Texas in 1850. By Melinda Rankin. Page: 66 of 196

TEXAS IN 1850.

69

Monuments of the greatness of the human soul, they present
to the world the image of virtue in her sublimest
forms, from which streams of light and glory issue to
remote times and ages, while their commemoration by
the pen of historians, should awaken in distant bosoms
sparks of kindred excellence.
"The colony of New England was unlike the colonies
of other parts of the continent. It grew out of the religious
principles, others, out of the pecuniary. Its first
object was a permanent home for religious liberty. Its
purposes matured in a country of persecution, prayer
and desire to worship God, until those Pilgrims became
consecrated to the great idea, and ready to sacrifice
home, lands, country, friends and life, if they might
secure liberty of conscience to their posterity in the
new world.
"They left Europe fully in the belief, that God was
guiding them to become the founders of a nation, in
which this liberty to serve Iim would be secured forever
and they stepped on Plymouth Rock fully in the
faith never to return.
" Few decisions of so great import were ever made in
this world. Never on this continent has there been
another of such stupendous results and by the highest
religious faith,
no! never one so eminently possessing
the very highest courage, self denial and confidence
in God, like the martyrs. They resolved to live or
die, as the founders of an empire in which to worship
God with liberty of conscience. If here was a company
of pilgrims possessing the highest religious faith and