America’s Godly Heritage Part 5 by David Barton

As word of God’s Divine protection of Washington spread across the colonies, the Rev. Samuel Davies even referred to the incident in a sermon only a few weeks after the momentous battle. (Davies was a leader in the American revival known as the Great Awakening and was considered the greatest pulpit preacher in America.) Significantly, the devastating defeat of the British troops left American settlers on the frontier completely unprotected. They therefore banded together into volunteer military companies to defend their homes  

the rev. samuel davies

against impending French and Indian attack; the special sermon by the Rev. Davies was delivered to a group of these citizens just before they marched out. In that sermon, Davies told the brave volunteers:

He [God] that sent out Paul nations with the gentler weapons of plain truth, miracles, and the love of a crucified Savior, He – even that same Gracious Power – has formed and raised up . . . a William and a Marlborough [courageous military leaders in English history] and inspired them with this enterprising, intrepid [courageous] spirit . . . to save nations on the brink of ruin. . . . Our continent is like[ly] to become the seat of war, and we, for the future . . . have no other way left to defend our rights and privileges. And has God been pleased to diffuse some sparks of this martial [military] fire through our country? I hope He has; and . . . may I not produce you – my brethren who are engaged in this expedition – as instances of it? As a remarkable instance of this, I may point out to the public that heroic youth Col. Washington, whom I cannot but hope Providence has hitherto preserved in so signal [remarkable] a manner for some important service to his country.  

Davies’ expectant hope for the young Washington proved to be quite accurate. Twenty years later, it was apparent that God definitely had selected Washington for an “important service to his country,” and the entire nation has benefited as a result. In fact, nearly two centuries later President Calvin Coolidge confirmed: 

He [Washington] was the directing spirit without which there would have been no independence, no Union, no Constitution, and no Republic. . . . We cannot yet estimate him. We can only indicate our reverence for him and thank the Divine Providence which kept him to serve and inspire his fellow man.

Significantly, Washington himself recognized that the critical role he had played in America’s formation was not the result of his own skills but rather the favor of God. As he openly acknowledged, “I have only been an instrument in the hands of Providence.”  

Additional evidence of just how miraculous had been Washington’s preservation in 1755 was provided fifteen years later in 1770 when Washington had occasion to return to the same Pennsylvania woods where he had earlier battled the French and Indians. An old Indian chief, hearing that Washington had come back to that area, traveled to meet with him. The ancient leather-faced chief sat down with him over a council fire and announced that he had been a leader in the battle against Washington fifteen years earlier.

The chief recounted that during the battle, he had instructed his braves to single out the officers and shoot them down, knowing that if they could slaughter the officers, they could scatter the remaining troops and then easily destroy them later. Like the other officers, Washington had been specifically singled out. In fact, the chief proudly explained that his rifle had never before been known to miss, but after having personally fired at Washington seventeen different times without effect, he concluded that Washington was under the care of the Great Spirit and therefore instructed his braves to stop firing at him. He then told Washington:

I have traveled a long and weary path that I might see the young warrior of the great battle. 27 [I am] come to pay homage to the man who is the particular favorite of Heaven, and who [can] never die in battle.  This remarkable account of God’s direct intervention in the life of one of our national heroes appeared in American history textbooks for nearly a century and a half; it is a well-documented part of our Godly heritage but is an account virtually unknown today. In fact, now we are regularly told just the opposite – that America had no Godly heritage and that our Founding Fathers were atheists, agnostics, and deists who formed a completely secular government. However, a clear pronouncement by Founding Father John Adams proves otherwise. Adams forcefully declared:

The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were . . . the general principles of Christianity. 29 Founding Fathers such as John Adams emphatically refute the claims of today’s secularists and revisionists.  Furthermore, abundant documentary evidence proves that the general principles of Christianity were indeed firmly embraced by the vast majority of our Founding Fathers, and that those principles formed the foundation of American government. In fact, in addition to the proof that is readily evident in the Founders’ own writings and public acts, additional confirmation is also found in what many today might consider a surprising source: the publications of the American Tract Society. That organization, noted for publishing Gospel tracts and literature, was formed in the early 1800s; and significantly, several of its published tracts were penned by famous Founding Fathers.

Yet, considering the educational system and textbooks that produced our great Founding Fathers, it is not surprising that so many were Christians and were outspoken about the importance of Christian principles in American government.