Signs of the Times, Vol. 21, No. 49. (12/12/1895)

Signs of the Times

Dec 12, 1895

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Dec 12, 1895

All Men Are Created Equal

By Editor

The Original House, 702 Market St., Philadelphia, in Which the Declaration of Independence Was Actually Written by Thomas Jefferson, 1776.

Thus reads the Declaration of Independence, the Charter of our liberties as citizens of America. It does not mean that all are of equal weight or size or intellect or capacity or strength. It means that all are created equal as respects the rights God has given and the free enjoyment of the same. “They are endowed by their Creator,” reads the immortal document, “with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” In respect to these unalienable or natural rights men are equal. Man can not in the nature of the case barter them away, nor can he be justly deprived of them. Upon this foundation principle the glories of this government were founded.

Not a New Truth.

The truth that “all men are created equal” is not a new truth, nor was it a century ago, though then first for a long time definitely stated. It is a divine truth, as old as Deity, and is always due where there are men among whom it should be operative. Yet how little has the world known concerning it! Man has lorded it over his fellows. The people have been divided between the nobility and serfs, the classes and masses, the masters and servants. The same domineering spirit has been manifest in all world religions. There have been lords many and gods many, with a hierarchy all the way down to the “common people.” But this is not God’s plan. It has been manifest among his people, but it is not the Gospel as it is in Christ Jesus.

“Proclaim Liberty.”

It was a strange voice to Jew and Gentile, that trumpet-toned proclamation sounded out in Judea three and one-half millenniums ago, every half century: “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” Lev. 25:10. It was not a declaration of independence on the part of the people; it was God’s proclamation in their behalf in an age when men thought it right to enslave even of their own kindred. Again we are given the divine utterances: “For the Lord your God . . . regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward; he . . . loveth the stranger.” Deut. 10:17, 18. “For there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor respect of persons.” 2 Chron. 19:7. And the Idumean emir, speaking of those who served him, said, “Did not He that made me in the womb make him? and did not One fashion us?”

Of One Blood.

The reason of the equality lies in the fact that all are creatures of the same God, on the same plan. “The rich and poor meet together,” says the wise man, “the Lord is the Maker of them all.” “Did not One God fashion us?” says Job. But the New Testament puts it stronger still: “God that made the world . . . hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth.” Acts 17:24-26. And the Son of God says, “One is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.” Matt. 23:8. Thus in express terms the Gospel of God affirms the absolute equality of man as regards his rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This does not mean that government is to be despised, or authority of rulers ignored; not at all. In a just government every natural right of man is protected and conserved, not because the individual is stronger, but because the rights of one are the rights of each and all; and the just government will protect the rights of the weakest; in fact, it is that purpose for which it is ordained.

A Blessing in Religion.

The equality of man, proclaimed in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, came as a boon of life and hope. “The poor have the Gospel preached unto them,” was the joyful cry. Priest-ridden and oppressed thousands took heart. The spiritual slave of superstitious rites, galled by the iron chains of priestly tyranny, bowed by the heavy burden of human traditions, lifted his head, and with gladdened heart rejoiced that God recognized him and his rights. True, the supercilious wise men, the tyrannous priesthood, and the self-constituted masters in religion, spurned the glad message which broke their galling yoke and severed their chains, but the poor rejoiced and went free in the blessed freedom of the Gospel.

Religious Freedom.

