The works of the Rev. William Thom, late minister ... - waughfamily.ca

SERXIONS;Still lefs am I urging that religion ought to be inforcedby civil laws. It is of a Spiritual nature, andis beft promoted by fpiritual motives. When, in athere were laws compelling men to go tolate reign,church under fevere penalties, timorous people wouldthen profefs religion, and the aflemblies might bethronged with the poor, and even with the rich. Aremedy defperate and ineffectual ! and which couldnever have been thought of but by thofepwho wereeither ignorant of the fpirit of religion, and the facredrights of confcience, or who wanted to trample uponthe liberties of mankind, and enthral them in a dreadfulyoke of llavery. By the way, one cannot but wonder,that fome ingenious men, in the prefent age, whodifcover no liking to religious profeffion, feem to applaudthefe or the like meafures as wholefome feverities: meafures ! which, were they now to be purfued,themfelves would be the firll to feel and lamentthe rigour of them. When the ableft meh take uponthem to defend or palliate fuch abfurdities in government,they undertake a talk which no man is equal to.But as fuch laws are altogether wrong, fo in theprefent age they would be more abfurd and ineffectualthan ever. They would be directly oppofite tothe genius of the times, to the manners and fafhionsof the country : every body would diflike them, andthe general bias is fo ftrong towards iicentioufncfs andirreligion, that fuch laws would deftroy themfelves.The execution of them would be utterly impracticable.4th, The knowledge men have, or think they have,may be mentioned as a caufe ofattained in religion,their irreligion. I do not maintain it as a certainpoint, that there is more real learning, or a greaternumber of thorough inquirers, in this age than therewere in the laft. But a kind of eafy and fuperficialknowledge feems to have becom.e more general *, andmen foon co^me to think they have got enough of re-Ugious knowledge. But there is a great miltake that