a study of bible-第25章

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st　be　that　best　known；　most　beloved；　most　typical　of　all　Americans；　Abraham　Lincoln。

An　English　historian　has　said　that　the　most　influential；　the　most　unescapable　years　in　English　history　are　those　of　the　Protectorate。　That　is　a　strong　saying。　They　were　brief　years。　There　were　many　factors　in　them。　Oliver　Cromwell　was　only　one；　but　he　was　chief　of　all。　He　was　not　chief　in　the　councils　which　resulted　in　the　beheading　of　Charles　I。　on　that　30th　of　January；　1649；　though　he　took　part　in　them。　Increasingly　in　the　movements　which　led　to　that　event　and　which　followed　it　he　was　growing　into　prominence。　After　Marston　Moor；　Prince　Rupert　named　him　Ironsides；　and　his　regiment　of　picked　men；　picked　for　their　spirit；　went　always　into　battle　singing　psalms；　〃and　were　never　beaten。〃　As　he　rode　out　to　the　field　at　Naseby　（1645）　he　knew　he　faced　the　flower　of　the　loyalist　army；　while　with　him　were　only　untrained　men；　yet　he　smiled；　as　he　said　afterward；　in　the　〃assurance　that　God　would；　by　things　that　are　not；　bring　to　naught　things　that　are。〃　Then　he　adds；　〃God　did　it。〃　Never　did　he　raise　his　flag　but　in　the　interests　of　the　liberty　of　the　people；　and　back　of　every　movement　of　his　army　there　was　his　confidence　in　the　Bible；　which　was　his　mainstay。　They　offered　him　the　throne；　he　would　not　have　it。　He　dissolved　the　Parliament　which　had　dragged　on　until　the　patience　of　the　people　was　exhausted。　He　called　another　to　serve　their　need。　The　evening　before　it　met　he　spent　in　meditation　on　the　One　hundred　and　third　Psalm。　The　evening　before　the　second　Parliament　of　his　Protectorate　he　brooded　on　the　Eighty…fifth　Psalm；　and　opened　the　Parliament　next　day　with　an　exposition　of　it。　The　man　was　saturated　with　Scripture。　Yes；　the　times　were　rude。　It　was　an　Old　Testament　age；　and　in　right　Old　Testament　spirit　did　Cromwell　work。　And　it　seemed　that　his　work　failed。　There　was　no　one　to　succeed　him；　and　soon　after　his　death　came　the　Restoration　and　the　return　of　Charles　II。；　of　which　we　have　already　spoken；　in　which　occurred　that　hint　of　the　real　sentiment　of　the　English　people　which　a　wise　man　had　better　have　taken。　Yet；　recall　what　actually　happened。　Misunderstanding　the　spirit　of　the　English　people；　which　Cromwell　had　helped　to　form；　but　which　in　turn　had　made　Cromwell　possible；　the　servile　courtiers　of　the　false　king　unearthed　the　Protector's　body；　three　years　buried；　hanged　it　on　a　gallows　in　Tyburn　for　a　day；　beheaded　it；　and　threw　the　trunk　into　a　pit。　His　head　they　mockingly　set　on　a　pinnacle　of　the　Parliament　Hall；　whence　for　some　weeks　it　looked　over　the　city　which　he　had　served。　Then；　during　a　great　storm；　it　came　clattering　down；　only　a　poor　dried　skull；　and　disappeared　no　one　knows　where。　But　when　you　stand　opposite　the　great　Parliament　buildings　in　London　to…day；　the　most　beautiful　buildings　for　their　purpose　in　the　world；　the　buildings　where　the　liberties　of　the　English　express　themselves　year　after　year；　whose　is　the　one　statue　that　finds　place　within　the　inclosure；　near　the　spot　where　that　poor　skull　came　rattling　down？　Not　Charles　II。you　shall　look　in　vain　for　him。　Not　George　Monk；　who　brought　back　the　Kingyou　shall　not　find　him　there。　The　one　statue　which　England　has　cared　to　plant　beside　its　Parliament　buildings　is　that　of　Oliver　Cromwell；　its　Lord　Protector。　There　he　stands；　warning　kings　in　the　interests　of　liberty。　John　Morley　makes　no　ideal　of　him。　He　thinks　he　rather　closed　the　medieval　period　than　opened　the　modern　period；　but　he　will　not　have　Cromwell　compared　to　Frederick　the　Great；　who　spoke　with　a　sneer　of　mankind。　Cromwell　〃belonged　to　the　rarer　and　nobler　type　of　governing　men；　who　see　the　golden　side；　who　count　faith；　piety；　hope　among　the　counsels　of　practical　wisdom；　and　who　for　political　power　must　ever　seek　a　moral　base。〃　That　is　a　rare　and　noble　type　of　men；　whether　they　govern　or　not。　But　no　man　of　that　type　governs　without　red　blood　in　his　veins；　and　the　iron　that　made　this　man's　blood　run　red　came　from　the　English　Bible。

