part20-第1章

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　　　　　　　　A　UNITARIAN　CREED




　　　　　　　　_To　Dr。　Benjamin　Waterhouse_

　　　　　　　　_Monticello；　June　26；　1822_




　　　　　　　　DEAR　SIR；　　I　have　received　and　read　with　thankfulness　and

pleasure　your　denunciation　of　the　abuses　of　tobacco　and　wine。　　Yet；

however　sound　in　its　principles；　I　expect　it　will　be　but　a　sermon　to

the　wind。　　You　will　find　it　as　difficult　to　inculcate　these　sanative

precepts　on　the　sensualities　of　the　present　day；　as　to　convince　an

Athanasian　that　there　is　but　one　God。　　I　wish　success　to　both

attempts；　and　am　happy　to　learn　from　you　that　the　latter；　at　least；

is　making　progress；　and　the　more　rapidly　in　proportion　as　our

Platonizing　Christians　make　more　stir　and　noise　about　it。　　The

doctrines　of　Jesus　are　simple；　and　tend　all　to　the　happiness　of　man。




　　　　　　　　1。　That　there　is　one　only　God；　and　he　all　perfect。




　　　　　　　　2。　That　there　is　a　future　state　of　rewards　and　punishments。




　　　　　　　　3。　That　to　love　God　with　all　thy　heart　and　thy　neighbor　as

thyself；　is　the　sum　of　religion。　　These　are　the　great　points　on　which

he　endeavored　to　reform　the　religion　of　the　Jews。　　But　compare　with

these　the　demoralizing　dogmas　of　Calvin。




　　　　　　　　1。　That　there　are　three　Gods。




　　　　　　　　2。　That　good　works；　or　the　love　of　our　neighbor；　are　nothing。




　　　　　　　　3。　That　faith　is　every　thing；　and　the　more　incomprehensible　the

proposition；　the　more　merit　in　its　faith。




　　　　　　　　4。　That　reason　in　religion　is　of　unlawful　use。




　　　　　　　　5。　That　God；　from　the　beginning；　elected　certain　individuals　to

be　saved；　and　certain　others　to　be　damned；　and　that　no　crimes　of　the

former　can　damn　them；　no　virtues　of　the　latter　save。




　　　　　　　　Now；　which　of　these　is　the　true　and　charitable　Christian？　　He

who　believes　and　acts　on　the　simple　doctrines　of　Jesus？　　Or　the

impious　dogmatists；　as　Athanasius　and　Calvin？　　Verily　I　say　these　are

the　false　shepherds　foretold　as　to　enter　not　by　the　door　into　the

sheepfold；　but　to　climb　up　some　other　way。　　They　are　mere　usurpers　of

the　Christian　name；　teaching　a　counter…religion　made　up　of　the

_deliria_　of　crazy　imaginations；　as　foreign　from　Christianity　as　is

that　of　Mahomet。　　Their　blasphemies　have　driven　thinking　men　into

infidelity；　who　have　too　hastily　rejected　the　supposed　author

himself；　with　the　horrors　so　falsely　imputed　to　him。　　Had　the

doctrines　of　Jesus　been　preached　always　as　pure　as　they　came　from　his

lips；　the　whole　civilized　world　would　now　have　been　Christian。　　I

rejoice　that　in　this　blessed　country　of　free　inquiry　and　belief；

which　has　surrendered　its　creed　and　conscience　to　neither　kings　nor

priests；　the　genuine　doctrine　of　one　only　God　is　reviving；　and　I

trust　that　there　is　not　a　_young　man_　now　living　in　the　United　States

who　will　not　die　an　Unitarian。




　　　　　　　　But　much　I　fear；　that　when　this　great　truth　shall　be

re…established；　its　votaries　will　fall　into　the　fatal　error　of

fabricating　formulas　of　creed　and　confessions　of　faith；　the　engines

which　so　soon　destroyed　the　religion　of　Jesus；　and　made　of

Christendom　a　mere　Aceldama；　that　they　will　give　up　morals　for

mysteries；　and　Jesus　for　Plato。　　How　much　wiser　are　the　Quakers；　who；

agreeing　in　the　fundamental　doctrines　of　the　gospel；　schismatize

about　no　mysteries；　and；　keeping　within　the　pale　of　common　sense；

suffer　no　speculative　differences　of　opinion；　any　more　than　of

feature；　to　impair　the　love　of　their　brethren。　　Be　this　the　wisdom　of

Unitarians；　this　the　holy　mantle　which　shall　cover　within　its

charitable　circumference　all　who　believe　in　one　God；　and　who　love

their　neighbor！　　I　conclude　my　sermon　with　sincere　assurances　of　my

friendly　esteem　and　respect。







　　　　　　　　SERIATIM　OPINIONS　AND　THE　HISTORY　OF　PARTIES




　　　　　　　　_To　Justice　William　Johnson_

　　　　　　　　_Monticello；　Oct。　27；　1822_




　　　　　　　　DEAR　SIR；　　I　have　deferred　my　thanks　for　the　copy　of　your

Life　of　Genl。　Greene；　until　I　could　have　time　to　read　it。　　This　I

