31 August–6 September 1840

The objection to the popular Christianity is a philosophical one. It is in the nature of things that persons can never usurp in our minds the authority of Ideas. Every man is at last, in his purest thought, an Idealist, and puts all persons at an infinite distance from him, as every mor- alist Is at last in his purest thought an Optimist. Now Christianity goes to invest persons with the rights of Ideas, which is absurd.