OUR FOREFATHERS’
COVENANTS
Part 28
June 19, 2020
We continue today with our discourse on Daniel Webster and his
history. As noted last week, few names
are more discussed or mentioned in today’s discussions than that of Daniel
Webster.
Losing a
race in 1836 for the Presidency on the Whig ticket, he nonetheless gained more
in national prominence, and when William Henry Harrison ran for President in
1840, he was offered the position of Vice-President. He declined with a
dry but humorous phrase he would use again eight years later when Zachary
Taylor ran for Presidency, "I do not propose to be buried until I am
dead."
He did,
however, accept Harrison's offer to become Secretary of State, and it was a
position he held during the Tyler administration following Harrison's
death. In 1845, he was reelected to the Senate where he took up a very
strong abolitionist stance, allying himself with Henry Clay and John C.
Calhoun. When Henry Clay proposed what later became the Compromise of
1850 in which an effort was made to make peace between the northern non-slave
and southern slave states, and Webster joined his effort, preachers vilified
him with the kinds of accusations we've heard in the past few years against
President Bush.
Rev.
Theodore Parker said in one of his sermons that, "No living man has
done so much to debauch the conscience of the nation." Horace
Mann described him as being "a fallen star! Lucifer descending from
Heaven!" James Russell Lowell called Webster, "the most
meanly and foolishly treacherous man I ever heard of." Webster's
attempt to bring a compromise between the North and South cost him dearly in
public opinion, and he never regained his popularity.
Riding his
horse one October day in 1852 at his home in Marshfield, Massachusetts, the horse
suddenly reared knocking Webster from his seat. The fall caused a
crushing blow to his head, and he died the morning of October 24, 1852 from a
resulting brain hemorrhage.
Over
the years, Daniel Webster had given some notable and some phenomenal speeches.
He never argued anything for the sake of political expediency, and because he
believed so firmly in the causes he represented, his arguments gained all the
more in forcefulness.
It was in
1820 that a decision was made to separate Maine from the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts. Massachusetts' Constitution to this time was the same one
adopted in 1780. Inasmuch as its constitution was an adaptation of John
Winthrop's original charter which held (in part) that "no
man shall be qualified to hold office unless he be a Christian, swearing
allegiance to Jesus Christ,"delegates thought to modify the
wording so that "a simple oath of allegiance to the Commonwealth, together
with the oath of office, should be taken by all persons chosen or appointed to
office. . . . and that a profession of belief in the Christian religion no
longer be required as a qualification for office." (source: The Writings
and Speeches of Daniel Webster, Little, Brown & Co., Boston 1903)
Daniel
Webster was the chairman of this convention and he took to the floor to argue
against this change. His speech was easily one of the most powerful and
effective in his entire life and career. It puts the lie to the specious
"separation of church and state" claim of the liberal left,
demonstrating constitutionally the right of the people to make such
requirements without impinging on the liberties of those who choose otherwise.
Following
is a small extract of Webster's speech:
"It is obvious
that the principal alteration proposed by the first resolution is the omission
of the declaration of belief in the Christian religion as a qualification for
office in the cases of the governor, lieutenant-governor, councilors, and members
of the legislature. I shall content myself on this occasion with stating,
shortly and generally, the sentiments of the select committee, as I understand
them, on the subject of thisresolution.
Two questions naturally present themselves. In the first place, Have the people
a right, if in their judgment the security of their government and its due
administration demand it, to require a declaration of belief in the Christian
religion as a qualification or condition of office? On this question, a
majority of the committee held a decided opinion. They thought the people had
such a right. By the fundamental principle of popular and elective governments,
all office is in the free gift of the people. They may grant or they may
withhold it at pleasure; and if it be for them, and them only, to decide
whether they will grant office, it is for them to decide, also, on what terms
and what conditions they will grant it. Nothing is more unfounded than the
notion that any man has a right to an office. This must depend on the choice of
others, and consequently upon the opinions of others, in relation to his
fitness and qualification for office. No man can be said to have a right to
that which others may withhold from him at pleasure.
