,the ,grounds of ,christianity ,examined
 by ,comparing ,the ,new ,testament with
 the ,old  by ,george ,bethune ,english1
 ,a4,m4   ,first understand1 then judge4
 ,bring forth the people blind1 although
 they have eyes2 ,and deaf1 although    
they have ears4 ,let them produce their 
witnesses1 that they may be justified2  
,or let them hear their turn1 and say1  
,,this ,,is ,,true4  ,,isaiah4   ,boston
 #ahac   ,to the ,intelligent and the   
,candid ,who are ,willing to ,listen to 
,every ,opinion ,that is ,supported by  
,reason2 ,and ,not ,averse to ,bringing 
their ,own ,opinions ,to the ,test of   
,examination2 ,,this ,,book ,is         
,respectfully ,dedicated ,by ,the       
,author    ,,contents  ,chapter ,i4     
,introductory1--,showing that the       
,apostles and ,authors of the ,new      
,testament endeavour to prove           
,christianity from the ,old4  ,chapter  
,,ii4 ,statement of the ,question in    
,dispute4  ,chapter ,,iii4 ,the         
,characteristics of the ,messiah1 as    

given by the ,hebrew ,prophets4         
,chapter ,,iv4 ,the character of ,jesus 
tested by those characteristic marks of 
the messiah1 given by the ,prophets of  
the ,old ,testament4  ,chapter ,v4      
,examination of the arguments from the  
,old ,testament adduced in the ,new1 to 
prove that ,jesus of ,nazareth was the  
,messiah4  ,chapter ,,vi4 ,examination  
of the meaning of the phrase this was   
done that it might be fulfilled4        
,chapter ,,vii4 ,examination of the     
arguments alledged from the ,hebrew     
,prophets1 to prove that ,jesus was the 
,messiah4  ,chapter ,,viii4 ,statement  
of ,arguments which prove that ,jesus   
was not the ,messiah of the ,old        
,testament4  ,chapter ,,ix4 ,on the     
character of ,jesus of ,nazareth1 and   
the weight to be allowed to the argument
 of martyrdom1 as a test of truth1 in   
this question4  ,chapter ,x4            
,miscellaneous4  ,chapter ,,xi4 ,whether
 the ,mosaic ,law be represented in the 
,old ,testament as a temporary1 or a    

perpetual institution4  ,chapter ,,xii4 
,on the character of ,paul1 and his     
manner of reasoning4  ,chapter ,,xiii4  
,examination of some doctrines in the   
,new testament1 derived from the        
,cabbala1 the ,oriental philosophy1 and 
the tenets of ,zoroaster4  ,chapter     
,,xiv4 ,a consideration of the gift of  
tongues1 and other miraculous powers1   
ascribed to the ,primitive ,christians2 
and whether recorded miracles are       
infallible proofs of the ,divine        
,authority of doctrines said to have    
been confirmed by them4  ,chapter ,,xv4 
,application of the two tests1 said in  
,deuteronomy to have been given by ,god 
as discriminating a true prophet from a 
false one1 to the character and actions 
of ,jesus4  ,chapter ,,xvi4 ,examination
 of the evidence1 external and internal1
 in favour of the credibility of the    
,gospel history4  ,chapter ,,xvii4 ,on  
the peculiar morality of the ,new       
,testament1 as it affects nations and   
political societies4  ,chapter ,,xix4 ,a

 consideration of some supposed         
advantages attributed to the ,new1 over 
the ,old1 testament2 and whether the    
doctrine of a ,resurrection and a ,life 
to ,come1 is not taught by the ,old     
testament1 in contradiction the         
assertion1 that life and immorality were
 brought to light by the ,gospel4       
,conclusion  ,appendix  ,addenda        
,,preface  ,the celebrated ,dr4 ,price1 
in his valuable ,observation on the     
,importance of the ,american            
,revolution1 addressed to the people of 
the ,united ,states1 observes that1 ,it 
is a common opinion1 that there are some
 doctrines so sacred1 and others of so  
bad a tendency1 that no public          
discussion of them ought to be allowed4 
,were this a right opinion1 all the     
persecution that has ever been practised
 would be justified2 for if it is a part
 of the duty of civil magistrates to    
prevent the discussion of such          
doctrines1 they must1 in doing this1 act
 on their own judgments of the nature   

and tendency of doctrines2 and1         
consequently1 they must have a right to 
prevent the discussion of all doctrines 
which they think to be too sacred for   
discussion1 or too dangerous in their   
tendency2 and this right they must      
exercise in the only way in which civil 
power is capable of exercising it--'by  
inflicting penalties upon all who oppose
 sacred doctrines1 or who maintain      
pernicious opinions4' ,in ,mahometan1   
countries1 therefore1 magistrates would 
have a right to silence and punish all  
who oppose the divine mission of        
,mahomet1 a doctrine there reckoned of  
the most sacred nature4 ,the like is    
true of the doctrines of                
transubstantiation1 worship of the      
,virgin ,mary1 c4 c41 in ,popish        
countries2 and of the doctrines of the  
,trinity1 satisfaction1 c41 in          
,protestant countries4 ,all such laws   
are right1 if the opinion ,i have       
mentioned is right4 ,but1 in reality1   
civil power has nothing to do in such   

matters1 and civil governors go         
miserably out of their proper province1 
whenever they take upon them the care of
 truth1 or the support of any doctrinal 
points4 ,they are not judges of truth1  
and if they pretend to decide about it1 
they will decide wrong4 ,this all the   
countries under heaven think of the     
application of civil power to doctrinal 
points in every country1 but their own4 
,it is indeed superstition1 idolatry1   
and nonsense1 that civil power at       
present supports almost every where     
under the idea of supporting sacred     
truth1 and opposing dangerous error4    
,would not1 therefore1 its perfect      
neutrality be the greatest blessing8    
,would not the interest of truth gain   
unspeakably1 were all the rulers of     
states to aim at nothing but keeping the
 peace2 or did they consider themselves 
bound to take care1 not of the future1  
but the present1 interest of man2 not of
 their souls and of their faith1 but of 
their person and property2 not of any   

ecclesiastical1 but secular1 matters    
only8  ,all the experience of past time 
proves1 that the consequence of allowing
 civil power to judge of the nature and 
tendency of doctrines1 must be making it
 a hindrance to the progress of truth1  
and an enemy to the improvement of the  
world4  ,i would extend these           
observations to all points of faith1    
however sacred they may3 be deemed4     
,nothing reasonable--can suffer by      
discussion4 ,all doctrines1 really      
sacred1 must be clear1 and incapable of 
being opposed with success4  ,that      
immoral tendency of doctrines1 which has
 been urged as a reason against allowing
 the public discussion of them1 may be  
either avowed and direct8 or only a     
consequence with which they are charged4
 ,if it is avowed and direct1 such      
doctrines certainly will not spread2 the
 principles rooted1 in human nature will
 resist them1 and the advocates of them 
will be soon disgraced4 ,if1 on the     
contrary1 it is only a consequence with 

which a doctrine is charged1 it should  
be considered how apt all parties are to
 charge the doctrines they oppose with  
bad tendencies4 ,it is well known that  
,calvinists and ,arminians1             
,trinitarians and ,socinians1 ,fatalists
 and ,free-,willers1 are continually    
exclaiming against one another's        
opinions1 as dangerous and licentious4  
,even ,christianity itself could not1 at
 its first introduction1 escape this    
accusation4 ,the professors of it were  
considered as atheists1 because they    
opposed pagan idolatry2 and their       
religion was1 on this account1 reckoned 
a destructive and pernicious enthusiasm4
 ,if1 therefore1 the rulers of a state  
are to prohibit the propagation of all  
doctrines1 in which they apprehend      
immoral tendencies1 an opening will be  
made1 as ,i have before observed1 for   
every species of persecution4 ,there    
will be no doctrine1 however true or    
important1 the avowal of which will not1
 in1 some country or other1 be subjected

 to civil penalties4  ,these            
observations bear the stamp of good     
sense1 and their truth has been         
abundantly confirmed by experience2 and 
it is the peculiar honour of the ,united
 ,states1 that in conformity with the   
principles of these observations1       
perfect freedom1 of opinion and of      
speech1 are here established by law1 and
 are the birthright of every citizen    
thereof4 ,our country99 is the only one 
which has not been guilty of the folly  
of establishing the ascendancy of one   
set of religious opinions1 and          
persecuting or tolerating all others1   
and which does not permit any man to    
harass his neighbour1 because he thinks 
differently from himself4 ,in           
consequence of these excellent          
institutions1 difference of religious   
sentiment2 makes here no breach in      
private friendship1 and works no danger 
to the public security4 ,this is as it  
should be2 for1 in matters of opinion1  
especially with regard to so important a

 thing as religion1 it is every man's   
natural right and duty to think for     
himself1 and to judge upon such evidence
 as he can procure1 after he has used   
his best endeavours to get information4 
,human decisions are of no weight in    
this matter1 for another man has no more
 right to4 determine what his opinions  
shall be1 than ,i have to determine what
 another mans opinions shall be4 ,it is 
amazing that one man can dare to presume
 he has such a right over another2 and  
that any man can be so weak and         
credulous1 as to imagine1 that another  
has such right over him4  ,as it is     
every man's natural right and duty to   
think and judge for himself in matters  
of opinion2 so he should be allowed     
freely to bring forward and defend his  
opinions1 and to endeavour1 when be     
judges proper1 to convince others also  
of their truth4  ,for unless all men are
 allowed freely to profess their        
opinions1 the means of information1 with
 respect to opinions1 must1 in a great  

measure1 be wanting2 and just inquiries 
into their truth be almost              
impracticable2 and1 by consequence1 our 
natural right and duty to think and     
judge for ourselves1 must be rendered   
almost nugatory1 or be subverted1 for   
want of materials whereon to employ our 
minds4 ,a man by himself1 without       
communication with other minds1 can make
 no great progress in knowledge2 and    
besides1 an individual is indisposed to 
use his own strength1 when an           
undisturbed laziness1 ignorance1 and    
prejudice give him full satisfaction as 
to the truth of his opinions4 ,but if   
there be a free profession1 or          
communication of sentiment1 every man   
will have an opportunity of acquainting 
himself with all that can be known from 
others2 and many for their own          
satisfaction will make inquiries1 and1  
in order to ascertain the truth of      
opinions1 will desire to know all that  
can be said on any question4  ,if such  
liberty of professing and teaching be   

not allowed1 error1 if authorized1 will 
keep its ground2 and truth1 if dormant1 
will never be brought to light2 or1 if  
authorized1 will be supported on a false
 and absurd foundation1 and such as     
would equally support error2 and1 if    
received on the ground of authority1    
will not be in the least meritorious to 
its professors4  ,besides1 not to       
encourage capable and honest men to     
profess and defend their opinions when  
different from ours1 is to distrust the 
truth of our own opinion1 and to fear   
the light4 ,such conduct must1 in a     
country of sense and learning1 increase 
the number of unbelievers already so    
greatly complained of2 who1 if they see 
matters of opinion not allowed to be    
professed1 and impartially debated1     
think1 justly perhaps1 that they have   
foul play1 and1 therefore1 reject many  
things as false and ill grounded1 which 
otherwise they might perhaps receive as 
truths4  ,the grand principle of men    
considered as having relation to the    

,deity1 and under an obligation to be   
religious1 is1 that they ought to       
consult their reason1 and seek every    
where for the best instruction2 and of  
,christians and ,protestants the duty1  
and professed principle is1 to consult  
reason and the ,scripture1 as the rule  
of their faith and practice4  ,but how  
can these1 which are practical          
principles1 be duly put in practice1    
unless all be at liberty1 at all times1 
and in all points1 consider and debate  
with others1 7as well as with           
themselves17 what reason and ,scripture 
says2 and to profess1 and act openly1   
according to what they are convinced    
they say8 ,how can we become better     
informed with regard to religion1 than  
by using the best means of information8 
which consist in consulting reason and  
scripture1 and calling in the aid of    
others4 ,and of what use is it to       
consult reason1 and ,scripture at all1  
as any means of information41 if we are 
not1 upon conviction1 to follow their   

dictates8  ,no man has any reason to    
apprehend any ill consequences to truth1
 7for which alone he ought to have any  
concern17 from free inquiry and         
debate4--,for truth is not a thing to   
dread examination1 but when fairly      
proposed to an unbiased understanding1  
is like light to the eye2 it must       
distinguish itself from error1 as light 
does distinguish does distinguish itself
 from darkness4 ,for1 while free debate 
is allowed1 truth is in no danger1 for  
it will never want a professor thereof1 
nor an advocate to offer some plea in   
its behalf4 ,and it can never be wholly 
banished1 but when human decisions1     
backed by human power1 carry all before 
them4  ,we ought to examine foundations 
of opinions1 not only1 that we may      
attain the discovery of truth1 but we   
ought to do so1 on this account1 because
 that it is our duty2 and the way to    
recommend ourselves to the favour of    
,god4 ,for opinions1 how true soever1   
when the effect of education or         

tradition1 or interest1 or passion1 can 
never recommend a man to ,god4 ,for     
those ways have no merit in them1 and   
are the worst a man can possibly take to
 obtain truth2 and therefore1 though    
they may be objects of forgiveness1 they
 can never be of reward from ,him4      
,having promised these observations in  
order to persuade1 and dispose the      
reader to be candid1 ,i will now declare
 the motives1 which induced me to submit
 to the consideration of the            
intelligent1 the contents of this       
volume4 ,the ,author has spared1 he     
thinks1 no pains to arrive at certain   
,truth in matters of religion2 the2     
sense of which is what distinguishes man
 from the brute4 ,and in this most      
important subject that can employ the   
human understanding1 he has been        
particularly desirous to become         
acquainted with the ,grounds1 and       
,doctrines of the ,christian ,religion2 
and nothing but the difficulties1 which 
he in this volume lays before the       

public1 staggers his faith in it4  ,it  
may perhaps add to the interest the     
,reader may take in this work to inform 
him1 that the ,author was a believer in 
the religion of the ,new ,testament1    
after what he conceived to be a         
sufficient examination of its evidence  
for a divine origin4 ,he had terminated 
an examination of the controversy with  
the ,deists to his own satisfaction1    
i4e4 he felt convinced that their       
objections were not insurmountable1 when
 he turned his attention to the         
consideration of the ancient1 and       
obscure controversy between the         
,christians and the ,jews4 ,his         
curiosity was deeply interested to      
examine a subject in truth so little    
known1 and to ascertain the causes1 and 
the reasons1 which had prevented a      
people more interested in the truth of  
,christianity than any other from       
believing it3 and he set down to the    
subject without any suspicion1 that the 
examination would not terminate in      

convincing him still more in favour of  
what were then his opinions4 ,after a   
long1 thorough1 and startling           
examination of their ,books1 together   
with all the answers to them he could   
obtain from a ,library amply furnished  
in this respect1 he was finally very    
reluctantly compelled to feel persuaded1
 by proofs he could neither refute1 nor 
evade1 that how easily soever           
,christians might answer the ,deists1 so
 called1 the ,jews were clearly too hard
 for them4 ,because they set the ,old   
and ,new ,testament in opposition1 and  
reduce ,christians to this fatal        
dilemma4--,either the ,old ,testament   
contains a ,revelation from ,god2 or it 
does sot4 ,if it does1 then the ,new    
,testament cannot be from ,god1 because 
it is palpably1 and importantly         
repugnant to the ,old ,testament in     
doctrine1 and some other things4 ,now   
,jews1 and ,christians1 each of them    
admit the ,old ,testament as containing 
a divine ,revelation2 consequently the  

,jews cannot1 and ,christians ought not 
to receive and allow any thing as a     
,revelation from ,god which flatly      
contradicts a former by them            
acknowledged ,revelation3 because it    
cannot be supposed that ,god will       
contradict himself4 ,on the other       
hand--if the ,old ,testament be not from
 ,god1 still the ,new ,testament must go
 down1 because it asserts that the ,old 
,testament is a revelation from ,god1   
and builds upon it as a foundation4 ,and
 if the foundation fails1 how can the   
house1 stand8 ,the ,author pledges      
himself to the ,reader1 to prove1 that  
they establish this dilemma completely4 
,and he cannot help thinking1 that there
 is reason to believe1 that if both     
sides of this strangely neglected       
controversy had been made public in     
times past1 and become known1 that the  
consequences would have been long ago   
fatal at least to the ,new ,testament4  
,the ,author has been earnestly         
dissuaded from making public the        

contents of this volume on account of   
apprehended mischievous consequences4   
,he thought1 however1 that the age of   
pious frauds ought to be past1 and their
 principle discarded1 at least in       
,protestant countries4 ,deception and   
error are always1 sooner or later1      
discovered2 and truth in1 the long run1 
both in politics1 and religion1 will    
never be ultimately harmful4 ,if what   
the ,book states is true1 it ought to be
 known1 if it is erroneous2 it can1 and 
will1 be refuted4  ,the ,author         
therefore makes it public1 for these    
reasons1--because he thinks1 that the   
matter contained in the book1 is true1  
and important1--because he wished1 and  
found it necessary to justify himself   
from contemptible misrepresentations    
uttered behind his back2 and to give to 
those who know him1 good and sufficient 
reasons for past conduct1 of which those
 to whom he is known1 cannot be         
ignorant2 and finally1 he thought it    
right1 and proper1 and humane1 to give  

to the world a work which contained the 
reasons for the unbelief of the         
countrymen of ,jesus2 who for almost    
eighteen hundred years have been made   
the unresisting victims of1 as the      
reader will find1 groundless            
misrepresentation1 and the most amazing 
cruelty2 because they refused to believe
 what it was impossible that they should
 believe1 on account of reasons their   
persecutors did not know1 and refused to
 be informed of4  ,if the arguments and 
statements contained in this volume     
should be found to be correct1 he       
believes that every honest and candid   
man1 after his first surprise that they 
should not have been made known before1 
will feel for the victims of a mistake  
so singular and so ancient as the one   
which is the subject of the following   
pages2 and will think with the author1  
that it is time1 high time1 that the    
truth should be known1 and justice be   
done to them499  ,there is not in       
existence a more singular instance of   

the mischievous mistakes arising from   
taking things for granted which require 
proof1 than the case before the reader4 
,the world has all along been in total  
error with regard to the reasons and the
 motives which have prevented the       
,hebrew nation from receiving the system
 of the ,new ,testament4 ,they have been
 successfully accused of incorrigible   
blindness and obstinacy2 and while      
volumes upon volumes have been written  
against them1 and the arguments therein 
contained1 supported and enforced by the
 power of the ,inquisition1 and the     
oppressions of all ,christendom1 these  
unfortunate people have not been        
willingly suffered to offer to the world
 one word in their own defence4 ,they   
have not been allowed1 after hearing    
with patience both arguments1 and       
railing accusations in abundance1 to    
answer in their turn2 but have been     
compelled1 through the fear of          
confiscation1 persecution1 and death1 to
 leave misapprehensions unexplained1 and

 misrepresentations unrefuted4  ,is it  
then to be wondered at1 that mankind    
have considered their adversaries as in 
the right1 and that deserted by reason1 
and even their own ,scriptures1 they    
were supported in their opinion only by 
a blind and pertinacious obstinacy1 more
 worthy of wonder than curiosity8 ,alas6
 the world did not consider1 that       
nothing was more easy than to confute   
people whose tongues were frozen by the 
terror of the ,inquisition66 ,but1      
thanks to the good sense of this        
enlightened age1 those times are past   
and gone4 ,there is now one happy       
country where freedom of speech is      
allowed1 where every harmless religious 
opinion is protected by law1 and where  
every opinion is listened to that is    
supported by reason4 ,the time1 ,i      
trust1 is now come when the substantial 
arguments of this oppressed1 and1 in    
this respect1 certainly calumniated1    
people1 may be produced and their       
reasons set forth1 without the fear of  

harm1 and with1 and with the hope of    
hearing from the intelligent and the    
candid4 ,they1 we believe1 will be fully
 convinced1 that their adversaries have 
for so long a time triumphed over them  
without measure1 only because they have 
been suffered to do so without          
contradiction4  ,the reader is assured1 
that1 notwithstanding the subject1 he   
will find nothing in this volume but    
what is considered by the author to be  
fair and liberal argument2 and such no  
honest man ought to decline looking in  
the face4 ,he has endeavoured to discuss
 the important subject of the book in   
the most inoffensive manner2 for he has 
no wish1 and claims no right1 to wound  
the feelings of those who differ from   
him in opinion4 ,there is not1 nor ought
 there to be1 a word of reproach in it1 
against the moral character of ,jesus1  
or the twelve ,apostles2 and the utmost 
the author attempts to prove is1 that   
their system was founded1 not upon fraud
 and imposture1 but upon a mistake4     

,after the deaths of ,christ and his    
,apostles1 it was indeed aided and      
supported by very bad means2 but its    
first founders1 the author believes1    
were guilty of no other crime than that 
of being mistaken2 a very common one    
indeed4  ,he hopes1 therefore1 that such
 a discussion as the one now laid before
 the public1 will be fairly met1 and    
fairly answered1 if answered at all1 and
 that recourse will not be had to       
dishonest and ungentlemanly             
misrepresentations1 and calling names1  
in order to prevent people from         
examining things they have a right to   
know1 and in order to blind and frighten
 the public1 the jury to which he       
appeals4 ,it is infallibly true1 that   
the knowledge of truth is1 and must be  
beneficial to mankind2 and that1 in the 
long run1 it never was1 and never can   
be1 harmful4 ,it is equally certain1    
that ,god would never give a ,revelation
 so slightly founded as to be endangered
 by any sophistry of man4 ,if the       

,christian system be from ,god1 it will 
certainly stand1 no human power can     
overthrow it2 and1 therefore1 no sincere
 ,christian who believes the ,new       
,testament1 ought to be afraid to meet  
half way the objections of any one who  
offers them with fairness1 and expresses
 them in decent language2 and no        
sensible ,christian ought to shut his   
ears against his neighbour1 who         
respectfully asks a reason for the faith
 that is in him4  ,the author has been  
told1 indeed1 that1 supposing the       
,christian system to be unfounded1 yet  
that it is reasonable to believe1 that  
the ,supreme ,being would view any      
attempts to disturb it1 with            
displeasure1 on account of its moral    
effects4 ,but is not this something like
 absurdity8 ,can ,god have made it      
necessary1 that morals should be founded
 on delusion1 in order that they might  
be supported8 ,can the ,god of ,,truth  
be displeased to have men convinced that
 they have been mistaken1 or imposed    

upon1 by ,revelations pretended to be   
from ,him1 which if in fact not from    
him1 must be the offspring either of    
error or falsehood8 ,and if the         
,christian system be1 in truth1 not from
 ,god1 can we suppose1 that in his eyes 
its doctrines with regard to ,him are   
atoned for1 by a few good moral         
precepts8 ,can we suppose1 that that    
,supreme and awful ,being can feel      
,himself honoured1 in having his        
creatures made to believe1 that ,he was 
once nine months in the womb of a woman2
 that ,god1 the ,great and ,holy1 went  
through all the nastiness of infancy2   
that be lived a mendicant in a corner of
 the earth1 and was finally scourged1   
and hanged on a gibbet by his own       
creatures8 ,if these things be1 in      
truth1 all mistakes1 can we suppose1    
that ,god is pleased in having them     
believed of ,him8 ,on the contrary1 can 
they1 together with the doctrine of the 
,trinity1 ,i would respectfully ask1 be 
possibly looked upon by ,him 7if they   

are not true71 otherwise1 than as so    
many--what ,i forbear to mention4 ,but  
this is not all4 ,the reader is         
requested to consider1 that the         
,christian system is built upon the     
prostrate necks of the whole ,hebrew    
nation4 ,it is a tree which flourished  
in a soil watered by their tears2 its   
leaves grew green in an atmosphere      
filled with their cries and groans2 and 
its roots have been moistened and       
fattened with their blood4 ,the ruin1   
reproach1 and sufferings of that people1
 are considered1 by its advocates1 as   
the most striking proof of the ,divine  
authority of the ,new ,testament2 and   
for almost eighteen hundred years the   
system contained in that book has been  
the cause of miseries and afflictions to
 that nation1 the most horrible and     
unparalleled in the history of man4     
,now1 if that system be indeed ,divine1 
all this may be very well1 and as it    
should be4 ,but if1 perchance1 it should
 turn out to be a mistake if it be1 in  

truth1 not from ,god2 will not1 then1   
that system be justly chargeable with   
all those shocking cruelties which1 on  
account of it1 have been inflicted on   
that people8  ,if that system be verily 
and indeed founded on a mistake1 no     
language1 no indignation1 can do justice
 to its guilt in this respect4 ,all its 
good moral effects are a mere drop of   
pure water in that ocean of ,jewish and 
,gentile blood it has caused to be shed 
by embittering men's minds with         
groundless prejudices4 ,and if it be not
 divine2 if it be plainly and           
demonstrably proved to have originated  
in error2 who is the man1 that1 after   
considering what has been suggested1    
will have the heart to come forward1 and
 coolly say1 that it is better that a   
whole nation of men should continue1 as 
heretofore1 to be unjustly hated1       
reproached1 cursed1 and plundered1 and  
massacred1 on account of it1 rather than
 that the received religious system     
should be demonstrated to be founded on 

mistake8 ,no6 ,if it be1 in fact1       
founded on mistake1 every man of honour1
 honesty1 and humanity1 will say1       
without hesitation1 ,let the delusion   
7if it is one7 be done away1 which must 
be supported at the expense of truth1 of
 justice1 and the happiness and         
respectability of a whole nation1 who   
are men like ourselves1 and more        
unfortunate than any others1 in having  
already suffered but too much affliction
 and misery on account of it4 ,no6      
though the moral effects ascribed to    
this system of religion were as good1 as
 great1 and ten times greater than they 
ever have been1 or can be1 yet1 if it is
 a delusion1 it would be absolutely     
wicked to support it1 since it is       
erected upon the sufferings1            
wretchedness1 and oppression of a people
 who compose millions of the great      
family of mankind4  ,it is remarkable1  
that the ablest modern advocates for the
 truth and divine authority of the      
gospel1 as if they knew of no certain1  

demonstrative proof which could be      
adduced in a case of so much importance1
 seem to content themselves1 and expect 
their readers should be satisfied1 with 
an accumulation of probable arguments in
 its favour2 and it has been even said1 
that the case admits of no other kind of
 proof4 ,if it be so1 the author        
requests all so persuaded to consider1  
for a moment1 whether it could be       
reconciled to any ideas of wisdom in an 
earthly potentate1 if he should send an 
ambassador to a foreign state to mediate
 a negotiation of the greatest          
importance1 without furnishing him with 
certain1 indubitable credentials of the 
truth and authenticity of his mission8  
,and to consider further1 whether it be 
just or seemly1 to attribute to the     
,omniscient1 ,omnipotent ,deity1 a      
degree of weakness and folly1 which was 
never yet imputed to any of his         
creatures8 for unless men are hardy     
enough to pass so gross an affront upon 
the tremendous ,majesty of ,heaven1 the 

improbability that ,god should delegate 
the ,mediator of a most important       
covenant to be proposed to all mankind1 
without enabling him to give them clear 
and1 in reason1 indisputable proof of   
the divine authority of his mission1    
must ever infinitely outweigh the       
aggregate sum of all the probabilities  
which can be accumulated in the opposite
 scale of the balance4 ,and to conclude1
 ,i presume it will not be denied1 that 
the authenticity and celestial origin of
 any thing pretending to be a ,divine   
,revelation1 before it has any claims   
upon our faith1 ought to be made clear  
beyond all reasonable doubt2 otherwise1 
it can have no just claims to a right to
 influence our conduct4  ,and as for the
 opinions and the arguments contained in
 this volume1 ,i have but trembling     
hopes that they will meet with favour1  
merely because the author is sincere1   
and wishes to do right4 ,conscious that 
,i make a perilous attempt1 in daring to
 defend myself by attacking ancient     

error supported by multitudes1 with no  
other seconds besides ,truth and        
,reason1 it would be bootless for me to 
ask indulgence for them on account of my
 good intentions2 and as they can derive
 no credit from the authority of the    
writer1 ,i am sensible they must fall by
 their own weakness1 or stand by their  
own strength4 ,i must leave them1       
therefore1 to their fate2 and ,i can    
cheerfully do it1 without fear for the  
issue1 if the reader will only be       
candid1 and will comply with my earnest 
request--first to understand1 and then  
judge4  ,before ,i conclude these       
prefatory remarks1 ,i would observe1    
that as the contents of this volume will
 be perfectly novel to nine hundred and 
ninety-nine out of a thousand1 it is but
 justice to the public1 and to myself1  
to avow1 that ,i do not claim to have   
originated all the arguments advanced in
 this book4 ,a very considerable        
proportion of them were selected1 and   
derived1 from ancient and curious       

,jewish ,tracts1 translated from        
,chaldee into ,latin1 very little known 
even in ,europe1 and not at all known   
there to any but the curious and        
inquisitive4 ,and ,i reasonably hope1   
that discerning men will be much more   
disposed to weigh with candour the      
arguments herein offered1 when they     
consider that they are1 in many         
instances1 the reasonings of learned1   
ancient and venerable men1 who1 in times
 when the inquisition was in vigour1    
suffered under the most bloody          
oppression1 and whose writings were     
cautiously preserved1 and secretly      
handed down to the seventeenth century  
in manuscript1 as the printing of them  
would assuredly have brought all        
concerned to the stake4 ,some few other 
arguments were derived from other       
authors1 and were taken from works not  
so much known as ,i hope they will be4  
,finally1 ,i commit my work to the      
discretion of the good sense of the     
reader1 believing that if he is not     

convinced1 he will at least be          
interested2 and hoping that he will     
discover from the complexion of the book
 7what my own heart bears witness to7   
that the author is a sincere inquirer   
after truth1 and perfectly willing to be
 convinced that he is in error by any   
one who can remove the difficulties1 and
 refute the arguments1 now laid by him  
before the public1 with deference and   
respect4  ,september #bh1 #ahac4        
,,the  ,,evidences ,,of ,,christianity  
,examined by ,comparing the  ,,new      
,,testament ,,with ,,the ,,old4         
,,chapter ,i4  ,introductory1--showing  
that the ,apostles and the authors of   
the ,new ,testament1 endeavour to prove 
,christianity from the ,old4            
,christianity is founded on ,judaism1   
and the ,new ,testament upon the ,old2  
and ,jesus of ,nazareth is the person   
said in the ,new ,testament to be       
,promised in the ,old1 under the        
character and name of the ,messiah of   
the ,jews1 and who as such only claims  

the obedience1 and submission of the    
,world4 ,accordingly1 it is the design  
of the authors of the ,new1 to prove    
,christianity from the ,old1 ,testament2
 which is said ,jo4 #e3ci1 to contain   
the words of eternal life3 and it       
represents ,jesus and his ,apostles1 as 
fulfilling by their mission1 doctrines  
and works1 the predictions of the       
,prophets and the ,law3 which last is   
said to prophecy of1 or to typify       
,christianity4  ,matthew1 for example1  
proves several parts of ,christianity   
from the ,old ,testament1 either by     
asserting them to be things foretold    
therein as to come to pass under the    
gospel dispensation2 or to be founded on
 the notions of the ,old ,testament4    
,thus he proves ,marys being with child 
by the ,holy ,spirit1 and the ,angels   
telling her she shall bring forth a son1
 and call his name ,jesus2 and the other
 circumstances attending his miraculous 
birth2 ,jesus birth at ,bethlehem2 his  
flight into ,egypt2 the slaughter of the

 infants2 ,jesus ,dwelling at ,nazareth1
 and at ,capernaum1 in the borders of   
,zabulon1 and ,naphtali2 his casting out
 devils1 and healing the sick2 his      
eating with ,publicans and sinners2 his 
speaking in parables that the ,jews     
might not understand him2 his sending   
his disciples to fetch an ass1 and a    
colt2 the childrens crying in the       
,temple2 the resurrection of ,jesus from
 the dead2 ,jesus being betrayed by     
,judas1 and ,judas returning back the   
thirty pieces of ,silver1 and the       
,priests buying the ,potters ,field with
 them2 and his hanging ,himself2 c4 c4  
,all these events1 and many more1 are   
said to be fulfillments of the          
,prophecies of the ,old ,testament1 see 
,mat4 #a1 #b3 and #d chapters1 and ch4  
#h3 v4 #af1ag1 and ch4 #i3 #aa1ac1 and  
ch4 #ac3 #ac1 ch4 #ba3 #b--g4 #ae1af1   
ch4 #bb3 #ca1 #cb1 ch4 #bf3 #ed1 #ef1   
ch4 #bg3 #e--aj4  ,jesus himself is     
represented as proving the truth of     
,christianity thus4 ,he1 joining himself

 to two of his ,disciples1 7,luke #bh3  
#ae-- #bb17 after his resurrection1 who 
knew him not1 and complaining of their  
mistake about his person1 whom they now 
took not to be the ,messiah1 because he 
had been condemned to death1 and        
crucified2 he1 observing their disbelief
 of his resurrection1 which had been    
reported to them by certain women of    
their acquaintance1 upon the credit of  
the affirmation of angels1 said unto    
them1 ,o ,fools1 and slow of heart to   
believe all that the ,prophets have     
spoken4 ,ought not ,christ 7i4e4 the    
,messiah7 to have suffered these things1
 and to enter into his ,glory8 and      
beginning at ,moses1 and all the        
,prophets1 he expounded unto them in all
 the ,scriptures the things concerning  
himself4  ,again he discoursed to all   
his ,disciples1 putting them in mind1   
that1 before his ,death1 he told them   
7,luke #bd3 #dd1 #df1 #dg17 that all    
things must be fulfilled which were     
written in the law of ,moses1 and in the

 ,prophets1 and in the ,psalms          
concerning him2 adding1 thus it is      
written1 and thus it behoveth ,christ   
7#a4 e4 the ,messiah7 to suffer1 and to 
rise from the dead the third day2 and   
that repentance1 and remission of sins  
should be preached in his name1         
beginning at ,jerusalem4  ,when the     
people of several nations1 ,acts #b3ab1 
were amazed at the ,apostles speaking in
 their several tongues1 and when many   
mocked the ,apostles1 saying they were  
full of new wine1 ,peter makes a speech 
in public1 wherein1 after saying they   
were not drunk1 because it was but the  
third hour of the day1 he endeavours to 
show them1 that this was spoken of by   
the ,prophet ,joel1 and he concludes    
with proving the resurrection of ,jesus 
from the book of ,psalms4  ,peter1 and  
,john1 tell the people assembled at the 
,temple1 that ,god had showed by the    
mouth of all his ,prophets1 that ,christ
 should suffer1 ,acts #c3ah4  ,peter to 
justify his preaching to the ,gentiles1 

concludes his discourse with saying1    
,acts #aj3 #dc--,to ,jesus gave all the 
,prophets witness1 that through his name
 whosoever 7i4e4 ,jew1 or ,gentile7     
believeth in him1 shall receive         
remission of sins4  ,paul also          
endeavours to prove to the ,jews in the 
,synagogue of ,antioch1 7,ib4 v4 #ac7   
that the history of ,jesus was contained
 in the ,old ,testament1 and that he1   
and ,barnabas were commanded in the ,old
 ,testament1 to preach the gospel to the
 ,gentiles4  ,on the occasion of a      
dispute among the ,christians whether   
the ,gentile converts were to be        
circumcised after the ,law of ,moses1   
and to observe the ,law1 we find1 that  
after much disputing1 the point was     
settled by ,james by quotation from     
,amos4  ,the ,bereans are highly        
extolled 7,acts #ag3 #aa17 for searching
 the ,scriptures1 i4e4 the ,old         
,testament1 daily1 in order to find out 
whether the things preached to them by  
the ,apostles were so1 or no3 who if    

they had not proved these things1 i4e4  
,christianity from the ,old ,testament1 
ought1 according to their own           
principles1 to have been rejected by the
 ,bereans1 as teachers of false         
doctrine4  ,paul1 when accused before   
,agrippa by the ,jews1 said 7,acts #bf2 
#f17 ,i stand1 and am judged for the    
hope of the promise made of ,god unto   
our fathers1 i4e4 for teaching          
,christianity1 or the true doctrine of  
the ,old ,testament1 and to this        
accusation he pleads guilty1 by         
declaring in the fullest manner1 that he
 taught nothing but the ,doctrines of   
the ,old ,testament4 ,having therefore  
7says he7 obtained help of ,god1 ,i     
continue unto this day1 witnessing both 
to small1 and great1 saying now other   
things than those which the ,prophets1  
and ,moses did say should come1 that the
 ,christ should suffer1 and that he     
should be the first who should rise from
 the ,dead1 and should show light unto  
the ,people1 and unto the ,gentiles4    

,the ,author of the first ,epistle to   
the ,cor4 says1 #ae ch4 v4 #d1 that     
,jesus rose again from the dead the     
third day1 according to the ,scriptures1
 that is1 according to the ,old         
,testament1 and he is supposed to ground
 this on the history of the prophet     
,jonas1 who was three days and three    
nights in the fish's belly3 though the  
cases do not seem to be parallel1 for   
,jesus being buried on ,friday evening1 
and rising on ,sunday morning1 was in   
the tomb but one day and two nights4    
,but most singular is the argument of   
the ,apostle ,paul 7in his ,epistle to  
the ,galatians7 to prove ,christianity  
from the ,old ,testament4 ,tell me 7says
 he1 ,gal4 #d3 #ba17 ye that desire to  
be under the ,law1 do ye not hear the   
,law8 ,for it is written1 that ,abraham 
had two ,sons1 the one by a bondmaid1   
the other by a free woman4 ,but he who  
was of the bond woman1 was born after   
the flesh2 but he who was of the free   
woman was by promise4 ,which things are 

an ,allegory4 ,for these are the two    
covenants1 the one from ,mount ,sinai   
which gendereth to bondage1 which is    
,agar4 ,but this ,agar is ,mount ,sinai 
in ,arabia1 and answereth to ,jerusalem 
that now is1 and is in bondage with her 
,children4 ,but ,jerusalem which is     
above is free1 which is the ,mother of  
us all4 ,for it is written 7,isaiah #ed3
 #a17 ,rejoice thou ,barren that bearest
 not1 break forth1 and cry thou that    
travailest not1 for the desolate hath   
many more children than she which hath  
an husband4 ,now1 we ,brethren1 as      
,isaac was1 are children of the         
,promise4 ,but as then he that was born 
after the flesh persecuted him that was 
born after the spirit1 even so it is    
now4 ,but what saith the ,scripture     
7,gen4 #ba3 #aj1 #ab17 ,cast out the    
bond woman1 and her son1 for the son of 
the bond woman shall not be heir with   
the son of the free woman4 ,so then1    
,brethren1 we are not the children of   
the bond woman1 but of the free4 ,stand 

fast1 therefore1 in the ,liberty        
wherewith ,christ hath made us free1 and
 be not entangled again with the yoke of
 bondage4  ,in fine1 the ,author of     
these ,epistles reasons in the same     
singular manner from the ,old ,testament
 throughout2 which is1 according to him1
 7#b ,tim4 iii3 #ae17 able to make men  
wise unto ,salvation3 asserting himself 
and others to be ministers of the ,new  
,testament1 as being ministers1 not of  
the letter but of the ,spirit1 7#b;,cor4
 iii3 #f47 ,that is4 ,of the ,old       
,testament1 spiritually understood2 and 
endeavouring to prove1 especially in the
 ,epistle to the ,hebrews1 that         
,christianity was veiled and contained  
in the ,old ,testament1 and was implied 
in the ,jewish history1 and ,law1 both  
which he considers as types and shadows 
of ,christianity4    ,,chapter ,,ii4    
,,statement of ,,the ,,question ,,in    
,,dispute4  ,how ,christianity depends  
on the ,old ,testament1 or what proofs  
are to be met with therein in behalf of 

,christianity1 are the subjects of      
almost all the numerous books written by
 divines1 and other apologists for      
,christianity1 but the chief and        
principal of these proofs may be justly 
supposed to be urged in the ,new        
,testament itself1 by the authors       
thereof2 who relate the history of the  
first preaching of the ,gospel1 and     
profess themselves to be apostles of    
,jesus1 or companions of the ,apostles4 
,some of these proofs1 as a specimen1   
have been already adduced4 ,and if they 
are valid proofs1 then is ,christianity 
strongly and invincibly established3 on 
its true foundations4  ,it is           
established upon its true foundations1  
because ,jesus and his ,apostles did1 as
 we have seen1 ground ,christianity on  
those proofs2 and it is strongly and    
invincibly established on those         
foundations1 because a proof drawn from 
an inspired book is perfectly           
conclusive4 ,and prophecies delivered in
 an inspired book are1 when fulfilled1  

such as may be justly deemed sure1 and  
demonstrative proof2 and which ,peter   
7#b ,peter #a3 #ai7 prefers as an       
argument for the truth of ,christianity1
 to that miraculous attestation 7whereof
 he1 and two other ,apostles are said to
 have been witnesses17 given by ,god    
himself to the mission of ,jesus of     
,nazareth4 ,his argument appears to be  
as follows4 ,laying this foundation1    
that ,prophecy proceeds from the ,holy  
,spirit1 it is a stronger argument than 
a miracle1 which depends upon eternal   
evidence1 and testimony4 ,and this      
opinion of ,peters is corroborated by   
the words of ,jesus himself1 who1 in    
,mat4 xxiv3 #bc1 #bd1 ,mark xiii3 #ba1  
#bb1 affirms1 that miracles wrought in  
confirmation of a pretenders being the  
,messiah1 are not to be considered as   
proof of his being so--though they show 
great signs and wonders1 believe it not1
 is his command to his disciples4       
,besides1 prophecies fulfilled1 seem the
 most proper of all arguments to evince 

the truth of a new revelation which is  
designed to be universally promulgated  
to men4 ,for a man who has the ,old     
,testament put into his hands1 which    
contain prophecies1 and the ,new        
,testament afterward1 which is said to  
contain their completions1 and is once  
satisfied1 as he may be with the        
greatest ease1 that the ,old ,testament 
existed before the ,new1 may have a     
complete1 internal1 divine1             
demonstration of the truth of           
,christianity1 without long1 and        
laborious enquiries4 ,whereas1 arguments
 of another nature1 such1 for instance1 
as relate to the authority and          
genuineness of the books1 and the       
persons1 and characters of authors1 and 
witnesses1 require more application1 and
 understanding1 than falls to the share 
of the bulk of mankind2 or else are very
 precarious in themselves1 since we know
 that in the first centuries there were 
numberless forged ,gospels1 and         
,apocryphal writings imposed upon the   

credulous as apostolic and authentic2   
and there were in the ,apostles times1  
as many1 and as great heresies and      
schisms as perhaps have been since in   
any age of the ,church4 ,so that1       
setting aside the before mentioned      
internal proofs from prophecy1 7which   
were the ,apostle's proofs and in their 
nature sufficient of themselves7 we     
should have no certain proof at all for 
the ,religion of the ,new ,testament4   
,on the other hand1 if the proofs for   
,christianity from the ,old ,testament1 
are not valid1 if the arguments founded 
on that ,book be not conclusive1 and the
 ,prophecies cited from thence be not   
fulfilled1 then has ,christianity no    
just foundation2 for the foundation on  
which ,jesus and his ,apostles built it 
is then invalid1 and false4 ,nor can    
miracles1 said to have been wrought by  
,jesus1 and his ,apostles in behalf of  
,christianity1 avail anything in the    
case4 ,for miracles can never render a  
foundation valid1 which is in itself    

invalid2 can never make a false         
inference true2 can never make a        
prophecy fulfilled1 which is not        
fulfilled2 and can never designate a    
,messiah1 or ,jesus for the ,messiah1 if
 both are not marked out in the ,old    
,testament2 no more than they could     
prove the earth to be the sun1 or a     
mouse a lion4  ,besides1 miracles said  
to have been wrought1 may be often      
justly decided false reports1 when      
attributed to persons who claim an      
authority from the ,old ,testament1     
which they impertinently alledge to     
support their pretentions4 ,god can     
never be supposed often to permit       
miracles to be done for the confirmation
 of a false1 or pretended mission4 ,and 
if at any time he does permit miracles  
to be done in confirmation of a         
pretended mission1 we have express      
directions from the ,old ,testament     
7acknowledged by ,christians to be of   
divine authority7 ,deut4 xiii4 #a1 #b1  
not to regard such miracles2 but to     

continue firm to the antecedent         
revelation given by ,himself1 and       
contained in the ,old ,testament1       
notwithstanding any signs or wonders2   
which1 under the circumstance of        
attesting something contrary to an      
antecedent revelation1 we are forewarned
 of as being no test of truth4 ,no new  
revelation1 however supported by        
miracles1 ought ever to be received as  
coming from ,god1 unless it confirms1 or
 at least does not contradict1 the      
preceding standing revelation1          
acknowledged to be from ,god4           
,accordingly1 we find from the ,new     
,testament1 that all the recorded       
miracles of ,jesus could not make the   
,jews believe him to be the ,messiah    
when they thought that he did not answer
 the description of that character given
 by the ,prophets2 on the contrary1 they
 procured him to be crucified for       
pretending to be what to them he        
appeared plainly not to be4  ,nor had   
his miracles alone any effect on his own

 brethren1 and kindred1 who seem 7,mark 
vi4 #d2 ,jo4 vii4 #f17 to have been more
 incredulous in him than other ,jews4   
,nor had they the effect1 they are      
supposed to have been fitted to produce1
 among his immediate followers1 and     
,disciples2 some of whom did not believe
 in him1 but deserted him1 and          
particularly had no faith in him when he
 spake of his sufferings2 and thought   
that he could not be their ,messiah when
 they saw him suffer1 notwithstanding   
his miracles1 and his declaration to    
them that he was the ,messiah4 ,and so  
rooted were the ,jews in the notion of  
the ,messiah's being a temporal ,prince1
 a conquering ,pacificator1 and         
,deliverer1 even after the death of     
,jesus1 and the progress of             
,christianity grounded on the belief of 
his being the ,messiah1 that they have  
in all times of distress1 particularly  
in the apostolic sera1 in great numbers 
followed impostors giving themselves out
 as the ,messiah1 with force1 and arms1 

as the way to restore the kingdom of    
,israel4 ,so that the ,jews1 who it     
seems mistook in this most important    
matter1 and after the most egregious    
manner1 the meaning of their own ,books1
 might1 till they were set right in     
their interpretation of the ,old        
,testament1 and were convinced from     
thence that ,jesus was the ,messiah1    
might ,i say1 as justly reject ,jesus   
asserting his mission1 and ,doctrines   
with miracles1 as they might reject any 
other person1 who in virtue of miracles 
would lead them into idolatry1 or any   
other breach of their law4  ,in fine1   
the miracles said to have been wrought  
by ,jesus1 are1 according to the ,old   
,testament1 the gospel scheme1 and the  
words of ,jesus himself1 no absolute    
proof of his being the ,messiah1 or of  
the truth of ,christianity2 and ,jesus  
laid no great stress upon them as       
proving doctrines1 for he forewarned his
 disciples1 that signs and wonders would
 be performed1 so great and stupendous1 

as to deceive1 if possible1 the very    
elect1 and bids them not to give any    
heed to them499    ,,chapter ,,iii4     
,,the ,,characteristics ,,of ,,the      
,,messiah1 ,,as ,,given ,,by ,,the      
,,hebrew ,,prophets4  ,having shewn from
 the ,new ,testament1 and proved from   
the nature of the case1 that the whole  
credit and authority of the ,christian  
religion1 rests and depends upon ,jesus'
 being the ,messiah of the ,jews2 and1  
having stated the principles which ought
 to govern the decision of this         
question1 and established the fact1 that
 the pretensions of any claiming to be  
considered as this ,messiah1 must be    
tested solely by the coincidence of the 
character1 and circumstances of the     
pretender with the descriptions given by
 the prophets as the means by which he  
may be known to be so--it is proper1 in 
order that we may be enabled to form a  
correct opinion1 to lay before the      
reader those passages of the ,old       
,testament which contain the promise of 

the appearing1 and express the          
characteristics of this hope of ,israel1
 this beneficent saviour1 and august    
monarch1 in whose time a suffering      
world1 was1 according to the ,hebrew    
prophets1 to become the abode of happy  
beings4  ,leaving out for the present   
the consideration of the ,shiloh        
mentioned in ,gen4 xlix41 the first     
prophecy we meet with1 supposed to      
relate to this great character1 is      
contained in ,num4 xxiv4 #ag1ai1 ,there 
shall come a star out of ,jacob1 and a  
sceptre shall rise out of ,israel1 shall
 smite the corners of ,moab1 and destroy
 the children of ,seth4 ,geddes         
interprets the latter clause--shall     
destroy the sons of esdition2 but it    
probably means1 according to the common 
interpretation1 that this monarch was to
 govern the whole race of men1 i4 e4 the
 children of ,seth2 for ,noah1 according
 to the ,old ,testament1 was descended  
from him2 and of the posterity of ,noah1
 was the whole earth overspread4 ,and in

 verse #ai1 it is added out of ,jacob   
shall come he that shall have           
dominion499  ,god says to ,david1 #b    
,sam4 vii4 #ab1 ,and when thy days shall
 be fulfilled1 and thou shall sleep with
 thy fathers1 ,i will set up thy seed   
after thee1 which shall proceed out of  
thy bowels2 and ,i will establish his   
kingdom4 ,he shall build a house for my 
name1 and ,i will establish the throne  
of his kingdom for ever4 ,i will be his 
,father1 and he shall be my ,son--if he 
commit iniquity1 ,i will chasten him    
with the rod of men1 and with the       
stripes of the children of men4 ,but my 
mercy shall not depart from him1 as ,i  
took it from ,saul1 whom ,i put away    
before thee4 ,and thy house1 and thy    
kingdom shall be established before me1 
and thy throne shall be established for 
ever4 ,mention is made of this promise  
in several of the ,psalms1 but it       
certainly suggests no idea of such a    
person as ,jesus of ,nazareth1 but only 
that of a temporal prince of the        

posterity of ,david4 ,it implies1 that  
his family would never entirely fail for
 though it might be severely punished1  
it would recover its lustre again4 ,and 
connecting this promise with that of the
 glory of the nation in general1        
foretold in the books of ,moses1 it     
might be inferred by the ,hebrews1 who  
believed them to be of ,divine          
authority1 that after long and great    
calamities 7the consequences of their   
sins17 the people of ,israel would be   
restored to their country1 and attain   
the most distinguished felicity under a 
prince of the family of ,david4 ,this is
 the subject of numberless prophecies   
throughout the ,old ,testament4         
,passing over all those prophecies in   
which the national glory is spoken of   
without any mention of a prince or head2
 ,i shall recite1 and remark upon the   
most eminent of those in which mention  
is made of any particular person1 under 
whom1 or by means of whom1 the          
,israelitish nation1 it is said1 would  

enjoy the transcendent prosperity       
elsewhere foretold4  ,the second ,psalm 
is no doubt well known to my readers1   
and supposing it to refer to the        
,messiah1 it is evident1 that it        
describes him enthroned upon mount      
,zion1 the favorite of ,god1 and the    
resistless conqueror of his enemies4    
,the next prophecy of this distinguished
 individual is recorded in ,isaiah ix4  
#f--,unto us a child is born1 unto us a 
son is given1 and the government shall  
be upon his shoulder2 and the           
,wonderful1 the ,counsellor1 the mighty 
,god1 the everlasting ,father shall call
 his name99 the ,prince of ,peace4 ,for 
thus it is pointed to be read in the    
original ,hebrew1 and this is the       
meaning of the passage1 and not as in   
the absurd translation of this verse in 
the ,english version4 ,of the increase  
of his government there shall be no end 
upon the throne of ,david1 and his      
kingdom1 to order it1 and to establish  
it with judgment1 and with justice from 

henceforth and for ever3 the zeal of the
 ,lord of ,hosts will do this4 ,here    
again we have a mighty monarch1 sitting 
upon the throne of ,david1 upon earth2  
and not a spiritual king placed in      
heaven1 upon the throne of the mighty   
,god1 the everlasting ,father4  ,the    
next passage which comes under notice1  
is in the eleventh chapter of ,isaiah1  
in which a person is mentioned1 under   
whom ,israel1 and the whole earth was to
 enjoy great prosperity and felicity4   
,he is described as an upright prince1  
endued with the spirit of ,god1 under   
whose reign there would be universal    
peace1 which was to take place after the
 return of the ,israelites from their   
dispersed state1 when the whole nation  
would be united and happy4  ,there shall
 spring forth a rod from the trunk of   
,jesse1 and a scion from his roots shall
 become fruitful4 ,and the spirit of the
 ,lord shall rest upon him2 the spirit  
of wisdom1 and understanding2 the spirit
 of counsel1 and strength2 the spirit of

 knowledge1 and the fear of the ,lord4  
,and he shall be quick of discernment in
 the fear of the ,lord2 so that not     
according to the sight of his eyes shall
 he judge1 nor according to the hearing 
of the ears shall he reprove4 ,with     
righteousness shall he judge the poor1  
and with equity shall he work conviction
 on the meek of the earth4 ,and he shall
 smite the earth with the blast of his  
mouth2 and with the breath of his lips  
shall he slay the wicked one4 ,and      
righteousness shall be the girdle of his
 lions1 and faithfulness the cincture of
 his reins4 ,then shall the wolf take up
 his abode with the lamb2 and the       
leopard shall lie down with the kid2 and
 the calf1 and the young lion1 and the  
fatling shall come together1 and a      
little child shall lead them4 ,and the  
heifer1 and the she bear shall feed     
together1 and the lion shall eat straw  
like the ox4 ,and the suckling shall    
play upon the hole of the asp2 and upon 
the den of the basilisk shall the new   

weaned child lay his hand4 ,they shall  
not hurt1 nor destroy in my holy        
mountain1 for the earth shall be full of
 the knowledge of the ,lord as the      
waters cover the sea4 ,and it shall come
 to pass in that day1 the root of ,jesse
 which standeth for an ensign to the    
people1 unto him shall the nations      
repair1 and his resting place shall be  
glorious4  ,as the scion here spoken of 
is said to spring from the root of      
,jesse1 it looks as if it were intended 
to intimate1 that the tree itself would 
be cut down1 or that the power of       
,david's ,family would be for some time 
extinct2 but that it would revive in the
 latter days4  ,the same ,prince is     
again mentioned1 chap xxxiii4 #a1 #c1   
where the people are described to be    
both virtuous1 and flourishing1 and to  
continue to be so4 7v4 #ae--ag47        
,behold a king shall reign in           
righteousness1 and princes shall rule   
with equity4 ,and the man shall be a    
covert from the storm1 as a refuge from 

the flood1 as canals of waters in a dry 
place1 as the shadow of a great rock in 
a land of fainting with heat4 ,and him  
the eyes of those that see shall regard1
 and the ears of them that hear shall   
harken1 99 99 99 99 till the spirit from
 on high be poured out upon us1 and the 
wilderness become a fruitful field1 and 
the fruitful field be esteemed a forest4
 ,and judgment shall dwell in the       
wilderness1 and in the fruitful field   
shall reside righteousness4 ,and the    
work of righteousness shall be peace1   
and the effect of righteousness         
perpetual quiet1 and security4 ,and my  
people shall dwell in a peaceful        
mansion1 and in habitations secure1 and 
in resting places undisturbed4  ,the    
same ,prophet1 chap4 lxii #a1 speaks of 
a person under the title of ,gods       
,servant1 of a meek disposition1 raised 
up by ,god to enlighten the world1 even 
the ,gentile part of it2 to bring       
prisoners out of their confinement1 and 
to open their eyes2 alluding1 probably1 

to the custom too common in the ,east2  
of sealing up the eyes1 by sewing or    
fastening together the eyelids of       
persons1 and then imprisoning thorn for 
life4 ,it is doubted1 however1 whether  
the ,prophet meant1 or had in view1 in  
this passage1 the ,messiah1 or his own  
nation4  ,behold my servant whom ,i will
 uphold1 mine elect in whom my soul     
delighteth2 ,i will make my spirit rest 
upon him1 and he shall publish judgment 
to the nations4 ,he shall not cry aloud1
 nor raise a clamour1 nor cause his     
voice to be heard in the public places4 
,the bruised reed shall he not break1   
and the dimly burning flax he shall not 
quench1 he shall publish judgment so as 
to establish it perfectly4 ,his force   
shall not be abated1 nor broken1 until  
he has firmly seated judgment in the    
earth1 and the distant nations shall    
earnestly wait for his ,law4  ,thus     
saith the ,lord1 even1 the ,eternal1 who
 created the heavens1 and stretched them
 out2 who spread abroad the earth1 and  

the produce thereof1 who giveth breath  
to the people upon it1 and spirit to    
them that tread thereon4 ,i the ,lord   
have called thee for a righteous        
purpose199 and ,i will take hold of thy 
hand1 and ,i will preserve thee2 and ,i 
will give thee for a covenant to the    
people1 for a light to the nations2 to  
open the eyes of the blind1 to bring the
 captive out of confinement1 and from   
the dungeon those that dwell in         
darkness4 ,i am the ,eternal1 that is my
 name1 and my glory will ,i not give to 
another1 nor my praise to the graven    
images4 ,the former predictions1 lo6    
they are to come to pass1 and now events
 ,i now declare2 before they spring     
forth1 behold ,i make them known unto   
you4 ,see also chap4 xlix4 #a1ab1 and   
chap4 liv4 #c1 #e4  ,in the #c;d chapter
 of ,hosea1 verses #d and #e1 it is said
 by the ,prophet1 that the sons of      
,israel shall abide many days without a 
king1 and without a prince1 and without 
sacrifice1 and without a statue1 and    

without an ephod1 and without ,teraphim4
 ,afterward shall the sons of ,israel   
return1 and shall seek the ,lord their  
,god1 and ,,david their ,king1 and shall
 fear the ,lord1 and his goodness in the
 latter days4  ,micah chap4 v4 speaks of
 the ,messiah thus1 ,and thou ,bethlehem
 ,ephratah1 art thou too little to be   
among the leaders of ,judah8 ,out of    
thee shall come forth unto me1 him who  
is to be ruler in ,israel2 and his      
goings forth have been from old1 from   
the days of hidden ages4 ,therefore will
 ,he 7,god7 deliver them up1 until the  
time when she that bringeth forth1 hath 
brought forth1 and until the residue of 
his brethren shall return together with 
the sons of ,israel4 ,and4 he shall     
stand and feed his flock1 in the        
strength of the ,lord1 in the majesty of
 the name of the ,lord his ,god1 and    
they shall abide1 for now shall he be   
great unto the ends of the earth1 and he
 shall be ,peace4 ,jeremiah also speaks 
of the restoration of the ,israelites   

under a ,prince of the family of ,david1
 chap4 xxiii4 #e1 #h4  ,behold the days 
are coming1 saith the ,lord1 that ,i    
will raise up unto ,david a righteous   
branch1 and a king shall reign1 and act 
wisely1 and shall execute justice1 and  
judgment in the earth4 ,in his days     
,judah shall be saved1 and ,israel shall
 dwell in security1 and this is the name
 by which the ,eternal shall call him1  
,,our ,,righteousness4 ,heb4 ,the same  
is mentioned in chap4 xxx4 #h1 #i4 ,and 
it shall be in that day1 saith the ,lord
 of ,hosts1 ,i will break his yoke from 
off his neck1 and his bands will ,i     
burst asunder1 and strangers shall no   
more exact service of him4 ,but they    
shall serve the ,lord their ,god1 and   
,,david their ,king1 whom ,i will raise 
up for 7or to7 them4 99 99 99 ,the voice
 of joy1 and the voice of mirth1 the    
voice of the bridegroom1 and the voice  
of the bride1 the voice of them that    
say4 ,praise ye the ,lord of ,hosts1 for
 the ,lord is gracious1 for his mercy   

endureth for ever1 of them that bring   
praise to the house of the ,lord4 ,thus 
saith the ,lord of ,hosts1 yet again    
shall there be in this place that is    
desolate 7,jerusalem and ,palestine17   
without man and beast1 and in all the   
cities thereof1 an habitation of        
shepherds folding sheep1 in the cities  
of the hill country1 and in the cities  
of the plain1 and in the cities of the  
south1 and in the land of ,benjamin1 and
 in the environs of ,jerusalem4 99 99 99
 ,behold the days come1 saith the ,lord1
 that ,i will perform the good thing    
which ,i have spoken concerning the     
house of ,israel1 and concerning the    
house of ,judah4 ,in those days1 and at 
that time1 he that readeth1 let him     
observe ,i will came to grow up of the  
line of ,david a branch of              
righteousness1 and he shall execute     
judgment and justice in the earth4 ,in  
those days ,judah shall be saved1 and   
,jerusalem1 shall dwell securely1 and   
this is he whom the ,lord shall         

call--,,our ,,righteousness4 ,heb4      
,surely1 thus saith the ,lord1 there    
shall not be a failure in the line of   
,david1 one to sit upon the throne of   
the house of ,israel1 neither shall     
there be a failure in the line of the   
,priests1 the ,levites1 of one to offer 
before me burnt offerings1 and to       
perform sacrifice continually4 ,see ch4 
xxxiiii4 #ad4 ,in this place1 the       
perpetuity of the tribe of ,levi1 as    
well as that of the house of ,david1 is 
foretold4 ,see also ,jer4 ch4 xxx4 #i4  
,contemporary with ,jeremiah was        
,ezekiel4 ,he likewise describes this   
happy state of the ,israelites under a  
king of the name of ,david1 chap4 xxxiv4
 #bb4  ,therefore will ,i save my flock1
 and they shall no more be a prey3 and  
,i will judge between cattle1 and       
cattle4 ,and ,i will set up one         
,shepherd over them1 and be shall feed  
them1 even my servant ,,david3 he shall 
feed them1 and he shall be their        
shepherd1 and ,i the ,lord will be their

