AN

ORATIOM

DELIVERED AT LEICESTER

JULY 5, 1324;.

BY REV. JOHN NELSON;
x»As'rc»xt or?  CONGREGATIONAL cmmcn m Lrsgtcmnmjnfio

r|.IN\f\'\IV\f‘\flIW\I\'\JV‘u’\9‘\o‘\fl:J"!\

Published by Request.

LEICESTER:

H0111 I3ROWN....m...PRINTEm
?334t

ORATION.

'l"t-In reading of the Declaration of Independence,

on this occasion, renders unnecessary any tfurther ode-,

velopement of the causes which produced the war of the

l ltevolution, and, as the final resultof that contest, the

emancipation of these colonies from the dominion of
Britain. That Document, even the historians of Eu.
rope have acknowledged, stands unrivalled for its 91!“.
gance of diction, its force of argu‘mpent, its lofty tone of
freedorn, andrits solemn appeal to the G011 of A Battles
for the success of the cause which it represents. Should
all other history of’ the times perish, and all tradition he
forgotten, and every vestige of the mighty contestl)e-
sides pass away, still, that document would perpetuate
the lnagnanirnity of thepeople whoserepresentatives

produced, and whose valor sustained it,

After listening to its recitalpot‘ the wrongs inflicted

"upon our fathers by the pride and tyranny of the Moth-

er Country, it would be something worse than super-

Q

ifluous so to dwell on those wrongs, as toeukindle aliem

before tliis altar erected to the Prince of peace, the fires
of resentment. It is repugnant alike to the spirit of our
holy religion, anrl the dictates of sound policy, to main.-

tain eternal iennmily against the parenl; state, thotlgli once

irjrleed, so uvuttlatural and cruel, as to forfeit forever her
claim 11p_o;u our allegiance. Butrthe faction which con»

truled the destinies of England at _that disastrous periocl

am] the«.Mi11isters“§vho‘ planned the nnlalvvful subjugation

of America, and the majorities of Parliament who s1__,lp-V '

porteclitheir measures,ian‘cl thearmed hosts who brought

9 the Sc()uP‘“(30f war to our eaceful habitatious have
gone to ayipearbefo1*e anotller, and a more alwfulltr-1bu.~

nal. a A l
‘VVhile, as an Indepmzdeizt stale, yve resist all entang»
ling l alliances \5vit.l1lErigla11<l, as a Cizrisiiazz statue, we

‘ ought‘ to ‘teruiinate the rauconr of our hostility with the

Iierrnrlval of the causes which produced it, and at the same

timegto cherish those kindly 'fce1iu:z;s, Whiclfn our c‘on1l~r “

lll0tl0I‘igln,:()l1I"ll~(t§§ of blood, and our mulual benefit so

ol)\ri:n1~sl*_y (lemainil; l'A¥ni irresistible iiarfglment in ‘favoi* ll

ol"f‘riencl*lyli.srenitirnents‘ ailcl conciliatory measures, on line

§;a1~tol'botl":istates, i11a_y’?'lJe (lerivcdl from the political as-

cpectso't‘”t»l1e iworlftll.’ " A A
 ' Fl‘l'xe're is a, c¢;«'unb‘i‘lI1ation of miglzty *poWel1*s‘ i_nthe11ortl1

iaudzseast of Europe, bea1*ing; th're’nan1e‘r of “ the Hay Al;
li‘an“ee,”lliand calming-a at *notl:iug'lcss, if we niay judge

fi~mnl‘litlst‘~;ir (lease, tli*austl1edestruction of liberty and ‘ale
ntlerlsulwjtigationof rlIua1i.r» "Alreadiy has its strong arm
fastened tlaeyoke ciflrbsonzlage on Naples and Spain";
7anllralrea<lyl1aveweseezilils scowling aspecailn View
oflltlielndeyemleaxiee ‘oi’ Sleuth r Almericra. .w1mtfu~;~t1:;:;-

( 

run
M’

‘lencroaellmlents this eonihinatiott efhlclespoltism. may melte

onythe rights of mzmkiml, we (lonot l<I.1’tO\V ,-, but the tile».-
Velopemernt of its (lelsfigns tlttme fa1*,la.nd’ the consitlemtion
that it p1*esent"s,ilnt its fea.rl'ol array, 2}. million and 21 lmlf of
laayonets, may justly tawaliten ztpptjehension mnoeg the

tfriendsgof freedom, in everyetqu$a1*tte17eof the globe. And

to whom, if not to England and the United States,are
they to look for the maintenanceof their se.c.1'etllcauee P

