(February 25, 1746\u2013August 16, 1825), was a signer of the United States Constitution. He was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and helped to write the Constitution of the State of South Carolina. A Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidate, he was a successful lawyer, planter, statesman, soldier, aide-de-camp to General Washington and Brigadier General.<\/p>\n
Pinckney turned down many offers from President Washington for positions within government, including several cabinet appointments and a place on the U.S. Supreme Court, though he finally accepted the position of U.S. Minister to France. He helped found the Charleston Bible Society and served as its first president.<\/p>\n
He studied for his military career at the Royal Military Academy of France, after having studied law at the Westminster School at Oxford, under Sir William Blackstone.<\/p>\n
Sir William Blackstone, the second most quoted legal authority by our Founding Fathers, gave evidence of the views he taught, stating:<\/p>\n
Blasphemy against the Almighty is denying his being or providence, or uttering contumelious reproaches on our Savior Christ. It is punished, at common law by fine and imprisonment, for Christianity is part of the laws of the land.1330<\/p>\n
And consequently, as man depends absolutely upon his Maker for every thing, it is necessary that he should, in all points, conform to his Maker\u2019s will. This will of his Maker, is called the law of nature.1331<\/p>\n
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney was very involved in forming the Constitution of the State of South Carolina, which contained the article:<\/p>\n
SOUTH CAROLINA, 1778. Article XXXVIII.<\/i> That all persons and religious societies who acknowledge that there is one God, and a future state of rewards and punishments, and that God is publicly to be worshipped, shall be freely tolerated. \u2026 That all denominations of Christian[s] \u2026 in this State, demeaning themselves peaceably and faithfully, shall enjoy equal religious and civil privileges.1332<\/p>\n
In a personal letter to a military friend, Pinckney wrote:<\/p>\n
The great art of government is not to govern too much.1333<\/p>\n
In answer to Charles Maurice de Talleyrand\u2019s insulting proposal from the French Directory, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney is credited with uttering the sentiment:<\/p>\n
No! No! Not a sixpence. Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute.1334<\/p>\n
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, since a child, had learned \u201cto love Christ and the Church.\u201d1335 As the first president of the Charleston Bible Society, he distributed Bibles to Negroes, putting aside finances to evangelize the slaves and teach them to read the Holy Scriptures.1336 The elder Charles Pinckney, who was the chief justice of South Carolina, wrote in his Last Will and Testament<\/i> concerning his young son, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney:<\/p>\n
To the end that my beloved son Charles Cotesworth may the better be enabled to become the head of his family and prove not only of service and advantage to his country, but also an Honour to his Stock and kindred, my order and direction is that my said son be virtuously, religiously and liberally brought up and Educated in the Study and practice of the Laws of England; <\/p>\n
and from said son I hope, as he would have the blessings of Almighty God, and deserve the Countenance and favour of all good men, and answer my expectations of him, that he will employ all his future abilities in the service of God, and his Country, in the Cause of virtuous liberty as well religious as Civil; and in support of private right and Justice between Man and Man;<\/p>\n
and that he do by no means debase the dignity of his human nature, nor the honour of his profession, by giving countenance to, or ever appearing in favour of irreligion, injustice or wrong, oppression or tyranny of any sort, public or private; <\/p>\n
but that he make the glory of God and the good of Mankind, the relief of the poor and distressed, the widow and the fatherless, and such as have none else to help them, his principal aim and study.1337<\/p>\n
At his death in 1825, the following resolutions were read:<\/p>\n
The Board of Managers of the Charleston Bible Society, entertaining a high sense of the benefits conferred on his country and on society, by their late revered President General CHARLES COTESWORTH PINCKNEY, in the course of a long life, steadily and honorably devoted to the service of both;<\/p>\n
and of the fidelity, zeal and ability, with which he fulfilled the duties of the important and responsible public functions, to which he was called; as well as of the virtues, which adorned his private life and character, and by which he justly earned and secured the permanent respect, veneration and affection of all his fellow citizens. \u2026 <\/p>\n
That they give devout thanks to Almighty God for the invaluable services which the life, influence and example of their late revered President, have rendered to the cause of religion, virtue and good order, to his country and to mankind; <\/p>\n
and that they submit themselves to this painful dispensation of Providence, with a sorrow mitigated by the grateful remembrance of his virtue, and by a pious trust in Divine mercy \u2026 <\/p>\n
For fifteen years past he presided over our Society, and at our Board. Our meetings were held at his house. We will long remember his kindness and hospitality to us all, while the patience, industry, perseverance and zeal, which he exercised to promote the interests of our Society, merit the approbation of the cause in which we were engaged. <\/p>\n
The last time he met our Society he was so feeble that it was necessary to support him to the chair. It was evident to all of us, that his long and useful life was drawing to a close. He seemed to come among us to show that in his last hours the cause of the Bible was nearest his heart, to give us his blessing and to bid us farewell;<\/p>\n
for from that day he was confined to his chamber; and after having lived nearly fourscore years, an age seldom attained, he soon after fell to the ground, like as a shuck of corn cometh forth in his season.1338<\/p>\n
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney\u2019s parents were also very loved and respected for their godly and patriotic influence. President Washington himself, at his own request, served as a pallbearer at the funeral of Charles Cotesworth\u2019s mother, Elizabeth Lucas Pinckney (1722\u20131793).1339<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
(February 25, 1746\u2013August 16, 1825), was a signer of the United States Constitution. He was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and helped to write the Constitution of the State of South Carolina. A Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidate, he was a successful lawyer, planter, statesman, soldier, aide-de-camp to General Washington and Brigadier General. Pinckney turned … Continue reading “PINCKNEY,
\nCHARLES COTESWORTH”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15686"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15686\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}