The American Revolution and righteous community : selected sermons of Bishop Robert Smith / edited by Charles Wilbanks.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Robert Smith and his community. The Americanization of Robert Smith ; Unlikely patriot ; Faith and good works ; Civic conscience and the evolution of a righteous community -- The sermons. "Ruling in the fear of God" ; On the importance of religion to society ; "Keep all my commandments always" ; "By the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil" ; "Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth" ; "Love one to another" ; "Love not the world" ; "Be not conformed to this world" ; "Love your enemies" ; "I will have mercy and not sacrifice" ; "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, and peace" ; "Blessed are the merciful" ; "Bear ye one another's burdens" ; "Love your enemies" ; "A more excellent way" ; "Let your light shine before men" ; "The imitation of Christ" ; "According to His will He heareth us". Addendum : statement on Sullivan's Island bombardment ; "We bring our years to an end as a tale that is told" ; On the necessity and demerit of the discharge of our duty, part one ; On the necessity and demerit of the discharge of our duty, part two ; "His mercy endureth forever" ; "A good name" ; "A day which He will judge" ; "Faith without wavering" ; "Overcoming the world" ; The efficacy of national virtue for securing national felicity -- Textual annotations -- Appendix A : Original or manuscript sources of the sermons of Robert Smith -- Appendix B : Printed sources of the sermons of Robert Smith.

This selection of twenty-seven sermons delivered by Bishop Robert Smith (1732-1801) from the pulpit of Charleston's oldest Episcopal church gives voice to an influential clergyman and his rhetoric in support of a colonial rebellion. The author suggests that Smith articulated a southern perspective of a righteous community in which church and state were inseparable in spirit and that this constituted a radically distinctive justification for the American Revolution.