THE AMENDMENT
OF THE
FEDERAL CONSTITUTION.
AN ADDRESS
BEFORE THE
Christian Association for National Reformation,
OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS,
BY  R1EV  JAMI:ES  WV-AIJI1AC81A,
IN REV. S. WYLIE'S CIURCH, EDEN,
November 8, 1864.
ADOPTED UNANIMOUSLY, AND ORDERED TO BE PUBLISHED.
ST. LOUIS:
GEORGE KNAPP & CO., PRINTERS AND BINDERS.
1865.








THE AMENDMENT
OF THE
FEDERAL CONSTITUTION.
AN ADDRESS
BEFORE THE
Christian Association for National Reformation,
OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS,
BY iR-EV. JAMIES V7AILLJACE,
IN REV. S. WYLIE'S CHURCH, EDEN,
November 8, 1864.
ADOPTED UNANIMOUSLY, AND ORDERED TO BE PUBLISHED.
ST. LOUIS:
GEORGE KNAPP & CO., PRINTERS AND BINDERS.
1865.








THE AMENDMENT OF THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION:
ANT ADDRESS*
Before the Christian JAssociation for V'ational Reformation, of Southern Illinois,
BY REV. JAMES WALLACE,
In Rev. S. Wylie's Church, Eden, November the 8th, 1864.
Adopted unanimously, and ordered to be published.
Mr. President-Ladies and Gentlemen:
The duty of nations to acknowledge the true God, and submit themselves to Jesus
Christ as their'Lawgiver and King, is of the highest importance, and underlies all moral
and political questions. The moral character of a nation-its continued existence and
prosperity-and the character and happiness of its people-depend, largely, upon the
relation which it sustains to God, and the obedience which it renders to his law. It is
not a question of political economy, or banks, or tariff, or war, or peace, we enter upon,
but one underlying all these, and giving to them their value and importance.
This subject commends itself to the heart of every true christian. The authority of
the Lord Jesus Christ over his own people, in all their relations and interests, and entire obedience to him, is accepted by every christian as the first duty he owes to his
Lord and Saviour, and is essential to christian character, and to all spiritual enjoyment
and progress in the divine life. " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?"  " If ye love
me," says Christ, "keep my commandments." "Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever
I command you."
And this principle of entire and universal obedience to Jesus Christ-which is the
foundation of christian character and happiness, and binds together in one blessed
brotherhood all the children of God on earth-every true christian desires to see extended over all the world, till all men and nations shall submit themselves to Emanuel
as Lord of all. And it is not easy to understand how an individual who has accepted
Jesus Christ as his only Lord and King, and solemnly promised obedience to him in all
things, can oppose the nation (of which he forms a part) acknowledging the same
authority, and submitting itself to him as King of kings and Lord of lords. That such
* By appointment at the previous meeting.




4
opposition exists on the part of infidels, and the known enemies of the Redeemer, is
not to be wondered at; but that any professed christians should unite with them in
refusing to have this Man reign over them in their civil relations, is as strange as it
is lamentable; and can be found only in minds still ignorant of the character and
claims of the exalted Messiah as Governor among the nations, and under the influence
of inveterate prejudice and sectarian bigotry.
As the acknowledgment of God as the Creator of all things does not entitle a man
to be regarded as a christian-infidels do so,-so the acknowledgment of God in his
essential character by a nation, does not entitle it to be regarded as a christian nation.
In this character God has no dealings with men or nations, and they can have no dealings with him. All transactions between God and fallen man must be conducted upon
the ground of the mediatorial economy, over which Jesus Christ is the constituted
head. In his essential character, as apart from the person and work of Jesus Christ,
the Mediator between God and man, God will receive no service or homage from persons or nations, and will bestow no blessing upon them.  God has commanded all men
to honor the Son even as they honor the Father; and he that honoreth not the Son,
honoreth not the Father. The person or nation, therefore, that does not honor Jesus
Christ, does not honor God. This truth is implied in all the revelation which God has
given of himself in his Word, and the knowledge of it is necessary to all acceptable
obedience and worship of God.
As the confession of Jesus Christ and professed subjection to him is necessary to
constitute the christian character of a person, so the acknowledgment of Jesus Christ
and professed subjection to him is necessary to constitute the christian character of a
nation. The Christian character of both persons and nations is judged and determined
by professed and consistent subjection to the character and law of Jesus Christ as contained in the Word of God.
