The Litchfield County post., 1827-08-16

aud he viii be their everlasting light and
glory.
Permit me to offer a few brief Reflections.
I. We see that men may glory IN their free
dom, and be actually free in some respects;
and yet be, in other respects, under FAR grea-
ter bondage. The Jews gloried that they
were children of Abraham and Of God, and
were never in bondage to any man and yet
were the abjcct slaves Of superstition and
iniquity.
Q. Many have mistaken notions Of freedom,
or irdepc .nlcnce. They would define IT, Ii
bertY 10 do as hey please; whereas. they may
please TO do rong. both against God against
mensagainst their own souls. This is a free
dDF1 not to he desired at least, when thus a
bused, il is not blessing in the end. II
please to interfere with the rights of men,
there should be human power to restrain
me; if violate the rights of Jeh0rnh, God
will bring me into Judgment; IL sin against
may O,on soul, alone must bear it.
a. 8. We arrive at correct definition of Fiber
ty. CioH liberty. is the right to pursue every
desirable object for my own good, while
am restrained from injuriously invading the
ri shts of others. EUGngelicGt liberty is, the
freedom and power of doing Wh0t is right,
and having adisp9s'jion to Go it, as God re-
quires. This is the liberty with which Christ
makes his people free; and if the Son makes
us free, we are free indeed.
4. We see what must he done, to perpetu-
ate the liberties of our happy country. a
knowledge of the Bible must be universally
dilfused among the people, that they may I'M
derstdnd their rights and duties; and the spi-
rit of the Bible or the spirit of Christ, must
have an extensive prevalence in their hearts,
that they may be disposed to do right. Then
will the peace of our country be as river, and
her righteousness as the waves of the sea.
S. We see the only ground of hope for the
emancipation Of the world. IS the universal
diffusion Of the gospel. This alone has ex-
tended freedom so far as it has gone. You
may. by physical force, lay tyrants low; but
the oppressed will not be free, without knowl-
edge and virtue, and anarchy will succeed to
despotsm. You may give the nations knowl-
edge, opening all the secrets Of literature and
Science; but without the knowledge of the
true God, land Jesus Christ whom be he's sent.
you cannot make them free. When this
knowledge shall be diffused, and every where
give life unto the soul, then shall wars and
Fcommotons cease; and the people lead qui-
ct and peacible lives in all godliness and hon
esty; for the Lord God will dwell among
men, and be their God and they will be his
people.
Permit me to make a personal and individ
ual application of this subject. My respect
ed aditors, are you free Free? What an
inquiry to be proposed to independent Anne
vicans. We have long been free, and have
met for the very purpose OF commcmmOra-
ting our deIiverance, or that of our forcfathers.
Yes, but are you made free in Christ I
know that no tyrant has power over your
property or life; and that no ecclesiastical
power has dominion over your faith or your
conscience. But is there no tyrant lust or
corruption that brings US into bondage? Are
you brought out of darkness into light, and
from the power Of satan unto God Are you
made free from sin, and become servant
unto, God Have YOU your present fruit unto
holiness, giving prospect Of everlasting life
If so, happy are you, though you were pining
in dungeon, or toiling as galley slave. If
not, wretched is your bondage. and wretch
ed will be your end, if you thus continue;
though you enjoy the highest civil freedom,
or sit on throne with kingdoms at your alb
solute command. o remain not under sin,
especially in America, the glory of all lands.
Here, no hierarchy confines you in the chains
of spiritual ignorance; Here the meridian
light of the gospel shines; here the ministers
of Christ beseech you to receive his salvation;
here the blessings of providence, natural, civ
il and social, flow around you without limit
or end /; here the kingdom of God comes
down to you out of heaven, that you may
enter in and live forever.
/ Murder.--" On the night Of the 18th July,
in Richmond, (Va.) three men, Grace, Whip
pie and Henderson, moved by suspicion, that
he had stolen money from the former, seized
upon free negro, called Isaac Read, inflicted
upon him logging with cowhide, and not
content with this summary and severe justice,
administered upon mere suspicion, suspended
him by rope to the beams Of a house, suffer
ing his toes only to touch the floor, and lef.
him foreman in that situation until their re-
sentiment was satiated. Returning sometime
after, we suppose to discover what effect their.
cruelty had wrought upon him, they found
Isaac dead. A coroner's inquest Inspected
the body, rendered verdict that the deceas-
ed had come to his death by the hands of
Grace, Whipple and Henderson, who were APP
pretended with some difficulty and lodged
in Jail, all bail heinS very properly refused, to
await their trial before a called Court of the
county of IIenrico. We are informed that
the suspicion of the culprits was directed "a
gainst Isaac in consequence of the responses
Of an old hnI1n mn IN fhn ~ ,,h.