HEZEKIAH was a moſt virtuous and pious king of Judah, of whom this teſtimony is given by inſpiration, that he ſought the Lord with all his heart. In him we ſee a ſtriking inſtance of what the energy of a ſingle character, aided and ſupported by a kind Providence, could do, towards retrieving the depreſſed and deranged ſtate of a kingdom or nation. He came to the throne at a time when both the religious and political ſtate of his kingdom were in the greateſt diſorder, and deepeſt depreſſion; occaſioned by the wicked and impolitic conduct of his predeceſſor.

Ahaz, his father, was a monſter of folly and impiety, and his affairs were proportionably unproſperous. The Jewiſh religion was ſo interwoven with their civil conſtitution, that any attempt to change it, either by prince or people, was treaſon againſt the commonwealth, as well as impiety towards God. Ahaz attempted to aboliſh the eſtabliſhed worſhip, and actually introduced and patronized the idolatrous rites of the heathen nations by whom Judah was ſurrounded. Hereby he loſt the hearts of his beſt ſubjects, and forfeited the protection of heaven. The Syrians of Damaſcus ſmote him, and carried many of his people captive; as did likewiſe the king of Iſrael, who ſlew them in a rage that reached up to heaven, even one hundred and twenty thouſand in one day. And although he laviſhed both his own treaſures, the treaſures of the houſe of the Lord, and the treaſures of the princes, upon Tilgath-pilneſer, king of Aſſyria, (then the moſt powerful monarch in the world,) he only diſtreſſed him, but helped him not. In the time of his afflictions his impiety increaſed; he treſpaſſed the more againſt the Lord. This is recorded by inſpiration with a note of infamy. "This is that king Ahaz." And, proportionably, as he became impious and unproſperous, he became contemptible in the eyes of his ſubjects.

When the kingdom was in this ſtate of religious and political diſorder and debility, Hezekiah, a moſt worthy ſon of a wretched father, mounted the throne. He immediately ſet himſelf, in earneſt, to remedy the evils occaſioned by the weakneſs and wickedneſs of his predeceſſor. One of the firſt works of his reign was to open, purify, and repair the houſe of God, which had been defaced, deſerted, and ſhut up, during the impious reign of Ahaz; as well as to deſtroy idolatry, and reſtore the true worſhip of God in every part of his dominions. But, though his heart was much engaged in the reformation of religion, he was by no means inattentive either to the political intereſts of his kingdom, or to the means of increaſing and drawing forth the internal reſources thereof, for the purpoſes of defence. He repaired the fenced cities of Judah, and put arms and garriſons in them; and after he had, in a good meaſure, ſtrengthened his Kingdom, he threw off the inglorious Aſſyrian yoke, to which Ahaz his father had ſubmitted: And, although he was unſucceſsful in ſome encounters with the Aſſyrians, when they firſt invaded the land, and ſeveral of the fenced cities of Judah fell into the enemy's hands, yet, in the iſſue, (through a very ſignal interpoſition of providence in his favour,) he was completely victorious. And before his death, the kingdom of Judah was advanced to a very high pitch of proſperity. His many private virtues, as well as his righteous and ſucceſsful adminiſtration of the affairs of the kingdom, endeared him very much to the nation in his life, and at his death his people were diſpoſed to confer every honor upon his memory, to which a man, who had deſerved eminently well of his country, could be entitled. Such was the man to whom all Judah, and the inhabitants of Jeruſalem, did honour at his death; having, doubtleſs, previouſly honoured him in his life.

I ſhall not, in this diſcourſe, confine myſelf to the uſual formality of a ſermon. This paſſage of ſacred hiſtory, however, furniſhes us with an obſervation, which I ſhall keep in view in what follows: viz.

That when men of extraordinary gifts, talents, and uſefulneſs, particularly, rulers who have been in the moſt eminent ſtations in a nation, have filled them with dignity, and have been eminent bleſſings to their country, come to die, the beſtowing extraordinary honours upon, as well as making more than uſual lamentation for them, is a cuſtom which hath, more or leſs, obtained among all nations; and, when kept within due bounds, is oppoſed by no principle either of reaſon or revelation.

However the cuſtom may be liable to abuſes, and, doubtleſs, has in many inſtances been abuſed, yet, when duly regulated, it is not only lawful, but laudable, and the more extenſive a perſon's ſphere of uſefulneſs has been, the more widely extended will be the honours done him at his death.

Inſtead of, at this time, attempting to range the wide field of profane hiſtory for illuſtration, I ſhall barely ſelect two or three inſtances from the pages of inſpiration.

When the patriarch Jacob died in Egypt, and was carried, for interment, into the land of Canaan, great lamentation was made for him, and he was honoured with a ſumptuous and expenſive funeral. When Moſes, who had delivered the children of Iſrael out of Egypt, and led them, forty years, through the wilderneſs towards Canaan, died on the mount, all Iſrael mourned for him thirty days. When Samuel the prophet died, who had been ſuch a ſingular bleſſing in his day, all Iſrael lamented him, and buried him. When Aſa, a virtuous king of Judah, died, they laid him in a bed which was filled with ſweet odours, and divers kinds of ſpices, prepared by the apothecaries art; and they made a very great burning for him. In like manner good Hezekiah was honoured. And when godly Joſiah was untimeouſly ſlain at Megiddo, all Judah and Jeruſalem mourned for Joſiah. And all the ſinging men, and ſinging women, ſpake of Joſiah in their lamentations unto this day, and they made them an ordinance in Iſrael; and behold they are written in the book of the lamentations. Many of thoſe inimitably beautiful, and pathetic ſtrains of ſorrow, recorded in the book of the lamentations, have, without doubt, a reference to the death of that pious and excellent prince.

Now there is no mark of diſapprobation put upon the extraordinary reſpect ſhewn, either to Hezekiah, or others at their death. But, on the other hand, the want of a decent, or even honourable attention at death, is threatened as a calamity, and a curſe, particularly upon Jehoiakim, the ſon of Joſiah.—JER. XXII. 18, 19. Therefore, thus ſaith the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the ſon of Joſiah, they ſhall not lament for him ſaying, Ah my brother, or, Ah my ſiſter. They ſhall not lament for him ſaying, Ah Lord, or, Ah his glory. He ſhall be buried with the burial of an aſs, drawn, and caſt forth beyond the gates of Jeruſalem.

In our preſent ſituation, the queſtion will now be, If we ſuppoſe it neceſſary, or even allowable for all the inhabitants of a country, to do honour to the memory of a great and ſignal benefactor at his death, how is it to be done?

