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ON RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION.

LETTER

VIII.

be so sincere and serious as those who are induced to officiate through the

• We do not pretend to destroy error by force and impulse of their own feelings, which is

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"violence."

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commonly termed. a call of God." If a nobleman or gentleman has several sons, the principal part of his fortune goes to the eldest, and the remainder must fleece the public in the character of a priest, a soldier, or a legalized pickpocket. How many a young man is brought up to the trade of a priest with

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Discourse of the Clergy of France to Louis 13th.. MIFABAND, in his System de la Nature, which may be considered the Bible of Materialism, says, that "Preists unceasingly repeat, it is pride, vanity, and "the desire of distinguishing himself from the generality of mankind, that deter-out having the least taste for the craft, "mines man to incredulity. In this they or a single serious view; yet, before he "act like the great,who treat all those as can be admitted into the exercise of his "insolent who refuse to cringe before business, he is obliged to make a false them. Would not every rational man oath, and swear he is moved by the have a right to ask a Priest--Where Holy Ghost to take that office upon him, is thy superiority in matters of reason- when he ought rather to say, "I am ing!--What motives can I have to sub-moved by the spirit of emolument.""mit my reason to thy delirium?-On But even these kind of men, unless they "the other hand, may it not be said to are thinkers, are not always hypothe Clergy, that it is Interest that crites. Though they do not act up to makes them priests; that it is Interest the character of a spiritual christian, which renders them Theologians; that their education has led them to believe it is the Interest of their pride, of their in the truth of their religion.---I an aware avarice, and their Systems, of which that thousands of them do not credit they alone reap the beacht."-It is a what they preach, because the studies of great misfortune that the bulk of Man-many learned men have the unfortunate kind can seldom give those persons credit for Virtue or Sincerity whose opinions are much opposed to their own. For my part, as a primitive Christian) I am a decided enemy to an order of ten called Priests,because I am convinced that Jesus was too' sensible a person to have invent- Esoterical and exoterical doctrines, are ed, or encouraged, in the slightest degree, not so much in use now, as they were an institution, so pregnant with Calami- among the ancients, who inculcated suty to the Church of God as that of Priest-perstition only among the lower orders, craft. — And though I think that the Sys- while they initiated every enlightened tems of Religion most in vogue at person into the pure and simple precepts be denominated of NATURE. present ought to But with us there are thouPriestianity, instead of Christianity, sands of accomplished scholars, and perI am by no means so illiberal as to assert sons of rank, who still retain the pretirat-all priests are hypocrites. I am judices of education, it being no part seriously persuaded that numbers of of our civil or religious polity, to free them take up their office entirely them from these shackles. I am willing through zeal and enthusiasm in the to admit, what Miraband says of the cause of Christ, and with the sole view Priests, that their interest must necessa to the salvation of souls, by bringingrily attach them to systems from which them within the pale of their conventicle. This, to be sure, is most applicable to the dissenting interest; for having, in the days of my youth, been a fanatic, and a preacher among them, I ought to Le acquainted with some of the motives that influence their conduct. With regard to the State religion, its ministers are brought up to it in a more trades

tendency of leading them to scepticism ;
but I will be bold to assert, that the
bulk of them firmly believe their religion
to be genuine and authentic, and that -
some few have that warm interest in their
system which is called piety.

-like manner, and are not likely to

they reap so much benefit, We all know that nothing is more than interest calculated to entrap us. But how weak is their argument, when they assert, that it is pride, vanity, and a desire of distinguishing themselves from their fellow creatures, that determines them to infidelity. I should like to be informed what advantage any man has gained, by being a professed unbeliever.? Or, whe

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emanated from Priesteraft. If in the present instance, therefore, I labour wore in developing the cause, than in describ

as still supporting the title I am writing under, which I deem equally comprehensive with that of toleration, upon which entire treatises have been published.

The Priesthood of every Sect promulgate dogmas, which they assert are essentially necessary to be believed by those who wish to obtain salvation. They shew some ancient traditions, which they tell us are infallible, and were written by divine inspiration; that they are the words of eternal truth; and that if we cannot enthusiastically believe every iota of them, we shall be consigned to everlasting damnation.

