El
rriiattlrrfurm
America and American Institutions
A LECTURE
DRLIVERED DEFORE TIIE.UNION FOIE COMPANY
OF CARLISLE,
, 2!1 1 183.1
PRQF. o. U. TIPFANY.
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L.tima,s AND GENTl.atitaxt—lt was a pro
found remark' of Lord Bacon, that "The
greatness of Kingdoms nad Dominions in
bulk and, territory cloth fall under dt mon
stration that cannot err. But the juCteas
ure and 'estimate of the farces and . to •er of
an estate is a matter than the which there is
nothing among civil uffnirs more subject to
error, nor that error more subject to peril
ous consequences." And it. seems to ye
that at the prclent time it becomes us es
i,
citizens of a g \ -eat and growing nation,' to
understand the r'eat firineiples of our poli
ty and Comprehend the fundamental basis of
cur organization. ,To this end I have•
chosen this evening to allude to one ele
ment' of our National greatness too often
overlooked or disregarded. The external
indications of power are so apparent and
present themselves so constantly before m..,
that our attention is apt to be divert
ed from the cause ty the results; we fail to
comprehend the initial force in the magni
tude or its workings, and are in iltnig s er of
substituting mere efri its in place of tile,
liiiilcifils ffiqn which iliPy -rareccd. 'I he
extent of our territory—the stability i 1 our
Union—the peace of our borders—the rapid
incr e ase of o ur population—the stiect.ss of
our agrieulturists-- v ,the results of our me
chanical industry—the wide doThain of our
Commerce- 7 -the spread of Edfieation, and the
freedom of religious toleration that we
enjoy, are all elements of empire, but
they are results not causes; they iliJw
from a principle which lies at the foundationof
our. National existencj, and is the great idea
of our History. The philosopher who compre
hends only the old governmental (Mins and
is acquainted only with the principles they
embodied, is at fault hen he undertakes to
apply them to our own land. In the lapse
Of time succeeding the existence of the old
republics, new principles have been C\ ulved
and new ideas revealed, and the history and
spirit of modern 'government is not to be
comprehended. apart from these. The old
theories have now no force, no meaning, save
'as they incorporate these new germs and
new principles, and to these new elements
wo aro to look if we would explain the won
derful superiority of the present to the past.
And where arc these elements to be found?
Has human ingenuity contrived them 7 Has
the mere progress of civilization evolved
them? linvefli4 old ideas acquired such
transformation in the mere process of growth
and extension as to become entirely changed
so that they are not now to be identified ?
Surely not. A more rational explanation is
to be found, a truer solution given. It is
this, that the present condition of the world
is the result of the netien of Christianity
upon the ;;',Ler elements of civilization and
r progressan action which has been potent
and wonderful—which has probe old sys
ems to'the core—pointed out their defects—
anpplied their weakness, and by infusing its
own aggressive spirit, has developed from
principles thus renewed and reorganized, an
entirely new form of civilization.
It is not too much to say, that the condi•
tion of any portion of the world where Chris
..qianity has been published, must have been
Afisentially different without that Eng
land, for instance, without Christianity would
have differed ,as much from her present con
dition, as she does from China: 'lt therefore
• becomel a matilir of interest to ascertain
what are the indications of its influence
upon our history and progress, and what in-.
ferences may be drawn from the past with
referenee to our future destiny.
The whole history of our country from the
embarkation of the Pilgrims ,10 the conclu
sion of our revolutionary struggle, is not to
be accounted for on ordinary principles, nor
even tole understood by those who do not
recognize the power of God in lii,tory.
The first colonists were men whose peel
views of ' christianity drove them' from
their' homes and :firesides. In coming to
'thew, shores they sought what ehristianity
taught theta was the soul's birthright. Their
enlarged ideal of religious freedom were nut
to be confined within the limits 'of 'nn estab
lished ehurch. "To know God, (says one)
to serve lint, to' enjoy him, was with them
the great end of existence. They recogni
zed no title . to superierity•buti.,lis favor?. If
they 'tro flnacquainted with the works of
`Philosophers and Poeo, tleY were deeply
.read iu the oracles a f their names
were not to be found nit the registers or her
ails, they felt assured they were written
in the book of life. On the rich and the elo
tinent, on nobles . ,,Ac on riests, theY look
ed down with contempt, for they, esteemed
themselves rich in a, more precious treasure,
eloquent in a if - Ate sublime langunge, nobles
by right of an earlier creation ; and priests
by the imposition of a mightier bawl."
