,transcriber's note3    ,text enclosed  
by underscores is in italics 7italics74 
,small capital text has been replaced   
with all capitals4    ,minor            
typographical errors and inconsistencies
 have been silently  normalized4        
,inconsistent capitalizations of        
christian and christianity  have been   
left as in the original4          ,a    
,,sermon ,,delivered ,,before ,,his     
,,excellency ,,edward ,,everett1        
,,governor1 ,,his  ,,honor ,,george     
,,hull1 ,,lieutenant ,,governor1 ,,the  
,,honorable ,,council1 ,,and ,,the      
,,legislature ,,of ,,massachusetts1 ,,on
 ,,the ,,anniversary ,,election1        
,,january #b1  #ahci4    ,,by ,,mark    
,,hopkins1 ,d4 ,d4 ,president of        
,williams ,college4      ,boston3       
,,dutton ,,and ,,wentworth1 ,,printers  
,,to ,,the ,,state4    #ahci4           
,commonwealth of ,massachusetts4        
,,senate1 ,,january #c1 #ahci4          
,ordered1 ,that ,messrs4 ,filley1       
,quincy1 and ,kimball1 be a ,committee  

to present the thanks of the ,senate to 
the ,rev4 ,,mark ,,hopkins1 ,d4 ,d4     
for the discourse yesterday delivered by
 him1 before the ,government    of the  
,commonwealth1 and to request a copy    
thereof for publication4                
,attest1                                
,,charles ,,calhoun1 ,clerk4            
,,sermon4    ,acts v4 #bi4    ,,we      
,,ought ,,to ,,obey ,,god ,,rather      
,,than ,,man4      ,man was made for    
something higher and better1 than either
 to make1 or  to obey1 merely human     
laws4 ,he is the creature of ,god1 is   
subject to  his laws1 and can find his  
perfection1 and consequent happiness1   
only  in obeying those laws4 ,as his    
moral perfection1 the life of his life1 
is involved in this obedience1 it is    
impossible that any power should  lay   
him under obligation to disobey4 ,the   
known will of ,god1 if not the          
foundation of right1 is its paramount   
rule1 and it is because human           
governments are ordained by him1 that we

 owe them obedience4 ,we are  bound to  
them1 not by compact1 but only as ,god's
 institutions for the  good of the race4
 ,this is what the ,bible1 though       
sometimes referred to  as supporting    
arbitrary power1 really teaches4 ,it    
does not support  arbitrary power4      
,rightly understood1 it is a perfect    
rule of duty1 and  as in every thing    
else1 so in the relations of subjects   
and rulers4  ,it lays down the true     
principles1 it gives us the guiding     
light4 ,when  the general question is   
whether human governments are to be     
obeyed1  the answer is1 ,he that        
resisteth the power1 resisteth the      
ordinance  of ,god4 ,the powers that be 
are ordained of ,god4 ,but when these   
powers overstep their appointed limits1 
and would lord it over the  conscience1 
and come between man and his maker1 then
 do we hear it  uttered in the very face
 of power1 and by the voice of          
inspiration1 no  less than of indignant 
humanity1 ,we ought to obey ,god rather 

than  men4    ,it has been in connexion 
with the maintenance of this principle1 
first  proclaimed by an ,apostle of     
,christ eighteen hundred years ago1 that
  all the civil liberty now in the world
 has sprung up4 ,it is to the  fearless 
assertion of this principle by our      
forefathers1 that we owe  it that the   
representatives of a free people are    
assembled here this  day to worship ,god
 according to the dictates of their own 
consciences1  to seek to ,him for wisdom
 in their deliberations1 and to         
acknowledge  the subordination of all   
human governments to that which is      
divine4    ,permit me then1 as          
appropriate to the present occasion1 to 
call the  attention of this audience1   
#ast4 ,to the grounds on which all men  
are  bound to adhere to the principle   
stated in the text2 and    #b;d4 ,to the
 consequences of such adherence1 on the 
part1 both of  subjects1 and of rulers4 
99       99       99       99       99  
,i observe1 then1 that we ought to obey 

,god rather than men1 because  human    
governments are comparatively so limited
 and negative in their  bearing upon the
 great purposes1 first1 of individual1  
and second1 of  social existence4       
,the purposes for which man was made1   
must evidently involve in their         
accomplishment1 both his duty and his   
happiness2 and nothing can be  his duty 
which would contravene those purposes4  
,among them1 as already  intimated1 the 
highest is the moral perfection of the  
individual2 for  as it is by his moral  
nature that man is distinguished from   
the  inferior animals1 so it is only in 
the perfection of that nature1 that  his
 perfection1 as man1 can consist4 ,as   
absolute perfection can belong  only to 
,god1 that of man must be relative1 that
 is1 it must consist in  the proper     
adjustment of relations1 and especially 
in the relation of  his voluntary       
actions to the end for which ,god       
designed him4 ,this is  our idea of     
perfection1 when we affirm it of the    

works of man4 ,it  involves1 mainly1    
such a relation of parts as is necessary
 to the  perfect accomplishment of the  
end in view4 ,a watch is perfect when it
  is so constructed that its motions    
exactly correspond in their little      
revolutions with those of the sun in the
 heavens2 and man is perfect  when his  
will corresponds in its little circle of
 movement with the  will of ,god in     
heaven4 ,this correspondence1 however1  
is not to be  produced by the laws of an
 unconscious mechanism1 but by a        
voluntary1  a cheerful1 a filial        
co-operation4 ,it is this power of      
controlling his  faculties with         
reference to an ultimate end1 of        
accepting or rejecting  the purpose of  
his being1 as indicated by ,god in the  
very structure of  his powers1 and      
proclaimed in his word1 that            
contradistinguishes man  from every     
inferior being1 and gives scope for what
 is properly  termed1 character4        
,inferior beings have qualities by which

