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LETTER TO THE PUBLISHERS.

What seems to enrich every portion of this little book, in which our author was called to contend with the continued revilings of a scoffer, is the clear tokens of a most kind and conciliatory spirit, that pervades the whole from beginning to end. True, we find occasionally a turn of pleasantry and rebuke that must appear in the light of no small expense to the author of the Age of reason, in the estimation of an enlightened public. Yet, in no instance, do we perceive an uncalled for and cruel reflection, or a mere biting sarcasm.

MESSRS. GIHON, FAIRCHILD & Co.,—I send | plain good sense, most happily adapted to you Mr. Winchester's Ten Letters, addressed supply the wants of the great mass of a readto Thomas Paine, in answer to his Pamphlet, ing community. entitled, The Age of Reason. This little book is a very rare one,-by far too much so, for one of its intrinsic worth. In all my travels, I have no recollection, that I have ever seen another copy of the same work. Mr. Winchester's Dialogues have been often published, while these letters, though a smaller work, have been long overlooked. Undoubtedly the principal reason of this, which has existed since the multiplication of books in our order, is the very fact, that they have not been known. Formerly, Universalists rarely published any book, except it embraced the then new and interesting topic of vindicating the final salvation of all men. These letters are not of this peculiar character. They go to vindicate Christianity as resting upon the basis of the sacred pages, without calling any aid from sectarian views. The Bible is made by them to speak its own language, and thus to become its own vindicator. While they embrace less philological criticism than Bishop Watson's Apology, addressed to the same Thomas Paine, they abound in a rich fund of

This little book has long been a resident in the family of my library. I now part with it for a similar motive that the house of Bethuel parted with their sister, Rebekah. Although I do not claim authority to pronounce upon it an equal prophetic blessing, my best wishes for its prosperity strongly mingle in that oriental hyperbole; "Be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them." SAMUEL C. LOVELAND.

Weston, Vt., Aug. 8, 1843.

1

ANSWER TO THE AGE OF REASON.

LETTER I.

SIR, I am very sorry that I have any occasion to take up the pen against such an able writer as you are; but having devoted the principal part of my life to the study, practice, and propagation of that religion, which you are pleased to style "fabulous theology," you must not be surprised at my attempting to vindicate it with the zeal and affection of a lover, who has found more real pleasure therein than in all other things.

If in this great, and to me infinitely important and interesting debate, I should gain any advantage over you, who are so far my superior in writing, it will evidently appear to be owing to the goodness of my cause, and the more extensive knowledge of the Bible that I have attained beyond what you possess. If you had known the Scriptures better, I am persuaded that you would never have attempted to represent them in the ridiculous light that you have done.

As your book, called "The Age of Reason," &c. is wrote in a miscellaneous manner, I have chosen the form of letters to communicate my thoughts to you and the public upon the several subjects therein treated of.

In this first letter I shall endeavour to show, that the ideas of the infinite wisdom, power, goodness and mercy of God, which you profess to learn from the great book of the creation, I am able to learn, even from the New Testament which you treat with so much contempt. And I shall also, in some of these letters, prove (I hope to your satisfaction) that there is abundance more said in the Bible respecting the Deity and his works, than you are willing to allow for in order to render that book of very little importance, you affect to represent that there is little or nothing in it respecting those subjects, except in the 19th Psalm and some chapters of the book of Job. But I am apt to think, that you would never have had the tenth part of the knowledge of the Divine perfections that you have, if you had never read the Bible; for those who are without the knowledge of that despised book appear, as far as we can learn, to be almost totally ignorant of the true God, his glorious character, and his amiable perfections. I shall begin with your very extraordinary assertion, given out in these words: "I recollect not a single passage ascribed to the men called Apostles, that conveys any idea of what God is. The only passage that occurs to me, that has any reference to the works of God, by which only his wisdom and power can be known, is related to have been spoken by Jesus Christ, as a remedy against distrustful care: Behold the lilies of the field, they toil not, neither do they spin.' This however is

far inferior to the allusions in Job, and in the 19th Psalm; but it is familiar in idea, and the modesty of the imagery is correspondent to the modesty of the man."

