The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1781-04-04 00:00:00, page 1

[Vol. IV.] , T HE , [Numb. l7l.]
NEW-JERSEY GAZETTE.
Number I.
Mr. COLLINS,
ABOUT two years ago I gave, through the
channel of your Gazette, my sentiments
of our national disease, and the remedies
necessary for its cure, with the liberty and
candour becoming a true Patriot; The prescribed me
dicines, though the only which could effect a cure,
were however found exceeding nauseous to the disor
dered stomach. Some of the less disagreeable fpeci
ficks were tried firft, to afford some relief to the more
immediate troublesome Symptoms, while the rooted
disorder was permitted to carry on its rage; till at
last the state-patient was forced, by the law of felf
prefervation, to take the nauseous dose, though with
a few palliating ingredients, which weakened in some
measure the Sovereign power of,the remedy: And
while it thus became flower in producing its happy
cffe&s, it left the patient longer struggling under a
flow recovery from a dangerous languor, frequently
fubjett to fits or convulsive disorders of the nerves.
However, if a humourfome patient cannot be prevail
ed upon to take a Sovereign remedy without pallia?
tives, which retard the, cure, he mult blame himfelf
for all the intermediate diltreffcs; which, perhaps,
may produce the happy effects of making Such-patient
more cautious in guarding against a relapse, and more
prudent in improving prefervatory prescriptions.—
Since our date-patient has made trial of the prescrib
ed remedies, though mixed with retarding ingredi
ents, it affords mamfed indications of a found reco
very from the gates of political death, and promises
fair for a reßoration to health and vigour, uhlefs pre
vented by unfufpetted causes. As a reupfe is gene
rally more dangerous than the primitive disorder, I
hope my felfow-citizens will indulge me with offering
a few prefervatory prescriptions, which, if duly ob
served, may prevent a relaple, and promote the po
litical health and vigour of this nation. Curatory re
medies mult be adapted to the removal of the causes
of a disorder, but the prefervatory to prevent a return
of them. Those I Ihall now preiume to offer are to
be of the latter kind.
I conlidered, in my former essays, the causes of our
national disease in a twofold point of view; the one
meritorious; the other the efficient cause.
I. As to the meritorius cause, I endeavoured, No.
11, to prove it to be, the ungrateful condud of this na
tion towards God, our kind benefactor, and jif arbiter
of the uhiverfe. —I would feel exceeding happy had I
Sufficient reasons to believe this cause had been re
moved, and the prophet's counsel become acceptable
to us, " that we had broken off our fins by righte
“ oufnefs, and our iniquities by Viewing mercy to the
“ poor." I would vVilh to hope, that Some attempts
fix a national reformation have been made. But,
alas! how ineffectual many of the attempts! how
flow the advance ! I fear the lamentation of Jeremiah
may bejuftly applied to us, faying, "thou halt ftrick
" en them, but they have not grieved ; thou haft con
" fumed them, but they have refuted to receive cor
" rection ; they have made their faces harder than a
" rock, they have refufed to return^.” As also that
of another prophet, " for the people turneth not un
"to him who fmiteth thernf." The lovers of our
'country may well lament its judgments, faying, "why
" thould you be Rricken any more ? ye will revolt
" more and morefc" Notwithstanding ourjuft deserts,
yet has a gracious God, from the abundant riches
of his forbearing goodness, " in wrath remembered
" mercy," and therefore " we are not cohfumed."
If then we with a preservative against the return of per
haps greater calamities, let us attend to the counsel
given, Jer. iii. 22, 23, " return ye backsliding chil
" dren and I will heal your backflidings: Behold,"
fays repenting Israel, " we come unto thee, for thou
" art the Lord our God. Truly in vain is Salvation
" hoped for from the hills, and front the multitude
"of mountains. Truly in the Lord our God is the
“ Salvation of Israel." Not only people who had the
advantage of a divine revelation, but alto Pagans, have
acknowledged apd believed that kingdoms and domi
nions, with all their vicissitudes, were at the disposal
ofthe Supreme Being : If so, then it undoubtedly be
comes such a people to endeavour to procure his fa
vour, and the continuance of it, by true repentance
for fins past, and a course of due obedience to his
commands ; which, above all remedies, Secures a na
tion's welfare. I will not here assume the business of
the clergy^ in pointing out the necessary qualifications
for a well grounded hope of eternal bliss, but that of
* Jen v. 3. f Isa. ix. 13. ± Chap. i. 5.
