The American Soul
The American Soul
God's Hand in American History: Finding Hope in Challenging Times
What if someone followed you around for a day—would they be convinced you're a follower of Christ? This question launches us into a soul-searching exploration of faith in action, both personally and nationally.
The American Soul Podcast doesn't shy away from hard truths. As tensions escalate around immigration enforcement, with violence against ICE agents reportedly up 700%, we examine the concerning disconnect between political rhetoric and the safety of American communities. The silence from those who should speak out reveals much about our current national priorities.
Drawing from 2 Corinthians 4, we find profound comfort for difficult times: "Momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison." Whether facing chronic illness, broken relationships, or the loss of loved ones, the Christian's hope extends beyond temporal struggles to eternal promises.
The historical records tell a remarkable story. Yale President Ezra Stiles once cataloged the "indubitable interposition" of divine providence in American independence—unexpected military victories, critical weather patterns that thwarted British forces, and the timely discovery of Benedict Arnold's treason. Our founding generation recognized America wasn't blessed because of their superiority, but through God's mercy when they humbled themselves.
Perhaps most sobering are the historical accounts of religious persecution that reveal why our ancestors risked everything for freedom. These serve as warnings against complacency in our own time, as ideological conflicts intensify between traditional American values and opposing worldviews.
The patterns of history offer perspective for today's challenges. When you subscribe to the American Soul Podcast, you're joining a community that seeks wisdom from our past to navigate our present, always pointing toward an eternal perspective that transcends temporal conflicts.
The American Soul Podcast
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Hey folks, this is Jesse Cope, back with another episode of the American Soul Podcast. Hope y'all are doing well, wherever y'all are, whatever part of the day you're in. Sure do appreciate y'all joining me and giving me a little bit of your time and attention, a little piece of your day. I will try and use it wisely. Hopefully it'll give us all some extra tools for our toolbox, as we used to say in the Marine Corps. Hopefully it'll draw us all a little bit closer to God and Jesus Christ, both as individuals and as a nation. For those of y'all who continue to share the podcast and tell others about it, thank you very much Grateful for that. For those of y'all who continue to pray for me and for the podcast, thank you Very, very grateful for your prayers, father. Thank you for today. Thank you for you, father, and your Son, jesus Christ, and your Holy Spirit. Thank you for your love and your mercy, your grace, your forgiveness of sins. Thank you for your word and the ability to read it without fear of persecution. Please be with those who don't have that same liberty. Be with those who are being persecuted around the world for the sake of the name of your son, jesus Christ. Help us to comfort them in whatever way we can. Please be with them, give them your peace and help us to turn back to you, father, as a nation here in America and in all the nations around the world where people are listening. Help us to truly make you our priority each day, to follow the commands of your Son, jesus Christ, to love you with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Forgive us when we don't, forgive us when we fail. Help us to do better. And thank you for the people that listen to the podcast. Father, please be with them, be with their families, guide them, bless them, surround them with your angels. Protect us from evil of any kind. Draw close to the brokenhearted Father and guide my words here, please. In the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, we ask and we pray these things Amen. Have you made time for God today? Have you made time to read his word? Have you made time to listen to him? Not just to talk to him, but just to talk to him, but to be still before him? Is he really the priority that you say he is?
Speaker 1:If people looked at our lives those of us who claim to follow Christ yesterday. If somebody who didn't know you those of us who claim to follow Christ Yesterday, if somebody who didn't know you watched your life yesterday at the end of the day, would they be convinced that you followed Christ? Would they be convinced that I follow Christ? At the end of the day tomorrow or today, if somebody came up and they could see my life from start to finish, would they be convinced that I follow Jesus Christ? And the same thing with your marriage, folks, if you're married. If somebody looked at our marriage from the outside and they could see our marriage throughout the entire day, at the end of today, what would they say about our marriage? Would they say that we were loving, caring, kind. More importantly, would they say that we followed our God-given roles and responsibilities as a husband or a wife. Most importantly, would they say that we were marrying that relationship between Christ and the church, which really is the same as following our God-given roles and responsibilities. Right, those two are pretty much tied together. Pretty much tied together. But at the end of the day, what would people say about us and about our marriage?
