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FATHER DIVINE living Americanism.
1. Introduction by MOTHER DIVINE.
2. The Story of "The Mysterious Person Who Stirred The Signers, " read by Mr. Philip Life.
3. The Declaration Of Independence ---the Textbook of Freedom. of The Declaration of Independence read by Miss Meekness Faith.
4. Readings from the Declaration Of Independence by Miss Christian Heart.
5. The analyzation of, and interspersed with readings from, The Declaration of Independence.
6. Conclusion by MOTHER DIVINE.
MOTHER DIVINE
"Peace FATHER DIVINE, Peace Everyone;
"As a Religious People and especially as Followers of FATHER DIVINE, we believe that the United States of America is the Birth place of the Kingdom of GOD on Earth. It is where Jesus said, He and His FATHER would come and make Their abode with us; a place He would prepare to receive us unto Himself.
We have found a new sense of importance in the "Declaration of Independence", in "FATHER DIVINE'S Teaching". And we welcome the opportunity to study it, and it's dramatic manifestation of Freedom and Liberty for all mankind.
We will hear first, the moving truth of the Mysterious Person Who stirred the signers of the Declaration of Independence,
Faced with the death penalty for high treason, courageous men debated long before they picked up the quill pen to sign the Parchment that declared the independence of the Colonies from the Mother Country. For many hours, they had debated in the State House in Philadelphia, with the chamber locked and a guard posted-when suddenly a Voice rang out
'GOD has given America to be free!'
Who was this little Stranger whose vibrant Voice rang out--and how did HE enter the locked and guarded Hall?
On July 4th, 1776, in the old State House in Philadelphia, since named Independence Hall, a group of Patriotic men were gathered for the solemn purpose of Proclaiming the liberty of the American Colonies. The Declaration Of Independence rested on the table, a sizzling document that would mean Freedom for the Colonies if it was carried through to fulfillment, but every man that signed the Parchment would be subject to death for committing high treason if it failed its purpose. All the men knew this very well, so they were reluctant to sign.
The Founding Fathers left their native Country-they came out of the old world of blood and tyranny and built their Altar to GOD in the New Land that GOD had shown them. These were men with fine families and considerable wealth. They stood to lose all they had if the provisions of the Declaration were not carried out and if the Colonies did not win the Revolutionary War.
Jefferson expressed himself with great vigor. John Adams spoke with great strength. The Philadelphia printer, Dr. Benjamin Franklin, quiet and calm as usual, spoke his mind with well chosen words.
As the long hours of this warm summer day crept by, the Delegates - the most brilliant minds in the New World - were torn between their love for their fledgling Nation, and the dread of complete ruin. Life is sweet when there is danger of losing it! The Delegates hovered between concern for the Colonies, and uncertainty as to whether they should sign or not.
According to Thomas Jefferson, who was the principal writer of the Declaration, the Delegates at length gathered up their courage and attempted to come to the point of signing.
Then, above the hubbub, a strong, bold Voice sounded sharply in the Hall. The intense Voice trembled and rose in pitch as it delivered a fiery speech about the necks of the Delegates being stretched on the gallows and their blood being spilled on the scaffold..
The little Stranger with the insistent, commanding Voice spoke also about the Words of GOD.
'The British King may blot out the stars of GOD from the sky, but he cannot blot out His words written on that Parchment there. The Works of GOD may perish, but His Words will stand forever.'
The Voice went on, speaking with Power and Authority in tones of warning that the Delegates had no choice but to hear.
'Sign that Parchment! Sign, if the next moment, the hangman's rope is about your neck! Sign, if the next moment, this Hall rings with the clash of falling axes! Sign, by all your hopes in life or death, as men, as husbands, as fathers, brothers! Sign your names to that Parchment or be accursed forever! Sign, and not only for yourselves, but for all ages for that Parchment will be the Textbook of Freedom, the Bible of the Rights of Man forever!
'Nay, do not start and whisper with surprise! It is Truth! Your own hearts witness it! GOD proclaims it! Look at this strange band of exiles and outcasts, suddenly transformed into a People-a handful of men, weak in arms, but mighty in GOD-like Faith. Nay, look at your recent achievements, your Bunker Hill, your Lexington-and then tell me if you can, that GOD has not given America to be Free!
'But hark! The Voice of GOD Speaks from out of the ominous cloud. 'Let there be Light again! Tell my People, the poor and oppressed, to go out from the old world, from oppression and blood, and build My Altar in the New.'
