DAVID H. LYDICK – a Biography
David Lydick was born Nov. 11, 1948, in Wichita, Kansas, and raised nearby in the small town of Clearwater. He was saved at age 8, and called to preach at 16 while at Sagmount Baptist Youth Camp near Joplin, Missouri. During his youth, his pastor was J.J. “Jack” Adrian at Glenville Bible Baptist Church in Wichita. Bro. Lydick graduated from Baptist Bible College in 1976, and planted the Midlands Bible Baptist Church in Bellevue, Nebraska in June 1978, where he was Pastor 41 years. He retired from pastoring there in June 2019. He served as Editor of the Global Baptist Times for five years (2006-11), and as a Director of Heartland Baptist Bible College for a total of over 15 years. He and his wife, Sandy, have been married 48 years, and they have three married daughters and seven grandchildren.
God is THE Visionary, as He is omniscient; our Founders are visionaries because they began the American Experiment with “the fear of the Lord” and a knowledge of His Truth.
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VISIONS OF THE VISIONARIES #1
“Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice? She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths. She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors. Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man. O ye simple, understand wisdom: and ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart. Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things. For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.”
– The Word of God (Prov 8:1-7)
“I now make it my earnest prayer that God would have you and the State over which you preside in His Holy protection, that He would incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another – for their fellow citizens of the United States at large and particularly for their brethren who have served in the field – and finally, that He would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility and pacific temper of mind which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without an humble imitation of Whose example in these things we can never hope to be a happy nation.”
– George Washington (1732-1799; Commanding General of the American Continental Army; President/Moderator of the Constitutional Convention; First President of the United States; and “Father of Our Country.”
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VISIONS OF THE VISIONARIES #2
“The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.”
– The Word of God (Psalm 14:1)
“By conveying the Bible to people thus circumstanced, we certainly do them a most interesting kindness. We thereby enable them to learn that man was originally created and placed in a state of happiness, but, becoming disobedient, was subjected to the degradation and evils which he and his posterity have since experienced. The Bible will also inform them that our gracious Creator has provided for us a Redeemer, in whom all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; that this Redeemer has made atonement ‘for the sins of the whole world,’ and thereby reconciling the Divine justice with the Divine mercy has opened a way for our redemption and salvation; and that these inestimable benefits are of the free gift and grace of God, not of our deserving, nor in our power to deserve.”
– John Jay (1745-1829) Member of New York Committee of Correspondence; Member and then President of First and Second Continental Congress; Negotiator/Signatory of Treaty of Paris (ending the American War of Independence with Great Britain); Co-author (with Madison and Hamilton) of the Federalist Papers advocating for ratification of the U.S. Constitution; and first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (appointed by President Washington)
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VISIONS OF THE VISIONARIES #3
“Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.”
“Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”
– The Word of God (Psalm 139:12-16; Jeremiah 1:4-5)
“No simple form of government can possibly secure men against the violences of power. Simple monarchy will soon mould itself into despotism, aristocracy will soon commence an oligarchy, and democracy will soon degenerate into an anarchy, such an anarchy that every man will do what is right in his own eyes, and no man’s life or property or reputation or liberty will be secure, and every one of these will soon mould itself into a system of subordination of all the moral virtues and intellectual abilities, all the powers of wealth, beauty, wit, and science, to the wanton pleasures, the capricious will, and the execrable cruelty of one or a very few.”
– John Adams (1735-1826); Massachusetts Delegate to First and Second Continental Congress; Member of Boston Committee of Correspondence; assisted Jefferson in the final draft and was a signer of the Declaration of Independence; Negotiator/Signatory of Treaty of Paris (ending the American War of Independence with Great Britain); sole author of the Massachusetts Constitution; Vice-President under President Washington; 2nd President of the United States; father of John Quincy Adams.
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VISIONS OF THE VISIONARIES #4
“…Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof…”
– The Word of God (Leviticus 25:10b – the passage which is inscribed on the renowned Liberty Bell in Philadelphia)
“The [Fourth] Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding generations, as the great Anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated as the Day of Deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more. You will think me transported with enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the gloom I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory; I can see that the end is more than worth all the means. And that Posterity will triumph in that day’s Transaction, even although we should rue it, which I trust in God we shall not.” (Written on the day of the approving-vote of the Declaration of Independence in the Second Continental Congress, July 2, 1776; the final draft and officially recognized vote was then on July 4; the Document was later signed by 50 of the 56 approving delegates on August 2.)