I ſhall, for a very few moments, detain you on this queſtion, and then proceed to ſuch obſervations as are more immediately ſuggeſted by the occaſion upon which, not only this large aſſembly, but many others throughout the United States, are collected together.

And reaſon, as well as cuſtom and experience teaches us, that peculiarly eminent and uſeful men, are to be honoured at their death, by a funeral more ſumptuous, and even more expenſive than uſual. Though this can be no advantage to the dead, it is but a proper teſtimony of the reſpect which the living bear to their memory. Thus Joſeph ſpared no expenſe at his father's funeral, but engaged phyſicians to embalm the aged patriarch.

It is reaſonable alſo to honour great and eminent men, by making a more than ordinary public lamentation for them. As the loſs which a country ſuſtains, when ſuch eminent characters are taken away, is truly great, and muſt be extenſively felt, it is but reaſonable that a ſenſibility of it ſhould be proportionably expreſſed.

We are moreover to honour great and uſeful men at their death, by taking ſuitable notice of the great things they have done, and by giving even ſuch a particular detail of their eminent ſervices, as would be inconvenient during their lives. When Tabitha, otherwiſe called Dorcas, died, all the widows, and ſuch as had been relieved by her beneficence, ſtood by her weeping, and ſhewing the coats and garments Dorcas made while ſhe was with them. So, when any very dear friend is abſent, more eſpecially, if he is gone to that bourne from whence no traveller returns, it is natural for ſurviv ••• to dwell with pleaſure, even upon every minute circumſtance which has a tendency to endear his memory. With much greater reaſon ought a grateful people to recount the ſignal ſervices done by one who has been an eminent benefactor, and even a father to his country; and hath led them by the hand through the ſtorms of a revolution, to the haven of peace and political ſecurity; when he himſelf is now no more. Truth is to be our guide, and we are not to aſcribe to men, qualifications they did not poſſes, but juſt commendations are not to be withheld, whether it be in ſet orations, or at other times when their names are mentioned.

Nor, in honouring ſignally great and uſeful men at their deaths, is that Providence which hath raiſed them up, and made them what they were, to be overlooked. Man can never be more honoured, than when he is conſidered as a diſtinguiſhed inſtrument for carrying on ſome important purpoſe of Providence, for the welfare and happineſs of mankind. That God does raiſe up, and qualify men for eminent ſtations, is a point to which revelation gives teſtimony.PROV. VIII. 15, 16. By me kings reign, and princes decree judgment. By me princes rule, and nobles; even all the judges of the earth.PSAL. LXXV. 6, 7.Promotion cometh neither from the eaſt, nor from the weſt, but God is the judge himſelf, he raiſeth up one, and putteth down another. Providence furniſheth ſuch inſtruments with qualifications, ſuited to the ſtations in which they are placed. David aſcribes his ſkill in war to this ſource. Thou art he who teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight. A bow of ſteel is broken by mine arms. He furniſheth judges for the bench, generals for the field, and princes to ſway the ſceptre. He is a ſpirit of judgment to thoſe who ſit in judgment, and ſtrength to thoſe who turn the battle to the gates. Thus Moſes was raiſed up for a deliverer, to reſcue the children of Iſrael out of their Egyptian bondage, as well as for a lawgiver, and leader to guide them through the wilderneſs; Joſhua was raiſed up as a general, to conduct them into the promiſed land; and the judges and prophets were raiſed up and qualified for the particular ſervices aſſigned them. David was alſo, by a wonderful train of providences, taken from the ſheepfold and raiſed up, ſtep by ſtep, until he became the captain of the Lord's people. I ſhall only ſelect one inſtance more from the ſacred records; and that not of one who was a profeſſor of the true religion. I mean Cyrus, king of Perſia, who, beſides being otherwiſe concerned in bringing about the general plan of Providence, was an inſtrument in God's hand, in Iſrael's return out of the Babyloniſh captivity. Of him, honourable mention is made by the prophet long before he was born. 〈◊〉 . XLIV, 26. That ſaith of Cyrus he is my ſhepherd, and ſhall do all my pleaſure, ſaying to Jeruſalem thou ſhalt be built, and to the temple, thy foundation ſhall be laid.Chap. XLV, 1Thus ſaith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whoſe right hand I have holden, to ſubdue nations before him.Ver. 4.I have even called thee by thy name, and ſirnamed thee, tho thou haſt not known me. The ſame Providence is ever watchful ſtill, of which inſtances might eaſily be multiplied; taken both from more ancient and more modern times. But paſſing others: Was not the interpoſition of Providence exceedingly viſible, in raiſing up our lately beloved, but now ſincerely regretted, and lamented WASHINGTON, and in qualifying him, in a remarkable manner, for his work, as well as in aſſiſting, and proſpering him in it, ſo as to cauſe it to be eventually crowned with ſucceſs? No greater reſpect therefore, can be paid to his memory, no greater honour can be done him at his death, than by aſcribing the glory of all he was and did, to that Providence by which he was raiſed up.

Great and wiſe Stateſmen and Patriots are to be honoured at their death, by continuing to imitate their example, and to copy after, and practice the wiſe maxims of their adminiſtration. There is no part of the honour which is juſtly due to deceaſed worthies, who have deſerved well of their country, that is ſo ſeldom rendered, and the performance of which is attended with ſo much difficulty as this. We may ſhed many tears, we may form funeral proceſſions, we may bury their remains with Maſonic, with Military, with Chriſtian, and even with princely honours, or with every honour ſhort of that which is divine; we may compoſe funeral dirges, and extoll their praiſes to the clouds in ſet orations; we may aſcribe to them every human, heroic, patriotic, and princely virtue, and even ſuch virtues as are above the reach of humanity. But if, at the ſame time, their wiſe political maxims are diſregarded, and our councils yielded up to the influence of party ſpirit, domeſtic faction, or foreign intrigue, we ſhall contradict our profeſſions, and eſſentially fail of doing them honour at their deaths: In ſuch a conduct we will reſemble the Scribes and Phariſees, whom our Lord ſtigmatizes as hypocrites, becauſe, while they profeſſed the greateſt reſpect for the dead prophets, by building and garniſhing their ſepulchres, they perſecuted the living ones. This was a way, in which the inhabitants of Judah and Jeruſalem, ſoon betrayed the want of a due regard to the memory of the excellent Hezekiah. The wiſe, pious, and patriotic maxims of his excellent reign, were all quickly ſet aſide by an impious and profligate Manaſſeh; and the wiſe counſellors, who had ſtood before the father, were quickly diſcarded by the ſon.

