to teach his congregation nothing, but what they understood, or fuppofed they understood, before they folicited his affiftance or advice.

Before I enter upon my fecond inquiry into the rights and privileges referved to christian people, in the cafe of churches established by law, I must observe, that all religious affemblies whatsoever, whether congregated in the name of Mofes, the name of Jefus, or the name of Mahomet, have an equal claim to be protected by the state. The right of worshipping our creator, in that form and manner which we

ourselves approve, is a right with which we were invefted, previously to the formation of the focial compact:* upon our entrance into fociety, we cannot, without impiety, refign it. Aftronger bond than that of loyalty to a temporal monarch should reftrain us. We already are fubjects of another fovereign; and therefore cannot, for a moment, be confenting to an alienation of

our

"I have long looked on liberty of conscience as one of the rights of human nature antecedent to fociety." Burnet in his "Hift. of his own Times,"

vol. ii. 364. fol. edit.

our fervice, confiftently with our allegiance to the king of kings.

I refign, indeed, to the magiftrate the power of avenging those temporal wrongs which I fuffer from men of like paffions with myself: my civil liberty, in fact, depends upon that unreserved fubmiffion, which I owe, in common with my fellow fubjects, to those equal laws, which, without refpect of perfons, guard my property, my reputation, and my life. But, when I turn my views to future happiness, I look not to the perfon of the magistrate for information; he is a weak, frail, ignorant, erring mortal, like myself: I direct my ardent, folemn fupplications to the tremendous majesty of heaven, and humbly confide in that word, which the almighty hath been pleased, in mercy, to reveal: I fearch with my own eyes, and my own understanding, in earneft folicitude, for that truth, in the discovery of which, I am so immediately and so deeply concerned. And, as the power of the greatest monarch upon earth cannot poffibly deliver me from the dominion of the grave, I will, in religious matters,

14

matters, bow to him alone, who is lord of life and death.

But this original and unalienable right of every individual in fociety to chufe his form of worship, precludes not the public inftitution of religious establishments: the intrinfic nature, and contingent circumstances of which, I fhall now confider.

The formation of a religious eftablishment in any nation, is fubfequent to the formation of the facial compact, and owes its existence, folely to an act of the legislative power.

It confifts, in the appropriation of a part of the public treafure, to the purpose of defraying the expenses of the public worship.*

The form of prayer, the rights and ordinances which are connected with it, the manner of creating the various orders of minifters who officiate in the fervice, together with the just extent of the ecclefiaftical jurifdiction, must also be settled and defined, at the difcretion of the state.

But,

The minority fhould not be obliged to pay for doctrines, not useful to the state.

+ In order to prevent mistakes, I would be underftood to mean, that this ecclefiaftical jurifdiction, as fettled and defined by the ftate, fhould confine itself in

But, the form of public worship, eftablished by this authority, ought to rest upon the broadeft bafis. Infomuch, that should there be a country in which jews, mahometans, and chriftians are united under the fame civil government, without any great inequality of numbers, the form of worship publicly endowed, should, if poffible, be framed in fuch a manner as to comprehend them all; and, at the fame time, the power of revifing and correcting fuch establishment, according to the improving judgment of the

tirely to the regulation of the deportment of the eftablished clergy. The coercive jurifdiction of the magiftrate in religious matters, reaches not to the lay-members, even of his own communion; much lefs to those, who diffent from the established form of public worship. With respect to fecurity from interruption in our religious exercises, all focieties have the fame claim to protection, with those which are established by law.

The idea is not fo impracticable, as may at first be thought. Jews, chriftians, mahometans, &c, united under the fame government, and the fame laws, receive national bleffings; why should they not unite in returning national praise, and national thanksgiving? Securing to them, however, the right of feparate congregations, if they are defirous of making their acknowledgements for any other than national concerns,

the nation, should not be foreclosed by fanguinary and oppreffive laws. A legal and unlimited permiffion, fhould be granted to the profeffors of each particular religion, to worship the almighty in that form and manner, which is more peculiarly pleafing to themselves, referving for this purpose a proportional part of the public fund appropriated to the religious fervice of the nation.

In a country, wherein the inhabitants altogether, or, for the most part, profefs themselves believers in the gospel, the mode of public worship should have respect to that revelation, which is contained in the gospel; but should not admit, into its established forms, expreffions, obviously exclufive of particular fects, profeffing obedience to the fame common master.

The effence of the religious establishment confifting, then, in a prescribed mode of public worship; and, in an appointment out of the public treasure, for the provision of a fet of minifters to officiate therein, it appears highly injurious to exclude any person, who publicly diffents from this establishment,

from