,,religion ,,in ,,the ,,heavens2  ,,or1 
,,mythology ,,unveiled  ,,in ,a ,,series
 ,,of ,,lectures1  ,by ,logan ,mitchell1
  ,a ,follower ,of ,nature4  ,thus does 
it generally happen in human life1 that 
when danger attends the discovery of    
truth1 and the profession thereof1 the  
prudent are silent1 the multitude       
believe1 and impostors                  
triumph4--,mosheim's ,ecclesiastical    
,history4  #ahha4  ,,london3  ,,the     
,,signs ,,of ,,the ,,zodiac4  ,aries4   
,libra4 ,taurus4 ,scorpio4 ,gemini4     
,sagittarius4 ,cancer4 ,capricoraus4    
,leo1 ,aquarius4 ,virgo4 ,pisces4  ,in  
nearly #bfjjj years the ,sun passes     
through the whole circle of the ,zodiac4
 ,that is1 he is in each sign at the    
,vernal ,equinox #b1aee years4  ,one    
universal mythos1 or fable wearing the  
garb of history1 has been the basis of  
all religions1 ancient and modern4 ,this
 mythos is rooted in1 and has secret    
allusion to the zodiac and the solar    
system1 in which the sun and the rest of

 the ,host of ,heaven1 were turned into 
imaginary personages1 under peculiar    
nomenclatures in each country2 and      
fanciful narratives concerning them1    
were invented by the astronomising      
priests1 in order to stultify and       
subject the minds of the ignorant       
populace4 ,this deception continues to  
the present day1 for the solar mythos   
wets the true ,christianity4 ,when the  
,french1 under ,napoleon1 possessed     
,italy1 they examined the chair of ,st4 
,peter1 and found upon it the signs of  
the zodiac4     ,,preface4  ,,according 
to the ignorant prejudices which        
priestcraft has interwoven through the  
human mind1 the subjects treated of in  
the following ,lectures1 are considered 
as sacred ground by the votaries of     
superstition2 and therefore every       
attempt to examine them with freedom1 or
 to expose them to the test of reason   
and free discussion1 appears shocking to
 the blindly bigoted1 and alarming to   
interested priests4 ,but as neither     

complaisance nor forbearance is due to  
either of these parties1 the free       
inquirer1 stimulated by the love of     
truth alone1 will be earnestly desirous 
of emancipating the minds of his fellows
 from the fears and delusions of a      
sanguinary and distracting superstition1
 which has no foundation in reason1     
either as regards the past or the       
future2 and from the gloomy grasp of its
 active1 subtle1 and vindictive         
priesthood1 who want nothing but the    
power to imprison and roast alive1 as   
they did in former ages4 ,yet even in   
the present times of science and reform1
 what has been the fate of the daring   
wight who has ventured to expose the    
origin and shown the terrible effects of
 ,christianity during fifteen hundred   
years8 ,he has drawn upon himself the   
concentrated essence of malice from all 
the hireling sacerdotal orders1 abetted 
by their allies the aristocracy of every
 country1 by whom he has commonly been  
robbed and imprisoned1 or otherwise     

ruined both in fortune and reputation499
       99 ,knowledge is called          
infidelity3      4444 ,hence the few who
 knew      ,aught worth recording1 and  
were fools enough      ,to vent their   
free opinions1 what has been      ,their
 recompense and their reward8 ,the      
stake1      ,the fagot and the cross4   
--,goethe's ,faust4                     
,infidelity--we say2 but to what8       
,to vulgar superstitions enforced4  ,how
 does he incur the implacable vengeance 
of the theologians8 ,because his search 
after truth1 in the paths of ,nature1   
has a direct tendency to overturn that  
monstrous fabric of delusion1 which     
enables so many hundreds of thousands of
 them to live in ease and luxury1 at a  
prodigious expense to human industry4   
,why do the aristocracy and the rich of 
the land persecute and pursue him to    
ruin8 ,the aristocracy being1 in point  
of fact1 the national rulers1 as such1  
have hitherto considered it necessary to
 support some kind of superstition 7any 

sort does equally well for the ignorant 
and vulgar71 perceiving that1 by an     
iniquitous confederacy with its         
priesthood for mutual support1 the      
strongest arm of bad government is      
created4 ,moreover1 the ranks of the    
hierarchy are recruited by scions from  
aristocratical stocks1 who are called by
 the ,holy ,ghost1 to receive revenues  
sufficient for the attraction of        
gentlemen and whether these be younger  
sons1 brothers1 blackguards1 or         
blockheads1 it is all the same--they are
 good enough for ,mother ,church4 ,this 
is a powerful--an almost irresistible   
scheme for fostering ignorance and      
falsehood--for upholding the foul       
connexion between ,church and ,state1   
and for perpetuating the mental slavery 
of the people4 ,the cause of truth and  
the welfare of society call loudly for  
the exposure of these enormous          
corruptions2 and the dangerous task will
 be hailed and encouraged by every true 
friend to human improvement1 as the     

surest means of banishing from amongst  
men the blasting and demoralizing belief
 in supenaturalism1 for that is the     
principal1 if not the sole source of all
 the moral evils on the face of the     
earth4  ,it was the strikingly eloquent 
saying of ,mr4 ,paine1 that prejudice is
 the spider that spins its web on the   
mind4 ,this entangling web is so        
interwoven into the tender and plastic  
mind of youth by systematized deception1
 that even the strongest intellect can  
hardly extricate itself during life2 and
 this spell holds equally good with     
,jew1 ,christian1 ,mahommedan1 or in any
 other of all the heaven-derived        
superstitions that have afflicted the   
human race4 ,these are the universal    
plagues--the fatal barriers which stand 
perpetually between man and the         
harmonious union which he would ever    
maintain with nature4 ,all religions    
have in succession sprung out of the    
superstitions which preceded them1 and  
there is no difficulty in proving that  

the ,christian scheme is no exception to
 the rule2 for1 on its very front1 it   
carries the most conclusive evidence of 
having been drawn out of the exhaustless
 ethnical magazines of ,paganism199 and 
metamorphosed there is not a            
vestige--not an iota of ,christianity1  
whether ,catholic or ,protestant1 that  
did not belong to ,paganism1 thousands  
of years before the reign of ,tiberius2 
and that all the religion practised in  
,europe is merely the exoteric quackery 
of the old universal solar mythos4 ,in  
like manner1 it was only the initiated  
,jews of their cabbala1 who knew the    
secret of the same mythos4 ,this was    
called ,gnosticism4       99 ,beyond the
 limits of the papal conclave of        
cardinals1      there is every reason to
 believe that very little true1 or      
esoteric ,christianity is known2 and    
that only among the      learned and    
most laborious in fearless research4 ,in
 that      modern cabbala of the        
initiated1 the secret is guarded with   

the most solemn and profound vigilance2 
and the sacred trust      is1 that into 
that unsightly and distorted texture of 
wild      and irrational superstition1  
which has deluded men by      teaching  
them to overlook the moral and physical 
realities      of nature--fixing their  
minds upon imaginary existence2 and     
by an intercourse which surpliced       
magicians have pretended      to1 with a
 place called heaven1 everything that is
 good and      congenial to man upon    
earth has been destroyed4               
,for the the craft of priesthood that   
hath shaped           ,a future         
world1--the kings of distant days       
,have countenanced the fraud1 that fools
 content1           ,might look for     
blessings in another scene1             
,and bear the yoke more tranquilly in   
this4  ,none but bigoted and            
priest-subdued minds will deny that it  
has been ,christian superstition1 and   
its offspring1 cherished ignorance1 that
 have distracted and made stages for    

theological gladiators1 of ,spain1      
,portugal1 and ,ireland1 for a          
succession of ages4 ,by its natural     
tendency to corrupt every kind of       
government1 it has shed the blood of    
,erin's priest-ridden sons1 to satisfy  
the rapacious hierarchy of a more       
favored sect6 ,in ,england1 at this     
moment1 is it not a demonstrable fact   
that1 as theology enters into1 and      
taints everything1 so it is the ready   
and insuperable barrier against every   
salutary improvement2 for1 whenever a   
reform of bad laws and abuses is        
proposed1 or any measure attempted that 
would tend to the relief and benefit of 
the people at large1 do not             
,churchcraft1 ,aristocracy and ,co4 put 
their veto upon it immediately8 99  ,it 
is the essence of this pretended science
 of theology1 particularly that of      
triune-,christianity1 to oppose1 and in 
everything to combat the light of       
,nature and reason--to degrade and crush
 the human mind in youth1 as the best   

security against its future expansion2  
and hence it is that1 poor deluded man1 
in his abject and ludicrous terrors1 has
 been rendered the most bewildered1     
piteous1 and contemptible of all        
animals19999 wishing to live for ever   
after death1 yet afraid to die6 ,such   
being the nature of this dark           
pestilence1 the terrible evils it has   
produced in ,europe for so many         
centuries1 and is still producing even  
to this day are precisely what might be 
expected from such a cause4       99    
,the demon of ,toryism1 which pervades  
,europe throughout1 is      the         
legitimate offspring of ,priestcraft1   
,aristocracy and      ,co4--that is1 a  
confederacy of the great monopolisers of
 the      land and the church hierarchy1
 for the honest purpose of              
subjugating and fleecing the industrious
 wealth-producers4       9999 ,no man   
will ever write as a true philosopher   
who seeks      the approbation of more  
than one in every ten thousand of       

men1 as they are moulded at present by  
theology4  ,to any species of political 
tyranny that happened to be strong      
enough to bestow riches and power upon  
its priests1 it has ever been ready to  
link itself2 and to form the mainstay   
and support of that flagitious and      
shameful policy which promotes          
ignorance1 as the surest medium through 
which to deceive mankind into submission
 to bad government4 ,even now1 in the   
nineteenth century1 there are no        
legislative disputes and dissensions in 
which it is not the perpetual bone of   
contention--no national interests       
discussed wherein it forms not the most 
inflaming ingredient499 ,from a cause   
that is thus essentially and innately   
evil1 such effects must emanate of      
necessity2 and1 therefore1 there would  
be the highest folly in expecting that  
this baleful superstition can ever      
change1 or be anything else than that   
which it hitherto has been--a burden and
 a scourge to every country in the exact

 ratio of its influence4  ,the          
reproachful canting cry of heretic1     
infidel1 atheist1 etc41 will be raised  
against the author of these lectures1 by
 every fiery intolerant bigot into whose
 hands they may fall4 ,but he alone is  
the true infidel who forsakes the laws  
of his ,nature1 and gives up his mind to
 a belief in fabulous and demoralising  
legends1 which contradict all           
experience1 and stand in opposition to  
the testimony of his own senses and     
reason49999 ,in regard to the term      
,atheist1 which1 of all others1 is meant
 to be the most opprobrious1 let our    
angry zealot1 in the first place1 define
 precisely what he means by the         
word3--if he explains it by saying it   
signifies one who supposes that there is
 no ,god2 we reply that it is impossible
 to understand this definition until he 
declares in express and intelligible    
terms what he means by the word ,god4   
,if it is used to designate that        
incomprehensible ,,power by which the   

universe is ruled1 there cannot be such 
a thing as an ,atheist in existence4    
99 ,it was formerly maintained by       
hangmen and funeral piles1      and now 
by clerical riches and power1 hereditary
 lawgivers1      harsh judges1 ignorant 
juries1 fines and imprisonments4        
9999 ,diderot1 in illustrating the      
conflict of priests against      reason1
 says1 ,bewildered in an immense forest 
during the      night1 and having only  
one small torch for my guide1 a         
stranger approaches1 and thus addresses 
me1--',friend1 blow      out thy light  
if thou wouldst make sure of the right  
path4'--,this stranger was a priest4    
,do the ,jews1 ,christians1 and         
,mahommedans1 by their wild and         
degrading anthropomorphism1 or by       
forming their deity in the likeness of  
any entity that the human mind can      
conceive1 evince a worthy1 or anything  
approaching to an adequate1 conception  
of the unknown199 all-ruling ,power8    
,quite the contrary2 for in absurdly    

imbodying it as a located ,being1 or by 
conferring personification in any shape 
or manner whatsoever1 they impiously    
create one of those idols which they    
pretend to abhor1 and become themselves 
idolators4 ,these alone are the real    
,atheists1 as they not only endow their 
man-,god with the worst of human        
frailties and passions1 but contemn and 
repudiate the true revelation of        
,nature4 ,the mean and grovelling       
notions which the half-inch mind of the 
priest-led fanatic has of his ,god 7for 
instance the ,jewish one71 form a       
striking contrast with the elevated and 
pure ideas which fill the mind of       
,nature's free votary1 towards the one  
universal ,power1--a veneration         
infinitely too exalted to allow for a   
moment the puerile and ridiculous notion
 of its being personified in the form or
 likeness of any existing thing49999    
99 ,what do theologues now know of that 
which they call ,deity      more than   
was known to the philosophic ,brahmin1  

,egyptian1 or      ,zoroastrian1 ten    
thousand years ago8 ,absolutely nothing4
      ,what does the pampered ,oxonian  
professor of theology know      more of 
it than the meanest cow-boy in ,england8
 ,absolutely      nothing4       9999   
,the deist talks of ,nature's ,god1 that
 is1 the powers of      ,nature         
personified1 for it is impossible it    
should mean      anything else4 ,as a   
poetic figure1 we have no objection to  
this4  ,but the priests of all religions
 that have at any time plagued the      
earth1 have agreed in the absolute      
necessity of inventing such imbodied    
,gods or idols2 and whether they be     
,jupiters or ,jehovahs is no great      
matter1 as they answer equally well as  
mystic sources from whence to derive the
 usurped power of the sacerdotal orders2
 and as relentless tormentors1 to keep  
the minds of their frenzied dupes in    
perpetual terror4 ,without these        
pre-requisities1 their trade would soon 
come to an end4 ,hence arises their     

well-known malignity against all who are
 sceptical respecting the existence of  
such supernatural personages2 for those 
who have doubts about that which is     
indispensable to the theologians1 are   
denounced by them as abominable         
,atheists1 which1 being explained1      
designates the few unfettered1 ingenuous
 minds1 who are capable of perceiving   
the matchless absurdity of attempting1  
by any entity1 or personified           
representation whatsoever1 to convey the
 slightest rational idea of that        
incomprehensible ,power1 by which       
countless millions of worlds are ruled4 
,,lecture ,,first4 ,,on ,,miracles      
,man is born in ignorance of everything 
around him2 and this      ignorance of  
natural causes begat terror2 terror1    
superstition2 superstition1 priests and 
the priesthood3      whose interests and
 unbending efforts are exerted to       
perpetuate the ignorance1 the fear1 and 
the superstition      that gave them    
birth  ,,the ignorance of the natural   

causes of the effects which man sees    
around him1 has ever been the foundation
 upon which the fabricators of all      
religions have built the whole machinery
 of those delusions by which the human  
race in all ages has been duped44 ,these
 impostors have invariably relied on    
their artful jugglery in the pretended  
science of supenaturalism1 for the      
success of their respective systems2 and
 of all such means of deception1 that of
 working miracles by legerdemain1 or    
collusive agency1 has been the most     
successfully palmed off upon the        
credulous multitude in all countries2   
whilst men of knowledge and reflection  
have in all times rejected the pretended
 infractions of the immutable course of 
nature1 as the inventions of knavery to 
delude and thereby prey upon ignorance4 
,the faith reposed in these delusive    
prodigies was always in proportion to   
the degree of simplicity in the         
deceived2 they were not generally       
believed by those who saw1 but most     

firmly by those who did not see1 them   
performed2 and though not true at first1
 that is but a trivial matter1 as time  
has established the veracity of those of
 the ,jews and primitive ,christians2   
and now when they are upheld by         
overwhelming clerical riches and power1 
backed by political corruption1 they    
will continue to degrade1 and be the    
grossest outrage upon common sense and  
experience1 until the great and salutary
 moral change shall take place1 when the
 mind of youth shall no longer be       
mortgaged to the priest in education4   
,though a miracle1 or pseudo violation  
of ,nature's laws1 be the most certain  
method of exciting the admiration of the
 vulgar1 it is contrary to reason that  
anything of the kind should be true2 but
 it is by no means contrary to the      
testimony of experience1 that impostors 
might have lived two or three thousand  
years ago1 and propagated falsehood4    
,this conclusion is fully corroborated  
by all modern experience1 in which we   

find that deception and falsehood form  
the medium through which knavery rules  
simple ignorance2 and to such a degree  
do these ingredients pervade the whole  
of society1 that they in a great measure
 constitute the religious and moral     
element in which man lives at the       
present day2 and so besotted has the    
breathing of this atmosphere of error   
and delusion rendered him1 that the more
 outrageous a miracle1 or other         
theological fable1 is against rational  
light and common sense1 the more        
greedily has it ever been received by   
the unthinking and priest-ridden        
million1 who delight in the marvellous  
and the incredible--believing           
everything1 and examining               
nothing3--hence the success of the      
ludicrous medley that makes up our      
,christian ,polytheism4 ,admitting1 for 
a moment1 the possibility of such       
physical prodigies being true1 what do  
we gain by them1--do they either confer 
additional authority on moral truth1 or 

prove it false8 ,can they make right    
wrong1 or wrong right8 ,it is a         
melancholy fallacy to attribute to them 
any such power or influence1 and implies
 a lamentably low estimate of the       
dignity and greatness of moral truth4   
,all that we gain by pretended          
violations of ,nature's laws1 is        
dogmatism1 bigotry1 spiritual fear1     
intolerance1 and superstition2 together 
with all the other curses which come in 
the train of religion1 when backed by   
authority4  ,a modern philosopher has   
given the quietus to miracles in the    
following death-blow3--,a miracle is a  
violation of the laws of nature2 and as 
a firm and unalterable experience has   
established these laws1 the proof       
against a miracle1 from the very nature 
of the fact1 is as entire as any        
argument from experience can possibly be
 imagined2 and1 therefore1 no testimony 
is sufficient to establish a miracle1   
unless the testimony be of such a kind  
that its falsehood would be more        

miraculous than the fact which it       
endeavors to establish ,this argument is
 absolutely invincible4 ,the boundless  
plenum of ,nature--the revolution of    
hundreds of millions of globes round a  
million of suns1 may be called          
miraculous1 but in all this1 ,nature1 or
 the material universe in motion199 is  
still invariable1 and acting by         
self-existing qualities or properties1  
which are therefore inviolable and      
immutable4 ,if it is asked1 cannot a law
 that is made by the ,supreme ,power be 
suspended by its author8 we reply1 that 
the innate or essential properties of   
matter1 being principles1 could have no 
author--no antecedent--no               
beginning3--they are co-eternal as      
matter and motion1 or the immutable     
,power which we call ,nature4 ,this     
hypothesis is plain1 simple1 easy1 and  
rational3 but the theory of your        
personified1 localised artificer1 is the
 reverse of all this2 for he himself    
would stand a thousand times more in    

need of an artificer or author than does
 the material universe4 ,we know that   
matter exists39999--there can be only   
one infinite--ergo1 matter must be that 
infinite4       99 ,lalande says that at
 the age of nineteen1 he thought the    
heavens proved a personified ,god 7the  
anthropomorphism of      the ,jews74 but
 now1 says he1 ,i see in them nothing   
but      matter and motion4 ,he said    
also that ,materialism was beyond       
the vulgar1 to whom it would be neither 
agreeable nor      useful4       9999   
,begging my ,lord of ,cloyne's pardon4  
,in their secret doctrines1 the         
philosophers and priests of antiquity   
admitted no miraculous powers2 and when 
they said that a certain thing was done 
by a god1 or the gods1 they were merely 
using words suited to the capacity of   
the multitude1 while the mystic or      
esoteric meaning was1 that the thing    
arose from the concatenation of natural 
causes and effects1 or the eternal order
 of necessity2 and not1 as the ignorant 

imagine1 that the laws of nature were   
suspended by the interference of some   
personified god4 ,with the above two    
classes of the initiated1 all their     
mysteries were rooted in1 and had       
constant allusion to zodiacal objects1  
and the physical powers of ,nature2     
which objects and powers were1 by the   
prosopopoeia1 converted into abstract   
existences1 called gods and goddesses4  
,this was done by all the priests of    
antiquity1 as their varied schemes of   
superstition gained footing so as to    
foster ignorance and mental blindness   
amongst their dupes2 and herein they    
were imitated by their successors1 the  
,christians1 who likewise claimed a     
power in their gods1 to suspend or make 
infractions in the unalterable course of
 ,nature4 ,judaism was a barbarous      
version of some of the beautiful and    
lively fables of the ,pagans2 and the   
present superstition of ,europe is a    
rude polytheistical caricature of the   
whole4  ,the miracle-working ,deity of  

the ,jews appears to have been of       
,egyptian extraction2 and had his       
prototype in the god ,jahouh1 who held a
 high rank in the polytheism of the     
,thebans4 ,this ,jahouh was a           
personification of that power which     
giveth forms to matter 7viz41 motion71  
and organises animal and vegetable life1
 alias soul of the world4 ,moses1 who is
 said to have been a priest of ,isis1 or
 ,nature1 the secret of whose mysteries 
was the unity of the supreme ,power199  
seems to have been wishful of preserving
 that unity in the ,deity he had        
borrowed of the ,thebans1 as is stated  
by ,strabo1 in his ,geography19999 who  
informs us that ,moses taught his       
followers to worship the god ,jahouh    
without representing it by emblem4      
99 ,moses borrowed this of the          
,egyptians4 ,cudworth1 in his           
,intellectual ,system1 and ,hyde1 in his
 treatise on the      religion of the   
,persians1 acknowledge that the unity of
 ,god      was the foundation of the    

religion of the ,egyptians1             
,chaldeans1 and ,persians4       9999   
,strabo's account is corroborated by his
 contemporary1      ,diodorus ,siculus1 
and also by ,plutarch4 ,diodorus's      
account      of ,moses not              
being-agreeable to the ,church1 has been
      suppressed4--,see ,translation of 
the ,abbe ,terrasson4  ,there can be no 
doubt as to the identity of this name   
and that of ,jehovah4 ,that ,moses      
adopted this deity1 and that the name   
when first introduced1 was new to the   
,jews1 appears from ,exod4 vi41 #c4     
,neither ,philo nor ,josephus deny that 
the ,jews borrowed circumcision from the
 ,egyptians2 why1 then1 might they not  
borrow a god also899  ,as every nation  
had its cosmogony to account for the    
origin of things1 the ,jews must have   
theirs likewise2 so the scribes1 who    
compiled their legends1 imitated very   
closely the ,zoroastrian fable1         
according to which the gods made the    
world in six gahanbars1 or periods2 of  

which the story in ,genesis1 even to the
 detail of work done in each day1 is a  
mere copy2 but the ,jewish compiler     
mistook the matter so far as to put days
 in place of periods1 or gahanbars2     
which word was significant of the six   
summer months1 when the sun1 by his     
genial and all-powerful impulse1 makes a
 fresh creation every year4 ,the learned
 have farther declared that1 in the     
,talmuds1 the expression in the first   
verse of ,genesis is in the plural1 viz4
 the ,elohim 7the gods7 placed in order 
the heavens and the earth that in the   
same verse1 the word barah1 which       
signifies to arrange1 to place in order1
 has been mistranslated created ,in like
 manner the words ruh elohim1 in the    
second verse1 have been falsely rendered
 spirit of ,god1 though their true      
meaning is1 the wind of the gods4999999 
99 ,dr4 ,geddes1 however1 is of opinion 
that ,moses learnt the      name of     
,jehovah in ,midian1 while he resided   
with his father-      in-law4       9999

 ,the ,indians had their ,vedas and     
,pouranas2 the ,egyptians1      the five
 books of ,hermes2 the ,persians1 the   
cosmogony of      ,zoroaster2 the       
,greeks1 that of ,hesiod2 the           
,phoenicians1 that      of              
,sanchoniatho4 ,the ,phoenician1 though 
written in the style      of history1 is
 made up of personifications of time1   
the sun1      the stars1 earth1 seasons1
 etc4       999999 ,in ,st4 ,john's     
,gospel iii1 #e and #f1 the ,greek word 
pneuma      7air or wind71 is translated
 spirit2 and in the #hth verse it       
is translated1 wind and spirit both4 ,in
 ,luke i1 #he1 is      not this word    
pneuma translated ,ghost8  ,thus1 in the
 very first two verses of this pretended
 word of ,god1 we have no less than     
three instances of false translation4   
,the learned ,dr4 ,parkhurst has        
translated and shown that this word     
elohim or gods means the seven planetary
 bodies1 as known to the ancients4 ,he  
calls them the disposers of the affairs 

of men2 an influence still attributed to
 them by the astronomical quacks called 
astrologers4 ,these seven planets were  
the cabiri of the ,egyptians and        
,phoenicians2 of which ,baal1 the ,lord1
 was the chief1 being added as the      
eighth4 ,baal 7the ,sun7 was also one of
 the names of the ,jewish god1 ,jehovah4
 ,see ,hosea ii41 #af4 ,that the        
astro-theology of the eastern nations   
had exclusive allusion to physical      
objects--the elements1 seasons1 etc41   
was well known to all the learned ,jews4
 ,maimonides says3 ,we must not1 like   
the vulgar1 understand literally what is
 written in the book of the creation    
7,genesis72 otherwise our men of old    
would not have so earnestly recommended 
to conceal its meaning1 and refrain from
 raising the allegorical veil which     
covereth the truth under it4 ,understood
 literally1 this work presenteth us with
 ideas of the deity which are most      
ridiculously absurd4 ,the true meaning  
of the six days' work ought never to be 

divulged ,the treatises of ,philo       
,judaeus have hardly any other object   
than the allegorical explanation of the 
,jewish scripture4 ,the great ,origen   
himself treated all these stories as    
astronomical emblems4 ,what man of      
sense1 says he1 can persuade himself    
that there was a first1 a second1 and a 
third day1 and that each of those days  
had a night1 when there was yet neither 
sun199 moon1 nor stars666       99 ,of  
all the glaring blunders committed by   
the compiler of      ,genesis1 the most 
unfortunate was the miraculous          
production      of three whole days     
before he thought of making the sun4    
,dupuis says1 speaking of the           
astronomical origin of all religions3   
,the first six signs of the zodiac may  
be considered as forming the empire of  
,god or ,oromazdes2 the remaining signs 
as that of the ,devil or ,ahrimanes     
7cold and darkness74 ,after the evil    
principle has reigned during the six    
winter months1 from the autumnal to the 

vernal equinox1 the sun resumes his     
empire1 bringing with him warmth and    
animation for a fresh creation2 and     
causing the day to triumph over the     
night4 ,the vernal equinox was therefore
 universally considered to be the time3 
of creation4 ,it is then that the       
,persians1 who call ,april the month of 
,paradise1 celebrate their ,neurouz or  
the new revolution4 ,the ,jesuit        
,petavius has remarked that the ,rabbis1
 when speaking of the creation1 use the 
word ,bara1 which signifies to arrange1 
or rather to renew4  ,syncellus1        
,cedremus1 ,st4 ,cyril1 and others1     
agree that the word creation alludes to 
the vernal equinox2 at which time they  
expect the coming of their god1 who1 as 
,cedrenus tells us1 will arrive at the  
,lord's ,passover2 or the passage of the
 sun as he crosses the line of the      
equator at the vernal equinox point4    
,formerly1 when the sun was in ,taurus  
or the ,bull1 that sign presided over   
the vernal equinox1 and it was to the   

,bull that the ,persians attributed     
those ideas of regeneration1 which a    
more recent superstition 7the           
,christian7 has naturally transferred to
 ,aries1 a sign called by the ,persians 
'the ,lamb4'  ,but if the vernal equinox
 point be now in ,pisces or the fishes1 
,christians have nothing more to do with
 the ,ram1 as he is the ,lamb of ,god no
 longer2 and therefore they should      
adopt1 as of old1 when the sun was in   
,pisces1 the famous savior fish ,oannes1
 which used to preach so prettily upon  
the banks of the ,nile and the          
,euphrates4 ,at that exceedingly remote 
period1 say nearly #bf1jjj years ago1   
this fish must have been a principal god
 amongst the ,egyptians and ,chaldeans2 
and certainly1 while the sun occupied   
the fishy sign in the zodiac at the     
vernal equinox1 nothing could be more   
appropriate than that the emblem god    
should appear in the shape of a fish1 to
 preach the annual salvation499 ,each   
sign in succession has1 by the slow     

precession of equinoxes1 enjoyed a      
similar honor4       99 ,the first of   
the nine incarnations of the ,indian    
,redeemer1      ,vishnu1 was in the form
 of a fish4  ,that the ,jewish priests1 
from not having science within          
themselves1 were apt to be too late in  
borrowing their emblem gods from the    
more learned hierophants of ,egypt1     
,chaldea1 and ,persia1 appears in that  
unhandy mistake committed by ,jeroboam  
7#a ,kings xiii41 #d71 in sacrificing to
 the golden calf1 the old representative
 of the sign ,taurus1 which was then out
 of date1 when he ought to have been    
paying his respects to the ,lamb of     
,god1 the accredited envoy of the sign  
of the ,ram1 which had come into play by
 the ,sun's having entered it some time 
previously4 ,by the mouth of his        
messenger1 the ,lord 7the ,sun7 seems to
 reproach ,jeroboam in terms something  
like the following3 ,what ignorant      
ninnies you and your priests are1 not to
 know that1 having left my bull-house in

 the zodiacal town199 and taken a two   
thousand one hundred and fifty years'   
lease at the sign of the ,ram1 ,i have  
now nothing to do with calves3 go1 ye   
shallow novices1 and learn better of    
your masters1 my older and more         
scientific priests1 the ,magi and       
,chaldees1 that the appropriate symbol  
of my worship1 is now a ,lamb1 called   
the ,lamb of ,god49999       99,the ,new
 ,jerusalem4       9999,april-fools are 
no doubt of vast antiquity2 but         
,jeroboam      is perhaps the first we  
met with in the ,bible4 ,this reproach  
was incurred by those who1 like him1    
persisted in calf      adoration1 after 
its archetype the ,bull1 or sign        
,taurus1 had      ceased to be the      
,house of the ,sun1 at the-vernal       
equinox2      that is1 after the ,bull  
of ,april had given place to the ,ram1  
or ,lamb of ,march2 and1 according to   
the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,maurice1      that point
 could not have coincided with the first
 degree of      ,aries1 later than #ahjj

 years before our era4  ,wherever such  
digressions as the above are made in the
 course of these ,lectures1 they are    
intended to show that1 although we treat
 the ,bible according to its literal    
meaning1 the respect we have for it1 so 
far as it is a book of hidden science1  
induces us to give such explanations1 as
 they alone do it justice according to  
knowledge4 ,but since its priests and   
their ignorant dupes insist on adopting 
the outward1 or sense nonsensical1 the  
best way to expose their folly is to    
take them at their word44  ,the legend  
about the first man may have been taken 
from ,apollodorus' fable of ,prometheus1
 who made the first man and woman with  
clay1 and afterwards animated them with 
fire which he had stolen from the       
chariot of the sun2 or was the first    
creation in ,genesis imitated from      
,plato's story of the androgynae1 or    
double homo1 possessing both sexes8     
,such was the hermaphrodite1 or first   
creation in ,genesis2 the second was    

purely masculine1 and only one of his   
ribs turned into the feminine4 ,in the  
ancient ,persian traditions1 there were 
two distinct fables about the creation  
of man1 from which those in ,genesis    
appear to have been taken3 but the      
compiler of that book1 knowing both of  
the stories1 and being at a loss which  
to prefer1 has foolishly mingled them   
together1 yet still preserving the two  
creations4 ,thus it seems pretty certain
 that the ,jewish fable about the first 
man and woman is of ,persian origin4    
,henry ,lord1 in a book written at      
,surat1 on the cosmogonies of ,india and
 ,persia1 and dedicated to the          
,archbishop of ,canterbury1 says3 ,in   
the ,persian cosmogony1 the name of the 
first man was ,adamoh and of the woman  
,hevah4 ,from hence come the ,adam and  
,eve of the book of ,genesis4 ,hevah is 
the name given to the woman1 in an      
,english edition of the ,bible1 printed 
in #aehc4  ,in the ,zoroastrian and     
,chaldean mysteries1 the above supposed 

originals of the human race were        
personifications of the zodiacal signs1 
,bootes and ,virgo2 and their fall1 or  
expulsion from the summer garden of     
fruits and flowers1 was emblematical of 
the solar year1 after the autumnal      
equinox4 ,anciently1 in ,india and      
,chaldea1 the phaenomenon of the starry 
heavens was called ,aden1 or the        
,celestial ,garden4 ,in all probability 
the ,jews picked up these shreds of     
figurative astronomy when they were     
slaves to the ,babylonians1 and1        
ignorantly taking them in the literal   
sense1 foisted them into their          
heterogeneous miscellany4 ,supported by 
the sound knowledge of ,philo1 and all  
the learned ,jews1 ,origen again shows  
his contempt for those who understood   
,genesis literally1 and cries out3 ,what
 man can be stupid enough to believe    
that ,god1 acting the part of a         
gardener1 had planted a garden in the   
east2 that the tree of life was a real  
tree1 and that the fruit of it had the  

virtue of making those who eat of it    
live for ever899 ,the first four        
chapters of that book contain parts of  
three1 if not four distinct fables1 all 
evidently derived from different        
sources4 ,the rest of this extraordinary
 medley1 called the ,old ,testament1 is 
made up of some dramatic fragments of   
the ,egyptians and ,persians 7as the    
plague1 miracles1 and the book of ,job71
 fabulous legends plagiarized by the    
,jews1 barbarous narrative1 and the     
rhapsodies of vagrant minstrels1 who    
sung of past events1 seemingly in the   
future tense4       99 ,st4 ,augustine1 
in his ,city of ,god1 allows that in his
      time1 the whole story about ,adam1
 ,eve1 the serpent1 and the      garden 
of ,eden1 with its forbidden fruit1 was 
considered as      allegorical4 ,there  
was not one1 but there were two         
prohibited trees6       ,the ,emperor   
,julian1 with that wisdom which         
characterised      him1 observed that1  
,if there ever had been1 or could be a  

tree of knowledge1 instead of ,god      
forbidding man to eat      thereof1 it  
would be that of which he would order   
him to eat      the most4 ,reason is the
 real forbidden tree of priestcraft4    
,from a mass of ill-strung fables1      
derived from such a variety of          
sources--a chaos of revolting prodigies1
 mixed up with a few probable facts1    
such as the expulsion or flight from    
,egyptian slavery1 the murders and      
devastations in ,southern ,syria1 etc41 
we cannot1 in the bounds of a lecture1  
notice more than a few of the most      
prominent miracles1 all of which had    
,pagan prototypes4  ,as every oriental  
country had its cosmogony1 accounting   
very clearly1 though contrarily to each 
other1 for the origin of things1 so all 
had traditionary floods1 which each     
nation quoted as proof of its           
antiquity499 ,why should not the ,jews  
have one also8 ,the ,chaldeans said that
 theirs happened #be1jjj years before   
the war of ,troy1 when the immense      

surface now occupied by the             
,mediterranean ,sea was inundated44 ,the
 ,egyptians had their inundations2 and  
hence their ark of ,osiris 7the         
archetype of the ,noah's ark7 the same  
as the constellation ,argo4 ,the ,greeks
 had their floods of ,ogyges and        
,deucalion2 the latter of which1 was    
fully treated of by ,berosus1 and after 
him by ,lucian1 in his ,syrian goddess2 
but the ,jews1 who took everything from 
their masters1 borrowed the ,chaldean   
pilot ,noe1 made him skipper of their   
ark1 slightly changing his name to      
,noah1 and appropriated to themselves   
the flood of ,deucalion19999 with all   
its details1 almost word for word as    
fabled by ,berosus and ,lucian44 ,that  
this tradition was not adopted by the   
,jews until long after the alleged time 
of ,jehovah's flood1 is proved by the   
orders which he gave ,noah respecting   
clean and unclean beasts1 the           
distinction whereof not being made until
 several hundred years after the assumed

 time of ,noah4 ,nothing can be more    
probable than that1 amongst the         
initiated few1 all these floods had     
secret reference to the supposed        
influence of the winter or watery       
constellations4       99 ,even the long 
lives of the antediluvians1 according to
 the      ,jews1 are the exact copy of  
the ,iogues of the ,hindu      ,indians4
       9999 ,the flood of ,xisuthrus was
 almost the same as that of             
,deucalion4  ,the ,pentateuch1 or first 
five books of the old ,jewish will of   
,god have been attributed to ,moses2    
though1 from their internal evidence1 it
 is altogether impossible that he could 
be the author1 even if we allow him to  
have been a real personage4 ,these books
 were most likely compiled and got up in
 imitation of the five books of the     
,egyptian ,hermes1 who was at one time  
the personified genius of the           
constellation ,sirius2 at another1 of   
the planet ,mercury4 ,that the god      
,bacchus was the archetype of ,moses1   

seems to have been the opinion of many  
learned men1 particularly the celebrated
 ,bishop ,huet1 and ,i4 ,vossius1 who   
agree that the ,arabian name of ,bacchus
 is ,meses2 and the identity is further 
proved1 inasmuch as the etymon of the   
two words is the same1 signifying saved 
from the waters4 ,justin1 in his        
,historium ,judaerum1 seems also to     
favor the fact that ,moses was a        
fabulous person1 where he says that it  
was not he1 but ,abraham1 who led the   
,jews out of ,egypt2 that their number  
was #f1jjj1 not #fjj1jjj299 and that    
they were turned out of the land for    
uncleanness1 being all lepers4       99 
,on almost all occasions1 the ,jewish   
tales1 in relation to      numbers1     
whether of men or other animals1 are so 
ridiculously exaggerated1 that if we    
adopt the scale of      allowing them   
one for every hundred enumerated in     
their      books1 we shall do them ample
 justice4 ,this gives ,solomon      ten 
in place of his thousand ladies3 a harem

 still      abundantly numerous to      
produce vexation of spirit4  ,a vast and
 sublime idea was attached to the       
attributes of ,jahouh1 whilst he was at 
home in ,egyptian ,thebes2 but1 in      
accompanying ,moses and his barbarians  
into the ,arabian desert1 we find him   
completely shorn of all grandeur and    
dignity of character4 ,he was there     
drilled and moulded into a god1 whose   
will and commands were precisely those  
of the robber-in-chief and his priests1 
jointly and severally2 by whom he was   
converted into the ,jewish ,juggernaut1 
delighting in blood2 and on all         
occasions standing forward to prompt and
 justify their villainous schemes of    
devastation and murder499 ,at a very    
early stage of his connexion with       
,moses1 he is degraded by being brought 
into contact with the dramatic jugglers 
of lower ,egypt2 of whose legerdemain   
tricks we have a sample in the stage    
representation of what are called the   
plague miracles4 ,as a priest1 ,moses   

was no doubt initiated into all the arts
 of these sleight-of-hand impostors4 ,in
 the trial of skill exhibited by the    
contending operators in these           
conjurations1 we have a tissue of the   
most absurd and ridiculous fooleries    
imaginable1--the writer having taken    
leave of his senses1 we have the        
hyperbole run mad4 ,much of this        
jugglery was done by means of real or   
counterfeit serpents6 ,after all the    
water in ,egypt1 even the great river   
,nile itself1 had been turned into      
blood1 the magicians do the same        
miracle1 though ,aaron had not left them
 a drop of water in all ,egypt6 ,then   
follow other romances1 wherein the ,god 
appears far more blameable than         
,pharaoh1 whose sin of obstinacy is     
visited upon the innocent cattle2 and in
 succeeding plagues1 all the horses1    
asses1 camels1 oxen and sheep1 having   
many lives1 are killed over and over    
again4 ,the story of the locusts is not 
miraculous2 but we have an outrageous   

prodigy in a darkness for three days2 to
 say nothing of its substantial property
 of being felt or handled4 ,why did not 
the ,goshenites 7who had their usual    
light7 avail themselves of so good an   
opportunity to run away8 ,they were     
waiting until the ,lord should issue his
 general order to commit the robbery on 
the ,egyptians4 ,though all ,pharaoh's  
horses had been twice or thrice killed  
during these plagues1 he finds no       
difficulty in mustering a numerous      
cavalry to pursue the fugitives4 ,moses 
being a mere copy of ,bacchus1 all the  
above stage trickery--the dividing of   
the ,red ,sea and the ,jordan1 are rude 
imitations of the exploits of the       
latter1 who performed marvellous feats  
and gambols1 turning water into blood1  
drying up rivers1 converting water into 
wine1 etc41 etc4       99 ,oh6 what a   
mountain of faith and prejudice is      
required to      hide this glaring1 this
 palpable truth6       9999 ,see        
,lucian's ,alexander4  ,it appears an   

awkward business that the omniscient    
,jehovah could not safely undertake the 
midnight massacre of ,egypt's firstborn1
 without some sign to prevent the       
possibility of his committing a blunder1
 by falling foul of his chosen          
,goshenites2 and1 therefore1 another    
general order is issued1 to smear their 
doorposts with blood as a mark of       
security1 while the butchery was going  
on4 ,this shocking tale might have      
arisen out of the historical fact1 that 
the seventh ,ptolemy caused all the     
young men of ,alexandria to be murdered4
 ,this inference may be objected to on  
account of the supposed anachronism1    
respecting which we shall make a short  
digression4 ,precise historical dates   
have been carefully avoided or obscured 
by the ,bible-makers2 and there is      
scarcely any allusion to time1 that is  
supported by concurrent testimony2 and1 
therefore1 it is only by a              
cross-examination of its internal       
evidence1 that we can judge of the      

various periods when the ,old ,testament
 was compiled499       99 ,all the      
narrative writings of the ,jews1 which  
betrayed too      openly a recent       
composition1 such as the ,maccabees     
7which in      a historical point of    
view1 are the most valuable parts of    
the ,bible71 and many others were       
excluded1 and declared      apocryphal  
by the ,old ,testament composers2 yet   
numerous      tell-tale proofs escaped  
them2 for instance1 ,nehemiah speaks    
of ,darius the ,persian4 ,now1 between  
,cyrus and that prince1      there      
reigned fourteen kings of ,persia1      
during a period of      #bhj years4     
,therefore1 not only were the ,jew books
 written      after their ,babylonian   
slavery1 but many centuries             
afterwards4  ,the ,decalogue1           
,chronicles1 and other narrative parts1 
may have been written under the order of
 ,hilkiah and ,ezra1 shortly after the  
,babylonian slavery2 yet there is great 
reason to believe that many poetical    

rants called prophecies1 and even some  
parts of the ,pentateuch1 were written  
after the ,jews began to congregate at  
,alexandria1 when the events which the  
itinerant ,jewish bards pretended to    
foretel1 had already taken place3 for   
instance1 ,ezekiel makes the ,lord say1 
,and ,i will make ,pathros desolate4    
,can the cunning alteration made in the 
first syllable of this word conceal the 
evident allusion to that wonder of the  
world1 the famous light tower of        
,pharos1 which was built by two of the  
,ptolemies6 ,daniel could not speak of  
the third being like unto the ,son of   
,god1 before the dogma was invented that
 god had a son499 ,moreover1 if it can  
be shown 7as hath been affirmed7 that   
the prophecies were partly translated   
and modelled from ,greek originals1 at a
 period subsequent to the time of       
,ptolemy ,philadelphus1 what becomes of 
their antiquity8 ,we repeat that most of
 the books of this collection contain   
abundant proofs of their having been    

fabricated from materials as aforesaid1 
at various periods between the          
,babylonian captivity and the           
destruction of ,jerusalem by the        
,romans1 in the time of ,vespasian4  ,we
 have seen that the passage of the ,red 
,sea is drawn from the fable of the     
triumphal march of ,bacchus1 when from  
,egypt he went to conquer ,india4       
,josephus1 though he often renders the  
romances of his countrymen still more   
monstrous1 was ashamed to make a miracle
 of this story1 and compares it to the  
passage of the ,pamphylian ,sea1 by     
,alexander4 ,in a jovial mood ,bacchus  
drew wine from a rock by a stroke of his
 rod2 but herein the imitator deviates  
from the original1 wisely preferring    
water to wine in an arid wilderness4    
,the manna miracle has long been        
detected and exposed4 ,josephus tells us
 that1 in his time1 it was found in     
great quantities in ,arabia2 and the    
plant that produces it is now cultivated
 in ,sicily and ,southern ,italy4       

