,the ,writings of ,thomas ,paine ,the ,age of ,reason -- ,part ,i and ,,ii by ,thomas ,paine ,collected ,and ,edited ,by ,moncure ,daniel ,conway ,,volume ,,iv4 7#agif7 ,contents ,,editor',s ,,introduction ,,the ,,age ,,of ,,reason -- ,,part ,i ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,author',s ,,profession ,,of ,,faith ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,of ,,missions ,,and ,,revelations ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,concerning ,,the ,,character ,,of ,,jesus ,,christ1 ,,and ,,his ,,history ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,of ,,the ,,bases ,,of ,,christianity ,,chapter ,v4 ,,examination ,,in ,,detail ,,of ,,the ,,preceding ,,bases ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,of ,,the ,,true ,,theology ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,examination ,,of ,,the ,,old ,,testament ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,of ,,the ,,new ,,testament ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,in ,,what ,,the ,,true ,,revelation ,,consists ,,chapter ,x4 ,,concerning ,,god1 ,,and ,,the ,,lights ,,cast ,,on ,,his ,,existence ,,and ,,attributes ,,by ,,the ,,bible ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,of ,,the ,,theology ,,of ,,the ,,christians2 ,,and ,,the ,,true ,,theology ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,the ,,effects ,,of ,,christianism ,,on ,,education2 ,,proposed ,,reforms ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,comparison ,,of ,,christianism ,,with ,,the ,,religious ,,ideas ,,inspired ,,by ,,nature ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,,system ,,of ,,the ,,universe ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,advantages ,,of ,,the ,,existence ,,of ,,many ,,worlds ,,in ,,each ,,solar ,,system ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,application ,,of ,,the ,,preceding ,,to ,,the ,,system ,,of ,,the ,,christians ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,,of ,,the ,,means ,,employed ,,in ,,all ,,time1 ,,and ,,almost ,,universally1 ,,to ,,deceive ,,the ,,peoples ,,recapitulation ,,the ,,age ,,of ,,reason -- ,,part ,,ii ,,preface ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,old ,,testament ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,new ,,testament ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,conclusion ,,editor',s ,,introduction ,,with ,,some ,,results ,,of ,,recent ,,researches4 ,in the opening year1 #agic1 when revolutionary ,france had beheaded its king1 the wrath turned next upon the ,king of kings1 by whose grace every tyrant claimed to reign4 ,but eventualities had brought among them a great ,english and ,american heart--,thomas ,paine4 ,he had pleaded for ,louis ,capet--8,kill the king but spare the man40 ,now he pleaded1--8,disbelieve in the ,king of kings1 but do not confuse with that idol the ,father of ,mankind60 ,in ,paine's ,preface to the ,second ,part of 8,the ,age of ,reason0 he describes himself as writing the ,first ,part near the close of the year #agic4 8,i had not finished it more than six hours1 in the state it has since appeared1 before a guard came about three in the morning1 with an order signed by the two ,committees of ,public ,safety and ,surety ,general1 for putting me in arrestation40 ,this was on the morning of ,december #bh4 ,but it is necessary to weigh the words just quoted--8in the state it has since appeared40 ,for on ,august #e1 #agid1 ,francois ,lanthenas1 in an appeal for ,paine's liberation1 wrote as follows3 8,i deliver to ,merlin de ,thionville a copy of the last work of ,t4 ,payne ,the ,age of ,reason1 formerly our colleague1 and in custody since the decree excluding foreigners from the national representation4 ,this book was written by the author in the beginning of the year '#ic 7old style74 ,i undertook its translation before the revolution against priests1 and it was published in ,french about the same time4 ,couthon1 to whom ,i sent it1 seemed offended with me for having translated this work40 ,under the frown of ,couthon1 one of the most atrocious colleagues of ,robespierre1 this early publication seems to have been so effectually suppressed that no copy bearing that date1 #agic1 can be found in ,france or elsewhere4 ,in ,paine's letter to ,samuel ,adams1 printed in the present volume1 he says that he had it translated into ,french1 to stay the progress of atheism1 and that he endangered his life 8by opposing atheism40 ,the time indicated by ,lanthenas as that in which he submitted the work to ,couthon would appear to be the latter part of ,march1 #agic1 the fury against the priesthood having reached its climax in the decrees against them of ,march #ai and #bf4 ,if the moral deformity of ,couthon1 even greater than that of his body1 be remembered1 and the readiness with which death was inflicted for the most theoretical opinion not approved by the 8,mountain10 it will appear probable that the offence given ,couthon by ,paine's book involved danger to him and his translator4 ,on ,may #ca1 when the ,girondins were accused1 the name of ,lanthenas was included1 and he barely escaped2 and on the same day ,danton persuaded ,paine not to appear in the ,convention1 as his life might be in danger4 ,whether this was because of the 8,age of ,reason10 with its fling at the 8,goddess ,nature0 or not1 the statements of author and translator are harmonized by the fact that ,paine prepared the manuscript1 with considerable additions and changes1 for publication in ,english1 as he has stated in the ,preface to ,part ,,ii4 ,a comparison of the ,french and ,english versions1 sentence by sentence1 proved to me that the translation sent by ,lanthenas to ,merlin de ,thionville in #agid is the same as that he sent to ,couthon in #agic4 ,this discovery was the means of recovering several interesting sentences of the original work4 ,i have given as footnotes translations of such clauses and phrases of the ,french work as appeared to be important4 ,those familiar with the translations of ,lanthenas need not be reminded that he was too much of a literalist to depart from the manuscript before him1 and indeed he did not even venture to alter it in an instance 7presently considered7 where it was obviously needed4 ,nor would ,lanthenas have omitted any of the paragraphs lacking in his translation4 ,this original work was divided into seventeen chapters1 and these ,i have restored1 translating their headings into ,english4 ,the 8,age of ,reason0 is thus for the first time given to the world with nearly its original completeness4 ,it should be remembered that ,paine could not have read the proof of his 8,age of ,reason0 7,part ,i47 which went through the press while he was in prison4 ,to this must be ascribed the permanence of some sentences as abbreviated in the haste he has described4 ,a notable instance is the dropping out of his estimate of ,jesus the words rendered by ,lanthenas 8trop peu imite1 trop oublie1 trop meconnu40 ,the addition of these words to ,paine's tribute makes it the more notable that almost the only recognition of the human character and life of ,jesus by any theological writer of that generation came from one long branded as an infidel4 ,to the inability of the prisoner to give his work any revision must be attributed the preservation in it of the singular error already alluded to1 as one that ,lanthenas1 but for his extreme fidelity1 would have corrected4 ,this is ,paine's repeated mention of six planets1 and enumeration of them1 twelve years after the discovery of ,uranus4 ,paine was a devoted student of astronomy1 and it cannot for a moment be supposed that he had not participated in the universal welcome of ,herschel's discovery4 ,the omission of any allusion to it convinces me that the astronomical episode was printed from a manuscript written before #agha1 when ,uranus was discovered4 ,unfamiliar with ,french in #agic1 ,paine might not have discovered the erratum in ,lanthenas' translation1 and1 having no time for copying1 he would naturally use as much as possible of the same manuscript in preparing his work for ,english readers4 ,but he had no opportunity of revision1 and there remains an erratum which1 if my conjecture be correct1 casts a significant light on the paragraphs in which he alludes to the preparation of the work4 ,he states that soon after his publication of 8,common ,sense0 7#aggf71 he 8saw the exceeding probability that a revolution in the system of government would be followed by a revolution in the system of religion10 and that 8man would return to the pure1 unmixed1 and unadulterated belief of one ,god and no more40 ,he tells ,samuel ,adams that it had long been his intention to publish his thoughts upon religion1 and he had made a similar remark to ,john ,adams in #aggf4 ,like the ,quakers among whom he was reared ,paine could then readily use the phrase 8word of ,god0 for anything in the ,bible which approved itself to his 8inner light10 and as he had drawn from the first ,book of ,samuel a divine condemnation of monarchy1 ,john ,adams1 a ,unitarian1 asked him if he believed in the inspiration of the ,old ,testament4 ,paine replied that he did not1 and at a later period meant to publish his views on the subject4 ,there is little doubt that he wrote from time to time on religious points1 during the ,american war1 without publishing his thoughts1 just as he worked on the problem of steam navigation1 in which he had invented a practicable method 7ten years before ,john ,fitch made his discovery7 without publishing it4 ,at any rate it appears to me certain that the part of 8,the ,age of ,reason0 connected with ,paine's favorite science1 astronomy1 was written before #agha1 when ,uranus was discovered4 ,paine's theism1 however invested with biblical and ,christian phraseology1 was a birthright4 ,it appears clear from several allusions in 8,the ,age of ,reason0 to the ,quakers that in his early life1 or before the middle of the eighteenth century1 the people so called were substantially ,deists4 ,an interesting confirmation of ,paine's statements concerning them appears as ,i write in an account sent by ,count ,leo ,tolstoi to the ,london #8,times' of the ,russian sect called ,dukhobortsy 7,the ,times1 ,october #bc1 #ahie74 ,this sect sprang up in the last century1 and the narrative says3 8,the first seeds of the teaching called afterwards #8,dukhoborcheskaya' were sown by a foreigner1 a ,quaker1 who came to ,russia4 ,the fundamental idea of his ,quaker teaching was that in the soul of man dwells ,god himself1 and that ,he himself guides man by ,his inner word4 ,god lives in nature physically and in man's soul spiritually4 ,to ,christ1 as to an historical personage1 the ,dukhobortsy do not ascribe great importance444 ,christ was ,god's son1 but only in the sense in which we call1 ourselves #8sons of ,god4' ,the purpose of ,christ's sufferings was no other than to show us an example of suffering for truth4 ,the ,quakers who1 in #ahah1 visited the ,dukhobortsy1 could not agree with them upon these religious subjects2 and when they heard from them their opinion about ,jesus ,christ 7that he was a man71 exclaimed #8,darkness6' ,from the ,old and ,new ,testaments1' they say1 #8we take only what is useful1' mostly the moral teaching4444 ,the moral ideas of the ,dukhobortsy are the following3--,all men are1 by nature1 equal2 external distinctions1 whatsoever they may be1 are worth nothing4 ,this idea of men's equality the ,dukhoborts have directed further1 against the ,state authority4444 ,amongst themselves they hold subordination1 and much more1 a monarchical ,government1 to be contrary to their ideas40 ,here is an early ,hicksite ,quakerism carried to ,russia long before the birth of ,elias ,hicks1 who recovered it from ,paine1 to whom the ,american ,quakers refused burial among them4 ,although ,paine arraigned the union of ,church and ,state1 his ideal ,republic was religious2 it was based on a conception of equality based on the divine son-ship of every man4 ,this faith underlay equally his burden against claims to divine partiality by a 8,chosen ,people10 a ,priesthood1 a ,monarch 8by the grace of ,god10 or an ,aristocracy4 ,paine's 8,reason0 is only an expansion of the ,quaker's 8inner light02 and the greater impression1 as compared with previous republican and deistic writings made by his 8,rights of ,man0 and 8,age of ,reason0 7really volumes of one work71 is partly explained by the apostolic fervor which made him a spiritual1 successor of ,george ,fox4 ,paine's mind was by no means skeptical1 it was eminently instructive4 ,that he should have waited until his fifty-seventh year before publishing his religious convictions was due to a desire to work out some positive and practicable system to take the place of that which he believed was crumbling4 ,the ,english engineer ,hall1 who assisted ,paine in making the model of his iron bridge1 wrote to his friends in ,england1 in #aghf3 8,my employer has ,common ,sense enough to disbelieve most of the common systematic theories of ,divinity1 but does not seem to establish any for himself40 ,but five years later ,paine was able to lay the corner-stone of his temple3 8,with respect to religion itself1 without regard to names1 and as directing itself from the universal family of mankind to the #8,divine object of all adoration1 it is man bringing to his ,maker the fruits of his heart2 and though those fruits may differ from each other like the fruits of the earth1 the grateful tribute of every one1 is accepted40 78,rights of ,man40 ,see my edition of ,paine's ,writings1 ii41 p4 #cbf47 ,here we have a reappearance of ,george ,fox confuting the doctor in ,america who 8denied the light and ,spirit of ,god to be in every one2 and affirmed that it was not in the ,indians4 ,whereupon ,i called an ,indian to us1 and asked him #8whether or not1 when he lied1 or did wrong to anyone1 there was not something in him that reproved him for it8' ,he said1 #8,there was such a thing in him that did so reprove him2 and he was ashamed when he had done wrong1 or spoken wrong4' ,so we shamed the doctor before the governor and the people40 7,journal of ,george ,fox1 ,september #afgb47 ,paine1 who coined the phrase 8,religion of ,humanity0 7,the ,crisis1 vii41 #aggh71 did but logically defend it in 8,the ,age of ,reason10 by denying a special revelation to any particular tribe1 or divine authority in any particular creed of church2 and the centenary of this much-abused publication has been celebrated by a great conservative champion of ,church and ,state1 ,mr4 ,balfour1 who1 in his 8,foundations of ,belief10 affirms that 8inspiration0 cannot be denied to the great ,oriental teachers1 unless grapes may be gathered from thorns4 ,the centenary of the complete publication of 8,the ,age of ,reason10 7,october #be1 #agie71 was also celebrated at the ,church ,congress1 ,norwich1 on ,october #aj1 #ahie1 when ,professor ,bonney1 ,f4,r4,s41 ,canon of ,manchester1 read a paper in which he said3 8,i cannot deny that the increase of scientific knowledge has deprived parts of the earlier books of the ,bible of the historical value which was generally attributed to them by our forefathers4 ,the story of ,creation in the ,book of ,genesis1 unless we play fast and loose either with words or with science1 cannot be brought into harmony with what we have learnt from geology4 ,its ethnological statements are imperfect1 if not sometimes inaccurate4 ,the stories of the ,fall1 of the ,flood1 and of the ,tower of ,babel1 are incredible in their present form4 ,some historical element may underlie many of the traditions in the first eleven chapters in that book1 but this we cannot hope to recover40 ,canon ,bonney proceeded to say of the ,new ,testament also1 that 8the ,gospels are not so far as we know1 strictly contemporaneous records1 so we must admit the possibility of variations and even inaccuracies in details being introduced by oral tradition40 ,the ,canon thinks the interval too short for these importations to be serious1 but that any question of this kind is left open proves the ,age of ,reason fully upon us4 ,reason alone can determine how many texts are as spurious as the three heavenly witnesses 7i ,john v4 #g71 and like it 8serious0 enough to have cost good men their lives1 and persecutors their charities4 ,when men interpolate1 it is because they believe their interpolation seriously needed4 ,it will be seen by a note in ,part ,,ii4 of the work1 that ,paine calls attention to an interpolation introduced into the first ,american edition without indication of its being an editorial footnote4 ,this footnote was3 8,the book of ,luke was carried by a majority of one only4 ,vide ,moshelm's ,ecc4 ,history40 ,dr4 ,priestley1 then in ,america1 answered ,paine's work1 and in quoting less than a page from the 8,age of ,reason0 he made three alterations1--one of which changed 8church mythologists0 into 8,christian mythologists10--and also raised the editorial footnote into the text1 omitting the reference to ,mosheim4 ,having done this1 ,priestley writes3 8,as to the gospel of ,luke being carried by a majority of one only1 it is a legend1 if not of ,mr4 ,paine's own invention1 of no better authority whatever40 ,and so on with further castigation of the author for what he never wrote1 and which he himself 7,priestley7 was the unconscious means of introducing into the text within the year of ,paine's publication4 ,if this could be done1 unintentionally by a conscientious and exact man1 and one not unfriendly to ,paine1 if such a writer as ,priestley could make four mistakes in citing half a page1 it will appear not very wonderful when ,i state that in a modern popular edition of 8,the ,age of ,reason10 including both parts1 ,i have noted about five hundred deviations from the original4 ,these were mainly the accumulated efforts of friendly editors to improve ,paine's grammar or spelling2 some were misprints1 or developed out of such2 and some resulted from the sale in ,london of a copy of ,part ,second surreptitiously made from the manuscript4 ,these facts add significance to ,paine's footnote 7itself altered in some editions671 in which he says3 8,if this has happened within such a short space of time1 notwithstanding the aid of printing1 which prevents the alteration of copies individually2 what may not have happened in a much greater length of time1 when there was no printing1 and when any man who could write1 could make a written copy1 and call it an original1 by ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 or ,john40 ,nothing appears to me more striking1 as an illustration of the far-reaching effects of traditional prejudice1 than the errors into which some of our ablest contemporary scholars have fallen by reason of their not having studied ,paine4 ,professor ,huxley1 for instance1 speaking of the freethinkers of the eighteenth century1 admires the acuteness1 common sense1 wit1 and the broad humanity of the best of them1 but says 8there is rarely much to be said for their work as an example of the adequate treatment of a grave and difficult investigation10 and that they shared with their adversaries 8to the full the fatal weakness of a priori philosophizing40 ,,note3 ,science and ,christian ,tradition1 p4 #ah 7,lon4 ed41 #ahid74 ,professor ,huxley does not name ,paine1 evidently because he knows nothing about him4 ,yet ,paine represents the turning-point of the historical freethinking movement2 he renounced the #8a priori' method1 refused to pronounce anything impossible outside pure mathematics1 rested everything on evidence1 and really founded the ,huxleyan school4 ,he plagiarized by anticipation many things from the rationalistic leaders of our time1 from ,strauss and ,baur 7being the first to expatiate on 8,christian ,mythology071 from ,renan 7being the first to attempt recovery of the human ,jesus71 and notably from ,huxley1 who has repeated ,paine's arguments on the untrustworthiness of the biblical manuscripts and canon1 on the inconsistencies of the narratives of ,christ's resurrection1 and various other points4 ,none can be more loyal to the memory of ,huxley than the present writer1 and it is even because of my sense of his grand leadership that he is here mentioned as a typical instance of the extent to which the very elect of free-thought may be unconsciously victimized by the phantasm with which they are contending4 ,he says that ,butler overthrew freethinkers of the eighteenth century type1 but ,paine was of the nineteenth century type2 and it was precisely because of his critical method that he excited more animosity than his deistical predecessors4 ,he compelled the apologists to defend the biblical narratives in detail1 and thus implicitly acknowledge the tribunal of reason and knowledge to which they were summoned4 ,the ultimate answer by police was a confession of judgment4 ,a hundred years ago ,england was suppressing ,paine's works1 and many an honest ,englishman has gone to prison for printing and circulating his 8,age of ,reason40 ,the same views are now freely expressed2 they are heard in the seats of learning1 and even in the ,church ,congress2 but the suppression of ,paine1 begun by bigotry and ignorance1 is continued in the long indifference of the representatives of our ,age of ,reason to their pioneer and founder4 ,it is a grievous loss to them and to their cause4 ,it is impossible to understand the religious history of ,england1 and of ,america1 without studying the phases of their evolution represented in the writings of ,thomas ,paine1 in the controversies that grew out of them with such practical accompaniments as the foundation of the ,theophilanthropist ,church in ,paris and ,new ,york1 and of the great rationalist wing of ,quakerism in ,america4 ,whatever may be the case with scholars in our time1 those of ,paine's time took the 8,age of ,reason0 very seriously indeed4 ,beginning with the learned ,dr4 ,richard ,watson1 ,bishop of ,llandaff1 a large number of learned men replied to ,paine's work1 and it became a signal for the commencement of those concessions1 on the part of theology1 which have continued to our time2 and indeed the so-called 8,broad ,church0 is to some extent an outcome of 8,the ,age of ,reason40 ,it would too much enlarge this ,introduction to cite here the replies made to ,paine 7thirty-six are catalogued in the ,british ,museum71 but it may be remarked that they were notably free1 as a rule1 from the personalities that raged in the pulpits4 ,i must venture to quote one passage from his very learned antagonist1 the ,rev4 ,gilbert ,wakefield1 ,b4,a41 8late ,fellow of ,jesus ,college1 ,cambridge40 ,wakefield1 who had resided in ,london during all the ,paine panic1 and was well acquainted with the slanders uttered against the author of 8,rights of ,man10 indirectly brands them in answering ,paine's argument that the original and traditional unbelief of the ,jews1 among whom the alleged miracles were wrought1 is an important evidence against them4 ,the learned divine writes3 8,but the subject before us admits of further illustration from the example of ,mr4 ,paine himself4 ,in this country1 where his opposition to the corruptions of government has raised him so many adversaries1 and such a swarm of unprincipled hirelings have exerted themselves in blackening his character and in misrepresenting all the transactions and incidents of his life1 will it not be a most difficult1 nay an impossible task1 for posterity1 after a lapse of #agjj years1 if such a wreck of modern literature as that of the ancient1 should intervene1 to identify the real circumstances1 moral and civil1 of the man8 ,and will a true historian1 such as the ,evangelists1 be credited at that future period against such a predominant incredulity1 without large and mighty accessions of collateral attestation8 ,and how transcendently extraordinary1 ,i had almost said miraculous1 will it be estimated by candid and reasonable minds1 that a writer whose object was a melioration of condition to the common people1 and their deliverance from oppression1 poverty1 wretchedness1 to the numberless blessings of upright and equal government1 should be reviled1 persecuted1 and burned in effigy1 with every circumstance of insult and execration1 by these very objects of his benevolent intentions1 in every corner of the kingdom80 ,after the execution of ,louis ,,xvi41 for whose life ,paine pleaded so earnestly1--while in ,england he was denounced as an accomplice in the deed1--he devoted himself to the preparation of a ,constitution1 and also to gathering up his religious compositions and adding to them4 ,this manuscript ,i suppose to have been prepared in what was variously known as ,white's ,hotel or ,philadelphia ,house1 in ,paris1 ,no4 #g ,passage des ,petits ,peres4 ,this compilation of early and fresh manuscripts 7if my theory be correct7 was labelled1 8,the ,age of ,reason10 and given for translation to ,francois ,lanthenas in ,march #agic4 ,it is entered1 in ,qudrard 7,la ,france ,literaire7 under the year #agic1 but with the title 8,l',age de la ,raison0 instead of that which it bore in #agid1 8,le ,siecle de la ,raison40 ,the latter1 printed 8,au ,burcau de l'imprimerie1 rue du ,theatre-,francais1 ,no4 #d10 is said to be by 8,thomas ,paine1 ,citoyen et cultivateur de l',amerique septentrionale1 secretaire du ,congres du departement des affaires etrangeres pendant la guerre d',amerique1 et auteur des ouvrages intitules3 ,,la ,,sens ,,commun et ,,les ,,droits ,,de ,l',,homme40 ,when the ,revolution was advancing to increasing terrors1 ,paine1 unwilling to participate in the decrees of a ,convention whose sole legal function was to frame a ,constitution1 retired to an old mansion and garden in the ,faubourg ,st4 ,denis1 ,no4 #fc4 ,mr4 ,j4,g4 ,alger1 whose researches in personal details connected with the ,revolution are original and useful1 recently showed me in the ,national ,archives at ,paris1 some papers connected with the trial of ,georgeit1 ,paine's landlord1 by which it appears that the present ,no4 #fc is not1 as ,i had supposed1 the house in which ,paine resided4 ,mr4 ,alger accompanied me to the neighborhood1 but we were not able to identify the house4 ,the arrest of ,georgeit is mentioned by ,paine in his essay on 8,forgetfulness0 7,writings1 iii41 #cai74 ,when his trial came on one of the charges was that he had kept in his house 8,paine and other ,englishmen10--,paine being then in prison1--but he 7,georgeit7 was acquitted of the paltry accusations brought against him by his ,section1 the 8,faubourg du ,nord40 ,this ,section took in the whole east side of the ,faubourg ,st4 ,denis1 whereas the present ,no4 #fc is on the west side4 ,after ,georgeit 7or ,georger7 had been arrested1 ,paine was left alone in the large mansion 7said by ,rickman to have been once the hotel of ,madame de ,pompadour71 and it would appear1 by his account1 that it was after the execution 7,october #ca1 #agic7 ,of his friends the ,girondins1 and political comrades1 that he felt his end at hand1 and set about his last literary bequest to the world1--8,the ,age of ,reason10--in the state in which it has since appeared1 as he is careful to say4 ,there was every probability1 during the months in which he wrote 7,november and ,december #agic7 that he would be executed4 ,his religious testament was prepared with the blade of the guillotine suspended over him1--a fact which did not deter pious mythologists from portraying his death-bed remorse for having written the book4 ,in editing ,part ,i4 of 8,the ,age of ,reason10 ,i follow closely the first edition1 which was printed by ,barrois in ,paris from the manuscript1 no doubt under the superintendence of ,joel ,barlow1 to whom ,paine1 on his way to the ,luxembourg1 had confided it4 ,barlow was an ,american ex-clergyman1 a speculator on whose career ,french archives cast an unfavorable light1 and one cannot be certain that no liberties were taken with ,paine's proofs4 ,i may repeat here what ,i have stated in the outset of my editorial work on ,paine that my rule is to correct obvious misprints1 and also any punctuation which seems to render the sense less clear4 ,and to that ,i will now add that in following ,paine's quotations from the ,bible ,i have adopted the ,plan now generally used in place of his occasionally too extended writing out of book1 chapter1 and verse4 ,paine was imprisoned in the ,luxembourg on ,december #bh1 #agic1 and released on ,november #d1 #agid4 ,his liberation was secured by his old friend1 ,james ,monroe 7afterwards ,president71 who had succeeded his 7,paine's7 relentless enemy1 ,gouverneur ,morris1 as ,american ,minister in ,paris4 ,he was found by ,monroe more dead than alive from semi-starvation1 cold1 and an abscess contracted in prison1 and taken to the ,minister's own residence4 ,it was not supposed that he could survive1 and he owed his life to the tender care of ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,monroe4 ,it was while thus a prisoner in his room1 with death still hovering over him1 that ,paine wrote ,part ,second of 8,the ,age of ,reason40 ,the work was published in ,london by ,h4,d4 ,symonds on ,october #be1 #agie1 and claimed to be 8from the ,author's manuscript40 ,it is marked as 8,entered at ,stationers ,hall10 and prefaced by an apologetic note of 8,the ,bookseller to the ,public10 whose commonplaces about avoiding both prejudice and partiality1 and considering 8both sides10 need not be quoted4 ,while his volume was going through the press in ,paris1 ,paine heard of the publication in ,london1 which drew from him the following hurried note to a ,london publisher1 no doubt ,daniel ,isaacs ,eaton3 8,,sir1--,i have seen advertised in the ,london papers the second ,edition part of the ,age of ,reason1 printed1 the advertisement says1 from the ,author's ,manuscript1 and entered at ,stationers ,hall4 ,i have never sent any manuscript to any person4 ,it is therefore a forgery to say it is printed from the author's manuscript2 and ,i suppose is done to give the ,publisher a pretence of ,copy ,right1 which he has no title to4 8,i send you a printed copy1 which is the only one ,i have sent to ,london4 ,i wish you to make a cheap edition of it4 ,i know not by what means any copy has got over to ,london4 ,if any person has made a manuscript copy ,i have no doubt but it is full of errors4 ,i wish you would talk to ,mr4 ----- upon this subject as ,i wish to know by what means this trick has been played1 and from whom the publisher has got possession of any copy4 8,t4 ,,paine4 8,,paris1 ,december #d1 #agie0 ,eaton's cheap edition appeared ,january #a1 #agif1 with the above letter on the reverse of the title4 ,the blank in the note was probably 8,symonds0 in the original1 and possibly that publisher was imposed upon4 ,eaton1 already in trouble for printing one of ,paine's political pamphlets1 fled to ,america1 and an edition of the 8,age of ,reason0 was issued under a new title2 no publisher appears2 it is said to be 8printed for1 and sold by all the ,booksellers in ,great ,britain and ,ireland40 ,it is also said to be 8,by ,thomas ,paine1 author of several remarkable performances40 ,i have never found any copy of this anonymous edition except the one in my possession4 ,it is evidently the edition which was suppressed by the prosecution of ,williams for selling a copy of it4 ,a comparison with ,paine's revised edition reveals a good many clerical and verbal errors in ,symonds1 though few that affect the sense4 ,the worst are in the preface1 where1 instead of 8#agic10 the misleading date 8#agij0 is given as the year at whose close ,paine completed ,part ,first1--an error that spread far and wide and was fastened on by his calumnious ,american 8biographer10 ,cheetham1 to prove his inconsistency4 ,the editors have been fairly demoralized by1 and have altered in different ways1 the following sentence of the preface in ,symonds3 8,the intolerant spirit of religious persecution had transferred itself into politics2 the tribunals1 styled ,revolutionary1 supplied the place of the ,inquisition2 and the ,guillotine of the ,state outdid the ,fire and ,faggot of the ,church40 ,the rogue who copied this little knew the care with which ,paine weighed words1 and that he would never call persecution 8religious10 nor connect the guillotine with the 8,state10 nor concede that with all its horrors it had outdone the history of fire and faggot4 ,what ,paine wrote was3 8,the intolerant spirit of church persecution had transferred itself into politics2 the tribunals1 styled ,revolutionary1 supplied the place of an ,inquisition and the ,guillotine1 of the ,stake40 ,an original letter of ,paine1 in the possession of ,joseph ,cowen1 ex-,m4,p41 which that gentleman permits me to bring to light1 besides being one of general interest makes clear the circumstances of the original publication4 ,although the name of the correspondent does not appear on the letter1 it was certainly written to ,col4 ,john ,fellows of ,new ,york1 who copyrighted ,part ,i4 of the 8,age of ,reason40 ,he published the pamphlets of ,joel ,barlow1 to whom ,paine confided his manuscript on his way to prison4 ,fellows was afterwards ,paine's intimate friend in ,new ,york1 and it was chiefly due to him that some portions of the author's writings1 left in manuscript to ,madame ,bonneville while she was a freethinker were rescued from her devout destructiveness after her return to ,catholicism4 ,the letter which ,mr4 ,cowen sends me1 is dated at ,paris1 ,january #bj1 #agig4 8,,sir1--,your friend ,mr4 ,caritat being on the point of his departure for ,america1 ,i make it the opportunity of writing to you4 ,i received two letters from you with some pamphlets a considerable time past1 in which you inform me of your entering a copyright of the first part of the ,age of ,reason3 when ,i return to ,america we will settle for that matter4 8,as ,doctor ,franklin has been my intimate friend for thirty years past you will naturally see the reason of my continuing the connection with his grandson4 ,i printed here 7,paris7 about fifteen thousand of the second part of the ,age of ,reason1 which ,i sent to ,mr4 ,franklin ,bache4 ,i gave him notice of it in ,september #agie and the copy-right by my own direction was entered by him4 ,the books did not arrive till ,april following1 but he had advertised it long before4 8,i sent to him in ,august last a manuscript letter of about #gj pages1 from me to ,mr4 ,washington to be printed in a pamphlet4 ,mr4 ,barnes of ,philadelphia carried the letter from me over to ,london to be forwarded to ,america4 ,it went by the ship ,hope1 ,cap3 ,harley1 who since his return from ,america told me that he put it into the post office at ,new ,york for ,bache4 ,i have yet no certain account of its publication4 ,i mention this that the letter may be enquired after1 in case it has not been published or has not arrived to ,mr4 ,bache4 ,barnes wrote to me1 from ,london #bi ,august informing me that he was offered three hundred pounds sterling for the manuscript4 ,the offer was refused because it was my intention it should not appear till it appeared in ,america1 as that1 and not ,england was the place for its operation4 8,you ask me by your letter to ,mr4 ,caritat for a list of my several works1 in order to publish a collection of them4 ,this is an undertaking ,i have always reserved for myself4 ,it not only belongs to me of right1 but nobody but myself can do it2 and as every author is accountable 7at least in reputation7 for his works1 he only is the person to do it4 ,if he neglects it in his life-time the case is altered4 ,it is my intention to return to ,america in the course of the present year4 ,i shall then do it by subscription1 with historical notes4 ,as this work will employ many persons in different parts of the ,union1 ,i will confer with you upon the subject1 and such part of it as will suit you to undertake1 will be at your choice4 ,i have sustained so much loss1 by disinterestedness and inattention to money matters1 and by accidents1 that ,i am obliged to look closer to my affairs than ,i have done4 ,the printer 7an ,englishman7 whom ,i employed here to print the second part of #8the ,age of ,reason' made a manuscript copy of the work while he was printing it1 which he sent to ,london and sold4 ,it was by this means that an edition of it came out in ,london4 8,we are waiting here for news from ,america of the state of the federal elections4 ,you will have heard long before this reaches you that the ,french government has refused to receive ,mr4 ,pinckney as minister4 ,while ,mr4 ,monroe was minister he had the opportunity of softening matters with this government1 for he was in good credit with them tho' they were in high indignation at the infidelity of the ,washington ,administration4 ,it is time that ,mr4 ,washington retire1 for he has played off so much prudent hypocrisy between ,france and ,england that neither government believes anything he says4 8,your friend1 etc41 8,,thomas ,,paine40 ,it would appear that ,symonds' stolen edition must have got ahead of that sent by ,paine to ,franklin ,bache1 for some of its errors continue in all modern ,american editions to the present day1 as well as in those of ,england4 ,for in ,england it was only the shilling edition--that revised by ,paine--which was suppressed4 ,symonds1 who ministered to the half-crown folk1 and who was also publisher of replies to ,paine1 was left undisturbed about his pirated edition1 and the new ,society for the suppression of ,vice and ,immorality fastened on one ,thomas ,williams1 who sold pious tracts but was also convicted 7,june #bd1 #agig7 of having sold one copy of the 8,age of ,reason40 ,erskine1 who had defended ,paine at his trial for the 8,rights of ,man10 conducted the prosecution of ,williams4 ,he gained the victory from a packed jury1 but was not much elated by it1 especially after a certain adventure on his way to ,lincoln's ,inn4 ,he felt his coat clutched and beheld at his feet a woman bathed in tears4 ,she led him into the small book-shop of ,thomas ,williams1 not yet called up for judgment1 and there he beheld his victim stitching tracts in a wretched little room1 where there were three children1 two suffering with ,smallpox4 ,he saw that it would be ruin and even a sort of murder to take away to prison the husband1 who was not a freethinker1 and lamented his publication of the book1 and a meeting of the ,society which had retained him was summoned4 ,there was a full meeting1 the ,bishop of ,london 7,porteus7 in the chair4 ,erskine reminded them that ,williams was yet to be brought up for sentence1 described the scene he had witnessed1 and ,williams' penitence1 and1 as the book was now suppressed1 asked permission to move for a nominal sentence4 ,mercy1 he urged1 was a part of the ,christianity they were defending4 ,not one of the ,society took his side1--not even 8philanthropic0 ,wilberforce--and ,erskine threw up his brief4 ,this action of ,erskine led the ,judge to give ,williams only a year in prison instead of the three he said had been intended4 ,while ,williams was in prison the orthodox colporteurs were circulating ,erskine's speech on ,christianity1 but also an anonymous sermon 8,on the ,existence and ,attributes of the ,deity10 all of which was from ,paine's 8,age of ,reason10 except a brief 8,address to the ,deity0 appended4 ,this picturesque anomaly was repeated in the circulation of ,paine's 8,discourse to the ,theophilanthropists0 7their and the author's names removed7 under the title of 8,atheism ,refuted40 ,both of these pamphlets are now before me1 and beside them a ,london tract of one page just sent for my spiritual benefit4 ,this is headed 8,a ,word of ,caution40 ,it begins by mentioning the 8pernicious doctrines of ,paine10 the first being 8that there is ,no ,,god0 7sic17 then proceeds to adduce evidences of divine existence taken from ,paine's works4 ,it should be added that this one dingy page is the only 8survival0 of the ancient ,paine effigy in the tract form which ,i have been able to find in recent years1 and to this no ,society or ,publisher's name is attached4 ,the imprisonment of ,williams was the beginning of a thirty years' war for religious liberty in ,england1 in the course of which occurred many notable events1 such as ,eaton receiving homage in his pillory at ,choring ,cross1 and the whole ,carlile family imprisoned1--its head imprisoned more than nine years for publishing the 8,age of ,reason40 ,this last victory of persecution was suicidal4 ,gentlemen of wealth1 not adherents of ,paine1 helped in setting ,carlile up in business in ,fleet ,street1 where free-thinking publications have since been sold without interruption4 ,but though ,liberty triumphed in one sense1 the 8,age of ,reason40 remained to some extent suppressed among those whose attention it especially merited4 ,its original prosecution by a ,society for the ,suppression of ,vice 7a device to1 relieve the ,crown7 amounted to a libel upon a morally clean book1 restricting its perusal in families2 and the fact that the shilling book sold by and among humble people was alone prosecuted1 diffused among the educated an equally false notion that the 8,age of ,reason0 was vulgar and illiterate4 ,the theologians1 as we have seen1 estimated more justly the ability of their antagonist1 the collaborator of ,franklin1 ,rittenhouse1 and ,clymer1 on whom the ,university of ,pennsylvania had conferred the degree of ,master of ,arts1--but the gentry confused ,paine with the class described by ,burke as 8the swinish multitude40 ,skepticism1 or its free utterance1 was temporarily driven out of polite circles by its complication with the out-lawed vindicator of the 8,rights of ,man40 ,but that long combat has now passed away4 ,time has reduced the 8,age of ,reason0 from a flag of popular radicalism to a comparatively conservative treatise1 so far as its negations are concerned4 ,an old friend tells me that in his youth he heard a sermon in which the preacher declared that 8,tom ,paine was so wicked that he could not be buried2 his bones were thrown into a box which was bandied about the world till it came to a button-manufacturer2 and now ,paine is travelling round the world in the form of buttons60 ,this variant of the ,wandering ,jew myth may now be regarded as unconscious homage to the author whose metaphorical bones may be recognized in buttons now fashionable1 and some even found useful in holding clerical vestments together4 ,but the careful reader will find in ,paine's 8,age of ,reason0 something beyond negations1 and in conclusion ,i will especially call attention to the new departure in ,theism indicated in a passage corresponding to a famous aphorism of ,kant1 indicated by a note in ,part ,,ii4 ,the discovery already mentioned1 that ,part ,i4 was written at least fourteen years before ,part ,,ii41 led me to compare the two2 and it is plain that while the earlier work is an amplification of ,newtonian ,deism1 based on the phenomena of planetary motion1 the work of #agie bases belief in ,god on 8the universal display of himself in the works of the creation and by that repugnance we feel in ourselves to bad actions1 and disposition to do good ones40 ,this exaltation of the moral nature of man to be the foundation of theistic religion1 though now familiar1 was a hundred years ago a new affirmation2 it has led on a conception of deity subversive of last-century deism1 it has steadily humanized religion1 and its ultimate philosophical and ethical results have not yet been reached4 ,,the ,,age ,,of ,,reason -- ,,part ,i ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,author',s ,,profession ,,of ,,faith4 ,it has been my intention1 for several years past1 to publish my thoughts upon religion2 ,i am well aware of the difficulties that attend the subject1 and from that consideration1 had reserved it to a more advanced period of life4 ,i intended it to be the last offering ,i should make to my fellow-citizens of all nations1 and that at a time when the purity of the motive that induced me to it could not admit of a question1 even by those who might disapprove the work4 ,the circumstance that has now taken place in ,france1 of the total abolition of the whole national order of priesthood1 and of everything appertaining to compulsive systems of religion1 and compulsive articles of faith1 has not only precipitated my intention1 but rendered a work of this kind exceedingly necessary1 lest1 in the general wreck of superstition1 of false systems of government1 and false theology1 we lose sight of morality1 of humanity1 and of the theology that is true4 ,as several of my colleagues1 and others of my fellow-citizens of ,france1 have given me the example of making their voluntary and individual profession of faith1 ,i also will make mine2 and ,i do this with all that sincerity and frankness with which the mind of man communicates with itself4 ,i believe in one ,god1 and no more2 and ,i hope for happiness beyond this life4 ,i believe the equality of man1 and ,i believe that religious duties consist in doing justice1 loving mercy1 and endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy4 ,but1 lest it should be supposed that ,i believe many other things in addition to these1 ,i shall1 in the progress of this work1 declare the things ,i do not believe1 and my reasons for not believing them4 ,i do not believe in the creed professed by the ,jewish church1 by the ,roman church1 by the ,greek church1 by the ,turkish church1 by the ,protestant church1 nor by any church that ,i know of4 ,my own mind is my own church4 ,all national institutions of churches1 whether ,jewish1 ,christian1 or ,turkish1 appear to me no other than human inventions set up to terrify and enslave mankind1 and monopolize power and profit4 ,i do not mean by this declaration to condemn those who believe otherwise2 they have the same right to their belief as ,i have to mine4 ,but it is necessary to the happiness of man1 that he be mentally faithful to himself4 ,infidelity does not consist in believing1 or in disbelieving2 it consists in professing to believe what he does not believe4 ,it is impossible to calculate the moral mischief1 if ,i may so express it1 that mental lying has produced in society4 ,when a man has so far corrupted and prostituted the chastity of his mind1 as to subscribe his professional belief to things he does not believe1 he has prepared himself for the commission of every other crime4 ,he takes up the trade of a priest for the sake of gain1 and1 in order to qualify himself for that trade1 he begins with a perjury4 ,can we conceive anything more destructive to morality than this8 ,soon after ,i had published the pamphlet ,,common ,,sense1 in ,america1 ,i saw the exceeding probability that a revolution in the system of government would be followed by a revolution in the system of religion4 ,the adulterous connection of church and state1 wherever it had taken place1 whether ,jewish1 ,christian1 or ,turkish1 had so effectually prohibited1 by pains and penalties1 every discussion upon established creeds1 and upon first principles of religion1 that until the system of government should be changed1 those subjects could not be brought fairly and openly before the world2 but that whenever this should be done1 a revolution in the system of religion would follow4 ,human inventions and priest-craft would be detected2 and man would return to the pure1 unmixed1 and unadulterated belief of one ,god1 and no more4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,of ,,missions ,,and ,,revelations4 ,every national church or religion has established itself by pretending some special mission from ,god1 communicated to certain individuals4 ,the ,jews have their ,moses2 the ,christians their ,jesus ,christ1 their apostles and saints2 and the ,turks their ,mahomet2 as if the way to ,god was not open to every man alike4 ,each of those churches shows certain books1 which they call revelation1 or the ,word of ,god4 ,the ,jews say that their ,word of ,god was given by ,god to ,moses face to face2 the ,christians say1 that their ,word of ,god came by divine inspiration2 and the ,turks say1 that their ,word of ,god 7the ,koran7 was brought by an angel from heaven4 ,each of those churches accuses the other of unbelief2 and1 for my own part1 ,i disbelieve them all4 ,as it is necessary to affix right ideas to words1 ,i will1 before ,i proceed further into the subject1 offer some observations on the word #8revelation4' ,revelation when applied to religion1 means something communicated immediately from ,god to man4 ,no one will deny or dispute the power of the ,almighty to make such a communication if he pleases4 ,but admitting1 for the sake of a case1 that something has been revealed to a certain person1 and not revealed to any other person1 it is revelation to that person only4 ,when he tells it to a second person1 a second to a third1 a third to a fourth1 and so on1 it ceases to be a revelation to all those persons4 ,it is revelation to the first person only1 and hearsay to every other1 and1 consequently1 they are not obliged to believe it4 ,it is a contradiction in terms and ideas to call anything a revelation that comes to us at second hand1 either verbally or in writing4 ,revelation is necessarily limited to the first communication4 ,after this1 it is only an account of something which that person says was a revelation made to him2 and though he may find himself obliged to believe it1 it cannot be incumbent on me to believe it in the same manner1 for it was not a revelation made to me1 and ,i have only his word for it that it was made to him4 ,when ,moses told the children of ,israel that he received the two tables of the commandments from the hand of ,god1 they were not obliged to believe him1 because they had no other authority for it than his telling them so2 and ,i have no other authority for it than some historian telling me so1 the commandments carrying no internal evidence of divinity with them4 ,they contain some good moral precepts such as any man qualified to be a lawgiver or a legislator could produce himself1 without having recourse to supernatural intervention4 ,,note3 ,it is1 however1 necessary to except the declamation which says that ,god #8visits the sins of the fathers upon the children'4 ,this is contrary to every principle of moral justice4--,author4 ,when ,i am told that the ,koran was written in ,heaven1 and brought to ,mahomet by an angel1 the account comes to near the same kind of hearsay evidence and second hand authority as the former4 ,i did not see the angel myself1 and therefore ,i have a right not to believe it4 ,when also ,i am told that a woman1 called the ,virgin ,mary1 said1 or gave out1 that she was with child without any cohabitation with a man1 and that her betrothed husband1 ,joseph1 said that an angel told him so1 ,i have a right to believe them or not3 such a circumstance required a much stronger evidence than their bare word for it3 but we have not even this2 for neither ,joseph nor ,mary wrote any such matter themselves4 ,it is only reported by others that they said so4 ,it is hearsay upon hearsay1 and ,i do not chose to rest my belief upon such evidence4 ,it is1 however1 not difficult to account for the credit that was given to the story