The Pennsylvania gazette — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-11-13 00:00:00, page 2

some time. They do not care a button for religion, not
they; thiu is only a revival of the old outcry, that the
church is in danger, so often raised by ill-designing men
to mislead the hones tpart of society; but if they did,
this noise argues great ignorance. The Old Testament
is mentioned in the New a great many times, by the
plain appellation of fcripturc. Turn over the gospels,
adts and epistles, you will find it is as I fay. I ihould not
need to fay so much to a child in our parts; no, no, our
boys and girls know the Bible better; fee John's gospel,
chap. v. at ver. 39. Jesus fays to the Jews, search the
scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, &c.
Paul to Timothy, 1 epift. iii. and 17. all scripture is
given by inspiration of God; words which doubtless our
Convention had in view ; and if it be not fafe and found
to " speak in the words which the Holy Ghost teacheth,"
to use a phrase of the Apostle Paul (2. Corinth, chap. ii.
ver. 13.) but we must be correded by “ man's wisdom,"
it is very Itrange. And to bring one more example only,
which may also serve to correct this caviling temper,
" Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures," said Jesus, to
the Sadduces: Matt. xxii. and 23d verse. Doubtless, if
I was now in hearing of one of these velvet mouthed
gentlemen, he might be apt to fay to me, “ Pray Sir, do
not you yourfelf Jlide inadvertent?, in to the fame rude dia te&,
and speak rather difrefpeafall, of holy men and holy things.
If Irightly recoiled, you used the word Gospel without its
proper adjunct Holy, and you afforded noi the holy Apofiles
their title of Saints." I fufpedthat if these lawyers read
the Bible at all, they use a tfhnflation of the New Testa
ment not long since made by a polite clergymen in Bri
stol. I have not seen it; but I have been told that he
difeovered many blunders in the former verlions, made
by the rusty old fellows that Queen Elizabeth and King
James trusted it to. That particularly he gave an elegant
and happy turn to divers speeches of our Saviour, which,
from their bluutnefs and plainness, have Blocked the de
licacy of many well-bred gentlemen, so that they seldom
cared to tribe away a heavy half hour in looking over so
unfafhionable a book. My country friend proceeded,
John, fays he, you are a cooper, the adze on yonder
flielf is a cooper's adze, not a carpenter's; were I to call
it a Iharp, a good, or a new adze, would this make the
name for the tdol more intelligible ? How then would it
have mended the matter, if the Convention had prefixed
Mefieurs HA L L and SELLERS.
lAMI AM a young tradefinan in town. About two weeks
ago I heard there was great doings to be in the State-
Houi'eyard. I went there, but was vexed to fee so few
of tiie towu's-people. Not near a thousand I warrant
you. I have been at such meetings before, and to be
sure we were not a man less than five or fix thousand at
lead. Some of our long beaded men made it out plainly
enough, as I thought, that out Convention had Abused
the chriftian religion, and that of course ail they had
done was wrong. For you know that we can hope for
no good under so wicked a constitution. Let all go to
tiie dogs thought I, and let these worthy religious men
take and make us a new one ; so 1 voted for all they told
me. Some of thele men were lawyers, indeed, but then
they talked just like ministers, so devoutly and piously,
th^re was no Handing it.
Weill heme I came, quite fatisfied, and you can't
think how angry I was with the graceless Convention. I
called them a pack of cowards, that were trifling away
their time here, and never went to camp, as we did. But
two or three days after, a plain country man, that always
frays at my house when he happens to be in town, lighted
at my door, aridfcop after wentabout town to buy some
things. At night, as we were fitting;about the tire, John,
fayk tie to me, What falling out is this among you Associ
ators in town) Ido not like it. You will throw all into
lihfulion. By breaking you divide you? Strength, and
give up the cause to tuctories, who I find.are laughing
at your folly. Why, Sir, laid,l, our Convention-men
turn outdo be a fad ,wicked pack ; they have affronted the
c^ihian rf|igign it^he molt scandalous manner. lam
sure lawyer ———made it so clear, and was io diftrefled
about it, that I was just ready to cry; and you know that
such idlings can never prosper: So we agreed, do you
fee, to have the Constitution mended; that's all,- and then
all will lx right. There is no harm sure in all this; I
caift, for my blood, fee any. Why, John; said my
friend, how did the lawyer make this out? Why, fays 1,
he read us the part about people being chriftians that
were voted on the Aifembly, and would you believe it,
they never put the word h^y to.the bible, but rudely call
it fcripturc, plnn fcripturc, and n@ more. Besides, a
man of deep learning made itiout to me t'other day, that
every Long-book is scripture ; that is, writing, as well as
the bibie; for you know, laid he, Its called bo 1 , writ.