,bishop ,talleyrand1 in a letter which  
he is said to have written to the ,pope1
 after their quarrel1 told his holiness 
that the real manna of ,moses was the   
plunder he got in the desert by his     
robberies and murders2 these were       
counted so many godsends4       99 ,the 
,talmud acknowledges that the forgeries 
of ,daniel1      ,esdras1 and others1   
were prodigious4       9999 ,talleyrand 
tells the ,pope also1 that1 of the      
numerous      blunders committed by     
,moses1 not the least was his fixing    
the time of the ,creation at an epoch   
when the earth did not      only exist1 
but had an immense population1 and      
actually      reckoned #ej1jjj years of 
civilisation3 besides his               
pretending to look upon the ,hebrews as 
the most ancient      people on earth1  
forgetting or feigning to forget1 that  
they      were a mere gang of slaves who
 had originally escaped from            
,idumea1 during the intestine wars which
 desolated that      country4 ,after    

having passed into ,egypt1 where they   
were      again made slaves1 it was     
after the lapse of many years1 and      
after having robbed their masters 7as   
their forefathers had      robbed the   
,idumeans71 that1 induced by ,moses1    
they crossed      the ,red ,sea in      
,ethiopian vessels2 and having gained   
the wood      of ,henon1 in ,arabia     
,deserta1 they maintained themselves    
there during forty years1 living by the 
robberies they      committed on        
travellers and the people in the        
neighborhood4  ,as it is not necessary  
to notice these miracles in ,bible      
order1 it may here be observed1 that the
 fable about ,lot's wife might have been
 taken from that of ,euodia2 but1 more  
probably1 from the ancient fiction of   
,baucis and ,philemon1 as the first and 
this are essentially the same4 ,irenaeus
 and ,tertullian affirm that1 in their  
times1 the statue of ,lots wife         
regularly menstruated at the usual      
period of women6 ,reader1 these men were

 no unfair sample of the ,christian     
fathers4  ,it was a part of military    
discipline amongst the ,persians1 and   
other nations of the ,east1 when        
marching large armies through the       
deserts1 to carry in the van1 during the
 night1 fires1 made with such           
combustible matter as would make a great
 flame of fire1 which was elevated so   
high as to be distinctly seen by all in 
the rear1 appearing1 in the distance1 as
 a pillar of fire1 and serving to point 
out the line of march4 ,to direct this  
line during the day1 such combustibles  
were burnt as would produce the greatest
 cloud or pillar of smoke4 ,this        
military usage is mentioned both by     
,herodotus and ,quintus ,curtius2 and   
,alexander himself adopted it of the    
,persians4 ,if ,moses was so well       
provided in a supernatural              
fire-and-smoke conductor1 why was he so 
anxious and pressing to get his         
brother-in-law ,hobab 7against his will7
 to guide the march1 and to be to them  

instead of eyes in leading them to      
proper places for encampment899 ,here we
 have a striking instance of the        
matchless effrontery of the ,jewish     
fabricators1 in thus turning a common   
usage into a miracle4       99 ,numbers 
x41 #bi to #cb4  ,it was wise in ,moses 
to retire to the top of a hill1 when he 
played off his fire and smoke           
thunder-cloud to the astonishment of the
 dupes below4 ,his ,deity wrought a     
clever miracle in creating the universe 
in six days2 but what a falling off was 
there1 when he required nearly seven    
times as long to engrave two tables of  
stone1 which a man might take in his    
hand4 ,as a proof that this job could   
not be done in less than forty days1 the
 same time precisely was taken to cut   
the second tables1 after ,moses had     
7forgetting his meekness7 smashed the   
first4 ,his well-dissembled rage about  
the affair of the golden calf99 was1 no 
doubt1 the result of a cunning scheme1  
concerted between him and brother       

,aaron1 in order to possess themselves  
of the gold that had been swindled from 
the ,egyptians4 ,to gull the fools1 and 
save this gold for themselves1 the      
priest had only to paint a wooden calf  
yellow1 which was easily reduced to     
powder--gold could not1 by burning3 a   
little powdered charcoal would do the   
people no harm4 ,when the sun was in    
,taurus 7the ,bull71 at the vernal      
equinox1 the astronomising priests of   
,egypt turned bulls and calves into     
gods1 that were quite good enough for   
the vulgar2 and when the sun entered the
 sign of the ram1 a lamb answered       
equally well for a god1 and does so to  
the present day4       99 ,in the story 
about this calf1 our translation very   
modestly says1 the people rose up to    
play1 though it      acknowledges they  
were naked2 but ,dr4 ,clarke has had the
      singular honesty to tell us that1 
in the ,hebrew ,bible1 this      rising 
up to play was preparatory to pairing   
for open      sexual intercourse4 ,bruce

 tells us that this open                
intercourse was common1 and formed an   
essential part of      festive          
entertainments amongst the ,abyssinians4
 ,there is      reason to believe that  
it was usual ,in many countries1 both   
in ,africa and ,asia4  ,the deity of    
,moses was rather extravagant in fitting
 out his tabernacle and ark4 ,the latter
 was his travelling box1 to afford him  
ease and comfort when making long       
marches1 and was composed of very costly
 materials2 but1 in point of room and   
convenience1 we should think it must    
have been inferior to some of ,punch's  
portable palaces4 ,however1 the ,god    
grew so fond of1 and so jealous about1  
his box1 that1 on one occasion1 he      
perpetrated a tremendously bloody       
miracle1 in killing #ej1jgj of the      
glowrin' byke1 for peeping into it4     
,putting aside the monstrosity of this  
story1 in relation to number1 could this
 offence arise from looking into an     
empty box8 ,certainly not4 ,sir ,william

 ,drummond1 in his ,a,edipus ,judaicus1 
asserts that1 according to the ,hebrew1 
the ,jews carried about their idol in   
this box199 as was customary with the   
migrating hordes of the desert1 all of  
whom1 as well as the ,jews1 kept an ark 
for that purpose6 ,sir ,william's       
assertion is justified by the ,bible    
itself1 where it says that the          
,philistines were afraid1 because the   
,jews brought their god into the battle 
when the ark was taken1 a misfortune    
which their deity1 with all his         
omnipotence1 could not prevent2 but he  
took terrible revenge on the captors by 
smiting them with emerods3 hence the    
story in ,rabelais against a certain    
most unholy and unsanctified use of that
 book4       99 ,the ,christian         
translators of the ,bible1 no doubt1 did
 all      in their power to suppress the
 fact1 that a representation      of the
 ,jewish idol was kept in this box4 ,the
 ,levites being      the constituted    
priests of this idol1 ,micah1 when he   

had his      god made of the stolen     
silver1 did not consider it by any      
means sufficient to have one of his own 
sons as priest4 ,why8      ,because his 
new idol represented the ,jewish deity2 
and1      therefore1 a ,levite as his   
priest was indispensable2 for      then1
 says he1 ,i know the ,lord will do me  
good4 7,see      ,judges1 xvii47 ,that  
this god was afterwards located at      
,jerusalem1 as the other district gods  
of the country were      stationed in   
their respective towns1 we have many    
proofs in      the ,bible4 7,see #a     
,kings xii2 ,ezra i41 #c2 vii41 #ae1    
#ai47       9999 ,did not the priests of
 ,jupiter ,ammon carry the magnet       
with1 them1 in a compass-box1 as the ark
 of the covenant of      their god1     
which1 it was death for the unsanctifled
 to look      into4  ,the stupendous    
prodigy performed by that free-booter   
and murderer1 ,joshua1 in laying an     
embargo upon1 the sun and moon1 in order
 to get time to kill a few thousands    

more of the ,amorites1 showed a         
ferocious thirst of blood1 and was      
wholly uncalled for1 victory being      
already secured through the powerful aid
 of ,jahouh1 who1 sitting astride on the
 corner of a dark cloud was pelting the 
,amorites with great stones4 ,let us    
suppose that both the sun and the moon  
were in view at the same time1 and that 
they stood still as commanded1 would    
that make the massacre of the ,amorites 
one iota less cruel and ferocious8 ,it  
would only prove that ,joshua's god was 
neither just nor merciful4 ,this tale   
is1 no doubt1 a varied version of the   
fable of ,jupiter's sending a shower of 
large hailstones upon the rebellious    
sons of ,neptune4 ,this may be coupled  
with another enormous fiction1 the dial 
of ,ahaz1 upon which1 by a bolder       
manoeuvre still1 the sun is commanded to
 go backwards4 ,moses and ,joshua appear
 to have had a sun and moon1 as well as 
a ,deity of their own4 ,from all this   
does it not appear that the compilers of

 these fables1 though under heavenly    
inspiration1 were so ignorant as to     
suppose that the sun's motion caused the
 day1 and that this globe stood still8  
,is it not evident also1 that they took 
the stars to be little bright spangles  
set in a solid firmament 7which had     
windows71 as jewellers set brilliants in
 metal8 ,the man who seriously believes 
in the literality of our version of     
these fables1 is so stupidly and        
piteously credulous1 as to be an object 
of compassion rather than of contempt4  
,the two last miracles had more than one
 archetype in ,pagan mythology3--the sun
 and moon were arrested by ,bacchus on  
his march to ,india4 ,in one of the love
 intrigues of ,jupiter1 he stayed the   
sun in order to get a double night in   
the arms of the fair ,alcmena1 when she 
conceived of the great ,hercules4 ,in   
later times the ,christian priests      
performed a similar miracle in favor of 
the ,emperor ,charles ,v4  ,if ,amphion1
 by the music of his lyre1 made the     

stones dance into building order1 so as 
to raise the walls of ,thebes1 why      
should not ,joshua reverse the miracle1 
by tumbling down the walls of ,jericho1 
to a tune played upon rams' horns by    
priests8  ,in the whole history of human
 cruelty and wickedness1 there is       
nothing to equal1 in cool and diabolical
 atrocity1 the plunder and massacre of  
the ,midianites4 ,the horrible narrative
 partakes but little of the miraculous2 
yet1 as ,jahouh was said to be without a
 material body1 and purely spiritual1 it
 has been matter of wonder what he was  
going to do with the thirty-two young   
virgins who had not known a man by lying
 with him1 and who were awarded as his  
share of the spoil4 ,this is a mystery  
which we must hold in silent reverence1 
as being altogether unaccountable1      
unless we surmise that his priests      
kindly intended to relieve him of so    
numerous a seraglio499       99 ,horror 
succeeds to wonder1 when it is known    
that by the      original meaning of the

 word1 everything devoted to the        
,lord1 was assuredly sacrificed1 unless 
redeemed4  ,the speech of ,balaam's ass1
 of edifying and sacred1 memory with our
 holy church1 had many precedents in    
antiquity4 ,the cows of ,mount ,olympus 
had been distinguished for              
supernaturally inspired orations2 the   
doves1 the fountains1 and even the oaks 
of ,dodona1 had delivered heavenly      
oracles2 ,xanthus1 one of the horses of 
,achilles1 predicted his master's death 
before the walls of ,troy4 ,livy and    
,suetonius 7we are sorry for them as    
they ought to have known better7 furnish
 other examples4  ,almost the same      
exploits have been attributed by the    
,jews to ,samson that were related by   
the ,phoenicians of their ,hercules     
7according to ,yarro1 there were        
forty-four ,herculeses71 and the        
imitation is palpably servile in the    
story of the gates of ,gaza1 and that of
 ,hercules with the pillars of ,gadez4  
,lion-killing was imitated also4        

,hercules was one of the numerous       
personifications or emblems of the power
 of the sun2 and the ,arabian name      
,shams-on1 or ,samson1 signifies the    
sun4 ,hercules is made prisoner by the  
,egyptians1 who want to sacrifice him2  
but while they are preparing to slay    
him1 he breaks loose and kills them all4
 ,samson1 when tied with new ropes1 is  
given up to the ,philistines1 who want  
to kill him2 he breaks the ropes1 and   
kills a thousand of them with the       
jaw-bone of an ass4 ,the fables are     
identical4 ,even the story of the       
fox-tails is rooted in astronomy499     
,about the time when the corn is cut    
down in ,palestine and ,lower ,egypt1   
and shortly after the setting of the    
rainy constellation ,hyades1 the sign of
 the fox arose1 in whose tail or train  
came the fires or torches of the        
dog-days4       99 ,see ,new            
,researches4  ,the fable of ,jephtha's  
sacrificing his daughter has some       
resemblance to the immolation of        

,iphigenia by her father1 ,agamemnon1 in
 the famous expedition against ,troy1   
which must have been taken by the       
,greeks many centuries before the ,jews 
were known to have writings1 or even a  
name4  ,the legend about the tower of   
,babel seems to have originated thus3   
,the wise men of ,egypt were jealous of 
the ,chaldean philosophers2 the former  
said that the latter were so proud of   
their knowledge in astronomy that they  
presumptuously endeavored to erect a    
column of science as high as the stars2 
but that their pride was humbled when   
all their efforts failed to complete the
 work4  ,the hideously unjust dogma of  
original sin might have grown out of the
 ,pagan fable of ,pandora's box1 the    
occult meaning of which most probably   
was the evils arising from theology and 
priestcraft4 ,however1 it is high time  
that our ,christian priesthoods should  
invent for it some less ridiculous      
origin than the apple story1 for that is
 too absurd to serve their ends any     

longer4  ,ludicrous as the whale fable  
of ,jonah is1 the copy is fairly        
outmatched by the original from which it
 is taken4 ,it is a ,jewish version of  
that of ,hercules1 who was enclosed for 
three days in the belly of a whale2 but1
 being more witty and adroit than       
,jonah1 he contrived to live sumptuously
 all the while1 by feasting on the liver
 of the monster1 which1 by some means or
 other1 he contrived to broil6 ,here1   
for once1 the ,jew is outdone at his own
 weapons--the romance run mad4 ,it must 
surely have been in ridicule of these   
and similar god-fables that ,lucian     
wrote his ,true ,history4  ,isaiah says 
7xxxvii41 #cf71 ,then the angel of the  
,lord went forth and smote1 in the camp 
of the ,assyrians1 #ahe1jjj2 and when   
they arose in the morning1 behold1 they 
were all 'dead corpses4' ,the ,jonah of 
the ,jew was completely thrown into the 
shade by ,hercules1 but here he is      
himself again4 ,this miracle of miracles
 is altogether unmatched in heathen     

mythology2 for we have #ahe1jjj men1 who
 were murdered in the night1 getting up 
in the morning merely to find themselves
 dead corpses4 ,a commentator of the    
true impudent breed will easily explain 
all this by affirming that the prodigy  
was typical of the resurrection4  ,the  
three hours of an eclipse1 which is said
 to have taken place on the death of one
 of our ,christian gods1 is a very      
modest imitation of the ,pagan original1
 from which it has every appearance of  
being taken4 ,we say modest1 because on 
the death of the godling ,phaeton1 his  
father ,phoebus withheld his light from 
the earth a whole day4  ,all the ,jewish
 and ,christian fictions about          
resurrections and ascensions into what  
is called heaven1 are also clumsily     
taken copies of originals in the ancient
 polytheism4 ,the ,egyptian ,osiris     
died1 returned again to life1 and       
afterwards obtained divine honors2 he   
was designated the holy word ,the god   
,atys was called the ,god our ,savior4  

,bacchus died1 was buried1 descended    
into1 and slept three nights in         
,tartarus99 7the only hell they had in  
those times71 from whence he brought up 
his mother1 with whom he ascended into  
heaven1 and made her a goddess4 ,his    
return to life was annually celebrated  
by the virgins and matrons of ,delphi4  
99 ,all the tales about ,tophet1        
,gehenna1 ,tartarus1 or ,hell1      had 
no foundation whatever but the practice 
of burning      mankind1 either on the  
funeral pile1 or as a sacrifice to      
the gods4 ,the ,greek word1 ,ades1 or   
,hades1 occurs eleven      times in the 
,new ,testament1 and is falsely         
translated      ,hell in all except one1
 where it is rightly translated         
'the grave1'  signifying the invisible  
state4       ,ouranos1 coelus1 or       
heaven1 merely signified the earth's    
atmosphere in the summer months4  ,thus 
the compilers of the ,jew books had     
exemplars in1 and drew their fables     
from1 ,paganism2 and were themselves    

imitated in turn by the fabricators of  
the new ,testament3 the stories of the  
manna1 and the twenty loaves of ,elisha1
 very naturally suggested the wonderful 
growth of ,jesus' loaves and fishes2 and
 the manner in which that prophet turned
 brackish into pure water1 would clearly
 point out how that element might be    
turned into wine1 at the feast of ,cana4
 ,the above are only a few of the       
numerous instances which might be       
quoted1 wherein the ignorance of the    
,jewish scribes1 disfigured the elegant 
and lively fables of ,paganism2 and it  
cannot escape observation that the rude 
recoinage in their barbarous mint has   
turned that which was pretty and amusing
 into the deformed and hideous1 in a    
manner quite characteristic of their own
 semi-savage condition4  ,having given a
 few specimens of the miracles          
attributed to the deity adopted by      
,moses1 and their ,pagan prototypes1 we 
will take a retrospective glance at his 
general conduct and character1 as       

depicted in his old ,jewish ,will4      
,never were higher qualities and powers 
ascribed to any god2 and never were they
 so badly sustained2 he is represented  
as omniscient1 yet always taken by      
surprise2 an omnipotent being1 whose    
designs are commonly frustrated2        
immutable1 yet ever changing2 sufficient
 to his own happiness1 yet always       
jealous2 perfection itself1 yet         
continually making imperfections1 and   
repenting of that which he had          
previously approved2 finally1 he makes  
an eternal ,being1 about as powerful as 
himself1 and for no other apparent      
purpose than to be crossed and          
circumvented in all his projects4       
,sometimes ,moses and he had sharp      
bickerings1 such as that tavern squabble
 in ,egypt 7,exodus iv41 #b--d71 when   
the god lurked about the inn199 seeking 
to kill his protege4       99 ,we do not
 mean to say that he frequented inns or 
taverns1      but it appears he was fond
 of a cheerful glass of wine4 ,see      

,judges ix4 #ac4 ,being composed of     
flesh and blood1 ,gen4 vi41      #h4    
,at other times they were good friends1 
merry1 and frolicksome1 playing at      
bo-peep among the rocks 7,exodus        
xxxiii41 #bb71 the god showing his back 
parts only1 for no man could see his    
face and live2 yet on other occasions he
 talked face to face with his intimate  
friends4 ,he forfeited all pretensions  
to the attributes of omniscience and    
omnipresence1 when he confessed that he 
must go down now and see what the men of
 ,sodom had been doing 7,gen4 xviii41   
#ba74 ,nor could he1 from his villa     
beyond the clouds1 discover the ,tower  
of ,babel1 but was under the necessity  
of coming down to see 7,gen4 xi474 ,that
 from his ,egyptian greatness he was    
reduced1 by ,moses and his priests1 to  
be merely a provincial deity1 appears in
 various texts1 as in ,deuteronomy iv41 
#g1 where it is said he was located near
 or living nigh to them 7the ,jews74 ,a 
district god of this kind was           

fashionable all over ,syria at that     
time1 each petty state or tribe having  
one of its own2 such as ,astarte1 with  
the cross1 of the ,phoenicians2 ,moloch1
 of the ,ammonites2 ,astoroth and       
,dagon1 of the ,philistines2 ,tammuz1 or
 ,adonis1 of the ,sidonians2 ,chemosh199
 of the ,moabites1 etc41 etc42 and why  
should not the ,jews be armed with a god
 as well as their neighbors8 ,well might
 ,jahouh exclaim1 save me from my       
friends2 for his historians have        
represented him as a passionate1        
blustering1 vengeful changeling1        
extremely jealous of all the other petty
 gods around him1 and exciting nothing  
but fear and dislike in his followers2  
hence the ,theocrat and his priesthood  
were continually struggling to keep the 
grist at their own mill1 by preventing  
the people from whoring after the more  
amiable rites of ,astarte and ,adonis4  
,in the seventeenth chapter of #a       
,chronicles this deity gives intimation 
that1 owing to a change of habits1 he   

was not particularly desirous of living 
in a house29999 that ever since he left 
,egypt1 he had accustomed himself to go 
about from tent to tent1 and from one   
tabernacle to another ,there is         
something exceedingly ludicrous in this2
 yet we trust that the long-ear'd rout1 
the true believers1 will have no        
difficulty in preserving their gravity4 
,in short1 of all the personified       
deities of antiquity1 ,moses has        
caricatured his the most egregiously4   
,all these local or provincial gods were
 immeasurably inferior to the ,jupiter  
of the ,greeks1 who1 although he liked  
the lasses1 always sustained an awful   
dignity of character4       99 ,see     
,judges xi41 #bd4       9999 ,the deity 
set up by priests stands in no want of a
 house      whilst among wandering      
tribes1 who build none for              
themselves2 but while he is amongst the 
stationary      cultivators of the soil 
he requires one1 in which his           
immaterial presence is requested on     

stated days to hear      his own praise 
sung3 men are fond of praise1 therefore 
it      undoubtedly follows that the    
deity must be fond of it      likewise4 
,in additional proof that the ,jew books
 have no just claim to antiquity1 there 
is not a vestige of authentic testimony 
to show that they were in existence     
before the ,king of ,babylon gave the   
,jews permission to settle in           
,palestine1 after their slavery4 ,the   
first thirteen of these appear to have  
been then fabricated from loose and     
unconnected traditions2 of which the    
,pentateuch was in all probability      
compiled the last1 as there is no       
mention of it either in ,joshua1        
,judges1 the two books of ,samuel1      
,psalms1 or in ,kings or ,chronicles1   
until the time of ,josiah1 that is1     
about #ijj years after the pretended    
time of ,moses499 ,if a man1 without    
slavish fear or prejudice1 will         
impartially examine the stories in #b   
,kings xxii41 and #b ,chron4 xxxiv41    

xxxv41 he will see palpably the         
collusion between the high priest       
,hilkiah and his pupil1 the young king  
,josiah1 aided by the prophet ,jeremiah1
 ,shaphan the scribe1 and the prophetess
 ,huldah4 ,these persons1 some of whom  
must have learnt to write while at      
,babylon1 acted in concert under the    
high priest1 in manufacturing the books 
of the law1 which they pretended to have
 found in an old chest1 where1 according
 to their story1 they must have         
mouldered for upwards of #ijj years2 yet
 ,shaphan could read them as fluently as
 if he had written them himself4 ,the   
object of this fraud being to wean the  
,jews from the gods of the ,chaldean    
priests1 it is probable that the books  
of the law only were forged on this     
occasion2 for we find that the          
compilation of a large portion of the   
,bible traditions fell to the share of  
,esdras 7who was identically ,ezra the  
scribe71 as he distinctly tells us in   
the fourteenth chapter of his second    

book1 viz41 that under the orders of the
 ,lord 7read1 the high priest71 he had a
 number of clerks engaged for forty     
days1 during which time they completed  
amongst them #bjd books or chapters49999
 ,as all these men had been captives in 
,babylon1 and could nowhere else be     
taught to write1 how could these books  
be composed in any other than the       
,chaldee character8 ,the third chapter  
of the book of ,chronicles gives a list 
of the ,jewish kings from ,david to     
,zedekiah1 and even to four generations 
after his time4 ,now1 as ,zedekiah was  
one of those who were carried to        
,babylon1 we have a strong1 an          
irrefragable proof that those books were
 written after that captivity4       99 
,the proof that ,moses could not        
possibly be the author of      the      
,pentateuch did not escape the luminous 
mind of ,mr4      ,paine4 ,in ,genesis  
xiv41 #ad1 it is said1 ,and ,abraham    
pursued      them to ,dan4 ,now1 there  
was no place called ,dan until the      

time of the ,judges4 ,see ,judges       
xviii41 #bh and #bi4       ,in ,genesis 
xxxvi41 #ca1 it is said1 ,and these are 
the kings      that reigned in the land 
of ,edom before the children of         
,israel had any king ,therefore several 
kings1 viz41 ,saul1      ,david1        
,solomon1 etc41 must have reigned before
 the first      book of the ,pentateuch 
was written4       ,in the forty-ninth  
chapter the writer gives an account of  
the ultimate fate of the tribes         
7forgetting the tribe of      ,manasseh 
altogether74 ,how could ,moses know     
anything of this8      ,how could he    
speak of the sceptre of ,judah8 ,if it  
is said      that this was prophetic of 
,jesus1 we reply that the sceptre       
was not in ,judah when he 7,jesus71 was 
bora4       ,st4 ,jerome1 said to be one
 of the most learned of the             
,fathers1 confesses he dare not affirm  
that ,moses was the      author of the  
,pentateuch4 ,he even adds that he has  
no      objection to allow that it was  

written by ,esdras4 ,his words      are3
 ,sive ,mosem dicere volueris auctorem  
,pentateuchi sive      ,esdram ejusdem  
instauratorem operis1 non recuso4       
9999 ,that ,esdras composed these books 
is further proved in his      first     
book1 chap4 #h1 where it is said that he
 had very      great skill1 and omitted 
nothing of the law of the ,lord1        
i4e41 the laws of the king1 and high    
priest4  ,moreover1 learned critics have
 shewn that the ,bible names of angels1 
such as ,gabriel1 ,uriel1 ,raphael1     
,michael1 ,satan1 etc41 are purely      
,chaldean or ,persian6 ,and this is     
confirmed by the ,talmud of ,jerusalem1 
which says expressly that the ,jews     
borrowed the names of the angels from   
the ,babylonians4 ,even the name ,israel
 is not a ,hebrew but a ,chaldee word1  
as was fully explained by ,philo        
,judaeus1 when on his embassy to the    
,emperor ,caligula4 ,this corroborates  
the opinion that1 in the portions of the
 ,pentateuch which existed only in      

tradition1 previous to the captivity at 
,babylon1 the angels had no names1 and  
that they were afterwards added when    
these traditions were written4 ,for     
instance1 when ,abraham entertained     
,jehovah and the two angels with roasted
 veal199 the party gave themselves no   
names2 and those heavenly messengers    
whose virginity was so much endangered  
by the men of ,sodom1 when they honored 
,lot with a visit1 were anonymous also2 
as was likewise the one that appeared to
 ,manoah4 ,the legend contained in the  
book said to be written by ,enoch1      
concerning the war in heaven1 fall of   
the angels1 etc41 must have travelled   
from ,india to ,chaldea1 where it was   
picked up by the ,jews4 ,it arose from  
one of the astro-fables in that most    
ancient of all books1 the ,shastras of  
the ,brahmins1 wherein it is recorded   
that heavenly beatitude was disturbed by
 the pride and ambition of ,mozazor and 
,raabon1 two princes of the angelic     
bands1 who stirred up sedition1 and drew

 after them myriads of angels in        
rebellion against the ,eternal1 who sent
 against them his vicegerent ,brahma1   
with his two lieutenants1 ,vishnu and   
,siva1 armed with almighty power1 who   
hurled the rebels from heaven down to a 
place of darkness1 called ,ondera4 ,this
 ancient fable of the ,brahmins was     
probably the groundwork also of the     
,grecian fable of the ,titan war4       
99 ,this story is taken from an old     
fable related in the ,fasti      of     
,ovid1 how ,jupiter1 ,neptune1 and      
,mercury1 having supped      with an old
 man named ,hyriens1 and finding that   
impotence      was the cause of his     
having no children1 each of the three   
urined upon the skin of the calf 'that  
had been killed for      supper1 and    
this celestial water impregnated the    
skin1      which1 after nine months'    
inhumation1 produced a beautiful        
child1 which became the constellation   
,orion4 ,the learned say      that the  
true translation of the words which the 

angels      addressed to ,abraham1 is   
thus3--,a child shall be born of        
your calf4  ,a word more respecting     
,abraham4 ,the planet ,saturn was the   
,israel of the ,chaldees2 and it was    
personified both by them and the        
,phoenicians under the name of ,abraham1
 which signifies the ,father of a people
 figuratively1 the stars of heaven1     
which are called his seed for ever4     
,saturn was the son of ,terra 7the      
earth72 ,abraham was the son of ,terah2 
,saturn married his own sister ,rhea1 a 
star2 ,abraham married his own sister   
,sarai or ,sarah1 which signifies a star
 7,sirius1 the ever beautiful and       
young72 ,saturn had many sons1 but only 
one whom he loved and protected as an   
only son2 ,abraham had many sons1 though
 he is said to have had an only son     
named ,isaac1 whom he loved4 ,according 
to the famous ,sanchoniatho1 ,saturn    
offered up his beloved son ,jeoud1 as a 
holocaust1 or burnt offering wholly     
consumed2 ,abraham was about to offer up

 his beloved son ,isaac199 but a ram    
7zodiacal7 was found as substitute4 ,the
 planet ,saturn was called ,israel by   
the ,phoenicians and ,chaldees2 the     
patriarch ,abraham is synonymous with   
the name ,israel throughout the ,bible4 
,saturn1 from his exceedingly remote    
situation in the solar system1 and the  
long period taken to circle his immense 
orbit1 was the emblem of time2 hence the
 many ,bible phrases about ,abraham1 as 
connected with time1 such as before     
,abraham was1--i4e41 before time was4   
,priests6 are these merely chance       
coincidences8       99 ,in this horrible
 story1 as understood literally1        
,abraham      receives quite coolly1 and
 without either surprise or             
remonstrance1 the order to sacrifice    
,isaac2 which shows1      even in       
allegory1 that among the ,jews the      
sacrifice of the      first-born son by 
the father was nothing uncommon4        
,stupidity itself1 if honest and free   
from prejudice1 would at once see and   

acknowledge the perfect sameness1 the   
absolute identity of these astro-fables2
 and that the personal existence of     
,abraham rests precisely on the same    
ground as that of any other mythological
 or metaphysical existence whatsoever4  
,but what will our gospel-grace baby of 
fifty say1 when he has the mortification
 to see the truth of the above          
interpretations antecedently confirmed  
and justified by the gospel itself8     
,paul1 in his epistle to the ,galatians 
says3 ,for it is written that ,abraham  
had two sons1 the one by a bond-maid1   
the other by a free woman1 which things 
are an allegory1 that is1 a fable4 ,this
 story1 then1 no more belongs to the    
,hebrews than it does to the            
,laplanders1 but is wholly ,chaldaic1   
and was plagiarised by the ,jews while  
slaves in ,babylon2 but the ,chaldee    
priests would take special care that    
they should see only the veil that      
covered the allegory4 ,thus it is clear 
that ,abraham's personal existence was  

as fictitious as that of ,saturn1       
,jupiter1 ,orion1 ,mercury1 ,apollo1    
etc4 ,he is also identified in the      
,hindu ,brahma1 with no other difference
 than a transposition of the letters of 
the name4 ,the god ,jehovah of the      
,bible announces himself to ,abraham and
 ,moses in almost the same terms as does
 the supreme god of ,india to ,brahma1  
as recorded in the ,bhagavat ,pourana1  
the ,holy ,bible of the ,hindus1        
translated from the ,sanscrit by ,sir   
,william ,jones1 who allows the vastly  
higher antiquity of the ,brahmin        
allegories4  ,we shall now touch        
slightly upon the curious question1     
whether the ,jews did ever in reality   
possess any territory not subject to a  
higher power4 ,the narrative of their   
colonisation by ,cyrus is liable to much
 doubt and objection4 ,no authentic     
historian of ancient times1 ,josephus   
excepted1 has ever in any way mentioned 
them as an independent nation or state1 
or as being in possession of ,palestine1

 or any part of ,great ,syria1 before or
 in the time of ,alexander4 ,as a nation
 they appear to have been entirely      
unknown to ,herodotus1 and all other    
,greek historians4 ,what had become of  
them when ,xenophon wrote of the eastern
 nations1 which was only #aej years     
after their alleged return from         
,babylon8 ,he mentions the ,syrians of  
,palestine as under the ,persian        
government1 but not a word about the    
,jews4 ,herodotus mentions two invasions
 of the ,scythians1 through ,syria1 even
 to the borders of ,egypt2 but          
acknowledges no ,jews or ,israelites4   
,in the fragments that remain of        
,sanchoniatho1 ,ctesias1 ,berosus1 and  
,manetho1 they are not noticed even as a
 petty or subject state1 so that we have
 the fullest negative evidence that in  
the times of these historians1 no part  
of ,syria was a ,jewish country4        
,diodorus1 in detailing the events in   
that country1 the siege of ,tyre1 etc41 
during ,alexander's conquests1 says not 

a word of the ,jews as forming a state  
or colony1 or of their boasted city of  
,jerusalem3 and he is equally silent as 
to their existence as a nation during   
the times of ,alexander's immediate     
successors2 nor have we any historical  
account of them deserving of credit     
until the time of ,antiochus the #dth   
7,epiphanes71 under whom they lived1 and
 he was subject to the ,romans4 ,if the 
territory of ,judea was given to them by
 the ,king of ,babylon1 only about #bjj 
years before the ,macedonian conqueror  
went to the east1 why did not he and his
 historians find them there8 ,the plain 
and simple truth is1 the ,jews ,,never  
formed an independent state2 and that   
part of ,syria called ,palestine1 was1  
in all known ages1 subject either to the
 ,egyptians1 ,assyrians1 ,babylonians1  
,persians1 ,greeks or ,romans 7according
 to the tide of conquest71 as it now is 
to the ,turks4 ,in ,bible times the     
,jews were much more ignorant than they 
now are1 and this is all the difference 

in their condition2 they were always the
 old-clothes'-men and gold clippers of  
the world4 ,they were permitted by the  
,king of ,babylon to build a temple to  
their idol in the rocky district of     
,judea1 which formed a nucleus--a       
,jewish ,mecca--to which they           
congregated from all parts for worship4 
,josephus1 while he speaks of his       
masters1 the ,romans1 is tolerably      
correct2 but when he treats of the      
antiquities of his countrymen he is not 
for a moment to be trusted1 because he  
was then merely copying their legendary 
tales1 and he frequently far exceeds the
 wild romance of the tales themselves4  
,the pretended interview between        
,alexander and the high priest ,jaddua1 
is evidently plagiarised from the       
well-authenticated scene that took place
 between that prince and the high priest
 of ,jupiter ,ammon4  ,from the times of
 ,porphyry1 ,celsus1 and ,hierocles1 to 
the present day1 it has been the wonder 
of the rational philosopher1 how a      

