;
It. .. , ,,f f
F A
Y
Ei"T,'T'riE;V:I.
1
L. LJ. .
No- e.
14
E
MlSCELLANt.
11
iferiet ef letters on the ejlabhjhtnent of tie iberfhtp cf
' tkc Deity at ejentitzl to national kappinefs. Bj tin
American
Pufque lorA ngres,
kamlcr.ashgesalcnW '
TACITUS.
LETTER
MAS SIR,.
II.
i
'TffTTTHAT is faid on the article of religious I:-
V V bcrty, in mcllof tlic conititutions of. thefc
flatcs, I highly applaud ; it is excellent fo far as it
jgces ; it is a very-good .preamble to ibmcthing
-which ought to Jiave followed, and which may yet
"be adopted, "w hich is, that public religion Ihall . be
UlUiritaincd, and the fupport cf it proportioned
emcng all die members of tic community ; without
tlits, pablic wcrfhip may be profcribed and totally
banilhed from thefe ftates in half a century or lefs.
- At prefent the inftitutions of morality arid religi
on arc left floating on the uncertain lea u accidents
qzid may fink or fwim without the nctice of go
vernment. This neglect would be pardonable, if
fcood government could cxift widicut the aid of re
ligion. There never has been a nation great or
liappy, where the fubjccVs obedience -to human laws
did not receive afanclion from the obligations of
religion.
.The confeious approbaticn which refill ts frcm
5-ight conduct, and the dread of future punUhmcr.t
for evil, arc powerful principles in the human breall :
fubjecl. who feel the influence cf thefe, are aiily
teftrained within the bounds of human law j thofe ;
tvho do not, have ever been found melt difficult to
govern, becaufc inilaenced wholly by motives of pre
fent irrrre'r or advantage. Mngiftrates themfelres
-fiave-found, that as men caft off a regard for the
I)ri:y, the tranfition to evil courfei, deftruclive to
fociety, has been cafy ; they liava alfo disregarded
their rulert, and one another 5 for thofe who feai
Cot Gad, neither wail they regard man. Then
" The bold impious man,
a!l he can :
Juftice to merit will weak aid afford,
Sicr balance xVTn, ufelefs lies her fword."
Who tops at nothing, will feiv-e
DRYDEH.
- Hence all legiflatures have interwoven religion
rith their fyftems cf law and government, and the
greater part have probably done fo purely from po
litical confidcrations ; and if, at the fame time that
they make religion neceffary to the well-beirg of the
'commonwealth, they leave the fubjects ftee in the
choice and practice cf their refpefUve fyftems, they
do wifely.
In the wife code of laws which the illuftrions le
riflator e Hebrews received immediately from
fleaven, for the government of a nation, a reverence
Of the Deity is inferibed on the whole, as the efKca--cious
motive of obedience to civil rulers. The God
;f nature has joined together thefe twogovern
Jrientand religion, or religious wcrfhip and fecial
virtue ; they cannot be put afunder. Government
is fupported by the influence which religion has on
the minds and morals of mankind.
It is an obfervation of the celebrated hiftcrian
Tacitus, that virtuous manners have more cGcacy
than good laws. Hie uniform experience of ages
confirms it.
Religion may be eftablifhed on principles coil
iftent with perfect freedom. If it be an inftitution
nccefTary to the exiftence or profperity of govern
ment, the people by their rulers have a right to
cftablifh that as they do any other necefTary or ufe
ful inftitution ; and to provide for its fupport as
they do for the fupport of public fchools for the
education of youth. The inftitution of public wor-
lVip is a fchool of virtue, for the benefit of fubjeJ
Vho have arrived to maturity, as common fchools
W for the benefit of fubje&s in their minority j both.
'A NOTE.
