第7章

EvangelinesawthemoonpassForthfromthefoldsofthecloud，andonestarfollowedherfootsteps，AsoutofAbraham\'stentyoungIshmaelWanderedwithHagar。\" Thereisagreatdealofthatsortofthinginhiswriting。HehasdoneformanywhathedidforLowelloneday。Discouragedinsettlingtheformofaneweditionofhisownpoems，LowelltookupavolumeofLongfellowjusttoseethetype，andpresentlyfoundthathehadbeenreadingtwohours。HewroteLongfellowhecouldunderstandhispopularity，saying: \"Yousangmeoutofallmyworries。\"Thatisagreatthingtodo，andLongfellowlearnedfromtheScripturehowtodothatinthe\"PsalmofLife\"andallhisotherpoems。 WeneedonlyawordaboutLowellhimself。 Hewasthesonofaminister，andsoknewtheBiblefromhisinfancy。HebelongedtotheBrahmancastehimself，butagooddealoftheruggednessoftheOldTestamentgotintohiswriting。Itisin\"TheVisionofSirLaunfal。\" Itisinhispleaforinternationalcopyrightwherethefamiliarlinesoccur: \"Invainwecalloldnotionsfudge，Andbendourconsciencetoourdealing，TheTenCommandmentswillnotbudge，Andstealingwillcontinuestealing。\" ThereishintofitinhisquizzicallinesabouthimselfintheFableforCritics。Hesaysthatheisindangerofrattlingaway\"UntilheisasoldasMethusalem，AttheheadofthemarchtothelastNewJerusalem。\" Whittierneedsnowordsofours。Hishymnsarepartofourreligiousequipment。\"Snowbound\" andalltherestofthebeautiful，quiet，Quaker-likewritingofthisbelovedpoetareamongournationalassets。WejoininhissorrowashewritesthedoomofWebsterandhisfame，andwedonotwonderthathechoseforittheScripturaltitle\"Ichabod。\" Whateveristobesaidaboutanindividualhereorthere，itistruethatgreatAmericanliteratureshowstheinfluenceoftheBible。LikeeverythingelseinAmerica，ithasbeenfoundedonareligiouspurpose。WritersinalllineshavebeentrainedintheBible。Iftheyfeelanyreligiousinfluenceatall，itistheBibleinfluence。 ThishasbeenalongjourneyfromShakespearetoWhittier，anditleavesuntouchedthegreatfieldofpresent-daywriters。Lettheunstarrednameswaittheirtime。AmongthemaremanywhocansayintheirwaywhatHallCainehassaidofhimself:\"IthinkIknowmyBibleasfewliterarymenknowit。Thereisnobookintheworldlikeit，andthefinestnovelseverwrittenfallfarshortininterestofanyoneofthestoriesittells。WhateverstrongsituationsIhaveinmybooksarenotofmycreation，butaretakenfromtheBible。TheDeemsterisastoryoftheProdigalSon。TheBondmanisthestoryofEsauandJacob。TheScapegoatisthestoryofEliandhissons，butwithSamuelasalittlegirl；andTheManxmanisthestoryofDavidandUriah。\"Takeupanyofthenovelsoftheday，eventhepoorerones，butnotablythebetterones，andseehowuniformlytheyshowtheScripturalinfluenceinmaterial，inidea，andinspirit。Whattheliteratureofthefuturewillbenoonecansay。Thismuchisassureasanyfactinliteraryhistory，thattheEnglishBibleispartoftheveryfiberofgreatliteraturefromthedayitfirstappearedinourtonguetothishour。 LECTUREV THEKINGJAMESVERSION——ITSINFLUENCEON ENGLISHANDAMERICANHISTORY THEKingJamesversionoftheBibleisonlyabook。Whatcanabookdoinhistory? Well，whateverthereason，bookshaveplayedalargepartinthemovementsofmen，speciallyofmodernmen。 Theyhavemarkedlyinfluencedtheopinionofmenaboutthepast。ItiscommonlysaidthatHume\'sHistoryofEngland，defectiveasitis，hasyet\"byitsmethodrevolutionizedthewritingofhistory，\"andthatistrue。Nearerourowntime，Carlyle\'sLifeofCromwellreversedthejudgmentofhistoryonCromwell，gaveallreadersofhistoryanewconceptionofhimandhistimesandofthemovementofwhichhewasthelife。AftertheRestorationnoneweresopoorastodoCromwellreverenceuntilCarlyle\'sBOOKgavehimanewtotheworld。 Thereareinstancessquarelyinourowntimebywhichtheirmightyinfluencemaybetested。 Theyareofbooksofalmostephemeralvaluesaveforthestudentofhistory。Asliteraturetheywillbequicklyforgotten；butasFORCES theymustbereckonedwith。ThereisUncleTom\'sCabin。ItwouldbeabsurdtosaythatitbroughttheAmericanCivilWar，orfreedthenegroes，orsavedtheUnion。Itdidnoneofthosegreatthings。Yetitisnotatallabsurdtonameitamongthepotentpowersinallthree。Itisnottoourpurposewhetheritistrueornotasastatementofthewholefact。 DoubtlessitwasnottrueofthegeneralandcommoncircumstancesofSouthernslavery；buteverythinginitwaspossible，andevenfrequentenoughsothatitcouldnotbequestioned。Itpretendednomore。Butitsinfluencewassimplytremendous。Inbookformitbecameavailablein1852，andwithinthreeyears，1855，itwascommonpropertyofEnglish-speakingpeople。 Nootherbookeverproducedsoextraordinaryaneffectsoquicklyinthepublicmind。[1] Itheldupslaverytojudgment。Itcrystallizedthethoughtsofcommonpeople。Theworkofthosestrenuousyearsinthe\'60\'scouldnothavebeendonewithouttheresultofthatbook。