ng. Every one
has heard of the Predestinarian, who, having talked much of his God, was
asked by a bystander to speak worse of the Devil if he could; but
comparatively few persons feel the full force of that question, or are
prepared to admit God-worshippers in general, picture their Deities as
if they were demons. 'Recognise,' exclaims the Roman Catholic Priest,
'the "main point" of our holy apostolic religion, or God will judge and
eternally punish you.' The priests of nearly all religional
denominations ascribe to Deity the low grovelling vindictive feelings
which agitate and disgrace themselves. If Roman Catholic principles are
true and undeniable, none but Roman Catholics will be saved from the
wrath to come. If Anglo-Catholic principles are true and undeniable,
none but Anglo-Catholic will be saved from the wrath to come. If
orthodox Protestant principles are true and undeniable, none but
orthodox Protestants will be saved from the wrath to come. Thus do
religionists

Grunt and groan,
And curse all systems but their own;

Never scrupling to assure the advocates of those systems a hell is
waiting to receive them. Agreeing in little else save disagreement, the
'main point' of this class of believers is a matter of little
consequence to that class of believers, and no matter at all to a third
class of believers. Look at the thousand-and-one sects into which the
Christian world is divided. 'Some reject Scripture; others admit no
other writings but Scripture. Some say the devils shall be saved, others
that they shall be damned; others that there are no devils at all. Some
hold that it is lawful to dissemble in religion, others the contrary.
Some say that Antichrist is come, some say not; others that he is a
particular man, others that he is not a man, but the devil; and others
that by Antichrist is meant a succession of men. Some will have him to
be Nero, some Caligula, some Mohammed, some the Pope, some Luther, some
the Turk, some of the tribe of Dan, and so each man according to his
fancy will make an Antichrist. Some only will observe the Lord's day,
some only the Sabbath; some both, and some neither. Some will have all
things in common, some not. Some will have Christ's body only in Heaven,
some everywhere; some in the bread, others with the bread, others about
the bread, others under the bread, and others that Christ's body is the
bread, or the bread his body. And others th