New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-12-22

end the moxtor which He hes implanted IN me
Ausior alone; and hat the boundaries Of human au-
b0ify are the boundaries Of eternal justice, sscer-
tared by the teachings Of that monitor wnico wnSe
II IL free and fully awakened, must always % .ne
ssme They a. swered further, and with decisive en-
eray that traditions and oompscts subveanve OF sfee
dom were altogether void because the masses OF mon
living At ore lin in State must Away. have su-
rreme control over toeir own conduct IN s .ns' con-
Fortur siely the Puritaps had keen sagastY They
would Lot ask liberty Of conscience a. polticH con
cesson; because, IL granted az SUCH might De re-
ical or civil body, but purely religious ore church
in the wilderness, as they described themselves;
cturch without secular eomoir atoms, interests, or
ends; church with no interest but duty, no enc out
Fortunately, also the age was as yet religious one.
Skepteism, which has aimee 80 Wildly overrun large
portions Of Europe and scattered Its poison even here
bad not then ente ed the world; and the penary ma
turt and authority Of the Holy Scriptures 10 which
the puritans appealed, was universally acknowledged
1t vss especially fecitous that the lives Of the Pur
tsDs INDICATED their Ell certify magnsnity and p'ety
trspsactops Of The Sta'e in which they became con-
cerped their conduct ives without fear and without
Ieproach Y it'll all tbeee advantages, the PuIitans
az naturally as wIsey, referred themselve, to the D'
vine Revelations for the principle which they pro.
nuL attd With effective simplicity. they confined
them selves 10 the ain point in deba'e, They
neither pretended to define nor to make sam
maries of s the natural rights OF man which
tyranny might invade, nor TO trace out the ultimate
secular ces of the great principle on which
they Insisted They rested the defense Of the one nat
ufa right which distinctly invaded on no GROUNDS
Of expectancy or Of public utility, but on the grounds
alone that God had given il and that man could no.
either invade or surrender it without sin against the
Divine Msiesty II was tie peculqity OF the right
thus invsoed and deferded thai lent TO the Partans
their cIownipg advantage. Religion is the proounc-
eat and mos universal aft c,ion Of our naare. Apps
rently The cause Of innumerabe differences and endless
it is, nevertheless the one common ano
principal element which controls the actions OF an
men, II sustained the Pu itans. tgradually won lot
them tie res pect and sympsthiss OF man and OF ma
tons. TIE right asrailed brought equally conscience
and the love Of liberty the two mist elastic and endur
ing springs Of activity, Tito restence its INV aeioa
was acregiouf, because 1t assumed 10 ada 10 me VI
yire command mel s, and to take away from cisooe-
oience to Il en- the tina. are written against 1t
in the Book Of Life Primitive spostolcal eloquence.
which reminds us Of the spired apology OF Pal be-
fore Agrpps revived in lis defense. Inc fari'anS
Al axe from their prisons after ibis manner:
Upon careful exsmip alton OF the Hoy scripuI's we md
til. Eh heIrshy 70 DO ssre s. from c: nj pns s
in this land, to which we dare not | Jee oane, we a
e end bs GSd has " III ssse as eGps
church wherefore In the reverend ar Of bis name We have
1,sd nS and Rave chosen to uc
Of pastors teachers, elders aud esscons Snns. 1as
hs med assistance Of Hi. in sttsrdanee upon
Him DO hanoDs any prob OF reO or sbst BY men
10 be vsnssed BY the word q d. so ssble BY her Ms
and ?. PSs v % as ,a sae
evidence .dye'siss ,hsn not DC able to Pr
M . . rs 5. upon o.
eonfOmsble for the future we over brow not our ssyer
yer.sn the Queen Pray may have the benefit otss
laws Of the public charters OF the lard namely tht we
s %sy es deserving q bonds We flight unto Od
and aelisDes Z. her Msj;y tn, 70; c% sny
mson peace order f the lard and that will b. forth
cor ing ueh reasonable war; your iOrd'Lips 50 vi com
ever the Lord q Heaven and Earth .nd h. angels
to tbs our ,uppe.on may come that we hsSs here
al humility offered 10 come 10 Christian trisl"
How suol'mely, ard yet with touching effect does
this opening of their cause by the PuitaLs illustrate
the Divine instruction that the fear of the Lord was
the beginning of wisdom
Let us col slider Low the scope and full import Of
The PuIitsn Icipe. That scope is not narrowed by
any failure Of the Puritan themselves TO comprehend
H. or even by any neglect on their part TO cover It
fully in their own political conduct. Christianity IL
the ssme however narrowed or perverted by errone-
creess or practices among the fa hul Nor is the
old not fully comprehend all possible applications OF
the principle they maintained. Human progress is
only the following Of endless chain suspended from
the tsrone of God The Inks of that chan are iof.
mite. The human hsnd can srap only one of them at
once
The Puritan principle of the nvio'sbiIiy of
the right Of conscience, necessarily covers the
inviolabity OF sill the acSro sledged natural
rights of man, as well those which concern
his duty to himself and his duty to others, as
hose which srise out Of bis direct duties toward God
Certainly the Creator and Ruler of the Universe, the
benefcent Father and Peserver of all life the universal
Lawgvei and Judge Of al moral beings Is not IN any
,be Withholding of homage dne to Himself, and yet
regsrdlefs Of the neglect Of Otner human duties which
He has prescribed: AssuIecly,. when He commands
us not only to wax humbly before Himself, bu' also
to perfect our own nature, and to do justice, and love
mercy towsrd other men, He has given us toe same
absolute right to the free exercise OF faculties. in
perfo ming these latter duties, that He ba given US
tomsge 10 God so acceptable as the upright hesr aud
pure. He that loveth not his brother whom be hath
ieep, how can be love God, whom he hath not scent
The puritan principle further involves tae political
moral cor sttution of There Is only one moral
constitution of all men, The absolute right of all men
ale therefore the Political eqaali is nothing
else than the full enjoyment, by every M m5er OF the
all men Any abriisemsnt Of that equaliy, on Whist
ever consideration, except BY discriminating justice in
the punishment Of crimes is therefore forbidden to hu-.
man government by the Divine authority. The Puri-
be airing vpon the righ, Of corscienee.
Liberty Of eon,cenee ssid one Of their e'rss orsans
viii Ool bach p. times into hs
sutvepen and dsvssiion and eou,e will fad
70 the y ss sss sss
tolera an This They have good
right their eonseiepcs to their clothes No
opinions nnens OF religion cosnizabe BY tbs mash
st any further than they are Geonsseni With he peace Of
civil government"
But this latitude OF the principle Of tolerance has
been always vigorously and efficiently opposed by
prejudice, PRIDE and bsoIy in every caurca IN every
sect in every State and urdr every form Of govern
me Mt Each tect has claimed liberty of cons ;ieuce
for iiself IS natural right, but with gross inconsist
ency, shieh invsda'ed Its own argument, has denied
that liberty 10 other sects-as if the Supreme Ruler
lad made men 10 agre irste ad Of Offering upon
essential well 90 upon essential articles of religious
faith. The principle has nevertheless continually