The Return Of the Black Robe Regiment

Dr. Mike Murphy

It was a cold January morning as the pastor approached the pulpit. As he looked out at the full pews of the church, his emotions must have been churning at the sermon the Lord had called him to deliver that day. As he concluded his sermon, he read from the third chapter of Ecclesiastes. “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” As he got to the eighth verse, his voice began to ring loud. “A time of war, and a time of peace.” “And today” he declared, “this is a time for war!” With this he removed his robe, revealing the uniform of a colonial officer. He then walked out the doors of the church to drums beating. As the congregation watched, you could see the men kiss their wives and children, then proceed out of the church to enlist for the cause of liberty. Within half an hour, 162 men had followed the lead their pastor had set, joining the call of freedom. Peter Muhlenberg was just one of many that set into motion the events of this nation from the pulpit, forever changing our history. Echoing through the churches of all the colonies, you could hear the calls to a divine right of resistance, not a divine right of kings. Galatians 5:13 became a verse that was quoted in sermons every Sunday, and from this came the call “all men are created equal”. Liberty and justice were a divine right that could only be given by God, not by a king from a ruling land. They envisioned a land that would be led by God’s principles, not by man’s corruption. A government not exploited by vice, but one restored by righteousness(Proverbs 28:15, Isaiah 1:26). Since before our nation was a nation, the churches of America have been at the forefront of the issues that drove the people and society. The church taught people why a society could never stand without a moral basis. From the pulpits came the call for honesty, to be law abiding, and to respect those around us and the property they owned. The congregations were also taught the importance of liberty, government corruption, and that with the power to tax came the power to control and to manipulate the people. Historians of the day often wrote that the Bible and liberty were intertwined in the minds of the American Colonist, that the need for a moral and righteous government was a jurisdiction that was authorized to all man by God. From this belief, history brought Reverend Jonathan Mayhew to the forefront. It was during one of his sermons from the Old West Church in Boston that the phrase came, “no taxation without representation”. His words lead many to rebel, and caused England to eventually overturn the Stamp Act. Mayhew preached that without liberty, there was tyranny, and tyranny was of the devil. That resistance to tyranny was obedience to God. John Adams would later call Reverend Mayhew the “morning gun of the Revolution”. During the early years of this nation, it was pastors that found themselves as the voice of most of our communities. Pastors were far more than simple sermon givers, they were the leaders of the community. They were the teachers, the scholars, and the keepers of God’s Word. These pastors did not pull punches when it came to the Scriptures, they firmly believed that from a Biblical foundation of morals that our nation would be born. And when the colonies broke free of the hold that the King had, it was the strength found in our pulpits that rallied our forefathers together under the call of liberty. Because of the influence they voiced, the British soon labeled these patriotic pastors as The Black Robe Regiment.These were men whose honor and integrity were without question. Their sermons echoed with the message that man should always find himself under the power of God’s Word. Their sermons were not only filled with stories of the Bible, but dealt with issues that everyone faced each day. Whatever issues were affecting society, were preached in the pulpit from a Biblical perspective. Daily, these ministers spoke of a liberty that they believed could only be given to man by the Hand of God. As the British began to tighten their hold on the colonies, it was the pastors that lead the call for separation. These pastors delivered this message knowing well the cost they would pay for doing so. Many were tortured and imprisoned. Many saw the very churches they delivered this message from burned to the ground. Many watched as their families were tortured and killed. And many paid the ultimate price, giving their lives for a cause and belief the Lord had lead them to. These men were considered among the greatest of targets by the British troops, in hopes of silencing the call that had rallied the people. But despite all they faced, their voice was never silenced. Truth prevailed! It was Christian pastors who defined the role this country would play in the history of this world. The vision of this nation that God had given them, was the vision that our forefathers used to structure this nation. The words and message in their sermons found there way into our Declaration of Independence. Our Founding Fathers claimed that authority was given to separate from the rule of England by “the laws of Nature and Nature’s God”. These were more than sophisticated words, they rang with meaning as they reached the ears of the King of England. The term “laws of nature” was actually a legal term, found within the very standard of English law itself. The Blackstone Commentary on Law defined “laws of nature” as “the will of God for his creation as revealed to us in the Holy Scriptures”. Our Founding Fathers were claiming that the authority and the very foundation of this country rested on the Bible.Simply put, from the words of the Bible that these Christian pastors were inspired to preach on, came the very words that crafted the governing principles this nation would be founded upon. This rang evident in the words of one of this newfound nation’s top newspapers in 1789, “Our truly patriotic clergy boldly and zealously stepped forth and bravely stood our distinguished sentinels to watch and warn us against approaching danger; they wisely saw that our religious and civil liberties were inseparably connected and therefore warmly excited and animated the people resolutely to oppose and repel every hostile invader. . . . May the virtue, zeal and patriotism of our clergy be ever particularly remembered.” If liberty can only come from God as our forefathers believed, then today we find our liberties once again in great jeopardy. The very Christian principles and morals that this nation was founded on are being rapidly stripped away in front of our very eyes. Biblical morals, the very threads that were used to sew the fabric of this country together, are being replaced by man’s own failed logic. We watch daily as the virtues the Lord set forth are redefined as hateful and bigoted. God’s truth has been devalued to the level of man’s opinion, with society finding itself leaning more towards the latter everyday.

