aculty.

I answer, 'Tis true, a man who is no lawyer is not suffered to plead for
himself; but every man may be his own quack if he pleases, and he only
ventures his life; but in the other case the priest tells him he must be
damned: Therefore do not trust the priest, but think freely for
yourself, and if you happen to think there is no hell, there certainly
is none, and consequently you cannot be damned; I answer further, that
wherever there is no lawyer, physician, or priest, the country is
paradise. Besides, all priests, (except the orthodox, and those are not
ours, nor any that I know,) are hired by the public to lead men into
mischief; but lawyers and physicians are not, you hire them yourself.

It is objected, (by priests no doubt, but I have forgot their names)
that false speculations are necessary to be imposed upon men, in order
to assist the magistrate in keeping the peace, and that men ought
therefore to be deceived, like children, for their own good. I answer,
that zeal for imposing speculations, whether true or false (under which
name of speculations I include all opinions of religion, as the belief
of a God, Providence, immortality of the soul, future rewards and
punishments, &c.) has done more hurt than it is possible for religion to
do good. It puts us to the charge of maintaining ten thousand priests in
England, which is a burden upon society never felt upon any other
occasion; and a greater evil to the public than if these ecclesiastics
were only employed in the most innocent offices of life, which I take to
be eating and drinking. Now if you offer to impose anything on mankind
besides what relates to moral duties, as to pay your debts, not pick
pockets, nor commit murder, and the like; that is to say, if, besides
this, you oblige them to believe in God and Jesus Christ, what you add
to their faith will take just so much off from their morality. By this
argument it is manifest, that a perfect moral man must be a perfect
atheist; every inch of religion he gets loses him an inch of morality:
For there is a certain _quantum_ belongs to every man, of which there is
nothing to spare. This is clear from the common practice of all our
priests, they never once preach to you to love your neighbour, to be
just in your dealings, or to be sober and temperate. The streets of
London are full of common whores, publicly tolerated in their
wickedness; yet the priests make no complaints against this enormity,
either fr