Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1870-06-29
Our Puritan Forefathers.

plymouth To-day Che irult OF that Planning
shakes like Lebanon On every shore OF every
continent, in the far of isles OF the sea, inc mar
IL il well that we seize this opportunity 10 study
the characters the ideas and the achievements OF
the mon from whom We sprung. shall attempt
no enIogv of the pilgrim Fathers. The theme is |
familiar to YOU all, and has already been treated
with Hottest oloquoncc by by the two greatest or
ators of New England r.,-,
IL is true there was herOism IN the niue pio-
neer colony ofPlymouth not matched By the set
Ners Mt Boston and Sicm. II is true, too that
in an ace when GOOD men deemed the punishment
of fanatics and error.ts as Just, none was lOund
in the Pilgrim colony % advocate 80 intolerant
policy. II we Discriminate between puritan ana
Pilgrim, the prelerene U.s. no DOUBT 70 ne gwen
In The latter. But the two streams combine TO
farm onr New England civilization. The old
controversy ON church poity which severed them
in Englnnd di.nppcrcd when they came to
America, the puritans adopting the views ana
practices of the Pilgrims. While we accord pre-
cmiuence 70 the latter we should not forget what
,ye owe tD the former Indeed we recognize the
cs.cnti,l oneness of the two bodies in our COM
n,n speoch using the terms Puritan and PHI
MIN without discriminating between them.
Mood ppt linner ON the details Of the history
Won have studied them from infancy The re-
formation began with Nycliic, the morning
star" of English civilization, and was advanced
hV the Christian tINtN'lHNNNf WIN lit'Nh WV
Bible ia many of the homes OF England. In tue
doys of MARY not few of these men gave their
b,lies tn be- burned, while others eXilcd them
81. o,l e,mc nnder the influence Of that Cen
evan who made so wide and deep mark on the
theoloricnl thinking Of succeeding times. la
the roinn Of the first james. that pedantic TOOL,
many of the best citizens OF England chose 10
live in wilderness aud with sayages, rather than
under the unjust laws Of their native land No
.,int Ina fine whole hcad-roll better deserves can
onilotion than John Robinson We call 10
mind the weary voyage, the famous compact
pretnant in every line with future dcmocncies-
tLo famine. the deaths and hchold the result of
this di-coumging beginning This little corner
ol the earth has furnished one third Of the popu
ntion OF a nation that now numbers 10000 600
il Inns determined the form and character Of our
Government snud overturned and remodeled the
Governments of foreign lands.
Isit an experiment, that we have met this day
d, cou-ider-a sudden flash OF -plcndOr or,
rather truits of character and elements of thought
Iand life which mvst live 80 long as truths abides
ON the EARTH II the latter, then our cul0gy will
/ consist In our recognition Of these elements. No
argument is needed 10 prove that great elements
went % constitute PurAnism The influence
which IL has oxcrtel down 70 this hour is an ire
| frnnibo proof of ne power which lies IN IL. We
point with confidence 20 It's achievements, such
as not this age n0r any coming age can afford To
| forget We may pass by the caricatures Of the
| poets the saying- and dongs OF those who as
sumed the peculiar grb Of Puritianism, with
[ their extmvaglrces and especially their unending
cant.
/ Purimnism cn afford to be painted as il was, ~
like Cromwell whose portrait must give the wart
upon his cheek IL Is is good sign that at last
we are getting able to speak of our ancestors MS
l they We're, as men. Let MS conceie that they did
not run in advance Of lineage in learning the lesson
Iortolerntiln. that. Disguised, as they were, with
everything in Church and state, they took narrow
and partial views Of some things. But such was
their spiritual ler0ism, and noble their charac-
ter and deeds after all deductions 20 be made that
one of the mos. eminent Of Episcopal writers has
acknowledged uat their record is one OF perma-
nCnt glory ami but transient shame and other
writer's not over friendly 10 Purluuism, have
4 given like testimony Now what are the elements
that made plrtani-m the force it conics-eiiy
Was3
l. The Pilgrim was characterized By an intense
desire 20 do tie will of God. Duty. not pleasure
duty, in spite Of the wes Of Satan and an adj
verse influences combined, was bis guiding idea,
10 the Puritan, God was not shadow affair OF
Tie was at hand the Captain OF the hosts in which
he ranged himself lie knew in every fibre Of hi.
