George Washington: “An Instrument in the Hands of Providence”

By Stephen McDowell

George Washington is one of the most significant men in all of history. Regarding the direct advancement of civil and political liberty in the earth, he may well be the most significant champion in all history. Certainly he was the central figure of bringing a new era of liberty to the world in modern times. Abraham Lincoln
observed:

Washington is the mightiest name of earth — long since mightiest in the cause of civil liberty, still mightiest in moral reformation. On that name no eulogy is expected. It cannot be. To add brightness to the sun or glory to the name of Washington is alike impossible. Let none attempt it.1

Founding Father Fisher Ames said that Washington changed the standard of human greatness.2 One biographer wrote, “Washington was without an equal, was unquestionably the greatest man that the world has produced in the last one thousand years.”3 Thomas Paine observed: “By common consent, Washington is regarded as not merely the Hero of the American Revolution, but the World’s Apostle of Liberty.”4

A figure in history like Washington did not just arise by happenstance. It was the near unanimous consent of early Americans that Washington, like Esther of old, had “come to the Kingdom for such a time as this.”

After Washington’s death hundreds of commemorative orations were given all over the United States.  Nearly all of them declare that Washington was a gift of God to the American people and to all of mankind. Some mention this in passing, many with this as the dominant theme. Washington is called the Moses of the American people, the Joshua who led his people into the promised land, and the savior of his country.

In his sermon “On the Death of George Washington,” Rev. Jedidiah Morse concluded his comparison of Moses and Washington by saying:

Never, perhaps, were coincidences in character and fortune, between any two illustrious men who have lived, so numerous and so striking, as between Moses and Washington. . . Both were born for great and similar achievements; to deliver, under the guidance of Providence, each the tribes of their respective countrymen, from the yoke of oppression, and to establish them, with the best form of government and the wisest code of laws, an independent and respectable nation.5

General Morgan, who fought alongside Washington during the Revolutionary War, acknowledged that Washington was key for obtaining independence, relating that while there were many officers with great talents, he was “necessary, to guide, direct, and animate the whole, and it pleased Almighty God to send that one in the person of George Washington!”6

President Calvin Coolidge summed up Washington’s contribution to mankind, under the Providence of God, in a speech to Congress:

Washington was the directing spirit without which there would have been no independence, no Union, no Constitution and no Republic. His ways were the ways of truth. His influence grows. In wisdom of action, in purity of character he stands alone. We cannot yet estimate him. We can only indicate our reverence for him and thank the Divine Providence which sent him to serve and inspire his fellow men.7

Washington’s contribution to the birth of America and the advancement of liberty in the world is unsurpassed by any man. Without Washington, America would not have won the Revolution. He provided the leadership necessary to hold the troops together, even in the most difficult situations. As one contemporary observed, Washington was “that hero, who affected, with little bloodshed, the greatest revolution in history.”8 Due to Washington’s influence, America avoided a monarchy or military rule — he rebuffed an attempt to make him King; he thwarted a military coup; and he set an example of civilian rule by resigning as Commander-in-Chief. The Constitutional Convention would not have succeeded without Washington’s influence as President of that body. America may never have set into motion her constitutional form of government, with a limited role of the President, without his example, for the unanimously elected Washington modeled how the President was to govern. Washington also set the standard for American international relations in his Farewell Address.

There would be no America, the land of liberty, without Washington, the apostle of liberty. The unique freedom, justice, and virtue incorporated into the American Republic have in the last two centuries spread throughout the world and taken root in many nations. Hence, Washington’s legacy has impacted the world, and will continue to do so for centuries to come.

His greatness did not stem from oratorical skills or superior knowledge or brilliant military tactics, but rather from his strong virtues, sense of duty, and invincible resolution. When he was offered leadership of the army and leadership of the nation, he expressed doubts in his abilities to accomplish these tasks, but once he occupied those positions, nothing could stop him from performing his duty. By sheer force of character he held the disorganized nation together during the great struggle for independence, and after victory was won, the love of the people for him provided the unifying factor necessary to set a course for the American constitutional republic.

The providence of God and Washington’s Christian faith were key to his character, career, and accomplishments. His faith, heart, and humility are revealed in the “Circular to the Governors of the states” in 1783 when he prayed that God would protect them and “most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind, which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy nation.”9

In his famous “Oration on the Death of General Washington,” Gen. Henry Lee said that Washington was “first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.” “Vice shuddered in his presence, and virtue always felt his fostering hand; the purity of his private character gave effulgence to his public virtues.”

