The Virginia gazette — Williamsburg, Va., 1772-05-21 00:00:00, page 1

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ruuactsoAs anx,u7z. ct' ' THE" ss- NUMBER 3'15'.
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bptct iffluenced By, .N O N Fr
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zsiss-ctJUmenm-zmcnlon 'ro "- ENGLISH
;* ' - ct N A T ! O N.
DEDICATE tquousia collection of letten, writ
ted by one of ybnrselvu, for the common benesit
cte Qf o: 1". They would never have grown to this
ct-fz}..W Mr mnine! encouragementssand
_ applaose. o me they originally owe nothing but
'a healthy, sunguine conflitution. Underjour cure they
hue thriven. o jeu they in indebted for whnever
ltrength or beauty they possess. When King: tnd Mi
sinillers are forgotten, when the force and direction ctof
-ersonal satire is no longer understood. and when mea
rcs arc 6on felt in their remotesi consequence, this
ak will, l believe, be found to contniu pnnciples wot
' to be transmitted to posierity. When you leave the
mpaired hereditary frcehold to your children, you do
half your duty. Both liberty and [: y are pre
toua, unless the possessors have sense m spirit enough
to dsi-fcnd them. This is obt the lcugulge of vanity. ls
! am : vain man, my gratification lies within : midst;
circle. I am the sole depositary of my own secret,
a
it shall perish with me.
it an honelt, and. ! may truly ashrm, : lnbortons zeal
for the public service, has given me my weight in your
esteem. let me exhort and conjur: you never to suffer an
invasion of your politictl constitution, however minute
the instance rmy appeer, to pass by; without : deter
_mined. persevering refistance. One precedent creates
another. They soon accumulate. and constitnte law.
-' tht yesterday wu fact, to day it doctrine. Example:
Is! supposed to jusiisy the most dangerous mensuren, and
where they do not suit exactly, (he: defect in supplied by
analogy. Be assured that the law: which protect us in
our ciril'risihu, grow out osctihe conlhrution, and that
\ they must all or flourish with tt. This it not the cause
of faction, or of me, or of any individual, but the
Gmmon. interek o every man in Britain. Although the
&; WM c—cttim-ws-yport, hitsi tesent system of
can;,pue'atsithe Besiod it not very diffent at whichssyou
si will hue? the meant of redrest in your own powu. It
"day he neuer, perhaps, than any'of us expect, and I_
Would wt'io you to be prepared for it. The King may
poshbly he advised o dissolve the present Parliament :
yea'r o; two besoress expire: of course, and precipitate
chew election, in he es os taking the nation by surprize.
In such assmeasure be in agitation, this very caution may
v'tfeat or prevent it.
] cannot doubt that you will nnanimousiy assert the
treedom of election, and vindiczte your exclusive right
to chuse your representatives. But other queltiops have
been started, on which your determinntion should be
cquzlly clear and unanimous. Let it be impressed upon
Your mind:, let it be instilled into your children. that
the liberty of the press it the palladium of all the civil,
political, and religious rights osan Englishmzn, and that
the right of jutiea to return : general verdict, in all
else! whztsoever, is an essential part of our confiitution,
not to be controuled or limited by the ]ndgen, nor in
any shape ueflionable by the ]egiflature. The pover
of King. Lord:, and Commonl, il not an arbitrary
* powu. They are the trnfiees, not the owner: of the
estate. The see simple is in US. They cannot alienate,
they cnnnot wane. wnen we uy mar me ugumurc ]
supreme, we mean thu it in the highest power known to
the constitmion; that it it (hehighesi in comparison with
the other subordinne-powen esiablished by the law. In
thin sense the word shpnme !- relatiu, not nbsolute.
fl'he power of the legishmre is Iimiled, not only by lhe
go'n,] rulcl of namnlkjuflic'e. and the welsue of the
ummudly, but by the ormu and principle: of our par
!!alzr consiimdoo. Is thin doctrine be no! true, we
must ndmir that King, Lord:. and Common. have 'no
rule to direct their resolution], but merely their own
will and pleasure. They might unite the legiflzlive and
executive power in the same hands, and dissolve the
"ss * Tbi: pcfltive drnial, of:" arlzitrarzpo-wtr being w/l
:] is: th- legg'luture, is not infact :: nrw dpctrine. When
the Ear! .! Liml/Zr, t'u !];tje'dr 1675. brought: bill into
tl—t Haust of Lord: to seven: the dangcn, which might
.rise sum person: disa :cted to government, [:] which an
eat],- and pma'ty rwu to be inzpcffed upon the membzr; af
boil: Housn, it dun: affirmed. in :: praiest fisiqud by 23
in] Pus; ( my Lord; the iba/r] were no! arcujlomtzl to
prah/l ) ""That [she privilege of fitting and volinsig in
Plrliamm! 'lUdl un lmnour [be) had by birth, am! a right
fl inherent in t/zem, and instpamb/efrom them that no
thin could take it awav, in:! what. -b) the law a sin [and,
my willzal take away t/m'r live:, andcorrupl ! eir blood."