But it is time to proceed to the application of th • ſe obſervations, to the memory of that illuſtrious perſonage, that truly great man, who has lately fallen in our Iſrael, whoſe death has made an impreſſion heretofore unknown, upon the minds of citizens of all ranks and characters in America. Probably, in ſome inſtances, the public demonſtrations of ſorrow may have been attended with uſeleſs parade, and ſome of little diſcernment, may have been more taken up with the ſhew, than affected with the loſs our country has ſuſtained, in being deprived of one of its moſt illuſtrious ornaments: Yet our loſs is truly great, and to make a ſuitable improvement of it, is the only way to prevent its being long felt.

Were I fond of panegyric, I probably have no great talents for the ſubject. And if I have little ability, I have as little inclination to give flattering titles unto men. I have frequently turned from funeral eulogies and panegyrics, with diſguſt; as being too often, like dedications, compoſed of a particular ſet of praiſes, which are indiſcriminately laviſhed upon all characters: and encomiums upon perſons of ſubſtantial worth are, many times, carried too high. But on the preſent occaſion, it will naturally be expected that ſomething be ſaid, and in whatever point of view we contemplate the perſonage before us, the ſubject is copious. I ſhall not attempt to draw the character of our beloved WASHINGTON at large. Had I ſufficient materials for the taſk, I muſt fatigue both myſelf and the audience in the delivery, as it muſt compriſe in it a detail of all his great actions, and muſt even deſcend into many of the minute circumſtances of his life. Let this, therefore, be the buſineſs of the profeſſed Biographer. What I ſhall ſay upon the preſent occaſion, ſhall probably, be no more, nor even ſo much as has been already, a thouſand times, repeated.

Here, let it be obſerved, that, as a man and a citizen, in the more private walks of life, his character has univerſally been repreſented as amiable, by thoſe who were favoured with a perſonal knowledge of him. But it was in his public character that we, who are ſo remote from the ſphere of his acquaintance, knew him; as it was this, that formed the endearing connection between him and his countrymen, and rendered him ſo univerſally known, beloved and eſteemed by his fellow citizens of all ranks, and now renders his death ſo ſincerely regretted and lamented; a very few ſtrictures hereupon is all that I ſhall attempt.

And, comparing what he was and did, with the obſervations made in the preceding part of our diſcourſe, is it not evident that a diſtinguiſhing Providence raiſed him up, qualified him, and pointed him out in a peculiar manner, as an inſtrument of ſignal good, as a very ſingular bleſſing to his country, and to mankind. His great and capacious mind poſſeſſed talents which, in early life, began to unfold themſelves to public obſervation. And they were ſo far from being of that ſhewy unſubſtantial kind, which promiſe much, but commonly diſappoint the expectation, that they appear to be always equal to the occaſion which called for their exertion. A quickneſs of apprehenſion, a penetrating judgment, an aptneſs to foreſee, and a prudence to ward off danger and difficulty, a firmneſs and deciſion of character, equal to the execution of reſolutions, judiciouſly and deliberately taken, and a heart unappalled by oppoſing dangers and difficulties; connected with an unſhaken regard to the intereſts of his country, marked his character in the various ſteps both of his civil and military career; and pointed him out as one of the few men, who are equally great in the cabinet and the field.

The future hero of America was early ſeen by ſome diſcerning minds, in the gallant youth, who in ſuch a maſterly manner, with ſo much judgment, courage, and conduct, led the ſhattered remains of Braddock's broken and defeated army, from the field of battle. So noticable was his conduct in this and ſome other inſtances, in early life, that the late Preſident Davies, a character well known to the world by his piety, and valuable writings, after noticing in a ſermon, the manner in which eminent men are trained up by Providence, for ſtations of ſignal uſefulneſs in the defence of their country, adds, by way of a note—Sermon preached at Hanover, Auguſt 17, 1755, ſoon after Braddock's defeat, when the Col. was aged 23. As a remarkable inſtance of this, I may point out to the public that heroic youth Col. WASHINGTON, whom I cannot but hope, Providence has hitherto preſerved in ſo ſignal a manner, for ſome important ſervice to his country.

Had the good man lived to have ſeen his heroic youth, placed at the head of the armies of his country, in their virtuous ſtruggle for independence, had he ſeen him leading them to victory, and in the iſſue ſeen that prophecy literally fulfilled where it is ſaid, A nation ſhall be born in a day; had he ſeen the conſpicuous part he took, in procuring our independence, and beheld the fabric of our confederated republic, reared up to ſuch a good degree of maturity, beneath his foſtering hand, he would have ſeen his prediction completely verified.

In theſe youthful diſplays of military courage and ſkill, our WASHINGTON reſembled the great Guſtavus Adolphus of Sweden; an illuſtrious patriot and warrior of the laſt century, who, at the premature age of little more than eighteen, headed an army, and con-contended with ſome of the moſt experienced generals in Europe, with all the prudence, courage and perſeverance, of the moſt veteran commander.

But we are to view our WASHINGTON in a ſtill more extenſive ſphere of activity and uſefulneſs; when the unanimous voice of his country placed him at the head of her armies, while ſhe was engaged in that arduous ſtruggle, which terminated in America's taking a rank among the nations of the world.

To follow him through the various campaigns in which he was engaged, to notice the numerous, and complicated difficulties with which he had to encounter, in forming an undiſciplined multitude into an army of regular ſoldiers, in ſtruggling with a ſuperior force, compoſed of troops in the higheſt ſtage of diſcipline, and headed by commanders of the greateſt military ſkill and experience, while his own, comparatively, feeble band, was frequently in want of military ſtores, and diſheartened for the lack of pay and clothing, and, many times, kept together by little elſe than the reſpect they had for their general; I ſay to enter into a particular detail of theſe things, and to note the prudence, and perſevering firmneſs, with which he ſurmounted the greateſt difficulties, is the buſineſs of the hiſtorian; and an attempt to compriſe it in the bounds of a ſingle diſcourſe, would be both vain and fruitleſs. But, ſo brightly did our WASHINGTON'S character ſhine, in the midſt of theſe difficulties and dangers, as to extort this comprehenſive commendation, from one of the greateſt generals and ſtateſmen this century has produced, and one who from his well known deſpotic principles, could not be ſuppoſed to be prejudiced in favour of the cauſe in which he was engaged: I mean the illuſtrious Frederick of Pruſſia. WASHINGTON, ſays he, is a brave general, his hand is an army, and his head a council of ſtate.

