ely imputed to him. Had the doctrines of Jesus been preached always
as pure as they came from his lips, the whole civilized world would
now have been Christian. I rejoice that in this blessed country of free
inquiry and belief, which has surrendered its creed and conscience
to neither kings nor priests, the genuine doctrine of one only God is
reviving, and I trust that there is not a young man now living in the
United States, who will not die an Unitarian.

But much I fear, that when this great truth shall be re-established, its
votaries will fall into the fatal error of fabricating formulas of
creed and confessions of faith, the engines which so soon destroyed the
religion of Jesus, and made of Christendom a mere Aceldama; that they
will give up morals for mysteries, and Jesus for Plato. How much wiser
are the Quakers, who, agreeing in the fundamental doctrines of the
Gospel, schismatize about no mysteries, and, keeping within the pale
of common sense, suffer no speculative differences of opinion, any
more than of feature, to impair the love of their brethren. Be this the
wisdom of Unitarians, this the holy mantle which shall cover within its
charitable circumference all who believe in one God, and who love their
neighbor! I conclude my sermon with sincere assurances of my friendly
esteem and respect.

Th: Jefferson.

LETTER CLXIII.--TO JOHN ADAMS

TO JOHN ADAMS.

Monticello, June 27, 1822.

Dear Sir,

Your kind letter of the 11th has given me great satisfaction. For
although I could not doubt but that the hand of age was pressing heavily
on you, as on myself, yet we like to know the particulars and the
degree of that pressure. Much reflection, too, has been produced by
your suggestion of lending my letter of the 1st, to a printer. I have
generally great aversion to the insertion of my letters in the public
papers; because of my passion for quiet retirement, and never to be
exhibited in scene on the public stage. Nor am I unmindful of the
precept of Horace, '_Solve senescentem, mature sanus, equum, ne
peccet ad extremum ridendus_.' In the present case, however, I see a
possibility that this might aid in producing the very quiet after
which I pant. I do not know how far you may suffer, as I do, under the
persecution of letters, of which every mail brings a fresh load.
They are letters of inquiry, for the most part, always of good will,
sometimes from friends whom I esteem, but much oftener from persons