Page:Essays and phantasies by James Thomson.djvu/78

 than one of the contributors, that its subscribers and regular readers are a very choice set indeed. I will therefore hazard the estimate that there are among them three virtuous and intelligent individuals who can appreciate my proposals, and will forthwith set about realising the same. This trio will form the nucleus of a provisional committee, the sole qualification demanded in whose members shall at first be the fact that they have each thoroughly performed upon self the simple operation above-mentioned; each abolished in self the imperfect human nature, and substituted for it a perfect divine nature. I call this committee provisional, because I conceive that the members would not consent to its long existence, for fear of ruining their recently obtained moral and intellectual sanity. For our present wisest men (who, however, are mere idiots in comparison with the regenerate persons of whom I write) are unanimously of opinion that the being a member of any board or committee whatsoever utterly destroys the intellectual and moral nature of even the best and wisest, in all counsel and action connected with the said committee or board: so that it has been held that even the seven archangels, if constituted a special committee to further the glory of God (which surely is in sad need of furtherance), would without doubt make the Devil their managing director or secretary, and be wholly guided by him in all their corporate proceedings.

The work of the said provisional committee will simply consist in establishing and starting the Universal Perfection