 they are  distinguished1 they have     
characteristics1 but not character1     
which  always involves a moral element4 
,a brute does not govern its own        
instincts1 it is governed by them4 ,a   
tree is the product of an agency  which 
is put forth through it1 but of which it
 is not conscious1 and  which it does   
not control4 ,but ,god gives man to     
himself1 and then sets  before him1 in  
the tendency of every thing that has    
unconscious life  towards its own       
perfection1 the great moral lesson that 
nature was  intended to teach4 ,he then 
causes every blade of grass1 and every  
tree1 to become a preacher and a model1 
calling upon him to put forth  his      
faculties1 not without law1 but to      
accept the law of his being1  and to    
work out a character and a happiness in 
conformity with that4  ,it is1 as ,i    
have said1 the power which man has to   
accept or reject  this law of his being1
 the great law of love1 that renders him
 capable  of character1 and it is       

evidently as a theatre1 on which this   
may be  manifested1 that the present    
scene of things is sustained4 ,not with 
more certainty do the processes of      
vegetation point to the blossoms  and   
the fruit as the results to which they  
conspire1 than does every  thing in the 
nature and condition of man indicate the
 formation of a  specific1 voluntary1   
moral character1 as the purpose for     
which ,god  placed him here4 ,but this  
purpose is not recognized at all by     
human  governments1 and we have only to 
observe the limited and negative  agency
 which they incidentally bring to bear  
upon it1 to see how  insignificant must 
be their claims when they would come    
into conflict  with those of the        
government of ,god4    ,i observe then1 
first1 that human governments regard man
 solely as the  member of a community2  
whereas it is chiefly as an individual1 
that  the government of ,god regards    
him4 ,isolate a man from society1 take  
him beyond the reach of human           

government1 and his faculties are not   
changed4 ,he is still the creature of   
,god1 a dweller in his universe1        
retaining every thing he ever possessed 
that was noble in reason1 or  grand in  
destiny1 and in his solitude1 where yet 
he would not be  alone1 the government  
of ,god would follow him1 and would     
require of  him such manifestations of  
goodness as he might there exercise--the
  adoration of his ,creator1 resignation
 to his will1 and a temperate and       
prudent use of the blessings within his 
power4 ,indeed1 so far as               
responsibility is concerned1 the divine 
government considers man1  whether in   
solitude or in a crowd1 solely as an    
individual1 and  produces an isolation  
of each as complete as if he were the   
only  person in the universe4 ,god knows
 nothing of divided responsibility1  and
 whether acting alone1 or as a member of
 a corporation or of a  legislature1    
every man is responsible to him for just
 what he does as  a moral being1 and for

 nothing more4 ,the responsibility of   
each is  kept disentangled from that of 
all others1 and lies as well defined in 
the eye of ,god1 as if that eye were    
fixed upon him alone4 ,the kingdom  of  
,god is within man1 and there it is1 in 
the secret soul of each1  that the      
contest between light and darkness1     
between ,god and ,satan is  going on1   
and in the struggle1 in the victory or  
the defeat1 he who  walks the city is as
 much alone as the hermit in his cell4  
,it is over  the thoughts of man1 his   
affections1 his passions1 his purposes1 
which  mock at human control1 that the  
government of ,god claims dominion2 it  
is with reference to these1 and not to  
the artificial index of  appearances    
which we set to catch the eye of the    
world1 that the  register of ,heaven is 
kept4 ,on the other hand1 how very few  
of the  moral actions of man can human  
government reach1 how imperfectly can   
it reach even these6 ,it is only of     
overt acts1 those which it can  define1 

and which can be proved before a human  
tribunal1 that it can  take cognizance2 
and its treatment even of these can     
never be adjusted  to the varying shades
 of guilt4 ,it has no eye to reach the  
springs of  action4 ,it may see the     
movements of the machinery above1       
perplexed1  and apparently              
contradictory2 but it cannot uncover the
 great wheel1  and look in upon the     
simple principle which makes character1 
and sets  the whole in motion4    ,but  
,i observe again1 that human governments
 are not only thus limited1  but are    
also chiefly negative in their influence
 upon the formation of  individual      
character4 ,there is1 indeed1 a positive
 and widely  pervading moral influence  
connected with the character1 and       
station1  and acts1 of those who are in 
authority4 ,this cannot be too          
prominently stated1 the responsibility  
connected with it cannot be too         
carefully regarded2 still this influence
 is entirely incidental1 and  is the    

same in kind with that exerted by any   
distinguished private  individual4      
,human governments have also positive   
power to furnish  facilities1 as        
distinguished from inducements4 ,they   
can authorise  and guard the issue of   
paper money1 to give facilities to men  
of  business2 they can lay down         
rail-roads1 thus opening facilities to  
the  spirit of enterprise1 and calling  
out the neglected resources of the      
,state2 they can too1 and our fathers   
did it1 construct and keep in  repair   
the rail-roads of the mind1 thus giving 
facilities to the  poorest boy in the   
glens of the mountains to come out and  
be an honor  to his country4 ,still1    
human government is chiefly a system of 
restraint for the purpose of protection4
 ,its object is to give equal           
protection to all in using their        
faculties as they please1 provided  they
 do not interfere with the rights of    
others4 ,it does not propose  to furnish
 inducements1 but to enable men to live 

