sions

SY

: more is nprighal 0 egrity than 3 t any

3

sions in this city, touching the moral delinquency of one John Beckford. irrelevant questions were put to your Memorialist, and though consci- entiously replied to, the Court declared your Memorialist’s evidence inadmissible, and the culprit set at large.

That in the month of August last, William Phillips, one of the Jus- tices of the Peace for the District, refused, (in consequence of the be- forementioned rejection) the attestation of your Memorialist.

That on the ninth instant, F. X. Persault, one of the District Clerks

‘the Peace, suffered not your Memorialist to depose relative to the

bitude Of a youth of this city, and who was not proceeded orialist as Agent to the Montreal Steam Te at i city, enjcys 4 comfortabie situation, the ¢ probity s Incompetency a¢

4

On the 9th Dec. last, F. X. Perrault, Esq. one of the Clerks of the Peace declined to draw up my deposition asis usually done by him, as- signing the same reason as Mr. Phillips.

Tuterrogated. Did W. P. ask you if you believed in a future state of rewards and punishments ?

“Inswer. No. February 18th, the Committee reported as follows ;—

Committee on Courts of Justice. Present Messrs, Quesnel, Mreaident), ;

Panet, Viger, Duval, and Morin. ik sabia. On the Memorial of John Ryan. Your Committee, er hat

amined the Petitioner, on the merits uf his petition, ech

ranterfere in this particular ¢ case. Thott 2 oath to be ean UT Witnos in |

5

nately there was one jittle blemish, notin his character, but in his head. On one point the man was cracked in the head—there was a point up- on which he was actually insane. He does not believe in a Goi, or in a future state, and this he avowed inthe court. The court could there- fore do no_otherwise than rufuse his testimony ; such is the law of the land—those who do not believe in a God of some kind or other, or in a future state, are not, admissible as witnesses in any of our courts. This is a perfectly fr @ country as to religious opinions ; there can be no ob- eceon | to his professing any religion or no religion, Atheism, Deism, + but tf he boasts publicly of his atheism, he.oughtto |

, But the plain truths; shat in

hr want to know any thing but. that the

1 of . civil rights. If any individual

right man, as to have his “head a little cracked!” And even the wor-

thy President of the Committee seemed to think a ‘little hypocrisy’ would have suited his turn much better! It is not so much for Mr. Ryan, but for the people for whom and with whom they should sympathize. One villain, it would seem has escaped punishment already; and how many more will escape time only will determine. They will no longer need

the darkness of the night to cover their villian) co; in Che pre- sence of such honest men as John Ryan,—men 0: e too meee to lie, or even to dissemble to save their reputation, they. open day light, steal, rob, ravish, murder, or set fire’

rit impunity. And why 2 ‘Why! forsoothi nit

) are’too honest to be hypoeritestare not to be he

witnesses to the fact; the: pe ae alpr

sand no man mn But

cored

. m , ethew’ Sat caaieor

ac co

‘40 Ores

7 wor- BOTH SIDES.

While religionists urge the belief in God as preliminary to correct opinions of other things, and as the only basis on which to erect a mor- al superstructure that will bear investigation, or support its advocates in the hour of temptation or tria! ; anti-religionists deemed the admis- sion of such a dogma unworthy a rational being, calculated to check the spirit of free enquiry, to which alone they look for the discovery of all the truth which can be made subservient to profit or pleasure. It is