One inſtance, in particular, in which, during his military career, this ſingle man was, under Providence the inſtrument of ſaving his country, muſt not be paſſed in ſilence. I mean his manoeuvre on the memorable 26th of December 1776. Many of my hearers remember this, as a period in which the affairs of our country were in the loweſt ſtate of depreſſion. Our armies diſperſed, and almoſt annihilated, and the ſhattered remains flying in every direction; every arm was unnerved, and every heart appalled with fear. Then, with a preſence of mind which never forſook him in times of the greateſt danger, he rallied a few veterans; and, in a ſtormy and tempeſtuous night, croſſed the Delaware, beat up the enemies quarters at Trenton, and by afterwards following the blow at Princeton, a new turn was given to our affairs, and a new ſpirit was infuſed into his drooping, and deſponding countrymen. Theſe events compared with others which took place during the war, may ſeem unimportant, yet, connected as they are with their conſequences, they gave a new turn to our affairs, and, in the iſſue, were the means of ſaving our country.

But we are to contemplate his character in another point of view. We have ſeen him at the head of our armies, we are alſo to view him as the firſt magiſtrate of a free people. When the old confederation, framed in the time of war, was found by experience to be a bond too feeble to collect the ſtrength of the ſeveral independent ſtates, for national purpoſes, now no longer held together by a ſource of common danger, and a new conſtitution, better calculated to concentrate the ſtrength of the whole, was formed under his auſpices; he was called by the unanimous voice of his country, to fill the chair of firſt magiſtrate. Here, contrary to his own feelings and wiſhes, he again obeyed his country's call, and launched forth anew into public life. It is not my buſineſs to attempt a detail of the ability and fidelity with which he filled that important poſt. The memory of his ſervices will, I truſt, be long freſh upon the minds of his grateful countrymen. And that ſtate of national reſpectability to which, as a people, we are riſen, under that conſtitution, cannot fail to endear the memory of an able, faithful, and ſucceſsful pilot to the hearts of his countrymen. I have only to notice that in this important office he was, once more, the happy inſtrument of ſaving his country.

When the flames of revolution began to ſpread in France, and Americans, ignorant of the principles and motives of French leaders, and charmed with the ſound of liberty, were, almoſt to a man, wiſhing them to be free from the galling yoke of arbitrary power, and the intrigues of Genet operated like an electric fluid, upon all corners of the land, and many who ſeemed to be pillars were ſhaken, WASHINGTON'S prudent foreſight determined upon a neutral ſtation, and his firmneſs was a principal mean of preventing our making a common cauſe with France, and launching forth into all the wild career of diſorganizing madneſs, and of preſerving our neutrality, in ſpite of all open attempts, and ſecret intrigues to violate it. Had he, in his official capacity, thrown his influence into the oppoſite ſcale, or, had he been a man of leſs firmneſs, and leſs weight of character, leſs able to check the growth of foreign influence, or the budding of domeſtic faction, we would, moſt probably, have been involved in the horrible vortex of European politics, and, before this day, been in the degraded, impoveriſhed, and wretched ſituation of Holland, Switzerland, or Geneva. But, by a firmneſs, joined with a ſpirit of diſcernment to deſcry danger, and a prudent caution in avoiding it, our ſkillful pilot, under Divine Providence, has ſteered the political bark ſafe, amidſt the rocks, ſhoals, and quickſands that aſſailed it.

One or two traits in his character, which appeared conſpicuous throughout the whole of his career, civil and military, deſerve ſtill farther notice: And, among theſe a diſintereſted regard to the welfare of his country, a diſpoſition to ſacrifice his own eaſe and intereſt for the public welfare, claims the firſt place. He fought our battles unpaid, and at the cloſe of the war he retired, like another Cincinnatus, unpenſioned. And, at a time when he might have eaſily abandoned a poſt full of danger, in a manner greatly to his own emolument, and have riſen to eminence upon the ſpoils of his country, he, like Moſes, choſe rather to ſuffer affliction with his own people, than to ſecure to himſelf all the honours and emoluments, in the gift of the Britiſh King. Such was the man of whom it was, long ſince, ſaid, that neither Britiſh arms could ſubdue him, Britiſh artifice inveigle him, nor Britiſh Gold corrupt him.

A ſingular manifeſtation of his diſregard to his own emolument, and inviolable attachment to the intereſts of his country appeared at the cloſe of the war in 1783; a time when the ſpoils of his country lay at his feet. It is true, the United States never made him a formal tender of their liberties, nor an offer to inveſt him with ſovereign power. But, from the peculiar circumſtances which attended the cloſe of the war; the army diſcontented for want of pay, and, many of them, ripe for any enterprize, and, at the ſame time, having an almoſt unbounded attachment to, and placing an unlimited confidence in their general; had our WASHINGTON been fired with the ambition of a Caeſar or a Cromwel, with the encouragement ſet before him, which, it is ſaid amounted to an indirect invitation to make the attempt, he might eaſily have aſſumed the title of Protector, Dictator, or whatever elſe he choſe, with all the inſignia of ſovereign authority.

It has been frequently obſerved that there is nothing of which mankind are ſo tenacious, as power; nothing which they will make ſo great ſacrifices to acquire, and nothing which they will relinquiſh with ſo great reluctance. And, to confirm the remark, almoſt innumerable are the inſtances in which ſucceſsful commanders have made uſe of their ſucceſs, and the influence they had obtained over the minds of their fellow ſoldiers, to climb to ſovereign authority. But though our WASHINGTON might have acted without control, he choſe rather to live in the hearts of his fellow citizens, and to reſign up his gallant army of hardy veterans, to the juſtice, and generoſity of his country, which has afforded them, at leaſt a very tardy recompence for all their toils and ſufferings, than to keep a commiſſion with which he had been entruſted, after the object for which he received it, had been obtained.

