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VII
Church. Intolerance Mischiefs Penal Laws Debilitate the body. Tests.
VII
Church

Intolerance plans
of defence

.. that the taking
from the Clergy that a
faculty of doing
mischief [which is
as dear to their ]
and confining
them to their
duty would be
the downfall of
the Church, and
that the downfal
of the Church would
be the wreck of
Nature.

1. Unbelievers
are Devils

2. All adversaries
are unbelievers
in spite of their
talk
.

1. Another artifice
of the defenders of
Clergy Intolerance in order
to sooth, drop
hints of things
that perhaps
might admitt of a
improvement &c.
But the time
never is come
yet, not ever will
come.

2. Argt. in personam
The cry they
make is for the
loaves & fishes.


---page break---

If they are to undergo
any reform, in what
part of the system will
they allow it to take
place? Thence
draw them on to others
asking them at each
part why stop there.

It is rather too much
to expect that where
all other men men
of all other descriptions
from the Kg to the
peasant are called
to continual account
are acknowledged to
be subjects to error
and made to amend
their conduct, they
alone should be
for ever infallible
and impeccable.
That perjury breach of trust! &c. should
in other men be punished,
in these alone
protected — that they
should enjoy uncontested
a perpetual patent
for poisoning
the minds of the rising
generation, a monopoly
of crimes

Intolerance Mischiefs
Breach of hatred Peace

The Greek Religion in
Russia has produced
breach of peace.
In Turkey where neither
party has power,
none.


---page break---

There is a connection
both in point of head
and heart amongst
all good measures.

If ever any good is
to be done in any
political time whatever
I expect to
find an opponent
to it in a friend
to arbitrary power
& intolerance.

Force poison down
the throats of the rising generous
generation youth

... make those
whose enemies they
are their footstool.

Intolerance Mischief
Conclusion

While intolerance
subsists, it is much
easier to shew what
the good harm is produced
by religion (taking
intolerance as one
effect of it) than
what the temporal good.

The former stands
alone distinct, being clearly
referable to this, &
to this only cause.
The latter is a
matter of conjecture
the effect of the religious
sanction being
inextricably involved with that
of the popular &
that of the political.
In this point of view
whether Religion shall
be a blessing or a curse
depends upon the Government
[+]
[+] of each country.
That of our own has
hitherto chosen to render
it the latter.


---page break---

Intolerance. Mischiefs.: Debilitating the Laws

The advocates
for intolerance
are to blame in
two do ways.
In the first place
for upholding the
intolerant laws:
in the next place
for not inforcing
them.

No one argument
has ever been brought
for their continuance
which does
not plead with
equal force for
their execution.

By keeping them
on foot they shew render
themselves enemies
to that part of the
community whom
they proscribe:
by conniving at
the breach of them
or rather keeping
them on foot with
the professed view
of their not being
executed, they sap
the foundation of the
whole body edifice of the
laws, and render act as
themselves enemies
of the whole community.

There never was
yet or ever will be that penal law or
coercive law that was fit to
be made and not
fit to be executed
when transgressed.


---page break---

A good law &
a law that ought
not to be executed
are a contradiction
in terms. What
is a law good
for but in proportion
as it is
obey'd and how
is it to be obeyd
who will obey it
if it is known
that though disobeyd
it will
not be executed

But these laws
according to the
profession of those
men do not so
much as aspire
to their being obeyd.
They do not pretend
to make
converts among
dissenters: they do
not so much as
pretend to prevent
converts from being
made by Dissenters.

What then is their
object and their
use? One only
one can possibly
be assigned: the
gratifying the
dissocial the
malignant
passions
of their upholders,
the keeping the
in a state
of perpetual anxiety
and torture
the


---page break---

gratifying their pride the malice
of the oppressor with
the suffering of the
oppressed, and his pride
with their humiliation.

In proportion as such
dead letter laws abound
just in the same proportion
is the whole
body of the laws
rendered odious, contemptible,
unwielldy,
and by reason of its
unwieldiness inaccessible
and unintelligible.

But conscience,
a liberty and law and
every thing is to go to
wreck rather than
that the appetite rate of tormenting passion for
oppression human misery should go
without its prey.

Tests proper what.

If any test were proper
it would be a test abjuring
intolerance


---page break---

Tests — no longer what they were meant for

Religious tests
had at the time moment of
their establishment
a reason and apology
of which they
have long ceased to
have the smallest
particle

Tests are quite a
different sort of thing
now from what they
were at the time of
making them. They
have long ceased to are not now so much
be as what they were
designed to be

They had then one
use and design
which they have
long ceased to have

One us A principal
use effect and perhaps
the only one that
was in view contemplation
with
their authors is
one which they
have long ceased
to possess

Tests in the design
of their authors
have always been
measures of administrative
than of
legislative measures
for the day
rather than for the
age. Tests in
religious contests
were then what
and colours are now
in


---page break---

party politics: expedients
for distinguishing
enemies
from friends.

It is the nature
of them when first
instituted to answer
their purpose extremely
well. At that
time the sentiments
of all those who interest
themselves on
one side or the other
are known: (their
passions being up afloat
and their consciences
untested) conscience
passion, the shame
of apostasy all concurr
to render the
dereliction of their
known sentiments
and the swallowing
of the test impracticable.

When the struggle
is at an end, and
the generation which
these arms weapons have
been employd to
subdue crush is passed
away, these obstacles
to subscription conformity
no longer operate.

The succeeding generation
stands upon
ground quite different.
Conscience
has


---page break---

has never been awakened:
passion
has never been roused:
shame has no hold
apostasy from profession
can not
be changed imputed where
there has been no no profession has
profession where been made
no profession has
been made: the
test has now evaporated
and left
nothing but a tincture
of poison in its
room. What was
a wholesome test
is now inverted
into a poison

has now changed
its nature totally:
and being silently
swallowed
instead
of being openly loudly
spurned being
silently spurned swallowed,
is digested by the
stomach conscience, absorbed
into the inculat system,
and preys upon
it in the form
of a subtle poison.


---page break---

At that time they
had at least a
ground in prudence,
whether rated sufficient or no
in point of fact
at least not unreasonable
in point
of principle. They
were measures of
self-defence. For
generations this
use of them has
been out of the question:
they have
been measures of
offensive oppression
and nothing else.




Identifier: | JB/005/048/001
"JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 5.

Date_1

Marginal Summary Numbering

Box

005

Main Headings

church of englandism

Folio number

048

Info in main headings field

church - intolerance mischiefs penal laws debilitate the body tests

Image

001

Titles

intolerance / mischiefs / debilitating the body / tests - no longer what they were meant for

Category

rudiments sheet (brouillon)

Number of Pages

2

Recto/Verso

recto

Page Numbering

Penner

jeremy bentham

Watermarks

[[watermarks::l munn [britannia with shield emblem]]]

Marginals

Paper Producer

benjamin constant

Corrections

Paper Produced in Year

Notes public

ID Number

2465

Box Contents

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