 ,god1 and my servant ,,david a ,prince 
among them4 ,i the ,lord have spoken it4
 ,and ,i will make with them a covenant 
of peace1 and will cause the evil beasts
 to cease out of the land2 and they     
shall dwell safely in' the wilderness1  
and sleep in the woods4 ,and ,i will    
make them1 and the places round about my
 hill1 a blessing1 and ,i will cause the
 shower to come down in the season3     
there shall be showers of blessing4 ,and
 the tree of the field shall yield her  
fruit2 and the earth shall yield her    
increase2 and they shall be safe in     
their land2 and shall know that ,i am   
the ,lord1 c4  ,in another passage this 
prophet says1 that the two nations1     
,israel and ,judah1 shall have one king1
 and that this king shall be named      
,,david1 who shall reign for ever1 chap4
 xxxvii4 #ba--bh4 ,say unto them1 thus  
saith the ,lord ,god1 behold ,i will    
take the children of ,israel from among 
the heathen1 whither they be gone1 and  
will gather them on every side1 and     

bring them into their own land4 ,and ,i 
will make them one nation in the land1  
upon the mountains of ,israel1 and one  
king shall be king to them all1 and they
 shall be no more two nations1 neither  
shall they be divided into two kingdoms 
any more at all4 ,neither shall they    
defile themselves any more with their   
idols1 nor with their detestable things1
 nor with any of their transgressions2  
but ,i will save them out of all their  
dwelling places wherein they have       
sinned1 and will cleanse them1 so shall 
they be my people1 and ,i will be their 
,god4 ,and ,,david my servant shall be  
king over them1 and there shall be one  
shepherd4 ,they shall also walk in my   
judgments1 and observe my statutes and  
do them4 ,and they shall dwell in the   
land that ,i have given unto ,jacob my  
servant1 wherein your fathers have      
dwelt1 and they shall dwell therein1    
even they1 and their children1 and their
 childrens children for ever1 and my    
servant ,,david shall be their prince   

forever4 ,moreover ,i will make a       
covenant of peace with them3 it shall be
 an everlasting covenant with them1 and 
,i will place them1 and multiply them1  
and will set my sanctuary in the midst  
of them1 for evermore4 ,my tabernacle   
also shall be with them1 and ,i will be 
their ,god1 and they shall be my people4
 ,and the heathen shall know1 that ,i   
the ,lord do sanctify ,israel1 when my  
sanctuary shall1 be in the midst of them
 for evermore4  ,the natural            
construction of this seems to be this1  
that a descendant of ,david1 called by  
that name1 should reign over the        
,israelites for ever4  ,in the very     
circumstantial description which        
,ezekiel gives of the state of the      
,israelites in their own country1 yet   
expected by the ,jews1 he speaks of the 
prince1 and the portion assigned him1   
chap4 xlv4 #gh4 ,and in his description 
of the temple service1 he moreover      
speaks of the gate1 by which the prince 
is to enter into it4 ,see chap4 xlvi4   

#a1 #b4  ,the next1 and last1 passage ,i
 shall quote1 is from the book of       
,daniel1 who1 in the first year of      
,belshazzar king of ,babylon1 had a     
vision of four beasts1 representing the 
four great ,empires4 ,at the close of   
his account of which1 he speaks of one  
like the son of man being brought into  
the presence of ,god1 and receiving from
 the ,eternal an everlasting kingdom    
7chap4 vii4 #ac7--;,i saw in the night  
visions1 and behold one like the son of 
man came with the clouds of heaven1 and 
come to the ancient of days2 and they   
brought him near before him4 ,and there 
was given him dominion1 and glory1 and a
 kingdom1 that all people1 nations1 and 
languages1 should serve him3 his        
dominion is an everlasting dominion1    
which shall not pass away1 and his      
kingdom that which shall not be         
destroyed4  ,i have now gone through the
 prophecies which are allowed both by   
,jews and ,christians to relate to one  
person whom they call the ,messiah4 ,it 

must be evident from all these passages1
 that the characteristics of this1 to   
both parties1 highly interesting        
personage1 as described by the ,hebrew  
prophets1 are these3--  #a4 ,that he was
 to be a just1 beneficent1 wise1 and    
mighty monarch1 raised up and upheld1   
and established by ,god1 to be the means
 of promoting universal peace1 and      
happiness4 ,that ,israel should be      
gathered to him1 and established in     
their own land2 which was to be the seat
 of dominion1 and the centre of union1  
and of worship to all the people1 and   
nations of the earth2 who were to live  
under the government1 and receive1 and  
obey the law of this beneficent prince2 
and enjoy unspeakable felicities on the 
earth1 then changed to a universal      
paradise4 ,and for all this happiness1  
they were to worship1 and glorify the   
true ,god only1 and glorify the         
,eternal1 and give thanks to ,him       
because ,he is good1 and his mercy      
endureth forever4  #b4 ,that this prince

 was to be of the line of ,david1 and as
 it should seem1 called by that name1   
and was to reign on his throne in       
,jerusalem4  #c4 ,that according to     
,micah1 ,jeremiah1 and ,ezekiel1 7see   
the quotations7  his manifestation1 and 
7and the restoration of ,israel7 were to
 be contemporaneous4 ,see ,hosea1 chap4 
iii4 #d1 #e4 ,and from ,jeremiah xxxiii4
 #ae1 and from ,micah v4 #b1 it should  
seem also1 that he was not to be born1  
till the time of that restoration should
 be nearly arrived4  ,the prophecies    
concerning the ,messiah of the ,jews    
being now laid before the reader1 we    
have only to apply these descriptions to
 know whether an individual be their    
,messiah1 or not4 ,for1 7according to   
the principles laid down1 and           
established in the preceding chapter7   
where the foregoing characteristics     
given by the prophets do centre and     
agree1 that person is the ,messiah      
foretold2 but where they are not found  
in any one claiming that character1     

miracles are nothing to the purpose1 and
 nothing is more certain1 than that he  
has no right to be considered as such2  
and could he with a word turn the sun   
black in the face1 in proof of his being
 the ,messiah1 he is1 nevertheless1 not 
to be regarded2 for1 whether such a     
person has yet appeared1 can certainly  
only be known by considering1 whether   
the world has ever yet seen such a      
person as this ,messiah of the ,hebrew  
prophets4    ,,chapter ,,iv4  ,,the     
,,character ,,of ,,jesus ,,tested ,,by  
,,those ,,characteristic ,,marks ,,of   
,,the ,,messiah ,,given ,,by ,,the      
,,prophets ,,of ,,the ,,old ,,testament4
  ,had ,jesus of ,nazareth come into the
 world merely as a person sent with a   
revelation from ,god1 he would have had 
a right to be attended to1 and tried    
upon that ground4 ,and if his doctrines 
and precepts were consistent with       
reason1 consistent with one another1 and
 with prior revelations1 really such1   
and all tending to the honour of ,god1  

and the good of men2 his miracles1 with 
these circumstances1 ought to have      
determined men to believe in him4  ,but 
since he claimed to be the ,messiah of  
the ,jews1 foretold by their prophets1  
it is requisite1 that that claim should 
be made out2 and it is reasonable in    
itself1 and just to him1 and necessary  
to all those who will not take their    
religion upon trust1 that ho should be  
tried1 by examining whether this claim  
can be made out1 or not4 ,the argument  
from prophecy becomes necessary to      
establish the claim of the ,gospel3 and 
as truth is consistent with itself1 so  
this claim must be true1 or1 it destroys
 all others4  ,besides1 what notions of 
common morality must he have1 who       
pretends to come from ,god1 and declares
 7,jo4 v4 #cg17 that the ,scriptures    
testify of him1 if1 in fact1 the        
,scriptures do not testify of him8 ,what
 honesty1 or sincerity could he have1   
who could begin at ,moses1 and all the  
prophets1 and expound unto his disciples

 in all the ,scriptures the things      
concerning himself1 if neither ,moses   
nor the prophets ever spake a word about
 him8 ,the prophets1 therefore1 must    
decide this question1 and the foundation
 of ,christianity must be laid upon     
them2 or else1 to avoid one difficulty1 
,christians will be forced into such    
absurdities1 as no man can palliate1    
much less can extricate himself out of4 
,furthermore1 this claim must be made   
out to the satisfaction of the ,gentile1
 as well as the ,jew4 ,for since the    
fundamental article of ,christianity is1
 that ,jesus is the ,christ2 7,jo4 xx4  
#ca7 that is to say1 that he is the     
,messiah prophecied of in the ,old      
,testament2 whoever comes into the world
 as such1 must come as the ,messiah of  
the ,jews1 because no other nation did  
expect1 or pretend to1 the promise of a 
,messiah4 ,moreover1 whoever comes as   
this ,messiah of the ,jews1 must at     
least pretend to answer the character of
 their ,messiah plainly delivered in the

 writings of their prophets4 ,and the   
,jews themselves receiving those        
writings as divine1 were not bound to1  
neither could they consistently with    
their duty1 receive1 any1 who did not   
answer in all points to the description 
therein given4  ,let us now test the    
character of ,jesus of ,nazareth by the 
description of the ,messiah given by the
 ,hebrew prophets4 ,if his character    
corresponds in all respects with that   
given by those prophets1 he is          
undoubtedly to be acknowledged as the   
king of ,israel foretold2 but if they do
 not exactly correspond1 if there be the
 slightest incongruity1 he certainly was
 not this ,messiah4 ,for it is evident1 
that some of the characteristic marks   
given may belong to4 many illustrious   
individuals1 but the whole can belong   
to1 and be found in1 only one person4   
,the first characteristic of the        
,messiah1 the reader will recollect1    
was1 according to the prophets1 that he 
was to be the ,prince of ,peace1 in     

whose times righteousness was to        
flourish1 and mankind be made happy4    
,that he was to sit upon the throne of  
,david judging right2 and that to him1  
and their own land1 was ,israel to be   
gathered1 and all nations serve and obey
 him2 and worship one ,god1 even        
,jehovah4  ,but of ,jesus we read1 that 
he asserted1 that his kingdom was not of
 this world4 ,instead of effecting peace
 among the nations1 he said1 ,think not 
that ,i am come to send peace on earth1 
,i have come to send a sword1 ,i have   
come to put division between a son1 and 
his father2 the mother1 and the         
daughter2 the daughter-in-law1 and her  
mother-in-law4 ,think ye1 7said he to   
his disciples7 that ,i have come to put 
peace on earth1 ,i tell you nay1 but    
rather division4 ,again1 ,i have come to
 put fire on the earth4 ,these are not  
the characteristics of the ,messiah of  
the prophets of the ,old ,testament4    
,for of him ,zechariah 7ch4 ix47 says1  
that ,he shall speak peace to the       

nations2 and of him ,isaiah says1       
,nation shall not lift up sword against 
nation1 neither shall they learn war    
anymore4 ,and so far from being the     
author of division1 sword1 and fire2    
according to ,malachi1 in the times of  
the ,messiah1 the heart of the parents  
was to be converted to the children1 and
 the heart of the children to their     
parents4  ,in the times of the ,messiah1
 wars were to cease1 righteousness was  
to flourish1 and mankind be happy4      
,whether this has yet taken place1 the  
experience of almost nineteen centuries1
 and the present state of the world1 can
 enable every one to determine for      
himself4  ,in the times of the ,messiah1
 ,israel was to be gathered1 and planted
 in their own land1 in honour1 and      
prosperity4 ,but not many years after   
the death of ,jesus of ,nazareth1 the   
,jewish nation underwent the most       
dreadful calamities2 and to this day1 so
 far are they from being gathered1 they 
are scattered to the four quarters of   

the globe4 ,instead of being in honour  
and prosperity1 their history1 since his
 time1 is one dreadful record of        
unparalleled sufferings1 written in     
letters of blood by the hands of murder1
 rapine1 and cruelty4  ,again2 the true 
,messiah was1 it seems1 to be called    
,,david1 and was to reign at ,jerusalem1
 on the throne of ,david2 but the name  
,jesus is not the same as ,david1 and   
,christians have assigned him a         
spiritual kingdom1 and a throne in      
heaven6 ,but was the throne of ,david in
 heaven8 ,no6 it was in ,jerusalem1 and 
no more in ,heaven1 than that of the    
,caesars4  ,lastly1 it appears from the 
prophecies of ,hosea1 ,micah1 and       
,jeremiah1 ,isaiah1 and ,ezekiel1 quoted
 in the last chapter1 that the          
manifestation of their ,messiah was to  
be contemporaneous with the restoration 
of ,israel1 and from the quotations     
adduced from the three first mentioned  
prophets1 it should seem that his birth 
was not to take place many years before 

that glorious event4 ,but ,jesus of     
,nazareth was born almost two thousand  
years ago2 and the children of ,israel  
yet expect a deliverer4 ,and to         
conclude1 it was foretold by ,malachi1  
and believed by the ,jews then1 and ever
 since1 that ,elias the prophet1 who did
 not die1 but was removed from the      
earth1 should precede the coming of the 
,messiah1 and prepare them for his      
reception4 ,but the prophet ,elias      
certainly has not yet appeared6         
,indeed1 nothing appears to be more     
dissimilar than the character of the    
,messiah1 as given by the ,hebrew       
prophets1 and that of ,jesus of         
,nazareth4 ,it seems scarcely credible1 
that a man who1 though amiable and      
virtuous1 yet lived in a low state1 was 
poor1 living upon alms1 without wealth1 
and without power2 and who 7though by   
misfortune7 died the death of a         
malefactor1 crucified between two       
robbers1 7a death exactly parallel with 
being hanged at the public gallows in   

the present day7 should ever be taken   
for that mighty prince1 that universal  
potentate1 and benefactor of the human  
race1 foretold in the splendid language 
of the prophets of the ,old ,testament4 
,,chapter ,v4  ,,examination ,,of ,,the 
,,arguments ,,from ,,the ,,old          
,,testament ,,adduced ,,in ,,the ,,new1 
,,to ,,prove ,,that ,,jesus ,,of        
,,nazareth ,,was ,,the ,,messiah4  ,but 
since one would esteem it almost        
incredible1 that the apostles could     
persuade men to believe ,jesus to be    
this ,messiah1 unless they had at least 
some proof to offer to their conviction1
 let us next consider1 and examine1 the 
proofs adduced by the apostles and their
 followers1 from the ,old ,testament for
 that purpose4  ,of the strength or     
weakness of the proofs for ,christianity
 out of the ,old ,testament1 we are well
 qualified to judge1 as we have the ,old
 and ,new ,testament in our hands2 the  
first containing what are offered as    
proofs of ,christianity1 and the latter 

the application of those proofs1 and we 
should seem to have nothing more to do1 
but to compare the ,old and ,new        
,testament together4  ,but these proofs 
taken out of the ,old ,testament1 and   
urged in the ,new1 being sometimes not  
to be found in the ,old1 nor urged in   
the ,new1 according to the literal and  
obvious sense1 which they appear to bear
 in their supposed places in the ,old1  
and1 therefore1 not proofs according to 
the rules of interpretation established 
by reason1 and acted upon in            
interpreting every other ancient book-- 
almost all ,christian commentators on   
the ,bible1 and advocates for the       
religion of the ,new ,testament1 both   
ancient and modern1 have judged them to 
be applied in a secondary1 or typical1  
or mystical1 or allegorical1 or         
enigmatical sense2 that is1 in a sense  
different from the obvious and literal  
sense which they bear in the ,old       
,testament4  ,thus1 for example1        
,matthew1 after having given an account 

of the conception of ,mary1 and the     
birth of ,jesus1 says 7ch4 i417 ,all    
this was done that it might be fulfilled
 which was spoken by the prophet1       
saying1 ,behold a virgin shall be with  
child1 and shall bring forth a son1 and 
they shall call his name ,immanuel4 ,but
 the words as they stand in ,isaiah ch4 
vii4 #ad1 from whence they are taken1   
do1 in their obvious and literal sense1 
relate to a young woman in the days of  
,ahaz1 ,king of ,judah1 as will appear1 
considering the context4  ,when ,rezin1 
,king of ,syria1 and ,pekah1 ,king of   
,israel1 were confederates in arms      
together1 against ,ahaz1 ,king of       
,judah1 ,isaiah the prophet was sent by 
,god1 first to comfort ,ahaz and the    
nation1 and then to assure them by a    
sign1 that his enemies should in a      
little time be confounded4--,but ,ahaz  
refusing a sign at the prophets hand1   
the prophet said 7see the chapter17 ,the
 ,lord shall give you a sign4 ,behold a 
virgin1 or young woman 7for the ,hebrew 

word means both as was truly and justly 
asserted by the ,jews in the primitive  
ages against the ,christians1 and is now
 acknowledged1 and established beyond   
dispute by the best ,hebrew scholars of 
this age17 shall conceive and bear a    
son1 and shall call his name ,immanuel4 
,butter and honey shall he eat1 that he 
may know to refuse the evil and choose  
the good4 ,for before the child shall   
know to refuse the evil1 and choose the 
good1 the land which thou abhorrest     
shall be forsaken of both her kings4    
,and this sign is accordingly given     
,ahaz by the prophet1 who1 ch4 viii4 v4 
#b1 #ah1 took two witnesses and went to 
the said young woman1 who in due time   
conceived1 and bare a son1 after whose  
birth the projects of ,rezin and ,pekah 
were1 it appears1 soon confounded1      
according to the prophecy and sign given
 by the prophet4  ,and the prophet      
himself1 puts it beyond dispute1 that   
this is the proper interpretation of the
 prophecy1 by express words1 as well as 

by his whole narration2 for he says1    
,behold ,i1 and the children whom the   
,lord hath given me1 are for signs1 and 
for wonders in ,israel from the ,lord of
 ,hosts1 that dwelleth in mount ,zion4  
,isaiah viii4 #ai4  ,this is the plain  
drift and design of the prophet1        
literally1 obviously1 and primarily     
understood2 and thus he is understood by
 one of the most judicious of           
interpreters1 the great ,grotius4       
,indeed1 to understand the prophet as   
having the conception of ,mary1 and the 
birth of her son ,jesus from a virgin   
mother literally1 and primarily in view1
 is a very great absurdity1 and contrary
 to the very intent and design of the   
sign given by the prophet4  ,for the    
sign being given by ,isaiah to convince 
,ahaz that he brought a message from    
,god to him1 to assure him that the two 
kings should not succeed in their       
attempt against him1 how could a virgins
 conception1 and bearing a son seven    
hundred years afterwards1 be a sign to  

,ahaz1 that the prophet came to him1    
with the said message from ,god8 ,and   
how useless was it to ,ahaz1 as well as 
absurd in itself for the prophet1 to    
say1 ,before the child1 born seven      
hundred years hence1 shall distinguish  
between good and evil1 the land which   
thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both
 her kings1 which would be a banter1    
instead of a sign4  ,but a prophecy of  
the certain birth of a male child1 by a 
particular female within a short time1  
seems a proper sign1 as being not only  
what could not with certainty1 be       
foretold1 except by a person inspired1  
but considered as soon coming to pass1  
it1 consequently1 evidences itself to be
 a divine sign1 and answers all the     
purposes of a sign4 ,and such a sign is 
agreeable to ,gods conduct on like      
occasions2 witness his conduct to       
,gideon and ,hezekiah4 ,jud4 vi42 #b    
,kings xx4  ,this prophecy1 therefore1  
not being fulfilled in ,jesus1 according
 to the literal and obvious sense of the

 words as they stand in ,isaiah1 it is  
supposed that this1 like the other      
prophecies cited in the ,new ,testament1
 is fulfilled in a secondary1 or        
typical1 or mystical sense2 that is1 the
 said prophecy1 which was literally     
fulfilled by the birth of the son       
foretold by the prophet1 was again      
fulfilled by the birth of ,jesus1 as    
being an event of the same kind1 and    
intended to be secretly and mystically  
signified either by the prophet or by   
,god1 who directed the prophets speech4 
,if the reader desires further          
satisfaction that the literal and       
obvious sense of this prophecy relates  
to a son to be born in ,isaiah's time1  
and not to ,jesus1 he is referred to the
 commentator ,grotius1 and to ,huetius  
,demonstrat4 ,evang4 in loc41 to the    
ancient fathers1 and to the most        
respectable of the modern ,christian4   
commentators1 who all allow and show1   
that the words of ,isaiah are not       
applicable to the birth of ,jesus in    

their literal sense1 but only in a      
mystical1 or figurative1 or allegorical 
sense4  ,again1  ,matthew gives us      
another prophecy1 which he says was     
fulfilled4 ,he tells us1 that ,jesus was
 carried into ,egypt2 from whence he    
returned after the death of ,herod1     
7,mat4 ii47 that it might be fulfilled1 
which was of the ,lord by the prophet1  
saying1 out of ,egypt have ,i called my 
son4 ,which1 being word for word in     
,hosea1 7ch4 xi4 #a7 and no where else  
to be found in the ,old ,testament1 are 
supposed to be taken from thence2 where 
according to their obvious sense they   
are no prophecy at all6 but relate and  
refer to a past action1 viz41 to the    
calling of the children of ,israel out  
of ,egypt1 which will1 ,i think1 be     
denied by few4 ,this passage1 therefore1
 or as it is styled1 prophecy1 of       
,hosea1 is said by learned men among    
,christians to be mystically1 or        
allegorically1 applied1 in order to     
render ,matthews application of it1     

just2 and they say all other methods of 
some learned men to solve the difficulty
 arising from ,matthew's citation of    
this passage1 have proved unsuccessful4 
,again1 ,matthew says1 7ch4 ii47 ,jesus 
came1 and dwelt at ,nazareth1 that it   
might be fulfilled1 which was spoken by 
the prophet1 saying1 he shall be called 
a ,nazarene2 but as this passage does   
not occur in the ,old ,testament at all1
 we are precluded from ascertaining     
whether it be literal1 mystical1 or     
allegorical4  ,jesus says of ,john the  
,baptist1 7,mat4 xi4 #ad7 ,this is      
,elias that was for to come1 wherein he 
is supposed to refer to these words of  
,malachi1 7ch4 iv4 #d7 ,behold ,i will  
send you ,elijah the prophet1 before the
 coming of the great and terrible day of
 the ,lord1 which1 according to their   
literal1 and obvious sense1 are a       
prophecy1 that ,elijah or ,elias was to 
come in person 7which we know from the  
,new ,testament1 as well as elsewhere1  
was the constant expectation of the     

,jews47 ,besides1 this ,elijah was to   
come before the great and terrible day  
of the ,lord1 which has not yet arrived2
 and1 therefore1 this prophecy of       
,malachi1 referred to by the evangelist1
 was certainly not literally1 but only  
mystically1 fulfilled in ,john the      
,baptist4  ,again1 ,jesus 7,mat4 xiii47 
cites the prophecy of ,isaiah 7,is4 vi4 
#i17 ,by hearing ye shall hear1 and     
shall not understand2 and he assures us1
 that it was fulfilled in his time in   
those to whom he spake in parables1     
7which1 by the way1 he did1 it is said1 
in order to fulfil a passage of the     
,psalms7 though it is manifest that the 
prophecy of ,isaiah quoted1 according to
 its literal sense1 undoubtedly relates 
to the obstinate ,jews who lived in the 
time of ,isaiah4  ,in fine1 these1 and  
the many other passages cited as        
prophecies from the ,old ,testament by  
the authors of the ,new1 do so plainly  
relate1 in their obvious and primary    
sense to other matters than those which 

they are adduced to prove1 that it is   
allowed by the most learned defenders of
 ,christianity1 that to pretend that    
they prove in a literal sense what they 
are adduced to prove1 is to give up with
 both hands the cause of ,christianity  
to the enemies thereof1 who can so      
easily show in so many undoubted        
instances1 the ,old and ,new ,testament 
to have no manner of connection in that 
respect1 but to be in an irreconcilable 
state4  ,these proofs from the prophets 
being so different from what we should  
expect1 it behoves us to enquire what   
could induce ,jesus and his apostles to 
quote the ,old ,testament in such a     
manner8  ,the ,jews shortly answer this 
question1 by saying1 that they did so1  
because they did not understand the     
meaning of the books they quoted4 ,but  
it has been answered by some learned    
,christians1 that ,jesus and the        
apostles did not quote in the manner    
they did through caprice or ignorance   
bat according to certain methods of     

interpretation1 which were in their     
times of established authority among the
 ,jews4  ,the rules of interpretation1  
which were supposed to be irrecoverably 
lost afterwards recovered to the world  
by the learned ,surenhusius1 professor  
of the ,hebrew language in the          
illustrious school of ,amsterdam4 ,he   
made an ample discovery to the world of 
the rules by which the apostles cited   
the ,old ,testament1 and argued from    
thence1 wherein the whole mystery of the
 apostles applying scripture in a       
secondary1 or typical1 or allegorical   
sense1 seems to be unfolded4 ,i shall1  
therefore1 state this matter from       
,surenhusius4  ,he 7,surenhusius7 says1 
that when he considered the various     
opinions ,of the learned about the      
passages of the ,old ,testament quoted  
in the ,new1 ,he was filled with grief1 
not knowing where to set his foot2 and  
was much concerned1 that what had been  
done with good success upon profane     
authors1 could not be so happily        

performed upon the sacred4  ,he tells   
us1 that having had frequent occasions  
to converse with the ,jews 7on account  
of his application to ,hebrew literature
 from his youth7 who insolently         
reflected upon the ,new ,testament1     
affirming it to be plainly corrupted1   
because it seldom or never agreed with  
the ,old ,testament1 some of whom were  
so confident in this opinion1 as to say1
 they would profess the ,christian      
religion1 if any one could reconcile the
 ,new ,testament with the ,old4 ,i was  
the more grieved1 because1 7says this   
honest and well meaning man7 ,i knew not
 how to apply a remedy to this evil4    
,but the matter being of great          
importance1 he discoursed with several  
learned men about it1 and read the books
 of others1 being persuaded that the    
authors of the books of the ,new        
,testament had written nothing but what 
was suited to the time wherein they     
lived1 and that ,christ and his apostles
 had constantly followed the method of  

their ancestors4 ,after he had long     
revolved this hypothesis in his mind1 at
 last he met with a ,rabbi well skilled 
in the ,talmud1 the ,cabbala1 and the   
allegorical books of the ,jews4 ,this   
,rabbi had once embraced the ,christian 
religion1 but was again relapsed to     
,judaism on account of the idolatry of  
the ,papists1 yet not perfectly         
disbelieving the integrity of the ,new  
,testament4 ,surenhusius asked him1 what
 he thought of the passages of the ,old 
,testament quoted in the ,new1 whether  
they were rightly quoted or not1 and    
whether the ,jews had any just reason to
 cavil at them1 and at the same time    
proposed to him two or three passages1  
which had very much exercised the most  
learned ,christian commentators4  ,the  
,rabbi having admirably explained those 
passages1 to the great surprise of      
,surenhusius1 and confirming his        
explications by several places of the   
,talmud1 and other writings of the      
,jewish commentators1 and allegorical   

writers1 ,surenhusius asked him what    
would be the best method to write a     
treatise in order to vindicate the      
passages of the ,old ,testament quoted  
in the ,new8 ,the ,rabbi answered1 that 
he thought the best way of succeeding in
 such an undertaking would be to peruse 
a great part of the ,talmud1 and the    
allegorical and literal commentators2 to
 observe their several ways of quoting  
and interpreting scripture1 and to      
collect as many materials of that kind1 
as would be sufficient for that purpose4
  ,surenhusius took the hint            
immediately3 he read such books as were 
recommended1 observed every thing that  
might be subservient to his design1 and 
made a book upon the subject4 ,and in   
the third part of that book he gives us 
the rules so long sought after1 viz41   
the ten ways used1 he says1 by the      
,jewish doctors in citing scripture4    
,and here they are3--  #a4 ,the first   
rule is--reading the words of the       
,hebrew bible1 not according to the     

points placed under them1 but according 
to other points substituted in their    
stead1 as is done by ,peter1 ,acts iii4 
#c2 by ,stephen1 ,acts vii4 #dc1 and by 
,paul1 #a ,cor4 xv4 #ed2 #b ,cor4 viii4 
#af1 and ,heb4 iii4 #aj2 ix4 #ba2 xii4  
#f4  #b4 ,the second rule is--changing  
the letters1 whether those letters be of
 the same organ 7as the ,hebrew         
grammarians speak17 or not1 as is done  
by ,paul1 ,rom4 ix4 #cc2 #a ,cor4 xi4   
#i2 ,heb4 viii4 #i1 and x4 #f2 and by   
,stephen1 ,acts vii4 #dc4  #c4 ,the     
third is--changing both letters and     
points1 as is done by ,paul1 ,acts xiii4
 #da1 and #b ,cor4 viii4 #ae4  #d4 ,the 
fourth is--adding some letters1 and     
taking away others4  #e4 ,the fifth     
is--transposing words and letters4  #f4 
,the sixth is--dividing one word into   
two4  #g4 ,the seventh is--adding other 
words to those in the text1 in order to 
make the sense more clear1 and to       
accommodate it to the subject they we   
upon4  #h4 ,the eighth is--changing the 

order of words4  #i4 ,the ninth         
is--changing the order of words1 and    
adding other words4  #aj4 ,the tenth    
is--changing the order of words1 adding 
words1 and retrenching words1 which1    
7says he7 is a method often used by     
,paul4 ,of the application of all these 
rules1 he gives examples taken from the 
,new ,testament4  ,it is not necessary  
to make many observations upon these    
rules1 they speak for themselves most   
significantly2 for what is there that   
cannot be proved from the ,old          
,testament1 or any other book1 yea1 from
 ,euclids ,elements6 or even an old     
almanac6 by the help of altering words  
and sentences2 adding2 retrenching2 and 
transposing1 and cutting words in two1  
as is stated above by a learned and good
 man1 and sincere ,christian who found  
out1 and brought forward1 these rules1  
as the best means of getting the authors
 of the ,new ,testament out of a        
difficulty1 which had long shocked and  
grieved their best friends4    ,,chapter

 ,,vi4  ,,examination ,,of ,,the        
,,meaning ,,of ,,the ,,phrase ,,this    
,,was ,,done ,,that ,,it ,,might ,,be   
,,fulfilled4  ,it may be objected from  
divers learned authors1 who have been   
very sensible of the difficulties stated
 in the preceding chapters1 and have1   
sensible of the difficulties stated in  
the preceding chapters1 therefore1 taken
 other ground than their predecessors1  
in order to defend themselves the       
better2 ,i say1 it may be objected to   
what ,i have advanced1 that             
,christianity is not in fact grounded on
 the prophetical1 or other1 quotations  
made from the ,old1 in the ,new1        
,testament2 but that those quotations   
being allegorically applied by the      
authors of the ,new ,testament1 are     
merely arguments ad hominem1 to convince
 the ,jews of the truth of              
,christianity1 who allowed such a method
 of arguing to be valid1 and are not    
arguments to the rest of mankind4  ,to  
which ,i answer--,that this distinction 

is the pure invention of those who make 
the objection1 and not only has no      
foundation in the ,new ,testament1 but  
is utterly subverted by its express     
declarations2 for the authors of the    
books of the ,new ,testament always     
argue absolutely from the quotations    
they cite as prophecies out of the books
 of the ,old ,testament4 ,moses and the 
prophets are every where represented to 
be a just foundation for ,christianity2 
and the author of the ,epistle to the   
,romans expressly says1 ch4 xvi4 #bf1   
#bf1 ,the gospel1 which was kept secret 
since the world began1 was now made     
manifest by the scriptures of the       
prophets 7wherein that gospel was       
secretly contained7 to all nations1 by  
the means of the preachers of the gospel
 who gave the secret or spiritual sense 
of those scriptures2 for to the ancient 
,jews1 according to them1 the gospel was
 preached by the types of their law1    
and1 therefore1 must have been          
considered as truly contained in it4    

,besides1 the authors of the books of   
the ,new ,testament were convinced long 
before the publication of them1 that the
 gospel was to be preached to the       
,gentiles as well as the ,jews1 to both 
of whom1 therefore1 they reasoned       
allegorically in their books1 as ,peter 
and others did in their sermons1 though 
with greater success on ,gentiles than  
on ,jews2 and as ,paul did before       
,felix1 when he said he took his heresy1
 or ,christianity1 from the law1 and the
 prophets4 ,acts xxiv41 as also he did  
before ,agrippa4 ,it would1 therefore1  
seem strange1 that books written to all 
the world by men equally concerned to   
convert ,gentiles as well as ,jews1 and 
that discourses made expressly to       
,gentiles as well as to ,jews1 should be
 designed to be pertinent only to ,jews1
 much less to a very few ,jews6 ,indeed1
 ,i am ashamed at being thus long       
engaged in showing what must be self    
evident2 and did ,i not fear being      
further tedious to my readers1 ,i would 

undertake to bring together passages    
from the ,new ,testament1 where the     
meaning and intention of the writers is 
obvious1 in such abundance1 as would    
immediately and entirely put the        
hypothesis of our opponents out of      
countenance4  ,these quotations from    
the4 ,old ,testament are certainly      
urged1 and spoken of as direct proofs1  
as absolute proofs in themselves1 and   
not as mere proofs ad hominem to the    
,jews2 for if these prophecies are only 
urged by the apostles as proofs to the  
,jews1 and intended only as proofs      
founded on the mistaken meanings of the 
,old ,testament of some ,jews of their  
time1 what sense is there in appealing  
upon all occasions to the prophets1 and 
recommending the reading and search of  
the ,old ,testament for the trial and   
proof of what was preached8 for that was
 to proceed on weakness itself1 knowing 
it to be so4 ,certainly nothing1 but a  
real persuasion1 that the prophecies of 
the ,old ,testament were really         

fulfilled in ,jesus1 could make them    
every where inculcate and appeal to the 
fulfilling of prophecy4 ,in order to    
support their hypothesis1 ,christians   
have been forced to seek evidence to    
prove1 that the phrase--this was done   
that it might be fulfilled1 so frequent 
in the ,new ,testament1 meant no such   
thing1 but was only a habit the ,jews   
had got of introducing by such phrases a
 handsome quotation1 or allusion1 from  
the ,old ,testament4 ,but this evasion  
must be given up1 upon two accounts4 #a4
 ,because most of the ,european biblical
 critics of the present day 7the learned
 annotator on ,michaelis ,introduction  
to the ,new ,testament1 ,dr4 ,marsh1    
among others7 frankly acknowledge it not
 to be tenable2 and #b4 ,because it can 
be proved not to be so from the ,new    
,testament itself4 ,for example1 when   
,john represents 7,jo4 xix4 #bh17 ,jesus
 upon the cross saying1 ,i thirst that  
the scripture might be fulfilled1 doth  
he not plainly represent ,jesus as      

fulfilling a prophecy which foretold    
that the ,messiah should thirst1 or say1
 ,i thirst1 upon the cross8 ,nay1 does  
he not suppose him to say so1 in order  
to fulfil1 or that he might fulfil1 a   
prophecy8 ,is it not also suitable to   
the character of ,jesus1 who founded his
 ,messiahship on the prophecies in the  
,old ,testament1 and could not but have 
the accomplishment of those prophecies  
constantly in view to fulfil1 and to    
intend to fulfil them8 ,and is it not   
unsuitable in ,john1 in describing his  
master dying upon the cross1 to         
represent him as saying things1 whereby 
he only gave occasion to observe1 that  
he fulfilled1 i4 e41 accommodated a     
phrase6 not a prophecy66  ,besides1 they
 who set up this accommodating principle
 of accommodation1 do1 in some cases1   
take the term fulfilled in its proper   
sense1 and do allow it1 7when           
convenient7 to relate to a prophecy     
really fulfilled4 ,but ,i would ask     
them1 what rule they have to know when  

the apostles mean a prophecy fulfilled1 
and when a phrase accommodated1 since   
they are acknowledged to use the strong 
expression of fulfilling in the latter  
case no less than in the former8  ,in a 
word1 unless it be granted1 that the    
citations were intended by the authors  
of the ,new ,testament1 to be adduced1  
and applied1 as prophecies fulfilled2 if
 you do suppose them not intended to be 
adduced1 and applied1 as prophecies2    
then1 the whole affair of ,jesus being  
foretold as the ,messiah1 is reduced to 
an accommodation of phrases6 and it     
will1 assuredly1 follow1 that the       
citations of ,jesus and his apostles out
 of the ,old ,testament1 are like and no
 better than the work of1 the ,empress  
,eudoxia1 who wrote the ,history of     
,jesus in verses put together1 and      
borrowed out of--,,homer6 or that of    
,proba ,palconia1 who did the same1 in  
verses1 and words taken out of--,virgil6
  ,in fine1 one of two things must be   
allowed1 either 7which is most probable7

 the authors of the ,new ,testament     
conceived their citations to be indeed  
prophecies concerning ,jesus1 and then  
they were ignorant and blundered1 and1  
therefore2 were not inspired2 or1 they  
knowingly used them as means to deceive 
the simple and credulous into a belief  
of their being testimonies sufficient to
 prove what they themselves knew they   
had no relation to2--and then they were 
deceivers3 there is no other            
alternative1 and each horn of the       
dilemma1 must prove as fatal as the     
other4  ,perhaps it may be said1 ,it is 
to no purpose for you to object to the  
quotations or the arguments of ,jesus   
and his apostles1 for ,god was with them
 confirming their doctrine by signs     
following1 they had from ,god the power 
of working miracles1 and1 consequently1 
their interpretations of ,scripture1    
however strange they may appear to your 
minds1 must be infallible1 they being   
men inspired4  ,to this argument it can 
be justly answered1 first1 that the     

question whether ,jesus be the ,messiah1
 entirely depends1 as proved before1    
upon his answering the characteristics  
given of that personage by the ,jewish  
prophets2 and all the miracles in the   
world could never1 from the nature of   
the case1 prove him to be so1 unless his
 character does entirely agree with the 
archetype laid down by them1 as had been
 already abundantly proved4             
,secondly1--,that whether these miracles
 were really performed1 or not1 depends 
entirely upon the credibility of the    
authors themselves who have thus quoted6
 which1 as shall be shown hereafter1 may
 be disputed2 and1 thirdly1 it could be 
retorted upon ,protestants1 that this   
same argument is the same in principle  
with the often refuted popish           
argumentation4 ,the ,papists pretend to 
derive all their new invented and absurd
 doctrines and practices from the       
scriptures by their interpretations of  
them2 but yet1 when their               
interpretations are attacked from       

scripture1 they immediately fly from    
thence to the miracles wrought in their 
church1 and to the visions of their holy
 men and saints1 for the establishment  
of their interpretations1 by which they 
support those very doctrines and        
practices4 ,and particularly they       
endeavour to prove thus the doctrine of 
transubstantiation1 from the numerous   
miracles affirmed to have been wrought  
in its behalf1 which reasoning          
,protestant ,christians assert to be an 
argument absurd and inconclusive1       
therefore1 they should not use it       
themselves4  ,we allow1 that if these   
interpretations of the sense of the ,old
 ,testament had been in existence before
 the ,christian era1 it might be        
something4 ,but we beg leave to remind  
them1 that it is certain1 that these    
interpretations were not published till 
after the events to which they are      
referred took place1 which is a         
circumstance of obvious significancy4   
,in fine1 to this argument ,i would     

answer1 as in ,cicero 7de ,natura ,deor4
 ,ed4 ,dav4 p4 #bji7 ,cotta did to      
,balbus--rumoribus mecum pugnas1 ego    
autem a te roitones requiro4            
,,chapter ,,vii4  ,,examination ,,of    
,,the ,,arguments ,,alleged ,,from ,,the
 ,,hebrew ,,prophets1 ,,to ,,pbove      
,,that ,,jesus ,,was ,,the ,,messiah4   
,but it may be asked1 how it was        
possible1 that wise and good men could  
have been led to embrace the religion of
 the ,new ,testament1 if there were not 
in the ,old ,testament some prophecies  
which might be conceived by them to     
supply1 at least1 plausible arguments to
 prove that ,jesus of ,nazareth was the 
,messiah8 ,are there no other passages  
in the prophets besides those quoted in 
the ,new ,testament1 and are there not a
 few passages quoted in the ,new        
,testament1 which appear more to the    
purpose than those we have been         
considering8 ,to this ,i candidly answer
 that there are1 and this chapter will  
be devoted to the consideration of them4

  ,two of these prophecies1 one from    
,genesis1 and the other from ,daniel1   
are thought by the advocates of         
,christianity1 7because they conceive   
them to point out and to limit the time 
of the coming of the ,messiah17 to be   
stronger in their favour than any of    
those quoted in die ,new ,testament4 ,if
 so1 it is a very singular circumstance1
 that the inspired authors of the ,new  
,testament did not make use of them1    
instead of others not so much to the    
purpose4 ,this circumstance of itself   
should teach us to examine the          
prophecies in question with caution1 and
 also with candour1 since many worthy   
and religious men have thought them     
sufficient to prove that ,jesus was     
indeed the ,messiah4 ,these prophecies  
,i shall reserve last for consideration1
 and shall now begin with the others    
usually adduced1 taking them up pretty  
much in the order in which they stand in
 the ,old ,testament4  ,the first       
passage is taken from ,deut4 xviii4 #ae1

 ,the ,lord thy ,god will raise up unto 
thee a prophet from the midst of thee1  
like unto me1 unto him ye shall hearken4
 ,according to all that thou desiredst  
of the ,lord thy ,god in ,horeb1 in the 
day of the assembly1 saying4 ,let me not
 hear again the voice of the ,lord my   
,god1 neither let me see his great fire 
any more1 that ,i die not4 ,and the     
,lord said unto me1 they have well      
spoken that which they have spoken4 ,i  
will raise them up a prophet from among 
their brethren1 like unto thee1 and ,i  
will put my words into his mouth1 and he
 shall speak unto them all that ,i      
command him4 ,and it shall come to pass1
 that whosoever will not hearken unto   
my1 words which he shall speak in my    
name1 ,i will require it of him4  ,this 
passage is pertinaciously and solely    
applied to ,jesus1 by many ,christian   
writers1 because it is so applied by    
,peter in the #b chap4 of ,acts1 in his 
sermon to the ,jews1 just after he had  
received the full inspiration of the    

,holy ,spirit1 and of course must be    
considered as infallible4 ,nevertheless1
 these words of ,moses are supposed by  
many learned men1 both ,jews and        
,christians1 to be spoken of ,joshua1   
whom ,moses himself afterwards1 at the  
command and appointment of ,god1        
declared to be his successor1 and who   
was endowed with the spirit which was   
upon ,moses1 7see ,deut4 xxxi4 #cc1     
xxxiv4 #ag17 and to whom the ,jews then 
promised to hearken1 and pay obedience  
to1 as they had done before to ,moses4  
,but others understand them to be a     
promise of a succession of prophets1 to 
whom the ,jews might upon all occasions 
have recourse2 and one or the other of  
these seems to be the certain meaning of
 the place4 ,from this consideration1   
that from the context it appears ,moses 
was giving the ,jews directions of      
immediate use2 and1 therefore1 in       
promising a prophet to them1 to whom    
they should hearken1 he seems to intend 
an immediate prophet who might be of use

 to the ,jews1 and answer their common  
exigencies1 and not a prophet two       
thousand years to come4  ,but ,i take   
the words to promise a succession of    
prophets1 and for that sense wherein    
,grotius and ,le ,clerc1 and most of the
 ,jews1 take them4 ,i shall give my     
reasons1 for this1 and show that they do
 not necessarily refer to ,jesus        
,christ4  ,moses1 in the verses         
preceding this prophecy in the same     
chapter1 7,deut4 xviii4 #i--ad7 tells   
the ,israelites from ,god1 that when    
they came into ,canaan1 they should not 
learn to do after1 the abominations of  
the people thereof2 and1 particularly1  
that there should not be found among    
them any one that useth divination1 or  
an observer of times1 c41 or a consulter
 with familiar spirits1 c4 ,for all1    
says he1 that do these things are an    
abomination to the ,lord2 and because of
 these abominations the ,lord thy ,god  
doth drive these people out from before 
thee4 ,for these nations which thou     

shalt possess hearkened unto observers  
of times1 and unto diviners4 ,but as for
 thee1 the ,lord thy ,god hath not      
suffered thee to do so4 ,then follow the
 words about the prophet1 ,the ,lord thy
 ,god will raise unto thee a prophet    
from the midst of thee of thy brethren  
like unto me1 unto him ye shall hearken4
 ,all which is as much as to say1 ,when 
you come into ,canaan1 do not hearten to
 a diviner1 c41 as the ,canaanites do1  
for the ,lord will give you a prophet of
 your own brethren inspired like me1 to 
guide any instruct you1 to whom ye shall
 hearken4 ,or rather1 ,do not hearken to
 diviners1 c41 but to prophets1 who     
shall be raised up among you4  ,now that
 the words cited must relate to a       
succession of prophets to begin upon the
 ,israelites taking possession of the   
land of ,canaan1 is manifest2 because1  
the raising up of a prophet1 to whom    
they were to hearken1 is the reason     
given why they should not hearken to a  
diviner1 c41 when they came to that     

land2 which reason could have no force  
unless they were to have1 #ast1--an     
immediate prophet in ,canaan2 for what  
sense is there1 or would there be1 in   
saying1 ,dont hearken to such diviners  
as are in ,canaan1 when you come there1 
for you shall have a prophet of your    
own1 to whom ye shall hearken two       
thousand years after you come there6    
,secondly1--,as the context shows that  
the prophet to be raised up1 was an     
immediate prophet1 so it also shows1    
that the singular number here stands for
 the plural1 according to the frequent  
custom of the ,hebrew language1 as is   
shown by ,le ,clerc and ,stillingfleet1 
in loco2 for one single prophet to be   
raised up immediately1 who might soon   
die1 could not be a reason why ,jews of 
succeeding generations should not harken
 to diviners in ,canaan4                
,finally1--,the words of ,god by ,moses1
 which follow the promise of a prophet1 
evidently show that by that promise     
prophets were intended1 in laying-down a

 rule for the test or trial of the      
prophets before mentioned1 in such a    
manner as implies1 that that rule was to
 be applied to all prophets pretending  
to come from him4 ,see the words in     
,deut4 xviii41 #ai--bb4  ,i shall       
conclude this explication1 by adducing1 
in confirmation of it1 the paraphrase of
 the words given in the ,targum of      
,jonathan4 ,the nations you are about to
 possess1 7says the ,jewish paraphrast7 
hearken to jugglers and diviners2 but   
you shall not be like them2 for your    
priests shall enquire by ,urim and      
,thummim1 and the ,lord your ,god shall 
give you a true prophet4 ,and this      
explication is the one adopted by       
,origen1--,contra ,celsum1 p4 #bh4  ,as 
to the difficulty that is raised against
 this explication from the words at the 
end of ,deuteronomy--that there arose   
not a prophet since in ,israel like unto
 ,moses whom the ,lord knew face to     
face4 ,in all the signs and wonders     
which the ,lord sent him to do1 c4-- it 

is nothing at all4 ,for every one       
perceives1 that the word like may be1   
and frequently is1 used in scripture1   
and in common language1 to signify1     
similarity in some1 though not in every1
 particular2 and every prophet1 who     
speaks by ,gods direction1 is a prophet 
like unto ,moses1 who did the same1     
though he be not like1 or equal to1 him 
in doing signs and wonders1 which is all
 that is affirmed in the last chapter of
 ,deuteronomy4  ,and1 finally1 there is 
nothing to limit this prophecy to ,jesus
 of ,nazareth1 if we allowed 7what we   
reject7 the ,christian interpretation2  
since ,god might to-morrow1 if such were
 his will1 raise up a prophet like unto 
,moses in every respect1 which ,jesus   
certainly was not2 therefore1 it cannot 
be applied and restrained to the purpose
 for which it is quoted by ,peter4      
,there is in the same sermon1 in the #b 
chap4 of ,acts1 another passage quoted  
by ,peter from the ,psalms1 and applied 
by him to prove the resurrection of     

,jesus1 and on which he lays very great 
stress1 which after all seems to be     
nothing to the purpose4 ,peter says1    
,him 7i4 e41 ,jesus7 ,god hath raised   
up1 having loosed the pains or bands of 
death1 because it was not possible that 
he should be holden of it4 ,and why8    
,for because ,david speaketh concerning 
him1  ,i foresaw the ,lord always before
 my face1 for he is on my right hand1   
that ,i should not be moved4 ,therefore 
did my heart rejoice1 and my tongue was 
glad2 moreover also my flesh shall rest 
in hope4 ,because thou wilt not leave my
 soul in ,hades1 the place of departed  
,spirits nor suffer thy holy one to see 
corruption1 thou hast made known to me  
the ways of life2 thou shalt make me    
full of joy with thy countenance4 ,men  
and brethren1 let me freely speak unto  
you of the patriarch ,david1 that he is 
both dead and buried1 and his sepulchre 
is with us unto this day4 ,therefore1   
being a prophet1 and knowing that ,god  
had sworn with an oath to him1 that of  

the fruit of his loins according to the 
flesh1 he would raise up ,christ to sit 
upon his throne4 ,he1 seeing this       
before1 spake of the resurrection of    
,christ1 that his soul was not left in  
,hades1 neither did his flesh see       
corruption4  ,how imposing is this      
argument6 ,how plausible it appears6    
,and yet it is irrelevant1 as ,dr4      
,priestly frankly confesses1 who tries  
to save the credit of the apostle by the
 convenient principle of accommodation6 
,the whole force of ,peters reasoning   
depends upon the word corruption4 ,david
 did see corruption2 therefore1 he could
 not mean himself1 but being a prophet1 
c41 he meant ,jesus ,christ4 ,now1 the  
whole of ,peters argument is grounded   
upon two mistakes2 for1 #ast1 the       
,hebrew word translated corruption1 here
 signifies destruction1 perdition2 and  
in the next place1 instead of being thy 
holy ,one1 in the singular1 it is in the
 ,hebrew thy saints1 in general4 ,the   
passage is quoted from the #afth ,psalm2

 and ,i will give a literal translation 
of it from the original1 which will make
 the propriety or impropriety of ,peters
 quotation perfectly obvious4 ,the      
contents and import of the ,psalm1      
according to the ,english version1 are  
as follow2 ,david1 in distrust of his   
merits1 and hatred of idolatry1 fleeth  
to ,god for preservation1 ,he showeth   
the hope of his calling1 of the         
resurrection1 and of life everlasting4  
,and the passage in question1 according 
to the original1 reads thus3--,i have   
set the ,lord always before me3 ,because
 he is on my right hand1 ,i shall not be
 moved3 ,therefore my heart is glad1 and
 my glory i4 e41 tongue rejoiceth3 ,my  
flesh also shall rest in hope4 ,for thou
 wilt not leave my soul in ,hades1      
neither wilt thou suffer thy saints to  
see destruction4 ,thou wilt show me the 
path of life3 ,in thy presence is       
fullness of joy1 and at thy right hand  
are pleasures for evermore4 ,that       
is--,because ,i have ever trusted in    

thee1 and experienced thy constant      
protection1 therefore ,i will not fear  
death2 because thou wilt not for over   
leave my soul in the place of departed  
spirits1 nor suffer thy saints to perish
 from existence4 ,thou wilt raise me    
from the dead1 and make me happy for    
ever in thy presence4  ,in the #dth     
chap4 of the ,acts1 the apostles are    
represented as praying to ,god1 and     
referring in their prayer to the #b;d   
,psalm why did the heathen rage1 c41 as 
being a prophecy of the opposition of   
the ,jews to ,jesus2 with how much      
justice may be seen from these          
circumstances4  #a4 ,that the nations1  
as it is in the original1 did not       
assemble together to crucify ,jesus1 as 
this was done by a few soldiers4 #b4    
,the kings of the earth had no hand in  
it1 for they knew nothing about it4 ,and
 #crdly1 ,those who were concerned did  
by no means form vain designs1 since    
they effected their cruel purposes4 ,and
 lastly1 ,from that time to the present1

