The Delaware register, or, Farmers', manufacturers' & mechanics' advocate. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1828-1829, 1829-02-14

opinions. Whenever Congress shall interfere at tba
instance of such persons, or of any portion of the n,
ligious community, to enforce an observance of tbo
Sabbath, may justly anticipate all the evil copsp
quences of a union between Church and State. Tho
Government cannot interfere with the Church. and
the Church should let the Government alone.
If the attempt in regard to the transportation of tbo
mails should be successful, we may next hear of No.
titons against all travelling the Sabbath or the per
Torrance of any other than church duties from thc
rising to the going down of the on that day and
after while objections will be made to particular
modes Of Worship and some general national law pray
ed for prescribing the true church. and the hours Of
worship for all sinners unbelieyers in the popular
faith. One innovation will certainly be followed by
others. 1t cannot have been forgotten that our great
grand fathers in their of pety, forbade as very
profane, all kissing among married people and ali
courships between young persons the Sabbath day.
and even went far kill their cocks for Growing
and to beat their beer barrels because the beer hap
pened to work that day and interdcted by severe
penalties, the keeping of Christmas The getters up
of the petitions not, sure generally aware
of the obvious improperly of any attempt on the part
of the Church to control the civil arrangements and
functions of the Government. Some of the signers,
we know, view the request too unreasonable to OBJ
tain favor with Congress vet from compaisance they
have put their names down, relying upon the good
sense OF the constituted authorities to them from
an influence which they themselves could not resist
We respect the motives of those who are in earnest
this business. They doubtless wish to reform the Vi
and of the age but if the running of the
mail on the Sabbath day be our greatest SIM they
ought to rejoice that case is no worse In our
opinion the travelling of the mail on the Sabbath is
more excusable than travelling of almost any other
kind The Divine Injunction to keep holy the seventh
day is less infrnged by it, than a variety of other
ways, which receive apprehension from the clergy
On this subject the n. Y Statesman remarks
BY the spirit of our institutions, religion is consider
ed duty between man and his God and no connex-
lon however slight, between Church and State,
cognlzed by the Constitution. Any attempt on the
part of government to regulate ecclesiastical affairs
would be an alarming and dangerous innovation All
that any Legislative body, whether municipal nation
a can egltlmaely do Is to protect the various reg-
GUS sects in the rights of conscience and in the unds
turbed performance of public worship Such is the
design of local statutes to prevent unnecessary trave
ing or any gross violation of the Sabbath. Ii is not
understood in the present case that the memoraists
complain of any molestation in the discharge of re-
lgious duties but zeal prompts wish to regulate
the consciences of one part Of the community accord
ing to their own scruples.
The dangerous and ant-republican tendency of
egislating all matters that lie wholly and exclusive
ly between and his Maker. is placed in strong
light, in the following extracts from memorial and
remonstrance to the legislature of Virginia, on the
llglous rights of man written in l784-5. at the re-
quest OF the religious society of Baptists in that state
by JAMES MADISON.
We hold it for " fundamental and undeniabe TRUTH,