By Catherine Ulrich Brakefield
As Joshua did to the walls of Jerico, our nation has performed the impossible throughout American history. The Puritans inspired this by believing America could become “A City upon a Hill.”
John Winthrop, the
first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in one of his sermons, felt they
were being divinely ordained to build a city upon a
hill, explaining “The eyes of all people will be upon us.” Taken from Matthew
4:14 “The light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be
hidden…Let your light so shine before men, that they will see your good works
and glorify your Father in heaven.” (NKJV)
George Washington and
Abraham Lincoln are just some names Americans recognize as the encouragers of
this high idea.
Some may have heard
of Samuel West’s name, but few know his accomplishments. A young
twenty-year-old boy who excitingly skipped barefoot up the steps of Harvard
College, who became a minister and encouraged the never-accomplished-before to
become a reality.
After graduating from Harvard, Samuel West became a pastor at Dartmouth. He accepted an opportunity to preach at an anniversary ceremony on December 22, 1777, at Plymouth on the historic voyage of the Pilgrims to America.
The King of England
believed he was the ultimate authority—above God. The Puritans opposed
the King of England’s religious authority and refused to conform. Our ancestors
were considered obstinate, denying the authority that God had set over them.
And in consequence, our ancestors were dishonoring God by their conduct. As
West said that historic day, “Hench, they were called, Fanatics, Schismatics,
and, in scorn, Puritans; and they doubtless thought, that God would be
glorified by their thus crucially persecuting their brethren. But the Lord was
with our fathers.”
Ironically, it was
the name Puritans which has stuck throughout history. They upheld the
purest of religious values and freedoms.
“They were treated as
if they had been the offscouring of the earth, and the very dregs of human
nature.” West said, “They cast them out as unclean, and unworthy the privileges
of Christians, and the communion of Saints. For this reason, they were fined,
and imprisoned, and persecuted, unto death.” So, our ancestors choose to flee
to America. As West puts it:
“Choosing rather to
expose themselves to the mercy of Indian savages, and all the intolerable
hardships attending the settling and subduing such an uncultivated dessert,
than to be deprived of their religious freedom; viz, the liberty of worshipping
God according to the dictates of their own consciences.”
In 1620 our New England ancestors landed at Plymouth Rock. Through the Mayflower Compact everyone signed, they made a covenant with God and dedicated this land to Him.
The unrelenting arm
of Great Britain struck with brute force on the laboring backs of colonists. In
an act to regain monies incurred from the French and Indian War, parliament
with King George’s approval levied heavy taxes upon everything the colonists needed
for survival.
The Sugar Act in 1764, the Stamp Act in 1765, everything from legal documents to newspapers to textiles and food was taxed, and the 1-1.5 percent tax rate rose to 5-7 percent! Then—a three-cent-per-pound tax was levied on their tea. Outraged, the Bostonians on December 16, 1773. dressed up as Indians throwing tons of tea overboard. The unrest between Americans and British soldiers grew.
In the wake of The
Revolutionary War, many colonialists were uncertain of their stance. What
chance had they—why, it would be like David and Goliath. How could they
possibly win fighting against the mighty armies of Great Britain? With only
farmers and merchants as soldiers? Impossible! Samuel West was not timid in his
patriotic feelings. The colonists were visibly under British rule. People were
hauled off daily to jail. Boldly West expressed his views from his pulpit,
proclaiming to his congregation their patriotic duties to God and country. On
April 19, 1775, the Revolutionary War began in earnest.
Preaching in Boston
in 1776, West was deeply moved regarding the spiritual aspect of the War for
Independence, “Our cause is so just and good that nothing can prevent our
success but only our sins. Could I see a spirit of repentance and reformation prevail
throughout the land, I should not have the least apprehension of fear of being
brought under the iron rod of slavery, even though all the powers of the globe
were combined against us. And though I confess that the irreligion and
profaneness which are so common among us gives something of a damp to my
spirits, yet I cannot help hoping, and even believing, the Providence has
designed this continent for to be the asylum of liberty and true religion.”
How and where did
West attain such zeal for God and patriotism?
Samuel West was born
in Yarmouth, Massachusetts on March 3, 1730. His father was a physician who,
after his son’s birth moved to Barnstable, Massachusetts. There, Samuel spent
his youth laboring on a farm, where he stayed until his twentieth birthday and
prepared for the entrance exam to college. When he felt ready, he slung his
store-bought shoes over his shoulder, his bare feet tapping their tune upon the
hallowed pathways of knowledge. He was ready to rub shoulders with the chosen aristocrats
at Harvard College. He graduated in 1754 and entered the ministry. He became a
minister in New Bedford in 1761.
