356 Remonfrance from New-England. Signed by the Speaker. The houfe of Reprefentatives of New England have transmitted, among other letters to feveral of the great officers of state, one to the lords commiffioners of the treafury, dated Feb. 17, in which the houfe beg leave to lay before their lordships the great difficulties to which they are reduced, by the operation of divers acts of parliament, impofing duties, to be levied on the fubjects of the American colonies, and made with the fole and exprefs purpose of raifing a revenue: And they intreat the favour of their lordfhips candid judgment and great intereft in the national councils for redrets: To induce them to which, they make July the following among other representations. "The bleffings of the British conftitution will for ever keep the subjects in this province united to the mother ftate, as long as the fentiments of li berty are preserved: But what liberty can remain to them, when their property, the fruit of their toil and induftry, and the prop of all their fu ture hopes in life, may be taken from them at the difcretion of others?— It has, till of late, been the invariable ufage for his majefty's requifitions to be laid before their own reprefentatives: And their aid has not been tributary, but the free and voluntary gift of all: The change is in its nature delicate and important; your lordships will judge whether there be any neceffity or preffing reafons for it: The houfe are not infenfible that the colonies have their enemies, who may have mifreprefented them to his ma jefty's minifters and the parliament, as feditious, difloyal, and disposed to fet up an independency on Great Britain : But they rely upon the candour of your lordships judgment: They can affirm, that with regard to this province, and, they prefume all the colonies, the charge is injurious and unjuft. The fuperintending authority of his majesty's high court of parlia ment, the fupreme legislature over the whole empire, is as clearly admitted here as in Britain; fo far as is confiftent with the fundamental rules of the conftitution; and it is not further admiffible there. The house are humbly in opinion, that a representation of their constituents, in that high court, by reason of local circumstances, will for ever be impracticable: And that his majesty's royal predeceffors were graciously pleafed, by charter, to erect a legislative power in the province, as perfectly free as a fubordination would admit, that the fubjects here might enjoy the unalienable right of a reprefentation. And further, that the nation hath ever fince confidered them as fubjects, though remote, and conceded to acts of their fubordinate legislation. Their charter is a check upon them, and effectually fecures their dependance on Great Britain; for no acts can be in force till the king's governor has given his affent; 1768. Ufe of Tobacco, in Fumigation. affent; and all laws that are made are laid before his majefty, who at any time, during three years after they are made, may difannul them at his royal pleasure. Under this check, the house humbly conceive, a reprefentation in parliament cannot be neceffary for the nation, and for many reafons it cannot be eligible to them: All they defire is to be placed on their original ftanding: That they may ftill be happy in the enjoyment of their invaluable privileges, and the nation may ftill reap the advantage of their growth and profperity. The house intreat your lordships patience one moment longer, while they just mention the danger they ap prehend to their liberties, if the crown, in addition to its uncontroverted right of appointing a governor, fhould alfo appoint him a ftipend at the expence of the people, and without their confent. And, alfo, whether, as the judges, and other civil officers of the province, do not hold commiffions during good behaviour, there is not a probability, that arbitrary rule may in fome time take effect, to the fubverfion of the principles of equity and juftice, and the ruin of liberty and virtue. It is humbly hoped, that your lordfhips will conceive a favourable opinion of the people of the province; and that you will patronize their liberties, fo far as in your great wifdom and candour you fhall judge to be right. Signed by the Speaker." To the AUTHOR of the LONDON SIR, HE following matters of fact re migation are what I cannot but efteem worth the notice of the publick, and, if this is your opinion too, e'en publifh them. A gentlewoman of my acquaintance late deceased, amufed me one day with the following account of one of her near relations, viz. About the age of forty his eyes grew fo weak and dim, that he was obliged to have recourfe to fpectacles, the ufe of which he continued for a fhort time, only till the following application of common tobacco entirely fuperfeded it. By the 357 advice of his friends he was perfuaded to learn the practice of fmoking tobacco, which he foon did, and, during the