of ,jesus ,christ being the ,son of ,god4 ,he was born when the heathen mythology had still some fashion and repute in the world1 and that mythology had prepared the people for the belief of such a story4 ,almost all the extraordinary men that lived under the heathen mythology were reputed to be the sons of some of their gods4 ,it was not a new thing at that time to believe a man to have been celestially begotten2 the intercourse of gods with women was then a matter of familiar opinion4 ,their ,jupiter1 according to their accounts1 had cohabited with hundreds2 the story therefore had nothing in it either new1 wonderful1 or obscene2 it was conformable to the opinions that then prevailed among the people called ,gentiles1 or mythologists1 and it was those people only that believed it4 ,the ,jews1 who had kept strictly to the belief of one ,god1 and no more1 and who had always rejected the heathen mythology1 never credited the story4 ,it is curious to observe how the theory of what is called the ,christian ,church1 sprung out of the tail of the heathen mythology4 ,a direct incorporation took place in the first instance1 by making the reputed founder to be celestially begotten4 ,the trinity of gods that then followed was no other than a reduction of the former plurality1 which was about twenty or thirty thousand4 ,the statue of ,mary succeeded the statue of ,diana of ,ephesus4 ,the deification of heroes changed into the canonization of saints4 ,the ,mythologists had gods for everything2 the ,christian ,mythologists had saints for everything4 ,the church became as crowded with the one1 as the pantheon had been with the other2 and ,rome was the place of both4 ,the ,christian theory is little else than the idolatry of the ancient mythologists1 accommodated to the purposes of power and revenue2 and it yet remains to reason and philosophy to abolish the amphibious fraud4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,concerning ,,the ,,character ,,of ,,jesus ,,christ1 ,,and ,,his ,,history4 ,nothing that is here said can apply1 even with the most distant disrespect1 to the real character of ,jesus ,christ4 ,he was a virtuous and an amiable man4 ,the morality that he preached and practiced was of the most benevolent kind2 and though similar systems of morality had been preached by ,confucius1 and by some of the ,greek philosophers1 many years before1 by the ,quakers since1 and by many good men in all ages1 it has not been exceeded by any4 ,jesus ,christ wrote no account of himself1 of his birth1 parentage1 or anything else4 ,not a line of what is called the ,new ,testament is of his writing4 ,the history of him is altogether the work of other people2 and as to the account given of his resurrection and ascension1 it was the necessary counterpart to the story of his birth4 ,his historians1 having brought him into the world in a supernatural manner1 were obliged to take him out again in the same manner1 or the first part of the story must have fallen to the ground4 ,the wretched contrivance with which this latter part is told1 exceeds everything that went before it4 ,the first part1 that of the miraculous conception1 was not a thing that admitted of publicity2 and therefore the tellers of this part of the story had this advantage1 that though they might not be credited1 they could not be detected4 ,they could not be expected to prove it1 because it was not one of those things that admitted of proof1 and it was impossible that the person of whom it was told could prove it himself4 ,but the resurrection of a dead person from the grave1 and his ascension through the air1 is a thing very different1 as to the evidence it admits of1 to the invisible conception of a child in the womb4 ,the resurrection and ascension1 supposing them to have taken place1 admitted of public and ocular demonstration1 like that of the ascension of a balloon1 or the sun at noon day1 to all ,jerusalem at least4 ,a thing which everybody is required to believe1 requires that the proof and evidence of it should be equal to all1 and universal2 and as the public visibility of this last related act was the only evidence that could give sanction to the former part1 the whole of it falls to the ground1 because that evidence never was given4 ,instead of this1 a small number of persons1 not more than eight or nine1 are introduced as proxies for the whole world1 to say they saw it1 and all the rest of the world are called upon to believe it4 ,but it appears that ,thomas did not believe the resurrection2 and1 as they say1 would not believe without having ocular and manual demonstration himself4 ,so neither will ,i2 and the reason is equally as good for me1 and for every other person1 as for ,thomas4 ,it is in vain to attempt to palliate or disguise this matter4 ,the story1 so far as relates to the supernatural part1 has every mark of fraud and imposition stamped upon the face of it4 ,who were the authors of it is as impossible for us now to know1 as it is for us to be assured that the books in which the account is related were written by the persons whose names they bear4 ,the best surviving evidence we now have respecting this affair is the ,jews4 ,they are regularly descended from the people who lived in the time this resurrection and ascension is said to have happened1 and they say #8it is not true4' ,it has long appeared to me a strange inconsistency to cite the ,jews as a proof of the truth of the story4 ,it is just the same as if a man were to say1 ,i will prove the truth of what ,i have told you1 by producing the people who say it is false4 ,that such a person as ,jesus ,christ existed1 and that he was crucified1 which was the mode of execution at that day1 are historical relations strictly within the limits of probability4 ,he preached most excellent morality1 and the equality of man2 but he preached also against the corruptions and avarice of the ,jewish priests1 and this brought upon him the hatred and vengeance of the whole order of priest-hood4 ,the accusation which those priests brought against him was that of sedition and conspiracy against the ,roman government1 to which the ,jews were then subject and tributary2 and it is not improbable that the ,roman government might have some secret apprehension of the effects of his doctrine as well as the ,jewish priests2 neither is it improbable that ,jesus ,christ had in contemplation the delivery of the ,jewish nation from the bondage of the ,romans4 ,between the two1 however1 this virtuous reformer and revolutionist lost his life4 ,,note3 ,the ,french work has here3 8,however this may be1 for one or the other of these suppositions this virtuous reformer1 this revolutionist1 too little imitated1 too much forgotten1 too much misunderstood1 lost his life40--,editor4 7,conway7 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,of ,,the ,,bases ,,of ,,christianity4 ,it is upon this plain narrative of facts1 together with another case ,i am going to mention1 that the ,christian mythologists1 calling themselves the ,christian ,church1 have erected their fable1 which for absurdity and extravagance is not exceeded by anything that is to be found in the mythology of the ancients4 ,the ancient mythologists tell us that the race of ,giants made war against ,jupiter1 and that one of them threw a hundred rocks against him at one throw2 that ,jupiter defeated him with thunder1 and confined him afterwards under ,mount ,etna2 and that every time the ,giant turns himself1 ,mount ,etna belches fire4 ,it is here easy to see that the circumstance of the mountain1 that of its being a volcano1 suggested the idea of the fable2 and that the fable is made to fit and wind itself up with that circumstance4 ,the ,christian mythologists tell that their ,satan made war against the ,almighty1 who defeated him1 and confined him afterwards1 not under a mountain1 but in a pit4 ,it is here easy to see that the first fable suggested the idea of the second2 for the fable of ,jupiter and the ,giants was told many hundred years before that of ,satan4 ,thus far the ancient and the ,christian mythologists differ very little from each other4 ,but the latter have contrived to carry the matter much farther4 ,they have contrived to connect the fabulous part of the story of ,jesus ,christ with the fable originating from ,mount ,etna2 and1 in order to make all the parts of the story tie together1 they have taken to their aid the traditions of the ,jews2 for the ,christian mythology is made up partly from the ancient mythology1 and partly from the ,jewish traditions4 ,the ,christian mythologists1 after having confined ,satan in a pit1 were obliged to let him out again to bring on the sequel of the fable4 ,he is then introduced into the garden of ,eden in the shape of a snake1 or a serpent1 and in that shape he enters into familiar conversation with ,eve1 who is no ways surprised to hear a snake talk2 and the issue of this tete-a-tate is1 that he persuades her to eat an apple1 and the eating of that apple damns all mankind4 ,after giving ,satan this triumph over the whole creation1 one would have supposed that the church mythologists would have been kind enough to send him back again to the pit1 or1 if they had not done this1 that they would have put a mountain upon him1 7for they say that their faith can remove a mountain7 or have put him under a mountain1 as the former mythologists had done1 to prevent his getting again among the women1 and doing more mischief4 ,but instead of this1 they leave him at large1 without even obliging him to give his parole4 ,the secret of which is1 that they could not do without him2 and after being at the trouble of making him1 they bribed him to stay4 ,they promised him ,,all the ,jews1 ,,all the ,turks by anticipation1 nine-tenths of the world beside1 and ,mahomet into the bargain4 ,after this1 who can doubt the bountifulness of the ,christian ,mythology8 ,having thus made an insurrection and a battle in heaven1 in which none of the combatants could be either killed or wounded--put ,satan into the pit--let him out again--given him a triumph over the whole creation--damned all mankind by the eating of an apple1 there ,christian mythologists bring the two ends of their fable together4 ,they represent this virtuous and amiable man1 ,jesus ,christ1 to be at once both ,god and man1 and also the ,son of ,god1 celestially begotten1 on purpose to be sacrificed1 because they say that ,eve in her longing ,,note3 ,the ,french work has3 8yielding to an unrestrained appetite40--,editor4 had eaten an apple4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,examination ,,in ,,detail ,,of ,,the ,,preceding ,,bases4 ,putting aside everything that might excite laughter by its absurdity1 or detestation by its profaneness1 and confining ourselves merely to an examination of the parts1 it is impossible to conceive a story more derogatory to the ,almighty1 more inconsistent with his wisdom1 more contradictory to his power1 than this story is4 ,in order to make for it a foundation to rise upon1 the inventors were under the necessity of giving to the being whom they call ,satan a power equally as great1 if not greater1 than they attribute to the ,almighty4 ,they have not only given him the power of liberating himself from the pit1 after what they call his fall1 but they have made that power increase afterwards to infinity4 ,before this fall they represent him only as an angel of limited existence1 as they represent the rest4 ,after his fall1 he becomes1 by their account1 omnipresent4 ,he exists everywhere1 and at the same time4 ,he occupies the whole immensity of space4 ,not content with this deification of ,satan1 they represent him as defeating by stratagem1 in the shape of an animal of the creation1 all the power and wisdom of the ,almighty4 ,they represent him as having compelled the ,almighty to the direct necessity either of surrendering the whole of the creation to the government and sovereignty of this ,satan1 or of capitulating for its redemption by coming down upon earth1 and exhibiting himself upon a cross in the shape of a man4 ,had the inventors of this story told it the contrary way1 that is1 had they represented the ,almighty as compelling ,satan to exhibit himself on a cross in the shape of a snake1 as a punishment for his new transgression1 the story would have been less absurd1 less contradictory4 ,but1 instead of this they make the transgressor triumph1 and the ,almighty fall4 ,that many good men have believed this strange fable1 and lived very good lives under that belief 7for credulity is not a crime7 is what ,i have no doubt of4 ,in the first place1 they were educated to believe it1 and they would have believed anything else in the same manner4 ,there are also many who have been so enthusiastically enraptured by what they conceived to be the infinite love of ,god to man1 in making a sacrifice of himself1 that the vehemence of the idea has forbidden and deterred them from examining into the absurdity and profaneness of the story4 ,the more unnatural anything is1 the more is it capable of becoming the object of dismal admiration4 ,,note3 ,the ,french work has 8blind and0 preceding dismal4--,editor4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,of ,,the ,,true ,,theology4 ,but if objects for gratitude and admiration are our desire1 do they not present themselves every hour to our eyes8 ,do we not see a fair creation prepared to receive us the instant we are born--a world furnished to our hands1 that cost us nothing8 ,is it we that light up the sun2 that pour down the rain2 and fill the earth with abundance8 ,whether we sleep or wake1 the vast machinery of the universe still goes on4 ,are these things1 and the blessings they indicate in future1 nothing to1 us8 ,can our gross feelings be excited by no other subjects than tragedy and suicide8 ,or is the gloomy pride of man become so intolerable1 that nothing can flatter it but a sacrifice of the ,creator8 ,i know that this bold investigation will alarm many1 but it would be paying too great a compliment to their credulity to forbear it on that account4 ,the times and the subject demand it to be done4 ,the suspicion that the theory of what is called the ,christian church is fabulous1 is becoming very extensive in all countries2 and it will be a consolation to men staggering under that suspicion1 and doubting what to believe and what to disbelieve1 to see the subject freely investigated4 ,i therefore pass on to an examination of the books called the ,old and the ,new ,testament4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,examination ,,of ,,the ,,old ,,testament4 ,these books1 beginning with ,genesis and ending with ,revelations1 7which1 by the bye1 is a book of riddles that requires a revelation to explain it7 are1 we are told1 the word of ,god4 ,it is1 therefore1 proper for us to know who told us so1 that we may know what credit to give to the report4 ,the answer to this question is1 that nobody can tell1 except that we tell one another so4 ,the case1 however1 historically appears to be as follows3 ,when the church mythologists established their system1 they collected all the writings they could find1 and managed them as they pleased4 ,it is a matter altogether of uncertainty to us whether such of the writings as now appear under the name of the ,old and the ,new ,testament1 are in the same state in which those collectors say they found them2 or whether they added1 altered1 abridged1 or dressed them up4 ,be this as it may1 they decided by vote which of the books out of the collection they had made1 should be the ,,word ,,of ,,god1 and which should not4 ,they rejected several2 they voted others to be doubtful1 such as the books called the ,apocrypha2 and those books which had a majority of votes1 were voted to be the word of ,god4 ,had they voted otherwise1 all the people since calling themselves ,christians had believed otherwise2 for the belief of the one comes from the vote of the other4 ,who the people were that did all this1 we know nothing of4 ,they call themselves by the general name of the ,church2 and this is all we know of the matter4 ,as we have no other external evidence or authority for believing these books to be the word of ,god1 than what ,i have mentioned1 which is no evidence or authority at all1 ,i come1 in the next place1 to examine the internal evidence contained in the books themselves4 ,in the former part of this essay1 ,i have spoken of revelation4 ,i now proceed further with that subject1 for the purpose of applying it to the books in question4 ,revelation is a communication of something1 which the person1 to whom that thing is revealed1 did not know before4 ,for if ,i have done a thing1 or seen it done1 it needs no revelation to tell me ,i have done it1 or seen it1 nor to enable me to tell it1 or to write it4 ,revelation1 therefore1 cannot be applied to anything done upon earth of which man is himself the actor or the witness2 and consequently all the historical and anecdotal part of the ,bible1 which is almost the whole of it1 is not within the meaning and compass of the word revelation1 and1 therefore1 is not the word of ,god4 ,when ,samson ran off with the gate-posts of ,gaza1 if he ever did so1 7and whether he did or not is nothing to us17 or when he visited his ,delilah1 or caught his foxes1 or did anything else1 what has revelation to do with these things8 ,if they were facts1 he could tell them himself2 or his secretary1 if he kept one1 could write them1 if they were worth either telling or writing2 and if they were fictions1 revelation could not make them true2 and whether true or not1 we are neither the better nor the wiser for knowing them4 ,when we contemplate the immensity of that ,being1 who directs and governs the incomprehensible ,,whole1 of which the utmost ken of human sight can discover but a part1 we ought to feel shame at calling such paltry stories the word of ,god4 ,as to the account of the creation1 with which the book of ,genesis opens1 it has all the appearance of being a tradition which the ,israelites had among them before they came into ,egypt2 and after their departure from that country1 they put it at the head of their history1 without telling1 as it is most probable that they did not know1 how they came by it4 ,the manner in which the account opens1 shows it to be traditionary4 ,it begins abruptly4 ,it is nobody that speaks4 ,it is nobody that hears4 ,it is addressed to nobody4 ,it has neither first1 second1 nor third person4 ,it has every criterion of being a tradition4 ,it has no voucher4 ,moses does not take it upon himself by introducing it with the formality that he uses on other occasions1 such as that of saying1 8,the ,lords spake unto ,moses1 saying40 ,why it has been called the ,mosaic account of the creation1 ,i am at a loss to conceive4 ,moses1 ,i believe1 was too good a judge of such subjects to put his name to that account4 ,he had been educated among the ,egyptians1 who were a people as well skilled in science1 and particularly in astronomy1 as any people of their day2 and the silence and caution that ,moses observes1 in not authenticating the account1 is a good negative evidence that he neither told it nor believed it4--,the case is1 that every nation of people has been world-makers1 and the ,israelites had as much right to set up the trade of world-making as any of the rest2 and as ,moses was not an ,israelite1 he might not chose to contradict the tradition4 ,the account1 however1 is harmless2 and this is more than can be said for many other parts of the ,bible4 ,whenever we read the obscene stories1 the voluptuous debaucheries1 the cruel and torturous executions1 the unrelenting vindictiveness1 with which more than half the ,bible ,,note3 ,it must be borne in mind that by the 8,bible0 ,paine always means the ,old ,testament alone4--,editor4 is filled1 it would be more consistent that we called it the word of a demon1 than the ,word of ,god4 ,it is a history of wickedness1 that has served to corrupt and brutalize mankind2 and1 for my own part1 ,i sincerely detest it1 as ,i detest everything that is cruel4 ,we scarcely meet with anything1 a few phrases excepted1 but what deserves either our abhorrence or our contempt1 till we come to the miscellaneous parts of the ,bible4 ,in the anonymous publications1 the ,psalms1 and the ,book of ,job1 more particularly in the latter1 we find a great deal of elevated sentiment reverentially expressed of the power and benignity of the ,almighty2 but they stand on no higher rank than many other compositions on similar subjects1 as well before that time as since4 ,the ,proverbs which are said to be ,solomon's1 though most probably a collection1 7because they discover a knowledge of life1 which his situation excluded him from knowing7 are an instructive table of ethics4 ,they are inferior in keenness to the proverbs of the ,spaniards1 and not more wise and oeconomical than those of the ,american ,franklin4 ,all the remaining parts of the ,bible1 generally known by the name of the ,prophets1 are the works of the ,jewish poets and itinerant preachers1 who mixed poetry1 anecdote1 and devotion together--and those works still retain the air and style of poetry1 though in translation4 ,,note3 ,as there are many readers who do not see that a composition is poetry1 unless it be in rhyme1 it is for their information that ,i add this note4 ,poetry consists principally in two things--imagery and composition4 ,the composition of poetry differs from that of prose in the manner of mixing long and short syllables together4 ,take a long syllable out of a line of poetry1 and put a short one in the room of it1 or put a long syllable where a short one should be1 and that line will lose its poetical harmony4 ,it will have an effect upon the line like that of misplacing a note in a song4 ,the imagery in those books called the ,prophets appertains altogether to poetry4 ,it is fictitious1 and often extravagant1 and not admissible in any other kind of writing than poetry4 ,to show that these writings are composed in poetical numbers1 ,i will take ten syllables1 as they stand in the book1 and make a line of the same number of syllables1 7heroic measure7 that shall rhyme with the last word4 ,it will then be seen that the composition of those books is poetical measure4 ,the instance ,i shall first produce is from ,isaiah3-- 8,hear1 ,o ye heavens1 and give ear1 ,o earth ',t is ,god himself that calls attention forth4 ,another instance ,i shall quote is from the mournful ,jeremiah1 to which ,i shall add two other lines1 for the purpose of carrying out the figure1 and showing the intention of the poet4 8,o1 that mine head were waters and mine eyes ,were fountains flowing like the liquid skies2 ,then would ,i give the mighty flood release ,and weep a deluge for the human race40--,author4 ,there is not1 throughout the whole book called the ,bible1 any word that describes to us what we call a poet1 nor any word that describes what we call poetry4 ,the case is1 that the word prophet1 to which a later times have affixed a new idea1 was the ,bible word for poet1 and the word #8propesying' meant the art of making poetry4 ,it also meant the art of playing poetry to a tune upon any instrument of music4 ,we read of prophesying with pipes1 tabrets1 and horns--of prophesying with harps1 with psalteries1 with cymbals1 and with every other instrument of music then in fashion4 ,were we now to speak of prophesying with a fiddle1 or with a pipe and tabor1 the expression would have no meaning1 or would appear ridiculous1 and to some people contemptuous1 because we have changed the meaning of the word4 ,we are told of ,saul being among the prophets1 and also that he prophesied2 but we are not told what they prophesied1 nor what he prophesied4 ,the case is1 there was nothing to tell2 for these prophets were a company of musicians and poets1 and ,saul joined in the concert1 and this was called prophesying4 ,the account given of this affair in the book called ,samuel1 is1 that ,saul met a company of prophets2 a whole company of them6 coming down with a psaltery1 a tabret1 a pipe1 and a harp1 and that they prophesied1 and that he prophesied with them4 ,but it appears afterwards1 that ,saul prophesied badly1 that is1 he performed his part badly2 for it is said that an 8evil spirit from ,god ,,note3 ,as those men who call themselves divines and commentators are very fond of puzzling one another1 ,i leave them to contest the meaning of the first part of the phrase1 that of an evil spirit of ,god4 ,i keep to my text4 ,i keep to the meaning of the word prophesy4--,author4 came upon ,saul1 and he prophesied40 ,now1 were there no other passage in the book called the ,bible1 than this1 to demonstrate to us that we have lost the original meaning of the word prophesy1 and substituted another meaning in its place1 this alone would be sufficient2 for it is impossible to use and apply the word prophesy1 in the place it is here used and applied1 if we give to it the sense which later times have affixed to it4 ,the manner in which it is here used strips it of all religious meaning1 and shews that a man might then be a prophet1 or he might ,prophesy1 as he may now be a poet or a musician1 without any regard to the morality or the immorality of his character4 ,the word was originally a term of science1 promiscuously applied to poetry and to music1 and not restricted to any subject upon which poetry and music might be exercised4 ,deborah and ,barak are called prophets1 not because they predicted anything1 but because they composed the poem or song that bears their name1 in celebration of an act already done4 ,david is ranked among the prophets1 for he was a musician1 and was also reputed to be 7though perhaps very erroneously7 the author of the ,psalms4 ,but ,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob are not called prophets2 it does not appear from any accounts we have1 that they could either sing1 play music1 or make poetry4 ,we are told of the greater and the lesser prophets4 ,they might as well tell us of the greater and the lesser ,god2 for there cannot be degrees in prophesying consistently with its modern sense4 ,but there are degrees in poetry1 and there-fore the phrase is reconcilable to the case1 when we understand by it the greater and the lesser poets4 ,it is altogether unnecessary1 after this1 to offer any observations upon what those men1 styled prophets1 have written4 ,the axe goes at once to the root1 by showing that the original meaning of the word has been mistaken1 and consequently all the inferences that have been drawn from those books1 the devotional respect that has been paid to them1 and the laboured commentaries that have been written upon them1 under that mistaken meaning1 are not worth disputing about4--,in many things1 however1 the writings of the ,jewish poets deserve a better fate than that of being bound up1 as they now are1 with the trash that accompanies them1 under the abused name of the ,word of ,god4 ,if we permit ourselves to conceive right ideas of things1 we must necessarily affix the idea1 not only of unchangeableness1 but of the utter impossibility of any change taking place1 by any means or accident whatever1 in that which we would honour with the name of the ,word of ,god2 and therefore the ,word of ,god cannot exist in any written or human language4 ,the continually progressive change to which the meaning of words is subject1 the want of an universal language which renders translation necessary1 the errors to which translations are again subject1 the mistakes of copyists and printers1 together with the possibility of wilful alteration1 are of themselves evidences that human language1 whether in speech or in print1 cannot be the vehicle of the ,word of ,god4--,the ,word of ,god exists in something else4 ,did the book called the ,bible excel in purity of ideas and expression all the books now extant in the world1 ,i would not take it for my rule of faith1 as being the ,word of ,god2 because the possibility would nevertheless exist of my being imposed upon4 ,but when ,i see throughout the greatest part of this book scarcely anything but a history of the grossest vices1 and a collection of the most paltry and contemptible tales1 ,i cannot dishonour my ,creator by calling it by his name4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,of ,,the ,,new ,,testament4 ,thus much for the ,bible2 ,i now go on to the book called the ,new ,testament4 ,the new ,testament6 that is1 the #8new' ,will1 as if there could be two wills of the ,creator4 ,had it been the object or the intention of ,jesus ,christ to establish a new religion1 he would undoubtedly have written the system himself1 or procured it to be written in his life time4 ,but there is no publication extant authenticated with his name4 ,all the books called the ,new ,testament were written after his death4 ,he was a ,jew by birth and by profession2 and he was the son of ,god in like manner that every other person is2 for the ,creator is the ,father of ,all4 ,the first four books1 called ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 and ,john1 do not give a history of the life of ,jesus ,christ1 but only detached anecdotes of him4 ,it appears from these books1 that the whole time of his being a preacher was not more than eighteen months2 and it was only during this short time that those men became acquainted with him4 ,they make mention of him at the age of twelve years1 sitting1 they say1 among the ,jewish doctors1 asking and answering them questions4 ,as this was several years before their acquaintance with him began1 it is most probable they had this anecdote from his parents4 ,from this time there is no account of him for about sixteen years4 ,where he lived1 or how he employed himself during this interval1 is not known4 ,most probably he was working at his father's trade1 which was that of a carpenter4 ,it does not appear that he had any school education1 and the probability is1 that he could not write1 for his parents were extremely poor1 as appears from their not being able to pay for a bed when he was born4 ,,note3 ,one of the few errors traceable to ,paine's not having a ,bible at hand while writing ,part ,i4 ,there is no indication that the family was poor1 but the reverse may in fact be inferred4--,editor4 ,it is somewhat curious that the three persons whose names are the most universally recorded were of very obscure parentage4 ,moses was a foundling2 ,jesus ,christ was born in a stable2 and ,mahomet was a mule driver4 ,the first and the last of these men were founders of different systems of religion2 but ,jesus ,christ founded no new system4 ,he called men to the practice of moral virtues1 and the belief of one ,god4 ,the great trait in his character is philanthropy4 ,the manner in which he was apprehended shows that he was not much known1 at that time2 and it shows also that the meetings he then held with his followers were in secret2 and that he had given over or suspended preaching publicly4 ,judas could no otherways betray him than by giving information where he was1 and pointing him out to the officers that went to arrest him2 and the reason for employing and paying ,judas to do this could arise only from the causes already mentioned1 that of his not being much known1 and living concealed4 ,the idea of his concealment1 not only agrees very ill with his reputed divinity1 but associates with it something of pusillanimity2 and his being betrayed1 or in other words1 his being apprehended1 on the information of one of his followers1 shows that he did not intend to be apprehended1 and consequently that he did not intend to be crucified4 ,the ,christian mythologists tell us that ,christ died for the sins of the world1 and that he came on ,purpose to die4 ,would it not then have been the same if he had died of a fever or of the small pox1 of old age1 or of anything else8 ,the declaratory sentence which1 they say1 was passed upon ,adam1 in case he ate of the apple1 was not1 that thou shalt surely be crucified1 but1 thou shale surely die4 ,the sentence was death1 and not the manner of dying4 ,crucifixion1 therefore1 or any other particular manner of dying1 made no part of the sentence that ,adam was to suffer1 and consequently1 even upon their own tactic1 it could make no part of the sentence that ,christ was to suffer in the room of ,adam4 ,a fever would have done as well as a cross1 if there was any occasion for either4 ,this sentence of death1 which1 they tell us1 was thus passed upon ,adam1 must either have meant dying naturally1 that is1 ceasing to live1 or have meant what these mythologists call damnation2 and consequently1 the act of dying on the part of ,jesus ,christ1 must1 according to their system1 apply as a prevention to one or other of these two things happening to ,adam and to us4 ,that it does not prevent our dying is evident1 because we all die2 and if their accounts of longevity be true1 men die faster since the crucifixion than before3 and with respect to the second explanation1 7including with it the natural death of ,jesus ,christ as a substitute for the eternal death or damnation of all mankind17 it is impertinently representing the ,creator as coming off1 or revoking the sentence1 by a pun or a quibble upon the word death4 ,that manufacturer of1 quibbles1 ,st4 ,paul1 if he wrote the books that bear his name1 has helped this quibble on by making another quibble upon the word ,adam4 ,he makes there to be two ,adams2 the one who sins in fact1 and suffers by proxy2 the other who sins by proxy1 and suffers in fact4 ,a religion thus interlarded with quibble1 subterfuge1 and pun1 has a tendency to instruct its professors in the practice of these arts4 ,they acquire the habit without being aware of the cause4 ,if ,jesus ,christ was the being which those mythologists tell us he was1 and that he came into this world to suffer1 which is a word they sometimes use instead of #8to die1' the only real suffering he could have endured would have been #8to live4' ,his existence here was a state of exilement or transportation from heaven1 and the way back to his original country was to die4--,in fine1 everything in this strange system is the reverse of what it pretends to be4 ,it is the reverse of truth1 and ,i become so tired of examining into its inconsistencies and absurdities1 that ,i hasten to the conclusion of it1 in order to proceed to something better4 ,how much1 or what parts of the books called the ,new ,testament1 were written by the persons whose names they bear1 is what we can know nothing of1 neither are we certain in what language they were originally written4 ,the matters they now contain may be classed under two heads3 anecdote1 and epistolary correspondence4 ,the four books already mentioned1 ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 and ,john1 are altogether anecdotal4 ,they relate events after they had taken place4 ,they tell what ,jesus ,christ did and said1 and what others did and said to him2 and in several instances they relate the same event differently4 ,revelation is necessarily out of the question with respect to those books2 not only because of the disagreement of the writers1 but because revelation cannot be applied to the relating of facts by the persons who saw them done1 nor to the relating or recording of any discourse or conversation by those who heard it4 ,the book called the ,acts of the ,apostles 7an anonymous work7 belongs also to the anecdotal part4 ,all the other parts of the ,new ,testament1 except the book of enigmas1 called the ,revelations1 are a collection of letters under the name of epistles2 and the forgery of letters has been such a common practice in the world1 that the probability is at least equal1 whether they are genuine or forged4 ,one thing1 however1 is much less equivocal1 which is1 that out of the matters contained in those books1 together with the assistance of some old stories1 the church has set up a system of religion very contradictory to the character of the person whose name it bears4 ,it has set up a religion of pomp and of revenue in pretended imitation of a person whose life was humility and poverty4 ,the invention of a purgatory1 and of the releasing of souls therefrom1 by prayers1 bought of the church with money2 the selling of pardons1 dispensations1 and indulgences1 are revenue laws1 without bearing that name or carrying that appearance4 ,but the case nevertheless is1 that those things derive their origin from the proxysm of the crucifixion1 and the theory deduced therefrom1 which was1 that one person could stand in the place of another1 and could perform meritorious services for him4 ,the probability1 therefore1 is1 that the whole theory or doctrine of what is called the redemption 7which is said to have been accomplished by the act of one person in the room of another7 was originally fabricated on purpose to bring forward and build all those secondary and pecuniary redemptions upon2 and that the passages in the books upon which the idea of theory of redemption is built1 have been manufactured and fabricated for that purpose4 ,why are we to give this church credit1 when she tells us that those books are genuine in every part1 any more than we give her credit for everything else she has told us2 or for the miracles she says she has performed8 ,that she could fabricate writings is certain1 because she could write2 and the composition of the writings in question1 is of that kind that anybody might do it2 and that she did fabricate them is not more inconsistent with probability1 than that she should tell us1 as she has done1 that she could and did work miracles4 ,since1 then1 no external evidence can1 at this long distance of time1 be produced to prove whether the church fabricated the doctrine called redemption or not1 7for such evidence1 whether for or against1 would be subject to the same suspicion of being fabricated17 the case can only be referred to the internal evidence which the thing carries of itself2 and this affords a very strong presumption of its being a fabrication4 ,for the internal evidence is1 that the theory or doctrine of redemption has for its basis an idea of pecuniary justice1 and not that of moral justice4 ,if ,i owe a person money1 and cannot pay him1 and he threatens to put me in prison1 another person can take the debt upon himself1 and pay it for me4 ,but if ,i have committed a crime1 every circumstance of the case is changed4 ,moral justice cannot take the innocent for the guilty even if the innocent would offer itself4 ,to suppose justice to do this1 is to destroy the principle of its existence1 which is the thing itself4 ,it is then no longer justice4 ,it is indiscriminate revenge4 ,this single reflection will show that the doctrine of redemption is founded on a mere pecuniary idea corresponding to that of a debt which another person might pay2 and as this pecuniary idea corresponds again with the system of second redemptions1 obtained through the means of money given to the church for pardons1 the probability is that the same persons fabricated both the one and the other of those theories2 and that1 in truth1 there is no such thing as redemption2 that it is fabulous2 and that man stands in the same relative condition with his ,maker he ever did stand1 since man existed2 and that it is his greatest consolation to think so4 ,let him believe this1 and he will live more consistently and morally1 than by any other system4 ,it is by his being taught to contemplate himself as an out-law1 as an out-cast1 as a beggar1 as a mumper1 as one thrown as it were on a dunghill1 at an immense distance from his ,creator1 and who must make his approaches by creeping1 and cringing to intermediate beings1 that he conceives either a contemptuous disregard for everything under the name of religion1 or becomes indifferent1 or turns what he calls devout4 ,in the latter case1 he consumes his life in grief1 or the affectation of it4 ,his prayers are reproaches4 ,his humility is ingratitude4 ,he calls himself a worm1 and the fertile earth a dunghill2 and all the blessings of life by the thankless name of vanities4 ,he despises the choicest gift of ,god to man1 the ,,gift ,,of ,,reason2 and having endeavoured to force upon himself the belief of a system against which reason revolts1 he ungratefully calls it human reason1 as if man could give reason to himself4 ,yet1 with all this strange appearance of humility1 and this contempt for human reason1 he ventures into the boldest presumptions4 ,he finds fault with everything4 ,his selfishness is never satisfied2 his ingratitude is never at an end4 ,he takes on himself to direct the ,almighty what to do1 even in the govemment of the universe4 ,he prays dictatorially4 ,when it is sunshine1 he prays for rain1 and when it is rain1 he prays for sunshine4 ,he follows the same idea in everything that he prays for2 for what is the amount of all his prayers1 but an attempt to make the ,almighty change his mind1 and act otherwise than he does8 ,it is as if he were to say--thou knowest not so well as ,i4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,in ,,what ,,the ,,true ,,revelation ,,consists4 ,but some perhaps will say--,are we to have no word of ,god--no revelation8 ,i answer yes4 ,there is a ,word of ,god2 there is a revelation4 ,,the ,,word ,,of ,,god ,,is ,,the ,,creation ,,we ,,behold3 ,and it is in this word1 which no human invention can counterfeit or alter1 that ,god speaketh universally to man4 ,human language is local and changeable1 and is therefore incapable of being used as the means of unchangeable and universal information4 ,the idea that ,god sent ,jesus ,christ to publish1 as they say1 the glad tidings to all nations1 from one end of the earth unto the other1 is consistent only with the ignorance of those who know nothing of the extent of the world1 and who believed1 as those world-saviours believed1 and continued to believe for several centuries1 7and that in contradiction to the discoveries of philosophers and the experience of navigators17 that the earth was flat like a trencher2 and that a man might walk to the end of it4 ,but how was ,jesus ,christ to make anything known to all nations8 ,he could speak but one language1 which was ,hebrew2 and there are in the world several hundred languages4 ,scarcely any two nations speak the same language1 or understand each other2 and as to translations1 every man who knows anything of languages1 knows that it is impossible to translate from one language into another1 not only without losing a great part of the original1 but frequently of mistaking the sense2 and besides all this1 the art of printing was wholly unknown at the time ,christ lived4 ,it is always necessary that the means that are to accomplish any end be equal to the accomplishment of that end1 or the end cannot be accomplished4 ,it is in this that the difference between finite and infinite power and wisdom discovers itself4 ,man frequently fails in accomplishing his end1 from a natural inability of the power to the purpose2 and frequently from the want of wisdom to apply power properly4 ,but it is impossible for infinite power and wisdom to fail as man faileth4 ,the means it useth are always equal to the end3 but human language1 more especially as there is not an universal language1 is incapable of being used as an universal means of unchangeable and uniform information2 and therefore it is not the means that ,god useth in manifesting himself universally to man4 ,it is only in the ,,creation that all our ideas and conceptions of a word of ,god can unite4 ,the ,creation speaketh an universal language1 independently of human speech or human language1 multiplied and various as they be4 ,it is an ever existing original1 which every man can read4 ,it cannot be forged2 it cannot be counterfeited2 it cannot be lost2 it cannot be altered2 it cannot be suppressed4 ,it does not depend upon the will of man whether it shall be published or not2 it publishes itself from one end of the earth to the other4 ,it preaches to all nations and to all worlds2 and this word of ,god reveals to man all that is necessary for man to know of ,god4 ,do we want to contemplate his power8 ,we see it in the immensity of the creation4 ,do we want to contemplate his wisdom8 ,we see it in the unchangeable order by which the incomprehensible ,whole is governed4 ,do we want to contemplate his munificence8 ,we see it in the abundance with which he fills the earth4 ,do we want to contemplate his mercy8 ,we see it in his not withholding that abundance even from the unthankful4 ,in fine1 do we want to know what ,god is8 ,search not the book called the scripture1 which any human hand might make1 but the scripture called the ,creation4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,concerning ,,god1 ,,and ,,the ,,lights ,,cast ,,on ,,his ,,existence ,,and ,,attributes ,,by ,,the ,,bible4 ,the only idea man can affix to the name of ,god1 is that of a first cause1 the cause of all things4 ,and1 incomprehensibly difficult as it is for a man to conceive what a first cause is1 he arrives at the belief of it1 from the tenfold greater difficulty of disbelieving it4 ,it is difficult beyond description to conceive that space can have no end2 but it is more difficult to conceive an end4 ,it is difficult beyond the power of man to conceive an eternal duration of what we call time2 but it is more impossible to conceive a time when there shall be no time4 ,in like manner of reasoning1 everything we behold carries in itself the internal evidence that it did not make itself4 ,every man is an evidence to himself1 that he did not make himself2 neither could his father make himself1 nor his grandfather1 nor any of his race2 neither could any tree1 plant1 or animal make itself2 and it is the conviction arising from this evidence1 that carries us on1 as it were1 by necessity1 to the belief of a first cause eternally existing1 of a nature totally different to any material existence we know of1 and by the power of which all things exist2 and this first cause1 man calls ,god4 ,it is only by the exercise of reason1 that man can discover ,god4 ,take away that reason1 and he would be incapable of understanding anything2 and in this case it would be just as consistent to read even the book called the ,bible to a horse as to a man4 ,how then is it that those people pretend to reject reason8 ,almost the only parts in the book called the ,bible1 that convey to us any idea of ,god1 are some chapters in ,job1 and the #aith ,psalm2 ,i recollect no other4 ,those parts are true deistical compositions2 for they treat of the ,deity through his works4 ,they take the book of ,creation as the word of ,god2 they refer to no other book2 and all the inferences they make are drawn from that volume4 ,i insert in this place the #aith ,psalm1 as paraphrased into ,english verse by ,addison4 ,i recollect not the prose1 and where ,i write this ,i have not the opportunity of seeing it3 ,the spacious firmament on high1 ,with all the blue etherial sky1 ,and spangled heavens1 a shining frame1 ,their great original proclaim4 ,the unwearied sun1 from day to day1 ,does his ,creator's power display1 ,and publishes to every land ,the work of an ,almighty hand4 ,soon as the evening shades prevail1 ,the moon takes up the wondrous tale1 ,and nightly to the list'ning earth ,repeats the story of her birth2 ,whilst all the stars that round her burn1 ,and all the planets1 in their turn1 ,confirm the tidings as they roll1 ,and spread the truth from pole to pole4 ,what though in solemn silence all ,move round this dark terrestrial ball ,what though no real voice1 nor sound1 ,amidst their radiant orbs be found1 ,in reason's ear they all rejoice1 ,and utter forth a glorious voice1 ,forever singing as they shine1 ,,the ,,hand ,,that ,,made ,,us ,,is ,,divine4 ,what more does man want to know1 than that the hand or power that made these things is divine1 is omnipotent8 ,let him believe this1 with the force it is impossible to repel if he permits his reason to act1 and his rule of moral life will follow of course4 ,the allusions in ,job have all of them the same tendency with this ,psalm2 that of deducing or proving a truth that would be otherwise unknown1 from truths already known4 ,i recollect not enough of the passages in ,job to insert them correctly2 but there is one that occurs to me that is applicable to the subject ,i am speaking upon4 8,canst thou by searching find out ,god2 canst thou find out the ,almighty to perfection80 ,i know not how the printers have pointed this passage1 for ,i keep no ,bible2 but it contains two distinct questions that admit of distinct answers4 ,first1 ,canst thou by searching find out ,god8 ,yes4 ,because1 in the first place1 ,i know ,i did not make myself1 and yet ,i have existence2 and by searching into the nature of other things1 ,i find that no other thing could make itself2 and yet millions of other things exist2 therefore it is1 that ,i know1 by positive conclusion resulting from this search1 that there is a power superior to all those things1 and that power is ,god4 ,secondly1 ,canst thou find out the ,almighty to perfection8 ,no4 ,not only because the power and wisdom ,he has manifested in the structure of the ,creation that ,i behold is to me incomprehensible2 but because even this manifestation1 great as it is is probably but a small display of that immensity of power and wisdom1 by which millions of other worlds1 to me invisible by their distance1 were created and continue to exist4 ,it is evident that both of these questions were put to the reason of the person to whom they are supposed to have been addressed2 and it is only by admitting the first question to be answered affirmatively1 that the second could follow4 ,it would have been unnecessary1 and even absurd1 to have put a second question1 more difficult than the first1 if the first question had been answered negatively4 ,the two questions have different objects2 the first refers to the existence of ,god1 the second to his attributes4 ,reason can discover the one1 but it falls infinitely short in discovering the whole of the other4 ,i recollect not a single passage in all the writings ascribed to the men called apostles1 that conveys any idea of what ,god is4 ,those writings are chiefly controversial2 and the gloominess of the subject they dwell upon1 that of a man dying in agony on a cross1 is better suited to the gloomy genius of a monk in a cell1 by whom it is not impossible they were written1 than to any man breathing the open air of the ,creation4 ,the only passage that occurs to me1 that has any reference to the works of ,god1 by which only his power and wisdom can be known1 is related to have been spoken by ,jesus ,christ1 as a remedy against distrustful care4 8,behold the lilies of the field1 they toil not1 neither do they spin40 ,this1 however1 is far inferior to the allusions in ,job and in the #aith ,psalm2 but it is similar in idea1 and the modesty of the imagery is correspondent to the modesty of the man4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,of ,,the ,,theology ,,of ,,the ,,christians2 ,,and ,,the ,,true ,,theology4 ,as to the ,christian system of faith1 it appears to me as a species of atheism2 a sort of religious denial of ,god4 ,it professes to believe in a man rather than