It is true, his conduct in this inſtance was not altogether ſingular. A few are recorded in hiſtory who, with a peculiar greatneſs of mind, ſacrificed the dazzling proſpect of advantages, to their country's good. With a noble diſintereſtedneſs did the gallant and ſucceſsful Gideon reject the offer of ſovereignty in Iſrael, and was afterwards, in his poſterity, baſely requited by his ungrateful countrymen.JUDGES VIII. 23, 24. Then the men of Iſrael ſaid unto Gideon, rule thou over us, both thou and thy ſon, and thy ſons ſon alſo, for thou haſt delivered us out of the hand of Midian. And Gideon ſaid unto them, I will not rule over you, neither ſhall my ſon rule over you, the Lord ſhall rule over you. And we have an Andrew Dorra in more modern times, one of the greateſt ſea Captains of the ſixteenth century, who with a ſimilar greatneſs of ſoul, rejected the ſovereignty of his native country Genoa, after delivering it by his arms from the uſurped dominion of France: and who grew old as a private citizen, beloved and reſpected by his countrymen, and honoured with the title of father of his country, though he would not be its maſter. Happy for America that our WASHINGTON reſembled theſe, and ſome other worthies of the ſame ſtamp, and not the more numerous claſs, who are continually graſping after power, and never part with it but with reluctance.

I have only to add that the ſame diſintereſted regard to the welfare of his country, marked his acceptance of the preſidency, which, conſidering his love of retirement, and his abundant employment in it, was a manifeſt ſacrifice of inclination, to duty. And, under a ſtill additional load of declining years, his accepting, at his country's call, a ſtation ſubordinate to one he had formerly held, furniſhed a freſh evidence of his prefering the public welfare to his own eaſe or advantage. And although in his late commiſſion of general, there was no particular occaſion for active ſervices in the field, yet the readineſs with which he obeyed his country's call, and embarked in her cauſe, undertaking to face danger at a time when nature needs repoſe, afforded a freſh evidence of his diſintereſted attachment. And as he lived, ſo he died in the ſervice of his country.

Another trait in the character of our WASHINGTON, and one which ought to endear his memory to his country, was his love of peace, and his unremitting endeavours, during his adminiſtration, to procure, and preſerve it. This is a trait of character which is far from being as common as it ought, among great military perſonages. But a WASHINGTON never drew his ſword only in the defence of his country, and its deareſt rights. And whenever the object for which he took up arms was obtained, with what heartfelt ſatisfaction did he ſheathe it, and return to the peaceful duties of a private citizen? The Alexanders, the Caeſars, and other heroes of antiquity, with their ſucceſſors and imitators in more modern times, appeared to delight in blood and carnage. Many heroes, generals and conquerors, have been reputed great, in proportion as they turned the world into a deſart, and have brought ruin, miſery and ſlavery upon mankind. Their motives were lawleſs ambition, and an undue luſt after dominion, to which they could lay no other claim but force. A hero or a conqueror has, for this reaſon, been juſtly accounted a term ſynonymous with a ſcourge, and a curſe to mankind. But our WASHINGTON prized the peace and happineſs of his country. The favourite maxim of his adminiſtration was, to ſeek peace and purſue it, though he would not ſhrink from a neceſſary war. This trait in his character diſpoſed him ſo aſſiduouſly to maintain our neutrality during the preſent European conteſts, which have deluged the eaſtern world in blood. His character, therefore, has not improperly been ſummed up in this comprehenſive manner: Firſt in war; firſt in peace, and firſt in the hearts of his countrymen.

Another diſtinguiſhed trait in his character, if it may not be rather denominated a ſingular providence, whereby he was put in a capacity for more extenſive uſefulneſs, was the ſurpriſing union of all hearts and voices in his favour. This was partly owing to his very ſingular merits and talents, and partly to a kind Providence in his own and country's behalf. When ſeeking for a chief commander to head our armies, every voice pointed to him as the man, and when a Preſident of the United States was ſought for, no other object was thought of▪ Perhaps we may ranſack the pages of hiſtory in vain, to find another, who, for ſo long a time, and in ſuch a great variety of trying circumſtances, had ſuch an entire union of all hearts in his favour, and maintained his popularity unimpaired, and almoſt unenvied. In all the trying ſcenes which he went through, during eight years war, his character was ſecure, even againſt calumny itſelf. And in the eight years in which he filled the preſidential chair, if we except the feeble attempts of a faction, the dupes of French intrigue, and whoſe leaders would ſacrifice their country, their religion, and their God, at the ſhrine of French liberty, another name for the moſt deteſtable ſlavery, his character has been unaſſailed. And theſe feeble attempts have tended, in the end, to brighten its luſtre.

Such are a few traits in the public character of that great man, who has lately fallen in our Iſrael. It would be more than falls to the portion of humanity, to ſuppoſe him perfectly free from faults and blemiſhes. But if there were failings in his public character, they were as few, and his public virtues and great talents, as ſplended and as numerous, as we can reaſonably expect to fall to the lot of a mortal. My deſign was not to touch upon 〈◊〉 private character. This, from every ſource of information of which we are poſſeſſed, was amiable. His public official character did not lead him to any particular diſplay of his religious ſyſtem. Only, in his communications which have come before the world, we find him frequently urging the neceſſity and importance of religion in general, and expreſſing a firm and unſhaken reliance upon Providence: And, ſo far as an extenſive benevolence to mankind, and integrity and uprightneſs of conduct, are evidences of the reality of religion, they were copied in his life. And that calm fortitude which was ever conſpicuous in his life, did not forſake him in his death.

I ſhall diſmiſs this part of my ſubject with one ſingle obſervation, viz. That thoſe virtues which adorn the chriſtian character are not of that ſplendid kind, which catch the attention and command the admiration of the world, but the unoſtentatious ones, of humility, meekneſs and ſelfdenial; and in thoſe things which are peculiar to chriſtianity, the greateſt and the leaſt are all alike. If the greateſt hero or ſtateſman is a chriſtian, it is becauſe he has thoſe virtues in common with the meaneſt, and not becauſe he is poſſeſſed of thoſe ſplendid talents which adorn a public character: Though the moſt exalted character cannot fail to derive an additional luſtre from the impreſſion of the peculiar chriſtian virtues, on the heart and life.

Such was the man to whom his country, in ſo many ways, eſſays to do honour in his death. But he is gone, and the places which once knew him, ſhall know him again no more. Though juſtly entitled to the appellation of a God upon earth, in the ſenſe in which that title is applied to magiſtrates and rulers, he hath died like a common and ordinary man. His duſt returns unto duſt, and, in a ſhort time, unleſs it is by the coſtly monument that covers it, will be undiſtinguiſhable from that of a common beggar, as a ſtriking monument of the vanity of every thing that is earthy. We need not invite his grateful countrymen to honour him at his death, either by a ſumptuous funeral, by lamenting their loſs, or by eulogies upon his character and worth. Of this kind of reſpect there ſeems to be no deficiency. The danger is rather, that we ſhall exceed, by giving him more honour than either is, or can be due to a mere man. But there are two ways of honouring him in his death, in which we cannot exceed, i. e. By continuing to depend upon, and adore that Divine Providence which raiſed him up, and made him what h • was: And by following his example as a ſtateſman, or by practicing the wiſe maxims of his adminiſtration.