fumigation, to wet his finger flightly with the faliva then tinctured with the fumes of the tobacco, and with this finger wet his upper eye lids fo as to keep them moift during the time of his fmoking. This practice at the rate of no more than two pipes in a day, recovered his fight fo well in three weeks time as to enable him to read without fpectacles, and with rarely more than one pipe in a day afterwards, not to want the ufe of them till he was near eighty years of age, about which time he died. The author of this ftory was a perfon of remarkable good fenfe and memory, and in giving her teftimony to it could entertain no poffible motive to mifreprefentation or falfhood; other examples of fuccefs in this practice have been well known to myfelf-one, in the cafe of a perfon turned of fixty, who has been thence enabled to relinquish the ufe of spectacles; another, that of a clergyman of the fame age, who was a man of eminent learning and piety, read and wrote much, and from this application, and that of bathing his eyelids now and then with tar-water, defended himself from the neceflity of fpectacles till he was near feventy. He was upon the point of taking to them several years before fixty, but affured me, that he was convinced this method had ftrengthened his fight in the manner here defcribed. In regard to myself, my ufual practice is one pipe in the evening, but this not every day; fometimes indeed two, but were it not for the purpose abovementioned, I fhould very rarely fmoke at all. From my daily engagement for several hours in reading or writing or both (few days excepted) I cannot but infer the utility of this practice in my own cafe, and am fenfible of as much ftrength in the use of my eyes, now at forty-four, as I enjoyed at twenty-eight. And let me here obviate an objection, viz. that neither the exacteft regularity in the quality, nor temperance in the quantity, of diet; proportion of exercife, or firmnefs of constitution will exempt from fatigue and weaknefs the limb that is encumbered with affiduous application; which would undoubtedly by 358 Tobacco excellent for the Eyes. by degrees fink under the burden, were it not enabled by artificial helps to keep pace with it's fellow members in it's progress to decay. Prevention therefore is the beft remedy: for if the affiftance here propofed, or any other is deferred, till the power of refraction in the natural lens is once fo far weakened, as to demand the ufe of the artificial, the recovery in that cafe will not render the eye fo firm and effective, as it might have proved by the uniform ufe of a preventive, like wounds in the body, which may be healed and durably clofed, but the part affected can never receive fuch a folid, incorporation as there was in the original compofition. The tobacco here used in two of the laft mentioned inftances was a difcretionary compound of British herbs gathered, and dried, fhred and mixed with tobacco in the proportion of two to one. Even common tobacco I ap. prehend to be of much fervice this way; but not nearly fo much as the mixed. With refpect to the usefulness of tobacco differing in different conftitutions, or it's production of heats, relaxations, ftupefactions, &c. variously, in the fmoker, these must be fubmitted both to better judgments, and to perfonal experience; but in this latter cafe private examples may be easily led into miftake either from the excess, or the unfeafonableness of the practice, to which they may have variety of temptations, from company, liquor, paftime, even folitude itfelfHowever, the eyes are a part of the human conftitution, liable, perhaps, to the leaft exception of any, and confequently more capable of general applications. In the medical ufe of common tobacco there are many fubjects in whom it operates as gentle aperitive; tho' even this, probably, by relaxation: But the effect of it in drying the brain, hurrying fecretions, wafting the nutritious fluids, or accelerating infenfible perfpiration, is molt probably the refult of it's abuse; in fome of which cafes I have received hurt from the excels of it feveral times. Without doubt, the efficacy, of feveral medicines has been difowned by means of hatty and injudicious conclufions formed upon their trial, and therefore it requires a very competent degree July of difcernment to afcertain in what cafes this is useful or prejudicial, and to what degree it may be used with moderation. That the use of smoking common tobacco in a moderate way is not prejudicial to the eyes is, in my opinion, abundantly evident from the many inftances of old people continuing the ufe of that and their fight together to a very late period of life. This negative proof, together with the positive ones I have advanced, and others of a like kind which I have from time to time read, owing to the ufe of the celebrated British herb, and other private confiderations, have confirmed my convictions, methinks beyond the power of defeat. I