"How is this government to be transmitted in its purity and vigour to those who shall come after us? This can only be done by the use of the same means through which it was established. We must not be forgetful of the God of our fathers. We must respect and obey his laws. The morality of the Bible must continue to be the basis of our government. There is no other foundation for free institutions. I say this emphatically, and from the deepest conviction of its truth. This morality is an element of which the free governments of the Old World had no knowledge. It is the ground, and the only ground, on which my hope of this government rests. And I tremble when I see a departure from this highway of liberty.

Recently, as our government has been established, there have already been many departures from this vital principle... What can be more corrupting than such a state of things? It has been fatal to all free governments which have heretofore existed, and, unless checked, will be fatal to ours. The great moral principle of action applies equally to private and public life, to individuals, communities, and nations. And this rule cannot be violated without incurring guilt. We should not forget that there is a Judge of nations as well as of individuals, and, although He may bear long, his judgment will come."

—John McLean, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, Remarks on the Value of Scripture at the American Bible Society, 1852.