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their persons from the violence has an understanding of his own, of the spirits of darkness. And thou who knowest every degree of their necessity by thy infinite wisdom, give supply to all their needs by thy glorious mercy, preserving their persons, sanctifying their hearts, and leading them in the ways of righteousness, by the waters of comfort, to the land of eternal rest and glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

FREE INQUIRY.

....

AMEN.

THEY (the Bereans) listened without prejudice to the instructions of Paul, examined with care every argument in support of them, as well as every objection against them; and when convinced of their truth expressed their assent with cordiality and steadi

ness.

The divine Spirit whose aid our Lord promised to lead his people into all necessary truth, countenanced the researches of these honest inquirers, and crowned them with success.

It is our duty and right as reasonable creatures, to inquire and judge for ourselves concerning the truths of religion.

We should receive no doctrine of religion upon human authority, or the affirmation of fallible men like ourselves. Though respect and attention are due to teachers, they are not entitled to implicit faith..

The noble power of our nature cannot be employed in a way more suited to their dignity and excellence, than in forming just apprehensions of the character and will of God. As every man

so it is his duty and his right to use it, and to regulate his princi. ples by his own inquiries and convictions, and not by the untried maxims of others. That scheme of religion may justly be suspected of being an imposition on mankind, that declines the test of a free and accurate examina. tion, and requires belief without investigation, for those who are conscious of the excellence of their doctrines will not be afraid of bringing them to light, and of exposing them to the inspection of the most attentive observer. They know that the more care. fully they are viewed, their truth and beauty will be more appar. ent. Truth can bear the light and loves to be seen, but falsehood and vice seek darkness, and dread investigation.

When we insist upon the rights of private judgment, we do not mean that every doctrine of our religion may be fully understood on investigation. There are some doctrines which are above our present comprehensions, and which we must believe on the divine testimony. These baffle the inquiries of the acute philosopher, as well as of the honest peasant. Yet this is no better reason for neglecting the study of the Bible, than it would be for abstaining from the study of the works of nature; for there are mysteries in both. It is our duty to search with modesty the Scriptures, not only that we may know those doctrines and duties which are easy and intelligible, but also those truths which we are to receive on the authority of God, and of which we are to expect a more full discovery in a future state.

All the protestant churches concur in maintaining the paramount authority of the Seriptures, and in declaring the falli. bility of all synods and councils. It is when a church pretends to infallibility, and stifles private inquiry into their tenets; when they attempt to compel men,

by the terror or infliction of punishments, to counteract their convictions and speak as they do, that they are chargeable with tyranny, and violation of the rights of conscience.

"The Study of the Scriptures recommended.'

Andrew Hunter, D. D. &c. &c.

MISCELLANY.

[At the request of a respected friend, we readily fill our miscellaneous department, this month, with the just and eloquent observations of M. Gregoire, on the Columbiad of Mr. Barlow. These observations were translated for the Anthology, and are prefaced by the editors of that work with the following remarks:

"We are much gratified in being able to present to our readers the following eloquent pages; which we are enabled to do by the kindness of a friend who lent us the original pamphlet in French, which he had just received from Paris. The observations of a foreigner on our publications have always a certain degree of interest, which is greatly increased in the present instance by the distinguished character of the writer, and because the work on which he remarks is an object of public attention at the moment. The feelings of a partisan will be frequently remarked, and we think the boldness with which he occasionally writes will excite surprise. He is most known to the world by his very eloquent report to the convention, which was the first effort to stop the Vandalism of the revolution. We have seen, in some of our newspapers, an anonymous criticism on the same poem, extracted from the English Monthly Magazine; but this is less interesting, since so many unworthy tricks have been practised on that Msicellany, by writing articles in this country on American works, sending them to be published there, and then quoting them here as the opinions of Englishmen." EDITORS.]

