(ftfj
A NATIONAL PAPER, PUBLISHED WEDNESDAYS AN» unmn " ~ ' ■ ' —-
— " DAYS M J OHN Ff-NMO, No. 34, NOBTH FIFTH-STREET, PHILADELPHIA
[No. 60 of Vol. IV.] Wednesday, December 26, ~i 792 .
tAOU. THE COLUMBIAN LtNi INEI
THE MONITOR
On the moral infl'unci of v reaching.
IT is frequently said that the con
duct of men is ]inle influenced
by what they hear from the pulpit.
It is urged that many of the dis
courses are not practical nor adapt
ed to enlighten the mind. Admit
ting this, it is neverthelels anfwer
cd, that none of them recommend
an ill cotnfe of life, and many
preachers paint moral beauty in the
molt attrartive colours, or exhibit
the turpitude and meanness of vice
with so much truth and force, as to
make it appear loathfoine to its ve
ry followers. Those tvlio deny the
ufefulnefs of preaching, fay, that
Hs influence is momentary. There
is i rssr. " (ay they, ar the door
'• <"• ••»<! perhaps it opens,
of cons
bnt it is S
'-ut again and bolted.
TJie cwurfe of bad thoughts is nor
ftop'd at all, and that of bad acftions
for an instant only. The thought
]efs follower of vice plunges into the
world, and, considering lerious re
fleition as bad company, he con
nives to get ri d of it as soon as he
can. Tliefe objections only (liew
that good precepts w ill not preserve
us from falling, if the}' be not sup
ported by good habi;s. Yet many
fa lie concl ulions have been drawn
from tliefe confiderat ions. Why do
we pay for preaching, if wo fee inen
persist in vice as much as ever > Do
we hope better success at this day,
than the world, though it has grown
old in the attempt, has hitherto
fotjnd ?
Plausible as these idLeas frem, they
are not the less fallacious. Good
opinions alone will not fectirea man
against temptation. Yet if he be
inltrutfed iti his duty, he will f'ure
]y condemn himfelf for violating it;
and still more will he condemn ano
ther in a like cafe. The minister,
by teaching men what they ought
<>r ought no: to do, may npt guard
them against the allurements of
guilty pieafure, but he will do fome
thiiig towards p-'eventing error :
They wil. not nnllake whatduiyis.
Right thinking may not produce
Tight acTtion—it is however an ef
fentiai parr of our moral education.
To make duty pi3in is to (trip vice
ofthofe difgu'Tes, which it is oblig
ed to aU'utne in order to obtain its
jirtt victory over virtue. The mind
lhrinkj from that sense of removfe
which it well knows is sure to fol
low criminal indulgence. This re
straint alone is usually fufficient to
keep us from falling into great
trail fgreffions. This view of the
fubje<it regards the influence of
preaching only on the operations of
a man's own mind, without advert
ing to the shame of being seen ?s a
criminal by the world.
And if we confidcr that sermons
are addrefi'ed to our children as well
as to rhofe of mature age, we shall
fee the inestimable advantage of
having the young mind pre-occu
pied by good iniprellions, and as it
were, diiciplined to virtue.—The
preacher, however, does more in fa
vor of morality. Shame has ter
rors not less formidable than those
of the law. Public opinion is the
judge, and the minifler of a ven
geance which cannot always prevent
crimes, but is sure to overtake the
offenders. Accordingly we find ihat
the morals of a people are nearly as
accurate as the general" fl:a;e of
■knowledge among them. Thecler
gy, by Jc-fcanting on our duties,en
able us to diitinguifir right from
■wrong, and by the frequency of
their addrefl'es, tbefe lions
become familiar. It is no final] ad
vantage to good morals to bring
men together—but to do it on the
terms of their cbferving decorum,
and fitting in lilence as hearers, is a
Hill greater point gained.~Add to
this, while the nature and confe
rences of vice and virtue are re
piefented, each man turns his eye
en hinifelf, and feels conscious that
every man's eye is upon hiin. The
law ot opinion is not only interrupt
ed but actually enforced at the mo
ment. He feels awed by that pub
lic which he fees allembled, and en
gaged in the work of discounte
nancing vice. Thus, by enlighten
ing us in regard to our duties, and
as it were forcing upon an aflem
bled multitude the reflection upon
them, che clergy, though they may
not pievent the brcaclus of the mo
ral law, contribute a great deal to
wards securing the (anxious of it.