disjointed collection of writings1 made 
by an obscure and barbarous race of     
people1 came to have such mighty        
importance attached to them1 more       
especially as their tendency has ever   
been inimical to1 and subversive of1    
human happiness2 but this sad anomaly   
may be accounted for4 ,all such tyrants 
as ,constantine saw in these books      
examples of the most unqualified        
despotism2 and knew that1 through the   
medium of carefully fostered ignorance1 
man is an animal that can be made to    
believe and bear anything1 however      
absurd and tyrannical4 ,conquerors and  
devastators of countries found in them  
justifying precedents for all their     
enormities1 and the rivers of blood     
which ambition and ,christian fanaticism
 have shed in every part of the world4  
,the ,crusades1 where millions upon     
millions of fanatics perished1 are      
never-dying witnesses of this4 ,would   
any unshackled mind believe that the    
,spaniards could have been guilty of    

such inhuman and monstrous cruelties    
towards the simple and unoffending      
natives of ,america1 if such horrid     
butcheries had not been sanctioned1 nay1
 commanded1 and pompously set forth1 in 
the detailed massacres of the ,bible8   
,here we have the exploits of some      
generals of banditti--blood-thirsty     
robbers1 who blasphemously declare that 
their unequalled cruelties were         
committed by command of the ruling power
 of the universe6 ,that the ,spaniards  
thought themselves justified by the     
,bible1 appears by the book which       
,sepulvado wrote for the express purpose
 of vindicating them in the murder of   
twelve millions of ,indians1 by the     
example of the ,israelites towards the  
people of ,canaan4 ,las ,casas says3 ,i 
have seen in the ,islands of ,st4       
,domingo and ,jamaica1 gibbets erected  
all over the country to hang thirteen   
,indians at a time1 in honor of the     
thirteen apostles4--,i have seen1       
continues he1 young children thrown to  

dogs99 to be devoured alive4 ,in        
charging the shocking barbarities of the
 ,bible upon the ,jewish deity1 the     
fanatic devoutly accuses him of crimes  
and acts of wicked injustice that are   
hardly ever committed1 even by the worst
 of men1 such as visiting the offences  
of the fathers upon the children1 and   
requiring the sacrifice of the innocent 
to expiate the crimes of the guilty4 ,to
 what a state of mental degradation1 ,o 
man1 have thy priests and thy           
superstition reduced thee6  ,thus did   
kings1 conquerors1 and corrupt rulers of
 nations see the justifying precedents  
to be drawn from these books for all    
their enormities2 and as for the fathers
 or heads of the ,christian sect1 and   
other religious impostors1 they could be
 at no loss to find in them just        
whatever suited their respective schemes
 of deception4 ,the learned amongst the 
early fathers saw and acknowledged the  
astro-allegories about ,adam1 ,eve1 the 
serpent1 ,garden of ,eden1 and fall of  

man2 but their successors1 about the    
beginning of the #dth century1 when they
 decided upon getting up a new will and 
testament for ,jehovah1 in order to make
 their system hold together1 thought it 
necessary to cause his departure from   
the usual practice of testators--that he
 should not be allowed to revoke the old
 ,jewish will1 which for good reasons1  
was to be retained in full force4       
,without this document their most       
essential dogmas would have had no      
foundation2 and as it would have been   
too bare-faced a fable to make ,jesus   
die on account of an allegorical tree1  
the forbidden one of ,genesis must be   
converted into a real tree2 for then it 
would1 together with its accompaniments1
 furnish mystical pegs upon which to    
hang the indispensable dogmas of        
original sin and redemption4       99   
,in ,hosea xiii41 #af1 we have a        
declaration ,that their      infants    
shall be dashed in pieces1 and their    
women with      child shall be ripped   

up666 ,this and the ,midianitish        
slaughter and extermination1 together   
with that of the      ,amalekites1 will 
perhaps stand for ever unmatched in the 
history of human cruelties4  ,these     
appear to have been the ruling motives  
of those who gradually manufactured the 
,christian scheme 7for it was done by   
piecemeal1 by a number of hands1 and in 
different centuries7 and in adopting the
 ,old ,testament it was necessary1 by   
this affiliation1 to connect its list of
 fabulous prodigies with the new code199
 or fresh series of miracles which had  
been invented for1 and are recorded in1 
the new will of the ,jewish deity3--9999
       ,ay1 and sound ones too1         
,seen1 heard1 attested1 every thing--but
 true  ,in forcing this connexion still 
closer1 the fabricators had no          
difficulty in finding that1 in their    
series of wonders1 the principal        
violations of ,nature's laws had been   
foretold in the ,jewish prophets4999999 
,this was a clincher which served to    

confirm the supernatural texture of     
their religion1 quite as well as the    
cloud-conveyed ,shastras did that of    
,brahma1 the laws of ,moses from the    
cloud-capped ,sinai1 or any other of the
 numerous human laws which have         
originated beyond the clouds1 and been  
palmed upon ignorance by impostors4     
,clouds1 shadows1 phantoms1 ghosts1     
etc41 have ever been the favorite       
machinery of priests4 ,according to the 
notoriously false prediction of ,st4    
,paul1 ,jesus1 on his second coming1 was
 to be cloud-delivered2 and this advent1
 it was positively asserted1 would take 
place during his own 7,paul's7 lifetime4
       99 ,matthew pretends that        
,jeremiah foretold that ,christ should  
be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver4
 ,where is this to be      found in     
,jeremiah8       9999 ,when the latent  
astronomical sense of these two         
testaments is made manifest1 a necessary
 connexion between      them is         
perceived2 owing to their common        

foundation in ,solar      adoration1 and
 that of the other physical powers of   
,nature4       999999 ,these prophets   
were in reality nothing but strolling   
soothsayers1 fortune-tellers1 psalmists 
or palmists2 and      being mob orators 
by education and profession1 with a     
capability of reading and writing1 they 
were fitted to      deceive the ignorant
 in many ways4 ,dodwell1 ,de ,jure      
,laicorum1 asserts that they prepared   
themselves to prophecy      by drinking 
wine4 ,they were also jugglers1         
musicians1      etc41 etc4  ,but our    
church mystagogues will very easily     
reconcile this unfortunate failure with 
gospel truth4 ,as the ,old ,testament   
compilers had made up their collection  
chiefly of any traditionary or legendary
 shreds they could gather199 so did     
their successors1 the ,christians1 in   
their new miscellany4 ,the ,therapeutae1
 or ,egyptian monks1 had supplied a     
large portion1 as is confessed even by  
,eusebius himself 7see ,lecture         

,second71 but by a luckless anachronism1
 the spurious writings that were        
selected to form the new will of god1   
were not 7according to the best         
authorities7 finally voted to be such   
until the ,council of ,laodicea29999 so 
that the present document had no        
existence till three hundred and        
sixty-eight years after the death of the
 testator1 for it is quite orthodox to  
say that ,jesus was ,god the ,testator4 
99 ,the ,pharisees of the second temple 
chose the books they      liked best    
among a multitude of forgeries4 ,the    
,talmud      relates that this synagogue
 were about to reject by far the        
best books of the ,bible--viz41         
,proverbs1 ,job and      ,ecclesiastes2 
not owing to their not being ,jewish1   
but ,pagan      writings1 but because   
they were contradictory to the law of   
god4 ,it was not only the opinion of    
,ebenezra1 but even of      ,jerome     
himself1 that ,job is not a ,hebrew     
book4       9999 ,the deadly animosity  

and quarrelling for which the           
,council of ,nice was so famous1 would  
prevent anything like      decision2    
and1 therefore1 it is much more probable
 that the      finishing hand in voting 
what should form the ,new               
,testament1 was put at ,laodicea1 and   
not at ,nice1 especially      as we know
 that the book of ,revelation was       
rejected at      ,council of ,laodicea2 
but again admitted long afterwards4     
,from the discordant and immoral        
tendency of the greater portion of the  
old will of the ,jewish god1 there could
 arise but little hope that his new one 
would benefit the human race2 so        
according to the spirit of its own      
terrible denunciation 7,matt1 x41 #cd1  
#ce1 #cf71 we find that its votaries1   
the religious fanatics both of early and
 modern times1 have not yielded in the  
slightest degree but been fully equal in
 holy cruelty to the ,jews1 who were    
utterly inaccessible to every feeling of
 pity or humanity4 ,these two superhuman

 ,testaments now form a book1 which1    
from its ill-deserved conventional      
pre-eminence1 and the hydra-priesthoods 
which it quarters upon industry1 is the 
chief scourge of modern ,europe4 ,the   
contemptible ignorance1 credulity1 and  
fraud which support its tyrannous       
authority as a supernatural revelation2 
the futile attempt to enforce a belief  
in its literal meaning as indispensable 
to the happiness of mankind2 and the    
universal degradation and misery which  
it perpetuates1 by the inbred hostility 
which all its priesthoods have ever     
evinced towards every improvement that  
would enlighten and elevate the human   
mind1 have done more to disgust and     
misanthropize all ingenuous and rational
 minds1 and to inspire them with a      
settled aversion for the ways of man and
 his institutions1 than all the other   
moral and physical evils now experienced
 in ,christendom4 ,while these master   
curses are maintained in their          
pestiferous sway1 it will be impossible 

for their victim1 man1 to taste of      
happiness through the attainment of     
civil liberty to any beneficial extent1 
or to approach truth and virtue by      
philosophical researches in the path of 
,nature2 for there is no arriving at    
these but by the utter extermination of 
all the fraudulent and idolatrous       
religions pretending to supernatural    
revelation4  ,,end ,,of ,,lecture       
,,first4     ,,lecture ,,second4        
,,christian ,,supernaturalism ,,further 
,,considered            ,lest you start 
at these bold truths1 and fly           
,these lines1 as maxims of impiety1     
,consider that ,religion did1 and will  
,,contrive1 ,,promote1 and ,,act the    
greatest ill4           ,lucretius4     
,,in the foregoing ,lecture1 it has been
 shown that the ,jewish deity of ,moses1
 on his being adopted and continued in  
power by the early sect of ,christians1 
who were themselves ,jews1 was induced  
by his new hierarchy1 as soon as they   
were established1 to make a new ,will   

7the old ,jewish one not being          
altogether sufficient for their ends71  
into which they gradually1 as occasion  
required1 foisted different codicils1 by
 which they multiplied the objects of   
worship1 by introducing into partnership
 with him two colleagues1 who1 being    
each no other than himself1 the three1  
quite arithmetically1 made but one ,god4
 ,but by this cunning and masterly      
manoeuvre1 he soon found himself fairly 
outwitted by his priests1 who were the  
sole gainers by this poly-theistical    
stratagem2 whilst the supremacy which he
 held in the time of ,moses dwindled    
into division1 and he was obliged to    
share with the other two1 and even with 
the mother99 of one of them1 the worship
 of his new votaries4 ,even the gods    
themselves1 when ,juno1 the sister and  
wife of ,jupiter1 had divine honors paid
 to her2 why then refuse the same to the
 mother of one of the ,christian ,gods8 
99 ,when the people of ,ephesus were    
informed that the ,fathers      of the  

,council had declared they might call   
the ,virgin ,mary      ,the ,mother of  
,god they were transported with joy2    
they      kissed the hands of the       
bishops--they embraced their knees1     
and the whole city resounded with       
acclamations6 ,st4 ,cyrils      ,letter4
  ,when they get entangled in the meshes
 of priestcraft1 are seldom able to     
burst the trammels2 and so it has       
happened in the case before us4 ,the    
,new ,will was a most ingenious         
invention on the part of the ,fathers of
 ,christianism1 as it afforded them an  
opportunity not only of re-modelling    
their deity1 in person and family1 but  
of abrogating or amending all such of   
his old laws as no longer suited the    
times or their views2 and of making     
every change that was necessary to      
establish the new hierarchy in riches   
and power4 ,the tithe of industry and   
settled money revenues must now be      
substituted for the bloody altars1 and  
delectable viands of ,jehovah's former  

priests2 and as he was precisely a      
personification of the interests of     
these1 so has he continued to be of     
those of their successors1 who1 having  
that object alone in view1 have been but
 little solicitous about rendering him  
either more consistent or amiable2 but  
on the contrary1 they have sublimated   
his cruelty1 by the invention of eternal
 fire torments1 an idea so enormously   
absurd and wicked1 that it never entered
 his head while he was merely ,theocrat 
of the ,jews4  ,matters being thus      
settled by the rejection of the numerous
 theogony of which ,jupiter was the     
head1 and the adoption of unity in the  
godhead1 under the ,jehovah of the      
,jews1 it was still considered          
necessary1 in order to reconcile the    
polytheists1 to preserve some vestiges  
of polytheism2 and these were readily   
suggested by the waking dreams and      
spiritual speculations of ,plato1 whose 
three hypostases seemed wonderfully well
 adapted to form the basis of our triune

 mythology4 ,hence the divinity of      
,plato4  ,as the third part of that     
godhead which is now worshipped in      
modern ,europe1 was1 as well as the     
other parts1 borrowed from the heathen  
trinity1 and forms an important dogma in
 our superstition1 a sketch of its      
history may not be unnecessary4 ,like   
the metaphysical invention of the soul's
 immortality1 it is altogether          
unacknowledged in the ,old ,testament1  
as a personified deity2 for the spirit  
of the ,lord1 if rightly translated1    
merely signifies wind of the gods1 or   
wind that has a genial and salutary     
influence1 as that of summer4 ,this     
addition made to the ,christian         
mythology by the ,platonist writers of  
the ,new ,testament1 was eagerly        
embraced and improved upon by the       
,fathers1 as the grand source1 or       
fountain head1 from whence they could   
continually draw their infallible       
inspirations4 ,in accordance with its   
occult sense in the mysteries of the    

,gentile trinity1 they very properly    
made their holy ghost proceed from the  
other two persons1 though he more       
immediately emanates from the son 7i4 e4
 the sun71 and1 by the apotheosis1 they 
armed him with authority2 but as a      
regularly constituted and personified   
god1 he did not come fairly into play   
until the beginning of the fifth        
century1 when he came in for his third  
share of godhead thus3--,from council to
 council1 new creeds and dogmas were    
hatched2 and in that of ,chalcedon1 in  
#dja1 the first ,new ,testament was set 
in the midst of the assembly1 as the    
great appeal4 ,the ecclesiastics who    
composed this council1 found            
considerable difficulty in adding this  
third apotheosis to complete their      
trinity1 until a priest1 more cunning   
and more deceitful than the others1     
suggested an expedient1 which was       
nothing less than to add to the         
beginning of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel that  
passage from ,plato which now forms its 

first verse4  ,in the occult sense in   
which this windy metaphor is used in the
 ,new ,testament1 it is allegorical of  
the first winds of summer1 proceeding   
from the increased power of the sun1    
which have a vivifying and salutary     
influence upon all animal and1 vegetable
 life4 ,the writer of the ,gospel       
attributed to ,st4 ,john astro-nomises1 
perhaps1 a little too openly in chap4   
#g1 v4 #ci1 by declaring3 ,for as yet   
there was no ,holy ,ghost1 because      
,jesus was not yet glorified499       99
 ,this is the true translation from the 
,greek4  ,here is a plain and           
unequivocal admission that even the very
 existence of the ,holy ,ghost depended 
on the glorification of ,christ1 the    
solution of which enigma is1 that ,may  
was not then come1 for it was not until 
about the middle of that month that the 
,hely1 or ,holy wind of ,helios1 that   
is1 ,god the ,sun1 was said to commence2
 and this constituted1 and is the only  
,holy ,ghost4 ,but before that period1  

as the sun is not sufficiently elevated 
and clear1 or in other words1 clarified 
7glorified7 from the denser clouds and  
contagious vapors of early spring1 his  
personification1 ,christ1 could not be  
said to be glorified499 ,hence the ,holy
 ,ghost is an annual visitor1 and with  
his benign influence1 comes with the    
festival of ,whitsuntide or ,pentecost2 
but not till that is fully come49999 ,it
 was then that1 symbolised in the       
blessed1 holy1 sun-heated wind1 he was  
said to descend on the apostles1 giving 
them the gift of tongues1 which gifts   
seem to have been quite in character1   
and fleeting as the wind1 for they soon 
evaporated1 leaving the possessors      
unlearned and ignorant men4  ,that which
 is called the sin against the ,holy    
,ghost1 or sinning against the clearest 
light1 cannot be rationally interpreted 
as meaning anything else than the denial
 of1 or refusal duly to appreciate1 the 
sun's almighty power upon this          
globe--the one glorious fountain on     

,high1 out of which springs the         
renovated creation1 and the annual      
salvation of man4  ,it was at the famous
 festival of ,whitsuntide also1 after   
the sun entered the sign ,gemini1 or the
 ,twin ,children1 that the personified  
sun1 ,christ1 is very significantly made
 to say1 suffer little children to come 
unto me1 for of such is the kingdom of  
heaven--that is1 such is my present     
house in the zodiac4  ,with respect to  
the second deity in the ,christian plan 
of polytheism1999999 it may be justly   
asserted1 that amongst the numerous     
revealed religions that have from time  
to time plagued and enslaved the world1 
no set of theological dogmas1 in any    
known age or country1 has ever produced 
a tenth part of the contention1         
devastation and bloodshed that have     
arisen from those concerning ,jesus     
,christ2 and although ,christendom has  
been the scene of the fiercest wars for 
more than fourteen centuries1 for the   
absurd purpose of ascertaining his      

pedigree1 rank and attributes1 these    
preternatural problems are not only as  
far from being settled as ever1 but     
strong doubts remain whether the person 
in question did ever exist in reality2  
many of the learned being of opinion    
that his positive existence rests on as 
visionary grounds as that of his        
,platonic colleague4       99 ,wherever 
the phrase1 ,the ,glory of the ,lord is 
used      throughout the ,bible1 it     
signifies nothing else than the         
brightness of the sun4       9999 ,acts 
ii1 #a1 and iv4 #ah4       999999 ,jesus
 became ,god thus3--,in the year #cbe1  
,constantine      having declared       
himself protector of the ,church1       
convoked      the grand oecumenic       
council of ,nice2 and of all the        
,fathers      who composed that council1
 three hundred were of a contrary       
opinion to that of ,arius2 and these it 
was who determined      to acknowledge  
the ,divinity of ,jesus4 ,they added to 
the      tenets and symbols the words   

consubstantial with the      ,father2   
and concluded by anathematising the     
,arians4  ,christ1 or ,christos1 is not 
a proper name1 but like the word        
paraclete1 is an epithet1 and signifies 
a principle or quality that is good and 
useful to man1 and has been applied to  
the sun1 as savior1 and to human        
reason499 ,this nearly agrees with the  
hypothesis of the famous ,dr4           
,strauss--that the history of ,christ1  
as related in the ,gospels1 is mythic--a
 kind of imaginative amplification of   
certain vague and slender traditions1   
formed with the design of developing an 
ideal character of ,jesus1 and to       
harmonise with the ,jewish notions of a 
,messiah4 ,that some obscure person of  
the name of ,jesus may have lived1 and  
been put to death by the ,jewish mob for
 ridiculing their superstition is very  
probable2 but that the hero of the ,new 
,testament was born1 and lived1 and died
 under all the circumstances1 and       
attended by such violations of ,nature's

 laws as are represented in that book1  
without the emphatic record of any      
historian1 either ,greek1 ,jewish1 or   
,roman1 seems quite impossible4       99
 ,christ1 the anointed1 is physically   
significative of the      ,sun1 as being
 the sole source of all that man can    
rationally      call good2 and in the   
moral sense it is expressive of reason  
and knowledge4 ,the etymology of the    
names of the ruling gods      in        
different ages and countries1 such as   
,brahma1 ,osiris1      ,chrishna1       
,budha1 ,foe1 ,oromazedes1 ,jupiter1    
,bacchus1 ,jehovah      and ,jesus      
,christ1 etc41 will show that they were 
merely      allegorical personifications
 of the ,sun4 ,dr4 ,lamb1 of            
,cambridge1 has found the etymon even of
 the word sabbath to      signify       
,daughter of the ,sun       ,our ,o1 as 
used in admiration1 was symbolical of   
the      orbicular figure of the ,sun1  
as in the exclamation1 ,o ,dens         
,sol invicte ,mithra6 ,celsus declares  

that such ,mithriacs      were the first
 ,christians4  ,mattathias1 the father  
of ,josephus1 must have been a witness  
to the miracles which are said to have  
been performed by ,jesus1 and ,josephus 
was born within two years after the     
crucifixion1 yet in all his works he    
says nothing whatever about the life or 
death of ,jesus ,christ2 as for the     
interpolated passage it is now          
universally acknowledged to be a        
forgery4 ,the arguments of the          
,christian ,ajax199 even ,lardner       
himself1 against it are these3--,it was 
never quoted by any of our ,christian   
ancestors before ,eusebius4 ,it disturbs
 the narrative4 ,the language is quite  
,christian4 ,it is not quoted by        
,chrysostom1 though he often refers to  
,josephus1 and could not have omitted   
quoting it had it been then in the text4
 ,it is not quoted by ,photius1 though  
he has three articles concerning        
,josephus2 and this3 author expressly   
states that this historian has not taken

 the least notice of ,christ49999       
,neither ,justin ,martyr1 in his        
dialogue with ,trypho the ,jew2 nor     
,clemens ,alexandrinus1 who made so many
 extracts from ancient authors2 nor     
,origen against ,celsus1 have ever      
mentioned this testimony4 ,but1 on the  
contrary1 in chap4 #ceth of the first   
book of that work1 ,origen openly       
affirms that ,josephus1 who had         
mentioned ,john the ,baptist1 did not   
acknowledge ,christ4 ,that this passage 
is a false fabrication1 is admitted also
 by ,ittigius1 ,blondel1 ,le ,clerc1    
,vandale1 ,bishop ,warburton1 and       
,tanaquil ,faber4999999 ,josephus was   
not friendly towards ,herod1 but rather 
at enmity with him2 he conceals none of 
his faults or cruelties1 which makes it 
appear surpassing strange that he should
 silently pass over that most horrible  
of all butcheries ever perpetrated      
by-man--the general massacre of the     
infants1 to the amount1 it has been     
said1 of fourteen thousand4       99    

,see ,taylor's ,diegesis4       9999    
,how could ,photius1 in the #ith        
century1 find that in      ,josephus    
which ,origen1 in the #crd century1 had 
declared was      not in him8           
999999 ,is it probable1 is it even      
possible that ,josephus1 a ,jew         
extremely zealous and obstinate in his  
own religion1 would      confess that to
 be true which every ,jew most          
positively and      religiously denies2 
that is1 acknowledge that ,jesus was the
      ,christ8 ,this is making ,josephus
 talk like a ,christian in      four or 
five lines only4  ,how is it that this  
event1 so unparalleled that history     
cannot show its-equal in atrocity1      
should not only be unknown to three-of  
the evangelists1 ,mark1 ,luke1 and      
,john1 but entirely escape the notice of
 the minute and circumstantial1         
historian of the ,jews8 ,josephus is    
equally silent respecting the miraculous
 darkness1 the new star which appeared  
in the east1 and the graves that opened 

of themselves to eject the dead1 who1   
being undisposed of afterwards1 may     
still be walking the streets of         
,jerusalem44 ,the younger ,seneca1 a    
voluminous writer1 was then about       
thirty-nine years of age1 and must have 
been at ,rome at the time2 yet he says  
nothing whatever of those shocking      
cruelties and violations of ,nature's   
laws4 ,the elder99 and the younger      
,pliny came into the highest repute not 
many years afterwards1 one of whom was a
 most valuable historian1 and could not 
possibly have omitted to mention such   
extraordinary doings and prodigies if   
they had taken place in any part of the 
empire4  ,if anything could be more     
unaccountable than the silence of the   
above historians1 it would be that of   
,philo-,judaeus1 who was contemporary   
with ,caligula8 and in the folio edition
 of his works of #aeeb1 he speaks of the
 state of the ,jews1 and their          
afflictions under ,augustus1 ,tiberius1 
and ,caligula1 the very period embracing

 the whole extent of ,christ's life2 but
 he says not a word of ,christ1         
,christians1 or ,christianity4 ,this    
silence of ,philo1 a man highly esteemed
 for his learning and veracity1 a       
cotemporary historian1 and a public     
functionary1 being agent for the ,jews  
at the time1 is so inexplicable1 that   
interested priests alone can explain it 
away4       99 ,the elder ,pliny1 about 
the year seventy-five1 wrote the        
,history of ,his ,own ,time1 in         
thirty-one books1 and was the      most 
celebrated historian of that time1 yet  
we find him as      ignorant as         
,josephus1 or any of the other writers  
mentioned1      of the thing called     
,christianity1 or sect of ,christians2  
though1 as an historian1 he was so      
minute and circumstantial      as to    
suffer nothing of importance to escape  
him4 ,why did      the ,christians1 in  
after times destroy the work above-     
mentioned1 and leave his ,natural       
,history8 ,because he did      not      

perform an impossibility2 that is1 he   
neither did nor      could take notice  
of their sect1 which had no known       
existence in his time4  ,a question     
naturally presents itself--did the      
populace of ,jerusalem and villages     
adjacent1 who were spectators and       
witnesses when the miracles in question 
were wrought1 believe in them8 ,no1 they
 did not2 to them the operator1 whoever 
he was1 must have appeared an impostor1 
as fully appears by the catastrophe4    
,that such extraordinary events and     
performances should make no impression  
upon those who were witnesses to them1  
is contrary to the natural feelings of  
mankind1 particularly as regards the    
populace1 for in all such cases where   
the bulk of the people believe in the   
truth of reputed miracles1 they are more
 actuated by sentiments of reverential  
awe towards the performer1 than a desire
 to put him to death4  ,after a lapse of
 nearly two thousand years since the    
epoch of these miraculous events1 it    

must ever remain impossible to ascertain
 whether the second person of this      
triune godhead had bona fide an         
incarnate existence2 or was merely a    
metaphorical personification of some    
principle1 as the epithet ,christ       
implies299 but it is certain that this  
appellative was assumed by a sect of    
superstitionists known in ,egypt1 from  
time immemorial1 under the name of      
therapeutae1 or monks1 whose tenets the 
,judaizing ,christians adopted2 and from
 whose writings they made selections in 
the compilation of their ,new           
,testament1 as is proved by the         
testimony of ,eusebius himself1 who says
 in his history1 book #bnd3 ,those      
ancient therapeutae were ,christians1   
,,and ,,their ,,ancient ,,writings      
,,were ,,our ,,gospels4       99        
,christos being strictly a ,greek       
epithet1 would the ,jewish      populace
 give a ,greek name to a ,jew by birth8 
,thus it is proved by the most zealous  
of all the ,christian fathers1 that     

these gospels1 though not brought upon  
the stage until nearly two centuries    
after the reputed death of ,jesus1      
existed among the ,egyptian monks long  
before the pretended origin of          
,christianity4 ,as to the four which    
have been selected and fitted up by the 
,church to make part of the word of     
,god1 no man has ever been able to tell 
by whom1 when1 or where they were       
written2 nor are they acknowledged by   
any person but as the learned ,christian
 bishop1 ,faustus1 declared the forgers 
of them affirmed1 that what was written 
by themselves1 was written 'according'  
to those persons to whom they ascribed  
them4 ,it appears that these adopted    
gospels were first mentioned by         
,irenaeus1 about the latter end of the  
second century2 but as the writings of  
that saint must have come through the   
manufacturing hands of ,eusebius1 that  
early notice of them is rendered        
extremely suspicious2 however1 they were
 first known only as forming part of    

fifty-four gospels1 all equally well    
authenticated2 and some writers have    
asserted that it was this ,irenaeus who 
first selected them out of the above    
spurious mass1 and by his own fiat alone
 made them canonical4 ,was it out of    
respect for the high authority of this  
saint that the ,holy ,ghost confirmed   
his selection1 at the ,council of ,nice1
 about #age years afterwards8 ,it has   
been allowed1 even by the most learned  
,christian divines 7as will be shown in 
a subsequent lecture7 that fraud1       
religious lying and forgery1 were then  
the common practice in promoting the    
cause of public deception2 and1         
therefore1 we have no difficulty in     
believing that ,irenaeus had his full   
share in the fraudful traffic4  ,if the 
word of a saint is good for anything1 we
 might quote that of ,irenaeus in       
corroboration of what we have elsewhere 
said respecting the books of the ,old   
,testament2 for does he not tell us that
 they were fabricated' seventy years    

after the ,babylonish captivity by      
,esdras8 ,these are revelations which   
,christians are extremely unwilling to  
meet1 but they are much better          
authenticated than any of the artificial
 ones that claim a supernatural         
derivation4  ,besides the writings of   
the ,egyptian ,essenes or monks1 it is  
known that ,alexandria abounded with    
every sort of sectarian rubbish1 in the 
various forms of acts1 gospels1         
epistles1 c42 so that the compilers of  
the ,new ,testament had an ample supply 
of matter1 out of which to choose what  
should be the new will of ,jehovah4     
,such pieces as had been written by     
monks1 and by their plastic             
spirituality1 could easily be moulded so
 as to represent the interests of the   
priests1 and increase their power and   
importance1 very naturally slid in to   
form part of ,god's last ,will2 while   
those which exposed the tricks and      
knavery of priests1 like the story of   
,bel and the ,dragon1 in the ,old       

,testament1 were rejected as            
apocryphal499 ,but as the chosen books  
were written by unknown or obscure      
persons of no notoriety1 their names    
were erased1 and those of reputed       
apostles substituted1 in order to confer
 respectability4 ,and whenever it was   
found that this ,new ,testament did not 
at all points suit the interests of its 
priesthood1 or the views of political   
rulers in league with them1 the         
necessary alterations were made1 and all
 sorts of pious frauds and forgeries    
were not only common1 but justified by  
many of the fathers4 ,this was a charge 
constantly brought against those        
trimmers by their opponents1 whose      
writings they destroyed to the utmost of
 their power2 but it is proved by a     
record in the ,cronicon of ,muis1 an    
,african bishop1 and the same is also   
mentioned by ,scaliger1 that a general  
alteration of the four gospels took     
place in the sixth century1 by order of 
the ,emperor ,anastasius1 who           

decreed3--,that the holy gospels1 as    
written1 ,idiotis ,evangelistis1 are to 
be corrected and amended49999       99  
,it may be said that the ,christian     
compilers would be      willing to      
expose the tricks of the ,pagan priests2
 but the      esprit du corps is sacred4
 ,priests will not betray that          
fundamental deceitfulness that is common
 to the whole      profession1 and      
inseparable from all supernatural       
pretensions4       9999 ,dr4 ,mill also 
vouches for the truth of this record1   
and      says that ,messala was consul  
at the time4       ,the great father1   
,origen1 in his commentary on ,matthew's
      gospel1 speaking of the phrase1   
thou shalt love thy      neighbor as    
thyself1 which some thought to be       
spurious1 he      says3 ,if1 indeed1    
there was no disagreement in other      
copies1 it would be irreligious to      
suspect that expression      was        
interpolated and not pronounced by our  
,savior4 ,but now1      alas6 what with 

the blunders of transcribers--what with 
the      impious temerity of correcting 
the text--what with the                 
licentiousness of others1 who           
interpolate or expunge just      what   
they please1 it is plain the copies do  
strangely      disagree4  ,in forming   
the ,new ,testament1 selections were    
made at different councils2 but from all
 we have been able to learn1 it was     
principally at that of ,nice that the   
compilation was put into form1 after it 
had been decided upon by vote1 what     
should be1 and what should not be1 the  
word of ,god6 ,in order to get rid of   
the unpleasant truth1 that this decision
 was made by a majority of votes1 it has
 been pretended that the selection was  
made under supernatural agency1         
thus3--the whole collection of story1   
anecdote and fable1 was placed upon a   
great table1 and a prayer was addressed 
to the ,holy ,ghost1 that he would be   
pleased to cause the apocryphal books to
 jump under the table1 and they did so  

with prompt obedience1 whilst the       
genuine canonicals proudly kept their   
stations above4 ,this mode of trial was 
fair enough1 as the ,holy ,ghost would  
surely know his own writings4 ,this     
ridiculous story is recorded in the     
appendix to the proceedings of the      
,council of ,nice4  ,a philosopher of   
the present day has compared the        
,christian ,testament to ,lord          
,chancellor ,eldon's silk stocking1 that
 was darned all over with worsted until 
there was no silk remaining2 so1 in like
 manner1 it is now impossible to say    
with certainty what this book was       
originally1 or by whom1 where1 or when1 
its component parts were written2 and   
equally futile would it be to attempt to
 ascertain the number of alterations1   
additions1 varying translations199 and  
forged interpolations which from time to
 time it has undergone4 ,capellus       
informs us that he was engaged for      
thirty-six years in writing the book in 
which he detects the numerous errors and

 frauds of the ,protestant ,bible2 and  
even the venerable ,calmet1 that        
profound ,bible critic1 declares that   
the #gth and #hth verses of the #eth    
chapter of ,john's #ast ,epistle1 are   
not in any ancient ,bible4 ,this        
interpolation was a bold stroke to      
strengthen the ,trinity4 ,thirty years' 
researches upon the ,new ,testament     
alone1 enabled that most learned        
,english divine1 ,dr4 ,john ,mill1 to   
detect the enormous number of #hj1jjj   
different readings of that book1 after a
 laborious examination of all the       
manuscripts1 translations1 and the many 
languages in which it is to be found4   
,can anything match the stupidity and   
monstrous credulity of calling such a   
book the word of ,god8       99 ,a      
ludicrous instance of false translation 
appears in ,mark      x41 #be1 where1   
according to the learned1 the word in   
the      original means a cable-rope1   
not a camel4 ,in the notion of a        
cable going through the eye of a needle1

 an association of      ideas is        
preserved1 but the other meaning is     
forced and      ridiculous4  ,it has    
been remarked that1 besides the evident 
dissonance and glaring inconsistencies  
of these books1 they contain numerous   
proofs that they could not have been    
written at the time alleged1 or by the  
persons whose names are affixed to them2
 for instance1 if ,paul was an apostle1 
or lived in or near the same age with   
,jesus1 how could he speak as he does in
 the epistle to the ,colossians1 about  
the ,church of ,laodicea1 which was not 
founded until the middle of the second  
century8 ,again1 in the book called     
,revelations1 ascribed to ,john the     
evangelist1 who was contemporary with   
,jesus199 the writer not only speaks of 
this church of ,laodicea1 but mentions  
its sloth and great corruptions1 arising
 from the possession of riches and      
power4 ,now1 though of all human        
institutions whatsoever1 a church9999   
has the most uniform and natural        

tendency to grow corrupt and profligate1
 from the acquirement of riches and     
power1 yet we may allow one hundred     
years to have elapsed after the         
foundation of the one in question1      
before it arrived at the shameless      
condition described in these            
revelations2 and1 therefore1 it is no   
unfair inference to conclude that these 
allegorical rhapsodies were not written 
before the middle of the third century4 
,tertullion says it was ,saturninus1 and
 ,luke says it was ,cyrenius who was    
governor of ,syria1 when a certain event
 happened1999999 and ,augustus issued   
his decree taxing all the world but     
,roman history seems to deny both       
accounts1 by not acknowledging any such 
decree of ,augustus1 even over the      
,roman empire4 ,numerous other          
discrepancies and contradictions might  
be adduced1 which all the forcing and   
twisting of church chronologists have   
not been able to reconcile4       99    
,yet in ,matthew xi41 #ab1 ,jesus is    

made to say1 ,and from      the days of 
,john the ,baptist1 until now1 etc4     
,again1      xviii41 #ag1 ,jesus speaks 
of the church   though there was      no
 such thing in existence in the alleged 
time of his life4       9999            
,church--the shrine of credulity1 where 
reason is weekly      sacrificed--a     
patent for hypocrisy--the refuge of     
fraud1      sloth1 ignorance and        
superstition--the corner stone of       
tyranny4       999999 ,the birth of     
,jesus4  ,they tell us that ,matthew    
wrote his gospel about the year         
thirty-five1 and in that gospel the     
writer1 whoever he was1 makes ,jesus    
tell the ,scribes and ,pharisees that   
all the innocent blood that has been    
shed on earth1 from that of ,abel down  
to that of ,zaccharias1 son of ,baruch1 
whom they slew between the temple and   
the altar1 shall be upon their heads4   
,here let it be remarked that1 according
 to ,josephus1 book #dth 7and the fact  
is nowhere else to be found7 this event 

did not take place until the siege of   
,jerusalem by ,titus4 ,this affords     
proof positive that the first of our    
gospels could not have been written     
before the year seventy1 but that is no 
proof why it might not have been written
 after the middle of the second century4
  ,recurring to the miraculous parts of 
these books1 we think it proper to      
observe that the natural good sense of  
,mahomet prevented his making any       
pretensions to the power of working     
miracles2 for those laid to his charge  
by ,christian opponents1 were the       
inventions of his more ignorant and less
 judicious successors4 ,it was no doubt 
in ridicule of the ,new ,testament      
fables about removing mountains by      
faith1 and such like nonsense1 that he  
told his disciples one day3 ,to-morrow  
,i will call yonder mountain to come to 
me4 ,the morrow came1 his hearers       
assembled to see the miracle4 ,he called
 the mountain to come to him1 but it    
sullenly kept its place4 ,well1 says he1

 since the mountain will not come to    
,mahomet1 ,mahomet must go the mountain4
 ,if he gave out that he received his   
,koran by piecemeal from heaven1 his    
pretensions went no farther than to be  
considered the humble agent of a higher 
power2 and such it appears was the case 
with his brother prophet ,jesus1 who    
wrote nothing himself1 but his          
followers1 on rather the sect which     
assumed his name1 bent upon the         
establishment of their new superstition 
on the ruins of the old1 had recourse to
 a series of falsehoods and deceptions  
unexampled in all the other pages of    
history4 ,they ascribed to their reputed
 founder a train of miracles and        
unsightly prodigies1 so disgusting to   
reason and common sense1 as to be       
sufficient of themselves to condemn any 
book at a single glance2 and which could
 only be palmed upon extreme ignorance  
and credulity2 while the inventors and  
propagators of these fictions agreed    
with each other in nothing but in the   

common duty of religious lying1 forging 
and fabricating to serve the interests  
of the priesthood4 ,the younger         
,scaliger expressly declares of these   
falsifying compilers1 that they put into
 their ,gospels whatever they thought   
would serve their purpose4 ,faustus     
says3 ,we have frequently proved that   
these things were neither written by    
himself 7,jesus7 nor by his apostles2   
and that they were fabricated long after
 their decease1 from vague stories and  
flying reports4 ,as these miraculous    
fables are beneath criticism1 the       
particular notice of one or two of them 
will suffice as a sample of the rest4   
,it appears that the devils possessing  
the two demoniacs who lived among the   
tombs1 could not be dislodged without   
terms of capitulation2 one article of   
which bore1 that they should be allowed 
to go into the swine4 ,the treaty being 
concluded with the spokesman of these   
devils1 who had announced that he was   
legion1 or called legion 7probably from 

being the chief of a detachment         
consisting of that number7 the devils   
took possession of their new subjects   
accordingly2 but they1 finding a        
devilish commotion within them1         
committed suicide immediately4 ,this    
rash act was not surprising when we     
consider that there were about two      
thousand swine2 so that three devils    
would be crammed into each pig1         
reckoning a legion of devils to consist 
of the same number as a ,roman legion4  
,as nothing would operate so much       
against the interests of theology as any
 diminution of the number of devils1 we 
may presume that the swine only were    
drowned4 ,mark and ,luke say that one   
person possessed all these devils2 he   
must have been a man of great capacity  
to contain that which drove two thousand
 swine mad4 ,so numerous a herd of these
 animals in a country where swine and   
swine's flesh were held in abhorrence1  
is quite sufficient to stamp the tale as
 a fiction2 but taking all the          

circumstances into consideration1 it is 
perhaps the most ridiculous romance that
 ever was invented4 ,if this exploit had
 been laid to the charge of ,mahomet1   
would he not have been branded by all   
,christians as a most wicked and        
abominable wizard1 independently of the 
robbery committed on the owners of the  
swine1 in causing this wholesale and    
ruinous ,hoggicide8  ,it is unfortunate 
for the foregoing miracle1 that its     
allegorical bearings are not so apparent
 as to save it from being branded as a  
wild and vulgar romance1 rather than an 
instructive parable4 ,such1 however1 is 
not the case in the fable about the     
resurrection of ,lazarus1 which is      
evidently a dramatic allegory of the    
demise of the old1 and birth of the new 
year2 the former of which is personated 
in ,lazarus1 whilst ,christ is1 as      
usual1 the personification of the ,sun4 
,this unsightly miracle1 as taken       
literally1 is narrated by ,john only2 a 
circumstance so suspicious that it alone

 ought to shake the credulity of even   
the swallowers of prodigy4 ,our false   
and deceitful translation of this drama1
 foists in2 ,now a certain man was sick1
 named ,lazarus2 but there is no man    
named in the original1 which merely     
says--,now ,lazarus was sick2 that is1  
figuratively1 the year was spent or     
expiring1 as in ,december1 which month  
is personated by ,martha1 as ,january is
 by ,mary4 ,these two sister months send
 to ,christ 7the ,sun7 to inform him of 
the dying state of their brother 7the   
old year74 ,now mark the equivocating   
answers he gives them regarding the real
 condition of their brother2 that his   
sickness is not unto death2 that he was 
dead in reality1 and he was glad of it2 
that he only slept1 and would revive or 
rise again ,these enigmatical or        
equivocal answers1 and the four days    
which ,lazarus is said to have been dead
 in the sepulchre1 have most pointed    
allusion to the four days between the   
twenty-first and twenty-fifth of        

