The Virginia gazette — Williamsburg, Va., 1776-11-01 00:00:00, page 1

NOVRMBER 1, 1776.
NUMBER ,;fl
'Higb HEAVEN Io GRACIOUS ENDS du'us}; Il): dTORD-L.
. , . , ,
Mr. PURDIE,
N your lust paper l law a piece entitled
I the scntimunts of the several companies
ot' militizt and issrccholders of Augusta,
communicated by the dcputies from the
said companies and fi'eeholders to their
representativcs in the General Assembly of
the commonwculth; which piece, as it
has been submitted to the publick inspec
tion, is a proper subject for a few publick
stricturcs. Its objcdt is the subverlion of
our church cstablilhmcnt, an el'cablish—
ment which has been found, from the ex
perience of near zoo years, productive of
peace and order, of picty and virtue.
Its independent exordium is, to be sure,
of a very popular nature; but then it
would precede with as much, perhaps
more propricty, an esssiiy to prove the ex
pediency oscontinuing our eltablishment.
For did not churchmen, clergy as well as
laity, when the salvation of their country
rendered it necessary, declare for indepen
dence with as much alacrity as dissenters
'of' any denomination? And have they
not since been as active in supporting it?
I could instance many clergymen of the
estahlilhed church who have been more
forward in the present glorious contest
than any of the religious of any sect
amongst us, although the former acted
at the rilk of losing livings, whilst the
latter were tempted with the pruspect of
creeping into them. The grand, and
indeed the only argument, which these
sentimental gentlemen indulge us with,
in behalf of ,their favourite scheme, is,
that by giving equal liberty to all deno
minations unanimity will be ever preserved;
and unanimity, they tell us, has already
made us formidable to our enemies. l
'would ask, as they acknowledge unani
mity has heretnsore prevailed amongshus,
what was our sitnation at that time ? Had
we not a church establishment, and were
not dmsienters freely tolerated! Why then
should unanimity forsake us, as long as
we continue in the same situation? If it
does, it must be because some people re
quire more-than others sor having ventur
ed less, and only having done, to say the
most, as much. But are our gentshmen
sure, that, by destroying our church
( cstablishmcnt, that unanimity, so neces
sary to the salvation of our country, will
be preserved? ls they are, they have, I
mull: needs confess, great considence in
the meek and disintcrested disposition of
= the members of the established church,
; much more than they evidently have in
ss the temper oF their own sccts. They sup
pose the spirit of our church so generous
and sorgiviug that it will dispose us to sub
mit to laws which are injurious to us, ra
, ther thzm for a n'mment endanger the pub—
lick welfdrc ; while they declare they will
- not pay obedience to what is enactcd by
the supreme power of this state, unlclk
their particular interest is preferred to the
lasting interest nnd happiness of the whole
cummunity. If they represent matters
fairly, our legillatures may easily deter
msimc whether they will do their coumry &
greater service by supportingr so cxcc-licnt
& church as ours is acknowledged to be by
its very adversaries, or by drprcfliug it,
and encouraging scctaries, who, by their
own confession, are seffilh, turbulent, and
seditious. But, what is these men ilznuM
be mistaken? They may not have consider
ed, that though the spirit ofthc cshxblished
church is meek and tolerat'mg, shll its mem
bers are by nature men, of like pnflions \\ 'uh
themselves; and that though their religion
shrbicls them to trespass upon the patrinwny
ofothers, it by no means authorises them to
give up, or even neglect, their own. 'i'o
threaten seems to be the pruvincc osbuilic-s ,
and of such as have a bad cause; but every
reasonable person will ailoyv, that, to de
prive men of what they have always cn
joyed, and been taught to regard as their
right, is a much iulter cause oscomplaint,
and much more likely to produce dissatis
faction and disientions, than the with
holding from them what they never had
in possession, and what the distresses of
their country only could have made them
expect. I hope this will be considered by
our Honourable Assembly, and that they
will carefully avoid a measure by which
the greater and more orderly part of the
state will be aggrieved, and may be sick
ened of our important'dispute. The rest
of this sentimental piece containing only
puerile declamation, I shall vouchsafe it
no farther notice; but as I am before the
publick, I will take this opportunity of
making a few observations on the advan
tages of a religious establishment. I take
it for granted, that the netesiity of the
Christian religion, both with respect to
our temporal and eternal welfare, is a
point in Christian countries generally
acknowledged ; and ,' is si), it is undoubt
edly the duty of those who are appointed
to take caressof a state to adopt the most
likely method of having it propagatcd in
the greatest purity. An estahlishmcnt of
that church, which to the majority seems
most orthodox in its doctrines, most apos
tolical in its Form. and most rational in its
precepts, bid:- sairest to effect this purpose;
for When a good provision is. made for
teachers, and ensured to them by the pub
lick faith, men of ahilities will think it
worth their whiles to take some pains in
qualisying themselves for such an oflicc,
and men who have been accustomed to
think and reason, who have had their
judgments strengthcned and affistcd 'by all
the learned treasurer; of the ancient and
modern world, will be more able to com- .