in ,god4 ,it is a compound made up chiefly of man-ism with but little deism1 and is as near to atheism as twilight is to darkness4 ,it introduces between man and his ,maker an opaque body1 which it calls a redeemer1 as the moon introduces her opaque self between the earth and the sun1 and it produces by this means a religious or an irreligious eclipse of light4 ,it has put the whole orbit of reason into shade4 ,the effect of this obscurity has been that of turning everything upside down1 and representing it in reverse2 and among the revolutions it has thus magically produced1 it has made a revolution in ,theology4 ,that which is now called natural philosophy1 embracing the whole circle of science1 of which astronomy occupies the chief place1 is the study of the works of ,god1 and of the power and wisdom of ,god in his works1 and is the true theology4 ,as to the theology that is now studied in its place1 it is the study of human opinions and of human fancies concerning ,god4 ,it is not the study of ,god himself in the works that he has made1 but in the works or writings that man has made2 and it is not among the least of the mischiefs that the ,christian system has done to the world1 that it has abandoned the original and beautiful system of theology1 like a beautiful innocent1 to distress and reproach1 to make room for the hag of superstition4 ,the ,book of ,job and the #aith ,psalm1 which even the church admits to be more ancient than the chronological order in which they stand in the book called the ,bible1 are theological orations conformable to the original system of theology4 ,the internal evidence of those orations proves to a demonstration that the study and contemplation of the works of creation1 and of the power and wisdom of ,god revealed and manifested in those works1 made a great part of the religious devotion of the times in which they were written2 and it was this devotional study and contemplation that led to the discovery of the principles upon which what are now called ,sciences are established2 and it is to the discovery of these principles that almost all the ,arts that contribute to the convenience of human life owe their existence4 ,every principal art has some science for its parent1 though the person who mechanically performs the work does not always1 and but very seldom1 perceive the connection4 ,it is a fraud of the ,christian system to call the sciences #8human inventions2' it is only the application of them that is human4 ,every science has for its basis a system of principles as fixed and unalterable as those by which the universe is regulated and governed4 ,man cannot make principles1 he can only discover them4 ,for example3 ,every person who looks at an almanack sees an account when an eclipse will take place1 and he sees also that it never fails to take place according to the account there given4 ,this shows that man is acquainted with the laws by which the heavenly bodies move4 ,but it would be something worse than ignorance1 were any church on earth to say that those laws are an human invention4 ,it would also be ignorance1 or something worse1 to say that the scientific principles1 by the aid of which man is enabled to calculate and foreknow when an eclipse will take place1 are an human invention4 ,man cannot invent any thing that is eternal and immutable2 and the scientific principles he employs for this purpose must1 and are1 of necessity1 as eternal and immutable as the laws by which the heavenly bodies move1 or they could not be used as they are to ascertain the time when1 and the manner how1 an eclipse will take place4 ,the scientific principles that man employs to obtain the foreknowledge of an eclipse1 or of any thing else relating to the motion of the heavenly bodies1 are contained chiefly in that part of science that is called trigonometry1 or the properties of a triangle1 which1 when applied to the study of the heavenly bodies1 is called astronomy2 when applied to direct the course of a ship on the ocean1 it is called navigation2 when applied to the construction of figures drawn by a rule and compass1 it is called geometry2 when applied to the construction of plans of edifices1 it is called architecture2 when applied to the measurement of any portion of the surface of the earth1 it is called land-surveying4 ,in fine1 it is the soul of science4 ,it is an eternal truth3 it contains the mathematical demonstration of which man speaks1 and the extent of its uses are unknown4 ,it may be said1 that man can make or draw a triangle1 and therefore a triangle is an human invention4 ,but the triangle1 when drawn1 is no other than the image of the principle3 it is a delineation to the eye1 and from thence to the mind1 of a principle that would otherwise be imperceptible4 ,the triangle does not make the principle1 any more than a candle taken into a room that was dark1 makes the chairs and tables that before were invisible4 ,all the properties of a triangle exist independently of the figure1 and existed before any triangle was drawn or thought of by man4 ,man had no more to do in the formation of those properties or principles1 than he had to do in making the laws by which the heavenly bodies move2 and therefore the one must have the same divine origin as the other4 ,in the same manner as1 it may be said1 that man can make a triangle1 so also1 may it be said1 he can make the mechanical instrument called a lever4 ,but the principle by which the lever acts1 is a thing distinct from the instrument1 and would exist if the instrument did not2 it attaches itself to the instrument after it is made2 the instrument1 therefore1 can act no otherwise than it does act2 neither can all the efforts of human invention make it act otherwise4 ,that which1 in all such cases1 man calls the effect1 is no other than the principle itself rendered perceptible to the senses4 ,since1 then1 man cannot make principles1 from whence did he gain a knowledge of them1 so as to be able to apply them1 not only to things on earth1 but to ascertain the motion of bodies so immensely distant from him as all the heavenly bodies are8 ,from whence1 ,i ask1 could he gain that knowledge1 but from the study of the true theology8 ,it is the structure of the universe that has taught this knowledge to man4 ,that structure is an ever-existing exhibition of every principle upon which every part of mathematical science is founded4 ,the offspring of this science is mechanics2 for mechanics is no other than the principles of science applied practically4 ,the man who proportions the several parts of a mill uses the same scientific principles as if he had the power of constructing an universe1 but as he cannot give to matter that invisible agency by which all the component parts of the immense machine of the universe have influence upon each other1 and act in motional unison together1 without any apparent contact1 and to which man has given the name of attraction1 gravitation1 and repulsion1 he supplies the place of that agency by the humble imitation of teeth and cogs4 ,all the parts of man's microcosm must visibly touch4 ,but could he gain a knowledge of that agency1 so as to be able to apply it in practice1 we might then say that another canonical book of the word of ,god had been discovered4 ,if man could alter the properties of the lever1 so also could he alter the properties of the triangle3 for a lever 7taking that sort of lever which is called a steel-yard1 for the sake of explanation7 forms1 when in motion1 a triangle4 ,the line it descends from1 7one point of that line being in the fulcrum17 the line it descends to1 and the chord of the arc1 which the end of the lever describes in the air1 are the three sides of a triangle4 ,the other arm of the lever describes also a triangle2 and the corresponding sides of those two triangles1 calculated scientifically1 or measured geometrically1--and also the sines1 tangents1 and secants generated from the angles1 and geometrically measured1--have the same proportions to each other as the different weights have that will balance each other on the lever1 leaving the weight of the lever out of the case4 ,it may also be said1 that man can make a wheel and axis2 that he can put wheels of different magnitudes together1 and produce a mill4 ,still the case comes back to the same point1 which is1 that he did not make the principle that gives the wheels those powers4 ,this principle is as unalterable as in the former cases1 or rather it is the same principle under a different appearance to the eye4 ,the power that two wheels of different magnitudes have upon each other is in the same proportion as if the semi-diameter of the two wheels were joined together and made into that kind of lever ,i have described1 suspended at the part where the semi-diameters join2 for the two wheels1 scientifically considered1 are no other than the two circles generated by the motion of the compound lever4 ,it is from the study of the true theology that all our knowledge of science is derived2 and it is from that knowledge that all the arts have originated4 ,the ,almighty lecturer1 by displaying the principles of science in the structure of the universe1 has invited man to study and to imitation4 ,it is as if he had said to the inhabitants of this globe that we call ours1 8,i have made an earth for man to dwell upon1 and ,i have rendered the starry heavens visible1 to teach him science and the arts4 ,he can now provide for his own comfort1 ,,and ,,learn ,,from ,,my ,,munificence ,,to ,,all1 ,,to ,,be ,,kind ,,to ,,each ,,other40 ,of what use is it1 unless it be to teach man something1 that his eye is endowed with the power of beholding1 to an incomprehensible distance1 an immensity of worlds revolving in the ocean of space8 ,or of what use is it that this immensity of worlds is visible to man8 ,what has man to do with the ,pleiades1 with ,orion1 with ,sirius1 with the star he calls the north star1 with the moving orbs he has named ,saturn1 ,jupiter1 ,mars1 ,venus1 and ,mercury1 if no uses are to follow from their being visible8 ,a less power of vision would have been sufficient for man1 if the immensity he now possesses were given only to waste itself1 as it were1 on an immense desert of space glittering with shows4 ,it is only by contemplating what he calls the starry heavens1 as the book and school of science1 that he discovers any use in their being visible to him1 or any advantage resulting from his immensity of vision4 ,but when he contemplates the subject in this light1 he sees an additional motive for saying1 that nothing was made in vain2 for in vain would be this power of vision if it taught man nothing4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,the ,,effects ,,of ,,christianism ,,on ,,education2 ,,proposed ,,reforms ,as the ,christian system of faith has made a revolution in theology1 so also has it made a revolution in the state of learning4 ,that which is now called learning1 was not learning originally4 ,learning does not consist1 as the schools now make it consist1 in the knowledge of languages1 but in the knowledge of things to which language gives names4 ,the ,greeks were a learned people1 but learning with them did not consist in speaking ,greek1 any more than in a ,roman's speaking ,latin1 or a ,frenchman's speaking ,french1 or an ,englishman's speaking ,english4 ,from what we know of the ,greeks1 it does not appear that they knew or studied any language but their own1 and this was one cause of their becoming so learned2 it afforded them more time to apply themselves to better studies4 ,the schools of the ,greeks were schools of science and philosophy1 and not of languages2 and it is in the knowledge of the things that science and philosophy teach that learning consists4 ,almost all the scientific learning that now exists1 came to us from the ,greeks1 or the people who spoke the ,greek language4 ,it therefore became necessary to the people of other nations1 who spoke a different language1 that some among them should learn the ,greek language1 in order that the learning the ,greeks had might be made known in those nations1 by translating the ,greek books of science and philosophy into the mother tongue of each nation4 ,the study1 therefore1 of the ,greek language 7and in the same manner for the ,latin7 was no other than the drudgery business of a linguist2 and the language thus obtained1 was no other than the means1 or as it were the tools1 employed to obtain the learning the ,greeks had4 ,it made no part of the learning itself2 and was so distinct from it as to make it exceedingly probable that the persons who had studied ,greek sufficiently to translate those works1 such for instance as ,euclid's ,elements1 did not understand any of the learning the works contained4 ,as there is now nothing new to be learned from the dead languages1 all the useful books being already translated1 the languages are become useless1 and the time expended in teaching and in learning them is wasted4 ,so far as the study of languages may contribute to the progress and communication of knowledge 7for it has nothing to do with the creation of knowledge7 it is only in the living languages that new knowledge is to be found2 and certain it is1 that1 in general1 a youth will learn more of a living language in one year1 than of a dead language in seven2 and it is but seldom that the teacher knows much of it himself4 ,the difficulty of learning the dead languages does not arise from any superior abstruseness in the languages themselves1 but in their being dead1 and the pronunciation entirely lost4 ,it would be the same thing with any other language when it becomes dead4 ,the best ,greek linguist that now exists does not understand ,greek so well as a ,grecian plowman did1 or a ,grecian milkmaid2 and the same for the ,latin1 compared with a plowman or a milkmaid of the ,romans2 and with respect to pronunciation and idiom1 not so well as the cows that she milked4 ,it would therefore be advantageous to the state of learning to abolish the study of the dead languages1 and to make learning consist1 as it originally did1 in scientific knowledge4 ,the apology that is sometimes made for continuing to teach the dead languages is1 that they are taught at a time when a child is not capable of exerting any other mental faculty than that of memory4 ,but this is altogether erroneous4 ,the human mind has a natural disposition to scientific knowledge1 and to the things connected with it4 ,the first and favourite amusement of a child1 even before it begins to play1 is that of imitating the works of man4 ,it builds houses with cards or sticks2 it navigates the little ocean of a bowl of water with a paper boat2 or dams the stream of a gutter1 and contrives something which it calls a mill2 and it interests itself in the fate of its works with a care that resembles affection4 ,it afterwards goes to school1 where its genius is killed by the barren study of a dead language1 and the philosopher is lost in the linguist4 ,but the apology that is now made for continuing to teach the dead languages1 could not be the cause at first of cutting down learning to the narrow and humble sphere of linguistry2 the cause therefore must be sought for elsewhere4 ,in all researches of this kind1 the best evidence that can be produced1 is the internal evidence the thing carries with itself1 and the evidence of circumstances that unites with it2 both of which1 in this case1 are not difficult to be discovered4 ,putting then aside1 as matter of distinct consideration1 the outrage offered to the moral justice of ,god1 by supposing him to make the innocent suffer for the guilty1 and also the loose morality and low contrivance of supposing him to change himself into the shape of a man1 in order to make an excuse to himself for not executing his supposed sentence upon ,adam2 putting1 ,i say1 those things aside as matter of distinct consideration1 it is certain that what is called the christian system of faith1 including in it the whimsical account of the creation--the strange story of ,eve1 the snake1 and the apple--the amphibious idea of a man-god--the corporeal idea of the death of a god--the mythological idea of a family of gods1 and the christian system of arithmetic1 that three are one1 and one is three1 are all irreconcilable1 not only to the divine gift of reason1 that ,god has given to man1 but to the knowledge that man gains of the power and wisdom of ,god by the aid of the sciences1 and by studying the structure of the universe that ,god has made4 ,the setters up1 therefore1 and the advocates of the ,christian system of faith1 could not but foresee that the continually progressive knowledge that man would gain by the aid of science1 of the power and wisdom of ,god1 manifested in the structure of the universe1 and in all the works of creation1 would militate against1 and call into question1 the truth of their system of faith2 and therefore it became necessary to their purpose to cut learning down to a size less dangerous to their project1 and this they effected by restricting the idea of learning to the dead study of dead languages4 ,they not only rejected the study of science out of the christian schools1 but they persecuted it2 and it is only within about the last two centuries that the study has been revived4 ,so late as #afaj1 ,galileo1 a ,florentine1 discovered and introduced the use of telescopes1 and by applying them to observe the motions and appearances of the heavenly bodies1 afforded additional means for ascertaining the true structure of the universe4 ,instead of being esteemed for these discoveries1 he was sentenced to renounce them1 or the opinions resulting from them1 as a damnable heresy4 ,and prior to that time ,virgilius was condemned to be burned for asserting the antipodes1 or in other words1 that the earth was a globe1 and habitable in every part where there was land2 yet the truth of this is now too well known even to be told4 ,,note3 ,i cannot discover the source of this statement concerning the ancient author whose ,irish name ,feirghill was ,latinized into ,virgilius4 ,the ,british ,museum possesses a copy of the work 7,decalogiunt7 which was the pretext of the charge of heresy made by ,boniface1 ,archbishop of ,mayence1 against ,virgilius1 ,abbot--bishop of ,salzburg1 ,these were leaders of the rival 8,british0 and 8,roman parties1 and the ,british champion made a countercharge against ,boniface of irreligious practices40 ,boniface had to express a 8regret10 but none the less pursued his rival4 ,the ,pope1 ,zachary ,,ii41 decided that if his alleged 8doctrine1 against ,god and his soul1 that beneath the earth there is another world1 other men1 or sun and moon10 should be acknowledged by ,virgilius1 he should be excommunicated by a ,council and condemned with canonical sanctions4 ,whatever may have been the fate involved by condemnation with 8canonicis sanctionibus10 in the middle of the eighth century1 it did not fall on ,virgilius4 ,his accuser1 ,boniface1 was martyred1 #gee1 and it is probable that ,virgilius harmonied his ,antipodes with orthodoxy4 ,the gravamen of the heresy seems to have been the suggestion that there were men not of the progeny of ,adam4 ,virgilius was made ,bishop of ,salzburg in #gfh4 ,he bore until his death1 #ghi1 the curious title1 8,geometer and ,solitary10 or 8lone wayfarer0 7,solivagus74 ,a suspicion of heresy clung to his memory until #abcc1 when he was raised by ,gregory ,,ix1 to sainthood beside his accuser1 ,st4 ,boniface4--,editor4 7,conway7 ,if the belief of errors not morally bad did no mischief1 it would make no part of the moral duty of man to oppose and remove them4 ,there was no moral ill in believing the earth was flat like a trencher1 any more than there was moral virtue in believing it was round like a globe2 neither was there any moral ill in believing that the ,creator made no other world than this1 any more than there was moral virtue in believing that he made millions1 and that the infinity of space is filled with worlds4 ,but when a system of religion is made to grow out of a supposed system of creation that is not true1 and to unite itself therewith in a manner almost inseparable therefrom1 the case assumes an entirely different ground4 ,it is then that errors1 not morally bad1 become fraught with the same mischiefs as if they were4 ,it is then that the truth1 though otherwise indifferent itself1 becomes an essential1 by becoming the criterion that either confirms by corresponding evidence1 or denies by contradictory evidence1 the reality of the religion itself4 ,in this view of the case it is the moral duty of man to obtain every possible evidence that the structure of the heavens1 or any other part of creation affords1 with respect to systems of religion4 ,but this1 the supporters or partizans of the christian system1 as if dreading the result1 incessantly opposed1 and not only rejected the sciences1 but persecuted the professors4 ,had ,newton or ,descartes lived three or four hundred years ago1 and pursued their studies as they did1 it is most probable they would not have lived to finish them2 and had ,franklin drawn lightning from the clouds at the same time1 it would have been at the hazard of expiring for it in flames4 ,later times have laid all the blame upon the ,goths and ,vandals1 but1 however unwilling the partizans of the ,christian system may be to believe or to acknowledge it1 it is nevertheless true1 that the age of ignorance commenced with the ,christian system4 ,there was more knowledge in the world before that period1 than for many centuries afterwards2 and as to religious knowledge1 the ,christian system1 as already said1 was only another species of mythology2 and the mythology to which it succeeded1 was a corruption of an ancient system of theism4 ,,note by ,paine3 ,it is impossible for us now to know at what time the heathen mythology began2 but it is certain1 from the internal evidence that it carries1 that it did not begin in the same state or condition in which it ended4 ,all the gods of that mythology1 except ,saturn1 were of modern invention4 ,the supposed reign of ,saturn was prior to that which is called the heathen mythology1 and was so far a species of theism that it admitted the belief of only one ,god4 ,saturn is supposed to have abdicated the govemment in favour of his three sons and one daughter1 ,jupiter1 ,pluto1 ,neptune1 and ,juno2 after this1 thousands of other gods and demigods were imaginarily created1 and the calendar of gods increased as fast as the calendar of saints and the calendar of courts have increased since4 ,all the corruptions that have taken place1 in theology and in religion have been produced by admitting of what man calls #8revealed religion4' ,the mythologists pretended to more revealed religion than the christians do4 ,they had their oracles and their priests1 who were supposed to receive and deliver the word of ,god verbally on almost all occasions4 ,since then all corruptions down from ,moloch to modern predestinarianism1 and the human sacrifices of the heathens to the christian sacrifice of the ,creator1 have been produced by admitting of what is called revealed religion1 the most effectual means to prevent all such evils and impositions is1 not to admit of any other revelation than that which is manifested in the book of ,creation41 and to contemplate the ,creation as the only true and real word of ,god that ever did or ever will exist2 and every thing else called the word of ,god is fable and imposition4--,author4 ,it is owing to this long interregnum of science1 and to no other cause1 that we have now to look back through a vast chasm of many hundred years to the respectable characters we call the ,ancients4 ,had the progression of knowledge gone on proportionably with the stock that before existed1 that chasm would have been filled up with characters rising superior in knowledge to each other2 and those ,ancients we now so much admire would have appeared respectably in the background of the scene4 ,but the christian system laid all waste2 and if we take our stand about the beginning of the sixteenth century1 we look back through that long chasm1 to the times of the ,ancients1 as over a vast sandy desert1 in which not a shrub appears to intercept the vision to the fertile hills beyond4 ,it is an inconsistency scarcely possible to be credited1 that any thing should exist1 under the name of a religion1 that held it to be irreligious to study and contemplate the structure of the universe that ,god had made4 ,but the fact is too well established to be denied4 ,the event that served more than any other to break the first link in this long chain of despotic ignorance1 is that known by the name of the ,reformation by ,luther4 ,from that time1 though it does not appear to have made any part of the intention of ,luther1 or of those who are called ,reformers1 the ,sciences began to revive1 and ,liberality1 their natural associate1 began to appear4 ,this was the only public good the ,reformation did2 for1 with respect to religious good1 it might as well not have taken place4 ,the mythology still continued the same2 and a multiplicity of ,national ,popes grew out of the downfall of the ,pope of ,christendom4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,comparison ,,of ,,christianism ,,with ,,the ,,religious ,,ideas ,,inspired ,,by ,,nature ,having thus shewn1 from the internal evidence of things1 the cause that produced a change in the state of learning1 and the motive for substituting the study of the dead languages1 in the place of the ,sciences1 ,i proceed1 in addition to the several observations already made in the former part of this work1 to compare1 or rather to confront1 the evidence that the structure of the universe affords1 with the christian system of religion4 ,but as ,i cannot begin this part better than by referring to the ideas that occurred to me at an early part of life1 and which ,i doubt not have occurred in some degree to almost every other person at one time or other1 ,i shall state what those ideas were1 and add thereto such other matter as shall arise out of the subject1 giving to the whole1 by way of preface1 a short introduction4 ,my father being of the quaker profession1 it was my good fortune to have an exceedingly good moral education1 and a tolerable stock of useful learning4 ,though ,i went to the grammar school1 ,i did not learn ,latin1 not only because ,i had no inclination to learn languages1 but because of the objection the quakers have against the books in which the language is taught4 ,but this did not prevent me from being acquainted with the subjects of all the ,latin books used in the school4 ,the natural bent of my mind was to science4 ,i had some turn1 and ,i believe some talent for poetry2 but this ,i rather repressed than encouraged1 as leading too much into the field of imagination4 ,as soon as ,i was able1 ,i purchased a pair of globes1 and attended the philosophical lectures of ,martin and ,ferguson1 and became afterwards acquainted with ,dr4 ,bevis1 of the society called the ,royal ,society1 then living in the ,temple1 and an excellent astronomer4 ,i had no disposition for what was called politics4 ,it presented to my mind no other idea than is contained in the word jockeyship4 ,when1 therefore1 ,i turned my thoughts towards matters of government1 ,i had to form a system for myself1 that accorded with the moral and philosophic principles in which ,i had been educated4 ,i saw1 or at least ,i thought ,i saw1 a vast scene opening itself to the world in the affairs of ,america2 and it appeared to me1 that unless the ,americans changed the plan they were then pursuing1 with respect to the government of ,england1 and declared themselves independent1 they would not only involve themselves in a multiplicity of new difficulties1 but shut out the prospect that was then offering itself to mankind through their means4 ,it was from these motives that ,i published the work known by the name of ,common ,sense1 which is the first work ,i ever did publish1 and so far as ,i can judge of myself1 ,i believe ,i should never have been known in the world as an author on any subject whatever1 had it not been for the affairs of ,america4 ,i wrote ,common ,sense the latter end of the year #agge1 and published it the first of ,january1 #aggf4 ,independence was declared the fourth of ,july following4 ,,note3 ,the pamphlet ,common ,sense was first advertised1 as 8just published10 on ,january #aj1 #aggf4 ,his plea for the ,officers of ,excise1 written before leaving ,england1 was printed1 but not published until #agic4 ,despite his reiterated assertion that ,common ,sense was the first work he ever published the notion that he was 8junius0 still finds some believers4 ,an indirect comment on our ,paine-,junians may be found in ,part #b of this work where ,paine says a man capable of writing ,homer 8would not have thrown away his own fame by giving it to another40 ,it is probable that ,paine ascribed the ,letters of ,junius to ,thomas ,hollis4 ,his friend ,f4 ,lanthenas1 in his translation of the ,age of ,reason 7#agid7 advertises his translation of the ,letters of ,junius from the ,english 87,thomas ,hollis740 ,this he could hardly have done without consultation with ,paine4 ,unfortunately this translation of ,junius cannot be found either in the ,bibliotheque ,nationale or the ,british ,museum1 and it cannot be said whether it contains any attempt at an identification of ,junius--,editor4 ,any person1 who has made observations on the state and progress of the human mind1 by observing his own1 can not but have observed1 that there are two distinct classes of what are called ,thoughts2 those that we produce in ourselves by reflection and the act of thinking1 and those that bolt into the mind of their own accord4 ,i have always made it a rule to treat those voluntary visitors with civility1 taking care to examine1 as well as ,i was able1 if they were worth entertaining2 and it is from them ,i have acquired almost all the knowledge that ,i have4 ,as to the learning that any person gains from school education1 it serves only1 like a small capital1 to put him in the way of beginning learning for himself afterwards4 ,every person of learning is finally his own teacher2 the reason of which is1 that principles1 being of a distinct quality to circumstances1 cannot be impressed upon the memory2 their place of mental residence is the understanding1 and they are never so lasting as when they begin by conception4 ,thus much for the introductory part4 ,from the time ,i was capable of conceiving an idea1 and acting upon it by reflection1 ,i either doubted the truth of the christian system1 or thought it to be a strange affair2 ,i scarcely knew which it was3 but ,i well remember1 when about seven or eight years of age1 hearing a sermon read by a relation of mine1 who was a great devotee of the church1 upon the subject of what is called ,redemption by the death of the ,son of ,god4 ,after the sermon was ended1 ,i went into the garden1 and as ,i was going down the garden steps 7for ,i perfectly recollect the spot7 ,i revolted at the recollection of what ,i had heard1 and thought to myself that it was making ,god ,almighty act like a passionate man1 that killed his son1 when he could not revenge himself any other way2 and as ,i was sure a man would be hanged that did such a thing1 ,i could not see for what purpose they preached such sermons4 ,this was not one of those kind of thoughts that had any thing in it of childish levity2 it was to me a serious reflection1 arising from the idea ,i had that ,god was too good to do such an action1 and also too almighty to be under any necessity of doing it4 ,i believe in the same manner to this moment2 and ,i moreover believe1 that any system of religion that has anything in it that shocks the mind of a child1 cannot be a true system4 ,it seems as if parents of the christian profession were ashamed to tell their children any thing about the principles of their religion4 ,they sometimes instruct them in morals1 and talk to them of the goodness of what they call ,providence2 for the ,christian mythology has five deities3 there is ,god the ,father1 ,god the ,son1 ,god the ,holy ,ghost1 the ,god ,providence1 and the ,goddess ,nature4 ,but the christian story of ,god the ,father putting his son to death1 or employing people to do it1 7for that is the plain language of the story17 cannot be told by a parent to a child2 and to tell him that it was done to make mankind happier and better1 is making the story still worse2 as if mankind could be improved by the example of murder2 and to tell him that all this is a mystery1 is only making an excuse for the incredibility of it4 ,how different is this to the pure and simple profession of ,deism6 ,the true deist has but one ,deity2 and his religion consists in contemplating the power1 wisdom1 and benignity of the ,deity in his works1 and in endeavouring to imitate him in every thing moral1 scientifical1 and mechanical4 ,the religion that approaches the nearest of all others to true ,deism1 in the moral and benign part thereof1 is that professed by the quakers3 but they have contracted themselves too much by leaving the works of ,god out of their system4 ,though ,i reverence their philanthropy1 ,i can not help smiling at the conceit1 that if the taste of a quaker could have been consulted at the creation1 what a silent and drab-colored creation it would have been6 ,not a flower would have blossomed its gaieties1 nor a bird been permitted to sing4 ,quitting these reflections1 ,i proceed to other matters4 ,after ,i had made myself master of the use of the globes1 and of the orrery1 ,,note by ,paine3 ,as this book may fall into the bands of persons who do not know what an orrery is1 it is for their information ,i add this note1 as the name gives no idea of the uses of the thing4 ,the orrery has its name from the person who invented it4 ,it is a machinery of clock-work1 representing the universe in miniature3 and in which the revolution of the earth round itself and round the sun1 the revolution of the moon round the earth1 the revolution of the planets round the sun1 their relative distances from the sun1 as the center of the whole system1 their relative distances from each other1 and their different magnitudes1 are represented as they really exist in what we call the heavens4--,author4 and conceived an idea of the infinity of space1 and of the eternal divisibility of matter1 and obtained1 at least1 a general knowledge of what was called natural philosophy1 ,i began to compare1 or1 as ,i have before said1 to confront1 the internal evidence those things afford with the christian system of faith4 ,though it is not a direct article of the christian system that this world that we inhabit is the whole of the habitable creation1 yet it is so worked up therewith1 from what is called the ,mosaic account of the creation1 the story of ,eve and the apple1 and the counterpart of that story1 the death of the ,son of ,god1 that to believe otherwise1 that is1 to believe that ,god created a plurality of worlds1 at least as numerous as what we call stars1 renders the christian system of faith at once little and ridiculous2 and scatters it in the mind like feathers in the air4 ,the two beliefs can not be held together in the same mind2 and he who thinks that he believes both1 has thought but little of either4 ,though the belief of a plurality of worlds was familiar to the ancients1 it is only within the last three centuries that the extent and dimensions of this globe that we inhabit have been ascertained4 ,several vessels1 following the tract of the ocean1 have sailed entirely round the world1 as a man may march in a circle1 and come round by the contrary side of the circle to the spot he set out from4 ,the circular dimensions of our world1 in the widest part1 as a man would measure the widest round of an apple1 or a ball1 is only twenty-five thousand and twenty ,english miles1 reckoning sixty-nine miles and an half to an equatorial degree1 and may be sailed round in the space of about three years4 ,,note by ,paine3 ,allowing a ship to sail1 on an average1 three miles in an hour1 she would sail entirely round the world in less than one year1 if she could sail in a direct circle1 but she is obliged to follow the course of the ocean4--,author4 ,a world of this extent may1 at first thought1 appear to us to be great2 but if we compare it with the immensity of space in which it is suspended1 like a bubble or a balloon in the air1 it is infinitely less in proportion than the smallest grain of sand is to the size of the world1 or the finest particle of dew to the whole ocean1 and is therefore but small2 and1 as will be hereafter shown1 is only one of a system of worlds1 of which the universal creation is composed4 ,it is not difficult to gain some faint idea of the immensity of space in which this and all the other worlds are suspended1 if we follow a progression of ideas4 ,when we think of the size or dimensions of1 a room1 our ideas limit themselves to the walls1 and there they stop4 ,but when our eye1 or our imagination darts into space1 that is1 when it looks upward into what we call the open air1 we cannot conceive any walls or boundaries it can have2 and if for the sake of resting our ideas we suppose a boundary1 the question immediately renews itself1 and asks1 what is beyond that boundary8 and in the same manner1 what beyond the next boundary8 and so on till the fatigued imagination returns and says1 there is no end4 ,certainly1 then1 the ,creator was not pent for room when he made this world no larger than it is2 and we have to seek the reason in something else4 ,if we take a survey of our own world1 or rather of this1 of which the ,creator has given us the use as our portion in the immense system of creation1 we find every part of it1 the earth1 the waters1 and the air that surround it1 filled1 and as it were crowded with life1 down from the largest animals that we know of to the smallest insects the naked eye can behold1 and from thence to others still smaller1 and totally invisible without the assistance of the microscope4 ,every tree1 every plant1 every leaf1 serves not only as an habitation1 but as a world to some numerous race1 till animal existence becomes so exceedingly refined1 that the effluvia of a blade of grass would be food for thousands4 ,since then no part of our earth is left unoccupied1 why is it to be supposed that the immensity of space is a naked void1 lying in eternal waste8 ,there is room for millions of worlds as large or larger than ours1 and each of them millions of miles apart from each other4 ,having now arrived at this point1 if we carry our ideas only one thought further1 we shall see1 perhaps1 the true reason1 at least a very good reason for our happiness1 why the ,creator1 instead of making one immense world1 extending over an immense quantity of space1 has preferred dividing that quantity of matter into several distinct and separate worlds1 which we call planets1 of which our earth is one4 ,but before ,i explain my ideas upon this subject1 it is necessary 7not for the sake of those that already know1 but for those who do not7 to show what the system of the universe is4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,,system ,,of ,,the ,,universe4 ,that part of the universe that is called the solar system 7meaning the system of worlds to which our earth belongs1 and of which ,sol1 or in ,english language1 the ,sun1 is the center7 consists1 besides the ,sun1 of six distinct orbs1 or planets1 or worlds1 besides the secondary bodies1 called the satellites1 or moons1 of which our earth has one that attends her in her annual revolution round the ,sun1 in like manner as the other satellites or moons1 attend the planets or worlds to which they severally belong1 as may be seen by the assistance of the telescope4 ,the ,sun is the center round which those six worlds or planets revolve at different distances therefrom1 and in circles concentric to each other4 ,each world keeps constantly in nearly the same tract round the ,sun1 and continues at the same time turning round itself1 in nearly an upright position1 as a top turns round itself when it is spinning on the ground1 and leans a little sideways4 ,it is this leaning of the earth 7#bc #a_/b degrees7 that occasions summer and winter1 and the different length of days and nights4 ,if the earth turned round itself in a position perpendicular to the plane or level of the circle it moves in round the ,sun1 as a top turns round when it stands erect on the ground1 the days and nights would be always of the same length1 twelve hours day and twelve hours night1 and the season would be uniformly the same throughout the year4 ,every time that a planet 7our earth for example7 turns round itself1 it makes what we call day and night2 and every time it goes entirely round the ,sun1 it makes what we call a year1 consequently our world turns three hundred and sixty-five times round itself1 in going once round the ,sun4 ,the names that the ancients gave to those six worlds1 and which are still called by the same names1 are ,mercury1 ,venus1 this world that we call ours1 ,mars1 ,jupiter1 and ,saturn4 ,they appear larger to the eye than the stars1 being many million miles nearer to our earth than any of the stars are4 ,the planet ,venus is that which is called the evening star1 and sometimes the morning star1 as she happens to set after1 or rise before the ,sun1 which in either case is never more than three hours4 ,the ,sun as before said being the center1 the planet or world nearest the ,sun is ,mercury2 his distance from the ,sun is thirty-four million miles1 and he moves round in a circle always at that distance from the ,sun1 as a top may be supposed to spin round in the tract in which a horse goes in a mill4 ,the second world is ,venus2 she is fifty-seven million miles distant from the ,sun1 and consequently moves round in a circle much greater than that of ,mercury4 ,the third world is this that we inhabit1 and which is eighty-eight million miles distant from the ,sun1 and consequently moves round in a circle greater than that of ,venus4 ,the fourth world is ,mars2 he is distant from the sun one hundred and thirty-four million miles1 and consequently moves round in a circle greater than that of our earth4 ,the fifth is ,jupiter2 he is distant from the ,sun five hundred and fifty-seven million miles1 and consequently moves round in a circle greater than that of ,mars4 ,the sixth world is ,saturn2 he is distant from the ,sun seven hundred and sixty-three million miles1 and consequently moves round in a circle that surrounds the circles or orbits of all the other worlds or planets4 ,the space1 therefore1 in the air1 or in the immensity of space1 that our solar system takes up for the several worlds to perform their revolutions in round the ,sun1 is of the extent in a strait line of the whole diameter of the orbit or circle in which ,saturn moves round the ,sun1 which being double his distance from the ,sun1 is fifteen hundred and twenty-six million miles2 and its circular extent is nearly five thousand million2 and its globical content is almost three thousand five hundred million times three thousand five hundred million square miles4 ,,note by ,paine3 ,if it should be asked1 how can man know these things8 ,i have one plain answer to give1 which is1 that man knows how to calculate an eclipse1 and also how to calculate to a minute of time when the planet ,venus1 in making her revolutions round the ,sun1 will come in a strait line between our earth and the ,sun1 and will appear to us about the size of a large pea passing across the face of the ,sun4 ,this happens but twice in about a hundred years1 at the distance of about eight years from each other1 and has happened twice in our time1 both of which were foreknown by calculation4 ,it can also be known when they will happen again for a thousand years to come1 or to any other portion of time4 ,as therefore1 man could not be able to do these things if he did not understand the solar system1 and the manner in which the revolutions of the several planets or worlds are performed1 the fact of calculating an eclipse1 or a transit of ,venus1 is a proof in point that the knowledge exists2 and as to a few thousand1 or even a few million miles1 more or less1 it makes scarcely any sensible difference in such immense distances4--,author4 ,but this1 immense as it is1 is only one system of worlds4 ,beyond this1 at a vast distance into space1 far beyond all power of calculation1 are the stars called the fixed stars4 ,they are called fixed1 because they have no revolutionary motion1 as the six worlds or planets have that ,i have been describing4 ,those fixed stars continue always at the same distance from each other1 and always in the same place1 as the ,sun does in the center of our system4 ,the probability1 therefore1 is that each of those fixed stars is also a ,sun1 round which another system of worlds or planets1 though too remote for us to discover1 performs its revolutions1 as our system of worlds does round our central ,sun4 ,by this easy progression of ideas1 the immensity of space will appear to us to be filled with systems of worlds2 and that no part of space lies at waste1 any more than any part of our globe of earth and water is left unoccupied4 ,having thus endeavoured to convey1 in a familiar and easy manner1 some idea of the structure of the universe1 ,i return to explain what ,i before alluded to1 namely1 the great benefits arising to man in consequence of the ,creator having made a ,plurality of worlds1 such as our system is1 consisting of a central ,sun and six worlds1 besides satellites1 in preference to that of creating one world only of a vast extent4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,advantages ,,of ,,the ,,existence ,,of ,,many ,,worlds ,,in ,,each ,,solar ,,system ,it is an idea ,i have never lost sight of1 that all our knowledge of science is derived from the revolutions 7exhibited to our eye and from thence to our understanding7 which those several planets or worlds of which our system is composed make in their circuit round the ,sun4 ,had then the quantity of matter which these six worlds contain been blended into one solitary globe1 the consequence to us would have been1 that either no revolutionary motion would have existed1 or not a sufficiency of it to give us the ideas and the knowledge of science we now have2 and it is from the sciences that all the mechanical arts that contribute so much to our earthly felicity and comfort are derived4 ,as therefore the ,creator made nothing in vain1 so also must it be believed that he organized the structure of the universe in the most advantageous manner for the benefit of man2 and as we see1 and from experience feel1 the benefits we derive from the structure of the universe1 formed as it is1 which benefits we should not have had the opportunity of enjoying if the structure1 so far as relates to our system1 had been a solitary globe1 we can discover at least one reason why a plurality of worlds has been made1 and that reason calls forth the devotional gratitude of man1 as well as his admiration4 ,but it is not to us1 the inhabitants of this globe1 only1 that the benefits arising from a plurality of worlds are limited4 ,the inhabitants of each of the worlds of which our system is composed1 enjoy the same opportunities of knowledge as we do4 ,they behold the revolutionary motions of our earth1 as we behold theirs4 ,all the planets revolve in sight of each other2 and1 therefore1 the same universal school of science presents itself to all4 ,neither does the knowledge stop here4 ,the system of worlds next to us exhibits1 in its revolutions1 the same principles and school of science1 to the inhabitants of their system1 as our system does to us1 and in like manner throughout the immensity of space4 ,our ideas1 not only of the almightiness of the ,creator1 but of his wisdom and his beneficence1 become enlarged in proportion as we contemplate the extent and the structure of the universe4 ,the solitary idea of a solitary world1 rolling or at rest in the immense ocean of space1 gives place to the cheerful idea of a society of worlds1 so happily contrived as to administer1 even by their motion1 instruction to man4 ,we see our own earth filled with abundance2 but we forget to consider how much of that abundance is owing to the scientific knowledge the vast machinery of the universe has unfolded4 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,application ,,of ,,the ,,preceding ,,to ,,the ,,system ,,of ,,the ,,christians ,but1 in the midst of those reflections1 what are we to think of the christian system of faith that forms itself upon the idea of only one world1 and that of no greater extent1 as is before shown1 than twenty-five thousand miles4 ,an extent which a man1 walking at the rate of three miles an hour for twelve hours in the day1 could he keep on in a circular direction1 would walk entirely round in less than two years4 ,alas6 what is this to the mighty ocean of space1 and the almighty power of the ,creator6 ,from whence then could arise the solitary and strange conceit that the ,almighty1 who had millions of worlds equally dependent on his protection1 should quit the care of all the rest1 and come to die in our world1 because1 they say1 one man and one woman had eaten an apple6 ,and1 on the other hand1 are we to suppose that every world in the boundless creation had an ,eve1 an apple1 a serpent1 and a redeemer8 ,in this case1 the person who is irreverently called the ,son of ,god1 and sometimes ,god himself1 would have nothing else to do than to travel from world to world1 in an endless succession of death1 with scarcely a momentary interval of life4 ,it has been by rejecting the evidence1 that the word1 or works of ,god in the creation1 affords to our senses1 and the action of our reason upon that evidence1 that so many wild and whimsical systems of faith1 and of religion1 have been fabricated and set up4 ,there may be many systems of religion that so far from being morally bad are in many respects morally good3 but there can be but ,,one that is true2 and that one necessarily must1 as it ever will1 be in all things consistent with the ever existing word of ,god that we behold in his works4 ,but such is the strange construction of the christian system of faith1 that every evidence the heavens affords to man1 either directly contradicts it or renders it absurd4 ,it is possible to believe1 and ,i always feel pleasure in encouraging myself to believe it1 that there have been men in the world who persuaded themselves that what is called a pious fraud1 might1 at least under particular circumstances1 be productive of some good4 ,but the fraud being once established1 could not afterwards be explained2 for it is with a pious fraud as with a bad action1 it begets a calamitous necessity of going on4 ,the persons who first preached the christian system of faith1 and in some measure combined with it the morality preached by ,jesus ,christ1 might persuade themselves that it was better than the heathen mythology that then prevailed4 ,from the first preachers the fraud went on to the second1 and to the third1 till the idea of its being a pious fraud