The Reign of Law

urch in the wilderness, and constituted themselves a worshipping association. For some time peace of one sort prevailed among them, if no peace of any other sort was procurable around

ting qualities spiritual and physical (the strenuous life in those days!); and there came a time when it took offence at one particular man in its membership on account of the liberality of his religious opinions. This settler, an old Indian fighter whose vast estate lay about halfway bet

eld any faith, to ride with him through the woods and preach to his brethren. This was the front of his offending. For since he seemed brother to men of every cre

Not far from the church doors the bright Elkhorn (now nearly dry) swept past in its stately shimmering flood. The rush of the w

he pulpit-for he was a deacon-and turned squarely at th

people through the bars of our dungeons. Mobs were collected outside to drown our voices; we preached the louder and some jeered, but some felt sorry and began to serve God. They burned matches and pods of red pepper to choke us; they hired strolls to beat drums that we might not be heard for the din. Some of us knew what it was to have live snakes thrown into our assemblages while at worship; or nests of live hornets. Or to have a crowd rush into the church with farming tools and whips

nd travelled a path paved with suffering and lined with death into this wilderness. For in

l things together. You recall how lately it was that when we met in the woods for worship,-havin

the memories hu

r in the living God-whom honestly I try to serve according to my erring light-I can no longer have a seat among you-not believing as you believe. But this is the same tyranny that you found unendurable in Spottsylvani

from Virginia, their Ark of the Covenant on the way, seized it, and faced them again. He strode toward t

ur opinions of Him nor mine nor any man's! I will cut off a parcel of my farm and make a perpetual deed of it in the courts, to be held in trust forever. And while the earth sta

with shaking arms an

passion, "you may be saved in your crooked, narrow way, if the mercy of

hildren before him, and drove them out of the church. He mounted his horse, lifted his wife to her seat behind him