The American Soul
The American Soul
Christ Will Always Take You Back, Even After Betrayal
Every opportunity to love that passes us by is gone forever. This sobering truth frames today's deep exploration of relationships, faith, and forgiveness through the lens of scripture and American heritage.
Drawing a powerful analogy between relationships and building a house, Jesse illustrates how each choice to withhold love removes essential components from our most important connections. Eventually, with enough neglect, the entire structure becomes compromised. No relationship—whether with a spouse, child, parent, or friend—can withstand endless discarded opportunities to demonstrate care and commitment.
Through a thoughtful examination of Matthew 26, we witness Christ's betrayal and Peter's denial alongside his extraordinary capacity for forgiveness. Even after Peter vehemently disowned him three times, Jesus welcomed him back completely. This profound example of restoration offers hope to anyone who has ever fallen short in their faith journey—which is all of us.
The episode weaves together spiritual insights with America's founding principles, examining historical figures like James Otis and John Dickinson who risked everything for liberty. Their willingness to face torture, imprisonment, and execution for their convictions challenges us to consider what we're prepared to sacrifice for our own beliefs today. Through accounts of Christian martyrs and Medal of Honor recipient James Avery, we gain perspective on what genuine sacrifice truly means.
Perhaps most provocatively, Jesse argues that liberty itself cannot be maintained apart from Christian principles and biblical foundations. Throughout world history, no society has sustained true freedom without these spiritual underpinnings—a relationship between faith and liberty that serves as both encouragement and warning for our nation today. Join us for this thought-provoking conversation that bridges personal devotion with national purpose.
The American Soul Podcast
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Hey folks, this is Jesse Cope, back with another episode of the American Soul Podcast. Hope y'all are doing well, wherever y'all are, whatever part of the day you're in sure do appreciate y'all joining me and giving me a little bit of your time, a little piece of your day. I will try and use it wisely. I know you all have other things that you could be doing, so I'm glad that you're here. I appreciate you joining me. For those of you all who have been here now for four full years, going into our fifth again, thank you. For those of youall who are new, I hope you enjoy it and get something out of it. For those of y'all who continue to share the podcast, to tell others about it, thank you so much. And for those of y'all who pray for me and for the podcast, thank you Definitely need those prayers very much. I'm very grateful for them. Father, thank you for today. Thank you for you, father, and your Son, jesus Christ and your Holy Spirit. Thank you for your love and your mercy, your grace and your forgiveness of sins. Thank you for the people that listen to the podcast. Be with them wherever they are across this nation, here in America and around the world. Honor. Be with their families, comfort them, bless them, protect them. Help us to do your will, father, even when we don't really feel like it or we are confused and can't seem to figure out exactly what you're doing. Help us to truly love your son by following his commands, to love you with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Forgive us when we fail. Father, be with our leaders and help us to elect men who rule in fear of you. Be with our educators. Be with our farmers and our ranchers, those who grow our priority each day. Father, be with those who are hurting, sick, alone, scared. Comfort them. Be with those who are anxious or who have pressure of whatever kind job, finances, marriage, children. Be with them, father, please, and guide them. And God, my word's here, in your son's name, we pray Amen. Have you made time for God today? Have you made time to read his word? Have you made time to pray? And, if you're married, have you made time for your spouse? Have you made sure that they're going to go to bed tonight? Have you made sure that they're going to go to bed tonight, knowing, without a doubt, that they are your second priority, today and each day, behind only God and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. I'm going to throw my father under the bus.
Speaker 1:He mentioned something to me a few days ago, maybe last week. He said the thought occurred to me that every day, in so many ways, is our last day to love. My reasoning is that the decisions that we make every day, especially to those nearest to us, often those far far away, are relative to whether they are made in love or not, and once you have an opportunity to love and choose, for whatever reason, not to, it's gone forever. As my mother would have said, it's not only words which we utter that stay forever. It's that those opportunities to love that are not acted upon are lost, in that particular context, forever, and unfortunately that's the domino effect. He cut all of that out of a title for one of the previous podcasts, but I haven't really thought of it that way before. Folks, I think I've said something similar, but you only have a certain amount of time in your life and you only have a certain amount of opportunities to love those people that God puts in your life, and once those opportunities go by, they never come back again. Not that particular opportunity. You might have other opportunities and you might even have enough opportunities to kind of quote unquote, make up for the lost opportunities. But that particular opportunity will never, ever come back.