became lost in the belief of its being true2 and that belief became again encouraged by the interest of those who made a livelihood by preaching it4 ,but though such a belief might1 by such means1 be rendered almost general among the laity1 it is next to impossible to account for the continual persecution carried on by the church1 for several hundred years1 against the sciences1 and against the professors of science1 if the church had not some record or tradition that it was originally no other than a pious fraud1 or did not foresee that it could not be maintained against the evidence that the structure of the universe afforded4 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,,of ,,the ,,means ,,employed ,,in ,,all ,,time1 ,,and ,,almost ,,universally1 ,,to ,,deceive ,,the ,,peoples ,having thus shown the irreconcileable inconsistencies between the real word of ,god existing in the universe1 and that which is called the word of ,god1 as shown to us in a printed book that any man might make1 ,i proceed to speak of the three principal means that have been employed in all ages1 and perhaps in all countries1 to impose upon mankind4 ,those three means are ,mystery1 ,miracle1 and ,prophecy1 ,the first two are incompatible with true religion1 and the third ought always to be suspected4 ,with respect to ,mystery1 everything we behold is1 in one sense1 a mystery to us4 ,our own existence is a mystery3 the whole vegetable world is a mystery4 ,we cannot account how it is that an acorn1 when put into the ground1 is made to develop itself and become an oak4 ,we know not how it is that the seed we sow unfolds and multiplies itself1 and returns to us such an abundant interest for so small a capital4 ,the fact however1 as distinct from the operating cause1 is not a mystery1 because we see it2 and we know also the means we are to use1 which is no other than putting the seed in the ground4 ,we know1 therefore1 as much as is necessary for us to know2 and that part of the operation that we do not know1 and which if we did1 we could not perform1 the ,creator takes upon himself and performs it for us4 ,we are1 therefore1 better off than if we had been let into the secret1 and left to do it for ourselves4 ,but though every created thing is1 in this sense1 a mystery1 the word mystery cannot be applied to moral truth1 any more than obscurity can be applied to light4 ,the ,god in whom we believe is a ,god of moral truth1 and not a ,god of mystery or obscurity4 ,mystery is the antagonist of truth4 ,it is a fog of human invention that obscures truth1 and represents it in distortion4 ,truth never envelops itself in mystery2 and the mystery in which it is at any time enveloped1 is the work of its antagonist1 and never of itself4 ,religion1 therefore1 being the belief of a ,god1 and the practice of moral truth1 cannot have connection with mystery4 ,the belief of a ,god1 so far from having any thing of mystery in it1 is of all beliefs the most easy1 because it arises to us1 as is before observed1 out of necessity4 ,and the practice of moral truth1 or1 in other words1 a practical imitation of the moral goodness of ,god1 is no other than our acting towards each other as he acts benignly towards all4 ,we cannot serve ,god in the manner we serve those who cannot do without such service2 and1 therefore1 the only idea we can have of serving ,god1 is that of contributing to the happiness of the living creation that ,god has made4 ,this cannot be done by retiring ourselves from the society of the world1 and spending a recluse life in selfish devotion4 ,the very nature and design of religion1 if ,i may so express it1 prove even to demonstration that it must be free from every thing of mystery1 and unincumbered with every thing that is mysterious4 ,religion1 considered as a duty1 is incumbent upon every living soul alike1 and1 therefore1 must be on a level to the understanding and comprehension of all4 ,man does not learn religion as he learns the secrets and mysteries of a trade4 ,he learns the theory of religion by reflection4 ,it arises out of the action of his own mind upon the things which he sees1 or upon what he may happen to hear or to read1 and the practice joins itself thereto4 ,when men1 whether from policy or pious fraud1 set up systems of religion incompatible with the word or works of ,god in the creation1 and not only above but repugnant to human comprehension1 they were under the necessity of inventing or adopting a word that should serve as a bar to all questions1 inquiries and speculations4 ,the word mystery answered this purpose1 and thus it has happened that religion1 which is in itself without mystery1 has been corrupted into a fog of mysteries4 ,as mystery answered all general purposes1 miracle followed as an occasional auxiliary4 ,the former served to bewilder the mind1 the latter to puzzle the senses4 ,the one was the lingo1 the other the legerdemain4 ,but before going further into this subject1 it will be proper to inquire what is to be understood by a miracle4 ,in the same sense that every thing may be said to be a mystery1 so also may it be said that every thing is a miracle1 and that no one thing is a greater miracle than another4 ,the elephant1 though larger1 is not a greater miracle than a mite3 nor a mountain a greater miracle than an atom4 ,to an almighty power it is no more difficult to make the one than the other1 and no more difficult to make a million of worlds than to make one4 ,every thing1 therefore1 is a miracle1 in one sense2 whilst1 in the other sense1 there is no such thing as a miracle4 ,it is a miracle when compared to our power1 and to our comprehension4 ,it is not a miracle compared to the power that performs it4 ,but as nothing in this description conveys the idea that is affixed to the word miracle1 it is necessary to carry the inquiry further4 ,mankind have conceived to themselves certain laws1 by which what they call nature is supposed to act2 and that a miracle is something contrary to the operation and effect of those laws4 ,but unless we know the whole extent of those laws1 and of what are commonly called the powers of nature1 we are not able to judge whether any thing that may appear to us wonderful or miraculous1 be within1 or be beyond1 or be contrary to1 her natural power of acting4 ,the ascension of a man several miles high into the air1 would have everything in it that constitutes the idea of a miracle1 if it were not known that a species of air can be generated several times lighter than the common atmospheric air1 and yet possess elasticity enough to prevent the balloon1 in which that light air is inclosed1 from being compressed into as many times less bulk1 by the common air that surrounds it4 ,in like manner1 extracting flashes or sparks of fire from the human body1 as visibly as from a steel struck with a flint1 and causing iron or steel to move without any visible agent1 would also give the idea of a miracle1 if we were not acquainted with electricity and magnetism2 so also would many other experiments in natural philosophy1 to those who are not acquainted with the subject4 ,the restoring persons to life who are to appearance dead as is practised upon drowned persons1 would also be a miracle1 if it were not known that animation is capable of being suspended without being extinct4 ,besides these1 there are performances by slight of hand1 and by persons acting in concert1 that have a miraculous appearance1 which1 when known1 are thought nothing of4 ,and1 besides these1 there are mechanical and optical deceptions4 ,there is now an exhibition in ,paris of ghosts or spectres1 which1 though it is not imposed upon the spectators as a fact1 has an astonishing appearance4 ,as1 therefore1 we know not the extent to which either nature or art can go1 there is no criterion to determine what a miracle is2 and mankind1 in giving credit to appearances1 under the idea of their being miracles1 are subject to be continually imposed upon4 ,since then appearances are so capable of deceiving1 and things not real have a strong resemblance to things that are1 nothing can be more inconsistent than to suppose that the ,almighty would make use of means1 such as are called miracles1 that would subject the person who performed them to the suspicion of being an impostor1 and the person who related them to be suspected of lying1 and the doctrine intended to be supported thereby to be suspected as a fabulous invention4 ,of all the modes of evidence that ever were invented to obtain belief to any system or opinion to which the name of religion has been given1 that of miracle1 however successful the imposition may have been1 is the most inconsistent4 ,for1 in the first place1 whenever recourse is had to show1 for the purpose of procuring that belief 7for a miracle1 under any idea of the word1 is a show7 it implies a lameness or weakness in the doctrine that is preached4 ,and1 in the second place1 it is degrading the ,almighty into the character of a show-man1 playing tricks to amuse and make the people stare and wonder4 ,it is also the most equivocal sort of evidence that can be set up2 for the belief is not to depend upon the thing called a miracle1 but upon the credit of the reporter1 who says that he saw it2 and1 therefore1 the thing1 were it true1 would have no better chance of being believed than if it were a lie4 ,suppose ,i were to say1 that when ,i sat down to write this book1 a hand presented itself in the air1 took up the pen and wrote every word that is herein written2 would any body believe me8 ,certainly they would not4 ,would they believe me a whit the more if the thing had been a fact8 ,certainly they would not4 ,since then a real miracle1 were it to happen1 would be subject to the same fate as the falsehood1 the inconsistency becomes the greater of supposing the ,almighty would make use of means that would not answer the purpose for which they were intended1 even if they were real4 ,if we are to suppose a miracle to be something so entirely out of the course of what is called nature1 that she must go out of that course to accomplish it1 and we see an account given of such a miracle by the person who said he saw it1 it raises a question in the mind very easily decided1 which is1--,is it more probable that nature should go out of her course1 or that a man should tell a lie8 ,we have never seen1 in our time1 nature go out of her course2 but we have good reason to believe that millions of lies have been told in the same time2 it is1 therefore1 at least millions to one1 that the reporter of a miracle tells a lie4 ,the story of the whale swallowing ,jonah1 though a whale is large enough to do it1 borders greatly on the marvellous2 but it would have approached nearer to the idea of a miracle1 if ,jonah had swallowed the whale4 ,in this1 which may serve for all cases of miracles1 the matter would decide itself as before stated1 namely1 ,is it more probable that a man should have1 swallowed a whale1 or told a lie8 ,but suppose that ,jonah had really swallowed the whale1 and gone with it in his belly to ,nineveh1 and to convince the people that it was true have cast it up in their sight1 of the full length and size of a whale1 would they not have believed him to have been the devil instead of a prophet8 or if the whale had carried ,jonah to ,nineveh1 and cast him up in the same public manner1 would they not have believed the whale to have been the devil1 and ,jonah one of his imps8 ,the most extraordinary of all the things called miracles1 related in the ,new ,testament1 is that of the devil flying away with ,jesus ,christ1 and carrying him to the top of a high mountain2 and to the top of the highest pinnacle of the temple1 and showing him and promising to him all the kingdoms of the world4 ,how happened it that he did not discover ,america8 or is it only with kingdoms that his sooty highness has any interest4 ,i have too much respect for the moral character of ,christ to believe that he told this whale of a miracle himself3 neither is it easy to account for what purpose it could have been fabricated1 unless it were to impose upon the connoisseurs of miracles1 as is sometimes practised upon the connoisseurs of ,queen ,anne's farthings1 and collectors of relics and antiquities2 or to render the belief of miracles ridiculous1 by outdoing miracle1 as ,don ,quixote outdid chivalry2 or to embarrass the belief of miracles1 by making it doubtful by what power1 whether of ,god or of the devil1 any thing called a miracle was performed4 ,it requires1 however1 a great deal of faith in the devil to believe this miracle4 ,in every point of view in which those things called miracles can be placed and considered1 the reality of them is improbable1 and their existence unnecessary4 ,they would not1 as before observed1 answer any useful purpose1 even if they were true2 for it is more difficult to obtain belief to a miracle1 than to a principle evidently moral1 without any miracle4 ,moral principle speaks universally for itself4 ,miracle could be but a thing of the moment1 and seen but by a few2 after this it requires a transfer of faith from ,god to man to believe a miracle upon man's report4 ,instead1 therefore1 of admitting the recitals of miracles as evidence of any system of religion being true1 they ought to be considered as symptoms of its being fabulous4 ,it is necessary to the full and upright character of truth that it rejects the crutch2 and it is consistent with the character of fable to seek the aid that truth rejects4 ,thus much for ,mystery and ,miracle4 ,as ,mystery and ,miracle took charge of the past and the present1 ,prophecy took charge of the future1 and rounded the tenses of faith4 ,it was not sufficient to know what had been done1 but what would be done4 ,the supposed prophet was the supposed historian of times to come2 and if he happened1 in shooting with a long bow of a thousand years1 to strike within a thousand miles of a mark1 the ingenuity of posterity could make it point-blank2 and if he happened to be directly wrong1 it was only to suppose1 as in the case of ,jonah and ,nineveh1 that ,god had repented himself and changed his mind4 ,what a fool do fabulous systems make of man6 ,it has been shewn1 in a former part of this work1 that the original meaning of the words prophet and prophesying has been changed1 and that a prophet1 in the sense of the word as now used1 is a creature of modern invention2 and it is owing to this change in the meaning of the words1 that the flights and metaphors of the ,jewish poets1 and phrases and expressions now rendered obscure by our not being acquainted with the local circumstances to which they applied at the time they were used1 have been erected into prophecies1 and made to bend to explanations at the will and whimsical conceits of sectaries1 expounders1 and commentators4 ,every thing unintelligible was prophetical1 and every thing insignificant was typical4 ,a blunder would have served for a prophecy2 and a dish-clout for a type4 ,if by a prophet we are to suppose a man to whom the ,almighty communicated some event that would take place in future1 either there were such men1 or there were not4 ,if there were1 it is consistent to believe that the event so communicated would be told in terms that could be understood1 and not related in such a loose and obscure manner as to be out of the comprehension of those that heard it1 and so equivocal as to fit almost any circumstance that might happen afterwards4 ,it is conceiving very irreverently of the ,almighty1 to suppose he would deal in this jesting manner with mankind2 yet all the things called prophecies in the book called the ,bible come under this description4 ,but it is with ,prophecy as it is with ,miracle4 ,it could not answer the purpose even if it were real4 ,those to whom a prophecy should be told could not tell whether the man prophesied or lied1 or whether it had been revealed to him1 or whether he conceited it2 and if the thing that he prophesied1 or pretended to prophesy1 should happen1 or some thing like it1 among the multitude of things that are daily happening1 nobody could again know whether he foreknew it1 or guessed at it1 or whether it was accidental4 ,a prophet1 therefore1 is a character useless and unnecessary2 and the safe side of the case is to guard against being imposed upon1 by not giving credit to such relations4 ,upon the whole1 ,mystery1 ,miracle1 and ,prophecy1 are appendages that belong to fabulous and not to true religion4 ,they are the means by which so many ,lo heres6 and ,lo theres6 have been spread about the world1 and religion been made into a trade4 ,the success of one impostor gave encouragement to another1 and the quieting salvo of doing some good by keeping up a pious fraud protected them from remorse4 ,,recapitulation ,having now extended the subject to a greater length than ,i first intended1 ,i shall bring it to a close by abstracting a summary from the whole4 ,first1 ,that the idea or belief of a word of ,god existing in print1 or in writing1 or in speech1 is inconsistent in itself for the reasons already assigned4 ,these reasons1 among many others1 are the want of an universal language2 the mutability of language2 the errors to which translations are subject1 the possibility of totally suppressing such a word2 the probability of altering it1 or of fabricating the whole1 and imposing it upon the world4 ,secondly1 ,that the ,creation we behold is the real and ever existing word of ,god1 in which we cannot be deceived4 ,it proclaimeth his power1 it demonstrates his wisdom1 it manifests his goodness and beneficence4 ,thirdly1 ,that the moral duty of man consists in imitating the moral goodness and beneficence of ,god manifested in the creation towards all his creatures4 ,that seeing as we daily do the goodness of ,god to all men1 it is an example calling upon all men to practise the same towards each other2 and1 consequently1 that every thing of persecution and revenge between man and man1 and every thing of cruelty to animals1 is a violation of moral duty4 ,i trouble not myself about the manner of future existence4 ,i content myself with believing1 even to positive conviction1 that the power that gave me existence is able to continue it1 in any form and manner he pleases1 either with or without this body2 and it appears more probable to me that ,i shall continue to exist hereafter than that ,i should have had existence1 as ,i now have1 before that existence began4 ,it is certain that1 in one point1 all nations of the earth and all religions agree4 ,all believe in a ,god4 ,the things in which they disgrace are the redundancies annexed to that belief2 and therefore1 if ever an universal religion should prevail1 it will not be believing any thing new1 but in getting rid of redundancies1 and believing as man believed at first4 8,in the childhood of the world10 according to the first 7,french7 version2 and the strict translation of the final sentence is3 8,deism was the religion of ,adam1 supposing him not an imaginary being2 but none the less must it be left to all men to follow1 as is their right1 the religion and worship they prefer40--,editor4 ,adam1 if ever there was such a man1 was created a ,deist2 but in the mean time1 let every man follow1 as he has a right to do1 the religion and worship he prefers4 ,,the ,,age ,,of ,,reason - ,,part ,,ii ,,preface ,i have mentioned in the former part of ,the ,age of ,reason that it had long been my intention to publish my thoughts upon ,religion2 but that ,i had originally reserved it to a later period in life1 intending it to be the last work ,i should undertake4 ,the circumstances1 however1 which existed in ,france in the latter end of the year #agic1 determined me to delay it no longer4 ,the just and humane principles of the ,revolution which ,philosophy had first diffused1 had been departed from4 ,the ,idea1 always dangerous to ,society as it is derogatory to the ,almighty1--that priests could forgive sins1--though it seemed to exist no longer1 had blunted the feelings of humanity1 and callously prepared men for the commission of all crimes4 ,the intolerant spirit of church persecution had transferred itself into politics2 the tribunals1 stiled ,revolutionary1 supplied the place of an ,inquisition2 and the ,guillotine of the ,stake4 ,i saw many of my most intimate friends destroyed2 others daily carried to prison2 and ,i had reason to believe1 and had also intimations given me1 that the same danger was approaching myself4 ,under these disadvantages1 ,i began the former part of the ,age of ,reason2 ,i had1 besides1 neither ,bible nor ,testament ,it must be borne in mind that throughout this work ,paine generally means by 8,bible0 only the ,old ,testament1 and speaks of the ,new as the 8,testament40--,editor4 to refer to1 though ,i was writing against both2 nor could ,i procure any2 notwithstanding which ,i have produced a work that no ,bible ,believer1 though writing at his ease and with a ,library of ,church ,books about him1 can refute4 ,towards the latter end of ,december of that year1 a motion was made and carried1 to exclude foreigners from the ,convention4 ,there were but two1 ,anacharsis ,cloots and myself2 and ,i saw ,i was particularly pointed at by ,bourdon de l',oise1 in his speech on that motion4 ,conceiving1 after this1 that ,i had but a few days of liberty1 ,i sat down and brought the work to a close as speedily as possible2 and ,i had not finished it more than six hours1 in the state it has since appeared1 ,this is an allusion to the essay which ,paine wrote at an earlier part of #agic4 ,see ,introduction4--,editor4 before a guard came there1 about three in the morning1 with an order signed by the two ,committees of ,public ,safety and ,surety ,general1 for putting me in arrestation as a foreigner1 and conveying me to the prison of the ,luxembourg4 ,i contrived1 in my way there1 to call on ,joel ,barlow1 and ,i put the ,manuscript of the work into his hands1 as more safe than in my possession in prison2 and not knowing what might be the fate in ,france either of the writer or the work1 ,i addressed it to the protection of the citizens of the ,united ,states4 ,it is justice that ,i say1 that the guard who executed this order1 and the interpreter to the ,committee of ,general ,surety1 who accompanied them to examine my papers1 treated me not only with civility1 but with respect4 ,the keeper of the #8,luxembourg1 ,benoit1 a man of good heart1 shewed to me every friendship in his power1 as did also all his family1 while he continued in that station4 ,he was removed from it1 put into arrestation1 and carried before the tribunal upon a malignant accusation1 but acquitted4 ,after ,i had been in ,luxembourg about three weeks1 the ,americans then in ,paris went in a body to the ,convention to reclaim me as their countryman and friend2 but were answered by the ,president1 ,vadier1 who was also ,president of the ,committee of ,surety ,general1 and had signed the order for my arrestation1 that ,i was born in ,england4 ,these excited ,americans do not seem to have understood or reported the most important item in ,vadeer's reply1 namely that their application was 8unofficial10 i4e4 not made through or sanctioned by ,gouverneur ,morris1 ,american ,minister4 ,for the detailed history of all this see vol4 iii4--,editor4 ,i heard no more1 after this1 from any person out of the walls of the prison1 till the fall of ,robespierre1 on the #ith of ,thermidor--,july #bg1 #agid4 ,about two months before this event1 ,i was seized with a fever that in its progress had every symptom of becoming mortal1 and from the effects of which ,i am not recovered4 ,it was then that ,i remembered with renewed satisfaction1 and congratulated myself most sincerely1 on having written the former part of ,the ,age of ,reason4 ,i had then but little expectation of surviving1 and those about me had less4 ,i know therefore by experience the conscientious trial of my own principles4 ,i was then with three chamber comrades3 ,joseph ,vanheule of ,bruges1 ,charles ,bastfni1 and ,michael ,robyns of ,louvain4 ,the unceasing and anxious attention of these three friends to me1 by night and day1 ,i remember with gratitude and mention with pleasure4 ,it happened that a physician 7,dr4 ,graham7 and a surgeon1 7,mr4 ,bond17 part of the suite of ,general ,o',hara1 ,the officer who at ,yorktown1 ,virginia1 carried out the sword of ,cornwallis for surrender1 and satirically offered it to ,rochambeau instead of ,washington4 ,paine loaned him #cjj pounds when he 7,o',hara7 left the prison1 the money he had concealed in the lock of his cell-door4--,editor4 were then in the ,luxembourg3 ,i ask not myself whether it be convenient to them1 as men under the ,english ,government1 that ,i express to them my thanks2 but ,i should reproach myself if ,i did not2 and also to the physician of the ,luxembourg1 ,dr4 ,markoski4 ,i have some reason to believe1 because ,i cannot discover any other1 that this illness preserved me in existence4 ,among the papers of ,robespierre that were examined and reported upon to the ,convention by a ,committee of ,deputies1 is a note in the hand writing of ,robespierre1 in the following words3 8,demander que ,thomas ,paine soit decrete d'accusation1 pour l'interet de l',amerique autant que de la ,france40 ,demand that ,thomas ,paine be decreed of accusation1 for the interest of ,america1 as well as of ,france4 ,from what cause it was that the intention was not put in execution1 ,i know not1 and cannot inform myself2 and therefore ,i ascribe it to impossibility1 on account of that illness4 ,the ,convention1 to repair as much as lay in their power the injustice ,i had sustained1 invited me publickly and unanimously to return into the ,convention1 and which ,i accepted1 to shew ,i could bear an injury without permitting it to injure my principles or my disposition4 ,it is not because right principles have been violated1 that they are to be abandoned4 ,i have seen1 since ,i have been at liberty1 several publications written1 some in ,america1 and some in ,england1 as answers to the former part of 8,the ,age of ,reason40 ,if the authors of these can amuse themselves by so doing1 ,i shall not interrupt them1 ,they may write against the work1 and against me1 as much as they please2 they do me more service than they intend1 and ,i can have no objection that they write on4 ,they will find1 however1 by this ,second ,part1 without its being written as an answer to them1 that they must return to their work1 and spin their cobweb over again4 ,the first is brushed away by accident4 ,they will now find that ,i have furnished myself with a ,bible and ,testament2 and ,i can say also that ,i have found them to be much worse books than ,i had conceived4 ,if ,i have erred in any thing1 in the former part of the ,age of ,reason1 it has been by speaking better of some parts than they deserved4 ,i observe1 that all my opponents resort1 more or less1 to what they call ,scripture ,evidence and ,bible authority1 to help them out4 ,they are so little masters of the subject1 as to confound a dispute about authenticity with a dispute about doctrines2 ,i will1 however1 put them right1 that if they should be disposed to write any more1 they may know how to begin4 ,,thomas ,,paine4 ,october1 #agie4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,old ,,testament ,it has often been said that any thing may be proved from the ,bible2 but before any thing can be admitted as proved by ,bible1 the ,bible itself must be proved to be true2 for if the ,bible be not true1 or the truth of it be doubtful1 it ceases to have authority1 and cannot be admitted as proof of any thing4 ,it has been the practice of all ,christian commentators on the ,bible1 and of all ,christian priests and preachers1 to impose the ,bible on the world as a mass of truth1 and as the word of ,god2 they have disputed and wrangled1 and have anathematized each other about the supposeable meaning of particular parts and passages therein2 one has said and insisted that such a passage meant such a thing1 another that it meant directly the contrary1 and a third1 that it meant neither one nor the other1 but something different from both2 and this they have called understanding the ,bible4 ,it has happened1 that all the answers that ,i have seen to the former part of #8,the ,age of ,reason' have been written by priests3 and these pious men1 like their predecessors1 contend and wrangle1 and understand the ,bible2 each understands it differently1 but each understands it best2 and they have agreed in nothing but in telling their readers that ,thomas ,paine understands it not4 ,now instead of wasting their time1 and heating themselves in fractious disputations about doctrinal points drawn from the ,bible1 these men ought to know1 and if they do not it is civility to inform them1 that the first thing to be understood is1 whether there is sufficient authority for believing the ,bible to be the word of ,god1 or whether there is not8 ,there are matters in that book1 said to be done by the express command of ,god1 that are as shocking to humanity1 and to every idea we have of moral justice1 as any thing done by ,robespierre1 by ,carrier1 by ,joseph le ,bon1 in ,france1 by the ,english government in the ,east ,indies1 or by any other assassin in modern times4 ,when we read in the books ascribed to ,moses1 ,joshua1 etc41 that they 7the ,israelites7 came by stealth upon whole nations of people1 who1 as the history itself shews1 had given them no offence2 that they put all those nations to the sword2 that they spared neither age nor infancy2 that they utterly destroyed men1 women and children2 that they left not a soul to breathe2 expressions that are repeated over and over again in those books1 and that too with exulting ferocity2 are we sure these things are facts8 are we sure that the ,creator of man commissioned those things to be done8 ,are we sure that the books that tell us so were written by his authority8 ,it is not the antiquity of a tale that is an evidence of its truth2 on the contrary1 it is a symptom of its being fabulous2 for the more ancient any history pretends to be1 the more it has the resemblance of a fable4 ,the origin of every nation is buried in fabulous tradition1 and that of the ,jews is as much to be suspected as any other4 ,to charge the commission of things upon the ,almighty1 which in their own nature1 and by every rule of moral justice1 are crimes1 as all assassination is1 and more especially the assassination of infants1 is matter of serious concern4 ,the ,bible tells us1 that those assassinations were done by the express command of ,god4 ,to believe therefore the ,bible to be true1 we must unbelieve all our belief in the moral justice of ,god2 for wherein could crying or smiling infants offend8 ,and to read the ,bible without horror1 we must undo every thing that is tender1 sympathising1 and benevolent in the heart of man4 ,speaking for myself1 if ,i had no other evidence that the ,bible is fabulous1 than the sacrifice ,i must make to believe it to be true1 that alone would be sufficient to determine my choice4 ,but in addition to all the moral evidence against the ,bible1 ,i will1 in the progress of this work1 produce such other evidence as even a priest cannot deny2 and show1 from that evidence1 that the ,bible is not entitled to credit1 as being the word of ,god4 ,but1 before ,i proceed to this examination1 ,i will show wherein the ,bible differs from all other ancient writings with respect to the nature of the evidence necessary to establish its authenticity2 and this is the more proper to be done1 because the advocates of the ,bible1 in their answers to the former part of #8,the ,age of ,reason1' undertake to say1 and they put some stress thereon1 that the authenticity of the ,bible is as well established as that of any other ancient book3 as if our belief of the one could become any rule for our belief of the other4 ,i know1 however1 but of one ancient book that authoritatively challenges universal consent and belief1 and that is ,euclid's ,elements of ,geometry2 ,euclid1 according to chronological history1 lived three hundred years before ,christ1 and about one hundred before ,archimedes2 he was of the city of ,alexandria1 in ,egypt4--,author4 and the reason is1 because it is a book of self-evident demonstration1 entirely independent of its author1 and of every thing relating to time1 place1 and circumstance4 ,the matters contained in that book would have the same authority they now have1 had they been written by any other person1 or had the work been anonymous1 or had the author never been known2 for the identical certainty of who was the author makes no part of our belief of the matters contained in the book4 ,but it is quite otherwise with respect to the books ascribed to ,moses1 to ,joshua1 to ,samuel1 etc43 those are books of testimony1 and they testify of things naturally incredible2 and therefore the whole of our belief1 as to the authenticity of those books1 rests1 in the first place1 upon the certainty that they were written by ,moses1 ,joshua1 and ,samuel2 secondly1 upon the credit we give to their testimony4 ,we may believe the first1 that is1 may believe the certainty of the authorship1 and yet not the testimony2 in the same manner that we may believe that a certain person gave evidence upon a case1 and yet not believe the evidence that he gave4 ,but if it should be found that the books ascribed to ,moses1 ,joshua1 and ,samuel1 were not written by ,moses1 ,joshua1 and ,samuel1 every part of the authority and authenticity of those books is gone at once2 for there can be no such thing as forged or invented testimony2 neither can there be anonymous testimony1 more especially as to things naturally incredible2 such as that of talking with ,god face to face1 or that of the sun and moon standing still at the command of a man4 ,the greatest part of the other ancient books are works of genius2 of which kind are those ascribed to ,homer1 to ,plato1 to ,aristotle1 to ,demosthenes1 to ,cicero1 etc4 ,here again the author is not an essential in the credit we give to any of those works2 for as works of genius they would have the same merit they have now1 were they anonymous4 ,nobody believes the ,trojan story1 as related by ,homer1 to be true2 for it is the poet only that is admired1 and the merit of the poet will remain1 though the story be fabulous4 ,but if we disbelieve the matters related by the ,bible authors 7,moses for instance7 as we disbelieve the things related by ,homer1 there remains nothing of ,moses in our estimation1 but an imposter4 ,as to the ancient historians1 from ,herodotus to ,tacitus1 we credit them as far as they relate things probable and credible1 and no further3 for if we do1 we must believe the two miracles which ,tacitus relates were performed by ,vespasian1 that of curing a lame man1 and a blind man1 in just the same manner as the same things are told of ,jesus ,christ by his historians4 ,we must also believe the miracles cited by ,josephus1 that of the sea of ,pamphilia opening to let ,alexander and his army pass1 as is related of the ,red ,sea in ,exodus4 ,these miracles are quite as well authenticated as the ,bible miracles1 and yet we do not believe them2 consequently the degree of evidence necessary to establish our belief of things naturally incredible1 whether in the ,bible or elsewhere1 is far greater than that which obtains our belief to natural and probable things2 and therefore the advocates for the ,bible have no claim to our belief of the ,bible because that we believe things stated in other ancient writings2 since that we believe the things stated in those writings no further than they are probable and credible1 or because they are self-evident1 like ,euclid2 or admire them because they are elegant1 like ,homer2 or approve them because they are sedate1 like ,plato2 or judicious1 like ,aristotle4 ,having premised these things1 ,i proceed to examine the authenticity of the ,bible2 and ,i begin with what are called the five books of ,moses1 ,genesis1 ,exodus1 ,leviticus1 ,numbers1 and ,deuteronomy4 ,my intention is to shew that those books are spurious1 and that ,moses is not the author of them2 and still further1 that they were not written in the time of ,moses nor till several hundred years afterwards2 that they are no other than an attempted history of the life of ,moses1 and of the times in which he is said to have lived1 and also of the times prior thereto1 written by some very ignorant and stupid pretenders to authorship1 several hundred years after the death of ,moses2 as men now write histories of things that happened1 or are supposed to have happened1 several hundred or several thousand years ago4 ,the evidence that ,i shall produce in this case is from the books themselves2 and ,i will confine myself to this evidence only4 ,were ,i to refer for proofs to any of the ancient authors1 whom the advocates of the ,bible call prophane authors1 they would controvert that authority1 as ,i controvert theirs3 ,i will therefore meet them on their own ground1 and oppose them with their own weapon1 the ,bible4 ,in the first place1 there is no affirmative evidence that ,moses is the author of those books2 and that he is the author1 is altogether an unfounded opinion1 got abroad nobody knows how4 ,the style and manner in which those books are written give no room to believe1 or even to suppose1 they were written by ,moses2 for it is altogether the style and manner of another person speaking of ,moses4 ,in ,exodus1 ,leviticus and ,numbers1 7for every thing in ,genesis is prior to the times of ,moses and not the least allusion is made to him therein17 the whole1 ,i say1 of these books is in the third person2 it is always1 the ,lord said unto ,moses1 or ,moses said unto the ,lord2 or ,moses said unto the people1 or the people said unto ,moses2 and this is the style and manner that historians use in speaking of the person whose lives and actions they are writing4 ,it may be said1 that a man may speak of himself in the third person1 and1 therefore1 it may be supposed that ,moses did2 but supposition proves nothing2 and if the advocates for the belief that ,moses wrote those books himself have nothing better to advance than supposition1 they may as well be silent4 ,but granting the grammatical right1 that ,moses might speak of himself in the third person1 because any man might speak of himself in that manner1 it cannot be admitted as a fact in those books1 that it is ,moses who speaks1 without rendering ,moses truly ridiculous and absurd3--for example1 ,numbers xii4 #c3 8,now the man ,moses was very ,,meek1 above all the men which were on the face of the earth40 ,if ,moses said this of himself1 instead of being the meekest of men1 he was one of the most vain and arrogant coxcombs2 and the advocates for those books may now take which side they please1 for both sides are against them3 if ,moses was not the author1 the books are without authority2 and if he was the author1 the author is without credit1 because to boast of meekness is the reverse of meekness1 and is a lie in sentiment4 ,in ,deuteronomy1 the style and manner of writing marks more evidently than in the former books that ,moses is not the writer4 ,the manner here used is dramatical2 the writer opens the subject by a short introductory discourse1 and then introduces ,moses as in the act of speaking1 and when he has made ,moses finish his harrangue1 he 7the writer7 resumes his own part1 and speaks till he brings ,moses forward again1 and at last closes the scene with an account of the death1 funeral1 and character of ,moses4 ,this interchange of speakers occurs four times in this book3 from the first verse of the first chapter1 to the end of the fifth verse1 it is the writer who speaks2 he then introduces ,moses as in the act of making his harrangue1 and this continues to the end of the #djth verse of the fourth chapter2 here the writer drops ,moses1 and speaks historically of what was done in consequence of what ,moses1 when living1 is supposed to have said1 and which the writer has dramatically rehearsed4 ,the writer opens the subject again in the first verse of the fifth chapter1 though it is only by saying that ,moses called the people of ,israel together2 he then introduces ,moses as before1 and continues him as in the act of speaking1 to the end of the #bfth chapter4 ,he does the same thing at the beginning of the #bgth chapter2 and continues ,moses as in the act of speaking1 to the end of the #bhth chapter4 ,at the #bith chapter the writer speaks again through the whole of the first verse1 and the first line of the second verse1 where he introduces ,moses for the last time1 and continues him as in the act of speaking1 to the end of the #cc;d chapter4 ,the writer having now finished the rehearsal on the part of ,moses1 comes forward1 and speaks through the whole of the last chapter3 he begins by telling the reader1 that ,moses went up to the top of ,pisgah1 that he saw from thence the land which 7the writer says7 had been promised to ,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob2 that he1 ,moses1 died there in the land of ,moab1 that he buried him in a valley in the land of ,moab1 but that no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day1 that is unto the time in which the writer lived who wrote the book of ,deuteronomy4 ,the writer then tells us1 that ,moses was one hundred and ten years of age when he died--that his eye was not dim1 nor his natural force abated2 and he concludes by saying1 that there arose not a prophet since in ,israel like unto ,moses1 whom1 says this anonymous writer1 the ,lord knew face to face4 ,having thus shewn1 as far as grammatical evidence implies1 that ,moses was not the writer of those books1 ,i will1 after making a few observations on the inconsistencies of the writer of the book of ,deuteronomy1 proceed to shew1 from the historical and chronological evidence contained in those books1 that ,moses was not1 because he could not be1 the writer of them2 and consequently1 that there is no authority for believing that the inhuman and horrid butcheries of men1 women1 and children1 told of in those books1 were done1 as those books say they were1 at the command of ,god4 ,it is a duty incumbent on every true deist1 that he vindicates the moral justice of ,god against the calumnies of the ,bible4 ,the writer of the book of ,deuteronomy1 whoever he was1 for it is an anonymous work1 is obscure1 and also contradictory with himself in the account he has given of ,moses4 ,after telling that ,moses went to the top of ,pisgah 7and it does not appear from any account that he ever came down again7 he tells us1 that ,moses died there in the land of ,moab1 and that he buried him in a valley in the land of ,moab2 but as there is no antecedent to the pronoun he1 there is no knowing who he was1 that did bury him4 ,if the writer meant that he 7,god7 buried him1 how should he 7the writer7 know it8 or why should we 7the readers7 believe him8 since we know not who the writer was that tells us so1 for certainly ,moses could not himself tell where he was buried4 ,the writer also tells us1 that no man knoweth where the sepulchre of ,moses is unto this day1 meaning the time in which this writer lived2 how then should he know that ,moses was buried in a valley in the land of ,moab8 for as the writer lived long after the time of ,moses1 as is evident from his using the expression of unto this day1 meaning a great length of time after the death of ,moses1 he certainly was not at his funeral2 and on the other hand1 it is impossible that ,moses himself could say that no man knoweth where the sepulchre is unto this day4 ,to make ,moses the speaker1 would be an improvement on the play of a child that hides himself and cries nobody can find me2 nobody can find ,moses4 ,this writer has no where told us how he came by the speeches which he has put into the mouth of ,moses to speak1 and therefore we have a right to conclude that he either composed them himself1 or wrote them from oral tradition4 ,one or other of these is the more probable1 since he has given1 in the fifth chapter1 a table of commandments1 in which that called the fourth commandment is different from the fourth commandment in the twentieth chapter of ,exodus4 ,in that of ,exodus1 the reason given for keeping the seventh day is1 because 7says the commandment7 ,god made the heavens and the earth in six days1 and rested on the seventh2 but in that of ,deuteronomy1 the reason given is1 that it was the day on which the children of ,israel came out of ,egypt1 and therefore1 says this commandment1 the ,lord thy ,god commanded thee to keep the sabbath-day ,this makes no mention of the creation1 nor that of the coming out of ,egypt4 ,there are also many things given as laws of ,moses in this book1 that are not to be found in any of the other books2 among which is that inhuman and brutal law1 xxi4 #ah1 #ai1 #bj1 #ba1 which authorizes parents1 the father and the mother1 to bring their own children to have them stoned to death for what it pleased them to call stubbornness4--,but priests have always been fond of preaching up ,deuteronomy1 for ,deuteronomy preaches up tythes2 and it is from this book1 xxv4 #d1 they have taken the phrase1 and applied it to tything1 that 8thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth ,out the corn30 and that this might not escape observation1 they have noted it in the table of contents at the head of the chapter1 though it is only a single verse of less than two lines4 ,o priests6 priests6 ye are willing to be compared to an ox1 for the sake of tythes4 ,an elegant pocket edition of ,paine's ,theological ,works 7,london4 ,r4 ,carlile1 #ahbb7 has in its title a picture of ,paine1 as a ,moses in evening dress1 unfolding the two tables of his 8,age of ,reason0 to a farmer from whom the ,bishop of ,llandaff 7who replied to this work7 has taken a sheaf and a lamb which he is carrying to a church at the summit of a well stocked hill4--,editor4--,though it is impossible for us to know identically who the writer of ,deuteronomy was1 it is not difficult to discover him professionally1 that he was some ,jewish priest1 who lived1 as ,i shall shew in the course of this work1 at least three hundred and fifty years after the time of ,moses4 ,i come now to speak of the historical and chronological evidence4 ,the chronology that ,i shall use is the ,bible chronology2 for ,i mean not to go out of the ,bible for evidence of any thing1 but to make the ,bible itself prove historically and chronologically that ,moses is not the author of the books ascribed to him4 ,it is therefore proper that ,i inform the readers 7such an one at least as may not have the opportunity of knowing it7 that in the larger ,bibles1 and also in some smaller ones1 there is a series of chronology printed in the margin of every page for the purpose of showing how long the historical matters stated in each page happened1 or are supposed to have happened1 before ,christ1 and consequently the distance of time between one historical circumstance and another4 ,i begin with the book of ,genesis4--,in ,genesis xiv41 the writer gives an account of ,lot being taken prisoner in a battle between the four kings against five1 and carried off2 and that when the account of ,lot being taken came to ,abraham1 that he armed all his household and marched to rescue ,lot from the captors2 and that he pursued them unto ,dan4 7ver4 #ad47 ,to shew in what manner this expression of ,pursuing them unto ,dan applies to the case in question1 ,i will refer to two circumstances1 the one in ,america1 the other in ,france4 ,the city now called ,new ,york1 in ,america1 was originally ,new ,amsterdam2 and the town in ,france1 lately called ,havre ,marat1 was before called ,havre-de-,grace4 ,new ,amsterdam was changed to ,new ,york in the year #affd2 ,havre-de-,grace to ,havre ,marat in the year #agic4 ,should1 therefore1 any writing be found1 though without date1 in which the name of ,new-,york should be mentioned1 it would be certain evidence that such a writing could not have been written before1 and must have been written after ,new ,amsterdam was changed to ,new ,york1 and consequently not till after the year #affd1 or at least during the course of that year4 ,and in like manner1 any dateless writing1 with the name of ,havre ,marat1 would be certain evidence that such a writing must have been written after ,havre-de-,grace became ,havre ,marat1 and consequently not till after the year #agic1 or at least during the course of that year4 ,i now come to the application of those cases1 and to show that there was no such place as ,dan till many years after the death of ,moses2 and consequently1 that ,moses could not be the writer of the book of ,genesis1 where this account of pursuing them unto ,dan is given4 ,the place that is called ,dan in the ,bible was originally a town of the ,gentiles1 called ,laish2 and when the tribe of ,dan seized upon this town1 they changed its name to ,dan1 in commemoration of ,dan1 who was the father of that tribe1 and the great grandson of ,abraham4 ,to establish this in proof1 it is necessary to refer from ,genesis to chapter xviii4 of the book called the ,book of judges4 ,it is there said 7ver4 #bg7 that 8they 7the ,danites7 came unto ,laish to a people that were quiet and secure1 and they smote them with the edge of the sword the ,bible is filled with murder and burned the city with fire2 and they built a city1 7ver4 #bh17 and dwelt therein1 and ver4 #bi1 they called the name of the city ,dan1 after the name of ,dan1 their father2 howbeit the name of the city was ,laish at the first40 ,this account of the ,danites taking possession of ,laish and changing it to ,dan1 is placed in the book of ,judges immediately after the death of ,samson4 ,the death of ,samson is said to have happened ,b4,c4 #aabj and that of ,moses ,b4,c4 #adea2 and1 therefore1 according to the historical arrangement1 the place was not called ,dan till #cca years after the death of ,moses4 ,there is a striking confusion between the historical and the chronological arrangement in the book of judges4 ,the last five chapters1 as they stand in the book1 #ag1 #ah1 #ai1 #bj1 #ba1 are put chronologically before all the preceding chapters2 they are made to be #bh years before the #afth chapter1 #bff before the #aeth1 #bde before the #acth1 #aie before the #ith1 #ij before the #dth1 and #ae years before the #ast chapter4 ,this shews the uncertain and fabulous state of the ,bible4 ,according to the chronological arrangement1 the taking of ,laish1 and giving it the name of ,dan1 is made to be twenty years after the death of ,joshua1 who was the successor of ,moses2 and by the historical order1 as it stands in the book1 it is made to be #cjf years after the death of ,joshua1 and #cca after that of ,moses2 but they both exclude ,moses from being the writer of ,genesis1 because1 according to either of the statements1 no such a place as ,dan existed in the time of ,moses2 and therefore the writer of ,genesis must have been some person who lived after the town of ,laish had the name of ,dan2 and who that person was nobody knows1 and consequently the book of ,genesis is anonymous1 and without authority4 ,i come now to state another point of historical and