U. S. SUPREME COURT NOT SUPREME

William Andrew Dillard

U. S. SUPREME COURT NOT SUPREME
There are many levels of authority which, at some point in life, come to bear directly or indirectly on everyone. Authority is a good thing. Organized authority is an even better thing. Consider that there is parental authority (at least what is left of it). Also, there is the authority of school teachers and administrators. There is law enforcement authority. There is an ever encroaching bureaucratic authority. Then there is the authority of the courts of the land. These range from municipal courts to district, state, state supreme, federal district courts and finally the Supreme Court of the United States of America.By the time a case reaches the U.S. Supreme Court, it has been heard and appealed, perhaps several times by lower courts. Dissatisfaction with lower court rulings has allowed appeals all the way to the U. S. Supreme Court. When that court renders a ruling, it is said to be final. There is no higher court of appeal to which the case may be sent for examination and decision.However that is not always the case! As one surveys the preserved records of Holy Writ, he will be impressed that the courts of men have been wrong much of the time on truly important matters. Consider that folks in the antediluvian world ruled that they could live as they pleased, and since practically the entire world agreed with them, their ruling had to be right. However the Creator God over ruled their decision to the destruction of the entire earth, except the extreme minority who trusted in Him.Moreover, one need only look to the Tower of Babel to see a similar Divine overruling of the decision of men. Then what of the three Hebrew children and of Daniel all of whom defied the supreme ruler of the land, but God overruled him! The list could go on and on. But certainly there was a time when men ruled that Jesus the express image of the invisible God should be put to death on a Roman cross. But God overruled their decision in His resurrection and uses His sacrifice to be the source of eternal life to all who trust in Him.The U. S. Supreme Court has handed down what is thought to be a final decision regarding same sex marriage, but it is wrong, very wrong in ruling against nature and nature’s God. But one may rest assured that the decision of that court is not final. The courts of heaven are sovereign, and in the end will rule supremely to the hurt of all who defy heaven’s King and His eternal Word. It is to that court God’s people should be appealing, especially that its physical, inaugural rule on earth might begin soon by the certain coming of the Supreme Sovereign. (The idea for this article is taken from a message by my late, great friend and brother in Christ, Dr. R. T. Perritt)

Judge Learned Hand – ‘the tenth justice of the Supreme Court’

American Minute with Bill Federer

Considered several times as a nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, he was passed over for not being consistently conservative enough for Republican President Warren G. Harding and not consistently liberal enough for Democrat President Franklin Roosevelt.

His legal decisions, though, were so respected they were referenced in U.S. Supreme Court Cases.

His name was Learned Hand, who served as a judge for over 50 years, first on New York’s District Court, then on the U.S. Court of Appeals.

Though a political progressive, he was an advocate of judicial restraint.

Judge Learned Hand, nicknamed ‘the tenth justice of the Supreme Court’, died AUGUST 18, 1961.

In Gregory v. Helvering (2d Cir. 1934), Judge Hand wrote:

“Anyone may arrange his affairs so that his taxes shall be as low as possible; he is not bound to choose that pattern which best pays the treasury. There is not even a patriotic duty to increase one’s taxes…Nobody owes any public duty to pay more than the law demands.”

Two weeks before the D-Day invasion in the last year of World War II, Judge Learned Hand was catapulted to national prominence when he gave a speech to the largest crowd ever assembled in New York City to that date.

Nearly one and a half million met in Central Park, May 21, 1944, for the annual “I Am an American Day,” including 150,000 newly naturalized citizens about to swear their oath of allegiance to the United States.

After comments by Mayor LaGuardia, Senator Wagner and clergymen of Protestant, Catholic and Jewish faiths, Judge Learned Hand gave his short speech, ‘The Spirit of Liberty,’ which was reprinted in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Life Magazine and Readers Digest.

Judge Learned Hand stated:

“We have gathered here to affirm a faith, a faith in a common purpose, a common conviction, a common devotion.

Some of us have chosen America as the land of our adoption; the rest have come from those who did the same…

We sought liberty; freedom from oppression, freedom from want, freedom to be ourselves…”

Judge Hand continued:

“I often wonder whether we do not rest our hopes too much upon constitutions, upon laws and upon courts. These are false hopes; believe me, these are false hopes.

Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can even do much to help it…”

Hand went on:

“And what is this liberty which must lie in the hearts of men and women?

It is not the ruthless, the unbridled will; it is not freedom to do as one likes. That is the denial of liberty, and leads straight to its overthrow.

