The Connecticut courant and Hartford weekly intelligencer — Hartford, Conn., 1775-06-12 00:00:00, page 3

H A RTF OR D, June 12.
Last Friday departed this Life, aged 94, Mr.
William Cabwell, of this Place.
DIED.] Mr. Joseph Akins, of this Place,
aged 34.
A VINDICATION or the Clergy, for preaching
in Defence of the Religion and Liberties of their
Country.
'' The Priefis, 'tis true, have always been allied to
teach religion, and 'tis fit they feould."
" A $ magistrates were designed for the public
fl good, so the obligation to them muff be un
derstood so, as to be still in subordination to the
main end ; for the reason of all law and government
is the public good. No human law is binding, which
is contrary to scripture. Religion doth not over
throw nature, whose chiefeft principle is to preserve
herfelf. * The chriftian religion is a stranger to
mere despotic power," fays the great MonteJquieud'Q
" Laws are not therefore, (fays the learned Hooker)
which public approbation hath not made so." J
" All scripture, (fays the divine St. Paul) is given
by inspiration of God." And the fame St. Paul,
• " Let every foul be fubjefl to the higher powers ;
for there is no power but of God," and adds this
grand reason for our fubjeftion to the civil magif
t:ate, namely, " for he is the minister of God to
thee for good. And St. Peter, I beseech you, submit
year lives to every ordinance of man, (or rather to every
human institution) for the Lord's fake." And why
should not these passages, and others in the new tef
tarnent which relate to civil government, be ex
amined, explained, and enforced from the desk, as
well as all the rest of the bible? The protection of
the fubjeft, is the duty of the chriftian magistrate:
and obedience to the good magistrate, the duty of
the chriftian fubjecl---ai.d therefore the nature, rea
sons, and limits of such obedience, may, it seems, be
very properly considered in a chriflian assembly, at
well on the chriftian sabbath, as any other day.
" In preaching the word, (fays a late celebrated
writer) faithfulnefs requires you to declare the whole
counsel cf God. You are to give to every one their
meat in due season ; to inftrufl them in all the
articles of the chriftian faith, and to teach them the
whole compass of chriftian duty."/ Preaching up
on government, seems peculiarly fit, when our per
lons, religion, liberties, and properties are attacked
by Fleets and Armies, and threatened to be destroyed
with Fire and Sword, by a tyrannical ministry. The
guardians of our rights, religion and liberties. For,
" Mich of its beauty, uiefulnefi and force,
" Depends on rightly timing a difeourfe."
“ The priests lips should keep knowledge, and they
should seek the law at his mouth, for he is the mes
senger of the Lord of hosts. It is the duty of the
clergy, (fays a late elegant writer) to accommodate
their difeourfe to the times---to preach against such
fins as are most prevalent, and recommend such vir
tues as are mod wanted. For example, if exorbi
tant ambition and venality are predominant, ought
they not to warn their hearers against these vices ?
If public spirit is much wanted, should they not in
culcate this great virtue ? If the rights and duties of
chriftian magistrates and fubjeds are disputed should
they not explain them, shew their nature, ends, li
mitations and reftridions ? An elegant English
poet to the preacher fays,
" Of preaching well if you expert the fame,
" Let truth and virtue be your firft great aim ;
“ Your sacred funftion'often call to mind,
, " And think how great the trust to teach mankind!
" 'Tis your's in ufeful sermons to explain,
“ Both what we owe to God and what to man ;
" 'Tis your's the charms of Liberty to paint,
'' His country's love in every breast to plant "
" The great Socrates, when he was accused by the
Athenians, for corrupting and seducing the vouch of
Athens by his philosophy, makes this generous de
fence for himfelf, more like an apostle than a pbilo
fopher ; " That he believed this province was com
mitted to him by God, that he was called by him to
this employment, to endeavour to reform the world,
and therefore for him to forfake his station for fear
of death, orof any other temporal evil, would be a
mod grievous fin. lain not (fays he) afraid to die,
but this I am afraid of, to disobey the commands of
my funerior, and to desert the station he has placed
, me in, and to give over the work he has appointed
me ; this I inuil affirm to you, that I ought to obey
God rather than you ; and so long as I have breath,
I will never give oier exhorting and teaching the
. peop'e/q \ #
1 After such a great and glorious example of fideli
ty and intrepidity in a heathen, I hope no chriftian
miaiftef will everomit preaching upon government,
. out cfa falfy'cgmp^ilance to a few worthless thrice,
these mercilrfs robbers and murderers of raillions,
that deforce to have their names consigned to infa
my and everlasting disgrace.
Conned!:^, fare, 177, ARISTIDES.
