138

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in England--the most illustrious triumph of virtue
which history records--was caused by the advance of
the people in religious knowledge, and the consequent
necessity of religious freedom. Men, then, first began
to refer their sentiments and principles, not to human
arbitrament, but to God in his revealed law, and to
their own consciences. The consequence was, that the
popular heart, freed from degrading and palsying des-
potism, rose to the heroic courage of proclaiming and
acting on the principles of truth and justice. And sec-
ondly, the advance of speculative learning and science
aided largely to unveil the craft and mysticism which
had ruled the earth, in demanding ampler bounds for
the reach of thought--and, as a consequence to this,
men began to understand, to desire, and to feel the ne-
cessity of civil freedom. To obtain this, the State must
be freed from the domination of a foreign and false
tyranny, and the people to be set free to seek the
truth--In a word, to use the language of an eminent
historian, "Protestanism was the refusal of men to live
any longer in a general lie." (Applause.)

The Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity bound the
Church of England to the Constitution of the State, and
made it a party to the maintenance of civil right, subor-
dinate to, and dependent on, the State--not as before,
the ruler of the State, and the arbiter of the conscience
of the citizen. By this arrangement, the subsequent
divisions of the Church never impeded the steady on-
ward development of true religion--and I almost dare
venture to say, gave impetus to the principles of liberty
and the culture of learning. The Bishop of Ely may
have overcame John Knox, at Frankfort; and Elizabeth
may have, in her youth, favored Luther, while her clergy
were fraternizing at Geneva; but Oxford and Cambridge
continued to send forth on missions of knowledge, liber-
ty and religion, such men as Ridley, Latimer, Tyndal,
Hooper, Coverdale, and scores of others. Indeed, it was
the ardent zeal for a perfect reformation which caused
the different sects of Protestants. Earnest, but calm
men, endeavored to prevent the too sudden and cruel
disruption of all old forms, satisfied with the excision
of the great grievance. Others equally sincere, but

47

more stern and violent, demanded the utter and instant
demolition of the doctrines, and of all forms and sym-
bols of Romanism. The parties were nearly balanced,
and in the early years of Elizabeth's reign a mere chance
prevented the utter abrogation of all the forms and cere-
monies of worship. A majority of the people were still
much inclined to the sacred follies of Romanism; and,
therefore, while over-zealous Reformers demanded the
abandonment of all formularies, more moderate church-
men, and cautious statesmen, sought for soothing com-
promises. Both parties became irritated, and both fell
into errors--the State moderates, by insisting on the re-
tention of frivolous usages and ridiculous symbols--the
Puritans, in seeking violently and relentlessly to perse-
cute all who retained the slightest seeming of Romanism.

It will not aid our purpose or our argument to recall
the thousand irritations which arose in that excited state
of the hearts and minds of men, and which, finally, and
most unhappily, produced those dissensions which still
exist, and which all good men are continually praying
may be healed, and for the healing of which we are this
day convoked hither by these good men. Here, we are
all Conformists in the worship of Jesus Christ the Son of
God. We are all Conformists in the cause of civil lib-
erty. We are all Conformists--on one mind--of one
heart--of one soul--in our deep determination to pre-
serve, expand and perpetuate this liberty, by sending
wide over this dear land ou ours, the knowledge, the
learning, and the virtue, whose temples we are this day
founding on this soil. It matters not to the true English-
American Protestant--whether Puritan or Conformist--
Presbyterian or Episcopalian--or in what costume or
posture he worships--or what air he breathes--or what
land he claims--he is evermore busy in his mission of
diffusing knowledge and maintaining liberty.

It is true the various sects of Protestants were at
times in deadly strife, persecuting, slandering, murder-
ing each other, often with beast-like fury; but all were
seeking light and liberty. Cranmer's Bible was chained
to the pillar of the parish church, because it was too ex-
pensive to multiply it. The people crowded and
thronged and fought to read it. Indeed, a guard was