Mn EDlron.
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Mn EDIron:


Before we proceed to the considera-
ton of the statements recently published
in your paper, concerning the persecution
here we propose 10 make some enqui-
rics into the circumstances under which it
took place that we may he the better pre-
pared to Judge as to the degree of culp pa
bIlity in the actors.


That the degree of guilt is graduated
by the amount of LIGHT aud knowledge
in such cases is principle which, | sup
pose will not be contested. For example,
A savage trained up where theft is no,
accounted crime evidently incurs les
guilt by its commission than the man
who has been trained where i, is moi onl,
an offence against the state but consider
cd an act of high moral delinquency.
The principle of religious liberty or toler-
alton has probably never been fully un-
ders,ood or practIsed upon by any hea,hcn
nation, aud very few at the preScn, day
amongst those called enlightened, tho.-
oughly comprehend the principle or adopt
the practice. ]n relation 10 the former,
Lord Lyttleton says, "That in all healhcn
countries the established lcIi zion was in
terwoven with the civil constitution and
supported by the magistrate as an essen
tial part of the government, whoever
has any acquaintance with antiquity can-
not but know. They tolerated, indeed,
many different worships, (though not with
mt Jntl cn\ no
they suffered men to discourse very free
ly concerning religion, provided they
would submit to an exterior conformity
with established rites. nay, according to
the genius of paganism which allowed an
intercommunity of worship they in most
places admitted without any great diff
Guilty new gods and new rites, but they
nowhere endured an attempt to ovcrturn
the established religion or any direct op-
position made to it, estcemin@ that an lin-
pardonable offence not to the gods alone,
but to the state.


This was so universal notion and so
constant a maxim of hcathcn policy, that
when the christian religion set itself up in
opposition to all other religions, admitted
no intercommunity with them, but de-
clared that the gods Of the gentiles were
not to be worshipped nor any society suf-
tered between them and the only true
God. When this new doctrine began TO
be propagatcd and made such a progress
as to fall under the notice of the maeis-
trate, the civil power was every where
armed with all its terrors against it,"


We apprehcnd the principle of intoler-
ance set forth in these remarks are appi-
cable to all idolatrons nation at all times,
whether savage, barbarous, or civilized,
and to many others also modified by cir
cumstances. 1t was doubtless true of the
government of these islands, Il few years
since. The pagan religious system was
interviewer with and extended through all
the ramifcations of their social and polt-
ical institutions. Whoever struck blow
at the religious usages would have been
considered dangerous innovatcr, seeking