Who sees with equal eye, as God of all,
          A hero perish, or a sparrow fall,

could be angry with creatures of his own creation for thinking what they cannot help thinking, and being what they cannot help being.  Every one has heard of the Predestinarian, who, having talked much of his God, was asked by a bystander to speak worse of the Devil if he could; but comparatively few persons feel the full force of that question, or are prepared to admit God-worshippers in general, picture their Deities as if they were demons.  ‘Recognise,’ exclaims the Roman Catholic Priest, ’the “main point” of our holy apostolic religion, or God will judge and eternally punish you.’  The priests of nearly all religional denominations ascribe to Deity the low grovelling vindictive feelings which agitate and disgrace themselves.  If Roman Catholic principles are true and undeniable, none but Roman Catholics will be saved from the wrath to come.  If Anglo-Catholic principles are true and undeniable, none but Anglo-Catholic will be saved from the wrath to come.  If orthodox Protestant principles are true and undeniable, none but orthodox Protestants will be saved from the wrath to come.  Thus do religionists

                              Grunt and groan,
          And curse all systems but their own;

Never scrupling to assure the advocates of those systems a hell is waiting to receive them.  Agreeing in little else save disagreement, the ‘main point’ of this class of believers is a matter of little consequence to that class of believers, and no matter at all to a third class of believers.  Look at the thousand-and-one sects into which the Christian world is divided.  ’Some reject Scripture; others admit no other writings but Scripture.  Some say the devils shall be saved, others that they shall be damned; others that there are no devils at all.  Some hold that it is lawful to dissemble in religion, others the contrary.  Some say that Antichrist is come, some say not; others that he is a particular man, others that he is not a man, but the devil; and others that by Antichrist is meant a succession of men.  Some will have him to be Nero, some Caligula, some Mohammed, some the Pope, some Luther, some the Turk, some of the tribe of Dan, and so each man according to his fancy will make an Antichrist.  Some only will observe the Lord’s day, some only the Sabbath; some both, and some neither.  Some will have all things in common, some not.  Some will have Christ’s body only in Heaven, some everywhere; some in the bread, others with the bread, others about the bread, others under the bread, and others that Christ’s body is the bread, or the bread his body.  And others that his body is transformed into his divinity.  Some will have the Eucharist administered in both kinds, some in one, some not at all.  Some will have Christ descend to hell in respect of his soul, some only in his power, some in his divinity; some in his body, some not at all.  Some by hell understand