Election Sermon

iS IN. PRESENCE, OF. AS . n18 « EXCELLENCY THE : coveens' | 75 Tn non ORABLE, | Council and ERS = 1 * | Gentlemen of the House of BY. NOAH WORCESTER „ A. M. N PASTOR OF THE;CHURCH IN THORNTON, Printed by Order of the Honorable General Court, — PRINTED Ar Contord, JUNE 1335 BY ELIJAH RUSSELL. > . ow wery#hby W W. eee Mos: it eels rat ate the terra BE my BY Ate IS A Clin ger mon, 1800. vpe zs III. 11, And the land had re fort years: And ? OTHN1E Ls, the Son of Kenaz, fied. ; UBLIC felicity is the great object of civil government. 1 Men are formed for Beit and much of their happiness resulis from social intercourse. But such are the dispositions and passions of men, that the restraints of government are necessary to their happiness. Anarchy is a state of society, more to be dreaded, than absolute monarchy, But eleQtive government is preferable to either. Yet, whether the government be eleQtive, hereditary, or _ assumed, the bappiness of community ought to be its object. And assumed government, with public happiness for its object, is preferable to elective government if this object be disregarded. | — UNDER any form of government, much is depending on the moral characters of those in authority. When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice : But when the wicked bear rule the people mourn. The truth of these maxims, has been illustrated in the history of many nations; but in none more clearly than in the history of the seed of Jacob... 8 DIFFERENT, at different periods, were the forms of government to which that nation was subjected. But under either form the happiness of the people greatly depended on the moral characters of their Rulers. When they had good Judges, or good Kings, the people prospered and the nation was happy. But when the seats of government. were filled with wicked men, calamity, depression and distress were the portion of the people. | i | OTHNI1EL came into public view, as a ruler, when the | people of Israel were in great affliction. They had done | evil in the fight of the Loxp ; therefore, the anger of the was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the Ind of Chushan rishathaim King of Mesopotamia. In eir affliction they cried unto the Lok p; and he raised Ws OTHNIEL as their deliverer. Soon he subdued. the Wing of Mesopotamia, and delivered the children of IsraW from their oppression. And in the time of his adminW ration the land bad rest forty years. 5 | TH1s rest included, it is probable, exemption from wars ch other nations, internal peace, and national prosperi- =. And this happy state of the nation is to be attributed W OrTHNIEL as an instrument in the hand of Gov. Ar the close of these forty years, OruNIEI. finished his Wurse ; and great was the loss the nation sustained when he Wt the world. For, with his death, the rst of the land 6 be Soon the people did evil again in the fight of LosD, and soon they were brought into tribulation. ee text affords us two important ideas for illustration : Y I. THAT the happiness of a people greatly depends on ” ving good men in authority. II. That the best of r Wers, as well as other men, are liable to death. in attending to the first of these observations, it may be 7 Pets briefly to describe the moral character of a good er, and then show how the happiness of a community Wn: on having good men in authority. r will readily be granted that every good man is not Walified to govern. Rulers should be able men; men of Wc nlive knowledge, strength of mind, and natural stabilBut although 1 this ability be greatly i important in the Wracter of a ruler, it cannot be more important than pi itude of heart, or a good moral character. For, howr great this ability may be, it is all under the influence direction of the heart. It may therefore be observed : ru the good ruler possesses a temper of heart ed to the great object of civil government—the greathappiness of community. Such is the relish of his 16h rt that public good is a source of personal delight. He ( a s nc his own profit, but the profit of many—and i in profit of many he finds his own comfort, This is true volence.

object which stands in competition. He will not coun government a principal object of his study. How can i . which he views as tending to this beloved object, he with ing fron the path of reQitude. be enatted which the common interest requires, PLEASURT'is the spring of intelligent, voluntary exe. tion in all men, whether they be good or bad. An 9971 in contemplation, must please i, viewed as a good inf itself, or as a mean of obtaining something which i viewed as a good, or we shall never exert ourselves il 7 obtain it. When the public good is to the ruler a source of personal pleasure, he will pursue it with all his hl foul, mind and flrength. He will sacrifice every mod 85 5 AW 2 even his life dear to himself, when the public good ref quires that it should be exposed. 3 A RULER Of this disposition will make the affairs of b best promote the happiness of those for whom I am apf 1 pointed to act? will be his grand enquiry. Every measuri adopt and pursue. …