? Must
they be made to shed tears, must their hearts be made to feel that you
are right, in order that their understandings may be able to perceive
it? Should the learned and able champion of a system, who offers it as
true, and to be received only because it is true, when its claims are
threatened with a scrutiny, lay so much stress upon its supposed
utility when the question is its truth? Is it an argument that
Christianity is true, because if false, you think we should have no
religion left? This argument no doubt looks ludicrous to you, and yet I
am told that it has been gravely offered by some well meaning men after
reading your sermons, who thought it of no small weight. You may see
from this, my dear sir, how easily simplicity is satisfied.

You lay great stress upon the comforts derived from believing
Christianity true. But ought men to be encouraged to lean and build
their hopes on what may perhaps when examined turn out to be a broken
reed? The expiring Indian dies in peace-holding a cow's tail in his
hand. If he was in his full health, and vigour of understanding, would
you think It charitable to let that man remain uninformed of his
delusion in trusting to such a staff of comfort? Would you not
endeavour to enlighten him, and make him ashamed of his superstition? I
know you would, and you would do him a kindness deserving his
gratitude. To conclude, the Christian religion is either a divine and
solid foundation of morals, hope, and consolation, or it is not. If it
is, there is no reason in the world to fear, that it can be undermined,
or hurt in the least. To believe so would be I conceive to doubt the
Providence of God. For it cannot be supposed, that a religion really
given by the Almighty and All wise can be undermined by a wretched
mortal, a child of dust and infirmity; the supposition is monstrous,
and therefore no examination of its claims ought to be deprecated, or
frowned at by those who think it "founded on adamant," for no man
shrinks at having that examined which he is positively confident of
being able to prove.

2. If this foundation be not divine and solid it ought I conceive to
be undermined, and abandoned. For willfully, and knowingly to suffer
confiding men to be duped, or allured into building their hopes and
consolation upon a delusion, is in my opinion to maltreat, and to
despise them. And to suffer them to be imposed upon is both unbrotherly
and dishonest. And to advocate, or to insin