America

Forsaken

It seemed most appropriate and fitting that we pay special attention to the first of our presidents. To see his actions and inter-reactions to both God, Bible, and country. I do not think that anyone could deny that George Washington was a man after the heart of God. From an early age to his last breath here on this earth he was recognizing that the Lord was his source. He attributed the very success of this nation to God and our willingness to be obedient to His ways.

George Washington (1732-1799), the first President of the United States, was the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. He was a surveyor, a planter, and a soldier, as well as a statesman. In addition to being politically involved as the chairman of the Constitutional Convention, George Washington was also an active Episcopalian.

The son of Augustine Washington and his second wife, Mary Ball, George Washington was also a descendant of King John of England, as well as nine of the twenty-five Baron Sureties of the Magna Carta. His father died when he was eleven years old in 1743, and from then until the age of sixteen, George lived with his elder half-brother, Augustine, in Westmoreland County, Virginia, just 40 miles outside of Fredericksburg.

Most of George's education was through home schooling and tutoring, until he attended William and Mary College. He later became the college's first Chancellor. At age 15, George Washington copied, in his own handwriting, 110 Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation. Among them were:

When you speak of God, or His attributes, let it be seriously and with reverence. Honor and obey your natural parents although they be poor.

Let your recreations be manful not sinful.

Labour to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience.

When George Washington was leaving home to begin, what would become, a life long service for his country, he recorded the parting words of his mother, Mrs. Mary Washington:

Remember that God is our only sure trust. To Him, I commend you.... My son, neglect not the duty of secret prayer.

The account of George Washington at the Battle at the Monongahela was included in student textbooks in America until 1934. During the French & Indian War, George Washington fought alongside of the British General Edward Braddock. On July 9, 1755, the British were on the way to Fort Duquesne, when the French surprised them in an ambush attack.

The British, who were not accustomed to fighting unless in an open field, were being annihilated. Washington rode back and forth across the battlefield delivering General Braddock's orders. As the battle raged, every officer on horseback, except Washington, was shot down, until even General Braddock was killed, at which point the troops fled in confusion. After the battle, on July 18, 1755, Washington wrote to his brother, John A. Washington:

But by the all-powerful dispensations of Providence, I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectation; for I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet escaped unhurt, although death was leveling my companions on every side of me!

Fifteen years later, Washington and Dr. Craik, a close friend of his from his youth, were traveling through those same woods near the Ohio river and Great Kanawha river. They were met by an old Indian chief, who addressed Washington through an interpreter:

"I am a chief and ruler over my tribes. My influence extends to the waters of the great lakes and to the far blue mountains.

I have traveled a long and weary path that I might see the young warrior of the great battle. It was on the day when the white man's blood mixed with the streams of our forests that I first beheld this chief [Washington].

I called to my young men and said, mark yon tall and daring warrior? He is not of the red-coat tribe he hath an Indian's wisdom, and his warriors fight as we do himself alone exposed.

Quick, let your aim be certain, and he dies. Our rifles were leveled, rifles which, but for you, knew not how to miss 'twas all in vain, a power mightier far than we, shielded you.

Seeing you were under the special guardianship of the Great Spirit, we immediately ceased to fire at you. I am old and soon shall be gathered to the great council fire of my fathers in the land of shades, but ere I go, there is something bids me speak in the voice of prophecy:

Listen! The Great Spirit protects that man [pointing at Washington], and guides his destinies he will become the chief of nations, and a people yet unborn will hail him as the founder of a mighty empire. I am come to pay homage to the man who is the particular favorite of Heaven, and who can never die in battle."

The famous Indian warrior, who was in that battle, said:

"Washington was never born to be killed by a bullet! I had seventeen fair fires at him with my rifle, and after all could not bring him to the ground!"

On June 1, 1774, as the Colonies were seeking God's will as to whether they should break ties with England, George Washington made this entry in his diary, Went to church and fasted all day.

On July 4, 1775, in his General Orders from the Headquarters at Cambridge, General

George Washington gave the order:

The General most earnestly requires and expects a due observance of those articles of war established for the government of the Army which forbid profane cursing, swearing and drunkenness. And in like manner he requires and expects of all officers and soldiers not engaged in actual duty, a punctual attendance of Divine services, to implore the blessing of Heaven upon the means used for our safety and defense.

The Navy cruisers commissioned by General Washington during the Revolutionary War flew as their ensign a white flag with a green pine tree and above it the inscription, An Appeal to Heaven.

On July 20, 1776, General Washington issued the order:

The General orders this day to be religiously observed by the forces under his Command, exactly in manner directed by the Continental Congress. It is therefore strictly enjoined on all officers and soldiers to attend Divine service. And it is expected that all those who go to worship do take their arms, ammunition and accoutrements, and are prepared for immediate action, if called upon.

General George Washington admonished his troops:

"The time is now near at hand which must probably determine whether Americans are to be freemen or slaves; whether they are to have any property they can call their own; whether their houses and farms are to be pillaged and destroyed, and themselves consigned to a state of wretchedness from which no human efforts will deliver them.

The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage of this army. Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us only the choice of brave resistance, or the most abject submission. We have, therefore to resolve to conquer or die."

On August 27, 1776, British General Howe had trapped General Washington and his 8,000 troops on Brooklyn Heights, Long Island, intending to advance the next morning to crush them. In a desperate move, Washington gathered every vessel, from fishing boats to row boats, and spent all night ferrying his army across the Delaware River. When the morning came, there was still a large number of his troops dangerously exposed to the British, but in a most unusual change in weather, the fog did not lift from the river.

