he world to come,
like men.

But let me not be misunderstood as concluding that states, nations, or
kingdoms are not moral persons, and are not responsible for their acts
and conduct to Almighty God. They have no right to do wrong more than an
individual. "States" have their lives, their mission, their destiny;
they have their sphere here below. They represent the temporal, or the
things which belong to Caesar.

The State, then, is a moral person, and _a fortiori_, a religious
person, _for there can be no morality without religion_. But though
religion, in a general sense, be recognized by the State, it has no
authority to control or direct it. It must respect the conscience of an
individual. This is his birthright, and cannot be voted away, whether to
support Public Schools or Public Churches.

If there be amongst us any number, great or small, who deny the common
faith, it is the duty of the State to tolerate them. A greater
power--God--does this. But the State itself cannot profess or _play
infidel_, or, under pretence of avoiding sectarian partiality, strike at
the root of all Christianity. I admit the State is of the "temporal
order," and cannot discriminate between the various modes of belief; but
not for that can it place itself _outside_ of them. It is
_distinguishable_, but not _separable_, from the spiritual order. It is
simply a means to a greater end. It is a mischievous error to say that
the State has nothing to do with religion, and may act outside of its
obligations. If by this it is meant that the State cannot establish or
maintain any special form of religion, or interfere with its profession,
or even denial by others, I admit the proposition; but if, on the other
hand, it is meant that it regards Christianity and infidelity, God or no
God, truth and error, either as equal or unimportant, then I utterly
deny and condemn it. To bear with and tolerate error is its duty; to
foster or provide for its support or propagation, or place it on the
same footing with revealed truth, is another and very different thing.

The constitutions of the State guarantee to every citizen the right to
worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience; but this is
not guaranteeing to every one the liberty of not worshipping God at all,
to deny His existence, His revelation, or to worship a false god. The
freedom guaranteed is the freedom of religion, not the freedom of
infidelity. The American Constitution grants