When he signed his name at the bottom of the Declaration of Independence, John Hart knew the cost would be high for him and his family. John Hart was considered a “man of great modesty and benevolence, and his highest ambition was to serve God and promote the best interests of his countrymen.” (A History of the Baptists, John T. Christian, 239). He was not a man who enjoyed politics, but he did love his country enough to lay everything he owned down for the freedom he desired for generations to come.
Hart entered the Continental Congress at age sixty and was much past a vigorous spirit of ambition and activity when he signed his name on July 2, 1776. Though he owned a “valuable farm, grist, saw and fulling mills,” and his wife and family were very important to him, he did not hesitate to place it all at the mercy of God for the good of mankind. (Christian, 239).
Sacrifice is an understatement. “His children fled, his property was wasted, and though an old man heavily laden of years he was compelled to leave his residence and conceal himself.”(Christian, 240). He spent one night in a dog house with the dog as his sleeping companion and rarely spent more than a night in a single place. Sadly, he was not permitted to be with his wife on her death bed. Despite losing everything, he lived to build the Baptist meeting house at Hopewell, New Jersey, where he was buried. John Hart literally signed his life away so that we can enjoy the freedoms that many take for granted.
As a follower of Jesus, John Hart recognized the expectation that His freedom demanded. By being set free from the bondage of sin and death at the cost of the very last drops of the blood of His Savior, Hart did not use his freedom to live conveniently or selfishly. Hart’s freedom was bought at a high cost. Should not he live in a way that honored that cost? Shouldn’t we still today?
Unfortunately, too many Americans today expect freedom to last for the generations to follow with no sacrifice made on their part. A special appreciation is due those who willingly surrender their freedom to serve in the United States military or in other community service functions. Too often, Americans would willingly give up some freedom rather than pay a higher price at the gas pump or the grocery store. It is sad how far patriotism has fallen. Those who gave so much in the early days of America 250 years ago would not recognize the country they fought so hard to set free so long ago. Might we today honor that freedom by looking for ways to pour ourselves out for our communities and country? Every person would do well to ask if they can give and do more to preserve the freedom they have enjoyed for their lifetimes. Freedom is not the right to do as we please. True freedom is the expectation to do as we must for the good of others.
Happy 250th birthday, America. We honor the sacrifice of all those who have given us this privilege. May we not just honor them with our lips but also with our lives. Have a safe and happy 4th, friends.
His Song in the Night 