It stayed thick, covering Washington's retreat until the entire army had evacuated and escaped! Never again did the British have such a rare chance of winning the war.

Major Ben Tallmadge, who was Washington's Chief of Intelligence, wrote of that morning:

As the dawn of the next day approached, those of us who remained in the trenches became very anxious for our own safety, and when the dawn appeared there were several regiments still on duty. At this time a very dense fog began to rise [out of the ground and off the river], and it seemed to settle in a peculiar manner over both encampments.

I recollect this peculiar providential occurrence perfectly well, and so very dense was the atmosphere that I could scarcely discern a man at six yards distance.... We tarried until the sun had risen, but the fog remained as dense as ever.

In the freezing winter of 1777, General George Washington was burdened with the lack of supplies for his troops camped at Valley Forge, as well as the overwhelming superiority of the British forces. Soldiers died at the rate of twelve per day, with many not even having blankets or shoes. The Commander-in-Chief himself, records the desperate state:

No history now extant can furnish an instance of an army's suffering such uncommon hardships as ours has done and bearing them with the same patience and fortitude. To see men without clothes to cover their nakedness, without blankets to lie on, without shoes (for the want of which their marches might be traced by the blood from their feet)... And submitting without a murmur, is a proof of patience and obedience which in my opinion can scarce be paralleled.

Henry Muhlenberg, pastor of the Lutheran church near Valley Forge and one of the founders of the Lutheran Church in America, noted concerning General Washington:

I heard a fine example today, namely, that His Excellency General Washington rode around among his army yesterday and admonished each and every one to fear God, to put away the wickedness that has set in and become so general, and to practice the Christian virtues. From all appearances, this gentleman does not belong to the so-called world of society, for he respects God's Word, believes in the atonement through Christ, and bears himself in humility and gentleness.

Therefore, the Lord God has also singularly, yea, marvelously, preserved him from harm in the midst of countless perils, ambuscades, fatigues, etc., And has hitherto graciously held him in His hand as a chosen vessel.

In 1775, John Peter Muhlenberg, who was a pastor like his father Henry, preached a message on Ecclesiastes 3:1, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." He closed his message by saying:

In the language of the Holy Writ, there is a time for all things. There is a time to preach and a time to fight.

He then threw off his robe to reveal the uniform of a soldier in the Revolutionary Army. That afternoon, at the head of 300 men, he marched off to join General Washington's troops, becoming the colonel of the 8th Virginia Regiment. He served until the end of the war being promoted to the rank of major-general. In 1785 he became the vice-president of Pennsylvania, and in 1790 was a member of the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention.

He then served as a U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania and in 1801 was elected to the United States Senate.

Prussian General Friedrich Wilhelm Augustus Baron von Steuben worked with the Continental army at Valley Forge, drilling them over and over until they could, with precision, deliver a volley of gunfire every 15 seconds. An article appeared in the Pennsylvania Packet, a Philadelphia Newspaper, during that fateful winter:

Our attention is now drawn to one point: the enemy grows weaker every day, and we are growing stronger. Our work is almost done, and with the blessing of heaven, and the valor of our worthy General, we shall soon drive these plunderers out of our country!

On May 1, 1777, news finally came that France was joining the War on the side of America. In his announcement to his troops, General Washington proclaimed:

"It having pleased the Almighty Ruler of the universe to defend the cause of the United American States, and finally to raise up a powerful friend among the princes of the earth, to establish our liberty and independence upon a lasting foundation, it becomes us to set apart a day for gratefully acknowledging the divine goodness, and celebrating the important event, which we owe to His divine interposition."

General George Washington prayed:

And now, Almighty Father, if it is Thy holy will that we shall obtain a place and name among the nations of the earth, grant that we may be enabled to show our gratitude for Thy goodness by our endeavors to fear and obey Thee. Bless us with Thy wisdom in our counsels, success in battle, and let all our victories be tempered with humanity. Endow, also, our enemies with enlightened minds, that they become sensible of their injustice, and willing to restore our liberty and peace.

Grant the petition of Thy servant, for the sake of Him whom Thou hast called Thy beloved Son; nevertheless, not my will, but Thine be done.

On May 2, 1778, General George Washington issued these orders to his troops at Valley Forge:

While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest Glory to laud the more distinguished Character of Christian.

The signal instances of Providential goodness which we have experienced and which have now almost crowned our labors with complete success demand from us in a peculiar manner the warmest returns of gratitude and piety to the Supreme Author of all good.

On August 20, 1778, General George Washington wrote to his friend, Brigadier-General Thomas Nelson in Virginia:

The hand of Providence has been so conspicuous in all this (the course of the war) that he must be worse than an infidel that lacks faith, and more wicked that has not gratitude to acknowledge his obligations; but it will be time enough for me to turn Preacher when my present appointment ceases.

On March 10, 1778, as recorded in The Writings of George Washington (March 1 through May 31, 1778, 11: 83-84, published by the U.S. Government Printing Office, 1934), is the following incident:

At a General Court Marshall whereof Colo. Tupper was President (10th March 1778) Lieutt. Enslin of Colo. 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 dismiss'd the service with Infamy.

His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief [George Washington] approves the sentence and with Abhorrence and Detestation of such Infamous Crimes orders Liett. Enslin to 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.

On May 12, 1779, General George Washington was visited at his military encampment by some chiefs of the Delaware Indian tribe. They had brought three youths to be trained in the American schools. Washington assured them, commenting:

"Congress will look upon them as their own Children....You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are. Congress will do everything they can to assist you in this wise intention."