Speaker 1:There's an article in the Epic Times. I recommend it for those of y'all that are new to the podcast. It's a great paper, kind of an old school paper. They've got a little bit of everything in it. They publish it once a week. If you like newspapers, I highly highly recommend it, and in this last edition they've got an article titled Violence Against Ice Escalates Across the US by Nathan Worchester. If I said that right, probably didn't, but I wanted to go through and just read some of the comments out of this article. It's a pretty good article. You get a chance if you take the Epoch Times, whether paper or electronically, I would recommend reading it.
Speaker 1:One of the first things that you'll notice is the comment in here from Senator Elizabeth Warren and and I think it's later on in the in the article too, there's a number of senators and representatives that are really upset at these ice agents wearing masks. I'm not going to talk about this very long, folks don't have that long to get to it on the podcast. But and one of their comments is that they're causing the illegal terror, that it's creating confusion, stoking fear, undermining public trust in law enforcement and causing illegal immigrants, psychological or physical, whatever they said terror or physical, whatever they said terror. A. There were none of these comments from these same senators and representatives when Antifa or the leftist communist mobs were out there wearing masks and hiding their identity. So you know it's hypocritical and B it shows an absolute lack of concern for American citizens. What about the American citizens that are terrified by the illegals and the mass immigrants in their communities that are raping little girls, that are kidnapping children, that are raping little girls, that are kidnapping children, that are stealing, plundering, killing, murdering? Where's the concern for these senators and some of them are Cory Booker, new Jersey. Alex Padilla, california. Ron Wyden, oregon. Schiff. Adam Schilla, california. Ron Wyden, oregon. Adam Schiff, california.
Speaker 1:There's a number of them Where's their concern for the American citizen that's terrified of the illegal and the mass immigrant that's been allowed here or brought here and the crime that they're committing? Allowed here or brought here and the crime that they're committing? Where's their fear, their concern for the fear of Americans who are losing their resources, who are losing their representation because it's being diluted by the fact that illegals and mass immigrants are counted toward representative allocation? Where's the fear for the women and the children and the little girls that walk in these communities, for example, of mass immigrants, where women are treated as nothing more than cattle? Where's their concern for them? Where's their concern for the ICE agents and their families who, by the way, the violence over the last little while has gone up by around 700% against ICE agents, federal law enforcement agents? Where's their concern for them and their families and the retaliation and attacks on them? Where's that concern?
Speaker 1:There's a quote in here by Roy Boyd, who's a sheriff in Texas, that says that he can see the problems. By Roy Boyd, who's a sheriff in Texas, that says that he can see the problems escalating and not going away anytime soon. He said protesting is a constitutionally protected activity, but what you're saying is not protest. What you're saying is an insurgency in the United States fighting against the will of the people. There's a lot of other really good stuff in here. Again, violence Against ICE Escalates Across America.
Speaker 1:That's the title of the article. It's written by Nathan Worchester. If you get a chance, I highly recommend you check it out. But there is an invasion folks. We're being invaded by illegal immigrants, mass immigrants, people that despise America, that support leftism, communism, socialism, islam. These are ideologies that are incompatible with liberty and with America incompatible with liberty and with America because they're anti-Christ at their core and therefore anti-American and anti-liberty at their core. And peaceful coexistence is just a pipe dream, folks. It's not possible. We have a conflict coming of some kind.
Speaker 1:All right, let's see 2 Corinthians 4, maybe right? Yeah, paul's apostolic ministry. Therefore, since we have this ministry as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth, commending ourselves to every man's conscience and the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel, of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, for we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord and ourselves as your bondservants, for Jesus' sake. For God who said Light shall shine out of darkness is the one who has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.
Speaker 1:We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed. Perplexed but not despairing, persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed, always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you. So death works in us, but life in you. But having the same spirit of faith according to what is written.
Speaker 1:I believed, therefore I spoke. We also believe. Therefore we also speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you, for all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God. Therefore, we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day, for momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Speaker 1:What do we focus on, folks? Do we focus on what's seen or do we focus on what's not seen? Do we focus on the temporal, on the temporary, on the things of this life, or do we focus on the eternal things? Do we focus on heaven and the hope of Jesus Christ? What do we look toward? What do we strive toward? What are we seeking each day? Are we seeking each day, are we seeking money and fame and fortune and land and new cars and new clothes and power?
