The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1821-1823, 1821-08-15
MISCELLANY.
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The following eloquent and impressive article
Is taken from popular French Essay on In
difference in matters of Religion, by the Alb
be de la Menais:-
g In the history of Christianity, nations
commence and end, They pass with their
customs, their laws, their opinions, their
sciences. One only doctrine remains al
ways believed, Notwithstanding the in
terests which the passions have not to
believe it-always immoveable in the
midst of this rapid and perpetual meve-
ment-always attacked, and always JUS
tiied-always sheltered from the chang
es which centuries bring upon the most
solid institutions, the most accredited
systems-always the more astonishing
and the more admired in proportion as
1T is the more examined: the consola-
ton of the poor, and the sweetest hope
of the rich-the egis of the people, and
the restraint of kings-the rule of the
power which it moderates, and the ODE
dience which it sancti6es-the great
charter of humanity, where eternal JUS
tice, not willing that even crime should
be without hope and without protection,
atipulates for mercy in favour of repent
aDce: doctrine as humble as it is pro-
found, as simple as it is high and magnif-
icent-a doctrine which subjugates the
most powerful genius by its sublimity,
and proportions itself by the clearness
of its light to the most feeble intellect:
IN fine, an indestructajle doctrine, which
resists every thing, triumphs over every
thing-over violence and contempt, over
sophisms and scaffolds and, powerful in
its antiquity, its. victorious evidences,
and its benefits, seems to reign over the
human mind by right of birth, of con-
quest, and love.
"Such is the religion which some
men have chosen to make the object of
their Indifference. What Bossuet, Pas
cal, Fenelon, Descartes, Newton, Leib-
nitz, Fuller, believed, after the most at
tentive examination-what was the con-
tinual subject of their meditations, is not
Judged worthy of moments thought.
Whether God exists or not-wheth-
er to this short life succeeds life that
is lasting-whether the only duty is, to
follow our wishes, or whether we ought
TO regulate them by fixed and divine
iaw-we wish to know every thing.
these things excepted. Men are agreed
that every thing interests them, except
their eternal fate. They have, say they,
no time TO think of it; but they have a.
bundance of leisure when the question
IS about satisfying the most frivolous fan
tasy. They, have time for business,
time foF pleasures, and they have not
time to examine whether there be a
heaven or hell. They have time to
instruct themselves in the most vain tri-
fles of this world, where they only pass
day and they have not time enough
to assure themselves whether there ex-
lists another world, which they must,
whether happy or miserable, inherit
eternally. They have time to take care
of the body which is about to dissolve,
and none to inform themselves whether
1T encIoses an immortal soul They
have time to go so far to convince their
eyes Of the existence of rare animal,
curious plant; and they have none to
convince their reason Of the existence of
God. fnconceivable blindness And
who will not exclaim with Bossuet-
What Is the charm Of sense so strong
that we can foresee nothing p
ave have seen conVicts laugh, dance
upon the scaffold but the death which
they braved was neyita5Ie-nothing
cculd save them from it. In the irwin
chile necessity Of dying they strove
against nature, and found a. sort of bru-
tai consolation in astonishing the eyes of
the people by the sight of gaiety more
frightful than the. anguish of fear and
the agony Of despair. But that a man,
uncertain whether his head is not about
to fail in few hours under the axe Of
the exccntioner, and certain Of saving it
II he will only convince himself Of the
reality of the danger which menaccs
him, should remain in repose in this ter
riiick doubt, and prefer before life some
moments Of pleasure or even Of listIess-
ness, which shocking and disgraceful
punishment is to terminate-this is what
we have never seen, this is what we
can never see.
Whatever contempt we affect for aN
existence. brief and burdened with SO