Ithinktheinvitationwillbeaccepted，bysomesectsfromcandidintentions，andbyothersfromjealousyandrivalship。Andbybringingthesectstogether，andmixingthemwiththemassofotherstudents，weshallsoftentheirasperities，liberalizeandneutralizetheirprejudices，andmakethegeneralreligionareligionofpeace，reason，andmorality。
　　Thetimeofopeningouruniversityisstillasuncertainasever。Allthepavilions，boardinghouses，anddormitoriesaredone。
　　Nothingisnowwantingbutthecentralbuildingforalibraryandothergeneralpurposes。Forthiswehavenofunds，andthelastlegislaturerefusedallaid。Wehavebetterhopesofthenext。Butallisuncertain。Ihaveheardwithregretofdisturbancesonthepartofthestudentsinyourseminary。ThearticleofdisciplineisthemostdifficultinAmericaneducation。Prematureideasofindependence，toolittlerepressedbyparents，begetaspiritofinsubordination，whichisthegreatobstacletosciencewithus，andaprincipalcauseofitsdecaysincetherevolution。Ilooktoitwithdismayinourinstitution，asabreakerahead，whichIamfarfrombeingconfidentweshallbeabletoweather。Theadvanceofage，andtardypaceofthepublicpatronage，mayprobablysparemethepainofwitnessingconsequences。
　　Isaluteyouwithconstantfriendshipandrespect。
　　CALVINANDCOSMOLOGY
　　_ToJohnAdams_
　　_Monticello，April11，1823_
　　DEARSIR，——Thewishesexpressed，inyourlastfavor，thatI
　　maycontinueinlifeandhealthuntilIbecomeaCalvinist，atleastinhisexclamationof`_monDieu！_jusqueaquand’！wouldmakemeimmortal。IcanneverjoinCalvininaddressing_hisgod。_HewasindeedanAtheist，whichIcanneverbe；orratherhisreligionwasDaemonism。Ifevermanworshippedafalsegod，hedid。Thebeingdescribedinhis5。pointsisnottheGodwhomyouandIacknolegeandadore，theCreatorandbenevolentgovernoroftheworld；butadaemonofmalignantspirit。Itwouldbemorepardonabletobelieveinnogodatall，thantoblasphemehimbytheatrociousattributesofCalvin。IndeedIthinkthateveryChristiansectgivesagreathandletoAtheismbytheirgeneraldogmathat，withoutarevelation，therewouldnotbesufficientproofofthebeingofagod。NowonesixthofmankindonlyaresupposedtobeChristians：theotherfivesixthsthen，whodonotbelieveintheJewishandChristianrevelation，arewithoutaknolegeoftheexistenceofagod！ThisgivescompleatlyagaindecausetothedisciplesofOcellus，Timaeus，Spinosa，DiderotandD’Holbach。Theargumentwhichtheyrestonastriumphantandunanswerableisthat，ineveryhypothesisofCosmogonyyoumustadmitaneternalpre-existenceofsomething；
　　andaccordingtotheruleofsoundphilosophy，youarenevertoemploytwoprinciplestosolveadifficultywhenonewillsuffice。
　　Theysaythenthatitismoresimpletobelieveatonceintheeternalpre-existenceoftheworld，asitisnowgoingon，andmayforevergoonbytheprincipleofreproductionwhichweseeandwitness，thantobelieveintheeternalpre-existenceofanulteriorcause，orCreatoroftheworld，abeingwhomweseenot，andknownot，ofwhoseformsubstanceandmodeorplaceofexistence，orofactionnosenseinformsus，nopowerofthemindenablesustodelineateorcomprehend。OnthecontraryIholdwithoutappealtorevelationthatwhenwetakeaviewoftheUniverse，init’spartsgeneralorparticular，itisimpossibleforthehumanmindnottopercieveandfeelaconvictionofdesign，consummateskill，andindefinitepowerineveryatomofit’scomposition。Themovementsoftheheavenlybodies，soexactlyheldintheircoursebythebalanceofcentrifugalandcentripetalforces，thestructureofourearthitself，withit’sdistributionoflands，watersandatmosphere，animalandvegetablebodies，examinedinalltheirminutestparticles，insectsmereatomsoflife，yetasperfectlyorganisedasmanormammoth，themineralsubstances，theirgenerationanduses，itisimpossible，Isay，forthehumanmindnottobelievethatthereis，inallthis，design，causeandeffect，uptoanultimatecause，afabricatorofallthingsfrommatterandmotion，theirpreserverandregulatorwhilepermittedtoexistintheirpresentforms，andtheirregeneratorintonewandotherforms。Wesee，too，evidentproofsofthenecessityofasuperintendingpowertomaintaintheUniverseinit’scourseandorder。Stars，wellknown，havedisappeared，newoneshavecomeintoview，comets，intheirincalculablecourses，mayrunfoulofsunsandplanetsandrequirerenovationunderotherlaws；
