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YESTERDAY was the Sabbath of the Lord, as well as the great Amer-icanSAabbath of patriotism. No noise, or corn fusion broke the serene stillness of the sacred day. By common consent, the blast result of our Christian civiliz. -—~ tion, the Sabbath of the Lord, had the precedence. This was as it should be-———~God first! Liberty next. Though the shout of jubilant mirth was not heard in all our streets, nor the booming of cannon, nor the rattle of musketry, nor the sharp stirring, concording sounds of martial music, nor any of the usual outward demonstra- tions of a nation's joy; yet, the nation was not withoutits joy, peerless and grand. Patriotism and Christianity, twin brothers as they are, met, embraced, and knelt around thrice tenthousand. altars, and arose strengthened bythe to act, to bless (3‘rod.for liberty. [All over our beloved land, Christianity gavefto patriotism the pledges of immortaliity. and flung around the hallowed Amemories of our Revolution the fragrances of heaven. A A l A l A l E l To-day Werneet amid the tumult of a nation’s jubilee—joy. As soon as theorb of‘ day kissed thenew" morning, and girt himself for his meridian race in the skies; up rose the shout of million-mouthed patriotism, from hill and vale, river and sea-board, mountainand plain; and loud peeled and rattlecl and reared thelnational and civic emblems of ou1%A§ladpeople’sjoy and power. a A A e.have met today in this psaored building* to join in the universal rejoicing. The representatives of thevvhole people intheiACity Ooeuncil, declared by vote, thatthis day it The it‘ states Hausa,” in which is the “lIa11of Independence.” 2 of illustrious memories should be oflicielly celebrated with V appropriate serviceslmheppyc inaugural of a practice which I I trust will grow with our growth, and strengthen withonr strength. The only regret which I have in connection with the ceremonial of the day, is the choice of Council, in se- lecting me for the distinguished post of “ orator of the day,” on sogreat an occasioneslthelpresent. Forthis is en en- thoritetive City Celebration. It is the act of the whole people through their representatives. When, therefore, I think of thexnegnitude of the occasion-—-—the City, with its half Inilliont oflinhebitents ; its commerce, and arts, and rnenufeotories ;, its relations to our beloved union ; and its maga,zines, of l ancestral‘, " and patriotic jewels--—-I stand ehashed,end from the bottom. of my hea;rt, "wish that an» otherstood‘ this day in my place; iAnd,iIi'eel*my inability to do justicetothecoccasion, stilltmore, when Iconsiderthe place where We are met. c These. Walls I oiwhet Whispering thoughts do they bringt, on the silver wires of I m?emory’s telegraph! What greetllessons of rmoiinllpcwer a.nd3pa.triot wtorth, they ceaselessly teach is silent they are to outward A ear,“and eye,,e.nd,touch ; but, to the citizenryof their mental realm they live, and more and ever speak inotheillepnblic of Intellect with never ceasing trains oflceptiveting and enreptnring eloquence l——-«my very voice, as I speak these words, echoes, pend re-echoes in old “ IndependenoeHa.ll.” It cannot be vanity that makes wewish, now that I am here, I that I conldlift to my lips the silvery trumpet of indepenlé dence, and blow e blast, sweet, and loud, a.ndtilong, for Lil»- erty and the Union ll---to thellljoy of *ell9the people, and worthy of the place and the occasion. As Phile.delph‘a.ns, whet eh treasure is in our xnidsti to I gnerclend love Ins American citizens, how stoum we at all times, agndespecielly on Independence Day, delight to do honorlto the l‘p,lace-=»—-the "greatest place on ea.rth,sa,Ve Ce.lvery,-I»-ithepplecelwhere‘ the giants of the revolutionieas I sembled-4--—-master-men lof the olden time land of all time, are they ; model-.-revolnt.ionistsdo of this day, end of all days to come, aireithey. "‘ Independencerxflell 1” how We ought to love thee, and cherish with intensestgraltitude, thymemoe ries and theshiningi record of sacrifice, of metchless relo- quence, rand unsnrpassedl courage !