Critical Observations on the Poem of Mr. Joel Barlow, the Colum biad, in 4to. Philadelphia, 1807; by M. Gregoire, formerly Bishop of Blois, Senator, Member of the National Institute, &c. &c. Paris, 1809.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

I HAVE received with gratitude, and read with interest, your magnificent work, the Columbiad. This monument of genius and typography will immortalize the author and give fame to the American press; this alone would be sufficient to destroy the assertion of Pauw and other writers, that there is a want of talents in America, if your country did not already offer a list of great men, who will go down with eclat to posterity.

When a book is published, it
VOL. II. New Series.

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ancient. It is at the foot of the altar, that I blame certain lines in your book, and an engraving which has the following inscription, Final destruction of prejudices. Prejudices!.... Perhaps no one desires their destruction more than myself. But what do you call by this equivocal name? and what do I perceive in the midst of the heaps in this picture, which serve for emblems? The attributes of the catholic ministry, and, above all, the standard of christianity, the cross of Jesus Christ! Are these what you call prejudices! If even the excellent works, which have rendered evident the truth of the gospel; if even the principles and the history of eighteen centuries did not give you formally the lie, it would be easy to shew that this picture is an attack against all christian societies, that it is an act of intolerance, of persecution, which of fends God and man.

The unlimited freedom of religion in the United States confers on no sect a character of domination, nor any of those exclusive privileges, that are possessed in different countries of Europe by the churches of the Catholics, Greeks, Lutherans, Calvinists, &c. &c. Let us leave to the partisans of the English church the endless dispute on the preroga. tives of the established church, on the utility of those civil establishments which, already shaken, will crumble, perhaps, on all sides, at no very distant epoch. Though I am by conviction, by sentiment, a catholic, and hon. ored with the episcopal character, after a deliberate examination, I think that if we owe to the state a guarantee of obedience when it requires it, that nevertheless these

civil establishments, which may be in favor of error as well as of truth, are often unjust, impolitic, dangerous in more than one respect, though Providence may draw good from them, as it does from many other evils which it tolerates.

Let every thing relating to conscience, as well as every thing that belongs to social organiza. tion, be freely discussed; truth demands examination, which des. potism only can fear: this alone finds it necessary to invoke igno. rance, to surround itself with darkness, to repel the light which breaks out from the researches that are directed by good faith and sagacity.

But what will be the result, if, instead of reasoning with calm. ness and respect on religion, the most important object for man in the course of his fugitive existence, calumny should point its sarcasms, and spread its black colors over historical facts which it misrepresents; if, instead of speaking to the understanding to enlighten it, we address ourselves to the passions to seduce? This has been the conduct which our infidel Frenchmen have followed, pluming themselves with the title of philosophers. It is important to recollect, and to recollect of. ten, that of those who have com. batted christianity, the greater part have vomited the most infa. mous things against decency and morality; Lamettrie, Voltaire, J. J. Rousseau, Diderot, Mirabeau, of the constituent assem. bly, P...., &c. Others have said before me, that incredulity almost always has its source in the heart, and that the antagonists of a religion, whose moral. ity is so pure, are advocates who defend their own cause.

Almost all of them have attacked christianity by reproaching it with the abuses it has experienced, as if the abuses were the thing itself; as if, after having directed the wind on the straw, we must still blow away the grain; as if wine and iron ought to be proscribed, because there are debauchees and assassins.

In the stormy course of our revolution, the infidels held, dur. ing some years, the sceptre of power; you were a witness of the use they made of it. In an instant, these champions of tol. eration and humanity were seen to display all the ferocity of Diocletian; to shut up, profane, and destroy our temples; to pursue the religious man even into the asylum of his thoughts; to incarcerate and transport bishops and priests. A great number of catholic pastors were dragged to the scaffold; during eighteen months I feared and expected the same fate; it is well known with what outrages I was loaded, in the midst of the nation. al convention, for having braved the infuriated howlings of impiety; the greatest favor that was accorded us, was only to mark us out as superstitious, as fana

tics;

these were the epithets in fashion. For several years we were constantly under the axe of executioners, calling themselves philosophers. Do you hasten to tell me they usurped this title; we are agreed. God preserve me from attributing to philosophy the crimes of brigands, who dressed themselves in her liveries. In the face even of the altar, I have justified her from crimes she abhors ;* but will our infidels

*Discourse on the opening of the national council of 1801, p. 2.

