would be hypocritical. Happiness, and even heaven itself, exclusively consists, in this love of pure choice. To love God supremely and exclusively, this, and this alone is heaven."

DEPARTMENT III.

An investigation of the primitive and present power of

royal princes, and dignified prelates. Shewing that the power and privileges they assume, is a flagrant infringement on the Rights of God.

IN this department I propose to make but few political remarks, and hasten on to the subsequent ởne, in which I place my chief hopes of being useful to the miserable, by eradicating from their minds, the wrong apprehensions they entertain of their heavenly friend and benefactor, and which is the most formidable barrier to their happiness, and is too often supported instead of being removed by their mercenary ininisters.*

•In antient times, there were false prophets in Israel, who prophesied falsely, and through their means, the priests were the lords of God's heritage, and devoured the flock, yet the priest-ridden Jews loved to have it so. The same complaint may be made against many of the priests and people of modern times.

It was

The most superficial voice of the first usur-
pation of royal princes, or dignified robbers,
sickens the philanthropist, and causes the
spontaneous tears of regret to steal from his
eyes, and trickle down his cheeks.
an easy thing for an artful designing villain,
in the early and solitary ages of the world,
while the chief employment of men was at-
tending their flocks, and cultivating their
lands, to usurp authority over his neigh-
bours, and to influence them by his false
elocution, to relinquish their peaceable and
profitable employments, and become a ban-
ditti of ruffians, to overcome a country, lay
it under contribution, and enslave the de-
fenceless and innocent inhabitants. It was
also an easy thing for this artful villain when
his power was established by multiplied
conquests, or rather robberies, to entitle
himself the chief or king of his band, and
consequently of his country. Thus, most
assuredly, robbery is the foundation on
which monarchy was originally built.

• Proud Nimrod first the bloody chace began,
A mighty hunter and his prey was man."

What was in the first instance considered the most cruel murder and robbery, in following years was called conquest, and the spoila just acquisition; hence the people who viewed the robber Nimrod, on the commencement of his career, with horror and detestation, in following years viewed the same Nimrod metamorphosed to a monarch, not only with cringing servility, but with sycophantic adulation, (I had almost said adoration such is the servile, abject, hypocritical nature of man. But we need not go to the early ages of the world to ascertain the origin of monarchy and aristoracy. The case of Bonaparte* presents

• Had this mighty man acted the patriotic part George Washington acted, or had he taken the salu. tary advice I gave him, when he was First Consul of France, perhaps there would not be at this time a royal Tyrant, a right Hon. Villain, or a right Rev. Impostor in Europe.

itself to prove to a demonstration, the villany of monarchy, and the servility of man. Likewise Christophey, the negro king of Saint Domingo, who has recently been metamorphosed from an obscure subaltern, to a sable monarch. In order to account for the many bloody and brutal wars, which have been the curse and disgrace of humanity from time immemorial. We have only to consider, how natural it was for these bands of robbers, who parcelled out the earth among themselves, and called it their individual property, to quarrel with cach other about their claims. Hence, the chief robber or king, commanded his creatures, to go and murder and be murdered by those they never saw, and from whom they never received the least injury. When their opponents view their hostile approach, they also “Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war;" hence the earth has so often been fattened with whole hecatomb of human beings, to gratify the pride, the ambition,