Some admit that the Federal Constitution should be so amended as to acknowledge
the existence of God, but without any reference to Jesus Christ. They are willing to
have the God of the Deist recognized in the Constitution, but they are not willing that
the nation should acknowledge the Christian's God. Such an amendment would be of
little practical use; it would only be a change from national Atheism  to Deism. It
would not give to the government a christian character. It is not such a change as the
Word of God and the faith of his people demand. It would not save the nation from
the threatenings of Divine wrath, pronounced against all nations that refuse to honor
the Son, whom  the Father hath commanded all men and nations to honor and obey.
For the Eternal Father, from his throne in the heavens, has declared that all honor and
obedience rendered to him must be given to his Son Jesus Christ, whom he has appointed Lord and Riler of heaven and earth; and he commands all civil rulers to respect
this divine appointment, and threatens certain and utter destruction upon all nations
that reject or ignore Jesus Christ the King of nations. And lest any should imagine
that nations are not bound in their corporate capacity to treat with and acknowledge
Jesus Christ, God the Father expressly addresses civil rulers in their official character,
and commands them to submit to the exalted Messiah as their Lawgiver and Ruler, and
in case of refusal he threatens them  with speedy and entire destruction. "Be wise
now therefore, O'ye kings; be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Kiss- the Son, lest
he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little." And
the Apostle Peter, quoting this psalm in the 4th chapter of the Acts, and charging the
great sin of rejecting the person and authority of the Messiah upon the rulers of his
day, both Jews and Gentiles, proves that the duties commanded in this psalm are not
limited to any time or nation, but are universally binding at all times and upon all
nations.




5
Here, then, we are clearly taught, that all nations to which the word of God comes,
are distinctly and positively commanded by God to make a full and formal acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as their King and Lawgiver, and to receive and own him as
their Lord and Ruler by a public national act of reverence, love, submission and adoration. This they must do as the only way of appeasing the wrath of heaven, and
escaping the terrible strokes of the iron rod of the Lord's Anointed, by which he will
dash in pieces, like a potter's vessel, all rulers and nations who ignore or oppose his
universl dominion. Nations may and do commit other sins, and expose themselves to
the temporary and wasting judgments of God; but ignoring or rejecting the authority
of the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, first and most provokes the wrath of God, and brings upon them speedy and utter destruction. All nations guilty of this sin must repent or perish-perish from the way, when the wrath of
the Son of God " is kindled but a little."
True, God is merciful and long-suffering with guilty men and nations. He waits to
be gracious; he gives time for repentance; he calls and he warns; he threatens, and
he inflicts judgments, sometimes great and terrible, all in order to bring to repentance. But, if these are not heeded, the day of righteous and final retribution will
surely come.
Here we might rest the argument. Why should the christian desire any further testimony? The will of God, clearly declared in his Word, is with him decisive and final.
From it there is no appeal. We ought to obey God rather than men. But "God speaks
once, yea, twice, but man perceiveth it not." He condescends to give "line upon line,
and precept upon precept."
The same truth appears in the institution and nature of civil government. Civil
rule is the ordinance of God. It is not a device of human wisdom, or an invention of
men. Its origin is not to be found in the social compact, but in the will of God, made
known by the light of nature, and more clearly revealed in the Bible.  The' powers
that be are ordained of God. Civil rulers are God's ministers for good to the people.
And like all other ordinances, human and divine, it must be administered according to
the delared will of its Author. The great higher law of civil government is subjection
to the exalted Mediator.  God the Father commands it; Jesus Christ claims it; all
holy angels and saints in heaven and on earth joyfully approve of it. None but devils,
and wicked men (who are rebels against the divine government), oppose it. Civil rulers
being God's servants are under special obligations to submit to this divine and beneficent arrangement. The official position and character of civil rulers, so far from  exempting them from obedience to God's law, is the ground and reason of their obligation
to obey it. While the Apostle Paul commands christians to be subject to the powers
that be, he places the whole obligation of christians to obey civil rulers upon the ground
of the relation which they sustain to God and the blessings which flow from the relation thus divinely constituted. They are God's ministers; he is the minister of God
to them for good. Because civil rulers are the servants of God, christians should obey
them. Civil rulers are clothed with the authority of God. They act in his name;
they execute their office according to his law; they are God's deputies on earth. Obedience to them  is obedience to.God; resistance to them  is rebellion against God.
"Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God; and they
that resist" civil government thus constituted and administered, "shall receive to
themselves damnation." (Rom. 13: 2.)
