Page:Common sense - addressed to the inhabitants of America.djvu/18

10 invention the devil ever et on foot for the promotion of idolatry. The Heathens paid divine honours to their deceaed Kings, and the Chritian world hath improved on the plan, by doing the ame to their living ones. How impious is the title of acred Majety, applied to a worm, who in the midt of his plendor is crumbling into dut!

As the exalting one man o greatly above the ret cannot be jutified on the equal rights of nature, o neither can it be defended on the authority of cripture; for the will of the Almighty, as declared by Gideon and the Prophet Samuel, expresly diapproves of government by Kings. All Anti-Monarchical parts of cripture have been very moothly gloed over in Monarchical governments, but they undoubtedly merit the attention of countries which have their governments yet to form. Render unto Cæar the things which are Cæar's," is the cripture doctrine of Courts, yet it is no upport of a Monarchical government; for the Jews at that time were without a King, and in a tate of vaalage to the Romans.

Near three thouand years paed away, from the Moaic account of the creation, till the Jews, under a national deluion, requeted a King. Till then, their form of government (except in extraordinary caes where the Almighty interpoed) was a kind of Republic, adminitred by a judge and the elders of the tribes. Kings they had none, and it was held inful to acknowledge any being under that title but the Lord of Hots. And when a man eriouly reflects on the idolatrous homage which is paid to the perons of Kings, he need not wonder that the Almighty, ever jealous of his honor, hould diapprove of a form of government which o impiouly invades the prerogative of Heaven.

Monarchy is ranked in cripture as one of the ins of the Jews, for which a cure in reerve is denounced againt them. The hitory of that tranaction is worth attending to.

The children of Irael being oppreed by the Midianites, Gideon marched againt them with a mall army, and victory through the divine interpoition decided in his favour. The Jews, elate with ucces, and attributing it to the generalhip of Gideon, propoed making him a King, aying, "Rule thou over us, thou and thy on, and thy on's on." Here was temptation in its fullet extent; not a Kingdom only, but an hereditary one: But Gideon in the piety of his oul, replied, "I will not rule over you, neither hall my on rule over you; ." Words need not be more explicit; Gideon doth not decline the honor, but denieth their right to give it; neither doth he compliment them with invented declarations of his thanks, but, in the poitive tile of a Prophet, charges them with diaffection to their proper Sovereign, the King of Heaven.

About one hundred and thirty years after this, they fell again into the ame error. The hankering which the Jews had for the idolatrous cutoms of the Heathens,