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part　of　the　students　in　your　seminary。　　The　article　of　discipline　is

the　most　difficult　in　American　education。　　Premature　ideas　of

independence；　too　little　repressed　by　parents；　beget　a　spirit　of

insubordination；　which　is　the　great　obstacle　to　science　with　us；　and

a　principal　cause　of　its　decay　since　the　revolution。　　I　look　to　it

with　dismay　in　our　institution；　as　a　breaker　ahead；　which　I　am　far

from　being　confident　we　shall　be　able　to　weather。　　The　advance　of

age；　and　tardy　pace　of　the　public　patronage；　may　probably　spare　me

the　pain　of　witnessing　consequences。




　　　　　　　　I　salute　you　with　constant　friendship　and　respect。







　　　　　　　　CALVIN　AND　COSMOLOGY




　　　　　　　　_To　John　Adams_

　　　　　　　　_Monticello；　April　11；　1823_




　　　　　　　　DEAR　SIR；　　The　wishes　expressed；　in　your　last　favor；　that　I

may　continue　in　life　and　health　until　I　become　a　Calvinist；　at　least

in　his　exclamation　of　‘_mon　Dieu！_　jusque　a　quand'！　would　make　me

immortal。　　I　can　never　join　Calvin　in　addressing　_his　god。_　He　was

indeed　an　Atheist；　which　I　can　never　be；　or　rather　his　religion　was

Daemonism。　　If　ever　man　worshipped　a　false　god；　he　did。　　The　being

described　in　his　5。　points　is　not　the　God　whom　you　and　I　acknolege

and　adore；　the　Creator　and　benevolent　governor　of　the　world；　but　a

daemon　of　malignant　spirit。　　It　would　be　more　pardonable　to　believe

in　no　god　at　all；　than　to　blaspheme　him　by　the　atrocious　attributes

of　Calvin。　　Indeed　I　think　that　every　Christian　sect　gives　a　great

handle　to　Atheism　by　their　general　dogma　that；　without　a　revelation；

there　would　not　be　sufficient　proof　of　the　being　of　a　god。　　Now　one

sixth　of　mankind　only　are　supposed　to　be　Christians：　the　other　five

sixths　then；　who　do　not　believe　in　the　Jewish　and　Christian

revelation；　are　without　a　knolege　of　the　existence　of　a　god！　　This

gives　compleatly　a　gain　de　cause　to　the　disciples　of　Ocellus；

Timaeus；　Spinosa；　Diderot　and　D'Holbach。　　The　argument　which　they

rest　on　as　triumphant　and　unanswerable　is　that；　in　every　hypothesis

of　Cosmogony　you　must　admit　an　eternal　pre…existence　of　something；

and　according　to　the　rule　of　sound　philosophy；　you　are　never　to

employ　two　principles　to　solve　a　difficulty　when　one　will　suffice。

They　say　then　that　it　is　more　simple　to　believe　at　once　in　the

eternal　pre…existence　of　the　world；　as　it　is　now　going　on；　and　may

for　ever　go　on　by　the　principle　of　reproduction　which　we　see　and

witness；　than　to　believe　in　the　eternal　pre…existence　of　an　ulterior

cause；　or　Creator　of　the　world；　a　being　whom　we　see　not；　and　know

not；　of　whose　form　substance　and　mode　or　place　of　existence；　or　of

action　no　sense　informs　us；　no　power　of　the　mind　enables　us　to

delineate　or　comprehend。　　On　the　contrary　I　hold　（without　appeal　to

revelation）　that　when　we　take　a　view　of　the　Universe；　in　it's　parts

general　or　particular；　it　is　impossible　for　the　human　mind　not　to

percieve　and　feel　a　conviction　of　design；　consummate　skill；　and

indefinite　power　in　every　atom　of　it's　composition。　　The　movements　of

the　heavenly　bodies；　so　exactly　held　in　their　course　by　the　balance

of　centrifugal　and　centripetal　forces；　the　structure　of　our　earth

itself；　with　it's　distribution　of　lands；　waters　and　atmosphere；

animal　and　vegetable　bodies；　examined　in　all　their　minutest

particles；　insects　mere　atoms　of　life；　yet　as　perfectly　organised　as

man　or　mammoth；　the　mineral　substances；　their　generation　and　uses；　it

is　impossible；　I　say；　for　the　human　mind　not　to　believe　that　there

is；　in　all　this；　design；　cause　and　effect；　up　to　an　ultimate　cause；　a

fabricator　of　all　things　from　matter　and　motion；　their　preserver　and

regulator　while　permitted　to　exist　in　their　present　forms；　and　their

regenerator　into　new　and　other　forms。　　We　see；　too；　evident　proofs　of

the　necessity　of　a　superintending　power　to　maintain　the　Universe　in

it's　course　and　order。　　Stars；　well　known；　have　disappeared；　new　ones

have　come　into　view；　comets；　in　their　incalculable　courses；　may　run

foul　of　suns　and　planets　and　require　renovation　under　other　laws；

certain　races　of　animals　are　become　extinct；　and；　were　there　no

restoring　power；　all　existences　might　extinguish　successively；　one　by

one；　until　all　should　be　reduced　to　a　shapeless　chaos。　　So

irresistible　are　these　evidences　of　an　intelligent　and　powerful　Agent

that；　of　the　infinite　numbers　of　men　who　have　existed　thro'　all　time；

they　have　believed；　in　the　proportion　of　a　million　at　least　to　Unit；