Speaker 1:And you can kind of think about it like building a house and if you've ever tried, you've gone to some big box store and bought something right To put together chest of drawers, trampoline, baby crib, whatever it is and you have all these parts right and inevitably you get to the end and you're either missing parts or you have too many parts, which probably means that you missed putting one in somewhere right. And you can kind of think about your relationships like that and those relationships with people that you love and you've got, except that God gives you the perfect amount of parts to love, the exact amount. But what do we do? As we're going through, we take some of them a brick here, a faucet piece here, handle here and a piece of insulation or a board there and we just chunk them out, throw them away, and it makes our house less strong than it could have been, than it should have been, and in this life there's no way to go back and get that particular part. Now you can add some new parts maybe if you want to try and carry this analogy a little bit farther and you can try and shore up those weaknesses, but you can't ever go back and put the right part in the right place, the way it should have been to make the house fully functional.
Speaker 1:Right, if you've ever been in a situation where you didn't have a lot of money and you had to just kind of make things work, just to rig them. One of the things that I have seen over my life is a missing faucet handle and that missing faucet handle was replaced by some kind of wrench or vice grips that you attached where the faucet handle should have been. And then you turn the pliers or the wrench or vice grips that you attached where the faucet handle should have been and then you turn the pliers or the wrench or the vice grips and that turns the water on and off. It works. It's not as functional as it should have been, because sometimes the pliers slip off or the vice grip and sometimes they get in the way of other things and they're messier often, but it works. That's kind of us with love folks, and there does come a point and then I'll move on from this analogy, but I think it's a really it's a good train of thought even if y'all don't like the analogy to think about some At some point.
Speaker 1:Folks, if we throw away too many opportunities, that particular house collapses in this life. Again, it's not eternal forgiveness. Jesus Christ offers us eternal forgiveness, but eternal forgiveness is not the same thing as earthly consequences for our actions. And if we throw too many pieces of the house away, that house crumbles. It might be a relationship with a parent or a relationship with a child. You know, depending on which role you fill, it might be a job opportunity, a relationship with a boss or coworkers fill might be a job opportunity, a relationship with a boss or coworkers. A lot of our marriages today in America are perfect examples of this. You throw away enough pieces, you choose yourself over your spouse enough times and really you choose yourself over God enough times and you throw out those pieces. Eventually that house is going to collapse Because even if you've already built the house, then you start passing up opportunities. It's like you're going around the house and you're starting to pick pieces and throw them out the window, throw them out the front door.
Speaker 1:I would stay here for a lot longer Cause I think it's so important, but we're going to move on. I think, oh, matthew 26. That sound right to y'all. That's right, I'm getting there. Yeah, yeah, I'm going to go with that. I think we read Matthew 25 already. I hope we did the plot to kill Jesus. Hmm, when Jesus had finished all these words, he said to his disciples you know that after two days the Passover is coming and the Son of man is to be handed over for crucifixion. Then the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in the court of the high priest named Caiaphas and they plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth and killing, but they were saying not during the festival, otherwise a riot may occur among the people.
Speaker 1:The Precious Ointment. Now, when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume and she poured it on his head as he reclined at the table. But the disciples were indignant when they saw this and said why this waste? For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor. But Jesus, aware of this, said to them why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed to me, for you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me. For when she poured the perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.
Speaker 1:I want to go back real quick to something that's rattling around in my brain. Verse 4, and they plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth and kill him, but they were saying Not during the festival, otherwise a riot might occur among the people. Jesus by stealth and killing, but they were saying not during the festival, otherwise a riot might occur among the people. How many of us proclaim Jesus when it's beneficial or popular, but not when it's unpopular? That's the first question that popped in my head. The second one is how similar is this to the leftist, the bucket of isms and Islam, and that they hate Christ, but they hide that hatred until an opportune moment when they have power? Don't let us folks, let us not be those people that proclaim Jesus when it's convenient but not when it's inconvenient, or Islam truly want peaceful coexistence and toleration as opposed to just biding their time in order to kill Jesus at an opportune moment when the people won't get all riled up Judas's Bargain.
Speaker 1:Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said what are you willing to give me to betray him to you? And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him. From then on, he began looking for a good opportunity to betray Jesus. Now, on the first day of unleavened bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked From then on, he began looking for a good opportunity to portray Jesus house with my disciples. The disciples did as Jesus had directed them and they prepared the Passover.
