The American herald of liberty — Exeter, N.H., 1795-03-28 00:00:00, page 1

« This stipulated commerce of
friendly a&s; this mock benevo
lence, for value received, chills the
growth of the scions of humanity,
friendfhip, and philanthropy, and
all that is generous in the foul.—
A man whp exercises it, makes
himfelf a centre, and withes all to
gravitate towards himfelf-, he views
his friend, and even his Maker, as
the tools by which he brings a
bout his sinister ends ”,
V GENTLEMAN,
« In ‘ obedience! to your polite
tequeft, I appear in the desk.—
As I am conscious that you did
hot invite me with an expectation
that I would offer you the fulfome
incense of flattery, £ wilh to meet
you on the ground of that blunt,
hbneft man, whofyeaks right c«,and
-whose Words are the unequivocal
index of his heart. . ,
“ 1 pretend to none of your fe
rrets. So far aS the principles of
your Society lead you to visit the
flck, and in prison j to perform
the duties of hospitality to the
fl ranger ; to comfort the afflicted,
to feed the hungry, clothe the Jna-„
ked, to relieve the widow and the
fatherlefs,and to dry the orphans
tear, I revere it, as I revere every
thing that seconds the cause of
humanity.
( acknowledge, also, that I
despise, equally- with ypu, those .
parrow spirits who censure you for
your particular secrets, and Gan
der the order (o f the difordealy Walk
Os feme of itr members. ft is' a
disgrace to the rational part of the
creation, that so many centuries
have elapsed, and that they have
but just learned to . diftinguifli
j^dp^/from men, who profeffed
ly embrace them. \;
< '
g generality of men cul-
I tivate friendfliip, on the
fame grounds that Herod and Pi
late became friends in opposing
Jesus. < ; s
“ Men herd, instead of officiating
together, by. that spirit which
Christ reprobates as repugnant to
true love and virtue. Such com
binations may answer political,
worldly prudential purposes; but
they disgrace the name of friend
jhip, as they have not a spark of
chat diAnterefted and poble Chris
tian virtue, which feeketh not her
own.
Mr. Fenno, i • ; : :
INCLOSED, are federal ex
tracts from a Sermon -preached in
Litchfield, id Connecticut,. to the
i’REE MASON% : on the 17th
of Sepcembwyi^., by a Clergy
man of reputation f If they sh all
appear worthy of . publication,
please to insert therh id your Ga
zette. *
from the Gazette of the United
States.
Volume IX.] „
->I. — ... t r .4— A
^EXTRACTS
from Mr. Backus's SERMON.
Publijhed tn Saturdays, ^Samvel Winslow, in Main-Street, Exetet,(Nev.-Hampfi>ire) at i Dall. & 25 Cents per annum'.
- , -A. ■j' Jr AKT x. j . * .* N *' • *
February ryth, 1 795*
-V ' * ; - y
American Herald of Liberty.
long since baniflied, to their mer
ited oblivion for their officioufnefs
in the policy of the nations, that
' embofomed them—the Masons
have hitherto, maintained a charat
: ter harmlels in this refpeft. I
need not tell you that yobr glory
and defence depends on keeping
this char'after inviolable! The
: spirit of liberty has the eyes of an
Argus. Clubs ednnot rule among a
free people. Should you convert
your Society into a political Cabal,
the jealousy of a free aiid enlight
ened people will search it out, and
evil will rdturn oh your /own
heads; you will be yiewed and
treated with the (ame contempt
as has befallen Tfemocratic Clubs,
Clerical Influence, and Arifiocratic
Combinations. Should y^u cgn
' vert your/^xW/ into SaccbaHtals,
f “Our holy religion Coffers On
the fame score, from the contract
ed illiberality of ignorant,; fuper
ficial fceptics, and the obloquy of
sneering buffoons. But lam not
alhamed to plead. the cause of re
ligion still; though it has its eoe
mies, and- many of its profeffors
dilgrace ir. Dtfgrace ft did I
fay ? Theyrcanobt disgrace it; ft
will hew its way through all its
enemies, and defeat the wisdom of .
their heart mean to. Many who
have boasted of conquering liberty,
have set their feet on the neck of
real morality.
u Whether your inftitucions be
feudal patriarchal, or antideluvian
it matters not; just to far as real
benevolence enters into its princi
ples, it will (land and no furth
er.> . •
“ Uplefs a spirit of misrepre
sentation fiafi belied your fofti
turion, and immoral niafon is as
great an inconsistency as an im
moral chriftiant It .is.. believed
that it has not made ^oqd men
worse v would to God it had made
bad men better''
The world has its prefcripti
ble demands on your every day
conduct, is much as it has on the
profeffors of religion. As you
profefs benevolence, it is impor
tant that you let your light (hine
as well as they. There is ope ma
terial difference however, between
us. If Masons do not five agree
ably to their benevolent laws,they
will fink into contempt, in spite
of all their external parade. But
religion will mak^ its way through
hofts^f falfe profeffors, as it is
founded on the word of God.”
“. The rage of the present
times is for general diforganiza
tiori and thediffolution of all that
has the marks cf antiquity*—
Nothing will (land against the
general wreck, but real truth and
real virtue. Not that t ;he greatest
diforganizers think to nor doth
all its foes, though millions z of
painted hypocrites, by presuming
to meddle with the holy and aw
ful Ark of the Covenant, fHall pe
ri (h with the touch.”