A society in which men recognize no check upon their freedom soon becomes a society where freedom is the possession of only a savage few; as we have learned to our sorrow.”

Hand added:

“What then is the spirit of liberty?

I cannot define it; I can only tell you my own faith.

The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure that it is right;

the spirit of liberty is the spirit which seeks to understand the mind of other men and women;

the spirit of liberty is the spirit which weighs their interests alongside its own without bias;

the spirit of liberty remembers that not even a sparrow falls to earth unheeded;

the spirit of liberty is the spirit of Him who, near two thousand years ago, taught mankind that lesson it has never learned but never quite forgotten; that there may be a kingdom where the least shall be heard and considered side by side with the greatest.”

Judge Learned Hand ended, after which he led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance:

“In the spirit of that America which lies hidden in some form in the aspirations of us all;

in the spirit of that America for which our young men are at this moment fighting and dying;

in that spirit of liberty and of America I ask you to rise and with me pledge our faith in the glorious destiny of our beloved country.”

Judge Learned Hand wrote:

“The use of history is to tell us…past themes, else we should have to repeat, each in his own experience, the successes and the failures of our forebears.”

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The Moral Liberal contributing editor, William J. Federer, is the bestselling author of “Backfired: A Nation Born for Religious Tolerance no Longer Tolerates Religion,” and numerous other books. A frequent radio and television guest, his daily American Minute is broadcast nationally via radio, television, and Internet. Check out all of Bill’s bookshere.

Herman Melville – Sailor and Author

American Minute with Bill Federer

“There she blows!” cried the lookout, sighting Moby Dick.

Captain Ahab, driven by revenge, sailed the seas to capture this great white whale, who had bitten off his leg in a previous encounter.

The crew of the ship Pequod included Quaker chief mate Starbuck, second mate Stubb, Captain Boomer, a tattooed Polynesian harpooner named Queequeg, and Ishmael, the teller of the tale.

Ahab finally caught up with Moby Dick in the Pacific Ocean.

As fate would have it, when the harpoon struck Moby Dick, the rope flew out so fast it entangled Ahab, pulling him under.

This classic was written by Herman Melville, born AUGUST 1, 1819.

The grandson of a Boston Tea Party ‘Indian’, Herman Melville was 12 years old when his father died.

Raised by a mother who inspired his imagination with biblical stories, Herman Melville shipped out as a cabin boy on a whaling ship.

He later sailed the South Seas as a young sailor with the U.S. Navy.

In the Marquesas Islands, Herman Melville fell among the Typee cannibals.

After his rescue, he wrote in an account:

“These disclosures will…lead to…ultimate benefit to the cause of Christianity in the Sandwich Islands.”

In his classic novel, Moby Dick, Herman Melville wrote:

“With this sin of disobedience…Jonah flouts at God…

He thinks that a ship made by men will carry him into countries where God does not reign.”

In 1983, The U.S. District Court stated in Crockett v. Sorenson:

“Better known works which rely on allusions from the Bible include Milton’s Paradise Lost…Shakespeare…and Melville’s Moby Dick…

Secular education…demands that the student have a good knowledge of the Bible.”

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The Moral Liberal contributing editor, William J. Federer, is the bestselling author of “Backfired: A Nation Born for Religious Tolerance no Longer Tolerates Religion,” and numerous other books. A frequent radio and television guest, his daily American Minute is broadcast nationally via radio, television, and Internet. Check out all of Bill’s bookshere.

21 – January 21 – THIS DAY IN BAPTIST HISTORY PAST

 

Notice the ability to use Greek and Hebrew in a legal setting which demands a precise under standing and ability to speak fluently in these two languages. Where is that type of language scholarship today?

Nehemiah Coxe
1672 – Nehemiah Coxe was one of seven other men who were ordained to the gospel along with John Bunyan when he was set apart to the work of the ministry. He is described as a “very excellent, learned, and judicious divine.” Coxe was a native of Bedford and had been received into the church in June of 1669, and it is believed that he had been immersed by Bunyan. Coxe proved to be an able author and wrote several published treatises that were used of God. He refused a call to a nearby Baptist church in Hitchin, and in the course of time he is said to have been imprisoned at Bedford for preaching the Gospel without license. When Coxe was haled into court, an interesting thing happened. In earlier days Coxe had been a shoemaker, and thus was known in court as a “cordwainer.” The Rev. Mr. Coxe presented his own case before the court in the Greek language, and he further confounded the prosecution by responding to their charges in Hebrew. Coxe claimed the right to plead in what language he pleased. The judge dismissed the case saying, “Well, the cordwainer has wound us all up, gentlemen.” Later Coxe moved to London and supported himself in the medical profession. Ultimately he accepted a call to the joint-pastorate of a well-known Baptist church in London, called Petty France Baptist Church. In 1678 this church united with the Particular Baptist Association. Coxe attended as a messenger. In 1682 a great storm of persecution came down upon the church, but Dr. Coxe served the congregation faithfully with his co-pastor, William Collins, for at least twenty years.
Dr. Greg J. Dixon; adapted from: This Day in Baptist History Vol. I: Cummins Thompson /, pp. 28-29.

