Declaration of Independence Was Influenced More by John Knox Than by the Enlightenment

Children are taught in the government schools, which are dominated by enlightenment thinking, that Thomas Paine's “Common Sense” was the most influential book during the revolutionary period. John Adams once stated that the most influential book on the minds of the founders was “Vindiciae Contra Tyrannos” (translated, “A Defense of Liberty Against Tyrants) written by the French Huguenot, Phillipe de Mornay. Equally popular was “Lex Rex”, by the Scottish reformer Samuel Rutherford. The founders did refer to “Common Sense” when Paine referenced liberty, but they rejected the enlightenment premise of this work as anti-Christian.

Both de Mornay's and Rutherford's works find their roots in Scripture. They address the questions of whether Christian people are shackled to a civil magistrate that violates Biblical law. The concepts are derived from the work of John Knox. John Knox was the Scottish reformer who systematized the Biblical doctrines of covenanted government. Knox held that civil government was bound by four covenants; the covenant of the King with the creator, the covenant of the King with the people, the covenant of the people toward the king, and the covenant of the people with God. If any of these covenants are broken Knox taught that corrective action not only could be taken, but that it must be taken.

These reformers believed that the Biblical teaching of God's sovereignty placed Him in authority over every area of life, including the civil government. Therefore any civil government that violated Divine law was destroying the realm in which it operates. “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people sigh.” (Prov. 29:2).

The first three, the seventeenth, the twenty-first and twenty-second grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence refer to the King's violation of the principles of Biblical government. The Colonies had dealt with the King through a long history of “repeated injuries and usurpations” through peaceful means. True to their conviction that drastic action must be lead by lower civil magistrates, the founders turned to the legislatures of the several states for direction in dealing with the King.

As they realized that the King was preparing to force his tyranny upon them through military force, the founders began to prepare to defend themselves. It was not until the King unleashed his army upon them that they stood, with a show of force in opposition. For more than a year they suffered under attack by the British army. It was then that the civil magistrates of the colonies decided to break ties with the mother country.

The delineation of principles in accordance with the doctrines of “Vindiciae Contra Tyrannos” and “Lex Rex” proves that they were operating in conformity to the Word of God. That they suffered much injustice at the hands of the King for many years shows that they were willing to use all peaceful means at their disposal, rather than acting rashly. That they turned to their own civil magistrates to lead in resistance against the King is testimony to their dedication to Godly lines of authority. The fact that they maintained ties with Great Britain for more than a year after being attacked militarily confirms the character of men who were interested in trying every peaceful means, including long standing patience and prayer, before throwing off the tyrannical government of King George. These are all Christian principles, not enlightenment principles.