his men and ministering to the wounded afterward.

Now, I've already spoken to you about Moses Allen of Georgia who lost his life in the cause of liberty. Well, Thomas Allen was his brother. Thomas Allen was a very unique man. When the English soldiers converged upon and covered the hills at the Battle of White Plains, all the colonists were outnumbered and outgunned. I mean it looked almost like a helpless and a hopeless situation. Well, the military leaders decided to have a confab and see what course they should follow, whether to fight or to retreat. And while they were having their consultation, Thomas Allen began preaching to the troops.

And I want you to listen to this part of his sermon. He cries, "Valiant soldiers, yonder," pointing to the enemy that lay in sight, "are the enemies of your country who have come to lay waste and destroy and to spread havoc and devastation through this pleasant land. The enemies hired to do the work of death." You got to remember that George III hired a lot of German mercenaries, Hessians, to fight against the colonies. 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 to act the part of valiant soldiers. Your country looks up to you for its defense. 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 houses and lands, for your flocks and herds, for your freedom, 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 whilst animated by these considerations. Suffer me therefore 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 ye, ye ungodly sinners, for why will you die? Repent, lest the Lord come and smite you with a curse. Our camp is filled with blasphemers and resounds with a language to 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, that you understood your latter end. I must recommend to you the strictest attention to your duty and the most punctual obedience to your officers. Discipline, order, and regularity are the strength of the army.

Valiant soldiers, should our enemy attack us, listen, 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. Ever remember your unhappy brethren made prisoners at Fort Washington, whose blood now crieth to heaven for vengeance, and shakes the pillars of the world, saying, 'How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge 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 it on you again and again in time of action. Keep silence. Let all be hushed and calm, serene and tranquil, that the word of command may be distinctly heard and resolutely obeyed. And may the God of heaven take all under His protection and cover our heads in the day of battle and grant us His salvation." Man, that was just a part of his sermon. Did you hear what that pastor said? "I am determined to fight and die by your side rather than to flee before our enemies or resign myself to them." He said, "Rather than to quit this ground with infamy and disgrace, I should prefer leaving this body a corpse on the spot." Unhappily, the military leaders decided to retreat. Pastor Allen was visibly upset. A little bit later on as he was leading the Berkshire Militia, the Berkshire Militia was called once again on August the 16th to assist General Stark. This time, Pastor Allen took his men and he went directly to General Stark and here is what he said. Quote, "General Stark, the Berkshire militia have often been summoned to the field without being allowed to fight.

Now, if you don't give them a chance this time, they will never turn out again." Stark, a hero himself, loved to hear the ring of true metal, and he was amused rather than offended at the outspoken pastor. And to the young clergyman, he replied, "Do you wish to march against the enemy now while it's dark and raining, or would you prefer to wait until tomorrow?" Pastor Allen replied, "No, I prefer to wait until tomorrow." General Stark smiled back and said, "Well sir, if the Lord will give us sunshine tomorrow and if I do not give you fighting enough I will never ask you to come out again." The next day the Lord did indeed give sunshine. And the Berkshire militia was drawn up along with other of General Stark's soldiers. Before the battle, one of Pastor Allen's men came to him and said, quote, "We will do our own fighting today," end quote. "Yes," said Pastor Allen, "we shall have a good time at the enemy, but we're not quite ready.

First, we must join in prayer." And there under the August sky, he lifted up his earnest prayer that God would give them victory. And he had no intention of just praying, because he joined the fighting himself. And of course, when the battle commenced, Pastor Allen, in his long flowing black robe, stood upon a rock in plain sight of the enemy. And here is what he said. "I call upon you to surrender and to save this effusion of blood." And he then promised them generous treatment if they would surrender. His answer was a volley of shots, one of them which pierced his hat. From that he descended from the stump and joined his men in the battle. He looked around and he saw one of his men beside him who was not very good at hitting his targets. And he said, "Joe, you load and I'll fire." And so side by side while his brother loaded, the pastor fired into the enemy. When very obviously the battle was on the colonists' side, it was Pastor Allen who led his men in a charge against the enemy and he was the first man over the breastworks. And after the battle was over and the American patriots had won the day, while others were exalting and rejoicing, Pastor Allen then went from soldier to soldier, comforting the sick, the wounded and the dying, even the enemy soldiers. And when he found from a German Hessian's horse two panniers of wine, he took those and gave to the men as they lay dying. After the battle was over, Pastor Allen rushed back so that he could preach the next Lord's Day morning to his congregation.

