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The Essays, Humourous, Moral and Literary
The Essays Humourous Moral and Literary Author:Benjamin Franklin Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: ' yet, I must own, I have so much faith in the general government of the world by Providence, that I can hardly conceive a transaction of such momentous im... more »portance to the wel- fare of millions now existing, and to exist in the posterity of a great nation, should be suffered to pass without being in some degree influenced, guided, and governed by that omnipotent, omnipresent and benificent Ruler, in whom all inferior spirits live, and move, and have their being. THE INTERNAL STATE OF AMERICA. Being a true Description of the Interest and Policy , of that -vast Continent. THERE is a tradition, that, in the planting of New-England, the firt settlers met with many difficulties and hardships; as is generally the.. case when a civilized people attempt establishing themselves in a wilderness country. Being pi,? ously disposed, they sought relief from heaven, by laying their wants and distresses before the ' Lord, in frequent set days of fasting and.prayer. Constant meditation and discourse on these subjects kept their minds gloomy and discontented ; ;' and, like the children of Israel, there were many disposed to return to that Egypt which persecution had induced them to abandon. At length, when it was proposed in. the assembly to proclaim another fast, a farmer of plain sense rose, and remarked, that the inconveniences they suffered, and concerning which they had so often wearied heaven with their complaints, were not so great as they might have expected, and were diminishing every day as the colony strengthened ; that the earth began to reward their labour, and to furnish liberally for their subsistence j that the seas and rivers were found full of fish, the air sweet, and the climate healthy; and, above alt, that they were there in the full enjoyment of liberty, civil...« less