cannot therefore embrace all this evidence in favour of my fubject without puffing it off to you and the world; to the service of which I hope to dedicate my eyes, as long as they retain any fire in them, and continue in a better condition than that of duft and ashes. I have only to add, that the examples here alledged in proof are abfolute facts, and well worth credit-Sure, I should bluh to find any perfon whatsoever fmoke the cheat, and blaft the name of yours, &c. Dorfet, May 18, 1768. CLERICUS. To the AUTHOR of the LONDON The Spirit of Churchifm farther explaining SIR, A third letter to the author of the confeffional abounds with matter. I fhall beg the favour of laying before the public a few remarks upon it, by the channel of your very reputable and extenfive Magazine. Civil efablishments of religion do barm upon the whole, where the people, without them, would have better notions of religion, than they have with them." p. 29, a concellion, that is enough of all confcience, to blow up-and yet, this church-defender has given us full affurance, that there fhall be no reformation in fuch matters which are complained of by the author of the Confeffional.-This our doctor fays exprefsly, p. 144. Now the doctrine of the trinity is what we cannot ever give up. To prove he is in earneft, we 1768. Spirit of Churchifm, &c. 359 And who would not rather chufe to fubfcribe this creed of Mohammed, as it refpects God and Jefus Chrift, than either the Athanafian, or Nicene creed?--Did not the Athanafian herefy give Mohammed the greatest advantage, in the credit that was at firft given to his Koran? And is it not at this day the sheet anchor of popery and of all church tyranny? find him reproaching and reviling feveral of the moft venerable characters, who have done the greatest honour to the English church establishment.-The commodious cafuiftry of Clayton, Clarke, Sykes, and others p. 107,-in p. 32 he fpeaks of the obliging fophiftry of Dr. Clarke the poisonous fophifry introduced in 1712, p. 93, comp. p. 105, in the point of fubfcribing in the fubfcribers own fenfe, and not in that of the impofers.Surely this must be pcifonous fophiftry!-But proposals of fmall changes may introduce great ones, p. 110. not any reforming attempt can have the leaft countenance. And to give the Athanafian greater spirit, and bribe his paffions on the fide of that herefy, this doctor has placed the unitarian in a light, which he thought the moft obnoxious! For he tells his readers p. 160, where he had been to get his information---and that there is an authentic inftrument in the archbishop's library at Lambeth, in which a number of English Socinians apply to the emperor of Morocco and his fubjects as their brethren in the faith, p. 160. Hereby our church-defender thinks, he has effectually difgraced the Unitarians. But does he know that the belief of one God, is the first principle of all true religion? And that Jefus Chrift himself has faid, that this is life eternal to know thee the only true God, and Jefus Chrift thy meffenger? And does not Mahommed, in his Koran, afk, chap. 27. "Is there any other God partner with the true God?" And in Koran, chap. 5. "They are furely infidels, who fay, verily, God is Chrift the fon of Mary; fince Chrift faid, O children of Ifrael! Serve God, my Lord and your Lord; whofoever fhall give a companion unto God, God fhall exclude him from paradife "...will this Athanafian be able to fhew us any thing inconfiftent in the addrefs of the English Socinians, when they owned the Mohammedans their brethren in the faith of the one God, and of Jefus Chrift's owning the one God, his Lord ? favourable. And yet, every diffenter Or can he tell us, what impropriety there would be in an Unitarian calling a Jew his brother, in the faith of the one God? It does not appear that the English Socinians did ever own that Mohammed was the prophet of the one God, and in that fenfe Monammedans were their brethren. The letter writer, nevertheless denies that the church of England has any leanings towards popery, p. 164. In a more full confutation of this, fee An inquiry into the causes which obftructed the reformation, and hath hitherto prevented its progrefs. Printed for T. Becket, &c. 1768. An excellent little pamphlet. Our L. W. has advanced fome other popish principles, as in p. 23, where he puts the question, who shall be judge of what is read in fcripture or may be thereby proved?-She for herself: Every private perfon, who thinks he can for bimfelf.---This he mumbles---his meaning is more intelligible, p. 28, where he rallies the notion of the common people being able to judge for themselves the fenfe of fcripture, and fo far from defending Bishop Clayton's principles or practices---in his judgment, doubtless every diffenter does harm: yet he may accidentally do good, by making others more fludious and circumfpect, p. 29. However, focieties, he fays, fhould bear with the harm, because it must be prefumed to proceed, without bad intention, from the imperfection of buman nature: and intolerance of tolerable opinions and practices would do much more harm.