prehend, and consequently to communi
cate to their hearcrs, the sense of the holy
scriptures. On the other hand, when
every church and sect is alike countennnccd
by the state, when salzn'ies are to depend
entirely upon the caprice of the people,
what encouragcment is given to men of
genius to qualisy themselves for the sacred
sunctsiion? That person must be but little
acquainted with the world who has not
observed that the generality of mankind
are more influenced by their pusiions than
by their reason, and [hat the hurzxngsiucs
otsi sunuticks are more likely to be :uusindsid
to, and to guin'lbllowcra, than the most
seusible discourses of subcr-mindcd ratiunal
men. 'I"! le co: xsis-qucnce must be, where
there 15 no e imbhhuncm, that a Lh pxcach
crs must either tum popular dcci .ximcr 5 or
issmrvc ; and thus, ahjult notions osrchgion
must be lost. 1 own it seems somewhat
hand, and rcwugnant to liberty, to oblige
men to pay towards the iu'dport of a
cnnrch to which they do not. belong; lsiur,
ilsisuch ;: thing- be conducivc to the general
good, us from the foregoing oblt-rruiibns
appears to be the (use, such pcrsons are
in duty bound to submit, in considcmtion
csf'thc many ndvamsi-gcs they may be sup
posed to dcl'wc from the flute. Azd in so
doing they make but a final] shusiiiice,
especially when they are permitted to en
joy their own privnte opinions, and to
worship God according to the dictsitcs of
their own conlsicsilenrcs. Vvouhi :mymuc
hesitate :: moment to zxshrm, ths: .: was
highly just and reasona'DZc to csi-bhgc every
member of a society to join in ihppurtivg
that sorm ofcsinil government which hnl
becnjudqu best, and adopted by a nu—
jority of the society? I am inclined to
think that an advocate for nmnurchy,
whose lot was cult in a republican govern
ment, would not be excused his quom of
publick taxcs upon any plca he could urge
of disupprobation of that form of govern
ment; and as the cases are similar, why
should we not admit in both the same
mode oisi rcason'mg? l shall make no apo
logy, mr. Punnlz, sor giving you so
much trouble. You must be senliblc of
the ncccsiity of such publications at this
tune.
A [Wembcr of the E/lublzshed Church.
XV A T E R T () \V N, Octalzcr 7.
AST Weduesday returned to S;.I<-m,
after a short cruisc, the brignntinc
Mztffiichusctts, of this state, cnmm'simded
by capt. Souther. [I: informs, that a
few days after he sai'ed hc sell in with and
took a brigantine of about 350 tuns, ti-dm
Falmouth in England, muunting six 3
pounders, and having on board a cnptuiu
and about. 20 privatcs us the tbth regiment
of dragoons, with their horlcs and accou
tremcuts, also the chaplnin ulsisltid regi
mcnt, and some dry goods, which the
captain says arc his own prupert)" ; th'; \\ hoic
numberot prisoners 55'. This will! s_x'sil:d
from Fahntmth the 27th of july, just a
month nster they embztrked, in company
with 12 others, under com'oy osthc ]):iph
ne of 32 guns, from whom they parted
but a day or two beshrc they were taken;
they all had the ssitmc kind oi'cargo. mak
in in the whole 230 horses. A fleet of
abuut 70 suil ssisiiied about three days before
them under a strong convey, having on
lmzu'd the reumindet' of the. xbth regimcnr
ofclmgoons, and the illst divilic—m nt'lla
noverians, coniisting, his suit], of 5000
men, bound to New York. They were