20 January 1775 A.D. ABINGDON, VA:
Rev. Charles Cummings, SW VA Presbyterians and Independence from England
January 20: Rev. Charles Cummings
Presbyterians in Southwest Virginia
Declare Independence from England
In
September of 1774, the first Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to
protest some British laws which were deemed to be injurious to the people of
the American colonies. One of them had been to deem all territory north of the Ohio
River to Quebec, a Roman Catholic province. With that protestation, these early
risings of independence sent petitions to their British rulers, urging at the
same time that the people of the colonies take action by boycotting certain
British goods. All over the colonies, committees came together to discuss their
collective responses to this call.
On January 20, 1775, a
group of people representing southwest Virginia, met in the town of Abington,
Virginia. A committee was formed, made up primarily of Presbyterians in two
churches pastored by Charles Cummings. Their names deserve to be mentioned, as
they were the key Presbyterian laymen of that area. They were, along with their
rank, Colonel William Christian, Colonel William Preston, Captain Stephen Trigg,
Major Arthur Campbell, John Montgomery, James McGavock. William Campbell,
Thomas Madison, Daniel Smith, William Russell, Evan Shelby, and William
Edmundson.
After
discussion together, they as a body sent an address to the Second Continental
Congress, soon to meet, which included the following words:
“We by
no means desire to shake off our duty or allegiance to our lawful sovereign,
but on the contrary, shall ever glory in being the loyal subjects of a
Protestant prince descended from such illustrious progenitors, so long as we
can enjoy the free exercise of our religion as Protestants and our liberties
and properties as British subjects. But if no pacific measures shall be
proposed or adopted by Great Britain, and our enemies will attempt to dragoon
us out of those inestimable privileges which we are entitled to as subjects,
and to reduce us to slavery, we declare that we are deliberately and resolutely
determined never to surrender them to any power upon earth, but at the expense
of our lives.”
Here
was no wild-eyed statement of revolution, but rather a carefully formulated
statement of subjection to lawful authority, as long as the latter did not seek
to take away the rights and privileges of its citizens, and thereby make them
little more than slaves. It was thought that the wording of this declaration
was essentially that of Presbyterian pastor Charles Cummings.
They
were sent to the Second Continental Congress as the spirit of southwest
Virginia with regards to the important issues of liberty and justice for all.
Words to Live By:
“Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.” Proverbs 15:22 (ESV);
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