quiet and peaceable  lives1 while they  
act in view of the great inducements    
furnished by  the government of ,god4   
,in saying this1 ,i do not undervalue   
the benefits conferred by human         
governments1 but only assign them their 
true place4 ,the office  performed by   
them is indispensable4 ,they are the    
enclosure of the  field1 without which  
certainly nothing could come to         
maturity2 but  they are not the soil and
 the rain1 and the sunshine1 which cause
  vegetation to spring up4 ,these are   
furnished by the government of ,god1    
which is not only a system of restraint 
and protection1 but also1 and  chiefly1 
of inducements to excellence4 ,into the 
ear of the humblest of  its subjects it 
whispers1 as it points upward1 ,glory1  
,honor1  ,immortality1 ,eternal ,life4  
,it is parental in its character1 makes 
us members of a family1 gives us objects
 of affection1 and by its  perfect      
standard of moral excellence1 and the   
character of ,god which  it sets before 

us1 it purifies and elevates the mind4  
,without a ,god to  whom he is related  
and accountable1 man has neither dignity
 nor hope4  ,without ,god1 the universe 
has no cause1 its contrivances indicate 
no  intelligence1 its providence no     
goodness1 its related parts and         
processes no unity1 its events no       
convergence to one grand result1 and    
the glorious spectacle presented in the 
earth and the heavens1 instead  of      
calling forth admiration and songs1 is  
an enigma perplexing to the  intellect1 
and torturing to the heart4 ,seen in its
 connexion with  ,god1 the universe of  
matter is as the evening cloud that lies
 in the  sunlight1 radiant1 and skirted 
with glory2 without him it is the same  
cloud cold and dark when that sunlight  
is gone4 ,without ,god1 man is an       
orphan2 he has no protector here1 and no
 ,father's house in which he  may hope  
for a mansion hereafter4 ,his life is at
 his own disposal1 and  has no value    
except in relation to his personal and  

present enjoyment4    ,on the other     
hand1 as the idea of ,god is received1  
and his relations  to the universe are  
intimately felt1 unity and harmony are  
introduced  into our conceptions of that
 which is without1 and acquiescence and 
hope reign within4 ,nature1 as more     
significant1 becomes more a  companion4 
,her quiet teachings and mute           
prophecies1 her indexes  pointing to the
 spirit land1 instead of being felt as a
 mockery1 are  in accordance with the   
best hopes1 and the revealed destiny of 
man4  ,life1 too1 assumes a new aspect4 
,a common destiny is set before all1    
and the consciousness of it runs as a   
thread of sympathy through the  race4   
,the poor man is elevated when he sees  
that the principle of duty  may be tried
 and strengthened in his humble sphere1 
as well as in  those that are higher1   
and his labor becomes a cheerful service
 done  with good will from the heart4   
,every duty to man becomes doubly       
sacred as due also to ,god1 and the     

humblest life1 pursued from a           
conscientious regard to his will1 is    
invested with an unspeakable  dignity4  
,it is indeed1 ,i may remark1 this view 
of life that furnishes  the only        
possible ground of equality4 ,men are   
upon an equality only as  they are      
equally upon trial in the sight of ,god1
 and nothing will ever  reconcile them  
to the unavoidable inequalities of the  
present state1  but the consciousness   
that their circumstances were allotted  
to them  by ,him who best knew what     
trials they would need1 and whose equal 
eye  regards solely the degree in which 
their moral nature is improved by  the  
trial4 ,when this is felt1 there is1    
under all circumstances1 a  basis for   
dignity without pride1 for activity     
without restlessness1  for diversity of 
condition without discord4    ,and not  
only the aspect of life in the relations
 of men to each other1  but its end also
 is changed4 ,the moral nature assumes  
its true  position1 and1 acting in the  

presence of a perfect law as its        
standard1 and of a perfect gospel as its
 ground of hope1 the idea of  true      
liberty dawns upon the mind4 ,this      
consists in the coincidence of  the     
affections and inclinations with correct
 principle4 ,it is only  when the       
internal constitution of a reasonable   
being is in harmony  with the law under 
which he acts1 that he is conscious of  
no  restraint1 and knows what true      
freedom is4 ,the chief value of what is 
commonly called liberty1 consists in the
 opportunity it gives to use  our       
faculties without molestation for the   
attainment of this4 ,this is  that      
glorious liberty of the sons of ,god1 of
 which the ,scriptures  speak4 ,it is   
not a mere freedom from restraint which 
may be abused for  the purposes of      
wrong-doing2 and become a curse1 merely 
making the  difference between a brute  
enclosed and a brute at large2 but it   
is1  in its commencement1 the resolute  
adoption of the law of conscience  and  

of ,god as the rule of life2 in its     
progress1 a successful struggle  with   
whatever opposes this law2 in its       
completion1 the harmonious and  joyful  
action of every power in its fulfilment4
 ,this is the only  liberty known under 
the government of ,god4 ,he who knows it
 not is the  slave of sin4 ,he who      
struggles not for it1 is in a contented 
bondage  of which physical slavery is   
but a feeble type4 ,the perfection of   
this  liberty is only another name for  
moral perfection1 which1 as ,i have     
said1 is the great end of the           
individual2 and as the direct motives   
and means for the attainment of this are
 furnished only by the  government of   
,god1 it is evident that ,we ought to   
obey ,god rather  than men4    ,having  
thus spoken of the effect of human      
government upon man in his  individual  
character1 ,i now proceed to inquire1   
whether it is equally  limited and      
negative in its bearing upon him in his 
social condition4    ,and here ,i       

remark1 that it is only incidentally    
that human government  is necessary to  
man as a social being at all4 ,society  
was before  government1 and if man had  
retained his original state1 it might1  
perhaps1 have existed without it till   
the end of time4 ,man is  constituted by
 his ,creator a social being2 he has    
faculties to the  expansion and         
perfection of which society is          
requisite1 but he has no  faculties the 
necessities of which constitute him a   
political being4  ,there must be        
politicians1 just as there must be      
farmers1 and  merchants1 and physicians1
 that they and others may enjoy social  
life2  but social life is corrupted when
 politics enter largely into it4 ,it  is
 not sufficiently noticed1 that it is   
through social institutions  and habits 
far more than through political forms1  
that the happiness  or misery of man is 
produced4 ,it was not from the          
oppressions of the  government1 but from
 a corrupted social state1 that the     