WEDNESDAY, April 4, 1781.,
a citizen, Viewing the national duties refpe&mg the
Deity, requilite for the hope of his favour in the en
joyment of national blessings. And these I humbly
conceive to be —
I. A solemn acknowledgment of God in his publick
wofbip. This is a duty founded in the nature of
things. For he who acknowledges a God, acknow
ledges a Creator, and consequently an object of divine
worlhip. He then who refutes him this, denies him
to be God. Hence have all nations, in all ages, agreed
in this principle. Hence have Christians, intruded
by a divine revelation, chosen rath'er to Suffer the molt
exquilite torments than forego or neglcft this duty to
their Creator. A duty also necessary for the well be
ing of civil Society. Suppose a nation in which the
wurihip of the Deity is totally neglected; what con-
Sequences mult unavoidably ensue ? Stupid ignorance
mult envelope the multitude; a sense of tin and guilt be
obliterated ; the Sanction to all laws be only terror of
punishments; the civil government become a set of
herdsmen, and their Subjects next to a flock of brutes:
For what would Such as knew no law of God regard
the law of man? What wild tumult and disorder
would Soon Seize the body politick ?—As then the
publick worship of a Supreme Being is reasonable and,
necellary, so ought the time, to be appropriated for
that purpofc, to be eftecmed Jarred. For if the time
set apart for the worffiip of God, is taken up in the
pursuits of Secular affairs, carnal recreations or indo
lent idleness, how foou Will this publick worship be
come neglected, and the ends of it frustrated ? Hence
then it is evident, that the civil government is in duty
bound to guard against tne profanation of a Christian
Sabbath, if not from principles of Christianity, at lead
from their obligations to promote the good of Society.
And also how unfit and worthless such Magistrates
must be, who can fee this faCred time profaned with
the negleCt of the law in their hands. Hence also ap
pears the awful guilt of this nation in their general ne
glect of that publick homage which is due to our God.
Do we with for the smiles of Providence, and the bles
sings which flow from it ; let us confeientioufly wait
upon God in his publick ordinances ; let neither go
vernment nor fubjeCts, rich nor poor, esteem them
selves exculed from the obligation of this duty to their
Creator. No one andong us, whose atheiftical pro
fanity has induced him tofan habitual neglect of this
duty, ought to be considered as a true friend to his
country, or fafe to be entrusted with any pf its con
cerns.
2. I add, a due regard for the duties required in the
moral law. These are founded in the relation moral
agents bear to their Creator, and mutually to each
other as members of Society ; and therefore is a feufe
of them coeval with, and inseparable from, the ex
qrcife of reason. Of course, a disregard of such laws,
a neglect of such duties, must be highly offenfive to
our Creator, and fubverlive of the happtnefs and
fleets of society. Pagans, from the meer dictates of
conscience apd reafou, have acknowledged these
truths. A divine revelation has afforded us the clear
ed views of them : There we Arid temporal blessings
heaped upon nations morally virtuous : There we dis
cover the most awful calamities threatened, and ex
ecuted, on nations fortheir trampling, with impuni
ty, on the moral commands of God. And indeed,
here the fin brings its own punishment with it. View
the debauchee ; while he wallows in,all excels of riot,
drunkenness, curling, Swearing, lewdness, &c. while
he may yet enjoy wealth, can he enjoy himfelf, or be
of any real advantage to civil society ? The covetous
oppressor may amass gold, but will his confeience and
the frame of his mind permit him to find any true fa
tisfadtion in what he thus acquires? While the un
charitable wretch exposes his neighbour to many in
conveuiencies and ,hardships, providential retaliations
often uuake him Sigh and groan. Hence we ought
to be sensible of the vast importance of moral obedi
ence to the welfare of this pur new empire, I fear,
if immorality Should advance as it has commenced,
this nation will fink under the weight of it. Let
therefore every citizen, whatever his opinions may be
with refpett to saving religion, in his refpedtive Ration
by word and example endeavour to promote moral
virtue. If Justices would bellow half of the labour
and trouble upon putting the laws against profanity
in execution they do upon the paltry trials of disputes
among neighbours, they would do their country in
finite Service. .>
3. Another national duty I conceive to be, the ap
pointment of proper persons to the reins of government.