This boon did not come alone. The Gospel not only recognized the equality, the worth, of the poor—of every man—as God’s creature, the purchase of

Christ’s blood, but, as essentially united with that, it recognized the man’s right to choose or reject the Gospel—or any other religion—so far as man or any set of men was concerned. That is, man, be he even an apostle, had no right to dictate religion to the humblest soul. Religion was a matter between God and himself. Even Jesus Christ did not judge or condemn the unbeliever. “If any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not; for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.” John 12:47. Says the great apostle to the gentiles, God’s ambassador to a rebellious world, “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.” 2 Cor. 5:11. This is the language of the Gospel. It is the language of Infinite Love, holding out to man all the riches of infinite grace, and asking men, all men, equally, to turn, to look, to accept, and live. “Whosoever will, let him come.” No wonder that, before the strong yet loving advance of such a Gospel, unperverted with the mystery of iniquity, unadulterated with heathen tradition, as it was in the early days of the Christian era, the mighty power of Roman idolatry crumbled. Men saw in it light and life and freedom. Apart from its divine power no other principles gave the religion of Christ such prestige among the children of men. Among the perfection of principles of Christ’s government, represented by the seven horns on the head of the Lamb (Rev. 5:6), these two are prominent, equality of man and freedom of conscience in religious matters.

In a Civil Way.

These two principles of civil and religious equality are principles which may be embodied in civil government, which ought to be embodied in every civil government. But during the rolling centuries but one and only one civil government ever saw fit to adopt them, and that government was the late product of the eighteenth century. It was in America for the first time that government “dared,” in the words of George Bancroft, “to set the example of accepting in its relations to God the principle first divinely ordained in Judea.” It did this in the Declaration of Independence, which gave it birth, and later on in its Constitution, which declared its manhood.

It Is Well to Think of These Things.

It is because of the vital worth of these principles to man and government, the absolute necessity of their recognition if one would be a free child of God in these days, that we bring them again to the remembrance of our readers. They are not only mighty principles of liberty in a civil sense, but they are vital Christian truths. We print once again the Declaration of Independence, that our readers may know what civil liberty and equality meant to our fathers, together with a cut of the old house in which Thomas Jefferson wrote the original copy. We show by Holy Writ that these blessed principles of liberty are God given; and therefore, if we are Christians, they should be thrice dear, not for ourselves alone, but for the sake of others. That is to say, the principle of freedom of conscience ought to be so dear to us for our own sake that we should contend most earnestly that every one else should have the same freedom to believe or disbelieve, whether he agrees with us or not. It was for this that our government stood in its founding; it is for this in its fullness that Christianity stands.

THE GOSPEL AND THIS GOVERNMENT.

A New Order of Things.

NEARLY nineteen hundred years ago Jesus Christ announced the doctrine of religious liberty in the following utterances:—

"All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." Matt. 7:12.

"If any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not; for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world." John 12:47.

These utterances need no extended comment. Applied to the subject of religious faith and practice, or freedom of conscience, they grant the fullest liberty to believe or not to believe. If the Christian desires that the "heathen Chinese" should grant him the privilege of teaching, preaching, or practicing the religion of Christ, it is the duty of the Christian to grant the Chinese the privilege of teaching, preaching, or practicing the religion of Joss or Buddha. And as the Christian conscience would revolt at the idea of paying reverence or regard to the idolatrous forms of worship of the Chinese, and would feel that it was oppression or persecution were he required so to do, so he has no right, according to the teaching of Christ, to compel, or seek to compel, the heathen to pay reverence to or show regard for Christian ceremonies or observances. And this is true respecting all classes of religionists. The teaching of Christ makes it incumbent upon Christians to act toward the devotees of all religions as they would that the devotees of these religions should act toward them.

The second scripture quoted above puts non-acquiescence in religious faith on the basis, not of privilege, but, so far as man is concerned, of right—the right to differ, the right to believe or not to believe, the right to worship or not to worship. And the positive declaration of Him who could read all hearts was that He would not judge or condemn the unbeliever. Have his erring followers the right to go beyond this? He said that all judgment, all condemnation, was to be left "to the last day." Have his followers the right to judge now?

Furthermore, Jesus Christ laid down a principle which draws a distinct line between the duty which we owe to civil government and the duty which we owe to God. When asked whether it was lawful or not to pay tribute to Cæsar, he said:—

"Show me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he said unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Cæsar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's, and unto God the things that are God's." (See Matt. 22:16-22.)

