Page:The History of Liberty.djvu/8

 branch of our subject than to generalize a few of its most important truths and features.

In an age of philosophical research, and bold inquiry, from which nothing is privileged to escape however sacred or antiquated: in an age in which the spirit of Liberty is arousing the dormant energies of mind and intellect to action and enterprise, which sometimes are in advance of that wisdom and knowledge which are profitable to direct: it is surely wise and prudent in the general spirit of investigation going on, to carefully investigate that which is producing such a shaking among the dry and musty bones of the earth; that which is calling in question every thing of God and of man, of heaven, and of time: that spirit of restless inquietude, which, with the lightning’s speed and power, runs to and fro among nations and societies; that makes no apology for its intrusions, but bids the statesman, the politician and the ecclesiastic to re-investigate their systems, their policies and their creeds—; and that tells the philosopher, in his inflated egotism and pride, that he has been dreaming the while in ideal and intangible abstractions, and the more fool he is for his dreams—and that commands the monarch—the autocrat and king—to look well to their divine rights—and see whether their charters are such as will stand the fiery ordeal about to try them; when the hour comes that shall settle the question, and legitimate locale of sovereign power. It is wise and prudent, we say, to investigate this spirit of agitation and revolution, of investigation and inquiry—; this spirit of Liberty. And let this be our first pleasing, though arduous task.

And like all his gifts to man, it is founded upon the necessities of our being, growing out of the exigencies of our intellectual and moral constitution; and as necessary for the full and active development of the same as vitality is to physical organization; or the dispensation of grace is to our spiritual regeneration.—And in the prosecution of this branch of our subject, we will have frequent occasion to refer to the perfect, analogy—the almost oneness—existing between Christianity and Liberty. Christianity has not only brought “life and immortality to light”; it has also brought liberty to light; as well as every thing else that is essential to the improvement, happiness and exaltation of our nature in time and eternity. Liberty as well as immortality, is not the creation of Christianity—much less the invention of men. It has a higher and holier origin, as well as a nobler mission to our world than to be a device, and prostituted instrument in the hands of selfish demagogues to