Now very obviously by the time he had gotten back, it was noised all over the country and all over his community the role that he had played in the battle. Well, one of his parishioners was exceedingly upset that the pastor would fight as a common soldier. So his parishioner came to him and asked him, "Pastor, did you fight like a common soldier?" To that Pastor Allen responded, "Yes, I did. It was a very hot, close battle and it became every patriot to do his duty." Well, said the parishioner, "Pastor Allen, did you kill anybody?" "No," he replied. "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 fell. I took careful aim at the bush and fired. I don't know whether I killed anybody, but I put out that flash." So very obviously, it was this type of pastor that helped put out the flashes of the English guns all over the country. Pastor Allen lived until 1810 when he died of natural causes at the age of 68.

Let me tell you another one about old Naphtali Daggett. Dr. Daggett was a pastor and a scholar, and the president of Yale University. We've already had Princeton. Now here's the president of Yale University. This godly pastor and professor instructed his young men, not only in their duty which they owed to God, but their duty which they owed to their country. He taught resistance to tyranny. In 1779, General Tryon with 2,500 British soldiers landed only five miles from West Haven from the little college. Very obviously, the few people that lived in that area and the little college were unable to fight against so great of odds. So it was determined that most of the students should flee with the few town people and that a hundred young volunteers would go out and hold the enemy back while the rest of the college students and the rest of the townspeople escaped.

Naphtali Daggett and John Witherspoon

Yale president Naphtali Daggett single-handedly fired on British troops and was captured; John Witherspoon, president of Princeton, signed the Declaration and urged boldness in Congress.

Now very obviously by the time he had gotten back, it was noised all over the country and all over his community the role that he had played in the battle. Well, one of his parishioners was exceedingly upset that the pastor would fight as a common soldier. So his parishioner came to him and asked him, "Pastor, did you fight like a common soldier?" To that Pastor Allen responded, "Yes, I did. It was a very hot, close battle and it became every patriot to do his duty." Well, said the parishioner, "Pastor Allen, did you kill anybody?" "No," he replied. "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 fell. I took careful aim at the bush and fired. I don't know whether I killed anybody, but I put out that flash." So very obviously, it was this type of pastor that helped put out the flashes of the English guns all over the country. Pastor Allen lived until 1810 when he died of natural causes at the age of 68.

Let me tell you another one about old Naphtali Daggett. Dr. Daggett was a pastor and a scholar, and the president of Yale University. We've already had Princeton. Now here's the president of Yale University. This godly pastor and professor instructed his young men, not only in their duty which they owed to God, but their duty which they owed to their country. He taught resistance to tyranny. In 1779, General Tryon with 2,500 British soldiers landed only five miles from West Haven from the little college. Very obviously, the few people that lived in that area and the little college were unable to fight against so great of odds. So it was determined that most of the students should flee with the few town people and that a hundred young volunteers would go out and hold the enemy back while the rest of the college students and the rest of the townspeople escaped.

Well, confusion was reigning in the streets because everyone was trying to get what few goods they could out. Panic and pandemonium was everywhere. But soon this little company of 100 young preacher boys were assembled and with fife and drum they marched off to meet 2,500 British soldiers. As they were going down the road shortly they heard the clatter of horses' hooves behind them. As they parted so the horse and its passenger could get through them, riding through them was the reverend professor himself in his long flowing black robe with his old fowling piece, one of those old long flintlock musket pistols in his hand. And instead of stopping, he rushed right on past them and went right through them to their cheers. While he went to reconnoiter the enemy and placed himself upon a hill where he saw the enemy would be advancing. These young 100 preacher boys began firing at the advance of the British soldiers. So powerful, so effective was their fire that they drove the British advance back into the main body of the army and before these young 100 volunteers realized it they were face to face with 2,500 British soldiers except the few that they had killed. So they realized they had best turn now and get out of there as best they could. And so as they began to run and disperse among the hills, some of them noticed up on one hill was the Reverend Professor himself and all of a sudden shots began to be fired into the British ranks. At first they ignored the shots but then all of a sudden they realized that British soldiers were falling on a regular basis.

So the commanding officer took a troop and said, "Go up to that hill and find out what's going on." So, when they got to the top of the hill, there was old Dr. Daggett, patiently, peacefully, aiming his fowling piece into the British ranks and firing at them. He heard them coming. His old black mare standing by his side. He could have gotten away, but he did not. And he just simply kept firing. Pretty soon the officer who was there with the troop looked at the old man and he said this when he saw this venerable old man in black. He says, "What are you doing there, you old fool, firing on his majesty's troops?" Dr. Daggett never even looked up, never flustered, just kept reloading his old fowling piece and said, "Exercising the rights of war." To this the young officer was rather amused and he said this, "If I let you go this time you old rascal, would you ever fire on his majesty's troops again?"