Speaker 1:I was talking, I had the opportunity I'll probably mention this a few times to sit with some extremely good friends recently and we got to talking about money and the wife made the comment you know you need money, you have to have some to a certain degree to buy food, et cetera, a certain degree to buy food, et cetera, but but that they were trying to make sure that their kids understood that the chasing money at all costs. You know, for example, one of their kids wanted to be some kind of super specialized secret ninja squirrel engineer and they would make a ton of money doing it, but what would be the quality of life? Where would you have to live? How many hours a day would you have to work, et cetera, et cetera. What are we focused on? What are we really striving after looking to? Or maybe the better question is, who?
Speaker 1:Verse 17, for momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison. I may camp out here for just a minute, folks, and I hope this makes sense and maybe it's encouraging to some of y'all. You know a person that has been lame, paralyzed for a big chunk of their life, whether they were born that way or whether something happened. They had an accident and they couldn't move for the rest of their life. I haven't been in that situation, but I would assume that one of the great hopes for Christians in that situation is that when they are brought into heaven, they're not going to be given a broken body, they're not going to be constrained by a body that can't walk or can't move. They're going to be given a body where they have the ability to move, where there is no more sickness, there's no more brokenness, and that has to be just a huge hope.
Speaker 1:I would assume it's the same for a person that's in a marriage where they're not loved and that's desperately what they wanted is a loving marriage right. Or a person that has an illness, a chronic illness that is never going to go away. They're going to have to live with it their entire lives. For a person that has lost a spouse that they dearly love or a child that they dearly love, that great hope is that one day they're going to be loved by someone in heaven, one day they're not going to have that chronic illness anymore in heaven. One day they're going to get to see that spouse again in heaven. One day they're going to get to see that child again in heaven. That's the hope that we have as Christians, the reason that we don't suffer the same as people who don't have that hope in God and Jesus Christ folks.
Speaker 1:And so when I read this verse, when you read this verse, for momentary light, affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison. I'm not trying to tell you that it's easy to deal with any of those situations. I wouldn't even begin to say that, because it's not. It's hard, it's devastatingly hard. But the comfort that I would offer is someday you're going to be in heaven with God and Jesus Christ and whatever. That really painful, truly heartbreaking issue that you have, that you've had to deal with here in this life, is going to be gone for all of eternity. You're never going to have to deal with that again After this 60 or 70 or 80 or 90 years here on this earth. For the rest of eternity. That brokenness, that heartache is going to be healed Forever Completely and you're going to be given so much more we can't even imagine, beyond all comparison. So I just offer that. I hope it's a little bit of encouragement. At least Let us see where we were. And yeah, clay Beaufort, the Indian Campaigns, also known as Welford, chapman, birdwell, ranked First Sergeant Conflict Indian Campaigns.
Speaker 1:Bravo Company 5th US Cavalry, us Army 1872-1873,. Apache Campaigns, usa Gallant conduct during campaigns and engagements with Apaches Accredited to Nashville, davidson County, tennessee, not awarded. Posthumously Presented April 12, 1875. Born 1847, washington County, maryland, maybe, united States. Died February 1, 1905. Buried Rosedale Cemetery in TAC 110, tac 2 and E, los Angeles, california, united States. Clay Beauford or Buford.
Speaker 1:You know, it's just a little example here of the fact that this idea that Columbus was this absolutely atrocious person who came in and raped, pillaged and plundered these four Native Americans who had this utopic society, these indigenous people. They didn't folks. It wasn't like the Indians were some flash forward Not that we have. The Indians were some flash forward, not that we have. We're an absolute mess anyway today. It's not like we have these great morals and virtues ourselves, as you can tell, with equality and equity, and women and children were treated well and men were all upstanding and courageous and had all these great virtues. It's not true. It's not to say that, as America, as settlers, as colonists, that we didn't do some horrible things to the Indians, but they did too. They did too. It's kind of why we go through and talk about Columbus each year for a little while. All right, we'll move on. Get back into the United States, elevated to glory and honor.