ther the acknowledgement of such sentiments has not always been attended with certain loss, and caused the individual to be viewed with horror and sus-ing the effect, I trust I shall be considered picion, by the ignorant and narrow minded, who form the mass of society; besides being persecuted by the Priests and all fanatical bigots. A man can only be credulous, or abound in faith, or incredulous,and be a sceptic,according as those things which are proposed for his belief strike his understanding, over which he has no command; he must submit to be guided by the impressions it receives, Whether strong or weak, right or wrong, He is much more likely to be governed by ambition, pride, vanity, ostentation, and sordid avarice, when he puts on the garb of religion, (so current a commodity with the world in general,) than if he confessed himself an infidel, which would immediately raise the public voice against him, and cause him to be looked upon as a bad man, who, wanting faith in incomprehensibles and incredibles, could not possibly possess good morals, or be a worthy member of society. The ignorant, bigotted, and superstitious, are many; the enlightened, rational, and sceptical, very few, and those few often concealed. The stimulus to action must therefore be on the side of the hypocritical religious, rather than on that of the ostentatious Deist. But I cannot, easily believe that there are any persons who have faith and profess infidelity, because I can see so few cases where a person would have an interest in so doing. Nothing is more absurd than to think people cannot be sincere in the opinions they profess, merely because they appear monstrous or ridiculous to us. Such is the effect of education, habit, situation, and circumstances, that I can credit the superstition even of learned Bishops, and eminent Philosophers; and such is the force of human reason, when once the mind is set free, that I can equally give credence to its arrival at the speculations of Deism, the doubts of Scepticism, and even the cold and cheerless decisions of Materialism (so unflattering to self) with the same implicit sincerity as the dying Christian, or Mahomedan, yields his soul into the hands of his Maker.-The reason why I have said thus much of the Priesthood, without coming to Religious Persecution, my favourite theme, is that I consider the spirit of persecution to have

In consequence of these doctrines, the nurse begins to impress certain notions on our memory the moment we can talk; next the school-master confining them through the medium of a catechism, whereby we are asked certain questions (the wisdom or absurdity of which our infantine capacities are not capable of comprehending) and answers are put into our mouths, ready cut and contrived These, by constant recapitulation, are deeply imprinted on our minds, and we believe them the dictates of reason and truth.-Then comes the Priest, who puts his seal to the statement, already writen upon the blank sheet of our youthful understandings; inforces, with a particular emphasis, those ideas which have previously been infused in the mind; and inspires us with a peculiar reverence for sacerdotal ofice. Having been brought to this trade, like other men to their respective avocations, he works upon the ignorant and superstitious with the same facility that the skilful mus can plays upon a well tuned instrument. We are instructed by him to read certain books and to believe implicitly every word they contain; to study them with a view to applaud and adore the matters they treat of; and we are terrified at the infamy with which those are branded who are so unfortunate as to doubt or disrespect any thing mentioned in those books, or that is uttered by the priest. We are honored up by the horrid sentence of an eternal roasting, if we should die without being able to believe

those points, which our priest says are requisite to procure us a pass-port to the

mansion of bliss. He carefully conceals from our knowledge every thing likely to bring his calling into discredit, or to injure the profits of his craft. We thus grow up, bigotted to a variety of c fopinions adopted without examination, and which we have no better ground for erediticg tham that we have been told they are correct, and that our friends and those around us think as we do. We are taught to refuse the evidence of our senses, to give up our reason as an unfaithful guide, and blindly to conform ourselves to the mandates of our spiritual director, whose interest it is to continue us in these errors, of which he only reaps the advantage.

ERASMUS PERKINS.

Louis, and we are called upon to consider this trifling coterie of the friends of parental sovereignty, as the nation of France. Oh, it is quite

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impossible (says the Times) but that "there must be a great many that are "devoted to the parental government of Louis." And this great number did absolutely nothing at the only time when any thing could be done. Unattended by an armed force that deserves any consideration in a country like France, the Emperor reached his capital without any molestation: yet this we are told is no proof he was wished-for by the people. The air resounds with general acclamations and 'tis merely the cry of the rabble. But when the real rabble begin to cry out on their side, their feeble cries are the Mr. COBBETT, The infamy of the voice of the nation, forsooth! and we "Times" newspaper needs not any fur- are not to look in the capital of France ther illustration than what has been given for the voice of the people, but in the to it by a variety of your able correspond-obscure retreats, which are the patrients, in addition to your own invaluable mony of those who are interested in raisefforts in the glorious cause of exposing ing the delusive hope of effectual resistpublic delusion, and attempting to de-ance. I am, &c. JUVENIS. stroy that credulity of our countrymen which renders them the perpetual dupes of any one who will attempt that species of deception, which is now almost proverbial with the conductors of our daily press. But there is one palpable contradiction to itseif, which will, perhaps, cause even some of its readers to blush at the confidence they repose in it, when they see the wretched prevarication and contemptible double-dealing it is obliged to resort to, to give its rhapsodies even an ideal plausibility.

