,,church ,,reform3  ,,the ,,only ,,means
 ,,to ,,that ,,end1 ,,stated ,,in ,a    
,,letter ,,to ,sir ,,robert ,,peel1     
,bart4 ,,first ,,lord ,,of ,,the        
,,treasury1 c4  ,by ,richard ,carlile4  
,,to ,,which ,,is ,,prefaced ,a         
,,correspondence ,,with ,,the ,,bishop  
,,of ,,london ,,on ,,the ,,same         
,,subject4  ,london3  ,,printed         
,,published4 ,by ,r4 ,,carlile1 #fb     
,,fleet ,,street4     ,,preface4        
,,correspondence ,,with ,,the ,,bishop  
,,of ,,london1 ,,in #ahcc1 ,,on ,,the   
,,subject ,,of ,a ,,reform ,,in ,,the   
,,church4  ,to the ,right ,reverend     
,father in ,god1 the ,lord ,bishop of   
,london4  #fb1 ,fleet ,street1 ,november
 #ah1ahcc4  ,my ,lord1  ,i have long and
 deliberately thought1 that the state of
 the ,country1 the state of the ,church1
 and the state of the ,public ,mind in  
relation to the ,church1 calls upon me  
to offer myself for an interview with   
your ,lordship1 as my ,diocesan1 that   
your ,lordship may hear from me what ,i 

have to advance against the present     
state and condition of the ,church1 and 
what ,i have to propose as an           
immediately necessary and proper        
,reform4  ,i offer to wait on your      
,lordship1 with your ,lordship's        
consent2 and promise1 that my           
conversation shall be altogether        
courteous and reasonable4  ,i am one of 
your ,lordship's scattered sheep1       
wishing for the fold of a good          
shepherd1--7which is ,christ ,jesus71-- 
,,richard ,,carlile4  ,p4 ,s4--,i may   
add1 my ,lord ,bishop1 that ,i am       
altogether a ,christian2 save the mark  
at which superstition has been planted  
upon ,christianity4   9999999999        
,fulham1 ,november #bj1ahcc4  ,sir1  ,i 
have to acknowledge the receipt of your 
letter1 in which you propose an         
interview with me1 for the purpose of   
making known to me your opinions        
respecting the present state of the     
,church4  ,i beg to say1 that ,i shall  
be ready to receive1 and to give all due

 consideration to any communication     
which you may think proper to make me in
 writing2 as being1 on many accounts1 a 
more convenient method than that of     
personal conference4  ,i remain1 ,sir1  
,your obedient ,servant1  ,c4 ,j4       
,,london4   9999999999   ,to the ,right 
,reverend ,father in ,god1 the ,lord    
,bishop of ,london4  #fb1 ,fleet        
,street1 ,november #bd1ahcc4  ,my ,lord 
,bishop1  ,in answer to my proposal to  
meet your ,lordship in conversation1 on 
the state of the ,country1 the state of 
the ,church1 and the state of the       
,public ,mind with relation to the      
,church1 your ,lordship has encouraged  
me to write what ,i have to say1 and has
 promised to receive it and to give it  
due consideration4 ,i write as early as 
my circumstances have afforded me the   
necessary leisure and composure of mind4
  ,the first point to which ,i beg leave
 to call your ,lordship's attention     
is--that there is a very numerous degree
 of dissent from the ,established       

,church among the people of this        
country4  ,the second point is1 that    
this spirit of dissent has led to a very
 extended opposition to the support of  
the ,church in its fiscal claims4  ,the 
third point is1 that there is a         
preparation of a public mind going      
forward for the putting of the present  
,established ,church on the same footing
 as the present ,establishments of the  
,dissenters--the footing of voluntary   
rather than legal support2 and that the 
preparation of this state of mind is    
accelerated by the embarrassed state of 
the country4  ,the evidence of these    
three points in prospect is1 that the   
present state of the ,church will be    
entirely overthrown in the course of two
 or three ,sessions of ,parliament4  ,on
 the principle of dissent from the      
,established ,church1 ,i have to        
observe1 that it is desirable there     
should be no dissent2 but then the      
,church should be invulnerable4 ,there  
can be no popular dissent from any      

,institution that can be defended as    
good and best2 and though ,i am         
instructed to allow that the general    
body of dissenters from the ,church have
 dissented on very frivolous1 even on   
indefensible grounds1 7inasmuch as the  
,dissenters have not corrected in       
themselves the errors of the ,church71  
there still remains the proof that where
 the ,church has been assailed or       
dissented from1 it has not been in a    
condition to defend and justify itself4 
,this incapability of the ,church to    
defend and justify itself1 where        
assailed1 must have arisen from a       
defective state of its doctrine and     
discipline4  ,this doctrine and         
discipline is founded upon the literal  
reading of the ,sacred ,scriptures1 or  
the books of the ,old and ,new          
,testament4  ,i impugn the literal as an
 erroneous reading3 it claims to be     
local and temporal history1 and is not4 
,not one of its apparent historical     
subjects can be verified4 ,every one of 

them can be falsified1 upon the         
principle that other things were being  
done at the time1 and that other people 
dwelt in the places2 and that nothing of
 contemporary character1 purporting to  
be history1 has corroborated the        
historical claims of the ,old and ,new  
,testament4  ,it is said of the writings
 of the ,old and ,new ,testament1 that  
they are allegorical1 and that they     
contain the moral of human salvation    
from evil4 ,under this view1 they may be
 true1 and may be important as a matter 
of instruction4 ,i so believe them to be
 true1 and to be important as a matter  
of instruction2 but as your ,lordship   
may put me on the task of mentioning    
some particular facts and grounds on    
which ,i impugn the literal reading of  
the ,sacred ,scriptures1 and may        
properly suggest that it is necessary   
this ground should be first cleared     
before we try them on the other ground1 
,i submit1 as two well-weighed and      
conclusive propositions3--  #ast4 ,that 

the person of ,jesus ,christ1 or the    
name1 is not in mention by any author of
 the first century1 if the passage in   
,josephus be excepted as an             
interpolation2 and that this defect in  
the evidence is fatal to the historical 
claim4  #bnd4 ,that the people called   
,jews1 or ,israelites1 neither formed   
colony nor nation in that part of the   
earth which is now called ,judea1 or    
,holy ,land1 before the time of         
,alexander of ,macedon2 consequently all
 that is said of their dwelling in and  
going out of ,egypt1 their sojourn in   
the ,wilderness1 their warfare with the 
,canaanites and ,philistines1 their     
occupation of that country1 their       
subsequent conquest1 captivity1 and     
restoration1 is entirely fiction or     
allegory4  ,i read it as political and  
moral instruction veiled in allegory    
and as it is to be desired1 that1 in the
 removal of a system1 all its defects be
 made apparent1 so it becomes a         
desideratum1 that we account for the    

origin of the sects named ,jews and     
,christians4  ,this may be done in two  
ways---one1 that they were public       
philosophical sects2 the other1 that    
they were degrees of order in the       
ancient mysteries4  ,the moral of the   
allegory belonging to each is throughout
 the same1 and is an encouragement to   
the resistance and overthrow of the     
tyranny of man1 when it appears in the  
open authority of a ,king1 or in the    
covert authority of a ,priest2 and the  
preparing of a people to do this1 and   
the doing it1 is precisely what is meant
 by human salvation1--which is a sure   
and certain salvation from earthly      
evils4  ,the absence of a proof of      
personal identity in the characters     
sketched in the ,old and ,new           
,testament1 is the presence of proof 7if
 utility of any kind there be in the    
form of the allegory71 that the persons 
mentioned are like what all the gods and
 goddesses of ancient religion          
were--personifications of principles1   

either physical or moral1 or both4  ,in 
so receiving the ,scriptures of the ,old
 and ,new ,testament1 ,i find them      
pregnant with the most important        
political and moral instruction4 ,in    
receiving them according to the literal 
or historical reading1 ,i find          
difficulties insuperable1 and such as   
justify all that ,thomas ,paine or any  
other straightforward critic has        
advanced on the subject1 while the moral
 and the allegory were concealed from   
their view4  ,the point at which this   
personification of principles begins1 is
 the point at which superstition begins2
 for though knowledge may justify the   
poetic licence taken with language1     
ignorance mistakes and evil design      
misrepresents1 until the personification
 is extensively dwelt on as a reality4  
,here ,i trace the fundamental errors of
 the present doctrine and discipline of 
the ,established ,church2 the errors    
upon which dissent has progressed1 upon 
which an outcry of infidelity has been  

raised1 but upon which the ,church could
 not defend itself and maintain its     
position4  ,my remedy for the present   
difficulties1 and my proposition  for a 
,reform in the ,church is1 that no      
difficulties1 mysteries1 or superstition
 be allowed to remain attached to its   
doctrines and discipline2 that the      
allegory of the ,sacred ,scriptures be  
avowed1 the personifications taught upon
 their principles as known principles of
 nature1 and not as personified         
incomprehensibilities2 that the ,church1
 in short1 be made a school for the     
people1 than which1 if it originally    
meant any good thing1 could mean no     
other thing1 where from time to time all
 acquired or acquirable knowledge should
 be taught4 ,on this ground1 the utility
 of the ,institution is evident1 the    
benefit to the people certain1 the idea 
of dissent inadmissible4  ,in this first
 letter1 ,i have thought it necessary   
only to give your ,lordship the leading 
points of objection to the present      

doctrine and discipline of the ,church4 
,with details in proof1 ,i can proceed  
to a voluminous length2 and ,i now offer
 myself to submit to the catechism of   
your ,lordship1 or to that of any person
 whom your ,lordship shall appoint to   
see me1 with the distinct promise1 that 
,i will not evade the giving of a direct
 answer to any distinct and intelligible
 question that can be put to me upon any
 part of this important subject4  ,it   
may not be improper that ,i now declare 
to your ,lordship1 that1 after having   
worn out the spirit of persecution by a 
large amount of personal and pecuniary  
suffering1 ,i have never been acting    
upon any other motive than a love of    
truth1 and honesty1 and public good2    
that it is under such a motive1 and no  
other mixed motive1 that ,i have now    
presented myself to your ,lordship1     
viewing your ,lordship as a public      
functionary that has inherited and not  
created the error of which ,i complain2 
and hoping that ,i shall be met with the

 disposition of a fair investigation1   
when so much good is at this moment the 
promised consequence1  ,i am1 ,my ,lord1
  ,your ,lordship's most obedient humble
 servant1  ,,richard ,,carlile4         
,,letter ,,to ,,sir ,,robert ,,peel     
,sir1  ,i write as a politician to a    
politician1 with oblivion of the past1  
without any profession of respect for   
the present1 waiting and watching your  
future4  ,i am stimulated to address    
you1 and the country through your name1 
on reading your ,address to the         
,electors of ,tamworth1 after taking the
 offices of ,first ,lord of the         
,treasury and ,chancellor of the        
,exchequer4  ,the portion of your       
,address which ,i select as my subject1 
is that relating to the ,church--the    
first of all political subjects4 ,not to
 understand how to deal with this1 is to
 be utterly deficient in every other    
political branch4 ,not to reform this1  
is to reform nothing4 ,state ever did1  
and ever will1 depend upon the ,church4 

,as far as your individual promise is   
sufficient1 it is1 that ,church ,rates  
shall be abolished4 ,this is so far     
good4 ,it has been a disgrace to all    
parties concerned1 and an injury to     
every housekeeper1 that a ,church ,rate 
has existed4 ,such a rate has existed   
only because of the dishonest           
application of that ,church ,property   
which was the legitimate supply for all 
,church ,buildings and repairs4 ,and    
should the rate be continued under any  
other form of taxation1 and not supplied
 from existing ,church ,property1 an    
injury and an injustice will still be   
inflicted upon the people4  ,you seem   
willing to abate the religious ceremony 
of marriage1 so far as to allow each    
couple to let it be to its liking4 ,pray
 go a step farther1 and let the law     
cease to trammel that civil contract    
with religious ceremony1 while each     
couple will be at liberty of its own    
accord to go through whatever religious 
ceremony it may think proper4 ,and while

 on this subject1 ,i pray you to give1  
or seek for the poor1 justice in facile 
divorce4 ,the mystery of marriage is too
 sacred for constraint4 ,it should never
 be other than a spirit of pure and     
mutual liberty and consent1 subject to  
some legal recognition for the care of  
offspring4 ,much of the morals of       
society must depend on the freedom of   
marriage and facility of divorce4 ,we   
have not hitherto been right on this    
subject4 ,that can be no good tie which 
opposes the will of an individual in so 
sacred and delicate an affair as that of
 marriage4 ,the beginning1 middle1 and  
end of marriage should be the love of   
affection and friendship4 ,marriage     
should cease when affection between the 
parties has ceased4 ,it may be truly    
added1 that marriage has morally ceased1
 when affection has ceased4 ,then the   
legal tie becomes an abomination1 a     
source of vice and wrong2 and1 in nine  
cases out of ten1 the religious ceremony
 is treated as a burlesque1 save the    

idea1 that it is a fashionable          
distinction to have observed it as the  
chief criterion of legal marriage4  ,i  
entirely agree with you1 that ,church   
,property should not be alienated from  
strictly ecclesiastical purposes4 ,i    
have changed my view1 and see more than 
formerly on this head4  ,for the same   
reason1 ,i entirely disagree with you on
 any commutation of tithes4 ,let the    
original application be restored1 and no
 one will find fault but he who loses by
 that just principle1 that first and    
best of ,church ,property and most      
important of popular rights4  ,the      
point1 in your address1 on which my     
letter is to be based1 is the following 
paragraph3--  ,with regard to           
alterations in the laws which govern our
 ecclesiastical establishment1 ,i have  
had no recent opportunity of giving that
 grave consideration to a subject of the
 deepest interest1 which could alone    
justify me in making any public         
declaration of opinion4 ,it is a subject

 which must undergo the fullest         
deliberation1 and into that deliberation
 the ,government will enter with the    
sincerest desire to remove every abuse  
that can impair the efficiency of the   
,establishment1 extend the sphere of its
 usefulness1 and to strengthen and      
confirm its just claims upon the respect
 and affections of the people4  ,this is
 just what ,i wanted you to say4 ,it is 
honest1 if you will but act up to it4   
,this is the sort of ,church ,reform    
that ,i propose4 ,here we have from you1
 as the ,chief ,minister1 a promise that
 your ,administration will enter into   
the fullest deliberation1 with the      
sincerest desire to remove every abuse  
that can impair the efficiency of the   
,church ,establishment1 extend the      
sphere of its usefulness1 and strengthen
 and confirm its just claims upon the   
respect and affections of the people4   
,had ,i been called to your situation1  
,i could not have promised more2 but ,i 
should have acted up to that promise1   

and ,i hope you will so act4 ,in the    
performance of that promise1 everlasting
 fame will be yours4 ,so act--and       
greater than the name of ,lycurgus or   
,solon--greater than that of ,cicero1   
,constantine1 or ,napoleon--greater than
 the name of any past man will be that  
of ,robert ,peel4 ,if the ,duke of      
,wellington join you in this sentiment1 
and goes manly and honestly forward to  
its accomplishment1 his1 too1 will be an
 imperishable name4 ,this would wreathe 
him an evergreen chaplet1 that would    
survive the memory of all his physical  
victories6 ,this is the great moral     
victory to be obtained before any       
society can settle down into peace1     
welfare1 and happiness3--the best use   
that can be made of the ,church4 ,it is 
a subject of the deepest interest2 it   
requires grave consideration2 ,i pray   
that it may have that consideration4 ,i 
pray that ,i may be heard by a          
,commission1 in grave consideration of  
that subject of the deepest interest1   

before any legislative change be entered
 upon4 ,i put myself forward in this    
letter4 ,many will be the schemes       
proposed to your consideration3 let mine
 be one1 and then select and improve the
 best4  ,the first consideration        
is--,what is now the ,church8 ,what are 
its defects8 ,what the cause of that    
dissent1 which has made a revision      
necessary8  ,the second consideration   
will be--,what ought the ,church to be1 
so as to leave no ground and reason of  
dissent8 ,to some minds1 the fickleness 
and fallibility of human nature will    
appear as an insurmountable obstacle to 
the construction of such a ,church4 ,i  
see farther and will propose in order4  
,i flatter myself that ,i am writing    
this letter with very proper feelings   
toward all institutions and all persons4
 ,i suspend1 pro tem41 all quarrels that
 ,i have with all men1 to assist you in 
this common good1 in which you deserve  
and will have1 in the ratio of their    
goodness1 the assistance of all good    

men4 ,if ,i can sink the past in        
oblivion for common good1 who should say
 he cannot8 ,to the altar and shrine of 
that ,reformed ,church1 which you       
contemplate1 ,i have sacrificed property
 much--all ,i had1 and years of liberty 
many4 ,i am still worshipping1 still so 
sacrificing1 both property and personal 
liberty1 and will so continue to the    
end4 ,i say it not boastfully2 but in   
comparative claim to attention1 and in  
encouragement and example of union to   
assist you in the performance of your   
present promise4  ,let me be permitted  
to say1 too1 that the ,church is a      
subject which ,i have studied in its    
origin1 its history1 its first          
principle1 all its dissent or variation 
from that first principle1 down to its  
present standing4 ,i have so studied it1
 that ,i cannot now find author or      
preacher who can present me any thing   
new as to its general merits1 past or   
present4 ,this is the chief ground on   
which ,i solicit your and the public    