Itmadehistory。Comenearerourownday。WecouldnotbelonginLondonwithoutfeelingtheconcernofthebetterpeopleforconditionsintheEastEnd。Anewsocialimpulsehasseizedthem。Tobesure，itlacksmuchyetofsuccess；butmorehasbeendonethanmostpeoplerealize。Thenewmovement，theawakeningofthatsocialsense，tracesbacktothebookofGen。WilliamBooth，InDarkestEngland(1890)。IthashelpedtochangethelifeofalargepartofLondon。 [1]Rhodes，HistoryoftheUnitedStates，vol。i，pp。185-303。 Onthisside，thenewconcernforcityconditionsdatesfromthebookofanewspaperreporter，JacobA。Riis，HowtheOtherHalfLives。 ItthrusttheOtherHalfintosuchprominencethatithasneverbeenpossibletoforgetit。 MarkedadvanceinallAmericancities，inlegislationandlife，goesstraightbacktoit。Nameoneotherbookstillinthefieldofsocialservice，evensounpleasant，soterrible，soobnoxiousabookasUptonSinclair\'sTheJungle。Itstartedandsustainedmovementswhichhaveunsettledbusinessandpoliticallifeeversinceitappeared。 Itmadesomeconditionsvivid，unescapable。 Donotmisunderstandtheargument。Nomancantellwhatwillbesaidinthehistoriesacenturyfromnowabouttheselesserbooks。 Wecannevergobeyondguessesastothewholecauseofanychainofevents。[1]Astimepasses，incidentalelementsinthecausesgraduallysinkoutofsightandafewgreatforcestakethewholehorizon。Whateverthehistoriesacenturyfromnowsayabouttherelativeplaceofsuchbooksaswehavenamed，itiscertainthattheyhaveinfluencedthemovementsmightily。 Theliteraryhistorieswillsaynothingatallaboutthem。Theyarenotgreatliterature，buttheywerebornofapassionofthetimesandvoicedandarouseditanew。 [1]MacPhail，EssaysonPuritanism，p。278。 When，therefore，itisurgedthattheEnglishBiblehasinfluencedhistory，itisnotmakinganundueclaimforit。WhenitisfurtherurgedthatofallbooksinEnglishliteratureithasbeenmostinfluential，ithasmostmadehistory，ithasmostdeterminedgreatmovements，theargumentonlyclaimsforitthehighestplaceamongbooks。 Anditwouldnotbesurprisingifitshouldhavesuchinfluence。ItistheonegreatpieceofEnglishliteraturewhichisuniversalproperty。 Sincethedayitwaspublishedithasbeenkeptavailableforeverybody。Nootherbookhaseverhaditschance。English-speakingpeoplehavealwaysbeenessentiallyreligious。Theyhavealwayshadaprofoundregardfortheterms，theinstitutions，thepurposesofreligion。PartlythathasbeenmaintainedbytheBible；buttheBibleinitsturnhasbeenmaintainedbyit。SoithascomeaboutthatEnglish-speakingpeople，thoughtheyhavemanybooks，areessentiallypeopleofoneBook。Wherevertheyare，theBibleis。QueenVictoriahasitnearbywhenthemessengerfromtheOrientappears，andlaysherhanduponittosaythatthisisthefoundationoftheprosperityofEngland。Butthepoorhousewifeinthecottage，withonlyacrustforfood，stayshersoulwithit。ThePuritancreepsintohidingwiththeBook，whilehisbrothersailsawaytothenewlandwiththeBook。ThesettlermayhavehisShakespeare；hewillsurelyhavehisBible。Asthelongwagon-traincreepsacrosstheplaintoseektheWesternshore，theremaybenootherbookinallthetrain；buttheBiblewillbethere。FindanysettlementofmenwhospeaktheEnglishtongue，wherevertheymaketheirhome，andtheBibleisamongthem。Whendidanybookhavesuchachancetoinfluencemen?ItistheoneundisturbedheritageofallwhospeaktheEnglishtongue。Itbindsthedaughterandthemothercountrytogether，andgathersintothesamebondthescatteredremnantsoftheEnglish-speakingracetheworldaround。Itslanguageistheonespeechtheyallunderstand。Strangeitwouldbeifithadnotaprofoundinfluenceuponhistory! AnotherfactthathashelpedtogivetheBibleitsgreatinfluenceisthepowerofthepreachingithasinspired。TheperiodsofgreatestpreachinghavealwaysbeentheperiodsoffreestaccesstotheBible。Noonecanoverlooktheimmensepowerofthesermonsofhistory。Therehavebeenpoor，inept，banalexpositors，doubtless； buteventheyturnedmen\'smindstotheBible。 ReadingtheBiblemakesmenthinkers，andsomakespreachersinevitably。WitnesstheScotch。 JameswasraisedinScotlandandbelievedinthepowerofpreaching。Atonetimehewantedtosettleendowmentsforthemaintenanceofpreachingundergovernmentcontrol。ButArchbishopWhitgiftconvincedhimthatmuchpreachingwas\"aninnovationanddangerous，\"sinceitisquiteimpossibletocontrolaman\'smouthonceitisgivenapublicchance。UnderCharlesI。thesermonwasmightyintheserviceofthePuritansuntilitwassuppressedorrestricted。 ThenmenbecamelecturersandexpoundedtheBibleortaughtreligioustruthinpublicorprivate。 Richmenengagedprivatechaplainssincepublicmeetingscouldnotbeheld。SomehowtheytaughttheBiblestill。ArchbishopLaudforbadeboth。Yettheleavenworkedthemoreforitsrestriction。