The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1880-04-03

vas truly the case Courts of criminal ju- al
isdiction might then be done away, and th
our services be dispensed with; or ii ca
wanted, would only be required for those
If different political character. "
To determine the justice Of these pre- Al
ensions We need only to enquire, what is u
virtue? Or in what does il consist Vir a
Tue, as distinguished from piety, by which Il
we mean more particularly the discharge il
Of our immediate duties to God, consists o
in the performance Of all those things
which are required of us, according TO b
our respective situations in life, for '
the comfort and happiness Of our fellow '
creatures. But true virtue and true piety c
are so intimately connected together, that !
the one cannot subsist without the other;
for no action can be truly yirtuous, but \
that, the motive Of which flows from |
from and may be resolved into the love OF
God-Bhich Is, indeed, the iulhlment OF
all the law and commandments The man
who performing those actions, which are
etcgnally yirtuous from no better motive
than the promotion of his own interest,
the acquisition Of popularity, the gratifica
ton OF his vanity, or as u stepping stone
to his ambition, would not boggle, for u
moment, at the guilt arising from the per
pctration Of actions both externally and |
internally vicious, whenever they would |
best serve his selfish purposes. There can,
repeat it, be no real virtue but that which |
flows from and may be resolved into that
pure aud undefled religion, which was
sent down from Heaven to restore man TO
that paradise, out from which he was
driven by sin. 1t follows from thence that
no man can be truly virtuous but him who
is truly religious.
These are truths, which, though scofTed
at by many who have the vanity to call
themselves the wise men Of this world; aud
though u cold bloody hinty hearted soul
freezing and .fdtse. Philosophy, conceived
and brought forth in Hell, and nuIsed by
the Devil, proplgated throughout Europe,
the source of all her wretchedness and
misery, and too extensively introduced
into these United States, hath attempted
to eradicate these truths from the human
heart, yet this court will ever feel il their
pride to embrace them with unequiyocal
appreciation, and not the less, because they
are truths, which have been taught US by
that God, whose erdilc was a mdRycr.
Need we now recur to the question,
whether the people Of these United States,
or Of this state, have that share Of virtue
, necessary to animate aud give energy to a
! republican government; or whether we are
that virtuous people among whom repub
! ican institutions are likely to remain per
manent and preserve their original purity!
b That man must indeed have been an an
E choritc, shut up in cell, without inner
!, course with the world, who can be for I
$ moment at loss to give his decision.
a At the time when the American reYolu
c ton first had its commencement, Their
f was not, am convinced a people in th
y universe more deeply imbucd with tn
il principles Of mortality, virtue aud religion
than were the citizens Of this country; au
o TO this VIC were principally indebted for it
,. completion, unstaiued by any remarkabl
z enormities; but perhaps the sun, in its at
!. nual course, does not at this time shin
, upon people, who have since that perio
n become so greatly deteriorated in yirtu,
:. morality aud religion.
n Their principles began early to dcpree
s. ate with the depreciation of their pap,
y money; happy would it have been if the
e. depreciation had ceased when papt
u money ceased to exist But the paths
ir vice are decliySous, aud rapid in the d.
n scent. Toths We may add, that for twenl
Of years past, Europe has been spewing o,
t. upon this deyiated country au almost ul
sc remiJtiug torrent of her 6lthiest ieculene
he by which not only that mass of corruptio
be which was among us has been individual
a. increased, but those who were tainted b
Il, fore, have become still more rotten, and
ee too many Instances many, who were un
at then sound, have received the infection.
n To the extreme proAigacy aud deprayi
Of manners among all ranks Of society;
IT'S that wickeducss and vice, which raisit
cd up its head stalks uublushingly throu,
ms our land, must be ascribed all those cyi
be under which we arc now suffering, inclu
MT ing the present war with all its concon
ho tant calamities. Nainly do we attribu
nd them to the violation of sailors right
for and other acts of injustice Of the Britt
al government, on the one hand to t
ol. weakness, the folly or wickedness Of o
u own, on the other, as their immedi.
ny cause; for even the injustice and njur
st, suffered from other nations, and also t
y: curse of having weak, foolish or wick
es- rulers, when it happens to be the case, a
IN themselves judgments, too, inflicted upOr
people as a punishment for their sins
W The Supreme Being, in his wise Pro
OF dencc, hath made it his constant rule
re, punish national crimes by national afil
in. tions, The political existence of ualiC
It's is confined TO this world, and 10 this wo
ills be always ehastises them for their natiol
tty guilt; and sometimes utterly destroys the
Of War, famine aud pestiiencc are
len three seourges most usually adopted
our him, whercwiih TO aveDge himself on
tions who have trampled his mereies un'
the their feet, aud insulled his justice.
ex- these, war is the most bitter and seve
ON the most TO be deprecated, as beside
du- own appropriate evils il is frequently ,
en- duetiye Of both the other, pestilenee 4
ich famine; beside which nothing can be IN
iish fertile in dissoluteness and corruption
rm, the morals OF people, nothing 50 prod
an tive OF new aud additional scenes Of Vi
leir aud thus war constantly furnishes ad
,wl- ti5nal supplies TO those very sources Fl
ieir which il first originated.
in. And as war is one Of the greatest calI
fter ities, by which an avcnging God can
into his wrath punish mankind, so can no g
ply be more aggravated or INCAPABLE, than
thy guilt of the man, who without justi6a
,ile, cause, pluuges a nation into war. Sue
the man is accountable to his God for all
,rds distress aud misery, both public and
hem yate, which shall flow therefrom. In
itly sight Of heaven be will be viewed as
the wiful, the deliberate, murderer Of ey
ern- individual, who loses his life 10 It's PR
ron. cution. And his soul is stained by ey
eon. drop Of blood, which shall be spilled tn
llity by stains, which must be washed out
hey this world BY tears Of the deepest and u
s Of bitter ccntriliou, or will be punished