attention to my view of this subject of 
,church ,reform4 ,i presume to know what
 the ,church is1 and what it ought to   
be4  ,it may be taken as a point to be  
yielded by all parties1 that the desire 
with regard to the ,law ,established    
,church is1 the removal of all ground of
 dissent1 so as not to leave it a mere  
sectarian ,church1 which any mere       
abatement of existing dissenting        
objections will do4 ,no ,dissenter can  
complain1 if the ground of his dissent  
be removed from the ,church4 ,and if    
there be no ground of future dissent    
left1 there can be no future complaint1 
no new dissension arising4 ,without the 
absence of the possibility of dissent1  
there can be no just holding and        
application of a public and common      
property for the business of the        
,church4 ,with that absence1 the        
property is justly held and applied4    
,any law that recognizes and tolerates  
the ,dissenter1 recognizes and tolerates
 the justness of his dissent1 and calls 

for the primary justice of removing the 
ground of dissent4 ,no man can          
reasonably say1 let us not be of one    
,church2 but every man can reasonably   
say1 let the ,church be purified of its 
errors2 and while any man can show an   
error1 it is his duty to call for the   
purification1 and the duty of           
authorities to attend to his call and to
 purify4 ,a permanent ,church then must 
be an improving1 self-purifying ,church1
 and continue a true picture of the best
 state of the human mind1 meeting every 
well-founded and majority-decided call  
upon its utility4  ,any idea of keeping 
up a ,law ,established ,church with     
public property1 surrounded by          
,dissenting ,churches1 without a public 
property1 can enter the head of no man  
who understands the subject4 ,there can 
be no peace or final settlement under   
such an arrangement4 ,the effect to be  
accomplished is1 not to break up the    
,church ,property2 but to break up the  
,dissenters from the ,church4 ,this will

 startle the present state of mind and  
feeling4 ,i propose no abridgement of   
equal liberty4 ,is not this the grand   
desideratum8 ,can it be                 
accomplished8--,i think it can1 and so  
proceed to unfold the two-fold          
consideration4  ,first4--,what is now   
the ,church8 ,what are its defects8     
,what the cause of that dissent which   
has made a revision necessary8  ,this1  
in reality1 is but one question1 with a 
three-fold expression4  ,the ,church is 
now the ,theatre of the ,drama of the   
,books of ,common ,prayer1 the          
,thirty-nine ,articles1 and the ,old and
 ,new ,testament2 to which is generally 
added a sermonic epilogue or            
exhortation1 commonly called a ,sermon4 
,be not offended at my use of the word  
,theatre here3 no other would           
substitute4 ,its root is the ,greek     
------1 ,god1 and signified originally1 
the house1 place or stage1 where the    
,drama of ,theism or attributes of      
,deity were exhibited4 ,the word is now 

much distorted from its root1 in being  
made to describe the place of modern    
dramatic performances4  ,nor must the   
word ,drama be objected to2 because the 
ceremony of the ,church was originally  
so constructed1 so meant1 and so        
practised1 as ,i will prove in the      
course of this letter4  ,even the word  
,tragedy has its root in the ,greek word
 ------1 a goat1 and signifies1 in the  
dramatic exhibition of ,theism1 the     
death of the year1 under the form of a  
personification1 in the twelfth or      
zodiacal month of the goat4 ,so that the
 death sorrowed for and lamented1 was1  
dramatically1 the apparent death of the 
sun1 the death of the year1 in the sign 
or month of the goat2 and on ,st4       
,thomas's day1 as we read in the        
,prophet ,ezekiel1 chap4 viii4 v4       
#ad--;and behold there sat women weeping
 for ,tammuz2 and v4 #af--;about five   
and twenty men1 with their backs toward 
the temple of the ,lord1 and their faces
 toward the east2 and they worshipped   

the sun toward the east1 which is no    
other than a representation of the      
performance of the tragedy1 in which the
 performers had lost the moral of the   
,lord's ,temple3 precisely the present  
state and condition of the ,church4 ,all
 ancient mythology is in harmony with   
this conclusion2 and the ,christian     
tragedy is only a continued version1    
uniting the general drama of human      
morals with the annual tragedy of solar 
physics1 and forming a two-fold or      
two-keyed allegory or mystery1 physical 
and moral1 as it was known even in the  
,celtic or ,druid ,church4 ,christianity
 was never new1 or young1 in this       
country1 by existing records4  ,there   
are not many persons in this secret1    
perhaps1 not even you1 the first        
,minister of the country2 so it will be 
deemed too abstruse and mystical on     
which to find a warrant for legislation 
or change of law3 but ,i strenuously    
maintain1 that such was the origin of   
the ,christian ,church1 and such is now 

its generally lost meaning4 ,the proof  
of the solar part of the allegory is not
 so much to my present purpose as the   
proof of the general drama of human     
morals being the basis of the present   
mystery of the ,christian ,church4  ,to 
stay a growing difficulty1 we must go to
 the root3--it will grow again1 if we do
 not go to the root4 ,it will be so with
 the present ,church1 and all attempts  
to reform it4  ,in plainer language1    
then1 ,i will describe the existing     
,church1 as having1 in its ceremonies   
and business1 the mystery of the        
,christian ,religion1 without its       
revelation2 that all the defects and all
 the grounds of dissent from it are the 
absence of the revelation1 or want of   
knowing the meaning of the mystery4     
,whatever are called its doctrines1 are 
all mysterious2 its discipline is       
equally mysterious1 and by its present  
ministers1 unaccountable4 ,dissenters   
have dissented without being able to    
assign a reason for their dissent1 and  

have set up for themselves something    
equally mysterious and unaccountable2   
and so the whole principle and practice 
of ,religion in the country is in       
confusion and conflict2 and no measure  
can reconcile the dissentients1 short of
 developing the first principles of the 
,church and the ,christian ,religion1   
the one language1 the one course of     
reason1 the one ground of human welfare1
 the one system of morals1 which is now 
buried in a ,babel of confused tongues1 
doctrines1 idol-houses1 and             
superstitious ceremonies4  ,the ground1 
then1 on which ,i proceed1 is1 that ,,to
 ,,reform ,,the ,,church1 ,,the         
,,dissenters ,,must ,,be ,,annihilated4 
,not annihilated by slaughter or        
physical force2 but by superior         
knowledge1 and consequent superior      
teaching1 by openness1 by honesty1 by   
throwing off the mask of hypocrisy1 and 
leaving the ,church of ,christ to be no 
longer a theatre of dramatic ceremony in
 mystery1 with parts and actors as      

ignorant as automata of their subject1  
and who not knowing1 can value it not1  
beyond the salaries they receive for its
 performance in unrevealed mystery4     
,can that be a ,reform of the ,church1  
with just claims upon the respect and   
affections of the people1 which shall   
leave a ground and excuse for dissent by
 any one of the people8 ,i say1 ,,no4   
,can it be a ,church of ,christ8 ,i say1
 ,,no4 ,do we know what a ,church of    
,christ is in reality8 ,for myself1 ,i  
say1 ,,yes4 ,a ,church1 too1 founded    
upon an understanding of the ,sacred    
,scriptures1 of the ,old and ,new       
,testament1 upon the revelation of the  
mystery of those ,scriptures1 and upon  
all the first principles essential and  
conducive to general human and social   
welfare2 that shall no more admit of    
dissent than the multiplication table1  
or the accurately placed sun-dial1 than 
the elements of ,euclid1 and all the    
never-failing tests of the science of   
chemistry4 ,the ,apostle that told us to

 prove all things1 and hold fast that   
which is good1 gave us a definition of  
the exhortation of the ,evangelist or   
the ,baptist--,repent1 for the kingdom  
of ,heaven is at hand4 ,a repenting and 
a proving people are necessary to make a
 ,church of ,christ4 ,repentance and    
enquiry are the pillars and foundations 
of that ,church2 without repentance and 
enquiry there can be no ,church of      
,christ2 and ,i ask1 confidently ask1   
with the assurance that a true answer   
must be in the negative1--has anything  
calling itself a ,christian ,church in  
,europe1 established by law1 or         
dissenting from such an establishment1  
anything to do with the two principles  
of repentance and proving1 the one      
meaning reflection by animadversion1 the
 other a trial by outward tests of that 
reflection8 ,there is not a congregation
 of people in ,europe1 calling itself a 
,church1 that is founded upon an        
understanding of the ,sacred            
,scriptures1 the understanding which    

shows that the letter killeth1 but the  
spirit giveth life4  ,i impugn1 as being
 in error1--,i denounce1 as that error  
is the cause of all dissent1 of dissent 
uninstructed1--all the churches or      
congregations called churches in the    
,british dominions2 and ,i call for a   
reform that shall eradicate that        
dissent1 and make all become one in     
efficiency1 usefulness1 and respect and 
affections of the people4  ,the present 
state of the ,church is1 that it is a   
theatre of mystery1 giving no solid     
satisfaction to the people1 and for     
which1 among the receivers of salaries  
and benefits only1 can there be a       
particle of real respect and affection4 
,its defects are1 that none understand1 
neither priests nor people understand   
what any part of its dramatic ceremonies
 mean4 ,and this is the cause of that   
dissent which has made a revision       
necessary4  ,what1 then1 ought the      
,church to be1 so as to have no ground  
and reason of dissent8  ,in two words1  

,i answer1 ,a ,,school4  ,what kind of a
 school8  ,a school for knowledge only2 
for revelation without mystery2 and for 
practical use and benefit to every      
member1 without parade or pomp1 even    
without ceremony1 beyond what order and 
good may require4  ,and would such be a 
,church of ,christ8  ,such alone can be 
a ,church of ,christ4 ,christ the       
,logos1 ,jesus the ,saviour of ,man1 is1
 in principle1 nothing more in its      
dramatic or mystified and present church
 presentation1 than a personification of
 the principle of reason1 or of the     
knowledge of which the human being is a 
recipient1 and without which can have no
 salvation1 has no relation to the idea 
of a salvation1 or any evil from which  
to be saved4 ,such is a true revelation 
of the mystery of ,christ4  ,and a      
,church of ,christ has no other true    
meaning1 than a convenient and sessional
 gathering of the people in districts1  
for purposes of mutual enquiry and      
mutual instruction2 for catechism and   

intelligible and useful exhortation2 for
 revelation of knowledge1 or mind1 or   
reason2 for mental improvement2 and not 
for mystery1 nor dramatic ceremony1 nor 
superstition1 nor idolatry4 ,it is in   
this sense only1 that the ,church of    
,christ is superior to all other        
,churches--the word ,church meaning a   
gathering or association of the people  
for mental improvement4  ,this          
generation has no proof1 nor has history
 a warrant1 that any other generation of
 man has had a proof of the material    
existence of the being called ,jesus    
,christ4 ,the seeming narrative of such 
a purport is the current mythology of   
the ancients1 or people of two thousand 
years ago1 taken up by us in its literal
 sense1 and so mistaken2 so mistaken1 as
 to warrant a belief in the literality  
and fact of the material1 temporal1 and 
local existence of every one of the     
,gods of the ,pantheon1 or of human     
imagination1 and then we shall have     
rivalry enough for the best4 ,but then1 

,i should make a choice of ,christ1 as  
the only one that makes due provision   
for the right cultivation of the human  
mind2 the only one that has laid the    
foundations of the kingdom of ,heaven1  
in the peace and good-will of mankind1  
dwelling upon a land flowing with milk  
and honey1 and overflowing with         
knowledge4  ,i challenge the ,bishops   
and the whole priesthood1 to produce me 
any knowledge that is intelligible to   
themselves or to any other person1 as an
 interpretation of the narratives in the
 ,old and ,new ,testament1 about        
,jehovah or ,christ1 other than that    
which ,i am now unfolding4 ,mine has a  
warrant in the spirit of the language of
 the books1 in the roots of words1 and  
in all the principles of things that    
relate to man's welfare2 and more       
particularly in that to man most        
important of all1 ,,moral ,,science4  ,i
 am not insensible to the circumstance1 
that a man might have a knowledge of a  
thing1 of a train of circumstances1 of  

causes and effects1 in his own mind1    
with a difficulty to find language in   
which to communicate it1 that shall be  
equally and immediately clear to all    
other states of mind4 ,a resemblance1   
nearness1 or similarity of mind1 almost 
an equality of knowledge1 is requisite  
to a clear understanding4 ,it is thus1  
that men1 in different languages1       
understand each other1 when other men1  
bystanders1 do not understand them4 ,and
 it so happens1 in all first            
developments of science1 the new        
discovery wants a new language in which 
to be presented to others1 and it often 
happens1 that first words made or chosen
 are not the best and clearest4  ,know  
you not1 ,sir1 that knowledge is power8 
,you must have read that celebrated     
axiom of ,bacon's2 but have you         
considered it1 have you reflected1 have 
you repented and proved that axiom8 ,i  
may add1 by way of explanation1 that    
knowledge is the only moral power4 ,what
 seeks your ,church to be8 ,or what     

should it seek to be1 other than a moral
 power8 ,on what rock1 then1 must the   
,church of ,christ be built1 so that the
 gates of hell1 or of evil design1 or of
 dissent1 may not prevail against it8   
,on what1 but ,,knowledge8 ,is it now so
 built8 ,is not1 rather1 the present    
ministry of the ,church more afraid of  
knowledge than of the people's ignorant 
dissent2 more of ,carlile and his crew1 
than of all the dissenters2 more of free
 discussion1 than of any kind of        
superstition8 ,the dissent of knowledge 
and the dissent of ignorance1 though    
disunited1 are becoming too powerful for
 your knowledgeless ,church2 and you1 at
 last1 have consented to speak of its   
necessary reform6 ,to which will you    
yield1 or whom will you join8 ,those who
 dissent by knowledge1 or those by      
ignorance8 ,if you take the former1 your
 work will be perfected at once2 if the 
latter1 your work will never be done1   
and you will become weaker and weaker2  
for ,i know not one body of worshipping 

associated dissenters1 whose ground of  
association and dissent is better than  
that of the ,established ,church4 ,find 
me the minister of one of them1 who will
 stand up in discussion before a public 
audience with me1 so as to have his     
language reported4 ,i have not yet found
 him in ,england or ,scotland4 ,the     
pretences of the kind that have been    
made1 have been so deficient in         
respectability of character and of good 
manners1 that ,i do not think them worth
 a recognition4  ,i am not insensible to
 the circumstance1 that you have a      
difficult task to perform1 and ,i am not
 sure that you are equal to it3 ,i hope 
you are2 that is1 ,i would have you so1 
or any other who may be the ,king's     
adviser1 and the real head of the       
,church4 ,nothing is wanted for this    
reform but honesty and moral courage4   
,where the will and the power exist1 the
 task is an easy one4 ,i desire to save 
the ,church and its property1 and to    
annihilate the ,dissenters4 ,i would    

have the present dignities of the       
,church dignify themselves in a triumph 
over the ,dissenters4 ,a collusion with 
the ,dissenters will be a hugging of    
pestilence and death to the bosom of the
 ,church4 ,there can be no co-existence3
 there was proof enough of that in the  
seventeenth century1 and still in       
,scotland4 ,a revolution in the affairs 
and manners of the ,church must take    
place1 even by your own confession1 in  
language admitting of the inference2 and
 ,i desire that good may be educed from 
that revolution4 ,i would make the      
,church triumph in the correction of    
every mental error in the country1 and  
noble would be that triumph6  ,you may  
ask1 how is this to be done8 ,i will    
tell you4 ,let the ,church become the   
oracle of truth1 the fountain of        
knowledge1 the mistress and dispenser of
 all science4 ,let its ministers declare
 this great truth3--that1 hitherto1 the 
mystery of ,christ has alone been taught
 in the ,church1 without the revelation 

of that mystery2 that the ,church has   
been the depository of that sacred      
mystery1 until the fulness of time1 in  
which it is promised1 that all people   
shall be prepared to partake of the     
revelation2 that the mystery has been   
kept up in outward form and without any 
spiritual grace2 that the spiritual     
grace and all the pro-mises are to be   
fulfilled in the understanding of the   
revelation2 that the spirit or          
revelation has been buried in a resting 
on the letter of the ,sacred            
,scriptures2 that ,christ is only now   
risen or beginning to rise1 after       
thousands of years1 we may say three    
thousand years1 rather than three days  
of crucifixion1 death and burial4 ,in   
me1 he has risen indeed1 as1 in me1 he  
has been last crucified2 and ,i crave   
the pleasure of seeing his principles   
rise in the ,church2 for that craving is
 the nature of ,christ4 ,let the ,church
 declare that the time is now come to   
reveal the mystery of ,christ4          