AtleastonegoodcookI knowsaysthatifyouwantyourdoughtoriseandtheyeasttowork，youmustcoverit。Lauddidnotwantittorise，buthemadethemistakeofcoveringit。 TherehasneverbeenabookwhichhasprovokedsuchincessantpreachinganddiscussionashastheBible。ThebelieversintheKoranteachitasitis，wordforword。BelieversintheBiblehaveneverstoppedwiththat。Theyhavealwaystriedtocometogetherandhearitexpounded。SuchgatheringsandsuchconstantpressureoftheBookongroupsofhearerswouldinevitablygivetheBiblegreatinfluence。WhenitisrememberedthatinAmericaalonethereareeachweekapproximatelyfourhundredthousandgatheringsofpeoplewhichhavefortheiravowedpurposeinstructionorinspirationinreligion，andthattheinstructionandinspirationareprofessedlyandopenlydrawnfromtheBible，thatmorethanthreehundredthousandsermonsarepreachedeveryweekfromitandpassagesofitreadinallthegatherings，itappearsthattheBiblehadandstillhassuchachancetoinfluencelifeasnootherbookhashad。PresidentSchurmantracesalargepartofourownstrongerAmericanlifetotheeducativepowerofourSundays。Butcentralintheeducationofthosedaysisnow，andhasbeenfromthefirstofournationalhistory，theEnglishBible。 TheinfluenceoftheBiblecomesalsofromthefactthatitmakesitschiefappealtothedeeperelementsinlife。\"Humanhistoryinitsrealcharacterisnotanaccountofkingsandofwars；itistheunfoldingofthemoral，thepolitical，theartistic，thesocial，andthespiritualprogressofthehumanfamily。Thetimewillyetcomewhenthenamesofdynastiesandofbattlesshallnotformthetitlesofitschapters。 ThetruthsrevealedintheBiblehavebeenthetouchstonewhichhastriedmen\'sspirits。\"[1] [1]H。B。Smith，FaithandPhilosophy，p。54。 Thosewordsgototheheartofthefact。TheinfluenceoftheEnglishBibleonEnglish- speakinghistoryforthelastthreehundredyearsisonlytheinfluenceofitsfundamentaltruths。Ithasmovedwithtremendousimpactonthewillsofmen。Ithasmadethegreathumanidealsclearanddefinite；ithasmadethembeautifulandattractive；butthathasnotbeenenough。Ithasreachedalsothespringsofaction。Ithasgivenmenasenseofneedandalsoasenseofstrength，asenseofoutrageandasenseofpowertocorrectthewrong。Thereithasdifferedfrommostbooks。FrederickRobertsonsaidthathereadonlybookswithironinthem，and，asheread，theiratomsofironenteredtheblood，anditranmoreredforthem。 ThereisironinthisBook，andithasenteredthebloodofthehumanrace。Whereithasenteredmostfreely，theredhasdeepened；andnowherehasitdeepenedmorethaninourEnglish-speakingraces。TheironofourbloodisfromthisKingJamesversion。 BismarckexplainedthevictoriesoftheGermansovertheFrenchbythefactthatfromchildhoodtheGermanshadbeentrainedinthesenseofduty，astheFrenchhadnotbeentrained，andassoldiershadlearnedtofeelthatnothingcouldescapetheEyewhicheverwatchedtheircourse。Theylearnedthat，Bismarcksaid，fromthereligionwhichtheyhadbeentaught。Thereisnomistakingthepowerofreligioninrousingandsharpeningthesenseofduty。WebsterspokefortheEnglish-speakingraces，andfoundhisphrasesintheBible，whenhesaidthatthissense\"pursuesusever。ItisomnipresentliketheDeity。Ifwetaketoourselvesthewingsofthemorninganddwellintheuttermostpartsofthesea，dutyperformedordutyviolatedisstillwithusforourhappinessorourmisery。 Ifwesaythedarknessshallcoverus，inthedarknessasinthelightourobligationsareyetwithus。Wecannotescapefromtheirpowerorflyfromtheirpresence。\"Itisreligionwhichmakesthatsenseofdutykeen；and，whateverreligionhasdoneamongEnglish-speakingraces，theEnglishBiblehasdone，forithasbeenthetext-bookandthefinalauthorityofthoseracesinthemovingthingsoftheirfaith。 ItwouldbeeasiestinmakingtheargumenttosingleouthereandtherethestrikingeventsinwhichtheBiblehasfiguredandletthemstandforthewhole。Therearemanysuchevents，andtheyareattractive。 WecanimagineourselvesstandingontheshoreatDoverin1660，fiftyyearsaftertheversionwasissued，waitingwiththecrowdtoseethebanishedKingreturn。Thecivilwarisover，theprotectorateunderCromwellispast。CharlesII。，thick-lipped，sensuous，\"seemingtobelongrathertosouthernEuropethantoPuritanEngland，\" isabouttolandfromFrance，whencethepeople，weariedwithPuritanexcesses，havecalledhimback。Thereisagreatcrowd，buttheydonotcheerwildly。Thereissomethingseriousonhand。TheymeantowelcometheKing；butitisoncondition。TheirfirstactiswhentheMayorofDoverplacesinhishandsacopyoftheEnglishBible，whichtheKingdeclareshelovesaboveallthingsintheworld。Itprovesonlyasorryjest；buttheEnglishpeoplethinkitismeantfortruth，andtheygototheirhomesrejoicing。Theyrejoicedtoosoon，forthisisthatutterlyfaithlesskingforwhomhiswittycourtierproposedanepitaph: \"Hereliesoursovereignlord，theking，Whosewordnomanrelieson； Whoneversaidafoolishthing，Andneverdidawiseone。