Speaker 1:How many of us betray Jesus by what we watch, read or listen to? We may not sell him out for money, right, it's not like we're offering his life for money but how many of us betray him and his sacrifice by what we watch, read or listen to on a daily basis, whether that's misuse of time or whether we're actually watching something that we shouldn't be. That's immoral. Or reading something or listening to something I got to say I'm pretty guilty of that, or have been in my life far too often. Folks, I saw a pastor online post something like this. I'm paraphrasing there's no pet sin. There's no innocent sin folks. There's nothing that we can do. That's sinning against God. That's not going to cause pain against God. That's not going to cause pain. That's not, at least in some way, a betrayal of our friend Jesus Christ. We like to point fingers at Judas and say I would have never sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, and maybe that's true. Maybe we wouldn't have, wouldn't have. But aren't we kind of selling him anyway? When we choose to do things we know we shouldn't. I don't know, maybe that's just me.
Speaker 1:The last Passover, now, when evening came, jesus was reclining at the table with the twelve disciples as they were eating. He said Truly I say to you that one of you will betray me. Being deeply grieved, each one began to say to him Surely not I, lord. And he answered he who dipped his hand with me in the bowl is the one who will betray me. The Son of man is to go, just as it is written of him. But woe to that man by whom the Son of man is to go, just as it is written of him. But woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed. It would have been good for that man if he had not been born. And Judas, who was betraying him, said Surely, it is not I, rabbi. And Jesus said to him you have said it yourself the Lord's Supper instituted. You have said it yourself the Lord's Supper instituted.
Speaker 1:While they were eating, jesus took some bread and after a blessing, he broke it and gave it to the disciples and said Take, eat, this is my body. And when he had taken a cup and given thanks, he gave it to them, saying Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many, for forgiveness of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it, new with you, in my Father's kingdom. After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to him, peter said to him, and all the disciples said the same thing what a comfort Peter is.
Speaker 1:How many of us want to say I'll never deny you Christ. It doesn't matter what pain or threats or fear they push at me, I'll never deny you. And yet, what did Peter do? Denied Three times, no less. Not just once, but thrice. And yet Jesus forgave him, took him back. Christ will always take us back, folks, at least the way I read Scripture and again, I'm not a theologian, I'm not a pastor or a priest, but you read Peter here, one of his closest disciples, and he betrayed him three times. He said I don't know who that guy is to avoid torture and execution and maybe even ostracization from society. And even still Christ took him back. It doesn't matter what you've done, folks, it doesn't matter if you, like Peter, have denied Jesus under threat of torture or execution or starvation or simply ostracization, didn't say that right, but being separated, you know, alienated by society. God took Peter back. God took Peter back. Jesus Christ took Peter back. Jesus Christ will take you back. Just got to turn to him, just got to look to him, to trust him.
Speaker 1:The Garden of Gethsemane. Then Jesus came with them to the place called Gethsemane and said to his disciples Sit here while I go over there and pray. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be grieved and distressed. Then he said to them my soul is deeply grieved to the point of death. Remain here and keep watch with me. And he went a little beyond them and fell on his face and prayed, saying my father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will. And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping and said to Peter so you men could not keep watch with me for even one hour. Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away a second time and prayed, saying my father, if this cannot pass, unless I drink it, your will be done Again. He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy, and he left them again and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. Then he came to his disciples and said to them Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going. Behold, the one who betrays me is at hand, is at hand.
Speaker 1:Many of us have gotten to the point where our soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death. We've had so much pain, whether you've been sick for a long time, or you've been really badly injured, or you got some heartache from a relationship with a child or a parent or your spouse, and you're so broken, so grieved, at the point of death and turning to God, praying Right? That's the first question. Do we even allow ourselves to get to that point? Are we too proud to turn to God in that amount of grief? And then the second question is or maybe this is just a comforting thought you know, christ, my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet, not as I will, but as you will. You have this sickness that's not going to go away. Can we still say praise you Lord, thank you Lord. You have this injury that just isn't healing, or it's preventing you from doing something that you dreamed about doing. Can we still say thank you Lord, praise you Lord, right.
