The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1894-04-10

eminent. They were plain men who
had come to New England to worship
according to their conscience, to pre-
serve their children from cOntaminat-
ing influences and to improve their
material condition.
1t was an age of intolerance. The
civil magistrate could pronounce SEN
tence and carry into execution the de-
cree of the church against non-cOn-
formists. All honor, then, to the Pill
grims, who not only made great sacri-
fees for conscience sake, but afforded
the only example of true Christian
federation which their times wit
messed. We shall deal mainly with
these Plymouth colonists, as the eX-
pOnents of the principle of religious
liberation.
In 1889 Gladstone published a book,
and set forth as fundamental propo-
sition that "The propagation of relig-
ious truth is one of the principal ends
of government as government" Ma
caulay ridiculed this position and
showed its fallacy, and Gladstone,
himself, in later years, as Premier of
England, repudiated in practice his
own early theory. The lecturer stated,
at some length, the arguments by
which the erroneous opinion had fin
ally been overthrown, but demanded
for the Pilgrims the honor of being
among the very first band of organ
lied Christians to practice religious
federation and to lead the way to an
ultimate separation of the church and
the state. 1t is true that they may
have held the opinion that the state
existed and was ordained of God to
advance, by all righteous means, the
righteousness of its citizens. They had
no philosophical or economic argu-
ments to prove that civil magistrates
should be chosen from the member
ship of the church, although this was
their custom. They simply held that
they had the right to govern them
selves, (being left to their own juris
diction), in such way as they deemed
best under the conditions of their
exile and desolation. They had fled
to America as an asylum. They had
no idea of founding a nation. They
wished to live peaceably in the exer
else of their religion, and to bring up
their children in the fear of God.
Therefore, if intruders forced them
selves into their community, they felt
at liberty to eXpel them, but exercised
that liberty charitably and gently.
The Plymouth Colony became re-
fuge of the oppressed and prosecuted.
This band of men, artisans, weavers,
and a few educated leaders, became
the nucleus of new ideas of liberation
which in due time embraced all the
Colonies.
They had no missionary spirit in
regard to other settlers. They sought |
to influence the savages for good; to |
convert them if possible, but they |
were the only Christian people on the |
face of the earth Except perhaps the |
Hollanders), who habitually treated
with leniency and charity, those who |
differed with them in religious polity |
and doctrine Cromwell could not |
have Joined them, as he had once pro-
posed to unite his fortunes with the |
Puritans under Winthrop; and had
they changed places with the Puritans
in the English Parliament, it is doubt
full whether England would have won
so early by armed resistance, the re-
ligious freedom for which the Puritans
bravely fought.
1t is a remarkable fact that the Pill
grim Fathers in pursuit of religious