No qualification of wealth, of birth, of religious faith, or of civil profession is permitted to fetter the judgement or disappoint the inclination of the people.

The elective mode of obtaining rulers is the characteristic policy of republican government. The means relied on in this form of government for preventing their degeneracy are numerous and various. The most effectual one, is such a limitation of the term of appointments as will maintain a proper responsibility to the people.

THE THIRD charge against the House of Representatives is, that it will be taken from that class of citizens which will have least sympathy with the mass of the people, and be most likely to aim at an ambitious sacrifice of the many to the aggrandizement of the few.

Most people dislike vanity in others, whatever share they have of it themselves; but I give it fair quarter wherever I meet with it, being persuaded that it is often productive of good to the possessor, and to others that are within his sphere of action; and therefore, in many cases, it would not be altogether absurd if a man were to thank God for his vanity among the other comforts of life.

That felicity, when I reflected on it, has induced me sometimes to say, that were it offered to my choice, I should have no objection to a repetition of the same life from its beginning, only asking the advantages authors have in a second edition to correct some faults of the first.

EAR SON

The People heard it, and approved the Doctrine, and immediately practised the contrary,

If you’d have my Advice, I’ll give it you in short, for a Word to the Wise is enough, and many Words won’t fill a Bushel, as Poor Richard says. They join’d in desiring him to speak his Mind, and gathering round him, he proceeded as follows;

have ever been very sparing in their Applauses; and no other Author has taken the least Notice of me, so that did not my Writings produce me some solid Pudding, the great Deficiency of Praise would have quite discouraged me.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury.

, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

overnments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government,

, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness

a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth,

“never can true reconcilement grow where wounds of deadly hate have pierced so deep.”

Milton

would have joined Lucifer in his revolt.

I challenge the warmest advocate for reconciliation, to shew, a single advantage that this continent can reap, by being connected with Great Britain. I repeat the challenge, not a single advantage is derived

But even this is admitting more than is true, for I answer roundly, that America would have flourished as much, and probably much more, had no European power had any thing to do with her.

The most plausible plea, which hath ever been offered in favour of hereditary succession, is, that it preserves a nation from civil wars; and were this true, it would be weighty; whereas, it is the most barefaced falsity ever imposed upon mankind.

Men who look upon themselves born to reign, and others to obey, soon grow insolent; selected from the rest of mankind their minds are early poisoned by importance; and the world they act in differs so materially from the world at large, that they have but little opportunity of knowing its true interests, and when they succeed to the government are frequently the most ignorant and unfit of any throughout the dominions.

For all men being originally equals, no one by birth could have a right to set up his own family in perpetual preference to all others for ever, and though himself might deserve some decent degree of honors of his cotemporaries, yet his descendants might be far too unworthy to inherit them

As the exalting one man so greatly above the rest cannot be justified on the equal rights of nature, so neither can it be defended on the authority of scripture

Oppression is often the consequence, but seldom or never the means of riches; and though avarice will preserve a man from being necessitously poor, it generally makes him too timorous to be wealthy.

There is something exceedingly ridiculous in the composition of monarchy; it first excludes a man from the means of information, yet empowers him to act in cases where the highest judgment is required. The state of a king shuts him from the world, yet the business of a king requires him to know it thoroughly; wherefore the different parts, by unnaturally opposing and destroying each other, prove the whole character to be absurd and useless.

Some view our sable race with scornful eye, “Their colour is a diabolic die.” Remember, Christians, Negroes, black as Cain, May be refin’d, and join th’ angelic train.

That there’s a God, that there’s a Saviour too:

I do not aspire to praise.

thus to solicit the indulgent attention of the public; especially when I own I offer here the history of neither a saint, a hero, nor a tyrant. I believe there are few events in my life, which have not happened to many: it is true the incidents of it are numerous; and, did I consider myself an European, I might say my sufferings were great: but when I compare my lot with that of most of my countrymen, I regard myself as a particular favourite of Heaven, and acknowledge the mercies of Providence in every occurrence of my life

Thou hast a house on high erect, Fram’d by that mighty Architect With glory richly furnished, Stands permanent tho: this be fled. ‘Its purchased and paid for too By him who hath enough to doe.

Here stood that Trunk and there that chest; There lay that store I counted best; My pleasant things in ashes lye, And them behold no more shall I. Vnder thy roof no guest shall sitt, Nor at thy Table eat a bitt. No pleasant tale shall ‘ere be told, Nor things recounted done of old. No Candle ‘ere shall shine in Thee, Nor bridegroom’s voice ere heard shall bee. In silence ever shalt thou lye; Adieu, Adieu; All’s vanity.

That layd my goods now in the dust

The flame consume my dwelling place.

I waken’d was with thundring nois And Piteous shreiks of dreadfull voice; That fearfull sound of fire and fire,

Thy love is such I can no way repay,

My love is such that Rivers cannot quench,

I prize thy love more than whole Mines of Gold,

And you, children, who are unconverted, do not you know that you are going down to hell, to bear the dreadful wrath of that God, who is now angry with you every day and every night?

. Many are daily coming from the east, west, north and south; many that were very lately in the same miserable condition that you are in, are now in a happy state, with their hearts filled with love to him who has loved them, and washed them from their sins in his own blood, and rejoicing in hope of the glory of God

What would not those poor damned hopeless souls give for one day’s opportunity such as you now enjoy!

And it would be a wonder, if some that are now present should not be in hell in a very short time, even before this year is out.

But this is the dismal case of every soul in this congregation that has not been born again, however moral and strict, sober and religious, they may otherwise be.

It is everlasting wrath.

You shall be tormented in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb; and when you shall be in this state of suffering, the glorious inhabitants of heaven shall go for

God will be so far from pitying you when you cry to him, that it is said he will only “laugh and mock

Now God stands ready to pity you; this is a day of mercy; you may cry now with some encouragement of obtaining mercy.

When God beholds the ineffable extremity of your case, and sees your torment to be so vastly disproportioned to your strength, and sees how your poor soul is crushed, and sinks down, as it were, into an infinite gloom; he will have no compassion upon you, he will not forbear the executions of his wrath, or in the least lighten his hand; there shall be no moderation or mercy, nor will God then at all stay his rough wind; he will have no regard to your welfare, nor be at all careful lest you should suffer too much in any other sense, than only that you shall not suffer beyond what strict justice requires

when clothed in their greatest terrors, are but feeble, despicable worms of the dust, in comparison of the great and almighty Creator and King of heaven and earth.

The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked

that whatever pains a natural man takes in religion, whatever prayers he makes, till he believes in Christ, God is under no manner of obligation to keep him a moment from eternal destruction.

God has laid himself under no obligation, by any promise to keep any natural man out of hell one moment.

All wicked men’s pains and contrivance which they use to escape hell, while they continue to reject Christ, and so remain wicked men, do not secure them from hell one moment.

Natural men’s prudence and care to preserve their own lives, or the care of others to preserve them, do not secure them a moment

The unseen, unthought of ways and means of persons going suddenly out of the world are innumerable and inconceivable.

There is laid in the very nature of carnal men, a foundation for the torments of hell.

The old serpent is gaping for them; hell opens its mouth wide to receive them; and if God should permit it, they would be hastily swallowed up and lost.

justice calls aloud for an infinite punishment of their sins.

“There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any one moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God.

Let them confess before the Lord His loving kindness, and His wonderful works before the sons of men!

Summer being done, all things turned upon them a weather-beaten face; and the whole country, full of woods and thickets, presented a wild and savage view.

Once, as they thus lay at hull in a terrible storm, a strong young man, called John Howland, coming on deck was thrown into the sea; but it pleased God that he caught hold of the top-sail halliards which hung overboard and ran out at length; but he kept his hold, though he was several fathoms under water, till he was hauled up by the rope and then with a boat-hook helped into the ship and saved; and though he was somewhat ill from it he lived many years and became a profitable member both of the church and commonwealth.

But at length all opinions, the captain’s and others’ included, agreed that the ship was sound under the water-line, and as for the buckling of the main beam, there was a great iron screw the passengers brought out of Holland, by which the beam could be raised into its place; and the carpenter affirmed that with a post put under it, set firm in the lower deck, and otherwise fastened, he could make it hold.

to smite the young man with a grievous disease, of which he died in a desperate manner, and so was himself the first to be thrown overboard.

If he does not do his part in the care of the child, he is considered an outcast

"Yes, they do eat people, because they ate each other up in the mountains last winter."

They set everything we had left on fir

And itwas the sin of drunkenness that has brought this destruction and untimely death upon him.

You areto declare the whole counsel of God, and to give a portion to every soul in due season; as aphysician gives a potion to his patients, according to their diseases, so you are to give aportion to every soul in due season according to their spiritual maladies: Whether it beagreeable or not agreeable to them, you must give it to them; whether they will love you orhate you for it, you must do your work.

This was aprayer for his enemies and murderers; and it is for you, if you will now only repent andbelieve in him

Thus you see, poor Moses, that thereis none in heaven, or earth, that can help you, but Christ; he alone has power to save, and togive life.

Whoso sheddeth man's blood of man shall hisblood be shed

This is the lifewhich our texts speaks of.

I have seen theplace in London, called Smithfield,15 where numbers were burnt to death for the religionof Jesus Christ.

in spite of allopposition he met with either from men or devils, earth or hell; come death or come life,

That eternal life and happiness is the free gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord

On the other hand, the poor departed soul must take up its lodging in sorrow, wo andmisery, in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, where the worm dieth not and thefire is not quenched; where a multitude of frightful deformed devils dwell, and the damnedghosts of Adam's race; where darkness, horror and despair reigns, or where hope nevercomes, and where poor guilty naked souls will be tormented with exquisite torments, eventhe wrath of the Almighty poured out upon the damned souls; the smoke of their tormentsascending up forever and ever; their mouths and nostrils streaming forth with living fire;and hellish groans, cries and shrieks all around them; and merciless devils upbraiding themfor their folly and madness, and tormenting them incessantly.

yet most of these verymen intend to be happy when they come to die, not considering that there must be greatpreparation in order to die well

and that you will have suitablecommiseration towards this poor object.

t may induce people to read it, because it is from an Indian

it is common, plain, every-daytalk: Little children may understand me. And poor Negroes may plainly and fullyunderstand my meaning; and it may be of service to them