eecult to conceive how both can be right, without granting that both

™h be rong. here i is a God, that is an independent existence, extraneous to man. or € Js not; such a being exists or,does not exist, whether men believe _ believe; thus far there can be no disagreement; noone pretends. that ither affirmative or negative of this questions dependent on his opi ‘the truth is beeause it always wasithus, or so, he. merely professes» ‘to have found it; had he not found it, it would nevertheless have. bee: the truth. Itis of more importance then Sing supposed on acu ‘Ty view, let men decide as they may-on. this, unsettled. question, ceive that their decision neither c1cates nor annihilates, but mere lates to an antecedent fact... This being so, it would seene time deve spare Fury vrosianes of bel unbelief can be of little AP roca only so far as _ or the. state of mind may have. i the.conduct of jife... If it.¢ shewn. that those who. lief in.a.God cannot be. goud menyt cause such belief has a. ‘nator yee cy to evil, and reference had to-all the facts toe ablish this te Or if it be shown on other ome that unbelief tends. to. immorality and facts be adduced prove tl thet Hey. are inca apatible and ir iilable, then in either cas¢ 3 Oppo of th e other, have reason to press the if neither can be done, if there cam * e and. those who doubt, men eminent’ ® immorality will haye to be accounted, n faith or the want of.it....And such 3 cy od men of all opinions, iia no, OpApions J respegie cient to break the. ci ind between opinion and goodness ; hi ae, elsewhere ° n } eoulative eory

ome yery. jadici menidence in br a

life in all living be

That such a cause exist is true, and no ‘iigee ett 8 ta pas, ite «

s$

other attribute, therefore, which fanatics attach to this principle of life, “4 that those who are called atheists deny, or in which they do not. believe, pi and not the existence of the principle itself. The only attribute we oe attach to it is that of power—power to do whatever is done—nothing M J, less and nothing more. The moral tie that binds such men to truth— a to speak the truth on all occasions, either in court or out of court, is at that of utility, and he who wil} not be bound by this tie, would not be Rous bound by all the mummeries of a religious oath; which are but a mere Is it saree hd the religion of him who commanded his disciples to “swear all not at a , I have said or tried to say, a thousand times what is contained in the a above paregraph, always pressing it upon those to whom it was said, to tl _ that there is no belief in it, but knowledge, certain, positive rr win _ The effect or auanoiont being c of necessity depended on, is alw q aus

- ‘golute; unquestionable proof, of the cause or antecedent ; and 9 was

ealin stare will show, that it is indeed only about sitibls ua _ that men can dispute. ' 4 ae Bi rene @ arm perfectly satisfied that each man should have just such aie , yleases his own if he can imagine such a one and be- pun F have in it, the only reservation would make is, taat he should not have S attributes requiring or permitting his devotees so to act, that unhappi- bre ness to yhele fellows must from to their er ;or they may suit sie im um suffci of bel cn unre with my neigh- the im to do to Daas as the % ee anc ae is not ih accor..ance With bur I have as little apprehension of a rt Bye E ether hand, for his scepti¢ism ; if his nature | his “all it leads him to the seme. ctice hs must of necessity have of |

“my approbation ; it is as im the invejentar ‘on the '

I trary it permits him to be unjust, the ne »

®. however see novalternative. ‘If igvould recommend to both, that the m« y ‘

mell too strong of that which has obtained curr lig tion at eananneyt ee

. she upo pator, which were crowded out he

Ryan’s case. ner Kneeland, is author of the extra

hich h led him out of the ing with inflexible integrit r 4m Opposition to his pec ble head the anathoras

9

Let his brethren, who in the language of the pious crusaders have { said to him “stand off, I um holier than thou;’ let them read this ex- tract, and enquire after its meaning; let them ask, whatis Atheism ? and why is Abner Kneeland an Atheist? Is it because he disbelieves ina apirit or power in nature “that is the cause of life in all living beings;” certainly not; for here is his own strong language to show, that no man was ever so much of an Atheist as to douot the existence of such a cause or spirit. Then what is it that his brethren persecute him for ? Is it because he disbelieves in the authenticity of the Bible? No—for all sects construe the bible differently, to suit their own prejudices; and of course are unbelievers and heretics with one another.

