The
Constitution of the United States
A Chronology of Christian
Constitutionalism in the British Isles
|
(hardback 1060 pages) |
|
For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will
beautify the meek with salvation. Let the saints be joyful
in glory, let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the
high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged
sword in their hand. To execute vengeance upon the
heathen, and punishments upon the people; To bind their
kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron.
To execute upon them the judgment written: this honor have
all his saints. Praise ye the LORD. - Psalm149:4 – 9.
1215: Magna Charta, the Great Charter of English Liberty
is forced upon the tyrant King John of England. Lead by
clergyman Stephan Langdon, the nobility take their stand
at the plain at Runnymede forcing the king to acquiesce or
fight the nobility of his own kingdom.
1297: The Confirmatio Cartarum – The Great Charter is
reconfirmed and in so doing brings a clear beginning to
the rise of legislative authority in the Parliament of
England.
1370s: The Lollards, men trained to preach by John
Wycliffe, begin spreading the Word of God throughout the
British Isles and eventually, throughout all of Europe.
Wycliffe, their teacher, had also begun the process of
producing an English Bible so the Word could be read and
studied in the native tongue of the people. His Lollards
finished his task. The Lollards as preachers would impact
the people of Bohemia, leading to a general reformation of
the churches there as well in the 1400s. John Huss,
martyred for the Gospel, was very much influenced by the
writings of Wycliffe.
1525: Tyndale produces his New Testament. The Bible is
again back in the language of the people.
 1530s: Preaching of Huge Latimer, Nicholas Ridley, and
many others initiates the movement among Protestants which
becomes the Puritan movement in England. The Puritans were
so named because they wished to see the Anglican state
church purified and reformed according to the tenets of
the Word of God.
1560s -1601: Puritanism becomes an ecclesiastical power,
moving English society in many ways in its call to
repentance.
1560s- 1570s: John Knox leads in a Reformation of the
Scottish people. The Reformation of Scotland shatters
darkness in that realm and gives English Puritanism its
impetus for powerful social and constitutional change. The
powerful implications of “covenant” are heralded in Knox’s
preaching. For Knox ‘covenant’ meant all things are to be
subordinated beneath the authority of King Jesus.
1570s -1603: Policy of Queen Elizabeth I is to oppose
innovations in the Anglican Church, over which she is the
titular head. Puritanism grows much stronger in its
opposition to her church policies. Her religious policies
exasperate the Puritans who call for biblical reform and
preaching in the churches. Puritan opposition grows
steadily during this era.
1604: Hampton Court conference: Puritan ministers appeal
to King James I for the reform of the English churches.
They ask for an end of bishops and other :High Church”
practices marking Medieval customs. He refuses,
recognizing the bishops are his key to controlling the
English churches and their pulpits. His expression
summarizes the point; “No bishop. No king.” In other
words, with centralized government – heavy bureaucracy
with monarchy – comes the need of the tyrant for control
of the churches through centralization. He refuses reform.
He remarks of the Puritans, “I will make them conform or I
will harry them out of the land!” Persecution begins under
the Stuart kings with this declaration. Puritans are often
fined, jailed or worse. Often puritan preaching is met
with tongue being awled, ears cut off, and noses split as
a means of terrorizing the Puritans into conforming. This
was the first issue to really stir the idea that reform of
church always leads to reform in government.
1605: Gunpowder Plot to destroy Parliament is uncovered.
Ostensible design was to bring chaos to the realm. The
real design was to bring about an excuse for martial law,
giving the King (James I) real reason to declare the rule
of the monarch as the rule of the realm (Rex, Lex).
1607 ff: Great conflicts of the Monarch and Lord Coke who,
as chief justice of the realm, subjected the kings laws to
the scrutiny of Magna Charta and the historic rights of
Englishmen. His decisions against the Kings desires got
him removed from office. In essence, Coke was establishing
the principle of judicial review, though without leading
the courts into “judicial enactment of law” as modern
courts do too often.
1620: The Pilgrims settle and begin colonizing in
Massachusetts. They take the Mayflower Compact (Covenant),
in which they pledge to raise up a civil body politic
based upon the teaching of the Scriptures by the Church
and the development of civil government upon biblical
precept. Their experiment in creating a society and
government with the Laws of the Lord is so successful that
over 40,000 Puritans emigrate from England to settle in
the new colony.
