by Marshall Foster
During times of fear and crisis, the great temptation of men and nations is to leave the tested and true paths of liberty and choose to follow charismatic leaders who promise to solve their problems and bring change. We have entered a time such as this in America. European socialism is now being implemented at all branches of our government. Our liberties, our heritage and our prosperity are hanging in the balance.
But there is hope. World history is full of examples of nations and individuals who have successfully resisted the overreach of unaccountable power. These great stories of hope and encouragement have been virtually forgotten, censored or untold for a generation.
The story of the incredible transformation of England from tyranny to liberty in the 17th century is a lesson for the ages and produced one of the greatest freedom documents of history. For centuries, the English had forgotten the blood bought documents of liberty. Illiteracy, no Bible in the hands of the people, the Great Plague, church corruption and the “divine right” kings had kept them addicted to the worship and fear of “celebrity.”
At the start of the 17th century, the English were filled with hope that their new young “Christian” leader would bring real change. The English believed he would bring reform and solve their problems. But instead, King James I used his “Christianity” as a cover for even further economic, religious and political corruption. James I proceeded to bankrupt his nation. He spent the nation’s wealth on fighting foreign wars and giving money and lands to his lovers, insiders and special interest groups.
When James I finally died in 1625, his son, Charles I, continued his father’s corruption. He used the Star Chamber, a kangaroo court with no jury or appeal, to persecute believers, bypassing the Parliament and the courts. In Scotland, Charles and his sons tortured and martyred 18,000 ministers and their wives. History proves that out-of-control, unaccountable leaders always persecute Christians. Here’s an example of that persecution and how it resulted in a great turning point in the history of liberty.
On June 30, 1637, John Bastwick and two of his friends were found guilty of criticizing the Arch-Bishop. These godly men were condemned in the Star Chamber. Before all of London they were placed helplessly in the stocks, beaten and had their ears cut off. While Bastwick was being tortured, his wife took a ladder and ascended the scaffold. She gathered the tattered pieces of her husband’s ears in a napkin and then kissed him. The bishop in charge of the torture raged, “What do you think of your husband now?” She said, “I have never been more proud of him than I am at this moment.” The men were then dragged away facing life sentences in the dungeons.
That day in 1637, became a turning point of history. After centuries of being controlled by the terror of tyrants, the people of England moved from passivity to action. They treated the three prisoners as heroes. As they were taken from the scaffold, the people threw flowers at their feet as they were led away. They had become a “people of the Book.” The English people were learning to bow to the sovereignty of God and His laws rather than cowering in fear before the tortures of tyrants. They were learning that the Bible did not teach abject submission to lawless, unaccountable rulers. Rulers were accountable to obey God’s law, as well as the people.
Soon after, the English Parliament echoed the bravery of the people. The Parliament remembered and taught the true history that had been forgotten for centuries – the spectacular, biblical, blood-bought freedom documents – including Ex Lege Moise (Book of the Law of Moses,) English Common Law, Magna Carta and Lex Rex (the Law and the king). With these powerful documents, they were able to hold Charles I to the standard of a nation of laws rather than of men. Three years after the mutilation of Bastwick, the Parliament abolished the Star Chamber by law. It called the king to obey the laws of the land or lose his throne. They eventually had to fight for their liberty in the English Civil War. It took another forty years to cleanse the land of the Stuart tyrannical dynasty. But by 1688, the English established a limited monarchy forever in the Glorious Revolution. The result was The English Bill of Rights, one of the great landmark documents in history. It reinforced the “rule of law” and built upon centuries of biblical reasoning. It set the stage for freedom in America and the Declaration of Independence. The miracle of America was built upon the foundation of all of these priceless documents and all that they represent. Alexis de Touqueville, reflected on this miracle, as he studied America in the 19th Century. He said
“I sought for the key to the greatness and genius of America in her harbors… in her fertile fields and boundless forests; in her rich mines and vast world commerce; in her public school system and institutions of learning. I sought for it in her democratic Congress and in her matchless Constitution. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”
This is our watch. If we as godly citizens will move from passivity to action, we can save ourselves, our children and grandchildren from untold misery. It is time to study, act and stand.
Marshall Foster, President of the World History Institute, is an accomplished and engaging public speaker who tirelessly tells the story of the Providential Hand of God in history toward the establishing of His Kingdom.
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