Here is divine guidance for all concerning all requirements. What stamp—whose image and superscription—have they? Is it a state or municipal tax?—It is paid with money coined by the government for that purpose. Is it the observance of the Lord's Supper, baptism, or the Sabbath?—Each and all of these bear the stamp of God in their origin and law; and therefore civil government has no right to interfere, or in any way to enforce their observance. The observance of religious requirements, ordinances, institutions, does not come within the purview or jurisdiction of the state, and whenever the state interferes as to their observance, the Christian and the church have the right, nay, it is duty, to emphatically protest, and to bid the state to remain within its own sphere, even as the state has the right to bid the church to keep to its own sphere.

It was on this broad and divinely just principle that the little apostolic church began its career. It was vouchsafed all the power of God (Matt. 28:18-20); upon it was poured out the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8; 2:1-12); its weapons were not carnal, but spiritual, and yet mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds (2 Cor. 10:4, 5). That early church never appealed to the state for support. The apostles never asked the civil power for state aid to establish, promote, or preserve any Christian dogma or institution. They had so much faith in the simple truth of God that they boldly declared, "We can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth" (2 Cor. 13:8); and that even the persecutions waged against the Gospel had "fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the Gospel" (Phil. 1:12). They died, but truth lived and conquered, Idol shrines melted before truth's glowing love, heathen temples crumbled before truth's own intrinsic power, and darkened hearts became the light bearers of the Sun of Righteousness.

It was not until the church departed from her Lord that her mighty works ceased. It was not until she lost his power that she appealed to the state. The persecution of a Nero or Decius was better for the church, suffer though she did, than the "conversion" of a Constantine. Following the union of the church and state through him, the apostasy rapidly developed, the fullness of which is seen in the persecutions of the Dark Ages, not because men were naturally worse, but because they were led by wrong and wicked principles, which transformed them into demons, while at the same time they thought themselves God's ministers. The Dark Ages were but the development of the first seed sowing in the days of Constantine, and previous. In fact, it began in the days of the apostles (2 Thess. 2:7), when Christ was excluded from the hearts of disciples, and unconverted men began to control the church.

Some of the Reformers started out in theory on the true Gospel principle of absolute separation from church and state, but this principle did not long control. It was not until 1776 that a place was found among the civilized governments of earth where church and state both stood where God designed they should stand, each in its own sphere.

This was in the Federal Government of the United States. That glorious principle of liberty was emblazoned on the very front of the crest of the republic, in the immortal Declaration of Independence, and in the first Amendment to the Constitution. On the reverse side of the great seal of the United States was placed this inscription, "Novus Ordo Seculorum," meaning

"A New Order of Things."

This new order was especially manifest in these two ideas: Government is of the people; and government is, if right, absolutely separate from religion. George Bancroft, the great historian, remarks as follows on these guarantees of religious liberty:—

The Constitution establishes nothing that interferes with equality or individuality. It knows nothing of differences by descent, or opinions, of favored classes, or legalized religion, or the political power of property. It leaves the individual alongside the individual. . . . Religion was become avowedly the attribute of man and not of a corporation. . . . Vindicating the right of individuality even in religion, and in religion above all, the new nation dared to set the example of accepting in its relations to God the principle first divinely ordained in Judæa. It left the management of temporal things to the temporal power; but the American Constitution, in harmony with the people of the several states, withheld from the Federal Government the power to invade the home of reason, the citadel of conscience, the sanctuary of the soul; and, not from indifference, but that the infinite Spirit of eternal truth might move in its freedom and purity and power.—History of the Constitution, Book V, chapter 1.

Under these guarantees of equity and liberty, during the succeeding century, both government and genuine religion prospered as under no other government. And this was expected. Said James Madison at that time:—

Every new and successful example, therefore, of a perfect separation between ecclesiastical and civil matters, is of importance; and I have no doubt that every new example will succeed, as every past one has done, in showing that religion and government will both exist in greater purity the less they are mixed together.—Letter to Edward Livingston, July 10, 1822.