Speaker 1:I heard a story, and I can't remember where, recently, and they were talking about a gentleman that desperately wanted Maybe we talked about it here on the podcast to go into the military, but for whatever reason it didn't, he couldn't, and and he found another job and he did really good at that job, even though his whole dream since being a boy had been to go into the military. If there's something that's preventing some dream that we've had, this is one of my first hand ones. Folks, for years not just weeks or months, but years can we still say thank you Lord, praise you Lord, if you're in a marriage where your spouse couldn't care less about you or has cheated on you, right, maybe that's not the best example, because then you have a door open, but a spouse that just doesn't care about you, is indifferent, is cold, and all you ever wanted was that marriage, that spouse. And we still say praise you Lord, thank you Lord. If we lost a spouse that we loved dearly was the center of our world. Cs Lewis comes to mind here. I think he had his bride for three years before she got sick and died and it just almost tore him apart because he loved her so much. And we still say thank you Lord, praise you Lord, I will be done.
Speaker 1:Jesus Christ here has to have been suffering more than any other human being has ever experienced, knowing what was coming, and yet he still says yet, not as I will, but as you will, jesus' betrayal and arrest. While he was still speaking, behold, judas, one of the twelve came up, accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now he who was betraying him gave them a sign saying Whomever I kiss he is the one Seize him. I've always wondered why he had to kiss Jesus. I'm sure somebody out he had to kiss Jesus. I'm sure somebody out there had a great answer for that. Doesn't everybody, by this point, know what Jesus looks like? Just a curiosity question. It's not really relevant.
Speaker 1:Immediately, judas went to Jesus and said Hail Rabbi. And kissed him. And Jesus said to him Friend, do what you have come for. Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and to him For all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? How, then, will the scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?
Speaker 1:At that time, jesus said to the crowds have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me, as you would against a robber? Every day? I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize me, but all this has taken place to fulfill the scriptures of the prophets. Then all the disciples left him and fled. Two things there's a lot here, but two things that strike. You know, jesus told his disciple to put the sword away. He didn't say throw the sword away, he didn't say there's no use for the sword, he just simply said put it away. Right, just a thought and then all the disciples left him and fled.
Speaker 1:We think when our children abandon us, or when our parents don't want us, or when our spouse doesn't love us, you know we feel so abandoned and alone, and rightfully so. But Jesus, here, he's God, and all these people that are supposed to be his friends, his really close friends. For three years they just all abandoned him at once, just gone, poof, like smoke, like mist on a windy morning. He understands our suffering, jesus before Caiaphas. He understands our suffering, jesus before Caiaphas. Those who had seized Jesus led him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together. But Peter was following him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and entered in and sat down with the officers to see the outcome.
Speaker 1:Now the chief priests and the whole council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus so that they might put him to death. They did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward, but later on two came forward and said this man stated I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days. The high priest stood up and said to him Do you not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against you? But Jesus kept silent and the high priest said to him I adjure you by the living God that you tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus said to him you have said it yourself. Nevertheless, I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest tore his robes and said he is blasphemed. What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy. What do you think? They answered he deserves death. Then they spat in his face and beat him with their fists and others slapped him and said Peter's denial.
Speaker 1:Now Peter was sitting outside the courtyard and a servant outside in the courtyard and a servant girl came to him and said you too were with Jesus the Galilean. But he denied it before them all, saying I do not know what you're talking about. When he had gone out of the gateway. Out to the gateway, another servant girl saw him and said to those who were with her this man was with Jesus of Nazareth. And again he denied it with an oath. I do not know the man. A little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter in just a second, but the high priest here, one of the things that our pastor has talked about in recent years has been Jesus was not the Christ that Israel was looking for, that most of them wanted, that even the disciples really wanted.
Speaker 1:They wanted a warrior king, a conquering king, somebody that was going to come in, kick out the Romans, reestablish Israel, like David had it, and they were going to be in charge of the world. And so when Christ came and he didn't look exactly like what they wanted, they didn't like that, they weren't going to go along with that. How many of us, how many times, have looked at a situation that God has put us in Not that we've put ourselves in, maybe even, although that might be a different, that's a different conversation and Christ shows up and he doesn't look like what we want him to look like. The situation doesn't look the way we want it to look and we go nah, I'm out, I'm not interested, I don't want this kind of Christ. And it goes back to Jesus on the cross. I think saying you know God, I really don't want to drink this cup, but not my will, but thy will be done. And that's the point that I need to get to more often at least, is, you know, this is what I would like to happen, god. But not my will, but thy will, because I know that you've got the bigger picture in mind, you've got the plan in mind, and I would rather go with your plan because I know it's going to be best for me and for everybody else in the long run, even if it doesn't feel like it in the short run.