– John Adams (1735-1826); Massachusetts Delegate to First and Second Continental Congress; Member of Boston Committee of Correspondence; assisted Jefferson in the final draft, and was a signer of the Declaration of Independence; Negotiator/Signatory of Treaty of Paris (ending theAmerican War of Independence with Great Britain); sole author of the Massachusetts Constitution; Vice-President under President Washington; 2nd President of the United States; father of John Quincy Adams, and second cousin to Samuel Adams.
“There! His Majesty can now read my name without glasses. And he can double the reward on my head!” (Declared upon signing the Declaration of Independence; August 2, 1776)
– John Hancock (1737-1793); suspected organizer (with Samuel Adams) of the Boston Tea Party; Massachusetts delegate and President of the Second Continental Congress; first Signer of the Declaration of Independence; and first Governor of the State of Massachusetts.
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VISIONS OF THE VISIONARIES #5
“And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.”
– The Word of God (Isaiah 54:13-14)
“The great enemy of the salvation of man, in my opinion, never invented a more effective means of limiting Christianity from the world than by persuading mankind that it was improper to read the Bible at schools…The Bible, when not read in schools, is seldom read in any subsequent period of life…[It] should be read in our schools in preference to all other books because it contains the greatest portion of that kind of knowledge which is calculated to produce private and public happiness….[it] contains more knowledge necessary to man in his present state than any other book in the world.”
– Dr. Benjamin Rush (1746-1813), Physician; Pennsylvania delegate to Second Continental Congress; Signer of Declaration of Independence; Surgeon General of the Continental Army; ratified the U.S. Constitution as a Pennsylvania State Assemblyman (1788); Founder of Dickinson College (PA; named in honor of fellow Declaration Signer, John Dickinson); Treasurer of the U.S. Mint (1797-1813); and “Father of American Public Schools.”
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VISIONS OF THE VISIONARIES #6
“Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments. I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.”
– The Word of God (Psalm 119:1-7)
“There is not a syllable in the plan under consideration which directly empowers the national courts to construe the laws according to the spirit of the Constitution.” (Federalist Papers No. 81; 1787)
– Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804) American Continental Army Senior Officer (Lt. Col) and Chief of Staff to Gen. Washington; New York Delegate to the Constitutional Convention and Signer of the Constitution; Co-author (with John Jay and James Madison) of the Federalist-Papers (1787-88) which advocated for ratification of the Constitution; Founder of U.S. Coast Guard; and first Secretary of the U.S. Treasury.
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VISIONS OF THE VISIONARIES #7
“Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you: not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.”
– The Word of God (II Thessalonians 3:6-12)
“I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I travelled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer.”
– Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) Founder of the University of Pennsylvania (1740); Pennsylvania delegate to Second Continental Congress and Signer of the Declaration of Independence; first U.S. Ambassador to France (1776-84); Negotiator/Signatory of Treaty of Paris (ending the American War of Independence with Great Britain); first U.S. Postmaster General; Governor of Pennsylvania (1785-88); and Pennsylvania delegate to the Constitutional Convention and Signer of the Constitution.
“I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them…The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.”
–Thomas Jefferson (1738-1826) Virginia delegate to Second Continental Congress; principal author and Signer of the Declaration of Independence; Governor of Virginia (1779-81); Ambassador to France (1785-89); first Secretary of State (President Washington Admin); U.S. Vice-President under President John Adams; 3rd U.S. President (1801-09); Founder of the University of Virginia (1819).
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VISIONS OF THE VISIONARIES #8
“Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”
– The Word of God (Matthew 7:24-27)
“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
– Patrick Henry (1736-1799) “Trumpet of the American Revolution;” member of the Virginia Committee of Correspondence; Virginia House of Burgesses member and State Assemblyman whose rousing speeches are credited with instilling an independence spirit throughout the colonies; Virginia delegate to First Continental Congress; assisted fellow-delegate John Dickinson of Pennsylvania in composing the “Petition to the King” (1774); first Governor of Virginia (1776-79, 84-86); and in opposition to ratifying the U.S. Constitution (together with the Virginia Baptists and Samuel Adams) is credited with creating/adding the Bill of Rights, after-which they all lent their support.