'As I live, my friends, I believe that to be His Voice. I implore you to remember this Truth-GOD has given America to be FREE!
'With my last faint whisper, I would beg you to sign that Parchment for the sake of those millions whose very breath is now hushed in intense expectation, as they look up to you to hear the stinging, burning words - You are free!'
(Much of this story was taken from The Secret Destiny of America by Manly P. Hall, Philosophical Research Society, 1944 and 1972, pp.164-172)
The only record we have had of a Person entering through a closed door was Jesus. But now, we know that there is Someone else Who is not bound by Walls and Time and Space,
That. "Someone" who enters our hearts, our souls, our minds and our bodies at His Pleasure is FATHER DIVINE! The little Stranger is not strange to us.
The DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE is a Document proclaiming the Independence of the thirteen British colonies in America, adopted by Congress on July 4th, 1776.
On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia moved, in the Second Continental Congress, that "these United Colonies are and of right ought to be free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connections between them and the State of Great Britain are and ought to be totally dissolved."
Action on this motion was delayed until July 1st 1776. The Resolution was passed by the committee the next day, July 2nd. Because the completed Declaration was presented to Congress on July 2nd, John Adams wrote to Abigail, his wife, that July 2nd should be celebrated as the Great American Festival, with pomp and parade, shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and fireworks, from one end of the continent to the other, with universal joy and gladness!
A Committee which had been appointed on June 11th by the Second Continental Congress, had prepared a Declaration which was in line with Richard Henry Lee's motion. The Committee was comprised of Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, John Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut and Robert R. Livingston of New York.
After a number of minor changes were made, this Declaration was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4th, 1776. This magnificent Document was issued as the official Declaration Of Independence. It was adopted by the Unanimous vote of the delegates of twelve colonies. The New York delegates were also in favor, but did not vote because they had not been authorized to vote. However, on July 9th, the Congress of New York did endorse the Declaration. On August 2nd, the Declaration Of Independence was signed by the fifty three delegates who were present. Those who were absent signed later.
The Declaration was sent to all the States and to the Commanding Officers of the Continental troops, so it was proclaimed to all the people in each State and to all the soldiers in the Army.
We will not begin our Study of the Declaration Of Independence on the first page. Instead, we will begin with the grievances listed in the Declaration.
The Declaration states that the history of King George III was a history of repeated injuries and usurpations that amounted to tyranny over the thirteen States. It lists twenty seven grievances by the King. The Declaration sums up these protests against the British. These protests were made because they were restrictions on Colonial trade, on manufacturing, and on political Liberty, resulting in the Revolutionary War and in the establishment of the New Nation.
The accusations fell into three groups. The first group consisted of the first twelve grievances which we will now hear.
"HE has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public Good.
"HE has forbidden his Government to pass Laws of immediate and pending Importance, unless suspended in their Operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
"HE has refused to pass other Laws for the Accommodation of large Districts of People, unless those People would relinquish the Right of Representation in the Legislature, a Right Inestimable to them, and formidable to Tyrants only.
"HE has called together Legislative Bodies at Places unusual, uncomfortable and distant from the Depository of their public Records, for the sole Purpose of fatiguing them into Compliance with his measures.
"HE has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly Firmness his invasions on the Rights of the People.
"HE has refused for a long Time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the Dangers of Invasion from without, and Convulsions within.
"HE has endeavored to prevent the population of these States; for that Purpose obstructing the Laws of Naturalization of Foreigners, refusing to pass others to encourage their Migrations hither, and raising the Conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
"HE has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to laws establishing Judiciary Powers.
"HE has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices and the Amount and Payment of their Salaries.
"HE has erected a Multitude of new Offices, and sent hither Swarms of Officers to harass our People, and eat out their substance
"HE has kept among us, in Times of Peace, Standing Armies, without the consent of our Legislatures.
"HE has affected to render the Military independent of, and superior to, the Civil Power."
Many of these charges played a relatively inconspicuous part in the Imperial controversy, because they were vague. They were puzzling even to some of the delegates then, as well as to the critical writers of today. However, all Americans felt aggrieved by the King's oppression of even one American. This sentiment among the People testified to the sense of fellowship that existed which confirmed their identity as a People.
The charges were convincing and proved that George III was a tyrant, and they were of sufficient gravity to warrant dissolution of his authority over the American Colonists. The charges justified the Declaration of War with Great Britain by the Colonies, and the ultimate Victory in the War justified the thirteen American States now becoming an independent Nation.