\"[1] [1]White，inhisHistoryofEngland，saysthatCharlesrepliedthattheexplanationwaseasy:Hisdiscourseswerehisown，hisactionswerehisministry\'s! Asatothertimes，theKingwasonlytalkingwithnomeaning；butthepeopledidnotknowhimyet。TheyhadmadetheirBiblethegreattestoftheirliberties:willakingstandbythatorwillhenot?Ifhewillnot，lethimrememberCharlestheFirst!AndfromthatdaynoEnglishking，noAmericanleader，haseversuccessfullyrestrictedEnglish-speakingpeoplefromfreeaccesstotheirgreatBook。Ithasbecomeabanneroftheirliberties。ThechildwaswiserthanheknewwhenhewasaskedwhatlessonwemaylearnfromCharlesI。，andrepliedthatwemaylearnthatamanshouldnotlosehisheadintimesofexcitement。Charleslosthisheadlongbeforehelaiditontheblock。 BesidesthesceneatDover，wemaywatchthatgreatemigrationoftheScotch-IrishfromUlster，beginningin1689，seventyyearsafterthePuritanexodusandeightyyearsaftertheversionwasissued，whichpeopledthebackwoodsofAmericawithachoice，strongpopulation。 Theywereonlyfollowingtherighttoworshipfreely，therighttotheirBiblewithoutchainsonitslidsoronthelipsofitspreachers。TheyweremakingnoprotestagainstRomanismnoragainstAnglicanisminthemselves。Theyonlyclaimedtherighttoworshipastheywould。 UnderWilliamandMary，afterJamesII。hadfledtoFrance，tolerationbecamethelawinEngland；butwhenIrelandwasreconqueredbyWilliam\'sgenerals，theactoftolerationwasnotextendedtoit。Baptists，Presbyterians，allexceptthesmallAnglicanChurch，wereputunderthebanandforbiddentoworship。ButtheBiblehadmadesubmissionimpossible，andtherecameaboutthatgreatexodustothenewlandwhichhassoblessedit。 Thereareothersignaleventswhichmightbeobserved。Butallthewhiletherewouldbedangerofmagnifyingtheimportanceofeventswhichseemtoprovethepoint。Theviewneedstobeamoregeneraloneinstead。Theperiodisnotlong——threehundredyearsatthemost—— thoughithasabackgroundofallEnglishhistory。 WehavealreadyseenhowfromthefirsttherehavebeendeterminedeffortstomaketheBiblecommontothepeople；yet，ofcourse，theinfluenceofourversioncanappearonlyinthesethreehundredyearssinceitwasissued。ThatshortperiodhasnotonlybeeninterestingalmosttothepointofexcitementinEnglishlife，butitcoversvirtuallyallAmericanlife。Take，therefore，thebroaderviewoftheinfluenceoftheEnglishBibleonhistory，apartfromthesestrikingevents。 Itistobeassumedatoncethatmuchofitsinfluenceisindirect。Indeed，itschiefinfluencemustbethroughmenwhoprovetobeleadersandthroughthatpublicsentimentwithoutwhichleadersarepowerless。Ifleaderslivebyitandstandorfallbyitsteaching，thentheirworkisitswork。Iftheyfindapublicsentimentissuingfromitwhichgivesthempower，asentimentwhichcrystallizesaroundthemwhentheyappear，becauseitisofkindredspiritwiththemselves，thenthepowerofthatsentimentisthepoweroftheBible。TheinfluenceofPilgrim\'sProgressorTheSaint\'sRestistheinfluenceofBunyanandBaxter；butbackofthemistheBible。Inlanguage，inidea，inspirit，theywereonlymakingtheBibleacommonBooktotheirreaders。 TheirvalueforlifeandhistoryistheBible\'svalueforlifeandhistory。 Thepowerofgreatsoulsisfrequentlyandeasilyunderestimated。Scientificstudyhastendedtothatbymagnifyingvisibleconditionsandbytryingtocalculatetheforceoflawswhichareinplainsight。Buckle\'stheoryofcivilizationhasinfluencedourtimesgreatly。 Itexplainsnationalcharacterastheoutcomeofnaturalconditions，andlayssuchstressoncircumstancesasleftitpossibleforBuckletodeclarethathistoryandbiographyareindifferentspheres。Itisstilltrue，however，thatmosthistoryturnsonbiography。Greatsoulshavebeenthechieffactorsingreatmovements。 Whetherthemovementcouldhaveoccurredwithoutthemwillneverbepossibletodecide，ifitshouldbedisputed。Inachemicallaboratorytheessentialfactorsofanyphenomenoncanbedeterminedbytheprocessofelimination。 Alltheelementswhichprecededitexceptonecanbeintroduced；iftheresultisthesameasinitspresence，manifestlyitisnotessential。 Sotheexperimentcangoonuntiltheresultbecomesdifferent，whenitisevidentthatthelastomittedelementisanessentialone。Butnosuchprocessispossibleingreathistoricalmovements。 Theonlycourseopentousistoconsidercarefullytheelementswhichdoappear。 Takethreegreatmovementswhichareeasiesttofollowinthesethreecenturies。WhetherthespiritualindependenceofEnglandwouldhavebeensecuredwithouttheQuakersmaybedebated； butthisfactcanhardlybedebated: certainlyitwasnotsosecured；whetherornottheQuakerscouldhavebeenwithoutGeorgeFox，certainlytheydidnotoccurwithouthim。 