Thus it plainly appears that the whole claim of civil rulers upon the respect and obedience of the people, depends upon the relation which they sustain to God, as his appointed and approved servants. True, the people have a right to choose who shall rule
over them: but the people are not the original source of power; for there is no power




6
but of God. In the formation of their constitutions, and in the choice of their rulers,
the people are under law to God.  God alone is Lord of the conscience; and the enlightened conscience is responsive to the authority of God alone. The deep and universal conviction in our moral nature, that all power is of God, is the strong and broad
foundation on which the stability and permanence of civil government rests in all
nations. A government may for a time obtain the support of the people upon the
narrow ground of expediency and policy; but if it has not a moral character corresponding with the laws of God, as his institution, it has no security for permanent existence.
The constitution of a government is a public declaration of the principles by which
it is desirous to be known and judged by the inhabitants of its own territory and other
nations. It contains the fundamental principles on which it demands the support and
obedience of its own people and the respect of foreign powers. Now if there be in that
constitution no distinct recognition of the characterand authority of Jehovah, the source
of all power, and of Jesus Christ, by whom kings reign and princes decree justice, and
whom God has commanded all nations to hear and obey, there is wanting one of the
primary elements of moral character and influence which goes to constitute the strength
and stability of the nation; for such a constitution does not reach to the deep and
innate principles of man's moral nature, which is the only sure and permanent basis
of civil rule among men.
In the year 1861 most of the Southern States seceded from the General Government
of the United States. The great radical error which led them to take this course was,
that the Constitution of the United States is only a compact between sovereign and
independent States-that the Government of the United States is a mere partnership
concern, from which any of the parties can withdraw at pleasure. As there is no acknowledgment of the authority and law of God in the constitution, they did not see
that while they were casting off the government they were rebelling against the authority of God. As God is not in the constitution, they did not believe that they sinned
against him when they rejected its autority. Had there been in the constitution a
distinct avowal of the supreme authority of God as the great Lawgiver, and the universal obligation of his law upon all men and nations, who can tell how far this great
moral principle thus set prominently and authoritatively before the minds of the whole
people, might have restrained the Southern States from their folly and madness, and
saved the nation from the wholesale waste of blood and treasure consequent upon the
present terrible civil war!
Civil rulers being God's ministers, should acknowledge him; the minister or servant
should acknowledge his master. Nothing can be plainer; and this principle is recognized
and acted upon, by every one, in the affairs of every-day life. Honest men will have
no dealings with a servant who does not acknowledge his master or employer. Every
man who enters upon office either civil or military, is expected to acknowledge the authority of him from whom his appointment comes; and failing in this, neither citizens
nor soldiers will recognize his official character. And if it be necessary to have the
lowest offices of civil and military power duly authenticated, to secure the respect and
obedience of the people, how much more important in the highest and most responsible offices to which men are called! If the constable cannot enter the house of a citizen till he shows his authority, much more should the President, the Congress, or
the Parliament, be able to show their authority before they assume to govern a nation.
If the constable must acknowledge the magistrate before he can obtain a writ, much
more should the rulers of a nation acknowledge the one Lawgiver before they make
laws for the whole people. What would be thought of a man who, although duly elected by the people, would ignore the authority of the State? An insulted community
would rise in their might and drive him from his official position; or, if this could not




7
be done, every friend of good government and order would cease to acknowledge him
as a lawful ruler. And if the man who would not acknowledge the authority of the
State, which is minor and subordinate to the authority of God, would forfeit all claim
to be regarded as a lawful ruler, in what light should men be viewed who disown and
reject the authority of the Great Jehovah, the fountain of all authority and power?
And if an intelligent and liberty-loving people would not submit to such usurpation,
much less can it be supposed that the righteous moral Governor of nations, who is more
jealous of his honor than men are of their freedom, will suffer his authority and law to
be disowned and dishonored with impunity. If the Government of the United States
will not permit its authority to be ignored in the revolted States, but will prosecute
the war to "the bitter end" for the suppression of the rebellion, much more will the
Most High God, who ruleth in the kingdom of men, vindicate his authority, and execute wrath to the uttermost upon every nation that does not submit to his righteous and
universal dominion.
The sum of the argument is this: God has commanded all nations and their rulers
to acknowledge Jesus Christ his Son; and threatened utter and inevitable destruction
upon those nations that do not submit to him. This command is moral in its nature,
and, as we have seen, is addressed to all civil rulers in all places and at all times, and
consequently is binding upon the rulers and people of the United States. None will
say that this nation has ever yet obeyed this command. It follows, of course, that, if
God be God, it must repent and perform this duty, or be destroyed. There can be no
other way.
The same principle occupies a prominent place in the history of nations contained
in the Bible. Indeed, if there is any one truth taught more plainly than another in the
Word of God, it is the supremacy of God's authority over nations, and their obligation to acknowledge him and obey his law. The great sin of Pharaoh, king of Egyp', on
account of which the terrible and desolating judgments of Heaven came upon that
nation, till it became the basest of kingdoms, from which it has never recovered, is
contained in this language of that proud tyrant: "Who is the Lord that I should
obey his voice?" Pharaoh believed the doctrine that nations are not under obligations
to acknowledge and obey God, and he paid the penalty of his folly.
