of

daring and odious nature, is disseminated, both covertly and openly, when its poison is designedly poured into the cup the ignorant poor, to whom especially the Gospel was intended to be preached, is no hand to be lifted up to prevent the venom reaching their lips? We have seen, with amazement, the disseminators of such vulgar and execrable ribaldry countenanced, fostered, and supported by men of high rank, who personally are characters of excellence in their moral and religious sentiments, but who did not distinguish between religion and politics, and who deemed a punishment of blasphemy to be an attack upon the freedom of man, and an arbitrary exercise of power. Is there no difference between opposing the tenets of a church, and a satanic attack upon the very word of God? It may be argued, that, if we leave the blasphemers without any attempt to suppress or punish them, they will either sink into oblivion, or desist from vending

their empoisoned works. The experiment has been tried, and time given for repentance, and a change of their system: but have they changed? have they repented? On the contrary, the black flood has continued to pour in torrents; it is true, we cannot prevent the malevolence of the tempter from continuing in operation on mankind, but we are expressly told to "resist the devil and he will flee from you." Ought we not then to resist his imps and his agents? Is such resistance to be deemed persecution, and a denial of the right of private judgment? How manifestly erroneous is such an idea! it is perfectly confounding the two totally different things, power and right: every one has the power of vilifying his sovereign, and insulting his God; but no one has the right to do so. Every man in this country may, without impediment, entertain his own peculiar opinions as to religion, and even his open declarations are permitted: but an Atheist belongs to no sect, but the

sect of the devil.

As long as the serpent remains coiled up in his den, and only hisses without darting his sting, and without pouring forth his poison, even he may remain unmolested by human laws, till the day of his final doom. Few will deny the propriety and necessity of punishing treason against an earthly monarch, and shall treason against the Almighty King of Heaven pass with impunity? If you argue that, because God declares " 'vengeance is mine," we should not pursue the Atheist by human laws, but leave him to his Divine Judge, I would agree with you, if he were a silent Atheist; but it is not a question as to the individual, it is a public question. The more numerous part of the community are endangered by the tongue and the writings of the blasphemer; our laws do not act with a spirit of vengeance on the wretched criminal, but are enforced to protect the ignorant from the contagion; their minds being nearly of the

nature of a tabula rasa, are open to any impression, and are led to the mistaken notion, that to defy the laws of God and man is the mark of a hero, and not of a villain. The punishment of death on the murderer is by all admitted to be just: if capital punishment is inflicted on him who "kills the body, and after that has no more that he can do," are the laws to sleep, and not endeavour to restrain those whose every effort is made to "kill the soul," whose joy it appears to instil sentiments which, if imbibed, must infallibly "cast both body and soul into hell?" For what purpose is any government established? St. Peter will tell you, that "the Lord has appointed it for the punishment of evil-doers, and for the praise of them that do well." I may also add, it is for the protection of the helpless and the innocent against daring violence of every kind, and nothing can be more daring or detrimental than the dissemination of infidelity and blasphemy, This prepares

the train for anarchy, this contains "fire under deceitful ashes;" but, unless that secret fire is extinguished, it is calculated, and indisputably intended, to reduce every beneficial institution, and the whole fabric of the Constitution in Church and State, to revolutionary dust and ashes. Paley, with great truth, asserts, that "nothing has so great an effect to prevent the formation and growth of religious sentiments in young minds, as levity and ridicule on religious subjects, or upon subjects connected with religion. The practice of it is highly to be blamed, and productive of great mischief: those who use it must be totally destitute of religious feeling and respect for their Maker. those who hear it have that concern for religion which they ought to have, they will be inwardly shocked and offended by the levity with which they hear it treated; if they have not, it will prove that they never looked upon religion with that awe and veneration, which are due to it, and

If