They embarl«ml on board the Mayflow
er with prayer, inscribed on her sails the
Motto "God ?rill, us!" and came, midst
the hOwlings of the winter storms to this
rockbound coast, which though frozen and
sterile had no bonds for conscience and nu
shackles for thought.
We can look hack upon their history and
trace the hand of Providence in all the va
ried trials through which they passed., But
human ingenuity is baffled in its attempts to
account for their preservation. The history
of the world has no, parallel with the success
that has attended a beginning seemingly so
inauspicious. The deductions of reason
cannot account for the development of our
present greatness from su feeble a source.
The Philosophtu- who lied witnessed their
embarkation, had known their trials, and who
I n new th e In nil to which they were corning,
would not have believed that ffMn them was
to rise up a nation, great and :powerful
enough to control the action of a hemisphere.
The Christian principles which they brought
with them took deep root in our virgin soil
and became incorporated with our national
character and polity. Crowds flocked to our ,
shores, but as numbers increased so also in
creased
The exa - etiOns of the English gov- '
ernment, until the restrnints of parental
rule became irksome to these giant sons of
freedom. And when the point was reachet)
beyond which forbearance ceases to be a
virtue, the A fnerican people armed in de•
fence of a principle. It was a dark hour for
our country, just emergiOg,from the difficul
ties in which the Indian wars had involved
it. It was ealletf on to give up to despot
ic exaction the homes which 'the best--blood
of the land had purchased., Hemmed in by
t he' I dians, smarting under defeat and burn
ing to wipe out disgrace in blood, and con
fronted by the ocean„ covered with hostile
fleets, our fathers, had 001 not trusted in
the justice of their cause and the protection
of Heaven, would have sunk in despair.
Read tire history of their sufferings at Valley
Forge, number their privatiof - s,und then ac
count for the fact, that though the ranks
were daily thinned by famine, frost and toe,
there were still 'left enough to strike for fie
tory. What was the secret of success? What
nerved the youthful arm to strike, and gave
vigor to old ageg,,, What induced father and
sou, and aged sire, alike to share the labors
of the camp and b4tve the dangers of the
field? What sustained them amidst toils
and disappointments, and at last brought
them victory? Their simple trust in God:
The legacy of the Pilgrims, cultivated by
the fasts and thanksgivings ordered by the
Continental Congress. They relied on Di•
vine aid, with the simple faith that only ;
Christian principle can impart and this was,
the secret of Success. Thiti 'prompted the
mother to bid her boy strike for his God and
home. This went with him to the field,
kindled the lightning of his eye--- , blazed in
the flashing of his sword—rung in his shout
of victory. And we owe our homes and fire
sides, our freedom, our high destiny, to the
Christian faith of our fathers, to the might
and purity of' those brave patriot hearts that
bled for freedom, for honor and 'for native
land.
Thus God speaks in our Ilis.tory. And
this voice is not unheard in our Culastilu
lima. That we may examine this the more
closely, let us look at, the work the t . rameis
of the Constitution had to do. Wise and
true men as they were, they must have felt
awed by the responsi lity they had to meet.
The pa'st was to be inv igaied and mate
rials e9llected from it adapted to the advan
ced "Ante of the world, and the increased
wants of the age ; and more than this, the
result must be capable of expanding with
the steps of progress. Never was wisdom
more necessary than when our fathers met
to lay the cornerstone of our Constitutional
- What lessons did the past. teach 7—lt was
filled with the ruins of kingdoms, the wrecks
of empires and the tombs of republican
governments. Kings and emperors were out
of the question, fora land which had just
thrown off the shackles ,of oppression and
&Wed with young and democratic aspira
tions. Our fatheretUrtied to the republican
forms as given us in history, and sought the
causes of their decay, and found them in the
lack of suelistrong virtuous principles as would
preserve the people from the seductions of
indolence, and the temptations'of prosperi
ty. It was evident that the people became
the shtves.or their own-passions, before they
yielded to any foreign Race, or allowed thy'
‘Cartielc Ptralb.
seeds of •discord to spring up into (I(4iestie
strife. One great object to be secured then
was such an individual responsibility in the
governmAt as would make each man feel that
upon him in a measure rested the welfare
of the whole nation.
