tinguished for his philanthropy, fully testifies, Natural liberty, in its utmost latitude, was the free gift of God to man; and the defign of good government, is to preferve to men the enjoyment of their natural rights, which they cannot diveft themselves of without guilt; nor can others tyranife over them, without incurring the difpleafure of God, who wills the happiness of all his creatures. It must be the wifh of every good man, that flavery fhould be banished the earth, and that freedom fhould be enjoyed by all the world. Mr. Paine appears to be a zealous advocate for Equality and the Rights of Man. The writer is not dif pofed to cenfure, but to applaud, his Political Creed, if by it he means the uncontrouled enjoyment of freedom, political and religious without licentioufnefs, or injury offered to others. It is, however, pleafant to obferve gentlemen of deiftical character, quoting the facred fcriptures, whofe authority, without reafon, but with great impiety, they reject, in fupport of their political tems Thus, for inftance, the penetrating Voltaire fancied, that he discovered the REPUB LICAN SPIRIT in the Chriftian Religion! (See Warburton's Divine Legation of Mofes, Vol. II. p. 48. note.) And the fagacious Mr. Paine, is perfuaded, that Chrift inculcated the doctrine of EQUALITY! Other Deifts, however, have entertained a different fentiment. They have objected, that "Zeal for the public, or love to a man's country, which was fo much inculcated by fome ancient philofophers and moralifts, is paffed over in the Cofpel." But, in this refpect, Mr. Paine appears among other facts, his divine miffion; that ke to be more orthodox than thefe gentlemen, as their objections are not justly founded. To have recommended, by divine authority, what the Romans, generally understood, by love to their country, namely, a ftrong paffion for the glory of it, and which often occafioned them to do great injuftice to other nations, would have been incompatible with a revelation which was designed for the general good of mankind, and to pro. mote univerfal benevolence: and if the divine author of christianity had exhorted the Jews in the name of God, to a zeal for the liberties of their country, fuch conduct, confidering the dif pofition they then poffeffed, would have been regarded as exciting them to tumults and infur rections, But of love for our country, as it fignifies a real and affectionate concern for the public good, Christ afforded an admirable example; and his example, agreeable to the chriftian system, hath the force of a precept. This is evident from the affection he manifested to the Jewish nation; the benevolent concern he expreffed for the miferies he forefaw were approaching them, and the endeavors he used to preferve them from deftruction. The fame obfervation may be made with refpect to the apoftles and first publishers of chriftianity, after Chrift's refurrection. If, in the name of God, they had urged it upon the Jews and Gentiles, among whom they preached the Gospel, to be zealous for the enjoyment of freedom, and had promifed divine rewards for patriotic virtue, this would have been confidered as an attempt to excite disturbances in the state. was the fon of God;* that in the most public manner, he wrought a series of the most afto Exhortations of fuch a nature, as things were then circumstanced, could have been productive of no good confequences, but, in all probability, the reverse. If by patriotifm is meant the public good, the real welfare of the community, certain it is, that chriftianity is most friendly to it, and is most happily calculated to advance the intereft of civil fociety. Where the chriftian religion is fincerely embraced, it hath a manifeft tendency to cause those entrufted with the powers of government, to act with probity; and the people to be peaceful in their demeanor; confcientious in all their actions, and diligent in the discharge of the duties of their feveral ftations. Unquestionably that religion which requires us to poffefs so noble a spirit of difinterested benevolence, as to be ready to "Lay down our lives for the brethren, (I. John iii. 16.) would animate us, if neceffity required it, to facrifice our lives for the good of our country! A virtuous regard for public happiness, and the contributing, as far as is in our power, to promote it in our several stations, is a part of that amiable and meritorious conduct, which it is the defign of christianity to promote, and which, according to its divine promifes, fhall be crowned with a glorious reward! Luke i. 35° Mark i. 1. * Matt. xxvii. 43. John xi. 4. xix. 7. xx. 31. nihing miracles;t that he rofe from the dead; that he afcended into Heaven; that again he will defcend to earth, raise the dead and judge the world; reward the righteous with immortal happiness, and punish wilful and perverfe unbe lievers and unholy chriftians, with everlasting mifery.* And as thefe particulars are connected with, and, indeed, are effential parts of that divine fyftem of religion which he promulged, what competent reafon can be affigned why thefe truths should not also be acknowledged? Is it thus that Mr. Paine treats the grecian and roman hiftories? Does he, through mere caprice approve of a few, but reject the greater part, of the effential and important facts contained in these hiftories? Or should fuch be his conduct, would thefe hiftories be deemed lefs authentic by men of knowledge and difcernment? But it becomes Mr. Paine alfo to confider, that Jefus Chrift, if an impoftor, must have been the most impious of men; regardless of truth and virtue; guilty of deceit, falfehood and even blafphemy. If thus, what could have tempted him to have taught morals fo pure; to have been fucha friend to the EQUALITY of MAN, and to have exercifed fuch PHILANTHROPY; efpecially, as he propofed not to himfelf any wordly honors nor emoluments, but voluntarily facrificed his life to perfect the fyftem of religion which he taught? + Matt. iv. 23, 24. xv. 29. Luke vii. 11. John xi. 39. Matt. xxviii. 5, 6, 7. Mark xvi. 9. John XX. 27. § Luke xxiv. 51. -D John v. 25, 28, 29. Certainly no one, except an idiot, or a phrenetic, could thus have acted; and truly miraculous would it have been for fuch a character to have formed fo incomparable a fyftem of religion as is Chrif tianity, and fuccefsfully to have introduced it into the world; notwithstanding the opposition it met with from the ignorance, prejudice and obftinacy of the Jews; the wit and learning; fuperftition and idolatry; depravity and love of vice of the Gentiles! 1. But thefe natural confequences, refulting from Mr. Paine's conceffions, he had not the fagacity to difcern! Happy will it be, if candor and a love of TRUTH, fhall yet permit him to bestow on thefe conqlufions that ferious attention they fo juftly merit! TR. PAINE profeffes himfelf to be under the influence of REASON, and fays* that Reafon is the moft formidable weapon against errors of every kind." Lord Bolingbrake feems to have entertained but a conteinptible idea of the ufe of reafon, with regard to moral practice,† and Mr. Hume regards රාස්ථා #P.-6. -Reafen, fays he, must be willedinto action, and as this can rarely happen, when the will is already determined by affections, and paffions, fo when it does happen, a fort of compofition generally takes place between these two principles: And if the affections and pallions cannot govern abfolutely, they obtain more indulgence from reafon than they deferve; or than the would thew them if the wasentirely free from their influence." |