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of 21 years, having refided in the state for the space of 1784. one whole year before the day of election, and paid public taxes during that time, enjoys the right of an elector. In moft, he must be worth thirty or forty-five pounds fterling. Certain ftates have provided for the establishing and perpetuating of an equal representation, in proportion to the numbers of freemen inhabiting the counties, cities, towns and districts.

VOL. IV.

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The following Extracts from an Act for establishing Religious Freedom, paffed in the Affembly of Virginia in the beginning of 1786, is added, in expectation of gratifying the curiofity, if not the taste, of moft readers.

"WELL aware, that Almighty God hath created the mind free: that all attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burthens, or by civil incapacitations, tend only to beget habits of hypocrify, and are a departure from the plan of the Holy Author of our religion, who being Lord of body and mind, yet chofe not to propagate it by coercions on either;-That the impious prefumption of legislators and rulers, civil as well as ecclefiaftical (who, being themselves but fallible and uninspired men, have affumed dominion over the faith of others, fetting up their own opinions and modes of thinking as alone true and infallible, and as fuch endeavouring to impofe them on others) hath established and maintained false religions over the greateft part of the world, and through all times;—That, to compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he difbelieves, is finful and tyrannical;That even the forcing a man to fupport this or that teacher of his own religious perfuafion, is depriving him of the comfortable liberty of giving his contributions to the particular paftor, whose morals he would make his pattern, and whofe powers he feels moft perfuafive to righteousness; and is withdrawing from the ministry, those temporal rewards, which, proceeding from an approbation of their personal conduct, are an additional incitement

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EXTRACTS FROM THE VIRGINIA ACT

incitement to earneft and unremitted labors for the instruction of mankind;-That our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions, any more than on our opinions in phyfic or geometry;-That, therefore, the profcribing any citizen as unworthy the public confidence, by laying upon him an incapacity of being called to offices of truft and emolument, unless he profess or renounces this or that religious opinion, is depriving him injuriously of those privileges and advantages to which in common with his fellow-citizens he has a natural right; and tends alfo to corrupt the principles of that very religion it is meant to encourage, by bribing with a monopoly of worldly honors and emoluments, those who will externally conform to it ;-That though indeed thofe are criminal who do not withstand fuch temptations, yet neither are thofe innocent who lay them in their way;That to fuffer the civil magiftrate to intrude his powers into the field of opinion, and to reftrain the profession or propagation of principles on fuppofition of their ill tendency, is a dangerous fallacy; which, at once destroys all religious liberty, because he, being of courfe judge of that tendency, will make his opinions the rule of judgment, and will approve or condemn the sentiments of others, only as they fhall agree with, or differ from his own;-That it is time enough for the rightful purposes of civil government, for its officers to interpofe when principles break out in overt acts against peace and good order:And finally, that truth is great, and will prevail if left to herself; that he is the proper and fufficient antagonist to error, and can have nothing to fear from the conflict, unlefs by human interpofition, difarmed of her natural weapons, free argument and debate-errors

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FOR ESTABLISHING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. ceafing to be dangerous, when it is permitted freely to contradict them.

"Be it therefore enacted by the General Affembly, that no man fhall be compelled to fupport any religious worship, place, or miniftry whatfoever; nor fhall be forced, restrained, molefted or burthened in his body or goods, nor fhall otherwife fuffer, on account of his religious opinions or belief: but that all men fhall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion: and that the fame fhall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities.

"And though we well know that this Affembly, elected by the people for the ordinary purpofes of legiflation only, have no power to reftrain the acts of fucceeding Affemblies, conftituted with powers equal to our own; and that, therefore, to declare this act irrevocable, would be of no effect in law; yet we are free to declare, and do declare, that the rights hereby afferted, are of the natural rights of mankind; and that if any act shall be hereafter paffed to repeal the prefent, or to narrow its operation, fuch act will be an infringement of natural right."

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