"Free Governments"

"As it is the distinguishing happiness of free governments that civil order should be the result of choice and not of necessity, and the common wishes of the people become the laws of the land, their public prosperity and even existence very much depend upon suitably forming the minds and morals of their citizens. 

When the minds of the people, in general, are viciously disposed and unprincipled, and their conduct disorderly, a free government will be attended with greater confusions and evils more horrid than the wild, uncultivated state of nature. 

It can only be happy when the public principles and opinions are properly directed, and their manners regulated. This is an influence beyond the reach of laws and punishments and can be claimed only by religion and education. 

It should, therefore, be among the first objects of those who wish well to the national prosperity to encourage and support the principles of religion and morality, and early to place the youth under the forming hand of society, that by instruction they may be molded to the love of virtue and good order." ~ Abraham Baldwin (1754-1807)

Abraham Baldwin was a signer of the Constitution of the United States, a member of Congress, a U.S. Senator, a lawyer, and an educator. When we wonder what has happened to our Nation we need to look no further than to the ideas that gave it its birth and the men that fashioned it. 

We must look back to them, for there are no such men today to lead us in the way. We have left our principles in exchange for a new way of thinking and living. We need not think this has left us without change. There is a reason the American experience has lasted so long, it has not been by accident it has survived so many tragedies and difficulties.

Yet, we need not think it will continue to survive absent from the principles that gave it birth. The path we are now on will lead to a point in history we no longer can be free. It will be necessary to govern us by force, for we will have forgot how to live free.

The laws of our land were formed by people that embraced their principles and wished to be governed by them. Their children were educated in the purpose and meaning of these principles. The principles themselves were rooted in the religious nature of our people. Our religion and our system of education were in harmony with one another. It formed our culture and moral understanding, which in turn established our society upon solid ground whereupon we as a people were pleased to stand. This was an imperfect system, however, it was the best this world had ever known.   

We cannot change our principles without changing who we are as a people. Thus, we are no longer the people the world once knew as Americans. We are a different people and a different nation, we abhor who we were and have chosen a new way of living.

This is not to say there was no room for change and improvement, for these principles were constantly bearing down upon us to improve our lives and increase our capacity for freedom. We made mistakes along the way, but the principles remained and we were obliged to try again. As we remove those principles that gave us our freedom, we think we are achieving a greater freedom, when in reality we are reverting back to an old-world system where the passions of men rule the day.  

We are foolish if we think we can change the principles of the land of liberty and maintain the land of liberty. It may be in the Providence of God to turn us again and give us hope, make us a land of opportunity and refuge. If He does  not, it will fall upon us as those who cast away a great freedom. 

Jer 6:16  This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask where the old road is. Ask where the good road is, and walk on that road. If you do, you will find rest for yourselves. But you people have said, 'We will not walk on the good road.'