us the adminiftration of justice in our land, let the present folemnity, by reminding us of the trial we likewise must undergo, be made profitable in things pertaining not only to this life, but alfo to that which is to come; that fo, when we fhall all meet again, after our feparation by the chances of life, and the stroke of death, we may remember that we met on this day; and remember with pleasure, that we met not in vain.

THE ORIGIN OF CIVIL GOVERNMENT:

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Rom. xiii. 4..

He is the minifter of God to thee for good.

It is impoffible for any one to confider, with at

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tention, the harmony in which all the parts of the natural world confpire to act for the benefit of the whole, without feeling an ardent defire to learn,. by whom and in what manner they were firft fram med and compacted together; how the agents were fuited to the patients, and the causes proportioned to the effects; fo that the former have ever fince operated invariably in the production of the latter; and the refult hath been an uniform obedience to the laws originally impofed upon inanimate

matter.

A diligent furvey of the bleffings, for which the moral world is indebted to civil polity, and the due execution of its edicts, must needs excite a curiofity equally earneft, and equally laudable, to enquire into the origin of so useful and neceffary an inftitution; to know, at what time, and under whofe direction, a machine was conftructed, capable by a variety of well adjusted springs and movements, of controuling the irregularities of depraved nature, and of enfuring to us amidst the restless. and contradictory paffions and affections of finful. men, a quiet poffeffion of our lives, and properties.

Aftate of nature" hath been fuppofed by writers of eminence upon this fubject, "when men lived in a wild and disorderly manner; and though they had a principle of restraint from religion, and a kind of general law, that exacted punishment of evil doers, yet, as the administration of this law was in common hands, and they had no one arbiter, or judge, with authority over the reft, to put this law, with any regularity, in execution; fo, from the excefs of felf-love, many mutual violences and wrongs would enfue, which would put men upon forming themselves into civil focieties, under fome common arbiter, for remedy of this diforder”—And it hath been, accordingly, concluded, that "the civil magiftrate was called in as an ally to religion, to turn the balance, which had too much inclined to the fide of that inordinate self-~ love."

In the "wild and diforderly ftate" here fuppo-fed, when mankind were mere favages, it is not eafy to conceive, how they had obtained "a principle of restraint from religion," or " a kind of general law, that exacted punishment of evil doers." And it is no lefs difficult to imagine, what benefit: could accrue to them from either; fince, as the religion had no priest, to teach and enfòrce it, the law had no magiftrate, to promulgate, and to exe-cute it. "The administration of this law was in common hands,” that is, in the hands of every man, who had his own law, canon as well as ftatute,. fuited to his prefent occafion, convenience or caprice. And what was this, but to be truly and. properly deftitute both of law and religion?.

As this independent state of nature was a state of perfect liberty; and as they, who had the happinefs to live under so pure and primitive a dispensation,

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tion, were doubtlefs, too fenfible of their happi nefs, to exchange it readily for government, always liable to degenerate into tyranny and oppreffion, it is obvious to think, that when the project for calling in the civil magiftrate as an ally to religion" was first proposed it would not fail to meet with a very vigorous oppofition." "An inordinate felf love," we find, was in poffeffion and no poffeffor is with more difficulty ejected. Of the privilege enjoyed by every man, to do without controul what was "right in his own eyes," every man would be exceedingly tenacious; and no one who thought himself, by his fuperior ftrength of body, or intellect, better entitled to an ox, or an afs, than his neighbour, could be presently made to fee the propriety of his suffering, for the good of the community.

"The free confent of every individual, we are told, is neceffary to be obtained for the inflitution of civil government." But upon what plain shall the univerfal affembly be covened? Or who, in a state of nature, hath authority to convene it? How fhall the proceedings of this tumultuary. congrefs of independents be regulated, or the votes of its members be collected? And when will all agree to invest fome with a power of inflicting pains and penalties, which others cannot but be fenfible they fhall foon incur ?

It is by no means reasonable to imagine, that each perfon would confent from thenceforth to be determined by a majority of the whole body, which might chance, upon queftions of the utmost importance, to exceed the minority, only by a fingle vote. And that one half of the fociety thould thus domineer over the other half, it would be deemed an infringement on liberty; to which men, born free

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free and equal, might, with great apearance of reafon, fcruple to fubject themselves.

It is indeed fometimes afferted, that "no man can submit himself to the abfolute will of another :" in which cafe, he certainly cannot fubmit himself to any governmet what foever; fince the legislature, in every government, is abfolute, having a power to repeal or dispense with its own laws, upon ọccafions, of which itfelf is judge.

The reafon affigned for the above affertion, "that no man can fubmit himself to the abfolute will of another," is this, tha "no man can give that, of which himself is not poffeffed, namely the power over his own life." But how then came any government to be invested with a power of life and death? And what would a government avail, which was not invefted with that power? If laws, inflicting capital punishments, are frequently broken, in what a state would the world be, if there were no fuch laws? Here, then, is a dignus vindice nodus; and therefore, DEUS interfit! For, without the interpofition of fome power fuperior to human, a fyftem of civil polity, calculated to anfwer, in any degree, the end of its inftitution', can neither be framed, nor fupported.

And the truth is, when we reflect a little farther upon the fubject, we cannot but perceive our apprehenfions greatly fhocked at the fuppofition, that the wife and good Creator, who formed mankind. for fociety in this world, and defigned to train them. by a performance of its duties, for a more noble and exalted fellowship with angels in the world to come, fhould place them, at the beginning, in the abovementioned wild and diforderly ftate of independence, to roam in fields and forefts, like the brutės that perish, and to fearch for law and government,

where