Washington was first because, as Lee said, he was “the man designed by Heaven to lead in the great political, as well as military, events which have distinguished the area of his life. The finger of an overruling Providence pointing at Washington was neither mistaken nor unobserved.”10

Washington himself had a sense of how God used him providentially to advance the cause of liberty to mankind as well as an understanding of the providential purpose of America, writing in March 1785:

At best I have only been an instrument in the hands of Providence, to effect, with the aid of France and many virtuous fellow Citizens of America, a revolution which is interesting to the general liberties of mankind, and to the emancipation of a country which may afford an Asylum, if we are wise enough to pursue the paths witch lead to virtue and happiness, to the oppressed and needy of the Earth.11

America set in motion a new example of religious, civil, and economic liberty that the nations have attempted to embrace during the last two centuries. The advancement of liberty in the world is directly related to the establishment of liberty in America, which owes its beginnings in large part to George Washington. Paine’s epithet of “World’s Apostle of Liberty” is, therefore, most fitting. Americans and citizens of the world who value liberty must forever keep alive in their hearts this great man and seek to follow his example.

This article is taken from Apostle of Liberty: The World-Changing Leadership of George Washington by Stephen McDowell, which can be found on Jerry's Bookshelf.

End Notes

1. Lucretia Perry Osborn, Washington Speaks for Himself (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1927), xi.
2. Works of Fisher Ames, as published by Seth Ames (1854), edited and enlarged by W.B. Allen, vol.1 (Indianapolis: Liberty Classics, 1983), 527.
3. William Wilbur, The Making of George Washington (DeLand, Florida: Patriotic Education, 1973).
4. “George Washington: Deist? Freemason? Christian?” by James Renwick Manship, in Providential Perspective, Vol. 15, No. 1, Feb. 2000, Charlottesville: Providence Foundation.
5. Jedidiah Morse, “A Prayer and Sermon, Delivered at Charlestown, December 31, 1799, On the Death of George Washington . . . With an Additional Sketch of His Life” (London: Printed by J. Bateson, 1800), 28.
6. Recollections and Private Memoirs of the Life and Character of Washington by George Washington Parke Custis, Benson J. Lossing, editor, (Philadelphia: Englewood, 1859), 322.
7. Osborn, p. iv. A facsimile of the peroration of President Coolidge’s Address to the Sixty-ninth Congress, Second Session, on Washington’s Birthday, February 22, 1927.
8. Letter of Dr. Letsom of London to a friend in Boston, in E. C. M’Guire, The Religious Opinions and Character of Washington (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1836), 326.
9. Circular to the States, June 8, 1783, The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources, 1745-1799, John C. Fitzpatrick, Editor (Washington: United States Government Printing Office, 1931), 26:496.
10. “Oration on the Death of General Washington, Pronounced before Both Houses of Congress, on December 16, 1799” by Major- General Henry Lee, in Custis, 622, 618-619.
11. Letter to Lucretia Wilhemina Van Winter, March 30, 1785, The Writings of George Washington, 28:120.

George Washington and His love of American Liberty

I claim [George Washington] for America . . . To him who denies or doubts whether [America’s] fervid liberty can be combined with law, with order, with the security of property, with the pursuits and advancement of happiness; to him who denies that our forms of government are capable of producing exaltation of soul, and the passion of true glory; to him who denies that we have contributed anything to the stock of great lessons and great examples;—to all these I reply by pointing to Washington! —Daniel Webster, "Address on the Completion of Bunker Hill Monument,"

Quoted in Verna Hall's The Christian History of the Constitution of the United States of America, Vol. I. Christian Self-Government, p. 416.