PEACE OR WAR?

Is then my Country so perversely blind,

To what experience must have taught mankind ? To what her welfare dictates as to dare, Without just cause, plunge madly into War; Will she unsheath her bloodstain'd sword again, And swell the dreadful list of England's slain? Because a nation, to the World has shewn Its right to hurl a sov'reign from the throne, Rais'd to the dang'rous height, by foreign choice, You have doubtless perceived. Sir, By foreign arms, against the people's voice ; that the editor of the Times, constantly Because they've placed the sceptre in the hand asserted, that the people never were in favour of Napoleon; that they detested of one, they think more worthy to command ? him; that the movements had all origin such a cause, will England wreck her fame, nated with a few discontented indivi- Forever lose her once-respected name ; duals, and that this was the truth, the That name, which made despotic monarchs fear, Editor pledged his veracity, (no great And which to Britons, should be always dear. risk to be sure !) Notwithstanding all this No! if one spark of honour yet remains,, Bonaparte has reascended his throne-not a shot being fred in opposition to either If British blood still flows within our veins, himself, or his pretencions. And yet If love of country still can warm the heart, all this has happened in direct oppositi- From its pure dictates let us not depart; on to the mass of the population of Let us not headlong on destruction run, Franre. Very well. Now let us lock But keep those laurels, we have nobly won. at the other side. A few, confessedly, assert the claims of Louis, in the South Does not the precipice, on which we stand, of France. This is immediately exalted Appal the hearts of those, who rule the land? into a proof, that the population, or a Do they not know, REFORM alone can save large proportion of them, are in favour of This hapless, sinking country, from the grave?

That she must bend beneath a foreign yoke,

If by CORRUPTION, her proud spirit's broke ;
Or, that her sons, to desperation driv’n,
Will seek, by force, those rights by Charter giv'n?
Who could extinguish then the dreadful flame?
Who the wild spirit of the People tame?
From fatal blindness let us now awake,
When all that's dear to Britons is at stake;
Let us the proffer'd olive branch receive,

And by REFORM, our tarnish'd name retri eve;
By WAR we are to certain ruin hurl'd,
Disgrac'd, despis'd, unpitied by the world.
Buckinghamshire.

AMOR PATRIÆ.

RETRENCHMENT AND REFORM.

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not be seriously contemplated without hopeless dismay, seems to form the grand object of the parliamentary session.-The representative interests of the country would appear to be confined to authorising schemes of finance of an almost un bounded extent, and of course, fraught with the eventual ruin of the people. To speak of the extravagant wasting of public money, of the corrupt purposes for which it is expended, and the grinding system of taxation by which it is furnished, is now become so very trite, so tamely common place, that it makes but little more impression on our thinking "people" (as they have been phrased) than the usual cursory remarks on the prevailing weather. What is all this senseless apathy, this base supineness, Mr. COBBETT. The gross mis-ma- this stupid direliction of public spirit nagement of the political concerns of the owing to? To say that we are degeneUnited Kingdom of Great Britain, seems rated, is a simple affirmation of an to have acquired a sort of sanction from undeniable fact; but it would be imporhabit, so that all animadversion on the tant to state the cause of the degeneracy, subject is deemed hackneyed, is regarded for the purpose of retracing our wayward as a story too often told to interest fur- steps, that some chance may be afforded ther attention. But, Sir, you know very of the British Isles being once again wil, that the axioms of morals are not inhabited by Britons; that is to say, by less steady in their influence than those a people worthy of those, who by manliof physics, and that if it be physically uess, simplicity, courage, and wisdom, impossible to render unequal means ade- acquired the renown that raised and esquate to given ends, so is it alike imprac- tablished the British name and character, ticable to pursue ruinous courses of con- This luckless degeneracy has for the duct, without ultimately incurring the most part grown out of the miserable taxinevitable ruin, attending such moral ne- ing system, and the consequent unblushcessity. Is not, therefore, the scheme of ing dissipation of public money for ends expending national treasure at the rate and objects, at irreconcilable variance planned by the British Government, so with the constitutional laws and liberties widely unequal to the resources of the of the land. Money is a powerful encountry, that it must, sooner or later, in- gine of corruption, and the immense sums duce unavoidable ruin? Can the indi- that have been wrung from the lavidual having five hundred pounds abours, and from the necessities even, of year, afford to expend at the rate of five thousand? Would he who could be at once so profligate and entertain an idea of lasting solvency, he deemed compos mentis? Would not the Lord Chancellor No character is so despicable, either of these realms, on application for that in self estimation or in public opinion, as purpose, issue a decree of lunacy against the person who accepts a pecuniary conthe person who would attempt to vindi-sideration for indefinite services. cate such an insane procedure? If small things then may be compared with great, what a dwarfish case of wasteful and wild expenditure is this, compared with what gravely, is indeed legislatively, done and doing by the existing mode of Government? To provide for the exigencies of the day, without regarding the tremendous workings of a debt that can

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the people have been audaciously employed in purchasing, pensioning, and enslaving a large portion of the political independence of the country.

