The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1854-09-26

but the agents Of the people, IT. trustees whom
spiritual power in matters of worship be conferred
since conscience belongs to the individual and is not the
property Of the body polite and with admirable diaectics
clothing the great truth in its bodest and most general
FORMS he asserted that he civil magistrate may not inter
NEEDLE even to stop church from apostscy and heresy
that this power extends only the bodies and goods and
outward estates OF men, With corresponding dsncness
he foresaw the influence of his principles society he
removal Of the yoke of ouoppresson to the words IN
which, at later day. he confirmed his early view as 1t VIII
prove act Of and Righteousness to the ensaed
TONS it is of binding force engage the whole and every
interest and conscience preserve the liberty and
peace"
when summoned appear before the general court, he
svowed his convictions in the of the
Of the State maintained the rocky strength OF his grounds
and declared himself ready to be bound and banshed and
die in New England, rather than the opn
which had dawned upon his mind in the cearnes Of
light At time when Germany the battlefield for all
Europe in the mplacable of religion when Hol
land bleeding with the anger of vengeful factions
when France was still to go through the fearful struggle
with bgory; when England gasping under the despot
ism of intolerance almost half century before William
Penn became American proprietary and two before
Descartes founded modern philosophy on the method OF
reflection, Roger Williams asserted the great doctrine Of in
electual liberty 1t became his glory to found State
that principle and to stamp himself upon its rising nstitu
lions characters deep that the impress has remained to
day. and be erased without the total
destruction of the work. The principles which he first
tanned amidst the chickering's of colonial parish
ed in the general of and then introduced
into the wds Narraganset bay he found occasion
publish the world and to defend the basis of the
gious freedom Of mankind that borrowing the rhetoric
employed by his antagonist in derision, compare
him to the lark the pleasant bird OF the peaceful summer
that, affecting to aloft, springs upward from the
ground takes his rise from pale to tree, and at last
mounting the highest hills, utters his clear carols through
he of He he first in
to assert in its penitude the the liberty
CT conscience the equality of opinions before law and in its
defence he the hsrbinger of Milton the precursor and
the superior of Jeremy Taylor"
[Afer being expelled from Massachusetts, Roger Will
ams went out to seek home for himself
1t in June that the lawgver of Rhode Island, with
five companions embarked the stream frai Indian
contained the founder of independent State and its
earliest citizens Tradition has marked the spring
which they landed it is the parent spot the first inhabited
nook of Rhode Island To his unbroken confidence
in the merces Of God Williams called the place PnovpENcE
desired, sadhe 1T might be for shelter persons dis
ressed for conscience"
These taken from examples of American history long
before the revolutionary war; and before the declaration
of independence We shall to another occasion
the reproduction of the model character Of William Penn
portrait entitled to high place in the galaxy Of which
Calvert and Williams were unfading stars But what
retrospect is opened to the inquiring mind by these
reimbursement We a simple Bible trutha plain prn
cple in politicpreyailng bgoted and cruel kings
We the wsest statesmen of brilliant reign yielding
this principles perishng for it at the burning stake
in order that poserty might feel its value others stealing
off to strange lands with their feeble wives and little chill
dren others hunted like wild beasts and finally Christians
"yns ioi 'fon ino'eian'e "
asyumand meeting there the rigors Of harsh eli
mate oi proS'r"'he aseases' o savage oesa" Maf "e
eeay 'e'9'0Ns 'eeao" oo aoe'V conscience ym nov
Pe'as" o"s m9"' DC "e oe9""py g'em no'on IN MeJ"
find home safe from king and Kaiser screened from ia
ndticism and hatred and equal alike bore God and
in tbea Ap,ar of