Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1872-02-01


ernment, of Jews, Unitarians, and all |
those CT foreign religions who may
become naturalized or native citizens. |
No man could, with a good conscience,
swear to uphold a Constitution which
affirms what he from his soul rejects
and denies.
The fundamental principle of this
movement is defined by Mr.. Justice
Strong, of the Supreme Court of the
United States, the President of the
Association, in these words published
over his own name:
s'In constituting and administering
its government, nation is under OBJ
legations to acknowledge God as the
author of its existence and the source
of its authority, Jesus Christ rs its
ruler, and the Bible as the foundation of
its laws and the supreme rule Of its
conduct"
With the highest respect for Judge
Strong, whose religious character and
associations command such respect,
we are very willing to call in question
these broad and clearly defined propo
sitions. The propositions are too
broad or too narrow. All men are
under obligation always and every
where to acknowledge God, and there
are few, perhaps none but fools, who
say there is no God. But it is not
necessarily true that every association
of men, even for the purposes of Gov
eminent, should incorporate into their
written and printed statutes a confes-
sion or profession of their religious
beliefs. The proposition is that hui
man Government is "under Obliga-
tions" to insert into its fundamental
law the doctrine of God as the author,
Jesus Christ as the Ruler, and the Bi-
bic as the Rule. We say this is too
broad or too narrow. If the obliga-
ton is as broad as this, is far broad
er. Because it adopts the acknowl-
edgement of two persons in the Trim
ity, the Father and the son, and does
not acknowledge the Holy Spirit If
| the Constitution of the United States
is to be made to teach the supremacy
of Jesus Christ in the nation, why is
it MOTTO teach the office-work of that
Spirit by whose inspiration right
thought in our rulers and right con
duct in the people is to be secured
And if great dOctrinal questions, on
which the Christian Church itself is
divided in sentiment, are to be author
itatively determined and propounded
by a political instrument, where are
we to stop! A large majority of pro
fessedly Christian people in the world
to day, do not accept as true the prop
ositions of Judge Strong. We accept
them with all our heart, soul, mind,
That GC(NOI &c fh1
Source of authority, Christ the Ruler
and the Bible the Supreme Rule" But
millions do not admit them, and o.
these millions many are as good citi
zens as the great and good men who
are at the head of the Christian amend
ment movement.
Take the proposition of the Bibl
, as the Supreme Rule. The Roman
Catholic does not admit that proposi
t ton. He regards the Church as tn
n divine eXpositor of the Bible, ant
e therefore the Church is the Suprem
i Rule. Shall we insist on an amend
l. ment to the Constitution which viii
, affirm what they deny, while they ar
willing to abide by the laws and Con
stitution? Jews are entitled to al
the rights and privileges of citizen
ship; is it just to incorporate into tn
. fundamental law Of the land, trut
: that they cannot confess And th
same objection might be urged by a
: those religionists who do rot submit
to the religious opinions proposed t
6 be incorporated into the text Of th
: Constitution.
a This movement has seemed to L
! to oe urged under a conception of til
a nature and office of civil governmer
r. not in harmony with the America
n idea, nor the Scriptural idea. Whe
q the Apostle said, "The powers that /
y are ordained of God," the civil go'
# ernment was very far from acllnow
~ edging God and hia Son and the B
- Bile. But it was ordained OF -Gtv,
- nevertheless. The absolute despo
, ism of Caesar or the Gar may be
truly ordained of God as Grecian D.
ot moeracy -eHAmerican Republicanisr
~, The American idea and the Scriptur
= idea of civil government is, that
2, shall protect all men in the eniOymer
~ of their rights and privileges, leavIn
!. their relations to God to be determine
- by the light which each mans reaso
.f and conscience possesses. The rigl
= of the civil government to make Sal
bath laws, laws against blasphemy,
require oaths, to punish perjury, an
s. to promote education, is to be mail
1e tained las toward men) by the nece
sity of such laws to make good cit
nj zens. while it is fair TO put it upon tt
. conscience of every legislator TIL
lie God requires of him to NAL
&c laws conformable to his will, and
lie put it upon the conscience of the pc
on pie that it is their duty to obey Law
or because divine as we'll as human go
Il ernment requires it.
From all this we infer that civ
government is not 'under oblig
k, tions" in making a Constitution
of set forth in that instrument a profe
10 sion of it's religious belief, and Ell
*. phatically it is not TO go into SUI
a particulars as to discriminate betwet
religious truths equally solemn al
important; but, at the same time, '
ng hold that it is the duty of all COVER
n, ments to make such laws only as a
rs in conformity to the divine will, al
he which may be sustained by the san
ly. tions of divine authority.