The Virginia gazette — Williamsburg [Va.], 1779-09-11 00:00:00, page 1

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SEPTEMBER u, on,.- sict-j. T H E - " NUM'BT-znpsi
VIRGINIA GAZETTE
lzszsiLLlAMSBctURG: sime—zo BY DlXON &? NICQLSON.
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To THE PUBLlCK.
"s a time when our minis overflow with gratitude for the
many sigmi latZClpfliillunl of Divine Providence in favour
_ of our difficu.t an-i g'sirtous struggle for every thing "dem
to men (dilris'. gs we have often assembled hy authority, a:
places of" 'puhhck worship humuiy to acknowledge and
implore (he sionshiumce at) great indeed wis my sutpiise and sihsi-grm
at isicttmr-siss the contents ot .ct. h=ll proposed .o the Assembiy in this last
leman, and since printed. which under the specions gaib a d title of
" Ethbl-(hing Keiigious F\:.sidcin," proposed to tlii'continue all public]:
religious worship, and to (ovelate lix [n'uplgation ot Atheism, and every
. degree of impiety which the wickedness of individuals may l'uggefl'f As
a (.hritiian and friend to soczetv. ! wiit m !eivctour to extract and expoie
the covert pnisnn of this peit'ormmsice. as the belt way to eounctterafi and
yrevem in tffcch. The ! -ng preamhh] in which we have the principles
0! & Dcilt, contains : mixture of truth and errour, but being whnily
'scffish and unsocial, is therefore incunclufive to prove the proprisity of
lhe'iaw. " . ;
lt in very remarkable that after this laboured appearance of qdvocation
for the freedom of the mind, the author should in his lust clause bettay
an inclination, if he had power, to bind oil men in sunne, even the
legishture, from the like power of judging of th]. law, or m.".Liug any
alteration iv. it. Solon procured a ten yesiir: duration to his laws . ct' &
loiuntai )! hanishment hom Athens for that term, and Lycurgssus perpetuity
to his, by the like exile of himself from Spnsta t'm- life after [hay had
procured from their-respeEtive & itu an oath not to aitcrthe laws till their
return. The author of the gresent bill, probably not relishing the means
they used, has contented hims—lf with entering :: caveat agnintt any
flilerauon, sonitied with this deciarntnon " That the right: :thuein
"ssasseited are at the naturti right.- of mankind " -
'shsi-sc tight. pompouiiy founded on mctiy occnsctions, lre often, and
here particuiatiy, misappised in was-mmg upon th; [Gciassl rights and duzies
of man. The greet Cicator in hisdssimtion to man of the essznh and all
things in and upon it, made mew. u independent of each other, usswith
us .m ovdinarv terzant in common is of his companion. Each individual
]ud ; ii-zi-t t-.- occupy wit.:eier he found meant, but coufd not without
i, justice sit Hu.b the we occupation of another; had men coulmned to act
it, cuiitosiictu to .these iussies, ,l'ucietiep .thssemselves would have been
(!
, necesssin, and ssfcousise-zn l'ulel ctvit or religious son eiwi-govemmem:
but 'h [(I : ot' sunpheny and innocence wan of short duntionz the weak
Bet- sim-si pl' y to the strong, the ignorant to the crafty and subtile, and
'si, ;ce, seEuri y and happiness were only to be hoped_for in the j-(Lcsiiation
oe' indiviJu ssls, e--ml-ining their ltrength for the attalnment of these ende,
by !mmiu a l'ntti-Jent barricr against foreign Vioisi'nLt and domestick
stand: ln ( . s i'ocizti compact then, the enquiry is, not what is the right
' ds eich mdivtdu !! distindiy CollsidCscti, but what is the cuiiectisivc interest,
' 9: mld ,m-nt pt ctbablv diet} the grsizu purposes of the union? Since he
wit" shalt expect trun- saith the bench: ut' protection, without viefding
what is necessary of hu- th-ctri! isiisssi-sims. is :tS nmcai'onabie; as if he should
d-siure to purchase :- brent eiiate without piying any consideration for its
, Beside- that if euch imliv-dnal is left to his o.-.-n judgment and freedom
' & will and lction. sittet- tii-sise will be inflamed by the sime passion: an
formeily, fraud :m-i iisijultice would soon d.seat the tery purpose of
brming isincmi-x. l-.c extreme limits of whmt men are supposed lo
yield to socwsiy -.f their nziturui rights hath been the suhject os much
_eolation, but every candi-i enquiier afier truth mult admit, that each
yieidl tnnl m-ich, To submit am! targrorm to what a mnjcrity shass
