Civil Government and Conscience
Civil government has no right to enter the domain of conscience, to define sin, or to punish sin. Every attempt to do this has always resulted disastrously to the government which has attempted it, and in the persecution of its most conscientious and devoted citizens. This is what Rome tried to do during the twelve hundred years of her triumph, and it resulted in the death of fifty millions of the saints of God. This is what the Jews attempted to do, to define sin, and they condemned the Lord's Christ, and by threats compelled the Roman governor to execute him. In thus doing civil governments usurp the place of God and become rebels to his authority. California is yet free from this curse. She has wisely left the matters of religion to the individual and dealt only with those things which pertain to civil power. Let it rest there.