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liberate those, whose piety was enlightened, from persecu-tion at the' hands of bigots. The cruelties exercised onthe Huguenots raised a tumult of generous indignationin his benevolent heart; the insolence and barbarity withwhich the French priesthood endeavoured to quell allrebellion to their authority roused his anger andpointed his sarcasms. Liberty for the soul was the aimof his endeavours. It was a noble and a useful one.
He went too far. There are two classes of minds amongmen of education. Those who live for the affections —for the elegances of literature—for moral and intellectualpurposes ; who are virtuous and enlightened, hut devoidof enthusiasm for truth or the dissemination of opinion.There is another class, to whom what they considertruth is the great all in all. It is vain to talk to themof a falsehood or mistake that has its good uses; theyconsider truth, that most glorious attribute of God , asthe best of all things — the reformer of abuses — thesustainer of the unfortunate—the advancer of humanexcellence —- the rock in which we ought to put ourtrust. To them, truth, or what they consider truth, islight; falsehood, darkness. Such a mind was Voltaire .He did not distinguish the truths of the Gospel fromthe multifarious, sometimes ridiculous, but always per-nicious, impostures of papacy. He read of, and hisheart revolted from, the series of intolerable evils broughtupon the world by the Roman Catholic religion; heforgot the civilisation produced by the Gospel, and eventhe uses of the system of the church of Rome duringdays of feudal barbarism: he saw only the evil, andvisited the whole with his reprobation, his ridicule, hisunflinching and unwearied opposition. He fell intogreat and mischievous mistakes. As is often the case,he destroyed, but he could not construct. France owedto his mighty labours and powerful influence a greatand swift advance in civilisation, and enfranchisementfrom political and priestly thraldom. But he wentbeyond the useful and right in his struggle; and, notcontented with warring against superstition, made