The first Protestant martyr was Agnes Morton, who was ordered in- to the flames by Bishop Shaxton for not believing that the bread and wine administered at the altar, were the identical flesh and blood of Je- sus Christ. She was ledinto this heresy by discovering that the bread was liable to decay, and would mould like other bread, But the lan- guage of scriptnre was imperative, according tojthe bishop. He said the words of the Saviour were plain, and could not be misunderstood; that such a perverse and obstinate disposition ought to meet an examplary punishment, and ordered the flame to the faggot.

Such now is about the difference between Abner Kneeland and hig brethren. An Atheist is one who rejects the popular creeds and opin-

ions of the Church, and Abner Kneeland does not believe as the church

believes, He has discovered that the bread and wine administered at the altar are liable to grow mouldy and sour; or in other words, that the idol of sectarianism is not “ the cause of life in all living beings ;” and therefore he must be thrown into the fire. But as they dare not burn his body, they heat the firey furnace of bigotry and intolerance “se-

ven times hotter than it is wont to be heated,” then cast his reputation, ~ J

his good name, and all that is dear in life into it. Such is the character

of professing christians, and such will ever be the melancholy consequen- ces.of persecution for opinions. The religion of the Bible is a tradi- ,/ > tic ligion, and all traditional religionists will persecute. Its fol-

yy, away from the living principle within them; they build up © id intellectual images, made up of the whimsical effusions,of@ n ye conceits—images of something “either in heaven

hen, like Nebuchadnezzar, require all sects. and classes, » ali down and Worship them. All those who refuse to ~ h they have set up; all those whose minds are’ §§ ‘make an idol of that which is “the cause of lifein € Infidels, Deists, Atheists, disbelievers in the ex- When the whole offence, carried out and explained, fan a disbelief in the image or ido} that sectarianism ited: thus showing, what the history of all former ages has the infidels, so called, are the true believers ; that they are forming to the law which Moses gave to the children of Is- _ Mending them “to form no image of God, of any th it! ‘on earth ;” while Christian professors are, nots Blating this law, but of making # breachiof # iterest persecution upon ¢

.

ng Fives

<

10

How like the Pagan worship, that. required all to make obeisance to - ing | their idols, or forfeit their lives, is this traditional system of Christiani- | proy ty. But how unlike that gentle spirit which christians profess to follow | path —that, steady in its course, as the sun in the firmament, goesontocon- | T quer and subdue all that is uncharitable, harsh and severe in the hu- the « man character. i time This order or law, in the spiritual or intelectual world, is what chris- rial | tians ackleowledge in that precept which requires them to return “ good A for evil,” but is better understood by considering it a spiritual feeling, upor

or state of mind, in which the individual who lives under its govern- — us m ment feels a perpetual tendency to good, without reference to evil; we a or in other words, constantly aims at increasing his own happiness, by in be promoting that of others, without adverting to the actions of those which . W tend to counteract this spirit. Like the laws that governthe universe: [reali —Wwe see it rains upon the just and the unjust ; there is no partiality or that distinction shown in the distribution of those outward blessings, so in confi the spiritual or intellectual world, there is a spirit or state of mind,— state which, without any variableness or shadow of turning, aims at the same | gave point ; its constant tendency is to subdue all bitterness of feeling, strife pens

and contention, by its own mild but irresistible power. It is the spirit of wisdom and goodnesss, and is the “cause of life” or happiness in

the intellectual world. It is the possession of this spirit that constitutes M | heaven, a kingdom, which, as Jesus said, “is within you ;’ astateofer- — tuto 1) tstence; not a place of abode. It cannot be obtained by believing or #70u

disbelieving in the existence of either God or Devil. It can only of th be acquired by getting into an unchangeable state or spirit of benevo- lence and goodness, and practiisng that which we know by experience will give enjoyment to ourselves and others.