On this the compiler of "American State Papers" well remarks:—

How different is this from the constant opposition of so many Christians to-day against every application of the doctrine. . . . If state chaplains are not hired, the early destruction of the state is predicted; if Sunday laws are not enforced, anathemas are pronounced against the whole nation;—and all this, too, when religion in America has prospered better, far better, under the secular principles of government than ever it did in any nation with all its religious teaching by the state. The words of General Grant should ever be remembered by the American people, "Keep church and state forever separate."—American State Papers, p. 77.

Back to the Old Order.

But at the present time the "new order of things" is being reversed. Religious questions are constantly pressed for decision upon our Legislatures and courts. Contrary to the important truths of the Declaration of Independence, that all men are created equal, and that governments among men derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, men are now declaring, as did Rev. W. D. Gray, at the "Sabbath Reform Convention," held in Sedalia, Mo., in the summer of 1889, under the auspices of the American Sabbath Union:—

To appeal to divine authority in our legislation would be to fundamentally change the law of our land, or the principle adopted by our fathers when they said that all governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed. I for one do not believe in that as a political maxim. I do not believe that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed; and so the object of this [Sunday-law] movement is an effort to CHANGE THAT FEATURE IN OUR FUNDAMENTAL LAW.

The convention showed their appreciation of Mr. Gray's sentiments by electing him secretary of the permanent state organization.

Col. Elliott F. Shepard, late president of the American Sabbath Union, said at Chautauqua the same year:—

Governments do not derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.

February 29, 1892, the Supreme Court of the United States declared this to be a "Christian nation." In July of the same year the legislative and executive branches of the Federal Government placed themselves in the same line, establishing by law, in response to the demand of religious bodies, what is called a Christian institution. Since that time agitation upon religio-political subjects has grown apace. Preachers are in politics as never before since the foundation of the republic. "Institutes of applied Christianity" are in operation all over the land, according to which Christianity is to be applied through civil law. "Christian citizenship" is put forth as the only citizenship worthy of name or existence; sabbath (or Sunday) laws in various shapes and forms are urged or enforced in various parts of our land. Men are lying in jails or working in chain-gangs for conscience' sake, under the flag. All these things are leading thoughtful men to ask: "What will be the outcome? Where will these things end?"

Is it not time that every patriot be warned? Is it not time that every Christian awake? The test will come so close that every soul must take one side. Will it be the side of tyranny and destruction or liberty and life? A prophecy of all this is found in Rev. 13: 11-17; 14: 9-14.

FORM AND FACT.

In the first chapter, it will be remembered, we have a representation of the case of the heathen. In the second, as far as already studied, we have the case made general. In the verses immediately before us, we have in unmistakable language the direct, personal charge,

“Thou Art the Man.” Rom. 2:17-24.

“Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, and knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law; and art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law. Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonorest thou God? for the name of God is blasphemed among the gentiles through you, as it is written.”

Questioning the Text.

To whom does the apostle now address himself?

“Behold, thou art called a Jew?”

In what does the one called a Jew rest?

“And restest in the law.”

Of what does he boast?

“Makest thy boast of God.”

What does he know?

“And knowest his will.”

How is it that he knows God’s will?

“Being instructed out of the law.”

Knowing the will of God through being instructed out of the law, what is he able to do?

“Triest the things that differ,” marginal reading.

Of what does his knowledge of the law give him confidence?

“Art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes.”

What, and what only, does he have in the law?

“Hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.”

What questions imply that he has not the fact, or the truth of the law?

“Dost thou steal?” “Dost thou commit adultery?” “Dost thou commit sacrilege?” “Through breaking the law dishonorest thou God?”

What shows that these leading questions are really positive charges of breaking the law?

“For the name of God is blasphemed among the gentiles through you, as it is written.”