Speaker 1:Mr Thurman preached before His Excellency Jonathan Trumbull, esquire Governor and Commander-in-Chief, and the Honorable General Assembly of Connecticut Convened at Hartford at the anniversary election, may 8, 1783, by Ezra Stiles, president of Yale College. If we can find where we there, we go A variety of success and defeat. Hath attended our welfare, both by sea and land, and our lowest and most dangerous estate in 1776 and 1777. Most dangerous estate in 1776 and 1777. We sustained ourselves against the British army of 60,000 troops commanded by Howe, burgundy and Clinton and other of the ablest generals Britain could procure throughout Europe, with a naval force of 22,000 seamen and above 80 British men of war. There's a note here To lose America has cost Britain the loss of more than 100,000 men and 120 millions sterling in money. Mr Thomas Pitt, from Authentic Doc, authentic documents, lately asserted in Parliament that only the first five years of this war had cost Britain five millions, more than all the wars of the last age, including the splendid victories of the Duke of Marlborough borough. These generals we sent home one after another, conquered, defeated and convinced of the impossibility of subduing America.
Speaker 1:While oppressed by the heavy weight of this combined force, heaven inspired us with resolution to cut the Gordian knot when the die was cast irrevocably in the glorious act of independence. This was sealed and confirmed by God Almighty in the victory of General Washington at Trentone and the whole British army, an elated confidence and an open-mouthed march for Philadelphia was instantly stopped, remanded back and cooped up for a shivering winter in the little borough of Brunswick. Thus God turned the battle to the gate and this gave a finishing to the foundation of the American Republic. This, with the Burgundy at Saratoga by General Gates and the glorious victory over the Earl of Cornwallis in Virginia, together with the memorable victory of Utah Springs and the triumphant recovery of the Southern states by General Green, are among the most heroic acts and brilliant achievements which have decided the fate of America.
Speaker 1:And who does not see the indubitable interposition and energetic influence of divine providence in these great and illustrious events? Who but a Washington inspired by heaven could have struck out the great movement and maneuver of Princeton? To whom but the ruler of the winds shall we ascribe it that the British reinforcement in the summer of 1777 was delayed on the ocean three months by contrary winds, until it was too late for the conflagrating General Clinton to raise the siege of Saratoga. To raise the siege of Saratoga, what but a provincial miracle detected the conspiracy of Arnold, even in the critical moment of the execution of that infernal plot in which the body of the American army, then at West Point, with his excellency General Washington himself, were to have been rendered into the hands of the enemy. Doubtless inspired by the supreme illuminator of great minds were the joint councils of a Washington and a Rochambeau in that grand effort of generalship with which they deceived and astonished a Clinton and eluded his vigilance in their transit by New York and rapid marches for Virginia.
Speaker 1:Was it not of God that both the Navy and Army should either enter the Chesapeake at the same time? Who but God could have ordained the critical arrival of the Gallic fleet so as to prevent and defeat the British and assist and cooperate with the combined armies in the siege and reduction of Yorktown? Should we not ever admire and ascribe to a supreme energy the wise and firm generalship displayed by General Green when, leaving the active, roving Cornwallis to pursue his helter-skelter, ill-fated march into Virginia, he coolly and steadily went onwards and deliberately, judiciously and heroically recovered the Carolinas and the southern states. How rare have been the defections and apostasies of our capital characters, though tempted with all the charms of gold titles and nobility. Whence is it that so few of our army have deserted to the enemy? Whence that our brave sailors have chosen the horrors of prison ships and death rather than to fight against their country? Whence that men of every rank have so generally felt and spoken alike as if the chords of life struck unison throughout the continent? What but a miracle has preserved the union of the states, the purity of Congress and the unshaken patriotism of every General Assembly.
