I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of Hosts is all that is left us!... Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destines of nations; and who will raise up friends to fight our cause. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave… Gentlemen may cry peace, peace – but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it. Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!
Patrick Henry, The Sabbath in Puritan New England by Alice Morse Ealre (New York: Scribner’s Sons, 1891) p.79 as quoted in One Nation Under God: The History of Prayer in America by James P. Moore, Jr. Doubleday, 2005. p.55
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