The instincts of men demand a religion with more energy than they demand any thing else. Mere moral and benevolent enterprises can never satisfy this demand, and therefore they never can compete successfully with the religious systems which have possession of the market. When Abolitionists make a direct issue with the churches, and the abstract question whether philanthropy or religion should have the precedence, is presented to the people, the churches have the advantage, because all true instinct decides that they are in the right. Religion is rightfully the centre, and not the satellite of philanthropy. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Love is the child of faith.
Veneration is in truth, as it is in the brain, higher than benevolence. So the mere pulling-down system will never avail against the churches. Men will instinctively, and we might say reasonably, cling to a very corrupt religion, rather than have no religion at all. The true policy then, as well as the duty of Abolitionists, is to arm themselves for conflict with the churches by receiving true religion to their hearts and giving it the avowed ascendancy over all their movements. Then the issue will be, not between false religion and a secondary enterprise of benevolence or no religion at all, but between false religion and true religion.