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"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman."
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Note:
In years following the American Revolution, Thomas Paine essentially rejected Christian faith. As skilled as he was at inspiring men to stand in natural battle, Paine apparently did not recognize the spiritual assault that comes in the form of human pride and natural reason. I hope he recognized the crisis of his own soul and came back to common sense. Let us take heed when we think we stand, lest we fall.
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Libation #199:
Summer Soldiers
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In 1776, Thomas Paine's writings (which included the pamphlets, Common Sense and The American Crisis) inspired the continental army to fight on and win in the face of what seemed like impossible odds. So valuable were these writings that John Adams said, "Without the pen of the author of Common Sense, the sword of Washington would have been raised in vain." The quote used for this Libation, along with its context, is so inspiring and applicable to today, that I must include more of it here. "These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated. ... By perseverance and fortitude we have the prospect of a glorious issue; by cowardice and submission, the sad choice of a variety of evils..." Paine's words clearly reflect biblical values, thus revealing why his comments are timeless in their truth and application. But we we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul. -Heb 10:39 Our nation is once again in crisis. We must not be summer soldiers or sunshine patriots when it comes to our stand for Christian values in our culture.
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