,december1 during which time the ,sun   
seems to hang1 as it were1 in the       
solstitial balance2 but at the latter   
period he gains his first degree of     
altitude1 and is said to rise from the  
dead1 or to have been born again1 that  
is he begins to rise from the dead of   
winter4  ,for very good reasons1 the    
drama being finished1 we are not told   
what became of ,lazarus4 ,what was his  
fate afterwards8 ,he continued to gain  
strength till the summer solstice2 but  
as he again became the old year1 he died
 the following ,december1 in the same   
manner4  ,thus the ,sun1 as personified 
in ,christ1 says ,rev41 i41 #ah1 ,i am  
he that liveth1 and was dead1 and behold
 ,i am alive for evermore1 ,amen4       
,again1 ,i am the resurrection and the  
life2 the day star on high1 that        
redeemeth his people2 ,i come a light   
into the world4 ,this word ,amen is     
nothing else than the disguise in which 
the translators have thought it proper  
to put ,ammon994 ,the ,sun1 in the sign 

,aries1 was personified in ,jupiter     
,ammon1 as well as in ,christ4 ,ammon   
signifies the secret or concealed one1  
and sacred had originally no other      
meaning than secret4 ,in ,isaiah lxv41  
#af1 is not the ,god ,ammon mentioned in
 the original1 and suppressed by the    
,english translators8  ,the astro-drama 
of the ,redeemer in the book of ,job9999
 is another sublime allegory of the sun 
and circle of the seasons4       99 ,the
 difference between the words ,aman1    
,amen1 and ,ammon1      says ,sir       
,william ,drummond1 is nothing4         
9999 ,for fuller explanation of the     
dramas of ,job and ,lasarus1      see   
the works of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,taylor4    
,job1 who here personates the declining 
year in its last ungenial and evil      
months1 is of course dejected1 sick1 and
 grievously afflicted2 his wife 7whom we
 may presume to be ,anna1 from ,annus1  
the circle of' the year7 bids him curse 
,god and die1 that is1 to cease putting 
his trust in the sun1 who had           

metaphorically forsaken him for the     
present4 ,but ,job1 though nearly worn  
out1 as the year is in ,december1 has   
still hopes of his revival1 and         
exclaims1 ,i know that my ,redeemer     
liveth1 and at the last day 7the #bast  
,december7 ,i shall rise up1 etc4 ,yet  
in his exhausted state1 and sore        
afflictions1 he is so nigh to despair   
that his ,god1 the sun1 reproaches him  
for his impatience under the immutable  
necessities of faith1 and seems to say  
in way of admonition1 ,i cannot be with 
you always2 nor is it reasonable in you 
to expect the enjoyment of perpetual    
summer1 and in illustration thereof1 he 
most beautifully instances the summer   
constellations1 and asks1 ,canst thou   
bind the sweet influences of the        
,pleiades1 or loose the bands of ,orion8
 ,canst thou bring forth the twelve     
signs in the season8 that is1 canst thou
 have summer throughout the twelve      
months4 ,canst thou guide ,arcturus with
 his sons8 ,the seven summer months1    

from ,march to ,september inclusive1 are
 personated in the seven sons of ,job1  
who are killed by a great wind from the 
wilderness1 7winter7 that is1 they are  
killed by the five winter months        
commencing in ,october199 but as this is
 only an allegorical death1 the drama   
represents them as being all alive again
 in the succeeding summer2 and ,job1 the
 year1 is fully restored to health and  
happiness4  ,with regard to the whole of
 that miscellaneous and discordant mass 
of anecdote1 narrative1 prophecy1       
allegory1 gospel1 epistle1 revelation1  
etc41 which compose what is called the  
,bible 7to say nothing at present of its
 immoral tendency71 we cannot make      
anything rational out of the greater    
portion1 unless we seek the true meaning
 under type or allegory2 but when we    
turn aside that veil1 the nonsense of   
the exoteric disappears1 and we perceive
 that the allusions are exclusively made
 to physical or moral principles1 under 
typical personifications49999 ,this is  

particularly the case in all those books
 or fragments of books which are known  
not to be ,jewish 7the book of ,job1 for
 instance71 but picked up by that people
 among the ,chaldeans and ,persians1 who
 concealed from the vulgar all the      
higher branches of science under the    
veil of allegory2 and when ,levi's      
ignorant but privileged sons adopted    
these books1 in making their            
compilation1 they contented themselves  
with the literal1 knowing nothing of the
 occult sense4       99 ,these five     
winter months1 beginning in ,october1   
when the      ,sun is in the sign       
,scorpio1 are metaphorically alluded to 
as      ,scorpions1 by ,st4 ,john in    
,revelations ix41 where it is said      
they shall have power to hurt men for   
five months4 ,the      stings in their  
tails were figurative of the sharpness  
of      the four months that succeed    
,october1 which1 though they      should
 not kill1 are nevertheless so          
stingingly cold as to      hurt         

men4--,see ,revelations4       9999     
,those parts of this collection in which
 we perceive that      the astronomical 
,chronology is veiled in the allegorical
      picture1 under the appearance of  
history1 may be called the      word of 
science4 ,most of the psalms are        
evidently hymns to      the ,sun1 as    
they apply to nothing else4             
999999,in dedicating one of their tribes
 for the priesthood      alone1 the     
,jews imitated the oriental nations3    
their tribe      of ,levi played the    
same part amongst them1 that the        
,chaldeans played amongst the ,assyrians
 and ,babylonians2 the      ,magi       
amongst the ,modes and ,persians2 the   
,druids amongst the      ,celtae2 the   
,brahmins amongst the ,indians2 the     
,lamas amongst      the ,thibetians2 and
 the ,christian priesthoods now in      
,europe2      in all it has been the    
game of deception4  ,even the trinity in
 unity1 as we have already observed1 was
 one of the secrets revealed to the     

initiated in the ,pagan polytheism2 and 
was taught in the mysteries long before 
the sect ,christians adopted the ascetic
 habits of the ,essenes and ,egyptian   
,therapeutae4 ,in these mysteries this  
trinity had a twofold allusion--under   
one meaning it was a personification of 
physical1 and under the other of moral1 
principles2 in the physical sense1 those
 natural principles were personified1   
which1 by their inherent properties1    
viz41 motion1 attraction1 repulsion1    
etc41 produce these changes which we    
perceive in matter4 ,but of all these   
principles1 the ,sun was looked up to as
 the grand omnipotent nucleus1 whose    
all-vivifying power is the vital and    
sole source of animative and vegetative 
existence upon this globe--the glorious 
fountain out of which springs all that  
man ever has1 or ever can call good1 and
 as such1 the only proper object of the 
homage and adoration of mankind4 ,hence 
the ,sun1 as we are informed by         
,pausanius1 was worshipped at ,eleusis  

under the name of ,the ,savior4 ,if it  
is urged that the ,sun cannot properly  
be regarded as a principle in ,nature1  
the objection is good with respect to   
the universal systems which circle other
 ,suns2 but of our ,solar system1 he is 
the principal4  ,of the thousand ,pagan 
personifications of the ,sun1 which     
appear absurd and ridiculous when taken 
in the literal sense1 but which are     
rational and highly scientific when the 
veil of allegory is withdrawn1 one of   
the most beautiful is that of the solar 
,deity under the name of ,adonai199     
,tammuz1 or the ,adonis of the ,syrians4
 ,this allegory represents him1 after   
being glorified as ,the most ,high ,god1
 in his exalted reign of summer1 as     
resigning his place in the heavens to   
the zodiacal animals of the winter      
signs2 and is figured as being slain or 
mutilated by them1 more especially by   
the wild boar1 under whose malefic      
ascendancy the sun seems annually to    
expire4       99 ,adonai is synonymous  

with ,jahouh1 or ,jehovah4 ,throughout  
the ,psalms1 the ,sun is the ,lord ,god1
 and ,zion means the      zodiac4  ,and1
 as personated in the beautiful ,adonis1
 he is fabled as being mutilated in his 
genital parts by the boar2 that is1 by  
similitude1 he is deprived of his genial
 or generative power over ,nature during
 the winter4 ,but when the annual rains 
of summer had swelled the river ,adonis 
7so called from the god71 its waters    
became tinged red by some mineral1 and  
were fabled to be the blood of the      
beauteous ,adonis1 annually mutilated as
 aforesaid3--            ,while smooth  
,adonis from his native rock            
,ran purple to the sea1--supposed with  
blood           ,of ,tammuz1 yearly     
wounded4  ,in lamentation over this most
 shocking outrage against genial        
,nature1--or rather to celebrate the    
yearly victory over it1 the ,sidonian   
damsels1 not wholly without             
significance1 assembled to hail the     
renovation of the prolific powers of    

,tammuz1 or ,adonis1 as manifested in   
their ,god of summer4  ,that the ,old   
,testament1 as well as the ,new1 is     
almost wholly allegorical of the sun1   
the year1 and the seasons1 is further   
proved in that apparently heart-felt    
complaint of ,st4 ,paul1 #b ,corinthians
 iii41 #ae1 ,but even until this day1   
when ,moses is read1 the veil is upon   
their heart4  ,the moral principles     
allegorised in the ,christian trinity1  
under the names of ,father1 the ,word1  
and the ,spirit1 were metaphorical of   
human knowledge1 reason and the spirit  
of truth4 ,similar to these are the     
interpretations lately given of the     
moral principles of the ancient trinity1
 by a philosopher of deep research299   
and as they make out a reasonable       
meaning for the ,christian trinity1     
which is otherwise a jumble of          
irrational mummeries1 they are so far   
satisfactory4 ,the ancient trinity of   
physical principles1 of which the ,sun  
was second to1 and the most eximious    

representative of1 the great            
,all-in-,all1 was probably of ,indian   
origin3 and found its way west into     
,persia1 ,chaldea and ,greece1 where it 
was remodelled and spiritualised by     
,plato2 but on its being pressed into   
the service of the ,christian fathers1  
the sublime knowledge which it conveyed 
under emblems or symbols1 was soon lost 
in ignorance1 or abused and set aside by
 priestcraft2 for even the apostolic    
fathers seemed to have had little or no 
knowledge of it1 with the exception     
perhaps of ,st4 ,hermas1 who most likely
 alluded to the share he had in         
falsifying those allegories 7by adopting
 the literal in place of the occult     
meaning71 when he declares that he never
 spoke a true word in his life1 but     
always lived in dissimulation1 and      
affirmed a lie for truth to all men2 and
 no man contradicted him1 but all gave  
credit to his words 7,pastor1 ,book     
iii41 mandat4 #crd74 ,the ,pagan        
priesthood were too wise to apply the   

word revelation to anything else than   
the development of the secret meaning of
 the mysteries1 which they made to the  
initiated2 but that only true revelation
 has been entirely lost to all the      
successors of ,st4 ,hermas in the church
 called ,christian for the last         
seventeen centuries4       99 ,the      
modern ,diagoras1 who has done more     
towards      establishing2 free         
discussion than any other man that ever 
lived4  ,one word more respecting this  
ancient trinity1 the gross and ludicrous
 perversion of which now forms so       
prominent a dogma in our superstition499
 ,those fathers who adopted and         
interwove it into the ,christian system1
 did either ignorantly or wilfully      
distort the sense of the allegory       
7whether astronomical or moral7 by      
turning it into three distinct          
personages1 with human qualities1 parts1
 and passions2 but having gone thus far1
 they found themselves in a dilemma2    
inasmuch that1 though their new         

polytheism was in a great measure       
intended as a salvo to reconcile the    
,pagans1 yet it was inconsistent with   
the ,mosaic unity of ,god1 which they   
were desirous of preserving also2 so    
they bundled up their three distinct    
personages into one identical person4   
99 ,though the ,christian scheme of     
fitting up a triune ,deity      is in   
defiance of arithmetical demonstration1 
yet it is so      far an exemplification
 of all the ,pagan mythologies--each of 
them had a triad of principal gods2 the 
,hindus had their      ,brahma1 ,vishnu1
 and ,siva2 the ,egyptians1 their       
,osiris1      ,horus1 and ,isis2 the    
,persians1 their ,oromazdes1 ,mithras1  
and      ,ahrimanes2 the ,syrians1 their
 ,monimus1 ,aziz1 and ,ares2 the        
,canaanites1 their self-triplicated     
,baal2 and the ,peruvians      had their
 ,father ,sun1 ,brother ,sun1 and ,son  
,sun4 ,the ,hindu      trinity were     
personifications of three principles1   
viz41 the      ,producer1 the           

,preserver1 and the ,destroyer4  ,being 
now knee-deep1 and knowing well that the
 credulity of ignorant man is equal to  
the most monstrous deceptions1 those    
fabricators thought they might as well  
plunge over head and ears into          
absurdity1 by settling the pedigree and 
relationship between these triune       
parties2 and this they did by mingling  
together a chaos of downright nonsense4 
,here is a child born1 said to be       
begotten by two supernatural            
fathers--these fathers are two infinite 
beings1 equal and co-existent from all  
eternity2 and yet this son1 begotten by 
them upon a woman1 is as old as either  
of them6 ,and although thus produced1   
and to all appearance a child of        
humanity1 he instantly becomes the      
eternal son of the father1 making the   
third infinite6 ,such stuff has turned  
the church called ,christian into a     
domicilium insanorum4  ,if we may       
believe our senses1 there is indeed a   
trinity in unity that proves its own    

existence--is eternal1 and comprehends  
within itself everything which the human
 intellect can possibly conceive--that  
is1 ,time1 ,matter1 and ,motion499      
99 ,motion is the measure of ,time3 it  
is essential to1 the      executive of1 
and may be said to be identical with1   
,matter4  ,in regard to the true history
 of our church during the three first   
centuries1 we know nothing whatever1    
except that which comes through the most
 polluted channels2 for the traditions  
and fabulous writings of the fathers who
 lived in those periods1 are not        
deserving of the slightest credit2 these
 men being notorious for nothing but    
pious frauds and forgeries2 yet even in 
these professional arts they were far   
excelled in the following century1 by   
the famous ,eusebius1 bishop of         
,caesarea1 who had no equal in fitting  
up and trimming off a word of ,god1 to  
suit the general interests of the       
church4 ,he says of himself ,i have     
related whatever might redound to the   

glory1 and ,i have suppressed all that  
could tend to the disgrace of our       
religion4 ,baronius1 who was a sincere  
advocate of the ,christian faith1       
branded him as the great falsifier of   
ecclesiastical history--a wily          
sycophant--a consummate hypocrite99--a  
time-serving persecutor1 who had nothing
 in his known life or writings1 to      
support the belief that he himself      
believed in the ,christian religion4 ,so
 much for the character of this main    
pillar of the church4 ,another father of
 the fourth century1 ,st4 ,gregory      
,nazianzen1 was of opinion that words   
are sufficient to deceive the vulgar1   
who admire the more1 the less they      
understand4 ,again1 he says1 ,our       
fathers and teachers have often said1   
not what they thought1 but what         
circumstances required4 ,to show that   
the saints of the fourth century had not
 only improved upon their predecessors  
in the arts of deception1 but had grown 
bold enough in some instances to avow   

them1 we quote ,st4 ,chrysostom1 who    
declares that miracles are proper only  
to excite sluggish and vulgar minds2    
that men of sense have no occasion for  
them2 and that they frequently carry    
some untoward suspicion with them       
,mosheim1 than whom a higher authority  
cannot be quoted1 speaking of those     
times and of such men1 says3 ,the       
simplicity and ignorance of the         
generality in those times1 furnished the
 most favorable occasion for the        
exercise of fraud2 and the impudence of 
impostors in contriving false miracles1 
was artfully proportioned to the        
credulity of the vulgar3 whilst the     
sagacity of the wise1 who perceived     
these cheats1 were overawed into silence
 by the dangers that threatened their   
lives and fortunes1 if they should      
expose the artifice4 ,thus does it      
generally happen in human life1 that1   
when danger attends the discovery of    
truth1 and the profession thereof1 the  
prudent are silent--the multitude       

believe1 and impostors                  
triumph--7,eccles4 ,hist47       99 ,in 
the title of the #hast chapter of the   
#abth book of his      ,evangelical     
,preparation1 ,eusebius tells how it may
 be      lawful and fitting to use      
falsehood as a medicine1 for the        
benefit of those who want to be         
deceived4 ,in this chapter1      says   
,gibbon1 he adduces a passage of ,plato1
 which approves      the occasional     
practice of pious and salutary frauds2  
and he      justifies this sentiment of 
,plato1 by the example of the           
sacred writers of the ,old ,testament4  
,so much for the      theological       
pharmacopaeia of ,eusebius4  ,in the    
fifth century1 the church being backed  
by the strong arm of imperial power1 the
 hierarchy converted their successful   
institution into a channel overflowing  
with riches2 whilst their doctrines and 
dogmas1 continually changing1 got rid of
 any vestiges of reason and common sense
 which they had originally had amongst  

the ,therapeutae and ,essenes4 ,the     
ignorance of the laity was a secure     
protection for the clergy in all their  
tyrannical usurpations1 and they in     
their turn became fierce persecutors499 
,nature and her laws were overlooked as 
objects of no consideration1 or rather1 
proscribed as the deadly enemies1 of the
 theologian1 and poor credulous man sunk
 into slavery and misery4 ,in the       
following centuries1 the infatuated     
belief in miracles of all sorts and     
sizes became the order of the day1 and  
the heads of the church1 no doubt1      
founded their regularly organised system
 of deception upon the authority of ,st4
 ,paul1 who1 in his second letter to the
 ,thessalonians1 fairly avows that1 for 
this cause ,god shall send them strong  
delusion19999 that they should believe a
 lie1 that they all might be damned who 
believe not the truth       99 ,not at  
all scrupulous about appropriating to   
themselves      the property of others1 
they have been accused of expelling     

the ,druids or ,culdees1 from their     
temples and monasteries1      and       
substituting their own orders2 and this 
they called      founding monasteries4  
,this was the fox taking possession of  
the hole that had been dug by the       
badger4       9999 ,in this epistle to  
the ,thessalonians1 ,paul seemed to have
      attained the acme of falsehood and
 delusion4 ,he assures his      dupes   
that the resurrection of the dead1 and  
the ascension      of the living1 will  
take place in his and their days4 ,then 
we 7says he1 chap iv41 #ag71 which are  
alive and remain1      shall be caught  
up together with them in the clouds1 to 
meet      the ,lord in the air1 etc4    
,paul vouches for this being the        
word of the ,lord4 ,the whole passage is
 in the first person      and present   
tense4 ,by way of clinching this most   
notorious      falsehood1 it is         
elsewhere affirmed that this generation 
shall not pass away till all these      
things be accomplished4      ,priests1  

have these things taken place8  ,from   
this high authority1 and from that of   
the ,jew books1 proceeded those lying   
miracles and stupendous prodigies which 
excited the idiot wonderment of mankind2
 hence the forged letters of ,christ to 
,abgarus1 king of ,edessa1 and the      
,apostle ,peter2 hence the letters of   
the ,virgin ,mary to ,st4 ,ignatius and 
the ,sicilians1 all dated in heaven2    
hence the #aa1jjj virgin martyrs of     
,cologne2 hence wood enough of the true 
cross to build a first-rate man-of-war2 
hence the two or three heads of ,st4    
,ursula2 hence the girdle of the ,virgin
 ,mary shown in eleven places at the    
same time2 hence the remains of the ass1
 or asses1 which carried ,jesus to      
,jerusalem2 hence the head of the ,volto
 ,santo1 miraculously sent from heaven1 
and carried in a ship from ,joppa to    
,lucca1 without the aid of any human    
being on board2 hence the annually      
liquefied blood of ,st4 ,januarus1      
imitated from the annual wound of the   

god ,adonis199 in mount ,libanus2 and   
hence the flight of the ,virgin ,mary's 
cottage1 which winged its way from      
,nazareth to ,dalmatia1 and thence to   
,loretto1 where it still forms the      
headquarters of her ladyship4       99  
,the ,tammuz of ,ezekiel3--             
,whose annual wound in ,libanus allur'd 
,the ,syrian damsels to lament his fate 
,in am'ous ditties all a summer's day4  
--,milton4  ,you object to the above    
legends on account of their being the   
invention of the scarlet prostitute1 as 
you call the ,church of ,rome1 observing
 that the reformed church has given up  
all such fooleries4 ,be not deceived1   
the priesthoods of all religions are    
essentially and necessarily the same1   
inasmuch as fraud and delusion1         
skilfully played off upon ignorance1    
form the apparatus of all2 and were it  
not that science is now beginning       
everywhere to grapple with the demon of 
artificial theology1 miracles would be  
as abundant as ever amongst both        

,catholics and protestants4 ,the        
increasing knowledge of the laity curbs 
and puts to shame all such pretentions  
in the present day2 but do we not see   
how strenuously all the priests of      
,christendom uphold the prodigies which 
they say were performed nearly two      
thousand years ago8 ,they do this1      
because1 without the delusion of        
supernatural agency1 immediate or       
remote1 their trade could not stand4    
,any attempt to rouse the ignorant1     
uncultivated mind to free inquiry1 is   
almost a hopeless task1 and it is       
altogether so when besotted religious   
prejudice stands in the way2 but we ask 
the man who has got a vestige of mind he
 can call his own1 whether his evidence 
is as satisfactory that ,nature has been
 put out of her course by the working of
 miracles1 as it is1 on the contrary1   
that such violations of her laws have   
never in truth taken place6 ,has any    
such thing happened in his own1 his     
father's1 his grandfather's1 or his     

great grandfather's time8 ,he must      
answer in the negative1 and thus far he 
has evidence from experience1 we shall  
say1 for #aej years1 giving a succession
 of proof1 which rests on the immutable 
order of things2 and will he abandon    
that invariable director for the        
worthless and self-convicted testimony  
of a few strolling vagabonds1 known only
 as the lawless disturbers of the peace 
in the countries where they were        
vagrants1 and who lived nearly two      
thousand years ago8 ,when legends and   
traditions are found inconsistent with  
nature1 common sense1 and experience1   
does their antiquity alone prove their  
truth against all these guides8 ,on the 
contrary1 antiquity can never be        
divested of the mantle of fable4 ,we    
know that besides the marks of falsehood
 which the stories alluded to bore at   
the time of their fabrication1 the true 
characters of the propagators were so   
well known to men of sense and education
 among the ,pagans1 that their          

impostures were utterly despised2 and as
 the ,jew books called the ,testaments1 
abundantly show that they were compiled 
throughout by men of similar character1 
to credit them is to give up all        
confidence in our senses1 and to give   
the lie to natural light and reason4    
,whence comes the anomaly that it is in 
supenaturals alone we find man departing
 totally from the common rules of       
evidence1 and the respect which he owes 
to himself8 ,in this case1 denying as he
 does the authority of his own senses1  
and the reason which arises from them1  
he has rendered himself inferior to all 
other animals1 and this is evidently    
owing to his not being allowed the      
exercise of his intellectual powers1    
priestcraft having decoyed him into the 
regions of non-reality and delusion1    
where everything congenial to his       
nature1 where all entities1 or things   
comprehensible1 can have no admittance3 
there theological deception holds her   
dominion under the dark mask of         

mystery299 and out of the fears of      
ignorance forges mental chains for the  
human race1 as they come into existence1
 the child succeeding to the woful      
inheritance of the father4  ,men1 says a
 modern philosopher1 blindly follow the 
paths their fathers trode2 they believe1
 because in infancy they were told they 
must believe2 they hope1 because their  
progenitors hoped2 and they tremble1    
because they trembled4 ,if by chance a  
young man examines his religion1 he does
 it with partiality1 or without         
perseverance2 he is often disgusted with
 a single glance of the eye1 on         
contemplating an object so revolting4   
,in old age1 the faculties are blunted2 
habits become incorporated with the     
machine1 the senses are debilitated by  
time and infirmity1 and we are no longer
 able to penetrate back to the source of
 our opinions2 besides1 the fear of     
death then renders an examination1 over 
which terror commonly presides1 very    
liable to suspicion4 ,civil authority   

also flies to the support of the        
prejudices of mankind2 compels them to  
ignorance by forbidding inquiry2 and    
holds itself in continual readiness to  
punish all who attempt to undeceive     
them49999       99 ,originally1 the word
 mystery signified the veil 7mistos7    
which covered knowledge3 but amongst    
,christian priests1 it      has been    
made the veil by which the most wicked  
deceptions      are covered4            
9999 ,for1 blind and superstitious man  
is bred1           ,and custom is his   
nurse6           ,woe then to them      
,who lay irreverent hands upon his old  
,house furniture1 the dear inheritance  
,from his forefathers6           ,for   
time consecrates2           ,and what is
 grey with age becomes religion4  ,the  
morality which is derived from the      
religion of nature1 and the social      
intercourse of man1 is everywhere the   
same1 and unchangeable2 whereas that    
which is built upon priest-created      
theology is variable1 impure1 and always

 pernicious1 inasmuch as it is made to  
square with the interests and power of  
the sacerdotal orders4 ,this theology1  
from its being linked with political    
governments1 has been enabled to        
insinuate its usurpations into every    
institution of society1 where it has    
been the fruitful source of endless     
contention and sorrow4 ,the innocent and
 necessary liberties of mankind are1 by 
conventional laws of its procuring1     
converted into crimes2 the freedom of   
the moral energies is crushed1 and      
almost every pursuit that is conducive  
to1 or connected with human happiness1  
is discouraged and blasted1 through the 
influence and intrigues of this cunping 
and demoralising pest99--the natural    
enemy of everything that is natural4    
99 ,we know no other correct way to     
judge of any system1 than      to look  
at the practical effects it has produced
 in the      world since it was         
promulgated4 ,what then does the record 
of      the past discover to have been  

the effects of ,christianity      upon  
men and nations8 ,what has it done for  
the enlightenment      and progress of  
the mind--for man's elevation1          
improvement1      and happiness--his    
proper rank and station as a moral1     
intellectual1 rational being8 ,let those
 who have impartially      considered   
this melancholy subject1 answer this    
question3 do      we not know what it   
has done for the suppression1 or rather 
annihilation1 of them all8  ,are we told
 that the fires of the inquisition1 with
 all its accompanying abominations1 have
 been swept away by the reformation2 and
 that the spirit of our religion is     
changed from that of the raging wolf1 to
 the mildness of the lamb8 ,we          
positively deny that its spirit is      
either changed or capable of change3 the
 light of science1 and a partial        
exercise of reason is at present keeping
 it in check2 but it anxiously awaits   
and looks forward to the return of that 
congenial element--the intellectual     

darkness and ignorance which prevailed  
in the eleventh century4 ,this blessed  
consummation would effectually restore  
its power2 and thus armed1 the demon    
would quickly show1 in the strongest    
sect1 whether ,catholic or ,protestant1 
its immutable spirit of tyranny and     
persecution1--the human mind would again
 be prostrated1 and all the horrors of  
those times would again cover the face  
of ,christendom4  ,we shall conclude    
this lecture by asking a few questions4 
,what is it that has1 for the last      
fifteen centuries1 obscured the light of
 ,nature1 put human reason out of her   
chair1 and1 as much as possible1        
prevented the development of all        
scientific truths8  ,what was it that   
first occasioned the shedding of human  
blood1 on account of supernatural       
speculations1 and imaginary existence8  
,what was it that spread war1           
devastation1 and bloodshed over ,europe1
 7agreeably to the ,new ,testament      
denunciation1799 for more than thirteen 

hundred years8  ,what is it that still  
divides ,europe into opposing sects2 and
 keeps alive those deadly animosities   
about chimeras1 for which men formerly  
cut each other's throats8  ,what is it  
that most generally sets the father's   
heart against the son1 and makes the son
 abhor the presence of his father8      
,what is the thing which1 cherished by  
ignorance1 and sheltered by tyranny1 has
 usurped one-tenth of the proceeds of   
man's industry2 and in wringing this    
from starving poverty1 is supported by  
cannon1 bayonets1 and sabres8  ,what is 
it that has1 to serve its own ends1 and 
wholly unsupported by ,new ,testament   
authority1 appropriated to itself       
one-seventh of the laboring man's time2 
compelling him to spend that time1      
either in houses of idolatry1 or in     
idleness and vice at the ale-house1 to  
the utter ruin of his family8  ,what is 
it that has poisoned love amongst the   
human species1 and rendered the simple  
union of the sexes an unnatural bond of 

tyranny and slavery19999 which1 in nine 
cases in every ten1 entails life-lasting
 misery upon the victims of the         
indissoluble marriages of ,christian    
superstition6       99 ,vide ,matt x41  
#hd4       9999 ,in the headlong        
inexperience of youth1 the sexes1 under 
an innocent impulse of ,nature1 enter   
into the perpetual      snare of        
marriage1 with tempers and dispositions 
as      different as are their sexes2   
and in a state of penury      scarcely  
able to subsist themselves1 they engage 
to give      subsistence to a numerous  
family4 ,here is the beginning of       
that unhappy state of matrimonial life  
which exhibits the      darkest         
portraiture of human existence--a       
procreative nest      of nuptial misery4
 ,but as that abject condition of       
toilworn      bondage mainly entails and
 fosters ignorance1 by allowing      the
 laborer no leisure for the cultivation 
of his mind1 it      has ever been      
cherished as the safeguard of ,church   

and      ,state despotism4  ,all these  
questions are answered in five          
words3--the artificial religion of      
priestcraft4  ,so shall the             
priest-ridden world go on1 till         
,from the lips of truth one mighty      
breath1           ,shall1 like a        
whirlwind1 scatter in its breeze        
,the whole dark pile of human mockeries4
  ,publishers' ,note4--,since this was  
written vast changes have been made in  
,england in the laws relating to        
marriage and divorce1 and if ,logan     
,mitchell could rewrite this he would   
probably be satisfied with such         
increased facilities for divorce as     
exist now in the ,state of              
,massachusetts1 coupled with more       
complete recognition by the law of the  
parental rights of the mother4  ,,end   
,,of ,,lecture ,,second4     ,,lecture  
,,third4 ,,the ,,christian ,,fathers1   
,,and ,,their ,,dogmas       ,on the    
back-ground appeared the ,christian     
fathers1 rearing a      form of         

superstition the most sanguinary and    
destructive of      human happiness that
 has ever afflicted the world4 ,her     
limbs      bestrode the prostrate       
nations to the extremities of the       
earth2 her head lowered to the clouds1  
whilst the right hand      of the       
gigantic monster brandished a burning   
torch4       ,beware of a bull before1 a
 horse behind1 and a priest all round4  
,old ,proverb4  ,it has constantly been 
assumed by church chronologists that the
 ,jewish sect of ,galileans1 who        
afterwards took the old ,pagan          
appellation of ,christian1 had writings 
of their own as early as the first      
century2 but this is mere gratuitous    
assumption1 and rests only on the       
authority of men entirely undeserving of
 credit4 ,as for this new ,christian    
,theogony1 and how it came to receive   
the first stitches of its patchwork     
during the second and third centuries1  
we know nothing about the matter1 except
 what we have on the authority of       

,eusebius 7see preceding lecture71      
,bishop of ,caesarea1 a man who was     
confessedly the most notorious of all   
the ,church historians for forgery and  
every other species of pious            
falsehood499 ,in getting up his history1
 he confesses that he entered upon a    
solitary and untrodden way that he could
 nowhere find as much as the bare steps 
of those who had passed the same path   
before him2 that he had not found any   
ecclesiastical writer which unto this   
day hath in this behalf employed any    
diligence4       99 ,vide ,baronius4    
,these confessions from such a man are  
ample proof that he had no authentic    
matter to found his history upon2 but he
 could call to his aid1 legends1 fables1
 and traditions1 all very plastic and   
convertible materials1 and in the use of
 them he has certainly shown himself a  
consummate workman4 ,the rest of that   
class of men who are generally          
denominated the ,fathers of the ,church1
 some of whom lived before1 and others  

after the time of ,eusebius1 were       
persons equally addicted to holy frauds 
and forgeries 7with perhaps one or two  
exceptions71 but most of them were much 
inferior to him in zeal and industry4   
,as habitual lying and deception were   
charged upon most of them by the learned
 of their ,pagan contemporaries1 and    
also by the candid and impartial amongst
 their modern successors in the church1 
it is proper to notice what some of the 
latter have written of them4 ,in this   
delineation of character we find that a 
large majority of the vices and crimes  
which are found among the worst of      
mankind1 have been fixed upon1 them2    
viz41 avarice1 faction1 ignorance1      
sedition1 persecution of each other1    
lying1 perjury1 ,clogherism99 7the crime
 of the ,church in all ages71 cruelty1  
and murder4 ,and some writers have gone 
so far as to declare that early         
ecclesiastical history is nothing but a 
compendium of their evil deeds4       99
 ,we learn from ,barnet's ,exposition1  

that the practice of      unnatural     
lusts had been so common among the      
dignitaries of      the ,church1 that   
,st4 ,bernard1 in a sermon preached to  
the      clergy of ,france1 affirmed    
sodomy to be so common in his      time1
 that bishops with bishops lived in it  
,in times still earlier1 the grossest   
vices are acknowledged to have been     
common1 if not habitual1 among the      
faithful2 for ,paul1 in his epistle to  
the ,roman ,christians1 chapter first1  
charges1 his friends and followers1 and 
even the women amongst them1 as guilty  
of the unnatural crime4 ,in chapter vi41
 #ai1 he evidently alludes to it again4 
,st4 ,barnabas1 indeed1 calls the first 
,christians1 the most wicked of all the 
wicked4 ,some of the fathers of the     
second century1 such as ,papias1 and his
 admirer1 ,irenaeus1 were actuated by   
follies so absurd1 that they seem rather
 to have deserved the name of madmen2   
witness the romances about the grape    
vines1 and others of a similar nature1  

which are not exceeded by the wildest   
fictions of ancient or modern times4    
,such being the soil1 ,christians1 out  
of which your religion sprung from old  
roots1 we need not wonder that the fruit
 it has borne has been rather bitter4   
,the historians of the ,popes confess   
that many of them were condemned by     
their own general councils for adultery1
 dogherasty1 simony1 sorcery1 and       
,atheism4  ,in the third and fourth     
centuries1 the fathers had arrived at   
higher tact and skill1 and became adepts
 in trimming up all kinds of pious      
deceptions and falsifications1 and some 
of them were avowed forgers on principle
 and by profession4 ,but it frequently  
happened that as hostilities grew up    
between the leaders of contending sects1
 they were useful in exposing the       
nefarious inventions of each other1     
which led to deadly animosities amongst 
their followers4 ,it was1 probably1 a   
late knowledge of the utter             
fallaciousness of his newly adopted     

religion1 and the perpetual contentions 
which he saw to be inseparable from such
 a system1 that eventually disgusted    
,origen1 and caused him1 as is well     
known1 to abandon ,christianity1 recur  
to ,paganism1 and sacrifice to idols1   
publicly denying his lord and master1   
,jesus ,christ4 ,this appears in his own
 writings1 but more fully in his life1  
written in ,greek by ,suidas4           
,episcopius says of the ,council of     
,nice1 and others of that early period1 
that they were led on by fury1 faction1 
and madness2 and this is corroborated by
 another author1 who relates1 that at   
the second ,synod of ,ephesus1          
,dioscorus1 ,bishop of ,alexandria1     
knocked and kicked ,flavianus1          
,patriarch of ,constantinople1 with such
 fury1 that within three days after he  
died4 ,the philosopher ,ammianus        
,marcellinus1 complains that no beasts  
were such deadly enemies to men as the  
more savage ,christians were to each    
other4 ,what better could be expected1  

when the example was shown by the       
leaders of sects1 the fathers           
themselves1 who were constantly         
quarrelling about the smallest as well  
as the greatest points1 and for the     
smallest as well as the greatest they   
damned one another499  ,in a former     
lecture1 it has been observed that the  
famous passage which we find in         
,josephus about ,jesus ,christ1 was     
never mentioned nor alluded to in any   
way whatever by any of the fathers of   
the first1 second1 or third centuries2  
nor until the time of ,eusebius1 when it
 was first quoted by himself4 ,the truth
 is1 none of these fathers could quote  
or allude to a passage which did not    
exist in their times1 but was1 to all   
points short of absolute certainty1     
forged and interpolated by ,eusebius1 as
 suggested by ,gibbon and others4 ,even 
the redoubtable ,lardner has pronounced 
this passage to be a forgery4  ,that    
most ingenuous and fair dealing son of  
the ,church1 ,mosheim1 whose authority  

and unimpeachable veracity have never   
been questioned1 even by divines1       
certifies as follows3--,the ,platonists 
and ,pythagoreans held it as a maxim1   
that it was not only lawful1 but        
praiseworthy to deceive1 and even to    
make use of the expedient of a lie in   
order to advance the cause of truth and 
piety49999 ,the ,jews1 who had lived in 
,egypt1 had learned and received this   
maxim from them 7the ,pythagoreans and  
,platonists7 before the coming of       
,christ1 as appears incontestably from a
 multitude of ancient records2 and the  
,christians were infected from both     
these sources with the same pernicious  
error1 as appears from the number of    
books attributed falsely to great and   
venerable names4 ,the above extract     
refers to the second century only1 when 
numerous gospels1 epistles1 etc41 were  
fabricated and falsely fathered in the  
manner stated by ,mosheim2 but in the   
fourth century there were few exceptions
 to the standard maxim1 that it was an  

act of the highest merit to deceive and 
lie1 whenever the interests of the      
priesthood might be promoted thereby4   
99 ,in the inexhaustible arsenal of ,st4
 ,paul's conundrums1      ambiguous     
oracles1 and common-sense-defying       
quibbles1 they      got arms1 which     
answered equally well to combat each    
other1      and to confound all         
experience and reason4       9999 ,upon 
this principle exactly1 every priest1   
before he can      become a member of   
the ,english established church1 is     
obliged to perjure himself on his       
adoption by the bishop1 in      swearing
 two tremendous1 palpable1 glaring lies2
 namely1      that he does not seek the 
living or office for the sake of        
lucre2 but that he is impelled thereto  
by the ,holy ,ghost6      ,hear1 hear1  
stall-fed ,john ,bull4  ,the writings of
 the most virtuous and meritorious      
authors among the ,pagans1 if they      
inculcated good morals alone1 and       
condemned all vulgar superstitions1 were

 reckoned superlatively dangerous by    
these fathers2 for even the amiable     
,plutarch did not escape their wasteful 
malice1 there being upwards of a hundred
 of his opuscula1 or moral treatises    
destroyed4 ,but while they indulged in  
this prudent destruction1 they took care
 to preserve such extracts from the     
writings of ,porphyry1 ,celsus1         
,hierocles1 and others1 as they could   
fit up by contortion1 and press into the
 service of their new superstition1     
inserting1 at the same time1 concessions
 which were never made by these         
philosophers1 whose works were          
exceedingly obnoxious1 on account of the
 reason and good sense which they       
contained4 ,nay1 it has even been known 
that some of the finest of these        
literary productions have1 in certain   
parts1 been entirely obliterated by     
these1 falsifying priests1 and their own
 knavish jargon substituted on the same 
parchment4  ,daille freely avers1 that  
the writings of the fathers are in great

 part forged1 either anciently or in    
latter times1 full of frauds1 both pious
 and malicious1 against ,pagan learning1
 mutually witnesses against each other1 
and are absolutely not to be believed4  
,they would forge whole books to serve  
the ends of the priesthood4  ,these     
examples were too interesting and       
praiseworthy not to be followed1 as far 
as possible1 by the ,english clergy4    
,they falsified1 again and again1 says  
,hume1 the rolls of ,parliament to serve
 their own dominion1 taking care to     
publish only the articles that were     
favorable to themselves4 ,and they were 
guilty of another imposture in adding   
one to the number--7,see the first      
edition of ,hume74  ,jortin1 in his     
remarks on ecclesiastical history1      
charges the fathers with perverting1    
misquoting1 defaming1 defacing and      
destroying the works of their           
adversaries1 and even those of each     
other4  ,blondel1 when speaking of the  
second century1 says1 whether you       

consider the immediate impudence of     
impostors1 or the deplorable credulity  
of believers1 it was a most miserable   
period1 and exceeded all others in pious
 frauds2 there was more aversion to     
lying1 and more fidelity among profane1 
than among ,christian1 authors4  ,bishop
 ,fell confesses1 that in the first ages
 of the ,church1 so extensive was the   
license of forging1 so credulous were   
the people in believing1 that the       
evidence of transactions was grievously 
obscured4 ,casaubon complains as        
follows3--,i am much grieved to observe1
 in the early ages of the ,church1 that 
there were very many who deemed it      
praiseworthy to assist the divine word  
with their own fictions2 that their new 
doctrine might find a readier admittance
 among the wise men of the ,gentiles4   
,this is confirmed by ,scaliger1 who    
declares that1 so inefficacious did they
 deem their word of ,god1 that they     
distrusted the success of ,christ's     
kingdom1 without the aid of lying499    

