7252. RELIGION, Personal.—[further continued]..
One of our fan-coloring
biographers, who paints small men as very
great, enquired of me lately, with real affection,
too, whether he might consider as
authentic, the change in my religion much
spoken of in some circles. Now this supposed
that they knew what had been my religion
before, taking for it the word of their priests,
whom I certainly never made the confidants
of my creed. My answer was, “say nothing
of my religion. It is known to my God and
myself alone. Its evidence before the world
is to be sought in my life; it that has been
honest and dutiful to society, the religion
which has regulated it cannot be a bad one”.—
To John Adams. Washington ed. vii, 55.
Ford ed., x, 73.
(M.
1817)