,exhibition has not been revelation4    
,what1 then1 is the revelation of the   
mystery of ,christ8  ,it is1 that       
,christ is ,god and not man1 that it is 
,god in man2 that it is knowledge1      
reason1 or all its essences in moral    
principle2 and that it is not an idol to
 be worshipped as a statue1 but a       
principle to be taught and inherited by 
the human race4 ,the mystery sets forth 
,christ as a statue or image to be      
worshipped after the fashion of the     
,pagan world4 ,the revelation teaches1  
that it is the principle of knowledge1  
to be gained by labour1 by asking1      
seeking and knocking1 or prayer2 by     
repentance1 that is1 reflection2 by     
enquiry1 that is1 proving all things1   
and holding fast that which is good2 by 
mutual instruction1 by free discussion1 
by whatever constitutes a school for    
useful knowledge1 and that constitution 
is a ,church of ,christ3 all the rest is
 mistake or imposture1 whether it be    
established by law1 or ignorantly       

dissented from2 whether it have a ,king 
for its head1 or be carried on in a     
garret or a cellar4  ,i must go to the  
root of my subject1 and leave no excuse 
for evasion4 ,the root of religion is   
the relation of ,god to man1 and man to 
,god4  ,what does man know of ,god8     
,books can teach him nothing1 unless    
those books be written pictures of      
existing things and things that have    
existed4 ,things that have existed have 
no source of trial or test1 but in the  
similarity of things that do exist4     
,man's knowledge of existence is of a   
twofold nature3 the things that do      
exist1 and the power by which he has    
that knowledge4 ,the first is           
distinguished as material existence2 the
 second1 as spiritual existence4        
,material and spiritual existence are   
the only two positive existences of     
which man can speak or write1 to which  
no inspiration can add2 for inspiration 
is only knowledge2 and the recognition  
of material and spiritual existence is  

the limitation of knowledge4 ,the       
details of knowledge can be nothing more
 than definitions and descriptions of   
existing things1--the plantings of art  
upon nature4  ,all knowledge is matter  
of art4 ,nature is the thing known--art 
the knowledge of the thing4 ,this art   
can not only know nature1 but can invent
 descriptions of unreal things2 can     
describe things by types1 and principles
 by figurative allegories2 can imitate  
nature by appearances1 such as pictures1
 statues1 c42 and can1 by mysterious    
constructions of language1 make the     
appearance of a thing to represent a    
principle or describe qualities in the  
absence of the thing3 this is spiritual 
power4 ,nothing of the kind is seen     
beyond human life2 certainly not beyond 
animal life4 ,we may1 therefore1        
reasonably speak of spiritual power or  
spiritual existence as confined to the  
human race--speech and language being a 
primary necessity to its existence3 the 
art of other animals extending not      

beyond their wants4  ,man1 then1 is the 
creator of spirit2 and1 beyond man1     
spirit is not known4 ,man is not known  
to be the creature1 but the creator of  
art2 not the creature1 but the creator  
of spirit1 soul1 mind1 reason1          
knowledge1 or whatever other term       
relates to the mental phenomena4  ,i    
maintain1 because it is a truth of the  
deepest importance to the human race1   
and without the knowledge of which      
nothing can work well in human society1 
that man is the creator of all spiritual
 existence2 and in the sense in which   
,god is a spirit1 man is the creator of 
that ,god1 and has been the creator of  
every description of existence that has 
been made of such a ,god4  ,we may also 
correctly speak of this two-fold        
existence as physical and moral4 ,the   
physical1 its forms and compositions    
excepted1 is eternal and immutable--the 
moral is evanescent1 mortal1 and mutable
 in its personal existence1 but         
immutable and immortal as to principle4 

,the root of ,god1 therefore1 as of man1
 is in physical power1 which is         
correctly described as almighty1        
immutable and omnipresent3 it is only   
omniscient1 as being the fountain of    
knowledge--the all that can be known4   
,science is art2 therefore1 there can be
 no science in an infinite or eternal   
sense1 as we can speak of the physical  
power of ,deity2 but science1 as art1 is
 limited to human power1--the all that  
is known1 and not the all that exists to
 be known4  ,this is evidence1 that man 
has created not only all the            
descriptions that have been made of     
spiritual existence1 but that existence 
itself3 and so it is true1 that man has 
been the inventor of a spiritual ,god2  
that religion and all its appurtenances 
have been the offspring of the art of   
man2 and that man alone is capable of   
correcting any of its errors1--which is 
to be done in the same way by which ,i  
propose to put down the ,dissenters--the
 acquisition and communication of       

knowledge by the ,church4  ,i pass by   
the ,pagan mythology1 which1 in its     
understood personifications and         
allegories1 is as beautiful a picture of
 physical and moral nature1 as the      
,christian ,religion itself2 and ,i rest
 on the ,christian1 as1 when understood1
 the only religion for human improvement
 that has been presented to the notice  
of the human race4  ,as man is the      
inventor of the ,spiritual ,deity1 which
 is peculiarly the ,deity of the        
,christian ,religion1 so ,i infer1 by   
evidence to come1 that the ,deity of the
 ,christian ,religion is no other1      
nothing more1 than a personification of 
the mental phenomena of the human race1 
which was the work of the philosophers  
and scientific men of the ,pagan world3 
and noble was their task--important for 
man was their production4 ,not the thing
 called the ,christian ,religion now in 
existence1 which is no other than a     
religion mistaken1 a corruption and     
,pagan superstition1 the dregs and      

drivellings of the gross ignorance and  
superstition of the dark ages2 something
 two thousand times worse than the      
,paganism of the ,millenium before the  
so-called ,christian era4 ,but a        
personification after deifications of   
the mental phenomena1 is a sounding1    
preaching1 writing1 carving or painting 
,god1 as the perfection of knowledge2   
,christ1 as the perfection of reason2   
and the ,holy ,spirit of communication1 
as the perfection of all attainable     
moral power by the human race3 making   
those perfections to be things sought1  
the things worshipped1 the best         
religion1 as it undoubtedly is1 for the 
whole human race4 ,it was the best plan 
of scholastic improvement1 when acted   
upon1 that human wisdom could have      
devised1 and to this ,i would have you  
bring our ,church4  ,there is a two-fold
 way of reading the ,bible1 which ,i    
have before described1 as it is         
described in the ,second ,epistle to the
 ,corinthians1 chap4 iii4 v4 #f1 a      

reading or a ministration according to  
the letter1 and another according to the
 spirit4 ,the ,apostle or author of that
 ,epistle declares himself to have been 
a minister of the ,new ,testament       
according to the spirit1 and complains1 
that the ,jews1 in his time1 did not    
know how to read the ,old ,testament4 ,i
 declare that the ,church now existing  
ministers to nothing but the letter of  
the ,bible1 which is a ministration not 
to life1 but to death2 and such is the  
evidence of the whole era of such a     
ministration2 such has been the cause of
 the dark ages1 on which no dissenting  
sect has yet thrown a ray of light2 and 
the reform that is now required         
throughout the ,church1 that established
 by law and all others1 is the          
understanding of the ,sacred            
,scriptures1 that shall cause them to be
 taught according to the spirit1 the    
spirit of knowledge1 reason and constant
 human improvement4 ,i now see1 that    
none of the people called ,jews or      

,christians know how to read either ,old
 or ,new ,testament according to the    
spirit4  ,to read the ,bible according  
to the letter1 is to make it a piece of 
human history2 to make a creation of the
 world1 and an attempt to account for   
everything past1 present and future4 ,i 
proclaim this conduct to be the folly of
 ignorance1 opposed by all real history 
of the human race1 and by all the       
developments of science1 in relation to 
the earth's existence1 its qualities1   
and its relation to the general         
planetary system4  ,i challenge the     
proof of any one apparent historical    
fact1 in either ,old or ,new ,testament4
 ,i challenge the production of the     
existing mention of any one of the      
supposed facts about the personal or    
material ,jesus ,christ1 within one     
hundred years of the time at which it is
 said to have happened1 putting the     
disputed passages of ,josephus and      
,tacitus out of the question4  ,i       
challenge the proof of the existence of 

the ,jews1 in any country1 as a distinct
 nation1 before the time of ,alexander  
the ,great4  ,no other contemporaneous  
history recognizes such an assumed      
history as that which ,i challenge4     
,and farther1 ,i am prepared to prove   
that ,christianity existed among        
,romans1 ,greeks1 ,persians1 ,hindoos1  
and ,celtic ,druids1 or the northern    
nations1 before the ,christian era4     
,the present ministration of the ,church
 entirely depends on the necessity of a 
clear historical proof of the literal   
contents of the ,old and ,new           
,testaments4  ,but a spiritual reading  
of that volume solves every difficulty1 
and teaches us how to extract the truth1
 the system of religion that is a       
necessary and sure salvation for the    
human race1 when reduced to practice1   
and to see it as a part of the wisdom of
 all ancient men of all times and       
countries4  ,it is ten years and upwards
 since ,i sent a petition to you1 ,sir1 
to be laid before the ,king1 asking for 

a commission to examine my oppugnancy to
 the religion and administration of the 
existing ,church4 ,will you now grant   
that commission8 ,if you will not1 you1 
while you remain in power1 will blunder 
on in and through growing troubles and  
difficulties1 until you1 or some other  
person1 be compelled to come to my      
school for information4 ,it may be a    
galling pain1 a conscience-smitten task 
to you to do so2 but you have no        
alternative with honesty and wisdom4 ,it
 is not a little of this cry for ,church
 ,reform1 that has sprung out of my     
labours and sufferings4 ,and here am ,i1
 though still in prison through that    
,church's iniquity1 in the proud and    
triumphant position1 clearly seeing that
 you can reform nothing in the ,church  
that will satisfy the people without    
coming to my ground4  ,your pledge is so
 to reform the ,church as to make it    
meet the respect and affection of the   
people4 ,i rejoiced when ,i read that   
sentiment2 for ,i saw and felt1 that ,i 

alone had proposed a reform equal to    
that end2 and mine1 as well as others1  
by the glorious power of the printing   
press1 must come into consideration4 ,i 
assure you that the correspondence with 
the ,bishop of ,london1 which ,i shall  
append to this letter1 has been sold to 
the extent of many thousands1 and is in 
great demand4 ,this is but an           
enlargement of my second letter to the  
,bishop4 ,so that my lamp has been      
constantly trimmed for your advent as a 
,reformer of the ,church4 ,it is not    
what you and others call the rabble1 the
 destructives1 the mob1 that ,i seek4 ,i
 seek you and the ,bishops1 all the     
learned men in the country1 as in       
application of mind to mind1 learning to
 learning1 and wisdom to wisdom4  ,i    
will now proceed to explain the         
distinction between the mystery and the 
revelation of ,christ1 between the      
letter and the spirit of the books of   
the ,old and ,new ,testament1 between   
false and true religion1 between        

superstition and idolatry on one side1  
and reason with growing knowledge in the
 ,church on the other4 ,i begin with the
 doctrine of the ,holy ,trinity4  ,the  
,church of the dark ages has taught the 
doctrine professedly founded upon the   
letter of the ,sacred ,scriptures3 of   
,god1 as consisting of three persons in 
one person1 coexistent1 co-equal1 and   
co-eternal1 which1 in expression1 has   
been abridged1 under the name of        
,trinity1 and described as the ,holy    
,trinity2 and1 in definition or         
distinction1 as ,father1 ,son and ,holy 
,ghost4 ,this doctrine has always been  
dissented from while dissent has been   
tolerated4 ,it is no more a physical    
absurdity than the doctrine of the      
resurrection of the dead1 or the        
changing of water to wine1 or the       
feeding of five thousand with five small
 loaves and two fishes1 or any other    
narrated miracle3 still it has been     
dissented from1 and when dissented from1
 no defence could be made of it4 ,in    

every other case of dissent1 the ,church
 could make no defence and no other     
apology than ancientness of the doctrine
 in the ,church4 ,truly this has been a 
verification of the blind leading the   
blind1 until both fell into the ditch   
together4  ,with a doctrine of          
personality in ,deity1 including the    
ideas of physical and moral power1 this 
of the ,trinity has been declared a     
mystery incomprehensible to the human   
mind2 and ,i declare that a mystery     
incomprehensible to the human mind1     
pressed upon human attention1 as of     
importance1 is an absurdity1 and must be
 an imposture2 for who has comprehended 
it so to state8 ,this is the            
matter-of-fact view of the subject4     
,but the subject being a declared       
mystery in the theological sense1 there 
is a spiritual interpretation to be put 
upon the language of the letter2 and    
that ,i take to be thus3--  ,that the   
,trinity is not to be considered as of  
persons1 but of principles2 and then we 

shall find it a philosophical doctrine1 
true to nature1 and proved by science2  
true to physical and to moral science4  
,all the ideas that physical science can
 bring us of creation is the root of    
three in one4 ,whatever admits of       
analysis sets forth the truth and       
doctrine of the ,trinity4 ,water1 the   
great parent of production on this      
planet1 is known to be composed of two  
gases--hydrogen and oxygen4 ,they become
 water through contact and decomposition
 by electric action4 ,thus1 in the order
 of a ,trinity in ,unity1 we may        
describe it as of hydrogen1 oxygen1     
electric contactwater4 ,i do not mention
 this as any thing new2 but it is new in
 application to a definition of the     
doctrine of the ,trinity4 ,water had not
 been made but by the electric contact  
of hydrogen with oxygen1 by the power of
 a ,trinity in ,unity4 ,chemistry       
teaches us1 that this power of a        
,trinity in ,unity is an all-creating   
power2 and so far it is man's           

comprehension of the creating power or  
,deity1 and not a thing or principle    
incomprehensible3 it is a doctrine older
 than the ,christian era2 was a doctrine
 among the ,pagan ,philosophers1 and is 
true as to principles or powers2 but not
 true in our modern sense of persons1 as
 identical and separate beings4  ,a     
great mistake1 too1 has been made in the
 understanding of the word person1 in   
relation to theology3 it never was meant
 to express beings in the image of you  
and me2 but the dramatic manner of      
presenting a description of the         
principles of nature in the theatre1 per
 sonantem1 by sound or song1 by fiction1
 by disguise1 by allegory1 by mask or   
mystery1 by representative action3 the  
revelation of which would be to         
understand the principles of nature so  
personated on the stage1 as ,i have     
defined the ,trinity4 ,and it is in     
this1 and no other sense1 that ,i read  
the names of ,deity in the ,old or ,new 
,testament1 as brought apparently on the

 stage of human affairs1 in person1 by  
the authors2 that personating meaning   
nothing more than a present picture or  
representation of an absent or infinite 
power1 by sounds or voice1 and sometimes
 by masks1 as was the earliest known    
practice in dramatic exhibition1 which  
explains everything about gods and      
oracles1 and makes the ,hymns of        
,orpheus as sacred as the ,psalms of    
,david2 as they are as certainly        
beautiful in poetic composition1 and    
equally useful to human welfare4  ,you1 
,sir1 if you enter the ,house of        
,commons next month1 may be said to     
personate the ,electors of ,tamworth2 a 
power in the abstract greater than you1 
because many and supposed qualified to  
reject your personation and to elect    
another4 ,therefore1 the personation is 
not the power personated4 ,as the       
,king's chief ,minister1 you will also  
personate the ,king's ,government in the
 ,house of ,commons2 but you are not in 
reality that governing power2 because1  

it is something distinct from you1 and  
greater than can be concentrated in your
 person4 ,you1 as plain ,robert ,peel1  
and ,i1 as ,richard ,carlile1 are not   
persons2 and though it is a custom so to
 use the word and so to describe us1 yet
 it is a mistake and misuse of the word1
 unless the body may be said to         
personate the mind1 soul1 c4 ,i hope you
 see that much of the error of our      
,church has turned upon this point2     
because a person was never the reality  
of the power1 and consequently the      
persons of the ,trinity are not to be   
considered the reality of the ,trinity3 
and hence the ,unitarian ,dissenter has 
no reasonable ground of dissent4 ,the   
doctrine of the ,trinity1 as a          
description of ,deity1 is a valid       
theological and philosophical doctrine1 
admitting of no rational dissent4  ,i   
wish the ,bishops to learn this before  
the ,dissenters1 so that the ,church may
 be taught how to call back her errant  
and ignorant children1 that her property

 may be held together for useful        
purposes1 and not be wasted at the      
shrine of dissenting ignorance or       
bankrupt government4  ,and now1 ,sir1   
can you yet see your way with me1 to    
remove every abuse that can impair the  
efficiency of the establishment2 extend 
the sphere of its usefulness1 and       
strengthen and confirm its just claims  
upon the respect and affections of the  
people8 ,if you cannot1 ,i beg you to   
follow me farther4  ,it is not only in  
physics that the doctrine of the        
,trinity is theologically and           
scientifically correct1 but in morals   
also2 and this is the foundation of the 
,christian ,religion4  ,as ,god1 the    
,father1 personates all science1 under  
the attribute of omniscience2 that is1  
personates all existence1 both          
omnipotence and omnipresence1 and is1 in
 that reality1 the fountain of          
knowledge--the all and every part that  
can be known2 so ,god the ,son1 ,christ 
or ,logos1 personates the human mind1 as

