Star.
London, England, 1831-10-10 00:00:00

Europe, at the present moment, under the pre-
tence of protecting regular government, social
order, and sacred truth. It is sufficient for me to

appeal to the Holy Alliance in proof of the asser-
tions I have advanced,who have put a padlock on the
lips of every man subjected to that detestable com-
bination. Would not, therefore, perfect neutrality
be the greatest blessing ? Would not the interest
of truth gain unspeakably, were all the rulers of
states to aim at nothing but defending their people
from enemies without, and keeping the peace
within ? To me it seems, that they would act
wisely and to the full extent of their reasonable
jurisdiction, if they consider themselves bound to
take care not of the future but the present interest
of men—not of their souls and their faith, but of
their persons and their properties--not of any ec-
clesiastical, but of secular matters only—and to
consider actions and not opinions as the proper ob-
jects of their controul. I wish I could say that
these remarks were in no degree applicable to our
own country, and our own times, and to proposals
of very recent date, though not of recent origin.
The maxim of orthodoxy is, " he that believeth
shall be saved, and he that believeth not, shall be
damned." Believe ! What? The tenets of their
priest ; and the more abstruse and mysterious those
tenets are, the more he becomes necessary to his
credulous flock, and the greater their dependence
upon him. Faith, such as the clergy require, is
not the assent of the understanding after long and
laborious investigation—but that outward and ver-
bal, that ready unhesitating assent, which is paid
to their superior authority, as the representatives
and vicegerents of the Almighty. This answers
all the purposes of the priesthood: it is accompa-
nied by reverence for their assumed character, by
implicit obedience to their commands, and by pe-
cuniary contributions to their ease and comfort.
To the priesthood, these are of far more importance,
than that honest but troublesome independence of
spirit, which yields no voluntary expre+sion of as-
sent, but is the result of the conviction of the un-

derstanding. An independence of spit it is extremely
obnoxious to the clergy, because it is extremely
unmanageable, although accompanied by the ut-
most purity and integrity of conduct. Hence, the
very inferior light in which " good works" are al-
ways placed by the orthodox clergy ; insomuch
that the article on good works, among the thirty
nine articles of the church of England declares,
that if they do not proceed from faith, " no doubt
they have in them the nature of sin I" Nor, in fact,
is there any difference on this subject between the
Calvinists and Antinomians. A moro dishonest,
though successful attempt to bind the human intel-
lect in fetters, has never been made by any other
among the various forms of superstition, than by
this exaltation of credulity under the denomination
of faith. But well does it servo the purpose of
that persevering, ambitious, and dangerous class of
society, a hired, paid, and salaried priesthood. A
body of men, ready and willing to give their prodi-
gious influence to any government shatever,provided
they can obtain in return the influence of govern-
ment in their own favour. The efforts toward a
union between church and state, now making
(January, 1830), by the various sects among us in
one common combination, fully justify this re-
mark.

But although a man cannot be prevented from
holding a mischievous opinion, may he not be pre-
vented from publishing it! No, for whether it
be mischievous or not, cannot be known till it be

published. Nor can it be mischievous if fully dis-
cussed; for then its real tendency will be fully
exposed. Nor ought such a power to be en.
trusted to any set of governors or law makers ; for
all those publications will be prohibited that are in-
tended, or are likely, to bring public abuses ani
public delinquents before the people, or to detect
and expose mystery, falsehood, and fraud, in
any, or in all their forms. I appeal for the
truth of this remark to the English law of libel,
political and ecclesiastical. A code of tyranny
not yet exploded even in these United States.—
So far as this power has been exercised
heretofore, it has been exercised in support of the
interests and the wishes of those who control the
press. It is to men who have braved the terrors
of the law, and who have voluntarily incurred the
risk of self-devotion, that all the improvements in
politics, in ethics, in theology, in the sciences,
have been owing. From the days of Anaxagorss
to those of Galileo—from Harrington, Milton, and
Sydney, to the last reported political indictment—
from the very commencement of Christianity to the
last prosecution for heresy and schism, the persons
prosecuted appear to have been actuated in every
instance, so far as I can find, by motives disin-
terested, honourable, and unimpeachable ; this, I
think, we are compelled to allow, however we may
disagree with their opinions ; opinions which they
had as much a right to propose for public consi-
deration, as their persecutors had to maintain the
converse of them. Nor can it be said of them, or
any of them, what is undeniably true of their op-
ponents and persecutors, that they were hired, or,
paid, or salaried, to profess or propagate their
doctrines—or that they could have had any in-
terested motive whatever by thus risking pecuniary
fines, personal imprisonment, and lotus of standing
and reputation in society, for the sake of what they
deemed the truth, and the right of the people to
hive the truth told to them. Grant to our rulers
the right of controlling the press, cad the empire
of mystery, of political tyranny, of ignorance, and
of bigotry—the right divine of kings to govern,
wrong, and the indefeasible character of the holy
alliance between church and state, will remain for
ever unshaken.
Look at the state of national degradation in
Spain, Portugal, Italy, where mystery sits en
throned in all her splendours, and in all her ter-
rors ; where the pea is powerless, and the press say
prostrate ; where the gag of tyranny is In del
mouth of every patriot ! Look at the state of de-
gradation which has seized upon the human intek
lect in those fins countries, and say to what eise-
can it be ascribed but the slavery of the press, and,
the interdict of discussion !
If it be.dosirable to arrive at truth in our in-,
gairies ; it it be desirable to avoid error, we mast
admit every opinion and doctrine liable to doubt or
dispute, to be examined on every side, and by all
manner of persons who take an interest in the ques-
tion. Some will bring more, some 'less talent and
knowledge to bear upon it ; some will lament it ,
to us under one aspect, some under soadms.,
—At length this untrammelled license of d
cussion will pet es ha possession of the merit
tp
deciding accurately, whtch We can acquiin 611:11111
other way. In all matters of science, this tin*