have　done；　and　with　the　greatest　satisfaction；　and　can　now　more

understandingly　express　the　gratification　it　has　afforded　me。　　I

really　rejoice　that　we　have　at　length　a　fair　history　of　the　Southern

war。　　It　proves　how　much　we　were　left　to　defend　ourselves　as　we

could；　while　the　resources　of　the　Union　were　so　disproportionately

devoted　to　the　North。　　I　am　glad　too　to　see　the　Romance　of　Lee

removed　from　the　shelf　of　History　to　that　of　Fable。　　Some　small

portion　of　the　transactions　he　relates　were　within　my　own　knolege；

and　of　these　I　can　say　he　has　given　more　falsehood　than　fact；　and　I

have　heard　many　officers　declare　the　same　as　to　what　had　passed　under

their　eyes。　　Yet　this　book　had　begun　to　be　quoted　as　history。　　Greene

was　truly　a　great　man；　he　had　not　perhaps　all　the　qualities　which　so

peculiarly　rendered　Genl。　Washington　the　fittest　man　on　earth　for

directing　so　great　a　contest　under　so　great　difficulties。

Difficulties　proceeding　not　from　lukewarmness　in　our　citizens　or

their　functionaries；　as　our　military　leaders　supposed；　but　from　the

pennyless　condition　of　a　people；　totally　shut　out　from　all　commerce　&

intercourse　with　the　world；　and　therefore　without　any　means　for

converting　their　labor　into　money。　　But　Greene　was　second　to　no　one

in　enterprise；　in　resource；　in　sound　judgment；　promptitude　of

decision；　and　every　other　military　talent。　　In　addition　to　the　work

you　have　given　us；　I　look　forward　with　anxiety　to　that　you　promise　in

the　last　paragraph　of　your　book。　　Lee's　military　fable　you　have　put

down。　　Let　not　the　invidious　libel　on　the　views　of　the　Republican

party；　and　on　their　regeneration　of　the　government　go　down　to

posterity　as　hypocritically　masked。　　I　was　myself　too　laboriously

employed；　while　in　office；　and　too　old　when　I　left　it；　to　do　justice

to　those　who　had　labored　so　faithfully　to　arrest　our　course　towards

monarchy；　and　to　secure　the　result　of　our　revolutionary　sufferings

and　sacrifices　in　a　government　bottomed　on　the　only　safe　basis；　the

elective　will　of　the　people。　　You　are　young　enough　for　the　task；　and

I　hope　you　will　undertake　it。




　　　　　　　　There　is　a　subject　respecting　the　practice　of　the　court　of

which　you　are　a　member；　which　has　long　weighed　on　my　mind；　on　which　I

have　long　thought　I　would　write　to　you；　and　which　I　will　take　this

opportunity　of　doing。　　It　is　in　truth　a　delicate　undertaking；　&　yet

such　is　my　opinion　of　your　candor　and　devotedness　to　the

Constitution；　in　it's　true　spirit；　that　I　am　sure　I　shall　meet　your

approbation　in　unbosoming　myself　to　you。　　The　subject　of　my

uneasiness　is　the　habitual　mode　of　making　up　and　delivering　the

opinions　of　the　supreme　court　of　the　US。




　　　　　　　　You　know　that　from　the　earliest　ages　of　the　English　law；　from

the　date　of　the　year…books；　at　least；　to　the　end　of　the　IId　George；

the　judges　of　England；　in　all　but　self…evident　cases；　delivered　their

opinions　seriatim；　with　the　reasons　and　authorities　which　governed

their　decisions。　　If　they　sometimes　consulted　together；　and　gave　a

general　opinion；　it　was　so　rarely　as　not　to　excite　either　alarm　or

notice。　　Besides　the　light　which　their　separate　arguments　threw　on

the　subject；　and　the　instruction　communicated　by　their　several　modes

of　reasoning；　it　shewed　whether　the　judges　were　unanimous　or　divided；

and　gave　accordingly　more　or　less　weight　to　the　judgment　as　a

precedent。　　It　sometimes　happened　too　that　when　there　were　three

opinions　against　one；　the　reasoning　of　the　one　was　so　much　the　most

cogent　as　to　become　afterwards　the　law　of　the　land。　　When　Ld。

Mansfield　came　to　the　bench　he　introduced　the　habit　of　caucusing

opinions。　　The　judges　met　at　their　chambers；　or　elsewhere；　secluded

from　the　presence　of　the　public；　and　made　up　what　was　to　be　delivered

as　the　opinion　of　the　court。　　On　the　retirement　of　Mansfield；　Ld。

Kenyon　put　an　end　to　the　practice；　and　the　judges　returned　to　that　of

seriatim　opinions；　and　practice　it　habitually　to　this　day；　I　believe。

I　am　not　acquainted　with　the　late　rep