Today, in light of current events, we now understand first hand how fragile individual liberty, protection of private property, and justice are.  Below is a brief example from older and original sources of the extraordinary character some have called the American Moses.  Numbers of historians have commented that if George Washington had desired to be king, he easily could have been.  Rather, he became irate at the notion.  Liberty had come far too hard, with far too much sacrifice to squander it so.  Please be patient with the archaic language in the two excerpts below to see in yet another way, just how great the Father of Our Country truly was.—editor


By this time the canonization of Washington had fairly begun…It is possible he might have had a crown if he had even been willing. The army, at the end of the war, was justly dissatisfied with its treatment. The officers were called to meet at Newburgh, and it was the avowed purpose of the leaders of the movement that the army should march westward, appropriate vacant lands, leave Congress to negotiate for peace without an army, and "monk at their calamity and laugh when their fear cometh." It was the less publicly avowed purpose to make their commander-chief king if he could be persuaded to aid in establishing a monarchy. Washington put a summary stop to the whole proceeding. Their letter to him detailed the weakness of a republican form of government as they had experienced it, their desire for "a mixed government," with him at its head, and their belief that "the title of king" would be objectionable to few and of material advantage to the country. His reply was peremptory, and even angry. He stated in plain terms his abhorrence of the proposal; he was at a loss to conceive what part of his conduct could have encouraged their address; they could not have found "a person to whom their schemes were more disagreeable;" and he threatened them with exposure unless the affair was stopped at once. His influence, and that alone, secured the quiet disbanding of the discontented army. His influence was as powerful after he had retired to Mount Vernon as before his resignation. He was in constant correspondence with public men in every part of the country. He received from them such a store of suggestions as came to no other man, digested it, and was able from it to speak with what seemed infallible wisdom. In the midst of his voluminous correspondence, the minute details in his diaries of tree-planting and rotation of crops, and his increasing reading on the political side of history, he found time for a stream of visitors. Among these, in March 1785, were the commissioners from Virginia and Maryland, who met at Alexandria to form a commercial code for Chesapeake Bay, and made an opportunity to visit Mount Vernon. From that moment the current of events, leading into the Annapolis convention of 1786 and the final convention of the next year, shows Washington’s close supervision at every point.

From the Encyclopaedia Britannica, 9th Edition (1875)
and 10th Edition (1902). 1902: “The above article was written by Alexander Johnston; Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Economy at Princeton College, New Jersey; author of A History of American Politics, The Genesis of a New England State, The United States: Its History and Constitution.”:

(http://www.1902encyclopedia.com/W/WAS/george-washington.html)

"Newburg, 22 May, 1782.

"SIR,

"With a mixture of great surprise and astonishment, I have read with attention the sentiments you have submitted to my perusal. Be assured, Sir, no occurrence in the course of the war has given me more painful sensations, than your information of there being such ideas existing in the army, as you have expressed, and I must view with abhorrence and reprehend with severity. For the present the communication of them will rest in my own bosom, unless some further agitation of the matter shall make a disclosure necessary.

"I am much at a loss to conceive what part of my conduct could have given encouragement to an address, which to me seems big with the greatest mischiefs, that can befall my country. If I am not deceived in the knowledge of myself, you could not have found a person to whom your schemes are more disagreeable. At the same time, in justice to my own feelings, I must add, that no man possesses a more sincere wish to see ample justice done to the army than I do; and, as far as my powers and influence, in a constitutional way, extend, they shall be employed to the utmost of my abilities to effect it, should there be any occasion. Let me conjure you, then, if you have any regard for your country, concern for yourself or posterity, or respect for me, to banish these thoughts from your mind, and never communicate, as from yourself or any one else, a sentiment of the like nature.

"I am, Sir, &,c.

"George Washington."

Such was the language of Washington, when, at the head of his army and at the height of his power and popularity, it was proposed to him to become a king. After this indignant reply and stern rebuke, it is not probable that any further advances were made to him on the subject.

From Sparks, The Writings of George Washington, Volume 1, The Life of Washington, pp. 382-383.

The Bulletproof George Washington

Thank you to James Rose, American Christian History Institute, for this article (book available from David Barton's Wallbuilder) about The Bulletproof George Washington:

The Bulletproof George Washington

George Washington's part in the July 9th, 1755, battle during the French and Indian War is indisputably one of the most significant events of his early years: his life literally hung in the balance for over two hours. This dramatic event helped shape his character and confirm God's call on him.

During the two-hour battle, the 23 year-old Colonel Washington had ridden to and fro on the battlefield, delivering the general's orders to other officers and troops. The officers had been a special target for the Indians. Of the eighty-six British and American officers, sixty-three were casualties. Washington was the only officer on horseback not shot down.

Following the battle, Washington wrote a letter to his brother in which he readily and openly acknowledged:

"By the all-powerful dispensations of Providence, I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectation; for I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet [I] escaped unhurt, although death was leveling my companions on every side of me!"

