Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1831-09-22
Th0 mottvOs and oontlses of an mon. .ro. .naor


I'oh ana are entitled to praise liable to censure
accorhhg as they may Inc deemed good or bad
NO man or set of men in n free government, on.
Joys immunity from such liability; no character !.
too sacretno station too hub IN he sub;ec, % q.
no iomg received opinions, vencratcd principles, or
established doctrines can, ought to escape unro-
stricted discussion.
Ancicntly, when popery i'm all its ,bor,;,,t;or,
had become firmly established as the national ro
ligion, and had so completely nsinuated itself into
the affairs OF national government, that general
poitlcs-partcular municipalities, and even ordina.
ry domestic interests were subject to its supcrvs
ion; it was indeed high offence to INVESTIGATES its
character, or question its principles
AT this period, i'll countries where liberty is NOT
understood, and tho rights of men not protect
cd, there institutions, principles opinions and
even prejudices which cannot be attacked: thcro
are societies and individuals who arc not liable to
animadvcrsion.
Even HERE, where liberty has erected her throne,
ana The temple of knowledge has opencd wide its
gates, there arc some things which are apt to be
ocencd too sacred for the touch of common hands
soo niSn ana mysterious for the investigation and
1IIry OF ordinary minds; and it is in moral, as it
mas oeen In physical things, that occurrences arc
frequently ascribcd to divine agency which are not
only SUBJECTS OF human knowledge, but arc unwor.
tny the lnterposltion and inconsistent with tho
character of God.
1t is we'll known in the ecclesiastical affair, oe
this country, there is regular system and admin
istra,ion OF Church government, tho general laws
rules and regulations whereof are made by an az
representatives
the various churches in tho United States Tho
laws and regulations thus adopted, are dissemina
ted and Immediately put into execution by eycry
church and minister under tho jurisdiction, or &C
Khowicdging the supervision of the assembly, and
IN TINS way doctrines published, and plans car
iicu into effect with more than military pron,pttudo
III every part oil the country, that by combined
ehort' any thing within tho scope of human power
In the management of ecclesiastical police tho
exercise of religious surveillance and the creation
OF religious excitement, may DO effected with
wonderful rapidty.
This policy undoubtedly in its oriqin. had for IL,
object, and still has in its ultimate view the n,o
motion of Christianity-but with this as with all
human calculations, grosscr and mcancr things are
largely intcrming,ed. The aim at temporal power
and ggrandizement-the desire of pecuniary gain.
are It's Incidents and induce resort to manifegtly
evil and deceptive measures
Inc religious excitement which has lately arisen
IN tins county has been produced by such means
1t had its origin in the general of the governments
of the church. The scene and mode IF onor,t;,p
were there marked out; and the character to be as
scrl6ed to 1t was there determined: and the agents
employed, IN the exercise of their Offices, had oply
TO appoint the place and time-to define the lmits
Ill which an excitement should be created, and il
was done and by an appeal to the feelings by
acting upon the fears of men, species of phren
zy was produced, inconsistent with the exercise of
cool discriminating Judgment, and PRODUCING n
temporary abandonment, and in some jnstancss n
permanent loss of the reasoning power; and this
with most singular assurance-not to say profa-
immediate
mterposition of Sod
The details of this extravaganza arc SO we'll
known, that they need n description OF comment.
Who:e communities left their homo day after day
and week after week, to hear fanatacisrn in tho
pulPit-ther time was wasted, their business wag
neglected, their minds were perverted and in some
instances, reason deserted her throne. Men were
taught that for the time being prayer vas all their
business, that 1t was necessary TO sGET RELIGION,
and that the mode was by agoniSing IAN expression
peculiar to the occasion) to wrest il from the hands
OF the Almighty That business-all the affairs of
lie must be abandoned-that the husband, wife
parent and child must be separated, and the dear
est ties of nature and of social communion nust be
broken, that Gods wrath might be averted and
that Just ven geance might be evaded by these means
ANA strange to say, these means adopted by
thousands-lnasmuch that scarcely any occurrence
NOT famine, pesti!ence, war, would have pro
duced greater apparent distress or desolation in tho
regions infected by this mania. Not any general
misfortune or particular grief could have so pros-
trated all moral courage, all energy of mind-and
the thronc OF Grace frequently addressed in q
STRAIN OF SUCH unmcnning, vulgar rant as set all tho
rules OF propriety and even dccency at defiance
these are some OF the Immediate conseouences.
the permanent results can ONLY be foreseen from
these or predicted by the nature of the means used:
and Judging from what we have already SEEN we
cannot anticipate good, and have reason to appre-
hend great evil especially where ministers of tho
gospel will say and teach that this excitement is
the work of God-that in it they can see his di
rect lnterposition, when they know that 1t was
SohIINeC, Planned, us objects defined, its details
marked out, and the means settled in their own
general conclaye.
when we see simultaneous movement an eff
tort made by certain sects of Christians directedto
the same point, and to which all the energies of
the mind are applied; when we know that religion
has frequently made of the secular power to
commit the most terrible excesses-that she always,
when she had the right, used to enforce obedience
TO her rules and discipne-to trammel and confna
the faculties of the mnd-when we see in this
country, effort after effort making to establish in
some measure, national religion, and by almost
imperceptble advances, to effect an union between
rellgous discipline and the administration of the
law: we have cause if not of alarm at least great
Watch1ulness, Tor III his nature, is the same as
ne was thousand years ago, he has the same
weaknesses and their passions, and their evil
are at this day only prevented by his superior
knowledge.
1t is duty to examine the nature of all prin-
cIp!es which submitted for adoption to enauiro
as TO the proprety Of any system of religious polit
zeal or social discipline which may be seriously pro-
posed. The occasion and circumstances now I'M
der consideration, demand such an enquiry; and
considerations of social order, of individual well
tare well as public safety enter deeply into tho
investigation of the character, object and tendency
OF this excitement; and should it be found that
peace, and truth, and righteousness do not follow
in its train, but that the darkness of perverted rea
son. and the desperation of over-wrougt fear are
Its consequences, it should receive unqualified con-
dcmnation
We regret that in the pr sccution of any enopi-
~ or lnvestIgation or in the pursuit of any object
IL should be said and taught that reason should be-
siienced, and that any system, doctrine or faith
Cfulal ,ol IL 4 IL