 the existence or manifestation of      
knowledge and reason1 as ,jesus or the  
principle of salvation from evil1 in    
possessing that knowledge1 and as the   
true ,god1 in us and with us1 in and    
with whom we live1 and move1 and have   
our being4  ,so ,god the ,holy ,ghost1  
the ,spirit of ,truth1 the ,comforter to
 come1 to complete the happiness of the 
human race1 personates that spirit of   
free communication of knowledge which   
should be found in the ,church1 the     
theatre1 not of any superstition or     
dramatic ceremony1 but of the freedom of
 the human mind1 and all its emanations 
of free enquiry1 free discussion1 mutual
 instruction1 which are the necessary   
elements of brotherly love and peace1 in
 the proving of all things and holding  
fast that which is good4 ,and thus ,i   
prove the truth of the doctrine of the  
,trinity4  ,this1 ,sir1 is a true       
picture or effigies of the moral        
,trinity of the ,christian ,church1     
which you will find to be a key to every

 mysterious sentence of the ,bible2 and 
,i ask you seriously1 as between man and
 man1 is any thing of this kind known or
 practised in the present ,church8 ,are 
not the ministers of that ,church afraid
 of every new discovery in science8     
,have they not1 as far as they could1   
persecuted every man who has attempted  
to publish any criticism1 enquiry1 or   
objection to their mysterious subjects8 
,history says--,yes4 ,and ,i say that   
they have known nothing of the subject  
for themselves1 and that they have      
dreaded all knowledge of1 all enquiry   
into1 the subject4 ,will their pride let
 them learn of me8 ,well may ,i         
say3--,come unto me1 all that labour and
 are heavy laden1 and ,i will give you  
rest4 ,take my yoke upon you1 and learn 
of me3 for ,i am meek and lowly of      
heart3 and ye shall find rest unto your 
souls4 ,for my yoke is easy and my      
burden is light4 ,that is the language  
of the personated ,logos1 or ,principle 
of ,reason1 addressed to the present    

state of ,british mind1 as it was       
formerly addressed to the general state 
of the human mind4  ,the doctrine of the
 transubstantiation of bread and wine1  
as the elements of the ,sacrament of the
 ,lord's ,supper1 into the real body and
 blood of ,christ1 has been another     
stumbling-block in the ,church4 ,on this
 head1 our law-established ,church has  
dissented from its former self1 which   
when ,i mentioned on my last jury trial1
 the ,judge1 ,sir ,allan ,park1 called  
it a vilifying of the ,church4 ,i knew  
better2 but saw that the ,judge was not 
a man to be reasoned with1 and so ,i did
 not press the subject3 but through this
 letter and your name1 ,sir1 ,i desire  
to teach him how it has been done4      
,transubstantiation is no               
stumbling-block to my mind4  ,the       
twenty-eighth article of the ,church    
says on this                            
subject3--,transubstantiation 7or the   
change of the substance of bread and    
wine7 in the ,supper of the ,lord1      

cannot be proved by ,holy ,writ2 but is 
repugnant to the plain words of         
,scripture1 overthroweth the nature of a
 ,sacrament1 and hath given occasion to 
many superstitions4 ,the body of ,christ
 is given1 taken1 and eaten in the      
,supper1 only after an heavenly and     
spiritual manner2 and the mean whereby  
the body of ,christ is received and     
eaten in the ,supper1 is ,faith4  ,it is
 very clear to me that the ,bishops of  
that time1 the sixteenth century1 did   
not know how to read ,holy ,writ4 ,i    
could defend the entire doctrine of     
transubstantiation1 in its fullest      
application1 from the language of the   
,gospel according to ,saint ,john4 ,this
 subject affords me another proof1 that 
the doctrine of transubstantiation is   
much older than any of the books of the 
,new ,testament3 for1 where understood1 
there is nothing in theology more dear  
than this doctrine1 or that comes nearer
 to a physical and moral truth4  ,first1
 let us understand that the root of the 

word ,sacrament is a secret in the mind2
 and ,transubstantiation is a change of 
substance from one to another thing4    
,now the secret in the mind is1 where   
understood1 and where not understood    
there is no ,sacrament1 that1 like the  
,trinity1 all the appearances of ,god   
are in the principle of                 
transubstantiation or change from one to
 another thing4 ,all is motion4--,nature
 knows no rest4 ,all is change1 all is  
transubstantiation4 ,it is like the     
,trinity1--one of the attributes of     
,deity1 one not to be doubted1--because 
everywhere visible4 ,the present ,church
 of ,england calls it a damnable        
doctrine2 but it is so called through   
ignorance4 ,like that of the ,trinity1  
it is a doctrine much older than the    
,christian era2 and so also was that of 
the ,lord's ,supper1 as a practised     
ceremony4  ,when the name of ,christ was
 set up to personate all the attributes 
of ,deity1 the various names of the     
,pagan gods were decried4 ,it had become

 a matter of wisdom thus to set up the  
name of ,christ as a personation of all 
the gods and goddesses3 it was a        
concentration of philosophy1 to unite   
mankind in one form of religion and for 
one great purpose1 that of progressive  
and perpetual improvement4 ,the plan was
 good2 but the principle has never been 
rightly developed4 ,teaching by mystery 
is a bad system4 ,the mass of the people
 are not so to be taught4 ,we must begin
 and teach by revelation4 ,the          
,christian ,religion1 when revealed1    
will be eternal1 and realise all its    
real promises of peace on earth1        
good-will among men1 and a land flowing 
with milk and honey4  ,before the name  
of ,christ was used1 ,bacchus was called
 a ,saviour1 as were many other if not  
all the gods1 as ,jehovah is declared   
the only ,saviour in the ,old           
,testament4 ,and this ,bacchus had the  
name of ,jesus1 or ,saviour1 inscribed  
on his altar pieces1 in the very letters
 now inscribed in our ,churches1 the    

three ,greek letters ,iota1 ,eta1       
,sigma1 ,i4,h4,s41 not ,jesus ,hominum  
,salvator1 in initials1 though so in    
meaning2 but ,yes1 which is the same as 
,jesus1 and signifies ,saviour4 ,isis is
 of the same root1 one of whose names   
was ,ceres4 ,ceres personated corn or   
bread1 and ,bacchus personated wine4 ,it
 was a ,pagan custom1 in religious      
ceremonies1 to break and eat bread in   
honour of ,ceres1 and to pour and drink 
wine in honour of ,bacchus1 as the bread
 and wine or body and blood of          
salvation1 of both physical and moral   
salvation4  ,christ being made all1 both
 physical and moral ,saviour1 was       
intended to swallow up all the various  
,pagan honours and ceremonies1 every one
 of which1 in part or whole1 is still   
retained in our law-established ,church2
 and so ,christ personated both the     
elements1 bread and wine1 as his body   
and blood1 as before they had been      
called body of ,ceres and blood of      
,bacchus4  ,be it remembered1 that the  

,pagans had no other ideas of these     
matters1 than those of dramatic effect4 
,the origin of the drama was in and with
 the religion of the human race4 ,and we
 must come back or come up to this for a
 right understanding and use of the     
,christian ,religion4  ,as food1 bread  
and wine are the best elemental         
representatives of the body and blood of
 the human being1 and will sustain human
 life in health and vigour4 ,as bread   
and wine1 they are elements of the      
physical nature of ,god2 and when taken 
into the human body1 they               
transubstantiate in that body1 and1 in  
making blood1 become the blood which is 
necessary to sustain the moral god or   
reason in the godly man3 so1 through the
 transubstantiation1 they do not cease  
to be the body and blood of ,christ4    
,this is what is meant in the matter1   
and this solves the language of ,saint  
,augustine1 cited in the twenty-ninth   
article1 that though the wicked eat the 
consecrated bread and drink the wine1   

they do not eat the real body and blood 
of ,christ1 because in leading bad lives
 they do not improve themselves1 and so 
eat and drink but for new condemnation4 
,the revelation of the mysterious word  
sin1 in the ,sacred ,scriptures1 is     
generally applicable to the ignorance of
 the human race2 and so of original sin1
 which is not to be otherwise reasonably
 understood4 ,man is born without       
knowledge1 but may1 by due care1 be made
 a member of the ,church of ,christ2    
that is1 may be made a scholar1 as the  
foundation of a wise and good man4  ,i  
shrink not from a full and reasonable   
explanation of every part of the        
mysterious doctrine of the ,christian   
,church1 in this way2 and ,i am prepared
 to maintain1 before all men1 that this 
is the true revelation of the mystery1  
the true spirit of the letter1 both of  
the ,old and ,new ,testament3 the truth 
as it is in ,jesus--in nature3 the      
truth1 by ,god4  ,this beautiful and    
deeply-woven allegory embraces1 in its  

mystery1 almost every known process of  
nature2 and must1 in my opinion1 have   
been the labour of the united science of
 many generations of the wisest men---of
 truly inspired men4 ,this very doctrine
 of transubstantiation in the ,sacrament
 of the ,lord's ,supper1 is descriptive1
 and is in fact and principle1 the      
death1 burial1 and resurrection of      
,christ in4 man4 ,the bread and wine are
 swallowed1 are buried in the human     
stomach1 there decomposed or            
transubstantiated1 formed into chyle1   
rise again into blood1 and form the     
spirit of the man3 which is1 in reality1
 a death of the body and resurrection of
 the spirit3 and the brain being the    
chief of the sentient principle1 there  
becomes an ascension into that kingdom  
of heaven1 which it is in a reasonable  
man1 and than2 which there can be1 by   
law of nature1 no other4 ,the same or   
similar explanation applies to the first
 and second birth2 the birth of the     
physical body in its original sin1 the  

second the birth of the spiritual mind  
or inward man1 which is the ,lord       
,christ ,jesus4 ,it is a divine riddle1 
and such is the solution4  ,the riddle  
is of larger comprehension than the mere
 relations of ,god to man4 ,it is an    
astronomical almanack1 a written and    
dramatized picture of the celestial     
globe2 and is1 in truth1 a most perfect 
allegory of all known nature1 both in   
physics and morals1 in matter and       
spirit4 ,there are no such men in the   
,church now as the writers of the       
,sacred ,scriptures2 none even with     
sufficient knowledge to understand them4
 ,we have fallen2 yes1 we have fallen   
into the dark ages2 and the revelation1 
when known1 is to be the millennium4 ,we
 have fallen by that ,scarlet ,whore1   
the ,babylon of ,mystery2 and have to   
rise again1 by getting a knowledge of   
,christ1 which is not now in the        
,church1 nor yet among any of the       
,dissenters so called4 ,nothing can be  
imagined more anti-,christian in spirit 

and character1 than that which has been 
called the ,christian ,church of the    
last fifteen hundred years4  ,christ1 in
 his physical character1 personates the 
sun and solar year1 while his twelve    
disciples personate the twelve months1  
or the signs of the zodiac2 and2 in this
 sense1 we have a death1 descent1       
resurrection and ascension1 once a year4
 ,it is in that sense he performs the   
miracle of turning the water of the pot 
of ,aquarius 7,january or ,winter7 into 
the wine of ,autumn2 the story1 of      
course1 is told1 in the gospel1 after   
the form of a personated narrative of a 
dramatic incident4 ,so the product of   
the corn-seed of five small loaves and  
two fishes1 becomes sufficient1 in the  
season1 to feed five thousand4 ,the     
knowledge and ingenuity of the state of 
mind1 that could so construct the       
allegory1 as an harmonious picture of   
the works of nature1 is absolutely      
wonderful1 and has my admiration1 even  
my ejaculatory adoration2 and ,i am not 

a little proud of my own ingenuity1 in  
having penetrated thus far into so deep 
and mysterious a subject4 ,it has       
brought me perfect peace of mind1 as to 
the general system of nature1 and left  
me burning with the desire to acquire   
more knowledge4  ,in the ,church now    
existing1 is there aught but mystery    
that can be called its religion8 ,and in
 mystery unexplained1 unrevealed1 can   
there be aught but impudent knavery in  
the ministration1 with general hypocrisy
 or credulous folly in the reception8 ,i
 have penetrated the subject so deeply  
as not to shrink from saying1 that the  
present ministration of the ,church is  
an impudent and mischievous imposture1  
sanctioned by the custom of antiquity1  
that neither instructs nor moralizes the
 people2 for1 notwithstanding all the   
pretences to religion1 greater          
immorality than is here found cannot be 
supposed to exist among a people holding
 or held together as a community1 in    
daily danger of disruption1 and utterly 

without a code of moral guidance or     
guides3 and this not so much among the  
poor as among the rich4 ,even this city 
is in danger1 from its ill-assorted and 
ill-conditioned population1 of all the  
disasters that befell ,babylon1         
,jerusalem1 ,rome1 ,constantinople or   
,paris4 ,and almost every village in the
 ,island groans under want1 and courts  
even the desolation of contested        
revolution for a change4 ,and that very 
feeling and profession1 which is now    
miscalled the religion of peace1 will1  
from its state of ignorant dissension1  
only serve to whet the appetite for     
contention and slaughter1 and make      
another war in the name of ,god4  ,i    
call upon you to repent1 by which ,i    
mean reflection4 ,i ask you to be       
honest1 and that1 too1 because the      
season of profitable dishonesty is      
exhausted1 and you have wealth enough3  
save it4 ,it is never too late to reform
 and do justly2 but the later the reform
 is deferred1 the more necessity that   

the justice be rigid and prompt4 ,i feel
 that if ,i had your authority1 ,i could
 save the ,church and its property1 not 
for a farther career of its iniquity and
 error1 but as a noble institution for  
the good of the people1 a sufficient    
school for all1 and a hospital for the  
infirm2 to which1 ,i add1 that this1 or 
nothing good1 must have been the purpose
 of its first institution4 ,i believe1  
from what ,i now see of the foundation  
of the ,christian ,religion1 that this  
was the first purpose of its            
institution4 ,banish the superstition of
 the ,church1 plant the tree of         
knowledge there1 and you will quickly   
overthrow the morally pestilent         
,dissenters4 ,i mean1 of course1 by     
moral means1 by the exhibition of more  
knowledge and wisdom and utility than   
they4 ,this would be salvation and      
reform to every good institution in the 
country2 for when knowledge becomes the 
nation's religion and moral pole-star1  
everything good is safe1 everything evil

 will vanish before a discussion of its 
merits4 ,this or blood-thirsty          
contention is your choice4 ,you may     
delay for a while2 but you cannot       
otherwise reform4 ,you1 by delay1 will  
merely bid the people wait until they   
are strong enough to combat your        
authority4 ,delay will be a challenge to
 them of physical combat4  ,what can    
confer more dignity on the ,dignitaries 
of the ,church than for the ,legislature
 to say to them3--,feed the people with 
knowledge and no longer fill them with  
superstition8 ,if ,i understand human   
nature rightly1 it has more pleasure in 
honesty than in dishonesty4  ,would the 
experimental lectures of a ,faraday1    
desecrate the building8 ,or a           
beautifully reflected picture of the    
heavens and its explanation lessen true 
devotion8 ,would moral2 science profane 
the pulpit or injure the congregation8  
,would the real catechism2 and          
instruction1 of children in matters of  
physical and moral science be of less   

importance than the parrotlike catechism
 of the language of the present mystery8
 ,there would then be some ground for a 
bishop's or overseer's examination and  
confirmation2 but what does confirmation
 now mean8 ,all that ,i can remember of 
it is a learn-ing to repeat from memory 
a prayer and a creed1 perhaps a few     
commandments1 which are studied to-day1 
to be gone through tomorrow1 and        
neglected ever after4 ,give the people  
something which they can feel and know  
to be useful1 which they can reduce to  
practice1 and they will emulate each    
other in flocking to ,church at the     
appointed times4 ,you will then have    
need of still more churches to receive  
the increasing population4 ,it will be  
an emulative pleasure to children1 a new
 delight to parents1 a mutual           
gratification to be at school together  
in church4  ,i can say from observation1
 comparison and experience1 that among  
the most moral of the working people in 
the metropolis1 will be found those who 

have attended scientific lectures on the
 ,sunday1 and who have thereby been     
taught1 to contemn superstition4 ,you   
find them not in the house of           
intoxication2 but passing soberly in the
 evening from their homes to the school2
 and gratifiedly after the lecture from 
the school to their homes4 ,the greatest
 error that toryism and superstition    
have fallen into has been to suppose    
that knowledge will make a people       
disorderly4 ,bacon's aphorism is true1  
that superstition is the primum mobile  
of sedition1 the great agitator2 and    
ignorance the great disorderer of       
,states4 ,is it not so in ,ireland8 ,is 
it not your greatest trouble in this    
island8 ,the wisest act of the life of  
the late ,lord ,castlereagh was to      
propose to send ,paine's ,age of ,reason
 among the ,roman ,catholics of         
,ireland4 ,if it had been so thoroughly 
done1 when he proposed it1 they would   
have been all quiet enough by this time4
 ,real knowledge is the water-cup of    

sobriety for a people3 with that they   
will seek to rid themselves of nothing  
but error and evil that cannot be       
morally defended4  ,make the change that
 ,i propose in the business and ceremony
 of the ,church1 and you instantly make 
a ,christian ,religion1 eminently       
,catholic1 that will not only annihilate
 the ,dissenters1 but convert ,jew1     
,mahometan and ,pagan4 ,it will be      
irresistible to all mankind4 ,they      
cannot argue against science2 but each  
argues against the superstition of the  
other4 ,science is the essence of       
,judaism1 but the men called ,jews      
understand it not4 ,it is the foundation
 of their name1 the ground on which they
 have been considered a chosen people1  
it is the only sign of ,god in man1 the 
only proof of true religion4 ,science   
and morals are the whole duty and all   
needful to man2 beyond which he can gain
 nothing but superstition1 error and    
evil4 ,science and morals1 then1 are the
 only proper business of the ,church4   

