Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-01-23
To the Legislature of Virginia.


9uakers,) -
REspEcTFULLY SHEw,
That your memoriaiists, estimating the ne
high regard with which the legislature VIII
be disposed to consider every subject ar
fec,ing the grea. principles of civil or rell-
eious liberty, beg leave to solicit your at
IGNITION TO the militia laws Of this common
wealth. and to the incompatiblllty when
sometimes results between the reqo's'slens
of the law, and the obligations OF religious
duty.
In this enlightened age and country, and
before this legislature, your memor'ails's
conceive j, unnecessary to urge the una
Eensble rights of console nee, or to adduce
any arguments to shew that the relations
between man and his Creator, neither can,
nor ough, to bs prescribed or CONTRIBUTED
bv any human authority. It's unnecessary
because ,h- proposition is self evident, and
especially because it is one OF the tuada.
mental principles, upon which the civil and
political Institutions of this country are es-
tsblished. This principle is recognized in
the bill of rights it is confirmed by the
law of 1885, passed in the enlightened and
liberal spirit Of that instrument and the
state itr!c BY its convention which ra'lhee
the federal constitution, expressly declared,
tha, Z" the liberty of conscience cannot be
cancelled, abridged, restrained, or modlhe d
Jv any authority Of the United States
The free exercise of religion, therefore, is
Nv, merely tolr, ated it is dviared in the
mos, solemn form, it is confirmed in the
most explicit manner.
But the liberty Of conscience, your me-
moriaIis conceive, cannot be restricted 10
I the mere liberty OF thinking, or to the si-
lent and unseen notifications Of religious
opinion. Religion has duties to be per.
formed, and ltpaints out offences to be a.
voided its free exercise must therefore
consist in 40 active compliance with It's
dictates, enforced by no legal compdls'on,
restrained by 90 legal impeachment.
Your memorialists, in common with eve-
nv virtuous ci;iZt n, would dlscIaim any ex-
empton, under the colour OF religious IL
berry, from the universal obligations of mn-
raj duty. Blu, the law of 1885, in making
overt acts" Of an injurious nature the
limit of the privilege, aud the criterion OF
its tbuse, removes all danger to tnss com.
muaiiv. Ans, .nc---~''''--"' vi 'u' f'.''''
Of otners, or violation of the mora, law,
under pretence of lib, rty of conscen, e.
would Immediately betray iss owsseuilt
and hypocrisy, and afford legitimate
cause for the interpretation of the civil au-
thority.
These considerations are suggested, as
applicable to the case which is now sub
miued to the wisdom and justice of the le-
gislature.
Your memorialists are christians {: and,
impressed with the firm conviction that
war is forbidden under the gospel, they
cannot bear arms. To require i, under le.
gal penalties, is to reduce them to the al.
tentative OF refusing compliance with the
laws OF thsir country, or Of violating what
they most solemnly believe is to. them law
OF God, clothed with the most awful sane.
tons.
Your memorialists plead no new doc.
trlnes, they Set up no novel pretensions.-
They ask permission only to practice tn.
pfSS>PtS VI JSooo NbIlSt-.(O dQutTe 10 the
principles which prevailed through the FIRST
centuries Of the Christian dispensation
which Pious men through every subse-
qaent age have maintained; and which
their predecessors from the time they have
been kaown as religious society, under
various forms Of government, and through
sufferings imposed by rigorous and perse.
cutting laws, have uniformly supported.
II is true that in the lapse of time the spi.
rir of persecution has faded Before the
lights OF Truth. Our own country as alrea-
dy, stated. has been particularly distin-
guished for maintaining the principles of
civil and religious liberty. and for rejecting
those of ceercive law and religious intole.
rance. The very grievance to which we
now solicit your attention, has been &C.
knowledged ant redressed. A legislature.
composed Of enlightened statesmen and
sages, who had assisted in establishing the
chartered rights of America, who had
seen the principles which your memorial
lets maintain, tested through the revolu-