“From the day of the Declaration, the people of the North American Union and of its constituent states were associated bodies of civilized men and Christians…They were bound by the laws of God, which they all, and by the laws of the Gospel, which they nearly all, acknowledged as the rules of their conduct. The Declaration of Independence cast off all the shackles of dependency. The United States of America were no longer Colonies. They were an independent nation of Christians…The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: that it connected in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.”
– John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) Eldest son of President John Adams; member of Massachusetts Senate, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House of Representatives; Ambassador to the Netherlands (Washington Admin); 1st Ambassador to Prussia (Adams Admin); 1st Ambassador to Russia (Madison Admin); Ambassador to U.K. (Madison Admin); Negotiator/Signatory to Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812; and Secretary of State (Monroe Admin, helping formulate the Monroe Doctrine, and negotiating Adams-Otis Treaty acquiring Florida); and 6th U.S. President.
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VISIONS OF THE VISIONARIES #9
“The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore, my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.”
– The Word of God (Psalm 16:5-9)
“Let us contemplate our forefathers, and posterity, and resolve to maintain the rights bequeathed to us from the former, for the sake of the latter. The necessity of the times, more than ever, calls for our utmost circumspection, deliberation, fortitude and perseverance. Let us remember that ‘if we suffer tamely a lawless attack upon our liberty, we encourage it, and involve others in our doom.’ It is a very serious consideration…that millions yet unborn may be the miserable sharers of the event…Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it.”
– Samuel Adams (1722-1803) Organizer and Massachusetts member of the Committees of Correspondence; organizer (with suspected John Hancock) of the Boston Tea Party; Massachusetts delegate to First and Second Continental Congress; Signer of the Declaration of Independence; help draft the Articles of Confederation (1777-89), and the Massachusetts Constitution (1780); member of the Massachusetts House ratifying the U.S. Constitution; Governor of Massachusetts (1793-97); second cousin to President John Adams; and “Father (and ‘Firebrand’) of the American Revolution.”
“No country upon earth ever had it more in its power to attain these blessings than United America. Wondrously strange, then, and much to be regretted indeed would it be, were we to neglect the means and to depart from the road which Providence has pointed us to so plainly.”
– George Washington (1732-1799); Virginia delegate to First and Second Continental Congress; Commanding General of the American Continental Army; Virginia delegate and President/Moderator of the Constitutional Convention and Signer of the Constitution; First President of the United States; and “Father of Our Country.”
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VISIONS OF THE VISIONARIES #10
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
– The Word of God (John 3:16-18)
“God commands all men everywhere to repent. He also commands them to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and has assured us that all who do repent and believe shall be saved…God has absolutely promised to bestow His righteousnesses on all those who are willing to accept them on the terms of the Gospel – that is, in a way of free grace through the atonement. ‘Ask and ye shall receive’ [John 16:24]. ‘Whosoever will, let him come and take of the waters of life freely’ [Revelation 22:17]. ‘Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out’ [John 6:37].
– Roger Sherman (1721-1793) The only signer of all four great state papers of the U.S.: Declaration of Independence, Articles of Association, Articles of Confederation, and U.S. Constitution; member of the Connecticut Committee of Correspondence; Connecticut delegate to 1st and 2nd Continental Congress; Connecticut delegate to Constitutional Convention; U.S. House of Representatives member; and U.S. Senator.
“I entreat you in the most earnest manners to believe in Jesus Christ, for there is no salvation in any other [Acts 4:12] …If you are not reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, if you are not clothed with the spotless robe of His righteousness, you must forever perish.”
– John Witherspoon (1723-1794) President of Princeton University (1768-94); New Jersey Committee of Correspondence member; New Jersey delegate and Chaplain to 2nd Continental Congress; Signer of Declaration of Independence; lost two sons in War of Independence; Signer of Articles of Confederation (which he helped draft); and member of New Jersey Legislature ratifying the U.S. Constitution.
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VISIONS OF THE VISIONARIES #11
“Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding but that which is in the midst of fools is made known. Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.”
– The Word of God (Proverbs 14:33-34)
“There are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations…Wherever the real power in a government lies, there is the danger of oppression.”
– James Madison (1751-1836) Colonel in Orange County, Virginia patriot militia; Virginia delegate to 2nd Continental Congress (1775) and Congress of the Confederation (1781-83, 1786-87); Virginia delegate to Constitutional Convention and Signer of the Constitution, and credited with adding the Bill of Rights; ; Co-author of The Federalist Papers (with John Jay and Alexander Hamilton); Member of U.S. House of Representatives (1789-97); Secretary of State (1801-09, Jefferson Admin.); “Father of the Constitution”; and 4th U.S. President (1809-17).