chronological evidence1 and to show therefrom1 as in the preceding case1 that ,moses is not the author of the book of ,genesis4 ,in ,genesis xxxvi4 there is given a genealogy of the sons and descendants of ,esau1 who are called ,edomites1 and also a list by name of the kings of ,edom2 in enumerating of which1 it is said1 verse #ca1 8,and these are the kings that reigned in ,edom1 before there reigned any king over the children of ,israel40 ,now1 were any dateless writing to be found1 in which1 speaking of any past events1 the writer should say1 these things happened before there was any ,congress in ,america1 or before there was any ,convention in ,france1 it would be evidence that such writing could not have been written before1 and could only be written after there was a ,congress in ,america or a ,convention in ,france1 as the case might be2 and1 consequently1 that it could not be written by any person who died before there was a ,congress in the one country1 or a ,convention in the other4 ,nothing is more frequent1 as well in history as in conversation1 than to refer to a fact in the room of a date3 it is most natural so to do1 because a fact fixes itself in the memory better than a date2 secondly1 because the fact includes the date1 and serves to give two ideas at once2 and this manner of speaking by circumstances implies as positively that the fact alluded to is past1 as if it was so expressed4 ,when a person in speaking upon any matter1 says1 it was before ,i was married1 or before my son was born1 or before ,i went to ,america1 or before ,i went to ,france1 it is absolutely understood1 and intended to be understood1 that he has been married1 that he has had a son1 that he has been in ,america1 or been in ,france4 ,language does not admit of using this mode of expression in any other sense2 and whenever such an expression is found anywhere1 it can only be understood in the sense in which only it could have been used4 ,the passage1 therefore1 that ,i have quoted--that 8these are the kings that reigned in ,edom1 before there reigned any king over the children of ,israel10 could only have been written after the first king began to reign over them2 and consequently that the book of ,genesis1 so far from having been written by ,moses1 could not have been written till the time of ,saul at least4 ,this is the positive sense of the passage2 but the expression1 any king1 implies more kings than one1 at least it implies two1 and this will carry it to the time of ,david2 and1 if taken in a general sense1 it carries itself through all times of the ,jewish monarchy4 ,had we met with this verse in any part of the ,bible that professed to have been written after kings began to reign in ,israel1 it would have been impossible not to have seen the application of it4 ,it happens then that this is the case2 the two books of ,chronicles1 which give a history of all the kings of ,israel1 are professedly1 as well as in fact1 written after the ,jewish monarchy began2 and this verse that ,i have quoted1 and all the remaining verses of ,genesis xxxvi4 are1 word for word1 ,in #a ,chronicles i41 beginning at the #dc;d verse4 ,it was with consistency that the writer of the ,chronicles could say as he has said1 #a ,chron4 i4 #dc1 8,these are the kings that reigned in ,edom1 before there reigned any king over the children of ,israel10 because he was going to give1 and has given1 a list of the kings that had reigned in ,israel2 but as it is impossible that the same expression could have been used before that period1 it is as certain as any thing can be proved from historical language1 that this part of ,genesis is taken from ,chronicles1 and that ,genesis is not so old as ,chronicles1 and probably not so old as the book of ,homer1 or as sop's ,fables2 admitting ,homer to have been1 as the tables of chronology state1 contemporary with ,david or ,solomon1 and sop to have lived about the end of the ,jewish monarchy4 ,take away from ,genesis the belief that ,moses was the author1 on which only the strange belief that it is the word of ,god has stood1 and there remains nothing of ,genesis but an anonymous book of stories1 fables1 and traditionary or invented absurdities1 or of downright lies4 ,the story of ,eve and the serpent1 and of ,noah and his ark1 drops to a level with the ,arabian ,tales1 without the merit of being entertaining1 and the account of men living to eight and nine hundred years becomes as fabulous as the immortality of the giants of the ,mythology4 ,besides1 the character of ,moses1 as stated in the ,bible1 is the most horrid that can be imagined4 ,if those accounts be true1 he was the wretch that first began and carried on wars on the score or on the pretence of religion2 and under that mask1 or that infatuation1 committed the most unexampled atrocities that are to be found in the history of any nation4 ,of which ,i will state only one instance3 ,when the ,jewish army returned from one of their plundering and murdering excursions1 the account goes on as follows 7,numbers xxxi4 #ac73 8,and ,moses1 and ,eleazar the priest1 and all the princes of the congregation1 went forth to meet them without the camp2 and ,moses was wroth with the officers of the host1 with the captains over thousands1 and captains over hundreds1 which came from the battle2 and ,moses said unto them1 #8,have ye saved all the women alive8' behold1 these caused the children of ,israel1 through the counsel of ,balaam1 to commit trespass against the ,lord in the matter of ,peor1 and there was a plague among the congregation of the ,lord4 ,now therefore1 #8kill every male among the little ones1 and kill every woman that hath known a man by lying with him2 but all the women-children that have not known a man by lying with him1 keep alive for ,yourselves4'0 ,among the detestable villains that in any period of the world have disgraced the name of man1 it is impossible to find a greater than ,moses1 if this account be true4 ,here is an order to butcher the boys1 to massacre the mothers1 and debauch the daughters4 ,let any mother put herself in the situation of those mothers1 one child murdered1 another destined to violation1 and herself in the hands of an executioner3 let any daughter put herself in the situation of those daughters1 destined as a prey to the murderers of a mother and a brother1 and what will be their feelings8 ,it is in vain that we attempt to impose upon nature1 for nature will have her course1 and the religion that tortures all her social ties is a false religion4 ,after this detestable order1 follows an account of the plunder taken1 and the manner of dividing it2 and here it is that the profaneings of priestly hypocrisy increases the catalogue of crimes4 ,verse #cg1 8,and the ,lord's tribute of the sheep was six hundred and threescore and fifteen2 and the beeves were thirty and six thousand1 of which the ,lord's tribute was threescore and twelve2 and the asses were thirty thousand1 of which the ,lord's tribute was threescore and one2 and the persons were sixteen thousand1 of which the ,lord's tribute was thirty and two40 ,in short1 the matters contained in this chapter1 as well as in many other parts of the ,bible1 are too horrid for humanity to read1 or for decency to hear2 for it appears1 from the #ceth verse of this chapter1 that the number of women-children consigned to debauchery by the order of ,moses was thirty-two thousand4 ,people in general know not what wickedness there is in this pretended word of ,god4 ,brought up in habits of superstition1 they take it for granted that the ,bible is true1 and that it is good2 they permit themselves not to doubt of it1 and they carry the ideas they form of the benevolence of the ,almighty to the book which they have been taught to believe was written by his authority4 ,good heavens6 it is quite another thing1 it is a book of lies1 wickedness1 and blasphemy2 for what can be greater blasphemy1 than to ascribe the wickedness of man to the orders of the ,almighty6 ,but to return to my subject1 that of showing that ,moses is not the author of the books ascribed to him1 and that the ,bible is spurious4 ,the two instances ,i have already given would be sufficient1 without any additional evidence1 to invalidate the authenticity of any book that pretended to be four or five hundred years more ancient than the matters it speaks of1 refers to1 them as facts2 for in the case of pursuing them unto ,dan1 and of the kings that reigned over the children of ,israel2 not even the flimsy pretence of prophecy can be pleaded4 ,the expressions are in the preter tense1 and it would be downright idiotism to say that a man could prophecy in the preter tense4 ,but there are many other passages scattered throughout those books that unite in the same point of evidence4 ,it is said in ,exodus1 7another of the books ascribed to ,moses17 xvi4 #ce3 8,and the children of ,israel did eat manna until they came to a land inhabited2 they did eat manna until they came unto the borders of the land of ,canaan40 ,whether the children of ,israel ate manna or not1 or what manna was1 or whether it was anything more than a kind of fungus or small mushroom1 or other vegetable substance common to that part of the country1 makes no part of my argument2 all that ,i mean to show is1 that it is not ,moses that could write this account1 because the account extends itself beyond the life time of ,moses4 ,moses1 according to the ,bible1 7but it is such a book of lies and contradictions there is no knowing which part to believe1 or whether any7 died in the wilderness1 and never came upon the borders of #8the land of ,canaan2 and consequently1 it could not be he that said what the children of ,israel did1 or what they ate when they came there4 ,this account of eating manna1 which they tell us was written by ,moses1 extends itself to the time of ,joshua1 the successor of ,moses1 as appears by the account given in the book of ,joshua1 after the children of ,israel had passed the river ,jordan1 and came into the borders of the land of ,canaan4 ,joshua1 v4 #ab3 8,and the manna ceased on the morrow1 after they had eaten of the old corn of the land2 neither had the children of ,israel manna any more1 but they did eat of the fruit of the land of ,canaan that year40 ,but a more remarkable instance than this occurs in ,deuteronomy2 which1 while it shows that ,moses could not be the writer of that book1 shows also the fabulous notions that prevailed at that time about giants' ,in ,deuteronomy iii4 #aa1 among the conquests said to be made by ,moses1 is an account of the taking of ,og1 king of ,bashan3 8,for only ,og1 king of ,bashan1 remained of the race of giants2 behold1 his bedstead was a bedstead of iron2 is it not in ,rabbath of the children of ,ammon8 nine cubits was the length thereof1 and four cubits the breadth of it1 after the cubit of a man40 ,a cubit is #a foot #i #hhh_/ajjj inches2 the length therefore of the bed was #af feet #d inches1 and the breadth #g feet #d inches3 thus much for this giant's bed4 ,now for the historical part1 which1 though the evidence is not so direct and positive as in the former cases1 is nevertheless very presumable and corroborating evidence1 and is better than the best evidence on the contrary side4 ,the writer1 by way of proving the existence of this giant1 refers to his bed1 as an ancient relick1 and says1 is it not in ,rabbath 7or ,rabbah7 of the children of ,ammon8 meaning that it is2 for such is frequently the bible method of affirming a thing4 ,but it could not be ,moses that said this1 because ,moses could know nothing about ,rabbah1 nor of what was in it4 ,rabbah was not a city belonging to this giant king1 nor was it one of the cities that ,moses took4 ,the knowledge therefore that this bed was at ,rabbah1 and of the particulars of its dimensions1 must be referred to the time when ,rabbah was taken1 and this was not till four hundred years after the death of ,moses2 for which1 see #b ,sam4 xii4 #bf3 8,and ,joab ,david's general fought against ,rabbah of the children of ,ammon1 and took the royal city10 etc4 ,as ,i am not undertaking to point out all the contradictions in time1 place1 and circumstance that abound in the books ascribed to ,moses1 and which prove to demonstration that those books could not be written by ,moses1 nor in the time of ,moses1 ,i proceed to the book of ,joshua1 and to shew that ,joshua is not the author of that book1 and that it is anonymous and without authority4 ,the evidence ,i shall produce is contained in the book itself3 ,i will not go out of the ,bible for proof against the supposed authenticity of the ,bible4 ,false testimony is always good against itself4 ,joshua1 according to ,joshua i41 was the immediate successor of ,moses2 he was1 moreover1 a military man1 which ,moses was not2 and he continued as chief of the people of ,israel twenty-five years2 that is1 from the time that ,moses died1 which1 according to the ,bible chronology1 was ,b4,c4 #adea1 until ,b4,c4 #adbf1 when1 according to the same chronology1 ,joshua died4 ,if1 therefore1 we find in this book1 said to have been written by ,joshua1 references to facts done after the death of ,joshua1 it is evidence that ,joshua could not be the author2 and also that the book could not have been written till after the time of the latest fact which it records4 ,as to the character of the book1 it is horrid2 it is a military history of rapine and murder1 as savage and brutal as those recorded of his predecessor in villainy and hypocrisy1 ,moses2 and the blasphemy consists1 as in the former books1 in ascribing those deeds to the orders of the ,almighty4 ,in the first place1 the book of ,joshua1 as is the case in the preceding books1 is written in the third person2 it is the historian of ,joshua that speaks1 for it would have been absurd and vainglorious that ,joshua should say of himself1 as is said of him in the last verse of the sixth chapter1 that 8his fame was noised throughout all the country40--,i now come more immediately to the proof4 ,in ,joshua xxiv4 #ca1 it is said 8,and ,israel served the ,lord all the days of ,joshua1 and all the days of the elders that over-lived ,joshua40 ,now1 in the name of common sense1 can it be ,joshua that relates what people had done after he was dead8 ,this account must not only have been written by some historian that lived after ,joshua1 but that lived also after the elders that out-lived ,joshua4 ,there are several passages of a general meaning with respect to time1 scattered throughout the book of ,joshua1 that carries the time in which the book was written to a distance from the time of ,joshua1 but without marking by exclusion any particular time1 as in the passage above quoted4 ,in that passage1 the time that intervened between the death of ,joshua and the death of the elders is excluded descriptively and absolutely1 and the evidence substantiates that the book could not have been written till after the death of the last4 ,but though the passages to which ,i allude1 and which ,i am going to quote1 do not designate any particular time by exclusion1 they imply a time far more distant from the days of ,joshua than is contained between the death of ,joshua and the death of the elders4 ,such is the passage1 x4 #ad1 where1 after giving an account that the sun stood still upon ,gibeon1 and the moon in the valley of ,ajalon1 at the command of ,joshua1 7a tale only fit to amuse children7 ,,note3 ,this tale of the sun standing still upon ,motint ,gibeon1 and the moon in the valley of ,ajalon1 is one of those fables that detects itself4 ,such a circumstance could not have happened without being known all over the world4 ,one half would have wondered why the sun did not rise1 and the other why it did not set2 and the tradition of it would be universal2 whereas there is not a nation in the world that knows anything about it4 ,but why must the moon stand still8 ,what occasion could there be for moonlight in the daytime1 and that too whilst the sun shined8 ,as a poetical figure1 the whole is well enough2 it is akin to that in the song of ,deborah and ,barak1 ,the stars in their courses fought against ,sisera2 but it is inferior to the figurative declaration of ,mahomet to the persons who came to expostulate with him on his goings on1 ,wert thou1 said he1 to come to me with the sun in thy right hand and the moon in thy left1 it should not alter my career4 ,for ,joshua to have exceeded ,mahomet1 he should have put the sun and moon1 one in each pocket1 and carried them as ,guy ,faux carried his dark lanthorn1 and taken them out to shine as he might happen to want them4 ,the sublime and the ridiculous are often so nearly related that it is difficult to class them separately4 ,one step above the sublime makes the ridiculous1 and one step above the ridiculous makes the sublime again2 the account1 however1 abstracted from the poetical fancy1 shews the ignorance of ,joshua1 for he should have commanded the earth to have stood still4--,author4 the passage says3 8,and there was no day like that1 before it1 nor after it1 that the ,lord hearkened to the voice of a man40 ,the time implied by the expression after it1 that is1 after that day1 being put in comparison with all the time that passed before it1 must1 in order to give any expressive signification to the passage1 mean a great length of time3--for example1 it would have been ridiculous to have said so the next day1 or the next week1 or the next month1 or the next year2 to give therefore meaning to the passage1 comparative with the wonder it relates1 and the prior time it alludes to1 it must mean centuries of years2 less however than one would be trifling1 and less than two would be barely admissible4 ,a distant1 but general time is also expressed in chapter viii42 where1 after giving an account of the taking the city of ,ai1 it is said1 ver4 #bhth1 8,and ,joshua burned ,ai1 and made it an heap for ever1 a desolation unto this day20 and again1 ver4 #bi1 where speaking of the king of ,ai1 whom ,joshua had hanged1 and buried at the entering of the gate1 it is said1 8,and he raised thereon a great heap of stones1 which remaineth unto this day10 that is1 unto the day or time in which the writer of the book of ,joshua lived4 ,and again1 in chapter x4 where1 after speaking of the five kings whom ,joshua had hanged on five trees1 and then thrown in a cave1 it is said1 8,and he laid great stones on the cave's mouth1 which remain unto this very day40 ,in enumerating the several exploits of ,joshua1 and of the tribes1 and of the places which they conquered or attempted1 it is said1 xv4 #fc1 8,as for the ,jebusites1 the inhabitants of ,jerusalem1 the children of ,judah could not drive them out2 but the ,jebusites dwell with the children of ,judah ,,at ,,jerusalem unto this day40 ,the question upon this passage is1 ,at what time did the ,jebusites and the children of ,judah dwell together at ,jerusalem8 ,as this matter occurs again in judges i4 ,i shall reserve my observations till ,i come to that part4 ,having thus shewn from the book of ,joshua itself1 without any auxiliary evidence whatever1 that ,joshua is not the author of that book1 and that it is anonymous1 and consequently without authority1 ,i proceed1 as before-mentioned1 to the book of ,judges4 ,the book of ,judges is anonymous on the face of it2 and1 therefore1 even the pretence is wanting to call it the word of ,god2 it has not so much as a nominal voucher2 it is altogether fatherless4 ,this book begins with the same expression as the book of ,joshua4 ,that of ,joshua begins1 chap i4 #a1 ,now after the death of ,moses1 etc41 and this of the ,judges begins1 ,now after the death of ,joshua1 etc4 ,this1 and the similarity of stile between the two books1 indicate that they are the work of the same author2 but who he was1 is altogether unknown2 the only point that the book proves is that the author lived long after the time of ,joshua2 for though it begins as if it followed immediately after his death1 the second chapter is an epitome or abstract of the whole book1 which1 according to the ,bible chronology1 extends its history through a space of #cjf years2 that is1 from the death of ,joshua1 ,b4,c4 #adbf to the death of ,samson1 ,b4,c4 #aabj1 and only #be years before ,saul went to seek his father's asses1 and was made king4 ,but there is good reason to believe1 that it was not written till the time of ,david1 at least1 and that the book of ,joshua was not written before the same time4 ,in ,judges i41 the writer1 after announcing the death of ,joshua1 proceeds to tell what happened between the children of ,judah and the native inhabitants of the land of ,canaan4 ,in this statement the writer1 having abruptly mentioned ,jerusalem in the #gth verse1 says immediately after1 in the #hth verse1 by way of explanation1 8,now the children of ,judah had fought against ,jerusalem1 and taken it20 consequently this book could not have been written before ,jerusalem had been taken4 ,the reader will recollect the quotation ,i have just before made from ,joshua xv4 #fc1 where it said that the ,jebusites dwell with the children of ,judah at ,jerusalem at this day2 meaning the time when the book of ,joshua was written4 ,the evidence ,i have already produced to prove that the books ,i have hitherto treated of were not written by the persons to whom they are ascribed1 nor till many years after their death1 if such persons ever lived1 is already so abundant1 that ,i can afford to admit this passage with less weight than ,i am entitled to draw from it4 ,for the case is1 that so far as the ,bible can be credited as an history1 the city of ,jerusalem was not taken till the time of ,david2 and consequently1 that the book of ,joshua1 and of ,judges1 were not written till after the commencement of the reign of ,david1 which was #cgj years after the death of ,joshua4 ,the name of the city that was afterward called ,jerusalem was originally ,jebus1 or ,jebusi1 and was the capital of the ,jebusites4 ,the account of ,david's taking this city is given in #b ,samuel1 v4 #d1 etc42 also in #a ,chron4 xiv4 #d1 etc4 ,there is no mention in any part of the ,bible that it was ever taken before1 nor any account that favours such an opinion4 ,it is not said1 either in ,samuel or in ,chronicles1 that they 8utterly destroyed men1 women and children1 that they left not a soul to breathe10 as is said of their other conquests2 and the silence here observed implies that it was taken by capitulation2 and that the ,jebusites1 the native inhabitants1 continued to live in the place after it was taken4 ,the account therefore1 given in ,joshua1 that 8the ,jebusites dwell with the children of ,judah0 at ,jerusalem at this day1 corresponds to no other time than after taking the city by ,david4 ,having now shown that every book in the ,bible1 from ,genesis to ,judges1 is without authenticity1 ,i come to the book of ,ruth1 an idle1 bungling story1 foolishly told1 nobody knows by whom1 about a strolling country-girl creeping slily to bed to her cousin ,boaz4 ,the text of ,ruth does not imply the unpleasant sense ,paine's words are likely to convey4--,editor4 ,pretty stuff indeed to be called the word of ,god4 ,it is1 however1 one of the best books in the ,bible1 for it is free from murder and rapine4 ,i come next to the two books of ,samuel1 and to shew that those books were not written by ,samuel1 nor till a great length of time after the death of ,samuel2 and that they are1 like all the former books1 anonymous1 and without authority4 ,to be convinced that these books have been written much later than the time of ,samuel1 and consequently not by him1 it is only necessary to read the account which the writer gives of ,saul going to seek his father's asses1 and of his interview with ,samuel1 of whom ,saul went to enquire about those lost asses1 as foolish people now-a-days go to a conjuror to enquire after lost things4 ,the writer1 in relating this story of ,saul1 ,samuel1 and the asses1 does not tell it as a thing that had just then happened1 but as an ancient story in the time this writer lived2 for he tells it in the language or terms used at the time that ,samuel lived1 which obliges the writer to explain the story in the terms or language used in the time the writer lived4 ,samuel1 in the account given of him in the first of those books1 chap4 ix4 #ac called the seer2 and it is by this term that ,saul enquires after him1 ver4 #aa1 8,and as they ,saul and his servant went up the hill to the city1 they found young maidens going out to draw water2 and they said unto them1 ,is the seer here80 ,saul then went according to the direction of these maidens1 and met ,samuel without knowing him1 and said unto him1 ver4 #ah1 8,tell me1 ,i pray thee1 where the seer's house is8 and ,samuel answered ,saul1 and said1 ,i am the seer40 ,as the writer of the book of ,samuel relates these questions and answers1 in the language or manner of speaking used in the time they are said to have been spoken1 and as that manner of speaking was out of use when this author wrote1 he found it necessary1 in order to make the story understood1 to explain the terms in which these questions and answers are spoken2 and he does this in the #ith verse1 where he says1 8,before-time in ,israel1 when a man went to enquire of ,god1 thus he spake1 ,come let us go to the seer2 for he that is now called a prophet1 was before-time called a seer40 ,this proves1 as ,i have before said1 that this story of ,saul1 ,samuel1 and the asses1 was an ancient story at the time the book of ,samuel was written1 and consequently that ,samuel did not write it1 and that the book is without authenticity4 ,but if we go further into those books the evidence is still more positive that ,samuel is not the writer of them2 for they relate things that did not happen till several years after the death of ,samuel4 ,samuel died before ,saul2 for i ,samuel1 xxviii4 tells1 that ,saul and the witch of ,endor conjured ,samuel up after he was dead2 yet the history of matters contained in those books is extended through the remaining part of ,saul's life1 and to the latter end of the life of ,david1 who succeeded ,saul4 ,the account of the death and burial of ,samuel 7a thing which he could not write himself7 is related in i ,samuel xxv42 and the chronology affixed to this chapter makes this to be ,b4,c4 #ajfj2 yet the history of this first book is brought down to ,b4,c4 #ajef1 that is1 to the death of ,saul1 which was not till four years after the death of ,samuel4 ,the second book of ,samuel begins with an account of things that did not happen till four years after ,samuel was dead2 for it begins with the reign of ,david1 who succeeded ,saul1 and it goes on to the end of ,david's reign1 which was forty-three years after the death of ,samuel2 and1 therefore1 the books are in themselves positive evidence that they were not written by ,samuel4 ,i have now gone through all the books in the first part of the ,bible1 to which the names of persons are affixed1 as being the authors of those books1 and which the church1 styling itself the ,christian church1 have imposed upon the world as the writings of ,moses1 ,joshua and ,samuel2 and ,i have detected and proved the falsehood of this imposition4--,and now ye priests1 of every description1 who have preached and written against the former part of the #8,age of ,reason1' what have ye to say8 ,will ye with all this mass of evidence against you1 and staring you in the face1 still have the assurance to march into your pulpits1 and continue to impose these books on your congregations1 as the works of inspired penmen and the word of ,god8 when it is as evident as demonstration can make truth appear1 that the persons who ye say are the authors1 are not the authors1 and that ye know not who the authors are4 ,what shadow of pretence have ye now to produce for continuing the blasphemous fraud8 ,what have ye still to offer against the pure and moral religion of deism1 in support of your system of falsehood1 idolatry1 and pretended revelation8 ,had the cruel and murdering orders1 with which the ,bible is filled1 and the numberless torturing executions of men1 women1 and children1 in consequence of those orders1 been ascribed to some friend1 whose memory you revered1 you would have glowed with satisfaction at detecting the falsehood of the charge1 and gloried in defending his injured fame4 ,it is because ye are sunk in the cruelty of superstition1 or feel no interest in the honour of your ,creator1 that ye listen to the horrid tales of the ,bible1 or hear them with callous indifference4 ,the evidence ,i have produced1 and shall still produce in the course of this work1 to prove that the ,bible is without authority1 will1 whilst it wounds the stubbornness of a priest1 relieve and tranquillize the minds of millions3 it will free them from all those hard thoughts of the ,almighty which priestcraft and the ,bible had infused into their minds1 and which stood in everlasting opposition to all their ideas of his moral justice and benevolence4 ,i come now to the two books of ,kings1 and the two books of ,chronicles4--,those books are altogether historical1 and are chiefly confined to the lives and actions of the ,jewish kings1 who in general were a parcel of rascals3 but these are matters with which we have no more concern than we have with the ,roman emperors1 or ,homer's account of the ,trojan war4 ,besides which1 as those books are anonymous1 and as we know nothing of the writer1 or of his character1 it is impossible for us to know what degree of credit to give to the matters related therein4 ,like all other ancient histories1 they appear to be a jumble of fable and of fact1 and of probable and of improbable things1 but which distance of time and place1 and change of circumstances in the world1 have rendered obsolete and uninteresting4 ,the chief use ,i shall make of those books will be that of comparing them with each other1 and with other parts of the ,bible1 to show the confusion1 contradiction1 and cruelty in this pretended word of ,god4 ,the first book of ,kings begins with the reign of ,solomon1 which1 according to the ,bible chronology1 was ,b4,c4 #ajae2 and the second book ends ,b4,c4 #ehh1 being a little after the reign of ,zedekiah1 whom ,nebuchadnezzar1 after taking ,jerusalem and conquering the ,jews1 carried captive to ,babylon4 ,the two books include a space of #dbg years4 ,the two books of ,chronicles are an history of the same times1 and in general of the same persons1 by another author2 for it would be absurd to suppose that the same author wrote the history twice over4 ,the first book of ,chronicles 7after giving the genealogy from ,adam to ,saul1 which takes up the first nine chapters7 begins with the reign of ,david2 and the last book ends1 as in the last book of ,kings1 soon1 after the reign of ,zedekiah1 about ,b4,c4 #ehh4 ,the last two verses of the last chapter bring the history #eb years more forward1 that is1 to #ecf4 ,but these verses do not belong to the book1 as ,i shall show when ,i come to speak of the book of ,ezra4 ,the two books of ,kings1 besides the history of ,saul1 ,david1 and ,solomon1 who reigned over all ,israel1 contain an abstract of the lives of seventeen kings1 and one queen1 who are stiled kings of ,judah2 and of nineteen1 who are stiled kings of ,israel2 for the ,jewish nation1 immediately on the death of ,solomon1 split into two parties1 who chose separate kings1 and who carried on most rancorous wars against each other4 ,these two books are little more than a history of assassinations1 treachery1 and wars4 ,the cruelties that the ,jews had accustomed themselves to practise on the ,canaanites1 whose country they had savagely invaded1 under a pretended gift from ,god1 they afterwards practised as furiously on each other4 ,scarcely half their kings died a natural death1 and in some instances whole families were destroyed to secure possession to the successor1 who1 after a few years1 and sometimes only a few months1 or less1 shared the same fate4 ,in #b ,kings x41 an account is given of two baskets full of children's heads1 seventy in number1 being exposed at the entrance of the city2 they were the children of ,ahab1 and were murdered by the orders of ,jehu1 whom ,elisha1 the pretended man of ,god1 had anointed to be king over ,israel1 on purpose to commit this bloody deed1 and assassinate his predecessor4 ,and in the account of the reign of ,menahem1 one of the kings of ,israel who had murdered ,shallum1 who had reigned but one month1 it is said1 #b ,kings xv4 #af1 that ,menahem smote the city of ,tiphsah1 because they opened not the city to him1 and all the women therein that were with child he ripped up4 ,could we permit ourselves to suppose that the ,almighty would distinguish any nation of people by the name of his chosen people1 we must suppose that people to have been an example to all the rest of the world of the purest piety and humanity1 and not such a nation of ruffians and cut-throats as the ancient ,jews were1--a people who1 corrupted by and copying after such monsters and imposters as ,moses and ,aaron1 ,joshua1 ,samuel1 and ,david1 had distinguished themselves above all others on the face of the known earth for barbarity and wickedness4 ,if we will not stubbornly shut our eyes and steel our hearts it is impossible not to see1 in spite of all that long-established superstition imposes upon the mind1 that the flattering appellation of his chosen people is no other than a ,,lie which the priests and leaders of the ,jews had invented to cover the baseness of their own characters2 and which ,christian priests sometimes as corrupt1 and often as cruel1 have professed to believe4 ,the two books of ,chronicles are a repetition of the same crimes2 but the history is broken in several places1 by the author leaving out the reign of some of their kings2 and in this1 as well as in that of ,kings1 there is such a frequent transition from kings of ,judah to kings of ,israel1 and from kings of ,israel to kings of ,judah1 that the narrative is obscure in the reading4 ,in the same book the history sometimes contradicts itself3 for example1 in #b ,kings1 i4 #ag1 we are told1 but in rather ambiguous terms1 that after the death of ,ahaziah1 king of ,israel1 ,jehoram1 or ,joram1 7who was of the house of ,ahab71 reigned in his stead in the second ,year of ,jehoram1 or ,joram1 son of ,jehoshaphat1 king of ,judah2 and in viii4 #af1 of the same book1 it is said1 8,and in the fifth year of ,joram1 the son of ,ahab1 king of ,israel1 ,jehoshaphat being then king of ,judah1 ,jehoram1 the son of ,jehoshaphat king of judah1 began to reign40 ,that is1 one chapter says ,joram of ,judah began to reign in the second year of ,joram of ,israel2 and the other chapter says1 that ,joram of ,israel began to reign in the fifth year of ,joram of ,judah4 ,several of the most extraordinary matters related in one history1 as having happened during the reign of such or such of their kings1 are not to be found in the other1 in relating the reign of the same king3 for example1 the two first rival kings1 after the death of ,solomon1 were ,rehoboam and ,jeroboam2 and in i ,kings xii4 and xiii4 an account is given of ,jeroboam making an offering of burnt incense1 and that a man1 who is there called a man of ,god1 cried out against the altar 7xiii4 #b73 8,o altar1 altar6 thus saith the ,lord3 ,behold1 a child shall be born unto the house of ,david1 ,josiah by name1 and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee1 and men's bones shall be burned upon thee40 ,verse #d3 8,and it came to pass1 when king ,jeroboam heard the saying of the man of ,god1 which had cried against the altar in ,bethel1 that he put forth his hand from the altar1 saying1 ,lay hold on him2 and his hand which he put out against him dried up so that he could not pull it again to him40 ,one would think that such an extraordinary case as this1 7which is spoken of as a judgement17 happening to the chief of one of the parties1 and that at the first moment of the separation of the ,israelites into two nations1 would1 if it14 had been true1 have been recorded in both histories4 ,but though men1 in later times1 have believed all that the prophets have said unto them1 it does appear that those prophets1 or historians1 disbelieved each other3 they knew each other too well4 ,a long account also is given in ,kings about ,elijah4 ,it runs through several chapters1 and concludes with telling1 #b ,kings ii4 #aa1 8,and it came to pass1 as they 7,elijah and ,elisha7 still went on1 and talked1 that1 behold1 there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire1 and parted them both asunder1 and ,elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven40 ,hum6 this the author of ,chronicles1 miraculous as the story is1 makes no mention of1 though he mentions ,elijah by name2 neither does he say anything of the story related in the second chapter of the same book of ,kings1 of a parcel of children calling ,elisha bald head2 and that this man of ,god 7ver4 #bd7 8turned back1 and looked upon them1 and cursed them in the name of the ,lord2 and there came forth two she-bears out of the wood1 and tare forty and two children of them40 ,he also passes over in silence the story told1 #b ,kings xiii41 that when they were burying a man in the sepulchre where ,elisha had been buried1 it happened that the dead man1 as they were letting him down1 7ver4 #ba7 8touched the bones of ,elisha1 and he 7the dead man7 revived1 and stood up on his feet40 ,the story does not tell us whether they buried the man1 notwithstanding he revived and stood upon his feet1 or drew him up again4 ,upon all these stories the writer of the ,chronicles is as silent as any writer of the present day1 who did not chose to be accused of lying1 or at least of romancing1 would be about stories of the same kind4 ,but1 however these two historians may differ from each other with respect to the tales related by either1 they are silent alike with respect to those men styled prophets whose writings fill up the latter part of the ,bible4 ,isaiah1 who lived in the time of ,hezekiab1 is mentioned in ,kings1 and again in ,chronicles1 when these histories are speaking of that reign2 but except in one or two instances at most1 and those very slightly1 none of the rest are so much as spoken of1 or even their existence hinted at2 though1 according to the ,bible chronology1 they lived within the time those histories were written2 and some of them long before4 ,if those prophets1 as they are called1 were men of such importance in their day1 as the compilers of the ,bible1 and priests and commentators have since represented them to be1 how can it be accounted for that not one of those histories should say anything about them8 ,the history in the books of ,kings and of ,chronicles is brought forward1 as ,i have already said1 to the year ,b4,c4 #ehh2 it will1 therefore1 be proper to examine which of these prophets lived before that period4 ,here follows a table of all the prophets1 with the times in which they lived before ,christ1 according to the chronology affixed to the first chapter of each of the books of the prophets2 and also of the number of years they lived before the books of ,kings and ,chronicles were written3 ,,table of the ,prophets1 with the time in which they lived before ,christ1 and also before the books of ,kings and ,chronicles were written3 ,years ,years before ,,names4 before ,kings and ,observations4 ,christ4 ,chronicles4 ,isaiah444444444444444 #gfj #agb mentioned4 7mentioned only in ,jeremiah4444444444444 #fbi #da the last two chapters of ,chronicles4 ,ezekiel44444444444444 #eie #g not mentioned4 ,daniel444444444444444 #fjg #ai not mentioned4 ,hosea4444444444444444 #ghe #ig not mentioned4 ,joel44444444444444444 #hjj #bab not mentioned4 ,amos44444444444444444 #ghi #aii not mentioned4 ,obadiah44444444444444 #ghi #aii not mentioned4 ,jonah4444444444444444 #hfb #bgd see the note4 ,micah4444444444444444 #gej #afb not mentioned4 ,nahum4444444444444444 #gac #abe not mentioned4 ,habakkuk4444444444444 #fbj #ch not mentioned4 ,zepbaniah444444444444 #fcj #db not mentioned4 ,haggai ,zechariah all three after the year #ehh ,medachi ,,note ,in #b ,kings xiv4 #be1 the name of ,jonah is mentioned on account of the restoration of a tract of land by ,jeroboam2 but nothing further is said of him1 nor is any allusion made to the book of ,jonah1 nor to his expedition to ,nineveh1 nor to his encounter with the whale4--,author4 ,this table is either not very honourable for the ,bible historians1 or not very honourable for the ,bible prophets2 and ,i leave to priests and commentators1 who are very learned in little things1 to settle the point of etiquette between the two2 and to assign a reason1 why the authors of ,kings and of ,chronicles have treated those prophets1 whom1 in the former part of the #8,age of ,reason1' ,i have considered as poets1 with as much degrading silence as any historian of the present day would treat ,peter ,pindar4 ,i have one more observation to make on the book of ,chronicles2 after which ,i shall pass on to review the remaining books of the ,bible4 ,in my observations on the book of ,genesis1 ,i have quoted a passage from xxxvi4 #ca1 which evidently refers to a time1 after that kings began to reign over the children of ,israel2 and ,i have shown that as this verse is verbatim the same as in #a ,chronicles i4 #dc1 where it stands consistently with the order of history1 which in ,genesis it does not1 that the verse in ,genesis1 and a great part of the #cfth chapter1 have been taken from ,chronicles2 and that the book of ,genesis1 though it is placed first in the ,bible1 and ascribed to ,moses1 has been manufactured by some unknown person1 after the book of ,chronicles was written1 which was not until at least eight hundred and sixty years after the time of ,moses4 ,the evidence ,i proceed by to substantiate this1 is regular1 and has in it but two stages4 ,first1 as ,i have already stated1 that the passage in ,genesis refers itself for time to ,chronicles2 secondly1 that the book of ,chronicles1 to which this passage refers itself1 was not begun to be written until at least eight hundred and sixty years after the time of ,moses4 ,to prove this1 we have only to look into #a ,chronicles iii4 #ae1 where the writer1 in giving the genealogy of the descendants of ,david1 mentions ,zedekiah2 and it was in the time of ,zedekiah that ,nebuchadnezzar conquered ,jerusalem1 ,b4,c4 #ehh1 and consequently more than #hfj years after ,moses4 ,those who have superstitiously boasted of the antiquity of the ,bible1 and particularly of the books ascribed to ,moses1 have done it without examination1 and without any other authority than that of one credulous man telling it to another3 for1 so far as historical and chronological evidence applies1 the very first book in the ,bible is not so ancient as the book of ,homer1 by more than three hundred years1 and is about the same age with sop's ,fables4 ,i am not contending for the morality of ,homer2 on the contrary1 ,i think it a book of false glory1 and tending to inspire immoral and mischievous notions of honour2 and with respect to sop1 though the moral is in general just1 the fable is often cruel2 and the cruelty of the fable does more injury to the heart1 especially in a child1 than the moral does good to the judgment4 ,having now dismissed ,kings and ,chronicles1 ,i come to the next in course1 the book of ,ezra4 ,as one proof1 among others ,i shall produce to shew the disorder in which this pretended word of ,god1 the ,bible1 has been put together1 and the uncertainty of who the authors were1 we have only to look at the first three verses in ,ezra1 and the last two in #b ,chronicles2 for by what kind of cutting and shuffling has it been that the first three verses in ,ezra should be the last two verses in #b ,chronicles1 or that the last two in #b ,chronicles should be the first three in ,ezra8 ,either the authors did not know their own works or the compilers did not know the authors4 ,last ,two ,verses of #b ,chronicles4 ,ver4 #bb4 ,now in the first year of ,cyrus1 ,king of ,persia1 that the word of the ,lord1 spoken by the mouth of ,jeremiah1 might be accomplished1 the ,lord stirred up the spirit of ,cyrus1 king of ,persia1 that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom1 and put it also in writing1 saying4 earth hath the ,lord ,god of heaven given me2 and he hath charged me to build him an house in ,jerusalem which is in ,judah4 ,who is there among you of all his people8 the ,lord his ,god be with him1 and let him go up4 999999 ,first ,three ,verses of ,ezra4 ,ver4 #a4 ,now in the first year of ,cyrus1 king of ,persia1 that the word of the ,lord1 by the mouth of ,jeremiah1 might be fulfilled1 the ,lord stirred up the spirit of ,cyrus1 king of ,persia1 that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom1 and put it also in writing1 saying4 #b4 ,thus saith ,cyrus1 king of ,persia1 ,the ,lord ,god of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth2 and he hath charged me to build him an house at ,jerusalem1 which is in ,judah4 #c4 ,who is there among you of all his people8 his ,god be with him1 and let him go up to ,jerusalem1 which is in ,judah1 and build the house of the ,lord ,god of ,israel 7he is the ,god7 which is in ,jerusalem4 999999 ,the last verse in ,chronicles is broken abruptly1 and ends in the middle of the phrase with the word #8up' without signifying to what place4 ,this abrupt break1 and the appearance of the same verses in different books1 show as ,i have already said1 the disorder and ignorance in which the ,bible has been put together1 and that the compilers of it had no authority for what they were doing1 nor we any authority for believing what they have done4 ,,note ,i observed1 as ,i passed along1 several broken and senseless passages in the ,bible1 without thinking them of consequence enough to be introduced in the body of the work2 such as that1 #a ,samuel xiii4 #a1 where it is said1 8,saul reigned one year2 and when he had reigned two years over ,israel1 ,saul chose him three thousand men10 c4 ,the first part of the verse1 that ,saul reigned one year has no sense1 since it does not tell us what ,saul did1 nor say any thing of what happened at the end of that one year2 and it is1 besides1 mere absurdity to say he reigned one year1 when the very next phrase says he had reigned two for if he had reigned two1 it was impossible not to have reigned one4 ,another instance occurs in ,joshua v4 where the writer tells us a story of an angel 7for such the table of contents at the head of the chapter calls him7 appearing unto ,joshua2 and the story ends abruptly1 and without any conclusion4 ,the story is as follows3--,ver4 #ac4 8,and it came to pass1 when ,joshua was by ,jericho1 that he lifted up his eyes and looked1 and behold there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand2 and ,joshua went unto him and said unto him1 ,art thou for us1 or for our adversaries80 ,verse #ad1 8,and he said1 ,nay2 but as captain of the host of the ,lord am ,i now come4 ,and ,joshua fell on his face to the earth1 and did worship and said unto him1 ,what saith my ,lord unto his servant80 ,verse #ae1 8,and the captain of the ,lord's host said unto ,joshua1 ,loose thy shoe from off thy foot2 for the place whereon thou standeth is holy4 ,and ,joshua did so40--,and what then8 nothing3 for here the story ends1 and the chapter too4 ,either this story is broken off in the middle1 or it is a story told by some ,jewish humourist in ridicule of ,joshua's pretended mission from ,god1 and the compilers of the ,bible1 not perceiving the design of the story1 have told it as a serious matter4 ,as a story of humour and ridicule it has a great deal of point2 for it pompously introduces an angel in the figure of a man1 with a drawn sword in his hand1 before whom ,joshua falls on his face to the earth1 and worships 7which is contrary to their second commandment27 and then1 this most important embassy from heaven ends in telling ,joshua to pull off his shoe4 ,it might as well have told him to pull up his breeches4 ,it is certain1 however1 that the ,jews did not credit every thing their leaders told them1 as appears from the cavalier manner in which they speak of ,moses1 when he was gone into the mount4 ,as for this ,moses1 say they1 we wot not what is become of him4 ,exod4 xxxii4 #a4--;,author4 ,the only thing that has any appearance of certainty in the book of ,ezra is the time in which it was written1 which was immediately after the return of the ,jews from the ,babylonian captivity1 about ,b4,c4 #ecf4 ,ezra 7who1 according to the ,jewish commentators1 is the same person as is called ,esdras in the ,apocrypha7 was one of the persons who returned1 and who1 it is probable1 wrote the account of that affair4 ,nebemiah1 whose book follows next to ,ezra1 was another of the returned persons2 and who1 it is also probable1 wrote the account of the same affair1 in the book that bears his name4 ,but those accounts are nothing to us1 nor to any other person1 unless it be to the ,jews1 as a part of the history of their nation2 and there is just as much of the word of ,god in those books as there is in any of the histories of ,france1 or ,rapin's history of ,england1 or the history of any other country4 ,but even in matters of historical record1 neither of those writers are to be depended upon4 ,in ,ezra ii41 the writer gives a list of the tribes and families1 and of the precise number of souls of each1 that returned from ,babylon to ,jerusalem2 and this enrolment of the persons so returned appears to have been one of the principal objects for writing the book2 but in this there is an error that destroys the intention of the undertaking4 ,the writer begins his enrolment in the following manner 7ii4 #c73 8,the children of ,parosh1 two thousand one hundred seventy and four40 ,ver4 #d1 8,the children of ,shephatiah1 three hundred seventy and two40 ,and in this manner he proceeds through all the families2 and in the #fdth verse1 he makes a total1 and says1 the whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore4 ,but whoever will take the trouble of casting up the several particulars1 will find that the total is but #bi1hah2 so that the error is #ab1edb4 ,what certainty then can there be in the ,bible for any thing8 ,here ,mr4 ,paine includes the long list of numbers from the ,bible of all the children listed and the total thereof4 ,this can be had directly from the ,bible4 ,nehemiah1 in like manner1 gives a list of the returned families1 and of the number of each family4 ,he begins as in ,ezra1 by saying 7vii4 #h73 8,the children of ,parosh1 two thousand three hundred and seventy-two20 and so on through all the families4 7,the list differs in several of the particulars from that of ,ezra47 ,in ver4 #ff1 ,nehemiah makes a total1 and says1 as ,ezra had said1 8,the whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore40 ,but the particulars of this list make a total but of #ca1jhi1 so that the error here is #aa1bga4 ,these writers may do well enough for ,bible-makers1 but not for any thing where truth and exactness is necessary4 ,the next book in course is the book of ,esther4 ,if ,madam ,esther thought it any honour to offer herself as a kept mistress to ,ahasuerus1 or as a rival to ,queen ,vashti1 