As to his being raiſed up by Providence, and fitted for the work to which he was called by his country; he was as truly ſo as Moſes, Joſhua, Gideon, David, Samuel and others, though not preciſely in the ſame manner. And we never can pay a greater tribute to his memory, than by aſcribing the glory of all he was and did, to the ſupreme firſt cauſe. If we have ſeen him the enlightened ſtateſman, the great and ſucceſsful commander, or the patriotic, virtuous citizen, we have ſeen him juſt that in himſelf, and to his country, which the all-wiſe diſpoſer of events was pleaſed to make him, and to his name be the glory. And the ſame Divine Providence can raiſe up other inſtruments, equally qualified, whenever they are needed.

As to imitating his example, or copying after the wiſe maxims of his adminiſtration, to mention no more, his farewell addreſs upon his declining a reelection to the preſidency, is a political legacy of ineſtimable value, the wiſe maxims of which ought never to be out of view; particularly that part of it, which relates to foreign influence, and foreign connections.

Lycurgus, the famous lawgiver of Sparta, in order to give perpetuity to his laws, withdrew from his country, profeſſedly only for a time, • nd exacted an oath of his fellow citizens, that they would make no alteration in his laws till his return. But, inſtead of returning, he went into voluntary exile, and, at his death, ordered his remains to be thrown into the ſea, leſt they ſhould be carried back to Sparta, and the citizens ſhould think themſelves thereby abſolved from the obligation of their oath.

If a method equally efficacious could be adopted, to render the wiſe maxims of our WASHINGTON perpetual, particularly ſo far as they relate to foreign influence, and foreign connections, the bane of all free ſtates, it would be happy for our country. Diſconnected as ſhe is, by nature, ſituation and intereſt, from the other quarters of the globe, America needs a political connection with no nation under heaven, nor can ſuch a connection ever be any thing elſe than a public curſe. And as for mercantile connections, they ought to be extended indiſcriminately to all nations, ſo far as they are ſupported by mutual advantage, the only bond of connection between nations, and no farther: Whenever therefore, the time ſhall come in which foreign influence ſhall guide our councils, it matters not whether it is French or Britiſh, Auſtrian or Ruſſian, Dutch or Spaniſh; and we ſhall enter, with ſpirit, into all the intrigues, cabals, and quarrels of European nations: If ever the time comes when, forgetting the dignity of our own national character, we ſhall be divided into French and Britiſh factions, we may bid adieu to our peace, proſperity, and even independence as a nation.

A melancholy proof of the deleterious effect of foreign influence, to the peace, happineſs, and independence of a nation, may be ſeen in illfated Poland. Poland, which, if inhabited by an enlightened, free, and independent people, is calculated by nature and ſituation, to be one of the faireſt portions of Europe. But Poland was a prey to foreign influence. She had her Ruſſian, Pruſſian, Auſtrian and French factions: She had alſo her religious factions; armed againſt each other with all the animoſity of party zeal. And what was the conſequence? She was firſt deſolated by a civil war, then diſmembered of ſome of her faireſt provinces, and, by the late partition, ſhe ceaſes to be an independent nation. If ever America becomes a prey to foreign influence, and is doomed to ſuch a curſe, a partition of her fair inheritance may, one day, compromiſe a quarrel between Britain, France, or ſome other European powers. Let us therefore honour our deceaſed WASHINGTON, who, though dead yet ſpeaketh, in his excellent parental advices; and conſult our own happineſs and national proſperity, by bearing in mind, and ſteadily practiſing theſe excellent maxims of his adminiſtration.

While we expreſs our ſenſibility for the loſs of a WASHINGTON, we ought not to forget to pay a juſt tribute of reſpect to other illuſtrious characters, who have deſerved well of their country, and who have lately finiſhed their earthly courſe; and whoſe memories ought to live in the breaſts of their fellow citizens. The year 1799 has been uncommonly mortal among illuſtrious characters. To mention a few: This commonwealth has loſt an enlightened ſtateſman, and illuſtrious patriot; a man who was juſtly conſidered an ornament to his country, in our late excellent Governor SUMNER: Pennſylvania has loſt her MIFFLIN, the late governor of the ſtate; a man heretofore well eſteemed, both as a ſtateſman and military commander: Virginia has loſt a ſtateſman, and a patriot of diſtinguiſhed worth, in her late Governor, PATRICK HENRY: Maryland has, likewiſe, loſt a diſtinguiſhed character, ſometimes governor, of the ſame name. South-Carolina has loſt her Governor RUTLEDGE, a man who has long been conſidered as one of her moſt illuſtrious citizens: And the Supreme Federal Bench has loſt two of its ornaments, by the deaths of an IREDELL, and PACA: And to cloſe the ſcene, the whole continent has ſuffered a loſs ſtill greater in her WASHINGTON.

Such an uncommon mortality among illuſtrious characters, in ſo ſhort a time, is an event which but rarely happens; and when it falls out, is one which calls for the moſt ſerious attention. Frequently ſuch a diſpenſation has been the forerunner of ſome ſignal calamity. Good men are removed out of the reach of evils they cannot avert.ISA. LVII. 1. The righteous periſheth, (faith the word of inſpiration▪) and no man layeth it to heart; and merciful men are taken away, none conſidering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. There was a moſt ſignal calamity threatened upon Judah and Jeruſalem, by the Prophets, in theſe words:ISAI. III. 1, 2, 3, 4. For behold the Lord, the Lord of hoſts, doth take away from Judah and Jeruſalem, the ſtay and the ſtaff. The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge and the prophet, the prudent and the ancient, the captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counſellor; and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator. And I will give children to be their princes, and ſtrangers ſhall rule over them. Children not in age, but in knowledge, and political foreſight. Two or three inſtances we may ſelect from ſcripture, wherein the deaths of eminently great and good men, were followed with ſignal calamities to the nation, viz. The deaths of good Hezekiah, the ſubject of our text, and of his great grandſon, the ſingularly virtuous and pious Joſiah, who was ſlain in the valley of Megiddo; and the death of Jehoiada the prieſt, who was ſuch a great benefactor to the nation, and ſuch a faithful counſellor to Joaſh. At theſe ſeveral periods the nation appears to have been ripe for ſcourge, and to deſerve to be puniſhed with the wickedneſs of Manaſſeh, and of Joſiah's ſons, and the folly of Joaſh, rather than be bleſſed with the virtue, piety, and wiſdom of Hezekiah or Joſiah, and the prudent counſels of the aged and wiſe Jehoiada. God, therefore, gave them princes in his anger, and ſubjected them to a throne of iniquity, which eſtabliſhed miſchief by a law.

