Price of Peace?

Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!

This question has haunted me over the last week. It says a lot about people who will give up liberty for safety and peace. There was a time when men believed in eternity. When there were things that were higher than our bodies, our safety, our comfort. When men would hazard for truth and the glory of God and the good of their fellow man. I've been listening to biographies of American Christian hero's recently, and one thing they had in common was how they lived sacrificially. They believed they were in the hands of a Sovereign God and that they were bought and purchased by the blood of Christ and they were safe in Him. Many were soundly Calvinistic in theology and had a firm reliance and trust in God's providence and would gladly lay down their lives for what was right. Not all thought like that, as is made plain in quote above. Patrick Henry asks a good question. What is the cost of peace?


In fact, one could go further and ask if it was really peace that they had. Henry asked if they would purchase their "peace" with chains and slavery. They could live and they could avoid war, but it would cost them freedom and liberty. Not only for them but for all the colonies and subsequent generations. The war was not over high taxes, that is a over simplification of the war. There was long and settled constitutional practices that were being trampled upon. Did they actually have peace, or did they have a lack of  immediate conflict? I contend that the avoidance of inevitable conflict is not peace.


Peace at any cost is no peace at all. When there is tyrany and wickedness, there can be no peace. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said “These easy-going, peace at any price people are often lacking in a sense of justice and righteousness; they do not stand where they should stand; they are flabby. They appear to be nice; but if the whole world were run on such principles and by such people it would be even worse than it is today.  So I would add that your true peacemaker is not an “appeaser”, as we say today.  You can postpone war by appeasement; but it generally means that you are doing something that is unjust and unrighteous in order to avoid war. The mere avoidance of war does not make peace; it does not solve the problem.” 


I'm afraid too often we conveniently say I want peace, I won't fight, when we really mean I want no conflict -which isn't really the same thing. 


I have been encouraged and blessed by learning about these godly men. I'm a victim of the public school system, so I learned that George Washington was the first president and he may or may not have chopped down a cherry tree. We fought a war against the British and one, and there used to be 13 stars on the flag because there were 13 colonies. Time for recess. 
You can Patrick Henry's whole speech or download and listen to a dramatic reading HERE.

Doug -