who had refused to come to a drunken king in the midst of a drunken company1 to be made a show of1 7for the account says1 they had been drinking seven days1 and were merry17 let ,esther and ,mordecai look to that1 it is no business of ours1 at least it is none of mine2 besides which1 the story has a great deal the appearance of being fabulous1 and is also anonymous4 ,i pass on to the book of ,job4 ,the book of ,job differs in character from all the books we have hitherto passed over4 ,treachery and murder make no part of this book2 it is the meditations of a mind strongly impressed with the vicissitudes of human life1 and by turns sinking under1 and struggling against the pressure4 ,it is a highly wrought composition1 between willing submission and involuntary discontent2 and shows man1 as he sometimes is1 more disposed to be resigned than he is capable of being4 ,patience has but a small share in the character of the person of whom the book treats2 on the contrary1 his grief is often impetuous2 but he still endeavours to keep a guard upon it1 and seems determined1 in the midst of accumulating ills1 to impose upon himself the hard duty of contentment4 ,i have spoken in a respectful manner of the book of ,job in the former part of the #8,age of ,reason1' but without knowing at that time what ,i have learned since2 which is1 that from all the evidence that can be collected1 the book of ,job does not belong to the ,bible4 ,i have seen the opinion of two ,hebrew commentators1 ,abenezra and ,spinoza1 upon this subject2 they both say that the book of ,job carries no internal evidence of being an ,hebrew book2 that the genius of the composition1 and the drama of the piece1 are not ,hebrew2 that it has been translated from another language into ,hebrew1 and that the author of the book was a ,gentile2 that the character represented under the name of ,satan 7which is the first and only time this name is mentioned in the ,bible7 ,in a later work ,paine notes that in 8the ,bible0 7by which he always means the ,old ,testament alone7 the word ,satan occurs also in #a ,chron4 xxi4 #a1 and remarks that the action there ascribed to ,satan is in #b ,sam4 xxiv4 #a1 attributed to ,jehovah 78,essay on ,dreams074 ,in these places1 however1 and in ,ps4 cix4 #f1 ,satan means 8adversary10 and is so translated 7,a4,s4 version7 in #b ,sam4 xix4 #bb1 and #a ,kings v4 #d1 xi4 #be4 ,as a proper name1 with the article1 ,satan appears in the ,old ,testament only in ,job and in ,zech4 iii4 #a1 #b4 ,but the authenticity of the passage in ,zechariah has been questioned1 and it may be that in finding the proper name of ,satan in ,job alone1 ,paine was following some opinion met with in one of the authorities whose comments are condensed in his paragraph4--,editor4 does not correspond to any ,hebrew idea2 and that the two convocations which the ,deity is supposed to have made of those whom the poem calls sons of ,god1 and the familiarity which this supposed ,satan is stated to have with the ,deity1 are in the same case4 ,it may also be observed1 that the book shows itself to be the production of a mind cultivated in science1 which the ,jews1 so far from being famous for1 were very ignorant of4 ,the allusions to objects of natural philosophy are frequent and strong1 and are of a different cast to any thing in the books known to be ,hebrew4 ,the astronomical names1 ,pleiades1 ,orion1 and ,arcturus1 are ,greek and not ,hebrew names1 and it does not appear from any thing that is to be found in the ,bible that the ,jews knew any thing of astronomy1 or that they studied it1 they had no translation of those names into their own language1 but adopted the names as they found them in the poem4 ,paine's ,jewish critic1 ,david ,levi1 fastened on this slip 78,defence of the ,old ,testament10 #agig1 p4 #aeb74 ,in the original the names are ,ash 7,arcturus71 ,kesil' 7,orion71 ,kimah' 7,pleiades71 though the identifications of the constellations in the ,a4,s4,v4 have been questioned4--,editor4 ,that the ,jews did translate the literary productions of the ,gentile nations into the ,hebrew language1 and mix them with their own1 is not a matter of doubt2 ,proverbs xxxi4 i1 is an evidence of this3 it is there said1 ,the word of king ,lemuel1 the prophecy which his mother taught him4 ,this verse stands as a preface to the proverbs that follow1 and which are not the proverbs of ,solomon1 but of ,lemuel2 and this ,lemuel was not one of the kings of ,israel1 nor of ,judah1 but of some other country1 and consequently a ,gentile4 ,the ,jews however have adopted his proverbs2 and as they cannot give any account who the author of the book of ,job was1 nor how they came by the book1 and as it differs in character from the ,hebrew writings1 and stands totally unconnected with every other book and chapter in the ,bible before it and after it1 it has all the circumstantial evidence of being originally a book of the ,gentiles4 ,the prayer known by the name of ,agur's ,prayer1 in ,proverbs xxx41--immediately preceding the proverbs of ,lemuel1--and which is the only sensible1 well-conceived1 and well-expressed prayer in the ,bible1 has much the appearance of being a prayer taken from the ,gentiles4 ,the name of ,agur occurs on no other occasion than this2 and he is introduced1 together with the prayer ascribed to him1 in the same manner1 and nearly in the same words1 that ,lemuel and his proverbs are introduced in the chapter that follows4 ,the first verse says1 8,the words of ,agur1 the son of ,jakeh1 even the prophecy30 here the word prophecy is used with the same application it has in the following chapter of ,lemuel1 unconnected with anything of prediction4 ,the prayer of ,agur is in the #hth and #ith verses1 8,remove far from me vanity and lies2 give me neither riches nor poverty1 but feed me with food convenient for me2 lest ,i be full and deny thee and say1 ,who is the ,lord8 or lest ,i be poor and steal1 and take the name of my ,god in vain40 ,this has not any of the marks of being a ,jewish prayer1 for the ,jews never prayed but when they were in trouble1 and never for anything but victory1 vengeance1 or riches4--,author4 7,prov4 xxx4 #a1 and xxxi4 #a7 the word 8prophecy0 in these verses is translated 8oracle0 or 8burden0 7marg47 in the revised version4--,the prayer of ,agur was quoted by ,paine in his plea for the officers of ,excise1 #aggb4--;,editor4 ,the ,bible-makers1 and those regulators of time1 the ,bible chronologists1 appear to have been at a loss where to place and how to dispose of the book of ,job2 for it contains no one historical circumstance1 nor allusion to any1 that might serve to determine its place in the ,bible4 ,but it would not have answered the purpose of these men to have informed the world of their ignorance2 and1 therefore1 they have affixed it to the aera of ,b4,c4 #aebj1 which is during the time the ,israelites were in ,egypt1 and for which they have just as much authority and no more than ,i should have for saying it was a thousand years before that period4 ,the probability however is1 that it is older than any book in the ,bible2 and it is the only one that can be read without indignation or disgust4 ,we know nothing of what the ancient ,gentile world 7as it is called7 was before the time of the ,jews1 whose practice has been to calumniate and blacken the character of all other nations2 and it is from the ,jewish accounts that we have learned to call them heathens4 ,but1 as far as we know to the contrary1 they were a just and moral people1 and not addicted1 like the ,jews1 to cruelty and revenge1 but of whose profession of faith we are unacquainted4 ,it appears to have been their custom to personify both virtue and vice by statues and images1 as is done now-a-days both by statuary and by painting2 but it does not follow from this that they worshipped them any more than we do4--,i pass on to the book of1 ,psalms1 of which it is not necessary to make much observation4 ,some of them are moral1 and others are very revengeful2 and the greater part relates to certain local circumstances of the ,jewish nation at the time they were written1 with which we have nothing to do4 ,it is1 however1 an error or an imposition to call them the ,psalms of ,david2 they are a collection1 as song-books are now-a-days1 from different song-writers1 who lived at different times4 ,the #acgth ,psalm could not have been written till more than #djj years after the time of ,david1 because it is written in commemoration of an event1 the captivity of the ,jews in ,babylon1 which did not happen till that distance of time4 8,by the rivers of ,babylon we sat down2 yea1 we wept when we remembered ,zion4 ,we hanged our harps upon the willows1 in the midst thereof2 for there they that carried us away captive required of us a song1 saying1 sing us one of the songs of ,zion40 ,as a man would say to an ,american1 or to a ,frenchman1 or to an ,englishman1 sing us one of your ,american songs1 or your ,french songs1 or your ,english songs4 ,this remark1 with respect to the time this psalm was written1 is of no other use than to show 7among others already mentioned7 the general imposition the world has been under with respect to the authors of the ,bible4 ,no regard has been paid to time1 place1 and circumstance2 and the names of persons have been affixed to the several books which it was as impossible they should write1 as that a man should walk in procession at his own funeral4 ,the ,book of ,proverbs4 ,these1 like the ,psalms1 are a collection1 and that from authors belonging to other nations than those of the ,jewish nation1 as ,i have shewn in the observations upon the book of ,job2 besides which1 some of the ,proverbs ascribed to ,solomon did not appear till two hundred and fifty years after the death of ,solomon2 for it is said in xxv4 i1 8,these are also proverbs of ,solomon which the men of ,hezekiah1 king of ,judah1 copied out40 ,it was two hundred and fifty years from the time of ,solomon to the time of ,hezekiah4 ,when a man is famous and his name is abroad he is made the putative father of things he never said or did2 and this1 most probably1 has been the case with ,solomon4 ,it appears to have been the fashion of that day to make proverbs1 as it is now to make jest-books1 and father them upon those who never saw them4 ,a 8,tom ,paine's ,jest ,book0 had appeared in ,london with little or nothing of ,paine in it4--,editor4 ,the book of ,ecclesiastes1 or the ,preacher1 is also ascribed to ,solomon1 and that with much reason1 if not with truth4 ,it is written as the solitary reflections of a worn-out debauchee1 such as ,solomon was1 who looking back on scenes he can no longer enjoy1 cries out ,all is ,vanity6 ,a great deal of the metaphor and of the sentiment is obscure1 most probably by translation2 but enough is left to show they were strongly pointed in the original4 ,those that look out of the window shall be darkened1 is an obscure figure in translation for loss of sight4--,author4 ,from what is transmitted to us of the character of ,solomon1 he was witty1 ostentatious1 dissolute1 and at last melancholy4 ,he lived fast1 and died1 tired of the world1 at the age of fifty-eight years4 ,seven hundred wives1 and three hundred concubines1 are worse than none2 and1 however it may carry with it the appearance of heightened enjoyment1 it defeats all the felicity of affection1 by leaving it no point to fix upon2 divided love is never happy4 ,this was the case with ,solomon2 and if he could not1 with all his pretensions to wisdom1 discover it beforehand1 he merited1 unpitied1 the mortification he afterwards endured4 ,in this point of view1 his preaching is unnecessary1 because1 to know the consequences1 it is only necessary to know the cause4 ,seven hundred wives1 and three hundred concubines would have stood in place of the whole book4 ,it was needless after this to say that all was vanity and vexation of spirit2 for it is impossible to derive happiness from the company of those whom we deprive of happiness4 ,to be happy in old age it is necessary that we accustom ourselves to objects that can accompany the mind all the way through life1 and that we take the rest as good in their day4 ,the mere man of pleasure is miserable in old age2 and the mere drudge in business is but little better3 whereas1 natural philosophy1 mathematical and mechanical science1 are a continual source of tranquil pleasure1 and in spite of the gloomy dogmas of priests1 and of superstition1 the study of those things is the study of the true theology2 it teaches man to know and to admire the ,creator1 for the principles of science are in the creation1 and are unchangeable1 and of divine origin4 ,those who knew ,benjamin ,franklin will recollect1 that his mind was ever young2 his temper ever serene2 science1 that never grows grey1 was always his mistress4 ,he was never without an object2 for when we cease to have an object we become like an invalid in an hospital waiting for death4 ,solomon's ,songs1 amorous and foolish enough1 but which wrinkled fanaticism has called divine4--,the compilers of the ,bible have placed these songs after the book of ,ecclesiastes2 and the chronologists have affixed to them the aera of ,b4,c4 #ajad1 at which time ,solomon1 according to the same chronology1 was nineteen years of age1 and was then forming his seraglio of wives and concubines4 ,the ,bible-makers and the chronologists should have managed this matter a little better1 and either have said nothing about the time1 or chosen a time less inconsistent with the supposed divinity of those songs2 for ,solomon was then in the honey-moon of one thousand debaucheries4 ,it should also have occurred to them1 that as he wrote1 if he did write1 the book of ,ecclesiastes1 long after these songs1 and in which he exclaims that all is vanity and vexation of spirit1 that he included those songs in that description4 ,this is the more probable1 because he says1 or somebody for him1 ,ecclesiastes ii4 #h1 ,i got me men-singers1 and women-singers most probably to sing those songs1 and musical instruments of all sorts2 and behold 7,ver4 ii71 8all was vanity and vexation of spirit40 ,the compilers however have done their work but by halves2 for as they have given us the songs they should have given us the tunes1 that we might sing them4 ,the books called the books of the ,prophets fill up all the remaining part of the ,bible2 they are sixteen in number1 beginning with ,isaiah and ending with ,malachi1 of which ,i have given a list in the observations upon ,chronicles4 ,of these sixteen prophets1 all of whom except the last three lived within the time the books of ,kings and ,chronicles were written1 two only1 ,isaiah and ,jeremiah1 are mentioned in the history of those books4 ,i shall begin with those two1 reserving1 what ,i have to say on the general character of the men called prophets to another part of the work4 ,whoever will take the trouble of reading the book ascribed to ,isaiah1 will find it one of the most wild and disorderly compositions ever put together2 it has neither beginning1 middle1 nor end2 and1 except a short historical part1 and a few sketches of history in the first two or three chapters1 is one continued incoherent1 bombastical rant1 full of extravagant metaphor1 without application1 and destitute of meaning2 a school-boy would scarcely have been excusable for writing such stuff2 it is 7at least in translation7 that kind of composition and false taste that is properly called prose run mad4 ,the historical part begins at chapter xxxvi41 and is continued to the end of chapter xxxix4 ,it relates some matters that are said to have passed during the reign of ,hezekiah1 king of ,judah1 at which time ,isaiah lived4 ,this fragment of history begins and ends abruptly2 it has not the least connection with the chapter that precedes it1 nor with that which follows it1 nor with any other in the book4 ,it is probable that ,isaiah wrote this fragment himself1 because he was an actor in the circumstances it treats of2 but except this part there are scarcely two chapters that have any connection with each other4 ,one is entitled1 at the beginning of the first verse1 the burden of ,babylon2 another1 the burden of ,moab2 another1 the burden of ,damascus2 another1 the burden of ,egypt2 another1 the burden of the ,desert of the ,sea2 another1 the burden of the ,valley of ,vision3 as you would say the story of the ,knight of the ,burning ,mountain1 the story of ,cinderella1 or the glassen slipper1 the story of the ,sleeping ,beauty in the ,wood1 etc41 etc4 ,i have already shown1 in the instance of the last two verses of #b ,chronicles1 and the first three in ,ezra1 that the compilers of the ,bible mixed and confounded the writings of different authors with each other2 which alone1 were there no other cause1 is sufficient to destroy the authenticity of an compilation1 because it is more than presumptive evidence that the compilers are ignorant who the authors were4 ,a very glaring instance of this occurs in the book ascribed to ,isaiah3 the latter part of the #ddth chapter1 and the beginning of the #deth1 so far from having been written by ,isaiah1 could only have been written by some person who lived at least an hundred and fifty years after ,isaiah was dead4 ,these chapters are a compliment to ,cyrus1 who permitted the ,jews to return to ,jerusalem from the ,babylonian captivity1 to rebuild ,jerusalem and the temple1 as is stated in ,ezra4 ,the last verse of the #ddth chapter1 and the beginning of the #deth ,isaiah are in the following words3 8,that saith of ,cyrus1 he is my shepherd1 and shall perform all my pleasure2 even saying to ,jerusalem1 thou shalt be built2 and to the temple thy foundations shall be laid3 thus saith the ,lord to his enointed1 to ,cyrus1 whose right hand ,i have holden to subdue nations before him1 and ,i will loose the loins of kings to open before him the two-leaved gates1 and the gates shall not be shut2 ,i will go before thee10 etc4 ,what audacity of church and priestly ignorance it is to impose this book upon the world as the writing of ,isaiah1 when ,isaiah1 according to their own chronology1 died soon after the death of ,hezekiah1 which was ,b4,c4 #fih2 and the decree of ,cyrus1 in favour of the ,jews returning to ,jerusalem1 was1 according to the same chronology1 ,b4,c4 #ecf2 which is a distance of time between the two of #afb years4 ,i do not suppose that the compilers of the ,bible made these books1 but rather that they picked up some loose1 anonymous essays1 and put them together under the names of such authors as best suited their purpose4 ,they have encouraged the imposition1 which is next to inventing it2 for it was impossible but they must have observed it4 ,when we see the studied craft of the scripture-makers1 in making every part of this romantic book of school-boy's eloquence bend to the monstrous idea of a ,son of ,god1 begotten by a ghost on the body of a virgin1 there is no imposition we are not justified in suspecting them of4 ,every phrase and circumstance are marked with the barbarous hand of superstitious torture1 and forced into meanings it was impossible they could have4 ,the head of every chapter1 and the top of every page1 are blazoned with the names of ,christ and the ,church1 that the unwary reader might suck in the error before he began to read4 ,behold a virgin shall conceive1 and bear a son 7,isa4 vii4 ,i#d71 has been interpreted to mean the person called ,jesus ,christ1 and his mother ,mary1 and has been echoed through christendom for more than a thousand years2 and such has been the rage of this opinion1 that scarcely a spot in it but has been stained with blood and marked with desolation in consequence of it4 ,though it is not my intention to enter into controversy on subjects of this kind1 but to confine myself to show that the ,bible is spurious1--and thus1 by taking away the foundation1 to overthrow at once the whole structure of superstition raised thereon1--,i will however stop a moment to expose the fallacious application of this passage4 ,whether ,isaiah was playing a trick with ,ahaz1 king of ,judah1 to whom this passage is spoken1 is no business of mine2 ,i mean only to show the misapplication of the passage1 and that it has no more reference to ,christ and his mother1 than it has to me and my mother4 ,the story is simply this3 ,the king of ,syria and the king of ,israel 7,i have already mentioned that the ,jews were split into two nations1 one of which was called ,judah1 the capital of which was ,jerusalem1 and the other ,israel7 made war jointly against ,ahaz1 king of ,judah1 and marched their armies towards ,jerusalem4 ,ahaz and his people became alarmed1 and the account says 7,is4 vii4 #b71 ,their hearts were moved as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind4 ,in this situation of things1 ,isaiah addresses himself to ,ahaz1 and assures him in the name of the ,lord 7the cant phrase of all the prophets7 that these two kings should not succeed against him2 and to satisfy ,ahaz that this should be the case1 tells him to ask a sign4 ,this1 the account says1 ,ahaz declined doing2 giving as a reason that he would not tempt the ,lord2 upon which ,isaiah1 who is the speaker1 says1 ver4 #ad1 8,therefore the ,lord himself shall give you a sign2 behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son20 and the #afth verse says1 8,and before this child shall know to refuse the evil1 and choose the good1 the land which thou abhorrest or dreadest meaning ,syria and the kingdom of ,israel shall be forsaken of both her kings40 ,here then was the sign1 and the time limited for the completion of the assurance or promise2 namely1 before this child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good4 ,isaiah having committed himself thus far1 it became necessary to him1 in order to avoid the imputation of being a false prophet1 and the consequences thereof1 to take measures to make this sign appear4 ,it certainly was not a difficult thing1 in any time of the world1 to find a girl with child1 or to make her so2 and perhaps ,isaiah knew of one beforehand2 for ,i do not suppose that the prophets of that day were any more to be trusted than the priests of this3 be that1 however1 as it may1 he says in the next chapter1 ver4 #b1 8,and ,i took unto me faithful witnesses to record1 ,uriah the priest1 and ,zechariah the son of ,jeberechiah1 and ,i went unto the prophetess1 and she conceived and bare a son40 ,here then is the whole story1 foolish as it is1 of this child and this virgin2 and it is upon the barefaced perversion of this story that the book of ,matthew1 and the impudence and sordid interest of priests in later times1 have founded a theory1 which they call the gospel2 and have applied this story to signify the person they call ,jesus ,christ2 begotten1 they say1 by a ghost1 whom they call holy1 on the body of a woman engaged in marriage1 and afterwards married1 whom they call a virgin1 seven hundred years after this foolish story was told2 a theory which1 speaking for myself1 ,i hesitate not to believe1 and to say1 is as fabulous and as false as ,god is true4 ,in ,is4 vii4 #ad1 it is said that the child should be called ,immanuel2 but this name was not given to either of the children1 otherwise than as a character1 which the word signifies4 ,that of the prophetess was called ,maher-shalalhash-baz1 and that of ,mary was called ,jesus4--,author4 ,but to show the imposition and falsehood of ,isaiah we have only to attend to the sequel of this story2 which1 though it is passed over in silence in the book of ,isaiah1 is related in #b ,chronicles1 xxviii2 and which is1 that instead of these two kings failing in their attempt against ,ahaz1 king of ,judah1 as ,isaiah had pretended to foretel in the name of the ,lord1 they succeeded3 ,ahaz was defeated and destroyed2 an hundred and twenty thousand of his people were slaughtered2 ,jerusalem was plundered1 and two hundred thousand women and sons and daughters carried into captivity4 ,thus much for this lying prophet and imposter ,isaiah1 and the book of falsehoods that bears his name4 ,i pass on to the book of ,jeremiah4 ,this prophet1 as he is called1 lived in the time that ,nebuchadnezzar besieged ,jerusalem1 in the reign of ,zedekiah1 the last king of ,judah2 and the suspicion was strong against him that he was a traitor in the interest of ,nebuchadnezzar4 ,every thing relating to ,jeremiah shows him to have been a man of an equivocal character3 in his metaphor of the potter and the clay1 7ch4 xviii47 he guards his prognostications in such a crafty manner as always to leave himself a door to escape by1 in case the event should be contrary to what he had predicted4 ,in the #gth and #hth verses he makes the ,almighty to say1 8,at what instant ,i shall speak concerning a nation1 and concerning a kingdom1 to pluck up1 and to pull down1 and destroy it1 if that nation1 against whom ,i have pronounced1 turn from their evil1 ,i will repent me of the evil that ,i thought to do unto them40 ,here was a proviso against one side of the case3 now for the other side4 ,verses #i and #aj1 8,at what instant ,i shall speak concerning a nation1 and concerning a kingdom1 to build and to plant it1 if it do evil in my sight1 that it obey not my voice1 then ,i will repent me of the good wherewith ,i said ,i would benefit them40 ,here is a proviso against the other side2 and1 according to this plan of prophesying1 a prophet could never be wrong1 however mistaken the ,almighty might be4 ,this sort of absurd subterfuge1 and this manner of speaking of the ,almighty1 as one would speak of a man1 is consistent with nothing but the stupidity of the ,bible4 ,as to the authenticity of the book1 it is only necessary to read it in order to decide positively that1 though some passages recorded therein may have been spoken by ,jeremiah1 he is not the author of the book4 ,the historical parts1 if they can be called by that name1 are in the most confused condition2 the same events are several times repeated1 and that in a manner different1 and sometimes in contradiction to each other2 and this disorder runs even to the last chapter1 where the history1 upon which the greater part of the book has been employed1 begins anew1 and ends abruptly4 ,the book has all the appearance of being a medley of unconnected anecdotes respecting persons and things of that time1 collected together in the same rude manner as if the various and contradictory accounts that are to be found in a bundle of newspapers1 respecting persons and things of the present day1 were put together without date1 order1 or explanation4 ,i will give two or three examples of this kind4 ,it appears1 from the account of chapter xxxvii4 that the army of ,nebuchadnezzer1 which is called the army of the ,chaldeans1 had besieged ,jerusalem some time2 and on their hearing that the army of ,pharaoh of ,egypt was marching against them1 they raised the siege and retreated for a time4 ,it may here be proper to mention1 in order to understand this confused history1 that ,nebuchadnezzar had besieged and taken ,jerusalem during the reign of ,jehoakim1 the redecessor of ,zedekiah2 and that it was ,nebuchadnezzar who had make ,zedekiah king1 or rather viceroy2 and that this second siege1 of which the book of ,jeremiah treats1 was in consequence of the revolt of ,zedekiah against ,nebuchadnezzar4 ,this will in some measure account for the suspicion that affixes itself to ,jeremiah of being a traitor1 and in the interest of ,nebuchadnezzar1--whom ,jeremiah calls1 xliii4 #aj1 the servant of ,god4 ,chapter xxxvii4 #aa-ac1 says1 8,and it came to pass1 that1 when the army of the ,chaldeans was broken up from ,jerusalem1 for fear of ,pharaoh's army1 that ,jeremiah went forth out of ,jerusalem1 to go 7as this account states7 into the land of ,benjamin1 to separate himself thence in the midst of the people2 and when he was in the gate of ,benjamin a captain of the ward was there1 whose name was ,irijah444 and he took ,jeremiah the prophet1 saying1 ,thou fallest away to the ,chaldeans2 then ,jeremiah said1 ,it is false2 ,i fall not away to the ,chaldeans40 ,jeremiah being thus stopt and accused1 was1 after being examined1 committed to prison1 on suspicion of being a traitor1 where he remained1 as is stated in the last verse of this chapter4 ,but the next chapter gives an account of the imprisonment of ,jeremiah1 which has no connection with this account1 but ascribes his imprisonment to another circumstance1 and for which we must go back to chapter xxi4 ,it is there stated1 ver4 #a1 that ,zedekiah sent ,pashur the son of ,malchiah1 and ,zephaniah the son of ,maaseiah the priest1 to ,jeremiah1 to enquire of him concerning ,nebuchadnezzar1 whose army was then before ,jerusalem2 and ,jeremiah said to them1 ver4 #h1 8,thus saith the ,lord1 ,behold ,i set before you the way of life1 and the way of death2 he that abideth in this city shall die by the sword and by the famine1 and by the pestilence2 but he that goeth out and falleth to the ,chaldeans that besiege you1 he shall live1 and his life shall be unto him for a prey40 ,this interview and conference breaks off abruptly at the end of the #ajth verse of chapter xxi42 and such is the disorder of this book that we have to pass over sixteen chapters upon various subjects1 in order to come at the continuation and event of this conference2 and this brings us to the first verse of chapter xxxviii41 as ,i have just mentioned4 ,the chapter opens with saying1 8,then ,shaphatiah1 the son of ,mattan1 ,gedaliah the son of ,pashur1 and ,jucal the son of ,shelemiah1 and ,pashur the son of ,malchiah1 7here are more persons mentioned than in chapter xxi47 heard the words that ,jeremiah spoke unto all the people1 saying1 ,thus saith the ,lord1 ,he that remaineth in this city1 shall die by the sword1 by famine1 and by the pestilence2 but he that goeth forth to the ,chaldeans shall live2 for he shall have his life for a prey1 and shall live02 which are the words of the conference2 therefore1 7say they to ,zedekiah17 8,we beseech thee1 let this man be put to death1 for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city1 and the hands of all the people1 in speaking such words unto them2 for this man seeketh not the welfare of the people1 but the hurt30 and at the #fth verse it is said1 8,then they took ,jeremiah1 and put him into the dungeon of ,malchiah40 ,these two accounts are different and contradictory4 ,the one ascribes his imprisonment to his attempt to escape out of the city2 the other to his preaching and prophesying in the city2 the one to his being seized by the guard at the gate2 the other to his being accused before ,zedekiah by the conferees4 ,i observed two chapters in ,i ,samuel 7xvi4 and xvii47 that contradict each other with respect to ,david1 and the manner he became acquainted with ,saul2 as ,jeremiah xxxvii4 and xxxviii4 contradict each other with respect to the cause of ,jeremiah's imprisonment4 ,in #a ,samuel1 xvi41 it is said1 that an evil spirit of ,god troubled ,saul1 and that his servants advised him 7as a remedy7 8to seek out a man who was a cunning player upon the harp40 ,and ,saul said1 ver4 #ag1 8,provide me now a man that can play well1 and bring him to me4 ,then answered one of his servants1 and said1 ,behold1 ,i have seen a son of ,jesse1 the ,bethlehemite1 that is cunning in playing1 and a mighty man1 and a man of war1 and prudent in matters1 and a comely person1 and the ,lord is with him2 wherefore ,saul sent messengers unto ,jesse1 and said1 ,send me ,david1 thy son4 ,and 7verse #ba7 ,david came to ,saul1 and stood before him1 and he loved him greatly1 and he became his armour-bearer2 and when the evil spirit from ,god was upon ,saul1 7verse #bc7 ,david took his harp1 and played with his hand1 and ,saul was refreshed1 and was well40 ,but the next chapter 7xvii47 gives an account1 all different to this1 of the manner that ,saul and ,david became acquainted4 ,here it is ascribed to ,david's encounter with ,goliah1 when ,david was sent by his father to carry provision to his brethren in the camp4 ,in the #eeth verse of this chapter it is said1 8,and when ,saul saw ,david go forth against the ,philistine 7,goliah7 he said to ,abner1 the captain of the host1 ,abner1 whose son is this youth8 ,and ,abner said1 ,as thy soul liveth1 #j king1 ,i cannot tell4 ,and the king said1 ,enquire thou whose son the stripling is4 ,and as ,david returned from the slaughter of the ,philistine1 ,abner took him and brought him before ,saul1 with the head of the ,philistine in his hand2 and ,saul said unto him1 ,whose son art thou1 thou young man8 ,and ,david answered1 ,i am the son of thy servant1 ,jesse1 the ,betblehemite10 ,these two accounts belie each other1 because each of them supposes ,saul and ,david not to have known each other before4 ,this book1 the ,bible1 is too ridiculous for criticism4--,author4 ,in the next chapter 7,jer4 xxxix47 we have another instance of the disordered state of this book2 for notwithstanding the siege of the city by ,nebuchadnezzar has been the subject of several of the preceding chapters1 particularly xxxvii4 and xxxviii41 chapter xxxix4 begins as if not a word had been said upon the subject1 and as if the reader was still to be informed of every particular respecting it2 for it begins with saying1 ver4 #a1 8,in the ninth year of ,zedekiah king of ,judah1 in the tenth month1 came ,nebuchadnezzar king of ,babylon1 and all his army1 against ,jerusalem1 and besieged it10 etc4 ,but the instance in the last chapter 7lii47 is still more glaring2 for though the story has been told over and over again1 this chapter still supposes the reader not to know anything of it1 for it begins by saying1 ver4 i1 8,zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign1 and he reigned eleven years in ,jerusalem1 and his mother's name was ,hamutal1 the daughter of ,jeremiah of ,libnah40 7,ver4 #d17 8,and it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign1 in the tenth month1 that ,nebuchadnezzar king of ,babylon came1 he and all his army1 against ,jerusalem1 and pitched against it1 and built forts against it10 etc4 ,it is not possible that any one man1 and more particularly ,jeremiah1 could have been the writer of this book4 ,the errors are such as could not have been committed by any person sitting down to compose a work4 ,were ,i1 or any other man1 to write in such a disordered manner1 no body would read what was written1 and every body would suppose that the writer was in a state of insanity4 ,the only way1 therefore1 to account for the disorder is1 that the book is a medley of detached unauthenticated anecdotes1 put together by some stupid book-maker1 under the name of ,jeremiah2 because many of them refer to him1 and to the circumstances of the times he lived in4 ,of the duplicity1 and of the false predictions of ,jeremiah1 ,i shall mention two instances1 and then proceed to review the remainder of the ,bible4 ,it appears from chapter xxxviii4 that when ,jeremiah was in prison1 ,zedekiah sent for him1 and at this interview1 which was private1 ,jeremiah pressed it strongly on ,zedekiah to surrender himself to the enemy4 8,if10 says he1 7ver4 #ag17 8thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of ,babylon's princes1 then thy soul shall live10 etc4 ,zedekiah was apprehensive that what passed at this conference should be known2 and he said to ,jeremiah1 7ver4 #be17 8,if the princes meaning those of ,judah hear that ,i have talked with thee1 and they come unto thee1 and say unto thee1 ,declare unto us now what thou hast said unto the king2 hide it not from us1 and we will not put thee to death2 and also what the king said unto thee2 then thou shalt say unto them1 ,i presented my supplication before the king that he would not cause me to return to ,jonathan's house1 to die there4 ,then came all the princes unto ,jeremiah1 and asked him1 and 8he told them according to all the words the king had commanded40 ,thus1 this man of ,god1 as he is called1 could tell a lie1 or very strongly prevaricate1 when he supposed it would answer his purpose2 for certainly he did not go to ,zedekiah to make this supplication1 neither did he make it2 he went because he was sent for1 and he employed that opportunity to advise ,zedekiah to surrender himself to ,nebuchadnezzar4 ,in chapter xxxiv4 #b-e1 is a prophecy of ,jeremiah to ,zedekiah in these words3 8,thus saith the ,lord1 ,behold ,i will give this city into the hand of the king of ,babylon1 and he will burn it with fire2 and thou shalt not escape out of his hand1 but thou shalt surely be taken1 and delivered into his hand2 and thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of ,babylon1 and he shall speak with thee mouth to mouth1 and thou shalt go to ,babylon4 ,yet hear the word of the ,lord2 ,o ,zedekiah1 king1 of ,judah1 thus saith the ,lord1 ,thou shalt not die by the sword1 but thou shalt die in ,peace2 and with the burnings of thy fathers1 the former kings that were before thee1 so shall they burn odours for thee1 and they will lament thee1 saying1 ,ah1 ,lord6 for ,i have pronounced the word1 saith the ,lord40 ,now1 instead of ,zedekiah beholding the eyes of the king of ,babylon1 and speaking with him mouth to mouth1 and dying in peace1 and with the burning of odours1 as at the funeral of his fathers1 7as ,jeremiah had declared the ,lord himself had pronounced17 the reverse1 according to chapter ,iii41 #aj1 #aa was the case2 it is there said1 that the king of ,babylon slew the sons of ,zedekiah before his eyes3 then he put out the eyes of ,zedekiah1 and bound him in chains1 and carried him to ,babylon1 and put him in prison till the day of his death4 ,what then can we say of these prophets1 but that they are impostors and liars8 ,as for ,jeremiah1 he experienced none of those evils4 ,he was taken into favour by ,nebuchadnezzar1 who gave him in charge to the captain of the guard 7xxxix1 #ab71 8,take him 7said he7 and look well to him1 and do him no harm2 but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee40 ,jeremiah joined himself afterwards to ,nebuchadnezzar1 and went about prophesying for him against the ,egyptians1 who had marched to the relief of ,jerusalem while it was besieged4 ,thus much for another of the lying prophets1 and the book that bears his name4 ,i have been the more particular in treating of the books ascribed to ,isaiah and ,jeremiah1 because those two are spoken of in the books of ,kings and ,chronicles1 which the others are not4 ,the remainder of the books ascribed to the men called prophets ,i shall not trouble myself much about2 but take them collectively into the observations ,i shall offer on the character of the men styled prophets4 ,in the former part of the #8,age of ,reason1' ,i have said that the word prophet was the ,bible-word for poet1 and that the flights and metaphors of ,jewish poets have been foolishly erected into what are now called prophecies4 ,i am sufficiently justified in this opinion1 not only because the books called the prophecies are written in poetical language1 but because there is no word in the ,bible1 except it be the word prophet1 that describes what we mean by a poet4 ,i have also said1 that the word signified a performer upon musical instruments1 of which ,i have given some instances2 such as that of a company of prophets1 prophesying with psalteries1 with tabrets1 with pipes1 with harps1 etc41 and that ,saul prophesied with them1 #a ,sam4 x41 #e4 ,it appears from this passage1 and from other parts in the book of ,samuel1 that the word prophet was confined to signify poetry and music2 for the person who was supposed to have a visionary insight into concealed things1 was not a prophet but a seer1 ,i know not what is the ,hebrew word that corresponds to the word seer in ,english2 but ,i observe it is translated into ,french by ,le ,voyant1 from the verb voir to see1 and which means the person who sees1 or the seer4--,author4 ,the ,hebrew word for ,seer1 in #a ,samuel ix41 transliterated1 is chozeh1 the gazer1 it is translated in ,is4 xlvii4 #ac1 8the stargazers40--,editor4 7i ,sam1 ix4 #i27 and it was not till after the word seer went out of use 7which most probably was when ,saul banished those he called wizards7 that the profession of the seer1 or the art of seeing1 became incorporated into the word prophet4 ,according to the modern meaning of the word prophet and prophesying1 it signifies foretelling events to a great distance of time2 and it became necessary to the inventors of the gospel to give it this latitude of meaning1 in order to apply or to stretch what they call the prophecies of the ,old ,testament1 to the times of the ,new4 ,but according to the ,old ,testament1 the prophesying of the seer1 and afterwards of the prophet1 so far as the meaning of the word 8seer0 was incorporated into that of prophet1 had reference only to things of the time then passing1 or very closely connected with it2 such as the event of a battle they were going to engage in1 or of a journey1 or of any enterprise they were going to undertake1 or of any circumstance then pending1 or of any difficulty they were then in2 all of which had immediate reference to themselves 7as in the case already mentioned of ,ahaz and ,isaiah with respect to the expression1 ,behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son17 and not to any distant future time4 ,it was that kind of prophesying that corresponds to what we call fortune-telling2 such as casting nativities1 predicting riches1 fortunate or unfortunate marriages1 conjuring for lost goods1 etc42 and it is the fraud of the ,christian church1 not that of the ,jews1 and the ignorance and the superstition of modern1 not that of ancient times1 that elevated those poetical1 musical1 conjuring1 dreaming1 strolling gentry1 into the rank they have since had4 ,but1 besides this general character of all the prophets1 they had also a particular character4 ,they were in parties1 and they prophesied for or against1 according to the party they were with2 as the poetical and political writers of the present day write in defence of the party they associate with against the other4 ,after the ,jews were divided into two nations1 that of ,judah and that of ,israel1 each party had its prophets1 who abused and accused each other of being false prophets1 lying prophets1 impostors1 etc4 ,the prophets of the party of ,judah prophesied against the prophets of the party of ,israel2 and those of the party of ,israel against those of ,judah4 ,this party prophesying showed itself immediately on the separation under the first two rival kings1 ,rehoboam and ,jeroboam4 ,the prophet that cursed1 or prophesied against the altar that ,jeroboam had built in ,bethel1 was of the party of ,judah1 where ,rehoboam was king2 and he was way-laid on his return home by a prophet of the party of ,israel1 who said unto him 7i ,kings xiii47 8,art thou the man of ,god that came from ,judah8 and he said1 ,i am40 ,then the prophet of the party of ,israel said to him 8,i am a prophet also1 as thou art1 signifying of ,judah1 and an angel spake unto me by the word of the ,lord1 saying1 ,bring him back with thee unto thine house1 that he may eat bread and drink water2 but 7says the #ahth verse7 he lied unto him40 ,the event1 however1 according to the story1 is1 that the prophet of ,judah never got back to ,judah2 for he was found dead on the road by the contrivance of the prophet of ,israel1 who no doubt was called a true prophet by his own party1 and the prophet of ,judah a lying prophet4 ,in #b ,kings1 iii41 a story is related of prophesying or conjuring that shews1 in several particulars1 the character of a prophet4 ,jehoshaphat king of ,judah1 and ,joram king of ,israel1 had for a while ceased their party animosity1 and entered into an alliance2 and these two1 together with the king of ,edom1 engaged in a war against the king of ,moab4 ,after uniting and marching their armies1 the story says1 they were in great distress for water1 upon which ,jehoshaphat said1 8,is there not here a prophet of the ,lord1 that we may enquire of the ,lord by him8 and one of the servants of the king of ,israel said here is ,elisha4 ,elisha was of the party of ,judah4 ,and ,jehoshaphat the king of ,judah said1 ,the word of the ,lord is with him40 ,the story then says1 that these three kings went down to ,elisha2 and when ,elisha who1 as ,i have said1 was a ,judahmite prophet saw the ,king of ,israel1 he said unto him1 8,what have ,i to do with thee1 get thee to the prophets of thy father and the prophets of thy mother4 ,nay but1 said the king of ,israel1 the ,lord hath called these three kings together1 to deliver them into the hands of the king of ,moab10 7meaning because of the distress they were in for water27 upon which ,elisha said1 8,as the ,lord of hosts liveth before whom ,i stand1 surely1 were it not that ,i regard the presence of ,jehoshaphat1 king of ,judah1 ,i would not look towards thee nor see thee40 ,here is all the venom and vulgarity of a party prophet4 ,we are now to see the performance1 or manner of prophesying4 ,ver4 #ae4 8#8,bring me1' 7said ,elisha71 #8a minstrel'2 and it came to pass1 when the minstrel played1 that the hand of the ,lord came upon him40 ,here is the farce of the conjurer4 ,now for the prophecy3 8,and ,elisha said1 singing most probably to the tune he was playing1 ,thus saith the ,lord1 ,make this valley full of ditches20 which was just telling them what every countryman could have told them without either fiddle or farce1 that the way to get water was to dig for it4 ,but as every conjuror is not famous alike for the same thing1 so neither were those prophets2 for though all of them1 at least those ,i have spoken of1 were famous for lying1 some of them excelled in cursing4 ,elisha1 whom ,i have just mentioned1 was a chief in this branch of prophesying2 it was he that cursed the forty-two children in the name of the ,lord1 whom the two she-bears came and devoured4 ,we are to suppose that those children were of the party of ,israel2 but as those who will curse will lie1 there is just as much credit to be given to this story of ,elisha's two she-bears as there is to that of the ,dragon of ,wantley1 of whom it is said3 ,poor children three devoured be1 ,that could not with him grapple2 ,and at one sup he eat them up1 ,as a man would eat an apple4 ,there was another description of men called prophets1 that amused themselves with dreams and visions2 but whether by night or by day we know not4 ,these1 if they were not quite harmless1 were but little mischievous4 ,of this class are1 ,,ezekiel and ,,daniel2 and the first question upon these books1 as upon all the others1 is1 ,are they genuine8 that is1 were they written by ,ezekiel and ,daniel8 ,of this there is no proof2 but so far as my own opinion goes1 ,i am more inclined to believe they were1 than that they were not4 ,my reasons for this opinion are as follows3 ,first1 ,because those books do not contain internal evidence to prove they were not written by ,ezekiel and ,daniel1 as the books ascribed to ,moses1 ,joshua1 ,samuel1 etc41 prove they were not written by ,moses1 ,joshua1 ,samuel1 etc4 ,secondly1 ,because they were not written till after the ,babylonish captivity began2 and there is good reason to believe that not any book in the bible was written before that period2 at least it is proveable1 from the books themselves1 as ,i have already shown1 that they were not written till after the commencement of the ,jewish monarchy4 ,thirdly1 ,because the manner in which the books ascribed to ,ezekiel and ,daniel are written1 agrees with the condition these men were in at the time of writing them4 ,had the numerous commentators and priests1 who have foolishly employed or wasted their time in pretending to expound and unriddle those books1 been carred into captivity1 as ,ezekiel and ,daniel were1 it would greatly have improved their intellects in comprehending the reason for this mode of writing1 and have saved them the trouble of racking their invention1 as they have done to no purpose2 for they would have found that themselves would be obliged to write whatever they had to write1 respecting their own affairs1 or those of their friends1 or of their country1 in a concealed manner1 as those men have done4 ,these two books differ from all the rest2 for it is only these that are filled with accounts of dreams and visions3 and this difference arose from the situation the writers were in as prisoners of war1 or prisoners of state1 in a foreign country1 which obliged them to convey even the most trifling information to each other1 and all their political projects or opinions1 in obscure and metaphorical terms4 ,they pretend to have dreamed dreams1 and seen visions1 because it was unsafe for them to speak facts or plain language4 ,we ought1 however1 to suppose1 that the persons to whom they wrote understood what they meant1 and that it was not intended anybody else should4 ,but these busy commentators and priests have been puzzling their wits to find out what it was not intended they should know1 and with which they have nothing to do4 ,ezekiel and ,daniel were carried prisoners to ,babylon1 under the first captivity1 in the time of ,jehoiakim1 nine years before the second captivity in the time of ,zedekiah4 ,the ,jews were then still numerous1 and had considerable force at ,jerusalem2 and as it is natural to suppose that men in the situation of ,ezekiel and ,daniel would be meditating the recovery of their country1 and their own deliverance1 it is reasonable to suppose that the accounts of dreams and visions with which these books are filled1 are no other than a disguised mode of correspondence to facilitate those objects3 it served them as a cypher1 or secret alphabet4 ,if they are not this1 they are tales1 reveries1 and nonsense2 or at least a fanciful way of wearing off the wearisomeness of captivity2 but the presumption is1 they are the former4 ,ezekiel begins his book by speaking of a vision of cherubims1 and of a wheel within a wheel1 which he says he saw by the river ,chebar1 in the land of his captivity4 ,is it not reasonable to suppose that by the cherubims he meant the temple at ,jerusalem1 where they had figures of cherubims8 and by a wheel within a wheel 7which as a figure has always been understood to signify political contrivance7 the project or means of recovering ,jerusalem8 ,in the latter part of his book he supposes himself transported to ,jerusalem1 and into the temple2 and he refers back to the vision on the river ,chebar1 and says1 7xliii- #c17 that this last vision was like the vision on the river ,chebar2 which indicates that those pretended dreams and visions had for their object the recovery of ,jerusalem1 and nothing further4 ,as to the romantic interpretations and applications1 wild as the dreams and visions they undertake to explain1 which commentators and priests have made of those books1 that of converting them into things which they call prophecies1 and making them bend to times and circumstances as far remote even as the present day1 it shows the fraud or the extreme folly to which credulity or priestcraft can go4 ,scarcely anything can be more absurd than to suppose that men situated as ,ezekiel and ,daniel were1 whose country was over-run1 and in the possession of the enemy1 all their friends and relations in captivity