America's Great Awakening

America’s First Great Awakening started around 1734 and lasted through 1750. One of the stars of the time was George Whitefield. He was a small man with a big voice. The newspapers reported that he preached to thousands of people including his good friend Benjamin Franklin. But once instead of listening to Whitefield Franklin started to walk around the field to see if he could hear him. When Franklin got all the way to the back of the crowd he said, "Imagining then a semicircle, of which my distance should be the radius, and that it were filled with auditors to each of whom I allowed two square feet, I computed that he might be heard by more than thirty thousand. This reconciled me to the newspaper accounts of his having preached to twenty-five thousand in the fields."

It has been recorded that 80 percent of Americans physically heard Whitefield preach. His most famous teaching was the “Father Abraham” speech. Another good friend of his, John Adams, recorded the speech and recounted it to Thomas Jefferson like this: He [Whitefield] began: "Father Abraham," with his hands and eyes gracefully directed to the heavens (as I have more than once seen him): "Father Abraham, whom have you there with you? Have you Catholics?" "No." "Have you Protestants?" "No." "Have you Churchmen?" "No." "Have you Dissenters?" "No." "Have you Presbyterians?" "No." "Quakers?" "No." "Anabaptists?" "No." "Whom have you there? Are you alone?" "No." "My brethren, you have the answer to all these questions in the words of my next text: 'He who feareth God and worketh righteousness, shall be accepted of Him'" [Acts 10:35 KJV]. God help us all to forget having names and to become Christians in deed and in truth."

This message had a profound effect on Americans and at the opening of the First Congress on September 6th 1774, someone suggested they start with prayer. This was met with resistance. John Adams explains: “It was opposed by Mr. [John] Jay of New York and Mr. Rutledge of South Carolina because we were so divided in religious sentiments – some Episcopalians, some Quakers, some Anabaptists, some Presbyterians, and some Congregationalists – that we could not join in the same act of worship.” But Samuel Adams, a devout Christian, broke through the religious objections when he "arose and said he was no bigot, and could hear a prayer from a gentleman of piety and virtue." They then proceeded to pray.

If you remember previously I explained the Tytler Cycle of History that starts with bondage and goes to spiritual faith. Once people have spiritual faith they have courage as it says in 1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear” With this great awakening people began to understand that their rights came from God. Not from one church or another, or from the King, or the government. It was an individual relationship with God. The more people understood their individual rights the more they wanted freedom for themselves and for others. First for the Colonies from England and then eventually for slaves.

From http://www.wallbuilders.com I found this: The spiritual nature of America’s resistance was so clear even to the British that in the British Parliament: Sir Richard Sutton read a copy of a letter relative to the government of America from a [Crown-appointed] governor in America to the Board of Trade [in Great Britain] showing that. . . . If you ask an American, “Who is his master?” He will tell you he has none – nor any governor but Jesus Christ.

On www.timetracks.com I found the following quote: On April 18, 1775, John Adams and John Hancock were at the home of Reverend Jonas Clarke. British General Gage was pleading with the colonists to lay down their arms and all would be forgiven, except for Samuel Adams and John Hancock. That same night, Paul Revere arrived to warn them of the approaching Redcoats. The next morning British Major Pitcairn shouted to an assembled regiment of Minutemen; "Disperse, ye villains, lay down your arms in the name of George the Sovereign King of England." The immediate response of Reverend Clarke was:

"We recognize no Sovereign but God and no King but Jesus.

I think it’s time for the next Great Awakening.