;'-What other powers are Willing oroable,tumle1* the hem A
hers of Liberty, to oppose the hosts of her atlmrsatrles P \

And perh:1ps, either of tltese, singly and unaitletl, might
fail in the unequal contest, but eunlited, we believe, they
may et'f'eetu::tlly roll heel; the title of Desapotistxu, zmd: say
to its proud vvexes, lxitlterto shztlt. thou come, and no
fartller. t V A ,

In View of these coneidemtions,.we ask if religion, it‘
epuntl p.oliey,it’tl2e sacred 1'ig;;l1tsl of nmnltinlclj, do not
require, at least, the common; iI1te1'elmnge of frientlship
between these l«gh1d1*e(l powers, which theprovicleuee of
;Grod has misedlll1xp,las the last ellampions of freedom.

I to But wlrile we would not, for the purpose of perpet1:_1..
eting; animosityo1*tfee~cli11g the fires of intl,e1'lminable hat»
;-etl,dxvell upon the Vt?1*o~ngs,wl11iohl1 he most tyrzu1ica.lta(L
nxihistletioti of the lV[othe1'»Co1t11t1*y inflletecl on her um»-
oifetaditmg Colonies ; it would he l11]pa1‘(l01]t1.l)le, on this;
oeezmiou, not to pity at txjilhtto oft grzttiturle to the memory
of tlmatlbzmtl of l1e1°oes,ierl1o eelrieved mgr national intleu
pendenee. ‘ lNlo1*e tlumlwle tlhahjme.rl)le is the znonumeht
of their? glory. As their txzwhes are borne along on the
euwettt of lllsstory, b1*lgl1te1' splemlors, aml l)1-igl1te1- still,
shall encircle them. These are the men,tposterity shall
exclhittlet some fotutre (lay, tx~'l1<)'li;jstetootl forth intlxe

ti

canee of liberty, and taught, mankind to assert their

rights. a By their example, a fire was enkindledp in the
oid world, which the engines of legitimacy could not
qtlfilliill---VVlllt:ll, in its resistless progress has consumed
all the altars of superstition, and all theacenniulated
rubbish of feudal institutions, and all the insignia of
Despotisrfn ; thus purifying the nations, and bringing in.-

to existence a purer, brighter, and more joyous creation; in

» ‘We of the present generation can form but a‘ faint
conception of the trials, or the magnanimity of those,
who wrested from the grasp of Britain her empire in
‘America, “and on the ruins of colonial jurisdiction, laid
the foundation of" afree, sovereign, and independent
State. a ’l‘l1oi1gh our fatliershave told us, ‘andthe vteit;

er-an warri'or,’”'with ‘all the interest of proud recollections

of the events of that «period, still, it is impossible, amid
the associations of other scenes, to gain those ‘vivid itn-l
pressions and that intense feeling, which must have been
produced by existing realities.  A A it  

if our fathers had not brfllilght to the enterprise atone

of virtuous iseutirnent farabove that of ordinary men, if A

theythad not been inspired by an invincible love of lib-L
erty, iftthey had not reposed unlimited confidence in the

A ttprotecttioni of , thatAlmightyBeing, who breaks the arm

of the oppressor, and causes the oppressed to go free;
not alilithe eleetriclzzil strains of Otis, nor the thunclering
eloquencie'ot‘ Patrick Henr , nor the zeal of Adanis,
Wharton,‘ Hancock, and their immortal coadjutors, could

have urgedlthem "on to the tremendous encounter with,

the parent state. A p
A *‘Tliie want of confederation among the states, the op»
tjséosition “ioftoiries, the ignoranceof military discipline,

7

the destitution of arms and the implements of war, on
the one hand,and on the other, the%resout'ccs, the vet-
ex-an armies andthe determined hostility of England,
seemed to render resistance as hopeless, as itwas rash.
But thanks to him, who sustained the rigltteons ocause,
the sword was unsheathed, the batttle was fonglut and
the shout of victory was echoed from mountain to reconn-
tain, and from shore to shore. And to us is handed
down the invaluable legacy of national freedom--—-—-ca leggn
acy doubly dear, beca.usfe it was purchased hyhthe rat»
or, and consecrated by the blood of our venerated firth»
ers. Theirs was the toil, the conflict, and the sutlieru
ings-----Ours is the rich inheritance.