prophet of old  wished to flee into the 
wilderness4 ,it was because his people  
were all  adulterers1 an assembly of    
treacherous men1 because every brother  
would supplant1 and every neighbor would
 walk with slanders4 ,such a  state of  
things may exist under any form of      
political organization4 ,it  may exist  
under ours4 ,men may be loud in their   
praise of republican  forms1 and yet be 
false1 and unkind1 and litigious2 they  
may be  indolent1 and profane1 and      
sabbath breakers1 and gamblers1 and     
licentious1 and intemperate4 ,yes1 and  
there may be neighborhoods of  such men1
 and the place where they assemble      
nightly1 hard by a banner  that creaks  
in the wind1 may be the liveliest image 
of hell that this  earth can present4 ,i
 certainly know1 and my hearers are     
fortunate if  they do not know1         
neighborhoods in this land of liberty   
and equality1  where the only use made  
of liberty is to render families and    
society  wretched1 and where the only   

equality1 is an equality in vice and    
social degradation1 which no man is     
permitted even to attempt to rise  above
 without constant annoyance4 ,better1   
far better1 is family  affection1 and   
kind neighborhood under a regal1 or even
 a despotic  government1 than such      
liberty as this4    ,government then is 
not an end1 but a means4 ,society is the
 end1 and  government should be the     
agent of society1 to benefit man in his 
social condition4 ,the extent to which  
it can do this will depend on  its form1
 and the power with which it is         
entrusted4 ,absolute power1  which      
should be used for this purpose1 is     
generally abused4  ,considering itself  
as having interests distinct from those 
of the  people1 it too often seeks to   
keep them in a state of degradation1 and
  to appropriate to itself the largest  
possible share of those blessings  which
 ought to be equally diffused4 ,get out 
of my sunlight1 said  ,diogenes to      
,alexander the ,great3 ,get out of my   

sunlight--cease to  obstruct the free   
circulation of blessings intended for   
all1 might the  people say under any    
arbitrary form of government ever yet   
administered4 ,still1 such a government1
 when under the direction of  wisdom and
 benevolence1 has power to produce great
 social and moral  revolutions for the  
good of mankind4 ,such a revolution was 
commenced  by ,peter the ,great1 and his
 measures1 though necessary1 were such  
as  none but an absolute monarch could  
have adopted4 ,aside from  christianity1
 the judicious exercise of such a power 
is the only hope  of a people debased   
beyond a certain point4 ,the ,king of   
,prussia can  maintain a better and more
 efficient system of schools1 than any  
republican government4 ,he can provide  
qualified teachers1 and can  compel the 
children to attend4    ,but when1 as in 
this country1 government is the direct  
agent of  society1 when it is so far    
controlled by the people as to secure   
the  majority at least from oppression1 

being merely an expression of the  will 
of that majority1 it can have no power  
to produce moral and  social            
reformations4 ,laws do not execute      
themselves1 and in such a  state of     
things they cannot be effectually       
executed if the violation  of them is   
upheld by public sentiment4 ,in such a  
case1 when vices  begin to creep in1 and
 the tendency of things is downwards1 we
 must  have a force different from that 
of the government2 we must have  moral  
power4 ,here religion comes in1 and must
 come in1 or the  beginning of the end  
has come4 ,the intellect must be        
enlightened1 and  the conscience        
quickened1 and moral life infused into  
the mass2 the  good and the evil must   
commingle in free conflict1 and public  
sentiment must be changed4 ,when this is
 done1 when patriotism1 and             
philanthropy1 and religion1 have caused 
an ebb-tide in the flood of  evil that  
was coming up over the land1 then       
government may come in1  not to carry   

forward a moral reformation by force1   
but to erect a  barrier against the     
return of that tide4 ,it can secure what
 these  agents have gained4 ,it can put 
a shield into the hands of society1     
with which it can1 if it pleases1       
protect itself against that  selfishness
 and malignity which always lurk in its 
borders1 and which  moral influence     
cannot reach4 ,if1 for example1 polygamy
 were  established among us as it is    
among the ,turks1 a government like ours
  could do nothing for its removal4 ,but
 religion could awaken a sense of       
obligation1 and statistics could point  
out the number of poor women  and       
uneducated children thrown by it for    
support mainly upon those who  had      
pledged themselves to be the husband of 
one wife1 and christian  and            
philanthropic effort might show that it 
was injurious to  individuals1 and      
families1 and the state2 and then a law 
might be  passed1 as there has been1 to 
defend society against this evil4       

,this inefficacy of our government to   
produce moral and social  reformations  
should be well understood1 because it   
throws the fearful  responsibility of   
maintaining our institutions directly   
upon the  people1 where it must rest4 ,a
 government originating in society1 can 
have but slight ground to stand on in   
resisting its downward tendency4  ,that 
there is in society such a tendency1 all
 history shows4 ,as  nations have become
 older1 they have invariably become more
 corrupt4  ,they have never reached that
 point in general morality at which men 
cease to corrupt each other by          
associating together4 ,such a tendency1 
not counteracted1 must be fatal to      
republican governments1 for  republican 
government is self-government1 and as   
the internal law  becomes feeble1       
external force must be increased2 and   
accordingly we  find that every people  
hitherto1 have either been under regal  
power  from the beginning1 or have1 in  
time1 reached a point in corruption1    