In June of 1780, Hessian General Wilhelm von Knyphausen with 5,000 troops crossed over to New Jersey from Staten Island. Encountering unexpected resistance at the little village of Springfield, they were driven back, but not before they shot the wife of Reverend James Caldwell, a mother of nine, and burned their home to the ground.

Two weeks later they repeated their attempt to advance, now aided by British General Clinton's troops, and they again met resistance. The patriots in General Nathaniel Greene's regiment were courageously firing from behind the church fence when they suddenly ran out of the paper wadding which was used to hold the gunpowder in place in their muskets.

Chaplain James Caldwell quickly ran past the British fire, entered the Presbyterian church and collected all the copies of Isaac Watts' Psalms and Hymns he could carry. Distributing them to the thankful troops, he exclaimed, "Now put Watts into'em, boys! Give 'em Watts!" The Americans held their ground, and by the next day the enemy had withdrawn.

On Monday, September 25, 1780, almost by accident, the plot of Benedict Arnold, Commander of West Point, to betray the Continental Army into the hands of the British was discovered. In response to the miraculous deliverance thereof, General George Washington issued the following circular to his troops:

{General Orders Head Quarters}, Orangetown, September 26, 1780, Tuesday.

Treason of the blackest dye was yesterday discovered! General Arnold who commanded at Westpoint, lost to every sentiment of honor, of public and private obligation, was about to deliver up that important Post into the hands of the enemy. Such an event must have given the American cause a deadly wound if not fatal stab. Happily the treason had been timely discovered to prevent the fatal misfortune.

The providential train of circumstances which led to it affords the most convincing proof that the Liberties of America are the object of divine Protection.

On January 1, 1781, circumstances were desperate for the Continental Army. The Pennsylvania line troops, being paid with worthless paper currency, revolted. Short enlistments threatened the discipline of the ranks.

In a bold move, on January 17, 1781, George Washington's southern army, led by General George Morgan, defeated the entire detachment of British Colonel Tarleton's troops at Cowpens. Lord Cornwallis was infuriated and immediately began pursuing the American troops. He decided to wait the night at the Catawba River, where the American troops had crossed just two hours earlier, but to his distress, a storm began during the night, causing the river to be uncrossable for days.

On February 3, Lord Cornwallis nearly overtook the American troops again at the Yadkin River, watching the American troops getting out on the other side. But before they could cross, a sudden flood ran the river over its banks, preventing the British from crossing.

On February 13, only a few hours ahead of the British, the American troops crossed the Dan River into Virginia. When the British arrived, again, the river had risen, stopping the British from pursuing. British Commander-in-Chief Henry Clinton wrote, explaining the incident:

Here the royal army was again stopped by a sudden rise of the waters, which had only just fallen (almost miraculously) to let the enemy over, who could not else have eluded Lord Cornwallis' grasp, so close was he upon their rear.

On October 19, 1781, the British troops under Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown. The following day, General George Washington called for a service to render thanksgiving to God:

The Commander-in-Chief earnestly recommends that the troops not on duty should universally attend with that seriousness of deportment and gratitude of heart which the recognition of such reiterated and astonishing interposition of Providence demands of us.

On November 15, 1781, General George Washington wrote to the President of the Continental Congress, Thomas McKean:

I take a particular pleasure in acknowledging that the interposing Hand of Heaven, in the various instances of our extensive Preparation for this Operation [Yorktown], has been most conspicuous and remarkable.

On June 8, 1783, at the conclusion of the Revolutionary War, General George Washington sent a farewell circular letter from his headquarters in Newburgh, New York, to all thirteen Governors of the newly freed states. He stated:

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 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.

Washington's Prayer for the United States of America appears on a plaque in St. Paul's Chapel in New York City as well as at Pohick Church, Fairfax County, Virginia, where Washington was a vestryman from 1762 to 1784:

Almighty God; We make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy Holy protection; and Thou wilt incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government; and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow Citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for their brethren who have served in the Field.

And finally that Thou wilt 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 a humble imitation of whose example in these things we can never hope to be a happy nation.

Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

On December 23, 1783, from the Maryland Capitol at Annapolis, General George Washington wrote of his resignation in a letter to Baron Steuben:

This is the last letter I shall write while I continue in the service of my country. The hour of my resignation is fixed at 12 today, after which I shall become a private citizen on the banks of the Potomac....

I consider it an indispensable duty to close this last solemn act of my Official life by commending the Interest of our dearest Country to the protection of Almighty God, and those who have the super-intendence of them, to his holy keeping.

On May 14, 1787, The Constitutional Convention met at the State House (Independence Hall) for the purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation and formulating the Constitution. George Washington, who had been unanimously elected as president of the Convention, rose during the Convention and admonished the delegates:

"If to please the people, we offer what we ourselves disapprove, how can we afterward defend our work? Let us raise a standard to which the wise and the honest can repair; the event is in the Hand of God!"

On June 30, 1788, after the ratification of the Constitution, George Washington had sent a letter to General Benjamin Lincoln, his deputy in the War, who had accepted British General Cornwallis' sword at the surrender at Yorktown:

No Country upon Earth ever had it more in its power to attain these blessings ... Much to be regretted indeed would it be, were we to neglect the means and depart from the road which Providence has pointed us to, so plainly; I cannot believe it will ever come to pass.

The Great Governor of the Universe has led us too long and too far ... To forsake us in the midst of it ... We may, now and then, get bewildered; but I hope and trust that there is good sense and virtue enough left to recover the right path.