The second group of grievances consisted of the next ten charges. charges.
We will hear now these.
"HE has combined with others to subject us to a Jurisdiction foreign to our Constitution, and unacknowledged by our Laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation.
"FOR quartering large Bodies of Armed Troops among us.
"FOR protecting them, by mock Trial, from Punishment for any murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States.
"FOR cutting off our Trade with all parts of the World.
"FOR imposing Taxes on us without our Consent.
"FOR depriving us, in many Cases, of the Benefits of Trial by Jury.
"FOR transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offenses.
"FOR abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighboring Province, establishing therein an arbitrary Government. And enlarging its Boundaries, so as to render it at once an Example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute Rule in these Colonies.
"FOR taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Government.
"FOR suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all Cases whatsoever."
No one would consider these ten charges against the King trivial or insignificant, because they were based on readily identifiable events which were known to all the Colonists. Some of these charges were the Sugar Act in 1764, the Stamp Act in 1765, and the Tea Act in 1773. The last of these ten oppressive acts was the suspension of Colonial Legislature. Interfering with the Government was about as extreme an outrage as could have been committed against any Legislature.
The last group of five charges against the King were more recent events. We will listen to these five charges.
"HE has Abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging War against us.
"HE has plundered our Seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our Towns, and destroyed the lives of our People.
"HE is, at this time, transporting large armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the Works of Death, destruction and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and Perfidy, scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous Ages, and totally unworthy of the head of a civilized Nation.
"HE has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their Friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands.
"HE has excited domestic insurrection amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages. whose known Rule of Warfare, is an undistinguished Destruction of all Ages, Sexes and Conditions."
It can be seen that Thomas Jefferson, who did most of the writing of the Declaration, arranged these charges in ascending order, from the ambiguous ones in the first group, to the more injurious ones in the second group to the five agonizing measures in the last group.
Consideration of this array of twenty seven accusations, makes it apparent that the only solution for the Colonists was to separate from England. They present conclusive evidence that there was no reasonable alternative, to in the Declaration Of Independence. Jefferson showed that independence had become necessary. At the time, these grievances greatly enraged the Colonists, and embittered them against the mother Country, but eventually, they become only of historic significance.
It was stated in the Declaration that numerous attempts were made to petition His Majesty, King George III, for redress of grievances, but these there met by more injuries. Likewise, the colonies had appealed to the natural justice of the British people, but they too turned a deaf ear to these appeals. We will hear what the Declaration says about these points.
Now you are invited to listen to a serious, thoughtful Commentary on our Beloved Declaration Of Independence. Listen to it with the same concentration and interest that you would have if you were listening to one of our Peace Mission Creeds. The Declaration is an American Creed. The following words are the words of Scholars who have studied the Declaration for many years of their lives.
Among these Scholars, Pauline Maier stands out. Her "carefully researched and thoughtfully written" book has as its title "American Scripture", which has been acclaimed as "The Definitive Statement of the Declaration Of Independence as the Embodiment of the American Mind and Historical Experience."
Much of the following exposition has her detailed work as its basis.
The Spirit of Liberty which had taken root in American soil with the landing of the Pilgrims on Plymouth Rock in 1620, was expressed in the Declaration. The Declaration Of Independence was intended to be a reflection of the sentiments of the People -of the American Mind. It had flourished in the American Mind and had now expressed itself to the World.
FATHER DIVINE spoke often about the Declaration. Among other statements, HE has said:
'The Declaration Of Independence ---the Textbook of Freedom --is the Moral and Spiritual Soil out of which grew the Constitution of the United States. That Parchment will be the Bible of the Rights of Man forever!'
This quote can be found in The New Day, July 5, 1986, p. 13. This statement is perhaps the greatest endorsement of the Declaration that could be expressed.
Eleven years after the Declaration was signed, the Framers of the Constitution, in 1787, translated the Philosophy of the Declaration ---its Basic Principles and Timeless Truths upon which the New Nation was to be constructed -- into a New Government. The Constitution grew out of the Profound Thoughts of the Declaration Of Independence. The Declaration Of Independence was the Promise, The Constitution of the United States is the Fulfillment of that Promise!
Some people believe that the Declaration Of Independence has no legal force in this present day. But the Declaration has often been cited by the Supreme Court as part of the Fundamental Law of the United States of America.
All through the Declaration Of Independence, it speaks of our Religious Beliefs. It is a Declaration of America's Belief in GOD. It is a marvelous Document of Freedom!