determine to be for lb! commu- _t_varss-cti, an.!_shal! cstablt/B a: 4 general ride
.factiflli the and genuine iwcrty coniilting, not in every mdiv:dusss
having a right to do as he pleases"? becmle his will is iususecptibie of
:ctuh-aint, but in every members h-wmg : vote m fixmg the common rule
of conduct, and During equally all benchts and burthens; when ; majssmy
line fixed the lule, every one by contor-ning to that may (it and enjny
h'iinl'elsunder his fine and his fig-tree secure of life, liberty and property,
at Be ili at (is as the shnctionl of 'aws have power to reflrain the licenei-sine;
happ condition, surely well worth purehzihng by the "refiraint of an
nnrc y, turhulent wi!!! Xn forming these rulee, .ctFF members are :: mu
fiberty to range through the field of opuuon, and it in this discusiiun they
should be well awu-e that the hlelhngo' dail received from the Rule, as
she Uniuert'e 'dtm'dhflld from them as a_ oeietyz grateful dnd publick
asicknowledgmentn That the fsirequentlx meulcztmg upon the mind: of
the continuity the great Wo; hot redemption, a well at the incompzmble '
! item of moral precept: promulgatfd by it: author, would probably make
an bgngr men and promote theu- tempofal happiness (s...- ] mu here
eitrry the n'gument no further) what (hail restrain them from availing
their society of these "great aids, hy estabhshmg place: for thin publick
qudti yrovidng for teachcn talculated to the various mode: of all
MQ'DIMWM us: sihtiflianb. and compelhng themselves under : penalty
," attend ;: wed periods, zt some one of these places? /
Why " .ltiuhersidigionot' the uctizglflsate, sheimpiom presumption of' -
'Hegijlawn end mien. who facing Billlble and ueinsyired men, hy
04, impessfing their opinion on othenss introduce fllso religious."
'I, u- e [w the ahuie of thing:, against then- use, is idle and
uiifztitla ry, and is atlowss-vd would overtum ."e-YY system necessary w
Much restrain him from sond. lwcaul? poison hath been sometimes
\ ' found in it. The very term! ofthel'e nbiecttons shew them- to have been
bound fromsscountriel subject to ; despot, whusesifiossglc will made the
! iiblick religion; thin I Im not concerned and much less" "Wine.; to justify,
"v.! _..
but insisi that the edicts ofthis dd'potrespeflin regulatiom of propecty,
arc equally censurable, and therefore no conc , on an be-dnwn From
hence, to establish ssa didinaiun between religion; end eivil zed-tione
z'jsh/aflusi. 'When cti m: sisiss .
Such institutions as ! have before proposed is adapted by a mljm'ity.
wcuid be the religion of the people, and though inch mapn'ty lull be
fallinlc and uniuspired men, "yet whether they or individual: in the
mimntz' tue molt likely to err, let common sense detaminej csgocidlyn
they un ); prowde ler leading and exppundin; the sctctiptum, w inch, n.
not the law, an: made the stile oj faith- tsict _
[futssusi th': mind is Clss'catsiessd treamute Almighty Fifl 10 "mill (by
and is tnsuscepttble ot retiraint: ) opinion; are not iasitheinpmr.
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and at! attempts to influence the mind: by punishmenu or ittcapeei
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tation si 10 office, tend on ly to make men hypocsim. and are xdepcrture
[(
from the (Meat of the author of our holy religion who did not teem
it upon mankind, but Left them to the influence of their reason." '
Ths mind was also created innoccnt and [00 in thunder of smite:
when it became depraved and ,lubmittedsico the dominion of unruly
passtcns, and it unde: such influence it'be ins ss ,offl'sh'fiuqhtsissss
end serves zur'lzoafifl season. which ] have been t tweonfidn ll du
].iiol of lhr: p'ofiions and of coast: the mind iop'ect to-_ . lf ] m told
that the' least)" of each individual is to guide lmswer thodsllit may
be sv iz. thinge merei concetning himself .yet a a'incmba'os lbcicty Ill
mutt yichi to the sea on osa majotit in thinge of common concern; foe
-—-_--.
the dittinction between civil and nhgim mguletiont as to the fnedon'
of the mind, wont: to be proved and is th be taken for gnntedz- !
confess l eqnnot tnce it, nlese ! supposed" reguhtiom to act only
upon the body and not on I ": mind, which claw do. being taught
by law and reason that in ojnsitwu welkin .sientuctx, the assent of the
mind is necesiary to give vaiiditk-co-thjgngpd criminalsiity to the other.
