Legislative Petition, 1779 - Amherst Co. VA To the Honourable the Speaker & Gentlemen of the House of Delegates of the Commonwealth of Virginia The Petition of Divers of the Freeholders and other Free Inhabitants of Amherst: Humbly Sheweth That some of your Petitioners have seen and the rest have heard of the D___. Of a Bill ____ into your Hon'ble House last Session For giving Free and equal Liberty & Privileges in matters of Religion to all the Inhabitants of this Commonwealth - which we apprehend was Printed and Dispersed by Order of your Hon'ble House That they might at the next Session be the better & more fully informed of the Sentiments of the People in General before they proceed to determine Finally upon this great & Important Point - And we assure you Gentlemen It is with much Satisfaction That we your Petitioners who are Compos'd of Church of England men, Presbyterians, Baptists & Methodists do all unanimously & with one voice hereby declare to your Hon'ble House our hearty assent concurrence & approbation to the purport of the said Bill and desire that the same may be passed into a Law - Fully Persuaded, Gentlemen, That the Religion of Jesus Christ may and ought to be committed to the Reflection Guidance and Blessing of its Divine Author, & needs not the Interposition of any Human Power for its Establishment & Support we most earnestly desire and pray that not only an Universal Toleration may take Place, but that all the Subjects of this Free State may be put upon the same footing and enjoy equal Liberties and privileges (which we think consistent with the 16th paragraph of the Declaration of Rights) can no longer with any shadow of Justice be withheld. Permit us gentlemen only further to observe as it is generally allowed that Force or Constraint when applied to any of the enjoyments of Sense do entirely marr & destroy all the Satisfactions which would result from them - How astonishing it is then, That Religion which consists in a Voluntary offering up our Souls to God, and Devoting our Bodies to his Service, should be bound down to any one particular Form devised by only mere men like ourselves or those who Refuse it (besides providing for their own must be burthend with Taxes & Contributions for the Support of the Ministers & Teachers of another Form of Worship which their Consciences will not allow them to Conform to - Justice Vanishes - Reason looks with Disdain, & Religion looses [sic] her Angels Face and looks pale & Sickly, at the thoought of such unrighteous Distinctions. - And we earnestly Desire & Instruct you our worthy & faithful Representatives for this County & District Nicholas Cabell and John Rose Esqrs, Delegates, & William Cabell EsqR Senator, to vote for & use your best endeavours to promote a Total & final Repeal of all Laws giving Rise to them. That the Almighty may induce [?] the Councils & give Success to all the Determinations of your Honble House for both its [?] temporal & Eternal Interests of the whole Community We you Petitioners, Gentlemen, in Duty bound, shall ever Pray ----- David Shelton Wm Alton James Mc. Alexander Jr Jas Hopkins Robert Wright Samuel ______ Alexander Mc Alexander John Ki___ James Wright ___ Vi____ Clever Cardwell, Thomas ? William Fitzpatrick William Goins _________ William Horrall [?] Samuel King Peter P_mi_h _________ James M Alexander Sr James Montgomery Bartlet Eads ___ Bradly John Mc Alexander John Cull William Chastain Chas. ________ David Montgomery Jr Thos Street Wm Wright Jun Saml Edmund Beverly Warwick John Lovin [?] Benjamin Plunkst Samuel Mc Alexander Francis Bush Thomas Bullard Jas. Dinsmore David Philips George Loving William Thompson Sheaton [?] Griffin Reuben Jordan John Edmunds Wm Harris David Clarke Edmun [?] C______ Clayton Coleman John Harris John McCann Andrew Wright William Helton James Mtgomery Peter Martin David Montgomery Sen. Robert Mayo [Mays] Simon Ramsy ___ Conner Joseph Ramsy Abner Witt George Bodington [?] William Stovall [?] Sr Edwd. P____ Pat. New Zacharias Philips John Lancaster Thomas Horvall John Thurmond Jas Horvall Thos. Eades Littel [?] Witt James Stevens David Witt John Wright William Fairbush [?] Tho Landrum George Hays David Saunders Jas. Lyon Alexander Marr ___ Woodruff Skidmore Jasper [?] Tho Green John Cartwright Alex. M_____ Bartlett Cash Wm Hilley [?] Thos. Dickerson [illegible] Wm. Oglesby Nathan [?] Maddox Thomas Hilley John Saunders Charles Tate Jesse Wright Josias [?] Woods Caleb Ball [?] James Martin John Harper Steph. Martin Robert Page Abraham Seay [?] William Tillen Joseph Roberts John Shields Charles Eades [?] Micajah Godwin [Goodwin?] John Staples (Submitter note: This petition was transcribed from Early Virginia Religious Petitions, Image files 084001r.jpg and 084002r.jpg, as posted on the Library of Congress American Memory website [consponsored by the Virginia State Library], http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amhome.html. Signatures of the petition have been transcribed as accurately as possible. Where the transcriber had difficulty deciphering names, a question mark is noted by his "best guess." File was uploaded because of the wealth of early Virginia names and to give the reader a sense of religious issues confronting the early Freeholders of the Commonwealth. Enjoy!) 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