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248 – Sept. 05 – This Day in Baptist History Past

 

Set Free Forever More

 

1651 – John Spur and John Hazel, both elderly men, were hauled into court in Salem, Mass. for the horrible “crime” of offering sympathy to Obadiah Holmes, at the time of his brutal beating by the authorities, for preaching without a license from the Congregational Church. Neither men were convinced Baptists as yet, but Spur had been excommunicated from the Salem Congregational Church for declaring his opposition to infant baptism. Spur was given his choice of a forty shilling fine, or a whipping. Someone paid his fine, which he declined, but the court took it and released him anyway. Hazel, though very Ill, defended himself by saying, “…what law have I broken in taking my friend by the hand when he was free and had satisfied the law?” The sentence was still given: Hazel was to pay a fine or be whipped. Five days went by and when he refused to pay, the jailer released him, but he refused to leave without a discharge. The jailer gave it to him and he left totally free of all charges. Three days later, on Sept. 13, 1651 John Hazel was with the Lord Jesus, set free forever more. [Edwin S. Gaustad, Baptist Piety (Grand Rapids, Mich.: WmB. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1978), p. 30. This Day in Baptist History II: Cummins and Thompson, BJU Press: Greenville, S.C. 2000 A.D. pp. 486-487.]  Prepared by Dr. Greg Dixon

 

 

196 – July, 15 – This Day in Baptist History Past

 

Elder Elijah Craig

 

“Polecat” Baptists – a stench to some, a blessing to others

 

            Bartholomew Choning, James Goolrich, and Edward Herndon were all Baptist laymen in the state of Virginia in the latter part of the 18^th Century, and all had the gift of exhortation. They were fearless men and were accused of “jamming a Scripture verse down the throat of every man they met upon the road.” They were evidently apprehended and imprisoned to await trial July 15, 1771. After the trial, the court record “ordered that they be remanded back to the gaol.” John Burrus, a licensed minister, was hauled into court along with the three laymen. These men were all from Caroline County, Virginia. Then there was Elijah Craig who spent time in jail at Bowling Green, Virginia. Those from Caroline County were members of Polecat Baptist Church because of its proximity to “Polecat” Creek.  All of them had been preaching without state church ordination or proper license. The church was later named Burrus Meeting House after the venerable preacher, and when the church was moved from near Polecat Creek to the White Oak Seats the name became Carmel. Carmel Church is still located on U.S. Highway 1, just north of Richmond, Virginia, one mile West off of Interstate 95. In the churchyard there is a memorial to these men and all who suffered incarceration for the sake of the gospel. Inside the church is a famous painting by Sidney King of Patrick Henry defending the five Baptist preachers in Fredericksburg, Va., at an earlier date. The church experienced a revival under the leadership of Andrew Broadus. The church still stands today as a testimony against those who would bring our churches back under state control.

 

Dr. Greg J. Dixon: adapted From: This Day in Baptist History Vol. I: Cummins/Thompson, pp. 289-91.

 

 

 