when that power became necessary4       
,republican government then1 is not  so 
much the cause of a good social state1  
as its sign4 ,it can never be  borne up1
 with its stars and stripes floating1   
upon the surface of a  society that is  
not strongly impregnated with virtue4   
,take this away1  and it goes down by   
its own weight1 and the beast of        
tyranny1 with its  seven heads and ten  
horns1 comes up out of the troubled     
waters4 ,here  is the turning point with
 us4 ,all depends upon the influences   
that go  to form the character of our   
people4 ,those who control these        
influences will really govern the       
country4 ,to this point we turn our     
eyes anxiously4 ,at this point we look  
to legislators to stand in their  lot1  
and do what is appropriate to their     
station4 ,at this point we  look        
especially to fathers and mothers1 the  
guardians of domestic  virtue4--,those  
waters will be sweet that are fed by    
sweet springs4 ,we  look to christian   

ministers1 to enlightened teachers1 to  
patriotic  authors and editors1 to every
 good citizen4 ,if there ever was a     
country in which all these were called  
upon to do their utmost1 this  is that  
country2 if there ever was a government 
that was called upon  to second in every
 proper way the efforts of these1 this  
is that  government4 ,to all these we   
look2 but our trust is only in the      
influences they may bring to bear from  
the blessed gospel of ,christ1  from the
 government of ,god4 ,we ought to obey  
,god rather than men4           99      
99       99       99       99    ,i have
 thus shown1 as fully as the time would 
permit1 though far too  briefly to do   
justice to the subject1 the grounds on  
which we ought to  obey ,god rather than
 men4 ,these are to be found in the     
relation of the  divine1 and of human   
government respectively1 to the ends of 
individual1 and of social existence4    
,but the occasion on which the  text was
 uttered1 a subject having directly     

refused obedience to  rulers lawfully   
constituted1 will lead us to consider   
the effects of  the principle of the    
text when acted upon by men in those    
relations in  which civil liberty is    
directly involved--in the relations of  
subjects  and of rulers4 ,what then will
 be the effect of an adherence to this  
principle on the part of subjects1 as   
such8    ,there is a tendency in        
irresponsible power to accumulate4 ,it  
first  gains control over property1 and 
life1 and every thing from which a      
motive to resistance based on the       
interests of the present life1  could be
 drawn4 ,but it is not satisfied with   
this4 ,nothing avails it  so long as    
there is a ,mordecai sitting at the     
,king's gate that does  not rise up and 
do it reverence4 ,it must also control  
the conscience1  and make the religious 
nature subservient to its purposes4     
,accordingly1 the grand device of the   
enemies of civil liberty1 has  been so  
to incorporate religion with the        

government1 that all those  deep and    
ineradicable feelings which are         
associated with the one1  should also be
 associated with the other1 and that he 
who opposed the  government should not  
only bring upon himself the arm of the  
civil  power1 but also the fury of      
religious zeal4 ,the most melancholy and
  heart-sickening chapter in the history
 of man1 is that in which are  recorded 
the enormities committed by a lust of   
power1 and by  malignity1 in alliance   
with a perverted religious sentiment4   
,the light  that was in men has become  
darkness1 and that darkness has been    
great4  ,the very instrument appointed  
by ,god for the deliverance and         
elevation  of man1 has been made to     
assist in his thraldom and degradation4 
,when  christianity appeared1 the       
alliance of religion with oppressive    
power  was universal4 ,in such a state  
of things1 there seemed no hope for     
civil liberty but in bringing the       
conscience out from this unholy         

alliance1 and putting it in a position  
in which it must show its  energies in  
opposition to power4 ,this ,christianity
 did4 ,it brought the  conscience to a  
point where it not only might resist    
human  governments1 but where1 as they  
were then exercised1 it was compelled   
to resist them4 ,this appeared when the 
text was uttered1 and there was  then a 
rock raised in the ocean of tyranny     
which has not been  overflowed to this  
day4 ,the same qualities which make the 
conscience  so potent an ally of power1 
must1 when it is enlightened by a true  
knowledge of ,god and of duty1 and when 
immortality is clearly set  before the  
mind1 make it the most formidable of all
 barriers to  tyranny and oppression4   
,by thus bringing the moral nature of   
man to act in opposition to  power1 and 
by giving him light1 and strength1 and  
foothold1 to enable  him to sustain that
 opposition1 christianity has done an   
inestimable  service1 and has placed    
humanity at the only point where its    

highest  grandeur appears4 ,at this     
point1 sustained by principle1 and often
 in  the person of the humblest         
individual1 it bids defiance to all the 
malice of men to wrest from it its true 
liberty4 ,it bids tyranny do  its worst1
 and though its ashes may be scattered  
to the winds1 it  leaves its startling  
testimony1 and the inspiration of its   
great  example to coming times4 ,the    
power to do this1 christianity alone can
  give4 ,no other religion has ever so  
demonstrated its evidences to the       
senses1 and caused its adaptations to   
the innermost wants of the soul  to be  
felt1 as to enable man to stand alone   
against the influence of  whatever was  
dear in affection1 and flattering in    
promises1 and  fearful in torture4      
,other religions have had their victims1
 who have  been led1 amidst the plaudits
 of surrounding multitudes1 to throw    
themselves under the wheels of a system 
already established2 but not  their     
martyrs1 who1 when duty has permitted   

it1 have fled to the  fastnesses of the 
mountains2 and when it has not1 have    
stood upon  their rights1 and contested 
every inch of ground1 and met death     
soberly and firmly1 only when it was    
necessary4 ,when this has been  done by 
multitudes it has caused power to       
respect the individual1 to  respect     
humanity2 and while christianity was    
wading through the blood  of ten        
persecutions1 it was fighting more      
effectually than had ever  been done    
before1 the battles of civil liberty4   
,the call to obey ,god  rather than men 
met with a response1 and it is upon this
 ground that  the battle has been opened
 in every case in which civil liberty   
now  exists4 ,it is upon this ground    
alone that it can be maintained4    ,i  
deem it of great importance that this   
point should be fully and  often        
presented1 because it is vital1 and     
because there are constant  attempts    
made to obscure it4 ,whatever elevates  
the individual1  whatever gives him     