abroad1 or in slavery at home1 or massacred1 or in continual danger of it2 scarcely any thing1 ,i say1 can be more absurd than to suppose that such men should find nothing to do but that of employing their time and their thoughts about what was to happen to other nations a thousand or two thousand years after they were dead2 at the same time nothing more natural than that they should meditate the recovery of ,jerusalem1 and their own deliverance2 and that this was the sole object of all the obscure and apparently frantic writing contained in those books4 ,in this sense the mode of writing used in those two books being forced by necessity1 and not adopted by choice1 is not irrational2 but1 if we are to use the books as prophecies1 they are false4 ,in ,ezekiel xxix4 #aa41 speaking of ,egypt1 it is said1 8,no foot of man shall pass through it1 nor foot of beast pass through it2 neither shall it be inhabited for forty years40 ,this is what never came to pass1 and consequently it is false1 as all the books ,i have already reviewed are4--,i here close this part of the subject4 ,in the former part of #8,the ,age of ,reason' ,i have spoken of ,jonah1 and of the story of him and the whale4--,a fit story for ridicule1 if it was written to be believed2 or of laughter1 if it was intended to try what credulity could swallow2 for1 if it could swallow ,jonah and the whale it could swallow anything4 ,but1 as is already shown in the observations on the book of ,job and of ,proverbs1 it is not always certain which of the books in the ,bible are originally ,hebrew1 or only translations from the books of the ,gentiles into ,hebrew2 and1 as the book of ,jonah1 so far from treating of the affairs of the ,jews1 says nothing upon that subject1 but treats altogether of the ,gentiles1 it is more probable that it is a book of the ,gentiles than of the ,jews1 ,i have read in an ancient ,persian poem 7,saadi1 ,i believe1 but have mislaid the reference7 this phrase3 8,and now the whale swallowed ,jonah3 the sun set40--,editor4 and that it has been written as a fable to expose the nonsense1 and satyrize the vicious and malignant character1 of a ,bible-prophet1 or a predicting priest4 ,jonah is represented1 first as a disobedient prophet1 running away from his mission1 and taking shelter aboard a vessel of the ,gentiles1 bound from ,joppa to ,tarshish2 as if he ignorantly supposed1 by such a paltry contrivance1 he could hide himself where ,god could not find him4 ,the vessel is overtaken by a storm at sea2 and the mariners1 all of whom are ,gentiles1 believing it to be a judgement on account of some one on board who had committed a crime1 agreed to cast lots to discover the offender2 and the lot fell upon ,jonah4 ,but before this they had cast all their wares and merchandise over-board to lighten the vessel1 while ,jonah1 like a stupid fellow1 was fast asleep in the hold4 ,after the lot had designated ,jonah to be the offender1 they questioned him to know who and what he was8 and he told them he was an ,hebrew2 and the story implies that he confessed himself to be guilty4 ,but these ,gentiles1 instead of sacrificing him at once without pity or mercy1 as a company of ,bible-prophets or priests would have done by a ,gentile in the same case1 and as it is related ,samuel had done by ,agag1 and ,moses by the women and children1 they endeavoured to save him1 though at the risk of their own lives3 for the account says1 8,nevertheless that is1 though ,jonah was a ,jew and a foreigner1 and the cause of all their misfortunes1 and the loss of their cargo the men rowed hard to bring the boat to land1 but they could not1 for the sea wrought and was tempestuous against them40 ,still however they were unwilling to put the fate of the lot into execution2 and they cried1 says the account1 unto the ,lord1 saying1 8,we beseech thee1 ,o ,lord1 let us not perish for this man's life1 and lay not upon us innocent blood2 for thou1 ,o ,lord1 hast done as it pleased thee40 ,meaning thereby1 that they did not presume to judge ,jonah guilty1 since that he might be innocent2 but that they considered the lot that had fallen upon him as a decree of ,god1 or as it pleased ,god4 ,the address of this prayer shows that the ,gentiles worshipped one ,supreme ,being1 and that they were not idolaters as the ,jews represented them to be4 ,but the storm still continuing1 and the danger encreasing1 they put the fate of the lot into execution1 and cast ,jonah in the sea2 where1 according to the story1 a great fish swallowed him up whole and alive6 ,we have now to consider ,jonah securely housed from the storm in the fish's belly4 ,here we are told that he prayed2 but the prayer is a made-up prayer1 taken from various parts of the ,psalms1 without connection or consistency1 and adapted to the distress1 but not at all to the condition that ,jonah was in4 ,it is such a prayer as a ,gentile1 who might know something of the ,psalms1 could copy out for him4 ,this circumstance alone1 were there no other1 is sufficient to indicate that the whole is a made-up story4 ,the prayer1 however1 is supposed to have answered the purpose1 and the story goes on1 7taking-off at the same time the cant language of a ,bible-prophet17 saying1 8,the ,lord spake unto the fish1 and it vomited out ,jonah upon dry land40 ,jonah then received a second mission to ,nineveh1 with which he sets out2 and we have now to consider him as a preacher4 ,the distress he is represented to have suffered1 the remembrance of his own disobedience as the cause of it1 and the miraculous escape he is supposed to have had1 were sufficient1 one would conceive1 to have impressed him with sympathy and benevolence in the execution of his mission2 but1 instead of this1 he enters the city with denunciation and malediction in his mouth1 crying1 8,yet forty days1 and ,nineveh shall be overthrown40 ,we have now to consider this supposed missionary in the last act of his mission2 and here it is that the malevolent spirit of a ,bible-prophet1 or of a predicting priest1 appears in all that blackness of character that men ascribe to the being they call the devil4 ,having published his predictions1 he withdrew1 says the story1 to the east side of the city4--,but for what8 not to contemplate in retirement the mercy of his ,creator to himself or to others1 but to wait1 with malignant impatience1 the destruction of ,nineveh4 ,it came to pass1 however1 as the story relates1 that the ,ninevites reformed1 and that ,god1 according to the ,bible phrase1 repented him of the evil he had said he would do unto them1 and did it not4 ,this1 saith the first verse of the last chapter1 displeased ,jonah exceedingly and he was very angry4 ,his obdurate heart would rather that all ,nineveh should be destroyed1 and every soul1 young and old1 perish in its ruins1 than that his prediction should not be fulfilled4 ,to expose the character of a prophet still more1 a gourd is made to grow up in the night1 that promises him an agreeable shelter from the heat of the sun1 in the place to which he is retired2 and the next morning it dies4 ,here the rage of the prophet becomes excessive1 and he is ready to destroy himself4 8,it is better1 said he1 for me to die than to live40 ,this brings on a supposed expostulation between the ,almighty and the prophet2 in which the former says1 8,doest thou well to be angry for the gourd8 ,and ,jonah said1 ,i do well to be angry even unto death4 ,then said the ,lord1 ,thou hast had pity on the gourd1 for which thou hast not laboured1 neither madest it to grow1 which came up in a night1 and perished in a night2 and should not ,i spare ,nineveh1 that great city1 in which are more than threescore thousand persons1 that cannot discern between their right hand and their left80 ,here is both the winding up of the satire1 and the moral of the fable4 ,as a satire1 it strikes against the character of all the ,bible-prophets1 and against all the indiscriminate judgements upon men1 women and children1 with which this lying book1 the bible1 is crowded2 such as ,noah's flood1 the destruction of the cities of ,sodom and ,gomorrah1 the extirpation of the ,canaanites1 even to suckling infants1 and women with child2 because the same reflection #8that there are more than threescore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left1' meaning young children1 applies to all their cases4 ,it satirizes also the supposed partiality of the ,creator for one nation more than for another4 ,as a moral1 it preaches against the malevolent spirit of prediction2 for as certainly as a man predicts ill1 he becomes inclined to wish it4 ,the pride of having his judgment right hardens his heart1 till at last he beholds with satisfaction1 or sees with disappointment1 the accomplishment or the failure of his predictions4--,this book ends with the same kind of strong and well-directed point against prophets1 prophecies and indiscriminate judgements1 as the chapter that ,benjamin ,franklin made for the ,bible1 about ,abraham and the stranger1 ends against the intolerant spirit of religious persecutions--,thus much for the book ,jonah4 ,the story of ,abraham and the ,fire-worshipper1 ascribed to ,franklin1 is from ,saadi4 7,see my 8,sacred ,anthology10 p4 #fa47 ,paine has often been called a 8mere scoffer10 but he seems to have been among the first to treat with dignity the book of ,jonah1 so especially liable to the ridicule of superficial readers1 and discern in it the highest conception of ,deity known to the ,old ,testament4--,editor4 ,of the poetical parts of the ,bible1 that are called prophecies1 ,i have spoken in the former part of #8,the ,age of ,reason1' and already in this1 where ,i have said that the word for prophet is the ,bible-word for ,poet1 and that the flights and metaphors of those poets1 many of which have become obscure by the lapse of time and the change of circumstances1 have been ridiculously erected into things called prophecies1 and applied to purposes the writers never thought of4 ,when a priest quotes any of those passages1 he unriddles it agreeably to his own views1 and imposes that explanation upon his congregation as the meaning of the writer4 ,the whore of ,babylon has been the common whore of all the priests1 and each has accused the other of keeping the strumpet2 so well do they agree in their explanations4 ,there now remain only a few books1 which they call books of the lesser prophets2 and as ,i have already shown that the greater are impostors1 it would be cowardice to disturb the repose of the little ones4 ,let them sleep1 then1 in the arms of their nurses1 the priests1 and both be forgotten together4 ,i have now gone through the ,bible1 as a man would go through a wood with an axe on his shoulder1 and fell trees4 ,here they lie2 and the priests1 if they can1 may replant them4 ,they may1 perhaps1 stick them in the ground1 but they will never make them grow4--,i pass on to the books of the ,new ,testament4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,new ,,testament ,the ,new ,testament1 they tell us1 is founded upon the prophecies of the ,old2 if so1 it must follow the fate of its foundation4 ,as it is nothing extraordinary that a woman should be with child before she was married1 and that the son she might bring forth should be executed1 even unjustly1 ,i see no reason for not believing that such a woman as ,mary1 and such a man as ,joseph1 and ,jesus1 existed2 their mere existence is a matter of indifference1 about which there is no ground either to believe or to disbelieve1 and which comes under the common head of1 ,it may be so1 and what then8 ,the probability however is that there were such persons1 or at least such as resembled them in part of the circumstances1 because almost all romantic stories have been suggested by some actual circumstance2 as the adventures of ,robinson ,crusoe1 not a word of which is true1 were suggested by the case of ,alexander ,selkirk4 ,it is not then the existence or the non-existence1 of the persons that ,i trouble myself about2 it is the fable of ,jesus ,christ1 as told in the ,new ,testament1 and the wild and visionary doctrine raised thereon1 against which ,i contend4 ,the story1 taking it as it is told1 is blasphemously obscene4 ,it gives an account of a young woman engaged to be married1 and while under this engagement1 she is1 to speak plain language1 debauched by a ghost1 under the impious pretence1 7,luke i4 #ce17 that 8the ,holy ,ghost shall come upon thee1 and the power of the ,highest shall overshadow thee40 ,notwithstanding which1 ,joseph afterwards marries her1 cohabits with her as his wife1 and in his turn rivals the ghost4 ,this is putting the story into intelligible language1 and when told in this manner1 there is not a priest but must be ashamed to own it4 ,mary1 the supposed virgin1 mother of ,jesus1 had several other children1 sons and daughters4 ,see ,matt4 xiii4 #ee1 #ef4--;,author4 ,obscenity in matters of faith1 however wrapped up1 is always a token of fable and imposture2 for it is necessary to our serious belief in ,god1 that we do not connect it with stories that run1 as this does1 into ludicrous interpretations4 ,this story is1 upon the face of it1 the same kind of story as that of ,jupiter and ,leda1 or ,jupiter and ,europa1 or any of the amorous adventures of ,jupiter2 and shews1 as is already stated in the former part of #8,the ,age of ,reason1' that the ,christian faith is built upon the heathen ,mythology4 ,as the historical parts of the ,new ,testament1 so far as concerns ,jesus ,christ1 are confined to a very short space of time1 less than two years1 and all within the same country1 and nearly to the same spot1 the discordance of time1 place1 and circumstance1 which detects the fallacy of the books of the ,old ,testament1 and proves them to be impositions1 cannot be expected to be found here in the same abundance4 ,the ,new ,testament compared with the ,old1 is like a farce of one act1 in which there is not room for very numerous violations of the unities4 ,there are1 however1 some glaring contradictions1 which1 exclusive of the fallacy of the pretended prophecies1 are sufficient to show the story of ,jesus ,christ to be false4 ,i lay it down as a position which cannot be controverted1 first1 that the agreement of all the parts of a story does not prove that story to be true1 because the parts may agree1 and the whole may be false2 secondly1 that the disagreement of the parts of a story proves the whole cannot be true4 ,the agreement does not prove truth1 but the disagreement proves falsehood positively4 ,the history of ,jesus ,christ is contained in the four books ascribed to ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 and ,john4--,the first chapter of ,matthew begins with giving a genealogy of ,jesus ,christ2 and in the third chapter of ,luke there is also given a genealogy of ,jesus ,christ4 ,did these two agree1 it would not prove the genealogy to be true1 because it might nevertheless be a fabrication2 but as they contradict each other in every particular1 it proves falsehood absolutely4 ,if ,matthew speaks truth1 ,luke speaks falsehood2 and if ,luke speaks truth1 ,matthew speaks falsehood3 and as there is no authority for believing one more than the other1 there is no authority for believing either2 and if they cannot be believed even in the very first thing they say1 and set out to prove1 they are not entitled to be believed in any thing they say afterwards4 ,truth is an uniform thing2 and as to inspiration and revelation1 were we to admit it1 it is impossible to suppose it can be contradictory4 ,either then the men called apostles were imposters1 or the books ascribed to them have been written by other persons1 and fathered upon them1 as is the case in the ,old ,testament4 ,the book of ,matthew gives 7i4 #f71 a genealogy by name from ,david1 up1 through ,joseph1 the husband of ,mary1 to ,christ2 and makes there to be twent eight generations4 ,the book of ,luke gives also a genealogy by name from ,christ1 through ,joseph the husband of ,mary1 down to ,david1 and makes there to be forty-three generations2 besides which1 there is only the two names of ,david and ,joseph that are alike in the two lists4--,i here insert both genealogical lists1 and for the sake of perspicuity and comparison1 have placed them both in the same direction1 that is1 from ,joseph down to ,david4 ,genealogy1 according to ,genealogy1 according to ,matthew4 ,luke4 ,christ ,christ #b ,joseph #b ,joseph #c ,jacob #c ,heli #d ,matthan #d ,matthat #e ,eleazer #e ,levi #f ,eliud #f ,melchl #g ,achim #g ,janna #h ,sadoc #h ,joseph #i ,azor #i ,mattathias #aj ,eliakim #aj ,amos #aa ,abiud #aa ,naum #ab ,zorobabel #ab ,esli #ac ,salathiel #ac ,nagge #ad ,jechonias #ad ,maath #ae ,josias #ae ,mattathias #af ,amon #af ,semei #ag ,manasses #ag ,joseph #ah ,ezekias #ah ,juda #ai ,achaz #ai ,joanna #bj ,joatham #bj ,rhesa #ba ,ozias #ba ,zorobabel #bb ,joram #bb ,salathiel #bc ,josaphat #bc ,neri #bd ,asa #bd ,melchi #be ,abia #be ,addi #bf ,roboam #bf ,cosam #bg ,solomon #bg ,elmodam #bh ,david 99 #bh ,er #bi ,jose #cj ,eliezer #ca ,jorim #cb ,matthat #cc ,levi #cd ,simeon #ce ,juda #cf ,joseph #cg ,jonan #ch ,eliakim #ci ,melea #dj ,menan #da ,mattatha #db ,nathan #dc ,david ,,note3 99 ,from the birth of ,david to the birth of ,christ is upwards of #ajhj years2 and as the life-time of ,christ is not included1 there are but #bg full generations4 ,to find therefore the average age of each person mentioned in the list1 at the time his first son was born1 it is only necessary to divide #ajhj by #bg1 which gives #dj years for each person4 ,as the life-time of man was then but of the same extent it is now1 it is an absurdity to suppose1 that #bg following generations should all be old bachelors1 before they married2 and the more so1 when we are told that ,solomon1 the next in succession to ,david1 had a house full of wives and mistresses before he was twenty-one years of age4 ,so far from this genealogy being a solemn truth1 it is not even a reasonable lie4 ,the list of ,luke gives about twenty-six years for the average age1 and this is too much4--,author4 ,now1 if these men1 ,matthew and ,luke1 set out with a falsehood between them 7as these two accounts show they do7 in the very commencement of their history of ,jesus ,christ1 and of who1 and of what he was1 what authority 7as ,i have before asked7 is there left for believing the strange things they tell us afterwards8 ,if they cannot be believed in their account of his natural genealogy1 how are we to believe them when they tell us he was the son of ,god1 begotten by a ghost2 and that an angel announced this in secret to his mother8 ,if they lied in one genealogy1 why are we to believe them in the other8 ,if his natural genealogy be manufactured1 which it certainly is1 why are we not to suppose that his celestial genealogy is manufactured also1 and that the whole is fabulous8 ,can any man of serious reflection hazard his future happiness upon the belief of a story naturally impossible1 repugnant to every idea of decency1 and related by persons already detected of falsehood8 ,is it not more safe that we stop ourselves at the plain1 pure1 and unmixed belief of one ,god1 which is deism1 than that we commit ourselves on an ocean of improbable1 irrational1 indecent1 and contradictory tales8 ,the first question1 however1 upon the books of the ,new ,testament1 as upon those of the ,old1 is1 ,are they genuine8 were they written by the persons to whom they are ascribed8 ,for it is upon this ground only that the strange things related therein have been credited4 ,upon this point1 there is no direct proof for or against2 and all that this state of a case proves is doubtfulness2 and doubtfulness is the opposite of belief4 ,the state1 therefore1 that the books are in1 proves against themselves as far as this kind of proof can go4 ,but1 exclusive of this1 the presumption is that the books called the ,evangelists1 and ascribed to ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 and ,john1 were not written by ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 and ,john2 and that they are impositions4 ,the disordered state of the history in these four books1 the silence of one book upon matters related in the other1 and the disagreement that is to be found among them1 implies that they are the productions of some unconnected individuals1 many years after the things they pretend to relate1 each of whom made his own legend2 and not the writings of men living intimately together1 as the men called apostles are supposed to have done3 in fine1 that they have been manufactured1 as the books of the ,old ,testament have been1 by other persons than those whose names they bear4 ,the story of the angel announcing what the church calls the immaculate conception1 is not so much as mentioned in the books ascribed to ,mark1 and ,john2 and is differently related in ,matthew and ,luke4 ,the former says the angel1 appeared to ,joseph2 the latter says1 it was to ,mary2 but either ,joseph or ,mary was the worst evidence that could have been thought of2 for it was others that should have testified for them1 and not they for themselves4 ,were any girl that is now with child to say1 and even to swear it1 that she was gotten with child by a ghost1 and that an angel told her so1 would she be believed8 ,certainly she would not4 ,why then are we to believe the same thing of another girl whom we never saw1 told by nobody knows who1 nor when1 nor where8 ,how strange and inconsistent is it1 that the same circumstance that would weaken the belief even of a probable story1 should be given as a motive for believing this one1 that has upon the face of it every token of absolute impossibility and imposture4 ,the story of ,herod destroying all the children under two years old1 belongs altogether to the book of ,matthew2 not one of the rest mentions anything about it4 ,had such a circumstance been true1 the universality of it must have made it known to all the writers1 and the thing would have been too striking to have been omitted by any4 ,this writer tell us1 that ,jesus escaped this slaughter1 because ,joseph and ,mary were warned by an angel to flee with him into ,egypt2 but he forgot to make provision for ,john the ,baptist1 who was then under two years of age4 ,john1 however1 who staid behind1 fared as well as ,jesus1 who fled2 and therefore the story circumstantially belies itself4 ,not any two of these writers agree in reciting1 exactly in the same words1 the written inscription1 short as it is1 which they tell us was put over ,christ when he was crucified2 and besides this1 ,mark says1 ,he was crucified at the third hour1 7nine in the morning27 and ,john says it was the sixth hour1 7twelve at noon47 ,according to ,john1 7xix4 #ad7 the sentence was not passed till about the sixth hour 7noon17 and consequently the execution could not be till the afternoon2 but ,mark 7xv4 #be7 ,says expressly that he was crucified at the third hour1 7nine in the morning17--,author4 ,the inscription is thus stated in those books3 ,matthew--,this is ,jesus the king of the ,jews4 ,mark--,the king of the ,jews4 ,luke--,this is the king of the ,jews4 ,john--,jesus of ,nazareth the king of the ,jews4 ,we may infer from these circumstances1 trivial as they are1 that those writers1 whoever they were1 and in whatever time they lived1 were not present at the scene4 ,the only one of the men called apostles who appears to have been near to the spot was ,peter1 and when he was accused of being one of ,jesus's followers1 it is said1 7,matthew xxvi4 #gd17 8,then ,peter began to curse and to swear1 saying1 ,i know not the man30 yet we are now called to believe the same ,peter1 convicted1 by their own account1 of perjury4 ,for what reason1 or on what authority1 should we do this8 ,the accounts that are given of the circumstances1 that they tell us attended the crucifixion1 are differently related in those four books4 ,the book ascribed to ,matthew says #8there was darkness over all the land from the sixth hour unto the ninth hour--that the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom--that there was an earthquake--that the rocks rent--that the graves opened1 that the bodies of many of the saints that slept arose and came out of their graves after the resurrection1 and went into the holy city and appeared unto many4' ,such is the account which this dashing writer of the book of ,matthew gives1 but in which he is not supported by the writers of the other books4 ,the writer of the book ascribed to ,mark1 in detailing the circumstances of the crucifixion1 makes no mention of any earthquake1 nor of the rocks rending1 nor of the graves opening1 nor of the dead men walking out4 ,the writer of the book of ,luke is silent also upon the same points4 ,and as to the writer of the book of ,john1 though he details all the circumstances of the crucifixion down to the burial of ,christ1 he says nothing about either the darkness--the veil of the temple--the earthquake--the rocks--the graves--nor the dead men4 ,now if it had been true that these things had happened1 and if the writers of these books had lived at the time they did happen1 and had been the persons they are said to be--namely1 the four men called apostles1 ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 and ,john1--it was not possible for them1 as true historians1 even without the aid of inspiration1 not to have recorded them4 ,the things1 supposing them to have been facts1 were of too much notoriety not to have been known1 and of too much importance not to have been told4 ,all these supposed apostles must have been witnesses of the earthquake1 if there had been any1 for it was not possible for them to have been absent from it3 the opening of the graves and resurrection of the dead men1 and their walking about the city1 is of still greater importance than the earthquake4 ,an earthquake is always possible1 and natural1 and proves nothing2 but this opening of the graves is supernatural1 and directly in point to their doctrine1 their cause1 and their apostleship4 ,had it been true1 it would have filled up whole chapters of those books1 and been the chosen theme and general chorus of all the writers2 but instead of this1 little and trivial things1 and mere prattling conversation of #8he said this and she said that' are often tediously detailed1 while this most important of all1 had it been true1 is passed off in a slovenly manner by a single dash of the pen1 and that by one writer only1 and not so much as hinted at by the rest4 ,it is an easy thing to tell a lie1 but it is difficult to support the lie after it is told4 ,the writer of the book of ,matthew should have told us who the saints were that came to life again1 and went into the city1 and what became of them afterwards1 and who it was that saw them2 for he is not hardy enough to say that he saw them himself2--whether they came out naked1 and all in natural buff1 he-saints and she-saints1 or whether they came full dressed1 and where they got their dresses2 whether they went to their former habitations1 and reclaimed their wives1 their husbands1 and their property1 and how they were received2 whether they entered ejectments for the recovery of their possessions1 or brought actions of crim4 con4 against the rival interlopers2 whether they remained on earth1 and followed their former occupation of preaching or working2 or whether they died again1 or went back to their graves alive1 and buried themselves4 ,strange indeed1 that an army of saints should retum to life1 and nobody know who they were1 nor who it was that saw them1 and that not a word more should be said upon the subject1 nor these saints have any thing to tell us6 ,had it been the prophets who 7as we are told7 had formerly prophesied of these things1 they must have had a great deal to say4 ,they could have told us everything1 and we should have had posthumous prophecies1 with notes and commentaries upon the first1 a little better at least than we have now4 ,had it been ,moses1 and ,aaron1 and ,joshua1 and ,samuel1 and ,david1 not an unconverted ,jew had remained in all ,jerusalem4 ,had it been ,john the ,baptist1 and the saints of the times then present1 everybody would have known them1 and they would have out-preached and out-famed all the other apostles4 ,but1 instead of this1 these saints are made to pop up1 like ,jonah's gourd in the night1 for no purpose at all but to wither in the morning4--,thus much for this part of the story4 ,the tale of the resurrection follows that of the crucifixion2 and in this as well as in that1 the writers1 whoever they were1 disagree so much as to make it evident that none of them were there4 ,the book of ,matthew states1 that when ,christ was put in the sepulchre the ,jews applied to ,pilate for a watch or a guard to be placed over the septilchre1 to prevent the body being stolen by the disciples2 and that in consequence of this request the sepulchre was made sure1 sealing the stone that covered the mouth1 and setting a watch4 ,but the other books say nothing about this application1 nor about the sealing1 nor the guard1 nor the watch2 and according to their accounts1 there were none4 ,matthew1 however1 follows up this part of the story of the guard or the watch with a second part1 that ,i shall notice in the conclusion1 as it serves to detect the fallacy of those books4 ,the book of ,matthew continues its account1 and says1 7xxviii4 #a17 that at the end of the ,sabbath1 as it began to dawn1 towards the first day of the week1 came ,mary ,magdalene and the other ,mary1 to see the sepulchre4 ,mark says it was sun-rising1 and ,john says it was dark4 ,luke says it was ,mary ,magdalene and ,joanna1 and ,mary the mother of ,james1 and other women1 that came to the sepulchre2 and ,john states that ,mary ,magdalene came alone4 ,so well do they agree about their first evidence6 ,they all1 however1 appear to have known most about ,mary ,magdalene2 she was a woman of large acquaintance1 and it was not an ill conjecture that she might be upon the stroll4 ,the ,bishop of ,llandaff1 in his famous 8,apology10 censured ,paine severely for this insinuation against ,mary ,magdalene1 but the censure really falls on our ,english version1 which1 by a chapter-heading 7,luke vii471 has unwarrantably identified her as the sinful woman who anointed ,jesus1 and irrevocably branded her4--,editor4 ,the book of ,matthew goes on to say 7ver4 #b73 8,and behold there was a great earthquake1 for the angel of the ,lord descended from heaven1 and came and rolled back the stone from the door1 and sat upon it0 ,but the other books say nothing about any earthquake1 nor about the angel rolling back the stone1 and sitting upon it and1 according to their account1 there was no angel sitting there4 ,mark says the angel ,mark says 8a young man10 and ,luke 8two men40--,editor4 was within the sepulchre1 sitting on the right side4 ,luke says there were two1 and they were both standing up2 and ,john says they were both sitting down1 one at the head and the other at the feet4 ,matthew says1 that the angel that was sitting upon the stone on the outside of the sepulchre told the two ,marys that ,christ was risen1 and that the women went away quickly4 ,mark says1 that the women1 upon seeing the stone rolled away1 and wondering at it1 went into the sepulchre1 and that it was the angel that was sitting within on the right side1 that told them so4 ,luke says1 it was the two angels that were ,standing up2 and ,john says1 it was ,jesus ,christ himself that told it to ,mary ,magdalene2 and that she did not go into the sepulchre1 but only stooped down and looked in4 ,now1 if the writers of these four books had gone into a court of justice to prove an alibi1 7for it is of the nature of an alibi that is here attempted to be proved1 namely1 the absence of a dead body by supernatural means17 and had they given their evidence in the same contradictory manner as it is here given1 they would have been in danger of having their ears cropt for perjury1 and would have justly deserved it4 ,yet this is the evidence1 and these are the books1 that have been imposed upon the world as being given by divine inspiration1 and as the unchangeable word of ,god4 ,the writer of the book of ,matthew1 after giving this account1 relates a story that is not to be found in any of the other books1 and which is the same ,i have just before alluded to4 8,now10 says he1 that is1 after the conversation the women had had with the angel sitting upon the stone1 8behold some of the watch meaning the watch that he had said had been placed over the sepulchre came into the city1 and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done2 and when they were assembled with the elders and had taken counsel1 they gave large money unto the soldiers1 saying1 ,say ye1 that his disciples came by night1 and stole him away while we slept2 and if this come to the governor's ears1 we will persuade him1 and secure you4 ,so they took the money1 and did as they were taught2 and this saying that his disciples stole him away is commonly reported among the ,jews until this day40 ,the expression1 until this day1 is an evidence that the book ascribed to ,matthew was not written by ,matthew1 and that it has been manufactured long after the times and things of which it pretends to treat2 for the expression implies a great length of intervening time4 ,it would be inconsistent in us to speak in this manner of any thing happening in our own time4 ,to give1 therefore1 intelligible meaning to the expression1 we must suppose a lapse of some generations at least1 for this manner of speaking carries the mind back to ancient time4 ,the absurdity also of the story is worth noticing2 for it shows the writer of the book of ,matthew to have been an exceeding weak and foolish man4 ,he tells a story that contradicts itself in point of possibility2 for though the guard1 if there were any1 might be made to say that the body was taken away while they were asleep1 and to give that as a reason for their not having prevented it1 that same sleep must also have prevented their knowing how1 and by whom1 it was done2 and yet they are made to say that it was the disciples who did it4 ,were a man to tender his evidence of something that he should say was done1 and of the manner of doing it1 and of the person who did it1 while he was asleep1 and could know nothing of the matter1 such evidence could not be received3 it will do well enough for ,testament evidence1 but not for any thing where truth is concerned4 ,i come now to that part of the evidence in those books1 that respects the pretended appearance of ,christ after this pretended resurrection4 ,the writer of the book of ,matthew relates1 that the angel that was sitting on the stone at the mouth of the sepulchre1 said to the two ,marys 7xxviii4 #g71 8,behold ,christ is gone before you into ,galilee1 there ye shall see him2 lo1 ,i have told you40 ,and the same writer at the next two verses 7#h1 #i17 makes ,christ himself to speak to the same purpose to these women immediately after the angel had told it to them1 and that they ran quickly to tell it to the disciples2 and it is said 7ver4 #af71 8,then the eleven disciples went away into ,galilee1 into a mountain where ,jesus had appointed them2 and1 when they saw him1 they worshipped him40 ,but the writer of the book of ,john tells us a story very different to this2 for he says 7xx4 #ai7 8,then the same day at evening1 being the first day of the week1 that is1 the same day that ,christ is said to have risen1 when the doors were shut1 where the disciples were assembled1 for fear of the ,jews1 came ,jesus and stood in the midst of them40 ,according to ,matthew the eleven were marching to ,galilee1 to meet ,jesus in a mountain1 by his own appointment1 at the very time when1 according to ,john1 they were assembled in another place1 and that not by appointment1 but in secret1 for fear of the ,jews4 ,the writer of the book of ,luke xxiv4 #ac1 #cc-cf1 contradicts that of ,matthew more pointedly than ,john does2 for he says expressly1 that the meeting was in ,jerusalem the evening of the same day that he 7,christ7 rose1 and that the eleven were there4 ,now1 it is not possible1 unless we admit these supposed disciples the right of wilful lying1 that the writers of these books could be any of the eleven persons called disciples2 for if1 according to ,matthew1 the eleven went into ,galilee to meet ,jesus in a mountain by his own appointment1 on the same day that he is said to have risen1 ,luke and ,john must have been two of that eleven2 yet the writer of ,luke says expressly1 and ,john implies as much1 that the meeting was that same day1 in a house in ,jerusalem2 and1 on the other hand1 if1 according to ,luke and ,john1 the eleven were assembled in a house in ,jerusalem1 ,matthew must have been one of that eleven2 yet ,matthew says the meeting was in a mountain in ,galilee1 and consequently the evidence given in those books destroy each other4 ,the writer of the book of ,mark says nothing about any meeting in ,galilee2 but he says 7xvi4 #ab7 that ,christ1 after his resurrection1 appeared in another form to two of them1 as they walked into the country1 and that these two told it to the residue1 who would not believe them4 ,this belongs to the late addition to ,mark1 which originally ended with xvi4 #h4--;,editor4 ,luke also tells a story1 in which he keeps ,christ employed the whole of the day of this pretended resurrection1 until the evening1 and which totally invalidates the account of going to the mountain in ,galilee4 ,he says1 that two of them1 without saying which two1 went that same day to a village called ,emmaus1 three score furlongs 7seven miles and a half7 from ,jerusalem1 and that ,christ in disguise went with them1 and stayed with them unto the evening1 and supped with them1 and then vanished out of their sight1 and reappeared that same evening1 at the meeting of the eleven in ,jerusalem4 ,this is the contradictory manner in which the evidence of this pretended reappearance of ,christ is stated3 the only point in which the writers agree1 is the skulking privacy of that reappearance2 for whether it was in the recess of a mountain in ,galilee1 or in a shut-up house in ,jerusalem1 it was still skulking4 ,to what cause then are we to assign this skulking8 ,on the one hand1 it is directly repugnant to the supposed or pretended end1 that of convincing the world that ,christ was risen2 and1 on the other hand1 to have asserted the publicity of it would have exposed the writers of those books to public detection2 and1 therefore1 they have been under the necessity of making it a private affair4 ,as to the account of ,christ being seen by more than five hundred at once1 it is ,paul only who says it1 and not the five hundred who say it for themselves4 ,it is1 therefore1 the testimony of but one man1 and that too of a man1 who did not1 according to the same account1 believe a word of the matter himself at the time it is said to have happened4 ,his evidence1 supposing him to have been the writer of ,corinthians xv41 where this account is given1 is like that of a man who comes into a court of justice to swear that what he had sworn before was false4 ,a man may often see reason1 and he has too always the right of changing his opinion2 but this liberty does not extend to matters of fact4 ,i now come to the last scene1 that of the ascension into heaven4--,here all fear of the ,jews1 and of every thing else1 must necessarily have been out of the question3 it was that which1 if true1 was to seal the whole2 and upon which the reality of the future mission of the disciples was to rest for proof4 ,words1 whether declarations or promises1 that passed in private1 either in the recess of a mountain in ,galilee1 or in a shut-up house in ,jerusalem1 even supposing them to have been spoken1 could not be evidence in public2 it was therefore necessary that this last scene should preclude the possibility of denial and dispute2 and that it should be1 as ,i have stated in the former part of #8,the ,age of ,reason1' as public and as visible as the sun at noon-day2 at least it ought to have been as public as the crucifixion is reported to have been4--,but to come to the point4 ,in the first place1 the writer of the book of ,matthew does not say a syllable about it2 neither does the writer of the book of ,john4 ,this being the case1 is it possible to suppose that those writers1 who affect to be even minute in other matters1 would have been silent upon this1 had it been true8 ,the writer of the book of ,mark passes it off in a careless1 slovenly manner1 with a single dash of the pen1 as if he was tired of romancing1 or ashamed of the story4 ,so also does the writer of ,luke4 ,and even between these two1 there is not an apparent agreement1 as to the place where this final parting is said to have been4 ,the last nine verses of ,mark being ungenuine1 the story of the ascension rests exclusively on the words in ,luke xxiv4 #ea1 8was carried up into heaven10--words omitted by several ancient authorities4--,editor4 ,the book of ,mark says that ,christ appeared to the eleven as they sat at meat1 alluding to the meeting of the eleven at ,jerusalem3 he then states the conversation that he says passed at that meeting2 and immediately after says 7as a school-boy would finish a dull story17 8,so then1 after the ,lord had spoken unto them1 he was received up into heaven1 and sat on the right hand of ,god40 ,but the writer of ,luke says1 that the ascension was from ,bethany2 that he 7,christ7 led them out as far as ,bethany1 and was parted from them there1 and was carried up into heaven4 ,so also was ,mahomet3 and1 as to ,moses1 the apostle ,jude says1 ver4 #i4 ,that #8,michael and the devil disputed about his body4' ,while we believe such fables as these1 or either of them1 we believe unworthily of the ,almighty4 ,i have now gone through the examination of the four books ascribed to ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke and ,john2 and when it is considered that the whole space of time1 from the crucifixion to what is called the ascension1 is but a few days1 apparently not more than three or four1 and that all the circumstances are reported to have happened nearly about the same spot1 ,jerusalem1 it is1 ,i believe1 impossible to find in any story upon record so many and such glaring absurdities1 contradictions1 and falsehoods1 as are in those books4 ,they are more numerous and striking than ,i had any expectation of finding1 when ,i began this examination1 and far more so than ,i had any idea of when ,i wrote the former part of #8,the ,age of ,reason4' ,i had then neither ,bible nor ,testament to refer to1 nor could ,i procure any4 ,my own situation1 even as to existence1 was becoming every day more precarious2 and as ,i was willing to leave something behind me upon the subject1 ,i was obliged to be quick and concise4 ,the quotations ,i then made were from memory only1 but they are correct2 and the opinions ,i have advanced in that work are the effect of the most clear and long-established conviction1--that the ,bible and the ,testament are impositions upon the world2--that the fall of man1 the account of ,jesus ,christ being the ,son of ,god1 and of his dying to appease the wrath of ,god1 and of salvation by that strange means1 are all fabulous inventions1 dishonourable to the wisdom and power of the ,almighty2--that the only true religion is deism1 by which ,i then meant and now mean the belief of one ,god1 and an imitation of his moral character1 or the practice of what are called moral virtues2--and that it was upon this only 7so far as religion is concerned7 that ,i rested all my hopes of happiness hereafter4 ,so say ,i now--and so help me ,god4 ,but to retum to the subject4--,though it is impossible1 at this distance of time1 to ascertain as a fact who were the writers of those four books 7and this alone is sufficient to hold them in doubt1 and where we doubt we do not believe7 it is not difficult to ascertain negatively that they were not written by the persons to whom they are ascribed4 ,the contradictions in those books demonstrate two things3 ,first1 that the writers cannot have been eye-witnesses and ear-witnesses of the matters they relate1 or they would have related them without those contradictions2 and1 consequently that the books have not been written by the persons called apostles1 who are supposed to have been witnesses of this kind4 ,secondly1 that the writers1 whoever they were1 have not acted in concerted imposition1 but each writer separately and individually for himself1 and without the knowledge of the other4 ,the same evidence that applies to prove the one1 applies equally to prove both cases2 that is1 that the books were not written by the men called apostles1 and also that they are not a concerted imposition4 ,as to inspiration1 it is altogether out of the question2 we may as well attempt to unite truth and falsehood1 as inspiration and contradiction4 ,if four men are eye-witnesses and ear-witnesses to a scene1 they will without any concert between them1 agree as to time and place1 when and where that scene happened4 ,their individual knowledge of the thing1 each one knowing it for himself1 renders concert totally unnecessary2 the one will not say it was in a mountain in the country1 and the other at a house in town2 the one will not say it was at sunrise1 and the other that it was dark4 ,for in whatever place it was and whatever time it was1 they know it equally alike4 ,and on the other hand1 if four men concert a story1 they will make their separate relations of that story agree and corroborate with each other to support the whole4 ,that concert supplies the want of fact in the one case1 as the knowledge of the fact supersedes1 in the other case1 the necessity of a concert4 ,the same contradictions1 therefore1 that prove there has been no concert1 prove also that the reporters had no knowledge of the fact1 7or rather of that which they relate as a fact17 and detect also the falsehood of their reports4 ,those books1 therefore1 have neither been written by the men called apostles1 nor by imposters in concert4--,how then have they been written8 ,i am not one of those who are fond of believing there is much of that which is called wilful lying1 or lying originally1 except in the case of men setting up to be prophets1 as in the ,old ,testament2 for prophesying is lying professionally4 ,in almost all other cases it is not difficult to discover the progress by which even simple supposition1 with the aid of credulity1 will in time grow into a lie1 and at last be told as a fact2 and whenever we can find a charitable reason for a thing of this kind1 we ought not to indulge a severe one4 ,the story of ,jesus ,christ appearing after he was dead is the story of an apparition1 such as timid imaginations can always create in vision1 and credulity believe4 ,stories of this kind had been told of the assassination of ,julius ,caesar not many years before1 and they generally have their origin in violent deaths1 or in execution of innocent persons4 ,in cases of this kind1 compassion lends its aid1 and benevolently stretches the story4 ,it goes on a little and a little farther1 till it becomes a most certain truth4 ,once start a ghost1 and credulity fills up the history of its life1 and assigns the cause of its appearance2 one tells it one way1 another another way1 till there are as many stories about the ghost1 and about the proprietor of the ghost1 as there are about ,jesus ,christ in these four books4 ,the story of the appearance of ,jesus ,christ is told with that strange mixture of the natural and impossible1 that distinguishes legendary tale from fact4 ,he is represented as suddenly coming in and going out when the doors are shut1 and of vanishing out of sight1 and appearing again1 as one would conceive of an unsubstantial vision2 then again he is hungry1 sits down to meat1 and eats his supper4 ,but as those who tell stories of this kind never provide for all the cases1 so it is here3 they have told us1 that when he arose he left his grave-clothes behind him2 but they have forgotten to provide other clothes for him to appear in afterwards1 or to tell us what he did with them when he ascended2 whether he stripped all off1 or went up clothes and all4 ,in the case of ,elijah1 they have been careful enough to make him throw down his mantle2 how it happened not to be burnt in the chariot of fire1 they also have not told us2 but as imagination supplies all deficiencies of this kind1 we may suppose if we please that it was made of salamander's wool4 ,those who are not much acquainted with ecclesiastical history1 may suppose that the book called the ,new ,testament has existed ever since the time of ,jesus ,christ1 as they suppose that the books ascribed to ,moses have existed ever since the time of ,moses4 ,but the fact is historically otherwise2 there was no such book as the ,new ,testament till more than three hundred years after the time that ,christ is said to have lived4 ,at what time the books ascribed to ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke and ,john1 began to appear1 is altogether a matter of uncertainty4 ,there is not the least shadow of evidence of who the persons were that wrote them1 nor at what time they were written2 and they might as well have been called by the names of any of the other supposed apostles as by the names they are now called4 ,the originals are not in the possession of any ,christian ,church existing1 any more than the two tables of stone written on1 they pretend1 by the finger of ,god1 upon ,mount ,sinai1 and given to ,moses1 are in the possession of the ,jews4 ,and even if they were1 there is no possibility of proving the hand-writing in either case4 ,at the time those four books were written there was no printing1 and consequently there could be no publication otherwise than by written copies1 which any man might make or alter at pleasure1 and call them originals4 ,can we suppose it is consistent with the wisdom of the ,almighty to commit himself and his will to man upon such precarious means as these2 or that it is consistent we should pin our faith upon such uncertainties8 ,we cannot make nor alter1 nor even imitate1 so much as one blade of grass that he has made1 and yet we can make or alter words of ,god as easily as words of man4 ,the former part of the #8,age of ,reason' has not been published two years1 and there is already an expression in it that is not mine4 ,the expression is3 ,the book of ,luke was carried by a majority of one voice only4 ,it may be true1 but it is not ,i that have said it4 ,some person who might know of that circumstance1 has added it in a note at the bottom of the page of some of the editions1 printed either in ,england or in ,america2 and the printers1 after that1 have erected it into the body of the work1 and made me the author of it4 ,if this has happened within such a short space of time1 notwithstanding the aid of printing1 which prevents the alteration of copies individually1 what may not have happened in a much greater length of time1 when there was no printing1 and when any man who could write could make a written copy and call it an original by ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 or ,john8--,author4 ,the spurious