From  the beginning to the end of the Israelitish and Jewish commonwealths, the
great duty taught them by God, at sundry times and divers manners, was the public
and formal acknowledgment of him as their King and Lawgiver, and the necessity and
advantages of obedience to his law, and the dreadful and wasting judgments that would
fall upon them, if, in any case, or at any time, they would renounce or act inconsistently with that relation in which they stood to him. All God's dealings with Israel,
all the prosperity that nation enjoyed, and all the calamities it suffered, are calculated
and designed to teach all other nations, in all succeeding generations, that that nation
is blessed whose God is Jehovah, and that that nation or kingdom that will not serve
him shall perish.
It was the professed subjection of Israel to God and obedience to his law, that constituted the national and political greatness of that people, and gave to them a lofty
pre-eminence over all the surrounding nations. And Moses commands Israel to maintain
this honorable relation, and continue in obedience to the law of God in all future time,
as the only way of preserving that eminent distinction and prosperity which they had
obtained and enjoyed. " Keep, therefore, and do them: for this is your wisdom  and
your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes,
and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people: for what nation
is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as is the Lord our God in all things
tl.t we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and




8
judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?"  (Deut.
4: 6-8.)
The independence and prosperity of Israel, as a nation, always corresponded with
their professed and practical subjection to the authority and law of God. When Israel
served the Lord, their armies were irresistible and victorious over all their enemies, at
home and abroad. And when they departed from  the Lord, the Lord departed from
them, and either civil war prevailed between the tribes, or some of the neighboring nations invaded their land, destroyed their cities and laid waste their country, or the armies of Israel became an easy prey totheir more powerful foes and oppressors. " Thus
the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the Lord God of their fathers."  "For Pekah, the son
of Remaliah, slew in Judah one hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were
all valiant men; because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers." (2 Chron.
13: 18, & 28: 6.) May not the fall of so many tens of thousands of valiant men in the
present war, on so many battle fields, be accounted for in the same way?
The history cf Israel and Judah is the proof and illustration of the duty of nations
to acknowledge God and obey his law, and of the sin of ignoring and disregarding his
authority and transgressing his law.
And the same truth occupies a prominent place in the history of other nations.
The proud monarch of Babylon, looking down from his lofty palace upon the great metropolis of the world, and exulting in his superior wisdom and riches which he had displayed in building the grand and magnificent capital of his vast empire and of the
world, was instantly dethroned and degraded to the condition of the beasts, and made
to eat grass as oxen, until seven.times passed over him, and he confessed that the
Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. And
when this haughty despot had been sufficiently humbled, and confessed this truth, his
understanding returned unto.him, and he blessed the Most High, and praised and honored
him that liveth forever and ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his
kingdom is from generation to generation. And all the inhabitants of the earth are
as nothing; and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the
inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, what doest
thou? And when this absolute and godless king had been thus humbled and repented
of his political atheism, and confessed the universal supremacy of God over nations,
and their duty to submit to his authority, he was prepared to receive again his crown
and his sceptre. At the same time, says he, "My reason returned unto me; and, for
the glory of my kingdom, mine honor and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me, and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me."  (Dan. 4: 33-36.)
What christian does not earnestly desire, that all the ungodly despots of all nations were sent to the same school till seven times had passed over them, and they had
learned to make the same humble, yet sublime confession! Such a school for the education of godless and infidel civil officers is one of the world's necessities, and the great
de.sideratum of these times.
And the case of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, is not an idle story written
to please and amuse the readers of the Bible; but it is the illustration of a great moral
law,. binding upon all nations, to which all civil rulers and people would do well to
give heed and obey. For the prophet Daniel told Belshazzar, the grand-son of Nebuchadnezzar, that all this had happened to his father; and because he knew it, and had
not received the instruction it gave, therefore his kingdom is divided and given to the
Medes. "And thou, his son, 0 Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou
knewest all this. And the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways,




9
hast thou not glorified." "In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain,
and Darius the Median took the kingdom."  Thus the powerful empire of Chaldea
was destroyed for political atheism, and the remnants of its existence which have been
dug out of the earth are monuments of the greatness and danger of its sin, and witnesses in behalf of the doctrine for which I plead.