U It amounts to this, that men hare a right O
ihjoofe their religion, and to wcrfhip wfcerc. and
neeefiarr, snc eqtialir claiming the attention and
care of authority. ;
The chriftian re!onj contamira iyftem of mo
j rals . and dentines, infinitely ';rnore luminous and
J perfect' -than any other, is?tfcfe"profefIed religion , of
I thefe ftates"; a fyftem moft friendly: tobrder and
civil government 5 it tne-Iiibjects are? Untverfally oe
Wefited by the public Vorfniptheii)eir;-aBcl by
j ftantlj tapght by idibfe wno are devoted tothat:prd
j fefiior, wTry (hould not the ftiojels liniveHally bear
their proportion to thlei lBpport ? There are many
i in every; Jtawhb te nt.n ih this way-, and yet
! "reap tjic benefit of triif inmttitioh equally with thofe
; wlio c!c conndercd as hiembe-rs of feciety their
f lives, jtheir pro rrtj arid all their rights, arc tiereby
rendered iecure'ahainviolati'
I -After thbfe;habttsthic oodreaiiation has
j formed, among the. body of tfhe people, are worn ofF,
all fu'ch as treat public ;worip as iuperBucus, of
j tlie fupport of it abufclnin fome of this clafs
1 rnay Already be fbdnd perhaps 1 in - every tewnv and
I without a preventative : it Ul not be long before
they h-ve the majority of : votes ; all fiich will with
draw jtheir aid frcm the fupport of public religion
(and tne teachers cf it muft he dependent on the" vo
lluntayy fubicrlptio'ns of the fev, hofe fehfe of its
jimpottance may excite therrt to laudable eertions to
ihold ijip the d rooping caufc of virtue. Such neglecl:
jbf an ;infti utibh, on wHeJt the eriftence, or the peace
and hsppinefs of civil fociety depend will break
jdownjthe barrier whxch guards the (f ate, and pour in
a flood of evils, frhich, in the final ifTue, will over
!w helm lioth rulers and fiibjecls. Righteoufhefs ex
jaltetlija nation, but fin is the reproach ; and, unre
'drained by a Icnle of moral obligation, will bring
. lupon a people defblation and ruin. From the fteps
eading to tllh cataftrcphe xkap Heaven preferye
pur deareli country. , 2
fOEITICAL.
iVZ THE GAZETTE.
To tlie PEOPLE of AMERICA,
j NUMBER h
j Triencle end Irethren,
I A ? e federal cbnftitution is the key that has
iLjL j opened the gates into the endlefs mazes of
political difquifition, and as the fubject is of the
firft magnitude, aiTecling not only the prefent gene
ration, but fucceffive races yet in their loins, it
therefore becomes a duty in every perfon interefted
hoth to Ipeak and to hear.
! Of all the performances which have yet came
forward on that intercftihg fubjeft, there is none
that approximates to an equality with a recent pub-j
licatio& under the fignature of " A true Fcjcraijl."
That uthor, wnlth a fagacity which Would have don
honctir to the greateft ftatefmart of ancient or mo
dern tiimes, has not only exhibited the certain ope-
ration! and conlequences of that ccnftitution, but
has ftfipt it of its falfe and deluding drefs, fo liberal
ly laid upon it by its defigning advocates. He has .
alfo, in the moft unanswerable manner, blown away
thofe jvifionary evils with which the good people of
this ftate have been psrfecuted, as the certain con
fequeiice of bur non-aCceptance thereof
As, this publication has nccafioned an abfoiute and
entire renovation in my politick principles I think
it my jinxuinbent duty to lnew to the world the ground
6f my prefent converfion, as you will find it in No. I.
, and II. of the true Fed eralift.
I In the firft inftance the author gives tis to under
(land,! tliat the pfopofed conftitution was the refult
of a coalition betw-eeri the Naticnalifts and thje
Ariftocratesj two parties in the grand convention,
thus (tiled from the alpect of their political princi
ples, and that, with an addrefs truly aftoniihing, they
pulhed it into the world as the prOducTion of a third
party m the convention, ftiled federalists. . NoWj
is it poflible that real and ariflccratical
ed people ? Can 4 clean thing ccme but of an unv
clean one? Can the Ethiopean charigj: his Jkjn, or
the Leopard his fpcts ? t It ii a folly i:o drav in
terences from this jfacl ji the evls it will produce are.