Speaker 1:And then Peter, I think what really strikes me in this again today is at the end. You know, this last group of people said hey, you're him. And he's so angry and so fearful that he starts to curse and swear. I do not know the man. This wasn't just a simple rebuttal. This wasn't, like you know, maybe I met him once, but I just can't remember. This was Peter like screaming, swearing, cursing. I don't know this guy. I don't have anything to do with him. I don't know what y'all are talking about. Y'all are crazy. This is as much distance as he could possibly put between him and Jesus. With words and emotion. That's what Peter was trying to do, and yet christ still takes him back. Folks, thank god for jesus christ. All the times that I've pushed him away, I know folks denied him, betrayed him. Well, yeah, We'll move on.
Speaker 1:Just one medal of honor today, I think James Avery rank Seaman, us Civil War, uss Metacomet, us Navy. August 5th 1864, mobile Bay, alabama, USA. Served on board the USS Metacomet as a member of the boat's crew, which went to the rescue of the US Monitor to Kumshi when that vessel was struck by a torpedo and passing the enemy forts in Mobile Bay 5 August 1864. Seaman Avery braved the enemy forts in Mobile Bay. 5 August 1864, seaman Avery braved the enemy fire, which was said by the Admiral to be one of the most galing he had ever seen, and aided in rescuing from death ten of the crew of the Tecumseh, eliciting the admiration of both friend and foe. Accredited to New York, not awarded posthumously. Born 1825, scotland, died October 11, 1898. Buried US Naval Hospital Cemetery, mh, portsmouth, Virginia, united States.
Speaker 1:James Avery, another immigrant who risked their life not to take from fellow Americans. Right, we make so much, so many people make so much of the risks that the illegals run coming across the border, risking their life and limb. How many of them risk their life and limb to defend other American citizens Well, not other because they're not American citizens. How many of them risk their life and limb? I had some in the Marine Corps that got their citizenship through serving in the Marine Corps. I had a couple in my command. One of them actually got their citizenship while I was at a particular unit and it was awesome. They thought it was the best thing ever. Of the mass migrants, particularly of the Muslim persuasion, how many of the illegals that we have come over In order to strengthen the Christian principles of this nation and to offer their life and their body To protect and serve Our nation Probably ought to think about that just a little bit.
Speaker 1:Fox's Book of the Martyrs, tenth persecution, still under Diocletian, around 304. Agatho, a man of pious turn of mind with Cassis, philippa and Utica were martyred about the same time, but the particulars have not been transmitted to us. Marcellinus, bishop of Rome, who succeeded Caius in that sea, having strongly opposed paying divine honors to Diocletian, suffered martyrdom by a variety of tortures in the year 324, comforting his soul till he expired with the prospect of those glorious rewards it would receive by the tort torture suffered in this body. Remember, folks, christ's on us to store up for ourselves treasures in heaven, not here on earth, when things are hard and I'm talking to myself at least as much as y'all when you're sick or you're hurting or you're heartbroken. When you're sick or you're hurting or you're heartbroken, and it seems like it would just be so much easier not to follow Christ but to follow the world, remember that you're trying to store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, even if it doesn't get to the point of martyrdom. For you, folks, stick to God's commands.
Speaker 1:Victorius, carpophorus, severus and Severinus were brothers, and all four employed in places of great trust and honor in the city of Rome. Having exclaimed against the worship of idols, they were apprehended and scourged with the flumite or scourgers, to the ends of which were fastened leaden balls. This punishment was exercised with such excess of cruelty that the pious brothers fell martyrs to its severity. Timothy, a deacon of Mauretania, and Maura, his wife, had not been united together by the bands of wedlock above three weeks when they were separated from each other by the persecution. Timothy, being apprehended as a Christian, was carried before Arianus, the governor of thebes thebes who, knowing that he had the keeping of the holy scriptures, commanded him to deliver them up to be burnt, to which he answered had I children, I would sooner deliver his eyes to be put out with red-hot iron, saying the books shall at least be useless to you, for you shall not see them to read. His patience under the operation was so great that the governor grew more exasperated. He therefore, in order, if possible, to overcome his fortitude, ordered him to be hung up by his feet, with a weight tied about his neck and a gag in his mouth. In this state, mara, his wife, tenderly urged him for her sake to recant. But when the gag was taken out of his mouth, instead of consenting to his wife's entreaties, he greatly blamed her mistaken love and declared his resolution of dying for the faith. The consequence was that Mara resolved to imitate his courage and fidelity and either to accompany or follow him to glory. The governor, after trying in vain to alter her resolution, ordered her to be tortured, which was executed with great severity. After this, timothy and Mara were crucified near each other, ad 304.