With each day, America finds itself becoming more and more like Nineveh. As we look out from our windows, we can see the image of Jonah getting closer and closer to our shores. Any day, we know he will arrive on our coast, and we all know the warning and message he will bring. Will America put on the sackcloth, returning to the morals and teachings that brought us liberty? Or will America become another fading name, only to be found in books of history? Americans has seen Jonah approaching at its’ shores before in our history, and leaders stepped forward to warn the nation. During the early years of this country, a movement of humanism began to sweep the world. Out of it, we saw the fall of France, and one of that nation’s bloodiest moments of history, the French Revolution. Many in our country feared that this form of humanism would spread to America. But at this time. men of God stepped forward. They called for revival, as thousands found themselves on their knees praying for God’s Hand of protection on this nation. We refer to this period and this movement as the Second Great Awakening. As this revival was starting, Charles Finney reminded the ministers in his day of the influence God had given them from the pulpit. “Brethren, our preaching will bear its legitimate fruits. If immorality prevails in the land, the fault is ours in a great degree. If there is a decay of conscience, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the public press lacks moral discrimination, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the church is degenerate and worldly, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the world loses its interest in religion, the pulpit is responsible for it. If Satan rules in our halls of legislation, the pulpit is responsible for it. If our politics become so corrupt that the very foundations of our government are ready to fall away, the pulpit is responsible for it. Let us not ignore this fact, my dear brethren; but let us lay it to heart, and be thoroughly awake to our responsibility in respect to the morals of this nation.” It is time once again that the pastors of this nation heeded the words of Charles Finney, and find themselves picking up the black robes of our founding ministers. Before it is too late, it is time for pastors to clear their throats and find their voice once again. Pastor must again read the words of Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” We must remember that Christ has called us to help Him mold this world through His message, not for all the misguided values of this world to mold us. We must again find our pulpits preaching the Full Word of God, not just the parts that make us feel good. We must again make this nation understand, that you cannot have true love unless it is filled with God’s truth(1 Corinthians 13). The words we preach on Sunday, must drive us on Monday. And we must again fill our pulpits with those who are without question accountable to the Lord. Those pastors and people of God who are willing to follow this call, will find a voice more powerful than they could ever imagine. But those who will not, need to find themselves listening from the pews, not preaching from the pulpit. Until the ministers of God find their voice again, this nation will never find itself on its’ knees looking to the Lord for the truth in His answers. And we must find the pastors of this country leading this charge, once again remembering why Christ called them to be ministers in the first place. This call will not always be easy. Just as these founding ministers faced threats, mocking, harassment, and personal loss, many today need to be prepared for the same. But as they do, they will know that the Lord is with them every step of the way, as they work hand in hand with the Lord to once again change the heart of this nation, and bring us back to the truth our nation was founded on. Before it is too late, the ministers of this nation must return to the closet of those founding pastors, and pull out the black robes that have been tucked away in the farthest corners. As we look out our windows and see Jonah walking onto our shores, it is now or never for this nation. It is time for a return of The Black Robe Regiment!