This is the only true religion, if religion it may be called, which is built upon works and not upon faith. It is the religion of righteous— — ness, of honesty and truth, and will eventually prevail over all the mum- _ ) mery and phantasmagoria of holy crafts, with their wonder-wworking — F witchery, or miracles and traditional systems of belief. This cor ite out of the feverish excitement of dreams and visions into mjoy- mt of the sober realities of life, is the natural state of man tied out and practised upon in our daily transaction, would. ‘earth into a heaven and hell into a fable. ais a

Upon this rock may all nations, kindreds, tong their church, and in such an asylum will they find f in creeds, opinions, and systems of belief they ney:

Does not the history of all religions show us thatith heen those who believed the least in their own day : change their character now? Has not the march of ampe ways been arrested by the fear of unbelief? and do we tm limit to human knowledge, or abatement in the superstitioug™ 2 anot this dread of unbelief the same it ever wags lamdimplacable foe human to happiness. Andsia

jongiand disputes about belief already d@m

, hehe 2

11

ce to | ing friends and relatives; and are they not now retarding all our im- ptlanl- =~ provements, poisoning our social enjoyments, and in short filling the ollow path of life with thorns.

o con- The religion of good works will lead us out of all this, and turn us to he hu- the cultivation of our faculties, and the rational enjoyment of the present time ; and would eventually be found to satisfy all our craving for ethe- rial joys, in distant and unknown regions.

Are not the cruelties, the strife, the desolation, that the speculations upon unknown subjects have brought upon the world sufficient to teach us moderation and modesty in our demands; and make.us suspect that we are not only ignorant of the future, but that our happiness consists in being satisfied with our present condition.

Whatever the future may be, either in time or eternity, can never be realized, and therefore is nothing to us. The present is only ours, and that we have the means of enjoying if we are rightly disposed. The confidence we ought to have, (and would have if we were in a proper state of submission to the existing order of things) that the power that gave us life, can best dispose of us after death, would be ample com- pensation for the loss of all the anxious hopes and fears of a future state.

chris- ‘good peling, overn- o evil; pss, by which iverse: ality or 8, so in

iad e same r, strife

spirit Delaware Free Press. ness in stitutes Most of the Constitutions of the several states, as well as the Consti- teofer- | tution of the United States, leaves the people perfectly free as to reli- ving or gious opinions. Nevertheless it is not so with all. The third article an only of the Declaration of Rights, in the Massachusetts Constitution, not on- henevo- ly authorized, but required, “the public worship of God, and the sup- erience port and maintenance of public Protestant teachers of piety,” &c. and also “to enjoin anattendance,” &c. Yet liberty was granted to towns, hich “is arishes, é&c. “the right of electing their public teachers and contract-

ing with them for their support and maintenance.” This article is now altered and made much more liberal, though, still, itis not so liberal as it should be. The Constitution of New York provides, art. 28, “that the free exer- : baripyment ofreligious profession and worship, without discrim-

* ke

@ference, sbal! forever hereafter be allowed within this: © mankind.”

8s “ministers of the Gospel, under any pretence or de- from holding any civil or military office or place

ee

‘of New Jersey, art. 18, says, “that no person shall ony be deprived of the inestimable privilege of wor- bty God in a manner agreeable to the dictates of his 8. &c. Butinart. 19, the liberty, as expressed, seems 6 protestants ; which is implied in these words; “and that iphabitant of this colony shall be denied the enjoyment @ht, merely on account of his religious principles.” The wherc, would seem tobe, are Free Eaquirers, in any eword, “protestants ?” Why are the Eielics, and no one protests more again

ng power of the Pope they

12

they can be said to be “professing a belief in the faith of any protestant woken sect,” is perhaps another question ; and hence, although all such per- tant r sons “shall be capable of being elected into any office of profit or 4 be the trust,” &c. “‘and shall fully and freely enjoy every privilege and immu- § = Art

nity enjoyed by others of their fellow subjects,” yet it does not per~ j seat 1 haps, necessarily follow, that, Free Enquirers are to have this priv- © Th ilege. 2 Willi