On July 20, 1788, George Washington wrote to Jonathan Trumbull, the British Governor of Connecticut, who had become loyal to the cause of American Independence:

We may, with a kind of grateful and pious exultation, trace the finger of Providence through those dark and mysterious events, which first induced the States to appoint a general Convention and then led them one after another into an adoption of the system recommended by that general Convention; thereby in all human probability, laying a lasting foundation for tranquillity and happiness.

At the start of the Revolutionary War, Washington had moved his mother into the village of Fredericksburg for safety. She remained there for the entire duration of the War. In October of 1781, when informed of British General Cornwallis' surrender, Mary Washington lifted her hands toward heaven in gratitude and exclaimed:

"Thank God! War will now be ended, and peace, independence and happiness bless our country!"

On Tuesday, April 14, 1789, George Washington received the official notification that he had been elected as the first President of the United States. Before leaving for New York he insisted on visiting his ailing mother. Washington's adopted grandson, George Washington Parke Custis, records what would be the last visit between the first President and his mother:

An affected scene ensued. The son feelingly remarked the ravages which a torturing disease (cancer) had made upon the aged frame of the mother, and addressed her with these words:

"The people, madam, have been pleased, with the most flattering unanimity, to elect me to the Chief magistracy of these United States, but before I can assume the functions of my office, I have come to bid you an affectionate farewell. So soon as the weight of public business, which must necessarily attend the outset of a new government, can be disposed of, I shall hasten to Virginia, and," (here the matron interrupted with)

"And you will see me no more; my great age, and the disease which is fast approaching my vitals, warn me that I shall not be long in this world; I trust in God that I may be somewhat prepared for the better. But go, George, fulfill the high destinies which Heaven appears to have intended for you; go, my son, and may that Heaven's and a mother's blessing be with you always."

On August 5, 1789, less than 4 months later, Mrs. Mary Washington died at 82 years of age.

On April 27, 1789, the Senate, and two days later the House, passed a resolution in Congress giving instructions with regard to the Inauguration of the George Washington as the first President of the United States:

Resolved, That after the oath shall have been administered to the President, he, attended by the Vice President, and the members of the Senate, and House of Representatives, proceed to St. Paul's Chapel, to hear divine service, to be performed by the Chaplain of Congress already appointed.

The Annals of Congress give a record of the events on April 30, 1789, following President George Washington's Inauguration:

The President, the Vice President, the Senate, and House of Representatives, & c., Then proceeded to St. Paul's Chapel, where divine service was preformed by the Chaplains of Congress.

A week prior to the Inauguration, April 23, 1789, the schedule of events for that special day was published in the newspaper, Daily Advertiser:

On the morning of the day on which our illustrious President will be invested with his office, the bells will ring at nine o'clock, when the people may go up and in a solemn manner commit the new Government, with its important train of consequences, to the holy protection and blessings of the Most High. An early hour is prudently fixed for this peculiar act of devotion, and it is designed wholly for prayer.

George Washington took the oath of office, April 30, 1789, on the balcony of Federal Hall, in New York City, with his hand upon an open Bible. Then, embarrassed at the thunderous ovation which followed, the pealing church bells and the roaring of artillery, he went inside to deliver his inaugural address to Congress.

In his Inaugural Speech to Both Houses of Congress, April 30, 1789, he proclaimed:

"Such being the impressions under which I have, in obedience to the public summons, repaired to the present station, it would be peculiarly improper to omit, in this first official act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations and whose providential aids can supply every human defect,

That His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes; and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success, the functions allotted to his charge.

In tendering this homage to the Great Author of every public and private good, I assure myself that it expresses your sentiments not less than my own; nor those of my fellow-citizens at large, less than either.

No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States.

Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency;

And in the important revolution just accomplished in the system of their United government, the tranquil deliberations and voluntary consent of so many distinct communities, from which the event has resulted can not be compared with the means by which most governments have been established, without some return of pious gratitude, along with an humble anticipation of the future blessings which the past seem to presage.

These reflections, arising out of the present crisis, have forced themselves too strongly on my mind to be suppressed. You will join with me I trust in thinking, that there are none under the influence of which the proceedings of a new and free Government can more auspiciously commence.

We ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained; and since the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered as deeply, perhaps finally, staked of the experiment ...

I shall take my present leave; but not without resorting once more to the Benign Parent of the Human Race, in humble supplication that,

Since He has been pleased to favor the American people with opportunities for deliberating in perfect tranquillity, and dispositions for deciding with unparalleled unanimity on a form of government for the security of their union and the advancement of their happiness, so His divine blessings may be equally conspicuous in the enlarged views, the temperate consultations and the wise measures on which the success of this Government must depend."

In addressing Baptist Churches of Virginia on May 10, 1789, Washington stated:

"Gentlemen I request that you will accept my best acknowledgments for your congratulations on my appointment to the first office in the nation....

The liberty enjoyed by the People of these States of worshipping Almighty God agreeable to their consciences is not only among the choicest of their blessings but also of their rights.

While men perform their social duties faithfully, they do all that society or the state can with propriety demand or expect; and remain responsible only to their Maker for the religion, or modes of faith, which they may prefer or profess.

As the contempt of the religion of a country by ridiculing any of its ceremonies, or affronting its ministers or votaries, has ever been deeply resented, you are to be particularly careful to restrain every officer and soldier from such imprudence and folly, and to punish every instance of it.

On the other hand, as far as lies in your power, you are to protect and support the free exercise of the religion of the country, and the undisturbed enjoyment of the rights of conscience in religious matters, with your utmost influence and authority.

Every man conducting himself as a good citizen, and being accountable to God alone for his religious opinions, ought to be protected in worshipping the Deity according to the dictates of his own conscience ...