*L. Siu. Fol. 27. jj ft.L. P. 11, Fol. 147.
X Hueber's Fed. Pol. Lib. 1. S. 10.
/ Prior's charge Fo!. 37. fl Dr. I. 3429.
Mr. Watson,
I Have long been ^ a loss how to answer the fol
lowing question, viz. Why should we Ameri
cans, refute to pay fame part of that great debt
brought on the Mother country by the lad war, *
which was an American war, and carried on alto
gether for our defence and protection ? I have been
foolifh enough to think this was not the case, but
some of our great men fay it is so, and that we are
ungratefulin refufing it. It is to be hoped some of
your great men will date this matter in its true
light, as it is a stumbling block laid in the way of
many.
C A M BR ID G E.
Mr. Benjamin Edes (Partner to Mr. John Gill)
has removed their Printing-Utensils from Boston to
Watertown, (where the Provincial Congress fits),&
publishes a news-paper on Mondays. ---His laftMon
days paper contains Copied of two Letters from
Gov. Hutchinson, dated March 25, 1770, and Mar.
10, 1773, which are as follow:
Secret and Confidential. March 25, 1770.
My dear Sir,
T H £ Court has been fitting at Cambridge ever
since the 15th, refufing to do any business, and
urges me to remove them to Boston, but I shall not
doit. I hope no copy of my Lord Hillfborough's
letter t® me of the 9th of Dec. will be fuffered to be
made public, nor of mine to his Lordship in answer,
for! have followed your advice and they do not know
that I bad any fort of diferetion left in the matter. Indeed
after I had prorogued the Court, and wrote that I
should hold the Seffiop there, I had not. Salem
would have been better than Cambridge, the further
from Boston the better. The boule will be four
and troublesome enough, but all they can do will be
a perfect trifle, compared with the trouble the town
of Boston gives me. They interfere in every affair,
and threaten all the governments which will not con
form to them. They are carrying on the prosecuti
on of poor Preston, and h : s foldi^rs, with inimitable
tbirf after their blood. When the Court had deter
mined to put offthe trials to the firft week in June,
a Committee, viz. S.. Adams, W. Cooper, Dr.
Warren, and divers others, came from Mr. Jones's,
where they had dined that day, and a vast concourse
of people after them, into the Superior Court, and
harangued the Judges, until they altered their de
termination, and resolved to go on with business.
This they assured me was contrary to their inclinati
on, but they were under duress, and afraid to offend
the town, who k^ep alive a town-meeting by short
adjournments to observe how the business ofthe court
goes on. Ruggles tells me the town h^§ theentire
command of the house. I prevailed on Williams,
Strong, and a few more good men to attend, but
they fay 'tis to no purpose, the whole province must
give way to the town. You used to tell me, my re
gard for the town made me too tender of its interest,
to the damage of the public interest. I cannot help
an attachment to the place of my birth, and I have some
personal interest 140 or 150 pounds flerling annual
rents, besides the house I live in, but I would now
give up all, if the town could be feperatedfrom the rtf of
the province. Ido not fee howthat can be done, but
something may and mud be done to_ humble the
leaders of the people of tbe town, and so keep the,
inhabitants in order, I have tried the council, and
represented to the Judges the illegality of the town
ads. They fay there is no possibility of helping it,
the body of the people arc all of a mind, and there is
Mr. Watson,
Please to inJert the following in your next,
New-Milford, May 29.
^HE committee of observation for this town, ha
ving duly notified Zacheriah Ferrifs, Joseph Fer
rifs, jun. fames Oforne, Daniel Taylor, Nathaniel
Taylor, and Hezekiah Stevens, fan. all of this town,
to appear this day, (if they saw cause) before said
committee, to give reasons (if any were) why they
should not be advertised as foes to the rights of
British America and said Zacheriah Ferris, fofepb
Ferris, pun. fames Ofoorne, Nathaniel Taylor, and He
zekiah Stevens, jun. having neglected to appear, and
give any fatisfaftion to said committee ; and said
Daniel Taylor having appear'd, and declared his
opposition to the doings of the congrefs---dnd said
committee having fully deliberated upon, and find
ing said persons obstinately fixed, in their inimical
opposition to the doings of the congress, and the
now bleeding cause of America, thinks itfelf in du
ty bound, agreeable to the 11th article of the asso
ciation, entered into by the Continental Congress, to
make this publication, that each of said persons
be universally neglected, and treated as incorrigible
ENEMIES to the rights of British America, ac
cording to said article of said association.
By Order of the Committee,
Samuel Canfield, Clerk.
