New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-12-23
sronaod N bv the Rev. DIR. william NJ Taylor

King Henry ". Part II. Act ~ scene =
DR.. Taylor said:
In the early part Of the month t Sl president a
OF this society in the city ofsEdlnbuigh ana had tno
ancient metropolis which are mpcrIsha6y associated
with the history OF my native land IL wa tn.n, ~,
some e J pa IN the Tcs u this
and have suspicion that the place ~h 6G aS tbc
selection by him of the subject TO which am now low
asked to speaA. But however that may DC, ,e ene
coupling OF the Covenantcr and the Puritan Is eveS
way appropriate for occasion Like this, for they
very akin, since the lineage OF botn runs hs
up to and unites I'm him whom all must regard as tne
greatest .scotchman OF his age II nor also Oh ms
country, John Knox This sta,eme9o may s 0e of The
reign OF Edward the sixth that eminent rei9 9 In
land. at Berwick Newcastle and finally as ons
| of the ROYAL Chaplans, with commission which
sa d i hin all oyer the land wSch We acwa
adopted and practised by at least one secilOn OF wv
priest and founder, one may consider him to be-
Of the faith that became scotands Ncw EN- Ina
| precision that his work al Berwick was the be-
ginning Of Puritan worship in England and that ne
| was the father of Presbyterian lur;tansm IN that
| land, Hooper the first OF those who may
| be called moro strictly Episcopalan Puritan, III
the religious history of that country was made and
moulded by him more than by any single frdividuai'
ENGAGED IN THE SAME GREAT STRUGGLE
1t is fitting therefore, that those who were SO
| directly descended from the same noble ancestor
|
honor the fathers of that New England which their
principles did much TO form. Moreover, they were
| engaged in the great struggle. they lived In
the crisis time of British history and stood shoulder
to shoulder in the conflict which ended in the utter
demolition of the divine right nonsense OF the stuas
and the expulsion of their dynasty from the British
throne The struggle, far as 1t was a religious
one began In England over question OF vesimcnts,
and In Scotland over the use Of certain form OF
| prayer These, II may be said were small matters
|
forced by royal authority or people without any
consultation with them, and whether they would nave
them not-that was great question, involving IN
| II the liberty Of The nation and inc men who re-
not not for mere points, but Tor principle. Tho
| difference between liberty and slavery may turn upon
ibe ' riot Which began in the Fdnbrgh Cathedral
when Jenny, Gcddes hurled her i stool at
the spark which Ilndsd -. &C. ccna ,sI: 3,
the people William III was called to the throne. The
struggle drew attention to The relation OF me ruler 10 me
ruler for the people, not the people for the ruler
tina, he was in his place simply and solely by Tho VIII
him and them In short. it established The doctrine
which in this new land has led TO government Of the
| people, for the people and by the people"
| Samuel Rutherfuid. known TO most people only by
his seaphic letters gave the first formal dem9ntra
| ing-ln which found such sentiments as these
The poweIr, OF creating man King Is from re
people he is usurper, for we know lawful calling
that kings have now or their family, TO the crown, but
only the call OF the people" These principles Illus
ated by the execution OF Charles and the expul-
sion OF James II, have taken firm root IN the Anglo
Revolution which has given to the world Republic
having I'm II the element OF perpetuity because It stands
on foundation of truth
PAID DEARLY FOR THEIR PRINCIPLES
But the Purtans and Covenanters paid dearly for
the securing of these principles. In England, 1000
Of the clergy of the Established Church excluded
from their pulps in single day, because they would
not submit to the act OF uniformity, and they
followed into their retirement by corporation acts five
mile acts, eOnventcle acts. imprisonment. the porv.
the Star Chamber and great many civil disabilities,
some of which, sorry TO say stu remain on the
statue-boOk OF England, but the greater number Of
which, since 1882, have been buried securely than
in The tomb of the Capulets to know resurrection
Not two months after the passing of the act OF
uniformity and the exclusion of the 1000 Nonconfor-
zoo Of the ministers q the Natioha Church OF
Scotland shut Of their parishes and forced
hold their meetings with their people on the green Hill
sides, thereby drawing lpon themselves persecution
! eight and twenty years, ana parallel TO which we
| can find only in the cruecs OF Alva in the Low
goods were spoiled They were tortured by the
thumhscrcw and the boot. They were imprisoned I'm
RS1n'' s6a a1a into West indians TSG TSsy
Ters haqged Tno5 The na sf Sfra in the Gqss
side or a valley IN the upper wards Of LanarislIre
| Ayrshire Dumfriesshire and Galloway that was not
terrible years, more than eighteen thousand Of the
people were n ono way or other put TO death and
/ oppression m8kcth even wise man mad, we NAV not
wonder that they felt compelled to defend thomecv.s
a. at Rllliion Green. Dmlmcloc and Boutwell, Bridge.
! with the sword. The lines have fallen unto In
plcasanter places. but sit under the spreading
branches Of the goody tree of Liberty it becomes to
remember that lis roots nOulished long ago by
the blood Of the Puritan and the Covenanier With
We migb be free bonn and that is powerful US reason 1
why We should stand
with hearts resolved and hands prepared
The blessings We enjoy TO guard"
But may say, they not ridiculous
alike in their speech ana their diosyncracies? And
to that answer that their speech was that Of their
times, which TO our modern ears is uncouth but We
nTsI not 'aFg our aaAs teg2nS Them non ne
diulnm!es, INC MachHafs ana TIE Mansc li"9dcuc
OF scott are al Very clever and very. funny, but
take leave TO quote the following sentences from walter
SCOTS History OF Scotland: The clergy
fbe depfb Of leaIipg porsD bv some and he bow
erful talents exhibited by others: above al by the
allies and banshmcnt rather than betray The cause
which they considered sacrCd' and, he adds There Is
which they taught were Of TIE principal
Of correcting the furious chan acter and Ieyennn,
and deadly vengeance had been sll then a virtue
THEY BUILDED BETTER THAN THEY KNEW.
They had their faults, undoubtedly. They did not
understand rel glons liberty We do now and would
have prosecuted others. probably, as they were
presented themselves, but they builded better than
they knew" and contributed TO the scoring Of a
| larger freedom than they themselves would have
| approved. They besides very oplnonatve
and believed very largely In personal nfa bllty 50
that Cromwell had 10 say 10 some Of them 4
memorable occasion. a beseech you, IN
~ bowels Of Christ, think II Possible
that you may re mistaken They
were, withal, exceedingly controversial, and at Both.
well Bridge they were busy arcniug when they ought 10
have been active the battlefield. that the day
was lost. But the Revolution Of 1855 the vim
dicatOn Of their course, fOr then g. when
the whole nation came up tO them, that they had
been only much before thor lime. They belonged
10 the seventeenth century and NOT 10 TIE nine ,riN
and they not be c0nfc mncd as individuals for
those things which he faults OF their age. We
honor them therefore for what they did and for what
IN these two centuries has sprung both sides Of
sea, from their doing. But mere verbal
honor Is not enough Let prove our elves
worthy OF the succession into which we have come