If I could have entertained the slightest apprehension that the Constitution framed by the Convention, where I had the honor to preside, might possibly endanger the religious rights of any ecclesiastical Society, certainly I would never have placed my signature to it;

If I could now conceive that the general Government might ever be so administered as to render liberty of conscience insecure, I beg you will be persuaded that no one would be more zealous than myself to establish effectual barriers against the horrors of spiritual tyranny, and every species of religious persecution....

Be assured, Gentlemen, that I entertain a proper sense of your fervent supplications to God for my temporal and eternal happiness."

George Washington issued a National Day of Thanksgiving Proclamation on October 3, 1789, stating:

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 ...

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the twenty-sixth day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these United States ...

That we then may all unite 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 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 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 the 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 3rd of October, A. D. 1789.

George Washington.

On October 9, 1789, President Washington wrote to the Synod of the Dutch Reformed Churches in North America, expressing:

While just government protects all in their religious rights, true religion affords to government its surest support.

President Washington, in a letter dated March 11, 1792, wrote:

I am sure that never was a people, who had more reason to acknowledge a Divine interposition in their affairs, than those of the United States; and I should be pained to believe that they have forgotten that agency, which was so often manifested during our Revolution, or that they failed to consider the omnipotence of that God who is alone able to protect them.

President George Washington exclaimed:

We have abundant reason to rejoice that in this Land the light of truth and reason has triumphed over the power of bigotry and superstition, and that every person may here worship God according to the dictates of his own heart. In this enlightened Age and in this Land of equal liberty it is our boast, that a man's religious tenets will not forfeit the protection of the Laws, nor deprive him of the right of attaining and holding the highest offices that are known in the United States.

President Washington petitioned:

May the same wonder-working Deity, who long since delivering the Hebrews from their Egyptian Oppressors planted them in the promised land whose providential agency has lately been conspicuous in establishing these United States as an independent Nation still continue to water them with the dews of Heaven and to make the inhabitants of every denomination participate in the temporal and spiritual blessings of that people whose God is Jehovah.

On January 1, 1795, President Washington issued another National Thanksgiving Proclamation:

It is in an especial manner our duty as a people, with devout reverence and affectionate gratitude, to acknowledge our many and great obligations to Almighty God, and to implore Him to continue and confirm the blessings we experienced.

Deeply penetrated with this sentiment, I, George Washington, President of the United States, do recommend to all religious societies and denominations, and to all persons whomsoever within the United States, to set apart and observe Thursday, the 19th day of February next, as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer,

And on that day to meet together and render sincere and hearty thanks to the great Ruler of nations for the manifold and signal mercies which distinguish our lot as a nation;

Particularly for the possession of constitutions of government which unite and, by their union, establish liberty with order; for the preservation of our peace, foreign and domestic; for the reasonable control which has been given to a spirit of disorder in the suppression of the late insurrection, and generally for the prosperous condition of our affairs, public and private,

And at the same time humbly and fervently beseech the kind Author of these blessings graciously to prolong them to us;

To imprint on our hearts a deep and solemn sense of our obligations to Him for them; to teach us rightly to estimate their immense value;

To preserve us from the arrogance of prosperity, and from hazarding the advantages we enjoy by delusive pursuits,

To dispose us to merit the continuance of His favors by not abusing them, by our gratitude for them, and by a corresponding conduct as citizens and as men to render this country more and more a safe and propitious asylum for the unfortunate of other countries; to extend among us true and useful knowledge;

To diffuse and establish habits of sobriety, order, and morality and piety, and finally to impart all the blessings we posses or ask for ourselves to the whole family of mankind.

In testimony whereof, I have caused the seal of the United States of America to be affixed to these presents, and signed the same with my hand. Done at the city of Philadelphia the first day of January, 1795. (Signed) George Washington.

Washington's personal prayer book, consisting of 24 pages in his field notebook, written in his own handwriting, reveal the depth of his character:

SUNDAY MORNING.... Almighty God, and most merciful Father, who didst command the children of Israel to offer a daily sacrifice to Thee, that thereby they might glorify and praise Thee for Thy protection both night and day, receive O Lord, my morning sacrifice which I now offer up to Thee;

I yield Thee humble and hearty thanks, that Thou hast preserved me from the dangers of the night past and brought me to the light of this day, and the comfort thereof, a day which is consecrated to Thine own service and for Thine own honour.

Let my heart therefore gracious God be so affected with the glory and majesty of it, that I may not do mine own works but wait on Thee, and discharge those weighty duties Thou required of me:

And since Thou art a God of pure eyes, and will be sanctified in all who draw nearer to Thee, who dost not regard the sacrifice of fools, nor hear sinners who tread in Thy courts, pardon I beseech Thee, my sins, remove them from Thy presence, as far as the east is from the west, and accept of me for the merits of Thy son Jesus Christ,

That when I come into Thy temple and compass Thine altar, my prayer may come before Thee as incense, and as I desire Thou wouldst hear me calling upon Thee in my prayers, so give me peace to hear the calling on me in Thy word, that it may be wisdom, righteousness, reconciliation and peace to the saving of my soul in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Grant that I may hear it with reverence, receive it with meekness, mingle it with faith, and that it may accomplish in me gracious God, the good work for which Thou hast sent it.

Bless my family, kindred, friends and country, be our God and guide this day and forever for His sake, who lay down in the grave and arose again for us, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

SUNDAY EVENING.... O most Glorious God, in Jesus Christ my merciful and loving Father, I acknowledge and confess my guilt, in the weak and imperfect performance of the duties of this day. I have called on Thee for pardon and forgiveness of sins ... Let me live according to those holy rules which Thou hast this day prescribed in Thy holy word;

Make me to know what is acceptable in Thy sight, and therein to delight, open the eyes of my understanding, and help me thoroughly to examine myself concerning my knowledge, faith and repentance, increase my faith, and direct me to the true object, Jesus Christ the Way, the Truth and the Life, bless, O Lord, all the people of this land, from the highest to the lowest, particularly those whom Thou hast appointed to rule us in church & state.