Fifteen years later, an old, respected Indian chief sought out Washington. The chief, explaining that he had led the Indians against them in the battle fifteen years earlier, revealed to Washington what had occurred behind the scenes during the conflict:

"I called to my young men and said, mark yon tall and daring warrior [Washington]? ...Himself is alone exposed. Quick, let your aim be certain, and he dies. Our rifles were leveled, rifles which, but for you, knew not how to miss--'twas all in vain, a power mightier far than we shielded you. Seeing you were under the special guardianship of the Great Spirit, we immediately ceased to fire at you...I am come to pay homage to the man who is the particular favorite of Heaven, and who can never die in battle."

This account of God's miraculous care of Washington and of Washington's open gratitude for God's Divine intervention could be found in virtually all student textbooks until 1934; today, few have ever heard it. Through The Bulletproof George Washington some of our lost history is being returned to the forefront where it belongs! (This work includes many of the original illustrations used in the early texts).

After reading this account you will have a greater appreciation for the Father of our Country and a profound awe of the manner in which God sovereignly preserved him for the important task of helping bring forth, guide, and establish this great nation. May this account once again become widely celebrated throughout America!

(Barton, Charles David, The Bulletproof George Washington, Wallbuilder Press, Aug. 1990).

Father of Our Country - George Washington

George Washington is known affectionately as "The Father of Our Country" and rightly so!  According to David Barton of Wallbuilders: "Probably no individual outside of Jesus Christ had a greater impact on American life and culture.  As President Calvin Coolidge acknowledged nearly a century ago:

"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."

Richard Henry Lee proclaimed after Washington's death at the end of the 18th century: George Washington was -- "First in War, First in Peace, and First in the hearts of his Countrymen." 

Today marks George Washington's 276th birthday.  

Dr. D. James Kennedy said of this American hero: "His character was the wonder of the world. Not even his most relentless foes of the Revolutionary War could denigrate his character. But what gave rise to such amazing character? For starters, his parents, both dedicated Christians, raised him in a godly home.  His father taught him to be unselfish, to love the truth, and to worship God.  Hids mother helped him develop his prayer life.  As an adult he carried on these good disciplines..... Washington spent his mornings and evenings reading Scripture and in prayer. Every day he maintained a consistent devotional life, seeking God's guidance.  As Washington led our country, he never once trusted in his character to guide him; he trusted in Jesus Christ, the only perfect person who ever lived..... As good heroes do, Washington provided us a good example of a faithful Christian."

Happy Birthday on PRESIDENTS DAY to WASHINGTON and LINCOLN

Dear Friends, we honor past presidents of the U.S.A. - all of them but particularly George Washington, the Father of the Country (my favorite, my hero), and also Abraham Lincoln (although he certainly was the first of the big-government interventionist presidents).  I have some furthering comments and quotations from these astute gentlemen of past years, our former Presidents, at the end, but initially, please enjoy.

George Washington: "You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all the religion of Jesus Christ.'' (to the Delaware Indian Chiefs on Aug 12, 1779)

"It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God,. to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits , and humbly to implore his protection and favor… beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether inpublic or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed” (Thanks giving Proclamation, October 3, 1789)

Abraham Lincoln: "In regard to this Great Book (The Bible), I have but to say, it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated through this book. But for it, we would not know right from wrong." (Lincoln farewell at Springfield, II, February 11, 1861)

The following is from “Apostle of Liberty: The World-Changing Leadership of George Washington” by Stephen McDowell in the Leaders In Action book series. McDowell is a friend and co-founder of The Providence Foundation (see “links” page). This book is available by contacting them, or Nordskog Publishing. Highly recommended!

“George Washington is one of the most significant men in all of history. When it comes to the advancement of liberty, he may well be the most significant. His contemporaries acknowledged God’s hand in his selection as commander of the Continental army and later as president, believing that, without him, America would not have prevailed in the Revolution or prospered as a new nation founded in liberty.

“He provided the leadership to hold the troops together during the Revolutionary War, and once the war was won, he rebuffed an attempt to make him king of the United States, thereby preventing a monarchy or military rule.