1628: The Petition of Right (“2nd Magna Charta”) and its
Resolutions of Eliot is placed by Parliament before the
King, Charles I Stuart. The Petition of Right calls for
several issues to be addressed: 1) A return to Catholicism
or other heresies is to be forbidden to the churches in
England. This resolution, one of three introduced by
Puritan John Eliot in 1629, is the beginning of a movement
away from a State- Church as it would defrock the King’s
Church authority, reforms, position and theological
prejudices. 2) Petition called for an end to taxes
repugnant to Parliament and, if passed without its
consent, declared treasonous to the realm. 3) It declared
that whoever paid such taxes would be deemed a betrayer of
the liberties of England. 4) The Petition reinforced the
historic Magna Charta in its provisions of liberty. 5) No
soldiers were to be billeted in private homes. 6) No
martial law in peace times. 7) No imprisonment unless upon
a specified charge. Where Elizabeth I had created
ecclesiastical opposition, and King James I political
opposition, King Charles I had, by his policies, united
both in opposition to his throne.
1629: King Charles I disbanded Parliament and attempted to
rule England without a Parliament for 11 years.
1630: The Puritans who emigrated to New England create
“The Covenant” in Massachusetts, a document whereby they
swear to be governed by the Word of God.
1636-7: The Fundamental Order of Connecticut is written as
the Constitution of a new Puritan colony. The Fundamental
Order was based in precept upon a sermon preached by
Thomas Hooker in which he preached from Deuteronomy 1:
13-17 in which he established several principles: 1)
Representative government was endorsed in Scripture. 2)
Direct election of civil magistrates by the families of a
commonwealth was a mandate and responsibility by which God
holds a people responsible for their magistrates. 3)
Representative government establishes liberty and justice
as its twin goals, alongside proper and godly rule. 4)
Tyranny is repugnant to God and tyranny can be thwarted by
properly structured civil government. 5) The Word of God
gives all other legitimate governments their derived
authority in church, family, and state. 6) Man is to be
ruled by law (Lex Rex, “The Law is King”) as opposed to
Rex, Lex (The King is law.”). This terminology is not in
Hooker’s sermons, but its theme is and the terminology had
been developing within Puritan theology. 7) Civil
magistrates are to meet the qualifications of character
and wisdom in the law of Deuteronomy 1. They are not to be
novices but men known for their wisdom and good works. 8)
Law is ultimately bound to the Laws of God. 9) God’s glory
is the ultimate goal of civil government. 10)
1637: The Scots declare themselves bound by a “Solemn
League and Covenant” (hence, Covenanters) for the defense
of their faith against the tyranny imposed by agents of
Charles I. They abolish the office of bishop throughout
Scotland, replacing it with eldership (Presbyterian
government).
1639: First Bishops War is undertaken by the Scots who
threaten invasion against England unless the King
guarantee their religious and civil freedoms.
1640: Second Bishops War by which Charles is forced to pay
the Scots army and an indemnity.
1640: Short Parliament of Charles I who demands money for
the realm. Parliament responds with demands for guarantees
for civil and religious liberty. Charles disbands
parliament without getting his money problems solved. John
Pym is the leading voice in Parliament.
1641: The Long Parliament is called by Charles I who asks
for money from the nation. In return for money, Parliament
demanded and received these acts for the nation: 1)
Strafford and Archbishop Laud, tyrannical agents of the
King in matters civil (Strafford) and ecclesiastical
(Laud), were impeached. Strafford was executed for
treason. Laud would later come to the same end.
1641: Abolition of Star Chamber and Court of High
Commission: These tyrannical courts had a long history of
brutally applying the King’s laws unto seizure of goods
and property (Hampton lost goods, fines, and ship from
such penalties), jail (Eliot died in the Tower of exposure
from such a sentence), torture, and death.
1642-1648: Two English Civil Wars by which the House of
Commons of Parliament became the dominant power in England
(though for a time, Cromwell ruled the land due to the
inability of Parliamentarians to form a constitution as
requested repeatedly by him). A Third Civil War would also
be fought later
1649: The Open Trial, Sentencing and Execution of the King
of England, Charles I on multiple charges of treason
against his own people. Abundance of evidence in court was
produced that Charles had been conspiring with other
countries to aid him by invading England and overturning
the rule of Parliament. In addition, the evidence showed
the King to deliberately violated the laws of the realm
(Petition of Right which he signed in 1628 and Magna
Charta). The King’s execution sent shock waves throughout
Europe as the Puritans demonstrated the Rule of Law as
opposed to the ambiguous rule by the whims of men.
