First Prayer of the Continental Congress, 1774

[Ben Framed]

First Prayer of the Continental Congress, 1774 AD


O Lord our Heavenly Father, high and mighty King of kings, and Lord of lords, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers on earth and reignest with power supreme and uncontrolled over all the Kingdoms, Empires and Governments; look down in mercy, we beseech Thee, on these our American States, who have fled to Thee from the rod of the oppressor and thrown themselves on Thy gracious protection, desiring to be henceforth dependent only on Thee. To Thee have they appealed for the righteousness of their cause; to Thee do they now look up for that countenance and support, which Thou alone canst give. Take them, therefore, Heavenly Father, under Thy nurturing care; give them wisdom in Council and valor in the field; defeat the malicious designs of our cruel adversaries; convince them of the unrighteousness of their Cause and if they persist in their sanguinary purposes, of own unerring justice, sounding in their hearts, constrain them to drop the weapons of war from their unnerved hands in the day of battle!

Be Thou present, O God of wisdom, and direct the councils of this honorable assembly; enable them to settle things on the best and surest foundation. That the scene of blood may be speedily closed; that order, harmony and peace may be effectually restored, and truth and justice, religion and piety, prevail and flourish amongst the people. Preserve the health of their bodies and vigor of their minds; shower down on them and the millions they here represent, such temporal blessings as Thou seest expedient for them in this world and crown them with everlasting glory in the world to come. All this we ask in the name and through the merits of Jesus Christ, Thy Son and our Savior.

Amen.

Reverend Jacob Duch
Rector of Christ Church of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
September 7, 1774, 9 o?clock a.m.

[Ben Framed]

After being under the rule of England and the king for so many years, it must have been a troublesome time and hard decisions for our ancestors, our founders. This nation had been growing for 160 years. Many of the men who were our founders were not impoverished men, no, but men of wealth and means having everything to lose if their efforts were to fail. Hard courageous decisions were made during the time of that first Continental Congress. Because of the desire to be free, possessing the courage, wisdom and faith, they looked to guidance from our Heavenly Father.  We Americans have been truly blessed. We should all know of our history here in the United States, the struggles and sufferings which were to come for these men. We should behold, with great appreciation of the sacrifices that our founders made for the sake of freedom for themselves and generations to come..

[Kathyp]

We Americans have been truly blessed. We should all know of our history here in the United States, the struggles and sufferings which were to come for these men. We should behold, with great appreciation of the sacrifices that our founders made for the sake of freedom for themselves and generations to come

Well said.

[JurassicApiary]

We Americans have been truly blessed. We should all know of our history here in the United States, the struggles and sufferings which were to come for these men. We should behold, with great appreciation of the sacrifices that our founders made for the sake of freedom for themselves and generations to come

Well said.

X2

[BeeMaster2]

X3

[budgrimshaw]

Those are good words. But even so, the people of that time were cruel to others.

[BeeMaster2]

Bud,
Welcome to Beemaster.

[Ben Framed]

budgrimshaw Welcome to Beemaster! .....

Phillip

[budgrimshaw]

Those are good words. But even so, the people of that time were cruel to others. I'm glad I now live in a time of human freedom in all faiths. Of course, it saddens me that even in 2022, there will be wars like the one in Ukraine. Our church prays for all people in countries with wars, high rates of disease, and other things.

I read the Book of Revelation of John several times a year and think about the many things that bring us closer to Judgment Day today. Of course, there are many opinions, but I've already seen sickness and Marked by the Sign and many other things. I've discussed this with our pastor, and he isn't trying to change my mind about it. He thinks I can analyze the Bible and that it's good.

[Ben Framed]

budgrimshaw, thank you for your post. Please post your churches link in the signature section of you profile if you wish. This is allowed by the bylaws. Otherwise it may be viewed as an advertising link by some. Advertising is addressed in the bylaws. Beemaster is an advertise free site.  Fortunately you have a privilege to post your church link in the signature,  just as Paul had an opening preaching to the folks who had a set aside place for the unknown God in Athens, which allowed him to freely preach the Gospel there! Please comply as to avoid confusion. We know who the Arthur of Confusion is  Thank you for your post.