 ,god has not set ,jesus as his king    
upon the holy hill of ,sion1 as the     
,psalm imports1 nor given him the       
nations for his inheritance1 nor the    
uttermost parts of the earth for a      
possession4  ,the next prophecy usually 
adduced to prove that ,jesus is the     
,messiah1 is ,the passage quoted from   
,micah v4 #b1 in the #b;d chapter of    
,mat4--,but from ,bethlehem ,ephratah1  
though thou be little among the chiefs  
of ,judah1 yet out of thee shall he come
 forth unto me1 that is1 to be ruler in 
,israel1 whose goings forth have been   
from old1 from the days of hidden ages4 
,this passage probably refers to the    
,messiah1 but by no means signifies that
 this ,messiah was to be born in        
,bethlehem1 as asserted by ,matthew2 but
 only1 that he was to be derived from   
,bethlehem1 the city of ,jesse1 the     
father of ,david of famous memory1 whose
 family was venerable for its antiquity1
  being of the days of hidden ages4 ,and
 this interpretation is known1 and      

acknowledged1 by ,hebrew scholars4 ,but 
in order to cut short the dispute1 w    
will permit the passage to be           
interpreted as signifying that          
,bethlehem was to be the birth place of 
the ,messiah4 ,what then8 ,will a mans  
being born in ,bethlehem be sufficient  
to make him to be the ,messiah foretold 
by the ,hebrew prophets8 ,surely it has 
been made plain in the beginning of this
 work1 that many more characteristic    
marks than this must meet in one person 
in order to constitute him the ,messiah 
described by them6  ,in ,zechariah ix4  
#i1 it is written1 ,rejoice greatly1 ,o 
,daughter of ,sion1 ,shout1 ,o ,daughter
 of ,jerusalem6 ,behold thy king cometh 
unto thee1 the righteous one1 and saved1
 or preserved according to the ,hebrew  
lowly1 and riding upon an ass1 and upon 
a colt1 the foal of an ass4 ,this has   
been applied by the evangelists to      
,jesus1 who rode upon an ass into       
,jerusalem4  ,but in the first place1 it
 is to be observed1 that there seems to 

have been a blunder in this transaction2
 for according to the ,hebrew idiom of  
the passage quoted above1 the personage 
there spoken of1 was to ride upon an ass
 colt2 whereas1 the apostles1 in order  
to be sure of fulfilling the prophecy1  
represent ,jesus as riding upon an ass1 
and the colt1 too6 ,they spread their   
garments upon them1 and set him upon    
them4,see the evangelists in loc4 ,in   
the next place1 a man may ride into     
,jerusalem upon an ass1 without being   
thus necessarily demonstrated to be the 
,messiah4 ,and unless1 as said before1  
every tittle of the marks given by the  
prophets to designate their ,messiah1 be
 found in ,jesus1 and in any other      
claiming to be that ,messiah his being  
born in ,bethlehem1 and riding upon an  
ass into ,jerusalem1 will by no means   
prove him to be so4 ,besides1 those who 
will take the trouble to look at the    
context in ,zechariah1 will find1 that  
the event spoken of in the quotation1 is
 spoken of as contemporaneous with the  

restoration ,israel1 and the            
establishment of peace and happiness1   
which seems to cut up by the roots the  
interpretation of the evangelists4 ,and 
to conclude the argument1--,jesus being 
born in ,bethlehem1 and riding into     
,jerusalem1 allowing it to be true1     
would not1 we think1 frustrate these    
prophecies of a future fulfillment--for 
no one can disprove1 that if so be the  
will of ,god1 such a person as the      
,messiah is described to be1 might be   
born in ,bethlehem to-morrow1 and ride  
in triumph into ,jerusalem1 twenty years
 afterwards4  ,the next passage which   
has been offered1 as a prophecy of      
,jesus1 is to be found in the #abth     
chap4 of ,zech4 v4 #aj1 and part of it  
has been misquoted by ,john4 ,and ,i    
will pour upon the house of ,david1 and 
upon the inhabitants of ,jerusalem1 the 
spirit of grace and supplications1 and  
they shall look on me whom they have    
pierced4 ,so it stands in the ,english  
version2 but1 before ,i state what it   

ought to be1 ,i would observe1 that     
before the evangelist1 7who in his      
account of the crucifixion applies this 
passage as referring to ,jesus being    
pierced with a spear7 could make this   
passage fit his purpose1 he had to      
substitute the word him for me1 as it is
 in the ,hebrew2 confirmed by1 ,i       
believe1 all the versions1 ancient and  
modern1 without exception4 ,yet1 with   
this change1 it will by no means answer 
his purpose2 for the ,hebrew word here  
translated pierced1 in this place       
signifies blasphemed1 or insulted1 as it
 is understood by ,grotius1 who confirms
 this rendering from the ,hebrew of     
,levit4 xxiv4 #aa1 where in this passage
 the ,israelitish woman's son blasphemed
 the name of the ,lord4 ,the ,hebrew    
word translated blasphemed is from the  
same root with the ,hebrew word         
translated pierced in the passage in    
,zechariah quoted above4 ,so that the   
passage ought to be translated thus3--,i
 will pour upon the house of ,david1 and

 upon the inhabitants of ,jerusalem1 the
 spirit of grace and supplications1 and 
they shall look towards me whom they    
have blasphemed4 ,to look towards ,god  
is a phrase frequently met with1 and    
well understood4 ,now1 to enable us to  
understand more perfectly this passage1 
let us consider the context1 where we   
shall find that it states1 that there   
was to be a war in ,judea1 and a siege  
of ,jerusalem1 and then a deliverance of
 the ,jews1 by the destruction of all   
the nations1 that should come up at that
 time1 against ,jerusalem4 ,immediately 
after which matters1 follows the        
prophecy under consideration--,i will   
pour upon the house of ,david1 c4 ,now1 
from these things thus laid together1 ,i
 crave leave to argue in the words of   
,dr4 ,sykes ,essay1 c41 p4 #bfh--;,did  
any one circumstance of all this happen 
to the ,jews about the time of the death
 of ,jesus8 ,or rather1 was not every   
thing the reverse of what ,zechariah    
says2 and instead of all nations being  

destroyed that came about ,jerusalem1   
,jerusalem itself was destroyed3 instead
 of a spirit of grace and supplications1
 the ,jews have had their hearts        
hardened against the ,christ2 instead of
 mourning for him whom they have        
pierced1 they condemn him and his       
followers even until this day4  ,but it 
is tiresome thus to waste time in       
proving that parts and ends of verses1  
disjointed from their connexion1 and    
even the words quoted1 some of them     
changed and some transposed1 7though    
even done according to the rules given  
by the venerable ,surenhusius7 prove    
nothing4 ,we must1 therefore1 devote the
 remainder of this long chapter to the  
consideration of the three famous       
prophecies1 on which ,christians have   
not hesitated1 with triumphing          
confidence1 to rest the issue of their  
cause4 ,these are the prophecy of       
,shiloh1 ,gen4 #di2 the #ec;d ch4 of    
,isaiah2 and ,daniels prophecy of the   
seventy weeks4 ,i will consider them in 

order1 and thus wind up the chapter4  ,i
 have some where read in a catechism1   
the following question and answer3--,q4 
,how can you confound the ,jews1 and    
prove1 from prophecy1 that the ,messiah 
is already come8 ,a4 ,from these two    
prophecies--,the sceptre shall not      
depart from ,judah1 c4--,gen4 xlix42 and
 this--,seventy weeks are determined    
upon thy people1 c4--,dan4 ix4 #bd4     
,but1 notwithstanding these overwhelming
 proofs1 the stubborn ,jews refuse to be
 confounded6 on the contrary1 they in   
fact laugh at ,christians for being so  
easily imposed upon4  ,the prophecy     
concerning ,shiloh1 the ,jews           
acknowledge1 refers to their ,messiah4  
,but they do not allow that it defines  
or limits the time of his coming4  ,and 
that it in fact does not1 will be       
perfectly1 evident to all who will look 
at the place in the ,hebrew bible1 which
 they will find pointed to read         
not--,the sceptre shall not depart from 
,judah1 and a lawgiver from between his 

feet1 until ,shiloh come1 c42 but       
thus--,the sceptre shall not depart from
 ,judah1 nor a lawgiver from between his
 feet1 for ever2 for ,shiloh shall come1
 and to him shall the gathering of the  
people be4 ,so that the prophecy does   
not intimate that the ,messiah should   
come before the sceptre be departed from
 ,judah2 but that it should not depart  
for ever1 but shall be restored when    
,shiloh comes4 ,this is the plain and   
obvious sense of the prophecy2 and1     
moreover1 is the only one that is       
consistent with historical fact4 ,for1  
in truth1 the sceptre had departed from 
,judah several hundred years before     
,jesus of ,nazareth was born4 ,for from 
the time of the ,babylonish captivity   
,judah has never been free1 but in      
subjection to the ,persians1 the        
,syrians1 the ,romans1 and all the      
world4  ,if my readers desire further   
satisfaction with regard to this        
interpretation of this famous prophecy1 
,i refer them to the dispute upon this  

subject between the celebrated          
,rittangelius1 and a learned ,jew1      
7preserved in ,wagenseils ,tela ,ignea17
 where he will find ,rittangelius first 
amicably inviting the ,hebrew to discuss
 the point1 who does so most ably and   
respectfully toward his ,christian      
antagonist1 and unanswerably establishes
 the interpretation above stated1 by the
 laws of the ,hebrew language1 by the   
ancient interpretation of the ,targum1  
by venerable tradition1 and by appealing
 to history4 ,rittangelius begins his   
defence by shuffling1 an ends by getting
 into a passion1 and calling names2     
which his opponent1 who is cool1 because
 confident of being able to establish   
his argument1 answers by notifying to   
,rittangelius his compassion and        
contempt4  ,the next prophecy proposed  
to be considered1 is the celebrated     
prophecy of ,isaiah1 consisting of part 
of the #ebnd1 and the whole of the      
#ecrd1 chapter4 ,it is the only prophecy
 which ,paley thinks worth bringing     

forward in his elaborate defence2 and it
 must be confessed1 that if this        
prophecy relates to the ,messiah1 it is 
by far the most plausible of any that   
are brought forward in favour of ,jesus 
,christ4 ,it merits1 therefore1 a       
thorough discussion1 and ,i shall       
endeavour that it shall be a candid one4
 ,this prophecy is quoted by ,jesus     
himself in ,luke xxii4 #ci1 and by      
,philip1 when he converted the ,eunuch1 
7,acts #h17 for beginning at this       
prophecy1 he preached unto him ,jesus4  
,it will not be necessary to cite the   
passage at length1 it being one         
perfectly familiar to every ,christian4 
,i will1 then1 before ,i consider it1   
first premise1 that since it has been   
heretofore abundantly made evident1 that
 the ,messiah of the ,old ,testament was
 not to suffer1 and die1 but to live and
 reign1 it is according to the rules of 
sound criticism1 and ,i think sound     
theology too1 to interpret this solitary
 passage1 so that it may not contradict 

very many others of a directly contrary 
import4 ,now1 if this passage can relate
 only to the ,messiah1 it will throw    
into utter confusion the whole scheme of
 the prophetical scriptures4 ,but if it 
can be made to appear1 that it does not 
necessarily relate to him2 if it can1   
consistently with the context1 be       
otherwise applied1 the whole difficulty 
vanishes4 ,now1 the authors of the ,new 
,testament have applied this prophecy to
 the ,messiah1 and to ,jesus as the     
,messiah2 and for doing so1 they have   
been accused of misapplication of       
it-from the earliest times2 since we    
know from ,origen1 that the ,jews of his
 time derided the ,christians for       
relying upon this prophecy2 alleging    
that it related to their own nation1 and
 was a prophecy of their suffering and  
persecuted state1 and of their ultimate 
emancipation and happiness4 ,and this   
interpretation of the prophecy the      
learned ,vitringa1 in his commentary    
upon ,is4 in loc41 allows to be the most

 respectable he had met with among the  
,jews1 and1 according to him1 to be by  
no means dispised4  ,in order that the  
fitness or unfitness of this application
 of the prophecy may be made apparent1  
and evident1 we will new lay before the 
reader this famous prophecy1 part by    
part1 each part accompanied by the      
,jewish interpretation4  ,isaiah lii4   
#ac1 ,behold1 my servant shall prosper1 
he shall be exalted1 and extolled1 and  
be very high4 ,interpretation--,my      
servant ,israel1 though he be in great  
affliction for a time1 yet hereafter    
shall be released from captivity1 and be
 honoured and raised to elevation very  
high among the nations of the earth4    
,that the ,jewish nation is spoken of1  
in the singular number and under the    
title of ,gods servant frequently in the
 ,old ,testament1 is well known1 and    
will be here made certain by a few      
examples4 ,isaiah xli4 7the chapter     
preceding the prophecy17 ,but thou      
,israel my servant1 thou1 ,jacob1 whom  

,i have chosen1 presently afterwards1   
saying to thee1 thou art my servant4    
,again1 chapter xliv4-- ,now1 therefore1
 hear ,jacob my servant1 and so         
frequently in the same chapter4 ,see    
also ch4 xlv41 and ,jer4 ch4 xxx41 and  
,ps4 cxxxvi41 and ,isaiah throughout1   
for similar examples4  ,and many were   
astonished at thee 7his visage was so   
marred more than any man1 and his form  
more than the sons of men47 ,that       
is--,and many were astonished at thee1  
on account of thy abject state1 and     
miserable condition1 being squalid with 
misery1 and suffering more than any men4
  ,so shall he sprinkle many nations1   
the kings shall shut their mouths at    
him2 for that which had not been told   
them1 shall they see1 and that which    
they had not heard1 shall they consider4
  ,interpretation--,as the ,gentiles    
wondered at their abject state1 so as to
 make them a proverb of reproach1 so    
shall they admire at their wonderful    
change of circumstances1 from the depth 

of degradation to the height of         
prosperity and honour4 ,so that they    
shall lay their hands upon their mouths1
 which had beforetime reproached them1  
when they shall see their felicity to be
 so far beyond what had been told them1 
and they shall attentively consider it1 
and they shall say to each other--  ,who
 hath believed our report1 and the arm  
of the ,lord to whom was it revealed8   
,for he grew up ,hebrew1 not he shall   
grow up1 as in the ,english version     
before him as a tender plant1 and as a  
root out of a dry soil2 he had no form  
nor comeliness2 and when we saw him1    
there was no beauty that we should      
desire him4  ,the sense is--,the        
,gentiles shall say to each other in    
wonder1 ,who believed what we heard     
concerning them8 ,and to whom was the   
interest the ,lord took in them made    
known8 ,for it was a dispised people1   
feeble1 and wretched1 like a tender     
plant springing up out of a thirsty     
soil4 ,their appearance was abject1 and 

there was nothing attractive in their   
manners4  ,he was despised and rejected 
of men1 a man of sorrows and acquainted 
with grief3 and we hid1 as it were1 our 
faces from him2 he was despised1 and we 
esteemed him not4  ,that is--,they were 
despised1 and held in abhorrence3 they  
were men of sorrow1 and familiar with   
suffering4 ,we looked upon them with    
dislike3 we hid our faces from them1 and
 esteemed them not4  ,surely he hath    
borne our griefs1 and carried our       
sorrows4  ,interpretation--,surely their
 sufferings are as great as if they had 
borne the sins of the whole world2 or1  
they are1 nevertheless1 the means       
appointed to remove the sufferings of an
 afflicted world1 for ,god hath         
connected universal happiness with their
 prosperity2 and the end of their       
sufferings1 is the beginning of our     
joys4  ,yet did we esteem him smitten of
 ,god1 and afflicted4                   
,interpretation--,nevertheless1 we      
considered them as a ,god- abandoned    

race1 and devoted to wretchedness by    
him1 for having crucified their king4   
,but he was wounded for or by our       
transgressions1 he was bruised for or by
 our iniquities3 the chastisement of our
 peace was upon him2 and through his    
stripes we are healed4  ,that is--,but1 
instead of being the victims of ,gods   
wrath1 they were wounded through our    
cruelty1 they were bruised by our       
iniquitous treatment1 we being suffered 
to do so1 to chastise them for their    
sins1 and to prove their obedience2 and 
this chastisement is that by which our  
peace is to be effected2 for their      
chastisement and probation being        
finished4 ,god will by them impart and  
diffuse peace and happiness4  ,all we   
like sheep have gone astray1 we1 have   
turned every one to his own way1 and the
 ,lord hath caused to meet upon him the 
iniquity of us all4  ,but it is we who  
have sinned more than they3 we have all 
gone astray in our ignorance1 being     
without the knowledge of ,god1 or of his

 law4 ,yet the ,lord hath permitted us  
to make them the subjects of our        
oppressive iniquity4  ,he was oppressed1
 or exposed to pecuniary exactions and  
he was afflicted1 yet he opened not his 
mouth3 he was brought as a lamb to the  
slaughter2 and as a sheep before her    
shearers is dumb1 so he opened1 not his 
mouth4 ,he was taken from prison and    
from judgment1 and who shall declare his
 generation1 into his manner of life1   
who stoopeth to look8 according to the  
,hebrew for he was cut off out of the   
land of the living2 for1 or by the      
transgression of my people was he       
stricken4 ,and he made his grave with   
the wicked2 but with the rich were his  
deaths1 or tomb because he had done no  
violence1 neither was deceit in his     
mouth4  ,interpretation--,how passive   
and unresisting were they1 when         
oppressed6--,they were afflicted1 and   
they complained not2 when through false 
accusations1 and mistaken cruelty they  
were plundered1 and condemned to die1   

they went like a ,iamb to the slaughter1
 and as a sheep before her shearers is  
dumb1 so they opened not their mouth4   
,they were taken from the dungeon to be 
slain1 they were wantonly massacred1 and
 every man was their foe2 and the cause 
of the sufferers who condescended to    
examine2 for by the thoughtless crimes  
of my people1 they suffered4 ,yet       
notwithstanding their graves were       
appointed with the wicked2 yet they were
 rich in their deaths4 ,this did ,god   
grant them1 because they had not done   
iniquity4  ,rabbi ,isaac1 author of the 
famous ,munimen ,fidei1 renders the     
original--on account of impieties was he
 given to his sepulchre1 and on account 
of his riches was his death1 because he 
did no violence1 neither was deceit in  
his mouth--which he interprets          
thus3--,we 7the former speakers7 raised 
against them false accusations of       
impiety1 on account of their religion1  
and refusing to worship our idols2 but  
their riches was the real cause why we  

put them to death4 ,nevertheless1 they  
used no violence in opposition to our   
oppressions1 neither would they forsake 
their religion1 and deceitfully assent  
to ours in hypocrisy499  ,yet it pleased
 the ,lord to bruise him3 he hath put   
him to grief4 ,when thou shalt make his 
soul a propitiation for sin1 he shall   
see his seed1 he shall prolong his days1
 and the pleasure of the ,lord shall    
prosper in his hands4 ,this proves that 
this prophecy cannot refer to any       
individual1 but may refer to the ,jewish
 nation1 because one individual cannot  
be put to death1 and yet see his seed1  
and prolong his days4 ,after or on      
account of the travail of his soul1     
seeing he shall be satisfied1 by his    
knowledge shall my righteous servant    
make many righteous or show them        
righteousness1 and he shall bear the    
burden of their iniquities4  ,that      
is--,after and for their sufferings1    
they shall be abundantly rewarded2 by   
their superior knowledge of religious   

truth1 shall they make many wise1 for   
many nations shall go1 and say1 come ye1
 and let us ascend to the mount of the  
,lord1 and to the house of the ,god of  
,jacob1 that he may teach us his        
ways--,mic4 iv4 ch4  ,wherefore1 ,i will
 give him a portion with the great1 and 
with the mighty shall he divide the     
spoil1 because he poured out his life   
unto death1 and was numbered with the   
transgressors1 and himself bear the sin 
of many1 and interceded for the         
transgressors4                          
,interpretation--,therefore1 their      
reward shall be exceeding great1 because
 for the sake of their duty1 they       
willingly exposed themselves to death1  
and were accounted as transgressors1 and
 bore the cruel afflictions inflicted by
 many1 and made intercession for them   
who afflicted them4  ,such is the       
explication given by the ,jews of this  
prophecy4 ,i have made no important     
alterations of the common ,english      
translation2 except1 that in some       

passages1 ,i have made it more          
conformable to the original by          
substituting a verb in the past tense1  
instead of leaving it in the future1 as 
in the ,english version4 ,those         
translators have taken certain liberties
 in this respect to make this prophecy  
7and several others7 more accordant to  
their own views1 which are not supported
 by the ,hebrew3 many of these          
expressions1 however1 we have left      
unaltered1 as they are quite harmless4  
,but if any of our readers desire       
further information with regard to the  
propriety of this interpretation of this
 prophecy of ,isaiah1 we refer him to   
the ,munimen ,fidei1 contained in       
,wagenseil's ,tela ,ignea1 where he will
 find it amply illustrated1 and         
defended4 ,here1 in this work1 we shall 
content ourselves with proving1 that    
this prophecy can by no means relate to 
,jesus1 from these circumstances3--#a4  
,jesus certainly was not exalted and    
magnified1 and made very great upon     

earth1 which1 as has been shown1 was to 
be the scene of the exaltation of the   
,old ,testament ,messiah2 but was put to
 a cruel and disgraceful death4 #b4 ,he 
was not oppressed by pecuniary          
exactions1 as is said of the subject of 
this prophecy4 #c4 ,he was never taken  
from prison to die1 for he was never in 
one4 #d4 ,he did not see his seed1 nor  
prolong his days1 since he died         
childless2 and we will not permit the   
word seed to be spiritualized on this   
occasion1 for the word seed in the ,old 
,testament1 means nothing else1 than    
literally children1 which it is not     
pretended he ever had2 and how could he 
prolong his days1 when he was cut off in
 his #cc;d year4 #e4 ,besides1 who were 
the strong and mighty1 with whom he     
divided the spoil8 ,were they the twelve
 fishermen of ,galilee8 and what was the
 spoil divided8 ,in a word1 the literal 
application of this prophecy to ,jesus  
is now given up by the most learned     
,hebrew scholars1 who allow1 that the   

literal sense of the original can never 
be understood of him4 ,see ,priestleys  
notes on the scriptures1 in loco2 and   
the context before and after4  ,we have 
now come to the last subject proposed to
 be considered in this chapter1 viz41   
,daniels prophecy of the seventy weeks1 
the instar omnium of the prophetical    
proofs of ,christianity1 and which was  
for ages held up to the view of the     
unbelieving race1 as cutting off beyond 
doubt their hope of ,israel from ever   
appearing1 since the time so distinctly 
foretold had elapsed4 ,but such is the  
instability of human opinions1 that it  
was at length suspected1 and at last    
ascertained-by the learned1 that the    
stubborn ,israelites had some reason for
 denying that prophecy1 any voice in the
 affair4  ,during many years1 one       
learned man after another1 had amused   
himself with destroying the system of   
his predecessor1 and replacing it with  
his own1 not a whit better1 but tending 
to the same end1 viz41 to make the      

prophecy of the seventy weeks tally and 
fit with the event of the crucifixion4  
,at length ,marsham1 a learned          
,englishman1 declared1 and demonstrated1
 that his predecessors1 in this enquiry1
 had been grossly mistaken1 for that the
 prophecy in all its parts was totally  
irrelevant and irreconcileable with the 
time of the crucifixion4 ,the appearance
 of his book put all the theologians of 
that age in an uproar6 ,but many learned
 ,christians in the last1 and present1  
century1 now freely acknowledge1 that   
,daniel is not on their side1 but as    
much a ,jew as his brethren4  ,this     
celebrated prophecy1 literally          
translated from the original1 is as     
follows3--,dan4 ix4 #bd1 c4--,seventy   
weeks are determined upon thy people1   
and upon thy holy city1 to finish the   
transgression1 and to make an end of    
sins1 and to make reconciliation for    
iniquity1 and to bring in everlasting   
righteousness1 and to seal the vision   
and prophecy1 and to anoint the most    

,holy1 i4 e41 the sanctum sanctorum1 or 
,holy of ,holies4 ,know1 therefore1 and 
understand1 that from the going forth of
 the word to restore and build          
,jerusalem1 unto the anointed prince1   
shall be seven weeks2 and 7in7          
threescore and two weeks1 the street    
shall be built again1 and the wall1 even
 in troublous times4 ,and after         
threescore and two weeks shall the      
anointed 7one7 be cut off1 and be       
without a successor2 7,heb4 and not1 or 
none to him7 and the city and the       
sanctuary shall be destroyed by the     
people of the prince that shall come2   
and the end thereof shall be with a     
flood1 and unto the end of the war      
desolations are determined4 ,and he     
shall confirm the covenant with many for
 one week1 and half the week 7i4 e41 in 
the midst of the week7 he shall cause   
the sacrifice and the oblation to cease1
 and for the overspreading of           
abominations he shall make it desolate1 
even until the consummation and that    

7is7 determined1 be poured upon the     
desolate8  ,this is the prophecy on     
which such stress has been laid1 as     
pointing out the precise time of the    
coming of the ,messiah2 and ,i shall    
fully demonstrate that it hath not the  
most distant reference to that event4   
,and for the better explanation of the  
prophecy1 it is proper that we attend a 
little to the context4  99,in the       
preceding chapter of ,daniel it is said1
 that when ,daniel was informed of the  
vision of the two thousand and three    
hundred days1 he sought for the meaning2
 but not rightly understanding it1 he   
judged1 that that great number was a    
contradiction to the word of ,god as    
delivered by ,jeremiah1 concerning the  
redemption at the end of seventy years2 
7,jer4 xxv4 #aa1 #ab1 and ch4 xxix4 #aj7
 and from thence he concluded that the  
captivity was prolonged on account of   
the sins of the nation4 ,this doubt     
arose from his not understanding the    
prophecy1 and1 therefore1 the angel said

 unto him1--,i am now come forth to give
 thee skill and understanding4 ,and he  
proceeds to inform him1 that as soon as 
he began to pray1 and ,god saw1 his     
perplexity1 the royal command went forth
 from him1 that he should come to       
,daniel to make him understand the truth
 of those matters1 that were to come to 
pass in future time4 ,and as the angel  
,gabriel had explained to him the vision
 from whence his doubt arose1 it was    
incumbent on him to perfect the         
explanation2 and that is what is meant  
by the expression to show1 i4 e41 as ,i 
began the explanation1 the commandment  
was1 that ,i should finish it4  ,before 
,i proceed to give the ,jewish          
explanation of the prophecy1 it is      
proper to show in what manner the answer
 of the angel in it1 agreed to ,daniels 
question1 and also the reason of his    
using the term weeks1 and not years1 or 
times1 as in the other visions4  ,it    
appears1 that ,daniel1 from the words of
 ,jeremiah1 perceived that ,god4 would  

visit all the nations1 and punish them  
for their sins1 as may be observed from 
the following words3--,thus saith the   
,lord ,god of ,israel unto me1 ,take the
 wine cup of this fury at my hand1 and  
cause all the nations to whom ,i send   
thee1 to drink it-- ,jer1 xxv4 #ae4 ,he 
then mentions first ,jerusalem1         
afterwards the king of ,egypt1 ,tyre1   
,sidon1 and all the ,isles beyond the   
sea1 and many others2 and at last the   
king of ,sheshak1 or ,babylon4  ,he also
 further perceived1 that the visitation 
of each nation would be at the end of   
seventy years1 as ,isaiah observes of   
,tyre3 ,and it shall come to pass in    
that day1 that ,tyre shall be forgotten 
seventy years4 ,isaiah xxiii4 #ae1 the  
same of ,babylon3 ,and it shall come to 
pass1 when seventy years are            
accomplished1 ,i will punish the ,king  
of ,babylon4 ,jer4 xxv4 #ab1 ,and as it 
is observed in the next verse3 ,all that
 is written in this book which ,jeremiah
 hath prophecied1 against all the       

nations4 ,from whence it appears1 that  
as the visitation of ,babylon was to be 
seventy years1 so was that of the other 
nations to be2 for so had the wisdom of 
,god decreed to wait according to this  
number4 ,for which reason1 and because  
the prophets say that the restoration of
 ,israel is to be contemporaneous with  
the destruction of their enemies1       
,daniel appears to have4 judged1 that   
the sins of his nation would be done    
away by the seventy years of the        
captivity of ,babylon2 and1 therefore1  
the angel informed him of his error1 by 
telling him1 that this was not to be the
 case with his nation1 for that their   
wickedness was come up before ,god1 and 
their sin was very grievous2 and that1  
therefore1 their sins would not be      
atoned for by seventy years1 as in the  
case of the rest of the nations1 to whom
 he allowed seventy years to see if they
 would repent2 and1 if not1 then he     
would punish them4 ,but as for ,israel1 
he would not only wait seventy years1   

but seven times seventy years2 7for thus
 it is literally1 in the ,hebrew1 the   
words translated seventy weeks1 are1    
literally1 seventy sevens7 after which1 
if they had not repented and reformed1  
their kingdom should be cut off1 and    
they return into captivity1 to finish an
 atonement for their transgressions4    
,hence the cause of ,daniel's question  
is evident2 and the propriety of the    
angels answer to the question1 is       
manifest2 as also the expression of     
weeks or sevens4  ,these seventy weeks  
are1 without doubt1 four hundred and    
ninety years1 the time elapsed from the 
destruction of the first temple1 till   
the destruction of the second4  ,this1  
it seems1 was the more necessary for the
 angel to inform him of2 because ,daniel
 judged1 that after their return from   
,babylon1 by means of that visitation   
only1 all their sins would be done away4
 ,for which reason the angel showed him 
that it would not be so1 for the return 
from ,babylon was not a perfect         

redemption1 because there was not a     
general collection of all that were in  
captivity1 even all the tribes1 save    
only a few of ,judah and ,benjamin1 and 
those not the most respectable4 ,and    
after their return1 they were not free1 
but were under the dominion of the      
,persians1 ,greeks and ,romans4 ,and    
although they1 at one time1 threw off   
their yoke1 and had kings of the        
,asmonean and ,herodean families1 yet   
was there no king among them of the seed
 of ,david1 neither had they the        
,shechinah1 nor the ,urim and ,thummim1 
all which is a manifestation that it was
 not a perfect redemption1 but only a   
visitation1 with which ,god was pleased 
to visit them2 so that they were allowed
 to build a temple to the ,lord1 by the 
permission of ,cyrus1 and according to  
the measure given by him4 ,this was that
 they might be the better enabled to do 
the works of repentance during the time 
allowed1 and thus make atonement1 and   
thus finish the transgression1 and make 

an end of sins1 and make reconciliation 
for iniquity2 and thus1 at the end of   
the time assigned1 even seventy weeks1  
they would bring in everlasting         
righteousness1 i4e41 universal virtue   
and felicity1 throughout the world1 when
 the ,eternal should be known1          
worshipped1 and obeyed by all mankind4  
,but if they did not repent1 and amend1 
if they did evil1 as their fathers1 then
 their kingdom was to be cut off at the 
expiration of the seventy weeks2 which1 
in fact1 took place4  ,after the angel  
had thus expressed himself in general   
terms1 he descended to particulars2 and 
laid down three propositions 7if ,i may 
be allowed the term17 or periods4       
,first4 ,know1 therefore1 and           
understand1 7that7 from the going forth 
of the word to restore and build        
,jerusalem1 unto the anointed prince1   
7shall be7 seven weeks4  ,that is1 it   
shall be seven weeks or forty nine years
 from the destruction of the first      
temple1 to ,cyrus1 the anointed prince1 

who shall give leave to build the       
second4 ,with regard to the import of   
the phrase the going forth of the word1 
,i refer the reader to ,levi's ,letters 
to ,priestley1 and shall here only      
concern myself with settling the meaning
 of the expression of the anointed      
prince4 ,many ,christians have objected 
to the term ,messiah1 or anointed1 being
 applied1 as in our interpretation to   
,cyrus a heathen prince2 and they apply 
it themselves to ,jesus of ,nazareth4   
,but that the term1 or appellation1     
,messiah1 can be applied to ,cyrus1 is  
evident2 since we find it so applied by 
,god himself in the xlv4 ch4 of ,isaiah4
 ,thus saith the ,lord to his anointed1 
to ,cyrus4 #b4 ,it is a singular fact1  
that the appellation ,messiah is never  
applied to the expected deliverer of the
 ,israelites in the whole bible1 except1
 perhaps1 in ii4 ,psalm4 ,it is an      
appellation indifferently applied to    
kings1 and priests1 and prophets2 to all
 who were anointed1 as an induction into

 their office1 and has nothing in it    
peculiar and exclusive2 but the         
application of it to the expected       
deliverer of ,israel1 originated in and 
from the ,targums4 #c4 ,in order to make
 this prophecy1 and this phrase1        
,messiah the prince1 or the anointed    
prince1 apply to ,jesus of ,nazareth1   
,christians connect1 and join together1 
this first member of the prophecy with  
the second1 in open defiance of the     
original ,hebrew2 and after all1 they   
can reap no benefit from this manoeuvre2
 for the term ,messiah ,nagid1 or the   
anointed prince1 can never apply to     
,jesus1 in this place1 at any rate2     
because he certainly was no prince or   
,nagid1 a word which in the ,hebrew     
bible always1 without exception1 denotes
 a prince1 or ruler1 one invested with  
temporal authority1 or supreme command4 
,now1 as it is allowed on all hands1    
that ,jesus had no such temporal power1 
as a prince1 or ruler2 it1 consequently1
 follows1 that he can by no means be the

 anointed prince mentioned in the       
prophecy4  ,second ,period4 ,and 7in7   
threescore and two weeks1 the street    
shall be built again1 and the wall1 even
 in troublous times1  ,here the angel   
gave him to understand1 that after the  
seven weeks before mentioned1 there     
would come a time in which the building 
would be hindered1 7and which was on    
account of the letter written by ,rheum 
and ,shimshai to ,artaxerxes1 who1 in   
consequence thereof1 made the building  
to cease-,see ,ezra and ,nehemiah7 till 
the second year of ,darius1 who gave    
leave to finish the building3 which     
continued till the destruction by the   
,romans1 sixty-two weeks1 beside the    
last week1 at the beginning of which1   
the ,romans came1 and warred against    
them1 and at length entirely destroyed  
the cities of ,judah1 ,jerusalem1 and   
the temple4 ,for1 from the time that    
,cyrus first gave leave to build the    
temple1 till its completion1 was        
twenty-one years2 and its duration1 four

 hundred and twenty2 in the whole1      
sixty-three weeks1 or four hundred and  
forty one years4 ,but the angel made his
 division at sixty-two weeks1 as he     
afterwards described what was to come to
 pass in the last week 7and with reason1
 for the horrible ,jewish war lasted    
seven years67 ,and by the words1 in     
troublous times1 he informed ,daniel1   
that during the building of the temple1 
they would have continual trouble and   
alarms from their enemies1 as is        
mentioned in ,ezra and ,nehemiah1 where 
we find1 that while some worked1 the    
others held the shield and spear4 ,and  
even after finishing it1 they were      
almost continually in trouble1 and      
persecuted1 as is evident from the books
 of ,maccabees1 and from ,josephus4     
,third ,period4 ,and after threescore   
and two weeks shall the anointed be cut 
off1 and have no successor--,heb4 and   
not1 or1 none1 to him--and the city and 
the sanctuary shall be destroyed by the 
people of the prince that shall come2   

and the end thereof shall be with a     
flood1 and unto the end of the war      
desolations are determined4  ,that is1  
and after that period1 shall the ,high  
,priest 7or the anointed one7 be cut    
off--,the ,high ,priest is called       
,messiah1 witness ,lev4 iv4 #c--;,if the
 ,messiah ,priest1 7or anointed priest7 
doth sin1 c4--and have no successor2 and
 the city and the temple shall be       
destroyed by ,titus and the ,romans1 and
 until the end of the war1 your country 
shall be swept with the besom of        
destruction4  ,the angel finishes the   
prophecy with these words3--,and he 7the
 prince that shall come7 shall          
strengthen the covenant with many1 for  
one week4 ,and in the midst of the week 
7i4 e41 the seventieth and last week17  
he shall cause the sacrifice and the    
oblation to cease4  ,this prediction was
 fully accomplished2 for #a4 ,titus1 the
 prince that should come1 was           
continually offering peace to the ,jews1
 and tried to strengthen the            

covenant--i4 e41 their old treaties made
 with the ,romans1 and in fact did bring
 over many4 #b4 ,on account of the      
distress of the siege1 the daily        
sacrifice did in fact cease to be       
offered in the temple some time before  
its destruction2 and the angel further  
observes1 that all this was to come upon
 them for their sins1 for the           
overspreading of abominations1 it should
 be made desolate4  ,this is what       
appears to be a plain and fair          
explication of this prophecy2 but since 
,christians1 seeing mention made in it  
of a ,messiah to be cut off1 have       
eagerly endeavoured to press it into    
their service1 it remains for me to     
show1 that it is impossible to make this
 prophecy refer to the cutting off of   
,jesus4  ,the difficulty that learned   
,christians have met with1 in their     
attempts to do this1 will be easily     
conceived by any person1 when he knows1 
that more than a dozen different        
hypotheses have been framed by them for 

that purpose2 but that they have lost   
their labour1 will be obvious from this 
single observation1 that the anointed   
one1 or ,messiah1 who1 the prophet says1
 was to be cut off1 was to be cut off   
,,after the threescore and two weeks1 i4
 e41 at the destruction of ,jerusalem1  
or within the seven years preceding that
 event6 ,now1 we know from the          
,evangelists1 and2 from profane history1
 that ,jesus was crucified more than    
forty years before the destruction of   
,jerusalem4 ,in addition to this1       
nothing need be said1 for this          
circumstance lays flat their            
interpretation at one stroke4  ,those   
who desire to see a more elaborate      
discussion of this prophecy1 and an     
ample defence of this interpretation1   
are referred to ,levis ,letters1 to     
,priestly2 and those who are desirous of
 seeing an account of the various1      
contradictory1 perplexed and            
multitudinous contrivances1 by which it 
has been endeavoured to apply this      

prophecy to ,jesus1 are referred to     
,prideaux1 ,michaelis1 and ,blayney4    
,we have now gone through an examination
 of the evidence adduced from the       
prophets of the ,old ,testament1 to     
prove that ,jesus is the ,messiah of the
 ,old ,testament2 and those of our      
readers who love truth1 are1 we trust1  
now made sensible that the religion of  
the ,new ,testament1 if built upon such 
proofs as these1 is1 evidently1 founded 
on--a mistake4    ,,chapter ,,viii4     
,,statement ,,of ,,arguments ,,which    
,,prove ,,that ,,jesus ,,was ,,not ,,the
 ,,messiah ,,of ,,the ,,old ,,testament4
  ,most of our readers have1 no doubt1  
heard from the pulpit1 many exclamations
 and declamations against the blindness 
of the ,jews1 in not recognizing their  
,messiah in ,jesus of ,nazareth4 ,the   
reasons of this blindness are made1 ,i  
think1 by this time pretty intelligible4
  ,nevertheless1 for the further        
satisfaction of the reader1 ,i will here
 set down the principal reasons given by

 ,rabbi ,isaac1 in his ,munimen ,fidei1 
which cause the ,jews to deny the       
,messiahship of ,jesus4  ,at a certain  
time1 7says he17 a certain learned man  
of the wise men of the ,christians said 
unto me3--,wherefore are you ,jews      
unwilling to believe ,jesus of ,nazareth
 to be the ,messiah1 when yet your      
veritable prophets testified of him1    
whose words you profess to have faith   
in4  ,i gave him this answer4 ,how1 ,i  
require1 could we believe him to be the 
,messiah1 when you can produce no       
genuine proof from the prophets in his  
favour1 since all those things adduced  
by the evangelists from them1 to prove  
,jesus the ,messiah1 are nothing to the 
purpose8 ,and we have many and evident  
reasons to prove that he was not the    
,messiah4 ,and of these1 ,i will bring  
forward a few1 arising1 #a1 ,from his   
genealogy4 #b4 ,from his works4 #c4     
,from the time of his appearing4 #d4    
,from the prophecies of the things to   
take place in the time of the ,messiah  

not having seen fulfilled in his age4   
,and in these things are contained the  
genuine marks characteristic of our     
,messiah4  #a4 ,as to what concerns his 
genealogy2 it does not prove this       
necessary thing1 that ,jesus was the son
 of ,david1 because he was not begotten 
by ,joseph1 as the ,gospel of ,matthew  
testifies2 for in the first chapter of  
it1 it is written1 that ,jesus was born 
of ,mary when she was yet a virgin1 and 
had not been known by ,joseph2 which    
things being so1 the genealogy of       
,joseph has nothing to do with ,jesus4  
,the descent and origin of ,mary1 is    
still less known1 but it seems from     
,lukes calling ,elizabeth1 who was of   
,levi1 her cousin1 that ,mary was of the
 tribe of ,levi1 and not of ,judah1 and1
 consequently1 not of ,david2 and1 if   
she were1 still ,jesus is not the more  
the son of ,david2 descents being       
reckoned from the males only4 ,neither  
is the genealogy of ,joseph rightly     
deduced from ,david1 but labours under  

great difficulties4 ,matthew1 and ,luke 
also1 not only disagree1 but            
irreconcilably and flatly contradict    
each other1 in their genealogies of     
,joseph4 ,now1 it cannot be that the    
testimony of two witnesses1 who directly
 contradict each other in the matter to 
be proved by them1 can be received as   
true4 ,but the prophets have directed us
 to expect no ,messiah but one born of  
the seed of ,david4  #b4 ,as to the     
works of ,jesus1 we object to what he   
said concerning himself3--,do not       
consider me as come to establish peace  
on earth1 for ,i have come to send a    
sword1 and to separate the son from the 
father1 and the daughter from her       
mother1 and the daughter-in-law from her
 mother-in-law1 which words are written 
in ,mat4 ch4 x4 ,but we find the        
prophecies concerning the ,messiah to   
attribute to him very different works   
from these2 nay1 the very opposite4     
,for1 whereas ,jesus testifies          
concerning himself1 that he did not come

 to establish peace in the earth1 but   
division1 fire and sword1 ,zechariah    
says1 concerning the expected ,messiah1 
ch4 ix43--,he shall speak peace to the  
nations4 ,jesus says he came to send    
fire and sword upon the earth1 but      
,micah says1 ch4 ii41 that in the times 
of the true ,messiah they shall beat    
their swords into ploughshares1 and     
their spears into pruning hooks1 nation 
shall not lift up sword against nation1 
neither shall they learn war any more4  
,jesus says that he came to put division
 between the father and the son1 c4 ,but
 in the time of the true ,messiah1      
,elias1 the prophet1 shall come1 of whom
 ,malachi prophecied that he shall      
convert the heart of the fathers unto   
the children1 and the heart of the      
children to the fathers4 ,jesus says    
that he came to serve others1 not to be 
served by them  ,mat4 xx4 #bi4 ,but of  
the true ,messiah it is said1 ,psalm    
lxxii43--,all kings shall bow themselves
 before him1 all nations shall serve    

him4 ,the same also is said by          
,zechariah1 ch4 ix43-- ,his dominion    
shall be1 from one sea to the other1 and
 from the river unto the ends of the    
earth2 and so ,dan41 ch4 vii43--,all    
dominions shall serve and obey him4  #c4
 ,as to the time1 we object to the      
,christians1 that ,jesus did not come at
 the time designated by the prophets2   
for the prophets testify1 that the      
coming of the ,messiah should be in the 
end of days or1 in the latter days1     
7which1 surely1 have not yet arrived7 as
 it is in ,isaiah ch4 ii43--,it shall   
come to pass in the latter days1 that   
the mountain of the ,lords house shall  
be established in the top of the        
mountains1 and all nations shall flow   
unto it2 and it immediately follows1    
concerning the king ,messiah1 that he   
shall judge among the nations1 and      
rebuke many peoples1 and they shall beat
 their words into ploughshares1 and     
their spears into pruning hooks4 ,see   
also ,hosea1 ch4 iii1 and also ,dan41   

ch4 ii41 where it is written3--,god hath
 made known unto king ,nebuchadnezzar   
what shall come to pass in the latter   
days1 7or1 in the end of days47 ,and    
this pertains to what follows1 viz41 to 
this3--,in the days of those kings1 7i4 
e41 of the kingdoms that arose out of   
the ruins of the ,roman ,empire7 the    
,god of heaven will raise up a kingdom1 
which shall never be destroyed4 ,thus   
you see1 that the prophets predicted1   
that the kingdom of the ,messiah should 
be after the destruction of the ,roman  
,empire1 not while it was in its vigour2
 when ,jesus came2 in the latter days1  
and not before499  #d4 ,besides all     
these difficulties1 neither were the    
promises made to us by the prophets1    
concerning the things to come to pass at
 the coming of the ,messiah1 fulfilled  
in the time of ,jesus4 ,for examples1   
take the following3--#a4 ,in the time of
 the king ,messiah1 there was to be one 
kingdom only1 and one only king upon    
earth1 viz41 the king ,messiah--see     

,daniel1 ch4 ii42 but behold1 we see    
with our eyes1 many independent         
kingdoms1 distinct1 and distinguished by
 different laws and customs1 religious  
and political1 which things being so1 it
 follows1 that the ,messiah is not yet  
come4  #b4 ,in the time of the king     
,messiah1 there was to be only one      
religion and one law throughout the     
world2 for1 it is written in ,isaiah1   
ch4 lii4 and lxvi41 that all nations    
shall come at stated times to worship   
the ,eternal at ,jerusalem4 ,see also   
,zechariah1 ch4 xiv4 and ch4 viii41 and 
indeed throughout the writings of the   
prophets4  #c4 ,in the time of the king 
,messiah1 idols were to be cut off1 and 
utterly to perish from the earth2 as it 
is said in ,zechariah1 ch4 xiii41 and so
 in ,isaiah1 ch4 ii41 it is written1    
,and the glory of idols shall utterly   
pass away2 and so in ,zephaniah1 ch4    
ii41 ,the ,lord shall be terrible among 
them1 when he shall make lean 7i4 e41   
bring to nothing7 all the gods of the   

earth2 and all the countries of the     
nations shall bow themselves to ,him1   
each out of his place4  #d4 ,in the     
times of the ,messiah1 there shall      
obtain no more sins and crimes in the   
earth1 especially among the children of 
,israel1 as is affirmed in ,deut4 xxx41 
,zephaniah1 ch4 iii and in ,jeremiah1   
ch4 iii4 ,and l41 and so in ,ezekiel1   
ch4 xxxvi4 and xxxvii4  #e4 ,in the     
times of the ,messiah1 there shall be   
peace between man and beast1 and between
 the tiger and the tame beast2 and the  
little child shall stroke1 with         
impunity1 the variegated skin of the    
serpent1 and1--as one of our own poets  
has beautifully said1--and with his     
forked tongue shall innocently play4    
,see in ,isaiah1 ch4 xi4 and lxv41 the  
original from whence he derived his     
beautiful poem4  #f4 ,in the time of the
 king ,messiah1 there are to be no      
calamities1 no afflictions1 no          
lamentations throughout the world4 ,but 
the inhabitants thereof are to lead     

joyful lives in gratitude to the good   
,god1 and in the enjoyment of his       
bounties4 ,see ,isaiah lxv4  ,lastly4   
,in the time of the king ,messiah1 the  
glory of ,god was again to return to    
,israel1 and the spirit of the most     
,high ,god was to be liberally poured   
out upon them1 and they were to be      
endowed with the spirit of prophecy1 and
 with wisdom1 and knowledge1 and        
understanding1 and virtue2 and ,god will
 no more hide his face from them2 but   
will bless them1 and give them a ready  
heart and a willing mind to obey his    
laws1 and enjoy the felicities          
consequent thereupon4 ,and the          
,shechinah shall inhabit the temple for 
ever1 and the glory of ,god shall never 
depart from ,israel2 but they shall walk
 amid the splendours of the glory of the
 ,eternal1 and all the earth shall      
resound with his praise1 as is written  
in ,ezekiel1 ch4 xxxvii41 and xxxix41   
and xliii42 and in ,joel1 ch4 ii41 and  
in ,zech41 ch4 ii41 and ,isaiah1 ch4    

xi41 and throughout the latter part of  
his prophecies1 and in ,jer4 xxxi4  ,and
 now1 reader1 let me ask you this       
question1 has any one of the foregoing  
prophecies been yet fulfilled1 either in
 the days of ,jesus1 or ever since8     
,thou canst not say it6 ,now1 then1 hear
 the conclusion1 which1 in sincerity1   
and with the hand upon the heart1 ,i am 
compelled to draw from these precedents4
 ,since these distinctive               
characteristics predicted by the ,hebrew
 prophets1 as to be found in their      
,messiah1 were certainly1 and evidently1
 never found in ,jesus2 and since these 
conditions and circumstances1 and many  
others beside1 which1 to avoid          
prolixity1 have been omitted1 most      
assuredly did not take place in the time
 of ,jesus1 nor ever since1 and since   
they were according to those prophets1  
certainly to be expected in the time of 
their ,messiah2 therefore1 from all     
this1 it seems to be demonstrable       
7allowing the prophets to be true17 that

 ,jesus of ,nazareth was not this true  
,messiah4 ,and ,i would ask the candid  
,christian1 in which link of this chain 
of proofs he can find a flaw8 ,and ,i   
would ask him1 too1 as a moral and      
honest man1 whether any ,jew1 in his    
right mind1 could1 without setting at   
nought what he conceived to be the word 
of ,god1 receive him as the ,messiah8   
,the honest and upright answer1 ,i      
believe1 will be1 that he could net4    
,and1 accordingly1 it is very well      
known1 that the ,jewish nation have     
never done so4 ,and this their          
obstinacy1 as it is called1 will not by 
this time1 ,i think1 appear unreasonable
 to any sensible man2 and he will now be
 able to appreciate the justice of that 
idle cant about the carnal ,jews1 and   
their worldly-minded expectation of a   
temporal prince1 as their ,messiah4     
,certainly1 the ,jews had very good     
reason1 from their prophecies1 to expect
 no ,messiah but a ,messiah who should  
sit on the throne of ,david1 and confer 

liberty and happiness upon them1 and    
spread peace and happiness throughout   
the earth1 and communicate the knowledge
 of ,god1 and virtue1 and the love of   
their fellow-men to every people4       
,whether this 7carnal or not17 would    
have been better than a spiritual       
kingdom1 and a throne in heaven2        
together with the ample list of         
councils1 dogmas1 excommunications1     
proscriptions1 theological quarrels1 and
 frauds1 and an endless detail of blood 
and murder1 ,i leave to the judgment of 
those capable of deciding for           
themselves4  ,neither1 in fact1 is it   
true1 that the ,jews were so carnally   
minded as to refuse ,jesus as their     
,messiah1 because he was poor and in a  
low estate4 ,on the contrary1 did they  
not ask him not to evade1 but to speak  
plainly8 ,how long 7said they7 dost thou
 mean to keep us in suspense8 ,if thou  
be the ,messiah1 tell us plainly4 ,these
 very men were willing to hazard1 in his
 favour1 their fortunes1 their families1

 and their lives1 in his cause1 against 
the whole power of the ,roman empire4   
,nay1 so urgent were they1 that they    
were going to make him their king by    
force1 and he concealed himself from the
 honour4 ,the evasions he used to avoid 
their pressing questions upon the       
subject1 are known to all who have read 
the evangelists2 and so timed was he in 
acknowledging himself as the ,messiah1  
that he did not do so1 till ,simon      
,peter told him that he was4 ,and can   
any candid man1 after all this1 wonder  
at1 or condemn1 the blindness1 as it is 
called1 of the ,jews8 or can he refrain 
from smiling at the frothy declamations 
in which divines load that nation with  
so much unmerited reproach8 ,these ,jews
 had just reason1 we think1 to doubt his
 ,messiahship2 and they had a right to  
satisfactory and unambiguous proof of   
his being so3 even the proofs laid down1
 by their prophets4 ,and this1 it must  
be now acknowledged1 they wanted2 and1  
certainly1 the wise and learned of the  