　　certainracesofanimalsarebecomeextinct；and，weretherenorestoringpower，allexistencesmightextinguishsuccessively，onebyone，untilallshouldbereducedtoashapelesschaos。SoirresistiblearetheseevidencesofanintelligentandpowerfulAgentthat，oftheinfinitenumbersofmenwhohaveexistedthro’alltime，theyhavebelieved，intheproportionofamillionatleasttoUnit，inthehypothesisofaneternalpre-existenceofacreator，ratherthaninthatofaself-existentUniverse。Surelythisunanimoussentimentrendersthismoreprobablethanthatofthefewintheotherhypothesis。SomeearlyChristiansindeedhavebelievedinthecoeternalpre-existanceofboththeCreatorandtheworld，withoutchangingtheirrelationofcauseandeffect。ThatthiswastheopinionofSt。Thomas，weareinformedbyCardinalToleto，inthesewords`Deusabaeternofuitjamomnipotens，sicutcumproduxitmundum。Abaeternopotuitproduceremundum——Sisolabaeternoesset，lumenabaeternoesset；etsipes，similitervestigium。Atlumenetvestigiumeffectussuntefficientissolisetpedis；potuitergocumcausaaeternaeffectuscoaeternaesse。CujussententiaeestS。ThomasTheologorumprimus’CardinalToleta。
　　Ofthenatureofthisbeingweknownothing。Jesustellsusthat`Godisaspirit。’4。John24。butwithoutdefiningwhataspiritis{pneymaoTheos}。Downtothe3d。centuryweknowthatitwasstilldeemedmaterial；butofalightersubtlermatterthanourgrossbodies。SosaysOrigen。`Deusigitur，cuianimasimilisest，juxtaOriginem，reaptecorporalisest；sedgraviorumtantumrationecorporumincorporeus。’ThesearethewordsofHuetinhiscommentaryonOrigen。Origenhimselfsays`appelatio{asomaton}apudnostrosscriptoresestinusitataetincognita。’SoalsoTertullian`quisautemnegabitDeumessecorpus，etsideusspiritus?Spiritusetiamcorporissuigeneris，insuaeffigie。’Tertullian。Thesetwofatherswereofthe3d。century。Calvin’scharacterofthissupremebeingseemschieflycopiedfromthatoftheJews。Butthereformationoftheseblasphemousattributes，andsubstitutionofthosemoreworthy，pureandsublime，seemstohavebeenthechiefobjectofJesusinhisdiscourcestotheJews：andhisdoctrineoftheCosmogonyoftheworldisveryclearlylaiddowninthe3firstversesofthe1st。
　　chapterofJohn，inthesewords，`{enarcheenologos，kaiologosenprostonTheonkaiTheosenologos。`otosenenarcheprostonTheon。Pantadeaytoegeneto，kaichorisaytoegenetoodeen，ogegonen}。Whichtrulytranslatedmeans`inthebeginningGodexisted，andreasonormindwaswithGod，andthatmindwasGod。
　　ThiswasinthebeginningwithGod。Allthingswerecreatedbyit，andwithoutitwasmadenotonethingwhichwasmade’。Yetthistext，soplainlydeclaringthedoctrineofJesusthattheworldwascreatedbythesupreme，intelligentbeing，hasbeenpervertedbymodernChristianstobuildupasecondpersonoftheirtritheismbyamistranslationoftheword{logos}。Oneofit’slegitimatemeaningsindeedis`aword。’But，inthatsense，itmakesanunmeaningjargon：
　　whiletheothermeaning`reason’，equallylegitimate，explainsrationallytheeternalpreexistenceofGod，andhiscreationoftheworld。Knowinghowincomprehensibleitwasthat`aword，’themereactionorarticulationofthevoiceandorgansofspeechcouldcreateaworld，theyundertaketomakeofthisarticulationasecondpreexistingbeing，andascribetohim，andnottoGod，thecreationoftheuniverse。TheAtheisthereplumeshimselfontheuselessnessofsuchaGod，andthesimplerhypothesisofaself-existentuniverse。ThetruthisthatthegreatestenemiestothedoctrinesofJesusarethosecallingthemselvestheexpositorsofthem，whohavepervertedthemforthestructureofasystemoffancyabsolutelyincomprehensible，andwithoutanyfoundationinhisgenuinewords。
　　AndthedaywillcomewhenthemysticalgenerationofJesus，bythesupremebeingashisfatherinthewombofavirginwillbeclassedwiththefableofthegenerationofMinervainthebrainofJupiter。
　　ButwemayhopethatthedawnofreasonandfreedomofthoughtintheseUnitedStateswilldoawaywithallthisartificialscaffolding，andrestoretoustheprimitiveandgenuinedoctrinesofthisthemostveneratedreformerofhumanerrors。
　　SomuchforyourquotationofCalvin’s`mondieu！jusqu’aquand’inwhich，whenaddressedtotheGodofJesus，andourGod，I
　　joinyoucordially，andawaithistimeandwillwithmorereadinessthanreluctance。Maywemeetthereagain，inCongress，withourantientColleagues，andrecievewiththemthesealofapprobation`Welldone，goodandfaithfulservants。’