Evct'y law is a remains u lb the fueddh of the mind, and whether lb.
injuction hath forite _ ", thew ' f Godudheanngthescriptum
red and expoundssd, or tosi'preventm er," qsidulu , theft, periury o!
covetousneso, the root of molt other injflW—e 'ty of the lubri
derived from the sun ource, the ie,' to end the same their
! admit the author at our holy ' ion did' : use temporal forcein in
propagzttion, except in theinfianeff hilhactyi whipped the merchant;
out of the Temple for having-pr fpned'the m fet aplyt sat puhfick
worship by the lawe of their cotm I MWW by the by, M-ich
Prm'essasi hctm nor uot'riendly to such la .. ny He could notinbim
obedience to bid precept: by punishmens in body' of 0, without '
asi'unting that tcmyoml kingdom he always disclaimcd, ed the pow'en
where he preached, were m opposition to him: However this by no mun
proves that a l'ocicty os Chrxttiznl forming resolution: to promote their
happiness, may not make publick wodhip indinflruction in Chriiilnsi
pnnciples, Zpal'l of their code' of lowe. Incapacitation to office: have,
been generally carried too far, but are yet in some degree prudent to be
adopted in every society, that secret enemies mnssy not ovenqrn the [tale, by
having in direction; in the election oi officer: we exercise our judgment
of the fitnesiss of the eaudidate troto appearancet, yet all nations agree to
go fitrther and require from him the secutity of an oath for his attachmem
to the interest of the (tate a well :; fidelity siin office, intended to reach
the mind and make his secret :; well as 0 :: conduct upright: Of thil\_
secutity you must depnve this state unle ! you exact from your officers
a test of their being Christians, as a previous qualificnion, since it it to
that you adapt your oath, and adminiller it on the Evangciifh, which
gives it obligation upon the conscience: of Chrifiianz, but none it all
upon ]ews' M.:homrdant, Atheists, Deilts, &6 add therefore whfin:
the adminiltration of initice it hath been ncesi'ssry to exaihinnny of these
as witnelsesiJethat-e been sworn upon the Pentkteuch, Mahomedanl
on the Koran, what Athcitts or Deilts thou be svyssornsiupon [know not.
unless upon Hohbc's Leviathan of some h faionjite'sidqthor but I!
there cannot be a necessity for introducing these peo, :! m olicet,
al ! trufi we shall ever find Christians of ability to sin M'so I hope
not to set: such a molly ol oaths adopted for their adm , * That then
will after all be hypocritctt profeffing :: religion they do tholieve foe the
sake of puhlick emolumente, we have too much reason to suppose; but
since none but the Searcher of hearte czn detect such imposhlm, [tum
legishturcs will have gone at far at they can in requiring thedprofesiol
ot religion; are in no worle condition then if they had admitte the salt
man without thit tesi; and ] may again appeal to the same tribunal of
common sense whether he who acknowledge: the divinity of the scriptlrel .
and believes a future state of reward: end punishmenu or he who
disre ds both, are most likely to prevericate or tempori e on such aq '
occu ton. [The remainder in our next.]
P n o v I D E N c E, August ,;sissisw
'- ."si'
HE privateer brifie Saratogn and Happy Return, Captains
and W'ilson, o this place, have taken a bri from New ne -
bound to Newsoumiland) laden with sum, sugar and hit, all so
into a safe port. On the zgth ult. Capt. Munro fell in wiQ Diet 'ct si
nmrque ship of 1: nine poundeu, and ofter an' engagcment 9 3 5] _
'night coming on, he lay by to repair hit rigging. Next ss- - ,_
adtion was renewed with great warmth, and continued one w
the Saratoga't hull and tigging being much damaged by _ , '- "
force of the enemy, Capt. Munm wn obliged tolheerofgsilllz
men killed, and several wounded. - ' ' -
We just learn from Button, that the enemy at Penobscot hen, si ,ss
a minsorcemt-m from New York, of eight ships, undfl' du ' " '
Sir George CoUicr. ' ss