It　is　a　far　cry　from　Oliver　Cromwell　to　Abraham　Lincolnfar　in　years；　far　in　deeds；　far　in　methods；　but　not　far　in　spirit。　Great　men　are　kindred；　generations　over。　We　pass　from　the　Old　Testament　into　the　New　when　we　pass　from　Cromwell　to　Lincoln；　but　we　still　feel　the　spirit　of　liberty。　From　the　days　of　the　Puritans；　the　Quakers　and　the　Dutch；　history　had　been　preparing　for　this　time。　Benjamin　Franklin　had　done　his　great　work　for　human　liberty；　he　had　summed　up　his　hope　for　the　nation　in　his　memorable　address　in　1787；　when　he　stood　eighty…　one　years　old；　before　the　convention　assembled　to　frame　a　constitution　for　the　new　government。　He　reminded　them　that　at　the　beginning　of　the　contest　with　the　British　they　had　had　daily　prayers　in　that　room　in　Philadelphia　for　the　Divine　protection；　and　said：　〃I　have　lived　for　a　long　time；　and　the　longer　I　live　the　more　convincing　proof　I　see　of　this　truth；　that　God　governs　in　the　affairs　of　men。　And　if　a　sparrow　cannot　fall　to　the　ground　without　His　notice；　is　it　probable　that　an　empire　can　rise　without　His　aid？　We　have　been　assured；　Sir；　in　the　sacred　writings；　that　'Except　the　Lord　build　the　house；　they　labor　in　vain　that　build　it。'　I　firmly　believe　this；　and　I　also　believe　that　without　His　concurring　aid　we　shall　proceed　in　this　political　building　no　better　than　the　builders　of　Babel。　I　therefore　beg　leave　to　move　that；　henceforth；　prayers　imploring　the　assistance　of　Heaven　and　its　blessing　on　our　deliberation　be　held　in　this　assembly　every　morning　before　we　proceed　to　business；　and　that　one　or　more　of　the　clergy　of　this　city　be　requested　to　officiate　in　that　service。〃

George　Washington　sounded　a　familiar　note　in　his　farewell　address：　〃Of　all　the　dispositions　and　habits　which　lead　to　political　prosperity；　religion　and　morality　are　indispensable　supports。　A　volume　could　not　trace　all　their　connection　with　private　and　public　felicity。　Let　us　with　caution　indulge　the　supposition　that　morality　can　be　maintained　without　religion。　Whatever　may　be　conceded　to　the　influence　of　refined　education　on　minds　of　peculiar　structure；　reason　and　experience　both　forbid　us　to　expect　that　national　morality　can　prevail　in　exclusion　of　religious　principles。〃　Thomas　Jefferson；　of　whom　it　is　sometimes　said　that　he　was　indifferent　to　religion；　had　yet　done　his　great　work　under　inspiration；　which　he　himself　acknowledges　in　his　inaugural　address；　when　he　speaks　of　the　nation　as　〃enlightened　by　a　benign　religion；　professed　indeed；　and　practised　in　various　forms；　yet　all　of　them　inculcating　honesty；　truth；　temperance；　gratitude；　and　the　love　of　man；　acknowledging　and　adoring　an　overruling　Providence；　which　by　all　its　dispensation　proves　that　it　results　in　the　happiness　of　man　here　and　his　greater　happiness　hereafter。〃　Greater　than　Jefferson　had　appeared　John　Marshall；　greatest　of　our　Chief　Justices；　like　in　spirit　to　that　John　Marshall　Harlan；　whose　death　marked　the　year　which　has　just　closed；　of　whom　his　colleagues　said　that　he　went　to　his　rest　each　night　with　one　hand　on　the　Bible　and　the　other　on　the　Constitution　of　the　United　States；　a　description　which　could　almost　be　transferred　to　his　great　predecessor　in　that　court。　Moreover；　when　Lincoln　came；　Joseph　Story；　the　greatest　teacher　of　law　which　our　country　had　produced；　had　only　just　died　from　his　place　on　the　Supreme　Bench；　In　his　Phi　Beta　Kappa　address　at　Harvard　（1826）；　in　a　brilliant　and　masterful　analysis　of　〃The　Characteristics　of　the　Age；〃　he　had　paid　tribute　after　tribute　to　the　power　of　religion　and　the　Bible。　He　had　declared　his　belief　that　the　religion　of　the　Bible　had　〃established　itself　in　the　hearts　of　men　by　all　which　genius　could　bring　to　illumine　or　eloquence　to　grace　its　sublime　truths。〃　Of　the　same　period　with　Lincoln　was　also　Webster；　who　was　called　the　〃concordance　of　the　House。〃　Many　of　his　stately　periods　and　great　ideas　came　from　the　Bible。　Indeed；　there　is　no　oratory　of　our　history；　which　has　survived　the　waste　of　the　years；　which　does　not　feel　and　show　the　power　of　the　Scriptures。　The　English　Bible　has　given　our　finest　eloquence　its　ideas；　its　ideals；　its　illustrations；　its　phrases。