“The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and Government to gain ground.”
–Thomas Jefferson (1738-1826) Virginia delegate to Second Continental Congress; principal author and Signer of the Declaration of Independence; Governor of Virginia (1779-81); Ambassador to France (1785-89); first Secretary of State (President Washington Admin); U.S. Vice-President under President John Adams; 3rd U.S. President (1801-09); Founder of the University of Virginia (1819).
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VISIONS OF THE VISIONARIES #12
“Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.”
“The just LORD is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.”
– The Word of God (Leviticus 19:15; Zephaniah 3:5)
“The great object of my fear is the federal judiciary. That body, like gravity, ever acting, with noiseless foot, and unalarming advance, gaining ground step by step, and holding what it gains, is engulfing insidiously the special governments into the jaws of that which feeds them.”
– Thomas Jefferson (1738-1826) Virginia delegate to Second Continental Congress; principal author and Signer of the Declaration of Independence; Governor of Virginia (1779-81); Ambassador to France (1785-89); first Secretary of State (Washington Admin); U.S. Vice-President under President John Adams; 3rd U.S. President (1801-09); Founder of the University of Virginia (1819).
“The ordaining of laws in favor of one part of the nation, to the prejudice and oppression of another, is certainly the most erroneous and mistaken policy. An equal dispensation of protection, rights, privileges, and advantages, is what every part is entitled to, and ought to enjoy.”
–Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) Founder of the University of Pennsylvania (1740); Pennsylvania delegate to Second Continental Congress and Signer of the Declaration of Independence; first U.S. Ambassador to France (1776-84); Negotiator/Signatory of Treaty of Paris (ending the War of Independence with Great Britain); first U.S. Postmaster General; Governor of Pennsylvania (1785-88); and Pennsylvania delegate to the Constitutional Convention and Signer of the Constitution.
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VISIONS OF THE VISIONARIES #13
“For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged.”
– The Word of God (Proverbs 28:2)
“Nothing is more certain than that a general profligacy and corruption of manners make a people ripe for destruction. A good form of government may hold the rotten materials together for some time, but beyond a certain pitch, even the best constitution will be ineffectual, and slavery must ensue.”
– John Witherspoon (1723-1794) President/Instructor of Princeton College, NJ (1768-94); New Jersey Committee of Correspondence member; New Jersey delegate and Chaplain to Second Continental Congress; Signer of Declaration of Independence; lost two sons in War of Independence; Signer of Articles of Confederation (which he helped draft); and member of New Jersey Legislature ratifying the U.S. Constitution; at Princeton, he taught six Constitutional Convention delegates, three Supreme Court justices, 20 U.S. Senators, and 33 U.S. Congressmen.
“Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time. They therefore who are decrying the Christian religion…are undermining the solid foundation of morals, the best security for the duration of free governments.”
– Charles Carroll (1737-1832) Member of Maryland Committee of Correspondence; renowned as “First Citizen” of the American Colonies for his newspaper editorials advocating a separation from Great Britain; Maryland delegate to 2nd Continental Congress, and last surviving Signer of Declaration of Independence; personally financed much of the War of Independence; Maryland delegate to Confederation Congress; member of Maryland State Senate (1781-1800); U.S. Senator (1789-92); and co-founder of Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (1827).
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VISIONS OF THE VISIONARIES #14
When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.”
– The Word of God (Luke 11:21-22)
“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms…only disarm those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes…Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.”
– Thomas Jefferson (1738-1826) Virginia delegate to 2nd Continental Congress; principle author and Signer of the Declaration of Independence; Governor of Virginia (1779-81); Ambassador to France (1785-89); first Secretary of State (Washington Admin); U.S. Vice-President under President John Adams; 3rd U.S. President (1801-09); and Founder of the University of Virginia (1819).
“Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people’s liberty teeth and keystone under independence…from the hour the Pilgrims landed to the present day, events, occurences and tendencies prove that to ensure peace, security and happiness, the rifle and pistol are equally indispensable…the very atmosphere of firearms anywhere restrains evil interference — they deserve a place of honor with all that’s good…A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government.”
– George Washington (1732-1799); Virginia delegate to 1st and 2nd Continental Congress; Commanding General of the American Continental Army; Virginia delegate and President/Moderator of the Constitutional Convention and Signer of the Constitution; 1st President of the United States; and “Father of Our Country.”