99 ,their ,new ,jerusalem was           
heaven-constructed1 and formed a        
cube of five hundred leagues2 it        
descended through the air      for forty
 nights successively4 ,tertullian saw it
 himself--      ,bravo4       ,this ,new
 ,jerusalem was figurative of the       
,houses of the      sun1 or the signs of
 the zodiac4  ,bishop ,burnet has shown 
that the ,athanasian creed was a forgery
 of the eighth century4  ,to the        
testimony and authority of the above    
seven highly respectable divines1 we    
might add that of a host of other       
theologians1 which shows that it has    
generally been the sons of the ,church  
themselves who have most fully exposed  
the utterly worthless and deceitful     
characters of the fabricators of our    
religion3 but for the present we shall  
only cite the ,free ,inquiry of the     
ingenuous and learned ,dr4 ,middleton1  
who1 in quoting the authority of ,st4   
,cyprian as to the frauds of the        
,christians in the third century1       

observes as follows3--,from all these   
considerations taken together1 it must1 
,i think1 be allowed that the forged    
miracles of the fourth century give us  
just reason to suspect the pretensions  
of every other age1 both before and     
after it4 ,my argument would be much the
 same if it were grounded on the allowed
 forgeries of any later age4 ,again1 he 
says2 ,so far ,i agree with them both   
7,drs4 ,chapman and ,berriman7 and own  
their defence to be true1 that the      
earlier miracles rest on no better      
foundation1 nor are supported by any    
better evidence than the latter4 ,it is 
true that elsewhere ,dr4 ,middleton     
seems to concede the truth of the ,new  
,testament and apostolic miracles1 but  
who does not see that this was a shift  
to ward off persecution and ruin8  ,it  
has elsewhere been observed1 that       
according to the confessions of the     
apostolic father1 ,st4 ,hermas1 which we
 have in his book called ,the ,pastor1  
he was a liar upon principle and avowed 

profession4 ,beausobre says of1 him3    
,his principle was1 that faith was only 
fit for the rabblement4  ,saint         
,augustine1 one of the most veracious1  
and the least given to lying of all the 
,fathers1 declares in his #ccrd sermon1 
and stakes his eternal salvation to the 
truth of the fact1 which he said was as 
true as the ,gospel1 that while he was  
bishop of ,hippo ,regiup1 he preached   
the gospel of our ,lord and ,savior     
,jesus ,christ to a whole nation of men 
and women1 who had no heads1 but had    
their eyes in their bosoms2 and in      
countries still more southerly1 he      
preached to a nation amongst whom each  
individual had but one eye1 and that    
situate in the middle of the forehead6  
,what a glorious field this affords the 
long-eared rout for the exercise of     
their faith6  ,that falsehood was quite 
the order of the day amongst the        
,fathers1 witness the maxim of          
,tertullian1 ,credo quia impossibile    
est2 upon which unerring rule he founded

 his implicit belief in the resurrection
 and other such miracles1 that is1 he   
believed them true1 because they were   
utterly impossible4 ,saint ,jerome      
accuses not only ,st4 ,paul1 but ,jesus 
,christ1 of frauds4  ,justin ,martyr    
speaks of the fable of the ,phoenix as  
an incontrovertible truth4 ,tertullian  
affirms1 in his usual manner1 that when 
the ,christians cast out devils1 they   
7the devils7 acknowledged themselves to 
be the heathen deities1 ,mars1 ,bacchus1
 ,apollo1 etc41 etc4 ,these1 and such as
 these1 are our ,christian authorities6 
,at the head of all these ,fathers of   
the ,church1 in point of rank and       
pre-eminence in wickedness1 stands the  
imperial assassin1 the ,emperor         
,constantine4 ,as a forger and          
falsifier1 it was not in his line to    
equal his protege ,eusebius2 but in all 
the arts of dissimulation he seems not  
to have been his inferior4 ,as a cool   
family murderer1 ,nero and ,caligula may
 hide their diminished heads in his     

presence4 ,he drowned his wife in       
boiling water2 put to death his son     
,crispus2 murdered the two husbands of  
his sisters1 ,constantia and ,anastasia2
 murdered his own father-in-law1        
,maximiam ,hercules2 murdered his       
nephew1 his sister ,constantia's son1   
only twelve years of age2 with some     
others1 not so nearly related1 amongst  
whom was ,sapator1 a pagan priest1 who  
refused absolution for the crimes of the
 royal assassin4  ,there is nothing     
easier to conceive than the eagerness   
with which such tyrants as ,constantine1
 and his son ,constantins1 would embrace
 so convenient a religion as the one    
newly vamped4 ,the ,pagan priest1       
,sapator1 was put to death for          
expressing horror at the crimes of the  
former1 which were readily absolved by  
the ,christian priests2 and when the    
latter wanted to commit similar murders1
 he found a ready assistant in the      
,bishop of ,nicomedia1 a holy father of 
the fourth century1 who forged a fatal  

deed1 which he affirmed to be the       
testament of the deceased emperor2 in   
which his son ,constantius was enjoined 
and conjured to murder his two uncles   
7one of whom was his father-in-law71    
,optatus1 the husband of his aunt1 and  
seven cousins german1 one of whom was   
his brother-in-law4 ,these were the     
first imperial patrons of ,christianity6
 ,the good bishop no doubt justified    
,constantine in the bloody injunction   
laid in his forged will1 by the example 
of ,david1 who1 with his last breath1   
enjoined his son ,solomon to murder his 
faithful general1 ,joab1 and ,shimei1   
though he had sworn not to harm the     
latter2 in like manner ,constantius had 
pledged his solemn oath for the security
 of his kinsmen4  ,when the foregoing   
sketches and opinions are considered as 
proof specimen of the true characters   
and conduct of a few of the men called  
the ,fathers1 an estimate of the general
 worthlessness and fraudulent motives of
 the whole may easily be formed2 yet    

such were the men who systematized      
,christianism1 headed by ,st4 ,paul1 who
 afforded them a notable example in all 
the arts of mystery or fraud1 these two 
terms being synonymous4 ,his            
justification of lying is as            
follows3--,for if the truth of ,god hath
 more abounded through my lie unto his  
glory1 why yet am ,i also judged as a   
sinner8 ,rom4 iii41 #g4 ,it ought not1  
therefore1 to excite any surprise1 that 
from so foul a source should emanate    
those unsightly and revolting dogmas1   
which1 sooner or later1 must bring this 
superstition into utter contempt1 before
 the tribunal of reason and science4    
,the root of all these dogmas is        
distinctly traceable to the             
astro-theology of the ancient ,pagans2  
but the whole has been hideously        
perverted by the fabricator of our      
religion1 either by knavishly teaching  
the exoteric1 or literal sense1 though  
they knew the esoteric1 or hidden       
meaning2 or by adopting the former      

through ignorance of the mythological   
mysteries4 ,the fable of the fall of    
man1 the garden of ,eden1 the serpent   
and ,eve1 etc41 are clearly astronomical
 allegories299 and the most learned of  
the early fathers held them to be so2   
but they were abused by others1 and     
taken in the literal sense1 in order    
that they might serve as tenterhooks1   
upon which to stretch the ,new          
,testament dogmas of original sin and   
redemption4       99 ,at the autumnal   
equinox1 when the celestial sign1 ,virgo
      7,eye7 is setting heliacally1 she 
seems to be followed by the             
constellation ,bootes 7,adam1 or a      
personification of solar      heat7 and 
by seeming to hold out to him a branch  
with      beautiful fruit upon it1 was  
said to tempt or seduce ,adam1      whom
 she appears to draw after her2 and when
 the two link      below the western    
horizon1 they are said to fall2 and to  
resign the heavens to the dominion of   
the serpent1 and other      wintry      

signs1 i4e4 cold and darkness1          
figuratively1 evil4      ,while the man 
and woman are retiring from the summer  
garden      of fruits and flowers1 the  
sign ,perseus is seen rising in      the
 east1 and with his flaming sword is    
said to drive the      happy pair from  
the reign of summer4 ,as ,virgo sinks   
first in      the west1 she is said to  
be first in transgression4  ,that these 
fables have allusion to the signs of the
 zodiac1 the solar system1 the elements 
and seasons1 has been shown by ,volney1 
,dupuis1 and others4 ,many of the       
apparently gross absurdities of the     
,bible are easily explained by the key  
of ancient astronomy4 ,indeed1 all the  
principal personages of that book1 as   
well as those of remote pagan antiquity1
 whether1 ranking as deities or men1    
were either personifications of         
constellations1 planets1 seasons1 or    
other natural objects1 or their affects2
 and whenever miraculous powers were    
ascribed to those fanciful creations1   

all men who understood the mysteries1   
such as ,herodotus1 ,philo1 ,origen1    
etc41 knew that the literal sense could 
not be true2 and that the right         
interpretation was allegorical4 ,the    
ancient languages of the ,east having no
 neuter gender1 the host of celestial   
existences were denominated in the      
masculine or feminine4 ,amongst these1  
their grand immaculate chieftain1 the   
sun1 in all the eastern theogonies1 and 
under a thousand different names1 was   
always adored as the omnipotent ,creator
 and ,regulator4 ,o ,sun1 cried the     
great prophet of ,persia1 thou art      
powerful in thy blaze6 glorious in thy  
lustre6 the burster of darkness6 head of
 the world6 king of stars6 mightiest of 
beings above6  ,that those polytheisms  
of the ,east1 from which emanated       
,judaism and ,christianity1 had their   
root in astronomy1 is proved from the   
most authentic sources4 ,the ,egyptians1
 says ,plutarch1 inserted nothing into  
their worship without a reason1 nothing 

merely fabulous1 nothing superstitious1 
as many suppose2 but their institutions 
have either a reference to morals1 or to
 something useful in life2 and many of  
them bear a beautiful resemblance of    
some appearance in nature4 ,chaeremon1  
the ,egyptian philosopher1 says3 ,what  
is said of ,osiris and ,isis199 and all 
the sacred fables1 may be resolved into 
the stars--their occultations and       
risings--into the course of the ,sun    
through the zodiac2 or the nocturnal and
 diurnal hemispheres4       99          
,according to ,eratosthenes1 the        
celestial ,virgin was      supposed to  
be ,isis1 that is1 the symbol of the    
returning      year4 ,it was in honor of
 this goddess that the ,egyptians       
celebrated the famous festival of light1
 which was imitated      by the         
,christians in their feast of           
,candlemas4 ,from the      ,egyptians1  
the ,romans took their ,solar festivals1
 in honor      of the birth of the god  
of light1 celebrated on the #beth       

,december1 at which time1 says ,sexvius1
 the ,sun may1 properly      speaking1  
be said to be new1 or to have a new     
birth4 ,hence      the ,christmas of the
 ,christians1 which had also been1      
previously1 a ,druidical festival1 in   
honor of the solar      ,god's birth2   
hence the evergreen emblems--the holly1 
the      mistletoe1 etc41 all sacred    
among the ,druids thousands of          
years before ,christ4  ,porphyry        
corroborates the above thus3--,the      
learned ,egyptians admit the existence  
of no other gods except what are called 
the planets1 the gods which give        
completion to the zodiac2 and such as   
rise together with these2 and likewise  
the sections of the zodiac into decans4 
,such were the ,egyptian and ,chaldeans 
roots of ,christianity2 and such was    
,christianity itself1 until it became   
abused and falsified by the introduction
 of ,platonic visions1 and a belief in  
the reality of supernatural             
personifications1 which by degrees      

supplanted the sublime natural and moral
 principles of the ,pagan stock4  ,the  
metaphysical phantasma called soul      
7revived by ,plato from the divine      
philosophy of the ,pagans71 and its     
future state of rewards and punishments1
 is one of the most pernicious and fatal
 of those dogmas4 ,without this notion  
priests would be comparatively harmless1
 as it forms the basis of their secret  
influence1 by working upon the hopes and
 fears of ignorance1 and thereby becomes
 the chief source of riches and power4  
,by this mischievous invention they have
 turned this fair world into an abode of
 gloomy despair1 terrifying their       
weak-minded victims into slavish        
obedience1 by keeping them in perpetual 
dread of imaginary punishments1 in the  
infliction of which they paint their god
 as a capricious and malevolent tyrant4 
,this story of the soul's immortality   
must have been unknown1 or at least not 
fashionable at the time in which it is  
said ,moses lived1 since no allusion    

whatever is made to it throughout the   
books attributed to him299 and ,david1  
,solomon1 and ,job deny it in the most  
positive manner4 ,even the testator of  
the ,jewish will seems at that time to  
have had no such idea4 ,the fact is1 the
 ,jews had heard nothing of the matter  
until they learnt it of the ,platonist  
,greeks1 as is proved by many parts of  
the ,bible2 for instance1 ,moses makes  
the ,jewish god threaten to visit the   
sins of the fathers upon the children   
unto the third and fourth generation4   
,the rewards were also purely temporal1 
such as their corn their wine shall     
abound4 ,these were all the ideas that  
,moses had of future rewards and        
punishments2 and the ,pharisees did not 
publicly maintain the dogma of the      
soul's immortality1 etc41 until about   
the time of ,herod4       99 ,the great 
,warburton has shown that the ,jews in  
the time of      ,moses1 entertained no 
such opinion as the immortality of the  
soul4  ,this is admitted 7says ,ensor7  

although unwillingly1      by ,tillotson
 and ,wilkins1 and candidly by ,le      
,clereq and      ,geddes4 ,this platonic
 notion is flatly denied in ,psalms     
cxlvi41 #d2 and in ,eccles4 iii1 #ai1   
#bj4  ,pythagoras and ,plato seemed to  
have been the mere revivers of this     
ancient doctrine1 which1 as the learned1
 say1 sprang from the ,brahminism of    
,india1 the most ancient of all the     
mythologies1 the priests of which are   
said to have been the first who         
corrupted human society1 by the         
invention of souls1 and other spiritual 
or celestial existences2 but1 unlike    
their imitators of' the west1 they      
neither persecuted nor shed a drop of   
blood for religion's sake2 nor the blood
 of animals for food4 ,christians6 we   
know ye can very ill bear to be told1   
that from ,india through ,persia ye have
 your cosmogony1 fall of man1           
immortality of the soul1 redemption1    
incarnation1 future rewards and         
punishments1 heaven and hell1 desolation

 of all things1 universal restoration1  
trinity in unity1 eternity1 omnipotence1
 omniscience1 omnipresence1 and         
omnibenevolence of ,god299 all are      
derived from the ,vedas and ,shastras1  
or ,bible of the ,brahmins1 and the     
,sadder of the ,zoroastrians4 ,out of   
these oriental materials1 all the       
successive religions that have sprung up
 in the west have been fabricated1 with 
such variations in the machinery as     
suited the civil and clerical despotism 
in the different countries1 and the     
degree of ignorance in the people4  ,one
 of the insidious and baneful arts of   
theology1 has ever been to make man     
believe that he is something else than  
that which nature has made him in       
reality2 and this delusive flattery has 
moulded him into that self-important and
 credulous animal1 which best suits the 
interests of his deceivers29999 hence   
his proudly assumed knowledge of his    
personified deity4 ,if this be true his 
boasted spiritual knowledge seems to    

have the effect of making him more      
wicked and vicious than any other       
animal1 for he is not only the scourge  
of all the rest1 but will1 to gratify   
the pride and ambition of lay and       
spiritual tyrants 7leagured together for
 his oppression71 cut the throats of his
 own species2 though1 by so doing1 he   
the more closely rivets the chains of   
his own subjection1 and maintains those 
very delusions which enslave his mind1  
poison society1 and distract the world4 
99 ,and this ,god was no other than the 
,sun6       9999 ,in commencing this    
nefarious process no time is lost man   
is seized upon the moment he is born1   
and the first      sacerdotal spell is  
the water incantation2 after which his  
mind is gradually mortgaged to the      
priest by more potent      charms2 he is
 carefully shorn of his natural         
liberties1 and      thus donkified1 all 
his motions are regulated until death1  
when the last priestly spell is         
performed4 ,but this is not             

all--clerical rapacity holds property   
even in the corpse      which cannot be 
interred until this last grasping charge
 is      satisfied4  ,the spiritual     
arsenal of ,plato having thus supplied  
the human animal with what is called an 
immortal soul199 our ,christian priests 
have ever since found it an excellent   
foundation for their scheme1 and a      
secure medium through which to make     
permanent their riches and power4       
99 ,as the word soul1 heaven1 spirit1   
hell1 metaphysio1 ghost1                
immaterial1 etc41 are not               
representatives of things which         
exist in reality1 why are they suffered 
to confound common      sense8 ,because1
 in serving that purpose1 they are the  
most      useful auxiliaries of         
priest-mare delusion4 ,the ,theologian's
      definition of them is his best    
refutation4  ,plato would not at this   
day know his foster-child1 disfigured as
 it now is by a train of hideous        
inventions1 the theory of which is1 that

 death is the only way to a new and     
eternal life2 that all who believe in   
this paradoxical speculation of the     
priest shall be rewarded1 and that all  
who believe him not shall be tortured by
 an eternal roasting in that life4      
,considering the weak and credulous     
nature of the human mind in a state of  
ignorance1 we must acknowledge the bold 
ingenuity which invented this tremendous
 dogma2 it is calculated to confound    
even the strongest intellect2 for the   
terrors of death1 under so frightful a  
predicament1 utterly debase and enslave 
the prostrate mind1 making it a prey to 
all the combined efforts of sacerdotal  
fraud4 ,by this pernicious fiction1 the 
morality of nations has been destroyed1 
the blackest crimes that man can commit 
have been pardoned199 and the priest has
 filled his coffers to the glory of the 
three divinities6 ,theology1 in its vain
 attempts to raise man above that sphere
 in which nature has placed him1 as a   
link in her animated chain1 hath thus   

created for him an imaginary futurity2  
but1 in so doing1 by a strange          
incongruity1 the creature so exalted    
above himself1 and made the exclusive   
object of divine clemency1 has against  
him1 nevertheless1 #iii chances in the  
#a1jjj that he is predestined to        
everlasting torments1 7yet even this    
inexorably forlorn hope flatters his    
pride7 whilst the remaining unit only   
shall enjoy the beatitude of celestial  
bliss3--            ,no matter1         
,better to be in hell1 it seems1 than   
,not to be at all4 ,we say negatur4     
99 ,oh1 ,plato6 ,plato6 you have paved  
the way           ,with your confounded 
fantasies1 to more           ,immoral   
conduct1 by the fancied sway4           
,your systems feign o'er the controlless
 core           ,of human hearts1 than  
all the long array           ,of poets  
and romances2 you're a bore1            
,a charlatan1 a coxcomb1 and have been1 
,at best1 no better than a              
go-between4--,byron4  ,to create that   

essential difference between man and the
 other animals which is necessary to the
 ends of priestcraft1 the spiritualist  
conjures up his chimerical invention    
called soul2 which1 for certain         
considerations to him well and truly    
paid1 he bestows exclusively upon man2  
and as the other animals have no money1 
he declares1 in the not-to-be-questioned
 tone1 that not one of them has a rag of
 any such appendage4 ,there is no       
necessity for proving this in the usual 
manner1 nor even to demonstrate that the
 article in question has a real         
existence1 as these are points of faith 
imposed by dint of infallible dogmas1   
the truth of which is sufficiently      
proved by the power which nine millions 
a-year confers upon our spiritual       
guides2 and by the ignorance which that 
power and influence fosters4  ,the bee1 
the beaver1 the ant1 and many more of   
those called inferior animals1 have     
shown in community1 equal1 if not       
superior wisdom1 in all their customs   

and social institutions1 to that        
displayed by man in society2 yet priests
 will not allow them a scrap of soul4   
,but this deficiency will be remedied   
whenever spiritual impostors1 pretending
 to heavenly inspiration1 shall spring  
up amongst themselves2 for then         
supernatural religions1 with their      
accompaniments of priesthoods1 will be  
simultaneous blessings1 as the latter   
will not only supply in abundance the   
little immortal articles in question1   
but save and cure them for the voyage to
 heaven1 for the trifling remuneration  
of being allowed the means of living in 
luxury and ease for life1 at the expense
 of the wealth producers4 ,these        
conditions are so customary and         
moderate1 that a priesthood1 even       
amongst ants1 could not be expected both
 to create and save souls on more       
reasonable terms4 ,before these tiny    
examples of industry give way to the    
introduction of supernaturalism1 and its
 hierarchical plagues1 let them well    

weigh whether the possession of souls   
7subject to the terrible risks above    
stated71 and a postmortem life will     
compensate for the corruption of        
government1 the debasement of character1
 the immoralities1 the vices1 and       
shocking crimes which will most         
assuredly pervade their communities for 
ever in this life1 whenever they adopt  
spiritualism1 and its train of locusts  
to prey upon their industry4 ,we have   
been more particular in regard to ants1 
owing to its having been ascertained    
that in many of their republics1 a      
military force1 or standing army1 in    
peace as well as in war1 has been       
established2 and as that scourge has    
never been known among men1 but as part 
of a grand enslaving scheme1 which      
embraced1 as a vital correlative1 some  
system of superstition and its          
priesthood1 it is greatly to be feared  
that the ants are verging towards the   
sacerdotal mania1 which is the hand and 
glove concomitant of the former evil4   

,the indisputable fact that man1 taking 
him as the ,christian superstition has  
moulded him1 has more vices1 than any   
other animal whatsoever1 and not a      
single virtue that may not be found in  
most of them1 is rather a lame proof of 
his exclusive possession of the immortal
 item to which he pretends4  ,that which
 was called soul in ,platonism and      
,christianity1 was precisely the ,pneuma
 of the ,greeks1 and the ,anima of the  
,latins1 to which they attached no other
 meaning than simply the breath of      
life99 in all animals2 and as that is   
composed of elements which are eternal1 
immortality may1 in this sense1 be      
justly ascribed to it4 ,but mind or soul
 is not a thing of itself 7res sui71 but
 a consequence resulting from1 and      
depending upon1 animal organisation4 ,in
 regard to the innate ideas which it has
 pleased our theological doctors to     
bestow upon the human mind1 the better  
to adapt it for their own purpose1 it   
would be quite as philosophical and     

true1 to assert that a violin had innate
 music4 ,this physical property called  
mind1 the result of organisation1 and1  
in degree1 common to everything that has
 life1 is1 at birth1 a tabula rasa1 but 
acquires ideas as it grows to maturity1 
from the senses being acted upon by     
external objects1 much in the same      
manner that the mechanically organised  
violin produces music1 from the external
 action of the bow4       99 ,its       
supposed existence after death is merely
 a fresh      version of the ancient    
,metempsychosis4       9999 ,aristotle  
maintained the eternity of matter1 and  
did not      believe that the governing 
power of the universe extended      any 
particular providence to sublunary      
things4 ,as for the      immortality of 
the soul1 or even the existence of any  
such      thing1 as taught in modern    
theology1 it was quite      inconsistent
 with his principles2 yet he was1 at one
 and the      same tune1 the master of  
theologians1 and the chief of the       

,atheists4  ,the next dogma we shall    
notice is that of ,savior1 or ,mediator4
 ,this is evidently derived from the    
,christna of the ,hindu trinity1 who1 as
 the ,redeemer of the human race1 was   
the most important of the three4 ,this  
personification of the sun seems to have
 been adopted by the ,persian lawgiver1 
,zoroaster1 under the name of ,mithra   
7which still meant ,mediator71 when he  
founded the religion of the ,mithriacs1 
or worshippers of the sun4 ,according to
 ,plutarch1 ,zoroaster taught that there
 existed two principles1 one good1 and  
the other evil2 the first was called    
,oromazes1 the ancient of days1 being   
the principle of good or light2 the     
other1 ,ahrimanes1 was the principle of 
evil1 or cold and darkness4 ,between    
these personified principles1 he placed 
his ,mithra1 who1 as the source of      
genial heat and life1 annually redeems  
the human race from the power of evil or
 cold and darkness499 ,from this        
beautiful allegory of the sun1 is       

derived the ,christian dogma of ,savior1
 of which proof maybe found even amongst
 the fathers4 7,see ,tertullian1 ,adv4  
,qentes47 ,celsus asserts that the early
 ,christians were merely a sect of      
adorers of the sun1 and such a sect were
 the ,manicheans4 ,the principles of    
what man calls good and evil1 have also 
been personified9999 in the ,osiris and 
,typhon of the ,egyptians1 the ,jupiter 
and ,pandora of the ,greeks1 the        
,jehovah and ,satan of the ,jews1 and   
the present ,god and devil of the       
,christians4       99  ,this ,indian and
 ,persian ,trinity was symbolical of the
      three-fold1 power of the ,sun1 or 
,god ,mithra3 in spring and      summer1
 he is the ,producer2 in autumn1 the    
,preserver2 and by      his absence in  
winter1 the ,destroyer4       9999 ,the 
fraud of personifying principles1 and   
the physical      powers of ,nature has 
always been easy and indispensable with 
priests in all ages4 ,during the ,french
 revolution1 ,gobet1      ,bishop of    

,paris1 acknowledged that up to that    
time1 himself      and his clergy had   
taught the people nothing but a mass of 
falsehood1 for which he apologised2     
disowned the god he had      taught the 
people to worship1 and promised to      
devote himself      to the worship of   
reason1 morality1 liberty and virtue4   
,but      the stupid and credulous mob  
soon personified these      qualities1  
and worshipped1 them as deities and real
      entities4 ,at ,rome1 in like      
manner1 the compliments of the      new 
year1 ,perpetua ,felicitas1 were turned 
into two      goddesses1 and receive    
divine honors to this day4  ,diogenes   
,laertius says expressly that the ,jews 
adopted the doctrine of the two         
principles from the ,magi2 and ,st4     
,augustine assures us that it was the   
foundation of the religion of the       
,assyrians1 who were so often the       
masters of the little miserable ,jewish 
horde4 ,manicheism 7so called from      
,manes1 the founder7 was one of the     

first branches of ,christianism2 but    
adhered more than any other of the      
heresies1 to the original ,zoroastrian  
stock1 though it lay as a stage between 
that religion and the recent version of 
,christianity1 which1 as well as        
,judaism1 is a mere heresy from the     
religion of the ,persians4 ,since the   
,persian cosmogony and religion1 as well
 as all others of the ,east1 were purely
 and confessedly allegorical1 is it     
rational to suppose that anything of the
 kind got up by the ,jews1 could be     
other than a rough and ignorant version 
of that of their masters8  ,it has been 
admitted by most of the learned that the
 ,shastras and ,vedas1 or scriptures of 
the ,hindus1 were in existence #a1djj   
years before the alleged time of ,moses2
 and1 in all probability1 the           
,zendavesta1 or ,persian ,bible1 was    
long anterior also4 ,sir ,william       
,jones1 of pious and orthodox memory1   
confesses that1 the name of ,chrishna199
 and the general outline of his story1  

was long anterior to the birth of our   
,savior1 and1 to the time of ,homer1 we 
know very certainly4 ,i am persuaded    
also 7continues he71 that a connexion   
existed between the old idolatrous      
nations of ,egypt1 ,india1 ,greece1 and 
,italy1 long before the time of ,moses4 
,in the ,sanscrit ,dictionary1 compiled 
more than two thousand years ago1 we    
have the whole story of the incarnate   
,deity1 ,,born ,,of ,a ,,virgin1 and    
miraculously escaping in his infancy    
from the reigning tyrant of his country4
       99 ,sir ,william ,jones says1 in 
his ,asiatic ,researches1 that      he  
was assured by ,colonel ,valency1 that  
,chrishna in ,irish      means the sun4 
,the ,baal-fire feast1 or meeting1 was a
 great      festival in ,ireland1 on the
 #beth of ,december1 and midsummer      
eye4 ,baal1 or ,bel1 was a name of the  
sun all over the east4       9999 ,this 
probably alludes to the great period of 
nearly      #bf1jjj years1 in which time
 the sun passes through the whole       

circle of the zodiac4 ,that is1 he is in
 each sign1 at the      venial equinox1 
for the space of #b1aee years4  ,this   
tyrant1 alarmed at some prophecy1 sought
 the infant's life2 and1 to make sure   
work1 he ordered all the male children  
under two years of age to be put to     
death4 ,here is the true origin of the  
horrid story about ,herod1 of which no  
,greek or ,roman historian says a single
 word4 ,that the ,christian story was   
taken from the ,indian allegory1 is     
traceable in every circumstance--the    
reputed father of ,chrishna was a       
carpenter--a new star appeared at the   
child's birth--he was laid in a         
manger--7celestial7--he underwent many  
incarnations6 to redeem the world from  
sin and mental darkness1 7ignorance and 
winter7 and was1 therefore1 called      
,savior2--he was put to death between   
two thieves--he arose from the dead1 and
 returned to his heavenly seat in       
,vaicontha4 ,in corroboration of this1  
,albert the ,great admits as follows ,we

 know that the sign of the celestial    
,virgin did come to the horizon at the  
moment where we have fixed the birth of 
our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,all the      
mysteries of the incarnation of our     
,savior ,christ3 and all the            
circumstances of his marvellous life1   
from his conception to his ascension1   
are to be traced out in the             
constellations1 and are figured in the  
stars4 ,volney1 ,dupuis1 and others1    
have shown that these1 and many more of 
our ,scripture stories1 which are absurd
 and revolting1 if taken literally1 were
 originally1 in the learning of the     
east1 pregnant with truth as            
astronomical allegories2 having primary 
allusion to the sun1 the elements and   
seasons1 and to the progress of that    
luminary through the different signs of 
the zodiac2 but more particularly1 as he
 is the sole and glorious source from   
which flows all and everything that man 
can rationally call good4 ,we repeat the
 melancholy truth1 that all these       

beautiful astro-allegories have been    
lost in the ignorance or roguery of     
priestcraft4  ,miraculous               
conceptions4--,all antiquity is full of 
such conceptions and births1 springing  
from the fabulous amours of gods with   
virgins1 whereby sons of ,god were      
engendered4 ,these fables also had their
 origin in physical and moral           
allegories2 but they were subsequently  
found to be extremely convenient to     
cover the real fruits of sacerdotal     
intrigues and seductions1 which the     
priests could always saddle upon some   
good-natured god4 ,in all probability   
the virgin votaries of ,vesta were      
instituted for no other purpose than the
 private devotions of the priesthood99  
and when it happened that they were     
unable to conceal the natural effects of
 these amours1 the paternity was charged
 upon some easy accommodating god2 by   
which means the girl remained in        
spotless virginity4 ,this opinion is the
 more valid from their being allowed to 

marry at thirty1 when the priests no    
longer wanted their services1 but those 
of the younger girls3 if they chose to  
remain1 in the temple1 however1 they    
were            ,doomed to deck the bed 
they once enjoyed4       99 ,in the     
highest apartment of the ,temple of     
,belas1 in      ,babylon1 a woman was   
kept for the private devotion of the    
priest whose turn it was to make        
astronomical observations4      ,this   
was done under the pretence that the    
lady was visited      once a year by the
 god ,bel4 ,history dees not inform us  
in      regard to ,bel's progeny1 by    
these housekeepers4  ,by such artful    
intrigues1 the ,hindu virgin1 ,rohini1  
conceived and brought forth a son of    
,god1 one of the ,brahmin trinity4 ,a   
,chinese virgin1 impregnated by a ray of
 the ,sun1 became the mother of the god 
,foe1 who always acted as the mediator  
between his followers and another god of
 still greater power4 ,mademoiselle     
,creusa1 in all her virgin purity1 was  

safely delivered of another son of ,god 
as was also the virgin mother of        
,somonocodom1 who1 according to the     
scriptures of the ,talapoins of ,siam1  
was the god expected to save the        
universe4 ,jupiter himself was fabled to
 have given birth to children from all  
parts of his body1 from forehead to leg3
 thus ,minerva sprang from his head499  
,the followers of ,plato1 two hundred   
and fifty years after his death1 and one
 hundred before the ,christian era1     
raised the story that he was born of a  
virgin3--,aristo1 his father1 was on his
 marriage1 warned in a dream by ,apollo1
 not to have any commerce with his wife1
 because she was with child by him      
7,apollo72 ,aristo obeyed2 and ,plato   
was born as another son of ,god ,it was 
no doubt owing to the holy paternity of 
some priest1 that ,sylva ,rhea1 under   
cover of a love affair with the god     
,mars1 had the honor to lay the         
foundation of the ,roman religion1 by   
producing another son of ,god4       99 