By proper persons I mean here, not only such as may
be officially qualified for the duties of their appoint
ment, but moreover such as are of a moral good cha
racter. What amazing influence the moral conduct of
persons in authority has, at all times, upon the com-
munity, is obvious to every observant mind. And as
the free citizens of America have directly or indirect
ly the appointment of officers to the civil government,
the whole become of course more exposed to the dis
pleasure of God, on account of their negled in this
relpedt., For in such appointments the community
muR become accomplices to the aggravated fins of
their exalted Rations: And therefore may God, the
more justly, punish them by such rulers ; and in per
mitting such examples to debauch the community, in
righteoulnefs punish the nation with various calamities
for its general depravity. On this account it has af
forded me pleasure, that some ofthe atheiftical fcoffers
of God and things sacred, whole presence dishonour
ed our councils, have been deprived of their honour
able feats. And for the fame reason I entreat my fel
low-citizens, as they regard the welfare of themselves
and dearest poftcrity, \o be cautious in their elections,
and not commit and entrust their liberties, property,
and the importance of good civil government, to de
bauchees, or persons of immoral and irreligious cha
racters. Let therefore our honourable representatives
also ^ell confider these consequences in the appoint
ment' of all the officers their couftitueuts have com
mitted to them.
4. Ihe last general duty I shall mention under this
head is, that every citizen endeavour sincerely to comply
with such religious principles and duties as he projeffes
to believe our Creator requires from him. All men are
not, nor indeed can be, in this Rate of imperftaion,
of one opinion as to the modes or manner of worship
ping and Serving God. But as we, in the main, are
profeffed protestants, we agree in the fundamentals of
that holy religion which condemns as abominable the
fin of hypocrisy ; and declares that we have to deal
with a searcher of hearts and a trier of the reins of the
children of men. Therefore, if we profefs to believe
that our good works can and must procure the favour
of God, let luch be Sincere and endeavour to excel in
them: For if they can thus procure his favour, and
Rill refute to do it, how incxcufablc must t'heir guilt
be ? and how high the affront to Supreme Majesty ?—
If we profefs to believe it must and can only be obtain
ed by free grace, through the merits of a crucified Sa
viour, we also profefs that this grace ought not to be
► abused to licentiousness ; and those who do, deserve
aggravated punilhmcnt. Does it then not become
such to improve this grace, freely offered, for the
curbing vice, and the promotion of religion and vir
tue ? and so each one to adorn his proftßion with an
holy conversation? And are not the virtuous of every
perfuation bound by the principles of their own pro
feffion to seek, by prayer, Applications, and an ex
emplary conduct, the welfare of the nation where they
find protection of their property and the exercise of
their religion without controul?
Upon the whole, in viewing the present Rate of our
national affairs, nothing appears so gloomy and alarm
ing as the ungrateful return this people has made, and
is making, to a kind and indulgent God. Our secular
affairs are putting on an agreeable profped, they seem
to prpmife fair for a happy deliverance from our moR
preßing difficulties. But, alas! what may all this avail?
If our fins Should again bring the frowns of superin
tending providence upon us ? How soon may that blast
pur mot tpleafing hopes, and cast us into a labyrinth
of unforefeen difficulties and distresses ?—Let us there
fore be entreated by the calls of heaven to us revealed
in his sacred word ; by his kind and indulgent provi
dences in our favour; by the justice and goodness of
the cause we are engaged to defend; by the sacred
ties of care and' regard for the welfare of ourselves,
our children, and generations yet unborn ; to be sin
cerely engaged in removing and preventing every cause
of offence to the Supreme Arbiter of the world. Ye
Ministers, to whomthe dispensation of the oracles of
God and the cure of fouls is committed, with vigi
lance and zeal oppose the present torrent of vice.
Ye civil rulers, let equity and justice be the chief in
gredients of every bill paired into a law; let helpless
and oppressed innocence find you its faithful guardian;
let inipartialjuftice be dispensed at every tribunal ; let
the civil sword committed to you be a terror to evil
doers, and a comfort to those who do well. Ye heads
of families, regard the education and morals of those
committed to your charge: You, above all others,
have the opportunities of curbing vice, and the pro
motion of virtue. Young and tender minds are com
mitted to your tuition and discipline ; let, therefore,
your advice, inftrudtian, care and example, lead them
in the, paths of religion and virtue. Remember they
are to succeed others as members in church and Rate.
Were we a reformed people, I am parfuaded we
would soon be a happy people ; which is the sincere
wifli of
Jah. 25, 1781. A true Patriot.