Jonas Clarke (1730–1805) fanned the flames of revolution when he preached this sermon on the anniversary of the Battle of Lexington and Concord. Clarke was a prominent pastor in Lexington, Massachusetts. On April 19, 1775, he was hosting Samuel Adams and John Hancock when Paul Revere came to warn of the arrival of British forces. As the hours unfolded, he witnessed the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the first battle of the American Revolution, later helping to officiate the burial of the dead. Clarke’s anniversary sermon drew from Bible passages such as Joel 3:19 and Hebrews 1:9 to show the biblical basis of the American cause. Only a few months later, the Declaration of Independence would be signed.