And if so, they may mean what they please by fcripturc.
Vote-fee Mr. ^ what a fine back-door was here left
open for heathen men and Mahometans to flip into toe
house, and hfyu r up the chriftjau religion. Bolides, what
made them to k^e out that other thing about Chrilt and
tne Holy Ghost, being, God. There was some deviltry
sure. in,all,this. My country friend, upon this, alked
me —John, do you over read your bible? You talk as if
you had forgotten it, at least. 1 aufwered I read it too
little, indeed. My father Bound me out when young,
and my matter kept us tightly to our trade, but thought
I suppose I had learned the bible enough already. You
may think perhaps that I could not help reading it at
school ; but in out Philadelphia schools, they fay the old
and new testaments are wrong books for boys to learn
by ;,thry arc bad gfau^ar apd bad style, they fay ; and
so much of bible for talks sets boys against it,.-add'they
never like it after. —John, said my country friend, what !
is the bible put out of the reach-of town boys? In my
opinion you will icon find hdatheuifm enough among
you. But indeed this very affair at the State-House thews
the case to be bad enough already. I think youtalked of
a thousand citizens being at the State-House: What ! did
none of them itind up for the Convention ? Yes three or
four, said I; but we were so strong against them, that
we laughed them out of countenance. We had all the
rich great men and the wife men, the lawyers and doctors
on our fide, and we never niidded one word such fools
babbled.—That was wro^g, John, fad my friend; the
Convention confided of 96 men, chosen by the free vote
of the city and counties; in ihort, by the whole pro
vince. Many of them were of the firlt character. It
was very unbecoming your gentry to collect a crowd
in an hasty manner, and by a few flourishing speeches
to raise a tumult among plain-people, on whom they bad
influence. The belt things maybe ridiculed and pulled
to pieces in this manner; error and mistake mix unavoid
ably Until all human affairs. The late Convention blew
by their plan they were men, and I think have made
some plain mistakes. But can we get angels to correct
them. I fufpe<ft that if you det these State-tinkers go to
work, they will make ten holes where they flop one; and
some of their holes they will so varnish over, that you
will not fufpedt them, till you put their work to trial for
* This clamour about religion, and the groundighefs of man, of
their objections to the plan made by Convention, are acknowledged by
a piece in Mefrs. Bradford's last paper Jigned S. Howell. Ns for
their famous cath, even the name and character of the boneft good man
who was raised into the chair as the Stae-ILufc could not g~t she
people to gulp it down.
holy to scripture ? Is there any tetm more fixed or better
underßood in our language than the Scriptures of the Old
and New Tefament? I am sure it would be beyond the
puzzling fltill of any split-hair lawyer of them all, to
bring a country jury to hesitate on this point. As to
your towns-people, I would not be so positive ; if he had
any chance, it would be because ni^ny of you, it seems,
study not your Bibles. But is it not declaring the scrip
tures holy, when they are declared to be divinely in
spired ? Or would they be holy, if not divinely inspired ?
The word, seems wholly needless. And after all, it is
doubtless an impropriety to call temples, altars and
books holy. These are only figuratively holy, not truly
so. To be properly holy can be fpokeu of Ged and in
telligent beings only. As to the other point refpeding
the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, I will fay but a little.