Light shining from the pages of prophecy conducts us to the same conclusion. In the
panoramic view given of the rise, character and fall of the great nations and empires
of the world, as seen and described in prophetic vision, the doctrine of God's supremacy over all governments stands out in bold relief; and the great comprehensive and
joyful truth which prophets have learned from the future, as inspired historians have
from  the past, is: The Lord reigneth. i-is kingdom  ruleth over all. God is in
prophecy as he is in history. And the entire destruction of great and powerful empires as described in prophecy, as well as their existing ruins, teach us, not only the
authenticity of the divine prediction, but also that verily he is a God that judgeth in
the earth. And the overthrow of the world powers of Assyria, Chaldea, Medo-Persia
Greece and Rome, for their impiety in usurping the high prerogatives of Him  who is
the only King and Potentate of the world, and in denying God who is above, are terrible demonstrations of the sin of national atheism  and ungodliness. All these once
powerful dynasties have been destroyed. Rome Papal will soon follow Rome Pagan,
in order to make way for the universal kingdom of the Messiah; and that kingdom
alone that is subject to his authority shall stand forever.
In the highest and brightest prospect of the happiness of this earth which prophecypresents before us, this great principle of Messiah's universal reign over the nations.
is the grand, fundamental and prominent truth which gives existence and character to
those happy times. The great moral revolution in the nations of the world, by which
they will change their ungodly and unchristian character, and acknowledge the unfiversal dominion of Jesus Christ, and crown him Lord of all, will introduce the reign of
righteousness, and peace, and joy, over all lands. And in view of this blessed and glorious event, all the inhabitants of heaven, anticipating the happy change in the state
of the world, unite in a song of thanksgiving and praise unto God. "And the seventh
angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this
world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever. And the four and twenty elders which sat before God on their seats,
fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God
Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy
great power, and hast reigned."  (Rev. 11: 15-17.)
And, again, in a farther and fuller display of millenial purity and happiness, when
Jesus Christ appears in the glory and magnificence of his royal character as King of
kings and Lord of lords; and, in his triumphant march over the earth, has destroyed
all the great world powers. that resisted his authority, and all nations have acknowledged him as the Prince of the kings of the earth, and realized the blessings of his
universal and beneficent reign, the jubilant song of heaven rises higher, and all the
inhabitants of the world, in obedience to the command from the throne of God, unite
with holy angels and the myriads of the redeemed in the mansions of, glory, in singing
praise and thanksgiving to God. "And the four and twenty elters and the four beasts
fell down and worshipped God, that sat on the throne, saying, Amen, Alleluia. And
a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye
that fear him, both small and great.'And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying,
Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth."
Thus the voice of inspired history and the voice of prophecy unite with the voice of




10
God, coming directly from his eternal throne in the heavens, commanding all nations
to avouch him to be their God, and to obey his law. Those who will not believe
this testimony, would not be persuaded though one rose from the dead.
The great end and design of God in instituting civil government on earth, was, to
maintain the supremacy of his authority and law among men. And every government
deserves to be regarded as the ordinance of God, or not his ordinance, as it is fitted in
its constitution and administration to promote this end. But how can a government
accomplish this end if its constitution ignores even the existence of God?
The cause of all the evils that exist in the world is rebellion against God, and the
only cure for these evils is subjection to him. Jesus Christ has been appointed to declare the terms of acceptance to rebellious men and nations, and to receive from them
the homage of loyal subjects. The terms are unconditional surrender, and submission
to him as their Prince and Saviour.
Here is the great panacea for the world's sorrows. The leaves of this tree of life
are for the healing of the nations; Jesus Christ is the only Saviour of nations as well
as of persons; and to know and acknowledge him is necessary to national as well as
personal salvation. The first commandment in God's law requires nations as well as
individuals to acknowledge God to be the only true God and their God, and to worship
and glorify him accordingly.
The acknowledgment of God and subjection to his law, we have said, is the only
effectual cure for the evils that at present afflict the nations. For whatever partial or
temporary changes for the better may be brought about in the moral state of society
in regard to particular evils, no radical or permanent reformation can be effected until
the rulers of the nations acknowledge God the source of all authority, and obey the
only law of moral reform contained in his Word. Intelligent and entire subjection to
Jesus Christ as Lord of all, is the great and only principle of personal, social, ecclesiastical and national reformation, as well as the only safe and permanent ground on
which nations can stand.
But how far is the position which the governments of the nations oocupy from this.
They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are out of course."  (Ps. 82: 5.) " The kings of the earth set
themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us." (Ps.
2: 24 3.) This is the standing stereotyped moral character of nations and their rulers
at the present, as it has been in past times, drawn by the pen of inspiration.
