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sound reason; not even enough to doubt with。
(18) But if; in despotic statecraft; the supreme and essential mystery be
to hoodwink the subjects; and to mask the fear; which keeps them clown;
with the specious garb of religion; so that men may fight as bravely for
slavery as for safety; and count it not shame but highest honour to risk
their blood and their lives for the vainglory of a tyrant; yet in a free state
no more mischievous expedient could be planned or attempted。 (19)
Wholly repugnant to the general freedom are such devices as enthralling
men's minds with prejudices; forcing their judgment; or employing any of
the weapons of quasi…religious sedition; indeed; such seditions only spring
up; when law enters the domain of speculative thought; and opinions are
put on trial and condemned on the same footing as crimes; while those
who defend and follow them are sacrificed; not to public safety; but to
their opponents' hatred and cruelty。 (20) If deeds only could be made the
grounds of criminal charges; and words were always allowed to pass free;
such seditions would be divested of every semblance of justification; and
would be separated from mere controversies by a hard and fast line。
(20) Now; seeing that we have the rare happiness of living in a
republic; where everyone's judgment is free and unshackled; where each
may worship God as his conscience dictates; and where freedom is
esteemed before all things dear and precious; I have believed that I should
be undertaking no ungrateful or unprofitable task; in demonstrating that
not only can such freedom be granted without prejudice to the public
peace; but also; that without such freedom; piety cannot flourish nor the
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public peace be secure。
(21) Such is the chief conclusion I seek to establish in this treatise; but;
in order to reach it; I must first point out the misconceptions which; like
scars of our former bondage; still disfigure our notion of religion; and
must expose the false views about the civil authority which many have
most impudently advocated; endeavouring to turn the mind of the people;
still prone to heathen superstition; away from its legitimate rulers; and so
bring us again into slavery。 (22) As to the order of my treatise I will speak
presently; but first I will recount the causes which led me to write。
(23) I have often wondered; that persons who make a boast of
professing the Christian religion; namely; love; joy; peace; temperance;
and charity to all men; should quarrel with such rancorous animosity; and
display daily towards one another such bitter hatred; that this; rather than
the virtues they claim; is the readiest criterion of their faith。 (24) Matters
have long since come to such a pass; that one can only pronounce a man
Christian; Turk; Jew; or Heathen; by his general appearance and attire; by
his frequenting this or that place of worship; or employing the phraseology
of a particular sect … as for manner of life; it is in all cases the same。 (25)
Inquiry into the cause of this anomaly leads me unhesitatingly to ascribe it
to the fact; that the ministries of the Church are regarded by the masses
merely as dignities; her offices as posts of emolument … in short; popular
religion may be summed up as respect for ecclesiastics。 (26) The spread of
this misconception inflamed every worthless fellow with an intense desire
to enter holy orders; and thus the love of diffusing God's religion
degenerated into sordid avarice and ambition。 (27) Every church became a
theatre; where orators; instead of church teachers; harangued; caring not to
instruct the people; but striving to attract admiration; to bring opponents to
public scorn; and to preach only novelties and paradoxes; such as would
tickle the ears of their congregation。 (28) This state of things necessarily
stirred up an amount of controversy; envy; and hatred; which no lapse of
time could appease; so that we can scarcely wonder that of the old religion
nothing survives but its outward forms (even these; in the mouth of the
multitude; seem rather adulation than adoration of the Deity); and that
faith has become a mere compound of credulity and prejudices … aye;
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prejudices too; which degrade man from rational being to beast; which
completely stifle the power of judgment between true and false; which
seem; in fact; carefully fostered for the purpose of extinguishing the last
spark of reason! (29) Piety; great God! and religion are become a tissue of
ridiculous mysteries; men; who flatly despise reason; who reject and turn
away from understanding as naturally corrupt; these; I say; these of all
men; are thought; 0 lie most horrible! to possess light from on High。 (30)
Verily; if they had but one spark of light from on High; they would not
insolently rave; but would learn to worship God more wisely; and would
be as marked among their fellows for mercy as they now are for malice; if
they were concerned for their opponents' souls; instead of for their own
reputations; they would no longer fiercely persecute; but rather be filled
with pity and compassion。
(31) Furthermore; if any Divine light were in them; it would appear
from their doctrine。 (32) I grant that they are never tired of professing their
wonder at the profound mysteries of Holy Writ; still I cannot discover that
they teach anything but speculations of Platonists and Aristotelians; to
which (in order to save their credit for Christianity) they have made Holy
Writ conform; not content to rave with the Greeks themselves; they want
to make the prophets rave also; showing conclusively; that never even in
sleep have they caught a glimpse of Scripture's Divine nature。 (33) The
very vehemence of their admiration for the mysteries plainly attests; that
their belief in the Bible is a formal assent rather than a living faith: and the
fact is made still more apparent by their laying down beforehand; as a
foundation for the study and true interpretation of Scripture; the principle
that it is in every passage true and divine。 (34) Such a doctrine shoul