JB/005/074/002

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Toleration Pleas Atheism

of the law and that of public opinion. Take
a case where it acts by itself, and where its
benefice influence is applied to no bad purpose,
you will find it next to nothing. The
case of Subscriptions to Articles of Religion and
that of University Oaths offerd to such examples:
in the forms of which we see declarations
universally made that are never scarce ever true
and in the other promises as universally made
that are never kept by any living creature . Thus far the unbeliever
To the probity which is
the natural accompaniment
of Atheism, you
find believers, at least
if Churchmen are believers
continually bearing heedless
and therein the less
to be suspected testimony:
for in the case in question
their great plea is grounded
on the supposition that
Atheists are men of nicer
conscience than themselves. and in the concluding instances it must be
confessed as we shall see that he has but the truth is but
too much reason truth of his side. But if it was
necessary that this scandal to Religion should
come, what shall we say of those by whom
it cometh?

I have reported [this much this weak sketch to give the Devil
a small part of his due that the friends of truth &
mankind may see that Atheists any more
than others ought not to be condemned without
a hearing: that in this line as in others a
man may err without any bad intentions, if
with a sort of some shew of colour of reason on his side.
[#]
[#] If the consideration of notions
were at all material
The pure desire of doing good is the more likely
to

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Intolerance Pleas

have been his, as it is in this case difficult to conceive a rival
motive. There are no archbishoprics founded
no Bishopricks no Deaneries no Prebenda Canonrics
no Rectories not even a Curacy or a Professorship
for the encouragement of Atheism: distinction
it can confer none unless it be the distinction
of infamy: nor has any no book of Atheism
ever had, one may safely prophecy or
ever will have a degree of circulation equal to
that of an ordinary book of sermons

Identifier: | JB/005/074/002 "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	074	Info in main headings field
Image	002	Titles
Category	text sheet	Number of Pages	4
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering
Penner	jeremy bentham	Watermarks	[[watermarks::gr [crown motif] [lion with crown motif]]]
Marginals		Paper Producer
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year
Notes public		ID Number	2491
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