--—--the place Where, Pet. rick Henry cleftthe thunder-cloud of British oppression “With the lightening of free speechl and sent flying o’er the colonies brave Words of cheer to the trernbling,‘yet marshall1ng rerolutionists, thrilling them with the immor- tality of invmcibility I—7the placewhere Richard Henry Lee pouredforth on Willing ears and warm heartsthe rushing flood of his polished eloquence, bursting the chains and fetters of monarchy forever l—the place Where Adams, , the elder, tore away the scarlet drapery from the throne, breaking the sceptre, and trampling under foot the royal insignia of kingly despotism, and driving the last nail in the comm of dethroned monarchy I»-———-“ Sink or swim, enr- vwe or parish, Independence now, and Independence for- ever 1* A noble band of giants Were the Fathers of the American Republic—-—‘-true as heaven to each other and the cause, not a traitor among them all I The peculiarities of our meeting and of this celebration are worthy of a passing notice. We meet to—day, not as a party, or a sect; not to extol one portion of our fellow-citi- zens at the expense and] to the injury of any other. We meet to-«day in the authorized name of the people of this our great and beautiful city, to do patriotic l?10l’.I1t1g8 at the altar of the Union, for the past, the present, and the future of our Whole country. We stand to-day far above the reach of withering and distracting, partyism. On the WashingtonciPZazy'0rm we stand .1 A platform builtpof the precious materials furnished in his.“ Farewell Addre.ss”+-- broad enough and strongenough, for every patriot citizen, of everygshadeof opinion in all the land, and room for rnillions more it In view of the relentless partisan warfare, and sectional antagonismrs, with which our country abounds, this feature inthe programme of to-day’s celebration in this holy place, is worthy of lrecord. And I sincerely hope that this “old State House” as well as “Independence Square ”i“ shall henceforward be unpolluted withany mere party celebration on Independence Day. How beautiful a thing, and how becoming well, Wouldit be, for the urhole people throughout the length and breadth of ear highly vfavpreed land, to resolve, and keep the resolution, to forget :* The closing words of Aclams’s speech, previous to the signing of the Decla- r ration. Ti The grounds attached! to Independence Hall. 4 for a single day, that parties, or diflerences of opinion had any existence, and rush with manly joy into each other’s harms, hailing as brother, every American citizen, no matter What his opinions, or party alliances, or geographical birth place; causing the sky-blue arches of heaven to echo on from the hills of the North to the savannahs and orange groves of the South, the national challenges of united and happy freemen. Thank God for liberty l hearts to cherish it, and hands to defend lit——-—the Union ever blessed and strlong,-surrounded by «a wall of hearts invincible without, immortal within 1 r l . l Another feature in this -days ceremonial withus, must not pass unnoticed. l The Bible wlasvread first,*,because it is the bookof God l——-—the book of the people-l--—our great American book-—-the book of Washington! And because, upontheBible as a foundatlioni, broad as the universe, and strong as eternity, our liberties rest. Remove this founda- tion, and all-that is beautiful and valuable in our liberties and free system of government will soon be=com~e worthless and vile. Take the Bible from American. liberty, ad noth- inglremains worth possessing. Prayer has been oiffererdf to Almighty God,“ who hath made andpreservedrus airtation.” Prayer has ever been the constant and true friend of lib- erty, and the terror, of tyrants in all ages. It sweetly and strongly links earth to heaven bycelestial telegraph, rooted in the Bible as a perpetual battery of yomnipotent power, it stretches away on Wires of faith above the cloud- capped mountainaruplinto the azure h»eaven7s, and coils it- self around the throne of ihnmanity’s Mediatorial Prince ! Oft, and long, Atheprayer-breath of our loved Washington swept o’erthese wires while he grieved at Valley Forge. ’ Oft, and strong, the prayers of patriot souls, on fire within- tense desire for liberty, have thrilled from earth to heaven, and myriad times from heaven to earth, with more than Pentecostal swiftness, have come rushin down the fire- winged answers, illuminating the camp of the patriot with the light and joy of victory. l r But strange to vsay,lsome object; saying, that this tread- ing of the Bible and prayer, &c., is “ introducing religion 9* The Bible was readby the Rev. Thomas H. Stockton, D. . 