Bloomington herald. [volume] (Bloomington, I. T. [Iowa]) 1840-1849, 1843-05-19

lony OF Massachusetts, but few months
aier the arrival Of Winthrop. and befor,
Cotton or ,loOker had embarked for New
England. there arrived vi Nantaske,. afie
stormy passage Of sixty days. yonns
minister, g"dly and Jealous, having pre-
ci"us gifts !" Il was Roger Williams
lie was then hui little more than thirty
years of mgr; lpat I5i6 MIR - u XIII
matured = doctrine which secures him q
immortal fame. as its application has Civ
en- religious peace TO the American w"rld,
lie was a puritan. and fugitive frotr
English persecution; but his wrongs hae
not cl0uded his accurate understanding
in the tapacious recesses Of his mind lie
had rev0lsed the nature Of intolerance.
and he alone had arrived al The rea, pin
cipte which is It's s"le eff ctnal remely.-
Tie announced his discovery under the
simple proposition Of the sanc,iiy of con-
science. The civil magistrate should pun
ish guilt but never violate the freedom Of
| The soul. The doctrine contained within
ilself IN entire reformation Of Theological!
lilrisprndence il would blot from the
lelnte book the felony Of non-conformity
would qoench the fires tina! persecution
""d 80 long KEEP. burning; would repeal
every law compelling "r,~"J.....~ 49, y-..L-
lie worship; would abolish ,i.hes and all
forced contributions 10 The maintenance Of
religion; would give an equal protection
10 every form of religious faith and nev.
er suffer The authority Of The civil governs
,nens to be enlisted agains. The Mosque Of
The Mussulnnan or The altar Of the fre-wor
shipper. agains. The Jewish Synagogue OF.
The Roman Cathedral. Ii is wonderful
with wha, dislinc,ness Roger Williams de-
duced these differences from his grea, prin-
ciple. the consistency with which, like
Pascal and Edwards. those bold and pro.
found reasoners OF other subjects. he ac-
copied every fair inference from his docs
lrnes. nnd the circumspec,ion with which,
herepelIed every unj"s. impula,ion. II
the nnwaveIing assertion Of his views heRe
neser changed his position !; the sancli!ss.
nf conscience was the great tenet. which,
with all its consequence, he defended as
he frs, trod the shore Of New England
and in his extreme old age it was the las,
pulsalion of his heart.
Al time when Germany was the bat
tie field for alIsEurope in the implacable
wars Of relil F when even Holland was
bleeding wiihke anger Of vengeluI fac
lions ;0hen France was still 10 go ,hro'
the fearful struggle with bigotry; when
England was gasping under the despo,ism
of intolerance; abou, half a century be-
fore WIN. Penn became an American pro
prietary and two years before Descartes
founded philosophy on the method Of free
reAec.ion--Roger Williams asserted the
great doctrine Of intellectual liberty. l,
became his glory TO found State upon
that principle. and to stamp himself upon
its rising institutions, in characters SO deep
that the impress has remained 10 the pres
Ell. day. and can never be erased without
the total destruction Of the work.
The principles which lie frs, sustained
amidst the chickering's Of colonial parish.
next asserted in the general cour. of Mas
sachuse.ts. and then introduced into the
wilds OH Narraganse, Bay, he soon found
occasion 10 publish to the world, and to
defend as the basis Of the religious free.
dom Of mankind; so that, borrowing the
rhetoric employed by his an,agoni>, in de
rision. we may compare him 10 the lark.
the pleasan. bird of the peaceful summer.
that. . affecting 10 soar alol., springs ups
ward from the ground, takes his rise from
pale 10 tree" and Il. last, sur,nou,,ling the
highest hills. u,ters his clear carols ihro'
the skies of morning. He was the first
4 Il
in its plenilude the doctrine Of The liberty
Of conscience, the equality Of opini ms be-
fore the law. and in its defence he was the
larbinger Of Milton. the precursor and sn
peror Of Jeremy Taylor. For Taylor
limited his federation 10 few Christian
sec,s; the philanthropy Of Williams COM
passed the earth. Taylor favored partial
reform, commended le,ny. argued for for
bearance. and entered special plea in he
half Of each tolerable sect; Williams
would permit persecution of no opinion.
Of no religion. leaving heresy unframed
by law. and orthodoxy unprotected by the
errors Of penal statutes. Taylor sill: chung
to the necessity IF positive regulations en-.
forcing religion and ers'iica.ing error; ne
resembled the poets, who. in their folly
frs, declared their hero To be lnvulnerable.
| and then clothed him in earthly armor.
Williams was willing to leave truth alone.
in her own pancply Of light. believing
that If. in The ancient feud between roth
and error, the employment Of fofce could
be entirely abr"galed. truth would have
much the best Of the bargain.
! II is the custom Of mankind to award
high honors to the successful inquirer in>