But we would wiſh to deprecate deſerved judgments, and hope for better things in the preſent inſtance. Perhaps Providence may have a different purpoſe in view. Perhaps it may be to teach us the vanity, and even folly of placing too great dependence upon any inſtrument whatſoever; or of thinking more highly of a fellow worm, of mere duſt and aſhes, than we ought to think. God's hand is, by no means ſhortened, that he cannot ſave. And when determined to ſave a people, inſtruments can never be wanting for that purpoſe. He can raiſe up WASHINGTONS without number, when either the advancement of his own glory, or the happineſs of a people, whom he delights to ſave, ſhall require it. So long as we are a people favoured of heaven, we never ſhall be wanting in leaders, either to head our troops in the field, if neceſſary, or to guide the helm, in the moſt intricate affairs of ſtate. Such inſtruments, we truſt, are not wanting at preſent. Tho' a WASHINGTON is gone we have an ADAMS left, and when he ſhall have ſerved his generation as long as Providence ſees meet, he by whom kings reign, and who is a ſpirit of judgement to thoſe who ſit in judgement, can, and probably will raiſe up, and qualify others in ſucceſſion, equally great and good, and make them bleſſings equally eminent in their day and generation, as a Joſhua ſucceeded Moſes, and Eleazer ſucceeded Aaron, and Solomon filled the throne of his father David.

There are, it is true, particular ſeaſons, which ſometimes occur, in which the death of even one great and eminent man, may juſtly be conſidered as a very ſingular calamity. As, when he is taken away at a time in which the ſucceſs of a cauſe, great and important to the happineſs of mankind, depends, in a great meaſure, upon a ſingle life. But, even then, ſuch inſtruments are ſometimes taken away, merely to ſhow us the vanity of creature dependence. A ſtriking inſtance of this kind we ſee in that ſingularly great and good man, Guſtavus Adolphus, king of Sweden, commonly called Guſtavus the ſecond. His amazing abilities, both in the cabinet and the field, pointed him out, as a fit inſtrument to place at the head of the proteſtant league, at a very critical time, for oppoſing the tyrannical, and ſeemingly irreſiſtible encroachments of the houſe of Auſtria, againſt both the civil and religious liberties of the proteſtants in Germany. And the event fully teſtified the choice they had made. He was the principal cement, and even ſoul of the confederacy. Succeſs attended nearly all his enterpriſes. But, at a critical moment, when the force of the confederacy ſeemed to reſt on his ſingle life, and, in the midſt of a career of victory, he met the fatal bullet on the field of battle, on the plains of Lutgen, at the premature age of thirty eight. But, though a univerſal conſternation ſpread over one half of Europe, and the other half rejoiced at his death, yet the cauſe did not die with him. The plan of the confederacy had been ſo happily laid, and ſo well cemented, and ſuch able inſtruments ſurvived him, who had been trained up under ſo great a maſter, as completed the work he had ſo happily begun; God by this diſpenſation, probably giving a practical leſſon to the world, not to lay too much dependence upon any one mere man, however eminently great and good.

Our WASHINGTON has, it is true, been taken away in a citical time, a time when his ſervices were highly neceſſary to his country, to unite her divided councils, in the ſyſtem of defenſive oppoſition to the unjuſt encroachments of France; as well as by the weight of his character, to check the progreſs, and counteract the baneful effects of foreign influence. At a time when his country ſeemed to need, and his athletic conſtitution, tho' in an advanced age, to promiſe a longer continuance of his ſervices. Yet, in many reſpects, his death cannot be called premature. He was ſpaired, not only till his military command had been conducted to a ſucceſsful termination, by an honourable peace, and the eſtabliſhment of our independence, but alſo, till he had conducted the political bark ſo far, that we had grown up to a good degree of national reſpectability, and till he had arrived at a good old age. Inſtead, therefore, of regretting that he was mortal, and that, when he had ſerved his generation, he died like a common ordinary man, let grateful America expreſs their thankfulneſs to him by whom kings reign, that ſuch a diſtinguiſhed character was raiſed up at a critical time, that he was, by Providence, ſo well qualified for the great undertaking in which we have ſeen him engaged, that he was ſpaired ſo long, even till his work was completed, and his endeavours for the good of his country crowned with ſucceſs, and that the cauſe of liberty and America ſtill lives. While we ceaſe from man whoſe breath is in his noſtrils, let us truſt in the Lord forever; for in the Lord there is everlaſting ſtrength. Our WASHINGTON has already done as much for us, as we could rationally expect from a mere man. And, unleſs we are diſpoſed to attribute part of the glory to a creature, which is juſtly due to the God of armies, why ſhould we deſire more?

I cannot diſmiſs the ſubject without making one ſingle remark more, which appears to be ſuggeſted by that paſſage of ſacred hiſtory, choſen as the foundation of our preſent diſcourſe. Hezekiah ſlept with his fathers, and Manaſſeh his ſon, reigned in his ſtead. A moſt wicked profligate ſon, of a moſt pious, virtuous, and illuſtrious father. Hezekiah appears as a bright ſhining ſun, between two very black clouds, Ahaz and Manaſſeh. Hereditary ſucceſſion frequently ſubjects nations to evils of this kind. It paves the way for ſudden tranſitions from the beſt to the worſt of Princes. Where hereditary ſucceſſion is conſidered as eſſential to the eſtabliſhed government of a nation, it happens, and that not ſeldom, that both children and babes in a literal ſenſe, as well as children in knowledge, and experience, tho' full grown men in all the vices which tarniſh degenerate human nature, are given to nations to be their princes; and ſtrangers to their country's true intereſts, as well as to the feelings of humanity, ſway the ſceptre.

Tho the world has, at different times, been bleſſed with numbers of excellent princes, who have been nurſing fathers to their country, b •• h knowing and ſteadily purſuing its true intereſts; and who, for beneficence, have reſembled the Sun when it breaks forth from under a cloud▪ and ſhines in its full ſtrength; yet a complete hiſtory of all the illuſtrious madmen, who under the name, and in the character of Princes, have ſported with the lives and liberties of mankind, and have caſt about firebrands, arrows and death, in ſhort, would chill the blood with horror.

