is it not confidered the teft of real heroifm, the characteristic of the man of honor to take, or to aim at taking the life of another in dueling? and is not this murderous* practice publicly sanctioned by the advancement of fuch offenders to stations of emolument and honor? Have we not this moment fome ftanding high in office in our own ftate, and in the United States, whose consciences are ftained with the guilt, and whose hands are encrimsoned with the blood of their fellow-men? Can we expect that our country, in over-looking with impunity this daring offence, will escape the vengeance of him who has folemnly ordained that, WHOSO SHEDDETH MAN's BLOOD BY MAN SHALL HIS BLOOD BE SHED, FOR IN THE IMAGE OF GOD MADE HE HIM.

How common among us are the vices of intemperate drinking, of rioting, of gambling and fwearing? Are there not fome men prefiding on the bench

Is this epithet pronounced harsh; it is supported by the judicial testimony of an honorable gentleman of our own age and country; by one whose benevolence of heart must excite the affection, and whose integrity and capacity in his office command the esteem of all who know him. "As murder in contemplation of law essentially consists in deliberately killing a fellow creature, it is obvious where death ensues in a duel, that it is generally speaking the most aggravated species of murder, because it is accompanied with every species of cool premeditation that a spirit of envy could dictate." -Charge to the Grand Jury of Reading, by the Honorable JACOB RUSH, Esq.

of civil juftice who are grossly profane in their converfation; who have lived in repeated acts of uncleannefs; who are devoted to gambling, and by whom the Lord's day is often spent in their worldly occupations? This diffipation of conduct is offenfive in any man but accompanied with peculiar aggravations in the magiftrate who explicitly is pronounced a MINISTER OF GOD FOR GOOD to others: it is a direct prostitution of his facred function, and renders him a terror not to evil works, but to the good. Civil government is as really an ordinance of Jehovah, as ecclefiaftical government; he, therefore, who fuftains an office in the ftate ought to aim at purity of converfation, no lefs than he who fuftains an office in the church; and when they who rule in either capacity lofe fight of the folemnity of their ftation, they degrade both themselves and their office. It is the uniform, the upright, the dignified deportment of the man which gives majesty to the minifter: it is no lefs the uniform, the upright, the dignified deportment of the man which gives majefty to the magiftrate. Befides, a wanton diffipated conduct in thofe who fuftain the office of the civil magiftracy has a tendency to demoralize fociety at large. When the root of a tree is rotten, the branches cannot remain verdant, and flourishing; if the fountain it felf be polJuted, we cannot expect the ftream to be purc, and when the head of the body politic becomes difordered the deadly contagion neceffarily fpreads through all parts of the fyftem.

There is another evidence of public corruption which I dare not pass over unnoticed: I mean the obvious proftitution of the right of fuffrage. In our free government the choice of all rulers either immediately or remotely depends on the people. This right of electing our own representation is the great privilege for which our fathers fought, and which is bequeathed to us, fealed with the blood of thoufands; this is a privilege for which many of you fought, and for the purchase of which fome of you bled: It is the full enjoyment of this right which diftinguishes the citizen from the fubject;.which exalts the freeman in one country above the abject, infulted, degraded flave in another country: But is not this right criminally prostituted among us? What is the primary qualification which is ordinarily fought in the candidate for public office? Do we attend to the admonition prescribed by Eternal truth, He that RULETH over men must be JUST, RULING in the FEAR of Jehovah? Have we purfued the maxim delivered by the wifeft of men, and the moft magnificent, profperous of Princes, RIGHTEOUSNESS EXALTETH A NATION, and offered our fuffrages for those who in private life were patterns of righteoufnefs, and as rulers would probably ufe their influence for promoting it among others? Have we not more generally enquired, "where is the decided, ardent partizan; the man who will moft zealously adhere to that political fection to which we belong," without regard to moral, or religious, or even intellectual quali

fications? In the warmth of party-fpirit have we not contributed to the advancement of those who were the known enemies of religion, and have allowed themselves in falfely flandering its minifters ? On this day of humiliation as the meffenger of the Lord of hofts, and as I defire to be found faithful to my truft when the storm is blackening over us, I bear I bear my teftimony against the promotion of unprincipled, immoral, impious men as a moft aggravated iniquity in our land; and I believe, as firmly as I believe my exiftence, that without speedy and fpecial repentance on our part, this infult to the Lord of hofts will bring wrath upon our nation, until both our ears will tingle. Has he not most folemnly forewarned us that, when righteous men are in authority the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule the land mourneth? Befides, the election of men to public office who are deftitute of moral rectitude, is impolitic in the extreme, and puts in jeopardy our most important interefts as citizens. Hear the fentiment of a reverend member who adorned our counfels during the ftruggle with Great-Britain; one in whom were united the eminent divine, the enlightened statesman, and the uncorrupted, ardent patriot. "Those who wish well to the state ought to choose to places of truft men of inward principle, justified by examplary converfation. Is it reasonable to expect wisdom from the ignorant; fidelity from the profligate; or application to public bufinefs from men of diffipated life? Is it reasonable to commit the public revenue to one who has wafted his own n

mony? Those therefore who pay no respect to religion and fobriety in thofe whom they fend to the Legiflature of any ftate, are guilty of the greateft abfurdity, and will foon pay dear for their folly. Let a man's zeal, profeffions,or even principles as to political measures be what they may, if he is without perfonal integrity and private virtue, he is not to be trufted. I think we have had some inftances of men who have roared in taverns for liberty, and been moft noisy in public meetings, who have become traitors in a little time. Suffer me on this fubject to make another remark. With what judgment will laws against immorality be made, or with what vigor will they be executed by those who are profane and immoral in their own practice. Let us fuppofe a magiftrate on the bench of juftice, adminiftering an oath to a witness or paffing sentence of death upon a criminal and putting him in mind of a judgment to come. With what propriety, dignity, or force can any of these be done by one who is known to be a blafphemer, an infidel, or by whom in his convivial hours every thing ferious or facred is treated with fcorn."*

PERMIT me to notice as another caufe of the divine difpleasure thofe bitter contentions, thofe mutual reproaches which abound among us. What are our feafons of election but feafons of detraction, and defamation, by which the paffions of each other are in

* Dr. Witherspoon, in his sermons, delivered on a general fast at the commencement, and a general thanksgiving, at the conclusion of the late revolution.