exercise a spirit of benevolence to all, the fruits of such conduct should be happiness to all, and universal peace throughout the world. Kings and tyrants upon earth have always had their favorites, and revelationists have represented in the character of their God, nothing better than an imitation of these terrestrial partialities, and a close adherence to that system of favoritism which has marked the character of all earthly potentates.

In the first part of the eighteenth chapter, there is an account of Abraham's hospitality to three travelling gentlemen, whom the heading of the chapter denominates angels. They make some affectionate enquiries about Sarah, Abraham's wife; comfortable assurances are given to her, that she should hereafter become the mother of a fine son, and this sets the good old lady a laughing- -fine fun indeed, and a very pretty bundle of stories it is to be called the word of God! All these matters may be passed over as uninteresting, and we shall come next to the sulphurious Sodom and Gomorrah. And the Lord said, because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. Here is another awful departure from the principles of pure theism, and from that respect which man owes to his creator. God is here represented again as being ignorant-he had heard a great many flying reports concerning Sodom and Gomorrah, the truth of which he could not well vouch for; he could not certainly tell whether things were altogether so bad as they had been represented, and therefore, said he, I will go down and make the inquiry myself, and then I shall know. Weak imperfect man would have been under the necessity of pursuing such a plan, in order to reduce doubt to certainty; but to represent the omniscient creator as subject to similar imperfections and necessities, is to strip him of the brilliant attributes of divinity, and reduce him to the standard of a man. God never made such a revelation of himself as this, and it is ignorance or prophanity which ascribes it to him! The remaining part of this chapter is taken up with a very familiar conversation which is said to have taken place between God and Abraham, concerning the destruction of Sodom. In this familiar interview, Abraham takes occasion to reduce the claims and stipulations of Jehovah as low as possible, and in the true spirit of bargaining, really accomplishes the object of ma

king God promise that he would save the city, if ten righteous persons were found in it, whereas the first stipulation was fifty. After this degrading interview was over, God it is said in the last verse went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham and Abraham returned unto his place. How feeble, how imperfect must have been their ideas concerning the almighty creator of the universe, when they could make such representations concerning his being and his conduct! like two men standing in the street, holding a conversation concerning their own affairs, and when they had done, bid good bye, and each one went to his own house. Such might have been the God of the Jews, but he falls infinitely short of that splendid being, that dignified character, that eternal creator, whom believers in the religion of nature adore!

BOHEMIAN DEISTS.

REMARKS BY MR. WIELAND.

[Concluded.]

ALL these positions are natural and mostly immediate consequences from the incontrovertible axiom: "Opinion and belief, by the very nature of them, cannot be subject to any outward coercion." Their application to the Bohemian deists follows of itself. It is by no means credible that it was intended to deny these people that liberty of conscience (to which they have the same right) that belongs to all the professors of other religions. The writer of the foregoing letter produces indeed several reasons why these deists were transported to Transylvania, namely: 1. Because their sect was thought prejudicial to morality; and, 2, to the tranquility of the country; and, 3, especially so to the other multitudes that were lukewarm or ignorant in the christian religion: and because, 4, they were addicted to proselyting, and are said to have sought to augment their party, by persecution in their families, and by seduction among the neighbouring congregations: but, as the second and fourth points run together into one; (for, as to the first, it is not to be thought of in the case now before us* ;)

and as the third is only something very lame and indeterminate so that only the fourth point remains, which (the truth of the fact being supposed) affords a sufficient reason why a translocation of these people was found necessary. Proselyting, persecution and seduction, are indeed actions cognizable by the office of overseer of religion, and to which it cannot be indifferent. They are no more to be tolerated in deists than in catholics and protestants. The presumption of the most perfect justice and equity is always in favour of the actions of the emperor, who would not have proceeded against these people in a manner that was in such perfect contrast with his laudable maxims of toleration, unless he had the justest reasons for it. However, such a number as fifty-two families of Bohemian countrymen, who publicly and before their magistrate make profession of deism, is so extraordinary and singular a phenomenon in the moral world, that nothing is more natural and reasona ble than the wish to be exactly and consistently informed of all the circumstances of the transaction with these Bohemi