,the severe study1 or brain-labor       
necessary in acquiring      sound       
knowledge1 is here prettily allegorized 
in the birth1      of ,minerva1 who was 
the personification of wisdom4  ,the    
writers of the most ancient chronicles  
of ,alexandria1 after attesting the     
universal prevalence of our gospel      
religion in ,egypt for ages before the  
date of its alleged origin1 in the reign
 of ,tiberius1 testify as follows3--    
,to this day1 ,egypt has consecrated the
 pregnancy of a virgin1 and the nativity
 of her son1 whom they annually present 
in a cradle1 to the adoration of the    
people2 and when king ,ptolemy1 three   
hundred and fifty years before our      
,christian era1 demanded of the priests 
the significancy of this religions      
ceremony1 they told him it was a        
mystery499  ,all the above conceptions  
and incarnations are merely the poetical
 and allegorical fictions of ,paganism4 
,we have already seen that the first    
fabricators and compilers of our        

religion were men of the greatest       
honesty and veraciousness of character3 
and as they had just received the divine
 light of the only true revelation1 we  
are bound to believe that their story of
 a miraculous conception is the only    
true one1 confirmed as it is by ghosts1 
dreams1 angels1 and shadows4 ,it is true
 that it cannot boast of such remote    
antiquity as the foregoing prodigies2   
but it is ancient enough to constitute  
truth in the orthodox eye of ,faith2 and
 we must not give way to the impiety of 
supposing that it is an imitatio of any 
one of the heathen fables               
enumerated29999 or the blasphemy of     
surmising that ,god's sending his       
message to a carpenter's wife1 is a     
varied version of ,jupiter's loving     
message to ,alcmena1 by ,mercury4       
99 ,according to ,macrobius1 this was   
the solar god ,bacchus1      who appears
 at the winter solstice1 as an infant4  
,plutarch      says that at the winter  
solstice1 ,isis 7,nature7 brought       

forth a son1 a weak and feeble infant4  
,on the inscription at      ,sais1 ,isis
 says1 ,the fruit which ,i have         
produced1 was1 and      will become a   
,sun4       9999 ,the whole story about 
the conception and birth1 was told      
in precisely the same manner as it is   
now1 in ,india1 ,persia1      ,egypt1   
and ,greece1 for more than #a1fjj years 
before its      alleged occurrence in   
,palestine4  ,neither must we entertain 
the shocking idea that the conception of
 ,mary was occasioned by any carnal     
agency2 or that either the shadow or    
substance of any priest was at all      
concerned in the holy mystery4 ,yet     
heresy will tell untoward tales2 for her
 pregnancy has been accounted for in the
 most natural way imaginable1           
thus3--,according to the apocryphal     
gospel of the nativity of ,mary which   
,father ,jerome ,xavier entirely adopts1
 ,mary1 when a child1 was consecrated to
 the ,lord 7that is1 to the priests71 by
 the usual vow2 and was brought up in   

the temple1 which she did not leave     
until she was sixteen years of age4     
,this created a suspicion that her      
pregnancy was the effect of some        
intrigue with the priests1 who made her 
believe1 or say1 that it was the ,holy  
,ghost who had begotten a child upon    
her499--7,codex4 ,apox4 ,n4 ,t47 ,some  
profane persons have said that the high 
priest was himself the chief actor in   
this sacerdotal amour2 for he anxiously1
 pitched upon old ,joseph to be the     
husband of ,mary4 ,st4 ,epiphanjus      
assures us in his book ,adv4 ,heresies1 
that ,joseph was very old at the time of
 his marriage with the virgin2 and adds 
that he was the father of six children  
by his first wife4 ,moreover1 the gospel
 ascribed to ,st4 ,james the younger    
affirms that the good old man espoused  
,mary with much reluctance1 owing to the
 disparity of their ages2 but the high  
priest prevailed on him at last2 and it 
further informs us of the very ill-humor
 of ,joseph1 when he found that his wife

 had been with child before their       
marriage1 and the reproaches with which 
he loaded her1 on account of her        
lewdness1 unworthy1 as he thought1 of a 
virgin reared under the eyes of priests4
 ,mary excused herself with tears and   
protestations1 and swore by the living  
,god that she did not know who begot the
 child4 ,in her distress1 the best      
excuse would have been her adventure    
with the archangel ,gabriel2 but it     
appears she forgot that4 ,it is indeed  
passing strange that ,mary1 according to
 ,matthew1 is wholly ignorant of her    
justification1 according1 to ,luke4     
,the fathers of our ,church have        
disputed and quarreled in the most      
obscene terms1 about this mystic        
impregnation by the ,holy ,ghost4 ,st4  
,ambrose says3--,non enim1 secreta      
reseravit1 sed immaculatum semen        
inviolabili utero spiritus sanctus      
infudit69999       99 ,the followers of 
,loatze say1 that his mother became     
pregnant of him1 by a junction of heaven

 and earth4 ,this is      a sublime and 
bold conception2 and far excels the     
puerile      prating about ghosts1      
angels1 dreams1 and shadows4       9999 
,of the miraculous impregnation1 ,st4   
,ambrose says1 ,maria      per aurem    
impregnata est4  ,in one of the ,church 
hymns it was sung1 ,non ex virili1 sed  
mystico spiramine4 ,justin ,martyr1 in  
his apology1 justifies these dogmas as  
modified by the ,christians1 not because
 they were true1 but from the example of
 the heathen2 he says3--,by declaring   
the ,logos1 the first begotten of ,god1 
our ,master ,jesus ,christ1 to be born  
of a virgin1 without any human mixture1 
and to be crucified and dead1 and to    
have risen again1 and ascended into     
heaven1--we say no more in this1 than   
what you say of those whom you style the
 sons of ,jove4 ,this was honestly      
lugging in one fable to apologise for   
another4 ,the logic of ,tertullian on   
this subject was decisive1 and peculiar 
to himself--it might be called an       

axiomatic1 or self-evident mode of      
reasoning2 for instance1 he says1 ,i am 
not ashamed of maintaining that the son 
of ,god was born1 because it is itself a
 shameful thing4 ,i maintain that he    
died and rose again1 because it is      
absurd ,when preachers use such         
convincing arguments1 there is no excuse
 for the incredulity of hearers4 ,this  
great ,father contended also1 that souls
 were material--that they had sexes1 and
 were as much begotten by each other2 as
 our bodies are by the bodies of our    
immediate parents4 ,he asserted also1   
that ,god is a body4  ,the word begotten
 necessarily infers and associates the  
ideas of three distinct and separate    
,beings--the begetters1 the begotten1   
and the person on whom he was begotten2 
and the term begotten1 alluding as it   
does to the performance of a particular 
action1 must imply a particular time    
when that action was performed and of   
course that there was a time when that  
action was performed2 now as the very1  

definition of the word eternity is that 
which is without beginning as well as   
without end1 to talk of a person        
begotten from eternity1 is to compose a 
sentence of words the most contradictory
 to each other1 or downright nonsense2  
it is to tell us of an action that was  
begun without any beginning2 of a finite
 infinite1 or an immortal mortal6 ,but  
the mystic conceptions1 births1 and     
incarnations of ,paganism1 being rooted 
in1 and having exclusive allusion either
 to physical or moral principles1 there 
were no such absurdities1 terms1 or     
monstrous perversions of them1 as the   
early ,christiana fell into1 by         
converting mere words into beings1 in   
forming their mythology4  ,that the     
,christian dogma of the immaculate      
conception and birth of ,christ1 was    
originally an astronomical allegory of  
the ,sun1 the day-spring from on high1  
can be proved by a hundred corroborating
 facts1 which1 are irresistibly         
convincing1 except where interest1 or   

the most inveterate prejudice1 stands in
 the way4 ,these facts have been        
elucidated by ,albert1 ,alphonso1       
,volney1 ,boulanger1 ,dupuis1 ,taylor1  
and by all astronomers1 who have not    
been deterred from speaking the truth by
 their interests1 their fears1 or their 
prejudices4 ,on the #aith of ,august1   
the constellation of the ,virgin        
disappears in the sun's rays2 and hence 
the figurative expression in ,luke i41  
#ce1 ,the ,holy ,ghost shall come upon  
thee1 and the power of the ,highest     
shall ,,overshadow thee4 ,on the same   
day the ancients celebrated the         
assumption of ,astrea199 7another name  
of the ,virgin17 and about the same     
time1 the ,christians celebrate the     
assumption of the blessed ,virgin4 ,on  
the #ith of ,september1 this            
constellation emerges out of the ,sun's 
rays1 at which time the ,catholics      
celebrate the nativity of the mother of 
the ,sun1 or ,christ4       99 ,that is1
 the starry goddess4 ,she was also the  

,miriam 7the      same as ,mary1 ,eve1  
,ac417 of ,numbers xii41 #ad1 and the   
seven      days' leprosy of her face was
 allegorical of the same number      of 
days exactly1 when the brightness of the
 zodiacal virgin      is wholly         
absorbed1 or obscured1 by the effulgence
 of the      solar rays4  ,the star in  
the east1 7a sign containing more than a
 hundred stars17 mentioned in ,matthew1 
was no other than this zodiacal sign of 
the celestial ,virgin1 which arose on   
the eastern horizon precisely at the    
time at which we fix the birth of ,jesus
 ,christ1 viz41 the #beth of ,december1 
when the sun has risen one degree above 
the solstitial point3 which answers to a
 moment to the births of the ,egyptian  
,osiris1 the ,grecian ,bacchus1 and the 
,mithra of the ,persians4 ,these mystic 
births are manifestly identical1 being  
metaphorical of the ,sun's annual birth 
at the winter solstice1 after which he  
gradually becomes1 not only             
figuratively1 but positively1 the       

,savior of the world4 ,the resemblance1 
or rather the sameness of every         
circumstance relating to ,mithras1 the  
,mediator of the ,persians1 and those   
connected with the ,savior1 or ,mediator
 of the ,christians1 is so apparent1    
that no rational man can doubt1 or      
hesitate a moment1 in pronouncing the   
latter to be a counterpart of the       
former4  ,zoroaster taught the ,magi    
that this celestial birth would be      
announced by the rising of this star1 or
 constellation of ,virgo1 in the middle 
of which would appear the figure of a   
young woman1 suckling an infant child1  
called ,jesus by some nations1 and      
,christ1 or ,christos199 in ,greek4     
,this was the goddess of the year       
nursing the god of day4 ,under this     
beautiful symbol1 the new born child is 
said to be feeble1 weak1 and obscure1   
which is metaphoric of the ,sun below   
the horizon in winter2 that he was      
brought forth in a stable1 and laid in a
 manger1 alluding to the stabulum       

jovium1 one of the winter               
constellations4 ,at the vernal equinox1 
when the ,sun entered the sign ,aries1  
or the ,bam1 the emblem was a lamb1 7the
 lamb of ,god17 and as he gained        
strength towards the summer solstice1 he
 became the conqueror of the powers of  
darkness and evil1 that is1 the         
constellations of winter2 and was       
figuratively said to bruise the         
serpent's head1 that constellation      
being1 as it were1 depressed below the  
horizon4 ,by a like metonymy of         
language1 the ,ascension of ,christ has 
also allusion to the ,sun at the summer 
solstice4       99 ,in the ancient      
zodiacs of ,india and ,egypt1 there is  
seen      this virgin nursing a male    
child with sun rays around his          
head1 7frown not1 ye priests67 which is 
emblematical of the      infant sun at  
the winter solstice1 and of his being   
then in      the sign ,virgo4 ,when he  
was in that sign in summer1 the         
virgin was represented with a bunch of  

fruit2 and when in      harvest1 she    
appropriately held out an ear of corn4  
,these      zodiacs were devised at     
various periods of antiquity1 as the    
sun passed through the different signs1 
in the phenomena of      which the      
learned priests always found plenty of  
gods and      goddesses for the worship 
of the vulgar1 as is still done in      
,christianism4  ,upon the sun's annual  
progression through the twelve signs of 
the zodiac was founded the mythological 
or allegorical astronomy of the         
ancients1 7,christianity has no other   
foundation72 and in this zodiacal       
picture1 the allegory supposes that sign
 to have rule1 through which the sun is 
passing2 the knowledge of which science 
was conveyed in a striking and sublime  
manner1 under the disguise of miraculous
 narrative3 of this sort is the story of
 the three children1 in the book of     
,daniel1 a relic of ,chaldean astronomy4
 ,the burning fiery furnace was nothing 
else than an emblem of that region of   

the great circle which the sun enters at
 midsummer1 or the sign ,cancer4 ,each  
of the twelve signs of the zodiac had a 
presiding genius1 or imaginary          
personification1 and these were the     
twelve greater gods of ,paganism4 ,each 
of these signs was again subdivided into
 three parts1 called ,decans1 who were  
also personified2 and1 consequently1    
there were three of these geniuses in   
each of the signs3 therefore1 when the  
sun enters ,cancer1 there must be three 
of these ,decans1 or personifications1  
in the burning fiery furnace4 ,here the 
astronomer in ,daniel199 concealing his 
science under the veil of allegory1     
exclaims3 ,did we not reckon three      
children in the burning fiery furnace8  
,behold1 ,i see four1 and the form of   
the fourth is like the ,son of ,god6 ,no
 person but a ,christian1 under his     
strongest prejudices1 is capable of     
denying the manifest meaning of this    
metaphor1 that being evidently the sun  
itself2 which1 with three personified   

,decans1 ,shadrach1 ,mesach1 and        
,abednego1 in the sign ,cancer1 makes   
the fourth4 ,it is almost needless to   
point out that ,nebuchadnezzar1 the     
king1 is a personification of the       
constellation ,sirius1 or the dog-star1 
which is always supposed to heat the    
burning fiery furnace1 in a sevenfold   
degree1 while the sun is in its         
vicinity1 that is1 from the #crd of     
,july till about the #aath of ,august4  
99 ,the zodiacal sign of the lion being 
below the horizon1 and      the sun     
appearing to set in the direction of    
that      constellation1 ,dom-el1       
,daniel1 or ,daniel1 that is1 the ,sun  
was said to be cast into the ,lion's    
,den4       9999 ,the author is much    
indebted to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,taylor for  
the satisfactory manner in which he     
proves many of these      astronomical  
allegories4  ,what is the signification 
of the many ,bible allusions to the     
,horse and his ,rider1 the triumphant   
breaking of the arrows and his bow1 he  

being always denoted as essentially     
opposed to what is good1 and forming    
part of1 or belonging to1 that which is 
evil8 ,this allegory evidently points to
 the ,centaur sign1 ,sagittarius1 half  
horse and half man1 armed with bow and  
arrows4 ,this is the zodiacal sign of   
,november2 and the sun being in that    
adverse constellation in that dark and  
gloomy month1 it is naturally spoken    
against1 as being emblematical of his   
weak1 low1 and depressed influence2 and1
 consequently1 its inseparable connexion
 with evil1 or cold and darkness4 ,but  
when the sun rises triumphantly in the  
heavens1 and is most truly the day star 
on high1 as he ascends towards the      
summer solstice1 and becomes the ,lion  
of ,juda1 in ,july1 he has victoriously 
thrown the zodiacal archer1             
,sagittarius1 as it were1 into the sea  
that is1 below where the sea bounds the 
horizon4 ,then have we ,miriam's sublime
 song of victory3--,sing ye to the ,lord
 7the sun71 for he hath triumphed       

gloriously2 the ,horse and his ,rider   
hath he thrown into the sea4 ,as this   
victory is achieved annually1 the song  
is equally applicable at every          
midsummer4 ,thus1 though a large portion
 of the miscellany called the ,bible    
appears in the guise of immoral or      
absurd narrative1 much of it is really  
and truly the allegorised astronomy of  
the ,chaldees and ,persian ,magi1 and   
therefore rooted in science4  ,like     
everything else relating to ,christ1 or 
,christos1 the dogma of the ascension   
has no doubt its allegorical root in the
 ,sun's apparent exaltation in the      
heavens1 from the vernal equinox to the 
summer solstice4 ,this miraculous story1
 as we have seen it in the ,new         
,testament1 is more replete with        
inconsistency than even any of the      
others of that book4 ,the ,fathers have 
attributed the anonymous book called the
 ,acts to ,luke2 but his gospel         
contradicts the ,acts3 the latter makes 
,jesus remain on earth forty days after 

his crucifixion2 whereas ,luke makes him
 ascend into heaven the very same day he
 arose from the dead4 ,those who are    
stated to have been eye-witnesses of the
 ascension1 being present as disciples  
at the time1 viz41 ,matthew1 ,john1     
,peter1 ,james1 and ,jude1 have not1 in 
the epistles ascribed to them1 left even
 an allusion to that most wonderful     
phaenomenon4 ,matthew and ,john were    
said to be present--how came they to    
omit even the slightest notice of this  
vital root of ,christianity8 ,mark and  
,luke were not present2 yet they alone  
notice it1 in rather a vague and abrupt 
manner4 ,in short1 no person whatever   
says he saw it4 ,mark says that ,jesus  
ascended at ,jerusalem2 ,luke says it   
was at ,bethany1 places two miles       
distant from each other4 ,matthew says  
the last seen with the disciples was on 
a mountain in ,galilee2 ,luke1 that it  
was at ,bethany1 which is at least      
seventy-five miles from ,galilee4  ,the 
dogma of the redemption of man by ,jesus

 ,christ1 appears not to have been      
thought of by the ,new ,testament       
fabricators2 and is clearly a subsequent
 invention of the ,church of ,rome4     
,paul1 ,in ,corinthians xv41 gives us   
abundant assertions about the           
resurrection of the same body1 which is 
his chief doctrine1 but there is not a  
word about redemption4 ,this dogma1     
then1 is the lucrative forgery of       
priestcraft1 after the councils of ,nice
 and ,laodicea had decided by vote that 
the spurious miscellany called the ,new 
,testament should be the new ,will of   
,god4 ,the amount of moral evil done by 
this fable1 is enormous beyond all      
expression4 ,when men are taught that   
their wicked deeds and vices are to be  
rubbed off by a device so unjust and    
iniquitous as the sacrifice of the      
innocent1 to atone for the crimes of the
 guilty1 we cannot wonder at the horrid 
depravity of society4  ,having already  
shown that ,christianism is merely a    
compound emanating from the ,egyptian1  

,brahmin1 and ,zoroastrian systems1 or a
 new version of the fables of           
,prometheus1 ,christna1 ,mithras1       
,adonis1 ,bacchus19999 etc41 engrafted  
with some variations upon the ,jewish   
scriptures2 and that the above names1   
with hundreds of others1 are so many    
personified emblems of the ,sun1 which1 
together with the planetary system and  
the fixed stars 7in ,bible phrase1 the  
host of heaven7 formed the occult basis 
of all the religions of ,paganism1999999
 the important question will be         
asked--has may penetrate into the       
signification of all oriental mysteries2
 but the ,vulgar can only see the       
exterior symbol1 or the bark which      
covers them4 ,again1 he says1 ,it is    
allowed by all who have any knowledge of
 the scriptures1 that everything is     
mentioned enigmatically4       99 ,that 
man should be redeemed from the sin of  
eating an      apple1 by the murder of  
an innocent person called ,jesus1 is    
certainly by far the strangest system of

 religion that ever      was palmed upon
 the world4 ,never was there so great an
      outrage on common-sense6          
9999 ,even the word ,divine1 pluralised 
in ,dii ,vini1 deities      of wine1 or 
priests of ,bacchus1 is taken from      
heathenism1      and pressed into the   
service of a very different order of    
priests1 save that wine-loving has ever 
been common to both4       999999       
,origen tells ,celsus that the ,egyptian
 philosophers      veiled their         
knowledge of things in fables and       
allegories4      ,the learned1 he adds1 
,christianity has no tangible or        
anthentic historical foundation1 to be  
understood according to the literal     
sense of the ,new ,testament8 ,if such  
events or incidents in any way similar  
to those detailed in the ,new           
,testament1 had in reality taken place  
at the times and places stated1 they    
could not possibly have failed to excite
 the intense attention of the public    
authorities amongst the ,romans1 even if

 denuded of their miraculous            
accompaniments the infant butchery of   
,herod would alone have caused this     
attention4 ,but as no one of all the    
historians or noted writers1 ,roman1    
,jewish1 or ,greek1 who lived in the    
period of the alleged prodigies1 nor    
those who came upon the public stage    
immediately after them1 though there    
were upwards of twenty such             
distinguished authors1 who wrote between
 the years #bj and #adj ,a4,d41 have    
taken the slightest notice of the life  
or crucifixion of a person called       
,christ--7the passage in ,josephus is   
universally given up as forgery7--the   
inadmissible violations of ,nature's    
laws1 said to have accompanied that     
event1 as narrated in the ,gospels1     
which contradict each other in almost   
every important circumstance1 we are    
forced to the conclusion that           
independently of everything miraculous1 
the story is totally unsupported by any 
concurrent testimony299 but when the    

miracles are taken into consideration in
 the literal sense1 reason and all      
experience at once decide the whole to  
be grossly fabulous2 and seems to be a  
circumstantial imitation of the         
crucifixion of ,prometheus1 as we have  
it in the tragedy of ,a,eschylus1 which 
is a dramatic allegory of the sun1 and  
the planetary system4       99 ,bishop  
,talleyrand1 in a letter which1 he is   
said to have      written to the ,pope1 
after their quarrel1 states that after  
,christianity had made some noise in the
 ,empire1 the entire      absence of all
 testimony in regard to its pretended   
origin1      excited the curiosity of   
the ,roman ,senate1 to know what        
really was the foundation of the story2 
so they ordered      affidavits to be   
procured in the very centre of          
,palestine1      in places fixed by     
them1 which affidavits were sent to     
,rome1      with the most conclusive    
evidence of the correctness of the      
report4 ,these proved that ,mary1 who   

was of the tribe of      ,levi1 and wife
 of the carpenter ,joseph1 who was of   
the tribe      of ,juda1 had had an     
illicit intercourse with a ,roman       
soldier1 named ,panther1 who served in  
the #adth legion1      stationed in     
,egypt1 whence he was detached into     
,palestine4      ,from this criminal    
intercourse a child was born1 whom they 
called ,arenias2 and who was adopted by 
,joseph1 according to      the ,roman   
practice1 though it was contrary to the 
,jewish      customs4 ,with ,joseph he  
learned the carpenter's trade2 but      
after the death of his putative father1 
he abandoned his      home and mother1  
and became a vagrant4 ,having met a few 
vagrants like himself1 they all took the
 road to ,galilee1      where they lived
 for some time by begging4 ,having at   
last      become the leader of a band of
 freebooters1 he was arrested      by   
the police of ,jerusalem1 and finally   
condemned to death      by the general  
acclamation of the people4 ,by thus     

instituting inquiries in the country in 
which he was born1      the ,roman      
,senate became acquainted with the      
origin of ,mary's      son1 which1 in   
regard to paternity1 differs from the   
apocryphal gospel of the nativity of    
,mary4  ,this new version of the old    
mythology was gradually constructed by  
priestcraft during the second1 third1   
and fourth centuries1 of materials taken
 from all the oriental polytheisms2 and 
is a similar sort of fraudful quackery  
upon these allegorical religions1 that  
astrology is upon legitimate astronomy4 
,thus1 7let us repeat the melancholy    
truth7 out of the comparatively harmless
 astro-fables of antiquity hath sprung a
 foul collusion of religious and        
political tyranny1 that has been        
dreadful in its effects2 and every      
successive invention to strengthen this 
accursed coalition of an aristocracy of 
nobles and priests1 linked together with
 royalty199 has tended more and more to 
depress the interests of the laboring   

population1 or wealth producers of      
,europe1 and served to crush them under 
the most merciless of all despotisms4   
,and as it is utterly hopeless that our 
,english hereditary lawgivers1 who are  
virtually our feudal rulers1 and whose  
interests are entirely exclusive1 will  
ever pass any laws but such as support  
and perpetuate these interests1 it is   
much to be feared that1 as in ,france   
before the revolution1 nothing but a    
sanguinary reaction on the part of the  
people1 will reestablish their right to 
just representation in ,parliament1     
equal laws1 and a dissolution of that   
baneful state-confederacy between our   
aristocratic rulers and the reigning    
superstition2 the support of which1 we  
are tempted to conclude1 is more the    
object of government than the interests 
of the common weal4       99 ,in #ahbb1 
the clergy of ,austria persuaded the    
monarch of      over forty millions of  
people to declare1 ,i want no men of    
science2 ,i want only obedient subjects4

 ,i want no education      among my     
subjects1 but what is given by the      
priesthood4   ,,end ,,of ,,lecture      
,,third4     ,,lecture ,,fourth4 ,,pagan
 ,,allegories ,,made ,,christian        
,,dogmas 7,continued47       ,all these 
fragments of crack-brained opiniatry and
 silly      solaces1 played off1 in the 
sweetness of song1 by deceitful         
poets1 have1 by you too credulous       
creatures1 been shamefully      reformed
 and made over to your own ,god4        
,,minutius ,,felix4  ,,does not the ,new
 ,testament speak very distinctly of two
 crucifixions1 viz41 one as having taken
 place upon ,mount ,calvary1 and another
 at1 or in a ,garden8 ,there is even a  
third mentioned1 as having occurred in  
,egypt1 where also our ,lord was        
crucified1 ,rev4 xi41 #h2 which is a    
plain recognition of the astro-religion1
 and solar worship of the ,egyptian     
priests4 ,the crucifixion upon ,mount99 
,calvary was allegorical of the sun's   
passing over1 or crossing the equator in

 ,march2 of which month the ,ram1 or    
,lamb of ,god1 was the zodiacal emblem1 
,god1 the sun1 being in that sign at the
 spring equinox4 ,this was also the     
origin of the ,pascal ,lamb1 and the    
,passover of the ,jews1 which they      
borrowed of their masters1 the          
,egyptians4       99 ,the word mount1 as
 here used1 is figurative of the sun's  
being in the state of elevation in the  
horizon1 at the      spring equinox4    
,this crossing of the sun1 while in the 
,ram of ,march1 was likewise metonymised
 into the phrase about ,the ,lamb that  
was slain from the beginning of the     
world1 that is1 the ,lamb that was      
figuratively crucified at every vernal  
equinox1 while the sun was in the sign  
,aries or the ,lamb4 ,the ,evangelist   
,john1 in describing ,god1 declares that
 the hair of his head was like wool2    
7,o1 ,john1 you are too apt to tell     
tales ont of school67 which setting     
aside the ludicrous simile1 is a sublime
 symbol of ,god1 the sun1 in the sign of

 the ,bam1 in ,march4 ,why is the second
 crucifixion1 as narrated by this       
tell-tale1 ,john1 said to have happened1
 not upon a mount1 but in or near a     
garden8 ,because this crucifixion has   
allusion to the autumnal equinox1 when  
the sun crosses the line of the equator1
 in ,september2 and nothing can be a    
prettier1 or more appropriate emblem of 
that month than a fruit garden1 or      
vineyard4 ,why is the mother of ,jesus  
said to be standing by1 or near him1 at 
the garden crucifixion1 as stated by    
,john1 though her presence is not at all
 acknowledged by any of the other       
evangelists8 ,his mother could no more  
be near him at his ,calvary crucifixion1
 than ,august can be near ,march2 but as
 she1 as the sign ,virgo1 or the        
,virgin1 is also the genius of ,august1 
she was1 of course1 near1 or standing by
 the cross1 when her son ,jesus ,christ1
 that is1 the sun1 was crossified1 or   
crossed the equator in ,september1 that 
month being next door neighbor to       

,august4 ,the ,christ1 or ,savior of the
 vernal equinox ascends into the ,heaven
 of summer1 and saves1 or recreates the 
organised existences of this globe1 by  
his genial and animative power2 whereas 
the ,christ of the autumnal ,cross      
descends gradually to the winter        
solstice1 and is said1 therefore1 to    
descend into ,hell1 that is1 to enter   
the signs and constellations of winter1 
which1 being antagonistic to those of   
summer1 are emblematical of evil4 ,in   
the ,september crucifixion1 ,christ1 as 
the sun1 is called the ,just ,one1      
because he is then in the zodiacal sign1
 ,libra1 or the ,balance4  ,the         
,egyptian deity1 ,bacchus1 or the       
wine-producing god1 being also a        
personification of the sun1 is the same 
as ,christ1 and of course1 like him1    
visited the lowest regions after being  
unjustly put to death4 ,these being only
 the ,egyptian and ,indian names for the
 same divinity1 it was quite in analogy 
to preserve a symbolical allusion to the

 vine and blood of the grape1 in the    
crucifixion of ,christ4 ,but it requires
 little penetration to perceive that all
 we find there said about the agony199  
in the garden1 and sweating great drops 
of blood1 has a very plain allusion to  
the wine-press and the compression of   
the grapes29999 and here the secret     
meaning is as near the surface as it    
possibly can be in allegory4 ,the rich1 
sweet juice is at first expressed in    
great drops1 or copiously1 and is called
 the blood of the grape2 by a second    
pressure1 the thin lees1 or vinegar1 is 
compressed1 which they are allegorically
 said to have given him to drink2 and   
after this last process the business is 
truly said to be finished4 ,after this  
manner1 and in every age and country of 
the world1 down to the present day1 have
 the allegories invented by priests1 and
 cunningly drawn from the astronomical  
phaenomena of nature1 passed for        
religion amongst the unthinking         
million4999999 ,if the cruel usage given

 to ,john ,barleycorn1 in the process of
 turning him into beer1 had been        
allegorised to us in our present        
ignorance1 and priest-nursed stupidity1 
it would have answered equally as well  
as the fable of ,christ and the blood of
 the wine-press4       99 ,an ,agony    
literally is a wine-press4--,taylor4    
9999 ,and the wine-press was trodden    
without the city1 and      blood came   
out of the wine-press 7,rey4 xiv41 #bj74
       999999 ,the ,crucifixion of      
,christ is so manifestly a new version  
of that of ,prometheus 7another name of 
the sun71 that in our      translations 
of that tragedy of ,a,eschylus1 the     
crucifixion of      the original is     
never1 acknowledged2 but he is always   
fraudulently said to be bound4 ,the     
object of this impudent      fraud1 says
 ,mr4 ,higgins1 need not be pointed out4
  ,the name of ,chrishna1 ,christna1 or 
,christ1 was common to ,egypt as well as
 to ,india1 in the remotest known       
antiquity4 ,in the ,sanscrit            

,dictionary1 the name of the ,nile is   
,christna2 which is further proof of    
what ,sir ,william ,jones says about the
 exceedingly ancient intercourse which  
subsisted between ,india and ,egypt     
before the time of ,homer4 ,and although
 this pious author1 and several other   
writers on eastern affairs1 seem        
carefully to have avoided saying a word 
about the crucifixion of the ,hindu     
,savior1 and many ,christians have      
exulted in the similarity of the legends
 being entirely broken off by this      
pretended discrepancy1 yet the fact is  
incontrovertible1 that not only was     
,christ1 or ,christna1 crucified in     
,india1 but in ,egypt also1 as we have  
already shown on ,scripture authority4  
,mr4 ,higgins asserts that the ,brahmin 
crucifixion was well known in the time  
of ,st4 ,jerome1 who1 like the          
,evangelist ,john1 was rather apt to    
tell astronomical secrets4  ,mons4      
,guigniant says--,the death of ,chrishna
 is variously related3 one averred      

tradition very remarkably represents him
 to have perished on a fatal tree1 or   
cross where he was pinned1 or nailed    
with an arrow4 ,mr4 ,moor1 in the ,hindu
 ,pantheon1 states1 that many of the    
plates and pictures of ,india1 of       
undoubted antiquity1 represent the god  
,christna1 with cicatrix1 or scars in   
his hands and feet1 the very points of  
the nails by which he was suspended on  
that fatal tree4 ,plate #ih1 in the     
,hindu ,pantheon1 shows the figure of a 
man suspended on a cross2 and it        
appears1 that when the ,romish artists  
imitated this ,indian crucifixion1 in   
their carvings and paintings1 they      
omitted the cross itself2 their reason  
for this is very obvious4 ,the figure   
appears hanging in the sky1 with arms   
distended1 and the feet overlapping each
 other1 so that one nail might perforate
 both at once4 ,now it is not a little  
extraordinary1 that some of the earlier 
,christian sects maintained1 that       
,christ was crucified in the sky4 ,here 

is a direct demonstration1 that the     
,brahmin crucifixion is1 wholly and     
radically1 an astronomical allegory of  
the equatorial crossings of the sun at  
the ,equinoxes2 and that the ,christian 
fable is identically the same1 but the  
scientific meaning is lost1 through the 
fraud of priestcraft1 and the ignorance 
it fosters4  ,mr4 ,moor further         
observes1 that having some apprehension 
of giving offence to the bigoted and    
prejudiced on these points1 he showed   
the plates and paintings above-mentioned
 to a friend1 who suggested the         
propriety of omitting plate #ih4  ,i    
very much suspect1 says ,mr4 ,higgins1  
in his ,anacalypsis1 that it is from    
some story1 now unknown1 or kept out of 
sight1 relating to this ,avata1 that the
 ancient heretics alluded to1 obtained  
their tradition of ,jesus being         
crucified in the clouds4 ,he says again1
 ,that nothing more is known respecting 
this ,avata1 ,i cannot help suspecting1 
may be attributed to the same kind of   

feeling1 which induced ,mr4 ,moor's     
friend to wish him to remove print #ih  
from his book4 ,the innumerable pious   
frauds of which ,christian priests stand
 convicted1 and the principle of the    
expediency of fraud1 admitted to have   
existed by ,mosheim1 are a perfect      
justification of my suspicions          
respecting the concealment of the       
history of this ,avata4 ,i repeat1 ,i   
cannot help suspecting that it is from  
this ,avata1 7incarnation7 of ,chrishna1
 that the sect of ,christian heretics   
got their ,christ crucified in the      
clouds4  ,in regard to the ,buddhists of
 ,india1 who claim an antiquity of      
fifteen thousand years1 ,sir ,william   
,jones1 though he appears to have been  
horrified at the idea of following truth
 beyond the limits of bible chronology1 
is constrained to assign the period of  
,buddha1 or the ninth incarnation of    
,vishnu1 in the year #adjj before       
,christ1 though according to ,volney and
 others1 it was #fjj years earlier4     

,christna and ,buddha are identical99 in
 principle2 both are incarnations of    
,vishnu1 the second person in the ,hindu
 ,trinity1 and were born of virgin      
mothers1 and each was the son of a      
carpenter2 both suffer death by         
crucifixion4 ,christna raised the dead1 
by descending for that purpose to the   
lowest regions4 ,both names signify     
,shepherd and ,savior4 ,the crucified   
,christna is represented in the         
aforesaid plate #ih1 with rays of glory 
surrounding the head1 as is also the    
head of ,buddha1 which may be seen in   
the museum of the ,india ,house4 ,to the
 rational mind1 this glory will appear  
emblematical only of the sun himself in 
his radiant summer brightness1 because  
it is manifestly so of no other object  
in nature4       99 ,the ,negro1 ,mannon
 now in the ,british ,museum1           
corroborates      the opinion1 that the 
sciences were once in the hands of the  
,blacks4 ,mr4 ,higgins says1 that though
 both ,buddha and      ,chrishna of the 

,india ,house museum1 are black1 the    
latter is      easily distinguishable   
from the former1 because he is not a    
,negro4  ,mr4 ,higgins goes on to show  
the idle pretensions that the ,brahmins1
 some way or other1 have got copies of  
the apocryphal gospels1 from which they 
have taken the history of the birth1    
life1 and adventures of ,chrishna4 ,how 
wonderfully absurd1 says he1 to suppose 
that all the ancient emblems and idols  
of ,christna1 in the temples and caves  
scattered over every part of ,india1 and
 absolutely identified with them in     
point of antiquity1 can have been copied
 from the gospels written after the time
 of ,jesus6 ,how wonderfully absurd1    
that the ,brahmins1 and people of this  
widely extended empire1 should          
condescend to copy from the real or     
cast-away spurious gospels of a sect1 at
 that time almost unknown in their own  
country2 and many thousand miles distant
 from these ,brahmins6  ,the deified    
,hercules1 the personified power of the 

sun1 was known in very remote antiquity2
 yet according to ,arrian1 he was       
fifteen centuries later than ,bacchus1  
who was the same as the ,hindu deity    
,siva4 ,the triplicate godhead of       
,india1 says ,arrian1 consisted of      
,brahma1 ,chrishna1 and ,seeva1 three in
 one1 and one in three viz41 the        
,creator1 ,preserver1 or ,savior1 and   
the ,destroyer499 ,now1 ,arrian wrote in
 the second century1 in the time of the 
,emperor ,adrian1 when the ,new         
,testament of the ,christians was not   
yet got up2 and as for their ,trinity1  
they did not fully imitate the ,hindu in
 that triune point1 until about the     
close of the fourth century4       99   
,according to a passage of ,arrian1     
quoted in the ,edinburgh      ,review1  
,chrishna was worshipped in the time of 
,alexander1 at      what still remains  
one of the most famous temples of       
,india1      that of ,mathura1 on the   
,jumna1 the ,matura ,deorum of ,ptolemy4
  ,all the garbled statements1 and mean 

subterfuges that could be invented by   
powerful priesthoods1 in league with    
corrupt ,rulers1 have been brought into 
play to oppose and stifle the above     
incontrovertible facts4 ,this unblushing
 effrontery is quite in trade with      
parties whose interest it undoubtedly is
 that these things should be known only 
amongst themselves1 lest the            
simple-minded should be induced to      
suspect that they had been most         
egregiously duped by men whose very     
living depends upon deception4 ,the     
wonderful resemblance1--the apparent    
sameness or identity--of the ,indian and
 ,christian mythics1 must have shaken   
the well-settled faith of ,sir ,william 
,jones2 and so far1 his love of truth   
got the better of his piety2 otherwise1 
he would no doubt have been willing to  
suppress the alarming truth of the      
vastly higher antiquity of the ,hindu   
allegory499 ,why did he conceal the     
crucifixion part of the fable1 and the  
fact of its being represented as taking 

place in the sky8 ,it was in vain he    
expected that other writers on ,india1  
many of whom were equally well-informed1
 would be as disingenuous as himself4   
,the ancient hieroglyph of the cross    
itself is1 beyond all contradiction1 of 
the most remote antiquity in the        
different countries of ,india2 and it is
 found on most of the ,egyptian         
obelisks--all the three monograms of    
,osiris1 and those of ,jupiter          
,ammon1--the staffs of ,isis and        
,osiris1 etc4 ,the pious and orthodox   
,mr4 ,skelton1 in his ,appeal to common 
sense1 confesses as follows3--,how it   
came to pass that the ,egyptians1       
,arabians1 and ,indians1 long before    
,christ came among us1 paid such a      
remarkable veneration to the cross1 is  
to me unknown2 but the fact itself is   
known4 ,in ,dr4 ,clarke's ,travels1     
there is an engraved copy of a          
,phoenician medal1 found in the ruins of
 ,citium1 and proved by him to be       
,phoenician1 on which are inscribed1 not

 only the cross1 but the rosary or      
string of beads1 attached to it1        
together with the figure of a ,lamb4    
,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,maurice1 in his ,indian
 ,antiquities1 informs us that the two  
principal ,pagodas of ,india1 ,benares  
and ,mathura1 are erected in the form of
 vast crosses4  ,the famous crux ansata1
 says ,mr4 ,higgins1 is to be seen on   
all the ancient buildings of ,egypt2 and
 is the mark alluded to by ,ezekiel ix41
 #d4 ,it is as common in ,india as in   
,egypt and ,europe4 ,mr4 ,moor1 in his  
,oriental ,fragments1 tells us that1    
placed in a circle1 it was an emblem of 
eternity1 having equally neither        
beginning nor end4 ,the signing of the  
cross9999 on the forehead of            
individuals1 as a token of security for 
life1 is of great antiquity4 ,cain1 it  
seems1 wore this mark of security4      
99 ,mr4 ,barrow1 the great astronomer1  
says that ,the ,hindu      religion     
spread over the whole earth2 that       
,stonehenge is one      of the temples  

of ,boodh2 and that astronomy1          
astrology1      arithmetic1 holy days1  
games1 etc41 may be referred to the     
same original4       9999 ,st ,jerome   
has observed that this mark1 or letter1 
in the      true ancient ,hebrew        
alphabet1 was a cross4 ,with the        
exception of the sun himself the        
hieroglyph of the cross has      been   
more generally adored than any other    
object in nature4      ,why8 ,because it
 is symbolic of two annual periods which
      mainly affect the condition of man
 upon this globe--the two               
equinoctial crossings by the sun4       
,jablonski was of opinion that this     
figure1 the crux ansata1 was also an    
emblem of generation1--nihil aliud esse 
quam phallum1 etc4 ,however1 we have    
historical facts stating that the women 
of ancient ,egypt wore ornaments of a   
character or form so very unequivocal1  
as to leave no doubt about the allusion4
 ,the proofs of the vast antiquity of   
the cross might be carried much farther1

 acknowledged and confirmed as they are 
in many instances even by divines       
themselves1 who have deeply investigated
 the subject1 and could see no way to   
elude the unpalatable truth1 that the   
cross was an object of superlative      
sanctity and veneration amongst the     
eastern nations1 not only long anterior 
to the time of the ,emperor ,tiberius1  
but in the most remote of the known ages
 of antiquity4 ,thus this mystical      
figure was emblematical of at least four
 things1 viz41 eternity1 generation1 the
 crossing of the equator by the sun at  
the vernal and autumnal equinoxes1      
besides its allusion1 in ,egypt1 to the 
rising and falling of the ,nile4  ,the  
,spaniards1 in their murderous invasion 
of ,mexico and ,peru1 were astonished to
 find there the whole machinery of      
,christianity2 but the priests and the  
court of ,spain smothered the fact as   
much as lay in their power4 ,the        
immaculate conception was in full force1
 by a ,virgin of ,peru becoming pregnant