,jewish nation1 might be allowed to have
 understood their sacred books upon the 
subject1 as well1 at least1 if not      
better1 than the illiterate apostles1   
who manifestly put new interpretations  
upon them1 and those1 confessedly1 not  
agreeable to the obvious and literal    
meaning of those books2 but contrary to 
the sense of the ,jewish nation4 ,and   
for this scepticism they might plead the
 example of the apostles themselves1    
who1 at first1 like other unbelieving   
,jews1 expected a temporal prince2 and  
did disbelieve ,jesus to be the ,messiah
 on account of his death1               
notwithstanding his miracles4 ,and they 
continued in these thoughts1 till it    
seems they come to understand the       
spiritual sense of the scriptures2 which
 spiritual sense1 it is said1 they      
obtained by the traditionary rules of   
interpretation in use among the ,jews4  
,yet1 it is rather inconsistent and     
singular1 that they should place so much
 dependence upon these traditionary     

rules1 and yet pay so little regard to  
the traditionary explication of the     
scriptures1 with respect to the temporal
 kingdom of the ,messiah--inconsistent  
and singular is it1 that they should cry
 aloud for that which would support     
their peculiar views1 but reject it when
 militating against these views499      
,,chapter ,,ix4  ,,on ,,the ,,character 
,of ,,jesus ,,of ,,nazareth ,,and ,,the 
,,weight ,,to ,,be ,,allowed ,,to ,,the 
,,argument ,of ,,martyrdom ,,as ,a      
,,test ,,of ,,truth ,,in ,,this         
,,question4  ,i am now about to consider
 a subject1 to which1 notwithstanding   
the harsh ness of my language in some of
 the preceding chapters1 ,i approach    
with feelings of great respect4 ,far be 
it from me to reproach the meek1 the    
compassionate1 the amiable ,jesus2 or to
 attribute to him1 the mischiefs        
occasioned by his followers994 ,no1 ,i  
look upon his character with the respect
 which every man should pay to purity of
 morals3 though mingled with something  

like the sentiments which we naturally  
feel for the mistaken enthusiast4 ,jesus
 of ,nazareth appears to have been a man
 of irreproachable purity1 of great     
piety1 and of great mildness of         
disposition4 ,though the world has never
 beheld a character exactly parallel    
with his1 yet it has seen many1 greatly 
similar4 ,contemplative1 and melancholy1
 it is said of him by his followers1 he 
was often seen to weep1 but never to    
laugh4 ,he retired to solitary places1  
and there prayed3 he went into the      
wilderness to sustain and to vanquish   
the assaults of the devil3 ,in a word1  
he appears by such means to have        
persuaded himself1 as hundreds have done
 since1 that he was the chosen servant  
of ,god1 raised up to preach            
righteousness to the hypocrites1 and    
sinners of his day4 ,it is remarkable1  
that he never claimed to be the         
,messiah1 till encouraged to assume that
 character by ,peters declaration4 ,and 
it is observable1 that in assuming that 

name1 he could not assume the           
characteristics of the august personage 
to whom it belongs2 but infused into the
 character all that softness1 meekness1 
humility1 and passive fortitude1 which  
were so eminently his own4 ,the natural 
disposition1 and character of ,jesus1   
could not permit him to attempt the     
character of a princely ,messiah1 a     
mighty monarch1 the saviour of an       
oppressed people1 and the benefactor of 
the human race4 ,he could not do this1  
but he could act as much of the         
character as was consistent with his    
own4 ,he could not indeed bring himself 
to attempt to be the saviour of his     
countrymen from the ,romans1 their      
fleshly foes2 but he undertook to save  
them from the tyranny of their spiritual
 enemies4 ,he could not undertake to set
 up his kingdom upon earth2 but he told 
them that he had a kingdom in another   
world4 ,he could not pretend to give    
unto his followers the splendid rewards 
of an earthly monarch3 but he promised  

them instead thereof1 forgiveness of    
sins1 and spiritual remuneration4  ,in a
 word1 he was not a king fit for the1   
then1 carnal ,jews1 but he was1 from his
 mildness1 and compassionate temper1    
worthy of their esteem1 at least1 of    
their forbearance4 ,the only actions of 
his life which betray any marks of      
character deserving of serious          
reprehension1 are his treatment of the  
woman taken in adultery2 and his        
application of the prophecy of ,malachi 
concerning ,elias1 to ,john the         
,baptist4  ,as to his conduct to the    
woman1 it was the conduct of a mild1 and
 merciful man1 but not that of one who  
declared1 that he came to fulfil the    
law4 ,for ,god commanded concerning     
such1 that they should surely be put to 
death4 ,now though ,jesus was not her   
judge1 and had no right to pronounce her
 sentence2 yet the contrivance by which 
he deterred the witness from testifying 
against her1 was a contrivence directly 
calculated totally to frustrate the ends

 of justice2 and which1 if acted upon at
 this day1 in ,christian countries1     
would infallibly prevent the execution  
of the criminal law3 ,for what testimony
 would be sufficient to prove a fact1 if
 the witnesses were required to be      
without sin8 ,instead1 therefore1 of    
saying unto them1 whosoever of you is   
without sin1 let him cast the first     
stone at her2 he should have said1 ,men6
 who made me a judge1 or a ruler over   
you8 carry the accused to the proper    
tribunal4  ,as to his conduct about the 
matter of ,elias1 it was as follows4 ,it
 is said1 in the #agth chapter of       
,matthew1 that at his transfiguration1  
as it is called1 ,moses1 and ,elias     
appeared to his disciples on the mount1 
talking with ,jesus4 ,upon coming down  
from the mount1 the disciples asked     
,jesus1 how say the scribes that ,elias 
must come first1 7that is1 before the   
,messiah47 ,jesus answered1 ,elias truly
 cometh first1 and restoreth all things2
 but ,i say unto you1 that ,elias has   

come already and they have done unto him
 what they would2 meaning ,john the     
,baptist1 who was beheaded by ,herod4   
7,see the parallel place in ,mark47 ,and
 he says concerning ,john1 7,mat4 vi4   
#ad17 ,and if ye will receive it1 this  
is ,elias which was for to come4  ,now  
certainly no one will pretend that ,john
 was the ,elias prophecied of by        
,malachi1 as to come before the great1  
and terrible day of the ,lord1 which has
 not yet taken place4 ,and besides1 that
 he was not ,elias is testified of1 and 
confirmed by1 ,john himself1 who in the 
gospel of ,john1 chapter #a1 to the     
question of the ,scribes1 asking him1 if
 he was ,elias8 answers ,i am not4 ,it  
is pretty clear that ,jesus was         
embarrassed by the question of the      
,apostles1 how say the ,scribes1 that   
,elias must come first8 for his answer  
is confused2 for he allows the truth of 
the observation of the ,scribes1 and    
then refers them to ,john1 and          
insinuates that he was the ,elias to    

come4 ,however1 it must be acknowledged1
 that he does it with an air of         
hesitation1 ,if you will receive it1 c4 
,but are these all the accusations you  
have to bring against him8 may be said  
by some of my readers4 ,do you account  
as nothing1 his claiming to forgive     
sins8 his speeches wherein ho claims to 
be considered as an object of religious 
homage1 if not to be ,god himself8 ,do  
you consider these impieties as nothing8
 ,i answer by asking--the following     
questions3 ,what would you think of a   
man who1 in our times1 should set up    
those extraordinary claims8 and who     
should assert1 that eating his flesh1   
and drinking his blood were necessary to
 secure eternal life8 ,who should say1  
that he and ,god were one8 and should   
affirm 7as ,jesus does in the last      
chapters of ,john7 that ,god was inside 
of him1 and dwelt in him2 and that he   
who had seen him1 had seen ,god8 ,what  
should we think of this8 ,should we     
consider such a man an object of wrath1 

or of pity8 ,should we not directly1 and
 without hesitation1 attribute such     
extravagancies to hallucination of mind8
 ,yes1 certainly6 and therefore the     
,jews were to blame for crucifying      
,jesus4 ,if ,christians had put to death
 every unfortunate1 who after being     
frenzied by religious fasting and       
contemplation1 became wild enough to    
assert1 that he was ,christ1 or ,god the
 ,father1 or the ,virgin ,mary1 or even 
the ,holy ,trinity1 they would have been
 guilty of more than fifty murders2 for 
,i have read of at least as many        
instances of this nature2 and believe   
that more than two hundred such might be
 reckoned up from the hospital records  
of ,europe alone4 ,and that the founder 
of the ,christian religion was not      
always in one coherent consistent mind1 
,i think will appear plain to every     
intelligent physician who reads his     
discourses2 especially those in the     
gospel of ,john4 ,they are a mixture of 
something that looks like sublimity1    

strangely disfigured by wild1 and       
incoherent words4 ,so unintelligible    
indeed1 that even the profoundest of    
,christian divines have never been able 
to fathom all their mysteries4 ,to prove
 that ,i do not say these things rashly1
 wickedly1 or out of any malignity      
towards the character of ,jesus1 which  
,i really respect and venerate1 ,i will 
establish my assertions by examples4    
,for instance--  --,many instances might
 be adduced of conduct directly         
subversive of the very design1 to       
promote which1 he said that he was sent 
into the world4 ,for example1 he said   
that he came to preach glad tidings to  
the poor1 and uninformed2 and yet he    
declares to his disciples1 that ho spake
 to this very multitude of poor and     
ignorant people in parables1 lest they  
might understand him1 and be converted  
from their sins1 and ,god should heal1  
or pardon them4 ,in the #bfth chapter of
 ,matthew1 ,jesus says to his disciples1
 in the garden at ,gethsemane1 these    

strange words1  ,sleep on now1 and take 
your rest--,arise6 let us be going1 ,the
 commentators endeavour to get rid of   
the strange contradictoriness of these  
words1 by turning the command into the  
future2 and rendering the ,greek word   
translated now thus--for the rest of    
your time1 or for the future4 ,and that 
he asked them whether they slept for the
 future8 which appears to be just as    
rational as to have asked1 how they do  
to-morrow866  ,jo4 viii4 #ea1 ,verily1  
verily47said ,jesus7 ,i say unto you1 if
 a man keep my saying1 he shall never   
see death ,reader1 what dost thou think 
of this saying8 ,has believing in the   
,christian religion1 at all prevented   
men from dying as in afore time8 ,and   
should we be at all astonished at what  
the ,jews said to him1 when they heard  
this assertion--,then said the ,jews    
unto him4 ,now we know that thou hast a 
demon i4 e4 art mad4 ,abraham is dead1  
and the ,prophets1 and thou sayest if a 
man keep my saying1 he shall never taste

 of death8 ,so said the ,jews1 and if in
 our times1 a man was to make a similar 
assertion1 should we not say the same8  
,many instances might also be given of  
strange and inconsequent reasoning2 but 
,i shall only adduce the following4 ,he 
reproaches the ,pharisees1 ,luke xi4    
#dg1 #dh1 for building and adorning the 
sepulchres of the ,prophets1 whom their 
wicked fathers slew2 and says to them1  
,your fathers slew them1 and ye build   
their sepulchres1 and he adds1 that thus
 they showed that they approved the     
deeds of their fathers6 ,surely this is 
absurd6 ,did the ,athenians by setting  
up a statue to ,socrates after his      
unjust death1 show to the world that    
they approved the deed of them who slew 
him8 did it not show the direct         
contrary8 and was it not intended as a  
testimony of their regret1 and          
repentance8  ,again1 ,upon you 7says    
,jesus to the ,jews7 shall come all the 
righteous blood that has been shed upon 
the earth1 from the blood of ,abel the  

righteous1 to the blood of ,zechariah1  
c4 ,now1 herein is a marvellous thing6  
how could a man really sent from ,god1  
assert to the ,jews1 that of them should
 be required the blood of ,abel1 and of 
all the righteous slain upon the earth8 
,did the ,jews kill ,abel8 or did their 
fathers kill him8 ,no6 he was slain by  
,cain1 whose posterity all perished in  
the deluge2 how then could ,god require 
of the ,jews who lived four thousand    
years after the murder1 the guilt of it2
 nay more1 of all the righteous blood   
that had been shed upon the earth1 were 
they guilty of all that too8 ,if such   
assertions1 and such reasonings do not  
prove what ,i asserted1 what can8  ,it  
is said1 that ,jesus1 by giving himself 
up to suffer death1 proved the truth of 
his mission and doctrines1 by his       
readiness to die for them4 ,but this is 
an argument which will recoil upon those
 who advance it4 ,are there no instances
 upon record of mild1 zealous1 and      
amiable men who preached to the savages 

of ,america that they ought to worship  
the ,virgin ,mary8 and did they not     
cheerfully die by the most excruciating 
torments to prove it8 ,yes certainly6   
and let any ,protestant ,christian read 
the accounts of the preaching1          
sufferings1 deaths1 aye6 and miracles   
too1 of the ,roman ,catholic            
missionaries in ,asia1 and ,america2 and
 then let him candidly answer whether he
 is willing to rest the issue of his    
controversy with the ,papists upon the  
argument of martyrdom8 ,we all know the 
power of enthusiasm upon a susceptible  
mind2 and we have read of1 and perhaps  
sees1 its effects in producing          
martyrdoms among people of all          
religions1 in all parts of the world4   
,nay1 more1 such is the power of this   
principle1 that even now1 women in      
,india burn themselves alive on the     
funeral piles of their husbands1 to     
prove1 as they say1 their love for them1
 and their determination to accompany   
them to the other world2 when it is well

 known1 that they burn themselves from  
the impulse of vanity1 and the fear of  
disgrace1 if they should not do so4     
,nay1 more still1 so little support does
 martyrdom yield to truth1 that there   
are more martyrdoms in honour of the    
false1 ridiculous1 and abominable idols 
of ,hindostan1 than any where else4 ,you
 may see men hooked through the ribs1   
and supported1 and whirled round in the 
air in honour of their gods1 clapping   
their hands1 and testifying pleasure1   
instead of crying out with pain4 ,you   
may see in that country1 the misguided  
enthusiastic worshippers of misshapen   
idols prostrate their bodied before the 
enormous wheels of the car of ,seeva1   
and piously suffering themselves to be  
crushed in pieces by the rolling mass4  
,and any man who has been upon the banks
 of the ,ganges1 can tell you of the    
,yoguis1 and of their self-inflicted    
torments1 compared to which1 even the   
cross is almost a bed of roses4 ,indeed 
the argument of martyrdom will support  

any religion2 and it has1 in fact1 been 
cheerfully undergone by enthusiasts and 
zealots of all religions1 in testimony  
of the firm belief of the sufferers not 
only in the absurdities of ,popery1 and 
,brachinanism1 but of every1 even the   
most monstrous system that ever         
disgraced the human understanding4      
,there have been martyrs for ,atheism   
itself4  ,this argument of martyrdom has
 been more particularly applied to the  
,apostles and first ,christians4 ,how   
can it be imagined1 7say ,christian     
,divines17 that simple men like the     
,apostles could be induced to leave     
their employment1 and wander up and     
down1 to teach the doctrines1 and       
testify to the facts of the ,new        
,testament1 and expose themselves to    
persecution1 imprisonment1 scourging1   
and untimely and violent death3 unless  
they certainly knew1 that both the      
doctrines1 and the facts were true8     
,besides1 what honours1 what riches1    
could they expect to get by supporting  

false doctrine1 and false testimony8    
,to this argument #a might reply as in  
the preceding pages1 for ,i would ask1  
have we not seen simple and honest men  
quit their employments1 and wander up   
and down to preach doctrines which they 
not only had no means of certainly      
knowing to be true1 but which they did  
not even understand8 ,have we not seen  
such men submit to deprivations of every
 kind1 and exposed to imprisonment1 and 
the whipping post8 ,and do we not       
certainly know that some such have      
cheerfully suffered a most cruel death8 
,is it possible that any sensible man1  
after reading the ,history of the ,roman
 ,catholic ,missionaries1 the ,baptists1
 the ,quakers1 and the ,methodists1 can 
be convinced of the certain truth of the
 ,christian religion1 or seriously      
endeavour to convince another of it1 by 
such an argument as the above8  ,but1   
much more than this can be said upon    
this topic2 for it can be shown1 that   
the ,apostles in preaching              

,christianity1 did not suffer near so   
much as some well meaning enthusiasts in
 modern times have suffered1 to         
propagate religious tenets1 notoriously 
false and absurd4 ,and that the         
,apostles could expect to get neither   
fame1 nor honour1 nor riches by their   
preaching is doubtful4 ,this is certain 
that they could not lose much4 ,for they
 were confessedly men of the lowest rank
 in society1 and of great poverty--poor 
fishermen1 who could not feel a very    
great regard for their own dignity1 or  
respectability4 ,and it was by no means 
a small thing for such men to be        
considered as divine ,apostles1 and in  
exchange for heavenly things1 to have   
the earthly possessions of their        
converts laid at their feet4 ,peter left
 his nets1 his boat1 and boorish        
companions1 and after persuading his    
disciples to receive his words for      
oracles1 go where he would1 he found    
ample hospitality from them4 ,this1 at  
least1 was an advantageous change1 and  

though they did not acquire fame1 or    
respect from the higher ranks of        
society1 they were at least had in great
 respect by their followers4 ,neither   
,george ,fox1 nor ,whitfield1 nor       
,westley were honoured by the nobility1 
or gentry1 or scholars of ,england2 nor 
,ann ,lee1 by the most respectable      
citizens of the ,united ,states4 ,yet   
among their disciples1 the ,quakers1 the
 ,methodists1 and the ,shakers they were
 held by the most implicit veneration   
and can any man believe that they did   
not think themselves thus well payed for
 the trouble of making converts8  ,it is
 true that the ,apostles did not acquire
 riches1 for they were conversant only  
with the poor4 ,but neither had they any
 to lose1 by taking up the profession of
 ,apostles1 and ,preachers4 ,at least by
 preaching the gospel1 they obtained    
food1 and clothing1 and contributions2  
as is evident from many places in the   
,epistles1 where they write to their    
converts1 ,it is written1 thou shalt not

 muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the 
corn2 and ,paul tells them1 that they   
must not think from this place1 that    
,god takes care for oxen1 for1 7says    
he17 it was undoubtedly written for our 
sakes4 ,thus we see that the gospel was 
by no means altogether unprofitable1 and
 many men daily risk their lives for    
less gain than the ,apostles did4  ,as  
to the dangers to which it is said they 
exposed themselves1 they had none to    
fear1 except in ,judea1 which they      
quickly quitted1 finding the ,jews too  
stubborn1 and went to the ,greeks4 ,from
 the ,greeks1 and likewise from the     
,romans1 they had not much to fear1 who 
were not very difficult or scrupulous in
 admitting new gods1 and new modes of   
worship4 ,besides this1 the ,romans for 
a great while seem to have considered   
the ,christians merely as a ,jewish sect
 who differed from the rest of the ,jews
 in matters not worth notice2 as is to  
be gathered from ,tacitus and           
,suetonius4 ,and if the ,apostles did   

speak against the ,pagan gods1 it was no
 more than what the ,roman poets and    
philosophers did2 and the magistrates   
were not then very severe about it4 ,and
 it is evident from the ,acts of the    
,apostles1 that the ,roman praetors     
considered the accusations against ,paul
 and his companions1 as mere trifles4   
,but in ,judea1 where the danger was    
evident1 it was otherwise4 ,when ,paul  
was in peril there1 on account of his   
transgressions against the law1 after   
being delivered from the ,jews by the   
,roman garrison at ,jerusalem1 he       
pleaded before ,festus and ,agrippa1    
that he was falsely accused by the      
,jews2 and he asserted that he had      
taught nothing against the ,law of      
,moses1 and his country1 but that he    
only preached about the resurrection of 
the dead2 and that it was for this that 
the ,jews persecuted him2 and ended by  
appealing to ,caesar4 ,when yet he knew 
that this was not the reason of the     
hatred of the ,jew against him2 but that

 it was because he taught that          
circumcision1 and the ,law of ,moses    
were abolished1 and no longer binding3  
which is evident to any one who will    
read the ,acts1 and the ,epistle to the 
,galatians4 ,so you see by what         
manoeuvre he got out of the difficulty3 
first1 by at least equivocating1 and    
then by refusing to be tried by his own 
countrymen1 and appealing to ,caesar2   
thus securing himself a safe conduct out
 of ,judea1 which was too dangerous for 
him4 ,among the ,gentiles1 their        
doctrine had a better chance of success1
 for they taught them marvellous        
doctrines1 such as they had been        
accustomed to listen to1 viz4 how the   
,son of ,god was born of a virgin1 and  
was cruelly put to death2 and that his  
,divine ,father raised him from the     
dead4 ,the idea of ,gods having a son of
 a woman did not shock them1 for all    
their demigods they believed had been so
 begotten2 and a great part of their    
poems are filled with the exploits and  

the sufferings of these heroes1 who are 
at length rewarded by being raised from 
earth to heaven1 as ,jesus is said to   
have been4 ,these doctrines were not    
disrelished by the common people1 but   
were rejected by the wise and learned4  
,accordingly we see that ,paul could    
make nothing of the philosophers of     
,athens1 who derided him1 and considered
 him as telling them a story similar to 
those of their own mythology1 when he   
preached to them ,jesus and the         
resurrection4 ,and in revenge1 we see   
,paul railing against both the stubborn 
,jews1 and the incorrigible             
philosophers1 as being unworthy of      
knowing the hidden wisdom1 which was to 
the one a stumbling block1 and to the   
other1 foolishness1 and which he thought
 fit only for the babes1 and the devout 
women1 with whom he principally dealt4  
,that the ,new ,testament inculcates an 
excellent morality1 cannot be denied2   
for its best moral precepts were taken  
from the ,old ,testament4 ,and if the   

,apostles had not preached good morals1 
how could they have expected to be      
considered by the ,gentiles as          
messengers from ,god8 ,for if they had  
inculcated any immoralities1 such as    
rebellion1 murder1 adultery1 robbery1   
revenge1 their mission would not only   
have been disbelieved1 but they would   
have undergone capital punishment by the
 sentence of the judge1 which it was    
their business to avoid4 ,mahomet1      
throughout the ,koran1 inculcates all   
the virtues1 and pointedly reprobates   
vice of all kinds4 ,his morality is     
merely the precepts of the ,old and ,new
 ,testaments1 modified a little1 and    
expressed in ,arabic4 ,they are good    
precepts1 and always to be listened to  
with respect1 wherever1 and by          
whomsoever1 inculcated4 ,but surely that
 will not prove ,islamism to be from    
,god1 nor that ,mahomet was his prophet6
  ,that the ,apostles suffered death on 
account of their preaching the gospel1  
if allowed to be fact1 as said before1  

proves nothing4 ,many have suffered     
death for false and absurd doctrines4   
,but whether any of the ,apostles1      
7besides ,james who was slain by        
,herod17 died a natural1 or a violent   
death1 the learned ,christians do not   
certainly know4 ,for there is extant no 
authentic history of the ,apostles1     
besides the ,acts4 ,there are indeed    
many fabulous narrations published by   
the ,papists1 called ,martyrologies1    
stuffed with the most extravagant lies1 
which no learned man now regards2 and   
who therefore will credit what such     
books say of the ,apostles8 ,peter is   
said in them to have been put to death  
at ,rome by ,nero1 nevertheless most of 
the learned men of the ,protestants     
assert1 that ,peter never was in ,rome1 
and as for ,paul1 no one certainly knows
 where1 when1 or how ho finished his    
days4 ,so that if we were even to allow 
the feeble argument of ,martyrdom1 all  
the influence and weight given to it1 it
 would not apply to the ,apostles1 who1 

we are sure1 derived some benefit1 by   
preaching the gospel1 and are not sure  
that they came to any harm by it4  ,i   
will conclude this long chapter1 by     
laying before my reader some extracts   
from the book written by ,celsus1 a     
heathen philosopher1 against            
,christianity1 preserved by ,origen in  
his work against ,celsus4 ,that the     
entire work of ,celsus is lost1 is to be
 regretted2 as he appears to have been a
 man of observation1 though too         
sarcastic to please a fair inquirer2 and
 from the picture given by him of the   
first ,christians1 their maxims1 and    
their modes of teaching1 and the        
subjects they chose for converts1 it    
appears1 that they were the exact       
prototypes of the ,methodists and       
,shakers of the present day1 both sects 
which contain excellent people1 with    
hardly any fault but credulity4  ,if    
they 7i4 e4 the teachers of             
,christianity17 say do not examine1 and 
the like3 it is however incumbent on    

them to teach what those things are     
which they assert1 and whence they are  
derived4  ,wisdom in life is a bad      
thing1 but folly is good4  ,why should  
,jesus1 when an infant1 be carried into 
,egypt1 lest he should be murdered8 ,god
 should not fear being put to death4    
,you say that ,god was sent to sinners3 
but why not to those who are free from  
sin8 ,what harm is it not to have       
sinned8  ,you encourage sinners1 because
 you are not able to persuade any really
 good men3 therefore you open the doors 
to the most wicked and abandoned4  ,some
 of them say do not examine1 but        
believe1 and thy faith shall gave thee4 
,these are our institutions1 say they1  
let not any man of learning come here1  
nor any wise man1 nor any man of        
prudence3 for these things are reckoned 
evil by us4 ,but whoever is unlearned1  
ignorant1 and silly1 let him come       
without fear6 ,thus they own that they  
can gain only the foolish1 the vulgar1  
the stupid slaves1 women1 and children4 

,at first1 when they were but few1 they 
agreed4 ,but when they became a         
multitude1 they were rent1 again and    
again1 and each will have their own     
factions3 for factious spirits they had 
from the beginning4  ,all wise men are  
excluded from the doctrine of their     
faith2 they call to it only fools1 and  
men of a servile spirit4  ,the preachers
 of their divine word only attempt to   
persuade silly1 mean1 senseless persons1
 slaves1 women1 and children4 ,what harm
 is there in being well-informed2 and   
both in being1 and appearing a man of   
knowledge8 ,what obstacle can this be to
 the knowledge of ,god8 ,must it not be 
an advantage8  ,we see these ,itinerants
 shewing readily their tricks to the    
vulgar1 but not approaching the         
assemblies of wise men1 nor daring there
 to show themselves4 ,but wherever they 
see boys1 a crowd of slaves1 and        
ignorant men1 there they thrust in      
themselves1 and show off their doctrine4
  ,you may see weavers1 tailors1 and    

fullers1 illiterate and rustic men1 not 
daring to utter a word before persons of
 age1 experience1 and respectability2   
but when they get hold of boys          
privately1 and silly women1 they recount
 wonderful things2 that they must not   
mind their fathers1 or their tutors1 but
 obey them2 as their fathers1 or        
guardians are quite ignorant1 and in the
 dark2 but themselves alone have the    
true wisdom4 ,and if the children obey  
them1 they pronounce them happy1 and    
direct them to leave their fathers1 and 
tutors1 and go with the women1 and their
 play-fellows1 into the chambers of the 
females1 or into a tailors1 or fullers  
shop1 that they may learn perfection4   
,celsus compares a ,christian teacher to
 a quack--who promises to heal the sick1
 on condition that they keep from       
intelligent practitioners1 lest his     
ignorance be detected4  ,if one sort of 
them introduces one doctrine1 another   
another1 and all join in saying1        
,believe if you would be saved1 or      

depart3 what are they to do1 who desire 
really to be saved8 ,are they to        
determine by the throw of a die1 where  
they are to turn themselves1 or which of
 these demanders of implicit faith they 
are to believe4  ,omitting what ,celsus 
says reproachfully of the moral         
characters of the ,apostles1 and the    
first teachers of ,christianity1 for    
which we certainly shall not take his   
word2 it is easy to perceive from the   
above quotations1 that they had more    
success among simple1 and credulous     
people1 than among the intelligent1 and 
well-informed4 ,their introductory      
lesson to their pupils1 was1 ,believe1  
but do not examine2 and their succeeding
 instructions seem to have been a       
continued repetition1 and practice of   
the dogma of implicit faith994          
,,chapter ,x4  ,,miscellaneous  ,in     
,matthew1 ch4 v4 ,jesus says1 ye have   
heard that it was said1 that shalt love 
thy neighbour and hate thine enemy4'    
,but this is no where said in the ,law1 

or the ,prophets2 but1 on the contrary1 
we read directly the reverse4 ,for it is
 written1 ,ex4 xxiii4 ,if thou find the 
ox of thine enemy or his ass going      
astray1 thou shalt certainly bring him  
back to him4 ,if thou meet the ass of   
him that hateth thee1 lying under his   
burden1 and wouldest forbear to help    
him1 thou shalt surely help him4 ,again1
 ,levit4 xix4 ,thou shalt not hate thy  
brother in thine heart2 rebuke thy      
neighbour1 nor suffer sin upon him4     
,thou shalt not revenge1 nor keep anger1
 7or bear any grudge17 against the      
children of thy people2 but thou shalt  
love thy neighbour as thyself2 ,i am the
 ,lord4 ,so also in ,prov4 xxxiv4  ,when
 thine enemy falleth1 do not triumph1   
and when he stumbleth1 let not thine    
heart exult4 ,so also in ch4 xxv4 ,if   
thy enemy hunger1 give him food2 if he  
thirst1 give him to drink4 ,these       
precepts are to the purpose1 and are    
practicable2 but this command of ,jesus1
  ,love your enemies1 if by loving he   

means1 do them good1 it is commanded in 
the above passages in the ,hebrew ,law4 
,but if by  love1 he means to look upon 
them with the same affection that we    
feel for those who love us1 and with    
whom we are connected by the tenderest  
ties of mature1 and friendship1 the     
command is impracticable2 and the       
fulfillment of it contrary to nature1   
and those very instincts given us by our
 ,creator4 ,and therefore1 whoever      
thinks he fulfills1 really fulfills this
 command1 does in fact play the         
hypocrite unknown to himself2 for though
 we can1 and ought to do good to our    
enemy1 yet to love him is as unnatural  
as to hate our friends4  ,in ,mark ch4  
ii4 #be1 ,jesus says to the ,pharisees1 
,have ye not read what ,david did when  
he hungered1 and those that were with   
him4 ,how that he entered into the house
 of the ,lord1 in the time of ,abiathar 
the ,high ,priest1 and did eat of the   
shew-bread1 c4 ,see the same also in    
,matthew1 ch4 xii4 #c4 ,luke vi4 #c4    

,now here is a great blunder2 for this  
thing happened in the time of           
,achimelech1 not in the time of         
,abiathar2 for so it is written1 #a     
,sam4 xxi4 ,and ,david came to ,nob1 to 
,achimelech the ,priest1 c4 ,and in the 
#bb;d chapter it is said that ,abiathar 
was his son4  ,in ,luke ch4 i4 #bf1 ,the
 angel ,gabriel is said to have come    
from ,god to ,mary1 when she was yet a  
virgin1 espoused to ,joseph1 who was of 
the house of ,david1 and announced to   
her that she should conceive1 and bear a
 son1 and should call his name ,jesus2  
that her holy offspring should be called
 the ,son of ,god1 and that ,god should 
give unto him the throne of ,david his  
father1 and that he should rule the     
house of ,jacob for ever1 and that to   
his kingdom there should be no end4 ,now
 this story is encumbered with many     
difficulties1 which ,i shall not        
consider2 but confine myself to asking  
wherefore1 if these things were true1   
did not the ,mother of ,jesus8 and his  

brethren1 knowing these extraordinary   
things1 obey his teachings4 ,for it is  
certain1 that they did not at first     
believe him1 but1 as appears from the   
#gth chap4 of ,john1 derided him4       
,besides1 neither did his mother nor his
 brethren1 when they came to the house  
where he was preaching to simple and    
credulous men1 come for the purpose of  
being edified1 but to lay hold of him1  
to carry him home1 for said they he is  
mad1 or beside himself ,mark iii4 #bd   
which certainly they would not have     
dared to do1 if this story of ,lukes    
were true4 ,for their mother would have 
taught them of his miraculous           
conception1 and extraordinary character4
 ,moreover1 how was it that ,god did not
 give him the throne of ,david1 as was  
promised by the ,angel to his ,mother8  
,for he did not sit upon the throne of  
,david1 nor exercise any authority in   
,israel4 ,moreover1 how comes it that   
,david is called the ,father of ,jesus1 
since ,jesus was not the son of ,joseph1

 who1 according to the ,evangelists drew
 his origin from that king4 ,finally1   
the saying that to his kingdom there    
should be no end1 is directly           
contradicted by ,paul in the #ast ,epis4
 to the ,cor4 ch4 xv3 for he says       
therein1 that ,jesus shall render up his
 kingdom unto the ,father1 and be       
himself subject unto him4 ,here you see1
 that the kingdom of ,jesus is to have  
an end2 for when he renders up his      
kingdom to the ,father1 he certainly    
must divest himself of his authority4   
,how then can it be said1 that  to his  
kingdom there shall be no end8  ,jesus  
says1 ,john v4 #ci1 ,and the ,father    
himself which hath sent me1 hath borne  
witness of me2 ye have neither heard his
 voice at any time1 c4 ,but how does    
this agree with ,moses1 who says1 ,deut4
 iv4 #cc1 ,did ever people hear the     
voice of ,god speaking out of the midst 
of fire1 as thou hast heard8--,and we   
heard his voice out of the midst of the 
fire2 we have seen this day1 that ,god  

doth talk with man1 and he liveth4      
,deut4 v4 #bd4  ,luke1 ch4 #d1 #ag1 ,and
 they gave to ,jesus the ,book of       
,isaiah the ,prophet1 and he opened the 
,book1 and found this place1 where it   
was written1 ,the ,spirit of the ,lord  
is upon me1 therefore hath he anointed  
me to preach the ,gospel2 to the poor   
hath he sent me1 that ,i should bind up 
the broken in heart1 proclaim liberty to
 the captives1 and sight to the blind2  
that ,i should preach the acceptable    
year of the ,lord4 ,and shutting the    
,book1 he gave it to the minister1 and  
afterwards addressed them1 saying ,this 
day is this ,scripture fulfilled in your
 ears4 ,here you see the words which    
gave offence2 and by turning to ,is4 in 
loco4 ch4 lxi4 you may see the reason   
why the inhabitants of ,nazareth arose  
up in wrath against him4 ,for these     
words alledged in ,luke1 are somewhat   
perverted from the original in ,isaiah2 
for these words1 and sight to the blind1
 are not in ,isaiah1 but are inserted in

 ,luke for purposes very obvious4 ,and  
#b4 he neglects the words following1 and
 the day of vengeance of our ,god1 and  
of consolation to all who mourn4 ,to    
give consolation to the mourners of     
,zion2 to give them beauty instead of   
ashes1 and the oil of joy instead of    
grief2 a garment of praise instead of a 
broken heart1 c4 to the end of the      
chapter4 ,from this it is very clear1   
that this prophecy has no reference to  
,jesus3 but ,isaiah speaks these things 
of himself2 and the words  the ,lord    
hath anointed me1 signify1 ,god hath    
chosen1 established me to declare--what 
follows4 ,this exposition of anointing  
is confirmed from these passages2--#a   
,kings1 xix ch4  ,anoint a prophet in   
thy stead1 where the sense is1          
constitute a prophet in thy place4      
,again1 touch not mine anointed ones1   
and do my prophets no harm1 i4 e4 ,touch
 not my chosen servants2 and so in      
several other places4 ,the meaning1     
therefore1 of ,isaiah is1 that ,god had 

appointed1 and constituted him a prophet
 to announce these consolations to the  
,israelites1 who were to be in          
captivity1 in order that they should not
 dispair of liberation2 and that they   
should have hope1 when they read those  
comfortable words spoken by the mouth of
 ,isaiah1 at the command of ,god4 ,for  
he calls the subjects of his message the
 broken in heart1 the captives1  the    
mourners of ,zion1 c4 all which terms   
are applicable only to the ,israelites4 
,that this is the true interpretation1  
will be made further evident to any     
impartial person1 by reading the context
 preceding1 and following4  ,jo4 ch4 ii4
 v4 #ah4 ,the ,jews said to ,jesus1 what
 sign showest thou to us1 that thou     
doest these things8 ,jesus answered and 
said unto them1 ,destroy this temple1   
and in three days ,i will raise it up4  
,the ,jews answered1 saying1 forty and  
six years was this temple in building1  
and wilt thou build it in three days8   
,the ,jews could never have spoken these

 words1 here related2 for the temple    
then standing was built by ,herod1 who  
reigned but thirty-seven years1 and     
built it in eight years4 ,this1         
therefore1 must be a blunder of the     
,evangelists4  ,jo4 xiii4 v4 #ba4 ,jesus
 says to his ,disciples1 a new          
commandment ,i give unto you1 that ye   
love one another4 ,this is not true1 for
 the love of man towards his neighbour1 
was not a new precept1 but at least as  
ancient as ,moses1 who gives it1 ,levit4
 xix4 as the command of ,god1 ,thou     
shalt love thy neighbour as thyself4    
,acts vii4 v4 #d4 ,when he 7,abraham7   
went out of the land of the ,chaldees1  
he dwelt in ,charran2 from thence after 
his father was dead1 he led him into    
this land in which ye dwell4 ,this      
directly contradicts the chapter in     
,genesis where the story of ,abraham's  
leaving ,haran is related2 for it is    
certain from thence1 that ,abraham left 
his father ,terah in ,haran alive1 when 
he departed thence4 ,and he did not die 

till many years afterwards4 ,this       
chronological contradiction has given   
much trouble to ,christian              
,commentators1 as may be seen in        
,whitby1 ,hammond1 c4 c4  ,v4 #ad1      
,stephen says1 ,jacob therefore         
descended into ,egypt1 and our ,fathers1
 and there died4 ,and they were carried 
to ,sichem1 and buried in the sepulchre 
which ,abraham bought from the ,sons of 
,hemor the ,father of ,sichem4 ,here is 
another blunder2 for this piece of land 
was not purchased by ,abraham1 but by   
,jacob4 ,gen4 xlix4 #bi2 so also see the
 end of ,joshua4 ,but it is evident1    
that ,stephen has confounded the story  
of the purchase of the field of         
,machpelah1 recorded in ,gen4 xxiii4    
with the circumstances related          
concerning the purchase by ,jacob4  ,in 
v4 #dc of the same chapter1 there is    
another disagreement between ,stephen's 
quotation from ,amos1 and the original4 
,in the ,acts the quotation is1--,yea1  
ye took up the tabernacle of ,moloch1   

and the ,star of your ,god4 ,remphan1   
figures which ye made to worship them1  
and ,i will carry you away beyond       
,babylon4 ,in ,amos1 ch4 v4 #bf--;,but  
ye have borne the tabernacle of ,moloch 
and ,chinn your images1 the ,star of    
your ,god which ye made1 c4  ,so also   
there is in the speech of ,james1 ,acts 
xv4 a quotation from ,amos1 in which to 
make it fit the subject1 7which after   
all it does not fit17 is the            
substitution of the words1 the remnant  
of men1 for the words1 remnant of ,edom1
 as it is in the original4  ,all these  
mistakes1 besides others to be met with 
in almost--,i was going to say in every 
page1 of these ,histories of ,jesus and 
his ,apostles1 sufficiently show how    
superficial was the acquaintance of     
these men with the ,old ,testament1 and 
how grossly1 either through design or   
ignorance1 they have perverted it4      
,indeed from these mistakes alone1 ,i   
should be led strongly to suspect1 that 
the ,books of the ,new ,testament were  

written by ,gentiles1 as ,i can hardly  
conceive that any ,jew could have quoted
 his ,bible in such a blundering manner4
    ,,chapter ,,xi4  ,,whether ,,the    
,,mosaic ,,law ,,be ,,represented ,,in  
,,the ,,old ,,testament ,,as ,a         
,,temporary1 ,,or ,a ,,perpetual        
,,institution4  ,a very great part of   
,dogmatic ,theology among ,christians is
 founded upon the notion that the       
,jewish ,law was a temporary            
dispensation1 only to exist till the    
coming of ,jesus1 when it was to be     
superseded by a more perfect            
dispensation4  ,on the contrary1 the    
,jews are persuaded that their ,law is  
of perpetual obligation1 and the        
,doctrine of the ,trinity itself is     
hardly more offensive to them1 and1 as  
they think1 more contradictory to the   
,scriptures1 than the notion of the     
abrogation of it4 ,now1 that the ,jews  
are on the right side of this question1 
i4 e41 arguing from the ,old ,testament1
 ,i shall endeavour to prove by several 

arguments4 ,they are all comprised in   
these positions1 #a4 ,that the ,mosaic  
,institutions are most solemnly1 and    
repeatedly declared to be perpetual2 and
 we have no account of their being      
abrogated1 or to be abrogated in the    
,old ,testament4 #b4 ,they are declared 
to be perpetual by ,jesus himself1 and  
were adhered to by the twelve apostles4 
#a4 ,nothing can be more expressly      
asserted in the ,old ,testament than the
 perpetual obligation of those rites    
which were to distinguish the ,jews from
 other nations4 ,it appears1 for        
instance1 7from the #agth ch4 of        
,genesis17 in the tenor of the covenant 
made with ,abraham1 that circumcision   
was to distinguish his posterity1 to the
 end of time4 ,it is called an          
everlasting covenant to be kept by his  
posterity through all their generations4
 ,see the ch4 where the condition of the
 covenant is1 that ,god would give to   
,abraham and his posterity1 the         
perpetual inheritance of the promised   

land with whatever privileges were      
implied in his being their ,god1 on     
condition that their male children were 
circumcised in testimony of putting     
themselves under that covenant4 ,there  
is no limitation with respect to time2  
nay it is expressly said that the       
covenant should be perpetual4  ,the     
ordinance of the ,passover is also said 
to be perpetual1 ,ex4 xii4 #ad1 c4 ,and 
this day shall be unto you for a        
memorial1 and you shall keep it as a    
feast to the ,lord throughout your      
generations4 ,you shall keep it a feast 
by an ordinance for ever4 ,this is      
repeated afterwards1 and the observance 
of this rite is confined to ,israelites1
 ,proselytes1 and slaves who should be  
circumcised1 v4 #dh4  ,the observance of
 the ,sabbath was never to be           
discontinued1 ,ex4 xxxi4 #af4 ,wherefore
 the children of ,israel shall keep the 
,sabbath throughout their generations1  
for a perpetual covenant4 ,it is a sign 
between me and the children of ,israel  

for ever4  ,the appointment of the      
,family of ,aaron to be ,priests1 was to
 continue as long as the ,israelites    
should be a nation4 ,see ,lev4 vii4 #ce4
  ,the ,feast of ,tabernacles was to be 
forever4 ,lev4 xxiii4 #da4 ,it shall be 
a statute for ever1 in your generations4
 ,the observance of this ,festival is   
particularly mentioned in the           
prophecies1 which foretell a future     
settlement of the ,jews in their own    
land1 as obligatory on all the world2 as
 if an union of worship at ,jerusalem   
was to be1 according to them1 effected  
among all nations by the united         
observance of this ,festival there1 see 
,zech4 #ad2 what he there says is       
confirmed by what ,isaiah prophecied    
concerning the same period4 ,is4 #b4 ,it
 shall come to pass in the last days1   
that the mountain of the ,lord's house  
shall be established in the top of the  
mountains1 and shall be exalted above   
the hills1 and all nations shall flow   
unto it4 ,and many people shall go1 and 

say1 ,come ye1 and let us go up to the  
mountain of the ,lord1 to the house of  
the ,god of ,jacob1 and ,he will teach  
us of his ways1 and we will walk in his 
paths4 ,for out of ,zion shall go forth 
the ,law1 and the word of the ,lord from
 ,jerusalem4 ,and he shall judge among  
the nations1 and rebuke many people1 and
 they shall beat their swords into      
ploughshares1 and their spears into     
pruning hooks4 ,nation4 shall not lift  
up sword against nation1 neither shall  
they learn war any more4  ,with respect 
to all the ,laws of ,moses1 it is       
evident from the manner in which they   
were promulgated1 that they were        
intended to be of perpetual obligation  
upon the ,hebrew nation1 and that by the
 observance of them they were to be     
distinguished from the other nations1   
see ,deut4 xxvi4 #af4  ,the observance  
of their peculiar ,laws was the express 
condition on which the ,israelites were 
to continue in possession of the        
promised land2 and though on account of 

their disobedience they were to be      
driven out of it1 they had the strongest
 assurances given them that they should 
never be utterly destroyed1 like many   
other nations who should oppress them2  
but that on their repentance ,god would 
gather them from the remote parts of the
 world1 and bring them to their own     
country again4 ,and both ,moses1 and the
 later ,prophets assure them1 that in   
consequence of their becoming obedient  
to ,god in all things1 which it is      
asserted they will1 7and which may be   
the natural consequence of the          
discipline they will have gone through17
 they shall be continued in the         
peaceable enjoyment of the land of      
promise1 in its greatest extent to the  
end of time4 ,see to this purpose ,deut4
 iv4 #be1 c42 also4 ,deut4 #cj1 where it
 is thus written4  ,and it shall come to
 pass1 when all these things are come   
upon thee1 the blessing and the curse1  
which ,i have set before thee1 and shalt
 call them to mind among all the nations

 whither the ,lord thy ,god hath driven 
thee2 and shalt return unto the ,lord   
thy ,god1 and shall obey his voice      
according to all that ,i command thee   
this day1 thou and thy children1 with   
all thy heart1 and with all thy soul2   
that1 then1 the ,lord thy ,god will turn
 thy captivity1 and have compassion upon
 thee1 and will return1 and gather thee 
from all the nations whither the ,lord  
thy ,god hath scattered thee4 ,if any of
 thine be driven out unto the utmost    
parts of heaven1 from thence will the   
,lord thy ,god gather thee1 and from    
thence will he fetch thee4 ,and the     
,lord thy ,god will bring thee unto the 
,land which thy ,fathers possessed1 and 
thou shalt possess it1 and ,he will do  
thee good1 and multiply thee above thy  
,fathers4 ,and the ,lord thy ,god will  
circumcise thy heart1 and the heart of  
thy seed1 to love the ,lord thy ,god    
with all thy heart1 and with all thy    
soul1 that thou mayest live2 and the    
,lord thy ,god will put all these curses

 upon thine enemies1 and on them that   
hate thee1 which persecuted thee4 ,and  
thou shalt return1 and obey the voice of
 the ,lord1 and do all his commandments 
which ,i command thee this day4 c4      
,what an extent of prophecy1 and how    
firm a faith in the whole of it do we   
see here6 7says ,dr4 ,priestly47 ,the   
,israelites were not then in the land of
 ,canaan4 ,it was occupied by nations   
far more numerous1 and powerful than    
they2 and yet it is distinctly foretold 
in the #dth ch4 that they would soon    
take possession of it1 and multiply in  
it3 and that afterwards they would      
offend ,god by their idolatry1 and      
wickedness1 and would in con-sequence of
 it be driven out of their country2 and 
without being exterminated or lost1 be  
scattered among the nations of the      
world2 that by this dispersion1 and     
their calamities1 they would at length  
be reformed1 and restored to the divine 
favour1 and that then 7as in the        
quotation7 in the latter days they would

 be gathered from all nations1 and      
restored to their own country1 when they
 would observe all the laws which were  
then prescribed to them4 ,past history1 
and present appearances1 correspond with
 such wonderful exactness to what has   
been fulfilled of this prophecy1 that we
 can have no doubt with respect to the  
complete accomplishment of what remains 
to be fulfilled of it4  ,what was first 
announced by ,moses1 is repeated by     
,isaiah and other prophets1 assuring    
them of their certain return wherever   
dispersed1 to their own land in the     
latter days2 and that they should have  
the undisturbed possession of it to the 
end of time4  ,it has been objected1    
that the term for ever is not always to 
be understood in its greatest extant1   
but is to be interpreted according to   
circumstances4 ,this for the sake of    
saving time ,i will acknowledge4 ,but   
the circumstances in which this phrase  
is used in the passages already adduced1
 and in a number of others of similar   

import which might be adduced1 clearly  
indicate1 that it is to be understood in
 those passages to mean a period as long
 as the duration of the ,israelitish    
nation1 which elsewhere is said to      
continue to the end of the world4  ,for 
this reason1 among others1 this final   
return of the ,jews from their present  
dispersed state1 cannot at any rate be  
said to have been accomplished at their 
return from the ,babylonish captivity4  
,for that captivity was not by any means
 such a total dispersion of the people  
among all nations1 as ,moses1 and the   
later prophets have foretold4 ,nor does 
their possession of the country         
subsequent to it1 at all correspond to  
that state of peace1 and prosperity1    
which was promised to succeed this final
 return4  ,figures of speech must1 no   
doubt1 be allowed for4 ,but if the whole
 of the ,jewish polity was to terminate 
at the destruction of ,jerusalem by     
,titus1 7as is maintained by            
,christians17 while the world is still  

to continue1 the magnificent promises   
made to ,abraham1 and his posterity1 and
 to the nation1 in general1 afterwards1 
have never had any proper accomplishment
 of all4 ,because with respect to       
external prosperity1 which is contained 
in the promises1 many nations have      
hitherto been more distinguished by     
,god1 than the ,jews4 ,hitherto the     
posterity of ,ishmael has had a much    
happier lot than that of ,isaac4 ,to    
say1 as ,christians do1 that these      
prophecies have had a spiritual         
accomplishment in the spread of the     
,gospel1 when there is nothing in the   
phraseology in which the promises are   
expressed1 that could possibly suggest  
any such ideas1 nay1 when the promise   
itself in the most definite language    
expresses the contrary1 is so arbitrary 
a construction as nothing can warrant4  
,by this mode of interpretation1 any    
event may be said to be the fulfillment 
of any prophecy whatever4  ,besides1 it 
is perfectly evident1 that these        

prophecies1 whether they will be        
fulfilled1 or not1 cannot yet have been 
fulfilled4 ,for all the calamity that   
was ever to befall the ,jewish nation is
 expressly said to bear no sensible     
proportion to their subsequent          
prosperity3 whereas1 their prosperity   
has hitherto borne a small proportion to
 their calamity2 so that had ,abraham   
really foreseen the fate of his         
posterity1 he would on this idea1 have  
had little reason to rejoice in the     
prospect4  ,it may be said1 that the    
prosperity of the descendants of        
,abraham1 was to depend on a condition1 
viz41 their obedience1 and that this    
condition was not fulfilled4 ,but1      
besides that the ,divine ,being must    
have foreseen this circumstance1 and    
therefore must have known that he was   
only tantalizing ,abraham with a promise
 which would never be accomplished2 this
 disobedience1 and the consequences of  
it are expressly mentioned by ,moses1   
and the other ,prophets1 only as a      

temporary thing1 and what was to be     
succeeded by an effectual repentance1   
and perpetual obedience1 and prosperity4
  ,among others1 let the following      
prophecy of ,isaiah 7in which the future
 security of ,israel is compared to the 
security of the world from a second     
deluge7 be considered1 and let any      
impartial person say1 whether the       
language does not necessarily lead those
 who believe the ,old ,testament1 to the
 expectation of a much more durable     
state of ,glory1 and ,happiness1 than   
has1 as yet1 fallen to the lot of the   
posterity of ,abraham4  ,is4 #ed1 #g4   
,for a small moment have ,i forsaken    
thee1 but with great mercies will ,i    
gather thee4 ,in a little wrath ,i hid  
my face from thee for a moment1 but with
 everlasting kindness will ,i have mercy
 on thee1 saith the ,lord1 thy          
,redeemer4 ,for this is as the waters of
 ,noah unto me4 ,for as ,i have sworn   
that the waters of ,noah should no more 
go over the earth1 go have ,i sworn1    

that ,i would not be wroth with thee1   
nor rebuke thee4 ,for the mountains     
shall or may depart1 and the hills be   
removed1 but my kindness shall not      
depart from thee1 neither shall the     
covenant of my peace be removed1 saith  
the ,lord that hath mercy on thee4--,all
 thy children shall be taught of the    
,lord1 and great shall be the peace of  
thy children4 ,in righteousness shalt   
thou be established4 ,thou shalt be far 
from oppression1 for thou shalt not     
fear2 and from terror1 for it shall not 
come nigh thee4 ,no weapon formed       
against thee1 shall prosper1 and every  
tongue that shall rise against thee in  
judgment1 thou shalt condemn4 ,this is  
the heritage of the servants of the     
,lord1 and their righteousness is of me1
 saith the ,lord4  ,here1 as also in    
,moses1 and other ,prophets1 an         
establishment in righteousness is       
promised to the ,israelites1 such as    
shall secure their future prosperity2   
and this promise has not yet been       

fulfilled4 ,the promise of future virtue
 as connected with their future         
happiness1 is also clearly expressed in 
,jer4 ch4 iii4 #ah4  ,had the ,jewish   
nation become extinct1 or likely to     
become so1 it might1 with some          
plausibility1 have been said by         
,christians1 that the purposes of ,god  
concerning them were actually fulfilled1
 and1 therefore1 that the words of the  
promise must have had some other        
signification than that which was most  
obvious4 ,but the ,jews are as much a   
distinct people as they ever were1 and  
therefore seem reserved for some future 
strange destination4  ,on the whole1 it 
must be allowed1 that the settlement of 
,israel in the land of ,canaan1 foretold
 with such emphasis by the ,prophets1 is
 a settlement which has not yet taken   
place1 but may take place in that period
 so frequently1 and so emphatically1    
distinguished by the title of the latter
 days2 and therefore that whatever is   
said of ,jewish customs1 or modes of    

worship in the latter days8 is a proof  
of the meant restoration of their       
ancient religious rites4  ,that the     
institutions of the ,mosaic ,law are to 
be continued on the restoration of the  
,jews to their own land after their     
utter dispersion1 is asserted by ,moses 
himself in one of the passages already  
quoted2 but is more clearly expressed by
 the subsequent ,prophets4 ,in some of  
their prophecies1 particular mention is 
made of the observance of ,jewish       
festivals1 and of sacrifices2 and in    
,ezechiel we find a description of a    
magnificent ,temple1 which being closely
 connected with his prophecy of the     
future happy state of the ,israelites in
 their own land1 cannot be understood of
 any other than a ,temple which is then1
 according to the ,hebrew ,prophets1 to 
be reared with greater magnificence than
 ever4 ,mention is also made of the     
,glory of the ,lord1 or that effulgent  
,shechinah which was the symbol of the  
divine presence1 filling this ,temple1  

as it did that of ,solomon4  ,ezech4    
xliii4 #a1 c4 ,afterward he brought me  
to the gate1 even the gate that looketh 
toward the ,east2 and behold the glory  
of the ,lord came from the way of the   
,east1 and his voice was like the noise 
of many waters1 and the ,earth shined   
with his ,glory4--,and the ,glory of the
 ,lord came into the house by the way of
 the gate1 whose prospect is toward the 
,east4 ,so the ,spirit took me up1 and  
brought me into the inner court1 and    
behold the ,glory of the ,lord filled   
the house4--,and he said unto me1 ,son  
of man1 the place of my ,throne1 and the
 place of the soles of my feet1 where ,i
 will dwell in the midst of the children
 of ,israel for ever1 and my holy name  
shall the house of ,israel no more      
defile1 c4  ,towards the end of the same
 chapter we read an account of the      
dedication of this new ,temple by       
sacrifices2 and particular directions   
are given in the succeeding chapters for
 the ,priests1 and for the ,prince4 ,if1

 therefore1 there be any truth in these 
prophecies1 the ,jews are not only to   
return to their own country1 and to be  
distinguished among the nations1 but are
 to rebuild the ,temple1 and to restore 
the ancient worship4  ,having proved    
that the ,old ,testament declares the   
perpetuity of the ,mosaic ,law1 ,i      
proceed1 #b;dly1 to prove that it is    
declared to be perpetual by ,jesus      
himself4  ,but before ,i adduce my      
proofs1 ,i beg leave to premise1 that   
when any ,law is solemnly enacted1 we   
expect that the abrogation of it should 
be equally solemn1 and express1 in order
 that no room for dispute may remain    
upon the subject4 ,accordingly1 it is   
the custom1 ,i believe1 in all          
countries1 not to make any new ,law1    
contradictory to another before         
subsisting1 without a previous express  
abrogation of the old one4 ,and         
certainly it appears to me a strange    
notion to suppose1 that the elaborate   
and noble ,law given from mount ,sinai  

amidst circumstances unexampled1 awful1 
and tremendously magnificent1 and       
believed to have been declared by the   
voice of ,god to be a perpetual and     
everlasting ,code1 should vanish1       
perish1 and be annihilated by the mere  
dictum of twelve fishermen66  ,but the  
fact is otherwise1 for ,jesus was so far
 from teaching the abrogation of that   
law1 that he expressly says-- ,think not
 that ,i am come to destroy the law1 or 
the ,prophets1 ,i am not come to        
destroy1 but to fulfill4 ,for verily ,i 
say unto you1 till heaven and earth     
pass1 one jot1 or one tittle shall in no
 wise pass from the law1 till all be    
fulfilled4 ,this is a most explicit     
declaration that not the smallest       
punctilio in the law of ,moses was      
intended to be set aside by the ,gospel4
 ,nay more1 he expressly commanded his  
disciples to the same purpose--,the     
,scribes and ,pharisees 7says he17 sit  
in ,moses seat2 all therefore whatsoever
 they command you1 that observe1 and do4

