The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-10-19

The eioie number of Baptists in this state. is
computed by Wr Semple at 81. O52
There was p2riod in this state, when the Ban.
fists aud other Dissenters were prosecuted. and
particular church was. favored and estabised
oy the law But the revolution OF America over
threw the desposism Of ,he church as well as that
ct the state-as our government is independent of
Great Britain, so religion is independent of our
government. Universal TOLERATE N is established
by our constitution and laws. as well as bv The.
feelings OF the people. I've have arrived n,
that happy summit, which had been vie wed By
the sages ct Europe, rs theoretical Eysium. RAJ
ther 70 be desired than enjoyed where every m AN
is free to follow the dictates OF his own ,,onsc;
ence.-We have solved the problem, whicl, hid
been SO long sgitated in the old world I'VE have
shewn how much happiness and harmony spring
from religious federation When will the Irish
Cath,lic or the English D,ssenter be able to rca.
lie these bcati6c visions = 49,.
Even since the American Revolution, partia;
attempt has been mad. to fe.ter the consc;epc,
by legal restrictiors--A bill for n e,ensra,
assessment WAS referred Ia thu, peoDle b, one
session ct the General Assembly-but the .Bsp
lists came forward ,dsse-the voice OF the
people was against n-aod the monster exrirti
The next Assembly rejected it-andin plscenfi,.
passed the celebrated % Act for establishing r. .
ugious Freedom :" drawn UP by the luminous and
INN 'rtal pen Of Thomas Jefferson I, WV a.,
tins occasion, that the following memer;al from
The pen OF James Madison, the present p u s
was presented paper, whose composition is too
e'eg an, ana whose merits are too splendid, to be
buried in oblivion. y!
MEMORIAL AND REMoNsrRhNcE ,
GAINSr THE GENERAL AsSEssMkNr
PREsKNTED TO THE GENERAL ASSEM-
BLY, OF ViBGINIA, AT THE SESSION
FOR The YEAR OF OUR LORD oNE
THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND E1cH-
,Tr FIVE.
Drazun by James Madison no4v President
Of me u s.
A MEMORIAL. & REMOMSTRa NcE
o'fne Honoracte me Ge9erat .dssem6iy Of
me Commonwealth If Virginia.
WE. the subscribers. c,tizens of the said
commonwealth hiv;ng taken into seri,ns
consideration bll. pre,ted by order of the
last session of general assembly,, entitled "A
Dill estaolishiasa provision for teachers Of
the CHRISTIAN religion - aud conceiyine.
that the same. it finally armed with the
sanctions OF law, Will Oe Il dangerous. abuse
OF power; arc bound as faith.ui members Of
a tree state. TO demonstrate apainst il.
andto declare the reasons by which we are
determined We demonstrate against the
SAID bill
: Because we hold it for Fundamental and
unallenable truth, g that religion, or the du
ty which we owe to the Creator, and the
manner of discharging it, can be directed
only oy reason and conviction, not by force
OF violence. The religion, then, Of eve.
" MAN. must be left to the conviction and
conSciencca of every. .man ;.i and it is d.
right of every man to exercise it. as these
may dictate. This right is, in its aatu-e. An
unalienabic right. II is unaiienable he.
cause the opinions Of men depending only
on the evidence contemplated byt their own
minds. cannot follow the dictates of other
men 1t IS undesirable, also because what
Is mere right towards man, is duty to-
wards the Creator. 1t is the duty of every
man tn render to the Creator such homage
and such only, as he believes to be accepts :
Die to HIM. This duty is precedent, both in
order OF time, and in degree of obligation. to
the Claims OF civil society. Before any man
Can De considered as member of civil so,
ciety ne must be considered as a subject of
the Governor Of the universe. And if a
member OF civil society, who enters into any
subordinate association, must ALWAYS din i,
with reservation of his duty to the eepe :
raj authority much more must every man.
VINO becomes member OF any particular
civil society, dot with saving of his alleei
ance to the universal Severe gn. We main
tam therefore, that. in matters of religion.
no mans right is abridged by the INSTITUTE
on OF civil society and that religion is Who'll
~ exempt from its cognzancc. True it is.
that no other rule eXis,s, by which any oues
ton which may divide society can be nj
tlmately determined, but by the will of
the majority. But it is also true that the
majority may trespass on the rights of the
minority
Because, if religion be exempt from the
authority OF the society at large, still less can
i1 De subject to that of the legislative BODY
he latter are but the creatures and VICE
gerents of the former, Their Jurisdiction is
both derivative and limited. 1t is Invited
with regard to the CO. ordinate departments :
more necessarily, it is limited with regard to
the constituents. The preservation of free
government requires, not merely that the
metes and bounds which separate each de-
partment OF power, be invariable maintain
ed /; out more especially that neither of
them be suffered to overleap the great barri
er which defends the rights of the people,
ne rulers who are guilty of such an en-
croachment, exceed the commission from
winch they derive their authority. and ,are
VTants. The people who submit to il. are
governed by laws made neither by them
seives, nor by All authority derived from them.
aHd are slaves.
because 1t Is proper to take alarm. at the
nrsf experiment on our liberties. We hold
TINS pruaept Jealousy, to be the first duty of
Citizens, and one of the noblest Characters
tics of the late revolution The Fr.ar,.., g