Public opinion mrliciS the punii'n
ment, and probably with more ef
fect both towards the prevention of
offences and the reformation of the
tranfgreflbrs, than if it were fuffer
ed at the whipping post or the pil
lory.
It has been before hinted that the
authority of public opinion is great
ly increased by aflembling men to
gether. To men of cold hearts and
sceptical philosophy the effects of
that mysterious sympathy by which
we fuffer or enjoy the emotions of
the beholders will seem incredible
—Yet it is known that the moral
and political condition of Greece
was influenced by the discipline of
the Gym nail am, and the active e
mulation of their Olympic and Ifth
niian games. The excels of grief
or joy Jometimes proited mortal to.
the competitors.
Every congregation is with us a
moral school in which virtue is not
only rendered amiable, but public
ly confided to the vigilant protecti
on of an allembly deeply interested
and carefully inilrutfled to be faith
ful to the trust. It is the fault of
the minister if in those places vice
is not made to hang its head. Is it
faying too much, that with us the
church is the Gymnasium, in which
youthful virtue grows llrong by ex
eicife ! While facts Ihew that pub
lic opinion did so much in Greece ;
is it a ralh hypothecs to foppofe it
able to accompli/h so little in our
times ?
The liinit3 of this paper would
not allow us to pursue these consi
derations as far as we might do it
with advantage. The theory of
our eccl liallical institutions is cer
tainly excellent. Great credit is
due to our forefathers who laid the
foundations of them so deeply that
our halms concur with our interelts
as a people. It would be ufeful to
call the attention of the wife and
worthy to the means by which the
clergy might be rendered even more
refpt«flable and influential than
they are at present. Splitting of
parishes is certainly ail evil. Funn
ing funds for the support of miuif.
teis would be well repaid by secur
ing the peace of parilhes.
The result of these refieitinns is,
that our moral opinions are formed
in early youth and influenced af
terwards by I lie clergy. Who does
not know the sway that opinion
bears ? The world and ha polities
are governed by it. It is the bufi
-11 el's of the clergy to form and di
rect it in favor of virtue. This
work they never quit. They begin
almost at the cradle, and bear their
disciple company to the grave. This
order of men is of Ihe greatell nfe
to society. The laws govern by
force ; but they address themfel»<Js
to men's hearts, foas that they shall
govern themielves. ,
237
E.-.trift from a Charge delivered ij
Thomas Smith, Efqu'tre, Pre fide/it
of the Courts of Common Picas, ire.
in the Jourth circuit, to the Grand,
"juries for each of the counties of
Cumberland, Mifflin, Huntingdon,
Bedford and Franklin, at the open
"'§ °f feverat courts cf Qttarter
SeJJions, holden in Otlober and No
vember, I 792.
I had written thus far when
I received a letter from his Excell
ency the Governor, which, as it is
directed to me in my public station,
and i elates to the bulinefs on which
I am now addrefling you, and as the
sentiments contained in it, perfectly
coincide with those which I have
uniformly exprefled from this place ;
it being also founded on a proclama
tion of the President of the United
States, expressive of the fame fenti
; I beg leave to lead an extract
from that letter (referring you to the
proclamation, which you have all
read or heard read) viz. " Sir, the
" Prelident has communicated to
" me a copy of a proclamation,
" which he ill'ued, in confequettce
" of certain irregular proceedings
" that have taken place, in particu
" )ar parts of some of the States,
" contravening the laws far raU
" sing a revenue from spirits dif
" tilled within the United States :
" and I am desirous in every pro
«' per way, to manifeft my difpo-'
" lition to further the object of
" the particular menfure, which he
" has at this time adopted, as well
" as to promote on every occasion,
" a due obedience to the conftitu
" tional laws of the union. Permit
" n<, therefore, Sir, to reqneft,
" that you will take every official
" opportunity to inculcate the in
" difpenfible duty of obedience to
" the atfls of Congress : and, par
" ticularly, that you will be pleased
" as far as the jurifditftion of your
" circuit extends, to charge the
" grand juries of the several coun
" ties within your diftricl, to en
" quire into, and present, all of
" fences of the nature to which the
" proclamation refers. 1 am per
" fuaded, Sir, that you are convin
" ced, with me, that the profperiry
" of the States individually, de
" pends upon the prosperity of the
" union, which can only be effei't
" ed by a ftrirt and faithful atten
" tion to our federal obligations.