,let us have our ,national ,education in
 the ,church4 ,let the ,church be the   
fountain of knowledge1 and all be there 
baptized1 as a true sign of mental birth
 and membership of ,christ4  ,gather    
together all the property that was ever 
ecclesiastical2 get it back from whoever
 may hold it2 take it out of the hands  
of the priesthood or the ministers of   
the ,church1 tithes and all2 and give it
 into the hands of its true owners1 the 
people1 each parish with its separate   
share1 and let the majority of the      
parishioners make the best use of it    
they can for ecclesiastical1 that is    
scholastical purposes2 and with it1     
also1 provide for their infirm and      
accidentally poor4 ,this one act of     
public justice and public good would go 
far toward settling the affairs of this 
distracted and unsettled nation1 and do 
injury to no one4 ,let the ,state       
,parliament be also the ,church         
,convocation1 which may be well done    
when there are no superstitious         

disputes1 all will go on smoothly with  
due and sufficient authority and order1 
and ,britain look forward to happy days4
 ,it would be the regeneration of the   
whole earth in a few years4 ,this is    
what is meant by the promise of the     
knowledge of the ,lord covering the     
earth as the waters fill the ocean4     
,somebody must publicly break through   
the trammels of superstition1 ,i have   
done it as far as a private man can do  
it2 but wo public man in ,england has   
yet dared to approach the subject4 ,be  
you the first4 ,no other circumstance   
could bring you a more imperishable name
 and fame4 ,of wealth you have enough4  
,i ask nothing more than that you fulfil
 the promise of your administration made
 to the ,electors of ,tamworth4 ,if you 
say1 that you did not mean what ,i      
express1 ,i shall answer you1 that you  
could have no other meaning4 ,were ,i in
 ,parliament1 ,i would carry the subject
 in spite of prejudice2 so strong is my 
faith in the power of knowledge4 ,i     

would move1 in such a clear and simple  
way1 that a man should not hold up his  
face to his fellow man after voting     
against me4  ,give us a commission1 with
 power to enquire into this subject4 ,i 
will be content to wait all the time    
that justice to all concerned may       
require4 ,if religion be any thing more 
than ,i make it--mental cultivation from
 infancy to death1 it must be the       
private business of every man's life and
 nothing national2 like national        
sobriety1 it must be made up of the     
sobriety of each individual1 and cannot 
rest on social forms and ceremonies4    
,ceremonial sobriety would be but the   
mockery of a good principle4 ,i care not
 how much repenting and proving we have1
 how much trial1 let us but have free1  
full1 and fair enquiry and discussion1  
in ,parliament and out of ,parliament4  
,giving a man knowledge cannot be a     
disqualification for true religion4     
,feeding him with science can have no   
tendency to injure his morals4          

,occupying his time well can be no      
source of bad habits4 ,spurring him on  
to a moral emulation in the acquisition 
of equal or more knowledge than his     
neighbour1 will not create ill will     
toward that neighbour4  ,the best       
occupation of time is a question at the 
very root of individual happiness and   
national prosperity3 ,i find it         
everywhere sadly neglected2 here in     
prison1 out in church1 at the theatre1  
in public and private business1 in      
families1 in pursuit of pleasure1 in the
 army--everywhere4 ,it can be scarcely  
said1 that there is anything solid in   
our actions2 frivolity prevails         
everywhere1 and is mixed up with our    
most serious professions4 ,i cannot look
 back to ,pagan times without seeing    
that they were a superior people to     
ourselves1 and that we have fallen1     
through the management of our religion  
and politics1 from1 rather than risen1  
above them3 we exceed them in nothing   
but hard and lengthy labour for small   

wages1 insufficient for the necessaries 
of life4 ,we have not learnt from       
,seneca1 that he lives longest who has  
made the best use of his time4  ,be it  
your study to seek to give us some sound
 moral reforms1 and sink party politics 
in the moral of public good2 withdraw   
all licences from houses of intoxication
 and late hours2 let there be no public 
resort1 in ,parliament or elsewhere1    
after ten at night2 if it would be no   
abridgement of general liberty1 confine 
shop business to limited hours1 that the
 conductors and assistants may have due 
time for mental improvement4 ,some of   
the young men and women in ,london      
shops1 bitterly lament the want of more 
time for rational recreation1 for health
 and improvement4 ,they are among the   
veriest of slaves in confinement4 ,let  
knowledge be once legislatively         
encouraged1 remove all taxes from it1   
and then a hundred minor arrangements1  
by legislation1 may be made conducive to
 public good1 and a bar be set against  

injurious1 offensive1 and slavish       
competition4 ,it is the ,tory fear--and1
 in justice1 ,i will add1 ,whig fear    
too--of knowledge that has produced all 
the present wrongs and evils of the     
country2 for if cunning men have        
legislated1 it has not been done for the
 public good2 because there has not been
 sufficient public responsibility4      
,this is all ,church as well as ,state  
business that ,i am proposing4 ,the     
clear distinction as to ,church and     
,state is--that the ,church means the   
people1 congregated for mental          
improvement2 and the ,state means the   
exercise of that mental improvement in  
their public business3 so true it is1   
that ,church must precede and give      
character to the ,state4  ,tithes are a 
recognition of the original             
proprietorship of the whole people in   
the land2 a rent paid under that        
consideration1 appropriate-able to the  
sustenance of the poor1 and the mental  
improvement of all4  ,church ,property  

is the property of the whole people who 
constitute the ,church2 and not1 as now1
 of the ministers1 who profess to be1   
and ought to be1 the servants of the    
,church4 ,at present1 the servants are  
set above1 defy1 and tyrannize over the 
masters4 ,all public officers in ,church
 and ,state1 from the ,king to the      
,beadle1 should be subject to the       
periodical election of an intelligent   
people3 without this1 there can be no   
just and dignified authority--no proper 
public officers1--all will be tyranny1  
corruption1 and inefficiency6  ,in thus 
stating my subject1 ,i am not insensible
 to the state of mind and conflicting   
interests with which you have to deal3  
but you are in a dilemma1 from which    
nothing but wisdom and honesty can      
relieve you2 every false or inefficient 
step will weaken you2 any attempt to    
patch the holes made by ,time in the    
mystery of the ,church1 will be like the
 tinker's work of mending one and making
 two3 it is rusty and rotten1 and must  

be knocked to pieces and burnt up1 to   
produce the brilliant revelation from   
its ashes6 ,there can be no mixture of  
the mystery with the revelation4 ,the   
latter is a spirit that will explode the
 former2 and1 if you be a good          
,christian1 let me tell you that the    
advent of the revelation will be the    
fulfilment of the promise of the gospel4
 ,we have had nothing but the mystery1  
nothing but the dark ages of ignorance  
and superstition3 the mystery is not    
,christianity2 the revelation alone1    
which we have not had1 is ,christianity4
 ,the mystery and the revelation are as 
unlike each other1 as the grossest      
superstition is unlike reason4  ,what a 
delightful state of society do ,i see   
before me1 when the watchword of all    
shall be--,,get ,,knowledge6 ,the ,bible
 abounds with this exhortation2 tells us
 all our disorders are lack of          
knowledge2 and yet we have been through 
centuries1 almost through millenia1     
studiously and tyrannically keeping each

 other blind and ignorant4 ,this has    
been the reign of the devil1            
,anti-,christianity1 and not            
,christianity4 ,when the portico of each
 ,church-build-ing shall bear the       
inscription of--,,know ,,thyself1 ,,and 
,,enter ,,here ,,to ,,get ,,knowledge1  
the communicant will see a friend in his
 minister1 and the minister will strive 
to raise up wisdom in his communicant4  
,now what do we see8 ,studied ignorance1
 and suppression of knowledge with both3
 each ashamed to look in the face of the
 other4 ,and wherever a man advances    
beyond the existing state of mind1 and  
publishes his sentiments1 he is         
persecuted as an outcast1 and           
unrelentingly subjected to              
prison-discipline1 since the law has    
ceased to make the offence capital4     
,the unrevealed mystery of religion has 
been the curse and moral devil of the   
human race4 ,a statesman cannot be wise 
and honest without setting his face     
against it1 and seeking to rid of it the

 minds of his countrymen4 ,with it1 a   
state can have no permanent peace1 nor  
can statesmanship be an honour4 ,if you 
are not master of this subject1 ,i am2  
if you will not press it upon the       
attention of the country1 ,i will2 and  
,i have not a doubt1 but that1 by its   
superior moral power1 it will enable me 
to succeed you in office4 ,i invite you 
to take the task in your hands1 and ,i  
will be content to be anything1 to      
remain in prison1 if this great reform  
be but put in motion while ,i live4  ,it
 is simply to begin to teach the people 
something useful in the ,church1 to give
 them useful knowledge1 as easy in      
practicability as it is for a ripe      
scholar to become a schoolmaster to     
uninstructed youth4 ,we have teachers   
all prepared for the purpose in the     
,clergy themselves4 ,you have now to    
deal with a suspected and not a         
respected clergy4 ,though the great mass
 of the people do not understand where  
the fault theologically lies1 yet they  

have instinctive discernment enough to  
see1 that the relation of their         
condition to that of the ,clergy is not 
founded in honesty and social utility4  
,as sure as ,i1 who see through the     
whole subject1 the people feel that they
 are not fairly dealt with by the       
,clergy2 and thus feeling1 with such a  
,clergy1 there can be no social peace4  
,the feeling will increase as they get  
knowledge on the subject1 and ,i have   
thrown that knowledge into the market1  
in defiance of all the power you have   
possessed or can possess2 and that      
knowledge you cannot withdraw from the  
market of human intellect3 the whole    
people will get at it in time4  ,your   
boast is now that of being chief or     
leader of the ,,conservatives4 ,this is 
not what the nation wants4 ,it needs    
purgation of error1 abuse and wrong1 and
 a restoration of all the first         
principles of its ,institutions4 ,it is 
a fair question to put to you and your  
party1 if you know the first principles 

of the ,institutions of this country8   
,you certainly have seen none of them in
 practice2 for your scholarship and     
administration have been full of error  
and wickedness4 ,as ,i told ,sir ,allan 
,park1 that the ,church had dissented   
from itself1 so ,i now tell you1 that   
every ,institution in this country that 
is a thousand years old in name1 has    
dissented from itself1 and has1 in fact1
 been changed diabolically--which means 
directly opposite1 or from good to evil2
 and there never was a country whose cup
 of iniquity was more filled4           
,conservation means preservation1 and   
there is nothing in the present         
,institutions of this country but public
 wrongs and private abuses to be        
preserved4 ,the name of a ,destructive  
is far more honourable1 in the present  
state of the country2 the only name     
indeed that can be honourable1 if it be 
interpreted1 an intended destruction of 
error and abuses1 of which the country  
is brim-full1 and the fermentation      

pouring over4  ,i dislike all these     
names4 ,they are all dishonestly used4  
,they form no real distinction between  
man and man4 ,the word ,radical has     
always been to me an offensive word2 the
 more particularly so as ,i have seen   
some very bad and ignorant men making a 
great noise under it and about it4 ,we  
want knowledge and honesty to make it   
practicable1 and no names by which to be
 distinguished3 such names spring from  
ignorance and dishonesty4  ,the origin  
of our ancient ,institutions has its    
foundation laid in the moral of law     
springing from the law of morals2 and   
the restoration would be easy1 if       
existing authority would resign itself  
to the change1 or if it could be        
overpowered and made so to do4 ,one or  
the other of these changes is necessary1
 before anything can be done1 and the   
first the wisest and to be preferred4 ,i
 believe there was a time when they     
existed without a mixture of any kind of
 deception practised upon the people1   

and that is just what ,i desire to see  
restored2 and which1 ,i am sure1 from   
the growth of knowledge and criticism1  
is the one thing needful to keep the    
country in a state of inward peace4     
,knowledge is the only spiritual        
interest of the people3 it should be    
fostered1 promoted and increased in the 
,church1 so as to be equalized as far as
 possible among the mass or greater     
number4 ,the ignorance of the people has
 been an excuse for many an act of      
hypocrisy1 deception and tyranny3 its   
continuance is now the fault of the     
,church1 and of those who have its      
direction4 ,cunning cannot invent an    
assumption that any qualification can   
better serve the spiritual and temporal 
interests of the people than knowledge4 
,their degree of knowledge is the all   
that is spiritual or of good within     
them4 ,it is an affair1 too1 where      
honest brokerage is scarcely probable2  
because no check can be kept upon it4   
,what1 therefore1 is not to be defended 

as knowledge is not of ,god but of the  
devil4 ,in that sense1 ,i arraign the   
whole ,church as now constituted1 and   
challenge it to stand a trial4 ,i fear  
it is now too corrupt even to be        
militant4  ,let us suppose you about to 
attempt a reconciliation with the       
present ,dissenters1 as to the doctrines
 and ceremonies of the ,church4 ,to     
please the advocates of adult baptism1  
you must exchange the infant for adult  
baptism1 and then you will displease    
those who are not pleased with adult    
baptism4 ,to please the ,unitarians1 you
 must give up the doctrine of the       
,trinity2 and then you will displease   
all the ,trinitarians4 ,what is to be   
done to satisfy the ,wesleyans or       
,methodists8 ,they will have irregular  
prayers and preachings1 which are       
contrary to the discipline of the       
,church4 ,what is to be done with the   
,swedenborgians1 the ,muggletonians1 and
 ,southcotians8 ,how can you furnish    
spirit and noise enough for the ,unknown

 ,tongues of the ,irvingites8 ,and what 
but the spirit of silence will          
conciliate the ,quakers8 ,all of them   
will require the abolition of your      
bishopricks and other offices1 while    
none of them will object1 and all will  
claim if a chance offer1 to divide the  
,church ,property among them4 ,the      
spirit of dissent1 in matters of        
religion1 prevailing in this country1 is
 nothing more than an infectious mental 
disease3 with it1 there is no reason    
mixed4 ,the moment it becomes a profit  
to lead such a congregation1 men of     
comparative talent as to capability will
 take it up and lead2 and thus the thing
 has gone on to confusion and mental    
distraction1 because the ,church was not
 in a condition to defend itself and set
 a better example4 ,you cannot please   
one sect of the ,dissenters1 without    
increasing the displeasure of the other3
 and thus your task is hopeless1 on any 
other ground than that which ,i propose1
 to beat them in the superior           

communication of knowledge4  ,on the    
other hand1 let us suppose the ,church  
of ,england to begin to reveal the      
mystery of ,jesus ,christ1 which ,i     
define1 and maintain1 to consist of a   
cultivation of the human mind1 with all 
possible knowledge and reason2 all other
 ,churches must instantly bow to its    
superiority4 ,the effect among men      
throughout the earth would be wonderful 
and intellectually electric4 ,it is the 
only system that can be imagined to be a
 ,catholic ,christianity1 and the very  
thing that is meant by the word         
,catholic1 something alike suited to the
 welfare of every man1 and which        
presents the principle of a moral       
equality1 which is the only foundation  
for true liberty1 and the only guarantee
 for an improvement of public morals2   
one that would make the ,church an      
attraction to the wisest as well as to  
the most ignorant of men2 those as      
teachers1 these as learners4  ,we may   
carry the idea farther2 and as in the   

present state of mind1 millions in      
,europe and ,america are attached to an 
idea of the superiority of the ,church  
authorities at ,rome1 through ignorance 
and custom ,i grant1 but not less       
attached1--,i would1 to humour that     
conceit and turn it to good1 consent to 
make the ,pope of ,rome the centre of   
communication from all parts of the     
earth for discovered knowledge1 as it   
would be desirable to have such a       
central recipient and fountain to give  
it forth again in the best possible     
manner4 ,this would accelerate the      
reconciliation of the dissenting race1  
without an idea of dishonourable        
submission on the part of an individual4
 ,indeed1 the perfection of my          
proposition is1 that no man can feel    
injury or degradation in the change4 ,it
 is an overthrow of nothing1 but simply 
the development and better understanding
 of the mystery that has existed since  
the world of human intellect began3 the 
revelation of that mystery2 and1        

consequently1 the completion or carrying
 out of the true ,christian scheme4  ,it
 is not to be expected1 that1 in a      
pamphlet letter1 ,i can do more than    
briefly notice a few leading points of  
this important subject2 but ,i am quite 
prepared to extend it through volumes1  
and shall go on so to do4 ,i am quite   
prepared to meet or be one of any       
commission on the subject4 ,i would     
willingly put my life upon the hazard of
 verifying my present views of original 
,christianity4 ,it would have been done 
in former ages1 had the printing press  
existed4 ,its doing now is consequent on
 the gradual power of criticism which   
the ,press has brought with it into     
existence4 ,it is the truth1 and must   
prevail4 ,it is the ,god in man4 ,it is 
the ,church of ,christ1 against which   
the gates of ,hell shall not prevail4   
,they have certainly prevailed against  
every other existing ,church1 and the   
whole of the past is a wreck4  ,when    
speaking of the original ,christian     