In na

tive and in honourable feeling, the Galley slave is a magnanimous being, compared to such a revolting wretch. The sentenced slave, has his person only fastened to the Galley, whilst his mind may be as free as the air he breathes, and alive to every just and generous sentiment that constitutes the genuine pride and ornament of human existence; but the bought

and authorises its application; but British apathy and corruption have at least suspended, if not annulled this sacred privilege.

If this master right were

less places, pensions, and emoluments, as the morbid excrescences of a corrupt and vitiating Government. The labourer is, indeed, worthy of his hire, but there should be no worthless hirelings for sinister purposes. The indispensable of fices of Government should be frugally filled, and the most rigid economy should be observed in every department of the State. A system of Government founded on public justice and economy, will sustain itself by its own importance to the people. It becomes at once the basis of social order and of all public and private virtue. It will therefore be invulnerably

and sold parasite, the dangler after pelf at the expence of all morality, possesses not a feeling but what degrades him beneath the beast of the field, and marks him out as an object of universal disdain fully resumed, corruption, in all its forms and contempt. How is this annihilating and degrees, would soon shrink out of degeneracy to be reclaimed? You, Sir, sight, and quickly cease under its benehave often answered the question, and if ficial influence; and without it no radiyour admonition had been adopted, this cal or lasting amendment can be effected. country would have been at the present-Retrenchment means lopping off usemoment, at once the model and envy of the civilized world. You, Sir, have repeatedly said, that an unrestrained liberty of the press, a real annual representation of the people in parliament, with such retrenchment and economy in the national expenditure, as would supersede all necessity for burthensome taxation, would strike the hydra evil at its very source, would regenerate our fallen state, and cause our once happy nation, Phonix-like, to emerge from the ashes of its own destruction, into resuscitated purity, vigour, and prosperity.-Why then is not this remedy tried? Can there be any risk in the experiment? America has furnish-secure; the shafts of falsehood will not ed a convincing proof of the beneficial effects of an unshackled press. It is, indeed, true, that it prints a great deal of falsehood; but then it also fearlessly tells the whole truth, which infinitely counterbalances and destroys the influence of what is false. It is the liberty to publish the false, and the restriction imposed on making known what is true, that do all the mischief. Mr. Sheridan once affirmed in the British House of Commons, that with the aid of a free press, he would defy whatever fleets and armies, state intriguers, spies, parasites, and traducers, that might be marshalled against him; with that weapon alone, he would repel them all, would strip them of their imaginary power, and triumphantly hold them up to merited derision and execration! By a real and an annual representation all the sham work and foolish mockery of a wise institution would be avoided, whilst the shortness of the sitting would soon repossess the electors of that suffrage which they would take care to confide where it would not be likely to be abused. By this only wise and politic mode of procedure, an incessant check would be imposed on the representative, and the represented would be always able to correct the faults of representation, The British Constitution has provided this guardian principle of political justice,

reach it, whilst the purity of truth will
imperishably establish it. The American
Government has this sort of moral secu-
rity, and will continue to have it as long
as it shall retain its present equitable and
enlightened system of legislation. Its in-
trinsic worth will be its stable support,
and all the powers on earth will not be
able to overthrow it whilst it remains true
to the sacred principles of freedom on
which it is bottomed. Let the decrepid,
the mutilated, and debased parent re-
ceive wholesome instruction from its off-
spring. Let America, in all its youth and
vigour of legislative wisdom, admonish
the councils of the British Government
to unshackle the press, to give truth an
unlimited imprimature, to be real in its
representation, to be annual only in its
legislative confidence, to abolish all use-
less expences, to be economical in all the
out-goings of the State, to bring taxation
within the moderate and natural limits
prescribed by the unavoidable disburse-
ments of Government.
and not till then, will the political condi-
tion of the British realms be regenerated
and become worthy of her American sons,
whose inimitable greatness, however, it
must be confessed, originated from a
virtuous abandonment of British degene
rary.

Then, indeed,

A TRUE BRITON.

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