The following little piece was written in the winter of 1795 anc* ‘96; and, as I had not determined whether to publish it during the present war, or to wait till the commencement of a peace, it has lain by me, without alteration or addition, from the time it was written.
What has determined me to publish it now is a sermon preached by Watson, Bishop of Llandaff. Some of my readers will recollect, that this Bishop wrote a book entitled “An Apology for the Bible,” in answer to my second part of “The Age of Reason.” I procured a copy of his book, and he may depend upon hearing from me on that subject.
At the end of the Bishop's book is a list of the works he has written. Among which is the sermon alluded to; it is entitled: “The Wisdom and Goodness of God, in having made both Rieh and Poor; with an Appendix, containing Reflections on the Present State of England and France.”
The error contained in this sermon determined me to publish my “Agrarian Justice.” It is wrong to say God made rieh and poor, He made only male and female; and He gave them the earth for their inheritance …
Instead of preaching to encourage one part of mankind in insolence … It would be better that priests employed their time to render the general condition of man less miserable than it is. Practical religion consists in doing good: and the only way of serving God is that of endeavoring to make His creation happy. All preaching that has not this for its objeet is nonsense and hypoerisy.
THOMAS PAINE
Agrarian justice
To preserve the benefits of what is called civilized life, and to remedy at the same time the evil which it has produced, ought to be considered as one of the first objeets of reformed legislation.
Whether that State that is proudly, perhaps erroneously, called civilization, has most promoted or most injured the general happiness of man, is a question that may be strongly contested. On one side, the spectator is dazzled by splendid appearances; on the other, he is shocked by extremes of wretchedness; both of which it has erected. The most affluent and the most miserable of the human race are to be found in the countries that are called civilized.
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