As he cocked the old fowling piece he responded, "Nothing more likely sir, nothing more likely." To which they then captured Dr. Daggett, drug him forcefully down the hill, placed him in front of the soldiers, put him on a forced march of a number of miles. And by the time they finally got to West Haven, the old doctor was nearly dead because of exhaustion. Someone recognizing him said, "That's Dr. Daggett. Please allow me to attend to him." And they did so. Dr. Daggett did recover. But so tremendous was the shock on his system, 16 months later he died in agony and in pain, basically from what he'd gone through in that forced march. There was John Witherspoon, Dr. John Witherspoon, who was not only a pastor, a patriot, a congressman, but also the president of Princeton. We've had a president of Yale, a president of Harvard, a president of Princeton.

All fighting for the colonies. I want you to understand something about John Witherspoon. It was John Witherspoon and Roger Sherman who were responsible for the hard money clauses in our Constitution. It was those men who had put into our Constitution, "No state shall make anything but gold and silver a legal tender." It was those men who had placed in our Constitution, "Congress shall have the power to coin money and to regulate the value thereof." So it was these men that very effectually understood not only scriptural truth but economic truth as well.

When the Declaration of Independence was about to be signed, there were a number of timid, nervous and fearful patriots. Because they realized the step they were taking was a step of great magnitude. And when Dr. John Witherspoon saw the timidness of some of these men and their reticence to sign the Declaration of Independence, he stood up in Congress and here is what he said, "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 of free man. Although these gray hairs must descend into the sepulchre, I would infinitely rather they should descend thither by the hand of the executioner than desert at this crisis the sacred cause of my country." Do you hear what that old man said? He said, "Though these gray hairs must descend into the sepulchre, I'd rather they die at the hand of the executioner," that is, be beheaded as a traitor, "than desert the crisis and the sacred cause of my country." One man, timid though he was, had the audacity to speak out after Dr. Witherspoon made his statement. And the man said, "Sir, I'm afraid this country is not ripe for such a declaration." To which John Witherspoon bounded back to his feet again and said, "In my judgment, sir, we're not only ripe, but we're rotten." And that every hand signed the Declaration of Independence.

Now let me very quickly tell you two more. These are two of my favorite. Dr. Jonas Clark. Jonas Clark was the pastor and the leader of the men that fell at Lexington Green. Pastor Clark had trained and taught his people in the right of civil disobedience. He had taught them to resist tyranny and to love liberty. His people had become so thoroughly indoctrinated in his views, so animated by his appeals from the pulpit in public meetings, that they took his instructions and had them embodied in the provincial legislature as an expression of their wishes and determinations. And those instructions are still there today and they're still in the town record. When two British soldiers were seen in the area, there were a number of the Patriots dispatched to follow them and to see what they were up to. It just so happened that Adams and Hancock were at Pastor Jonas Clark's home when this happened. And guards were then stationed around his house to protect John Hancock, Sam Adams, and Pastor Jonas Clark. The men held a conference and they knew something was up.

Jonas Clark and the Battle of Lexington

Pastor Jonas Clark trained his congregation in civil disobedience; his men were the first to fall on Lexington Green, and Clark declared that day would date the liberty of the world.

Now let me very quickly tell you two more. These are two of my favorite. Dr. Jonas Clark. Jonas Clark was the pastor and the leader of the men that fell at Lexington Green. Pastor Clark had trained and taught his people in the right of civil disobedience. He had taught them to resist tyranny and to love liberty. His people had become so thoroughly indoctrinated in his views, so animated by his appeals from the pulpit in public meetings, that they took his instructions and had them embodied in the provincial legislature as an expression of their wishes and determinations. And those instructions are still there today and they're still in the town record. When two British soldiers were seen in the area, there were a number of the Patriots dispatched to follow them and to see what they were up to. It just so happened that Adams and Hancock were at Pastor Jonas Clark's home when this happened. And guards were then stationed around his house to protect John Hancock, Sam Adams, and Pastor Jonas Clark. The men held a conference and they knew something was up.

So at two o'clock in the morning the bell began to peal from the church bell frame. And the men began to assemble, are you listening, on the church green. The green at Lexington was the church green. The men began to assemble there and when the roll was called, a hundred and fifty answered to their names. Their pastor Jonas Clark had gotten there before them. Can you picture this now, two or three o'clock in the morning, with the moon and the stars shining down upon this scene? 150 men with their pastor waiting for their instructions so they'll know what to do.

