Page images
PDF
EPUB

W. Penn a wife pro

moter of

improve

ment, &c.

Extracts

from W.

Penn's writings.

all the boafted improvement of men, or melioration of the human race, &c. in reality, and in' the general, amount to any more, than what is intimated by this fimilitude? viz.

"Like leaves on trees the race of man is found;
Now green in youth, now with'ring on the
ground;

Another race the following fpring fupplies;
They fall fucceffive, and fucceffive rife:
So generations, in their courfe, decay;
So flourish thefe, when thofe are paft away."

POPE'S HOMER.

The worthy founder and father of the province. appears to have been well acquainted with the true means of this melioration, in the state of mankind, by infifting, fo much as he did, on the early culti vation of piety and virtue, and on a good education of youth, in its different branches; with a just and vigorous magiftracy, or government, and good order; of which he was ever the firm friend. and fupporter, not to fay, the reformer, or improver, of it, for the benefit, and further happiness of civil fociety; as fufficiently appears by his writings, and in his excellent example of that of Pennfylvania;-in which, as he exhibited himself a ftrenuous advocate, and a remarkable extender of justice, mercy, and all rational liberty, fo was he also a fevere enemy to all licentiousness, injuftice, and criminal indulgence of vice and wickednefs.

"There can be no pretence (fays he) of confcience, to be drunk, to whore, to be voluptuous, to game, to fwear, curse, blafpheme and prophane; no fuch matter. Thefe are fins against nature; and against the government, as well as against the written laws of God. They lay the ax to the root of human fociety; and are the common enemies of mankind. It was to prevent these enormities,

that

1

that government was instituted; and shall govern- Duty of ment indulge that, which it is inftituted to cor- the magif rect? This were to render the magiftracy ufelefs, and tracy, &c.. the bearing of the fword vain; there would be then no fuch thing, in government, as a terror to evildoers; but every one would do that, which he thought right in his own eyes; God almighty deli ver us from this fort of tyranny!"

virtue, &c.

"Nothing (continues he) weakens kingdoms Great imlike vice; it does not only displease Heaven, but portance of difable them;"" It is our intereft to be good; and it is none of the leaft arguments for religion, that the piety and practice of it is the peace and profperity of government; and confequently that vice, the enemy of religion, is, at the fame time, the enemy of human fociety. What, then, should be more concerned for the prefervation of virtue, than government? that, in its abstract, and true sense, is not only founded upon virtue, but without the prefervation of virtue, it is impoffible to maintain the best constitution, that can be made. And, however fome particular men may profper that are wicked, and fome private good men mifcarry, in the things of this world, in which sense, things may be faid to happen alike to all, to the righteous as to the wicked, yet I dare boldly affirm, and challenge any man to the truth thereof; that, in the many volumes of the history of all ages and kingdoms of the world, there is not one inftance to be found, where the hand of God was against a righteous nation, or when the hand of God was not against an unrighteous nation, first or laft; nor where a juft government perifhed, nor an unjust government long profpered. Kingdoms are rarely fo fhort lived as men; yet they also have a time to die; but as temperance giveth health to men, fo virtue gives time to kingdoms; and as vice brings men betimes to their graves, fo nations to their ruin,"

[blocks in formation]

Modes of

government.

Great im

good education.

fa

Refpecting modes of government, the memorable founder of that of Pennfylvania declares,"There is hardly one frame of government, in the world, fo ill defigned by its firft founder, that, in good hands would not do well enough; and history tells us, the beft, in ill ones, can do nothing, that is great or good; witness, the Jewish and the Roman ftates. Governments, like clocks, go from the motion, which men give them; and as governments are made and moved by men, by them are they ruined too: wherefore governments rather depend upon men, than men upon. governments. Let men be good and the government cannot be bad; if it be ill they will cure it: but if men be bad, let the government be never fo good, they will endeavour to warp and fpoil it to their turn."-"That, therefore, which makes a good conftitution, must keep it, viz. men of wisdom and virtue; qualities, that, because they defcend not with worldly inheritances, must be carefully propagated by a virtuous education of youth; for which after ages will owe more to the care and prudence of founders, and the fucceffive magistracy, than to their parents, for their private patrimonies."

