Prayer was irrational, according to the new
philosophy, and must be discarded.
23. And praise and thanksgiving went next. What reason could there be
for telling an all-wise God what you thought of Him, or how you felt
towards Him? And besides, it now began to appear that God had not been
so very bountiful as to deserve either high commendation, or
enthusiastic thanksgiving.
24. I had fresh work. Politics first got into partnership with my
religion, and then turned religion out of the concern. And politics,
severed from religion, soon become selfish, and even devilish. So long
as Christian philanthropy occupied my thoughts and feelings, it helped
religiousness; but when it gave way to polities, my religiousness
declined, languished, and died.
25. I began to indulge in amusements. Chess, drafts, cards, concerts,
theatres, and feasting asked for a portion of my time and money, and I
gave it to them. I began to think of pleasure more than of usefulness;
to live for myself rather than for others; and the higher virtues and
religion went down together.
26. My position improved. I passed from poverty to comparative wealth.
This helped my degeneracy. I had more abundant means of self-indulgence,
and I began, though slowly, timidly, and with misgivings, and
self-reproaches, and occasional fits of remorse, to use them for
selfish, worldly purposes.
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