i In the Constitution of Pennsylvania, Declaration, art. 2d, after de-- ‘Ag } claring “that all men have a natural and unalienable right to worship states i Almighty God according to the dictates of their own conscience and or alt understanding,” declares, “nor can any man who acknowledges the be- § mome ing of a God, be justly deprived or abridged of any civil right as a cit- as the izen, on account of his religious sentiments, or peculiar mode of religi- even ous worship :” &c. ~ & moval! Yet, rather inconsistent with the above, in the Plan or Frame of joyme Government, art. 10,<«ach member of the Legislature, before he takes * “Bu his seat, is made to acknowledge not only his belief in God, “the Cre- & ¢horit ator and Governor of the Universe,” but also he must subscribe to the every following, “I do acknowledge the scriptures of the Old and New Testa- grow: ment to be given by divine inspiration.” er cal! This is the only “religious test ;” but even here, “each Member” is fact, made to acknowledge what no one knows, or can know to be true, and iain

what reason andcommon sense show to be false, in any other sense’ § ff jg

than that every book is given by inspiration ; for “there is a spirit in his mi / man, and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth him understanding.” fore, it Job, XXX. & not t

In the Constitution of the State of Delaware the same “unalienable out

tight” is recognized ; and, inthe Declaration, it says,— ® privil

| rt. 3. “That all persons professing the Christian religion, ought a rig forever to enjoy equal rights and privileges in this state, unless under § shou

:olor of religion any man disturb the peace, the happiness, or safety of he ha

| society.” clusi

The Constitution of that state, like the present Constitution of the § irom State of New York, precludes clergymen of any denomination from ont

“holding any civil office in the state.” a Oke i

The Constitution of North Carolina guarantees, art. 19, ¢ men have a natura) and unalienable right to worship Almigh

cording to the dictates of their own consicence.” Here) left without any restrictions whatever.

The Constitution of South Carolina, art. 13, says, of electors shall be, that every free white man, and no 0 acknowledges the being of a God, and believes in a fatty wards ane punishments,” @&c. &c. (many other qualifie be deemed a person qualified to vote,” &c. And“no pé eligible to sit in the House of Representatives, unless he

testant religion,” é&c. What an excellent mode of majsi “This state aleo,excludes clergymen from holding any@

ri

ag, “all dersons and rel#

estant h per- ofit or immu- hot per~ $ priv-

er de--

worship

ce and s the be- BS a Cit- bf religi-

rame of he takes he Cre- be to the

Testa-

bmber”’ is true, and her sense spirit in tanding.” 1alienable ion, ought 2ss under

safety of

on of the ion from

« BRR.

13

acknowledge that there is one God,” &c. says, “The Christian Protes- tant religion shall be deemed, and is hereby constituted and declared tv ve the established religion of this state.”

Art.72. “Noclergyman, of any denomination siall be allowed & seat in the legislature.”

The above extracts are all taken froma London edition, by the Rey William Jackson, 1783.

‘As to the new Constitution which have been abopted(for some of the states had no Constitutions at that period) or the revision, amendment, or alterations which have taken place in the old ones, we have at this moment no means of knowing ; we only know that the change, so far as there has been any, is in favour of the free exercise of religious, or even what may be thought by some, irreligious opinions, and the re- moval of al) supposed disability, or disqualification, for the full en. joyment of any civil right and privilege on that account.