"I would think (fays he in another place) portance of that there are but few people fo vicious, as to care to fee their children fo; and yet to me it seems a plain cafe, that, as we leave the government, they will find it: if fome effectual courfe be not taken, what with neglect, and what with example, impiety and the miferies that follow it, will be entailed upon our children. Certainly it were better the world ended with us, than that we should tranfmit our vices, or fow thofe evil feeds, in our day, that will ripen to their ruin, and fill our country with miferies, after we are gone; thereby expofing it to the curfe of God, and violence of our neighbours. But it is an infelicity we ought to bewail, that men are apt to prefer the bafe pleasures of their prefent extravagances to all endeavours after a future benefit;

benefit; for, befides the guilt, they draw down upon themselves, our poor pofterity must be greatly injured thereby; who will find thofe debts and incumbrances harder to pay than all the rest, we can leave them under."

"Upon the whole matter (continues he) I take Good edu the freedom to fay, that, if we would preferve our cation conducive to government, we must endear it to the people. To good godo this, besides the neceffity of present, just and vernment.] wife things, we must fecure the youth: this is not to be done, but by the amendment of the way of their education; and that with all convenient speed and diligence. I fay, the government is highly obliged: it is a fort of trustee for the youth of the kingdom; who, though now minors, yet will have the government, when we are gone. Therefore deprefs vice, and cherish virtue; that through good education, they may become good; which will truly render them happy in this world, and a good way fitted for that which is to come. If this be done, they will owe more to your memories for their education, than for their eftates."

Such maxims and advice are of univerfal con- Men's opicernment, and interefting to all governments; but nions vary the opinions of different men frequently vary much much, &c. on the fame fubjects; and that, even, on important as well as trifling affairs; and their conduct is no less contradictory, and fometimes feemingly irrational; they are so liable to embrace opposite extremes, that they often deviate from the middle way of rectitude: Hence, while the forward, selfish and lefs qualified, frequently from finister, or mean views, folicit and fucceed into the public offices and Some caumagistracy, as well as into divers other important fes of dedepartments of life, for which they are unfit and fect in goimproper, it is to be regretted, that fometimes the vernment and magi more worthy, and better qualified, who are actu- ftracy, &c. ated, in what they do, by more generous principles, too often from diffidence of their own abilities,

and

Various

bition, &c.

"What pow'r was fit I did on all bestow; Nor rais'd the poor too high, nor prefs'd too low, The rich that rul'd, and every office bore, Confin'd by laws, could not oppress the poor; Both parties I fecur'd from lawless might; So none prevail'd upon another's right." But ambition is rooted in human nature, and ways of am- demands restraint; it affumes all manner of appear ances whatsoever, and is now working wonders, in the world, under the name of equality and the rights of man;-Hence to miftake innovation for renovation, and a love of change for melioration, connected with fuch an idea of felf-independency, as is inconfiftent with the enlargement of civilization, or of the focial happiness of mankind, in any great or extenfive degree, have ever produced thofe pernicious confequences, which have flowed from the revolutionary governments of nations and countries; whofe felicity confifts in the unity, harmony, or a juft dependency of their parts; and the more extensive those parts are, in fuch a ftate, the greater and more durable is most likely to be the happiness of thofe very conftituent and particular parts, as well as of the whole; and vice versâ.

Comparifon of the

effects

For as an affemblage of fimilar rays of light of adds to the luftre of each individual ray, of which unity, &c. it is compofed; and the larger the affemblage, fo much greater is that luftre, in proportion to the number of rays; fo the happy, or unhappy state of mankind individually may be confidered, as augmented, or diminished, beyond the poffibility of a folitary enjoyment only, according to the general prevalency and extenfiveness of these two different states, in a national or collective capacity: The juft and proper confideration of which might have no fmall tendency to incite men more effecto unity & tually to cultivate and extend fuch a state of harmony and unity in the world, as neceffarily muft, &c. above all other means, ever conftitute, preferve

Incitement

harmony,

and

« PreviousContinue »