Thomas Jefferson studied the History of ancient Israel. In his study, he found Constitutional Principles in its Government. He named them " Ancient Principles." There are certain "Ancient Principles" imbedded in the Declaration Of Independence. The first of these Principles, quoted from the Declaration Of Independence, is "All men are created equal!"---which is logical, if we believe in a Supreme Creator as our FATHER.
And if we believe in a Supreme Creator as our FATHER, then all of us must be His Children, and all of us must be Brothers and Sisters. It is a self evident Truth that the Creator made human beings equal in their Rights, equal before the Law, and equal in His Sight. Therefore, no individual has the Right to rule over another. Of course, certain rules have to be set up for the impartial use by all people of public facilities. This Principle is also a Declaration Of Independence from our fellow citizens.
The second Principle, also quoted from the Declaration, is "that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." These are the three Great Natural, unalienable Rights of all Mankind. An Unalienable Right is one given to us by the Creator, which cannot be taken away by man.
The third Principle from the Declaration is "that to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their Just Powers from the Consent of the Government." The Creator requires that there be Government which is set up to protect the three Great, Natural, Unalienable Rights. Government makes rules to govern the orderly operation and use of jointly owned facilities, such as roads, bridges, parks, utilities, courts, etcetera
These are called "Vested Rights," because they do not come from the Creator, but can be changed by the people in Government. These Vested Rights are part of the duty of Government to protect the three Great, Natural Rights of Mankind --Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. This is the purpose of Government ---to protect the Rights of the people.
When people get together, for instance, to make rules for the use of public facilities, or to make other Laws which will enhance the Welfare of the Citizenry, they have created Government. The authority to make these Rules comes from the only place where all authority rests --in the People themselves -- in each individual. When these individuals get together in a Government, each individual delegates some of his authority to the Government, which is a Group of Individuals. It should be made clear that if it is wrong for an individual to do a certain act, then it is wrong for a Group to do it. The Group does not have any more authority than an individual has. Another Concept in these Ancient Principles is that no agency of Government has any right to exist except with the consent of the people.
FATHER DIVINE spoke of the Constitution, or the Bill Of Rights, or the Amendments, or the Declaration Of Independence in most of HIS innumerable Sermons. On July 2, 1935, at the 115th Street Headquarters in New York City, HE specifically stated that the Declaration Of Independence declared the Independence of all the subjects of the United States Of America, and that it is for each one of us, individually. These are His Words:
'The Declaration Of Independence, the physical Declaration of Independence of the United States Of America, is but an Outward expression. . . parably speaking, of the Mystery of the Children of this People and of the Inhabitants of America. . . . The Independence of the United States of America is the Great Expression and Expresser for millions, parably speaking, concerning you, and the Mystery of the Declaration Of Independence was to declare the Independence of all of her subjects. That was a Declaration from a National point of view, but remember, Individually, it is for you; Collectively it is for you; and Universally it is for you!'
This quote can be found in the New Day, July 22, 1981, pp. 3-5
The True Spirit of the Declaration is the Spirit of Liberty. The Declaration Of Independence is a Declaration of individual Liberty ---a Declaration that GOD is our One and only King!
To achieve the ultimate Purpose of the Declaration, there must be Virtuous People. FATHER DIVINE preaches that all of us must strive to be Virtuous and Holy. Benjamin Franklin stated that
'only a Virtuous People are capable of Freedom.'
John Adams was equally explicit. He said,
'Our Constitution was made only for a Moral and Religious People.'
George Washington, in his Farewell Address, said,
'Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to Political Prosperity, Religion and Morality are Indispensable supports.'
There must be Virtuous People, because if ordinary people are free, they allow their selfish nature to govern their actions. Their only concern is doing what benefits themselves. They have no concern for the welfare of their fellow creatures.
Only Virtuous People are unselfish enough to deny their base desires and to not do anything that would injure anyone or cause inconvenience or unhappiness to come to anyone.
This Manifesto was not only a justification for Revolution, but it became a Moral Standard to inspire living Americans to live lives by which the day to day policies of the Nation could be judged. The vitality of this Moral Standard rests upon the readiness of the People and their Leaders to discuss its implications, and to make the changes that will make the crooked way straight. This Manifestation was the Fundamental Act of Union of the States, and it should be kept in the minds and in the bosom of our Citizens so as to cherish the Principles of the Instrument.