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VISIONS OF THE VISIONARIES #15
“Brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
– The Word of God (Galatians 5:13-14)
“Liberty is a word which, according as it is used, comprehends the most good and the most evil of any in the world. Justly understood, it is sacred next to those which we appropriate in divine adoration; but in the mouths of some it means anything, which enervate a necessary government, excite a jealousy of the rulers who are our own choice, and keep society in confusion for want of a power sufficiently concentered to promote good.”
– Oliver Ellsworth (1745-1807) Patriot engaged in Hartford, Connecticut war efforts; Connecticut delegate to Continental Congress (1777-80, 1781-83); Connecticut delegate to Constitutional Convention who helped draft the Connecticut Compromise establishing a bi-cameral Congress; inaugural Connecticut U.S. Senator (1789-96) who authored the Judiciary Act of 1789 establishing the Supreme Court; primary Senatorial sponsor for adopting the Bill of Rights (1789/ratified, 1791); and 3rd Chief Justice of Supreme Court (1796-1800; Pres. Washington appointee).
“Neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt. He therefore is the truest friend to the liberty of his country who tries most to promote its virtue, and who, so far as his power and influence extend, will not suffer a man to be chosen into any office of power and trust who is not a wise and virtuous man. We must not conclude merely upon a man’s haranguing upon liberty, and using the charming sound, that he is fit to be trusted with the liberties of his country. It is not infrequent to hear men declaim loudly upon liberty, who, if we may judge by the whole tenor of their actions, mean nothing else by it but their own liberty, — to oppress without control or the restraint of laws all who are poorer or weaker than themselves. It is not, I say, infrequent to see such instances, though at the same time I esteem it a justice due to my country to say that it is not without shining examples of the contrary kind — examples of men of a distinguished attachment to this same liberty I have been describing; whom no hopes could draw, no terrors could drive, from steadily pursuing, in their sphere, the true interests of their country; whose fidelity has been tried in the nicest and tenderest manner, and has been ever firm and unshaken. The sum of all is, if we would most truly enjoy this gift of Heaven, let us become a virtuous people.”
– Samuel Adams (1722-1803) Organizer of the Committees of Correspondence and Massachusetts member; organizer (with suspected John Hancock) of the Boston Tea Party; Massachusetts delegate to 1st and 2nd Continental Congress and Signer of the Declaration of Independence; help draft the Articles of Confederation (1777-89), and the Massachusetts Constitution (1780); member of the Massachusetts House ratifying the US Constitution; Governor of Massachusetts (1793-97); second cousin to President John Adams; and “Father (or ‘Firebrand’) of the American Revolution.”
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VISIONS OF THE VISIONARIES #16
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools…Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator…For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness; …haters of God, …inventors of evil things,…who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”
– The Word of God (Romans 1:18-32)
“What has been here observed…which ought to be the more clear in proportion, as the crime is the more detestable, may be applied to another offence, of a still deeper malignity; the infamous crime against nature, committed either with man or beast…But it is an offence of so dark a nature…that the accusation should be clearly made out…I will not act in so disagreeable part, to my readers as well as myself, as to dwell any longer upon a subject, the very mention of which is a disgrace to human nature. It will be more eligible to imitate in this respect the delicacy of our English law, which treats it, in its very indictments, as a crime not fit to be named…Which leads me to add a word concerning its punishment. This the voice of nature and of reason, and the express law of God, determine to becapital[in offense].”
– Sir William Blackstone (1723-1780) British attorney, jurist, law professor, and political philosopher; author of Commentaries on the Laws of England (1765-1769), which became a premiere legal source used by America’s Founding Fathers. This quote taken from Book Four, Chapter Fifteen, “Of Offences Against the Persons of Individuals.”
“At a General Court Martial whereof Col. Tupper was President (10th March 1778) Lieut. Enslin of Col. Malcom’s Regiment tried for attempting to commit sodomy, with John Monhort, a soldier; Secondly, for perjury in swearing to false accounts, found guilty of the charges exhibited against him, being breaches of 5th Article 18th Section of the Articles of War, and do sentence him to be dismissed the service with Infamy. His Excellency the Commander in Chief [Gen. George Washington] approves the sentence and with Abhorrence and Detestation of such Infamous crimes,orders Lieut. Enslinto be drummed out of Camp tomorrow morning by all the Drummers and Fifers in the Army, never to return; the Drummers and Fifers to attend on the Grand Parade at Guard mounting for that purpose.”
