fore the reader, his serious consideration of the following particulars is requested.

1. God requires men, in their national character to acknowledge him, and reverence his providence, word and worship. When he took the Jews to be his peculiar people, a nation set apart to keep his oracles, lest a knowledge of him should be lost in the earth; he also declared himself to be the moral governor of all nations. Not a few passages, not some solitary texts; but the whole volume of inspiration asserts his claim, and describes the destructions he hath suecessively brought on wicked nations for their impieties.— These threatenings were not confined to the Jews, his peculiar people. They were denounced and executed on many other nations of which we have historical accounts in the scriptures. The nations of Canaan were cast out before the Israelites, not from an undue partiality to the latter; but to punish the sins of the original inhabitants. Egypt was punished for the same reason. For the same reason, when Israel fell into great sins, and either denied or neglected to acknowledge him as the true and only God, the surrounding people were always armed against them. The Babylonians, although they did not themselves confess him as the only true God, were claimed by him to be the avengers of his wrath on many countries for their impieties. After they had done the work for which they were appointed, God destroyed them, because they had acted from wicked motives, in inflicting his judgments. Promises are made to all communities of men, which obediently confess him and his providence, and these are united with denunciations against those who do it not.-Nations are uniformly represented to be raised up, preserved or destroyed to answer some great purposes in his moral government. There is a promise that righteousness shall exalt them. Laws are given for their conduct and policy, The character of good rulers is described, and bad rulers are condemned. Government is declared to be an institution of God, although the particular form it may assume is left to men's own determination, for the convenience of different conditions that are found in the earth. If government be a divine institution, it ought certainly to acknowledge a supreme God, his providence, his word, his worship, and a general law of moral obligation. I have not here recited particular texts of proof, as these would be weak, compared with that mass of evidence, which is contained in the general topics I have mentioned. All these prove that God requires men in their national character to acknowledge him, reverence his providence, respect his word, fear his

power, and if they openly neglect him, teaches them to expect his judgments.

Let common sense and reason determine, whether it is not absurd to suppose, that every man in his personal, individual character is under obligation to confess God and his word; and still, as a member of a family, or of a neighborhood, or of a civil state, is not obliged to do the same. It is not conceived that such a distinction can be made.

2. The writer does not know, that the nation to which we belong, doth, by any public act acknowledge the supreme God, his providence, his word and his worship. Whatever some particular States have done on this subject, this cannot be considered as a national act.

If God requires all nations to acknowledge him, the negleet must be displeasing, and lay us open to bis judgments. While a conscientious regard to duty, leads me to the subject, I am sensible that it is one which requires candor in judging, prudence in expression, and some maturity of thought for a wise determination. The observations I shall make are not designed for any political party existing in our country; for I do not know that they will apply exclusively to one more than to another. Neither are they designed as an insinuation against any particular persons, who may have filled important offices in the nation; for I think there hath already been more of this insinuation than is consistent with prudence or decency, and it is highly probable with truth.~ That neglect which I represent as a probable cause of divine displeasure is equally chargable on us all, who have a knowledge of public duty and do not express it. I am sensible, passion and prejudice may carry men great lengths in their bigotry, and in oppressing the consciences of others, against which there cannot be too strong a guard; still it does not need a very discriminating mind to see. that there are certain truths of natural and revealed religion, which ought to be nationally acknowledged wherever Christianity is the popular religion. To deny the being of a God, his providence, the truth of his word, or his right to be worshipped, must certainly disqualify any person whatever for exercising authority among a Christian people; for this plain reason, that Christians can place no confidence in such perAlthough it is possible they may do some things well, there is not that evidence of it that Christians ought to require. The few plain truths I mentioned. lie at the bottom of moral obligation; annul these, and moral obligation ceases. with which the very idea of moral duty ceases also;but the practice of moral duties constitutes both the safety

and happiness of society. A Christian people are under the highest possible obligation to bear their testimony for the being, providence, word and worship of God. To say there are any situations in which they may neglect this, or any conditions of acting in which it is not fit to do it, is to deny his universal providence, and the essential honor which he claims to himself. If there be some who doubt these truths, they cannot be qualified to judge among a Christian people. While they ought not to be oppressed for their sinful singularities of opinion, so long as they do not disturb society by their vices; they have no right to expect the favor of public confidence. There are many cases in which it is not fit to punish men for sentiments against nature and reason; still this exemption doth not give them a right to distinctive honors.

