Encouraged In An Evil Manner

Psalm 64: 1 – 10

Encouraged in an evil manner

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

1 Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation;

Preserve my life from fear of the enemy. 2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the rebellion of the workers of iniquity, 3 Who sharpen their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows—bitter words, 4 That they may shoot in secret at the blameless; Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear. 5 They encourage themselves in an evil matter; They talk of laying snares secretly; They say, “Who will see them?” 6 They devise iniquities: “We have perfected a shrewd scheme.” Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep. 7 But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; Suddenly they shall be wounded. 8 So He will make them stumble over their own tongue; All who see them shall flee away. 9 All men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; For they shall wisely consider His doing. 10 The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and trust in Him. And all the upright in heart shall glory.

I would say that most Americans are familiar with the name Benedict Arnold. One person who served with this traitor escaped attention and to a large degree has faded away in American History as a traitor.

His name was Aaron Burr. He was the man who shot and killed Alexander Hamilton is a duel.

Burr was a man who defended his schemes and encouraged himself in an evil manner. Here is a direct quote he said in later years as to his prior actions. ‘Law is whatever is boldly asserted and plausibly maintained. I was only 30 years too soon. What was treason in me 30 years ago is patriotism today. —Aaron Burr

Aaron Burr was the third vice president of the United States, serving under President Thomas Jefferson as a Democratic-Republican.

Aaron Burr was born in Newark, New Jersey, on February 6, 1756, to a long line of English gentry who had been active in politics. Burr's father was a Presbyterian minister and the president of the College of New Jersey (Rutgers University). After the loss of both of his parents, Burr and his sister went to live with their wealthy maternal uncle.

In 1769, at the age of 13, Burr enrolled at the College of New Jersey, graduating summa cum laude in only three years.

After graduating from the College of New Jersey, Burr began attending Litchfield Law School in Connecticut. His studies were soon put on hold, however, with the start of the Revolutionary War.

As a revolutionary soldier, Burr joined Benedict Arnold's men in their expedition to Quebec. By the spring of 1776, Burr had achieved the rank of major, and was appointed to serve under George Washington at his home in New York. He eventually transferred to the staff of General Israel Putnam, under whom he fulfilled an array of posts until he retired from his commission in 1779.

The following year, Burr returned to studying law. In 1782, he became a licensed attorney and was admitted to the bar. After opening a successful private practice in Albany, New York, Burr moved to New York City, where he would spend the next six years practicing law. In 1789, he was appointed attorney general of New York.

Just after passing the bar, Burr married a widow named Theodosia Prevost. In 1783, Theodosia gave birth to the couple's only child, a daughter who was named after her mother. Burr and the elder Theodosia would remain happily married until her death in 1794.

In 1791, Burr beat General Philip Schuyler, Alexander Hamilton's father-in-law, for a seat in the U.S. Senate. This marked the onset of an ongoing rivalry between Burr and Hamilton. After six years in the Senate, Burr lost re-election to Schuyler. Bitter about the loss, Burr blamed Hamilton for ruining his reputation and turning voters against him.

In 1800, Burr ran for the U.S. presidency with Thomas Jefferson. Because they each received the same number of electoral votes, members of the House of Representatives were left to determine the winner. When the House met to discuss the election, Burr's rival, Hamilton, vocalized his support for Jefferson and his disapproval of Burr. In the end, Jefferson secured the presidency and Burr became vice president under the Democratic-Republican Party. Burr was incensed, believing that Hamilton had manipulated the vote in Jefferson's favor.

Nearing the end of his term as vice president, Burr ran for the governorship of New York, but lost. Again, he blamed Hamilton for slandering him as a candidate, and, eager to defend his honor, challenged Hamilton to a duel. Hamilton accepted, and the face-off took place on the morning of July 11, 1804; it ended when Burr shot Hamilton to death. The public was outraged. Burr fled New York and New Jersey but eventually returned to Washington, DC where he completed his term safe from prosecution. The indictments in the case never reached trial.