19 – Jan. 19 – THIS DAY IN BAPTIST HISTORY PAST

“You are who you are when you are totally alone.”
 Dr. E. Robert Jordan was saved on Jan. 1948.  Because of the length of this story it will be concluded later.  Jan. 22, 1949, marks the date of his wedding to Mrs. Jordan, and his exciting story will be concluded on that date.  When he was two years old his mother had an adulterous affair, ending an abusive marriage.  His father remarried, but the step-mother was cruel.  When only three, he and his five year old sister ran away, taking turns carrying their one year old sister all the way across Dayton, OH to their grandparent’s home.  Eventually, a court sent them to an orphanage.  In the orphanage, E. Robert learned the “pecking order.” He was beaten by the bigger boys until he was able to fend for himself.  He hated school and was a constant irritant to his teachers.  At fifteen he was in the sixth grade.  When Pearl Harbor and Dec. 7 happened, his “cottage father” signed for him, and in 1942  the boy found himself headed for the Great Lakes Naval Station.  He now learned of the “pecking order” in the military.  Early he decided to climb the ranks, but drinking became a way of life for him.  After getting into a fight, he was ordered to represent the Navy against the Marines in boxing competition.  He became the middleweight boxing champion of the Navy.  Jordan was assigned to the Pacific Theater and saw first – hand Japanese suicide attacks, one destroying his gun turret, killing all of his men.  His drinking worsened, the only one he hated more than the Japs was his step-mother who he decided to kill when on furlough, but his plans were thwarted time and again.  Jordan re-enlisted and was assigned to a cruiser and the training of 72 new recruits.  While docked in Bermuda, a hippie told him, “You are who you are when you are totally alone.” (to be continued).
Dr. Greg J. Dixon from: This Day in Baptist History Vol. IIII: Cummins, pp. 39-40.

341 – Dec. 07 – THIS DAY IN BAPTIST HISTORY PAST

Some were whipped by individuals, several fined.
December 07, 1770 – William Webber and Joseph Anthony were arrested in Chesterfield, County, Virginia and they were held in prison until on Jan. 04, 1771, they were brought before the magistrates on charges of “misbehavior by itinerant preaching in this County being of that sect of dissenters from the Church of England commonly called anabaptists, and on hearing they acknowledged that they had preached in the upper end of this county at a meeting of sundry people there.” The court refused their offer to take the oath as prescribed by the so called Toleration Act, and thus for conscience sake they remained in jail until March 7, 1771. Jail increased their opportunities to preach through the grates. Their preaching was so powerful that the jailer was inclined to leave the door of their cell ajar so they could escape. Their reply was the same as Paul the Apostle, “They have taken us openly, uncondemned, and have cast us into prison; and now, do they cast us out privily? Nay, verily, but let them come themselves and fetch us out.” Chesterfield, County was notorious for its persecution of Baptist preachers. In fact there is a monument to religious liberty on the courthouse square in Chesterfield, Virginia, in memory of those who courageously suffered in its behalf. Semple, in his history (1810), mentions, that the Baptist cause has most flourished where it has met the most opposition in its offset. In the history of Chesterfield jail, seven preachers were confined for preaching without a license. They were William Webber, Joseph Anthony, Augustine Easton, John Weatherford, John Tanner, Jeremiah Walker and David Tinsley. Some were whipped by individuals, several fined. They kept up their persecution even after other counties had laid it aside.
Dr. Greg J. Dixon from: This Day in Baptist History Vol. I: Cummins Thompson /, pp. 510-11.

334 – Nov. 30 – THIS DAY IN BAPTIST HISTORY PAST

 John Gifford, a Baptist Pastor…led him to Christ
 November 30, 1628 – John Bunyan was born in the midst of the struggle between Christianity and infidelity. The year he was born was a great victory for freedom in the passing of the English Bill of Rights. The sum of the act was that “no man shall be taxed without the consent of Parliament, nor be arrested, imprisoned, or executed but by due course of law.” However, every attempt was made by the court (throne) to recover arbitrary power. To attain this power, horrible atrocities were perpetrated on people beyond description. Bunyan was born in the village of Elstow, one mile from Bedford. He was born into a family of Tinkers. Bunyan described them as being, “of that rank of the meanest and most despised of all the families in the land.”  At a time when very few were taught to read and write his father sent him to school where John learned both but soon forgot both utterly. He gave himself over to sin, principally lying, swearing, and profaning the Sabbath. He experienced agonies of conviction. He had several brushes with death such as drowning’s and snake bite. He also served in the army and fought in the battle of Leicester. He was spared any serious injuries although he took on the wicked habits of his peers. Bunyan married a very poor, but pious, woman. She encouraged him with two books. The Plain Man’s Pathway to Heaven, and the Practice of Piety, and through this he regained his ability to read. Her affectionate compassion became a blessing and his rugged heart was softened and he felt alarm for the Salvation of his soul. Another woman who was loose and ungodly rebuked him for his cursing and said that his oaths made her tremble. Some women talking about the New Birth took him to John Gifford, a Baptist Pastor who led him to Christ, and the rest is history.
Dr. Greg J. Dixon from: This Day in Baptist History Vol. I: Cummins /Thompson/, pp. 499-500.