There are certain rights, no doubt, which the whole people, or the government
as representing the whole people, owe to each individual in return for that
obedience and personal service, and those proportionate contributions to the
public burdens which each individual owes to the government. These rights are
stated with sufficient accuracy, in the tenth article of the Bill of Rights, in
this constitution. “Each individual in
society has a right to be protected by it in the enjoyment of his life,
liberty, and property, according to the standing laws." Here is no right of office enumerated; no
right of governing others, or of bearing rule in the State. All bestowment of
office remaining in the discretion of the people, they have of course a right
to regulate it by any rules which they may deem expedient. Hence the people, by
their constitution, prescribe certain qualifications for office respecting age,
property, residence, and taxation. But if office, merely as such, were a right
which each individual under the social compact was entitled to claim, all these
qualifications would be excluded. Acknowledged rights are not subject, and
ought not to be subject to any such limitation. The right of being protected in
life, liberty, and estate is due to all and cannot be justly denied to any,
whatever be their age, property, or residence in the State.
These qualifications, then, can only be made requisite as conditions for office
on the ground that office is not what any man can demand as matter of right but
rests in the confidence and good-will of those who are to bestow it. In short,
it seems to me too plain to be questioned that the right of office is a matter
of discretion and option, and can never be claimed by any man on the ground of
obligation. It would seem to follow, then, that those who confer office may
annex any such conditions to it as they think proper. If they prefer one man to
another, they may act on that preference. If they regard certain personal
qualifications, they may act accordingly, and ground of complaint is given to
nobody. Between two candidates otherwise equally qualified, the people at an
election may decide in favor of one because he is a Christian and against the
other because he is not. They may repeat this preference at the next election
on the same ground and may continue it from year to year."
As David
Barton (President and Chairman of Wallbuilders) notes, "Daniel Webster's remarks regarding the committee's report
provides compelling reasoning which should be considered by every American
voter today. Webster's comments emphasize the importance of Christian leaders
and Christian principles in civil government."
We've
spent most of today's Coffee Break, thus far, dealing with the historical
outline of Daniel Webster's life but let’s dig into more of his speech to the
Massachusetts Constitutional Convention along with portions of other speeches
and forceful arguments in favor of Christianity and Christians in government.
Darwin had not yet published his
"Origin of the Species," but it is clear that the concept of
evolution had already begun to run amuck among atheists. Webster
ridicules the concept and refutes it with his inestimable logic.
Take a look at a small portion of what he
had to say:
"It is an account of the good effects upon our own
happiness and the welfare of Mankind, that we are commanded to love God with
all our powers and affections. But in order to obey this command, it is
indispensably necessary that we should form for ourselves such a character of
God as is altogether lovely.
"This character of God we may imperfectly form, from a
correct intelligent and enlarged examination and contemplation of his works, as
exhibited to our senses on this globe; in which we cannot fail at every glance
to discern evidence of his infinite power and wisdom. Mankind has in
every age been struck with the power of these two attributes. But not so
with his goodness, the most important attribute of all and which essentially
constitutes his moral character; without which we might indeed fear and revere,
but never love him.
"The belief that
this globe existed from all eternity, or never had a beginning; never obtained
a foothold in any part of the world, or in any age. Even the infidel
writer, of modern times, however, in the pride of argument they may have
asserted it but believed or not, for they could not help perceiving that if
mankind with their inherently intellectual powers, and natural capacities for
improvement, had inhabited this Earth for millions of years, the present
inhabitants would not only be vastly more intelligent than we now find them,
but there would be vestiges of the former races, to be found in every
inhabitable part of the Globe. Floods and Earthquakes notwithstanding;
Unless we adopt Lord Manboddo's supposition that Mankind were originally
Monkeys, it is impossible to admit the idea that they could have existed
millions of years without making more discoveries & improvements than the
early histories of nations warrant us to believe they had done.
"The belief in an
uncreated, self existent intelligent first cause, takes possession of our minds
whether we will or not, because if Man could not create himself nothing else
could; and matter, if it were not external could produce nothing but
matter. It could never produce thought, nor free will, nor consciousness.