　　THESUPREMECOURTANDTHECONSTITUTION
　　_ToJusticeWilliamJohnson_
　　_Monticello，June12，1823_
　　DEARSIR，——Ourcorrespondenceisofthataccommodatingcharacter，whichadmitsofsuspensionattheconvenienceofeitherparty，withoutinconveniencetotheother。HencethistardyacknowledgmentofyourfavorofAprilthe11th。Ilearnfromthatwithgreatpleasure，thatyouhaveresolvedoncontinuingyourhistoryofparties。Ouropponentsarefaraheadofusinpreparationsforplacingtheircausefavorablybeforeposterity。YetIhopeevenfromsomeofthemtheescapeofprecioustruths，inangryexplosionsoreffusionsofvanity，whichwillbetraythegenuinemonarchismoftheirprinciples。Theydonotthemselvesbelievewhattheyendeavortoinculcate，thatwewereanoppositionparty，notonprinciple，butmerelyseekingforoffice。Thefactis，thatattheformationofourgovernment，manyhadformedtheirpoliticalopinionsonEuropeanwritingsandpractices，believingtheexperienceofoldcountries，andespeciallyofEngland，abusiveasitwas，tobeasaferguidethanmeretheory。ThedoctrinesofEuropewere，thatmeninnumerousassociationscannotberestrainedwithinthelimitsoforderandjustice，butbyforcesphysicalandmoral，wieldedoverthembyauthoritiesindependentoftheirwill。Hencetheirorganizationofkings，hereditarynobles，andpriests。Stillfurthertoconstrainthebruteforceofthepeople，theydeemitnecessarytokeepthemdownbyhardlabor，povertyandignorance，andtotakefromthem，asfrombees，somuchoftheirearnings，asthatunremittinglaborshallbenecessarytoobtainasufficientsurplusbarelytosustainascantyandmiserablelife。Andtheseearningstheyapplytomaintaintheirprivilegedordersinsplendorandidleness，tofascinatetheeyesofthepeople，andexciteinthemanhumbleadorationandsubmission，astoanorderofsuperiorbeings。
　　Althoughfewamongushadgonealltheselengthsofopinion，yetmanyhadadvanced，somemore，someless，ontheway。Andintheconventionwhichformedourgovernment，theyendeavoredtodrawthecordsofpowerastightastheycouldobtainthem，tolessenthedependenceofthegeneralfunctionariesontheirconstituents，tosubjecttothemthoseoftheStates，andtoweakentheirmeansofmaintainingthesteadyequilibriumwhichthemajorityoftheconventionhaddeemedsalutaryforbothbranches，generalandlocal。
　　Torecover，therefore，inpracticethepowerswhichthenationhadrefused，andtowarptotheirownwishesthoseactuallygiven，wasthesteadyobjectofthefederalparty。Ours，onthecontrary，wastomaintainthewillofthemajorityoftheconvention，andofthepeoplethemselves。Webelieved，withthem，thatmanwasarationalanimal，endowedbynaturewithrights，andwithaninnatesenseofjustice；andthathecouldberestrainedfromwrongandprotectedinrightbymoderatepowers，confidedtopersonsofhisownchoice，andheldtotheirdutiesbydependenceonhisownwill。Webelievedthatthecomplicatedorganizationofkings，nobles，andpriests，wasnotthewisestnorbesttoeffectthehappinessofassociatedman；thatwisdomandvirtuewerenothereditary，thatthetrappingsofsuchamachinery，consumedbytheirexpense，thoseearningsofindustry，theyweremeanttoprotect，and，bytheinequalitiestheyproduced，exposedlibertytosufferance。Webelievedthatmen，enjoyingineaseandsecuritythefullfruitsoftheirownindustry，enlistedbyalltheirinterestsonthesideoflawandorder，habituatedtothinkforthemselves，andtofollowtheirreasonastheirguide，wouldbemoreeasilyandsafelygoverned，thanwithmindsnourishedinerror，andvitiatedanddebased，asinEurope，byignorance，indigenceandoppression。Thecherishmentofthepeoplethenwasourprinciple，thefearanddistrustofthem，thatoftheotherparty。Composed，aswewere，ofthelandedandlaboringinterestsofthecountry，wecouldnotbelessanxiousforagovernmentoflawandorderthanweretheinhabitantsofthecities，thestrongholdsoffederalism。Andwhetheroureffortstosavetheprinciplesandformofourconstitutionhavenotbeensalutary，letthepresentrepublicanfreedom，orderandprosperityofourcountrydetermine。Historymaydistorttruth，andwilldistortitforatime，bythesuperioreffortsatjustificationofthosewhoareconsciousofneedingitmost。Norwilltheopeningscenesofourpresentgovernmentbeseenintheirtrueaspect，untilthelettersoftheday，nowheldinprivatehoards，shallbebrokenupandlaidopentopublicview。