Wheike came this idc:n, which has grown
up into so new a political system ? Where
did the doctrine of the political equality of
all men originate? It was not the result of
Philosophical bkvestigotion, though the think
-4'.4 of the world\may have • explained and
enforced the trutlu once known and
published. But the i was first embodied
in the teachings of Christy whenibe directed
all his disciples, rich alub...poor, wise and ig
norant, to look up to one common parer
and say not my Father, but our Father.
And where was this idea first embodied in
governmental form? Such liberty as the
old world had possessed was gone—its fame
was echoed in history, and the ghosts of its
former heroes might lie seen at midnight
round-the tombs at Thermopylae, but it,had
'decayed and had not revived in the bistitu
tions of modern Europe. The doctrine of l
equality was recognized in only °tie of the
many institutions of the age, and that one was
Christianity. Within its pale the baron and
the serf knelt side by side, the lord of provincFts
wtis not superior to his huniblest tenant. And
within the church of Christ, purified by the
Itelbrination, our fathers found this doctrine
which the Reformation had made manifest
by opening to all (he book of life. Taking
it as a central idea and carrying out its le. ,
gitituale_results, they made no pro\ ision fur
hereditary legislation, and govt. no place to
the absurd claims of primogeniture that hail
grown . up in the dark ages—but made the
government purely elective. 'the so called
republics of antiquity were not founded upon •
such a basis, and in aneient or modern his
tory there is no example before our - own of
a purely elective and representative system.
'lie Grecian states were bound together as
states, but not as constituting' one people,
nor as forming a union in which each inhab-
Rant of the iieveral states had an equal in
terest. The Amphietyunic Council was the
nearest approach to a representation of the
people, but it was composed of two delegates
Irian each state, thus corresponding to our
Senate, or State Represeutation, and not to
our lower house of Congress, or our popular
Representation. This idea is the necessary
consequence of the admission of the doctrine
of equality first taught, as I,have before re
marked, in the scriptures. That it is the
direct result of Christim i t teachings is appa
rent
from the fact, that the first appointment
made by the followers of Christ, alter his
ascension, was made by popular vote ; fiir
we are, told that when the Apostles found
that attention to temporal affairs of the church
interfered with the discharge of their apostolic
duties, they "called the multitude of the disci
pies unto them," and proposed the election ot*l
seven men to attend.. to temporal matters.
" And the 'saying pleased the mimic multi-1
tudei and they (the whole multitude) chose
Stephen," &c. &c. And this election, the
result of the first purely popular vote over
recorded, was the legitimate result of their
peculiar system—the development of their
distinguishing principles. It was au expres
sion of the adoption of brotherhood in view
of a common relation to the God of Heaven.
But while thus prompt to recognize the
great principlesof Christianity, and embody
them in our Constitution, our fathers did not
err in common with the nations of Europe,
and combine the disco.dant elements of na
tional polity with the outward form of Chris
tianity. But comprehending the true spirit
ual nature of Christ's Kingdom, and remem
bering, it would seem, that its author had pro
claimed it not of this world, they made no
provision for the unholy alliance of church
and state. Here was an event-for hiStory to
record, a people building a constitution upon
Christian principles and yet 80 truly under•
standing the genius of Christianity as to leave
it unshackled and untrtnolled:by legatmact-
Ments. I know that it is denied that wiciAre
a Christian nation, because God 'and`" the
Bible are notmade stntntes in our Constitu
tion, but to my mind this very fact clearly
indicates the purity of the Christianity of those
who framed it. Had they beenflevoid of prin
ciple, tlie equality, taught by Christianity had
not been foune there; had they been bigots the
outward tbrm - of Christianity had been recog
nized; and precisely because they were imbued
with a true and pure Protestant Christianity,
they entbodie"d political truth in the Consti
tAition and left free and untramelled the form
in which that truth should make its moral and
religious dovelopen►ent. There was no such:
thing known in Europe—Ate monarchs of its
kingdoms claimed to be, by Divine right,
heeds of the nation and the (Arch . . And in
ancient times qualifications for priesthood
were requisite for appointmenl, to the kingly
oflicemnong the Greeks, and the great na
tional council m'''
regulated at the same time in
ternational difficulties and religious affairs.