worth in his own estimation and that of 
others1  whatever invests him with moral
 dignity1 must be favorable both to     
pure morality and to civil liberty4     
,hence it is that these are both        
incidental results of christianity4     
,they are not the gifts which she  came 
to bestow--these are life and           
immortality4 ,they are not the white    
raiment in which her followers are to   
walk in the upper temple2 but  they are 
the earthly garments with which she     
would clothe the  nations--they are the 
brightness which she leaves in her train
 as she  moves on towards heaven1 and   
calls on men to follow her there4 ,these
  belong to her alone4 ,infidels may    
filch her morality1 as they have  often 
done1 and then boast of their           
discoveries4 ,but in their hands  that  
morality is lopped off from the body of 
faith on which it grew1  and produces no
 fruit4 ,they may boast1 as they do1 of 
a liberty which  they never could have  
achieved4 ,but under its protection they

 advance  doctrines and advocate        
practices which would corrupt it into   
license4  ,their only strength lies in  
endeavoring1 in the sacred name of      
liberty1 to corrupt the virtuous1 and to
 excite the hatred of the  vicious      
against those restraints without which  
liberty cannot exist1  and society has  
no ground of security4 ,promising       
liberty to others1  they are themselves 
the servants of corruption4 ,liberty    
cannot exist  without morality1 nor     
general morality without a pure         
religion4    ,the doctrine thus stated  
is fully confirmed by history4 ,the     
reformation by ,luther was made on      
strictly religious grounds4 ,he found   
an opposition between the decrees of the
 ,pope and the commands of ,god1  and it
 was the simple purpose1 resolutely     
adhered to1 to obey ,god  rather than   
men1 that caused ,europe to rock to its 
centre4 ,in the  train of this religious
 reformation civil liberty followed1 but
 became  settled and valuable only as   

religious liberty was perfected4 ,it was
  every where on the ground of          
conscience towards ,god that the first  
stand was taken1 and in those countries 
where the struggle for  religious       
liberty commenced but did not succeed1  
as in ,spain and  ,italy1 civil liberty 
has found no resting place for the sole 
of her  foot to this day4 ,it is        
conceded even by ,hume that ,england    
owes her  civil liberty to the          
,puritans1 and the history of the       
settlement and  progress of this country
 as a splendid exemplification of the   
principle in question1 needs but to be  
mentioned here4    ,in speaking thus of 
the resistance of christian subjects to 
the  government1 perhaps ,i should guard
 against being misunderstood4 ,in no    
case can it be a factious resistance4   
,it cannot be stimulated by any  of the 
ordinary motives to such resistance--by 
discontent1 or passion1  or ambition1 or
 a love of gain4 ,in no case can it show
 itself in the  disorganizing1 the      

aggressive1 and in a free government1   
the suicidal  spirit of mobs4           
,christians have in their eye a grand   
and a holy  object1 and all they wish is
 to go forward1 without violating the   
rights of others1 to its attainment4 ,in
 so doing they set themselves  in       
opposition to nobody1 but merely        
exercise an inalienable right1 and  if  
others oppose them1 they must still go  
forward and obey ,god1 be the           
consequences what they may4           99
       99       99       99       99    
,we will now consider1 as was proposed1 
the effect of an adherence to  the      
principle of the text on the part of    
rulers4 ,this becomes  appropriate from 
the peculiar form of our government1 and
 the relation  which the rulers hold to 
the people4 ,rulers have indeed1 in all 
countries1 need to be exhorted to obey  
,god1 but when their will is  supreme1  
and their power is independent of the   
people1 there can be no  propriety in   
exhorting them to obey ,god rather than 

men4 ,in this  country1 however1 this   
principle needs to be enforced upon     
legislators and rulers quite as much as 
upon the people1 perhaps even  more4 ,it
 is at this point1 if ,i mistake not1   
that we are to look for  the danger     
peculiar to our institutions through    
those in authority4 ,in  other countries
 the danger is from the accumulation and
 tyrannical use  of power4 ,with us1    
limited as is the tenure of office1     
there is little  danger of direct       
oppression4 ,the danger is that those   
who are in  office1 and those who wish  
for it1 will1 for the sake of immediate 
popularity1 lend the sanction of their  
names to doctrines and  practices1      
which1 if carried into effect1 must     
destroy all government4  ,how is it else
 that mobs should often escape with so  
little rebuke8  ,how is it else that we 
hear such extravagant and disorganizing 
doctrines maintained in regard to the   
rights of a majority respecting         
property1 and their power to set aside  

any guaranties of former  ,legislatures8
 ,certainly the people are the fountain 
of power4 ,they  establish the          
government1 they have a right to alter  
it2 but when it  is established1 the    
state becomes personified through it1   
and its acts  are to be consistent4     
,when it is established1 it is a        
government1 it  has authority1 it       
becomes ,god's institution1 and those   
who administer  it are to obey ,god     
rather than men4 ,wo to this country1   
when the  people shall become to those  
in place1 the object of adulation and of
  an affected idolatry4 ,wo to this     
country1 when the people shall cease  to
 reverence the government as the        
institution of ,god because it is       
established through them2 when they     
shall suppose that it is in such a      
sense theirs1 that they can supersede   
its acts in any way except by           
constitutional forms4    ,there is also 
another reason why the principle of the 
text ought to be  especially regarded by