in　the　hypothesis　of　an　eternal　pre…existence　of　a　creator；　rather

than　in　that　of　a　self…existent　Universe。　　Surely　this　unanimous

sentiment　renders　this　more　probable　than　that　of　the　few　in　the

other　hypothesis。　　Some　early　Christians　indeed　have　believed　in　the

coeternal　pre…existance　of　both　the　Creator　and　the　world；　without

changing　their　relation　of　cause　and　effect。　　That　this　was　the

opinion　of　St。　Thomas；　we　are　informed　by　Cardinal　Toleto；　in　these

words　‘Deus　ab　aeterno　fuit　jam　omnipotens；　sicut　cum　produxit

mundum。　　Ab　aeterno　potuit　producere　mundum。　　Si　sol　ab　aeterno

esset；　lumen　ab　aeterno　esset；　et　si　pes；　similiter　vestigium。　　At

lumen　et　vestigium　effectus　sunt　efficientis　solis　et　pedis；　potuit

ergo　cum　causa　aeterna　effectus　coaeterna　esse。　　Cujus　sententiae　est

S。　Thomas　Theologorum　primus'　Cardinal　Toleta。




　　　　　　　　Of　the　nature　of　this　being　we　know　nothing。　　Jesus　tells　us

that　‘God　is　a　spirit。'　4。　John　24。　but　without　defining　what　a

spirit　is　｛pneyma　o　Theos｝。　　Down　to　the　3d。　century　we　know　that　it

was　still　deemed　material；　but　of　a　lighter　subtler　matter　than　our

gross　bodies。　　So　says　Origen。　　‘Deus　igitur；　cui　anima　similis　est；

juxta　Originem；　reapte　corporalis　est；　sed　graviorum　tantum　ratione

corporum　incorporeus。'　These　are　the　words　of　Huet　in　his　commentary

on　Origen。　　Origen　himself　says　‘appelatio　｛asomaton｝　apud　nostros

scriptores　est　inusitata　et　incognita。'　So　also　Tertullian　‘quis

autem　negabit　Deum　esse　corpus；　etsi　deus　spiritus？　　Spiritus　etiam

corporis　sui　generis；　in　sua　effigie。'　Tertullian。　　These　two　fathers

were　of　the　3d。　century。　　Calvin's　character　of　this　supreme　being

seems　chiefly　copied　from　that　of　the　Jews。　　But　the　reformation　of

these　blasphemous　attributes；　and　substitution　of　those　more　worthy；

pure　and　sublime；　seems　to　have　been　the　chief　object　of　Jesus　in　his

discources　to　the　Jews：　and　his　doctrine　of　the　Cosmogony　of　the

world　is　very　clearly　laid　down　in　the　3　first　verses　of　the　1st。

chapter　of　John；　in　these　words；　‘｛en　arche　en　o　logos；　kai　o　logos

en　pros　ton　Theon　kai　Theos　en　o　logos。　‘otos　en　en　arche　pros　ton

Theon。　　Panta　de　ayto　egeneto；　kai　choris　ayto　egeneto　ode　en；　o

gegonen｝。　　Which　truly　translated　means　‘in　the　beginning　God

existed；　and　reason　（or　mind）　was　with　God；　and　that　mind　was　God。

This　was　in　the　beginning　with　God。　　All　things　were　created　by　it；

and　without　it　was　made　not　one　thing　which　was　made'。　　Yet　this

text；　so　plainly　declaring　the　doctrine　of　Jesus　that　the　world　was

created　by　the　supreme；　intelligent　being；　has　been　perverted　by

modern　Christians　to　build　up　a　second　person　of　their　tritheism　by　a

mistranslation　of　the　word　｛logos｝。　　One　of　it's　legitimate　meanings

indeed　is　‘a　word。'　But；　in　that　sense；　it　makes　an　unmeaning　jargon：

while　the　other　meaning　‘reason'；　equally　legitimate；　explains

rationally　the　eternal　preexistence　of　God；　and　his　creation　of　the

world。　　Knowing　how　incomprehensible　it　was　that　‘a　word；'　the　mere

action　or　articulation　of　the　voice　and　organs　of　speech　could　create

a　world；　they　undertake　to　make　of　this　articulation　a　second

preexisting　being；　and　ascribe　to　him；　and　not　to　God；　the　creation

of　the　universe。　　The　Atheist　here　plumes　himself　on　the　uselessness

of　such　a　God；　and　the　simpler　hypothesis　of　a　self…existent

universe。　　The　truth　is　that　the　greatest　enemies　to　the　doctrines　of

Jesus　are　those　calling　themselves　the　expositors　of　them；　who　have

perverted　them　for　the　structure　of　a　system　of　fancy　absolutely

incomprehensible；　and　without　any　foundation　in　his　genuine　words。

And　the　day　will　come　when　the　mystical　generation　of　Jesus；　by　the

supreme　being　as　his　father　in　the　womb　of　a　virgin　will　be　classed

with　the　fable　of　the　generation　of　Minerva　in　the　brain　of　Jupiter。

But　we　may　hope　that　the　dawn　of　reason　and　freedom　of　thought　in

these　United　States　will　do　away　with　all　this　artificial

scaffolding；　and　restore　to　us　the　primitive　and　genuine　doctrines　of

this　the　most　venerated　reformer　of　human　errors。




　　　　　　　　So　much　for　your　quotation　of　Calvin's　‘mon　dieu！　jusqu'a

quand'　in　which；　when　addressed　to　the　God　of　Jesus；　and　our　God；　I

join　you　cordially；　and　await　his　time　and　will　with　more　readiness

than　reluctance。　　May　we　meet　there　again；　in　Congress；　with　our

antient　Colleagues；　and　recieve　with　them　the　seal　of　approbation

‘Well　done；　good　and　faithful　servants。'







　　　　　　　　THE　SUPREME　COURT　AND　THE　CO