160 THOMAS JEFFERSON 



terns of religion; that ours is but one of that thousand; 

 that if there be but one right, and ours that one, we 

 should wish to see the nine hundred and ninety-nine 

 wandering sects gathered into the fold of truth. But 

 against such a majority we cannot effect this by force. 

 Reason and persuasion are the only practicable instru- 

 ments. To make way for these, free inquiry must be 

 indulged ; and how can we wish others to indulge it, 

 while we refuse it ourselves ? " These few pithy sen- 

 tences have had no little influence upon American 

 history. For half a century they furnished the argu- 

 ments for the liberal-minded men who, by dint of per- 

 sistent effort, succeeded in finally divorcing Church 

 from State in all parts of our Union. For holding 

 such views Jefferson was regarded by many people as 

 an infidel ; in our time he would be more likely to be 

 classed as a liberal Christian. The general sentiment 

 of the churches has made remarkable progress toward 

 his position, though it would be too much to say that 

 it has yet fully reached it. In most matters Jefferson's 

 face was set toward the future ; in this he was clearly 

 in advance of his age, and it was a notable instance of 

 his power over men that after only nine years of 

 strenuous debate his views should have become incor- 

 porated in the legislation of Virginia. In winning 

 the victory he was greatly aided by the disfavour into 

 which the Established Church had fallen in that state 

 because of the lowered character of its clergy, and the 

 extreme Toryism of their politics. The credit for the 

 victory, moreover, must be divided between Jefferson 

 and Madison, whose assistance, always very valuable, 

 was here especially powerful. 



In these years Jefferson's industry was prodigious. 



