Time to vote

If you haven’t already voted, please vote Tuesday. Whatever your feelings about the presidential candidates, be sure to vote for congressional as well as state and local candidates.

Please remember, despite this year’s sad campaign, that “God has done great things for us; he has delivered us from war, and … given us a land that flows with milk and honey.”

That was the lead in an Election Day sermon preached by Daniel Foster in 1790, before an illustrious audience that included Massachusetts Gov. John Hancock and Lt. Gov. Samuel Adams.

Foster was in the great line of New England pastor/journalists from the 1600s into the 1800s who preached “news sermons,” addresses that applied Scripture to current events for the benefit of a listening congregation and, days or weeks later, a reading population.

Foster didn’t pat his listeners on their backs. He castigated “the sinners of my people, who live in intemperance, debauchery, pride and luxury, fraud and deceit; who violate God’s holy laws, neglect the duties of the gospel covenant, cast off fear, and restrain prayer before God.”

Foster wanted people to vote, and particularly for candidates with the character to govern well.

But Foster wanted people to vote, and particularly for candidates with the character to govern well. He favored those who “consider the infancy of the people, and the burdens laid upon them, and be careful lest they over-drive, and so destroy the flock of God. They will lessen the charges of government, and lighten every burden, as much as is consistent with the honor and well-being of government.”

Foster also wanted candidates to consider “The cause of the widow, the fatherless, the orphan; the soldier, and him that has loaned him money for the help of government, will come with peculiar grace before Christian rulers; who will hold themselves Heaven’s clients to vindicate their righteous claims; and plead their cause”

Not a bad platform to run on today.