1' Prayer was offered by the Rev. John Chambers; , 5. into politics”. Now, because of the circumstances under which this remark was recently made, I shall dwell on this question of Religion in Politics at little, even at the riskof being considered Puritanical; and, because I consider a proper understanding of this matter as vital to our consti- tutional liberties. r The record» of our Revolution is most wonderful in man 3' respects; but, in none more marvelous than in its religious aspects. And, it would be wellat this day for those who ob- ject to the introduction of the Bible, and prayer at meet- ings considered political, to re-—read the record of Revolu- tionary, Christian, Bible patriotism. On the truth and beauty, and practice, of those golden records every true patriotic citizen stands rejoicingly to-day. It is a con- tinued record of minister and people, of “prayer and thanksgiving,” of “ solemn fastings and humiliations,” of “appeals to heaven” and the “God of armies,” and “Divine Providence.” “Let the pulpits thunder I” said Adams; andthey did thunder and lighten to the terror of the oppressors. No meeting was held without the recognition of the “Supreme Arbiter;” no committee of safety or supply appointed without invoking the “ God of heaven.” And, when armies were marshalled, each soldier of freedom went forth baptized with tears and followed with unceasing prayer. The fathers of the Republicknew nothing of “politics” except through and by religion. Their politics was an out-growthlqof their religion, and hence the purity and dignity of its character. By religion, of course, is not meant that magnificent congregation of antagonisms called sectarianism; but, rather, is meant,the knowledge of . Jehovah and his government ascommunicated in the Bible. Just, as politics may be considered the kno.wledge of human laws as revealed by wisdom and experience. Religion therefore is the basis on which politicsmust rest. They ought not to be, and cannot with safety be, disconnected. It was because there was no religion in the acts and politics of the British government that our forefathers rebelled. For religionimplies justice, goodness, equity, truth! Every theory of politics notfounded upon, and deriving its life- nourishment from the true religion, which is the religion of the Bible, must perish. The heroehand of noble patriots who achieved so brilliantly the liberty in which we to»-day 6. stand fast and rejoice, understood this question Well, and most thoroughly. Mark the order of one among their first addresses, which emanated from the famous Committee of Correspondence,Which committee was the bas1s_of_the sub- sequent union of the colonies-—-—-“ As men, as Chr1_st1ans,.and as subjects, &c.-——Here We have the true order.ofth1ngs—-—F1rst, men; second, Christians; third, c1t1zens. This _order 1s as (ll- vine as it is true. How striking and grand 1s this mighty doc- trine, announced as it were by inspiration, in the noble and ever to be remembered Words of Ethan Allen at Ticonderoga, “In the name of the great Jehovaiz and the Oonttvzental Con- gress I demand your surrender 1” In the Word “Jehovah” We haveall of religion; in that of the Continental Congress we have all of politics in its grandest sense. And so through the whole record, re legion first, politics next. And mark another most important feature ;. they are always to- gether, never separated. In council or tented field ; in co-— lonial or congressional assemblies, everywhere religion and politics went hand in hand; religion by inherent vitality leading the van- This is the rock-position. It cannot be overthrovvn; I It is the ark of our covenanted liberties. If it be touched, there is danger to the Republic. Those Who object to religion in politics will do Well to examine them- selves, and see if they be in the faith of freedom according to the test of the Revolution. But, in addition to What I have stated, and to volumes more that might be stated, I present one other thing, and it is the radiant