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rience, the cause of passions, he will be subject to hope, fear, joy, sorrow, and all the train of pleasurable and painful emotions which alternately elate and depress the spirits of all other sentient organized beings. I might pursue the argument much farther but as no Theist or Christian will be content with a deity, shorn of his infinity, I will for the present close the discussion.

Whether Mr. H. will rejoin or not to these remarks, is a matter which I must leave to himself. I wish the controversy to be continued both for the information of myself and those persons who may feel interested in the subject. And though my engagements are, I belive as imperative as those of my antagonist, I do not hesitate to promise that while I have opportunity, I will not fail to give his future observations, if any appear, my early consideration and notice,

I am, Sir,
yours respectfully,
LEUCIPPUS.

Note. In conjuction with the foregoing masterly reply and complete refutation of Mr. Heineken's arguments for an intelligent and all designing deity, I will notice, for the satisfaction of my Bradford Friends, that their last subscription never came to hand, so as to admit of an acknowledgement: though I have not a doubt but that it was accidentally lost, lost too in a parcel for which we recovered the value, as far, at the time, as we knew its value, not knowing that it contained a parcel with cash. The circumstance was this. The subscription was very properly entrusted to Mr. Smithson of Leeds. He had two parcels to send to London, this from Bradford with other monies, and one to go round to Sheffield by our Sheffield Parcel. He inadvertently tied both together, and the directions of the wrong on the outside, so that the whole was forwarded to Sheffield; and in going to Sheffleld from London the Hope Coach lost all its parcels. We are certain of this, as we had the same account from Nottingham, and recovered for both, as far as we knew the value at the time. There was also a subscription for the men in Newgate and others from other parts of Yorkshire. The total of cash was from 6 to 7£. We all feel under equal obligations to the subscribers, as if it had come safe. It is one of those accidents in the business of life which Mr. Heinekin's God has very badly managed, or does not well look after, even with reference to his idolators.

R. C.

TO MR. R. CARLILE, DORCHESTER GAOL.

DEAR SIR,

BEING an admirer of your principles, of course, a reader of the Republican, I may add, a staunch Atheist, I beg leave to inform you of a circumstance which has taken place in Enfield Town on Sunday 21st August last. A religious and merciless monster, in the shape of a human animal, named William Heath, wilfully and maliciously and with intent, came out of his house to his gate, which is about four feet high,and cut over with a horse-whip-handle at a little boy not seven years of age. The weal which he caused, began on the crown of the boy's head and extended downwards, laying open the cheek and neck just before the ear, to the length of four or five inches. The blood ran down on the child's shirt frill, from a wound completely deprived of skin, more than half an inch wide.

The father, D. Beauchamp, complained to Heath of treating a child in so brutish a manner, who said, he would learn them to keep away from his premises.

The father took his complaint to a magistrate, Peter Hardy, Esq. of the town, which gave rise to a few singular observations on your name and principles, which I will state as correctly as I can.

On the Monday following, the worthy magistrate summoned W. Heath to appear before him at seven o'clock P. M., which he was unable to do, in consequence of coming home abominably drunk about six o'clock. He apologized the next morning (Tuesday) and promised to attend in the evening at seven o'clock.

All parties being present, the magistrate began by stating to Heath the charge against him, which he did not deny. Of course, Mr. Hardy informed him that he must find bail for the sessions or satisfy the parties injured.

Heath said, I will not give one farthing; for Beauchamp only wants to extort money from me. Mr. Hardy observed:-Beauchamp has not asked any as yet, nor do I know what he will require; but I should expect to pay a sovereign at least, for such an assault.

Heath replied, not a farthing, Sir, and produced two housekeepers as his bail, Mr. Carter and Mr. Valentine. Carter privately informed Heath, that Beauchamp was an Atheist and did not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Heath instantly acquainted his worship of it, and thought it right that Beauchamp should be examined as to his belief in the Christian doctrine.

Mag. Beauchamp, do you believe in the book you have in your hand?

Beau. What do you mean by belief your worship?

Mag. That book is the Testament, and do you believe it contains a true account of the birth, life and death of Christ, and that he is the son of God, who laid down his life to save us from hell?

Beau. As much as I know of it to be true, so much I believe.

Mag. As much as I know to be true?

Beau. Your worship, do you wish me to swear that that book is all truth? So help me God, I will not; for I know nothing of the author that wrote it.

Mag. Do you believe that the History of England is true?

Beau. I know no more than I read about tyrant kings and slavish subjects.

Mag. Do you believe those king's did exist at the time mentioned?

Beau. It is possible that they did; but I merely give credit to the name of the author of the work. I know nothing, whether he was a whig, a tory, or a radical; therefore, I cannot tell which way he might have leaned. But, your worship, I do know George the Fourth, I have seen him, and I hope for protection from one of the magistrates appointed under him; or am I to understand, that an Atheist cannot be protected in this country?