,religion1 or of the revelation of the  
mystery1 ,i wish to be understood1 as   
not meaning that the revelation was ever
 before preached or openly taught to the
 human race on any part of the earth4   
,we have no evidence of it beyond the   
reasoning and moral precepts of the     
philosophical world1 which were not put 
forth as a scheme or system of religion4
 ,but when it is confessedly the fact1  
that something called a ,christian      
scheme has been talked about for        
eighteen hundred years2 and when we can 
trace the fac simile of that something1 
even in its whole nomenclature1         
principle and practice1 through ,greeks 
and ,romans1 ,persians and ,hindoos1 up 
to the ,celtic ,druids and earliest     
known universal worship of ,budha1 the  
first personation of ,jesus ,christ now 
on record2--,i mean1 that the mystery   
has been the only general public part of
 it1 and that the knowledge of the      
revelation was confined to the learned  
class and ancient mysteries of all      

countries1 was the esoteric doctrine of 
the initiated into those mysteries2 and 
the breaking up of those mysteries1 from
 the time of ,alexander to the ,augustan
 era1 was the cause of the first        
publication in writing of the books or  
traditions handed down through the      
agency of those secret and sacred       
,associations1 bearing the mystery only 
on its surface and by the letter2 and   
that after the mystery was so published1
 the very ministers of it lost the      
revelation1 which is what the           
,freemasons profess to be in search of1 
the lost word1 the word that ,i have    
found and now declare1 that the         
salvation by ,jesus ,christ is only to  
be found in the increasing cultivation  
of the human mind with all attainable   
knowledge2 that the true worship of ,god
 has no other meaning1 the root of the  
word worship being to cultivate1 and the
 field to be cultivated the human mind2 
that repentance is reflection for       
improvement2 the second birth is the    

birth of mind1 as distinguished from    
physical birth or birth of body1 the one
 describing the man ,adam1 the other the
 ,god ,christ2 and that the kingdom of  
,heaven is to be established upon a     
general knowledge and practice of this  
revelation1 is to be upon this earth1 in
 successive generations of the human    
race1 and not reasonably to be sought   
under any other speculation1 calculation
 or hope4 ,these are not only           
possibilities but probabilities1 and    
immediate practicabilities1 if the      
existing ,devil will be pleased to      
retire3 if not1 we must resist him1 and1
 as we are promised1 on that condition1 
he will flee4  ,such is the foundation  
of a ,catholic ,church1 from which there
 can be no dissent2 for what is         
understood cannot be dissented from3 the
 existing dissent is ignorance          
dissenting from ignorance4 ,in the      
common use of the word1 ,i am not a     
,dissenter2 but a trier1 prover1        
teacher1 revealer of that which is the  

true meaning of the mystery that has    
been through ignorance the cause of the 
dissent4 ,the personation of ,deity in  
the written mystery has been nothing    
more than a drama prepared for stage    
effect1 which1 to the initiated only1   
would be matter of instruction or       
refreshment of memory4 ,the ancient     
mystery meant a play1 a drama1 in our   
modern sense2 but was first called a    
mystery1 then a morality2 was first     
private1 and afterwards made common to  
the public1 and is now for the first    
time revealed to the general            
understanding1 through the              
instrumentality of the printing press4  
,in my lecturings and discussions1 both 
in town and country1 ,i find this       
revelation has a great charm among all  
classes who have good temper and good   
manners to hear patiently4 ,it is pure  
reason1 pure knowledge1 pure translation
 of language2 it clashes with no other  
man's knowledge1 and ,i have not found  
the man who can raise an argument       

against it4 ,of its final and complete  
success in regenerating the world1 ,i   
have not a doubt2 it is only a question 
of time4 ,it is now a question1 if you  
and the ,parliament will look at it4 ,i 
know you well enough to know1 that you  
will not like its propounder2 but who   
else has been ripe and bold enough to do
 it8 ,who else deserves the honour of   
being its propounder2 but ,i1 its honest
 martyr and zealous student1 through a  
ten years' imprisonment8 ,i call you to 
witness my fidelity in this matter4 ,i  
was your prisoner through four years2   
you sanctioned the two years ,i had     
suffered before you came to the ,home   
,department3 you sanctioned my          
imprisonment by ,lord ,melbourne1       
through thirty-two months3 and1 by      
virtue of your office1 you are          
sanctioning my present imprisonment4 ,i 
do not say this in anger4 ,i am         
retaliating upon you1 as ,i would have  
you retaliate upon the ,dissenters1 by  
superior knowledge4 ,if you do not now  

or early take me by the hand1 ,i shall  
drive you out of the field of politics1 
and all who may succeed of your         
disposition4  ,it is not to be denied1  
that there are moral exhortations put   
forth in every ,church2 the mystery     
would not pass on the people without    
them4 ,but it is a truth1 that1 in all  
of them1 morals are treated as a        
secondary consideration2 and in some of 
the madder dissenting ,churches1 are    
counted as of no weight in the question 
of religion4 ,the truth1 as it is in    
,jesus1 is1 that morals are every thing 
as to practice1 and knowledge with      
succeeding reason1 the principles of    
speculation1 the ,,word to be sought1 or
 the prize to be gained1 the crown of   
glory1 the spiritual and immortal life1 
which is emphatically the language of   
,saint ,john's ,gospel2 and this is the 
totality of the root and principle of   
the ,christian ,religion1 the promotion 
of which is the only proper business of 
the ministration in the ,church4 ,no    

mystery3 down with mystery4 ,it is the  
folly of the human race1 and worse than 
ignorance1 or knowing1 or confessing to 
know1 nothing4 ,there is no ,christ in  
the mystery4 ,how can we reason1 but    
from what we know8 ,the knowledge must  
be first4 ,nothing precedes knowledge   
but the thing to be known4 ,nothing is  
required after2 but a dealing with the  
thing known by principle of reason4     
,unknown worlds1 unknown spirits1       
unknown matter1 is nothing to us1 until 
the knowledge is obtained4 ,our         
knowledge is our all1 in moral power1   
and we can have nothing of a religious  
nature but our knowledge4 ,superstitious
 fears1 we know to be the property or   
sensation of ignorance and              
misconception4 ,we are morally          
responsible for nothing but an improper 
use of our knowledge4 ,it is wickedness 
to teach ignorance any other doctrine4  
,my ,christian proposition for the      
,reform of the ,church harmonizes with  
all science1 and clashes with nothing   

but positive error and wicked policy2   
and ,i venture to tell you1 that you can
 find no other scheme to produce the    
same effect1 and to give satisfaction to
 the present and to all future          
generations of men1 to make the ,church 
meet the respect and affections of the  
people4  ,each paltry sect now considers
 its tenets as a ,catholic ,faith2 but  
the truth is1 as ,dr4 ,oeddes well      
observed1 that what is ,christian is    
,catholic1 and what is ,catholic must be
 ,christian2 but then1 this follows1    
that neither ,christianity nor          
,catholicity will bear a union with the 
word dissent1 unless the dissenter be an
 intelligent corrector at the same time3
 they are adverse to every admissible   
idea of undiscussed dissent4 ,all       
standing dissent is of the devil2 while 
,christianity and ,catholicity are of   
,god and ,heaven4 ,the multiplication   
table1 the elements of ,euclid1 the     
doctrines of the ,trinity and           
,transubstantiation1 the proved analysis

 and composition of all known           
substances1 are ,catholic doctrines1    
from which nothing but ignorance can    
dissent4 ,the whole of the present      
,church ,ritual is a mass of words that 
conceal a truth2 but that truth is not  
known in the ,church1 cannot therefore  
be used or worshipped1 and the words can
 only be deemed the lumber of the       
memory3 treating man as man treats a    
parrot1 teaching him constantly to      
exclaim pretty ,poll1 without giving him
 understanding whom or what ,poll       
personates4  ,if ,i were to sit in      
,church through a morning or evening    
service1 ,i should have a perfect       
understanding of all the words used1    
and1 consequently1 should be worshipping
 according to the limit of ,,the ,,word 
there presented2 because ,i have in me  
the spirit of revelation4  ,but this is 
not the case with those who now attend  
the ,church1 their attendance is upon   
form1 ceremony1 mystery1 hypocrisy1     
which is the real meaning of the whole  

present business of the ,church3        
hypocrisy1 or dramatical acting1 set    
forth in a mystery1 without a mixture or
 accompanying revelation2 and like the  
flimsy gildings of a theatre1 or the    
spangles of an actress' dress1 gilded   
over with a little moral exhortation1   
that you may observe or not1 as you     
please1 so as you are a cheerful payer  
of all dues1 rates1 and oblations4 ,the 
first revision wanted in the ,church is 
a translation of the revelation from the
 dead language of its mystery1 into     
language comprehensible by all4         
,consequent upon such a revision would  
be1 that the parishioners would take the
 management of their own ,church        
,property into their own hands1 and     
recover and hold ,,their ,,most ,,sacred
 ,,rent ,,of ,,tithe1 on recovery of the
 knowledge that they are the first and  
inalienable proprietors of the land4    
,my subject is so far novel as to       
justify a little repetition4 ,that twice
 two is four need not be repeated2 but  

where the human being is enveloped in a 
cloud of verbose mystery1 that cloud can
 only be dispelled by continued flashes 
of moral lightning4 ,so ,i will return  
to methodical statement4  ,the mystery  
of the existing ,church1 in all its     
grades of dissent1 having set forth and 
caused the belief of a temporal and     
local existence of the personated       
principles of ,deity1 as distinct and   
separate from ourselves1 in imitation of
 the ,pagan ,mythology1 and not as      
simulated beings2 it is requisite1 as   
matter of proof1 sooth and truth1 that a
 case of clear human history of the     
circumstances be first made out1 the    
doing of which my knowledge1 after      
trial1 challenges2 and if that could be 
done1 the more difficult task would     
remain1 to prove1 that such beings1 the 
authors of such circumstances1 as could 
be historically proved1 were            
super-human4 ,if the first cannot be    
done1 the clumsy mystery falls to the   
ground1 as the ,dagon of the day1 before

 historical criticism3 and if the first 
be done1 and the second cannot bear the 
light of scientific and philosophical   
criticism1 the mystery is still but a   
mummery1 which belief can no longer     
prop1 nor physical power farther        
propagate2 it is thrown into the        
crucible of moral criticism1 and men    
will not longer consent to believe that 
the same causes will demonstrate        
differing effects1 nor that varying     
causes may be made to demonstrate the   
same effect4  ,i have read in public    
prints of your creditable attendance at 
the ,royal ,institution of ,albemarle   
,street1 on the demonstrative ,lectures 
of ,mr4 ,faraday in the ,science of     
,chemistry4 ,when there1 were you asked 
to believe anything8  ,was not          
everything demonstrated1 so that the    
words were verified by the acts of the  
,lecturer8 ,if ,mr4 ,faraday had played 
you hocus pocus or legerdemain tricks1  
as a pretence of chemistry1 would you   
have been satisfied8 ,if he had told you

 of strange and incomprehensible things1
 which he could not demonstrate1 would  
you have believed8--,i think not3 ,i    
give you credit for a better state of   
mind4 ,take a lesson from the inference1
 and grasp this truth1 that the ,royal  
,institution in ,albemarle ,street is   
the best ,church in the country1 and is1
 in reality1 the nearest existing       
approach to the ,catholic ,church of    
,christ4 ,it would be rational1 it would
 be wisdom1 if all were spending their  
,church time at such lectures1 who are  
old enough to receive such instruction4 
,i hope it will not offend you1 nor be  
an untruth1 to say1 that you learnt     
something on every occasion of attending
 ,mr4 ,faraday2 that you1 a ,secretary  
of ,state1 there found you had something
 to learn2 and that a field was there   
opened to knowledge1 which would1 had it
 pleased you1 before all other          
occupation1 have wisely and usefully    
engaged the whole time of your remaining
 life4 ,on the other hand1 in the spirit

 of truth and charity1 but of free      
enquiry1 allow me to ask1 if you could  
ever say the same1 after an attendance  
at ,church1 on leaving1 that you had    
learned something that was1 without     
pretence1 matter of real learning1 an   
acquisition in knowledge possessed1 that
 was not previously known in your       
school-hours and as a matter of         
school-business1 or that might not have 
been learned from a book at home8  ,i   
extend the question1 in asking1 whether 
anything that may be taught a boy at    
seven years of age1 is improved on1 by  
an attendance on the present state of   
the ,church to seventy or four score    
years of age8 ,if not1 and ,i say--,no1 
to what good purpose does this expensive
 establishment exist8 ,or1 may it not be
 put to a better purpose8 and if it may1
 why not8 ,to talk about ,church        
,reform1 without doing something that   
shall tend to a full amount of practical
 and permanent good1 is to insult the   
,nation2 because the existing state of  

the ,church is really a burthen and a   
grievance1 and of no general utility4   
,no ,church was ever reformed by and    
with the consent of its ,priesthood4 ,i 
am of opinion that the ,bishops and     
,clergy ought not to be consulted in    
this affair3--they are not the ,church2 
but the ministers or servants of the    
people1 which form1 or ought to form1   
the ,church4 ,a ,royal or ,parliamentary
 ,commission1 with unlimited powers of  
enquiry1 is the first power necessary   
with which to commence this subject of  
,reform in the ,church4  ,if we did not 
know human nature1 history affords the  
warrant1 that the ,bishops and ,clergy  
generally will follow the profits of the
 ,church3 those in the reign of the     
,tudors changed back and forward five   
times from ,catholic to ,protestant4    
,but under this proposition of mine1    
what dignity is evident in the change6  
,instead of making the ,bishops         
overseers and the ,clergy generally     
actors of a drama1 ,i purpose to put the

 whole structure of the human mind under
 their superintendance and guidance3 not
 to be dealt with as now1 but really to 
be educated in all attainable knowledge4
 ,my purpose is as practicable as that  
any other person can teach any kind of  
knowledge4 ,give the human being a      
better occupation of time1 let the human
 mind expand where it may1 and you      
guarantee perpetual peace and           
improvement1 with dignity to every class
 of men1 with injury to none4  ,the     
change which ,i propose will be         
tantamount to a national change from    
diseased and crippled infancy to healthy
 adolescence4 ,general man has not yet  
had fair play4 ,no ,nation1 the history 
of which is known1 has made a real      
effort to promote the happiness of all  
its members4 ,class has preyed upon     
class2 idleness has been claimed as a   
privilege on one side1 and slavery1     
through force1 been made an inevitable  
duty on the other4 ,for the furtherance 
of such a state of society1 superstition

 has been encouraged1 that a pompous    
class might be decorated to preach      
submission among the labourers to the   
,spirit of ,tyranny and ,imposture that 
was riding riotously over them4 ,there  
can be no liberty and solid happiness   
among a superstitious people2 and all   
attempts1 at what is called political   
reform1 that leave the people mentally  
rotting in superstition1 will be        
abortive4 ,i take credit for one        
fact--that there has been no change made
 in the political spirit of this country
 through any other medium than warfare  
with superstition2 for the baneful and  
blighting spirit of that superstition   
admitted not of the thought of any other
 change4  ,there is a glimpse of light  
latent to show that all the monastic    
institutions1 the temples1 the abbeys1  
priories1 convents1 nunneries1 the      
mysteries1 the churches1 synagogues1 and
 oratories1 were originally instituted  
as schools of useful knowledge2 and for 
what other good purpose could they have 

been instituted8 ,the better part of the
 human mind is now making an effort to  
restore the purity of that state of     
things4 ,nothing short of this can tend 
to harmonize the human race in their    
several nations1 with this improvement  
upon the past1 that all1 and not a class
 only1 be educated4 ,it was this        
education of a class only that has      
created all the mischief of             
superstitious society4 ,the class       
educated has imposed untruths upon the  
uneducated class1 until education itself
 to that class became swallowed up in   
imposture2 and now both preacher and    
hearer may be truly said to be alike    
ignorant of all the great truths that   
are important to man1 and necessary to  
social welfare4 ,in the way in which the
 ,bible is now read1 after being        
printed1 no preachers or teachers are   
necessary3 to have been taught to read  
is sufficient4 ,give every man his      
,bible from ,church ,property1 after    
teaching him to read1 and the present   

,church business is completed3 but much 
otherwise is my view of the subject4    
,there is not a man living that has now 
a thorough understanding of the contents
 and meaning of the ,bible4 ,many are   
working for the restoration of its lost 
science2 and it is a subject worthy of a
 ,church4  ,it may startle a ,first     
,lord of the ,treasury into new thought1
 to be told1 that neither of the ,books 
of the ,bible is a piece of human       
history1 not a history of beings like   
you1 me1 or any one else4 ,i have given 
up all idea of the kind as untenable and
 indefensible4 ,it may startle the      
,chancellor of the ,exchequer1 who is   
supposed to have the counting or        
reckoning of millions of money yearly1  
and contemplating that ,giant of        
,despair--the ,debt1 to be told1 that   
the ,bible is fundamentally a           
mathematical book2 and that he who does 
not so understand it1 understands it not
 at all1 or but in a very small degree1 
as to its moral bearing4 ,the ,duke of  

