Jenks' Portland gazette. Maine advertiser. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1802-1803, 1803-02-21

~ Up AZ anu lA- telGr aiitS, and. "a
f" thsr than lol- his ard, we viii defend
% tie floor Of inf4my whsr- hts bais
I" refs has placed him. and h4re with
" him the difgrace."
To loiten litlle the crimes of TefFer
ION By teaing his character with a lels
rigid morally than that Of the Bible,
and 70 apologize for his encouragement
and iuPPort Of the biatbJemer, As well as
to jultiiy the holtility 10 chriiianity 10
both OF them, II has been repeatedly
obierved that the isa found Il neceGary
that dej(n lhou'd Be defended: bat by
The conduit q their champion 1t faems
they are not willing 10 Cop at this poin..
Simply 10 defend dim does not (atisfy
the rePublicans-their leaders and teach
ers have gone too far in the road of
dJl9rgaHi-Sfi9H TO leave the farm and out
qO9rks Of the chrilian rel gion un4ttack
ed-Hence after endeavouring to lhew
there is no connection between religion
and morality, SplAtsat 7yjlbss 10 iaGlxze
i5a: q: cArgy are uEleG If n9t bs,ftiUsly
iynrioD 70 j9riey and tb4t PANE bar
doas mare fryics 10 re Uafed Statss than
'5aaf1Ed' Of IL sac5err Of tis'B religion
and aaoraLty. But what Ne has done,
and how far his l4bours can BE- brought
into competition with The clergy Of this
country whether we conG1er them As
agents Of the revolution and iadeDen-
dence Of America, or promoters Of its
PROPERTY and general hapPinet5, may
be The iutjed OF ano her lelter-For
the prefant il may D. worth while to
fee how the fsa lncceeds in lhewing there
is TO connection between religious prin-
ciPles and moral conduit For Ibis
purP0le SPlntexl fats OFT With claufe
from our Bill Of Right" Ana n9
iubje6t lhall be bart, m1s4-a, or re
TRAINED in his perion, hi, liberty or
eItate, for worlhipping Cod, il the
manner and faaion mott agreeable to
the dictates Of his owe confidence, or
for his religious protection or fenti
ments-provided he doth not dfAb
the public peace, or obGTu4 o~s
ia their religious worihiP
TIL Paine and Teferlon become re.
Gdents IT. this commonwealth, his clauic
can give them no right aud | never
heard Of any democrat but Spintcxt,
who was wild enough 70 f1pPole the
clauie lay any reltraiur on the freedom
OF ditcuilon, or examination into the
principles and characters Of Others ID q
religious or political view When Pane
Pubtilhe, blalphemy, or Jefer!on main
tains that Il does him ID mjnyy fer Bis
neighbour to 4gft there are tquepy Gods or
~ Cad, bnsi,bsr tickJ tb pockets or Breaks
bis legs, il Is no violation e the cited
pAi agrdph, for me 10 fay the former IS
a blaiphemer, and the latter is no better
than the ancient PoLythe5f5, OF an atbeR
Of the Epicurean ichool. Uulel, Spin
text viii thew the conliaency Of the lat
ter declaration with CHI ilt.antty, may We
not alto fay Jetferlon i not chrifian /?
On what ground can this give offence !?
Why then has this part Of The Bill Of
Rights been brought into The difpute
Moa clearly the ohjea Of Spintext was,
if pollible, 20 draw The minds Of his
readers from he real ctaraacrC Of Jeyf.r-
j0H and P4ias, and fix them to a uelief
that thoie who eSpole tb.m are. il iome
ienGe OF other, viola,ers Of the great
charter Of ftl2ious liberty. BY ats
and fAlihoods Of this kind have the
Iacohlns gained their prelent power IN
the national councils. But The people
will eventually he convinced thar Al the
federalifs have always been unihaken
friends to their tue iAterefs and lalting
h.ppineE. 70 are they the only fnpport-
ers ofgsnpias religious h5erry, without en-
couraging that Lbwiour treedom which
leads directly TO a feparation between
religion acd morality.
So many Of the EPicurean fchool,
luPerior in genius and learning to Spin.
text. have :ailed in what he has tooiiib.
lvunderta ken. tha: am al alofs 70 align