“Apostle of Liberty: The World-Changing Leadership of George Washington is a biography of the great man, but in truth it is more than a mere biography. It also looks at his unique qualities as a leader and how those qualities marked him as a leader among leaders. In doing so, it reveals a man whose greatness did not stem from oratorical skills, superior knowledge, or brilliant military tactics, but rather from virtue.

“He understood his duty and his proper role, and he pursued them with invincible resolution. Largely, this was due to his belief that God in His providence had chose him to lead the new nation — founded on civil, religious, and economic liberty — and that the experiment that had begun under his leadership as president of the Constitutional Convention and was successful under his leadership in battle would also prosper under his leadership and change the world if given the opportunity to succeed.”

Following are further excerpts from President Abraham Lincoln’s March 30, 1863 Proclamation during the dark days of the Civil War (un-civil that is) in which he declared national days of fasting and prayer. Lincoln was following a practice that had been followed throughout the American experiment by its Founding Fathers, and he is to be commended for his coming to faith in Christ, as he admitted, at the time of his famous Gettysburg Address:

“It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.

“...We have been recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown; but we have forgotten God.

“...It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.”

National Thanksgiving Under Washington's Administration

A resolution was adopted in the House of Representatives, September 25, 1789, in the following words-

On motion-
Resolved, 'That a joint committee of both Houses be directed to wait upon the President of the United States to request that he would recommend to the people of the United States a day of thanksgiving, and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with gratefud hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a constitution of government for their safety and happiness.

Ordered, That Mr. Boudinot, Mr. Sherman, and Mr. Silvester be of the said committee on the part of this House.

Concurred in by the Senate the same day.

Washington, as President of the United States, on the 3d day of October, 1789, issued a proclamation, in pursuance of the above proceedings of Congress, which my be found on page 275 of this volume.

The following proclamation, by Washington, was made, without special authority from Congress, in view of the suppression of the rebellion in Western Pennsylvania in 1795, which for a time threatened the safety of the Union. It is invested with new and profound interest in view of the great Southern rebellion of 1863, and is a striking evidence o f the prophetic vision of Washington, foreboding good or ill to the nation according to its adherence to, or departure
from, the principles of order, morality, and piety.

A PROCLAMATION
When we review the calamities which afflict so many other nations, the present condition of the United States affords much of consolation and satisfaction. Our exemption hitherto from foreign war, an increasing prospect of the continuance of that exemption, the great degree of internal tranquillity we have enjoyed, the recent confirmation of that tranquillity by the suppression of an insurrection which so wantonly threatened it, the happy course of our public affairs in general, the unexampled prosperity of all classes of our citizens, are circumstances which peculiarly mark our situation with indications of the Divine beneficence towards us. In such a state, it is in an especial manner our duty as a people, with devout
reverence and affectionate gratitude, to acknowledge our many and great obligations to Almighty God, and to implore him to continue and confirm the blessings we experience.

Deeply penetrated with this sentiment, I, George Washington, President of the United States, do recommend to all religious societies and denominations, and to all persons whomsoever within the United States, to set apart and observe Thursday, the 19th day of February next, as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, and on that day to meet together and render their sincere thanks to the Great Ruler of nations for the manifold and signal mercies which distinguish our lot as a nation, particularly for the possession of constitutions of government which unite, and by their union establish, liberty with order; for the presenation of our peace, foreign and domestic; for the seasonable control which has been given to a spirit of disorder in the suppression of the late insurrection; and, generally, for the prosperous course of our affairs, public and private, and at the same time humbly and fervently to beseech the kind Author of these blessings graciously to prolong them to us; to imprint on our hearts a deep and solemn sense of our obligations to him for them; to teach us rightly to estimate their immense value; to preserve us from the arrogance of prosperity, and from hazarding the advantage we enjoy by delusive pursuits; to dispose us to inherit the continuance of his favors by not abusing them, by our gratitude for them, and by a corresponding conduct as citizens and as men, to render this country more and more a safe and propitious asylum for the unfortunate of other countries, to extend among us true and useful knowledge; to diffuse and establish habits of sobriety, order, morality, and piety; and, finally, to impart all the blessings we possess, or ask for ourselves, to the whole family of mankind.

In testimony whereof, I have caused tl-te seal of the United States of America to be affixed to these presents, and signed the same with my hand. Done at the city of Philadelphia, the first day of January, one thousand seven hundred and ninetyfive, and of the independence of the United States of America the nineteenth.

G. Washington