"There must have
been therefore, a time when this globe and its inhabitants did not exist. The
question then arises, what gave it existence? We answer God, the great
first cause of all things. What is God? We know not. We know him
only through his creation and his revelation. What do these teach
us? They teach us, first this - incomprehensible power, next his infinite
Mind, and lastly his universal benevolence - or Goodness. These terms
express all that can know or believe of him; his omnipresence is included in
the Idea of infinite power; his omniscience in that of infinite wisdom, and his
justice, Mercy, Holiness and truth in that of infinite benevolence or
Love. The whole of his attributes may therefore be expressed in three
words Power, Wisdom and Goodness and these are inherent self existence eternal
and unchangeable.
"We can only
reason from what we know and believe; our knowledge is extremely limited, and
our belief often unsound. It is therefore with great humility I venture
to ask the question, What gave birth to Creation? Which of the qualities
that we ascribe to the Universal father, could have induced this Infinitely
Holy and consequently Infinitely happy being, to create any thing? So
this we are forced to answer - Infinite Goodness. Wisdom alone may contrive;
Power alone may create but neither, alone, or united, would suggest or prompt
to action; because neither can desire, neither can furnish motive for itself. The first step in
Creation was therefore made by infinite benevolence. Infinite Wisdom next
devised the plan to satisfy the wishes of benevolence, and infinite power,
executed the work without defect so that the divine mind when contemplating the
principles and structure of its glorious work could truly say, - It is Good.
"How shall we
cultivate and strengthen this glorious principle of Love? By endeavoring
to obey the first and great commandment. But do we have no power over our
love? Love is an effect resulting from a cause. True, but happily
for us, Jesus Christ has furnished us with causes in abundance. The
Apostle John says, "We love God, because He first loved us." This is the
only true and natural foundation of love for God - in Man. Love as necessarily
begets love, as Hatred begets hatred. Our task is easy! Our duty a
pleasure! We have only to look around to scrutinize - to reflect.
The proofs of God's love to us are presented at every glance are inhaled with
every breath. As the Psalmist David says, "His mercies are over all
his works."
"But how shall we
reconcile contradictory facts? God is good, and yet man is not happy. He is
incessantly looking beyond his possessions; forever coveting some unenjoyed
good and trampling upon present blessings.
"This difficult
problem admits of but one solution but it is a solution which unfolds the
greatest and most important truth in nature; a truth that reconciles Man to his
maker, and to the world; a truth which solves all mysteries and harmonizes all
apparent contradictions.
"This glorious truth
may be expressed in three words Man is Immortal! His body is but his
habitation; his undying intellectual is himself and his moral feelings &
capacity constitute his essence, and his worth.
"These spiritual
qualities in Man, fit him for eternity; every other animal soon arrives at a
fixed degree of perfection, of body and mind beyond which it cannot pass; But
where can you fix limits to the reasoning power; to the very principle of
intelligence? which like gravitation grows stronger and stronger as the
material upon which it acts accumulates.
"In this view of
human nature, and its intellectual, its moral, its spiritual endowments, we may
justly say, If there be no resurrection (through Christ) into life eternal, we
of all creatures, are the most miserable. Our wonderful powers are given
us in vain; and our constant endeavors to attain happiness are also vain.
But thanks be to God,
whose nature is love, Whose wisdom is infinite, who saw before creation the end
& operation of His work, with whom nothing is uncertain, nothing
contingent, He, has given us assurances both internal and external, that we
shall all pass through those states or processes of purification which are
necessary, to fit us, for the full enjoyment of the perfectly happy existence He
originally designed for us, whose pain or sorrow shall be known no man for
ever. Where discontent shall be swallowed up in Bliss."
Webster's
thought processes are clearly a product of logic -- and his logic IS
fascinating -- but what interests me the most in his commentary is the fact
that this is a man who invested his life in the defense of a Constitution for
these United States, who labored long and hard to establish right principles
and foundations upon which future generations could build. We are blessed
to have had this man among our nation's founding fathers.
Next week,
we will take a look at the life of Alexander Hamilton.
In case you
are missing out on real fellowship in an environment of Ekklesia, our Sunday
worship gatherings are available by conference call – usually at about 10:30AM
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not yet, anyway.
Blessings on you!
Regner
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Temple, Texas 76502
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