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¶ … sermon "The Dominion of Providence over the Passions of Men," by John Witherspoon, given on 17 May 1776. Specifically, it will consider who Witherspoon is responding or directing his sermon to. What does he say? How is this sermon significant? Witherspoon's sermon came at a crucial time in American history, and his words are still powerful and poignant today.
The Dominion of Providence over the Passions of Men
Witherspoon's sermon is significant for several reasons. He urges his fellow citizens to think deeply about their lives, and their sins as they prepare to head off to war with Great Britain. He directs his comments directly to these men who will soon shoulder arms and march off to war, and "beseeches" them to accept God before they leave their families and friends, many of them for the last time. He pleads,
Wherefore, my beloved hearers, as the ministry of reconciliation is committed to me, I beseech you in the most earnest manner, to attend to "the things that belong to your peace, before they are hid from your eyes." How soon, and in what manner a seal shall be set upon the character and...
The listener could surely hear the desperation and iron will in his voice as he spoke from his pulpit, for his words are strong, resounding, and resolute. If war must occur, then surely those who fight it must go to their fate totally prepared, and that includes the preparation of the soul.
Witherspoon's sermon is highly significant of the times, and of the compelling reasons the Pilgrims came to America from Great Britain in the first place. They traveled to a foreign land to obtain their religious freedom, and so of course, it makes sense that Witherspoon would be so concerned with the sins of his congregation, and the saving of their souls as they prepared to fight. Religion played a highly important role in New England society, and Witherspoon's passionate pleas for redemption might seem "over the…
Sermon on the Mount and the Prince Anyone who is even vaguely familiar with the teachings of Jesus and theories of Machiavelli would see just how starkly different are the two in their approach to everything especially leadership. Jesus was a symbol of compassion and forgiveness and in his Sermon on the Mount, he presented summary of his teachings which included the golden rule "In everything, therefore, treat people the same
There may have been some women there who have had one, and I'm sure it would hurt to be called that; in fact, I think they would stop listening. Also, there might be men whose wives, or daughters, or girl friends (or even mothers) had had an abortion, and they would be offended by the label murderer applied to women they loved or cared about. People stop listening when
While God’s word was delivered to specific people at a specific time in a specific place, the quality of the Word is such that it lives on and can be applied to all people in every place in every time. The reason for this is that the Word of God is universal and carries a meaning that gets to the heart of what it means to be human and to
Sermon Every youthful generation is going to have its own tastes in clothing and recreation, its own musical style, its own favorite musical artists, always in contrast to their parents and the previous generation. Adults should be patient and understanding, and good Christians should not condemn or condone a wild rock and roll star that sins, but instead pray for that person. Good morning my friends, my congregation, and my neighbors! I
The sermon is evidently being delivered to a black congregation. The suffering of Sister Caroline is shown to be uniquely black in nature because of the references to her suffering in the vineyards (cotton fields) for long, hot hours. Sister Caroline has furrows of care in her brow because of the suffering that is part of the African-American condition. Life is so hard that death is shown as a
Those responsible for murdering atrocities such as Crusades, the witch trials and the Inquisition do not seem, from today's perspective, to have any love in their hearts. One must perhaps also recognize that these perpetrators of murder and terror felt that they were promoting a type of love. Those who burned witches and heretics for example tended to believe that they were saving the souls tortured in this way from