Religion being a subject of the greatest importance to man, and a matter solely between the Creator and the individual who worships him, its rewards and its punishments appertaining to that kingdom which is not of this world, and "the conscience of man being the seat and throne of God in him, of which He alone is the proper and infallible judge, who by his power and spirit can rectify its mistakes;"[72] and it being man's duty to worship according to the dictates of that conscience, it must follow, not only from the precepts of the Christian religion, but also from the clearest dictates of reason, that every attempt on the part of others to control or direct his belief, is a usurpation; and the injustice is not greater than the folly of such attempts; for who is there that can believe that the coerced acquiescence in any form of worship, can be grateful in the sight of the Almighty; or that he who, by the exertion of power, thus makes hypocrites, can render a service acceptable to him. Footnote 72: Barclay. Yet, notwithstanding this self-evident truth, we find the spirit of persecution had taken such fast hold of the minds of men, and had become so identified with the priestly character, that although they were always ready to complain, and recommend moderation, when suffering from its exercise by others, they generally resorted to it when their own sect became dominant, and ages elapsed before the principles of toleration gained the ascendency in any portion of the globe. And it is, indeed, painful to observe with what reluctance this wicked prerogative of power has been abandoned, and that in this country, in the full exercise of the rights of conscience, and in the midst of the blessings which accrue from it, individuals are found in different Christian societies who evince by their conduct, the old spirit; and who, happily restrained by the law from the use of the sword and faggot, freely indulge in contumely and reproach, the only weapons left them. The Society of Friends early distinguished themselves as champions for the rights of conscience, and the consequences which resulted from the practical exercise of this principle in settling the province of Pennsylvania, have, both mediately and immediately, been of incalculable advantage in softening the hearts, and enlarging the minds of men, and have caused the name of Penn to be enrolled in the first class of the benefactors of mankind. The soil of Pennsylvania was dedicated by the great proprietor to religious freedom; it was the asylum offered to all sufferers for conscience sake; and our legislators, acting on the same principles, have done their part by protecting it from the actual violence of bigotry. This is all that they could do, and the duty remains to each religious community to suppress that spirit, which, when indulged, eradicates from the human heart all the charities of life.