Speaker 1:How many of us have a clue what suffering for Christ really means? I'm reminded again of my pastor, who I love his commentary about. Make sure, if you're going to claim that you're suffering for Christ, that you're actually suffering for Christ, that you're actually suffering for Christ, right. Like if you go into a job and you refuse to go along with things that go against Christ's teachings and they fire you. That's being persecuted, being targeted for following Christ. But if you go into a job and this particular job and Starbucks right now is a great example, if you haven't heard this Starbucks has changed their outfit requirement, I think recently, and a lot of the baristas are upset about it because they say it I don't know inhibits their ability to express themselves or something Like we need more of that. Like we need more of that. But my pastor used to say you know, if you go into this job and they require, for example, that you wear a black polo to work each day, and instead you show up in a t-shirt or a wife beater or all different colors of t-shirts, polos, even if you're wearing a polo, it's blue or green or yellow or hot pink or whatever and then they fire you he said you're not being fired because you were following Christ. You're fired because you were being an idiot and you refused to follow simple instructions Right Failure to follow simple instructions, as we used to say in the Marine Corps. So we just need to make sure, folks, and it's another good reason for reading these martyrs that went through so much, and the Medal of Honor winners too. What are we really suffering? How much are we really suffering? Maybe just a little bit of perspective, and I need to hear that at least as much as anybody else out there right now. All right, mercy, otis Warren.
Speaker 1:History of the Rise, progress and Termination of the American Revolution. Talking about James Otis, he was the first champion of American freedom who had the courage to put his signature to the contest between Great Britain and the colonies. He had, in a clear, concise and nervous manner, stated and vindicated the rights of the American colonies and published his observations in Boston while the Stamp Act hung suspended. This tract was written with such a spirit of liberality, loyalty and impartiality that, though at the time some were ready to pronounce it treasonable, yet when opposition run higher, many of the most judicious partisans of the crown were willing to admit it as a just criterion of political truth See Mr Otis's pamphlet entitled the Rights of the Colony Stated and Vindicated, but the author was abused and vilified by the scribblers of the court and threatened with an arrest from the crown for the boldness of his opinions.
Speaker 1:Yet he continued to advocate with the rights of the people and in the course of his argument against the iniquitous consequences of writs of assistance, he observed that his engaging in this cause has raised the resentment of its abettors, but that he argued it from principle and with peculiar pleasure as it was, in favor of British liberty and in opposition to the exercise of a power that in former periods of English history had cost one king of England his head and another his crown. He added. I can sincerely declare that I submit myself to every opprobrious name for conscience sake and despise all those whom guilt, folly or malice have made my foes. I wish I had the example in front of me, folks, but I don't. But I have read in the past year or so somewhere one of the examples I think it was out of Ireland actually of what the British, even at this time, did to those they condemned of treason, and it was pretty horrific, folks.
Speaker 1:It wasn't just a simple execution, hanging. It's really important to remember that with these men at the beginning of our nation, you know it's. It's not like today, really, where if you, even if you do something horrific, they're just going to arrest you and throw you in prison where you have three hot meals and a place to sleep every day. That's one of the things you hear these people, so many people today apparently complaining about sending these violent gang members to this prison down in El Salvador. I think that's supposed to be so horrible. But why wouldn't you send prisoners who had committed horrible crimes rape, murder, destruction why wouldn't you send them to a prison that was rough, but anyway. Getting back to our founding generation, you know Benjamin Franklin's I think it was his comment We've got all hang together, we will certainly all hang separately. These men really were risking and some of them suffered some pretty horrible fates torture, horrible imprisonment, execution, destruction of their family, confiscation of their property. They were risking everything. What are we again? What are we willing to risk today To stand for Jesus Christ, to defend liberty for future generations, to defend those around us?
