Curse of Cowardice

Samuel Davies preached this sermon on August 17, 1758, as Virginia militias prepared to march against French forces and their Native American allies during the French and Indian War. As both a Presbyterian minister and chaplain to the Hanover County militia, Davies faced the practical question of how Christian faith should respond to military duty and national defense. The sermon takes its text from Judges 5:23, the curse pronounced upon Meroz for failing to assist in Israel's battle against Sisera.

Davies argues that cowardice in the face of just war constitutes both a civic and spiritual failure. He distinguishes between legitimate fear, which acknowledges real danger, and sinful cowardice, which abandons duty out of excessive concern for personal safety. The sermon develops the theological principle that Providence calls nations and individuals to specific historical moments requiring courage, and that shrinking from these divinely appointed responsibilities brings both temporal and eternal consequences. Davies grounds military service in love of neighbor and stewardship of divine gifts, arguing that those who possess strength and skill have obligations to defend the innocent and preserve just government.

The sermon became influential in American discussions of Christianity and military service, particularly during the Revolutionary War when patriots cited Davies's arguments for righteous resistance to tyranny. His integration of Calvinist theology with civic duty helped shape American evangelical thinking about war and peace. The work demonstrates how colonial Presbyterian ministers navigated the tension between Christian pacifist traditions and the practical demands of frontier defense.

This sermon will interest readers studying the relationship between Christian faith and military service, the theological development of just war theory in American Protestantism, or the role of clergy in colonial military mobilization. Those seeking purely pacifist perspectives or abstract theological treatises should look elsewhere.