The Virginia Gazette

Several Ministers and teachers of the gospel who are of different persuasions and denominations.

And as our representatives have thought most prudent to refer this matter to the discussion and final determination of a future Assembly, when the opinions of the country in general may be better known, we look upon it to be not only an apology for, but a call to us to publish our sentiments with relation thereto.

We believe that preachers should be supported only by voluntary contributions from the people, and that a general assessment (however harmless, yea useful some may conceive it to be) is pregnant with various evils, destructive to the rights and privileges of religious society.

"No man, or set of men, are entitled to exclusive or separate emoluments or privileges from the community, but in consideration of public services."

If, therefore, the State provides a support for preachers of the gospel, and they receive it in consideration of their services, they must certainly, when they preach, act as officers of the State, and ought to account thereto, not only as members of civil society, but also as preachers.

The consequence of this is, that those whom the State employs in its service, it has a right to regulate and dictate to; it may judge and determine who shall preach, when they shall preach, and what they shall preach.

The mutual obligations between preachers and the societies they belong to, should this be the case, must be evidently weakened; yea, farewell to the last article of the bill of rights! Farewell to "the free exercise of religion," if civil rulers go so far out of their sphere as to take the care and management of religious affairs upon them.

Sorry should we be to see the seeds of oppression sown by the hand of power among us.

And as we think it our duty to our utmost, in a legal way to retard, or, if possible, to prevent the luxuriant growth of a plant that has always brought forth the most bitter and baneful fruit wherever it has been cultivated, should a general assessment take place, the preachers of our communion unitedly agree (and we doubt not but the conduct of every dissenting Minister in the Commonwealth will be uniform on such an occasion) to give discharges in full to every person who shall direct the payment of his quota of the assessment to them; leaving all such with regard to contributions to the freedom of their own will.