But we are assured that this state of things will not last always. God will arise, judge
the earth and inherit all nations. Jesus Christ will take to himself his great power
and reign. All kings shall fall down before him, and all nations shall serve him. The
kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. And
the nation that first remembers and turns to the Lord, will inaugurate a grand moral
revolution in the state of the world, and will be the harbinger of universal peace and
joy and liberty to all people.
We earnestly desire to see the United States first in bringing the King back. And
may we not hope that this republic, so highly favored of Heaven-among the last to
take its place in the great family of nations-will be the first to bow before the throne
of Emanuel; and that, penitent and purged of its great sins against God and man, it
will take the lead in conducting the other nations into the possession of millenial happiness and glory, under the sceptre of the Lord of all; that, reformed and exalted to
a high moral eminence, and exhibiting the great principles of civil and religious liberty on the largest scale, before the eyes of all peoples, it may be chosen and honored
of God in the grand mission of levelling and moulding the nations of the world, and




11
preparing them for the blessedness and glories of Messiah's millenial reign! As the
American Declaration of Independence, asserting the inalienable rights of all men,
caused the tyrannical thrones of Europe to tremble, so the American declaration of the
sovereign rights and universal dominion of Jesus Christ, the Prince of the kings of the
earth, will cause all the ungodly thrones of the world to totter and fall! So shall they
fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising sun. Then the
bright and joyful morning of millenial light and glory shall break upon the world.
And the song of praise and joy begun by the Mississippi and the Hudson, will be
taken up by the Thames, the Rhine, the Danube, the Ganges, and the Amazon, and
will swell and roll in mighty peals over all lands, as the voice of many waters, and as
the voice of mighty thunderings, till the earth shall ring again, in one harmonious,
universal acclaim, "Alleluia! for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth!"
Here the highest aspirations of the christian and patriot unite. Here is the highest
and brightest consummation of our fallen world!
Shall the Constitution of the United States be amended, so as to purge it of the
great sins of infidelity and slavery, and assert the rights of all men, and acknowledge
and submit to the authority of God and his law? Shall the nation become penitent
for its great sins against God and man, and reform, and attain and enjoy happiness
which many prophets and kings desired to see and might not? Shall it be the firstborn of the nations, and enter upon and perform the grand mission for which it is
singularly fitted and called of God? Or shall it continue impenitent, and, with a
punishment corresponding with its superior privileges, follow the wake of desolation
and destruction of those nations upon which the Almighty has poured out his wrath
because they did not call upon his name?
These questions the christian people of this country are now called upon to consider and answer; and upon their answer depends the future existence, character
and destiny of this republic.
The time when the Constitution of the United States was formed was very unfavorable for the organization of a Christian civil government. Then Infidelity reigned
in France with an almost absolute and uncontrolled sway. The voice of Christianity
in that land was almost silenced, and was scarcely heard in public places. Infidel
France is the name by which that nation is usually designated at that time. The
Reign of Terror was then beginning.  The strong tide of Atheism  and Infidelity
which soon after broke down all legal and constitutional barriers, and deluged that
land in blood, was now rising to its height; and the friendly and intimate relations
existing between France and this country, and the sympathy and help receiyed in
the war of the revolution, gave to French Infidelity great power and influence in the
United States. Infidelity was then popular and fashionable in this country.
And, besides, the union of a dead church with the state, and the ghostly power of
the Pope and Roman priesthood over the minds of the people in all the other nations
of Europe; the oppression and degradation of the masses under the combined power
of the king and priest, and the prostitution of Christianity in all the nations of the
old world-all presented a forbidding and loathsome spectacle to the minds of the
revolutionary patriots, and prejudiced them against the pure and benign religion of
Christ, and led them to believe that a recognition of any of its fundamental principles was inconsistent with the liberties of the people. There was not at that time a
government in Europe whose example could be safely followed. And these great men
could see no middle ground on which civil government could set the sole of its foot
between a corrupted and prostituted Christianity and Atheism: and they chose the
latter. These considerations will help to account for the strange anomaly in the history of nations, of a government without a God! This is the strange and unsightly




12
aspect in which the Federal Constitution presents this nation before the christian
world and other nations; for the name of God is not in the constitution, nor is there
any reference to Jesus Christ, or his law, or his providence. The little phrase "year of
our Lord," at the end of the instrument, which:might be found in any infidel document,
will not satisfy any christian.
And this want of the name of God in the constitution was not a mere omission.
