STORIES OF REVOLUTIONARY WAR SOLDIERS

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Thomas Paine

" Thomas Paine commenced his eventful life in England in 1737. He pursued the business of stay maker for some time in London, then went to sea in a British privateer, and was subsequently an excise man and a grocer. On learning the situation of the American Colonies from Franklin he became deeply interested in their behalf and came to this country in 1775 when his intellectual powers suddenly burst into a blaze of light. His vigorous essays and eloquent speeches in favor of American Independence did much towards consummating that glorious event. Had he published or said nothing against that religion which is held sacred by the great mass of our nation he would have remained as he was at first one of the most popular political men of that time. If professing Christians all honored the religion of the cross infidelity would be robbed of its richest aliment. Hypocrites, degenerate and lukewarm church members, bigoted sectarians, dogmatical dictators, deluded fanatics are all caterers for infidelity. The editor of the Cottage Bible remarks in commenting on the 19th chap, of Judges: "More inhumanity and villany may be found among degenerate professors of Christianity than among infidels and in general where we expect the most kindness we meet with the greatest injuries." This remark is painfully true but is not an argument against primitive Christianity. If we had no pure coin or solvent banks, counterfeit notes and bogus money could not be circulated. If Christianity was not essentially good, hypocrites would be left without a motive to profess it. Aside from the question of its divine origin, as a system of social order as the foundation of rational liberty and moral rectitude as a system imparting the greatest amount of happiness to the greatest number, it rises sublimely above all others. This is conceded by the ablest infidel writers. I refer to primitive Christianity as taught and practised by the immaculate Redeemer and his disciples. As this is not, cannot be denied, common sense dictates that all should practice at least its moral precepts if only upon the ground of self preservation and interest which are ever dependent upon social order and good government. Thomas Paine took an active part in the French Revolution was a member of the National Assembly, incurred the displeasure of Robespierre who fled to escape the guillotine, returned to America and died in the city of New York in 1809 not in a quiescent state of mind."

Source: The Sages and Heroes of the American Revolution by L. Carroll Judson