  ,it is said in answer to this by      
,christian ,divines1 that his discourse 
relates to things of a moral nature1 and
 that he only meant1 that no part of the
 ,moral ,law was to be abolished4 ,but  
besides that the expression is general1 
there could be no occasion to make so   
solemn a declaration against what he    
could not have been suspected of        
intending1 viz4 of abolishing the moral 
law4 ,he seems in his discourse to have 
had in view the additions that had been 
made to the law4 ,these he sets aside1  
but no part of the original law itself4 
,it has also been urged that by         
fulfilling1 may be meant such an        
accomplishment of it as would imply the 
superseding of it when the purposes for 
which it was instituted should be       
answered4 ,to silence this explication  
it will be sufficient to produce a few  
out of many passages of the ,new        
,testament where the term fulfil occurs 
in connexion with the term law4 ,thus   
,paul says1 ,gal4 v4 #ad1 ,all the law  

is fulfilled in one word1 even in this1 
thou shalt love thy neighbour as        
thyself1 and again4 ,rom4 xiii4 #h1 ,he 
that loveth another1 hath fulfilled the 
law4 ,but certainly1 notwithstanding    
this fulfilment of the moral law1 it    
remains in as full force as ever4  ,the 
,apostles understood ,jesus to mean as  
we have asserted4 ,for it is evident    
from the ,acts1 that the ,christians at 
,jerusalem were zealous in attachment to
 the law of ,moses2 this is evident from
 their surprise at ,peter's conduct with
 regard to ,cornelius2 and in the       
dispute about imposing circumcision upon
 the ,gentiles2 observe there was no    
dispute about its being obligatory upon 
,jews4  ,paul was indeed vehemently     
accused of teaching a contrary doctrine1
 as we find in the history of the       
transactions respecting him in his last 
journey to ,jerusalem4 ,acts xxi4 #ba1  
,they 7i4 e4 the ,christians7 are       
informed of thee 7says ,james to ,paul7 
that thou teachest all the ,jews which  

are among the ,gentiles1 to forsake     
,moses1 saying that they ought not to   
circumscise their children1 neither to  
walk after the custom4 ,here ,james     
gives ,paul to understand that he       
considered the report as a calumny1 and 
accordingly1 to convince the ,jewish    
,christians that it was a false report1 
he advises ,paul to be at charges with  
some ,jewish ,christians1 who were under
 a vow of ,nazaritism1 7which is an     
instance in point to prove that the     
first ,christians kept the law17 and    
thus publicly manifest that he himself  
walked orderly1 and kept the law4 ,paul 
complies with this advice1 and purified 
himself in the temple1 and did what was 
done in like cases by the strictest     
,jews4 ,he also circumcised ,timothy1   
who was a convert to ,christianity1     
because he was the son of a ,jewish     
,mother4 ,and he solemnly declared in   
open court4 ,acts xxv4 #h1 ,against the 
law of the ,jews1 neither against the   
,temple1 have ,i offended any thing at  

all1 and again1 to the ,jews at ,rome1  
,acts xxviii41 #g1 he assures them that 
he had done nothing against the people1 
or the customs of the fathers4  ,but    
some men will say1 did not ,paul        
expressly teach the abrogation of the   
law1 in his ,epistles1 especially in    
that to the ,galatians8 ,i answer1 he   
undoubtedly did2 and in so doing he     
contradicted the ,old ,testament1 his   
master ,jesus1 the twelve ,apostles1 and
 himself too4 ,but how can this be8 ,i  
answer1 it is none of my concern to     
reconcile the conduct of ,paul2 or to   
defend his equivocations4 ,it is pretty 
clear1 that he did not dare to preach   
this doctrine at ,jerusalem4 ,he        
confined this hidden wisdom1 to the     
,gentiles4 ,to the ,jews he became as a 
,jew2 and to the uncircumcised as one   
uncircumcised1 he was all things to all 
men6 and for this conduct he gives you  
his reason1 viz4 that he was determined 
at any rate to gain some4 ,if this be   
double dealing1 dissimulation1 and      

equivocation1 ,i cannot help it2 it is  
none of my concern1 ,i leave it to the  
,commentators1 and the reconciliators1  
the disciples of ,surenhusius2 let them 
look to it2 perhaps they can hunt up    
some traditionary rules of              
interpretation among the ,jews1 that    
will help them to explain the matter4   
,lastly1 it has been said that there was
 no occasion for ,jesus1 or his         
,apostles to be very explicit with      
respect to the abolition of the laws of 
,moses1 since the ,temple was to be soon
 destroyed1 when the ,jewish worship    
would cease of course4  ,this argument1 
flimsy as it is1 is nevertheless the    
instar omnium of the ,christian ,divines
 to prove the abolishment of this ,law3 
7for the other arguments adduced by them
 as prophecies of it from the #a ch4 of 
,isaiah1 and some of the ,psalms1 are   
nothing1 to the purpose2 they being     
merely declarations of ,god1 that he    
preferred obedience in the weightier    
matters of the ,law2 ,justice1 ,mercy1  

and ,holiness1 to ceremonial            
observances2 and that repentance was of 
more avail with him than offering       
thousands of rams1 and fed beasts17 and 
this argument like so many others1 when 
weighed in the balance1 will be found   
wanting4  ,for1 as the destruction of   
the ,temple by ,nebuchadnezzar certainly
 did not abolish the ,law1 so neither   
did the destruction by ,titus1 do it4   
,and as it would be notoriously absurd  
to maintain the first1 so it is equally 
so to maintain the last1 position4      
,besides1 a very considerable part of   
that ,law can be1 and for these         
seventeen hundred years1 has been kept  
without the ,temple4 ,as for example1   
circumcision1 distinction of meats1 and 
many others4 ,and when1 if ever1 they   
shall return to their own land1 and     
rebuild the ,temple1 they will then1    
according to the ,old ,testament1       
observe the whole1 and with greater     
splendour than ever4    ,,chapter ,,xii4
  ,,on ,,the ,,character ,,of ,,paul    

,,and ,,his ,,manner ,,of ,,reasoning4  
,as ,christians lay great stress upon   
their argument for the truth of their   
,religion1 derived from the supposed    
miraculous conversion of ,paul2 and     
since almost the whole of ,systematic   
,christianity is built upon the         
foundation of the ,epistles ascribed to 
him1 we shall pay a little more         
attention to his character and writings4
  ,paul was evidently a man of no small 
capacity1 a fiery temper1 great         
subtilty1 and considerably well versed  
in ,jewish ,traditionary1 and           
,cabbalistic ,learning1 and not         
unacquainted with the principles of the 
,philosophy called the ,oriental4 ,he is
 said by ,luke to have been converted to
 ,christianity by a splendid apparition 
of ,jesus1 who struck him to the ground 
by the glory of his appearance4 ,but by 
the ,jews and the ,nazarene ,christians1
 he is represented as having been       
converted to ,christianity from a       
different cause4 ,they say that being a 

man of tried abilities and of some note1
 he demanded the ,high ,priests daughter
 in marriage1 and being refused1 his    
rash and rageful temper1 and a desire of
 revenge1 drove him to join the sect of 
the ,nazarenes1 at that time beginning  
to become troublesome to the ,sanhedrim4
 ,however this may be1 whether he became
 a ,christian from conviction1 or from  
ambition2 it is certain from the ,acts  
that he always was considered by the    
,jewish ,christians1 as a suspected     
character2 and it is evident that he    
taught a different doctrine from that   
promulgated by the twelve apostles4 ,and
 this was the true cause of the great   
difficulty he was evidently under of    
keeping steady to him1 his ,gentile     
converts4 ,for it is evident from the   
,epistles to the ,galatians1 and the    
,corinthians1 that the ,jewish          
,christians represented ,paul to them as
 not sound in the ,faith1 but as        
teaching a different doctrine from that 
of the ,twelve1 and so influential were 

these representations1 that ,paul had   
the greatest difficulty in keeping them 
to his ,system4  ,that there were two   
,parties1 or ,schools in the first      
,christian church1 viz4 the adherents of
 the ,apostles1 and the ,disciples of   
,paul1 is evident from the ,new         
,testament1 and has been fully1 and     
unanswerably proved by the learned      
,semler1 the greatest scholar certainly 
in ,christian ,antiquities1 that ever   
lived4 ,the knowledge of this secret1   
accounts for the different conduct of   
,paul when among his ,gentile converts1 
from that which he pursued when with the
 apostles at ,jerusalem4 ,he had a      
difficult part to act1 and he managed   
admirably4 ,he was indeed1 as he says1  
himself1 all things to all men1 a ,jew  
with the ,jews1 and as one uncircumcised
 among the uncircumcised4 ,to the ,jews1
 he asserted1 that he  taught nothing   
contrary to the ,law1 and the ,prophets1
 and when brought before the ,sanhedrim 
for teaching otherwise than he said1 he 

dexterously got himself out of          
tribulation1 by throwing a bone of      
contention among the ,council1 and      
setting his ,judges together by the     
ears4 ,and when ,paul perceived that the
 one part 7of the ,council7 were        
,sadducees1 and the other1 ,pharisees1  
he cried out in the ,council3 ,brethren1
 ,i am a ,pharisee1 and the son of a    
,pharisee2 concerning the hope of the   
resurrection of the dead1 ,i am now     
judged4 ,and when he had said this1 a   
dissension arose between the ,pharisees 
and the ,sadducees1 and the multitude   
was divided4 ,for the ,sadducees say    
there is no resurrection1 neither angel1
 nor spirit2 but the ,pharisees confess 
both4 ,and there was a great cry1 and   
the ,scribes that were on the part of   
the ,pharisees1 arose and strove1       
saying1 ,we find no evil in this man c4 
,this1 indeed1 was a masterly manoeuvre1
 and produced the desired effect2 and   
,paul by this shows his knowledge of the
 human heart1 in trusting to make his   

,judges forget what he was accused of1  
by making an appeal to their sectarian  
passions4 ,for1 in truth1 he was not    
accused concerning his opinion about the
 hope1 and the resurrection of the dead1
 but for the following cause1 as his    
accusers vociferated 7in the xxi4 ch47  
when they seized him in the ,temple1    
,men of ,israel1 ,help6 ,this is the    
man1 who teacheth all men every where   
against1 the people1 and the ,law1 and  
this place4  ,these strokes of character
 enable us to understand the man2 and ,i
 shall now go into the consideration of 
some of the arguments he has deduced    
from passages in the ,old ,testament in 
support of his opinions2 after          
premising1 that the truth of the story  
of the manner of his conversion depends 
entirely upon his own assertion2 and    
whether his credibility be absolutely   
unimpeachable1 can be easily determined 
by an impartial consideration of the    
history of his conduct already          
mentioned4 ,i will only add upon this   

subject1 that in telling the story of   
his conversion1 he ought to have had a  
better memory2 for in telling it once in
 xxvi4 ch4 of ,acts1 he says1 in        
describing his miraculous vision1 that  
those that were with me1 saw indeed the 
light1 and were afraid1 but heard not   
the words of him that spake to me2 and  
thus he directly contradicts the story  
of it recorded in ,acts ix41 where it is
 said1 that the men who journeyed with  
him stood speechless1 hearing the voice1
 but seeing no one4  ,in the #ith       
chapter of the ,epistle to the ,romans1 
v4 #bd1 he thus proves2 that the ,old   
,testament prophecied of the conversion 
of the ,gentiles1 to the ,gospel--,even 
us whom he hath called1 not of the ,jews
 only1 but also of the ,gentiles1 as he 
saith also in ,hosea ,i will call them  
my people1 which were not my people2 and
 her beloved1 which was not beloved4    
,and it shall come to pass1 that in the 
place where it was said unto them1 you  
are not my people1 there shall they be  

called the sons of the living ,god4--,is
 not this to the purpose8 yet1 in       
applying this passage to the ,gentiles1 
,paul has wilfully1 7yes wilfully1 for  
,paul was a learned man1 and knew       
better7 perverted the original from its 
proper reference1 and has passed upon   
his simple converts41 who did not know  
so much of the ,jewish ,scriptures1 as  
he did1 a prophecy relating entirely to 
the ,jews1 as referring to the          
,gentiles66 ,by turning to ,hosea1      
,reader1 you will find this to be verily
 the case2 here is the passage1 ,then   
said ,god1 call his name 7,hoseas son7  
,loammi1 for ye 7the ,israelites7 are   
not my people1 and ,i will not be your  
,god1 yet the number of the children of 
,israel shall be as the sand of the sea1
 which cannot be measured1 nor numbered4
 ,and it shall come to pass1 that in the
 place where it was said unto them1 ye  
are not my people1 there shall it be    
said unto them1 ye are the sons of the  
living ,god4 ,hosea chapter i  ,again v4

 #cc4 ,as it is written1 ,behold ,i lay 
in ,zion a stone of stumbling1 and a    
rock of offence1 and every one who      
believeth in him shall not be ashamed4  
,here ,paul has pieced two passages     
together1 which in the originals are    
disconnected4 ,for in the #hth chapter  
of ,isaiah it is written1 ,sanctify the 
,lord of ,hosts himself1 and let him be 
your fear1 and let him be your dread4   
,and he shall be for a sanctuary2 but   
for a stone of stumbling1 and for a rock
 of offence1 to both the houses of      
,israel2 for a gin1 and for a snare to  
the inhabitants of ,jerusalem4 ,and in  
the #bhth chapter it is written1        
therefore1 thus saith the ,lord ,god1   
behold ,i lay in ,zion for a foundation1
 a stone1 a tried stone1 a precious     
corner stone1 a sure foundation1 he that
 believeth shall not be ashamed1 7or    
disappointed7 ,here you see1 reader1    
that he jams two distant passages       
together no ways related2 and alters    
some words1 and applies them to ,jesus1 

with whom1 it appears from the context  
of ,isaiah1 they have no concern4  ,ch4 
x4 v4 #f4 ,the scripture saith1 say not 
in thine heart1 who shall ascend into   
,heaven8 7that is1 that he may bring    
down ,jesus from above47 ,again1 who    
shall descend into the abyss8 7that is1 
that he may bring up ,jesus from the    
dead47 ,but what saith it8  ,the word is
 very nigh unto thee1 in thy mouth1 and 
in thy heart4 7that is the word of      
,faith which we speak47 ,for if thou    
confess ,jesus with thy mouth1 and      
believe in thine heart that ,god raised 
him from the dead1 thou shalt be saved4 
,here you will see another instance of  
misapplication of ,scripture by ,paul1  
in order to dazzle the eyes of his      
simple and credulous converts1 for let  
any one took at the place in the        
,scripture whence the quotation is      
taken1 arid he will immediately see the 
inapplicability of the words1 and the   
adulteration of those of the original1  
in order to make them apply4 ,for the   

,scripture quoted speaks of1 and refers 
to penitence1 and4 not at all about     
believing on1 or bringing down ,jesus   
from ,heaven1 or up from the dead2 for  
here are the words1 ,deut4 #cj4--;,if   
thou be converted to the ,lord thy ,god 
with all thy heart1 and with all thy    
mind4--,immediately is subjoined--,for  
this ,law which ,i command you this day 
is not far from thee2 neither is it afar
 off4 ,it is not in ,heaven1 that thou  
shouldst say1 who shall ascend for us   
into ,heaven1 that he may bring it unto 
us1 and declare it to us that we might  
do it1 c4 ,the sense of the whole is1   
that ,god wills us to repent of sin2 and
 that you may know when you have sinned1
 you have only to look at his ,law1     
which is not in ,heaven1 nor afar off1  
but is put in your own hands1 and is    
perfectly familiar with your heart1 and 
lips4  #a ,cor1 ch4 v4 #a4 ,paul accuses
 one of the ,christians of the church of
 ,corinth of the crime of incest1       
because he had married his step-mother1 

and orders them to excommunicate him4   
,but ,paul1 in all his ,epistles and    
teachings to the ,gentiles1 pronounced  
them free from the ,law of ,moses4      
,wherefore then for the violation of one
 of those ,laws interdicting such a     
marriage1 does he so vehemently1 blame  
them8 ,such a marriage is not forbidden 
in the ,gospel3 it was forbidden to them
 no where in the ,scriptures but in the 
,mosaic ,code4 ,therefore1 ,paul must   
have founded his judgment against the   
criminal upon the dictum of that law in 
such cases4 ,paul puts the man under a  
curse2 and it is the ,mosaic ,law which 
says1 ,deut4 #bg1 ,cursed is he who     
lieth with his fathers wife4 ,it seems1 
therefore1 that ,jesus did not deliver  
his followers from the curse of the law1
 as ,paul taught them it did in ,gal4   
iii4 #ac4  #a ,cor4 ch4 x43--,and let us
 not pollute ourselves with fornication1
 as some of them were polluted1 and fell
 in one day to the number of            
twenty-three thousand4 ,here is a       

blunder1 for it is written  twenty-four 
thousand4--,num4 #be4  ,gal4 iii41 #ac1 
,paul says1 ,christ hath redeemed us    
from the curse of the law1 being made a 
curse for us2 for it is written1 cursed 
is every one that hangeth on a tree4    
,what he says of the ,christ1 or the    
,messiah redeeming from the curses      
written in the law1 that by no means    
agrees with truth2 for no ,jew can be   
freed from the curses of the law1 but by
 repenting of his sins1 and becoming    
obedient to it4 ,and in alledging the   
words cursed is every one that hangeth  
on a tree1 from ,deut4 xxi41 he1 as     
usual1 applies them irrelevantly4  ,paul
 says1 ,gal4 iii1 #aj3--;,for as many as
 are of the works of the law1 are under 
the curse2 for it is written1 ,deut4    
xxvii4 #bf1  ,cursed is every one that  
continueth not in all things written in 
the book of the law to do them4 ,and he 
interprets this to mean that all        
mankind1 ,jews and ,gentile1 are liable 
to damnation1 7except those who are     

saved by faith7 because no man ever did 
continue in all things written in the   
law4 ,now1 in the first place ,i would  
observe1 that ,paul has inserted the    
word all in the passage he quotes from  
,deuteronomy1 7in the original of which 
it is not7 in order to make it support  
his system2 for the whole of his        
argument is built upon this one         
surreptitiously inserted word4 #b4 ,the 
words according to the original are     
simply these3--,cursed is he that       
continueth not the words of this law to 
do them2 i4 e41--,he who disobeys1 or   
neglects to fulfil the commands of the  
law1 shall be under the curse denounced 
upon the disobedient4 ,but who would    
conclude from this that repentance would
 not remove the curse8 ,does not ,god   
expressly declare in the xxx4 ch4 of    
,deut41 that if they repent1 the curses 
written shall be removed from them8 ,and
 have we not innumerable instances      
recorded in the ,old ,testament1 of     
sinners1 and transgressors of this very 

law1 received to pardon and favour1 upon
 repentance and amendment8 ,so that this
 argument founded upon an unwarrantable 
undeniable interpolation1 and supported 
by bad logic1 is every way bad1 and     
insulting to ,god and his 7by ,paul     
acknowledged7 word4  ,gal ch4 iii4      
#af3--,to ,abraham1 and his seed were   
the promises made1 ,he saith not  and to
 seeds1 7as of roomy7 but as of one1    
and to thy seed1 which is ,christ4 ,here
 is an argument which one would think   
too far-fetched1 even for ,paul2 and it 
is built on a perversion of a passage   
from ,genesis1 which ,paul1 bold as he  
was in these matters1 certainly would   
not have ventured1 if he had not the    
most assured confidence in the blinking 
credulity of his ,galatian converts4    
,his argument in this place is drawn    
from the use of the word seed in the    
singular number1 in the passage of      
,genesis1 from whence he quotes4 ,and   
because the word seed is in the singular
 number1 fag tells the foolish          

,galatians1 as he justly calls them1    
that this seed must mean one individual 
7and not many17 which1 says he1 is      
,christ4 ,now1 let us look at the xv4   
ch4 of ,gen41 from whence he quotes1 and
 we shall see the force of this singular
 argument1 derived from the use of the  
singular number4 ,and ,he 7,god7 brought
 him 7,abraham7 forth abroad1 and said4 
,look now towards heaven1 and tell the  
stars if thou be able to number them1   
and ,he said unto him1 so shall thy seed
 be4--,and ,he said1 know of a surety   
that thy seed shall be a stranger in a  
land that is not theirs1 and they shall 
afflict them1 c41 afterwards they shall 
come out with great substance4--,in that
 same day the ,lord made a covenant with
 ,abraham1 saying1 unto thy seed have ,i
 given this land1 c4 ,again1 ch4 xxii41 
,god said to ,abraham by his ,angel1 ,i 
will multiply thy seed as the stars of  
heaven1 and as the sand which is upon   
the sea shore2 and thy seed shall       
possess the gate of his 7or its7        

enemies1 and in thy seed shall all the  
nations of the earth be blessed1 because
 thou hast obeyed my voice6 ,reader1    
what do you think now of ,pauls argument
 from the use of the singular number8   
,which is most to be admired8 ,his      
offering such an argument to the        
,galatians2 7for being a learned man1 he
 certainly knew that the argument was   
nought17 or their credulity in receiving
 such reasoning as ,divine8 ,really1 ,i 
fear there is some reason for admitting 
as true what ,celsus maliciously says of
 the simplicity of the ,primitive       
,christians1 if ,paul could with        
impunity feed his spiritual babes with  
such pap as this6  ,i intended to have  
concluded this subject1 by bringing     
under examination some of the arguments 
and quotations in the ,epistle to the   
,hebrews2 but upon looking over that    
,epistle1 and contemplating my task1 ,i 
confess ,i shrink from it4 ,that        
,epistle is so replete with daring1     
ridiculous1 and impious applications of 

the words of the ,old ,testament1 that  
,i am glad to omit it2 and ,i think     
after the specimens which have been     
already brought forward1 that my reader 
is quite as much satiated as myself4 ,i 
will1 therefore1 bring forward only one 
quotation1 which is alledged in that    
,epistle to prove the abolition of the  
law of ,moses2 and as for the rest1 ,i  
content myself with referring those who 
want to know more of it1 to the pieces  
written by the celebrated ,dr4          
,priestley upon ,pauls arguments in     
general1 and those in that ,epistle in  
particular1 preserved in his            
,theological ,repository1 where he will 
see absurdity in reasoning1 and1        
something worse1 in quotation1 exposed  
in a masterly manner4 ,indeed1 some     
learned ,christians are so sensible of  
the insuperable difficulties attending  
every attempt to reconcile that ,epistle
 to the ,doctrine of inspiration1 or    
even to common sense1 that they avoid   
the trouble1 by denying that ,paul could

 have been the author of such a work1   
and attribute it to the same1 or a      
similar1 hand1 with that which forged   
the marvellous ,epistle ascribed to     
,barnabas4  ,the quotation brought      
forward in the ,epistle to the ,hebrews1
 to prove the abrogation of the ,mosaic 
,law1 and the substitution of a new one1
 is taken from ,jer4 xxxi4 #ca1         
c4--,behold the days come saith the     
,lord1 that ,i will make a new covenant 
with the house of ,judah4 ,not according
 to the covenant which ,i made with they
 fathers1 in the day that ,i took them  
by the hand to bring them out of the    
land of ,egypt1 7which my covenant they 
brake1 although ,i was an husband unto  
them1 saith the ,lord47 ,but this shall 
be the covenant that ,i will make with  
the house of ,israel4 ,after those days 
saith the ,lord1 ,i will put my law in  
their inward parts1 and write it in     
their hearts2 and will be their ,god1   
and they shall be my people2 and they   
shall teach no more every man his       

neighbour1 saying know the ,lord1 for   
they shall all know me from the least of
 them unto the greatest of them1 saith  
the ,lord1 for ,i will forgive their    
iniquity1 and will remember their sins  
no more4 ,upon this passage the author  
of the ,epistle observes in that he     
saith a new covenant1 he hath made the  
first old2 and he sagely concludes  now 
that which decayeth1 and waxeth old1 is 
ready to vanish away66 and takes the    
quotation to be a prophecy of the       
abolition of the old law1 and the       
introduction of the ,gospel             
,dispensation4  ,now1 ,i would observe  
on his reasoning1 in the first place1   
that1 allowing for a moment his         
interpretation of the prophecy to be    
correct1 7i4 e41 that it signifies the  
abolishment of the old1 and an          
introduction of a new law7 the prophecy1
 at any rate1 cannot refer to ,jesus1 or
 the ,gospel2 for so far from having    
been fulfilled in the time of ,jesus1 or
 his ,apostles1 it has not been         

fulfilled to this day2 for certainly    
,god has not yet made a new covenant    
with the ,jews1 to whom the prophecy    
refers1 nor has he yet put his law in   
their hearts2 nor caused them to walk in
 it2 neither has he yet  forgiven their 
sins1 or forgotten their iniquities1    
since they are even now suffering1 the  
consequences of them4  ,i will now      
retract what ,i granted1 and assert that
 the prophet did not mean an abolition  
of the ,mosaic1 and the introduction of 
a new1 law2 for though the prophet      
speaks of a new covenant1 he says       
nothing of a new law2 but on the        
contrary1 asserts that this new covenant
 would be effectual to make them obey   
the law4 ,god promised to put his law   
within their hearts 7not out of         
remembrance1 as the catechisms say27 and
 in this alone this covenant differs    
from the one entered into at ,mount     
,sinai4 ,for1 then1 though the law was  
given them1 it was not put within their 
hearts1 but they were apt1 to their own 

controul1 to obey it1 or not1 being     
assured1 however1 that happiness should 
be the reward of obedience1 and death   
and excision the punishment for revolt  
and disobedience4 ,and you will moreover
 observe1 that1 notwithstanding what is 
here called a new covenant1 nothing is  
here said of the abrogation of any      
former covenant1 or constitution1 or of 
any new terms1 that would be required by
 ,god on the part of the ,israelites4   
,the prophet1 by expanding his idea1    
sufficiently explains his whole meaning1
 which is evidently this1 viz43 ,that   
,god would make a new1 and solemn       
promise to the ,israelites1 that they   
should be no more out of favor with him2
 that their hearts would be hereafter so
 right with ,god1 that in consequence of
 it1 they would continue in the quiet   
possession of their country to the end  
of time2 and all this is intimated by   
,moses1 in the quotation from           
,deuteronomy1 quoted in the last        
chapter4  ,thus is the passage perfectly

 consistent with those in the ,old      
,testament1 which affirm1 7whether right
 or wrong is not my concern7 the        
perfection and perpetuity of the ,mosaic
 ,law4  ,remember1 are the last words of
 the last of the prophets1              
,malachi1--,remember the ,law of ,moses1
 my servant which ,i commanded unto him 
in ,horeb1 with the ,statutes1 and      
,judgments4 ,also in the ,psalms3--,the 
,law of the ,lord is perfect1 converting
 the soul4 ,the ,testimony of the ,lord 
is faithful1 bringing wisdom to the     
simple4 ,the ,precepts of the ,lord are 
right1 rejoicing the heart1 and         
enlightening the eyes4 ,the works of his
 hands are ,truth1 and ,judgment4 ,all  
his ,precepts are sure4 ,they stand fast
 for ever and ever3 being done in ,truth
 and ,uprightness4    ,,chapter ,,xiii4 
,,examination ,,of ,,some ,,doctrines   
,,in ,,the ,,new ,,testament ,,derived  
,,fbom ,,the ,,caballa1 ,,the ,,oriental
 ,,philosophy1 ,,and ,,the ,,tenets ,,of
 ,,zoroaster4  ,i have said in the      

preceding chapter1 that ,paul was well  
versed in ,cabbalistic ,learning1 and   
not unacquainted with the principles of 
the ,philosophy styled the ,oriental2   
and to prove and exemplify this         
assertion1 is the subject and intention 
of this chapter4 ,none but the learned  
know1 how much of ,systematic           
,christianity is derived from the       
,cabbalism of the ,jews2 the ,religion  
of the ,magi of ,persia2 and the        
,philosophy of the ,bramins of          
,indostan4 ,i shall attempt to lay open 
these ,theological ,arcana1 and make    
them known to those who ought to know   
what they have been kept in ignorance   
of4  ,many of my readers have1 no doubt1
 frequently puzzled themselves over     
these words of ,pauls1 ,eph4 v4         
#cj3--;,for we are members of his       
7,christs7 body1 of his flesh1 and of   
his bones4 ,because of this1 a man shall
 leave his father1 and mother1 and shall
 cleave to his wife1 and they two shall 
be one flesh4 ,this mystery is great1   

but ,i speak concerning ,christ and the 
,church4 ,this passage exemplifies the  
connexion between ,christ and the       
,church1 by that which subsists between 
a man and his wife2 and this ,paul calls
 a great mystery2 and it no doubt must  
be a very mysterious passage to all     
those who are unacquainted with the     
cabbalistic notion to which it alludes1 
and refers4 ,to illustrate the passage1 
and to prove that ,paul raised his      
,cabbalism with his religion1 ,i shall  
set down here the note of ,dr4 ,whitby1 
the ,christian ,commentator1 upon the   
text of ,paul4  ,the learned ,dr4 ,allix
 saith1 ,the first match between ,adam  
and ,eve1 was a type of that between    
,christ and his ,church2 and in this1   
saith he1 the ,apostle follows the      
,jewish notions4 ,the ,jews say1 the    
mystery of ,adam1 is the mystery of the 
,messiah1 who is the ,bridegroom of the 
,church4 ,these two persons1 therefore1 
confirm the observation of ,munster1    
that the creation of the woman from the 

rib of the man1 was made by the ,jews to
 signify the marriage of the celestial  
man who is blessed1 or of the ,messiah1 
with the ,church2 whence the ,apostle   
applies the very words which ,adam said 
concerning ,eve his spouse1 to the      
,church1 who is the spouse of ,christ2  
saying1 for we are members of his body1 
of his flesh1 and of his bones4 ,for the
 explanation of these words1 take what  
follows3--,the profoundest of the       
,jewish ,divines1 whom they now call    
,cabbalists1 having such a notion as    
this among them1 that sensible things   
are but an imitation of things above1   
conceived from thence1 that there was an
 original pattern of love and union1    
which is between a man and his wife in  
this world4 ,this being expressed by the
 kindness of ,tipheret and ,malchut1    
which are the names they give to the    
invisible ,bridegroom and ,bride in the 
upper world4 ,and this ,tiphiret1 or the
 celestial ,adam1 is so called in       
opposition to the terrestrial ,adam2 as 

,malchut also 7i4 e41 the kingdom7 they 
call by the name of ,chinnereth ,israel 
the ,congregation of ,israel1 who is1   
they say1 united to the celestial ,adam 
as ,eve was to the terrestrial4 ,so that
 in sum1 they seem to say the same that 
,paul doth1 when he tells us1 that      
marriage is a great mystery1 but he     
speaks concerning ,christ and his       
,church4 ,for the marriage of ,tipheret 
and ,malchuth1 is the marriage of       
,christ1 the ,lord from ,heaven1 7the   
first man was of the ,earth earthly1 the
 second man is the ,lord from ,heaven1  
says ,paul ,i ,cor4 xv417 with his      
spouse the ,church1 which is the        
conjunction of ,adam and ,eve1 and of   
all other men and women descended from  
them4 ,origen also seems to have had    
some notion of the relation of this     
passage to ,adam and ,eve1 when he      
speaks thus3--,if any man deride us for 
using the example of ,adam and ,eve in  
these words1 and ,adam knew his wife1   
when we treat of the knowledge of ,god1 

let him consider these words--,this is a
 great mystery4 ,tertullian frequently  
alludes to the same thing1 saying--,this
 is a great sacrament1 carnally in      
,adam1 spiritually in ,christ1 because  
of the spiritual marriage between       
,christ and the ,church4  ,thus far ,dr4
 ,whitby1 and the intelligent reader1   
who is acquainted with the dogmas and   
philosophy of ,indostan1 will not fail  
to see through this cloud1 of words the 
origin of this analogy of ,paul4 ,the   
fact is1 that in ,india and in ,egypt1  
the ,divine creative power which        
produced all things and energizes in    
everything1 was symbolized by the       
,phallus2 and to this day1 in           
,hindostan1 the operation of ,diety upon
 matter is symbolized by images of the  
same2 and in the darkest recesses of    
their ,temples1 which none but the      
initiated were permitted to enter3 the  
,phallus of stone is the solitary idol1 
before which the illuminated bowed4     
,this symbol1 though shameful and       

abominable1 is yet looked upon in ,india
 with the profoundest veneration1 and is
 not with them the occasion of shame or 
reproach4 ,it is1 however1 a blasphemous
 abomination2 and the marriage between  
,christ and the ,church ought not to    
have been thus illustrated by ,paul1 who
 reproached the heathen mysteries as    
works of darkness1 which mysteries1 in  
fact1 consisted principally in          
exhibiting these symbols1 and similar   
abominations4  ,but1 it may be asked1   
what is the meaning of the other clause 
of the verse--what could ,paul mean by  
the strong language1 ,we are members of 
his body8 of his flesh1 and of his      
bones8 ,why1 my reader1 he meant1 that  
,christians were really part of the body
 of ,christ and if you desire to know   
,how he imagined this union to be       
effected1 ,i request you to see the     
#ajth ch4 of the #ast ,epistle to the   
,corinthians1 where at the #afth verse  
he thus writes to them3--,the cup of    
blessing which we bless1 is it not a    

participation of the blood of ,christ8  
,the loaf 7according to the ,greek      
original7 which we break1 is it not a   
participation of the body of ,christ8   
for1 ,because the loaf is one1 we1      
though many1 are one body1 for we all   
partake of that one loaf4 ,again1 ch4   
xi4 #ai1 ,for he that eateth1 and       
drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh 
judgment to himself1 not distinguishing 
7or discovering7 the ,lords body2 and in
 ch4 xii4 #bg1 he says to them1 ,ye are 
the body of ,christ1 and his members    
severally4 7,see the original of these  
passages in ,griesbachs ,greek          
,testament47 ,thus you see1 reader1 that
 ,paul considered ,christians as members
 of his 7,christs7 body1 of his flesh1  
and of his bones1 because they partook  
of one loaf1 which was the body of      
,christ4 ,the ,papists are in the right1
 and have been much slandered by the    
,protestants1 for the doctrine of       
,transubstantiation1 or at least the    
,real ,presence1 is as plainly taught in

 the ,new ,testament1 as the doctrine of
 the ,atonement4 ,you have seen what    
,paul believed upon this subject1 and ,i
 shall corroborate the sense ,i put upon
 his words1 by the words of ,jesus1 his 
master1 and by quotations from the      
earliest ,fathers4  ,jesus says1 ,john  
vi4--,i am the living bread which came  
down from ,heaven2 if any man eat of    
this bread1 he shall live for ever1 and 
the bread which ,i will give is my      
flesh1 which ,i will give for the life  
of the world4 ,the ,jews1 therefore1    
contended among themselves1 saying1 ,how
 can this man give us his flesh to eat8 
,jesus1 therefore1 said unto them1      
,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 unless
 ye eat the flesh of the son of man1 and
 drink his blood1 ye have not life in   
you4 ,he that eateth my flesh1 and      
drinketh my blood1 hath everlasting     
life1 and ,i will raise him up at the   
last day4 ,for my flesh is verily food1 
and my blood is verily drink4 ,he that  
eateth my flesh1 and drinketh my blood1 

abideth in me1 and ,i in him4 ,as the   
living ,father hath sent me1 and ,i live
 by the ,father1 7here is an oath7 so he
 likewise that eateth me shall live by  
me4  ,this strange doctrine was the     
faith of the ,primitive ,christians1 as 
is well known to the learned            
,protestants1 though they do not like to
 say so to their weaker brethren4       
,ignatius says1 ,there is one flesh of  
our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and one cup in
 the unity of his blood2 and of certain 
heretics he says1 they confess not the  
,eucharist to be the flesh of our       
,saviour ,jesus ,christ4  ,justin       
,martyr1 in his ,apology1 asserts that  
the consecrated bread is1 some how or   
other1 the flesh of ,christ4  ,in the   
dispute with ,latimer about             
,transubstantiation1 it is acknowledged 
by the most candid writers1 that the    
,roman ,catholics had much the          
advantage4 ,it must have been so1 where 
quotations from the ,fathers were       
allowed as arguments4 ,for what answer  

can be made to the following extracts8--
 ,what a miracle is this6 ,he who sits  
above with the ,father1 at the same     
instant1 is handled by the hands of men4
 ,chrysostom4 ,again1 from the same1    
,that which is in the cup1 is the same  
which flowed from the side of ,christ4  
,again1 ,because we abhor the eating of 
raw flesh2 therefore1 it appeareth      
bread1 though it be flesh4 ,theophylact4
 ,or to this8--,christ was carried in   
his own hands1 when he said this is my  
body4 ,austin1 ,or to this8--,we are    
taught1 that when this nourishing food  
is consecrated1 it becomes the body and 
blood of our ,saviour4 ,justin ,martyr4 
,or1 lastly1 to this8 from ,ambrose--   
,it is bread before consecration1 but   
after that ceremony1 it becomes the     
flesh of ,christ4  ,another doctrine    
which ,paul derived from the ,oriental  
,philosophy1 and ,which makes a great   
figure in his writings1 is the notion1  
that moral corruption originates in the 
influxes of the body upon the mind4  ,it

 was one of the principal tenets of the 
,oriental ,philosophy1 that all evil    
resulted from matter1 and its first     
founder appears to have argued in the   
following manner3--,there are many evils
 in the world1 and men seem impelled of 
a natural instinct to the practice of   
those things which reason condemns4 ,but
 that eternal mind1 from which all      
spirits derive their existence1 must be 
inaccessible to all kinds of evil1 and  
also of a most perfect and beneficent   
nature2 therefore1 the origin of these  
evils with which the world abounds1 must
 be sought somewhere else1 than in the  
,deity4 ,it cannot abide in him who is  
all perfection1 and1 therefore1 it must 
be without him4 ,now1 there is nothing  
without or beyond the ,deity but matter2
 therefore1 matter is the centre and    
source of all evil1 of all vice4  ,one  
of the consequences they drew from this 
hypothesis was1 that since ,all evil    
resulted from matter1 the depravity of  
mankind arose from the pollution derived

 to the human soul1 from its connexion  
with the material body which it         
inhabits2 and1 therefore1 the only means
 by which the mind could purify itself  
from the defilement1 and liberate itself
 from the bondage imposed upon it by the
 body1 was to emaciate and humble the   
body by frequent fasting1 and to        
invigorate the mind to overcome and     
subdue it by retirement and             
contemplation4  ,the ,new ,testament1   
though it does not recognise this       
principle of the ,oriental ,philosophy1 
that evil originates from matter1 yet   
coincides with it in strenuously        
asserting that the corruption of the    
human mind is derived from its connexion
 with the human body4  ,to prove this   
proposition1 ,i shall show that ,paul   
calls all crimes the works of the flesh4
 ,now1 the works of the flesh are       
manifest1 7says he1 ,gal4 v4 #ai17 which
 are these3 adultery1 fornication1      
uncleanness1 lasciviousness1 idolatry1  
sorcery1 hatred1 contentions1 rivalries1

 wrath1 disputes1 divisions1 heresies1  
envyings1 murders1 drunkenness1         
revellings1 and such like4 ,he also     
describes the conflict between the flesh
 and the spirit1 or mind1 in these      
terms3-- ,for ,i know that in me1 that  
is1 in my flesh1 dwelleth no good1 for  
to will is present with me1 but to      
perform that which is good1 ,i find not1
 but the evil which ,i would not1 that  
,i do4 ,for ,i delight in the law of    
,god according to the inner man1 but ,i 
see another law in my members warring   
against the law of my mind1 and bringing
 me into captivity to the law of my sin 
in my members4 ,o wretched man that ,i  
am6 who will deliver me from the body of
 this death8 7or this body of death47   
,and he goes on to observe1 ,that ,i1   
the same man1 with my mind serve the law
 of ,god1 but with my flesh the law of  
sin4--,rom4 vii4 ,for the flesh desireth
 against 7or in opposition to7 the      
spirit1 and the spirit against the      
flesh1 and these are contrary the one to

 the other1 so that ye cannot do the    
things that ye would4  ,those that are  
,christs 7says ,paul1 ,gal4 v4 #bd7 have
 crucified the flesh1 with its passions 
and desires4 ,and they are commanded    
7,rom4 vi4 #ab and viii4 #ac7 to        
mortify1 or1 according to the original1 
put to death or kill their members2 and 
,paul himself uses language upon this   
subject exceeding strong4 ,he represents
 7#a ,cor4 ix4 #bg7 his mind and body as
 engaged in combat1 and says1 ,i buffet 
my body1 and subject it4 ,the word here 
translated  subject1 in the original1   
means to carry into servitude1 and is a 
term taken from the language of the     
olympic games where the boxers dragged  
off the arena1 their conquered1         
disabled1 and helpless antagonists like 
slaves1 in which humbled condition the  
,apostle represents his body to be with 
respect to his mind4  ,from this notion 
of the sinfulness of the flesh1 we are  
enabled to apprehend ,pauls reasonings  
about the sufferings of ,jesus in the   

flesh4 ,since the children are partakers
 of flesh and blood1 ,christ himself    
also in like manner partook of          
them--,heb4 ii4 #ad4 ,for 7says ,paul7  
what the law could not do in that it was
 weak through the flesh1 ,god hath done1
 who by having sent his own son in the  
likeness of sinful flesh1 and on account
 of sin1 hath condemned sin in the      
flesh4--,rom4 viii4 #c4 ,but now1       
through ,christ ,jesus1 ye who formerly 
were far off1 are brought near by the   
blood of ,christ4 ,for he is our ,peace 
who hath made both one1 and hath broken 
down the middle wall of partition       
between us1 having abolished by his     
flesh the cause of enmity4--,ephes4 ii4 
#af4 ,you that were formerly aliens1 and
 enemies in your mind by wicked works1  
yet he hath now reconciled by his       
fleshly body1 through his death4--,col4 
i4 #bj4  ,though these notions are      
sufficiently strange1 yet they are not  
so very remarkable as the one ,i am     
about to consider4 ,it is a singular1   

and a demonstrable fact1 that the       
fundamental scheme of ,christianity was 
derived from the religion of the ancient
 ,persians1 ,the whole of the ,new      
,testament scheme is built upon the     
hypothesis1 that there is a powerful and
 malignant being1 called the ,devil and 
,satan1 the chief of unknown myriads of 
other evil spirits2 that he is1 by the  
sufferance of ,god1 the ,prince of this 
world1 and is the ,author of sin1 woe   
and death2 the ,tempter1 the ,tormentor 
of men1 and the ,tyrant of the ,earth2  
that the ,son of ,god1 to deliver       
mankind from the vassalage of this      
monster1 descended from heaven1 and     
purchased their ransom of the ,tyrant1  
at the price of his blood2 for observe1 
my reader1 that the idea of the death of
 ,jesus being an atonement to ,god for  
the sins of men1 is a modern notion2 for
 the ,primitive ,christians1 all of     
them1 considered the death of ,jesus as 
a ransom paid to the ,devil1 as may be  
proved from ,origen and other ,fathers4 

,that the ,new ,testament represents    
this character as the sovereign of this 
world1 may be proved by the following   
passages3--,all this power will ,i give 
thee1 and the glory of them1 7said the  
,tempter to ,jesus1 when he showed him  
all the kingdoms of the earth17 for it  
is delivered unto me1 and to whomsoever 
,i will1 ,i give it4 ,luke iv41 ,jesus  
calls him the ,prince of this world2    
,john xii41 and elsewhere4 ,in his      
commission to ,paul1 he calls embracing 
his religion1 turning from darkness unto
 light1 and from the power of ,satan to 
,god4--4 ,acts xxvi4 #ah4 ,accordingly  
we find1 that to become a ,christian was
 considered as being freed from the     
tyranny of ,satan4 ,god hath given life 
to you1 7says ,paul7 who were dead in   
offences1 and sins2 in which ye formerly
 walked1 according to the course 7or    
constitution7 of this world1 according  
to the ,prince of the ,power of the     
air4-- ,ephesians ii41 #a4 ,and         
again3--,if our gospel be covered1 7or  

hid7 it is covered among those that are 
lost1 among those unbelievers1 whose    
minds the ,god of this world hath       
blinded1 to the end that the glorious   
gospel of ,christ should not enlighten  
them4--#b ,cor4 iv4 #d4 ,john says in   
his ,epistle1 that the whole world lieth
 in the power of the wicked one2 and    
,jesus in the gospels compares him to a 
strong man armed1 keeping his goods2 and
 himself to one stronger than he1 who   
strippeth him of the arms in which he   
trusted1 and spoileth his goods4 ,for   
this purpose was the ,son of ,god       
manifested1 that he might destroy the   
works of the ,devil4--#a ,john iii4 #h4 
,and it is said1 that he came to send   
forth the captive into liberty1 and to  
heal those who were oppressed of the    
,devil4 ,men are also said to have been 
taken captive of the ,devil1 to fulfil  
his will4--#b ,timothy ii4 #bf4 ,and we 
find that the ,christians attributed all
 their sufferings to the opposition of  
this ,being4 ,put on 7says ,paul7 the   

whole armour of ,god1 that ye may be    
able to stand against the wiles of the  
,devil4 ,for we struggle not against    
flesh and blood only2 but against       
principalities1 against powers1 against 
the rulers of the darkness of this      
world1 against wicked spirits in high   
places4--,ephesians vi4 #ab4 ,christians
 are also said to be delivered by ,god  
from the power of darkness1 and to be   
translated into the kingdom of his dear 
son4 ,that is1 as ,christians were      
considered as being the subjects of     
,jesus1 and the rest of the world as    
being of the kingdom of ,satan1 when a  
man became a ,christian he was          
translated from the kingdom of one1 to  
the kingdom of the other4 ,jesus accused
 the ,devil as being the author of all  
evil1 as a liar1 and the father of lies1
 and a murderer of men1 and of women1   
too1 as appears in the ,gospel1 from the
 account of that one1 whose back the    
,devil had bowed down for eighteen      
years--,luke xiii4 #aj--7on what account

 it does not appear47 ,in short1 the    
,new ,testament represents to him as    
being the source of all evil and        
mischief1 and the promoter of it2 and   
the whole world as being his subjects1  
and combined with him against all good4 
,but how does all this prove that these 
notions were derived from the religion  
of the ancient ,persians8 ,i answer by  
requesting you1 my reader1 to peruse1   
attentively1 the following account of   
the fundamental principles of the       
religion of ,zoroaster1 the prophet of  
the ,persians4  ,the doctrine of        
,zoroaster was1 that there was one      
,supreme ,being1 independent1 and       
self-existing from all eternity2 that   
inferior to him1 there were two ,angels1
 one the ,angel of ,light1 who is the   
,author and ,director of all ,good2 and 
the other1 the ,angel of ,darkness1 who 
is the ,author and ,director of all     
,evil2 that these two are in a perpetual
 struggle with each other2 and that     
where the ,angel of ,light prevails1    

there the most is good2 awl where the   
,angel of ,darkness prevails1 there the 
most is evil4 ,that this struggle shall 
continue to the end of the world2 that  
then there shall be a general           
resurrection1 and a day of judgment1    
wherein just retribution shall be       
rendered to all according to their      
works2 after which1 the ,angel of       
,darkness1 and his followers1 shall go  
into a world of their own1 where they   
shall suffer in darkness1 the punishment
 of their evil deeds4 ,and the ,angel of
 ,light1 and his followers1 shall also  
go into a world of their own1 where they
 shall receive1 in everlasting light1   
the reward due to their good deeds4  ,it
 is impossible but that the reader must 
see the agreement of the doctrines of   
the ,new ,testament with all this2 and  
since it is undoubted1 that these tenets
 of ,zoroaster are far more ancient than
 the ,new ,testament1 and since1 as we  
have seen1 that that book is much       
indebted to oriental notions for many of

 its dogmas1 there is no way of         
accounting for this coincidence 7that ,i
 know of71 besides supposing the ,devil 
of the ,new ,testament to be of ,persian
 origin4 ,it is1 however1 in my power to
 make this coincidence still more       
striking from the words of ,jesus       
himself1 who says1 7,matthew xiii4 #bd71
 ,the kingdom of ,heaven is like a man  
who sowed good seed in his field1 but   
while men slept1 his enemy 7mark the    
expression7 his enemy came1 and sowed   
tares among the wheat2 but when the     
blade sprung up1 and brought forth      
fruit1 then appeared the tares also4 ,so
 the servants of the householder came   
near1 and said unto him1  ,sir1 didst   
thou not sow good seed in thy field8    
whence1 then1 hath it tares8 ,and he    
saith unto them1 an enemy hath done     
this4 ,you know the rest of the parable4
 ,the explanation of it is as           
follows3--,he who soweth the good seed  
is the ,son of ,man1 and the field is   
the world2 and the good seed are the    

sons of the kingdom1 and the tares are  
the sons of the ,evil ,one1 and the     
enemy who sowed them is the ,devil4     
,here you see1 as far as it goes1 a     
precise agreement with the doctrine of  
,zoroaster2 and to complete the         
resemblance1 you need but to recollect1 
that at the day of ,judgment1 according 
to the words of ,jesus1 the wicked go   
into the fire prepared for the ,devil   
and his angels2 and the righteous go    
into life eternal with the ,son of ,god4
  ,but is there not a ,satan mentioned  
in the ,old ,testament1 and is he not   
there represented as an evil and        
malevolent angel8 ,i think not4 ,this   
notion probably arises from the habit of
 interpreting the ,old ,testament by the
 ,new4 ,the ,satan mentioned in the ,old
 ,testament1 is represented as ,gods    
minister of punishment1 and as much his 
faithful servant as any of his angels4  
,the prologue to the book of ,job       
certainly supposes that this angel of   
punishment1 by office1 appeared in the  

court of ,heaven1 nay1 he is ranked     
among the ,sons of ,god4 ,this ,satan is
 merely the supposed chief of those     
ministers of ,gods will1 whose office is
 to execute his ordered commands upon   
the guilty1 and who may be sometimes1 as
 in the case of ,job1 the minister of   
probation only1 rather than of          
punishment2 and there is no reason why  
he should be ashamed of his office more 
than the ,general of an army1 or the    
,judges of the criminal courts1 who1    
though they are not unfrequently        
ministers of punishment are not1        
therefore1 excluded the royal presence2 
but on the contrary1 their office is    
considered as honourable2--i4 e41       
punishment without malevolence1 does not
 pollute the inflictor4 ,consider the   
story of the destruction of ,sodom1     
,genesis xix42 of ,egypt2 ,exodus xxii42
 of ,sennacherib1 #a ,kings xxix4 #ce2  
also ,joshua v4 #ac4 ,the term ,satan   
signifies an adversary1 and is applied  
to any angel sent upon an errand of     

punishment ,for example1 ,numbers xxii4 
#bc1 ,the ,angel of the ,lord stood in  
the way1 for an adversary 7literally1   
for a ,satan7 against ,balaam1 with his 
sword drawn in his hand4 ,curse ye      
,meroz1 saith the ,angel of the ,lord1  
whose office is to punish4 ,so also     
,psalms xxxv4 #e1 ,let the ,angel 7of   
punishment7 of the ,lord chase them1 7i4
 e41 drive them before him in a military
 manner2 pursue them37 let their way be 
dark and slippery1 and the ,angel of the
 ,lord following them4  #b ,samuel xxiv4
 #af3--,the ,lord sent a pestilence upon
 ,israel--the angel 7of punishment7     
stretched forth his hand and smote the  
people4--#a ,chronicles xxi4            
#af3--;,david saw the angel 7of         
punishment7 having a drawn sword in his 
hand4  ,this notion is referred to1 in  
the ,apocryphal ,history of ,susannah1  
verse #fi4 ,the ,angel of the ,lord     
waiteth with his sword that he may cut  
thee in two4  ,thus we see1 that the    
term ,satan is in the ,old ,testament   

applied to any ,angel of the ,lord sent 
upon an errand of punishment4 ,and the  
term itself is so far from being        
reproachful 7for ,david is said1 #a     
,samuel xxix4 #d1 to have been a ,satan 
to the ,philistines17 that ,i am not    
sure1 that if ,i had by me a ,hebrew    
concordance1 but ,i could point out     
places1 where ,god himself is           
represented as saying1 that he would be 
an adversary or a ,satan to bad men and 
wicked nations4 ,and though there is in 
the ,old ,testament a particular angel  
styled1 by way of eminence1 ,the ,satan1
 it is so far from being evident that he
 is an evil being1 that ,i would        
undertake to give good reasons to prove 
that this distinguished angel is the    
real prototype1 from whence the impostor
 ,mahomet took the idea of his ,azrael1 
the ,angel of ,death2 who1 in the       
,koran1 is certainly represented as     
being as much the faithful servant of   
,god1 as any of the ,angelic ,hosts4    
,in fine1 the doctrine of the ,old      