The　line　is　unbroken。　And　it　leads　to　this　tall　figure；　crowned　with　a　noble　head；　his　face　the　saddest　in　American　history；　who　knew　Gethsemane　in　all　its　paths。　The　heart　of　the　American　people　has　always　been　touched　by　his　early　years　of　abject　poverty。　But　there　were　compensations。　He　had　few　books；　and　they　entered　his　blood　and　fiber。　In　his　earliest　formative　years　there　were　six　books　which　he　read　and　re…read。　Nicolay　and　Hay　name　the　Bible　first　in　the　list；　with　Pilgrim's　Progress　as　the　fourth。　Mr。　Morse　calls　it　a　small　library；　but　nourishing；　and　says　that　Lincoln　absorbed　into　his　own　nature　all　the　strong　juice　of　the　books。＇1＇　How　much　he　drew　from　the　pages　of　the　Holy　Book　let　any　reader　of　his　speeches　say。　Quotation；　reference；　illustration　crowd　each　other。　The　phrases　are　familiar。　The　man　is　full　of　the　Book。　And　what　the　man　does　is　part　of　the　work　of　the　Book。


＇1＇　American　Statesman　Series；　Abraham　Lincoln；　i；　12；　13。


One　of　his　biographers　says　that　there　is　nothing　in　the　life　or　work　of　Lincoln　which　cannot　be　explained　without　reference　to　any　supernatural　influence　or　power。　That　depends　on　what　is　meant　by　supernatural。　There　were　no　miracles；　no　astounding　visions　nor　experiences。　But　there　ran　into　Lincoln's　life　from　his　young　manhood　onward　this　steady　and　strong　current　of　ideas　and　ideals　from　the　Bible。　In　his　second　inaugural　address　he　worded　the　thought　that　was　the　deepest　horror　of　the　Civil　War　that　on　both　sides　of　the　strife　men　were　reading　the　same　Bible；　praying　to　the　same　God；　and　invoking　His　aid　against　each　other！　In　that　very　brief　inaugural　Mr。　Lincoln　quotes　in　full　three　Bible　verses；　and　makes　reference　to　two　others；　and　the　whole　address　lasted　barely　four　minutes。　There　could　be　no　mistaking　the　solemn　importance　of　the　fact　to　which　he　referred　in　the　inaugural；　the　presence　on　the　other　side　of　men　who　held　their　Bibles　high　in　regard。　〃Stonewall〃　Jackson　was　devout　beyond　most　men。　The　two　books　always　at　his　hand　were　his　Bible　and　the　Manual　of　the　Rules　of　War。　Robert　E。　Lee　was　a　cultured；　Christian　gentleman；　as　were　many　others　with　him；　while　throughout　the　South　were　multitudes　who　loved　and　reverenced　the　Bible　as　fully　as　could　any　in　the　North。　As　we　look　back　over　half　a　century；　this　comes　out　plainly：　that　so　far　as　the　American　civil　war　was　a　strife　about　union　pure　and　simple；　having　one　nation　or　two　here　in　our　part　of　the　continent；　it　was　matter　of　judgment；　not　of　religion。　There　grew　around　that　question　certain　others　of　national　honor　and　obligation；　which　were　not　so　clear　then　as　now。　But　men　on　opposite　sides　of　the　question　might　read　the　same　Bible　without　finding　authoritative　word　about　it。　In　so　far；　however；　as　the　war　had　at　its　heart　the　matter　of　human　slavery；　it　was　possible　for　men　to　differ　only　when　one　side　read　the　letter　of　the　Bible　while　the　other　read　its　manifest　spirit。　Written　in　times　when　slavery　was　counted　matter　of　course；　its　letter　dealt　with　slavery　as　a　fact。　It　could　be　read　as　though　it　approved　slavery。　But　long　before　this　day　men　had　found　its　true　spirit。　England　had　abolished　slavery　（1808）　under　the