How Strangely Will The Tools Of A

In A State Of Tranquility, Wealth, And Luxury, Our Descendants Would Forget The Arts Of War And The Noble Activity And Zeal Which Made Their Ancestors Invincible. Every Art Of Corruption Would Be Employed To Loosen The Bond Of Union Which Renders Our Resistance Formidable. When The Spirit Of Liberty Which Now Animates Our Hearts And Gives Success To Our Arms Is Extinct, Our Numbers Will Accelerate Our Ruin And Render Us Easier Victims To Tyranny.

Principally, And First Of All, I Resign My Soul To The Almighty Being Who Gave It, And My Body I Commit To The Dust, Relying On The Merits Of Jesus Christ For The Pardon Of My Sins.

Let Us Contemplate Our Forefathers, And Posterity, And Resolve To Maintain The Rights Bequeathed To Us From The Former, For The Sake Of The Latter.

And That The Said Constitution Be Never Construed To Authorize Congress To Infringe The Just Liberty Of The Press, Or The Rights Of Conscience; Or To Prevent The People Of The United States, Who Are Peaceable Citizens, From Keeping Their Own Arms; Or To Raise Standing Armies, Unless Necessary For The Defense Of The United States, Or Of Some One Or More Of Them; Or To Prevent The People From Petitioning, In A Peaceable And Orderly Manner, The Federal Legislature, For A Redress Of Grievances; Or To Subject The People To Unreasonable Searches And Seizures Of Their Persons, Papers Or Possessions.

The Sum Of All Is, If We Would Most Truly Enjoy The Gift Of Heaven, Let Us Become A Virtuous People; Then Shall We Both Deserve And Enjoy It. While On The Other Hand, If We Are Universally Vicious And Debauched In Our Manners, Though The Form Of Our Constitution Carries The Face Of The Most Exalted Freedom, We Shall In Reality Be The Most Abject Slaves.