A Professed Jew.—Are professed Christians to throw away this portion of the book of Romans, as not applicable to them, since it is addressed to a professed Jew?—By no means. Professed Christians are the very ones who are meant by the apostle. Read the description: Thou “restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, and knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law; and art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.” Whom does he address?—Every one who professes to know the Lord, no matter by what name he is called; every one who thinks himself fully qualified to instruct others in the way of the Lord.

“Called a Jew.”—It should not be overlooked as a trifling matter that the apostle does not say, “Behold, thou art a Jew,” but, “Behold, thou art called a Jew.” People are not always what they are called, nor what they call themselves. In the latter part of the second chapter of Romans, beginning with the seventeenth verse, the apostle settles the question of who are Jews. Before we have finished the chapter it will seem that by using the word “called” he meant to intimate that the one addressed, and described in the following verses, is not really a Jew, and is not considered so by the Lord.

Claiming to be Jews.—In Rev. 2:9 we read, “I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.” And again, “Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.” Rev. 3:9. From this we see that to be a Jew indeed is so high an honor that many will falsely claim it. Yet the people called Jews have been held in contempt by the greater part of the world, for many hundred years.

At no time, and in no part of the world, since the New Testament was written, has it ever been an object for anybody to claim that he was a Jew, in the common acceptation of the term. The Jews as a class have never been in such honor that it would benefit a man’s prospects to be called one. But it has been and is very often an advantage for a man to be known as a Christian, and very many have falsely made the claim, in order to better their business prospects.

Jew and Christian.—That it is not straining the text at all to say that when “Jew” is used in the verses last quoted, it means what is now known as “Christian,” will be apparent if we consider what a real Jew is. This comes properly in the next lesson, but we may quote enough to show that from the beginning a true Jew was one who believed in Christ. Of the head of the race the Lord Jesus said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it, and was glad.” John 8:56. He believed in the Lord, and it was counted to him for righteousness; but righteousness comes only through the Lord Jesus. Moses, the leader of the Jews, esteemed “the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt.” Heb. 11:26. The rebellious Jews in the wilderness tempted and rejected Christ. 1 Cor. 10:9. When Christ came in the flesh, it was “his own” that received him not. John 1:11. And, to crown all, Christ said that no one could believe the writings of Moses unless he believed on him. John 5:46, 47. Therefore it is evident that no one is or ever has been a real Jew unless he believes in Christ. He who is not a Jew indeed is of “the synagogue of Satan.”

“Salvation Is of the Jews.”—Jesus said unto the woman of Samaria at the well of Jacob, “Ye worship ye know not what; we know what we worship; for salvation is of the Jews.” John 4:22. Christ himself was “made of the seed of David according to the flesh,” and was therefore a Jew; and there is no other name than his under heaven whereby men can be saved. No other people on earth, besides the Jews, have ever had so high a name. No other people have been so highly favored of God. “For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?” Deut. 4:7, 8.

Resting in the Law.—As stated in the verse last quoted, the Jews had committed to them the most perfect law in the universe, God’s own law. It was called “the testimony,” because it was for a witness against them. They were not taught that they could get any righteousness out of it, although it was perfect, but the contrary. Because it was so perfect, and they were sinners, it could have nothing but condemnation for them. It was designed only to drive them to Christ, in whom alone they could find the perfect righteousness that the law requires. “The law worketh wrath” (Rom. 4:15), and Christ alone saves from wrath. But they “rested in the law,” and therefore rested in sin. They “trusted in themselves that they were righteous.” Luke 18:9. They found no righteousness, “because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law.” Rom. 9:31, 32.

Boasting of God.—This is something different from making one’s boast in the Lord. Ps. 34:2. Instead of rejoicing in the Lord’s salvation, the Jews boasted over their superior knowledge of God. They did indeed have more than others, but they had nothing that they had not received, yet they boasted as though they had not received it. They glorified themselves, rather than God, for the knowledge that they had; and therefore they put themselves in the condition of the heathen, who, “when they knew God, glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations.” Whatever reader is inclined to censure the ancient Jews for their vain boasting, let him remember how he himself has often felt on comparing himself with the inhabitants of heathen countries, and with the “lowest class” in his own land.

