66 as far furpaffing him in piety and utility as in fuffering. They did not want to coin a new religion; they wanted only to be permitted to enjoy, without interruption, the one they had been educated in, and that they had fworn, in the most folemn manner, to continue in to the end of their lives. The Doctor fays, in his addrefs to the Methodifts, "You will "judge whether I have not reafon and Scripture on my fide. You will at leaft be convinced, that "I have fo perfuaded myself: and you cannot but "refpect a real lover of truth, and a defire to bring "others into it, even in the man who is unfortunately "in an error." Does not this man blufh at approv ing of the bafe, cowardly, and bloody perfecutions that have been carried on against a set of men, who erred, if they did err at all, from an excefs of conscientiousness ? He talks of perfecution, and puts on the mockery of woe: theirs has been perfecution indeed. Robbed, dragged from their homes, or obliged to hide from the fight of man, in continual expectation of the affaffin's ftab; fome tranfported like common felons, for ever; and a much greater number butchered by thofe to whofe happiness their lives had been devoted, and in that country that they loved too well to disgrace by their apoftacy! How gladly would one of thefe unfortunate confcientious men have escaped to America, leaving fortune, friends, and all behind him! and how different has been the fate of Doctor Priestley! Ah, Gentlemen! do not let us be deceived by falfe pretenders: the manner of his emigration is of itself a fufficient proof that the step was not neceffary to the enjoyment of "protection from violence." You fay he has "long difinterestedly laboured for "his country." "Tis true he says fo, but we must not believe him more difinterefted than other reformers. If toleration had been all he wanted; if he. had contented himself with the permiffion of fpreading N 4 1 fpreading his doctrines, he would have found this in England, or in almost any other country, as well as here. The man that wants only to avoid perfecution, does not make a noify and faftidious difplay of his principles, or attack with unbridled indecency, the religion of the country in which he lives. He who avoids perfecution, is feldom perfecuted. "The lifted axe, the agonizing wheel, "Luke's iron crown and Damien's bed of steel, But the Doctor did not want to be remote from power, or profit either; for in his fermon on the test laws, he propofes "to fet apart one church for the "Diffenters in every confiderable town, and a cer"tain allotment of tithes for their Minifter, pro"portioned to the number of Diffenters in the dif "trict." A very modeft and difinterested request truly! Was this man feeking peace and toleration only? He thinks thefe facts are unknown in America. After all his clamour against tithes, and his rejoicing on account of their abolition in France, he had no objection to their continuing in England, provided he came in for a share. Aftonishing difintereftedness! In this country there is nothing to fear from the Doctor's difintereftedness, because there being no public revenue annexed to any worship whatever, there is nothing to wrangle for; but from the diffeminating of his deiftical doctrine, there is much to fear. A celebrated deift in England fays, that there can be no fuch thing as an atheift; that it is impoffible for, fays he, "every one muft neceffarily be"lieve that fome caufe or other produced the uni"verfe; he may call that caufe what he pleases; "God, nature, or even chance; ftill he believes in "the efficacy of that cause, and therefore is no "atheift." And, indeed, we fhall find that deism is but another name for atheism, whether we confider it in theory or in practice. That we should not be bettered by the introduction of deifm or atheism, I think is a clear cafe. " The fear of the Lord is the "beginning of wisdom." While this fear exifted in France, there was fome kind of manners, fome kind of juftice left; but ever fince the deluded people have been faught that Jefus Chrift was an infamous impoftor, and the worship of him has been forbidden as "idolatrous," the whole infernal legion feems to be let loose amongst them, and the nation appears marked out for a dreadful example to mankind indeed fome fuch example was neceffary to cure the world of the infidel philofophy of Voltaire, Rouffeau, Gibbon, Priestley, and the rest of that enlightened tribe. We are continually exclaiming againft prejudice, without attending to its effect on ourfelves. I am afraid prejudice in favour of the French revolution, has led Americans to approve many things which, a few years ago, they would have viewed with the utmoft abhorrence, and that they would even now view with abhorrence in any other nation: and here I cannot help taking notice of an article that appeared, not many days ago, in one of our public papers. The writer is giving a lift of eminent perfons who have "arifen on the democratic floor," which he concludes with Marat, St. Paul, and Jefus Chrift. Is it not a moft horrid blafphemy to put the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, on a footing with the bloody author of the maffacres at Paris and Versailles? I hope and believe, that such blasphemers are rare in the United States; and the only way to keep them fo is, for the people to reject unanimously every attempt to debafe Chriftianity, in whatever fhape, and under whatever disguise it may appear.. In the addrefs of " the republican natives of Great "Britain "Britain and Ireland, refident at New-York," we find a very extraordinary paffage indeed: but before we fay any thing about this addrefs, it will not be amifs to premife a word or two about the addreffers. I believe one might venture to fay, that there are but few natives of Ireland among them; because the emigrants from that country, being generally engaged in agricultural purfuits from their first arrival here, have not the time to form themfelves into political focieties; and the words "Great Britain" might probably have been fupplied by one word: however, as the gentlemen have not thought this word worthy of a place in their addrefs, I can by no means think of introducing it here; but let us fee what they fay of themfelves: "After a fruitless "oppofition to a corrupt and tyrannical Government, "many of us, like you, fought freedom and protection "in the United States of America. We look back "on our native country with pity and indignation, "at the outrages that humanity has fuftained in the "perfons of the virtuous Muir and his patriotic af"fociates." We may then fairly fuppofe that these republican natives of Great Britain and Ireland” can be no other than the members of that renowned Convention of which "the virtuous Muir," who is now fortunately on his paffage to Botany Bay, was Prefident. The paffage of their addrefs, alluded to above, is as follows: "Participating in the many bleffings "which the Government is calculated to enfure, we "are happy in giving it this proof of our refpectful "attachment. We are only grieved that a fyftem "of fuch beauty and excellence should be at all tar"nifhed by the existence of flavery in any form! but, "as friends to the equal rights of man, we must be "permitted to fay, that we with thefe rights ex"tended to every human being, be his complexion "what it may: we, however, look forward with "pleafing anticipation to a yet more perfect fate of "fociety; and from that love of liberty which forms "fo diftinguifhed a trait in the American character, "are taught to hope that this last, this worst difgrace "to a free Government, will finally and for ever be "done away." So! thefe gentlemen are hardly landed in the United States before they begin to cavil against the Government, and to pant after a more perfect flate of fociety! If they have already difcovered that the fyftem is tarnished by the very laft and worst difgrace of a free Government, what may we not reasonably expect from their future refearches ? If they, with their virtuous Prefident, had been landed in the fouthern States, they might have lent a hand to finish the great work fo happily begun by Citizens Santhonax and Polverel: they have caught the itch of addreffing, petitioning, and remonftrating, in their own country; let them scratch themselves into a cure; but let them not attempt fpreading their diforder: they ought to remember, that they are come here " to seek freedom and protection" for themfelves, and not for others. When the people of thefe States are ready for a total abolition of negro flavery, they will make a fhift to fee the propriety of adopting the meature without the affifiance of these northern lights. In the mean time, as the Convention cannot here enter on the legiflative functions, they may amufe themfelves with a fable written for their particular use: The Pot-fhop, a Fable. In a pot-shop, well stocked with ware of all forts, a difcontented ill-formed pitcher unluckily bore the fway. One day, after the mortifying neglect of feveral cuftomers, "Gentlemen," faid he, addreffing himfelf to his brown brethren in general, "Gentle"men, with your permiffion, we are a fet of tame "fools, without ambition, without courage; con "demned |
