TRUTH. They say that falsehood is an evil: but not so great a one
as we fancy. We accept the imputation. We answer boldly that there
can be no greater evil than falsehood, no greater blessing than
truth; and that by God's help we will teach the same to our
children, and to our children's children. Free inquiry, religious
as well as civil liberty--this is the spirit of Protestantism. This
our fathers have bequeathed to us; this we will bequeath to our
children;--to know that all truth is of God, that no lie is of the
truth. Our enemies may call us heretics, unbelievers, rebellious,
political squabblers. They may say in scorn, You Protestants know
not whither you are going; you have broken yourselves off from the
old Catholic tree, and now, in the wild exercise of your own private
judgment, you are losing all that standard of doctrine, all unity of
belief. Our answer will be--It is not so: but even if it were so--
even if we did not know whither we were going--we should go forward
still. For though we know not, God knows. We have committed
ourselves to God, the living God; and He has led us; and we believe
that He will lead us. He has taught us; and we believe that He will
teach us still. He has prospered us, and we believe that He will
prosper us still: and therefore we will train up our children after
us to go on the path which has brought us hither, freely to use
their minds, boldly to prove all things, and hold fast that which is
good; manfully to go forward, following Truth whithersoever she may
lead them; trusting in God, the Father of Lights, asking Him for
wisdom, who giveth to all liberally, and upbraideth not; and it
shall be given them.

I have been asked to preach this day for the National Schools of
this parish. I do so willingly, because I believe that in them this
course of education is pursued, that conjoined with a sound teaching