---Here truly, the protef tant diffenter is treated with more tenderness than he has lately been from the pulpit in R-1 C, where it was faid April 17, in the ear of M.--y, that the proteftant diffent was not from confcience; but from vanity, perverfenefs, &c."---This made me imagine, that we are going to have a new edition of Queen Anne's four laft years!--our L. W. we own, is more does barm. In what? why, in afterting and maintaining the rights of private judgment, and in fuffering no human authority to be exercifed over his faith or confcience, in religious matters.-- daring wretch! tread upon him. Our doctor, tenacious of his Athanafian herefy can thus rally the au Sale's Koran, vol. 1. p. 146, printed 1764. thor 360 EXCELLEN T. thor of the Confeffional. An excellent reformer! to feed the ignorance and prejudice of the people by indulging them the ufe of creeds which are not agreeable to Jcripture! on what principles can this be juflified? I fuppofe you learned it from Turretine and your friends at Geneva" p. 155. One would be aftonished at a man's ufing fuch staring address, with the two myftical creeds in his right hand. The farther to affure us, no reformation can take place in the church, he informs us, In the principal points of faith and worship, the bishops and clergy wanted no alterations; not even under George the fecond,” p. 113. Once, indeed, I find him mentioning real corruptions or deficiences. But he fays that we are not to judge of what things are fo, or of what moment, or what may be hoped or feared from them, but, of all these things thofe only in high ftations, are, each to judge for himself, this appears to be his reafoning p. 153. Which leads me to notice one or two ftrictures of his political principles. The author of the Confeflional had obferved, that the English Arnrinians, at the Synod of Dort, had advanced indefeafible hereditary right, jure divino; by means of which doctrine, refiftance, even to a Nero or a Caligula, became a damnable fin. Upon which the doctor fays. But why by means of this doctrine? St. Paul, who probably bad never heard of it, pronounces refiftance to Nero a damnable fin. Now St. Paul cannot be mistaken by any careful readers, for he exprefsly fays, that rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Do that which is good and thou shalt have praife of the fame: For he is the minifter of God to thee for good. For though, as a minifter of God, be is a revenger to wrath upon him that doeth evil: Yet he is not, as a minifier of God, juch a wrathful revenger on him that is a doer of right things. Refiftance therefore to Nero, when he did not behave in character as a fupreme magiftrate, could not incurr damnation; neither in the judgment of St. Paul, nor in the reafon and truth of things. It could not, because the weal of the people is the divine end of government; and not the arbitrary will of the prince. ...But if it was a damnable fin to reif a tyrant, mankind would be punish July able for the noblest and most meritorious exertion of all thofe powers which God has given them. It is farther infinuated, that a Britifh-proteftant-prince may be put into circumftances that would justify his applying even to the pope for his affiftance. Perhaps it may be faid, diftreft princes may be glad to compound with his holiness for fome power, against rebellious fubje&ts who would grant him none. Let fuch rebellious fubjects confider this, who, from their principles of election and grace, endeavour to drive their princes into this diftrefs. As to Charles the firft, all his injuries from the Calvinifts could not drive bim into popery, although his queen was affiduous to intice him to it," p. 87. A worse idea, a more debafing and more deteftable one cannot be formed of any British Prince! Nor a fuller proof given of his anti-protestant-spirit, than his taking such a scandalous refuge. Neither did papal Rome stand in need of more evidence than they had of Charles's favourable difpofitions towards popery. It therefore could not be any other than the influence which his popith queen had over him, that led him to every violation of law, and of the rights of a free people; which brought him into all his diftreffes: His tyranny was the mere refult of popish counfels. Nor could he have abused and perverted the ends of government, had he not been a most despicable devotee of Rome.---But why fhould this oppofition to him be ascribed to the principles of election and grace, when the articles of the church of E. avow thefe principles? and yet the most zealous defenders of them are for nonrefifiance and paffive obedience?---Witneis the letter-writer. An Advocate for religious Liberty. Extract from the Rev. Mr. Blackburne's " Wgion, to be arrived at a very E feem, in matters of reli delivered. |