,sussex can give you an opinion on this 
head1 as to the ,bible being a book of  
algebraical science2 though1 perhaps1 he
 would not like to say it applied to    
astronomical motion1 and was a record of
 time so calculated through myriads of  
ages4 ,a ,bishop should understand this4
 ,it is a book of much more importance  
than has been made of it in the last    
thousand years in ,england4 ,if the     
,bishops were required to have studied  
this book before they took office1 we   
should find them generally as lean and  
as sallow as a lawyer who has to wade   
through the statutes at large1 and law  
reports as large1 for his sort of       
knowledge2 a knowledge that ,i do not   
like1 and will have none of1 but what is
 forced upon me4 ,no kind of knowledge  
is requisite to make a modern ,bishop4  
,the very origin of the title of a      
,bishop is that of an astronomical seer1
 a looker-out or overseer of the        
subordinate offices of science4 ,there  
is a plenty of work1 so as to allow of  

no idleness in any office of the        
,church1 if justice be done to the      
people2 and ,i will not grudge a        
thousand pounds a-year as a salary to a 
competent ,bishop1 or even more than    
that1 if the ,property of the ,church   
will afford it4 ,ignorant fools they    
must have been1 to have allowed so      
important1 so honourable and dignified  
an office to become corrupt1 and to fall
 into disrepute among the people4  ,this
 algebraical reading of the ,bible      
subdues all idea of contradiction to any
 science1 geology for instance1         
chemistry or any other science1 as well 
as of the apparent language of the book 
in letter to letter4 ,for instance1 the 
letter-objecting ,infidels have laid    
great stress on ,moses being set forth  
as having seen ,god2 when the author of 
the ,gospel according to ,saint ,john   
says ,no man hath seen ,god at any time4
 ,this is ignorantly set down as a clear
 contradiction4 ,the explanation is1    
that ,moses was not a man2 and then     

there is no appearance of contradiction4
 ,one is mythologically1 and the other  
morally1 true4  ,the ,hebrew and ,greek 
alphabets1 being numerical as well as   
literal signs1 which was probably the   
case with all other ancient languages1  
and these accumulating large numbers1 by
 additional points1 it is impossible    
that we can have a clear understanding  
of the meaning of their mythological    
sacred books1 without a full algebraical
 knowledge of the language2 and this    
explains how the letter killeth or      
stupifieth1 while the spirit or         
knowledge of the entire meaning alone   
giveth life or understanding4 ,the      
deepest investigators of the ,hebrew    
,bible of this day maintain that it     
should be algebraically understood as a 
book of astronomical science--as a      
record of time by astronomical motion1  
which1 physically speaking1 can alone be
 the ,,word ,,of ,,the ,,works ,,of     
,,god4  ,the only true religion must be 
founded in man's reasonable             

comprehension2 all other pretences to it
 are presumptions and nonsense to be    
condemned4 ,we may as properly speak of 
religious horses and cows1 as of men who
 are ignorant of the subject1 substance 
and meaning1 of what is religion4 ,saint
 ,anthony's preaching to fishes is not  
without its simile in the practical part
 of that which has been mistakenly      
called the ,christian ,religion4 ,that  
which is in practice1 under the name of 
the ,christian ,religion1 among many    
grades of ,dissenters1 is a disgrace to 
the government of the country1 and to   
the name of civilized society3 it grows 
worse and worse4 ,madness is beginning  
to be added to mystery2 or is now       
produced by the mystery without the key 
of revelation4 ,through revelation there
 can be healthy excitement and          
enthusiasm2 but none through mystery4   
,our ,king is not now the head of a     
,church1 nor the ,king of a ,people3 he 
can only be truly described as the head 
or ,king of ,dissenters1 which is an    

office much more troublesome and        
dangerous than honourable4 ,to his      
,ministers1 the present state of        
religious mind must be a prolific source
 of trouble2 and has1 ,i believe1 made  
them persecutors1 where the inclination 
of their own hearts was not coincident  
with the act4 ,the ,dissenters are now  
much less tolerant than the             
law-established ,church2 and if they are
 not undermined by my proposition1 it   
will not take them many years to        
undermine that ,church1 or to demand a  
share of its property4 ,to be able to   
see this1 it is only necessary that we  
be acquainted with the workings of human
 nature1 where not under the controul of
 knowledge4  ,i am not content that the 
,established ,church shall stand merely 
as one among ,dissenting ,churches2 no  
,minister of ,state should be so        
content3 the ,king is thereby           
dishonoured1 and the ,state in disorder4
 ,i would have it a ,church morally     
dominant and militant against all error1

 as it always should be1 and as it was  
in the beginning4 ,the meaning of the   
word militant has been entirely lost1 in
 the growth of mystery and decay of     
revelation in the ,church4 ,there is a  
great talk now about revelation1 or of  
something revealed in the ,church2 but  
there is no reality in the revelation4  
,there is a mystery pregnant with       
revelation2 but not in itself the       
revelation4 ,it is a fountain of        
knowledge1 but the genius of man must   
draw it out4 ,it is good for nothing1   
but has caused a world of mischief1     
where read and understood as merely by  
the letter1 as we read an ordinary book 
of history4 ,the ,church now wants the  
revelation or spirit4 ,not one of those 
existing has a particle of spirit4  ,my 
proposition for a ,reform will          
annihilate infidelity as well as        
dissent4 ,there is no infidelity toward 
knowledge4 ,it has been ignorance all   
through1 on both sides1 that has raised 
the cry of infidelity3 each has been    

unequal to teaching4 ,the ,infidel has  
rejected that literal reading which the 
professing believer could not defend2   
because he did not understand its       
relation1 as mystery to revelation4     
,both1 in fact1 have been alike         
,infidels4 ,if ,i have been the chief of
 ,infidels1 ,i will atone for it in     
becoming the chief defender of          
revelation1 and the faith1 as it is in  
,christ ,jesus1 and not as it is in any 
,dissenting ,church4 ,already the       
ignorant ,infidels murmur at what they  
mistakenly call my apostacy1 while no   
member of any existing ,church holds out
 a hand to my welcome4  ,as the ,church 
goes now1 it is not required that its   
,ministers be learned men3 they have    
nothing to do for which talent is       
requisite--it is a mere school-boy's    
task2 and even among the ,dissenters1   
where the prayer and preaching is       
extemporaneous1 it is not learning1 but 
memory and habit1 that are required4 ,in
 the ,church1 as ,i would have it       

reformed1 not only learning but talent  
to teach would be necessary2 and the    
,ministers would rise to ,bishoprics1   
not through family or political         
interest1 but through preparation and   
capability to fill the office2 for it   
would be required of them to be         
first-rate scholars and practical men in
 display of science1 that sort of       
science1 too1 of which they are now so  
much afraid--the unlimited knowledge of 
things1 rather than of languages4  ,in  
what class of ages do we place the dark 
ages of man's history8 ,to whose account
 are they placed8 ,to the ,pagan1 ,jew1 
,mahometan1 ,infidel1 or whose8 ,i blush
 for the ,church when ,i consider it--to
 the account of that misnomer1 the      
,christian ,church6 ,so your pretended  
light to lighten the ,gentiles1 made    
them all darker1 did it8 ,yes1 it did   
and does1 as your ,church has mistaken  
it6 ,and none of you are yet out of the 
fog created by the mystery4 ,not one of 
you has gained light of mind sufficient 

to dispel a particle of that fog of the 
dark ages4 ,you are all1 as ,churchmen1 
as dark as any of those who lived in the
 tenth1 eleventh1 twelfth1 or any other 
century2 talk about your ,reformation1  
,printing ,press1 ,bible ,societies1    
,dissenters1 or what you please6 ,the   
admission which has been made1 not by   
the adversary1 but by the ,church       
itself1 that the dark ages are within   
its reign1 is decisive of the question  
as between me and any who may oppose me4
 ,let it not be said1 that the fault was
 in the ,roman ,catholic ,church1 and   
that it has been removed4 ,i deny the   
assumption2 the fault is not removed1   
nor has any ,church made the least      
improvement on that called ,roman       
,catholic4 ,the fault lies in the       
remaining unrevealed mystery of the     
,church and the ,sacred ,scriptures4 ,as
 far as ,church is in question1 this    
,nation is as dark as ever it was1 and  
such is the case throughout ,europe4    
,there is much thick darkness to be yet 

dispelled2 before our gentility is      
enlightened4 ,we are precisely in the   
same error as the ,hindoos1 to whom we  
send ,missionaries2 and though we talk  
about civilization1 we have it not4 ,our
 general state of society would shock   
the moral feelings of an ,american      
,indian4 ,there are1 in reality1 but two
 distinct states of society3 the        
superstitious and the civilized1 the    
dark and the light4 ,can any man        
reasonably say1 that we have yet passed 
the superstitious state8 ,are we not    
rather in the very depth of it2 the     
light of a few individuals1 now and then
 visible1 acting upon the whole like    
flashes of lightning on a dark night1   
are seen and spent quickly1 lost or     
buried in the general darkness1 though  
effects may be left8 ,the liberty which 
,i have won in prison1 to make the      
printing press bear upon this darkness1 
is the first unextinguished light that  
has been set up and kept burning4 ,i now
 desire to light the seven candles of   

the ,english ,church from my lighted    
torch4 ,i would not be presumptuous if  
,i saw any other man putting himself    
forward to propose this necessary       
business4 ,it is not in me conceit3 it  
is a passionate desire to do good and to
 leave the world better than ,i found   
it4 ,so many years of imprisonment 7this
 being the tenth7 must shorten the      
period of my life1 so ,i grow the more  
anxious to do the more while ,i remain a
 bubble on the sea of matter borne4 ,not
 that ,i despair of eternal life1 but ,i
 learn from the ,gospel that ,i must    
provide it for myself4  ,in the present 
state of the ,church1 there is no       
sufficient and satisfactory motive given
 for keeping holy the sabbath-day2 there
 is no reason given for holding a       
sabbath4 ,i state it as a necessary     
civil institution for the improvement of
 the human mind1 since labour to live is
 the condition of life4 ,while the      
honest labourer is following his social 
avocation through six days1 ,i would    

have his children going through a course
 of education by the ,ministers in the  
,church1 their especial office--suffer  
little children to come unto me1 and    
forbid them not2 for of such is the     
kingdom of ,heaven--and on the seventh1 
or sabbath day1 ,i would have such      
discourses1 such teaching in the        
,church1 as should be suitable to the   
united presence of both old and young4  
,this would be a satisfactory motive to 
keep that day holy2 and such1 as far as 
,i can see1 was the evident purpose of  
the ,sabbath and of the ,christian      
,church4 ,no other use of the ,church   
can be more hallowed2 no purpose more   
sacred2 no employment more dignified to 
the minister as well as to the people4  
,when ,peter1 in the ,gospel1 is called 
upon to feed the lambs of ,christ1 what 
was meant8--to feed them with grass8    
,no6 to feed the infants of the ,church 
with true and useful knowledge2 not to  
do which is treason to society and      
breach of trust in the ,ministers of the

 ,church4 ,oh6 here is a fine field     
open1 in which the lambs may gambol and 
grow up in spiritual stature1 without   
living to be led like sheep to the      
slaughter6 ,knowledge is the proper     
business of the ,church1 and the        
people's only spiritual interest2 and   
this is the foundation of a ,catholic   
,church and of a ,christian ,religion1  
that is to bring peace on earth and     
good-will among men1 which have not yet 
been seen1 notwithstanding the supposed 
promise of the mistaken mystery for the 
last seventeen hundred years1 so many   
centuries of a sinking state of things1 
of a fall of man from the light into    
dark ages6 ,let there be light in the   
,church and the people shall be         
enlightened4 ,the true ,church is now   
eclipsed by the mystery1 and is a dark  
body4 ,the knowledge of the revelation  
will be the extinction of the mystery1  
the light of the ,church1 and the       
salvation of the people from war1       
pestilence and famine4  ,that           

revelation1 according to the gospel     
itself1 ,i take to be1 that1 as         
knowledge is the only distinction       
between man and any other animal1 the   
more can be accumulated for him in the  
,church1 the more good will be done1 and
 the more he will be saved from evil4   
,existing things can alone be the       
subject of man's knowledge1 and it is of
 more importance to him to know their   
properties than their time or history4  
,now1 nothing of the properties of      
existing things is taught in the        
,church2 but through the medium of the  
mystery remaining unrevealed1           
unexplained1 or untranslated in our     
language1 every thing is falsified to   
man's credulous view and consideration1 
by the ministers of the ,church2 nature 
appears to him distorted1 and he lives  
without certainty1 and dies deceived as 
to the future4 ,knowledge is as infinite
 as existing things1 and man's power of 
acquisition illimitable4 ,it is1 then1 a
 proper labour and business1 and moral  

duty1 of each generation of men1 to     
leave behind them1 for their successors1
 the largest possible amount of         
knowledge4 ,this is true wealth1 and    
will increase the value of all other    
wealth3 without knowledge1 other wealth 
is mere animal gratification4 ,the      
spirit of knowledge gives life and new  
properties to everything1 as far as     
man's use of it be in question4 ,the    
,church is the proper fountain of this  
knowledge2 should be the public library1
 the parish laboratory for              
investigations1 the school for infants  
and adults1 and everything that is      
auxiliary to the acquisition and        
extension of knowledge4 ,from all ,i can
 trace1 ,i verily believe that such was 
the original purpose and construction of
 the ,christian ,church2 and that back  
to this it may be easiest and best      
reformed4  ,i am confirmed in the       
opinion1 that putting knowledge under   
the form of an allegorical mystery1 for 
the purpose of confining it to a class1 

has been the cause of the mistake and   
its declension1 and of the scholar's    
fall from a former higher estate of     
knowledge4 ,decidedly do ,i conclude1   
that our stock of knowledge is much     
below the quantity possessed some two or
 three thousand years ago1 when the     
holders of the sacred books held the    
revelation with the mystery4 ,i am sure 
it may be recovered1 if fairly and      
earnestly sought4 ,i see an impulse     
gathering over both ,europe and ,america
 for the recovery of that knowledge4    
,the ,church was instituted to become   
the repository of knowledge2 and all    
would have gone on well1 but for the    
ancient system of deceiving what were   
and are called the vulgar--of having a  
double doctrine1 the exoteric and       
esoteric1 telling the people one thing  
and understanding quite another among   
themselves4 ,such were deceivers and not
 teachers of the people2 and though the 
revelation has really been lost1 lost ,i
 may say1 as a just punishment for the  

wickedness of so deceiving the people1  
the successive ,clergy has been         
ignorantly deceivers and not teachers of
 the people4 ,they have inherited the   
exoteric or mysterious doctrine1 and    
have not inherited the esoteric doctrine
 or the revelation of the mystery4 ,this
 they have to learn1 before they can    
reform their ,church1 or1 before any one
 can reform it for them4  ,i am         
confident enough to say1 that you have  
no other ground on which to reform the  
,church1 than that which ,i am          
proposing4 ,whatever other step you take
 will only be an aggravation of the evil
 of which you have now to complain2 or  
of which others complain4 ,if the       
,bishops have one item of wisdom among  
them1 they will take me by the hand1 and
 put their houses in order this way3 if 
not1 you and they may dissipate the     
existing ,church ,property1 which you   
say you will not do2 and after1 we shall
 begin to form such a-new1 and recover  
what we can of that property4 ,i shall  

not despair of taking an active part in 
this thorough ,reform of the ,church    
while life remains3 the ,people can do  
it for themselves1 if ,clergy1          
,ministers and ,king will not consent4  
,it is what ,i began to do in my house  
in the year #ahbh1 in critical and      
philosophical lectures and free         
discussion on the ,sunday3 an example   
which ,i am happy to see followed in    
many parts of this metropolis1 and which
 will go on1 if it be not cordially met1
 until it swallows up the ,church and   
all the ,churches4  ,the true meaning of
 ,church1 is ,,state ,,of ,,mind4       
,church is the state of mind4 ,it is not
 made up of building and clergy2 but of 
the people1 the proper depositaries of  
mind4 ,property belonging to the ,church
 is property belonging to the ,people1  
sacred to the preservation1             
strengthening1 and increase of mind or  
knowledge4 ,it has been monopolized     
dishonestly by the ,clergy2 and1 in that
 sense1 they have been robbers as well  

as deceivers of the people4 ,this is the
 matter to be reformed1 and nothing     
short of this will be reform4 ,in       
,tithes1 the people stand as the        
original proprietors of the land1 the   
true inheritors of its tithes and       
first-fruits4 ,other rent is a minor    
consideration of value in labour or     
capital bestowed on the land4 ,we must  
come back to this by some means or      
other4  ,the office of ,king1 as head of
 the ,church1 is a clerical office--the 
crown both of the ,church and the       
,state2 and1 for the sustentation of its
 true splendour and dignity1 the man or 
woman filling the office should be the  
first scholar and most wise and virtuous
 being of the ,nation4 ,whether this is 
a principle to be conveyed by hereditary
 descent1 ,i do not stop to enquire2 but
 the true hereditary principle of church
 office is talent and moral character2  
upon which1 ,i doubt if any improvement 
can be made for purposes of state4      
,originally1 in this island1 ,church and

