A Sermon Delivered Before His Excellency Levi Lincoln, Governor

I us izasB.iB.s HARVARD COLLEGE FROMTHB WINSLOW LEWIS OOLLBCnON OF TRACTS W Gift of dw New England Historic Genealogical Sodeiy Bra6, 1917 r I i t ELECTION SERMON. 1 1 •S I T s: y - iil«» l.lii 8ERMON DELIVERED BEFORE HIS EXCELLENCY LEVI LINCOLN GOVERNOR, HIS HONOR THOMAS L. WINTHROP LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, T<iJB HON. COUNGll^ TIIJS a|3N4T6, AND QOU^E OF jREPst^KNTATI VES OF TUR COMMONWEAI.TII OF MASSACHUSETTS, ox THS DAT OP GENERAL ELECTION, MAY 28, 1828. BY JAMES WALKER. ISonton : DUTTON AND WENTWORTH, PRINTERS TO THE STATE. 1828. us UTS'?. zr.iT IN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Mat 28, 1828. ' Wd^lniiiiiivtt, ssHAVliit < orAjlBiirti«^.'f)op^wiii ^ss|C9i«rMo««f, and FoLLsa of Boston, be a.Comntiltee h> w^it on the Rxy. Jam is I^alkkr, and present to him the thanks of this House,^ for tiie tHscouif^'deUverM by'hitt- tikU ^iij',b«ibre'aieEfdeut!T« antstte'l^ifeiMiitf^ laid icif«qi|qst a«QH»".ss tin ^Ji ^ ii-jv 'laii Oio;, oiUi il;;ij^ SERMON. EXODUS, XVm, 21. Thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such ta fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness ; and place such over them to be rulers. • . 1 The public business, the excitements of the day, and all the circumstances in which we are assem?: Medv make it imperative on me to be briefs and almost entirely occasional. You have not come heire^ prepared to sit down and listen to a learned discussion, fearfully long, and fearfully dull ; and I do not mean you shall be troubled with one. I only ask your attention, while I throw out a few hints on the responsibility the people of this country are under, to take care that the men whom they raise to authority, are honest and capable. In those countries where the accident of birth determines who shall rule over them, the people are not responsible for the character and capacities of the men in power. It is true, a corrupt administration is a national calamity in all goKWi|ri ments^ but in ours it is at the same tiioe | a^iQ%r.* tional calamity)^ ^iind a . national sin. J^romi tJbif9( freedom, mid, J frequency pf our otectioi^sy .^u!rjp*4?r, Ik men eim Jwti*VitJ)« JfTepIl* ofrttie p^ppte iv«5W^ if pow^rj^iP^t ifltQuunwocthy hand§, or 9«ss(Wpdjjtgi rem^ there m. houii^after.it.ifl abuac^j .ti?(^iflW*J»i are rjesppp^blq. it. is a fair inference,,. ^ba^fitfl^i whpjj^ people rhave degenerated. It wo^WfiUQt) be lak 40^ (judges thei 4inwala of ti)^^ pdopji^ QfJ&Qgrt latfdi. orvpf France, by the mojrate of the/ «i5W*H| but i^ m ipprfectly fair ito judge tlio. morals. oC^jtbe? people of . thi^ cpnntcy by: tJb^ oK^rals of t^e nten^ . whom ith^y ele va;te by t^ieiri volu»tt^y >aiii9rages. ito. reptesepfc ^ thfe majeety of the. f jiation^ < . It! i«: < pf WM-i speakabj^ importance, ^lat we ^ should t fool Abathtf^^ ard u)$|i^iealedi in^^ manner in- mkk^ ^nof^othorip^kiw pier <jLr<9» mr the character df 0unrri»l6i»i( Aidttbei Axxti^ f^istiting from thisi peenKarity^of iturioofei stita^tioibaiB&ii^ighly and edlemnr ^ ft>^oi Lmt >r>t<i Gom^hAeof) too, the ^sseety which tbei)iolkicai>6lMr vatkm 0fj«fl|)adiman will haveoti-pobiiat opiBi6n, and tbfdui^ public opinion on > the public izMirahii . We pre9/eh aboutfeoiBcie0cef.the4ignily ^f humane nature,; the power of rel%ioo,»Rnd divai^ idlu* ences^; aiid all ihis is wtoU.