1776 Samuel West On the Right to Rebel Against Governors Massachusetts Sermon

Description: A Sermon Preached Before the Honorable Council, And the Honorable House of Representatives, of the Colony of Massachusetts-Bay, in New-England. May 29th, 1776. Being the Anniversary for the Election of the Honorable Council for the Colony. By Samuel West, A. M., Pastor of a Church in Dartmouth. Boston: Printed by John Gill, in Queen-Street. 1776. 70 pp, removed from a larger work, 7.25 x 4.5", 12mo. In poor condition. As is. Removed from a larger work; no front or rear boards. Pages are attached via glue on spine, but no cording remains. Some leather pieces remain on spine. Half-title page present, but front end-page & fly-leaf lacking. Water dampness staining to top corner throughout text-block. Ink marginalia found on bottom edge of half-title page. Toning and light foxing throughout text-block. Fragile binding, perfect candidate for restoration. Please see photos and ask questions, if any, before purchasing. Samuel West (1730-1807) was a liberal minister of the Massachusetts Standing order, a theological opponent of the doctrines of Jonathan Edwards, & a forerunner of New England Unitarianism. Born in Yarmouth, Massachusetts, Samuel was the son of Ruth Jenkins and Sackfield West, a physician who preached New Light theological ideas to the nearby Mashpee Indians. Samuel mastered the historical parts of the bible at the age of seven or eight, & soon after argued against Joseph Green's predestinariansim. In 1760, he was called to what became the First Congregational Society in Dartmouth (later New Bedford). An ardent patriot, West was invited to give the prestigious Election Day sermon in Boston in 1776, after the Siege of Boston. The Siege of Boston was the eleven-month period from 19 April 1775 to 17 March 1776 when American militiamen effectively contained British troops within Boston, and after the Battle of Bunker Hill, to the peninsula of Charlestown.The American, or Provincial, armed forces, were initially called the New England Army (formed from the militiamen who answered the alarm on 19 April 1775) and then became part of the Continental Army when it was established in June 1775. During the Siege many residents moved out of Boston, and some Loyalists from the surrounding countryside moved into town. Conditions within the town were harsh for all who remained; although the British maintained control of Boston Harbor, provisions dwindled while they waited for supply ships to arrive. A formidable preacher, West made no formal preparation before speaking on Election Day. He rejected the emotional appeals of the New Lights, preferring to make his points simply and rationally. In the sermon, West proclaimed the colonies were already independent and constituted a new nation. West also states, most famously, "When a people find themselves cruelly oppressed by the parent state, they have an undoubted right to throw off the yoke, and to assert their liberty, if they find god reason to judge that they have sufficient power and strength to maintain their ground in defending their just rights against their oppressors" (page 21). As was typical of election sermons, West's election sermon was published by the Massachusetts Assembly and widely distributed throughout the colonies. Copies of it were even sent to King George III and the British Parliament to serve as a remonstrance against their tyrannies. West was, thusly, marked out as a member of the "Black Regiment" by King George and a bounty was put on his head. Revolutionary War/Colonial America. RARE original pamphlet. COLPAP-1268 05/24 - HK1646

Price: 1500 USD

Location: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

End Time: 2024-10-30T16:20:47.000Z

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