The men who sat in ithat Convention were intelligent men, and they did what they
meant to do. The disregard shown to:God is the result of thought and design. At
a time of great difficulty and danger in its sessions, when, on account of jarring opinions and interests, the prospect of forming a united government became almost hopeless, Dr. Franklin, though not a professor of religion, made a motion, that the future
sessions of the Convention should be opened with prayer; and the motion, though not
directly voted down, was shuffled and lost.*  And Dr. Franklin, in a note in his published works, says, that except three or four persons, the Convention thought prayers
unnecessary.
Even in the form of the oath of the President, where we would naturally look for
the name of God; it is not found. The command of God is,' Thou shalt fear the
Lord, and shalt swear by his name."  This is the only lawful way of. swearing. But
the Convention thought it better to leave the form of the oath defective, than admit
the name of God in: the constitutn.  In excluding the name of God from the form
of the oath, the command to swear by his name is disregarded; the ordinance is prepared, God is dishonored, and the President is permitted to substitute any creature,
real or imaginaryiin his place-Tall in order to keep'the name of God out of the constitution.
Need it be thought strange that a Convention of such men, convened in circumstances and under influences so unfavorable, and acting in;these ways, did not make any
acknowledgment of God, or Jesus Christ, or his law; and did not form such a constitution as would have become -the representatives of a christian nation?
No'man who denies the Christian religion is thought to be inconsistent in swearing
to support the Federal Constitution. The Atheist, the Deist, the Jew, the Mahometan and the Mormon, may takfe the prescribed oath to the constitution, and none of
them is regarded as having acted inconsistently with his declared principles. This, beyond all question, proves that the constitution is not a Christian,document, and that
whatever excellences it may'possess, (and we cheerfully admit they are many,) it needs
to be amended, so as to become the ifundamental law of a christian republican
government.'The people of this country are now loudly called upon in- the providence of God,
as well as in his Word, to rectify this wrong, to repent of this national sin, and
to bring this'government into professed and practical- subjection to the Lord and
his Anointed.  The existence of the present civil war in'this land, its gigantic proportions and its threatening aspects,';ad its continuance beyond the expectations
of the wisest statesmen, clearly say, that God is now pleading a controversy with
this nation.  That slavery is the: immediate or proximate cause of the war, can
hardly be'doubted by:any whose eyes are open'; and that God intends to destroy
slavery by this war, is almost equally certain.  The Lord is known by the judgment that he executeth. And that this nation is chargeable with another great sin
in ignoring his character and authority as the Lawgiver and King of nations, needs
no further proof; for he has in his providence labelled that sin upon the nation.
* See Madison's Papers, Vol.,I[. 984-6.  See also Secret' Debates and Proceedingsi of
the Convention, p. 87, Albany, 1821.




13
And now he demands of this government to vindicate over rebels his authority as
well as its own, and to assert his rights as well as the rights of the slave. And in
the slow progress of the armies of the North in putting down this groundless and
wicked rebellion, and in the many disasters that befall them, and in the tens of thousands who have already fallen upon many bloody battle fields-many of them the best
men in the land, whose loss to the nation is irreparable-" the Lord's voice is now crying unto the city, and the men of wisdom  shall see thy name: hear ye the rod, and
who hath appointed it."  (Micah, 6: 9.)
Shall the voice of God now speaking in his Word, and calling in tones of thunder in his providence to this nation to submit itself to his authority and to accept
Jesus Christ as its Prince and Saviour, be heard and obeyed?, This is the question.
To this question only one answer can be given from every christian. heart; for none of
them will say they will not have this Man. to reign over them. Whatever differences
exist among christians of different names on other and minor points,.they are all
agreed that there is but one Lord. And so soon as.the movement to bring the government of the United States to acknowledge their common Lord, and to submit to his
authority is fully understood, it must secure the cordial approval and earnest co-operation of all true christians.
Ungodly civil government is.the chiefs instrumentality by which the Devil has.succeeded in dividing the church, and scattering the power of the holy people, for almost
three thousand years. Questions growing out of corrupt and immoral systems of governmnent have been the main cause of.dividing the most orthodox and pure churches, in
Europe and America, for the past two hundred years. National sins have produced
ecclesiastical divisions. The rejection of the authority of Jesus Christ, and the dishonor done to him by the nations, have set the children.of Zion at variance among themselves; and all attempts to unite the churches in the present state of things will be in
vain.  While the cause continues the effect will remain. But let all christians of every
name unite in advocating the claims of their Lord and King to universal empire, and
the duty of the people to submit to him, and they will find themselves drawn more
closely together, grounds of difference passing away, mutual criminations to cease, the
bonds of a common brotherhood strengthened, and the ground prepared for a happy
and permanent union of all the true friends of the Redeemer. Let all cease to justify
the hostility of civil governments to their common Lord, and they will become reconciled to one another.  Let the governments be reformed, and the. churches will be
united.