Speaker 1:It was on this occasion that Mr Otis resigned the office of judge advocate and renounced all employment under so corrupt an administration, boldly declaring in the face of the Supreme Court, at this danger of crisis, that the only principle of public conduct worthy a gentleman or a man was the sacrifice of health, ease, applause, estate or even life to the sacred calls of his country. That these manly sentiments in private life made the good citizen in public the patriot and the hero. Thus was verified in his conduct the observation of a writer of merit and celebrity that it was as difficult for Great Britain to frighten as to cheat Americans into servitude, that she ought to leave them in the peaceable possession of that liberty which they received at their birth and were resolved to retain to their death. Mr Dickinson, author of the much-admired Farmer's Letters, the first copy of which he enclosed to his friend Mr Otis and observed to him that the examples of public spirits in the cold regions of the North had roused the languid latitudes of the South to a proper vindication of their rights. Note five at the end of the chapter.
Speaker 1:I think we read through note five. Oh no, we didn't. We'll read through note five and then we'll round up for today. But hey, this is again. Folks, what are we willing to trade? What are we willing to suffer and the sentence. It was as difficult for Great Britain to frighten as to cheat Americans into servitude that she ought to leave them in the peaceable possession of that liberty which they received at their birth and were resolved to retain to their death, liberty which they received at their birth and were resolved to retain to their death. Are we willing to cling to our faith in Christ and to cling to liberty, which can only be where the Spirit of God is, be where the Spirit of God is? Are we willing to trade everything for that, for God, for Jesus Christ, for liberty, for the ability for future generations to grow up Having liberty? And you cannot maintain liberty, folks, I don't care how conservative someone claims to be, talk show they have doesn't matter. You cannot have liberty, maintain liberty, without the holy spirit, without the principles of christ, without the bible. There's no other place in the entire world, there's not one single place where liberty has been maintained apart from those principles of Christ. They go together inexorably. I'll see note 5, see what it has to say.
Speaker 1:Copy from Mr Dickinson's original letter to Mr Otis accompanying the celebrated Farmer's Letter, philadelphia, december 5th 1767. Dear Sir, the liberties of our common country appear to me to be at this moment exposed to the most imminent danger. And this apprehension has engaged me to lay my sentiments before the public in letters of which I send you a copy. Only one has yet published and what their effect may be cannot yet be known. But whenever the cause of American freedom is to be vindicated, I look toward the Prince of Massachusetts Bay. She must, as she has hitherto done, first kindle the sacred flame that on such occasions must warm and illuminate this continent.
Speaker 1:Words are wanting to express my sense of the vigilance, perseverance, spirit, prudence, resolution and firmness with which your colony has distinguished herself in our unhappy times. May God ever grant her noble labors the same successful issue which was obtained by the repeal of the Stamp Act. And my gratitude to your province in general, I do not forget the obligation which all Americans are under to you in particular, for the indefatigable zeal and undaunted courage you have shown in defending their rights. My opinion of your love for your country induces me to commit to your hands the enclosed letters to be disposed of as you think proper. Not intending to give out any other copy of as you think proper. Not intending to give out any other copy, I have shown them to three men of learning here who are my friends. They think with me that the most destructive consequences must follow if these colonies do not instantly, vigorously and unanimously unite themselves in the same manner they did against the Stamp Act. Perhaps they and I are mistaken.
Speaker 1:I therefore send the piece containing the reasons for this opinion to you, who I know can determine its true worth. And if you can discover no other merit in it, permit me at least to claim the merit of having wrote it with the most ardent affection for the British colonies, the purest intentions to promote their welfare, an honest desire to assert their rights and with deep sense of their impending misfortunes. Our cause is the cause of highest dignity, as it is nothing less than to maintain liberty with which heaven itself hath made us free. I hope it will not be disgraced in any colony by a single rash step. We have constitutional methods for seeking redress and they are the best methods. This subject led me to inform you with pleasure, because I think it must give you pleasure that the moderation of your conduct in composing the minds of your fellow citizens has done you the highest credit with us. You may be assured I feel a great satisfaction in hearing your praises For everything that advances your reputation or interest will always afford sincere joy to dear sir, your most affectionate and most humble servant, john Dickinson.
Speaker 1:To the Honorable James Otis Jr Esquire Are we willing to fight for liberty? Are we willing to use all the means that we can use to maintain liberty, to start with whatever constitutional means we have left and to go from there, but look to God and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, which are required to maintain that liberty? These are pretty pertinent conversations today, folks, no less so than at this time back in the 1760. God bless y'all. God bless your families. God bless your marriages, if you're married. God bless your nation, wherever you are around the world. God bless America. We'll talk to y'all again real soon, folks, looking forward to it.