Price They Paid

"A page of history is worth a volume of logic."
--Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the
Declaration of Independence?

• Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.
  

• Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.

• Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary Army, another had two sons captured.
  

• Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or the hardships of the Revolutionary War.
  

What kind of men were they? Here are some examples.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships
swept from the seas by the British navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

At the Battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis, had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. The owner urged General George Washington to open fire. His home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his grist mill were laid waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later
he died from exhaustion and a broken heart.

How Does This Apply to Our Lives?

Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. Men and their families who had security and material possessions, but who valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight and unwavering, they pledged:

"For the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of the Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

Do you have the same resolve to stand up for your beliefs? Many Christian men and women do. The March-April 1997 issue of Light, a publication of the Southern Baptist Convention, contains this sentence:"More people have died for their faith in the 20th century than in the previous 19 centuries combined." That sentence is in a review of In the Lion's Den, a book that details international persecution and martyrdom of Christians. Yes, evangelicals laying down their lives in places like China or Sudan for Jesus Christ.

This one page about American history, and that one sentence about the sacrifices of fellow Christians, should help us overcome any fears or hesitation about standing up for righteousness, and for our Lord.

In your own way, do what God expects and follow these examples. Great will be your reward.

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong."
1 Corinthians 16:13