The legal crime of blasphemy and pro faneness is made by this statute of King William something entirely different from the crime when considered with reference to religion or morals. Few persons will charge any guilt upon a man who in the course of philosophic investigation, is brought at last to doubt respecting any of the great points of religious belief; after an investigation pursued with dili gence, and under a sense of the high im portance of the subject Such a charge would be the result of bigotry alone, and would have no corresponding conviction in the heart of the person thus accused. Yet each a person may be morally guilty of blasphemy. He is morally guilty, if he suffer himself to be led to the use of gross and opprobrious expressions, such as are shocking to the common sense and common feelings of mankind, and abhor rent to the minds of all philosophic in quirers, and all persons who, in the spirit of seriousness, are seeking to know the truth in respect of things which are of the last importance to them. Whoever acknowledges the existence of God and his providence, and yet speaks of him, or still more to him, or of and concerning them, in the language of affront, or other wise, indeed, than with a feeling of re verence correspondent to the dignity and awfulness of the subject, cannot be held morally guiltless : and when there is no such admission, there is at least a decency to be observed in treating or speaking of them which will be observed by all who have any spirit of seriousness, or any just regard for the peace and welfare of society.
At the same time it must also be ad mitted that a certain freedom must be allowed in respect of the manner in which questions referring to sacred subjects are treated. All things are not really sacred which many agree to call so. The term sacred may be made to cover any opi nion however absurd, as witchcraft and the popular superstitions have sometimes taken shelter under it. It will scarcely be denied that it is morally right to attack opinions of this class, even though the mind of a nation is not sufficiently en lightened to discern the absurdity of them, with any weapons, even those of insult and ridicule ; and that though the cry of blas phemy may be raised, yet that at the bar of sound reason such a person, so far from justly chargeable with so odious a crime, may be rendering to the world the most essential service, by setting the absurdity of the opinion iu that clear light in which it admits of being placed, and thus attracting to it the eyes of all observers. But opinions
which have better pretension to be called sacred may not improperly be treated with a certain freedom that to those holding them shall be offensive. Very strong things in this way have been said against the doctrine of transubstantiation by Protestant writers, who have not been regarded by their fellow-Protestants as doing more than setting an erroneous doctrine in its true light, though the Roman Catholic will have a different opinion on the matter. So the Almighty Father, as he appears in the system of Christian faith which is called Cal vinism, has by some been represented in characters which, to the sincere believer in that system, cannot but have been ac counted blasphemous ; while by those who hold the system to rest on a mis taken interpretation of Scripture it has been held to be no more than the real character in which that system invests him. There is in fact, when the subject is regarded as one of morals rather than of law, a relative and a positive blas phemy. That is blasphemy to one which is not so to another. And this should teach all persons a forbearance in the application of so odious a term. Strong and forcible expressions have had their use. Satire and ridicule may reach where plain argument will not go : but it be hoves every man who ventures on the use of these weapons to consider the in tention by which he is influenced, to look upon himself as one who is a debtor in an especial manner to the truth, and who has to satisfy himself that be aims at nothing but the increase of the know ledge and the virtue and happiness of society.