Literary cadet, and Saturday evening bulletin. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1826-1827, 1826-12-23

charler o our icertIes by the Constitution oi this
country-whch declares that all men shall be al
liberty 10 w-r'hip Aim ghty God, according to the
dictates of ther consciences. Upon this sacred M
slrunent do we found our conceptions Of .ellsious
ireedohi--and whilst it exists,
{" And ours, DO he, who dares
| To touch It's ha!iowed yestnlcnts ~
We trus, in Him who made us, that Q shall enjoy
all tlis b,nshs Of sious iteelon reckless Oft
ansthcmas Of biSots, or the demonstrations Of the
Church.
The gentleman asserts il as his opinion, that true
religious freedom consists " not only in right to
worship God, hut TO dispose Of property, ani
make donations in any way which duty may
suggest !" Now this is,yhat Sir Horatio O'lIrri-
Gle would call stretching matters, and we must con
ess that il is construction altogether novel 20 u.s.
and one which our Imagination never could have
conceived. The gentleman in making this assump-
Ton discover but little of the lawyer and less o the
politician, for he should have known that the right
ofIeligious freedom, and the ri ght of property
held by different and distinct tenures. The one IS
real the other ideal, yet both are invaluable and
re,arLe!. as sacred to the possessor. BY the laws
OF some Of our states and by the common Law of
| the land, religious freedom, is not at all connected
with the disposition of property, and 1t is fortunate
for mankind that it is not so. By the laws Of New
York nan who joins the society Of Shakers, can
not take with him his available effects Zone OF the
condiu ns Of uImisson) but is considered religion
| ly dead, and his property is dis.rbrod among his
legal heirs--ors good proof, that the intelligent
people Of that state do not consider egious free
dom to be associated with the disposal ofproperty.
In our own State TIE laws similar, and the IA
uatic who should be detected in squaulcring away
his property, 10 benefit ae crusades at the expense
of the comfort AID happiness ofhmsl! and family,
would be treated eOmpOs-nen'!s, and be
placed under guardianship.
Ii we .hoJll subscribe to the hypothesis Of this
gentleman, We should violate the convictions Of our
senses, aud be unworthy of thu: place in society,
which we humbly trust we maintain lfit were
adopted generally, where would its evils end The
| profigate migh.-arguing upon its premises--ex-
cuse himself for irdugng in his midnight reveis.
by exciamins-l am allowed by religious freedom
10 squa"lc, and waste my proper y as think pro
per: and the Missionary, who received the last
shilling from the widow and the orphan, when he
beheld ,hem groaning with the pains of hunger
might say-they had rshl, by the PRINCIPLES o.
religious freedom, to starye themselves, to fill my
| Golfers.
The gentleman, in his third proposition hs. al.
| lowed himself to say, that we do rot understand
&" the purpor aud bearing of many terms OF sarcasm
and repsoact used by u.s. nor 81 the tendency Of
them to wound anl irritate the feelings of those
whose opinions we condem.'' As TO our having in
dulged in any sarcasm and proach, which cau
wound tie feelings of any upright and tolerant
ruan, deny the TACT, and challenge core on
dent to say wherein we have ofienled any ulou
and upright mind. The terms of" sarcasm ana re-
proach,' il any such have been used by us, huv,
been applied to those, and those only, who engage
IN the foreign missions from sinister motives, aut
who seek their personal ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, at The
expense oftha, Gospel, which they hypocritcully
p, oiess to be engaged TO further and II any honest
and sincere man, who has ardently advocated thC
cause OF missions, thlnk. proper 70 apply them tC
alton, that we do not understand what we write
returu il, as indecorous and imp oper-anI sllal
take the liberty to inform our correspondent, tha
we profess 10 understand our vernacular ansu
and ,hut, Whenever we riay find ourselves defci'n
ia this respect, we shall, as OF age, presun,
TO select our own Instructors At the risk of bein.
considered "a little rude, we shall remark to on
friend, that IL i.dulgins IN such remarks, he dh
covers little knowledge III controversial et'quete-
| and would induce one to believe, that he suppo. c
that the sacedoal robs is OF ITSELF sufficient 10 jus
tiy any man, in giving utterance 10 indecoroas Ian
: guase.
Our friend, expresses hope that we would no
desis isnediy offend any o! r,aIer; and whilst w
candidiy toll him that We would not, we will all
that we shall ever express our opinions candid
and freely on every subject, and that we are no
, willing 10 believe that any Of our patrons, woul
ostraeise US, because we uttered sentiment not j
unison with their own. BE this however as il ma,
we will maintain the freedom Of The press, al
ieatlessly avow our sentiments, whenever dut
may prompt US TO such u course. We are not TO b
classed among the servile tools, who would ben
. aud bow 10 subserve the particular wishes oi an
, man ; and although our professions TO indepenuenc