The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-07-24
GOD AND THE CONSTITUTION.
Reltgton the Great Means In EievAtins ana
Enfrsnehising Nations.

EnfranChtNmk !"
To THE EDITOR or The SUN-Sfr: Your cor
respondent who affirmed that on jan 20, is'>'
! Senator FRYE and Representative Morse uteu 10
get a measure through Congress that nau LOT
its aim tho Constitutional recognition OF the
Church, in a later communication to The SUN
| on July 18th inst. qualities his statement by
| saying that II was not the 'Church' ou''
Almighty Cod" To his mind hat Is a
| wholesale recognition Of the bulk OF the dog
mas and creeds Of the average Christian
Now, unless a man mas mental myopia ne
should know that a constitutional recoSnIuoh
OF the Deity does not necessarily Imply me
recognition OF the Church. The 'a'hohc,
| Episcopalian, Presbyterian. Unitarian, unlver-
salist Churches and the Salvation Army worship
the same Deity. but they are separate religious
| organizations. The Church is one thing and
the Almighty God !" Il not the Church. In lis
visible aspect. He Is a separate Being alto
gether. II | recognize the Almighty Hod
need recognize the Church also3 NO. not by a
long shot. The visible Church Is a human Or
nanization, composed Of Christians and hypo-
| critics, whereas the Almighty God =" ia not a
corporeal Being. Hence. between the two there
is a wide distinction.
Nor doe, the recognition" Of the Deity imply
a recognition Of the "creeds OF the Christian
Churches" For example. l may be a member
Of the Roman Catholic Church and recognise
the Almighty God" Yet. because l am .
Roman Catholic, It does not imply that ! am 10
recognize the Greed Of the Unitarian Church.
doesi III Ordinarily. the mind concedves OF =
creed as being any summary OF principles or
professed opinions believed In or adhered 70,
Hence Senator Frye and Representative Morse.
In 1894. did not try to get any measure through
to recognise by Constitutional amendment the
Church. 1T was simply an attempt which had
for Its design the recognition OF God, not the
Church. by the Federal Constitution
Again. it Is asked. what proof is there that
we are indebted TO God for our civil and re-
ligioIs libertyf Why. the testimony of trust
worthy historians. Motley. for instance. says:
"Calvinism (Which enters largely into the
creeds OF the Presbyterian, Baptist. Congregs-
tional and negatively. the Episcopalian
Churches, dc). was the germ In which human
freedom was preserved In various countries In
every epoch" Bossuet the great Roman
Catholic historian. speaking OF the general
synod Of France Of 1859. says q great social
revolution has been effected within the centre
Of the French monarchy. Calvin and his
disciples have established a spiritual re-
public" Hume. in speaking Of the
struggles OF the English people for civil
liberty. said "Presbyterianism was repub-
lican and suited the genius OF the people"
Froude says: scotland ought TO be proud OF
Knox. He gave civil liberty TO Scotland; and I
say more. IL has preserved liberty to England. "
Macauley has shown that the great revolution
of 1888. when the representatives OF the English
people passed the celebrated DECLARATION OF
rlN.h nat-A atNA tn III 4lnnd
was in a great measure purchased by the labors.
sacrifices, treasures and blood OF the ,Pre.by-
ter.ans of Scotland. Our national historian.
memory and respect the influence OF Calvin
knows but little OF the origin of American lib
erty.' Hence. to the Churches which hold 10
the Calvinistic creed and to the Influence that
they exerted on the mlndS Of The common peo-
pie Wa owe the origin Of the republican form Of
government In the United states.
1t was the Almighty God who inspired
these religious believer. with hope and inspira-
ton. Hence wa are indebted to Him for His
aid and inspiration. Agnosicism never did
or the redemptien OF the world from the
tyranny o, OPPRESSION, did ~ And human
s%Iss'T ,hs b %ss' q msslinss the sea Romans Ss,
used to ensIave the biue.eyed Saxon, While
Socrates, Pinto and Aristotle 'signalized them
selve. by the brightness of their genius" The
ancestors of the Rothschtlds we're IN slaveryto
the Babylonians, and 1900 years before Homer
wrote the Had the same race was In slavery TO
the Egyptians. one thousand years before
KiplinQ wrote the ''Recessional' the blue-eyed
SaIons were ,ensiaved by the Normans. and
God had a handin them all as well a. In the negro
slavery Of America Nearly every powerful
race has been once enslaved In the realms OF
the spiritual as well as In tie natural world
there are things that neither men nor angels
can understand, Great ia the mystery Of
goodness" In spite Of the evil consequences
of slavery. something good will come oft.
Religious differences the parent Of number
less wars' If so. what were the causes OF the
Revolutionary War, the Mexican War. the War
OF 1872. the late Civil War and the Hispano-
American War? What caused the French and
German War. the Crimean. the Ru%sso-Turkish
and Opium" wars? Was religion the cause
OF the Napoleonic. French and English wars, or
the war between China and Japan, and the
present war between the British and the South
African Boers' Whoever asserts that religious
differences have been the cause OF number
less wars do 5 not know their history. II
Russia. England. France and Germany would
cease their unjust and unfair land grabbing"
In the Fast would there be any such uprising
rs we now see In the land Of the "Hohthen
Chinee?" JAS NJ. BOBBY,
Pastor Liberty Street Presbyterian Church.
Troy. n. Y. July 90.