ever, who regard names before reason, I will here quote a few of these authorities.

"Men cannot believe what they will, nor change their religion and their sentiments as they please; they may be made hypocrites by the forms of severity, and constrained to profess what they do not believe; they may be forced to comply with external practises and ceremonies contrary to their own consciences; but this can never please God, nor profit men." Dr. Isaac Watts, Improvement of the Mind, part II. ch. III.

"Belief or disbelief can neither be a virtue or a crime, in any one who uses the best means in his power of being informed. If a proposition is evident, we cannot avoid believing it; and where is the merit or piety of a necessary assent? If it is not evident, we cannot help rejecting it, or doubting of it; and where is the crime of not performing impossibilities, or not believing what does not appear to us to be true?" Dr. Whitby, in his Last Thoughts, as quoted by Mr. Hetherington at his Trial.

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They may make me do things which are in my power; but to believe this or that to be true depends not upon my will, but upon the light, and evidence, and information which I have." Sir Wm. Temple, ibid.

"The great truth has finally gone forth to the ends of the earth, that man shall no more render account to man for his belief, over which he has himself no control. Henceforward nothing shall prevail upon us to praise or to blame any one for that which he can no more change than he can the hue of his skin, or the height of his stature." Lord Brougham's Inaugural Address to the University of Glasgow, ibid.

Here, my Lord, are four celebrated men, two of whom of your own profession, who declare the truth of my position, namely, that man can not be held responsible for his belief. Having then entirely established my position, we now come to the inferences to be

drawn from it. What then, my Lord, are these inferences? First of all, the whole of your proceedings as priests are absurd and irrational, for you are telling mankind that unless they believe so and so, they will be damned, which is assuming that man can believe as he pleases, and this I have proved to be a falsehood, and I am backed in my proof by the authority of four celebrated men, two of whom are of your own profession. Second, the whole of your proceedings as priests are highly blasphemous, for you are telling mankind that unless they entertain certain beliefs the Deity will damn them, while it is not in their power to entertain certain beliefs, and hence you are charging the Deity with a monstrous injustice, that is to say, you are charging the Deity with punishing people for that which they cannot help. Third, the whole of your proceedings as priests are useless, if not mischievous, for it will be of no consequence what men believe, so long as they lead a virtuous life, for no just power will punish a man for entertaining a belief which he could not help entertaining, or for not entertaining a belief which he had not the power to entertain. Fourth, that the immense sum of 20,000,000 annually, or nearly, which this country gives for your maintenance, is money entirely thrown away.

I assert, my Lord, that these are fair, legitimate, and inevitable inferences to be drawn from the position which I have established, and in support of which I have advanced the authorities of four celebrated men. What then does your lordship mean to do in the condition in which I have placed you? Will refute the arguments which I have here advanced, and defend the proposition that man is responsible for his belief, or that he can believe as he pleases, or will you resign your high office in the Church. As an honest man you are bound to do either the one or the other.

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Lord Brougham says, in the citation from his speech which I have given above, that man shall no more render account to man for his belief, over which he himself has

no control; that is to say, because man has no control over his belief, therefore he shall no more render account to man for that belief. Can any thing be plainer than this, my Lord?

And if man shall no more render ac count to man for his belief, shall he render account to the Deity for his belief? that is to say, will the Deity act more irrationally than man? or will the Deity punish a man for his belief, while man has ceased to do so because of its injustice?

And Lord Brougham further says, that man can nô more change his belief than he can the hue of his skin, or the length of his stature; and yet your lordship says, "he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned," that is to say, the Deity will damn people for that which they can no more help than they can the hue of their skin, or the length of their stature! It is impossible, my Lord, for your establishment to continue much longer. The absurdities connected with it are too glaring not to be seen by the people. Human beings have at last resolved to act in obedience to those faculties which God has given them for their guidance, and it is not to be supposed that when once they see the errors of that system for the support of which the pay so many millions annually, that they will continue that system any longer than they can help.

Again, my Lord, I ask, what do you mean to do in the position in which I have placed you? Will you answer these Letters, or will you resign your office in the Church? I have proved your religion to be false, and so far as I am called upon to contribute towards your maintenance, so far I insist that you either refute the arguments I have advanced, or cease to preach that religion to the people. If you do not refute my arguments, what will be my inference but that you are unable to do so? And if you continue to preach your religion to the people, regardless of the fact that I have proved it to be false, what must be my inference but that you are a dishonest man? for dishonest you must be to continue to

preach a religion to the people which you know to be false. I leave the question, my Lord, in your hands, and as I informed you in my first Letter, that this work should be completed in twenty-four numbers, I now beg to close it, hoping that in relation to this subject you will act the character of an honest man.

I remain, my Lord,

Hulme, June 30th, 1841.

C. J. HASLAM.

Will be published July 10th, 1841,

The first Number of a new work, to be entitled, THE RATIONAL EXAMINER,

the object of which will be to expose all manner of irrationalities among men, with a view to induce mankind to institute a new series of actions more in accordance with reason, and more productive of happiness.

To be published ever fortnight, Price One Penny.

The whole of LETTERS TO THE CLERGY are now in print, and may be had of the usual Booksellers.

PRINTED BY C. J, HASLAM, HULME.