Speaker 1:It is God who has raised up for us a great and powerful ally, an ally which sent us a chosen army and a naval force. An ally which sent us a chosen army and a naval force who sent us a Rochambeau and a Chateleau and other characters of the first military merit and eminence to fight side by side with a Washington and a Lincoln and the intrepid Americans in the siege and battle of Yorktown. It is God who so ordered the balancing interests of nations as is to produce an irresistible motive in the European maritime powers to take our part. Hence the recognition of our independence by Spain and Holland, as well as France. Britain ought to have foreseen that it must have given joy to surrounding nations tired and wearied out with the insolence and haughtiness of her domineering flag, a flag which spreads terror through the oceans of the Teroquous Globe, to behold the error, when their forces should have arrived to such maturity and strength that a junction of national navies would produce an aggregate force adequate to the humiliation of britain and her gallant and lofty navy. Nor could they resist the operation of this motive prompting them to assist in the cutting off of a member with which growing aggrandizement and power of Britain were connected, as thus she would be disarmed of terror and they should be at rest. If Britain doth not learn wisdom by these events and disclaim the sovereignty of the ocean, the junction of national navies will settle the point for her in less than half a century. So wonderfully does divine providence order the time and coordinates of the public, national motives cooperating in effecting great public events and revolutions.
Speaker 1:Our founding generation had a very clear concept that God was involved in the revolution, that there were a number of times when we should have lost to Britain, and yet we didn't. That there were a number of instances where there should have been defections or treason or loss of life or betrayal, when there wasn't, or when it was stopped, and miraculously at that, when it looks like there's no way it should have been stopped, could have been stopped, and yet it was. Way it should have been stopped, could have been stopped, and yet it was. We forget how much we owe God. We forget how much we owe His mercy and His grace. We forget, like he told the Israelites, that he wasn't leading them into Canaan because they were so great and giving them those nations because they were so great, but because those nations were so evil. I think a lot of us, especially on the conservative Christian side, we like to think that we've been given these things because we're so superior, so great. And the truth is we've been given these things out of God's mercy and his grace because we've turned to him. And the truth is, we've been given these things out of God's mercy and his grace because we've turned to him, not because we're so wonderful, but because we've humbled ourselves before him.
Speaker 1:There's no way to think or vote ourselves out of the mess that we're in today, folks, without humbling ourselves before God, just like when you get into a personal problem that you've. You know the old saying you made your own bed right. How many times do we as individuals? We get into a situation and we put ourselves there, and then we want to A, we want to blame God for us putting ourselves there, and then B, we want to try and work ourselves out of it without looking to God. And don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying that we just sit there and do nothing, and sit on the couch and watch TV until God miraculously hands some divine solution into our lap. We have a responsibility to work, to strive to do his will. Just like when we have some sin in our lives, we have a responsibility to strive against that sin. But at the end of the day we have to humble ourselves before God and turn to him for help, both as individuals and as a nation. Both as individuals and as a nation. All right, we'll come back. We may read that part again, we'll see. We'll get back into Fox's book of the Martyrs here and we're talking about the persecutions in the valleys of Piedmont in the 17th century. Thoreau, rastagnol des Vignes I'm sure I murdered that and I apologize A woman of sixty years of age being seized by some soldiers.
Speaker 1:They ordered her to say a prayer to some saints, which she refusing. They thrust a sickle into her belly and ripped her up and then cut off her head into her belly and ripped her up and then cut off her head. Martha Constantine, a handsome young woman, was treated with great indecency and cruelty by several of the troops, who first ravished and then killed her by cutting off her breasts. These they fried and set before some of their comrades, who ate them without knowing what they were. When they had done eating, the others told them that they had made a meal of, and consequence of which a quarrel ensued, swords were drawn and a battle took place. Several were killed in the fray, the greater part of whom were those concerned at the horrid massacre of the woman and who had practiced such an inhuman deception on their companions. The woman and who had practiced such an inhuman deception on their companions. Folks, you can't not hear the same kind of atrocities that the Muslims committed in Israel just a couple of years ago. I mean, that's literally. That's exactly some of those are exactly the same kind of atrocities committed by the Muslims in Israel.
