"Is to its adherents the basis of their comforts in this life." Observe, that those very men who lay heavy taxation upon this country, and, what was unknown to Pagan times, entail those taxes upon unborn children, those men are among the most zealous asserters of Jesus's pretensions, and employ Jesus's priests as diligent advocates for the imposition of public burdens on the land, and sundry abuses. So that the bulk of the people of this country are not much indebted to Jesus's system for temporal comforts. Nay, it rather deprives them of many comforts, and even necessaries in this life. We have such men at present in office, of greatest power and trust, who are of such principles that they would countenance and patronize no religion but what suited their purpose, and promoted their tyranny and oppressive objects and designs. Therefore, we may see what Jesus's religion is by its suiting them so well.
"Their solace in the hours of affliction, sickness, and death." Jesus's religion has caused the affliction and death of far more people than it has solaced on such occasions.
"Their moral instructor in this world." The real moral tendency of Jesus's system is one of the points at issue between his followers and the Deists; therefore that position is not to be assumed as it has not been fairly proved. The effect of Jesus's religion may have been to repress some vices in the world, but it has greatly increased others. When the Pagan Romans possessed Britain, there was not as much gin, brandy, and whiskey drank here as there is now. Nay, the Pagan Romans used to mix water with their wine most usually. Unpaid Bank notes were unknown to them; and thus millions of inhabitants were not employed in circulating among themselves falsehood and fraud, which horrid practice among us renders those two last crimes familiar to the view, and abates the abhorrence of them. Indeed, perjury was evidently not near so frequent among the Pagan Romans as it is now that Jesus's system has prevailed; this fact we can clearly infer from what remains to us of Greek and Roman writers. The unnatural tax on unborn children was totally unknown to those ancients: so that Jesus's morality has not done us much good.
"And their providitor of everlasting happiness in a world to come." There are some drawbacks in this world, at any rate, if we reckon the Sunday's weekly gloom, and the tythes on all landed property. Whether this future happiness be attained to at last or not by Jesus's followers, it is a long, a very melancholy road, however, that they go to it. And as a tenth levied on all landed produce and other church dues are pretty large, payment in advance for an inheritance in an unseen country, which no man living has visited, it seems unreasonable for the law to hinder a scrutiny and examination into the validity of the title-deeds. Besides, as the land is rated heavier than other property, the payment falls very unequally on the holders of shares in this Terra Incognita.
"Libels of this impious description are zealously thrown in the way of the young and inexperienced." This practising upon the minds of the young and inexperienced, if it be culpable, is not so chargeable upon the Deists as upon Jesus's priests. The deistical writings are argumentative, and therefore cannot be read by the young till they are almost grown up, and the judgement is always appealed to by the Deists; neither do they discourage the examination of the other side of the question, as Jesus's followers usually do. On the other hand, Jesus's priests burden the memory of children, not seven years old, with creeds and catechisms; besides, they labour to prejudice the young in favour of Jesus's system, and to discourage all fair inquiry into what concerns its truth; a conduct which the Deists would abhor to pursue in favour of deism. Moreover, the catechisms and other machinations of Jesus's priests are calculated to impair the discerning faculty of the young, and to blunt its acumen.
Let us examine the beginning of the church of England catechism as an example. "Q. Who gave you that name?"—"A. My godfathers and godmothers in my baptism, wherein I was made a member of Christ," &c. How should a child at seven years comprehend the meaning of a membership with an unseen metaphysical being? This beginning with children on subjects beyond their comprehension is playing tricks with their understanding.
"Q. What did your godfathers, &c. then for you?"
"A. They did promise and vow three things in my name: first, that I should renounce the devil and all his works." It is a monstrous proposition to instil into a child's mind that one person could swear to the certainty of another's conduct. Surely these priestly tricks must be meant to incapacitate these young children throughout life from thinking ever acutely on religious subjects. And what idea could a child have of the devil's works? Of the devil himself they might form some notion from the picture of him, and might
"Dream of the devil, and wake in a fright."
The processions [i. e. pomps] and empty things of this wicked world. Would any pious man swear that a child should not be fond of processions, pomps, and splendid shows? Neither could a child distinguish empty things or vanities of the world. It is unavailing for Jesus's priests to say that at any age of maturity these distinctions will be comprehended, for they have taken care before hand, as far as they could, to injure and debilitate the discerning faculty: and if they should afterwards distinguish vanities, they would still be less able to examine religious truths; and to place impediments in the way of this last, is the priest's object. "Secondly, that I should believe all the articles of the Christian faith." How can one person swear, to what another shall believe? and what a notion this swearing must give to young minds of the reverence due to an oath! Descant, Mr. Attorney-General, as you think proper upon the good moral tendency of the religion as by law established, but you will find it very difficult to prove your assertions in its favour, whenever you may please to advance them. The oath extends so far as that the child shall believe not one article only but all the articles of Jesus's religion, and that without even comprehending them all, for some, as that of the Trinity, are quite unintelligible; and some of these articles contain other articles so as to embrace the whole volume of the Bible, all and singular every passage of it.