Mag. I will endeavour to make you understand how the law stands on that point, Beauchamp. In the first place, you complain against Mr. Heath, and if you do not believe in the existence of a God, how can I swear you? How shall I take hold of your faith? And, as the law begins to act from the oath of the plaintiff, I must dismiss the defendant unless you say you are a Christian.

Beau. Then, your worship, I must imagine a something out of nothing and call it a God, although I cannot define one letter of the word; or be an unprotected subject of his Majesty.

Mag. What religion are you, Beauchamp? Are you a Christian?

Beau. I was born and brought up a Christian.

Mag. What reason have you Mr. Carter or Mr. Heath, to suppose he is not a Religionist?

Carter. One evening, in close conversation with Mr. Beauchamp, he seemed to object to all the prodigious or miraculous parts of the Gospel, and said, they were not sufficiently explained for him to rely on them for his salvation; but, as he was at all times a learner, he most willingly gathered information from every person he talked to.

Mag. Did you say he denied the Gospel, Mr. Carter? Carter.-No, your worship; but he seemed not to believe it, or I thought so.

Mag. Do you know any thing about him, Mr. Heath? Heath. I know, Sir, that he often works of a Sunday, mending his carts and harness, and neither his wife nor he has been to church since they have been my neighbours.

Beau. That is a very poor observation, Heath, of my breaking the Sabbath, when you know I have seen you, many times cleaning your horse and harness and stable. And on Sunday last, you reached over your gate, and, with a horse whip, broke the sabbath and the peace too of our Sovereign Lord the King, by inflicting a dreadful wound on my infant son, you psalm singer!

Mag. As for working on the Sunday, Mr. Heath, I make an allowance for him. He is a poor man, and if he happens to break any of his implements of trade, on the Saturday, he is justifiable in repairing, in order to be able to pursue his vocation on the Monday, as he has a large family to support and bears an excellent character. I have never heard any person say that he neglected his duty as a father.

Beau. It may be thought, Sir, a presuming declaration that I am about to make; but I will here, before your worship, make a fair challange to any person, who can lay a charge of immorality against me for the last 20 years or more, of my time, so I will take a text out of your gospel book, that you may be able to judge between Heath and me "by their fruits ye shall know them."

Mag. Yes, it is possible to be a moral man, and yet not to believe the gospel.

Beau. I think, your worship, that my neighbours have no right to find fault with my principles, as I put it out of their power to show me disorderly or unneighbourly.

Mag. O yes! they have an undoubted right to call in question your religious opinions, while you dwell among

them, for their own safety1; for, in my opinion, it is impossible that a man can be a good man unless he is a religious man, and that a christian too.

Beau. Your worship, suppose I was to say that I was a Jew. The Jews do not beleive in the Lord Jesus Christ, as Heath does; they believe in Jehovah.

- Mag.--Well, then I should swear them on the Bible, which would be sufficiently binding to them; but to swear that fellow, Carlile, or any of his opinions on the holy scriptures, would be of no use; for that Carlile is a fellow, if I could have my will of him, I would sweep him off the earth? Some of those fellows would stamp the Bible underfoot, What company do you keep Beauchamp? Do you know that Bickley in Blue Buildings? He denies the Bible and Testament too. The other day, Mrs, Bickley, his wife, came to me to lay a complaint against a person, and, before I took her oath, I asked her if she believed in the gospel. She said she did; but that her husband did not believe a word of it.

Beau. Your worship, I never identify myself with any sect or party; neither at prayer meetings nor love feasts, but I am always free to join in conversation with any man, who appears to have intellect to advance any thing of useful knowledge. I never saw Mr. Carlile, but I have heard that he is a very good mau.

-

Mag. A good man! Why sometime back, I recollect seeing some of his blasphemous publications, where it said that God Almighty was a fool, to damn the whole human race for no other crime than the eating of an apple3.

--

Beau. That, Sir, is an observation of Mr. Paine's, which Mr. Carlile published in the account of his Mock Tria! for selling the Age of Reason; and since that, I have been very shy of praising Christianity, lest I should be laughed at by the sensible part of the people. Sir James Macintosh says, in his pamphlet, that the people stand in no need of Church

'And why has not Beauchamp a right to call theirs in question?

R. C. 2 Mr. Hardy would not repeat that after an hours conversation with Carlile, and I invite him to coine and try it, promising him as much civility, at least, as he shewed to Mr. Beauchamp.

R. C.

3 I save myself from all such ridiculous expressions or arguments, by showing that there is no god almighty with capacities to play any such pranks. If there were such a god, I would endeavour to make him wiser,

R. C.

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