The adoption of this principle by all civil governments will be the cause of innumerable blessings to the world. The manifold evils that now afflict all nations will be
removed or mitigated, impending judgments obviated, and the threatenings of divine
wrath turned away. Under the reign and law of the Prince of Peace the.nations will
enjoy universal peace. Then they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their
spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up the sword against nation, neither
shall there be war any more. All men.shall be blessed in him, and all nations. shall
call him blessed. And blessed be his glorious name forever; and let the whole earth
be filled with his glory.. Amen, and amen.
"There is a tide (crisis) in the.affairs of men, which taken at the flood leads on to fortune."  The present is such a crisis with this nation. The signs of the timesoare ominous. The day of repentance to ungodly systems will soon be past. God is. coming
out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; and the earth
shall disclose her blood and no more cover her slain. Long has the prayer of all saints




14
ascended to heaven: Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee,
and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name. (Ps. 79: 6.)
The Lord Jesus Christ will soon take to himself his great power and reign. He
will assert his rights and vindicate his character as the Governor of the nations. He
shall speak to them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. The present
war is one of the strokes of his iron rod upon this nation. If this judgment does not
humble the nation, and turn it to him that smiteth, He will visit it yet seven times more
for its sins. Greater and more terrible calamities will follow, until either the government repents, or is destroyed.
Jesus Christ, the King of nations, is now entering upon his grand triumphant march
through the nations, with his bow and his crown-the insignia of universal dominion,
and of certain destruction to all who oppose it. He will strike through kings in the
day of his wrath; he will judge among the heathen; he will fill the places with dead
bodies; he will wound the heads over many countries. (Ps. 110: 5, 6.)  All who will
not bow to his sceptre, shall be broken to pieces by his rod of iron. They that dwell
in the wilderness shall bow to him, and his enemies shall lick the dust. Yea, all kings
shall fall down before him; all nations shall serve him. (Ps. 72.)
I have not forgotten, my friends, that many and apparently insuperable obstacles lie
in the way of the accomplishment of this work. This is to be expected. All great
reformations have met with violent opposition. The Devil, who has always claimed
the kingdoms of this world as his rightful possession, knowing the vast injury that
would result to his kingdom if the Government of the'United States should become
Christian, will rally all the powers of earth and hell to oppose this movement. All the
enemies of the Lord and his Anointed will arrange themselves in the line of battle
against you; and most nominal christians, and many weak christians, discouraged because of their great and imposing numbers, will fall into their ranks.  None but
christians who have'" a backbone," and are willing "to stand up for Jesus," can be
counted upon as helpers in this work.
But let us not faint, nor turn back in the day of battle: there be more with us than
with them.  With them is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us,
and to fight our battles. The Lord of Iosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge.
There is no restraint with the Lord to save by many or by few. Be not discouraged or
dismayed because of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.
Under the command of the Captain of the Lord's hosts, you have nothing to fear. He
goes forth conquering and to conquer. The glorious titles, KING OF KINGS, AND
LORD  QF LORDS, written upon his vesture and upon his thigh, fill the ranks of his
enemies with dismay and alarm, and inspire the hearts of his followers with courage
and hope and joy. They are sure of victory-they are called and chosen and faithful.
They are conquerors and more than conquerors-one shall chase a thousand, and two
shall put ten thousand to flight.
I advocate no narrow sectarian tenet, but a great moral principle-as broad as the
Universe and as high as the throne of God, and one which shall yet bless the world with
righteousness and peace. It is the basis of millenial happiness! It is the great sheetanchor of the hope of the Church and the world! It is alike the bond of brotherhood
and the ground of joy of all christians on earth and saints in heaven! The worthiness
of the Lamb to receive the service and homage of all creatures in the Universe is the
grand theme of the song of the countless myriads of holy angels and redeemed men
around the throne of God in heaven, and fills the high realms of glory and immortality
with unceasing and everlasting hallelujahs!




15
The poet thus expresses the feelings of every true christian and loyal subject of
Jesus Christ, the Prince of the Kings of the earth:
" Come, then, and, added to thy many crowns,
Receive yet one, the crown of all the earth,
Thou who alone art worthy! It was thine
By ancient covenant, ere Nature's birth;
And thou hast made it thine by purchase since,
And overpaid its value with thy blood.
Thy saints proclaim thee King; and in their hearts
Thy title is engraven with the pen
Dipped in the fountain of eternal love.
Thy saints proclaim thee King; and thy delay
Gives courage to their foes, who, could they see
The dawn of thy last advent, long desired,
Would creep into the bowels of the hills,
And flee for safety to the falling rocks."
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