N. B. Five other persons being notified to appear
as above, have lignified a recantation of their prin
ciples, and a compliance in full with the doings of
the Congress, to the satisfaction of the Committee.
* No left than 70 millions Herl.
Private. March 10, 1772.
Dear Sir,
V; i HEN l wrote to you the 27th February, I
VV was much pressed with public bulinefs, but
could not omit giving you some broken hints of
measures necessary for our relief. As the feflion is
at an end, I have more leifure,and will suggest a few
more thoughts upen the fame fubjeds. I should
think myfelf happy in an hour's cenverGtion, and
it Would be to more purpose than many letters. I
muff repeat to you that teething is abjolutriy necffary
to be done in cbnfequence of the open declarations of
the Towns and ofthe Council and Assembly against
the supremacy of Parliament, if it be only prepara
tory or the firft step towards fomothing more tffe&u
al that is to follow. If we will be indeperidant, why
fliould we not be threatenedwith what would be the
con sequence of our being aßually so, a refrains from
all trade with the Colonies which acknowledge ikemjtlves
Jubjefts.^
Is thore any way of compelling Boston to be a corpora -
tton by depriving them of their present privileges, and not
fuffering any acts of the Town ? The Charter of New-
Y ork City might be a good pattern. Can no refmint
be laid on the other Towns from ailing in any other af
fairs than Juc h as immediately concern them rejpeflivriy. l
It the present disputes about the supremacy, or
rather the danger 01 them, could have been foremen
they might h ive been prevented by adding after the
words lawful and righfuk king, in the abjuration, and
that king, lords and commons are the Jipreme legislative.
• If added mow, there if no determining what cenvul
fion it would makein America ; but there would be
less exception if it was made a general .provision,
like the late alteration upon the death ofthe pre
tender, and founded not merely upon the denial in
America; and there is- feme reason that it should
be so ; fjr if the supremacy had not been denied in
England, few petfens would dared to have denied
it here.
Other and probably better meafurcs will occur.
I only would wish -government may be convinced
that something is necessary to be done.
I venture to write with as great confidence as I
should converse if we were together in a private
room. lam with the greater regard,
Sir'your Fditnful humble servant.
TcHUTCHINSON; -
These two letters, it is apptehenued, were wrote
to Sir Francis Bernaid, tho' that is'hot certain. Ma
ny parts of the firfl are entered in the letter bock
without.any of the vowels, that they should be the
more hard to read by those who might accidentally
have the idfpeaion of them. The last confits of
scarce apy but con fonants.
no ftemraing the torrent. It is the common lan
guage of Adams and the rest, that they are her to
be intimidated by a&s of Parliament, for they will
not be executed here, and should there be an ad of
Parliament to vacate the char e , as the lawyer told
the judge ofthe Superior Court, the people would
not submit to it. Ido not Jee what should prevent the
new Counsellorsfrom being as obuex ous as the Commifion
ers. We are inoll certainly every day' confirming
ourselves in our principles of independence ; and
.tells me he is fully convinced, that netbirg,i?
Jbarp external force will bring Boften into a fate fare
fabordination. He is intimidated from attending the
Court through a nervous disorder he is under; which
was brought on by his apprehensions of danger, if he
should aft according to his judgment. Sewall tells
me he never will appear at any other Court in that
town after the preicut, as Attorney General, and the'
whole Court fay they do not fit there with freedom.
They would represent this to the General Court if
there was any profped of their making an A 6 to
hold the Court in any other place; but inf,ad of
that, they would be told their fears were grour.dlefs.
I need not suggest to you, what is neceffafy to be
done. The longer we are neglected, the harder cur
cure will be. Until government in England appears
to be in earned, the friends of government dare not
shew themselves among us. It is pcflible when t : cy
know they can be supported, they may appear more
numerous than the ions of liberty now imbibe. I
write with this freedom to you from a regard to the
public interest and the duty which I owe to the King,
and not from a regard to my personal interest, which
will be no more affected than other people's, after I
am fuperceded by the appointment of a new Gover
nor, which as I observed in ray last, ought not to be
delayed. lam sure you will not fuffer what I write
to come back again even by rumours.
N. B. The foregoing was wrote when he was Lt.
Governor, and expecting to be appointed Governor
in chief.
(O' The Cpnititutionai r<,it-Offices oa the South
ern Koad, arc kept by the following Qentlemer,'
viz. AcMiddletown, by Mr. Wenslev-llobby :
At New-Haven, Mr. Elias Beers: At F^itfe!d fr
Thaddeus Burr, Esq; and at New-Yoik, by
John Holt, Esq; Printer, who is the only proper
Person to receive the Eastern Letters for New-
Yoik, and the Mails for the Soutern Provinces.