Continue Thy goodness to me this night. These weak petitions, I humbly implore Thee to hear, accept and answer for the sake of Thy Dear Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

MONDAY MORNING.... O eternal and everlasting God, I presume to present myself this morning before Thy Divine Majesty, beseeching Thee to accept of my humble and hearty thanks ... Direct my thoughts, words and work, wash away my sins in the immaculate Blood of the Lamb, and purge my heart by Thy Holy Spirit ... Daily frame me more and more into the likeness of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, that living in Thy fear, and dying in Thy favor, I may in Thy appointed time attain the resurrection of the just unto eternal life.

Bless my family, friends and kindred, and unite us all in praising and glorifying Thee in all our works.

MONDAY EVENING.... Most Gracious Lord God, from whom proceedeth every good and perfect gift, I offer to Thy Divine Majesty my unfeigned praise and thanksgiving for all Thy mercies towards me ... I have sinned and done very wickedly, be merciful to me, O God, and pardon me for Jesus Christ sake ... Thou gavest Thy Son to die for me; and hast given me assurance of salvation, upon my repentance and sincerely endeavoring to conform my life to His holy precepts and example ...

Bless O Lord the whole race of mankind, and let the world be filled with the knowledge of Thee and Thy Son, Jesus Christ ... I beseech Thee to defend me this night from all evil, and do more for me than I can think or ask, for Jesus Christ sake, in whose most holy Name and Words, I continue to pray, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy Name ...

TUESDAY MORNING.... O Lord our God, most mighty and merciful Father, I, thine unworthy creature and servant, do once more approach Thy presence. Though not worthy to appear before Thee, because of my natural corruptions, and the many sins and transgressions which I have committed against Thy Divine Majesty; yet I beseech Thee, for the sake of Him in whom Thou are well pleased, the Lord Jesus Christ, to admit me to render Thee deserved thanks and praises for Thy manifold mercies extended toward me ...

Bless the people of this land, be a Father to the fatherless, a Comforter to the comfortless, a Deliverer to the captives, and a Physician to the sick. Let Thy blessing be upon our friends, kindred and families. Be our Guide this day and forever through Jesus Christ in whose blessed form of prayer I conclude my weak petitions Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name ...

TUESDAY EVENING.... Most gracious God and heavenly Father, we cannot cease, but must cry unto Thee for mercy, because my sins cry against me for justice ... That I may know my sins are forgiven by His death and passion. Embrace me in the arms of Thy mercy; vouchsafe to receive me unto the bosom of Thy love, shadow me with Thy wings, that I may safely rest under Thy protection this night;

And so into Thy hands I commend myself, both soul and body, in the name of Thy son, Jesus Christ, beseeching Thee, when this life shall end, I may take my everlasting rest with Thee in Thy heavenly kingdom. Bless all in authority over us, be merciful to all those afflicted with Thy cross or calamity, bless all my friends, forgive my enemies and accept my thanksgiving this evening for all the mercies and favors afforded me;

Hear and graciously answer these my requests, and whatever else Thou see'st needful grant us, for the sake of Jesus Christ in whose blessed Name and Words I continue to pray, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy Name ...

WEDNESDAY MORNING.... Almighty and eternal Lord God, the great Creator of heaven and earth, and the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; look down from heaven, in pity and compassion upon me Thy servant, who humbly prostrate myself before Thee, sensible of Thy mercy and my own misery ...

Help all in affliction or adversity give them patience and a sanctified use of their affliction, and in Thy good time, deliverance from them; forgive my enemies, take me unto Thy protection this day, keep me in perfect peace, which I ask in the name and for the sake of Jesus. Amen.

George Washington articulated his understanding of what will keep America great:

The situation in which I now stand, for the last time, in the midst of the Representatives of the People of the United States, naturally recalls the period when the Administration of the present from of Government commenced; and I cannot omit the occasion, to congratulate you and my Country, on the success of the experiment;

Nor to repeat my fervent supplications to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, and Sovereign Arbiter of Nations, that his Providential care may still be extended to the United States; that the virtue and happiness of the People, may be preserved; and that the Government, which they have instituted, for the protection of their liberties, may be perpetual.

It shall still be my endeavor to manifest, by overt acts, the purity of my inclination for promoting the happiness of mankind, as well as the sincerity of my desires to contribute whatever may be in my power towards the preservation of the civil and religious liberties of the American People.

It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.

It is impossible to account for the creation of the universe, without the agency of a Supreme Being. It is impossible to govern the universe without the aid of a Supreme Being. It is impossible to reason without arriving at a Supreme Being.

Religion is as necessary to reason, as reason is to religion. The one cannot exist without the other. A reasoning being would lose his reason, in attempting to account for the great phenomena of nature, had he not a Supreme Being to refer to.

That great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.

The sentiments we have mutually expressed of profound gratitude to the source of those numerous blessings the author of all good obligations to unite our sincere and zealous endeavours, as the instruments of divine providence, to preserve and perpetuate them.

Providence has heretofore taken us up when all other means and hope seemed to be departing from us, in this I will confide.

