The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1902-07-15
PUBLISHED ny REQUEST !

d'IlNlC interest IN the tltQeS
when was fred "lhe shot heard round
the world" must not wane i'm land
whose free institutions can he per
petuated only 10y M intelligent and
e. nscientious Christian citizenship.
i, is well Tor us to traverse again and
again the annals which record the
heroism and self denial of our s,res.
Probably there are bat few who
realize how vast was the contribution
of the church TO orr national indie.
pendence. The Baptists point proud.
~ 1" the early utterance of Roger
Williams that 1.-THE civil magistrate
should restrain crime, but never con.
troll opinion" Phe Meth0dists con
graduate themselves thar John IVES.
icy lin spite of long rooted preiud.
ices" came to sympaIhize with the
cause of the colonists. All gladly
recognize the splendid services of the
New England Congregationalists.
The Episc0palian church furnished
liberty some of our noblest champions
But without disparagement of other
denominations, and in no spirit of
sectarianism, we may glory in the
fact, stated by Hon. Richard Wright,
speaker of the Penns' lvania House
OF Representatives and himself an
Episcopalian, that "the American
War of independence was Presby
terian and Scotch.Irsh measure. "
the Presbyterian was the one church
that was unanimous in espousing the
cause of freedom. There was no
record Of Presbyterian Tory Hor.
ace Walpole said There is no use
crying about the matter. Cousin
America has ran of with a Presby.
terian parson, and that is the end of
it,"
In 1874 the Baptists were few,
though nearly ell devoted patriots.
The Methodist church was lust be-
ginning its splendid career. The
Quakers were non-combatants. In
New York, and all the provinces
south Of New York, except Penn
sylvania, the Episcopal church was
either established by law, or espec.
ially favored in the aid Of the rnval
governors or the support of the pub.
JIG taxes In Virginia there was n
CLOSE union between church and state.
While "A large proportion of the laity
may have joined the revolutionist.,
the Episcopal clergy. born or educat.
ed in England, and salaried from as.
easements levied upon all citizens
naturally anragonizei the popular
views.
The churches that nodded public
sentiment were The Congregational
Tnd Presbyterian. The Presbyterian
was naturally dissenting church.
Her ministers we're often fined for
illegally preaching the gospel. When
the rupture came, The Presby terian
clergy standing fer a system of doc.
trine which Bancroft has called
"gradual republicanism," we've unan.
jmOus tor independence. There
were more than 10000 Presbyterians
embosomed in the Congregational
churches Of New England, and Mr..
Hanna, in his recent volume upnn
the Scotch Irish, gives a list Of five
hundred and ten organized Presby.
ierian churches existing in the colo
pies before the end Of the year 1910.
No student Of Calvonism can fail
TO be convinced of It's natural affinity
for civil and religious liberty. AS
Dryden once wrote
But as the poinons Of the dead
Hest kind
Aret heir own unhappy coasts
confined,
80 Presbytery, in irs presidential
zeal,
Can flourish only in a common.
veal"
The historians have all borne wit. |
pess that Calvanism has never dis /
played aught but compelling sympa
Thy for freedom in both church and
state. In Switzerland, Holland. /
France, Scotland and America it
fred men with an intense passion for
liberty.
(coNcLuDED NEXT wEEK)
A Chenille man was dancing
0uadrtllp when ne heard bis ra,,.