JOHNSON. 57 



itself. The Presbyterian form of polity he could not 

 bear ; it was of too republican a caste, and it wholly 

 rejected the " regimen of Prelates." 



If his political opinions were strong, his religious ones 

 were stronger still ; and after wavering, even disbelieving, 

 at one time, and for some years "caring for none of these 

 things," he became one of the most sincerely believing, 

 and truly pious Christians that ever professed the faith 

 of the Gospel. That he had very minutely, or very 

 learnedly, examined the various points of controversy 

 connected with this most important subject cannot be 

 affirmed, nor even that he had with adequate patience, 

 and with undisturbed calmness, scrutinized the founda- 

 tions of his own general belief. His extreme anxiety to 

 believe ; his nervous dread of finding any cause for 

 doubt ; his constitutional want of some prospect on 

 which to fix his hopes ; his excessive alarm at the 

 appearance of any cloud arising over that prospect, pre- 

 vented him from possessing his soul in the perfect peace 

 and unruffled serenity necessary for him who would rise 

 to the height of this great argument, nay indisposed him 

 altogether to enter upon the discussion. He regarded 

 all who contended, however conscientiously, and how- 

 ever decorously, against the truths of Revelation, as not 

 only enemies, but criminals. He never could bear the 

 presence of any such persons as were known to hold 

 infidel opinions. He openly avowed his abhorrence of 

 them, and not only proclaimed his belief of their guilt 

 in harbouring such sentiments, but of their also being 

 generally men of wicked lives. Thus, when a zealous but 

 thoughtless person had once said, that the character of an 

 infidel was more detestable than that of a man notoriously 