Speaker 1:Some of the soldiers seized a man of Thrasanir and ran the points of their swords through his ears and through his feet. They then tore off the nails of his fingers and toes with red-hot pincers, tied him to the tail of an ass and dragged him about the streets and finally fastened a cord round his head, which they twisted with a stick in so violent a manner as to wring it from his body. Simmons, a Protestant of about eighty years of age, was tied neck and heels and then thrown down a precipice. In the fall, the branch of a tree caught hold of the ropes that fastened him and suspended him in the midway, so that he languished for several days and, at length, miserably perished of hunger. Sa Garcino, refusing to renounce his religion, was cut into small pieces, the fields upon the snow where they perished, and a very old woman, who was deformed, had her nose and hands cut off and was left to bleed to death in that manner. A great number of men, women and children were flung from the rocks and dashed to pieces. Magdalene Bertino, a Protestant woman of La Torre, was stripped short, naked, her head tied between her legs, and thrown down one of the precipices, and Mary remolded, of the same town, had the flesh sliced from her bones till she expired in the cave of Castolus and Charbonner, at one end of a stake thrust up her body and the other being fixed in the ground. She was left in that manner to perish, and Jacob Perrin, the elder of the church of Valero, and David, his brother, were flayed alive.
Speaker 1:An inhabitant of Latore named Giovanni Andrea Michelin was apprehended with four of his children. Three of them were hacked to pieces before him, the soldiers asking him, at the death of every child, if he would renounce his religion, which he constantly refused. One of the soldiers then took up the last and youngest by the legs and, putting the same question to his father, he replied as before when the inhuman brute dashed out the child's brains. There's no possible way, folks, that a Christian could follow a religion, a denomination that approved of these kind of actions and, at the same time, be following Christ. It's the same reason that when you hear Muslims talk about peace and tolerance and yet you hear absolutely no outcry from the Muslim community about the atrocities and slaughtering Jews and Christians in Syria today, you know that the comments about peace and tolerance are disingenuous.
Speaker 1:History like this is really hard to read. It's shocking that it's still happening today. If you don't read history, then you forget and you stumble into the same traps as before. I think we're in very great danger in America today of stumbling into some of the traps that our pilgrims and settlers and founders fought so hard to escape from, were willing to suffer so much because the alternative was so horrible. The alternative of being consistently brutalized by denominations that were in bed, in league with the state and Europe, was worth risking. Hunger, old savages, we've had it so good for so long. I'm not sure that we can even comprehend that really today, which makes me, at least, very afraid that we're going to repeat some of those same mistakes from throughout history. We'll move on. For today, get back into Mercy, otis Warren and the History of the Rise, progress and Termination of the American Revolution.
Speaker 1:It is the nature of man, when he despairs of legal reparation for injuries received, to seek satisfaction by avenging his own wrongs. Thus, sometime before the period see note 11 at the end of this chapter, governor Hitchinson's representation of this affair A number of men in disguise had riotously assembled and set fire to a sloop of war in the harbor when they had thus discovered their resentment by this illegal proceeding, this illegal proceeding, they dispersed without farther violence. For this imputed crime, the whole colony had been deemed guilty and interdicted. As accessory, a court of inquiry was appointed by his majesty vested, with the power of seizing any person on suspicion, confining him on board a king's ship and sending him to England for trial. But some of the gentlemen named for this inquisitorial business had not the termidity to execute it in the latitude designed and after sitting a few days, examining a few persons and threatening many, they adjourned to a distant day. See if we can go find note 11 at the end of this chapter, this chapter. There it is Note 11.
Speaker 1:Extract of a letter from Governor Hutchinson to Commodore Gambier, boston, june thirtieth seventeen seventy two, dear sir, our last ships carried you the news of the burning of the gaspy schooner at providence. Like attempt, some concerned in it may be taken prisoners and carried directly to England. A few punished at execution dock would be the only effectual preventative of any further attempts On the same subject. To Secretary Powell, Boston, august 29, 1772. Dear Sir, I troubled you with a long letter the 21st of July. Give me leave now only to add one or two things which I then intended, but to avoid being too tedious, omitted People in this province, both friends and enemies to government, are in great expectations from the late affair at Rhode Island of burning the King's schooner and they consider the matter in which the news of it will be received in England and the measures to be taken as decisive.
Speaker 1:If it is passed over without a full inquiry and due resentment, our liberty people will think they may be with impunity able to commit any acts of violence, be they ever so atrocious, and the friends to government will despond and give up all hopes of being able to withstand the faction. The persons who were immediate actors are men of estate and property in the colony. A prosecution is impossible. If ever the government of that colony is to be reformed, this seems to be the time, and it would have a happy effect on the colonies which adjoin it. Several persons have been advised by letters from their friends that, as the ministry are united and the opposition at an end, there will certainly be an inquiry into the state of America the next session of parliament.