– American Continental Army Court Martial Orders, 1778
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VISIONS OF THE VISIONARIES #17
“The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”
– The Word of God (Psalm 9:17)
“The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time. Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? – that they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: and that his justice cannot sleep forever.” [This quote is chiseled inside the rotunda of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington DC]
— Thomas Jefferson (1738-1826) Virginia delegate to 2nd Continental Congress; principle author and Signer of the Declaration of Independence; Governor of Virginia (1779-81); Ambassador to France (1785-89); first Secretary of State (Pres. Washington Admin); U.S. Vice-President under President John Adams; 3rd U.S. President (1801-09); Founder of the University of Virginia (1819).
“To the kindly influence of Christianity, we owe that degree of civil freedom and political and social happiness which mankind now enjoys. All efforts made to destroy the foundations of our Holy Religion ultimately tend to the subversion also of our political freedom and happiness. In proportion as the genuine effects of Christianity are diminished in any nation…in the same proportion will the people of that nation recede from the blessings of genuine freedom…Whenever the pillars of Christianity shall be overthrown, our present republican forms of government – and all the blessings which flow from them – must fall with them. “
– Jedidiah Morse (1761-1826) Boston Congregationalist pastor (1789-1820) in support of American independence and ratification of U.S. Constitution; known for his militant stand for Biblical orthodoxy while against modernism and Unitarianism; schoolteacher and geographer who published long-used and widely-used geography textbooks for schools; the father of inventor Samuel F.B. Morse; and regarded as “the Father of American Geography.”
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VISIONS OF THE VISIONARIES #18
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”
– The Word of God (Galatians 5:1)
“Resistance to tyranny becomes the Christian and social duty of each individual. …Continue steadfast and, with a proper sense of your dependence on God, nobly defend those rights which heaven gave, and no man ought to take from us.”
– John Hancock (1737-1793) Suspected organizer (with Samuel Adams) of the Boston Tea Party; Massachusetts delegate and President of the 2nd Continental Congress, and first Signer of the Declaration of Independence; and first Governor of the State of Massachusetts (1780-85, 87-93).
“Sad will be the day when the American people forget their traditions and their history, and no longer remember that the country they love, the institutions they cherish, and the freedoms they hope to preserve were born from the throes of armed resistance to tyranny and nursed in the rugged arms of fearless men.”
– Roger Sherman (1721-1793) Member of the Connecticut Committee of Correspondence; Connecticut delegate to 1st and 2nd Continental Congress; Connecticut delegate to Constitutional Convention; the only signer of all four great state papers of the U.S.: Declaration of Independence, Articles of Association, Articles of Confederation, and U.S. Constitution; U.S. House of Representatives member (1789-91); and U.S. Senator (1791-93).
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VISIONS OF THE VISIONARIES #19
“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
– The Word of God (Psalm 1:1-3)
“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness — these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens.”
— George Washington (1732-1799) Virginia delegate to 1st and 2nd Continental Congress; Commanding General of the American Continental Army; Virginia delegate and President/Moderator of the Constitutional Convention and Signer of the Constitution; 1st President of the United States; and “Father of Our Country.”
“Statesmen…may plan and speculate for liberty, but it is religion and morality alone, which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand. …The only foundation of a free Constitution is pure virtue, and if this cannot be inspired into our people in a greater measure than they have it now, they may change their rulers, and the forms of government, but they will not obtain a lasting liberty. …Religion and virtue are the only foundations, not of republicanism and of all free government, but of social felicity under all government and in all the combinations of human society.”
– John Adams (1735-1826) Member of Boston Committee of Correspondence; Massachusetts delegate to 1st and 2nd Continental Congress; assisted Jefferson in the final draft, and was a signer of the Declaration of Independence; Negotiator/Signatory of Treaty of Paris (ending the American War of Independence with Great Britain); sole author of the Massachusetts Constitution; Vice-President under President Washington; 2nd President of the United States; father of John Quincy Adams, and second cousin to Samuel Adams.
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VISIONS OF THE VISIONARIES #20
“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.”
– The Word of God (Proverbs 29:2)
“Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote that he is not making a present or a compliment to please an individual — or at least that he ought not so to do; but that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country. …If men of wisdom and knowledge, of moderation and temperance, of patience, fortitude and perseverance, of sobriety and true republican simplicity of manners, of zeal for the honour of the Supreme Being and the welfare of the commonwealth; if men possessed of these other excellent qualities are chosen to fill the seats of Government, we may expect that our affairs will rest on a solid and permanent foundation. …If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin.”