an deists. How came such rude people as the Bohemian boors are usually represented to be, and how came precisely these 52 families at Rockitno and Chwoynetch, in the Krudimer circle, to embrace so simple and philosophical a religion? The reasons assigned by the excellent bishop of Konigsgrætz, may be indeed but too well founded: but it seems as if there must have been nearer and more determinate causes for producing so extraordinary an effect.These fifty-two deistical boor-families declared themselves, it is said, directly against the general belief of Christians; and therefore, it is presumable, did not partake, or at least would not in future partake in the public worship of Christians. But would they set up no social religious exercises in its stead? or in what might these have consisted?— Farther: What interpretation are we to put upon the persecution of their families, of which they are accused? How could people who themselves could hope to be tolerated no otherwise than by virtue of the law of nature, which exempts the human intellect from all constraint, how came they to fall on the senseless thought of forcing their families to embrace their deism? It must be confessed, that the accusation, though it contains nothing impossible, yet is very little probable. No less were it to be wished that the world. were more accurately informed, wherein the seduction consisted which they are charged with having used towards other neighbouring congregations. Nothing is more natural and allowable than that one who believes his own to be

the best way of walking, should shew it (as occasion offers) to another, who, according to his opinion, walks wrong. This is no more seduction, than it would be seduction if I, for example, should unreservedly impart to a catholic who should afford me an opportunity thereto, the causes wherefore, according to my conviction, I cannot be a catholic; even supposing this should lead to discussion, that might make my catholic waver in his faith. To converse with one another on religious opinions, to give reasons to each other, to examine and endeavour to refute the counterreasons of the other, and the like, is no seduction. But there are men in office and parish priests in the world who do not so nicely mince matters. I am very far from intending to say, that the priest and seneschal mentioned in the foregoing letter were actually in this predicament. But as there is always a possibility of it, it were well if the public were put in a condition of doing justice to these gentlemen. Also the manner and way in which the abovementioned deists were treated by the magistracy, after they had declared themselves as such, and laid claim to the general right of toleration that belongs to all men in religious matters? How their transposition to Transylvania was managed? How much or how little mildness or severity was shewn to them on that occasion? And what may have been the true cause why nothing farther has been heard of these people?-All these are questions, the circumstantial, impartial and authenticated answers to which are so much the more earnestly to be desired, as the whole of this transaction seems deserving, above a thousand others, of being preserved in the annals of mankind.

THE above remarks of Mr. Wieland are in general correct; but some of them are exposed to objections of a serious nature. Whenever the fanatic is permitted to plead the authority of heaven for any vicious actions which he may take it into his head to commit, the wholesome laws of the state are set at defiance, there is an end of moral virtue, and the tranquility of society is sure to be destroyed. As to making proselytes to any religion, if this be done by the efforts of reason, by persuasion and argument, without persecution, there can be no well founded objection to such an attempt. Mr. Wieland insinuates towards the close of

his remarks, that the extraordinary nature of this case of the Bohemian deists, is ground of suspicion relative to the truth of the facts which are stated. This remark may have some weight in it, and each reader will pass his judgment upon this affair according to his own views and apprehensions of the subject; but if it be extraordinary that some portion of the human race should throw off the shackles of superstition, it is still more extraordinary that almost the whole of the civilized world should permit itself to be subjected to the mandates and doctrines of kings and priests, drawn from the old and new testament, under pretence of its being of divine origin.

OF THE TOWER OF BABEL.

THE story of the tower of Babel is told in the eleventh chapter of Genesis. It begins thus." And the whole earth (it was but a very little part of it they knew) was of one language and of one speech.-And it came to pass as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of "Shinar and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick and burn them thoroughly, and "they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar."And they said, Go to, let us build us a city, and a tower "whose top may reach unto heaven, and let us make us 66 a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the "whole earth.-And the Lord came down to see the city "and the tower which the children of men builded.-And "the Lord said, behold the people is one, and they have "all one language, and this they begin to do, and now "nothing will be restrained from them which they have 66 imagined to do.-Go to, let us go down and there con"found their language, that they may not understand one "another's speech. So, (that is, by that means) the Lord "scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all “the earth, and they left off building the city.

This is the story, and a very foolish inconsistent story it is. In the first place, the familiar and irreverend manner in which the almighty is spoken of in this chapter, is offensive to a serious mind. As to the project of building a tower whose top should reach to heaven, there never could be people so foolish as to have such a notion; but to represent the Almighty as jealous of the attempt, as the writer of the

a