Let us unite, therefore, in imploring the Supreme Ruler of nations, to spread his holy protection over these United States; to turn the machinations of the wicked to the confirming of our constitutions; to enable us at all times to root out internal sedition, and put invasion to flight; to perpetuate to our country that prosperity, which his goodness has already conferred, and to verify the anticipation of this government being a safeguard to human rights.

President Washington, in his Farewell Speech on September 19, 1796, said:

Profoundly penetrated with this idea, I shall carry it with me to the grave, as a strong incitement to unceasing vows that Heaven may continue to you the choicest tokens of its beneficence that your union and brotherly affection may be perpetual that the free constitution, which is the work of your hands, may be sacredly maintained that its administration in every department may be stamped with wisdom and virtue ...

The name of AMERICAN, which belongs to you, in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of Patriotism, more than any appellation derived from local discriminations. With slight shades of difference, you have the same Religion, Manners, Habits, and political Principles ...

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.

The mere Politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private and public felicity.

Let it simply be asked where is the security for prosperity, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths, which are the instruments of investigation in the Courts of Justice?

And let us with caution indulge the supposition, that morality can be maintained without religion.

Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.

Tis substantially true, that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government.

The rule indeed extends with more or less force to every species of Free Government. Who that is a sincere friend to it, can look with indifference upon attempts to shake the foundation of the fabric?

Observe good faith and justice towards all Nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all. Religion and Morality enjoin this conduct; and can it be that good policy does not equally enjoin it? ... Can it be, that Providence has not connected the permanent felicity of a Nation with its virtue?

Though, in reviewing the incidents of my Administration, I am unconscious of intentional error, I am nevertheless too sensible of my defects not to think it probable that I may have committed many errors. Whatever they may be I fervently beseech the Almighty to avert or mitigate the evils to which they may tend.

I shall also carry with me the hope that my country will never cease to view them with indulgence; and that after forty-five years of my life dedicated to its service, with an upright zeal, the faults of incompetent abilities will be consigned to oblivion, as myself must soon be to the mansions of rest.

Of note are other passages from Washington's Farewell Speech:

And of fatal tendency ... To put, in the place of the delegated will of the Nation, the will of a party; often a small but artful and enterprising minority ... They are likely, in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the Power of the People and to usurp for the themselves the reins of Government; destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion ...

But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries, which result, gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an Individual ... [Who] turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of Public Liberty ...

The spirit of encroachment tends to consolidate the powers of all the departments in one, and thus to create, whatever the form of government, a real despotism ...

By unnecessarily parting with what ought to have been retained, and by exciting jealousy, ill-will, and a disposition to retaliate ... It gives to ambitious, corrupted, or deluded citizens ... Facility to betray, or sacrifice the interests of their own country, without odium, sometimes even with popularity: gilding with the appearances of a virtuous sense of obligation, a commendable deference for public opinion, or a laudable zeal for public good, the base or foolish compliances of ambition, corruption or infatuation.

... Ill founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the doors to foreign influence and corruption, which find a facilitated access to the Government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country, are subjected to the policy and will of another.

It is very clear that Washington had been given insight into the future. He knew without a shadow of turning what had caused this nation to prosper. He knew that God was the answer and if we, as a nation, ever turned to our own means and abilities, then we would fall as a nation. This is the truth of the matter: we have left the principles of God and now believe that we can be a great nation without His guidance.

We have miserably failed the standard that our forefathers lifted so high for us. We have forgotten the God of Washington, Franklin, Adams, Hamilton, and the rest. We overlooked the very thing that our forefathers warned us over and over again not to overlook. We forgot that our greatness was given to us by the Lord and without Him we are merely a nation waiting to fail. All nations that do not follow after this Living God will in time become corrupted and the stench of their sins will be Judged by God Himself.

You may be asking yourself how could this have ever happened to us? I believe that we as a nation did just as Washington spoke of. We began to believe that we had caused our greatness and through politicians trying to convince us that they were the way to change things to be better, we missed the mark.

God brought this nation forward for His cause. In the beginning, we as a nation submitted to Him and He was able to bless us. This same God that blessed us is more than capable of bringing us to our own demise. God builds kingdoms and He tears down kingdoms.

We were told by our forefathers that if we did not place the Lord in our lives and the lives of our children, morality would fail. We do not need to wonder if that prophecy came to pass because it has. The moral standards of this nation are at its lowest ebb. Murder, stealing, alcohol, drugs, sex, and broken homes are now the standard of life for America. But, is that not what we were told would prevail if we did not make the Lord head over all? We have gone into this pit of sin with our eyes wide open and we will now have to pay the price for our wrong.

Schools were to be used first to nurture our children in the Bible. That is the way that it was first set up, but now if the Bible is used we are constitutionally wrong. How did we ever let things get so far out of hand? We gave place to the devil and he came right into our schools and began to rule. One woman, primarily by herself, took prayer out of our schools while the government and church sat back and did nothing.

Our forefathers also realized the dangers of the Supreme Court. They realized that these few were not voted in by the people but appointed for life to regulate the laws of this nation. They saw the dangers, but relied upon these judges devotion to God to guide them in the paths of righteousness. They knew that this could be a serious mistake, all this power given to them to interpret the laws. We today know for a fact that it is now a mistake because they do not have the Divine guidance needed to interpret the laws.

I am quite sure that if our forefathers were alive and knew what we have done, they would have looked for another place on the face of this earth to start over again. They are the only ones who will ever know how our Lord moved supernaturally to protect them and set up this nation.

We also need to note that when religion was spoken of, it did not mean any other religion than that of Christianity. We have taken freedom of religion to mean for any religion that is on the face of this earth. There definitely needed to be a watchman upon the wall for America, but America became too proud within themselves to turn to the Living God. History will one day record the rise and fall of a once great nation that forgot their God.