– Samuel Adams (1722-1803) Organizer of the Committees of Correspondence and Massachusetts member; organizer (with suspected John Hancock) of the Boston Tea Party; Massachusetts delegate to 1st and 2nd Continental Congress and Signer of the Declaration of Independence; help draft the Articles of Confederation (1777-89), and the Massachusetts Constitution (1780); member of the Massachusetts House ratifying the US Constitution; Governor of Massachusetts (1793-97); second cousin to President John Adams; and “Father (or ‘Firebrand’) of the American Revolution.”
“It is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions… There are men, in all ages…who mean to govern well; but they mean to govern. They promise to be kind masters; but they mean to be masters… They think there needs to be but little restraint upon themselves… The love of power may sink too deep into their own hearts.”
— Daniel Webster (1782-1843) His father, Ebenezer Webster (1739-1806) was a veteran of the French and Indian War and served as an officer in the American War of Independence. Daniel, 10th cousin to Noah Webster, was a New Hampshire member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1813-17), and a Massachusetts member of the same (1823-27); was a Massachusetts member of the U.S. Senate (1827-41, 45-50); served as U.S. Secretary of State under three Presidents (W.H. Harrison, Tyler, and Fillmore; 1841-43, 50-52); and in his lifetime, argued more cases before the U.S. Supreme Court than any other, becoming known as the “Great Expounder and Defender of the Constitution.”
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VISIONS OF THE VISIONARIES #21
“The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.”
– The Word of God (II Samuel 23:3-4)
“When you become entitled to exercise the right of voting for public officers, let it be impressed on your mind that God commands you to choose for rulers just men who will rule in the fear of God. The preservation of a republican government depends on the faithful discharge of this duty.”
— Noah Webster (1758-1843) Member of the Connecticut Militia and veteran of the American War of Independence; member of Connecticut House of Representatives (1800, 02-07); under the pen-name “Citizen of America,” he wrote an influential pamphlet (1787) supporting ratification of the US Constitution; five generations were taught by his American Spelling Book (1786; nicknamed the “Blue-Backed Speller”), written to unify a distinctively American spelling standard; his American Dictionary of the English Language (1828), reflecting the same intent, is still in use today; he was 10th cousin to Daniel Webster; he co-founded Amherst College (MA; 1821); and is renowned as the “Father of American Scholarship and Education.”
“The aim of every political constitution is, or ought to be, first to obtain for rulers men who possess most wisdom to discern, and most virtue to pursue, the common good of the society; and in the next place, to take the most effectual precautions for keeping them virtuous whilst they continue to hold their public trust.”
– James Madison (1751-1836) Colonel in Orange County, Virginia patriot militia; Virginia delegate to 2nd Continental Congress (1775) and Congress of the Confederation (1781-83, 1786-87); Virginia delegate to Constitutional Convention, and Signer of the Constitution, and credited with adding the Bill of Rights; Co-author of The Federalist Papers (with John Jay and Alexander Hamilton) advocating ratification of the Constitution; Member of U.S. House of Representatives (1789-97); Secretary of State (1801-09, Jefferson Admin.); “Father of the Constitution”; and 4th U.S. President (1809-17).
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VISIONS OF THE VISIONARIES #22
“And he [Jesus] spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?”
– The Word of God (Luke 6:39)
“Bad men cannot make good citizens. It is impossible that a nation of infidels and idolaters should be a nation of freemen. It is when people forget God that tyrants forge their chains.”
— Patrick Henry (1736-1799) “Trumpet of the American Revolution;” member of the Virginia Committee of Correspondence; Virginia House of Burgesses and State Assemblyman whose rousing speeches are credited with instilling an independence spirit throughout the colonies; Virginia delegate to 1st Continental Congress; assisted fellow-delegate John Dickinson of Pennsylvania in composing the “Petition to the King” (1774); first Governor of Virginia (1776-79, 84-86); and opposed to ratifying the U.S. Constitution (together with the Virginia Baptists and Samuel Adams), thereby was credited with creating/adding the Bill of Rights – after-which they all then became supporters for ratification.