; VV hat remains then, fellow citizens, but to congrats-
late you on the unexampled prosperity, which Hcairen.
has vouchsafed to this happy, happy,nl1app_yi land, and
to suggest the means, by which that prosperity may be
preserved P A   A M 4 i A A

No section of this wide World is more hletssed in t~*a§.-
riety of soil, richness of production, or salubrity of eti-
mate, than that, which we inhabit, None holds out
greaterencouragement to the laborious lmsbandman and
the skilful manufacturer. i None is more favoured with
facilities for extended commerce with foreign rxatioxxs, or
theprofitable interchange of commodities among our-e
selves. Tllevast Atlantic on the east, and the innum«
er-able Waters,wl1ich roll through the interior, al1“e-ady
navigable or capable of being made so by the e‘nterprise
of our citizens, bring to our very doors the pI’O(l_t.1(:tiDi19
of other climes, and furnish a ready market for the sure
plus of our own. At the same time, the magniificence of
our natural scenery-A---our lofty forests,%ou1‘ cloudgcapt

8

mountains, our niighty seas. and our inland 1~irers, ennui:-to

times rolling along in silent majesty, and sometimes
pouring down their floods in tremendous cataracts, seem
designed by the God of nature to “inspire the human
mind with whatfeter is lofty in conception or noble in
enterprise. ~

But, while these Iratural advatatages call for our grate.-
fol ' acknowletlrgxnettts to the Sovereign of the world,‘
they do not fnrnisll the only, or the principal ground of
congratulation on this joyful anniversary ; for experience
has shown that ‘such advantages do not, of necesity,
make » at people either great or happy. There are re»
gions, where the eye is greeted witliallthe lieatlties of
the landscape, where a generous soil pours forth her a-
bundance, and where the God of nature seems to have
concentrated his favours, which are converted into a
moral desolation, by the ignoran“ce, the bigotry and ales.-
potism, that hold in their iron grasp, the vvretchecl in-‘g
habitants. A r

Of What use are natural advantages’ to those, on

whom the light of science never shines+---who never
breathe the inspiring atmosphere of freedom, or who
never receive the radiations of the Son of righteousness?

Cold aIl(l{la1‘l{, and cheerless is the region of their hat)‘-»
itatio11+-i+—-l1orro1~ broods over it----i4rart.ional man is there a '

savage, a beast of prey, a terror to his species. But
mark thedifference, which the God of heaven has made
in our lot, by superadding tothe advantages of nature,‘
the influenceofthose moral causes, which raiseaman to
his proper elevation in the scale of political existence. a

Our fathers weremen, who knew‘ thevalue of epduea.-»

tion; they were men, who felt the power and duly esti»:

9
mated thebenefits of . christianity, and merywliose love
of liberty was such, that they thought lifea small sacri-—

fice in her sacred cause. Heuce,.in laying the founda«-A 4

tion of our empire, they estahlislled schools of learnin;_z;,

christian institu'tions and elective tiorrns of governme-ut,p_
as the pillars for the support and durability of this
mighty edifice. On these, it hasstood for two centuries

firm 7 and nnshaken, amid the assaults of enemies and

the shocks of revolutions. It has risen too, and risen, A
and risen, till the nations have heen filled with W()Illl£‘.1‘,
at the strength of its materials, the symmetry ofits parts, A

the magnificence of its form, and the glory, which sur-

rounds it. That glory indeed is the heaceh of terror to  

the hosts of despotism, but it isthe star, which shall
guide tliezcviss men of the east and of the west, of the
north and of the south, to tlleir final emancipation. , y A

Science, religiozz, and liberty 1 are not only the first
springsilof our empire, hut they have supplied the migh-
ty impulse, which has carried us onward and onward
still, in our triumphant march. Inspired by these, we

have surmounted every obstacle, resisted every aggrtasmyyy
sion, triumphed over every foe, and inahonttwo eentu;

rics extendetl our empire from Lathe northern houndaries
of Maine to the southern golf, and from the shores of the

Atlantic across the floods of the Missisippi, almost to the

western ocean.

instead of the little banal of pilgrims about the rock
of Plyruouth exposed to every danger and hardship, we,
number ten millions of people who enjoy the blessing; ofa A
free constitution, and sit underitheir vines and tl1‘eirfig- A

trees, having; none to molest or make them afraid... In-

stead of, a formidable wilderness inhabited only by sar- V

12

10’

age beasts‘ and5stil1“ more savage men; vtreheltoltl, all
around us, the arts and the hlessingsiof civilization‘.