Speaker 1:The denial of the supremacy of parliament and the contempt with which its authority has been treated by the, with which its authority has been treated by the utopian Assemblies of America or Loputinian Assemblies of America, can never be justified or excused by any one member of either House of Parliament. Boston, september 2, 1772, samuel Hood Esquire. Dear Sir, captain Lindsay can inform you of the state of rhode island colony better than I can. So daring an insult, as burning a king's schooner by people who are as well known as any who are concerned in the last rebellion and yet cannot be prosecuted, will certainly rouse the British lion which has been asleep these four or five years. Admiral Montague says that Lord Sandwich will never leave pursuing the colony until it is disenfranchised. If it is passed over, the other colonies will follow the example.
Speaker 1:The extraordinary, getting back to the chapter, the extraordinary precedent of erecting such a court. The gentlemen who composed this court were Wanton, governor of Rhode Island, horst Manden, chief justice of New York, smith, chief justice of New Jersey, oliver, chief justice of Massachusetts, and Actee, judge of the Admiralty. Among them, but not forgotten, or among them was not forgotten, but there was a considerable party in Newport strongly attached to the royal cause. These, headed by their governor, mr Watton, a man of weak capacity and little political knowledge, endeavored to impede all measures of opposition and to prevent even a discussion on the propriety of raising a defensive army. The news of an action at Lexington on April 19th between a party of the king's troops and some Americans hastily collected, reached Providence on the same evening, a few hours after the gentleman entrusted with the mission for conference with the colony had arrived there. They had not entered on business, having been in town but an hour or two before. This intelligence was received by a special messenger On this important information, james Warren Esquire, the head of the delegation, was of opinion that this event not only opened new prospects and expectations, but that it entirely changed the object of negotiation and that new ground must be taken.
Speaker 1:Their mission was the Massachusetts designed merely as a defensive movement, but he observed to the principal inhabitants collected to consult on the alarming aspect of present affairs, that there now appeared a necessity not only for defensive but for offensive operations. He urged his reasons with such ability and address that an immediate convention of the assembly was attained. They met at Providence the ensuing day where, by the trifling of the governor and the indiscretion of his partisans, the business labored in the upper house for several days, but the representative branch, impatient of delay, determined to act without any consideration of their governor, act without any consideration of their governor if he continued thus to impede their designs and to unite by authority of their own body and vigorous measures with their sister colonies. A majority of the council, however, at last impelled the governor to agree to the determinations of the lower house who had voted a number of men to be raised with the utmost dispatch. Accordingly, a large detachment was sent forward to Massachusetts within three days when the gentlemen left Congress, for the purpose of combining and organizing an army in the eastern states. A short adjournment was made Before they separated. They selected a standing committee to reside at Concord, where a provincial magazine was kept and vested them with power to summon Congress to meet again at a moment's warning if any extraordinary emergency should arise.
Speaker 1:I don't know if you all see the value in this the same way I do, but I think it's incredibly important to look at how our founders dealt with these issues going into the Revolutionary War, and to look at the 1920s and 30s and how Britain dealt with Germany, how Britain dealt with Germany, because of the similarities to today. We have a group of hostile individuals inside the United States, comprised of leftists, socialists, communists, nazis, fascists you can throw in there as well too and Muslims, who are extremely hostile to the founding values of the United States and will destroy it. Folks, you can't coexist there. And so you have some of these similar, very similar patterns that you saw in the 1760s and 70s and the 1920s and 30s leading into World War II. And if I knew it better, you could probably make a very similar comparison to the 1850s going into the Civil War, and some of y'all probably do know that history a lot better and you can make those comparisons.
Speaker 1:But there's something coming, folks. I can't even begin to tell you what it is. God knows, and that's the whole point is to trust in him and to cling to him and his son Jesus Christ, because we don't know what's coming. We can trust that God knows and that they've got it all in hand for eternity, even if it doesn't turn out the way we wish it would here on earth temporally. And we can talk about that a lot more, and we do often. But I will leave you all alone for today. God bless y'all. God bless your marriages, if you're married. God bless your families. God bless your nation, wherever you are around the world listening. God bless America. We'll talk to y'all again real soon. Folks Looking forward to it.