Nathaniel Freeman (March 28, 1741-September 20, 1827) was a jurist, soldier and politician. He served as Brigadier General of the Militia, 1781-93, a member of the Massachusetts state legislature, and served Massachusetts as a representative to Congress, 1795-99. He served as a judge of Probate for 47 years and as a judge of Common Pleas for 30 years. In 1802, Judge Nathaniel Freeman gave a charge to the Massachusetts Grand Jury:
<The laws of the Christian system, as embraced by the Bible, must be respected as of high authority in all our courts and it cannot be thought improper for the officers of such government to acknowledge their obligation to govern by its rule....
[Our government] originating in the voluntary compact of a people who in that very instrument profess the Christian religion, it may be considered, not a republic like Rome was, a Pagan but a Christian republic.> 1741NF001
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American Quotations by William J. Federer, 2024, All Rights Reserved, Permission granted to use with acknowledgement.
Endnotes:
1741NF001. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Nathaniel Freeman. "Our Christian Heritage," Letter from Plymouth Rock (Marlborough, NH: The Plymouth Rock Foundation), p. 5.