A national regard to the first principles of natural and revealed religion doth not expose any man's conscience to oppression, or his practical rights of worship to be disturbed. Every man may think for himself; but there is nothing in nature more certain than that an Infidel cannot think for a Christian, nor a Pagan or Mahometan legislate for him, nor a man given up to destructive vices support that righteousness by which nations are exalted. If there be any points explicitly determined and urged in the word of God, this is one of them," He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of the Lord ;" and certainly there cannot be a fear of the Lord, in those who, having the Christian evidence of truth, do not credit his word and providence. This is a Christian people, divided into several Christian denominations who differ in matters of minor importance, yet these denominations agree in a belief of God's being, word and providence; and in many other doctrines and duties of Christianity. Ought they to be so jealous of each other as to leave the door open, that a professed Infidel or a Pagan, may be constitutionally qualified to discharge every public trust? To do this is departing from those principles of self preservation, which they have a right to exercise over their. own lives and consciences. There is a great distinction to be made between leaving men in possession of their private rights, and clothing them with public rights; between persecuting and honoring. Let this distinction always be made. Let no man be persecuted; neither let a man be honored who is not willing to honor God. When God hath in his word been so particular as we find, in declaring his superintendence and government of nations, their duty to acknowledge him as God, the blessings he will bestow on their obe

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dience, and the judgments he will inflict on their impiety; there ought not to be a nation on earth, who have the means of information, backward to acknowledge him, and in their national capacity do him honor. Wherever such an omission is found, it is preferring a nominal liberality to the love and glory of God; and extending it beyond the limits of charity, which delights in the happiness of men, into the confines of scepticism and death. It is difficult to find a name for such a state of things. To call it heathenism, would be a false representation of the private sentiments of the people, in every Christian denomination; if we call it Christianity, it would be difficult, by any vouchers of publie authority, to prove a right to this title. Such a condition of things, among any people, must leave them in an uncovenanted state, and exposed to perish from the way when the wrath of the Son is kindled but a little. May we not apply to such a condition, what was written by the prophet Zechariah, expressed in language familiar to the Jewish church, but manifestly designed for the day in which we live: "And it shall be, that whoever will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem, to worship the king, the Lord of Hosts; even upon them shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt go not up, and shall not come, who have no rain, there shall be the plague, wherewith God shall smite the heathen."

3. A national neglect to acknowledge God, his providence, word and worship, hath a demoralizing influence on all our public institutions, and on the opinions and manners of the people.

The native sinfulness of men strongly inclines them to forget God, and neglect the duties of religion. A great part of the moral order among mankind is impelled by the apprehensions of conscience, and by that sense of decency of which public opinion forms a standard. Although a bypocritical heart will not be accepted by God; yet it is certainly better for society to have sinful dispositions and practices restrained by a deference to public sentiment, than by an open indulgence of them to corrupt thousands who are comparatively correct. The power of example, on the opinions and manners of men is so great, that the destruction an irreligious man brings on his own soul, is not the greatest evil incurred. He may be the instrument of destroying a thousand others; which shews us the high importance that faith and virtue be encouraged by public marks of respect. The state or the church where these cease to be given, is hastening to its ruin by internal causes, more to be dreaded than any foreign enemy.

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The great body of every people form their faith ae Lord ners from a few persons of influence, who have better" tages than themselves for knowing; or who, from some circumstances, obtain an ascendancy over their opinions. A principal one among these circumstances, is being connected with the government of the state or the church. In these cases, that dignity which really belongs to the community, in the popular eye, is transferred to the individuals who are its organs of acting. It is therefore of infinite importance, that these individuals be virtuous persons, who fear God and love his commandments; who treat all moral and religious institutions with respect, and bear their testimony for the being, providence, word and worship of God. The civil state is the fountain of power, controls wealth and imparts honor; objerts that have a commanding influence over the mind. Human nature is such that public institutions will sway the opinions of the people. What the public respects, they will respect; what it strenuously advises, they will think to be in some way necessary for their own good; what it neglects, they will esteem to be useless. As nations and states possess the highest earthly authority, all their institutions should lead men to reverence and worship Him, by whom they are made and unmade, according to his pleasure. A neglect of religion in the highest public institutions will gradually have a corrupting influence on all that are subordinate to them.When those who are appointed to watch over the morals of the people, and preserve order in the smaller districts, see the higher departments of the state left, without any constitutional guard on the subjects of religion and virtue, it will certainly lead to a neglect of their own duty. The people will imbibe the same idea; and either become refractory against those who endeavor to execute good laws, or appoint persons to the service who will wholly neglect their duty.When it once becomes a general idea, that religion is not necessary for the safety of the civil state, there will soon be an end to order and justice. Even parents will be encouraged by the public neglect, to admit disorder and impiety into their houses. A corrupt state will corrupt the church of God. If Moses, by any means whatever, be diverted from giving a constant protection to religion, the sons of Aaron will soon make a molten calf. and say unto the people, these be thy gods, O Israel. The experience of all nations and all ages evinces the truth of these observations. The heathen knew the need of a popular religion for the preservation of society. Being destitute of revelation, their opinion of the Gods was formed by weak reason, under the influence

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