seal, the ornate cap-stone to this Whole matter. “In 17 7 70 Congress di- rectedthe Committee of Commerce to import 20,000 copies of the Bible lr”*~—Glorious importation! would We had no other! Thus was the nation crowned with the Bible. Let her wear it with honor and dignity, and the stars and stripes shall wave forever invincibly. I I Human governments, and especially republican goVern~ ments, exist by consent of the governed, and for the pur- pose of mutual protection, and the best interests of the greatest numbers. If, therefore, Bibles are more conducive to good governments and happiness, and of course pros- perity, than rifles, Why not make and circulate Bibles instead of rifles? If both I are necessary, then give both, If *5 Ho1me’s Annals, page 279, Vol. II.‘ 7 Bibles and Missionaries would civilize the Indians, and protect the hardy and heropioneer of our western borders, better and faster than rifles, powder, and a thousand name- less trinkets, why not the former instead of the latter? Millions of dollars are annually expended for printing a great variety of documents, Agricultural, Mechanical, &c., ac. Some very good, and many very Worthless, and of no advantage to the people. i If the Congress of 1777 m. ported 20,000 Bibles, what harm would there be in the Congress of 1858 printing and circulating a million of them? Are there societies organized for this purposes now~a-days ?-——So are there Companies to manufacture rifles, -——-so are there Publishing Houses to publish and circulate all manner of agricultural, mechanical, botanical, geographi- cal books, 820., &c. 0 I hope to live to see the day when the Congressof these United States will be the most magnifi- cent missionary society that men or angels have ever seen. Missionaries for liberty! the world over, based on the Bible. For such liberty as this let our voices shout to-day. Let the hallelujalrchorus roll, and echo. from shore to shore,-~ out upon the ocean--let the Storm-king thunder it, amid the jewel-crested billows; in upon our inland ocean-«lakes, let the gentle zephyrs bear it on o’er their silvery bosoms, and fling it out upon our flower-blooming prairies; there let it gather strength and fragrance, swelling with the undula- tions of those immense plains, ruyshing along, allour river courses, to the joy of millions, who prolong the shout, as up to the mountain heights like our storm-daring eagle it sweeps from crag to summit, heralding the echo, to afar, and pouring itself down again upon the glad valleys, kiss- ing their opening, flowers, and ripening fruitage with the ,jubilee-song of a nation’s joy-——-thanic God for liberty fotmoleol on the .Bt'bZe! Let it roll on still, along every iron-road Where the fire-chariot snorts in its power; on the lightning wings of the miracle-wworlzing telegraph, let the nation’s song, electric, flash; through all our regions and avenues of wealth, Where the iron and copper ore is,and the galena is smelted, and the gold quartz is gotten-—---there let freedom’s echo revibrate; ,,through all our factories and furnaces, wherethe bone,*and sinew, and brain, isdevel- oped intowealth, let the echo hum; through all churches, let organ and choir swell the gathering and spreading 8 strains; in all colleges, let the student-sons o_f freeman catch, and fling still onward and upxvard the glorious tide of human joy; in all schools, let million voices of freeclovm s children charm the gathering, rolling, spreading, thunder- ing, jubilant song in freedom’s Western home ; from Atlantic to Pacific, from North to South and East a and West, and across the wild ocean_ waters to thethrones and principalities and powers, startling the despot on l11S vol- canic throne with Wild amazement, as he, too, hears dis- tincglybablove the storm-- Thank God for Zi6=e7~tyfosu72,de,d on the * if 6 .; t i Liberty is reality. It has to be gained, and may be lost. We rejoice in it to—day, not because we gained it; but be- cause ourgfathers gained it, possessed it, cherished it, blast it, and gave it torus red with their best blood, and sparkling with their tears. We too, have possessed it, and do cherish it, and desire to rejoice eve-rrnore because of it. Yet, eternal vigilance is its price ; andtvvhile wee rejoice, it may not betamiss to inquire for the old loand-imarks, and see that no attempt be made to change them,nor remove them. For, it is not to be concealed that, amid all our re- joicings, there is some little cause for sorrow. it The sky of our Union, ever blessed, is not all clear and blue. A black cloud floats in the firmament of the Union, and darkens the radiance of the “ stars,” and Wraps the “ stripes ” with its fitfnl gloom.