Two Frenchmen came to America in 1831 and it is interesting to note to what they thought the greatness of this land was attributed:

Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859), was a famous French statesman, historian and social philosopher. Beginning in 1831, he and Gustave de Beaumont toured the country of America for the purpose of observing the American people and their institutions. His two-part work, which was published in 1835 and 1840, was titled Democracy in America. It has been described as "the most comprehensive and penetrating analysis of the relationship between character and society in America that has ever been written." In it he related:

Upon my arrival in the United States the religious aspect of the country was the first thing that struck my attention; and the longer I stayed there, the more I perceived the great political consequences resulting from this new state of things.

In France I had almost always seen the spirit of religion and the spirit of freedom marching in opposite directions. But in America I found they were intimately united and that they reigned in common over the same country.

Religion in America ... Must be regarded as the foremost of the political institutions of that country; for if it does not impart a taste for freedom, it facilitates the use of it. Indeed, it is in this same point of view that the inhabitants of the United States themselves look upon religious belief.

I do not know whether all Americans have a sincere faith in their religion for who can search the human heart? But I am certain that they hold it to be indispensable to the maintenance of republican institutions. This opinion is not peculiar to a class of citizens or a party, but it belongs to the whole nation and to every rank of society.

The sects that exist in the United States are innumerable. They all differ in respect to the worship which is due to the Creator; but they all agree in respect to the duties which are due from man to man.

Each sect adores the Deity in its own peculiar manner, but all sects preach the same moral law in the name of God ...

Moreover, all the sects of the United States are comprised within the great unity of Christianity, and Christian morality is everywhere the same.

In the United States the sovereign authority is religious ... There is no country in the world where the Christian religion retains a greater influence over the souls of men than in America, and there can be no greater proof of its utility and of its conformity to human nature than that its influence is powerfully felt over the most enlightened and free nation of the earth.

In the United States, if a political character attacks a sect [denomination], this may not prevent even the partisans of that very sect, from supporting him; but if he attacks all the sects together [Christianity], every one abandons him and he remains alone.

I do not question that the great austerity of manners that is observable in the United States arises, in the first instance, from religious faith ... Its influence over the mind of woman is supreme, and women are the protectors of morals. There is certainly no country in the world where the tie of marriage is more respected than in America or where conjugal happiness is more highly or worthily appreciated ...

In the United States the influence of religion is not confined to the manners, but it extends to the intelligence of the people ...

Christianity, therefore reigns without obstacle, by universal consent; the consequence is, as I have before observed, that every principle of the moral world is fixed and determinate ...

I sought for the key to the greatness and genius of America in her harbors ... In her fertile fields and boundless forests; in her rich mines and vast world commerce; in her public school system and institutions of learning. I sought for it in her democratic Congress and in her matchless Constitution.

Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power.

America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.

The safeguard of morality is religion, and morality is the best security of law as well as the surest pledge of freedom.

The Americans combine the notions of Christianity and of liberty so intimately in their minds, that it is impossible to make them conceive the one without the other.

Christianity is the companion of liberty in all its conflicts the cradle of its infancy, and the divine source of its claims.

They brought with them ... A form of Christianity, which I cannot better describe, than by styling it a democratic and republican religion ... From the earliest settlement of the emigrants, politics and religion contracted an alliance which has never been dissolved.

The Christian nations of our age seem to me to present a most alarming spectacle; the impulse which is bearing them along is so strong that it cannot be stopped, but it is not yet so rapid that it cannot be guided: their fate is in their hands; yet a little while and it may be no longer.

Alexis de Tocqueville wrote that he found in America:

An ostensible respect for Christian morality and virtue.... [And that] almost all education is intrusted to the clergy.

In August of 1831, while traveling through Chester County in New York, Alexis de Tocqueville had the opportunity to observe a court case. He wrote:

While I was in America, a witness, who happened to be called at the assizes of the county of Chester (state of New York), declared that he did not believe in the existence of God or in the immortality of the soul. The judge refused to admit his evidence, on the ground that the witness had destroyed beforehand all confidence of the court in what he was about to say. The newspapers related the fact without any further comment. The New York Spectator of August 23d, 1831, relates the fact in the following terms:

‘The court of common pleas of Chester county (New York), a few days since rejected a witness who declared his disbelief in the existence of God. The presiding judge remarked, that he had not before been aware that there was a man living who did not believe in the existence of God; that this belief constituted the sanction of all testimony in a court of justice: and that he knew of no case in a Christian country, where a witness had been permitted to testify without such belief.’

These Frenchmen no doubt found what made America great. I would like to quote again one portion of this text:

Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power.

America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.

The safeguard of morality is religion, and morality is the best security of law as well as the surest pledge of freedom.

Since I am pointing a finger at the government I may as well point a finger at the church. Notice Alexis de Tocqueville said that the pulpits flamed with righteousness and this was the secret of our genius and power. Pulpits were flaming because of preachers preaching righteousness is a thing far gone from most pulpits here in America. As ministers we are too concerned with our building projects and the money coming into our church to get involved with preaching righteousness. After all, if we preach on righteousness people will go down the street to a church where they do not have to hear such hard preaching.

We, as the church, have our part to bear when it comes to the failing of our nation. We are no longer the type of ministers that once walked this land. Our priorities have changed to the place that we are more interested in pleasing the people than pleasing God. That has always gotten the church into trouble with the Lord. We should have been setting the standard for the people to live by. As a whole, ministers are not looked upon with the integrity that was once accounted to them. This is mainly because they themselves fell into the trap of not depending upon God for all things.