But this question does not, or at least it should not depend on any au- thority constituted by men; but on the unalienable right of each and every individual of the human race, consequent on his existence, and¢ growing out ofthe plain simple truth and nature of things. Man eith- ercan help his opiniens or he cannot. If he cannot, as is evidently the fact, to punish him for holding any opinion whatever, and what is dis- franchizing man, the taking away of any civil right, buta punishment ? It is punishing man either for what is right in itselfjor else for what is his misfortune, not his fault. Ifa man has been so unfortunate, there- fore, as to come to an erroneous conclusion on any given subject,should not that, in itself, be considered a misfortune sufficiently great, with- out taking away any civil privilege on that accouut ?—a civil privilege which as an honest man, he ought to enjoy, and has still a right to enjoy, notwithstanding his supposed misfortune; why should this privilege also be taken away in addition to what he has already suffered if his conclusion be erroneous. But ifhis con- clusion should turn out, after all, to be the truth, though he might differ

| trom all the world besides, would it not be hard, would not the public

onthe whol¢ be the loser, as well as the individual be the sufferer, to punish a man for holding to the truth, and for having the moral courage

er to Mr. Ryan, dated New York, June 26th 1832, thised with you, my friend in your privations and per- individual you suffer ; asa constituent part of the great

© advancement of a common cause. Believers say that tobe attained but by suffering in every successive Brience shows that victim after victim has to be offered Bthe ignorance of man. Tf you can find any consolation that your trials shall prove a public benefit, 1 hope ya fofit. We had bettcr be conscientious, and,

m1 for one however wish that this were i!

ib. fellow feeling as Lam susceptiblevos:

14

The following extract from alate English work wall fully corrobor-

ate the doctrine contained in the above statements.

“The fundamental crror, of imputing guilt to a man on account of his opinions, has shrunk within narrower bounds; but, still it is far from be- x ing exterminated. Men have extended their sphere of liberality, they : have expanded their system of toleration, but itis not yet without limits. There is still a boundary in speculation, beyond which no one is allowed to proceed; at which innocence terminates and guilt commences; a “4 boundary not fixed and determinate, but varying with the creed of every party.

“ Although the advanced civilization of the age rejects the palpably absurd application of torture and death, it is not to be concealed, that, é amongst a numerous class, there is an analogous, though less barbarous persccution, of all who depart from received doctrines—the persecution of private antipathy and public odium. They are looked upon as a spe- cies of criminals, and their deviations from established opinions, or, if any one prefers the phrase, their speculative errors, are regarded by wnany with as much horror as flagrant violations of morality. In the or- dinary ranks of men, whare exploded prejudices often linger for ages, : this is scarcely to be wondered at; butitis painful, and on firstviewun- — § accountable, to witness the prevalence of the same spirit in the republic of letters;—to see mistakes in speculation pursued with all the warmth of moral indignation and reproach. He who believes an opin- icn on the authority of others—who has taken no pains to investigate its claims to credibility, nor weighed the objections to the evidence on which it rests, is lauded for his acquiesence, while obliquy from every side is too often heaped on the man who has minutely searched into the | subject, and becn led to the opposite conclusion. There are few things \ more disgusting to an enlightened mind than to see a number of men, a mob, whether learned or illiterate, wlio have never scrutinized the foun- dation of their opinions, assailing with contumely an individual, who, after the labour of research and reflection, has adopted different sen- timents from theirs, and pluming themselves on the notion of superior Wevirtue, because their understandings have been tenacious of preju- 1 dice. Bu,

_ This conduct is the more remarkable, as on every side we. mé with the admission, that belicfis not dependent on the walk; a yet the saine men, by whom this admission is readily made, and inveigh on the virtual assumption of the contrary,

| “This is a striking proof, amongst a multitude of others, || thinking mind must have frequently observed, that a pringip | retained in its applications, long after it has been discard@m@ stract proposition. In a subject of'so much importance, how hoves intelligent men to be rigidly consistent. Ifour opifi voluntary, but independent of the wiil, the contrary doct I pede rices ought to be practically abandoned ; the the sentiments, habits, and instity iré to assert, that neither the virt ) placed on a pex nas been extirpatg

or-

f his n be- they mits. bwed es; a very

pably that, arous ution a spe- , or, if ed by the or- r ages, ew ull- ppublic all the n opin- stigate nce on every into the v things men, a e foun- il, who, ent sen- upérior f preju-

po ae

oy "