, 1877-03-24

not upon human Iub NNIHH authority.
But it may he said that our argument
up to this point is only negative, resting
upon no positive provision OF the Con
sttuton. Let us then look ut the in.
strument again and now what do We
find: These two provisions, cis..' |. NO
religious test shall ever be required as IA
qualification to any otiic or public trust
under the United Statcs.' A clear dee.
Mnton that not Christians alone, but
Jews, Atheists and lntidcs are all alike
eligible to any office from that of Presi.
dent to Postmaster. .. Congress shall
make no law respecting an establishment
of religion, or prohibiting the free eX.
ercsc thereof" In other words, Con.
gress shall not intcriee with the religion
of the people, who are at liberty to be
Christians or Jews, MOmmmcdlns or
Fire worshipers, Catholics or Protest.
ants. Thrists or Atheists. Rationalists or
lntidels. Hands off" is the doctrine of
the Constitution in respect to religion.
1t is beyond question that the trainers
OF the instrument intended to put every
class Of citizens, without reference to
religious views, upon ground of per.
feet equality before the law, and to re.
strict the action Of the government to
temporal and mundane affairs. IN at
tempt has sometimes been made to re.
slst this conclusion, on the ground that
the President, the members of Congress
and the Judges, before entering upon
the discharge Of their respective duties,
are required to take an oath OF allie,
glance to the Constitution The infer
encC sought to he drawn iron this fact,
is paIpnble non seQuitHr, as moments
consideration will serve to show. The
oath is not a profession of faith on the
part Of the government, but device to
put the officer under an obligation
which he is presumed to hold the most
sarled that could be imposed. In view
OF The fact that most mGn believe IN God,
it was assumed that an obligation which
included all appeal to Him would, in
most cases, secure the desired object:
but, lest this requirement should operate
as religious test, it was provided that
the officer might, ii he chose, take SIM
pie affirmation instead OF an oath, the
former not implying belief in God
But to guard against the possible per
version of the provision by turning it
into a national creed or profession Of
belief in God, the memorable words
quoted above are Immediately added ;
but no religious test shall ever be re.
qmred as a qualification to any office or
public trust under the United States -
In other words. no man is to be interro.
gated by the government us to his re.
ligious beliefs, nor any favor shown or
privilege ucnicd him on that account.
The citizen mNy be II Christian or an
Atheist; his rights are the same in either
case, and are neither to be enlarged nor
diminished on account Of bis religious
or anti-religious opinions.
What shall we say them That the
founders OF our National Government
were Atheists and Infdels, and that they
meant to establish an atheistic and in
tidel nation? No; thousand times no!
The majority Of them, no doubt, were
believers in God and future life; many
of them We're even devOut Christians,
spiritually minded and fall of high aspi-
ration. Beyond all doubt it was their
conviction that, in organizing civil gov
eminent upon a purely secular basis,
they were dong what would he most
pleasing to God and best calculated to
promote the cause of pure and undefled
religion In tue New World. They had
given to the question, in all its bearings,
their most profound thought, while ex.
perience and observation, combined with
the lessons of history, had wrought in
their minds the deep conviction that the
union of Ckarch and State, the comblna-
tiOn OF spiritual with temporal power,
was one of the greatest mistakes into
which mankind had ever fallen: mis-
take as injurious to religion as to gov
ernment, and tending alike to the cor
ruption OF both. They had seen that the
fruits of this unhcly union were injus-
tice, oppression and bloodshcd; aud
they meant to avoid these evils by de.