INFLUENCE OF RELIGION ON A STATE.--Religious faith is necessarily and
unavoidably political in its influence and bearings, and eminently so.
Christians are generally well informed--and knowledge is power. They
have there in Christian countries, as citizens and subjects, directly
and indirectly, a large share of influence in the state. In most
Christian states, if not in all--for a state could hardly be called
Christian, if it were not so--Christianity is made a party of common
law, and, when occasion demands, is recognised as such by the judicial
tribunals. It is eminently so in Great Britain; it is so in America;
and generally throughout Europe. It is also, to a great extent,
established by constitutional law, and thus incorporated with the
political fabric, furnishing occasion for an extended code of special
statutes. The great principles of Christianity pervade the frame of
society, and its morals are made the standard. The second table of the
decalogue is adopted throughout as indispensable to the well-being of
the state; and a thousand forms of legislation are attempted to secure
the ends of the great and comprehensive Christian precept--"Thou shalt
love thy neighbour as thyself." More especially is it deemed the
highest perfection of civilized life and manners, in the code of
conventional politeness, to exemplify this latter divine injunction.
Otherwise life would be much less comfortable--hardly tolerable.--_A
Voice from America to England._
DUTY OF SUBJECTS.--We ought not only to look at the queen's duty, but
recollect also what is our own; for the prosperity of a nation
consists, not only in having a religious governor, but also an
obedient people. The events which have passed before our eyes during
the few last years, may serve, I think, to convince us of the truth of
such an inference. Can we look back on the loss of human lives, the
almost paralyzing alarm excited by the threats of an infuriated
populace, and the absolute destruction of property which took place
during the riots in the city of Bristol, and not see that all those
calamities sprung out of a want of obedience to the existing
authorities? Nor was that the only occurrence of the kind which has
taken place. What repeated acts of incendiarism have we as a nation
suffered from, as well as from the still more recent riots which have
arisen in our south-western and other counties? and may we not ask,
whence have those scenes of strife, discontent, and tumult, sprang,
but from the cause I have already referred to?--want of subjection and
obedience to the government of our kingdom. What were the scenes of
misery and horror which broke out from time to time, when internal
wars and insurrections so greatly depopulated our land? Cast your eye
up and down our country, and view the still remaining barrows--those
unsculptured, unlettered monuments, which cover the slain of our
people--and ask, are these Britons slain in their own land, a
Christian land, a land where (to remind you of the present privileges
of her constitution) we have a national established church, of sound
scriptural and protestant faith, and a preached gospel?[AB]