 by the ,sun2 the cross was the         
principal emblem1 and had been sacred   
from time immemorial3 one of their      
,trinity was crucified upon a mountain1 
between two thieves2 and also in the sky
 or heavens1 where the serpent 7not the 
boar1 as in the case of ,adonis1 see    
,lecture ,,ii47 is depriving him of the 
organs of generation499 ,here is an     
astro-fable1 known positively to have   
existed in ,syria1 and even among the   
,jews1 long anterior to the present     
version of ,christianity2 and1          
therefore1 when the early ,christians   
carried over their religion to ,america1
 they must have been wicked enough to   
carry over also the whole of the heathen
 mythoses of ,africa and ,asia4 ,the    
,spaniards had likewise the             
mortification to find the resurrection  
of the crucified ,savior1 after three   
days2 the ascension through the clouds1 
and that his return was expected1 to    
save the human race4       99 ,the      
serpent being an adverse1 or winter     

constellation1 it      is almost        
needless to observe that this allegory  
points to      the sun's being deprived 
of his generative powers1 while the     
winter constellations are in the        
ascendant4  ,there is no accounting for 
these astronomical fables1 being found  
in the new world1 and their indisputable
 identity with those of the old1 but in 
the one clear solution1 of there being1 
in remote antiquity1 one universal solar
 mythos1 or fabled history of the       
planetary system1 in which the sun1     
under a thousand different appellatives1
 as redeemer or savior1 and as the grand
 ruling principle of the whole1 was the 
chief object of adoration4 ,this mythos 
is still prevalent1 though abused for   
the most atrocious purposes4  ,with     
respect to the color of gods in the most
 ancient times of ,paganism1 there is   
ample proof remaining that it varied    
according to the color of the people who
 cultivate the sciences for the time    
being4 ,that men with complexions       

perfectly black1 such as the ,hindus1   
the southern ,arabians1 and the         
,ethiopians199 were formerly the        
depositaries of the sciences1 perhaps   
exclusively1 is proved by monuments     
found throughout4       99 ,in very     
ancient maps1 ,ethiopia extended east of
 the ,red      ,sea1 to the banks of the
 ,euphrates1 including all southern     
,arabia2 and if the ,ethiopians         
originally advanced from ,india         
into ,africa1 and founded ,egyptian     
,thebes1 we may well      suppose that  
their empire reached to the ,indus4     
,this opinion      is corroborated by   
that of ,sir ,william ,jones1 who says  
that      in very remote times1 a nation
 of people who were blacks1      the    
seat of whose empire was in or near     
ancient ,sidon1 ruled      ever ,egypt  
and all ,asia4 ,if this was the nation  
spoken of by      ,sir ,william         
,drummond 7on zodiacs71 according to    
him1 the      science of astronomy was  
at least as well known amongst          

them1 as it is in modern times4  ,near  
the city of ,benares1 in ,india1 are    
astronomical instruments cut out of the 
solid rock of a mountain1 and formerly  
used for making observations2 but these 
are so exceedingly ancient1 that it is  
said1 the ,brahmins of the present day  
do not understand the use of them4      
,india and ,egypt4 ,the knowledge of the
 great truths of astronomy seems to have
 been as full and perfect in those times
 as it is now2 and as that science1 in  
the hands of skilful god-makers1 has    
supplied emblem gods for the adoration  
of the ignorant1 in all religions       
whatever1 we cannot wonder that these   
personifications of natural objects     
should take the sable color of the      
priests who invented and deified them4  
,the great ,sphinx1 supposed to be one  
of the oldest as well as most wonderful 
of these ,egyptian monuments1 is a      
,nubian ,black499 ,at the time the new  
version of ,hindu superstition spread   
itself in western ,asia and ,europe1    

under the name of ,christianity1 its    
machinery was kept out of sight in the  
archives of the priests2 and1 as its    
derivation was known to themselves      
alone1 they did not then deem it        
indispensably necessary to change the   
color of their eastern deities2 but     
adopted both ,chrishna and his mother1  
in their sable ,gentoo complexions2 and1
 in after times1 it was found no easy   
matter to get them whitewashed4 ,but as 
these disagreeable facts will raise the 
angry bristles of the ,christian        
fanatic1 it is necessary to support them
 by the most profoundly learned         
authorities on the subject4  ,mr4       
,higgins says3--,on the color of the    
gods of the ancients1 and of the        
identity of them all with the god       
,sol19999 and with the ,chrishna of     
,india1 nothing more need be said4 ,the 
reader has already seen the striking    
marks of similarity in the history of   
,chrishna1 and the stories related of   
,jesus in the ,romish and heretical     

books4 ,he probably will not think that 
their effect is destroyed1 as ,mr4      
,maurice flatters himself1 by the word  
,chrishna1 in the ,indian language1     
signifying black1 and the god being of  
that color1 when he is informed of what 
,mr4 ,maurice was probably ignorant1    
that in all ,romish countries of        
,europe1 in ,france1 ,italy1 ,germany1  
etc41 the god ,christ1 as well as his   
mother1 are described in their old      
pictures and statues to be black4 ,the  
infant god in the arms of his black     
mother1 his eyes and drapery white1 is  
himself perfectly black4       99 ,this 
accounts for the oracle at ,dodona      
being1 according to      ,mr4 ,potter1 a
 black dove4       9999 ,the complete   
identity of the ancient religions of the
      ,brahmins1 the ,magi and the      
,druids 7solar adoration71 has      been
 satisfactorily established by          
,vallency1 ,wilford1 ,davis1      and   
,maurice4 ,pliny1 alluding to the       
,druidical religion of      ,britain1 in

 his time1 says3--,britain at this day  
celebrates      the magic rites with so 
many similar ceremonies1 that you       
might suppose them to have been given   
them by the      ,persians4--,nat4      
,hist4  ,if the reader doubts my word1  
he may go to the cathedral at ,moulins2 
to the famous chapel of the virgin at   
,loretto2 to the church of the          
,annunciata2 to the church of ,st4      
,lazaro2 or the church of ,st4 ,stephen 
at ,genoa2 to ,st4 ,francisco1 at ,pisa2
 to the church at ,brixen1 in the       
,tyrol2 and to that at ,padua2 to the   
church of ,st4 ,theodore1 at ,munich2 in
 the two last of which the whiteness of 
the eyes and teeth1 and the studied     
redness of the lips are very observable2
 to the church and to the cathedral of  
,augsburg1 where are a black virgin and 
child as large as life2 to ,rome1 to the
 ,borghese chapel ,maria ,maggiore2 to  
the ,pantheon2 to a small chapel of ,st4
 ,peters1 on the right hand side on     
entering near the door1 and in fact1 to 

almost innumerable other churches1 in   
the countries professing the ,romish    
religion4  ,there is scarcely an old    
church in ,italy where some remains of  
the black virgin and black child are not
 to be met with4 ,very often the black  
figures have given way to white ones1   
and in these cases1 the black ones1 as  
being held sacred1 were put into retired
 place in the churches2 they were not   
destroyed1 but are yet to be found      
there4 ,in many instances1 these images 
are painted all over1 and look like     
bronze1 often with colored aprons or    
napkins round the loins and other parts4
 ,no doubt1 in many places1 when the    
priests have new painted the images1    
they have colored the eyes and teeth1 in
 order that they might not shock the    
feelings of devotees1 by a too sudden   
change from black to white2 and in      
order1 at the same time1 that they might
 furnish a devout pretence for their    
blackness1 namely1 that they are in     
imitation of bronze2 but the number left

 with white teeth1 let out the secret3  
their blackness is not to be questioned 
for a moment4 ,mr4 ,higgins concludes   
from the knowledge of the foregoing     
facts1 that1 the ,romish ,chrishna is   
black in ,india1 black in ,europe1 and  
black he must remain4 ,but1 after all1  
what was he but their ,jupiter1 the     
second person of their ,trinurti1 or    
trinity1 the ,logos of ,parmenides and  
,plato1 an incarnation or emanation of  
the solar power 7,anacalypsis74  ,of    
these ,trinities it is not requisite to 
say much here1 as ample proof has been  
adduced in the course of these lectures 
to show that1 from ,japan in the east to
 ,egypt in the west1 every country had1 
in the remotest antiquity1 a triad of   
gods for the vulgar1 which1 in the      
mystical or hidden sense1 had allusion  
to physical principles4 ,but as we have 
a partiality for the authority of       
theologians on these subjects1 we beg to
 quote that of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,maurice1 
who traces the principles of ,tritheism 

among the most ancient nations of the   
earth1 before as well as in the times of
 the ,greeks and ,romans4 ,he says that 
the ,indian ,temple of ,elephanta1 is of
 exquisite workmanship and of stupendous
 antiquity2 antiquity to which neither  
the page of history or human traditions 
can ascend4 ,that magnificent piece of  
sculpture so often alluded to in the    
cavern of ,elephanta1 decidedly         
establishes the solemn fact1 that from  
the remotest eras1 the ,indian nations  
have adored a triune ,deity4 ,there the 
traveller1 with awe and astonishment1   
beholds1 carved out of the solid rock1  
in the most conspicuous part of the most
 ancient and venerable temple of the    
world1 a bust expanding in breadth near 
twenty feet1 and no less than eighteen  
feet in altitude1 by which amazing      
proportions1 as well as by its gorgeous 
decorations1 it is known to be the image
 of the grand1 presiding ,deity of that 
hallowed retreat3 he beholds1 ,i say1 a 
bust composed of three heads united to  

one body1 adorned with the oldest       
symbols of ,indian theology2 and thus   
expressly fabricated according to the   
unanimous confession of the sacred      
sacerdotal tribe of ,india1 to indicate 
the ,creator1 the ,preserver1 and the   
,destroyer1 or ,regentrator1 of mankind4
 ,notwithstanding the absolute          
conclusiveness of the evidence adduced  
by ,mr4 ,maurice1 proving the infinitely
 higher antiquity of the ,hindu         
,trinity1 he still recollects his       
obligation to support the ,christian    
priesthood1 and argues that the ,indians
 must have derived their notions of a   
triune ,deity from the ,hebrews1 though 
that people had no known existence in   
the time he refers to1 and their books  
7the ,old ,testament7 if rightly        
translated1 do not1 even by the         
slightest allusion1 acknowledge anything
 of the kind4 ,by such subterfuges      
theology is not ashamed to deny the     
clearest light4  ,the sacrament of      
,baptism1 like all the other dogmas of  

,christianism1 is drawn from the ancient
 religious observances of ,india and    
,egypt2 and is also one of the sacred   
rites of solar worship1 the mysteries of
 which required that the neophyte should
 be pure in body as well as in mind4 ,it
 existed among the ,pythagoreans and    
,druids4 ,in an ,arabic work1 translated
 by ,mr4 ,hammer1 it is stated that in  
ancient ,egypt1 when a child was born1  
the mother took it to a priest of the   
temple1 and laid it down without        
speaking a word4 ,the priest then came1 
with a golden cup full of water in his  
hand1 accompanied by six other priests4 
,he then said prayers1 and sprinkled the
 water over the child4 ,the dead were   
also baptised1 though by proxy4 ,st4    
,paul establishes this point in his     
first epistle to the ,corinthians1 chap4
 xv41 #bi2 and he is so far from        
condemning the custom1 that he adduces  
it as an argument in proof of the       
resurrection4  ,mr4 ,higgins says3 ,john
 the ,baptist was nothing but one of the

 followers of ,mithra1 with whom the    
deserts of ,syria and the ,thebais of   
,eyypt abounded1 under the name of      
,essenes4 ,he was a ,nazarite2 and it is
 a striking circumstance that the       
fountain 7,enon1 or ,enon71 where he    
baptised1 was sacred to the sun4 ,even  
the name signifies the sun1 or ,mithra4 
,if this was the 7,enon of ,locris1 in  
ancient ,greece 7we know of no other71  
,john must have taken wide excursions in
 his baptism4 ,in the ,new ,testament   
allegories there are many coincidents   
which point out that ,john 7the ,janus  
of the ,latins7 is the personified      
genius of ,january1 the zodiacal sign of
 which month is ,aquarius with his      
pitcher1 the water of which is generally
 poured out plentifully4 ,aquarius being
 the mansion of the sun in ,john's      
month1 or ,january1 his pitcher is      
figuratively the fountain of ,o,enon1   
that was sacred to the sun1 and where1  
as the ,evangelist tells us there was   
much water4 ,during this month and      

,february the kingdom of heaven1 or     
,christ 7the sun71 was said to be       
coming1 or at hand2 but he was not      
considered as come until after the      
vernal equinox1 in ,march1 when1 by     
entering the sign ,aries1 or the ,ram1  
he became the ,lamb1 at which time ,john
 exclaims--,behold the ,lamb of ,god2 he
 cometh after me1 but is preferred      
before me4 ,i baptise with water--he    
with the ,holy ,ghost4 ,that is to say1 
,march comes after ,january1 and the    
genial sun of spring and summer will    
always be preferred to that of ,january4
 ,the wilderness in which ,john was said
 to sojourn was metaphorical of the     
sterile and bleak face of nature during 
that month4 ,in ,matthew it is said--,he
 shall baptise you with the ,holy ,ghost
 and with fire499 ,the ,holy ,ghost was 
metaphoric of the salubrious summer     
winds in ,may1 as the fire was of the   
scorching heat of the dog-days4  ,it has
 often been observed that the learned1  
or the initiated in religious mysteries1

 had language peculiar to themselves1   
and unknown to the rabble1 whereby they 
concealed science under tropes and      
allegories2 so that1 aided by the       
vivacity of the imagination1 the most   
ordinary phaenomena of nature were      
embodied as mystical existences1 and    
there was hardly anything spoken of     
without being personified4 ,philo       
,judaeus informs us that1 amongst the   
arts and mysteries which ,moses learnt  
from his masters the ,egyptians1 was    
that of philosophy by symbols1          
hieroglyphics1 and marks of animals4    
,clemens ,alexandrinus states1 that all 
who have treated of divine matters1 the 
barbarous nations as well as the        
,greeks1 have hid the principles of     
things1 and delivered down the truth    
enigmatically1 by signs1 and symbols1   
and allegories1 and metaphors49999      
,similar confessions were made by all   
the learned fathers of ,christianism1   
many of whom allowed that their own     
religion was veiled in exactly the same 

manner2 and for this they might claim   
even ,st4 ,paul as sufficient authority4
       99 ,the priests of ancient ,egypt
 baptised with air as well as      with 
water and fire4 ,this was done by one   
whose fan is in      his hand1 and he   
will thoroughly purge his floor4 ,the   
use      of the fan was an artificial   
way of creating the ,holy ,wind1      or
 ,ghost4       9999 ,yet1 upon a system 
which is thus admitted to be fabulous1  
or false1 ,are founded doctrines which  
are said to be true4  ,but in the       
present day1 amongst an ignorant and    
interested clergy1 although their       
superstition is directly derived from1  
and is only a varied version of the     
solar adoration of ,paganism1 the       
principles of things are lost and       
unknown1 or if known to a very few of   
the learned1 the little lamp of truth is
 extinguished by the roguery of         
self-interest1 which will ever be       
sufficient to secure its suppression4   
,thus1 from ignorance or interest1 or   

both together1 the allegories and       
metaphors of speech which we find in the
 ,bible1 are monstrously inculcated and 
palmed upon simplicity as matters of    
fact and history4 ,whilst committing    
these outrages upon the highest branches
 of science1 the theologians have       
absurdly attempted to blend the eternal 
religion of ,nature99 with the          
evanescent revelations which man has1 in
 successive ages1 invented to be the    
greatest curse of his brother4       99 
,the ,religion of ,nature may be defined
 thus3--,the      admiration1 the love1 
and the veneration which we feel for    
that incomprehensible power which       
produces the beauties and      bounties 
of the world4 ,beyond1 this1 all        
pretended      revelation is foul       
imposture4  ,having1 in this and the    
foregoing lectures1 noticed most of the 
leading dogmas of ,christianity1 and the
 ,pagan astro-fables1 from which they   
are derived1 that exposure alone renders
 it unnecessary to enter upon the       

endless task of commenting on the       
unsightly mass of heterogeneous         
doctrines1 to which the ignorant abuse  
of these fables has given rise4 ,where  
the foundation is fallacious1 the       
superstructure cannot stand4  ,the      
overwhelming master-curse1 springing out
 of these mythological fictions1 in past
 and present times1 is their perversion 
from a scientific purport1 that was     
radically and wholly physical and       
sub-natural1 to a sense that is         
chimerically called spiritual and       
super-natural4 ,in thus fraudulently    
putting the latter of these words in    
place of the former1 7which we maintain 
is contrary to the original meaning of  
the ,bible itself17 does the whole      
science and essence of priestcraft      
consist4 ,by this departure from        
everything tangible--from all that is to
 the human mind conceivable1 the        
theologians have cunningly decoyed their
 dupes into imaginary regions1 peopled1 
as in the old mythology1 with existences

 of fabled creation1 where phantasy     
takes all the hues of the chamelion2 and
 where the intangibility of their whole 
apparatus eludes the grasp of reason1   
and secures their wild assertions       
against demonstration4 ,when the minds  
of men are thus lured into the          
fictitious empire of theology1 the good 
things of this world are over with them1
 and fall to the share of the priests1  
who live in luxury1 while they preach to
 their deluded votaries the unspeakable 
blessings of poverty2 and that through  
the unsearchable mysteries of ,god's    
love to man1 want and misery in this    
world are by far the best preparatives  
for their exceeding great reward1 in    
kingdom come4 ,this is what is called   
religious instruction1 which1 being     
interpreted1 signifies the diffusion of 
that abject ignorance which shuts out   
the light of experience and reason--puts
 blind faith99 in its place1 and thereby
 fits both mind and body for slavery4   
,in this element of ignorance1 so       

congenial to the profession1 from its   
being of their own creation1 the        
priesthoods of ,europe1 aided by the    
corruption of civil rulers1 have been   
allowed to embody themselves into vast  
and well organised phalanxes1 regularly 
trained to wage perpetual war against   
the light of nature and common sense4   
99 ,the only true definition of         
religious faith1 is an      implicit    
submission of the judgment--a belief in 
what we      neither see1 hear1 feel1   
taste1 or smell4       ,the veracious   
translators of our ,word of ,god1 have  
made      ,paul1 on most occasions1 use 
the word faith1 in place of      truth2 
for instance1 in ,rom4 iv41 #i1 they    
make him affirm1      ,for we say that  
faith was reckoned to ,abraham for      
righteousness4 ,now1 the true           
translation from the ,greek             
is1--,for we affirm that the truth      
became to ,abraham      justice  ,it is 
particularly observable in the esprit du
 corps of theologians1 that in order to 

epitomise and mould the mind of man into
 a total subjection to their interest   
and power1 and to establish the absolute
 necessity of their mediatorial office1 
it is indispensable that he should1     
through what they call original sin1 be 
degraded below the scale of his true    
position in the order of nature1 in     
exact proportion to the elevation above 
that scale1 which they confer upon him  
on the score of his soul's immortality4 
,in this final destination which they   
assign him1 his fate must either be     
eternal blessedness1 through their      
official interference in his favor1 in  
wiping off his imputed transgressions1  
committed six thousand years before he  
was born1 or everlasting perdition and  
misery1 should that intercession be     
wanting499       99 ,though the         
commissioned attornies of the immaterial
 being      pretend a deep interest in  
having his edicts obeyed1 yet      their
 real views and interests can only be   
served by the      multiplication of    

offences1 which is their harvest4 ,when 
their sway was at its zenith1 crime     
created the lucrative      season of    
repentance2 and the posthumous terrors  
with which      they debase the minds of
 their dupes are the best of all        
preparatives for their dominion2 for    
when these horrors are      raised to a 
certain height1 the fatal machinery for 
mental      subjugation is irresistible1
 and almost as perfect as it is         
among the ,brahmin priests of ,india4   
,in ,england1 the statute      of       
mortmain is a lasting attestation of the
 height to which      death-bed         
expiations and commutations were        
actually carried2      and it is not    
extravagant to affirm1 that if no change
 in      public opinion had taken place1
 in regard to the selfish      intrigues
 and frauds of the clergy1 and no       
interposition on      the part of the   
legislature to put a stop to them1      
nearly      all the land in that kingdom
 would have become the property      of 

the church4  ,between these two extremes
 of heaven and hell they keep him       
suspended1 themselves holding the       
haulyards rope in their own hands1 ready
 to pull him up to the one or lower him 
down to the other1 according as he      
believes1 in and supports1 or rejects   
and condemns their craft and traffic4   
,in the political and religious drama of
 enslaving the great majority of the    
people1 the above parts of the play are1
 of course1 the peculiar province of the
 priesthood1 who to the fabled guilt of 
original sin1 have charged upon the     
gloomy minds of their wretched votaries1
 an endless catalogue of sins1 by       
thought1 word1 and deed2 to every one of
 which the punishment of eternal flames 
has been awarded4 ,the kingly and       
aristocratic part of this drama is to   
make laws to suit themselves and their  
priesthood--to bind down reason1 so as  
to prevent it rebelling against the most
 shocking absurdities--compel it to     
acquiesce in the imperative mandates of 

a vile superstition2 and demonstrate1   
through the powerful arguments of       
imprisonment and ruin1 that all         
investigation of the plot or proof of   
falsehood adduced against the actors1 is
 wickedness499       99 ,every rancorous
 feeling and motive among religious     
fanatics1 conspire to create and provoke
 antipathy1 and to      swell it to the 
utmost pitch of intensity against the   
materialist1 who holds them all in      
contempt4 ,these are the      only      
feelings in which the deluded votaries  
of supernatural      revelations        
coincide1 in directing their common     
enmity      against that philosophy     
which1 they know1 treats them with      
derision4 ,this enmity is inexorable and
 eternal1 though      restrained1 at    
present1 from gratifying its natural    
ferocity4  ,this species of delusion1   
which passes under the name of          
supernatural revelation1 upon which     
impostors in every age have founded     
their schemes1 is too gross and palpable

 in many of its dogmas1 to maintain a   
footing even among ignorant men1 but for
 the protection of corrupt governments1 
that seek aid in fraud4 ,its ministers  
have ever said to civil rulers--take us 
into partnership--give us riches and    
honors--support our pretensions when we 
gull the millions1 and in return1 with  
our adherence and connivance1 you may   
safely carry oppression to any lengths  
you please4 ,thus between a governing   
aristocracy1 7as in ,england7 and their 
adopted hierarchy1 there is an inborn   
affinity and coincidence of views and   
interests1 which not only exclude1 but  
are incurably opposed to the natural    
happiness of the mass of mankind2 and as
 for the means of compassing their ends1
 each wields that sort of power which   
serves to uphold the other2 and when    
united1 resistance is unavailing1 unless
 it is backed by the unanimous will of a
 nation4 ,but this national unanimity in
 eradicating these collusive and deep   
rooted frauds1 is not to be expected1   

until natural humanity and sound        
morality shall take place of            
supernaturalism1 and religious          
instruction make way for practical      
virtue and useful knowledge1 in the     
education of youth4 ,then1 and not till 
then1 will every individual be able to  
perceive1 that the man who contributes  
to the support of any priesthood1       
subsidizes a standing army1 for the     
perpetual subversion of his dearest     
rights and liberties4  ,we shall now    
make a digression from the opening      
subjects of this lecture1 with the view 
of adducing additional facts which tend 
to prove1 that the chief moral and      
political evils which pervade           
,christendom1 sprang from laws and      
institutions derived from1 or sanctioned
 by1 the books of ,jewish theocracy1 all
 of which have been uniformly calculated
 to uphold the injustice of the idle    
few1 against the industrious many4      
,amongst these1 the feudal curse of     
primogeniture1 as part and parcel of the

 law1 stands prominent in bad eminence4 
,yet this law1 even among the ,jews1 was
 not so outrageously cruel as it now is 
among many ,european nations2 for1 with 
them1 the first-born son1 though        
consecrated to the ,hebrew god1 was not1
 it seems1 entitled to more than a      
double portion of the inheritance4 ,in  
regard to the entailing of land1 for the
 most iniquitous purpose of securing it 
against sale for the payment of just    
debts1 the ,jews and their deity1       
barbarous as they were1 would probably  
have been ashamed of such rank          
injustice4 ,in early ages1 land was     
considered merely as the means of       
subsistence2 but in the darkest times of
 ignorance and feudal oppression1 it    
became the overbearing means of         
obtaining political power1 and was      
monopolised by the aristocratic         
orders299 whilst their class-law of     
primogeniture1 and its execrable        
concomitant of entail upon land1 were   
unrighteously resorted to1 as the only  

means of eternising the domineering sway
 of feudal tyranny1 and to perpetuate   
possession1 in defiance of all the just 
debts which might have been incurred by 
the possessor4 ,the absurdity of these  
laws is no less glaring than the        
injustice of their original object1 when
 they presume that each successive      
generation of men have not an equal     
right to the earth--that the property of
 the present generation should be       
restrained and regulated to the fancy of
 those who lived many centuries ago4    
99 ,at least nine-tenths of all the land
 in ,great ,britain and      ,ireland1  
have got into the hands of the          
aristocracy1 lay and      clerical1 and 
almost wholly through the means of their
      selfish legislation4 ,but this is 
not the worst--they say to      the mass
 of the people3 ,you shall pay us       
whatever price we      please for the   
produce of these lands1 and they enforce
 this      by corn-laws1 and other food 
monopolies1 which they have made        

for their own advantage4 ,these laws are
 a curse equal to      the barrenness of
 the earth1 and the inclemency of the   
heavens4  ,the ,roman jurisprudence     
adhered to the equality of nature1 by an
 equal division of property among the   
children1 whether that consisted of land
 or other goods1 and the cruel          
prerogatives of primogeniture and entail
 were unknown4  ,the universal          
degradation1 poverty and misery1 caused 
by these aristocratic scourges of       
society1 destitute as they are of a     
single redeeming advantage to lessen the
 enormity of the evil1 sufficiently     
betray the nefarious views and selfish  
ends of the feudal legislators by whom  
they were enacted4 ,but these are best  
shown in the mischievous effects which  
it is impossible for them not to        
produce1 forming1 as they do1 a source  
which diffuses fraternal jealousy1      
animosity1 and hatred1 through a        
thousand channels over the land3 and all
 to perpetuate the insolent pride of    

family distinction1 by arming an        
arrogant individual with unjust power to
 lord it over the rest of the family1   
and that too by means of the same wealth
 which ought to render the whole        
independent4 ,in these cases1 when the  
younger brothers escape penury or       
beggary1 it is only by dint of doubling 
the injustice of these laws1 by         
quartering them1 as so many locusts1    
upon the industry of the public1 under  
shelter of that mass of aristocratic    
corruption1 whence issue our stall-fed  
hierarchy1 and the thousands of other   
privileged idlers1 whose places are     
created for the adherents and supporters
 of profligate governments4 ,thus the   
younger sons and brothers are provided  
for whilst the poor females1 if not     
palmed upon the pension list1 are       
hopelessly consigned to the most abject 
dependence2 their only inheritance being
 a perverted education1 by which they   
are moulded into mere creatures of      
unnatural habits and customs1 and of    

mental impressions that are utterly     
false in everything4  ,these laws1 thus 
infamously contrived for the exclusive  
benefit and aggrandisement of the       
makers1 in perpetuating the feudal line 
of succession by entails upon immense   
tracts of land1 again double the evil in
 a national point of view1 by preventing
 the creation of that wealth1 which     
never fails to arise from the proper    
division and subdivision of over-grown  
estates1 the parcelling out of which is 
sure to be followed by a superior       
cultivation of the land4 ,it is         
impossible to suppose that the people   
generally1 of any country1 were ever so 
grossly and stupidly ignorant1 as to    
have a hand in forming such iniquitous  
institutions1 and those who tolerate    
them are not worthy of better499        
99 ,napoleon observed that1 ,the people 
of a nation were not      deserving of  
better laws than those they submitted   
to4       ,nature's social union2 or    
that universal harmony which is         

chiefly disturbed by the wanton1        
unfeeling dominion of man1      and thus
 fallaciously sanctioned by the science 
of ,god4  ,these are samples of the     
grievances which may be expected to     
spring up1 when aristocracies usurp and 
engross the legislation of countries2   
and when the contaminating arts of      
theology are allied to these1 it is then
 that political evils of the first      
magnitude are engendered4  ,in the palmy
 days of our superstition1 when a much  
denser cloud of ignorance1 than even the
 present1 had totally eclipsed the      
intellectual faculties of men1 they were
 doomed through life by their tyrants1  
the magicians of supernaturalism1 to    
endure an aggregate of mental and bodily
 misery far exceeding that of any other 
class of animals2 and this is still the 
case in exact proportion to the         
prevalence of that delusion4 ,but lest  
rebellious reason should induce people  
to be restive under these earthly       
sufferings1 a mode of remuneration which

 costs these magicians nothing1 was     
invented1 not alone by the preternatural
 elevation to everlasting inheritance in
 the celestial regions1 after death1    
but1 in addition1 all terrestrial       
animals were made over in fee-simple1 as
 the absolute property of man1 nothing  
else being in view when they were       
created1 but the use and accommodation  
of the heaven-bound favorite1 to kill1  
eat1 and destroy2 or if such be his     
interest or caprice1 to hold them in    
that merciless state of oppression which
 soon leads to a cruel and lingering    
death4 ,this is the usual way in which  
he shows his mighty superiority over    
them1 as inferior animals4 ,the arrogant
 assumption of this absurd dogma is not 
only false in philosophy and analogy1   
but cruelly injurious in morals1 and    
destructive4  ,these pernicious         
hatchings of theology are wholly        
unsanctioned by ,nature1 who1 in her    
perfect impartiality towards every      
creature which her purely physical      

process organises into life1 makes an   
even balance of all her grants and      
denials throughout the animated world3  
and though it may appear to the cursory 
observer that she has1 upon the whole1  
favored some animals more than others1  
yet all these seeming advantages are    
counterbalanced or neutralised by other 
mental or physical qualities of an      
opposite or defective tendency which1 in
 the most comprehensive sense1 reduce   
the lives of all1 as regards the amount'
 of pleasurable sensations through life1
 to nearly an equality49999 ,on         
examining this matter still more        
closely1 we shall find that the greatest
 proportion of evil or misery invariably
 falls to the share of those animals who
 depart the farthest from the laws or   
conditions of their nature4 ,of this    
fatal estrangement1 man exhibits an     
instance that is almost solitary on this
 globe2 for all other creatures obey the
 conditions of their existence1         
excepting such as have been compelled to

 deviate from them1 in consequence of   
being subjected to his usurped dominion4
 ,his right to hold a horse or a dog in 
slavery1 is precisely the same as that  
of holding a negro in bondage2 and as   
for his carnivorous habit of using      
almost every animal as food1 it is      
justified by his superstition alone1 and
 utterly condemned by his nature4 ,his  
right to kill and eat a sheep or a deer1
 is exactly the same in point of moral  
justice1 as that of a shark or a tiger1 
when they subdue and eat their prey2 in 
which they feel no compunctious         
visitations about including their       
pretended lord and master1 man1 himself4
 ,in all these cases1 the rule of right 
is alone established by possession of   
the art or strength to conquer4       99
 ,burns4       9999 ,vide ,eccles4 iii41
 #ai1 #bj1ba4  ,man's dominion over the 
other animals1 is a pure usurpation3 and
 though he differs from them in the     
structure of his body1 he is superior to
 them only in some qualities1 which have

 been greatly improved by the recorded  
experience of his species1 handed down  
to him through a course of some         
thousands of years2 and from which      
springs that combination in society     
which renders him formidable to his     
fellow worms4 ,this is proved beyond    
contradiction by comparing him1 as the  
educated and armed production of        
society1 with what he is in the wild or 
natural state for in the latter         
condition1 he is so far from being      
superior1 that he becomes the prey of   
animals much smaller than himself1 which
 look upon him as destined by nature for
 their subsistence1 and use him as food 
accordingly4 ,these facts are so well   
borne out by experience1 that they will 
be denied only by that false pride which
 theology instils to answer its own     
ends4       99 ,man1 like every other   
animal1 is born without the quality     
called reason2 and like them1 must gain 
it as the fruit of      experience1 by  
which all acquire it to a certain       

degree2 and      in some of them it is  
much more perfect than it is in man2    
but his excessive pride and love of     
dominion1 blinds him      against this  
great truth4 ,that which he is taught to
 call      reason in himself1 must1     
forsooth1 be only instinct1 when        
applied to the mental faculties of those
 he calls brutes4      ,here the        
difference is in distinction of terms3--
            ,reason and instinct1 how   
can ye divide8           ',tis the      
fool's folly1 and the churchman's pride4
  ,but if the cunning and ingenuity     
consequent upon man's extra allowance of
 brain has enabled him1 by dint of      
combination in society1 to subdue many  
animals for his use1 has he by this     
means1 and what he calls civilisation1  
really and truly improved his condition 
for the brief term of life which nature 
has allotted him8 ,are not the evils    
generated by education1 in which        
hypocrisy and fraud are the chief       
ingredients--the vices--the crimes--the 

immoral and distracting systems of      
religion1 which induce a general        
depravity of character1 and the         
unnatural and iniquitous laws emanating 
from such a corrupt state of society1   
infinitely greater than the alleged     
advantages arising from this boasted    
civilisation8 ,if we take the aggregate 
of morality in man1 as he is at present 
produced and educated in the great      
manufactory of society1 in which        
,christian theology with its concomitant
 evils1 are the principal apparatus1 we 
shall have difficulty in finding on the 
face of the earth1 a more vicious1      
treacherous1 and cruel animal4 ,this is 
always denied in theory2 but the conduct
 of every man recognises its woeful     
truth practically4 ,let the man of      
observation and true candor of mind lay 
his hand upon his heart1 and honestly   
declare whether his fellow men1 and in  
instances1 even those he calls his      
friends1 are not the sole source of all 
his inquietudes and miseries--whether   

this demi-god is not the animal that he 
is obliged to be more incessantly on his
 guard against than any other6 ,this    
universal prevalence of vice and moral  
depravity is primarily accounted for by 
the priest and superstitionist1 by the  
equally flagitious and absurd dogma     
about what they call original sin2 but  
the true cause is very far from lurking 
in anything innately vicious in human   
nature1 but on the contrary1 is wholly  
engendered by their own unearthly       
delusions--the contagion of             
supernaturalism1 and its distracting    
train of theological inventions4 ,these 
are the fatal lures which have estranged
 and drawn man to apostatise from the   
wholesome principles of his             
nature--surrounded him with artificial  
circumstances wholly adverse to these   
principles1 and as degrading to his     
position as an intelligent being1 as    
they are inimical to his peace and      
happiness4  ,whilst the elements of     
society shall continue to be thus       

contaminated1 life will be a gift scarce
 worth receiving and though the         
ingenuous truth-loving mind may1 on the 
approach of dissolution1 feel dismayed  
at the idea of ceasing to contemplate   
the beautiful of nature--the sun1 the   
green fields1 the woods1 the streams1   
and the mountains1 in which alone it    
finds prayers and sermons2 yet no       
reluctance can be experienced in        
quitting intercourse with fellow men1   
whose religion imposes the necessity of 
shunning truth in almost anything1      
affords an example of habitual          
deception199 and by placing the         
unnatural1 in the chair of the natural1 
turns man into a pitiful caricature of  
what he ought to be1 in the nobler      
destinies of humanity4       99 ,the    
mask being indispensable in theology1 it
 is not      wonderful that its votaries
 should appear everywhere in            
disguise4   ,,end ,,of ,,lecture        
,,fourth4     ,,lecture ,,fifth4 ,,on   
,,the ,,early ,,effects ,,of ,,the      