 the rulers of this country4 ,so far as 
a nation  can be considered and treated 
as a moral person1 its character must be
  indicated by the acts of its rulers4  
,accordingly1 we find that under  every 
form of government1 ,god has made       
nations responsible1 as in the  natural 
course of things they evidently must be1
 for what is done by  their rulers4 ,but
 if this is so in monarchical           
governments1 where the  agency of the   
people is so little connected with      
public acts1 much  more must it be so in
 one like ours4 ,here the rulers        
represent the  people more immediately4 
,they indicate in the eyes of the world1
 the  moral condition of the people1 and
 hence the peculiar responsibility  of  
those who act under the oath of ,god in 
making and administering the  laws of a 
representative government4 ,if it can   
ever be required of ,god  to vindicate  
his administration by the treatment of  
any people1 it  must be of one whose    
government is thus administered4    ,i  

observe then that the principle of the  
text should be adopted by  rulers1      
because it furnishes the only broad and 
safe basis of  political action4 ,the   
adoption of this principle ,i consider  
the first  requisite of a wise1 in      
opposition to a cunning and temporizing 
statesman4 ,statesmanship1 as           
distinguished from that skilful         
combination of measures which has for   
its object personal advancement1        
consists very much in a perception of   
the connexion there is between  the     
prosperity of states1 and the accordance
 of their laws and social  institutions 
with the laws of justice1 and           
benevolence1 and  temperance1 which are 
the laws of ,god4 ,the laws of ,god are 
uniform4  ,the general tendencies which 
he has inwrought into the system will   
take effect1 and nothing1 not shaped in 
accordance with these can  stand4 ,now  
it is an attempt to evade the effect of 
these tendencies by  expedients in      
particular instances and for the sake of

 particular  ends1 that has been called 
statesmanship2 while he only is the true
  statesman who sees what these         
tendencies are1 and shapes his laws and 
institutions in accordance with them4   
,the mere politician1 if ,i may so      
designate him1 perceives the movements  
which take place in the  different parts
 of society relatively to each other1   
and is  complacently skilful in         
adjusting them to his purposes1 but he  
fails  to see that general movement by  
which the whole is drifted on  together1
 and which is bearing society to a point
 where elements that  he had not dreamed
 of will be called into action1 and     
where his petty  expedients will become 
in a moment1 but as the barriers of sand
 which  the child raises upon the beach1
 when the tide begins to rise4    ,i    
tremble for my country1 said an         
,american statesman1 in a sentence1     
which1 though awfully ominous in the    
connexion in which it was  uttered1 does
 equal honor to his head and his heart1 

,i tremble for my  country when ,i      
remember that ,god is just4 ,in that    
sentence are  involved the principles of
 that higher statesmanship before which 
the  expedients of merely expert men    
dwindle into nothing4 ,he knew not how1 
or where1 or when1 the blow might fall2 
but he knew that there was  always a    
joint in the harness of injustice1 where
 the arrow of  retribution1 though it   
might seem to be speeding at a venture1 
would  surely find its way4 ,the higher 
movements of ,divine ,providence include
  the lower4 ,sooner or later all       
particular1 and for a time apparently   
anomalous cases are brought under its   
general rules1 and he has read  the     
history of the past with little benefit1
 who has failed to see how  the giant   
machinery of that ,providence1 in the   
intermediate spaces of  which there is  
ample room for the free play of human   
agency1 takes up  the results of that   
agency as they are wrought out1 and     
applies them  to the execution of its   

own uniform laws1 and the accomplishment
 of  its own predicted purposes4 ,these 
purposes1 as declared by those  divine  
records whose prophecies have now become
 history1 were often  such as no human  
sagacity1 looking merely at second      
causes1 could have  anticipated1 such as
 no human power then existing could have
 effected4  ,still1 they were wrought   
out in conformity with that higher1 and 
uniform1 and all-encompassing movement  
with reference to which he who  stands  
at the helm should guide the state1 but 
to ascertain which1 he  must not take   
his bearings from the shifting headlands
 of  circumstances1 but must lift his   
eye to those eternal principles which   
abide ever the same4 ,on this subject   
there is written upon the walls  of the 
past a lesson for statesmen that needs  
no interpreter4 ,look at  ,babylon4 ,who
 is it that stands before its walls1 and
 utters its doom8  ,it is a despised    
,jew4 ,and who is he that walks in pride
 upon those  walls1 and as he points to 

that mighty city as the centre of       
civilization and power1 as combining    
every advantage of climate and  of      
commerce1 mocks at that doom8 ,it is a  
politician of those days4 ,the  voice of
 the prophet is uttered1 and it seems to
 pass idly upon the  wind4 ,the eye of  
sense sees no effect4 ,no clouds gather1
 no lightnings  descend4 ,but that voice
 was not in vain4 ,the waters of        
desolation  heard it in their distant   
caves1 and never ceased to rise till    
they  had whelmed palace and tower and  
temple in one undistinguished ruin4     
,even now that voice abides there1 and  
hangs as a spirit of the air  over that 
desolation1 and the ,arabian hears it1  
warning him not to  pitch his tent      
there1 and the wild beast of the desart 
and the owl and  the satyr hear it1 and 
come up and dwell and dance there4 ,look
 at  ,jerusalem4 ,who is he that stands 
upon mount ,olivet and weeps as he      
looks upon the city1 and assigns1 as the
 cause of his tears1 that he  would     

often have gathered her children        
together as a hen gathereth her         
chickens under her wings1 but she would 
not8 ,ah6 what political ,jew  would    
have thought of that6 ,he would have    
turned his attention to  the purposes of
 governors and the intrigues of courts4 
,into his  estimate of the causes that  
might affect the prosperity of          
,jerusalem1  the moral temper of the    
nation as indicated by its rejection of 
,jesus  of ,nazareth1 would not have    
entered4 ,and yet1 it was from this     
rejection1 even in the way of natural   
consequence1 from the want of  those    
moral qualities which only a regard to  
his teachings could have  produced among
 them1 that the destruction of the ,jews
 resulted4  ,nothing else could have    
destroyed their fool-hardy confidence in
 ,god1  or have allayed those fiendish  
passions which led contending factions  
to fill the streets of the city with    
dead bodies even in the midst of  the   
siege4 ,but they would not have his     

