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，InDarkestEngland1890。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。\"AsherodeouttothefieldatNaseby1645heknewhefacedthefloweroftheloyalistarmy，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，InhisPhiBetaKappaaddressatHarvard1826，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。Englandhadabolishedslavery1808undertheinsistencethatitwasforeigntoallrightunderstandingofGod\'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。