“The issue today is the same as it has been throughout all history, whether man shall be allowed to govern himself, or be ruled by a small elite. …Experience hath shewn that, even under the best forms of government, those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny.”
– Thomas Jefferson (1738-1826) Virginia delegate to 2nd Continental Congress; principal author and Signer of the Declaration of Independence; Governor of Virginia (1779-81); Ambassador to France (1785-89); first Secretary of State (President Washington Admin.); U.S. Vice-President under President John Adams; 3rd U.S. President (1801-09); Founder of the University of Virginia (1819).
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VISIONS OF THE VISIONARIES #23
“For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them; in transgressing and lying against the LORD, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.”
– The Word of God (Isaiah 59:12-15)
“If the citizens neglect their duty and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted…If a republican government fails to secure public prosperity and happiness, it must be because the citizens neglect the Divine commands and elect bad men to make and administer the laws.”
– Noah Webster (1758-1843) Member of the Connecticut Militia and veteran of the American War of Independence; member of Connecticut House of Representatives (1800, 02-07); under the pen-name “Citizen of America,” he wrote an influential pamphlet (1787) supporting ratification of the US Constitution; five generations were taught by his American Spelling Book (1786; nicknamed the “Blue-Backed Speller”), written to unify a distinctively American spelling standard; his American Dictionary of the English Language (1828), reflecting the same intent, is still in use today; he was 10th cousin to Daniel Webster; co-founded Amherst College (MA; 1821); and is renowned as “Father of American Scholarship and Education.”
“Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall, when the wise are banished from the public councils, because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded, because they flatter the people, in order to betray them.”
– Joseph Story (1779-1845) His patriot father, Elisha Story (1743-1805), was a member of the Sons of Liberty, participated in the Boston Tea Party, and fought at Lexington Green and Bunker Hill. Joseph was a member of the Massachusetts State House (1805-07); he was a Massachusetts member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1808-09, 11), becoming Speaker of the House; he was an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1812-1845; Pres. Madison appt); and was author of the renowned “Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States” (1833; 3 vols), a standard resource of American jurisprudence yet today.
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VISIONS OF THE VISIONARIES #24
“Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”
– The Word of God (Psalm 100)
“Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor – and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.
– 1789 Presidential Proclamation:
“Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, Who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be – that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks – for His kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation – for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of His Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war – for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed – for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted – for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which He hath been pleased to confer upon us.
“And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the Great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions – to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually–to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed – to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord – to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us – and generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.
“Given under my hand at the City of New York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord 1789.”
– George Washington (1732-1799); Virginia delegate to 1st and 2nd Continental Congress; Commanding General of the American Continental Army (1775-83); Virginia delegate and President/Moderator of the Constitutional Convention and Signer of the Constitution (1787); 1st President of the United States (1789-97); and “Father of Our Country.”
“I desire to bless and praise the name of God most high for appointing me and my birth in a land of Gospel Light where the glorious tidings of a Saviour and of pardon and salvation through Him have been continually sounding in mine ears.”
– Robert Treat Paine (1731-1814) Prosecuting attorney of the British soldiers responsible for the Boston Massacre (1770); Massachusetts delegate to 2nd Continental Congress and Signer of Declaration of dependence; Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice (1790-1804).
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VISIONS OF THE VISIONARIES #25
“Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.”
—The Word of God (Genesis 13:12-13)
“I think our governments will remain virtuous for many centuries as long as they are chiefly agricultural; and this will be as long as there shall be vacant lands in any part of America. When they get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, they will become corrupt as in Europe…I view great cities as pestilential to the morals, the health and the liberties of man.”
—Thomas Jefferson (1738-1826) Virginia delegate to 2nd Continental Congress; principle author and Signer of the Declaration of Independence; Governor of Virginia (1779-81); Ambassador to France (1785-89); first Secretary of State (President Washington Admin); U.S. Vice-President under President John Adams; 3rd U.S. President (1801-09); Founder of the University of Virginia (1819).
“The tumultuous populace of large cities are ever to be dreaded. Their indiscriminate violence prostrates for the time all public authority, and its consequences are sometimes extensive and terrible.”
— George Washington (1732-1799) Virginia delegate to 1st and 2nd Continental Congress; Commanding General of the American Continental Army (1775-83); Virginia delegate and President/Moderator of the Constitutional Convention, and Signer of the Constitution (1787); 1st President of the United States (1789-97); and “Father of Our Country.”
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VISIONS OF THE VISIONARIES #26