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«« rpred so feu * from © bjecl&ig to cpseas-Jon 1 believe that xhe most violent attacks on the religion 6 f Jesus hare been of serdee to it . Let th * m argue , and when argument fails , let them © fed cavil against the Christian religion as ttmeh as rhev please , I have no apprehension of the result . " He ( Mr . Heiae ) could not conceive why the Bridge Street Association should interfere in the tmcouaritutioaal manner they had done . They had found a stock-purse tb prosecute individualsand took upon them that duty
, which really belonged to the magistrate . They had a great deal td answer for in taking such a course . He regretted to see such respectable persons ainougst them . He was sorry that they had allowed themselves to be misled by inte * rested individuate , secretaries and others ,
who had only their own profits in view * and cared very little about the objects vYhich had been contemplated by the persons who subscribed the funds * The Honourable Gentleman then quoted the charge of the Bishop of London to his clergy last year , in which that Right Reverend Prelate stated that he was a friend
to discussion , because he thought that it called forth the mental energies of those whose duty it was to meet any arguments urged against the Christian religion . With so recent an opinion before them , why , he asked , should they act in a spirit so entirely different ? The Honourable
Member then alluded to the opinion of Mr . Justice Blackstone , who held that it was contrary to sound policy tuid civil freedom to prosecute ob account of teligious opinions . If stfch were the a * mtiments of the many pious * wiste and learned men whom he had quoted , how would gentlemen reconcile them with the
prosecutions now going on ? Of what use were those prosecutions when individuals gloried in their punishment as an act of martyrdom ? Discussion ought td be allowed in the most fall and unrestrained degree , attd the power of the magistrate ought only to be-resorted to
wiien the safety of the Slatfe demanded » t . He had not touched upon the question of Atheism for this simple feasori- * - necause he had never seen ethy such tfnan ** an Atheiat , and he doubted whether any person existed who denied the belflfe ° * a great Creator of the uriiverse . He tiia not mean to defend any attacks on . the Christian rel ifefcm , or toy of « h& implications which had been eomblaidect tff . j fcey ought to be put dtfwn T hat pvlt 2 " \ way tirey aeae * ve& * 4 > y < 4 * m-Hannnr lf L alld *^*« W ** - * £ thaffl \™ ^ -immmBm ^^ vol
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mqnity , and it is unjtist and ia ^ cpc < Meiit to expose aby person to le ^ ai penalfes on account of the expre ^ ion of opinioris on matters of religioii ^ On the question being put , Mr . Wilberforce addressed tiie House ; but in so low a tone , that T € ry
little of what he said could be < K » tinetty heard in the gallery . We understood the Honourable Meniber to observe , ihat it was the duty of individuals to prosecute publications of the nature of those alluded to ^ as they were evidently contra bonos mores . The Honourable Mover
had observed that he believed there was Go such a thing as Atheism ; but in one of those very publications tliere was a passage , in which it was , stated that Atheism was the only ground on which a man could find a sound and secure footing . It was exceedingly unpleasant to quote from any ^ of those works ; but in another number it was declared that
Christianity could be proved to demonstration to be a gross imposture , and as it was supported for the purpose of upholding a bad System of government , the author wondered why it had not long since been removed ; and he went on to ask whether the inquiring mind of man could find any sound footing except
ip Atheism . ( Hear . ) The Honourable Member ( Mr . Hume ) had quoted from Bishop Warburton , the Bishop of London , and several other eminent divines , with whose sentiments lie ( Mr . Wilberforce ) entirely concurred : for no man tmld more strongly the opinion that it
was proper to investigate the established religion of the country fairly . But none of those pious and learned men had argued that gross and vulgar abuse of the religion of the state tyught to be tolerated . ( Hear . ) Dr . Ptffey ' s opinion was clear and decisive on this point .
He said " that persecution could produce no sincere convict / ion ; and under the head of religious toleration , he included toleration of all serious argument , but he did not think it woald be right to suffer ridicttie , invective , and mockery to be resorted to wfth Impunity . Th ey applied solely to the £ &s # idtis , weakened tte understanding * and nVteled the judgitfent . They did tidt astfist the flSeriffch
for truth , and instead of supporting any particular religion , de&trdyea tlie influence of all / ' ( gear * he * t . ) With respect to ' Carlile , he had not been harshly treated . No prosecution was instituted agftifcSt him until he had placed over his ( fe * or « * rhd Temple of Beasou ; " and tfte dlHseminatkm dt iritoBfeio ' ttS works beanie cott hotorious to fee overlooked .
me thought thfe cOtttiWdtv ^ d very greatt thanks t 6 ferlviat ^ individ uals ( seconded by the stattty w \ io hifai e ** deavc > ttred tb
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Aug. 2, 1823, page 489, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1787/page/57/
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