1649- 1660: The Commonwealth of England. Ruled by
Cromwell, the people of England began to enjoy peace and
their trade prospered oversees. Their navy became powerful
during this era. Cromwell refused to take the royal
purple. Thus, his reign, though benevolent, did not bring
to England a constitution which he longed for Parliament
to create. Cromwell died in 1658.
1661: Despite promises to the Presbyterians that he would
allow their free worship if they helped him to the throne,
Charles II instituted Non-Conformity laws against
Presbyterians and Puritans alike, jailing many and driving
many ministers from their churches.
1679: The Habeas Corpus Act: 1) Judges must issue a writ
demanding the jailor produce the person for trial. 2)
Jailor must show cause for imprisonment. 3) Set time for
indictments and trials. 4) No person once set free on an
order of a court could by imprisoned again for the same
offense (our basis for “Double Jeopardy”).
1689: The Great English Bill of Rights (see page).
Ultimately, a great victory for English Puritan theology
as applied to law. It established the rights of Englishmen
for well over a century.
1707: Governor Cornbury of New York imprisoned
Presbyterian minister Francis Makemie for preaching
against his licentiousness and preaching without a license
in New York colony. Makemie received great support
throughout New York and beyond for his bold stand against
the unpopular governor. Makemie prevailed in the end.
Cornbury eventually was removed from office by English
authority and returned to England in disgraced.
1735: John Peter Zenger challenges the Libel laws of
England in criticizing the immoral and corrupt behavior of
Governor William Cosby of New York. Ultimately, this case
was one by a jury that acquitted Zenger of libel. Zenger’s
attorney, Andrew Hamilton used biblical precept and law to
argue the case to the jury and prevailed.
1766: Repeal of the hated Stamp Act in America which would
have placed Crown authorized stamps upon documents of all
types. Americans united against the Act and forced
Parliament to repeal it. Parliament member and England’s
greatest statesman William Pitt opposed the Stamp Act with
his thundering statement, “ I rejoice that America has
resisted.”
1774: First Continental Congress exercises authority to
begin interposition on behalf of the persecuted colonies
under King George III.
1775: Second Continental Congress: Interposition of the
Lesser Magistrate is asserted. Preparations for war begun.
1776: Signing of the Declaration of Independence. Serves
as notice of “breach of covenant” to King George and
Parliament and stipulates the reasons for the dissolution
of the covenant between England and her American colonies.
It was based upon the Mecklenburg Declaration and Fairfax
County Resolves from which Thomas Jefferson drew most of
the tenets to the document as well as its Reformed
theological positions. Serving to fairly and judicially
reprove the King and Parliament, the Declaration was
viewed as a necessary document, in the theology of the old
Puritanism of which, Samuel Adams, was such an adherent.
He is also called the “Father of the American War for
Independence.”
1775: Battles of Lexington and Concord force British to
recognize the resolve of the colonies to maintain their
rights as Englishmen and their right to stand for liberty
despite actions of Parliament, army and King George III.
Minutemen and militia were obeying standing orders of the
Massachusetts legislature and its executive committees.
They were exercising the right of Interposition of the
Lesser Magistrate (first exemplified and used at Runnymede
1215 and resulting in Magna Charta). Biblical doctrine
based upon such texts as Jehoiada’s stand against Athaliah
and all the prophets who withstood tyranny.
1776-1783: War of Independence was a victorious war of
interposition conducted honorably against the tyranny of
Great Britain. The United States was born as a nation.
1787: Constitution of the United States of America is
developed by the delegates based upon the principles of
many of the acts and laws mentioned above. D0Tocqueville
stated that no more august assembly ever sat to deliberate
the formula for government than the delegates of the
Constitutional Convention of 1787.
1787 -1789: Ratifying Conventions of each of the 13 states
debated the provisions of the Constitution and each
ratified it. However, due to the leadership of Patrick
Henry in particular, the states stipulated the necessity
of a Bill of Rights, patterned in part after the English
Bill of Rights of 1689. The first 10 amendments to the
Constitution were the result and are together called our
“Bill of Rights.”
Don't Forget Your
Bonuses
|
