16. The Pilgrim Fathers. 305
dering, to the shores of Narragansett Bay, he there laid the foundation of the first state of modern times that in the fullest sense recognized the right of religious freedom. The fundamental principle of Roger Williams ' s colony, was“ that every man should have liberty to worship God according to the light of his own conscience.” 445 His little State, Rhode Island, became the asylum of the oppressed, and it increased and prospered until its foundation principles— civil and religious liberty— became the corner-stones of the American Republic. In that grand old document which our forefathers set forth as their bill of rights— the Declaration of Independence— they declared:“ We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” And the Constitution guarantees, in the most explicit terms, the inviolability of conscience:“ No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office of public trust under the United States.”“ Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
“ The framers of the Constitution recognized the eternal principle that man ' s relation with his God is above human legislation, and his rights of conscience inalienable. Reasoning was not necessary to establish this truth; we are conscious of it in our own bosoms. It is this consciousness which, in defiance of human laws, has sustained so many martyrs in tortures and flames. They felt that their duty to God was superior to human enactments, and that man could exercise no authority over their consciences. [ 296 ] It is an inborn principle which nothing can eradicate.” 446
As the tidings spread through the countries of Europe, of a land where every man might enjoy the fruit of his own labor and obey the convictions of his conscience, thousands flocked to the
445 Idem, p. 354. 446 Congressional Documents( U. S. A.), Serial No. 200, Document No. 271.