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PAPERS OF l\1m.-\JJEA.U BUONAPARTE L,\:\CAR
receive for this part of his conduct must depend upon his opinion of the war, who awards the one, or the other. As for ourselves we believe that it was a just one, being unprovoked by our people, and in defence of weomen & children; and of consequence ,ve must approve the con- duct of Mr. Mosely in fighting in behalf of his country. The reader is invited to the consideration of one important truth. It is this, That religious & civil liberty are inseparable, ancl that the one can never be enjoyed in a country where the other does not exist. To defentl the latter therefore is to give protection and security to the former. And that this argument may have its full force against the erroneous & pernicious doctrine that we are combatting_. the reader will please direct his mind to a retrospect of the history of the early settlement of this favored land and to the consideration of the nature of our happy Government. Before the landing of the Pilgrims on the rock at Plymouth there was no such thing known in any christian portion of the globe as religious fi:eedom. Catholic & Protestant that for a long time divided the civilized world, were alternately persecuting each other, as each obtained ascendency in civil power. Out of the permanent triumph of the latter arose the Church of England which now fixed in power & forgetting right soon commenced persecuting the Dissenters with a rigor little inferior to Popish oppression. All who did not bow with slavish conscience to her acclasiastical authoritv re- ceived her proscription until finally her intolerance sustained by··civil power, expelled from the Dominion the brightest exemples of piety who found in the New World that liberty of worshiping God agreeably to conscience. which was denied them in their native land. God pro- tected them in their flight from persecution, and prospered them in their views from generation to generation. When in after years their increasing numbers and wealth gave them political importance, their mother country, lead by the suggestions of a selfish policy attempted to throw over them again' her shackles of tyranny. The wicked at- tempt hrought on a sanguinary war of seven years, which must have resulted in their defeat or destruction but for the special interferenre of an all-wise & over ruling Providence. Their cause was religious as well civil liberty and God was their buckler. Sustained and animated by that mighty Spirit that once "moved on the face of the waters" they rose superior to every calamity & "fought the good fight" And who shall say that in doing this, they forsook the cause of the great Captain & :Master.? And who shall now rebuke the minister of the Gospel for_fighting in defence of that Country thnt Goel, hath been pleased to shelter with the "banner of his love"? 'l'he successful ter- mination of that glorious struggle lend to the establishment of a Gov- ernment, the only one on the broad face of the earth, which extends equal protection to every class of citizens and to eYer~· denomina- tion of Christians. It cliffers from all others in this material and important principle, that whilst it tolerates all religious creeds, it lends not the ~tron~ arm of authority to any to crush an- other. It is to this peculiar feature of our Oovernment that WC' are indebted for the harmony & prosperity that pen·ade our happy country. Blot out this characteristic and what would he the cons<"quenee? A tendency to pers<:!cutioni;; similar to those which dro,·e our ancestors to thl.' settlement of this land would soon be cfo,covernblC'. \Ye are per-
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