‘ But, it must not be so ever. Wisdom and prudence, the constitution, vigilance and peace, swift rush—- ing on the chariot-wheels of time, will pierce the cloud with the spear of freedo’s sovereignty, and let the full- orbed glory of r the Union shine I r i t Sovereignty is the life of liberty. If sovereignty be stricken down, liberty die-s.u Liberty is the body, Si0VeI‘- eighty. is the soul. Liberty is collective as well as individual. Sovereignty is individual alone. i Hence,liberty has lloften been crushed, becanrse it is mortal; sovereignty can never die, because itis immortal. It may, and often has, in con- nection with its body of liberty, beenvmade to suffer and bleed. Sovereignty his the gift of God; it is given to every man. It is the throne of individual or responsibility and accountability; hence, its immortality! Sovereignty is the grandtest thing on earth. . It is the jewelled crown which manhood presses to his brow, and stands con}- 9 \ tfessed: a Sovereign! It cannotbedelegated. It may be represented by sufierance and permission; but, no man can give his sovereignty to another, nor has any other the right to assume and exercise the sovereigntyof hisfelloiw. Herein lies the vital life of Republics»-individual sover- eignty and responsibility. This is the bulwark against! which tyrants have never prevailed. When this great? doc- trine is better understood, and more fully acted upon, we may then expect to see the best men, and the choice spir- its of the day, representing the people in the Halls of Legislation. When the citizen understands and feels that he is responsible, and that he cannot shake it ofi‘, upon his representative, his agent, or any assembled combination, i styled government or otherwise,——then wisdom will stand on the high places of the nation, and excellence will have praise among men, and honesty will radiantly shine, and justice will be established over all, and the nation will be exalted on high because of righteousness! It was for sovereignty,———-"‘ popular sovereignty” as a great principle, underlying, enveloping, and crowning all liberty, religious and civil, that the fathers of the American Republic struggled for, and achieved. So precious to them was it, that they willingly gave up all else, earthly, to gain it. No peril of fire, or sword, or want, or death, could fright them from ?sovereignty’s embrace. And shall we not cling to it? Amid the dust, and smoke, and gore of the battle, whole battalions of freeman rushed with eagle eye and firm step on bristling bayonets and roaring cannon, all for sover- eignty! And shall we in the sunshineof peace not start to our feet, when we hear the stealthy tread of the usurpers in the vestibuleof. sovereignty’s temples! Sovereignty . was popular with our fathers, it should be popular with us. It is the strength of man, the strength of States-—-—-and a wall of fire around our Union! Our Union, ever blessed and fair--—shall it falter and fall ? Shallit break asunder, and with itthe most blest and bri1- liant hopes of the future '3 Oh! no, it must not——s72.aZZ not be. If the tiesof consanguinity, so sweetly and lovingly interwoven, between North and South, and East and West, will not avail to stay the ‘work so dark and dread, that it will rend with bittterist anguish ten million hearts, and blight the Paradise hopes of thrice ten millions more—~—-it‘ no 10 l Vr‘ l 4. It d ~ triotism %3?Z§:r‘?.§:$“pairs%’t?c no of we jov of the present, nor strength of commerce, I101“ swellxhg V“ .‘ A A hi norunionof h1hestm- thomvhi; of noblest statesmons p, 3 telligence with mightiest intelleots ; and above, and he- I"0n& oll these _ , ho charm froxh our great fiLmer1ca,n~ book, the Bxhle--~n_o memoryof Washington, or Calvary, can save a_s a, non; these Statee of ours~—~—-%if‘a.llo hell fromloentre to oxroumferw once, has equippecl for