While the results have been
, SATURDAY, Maxch 23, 1795.
The following ixir afts, we are au
thorized to inform . the public,
are taken from letters -written by
Mr s MUNROE, our Minister
at Paris.
“TN the movements of the pref-
X ent. day, the Jacobin Society
has as heretofore borne its part.
The hiftory of this society frpm
it? orign to the present time, is .of
importance to mankind, and es
pecially chat, portion upon .which
Providence has bellowed the blef
sings pf free governments It
furnifhes a teffon equally instruc
tive to public functionaries arid
to private citizens. I am not yet
fully poffeffedofthe details, altho*
I have endeavoured to acquire
them. But the outline I think I
ndw uhderftand, In its hiftory,
as in that of the Revolution itfelf,
there are obviously two great ae
ras. The firft. commenced with
the Revolution^ and ended with
the deposition of the King. The
second fills the space between that
event ahd the present. The for
mer of thefeis still further divifi*
ble into two parts, and upon each
of which, diftinft: charafters are
marked. The firft commenced
with the Revolution, and ended
with the constituent assembly, or
adoption of the conftiiQtipn.x The
second comprizes the administra
tion under the constitution. Dur
• ing the firft of ihefe, the Jaco
bin; Society was computed of
almost all the enemies to the an
cient despotism । for in general,
those who werdfrtends, of the.pub
lic liberty, and wifheddts eftab
liftipient under gny possible modi
fication, became at this time mem
“ bers of< and attended the de
bates of this ipciety. But with
the adoption qL the constitution
many were fatisfied, and left ty.—
After this and during the. second
parr of this aera, it was competed
-only oftheenemies of hereditary
monarchy, confprifing the mem
bers of the three succeeding par
ties of Brifibt, Dantosfand Robes
pierre; During thd whole of the
firft aera, until thd deposition of
the King, this society may be cori
fidered as the cradle of the Revo
lution for mqft certainly the Re
pubjrc would not have beeneftat>
lifted Without it.. It wis the. or- j
gan of the public fentimenti atnd
by means of diteufiion and free
Critical upon men and measures
contributed greatly to forward
that important event.
you wilHec yourlelves in the fame
point Os light that the Church of
Corjnth was fer, by St. Paul;
when they perverted their euchar
ift and lovefeafts to fcencsof in
temperance and revelry. Would
you bring your Society into geaan
al repute, it can only be done by
each member of the Fraternity
^mbidhg in his own life a speak
ing proof of the Excellence of the
Inftituuon.”
From tbt New-York Daily Advertiser.
But from that . _ periocj and
through the whole of vthe k second
aera, this society has afted a diff
erent part, and merited-a different
ch a rafter. The* clergy, the no
bility, and the royalty were gones
the whole government was in the
hands of the people, and its whole
force-exerted against the enemy.—
There was in short nothing exift
ingm that fine which merited te
preherifion, br With which the po^
pular lentimegt, virtuouily incline
edj could take offence;. - But ft
had already gained a weight in the
government, and which ft had
now neither fufficient virtuS bof
inclination to abandon. From this
period therefore its-movements;
were cbunter.rcvolutionaty,, and
we behold the fame society which
was heretofore fa formidable to
de(pocifm, now brandiftinh the
fame weapon against the legitimate
representation of the people,; t
Its subsequent story is neither
complicated nor vafiobs y as the
revolution was complete so f^f a$
depended bn the interior order of
things, it had ho service of that
kind to render, nor pretext^ to
colour its. movements. »It -was
reduced to either withdrawing
from theftage or taking part In
the ordinary internal adminiftra*
tion, and which it could - hot db®
otherwise than by becoming an
instrument v© some one of the
parties against. the other. This
ft at ion it immediately occupied, &
has Once held it to the present
time. ;It became the creature of
Robespierre, and under his di y
reftion, the principal agent; in all
those atrocities which have stained
thistftage of the Revolution. It
was by means of this society that
he succeeded in cutting off the
members of the F two fucceding
parties of Brissot and Danton 5
and had finally : well nigh ruined
the Republic itfelf.. ~
it is an interesting fad, and very
deferving.of attention, that in the
more early and latter stages of thist
society, the best. men of Francd
were seeking admittance into it,
, but from very different motives^
In the commencement and until
the eftabliftment of rhe Repub-*
lie, it was retorted to by them sos
the pCrpOfe of promoting that
greatevent. But in the latter stage
and trnril the fill of Rojves^ierri^
ft was retorted to by them merely
as 6 fhejter from danger. Virtue
and talents, with every other great
and noble endowment, ^cr^pdio^i
id the fight of that fnonfter, and
were of course the objeft of his
persecution. , Nor was any man of
independent spirit, profeffing thetrt
secure from his wrath. .
The Jacobin Society .could di
lone furnifh any kindof propion l
and to this cqcumftance ic was ow
ing that many defending charafters
were, seen there f ; and apparently
countenancing yneafures, whieft
in thejr.fouls they abhorred, ft
is therefore only jvffjc^ that thtt 3
present pondering party hf
a (Number 39.