How could you have forgotten that most beautiful and sublime passage in Acts xvii. 24-29, delivered by St. Paul to the Athenians: "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands: neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needeth any thing, seeing he giveth to all life and breath and all things: and hath made of one blood all nations of men, to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: for in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain of your own poets have said, for we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art or man's device." And in the beginning of his epistle to the Romans, he mentions the works of creation, and observes that God may be known thereby, as follows: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unright eousness. Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God hath show ed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead: so that they are without excuse. Because that when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools; and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things," &c. Rom. i. 18-23. It is a well known and melancholy fact, that all the nations who have had only the book of creation to read, have been gross idolators, or stupid Atheists; and generally extremely vicious in their mor als: their horrid crimes are mentioned by St. Paul in the subsequent part of this chapter, and he shows that God justly "gave them up to uncleanness, because they changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen." Ver. 24, 25.

In the book of the Revelations which you call a book of riddles, there may be found sev eral beautiful expressions relating to God and

His works, as chap. iv. 11: "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." Chap. xvi. 7. Fear God, and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." Chap. xix. 1. Alleluia; salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God."

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Ver. 5, 6. "Praise our God, all ye His servants, and ye that fear Him, both small and great, Alleluia; for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth."

The Apostle John in his first epistle, gives us the most beautiful idea of what God is, that can possibly be expressed or conceived. 1 John iv. 8. "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."

Ver. 16. "And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him."

And again, "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all." Chap. i. 5.

And the apostle James gives us a number of just ideas concerning God and His perfection in his short epistle.

Chap. i. 5. "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him."

Ver. 13. "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man," &c.

Ver. 17. "Every good gift, and every perfect gift, is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."

Ver. 20. "For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God."

Ver. 27. "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father, is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."

In fine, this whole epistle of James is one of the most excellent systems of true religion that can be written; such ideas of God, and such choice morals, such principles of genuine liberty, equality, the rights of man, kind ness, liberality, the noblest benevolence, threatenings against tyrants and oppressors and encouragements to those who are patient sufferers, &c. &c. of which this epistle is full, might have secured this part of sacred writ at least from the odium you have attempted to pour upon the volume at large; and especially as in this epistle there is no mention of what you call that gloomy subject of a man dying in agony on a cross. But finding this book in the Bible, you are determined to despise it among the rest; though had it been written by the brightest genius now on earth, it would have been applauded as a master-piece.

But above all, how could you represent my Lord and Master Jesus Christ in such a contemptible point of light, as you have done in the quotation above recited? I will endea

respect, by citing a specimen a little more at large than you have done, of His noble discourses against distrustful care, and of the divine benevolence exercised towards all His works: and though the generality of my readers would only need that I should refer to the passages, yet as you declare that you keep no Bible, I shall transcribe some texts for your conviction and instruction; for if there is any reference to the power, wisdom, and goodness of God in the only passage that occurred to you, as spoken by Jesus Christ, "Behold the lilies of the field, they tonhot, neither do they spin," what is there in the following discourse? St. Matt. vi. 25-34:

"Therefore I say unto you, Take no (anxious) thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air; for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye much better than they? Which of you, by taking thought, can add one cubit (or even a hair's breadth) unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore, take no (anxious) thought, saying, What shall we eat? or what shall we drink? or wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek;) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the (present) day is the evil thereof." And therefore we should not borrow or anticipate the troubles of the following day, for that will always make our load of grief twice as heavy as otherwise it would be.

And again in chap. x. he teaches his disciples the most excellent lessons of contentment, wisdom, innocence, fortitude, resignation, trust in God, patience, resolution, and all the genuine and patriotic virtues that ever adorned the greatest soul of the most renowned heroes. How could you have ever read that chapter without being charmed with it? It is one of the most excellent, animating, and encouraging harangues that ever was made by a general to his soldiers. All low and mean pursuits and passions are here forbid den, such as love of wealth, fame, wordly or sensual pleasure, and that most cowardly passion, the fear of man. He inspires them with that noble contempt of even life itself when it comes in competition with things of vast importance, which all true patriots feel when they boldly meet death for the good of mankind. I can hardly do justice to this most animating discourse, without reciting

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