The Dominion of Providence Over the Passions of Man: John Witherspoon on the Story of American Independence

28 min

In this episode, we explore John Witherspoon’s famous sermon, The Dominion of Providence Over the Passions of Men. Preached in 1776 amid the growing struggle for American independence, Witherspoon reflects on God’s sovereign rule over human affairs, showing how even conflict, suffering, and the ambitions of men ultimately serve His purposes. Along the way, he calls Christians to trust God’s providence, pursue personal holiness, and labor faithfully for the good of both church and nation.

Dr. Jonathan. L. Master (Ph.D., University of Aberdeen) serves as President of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Dr. Master served in pastoral ministry in several congregations in Maryland and Pennsylvania, and subsequently as Dean and Professor of Theology at Cairn University near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has taught for numerous other institutions including Westminster Seminary (UK) and Edinburgh Theological Seminary. Dr. Master is the author and editor of books including A Question of Consensus: The Doctrine of Assurance After the Westminster Confession (Fortress Press, 2015), The God We Worship (P&R, 2016), On Reforming Worship (Covenant Publications, 2018), Growing in Grace (Banner of Truth, 2020), and Reformed Theology (P&R, 2023). He contributes regularly to a variety of periodicals, including Tabletalk Magazine. Dr. Master serves on the Executive Council of the Gospel Reformation Network, as well as on the Board of Directors of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, where he hosts the “Theology on the Go” podcast for the Alliance with James Dolezal.

Confessional Intelligence

Search through theological documents with AI-powered semantic search.

Try:

Cart

Your cart is empty.

Shop