By Ron Marsh
“And [he} spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.” (Rehoboam, after the death of Solomon – I Kings 12:14, AV)
Such was the attitude of General Thomas Gage, the last Royal Governor of Massachusetts Colony, after his appointment by the Crown to replace Governor Thomas Hutchinson, who had favored a lighter hand in dealing with the colonies, in the spring of 1774. Parliament provided Gage with both whips and scorpions by passing a series of “Intolerable Acts,” a.k.a. “Coercive Acts.” Gage was determined to make maximum use of the Acts in order to replace civil government with the iron heel of Martial Law.
5 April, 1775: pursuant to the Coercive Acts and in the spirit of the Coventicle Act of 1664 (think “Trial of William Penn”), Governor Gage issues a decree prohibiting all public assembly, for purposes of political action or discussion, of more than 5 persons bearing firearms.
8 April, 1775: Sylvanus Wood, Robert Douglass and Deacon Obadiah Kendall meet with Lexington Pastor Jonas Clarke to seek counsel regarding a Christian's responsibility toward the 5 April decree.
9 April, 1775: Pastor Clarke's morning sermon is titled “Public Safety and Ordinances of Men.” His text is I Peter 2:13 & 14.
13 April, 1775: MIA (Minuteman Intelligence Agency) operative Paul Revere advises Pastor Clarke and Deacon Kendall of reliable intel suggesting that Gage's Regulars may be planning raids against specific strategic locations, and attempts to “neutralize” key leaders of the Resistance.
16 April, 1775: Pastor Clarke's morning sermon is titled “Civil Obedience.” His text is Romans 13:1 – 7 and his theme is “The Governor Bears the Sword – and that is sufficient!”
18 April, 1775: MIA is informed by a “reliable inside source” that both Lexington and Concord are targeted for raids the following day. Pastor Clarke calls an emergency assembly for an all-night prayer meeting at the church-house to pray for the salvation of Governor Gage and King George III, for the cessation of all hostilities and for the Peace of Jerusalem. In the interest of Public Safety, and pursuant to the decree or 5 April, attendees are instructed to leave all firearms at home. Among the pious faithful in attendance are Deacon Obadiah Kendall, Sylvanus Wood, Robert Douglass, Paul Revere and William Dawes.
Wednesday, 19 April, 1775 (A Day that Lives in Infamy): At dawn's breaking, the Lexington Green and surrounds are awash with some 700 Redcoats executing a methodical search. At the Hancock-Clarke House, they find their prey: alleged insurgents Samuel Adams and John Hancock, whom they place in chains. Then it's on to Concord to confiscate the militia's store of munitions.
22 April, 1775: Hancock faces a firing squad; Adams is hanged. The insurrection, far from starting with a bang, expires with a whimper.
Hopefully, Dear Reader, you can separate Fact from Fiction in the above account. Sadly, that sets you worlds apart from today's typical high-school (even college) student. Even if you can, however, I recommend a perusal of the links at the end of this blog. It will be time well spent.
But first, the reason for the treatise. What Governor General Gage and King George III were not able to do (in reality, not in the above), the Board of Selectmen and the police department of today's Lexington have succeeded in doing – in spades, and in the name of “public safety,” no less!
Please consider:
http://www.infowars.com/town-of-lexington-pulls-permit-for-pro-second-amendment-rally-using-boston-bombing-as-pretext/
Then please join me in mourning the demise of the former spirit of Lexington that DID give us “The Shot Heard 'Round the World.”
To borrow from Solomon at Ecclesiastes 3, there is a time to pray...and a time to pray. (There is never a time not to pray.) But there is also a time for lanterns in church towers. And a time for midnight rides. And a time to put on the armor of Ephesians 6. And a time to stand. And a time to get involved, to contact public officials to remind them of their solemn and sacred responsibility. And a time to rally. And a time to charge the Gates of Hell. And, yes, a time to bear arms – in the Battle Green of Lexington.
This is not a time to surrender our God-given blessings and liberties to tyrants, and watch as our republic dies with a whimper.
Recommended, Related:
The “Intolerable” or “Coercive” Acts:
http://www.masshist.org/revolution/coercive.php
The Coventicle Act:
http://www.britainexpress.com/History/stuart/clarendon-code.htm
The Hancock-Clarke House:
http://lhsoc.weebly.com/index.html
Testimony of Sylvanus Wood:
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/lexington.htm
The REAL Pastor Jonas Clarke:
http://boston1775.blogspot.com/2009/04/rev-jonas-clarkes-sermon-for-1776.html
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