ancient _regime_ of which Paine spoke as obnoxious was that of kings and
priests. That was the popular way he had of making any thing obnoxious
that he wished to destroy. Now, if he had _merely_ wished to get rid of
the dogmas which he says were established by kings and priests, if he
had no desire to abolish the Christian religion itself, he could have
thus expressed himself: "Let us rid ourselves of the errors of kings and
priests, and plant morality on the plain text of the Christian religion,
with the simplest forms of religious worship."

I do not intend to leave this part of the cause, however, without a
still more distinct statement of the objections to this scheme of
instruction. This is due, I think, to the subject and to the occasion;
and I trust I shall not be considered presumptuous, or as trenching upon
the duties which properly belong to another profession. But I deem it
due to the cause of Christianity to take up the notions of this scheme
of Mr. Girard, and show how mistaken is the idea of calling it a
charity. In the first place, then, I say, this scheme is derogatory to
Christianity, because it rejects Christianity from the education of
youth, by rejecting its teachers, by rejecting the ordinary agencies of
instilling the Christian religion into the minds of the young. I do not
say that, in order to make this a charity, there should be a positive
provision for the teaching of Christianity, although, as I have already
observed, I take that to be the rule in an English court of equity. But
I need not, in this case, claim the whole benefit of that rule. I say it
is derogatory, because there is a positive rejection of Christianity;
because it rejects the ordinary means and agencies of Christianity. He
who rejects the ordinary means of accomplishing an end, means to defeat
that end itself, or else he has no meaning. And this is true, although
the means originally be means of human appointment, and not attaching to
or resting on any higher authority.

For example, if the New Testament had contained a set of principles of
morality and religion, without reference to the means by which those
principles were to be established, and if in the course of time a system
of means had sprung up, become identified with the history of the world,
become general, sanctioned by continued use and custom, then he who
should reject those means would design to reject, and would reject, that
morality and religion themselves.

T