The Declaration Of Independence written in 1776, is an inspired Document. Its language is beautiful and moving. It has had enduring attention as a Document of transcendent importance, and as the Foundation of American Philosophy. It is a Statement of Immortal Principles and as the most sacred of American political Scripture. In this Manifesto Jefferson somehow captured the Central Idea or Essence of American thinking. The Declaration contained the Basic Principles and Timeless Truths upon which the Nation was to be established. It was a Visionary Document!
The first paragraph of the Declaration of Independence sets the stage for the whole Document, because it dramatically describes the struggle of the thirteen young colonies against the powerful Great Britain ---a struggle similar to that between David and Goliath. It foretells the emergence of the American People into a separate and equal Station among the Powers of the Earth. Reasons for the separation were included in the Document ---and we have heard all twenty seven of these reasons. The Declaration is an important Milestone in the course of human events.
The Document that Thomas Jefferson and the four other members of the Drafting Committee delivered to Congress on July 2nd, 1776, was a Manifesto consisting of a mixture of beautifully crafted passages. In the first paragraph, the rhythm of the phrase "appealing to the Laws of Nature and of Nature's GOD' adds Grace to the Manifesto. Also the first paragraph suggests that the following pages of the Document contain an interesting story.
This is the first paragraph of the Declaration of Independence.
"WHEN in the Course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind, requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Separation."
In the second paragraph of the Declaration are the words, "We hold these Truths to be self- evident." It asserts several great Truths in the immortal Document to be self evident, such as "all men are created equal." Equality meant that no one held authority over others by right of his birth or as a gift from GOD. It asserts also that men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights. Among these Rights are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.
In adopting the Declaration, the Founding Fathers took the position that certain facts are so obvious that they do not need any defense. They do not need to be proven. In the Declaration is a Statement in American Law of the simple, Fundamental Belief in a Supreme Creator --which is the only basis for sound Government. In this paragraph, the Right of Revolution is ascribed to the American People. They have the Right to "alter or abolish" the abusive Government. We will hear the first half of the second paragraph.
"WE hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness- That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness!"
The remainder of the paragraph, beginning with the word "Prudence," calls attention to a long list of abuses, and to the fact that it was not just the RIGHT of the People to throw off an oppressive Government, but it was the DUTY to do so. King George's record is a history of repeated tormenting acts which were intended to establish tyranny over the States. Truly, a tyrant such as George III was unfit to be the Ruler of a Free People.
We will hear the second half of the second paragraph.
"Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient Causes; and accordingly all Experience hath shewn that Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security. Such has been the patient Sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the Necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The History of the present King of Great-Britain is a History of repeated Injuries and Usurpations, all having in direct Object the Establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid World."
Now we will turn to the last paragraph of the Declaration Of Independence. It affirms that the People of the United States appealed to the Supreme Judge of the World to make sure that their intentions were intellectually correct and morally upright in Righteousness. In this paragraph, the States solemnly affirm that they are, and of right ought to be, Free and Independent, and that they no longer bear allegiance to the British Crown. It continues further to say that all the political ties between the thirteen States and Great Britain are totally null and void,
The last sentence is a mighty testament to the Love of GOD and the Reverence for GOD that the Founding Fathers sincerely felt in their souls. Here we find an appeal to Divine Providence to protect the signers of the Declaration. In constructing their Declaration Of Independence, these intrepid fifty five warriors depended solely and completely on the Protection of Almighty GOD.
They not only acted upon it, but they publicly declared it. They thereby laid on the line their Lives, their Fortunes and their Sacred Honor.
These last words are as follows: "And for the support of this Declaration, with a Firm Reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence, we mutually Pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our Sacred Honor."
We will now hear the last paragraph of the Declaration Of Independence.
"WE, therefore, the Representatives of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, in GENERAL CONGRESS, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World for the Rectitude of our Intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly Publish and Declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be, FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES; that they are absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political Connection between them and the State of Great-Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as FREE AND INDEPENDENT States do all other Acts and Things which INDEPENDENT STATES may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the Protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."
An article in The New Day has as its title "The Personal Hand Of GOD Blessed The Declaration Of Independence." In it are found the following words. They are not however, the words of FATHER DIVINE
'That Parchment will be the Textbook of Freedom ---the Bible of the Rights of Man forever. And so it turned out. The Declaration Of Independence--the Textbook of Freedom --is the Moral and Spiritual soil out of which grew the Constitution of the United States of America. The Constitution is a projection and extension of the Declaration ---is the Bible of the Rights of Man in the United States and around the globe.'