" I repose a perfetft confidence in
" your exertions upon the particu
" lar fubjecfi that 1 have now fug
" gefted. lam with great efteera,
" Sir, your mod obedient servant,
" THO. Miffli N."
These sentiments of your Govern
or, corresponding with thole of the
President of the United States, will,
I trust, make a proper imprelfion
upon the people at large ; as they
have the fame tendency with those,
which a fenle of duty, an ardent
with to promote the peace, profpe
ritv, the liberties and social fclicity
of the people, have induced me to
endeavor to impress upon their
minds, with particular earneftnels,
in this infant State of our national
existence. I flatter myfelf that this
fiinilarity will give weight to the
addrefles which I have made (o the
Several grand juries (ince my ap
pointment ; and to lhe observations
which I am now going to make on
the fubjecl-inatter of the Govei nor's
letter.
Mod (incerely do I felicitate you,
my fellow citizens, in that i liave
no occasion to point out a 'ingle of
fender against the law under consi
deration. I have but of one
feeble attempt within this diltriifl,
to oppose the execution of it—that
attempt did not appear to be ihe ef
fert of premeditation ; ic seemed
ed rather an unguarded falJ v, an e-
[Whole No. 582.]
}•
Imllition of liberty ; jtiTbmutl) t]|.;
the gentlemen who conduit flic nob
lie profecutiorrS in the county »I,ere
it happened, did nor think it m
cell.iry to lend a bill to the grand
jury againll the actors.
By the 6th article of the conftiru
tion of the United States, that con
stitution, and the laws of the Uni
ted States made in pursuance there
of, are the supreme law of the land :
the Judges in every State are bound
thereby, and obedience is due to
them by every citizen ; if therefore
you, or any of you, know that any
offence has been committed, of the
nature to which the Proclamation
refers, it is your duty to pi efent the
offender. What although fomeof the
people of the United States, and 1 a
msng the number, may have difap
provedof, or n»t fufficiently compre
hended, rl.etyitem wlnifTi made the
law in quell ion neceH'ary,are a few to
let up their private opinion against
the wisdom of the society at lai g?, of
which they are members ? Js rvlilt
ance to any law coolHtutionally
made by those whom the society
have delegated for that purpole,
jultifiable in a few who may have,
or effetft to have, objedions to it ?
No government could fubiilt, were
this allowed ; anarchy, individual
ruin and national dellruc r tion, mult
be the conlequence. It is equally
certain that a firm adherence to the
principles of the Union, and a due
obedience to its laws, and to thole
of the State, will have an equal ten
dency to en Cure to us, individual
peace and prosperity, and national
fafety and greainefs.
When we review the condudt of
the people of the United States du
ring, and since, the formation of
the Federal Constitution, and tha
cor.ftitutions of the several States,
with very few exceptions indeed ;
have we not very 11 long and pleas
ing evidence, that our fellow-citi.
Zens have displayed move real pa
triotism, and that they poflels more
political virtue and wifdorn, than
any other nation now in exiltence,
has done in similar circumstances ?
Had there cxilted among us, a num
ber of men of perverted talents and
desperate fortunes, or many men of
wild ambition and void of princi
ple, or hunters after popularity
without merit to deserve it, or craf
ty knaves greedy of power, and de
termined to acquire it by any means,
however base, they would have had,
during this eventful peiiod, ample
scope to have played upon the pas
sions of the people j and on no oc
calion more, than on the promul
gation of the law in quellion. From
the early prejudices imbibed againlk
the Excise Laws of Britain and Ire
land, by the citizens of thele States
who were natives of those countries,
I will venture to fay, that by i ing
ing vociferoufly and on every oc
casion, the changes on about a dy
zen of words against all laws for
railing a revenue from spirits dis
tilled within the United States, how
ever necelfary and however modi
fied, (and a Parrot might learn to
repeat the words in a few hours)
the dullest and moll ftopid chai
terer, might, for a while, have pas
sed for an enlightened patriot, and
the mod infignificant character, al
though destitute of every molil vir
tue, might have been elevated in
to political consequence. Mty we
not be as much surprised as \ie are
happy that so few of such charac
ter have appeared among us And
that the few who have appeared,
have been soon discovered and funk
again into their original infignifi
cancy, with very few exceptions ?
Popularity so gained, i& seldom of
duration among any enlightened
people. Kiitory will convince eve