is more significant of the spirit and the motives which guided
the early settlers than the humanity of their laws, as compared with the
code of England. The humane and enlightened sentiment as expressed in
legislation, was not peculiar to Pennsylvania. In Rhode Island, also,
that other colony founded on the principle of religious liberty, the
first spontaneous code enacted by the exiles was more than a century in
advance of European ideas and statutes, and in Rhode Island, as in
Pennsylvania, the ideal was compelled to give way to the hard and
practical pressure of dominating English influence, and of contact with
the rougher sort of mankind, attracted to these shores by the hope of
gain or the fear of punishment at home.

The Quakers began by proclaiming a modified freedom of religion. They
declared, "That no person now, or at any time hereafter, dwelling or
residing within this province, who shall profess faith in God the Father,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, and in the Holy Spirit, one God
blessed for Evermore, and shall acknowledge the Holy Scriptures of the
Old and New Testament to be given by Divine Inspiration, and, when
lawfully required, shall profess and declare that they will live
peaceably under the civil government, shall in any case be molested or
prejudiced for his or her conscientious persuasion, nor shall he or she
be at any time compelled to frequent or maintain any religious worship,
place or ministry whatsoever, contrary to his or her mind, but shall
freely and fully enjoy his or her Christian liberty in all respects,
without molestation or interruption." Of course this manifestly excluded
unbelievers in the Trinity, and left a door open for controversy as to
what books were included in the Sacred Scriptures. Furthermore, the law
against blasphemy might easily have been used as a weapon of persecution,
providing, as it did, that whoever should "despitefully blaspheme or
speak loosely and profanely of Almighty God, Christ Jesus, the Holy
Spirit or the Scriptures of Truth, and is legally convicted thereof,
shall forfeit and pay the sum of ten pounds for the use of the poor of
the county where such offence shall be committed, or suffer three months
imprisonment at hard labor."

Practically, however, entire freedom of worship existed in Pennsylvania.
The same liberal spirit breathed through the Quaker code, while at the
same time due care was taken to protect the morals of the people.

In view of