a study of bible-第38部分

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　Three　great　effects　are　easily　traceable。　The　very　presence　of　the　Quakers　in　the　New　England　colonies；　notably　in　Massachusetts；　and　the　persecutions　which　they　endured；　did　more　to　purify　the　Puritans　than　any　other　one　influence。　One　is　only　loyal　to　the　Puritan　character　and　teaching　in　declaring　that　in　the　manner　of　the　Puritans　toward　the　Quakers　they　were　wrong；　they　were　wrong　because　they　were　untrue　to　their　own　belief；　untrue　to　their　own　Bibles；　and　when　the　more　thoughtful　among　them　found　that　they　were　taking　the　attitude　toward　the　Quakers　which　they　had　resented　toward　themselves；　remembering　that　the　Quakers　were　drawing　their　teaching　from　the　same　Bible　as　themselves；　they　were　naturally　checked。　And；　while　the　Quakers　in　New　England　suffered　greatly；　their　suffering　proved　the　purification　of　the　Puritans。　It　accented　and　so　it　removed　the　narrowness　of　Puritan　practice。　Further；　the　Quaker　movement　gave　to　American　history　William　Penn　and　the　whole　constitution　of　Pennsylvania。　It　was　there　that　a　state　first　lived　by　the　principle　which　William　Penn　pronounced：　〃Any　government　is　free　where　the　people　are　a　party　to　the　laws　enacted。〃　So　it　came　about　that　Independence　Hall　is　on　Quaker　soil。　The　Declaration　of　Independence　appeared　there；　and　not　on　Puritan　soil。　It　may　be　there　was　more　freedom　of　thought　in　Pennsylvania。　It　may　be　explained　on　purely　geographical　ground；　Philadelphia　being　the　most　convenient　center　for　the　colonies。　But　it　remains　significant　that　not　on　Cavalier　soil　in　Virginia；　not　on　Dutch　soil　in　New　York；　not　on　Puritan　soil　in　Boston；　but　on　Quaker　soil　in　Philadelphia　the　movement　for　national　independence　crystallized　around　a　general　principle　that　〃any　government　is　free　where　the　people　are　a　party　to　the　laws　enacted；〃　but　that　no　government　is　free　whose　people　have　not　a　voice。　That　is　not　minimizing　the　power　of　Puritanism；　nor　forgetting　Fanueil　Hall　and　the　Tea　Party。　It　only　accents　what　should　be　familiar：　that　Puritanism　drew　into　itself　more　of　the　fighting　element　of　Scripture；　while　the　Quaker　movement　drew　into　itself　more　of　the　uniting；　pacifying　element　of　Scripture。　The　third　effect　of　the　Quaker　movement　is　John　Greenleaf　Whittier；　with　his　gentle　but　never　weak　demand　that　national　freedom　should　not　mean　independence　of　other　people　alone；　but　the　independence　of　all　people　within　the　nation。　So　that　while　the　Quaker　spirit　helped　the　colonies　to　break　loose　from　foreign　control　and　become　a　nation；　it　helped　the　nation　in　turn　to　break　loose　from　internal　shackles。　The　nation　stood　free　within　itself　as　well　as　free　from　others。　Yet　the　Quaker　movementand　this　is　the　argumentis　itself　the　result　of　the　English　Bible；　and　the　Quaker　influence　is　the　influence　of　the　English　Bible　on　history。

There　is　not　need　for　extended　word　about　the　great　Wesleyan　movement　in　the　midst　of　this　period；　which　has　so　profoundly　affected　both　English　and　American　history。　It　has　not　worked　out　into　such　visible　political　forms。　But　any　movement　that　makes　for　larger　spiritual　life　makes　for　the　strengthening　of　the　entire　life　of　the　nation。　The　mere　figures　of　the　early　Wesleyan　movement　are　almost　appalling。　Here　was　a　man；　John　Wesley；　an　Oxford　scholar；　who　spent　nearly　fifty　years　traveling　up　and　down　and　back　and　forth　through　England　on　horseback；　covering　more　than　two　hundred　and　fifty　thousand　miles；　preaching　everywhere　more　than　forty　thousand　times；　writing；　translating；　editing　two　hundred　works。　When　death　ended　his　busy　life　there　were　in　his　newly　formed　brotherhood　one　hundred　and　thirty…five　thousand　members；　with　five　hundred　and　fifty　itinerants　who　were　following　his　example　with　incessant　preaching　and　Bible　exposition。　It　was　the　old　Wiclif…Lollard　movement　over　again。　And　here　was　the　other　Wesley；　Charles；　teaching　England　to　sing　again；　teaching　the　old　truths　of　the　Bible　in　rhyme　to　many　who　could　not　read；　so　that　they　became　familiar；　writing　on　horseback；　in　stage…coaches；　everywhere；　writing　with　one　passion；　to　help　England　back　to　the　Bible　and　its　truth。　Such　activity　could　not　leave　the　nation　unmoved；　all　its　religious　life　felt　it；　and　its　political　life　from　serf　to　king　was　deeply　affected　by　it。　It　is　a　common　saying　that　the　Wesleyan　movement　saved　English　liberty　from　European　entanglement。　Yet　the　Wesleyan　movement　issued　from　the　Bible　and　led　England　back　to　the　Bible。

But　apart　from　these　wide　movements　and　the　great　souls　who　led　them；　there　is　time　for　thought　of　one　typical　character　on　each　side　of　the　sea　who　did　not　so　much　make　a　movement　as　he　proved　the　point　around　which　a　great　fluid　idea　crystallized　into　strength。　Across　the　sea　the　character　shall　be　that　man　whom　Carlyle　gave　back　to　us　out　of　obloquy　and　misunderstanding；　Oliver　Cromwell。　Choosing　him；　we　pass　other　names　which　crowd　into　memory；　names　of　men　who　have　served　the　need　of　England　well…Wilberforce；　John　Howard；　Shaftesbury；　Gladstonewho　drew　their　strength　from　this　Book。　Yet　we　choose　Cromwell　now　for　argument。　On　this　side　it　must　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　actuall