during eternity, in the useless torments of his feeble creatures.


67. To pretend, that God can be offended at the actions of men,
is to annihilate all the ideas, which divines endeavour to give us,
in other respects, of this being. To say, that man can trouble
the order of the universe; that he can kindle the thunder in the
hands of his God; that he can defeat his projects, is to say,
that man is stronger than his God, that he is the arbiter of his
will, that it depends upon him to change his goodness into cruelty.
Theology continually pulls down, with one hand, what it erects with
the other. If all religion is founded upon a God, who is provoked
and appeased, all religion is founded on a palpable contradiction.

All religions agree in exalting the wisdom and infinite power of
the Deity. But no sooner do they display his conduct, than we see
nothing but imprudence, want of foresight, weakness and folly.
God, it is said, created the world for himself; and yet, hitherto,
he has never been able to make himself suitably honoured by it.
God created men in order to have, in his dominions, subjects to
render him their homage; and yet, we see men in continual revolt
against him.


68. They incessantly extol the divine perfections; and when we demand
proofs of them, they point to his works, in which, they assure us,
these perfections are written in indelible characters. All these
works are, however, imperfect and perishable. Man, who is ever
regarded as the most marvellous work, as the master-piece of the
Deity, is full of imperfections, which render him disagreeable to