Old Governor Penn, by his lalt charter, declared, that
all who profeffed to believe in Christ Ihould be capable
of all privileges. In 1700 an act had been passed in the
like terms, this was disallowed by Queen Ann, in 1705;
at the Revolution in 1688, they had given toleration to
dissenters, but denied to all persons who Ihould in
preaching or writing deny the Holy Trinity. Warm dis
putes too had subsisted in England concerning the eternal
generation of the second person, and Catholics were ex
cluded carefully from all places of trust. The miniihy
therefore let the ahembly know that they must keep
within.the limits afeertained in England, and then their
act would pals. This produced the aft of 1705 for liber
ty of confeience, 011 condition of belief in the Holy Tri
nity, and the like test and renunciations of tranfubßau
tiation and other popiih tenets. The adt for ascertain
ing the Afferpblymen and elections passed in the fame
year; yet no layman, generally Speaking, was ever c?dlgd
on in England todubferibe to the doctrine of the Trinity
or any other doctrine. Indeed, if a man gets an office,
he must for once go to the Lord's table in an Episcopal
Church. But this test was intended as a bar against Ca
tholics; not as a profeffion of his chriltian faith. In this
view aifo laymen are called on to renounce tranfubhan
tiation and other popilh doctrines. Dr. Nichols, an able
advocate for the establishment, boasts of this inftanc^ of
moderation. In Scotland, no doctrinal test, nor facra
mentai test, subsists. That country, on Hulking off the
folemu.league and covenant, eltaWilhcd no other; nor
,has their church the legt civil coaction to its cepfiyes,
nor is if desired. In the three kingdoms the clergy fob
fcribe fyfexps of dodtr.nc ; and in England, not in
Scotland dor Ireland, the dill'enting miniftgrs are re
quired by law to fubferibe the doctrinal articles of the
Church of England. As they derived no advantage from
the cftabjilhmcnt, this has been thought hard, and the
fubfeription has, during the lalt forty years, been greatly
diluted. But not content with this, thy body.of dis
senters, about three or four years lince, addressed par
liament for full relief. At firft they utterly failed, Next
' year their bill palled the Commons; but the Bfthops
overpowered them in the Lords house. Another attempt
will probably succeed; for the main hindrance seems to
have been the fears of administration, that a bigotted
clamour of the danger of religion would be excited by
crafty men, had they indulged the dissenters at firft.
.These things being as related, and no design nor desire
entertained of cftabliihing any particular feft in Penn
fyivania, why are thde tests pressed upon us? And why
the doctrine of the Holy Trinity fele&ed from the rest?
Is it so efihntially nyceffary to civil rule? Why not the
article of the atonement also? and so on. The apofcle
Paul repreßuts the refurrthtion of Christ as a molt fun
damental doctrine. But the true reason is this ; the doc
trine of the Trinity had been drawn into eager dispute
in the latter part of lalt century, and because of this, it
was, as usual, made a touchtfone of orthodoxy. Jf we
go beyond the Bible for a test, let us have a proper system
of divine truths ; otherwise one left among us will mag
nify one tenet; another a different, one. Some of our
Trefbyterian neighbours have already blamed the Con
vention for neglecting originalJm, and an honest Catholic
in our parts told me t^e other day, that we might scheme
as be pleated, but till the real presence was heartily re
ceived, all vould go wrong. One fubfeription affected
some of the laity in England. It was the imposing of
the thirty-nine articles of the established church on boys,
on entering the university. But this dreadful chain on
young minds is, 1 am told, broken and removed. On
the contrary, in Pennsylvania some are at this day pref
ling doctrinal fubferiptions on the laity, who are not
supposed to be verfcd in abstruse points and capable of
defending them. What do you think the Convention of
New-Jersey did in this fame business of religion ? They
established in article 19, that persons profeffing the faith
of an, protehant feCt Ihall be capable of being elected to
any office,' or to either branch of legislature; and in ar
ticle 23, they direCt the members of legislature to be
sworn, on taking their feats, that they will not consent
to any law, vote or proceeding, that ihall annul, repeal
or alter any part of the 19th fe&ion. And yet our Con
vention has been abused for betraying the cause of God
by gentlemen who applaud the Jersey plan. It has even
been made a crime in our legislators to forbid further
tells, tho' our neighbours have all done it after fitting
their dandard on the most large footing. Do you think
I blame the conduct of our neighbours? No, by no
means. They have aCted very prudently. But I blame
the base art of those, who, approving of it too, could
raise such a fa,He and illiberal clamour on this fide of the
Delaware.