being that God does indeed rule on earth that L
is good to fight On the Lords side
j .. lie had profound conviction that the viii
of God was made known in his Word lie WA
q Bib.s man lie heard the voice Of God sound
ing out OF the Bible az from Heaven. What Z
him were tradition, the opinions Of the fathers
the DEGREES OF eeumenial councils the dOgmas OF
f theologlans2 lie went himself 10 the fountain
head, he drank from il day by day and it SHAPED
his own life and the life Of the nation
b 3. The Puritan loved simplicity Of churcl
j worship and polity Ia his worship he aimed al
a lofty spirituality. lie would have the eve be
guiled by no sight, the ear seduced by no sound
that should remind him OF the Anglican churcl
E from which be bad broken. From the first Ia,
% Pilgrims were independents and so were the
Purtans from the time they set fl0to New Eng
land soil Ia Holland the Pilgrims iraternizeC
with other religious communities and the puri
g taus, once established in this country FOLLOWED
70 their example, as may be seen in the preface L
the Cambridge platform, in words worthy of be
ing adopted by all Christian churches
j. The Furlnns IN some way cherished thu
r. seeds of civil liberty. Even Hume expressly say
chat the spark Of liberty was kndled and pre-
% served By that sect alone and Motley never dis
posed % best0w undue praise on the puritans
' makes like acknowledgement Later writers MAJ
9 have assigned % them more sharply defined idea
on government and social organization than the
had attained 10. Their chief aim in coming h
this country was doubtless religion. But il 4
y beyond all dispute that it was the independents
Of the church which gave rise 70 the independence
OF the state. 10 was this small seed which grew
into the oyershadowing tree of our republican
j. government The civil administration OF Plym
II Outh even was based on arstOcmtic ideas. Mei
+ were clfoted TO be freemen. But there was n,
basis IN their organization for an aristocrnt
form Of government. Its only condition wa
II membership IN the Christian church. whose prin
l. oiples break down and eliminate all tendencies {,
q arlstOcracy and restriction. They appr0ache,
civil government from the religious side, oppos
" ing the wicked measures Of the ruling power be
o cause Of their wckedness Tkeir democratic
and hutitu IN, l.
. them TO see that the democratic form Of govern
nent was the only one for this country. An,
. C0ngregauonallsts may well consider that thi
c principle OF their poity has still something to d
n for the United States in this 10Th century.
II 9th. lie believed in the diffusion of education
The first example in all history in which the re
= representatives. Of the people appropriated the PEG
e PIES money for purposes of popular education
b occurred IN Puritan colony. But Puritanisu
q was logically compelled 10 secure the fullest dc
velopnent OF every power of the mind. Wher
ever II has been planted schools and colleges hay
sprung up. The Purtans have been called hare
names, but never fools or ignoramuscs The,
have been criticised for many real or supposed
lailings but their intelligence has been on al
= hands confessed
d such being the elements of Purtanism it coul,
n not TAIL TO produce a godly and steady and intel
. ligent lnliyidualism. Each man was 10 find on
Tor himself what God would have him do, and d,
ui ulgne II heel pc ana IN spite OF all the pow
= ers Of earth and hell Ii has been asserted tina
Pgrimnlsm went too far in this direction Yet
Il IS this kind OF ndyidualism which works GU
d the largest and most benetcent results It is in
e strongest contrast with that egomistic individu
allsm which sets self against both society and IN,
church They erred sometimes, no doubt, bu
they acted up to their belief They made mel
who Tor intelligence and strength of oharacte
@ ana roundabout common sense may challeng
comparison with any race of men that ever lived
The careful student of history will be amazed n
their patience They bore and forebore witt
harsh laws and unjust treatment For tim
they meekly laid down their lives rather than ris
| against established authority In their who'll
history what decency what order in everything
they showed the practical qualities of English
men. They gave little favor to system-lnakers
their feet were on the solid earth. The create
the emergency the greater their steadness. Ii
their theology-the yagaries of the fifth MONARCHY
men excepted steadily have they held 1
the great and vital doctrines There is NOR
ground for the charge of excessive strictness thar