,testament upon this matter may be thus 
expressed3--,these be spirits created   
for vengeance1 which in their fury lay  
on sore strokes2 in the time of         
destruction1 they pour out their force1 
sad appease the wrath of him that made  
them4 ,they shall rejoice in his 7,gods7
 commandment1 and they shall be ready   
upon earth1 when need is3 and when their
 time is come1 they shall not transgress
 his word4 ,ecclesiasticus xxxix4 #bh4  
,,chapter ,,xiv4  ,a ,,consideration    
,,of ,,the ,,gift ,,of ,,tongues1 ,,and 
,,other ,,miraculous ,,gifts ,,ascribed 
,o ,,the ,,primitive ,,christians2 ,,and
 ,,whether ,,recorded ,,miracles ,,are  
,,infallible ,,proofs ,,of ,,the        
,,divine ,,authority ,,of ,,doctrines   
,,said ,,to ,,have ,,been ,,confirmed   
,,by ,,them4  ,paul1 in his #ast        
,epistle to the ,corinthians1 speaks to 
them as possessing several spiritual    
gifts1 conferred on them by his         
ministration2 such as the gift of       
prophecy1 discerning of spirits1 and    

speaking in unknown tongues4 ,he gives  
them directions about the proper use of 
their gifts1 and speaks to them as      
absolutely possessing those gifts1 with 
the utmost confidence4 ,dr4 ,paley1 in  
his ,defence of ,christianity1 lays     
great stress upon the manner in which   
,paul addresses the ,corinthians upon   
these miraculous powers2 and he         
considers it as an absolute proof of the
 truth of ,christianity-- because1 he   
says1 it is not conceivable that ,paul  
could have had the boldness and         
presumption to speak to these men       
concerning the use and abuse of these   
gifts1 if they really had them not4  ,i 
am ready to confess1 that this argument 
of ,dr4 ,paley puzzled me2 for though ,i
 was satisfied that ,paul had imposed   
upon their credulity many irrelevant    
passages from the ,scriptures as proofs 
of ,christianity1 yet ,i could not      
imagine that he could presume so much   
upon their stupidity1 as to give them   
directions about the management of their

 miraculous powers1 which being matters 
of fact known to themselves1 therefore1 
if false1 ,i conceived must place ,paul 
in their minds in the light of a        
banterer1 when he told them of gifts1   
which their own consciousness1 ,i       
thought1 must make them sensible they   
had not4 ,i say ,i was puzzled with this
 argument1 until ,i happened to meet    
with some extracts from ,browns ,history
 of the ,shakers1 which convinced me at 
once1 from the obvious likeness between 
these ,shakers and the primitive        
,christians1 that ,paul might have      
written to the ,corinthians  concerning 
their spiritual gifts1 with perfect     
impunity4  ,this ,brown had been a      
,shaker himself1 and while with them1 he
 was as great a believer in his own and 
their gifts1 as the ,corinthians could  
be2 and since it must be obvious1 that  
the gifts of these ,shakers are mere    
self-delusions1 there is1 then1 in our  
own times an example of the gifts of the
 primitive ,christians1 which enables us

 to comprehend their nature and         
character perfectly well4  ,many of     
them1 7the ,shakers7 says ,mr4 ,brown1  
professed to have visions1 and to see   
numbers of spirits1 as plain as they saw
 their brethren and sisters1 and to look
 into the invisible world1 and to       
converse with many of the departed      
spirits1 who had lived in the different 
ages of the world1 and to learn and to  
see their different states in the world 
of spirits4 ,some they saw1 they said1  
were happy1 and others miserable4       
,several declared1 that they often were 
in dark nights surrounded with a light1 
sometimes in their rooms1 but more often
 when walking the road1 so strong1 that 
they could see to pick up a pin1 which  
light would continue a considerable     
time1 and enlighten them on their way4  
,many had gifts to speak languages1 and 
many miracles were said to be wrought1  
and strange signs and great wonders     
shown1 by the believers4  ,and these    
poor creatures believed1 and at this day

 do believe1 all this4 ,they are not1   
you will observe1 artful impostors1 for 
the ,shakers are1 certainly1 a harmless 
and a moral people1 and yet they        
confidently asserted 7and continue to   
assert71 that they had these miraculous 
powers of discerning spirits1 speaking  
with tongues1 and doing great signs and 
wonders ,nevertheless1 it must be       
evident1 that these powers were         
conferred upon them only by their       
enthusiasm and heated imaginations4  ,i 
have heard of the ,shakers before1 and  
have been informed1 that those in ,new  
,england are so convinced of their      
miraculous capabilities1 that they have 
been known1 in order to save their      
neighbours the trouble of applying to   
the tinman1 charitably to offer to join 
the gaping seams of their worn-out tin  
coffee-pots1 and other vessels1 without 
the carnal aid of solder1 merely by a   
touch of their wonder-working fingers4  
,mr4 ,brown1 in describing their mode of
 conduct1 in their religious assemblies1

 unwittingly gives a striking exposition
 of the #ast ,epistle to the            
,corinthians4 ,he describes the brethren
 and sisters praying1 singing1 dancing1 
and preaching in known and unknown      
tongues1 and sticking out their arms1   
and extatically following their noses   
round the church4  ,he says1 respecting 
such as speak in unknown tongues1 they  
have a strong faith in this gift1 and   
think a person greatly favoured who has 
the gift of tongues2 and at certain     
times1 when the mind is overloaded with 
a fiery1 strong zeal1 it must have vent 
some way or other2 their faith1 or      
belief1 at the time being in this1 gift1
 and a will strikes the mind according  
to their faith1 and then such break out 
in a fiery1 energetic manner1 and speak 
they know not what1 as ,i have done     
several times4 ,part of what ,i spake at
 one time was--  ,liero devo            
jerankemango1 ad sileambano1 durem      
subramo1 deviranto diacerimango1 jasse  
vah pe cri evanigalio2 de vom grom seb  

crinom1 os vare cremo domo4  ,when a    
person runs on in this manner for any   
length of time1 ,i now thought it       
probable that he would strike into      
different languages1 and give some words
 in each their right pronounciation1 as 
,i have heard some men of learning1 who 
were present1 say a few words1 were     
,hebrew1 three or four ,greek1 and a few
 ,latin4  ,in another place he gives an 
account of his maiden speech in an      
unknown tongue2 and it is easy to       
conjecture how he came by his gift1 by  
attending to what passed before he broke
 out4 ,here it is3-- ,we danced for near
 an hour1 several turned round like     
tops1 and1 to crown all1 ,i had a gift  
to speak in some other language2 but the
 greatest misfortune was1 that neither  
,i1 nor any other1 understood what ,i   
said4  ,my reader will not be surprized 
after this1 at hearing them say1 that   
the spectators of these signs and       
wonders1 instead of being properly      
affected1 considered the performers as  

out of their wits4  ,let us1 now1       
compare this account with what ,paul    
says upon similar subjects1 in the #adth
 chapter of the #ast ,epistle to the    
,corinthians4 ,he advises them1 in      
exercising their gifts1 to a discreet   
use of them1 as follows3--,he who       
speaketh in an unknown tongue1 speaketh 
not to men1 but to ,god1 for no man     
understandeth him2 howbeit in the spirit
 he speaketh mysteries4 ,again3 ,for if 
the trumpet give an uncertain sound1 who
 shall prepare himself to battle8 ,so1  
likewise1 unless ye utter by the tongue 
words to be understood1 how shall it be 
known what is spoken1 for ye will speak 
to the air8 ,and as others did not      
understand the ,corinthians speaking in 
unknown tongues1 so it seems1 too1 that 
the ,corinthians themselves were in the 
same unfortunate predicament with the   
,shakers1 in not knowing the meaning of 
what they themselves said on these      
occasions4 ,this is clear from this     
argument of ,paul3--,wherefore1 let him 

that speaketh in an unknown tongue1 pray
 that he may interpret4 ,why1 pray that 
he may interpret1 if he understood      
himself8 ,does a man who speaks with    
understanding a foreign language1 need  
to pray that he may be enabled to       
interpret what he says in his mother    
tongue8 ,surely every man who           
understands himself1 can naturally do   
this8 ,after more to the same purpose1  
,paul wisely concludes his argument by  
declaring1 that he would rather speak in
 the church five words with             
understanding1 7i4 e41 knowing what he  
said7 that he might instruct others     
also1 than ten thousand words in an     
unknown tongue4 ,and he fortifies his   
reasoning by this sensible remark1 ,if1 
therefore1 the whole church come        
together into one place1 and all speak  
in unknown tongues1 and those that are  
unlearned1 or unbelievers1 come in1 will
 they not say1 that ye are mad8 as the  
spectators said of the ,shakers4  ,he   
advises them1 therefore1 to conduct     

their assemblies with less uproar than  
formerly1 and exhorts them as           
follows3--,how is it1 then1 brethren1   
when you come together1 hath each of you
 a psalm1 hath he a doctrine1 hath he an
 unknown tongue1 hath he a revelation8  
,let all things be done to edifying4    
,now1 if any man speak in an unknown    
tongue1 let it be by two1 or at most by 
three1 and that in succession1 and let  
one interpret2 but if there be no       
interpreter1 let such keep silence in   
the church1 and let him speak to himself
 and to ,god4 ,and let two or three     
prophets speak1 and let the others      
discern4 ,but if any thing be revealed  
to another who sitteth by1 let the first
 keep silence4 ,for ye may all prophecy1
 one by one1 that all may learn1 and all
 may be exhorted4  ,i presume it will be
 needless to point out more             
particularly1 the perfect correspondence
 between the spiritual gifts of the     
,corinthians1 and those of the ,shakers4
 ,and ,i would ask the venerable ,paley1

 if it were now possible1 whether an    
apostolical epistle of ,ann ,lee1       
,william ,lee1 or ,whitaker1 7the       
spiritual mother and4 fathers of the    
,shakers17 addressed to them1 and       
seriously giving directions about the   
use of their gifts of working miracles1 
and speaking with tongues1 would be     
sufficient to prove that they really had
 those gifts8 ,and1 moreover1 7to make  
the cases more analogous7 suppose that  
the ,shakers from this time become the  
dominant sect throughout the religious  
world1 and kept the upper hand during a 
series of a thousand or two thousand    
years1 taking especial care to collect  
and burn up every writing of their      
enemies and opposers4 ,how should we1   
7supposing ourselves all the while      
invisible spectators of the thing71 how 
should we pity our posterity1 who1 at   
the end of that period1 should be       
gravely told by the learned and mitred  
advocates of ,shakerism1 that the       
miracles of the founders1 and first     

followers of their religion were        
certainly true1 for that they were      
honest and good men1 with no motive to  
deceive1 and had addressed letters to   
their first converts1 wherein they make 
express mention of their possessing     
these gifts2 and give in the simplest   
and most unassuming manner1 directions  
for using them4 ,suppose1 then1 that our
 posterity1 having been deprived by the 
prudential care of the old fathers of   
the then established church1 of the     
means of detecting the fallacy which we 
possess2 suppose that they should       
believe all this1 and devoutly praise   
,god every day for confirming the       
doctrines of his servants ,lee and      
,whitaker1  with signs following--how   
should we pity their delusion1 and4 what
 should we think of the unlucky authors 
of it4  ,from all this1 ,i think my     
reader must be sensible how extremely   
fallacious are all proofs of doctrines1 
pretended to be from ,god1 derived from 
,miracles said to have been wrought in  

proof of their ,divine authority4       
,miracles are related to have been      
performed in support of all religions   
without exception2 even the followers of
 ,mahomet1 though he did not claim the  
power of working miracles1 have said    
that he did4 ,and they will tell you1   
that in proof of his mission1 he1 in the
 presence of hundreds1 divided the moon 
with his finger1 and put half of it in  
his pocket699  ,speaking of the gift of 
healing diseases1 which the ,primitive  
,christians claimed4 ,dr4 ,middleton1 in
 his ,free ,inquiry1 observes-- ,but be 
that as it will the pretence of curing  
diseases1 by a miraculous power1 was so 
suc-cessfully maintained in the heathen 
world by fraud1 and craft1 that when it 
came to be challenged by the            
,christians1 it was not capable of      
exciting any attention to it among those
 who themselves pretended to the same   
power2 which1 although the certain      
effect of imposture1 was yet managed    
with so much art1 that the ,christians  

could neither deny nor detect it2 but   
insisted always that it was performed by
 demons1 or evil spirits1 deluding      
mankind to their ruin2 and from the     
supposed reality of the fact1 they      
inferred the reasonableness of believing
 what was more credibly affirmed by the 
,christians1 to be performed by the     
power of the true ,god4 ,we do not deny 
says ,athenagoras1 that1 in different   
places1 cities1 and countries1 there are
 some extraordinary works performed in  
the name of idols1 from which some have 
received benefit1 others harm4 ,and then
 he goes on to prove that they were not 
performed by ,god1 but by demons4       
,doctor ,middleton then proceeds1 7p4   
#gg47 whatever proof1 then1 the         
primitive ,church had among themselves1 
yet it could have but little effect     
towards making proselytes among those   
who pretended to the same gift2         
possessed more largely1 and exerted more
 openly1 than in the private assemblies 
of the ,christians4 ,for in the ,temple 

of ,esculapius1 all kinds of diseases   
were believed to be publicly cured by   
the pretended help of that deity3 in    
proof of which1 there were erected in   
each temple columns1 or tables of brass1
 and marble1 on which a distinct        
narrative of each particular cure was   
inscribed4 ,he also observes            
that--,pausanias writes1  that in the   
temple at ,epidauras there were many    
columns anciently of this kind1 and six 
of them remaining in his time inscribed 
with the names of men and women cured by
 the god1 with an account of their      
several cases1 and the method of their  
cure2 and that there was an old pillar  
besides1 which stood apart1 dedicated to
 the memory of ,hippolytus1 who had been
 raised from the dead6 ,strabo1 also1   
another grave writer1 informs us1 that  
these temples were constantly filled    
with the sick1 imploring the help of the
 god3 and that they had tables hanging  
around them1 in which all the miraculous
 cures were described4 ,dr4 ,middleton  

then proceeds thus--,there is a         
remarkable fragment of one of these     
tables still extant1 and exhibited by   
,gruter1 in his collection1 as it was   
found in the ruins of ,esculapius       
,temple1 in the island of the ,tyber1 at
 ,rome1 which gives an account of two   
blind men restored to sight1 by         
,esculapius1 in the open view1 and with 
loud declamations of the people1        
acknowledging the manifest power of the 
god66 ,upon which he remarks1 that the  
learned ,montfaucon makes this          
reflection1  that in this1 are seen     
either the wiles of the ,devil1 or the  
tricks of ,pagan priests1 suborning men 
to counterfeit diseases1 and miraculous 
cures4 ,he then proceeds1 7p4#gi7--,now1
 though nothing can support the belief1 
or credit of miracles more authentically
 than public monuments erected in proof1
 and memory of them at the time they    
were performed1 yet1 in defiance of that
 authority1 it is certain all these     
,heathen miracles were pure forgeries1  

contrived to delude the multitude2 and1 
in truth1 this particular claim of      
curing diseases miraculously1 affords   
great room for such a delusion1 and a   
wide field for the exercise of craft4   
,i need not observe1 that by far the    
greater part of the miracles recorded in
 the ,new ,testament1 are casting out   
devils1 and healing diseases1 powers    
claimed by the heathens as well as these
 ,christians3 and these miracles1       
7undoubtedly false7 are as well1 if not 
far better authenticated than those of  
the ,new ,testament3 for books may be   
forged1 but public monuments of brass   
and marble are not so capable of being  
so3 and these are always con-sidered as 
better evidence for facts than books4   
,what then will the ,christian say to   
this8 for since these miracles1 recorded
 on brass and marble1 inscribed with the
 narratives of them almost immediately  
after the occurrence of them1 are       
unquestionably ,lies2 what can he       
pretend to say of those recorded in     

books certainly written many years after
 the events they record1 and1 as will be
 proved hereafter1 more than suspected  
to be apocryphal8 ,and what would become
 of truth8 and who would be able to     
distinguish truth from falsehood1 in    
matters of religion1 if attested        
miracles1 such as these1 are sufficient 
to establish the divine authority of    
doctrines said to be confirmed by them8 
,miracles are as numerous1 and better   
authenticated on the part of ,jupiter1  
,apollo1 and ,esculapius1 than on the   
part of ,christianity4 ,they are strong 
on the part of ,popery against          
,protestantism3 for the ,roman ,catholic
 ,churches in ,europe are full of       
monumental records of miracles wrought  
by the ,virgin ,mary and the ,saints1 in
 favour of their worshippers4 ,nay1     
there never were miracles better proved1
 as far as human testimony could prove  
them1 than the famous miracle mentioned 
by ,gibbon in his ,history of the ,roman
 ,empire1 where he relates the story of 

the ,arian ,vandals cutting out the     
tongues of a great number of orthodox   
,athanasians1 who1 strange to tell1     
preached as much to the purpose1 in     
favour of the ,trinity1 without their   
tongues1 as they did with them6 ,never  
was there a miracle better authenticated
 by testimony than this4 ,it is         
mentioned by all the ,christian writers 
of that age4 ,it is mentioned by two    
contemporary ,roman historians1 one of  
whom lived in ,constantinople1 and who  
says he looked into the mouths of some  
of these confessors1 who had in fact    
their tongues cut out entirely by the   
roots2 and it is recorded in the        
archives of the ,eastern ,empire4  ,is  
not this testimony enough2 and yet1 is  
it sufficient to prove the doctrine of  
the ,trinity8 ,is it adequate to prove1 
that the ancient of days became a little
 child2 was born of a woman1 suckled1   
999999999999991 c41 c42 and that ,he who
 liveth for ever and ever1 was whipped1 
was hanged1 and died upon the cross1 and

 was buried8 ,can this miracle1 well    
attested as it is1 prove for truths1    
such strange1 such shocking things as   
these8  ,the miracles of the ,abbe      
,paris1 too1 are proved to be true1 as  
far as testimony can prove any thing of 
the kind4 ,for they happened within a   
hundred years1 were seen by many1 and   
were sworn to before the magistrates2 by
 some of the most respectable           
inhabitants of the city of ,paris4 ,how 
can men1 who pretend to believe the     
miracles of the ,new ,testament upon    
such meagre evidence as they have in    
their favour1 consistently reject the   
miracles of the ,abbe ,paris8 attested  
by evidence recent1 respectable1 and so 
strong1 that to this day1 the juggle1   
and the means by which so many          
respectable people were imposed upon1   
have never yet been thoroughly          
developed1 and explained4    ,,chapter  
,,xv4  ,,application ,,of ,,the ,,two   
,,tests1 ,,said1 ,,in ,,deuteronomy1    
,,to ,,have ,,been ,,given ,,by ,,god1  

,,as ,,discriminating ,a ,,true         
,,prophet ,,from ,a ,,false ,,one1 ,,to 
,,the ,,character ,,and ,,actions ,,of  
,,jesus4  ,in the #ahth chapter of      
,deuteronomy ,god says1--,the ,prophet  
which shall presume to speak a word in  
my name1 which ,i have not commanded him
 to speak1 or that shall speak in the   
name of other gods1 even that ,prophet  
shall die4 ,and if thou say in thine    
heart1 how shall we know 7or            
distinguish17 the word which the ,lord  
hath not spoken8 ,here is the criterion4
 ,when a ,prophet speaketh in the name  
of the ,lord1 if the thing follow not1  
nor come to pass2 that is the thing     
which the ,lord hath not spoken4 ,that  
,prophet hath spoken presumptuously3    
thou shalt not be afraid of him4        
,again1 ,deuteronomy #ac1 ,if there     
arise among you a ,prophet1 or a dreamer
 of dreams1 and give you a sign or a    
wonder 7i4 e4 a miracle17 and the sign  
or wonder come to pass1 whereof he spake
 unto thee saying1 let us go after other

 gods1 which thou hast not known1 and   
let us serve them3 thou shalt not       
hearken unto the words of that ,prophet1
 or that dreamer of dreams2 for the     
,lord your ,god proveth 7or tryeth7 you1
 to know whether ye love the ,lord your 
,god with all you heart1 and with all   
your soul4  ,and now ,christian reader1 
,i ask you what you think of miracles1  
or signs and wonders1 as proof of a     
divine mission1 to teach doctrines novel
 and innovating1 after such clear and   
unequivocal language as this1 from such 
high authority8 ,i am sure1 that if you 
are a sincere lover of truth1 you must  
certainly abandon that ground as        
untenable4 ,for1 from these direc-tions1
 the ,jews were commanded these things4 
#a4 ,that the ,prophet who presumes to  
speak a word1 as from ,god1 which ,god  
hath not commanded him to speak1 must be
 put to death4 #b4 ,that the test1 or   
criterion by which they are to discern a
 false prophet from a true one1 is this3
 not his miracles1 but the fulfillment  

of his words4 ,if what he says comes to 
pass1 he is a true prophet2 if the event
 foretold does not take place1 he has   
spoken presump-tuously1 and must die the
 death4 #c4 ,if any man arise in        
,israel1 and advise1 or teach them to   
worship any other besides the ,eternal2 
and in proof of the divinity of his     
mission promise a sign1 or a wonder1 and
 in fact does bring to pass the sign or 
wonder promised1 he is nevertheless1 not
 to be hearkened to2 but to be put to   
death4 ,and these criteria given by     
,god1 or ,moses1 as the means whereby   
they might know a true ,prophet from a  
false one1 most exquisitely prove his   
wisdom and foresight4 ,for if he had not
 expressly excluded miracles1 or signs  
and wonders1 from being proof of the    
divinity of doctrines1 the barriers     
which divided his religion from those of
 idolaters1 must have been broken down2 
since1 as we have seen1 well attested   
miracles 7meaning always by miracles1   
signs and wonders1 brought to pass by   

human agency17 are related to have been 
performed in proof of the divinity of   
every religion under ,heaven4 ,but      
veritable prophecy is1 and can he a     
proof proper only to a true ,revelation1
 because none can know what is to come  
but ,god1 and those sent by him4        
,accordingly1 we find that the ,jewish  
,prophets were not acknowledged as such1
 but on account of their foretelling the
 truth1 or being supposed to do so4     
,thus1 it is said1 #a ,samuel iii4 #bj1 
,and all ,israel1 from ,dan even to     
,beersheba1 knew1 that ,samuel was      
established to be a ,prophet of the     
,lord4 ,why8 ,because he performed      
miracles8 ,no6 he performed none4 ,but  
he was known as a ,prophet because the  
,lord was with him1 and let none of his 
words fall to the ground1 i4 e4 fail of 
their accomplishment4 ,the same1 may be 
said of all the ,hebrew ,prophets1 from 
,nathan to ,malachi4 ,for though ,elijah
 and ,elisha performed miracles1 yet it 
was not in proof of their mission1 for  

that was established before2 but these  
miracles were occasional acts of        
beneficence1 or protection1 but were    
never considered1 or offered by them as 
proofs of their being sent from ,god4   
,these things being by this time1 it is 
hoped1 made plain and evident1 let us   
now test the character of ,jesus as a   
true ,prophet1 by the criteria1 by      
,christians1 and by the ,jews1 believed 
to be given by ,god4 ,if his prophecies 
were fulfilled1 and if he taught the    
worship of no other being besides the   
,eternal1 he was1 according to the ,old 
,testament1 a true ,prophet4 ,but if any
 of his prophecies were not fulfilled1  
or1 if he taught the worship of any     
other ,being besides the ,eternal1 he   
was not a true ,prophet4  ,and here it  
must be recollected1 that those         
prophecies of ,jesus only1 can be       
brought forward in this question1 which 
were committed to writing1 before the   
event foretold came to pass2 and        
therefore all ,jesus prophecies         

concerning the manner and circumstances 
of his death1 c41 must be set aside1 as 
all those events are allowed to have    
taken place before any of the ,gospels  
were written2 and of course it is not   
certain that ,jesus did actually        
foretell them4 ,this is acknowledged by 
,christians2 and accordingly they       
confine themselves to bringing forward  
as conclusive evidence in their favour1 
his ,prophecy of the ,destruction of    
,jerusalem1 and the events following4   
,here it is4 ,luke xxi4 #ba4 ,when ye   
shall see ,jerusalem com-passed with    
armies1 then know1 that the desolation  
thereof is nigh4 ,then let them which   
are in ,judea flee to the mountains1 and
 let them which are in the midst of it1 
depart out1 and let not them which are  
in the counter1 enter thereinto4 ,for   
these be the days of vengeance1 that all
 things which are written may be        
fulfilled4 ,but woe unto them that are  
with child1 and to them which give suck 
in those days4 ,for there shall be great

 distress in the land1 and wrath upon   
this people4 ,and they shall fall by the
 edge of the sword1 and shall be led    
away captive into all nations1 and      
,jerusalem shall be trodden down of the 
,gentiles1 until the times of the       
,gentiles be fulfilled4 ,and there shall
 be signs in the sun1 and in the moon1  
and in the stars1 and upon the earth    
distress of nations with perplexity1 the
 sea and waves roaring1 mans hearts     
failing them for fear1 and for looking  
after those things which are coming on  
the earth3 for the powers of the heavens
 shall be shaken4 ,and then1 shall they 
see the ,son of ,man coming in a cloud1 
with power1 and great glory4 ,and when  
these things begin to come to pass1 then
 look up1 and lift up your heads2 for   
your redemption draweth nigh4 ,and he   
spake to them a parable1 ,behold the fig
 tree and all the trees4 ,when they now 
shoot forth1 ye see1 and know of your   
own selves1 that summer is now nigh at  
hand4 ,so likewise ye1 when ye see these

 things come to pass1 know ye that the  
kingdom of ,god is nigh at hand4 ,verily
 ,i say unto you1 this generation shall 
not pass away till all be fulfilled4    
,heaven and earth shall pass away1 but  
my words shall not pass away4  ,such is 
the prophecy1 and on it ,i would remark1
 first1 that what ,jesus here foretells 
concerning ,jerusalem did in fact come  
to pass4 ,but that was not a fulfillment
 of his prophecy1 but of ,daniels1 who  
did1 as is set down in the #gth chapter 
of this work1 expressly foretell the    
utter destruction of the city and the   
temple4 ,and it was from ,daniel that   
,jesus obtained his know-ledge of the   
approach of that event4 ,for he         
expressly cites ,daniel1 ,matthew xxiv4 
#ae2 ,mark xiii4 #ad2 and you will      
please to observe reader1 that he refers
 to him in this quotation from ,luke1 in
 the words1 these be the days of        
vengeance that all things which are     
written1 may be fulfilled4 ,so that in  
foretelling the destruction of          

,jerusalem he did no more than any ,jew 
of that age1 who attentively read their 
,scriptures1 could have done1 and4 been 
no prophet either4  #b4 ,it would have  
been better for his reputation as a     
,prophet1 if he had stopped short where 
,daniel stopped4 ,for what he goes on to
 foretell has not been fulfilled4 ,for  
he proceeds to say1 that there shall be 
signs in the sun1 and the moon1 and the 
stars1 c4 ,all this is taken from the   
#bnd chapter of ,joel1 who says that    
such things shall take place2 not1      
however1 at the destruction of          
,jerusalem1 but in the latter days1 at  
the time of the restoration of ,israel4 
,so that here ,jesus has been rather    
unlucky4 ,for1 in truth1 there were no  
signs in the sun1 and the moon1 and the 
stars1 at that time2 neither was there  
upon earth any great distress of        
nations1 except in ,judea4 ,nor were the
 powers of heaven shaken4 ,certainly1   
they did not see ,jesus coming in the   
clouds of heaven1 with power1 and great 

glory2 and most assuredly1 that         
generation did pass away1 and many      
others since1 and all these things have 
not been fulfilled4  ,i know very well1 
and have very often smiled over the     
contrivances by which learned           
,christians have endeavoured to save the
 credit of this prophecy4 ,they say     
that--it is a figurative prophecy       
relating entirely to the destruction of 
,jerusalem1 which did in fact take place
 in that generation2 that the           
expressions about the distress of       
nations1 and the sea and waves roaring1 
the signs in heaven1 c41 are merely     
poetical2 and that the shaking of the   
powers of heaven was merely the shaking 
and pulling-down the stones of the      
temple1 figuratively called heaven2 and 
that the glorious coming of ,jesus in   
the clouds of heaven1 with power1 and   
great glory1 meant merely1 that he sent 
,titus1 and the ,romans to destroy1     
,jerusalem1 or perhaps might have been  
an invisible spectator himself4  ,the   

reader will easily see1 that all this is
 nonsense4 ,and the ,commentator        
,grotius1 after meddling a great while  
in this troublesome business1 at length 
ventures to insinuate1 that ,god might  
have suffered ,jesus to be in a mistake 
about the time of his second coming1 and
 to tell the ,apostles what he did1 for 
the sake of keeping up their spirits6   
,but to annihilate the figurative       
hypothesis of these well-meaning        
,commentators at once1 it will be only  
necessary to bring forward the testimony
 following4 #a4 ,the other ,evangelists 
make an express distinction between the 
destruction of ,jerusalem and the coming
 of ,jesus2 and not only so1 but        
represent him as saying1 that after that
 event1 7i4 e41 the destruction of      
,jerusalem1 in those days1 i4 e41 in the
 same era in which that event took      
place17 the son of man shall come1 c4   
,witness for me1 ,mark1 chapter xiii4   
#bd3--;,but in those days1 after that   
tribulation1 7i4 e41 the destruction of 

,jerusalem7 shall the sun be darkened1  
and the moon shall not give her light1  
and the stars of heaven shall fall1 and 
the powers that are in heaven shall be  
shaken4 ,and then shall they see the son
 of man coming in the clouds1 with power
 and glory2 and-then shall he send his  
angels1 and shall gather his elect from 
the four winds1 from the uttermost part 
of the earth1 to the uttermost part of  
heaven ,verily1 ,i say unto you1 that   
this generation shall not pass1 till all
 these things be accomplished4 ,this is 
decisive1 and cannot be evaded4  #b4    
,the ,apostles and ,primitive           
,christians believed that ,jesus would  
come in that generation1 as is evident  
from many passages of the ,new          
,testament4 ,pauls ,epistles to the     
,thessalonians prove this1 and contain  
an argument to them1 intended to allay  
their terrors1 or their impatience4     
,john says in his first ,epistle1       
chapter ii4 #ah1 ,little children1 it is
 the last hour2 and as ye have heard    

that ,antichrist should come1 even now  
7or already7 there are many             
,antichrists1 whereby know that it is   
the last hour4 ,many passages of similar
 import might be brought forward4 ,the  
meaning of it is this--,it appears from 
,pauls #bnd ,epistle to the             
,thessalonians1 that just before the    
second coming of ,jesus1 there was a    
personage to appear who was to be called
 ,antichrist1 i4 e41 an enemy to the    
,messiah4 7,this notion they got from   
the interpretation given by the angel of
 the vision of the little horn in       
,daniel47 ,john1 therefore1 seeing many 
,antichrists1 i4 e41 opposers of the    
pretensions of ,jesus1 considered the   
sign1 and thus knew that it was the last
 hour1 and that his master was soon to  
appear4  ,it appears from the #bnd      
,epistle of ,peter1 chapter iii41 that  
there were many in his days who scoffed 
at his master1 saying1 contemptuously1  
where is the promise of his coming8 ,and
 ,peter replies by telling them that    

their contempt is misplaced1 for that   
one day is with the ,lord as a thousand 
years1 and a thousand years as one day4 
,john1 in the #ast chapter of           
,revelations1 says1 concerning the      
coming of ,jesus1 ,behold he cometh with
 clouds1 and every eye shall see him1   
and they also which pierced him1 and all
 kindreds of the earth shall wail       
because of him4 ,and in the last chapter
 of ,revelations he represents ,jesus1  
as saying1 ,surely ,i come quickly6  ,in
 short1 the ,apostles1 when they wanted 
to encourage their desponding           
proselytes1 they usually did it with    
such words as these1--,be anxious for   
nothing1 the ,lord is at hand4--,behold6
 the ,judge standeth before the         
day4--,be patient1 therefore1 brethren1 
7says ,james7 for the coming of the     
,lord cometh nigh4 ,and this persuasion 
did not end1 as might be expected1 with 
that century2 for we find that the      
heathens frequently laughed at the      
expec-tations of the ,primitive         

,christians1 who1 till the fourth       
century1 never gave up the expectation  
of the impending advent of their master4
 ,nay1 so rooted was the idea in their  
minds1 that1 understanding the words of 
,jesus concerning ,john1 if ,i will that
 he tarry till ,i come1 what is that to 
thee1 to mean that that disciple should 
not die1 but survive till the glorious  
appearance of his lord1 so far were they
 from being convinced of the vanity of  
their expectations by that ,apostles    
actual decease1 that they insisted1     
that1 though he was buried1 he was not  
dead1 but only slept1 and that the earth
 over his body rose and fell with the   
action of his breathing66  ,it is now   
hardly necessary to add1 that ,jesus did
 not at all answer the character of a   
true prophet1 when tested by the        
criterion laid down in ,deuteronomy for 
ascertaining the truth of the claims of 
a prophet to a divine mission4  ,let us 
now see1 whether he taught the worship  
of other beings beside the ,eternal1 for

 if he did1 the other test laid down in 
,deuteronomy will also decide against   
him4 ,now1 did he not command the       
worship of himself in these words1 ,all 
men should honour the ,son1 even as they
 honour the ,father8 ,this1 certainly1  
commands to render to ,jesus the same   
homage which is rendered to ,god4 ,i    
might prove that his disciples did      
worship him1 by referring to many       
passages in the ,new ,testament1        
especially in the ,revelations1 in the  
latter part of which1 ,jesus is         
represented as saying1 ,i am the ,alpha1
 and the ,omega1 the beginning1 and the 
end1 the first1 and1 the last1 terms    
applied to the ,eternal in ,isaiah1     
where ,god says1 7as if in express      
opposition to such doctrine7 that there 
is no ,god with him3 ,he knows not any2 
there was none before him1 neither shall
 there be any after him4 ,i could also  
adduce many passages relating to the    
,eternal of ,hosts1 quoted from the ,old
 ,testament1 and applied in the ,new to 

,jesus4 ,witness the following3--,john  
xii4 #da1 alludes to ,isaiah vi4 #e2    
,revelations i4 #h14aa1 #ag1 and ii4 #h1
 to ,isaiah xli4 #d1 xliii4 #aa1 and    
xliv4 #f2 ,john xxi4 #af1 #ag1 and      
,revelations ii4 #bc1 to #ast ,kings    
viii4 #ci2 ,john vii4 #i1 ,jeremiah xi4 
#bj1 and xvii4 #bj1 ,revelations xx4    
#ab14 to ,isaiah xl4 #aj2 and1 to crown 
all1 ,jesus1 in ,revelations i4 #ac1    
#ad1ae1 #af1 #ag1 is described in almost
 the same words as is the ,supreme ,god2
 the ,ancient of ,days in ,daniel1 #gth 
chapter2 and were there not other proofs
 in abundance to this purpose1 this     
resemblance alone would decide me4  ,i  
now leave it to the cool judgment of the
 reader1 whether ,jesus prophecied      
truly1 or did1 or did not1 teach the    
duty of paying religious homage to other
 beings besides ,god8 and1 if so1 it is 
consequent1 according to the tests by   
,christians acknowledged to be given by 
,god himself in ,deuteronomy1 that if   
,jesus was not sent by1 or from1 him2   

for if he was--,gods own words would be 
contradicted by ,gods own deeds4        
,,chapter ,,xvi4  ,,examination ,,of    
,,the ,,evidence1 ,,external ,,and      
,,internal1 ,,in ,,favor ,,of ,,the     
,,credibility ,,of ,,the ,,gospel       
,,history4  ,in the preceding chapters1 
,i have taken the ,new ,testament as ,i 
found it1 and have argued upon the      
supposition that ,jesus and the apostles
 really said1 and reasoned1 as has been 
stated4 ,i will now endeavour to show1  
by an examination of the authenticity of
 the four gospels1 that it is not       
certain that they were really guilty of 
such mistakes as are related of them in 
those books4  99,the life and doctrines 
of ,jesus1 and his followers1 are       
contained in the pieces composing the   
volume called the ,new ,testament4 ,the 
genuineness of the books1 i4 e41 whether
 they were written by those to whom they
 are ascribed1 must be judged of1 from  
the external testimony concerning them1 
and from internal marks in the books    

themselves2 for the miraculous acts     
therein1 and therein only1 contained and
 related1 cannot prove the truth and    
authenticity of the books1 because the  
authority and credibility of the books  
themselves must be firmly established1  
before the miracles related in them can 
reasonably be admitted as real facts4   
,now1 the external evidence in favour of
 these books1 is the testimony of those 
men called the fathers2 and as the value
 of testimony depends upon the character
 of the witnesses1 it would be proper1  
first1 to state as much as1 can be      
learned of these men4 ,as time will not 
permit me to adduce all that might be   
said upon this subject1 ,i shall here   
only take upon me to assert1 that they  
were most credulous1 superstitious1 and 
weak men1 and1 what is worse1 made no   
scruple of falsifying1 to support and   
favour what they called the cause of    
truth2 for they were writers of         
apocryphal books1 attributing them to   
the apostles1 and1 moreover1 great      

miracle-mongers1 who vamped up stories  
of prodigies to delude their followers1 
and which they themselves knew to be    
false4 ,i say1 ,i take upon me to assert
 this2 and to confirm and establish this
 accusation1 ,i refer the reader to ,dr4
 ,middletons ,free ,enquiry1 a learned  
,christian1 who1 therefore1 had no      
interest to misrepresent this matter2   
and he will there find these accusations
 amply verified1 and traits of character
 proved upon them4 ,by no means         
favourable to the credibility of their  
testimony4  ,the first of these ,fathers
 whose testimony is usually adduced to  
prove the authenticity of the ,gospels1 
is ,papias1 a ,disciple of ,john4 ,the  
character given of him by ,eusebius is1 
that he was a superstitious1 and        
credulous man4 ,and this is easily      
proved by recording some of the stories1
 concerning ,jesus1 and his followers1  
written by this ,papias in a book extant
 in the time of ,eusebius4 ,one of these
 stories is mentioned by ,irenoeus1 who 

says1 that ,papias had it from ,john2   
who1 according to ,papias1 said1 that   
,jesus said1 that-- ,the days shall     
come1 in which there shall be vines1    
which shall severally have ten thousand 
branches2 and every one of these        
branches shall have ten thousand lesser 
branches2 and every one of these        
branches shall have ten thousand twigs2 
and every one of these twigs shall have 
ten thousand clusters of grapes2 and    
every one of these grapes being pressed 
shall yield two hundred and seventy-five
 gallons of wine4 ,and when a man shall 
take hold of any of these sacred        
bunches1 another bunch shall cry out ,i 
am a better bunch1 take me1 and bless   
the ,lord by me6 ,theres a ,munchausen  
for you1 reader6 ,well6 this ,papias is 
the first witness who lived after       
,matthew1 who has spoken of his ,gospel4
 ,he lived about the year #aaf after    
,jesus4 ,and what does he say of it8    
,why this4 ,matthew composed a writing  
of the ,oracles 7meaning without doubt  

the ,doctrines of the ,gospel17 in the  
,hebrew ,language1 and every one        
interpreted them as he was able4 ,so far
 as this ,testimony goes it is positive 
evidence1 that the only ,gospel of      
,matthew extant in #aaf1 was extant in  
,hebrew2 and there was then no          
translation1 of it1 for every one       
interpreted as he was able4 ,the present
 gospel called of ,matthew was then not 
written by him1 for it is in ,greek4    
,and that it has not at all the air of  
being a translation is asserted by most 
of the learned4 ,as it stands then1 it  
was not written by ,matthew3 and that it
 cannot be a translation of ,matthews   
,hebrew1 is not only plain from the     
circumstance of its style1 and other    
marks understood by ,biblical ,critics1 
but can also be proved by another story 
related by this same ,papias concerning 
the manner of the death of ,judas4 ,his 
body1 and head 7says ,papias7 became so 
swollen1 that at length he could not get
 through a street in ,jerusalem1 where  

two chariots might pass abreast1 and    
having fallen to the ground1 he--burst  
asunder4  ,now though this ridiculous   
story is undoubtedly false1 yet it is   
not credible that ,papias1 who had so   
great a reverence for the ,apostles as  
to collect and gather all their sayings1
 would so flatly by his story of the    
death of ,judas contradict the story of 
,matthew1 if the ,hebrew ,gospel of     
,matthew contained that part of the     
,greek ,gospel of ,matthew which relates
 the manner of ,judas ,death4  ,justin  
,martyr lived after ,papias1 in the     
middle of the second century2 and though
 he relates many circumstances agreeing 
in the main with those recorded in the  
,gospels1 and appears to quote sayings  
of ,jesus from some book or books2 yet  
it is substantially acknowledged by ,dr4
 ,marsh1 the learned annotator on       
,michaeliss ,introduction1 that these   
quotations are so unlike the words1 and 
circumstances in the received           
,evangelists to which they appear to    

correspond1 that one of two things must 
be true2 either1 that ,justin1 who lived
 #adj years after ,jesus1 had never seen
 any of the present ,gospels2 or else1  
that they were in his time in a very    
different state from what they now are4 
,the next ,christian father who mentions
 the ,gospel of ,matthew is ,irenoeus1  
who says also that ,matthew wrote his   
gospel in the ,hebrew ,language4 ,the   
character of ,irenoeus is discoverable  
from his work against the ,heresies of  
his time1 to that ,i refer the ,reader1 
who will find him to have been a        
zealous1 though a very credulous1 and   
ignorant man2 for he believed the story 
of ,papias just quoted1 and many others 
equally absurd4 ,he however furnishes   
this important intelligence1 that in the
 second century1 the ,christian world   
was overrun with heresy1 and a swarm of 
apocryphal1 and spurious ,books were    
received by many as genuine4  ,the next 
witness in favour of the ,gospel is     
,tertullian1 who lived in the latter end

 of the second century4 ,and the        
soundness of his ,judgment1 and his     
capability to distinguish the genuine   
,gospels from among a hundred apocryphal
 ones1 and above all his regard for     
truth1 may be judged of from these      
proofs given by himself4 ,he asserts    
upon his own knowledge1 ,i know it1 says
 he--that the corpse of a dead          
,christian1 at the first breath of the  
prayer made by the priest1 on occasion  
of its own funeral1 removed its hands   
from its sides1 into the usual posture  
of a supplicant2 and when the service   
was ended1 restored them again to their 
former situation4 7,tertul4 de anima c4 
#ea47 ,and he relates as a fact1 which  
he1 and all the orthodox of his time    
credited1 that--the body of another     
,christian already interred moved itself
 to one side of the grave to make room  
for another corpse which was going to be
 laid by it4 ,and it is on the testimony
 of such men as these1 that the         
authenticity of the gospels entirely    

depends as to external evidence2 for    
these are all the witnesses that can be 
produced as speaking of them1 who lived 
within two hundred years after ,jesus3  
,three men1 7for ,justin cannot be      
reckoned as a witness in favour of the  
gospels47 ,three men1 who are all of    
them evidently credulous1 and two of    
whom are certainly 99999999994  ,to     
convince a thinking man that histories  
recording such very extraordinary1 ill  
supported1 improbable facts as are      
contained in the gospels are divine1 or 
even really written by the men to whom  
they are ascribed1 and are not either   
some of the many spurious productions   
with which 7as we learn from ,irenoeus7 
that early age abounded1 calculated to  
astonish the credulous1 and             
superstitious1 or else writings of      
authors who were themselves infected    
with the grossest superstitious         
credulity2 of what use can it be to     
adduce the testimony of the very few    
writers1 of the same1 or next succeeding

 age1 when the very reading of their    
works shews him that they themselves    
were tainted with that same             
superstitious credulity1 of which are   
accused the real authors of the ,new    
,testament8  ,it is an obvious rule in  
the admission of evidence in any cause  
whatsoever1 that the more important the 
matter to be determined by it is1 the   
more unsullied and unexceptionable ought
 the characters of the witnesses to be4 
,and when no court of ,justice1 in      
determining a question of fraud to the  
amount of six pence1 will admit the     
testimony of witnesses who are          
themselves notoriously convicted of the 
same offence of which the defendant is  
accused2 how can it be expected1 that   
any reasonable1 unprejudiced person1    
should admit similar evidence to be of  
weight1 in a case of the greatest       
importance possible1 not to himself     
only2 but to the whole human race8  ,but
 there is still a greater defect in the 
testimony of those early writers1 than  

their superstitious credulity1 ,i mean  
their disregard of honour1 and veracity1
 in whatever concerned the cause of     
their particular system4  ,though ,luke 
asserts1 that many 7even before he wrote
 his histories for the use of           
,theophilus17 had written upon the same 
subject3 7who of course must have been  
of the ,jewish nation17 and many more   
must have been written afterwards1 whose
 writings must have been particularly   
valuable yet so singularly industrious  
have the fathers1 and succeeding sons of
 the orthodox church been1 in destroying
 every writing upon the subject of      
,christianity1 which they could not by  
some means1 or other1 apply to the      
support of their own unholy             
superstition1 that no work of importance
 of any ,christian writer1 within the   
three first centuries1 hath been        
permitted to come down to us1 except    
those books which they have thought fit 
to adopt1 and transmit to us as the     
canon of apostolic scripture2 and the   

works of a few other writers1 who were  
all of them1 not only converts from     
,paganism1 but men who had been educated
 and well instructed in the ,philosophic
 ,schools of the latter ,platonists1 and
 ,pythagoreans4  ,the established maxim 
of these schools was1 that it was not   
lawful only1 but commendable to deceive1
 and assert falsehoods for the sake of  
promoting what they considered as the   
cause of truth and piety1 and the       
effects of this maxim1 which was fully  
acted upon by both orthodox ,christians1
 and heretics1 produced a multiplicity  
of false1 and spurious writings         
wherewith the second century abounded4  
,nay1 they did not spare from the       
operation of this maxim1 the scriptures 
themselves4 ,for they stuffed their     
copies of the ,septuagint with a number 
of interpolated pretended prophecies    
concerning ,jesus1 and his death upon   
the cross2 forgeries as weak1 and       
contemptible1 and clumsy in themselves1 
as they were impious and wicked4        

,whoever desires to see a number of     
them2 may find them in the dispute1 or  
dialogue of ,justin with ,trypho the    
,jew2 where he will see the simple      
,justin bringing them out passage after 
passage against the stubborn ,israelite1
 who contents himself with coolly       
answering1 that these marvellous        
prophecies were not to be found in his  
,hebrew bible6  ,there is also another  
well known1 incontrovertible proof of   
the deceit and falsehood of the leading 
,christians of early times1 of which    
every person in the least conversant    
with the ecclesiastical history of those
 times must be convinced--their         
pretended power of working miracles6 ,on
 this subject ,i shall say nothing1 but 
refer the reader to the work of ,dr4    
,middleton already mentioned1 for an    
ample account of their lying wonders1   
which they imposed as miraculous upon   
the simple people4  ,with regard to the 
internal evidence for the authenticity  
of the writings2 composing the ,new     

,testament1 it is still less            
satisfactory than the external evidence4
 ,and this may be well believed1 when   
the reader is informed that the great   
,semler1 after spending his life in the 
study of ecclesiastical history2 and    
antiquities1 which he is allowed to have
 understood better than any before him1 
affirmed to his astonished              
coreligionists1 that1 except the ,gospel
 of ,john1 and the ,apocalypse1 the     
whole ,new ,testament was a collection  
of forgeries written by the partizans of
 the ,jewish and ,gentile parties in the
 ,christian church1 and entitled        
apostolic1 in order the better to answer
 their purpose4 ,this opinion has been  
in part adopted in ,england1 by a       
learned and shrewd clergyman named      
,evanson1 who has almost demonstrated1  
that the ,greek ,gospel of ,matthew was 
written in the second century after the 
birth of ,jesus by a ,gentile4 ,for he  
proves that it could not be written by a
 ,jew1 on account of geographical       

mistakes1 and manifest ignorance of     
,jewish customs4 ,he also gives good    
reasons for rejecting the authenticity  
of some of the epistles4 ,in short1 he  
has poured such a flood of light upon   
the eyes of his terrified brethren1 as  
will1 ere long1 no doubt enable them to 
see a little clearer than heretofore4   
,he gives several instances of          
geographical blunders in ,matthew4 ,i   
shall mention only one4 ,matthew says1  
in the #bnd chapter1 that when ,joseph1 
the husband of ,mary1 returned from     
,egypt1 hearing that ,archelaus reigned 
in ,judea1 he was afraid to go thither1 
and therefore turned aside1 into the    
parts of ,galilee4 ,now this1 as will   
appear from a map of ,palestine1 is just
 like saying1 a man at ,philadelphia1   
intending to go to the ,state of ,new   
,york1 on his route heard something     
which made him afraid to go thither1 and
 therefore he turned aside--into        
,boston6  ,that the author of that      
,gospel was ignorant of ,jewish customs 

will be evident from the following      
circumstances4 ,he says ,jesus told     
,peter1 that before the cock crew he    
would deny him thrice2 and that         
afterwards1 when ,peter was cursing and 
swearing1 saying ,i know not the man6   
immediately the cock crew4 ,now it is   
unfortunate for the credit of this      
story1 that it is well known1 that in   
conformity with ,jewish customs1 at that
 time subsisting1 no cocks were allowed 
to be in ,jerusalem1 where ,jesus was   
apprehended4 ,this is known1 and        
acknowledged by learned ,christians1 who
 have extricated themselves from this   
difficulty1 by proving that the crowing 
of the cock1 here mentioned1 does not   
mean1 as it appears to mean1 absolutely 
the crowing of a cock1 but that it      
means--what dost thou think reader8 why 
it means---the sound of a trumpet6699   
,according to ,luke1 as soon as ,jesus  
was dead1 ,joseph of ,arimathea went to 
,pilate1 and begged his body1 and hasted
 to bury it1 because the ,sabbath 7which

 began at sunset17 drew on2 that his    
female disciples attended the burial2   
observed how the body was placed in the 
sepulchre1 and returned and prepared    
spices and ointments to embalm it with1 
before the ,sabbath commenced2 and then 
rested the ,sabbath day1 according to   
the commandment4  ,the pretended        
,matthew1 however1 tells us1 that when  
the even was come 7i4 e41 when the      
,sabbath day was actually begun17       
,joseph went to beg the body--took it   
down1 wrapped it in linen1 and buried   
it2 and that ,mary ,magdalene and the   
other ,mary1 were sitting over against  
the sepulchre4 ,from the time that this 
writer has thought fit to allot for the 
burial of ,jesus1 it is evident1 that he
 was not only no ,jew1 but so ignorant  
of the customs of the ,jews1 that he did
 not know that their day always began   
with the evening1 or he would never have
 employed1 ,joseph in doing what no ,jew
 would1 nor dared to have done1 after   
the commencement of the ,sabbath4 ,he   

takes no notice at all of the           
preparation made by the women1 mentioned
 by ,luke2 for that would not have      
agreed with the sequel of his story4    
,but to make up for that omission1 he   
informs us of a circumstance not        
mentioned at all by the other           
,evangelists4 ,for he tells us that on  
the next day which followeth the day of 
preparation1 the ,chief ,priests1 and   
,pharisees came together unto ,pilate1  
c4 ,the next day which followeth the day
 of preparation66--such is the          
periphrasis that he uses for the        
,sabbath day6 ,it is well known that    
among the ,jews it was1 and is1         
customary to prepare1 and set out1 in   
the afternoon of the ,friday1 all the   
food and necessaries for every family   
during the ,sabbath day4 ,because they  
were forbidden to light a fire1 or do   
any servile work1 on that day2 and      
therefore ,friday was very properly     
called the day of preparation4 ,but it  
appears to me next to impossible1 that  

any ,jew would call the sabbath the day 
that followeth the day of the           
preparation4 ,yet this singular         
historian so denominates it1 and        
moreover1 goes on to inform us1 that the
 chief priests1 and ,pharisees went to  
,pilate to ask for a guard to place     
round the sepulchre1 till the third day1
 to prevent his disciples from stealing 
away his body1 and then saying1 that he 
was risen from the dead2 and that after 
obtaining the governors permission1     
they1 went1 and secured the sepulchre by
 sealing the stone that was rolled      
against it2 and setting a watch4 ,though
 there appears nothing very strange in  
this account to a ,christian1 yet1 ,i   
assure my reader1 that to the ,jews1 it 
ever did1 and must appear utterly       
incredible4 ,for it is wonderful6 that  
the ,jewish rulers1 and the rigorous    
,pharisees should in so public a manner 
thus violate the precept for observing  
the ,sabbath day2 for the penalty of    
this action of theirs was no less than  

death6 ,more wonderful still is it that 
they should have so much better attended
 to1 and comprehended the meaning of the
 prediction of ,jesus to his disciples1 
than his own disciples did2 and most    
wonderful of all1 that a ,roman         
,proconsul should consent to let his    
troops keep watch round a tomb1 for fear
 it should be thought that a dead man   
was come to life again4  ,but though our
 authors history of these extraordinary 
facts is neither consistent with reason1
 and probability1 nor with the other    
histories of the same event2 it proceeds
 in pretty strict conformity to the     
manner in which it sets out4 ,for to    
convince us still more fully that the   
author was totally ignorant of the mode 
of computing time in use among the      
,jews1 and habituated to that in use    
among the ,greeks and ,romans8 ,he      
reckons the ,sabbath to last till day   
light on ,sunday morn1 and says1        
7chapter xxviii471 that in the end of   
the ,sabbath1 as it began to dawn1      

towards the first day of the week1 the  
two ,marys before mentioned1 came1 7not 
as in ,luke1 to embalm the body1 for1   
with a guard round the sepulchre1 that  
would have been impracticable1 but7 to  
see the sepulchre4 ,whilst they were    
there1 the author tells us1 there was   
another great earthquake1 and an angel  
descended1 rolled away the stone1 and   
sat upon it1 at whose sight1 the        
soldiers trembled1 and were frighted to 
death4 ,but to prevent the like effect  
of his appearance upon the women1 he    
said unto them1 fear not ye1 for ,i know
 that ye seek ,jesus who was crucified4 
,that the women as well as the soldiers 
were present at the descent of this     
angel1 appears not only from there being
 nobody else1 by whom these uncommon    
circumstances could have been related1  
but also by the pronoun personal ye1    
inserted in the original ,greek1 which  
in that language is never done1 unless  
it be emphatically to mark such a       
distinction1 or antithesis1 as there was

 on this occasion1 between them and the 
,roman guard4 ,here1 however1 the author
 is inadvertently inconsistent with     
himself1 as well as with the other      
evangelists2 and forgetting that the    
sole intent of rolling away the stone1  
was to open a passage1 absolutely       
necessary to the body of ,jesus to come 
forth out of the sepulchre2 and that if 
he had risen and come forth after the   
angel had rolled it away1 both the women
 and the soldiers must have seen him    
rise1 he makes the angel bid them look  
into the sepulchre1 to see--that he was 
not there6 and tell them that he was    
already risen2 and that he was gone     
before them into ,galilee1 where they   
should see him6 ,in their way1 the      
author adds1 ,jesus himself met the     
women1 and said1 be not afraid1 go tell 
my brethren to go into ,galilee1 and    
there shall they see me4 ,he says that  
the eleven apostles went into ,galilee1 
to an appointed mountain1 and saw him   
there2 notwithstanding that some of them

 were so incredulous1 as not to believe 
even the testimony of their own senses4 
,in the interim1 whilst the women were  
going to the apostles1 the author tells 
us1 some of the watch2 some strictly    
disciplined ,roman soldiers left their  
station to bring an account of what had 
passed1 not to the ,governor their      
,general1 nor to any of their own       
officers--but to the chief priests of   
the ,jews6 that they assembled a council
 of the elders upon the occasion1 and   
after deliberating what was to be done1 
induced the soldiers1 by large bribes1  
to run the risk of being put to death   
themselves1 upon the highly improbable  
chance of the ,jewish rulers having     
influence sufficient with the ,roman    
,proconsul to prevail on him to submit  
to the indelible infamy of neglecting   
the discipline of the army under his    
command1 to such a degree1 as to suffer 
an entire guard of soldiers avowedly to 
sleep upon their station1 without any   
notice being taken of it6 and to say his

 disciples came and stole him away      
whilst we slept4 ,this incredible story 
is another instance how necessary it is1
 that those who do not adhere closely to
 the truth1 should have extraordinary   
good memories to enable them to keep    
clear of absurdities1 or palpable       
contradictions in their narrations4     
,for1 consider the circumstances4 ,how  
were the tongues of these soldiers to be
 restrained among the inquisitive       
inhabitants of a large city1 7at that   
time too1 greatly crowded on account of 
the paschal feast17 not only in their   
way to the chief priests2 but also      
during the whole time while the priests 
assembled the ,sanhedrim1 and were      
deliberating what was to be done8 ,and  
if that part of the watch1 who1 the     
author says1 came to inform the chief   
priests1 were poltroons enough for the  
sake of a bribe to undergo so shameful a
 disgrace to themselves1 as well as to  
hazard the resentment of their ,general1
 how could they undertake that all their

 comrades who remained at the sepulchre 
would do the same8 and to what purpose  
could the ,jewish council bribe some1   
without a possibility of some one       
knowing how the rest of the corps would 
act8 ,and even supposing all these      
difficulties surmounted1 and that the   
whole guard had agreed1 and persisted in
 saying1 his disciples stole him away   
while we slept1 of what service could   
that be to the ,jewish rulers8 ,for if  
the guards were asleep1 they could be no
 evidence to prove that the body was    
taken away2 and it might be just as     
probable that he might rise to life     
again while the watch was asleep1 as it 
was if no watch had been set4  ,in a    
word1 it appears from the numbers of    
,latin words in ,greek characters1 which
 this book contains2 from the numerous  
geographical blunders2 and the authors  
evident ignorance of the customs of the 
,jews3 from the form of ,baptism        
enjoined at the conclusion1 which was   
not in use in the first century1 as     

appears from the form mentioned as then 
used in the ,acts2 from the ,roman      
,centurions being made to call ,jesus a 
,son of a ,god1 which words in the mouth
 of a ,pagan could only mean that he    
must be a ,demigod1 like ,bacchus1      
,hercules1 or ,esculapius3 it is clear  
that this ,gospel is the patched work   
composition of some convert from the    
,pagan schools4 ,at any rate1 his gospel
 flatly contradicts the others in       
several important particulars in the    
history of the ,resurrection4 ,for he   
represents the apostles as being        
commanded by the ,angel and by ,jesus1  
to go to ,galilee1 in order to see him2 
and that they went there1 and saw him on
 a mountain4 ,yet it is said by the     
other ,evangelists1 see ,luke1 ch4 #bd1 
and ,acts #a1 that he appeared on the   
saw day of the resurrection to ,peter at
 ,jerusalem2 to two other disciples as  
they went to ,emmaus2 and on the        
succeeding night to this whole          
congregation of the ,disciples1 not in  

,galilee1 but in ,jerusalem1 and that by
 his express command the apostles did   
not go into ,galilee1 but remained at   
,jerusalem till the feast of ,pentecost4
  ,but as this author differs from the  
other ,evangelists1 so they also differ 
among themselves4 ,and the latter part  
of the last chapter of ,mark is so      
irreconcilable to the other historians  
of the resurrection1 that in many       
,manuscripts it is found omitted4 ,and  
that gospel ends in them1 at the eighth 
,terse of the last chapter4 ,and ,mr4   
,west1 in his attempted reconciliation  
of their accounts of the resurrection1  
is obliged to make a number of          
postulates1 to take a number of things  
for granted1 which might be denied3 and 
after elaborately arranging the stage   
for the performance1 he sets the women1 
and the disciples a driving backwards1  
and forwards1 from the city to the      
sepulchre1 and from the sepulchre to the
 city1 and so agitated that they forgot 
to know each other when they cross in   

their journeys4 ,notwithstanding his    
great ingenuity in reconciling          
contradictions1 in which he beats       
,surenhusius himself1 he makes but a    
sorry piece of work of it after all4 ,he
 had much letter have let it alone2 for 
his work upon the resurrection which he 
calls the main fact of ,christianity1   
displays these contradictions in so     
glaring a light1 that the very laboured 
ingenuity of his methods of             
reconciliation1 inevitably1 suggests    
confirmation strong to the keen-eyed    
reader1 of that irreconcilability which 
the author endeavors to refute4 ,what   
rational man therefore can reasonably be
 required to believe the story of a     
resurrection pretended to have been seen
 and known1 only by the party interested
 in making it believed6 when in their   
testimony even1 they do not agree but   
contradict each other8  ,there is really
 an immense number of discrepancies and 
contradiction in the ,new ,testament    
which the acumen of learned ,christians 

has of late discovered1 and pointed out 
to the world4 ,and ,mr4 ,evanson1 in his
 work on the ,dissonance of the four    
,evangelists1 has collected a mass      
enough1 ,i should think1 to terrify the 
most determined ,reconciliator that ever
 lived4 ,it is a little remarkable1 that
 ,mr4 ,evanson has asserted1 and has    
proved1 the spuriosness of the ,gospel  
ascribed to ,john1 which ,semler spared1
 in the general wreck which he made of  
the authenticity of the other books of  
the ,new ,testament4 ,mr4 ,evanson says1
 in his examination of it1 what has been
 said before1 that the speeches ascribed
 to ,jesus in it1 are most incoherent1  
contradictory1 and falsified by well    
known facts4 ,and indeed the author of  
the book itself1 sterns to be sensible  
of this2 for he very naturally          
represents the ,jews repeatedly accusing
 ,jesus of being mad4 ,he hath a devil1 
and is mad1 7say they to the multitude7 
why hear ye him8 and so in other places4
 ,mr4 ,evanson considers this work as   

the composition of a converted          
,platonist or of a ,platonizing ,jew2   
the latter we think to be the most      
correct opinion2 since it is evident    
that the author of that gospel had the  
works of ,philo at his fingers ends1    
which is more than can be supposed of   
,john4 ,as ,semler excepted the ,gospel 
of ,john only1 so ,mr4 ,evanson excepts 
the ,gospel of ,luke only from the      
charge of spuriousness3 though he says  
that it is grossly corrupted1 and       
interpolated4 ,from these corruptions   
and interpolations1 he endeavours to    
purify it2 in which attempt wo think he 
has had very indifferent success4 ,in   
short1 his work has proved1 7what he did
 not himself contemplate7 that the      
providence of the ,god of truth has     
taken care1 that so many absurdities and
 contradictions1 should be contained in 
these books of the ,new ,testament which
 were written to establish a mistake1 as
 must ,i conceive1 satisfy any man1 who 
has them once pointed out to him1 that  

the doctrine of those books is not1 and 
cannot be from ,god4  ,but it may be    
still asked1 how did this notion of the 
resurrection of ,jesus become current8  
,how can you account for the apostles   
believing such a thing8 ,we answer      
sincerely--we cannot absolutely         
ascertain4 ,the ,jews of that age have  
left no documents upon this business4   
,the origin of the ,christian religion  
is so extremely obscure1 that ,josephus 
takes no notice of it at all1 7for the  
passage relating to ,christian affairs  
now found in ,josephus are notorious    
interpolations47 ,and it is evident from
 the ,chronological1 and other mistakes 
about ,jesus1 in the ,talmud1 that the  
curiosity of the learned ,jews had never
 been interested by ,christianity1 till 
so long after ,jesus1 that the memory of
 him1 and his1 was almost entirely lost 
among that nation4 ,and it appears from 
the last chapter of the ,acts1 that when
 ,paul was received by the ,jews at     
,rome1 he had not been considered by the