This quote can be found in The New Day, of July 5, 1986, p. 13.
The Declaration Of Independence was a remarkable literary accomplishment. It was composed with splendid artistry. It resembled Moses ascending the Mountain to receive the Law in the Ten Commandments from GOD, and Jesus on the Mountain delivering His Blueprint For Life in His incomparable Sermon On the Mount.
The Declaration should be understood however, not necessarily as a Philosophical Document, but also as a Constitutional Document with a Holy Purpose, that concerns the Fundamental authority of Government. It is an Eternal Monument, a Deathless instrument, and conspicuous Landmark for the Guidance of Posterity.
The Declaration awoke a Mighty Spirit, and this Mighty Spirit is walking in the Earth. The American Revolution seems to have begun a Movement against repressive Regimes, and a Movement for Enlightened Governments, over much of the Western World. The flames kindled on the Fourth of July in 1776 had spread over too much of the globe to be extinguished by the onslaught of tyrannical despots. The fire of Revolution had been ignited and was spreading.
The political Philosophy set forth in the Declaration continued to influence political developments in America and in Europe for many years. For instance, the Declaration gave its Philosophy to our Bill Of Rights. For well over two hundred years, Freedom Seeking People all over the globe have been inspired by its Noble ideas and its remarkable Eloquence. The Course of American History has been continuously shaped by it.
The French Revolution in 1789 was inspired by the Declaration. It also inspired the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Rights of the Citizens adopted by the National Assembly of France in 1789 during the French Revolution. In the nineteenth Century, other Countries in Europe and in Latin America that were fighting for Freedom used the Principles in our Declaration Of Independence in their efforts to obtain Freedom.
The Declaration of Independence has become one of the most cherished Documents in all History. It is a National and International Treasure, not because of its age of over 200 years, but because its inspiring Thoughts continue to influence the World. It still has Meaning and Hope for us and for Humanity today.
The published Documents of the Revolutionary War were important because they aroused deep feelings in Americans, and brought their minds into a condition of Moral Sensitivity and Reflection. The emotions created would save America from a shallow materialism, and strengthen their determination to honor and preserve the accomplishments of the Revolutionary Period.
After 1800, the Declaration Of Independence was increasingly regarded as a Sacred Document. It was very useful for groups that were striving to attain higher Moral Status. It was useful also by workers, farmers and Women's Rights Movements in their quest for equality.
In 1824, Jefferson received copies of a new facsimile edition of the Declaration Of Independence from Congress as a token of respect for his Service to his Country. Reverence for that Instrument would, inspire a Pledge of adhesion to its Principles and foster a consecrated determination to maintain and perpetuate them. It would also help to nourish devotion to the bond of Union and keep it alive and warm in the minds of the People.
Thomas Jefferson became a Christ like figure whose disembodied spirit hovered over the Nation. Both he and John Adams were exalted individuals. Their Holy Greatness rested peacefully upon the minds of the People. People did not wait for death to sanctify their Names. Their homes became Shrines in their day. Abraham Lincoln idealized the Holy Greatness of the men who had a part in the Revolution as a "Forest of Great Oak, as Pillars of the Temple of Liberty, as a Fortress of Strength and as Iron Men."
Speakers and orators commemorated the Altar of Freedom built by the Founding Fathers and the Hallowed Fire that they lighted upon it. They invoked the Sacred Principles solemnly inscribed upon the Banner of the Revolution and borne aloft by the People of the United States.
Both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams left this life on the same day, July 4th, 1826. Their deaths on this date was most fitting because this date was the Fiftieth Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration Of Independence on July 4th, 1776. This coincidence was considered by the political and religious speakers who gave eulogies for the two Patriots, as proof that the United States had a special place in GOD's affections and in HIS Plans for the World. Surely, Divine Providence was at work!
We will end our Study of the Declaration of Independence by hearing the People of every Nation, Language and Tongue in the United States reciting together the last sentence of the Declaration Of Independence.
(All of us recite together:)
"AND FOR THE SUPPORT OF THIS DECLARATION, WITH A FIRM RELIANCE ON THE
PROTECTION OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE, WE MUTUALLY PLEDGE TO EACH OTHER OUR LIVES,
"The in-depth commentary we have been privileged to hear, has certainly given us further enlightenment and a greater appreciation of this Historic and Monumental fulfilment of GOD'S Plans and Purpose.
Thank YOU, FATHER and MOTHER DIVINE!