The nation in which Christianity had itsorigin
was the onlyone Uitexcluded its kings from
the' priestly office—and the 'spirit cf Chrisii
anity ;vas averse to the commingling of tl;i4gl
sacred and common, sagr44 as pertaining to
God, and comrfion rili•elating to met p but an
); I
ttfl irs. The separation of Church ein tate,
wa, therefore the resit of the true an I lofty
co ception, which our fathers entertained, of
the purity of CWistianity, and of the adapta
tion of its truths to prosper under Divine gui
dance without national enactment , and stat
utory provisions.
Thus the great leading truths of our politi•
cal system', are the direct result o'f Christ•an
teachings i they had their origin in the days
of "the Son of Man," but their first incor
poration into national existence when our
Constitution was formed. And through them
God spcalis to the warld.
If these positions be correct it will atonce
be evident that no just parallel Gan 'be draWn
between the republics of antiquity, and our
own; nor can any deductions from their-his
tory he properly applied in Inquiries eon
corning our future-destiny.
In the past we have experienced a pros
perity unrivallttd, j a unity and peace without
a precedent ; impro.tement more rapid; in
telligence and happiness more diffused and
equalized than the world,ever before «atnes.-
ed; at d' for the future, we may remember
that our principles are instinct with life ; that
the power of the voice that "to the world
;have being, - speaks in the truths which guide
us—that our flight is upward, for_our cye is
int the sun I
The opportunity for a noble destiny is before
Us. Greece, among the nations of antiquity
was most celebrated for the splendor of her
achievements in art, and the elevation of her
literature; let it also remembered that she
was the ntostTri'e. Of all the ages of Baby
lonian despotism, not one was lightened by a
name that has come down to us. The alpha
bet was invented in the East, but Grecian lit
erature has preserved it. The eastern astron
omers erected lolly tows, and built vast ob
servatories, yet they reflected no light that
now illumines the world. A republican Greek
first calculated au eclipse and measured the
year. 'illsehylus, Sophocles, Plato, Demos!
thenes, I'hidi;ts and Praxiteles, all carry our
minds back to the days of Grecian freedom,
to the time when the. democracy of Athens
met in - the Agora, counselled in the theatre
of Bacchus, find ruled the destinies of the
world. The growth of genius in more modern
times has taken the same direction. In Eng
land, the land where there has been most
constitutional liberty, has alone produced
Shakspeare and Milton, Bacon and Newto:„
Arkwright and Watt. This has been done,
in the one case, with all the elements that
filially destroyed freedom, at work, and in the
other, under the blighting influence of the
despotism of authoritywhichseems almost
necessarily connected with nn aristocratic
monarchy. There is hope then for Atnerka
where there is a surer moralit a truer pa
triotism, a firmer union, and aNitore extend
ed freedom.
The only fear is, that we mistake the
true ground on which to depend for the
niaintainance of our liberties. We must
not expect to be preserved by the elements
that proved the destruction of Greece and
Home; we must rely upon other and more
powerfnlng€ ncies. And no ideas of wealth
or power, or intelligence, should lead us
to forget our Christianity. Providence has
beenlavish of its gifts, our own mountains
are stored with hidden treasures, our inland
streams bear the subsistence of nations on
their bosoms. The results of our wechani
cal industry are enormous, and , otir commerce
extends to all lands. But however desirable
wealth may be; itjs not the one thing rived
ful ; it may fortify our cities, and supply our
armies, but it cannot give them efficiency.
The republics of antiquitypossesin d it, and
it proved an element of destruction. It na
turally produced luxury, increased effemina
'ey, and created licentiousness; and thus sap
ped the foundation of the republic, and proved
the deadliest foe to freedom. We are a powerful
people,--but the great efficiency of our power
is in the union that. exists between its ele
ments. As the might of the GreCian states
increased, their separate interests conflicted,
and each used its energies to subdue its
neighbor,, and thus, all paved the way . for
their final destruction. If strength and in
'ternal resources wore our only dependence
for tke preservation of liberties, the separate
interests of the dial:rent portionS of our na
tion would so conflict that harmony Would be
inipossible. Intelligence is a strong hold of
freedom, and the Wide spread diffusion of the
blessing of education may lead us to rely upon
i s power, but wm-cannot safely trust it to pre
SJrve us free. The testimony of Greece and
Home, from out the very tombs of literatUrc,
and science forbids this. 'Where is Egypt,
once the repository of learning, and the cra
dle of the arts . .? " The ?pyramids still risc, at
'testing the lofty aspirations of their 'build
ers; but the Sphynx looks in melancholy sad
pess on the neglected fields, the cheerless
homes
,and degraded forms, that now are
found, where • once the arts 110mi:died, and
where there were temples of science. Sad
testimonials are these of the inefficiency of
learning to preserve us free. But the great
guard and safety of our • laud is not to be
found in,,any or all of these elements com
bined ; 'tiot in the wealth of our cities, or the
strength of our armies; nor even in the vil
lage school house,"6ut in the influence of the
village„chureb.
