In the literary ages of Rome, that had very much decayed away; but still it had retained its place among the lower classes of the Roman people.  Of the deeply religious nature of the Greeks, along with their beautiful and sunny effulgences of art, you have a striking proof, if you look for it.

In the tragedies of Sophocles, there is a most distinct recognition of the eternal justice of Heaven, and the unfailing punishment of crime against the laws of God.

I believe you will find in all histories that that has been at the head and foundation of them all, and that no nation that did not contemplate this wonderful universe with an awe-stricken and reverential feeling that there was a great unknown, omnipotent, and all-wise, and all-virtuous Being, superintending all men in it, and all interests in it—­no nation ever came to very much, nor did any man either, who forgot that.  If a man did forget that, he forgot the most important part of his mission in this world.

In our own history of England, which you will take a great deal of natural pains to make yourselves acquainted with, you will find it beyond all others worthy of your study; because I believe that the British nation—­and I include in them the Scottish nation—­produced a finer set of men than any you will find it possible to get anywhere else in the world. (Applause.) I don’t know in any history of Greece or Rome where you will get so fine a man as Oliver Cromwell.  (Applause.) And we have had men worthy of memory in our little corner of the island here as well as others, and our history has been strong at least in being connected with the world itself—­for if you examine well you will find that John Knox was the author, as it were, of Oliver Cromwell; that the Puritan revolution would never have taken place in England at all if it had not been for that Scotchman.  (Applause.) This is an arithmetical fact, and is not prompted by national vanity on my part at all. (Laughter and applause.) And it is very possible, if you look at the struggle that was going on in England, as I have had to do in my time, you will see that people were overawed with the immense impediments lying in the way.

A small minority of God-fearing men in the country were flying away with any ship they could get to New England, rather than take the lion by the beard.  They durstn’t confront the powers with their most just complaint to be delivered from idolatry.  They wanted to make the nation altogether conformable to the Hebrew Bible, which they understood to be according to the will of God; and there could be no aim more legitimate.  However, they could not have got their desire fulfilled at all if Knox had not succeeded by the firmness and nobleness of his mind.  For he is also of the select of the earth to me—­John Knox. (Applause.) What he has suffered from the ungrateful generations that have followed him should really make us humble ourselves to the dust, to think that the most excellent man our country has produced, to whom we owe everything that distinguishes us among modern nations, should have been sneered at and abused by people.  Knox was heard by Scotland—­the people heard him with the marrow of their bones—­they took up his doctrine, and they defied principalities and powers to move them from it.  “We must have it,” they said.