Tbc/E noble Press (siulvq/Z- name: are :: reproach to their
postnih/ lssvsiwe, in f/zi: irg/lance, sh/ m/j denied t/M pow
er of Pur/iumm! la ahtr Me- canst!" utinn. Under a par
ticu/ns propzshlim, f/vev buw qffirte! : general truth,
in u-l-iu/z every man in Euglandj: concerned.: , si '
,
ot'msiitution by to ad of Parlin ' But I am per
suaded you will not leave it to the, e eke of seven hun
dred persons, Iotoriouflysi corrupted z-the Crownsidiciss
ther seven millioot of their equal: all be freemen or,,
shvet. The ctcerttinty of forfeitingsitheir own right;, si
whenctthey sterifice (hose of the Latin... it no check to : ss
bru!'al,,degeuente mindzo' Without iosifling upfl the
extrav'agant conceflion mtae to Hurry the Eighth, there
are influnces, in the history of other coonttiet, of : for
mzl, deliberate surrender of the public liberty into the
hand: of the Sovereigo; Is Englnnd doe: not share the
same sate, it it because we have better resourcet than in
the virtue of either House of Parliament.
I said that the liberty of the press is the palladium of
All] your rights. and that the right of thejuriet to return
: general verdict is part of your constitution. To preserve
the whole system, you must correct your ]egishmre.
With regard to any influence of the conffituent over the
conduct of the representative, there is little difference
between' a seat in Parliament for seven years, and a seat
for life. The prospect of your resentment it too remote;
md tlthot'ig'h the' last sesh'on osa septennial Parlinment be
usually employed in courting' the favour of the people,
sidcr that, at this' rate, your representatives have six
&" {or offence," and but one for atonement. A death
repentance seldom reachea to restitution. ls you
reflect at in the changee' of administration, which have
marke nd disgra'ced the" pl'esent reign, although your
warme ati-iotn have in their torn been invested with
the law and unlnwsifni anthotsiitsiy of the-Crown, nnd ss
though other reliese or iinprovemente have been held
forth to the (People. yet that do one man share hat
ever promote or enconrnged a' hill r shot g the
duration of Parliamenti, but that (wb eflr w- Minister)
the op osition to thinneasnre, ever since the septennial
nct an'ed, he: been constant and uniform on the part of
government. you cannot but concln'de, without the
?offibflity of adonbt, thet loctng Parliament: are the
oundadu'cf'th'e'nn'dne sow ' ctsi e Crown. Thin .
influence answer: every purpose o irbitraty power to
the Ctown, with en expence end oppresion to the peo
' ple, which would be unnecessary in an arbitrar'y govem
ment. The bessof our Minisim find it the West and
most compendioue mode of oondncting the King? affain;
and nll Minister: have a general interest !d idhering to a
system, which ositselsil sufficient to sdppot't them in
office, without any affislance from persooal virtue, o
pulctarity, labour, ebilitiez, or experience. lt promtsel
every gratisication to avarice and ambition, and secures
impunity. These ere truthe unquestionable. [s they
make no impression, it in because they are too vulgar and
notorious. But the inattemioo or indifference of the
nation he: continued too long. You are roused at last
to a sense of your danger. The remedy will soon be in
your power. If ]uniuxlives, you shall often be remind
ed ofit. ", when the opportunity presents itself, you
neglect to do your duty to yourselves. and to poflerity,
to God. and to your country, I shall have one consolati
on left, in common with the mennest and baselk of man
kind. Civi] liberty may shh last the life of
\ ] U N ] U S.
Cap} as [be petition estbe Clergy, (Je. relative losub
stription lo the thirtj—nine nrtiz'lu, offered on 'f/mr/Z
day lb: 6tl: os February lo the House of Common.
To' the Honourable the Co ! tt 0 p: 0 of Great-Britnin.
in Parliament essembled.