The morals of Christianity, and the power
of Christian truth must preserve us or we are
lost. The liberties of Greece were shackled
by the vides of her people; the lift. of her
freedom was destroyed by the want of
their morals. Indulgence in vice not only
deadened her perception 'of danger, hut de
prived her Of the power of resistance:
The French revolution carries with it n
lesson of instruction'a . s
sults were disastrous. ",
spirit of infidelity ; it waa
crime; it reached the unpii
of general atheism, and shook all
of the world by the fiery passions
awakened." What practical good h
ted fliom all the violence of the repubr
How has the condition of France i,ten ittk,
proved by the blood shed in that revolution?
The Frouch can never establish a free ;! , )y
eminent securely, until th - ore Christianity
enough in the land to sustain it. Their pop
ular elections must be held on other days
than the Holy Sabbath, and their libations Lu
poured before another shrine than that of the
GtOdess Liberty..
New life has been given In us by the re.
vealed energy of the word of God. And the
great chart of national life and prosperity is
not to be found in the libraries of antiquity,
nor deduced frinn the reasoning of the sell ol
men but is recorded in the. Bible. In that book
is found the truth of,the equality_ufall men;
"there are revealed the laws of reciprocity,
which form the basis of all union ;" and "tht•ro.
is 'blind the only motive strong enough to in.
duce men to obey the haw's of love and char.
iry—the wino from the-Eternal throne, and
the prophetic teachings of the retributions of
Eternity." By the adoption of this spirit our
liberties were secured ; by the influence of
these truths our government has been main•
tamed. Christianity is the element that was
wanted in the republics of antiquity—then .
had the light of experience, the voice ;:f ,; m 6
for their gl:.l . 4tice, the stars of hope beamed
smilingly on them, but they had no light from
the star of ' Bethlehem, no voices praising
God in the highest, bringing glad tidings, and
publishing peace.
This position being established, the (ies.
tion as to the perpetuity of our freedo m i s re .
duced to the one which decides how we shall,
as a people, best cultivate and, c?herish—the
Christian elements which underlie our politi
cal structure. And to this end there are two •
points which appear to me to be particularly
worthy of attention ; for front one quarter we
are in danger of the extension of indiffer.
once, and from another we are threatenediivith
oppositieh to our fundamental truths. The
incorporation of foreigners as a portion of our
body politic occasions the first. They come
in ceaseless tide upon our shores, from I
.ams
where the Divine right is understood as be•
longing to Kings and not to the, pcojde,. and
gratified with.the admirable working of our
affairs and their own participation in tin m,
they often fail to understand the solemn
teachings of our past history and the niik:,es•
sities of our present condition. They learn
to glory in the result without .comprehending•
any thing o(th;,•eauses which produce it.—
They pass a few years of residence and then
too often participate in the aflitirs of a
government based upon Christirth princiPlo
without perceiving the force of Christian et
ligation. Before they cease to\be aliens they
are made citizens, and, though remaining
foreigners in thought and feeling they vote as •
Americans. The open and palpable bide
that were made. in the last Presidential can
vass for foreign votes tells significantly the
truthlo which. I would call attentiom o
foreigner is competent to dischnrge- the du
ties of an American until be ceases to be ,:
identified. Wit4.l the laud
„ which gave bini
birth.' - S c hell men are valuahle Mhlitions ne
residents improving the condition and adding.)
to the strength and integrity of our inhabi•
tants, but they cannot be expected in a periefl
so brief as that now fixed by our preSent nn
turrilization laws, to uproot the ideas of a life
in another land with other ideas and_ other
prineiplet, and inadditionto this, to learn the
principles and -acquire the spirit of 'naive
horn citizens. Christianity dues not lie at
Continued on 7th page.
E 3
mportant. ns its re
sprung up in the
:Ludy steeped
Joled lieighl
e throne
hich it
!TIEII