 ,jews of ,jerusalem as of sufficient   
importance1 as to cause them to warn    
their brethren of the ,dispersion       
concerning him2 for these ,jews tell    
,paul1 on his enquiring1 that they had  
not received any letters concerning him 
from ,jerusalem4 ,so that we can offer  
nothing but conjecture1 to solve the    
difficulty4  ,it has been said by some1 
7and it is by no means an hypothesis    
destitute of plausibility7 that ,jesus  
was indeed crucified1 but did not       
actually die on the cross4 ,it is       
evident that ,pilate was extremely      
desirous to save his life2 and is it    
impossible that the ,roman soldiers1 who
 crucified him1 had secret orders8      
,consider the ciscumstances4 ,he was    
crucified at our nine in the morning1   
and was taken from the cross at about   
three in the afternoon4 ,now1           
crucifixion is not a death which kills  
men in six hours1 and men have been     
known to have lived fastened to the     
cross for more than two days4 ,consider1

 besides1 that when the soldiers gave   
the coup de grace to the two robbers1   
that they did not break the legs of     
,jews4 ,this1 the author of the ,gospel 
according to ,john says1 they did1 in   
order to fulfill a prophecy2 but ,i     
leave it to my reader1 whether it is not
 more likely that they did so in order  
to fulfill secret orders8 ,but to make  
up for that omission1 the author adds1  
that they pierced ,jesus with a spear4  
,now1 besides that this is not mentioned
 by the other ,evangelists1 the very    
manner in which this circumstance is    
mentioned1 and eagerly affirmed by him1 
looks as if the author was aware of the 
likelihood of a suspicion of the fact we
 are trying to prove probable1 and that 
he wrote this in order to obviate it4   
,and after all1 the gospel according to 
,john was certainly not written by him1 
and1 therefore1 what the author of it   
observes1 may be true1 or not4 ,you will
 observe also1 reader1 that the body of 
,jesus was given by ,pilate to his      

friends immediately2 a favour never     
vouchsafed by the ,romans in such a     
case1 except speciali gratia4 ,you will 
observe also1 that the body was taken   
down by his friends1 no doubt with great
 care2 probably was washed from the     
blood1 and rubbed perfectly dry2 and was
 deposited in the cave or sepulchre1    
with a large quantity of spices1 and    
aromatics4 ,now suppose that ,jesus only
 swooned on the cross1 and that his     
naked body1 after being cleansed as     
aforesaid1 was laid in the new sepulchre
 where the air was cool and fresh1      
wrapped in a considerable quantity of   
dry linen1 together with many spices1   
and aromatics1 what could be more       
opportune1 or proper1 to stimulate his  
drowsed senses1 and recall the          
unfortunate sufferer to life8 ,suppose  
then1 that on awaking from his trance1  
he disengaged himself1 and took himself 
away as secretly as possible1 might not 
all this have happened8 ,is it          
impossible8 ,and does it not look       

plausible8 ,it is not improbable that he
 might after this have shewed himself   
privately to his particular disciples2  
for you will recollect1 reader1 that the
 appearances of ,jesus to his disciples 
after his crucifixion were to them1     
only1 and for the most part in the      
night4 ,and it is by no means           
impossible1 that the twelve apostles1   
who were1 ,i doubt not1 well meaning    
men1 though extremely simple and        
credulous2 ,i say it is thus by no means
 impossible1 that they might have       
believed sincerely1 that their master   
had risen from the dead4 ,this          
hypothesis must not be considered only  
as the brain work of an unbelieving     
sceptic2 for it has been 7in its main   
principle7 advanced1 and elaborately    
defended by ,dr4 ,paulus the professor  
of divinity in the principal ,university
 in ,bavaria4  ,it is true1 that it may 
be said1 that this is all hypothesis1   
and mere conjecture4 ,we allow it2 it is
 true2 and we assert that the account   

given by the ,evangelists is no better1 
nay1 worse than conjecture1 as it is a  
mere forgery of the second century6 ,for
 no man1 we think1 who knows all that   
has been made known by biblical critics1
 in later years1 will now seriously     
contend for the literal truth of that   
account4 ,see ,appendix ,a4  ,if all    
this will not satisfy the man that      
believeth all things1 our last resource 
is to demy the act of this resurrection4
 ,and this we can do with perfect sang  
froid1 as we know very well that it     
cannot be proved2 for the only testimony
 in favour of it1 are the four          
evangelists2 four witnesses1 the like of
 whose written testimony1 with reference
 thereto1 7being as contradic-tory as   
that is17 to say no more1 certainly     
would not1 we believe1 be received in a 
modern court of justice1 to settle the  
fact about a debt of five dollars4 ,and 
if it be still urged1 that such a story 
is unparalleled1 and therefore          
respectable2 we say that it is not      

unparalleled2 as we have an account of a
 false ,messiah1 who applied the        
prophecies to himself1 had a forerunner1
 and more than two hundred thousand     
followers1 who publicly acknowledged him
 for the ,messiah1 raised contributions1
 and supported him magnificently4 ,he   
too1 quoted the prophets as speaking    
concerning him1 and was said to have    
worked divers miracles1 and was         
ultimately put to death by the order of 
the ,grand ,seignor at ,constantinople2 
yet nevertheless was said to have been1 
seen again by certain of his followers1 
who wrote books in favour of that fact1 
and of his ,messiahship4 ,many learned  
,rabbins enrolled themselves as his     
disciples1 and wrote controversial works
 in his cause1 as ,paul did4 ,and to    
conclude1 his party was not entirely    
extinct within a very few years4 ,yet1  
notwithstanding all this1 he was an     
impostor2 and no man now believes the   
stories of his miracles1 or his         
resurrection2 notwithstanding that both 

are affirmed by more recent1 more       
learned1 and more respectable testimony 
than is1 or can be1 offered1 in favour  
of the ,messiahship of ,jesus4 ,the name
 of this famous impostor was ,shabathai 
,tzevi1 and his history is given by     
,basnage1 in his history of the ,jews1  
and by other writers of ,jewish history4
 ,see on this subject the ,sepher       
,torath ,hakenaoth1 page #b4 ,the       
learned ,mr4 ,zedner has extracted the  
life of ,shabetai ,tsebi from tins book1
 and published it1 with a ,german       
translation1 in his ,auswahl            
historischer ,stucke aus ,hebraischen   
,schriftstellern1 ,berlin1 #ahdj4--;,d4 
,i wish the ,christian reader to peruse 
carefully1 and cooly1 that account2 and 
if he then persists in believing the    
history given by the evangelists2 with  
such faith as his1 he certainly ought to
 be able to move mountains2 and ,i have 
no doubt at all1 that with such a good  
natured understanding as his1 if he had 
found in his ,new ,testament the story  

of ,jonah misquoted1 and and by a small 
transposition a la mode de ,surenhusius1
 representing that ,jonah swallowed the 
whale6 this sturdy confidence in things 
not seen1 would1 ,i doubt not have      
enabled him without difficulty to       
swallow the prophet with the whale in   
his belly4    ,,chapter ,,xvii4  ,,of   
,,the ,,peculiar ,,morality ,,of ,,the  
,,new ,,testament1 ,,as ,,it ,,affects  
,,individuals4  ,i have already         
expressed my respect for the character  
of ,jesus4 ,and ,i again declare1 that  
,i request it may be distinctly         
understood1 that by nothing that ,i have
 said do ,i intend to impeach1 or to    
deprecate his moral character4 ,whatever
 may have been his defects1 or whatever 
were his foibles1 they must have been   
the faults of his mind1 not of his      
heart4 ,for1 though he may hare been a  
mistaken enthusiast2 yet ,i do firmly   
believe1 ,that1 with such a character as
 he is represented to have possessed1 he
 could not have been either a hypocrite1

 or a wilful impostor4 ,and if it be    
replied1 that ,i have1 by some          
observations on his conduct1 indirectly 
impeached the perfection of his moral   
character2 ,i answer1 that if so1 it is 
certainly my misfortune1 but it may not 
be his fault4 ,to explain this          
observation1 ,i request the reader to   
recall to mind1 that ,jesus wrote       
nothing himself6 that the only accounts 
we have of him1 are contained in books1 
probably apocryphal1 certainly not      
generally known till after the middle of
 the second-century from his birth4 ,the
 gospels now extant do not appear to    
have been known to ,justin ,martyr2 and 
the earliest fathers1 in their writings1
 generally quote traditions concernng   
,jesus1 instead of histories4 ,since    
these things are so1 who knows1 but that
 the authors of the histories of him now
 extant1 have attributed to him words   
and actions of which he was guiltless4  
,we know how prone mankind are to invent
 falsehoods concerning eminent men2 for 

instance1 ,mahomet expressly disclaimed 
the power of working miracles1 and yet  
the writings of his early followers     
ascribe hundreds to him4 ,why may it not
 be possible then1 since ,jesus wrote   
nothing himself1 that these books       
ascribe to him words and actions he     
neither spake nor performed8 ,god grant 
that this may one day be proved6 ,for ,i
 should rejoice to find the meek1       
gentle1 and amiable man of ,nazareth    
proved guiltless of the follies and     
impieties attributed to him in the ,new 
,testament as ,i find it1 and to reason 
concerning the works and words of       
,jesus1 as ,i find them there expressed1
 yet ,i would earnestly request the     
reader to consider me willing and       
desirous to exempt the author1 or rather
 the cause of the ,christian religion1  
from the reproach of the sentiments ,i  
am bound by my regard for one ,god1 and 
his attributes1 to express for the      
system itself4 ,yes6 ,i can in my own   
mind separate ,jesus from his religion  

and his followers4 ,i read with         
admiration many of his beautiful        
parables4 ,i shall ever contemplate his 
mildness1 and benevolence with respect2 
and ,i peruse1 with pity1 the recital of
 his sufferings1 and cruel death4 ,all  
this ,i have done1 and ,i believe ,i    
shall ever do2 but ,i cannot6 ,i cannot1
 in effect1 deny the one living and true
 ,god1 and renounce my reason1 and      
common sense1 by believing all the      
contradictory and strange doctrines     
contained in the ,new ,testament4       
,having unburthened my mind upon this   
subject1 and frankly expressed my       
sentiments and feelings with regard to  
the character of ,jesus2 ,i hope ,i may 
now be allowed 7without incurring the   
charge of maliciously exposing him1 or  
the twelve apostles1 to reproach7 to    
state my opinions with regard to the    
merit of the moral maxims1 ascribed to  
him and them1 in the ,new ,testament4   
,and ,i again caution the reader1 that  
he is not obliged to lay to his1 or     

their1 charge1 the mischievous          
consequences that originated from acting
 upon these maxims and principles1 since
 it is by no means impossible that they 
may have been falsely ascribed to him   
and to them4  ,now then1 let us attend  
to the subject of the chapter1 viz41 the
 moral maxims ascribed to ,jesus4 ,these
 moral maxims consist of #ast1 ,those   
which were adopted by him from the ,old 
,testament4 #b;d1 ,those of which he    
himself is described as the author4     
,with the consideration of those of the 
first class ,i shall not trouble the    
reader1 but shall devote this chapter to
 the examination of those which are     
supposed to have originated from him4   
,these are1 #ast1  ,do to others what   
you would that others should do to you4 
#b;d1  ,resist not the injurious person2
 but if a man smite thee on one cheek1  
turn to him the other also4 #c;d1 ,if a 
man ask thy cloak1 give him thy coat    
also4 #dth1  ,if thou wouldest be       
perfect1 sell all that thou hast1 and   

give to the poor2 and come follow me4   
#eth1  ,unless a man hate his father1   
and mother1 and wife1 and children1 and 
possessions1 yea1 and his own life also1
 he cannot be my disciple4 #fth1  ,take 
no thought for the morrow4  ,with regard
 to the first of these maxims1 it does  
not belong to ,jesus1 as the author4 ,it
 is found in the book of ,tobit1 chapter
 iv4 #ae1 and it was a maxim well known 
to the ,rabbins4 ,it is found in the    
,talmud verbatim4 ,what thou wouldest   
not have done to thee1 do not thou to   
another4 7,tal4 ,bab4 ,schabbat4 fol4   
#ca47 ,so also ,hillel addressed a      
proselyte thus1 ,what is hateful to     
thee1 do not thou to thy neighbour4     
,several other expressions of ,jesus    
were1 it appears from the ,talmud1      
proverbial expressions in use among the 
,jews4 ,for instance1 the original of   
that saying recorded ,matthew vii4 #b4  
,with whatsoever measure ye mete1 c41 is
 found in the ,talmud of ,babylon       
7,sanhedrim fol4 #ajj1 ,sotah1 chapter  

#d1 #g1 #h1i47 ,with whatsoever measure 
any one metes it shall be measured to   
him4 ,so also the original of that      
expression of ,cast out the beam out of 
thine own eye1 and then thou shalt see  
clearly to cast the mote out of thy     
brothers eye is to be found in the      
,talmud994  ,what is called by          
,christians the ,lords ,prayer1 is      
merely a few clauses taken from ,jewish 
prayers1 and put together4 ,very many   
instances of a similar nature to these  
might be produced2 but1 as ,i must be   
brief1 the reader is referred for       
further satisfaction to the works of    
,lightfoot1 where he will learn1 by     
extracts from ,jewish writings1 the     
source1 and meaning of many more of the 
sayings of ,jesus4  ,i now proceed to   
the most disagreeable part of the       
subject1 viz43 ,the consideration of the
 other maxims mentioned1 which1 it must 
be allowed1 do belong to ,jesus1 or at  
least to the ,new ,testament1 since they
 are the peculiar moral principles of   

,christianity1 and the honour of them   
can be challenged by1 ,i believe1 no    
other religion4  ,these precepts are so 
extremely hyperbolical1 that they are   
not1 and cannot be perfectly observed by
 any ,christian1 who does not detach    
himself completely from the business of 
society2 and these maxims1 7which1 as ,i
 said before1 are the only parts of the 
morality of the ,new ,testament1 which  
are not borrowed17 never have been      
obeyed by any but the primitive         
,christians2 and by the ,monks1 and     
,anchorets2 for even the ,quakers and   
,shakers1 eminent as they are in        
,christian morality1 have never been    
able to come quite up to the self denial
 required by the ,new ,testament4       
,indeed1 the moral maxims peculiar to   
,christianity are impracticable1 except 
by one who confines his wealth to the   
possession of a suit of clothes1 sad    
wooden platter1 and who lives in a cave1
 or a monastery4 ,they bear the stamp of
 enthusiasm upon their very front1 and  

we have always seen1 and ever shall see1
 that they are not fit for man3 that    
they lift him out of the sphere in which
 ,god designed him to move2 that they   
are useless to society1 and frequently  
produce the most dangerous consequences 
to it4 ,in a word1 in these maxims we   
find commands1 the fulfillment of which1
 is impossible by any man who is a      
husband1 a father1 or a citizen4  ,it is
 an outrage to human nature1 and to     
common sense1 to order a virtuous man1  
in order to reach perfection1 to strip  
himself of his property2 to offer the   
other cheek to receive a new outrage2   
not to resist the most unjust violence1 
injury1 and insult2 not to defend       
himself1 or his property1 when sued at  
the law2 to quit his house and goods1   
and to hate his parents1 and brethren1  
and wife1 and children1 for the sake of 
,jesus2 to refuse and reject innocent   
pleasures2 to deny himself lawful       
enjoyments1 appointed by the ,creator to
 make the existence of man a blessing to

 himself and others4  ,who does not see 
in these commands the language of       
enthusiasm of hyperbole8 ,these maxims6 
are they not directly fitted to         
discourage1 and debase a man8 to degrade
 him in his own eyes1 and those of      
others8 to plunge him into despair8 ,and
 would not the literal fulfillment of   
them prove destructive to society8 ,what
 shall we say of that morality which    
orders the heart to detach itself from  
objects1 which ,god1 and reason1 and    
nature order it to love8 ,to refuse to  
enjoy innocent and lawful               
happiness1--what is it but to despise   
the benefits of ,god8 ,what real good   
can result for society from these       
melancholy virtues1 which ,christianity 
regards as perfections8 ,will a man     
become more useful to society when his  
mind is perpetually inquieted by        
imaginary terrors1 by mournful thoughts1
 which prevent him from fulfilling the  
duties he owes to his family1 his       
country and those with whom he is       

connected8  ,it may be safely said1 that
 enthusiasm is the base of the morality 
of ,christianity2 ,i say1 the morality  
of ,christianity1 meaning thereby1 not  
the morality of those called            
,christians1 but the morality expressed1
 and required in the ,new ,testament4   
,the virtues it recommends1 are the     
virtues caricatured1 and rendered       
extravagant2 virtues which divide a man 
from his neighbour1 and plunge him in   
melancholy1 and render him useless1 and 
unhappy ,in this world we want human    
virtues1 not those which make a man a   
misanthrope4 ,society desires1 and wants
 virtues that help to maintain it1 which
 gives it energy and activity4 ,it wants
 virtues which render families          
industrious1 and united2 and which      
incite1 and enable every one to obtain  
lawful pleasures1 and to augment the    
general felicity4 ,but the peculiar     
virtues of the ,new ,testament1 either  
debase the mind by overwhelming fears1  
or intoxicate it with visionary hopes1  

both which1 are equally fitted to turn  
away men from their proper duties4  ,in 
truth1 what advantages can society      
derive from those virtues styled by     
,christians1 ,evangelical8 which they   
prefer to the social virtues1 the real  
and the useful1 and without which1 they 
assert1 a man cannot please ,god1 ,let  
us examine these vaunted perfections1   
and let us see of what utility they can 
be to society1 and whether they really  
merit the preference which is given them
 by their advocates4  ,the first of     
these ,christian virtues1 which serves  
as a base for all the others1 is faith4 
,it consists in believing the truth of  
dogmas1 of absurd fables1 which         
,christianity 7according to the         
catechisms7 orders its disciples to     
believe--dogmas1 as absurd and          
impossible as a square circle1 or a     
round triangle--from which we see1 that 
this virtue exacts an entire            
renunciation of common sense2 an assent 
to incredible facts1 and a blind        

credulity in absurd dogmas1 which1 yet1 
every ,christian is required to believe1
 under pain of damnation4  ,this virtue1
 too1 though necessary to all men1 is1  
nevertheless1 the gift of heaven6 the   
effect of special grace4 ,it forbids    
doubt and examination2 it forbids a man 
the right to exercise his reason2 it    
deprives him of the liberty of thinking1
 and degrades him into a bearded baby4  
,this faith vanishes when a man reasons2
 this virtue cannot sustain a tranquil  
scrutiny4 ,and this is the reason why   
all thorough going ,christians are      
naturally1 and1 consequently1 the       
enemies of science4 ,this miraculous    
faith1 which believeth all things1 is   
not given to persons enlightened by     
science and reflection1 and accustomed  
to think4 ,it is not given but to those 
who are afraid to think1 lest they      
should offend ,god4  ,the next          
,christian virtue which flows from the  
first1 is hope1 founded upon the        
promises which the ,new ,testament makes

 to those who render themselves         
miserable in this life4 ,it nourishes   
their enthusiasm1 it makes them forget  
the things that are on earth1 and reach 
forward unto the things which are in    
another world4 ,it renders them useless 
here below1 and makes them firmly       
believe that ,god will recompense in    
heaven1 the pains they have taken to    
make themselves miserable on earth4 ,how
 can a man1 occupied with such          
expectations of heavenly happiness1     
concern himself at all with1 or for1 the
 actual and present happiness of those  
around him1 while he is indifferent as  
to his own8 ,and how can he help this1  
when he believes that friendship with   
the world is enmity with ,god8  ,the    
third virtue is charity4 ,we have       
elsewhere said1 that if universal love  
or charity means only general           
benevolence1 and a desire to makes      
others happy1 and to do them good1 all  
this is commanded by reason and the     
ancient revelation2 but if by this      

precept it is commanded to love those   
who hate1 oppress or insult us1 we do   
not at all scruple to assert1 that the  
thing is impossible1 and unnatural4     
,for1 though we can abstain from hurting
 our enemy2 or even can do him good1 we 
cannot really love him4 ,love is a      
movement of the heart1 which is governed
 and directed by the laws of our nature1
 to those whom we think worthy of it1   
and to those only4  ,charity1 considered
 as general benevolence of disposition1 
is virtuous and necessary4 ,it is       
nothing more than a feeling which       
interests us in favour of our fellow    
beings4 ,but how is this feeling        
consistent with the peculiar doctrines  
of the gospel8 ,according to its maxims1
 it is a crime to offer ,god a heart1   
whoso affections are shared by          
terrestrial objects4 ,and besides1 does 
not experience show1 that devotees      
obliged by principle to hate themselves1
 are little disposed to give better     
treatment to others8  ,we should not be 

surprised that maxims1 originating with 
enthusiasm1 should aim at1 and have the 
effect of1 driving man out of himself4  
,in the delirium of its enthusiasm1 this
 religion forbids a man to love himself4
 ,it commands him to hate all pleasures 
but those of religion1 and to cherish a 
long face4 ,it attributes to him as     
meritorious1 all the voluntary evils he 
inflicts upon himself4 ,from thence     
originate those austerites1 those       
penances1 destructive to health2 those  
cruel privations by which the           
inhabitants of the monastic cell kill   
themselves by inches1 in order to merit 
the joys of heaven4 ,now1 how can good  
sense admit that ,god delights in seeing
 his creatures torment themselves8  ,it 
may be said to all this1 perhaps1 that  
this is mere declamation1 for           
,christians now a days do not torment   
themselves1 but live as comfortable as  
others4 ,to this ,i answer that         
,christianity is to be judged not by    
what ,christians do1 but by what it     

commands them to do4 ,now1 ,i presume it
 will not be denied that the ,new       
,testament commands its professors to   
renounce the world1 to be dead to the   
world1 to crucify the flesh with its    
passions1 and desires4 ,certainly these 
directions were literally complied with 
by the primitive ,christians2 and1 in   
doing so1 they acted consistently4 ,in  
those times1 the deserts1 the mountains1
 the forests were peopled with perfect  
,christians2 who withdrew from the      
world1 deprived their families of       
support1 and their country of citizens1 
in order to lead unmolested the divine  
life4 ,it was the ,new ,testament       
morality that spawned those legions of  
monks and cenobites1 who thought to     
secure the favour of heaven1 by burying 
their talents in the deserts1 and       
devoting themselves to inaction and     
celibacy4  ,and at this very day we see 
these very same things in those         
,christian countries1 which are truly   
faithful to the principles of their     

religion4  ,in fine1 ,christianity seems
 from the first1 to have taken pains to 
set itself in point blanc opposition to 
nature1 and reason4 ,if it admits and   
includes some virtues ordered and       
appointed by ,god1 good sense1 and      
universal experience2 it drives them    
beyond their bounds into extravagance4  
,it preserves no just medium1 which is  
the point of perfection4                
,voluptuousness1 adultery and debauchery
 are forbidden by the laws of ,god and  
reason4 ,but ,christianity not content  
with commanding1 and encouraging        
marriage1 as did the ,old ,testament1   
must forsooth go beyond it1 and         
therefore encourages celibacy1 as the   
state of perfection ,god says1 in       
,genesis1 it is not good that man should
 be alone4 ,i will make a companion for 
him4 ,and he blessed all his creatures1 
saying1  increase and multiply4 ,but the
 gospel annuls this law1 and represents 
a single life to be most pleasing1 to   
the very being1 whose very first command

 was1 increase and multiply6 ,it advises
 a man to die without posterity1 to     
refuse citizens to the state1 and to    
himself1 a support for his old age4  ,it
 is to no purpose to deny that          
,christianity recommends all this2 ,i   
say1 it substantially does6 and ,i      
boldly appeal1--not to a few ,protestant
 ,divines1--but to the ,new ,testament2 
to the ,homilies of the ,fathers of the 
,church2 to the ,history1 and ,practice 
of the ,primitive ,christians2 to the   
innumerable ,monasteries of ,europe1 and
 ,asia2 to the immense multitudes who   
have lived1 and died hermits2 and1      
finally1 7because ,i know very well1 the
 ,protestant divines attribute these    
follies to the influence of ,platonism1 
,pythagoranism1 and several other isms  
upon pure ,christianity7 ,i appeal to   
living evidence now in the world1 to the
 only thoroughgoing ,christians in it1  
viz41 to the ,society of the ,shakers1  
who ,i maintain1 and can prove1 to be   
true1 genuine imitators of the          

,primitive ,christians1 and a perfect   
exemplification of their manners1 and   
modes of thinking4 ,i adduce them the   
more confidently1 because1 being simple1
 and unlearned1 their character has been
 formed by the spirit of the ,new       
,testament1 and perfectly represents the
 effects of its principles fully carried
 out1 and acted upon4 ,they never heard 
of ,platonism1 or of ,pythagoras in     
their lives1 and1 consequently1 the     
polemic tricks1 and evasions1 which have
 been1 as hinted just now1 resorted to  
by ,protestant divines1 to shift from   
the shoulders of ,christianity to those 
of ,plato or ,pythagoras1 the obnoxious 
principles we have been considering1 are
 of no use in this case1 as1 whatever   
the characters of these ,shakers may be1
 they were formed by the ,new           
,testament1 and by nothing else2 and ,i 
believe1 that every scholar in          
ecclesiastical history1 who reads       
,browns history of the ,shakers1 will be
 immediately and powerfully struck with 

the resemblance subsisting between them1
 and the ,christians of the two first   
centuries4  ,as examples of the effects 
of those precepts of ,christian         
morality1 which command us to hate      
father1 and mother1 and sister1 and     
brother1 for the ,bake of ,jesus1 take  
the following extracts from the history 
referred to4  ,according to their faith1
 natural affection must be eradicated2  
and they say they must love all equally 
alike1 as brothers1 and sisters in the  
gospel4 ,it would exceed the limits of  
this work to give a particular account  
of the various schemes that have been   
contrived1 to destroy all natural       
affection and social attachment between 
man and wife1 parent and child1 brothers
 and sisters2 especially towards such as
 have left the society4 ,two instances  
that occurred about this time1 as       
specimens of others1 may suffice4 ,a    
mother1 who had renounced the faith1 7i4
 e4 left the society17 come to ,niskeuna
 to see1 her daughter4 ,eldress ,hannah 

,matterson told the daughter to go into 
the room to her carnal mother1 and say1 
,what do you come here for8 ,i dont want
 you to come and see me with your carnal
 affections6 ,the mother being grieved1 
replied1 ,i did not expect that a       
daughter of mine would ever address me  
in that manner4  ,the daughter1 in      
obedience to what she was taught1       
replied again1 ,you have come here with 
your carnal fleshly desires1 and ,i     
don't want to see you1 and left her     
mother4  ,some time after1 one ,duncan  
,shapley1 who had belonged to the       
society1 called to see ,abigail1 his    
sister1 at ,niskeuna1 whom he had not   
seen for six or seven years2 but he was 
not admitted3 he waited some time1 being
 loath to go away without seeing her4   
,at last she was ordered to go to the   
window and address him in the language  
of abuse and scurrility4 ,the words she 
made use of1 it would be indecent to    
mention4 ,for this she was applauded1   
and that in the authors hearing1 when he

 belonged to the society4  ,this man    
gives a very curious account how the    
elders treated  their babes1 in their   
spiritual nursery2 but ,i shall notice  
only one or two examples1 which         
illustrate what ,i have advanced        
concerning the natural hostility of the 
spirit of the ,new ,testament towards   
science4 ,i know of several1 who1 soon  
after they joined the ,church1 have been
 counselled by the ,elders to dispose of
 their books2 and have accordingly done 
it4 ,elder ,ebenezer being at my house  
one day1 on seeing a number of books1 he
 said--,ah6 ,thomas must put away his   
books if he intends to become a good    
believer4  ,as an instance of its       
effects upon the human understanding1   
take the following3--,a short time      
after1 being at a believers house1 at   
eleven oclock at night1 they all having 
retired to rest1 and ,i laying awake in 
a dry well finished room1 in which was a
 stove and fire1 there fell a large drop
 of water on my temples2 on examination1

 ,i could not discover where the water  
came from4 ,i told the believers of it  
in the morning4  ,one said1  ,ah6 it is 
a warning to you respecting your        
unbelief4  ,i then assigned some        
inconclusive reason1 how the drop might 
have become formed in the room1 and its 
falling4  ,one replied1 ,ah6 that is the
 way you render a natural reason for the
 cause of every thing1 and so reason    
away your faith and yourself out of the 
gospel4  ,as another proof1 that genuine
 ,christianity discourages marriage1 and
 considers celibacy as the only state of
 perfection1 the ,shakers allow of no   
marriages at all4  ,thus you see that1  
among these people1 to become a good    
believer1 you must insult your parents1 
revile your brother1 depise learning1   
and never render a natural reason for   
any thing1 lest you should reason away  
your faith1 and yourself out of the     
gospel4    ,,chapter ,,xviii4  ,,on     
,,the ,,peculiar ,,morality ,,of ,,the  
,,new ,,testament1 ,,as ,,it ,,affects  

,,nations ,,and ,,political ,,societies4
  ,after having seen the uselessness1   
and even the danger1 to individuals1 of 
the perfections1 the virtues1 and the   
duties1 which ,christianity peculiarly  
commands2 let us now see whether it has 
a more happy influence upon politics2 or
 whether it produces real happiness     
among the nations with whom this        
religion is established1 and the spirit 
of it faithfully observed4 ,let us do   
so1 and we shall find1 that wherever    
,christianity is established and obeyed1
 it establishes a set of laws directly  
opposed to those of a well ordered      
national society2 and it soon makes this
 disagreement and incompatibility       
distinctly to be felt4  ,politics are   
intended to maintain union and concord  
among the citizens4 ,christianity1      
though it preaches universal love1 and  
commands its followers to live in peace2
 yet1 by a strange inconsistency1       
consequentially annihilates the effect  
of these excellent precepts1 by the     

inevitable divisions it causes among its
 followers1 who necessarily understand  
differently the ,old and ,new           
,testaments1 because the latter is not  
only irreconcilably contradictory to the
 former1 but it is even inconsistent    
with itself4 ,from the very commencement
 of ,christianity1 we perceive very     
violent disputes among its founders and 
teachers2 and through every succeeding  
century1 we find1 in the history of the 
,church1 nothing but schism and heresy4 
,these are followed by persecutions and 
quarrels1 exceedingly well adapted to   
destroy this vaunted spirit of concord1 
said by its defenders to be peculiar to 
,christianity2 and the existence of     
which is1 in fact1 impossible in a      
religion which is one entire chaos of   
obscure doctrines and impracticable     
precepts4 ,in every religious dispute1  
both parties thought that ,god was on   
their side1 and1 consequently1 they were
 obstinate and irreconcilable4 ,and how 
should it have been otherwise1 since    

they confounded the cause of ,god with  
the miserable interests of their own    
vanity8 ,thus1 being little disposed to 
give way on one part or the other1 they 
cut one anothers throats2 they          
tormented1 they burnt each other3 they  
tore one another to pieces2 and having  
exterminated or put down the obnoxious  
sects1 they sung ,te ,deum4  ,it is not 
my intention to pursue1 in this place1  
the horrid detail of ecclesiastical     
history1 as connected with that of the  
,roman empire4 ,mr4 ,gibbon has         
exhibited in such colours this dreadful 
record of follies1 and of crimes1 that  
it is difficult to see how the maxim of 
judging the tree by its fruit1 will not 
fatally affect the cause of the         
,christian religion4 ,i refer to ,mr4   
,gibbons history as a cool and impartial
 narrative2 for ,i am well satisfied    
that1 so far from having reason to      
complain of him1 the advocates of       
,christianity have very great reason1   
indeed1 to thank him for his            

forbearance1 since1 with his eloquence1 
he might have drawn a picture that would
 have made humanity shudder4 ,for1      
throughout the whole history1 if a man  
had wished to know what was then the    
orthodox faith1 the best method of      
ascertaining it1 would have been1       
undoubtedly1 to ask1  ,what is the      
catechism of this public executioner4   
,the ,christian religion was1 it is     
evident from his history1 the principal1
 though by no means the only cause of   
the decline and fall of the ,roman      
empire4 ,because it degraded the spirit 
of the people1 and because it produced  
monks and hermits in abundance1 but     
yielded no soldiers4 ,the heathen       
adversaries of ,christianity were in the
 right when they said1 that if it       
prevailed1 ,rome was no more6 ,the      
,christians would not serve in the      
armies of the emperor1 if they could    
possibly avoid it4 ,they justly         
considered the profession of a soldier1 
and that of a ,christian1 as            

incompatible4 ,celsus accuses them of   
abandoning the empire1 under whose laws 
they lived1 to its enemies4 ,and what is
 the answer of ,origen to this          
accusation8 ,look3 at his pitiful reply6
 ,he endeavours to palliate this        
undutiful refusal by representing       
that--the ,christians had their peculiar
 camps1 in which they incessantly       
combatted for the safety of the emperor 
and empire1 by lifting up their right   
hands-- ,,in ,,prayer66 7,see ,origen   
contra ,celsum1 ,lib4 #h1 p4 #dcg47     
,this is a sneaking piece of business   
truly6 ,but ,origen could have given    
another answer1 if he had dared to avow 
it1 which is1 that his co-religionists1 
in his time1 had not ceased to expect   
their master momentarily to appear2 and1
 of course1 it little mattered what     
became of the emperor1 or the empire4   
,this notion was the principal engine   
for making proselytes2 and it was by    
this expectation that many were         
frightened into baptism4  ,that         

,christianity was considered            
incompatible with the military          
profession1 is evident from many        
passages of the fathers4 ,and one of    
them1 ,i believe1 ,tertullian1 ventures 
to insinuate to the ,christians in the  
legions1 the expediency of deserting1 to
 rid themselves of their carnal         
employment4 ,nay1 to such a height did  
this spirit prevail1 that it never      
stopped till it taught the ,roman youth 
in ,italy the expedient of cutting off  
the thumbs of their right hands in order
 to avoid the conscription1 and that    
they might be allowed to count their    
beads at home in quiet4  ,if we examine1
 in detail1 the precepts of this        
religion1 as they affect nations1 we    
shall see1 that it interdicts every     
thing which can make a nation           
flourishing4 ,we have seen already the  
notion of imperfection which            
,christianity attaches to marriage1 and 
the esteem and preference it holds out  
to celibacy4 ,these ideas certainly do  

not favour population1 which is1 without
 contradiction1 the first source of     
power to every state4  ,commerce is not 
less obnoxious to the principles of a   
religion whose founder is represented as
 denouncing an anathema against the     
rich1 and as excluding them from the    
kingdom of heaven4 ,all industry is     
equally interdicted to perfect          
,christians1 who are to spend their     
lives as strangers1 and pilgrims upon   
earth1 and who are not to take care of  
the morrow4  ,chrysostom says1 that a   
merchant cannot please ,god1 and that   
such a one ought to be chased out of the
 church4  ,no ,christian1 also1 without 
being inconsistent1 can serve in the    
army4 ,for a man1 who is never sure of  
being in a state of grace1 is the most  
extravagant of men1 if1 by the hazard of
 battle1 he exposes himself to eternal  
perdition4 ,and a ,christian who ought  
to love his enemies1 is he not guilty of
 the greatest of crimes1 when he        
inflicts death upon a hostile soldier1  

of whose disposition he knows nothing3  
and whom he may1 at a single stroke1    
precipitate into hell8 ,a ,christian    
soldier is a monster6 a non-descript6   
and ,lactantius affirms1 that a         
,christian cannot be either a soldier1  
or an accuser to a criminal cause4 ,and1
 at this day1 the ,quakers1 and         
,mennonites refuse to carry arms1 and1  
in so doing1 they are consistent        
,christians4  ,christianity declares war
 against the sciences2 they are regarded
 as an obstacle to salvation4 ,science  
puffeth up4 says ,paul4 ,and the fathers
 of the church1 ,st4 ,gregory1 ,st4     
,ambrose1 and ,st4 ,augustine denounce  
vehemently astronomy1 and geometry4 ,and
 ,jerome declares1 that he was whipped  
by an angel only for reading that ,pagan
 ,cicero4  ,it has been often remarked1 
that the most enlightened men are       
commonly bad ,christians4 ,for          
independent of its effects on faith1    
which science is exceedingly apt to     
subvert1 it diverts the ,christian from 

the work of his salvation1 which is the 
only thing needful4 ,in a word1 the     
peculiar principles of ,christianity    
literally obeyed1 would entirely subvert
 from its foundations every political   
society now existing4 ,if this assertion
 is doubted1 let the doubter read the   
works of the early ,fathers1 and he will
 see that their morality is totally     
incompatible with the preservation and  
prosperity of a state4 ,he will see     
according to ,lactantius1 and others1   
that no ,christian can lawfully be a    
soldier4 ,that according to ,justin1 no 
,christian can be a magistrate4 ,that   
according to ,chrysostom1 no ,christian 
ought to be a merchant ,and that        
according to several1 no ,christian     
ought t study4 ,in fine1 joining these  
maxims together with those of the ,new  
,testament1 it will follow1 that a      
,christian1 who as he is commanded1 aims
 at perfection1 is a useless member of  
the community1 useless to his family1   
and to all around him4 ,he is an idle   

dreamer1 who thinks of nothing but      
futurity2 who has nothing in common with
 the interests of the world1 and        
according to ,tertullian has no other   
business but to get out of it as quietly
 as possible4  ,let us hearken to       
,esebius of ,caesarea1 and we shall     
abundantly discover the truth of what   
has been said4  ,the manner of life1    
7says he17 of the ,christian church1    
surpasses our present nature1 and the   
common life of men4 ,it seeks neither   
marriage1 nor children1 nor riches4 ,in 
fine1 it is entirely a stranger to human
 modes of living4 ,it is entirely       
absorbed in an insatiable love of       
heavenly things4 ,those who follow this 
course of life1 have only their bodies  
upon earth1 their whole souls are in    
heaven1 and they already dwell among    
pure and celestial intelligences1 and   
they despise the manner of life of other
 men ,demonstrat4 ,evang4 vol4 ii4      
p4#bi4  ,indeed a man firmly persuaded  
of the truth of2 ,christianity cannot   

attach himself to any thing here below4 
,every thing here is an occasion of     
stumbling1 a rock of offence4 ,every    
thing here1 diverts him from thinking of
 his salvation4 ,if ,christians in      
general1 happily1 for society1 were not 
inconsistent1 and did not neglect the   
peculiar precepts of their religion1 no 
large society of them could exist2 and  
the nations enlightened by the gospel   
would turn hermits1 and nuns4 ,all      
business1 but fasting and prayer1 would 
be at an end4 ,there would be nothing   
but groaning in this vale of tears2 and 
they would make themselves1 and others1 
as miserable as possible1 from the best 
of motives1 viz2 the desire to fulfill  
what they mistakenly conceived to be the
 will of ,god4  ,is this a picture taken
 from the life1 or is it a fanciful     
representation of something different   
from the peculiar morality of the ,new  
,testament8 ,this serious question      
demands a serious answer4 ,if it be such
 as it is represented above and such it 

really appears to me1 and such ,i have  
unfortunately experienced its operation 
to be on my own mind--,i would          
respectfully ask--can such a religion1  
whose peculiar principles tend to render
 men hateful1 and hating one another3   
which has often rendered sovereigns1    
persecutors1 and subjects1 either       
rebels1 or slaves3 a religion1 whose    
peculiar moral principles and maxims1   
teach the mind to grovel1 and humble1   
and break down the energies of man2 and 
which divert him from thinking of his   
true interests1 and the true happiness  
of himself and his fellow men4 ,can such
 a religion1 ,i would respectfully ask1 
be from ,god1 since where fully obeyed1 
it would prove utterly destructive to   
society8    ,,chapter ,,xix4  ,a        
,,consideration ,,of ,,some ,,supposed  
,,advantages ,,attributed ,,to ,,the    
,,new1 ,,over ,,the ,,old1 ,,testament2 
,,and ,,whether ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,a
 ,,resurrection1 ,,and ,a ,,life ,,to   
,,come1 ,,is ,,not ,,taught ,,in ,,the  

,,old ,,testament2 ,,in ,,contradiction 
,,to ,,the ,,assertion1 ,,that ,,life   
,,and ,,immortality ,,were ,,brought    
,,to ,,light ,,by ,,the ,,gospel4  ,from
 the preceding chapters1 you may judge1 
reader1 of the justice and truth of the 
opinion1 that the yoke of ,christian    
morality is easy1 and its burthen light2
 and also of the veracity and fairness  
of that constant assertion of divines1  
that ,jesus came to remove the heavy    
yoke of the ,mosaic ,law1 and to        
substitute in its room one of easier    
observance4--,whether this1 their       
assertion1 be not rash1 and ill founded1
 ,i will cheerfully leave to be decided 
by any cool and thinking man1 who knows 
human nature1 and is acquainted with the
 human heart4 ,i say1 ,i would          
cheerfully leave it to such a man1      
whether the ,mosaic ,law1 with all its  
numerous rites1 and ceremonial          
observances1 nay1 with all the          
7ridiculous7 traditions of the ,elders1 
superadded1 would not be much more      

bearable to human nature1 and much      
easier to be observed and obeyed1 than  
such precepts as these1 ,sell all thou  
hast1 and give it to the poor4 ,if a man
 ask thy cloak1 give him thy coat also4 
,resist not the injurious person1 but if
 a man smite thee on one cheek1 turn to 
him the other also4 ,extirpate and      
destroy all carnal affection1 and love  
nothing1 but religion4 ,take no thought 
for to-morrow2--,i am confident that the
 decision would be given in my favour2  
and have no doubt1 that with thinking   
men1 the contrary opinion would be      
instantly rejected with the contempt it 
merits4  ,whether the ,mosaic ,code be  
the best possible1 or really divine1 is 
of no consequence in this inquiry1 and  
is with me another question from that of
 its inferiority to that of the ,new    
,testament4 ,i do by no means assert the
 former2 but have no hesitation to give 
my opinion1 after a pretty thorough     
examination of the subject1 that the    
reflections of ,paul1 and those usually 

thrown out against the ,mosaic ,code by 
,theologians1 when comparing it with    
that of the ,new ,testament1 in order to
 deprecate the former1 appear to me     
extremely partial and unjust2 and so far
 from true1 that ,i think1 that the     
ancient law has the advantage over the  
precepts of the ,new ,testament1 in     
being1 at least1 practicable and        
consistent499  ,another unfounded       
reproach which ,theologians1 in order to
 magnify the importance of the ,new     
,testament1 cast upon the ,old1 is this3
 ,they say1 that the ,old ,testament    
represents ,god only as the tutelary    
,deity of the ,israelites1 and as not so
 much concerned for the rest of mankind4
 ,to show that this is a very mistaken  
notion1 and to manifest that the        
,eternal of the ,old ,testament is      
represented therein1 not as the ,god of 
the ,jews only1 but also of the         
,gentiles1 ,i refer to these            
words3--,the ,lord thy ,god is ,god of  
gods1 and ,lord of lords1 a great ,god1 

a mighty and a terrible2 who regardeth  
not persons1 nor taketh reward4 ,he doth
 execute the judgment of the fatherless1
 and widow1 and loveth the stranger1 in 
giving him food and raiment4 ,love ye1  
therefore1 the stranger4 ,thou shalt    
neither vex a stranger1 nor oppress him1
 for ye know the heart of a stranger1   
seeing ye were strangers in the land of 
,egypt4 ,hear the causes between your   
brethren1 and judge righteously between 
a man and his brother1 and the stranger 
that is with him4 ,one law shall be to  
him that is home born1 and to the       
stranger that sojourneth among you4 ,the
 stranger that dwelleth with you shall  
be as one born among you1 and thou shalt
 love him as thyself4 ,i am the ,lord   
your ,god4  ,indeed1 so little truth is 
there in the notion1 that the law and   
religion of the ,old ,testament were    
established with the intention of       
confining them to one people1 exclusive 
of all others1 that the ,old ,testament 
certainly represents them in such       

manner1 as shows1 that they were        
intended to be as unconfined as the     
,christian1 or ,mahometan2 its religion1
 in fact1 admitted every one who would  
receive it4 ,and what is more1 it can be
 proved that the ,old ,testament        
dispensation claims1 as appears from    
itself1 to have been given for the      
common advantage of all mankind4 ,and it
 is asserted in it1 7whether truly or   
not1 is not the question2 it is         
sufficient for my purpose1 that it      
asserts it71 that the religion contained
 in it1 will one day be the religion of 
all mankind4 ,for it declares that      
,jerusalem will be the centre of worship
 for all nations1 and the temple there1 
be the house of prayer for all nations2 
that the ,eternal will be the only ,god 
worshipped2 and his laws the only laws  
obeyed4 ,it represents ,abraham and his 
posterity as merely the instruments of  
the ,eternal to bring about these ends2 
it is repeatedly declared therein1 that 
the reason of ,gods dispensations       

towards them was1 that all the earth    
might know that the ,eternal is ,god1   
and that there is no other but ,him4    
,according to its history1 when ,god    
threatened to destroy the ,israelites   
for their perverseness in the           
wilderness1 and offers ,moses1          
interceding for them1 to raise1 up his  
seed to fulfil the purposes for which he
 designed the posterity of ,abraham2 he 
tells ,moses that his purpose should not
 be frustrated through the perverseness 
of the chosen instruments2 but1 7saith  
,he71 as surely as ,i live1 all the     
earth shall be filled with the glory of 
the ,lord1 ,numbers xiv4 #ba4 ,many     
passages of similar import are contained
 in the ,psalms1 and the ,prophets4 ,in 
fact1 there is no truth at all in the   
statement of the ,catechisms1 that the  
,old ,testament was merely preparatory1 
and intended merely to prepare the way  
for a better covenant1 as ,paul says2   
even for another religion1 7the         
,christian7 which was to convert all    

nations2 for1 7if the ,old ,testament be
 suffered to tell its own story17 we    
shall find1 that it claims1 and         
challenges the honour of beginning1 and 
completing1 this magnificent design     
solely to itself4 ,i was going to       
overwhelm the patience of the reader    
with quotations from it1 to this        
purpose2 but being willing to spare him 
and myself1 ,i will only produce one1   
which1 as it is direct and peremptory to
 this effect1 is as good as a hundred1  
to demonstrate that the ,old ,testament 
at least claims what ,i have said4      
,zech4 viii4 #bj1 ,thus saith the       
,eternal of ,hosts3 ,it shall yet come  
to pass1 that there shall come people1  
and the inhabitants of many cities2 and 
the inhabitants of one city shall go to 
another1 saying3 ,let us go speedily to 
pray before the ,eternal1 and to seek   
the ,eternal of ,hosts3 ,i will go also4
 ,yea1 many people1 and strong nations  
shall come to seek the ,eternal of      
,hosts in ,jerusalem1 and to pray before

 the ,eternal4 ,thus saith the ,eternal 
of ,hosts3 ,in those days it shall come 
to pass1 that ten men shall take hold   
out of all the languages of the nations1
 even shall take hold of the skirt of   
him that is a ,jew1 saying1 we will go  
with you4  ,be it so1 it may be         
said2--,still1 it is to ,christianity   
the world owes the consoling doctrine of
 a life to come4 ,life and immortality  
were brought to light by the ,gospel1   
say the ,christian divines2 and they    
assert1 that the doctrine of a          
resurrection was not known to ,jew or   
,gentile1 till they learned it from     
,jesus followers4 ,the ,old ,testament1 
7say they17 taught the ,jews nothing of 
the glorious truths concerning the      
resurrection of the body1 and the life  
everlasting1 their beggarly elements    
confined their views to temporal        
happiness1 only4 ,these assertions ,i   
shall prove from the ,old ,testament    
itself1 to be contrary to fact2 for the 
,jews both knew1 and were taught by     

their ,bibles to expect a resurrection1 
and believed it as firmly as any        
,christian can1 or ever did4 ,for proof 
hereof1 ,i shall1 in the first place1   
quote the #cgth chapter of ,ezekiel1 and
 which is as follows1 ,the hand of the  
,lord was upon me1 and carried me out in
 the spirit of the ,lord1 and set me    
down in the midst of the valley1 which  
was full of bones4 ,and caused me to    
pass by them round about1 and behold    
there were very many in the open valley1
 and behold they were dry4--,and he said
 unto me4 ,son of man1 can these bones  
live8 and ,i answered1 ,o ,lord ,god1   
thou knowest4 ,again he said unto me4   
,prophecy upon these bones1 and say unto
 them1 ,o ye dry bones1 hear the word of
 the ,lord4 ,thus saith the ,lord ,god  
unto these bones1 behold ,i will cause  
breath to enter into you1 and ye shall  
live1 and ,i will lay sinews upon you1  
and will bring up flesh upon you2 and   
cover you with skin1 and put breath into
 you2 and ye shall live1 and know that  