God’s Will His Law.—The apostle says that the Jew knows the will of God, because he is instructed out of the law. This is sufficient to show that the law of God is his will. Indeed, no argument should be needed on this point. The will of any government is expressed in its law. Where there is an absolute ruler, his will is always law. God is an absolute ruler, although not an arbitrary one, and as his will is the sole rule of right, it follows that his will is law. But his law is summed up in the Ten Commandments; therefore the Ten Commandments contain a summary statement of the will of God.

The Form of Knowledge and Truth.—Although the Ten Commandments contain a statement of the will of God, which is the perfection of wisdom and truth, they are only a statement, and not the thing itself, just the same as a picture of a house is not a house, although it may be a perfect picture. Mere words written in a book, or graven in stone, have no life; but we know that the law of God is life everlasting. Only in Christ can the living law be found, since he is the only manifestation of the Godhead. Whoever has the life of Christ dwelling in him, has the perfect law of God manifest in his life. But he who has only the letter of the law, and not Christ, has only the form of knowledge and of truth. Thus, the law is often rightly said to be a photograph of the character of God. But a photograph, or other picture, is only the shadow of the reality; it is not the very substance. He who has Christ has both the form and the substance, since one can not have a thing without also possessing its form; but he who has only the statement of the truth, without Christ, who alone is the Truth, has the form of godliness without the power thereof.

Hard Questions.—In verses 21-23 the apostle asks some hard questions: “Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonorest thou God?” Let

each soul that has been wont to pride himself upon the correctness of his life, answer these questions for himself. It is easy and natural for a man to pride himself upon his “morality.” Men who are not Christians comfort themselves with the thought that they live “moral” lives, and that therefore they are as well off as though they were Christians. Let all such know that there is no morality except conformity to the law of God. Everything that is in any respect below the standard of that law, is immorality. Knowing this, let them see if they have perfectly kept that law.

TOLERATION AND LIBERTY.

WHEN religionists in America are beginning to talk of tolerating or not tolerating those who do not agree with them, it is well to recall just what the original American principle is. Here are a few excerpts worth reading:—

There is a very great difference between toleration and liberty. Toleration is a concession which may be withdrawn. It implies a preference for the ruling form of faith and worship, and a practical disapproval of all other forms.—Schaff's Church and State in the United States, p. 14.

The free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience, is something which every man may indeed demand as a right, not something for which we must ask a privilege. To grant to the state the power of tolerating is implicitly to grant to it the power of prohibiting.—Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography, vol. 4, p. 165.

Toleration denotes neither the freedom from state control nor the equality of all religions before the law. Toleration is the allowance of that which is not wholly approved. Religious liberty, on the other hand, is absolute freedom of religious opinion and worship.—Thompson's Church and State in the United States, p. 12.

What other nations call toleration we call religious rights. They are not exercised in virtue of governmental indulgence, but as rights, of which government can not deprive any portion of citizens, however small. Despotic power may invade those rights, but justice still confirms them.—U. S. Senate Report, 1829.

The framers of the U. S. Constitution recognized the eternal principle that man's relation with his God is above human legislation, and his rights of conscience inalienable. Reasoning was not necessary to establish this truth; we are conscious of it in our own bosoms. It is this conscientiousness which, in defiance of human laws, has sustained so many martyrs in tortures and in flames. They felt that their duty to God was superior to human enactments, and that man could exercise no authority over their consciences. It is an inborn principle which nothing can eradicate. The bigot, in the pride of his authority, may lose sight of it; but strip him of his power, prescribe a faith to him which his conscience rejects, threaten him in turn with the dungeon and the fagot, and the spirit which God has implanted in him rises up in rebellion and defies you.—U. S. Senate Report, 1829.

Continue reading: CHARACTER OF THE LAW REVEALED IN CHRIST'S LIFE