| 161 despoiled of their homes, possessions, and sacred rights. And even at that time they were hearing the mutterings of
exists naturally in the human heart against God and against his work, as this one. In other countries persecutions were carried on under pretext of law; but in this country, where the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of every State in the Union guarantees unto every person the rights of conscience and the liberty of worshipping as he pleases, to witness such scenes of persecution as those which have followed this church from the beginning, in despite of law, justice, equity, and truth, and at war with the very genius of republican institutions; and contrary to the design of our government, surely evinces the depravity of the human heart, and the great hostility there exists in the hearts of the human family against the work and purposes of God; and fully confirms the apostles, that the carnal mind is at enmity against God.
But notwithstanding all this violence we even say, as did Paul to the Corinthians, "We are troubled on every side, yet not destroyed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed." We have, until this time, endured this great weight of affliction, and kept the faith. If the ancient saints had to endure as seeing him who is invisible, so have we; if they had to suffer the contradiction of sinners against themselves, so have we; if they had to suffer stripes and imprisonments for their religion's sake, so have we; if they were journeying in perils of water, in perils among robbers, in perils by their own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren, in weariness and painfulness, in watchings, often in hunger and thirst, in fastings, often in cold and nakedness-so are we. If they had to commend themselves to God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonment, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, in fastings; by pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, they lived; as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing all things;-so have we. If they went up through much tribulation and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, so have we to go through as great a tribulation; and we trust in so doing we will also wash our robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb.
One cause of our heavy persecution is the influence which those have in the world whom we have separated from the fellowship of the church for their wickedness; who attempt to gratify their vengeance on us, and also to hide their own shame, by foul slanders and base calumny. We were at one time represented by them as having all things common; at another as being enemies to the government; and in other places we were represented to be abolitionists; and, indeed, anything they thought best calculated to stir up the public mind, and to excite public indignation and, if possible, put an end to the work, by sacrificing some of those who were considered as most active in supporting and defending the cause. But, through the mercy of God we are still in existence, and have the opportunity of joining with you in the privileges of this day.
In assembling on this occasion our object is not only to comply with the custom of our nation in celebrating the birthday of our liberties, but also to lay the corner stone of the edifice about to be built in this place
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