Takethesecond:whetherornotsomeothermovementcouldhavedonewhatPuritanismdidishardlyaquestionforhistory；PuritanismactuallydidtheworkforEnglandandAmericawhichgaveboththeirstrongestqualities。ThereisnotestingtheperiodtoseewhetherPuritanismcouldbeleftout。Thereitstandsasapowerfulfactor，andnoanalysisofthehistorycanpossiblyomitit。Orthethird:itisnotaquestionforahistorianwhetherEnglishhistorycouldhavebeenthesamewithoutMethodismandwhetherMethodismcouldhavebeenatallwithouttheWesleys；certainlynothingtookitsplace，nordidanyoneelsestandattheheadofthemovement。 Herearethesethreegreatmovements，nottoseekothers。Allofthemhavehadtremendousinfluenceinthereligiousandpoliticalhistoryofboththenationswheretheyhavemovedmostfreely。EachofthemisadirectandundisputedresultoftheinfluenceoftheBible。 MuchhasalreadybeensaidofthePuritansinEngland，andtherewillbeoccasiontoseewhatwastheirinfluenceinAmerica。ButthinkforamomentoftheQuakers。JamesFreemanClarkcallsthemtheEnglishmystics；certainlytheyweremorethanthat。[1]GeorgeFoxhadlittlelearningbuttheBible；thatheknewwell。 HefirstcametohimselfoutinthefieldsalonewiththeBible。Hewasnotstirredtotheoriginofthemovementnortohisgreatestactivitybyexperienceshehadinpublicplaces。HecametothosepublicplacesprofoundlyaffectedbyhisfamiliaritywiththeEnglishBible。Hecameatatimewhenhisprotestwasneeded，aprotestagainstformalism，againstmereoutwardconformity。 Athousandyearsbefore，MohammedanismhadreallysavedtheChristianfaithbyitsprotest，violentandmerciless，againstitserrors，challengingittopurityinfaithandlife。 NowFoxandtheQuakerssavedchurchlifebyprotestagainstchurchlife。TheBiblewasstillthelaw，butnottheBiblewhichyoureadforme，butthatwhichyoureadforyouandIforme，eachofusguidedbyaninnerlight。TheQuakermovementwasadistinctprotestagainstchurchformalismintheinterestsoffreedomoftheBible。 [1]DavidGregg，TheQuakersinAmerica。 ThatQuakerinfluencewasfarstrongerinAmericathaniteverprovedtobeinEngland。 GeorgeFoxhimselfvisitedthecoloniesandextendeditsinfluence。Threegreateffectsareeasilytraceable。TheverypresenceoftheQuakersintheNewEnglandcolonies，notablyinMassachusetts，andthepersecutionswhichtheyendured，didmoretopurifythePuritansthananyotheroneinfluence。OneisonlyloyaltothePuritancharacterandteachingindeclaringthatinthemannerofthePuritanstowardtheQuakerstheywerewrong；theywerewrongbecausetheywereuntruetotheirownbelief，untruetotheirownBibles，andwhenthemorethoughtfulamongthemfoundthattheyweretakingtheattitudetowardtheQuakerswhichtheyhadresentedtowardthemselves，rememberingthattheQuakersweredrawingtheirteachingfromthesameBibleasthemselves，theywerenaturallychecked。And，whiletheQuakersinNewEnglandsufferedgreatly，theirsufferingprovedthepurificationofthePuritans。 ItaccentedandsoitremovedthenarrownessofPuritanpractice。Further，theQuakermovementgavetoAmericanhistoryWilliamPennandthewholeconstitutionofPennsylvania。ItwastherethatastatefirstlivedbytheprinciplewhichWilliamPennpronounced:\"Anygovernmentisfreewherethepeopleareapartytothelawsenacted。\"SoitcameaboutthatIndependenceHallisonQuakersoil。TheDeclarationofIndependenceappearedthere，andnotonPuritansoil。ItmaybetherewasmorefreedomofthoughtinPennsylvania。Itmaybeexplainedonpurelygeographicalground，Philadelphiabeingthemostconvenientcenterforthecolonies。ButitremainssignificantthatnotonCavaliersoilinVirginia，notonDutchsoilinNewYork，notonPuritansoilinBoston，butonQuakersoilinPhiladelphiathemovementfornationalindependencecrystallizedaroundageneralprinciplethat\"anygovernmentisfreewherethepeopleareapartytothelawsenacted，\"butthatnogovernmentisfreewhosepeoplehavenotavoice。ThatisnotminimizingthepowerofPuritanism，norforgettingFanueilHallandtheTeaParty。Itonlyaccentswhatshouldbefamiliar:thatPuritanismdrewintoitselfmoreofthefightingelementofScripture，whiletheQuakermovementdrewintoitselfmoreoftheuniting，pacifyingelementofScripture。ThethirdeffectoftheQuakermovementisJohnGreenleafWhittier，withhisgentlebutneverweakdemandthatnationalfreedomshouldnotmeanindependenceofotherpeoplealone，buttheindependenceofallpeoplewithinthenation。SothatwhiletheQuakerspirithelpedthecoloniestobreakloosefromforeigncontrolandbecomeanation，ithelpedthenationinturntobreakloosefrominternalshackles。Thenationstoodfreewithinitselfaswellasfreefromothers。YettheQuakermovement——andthisistheargument——isitselftheresultoftheEnglishBible，andtheQuakerinfluenceistheinfluenceoftheEnglishBibleonhistory。 ThereisnotneedforextendedwordaboutthegreatWesleyanmovementinthemidstofthisperiod，whichhassoprofoundlyaffectedbothEnglishandAmericanhistory。