,i am the ,lord4 ,so ,i prophesied as ,i
 was commanded1 and1 as ,i prophesied1  
there was a noise1 and behold1 a        
shaking1 and the bones came together1   
bone to his bone4 ,and when ,i beheld1  
lo1 the sinews and the flesh came up    
upon them1 and the skin covered them    
above2 but there was no breath in them4 
,then said he unto me4 ,prophecy son of 
man1 and say unto the wind1 thus saith  
the ,lord ,god1 come from the four      
winds1 ,o breath6 and breathe upon these
 slain1 that they may live4 ,so ,i      
prophesied as he commanded me1 and the  
breath came into them1 and they lived1  
and stood up again upon their feet1 an  
exceeding great army4  ,a plainer       
resurrection than this is1 ,i think     
never was preached either by ,jesus or  
his followers4 ,again1 ,daniel the      
prophet says1 ,many of them that sleep  
in the dust of the earth shall awake1   
some to everlasting life1 and some to   
shame and everlasting contempt1 ,daniel 
xii4 #b4 ,now ,ezekiel lived almost six 

hundred years before ,jesus1 and ,daniel
 was contemporary with the former2 and  
is it not a little surprising1 that the 
,jews should learn1 for the first time1 
the doctrine of a resurrection of the   
followers of ,jesus ,christ1 when they  
knew of the resurrection almost six     
hundred years before he was born8       
,isaiah also1 7who lived before either  
,ezekiel or ,daniel71 in the #bfth      
chapter of his prophesies1 7exciting the
 ,jews to have confidence in ,god1 and  
not to despair on account of their      
captivity1 and the troubles and         
afflictions which they should suffer    
therein71 foretells to them that death  
would not deprive them of the reward of 
their piety and virtue2 for ,god would  
raise them from the dead1 and make them 
happy4 ,thy dead men shall live1 my dead
 bodies 7i4 e41 the bodies of ,gods     
servants7 they shall arise4 ,awake6 and 
sing6 ye that dwell in the dust1 for thy
 dew is as the dew of herbs1 ,the       
meaning of the last clause is--that1 as 

the grass1 which in ,oriental countries 
becomes brown and shrivelled by the heat
 of the sun2 from the effects of the dew
 it changes and springs up1 as it were1 
in a moment1 green and fresh and        
beautiful2 so1 by the instantaneous     
influence of the word of ,god1 the dry  
and decayed remains of mortality shall  
become blooming with immortal freshness 
and beauty4 ,see also ,hosea xiii4 #ad4 
,i might easily multiply passages from  
the ,old ,testament1 to prove that the  
doctrine of a resurrection was familiar 
to the ancient ,israelites1 but ,i      
suppose that what ,i have already       
produced1 is sufficient4 ,those1        
however1 who wish to see the subject    
more thoroughly examined1 are referred  
to ,greaves ,lectures on the            
,pentateuch1 a work lately published in 
,europe1 highly honourable to the       
author4 ,see also a ,tract upon this    
subject1 published by ,dr4 ,priestley1  
in #ahja4  ,i shall only add one        
observation more on this subject1 viz41 

that it is very singular that ,christian
 divines should assert1 that life and   
immortality were first brought to light 
by the ,gospel1 when the ,new ,testament
 itself represents the resurrection of  
the dead as being perfectly well known  
to the ,jews1 and describes ,jesus      
himself as proving it to the ,sadducees 
out of the ,old ,testament666           
,,conclusion4  ,i have now finished my  
work1 which ,i have written in order to 
exculpate myself1 and to do justice to  
others2 and having re-examined every    
link of the chain of my argument1 ,i    
think it amply strong to support the    
conclusions attached to it4 ,though     
there might have been drawn from the    
,old and ,new ,testaments1 many         
additional arguments corroborative of   
what has been said1 yet1 at present1 ,i 
shall add no more2 as ,i think that what
 has been brought forward has just      
claims to be considered by the impartial
 as quite sufficient to prove these two 
points--that the ,new ,testament can    

neither subsist with the ,old           
,testament1 nor without it2 and that the
 ,new ,testament system was built first 
upon a mistake1 and afterwards          
buttressed up with forged and apocryphal
 documents4  ,let the candid now judge1 
whether the author1 knowing these       
things1 or1 at least persuaded of their 
truth1 could have persisted in          
affirming1 7in a place where sincerity  
is expected71 in the name of the        
,almighty1 that the claims of the ,new  
,testament were valid1 without being a  
hypocrite1 and an impostor4  ,let them  
also consider1 whether1 after being     
unable to obtain a satisfactory         
refutation of the objections contained  
in this volume1 his resigning a         
profession whose duties obliged him to  
say what he was convinced was false1 was
 conduct to be reprehended4 ,and lastly1
 he appeals to the good sense of the    
public1 for a decision1 whether1 with   
such objections and difficulties        
weighing upon his mind1 as he has now   

exposed1 his conduct in that respect can
 reasonably be attributed to the unmanly
 influence of caprice and fickle-ness1  
7as has been circulated by some who had 
an interest in making it believed27 or  
to the just influence of motives        
deserving a better name4  ,with regard  
to the unfortunate people whose         
arguments have been brought forward in  
this volume1 we have1 reader1 now gone  
over1 and distinctly felt1 the whole    
ground of the controversy between them  
and their persecutors1 mentioned in the 
,preface4 ,and as they make use of the  
,old ,testament as a foundation1        
admitted1 and necessarily admitted by   
,christians1 to be of divine authority1 
and are surrounded by the bulwarks they 
have raised out of the demolished       
entrenchments of their adversaries1 ,i  
do not see but that their castles       
strength may laugh a siege to scorn4    
,and after reviewing1 and revolving1    
over and over in my own mind the        
arguments on both sides1 ,i am obliged  

to believe1 that the stoutest ,polemical
 ,goliath who may venture to attack it1 
especially their strong hold--their     
arguments about the ,messiahship1 will  
find to his cost1 that when his weak    
point is but known1 the mightiest       
,achilles must fall before the feeblest 
,paris1 whose arrow is--aimed at his    
heel4  ,the author hopes1 and thinks he 
has a right to expect1 that whoever may 
attempt to answer his book1 will do it  
fairly1 like a man of candour2 without  
trying to evade the main question--that 
of the ,messiahship of ,jesus4 ,he      
fears1 that he shall see an answer      
precisely resembling the many others he 
has seen upon that subject4 ,except     
two--those of ,sukes1 and ,jeffries4    
7who acknowledge that miracles have     
nothing to do with the question of the  
,messiahship1 which can be decided by   
the ,old ,testament only27-- all that he
 has ever met with1 evade this question1
 and slide over to the ground of        
miracles4 ,such conduct in an answerer  

of this book would be very unfair1 and  
also very absurd4 ,for the case is      
precisely resembling the following--,a  
father informs by letter his son in a   
foreign country1 that he is about to    
send him a ,tutor1 whom he will know by 
the following marks2 ,he is learned in  
the mathematics1 and the physical       
sciences2 acquainted with the learned   
languages1 and an excellent physician2  
of a dark complexion2 six feet high1 and
 with a voice loud1 and commanding4 ,by 
and by1 a man comes to the young man1   
professing to be this tutor sent to him 
by his father4 ,on examining the man1   
and comparing him with the description  
in his fathers letter1 he finds him     
totally unlike the person he had been   
taught to expect4 ,instead of being     
acquainted with the sciences1 therein   
mentioned1 he knows nothing about them2 
instead of being six feet high1 of a    
dark complexion1 and with a voice loud  
and commanding1 he is a diminutive      
creature of five feet1 of a light       

complexion1 with a voice like a womans4 
,the young man1 with his fathers letter 
in his hand1 tells the pretended tutor1 
that he certainly cannot be the person  
he has been told to expect4 ,the man    
persists1 and appeals to certain        
wonderful works he performs in order to 
convince the young man1 that he is      
acquainted with the sciences aforesaid1 
and that he is also six feet high2 of a 
dark complexion2 and talks like an      
,emperor6 ,the young man replies4       
,friend1 you are either an enthusiast1 a
 mad man1 or something worse4 ,as to    
your  signs and wonders1 ,i have been   
warned in my fathers letter to pay no   
regard to any such things in this case4 
,besides1 you ought to be sensible1 that
 your identity with the person ,i am    
taught by my fathers letter to expect1  
can be only determined by comparing you 
with the description of him given       
therein4 ,whether your wonderful works  
are real miracles or not1 ,i neither    
know1 nor care4 ,at any rate1 they      

cannot1 in the nature of things1 be any 
thing to the purpose in2 this case4 ,for
 you to pretend1 that they prove what   
you offer them to prove1 is quite       
absurd2 you might as well1 and as       
reasonably1 pretend1 that they could    
prove ,aristotle to have been           
,alexander2 or the ,methodist ,george   
,whitfield to be the ,emperor ,napoleon 
,bonaparte6  ,to conclude1 if any person
 should feel inclined to attempt to     
refute this book1 let him do it like a  
man2 without evading the question1 or   
equivocating1 or caviling about little  
things4 ,let him consider the principal 
question1 and the main arguments on     
which he perceives that the author      
relies1 and not pass over these         
silently1 and hold up a few petty       
mistakes and subsidiary arguments as    
specimens of the whole book4 ,such a    
mode of defence would be very           
disengenuous1 and with a discerning     
reader1 perfectly futile and            
insufficient4 ,it would be as if a man  

prostrate1 and bleeding under a lion    
whose teeth and claws were infixed in   
his throat1 should tear a handful of    
hairs out of the animals mane1 and hold 
them up as proofs of victory4  ,in fine1
 let him1 before his undertaking1       
carefully consider these pungent words  
of ,bishop ,beveridge1 ,opposite        
answers1 and downright arguments        
advantage a cause2 but when a disputant 
leaves many things untouched1 as if they
 were too hot for his fingers2 and      
declines the weight of other things1 and
 alters the true state of the question3 
it is a shrewd sign1 either that he has 
not weighed things maturely1 or else    
7which is more probable17 that he       
maintains a desperate cause4  ,,finis4  
,,appendix ,a4  ,as reasons for this    
assertion1 7that the account of the     
resurrection given by the evangelists is
 no better1 nay1 worse1 than conjecture1
 as it is a mere forgery of the second  
century4--,vide page #hf7 take the      
following facts1 which are now          

ascertained1 and can be proved3--#a4    
,several sects of ,christians in the    
first century1 in the apostolic era1    
denied that ,jesus was crucified1 as the
 ,basildeans1 c4 ,the author of the     
epistle ascribed to ,barnabas1 ,i think1
 denied it1 and the author of the gospel
 of ,thomas certainly did4 #b4 ,the     
,jewish ,christians1 the disciples of   
the twelve apostles1 never received1 but
 rejected every individual book of the  
present ,new ,testament4 ,they held in  
especial abomination the writings of    
,paul1 whom they called an apostate2 and
 there is extant1 in  ,cotelerius       
,patres ,apostolici1 a letter ascribed  
to ,peter1 written to ,james at         
,jerusalem wherein he complains bitterly
 of ,paul1 styling him a lawless man1   
and a crafty misrepresenter of him      
7,peter17 and his doctrine1 in that     
,paul represented1 every where1 ,peter  
as being secretly of the same opinions  
with himself2 against this he enters his
 protest1 and declares that he          

reprobates the doctrine of ,paul4 7,see 
,appendix ,b47 #c4 ,it is certain1 that 
from the beginning1 the ,christians were
 never agreed as to points of faith2 and
 that the apostles themselves1 so far   
from being considered as inspired1 and  
infallible1 were frequently             
contradicted1 thwarted1 and set at      
naught by their own converts3 and there 
were as many sects1 heresies1 and       
quarrels1 in the first century1 as in   
the second or third4 #d4 ,jesus and his 
apostles were no sooner off the stage1  
than forgeries of all kinds broke in    
with irresistible force3 ,gospels1      
,epistles1 ,acts1 ,revelations without  
number1 published in the names1 and     
under the feigned authority1 of ,jesus  
and his apostles1 abounded in the       
,christian church2 and as some of these 
were as early in time as any of the     
writings in the present canon of the    
,new ,testament1 so they were received  
promiscuously with them1 and held in    
equal credit and veneration1 and read in

 the public assemblies as of equal      
authority with those now received4 #e4  
,the very learned and pious ,dodwell1 in
 his ,dissertations on ,iraeneus avows1 
that he cannot find in ecclesiastical   
antiquities1 7which he understood better
 than any man of his age17 any evidence 
at all1 that the four ,gospels were     
known or heard of1 before the time of   
,trajan1 and ,adrian1 i4e4 before the   
middle of the second century1 i4 e4     
nearly a hundred years after the        
apostles were dead4 7,see ,appendix ,c47
 ,long before this time1 we know that   
there were extant numbers of spurious   
gospels1 forged1 and ascribed to the    
apostles2 and we have not the least     
evidence to be depended on1 that those  
now received were not also apocryphal4  
,for they were written nobody certainly 
knows by whom1 or where1 or when4 ,they 
first appeared in an age of credulity1  
when forgeries of this kind abounded and
 were received with avidity by those    
whose opinions they favoured1 while they

 were rejected as spurious by many sects
 of ,christians1 who asserted that they 
were possessed of the genuine apostles1 
which1 however1 those who received the  
four1 denied4 #f4 ,all the different    
sects of ,christians1 without a known   
exception1 altered1 interpolated1 and   
without scruple garbled1 their different
 copies of their various and discordant 
gospels1 in order to adapt them to their
 jarring and whimsical philosophical    
notions1 ,celsus accuses them of this1  
and they accuse each other4 ,and that   
they were continually tampering with    
their copies of the books of the ,new   
,testament1 is evident from the immense 
number of various readings1 and from    
some whole phrases1 and even verses1    
which for knavish purposes were foisted 
into the text1 but have been detected1  
and exposed by ,griesbach1 and others4  
,they also forged certain rhapsodies    
under the name of ,sybbiline ,oracles1  
and then adduce them as prophetic proofs
 of the truth of their religion4 ,they  

also interpolated certain clumsy        
forgeries as prophecies of ,jesus into  
their copies of their ,greek version of 
the ,old ,testament4 #g4 ,the present   
canon of the ,new ,testament has never  
been sanctioned by the general consent  
of ,christians4 ,the ,syrian church     
rejects some of its books2--some of its 
books were not admitted until after long
 opposition1 and not until several      
hundred years after ,jesus4 ,the lists  
of what were considered as canonical    
books1 differ in different ages1 and    
some books now acknowledged by all      
,christians to be forgeries1 were in the
 second and third centuries considered  
as equally apostolic as those now       
received1 and as such1 were publicly    
read in the churches4 #h4 ,the reason   
why we have not now extant gospels1     
different and contradictory to those now
 received1 is1 because that the sect or 
party which finally got the better of   
its adversaries1 and styled itself      
,catholic1 or orthodox1 took care to    

burn and destroy the heretics1 and their
 gospels with them4 ,they likewise took 
care to hunt up and burn the books of   
the pagan adversaries of ,christianity1 
because they were shockingly offensive  
to pious ears4 #i4 ,semler considered   
the ,new ,testament as a collection of  
pious frauds1 written for pious         
purposes1 in the latter part of the     
second century1 7the very time assigned 
for their first appearance by ,dodwell47
 ,evanson adopts1 and gives good reasons
 for a similar opinion with regard to   
most of the books which go to compose   
it4 ,lastly4 ,the reason why the ,new   
,testament canon has been so long       
respected1 seems to have been purely    
owing to the credulity of the ignorant1 
and the laziness1 indifference1 or fears
 of the learned4  ,douglas1 in his      
famous ,criterion1 gives us1 as         
infallible tests1 by which we may       
distinguish when written accounts of    
miracles are fabulous1 the following    
marks3--  #a4 ,we have reason to suspect

 7he says7 the accounts to be false1    
when they are not published to the world
 till after the time when they are said 
to have been performed4  #b4 ,we have   
reason to suspect them to be false1 when
 they are not published in the place    
where it is pretended the facts were    
wrought1 but are propagated only at a   
great distance from the supposed scene  
of action4  #c4 ,supposing the accounts 
to have the two fore-mentioned          
qualifications1 we still have reason to 
suspect them to be false1 if in the time
 when1 and at the place where1 they took
 their rise1 they might be suffered to  
pass without examination4  ,these are   
the marks he gives us as infallible     
tests by which we may distinguish the   
accounts of miracles in the ,new        
,testament to be true2 and accounts of  
miracles in other books 7though         
supported by more testimony than the    
former17 to be false2 with how much     
justice1 may be evident from the        
following observations3--  #a4 ,if we   

have reason to suspect the accounts to  
be false1 when they are not published to
 the world till long after the time when
 they are said to have been performed1  
then we have reasons to suspect the     
accounts given in the four gospels2 for 
we have no proof in the world1 that any 
of them were written till nearly one    
hundred years after the supposed writers
 of them were all dead4  #b4 ,if we have
 reason to suspect them to be false1    
when they are not published in the place
 where it is pretended the facts were   
wrought1 but are propagated only at a   
great distance from the supposed scene  
of action1 then it is still further     
evident that the accounts in question   
are not true4 ,for they were apparently 
none of them published in ,judea1 the   
scene of the events recorded in them4   
,but it is pretty clear that they were  
written in countries at a distance from 
,palestine4 ,and the facts recorded in  
them were-no where so little believed as
 in ,judea1 among the people in whose   

sight they are said to have been        
wrought1 where they ought1 if true1 to  
have met with most credit4 ,it is1      
however1 evident from the histories     
themselves1 that these stories were     
laughed at1 by the learned and          
intelligent of the ,jewish nation1 and  
disbelieved by the great body of the    
people4 ,in truth the first ,christians 
were merely one hundred and twenty      
,galilaeans1 who asserted to their      
co-religionists1 that ,jesus of         
,nazareth was the ejected ,messiah4 ,it 
was a mere national quarrel between the 
great body of the ,jews1 and a few      
schismatics4 ,this is evident from the  
,acts1 where we find that for several   
years they confined their preaching to  
,jews only4 ,till the conversion of     
,cornelius1 they do not appear to have  
thought the ,gentiles any way interested
 in their dispute with their countrymen4
 ,so that it is not improbable1 7as the 
,jewish ,christians dwindled very       
rapidly17 that had it not been for the  

,gentile proselytes to ,judaism1        
,christianity would have perished in its
 cradle4 ,these people were very        
numerous1 and formed the connecting link
 between the ,jews and the ,gentiles4   
,and it was through the medium of these 
people1 that ,christianity became known 
to the heathens4 ,for we find that after
 the apostles could make nothing of the 
stubborn ,jews they shook their         
garments1 and told them that from       
henceforth we go to the                 
,gentiles4--,accordingly1 when the      
apostles preached in the synagogues1 and
 the ,jews contradicted1 and blasphemed1
 and made fun of their mode of proving  
from the prophets1 that ,jesus was the  
,christ2 yet the proselytes and devout  
women listened1 and believed4  #c4 ,if  
supposing the accounts to have the two  
foregoing qualifications1 we still may  
suspect them to be false2 if1 in the    
time when1 and in the place where1 they 
took their rise1 they might be suffered 
to pass without examination1 we have    

still less reason to believe the        
gospels4 ,for one reason why they might 
be suffered to pass without examination 
is1 where the miracles proposed         
coincided with the notions and          
superstitious prejudices of those whom  
they were reported1 and who1 on that    
account1 might be prone to receive them 
unexamined4 ,now1 we have documents in  
plenty1 which abundantly prove1 along   
with the virtues1 the extreme credulity 
and simplicity of the ,primitive        
,christians1 whose maxim was1 believe1  
but do not examine1 and thy faith shall 
save thee4 ,another very good reason why
 they might be suffered to pass without1
 examination is1 that the miracles of   
the gospels were entirely unknown to1 or
 at least acknowledged by1 any heathen  
or ,jew of the age in which they are    
recorded to have happened4 ,nobody seems
 to have known a syllable about them but
 the apostles and their converts4 ,even 
the books of the ,new ,testament were   
not generally known to the heathens     

until some hundred years after the birth
 of ,jesus2 and it seems from the few   
fragments of their works come down to   
us1 that the only notice they did take  
of them1 was to accuse them of telling  
lies and old wives fables4 ,and as for  
the ,jews1 the origin and early         
propagation of ,christianity was so very
 obscure1 that those who lived nearest  
the times of the apostles1 do not seem  
to have known any thing about them1 or  
their doctrines4  ,though a little out  
of place1 yet ,i will here adduce a fact
 which illustrates and exemplifies the  
power of enthusiasm1 to make people     
believe they saw what they did not see4 
,lucian gives an account of one         
,peregrinus1 a philosophist very famous 
in his time1 who had a great number of  
disciples4 ,he ended his life by        
throwing himself1 in the presence of    
assembled thousands1 into a burning     
pile4 ,yet such was the enthusiastic    
veneration of his followers1 that some  
of his disciples did solemnly aver1 that

 they had seen him after his death1     
clothed in white1 and crowned2 and they 
were believed1 insomuch that altars and 
statues were erected to ,peregrinus as  
to a demi-god4 ,see ,lucians account4   
,,appendix ,b4  ,see ,cotelerius ,patres
 ,apostolic1 ,tom4 #a1 p4 #fjb4 ,extract
 of a letter from ,peter to ,james1     
prefixed to the ,clementines4  ,for1 if 
this be not done1 7says ,peter1 after   
entreating ,james not to communicate his
 preachings to any ,gentile without     
previous examination17 our speech of    
truth will be divided into many         
opinions1 nor do ,i know this thing as  
being a prophet1 but as seeing even now 
the beginning of this evil4 ,for some   
from among the ,gentiles have rejected  
my legal preaching1 embracing the       
trifling1 and lawless doctrine of a man 
who is an enemy2 and these things1 some 
have endeavoured to do now in my own    
lifetime1 transforming my words by      
various interpretations1 to the         
destruction of the ,laws3 as if ,i had  

been of the same mind1 but dared not    
openly profess it1 7see ,galatians ii4  
#aa1 #ab1 c417 which be far from me6    
,for this were to act against the law of
 ,god1 spoken by ,moses1 and which has  
the testimony of our ,lord for its      
perpetual duration2 since he thus has   
said1 ,heaven and earth shall pass away1
 yet one jot1 or one tittle1 shall not  
pass from the law4 ,but these1 ,i know  
not how1 promising to deliver my        
opinion1 7see ,galatians as above7 take 
upon them to explain the words they     
heard from me1 better than ,i that spoke
 them2 telling their disciples1 my sense
 was that of which ,i had not so much as
 thought4 ,now1 if in my own life time1 
they dare feign such things1 how much   
more will those that come after1 do the 
same4    ,,appendix ,c4  ,extract from  
,dodwells ,dissertations on ,irenaeus1  
,diss4 #a1 p4p4 #ch1 #ci4  ,the         
,canonical writings 7i4 e4 of the ,new  
,testament71 lay concealed in the       
coffers of private churches1 or persons1

 till the latter times of ,trajan1 or   
rather perhaps of ,adrian2 so that they 
could not come to the knowledge of the  
church4 ,for if they had been published1
 they would have been overwhelmed under 
such a multitude as were then of        
apocryphal and suppositious books1 that 
a new examination and a new testimony   
would be necessary to distinguish them  
from these false ones4 ,and it is from  
this new testimony 7whereby the genuine 
writings of the apostles were           
distinguished from the spurious pieces  
which went under their names17 that     
depends all the authority which the     
truly apostolic writings have formerly  
obtained1 or which they have at present 
in the ,catholic ,church4 ,but this     
fresh attestation of the canon is       
subject to the same inconveniences with 
those traditions of the ancient persons 
that ,i defend1 and whom ,irenaeus both 
heard and saw2 for it is equally distant
 from the original1 and could not be    
made except by such only as had reached 

those remote times4 ,but it is very     
certain that before the period ,i       
mentioned of ,trajans time1 the canon of
 the sacred books1 was not yet fixed1   
nor any certain number of books received
 in the ,catholic ,church1 whose        
authority must ever after serve to      
determine matters of faith2 neither were
 the spurious pieces of heretics yet    
rejected1 nor were the faithful         
admonished to beware of them for the    
future4 ,likewise1 the true writings of 
the apostles used to be so bound up in  
one volume with the apocryphal1 that it 
was not manifest by any mark of public  
censure which of them should be         
preferred to the other4 ,we have at this
 day1 certain authentic writings of     
ecclesiastical authors of those times1  
as ,clemens ,romanus1 ,barnabas1        
,hermas1 ,ignatius1 and ,polycarp1 who  
wrote in the same order wherein ,i have 
named them1 and after all the other     
writers of the ,new ,testament1 except  
,jude1 and the two ,johns4 ,but in      

,hermas you shall not meet with one     
passage1 or any mention of the ,new     
,testament2 nor in all the rest is any  
one of the evangelists called by his own
 name4 ,and if sometimes they cite any  
passages like those we read in our      
gospels2 yet1 you will find them so much
 changed1 and for the most part so      
interpolated1 that it cannot be known1  
whether they produced them out of ours1 
or some apocryphal gospels2 nay1 they   
sometimes cite passages which it is most
 certain are not in the present gospels4
 ,from hence1 therefore1 it is evident  
that no difference was yet put between  
the apocryphal and canonical books of   
the ,new ,testament1 especially if it be
 considered1 that they pass no censure  
on the apocryphal1 nor leave any mark   
whereby the reader might discern whether
 they attributed less authority to the  
spurious than to the genuine gospels2   
from whence it may reasonably be        
suspected1 that if they cite sometimes  
any passages conformable to ours1 it was

 not done through any certain design1 as
 if dubious things were to be confirmed 
only by the canonical books1 so as it is
 very possible that both those and the  
like passages may have been borrowed    
from other gospels besides these we now 
have4 ,but what need ,i mention books   
that are not canonical1 when indeed it  
does not appear from those of our       
canonical books which were last written1
 that the church knew any thing of the  
gospels1 or that the clergy made a      
common use of them4 ,the writers of     
these times do not chequer their works  
with texts of the ,new ,testament1 which
 yet is the custom of the moderns1 and  
was also theirs in such books as they   
acknowledge for scripture2 for they most
 frequently cite the books of the ,old  
,testament1 and would1 doubtless1 have  
done so by those of the ,new1 if they   
had then been received as canonical4    
,so far ,mr4 ,dodwell1 and 7excepting   
the genuineness of the writings of      
,barnabas and the rest1 for they are    

incontestably ancient17 it is certain   
that the matters of fact with regard to 
the ,new ,testament are all true4       
,whoever has an inclination to write on 
this subject1 is furnished from this    
passage with a great many curious       
disquisitions wherein to show his       
penetration and his judgment1 as--how   
the immediate successors and disciples  
of the apostles could so grossly        
confound the genuine writings of their  
masters with such as were falsely       
attributed to them2 or since they were  
in the dark about these matters so      
early1 how come such as followed them1  
by a better light2 why all those books  
which are cited by the earliest fathers 
with the same respect as those now      
received1 should not be accounted       
equally authentic by them2 and what     
stress should be laid on the testimony  
of those fathers1 who not only          
contradict one another1 but are often   
inconsistent with themselves1 in        
relating the very same facts2 with a    

great many other difficulties1 which    
deserve a clear solution from any       
capable person4  ,i have said the       
ancient heretics asserted that the      
present gospels were forgeries4 ,as an  
example of this1 take the following1    
from the works of ,faustus1 quoted by   
,augustine1 contra ,faustum ,lib4 #cb1  
c4 #b4 ,you think1 7says ,faustus to his
 adversaries17 that of all the books in 
the world the ,testament of the ,son    
only1 could not be corrupted2 that it   
alone contains nothing which ought to be
 disallowed2 especially when it appears1
 that it was not written by the         
apostles1 but a long time after them1 by
 certain obscure persons1 who1 lest no  
credit should be given to the stories   
they told of what they could not know1  
did prefix1 to their writings1 the names
 of the apostles1 and partly of those   
who succeeded the apostles1 affirming1  
that what they wrote themselves1 was    
written by these4 ,wherein they seem to 
me to have been the more heinously      

injurious to the disciples of ,christ1  
by attributing to them what they wrote  
themselves so dissonant and repugnant2  
and that they pretended to write those  
gospels under their names1 which are so 
full of mistakes1 of contradictory      
relations and opinions1 that they are   
neither coherent with themselves1 nor   
consistent with one another4 ,what is   
this1 therefore1 but to throw a calumny 
on good men1 and to fix the accusation  
of discord on the unanimous society of  
,christs disciples4    ,,addenda4 ,there
 is1 in the ,gospel ascribed to ,john1 a
 passage1 quoted as a prophecy1 which1  
as it has been looked on as a proof     
text1 ought to have been mentioned in   
the #gth chapter4 ,it is this4 ,the     
evangelist 7,john xix4 #bc7 says1 ,then 
the soldiers1 when they had crucified   
,jesus1 took his garments1 and made four
 parts1 to every soldier a part2 and    
also his coat--now the coat was without 
seam1 woven from the top throughout4    
,they said1 therefore1 among themselves1

  ,let us not rend it1 but cast lots for
 it2 that the ,scripture might be       
fulfilled1 which saith1 ,they parted my 
raiment among them and for my vesture   
they did cast lots4 ,now1 however       
plausible this prophesy may appear1 it  
is one of the most impudent applications
 of passages from the ,old ,testament   
that occurs in the ,new4 ,it is taken   
from the #ahth verse of the #bb;d       
,psalm1 which ,psalm was probably made  
by ,david1 in reference to his          
humiliating and wretched expulsion from 
,jerusalem by his son ,absalom1 and what
 was done in consequence1 viz41 that he 
was hunted by ferocious enemies1 whom he
 compares to furious bulls1 and roaring 
lions1 gaping upon him to devour him2   
that his palace was plundered1 and that 
they divided his treasured garments1 7in
 the ,east1 where the fashions never    
change1 every great man has constantly  
presses full of hundreds and thousands  
of garments1 many of them very costly3  
they are considered as a valuable part  

of his riches71 and cast lots for his   
robes4 ,this is the real meaning of this
 passage quoted as a prophecy4 ,in the  
same ,psalm1 there is another verse1    
which has been from time immemorial     
quoted as a prophecy of the crucifixion1
 7v4 #af17 ,they pierced my hands and my
 feet4 ,in the original1 there seems to 
have been a word dropped importing they 
tear1 or something like it1 for it is   
literally1 ,like a lion--my hands and my
 feet1 and there is there no word       
answering to pierced4 ,the meaning1     
however1 of the verse is not difficult  
to be discerned1 dogs have compassed me2
 the assembly of wicked men have        
enclosed me2 like a lion--7they tear7 my
 hands and my feet4 ,the meaning may be 
discovered from the context1 where      
,david represents himself as in the     
utmost distress1 helpless1 and abandoned
 amidst his enemies1 raging like wild   
beasts around him2 then1 by a strong1   
but striking ,oriental figure1 he       
represents himself like a carcass       

surrounded by dogs1 who are busied in   
tearing the flesh from his bones2 their 
teeth fixed in his hands and feet1 and  
pulling him asunder4 ,this is the import
 of the place1 and this interpretation  
is at last adopted1 for the first time1 
,i believe1 by ,christians1 in the new  
version of the ,psalms used by the      
,unitarian ,church in ,london4  ,there  
is not a more palpable instance of the  
facility with which good natured and    
voracious piety is made to swallow the  
most flimsy arguments1 if only agreeable
 to its wishes and wants1 than the case 
under consideration4 ,this ,psalm1      
containing these passages1 they parted  
my raiment among them2 and they pierced 
my hands and my feet1 is read1 and for  
ages has been read1 in the name of ,god1
 to the good people of the ,church of   
,england1 on every ,good ,friday1 as    
undoubtedly a prophesy of the           
,crucifixion2 when yet the learned      
divines of the ,church of ,england 7and 
of these it can boast a noble ,catalogue

 indeed7 certainly know1 and are        
conscious that the ,psalm1 which        
contains these passages1 has no more    
relation to ,jesus1 than it has to      
,nebuchadnezzar4  ,a reference ought to 
have been subjoined at the end of the   
#ajth chapter to the dialogue1 called   
,philopatris in ,lucians ,works1 for an 
account of the customs1 habits1 and     
personal appearance of the early        
,christians1 corroborative of what is   
said in the #agth and #ahth chapters of 
this work4 ,lest1 however1 ,lucians     
testimony in this matter should be      
objected to1 because he was a satirist1 
and1 of course1 may have been guilty of 
giving an overcharged picture of the    
subjects of his ridicule1 ,i request the
 reader to peruse1 if he can obtain it1 
,lamis ,account of the domestic habits  
and personal appearance and practices of
 the primitive ,christians4 ,lami was a 
very learned and sincere ,christian1 and
 of course his testimony cannot be      
objected to1 and the reader will find1  

on a perusal of his work1 that what ,i  
have asserted in the #agth and #ahth    
chapters is altogether true1 and not the
 whole truth neither4 ,indeed1 that the 
statements in those chapters1 as to the 
effects of the peculiar maxims of the   
,new ,testament upon the heart and      
understanding1 are substantially        
correct1 will1 ,i believe1 be discovered
 by asking any honest individual among  
the ,methodists1 who is an enthusiast1  
i4 e sincere1 and thorough-going in his 
religion4 ,i have no doubt that he or   
she will avow1 without hesitation1 to   
the enquirer1 and glory in it1 that     
chastity is more honourable than        
marriage2 that faith is every thing2    
that doubt is damnable1 and a proof of  
an unregenerated mind2 that all the     
goods and pleasures of this world are   
trash2 that human institutions are mere 
carnal ordinances2 and that human       
science and learning is a snare to faith
 and an abomination to a true disciple  
of the cross4    ,published #aghe4  99  

,in the present day1 various-attempts1  
insidious and powerful1 have been made1 
even here1 to coerce in matters of      
conscience1 and to overthrow those wise 
barriers to the destructive effects of  
sectarian fanaticism and intolerance1   
which the great founders of the         
,republic1 to their everlasting glory1  
erected4--,d4  99 ,do you know 7says    
,rousseau7 of many ,christians who have 
taken the pains to examine1 with care1  
what the ,jews have to say against them8
 ,if some persons have seen any thing of
 the kind1 it is in the books of        
,christians1 ,a fine way1 truly1 to get 
instructed in the arguments of their    
adversaries6 ,but what can they do8 ,if 
any one should dare to publish among us1
 books1 in which be openly favours their
 opinions1 we punish the author1 the    
editor1 the bookseller4 ,this policy is 
convenient1 and sure always to be in the
 right4 ,there is a pleasure in refuting
 people who dare not open their         
lips--7,emilius47 ,in the same work he  

says that he will never be convinced    
that the ,jews have not something strong
 to say1 till they shall be permitted to
 speak for themselves without fear1 and 
without restraint4 ,it was this hint of 
,rousseau which first excited the       
author's curiosity with regard to the   
subject of this book4--,e4  99 ,there   
are a great many persons who conceive   
that ,christianity is sufficiently      
proved to be true1 if the miracles of   
,jesus are true1 even without any regard
 to the prophecies1 so often appealed to
 by him4 ,but supposing the miracles to 
be true2 yet no miracles can prove that 
which is false in itself to be true4 ,if
 therefore ,jesus be not foretold as the
 ,messiah in the ,old ,testament1 no    
miracles can prove ,jesus to be the     
,messiah foretold4 ,nay1 it would be a  
stronger argument to prove ,jesus to be 
a false pretender1 that he appealed to  
prophecies as relating to him1 when in  
fact they had no relation whatever to   
him2 and by that means imposed upon the 

ignorant people2 than it would be that  
he came from ,god1 merely because he    
worked miracles2 for ,false ,christs and
 false prophets may arise1 and may show 
such great signs and wonders as to      
deceive1 if it were possible1 the very  
elect4 ,matt4 xxiv4 #bd4 ,yet no        
,christian would allow it to be argued  
from thence1 that those false ,christs  
were true ones3 nor would any one       
conclude2 that a man came from ,god1    
7notwithstanding any miracle he might   
do7 if he appealed to ,scripture for    
that which is no where in it4 ,in fine1 
if miracles would prove the ,messiahship
 of ,jesus1 so also they would prove the
 ,messiahship of the false ,christs1 and
 false prophets spoken of above4 ,nay   
more1 they would demonstrate the ,divine
 mission of ,antichrist himself2 who1   
according to the epistle to the         
,thessalonians1 7#b ,thes4 ch4 ii4 #h1  
#i1aj7 and the ,revelations1 ch4 xiii4  
#ac1 #ad1 was to perform great signs and
 wonders1 equal to any wrought by       

,jesus1 for the same ,greek words are   
used to express the wonderful works or  
great signs and wonders of ,antichrist1 
which are elsewhere used to express the 
miracles1 or great signs and wonders of 
,jesus himself4  ,it is a striking      
circumstance1 that the earliest         
apologists for ,christianity laid little
 stress upon the miracles of its        
founder4  ,justin ,martyr1 in his       
,apology1 is very shy of appealing to   
the miracles of ,jesus in confirmation  
of his pretentions2 he lays no stress   
upon them1 but relies entirely upon the 
prophecies he quotes as in his favor4   
,jerome1 in his comment on the          
eighty-first ,psalm1 assures us1 that   
the performance of miracles was no      
extraordinary thing3 and that it was no 
more than what ,appollonius1 and        
,apulias1 and innumerable impostors had 
done before4  ,lactantius saw so little 
force in the miracles of ,christ1       
exclusive of the prophecies1 that he    
does not hesitate to affirm their utter 

inability to support the ,christian     
religion by themselves4 ,lactan4 ,div4  
,inst4 ,l4 v4 c4 #c4  ,celsus1 observing
 upon the words of ,jesus1 that false   
prophets and false ,christs shall arise1
 and show grant signs and wonders1      
sneeringly observes1 ,a fine thing      
truly6 that miracles done by him should 
prove him to be a ,god1 and when done by
 others should demonstrate them to be   
false prophets and impostors4           
,tertullian1 on the words of ,jesus1    
here referred to by ,celsus1 says as    
follows2  ,christ1 foretelling that many
 imposters should come and perform many 
wonders1 shews1 that our faith cannot   
without great temerity be founded on    
miracles1 since they were so early      
wrought1 by false ,christians           
themselves4 ,tertul4 in ,marc4 ,l4 ii4  
c4 #c4  ,indeed1 miracles in the two    
first centuries were allowed very little
 weight in proving doctrines4 ,since the
 ,christians did not deny1 that the     
heathens performed miracles in behalf of

 their gods1 and that the heretics      
performed them as will as the orthodox4 
,this accounts for the perfect          
indifference of the heathens to the     
miracles said to have been performed by 
the founders of ,christianity4          
,hierocles speaks with great contempt of
 what he calls the little tricks of     
,jesus1 ,and ,origen1 in his reply to   
,celsus1 waves the consideration of the 
,christian miracles3 for 7says he7 the  
very mention of these things sets you   
heathens upon the4 broad grin4 ,indeed1 
that they laughed very heartily at what 
in the eighteenth century is read with a
 grave face1 is evident from the few    
fragments of their works written against
 ,christianity which has escaped the    
burning zeal of the fathers1 and the    
,christian emperors2 who piously sought 
for1 and burned up1 these mischievous   
volumes to prevent their doing mischief 
to posterity4 ,this conduct of theirs is
 very suspicious4 ,why burn writing they
 could so triumphantly refute1 if they  

were refutable8 ,they should have       
remembered the just reflection of       
,arnobius1 their own apologist1 against 
the heathens1 who were for abolishing at
 once such writings as promoted         
,christianity4--,intercipere scripta et 
publicatam velle submergere lectionem1  
non est ,deos defendere1 sed veritatis  
testificationem timere4,arnob4 contra   
,gentes4 ,liber ni4--,e4   99 ,before   
going into the consideration of the     
following prophecies1 the author would  
warn the reader to bear in mind1 that   
whether these prophecies ever will be   
fulfilled1 is a question of no import in
 the world to the question under        
consideration1 which is--whether they   
have been fulfilled eighteen hundred    
years ago1 in the person of ,jesus      
,christ1 who is asserted by ,christians 
to be the person foretold in these      
prophecies1 and to have fulfilled their 
predictions4 ,this question can be      
easily decided1 and only1 we think1 by  
appealing to past history1 and to the   

scenes passing around us1 and comparing 
them with these predictions4--,e4   99  
,the word in the original being         
,vayikra1 in the ,kal or ,active form of
 the verb1 and not ,vayikare the ,niphal
 or ,passive form4--,d4    reprove or   
argue4--,d4   99 ,or1 in                
righteousness4--,d4    ,mr4 ,english    
very properly takes notice of the       
disjunctive accent 7,pasek7 occurring   
here in the text4--,d4    ,for a more   
correct enumeration of the thirteen     
cabalistic rules of exposition1 the     
,english reader is referred to vol4 #a1 
page #bji1 of the ,conciliator of ,b4   
,menasseh ben ,israel1 translated by ,e1
 ,h4 ,lindo1 ,esqr4--,d4    ,mr4 ,e4    
was1 doubtless1 aware that this is an   
exposition given by ,jewish             
,commentators4--,d4   ,there exists an  
,english translation of this work by    
,abraham de ,sola4 --,d4   99 ,the      
person here spoken of by ,isaiah is said
 to make his grave with the wicked1 and 
be with the rich in his death4 ,whereas 

,jesus did exactly the contrary4 ,he was
 with the wicked 7i4 e41 the two        
thieves7 in his death1 and with the rich
 7i4e41 ,joseph of ,arimathea7 in his   
grave1 or tomb4 ,in the original1 the   
words may be translated that he shall   
avenge1 or recompence upon the wicked   
his grave1 and his death upon the rich4 
,thus does the ,targum and the ,arabic  
version interpret the place1 and        
,ezekiel ix4 #aj1 uses the verb in the  
verse in ,isaiah under consideration    
translated 7in ,the ,english            
version7--,he made1 c--in the same      
sense1 given to this place in ,isaiah1  
by the ,targum1 and the ,arabic1 as said
 above4 ,see the place in ,ezekiel1     
where it is translated--,i will         
recompence their way upon their head4   
,see also ,deut4 xxi4 #h1 in the        
original4 ,the ,syriac has it--,the     
wicked contributed to his burial1 and   
the rich to his death4 ,the ,arabic--,i 
will punish the wicked for his burial1  
and the rich for his death4 ,the        

,targum--,he shall send the wicked into 
hell1 and the rich who put him to a     
cruel death4--,e4   ,or1 shall          
destroy4--,d4  99 ,the remainder of this
 chapter is taken from ,levi and        
,wagenseil4--,e4  99 ,the reader is     
requested to consider the reasoning in  
the last paragraph4 ,the prophecy in the
 second chapter of ,daniel1 is commonly 
supposed to relate to the four ,great   
,empires1 the ,babylonian1 ,persian1    
,grecian and ,roman4 ,this last1 it is  
7according to this interpretation17     
foretold1 should be divided into many   
kingdoms1 and that in the latter days of
 these kingdoms1 7which are now         
subsisting7 ,god would set up a kingdom 
which would never be destroyed1--that of
 the ,messiah4 ,of course1 according to 
this interpretation1 the kingdom of the 
,messiah was not to be not only sustain 
after the destruction of the ,roman     
,empire1 but not till the latter days of
 the kingdoms which grew up out of its  
ruins2 whereas1 ,jesus was born in the  

time of ,augustus1 i4 e41 precisely when
 the ,roman ,empire itself was in the   
highest of its splendour and vigour4    
,this is a remarkable1 and very         
striking1 repugnance1 to the claims of  
the ,new ,testament1 and1 if            
substantiated1 must overset them        
entirely4--,e4  99 ,the sum of our      
argument may be expressed thus4 ,god is 
represented in the prophecies of the    
,old ,testament as designing to send    
into the world an eminent deliverer1    
descended from ,david1 the peace and    
prosperity of whose reign should far    
exceed all that went before him1 in whom
 all the glorious things foretold by the
 prophets should receive their entire   
completion2 and who should be           
distinguished by the character of the   
,messiah or ,christ4 ,this is an article
 of faith common to ,christians and     
,jews4 ,but that ,jesus of ,nazareth    
should be esteemed this ,messiah1 and   
that ,christians can support that       
opinion1 by alledging the prophecies of 

the ,hebrew scriptures as belonging to1 
and fulfilled in1 him1 is what we can by
 no means allow1 and that especially on 
account of these inconsistencies4  #a4  
,because1 these prophecies1 acknowledged
 on both sides to point out the         
,messiah1 could not otherwise answer the
 end of inspiring them than by an       
accomplishment so plain and sensible as 
might sufficiently distinguish the      
person meant by them to be that         
,messiah4 ,but no such accomplishment1  
we contend1 can possibly be discerned in
 ,jesus1 and1 consequently1 he cannot be
 the person meant by them4  #b4         
,because1 several predictions which     
,christians apply to ,jesus1 are wrested
 to a meaning which quite destroys the  
historical sense of scripture1 and      
breaks the connexion of the passages    
from whence they are taken4 ,thus many  
shreds and loose sentences are culled   
out for this purpose1 which do not      
appear to have any relation to ,jesus1  
or to the ,messiah either2 but to have  

received their proper and intended      
completion in some other person1 whom   
the prophet1 as is manifest1 had then   
only in view4  #c4 ,because1 in their   
forced applications of the prophecies1  
,christians1 finding themselves hard    
pressed by the simple and natural       
construction1 forsake the literal1 and  
take shelter in spiritual and mystical  
senses2 fly to hyperboles and strained  
metaphors1 and thus expound the true    
meaning and importance of the prophecies
 quite away2 the intent whereof being to
 instruct men in so necessary a point of
 faith as that relating to the ,messiah1
 it is reasonable to think they would be
 delivered in the most perspicuous and  
intelligible terms4 ,since ambiguous    
expressions 7capable of such strange    
meanings as they pretend17 would be too 
slippery a foundation to build such a   
point of faith upon2 would be of no use1
 or worse than none2 would be unable to 
teach the clear truth1 and apt to       
ensnare men into dangerous errors1 by   

leaving too great a latitude for        
fanciful interpretations1 and           
introducing darkness and confusion1 and 
contradiction inexplicable4  #d4        
,because1 admitting 7as indeed it never 
was1 or can be denied7 that many        
passages of scripture1 and of           
prophetical scripture especially1 must  
be figuratively taken2 yet1 we must     
always put a wide difference between a  
sense not just as the words in their    
first signification import1 and a sense 
directly the contrary of what they      
import4 ,and yet we complain that this  
latter is the sense which ,christians   
labour to obtrude upon the gainsayers4  
,we say1 that a kingdom of this world1  
and not of this world2 contempt and     
adoration2 poverty and magnificence2    
persecution and peace2 sufferings and   
triumph2 a cross and a throne2 the      
scandalous death of a private man upon a
 gibbet1 and the everlasting dominion of
 a universal monarch1 must be           
reconciled1 and mean the self same      

thing1 before the prophecies appealed   
to1 can do their cause any service4     
,granting1 then1 the goodness of ,god   
7according to them17 to have been better
 than his word1 by giving spiritual     
blessings1 instead of temporal2 yet1    
what will become of the truth of ,god1  
if ,he act contrary to his word1 even   
when it would be for our advantage1 if  
,he misleads people by expressions1     
which1 if they mean any thing at all1   
must mean what the ,jews understand by  
them8  ,in short1 it seems to me1 that  
if ,providence has1 in truth1 any       
concern with the predictions of the ,old
 ,testament1 it could not have taken    
more effectual care to justify the      
unbelief and obstinacy of the ,jews1    
than by ordering matters so1 that the   
life and death of ,jesus should be so   
exactly1 and so entirely1 the very      
reverse of all those ideas under which  
their prophets had constantly described1
 and the ,hebrew nation as constantly   
expected of their ,messiah1 and his     

coming2 and to suppose that the ,supreme
 ,being meant to describe and point out 
such a person as ,jesus by such         
descriptions of the ,messiah as are     
contained in the ,old ,testament1 is    
certainly substantially to accuse him of
 the moat unjustifiable prevarication1  
and mockery of his creatures4  ,in order
 that the subject we are examining1 and 
the arguments we make use of1 may be    
clearly understood by the reader1 he is 
requested to bear in mind1 that the     
author reasons all along upon the       
supposed ,divine authority of the ,old  
,testament2 which is admitted by both   
,jews and ,christians4 ,whether the     
supernatural claims of the ,old         
,testament be just1 or not1 is of no    
consequence in the world to the         
controversy we are considering4 ,for the
 dispute of the ,jew with the ,christian
 is one thing1 and his dispute with the 
sceptic is another1 totally different4  
,for whether such a personage as the    
,messiah is described to be1 has        

appeared eighteen hundred years ago1 is 
quite a different thing from the        
question1 whether such a personage will 
appear at all4 ,the ,christian says1    
that he has appeared in the person of   
,jesus of ,nazareth4 ,this the ,jew     
denies1 but looks forward to the future 
fulfilment of the promises of his       
,bible1 while the ,sceptic denies that  
the ,messiah has come1 or ever will4    
,but the subject at present under       
consideration is the dispute of the ,jew
 with the ,christian1 who acknowledges  
the ,old ,testament to be a ,revelation1
 upon which a new ,revelation1 that of  
the ,new ,testament1 is founded and     
erected4 ,to him the ,jew argues1 that  
if the ,old ,testament be a ,divine     
,revelation1 then the ,new ,testament   
cannot be a ,revelation1 because it     
contradicts1 and is repugnant to1 the   
,old ,testament1 the more ancient1 and  
acknowledged ,revelation4 ,now ,god     
cannot be the author of two             
,revelations1 one of which is repugnant 

to the other4 ,one of them is certainly 
false4 ,and if the ,christian1 conscious
 of the difficulty of reconciling the   
,new1 with the ,old1 ,testament1        
attempts to support the ,new1 at the    
expense of the ,old1 ,testament1 upon   
which the former is1 and was1 built by  
the founders of ,christianity2 then the 
,jew would tell him1 that he acts as    
absurdly as would the man who should    
expect to make his house the firmer1 by 
undermining1 and weakening its          
foundation4  ,so that whether the       
,christian affirms1 or denies1 he is    
ruined either way4 ,for he is reduced to
 this fatal dilemma4 ,if the ,old       
,testament contains a ,revelation from  
,god1 then the ,new ,testament is not   
from ,god1 for ,god cannot contradict   
himself3 and it can be proved           
abundantly1 that the ,new ,testament is 
contradictory1 and repugnant to the ,old
 and to itself too4 ,if1 on the other   
hand1 the ,old ,testament contains no   
,revelation from ,god1 then the ,new    

,testament must go down at any rate     
because it asserts that the ,old        
,testament does contain a ,revelation   
from ,god1 and builds upon it1 as a     
foundation4--,e4  99 ,there was nothing 
which gave the author1 in writing this  
,book1 so much uneasiness1 at the       
apprehension of being supposed to       
entertain disrespectful sentiments of   
the ,founder of the ,christian          
,religion4 ,i would most earnestly      
entreat the reader to believe my solemn 
assurances1 that by nothing that ,i have
 said1 or shall be under the necessity  
of saying1 do ,i think1 or mean to      
intimate the slightest disparagement to 
the moral character of one1 whose purity
 of morals1 and good intentions1 deserve
 any thing else but reproach4 ,that he  
was an enthusiast1 ,i do not doubt1 that
 he was a wilful impostor ,i never will 
believe4 ,and ,i protest before ,god1   
that from the apprehensions             
above-mentioned alone1 ,i would have    
confined the contents of this volume to 

myself1 did ,i not feel compelled to    
justify myself for having quitted a     
profession3 and did ,i not1 above all1  
think it my duty1 to make a well meant  
attempt1 which ,i hope will be seconded1
 to vindicate the unbelief of an        
unfortunate nation1 who1 on that        
account1 have for almost eighteen       
hundred years1 been made the victim of  
rancorous prejudice1 the most infernal  
cruelties1 and the most atrocious       
wickedness4 ,if the ,christian religion 
be1 in truth1 not well founded1 surely  
it is the duty of every honest and every
 humane1 man1 to endeavour to dispel an 
illusion1 which certainly has been1     
notwithstanding any thing that can be   
said to the contrary1 the bona fide1 and
 real cause of unspeakable misery1 and  
of repeated1 and remorseless            
plunderings1 and massacres1 to an       
unhappy people2 the journal of whose    
sufferings1 on account of it1 forms the 
blackest page in the history of the     
human race1 and the most detestable one 

in the history of human                 
superstition4--,e4  99 ,jerome1 in his  
,commentary on the ,epistle to the      
,galatians1 says1 that ,the ,church of  
,christ was not gathered from the       
,academy1 or the ,lyceum1 but from the  
lowest of the people4 ,vili ,plebecula4 
,and ,coecilius1 in ,minutius ,felix1   
says1 that the ,christian assemblies    
were made up de ultima faece collectis1 
imperitioribus1 et mulieribus credulis  
sexus suae facilitate labentibus1 i4 e4 
that they consisted of the lowest of the
 mob1 simple and unlearned1 men1 and    
credulous women4  ,the president of a   
province is introduced1 by ,prudentius  
as thus addressing a martyr3--,tu qui   
,doctor1 ait1 seris novellum ,commenti  
genus1 ut ,leves ,puellae1 ,lucos       
destituunt1 ,jovem relinquant2 ,damnes1 
si sapias1 ,,anile ,,dogma4  ,the       
,christian ,fathers confess1 and glory  
in it1 that the greater part of their   
congregations consisted of women and    
children1 slaves1 beggars1 and          

vagabonds4  ,the ,jewish ,christians    
were1 as appears evidently from the ,new
 ,testament1 exceedingly poor1 and      
therefore there is frequent mention made
 of contributions for the poor ,saints  
at ,jerusalem4 ,from thence it was that 
the ,jewish ,christians got the name of 
,ebionites1 i4 e4 ,poor4 ,the ,jewish   
,christian ,church consisted of the     
dregs of the ,jewish people1 simple and 
ignorant men1 ,samaritans1 c4 ,no person
 in ,judea of eminence1 or learning1    
appears to have joined the sect of the  
,nazarenes1 except ,paul2 after the     
destruction of ,jerusalem they gradually
 dwindled in number1 and became         
extinct4--,e4  99 ,i will here lay      
before the reader the arguments advanced
 by the ,mahometans in behalf of the    
miracles of their prophet1 extracted    
from the learned ,relands account of    
,mehometanism4 ,they say that--the      
miracles of ,mahomet and his followers  
have been recorded in innumerable       
volumes of the most famous1 learned1    

pious1 and subtle ,doctors of the       
,mahometan ,faith1 who let nothing pass 
without the strictest and severest      
examination1 and whose tradition1       
therefore1 is unexceptionable among     
them2 that they were known throughout   
all the regions of ,arabia1 and         
transmitted by common and universal     
tradition from father to son1 from      
generation to generation4 ,that the     
books of ,interpreters and ,commentators
 on the ,koran1 the books of            
,historians1 especially such as give an 
account of ,mahomets life and actions1  
the books of annalists and lawyers1 the 
books of mathematicians and             
philosophers1 and1 last of all1 the     
books of both ,jews and ,christians     
concerning ,mahomet1 are full of his    
miracles4 ,that if the authority of so  
many great and wise doctors be denied1  
then1 for their part1 they cannot see   
but that a universal scepticism as to   
all other accounts of miracles must     
obtain among people of all persuasions4 

,for authority being the only proof of  
facts done out of our time1 or out of   
our sight1 if that be denied1 there is  
no way to come to the certainty of any  
such1 without immediate inspiration2 and
 all accounts of matters recorded in    
history1 must be doubtful and           
precarious4  ,and these witnesses would 
not have dared to assert these miracles 
unless they were true2 for such as      
forged any miracles for his1 which he   
really did not1 lay under a hearty curse
 from the prophet4 ,for it was a        
received tradition among the faithful1  
that ,mahomet denounced hell and        
damnation to all those who should tell  
any lies of him4 ,so that none who      
believed in ,mahomet1 durst attribute   
miracles to him which he was not        
concerned in2 and those who believed not
 in him1 would certainly never have     
given him the honour of working any1    
unless he had done so4 ,christian       
reader1 thou seest how much can be said1
 and how many respectable witnesses and 

authorities can be adduced to prove that
 ,mahomet wrought miracles4 ,canst thou 
adduce more1 or better1 authorities in  
behalf of the miracles of the ,new      
,testament8 ,art thou not rather        
satisfied how fallacious the evidence of
 testimony is in all such cases8  ,this 
is not all that the ,mahometan might    
urge in behalf of his prophet1 for he   
might tell the ,christian1 boasting that
 ,jesus and his ,apostles converted the 
,roman world from idolatry1 that they   
overthrew one system of idolatry1 only  
to build up another1 since the worship  
of ,jesus1 the ,virgin ,mary1 and the   
,saints1 and their images was           
established in a few hundred years after
 ,jesus1 and continues to this day2 an  
idolatry as rank1 and much more         
inexcusable than the worship of the     
ancient ,greeks and ,romans4 ,whereas1  
,mahomet cut up root and branch1 both   
,christian and ,pagan idolatry1 and     
proclaimed one only ,god as the object  
of adoration2 and if the ,christian     

should urge the rapid propagation of    
,christianity1 the ,mahometan might     
reply1 that ,mahomet was a poor         
camel-driver1 but that ,islamism made   
more progress in one hundred years1 than
 ,christianity did in a thousand2 that  
it was embraced by the noble1 the great1
 the wise1 and the learned1 almost as   
soon as it appeared2 whereas1           
,christianity was skulking and creeping 
among the mob of the ,roman ,empire for 
some hundred years before it dared to   
raise its head in public view4 ,if the  
,christian should reply to this1 by     
ascribing the success of ,mahometanism  
to the sword1 the ,mahometan might      
reply1 with truth1 that it was a vulgar 
error2 for that vastly more nations     
embraced ,islamism voluntarily1 than    
there were who freely received          
,christianity2 and he might remind him1 
how much ,christianity owed to the      
accession of ,constantine2 to           
,charlemagne2 and the ,teutonic         
,knights2 and bid him recollect that the

 monks were assisted by soldiers to     
convert to ,christianity almost every   
nation in ,modern ,europe4--,e4         
,compare the above with ,maimonides1    
,hilchot ,yessode ,hattorah1 from       
chapter #g4--;,d4  99 ,the reader is    
requested by the author to understand1  
and bear in mind1 that it is not at all 
intended by any of the observations     
contained in this chapter on the        
histories of the four evangelists1 to   
reflect upon1 or to disparage1 the      
characters of ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1   
and ,john1 under whose names they go2   
because he believes1 and thinks it is   
proved in this chapter1 that the real   
authors of these histories were very    
different persons from the ,apostles of 
,jesus2 and that1 in fact1 the accounts 
were not written till the middle of the 
second century1 about a hundred years   
after the supposed authors of them were 
dead4 ,of course1 none of the           
observations contained in the chapter   
relative to these histories1 ware       

considered1 or intended1 to apply to any
 of the twelve apostles1 who were not   
men who could make such mistakes as will
 be pointed out4 ,these mistakes belong 
entirely to the authors who have assumed
 their names4--,e4  99 ,that the        
pretended ,gospel of ,matthew was not   
written by ,matthew1 or by an1          
inhabitant of ,palestine1 may also be   
inferred1 ,i think1 from the blundering 
attempts of the author of it to give the
 meaning of some expressions uttered by 
,jesus1 and used by the ,jews1 in the   
language of the country1 which was the  
,syro ,chaldaic2 and which the real     
,matthew could hardly be ignorant of4   
,for instance1 he says that ,golgotha   
signifies--the place of a skull4        
,matthew xxvii4 #cc4 ,now1 this is not  
true1 for ,golgotha1 or as it should    
have been written1 ,golgoltha1 does not 
signify the place of a skull1 but simply
 a skull4 ,the ,gospels according to    
,mark1 and ,john1 are guilty of the same
 mistake1 and thus betray the same marks

 of ,gentilism4 ,again1 the pretended   
,matthew says1 that ,jesus cried on the 
cross1 ,eli ,eli lama1 sabackthani1     
which he says meant1 ,my ,god1 ,my ,god1
 why hast thou forsaken me8 7,matthew   
xxvii4 #df47 ,if the reader will look at
 what ,michaelis1 in his introduction to
 the ,new ,testament1 says upon this    
subject1 he will find the real ,syro    
,chaldaic expression which must have    
been used by ,jesus1 to be so different 
from the one given by the supposed      
,matthew1 that he will1 7and the        
observation is not meant as a           
disparagement to the real ,matthew1 who 
certainly had no hand in the imposition 
of the ,gospel covered with his name7 ,i
 suspect be inclined to believe1 that   
this pretended ,matthews knowledge of   
the vulgar language of the ,jews1 used  
in ,christs time1 must have been about  
upon a par with the honest sailors      
knowledge of ,french2 who assured his   
countrymen1 on his return home1 that the
 ,french called a horse a shovel and a  

hat a chopper6--,e4  99 ,see ,addenda1  
,no4 #b4  99 ,the author had prepared1  
in order to subjoin in this place1 an   
examination of the ,mosaic ,code1 and a 
development of its principles1 which he 
thinks would have satisfied the reader  
of the truth of what he has said in the 
last paragraph4 ,but as it would have   
too much increased the bulk of the      
volume1 it has been omitted4 ,it is an  
institution however curious enough to be
 the subject of an interesting          
discussion1 which he should be happy to 
see from the hands of one able to do it 
justice4--,e4   ,mr4 ,english1 it will  
be perceived1 differs in his translation
 of the ,hebrew word nebelati1 which is1
 certainly1 in the singular number1 and 
not plural4 ,the correct rendering is1  
doubtless1 with my dead body they1 c42  
but this weakens not at all his         
argument1 which is essentially a ,jewish
 one4 ,see the ,commentators1 ,chizoook 
,emunah1 c4 c4--,d4   ,this was1        
originally1 a note2 but1 in order not to

 divert too much the readers attention1 
it has been thought advisable to insert 
it here4--,d4