Pastors and preachers paved the way for the American Revolution, preparing the minds and hearts of their congregations well before the fight for liberty began. They faithfully preached the Word, using Scripture to interpret and evaluate current events and issues instead of the other way around. One of the most important things they instilled in their congregations was the knowledge that true liberty came from Christ, and Scripture had much to say about civil liberties and how governments should be run. These pastors and preachers came to be known as “The Black Robed Regiment”, since many of them did take up arms alongside their congregants to fight for their families and their freedom. Each of them is well worth studying, but today we’ll look at just three of these incredible men.
John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg
John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg, who would one day be one of the Black-Robed Regiment, traveled an interesting path to becoming a key member of the Revolution. His father wished for him to become a minister, but while studying at the University of Halle in Germany, mentors urged John Peter to study commerce which led to an apprenticeship with a cruel merchant. After three years, John Peter ran away and joined the Royal American Regiment of Foot in the British army. Eventually, he returned to Pennsylvania and took up the study of theology and ministry, becoming fully ordained by 1769.
It was while pastoring a church in Woodstock, Virginia that John Peter became a firm supporter of Patrick Henry and the cause of the patriots. Early in 1776, General George Washington personally asked John Peter to raise and lead the 8th Virginia Regiment of the Continental Army. On January 21, 1776, John Peter stood before his congregation in Woodstock one Sunday and preached from Ecclesiastes 3 which begins, “To everything there is a season.” Upon reading the eighth verse, “a time for war, and a time for peace,” he reportedly flung off his clerical robes revealing the uniform of a Continental Army Colonel and declared, “And this is the time of war.” Then he strode out of his church, followed by 162 men who bade their families goodbye and formed the beginnings of the 8th Virginia Regiment.
John Peter bravely served in many battles and when the war was over decided to remain in the political sphere. Returning with his family to Pennsylvania, he was elected to the representative body formed under the state’s first Constitution. In 1789, John Peter was elected as a Representative to the first U.S. Congress where his brother served as Speaker of the House. He was later elected as a Senator, but resigned before taking office to serve in other political capacities in the state of Pennsylvania.
His life bridged the separation in the minds of many between believing and saying one thing and actually acting upon those beliefs. John Peter showed that one could not be so heavenly minded, that they were no earthly good.
Jonas Clark
Rev. Jonas Clark was one of the faithful pastors who prepared his church for the struggle against the British by preaching a message of liberty. Born in Massachusetts, Clark was ordained by age 25 and settled down on a little farm in Lexington to pastor the church there. As 1776 swept closer and closer, Clark faithfully preached and prepared his congregation for the coming conflict with biblical principles of true liberty in Christ and civil liberties found in Scripture.
On April 18, 1775, the cousin of Clark’s wife, John Hancock, was visiting them along with Samuel Adams. Early in the morning of the next day, a company of British Marines were spotted moving towards Lexington. The church bells were rung and fathers and sons ran to gather on the Lexington green. In a Wallbuilders article, they describe the scene, “When the original alarm sounded in Lexington to warn of the oncoming British menace, citizens gathered at the town green, and according to early historian Joel Headley: ‘There they found their pastor the [Rev. Clark] who had arrived before them. The roll was called and a hundred and fifty answered to their names…The church, the pastor, and his congregation thus standing together in the dim light [awaiting the Redcoats], while the stars looked tranquilly down from the sky above them’” (History of the Black Robe Regiment).
That morning Jonas Clark watched his men bravely assemble, ready to stand upon the biblical teachings he had been passionately teaching to them over the years. He was there when the “shot heard ‘round the world” was fired and watched as seven of his congregation paid the ultimate sacrifice for the cause of liberty.
As the war progressed, Clark served on various committees of correspondence and safety and was a firm supporter of the Revolution. When the War for Independence was over, he lived out the rest of his life in peace and was buried in the Old Burying Ground in Lexington, Massachusetts.
John Wise
When thinking about the Black Robed Regiment, most would probably not think of Reverend John Wise. After all, his life and work occurred over 50 years before the Revolution began. However, what played out in Massachusetts was just a small foreshadowing of what would happen nationwide.
Born in 1652 in Roxbury, Massachusetts, John Wise graduated from Harvard in 1673 and began preaching in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Perhaps one of the most humorous stories about Reverend Wise happened when a champion wrestler challenged him to a wrestling match. Wise was tall and muscular, but he was getting older and tried to step away from the challenge. The wrestler insisted, and the match began and ended with Wise throwing the wrestler over the front wall of his yard. Picking himself up, the wrestler laughingly asked Wise to throw his horse over next so he could be on his way.
Wise was more than physically strong, however. His life shows a continued pattern of convictional strength.
The events that would put Wise’s name in the history books began in 1687 when he roused up the people to fight an unjust tax from King James II without the legislative body having any input. Around this time, the Massachusetts charter was also revoked and Governor Andros was appointed. Wise was soon arrested for leading the revolt, but he refused to back down, even when a crown-friendly jury threatened to sell him as a slave. They eventually fined him and suspended him from his ministry, but that didn’t stop him from preaching and teaching.
Gov. Andros was eventually removed from office and Wise was vindicated. His sermons, timely and powerful, addressed issues that all Americans would face not much later, and, in 1772, his sermons were reprinted and quickly sold out.
Wise’s biblical grounding for his arguments was eventually picked by leading patriots and helped prepare the minds of Americans for the coming conflict.
Lights in the Darkness
Without American pastors, it’s hard to imagine what the Revolution would have been like. People might not have been so willing to get involved in the fight. The foundation of our Constitution and country might not have been as strongly based on biblical principles. Because of the Black Robed Regiment, people understood why they were fighting for Independence. They knew that they could only win if God was on their side, and they watched as their pastors fought alongside them—believing that Scripture was applicable to life, a sword ready to be wielded in every sphere of life.
Pray for your pastor and your church. Pray for sound biblical teaching and for a church that does not sit by passively as the world spirals into darkness, but speaks truth and actively engages with those around them. Ultimately, the battles our churches and our nation are facing are spiritual. There is a fight for minds and hearts and the church has to step up and be a light in the darkness.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” ~Matthew 5:14-16
Emma Sager
Emma Sager works as the Marketing Specialist at Patriot Academy. She graduated from Cedarville University with a degree in Communication. In a world that spends seconds on content before being caught up in the next new thing, she enjoys tackling the challenge of creatively telling stories that capture the reader’s attention and leave them pondering what they read or saw. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, art, playing violin, and spending time outdoors and with friends.