The big question with Hancock and Adams was this. Would the men fight? Would they be willing to shed their blood for the liberty and the freedom of their country? Pastor Jonas Clark told Hancock and Adams, "Oh, they'll fight. For this very cause and for this very hour, I've preached and I've trained them." Little after daylight when the British soldiers got there, the order came from the British, "Throw down your arms. Throw down your arms! Disperse, you rebels!" But the men refused to throw down their arms, and they refused to disperse.

Shortly thereafter, shots were fired. And when the smoke cleared, there lay seven of Pastor Clark's men dead on the church green. There lay Jonas Parker, the strongest wrestler in Lexington, still holding his musket but pierced by ball and bayonet from the enemy. He had determined he would never run from the British. And he did not. He died on the spot. There lay old Caleb Monroe, his gray hairs dabbled with blood. And nearby him, listen carefully, lay Caleb Harrington, fallen on the doorsteps of the church of God, into which he had gone for powder. Dear friend, it was these men that gave their lives for this country. Pastor Jonas Clark, as he looked upon these men laying there, although his face was covered with tears, tears of sympathy, there were no tears of regret. Pastor Clark after getting his composure said this, "From this day will be dated the liberty of the world."

Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg: From Pulpit to Battlefield

Muhlenberg preached from Ecclesiastes 3, then threw off his robe to reveal a military uniform, leading 300 men to fight; he defended his action as a duty to God and country.

Everybody knows April 19, 1776 and he was right. "From this day will be dated the liberty of the world." Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg was the pastor of a Protestant Episcopal Church in Dunmore County, Virginia. He had preached that morning and told his people that afternoon he was going to preach a message on the duty that men owe to God and to their country. That afternoon the church building was packed. People were standing outside. Pastor Muhlenberg took his text from Ecclesiastes chapter 3, "There is a time to fight." He preached a tremendous sermon, animated with patriotic fire and fervor. At the end of his sermon, he shouted, "The time to preach is past and the time to fight has come."

With that, he threw off his black clerical robe and there he stood in full military uniform. He pointed to a young man that he had before appointed and that young man began drumming for recruits. 300 men volunteered that day and Pastor Muhlenberg marched off at the head of his 300-man militia to help Washington defeat Cornwallis at Yorktown. A little while later, Muhlenberg was defending his action in leaving the pulpit and going to fight and here's what he said, quote, "I'm 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 to any man. Shall I then sit still and enjoy myself at home while the best blood in the continent is spilling? Heaven forbid it! Do you think if America should be conquered, 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."

Application: Praying for Modern Preachers

Weaver concludes that America's current moral decline is due to a lack of courageous preachers, and he exhorts the congregation to pray for God to raise up such men today.

Now let me ask you a question. Why did America receive liberty and freedom in 1776? I'll tell you why. Because God had pastors who knew truth, who loved liberty, who were not only not afraid to preach it and to pray it, but also to fight and to die for it. Now why are we in the mess that we're in in America today? I want to tell you, dear friend, because there are no preachers, or very few, who know truth and love freedom and are willing to die for it.

I believe with all my heart one of the greatest ministries of this church is that God has used me and God has used you in stirring up other preachers to preach and to teach the Word of God. Folks, I'm going to tell you something. We cannot reclaim our country by ourselves. We need the people awakened. But before the people are ever going to be awakened, the pastors must be awakened. I urge you, I exhort you, to covenant with God. To pray that God will wake up preachers all across this country. And pray that God will use me and that God will use this church and this ministry to wake up men all across this country.

You remember that text in the book of Amos? Chapter 3, verse 7, I believe it is.

When God begins to move, God's going to move through His men. God's going to move through His preachers. And we need to pray that God would give us men like Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg, and Jonas Clark, and Thomas Allen, and Moses Allen. That as Paul said, in our day, having done all to stand. Shall we pray? Father, we ask for your help and your grace and your mercy today. Lord, how desperate we are for help. How desperate we are for preachers. How desperate we are for men who will lift their voices and cry out for righteousness, holiness, liberty and freedom. Forgive us, Lord, for our own cowardice and lack of courage, for our own lack of dedication, for our own lack of faithfulness, for our own murmuring and complaining so many times. But may we, Lord, not only pray that God would raise up men, but may we pray, Lord, that Thou would raise up each one of us and give us what we need to fight.

Enable us to love Thee with all of our hearts and souls. Encourage us. Inspire us. Enable us not to give in, not to give up, and not to give out, but to keep on keeping on. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.