different principles, keeps much the same company."

* * * * *

Neither Mr. Paine nor Junius were superstitious. And first of Paine. In
Crisis, i, he says: "I have as little _superstition_ in me as any man
living, but my secret opinion has ever been, and still is, that God
Almighty will not give up, to military destruction, a people," etc.

Junius says, in Letter 36, note: "Every coward pretends to be
planet-struck." And in Letter 49, satirizing Lord Bute, he says: "When
that noxious planet approaches England, he never fails to bring plague
and pestilence along with him." In Letter 67 he says: "Superstition is
certainly not the characteristic of this age; yet some men are bigoted
in politics who are _infidels_ in religion. I do not despair of making
them ashamed of their credulity."

* * * * *

Above, Junius also casts an aspersion upon the term _infidel_. Mr. Paine
was very tender upon this point, and could not bear to be taunted with
_infidelity_. He says: "Infidelity is believing falsely. If what
Christians believe is not true, it is the Christians that are the
infidels."--Remarks on R. Hall's sermon. In the Examination of the
Prophecies, he concludes with this sentence, emphasized as follows: "HE
THAT BELIEVES IN THE STORY OF CHRIST, IS AN INFIDEL TO GOD." He also
defines infidelity as being unfaithful to one's own convictions. In the
Age of Reason, part i, he says: "Infidelity consists in _professing_ to
believe what he does not believe." He also uses the word as synonymous
with atheist, in his Discourse to the Theophilanthropists, as will be
seen by reference to page 163 of this book.

* * * * *

I have heretofore given the views of Junius on _Prayer_. See page 172.
It now remains to give Mr. Paine's views. In his Letter to Samuel Adams
he says: "A man does not serve God when he prays, for it is himself he
is trying to serve; and as to hiring or paying men to pray, as if the
Deity needed instruction, it is, in my opinion, an abomination."

* * * * *

They both believe in the divine justice of retribution and future
punishment. Junius says: "The divine justice of retribution seems now to
have begun its progress. Deliberate treachery entails punishment upon
the traitor. There is no possibility of escaping it."--Let. 66. "A
death-bed repentance seldom reaches to restitution."--Dedicatio