She, who brought everything into a system, had not failed to do as
much by religion; and this system was composed of ideas that bore no
affinity to each other. Some were extremely good, and others very
ridiculous, being made up of sentiments proceeding from her
disposition, and prejudices derived from education. Men, in general,
make God like themselves; the virtuous make Him good, and the
profligate make Him wicked; ill-tempered and bilious devotees see
nothing but hell, because they would willingly damn all mankind; while
loving and gentle souls disbelieve it altogether; and one of the
astonishments I could never overcome, is to see the good Fenelon speak
of it in his Telemachus as if he really gave credit to it; but I
hope he lied in that particular for however strict he might be in
regard to truth, a bishop absolutely must lie sometimes. Madam de
Warrens spoke truth with me, and that soul, made up without gall,
who could not imagine a revengeful and ever angry God, saw only
clemency and forgiveness, where devotees bestowed inflexible
justice, and eternal punishment.
She frequently said there would be no justice in the Supreme Being
should He be strictly just to us; because, not having bestowed what
was necessary to render us essentially good, it would be requiring
more than He had given. The most whimsical idea was, that not
believing in hell, she was firmly persuaded of the reality of
purgatory. This arose from her not knowing what to do with the wicked,
being loath to damn them utterly, nor yet caring to place them with
the good till they had become so; and we must really allow, that
both in this world and the next, the wicked are very troublesome
company.
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