“But the source to which I look or the aids which alone can supply my deficiencies is in the well-tried intelligence and virtue of my fellow-citizens, and in the counsels of those representing them in the other departments associated in the care of the national interests. In these my confidence will under every difficulty be best placed, next to that which we have all been encouraged to feel in the guardianship and guidance of that Almighty Being whose power regulates the destiny of nations, whose blessings have been so conspicuously dispensed to this rising Republic, and to whom we are bound to address our devout gratitude for the past, as well as our fervent supplications and best hopes for the future.”
Not to be outdone by his mentor, Madison also turned his final thoughts of his first inaugural address in 1809 to the Christian God. Note how Madison, again someone moderns like to look to in hopes of finding either a neutral, or better anti-Christian stance…especially regarding God’s inclusion in the governmental workings of the nation, instead stands at least in the acknowledgment of God’s involvement in the well being of the nation. Madison clearly sees that God, and yes he means the Christian God, has been pouring out blessing “so conspicuously dispensed to this rising Republic.” Perhaps we as a nation, or at least you as an individual, might take President Madison’s advice and turn to God fervently, supplicating (that means asking earnestly or humbly…even to the point of begging, in case that old word escapes you) and seeking His blessing on our “best hopes for the future.”