addition to ,paine's work alluded to in his footnote drew on him a severe criticism from ,dr4 ,priestley 78,letters to a ,philosophical ,unbeliever10 p4 #ge71 yet it seems to have been ,priestley himself who1 in his quotation1 first incorporated into ,paine's text the footnote added by the editor of the ,american edition 7#agid74 ,the ,american added3 8,vide ,moshiem's 7sic7 ,ecc4 ,history10 which ,priestley omits4 ,in a modern ,american edition ,i notice four verbal alterations introduced into the above footnote4--,editor4 ,about three hundred and fifty years after the time that ,christ is said to have lived1 several writings of the kind ,i am speaking of were scattered in the hands of divers individuals2 and as the church had begun to form itself into an hierarchy1 or church government1 with temporal powers1 it set itself about collecting them into a code1 as we now see them1 called #8,the ,new ,testament4' ,they decided by vote1 as ,i have before said in the former part of the ,age of ,reason1 which of those writings1 out of the collection they had made1 should be the word of ,god1 and which should not4 ,the ,robbins of the ,jews had decided1 by vote1 upon the books of the ,bible before4 ,as the object of the church1 as is the case in all national establishments of churches1 was power and revenue1 and terror the means it used1 it is consistent to suppose that the most miraculous and wonderful of the writings they had collected stood the best chance of being voted4 ,and as to the authenticity of the books1 the vote stands in the place of it2 for it can be traced no higher4 ,disputes1 however1 ran high among the people then calling themselves ,christians1 not only as to points of doctrine1 but as to the authenticity of the books4 ,in the contest between the person called ,st4 ,augustine1 and ,fauste1 about the year #djj1 the latter says1 8,the books called the ,evangelists have been composed long after the times of the apostles1 by some obscure men1 who1 fearing that the world would not give credit to their relation of matters of which they could not be informed1 have published them under the names of the apostles2 and which are so full of sottishness and discordant relations1 that there is neither agreement nor connection between them40 ,and in another place1 addressing himself to the advocates of those books1 as being the word of ,god1 he says1 8,it is thus that your predecessors have inserted in the scriptures of our ,lord many things which1 though they carry his name1 agree not with his doctrine40 ,this is not surprising1 since that we have often proved that these things have not been written by himself1 nor by his apostles1 but that for the greatest part they are founded upon tales1 upon vague reports1 and put together by ,i know not what half-,jews1 with but little agreement between them2 and which they have nevertheless published under the name of the apostles of our ,lord1 and have thus attributed to them their own errors and their lies4 ,i have taken these two extracts from ,boulanger's ,life of ,paul1 written in ,french2 ,boulanger has quoted them from the writings of ,augustine against ,fauste1 to which he refers4--,author4 ,this ,bishop ,faustus is usually styled 8,the ,manichaeum10 ,augustine having entitled his book1 ,contra ,frustum ,manichaeum ,libri xxxiii41 in which nearly the whole of ,faustus' very able work is quoted4--,editor4 ,the reader will see by those extracts that the authenticity of the books of the ,new ,testament was denied1 and the books treated as tales1 forgeries1 and lies1 at the time they were voted to be the word of ,god4 ,but the interest of the church1 with the assistance of the faggot1 bore down the opposition1 and at last suppressed all investigation4 ,miracles followed upon miracles1 if we will believe them1 and men were taught to say they believed whether they believed or not4 ,but 7by way of throwing in a thought7 the ,french ,revolution has excommunicated the church from the power of working miracles2 she has not been able1 with the assistance of all her saints1 to work one miracle since the revolution began2 and as she never stood in greater need than now1 we may1 without the aid of divination1 conclude that all her former miracles are tricks and lies4 ,boulanger in his life of ,paul1 has collected from the ecclesiastical histories1 and the writings of the fathers as they are called1 several matters which show the opinions that prevailed among the different sects of ,christians1 at the time the ,testament1 as we now see it1 was voted to be the word of ,god4 ,the following extracts are from the second chapter of that work3 ,the ,marcionists 7a ,christian sect7 asserted that the evangelists were filled with falsities4 ,the ,manichaeans1 who formed a very numerous sect at the commencement of ,christianity1 rejected as false all the ,new ,testament1 and showed other writings quite different that they gave for authentic4 ,the ,corinthians1 like the ,marcionists1 admitted not the ,acts of the ,apostles4 ,the ,encratites and the ,sevenians adopted neither the ,acts1 nor the ,epistles of ,paul4 ,chrysostom1 in a homily which he made upon the ,acts of the ,apostles1 says that in his time1 about the year #djj1 many people knew nothing either of the author or of the book4 ,st4 ,irene1 who lived before that time1 reports that the ,valentinians1 like several other sects of the ,christians1 accused the scriptures of being filled with imperfections1 errors1 and contradictions4 ,the ,ebionites1 or ,nazarenes1 who were the first ,christians1 rejected all the ,epistles of ,paul1 and regarded him as an impostor4 ,they report1 among other things1 that he was originally a ,pagan2 that he came to ,jerusalem1 where he lived some time2 and that having a mind to marry the daughter of the high priest1 he had himself been circumcised2 but that not being able to obtain her1 he quarrelled with the ,jews and wrote against circumcision1 and against the observation of the ,sabbath1 and against all the legal ordinances4--,author4 ,much abridged from the ,exam4 ,crit4 de la ,vie de ,st4 ,paul1 by ,n4,a4 ,boulanger1 #aggj4--;,editor4 ,when we consider the lapse of more than three hundred years intervening between the time that ,christ is said to have lived and the time the ,new ,testament was formed into a book1 we must see1 even without the assistance of historical evidence1 the exceeding uncertainty there is of its authenticity4 ,the authenticity of the book of ,homer1 so far as regards the authorship1 is much better established than that of the ,new ,testament1 though ,homer is a thousand years the most ancient4 ,it was only an exceeding good poet that could have written the book of ,homer1 and1 therefore1 few men only could have attempted it2 and a man capable of doing it would not have thrown away his own fame by giving it to another4 ,in like manner1 there were but few that could have composed ,euclid's ,elements1 because none but an exceeding good geometrician could have been the author of that work4 ,but with respect to the books of the ,new ,testament1 particularly such parts as tell us of the resurrection and ascension of ,christ1 any person who could tell a story of an apparition1 or of a man's walking1 could have made such books2 for the story is most wretchedly told4 ,the chance1 therefore1 of forgery in the ,testament is millions to one greater than in the case of ,homer or ,euclid4 ,of the numerous priests or parsons of the present day1 bishops and all1 every one of them can make a sermon1 or translate a scrap of ,latin1 especially if it has been translated a thousand times before2 but is there any amongst them that can write poetry like ,homer1 or science like ,euclid8 ,the sum total of a parson's learning1 with very few exceptions1 is a1 b1 ab1 and hic1 haec1 hoc2 and their knowledge of science is1 three times one is three2 and this is more than sufficient to have enabled them1 had they lived at the time1 to have written all the books of the ,new ,testament4 ,as the opportunities of forgery were greater1 so also was the inducement4 ,a man could gain no advantage by writing under the name of ,homer or ,euclid2 if he could write equal to them1 it would be better that he wrote under his own name2 if inferior1 he could not succeed4 ,pride would prevent the former1 and impossibility the latter4 ,but with respect to such books as compose the ,new ,testament1 all the inducements were on the side of forgery4 ,the best imagined history that could have been made1 at the distance of two or three hundred years after the time1 could not have passed for an original under the name of the real writer2 the only chance of success lay in forgery2 for the church wanted pretence for its new doctrine1 and truth and talents were out of the question4 ,but as it is not uncommon 7as before observed7 to relate stories of persons walking after they are dead1 and of ghosts and apparitions of such as have fallen by some violent or extraordinary means2 and as the people of that day were in the habit of believing such things1 and of the appearance of angels1 and also of devils1 and of their getting into people's insides1 and shaking them like a fit of an ague1 and of their being cast out again as if by an emetic--7,mary ,magdalene1 the book of ,mark tells us had brought up1 or been brought to bed of seven devils27 it was nothing extraordinary that some story of this kind should get abroad of the person called ,jesus ,christ1 and become afterwards the foundation of the four books ascribed to ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 and ,john4 ,each writer told a tale as he heard it1 or thereabouts1 and gave to his book the name of the saint or the apostle whom tradition had given as the eye-witness4 ,it is only upon this ground that the contradictions in those books can be accounted for2 and if this be not the case1 they are downright impositions1 lies1 and forgeries1 without even the apology of credulity4 ,that they have been written by a sort of half ,jews1 as the foregoing quotations mention1 is discernible enough4 ,the frequent references made to that chief assassin and impostor ,moses1 and to the men called prophets1 establishes this point2 and1 on the other hand1 the church has complimented the fraud1 by admitting the ,bible and the ,testament to reply to each other4 ,between the ,christian-,jew and the ,christian-,gentile1 the thing called a prophecy1 and the thing prophesied of1 the type and the thing typified1 the sign and the thing signified1 have been industriously rummaged up1 and fitted together like old locks and pick-lock keys4 ,the story foolishly enough told of ,eve and the serpent1 and naturally enough as to the enmity between men and serpents 7for the serpent always bites about the heel1 because it cannot reach higher1 and the man always knocks the serpent about the head1 as the most effectual way to prevent its biting27 8,it shall bruise thy head1 and thou shalt bruise his heel40 ,gen4 iii4 #ae4--;,author4 this foolish story1 ,i say1 has been made into a prophecy1 a type1 and a promise to begin with2 and the lying imposition of ,isaiah to ,ahaz1 #8,that a virgin shall conceive and bear a son1' as a sign that ,ahaz should conquer1 when the event was that he was defeated 7as already noticed in the observations on the book of ,isaiah71 has been perverted1 and made to serve as a winder up4 ,jonah and the whale are also made into a sign and type4 ,jonah is ,jesus1 and the whale is the grave2 for it is said1 7and they have made ,christ to say it of himself1 ,matt4 xii4 #dj71 8,for as ,jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly1 so shall the ,son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth40 ,but it happens1 awkwardly enough1 that ,christ1 according to their own account1 was but one day and two nights in the grave2 about #cf hours instead of #gb2 that is1 the ,friday night1 the ,saturday1 and the ,saturday night2 for they say he was up on the ,sunday morning by sunrise1 or before4 ,but as this fits quite as well as the bite and the kick in ,genesis1 or the virgin and her son in ,isaiah1 it will pass in the lump of orthodox things4--,thus much for the historical part of the ,testament and its evidences4 ,epistles of ,paul--,the epistles ascribed to ,paul1 being fourteen in number1 almost fill up the remaining part of the ,testament4 ,whether those epistles were written by the person to whom they are ascribed is a matter of no great importance1 since that the writer1 whoever he was1 attempts to prove his doctrine by argument4 ,he does not pretend to have been witness to any of the scenes told of the resurrection and the ascension2 and he declares that he had not believed them4 ,the story of his being struck to the ground as he was journeying to ,damascus1 has nothing in it miraculous or extraordinary2 he escaped with life1 and that is more than many others have done1 who have been struck with lightning2 and that he should lose his sight for three days1 and be unable to eat or drink during that time1 is nothing more than is common in such conditions4 ,his companions that were with him appear not to have suffered in the same manner1 for they were well enough to lead him the remainder of the journey2 neither did they pretend to have seen any vision4 ,the character of the person called ,paul1 according to the accounts given of him1 has in it a great deal of violence and fanaticism2 he had persecuted with as much heat as he preached afterwards2 the stroke he had received had changed his thinking1 without altering his constitution2 and either as a ,jew or a ,christian he was the same zealot4 ,such men are never good moral evidences of any doctrine they preach4 ,they are always in extremes1 as well of action as of belief4 ,the doctrine he sets out to prove by argument1 is the resurrection of the same body3 and he advances this as an evidence of immortality4 ,but so much will men differ in their manner of thinking1 and in the conclusions they draw from the same premises1 that this doctrine of the resurrection of the same body1 so far from being an evidence of immortality1 appears to me to be an evidence against it2 for if ,i have already died in this body1 and am raised again in the same body in which ,i have died1 it is presumptive evidence that ,i shall die again4 ,that resurrection no more secures me against the repetition of dying1 than an ague-fit1 when past1 secures me against another4 ,to believe therefore in immortality1 ,i must have a more elevated idea than is contained in the gloomy doctrine of the resurrection4 ,besides1 as a matter of choice1 as well as of hope1 ,i had rather have a better body and a more convenient form than the present4 ,every animal in the creation excels us in something4 ,the winged insects1 without mentioning doves or eagles1 can pass over more space with greater ease in a few minutes than man can in an hour4 ,the glide of the smallest fish1 in proportion to its bulk1 exceeds us in motion almost beyond comparison1 and without weariness4 ,even the sluggish snail can ascend from the bottom of a dungeon1 where man1 by the want of that ability1 would perish2 and a spider can launch itself from the top1 as a playful amusement4 ,the personal powers of man are so limited1 and his heavy frame so little constructed to extensive enjoyment1 that there is nothing to induce us to wish the opinion of ,paul to be true4 ,it is too little for the magnitude of the scene1 too mean for the sublimity of the subject4 ,but all other arguments apart1 the consciousness of existence is the only conceivable idea we can have of another life1 and the continuance of that consciousness is immortality4 ,the consciousness of existence1 or the knowing that we exist1 is not necessarily confined to the same form1 nor to the same matter1 even in this life4 ,we have not in all cases the same form1 nor in any case the same matter1 that composed our bodies twenty or thirty years ago2 and yet we are conscious of being the same persons4 ,even legs and arms1 which make up almost half the human frame1 are not necessary to the consciousness of existence4 ,these may be lost or taken away and the full consciousness of existence remain2 and were their place supplied by wings1 or other appendages1 we cannot conceive that it could alter our consciousness of existence4 ,in short1 we know not how much1 or rather how little1 of our composition it is1 and how exquisitely fine that little is1 that creates in us this consciousness of existence2 and all beyond that is like the pulp of a peach1 distinct and separate from the vegetative speck in the kernel4 ,who can say by what exceeding fine action of fine matter it is that a thought is produced in what we call the mind8 and yet that thought when produced1 as ,i now produce the thought ,i am writing1 is capable of becoming immortal1 and is the only production of man that has that capacity4 ,statues of brass and marble will perish2 and statues made in imitation of them are not the same statues1 nor the same workmanship1 any more than the copy of a picture is the same picture4 ,but print and reprint a thought a thousand times over1 and that with materials of any kind1 carve it in wood1 or engrave it on stone1 the thought is eternally and identically the same thought in every case4 ,it has a capacity of unimpaired existence1 unaffected by change of matter1 and is essentially distinct1 and of a nature different from every thing else that we know of1 or can conceive4 ,if then the thing produced has in itself a capacity of being immortal1 it is more than a token that the power that produced it1 which is the self-same thing as consciousness of existence1 can be immortal also2 and that as independently of the matter it was first connected with1 as the thought is of the printing or writing it first appeared in4 ,the one idea is not more difficult to believe than the other2 and we can see that one is true4 ,that the consciousness of existence is not dependent on the same form or the same matter1 is demonstrated to our senses in the works of the creation1 as far as our senses are capable of receiving that demonstration4 ,a very numerous part of the animal creation preaches to us1 far better than ,paul1 the belief of a life hereafter4 ,their little life resembles an earth and a heaven1 a present and a future state2 and comprises1 if it may be so expressed1 immortality in miniature4 ,the most beautiful parts of the creation to our eye are the winged insects1 and they are not so originally4 ,they acquire that form and that inimitable brilliancy by progressive changes4 ,the slow and creeping caterpillar worm of to day1 passes in a few days to a torpid figure1 and a state resembling death2 and in the next change comes forth in all the miniature magnificence of life1 a splendid butterfly4 ,no resemblance of the former creature remains2 every thing is changed2 all his powers are new1 and life is to him another thing4 ,we cannot conceive that the consciousness of existence is not the same in this state of the animal as before2 why then must ,i believe that the resurrection of the same body is necessary to continue to me the consciousness of existence hereafter8 ,in the former part of #8,the ,age of ,reason4' ,i have called the creation the true and only real word of ,god2 and this instance1 or this text1 in the book of creation1 not only shows to us that this thing may be so1 but that it is so2 and that the belief of a future state is a rational belief1 founded upon facts visible in the creation3 for it is not more difficult to believe that we shall exist hereafter in a better state and form than at present1 than that a worm should become a butterfly1 and quit the dunghill for the atmosphere1 if we did not know it as a fact4 ,as to the doubtful jargon ascribed to ,paul in #a ,corinthians xv41 which makes part of the burial service of some ,christian sectaries1 it is as destitute of meaning as the tolling of a bell at the funeral2 it explains nothing to the understanding1 it illustrates nothing to the imagination1 but leaves the reader to find any meaning if he can4 8,all flesh10 says he1 8is not the same flesh4 ,there is one flesh of men1 another of beasts1 another of fishes1 and another of birds40 ,and what then8 nothing4 ,a cook could have said as much4 8,there are also10 says he1 8bodies celestial and bodies terrestrial2 the glory of the celestial is one and the glory of the terrestrial is the other40 ,and what then8 nothing4 ,and what is the difference8 nothing that he has told4 8,there is10 says he1 8one glory of the sun1 and another glory of the moon1 and another glory of the stars40 ,and what then8 nothing2 except that he says that one star differeth from another star in glory1 instead of distance2 and he might as well have told us that the moon did not shine so bright as the sun4 ,all this is nothing better than the jargon of a conjuror1 who picks up phrases he does not understand to confound the credulous people who come to have their fortune told4 ,priests and conjurors are of the same trade4 ,sometimes ,paul affects to be a naturalist1 and to prove his system of resurrection from the principles of vegetation4 8,thou fool0 says he1 8that which thou sowest is not quickened except it die40 ,to which one might reply in his own language1 and say1 ,thou fool1 ,paul1 that which thou sowest is not quickened except it die not2 for the grain that dies in the ground never does1 nor can vegetate4 ,it is only the living grains that produce the next crop4 ,but the metaphor1 in any point of view1 is no simile4 ,it is succession1 and not resurrection4 ,the progress of an animal from one state of being to another1 as from a worm to a butterfly1 applies to the case2 but this of a grain does not1 and shows ,paul to have been what he says of others1 a fool4 ,whether the fourteen epistles ascribed to ,paul were written by him or not1 is a matter of indifference2 they are either argumentative or dogmatical2 and as the argument is defective1 and the dogmatical part is merely presumptive1 it signifies not who wrote them4 ,and the same may be said for the remaining parts of the ,testament4 ,it is not upon the ,epistles1 but upon what is called the ,gospel1 contained in the four books ascribed to ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 and ,john1 and upon the pretended prophecies1 that the theory of the church1 calling itself the ,christian ,church1 is founded4 ,the ,epistles are dependant upon those1 and must follow their fate2 for if the story of ,jesus ,christ be fabulous1 all reasoning founded upon it1 as a supposed truth1 must fall with it4 ,we know from history1 that one of the principal leaders of this church1 ,athanasius1 lived at the time the ,new ,testament was formed2 ,athanasius died1 according to the ,church chronology1 in the year #cga--;,author4 and we know also1 from the absurd jargon he has left us under the name of a creed1 the character of the men who formed the ,new ,testament2 and we know also from the same history that the authenticity of the books of which it is composed was denied at the time4 ,it was upon the vote of such as ,athanasius that the ,testament was decreed to be the word of ,god2 and nothing can present to us a more strange idea than that of decreeing the word of ,god by vote4 ,those who rest their faith upon such authority put man in the place of ,god1 and have no true foundation for future happiness4 ,credulity1 however1 is not a crime1 but it becomes criminal by resisting conviction4 ,it is strangling in the womb of the conscience the efforts it makes to ascertain truth4 ,we should never force belief upon ourselves in any thing4 ,i here close the subject on the ,old ,testament and the ,new4 ,the evidence ,i have produced to prove them forgeries1 is extracted from the books themselves1 and acts1 like a two-edge sword1 either way4 ,if the evidence be denied1 the authenticity of the ,scriptures is denied with it1 for it is ,scripture evidence3 and if the evidence be admitted1 the authenticity of the books is disproved4 ,the contradictory impossibilities1 contained in the ,old ,testament and the ,new1 put them in the case of a man who swears for and against4 ,either evidence convicts him of perjury1 and equally destroys reputation4 ,should the ,bible and the ,testament hereafter fall1 it is not that ,i have done it4 ,i have done no more than extracted the evidence from the confused mass of matters with which it is mixed1 and arranged that evidence in a point of light to be clearly seen and easily comprehended2 and1 having done this1 ,i leave the reader to judge for himself1 as ,i have judged for myself4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,conclusion ,in the former part of #8,the ,age of ,reason' ,i have spoken of the three frauds1 mystery1 miracle1 and ,prophecy2 and as ,i have seen nothing in any of the answers to that work that in the least affects what ,i have there said upon those subjects1 ,i shall not encumber this ,second ,part with additions that are not necessary4 ,i have spoken also in the same work upon what is celled revelation1 and have shown the absurd misapplication of that term to the books of the ,old ,testament and the ,new2 for certainly revelation is out of the question in reciting any thing of which man has been the actor or the witness4 ,that which man has done or seen1 needs no revelation to tell him he has done it1 or seen it--for he knows it already--nor to enable him to tell it or to write it4 ,it is ignorance1 or imposition1 to apply the term revelation in such cases2 yet the ,bible and ,testament are classed under this fraudulent description of being all revelation4 ,revelation then1 so far as the term has relation between ,god and man1 can only be applied to something which ,god reveals of his will to man2 but though the power of the ,almighty to make such a communication is necessarily admitted1 because to that power all things are possible1 yet1 the thing so revealed 7if any thing ever was revealed1 and which1 by the bye1 it is impossible to prove7 is revelation to the person only to whom it is made4 ,his account of it to another is not revelation2 and whoever puts faith in that account1 puts it in the man from whom the account comes2 and that man may have been deceived1 or may have dreamed it2 or he may be an impostor and may lie4 ,there is no possible criterion whereby to judge of the truth of what he tells2 for even the morality of it would be no proof of revelation4 ,in all such cases1 the proper answer should be1 8,when it is revealed to me1 ,i will believe it to be revelation2 but it is not and cannot be incumbent upon me to believe it to be revelation before2 neither is it proper that ,i should take the word of man as the word of ,god1 and put man in the place of ,god40 ,this is the manner in which ,i have spoken of revelation in the former part of ,the ,age of ,reason2 and which1 whilst it reverentially admits revelation as a possible thing1 because1 as before said1 to the ,almighty all things are possible1 it prevents the imposition of one man upon another1 and precludes the wicked use of pretended revelation4 ,but though1 speaking for myself1 ,i thus admit the possibility of revelation1 ,i totally disbelieve that the ,almighty ever did communicate any thing to man1 by any mode of speech1 in any language1 or by any kind of vision1 or appearance1 or by any means which our senses are capable of receiving1 otherwise than by the universal display of himself in the works of the creation1 and by that repugnance we feel in ourselves to bad actions1 and disposition to good ones4 ,a fair parallel of the then unknown aphorism of ,kant3 8,two things fill the soul with wonder and reverence1 increasing evermore as ,i meditate more closely upon them3 the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me40 7,kritik derpraktischen ,vernunfe1 #aghh74 ,kant's religious utterances at the beginning of the ,french ,revolution brought on him a royal mandate of silence1 because he had worked out from 8the moral law within0 a principle of human equality precisely similar to that which ,paine had derived from his ,quaker doctrine of the 8inner light0 of every man4 ,about the same time ,paine's writings were suppressed in ,england4 ,paine did not understand ,german1 but ,kant1 though always independent in the formation of his opinions1 was evidently well acquainted with the literature of the ,revolution1 in ,america1 ,england1 and ,france4--,editor4 ,the most detestable wickedness1 the most horrid cruelties1 and the greatest miseries1 that have afflicted the human race have had their origin in this thing called revelation1 or revealed religion4 ,it has been the most dishonourable belief against the character of the divinity1 the most destructive to morality1 and the peace and happiness of man1 that ever was propagated since man began to exist4 ,it is better1 far better1 that we admitted1 if it were possible1 a thousand devils to roam at large1 and to preach publicly the doctrine of devils1 if there were any such1 than that we permitted one such impostor and monster as ,moses1 ,joshua1 ,samuel1 and the ,bible prophets1 to come with the pretended word of ,god in his mouth1 and have credit among us4 ,whence arose all the horrid assassinations of whole nations of men1 women1 and infants1 with which the ,bible is filled2 and the bloody persecutions1 and tortures unto death and religious wars1 that since that time have laid ,europe in blood and ashes2 whence arose they1 but from this impious thing called revealed religion1 and this monstrous belief that ,god has spoken to man8 ,the lies of the ,bible have been the cause of the one1 and the lies of the ,testament of the other4 ,some ,christians pretend that ,christianity was not established by the sword2 but of what period of time do they speak8 ,it was impossible that twelve men could begin with the sword3 they had not the power2 but no sooner were the professors of ,christianity sufficiently powerful to employ the sword than they did so1 and the stake and faggot too2 and ,mahomet could not do it sooner4 ,by the same spirit that ,peter cut off the ear of the high priest's servant 7if the story be true7 he would cut off his head1 and the head of his master1 had he been able4 ,besides this1 ,christianity grounds itself originally upon the ,hebrew ,bible1 and the ,bible was established altogether by the sword1 and that in the worst use of it--not to terrify1 but to extirpate4 ,the ,jews made no converts3 they butchered all4 ,the ,bible is the sire of the ,new ,testament1 and both are called the word of ,god4 ,the ,christians read both books2 the ministers preach from both books2 and this thing called ,christianity is made up of both4 ,it is then false to say that ,christianity was not established by the sword4 ,the only sect that has not persecuted are the ,quakers2 and the only reason that can be given for it is1 that they are rather ,deists than ,christians4 ,they do not believe much about ,jesus ,christ1 and they call the scriptures a dead letter4 ,this is an interesting and correct testimony as to the beliefs of the earlier ,quakers1 one of whom was ,paine's father4--,editor4 ,had they called them by a worse name1 they had been nearer the truth4 ,it is incumbent on every man who reverences the character of the ,creator1 and who wishes to lessen the catalogue of artificial miseries1 and remove the cause that has sown persecutions thick among mankind1 to expel all ideas of a revealed religion as a dangerous heresy1 and an impious fraud4 ,what is it that we have learned from this pretended thing called revealed religion8 ,nothing that is useful to man1 and every thing that is dishonourable to his ,maker4 ,what is it the ,bible teaches us8--repine1 cruelty1 and murder4 ,what is it the ,testament teaches us8--to believe that the ,almighty committed debauchery with a woman engaged to be married2 and the belief of this debauchery is called faith4 ,as to the fragments of morality that are irregularly and thinly scattered in those books1 they make no part of this pretended thing1 revealed religion4 ,they are the natural dictates of conscience1 and the bonds by which society is held together1 and without which it cannot exist2 and are nearly the same in all religions1 and in all societies4 ,the ,testament teaches nothing new upon this subject1 and where it attempts to exceed1 it becomes mean and ridiculous4 ,the doctrine of not retaliating injuries is much better expressed in ,proverbs1 which is a collection as well from the ,gentiles as the ,jews1 than it is in the ,testament4 ,it is there said1 7,xxv4 #b ,i7 8,if thine enemy be hungry1 give him bread to eat2 and if he be thirsty1 give him water to drink30 ,according to what is called ,christ's sermon on the mount1 in the book of ,matthew1 where1 among some other and good things1 a great deal of this feigned morality is introduced1 it is there expressly said1 that the doctrine of forbearance1 or of not retaliating injuries1 was not any part of the doctrine of the ,jews2 but as this doctrine is found in 8,proverbs10 it must1 according to that statement1 have been copied from the ,gentiles1 from whom ,christ had learned it4 ,those men whom ,jewish and ,christian idolators have abusively called heathen1 had much better and clearer ideas of justice and morality than are to be found in the ,old ,testament1 so far as it is ,jewish1 or in the ,new4 ,the answer of ,solon on the question1 8,which is the most perfect popular govemment10 has never been exceeded by any man since his time1 as containing a maxim of political morality1 8,that10 says he1 8where the least injury done to the meanest individual1 is considered as an insult on the whole constitution40 ,solon lived about #ejj years before ,christ4--,author4 but when it is said1 as in the ,testament1 8,if a man smite thee on the right cheek1 turn to him the other also10 it is assassinating the dignity of forbearance1 and sinking man into a spaniel4 ,loving1 of enemies is another dogma of feigned morality1 and has besides no meaning4 ,it is incumbent on man1 as a moralist1 that he does not revenge an injury2 and it is equally as good in a political sense1 for there is no end to retaliation2 each retaliates on the other1 and calls it justice3 but to love in proportion to the injury1 if it could be done1 would be to offer a premium for a crime4 ,besides1 the word enemies is too vague and general to be used in a moral maxim1 which ought always to be clear and defined1 like a proverb4 ,if a man be the enemy of another from mistake and prejudice1 as in the case of religious opinions1 and sometimes in politics1 that man is different to an enemy at heart with a criminal intention2 and it is incumbent upon us1 and it contributes also to our own tranquillity1 that we put the best construction upon a thing that it will bear4 ,but even this erroneous motive in him makes no motive for love on the other part2 and to say that we can love voluntarily1 and without a motive1 is morally and physically impossible4 ,morality is injured by prescribing to it duties that1 in the first place1 are impossible to be performed1 and if they could be would be productive of evil2 or1 as before said1 be premiums for crime4 ,the maxim of doing as we would be done unto does not include this strange doctrine of loving enemies2 for no man expects to be loved himself for his crime or for his enmity4 ,those who preach this doctrine of loving their enemies1 are in general the greatest persecutors1 and they act consistently by so doing2 for the doctrine is hypocritical1 and it is natural that hypocrisy should act the reverse of what it preaches4 ,for my own part1 ,i disown the doctrine1 and consider it as a feigned or fabulous morality2 yet the man does not exist that can say ,i have persecuted him1 or any man1 or any set of men1 either in the ,american ,revolution1 or in the ,french ,revolution2 or that ,i have1 in any case1 returned evil for evil4 ,but it is not incumbent on man to reward a bad action with a good one1 or to return good for evil2 and wherever it is done1 it is a voluntary act1 and not a duty4 ,it is also absurd to suppose that such doctrine can make any part of a revealed religion4 ,we imitate the moral character of the ,creator by forbearing with each other1 for he forbears with all2 but this doctrine would imply that he loved man1 not in proportion as he was good1 but as he was bad4 ,if we consider the nature of our condition here1 we must see there is no occasion for such a thing as revealed religion4 ,what is it we want to know8 ,does not the creation1 the universe we behold1 preach to us the existence of an ,almighty power1 that governs and regulates the whole8 ,and is not the evidence that this creation holds out to our senses infinitely stronger than any thing we can read in a book1 that any imposter might make and call the word of ,god8 ,as for morality1 the knowledge of it exists in every man's conscience4 ,here we are4 ,the existence of an ,almighty power is sufficiently demonstrated to us1 though we cannot conceive1 as it is impossible we should1 the nature and manner of its existence4 ,we cannot conceive how we came here ourselves1 and yet we know for a fact that we are here4 ,we must know also1 that the power that called us into being1 can if he please1 and when he pleases1 call us to account for the manner in which we have lived here2 and therefore without seeking any other motive for the belief1 it is rational to believe that he will1 for we know beforehand that he can4 ,the probability or even possibility of the thing is all that we ought to know2 for if we knew it as a fact1 we should be the mere slaves of terror2 our belief would have no merit1 and our best actions no virtue4 ,deism then teaches us1 without the possibility of being deceived1 all that is necessary or proper to be known4 ,the creation is the ,bible of the deist4 ,he there reads1 in the hand-writing of the ,creator himself1 the certainty of his existence1 and the immutability of his power2 and all other ,bibles and ,testaments are to him forgeries4 ,the probability that we may be called to account hereafter1 will1 to reflecting minds1 have the influence of belief2 for it is not our belief or disbelief that can make or unmake the fact4 ,as this is the state we are in1 and which it is proper we should be in1 as free agents1 it is the fool only1 and not the philosopher1 nor even the prudent man1 that will live as if there were no ,god4 ,but the belief of a ,god is so weakened by being mixed with the strange fable of the ,christian creed1 and with the wild adventures related in the ,bible1 and the obscurity and obscene nonsense of the ,testament1 that the mind of man is bewildered as in a fog4 ,viewing all these things in a confused mass1 he confounds fact with fable2 and as he cannot believe all1 he feels a disposition to reject all4 ,but the belief of a ,god is a belief distinct from all other things1 and ought not to be confounded with any4 ,the notion of a ,trinity of ,gods has enfeebled the belief of one ,god4 ,a multiplication of beliefs acts as a division of belief2 and in proportion as anything is divided1 it is weakened4 ,religion1 by such means1 becomes a thing of form instead of fact2 of notion instead of principle3 morality is banished to make room for an imaginary thing called faith1 and this faith has its origin in a supposed debauchery2 a man is preached instead of a ,god2 an execution is an object for gratitude2 the preachers daub themselves with the blood1 like a troop of assassins1 and pretend to admire the brilliancy it gives them2 they preach a humdrum sermon on the merits of the execution2 then praise ,jesus ,christ for being executed1 and condemn the ,jews for doing it4 ,a man1 by hearing all this nonsense lumped and preached together1 confounds the ,god of the ,creation with the imagined ,god of the ,christians1 and lives as if there were none4 ,of all the systems of religion that ever were invented1 there is none more derogatory to the ,almighty1 more unedifying to man1 more repugnant to reason1 and more contradictory in itself1 than this thing called ,christianity4 ,too absurd for belief1 too impossible to convince1 and too inconsistent for practice1 it renders the heart torpid1 or produces only atheists and fanatics4 ,as an engine of power1 it serves the purpose of despotism2 and as a means of wealth1 the avarice of priests2 but so far as respects the good of man in general1 it leads to nothing here or hereafter4 ,the only religion that has not been invented1 and that has in it every evidence of divine originality1 is pure and simple deism4 ,it must have been the first and will probably be the last that man believes4 ,but pure and simple deism does not answer the purpose of despotic governments4 ,they cannot lay hold of religion as an engine but by mixing it with human inventions1 and making their own authority a part2 neither does it answer the avarice of priests1 but by incorporating themselves and their functions with it1 and becoming1 like the government1 a party in the system4 ,it is this that forms the otherwise mysterious connection of church and state2 the church human1 and the state tyrannic4 ,were a man impressed as fully and strongly as he ought to be with the belief of a ,god1 his moral life would be regulated by the force of belief2 he would stand in awe of ,god1 and of himself1 and would not do the thing that could not be concealed from either4 ,to give this belief the full opportunity of force1 it is necessary that it acts alone4 ,this is deism4 ,but when1 according to the ,christian ,trinitarian scheme1 one part of ,god is represented by a dying man1 and another part1 called the ,holy ,ghost1 by a flying pigeon1 it is impossible that belief can attach itself to such wild conceits4 ,the book called the book of ,matthew1 says1 7iii4 #af17 that the ,holy ,ghost descended in the shape of a dove4 ,it might as well have said a goose2 the creatures are equally harmless1 and the one is as much a nonsensical lie as the other4 ,acts1 ii4 #b1 #c1 says1 that it descended in a mighty rushing wind1 in the shape of cloven tongues3 perhaps it was cloven feet4 ,such absurd stuff is fit only for tales of witches and wizards4--,author4 ,it has been the scheme of the ,christian church1 and of all the other invented systems of religion1 to hold man in ignorance of the ,creator1 as it is of government to hold him in ignorance of his rights4 ,the systems of the one are as false as those of the other1 and are calculated for mutual support4 ,the study of theology as it stands in ,christian churches1 is the study of nothing2 it is founded on nothing2 it rests on no principles2 it proceeds by no authorities2 it has no data2 it can demonstrate nothing2 and admits of no conclusion4 ,not any thing can be studied as a science without our being in possession of the principles upon which it is founded2 and as this is not the case with ,christian theology1 it is therefore the study of nothing4 ,instead then of studying theology1 as is now done1 out of the ,bible and ,testament1 the meanings of which books are always controverted1 and the authenticity of which is disproved1 it is necessary that we refer to the ,bible of the creation4 ,the principles we discover there are eternal1 and of divine origin3 they are the foundation of all the science that exists in the world1 and must be the foundation of theology4 ,we can know ,god only through his works4 ,we cannot have a conception of any one attribute1 but by following some principle that leads to it4 ,we have only a confused idea of his power1 if we have not the means of comprehending something of its immensity4 ,we can have no idea of his wisdom1 but by knowing the order and manner in which it acts4 ,the principles of science lead to this knowledge2 for the ,creator of man is the ,creator of science1 and it is through that medium that man can see ,god1 as it were1 face to face4 ,could a man be placed in a situation1 and endowed with power of vision to behold at one view1 and to contemplate deliberately1 the structure of the universe1 to mark the movements of the several planets1 the cause of their varying appearances1 the unerring order in which they revolve1 even to the remotest comet1 their connection and dependence on each other1 and to know the system of laws established by the ,creator1 that governs and regulates the whole2 he would then conceive1 far beyond what any church theology can teach him1 the power1 the wisdom1 the vastness1 the munificence of the ,creator4 ,he would then see that all the knowledge man has of science1 and that all the mechanical arts by which he renders his situation comfortable here1 are derived from that source3 his mind1 exalted by the scene1 and convinced by the fact1 would increase in gratitude as it increased in knowledge3 his religion or his worship would become united with his improvement as a man3 any employment he followed that had connection with the principles of the creation1--as everything of agriculture1 of science1 and of the mechanical arts1 has1--would teach him more of ,god1 and of the gratitude he owes to him1 than any theological ,christian sermon he now hears4 ,great objects inspire great thoughts2 great munificence excites great gratitude2 but the grovelling tales and doctrines of the ,bible and the ,testament are fit only to excite contempt4 ,though man cannot arrive1 at least in this life1 at the actual scene ,i have described1 he can demonstrate it1 because he has knowledge of the principles upon which the creation is constructed4 ,we know that the greatest works can be represented in model1 and that the universe can be represented by the same means4 ,the same principles by which we measure an inch or an acre of ground will measure to millions in extent4 ,a circle of an inch diameter has the same geometrical properties as a circle that would circumscribe the universe4 ,the same properties of a triangle that will demonstrate upon paper the course of a ship1 will do it on the ocean2 and1 when applied to what are called the heavenly bodies1 will ascertain to a minute the time of an eclipse1 though those bodies are millions of miles distant from us4 ,this knowledge is of divine origin2 and it is from the ,bible of the creation that man has learned it1 and not from the stupid ,bible of the church1 that teaches man nothing4 ,the ,bible-makers have undertaken to give us1 in the first chapter of ,genesis1 an account of the creation2 and in doing this they have demonstrated nothing but their ignorance4 ,they make there to have been three days and three nights1 evenings and mornings1 before there was any sun2 when it is the presence or absence of the sun that is the cause of day and night--and what is called his rising and setting that of morning and evening4 ,besides1 it is a puerile and pitiful idea1 to suppose the ,almighty to say1 8,let there be light40 ,it is the imperative manner of speaking that a conjuror uses when he says to his cups and balls1 ,presto1 be gone--and most probably has been taken from it1 as ,moses and his rod is a conjuror and his wand4 ,longinus calls this expression the sublime2 and by the same rule the conjurer is sublime too2 for the manner of speaking is expressively and grammatically the same4 ,when authors and critics talk of the sublime1 they see not how nearly it borders on the ridiculous4 ,the sublime of the critics1 like some parts of ,edmund ,burke's sublime and beautiful1 is like a windmill just visible in a fog1 which imagination might distort into a flying mountain1 or an archangel1 or a flock of wild geese4--,author4 ,all the knowledge man has of science and of machinery1 by the aid of which his existence is rendered comfortable upon earth1 and without which he would be scarcely distinguishable in appearance and condition from a common animal1 comes from the great machine and structure of the universe4 ,the constant and unwearied observations of our ancestors upon the movements and revolutions of the heavenly bodies1 in what are supposed to have been the early ages of the world1 have brought this knowledge upon earth4 ,it is not ,moses and the prophets1 nor ,jesus ,christ1 nor his apostles1 that have done it4 ,the ,almighty is the great mechanic of the creation1 the first philosopher1 and original teacher of all science4 ,let us then learn to reverence our master1 and not forget the labours of our ancestors4 ,had we1 at this day1 no knowledge of machinery1 and were it possible that man could have a view1 as ,i have before described1 of the structure and machinery of the universe1 he would soon conceive the idea of constructing some at least of the mechanical works we now have2 and the idea so conceived would progressively advance in practice4 ,or could a model of the universe1 such as is called an orrery1 be presented before him and put in motion1 his mind would arrive at the same idea4 ,such an object and such a subject would1 whilst it improved him in knowledge useful to himself as a man and a member of society1 as well as entertaining1 afford far better matter for impressing him with a knowledge of1 and a belief in the ,creator1 and of the reverence and gratitude that man owes to him1 than the stupid texts of the ,bible and the ,testament1 from which1 be the talents of the preacher2 what they may1 only stupid sermons can be preached4 ,if man must preach1 let him preach something that is edifying1 and from the texts that are known to be true4 ,the ,bible of the creation is inexhaustible in texts4 ,every part of science1 whether connected with the geometry of the universe1 with the systems of animal and vegetable life1 or with the properties of inanimate matter1 is a text as well for devotion as for philosophy--for gratitude1 as for human improvement4 ,it will perhaps be said1 that if such a revolution in the system of religion takes place1 every preacher ought to be a philosopher4 ,most certainly1 and every house of devotion a school of science4 ,it has been by wandering from the immutable laws of science1 and the light of reason1 and setting up an invented thing called 8revealed religion10 that so many wild and blasphemous conceits have been formed of the ,almighty4 ,the ,jews have made him the assassin of the human species1 to make room for the religion of the ,jews4 ,the ,christians have made him the murderer of himself1 and the founder of a new religion to supersede and expel the ,jewish religion4 ,and to find pretence and admission for these things1 they must have supposed his power or his wisdom imperfect1 or his will changeable2 and the changeableness of the will is the imperfection of the judgement4 ,the philosopher knows that the laws of the ,creator have never changed1 with respect either to the principles of science1 or the properties of matter4 ,why then is it to be supposed they have changed with respect to man8 ,i here close the subject4 ,i have shown in all the foregoing parts of this work that the ,bible and ,testament are impositions and forgeries2 and ,i leave the evidence ,i have produced in proof of it to be refuted1 if any one can do it2 and ,i leave the ideas that are suggested in the conclusion of the work to rest on the mind of the reader2 certain as ,i am that when opinions are free1 either in matters of govemment or religion1 truth will finally and powerfully prevail4 ,,end ,,of ,,part ,,ii