Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1821-02-20

| who have had right affection OF heart to-
wards God and men, the importance of
associating for religious purposes, and
establishing and maintaining religious
worship, in places devoted to such pur-
poses. This, the experience Of many
generations, has sanctioned, and the re-
suit has been most salutary.
Thus, it has long been found, by the
experience of thousands and tens of
thousands, that, Goodness is profitable
unto all things, having promise of the
life that now is, and of that which is to
Gomez also, that God has graciously
vouchsafed his presence, blessed his peo-
pie, and made them joyful in his house
of prayer, when they have dcvoutly es-
sayed his worship.
Thus, the sincere friends of God have
had large occasion highly to appreciate
the public worship OF God, and when
deprived oft, to mourn and be in heayi-
ness. All, therefore, who have duly APP
prcciatod the importance of religious
institutions, when they have emigrated
TO new countries, have sought early to
establish, in the places to which they
have removed, the public worship Of
God; to erect churches to associate
for the enjoyment of religious insilu-
tons; to procure religious teachers du-
ly qualified for their sacred office and
work, and have made as ample proyi-
sion for their comfortable support as
their worldly circumstances would admit,
that they might again enjoy the benefits
which result from faithful discharge OF
religious duties.
In all new settlements, where this
course has carly been taken, and faith
fully pnrsued, divine blessing has been
granted: God has arisen into his rest
The religion ipculcated in his word has
been found most benevolent in its de-
sign, and salutary in its effects, every
way suited to unite man TO man, and bind
society together in the best of interests,
and in prosecuting the most important
objects. In every community where all
carly and awakened attention has been
paid to these things, with reliance up
on God for blessing, experience shows
that the greatest worldly prosperity and
moral good have been the happy result.
Experience too shows, that, where
such things, as have just been noticed,
have been, for any considerable time ne
elected, a moral degradation OF manners
has been the unhappy consequence;
vices have predominated; virtuous en-
tcrprizc has been feeble and Inefficient;
worldly prosperity scarcely perceivable;
and strcng holds Of the enemy of God
and man, where the ties Of benevolent
views, feelings and practices have been
little known and regarded, have been
baneiully established. In many of the
frontiers OF the United States, such
strong holds do now awfully exist. In
these, religious worship is neglected.
Vice has luXuriant growth. Schools,
for the instruction of the rising genera
ton, are not provided. Children grow
up ignorant Of the God who made them.
Their intellects are uncultiva,ed, and
they soon become unblushing adopts in
iniquity; strong prejudices are early i'm
bibed against religious and literary i'm
provcment, and evil habits become deep
rooted. With such, as life advances to-
ward manhood, conscious ignorance
and sense of degradation OF condition,
compared with the moral state of those
who have enjoyed and improved oppor-
tunities for intellectual and moral refine
ments, induces them, through discour-
agement, and slothful disposition early
untracted to continue the neglect, to re-
main through life in the lowest state of
moral degradation. These have too
often been the deplorable effects Of the
early negleets which have just been
mentioned.
Hence it is that men of refined taste,
who have enjoyed opportunities for moral
Improvement, and have experienced the
value ofrelgious Institutions, do, as ear
ly as possible, when establishing new
settlements, seek to find out place for
the Lord, an habitation for the mighty
God of Jacob. They are well aware,
that, he, who took care of Jacob, when
he had left his fathers house, and had
repaired to Padananan, will, if they du-
ly seek 10 enjoy his favor, be their all
sufficient good, a very present help in
every time of need, and that nothing is
more suitable than that they should con-
stantly own and worship him as the God
of their salvation. By erecting houses,
| in which to assemble for the devout
worship, alteration and praise of God,
they virtually profess themselves under
constant obligation to live in his fear and
to his glory, and that they desire him to
be with them, not as transient visltant,
but abiding resident.
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