a man may be a
tolerable freethinker, though he does believe a God; provided he utterly
rejects "Providence, Revelation, the Old and New Testament, Future
Rewards and Punishments, the Immortality of the Soul," and other the
like impossible absurdities. Which mark of superabundant caution,
sacrificing truth to the superstition of priests, may perhaps be
forgiven, but ought not to be imitated by any who would arrive (even in
this author's judgment) at the true perfection of freethinking._

***** ***** ***** *****

SOME THOUGHTS

ON

FREETHINKING.

WRITTEN IN ENGLAND, BUT LEFT UNFINISHED.

Discoursing one day with a prelate of the kingdom of Ireland, who is a
person of excellent wit and learning, he offered a notion applicable to
the subject we were then upon, which I took to be altogether new and
right. He said, that the difference betwixt a madman and one in his
wits, in what related to speech, consisted in this; that the former
spoke out whatever came into his mind, and just in the confused manner
as his imagination presented the ideas: The latter only expressed such
thoughts as his judgment directed him to choose, leaving the rest to die
away in his memory; and that, if the wisest man would, at any time,
utter his thoughts in the crude indigested manner as they come into his
head, he would be looked upon as raving mad. And, indeed, when we
consider our thoughts, as they are the seeds of words and actions, we
cannot but agree that they ought to be kept under the strictest
regulation; and that in the great multiplicity of ideas which one's mind
is apt to form, there is nothing more difficult than to select those
which are most proper for the conduct of life. So that I cannot imagine
what is meant by the mighty zeal in some people for asserting the
freedom of thinking; because, if such thinkers keep their thoughts
within their own breasts, they can be of no consequence, farther than to
themselves. If they publish them to the world, they ought to be
answerable for the effects their thoughts produce upon others. There are
thousands in this kingdom, who, in their thoughts, prefer a republic, or
absolute power of a prince, before a limited monarchy; yet, if any of
these should publish their opinions, and go about, by writing or
discourse, to persuade the people to innovations in government, they
would be liable to the severest punishments the law can inflict; and
therefore they are usually s