ll be found conquering a country, and
hanging the aborigines of that country thirteen in a row, in honour of
some thirteen apostles of Atheism, their barbarity may fairly be
ascribed to their creed. Habit does much, and perhaps much of our
virtue, or its opposite is contingent on temperament; but no people
entertaining correct speculative opinions could possibly act, or
tolerate, atrocities like these. But strange to say, neither Roman
Catholic, nor any other denomination of Christians, will submit to be
tried to the same standard they deem so just when applied to Atheists.
Now sauce for the goose every body knows is equally sauce for the
gander, and it is difficult to discover the consistency or the honesty
of men, who trace to their creed the crimes or merest peccadilloes of
Atheists, and will not trace to their creed the shocking barbarity of
Christians. To understand such men is easy; to admire them is
impossible; for their conduct in this particular palpably shocks every
principle of truth and fairness. Why impute to Atheism the vices or
follies of its Apostles, while refusing to admit that the vices or
follies of Christians should be imputed to Christianity. Of both folly
and vice it is notorious professing Christians have 'the lion's share.'
Yet the apologists of Christianity, who would fain have us believe the
lives of Atheists a consequence of Atheism, will by no means believe
that the lives of Christians are a consequence of Christianity.

Let no one suppose the Author of this Apology is prepared to allow that
Atheists are men of cruel dispositions or vicious. He will not say with
Coleridge that only men of good hearts and strong heads can be Atheists,
but he is quite ready to maintain that the generality of Atheists are
men of mild, generous, peaceable studious dispositions, who desire the
overthrow of superstition, or true religion as its devotees call it,
because convinced a superstitious people never can be enlightened,
virtuous, free, or happy. Their love of whatever helps on civilisation
and disgust of war are testified to even by opponents. We may learn from
the writings of Lord Bacon not only his _opinion_ that Atheism leaves
men to sense, to philosophy, to natural piety, to laws, to reputation,
all which, he justly observes, may be guides to an outward moral virtue,
though religion were not; but the _fact_ that 'the times inclined to
Atheism (as the times of Augustus Caesar) were civil times.' Nay, he