John, continues he, I detest this scheme of raising a
falfe alarm of the danger of religion, many groundiefs and
inlincere objections to the plan of the Convention which
those ruen have raised, and their most absurd oath on e
leCtors, " that they will not, direCtiy or indirectly, do
any aft or thing prejudicial and injurious to a government
that ihall be eftabliihed, &c." alter ridiculing and repro
bating an oath in like terms instituted by Convention to
a plan made and publiihed, in the overflowing of their
honest, but perhaps mistaken zeal for the cause of their
country, endangered by the seditious deligus of too many
internal enemies.* If they exceeded their commission in
this, and in making ordinances, they only trod in the
Heps of our late Affemby, who, in doing business for
which they were not elected, far out-went them. They
imitated also the conference, who instituted a test, ad
mitted aliens and poor associators to vote, and allowed
the lead county the fame Representatives as the largest.
These will doubtless plead the necessity they were under.
The Congress too applied to them to co-operate in some
necessary matters, that could not be deferred. Particu-
Captain 3immons, echo arrived utDartmouth on Fri
day luji, in twenty days from St. Eiflatia, informs, that the
Governor of that place offered bim, that a <war would foots
be declared by the, King of France .agaiaf Crent-Britain ;
"'"'''" °' ," ^r'^fb pirate s,Lapsbeing in that port in
purjua of American piopert,, bad aciaafy been fired upon
front their forts, and that great encouragement was given
to ail American veffils throughout the French dominions.
fylerda, arrived here from Newburj-Fort, where foe
w&s lately built, t»e Maffachufett s frigate Boflon, mounting
28 guns, commanded 'b, Heflor fa'^eil, Enquire.
PR OVIDEN C E, November 2.
Capt. Stacey, in the Diamond privateer, has taken a brig,
having on board 1500 quintals of cod-fjb, bound from
Newfoundland to Spain, andfent her into a fafe port.
Capt. Pearce, in a privateer belonging "to Eafl-Green
wich, has taken a brig laden with Jugar, rum, cotton,
fajlick, &c. bound from Tortola to Liverpool. Another
prize we hear is taken b, a Greenwich privateer, both of
them fafe arrived.
N EWPOR T, October 28.
Since our last arrived at neighbouring ports, a large
brig loaded with navai dores, &c. taken by Capt. Pearce
and another loaded with proviliens, bound to New-York
or Quebec, taken by Capt. Stacey.
Nov. 4. Last Monday Capt. Shearman Clarke arrived at
an eafern port, in 15 days from the Weft-Indies, and in
forms that he saw a letter from France a day or two be
fore be jailed, advifng that it might be depended on that
Prance would declare 'rear agamfl Great-Brrtam very
soon ; that the Pomona and two other Briti/b,Jbifes of war
were fup,ofed to have been loft in the late hurricane in the
Weft-Indies, the, not having been beard of face.
W I L # L I AMSBU RG, November 1.
By letters jull come to town from the army on the In
dian expedition, dated the 14th and 15th ult. we have in
telligence, that our troops, commanded by Col. Chriftiau,
were met on the 12th, on this fide the Bia ad river, by a
flag from the Chiefs, with propofais for peace, which
were rejected in consequence of having refuted to deliver
up their white leaders. Col. Chriftiau at the fame time
was informed that a large body of the enemy lay oppo
site a fording place on the other fide the river, waiting
to obftrud his paflage, at which place the Colonel arriv
ed the fame day, and encamped. The 13th, in the night,
a body of about 1200 of our army made a secret march;
and crossed the river at an unfrequented'ford three miles
below the enemy, from whence they marched towards
BO ST O N, O&ober 24.
By a gentleman who was lately taken ui oneof the
prizes we learn, that the Empress of Russia had offered
Ills Britannic Majesty from twenty to 100, oco men, for
the lervice of Americi; but that the people in England
icemed rather averse to hiring any more troops, be:n' r
already burthened with taxes.