Ithasnotworkedoutintosuchvisiblepoliticalforms。 Butanymovementthatmakesforlargerspirituallifemakesforthestrengtheningoftheentirelifeofthenation。ThemerefiguresoftheearlyWesleyanmovementarealmostappalling。Herewasaman，JohnWesley，anOxfordscholar，whospentnearlyfiftyyearstravelingupanddownandbackandforththroughEnglandonhorseback，coveringmorethantwohundredandfiftythousandmiles，preachingeverywheremorethanfortythousandtimes，writing，translating，editingtwohundredworks。Whendeathendedhisbusylifetherewereinhisnewlyformedbrotherhoodonehundredandthirty-fivethousandmembers，withfivehundredandfiftyitinerantswhowerefollowinghisexamplewithincessantpreachingandBibleexposition。ItwastheoldWiclif-Lollardmovementoveragain。 AndherewastheotherWesley，Charles，teachingEnglandtosingagain，teachingtheoldtruthsoftheBibleinrhymetomanywhocouldnotread，sothattheybecamefamiliar，writingonhorseback，instage-coaches，everywhere，writingwithonepassion，tohelpEnglandbacktotheBibleanditstruth。Suchactivitycouldnotleavethenationunmoved；allitsreligiouslifefeltit，anditspoliticallifefromserftokingwasdeeplyaffectedbyit。ItisacommonsayingthattheWesleyanmovementsavedEnglishlibertyfromEuropeanentanglement。YettheWesleyanmovementissuedfromtheBibleandledEnglandbacktotheBible。 Butapartfromthesewidemovementsandthegreatsoulswholedthem，thereistimeforthoughtofonetypicalcharacteroneachsideoftheseawhodidnotsomuchmakeamovementasheprovedthepointaroundwhichagreatfluidideacrystallizedintostrength。AcrosstheseathecharactershallbethatmanwhomCarlylegavebacktousoutofobloquyandmisunderstanding，OliverCromwell。Choosinghim，wepassothernameswhichcrowdintomemory，namesofmenwhohaveservedtheneedofEnglandwell-Wilberforce，JohnHoward，Shaftesbury，Gladstone——whodrewtheirstrengthfromthisBook。YetwechooseCromwellnowforargument。Onthissideitmustbethatbestknown，mostbeloved，mosttypicalofallAmericans，AbrahamLincoln。 AnEnglishhistorianhassaidthatthemostinfluential，themostunescapableyearsinEnglishhistoryarethoseoftheProtectorate。Thatisastrongsaying。Theywerebriefyears。 Thereweremanyfactorsinthem。OliverCromwellwasonlyone，buthewaschiefofall。HewasnotchiefinthecouncilswhichresultedinthebeheadingofCharlesI。onthat30thofJanuary，1649，thoughhetookpartinthem。 Increasinglyinthemovementswhichledtothateventandwhichfollowedithewasgrowingintoprominence。AfterMarstonMoor，PrinceRupertnamedhimIronsides，andhisregimentofpickedmen，pickedfortheirspirit，wentalwaysintobattlesingingpsalms，\"andwereneverbeaten。\"AsherodeouttothefieldatNaseby(1645)heknewhefacedthefloweroftheloyalistarmy，whilewithhimwereonlyuntrainedmen；yethesmiled，ashesaidafterward，inthe\"assurancethatGodwould，bythingsthatarenot，bringtonaughtthingsthatare。\"Thenheadds，\"Goddidit。\"Neverdidheraisehisflagbutintheinterestsofthelibertyofthepeople，andbackofeverymovementofhisarmytherewashisconfidenceintheBible，whichwashismainstay。Theyofferedhimthethrone；hewouldnothaveit。HedissolvedtheParliamentwhichhaddraggedonuntilthepatienceofthepeoplewasexhausted。 Hecalledanothertoservetheirneed。TheeveningbeforeitmethespentinmeditationontheOnehundredandthirdPsalm。TheeveningbeforethesecondParliamentofhisProtectoratehebroodedontheEighty-fifthPsalm，andopenedtheParliamentnextdaywithanexpositionofit。ThemanwassaturatedwithScripture。 Yes，thetimeswererude。ItwasanOldTestamentage，andinrightOldTestamentspiritdidCromwellwork。Anditseemedthathisworkfailed。Therewasnoonetosucceedhim，andsoonafterhisdeathcametheRestorationandthereturnofCharlesII。，ofwhichwehavealreadyspoken，inwhichoccurredthathintoftherealsentimentoftheEnglishpeoplewhichawisemanhadbetterhavetaken。 Yet，recallwhatactuallyhappened。MisunderstandingthespiritoftheEnglishpeople，whichCromwellhadhelpedtoform，butwhichinturnhadmadeCromwellpossible，theservilecourtiersofthefalsekingunearthedtheProtector\'sbody，threeyearsburied，hangeditonagallowsinTyburnforaday，beheadedit，andthrewthetrunkintoapit。HisheadtheymockinglysetonapinnacleoftheParliamentHall，whenceforsomeweeksitlookedoverthecitywhichhehadserved。Then，duringagreatstorm，itcameclatteringdown，onlyapoordriedskull，anddisappearednooneknowswhere。 ButwhenyoustandoppositethegreatParliamentbuildingsinLondonto-day，themostbeautifulbuildingsfortheirpurposeintheworld，thebuildingswherethelibertiesoftheEnglishexpressthemselvesyearafteryear，whoseistheonestatuethatfindsplacewithintheinclosure，nearthespotwherethatpoorskullcamerattlingdown?NotCharlesII——youshalllookinvainforhim。