" Towns, and villages, and spires,» and domes of leax'tnin»tg,=

and crowded ei-ties, every where meet the eye of the
spectator. At the same time our cosmmerre spreads its”
canvass on every sea, and the eagle soars‘ aloft, bearing
in liis‘ train protecting thunder.~

VV hen our constitutionifirst came intooporatnion, fears
were entertained by its friends, and: hopes by its roe.
mies, that it would utterly fail‘ of securing the great ob»
jects ofcivil government. But the experience of almost

half a cen’tury has fu‘ll‘y evinced the durability of its

pt‘i11ci'pl"es, and the arl5mira:lEi4tl'e wtiscliom of its structure.
It tapas‘ sustained unhurt, the violence of party collision,
and the shock ofiforeigntwar. A The fire has passed over
it, and the storm has beat upon it, and the earthquake
has rocked around it,” but still it remains the glory of
our country, and the admiration of the world. \Vhile
it efiiectu'all_y guarantees all the rights and all the libt-r’-
ties which are compaztihle with the moral contlition of
man, it keeper down the elementts of’ anarchy, holds an
immense empire under the salutary restraints of law,
blinds together in one powerful confederacy a great:

i n‘u'tnher' of s'e'p‘arat”e states; for purposes of protection, and»

mount benefit, eommands the councils, the resources
amt the energies‘ of all.

A Under’ this liberalfortm ofgoverntment, full scope has
Been given; to‘ the powers of the human‘ mind. Indus-
try, in all its departments, has been pushed on with a

t vigour and success‘, that hasno parallel inthe history of

thee world.- A Seiencehas added discovery to discovery,
mt given» to n?'t€~mtl{it1‘(l inventions of ilncalculable import-

,1;

M1c¢.t Literature aiso, with -the Liberal arts, l1as,shed;_a
=lustre upon our.na;m.e and character, which command:-2 the

respect even of those foreign criticks, that forme1'-ly treat»

ed as as a race of Barbarians.   
Nor has the 1:ozr.eg' of our country been less rapid in

 a.dvaoct'y.e_. ;C.o;mpare our military resources, at the

period of the lievohltion, with the same resources now.
Tlzen, we were struggling, and as the world believed,
feobly struggling, for national existeocee--aww, our
1-lxiet'i\/la;3istI'ate proclaims in the face of the world, that
the United .1-States cannot permit foreign pow.ers to inter-
fore in the political regulations .o;t',t5.outl1 Am:e;r_ica, and
that voice is heard beyond the .wate;rs of the Atlantict; it
passes from count to court, and it ta.p.pals ~t.~h;e ca.b:i-nets
of 'l‘yr‘ants,l;ike the hand writing; on the wall, of the
paiarre of lie1sl1azza,r.a A   y A A A A

A But while, fellow citizens, we congratulate each 'oth,..
er, and Ol'l.i)E.n(i.t'?l]a knees pour forth our thaoksgiviing to

,Gt)t|, in view of such unexaxnpled pyo,spe1*itj,', the ques-
»tion may well oecupy our attention for a,_fe.w momcnt.s,

how can this prosperity be preserve(_i?
It may perhaps too 1n,u.eln,cheek the ext1]ta.tio,oe, xrlxioh

helongg; to an hour of such proud rememliraoces, to re.
tmiod you, that other empires before this =ha~y_e ,.1-'ise.n up,

flout-islled for a season, and then sunk in ruius,.so that
he tvestjge of their glory remains, but the 1~eeortls of lnis-—
ttnry. A The arlmonition ofholy w-—ri.t., however, may be
as salutary it; the polititial, as in the religiotts wot-id, “i,et
him that thini§.e_th  tstar1«(het._h, take tlieegl test he fail.”
Forit would betray, our i;;oor_ax;Lce of the past, to deny
that there are caosyesoof national decay, as _well as na-

fluttal prosperity, or that the c0.hLi.fil:l_L:1__Cd great.1i.essia11c,t

1%

glory of a, people depend not on the deeds of a distin-
guishrtl ancestry, or the first organization of civil gov.-
ermnent, buton the influence of moral causes,which

must be kept in perpetual operation.

