If that libidinous, much-wived and wife murderer, Henry the Eighth, could set up for himself in founding a church, why cannot other men of better morals and less exceptional tastes start a society, a church, a denomination? To go further back: If Constantine, who “drowned his wife in boiling water, butchered his little nephew, murdered two of his brothers-in-law with his own hand, killed his own son Crispus, led to death several men and women and smothered in a well an old monk,” and yet was the distinguished patron, and one of the founders of the Christian church, cannot others whose hands have never been stained with blood dare to think and act for themselves? Much might be said of the bigotry and assumption of some classes of people who claim like the egotistical, over-bearing Jews of old, that they are the elect, the chosen people of God and all the rest of mankind are to be subdued, exterminated, unless they fall into the ways and accept the creeds and ceremonies of these self-assumed religious rulers of the world; claiming that “God’s actual grace is limited to those who are within the church and have the faith,” meaning thereby their little church and their very doubtful faith, and boldly inscribe on their portals, “Beware of imitations; here is the only genuine article;” that there is no truth, except what is seen under their little ecclesiastical microscopes. What of the wisdom, justice and mercy of God in creating fifteen hundred millions of people now living, not to consider the infinite number passed away, if He only saves the few poor unworthy Christians, as they style themselves, and hands over the vast majority to some omnipotent demon to torture forever and forever, as the Christians teach? Has God so badly bodged His work, or are these people mistaken? What gods some of these little ecclesiastics would be if they could have their own way! Their assumption of divine authority and wisdom reminds one of the remark of a French critic, “The fact is, only I and my friends possess any real knowledge, and I am not so sure concerning them.”