NotGeorgeMonk，whobroughtbacktheKing——youshallnotfindhimthere。 TheonestatuewhichEnglandhascaredtoplantbesideitsParliamentbuildingsisthatofOliverCromwell，itsLordProtector。Therehestands，warningkingsintheinterestsofliberty。JohnMorleymakesnoidealofhim。Hethinksheratherclosedthemedievalperiodthanopenedthemodernperiod；buthewillnothaveCromwellcomparedtoFredericktheGreat，whospokewithasneerofmankind。Cromwell\"belongedtotherarerandnoblertypeofgoverningmen，whoseethegoldenside，whocountfaith，piety，hopeamongthecounselsofpracticalwisdom，andwhoforpoliticalpowermusteverseekamoralbase。\"Thatisarareandnobletypeofmen，whethertheygovernornot。Butnomanofthattypegovernswithoutredbloodinhisveins；andtheironthatmadethisman\'sbloodrunredcamefromtheEnglishBible。 ItisafarcryfromOliverCromwelltoAbrahamLincoln——farinyears，farindeeds，farinmethods，butnotfarinspirit。Greatmenarekindred，generationsover。WepassfromtheOldTestamentintotheNewwhenwepassfromCromwelltoLincoln；butwestillfeelthespiritofliberty。FromthedaysofthePuritans，theQuakersandtheDutch，historyhadbeenpreparingforthistime。BenjaminFranklinhaddonehisgreatworkforhumanliberty；hehadsummeduphishopeforthenationinhismemorableaddressin1787，whenhestoodeighty- oneyearsold，beforetheconventionassembledtoframeaconstitutionforthenewgovernment。HeremindedthemthatatthebeginningofthecontestwiththeBritishtheyhadhaddailyprayersinthatroominPhiladelphiafortheDivineprotection，andsaid:\"Ihavelivedforalongtime，andthelongerIlivethemoreconvincingproofIseeofthistruth，thatGodgovernsintheaffairsofmen。AndifasparrowcannotfalltothegroundwithoutHisnotice，isitprobablethatanempirecanrisewithoutHisaid?Wehavebeenassured，Sir，inthesacredwritings，that\'ExcepttheLordbuildthehouse，theylaborinvainthatbuildit。\'Ifirmlybelievethis，andIalsobelievethatwithoutHisconcurringaidweshallproceedinthispoliticalbuildingnobetterthanthebuildersofBabel。Ithereforebegleavetomovethat，henceforth，prayersimploringtheassistanceofHeavenanditsblessingonourdeliberationbeheldinthisassemblyeverymorningbeforeweproceedtobusiness，andthatoneormoreoftheclergyofthiscityberequestedtoofficiateinthatservice。\" GeorgeWashingtonsoundedafamiliarnoteinhisfarewelladdress:\"Ofallthedispositionsandhabitswhichleadtopoliticalprosperity，religionandmoralityareindispensablesupports。 Avolumecouldnottracealltheirconnectionwithprivateandpublicfelicity。Letuswithcautionindulgethesuppositionthatmoralitycanbemaintainedwithoutreligion。Whatevermaybeconcededtotheinfluenceofrefinededucationonmindsofpeculiarstructure，reasonandexperiencebothforbidustoexpectthatnationalmoralitycanprevailinexclusionofreligiousprinciples。\"ThomasJefferson，ofwhomitissometimessaidthathewasindifferenttoreligion，hadyetdonehisgreatworkunderinspiration，whichhehimselfacknowledgesinhisinauguraladdress，whenhespeaksofthenationas\"enlightenedbyabenignreligion，professedindeed，andpractisedinvariousforms，yetalloftheminculcatinghonesty，truth，temperance，gratitude，andtheloveofman；acknowledgingandadoringanoverrulingProvidence，whichbyallitsdispensationprovesthatitresultsinthehappinessofmanhereandhisgreaterhappinesshereafter。\"GreaterthanJeffersonhadappearedJohnMarshall，greatestofourChiefJustices，likeinspirittothatJohnMarshallHarlan，whosedeathmarkedtheyearwhichhasjustclosed，ofwhomhiscolleaguessaidthathewenttohisresteachnightwithonehandontheBibleandtheotherontheConstitutionoftheUnitedStates，adescriptionwhichcouldalmostbetransferredtohisgreatpredecessorinthatcourt。Moreover，whenLincolncame，JosephStory，thegreatestteacheroflawwhichourcountryhadproduced，hadonlyjustdiedfromhisplaceontheSupremeBench，InhisPhiBetaKappaaddressatHarvard(1826)，inabrilliantandmasterfulanalysisof\"TheCharacteristicsoftheAge，\"hehadpaidtributeaftertributetothepowerofreligionandtheBible。 HehaddeclaredhisbeliefthatthereligionoftheBiblehad\"establisheditselfintheheartsofmenbyallwhichgeniuscouldbringtoillumineoreloquencetograceitssublimetruths。\"OfthesameperiodwithLincolnwasalsoWebster，whowascalledthe\"concordanceoftheHouse。\" ManyofhisstatelyperiodsandgreatideascamefromtheBible。Indeed，thereisnooratoryofourhistory，whichhassurvivedthewasteoftheyears，whichdoesnotfeelandshowthepoweroftheScriptures。TheEnglishBiblehasgivenourfinesteloquenceitsideas，itsideals，itsillustrations，itsphrases。 Thelineisunbroken。Anditleadstothistallfigure，crownedwithanoblehead，hisfacethesaddestinAmericanhistory，whoknewGethsemaneinallitspaths。TheheartoftheAmericanpeoplehasalwaysbeentouchedbyhisearlyyearsofabjectpoverty。