spirit2 they would not have him  to     
reign over them1 and we know that from  
the moment the words dropped  from his  
lips1 ,your house is left unto you      
desolate1 that was a  doomed city1 and  
no political skill could have deferred  
the horrors of  a siege and of a final  
overthrow1 such as was not from the     
beginning  of the world1 no1 nor ever   
shall be4 ,and not only from ,babylon   
and  ,jerusalem1 but from the grave of  
every nation buried in antiquity1  from 
,nineveh1 and ,tyre1 and ,edom1 and     
,egypt1 there comes a voice  calling    
upon rulers to be just1 ruling in the   
fear of ,god4 ,the true  cause of their 
destruction was the attitude which they 
assumed towards  the will1 and worship1 
and people of ,god4    ,it is from these
 moral causes1 between which and the    
result there is  no immediate1 nor1 to  
the superficial eye1 perceptible        
connexion1  that ,i fear most for the   
stability of our institutions4 ,it is   
when the  sun is shining most brightly1 

and the face of the sky shows1 it may   
be1 not a single cloud1 that the        
elements of the tornado are ascending   
most rapidly2 and it is when men are in 
prosperity and in fancied  security that
 they become presumptuous1 and that a   
disastrous train of  causes is silently 
put in motion1 as resistless as the     
tornado4 ,upon  this point of security1 
the eye of the true statesman is fixed4 
,it is  here that he sees the danger and
 provides against it2 while the mere    
politician knows nothing1 and sees      
nothing1 till he begins1 when it is  too
 late1 to see the lightnings1 and hear  
the thunders of embodied  wrath4        
,can1 then1 the rulers of this country1 
in disregard of the warnings of  all    
past time1 with a full understanding of 
the claims and of the  controlling      
agency of the great moral principles of 
,god's government1  go on in obedience  
to men rather than ,god1 and make laws  
in disregard1  or defiance of his will8 
,if so1 then1 from the reciprocal       

influence of  rulers and people1 our    
experiment of self-government would seem
 to be  hopeless4 ,then must ,god       
scourge this people as he has scourged  
others4 ,then are the untoward symptoms 
of the present time1 but as the  white  
spot that shows the leprosy4 ,then will 
the altar of liberty  decay1 and the    
fire upon it will go out1 and there will
 be heard by  those who watch in her    
temple1 as of old in the desecrated     
temple of  ,god1 the voice of its       
presiding spirit saying1 ,let us go     
hence1 and  that temple1 towards which  
the eyes of the nations were turned with
  hope1 shall become the haunt of every 
unclean thing1 and shall only  wait the 
hand of violence to leave not one stone 
upon another that  shall not be thrown  
down4 ,in view of such consequences1 ,i 
cannot but  feel that the solemn words  
of our ,saviour are as applicable to    
,legislators and rulers in their public1
 as in their private capacity4  ,and ,i 
say unto you1 my friends1 be not afraid 

of them that kill the  body1 and after  
that have no more that they can do4 ,but
 ,i will  forewarn you whom ye shall    
fear3 ,fear him which after he hath     
killed1  hath power to cast into hell1  
yea ,i say unto you1 ,fear him4         
99       99       99       99       99  
,to ,his ,excellency the ,governor1     
these sentiments are addressed1 as      
putting him in remembrance1 as he stands
 upon the threshold of a new  official  
year1 of that which ought ever to be    
uppermost in the mind of  the ,chief    
,magistrate of a ,christian people1 of  
the paramount authority  of ,god1 and of
 the necessity there is that all human  
legislation  should coincide with the   
principles of his government4 ,it is a  
great  and a sacred trust which the     
people of this ,commonwealth commit to  
their ,chief ,magistrate1 and they      
expect it will be used in the fear of   
,god1 and for the good of this whole    
people4 ,that trust is in tried  hands1 
and we rejoice in the belief that it is 

safely deposited4  ,especially1 may ,i  
be permitted to say1 does it give me    
pleasure to  welcome to the chair of    
state one in whose civic wreath literary
  honors are entwined1 and who can      
forget the toils and lay aside the      
dignities of office1 to cheer the young 
scholar on his way4 ,long may  our      
literary institutions continue to raise 
up those who shall add to  the dignity  
of office1 the grace of learning1 and   
the sanctity of  private virtue2 and    
who1 while they devote their labors more
  particularly to the good of their own 
,state1 shall be regarded as  belonging 
to the ,union and to the world4    ,to  
,his ,honor the ,lieutenant ,governor1  
to the ,honorable ,council and  ,senate1
 and to the assembled ,representatives  
of the people1 the  sentiments of this  
discourse are addressed1 as the         
descendants of  those who showed in the 
hour of peril1 that they feared ,god    
rather  than men4 ,following their      
example1 you have come up1 as you are   

about  to enter upon your responsible   
duties1 to present1 in this venerable   
house1 thanksgivings and supplications  
to the ,lord ,god of our fathers2  and  
to do homage in the name of the         
,republic1 to ,his ,institutions4  ,this
 is well4 ,but that ,republic expects of
 you that you will imitate1  not merely 
in form1 but also in spirit1 the bright 
examples that are  set before you1 that 
you will act from principle1 that you   
will obey  ,god rather than men4 ,so    
doing the ,commonwealth will be safe1   
for it  is the simple wisdom of         
goodness1 that alone is truly wise4