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What further did they do? They travested august liberty as a bacchante; they exclaimed that no one could be at once a Christian and a republican, at once a republican and a moderate; though thousands of examples among us, as well as among you, attested the contrary; though a holy and natural alliance establishes itself between those char. acters. Some pious, but unen. lightened men were frightened by these clamors; believing them. selves placed between liberty and religion, could they balance in their choice? It may be seen how our reformers, wishing to associate the republic with every thing that could destroy it, themselves precipitated the vessel of liberty into the abyss, at the moment it was reaching the port.

What would they have substi tuted for christianity? A goddess, and a temple of reason, man for God himself. They afterwards made temples to the Supreme Being; temples in which theophilanthropy erected her booths, till the period when the worship of the deists found its chapels deserted in France, as that of David Williams was in London,

At this period foreign nations waved among us the banners of discord; they were powerfully aided by all the enemies of the revolution, of whom a part having fled their country when it was in danger, to stir up against it the potentates of Europe, corresponded with those who remained in their homes, to kindle discord and anarchy. By a re finement of perversity, they con.

ceived the plan of destroying the most salutary reforms, by out. stretching the object, and forcing every measure; of rendering odious or ridiculous the soundest notions by exaggerating them; in fine, of revolting the people by alarming their consciences.

Who could believe it, if accumulated facts did not attest it, that two classes of men the most opposite were seen at this period acting in concert to commit the same crimes, and to destroy religion? Pretended philosophers from hatred against it; pretended Christians from hatred to every priest, who had submitted to the law requiring an oath? They would rather have seen our altars overturned, our sanctuaries profaned, and covered with filth and sacrilege, than to behold their brethren in the same sacerdotal habits, but, faithful to their God and their country, offer the same sacrifice, and preach the same gospel. These distressing recollections will be engraved by history, they will resound in fu. ture ages; and when reason shall surmount extinguished passions, impartial posterity will decide on which side were truth, charity, and justice.

Does not your engraving ap. pear to retrace, not as regards the manner, but the results, what our persecutors have executed? The illusory theories of impiety are falsified by the most decisive experience; which attests that morality is wavering and with. out support, if it does not receive it from the hands of religion; that religion is without consistence, if it is not positive, that is to say, founded on facts and on revelation. I conversed

on this subject with your coun. tryman, Thomas Paine. Write, said I to him, on political rights, but not on religious matters; your Age of Reason has discovered your incapacity; you will never be able to oppose any thing solid to the excellent refutation of your systems by a crowd of writers, above all by the learned bishop of Landaff.

Some of our persecutors, whe styled themselves philosophers, are already thrown into the sew. ers of history; the rest will be, in their turn. The greater part of those who have survived vent themselves in maledictions over the tomb of Robespierre, that it may be forgotten they were his accomplices, his guards, and his banditti. They would be so again, if he and his power were resuscitated. Formerly, under grotesque names and cynical dress, they dishonored the cause of liberty; vile Proteuses, they have changed their language, still more than their dress. For. merly they blasphemed against christianity; bigots now, and at no time pious, limited to certain forms, certain trifling customs, neglecting in religion every thing that restrains them, verting its august truths as their interest may dictate, and from the motives which St. Augustine has developed in so striking a manner in his City of God,* they call themselves Christians through policy, because, according to the expression of

a

per

modern orator, religion is necessary for the people; and as the secret of their heart always betrays itself more by their conduct than their discourse, the sacred instrument

* B. 4. c. 32.

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