A consequence, it would be blasphemous to charge upon Truth or Reason. And having, from my childhood, detested the moral cowardice, so well exemplified in its character and consequences, by the fictitious Jonah, on the one hand; and, on the other, equally idolized the moral courage of the Hebrew Daniel, in whom this attribute is made so godly and momentous, as that miracles were reputedly performed to save the subject of so magnanimous a soul.

Hence, I resolved upon the hazard of a publication, in the form of a letter, or rather a series of letters, to the reverend solicitor; and which had made considerable progress toward its conclusion, when I was interrogated on behalf of some dozens of my friends, whether I would address them in a course of public lectures, upon the questions I had essayed to discuss in the letter series.

No other objector appearing, than that ignominious huzzy, who seduced Jonah to take lodgings in the stomach of a whale; and she being annihilated by a single scowl, the recollection of Daniel developed, my consent was given; and the letters adopted as the basis of the following essays, into which they were very conveniently transformed. And being subsequently solicited for the manuscript for publication, this little volume has come out to testify to my courtesy, sincerity and moral courage.

These lectures, though originating in specific inquiries, and therefore appearing to claim the character of specific answers, were nevertheless written, under the assumption of a general license, and are, there

fore, designedly, rather elicitations to theological inquiry than solutions of numerous and reputedly mysterious problems. I would that every individuat should not only have opinions upon all subjects of human interest, but that they should be sanctioned by Reason and justified by truth. And however harshly custom and expediency may growl at such opinions, as innovations upon hereditary rights, Experience, Posterity and Nature will ultimately and cheerfully accord their approbation!

One consideration, however, inore than any other, which has embarrassed both the oral and typographical announcement of my peculiar dogmas, is that most plausible of all stupefactives to the genius of innovation, viz., that the present state of opinions and practices should not be unsettled upon any other prinprinciple, than that of the offer of a more valuable substitute.

Justice and generosity, both, emphatically demand a strict observance of this rule, whenever it falls within the power of the agent: And yet there are so many exceptions, as to embarrass, essentially, the authority of the rule; especially where one hypothesis is to be contested by another; and where Facts refrain, as much as possible, from giving evidence.

This embarrassment is at length overcome by the settled conviction, that Theology is not only a fiction, but that were it otherwise, it would be a dark and profitless subject for human contemplation;belonging as it does exclusively to God and his spiritual providence; and one that He would scarcely thank his creatures, for

assisting Him to manage. Beside, it seems most irrefragible, that Morality, the very Genius, Christ, or Savior, of Society, has been slandered, disparaged and trodden upon by this cloven-footed, leaden-headed progeny of Barbarism, until the very heart of Reason should burst with indignation. But so long as Ethics shall remain subordinate to a decrepid, fictitious Spiritualism, it will continue to be starved and scourged into a degraded dwarfishness and imbecility, wherein it vainly attempts to repel the indignities its effeminacy has elicited. Yes, whilst Ethics, which, with proper nourishment and care, is competent to rear the standard of literal salvation is destructively neglected, Theology is petted, for its fallacious promises of a future fiction.

Now, if Theology is a fiction, it is, at least, a waste of thought to contemplate it, and its influence must, after all the expense of its support, be nugatory or mischievous; hence the demand for a substitute needs not to be recognized. To reflect upon any thing that is, must be preferable to reflecting upon nothing at all. But, if it is not a fiction, it has both God and Nature to support it, and hence defies subversion.

Thus, is the Reader, not quite unceremoniously, introduced to our legitimate, dogmatical and hypothetical progeny, from which, as he cannot fail to observe, a foot, at least, has been amputated, for the convenience of the Printer; and perhaps not less to the satisfaction of the Reader; since, whatever lessens a deformity, proportionally improves it.

THE AUTHOR.

DOGMAS OF INFIDELITY.

Nature is an uncreated, indivisible and unlimited system of matter and functionality; whose eternity is no more difficult to admit, than that of an antecedent creator: Nor is humanity competent to acquire an earlier idea of things, than that which is expressed by the term, formation! Thus, when it is said that a thing is made, nothing more can be understood, than that a portion of preexisting material has assumed a new arrangement of its parts, or atoms, denominated, accurately, a new formation, but much more frequently, miscalled a new creation!

The idea of God is identical with that of ultimate causality, of which no other knowledge can be obtained, than that of its logical necessity, as a termination of all philosophic inquiry; and appears to be insusceptible of any better definition, than that it is another name for ignorance: For God is never referred to, whilst any apprehensible, specific cause remains available. And were there a God, detached from matter, with the attribute we call intelligence, in an infinite degree, the continuance of his being, beyond the pe

riod of a single thought, would be entirely nugatory. Suppose a God, such as it may be thought Christianity hath assumed, and Plato's brain engendered of ultimate causality personified; and, subsequently, endowed with that trinity of attributes, called wisdom, power and goodness, so indispensable to such a character! Can there be a doubt, that wisdom, such as God's, and called of men omnisciency, would scan successfully, the laws and their relationship, by which a world's phenomena were intended to be governed; or that a single thought would settle their arrangement? And who believes, that more than one determination of omnipotence, would be required to put those laws in operation?-Is God immutable?-He, therefore, would not modify his own decrees!-Is he omnipotent?-No other power could do it!—And hence, the supervisionship of such a God, would be as nugatory, as the idea of his being is fallacious!

Were it not an undefinable causality, of which mankind has wrought its deity; that dogma, without the aid of superhuman revelation, could never have become so universal as it has been; and doubtless would not have been acquired at all!-Hence, the universality of the idea of God is applicable only to such a principle; and not at all to that discrepancy of attributes, with which a diverse human fancy has endowed its personification.

Notwithstanding the existence of matter, like that of God, has readily obtained universal belief, it is, nevertheless, a problem, whose truth can never be demonstrated. It is, naturally, deducible from the ideas