Yefterdav Capt. Daniel Harthorne arrived at Salem
from a cruise. On his passage he met with ' an armed pac
ket, whicli he attacked. In the engagement, which
lulled two hours, he loft three men killed, and nine or
ten wounded, himtelf Lightly ; since which he has t^cn,
and lent into Cape-Ann, a prize ihow with oats.
The privateer commanded by Capt. Carleton, which
failed from Salem on a cruise about four weeks since,
was taken near Canceau, by the brig Hope, Capt. Daw
','.? ' ew <^y s aftcr Saving port, mid carried into
Halifax. Capt. Carleton, with some of the crew, made
their escape by fwiinming alhore.
Lad I hurfday was lent into Haybannefs, by Captain
Atkins, the Ihip IJeafield, from Ireland, b^und to New-
York, having on board 70 puncheons of spirits, 70 ditto
of porter, ?5o tierces of bread, 50 ditto oatmeal, 61 dit
to peafe, 60 pork, 70 ditto beef, 100 calks of butter,
some sweet oil, railins, candles, Hour, and a number of
other articles.
,Yesterday arrived in this port, a prize Blip from An
tigua tor London, with about 200 hogsheads of sugar.
She was taken by the Putnam.
, 03. 31. We hear from the eastward, that on Friday
the 2otliof September last, a niunber of persons belong
ing to the private armed schooner Hannah and Molly,
Agreen Crabtree, Matter, went into the port of Liver
pool, in Nova-Scotia government, and croffi d by land
till they carhe within call of a large Ihip of 500 tons,
mounting 4 carriage guns, 4 cohorns, and 4 swivels; the
leader of the party hailed the ihip and deiired them to
fend the boat on there ; accordingly the mate came with
the beat: rhe privateers-men get into her, went on
board the ihip and took her — They brought the guns to
bear upon a brig loaded for England, and ordered the
mailer of the brig to come alongside the ihip with the
brig—They then Gripped the Ihip of every thing valuable,
and put the efibds on board the brig, and let the ihip go
on ihore, and came off with the brig. The fame crew
ado, at the fame time took two schooners apd a sloop;
the schooner and sloop have arrived, but the brig had
not arrived in port the 6th of October, so that we fear the
is re-taken. The Captain of the privateer was so careful
as to put all the guns and cannon, with a quantity of
powder, on board his own privateer, so that they have
arrived faft: The schooner and Hoop had nails, fill, and
a number df valuable articles on board.
larly they recommended to Conventions to provide laws
against counterfeiting the Continental Currency.
But I will only alk where will these ddingenuous prac
tices lead us? Suppole that when the 72 afiemblymcu, or
perhaps 50 or 60 of them, meet, two thirds of them think
it prudent on the whole to proceed on the foundation laid
by the late Convention, what good can result from the
diffatisfadiou that has been artfully infufed into the minds
of many, oa grounds which in great part were confeffedly
induce! e<? for it will be admitted that people Ihould pre
serve and love the form of government which they are
underpin order to be happy. If the plan be overfet, or
many fundamental alterations made, whicli is much the
fame (01 woile, as it would then be patch-work) what
fliall hinder 30 or 40 men of influence at Minifink, and
as many hereafter again at Bedford, to raise clamours a
mong a crowd hastily coHeded, and, abusing the Adem
bly in 32 resolves each, determine on change upon change.
Thus will they lead us, it is cafy to forefee, into inex
tricable contusion. Rejeft then, oh reject, this wild
scheme. You have gotten a good, tho' not a perfect con
stitution ; proceed 011 it, far you will not get a better;
opposition and passion will now mix with all new mould
ing of it. Let us once more have order and a course of
justice eftabliflud; sure you must need it greatly. It may
be long, it must be some months, before you can attain
it, in the way your gentlemen propose, if at all.
This difeourfe of my friend affected and set nieathink
ing; and may be it may some others who were at the
State-liquid at the feme time. I wish you would let it
a PP^ a \ m y<?ur exteniive paper. I am, Gentlemen,
HhiladNpbia, Your tumble servant, '-
t?i„6., JOHN TRUSSHOOH