FAITH OF THE FOUNDERS: Rev. John Witherspoon on Liberty Versus Unjust Authority
(QUICK READ) — As the lone pastor among the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, Rev. John Witherspoon certainly and deservedly stands out, but, given his tremendous faith, classical learning and devotion to faith and Christian liberty, he would stand out in any colonial crowd.
But Witherspoon’s influence continued long after 1776, as seen in James Madison, one of Witherspoon’s students the College of New Jersey, now better known as Princeton University, who famously wrote in the 51st of The Federalist Papers this classic statement of the fundamental principle underlying the Constitution:
“If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to control itself.”
Madison’s formulation clearly reflects Witherspoon’s view on the relationship of individual liberty and just government, as he put it in the following quote, written a bit more than a month before the Declaration:
“The knowledge of God and his truths have from the beginning of the world been chiefly, if not entirely, confined to those parts of the earth where some degree of liberty and political justice were to be seen, and great were the difficulties with which they had to struggle, from the imperfection of human society, and the unjust decisions of usurped authority.” – John Witherspoon, The Dominion of Providence Over the Passions of Men – May 1776. Cited by Mark Strand.
Many of the quotes reprinted in HillFaith’s “The Faith of The Founders” weekly series of posts are compiled from Benjamin F. Morris’ classic work, “The Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States.” Morris, an historian and pastor, published the first edition more than a century ago.
Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States of America.
Quotations are also compiled from Mark Strand, author of the Daily Inspirations email he shares on request here and that HillFaith highly recommends to all congressional aides, be they working on Capitol Hill or in a state or district office back home.
Mark Strand was for 16 years President of the Congressional Institute, and he is a former fellow of the Harvard Institute of Politics. He was also a 24-year veteran congressional staffer, including four years as Chief of Staff to Sen. James Talent (R-Missouri).
And quotations featured in FAITH OF THE FOUNDERS are compiled from James H. Hutson’s “The Founders on Religion: A Book of Quotations.” Hutson’s work is of particular interest as he is the former Chief of the Manuscript Division at the Library of Congress. He is also the author of “Religion and the Founding of the American Republic.”