* Expeiience ^teacbea us, however, that all thi^is nofihmgyor nextto no;) tfamg, unless countenanced and sustained by smUio: oi^iirk>ti';< 'Which fixto the prct^etical standard' in BiMrf flhteej and* feW rise much abov«e it» or mk DMibh below it. The biAtory of'4egi^li0n on such siAjtets as duelling, totterieid^^linti the Lord^s-day, fihthvB wialiBo, that laws, human' kws, fjcVe^ii abs^ iMe itellity, are nO bett«^ Ihan'^i^ O^oh bfottod pasf^uient, niilelto countenanced' aild eaa^ined^by pttblicv opinion. Gk)d forbid, that I •should ^^k df^vii^oe as not baring its foundation: in hubittA n^tuite ; 8tiU i cannot but tiiink^-^bat this is a-iiUbi-- jeCt'cm which we may bo a little too refined^ a til^ dli'too enthusiastic, a little too eloqoent tfor ^a^^^ tiaal puiposes.' Ge^drally and practically spQtfkn kig,lbdteYe^ tbal meiy are just ^e goodi a^^th^y tbiAk public opidi^m req^ir^s I and nobett^rv. >Li0t it be undevstbod)' theresoiie, that IxH^noists -Viocf]^ wtiii|iotilcise la 4Hian 4he 'Confidence of tbe^^fiieopto) letiitL'to ufidersltoeid^ that the vicious^' are not^^i tolaratttdi b«t(tnuited^Qndbonoured»'aiMi4hegp«at practkal restraint on the bad {ia9siOAs4^d0tii|»toi' inMdi aAd ajl otbei^ft WiU be •eli»d4^dr'<^ d^^fi^ ' .iu^ mischievmis iprojudicei preivail^'ith^t^a man^ p&iVMi^jcbBMwAeM haajbot litlje to do* ]wii;|^^bk public ; charactef « ; ] - Idndoubtedltpa man :itiay wa«t -fipme of^lhe qualilies yDecesB«yry>to> a ^ood^ fatbes, or a good son^ or a good neighbour, :and yet make an exeelknt magistrate. or Jod^e. £?en these defects howevier^ tkMigb> ^jr^^ mayuoot > ^operate . dkeclly , ministration is a national calstmity in all gov^riir naentsv but in ours it is at the same tinae r a, actional calamity tJ^ncl a. national sin. j^romi tJbita, freedom. mid, frequency pf our etectipqs^ .^ur ^pu^ Ik istpn es;i«t !w)tiinritf)« JjTQlMh ofpthe p^ppite i,^^ if pow^r :\a^ ip«t 4etQ, iqnwQcthy hand§* .or «}«ssstfpd>stw repwn; there mi hq^jj^asteritis abuscKfc ,^tpfl[©pj»j ar^Tjesppp^blq. ; It is a fair infereijef^,. ^ba,ti}jtfc#j whpjj^ people ihave degenerated. It wowldi^Mt; ba^JsiW 4otrjudgQithe»mcflrala of tJ*^ peopjfe QstJBjlgK latfd^. pr^'Of nFrance:, by the mojrab o| the/ sWWJi; but i<^ ifl ipprfi^ctly fair jto ; j^dge tlio, cnQrals. qC> jtbe> people of . tbi^ iQPHntny by; tb^g^ morals of t^e n»eni. whi)m ith^y ^ele v«;t€t by th^iiri ' vQlujrti^y >aiii9ragea Xq^ reptesepifetthfe majesty c)f tbeipation.o ItukuQinn^i speali^ab^i^ortan^e, ^mt^we^ should sseolAbathtf^^ aT0;U)sf^ieafeBd(;in^^ manner ml f^kkii <iiQ^athor(p4^ pfe(^stW«istfitfee character df 0«rrrirf6i»n flAdttbei dut^ iH^ting> from thiBrpeenKarity^of 6wcttixik*\ siiHi^ioib^UJei^eigh^ and ^dlemn* i »i>^^oi ' riij:)/;uj Gom^Aeof) iOOi the ^sseety which tbei ^itic^yekMi vntiion €tfj«rD>adiman will have on tpoUiat opiByfm, and tbfdu^ public opinion on ' thf& piiblie izMiralsii We prefyeb about coiBci^nce^ the4ignily ^ fautnan' nature^ the power of religioo^^Rndvdivaie iulu^ ences!; and all ibis tis w^l.*. Expeiienceiiteacbea us, however, that all tbiis^is notbtDg^ornestiM wu^ tfamg, nb\em countenanced' and i(U0ta«ed by poUui ii|^i0i6tli;^> which fixto the prct^etical standard' in eij^c^ry-plttee, and- feW riae tniick above it» or tsisk titkth below it. …