Buttherewerecompensations。Hehadfewbooks，andtheyenteredhisbloodandfiber。Inhisearliestformativeyearsthereweresixbookswhichhereadandre-read。NicolayandHaynametheBiblefirstinthelist，withPilgrim\'sProgressasthefourth。 Mr。Morsecallsitasmalllibrary，butnourishing，andsaysthatLincolnabsorbedintohisownnatureallthestrongjuiceofthebooks。[1]HowmuchhedrewfromthepagesoftheHolyBookletanyreaderofhisspeechessay。Quotation，reference，illustrationcrowdeachother。Thephrasesarefamiliar。ThemanisfulloftheBook。AndwhatthemandoesispartoftheworkoftheBook。 [1]AmericanStatesmanSeries，AbrahamLincoln，i，12，13。 OneofhisbiographerssaysthatthereisnothinginthelifeorworkofLincolnwhichcannotbeexplainedwithoutreferencetoanysupernaturalinfluenceorpower。Thatdependsonwhatismeantbysupernatural。Therewerenomiracles，noastoundingvisionsnorexperiences。 ButthereranintoLincoln\'slifefromhisyoungmanhoodonwardthissteadyandstrongcurrentofideasandidealsfromtheBible。InhissecondinauguraladdresshewordedthethoughtthatwasthedeepesthorroroftheCivilWar—— thatonbothsidesofthestrifemenwerereadingthesameBible，prayingtothesameGod，andinvokingHisaidagainsteachother!InthatverybriefinauguralMr。LincolnquotesinfullthreeBibleverses，andmakesreferencetotwoothers，andthewholeaddresslastedbarelyfourminutes。 Therecouldbenomistakingthesolemnimportanceofthefacttowhichhereferredintheinaugural，thepresenceontheothersideofmenwhoheldtheirBibleshighinregard。\"Stonewall\" Jacksonwasdevoutbeyondmostmen。 ThetwobooksalwaysathishandwerehisBibleandtheManualoftheRulesofWar。 RobertE。Leewasacultured，Christiangentleman，asweremanyotherswithhim，whilethroughouttheSouthweremultitudeswholovedandreverencedtheBibleasfullyascouldanyintheNorth。Aswelookbackoverhalfacentury，thiscomesoutplainly:thatsofarastheAmericancivilwarwasastrifeaboutunionpureandsimple，havingonenationortwohereinourpartofthecontinent，itwasmatterofjudgment，notofreligion。Theregrewaroundthatquestioncertainothersofnationalhonorandobligation，whichwerenotsoclearthenasnow。 ButmenonoppositesidesofthequestionmightreadthesameBiblewithoutfindingauthoritativewordaboutit。Insofar，however，asthewarhadatitsheartthematterofhumanslavery，itwaspossibleformentodifferonlywhenonesidereadtheletteroftheBiblewhiletheotherreaditsmanifestspirit。Writtenintimeswhenslaverywascountedmatterofcourse，itsletterdealtwithslaveryasafact。Itcouldbereadasthoughitapprovedslavery。Butlongbeforethisdaymenhadfounditstruespirit。Englandhadabolishedslavery(1808)undertheinsistencethatitwasforeigntoallrightunderstandingofGod\'sWord。Lincolnknewitsletterwell；hecaredforitsspiritmore，andhefoundhisstrengthnotinthefamiliarsayingthatGodwasonhisside，butinthemoreforcefulonethathebelievedhimselftobeonGod\'sside。 Sohebecameapointaroundwhichthegreatfluidideacrystallizedintostrength——apointmadeandsustainedbytheinfluenceoftheBible，whichheknewonlyintheKingJamesversion。 Wehavespokenofsomewidemovementsandofmenaroundwhomtheycrystallized，findinginthemtheinfluenceoftheBible。ItwillbewelltonotetwooutstandingtraitsoftheBiblewhichinEnglishoranyothertonguewouldinevitablytendtostrongandfavorableinfluenceonthehistoryofmen。Thosetwotraitsare，first，itsessentialdemocracy，and，secondly，itspersistentmoralappeal。 HeremustberecalledthatcenturybeforetheKingJamesversion，whenbyslowfiltrationthefundamentalideasoftheBiblewereenteringEnglishlife。SurelyitisbeyondwordsthattheBiblemadePuritanism，thoughitwasinstrongswingwhenJamescametothethrone。 NowJohnRichardGreeniswellwithinthefactwhenhesaysthat\"Puritanismmayfairlyclaimtobethefirstpoliticalsystemwhichrecognizedthegrandeurofthepeopleasawhole。\"[1]It，wasthemagnifyingofthepeopleasawholeoveragainstsomepeopleashavingpeculiarrightswhichmarkedPuritanism，andwhichisdemocracy。 Shakespeareknewnothingofit，andhadnoinfluenceonthemovementforlargerdemocracy。 AfterwehavesaidourstrongwordofShakespeare\'spowerfulinfluenceuponliteratureityetmustbesaidthatitisdifficulttolayfingerononesinglehistoricalmovementexcepttheliteraryonewhichShakespeareevenremotelyinfluenced。TheBible，meanwhile，wasabsolutelycreatingthismovement。Underitsinfluence\"themeanestpeasantfelthimselfennobledasthechildofGod，theproudestnoblerecognizedaspiritualequalitywiththemeanestsaint。\"ThatwastheinevitableresultofafreshreadingoftheBibleineveryhome。ItassuredeachmanthatheisasonofGod，equalinthatsonshipwithallothermen。Itassuredhimnomanhasrighttolorditoverothers，asthoughhisrelationtoGodwerepeculiar。