The education which hereditary princes receive, previous to their arriving at ſupreme power in the ſtate, is, frequently, but little calculated to cultivate thoſe principles, either of the underſtanding or heart, which are neceſſary to make wiſe and virtuous rulers. Born with the expectation of a throne, they conſider it as their natural inheritance, which muſt deſcend to them of courſe, whether they poſſeſs one ſingle qualification for it or no, they are hereby deprived of one very powerful ſtimulous to excell. For if we conſider human nature to be the ſame in them, that it is in other men, they are, certainly, under very ſtrong temptations to neglect the cultivation of their underſtandings. Being nurſed up in the idea of their natural ſuperiority to other men, it is not to be wondered at, if, many times, they rather conſider the nation as their property, than their promotion as given them for the good of the nation. And being frequently, from their early infancy, ſurrounded with crowds of flatterers, who treat even their vices and foibles with every degree of deference and indulgence, in expectation of future favours, can it be thought ſtrange, that, many times, they ſhould rather abuſe, than make a right uſe of that authority with which they are clothed?

In limited Monarchies, even the virtues and talents of a ſovereign, may be, ſometimes, dangerous to the liberties of a people. A ſenſible Britiſh writer, whom I can quote only from memory and, probably, not with any conſiderable degree of exactneſs, has an obſervation much to our preſent purpoſe, which may apply to other nations as well as Britain. Whenever a prince of great abilities, ſingular virtues, and ſuch eminently popular talents as ſhall unite all hearts in his favour, ſhall fill the throne of Great Britain, I tremble for the liberties of my country. Tho Britons are poſſeſſed of ſufficient reſolution and energy to defend their liberties, againſt any open encroachments of Arbitrary power, yet they may be eaſily ſeduced by the bewitching glare of popularity, to ſurrender thoſe prerogatives to a prince, of ſingularly eminent talents and virtues, which may prove a rod of iron in the hand of a ſucceſſor, of an oppoſite character. A ſingular inſtance of the danger of the popular virtues of a ſovereign to the liberties of a free people, we have in the famous Guſtavus Vaſa, commonly called Guſtavus the firſt, the noted Swediſh hero of the ſixteenth century, who ſingly projected, and after ſurmounting an infinity of difficulties, the bare recital of which, were they not ſufficiently atteſted, would ſtagger belief, effected the deliverance of his country from the cruel, and tyrannical yoke of Denmark. Having delivered his native land from a galling foreign yoke, he was choſen, firſt adminiſtrator, and ſoon after, king of Sweden. His country after having had ſuch large experience of his incomparable abilities, and eminent virtues, loaded him with every honour that a grateful people could beſtow; and made ſuch daily, and gradual additions to his prerogative, that he became, in a manner, an abſolute prince. Such was the wiſdom, juſtice, and energy of his adminiſtration, tempered with mildneſs and benevolence; and ſo ſteadily, and uniformly, were all the meaſures of his adminiſtration; directed to that object which is the ultimate end of all good government, viz. the proſperity and happineſs of his people, that the happy Swedes felt no inconvenience from his extenſive, and almoſt unlimited authority. But when his ſucceſſor, without his talents, and without his virtues, claimed his extenſive prerogative, Sweden was well nigh reduced to ſlavery, which it avoided only by wading thro' the horrors of a civil war, in which the ſon, and immediate ſucceſſor of the great Guſtavus, was juſtly expelled from that throne which he had debaſed, but which his worthy father had ſo dearly purchaſed, ſo richly merited, and filled with ſuch dignity. Happy America, if ſhe but knew, and duly eſtimated her privileges; in being favoured with an elective, inſtead of an hereditary government.

A late celebrated traveller, (Margrave of Baden,) ſpeaking of ſome one of the German Principalities, I forget which, takes notice of the ſingular happineſs and proſperity of the people of that principality, which was chiefly owing to the virtues and talents of the reigning Prince, and contraſts it with the depreſſion and miſery of the people, under princes of an oppoſite character, cloſes his remarks with this judicious obſervation. Such a prince is really a public bleſſing, and that people are ſingularly fortunate who live under ſuch a government. But much more fortunate are they whoſe liberties are protected by the government of their country, independent of the good and in ſpite of the evil qualities of reigning princes. Dr. MOORE'S View of Society and Manners in France, &c. &c Vol. 1. Page 186.

I confeſs that for myſelf, I have ſometimes indulged the thought, that it was not a diſagreeable event for his country, that our late illuſtrious and beloved chief had no natural heirs, leſt that, in time, the high reſpect which was ſo juſtly paid to the father, might upon the father's account rather than on account of any diſtinguiſhing virtues in the ſon, deſcend to his poſterity. But happy is it for America that her liberties reſt upon a firmer baſis, than to depend upon the virtues and talents of any ſingle man, though it were even a WASHINGTON. Nor are we expoſed to have them wreſted from us, by, either the artifice, ambition, or wickedneſs, of an individual, till we deſerve to looſe them. But, when the time comes in which, by our vices we ſhall forfeit the protection of heaven, and by our faction and diſunion, ſhall ſap the foundations of our own ſtrength, then we will deſerve to be ſlaves; and ſome fortunate, and factious demagogue, aided by a military force, may mount into the ſeat of ſupreme authority, and proſtrate the liberties of his country under his feet. To effect ſuch a change as this, when we ſhall be ripe for it, a Caeſar; a Cromwel or a Buonaparte, will not be wanting. But if public and private virtues ſhall continue to be cultivated, and the ſacred principles of genuine religion and morality treated with due attention: If vice and immorality of every kind could be univerſally checked and diſcouraged, if knowledge ſhall continue to be diffuſed, and even increaſe among all ranks of our citizens; if the fundamental principles of our free republican conſtitution, continue to be duly reſpected; if the ſeeds of faction and diſunion, might be eradicated, and harmony eſtabliſhed among the various departments; if foreign influence, the bane of all free ſtates, could be completely baniſhed, and virtue and talents principally reſpected, in the advancement of men to places of important public truſt,—May we not entertain a hope, that, through tho kindneſs of indulgent heaven, future WASHINGTONS will be raiſed up as our neceſſities may require, and that the fair fabric of American liberty will deſcend unimpaired to the lateſt poſterity.