Phillip

[Acebird]

Many of the men who were our founders were not impoverished men, no, but men of wealth and means having everything to lose if their efforts were to fail.

Phil they were capitalist.  Like all that came they had everything to lose if they stayed and everything to gain if they came here.  They became richer by coming.  That wasn't the case for everyone else.

[Michael Bush]

>That wasn't the case for everyone else.

How is that not true for everyone else?  Because they are not capitalists?  Capitalism is the only system where if you work hard and smart you CAN get ahead.

[Kathyp]

Phil they were capitalist.

Not all.  William Bradfords colony was socialist.  Everything was to be shared equally regardless of effort.  He rescued the colonly both by befriending the natives and by making private ownership/effort the new rule.  People could sell what they produced in excess and could own their own land and homes. 

Those are good words. But even so, the people of that time were cruel to others.

Humans can be cruel but history has to be viewed in the context of the times.  Today, as an example, we do not put 7 year old children to work but in the past, it was common for young children to work and contribute to the family income.  Women were not allowed to own property or to inherit in many places, but that was the norm.  For most of the history of the world and even today, slavery was accepted as part of normal society. Times and norms change, but it is a mistake to label the people of the past as evil when they participated in normal behaviors of the times. 

[Michael Bush]

>Times and norms change, but it is a mistake to label the people of the past as evil when they participated in normal behaviors of the times.

This is called presentism.  It is certainly unfair to the people so judged, and it's misleading when studying history.

[Acebird]

William Bradfords colony was socialist.

Again running from something.

William Bradford (c. 19 March 1590 ? 9 May 1657) was an English Puritan separatist originally from the West Riding of Yorkshire in Northern England. He moved to Leiden in Holland in order to escape persecution from King James I of England,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bradford_(governor)

[Acebird]

Capitalism is the only system where if you work hard and smart you CAN get ahead.

Apparently you don't know how Trump did it.  All systems of government have success stories.
Putin, prime example:

Born in 1952 Leningrad, Putin was a street kid in a city devastated by a horrific, three-year siege by the Nazis during WWII, a genocide described as the world?s most destructive siege of a city. Most of the population of three million people died, one million starving to death. Putin?s father was badly injured in the war, his mother nearly died of starvation. Living in a rat-infested apartment with two other families, the family had no hot water, no bathtub, a broken-down toilet, little or no heat. His father worked in a factory; his mother did odd jobs she could find. A small child, whose two older siblings are believed to have been lost to war and disease, Putin was left to fend for himself, severely bullied by other children.
https://acestoohigh.com/2022/03/02/how-vladimir-putins-childhood-is-affecting-us-all/

The key to most successes is the willingness to take advantage of people.  Politicians are notorious for this.

[Michael Bush]

>The key to most successes is the willingness to take advantage of people.

Not in the long run.  That's how you lose your customer base.  The key to success is to find something people need and fill that need for a price that makes a profit and leaves the customer happy enough to come back for more.  Taking advantage of people is a short sighted view of success.

[Acebird]

Taking advantage of people is a short sighted view of success.

I take it you have never heard of a Cartel.  What dictator do you know that is losing success over the long run?

[Michael Bush]

>What dictator do you know that is losing success over the long run?

You mean Mussolini?  Hitler?  Idi Amin?  Saddam Hussein? Omar Quaddafi? Noriega? Czar Nicolas? Louis XVI? Charles I? Oliver Cromwell? The list is pretty long...  They mostly lose in the long run.  A few manage to intimidate well enough to keep their position.  Taking advantage of people requires violence or the threat of violence.  Capitalism is about mutually agreed upon commerce.  Government enforced monopolies are not capitalism.  Cartels are not capitalism. Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, just to name a couple,  did not become billionaires by taking advantage of people.