The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-07-03

the republic were laid by these Bible
reading Puritans. This nation was
planted by men and women who got
their ideas of national glory from the
Bible. / have a little piece of statuary
| in my study. 1t is Cromwell clasping
book which he holds to his breast
That book made him the greatest gem
eral and statesman of his age. That
book made him the champion of civil
and religious liberty, not for England
only, but America as WELL
Canon Motley saw the place the BIZ
BILE holds in creating democratic COM
monwealths. 1.-The Bible" he says, lis
the charter of human rights; it has en-
! dowed man with an individuality which
he can never lose and which rulers
| must respect" The inestimable value
of the individual man, his worth as God
regards him, a soul made for eternity.
| this conception of man learned from
| the Bible and from the Bible only,
leads always and everywhere to free
| democratic institutions. 1t was De
Tocqueville who said: "Bible Christi
anity is the companion of liberty, the
| cradle of it's infancy and the divine
source of it's claims" Horace Greeley
said: "It is impossible to mentally en-
slave a Bible-reading people, for the
principles of the Bible are the princi-
pies of freedom"
| Henry Ward Beecher said "Just in
proportion as this gospel has gone out
into the world, crowns have gone down,
scepters become powerless, thrones
have become subordinate and the peo-
pie have come up to their true power
and dignity" The fact that the Bible
| is at the root of democracy is testi-
| fed to by the best students of national
| life. 1t was Guizot, I think, who said
| that democracy crossed over into Eu-
rope in the little boat that brought
Paul on his way to Rome. William H.
Seward said: st know not how long a
republican form Of government could
| flourish among a people who had not
| the Bible; the experiment has never
been tried; but this do know, that the
| existing government of this country
never could have had an existence but
for the Bible" Andrew Jackson, dur
ing his last illness, pointing to a Bible
on the table, said: THAT book, sir, is
the rock on which our republic rests. "
General Grants message to the young
people of the nation was: Hold fast
to TIE Bible as the sheet anchor of our
liberties
Study the map of the world with the
Bible in your hand. There is no Bible
in China, and China is dark and de-
spotic. No Bible in India, and India is
dark. though here and there the light
is being kindled. Africa is without the
Bible, and is indeed the dark conti-
nent. Russia has a half-open Bible,
and the shadows there are being ting
ed with light. Spain cast aside the BIZ
BILE, and God has cast her aside. AS
the pages Of the Bible become more
! and more open, the light grows bright
| er, until at last you reach Germany and
Great Britain and the United States
where the highest levels of nineteenth
century civilization are reached The
| fruits of the Bible show that it is the
great classic of civilization. Kaulbach
in his cartoon of the Reformation was
historically true when he represented
Luther standing in the center of the
picture with the open Bible in his hand.
and grouped around him the figures
representing Science, Art, Literature,
Invention, Exploration, Enterprise.
These are the natural fruits of the
book. Under its influence man reaches
the highest planes of thought and the
highest SUBMITS of character. It's men
tality is as marked as it's morality.
Its intellectually is as conspicuous as
its spirituality. 1t is responsible for
the erection and endowment of more
schools and colleges and universities for
the people than any other book ever
written.
We are apt to overlook and under
value the intellectually Of the Bible.
I know full we'll that it's great mission
and messages are to the soul, to the
conscience. to the moral and spiritual
nature. 1t was given to make men
wise unto salvation But while it
iawakens and develops mans spiritual
| nature, preparing him for the life to
come, it also wakens and develops man
Intellectually. preparing him for the
life that now is. It is a foe to igno-
! rance. It's constant cry to the children
of men is, get wisdom and with all thy