The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-08
NOT FOUNDED IN UNBELIEF.
THE LEADERS OF THE REVOLT
TION WE'RE RELIGIOUS MEN.

Rev. A. VI. Williams Disproves the
Charge That the Fathers of the Re
public We're Irreligious and Athe-
fstfc-The First President and His
Successors Were Men of strong
ConvictiOns-NOt All of Them
Churchmen, But They Were He
Iievers in Christianity.
Rev. A. NJ. Williams preached an inter-
esting sermon at tho Wesley Monumental
church last night on the religious opin-
ions Of the Fathers Of the Republic" He
stated in the beginning Of his sermon that
his object was to disprove the statement
frequently made that the founders of the
republic were men with no belief In God
and no respect for religion.
This statement had recently been made
20 him, Mr.. Williams said. by friend, in a
discussion upon religious topics and deter
mined him to make an investigation of
the question. 1t was his intention, he
said, to give the result Of this investiga-
ton, and the recent anniversary of the
Declaration of Independence made the
subject an appropriate one.
The founders of the republic. he said,
were men of broad mind Inclined to study
and research; very fair in their opinions
and very candid in expressing them.
While many were not connected with any
religious organization. he said, all had
some views of religion. He quoted the
proclamations issued by the continental
congress setting aside days of fasting and
prayer to be observed by the people, and
the several mentions of God and the Crea-
tor and the expression, with a firm re-
lance in the protection of a Divine Provi-
dence" in the Declaration of Indepen-
dence as evidence of the belief Of the men
who composed that body in an everything
| Providence.
Washington was naturally first consider
| ed among the fathers of the republic. Mr..
Williams showed by a quantity Of evidence
that while Washington was a man not Civ
en- to demonstration in religion or in any
| other line that he was man of deep relig-
| ious convictions. He was a vestryman of
the Episcopal church for a number of
years, serving in that capacity in two
parishes. He not only protested religion,
| but praeticed it. In his diary Of the date
of June II, 1774, he mentions that he went
TO church and tasted all day" Other ex-
tracts from Washington's diary were
| quoted, showing his firm trust in divine
| providence. 1t was also shown that Wash
| ington regularly attended divine service
and was a strict observer of the Sabbath.
/ Lord Broughams tribute to the noble
character of Washington was quoted.
| Thomas Jefferson, Mr.. Williams said,
wrote more upon religious subjects than
! any statesman of his time. jefferson, he
said, was charged during his time with
| being an atheist. French intidel, and SER
| mons were preached against him. Enemies
| of religion ever since have been accus-
toned to refer to jefferson as having held
| the same views with themselves. Mr.. VIII
| liams quoted Jeffersons wFitings to
| show that he was of deep religious ma
| ture. He was a member of no church be
| cause, as he stated in letter to a friend,
he was "a denomination to himself"
| In several of his letters, quoted by Mr.
| Williams jefferson expressed his firm be,
lief in a Supreme God the controller Of
the universe He made use of the express
sion that Jesus Christ had given life and
| meaning TO the religion of the Jew. In
another letter he states that his whole
| idea of religion was summed up in the
saying of Christ, Thou shalt love the
Lord, thy God, with all thy heart and thy
neighbor as myself"
James Madison, the great writer of the
constitution, had been aged with oppo>
| sftion to religion, Mr.. Williams said, be-
cause ne opposed the establishment of a
state religion. Private letters of Mad
ison, however. published after his death.
showed that he possessed a firm and deep
religious nature
| Alexander Hamilton, Mr.. Williams de-
scribed as one of Americas greatest and
least known of the great statesmen of his
| age and whose private life and charac>
ter was the most lovable of any of the
| statesmen of his age. A letter of Hamil-
1 ,.I.
| revolution in its attempt to overthrow re-
ligion and commenting thereon, was quot
| de to show Hamilton's religious feeling.
| John Adams was shown by quotations
from his private letters and from other
| evidences to have been man Of strong
| religious feeling and who made an open
| profession Of his faith.
| Benjamin Franklin, the great philoso-
| pher, was a man of most benign and low
| able character. He was religiously edu>
| Gated as a Presbyterian, but disagreeing
| with the dogmas of that church because
| he said that some of them were unintelli-
| gible TO him and others he could not APP
| prove, he ceased his attendance upon that
church. While he could not approve Of
| the claims made by any religious denomi-
| nation, he made il a practice, so he states,
| in his autobiography, to contribute to the
| aid of religious institutions whenever ne
| was called upon to do SO, and it was a
rule of his life never to say or do any,
| thing that would discredit or discourage
| the belief of anyone in the tenents of his
| own church. In his biography, he asserts
| his belief in a general overruing Provl-
| dence and in a system of future rewards
| and punishments.
Mr.. Williams said that the other mem
| bers of the continental congress were not
| so we'll known, and it was not SO easy to
| obtain information as TO their religious be-
/ liefs, but he considered that he had adj
| duced sufficient evidence to show that the
| leaders of. the revolution were neither
| atheistic nor irreligious.
FOR BRAIN FAC