Year: 1875

America, free and independent which is
supposed TO have all the advantages Of the
older nations and none of their burdens and
cares. If there is anything which we seem
to be free from in this country it is religion
in politics. The dream of all good
men has been TO secure that perfect
system where Church and State are apart
in every sense; where religion and politics
have no sympathy and no relation; where
the things which are Caesars should always
be rendered unto Caesar and the things
which are Gods to God Is it possible that
in celebrating the centennial anniversary OF
our independence we find that we have failed
in this, and are really on the eve OF one OF
the most important changes in our history
a change which has never been seen IN other
nations without humiliation and pain?


Nothing is more beautiful in the history of
Christianity than the narrative OF It's earliest
years In the two or three centuries after
the crucifxion of Christ the persuasive and
gentle influence Of His life and teachings in
spired all Christian souls Then Christianity
was in its budding and blossoming time. Then
persecution came from the remnants of that
vast, mighty and intelligent paganism which
once ruled the elder world. Then tempta-
ton, ambition and envy had not crept into
the hearts Of the followers of the meek and
lowly Jesus. They were disciples in
the truest sense. They were content
to live after the manner of those who fished
in the Sea of Galiee and wandered from
fo or al 1uaxr lyr1nw xubar m
lay their heads. 1t was in that fresh and
early time-those dawning hours of Christi
anity-that the Church was rich in sanity
names, in heavenly illustrations Of piety and
virtue, in glorious martyrdom. Then it was
that saints walked the earth. To that time
the devout soul even now turns with
reverence when it would think of
the trials and sufferings and glory of
the Christian life. The Church grew
stronger as it grew in years. The de-
scendants of the fisherman live in royal
palaces. The servants of the Christ whose
disciples were content with locusts and wild
honey worship Him in SPLENDID churches,
with all the pomp of gilded age. Wher-
ever we see the Church, either in its Catholic
form, as in France, its Greek form, as in
Russia, its Episcopal form, as in England, its
Methodist form, as in America, we see a
rich, striding influence, with daring spirits
in its seats of authority, aiming to rule man
kind from the altar and the pulpit.


This we see, too, in spite of that solemn
lesson 50 often told in human ANNALS,
that when the government of morals and
belief becomes assimilated with the
government of human affairs the end
is disastrous, and yet there is scarcely
a generation which is not fraught with
the admonition From the moment that
Christianity grew out OF the earlier in
fuences, when living as it were, under the
sacred shadow of the cross, it seemed to be
especially hallowed, to be a religion of sim
plicity and peace and harmony. We have
had, over and over again, the unfortunate
relation between Church and State. We saw
it in Spain, when the resolute and ambitious
Charles V. and his sullen dark minded, but
no less able successor Philip H., in their
effort TO stamp out opposition to their faith,
gave it new life-even the life which took
root in Germany with Luther and in Eng
land with Henry VIII. We saw it in France,
when the massacre of ST. Bartholomew,
which was to exterminate the Protestants,
was really the foundation of the Huguenot
schism. The result of these efforts to
make religion a political power was the
founding of new religion in Ger
many and England religion which
was only enabled to live after many
cruel and bloody wars and generations of
misery and disaster. We saw it in England,
when military adventurer Of supreme and
lofty genius founded religious dynasty,
based upon a narrow creed, but so strong
that if his son had not been worthless,
foolish waif England to-day would hold al
legiance to the name and blood of Oliver
Cromwell. But that government resting
upon fanaticism and valor, fell, and the fall
was disastrous to the religion it served. From
that day to this the name of Puritan has
never been a welcome one to Englishmen-
just as the result Of the Spanish Armada and
the religious ambition of Philip was to Danish
Catholicism, so far as Great Britain was con-
cerned, into the mountains and bogs of
Ireland


The seed which grew SO rankly, and in
the end to such an unwholesome fruitage
under the military protection Of Cromwell
and his adventurers, found Judgement in New
England Here and there and now and
then there were little bursts Of persecution
arising out Of the settlers attempting to gov
ern their sparse colonies as their fathers and
friends had governed England. But the
braingy heel did not make a deep
impression upon our hard, virgin SOIL
The provinces fourished. Episcopalian in
Virginia, Catholic in Maryland, Quaker in
Pennsylvania, Puritan in New England
When the Revolution came the wise men
who accomplished it gave earnest. instant