Presbyterians and Baptists in 1778: Common Liberty before Privileged Power

Often what happens in our era is that those in power accumulate preference and privilege to themselves. This is especially the case in quasi-theocratic states, and Integralism. This was not so in post-Revolution America, where the Presbyterians and Baptists rejected such concepts –

"... After the commencement of the war of the Revolution a strong prejudice was roused against the Established clergy, as the great majority of them were ardent Loyalists, or ''Tories"; the Presbyterians and Baptists were even more ardently "Whigs" — their ministers preached with great zeal the doctrine of resistance to tyrants... 

Accordingly the Presbytery of Hanover* came forward with another of their well-reasoned memorials (1778); and after courteously thanking the Assembly for what they had done in repealing some of the offensive and illiberal laws ... 

... they argued that the only proper object of civil government was to promote the happiness of the people by protecting them as citizens in their rights; to restrain the vicious by wholesome laws and encourage the virtuous by the same means; that the obligations which men owe their Creator are not a proper subject of human legislation, and the worship of God according to the dictates of conscience was an inalienable right.

"Neither does the Church of Christ stand in need of a general assessment for its support; and most certain we are persuaded that it would be no advantage, but an injury to the society to which we belong; and we believe that Christ has ordained a complete system of laws for the government of His kingdom, so we are persuaded that by His providence, He will support its final consummation."

This memorial was also seconded by the urgent protests of the Baptists; the result was that the following year the proposed plan of general assessment was abandoned for the time being. We, today, take for granted the principles here enunciated, they having been so thoroughly discussed, while experience has as clearly proved their soundness and utility.

These Christian men were fully convinced that the effect of the union of Church and State was, for many reasons, injurious to spiritual religion. Many of these legislators, though they talked so learnedly, were unable to appreciate the question in its spiritual bearings, and for this reason alone, the authors of these memorials never urged to much extent the arguments derived from this phase of the subject, but judiciously waived them, although they were so convincing to themselves, and to the Church members whom they represented..."

- from The triumph of the Presbytery of Hanover; or, Separation of church and state in Virginia. With a concise history of the Presbyterian Church in the United States from 1705 to 1888, by Jacob Harris Patton (1887); online here.

* the Presbytery of Hanover was founded in Virginia in 1755: online here.