THE CHRISTIAN HISTORY OF THE CONSTITUTION
A compilation by Verna M. Hall
Edited by Joseph Allen Montgomery
(Book Review)
This book is a valuable source of
information for anyone who wants to understand and defend the government given
to us by the founding fathers. As I write, the Social-Darwinist erosion of that
government is so advanced that most students today have no concept of what
America once was, or how much of our freedom has been lost. What Verna Hall
provides is a source of information which will be of great help to anyone
wanting to do first hand research relating to the men and ideas that provided
us with the Constitutional framework of government by the people. And, for
those who may not understand how much of our freedom has been lost, let me
remind them that both abortion and acceptance of homosexuality have been forced
on the people from the top down. That is dictatorship, not freedom.
In addition to documenting the
historical roots of freedom, Mrs. Hall includes discourses and relevant portions
of many older documents. Let me offer this sample quote From
the section on the Magna Charta (A.D. 1215).
“No constable or bailiff of ours shall take corn or
other chattels of any man unless he presently give him money for it, or hath
respite of payment by the good-will of the seller.”
From the English Bill of Rights (1689).
“It is the right of the subjects to petition the king
and all commitments and prosecutions for such petitioning are illegal… That the
subjects which are Protestants may have arms for their defence…
That excessive bail ought not to be required nor excessive fines imposed nor
cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”
From, “THE SPIRIT OF LAWS” by Montesquieu.
“There is no liberty, if the judiciary power be not
separated from the legislative and executive. Were it joined with the
legislative, the life and liberty of the subject would be exposed to arbitrary
control; for the judge would be then the legislator.” [What does that say about
judicial activism?]
From William Blackstone’s, “COMMENTARIES ON THE LAWS
OF ENGLAND”.
“Upon these two foundations, the law of nature and the
law of revelation, depend all human laws; that is to
say, no human law should contradict these.” [For almost 100 years after our
Constitution was adopted, Blackstone’s Commentaries were the primary textbook
of law in the
I hope that these brief quotes have convinced you of
the value of this book, and the importance of preserving the Christian history
of our Constitution. For me, that history is more than just human history, it is a history of God’s hand of providence at work
to provide the two nations He has used most in spreading the gospel with a
system of freedom and justice consistent with the gospel.
Originally published by C. J. Krehbiel Company in
Gary
Ray Branscome