 ,state were but one4 ,the branching    
into two has been the result of wars and
 evil passions1 to distinguish between  
the instructive and the destructive     
offices1 hierarchy founded upon         
knowledge would be equal to all that    
society wants as government4 ,state1 as 
well as ,church1 signifies the ,people4 
,as the latter relates to their minds1  
knowledge1 or spiritual affairs1 so the 
former expresses their politics and     
civil arrangements1 their local and     
temporal affairs3 they may be well      
united in one common interest1 and under
 one common authority1 in the reign of a
 people devoted to the acquisition of   
knowledge4  ,it is matter of curious    
observation to see how the use of names 
among political parties is abused1 and  
how they get reversed in applicable     
meaning4 ,the class that has lately     
taken the title of ,conservatives1 is   
the class that1 by the showing of this  
letter1 has been destructive of         
everything valuable in our              

,institutions1 so that we have the name 
only left1 without any virtuous         
principle that formerly existed in those
 ,institutions4 ,we have the evidence of
 this in all the present difficulties of
 the country1 both in ,church and       
,state4 ,the ancestors of this class    
have not known how1 or not cared to     
preserve those ancient ,institutions in 
their original purity2 and the class now
 wanted is the class of ,restoratives1  
of men whose knowledge1 wisdom1 honesty 
and virtue1 will enable them to purge   
out the accumulated errors of centuries1
 and restore the ,institutions of the   
country to their pristine purity4 ,i    
grant that this class is not found among
 the men who are commonly called or     
claim to be called ,radical ,reformers3 
there is as much ignorance in that class
 as in any other4 ,but they certainly   
are not likely to be more destructive   
than they who call themselves           
,conservatives2 for these have left     
nothing to be destroyed4 ,the true and  

real aim of the men now called ,radicals
 is to begin something a-new4 ,their    
profession of respect for existing      
,institutions is hollow1 hypocritical   
and deceitful4 ,i have had acquaintance 
enough with them to know that2 and more 
than for the reminiscence of which ,i   
can now find respect4 ,still they will  
supersede both ,tory and ,whig1 if these
 do not something upon the principle of 
a true restoration of ,institutions to  
original and best principles4 ,i would  
have the ,radicals treated as the       
,dissenters3 leave them no ground of    
complaint1 and so annihilate them4 ,a   
wise ,king or a wise ,minister would see
 that the time is now come at which that
 step should be taken1 and that further 
delays will be dangerous to every man in
 office4 ,necessary ,institutions1 if   
destroyed for a time1 will rise again4  
,i fear no kind of change as to the     
prospect of future advantage4  ,is not  
the idea horrible1 and of the worst     
description1 that a ,church and ,king1  

or ,church and ,state1 should exist and 
hold together on no better tenure than a
 military power2 than that of an army   
constantly under arms to keep the people
 from carrying their complaints to an   
extent disagreeable or alarming to the  
men in office8 ,yet such is all that you
 can boast of in the present state of   
the ,institutions of the country4 ,these
 ,institutions did not originate under  
the protection of an army2 nor did they1
 at their origination1 require an army  
to protect and keep them in existence4  
,an army is a disgraceful appendage1 and
 destructive of every good principle in 
the ,church3--it is not an honourable   
appendage to the office of ,king4 ,to   
the people1 it is a burthen and an      
immoral pest2 less requisite in this    
island than in a continental nation4    
,give the people knowledge in their     
,churches1 and they will soon dispense  
with an army4  ,evils accumulate because
 there is error at the bottom4 ,there is
 now no ,people's ,church3 it is1 as now

 existing1 a ,church of the ,clergy1    
engrossing and wasting a large property 
of the people's due to a most valuable  
social purpose4 ,the ,dissenters have   
only made the matter worse1 in new      
exactions for no new benefits4 ,not one 
tittle of good1 not a particle of       
utility1 now proceeds from the ,clergy  
toward the people4 ,they are obstacles  
to the people's welfare1 and their use  
of means of provision for a new and     
better ,church4  ,god is the subject of 
man's adoration4 ,but what is ,god8 ,man
 is but an idiot if he professes        
adoration beyond his understanding4     
,indeed1 worship is but a synonymy of   
reason and its cultivation2 and as we   
say3--how can we reason but from what we
 know8 so we may as truly say3--how can 
we worship what we do not know8 ,there  
is no worship without knowledge2 all    
other pretence to it is idolatry and    
superstition4 ,i have not space to enter
 upon this topic largely here2 but a    
voluminous treatise on the word ,,god   

will be the subject of my next ,essay4  
,for the purpose of this illustration of
 what the ,church is1 and what it ought 
to be1 ,i can say correctly1 that ,god1 
as the aggregate of existence1 is known 
to be a physical and moral power4 ,we   
have distinct ideas of this two-fold    
power4 ,the ,american ,indians1 who     
speak of ,god as a ,great ,spirit1 make 
the best general definition of the word 
that can be made1 and appear to me to   
have the clearest1 purest and wisest    
idea of ,deity1 as far as the regulation
 of their actions by that word is in    
question1--the pursuit of knowledge1 by 
the use of letters and figures excepted4
 ,it corresponds with the emphatic      
declaration of the ,gospel according to 
,saint ,john1 chap4 iv41 v4 #bd3--;,god 
is a ,spirit1 and they that worship must
 worship in spirit and in truth--which  
means what ,i have before stated1 that  
they must know what they worship before 
they can worship4 ,there is evidence of 
physical as well as moral spirit4 ,both 

are seen in man1 and constitute what may
 be termed the ,spirit of ,man4 ,the one
 in man is worshipped or cultivated by  
attention to health2 the other by       
attention to mental improvement or      
increased acquisition of knowledge4     
,speaking of ,god1 as the aggregate and 
source of physical and moral spirit1 of 
which man is a part or unit1 we         
experience that we cannot alter our     
physical construction1 or physical      
spirit1 other than by attention to rules
 of health in the law of nature2 but we 
can1 by study and labour1 greatly alter 
the state of mind or moral spirit4 ,it  
is here we draw from ,god as from a     
fountain2 and this asking1 seeking1     
drawing from ,god1 constitutes the whole
 principle of right prayer and worship1 
and the structure of the true ,christian
 ,church2 other than which1 ,i declare1 
is worship of the ,devil and not of     
,god4 ,and ,i do not shrink from saying1
 that1 as revelation is light and       
knowledge of ,god1 and mystery is       

darkness and presence of the ,devil1    
there has not through the last fifteen  
hundred years1 the dark ages1 throughout
 ,europe1 been carried on any other kind
 of worship than ,devil-worship1 and    
evil has been the fruit thereof4 ,it was
 under this knowledge that ,i was moved 
to exhibit the effigy of the ,devil arm 
in arm with the ,bishop1 in the front of
 my house and in several prints1 for    
which ,i am now suffering imprisonment1 
like all other martyrs to truth1        
punished for acting upon my knowledge4  
,my purpose was good1 to open the eyes  
of my neighbours and passers by4 ,it    
might have inconvenienced some of them2 
but such is the effect of every         
newly-published truth in eradication of 
error3 your ,reform of the ,church1 be  
it what it may1 will inconvenience the  
,bishops and some of the ,clergy4 ,there
 would be no ,devil1 if there were not  
pleasure in ,hell as well as in ,heaven2
 as pardon can be had by asking for it4 
,if all evil were naturally punished1 we

 should not want penal laws4  ,as true  
worship is a getting of a knowledge of  
,god1 so it follows1 that the ,ministry 
of the ,church should consist of a      
teaching that knowledge1 which is not   
now the case2 for nothing as knowledge  
is in the ,church taught4  ,there can be
 nothing more clear in mathematical     
demonstration1 than that1 as ,god is a  
,spirit1 of which man may partake1 the  
participation must increase with that   
only which can increase in man--the     
amount of his knowledge4 ,the whole     
declaration of the ,christian ,creed1   
read by the spirit1 is1 that ,god is the
 ,spirit of ,knowledge1 the thing known1
 the principle of omniscience2 and that 
man approaches and lives with ,god1 as  
his mind expands in the accumulation of 
knowledge4 ,a ,bishop may write or      
preach spiritually or metaphysically by 
the year1 and he can make no more of the
 word ,god1 of his ,church1 or of       
himself1 than ,i have made4 ,the subject
 now wants a radical reform in the human

 mind4  ,i have mentioned1 in a former  
page1 that the ,jews can trace no       
nationality to the time of the ,emperor 
,alexander of ,macedon4 ,the highest    
antiquity that can be given to them as a
 colony1 is the time of ,ptolomy ,lagus1
 who began to encourage science and     
literature in ,alexandria2 and1 from    
that time1 nothing but a colony could   
they have ever been4 ,it is not in a    
nationality that the original character 
of a ,jew is to be estimated1 but in a  
philosophic character dispersed among   
the nations2 a people devoted to        
science2 and so a chosen or select1     
because a learned people4 ,there is no  
resemblance in character between an     
ancient and a modern ,jew3--the name is 
an ,asiatic name of ,god2 and can only  
apply to a race of men in the sense of  
having perfected human nature1 which it 
is very probable the ancient ,jews had  
done1 as far as it was then possible to 
do it1 according to the system of       
initiation1 through a series of         

discipline1 into all the schools and    
mysteries of that time and country4 ,the
 first public reference to a stated     
existence of the ,books of the ,old     
,testament is the reign of ,ptolomy     
,philadelphus4 ,egypt appears to have   
been the only country in which it can be
 said that a series of ,kings gave      
encouragement to science1 which appears1
 as far as history is witness1 to have  
brought in the ,augustan era4 ,it       
became1 as far as wars and tumults would
 permit1 fashionable so to do1 until    
superstition overwhelmed it and usurped 
all its names1 leading on to the dark   
ages of what has been since mis-called  
the ,christian era4 ,cultivation of     
science is the restorative power1 and   
the only public or private act that     
confers true dignity on man4 ,this is   
the only remedy for the disorder of the 
,church2 and ,i have introduced this    
historical view of the ,jewish name1 to 
show how flimsy is that web of          
superstition which has been woven in the

 existing ,church on the foundation of a
 supposed national history and origin of
 the ,jews4 ,truth nowhere finds        
opposition in fact1 date1 or principle3 
error is opposed by endless proofs of   
the kind4  ,it remains now only that ,i 
give an outline of the historical       
defects of the present received view of 
the mystery of the ,christian ,religion1
 and then draw to a conclusion4  ,no    
record extant1 or referred to1 that1    
having been written in the first        
century1 has mentioned the human        
existence of an individual of the name  
of ,jesus ,christ4  ,a passage now in   
,josephus is a declared interpolation1  
inasmuch as it was first known to the   
world in the ,ecclesiastical ,history of
 ,eusebius1 written in the fourth       
century1 after ,photius and ,origen1 of 
the third century1 had written1 that    
,josephus had not made mention of ,jesus
 ,christ4  ,in the writings of ,philo   
,judus1 an ,alexandrian ,jew of the     
first century1 much is said about the   

,logos1 in carrying out the philosophy  
of ,plato2 but not a word about ,jesus  
,christ4  ,pliny the younger1 in his    
letter to the ,emperor ,trajan1 written 
from ,bythinia between the years #ajf   
and #aab1 is the first to mention the   
name of ,christ4 ,this mention is as of 
a ,god and not as of a man3 no reference
 is made to ,judea or to ,jews2 and the 
worshippers of this ,god he describes   
under the name of ,christians1 and as   
having long existed as a sect in that   
province4 ,he writes as if he had heard 
nothing of the sect at ,rome1 and       
describes their worship as an excessive 
superstition4  ,the passage in ,tacitus 
is rejected1 as not noticed by ,eusebius
 or any one before the fifteenth        
century2 that it was found in a copy by 
,johannes de ,spire at ,venice4  ,this  
brings us to ,justin ,martyr1 who can   
only be considered a ,christian of the  
,platonic order1 making no reference to 
,gospels or ,epistles4  ,thence we come 
to ,st4 ,irenus1 ,bishop of ,lyons1 who 

has very much the appearance of a       
,druidical ,bishop rather than as a     
newly-appointed ,christian ,bishop4     
,irenus mentions the four ,gospels of   
,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke and ,john1 and   
gives the reason why there should be    
four2 as because there are four seasons 
in the year4 ,he has many other         
allegorical extravagancies in his       
writings1 and is not deemed the most    
respectable of the ,fathers of the      
present ,church4  ,in the third century1
 and toward the latter part of that     
century1 near three hundred years after 
the supposed birth of the man ,jesus    
,christ1 we have a recognition of all   
the ,books in the ,new ,testament1 which
 received the stamp of the authority of 
a ,council of ,bishops1 as a selection  
from many similar and dissimilar books  
under similar titles1 in the fourth     
century2 but whether the revelation of  
the mystery was then understood by the  
,bishops does not appear4  ,the         
,epistles of the ,new ,testament have no

 dates nor reference to any persons who 
were known to have lived at any         
particular time4 ,they are not supported
 by1 nor do they support1 the ,gospels4 
,the idea of allegorism prevailed in the
 third century4  ,the ,christian era was
 not reduced to chronology until the    
sixth century2 and that chronology was  
very little used or referred to until   
the tenth1 that the era of the ,hegira  
of ,mahomet had come much into use4 ,the
 real struggle of the present ,christian
 ,church was not with the ,pagan but    
with the ,mahometan ,religion1 and they 
are near a balance of numerical power to
 this day4 ,a battle in ,france1 in the 
reign of ,charles ,martel1 checked the  
progress of the ,mahometans1 and saved  
the entire overthrow of the mysterious  
,christian ,church on the continent of  
,europe4 ,there was a much greater      
similarity between the ,pagan and the   
,christian1 than between the ,christian 
and the ,mahometan ,religion4  ,i have  
no objection to the religion of the ,jew

 or the ,christian1 that is founded on  
the spiritual reading of the ,bible4    
,mahometanism is superior to both1 while
 founded on the reading of the letter4  
,the restoration of the ,jews to        
original character and the millennium of
 the ,christians is only to be brought  
about by the spiritual reading1 which   
will lead to a devotion to science4 ,the
 future ,temple of the ,new ,jerusalem  
must be a ,temple devoted to the        
promulgation of truth and all sciences1 
and such must be the ,church of ,rome1  
and such our ,english ,church1 under any
 real state of reformation4  ,the       
practical part of my proposition for a  
,reform in the ,church1 is1 that all    
indefensible superstition or mystery be 
banished or explained1 that it be made  
the best possible general school for the
 people1 to which the knowledge of the  
time is equal2 that the people being the
 ,church1 and the ,ministers not being  
the ,church1 the property of the ,church
 in each parish shall be managed by the 

parishioners as their property1 and the 
best provision be made with that        
property1 including tithes1 that can be 
made for all the physical and moral     
necessities of the people4 ,the property
 must be put under some authority1      
cannot be allowed to remain as it is1   
cannot be well put under extra parochial
 authority2 but may be well and honestly
 left to parochial management1 as the   
property of the parish4  ,as our        
,institutions were all so first arranged
 for this purpose1 so it will be found1 
that every thing emanating will fall    
back easily into its natural1 moral1 and
 original use4 ,i cannot see the least  
difficulty1 beyond the dishonesty and   
reluctance to yield of existing spirit4 
,such as are so weak in mind as to      
desire the present ,church ceremony1 may
 have it as long as they like1 so as    
they do not exclude more useful         
business4 ,i repeat1 that1 if the       
,bishops and ,clergy be wise1 they will 
take this advice3 if they do not1 they  

will very soon be where their           
predecessors were in the seventeenth    
century1 not to be restored again4  ,i  
flatter myself1 that1 in this letter1 ,i
 have produced a pamphlet that will not 
be dead-born4 ,as far as possible1 or as
 clearness of purpose would permit1 ,i  
have endeavoured to avoid the use of    
offensive language4 ,whatever the world 
may think of me1 ,i know nothing more of
 myself1 than that of having a passion  
to be useful1 to my country and         
fellow-men generally1 in and previous to
 the critical coming time of change4 ,it
 is not now to be mistaken as near4 ,it 
is near1 and very near4 ,the present    
system may be dragged on through several
 years2 but no one can insure it a      
twelve months' existence4 ,i know that  
all bad passions are allied to          
ignorance1 and ,i desire to see all     
those passions softened down by         
knowledge4 ,i am sure that the new man1 
the spiritual man1 the good and moral   
man1 must be created by knowledge and   

independent individuality of action2 and
 as ,i prefer 7the ,government having   
the choice7 a moral to any other        
revolution1 brought about by words      
rather than by harder and harsher       
weapons1 ,i feel1 that ,i have but      
performed a social1 a civil1 and a      
religious duty1 in presenting this      
letter to your notice4 ,that it may be  
read1 marked1 learned and inwardly      
digested1 is the prayer of  ,your humble
 ,servant1  ,and prisoner in the        
business of ,church ,reform1  ,,richard 
,,carlile4  ,giltspur ,street ,compter1 
,january #bi1ahce4  ,,tenth ,,year ,,of 
,,imprisonment4