The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-07-07
FOURTH OF July SERMON.


Last Sabbath very pleasant day, and although it
the Fourth of July, II is with pleasure that we record
the entire absence of anything like disorder Indeed we
heard gentleman remark that he was reminded Of a
Sabbath in the country 80 profound the stiffness
The churches filled, and in most of them sermons
appropriate to the occasion delivered We attended
church at the of Sixth and Streets and listened
to eloquent and patriotic preached by Rev W.
d. Haley its pastor 1t is but proper remark in this
connection that under the mnistration Of Mr. Haley the
congregation has been largely increased and the church
is in ourishing condition than il has been for
thirtyseyen years past. We give the following brief
synopsis:
He announced his text in the ed chapter of Acts
% And the chief captain answered. with great sum
obtained this freedom; and Paul said but was free
born The word freedom, he said, written 80 broad
ly the ritual that morning that worshipper
could fail to IT, and priest avoid its utterance this
word had been the inspiration of country in her Sc
verest struggles, and still gaining for victories
which require the grandest building in America he Pat
ent Office for the preservation of their trophies In re-
viewing the devoted attachment of the fathers Of our
country to liberty there phase of it which they
regad of greater importance than liberty of conscience
The revolution of l7I6 seemed to be the fitting act for
closing the drama Of Professionalism The Reformation in
the sixteenth century marvel not as a contest of
logic not because Of the struggle Of equal orcesor on
fair field truth would have easily gained the day-but
because it attempt not only to vndicae freedom,
enthral the human mind but to do all this against the
wishes of the RICH the powerful and the ruling authori
ties. All the leading powers in society opposed to
the movement and poor q field did the Old World
afford for it that Luther would have died broken hearted
If princes had not aided him, and Professionalism would
have been local and temporary thing but for the nece
sites of Henry VIII.
Here he desired to explain that in using the word Pro-
testantsm he did not mean that hatred of Catholicism
which sometimes mistaken for it, but he meant that
great movement in human souls which, impeled by a
Divine power, then and now demanded perfect freedom
of COINCIDENCE Up to the period of the settlement of
this country he said the Professionalism of Europe utter
ed potent truths only sarcass and it clear that
could never succeed in those King ridden countries
Then 1t that the providence of God transpaned the
Puritas to Plymouth and the Episcopal church to James
town. But even then colony whose faith like it's
liberties, governed by charters and indulgenccs
afforded fitting soil for religious freedom So that
when the time for reaching the Declaration of In
dependence and for baptiing with blood the fair fields
of Massachusetts, and South Carolina it only for
the right of suffrage but for the right of conscience that
our sres were so lavish of their lives.
Nothing is remarkable in the history of the republic
the jealousy with which the trainers of the constitution
guarded against the possibility Of State church. and
that at time when all Europe 1t was deemed as
necessary executones court FOOLS kings mistresse
and the regal right divine. The words all men are
born free and equal have religious as well as political
meaning there inalienable rights of conscience
well as of suffrage; every soul has right to pursue
the life liberty, and happiness Of Chrts freemen IA
wealth. The struggle for American independence was
aiding TO work out great religious problem natural
right of every soul to be its priest to offer in its
own fashion an acceptable worship and to find by its
vision the God and Father of ALL For this said
the speaker is the ultimate of all your liberty the es
of all democracy. If not, it would matter little
whether thirty thirty millions selected our rulers
and Legislators Dives would reck little whether he
hcaped to himself riches under the desposm of Nero or
the presidency of James Buchanan and for bread he
supposed the Hessan mecenaies better fed than
Marion and his men, while and grass would grow as
well when George ILL., by the grace of God blind and
idioc stretched his scepre fair land when
the other and nober George built breakwater curb
the proud waves of tyranny The meaning of revolu-
tons is deeper than the price Of -four and pork trade
lists and tariffs not the sybllne leaves OF national
prophecy but it is the VOID Of Life the religious necessity
Of human SOULS that unappeasable yearning for clearer
light that had throbbed and strven for uttance in
Jewish, Hindoo, Egyptian, and Chinese
breasts before oated waters perhaps be-
fore the waters themselves had their flow This human
need of more Of the divine at the bottom of all great
human movements, guiding Cesar whirlwnd, direct |
ing our own revolutionary storm Liberty Is only lust
when it does not begin and end in reverence All civ
ilization art, commerce, letters politics. and oil life
were only tho outer ppes of that great central current
in the stream Of history, whose tending is godward
Whatevor exists is to make the religious sense tho rc
gous perceptions the religious symbolism of the race
clearer and more powerful 49, ~
The independence and the republican form Of govern
ment of this country furnish the grandest hcId Of rc
gous opportunity the world has ever seen. So much
there WAS least that hopeful in the presept
lition Of America. We imported no Old World forms
Of civil government the bcst Of those features
which adopted In governments were subjected to-
most thorough scrutiny, and werc Enthusiastically modi-
nhd to suit our own NATIONAL pcculhrtes The same
rorse, no thought shSid be pursued in religious A. in
,iv afairsthc religious wants the religious character
the religious difficulties of America were different from
Ihoso Of any old established country. America was
lemocrscy and should have democratic ohurc'
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