The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1874-03-25
CLARK PrEnsox, EDITOR.


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Same OYER. jealous persons, clergymen ane
and others. have for some years past Deer
endeavoring to get up sentiment ~ iaso'
Ola chahsoT I'm tho Constitution OF ehs
rrnltsa states by which theirs shall be !" an az
r,ow i,dent Of Almighty God and the
ch,;st,an religion" in that instrument 1t is
ass,rned that our nation is not Christian
nne because Christ is not recognized specific
.,,,v bv II. But this is a strange view to take
ofit. Tho Christianity Of nation is not es-l
tablished BY a mere statementtin its charter
b,t by the character, of its citizens. If our'
reopIs as i whole are Christians lor believers
IL Christi then our patton is Christian in the
broad accoptation of the tern'---h they are
not, Christ is not honored by statement
which is untrue 1t seems strange,dtoo, TO-
claim that God is honored blythe use Of his
name. in the Constitution, as though lie
would accept the profession Of recognition in
place of the, act ITSELF God will Judge this
nation by its acts--not by its professions, and
a pretencc Of recognizing God will not avail
with him while the conduct of the nation
gives the lie to its professions ;--neither'ewiiiI
failure to recognize him in q human instru-
ment offend Him while the life of the nation
is In accord with his will. Then let these
Constitution members .goto the root of the
matter by leading the people toa recognition
Of God and Christianity by, proper lives and
conduct, both public and private and not at I
tempt to force into the Constitution that
which is of no practical advantage to Chris
tianity but of questionable propriety in ma
ton which processes liberation for all rclg-
ions, and the championship of none. 65ia31I
The question was recently brought to the
attention of the House of Representatives of !
the United States byapetition asking for such
an amendment, aud the Judiciary Committee
have made the following report upon it $500
That, upon examination even Of the meagre
debates by the Fathers Of the Republic in the
Convention which framed the constitution,
they And that the subject of this memorial
was most fully and carefully considered, and b
then, in that Convention, decided, after grave
deliberation, to which the subject was enti-
tied, that, as this country, the foundation of ;
whose government they were then laying was
to be the home of the oppressed ofall nations [,
of the earth, whether Christian or pagan, and
in full realization of the dangers which the
union between Church and State had imposed {
upon SO many nations Of the Old World,
agreed, with great unanimity, that 1t was in ,
expeiient to put anything into the constitu-
ton or form Of government, which might BIO
construed to be 4 reference to any religious
creed or doctrine And they further find that {
this decision was accepted by our Christian
fathers with such great unanimity that in !.
the amendments which were afterwards pro-
posed, In order to make the constitution more t
acceptable to the nation, none have ever been {
proposed to tho States by which this wise de- !,
termination of the fathers has been attempt
ed to be changed Wherefore. your commit
tee report that 1t is inexpedient to legisate
upon the subject of the above memorial, and ,
ask That they be discharged from The further
consideration thereof, and that this report,
together with the petition, be laid upon the
table. II