1783] ^^"r. WILLIAM SMITH, D. D. 9I 



To THE Honourable the General Assembly of the State of Maryland, 

 THE Petition of the Vestry and Church-Wardens of the Parish of 



, COUNTY, 



Humbly Sheweth, That it is manifest from Reason, as well as the 

 clearer Light of Revelation, that the Worship of the Almighty Creator 

 and Governor of the Universe, is the indispensable duty of his depend- 

 ent Creatures, and the surest means of procuring their temporal as well 

 as eternal Happiness : That, where Religion is left unsupported, neither 

 Laws nor Government can be duly administered ; And, as the expe- 

 rience of ages has shewn the necessity of a provision for supporting the 

 Officers and Ministers of Government, in all civil Societies; so the like 

 experience shews the necessity of providing a support for the Ordinances 

 and Ministers of Religion — because if either Religion or Government 

 were left wholly dependent on the benevolence of individuals, such is 

 the frailty of human natsre, and the averseness of many to their best 

 Interests, that the Sordid and Selfish, the Licentious, and Prophane, 

 would avail themselves of such Liberty to shrink from their share of 

 labour and expense, and thereby render that, which would be easy when 

 borne by All, an intolerable burden to the Few, whose conscience and 

 principles of Justice would not permit them in this, or any other case, 

 to swerve from their Duties, Civil or Religious. 



That our pious ancestors, the worthy and respectable Founders of 

 this State, convinced of the foregoing Truths, and declaring that, "In 

 every well-grounded Commonwealth, matters concerning Religion 

 ought, in the first place, to be taken into consideration, countenanced 

 and encouraged ; as being not only most acceptable to God, but the 

 best Way and Means of obtaining His Mercy, and a Blessing upon a 

 People and Country," (having the Promises of this Life and of the Life 

 to come) did frame and enact sundry Laws for erecting Churches and 

 Places of Public Worship, the maintenance of an orthodox Clergy, the 

 Support and advancement of Religion, and the orderly Administration 

 of its divine and saving Ordinances. 



That the Delegates of this State, at the great ^ra of our Independ- 

 ence, in free and full Convention assembled, for the purpose of estab- 

 lishing a new Constitution and Form of Government, upon the author- 

 ity of the People, appearing in their Wisdom to have considered some 

 parts of the said laws as inconsistent with that Religious Liberty and 

 Equality of Assessment, which they intended as the basis of their future 

 Government, did, by the 33d Section of the Declaration of Rights, 

 abrogate all such Laws theretofore passed, as enabled any County Courts, 

 on the Application of Vestrymen and Church-Wardens, to make Assess- 

 ments or Levies for Support of the Religious Establishment; but not 

 with a View of being less attentive than their pious Ancestors had been, 

 to the Interests of Religion, Learning, and Good Morals. On the 



