Digital Paxton: Digital Collection, Critical Edition, and Teaching Platform

An Address to the Rev. Dr. Alison - 17

Envy at the Encrease, Happiness and Promotion of the Church of England and the Quaker Religion, is what destroys your Peace, and renders you thus restless and tumultuous: And Thirst after Power, never to be satiated until all other Societies are reduced to your Domain, is the chief Motive of your late Conduct. It requires no great Depth of Penetration to perceive this Truth.— Should the Frontiers succeed in their unreasonable Demand, which has sprung entirely from your Policy, the Legislative Power would be in the Hands of your Sect, and your whole Scheme of Dominion executed at once. Hence arises your Complaint that the Frontiers are not justly represented. And do you then seriously think, that a People who have thus grossly abused the Share of Power they at present enjoy, who have trampled on all Laws both human and divine, to gratify their frantic Rage and superstitious Fury, and who have spurned at, defied and insulted the Powers of Government itself, should be entrusted with more? This Question, if I am right in judging from your past Conduct, you will certainly answer in the Affirmative: For you seem determined to succeed in your Plan at all Adventures. Hence it is that you deserted the sacred Duties of your Profession for the Sake of Politicks. Hence it is that you have long since laid your Schemes to render your own Sect the most numerous and powerful in America. Hence it is that all those Riots and Tumults which have put an End to all Government in the Province, encouraged and countenanced by your Performances, have arisen. And from these Motives have proceeded all your false Clamours, groundless Abuse and infamous Calumnies against the Quakers, whose Merit has recommended them to that Confidence of the People of other Societies, which your own never could obtain; and whose Conduct in Support of the Government and its Laws against the most wicked Attempts, has been a Mountain of Opposition in your Progress to lawless Power, the great Object of

Contents of this annotation: