ne, particularly, form the best course of
morality that ever was written. Besides these, read the books mentioned
in the enclosed paper; and, above all things, lose no occasion of
exercising your dispositions to be grateful, to be generous, to be
charitable, to be humane, to be true, just, firm, orderly, courageous,
&c. Consider every act of this kind, as an exercise which will
strengthen your moral faculties and increase your worth.

4. Religion. Your reason is now mature enough to examine this object.
In the first place, divest yourself of all bias in favor of novelty and
singularity of opinion. Indulge them in any other subject rather than
that of religion. It is too important, and the consequences of error
may be too serious. On the other hand, shake off all the fears and
servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix
reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every
opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because,
if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than
that of blindfolded fear. You will naturally examine first, the
religion of your own country. Read the Bible, then, as you would read
Livy or Tacitus. The facts which are within the ordinary course of
nature, you will believe on the authority of the writer, as you do
those of the same kind in Livy and Tacitus. The testimony of the writer
weighs in their favor, in one scale, and their not being against the
laws of nature, does not weigh against them. But those facts in the
Bible which contradict the laws of nature, must be examined with more
care, and under a variety of faces. Here you must recur to the
pretensions of the writer to inspiration from God. Examine upon what
evidence his pretensions are founded, and whether that evidence is so
strong, as that its falsehood would be more improbable than a change in
the laws of nature, in the case he relates. For example, in the book of
Joshua, we are told, the sun stood still several hours. Were we to read
that fact in Livy or Tacitus, we should class it with their showers of
blood, speaking of statues, beasts, etc. But it is said, that the
writer of that book was inspired. Examine, therefore, candidly, what
evidence there is of his having been inspired. The pretension is
entitled to your inquiry, because millions believe it. On the other
hand, you are astronomer enough to know how contrary it is to the law
of nature that a body r