Upon the wake of the Revolutionary
War, some colonists, called Tories, remained loyal to Britain. The seven-year
war with the French and Indians had taught the colonists the art of surprise—guerrilla
warfare and the hit-and-run war tactics the American Indians used were utilized.
Samuel West, as did
many of his Christian neighbors felt it was by the grace of God they won the
French and Indian War. Great Britain had strayed far from the Holy Bible and Americans
feared God over the King of England.
After the battle of
Bunker Hill, West felt his patriotic duty was to join the American army as a
chaplain. Little did he know how God planned to use him. George Washington knew he had a traitor in his midst, but how would he find him? Upon asking his
close officers, only one name came to their lips. Samuel West. West deciphered
the treasonous letter from Dr. Benjamine Church to an officer in the British
army.
On the day after Christmas in 1776, near the banks of the Delaware River, George Washington knelt in the newly fallen snow. His ragged army of patriots were sleeping a way off in their makeshift shelters. The odors of wood smoke met his nostrils. Feeling the wet snow dampen his breeches and already cold flesh, he removed his hat, bowed his head, and clasped his hands in prayer. He had kept the details of his crossing a secret. Was he right to do so? Oh, how they needed Divine direction right about now. All would be lost if they did not achieve a victory.
The gleaming rays of
the full moon wrapped his naked head with its warmth, as he prayed, pleading
with The Almighty God to guide his steps into battle. Only God could save them.
Late that afternoon
when the soldiers left their tents and formed a line along the river. The snow
increased in fervor, and the wind bit into their flesh as if they had nothing
on at all. That early morning, Washington and his army crossed the Delaware
River, amidst a complete white-out blizzard. Washington and his brave army
found the Hessian mercenaries at Trenton tucked in their tents. By total surprise,
the patriots defeated their army. That victory boosted the morale of the
American troops and forged the bridge for another success at Princeton a week
later!
What could have been
the end—was only the beginning, and the impossible became possible.
During the darkest years
of the Civil War, Lincoln sought desperately for a solution—some way to end
this bloody fight between North and South, sons, and fathers. He wrote these
words to the citizens of the United States:
“We have grown in
numbers, wealth, and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have
forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace,
and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined,
in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by
some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.
“And whereas it is
the duty of nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the
overruling power of God to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble
sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and
pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures
and proven by all history that those nations only are blessed whose God is the
Lord.” Abraham Lincoln, President, March 30, 1863
When our forefathers needed
a solution—they sought the wisdom of Divine Providence. Whenever the time arose
to act—they did so with a prayer upon their lips, believing that God would see
them through it.
But it wasn’t the presidents,
admirals, captains, not even preachers, or clergymen that sent God to our aid—it
was the heart of the people who knew the Word of God and were willing to go the
extra mile to finish the task laid before them—even if it meant suffering and
death. It was the West and the Puritan’s spirit of selflessness that is deeply
embedded in every true American.
America has made its share of
mistakes over the years, but always there was one ideal that kept us striving
for excellence. Because of our Christian values, we stayed true to the idea of a
“City upon a Hill.”
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden…Let your light so shine before men, that they will see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 4:14 NKJV)
Let us not forget the
timeless message our forefathers bequeathed to us for future generations. It is
God and his Son, Christ Jesus, who blessed our endeavors and made this “City
upon a Hill” possible. God will continue to bless and protect us—if we continue
to give the glory to God. “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of
the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3:17)
Wilted Dandelions is a story that exemplifies the importance of Biblical values of trust, honesty, and sacrificial love in a marriage. Kathleen Rouser
Swept into Destiny, Destiny’s Whirlwind, Destiny of Heart, and Waltz with Destiny: Follow these strong women from the days of the Civil War through the epic battle with Hitler. "The message of the Destiny series is even more applicable to today than when it first released. Praying for America’s repentance and to embrace God like never before." Debra B.
“I have read all of Catherine Ulrich Brakefield’s amazing novels, and this one, without a doubt, captures not only your heart but keeps the reader engrossed…delve into the adventure of Love’s Final Sunrise today.” Linda Smith
https://www.crossrivermedia.com/portfolio-items/catherine-brakefield/
References:
http://famousamericans.net/samuelwest/ https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=evans;cc=evans;rgn=main;view=text;idno=N12791.0001.001
https://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/biographies/samuel-west-of-new-bedford-1730-1807/
Thank you for this inspiring post!
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