by Jefferson's explanation of
his views upon Christianity, which Mr. Randall subsequently gives.
Religion, in the sense which is commonly given to it, as a system of
faith and worship, he did not connect with Christ at all. He was a
believer in the existence of God, in a future life, and in man's
accountability for his actions here: in so far as this, he may be said
to have had a system of worship, but not of Christian worship. He
regarded Christ simply as a man, with no other than mortal power,--and
to worship him in any way would, in his opinion, have been idolatry. His
theology recognized the Deity alone. The extracts from his public
papers, upon which Mr. Randall relies, contain nothing but those general
expressions which a Mohammedan or a follower of Confucius might have
used. He said he was a Christian "in the only sense in which Christ
wished any one to be"; but received Christ's teachings merely as a
system, and not a perfect system, of morals. He rejected the narratives
which attest the Divine character or the Divine mission of the Saviour,
thinking them the fictions of ignorance and superstition.

He was, however, far from being a scoffer. He attended the Episcopal
service regularly, and was liberal in his donations to religious
enterprises. Nor do we think that this conformity arose from weakness or
hypocrisy, but rather from a profound respect for opinions so generally
entertained, and a lively admiration for the character and life of
Christ.

If a Christian is one who sincerely believes and implicitly obeys the
teachings of Jesus so far as they affect our relations with our
fellow-men, then Mr. Jefferson was a Christian in a sense in which few
can be called so. Though the light did not unseal his vision, it filled
his heart. Among the statesmen of the world there is no one who has more
rigidly demanded that the laws of God shall be applied to the affairs of
Man. His political system is a beautiful growth from the principles of
love, humility, and charity, which the New Testament inculcates.

When reflecting upon Mr. Jefferson's mental organization, one is
impressed by the variety and perfectness of his intellectual faculties.
He united the powers of observation with those of reflection in a degree
hardly surpassed by Bacon. Yet he has done nothing which entitles him to
a place among the first of men. It may be said, that, devoted to the
inferior pursuit of politics, he had no opportunity to exercise himse