the hand of an atheistical antagonist, to silence, if not to convince him; but every effort to procure one, proved unsuccessful. Indeed, it occurred to me, that this was a subject of theology, which—although fundamental of all others had been much neglected of late years; and, that there existed a deficiency amongst the numerous treatises on this subject, yet to be supplied. I have therefore, attempted, in twelve, short, consecutive chapters, to supply this deficiency. How far I have succeeded, must be left to the judgment of the reader. I am aware, that the present time is not the most auspicious that might have been selected, for publishing what I have written; but, if I have executed my task with talents and learning unequal to others, who have recently pursued the same tracks of thought with myself, and have placed their observations, in splendid volumes, before the world, it should be borne in mind, that I have written with a different view, and for a different class of readers. It is probable that a severely critical eye may discover manifold defects in what I have executed,-defects in the method, in the titles of the chapters, and the order in which they are arranged, in the construction of the arguments and the selection of the language: but, to any and every critic, who may condescend to read the following pages-be he friend or foe-and will point out to me, a more excellent way," in any of these respects, I promise-in the event of a second edition-to adopt his suggestions. 66 I commit this small volume to the benediction of Him, whom I have truly desired to serve, in preparing it; and to the serious consideration of the persons, for whose highest benefit it is intended. HAVERHILL, November, 1835. A POPULAR VIEW OF ATHEISM. CHAPTER I. THE ATHEISTICAL TENDENCY OF THE PRESENT TIMES. 1. WERE a number of desperadoes to make their appearance in a commonwealth, and, from dissatisfaction with an excellently established order of things, to become opposed to the Supreme Power-even to a denial of its existence,-to maintain, that all authority is tyranny, that all laws are arbitrary edicts,-expedients of the powerful to oppress the feeble-that all social order is an encroachment upon freedom, and that the only real and valuable liberty consists in an unrestrained licentiousness of purpose and practice; every person of intelligence would perceive, that the numerical increase of such persons, and the prevalence of their sentiments, must lead to anarchy throughout the state, inflict deep and permanent misery upon all classes of society, and entail utter ruin upon all the great interests of the country. Every patriotic man, however obscure his station, would hold himself pledged, in this emergency, to disabuse, to the extent of his ability, these infatuated persons, of their pernicious delusions; or, to counteract B their cruel machinations :-and, in proportion to his success, would be the amount of the actual benefit conferred upon the community. 2. In the commonwealth of religion and morals,-if the term may be thus applied,—persons of desperate sentiments occasionally arise, who would convulse and revolutionize the world; erase the very foundations of society; unsettle every thing and settle nothing; substitute, in every case, demonstration for probability, and sense for faith. These men assure us, that there is no Supreme First Cause-nor any Being in the universe superior to themselves-that all the multifarious forms of existence, and whatever order prevails throughout nature, have been from eternity, or are purely the result of chance, or originated in some unaccountable principle of matter; that religion is an abject superstition-the invention of crafty politicians and mercenary priestsunworthy the attention of lofty minds; that virtue and vice are mere arbitrary distinctions, raised and preserved from selfish motives, tolerated by popular ignorance, and to be abolished by philosophy; that we are wholly irresponsible for our actions-whether good or evilexcept, forsooth, to ourselves, or to each other; that there is nothing beyond the present transitory life, to beget a hope or a fear; and, that death is an eternal sleep, the wreck of our entire being; complete annihilation! 3. These direful sentiments have, at no time, indeed, obtained currency in the world; nor have they been thought worthy of acceptation, but by a very insignificant proportion-a mere fraction-of the human family. In ages gone by, they were confined to a few speculative philosophers,men of genius, but eccentric; scholars, but vain; acute, but supercilious-who, affecting independence of mind, discarded, at once, as useless lumber, all ancient and popular religious creeds, to be themselves of no creed; who, pretending to be the only lights of the world, undertook, as it is well expressed, "to |