V The dreams of speculation and thearrogant preten-
sions of theories, will ‘afford us butrlittle assistance in
the practical decision of the question ‘before us. Expe-
rience u must be our polar star. W"e must look for the
pillars and ‘cornerstones of our own republic, if We
yvould ascertain what shall maintain itshigh and com-

manding destinies through future years. Look back-

ward, fellow citizens, t’orWone moment; contemplate the

tcharacterof your ancestors,'theirlove of liberty, their

right] morals, their vcnerationfor   the sabbath, their zeal
for God and his worship. i Contemplate also their
schools of learning, scattered tlirouggll every territory,
their Colleges, consecrated to Heaven no less, than their
country’s weal, and their Churches too, whose thicken-

ing spires point, as with the finger of devotion, to you...

der skies and conduct, to the assemblies within,the

' gbenedictions of Heaven. V V

Here are the springs of your prosperity, here the
mighty, though simple causes, which have made you
grtvat and happy, and which will make your stillgreater

V and still happier, if you maintain their energies unim-.
ipaired. A A .

Extend your schools of learning, and your altars of

slevotion with the increase of your population, let them 
exert theirtinfluence on the generation that now is, and “ A

on those that shall be hereafter. Cherish that love of
country, which is t at once pure, liberal, disinterested

and ahieruic. \ Eaegrcise freely and in the fear of God,

 as

your right of suii'rage,”i honoring notthe partisan but the
friend of his country and the table champion of its riglltst
Eiface the foul‘ stain of s1ave1~y from_V'you1' country’s
honour, by all the means‘, which God shall put into your

liamls ; roll back that tideof inteanperance, which"bea“rs

away, inlits polluted current, all that is splendid in tal-
ents, amiable in morals, or endearing in domestic rela-
tions -5 which is more terrible than the ‘[nlague, that con-

sumes the thousands of Asia, or than the havoc pro- pp

duced by all the Cossacks in the train of Alexander.

In one word, he virtuous, like those venerated ancestors,

who gave existence, and form and glory to your Repub-

“lie, and )l need not the spirit of prophecy to tell you, that

your prosperity is secured. Nay more, it shall rise
lll§.?._;l1Bl‘- and higher, and higher still, till millennial glo-
ry shall pour its radiance on this dark World,

~ tMaythe day we celebrate, commemorative of events
a so great in themselves and so momentous in their conse-
tquences, ever be held sacred to our liberty, our country

and our Gail. Let it be hailed as the birthday of com-
mon rigtnts and privileges, not as an occasion to kindle
up‘ the fires, orawaken the auimosities‘ of slumbering
factions.  A l r i t

It was in this house, and at a period of strong excit.
ment, that a unionot‘ parties, for the purposes of this day,
was first cemented; and may union be inscribed on its
portals forever. t h

At the same time may the memory of our fathers for-
bid, may the cause of rational liberty forbid, may the
sublime recollections and lofty sentiments of the occa-
sion forbid, may all that is venerable in virtue, in pet-
riotism, and in religion forbid, that the festive rights of

1%

this day, should degenerate into low and .degradiug ext
Bess, or be commingletl with the shouts of the Bacchanal,
VVe owe to God, for our transcendent blessing, cheer.

lful hut sober gratitude; to our country, the pure exam...

ple of virtuous citizens; and to the World, a practical
tlemonstration, that freedom is tl1e best proteetress of
christian, morality. A
 As in future years we commemorate this national J u,-
hilee, may the triumphs of liberty in other quarters of
the globe, swell the title of our exultation and awaken
louder lnosannns to Him, who rules the destinies of man,
MayGrreece, whose sacred cause, rnethinks, should
have lreceivetl more substantial aid from christian na-
tions, than evanescentsympathi-es, meager contributions
and idle wishes for its success, rise in all the majesty of
f('ee(l()lll, hreak asunder the chains, wlnicll have so long
lmizntl her to the cruel Ottoman, and in the face of all
alliances, whether holy or unholy, take her rank among
the indepentlent nations of the earth. Then shall the
light of that liberty, which now illumines this W, stern
Ilemisplrere, rise also from the shores of the Medilerra»
mean, and we trust in God, shall continue to rise,’ till it
usl1el's in the perfect day. A
And when, in fullilnlent of prophecy, the angel flyitng;
through the midst of heaven, shall have preachetl the
gospel to every creature, then shall he heard.the shouts,

not only of a national jubilee, but of the jubilee of at‘

7WOI'lt—l; a world “redeemed, regenerated, and disen-
thralletl, by the tmte geniusa of unaiversail e.mancipation.”