The humble petition of certain of the Clergy of the
church as England, end of certain of the two pro
feflioat of civil-law and physic, and others. whose
nume- are herennto subsctibed,
Sheveth,
T H A T your petitionen apprehend themselves to
have certain right. and rivileges which .they hold
of God only", lad which are ubjefi to his authority a
lone. Thlt of thil kind is 'the free exercise of their
own reason end judgment, whereby they have been'
brought to. and confirmed in, the belief of the chriffim
religion, as it il contained in the holy scripturel. That
they esteem it a great blessing to live under a constitution,
which, in its originalfprinciples, ensures to them the full
and free possefflon o their faith, having assured the
authority and sufficiency of holy scriptures in-—-" all
things necessary to sllvntion ; so that whatsoever is not
read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be
required ofjny man that it should be believed at an ar
ticle of the filth, or he thought requisite or necessary to
salvation." That your petitionen do conceive that the
have a natural right, end are tlso watrznted by thosz
original principle: of the resotmation stom popery, on
which the church of England it constituted, to judge in
searching the scriytum each man for himself, what may
o
or may not be pro'ved ' reb].'. That' they find them
se es, however, in . g ( 'yneasure preclnded th'en
joymcnt of this invaluab prhikge by the law rehting
subscription; 'When yoir petition" are sstequired
{lckowle'dge ceitni nicfis andct cmsesi "& saint;
lnd dost 'ss , drawn u y [Ilible med, tosi [" god
Every office: zgre wake sld scriptnset- ' You—
petitioneu thereforefprqys;ht she, me, be nliefld
from such ln imposition tipo'n theirjudgment, nd be in
flored to their undoubted right as prqteshnts ds inter-ss
preting scripturc for themselves, without being bound by
any human cxplicctztions thereof. or wired-to acknow
ledge, by fubscription or declaration, the _ttuth of any
formnlary of religious faith and doctrine whatsoevcrct be—
side holy scripture itself. ct , ,
That your petitioners not on}y are themselves aggrieved
by sublcription, al now required (which they cannot but
consider as an encroachmcnt on their rights, competent
to them both at men and as member: of a proteflant esta
blishment) but with much grief and concern apprehend it
to be a grelt hindrance to the spreading of ghrilt's true
religion: As it tend: to preclude, at least tpdticonrage,
further enquiry into the true sense of scripture; to diVldQ'
communione, end cause mutual difiike between feilovi
protesiantt: As it give: : handle to nnbelievus to re
yroach and vilisy the Clergy, by representing them
(when they obietve their diversity of opinion touching
those very articlet which were agreed upon for the sake
osavoiding the diversities osop'tnion) as guilty of prenti
eation, end of accommodating their faith to lucrativc
view: or politieal consideration: As it afforde to papisis,
and others disassected to our religious eflablishments,
occasion' to reflect upon it as incssonsislently framed, ad
mitting and authorizing doubtsul and precarious doc
trines, at the same time that holy scripture _aione is
ueknowledged to be certain, and sufficient {or salvation ;
At it tend: (and the evil daily increaset) unhappily to
divide the Clergy of the eflablishment themselvu, tLab
;Hfinkqe t-{hsseg .?cteffin bo_ss,t,heir ro.e_ant_
privilege torqsitctteMon &] now: dosifirine, acts si 27;
to the tell of seri me, to be sflikd, at well from the
pnlpit it the pre I, by another part, who seem to judge
the tricle: they have (ubscribed to to be osequal authori
ty with the holy scripture itself: And, laslly, es it occasi
ons scruplee and embzrrassmenu of conscience to thou glit.
ful and worthy person: its regard to cntrance into the
Miniflry, or chearsu] cqnginuance in the exercise of it.
Thnt the cler' ssl part of your petitionert, upon whom
it it peculiarly" si mbent, and who are more immedi
ateiy appointed the sitte, to maintain and defend the
truth ;: it it in jesu1,_.sisido find themseliit-s under a great
reflraint in their ende sir) herein, by being obliged to
join issue with the ad si os_ revelation. is'supposing
the one true sense of scrtp't ( to be expressediqsi the pre
sent eshtblished system os saith,. or else to iri'Eur the re
proach of hatting departed (ma their subsctiptidm. the
suspicion of infincerity, and the tepute of being ill as
fected to the church; whereby their comfort and use
fulnest atnqu their respective flocks, as well as their suc.
Cest ngafiflm adversariet of our common chrishanity,
ere—greatly obsiructed.
1 nat lucn or your' peuunnen as one neen eancatea
with a view to the several prosesstons of civil law and
physic, calmbnt think it a great handshijuo be obliged
(as are all in one of the universitiesfiuqt a_t_ this first
admishon or matriculation, and at an age soctss'tssmmature
for disquisitiuns and decision: of such manent) to sub
scribe their unseigned assent. to avariet ' s theologica]
ropositions, concerning which their privsiiona can
Be of no consequence to the public, in mifq siimitle
them to a'cademical degree: in those sudden ; mon
especielly :: the course of their fludiee, and attention In
their practice respectively, afford them neith'er the mean:
nor the leisure to examine whether and how far such
propofitiom do agree with the word of God.
That certain of your petitionen have reason to lament,
not only their own, but the too probable misfortune of
their sun:, who, at an age before the habit of reflection
can be formed, or their judgment matured, must, is the
present mode of subscripdon remains, be inecnverahly
bound down in point: of the highest consequence to the
teneu of age: less informed than their own.
That whereas the first osthe three articlu, enjoined
by the thirty-sixth canon of the church of anland to be
subscribed, contain] a recognition or" his hhj--fly's su
premacy in all causea ecclesiastical and civil, your petiti
oners humbly presume that every security, prnpulsitd by
subscriptiou to the said article, in fully and eflctssctually
provided for by the oath: of allegiance and supremacy,
ptescribed to be taken by every Deacon and Priest ;:
their ordination, and by every Gtaduate in both Unif