more in number thaijt the Hairs of our iieadn
. I Avas formerly jed to believe, that the majority ia
bur le ftate convention yre direifieo" by certain
elfiflj principles, ich wa the the occafioa of their
rejeding the confutation; ; but I now find thefe were
no exceptiotis mailei J nqr no privileges vafked, , but
what equally coiilcerried all the ether -ftates' ; the
conclufion thent drawn frcm this; quarter is, that
their proceedings Were fefted upon theif mndefl po
licy and rnoftbrlliant pal:iioUim; Agatrr, I' find
the boafledi choleric, and Heei five Virafcjniiig cf the
minority, to confift merelyif ibundy. 1 whiSe the mari
Ivj though unmilflcal arguments cf the rnajority re
mained unaniwered Tlife manner in j which the
minority have takjes to do avay the , prumptiQn of
felf-interefted views, 1 is bcantifully expefed. There -are,
it feems, but feyen plaices to ccntetid for jet
we find twenty or thirty.; veiUJaterift' thtmfelves tt
fupporting -that governrnent on which thofe places
depend ; befidcst.number of ether places ' in rii c ju
. jdicial arrangemcn!5-. will have a fimilar effect, asr
every candidate wjll expect his lot to f ill amonp the"
loaves ana nines,. wiucn is aproipecc ntn and deli
clous to tliofe who have hithert o lain Unng the
pots -for are nbtjthe gleanings cf the federal couitS
f better than the vintage of the ftate Judiciaries. "''
That plaufible, tliough futile argument cf pnebn
citional adeptioni hxcrderito procure the necefiai-
amendments id frequently trumpeted forth by th.
fcderaliits, is fclafted to notlung and its horrid con
fequences ftrikingly adumbrated byj a perfen having
his hands ded inluch a; mariner that he jan neidier
ibear it-, nor unlie thejni- when his Very cxiiienee dsf
Spends upon tlieir libertyt 'H i !! 7
I The difierence between bur cenditionai delay, h
order to. gain the 1 heceilary amendment :smd. tha
mode fb fpedoufty 'advocated by Vthe fderalifts, I.
jam informed bear the fame proportion to each ether
Widi refpect to their falutary operations, as a dead
tiii to a level 1 ttxidthtit Jincrence erery ruitic kncr
to whom the knowledge of the hand-fpokel has ever
- made its way. The important coniequences of out
prefent pofture of lying upejn our cars (a lmetaiphor
which both decorates and braces tins part of the au
thors argument) I never yet conceive el j and per
haps itnever has been noticed in all thenvcftigati
ons this great fubjecl has undergone. I fay, it' will
'come home to the cafe of North-Carolina with great
Ipower, producing j events of tlie flrft magnitude.
'We are pbfieiledof abnoft boundlefs territory to the
Weft, which our affcmbly ! are pot to ccde. One
'half of confederated Americi, in eonfecjuence 'of
their heavy and ltd lippprtable; taxesj will t fly to us
fpr fhelter, and hecome our fubjecls for, being
! forced by the federal government to receive tn addt
ticn to the falutary chaftifements of the! whip, the
tremendous lafh of fcorions, then will the ftate of
i Korth-Carolina exceed tlie vihole of the cphfederated
;( ftates, by the whole of her, prefent numbers. This
. event, equally certain arid important, will not enly
, endanger, but probably annihilate tlie very eiftence
cf the cenfederacyp and confequently North-Carolina
bid fair to gite law tb the whole of the prefent
"nion.. ;- . : .:j.:'
: Before I finifii this number, it will be riecefTary to
. obviate an objection which pofEbly may lie brc ught t
againft the true FideralrJPz mode of reasoning ; that'
is, that his ccnclufions are drawn from pf emiies not
true ; or in other vcrds, "that he aflerts fas "to anf-
, "Wet his.purpofe, arid proceeds upon them j according
ly. To thefe objeclions I will cpj ofc the! confciTed
s ITia"m in thelawj that ihnqcency, and cvihfequcntly
tmtli is prefiimed everp perfbn till the contrary
appears ; another auriliarylmarim alio, ;that every
declaration of a perfon's-mind, in the nature of a
rill, is to be fo conftraed, that the intent cjf the party
may be fully come up to. Now it h clear this de
claration partakes! richly of th- nature of a will.
-The feritiments therein contained, are rich legacies
bequeathed to ail the world j infinitely fuperior to any
of tlie pecuniary kind. All tiie Jiiferencfe between
this, and a will executed un&er all the legal folcmni
ties, is, that in the firll c?St the acies feft before
tlie teftators deathMu tne latter, not till! after his
death ; for inthe.nrft cafe,; as- foon as aiiy perfbn
makes himfelf maftercf thd ideas, and adapts theto
as a. rule cf action, they are with refpeefc ! to fue;h
1
principles
however blended, coald brin forth a ccnftitution
picuiatea tor Uie rneiidian ct a tree and enugntea- 4 perfon. y ieacr. Now it is obvioufiy the in
fr1
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