,,christian ,,superstition              
,tis only thou1           ,accursed     
superstition1 cans't accord             
,thy aids to tyranny1 for which alone   
,she guards thee with the penalty of    
,laws4           ,endows thee1 pampers  
thee 2 and seems to bend                
7,mocking herself7 in reverence to thy  
nod4           ,for this imperial rapine
 shares with thee           ,her gaudy  
spoil4  ,in a former lecture1 when      
speaking of the compilation of the ,new 
,testament1 we promised to show that the
 first idea of forming that book was    
drawn from a ,pagan prototype2 and      
therefore we resume the subject1 in     
order also to adduce farther proof that 
the very vitals of our religion         
originated in heathen polytheism4       
,here1 it is of the highest importance  
to draw particular attention to the     
sacred and mysterious testament of the  
,athenians1 on which they believed the  
salvation not only of their city1 but of
 all ,greece depended4 ,there is now so 

little said about this famous testament1
 that it has nearly passed into         
oblivion2 but this is easily accounted  
for1 as the fabricators of the          
,christian ,new ,testament would1 as    
usual in such cases1 do all in their    
power to suppress the remembrance of a  
volume which suggested the scheme of    
their own book of mysteries1 in the     
formation of which ,st4 ,paul was not   
only the principal contributor1 but1 in 
point of fact1 the real founder of our  
religion499 ,we ought not1 therefore1 to
 pass without distinct notice1 the      
remarkable deference and respect which  
he pretended to have for this book of   
imposture1 when wishing to recommend    
himself to any ,grecian state4       99 
,the famous ,longinus mentions ,paul of 
,tarsus1 whom he      considered to be  
the first setter-forth of an unproved   
doctrine4  ,this ,testament had a       
profound influence over those states1   
which1 as well as the ,athenians1 were  
kept in reverential awe by its divine   

authority2 and ,paul having acquired a  
knowledge of this in his vagrancies199  
shows his dexterity by availing himself 
of it in his #bnd ,epistle to the       
,corinthians iii41 #f1 wherein he says1 
,god hath made us able ministers of the 
7,new7 ,testament1 not of the letter1   
but of the spirit ,now1 we defy all our 
divines and commentators put together1  
to show that the present ,new ,testament
 of the ,christians was then in         
existence1 that is to say1 before the   
end of the first century1 and it is on  
all hands agreed by church              
chronologists1 that ,paul wrote before  
that period2 and1 therefore1 in writing 
the above epistle1 it was not possible  
that he could be speaking in reference  
to any other book than that which the   
,greeks called the unspeakably holy     
,testament4 ,how was it possible for him
 to speak of a book which we can prove  
was not compiled into its present form  
until centuries had elapsed after his   
time--viz41 until the councils of ,nice 

and ,laodicea8 ,that this book existed  
not in all the first century we have the
 authority of the most learned and      
orthodox ,god-well19999 who1 in his     
dissertation upon ,irenaeus1 confesses  
as follows3--,we have at this day       
certain most authentic ecclesiastical   
writers of the times1 as ,clemens1      
,romanus1 ,barnabas1 ,hermas1 ,ignatius1
 and ,polycarp1 who wrote in the same   
order in which ,i have named them1 and  
after all the writers of the ,new       
,testament4 ,but in ,hermas you will not
 find one passage1 or any mention of the
 ,new ,testament1 nor in all the rest is
 any one of the evangelists named4      
,what6 our four evangelists entirely    
unknown to all the five apostolic       
fathers6 ,could this have been possible 
if these gospels had been written when  
these authentic writers lived8       99 
,when ,tonstal1 ,bishop of ,durham1     
burnt the ,new ,testament1              
declaring it to be doctrinam peregrinam1
 he probably meant      that it was-only

 the doctrine of ,paul the              
rambler4--,vide      ,tyndale4          
9999 ,dodwell says that it was not until
 the reign of ,trajan      or ,adrian   
that a collection of the books of the   
,new      ,testament was publicly made1 
the priests having previous to      that
 time concealed them in the archives1 of
 their      churches4 ,it was then that 
they made anything that suited      them
 the word of ,god4  ,having shown the   
absurdity of supposing that ,paul could 
speak of a ,testament that did not exist
 in his time1 we repeat1 that from his  
vagrant habits he had1 in all           
probability1 come to the knowledge that 
the sacred ,testament of the ,athenians 
was1 like all priestly writings of the  
,east1 figurative1 mystical1 and would  
bear either the literal or metaphorical 
meaning1 according to the views of those
 who used it for the purpose of         
deception2 so he tells the ,corinthians 
of his being aware that the letter      
killeth1 but the spirit giveth life4 ,he

 knew also that this book of superlative
 authority was carefully concealed from 
the vulgar eye2 and1 therefore1 he has  
not the presumption to say he had seen  
it1 as that would have given offence2   
but merely professes to be an humble    
minister of its spirit1 of which he     
might have learned something1 as        
aforesaid2 and forming his texts on the 
common rumor respecting it1 he comments 
upon them in such a manner as to please 
his followers in those states1          
professing a profound awe and reverence 
towards the spotless sanctity of the    
original4  ,christian bigots6 ,we well  
know the angry1 fiery glance with which 
you receive truths shocking to your     
prejudices2 but it is time you should be
 told in plain terms1 that this divine  
,testament upon which ,paul comments    
with so much respect and veneration1 and
 of the spirit whereof he declares      
himself an able minister1 was no other  
than the ,,famous ,,athenian            
,,testament1 the archetype of the       

sibyline books of the ,romans1 and which
 was older than the time of ,solon4     
,after the abolition of the ,athenian   
superstition1 this testament was found  
to be a legitimate child of theology1   
being filled with the grossest          
impostures4 ,paul tells us that he had  
the happy knack of being all things to  
all men2 but his pretended veneration   
for this sacred volume of the ,greeks1  
was a masterly stroke of policy1 and    
extremely well calculated to secure his 
good reception amongst them4 ,the word  
new1 as we find it in the conundrums of 
,paul1 and prefixed to the modern       
,testament1 is easily accounted for by  
any person who is at all acquainted with
 the shameless falsifications and       
interpolations of those who fabricated  
our religion4 ,thus did the famous      
,athenian ,testament become not only the
 prototype of the sibyline99 books1 but 
that of the new will of the ,jewish     
deity also2 whereof the writings        
attributed to this ,paul formed a large 

portion1 at that subsequent period when 
the approved collection was voted to be 
the ,word of ,god4       99 ,the        
sibyline verses of the ,romans are known
 to have      existed as far back as the
 time of ,tarquinius ,priscus1 #gag     
years b4c42 they are quoted by the      
fathers from ,tertullian1      in the   
second1 to the ,christian writer1       
,lactantius1 in the      fourth century4
 ,they relate the whole story of        
,christ's      incarnation1 miracles1   
death1 and resurrection1 in almost      
the same words as the gospels4  ,in     
regard to this miscellany1 the          
,manicheans say that it was formed from 
scraps of legends and traditions which  
the itinerant fathers happened to pick  
up in their journeyings in the eastern  
countries1 in search of gospel truth4   
,thus some parts would be1 as we find   
them1 ,indian1 some ,persian1 some      
,egyptian1 etc41 etc41 all jumbled      
together1 and forming1 after undergoing 
the required fittings and alterations1  

the mass which we now possess4 ,thus    
from ,india came the murder of the      
,innocents2 from all quarters of the    
heathen world came the ,trinity1 the    
crucifixion of ,christ1 the ,lord ,sol1 
and ,iao1 born at the winter solstice1  
and triumphing over the powers of hell1 
or cold and darkness1 and rising into   
light or glory1 as the ,regenerator and 
,savior1 at the vernal equinox3 from the
 ,egyptian--perhaps the ,eleusinian     
mysteries1 came the worship of the      
virgin and child2 and from all the      
countries of the east1 the miraculous   
conception4  ,on a careful examination  
of the quirks and quibbles of ,st4      
,paul1 it plainly appears that he had   
some smattering of the ,pagan mysteries2
 and just as it suited his interest for 
the time being1 or the degree of        
knowledge in his auditors1 he used the  
exoteric or esoteric doctrines2 the     
former was adapted for street-preaching1
 and bamboozling the long-eared         
multitude2 and the latter was used only 

when he was addressing the initiated    
few1 some of whom were1 in all          
probability1 playing the same game as   
himself499 ,he designates these         
mysteries as being shadows of heavenly  
things2 and patterns of things in the   
heavens 7,hebrews viii41 #e1 and ix41   
#bc71 meaning1 unquestionably1          
astronomical truths concealed from the  
million1 under the veil of allegory2 for
 that word is used by him1 and he       
frequently makes use of the term veil4  
,st4 ,barnabas1 in his ,gospel1 denies  
the truth of ,paul's exoteric doctrine1 
declaring that no person called ,christ 
did actually and bona fide die upon the 
cross3 hence the quarrel between the    
two2 and from this cause was ,barnabas' 
,gospel rejected4 ,in further proof that
 there were two doctrines in use1 the   
ostensible and the hidden1 ,jesus is    
made to say1 ,matthew xiii41 #aa1 ,to   
you it is given to know the mysteries of
 the kingdom of heaven4 ,this compliment
 could be addressed to none but such as 

were initiated in the symbolical worship
 of the sun1 and other celestial bodies2
 whilst to the rabble multitude the     
secret was concealed under metaphor or  
parable1 in order that1 hearing ye shall
 hear and shall not understand2 and     
seeing1 ye shall see and not perceive4  
7,acts xxviii41 #bf47 ,paul1 in his     
epistle to the ,ephesians 7iii41 #d71   
boasts of a knowledge in the mystery of 
,christ1 which he says in the #eth      
verse1 was not in other ages made known 
to the sons of men4 ,now1 this could not
 possibly allude to ,jesus of the ,new  
,testament1 with whom1 as some of the   
fathers have assumed1 ,paul was         
contemporary2 and therefore1 in speaking
 of other ages it inevitably follows    
that he was alluding to a ,gentile      
divinity1 a ,christ 9999 whose name had 
belonged to the heathen mysteries1 in   
ages long prior to the reputed time of  
,jesus4 ,in the #afth chapter of the    
,romans1 ,paul again lets out the secret
 in the #beth and #bfth verses1 where he

 speaks of his gospel1 and the preaching
 of ,jesus ,christ1 according to the    
revelation of the mystery1 which was    
kept secret since the world began4 ,what
 mystery of ,christ can he mean1 that   
was thus kept secret since the world    
began8 ,he assuredly alludes to the     
esoteric doctrines of the ,egyptian     
priests of ,osiris2 the ,eleusinian     
mysteries2 the ,bacchanal orgies2 and to
 all the ancient mythoses in which the  
sun1 under many different names1 was the
 secret object of adoration in all the  
countries of the east1 as the glorious  
savior who annually redeems the world   
from the reign of cold and darkness2 and
 of whose mysterious worship ,paul had  
gained some knowledge4       99 ,he     
makes a plain confession of having two  
gospels1 in his      ,epistle to the    
,galatians1 ii41 #b4 ,the cloven tongues
 so      much spoken of1 designated     
those who were capable of holding       
forth the exoteric1 or esotoric         
doctrine1 as occasion might             

require4 ,paul's tongue appears to have 
been cloven into more      than two     
parts4       9999 ,did not ,cicero1 when
 he travelled in ,greece1 find          
inscriptions on monuments to many       
,christs8  ,in the reign of ,adrian1 the
 ,egyptian priests of the idol ,priapus1
 were called the bishops of ,christ4    
,priapus was a symbol of the generative 
power of the sun4 ,socrates and ,sozomen
 say1 that when the temple of this god  
was destroyed1 the monogram of ,christ  
was found beneath the foundation4  ,we  
speak wisdom1 says he1 to them that are 
perfect1 yet not the wisdom of this     
world4 ,certainly not2 for his secret   
doctrine was the celestial theosophy1 or
 astronomy in disguise2 but as these    
mysteries were known only to the        
initiated few1 they were wisdom to them 
alone4 ,but when these truth-conveying  
allegories were spoken to the           
uninitiated rabble1 they were received  
in the exoteric1 or literal sense1 which
 ,paul elsewhere calls foolishness2 yet 

nothing is so common in the present day 
as that same foolishness4 ,none but     
minds who not only choose1 but are      
determined to be deceived1 can resist   
the obvious meaning conveyed in his     
,epistle to the ,philippians1 iii41 #bj4
 ,for our conversation is in heaven1    
from whence also we look for the        
,savior1 the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,that
 is1 the return of the ,lord the ,sun to
 the zodiacal signs of spring and       
summer1 when he alone is truly the      
savior499 ,that even the fable of the   
flood is an astronomical allegory1 is   
proven in #ast ,peter iii41 where the   
writer1 speaking of the ark1 wherein the
 eight souls were saved by water1       
concludes the parables thus1--the like  
,,figure hereunto even baptism doth now 
save us4       99 ,as the sun is the    
only true physical savior of everything 
that has life upon this globe1 so is a  
free printing press      the true moral 
and intellectual savior of the human    
race4  ,thus it is an astronomical key  

that lays open the secret arcanum of all
 that ,paul1 or any other of the ,new   
,testament writers say about ,christ and
 heavenly things2 for these1 when the   
veil of allegory is withdrawn1 stand    
confessed in the ,sun199 7the ,mithras1 
or ,mediator7 moon1 stars1 the elements 
and seasons1 the deification of which   
formed the occult astro-theology which  
was the basis of all the religions of   
the east2 and from which ,christianism  
is only a distorted emanation4       99 
,neither ,origen nor ,tertullian        
attempts to prove the      existence of 
,jesus ,christ on historical documents1 
and to      establish his birth and     
death on unquestionable authority4      
,from the works of ,plutarch1 which are 
now lost1 ,eusebius quoted a fragment in
 which that wise ,grecian says3 ,it     
clearly results from the verses of      
,orpheus1 and the sacred books of the   
,egyptians and ,phrygians1 that the     
ancient theology1 not only of the       
,greeks1 but of all nations1 was nothing

 more than a system of physics--a       
picture of the operations of ,nature1   
wrapped up in mysteries1 allegories1    
enigmatical symbols1 in a manner that   
the ignorant multitude attended rather  
to their apparent than to their hidden  
meaning3 and even what they understood  
of the latter1 led them to suppose there
 was still something more than they     
perceived4 ,when the lost works of      
,plutarch contained such disclosures1   
their destruction by ,christian priests 
is anything but wonderful4  ,when all   
these circumstances are duly weighed in 
the mind that dares to look truth in the
 face1 the conviction flashes upon it   
instantly1 that all our gospels1 and    
everything else that is said about      
,jesus ,christ in the ,new ,testament1  
has no reference whatever to any event  
that ever did in reality take place upon
 this globe2 or to any personages that  
ever in truth existed3 and that the     
whole is an astronomical allegory1 or   
parable1 having invariably a primary and

 sacred allusion to the sun1 and his    
passage through the signs of the zodiac3
 or a verbal representation of the      
phaenomena of the solar year and        
seasons4 ,a belief in the literal or    
ostensible meaning of these parables1   
shows the sottish credulity into which  
man sinks after his reason has been     
mortgaged in youth to the priest1 who   
keeps him in the ignorance that is      
suitable for mental slavery4  ,this view
 of these matters unveils and draws     
forth good sense and science out of both
 ,testaments2 and all our wonder at once
 ceases in regard to the total absence  
of even the slightest corroborating     
historical trace of the miraculous      
narratives of these books4 ,this        
revelation of these enigmas also        
reconciles with truth that apparently   
false prediction of ,jesus1 wherein1 he 
tells his auditors that some of them    
would live to see the coming of the     
,christ he alluded to2 and to do this it
 was only requisite that they should    

live until the following year1 when the 
true ,christ1 the sun would again be    
triumphant in the clouds1 as he         
approached the summer solstice4         
,moreover1 we may here notice another   
similar ,new ,testament prediction1     
which from the stubborn preciseness of  
the terms in which it is expressed1 can 
neither be twisted by the priest nor    
rationally solved without the           
allegorical interpretation2--it         
declares--,ye shall not taste of death  
till all these things are accomplished4 
,if ,christian priests are not willing  
that ,paul should pass for a notorious  
cheat and impostor1 let them explicate1 
in any other way than the above1 his    
,heavenly enigmas and literally false   
predictions3--we challenge them to this2
 and if they cannot or will not do it   
satisfactorily1 to whom will the        
epithets of cheats and impostors        
properly belong8 ,the above solution of 
these astro-allegories forces so        
irresistible a conviction upon the      

ingenuous and unprejudiced mind as      
leaves no room to suppose a possibility 
of its being otherwise3--it is the      
physical truths of nature and scientific
 demonstration1 against that which is   
false in physics1 false in analogy1 and1
 consequently1 contrary to all          
experience and reason4  ,the ,jewish    
sects of ,essenes and ,therapeutae199   
out of which the ,galileans and         
,christians more immediately sprang1 had
 thus their superstition composed of a  
mixture of the ,egyptian and ,persian   
mysteries1 consequently sun worship was 
common to many of the subsequent        
branches of ,christianity1 such as the  
,mani-chees and others4 ,tertullian1 in 
the apologetics1 makes a broad          
confession of this1 as follows3--,many  
think1 with more probability1 that our  
god is the ,sun29999 and they trace our 
religion to that of the ,persians4 ,if  
this is not an admission1 it is the next
 thing to it1 that about the beginning  
of the third century1 the secret object 

of ,christian worship was the ,sun2 and 
it would have been well if they had     
continued in that rational adoration1   
instead of adopting those midnight rites
 which were held in horror and          
detestation by their ,gentile neighbors1
 as being cruel1 wicked1 and            
blasphemous2999999 and which caused the 
votaries of the new religion to be      
branded as atheists4 ,arnobius who      
turned ,christian1 7most probably in    
view of a bishopric71 complains of the  
,gentiles thus3--,we 7the ,christians7  
are called by you ill-omened men1 and   
atheists2 you call us impious and       
irreligious atheists4 ,you are in the   
habit of exciting the hatred of the mob 
against us1 by calling us               
atheists499999999       99 ,we are told 
by ,philo1 that these pious enthusiasts 
abandoned father1 mother1 wife1         
children1 and property1 and      devoted
 themselves to a contemplative life2    
which are      exactly the injunctions  
attributed to ,christ4       9999 ,in   

another treatise ,tertullian alludes to 
the strong      similarity between the  
religion of ,christ1 and that of        
,mithra1 or the ,sun4 ,the priests of   
the ,persian god had      sacraments4   
,their baptism procured the remission of
 sins to      the believers and the     
faithful4       ,saint ,justin also     
alludes to the mystical consecrations of
      these two religions2 and to the   
similarity of the birth of      ,christ1
 and his ,persian rival1 the ,sun4      
999999 ,the ,agapae1 or love feasts of  
the early ,christians1 were      close  
imitations of the bacchanal orgies2 at  
the latter1 it      was a vital         
principle1 that no action whatsoever    
constituted      a crime1 if committed  
by any of the initiated during their    
meetings4 ,it appears that the spirit of
 this horrible      license was fully   
entered into by the ,christians4--,vide 
,gibbon's ,decline and ,fall1 vol4 ii1  
p4 #hid4       99999999 ,adv4 ,gentes4  
,some of the learned1 however1 have been

 of opinion that the present version of 
,christianism is more immediately       
founded on the writings of ,philo       
,judaeus1 who speaks much of the ,logos1
 which in ,greek signifies the principle
 of reason2 having the same figurative  
moral sense as the epithet ,christos4   
,the epistle to the ,hebrews1 and ,st4  
,john's ,gospel1 are adduced as complete
 imitations of ,philo's manner and      
style4 ,the epithet ,logos is often used
 by him1 but in ,john's ,gospel it is   
falsely translated1 being rendered the  
word499 ,philo also speaks at large of  
the ,therapeutae and ,essenes1 from whom
 the ,christians borrowed so freely in  
making their collection2 and though in  
his time they existed not as a sect1    
they might be mainly indebted to his    
writings for the groundwork of their    
fabric4 ,this opinion is greatly        
strengthened1 inasmuch as the heads of  
our church have always kept ,philo1 as  
much as possible1 in the back ground4   
,he was a much more learned man than    

,josephus--a better writer2 and had     
arrived at the years of maturity before 
the period assigned for the birth of    
,christ4       99 ,the first verse in   
,john's ,gospel is literally copied from
      ,plato4 ,as a play upon words1 it 
is almost worthy of ,st4      ,paul4    
,the restless and prying zeal of ,paul  
having gained him this knowledge in the 
,pagan mysteries1 which he boasts of1 he
 perceived that the spirit of the mythos
 in all the polytheisms of the east was 
essentially the same1 that is1 the      
emblematical personification of physical
 and moral principles2 and that the     
removal of this veil of allegory        
developed all the mysteries1 and was    
indeed the only rational meaning of the 
word revelation4 ,he knew1 like the     
,pagan priests1 that in order to deceive
 the multitude1 and make their industry 
maintain idleness and imposture1 miracle
 and mystery were indispensable2 and    
while he dealt largely in the latter    
article1 he showed a peculiar aptitude  

for rendering mystery doubly mysterious1
 whereby he became the grand exemplar of
 all theological quacks1 and founder of 
that school of quibble which has been so
 eminently useful to his successors in  
the ,christian church3 for whenever they
 cannot escape from contradictions and  
absurdities of their own raising1 they  
transfer the solving of their enigmas to
 the regions of ,paul's third heaven1   
where all are lost in his mysteries and 
awful unspeakables2 fooleries which will
 always captivate the wonder-struck     
million2 while common sense1 with       
persecution before his eyes1 dares to   
venture only a shrug of the shoulders4  
,let us now attend to the moral and     
political effects produced by this new  
version of the old mythology1 to which1 
with regard to its absurd and unnatural 
dogmas1 ,st ,paul is the principal      
contributor4 ,after it had grown strong 
under the protection of the cruel1      
kin-killing ,constantine1 and his       
parasite ,eusebius1 it soon turned      

persecutor in its turn1 and began to    
engender legions of other moral and     
physical evils1 which gradually         
overwhelmed the ,roman empire1 in       
proportion as the human mind became     
debased and emasculated by abject       
slavery1 under an intolerant            
superstition--the gorgeous demon of     
,catholic despotism1 erected on the     
ruins of the less degrading and less    
expensive ,paganism499 ,each succeeding 
year and age was marked by the onward   
degeneracy and baseness of the ,roman   
spirit4 ,the new modelled mystery of a  
triune godhead1 with its accompanying   
train of chimeras19999 sunk all classes 
into mental imbecility1 and such was the
 infatuation that nothing but the       
grossest supernatural follies excited   
their attention2 and as these were made 
up of insignificant                     
mummeries--theological cant and jargon  
altogether unintelligible1 they caused  
the bitterest disputes and animosities  
in both the empires2 and glorious       

high-minded ,pagan ,italy became the    
land of pious frauds1 clerical knavery1 
and lies1999999 in which absurdities the
 effeminate and contemptible emperors   
joined1 with their trains of monks and  
eunuchs4       99 ,in the mythology of  
the ,pagans1 their ,theogony consisted  
of full thirty thousand bearded and     
unbearded divinities4 ,we      have     
reduced that establishment to three     
only2 yet      nevertheless1            
7unaccountable as it may appear7 it has 
been      so contrived by our modern    
hierophants1 that the service of        
this triune deity1 with their hosts of  
privileged deputies1      holy days1    
etc41 and taxing the people in          
one-seventh of      their time1 and     
one-tenth of their substance1 has       
entailed      on human industry1 a tax  
of one hundred times the amount of      
that which was contributed to regale the
 nasal senses of the      whole         
celestial army of antiquity6       9999 
,in imitation of the ,pagans1 the crafty

 ,christian priests      soon perceived 
the advantages of polytheism1 and that  
it      would tend greatly to their     
interest to associate some other        
subaltern gods along with the deity of  
,moses2 for1 by thus      introducing a 
plurality of gods1 they would not only  
more      effectually embarrass and     
perplex the minds of the credulous      
people2 but by multiplying the objects  
of worship1 and      constituting       
themselves the acting attornies for     
these      deities1 they would increase 
their stipends and other      exactions1
 in proportion to the various rites and 
ceremonies      they invented for each4 
999999 ,where ,cicero and ,antoninus    
lived1           ,a cowled and          
hypocritical monk           ,prays1     
curses1 and deceives4--,shelley4  ,where
 then1 ,o ,rome1 were your ,brutus'1    
your ,cincinnatus'1 your ,catos1 your   
,marcus ,aurelius'1 your ,julians8 ,the 
fact was1 so far from being able to     
produce such examples of heroic virtue1 

your sons had nearly ceased to deserve  
the name of men2 and as ,machiavel truly
 observes1 the doctrines of your new    
religion1 teaching only passive courage 
and suffering1 had subdued the ,roman   
spirit1 and fitted you for subjection   
and slavery4 ,all manly dignity1 all    
strength of mind1 and all the virtues   
had forsaken your sons1 and you had     
become the nucleus of theological       
absurdity--of all that is worthless1    
vicious1 and unnatural4 ,your handling  
of arms to prevent barbarian invasion   
had ceased1 and they were used alone to 
cut each others throats about the       
supernatural phantoms of your fraudful  
priests2 witness your ,emperor          
,honorius1 who was most holily employed 
at ,ravenna in punishing ,manicheans1   
,donatists1 ,priscillianists1 and       
heretics of every denomination1 whilst  
the ,goths marched without opposition to
 ,rome4 ,again1 when the ,heruli1 the   
,goths1 the ,vandals1 and the ,huns1    
invaded the empire1 what steps were     

taken by the two emperors to withstand  
their attack1 and resist the torrent of 
invasion8 ,none at all2 these           
superstitious fools in purple1 aided by 
their priests and monks1 were settling  
the difference between ,omoosis and     
,omousis2 and1 probably1 the different  
degrees of efficacy in concomitant1     
versatile1 and sufficient grace4 ,with  
these heavenly matters upon their hands1
 how could these holy men find time to  
resist the invasion of their country8   
,suppose for a moment1 that by one of   
the ,christian miracles1 the great      
,caius ,julius had started up amongst   
these degenerate reptiles1 and witnessed
 their ridiculous fooleries1 would he   
have believed that he was among ,romans8
 ,what would he have said of ,saint     
,anthony's preaching to the fishes with 
such spiritual efficacy1 that a huge cod
 looks at the preacher with a face of   
sanctified beatitude2 whilst a beautiful
 salmon turns up his eyes to heaven1    
imploring divine light and grace8  ,when

 such shameful and degrading absurdities
 had thus sunk the ,romans1 and the     
contagion of the new superstition had so
 thoroughly and incurably vitiated the  
minds of all ranks1 that all firmness   
and nobility of character were extinct  
amongst them2 and the change was rapidly
 leading to the downfall of that vast   
empire1--dastards and mental recreants  
in nature1 they were marked by the      
northern nations as an easy prey to the 
first invader4 ,little or no symptom of 
such a decline had appeared until after 
the gods of the ,christians had gained  
the countenance of the ,emperor         
,constantine1 who did not destroy1 but  
made a change in the worship of the     
,gentile gods1 under whom1 it was       
supposed1 the empire had attained the   
highest pitch of glory and power4 ,yet  
even this ,constantine1 so far as       
regarded himself1 was ever as ready to  
pay his respect to ,jupiter1 ,apollo1   
and ,venus1 as to ,jehovah1 ,christ1 and
 the ,virgin ,mary199 having wit enough 

to perceive that the latter were mere   
copies of the former4       99 ,he died 
more a ,pagan than a ,christian2 and all
 the change      that he in reality     
effected was to amalgamate1 or unite the
      two superstitions4 ,this is proved
 in the fact that1 under a      change  
of names and forms1 nearly the whole of 
the heathen      mythos was adopted and 
continued4  ,in order to conceal as much
 as possible the fact1 that the adoption
 of the ,christian superstition was the 
principal cause of the downfall of      
,roman greatness1 it has been assumed by
 church historians and others1 that a   
very considerable decline had visibly   
taken place during the hundred and      
seventy years that elapsed between the  
reign of ,adrian and that of            
,constantine2 but this assumption       
appears to be fallacious4 ,it is true   
that the integrity of the empire was    
sometimes endangered during that period1
 from the despotism falling into        
unworthy and profligate hands2 but at   

the time when ,constantine possessed    
himself of it1 the extent of territory  
seems to have been undiminished at any  
point2 for it still included the        
provinces east of the ,euphrates 7lost  
by the sons of this emperor71 and       
towards the west1 northern ,africa1     
,gaul1 ,spain1 and ,britain2 so that the
 real decline and fall1 commenced with  
the adoption of ,christianity499 ,if the
 subversion of this immense empire had  
been the only political effect of this  
freshly compounded system of theology1  
the cause of humanity might not have    
suffered2 but it is a most lamentable   
truth that all the ancient learning of  
the east was involved in that           
destruction2 for we know from historic  
facts which are indisputable1 that the  
priests1 and tyrants acting in league   
with them1 took special care1 as far as 
it lay in their power1 to destroy every 
root and branch of natural science2 but 
more particularly the writings of those 
philosophers who exposed the immoral and

 wicked rites and secrets of the new    
sect1 and its origin amongst the lowest 
and vilest of the populace49999 ,as one 
proof amongst a hundred of the          
persecution of such learned ,gentiles as
 exposed the profligacy of the first    
,christians1 we quote part of the decree
 of the ,emperor ,theodosius1 as        
follows3--,we decree that all writings  
whatever1 which ,porphyry1 or anyone    
else1 hath written against the          
,christian religion1 in the possession  
of whomsoever they may be found1 shall  
be committed to the fire4 7,see the     
original ,latin1 quoted by ,lardner47   
,thus the ,emperors soon found that1    
with the connivance and subserviency of 
the priests1 the new superstition was   
much better calculated than the old for 
the purposes of tyranny2 and that the   
one thing needful was to suppress all   
,pagan learning--to foster and diffuse  
the gloom of ignorance1 as the only     
element in which their nefarious schemes
 for the subjugation of the human mind  

could prosper4       99 ,the tide of    
prosperity and greatness followed the   
,romans1      so long as they were      
reared under the moral and heroic       
virtues of the old religion1 until the  
new superstition      arose like a      
blighting meteor1 shedding its baleful  
influence over the empire2 and by its   
pernicious dogmas and      emasculating 
tendency1 gradually reduced the most    
warlike      nation in the world to     
contempt and vassalage4       9999 ,the 
,emperor ,julian1 in a discourse to the 
,christians1      told them that ,it was
 enough for you at first to seduce a    
few servants--a few beggars1 such as    
,cornelius and ,sergius4      ,but let  
me be regarded as the most impudent of  
impostors1 if      among those who      
embraced your feet under ,tiberius and  
,claudius1 there was a single man of    
birth or merit4 ,julian      here       
alludes to the ,jewish sect of          
,galileans1 who had not      assumed the
 name of ,christians under ,tiberius and

 ,claudius4  ,in latter times history   
vouches for the horrible persecutions   
and bloody wars1 which this fresh       
version of ,christianity occasioned     
throughout ,europe and part of ,asia1   
for more than thirteen hundred years1   
viz41 from the reign of ,constantine    
till towards the latter end of the      
sixteenth century1 when some glimmerings
 of science began to dispel the gloom of
 ignorance1 and to weaken that priestly 
and aristocratic despotism1 which even  
to this day has not been entirely shaken
 off by any ,european nation4  ,a       
celebrated philosopher199 when speaking 
of the above period1 makes the following
 observations3--,if1 says he1 ,god      
deigned to make himself a man1 and a    
,jew1 and to die in ,palestine by an    
infamous punishment1 to expiate the     
crimes of mankind1 and to banish sin    
from the earth1 there ought to have been
 no longer any sin or crime amongst men1
 whereas religious crimes seem only to  
have commenced since the time when that 

event is said to have happened3 and the 
,christians1 by their holy massacres and
 burnings1 have shown themselves more   
abominable monsters than all the        
sectaries of the other religions put    
together49999       99 ,freret4         
9999 ,the ,jews may be regarded as an   
exception2 for their      history       
displays the most memorable examples of 
the evils      arising from superstition
 and fanaticism2 from these arose       
the numerous revolutions1 the horrid and
 bloody wars2 and at      last their    
total destruction as a petty dependent  
nation1      owing to their submission  
to priests1 and their unbounded         
credulity4 ,from the roguish deceptions 
of their tribe of      priests alone1   
they became1 beyond all contradiction1  
the      most despicable people that    
ever existed4 ,their barbarous          
ignorance was easily played upon by     
,levitical commissions      from heaven4
  ,in proof of this1 witness the        
gibbets1 the wheels1 the massacres1 and 

the horrible burnings at the stake of   
nearly a hundred thousand human beings  
in a single province--the massacres and 
devastations of nine mad crusades of    
,christians against unoffending ,turks1 
during nearly two hundred years2 in     
which many millions of human beings     
perished--the massacres of the          
,anabaptists--the massacres of the      
,lutherans and ,papists1 from the ,rhine
 to the extremities of the north--the   
massacres1 in ,ireland1 ,england1 and   
,scotland1 in the time of ,charles ,i41 
who was himself massacred--the massacres
 ordered by ,henry ,,viii4 and his      
daughter ,mary--the massacres of ,st4   
,bartholomew in ,france2 and forty years
 more of other massacres between the    
time of ,francis ,i4 and the entry of   
,henry ,,iv4 into ,paris2--the massacres
 of the inquisition1 which are more     
execrable still1 as being judicially    
committed2--to say nothing of the       
innumerable schisms and twenty wars of  
popes against popes--bishops against    

bishops--the poisonings1                
assassinations--the cruel rapines of    
more than a dozen of popes1 who far     
exceeded a ,nero or a ,caligula in every
 species of crime and wickedness2--the  
massacre of twelve millions of the      
inhabitants of the new world1 executed  
,,crucifix ,,in ,,hand and all for the  
honor and glory of the ,jewish deity and
 his son66 ,this is without reckoning   
all the massacres committed in the same 
names1 precedently to any of the above4 
,finding no end to this dismal catalogue
 of theological enormities1 this        
philosopher shortly observes1 that such 
a hideous and almost uninterrupted chain
 of religious wars1 for fourteen        
centuries1 never subsisted but among    
,christians2 and that none of all the   
numerous nations called heathen ever    
spilt a drop of human blood on the score
 of theological arguments4       99     
,under the banners and sanction of the  
exterminating god of      ,moses and of 
,joshua1 the ,spaniards did not treat   

the      inhabitants of the ,new ,world 
as human beings1 because they      were 
not ,christians4 ,all sense of remorse  
was stifled2 and      those unfeeling   
men1 whom ,europe had disgorged from her
      bosom1 were abandoned without     
control to their insatiable      thirst 
for gold and for blood4  ,we are obliged
 to grant that all this is true2 and to 
this may be added1 that in these        
shocking devastations1 the blind        
ferocity of the ,christians was         
everywhere written in blood1 whereas the
 behavior of their opponents was        
frequently marked by clemency4 ,as an   
instance let us compare the conduct of  
,saladin with that of ,godfrey of       
,bouillon1 and his followers1 though    
shame and detestation would draw a veil 
over the contrast3 when the latter took 
,jerusalem1 an indiscriminate butchery  
took place2 neither age nor sex was     
spared2 and after the surrender1 the    
streets streamed with the blood of at   
least seven thousand victims4 ,when     

,saladin retook the place1 no lives were
 taken after the surrender2 and he      
showed the greatest kindness to the     
,christian captives2 giving those who   
were poor their liberty without ransom4 
,the massacres of ,antioch and          
,thessalonica1 by the ,emperor          
,theodosius1 may be regarded as other   
instances of sectarian ferocity1        
partaking1 as they certainly did1 of    
religious animosity4 ,did the ,emperor  
,julian punish these ,antiochians in any
 way whatever1 when they heaped upon him
 every kind of abuse and indignity899   
99  ,did he not also spare the ten or   
more ,christian soldiers      of his own
 army1 who were proved to have conspired
 against      his life8  ,descending    
from the great and general calamities   
which the ,christian superstition has   
entailed upon nations1 let us notice a  
very few of its malignant persecutions  
of individuals whose only crimes were   
superior genius1 learning1 and science2 
and this persecution has ever been      

marked by a deadly rancor1 which plainly
 shows that the study and knowledge of  
,nature is incompatible with1 and a     
decided enemy to1 this theological      
fabrication4 ,before the time of        
,copernicus1 and the famous ,galileo1   
,christians were taught by their        
priests1 that the sun revolved round the
 earth2 that the latter was flat like a 
table1 7it is quite clear that the      
,bible-makers knew no better7 and       
one-third longer than it was broad1     
hence our terms of latitude and         
longitude4 ,copernicus showed the       
absurdity of these notions1 and taught  
that the sun is the centre of his own1  
or the solar1 system1 in which this     
globe of ours is comparatively but a    
mole-hill4 ,but knowing of the hosts of 
priests who were ready to pounce upon   
him if he discovered these truths       
openly1 he declined to publish his works
 till near the time of his death1 and he
 lived just long enough to receive a    
corrected copy of them4  ,galileo1 at   

the distance of more than a hundred     
years after the former1 offended the    
church by defending the system of       
,copernicus1 but still more in proving  
that the earth had a double motion1 in  
revolving on its own centre in          
twenty-four hours1 and also in its orbit
 round the sun2 the former being the    
cause of day and night1 and the latter  
measuring the solar year4 ,the          
discovery1 or rather the revival1 of    
these and many other grand and sublime  
truths1 drew down upon the head of this 
great man the implacable vengeance of an
 interested priesthood2 and he was      
condemned by a wicked conclave1 which   
calls itself holy1 for daring to know   
and to propagate truths that are now    
known to every schoolboy4 ,all that     
could be done for him by the wise and   
learned of the age was merely to save   
him from being burnt by the priests4 ,he
 was confined for life1 and died a      
prisoner of the ,inquisition4 ,as the   
sentence against him is hardly credible 

in the present day1 we cite the         
following part of it3--,to assert that  
the earth is not immoveable in the      
centre of the world1 is an absurd       
proposition1 false in philosophy1       
heretical in religion1 and contrary to  
the testimony of ,scripture4 ,as an     
instance of the malicious and inexorable
 nature of priestcraft1 we note the     
curious fact1 that ,galileo's sentence  
was1 in spite of the clearest light1    
renewed at ,rome in #ahai6  ,virgilius1 
,bishop of ,saltzberg1 was condemned by 
the church for maintaining that the     
figure of the earth is spherical2 and1  
consequently1 the existence of          
antipodes4  ,the learned ,stephen ,dolet
 was burnt by the ,inquisition for      
exposing priestcraft1 and asserting the 
unity of ,god4  ,julius ,vanini was     
burnt by the clergy for saying that ,god
 is both the beginning and the end1     
without being in need of either--in no  
one place1 yet present everywhere2 his  
power is his will4 ,for these tenets did

 the theologians burn the innocent      
,vanini4  ,the blameless life and       
manners of ,william ,tyndale could not  
save him from the stake and fagot2 his  
great learning enabled him to expose the
 frauds of the priests1 and the false   
translations of their ,scriptures3 so he
 fell their victim1 through the aid and 
authority of his tyrannical and         
blood-thirsty king4  ,the great         
,descartes died in a foreign land from  
church persecution4  ,that persecution  
is necessarily ingrained in priests of  
every denomination1 and that they will  
have recourse to it whenever they have  
the power1 we have a memorable instance 
in the much vaunted reformer1 ,john     
,calvin1 who1 when armed with authority 
by the magistrates of ,geneva1 wrote to 
the high ,chamberlain of the ,king of   
,navarre1 7of date the #cjth ,sept41    
#aefa7 as follows3--,honor1 glory1 and  
riches1 shall be the reward of your     
pains2 but1 above all1 do not fail to   
rid the country of those zealous        

scoundrels who stir up the people to    
revolt against us4 ,such monsters should
 be exterminated1 as ,i have            
exterminated ,michael ,servetus1 the    
,spaniard4 ,now the fact is well known1 
that when ,calvin found himself unable  
to cope in argument with this learned   
,spaniard1 he took the true orthodox way
 of getting a riddance1 by roasting him 
alive at a slow fire1 inhumanly made on 
purpose1 of green wood4  ,the intrepid  
,bruno resolutely suffered at the stake 
for condemning that baleful source of   
distraction to the human race--the      
spirituality of priests4  ,in latter    
times matters are not much mended4 ,a   
considerable portion of the #aith       
century has now elapsed1 and has been   
deemed a period of science2 yet free    
discussion1 and the exercise of reason  
on all subjects have made but small     
progress2 and it is melancholy to       
reflect that plain truth is still at the
 bottom of her well1 where she is       
stifled by the demon of supernatural    

theology and its political colleagues1  
from whence she has been suffered to    
emit only partial glimmerings of light2 
whilst1 from base interest1 she is      
shunned or unacknowledged by those very 
men of science by whom alone she can be 
rescued from this detestable thraldom of
 the mind4 ,by corrupt judges and packed
 juries she is jealously excluded from  
courts of pretended justice1 lest she   
should expose1 in her odious colors1 the
 reigning hag of superstition1 with her 
,bibyline books of mystery and fraud2   
hence the fines1 the robberies1 and the 
incarcerations of a great number of the 
most virtuous1 enlightened1 and most    
talented advocates of free discussion   
and mental liberty1 for the last thirty 
years4 ,thus has the peace of countries 
been incessantly disturbed and outraged1
 for nearly two thousand years1 by this 
strange fabrication of artificial       
theology2 thus has it been perpetually  
in exercise as an instrument in the     
persecution of great and good men1 and  

raised up the most inextinguishable     
flames of hatred1 wars1 and devastations
 amongst nations4 ,such will ever be its
 effects1 particularly where it is      
iniquitously upheld as a device to      
strangle mental liberty1 through the    
hopes and fears of ignorance2 and as an 
engine of state to sustain corrupt      
government4  ,on a retrospective view of
 this direful superstition1 we cannot   
ascertain from any certain authority at 
what time the ,galileans took the name  
of ,christians1 as there is not the     
slightest historical trace of their     
using the latter term throughout the    
first century of their assumed          
existence4 ,there appears to have been  
no sect of that name in ,jerusalem when 
it was taken and destroyed by ,titus in 
the year seventy1 and it was not until  
full thirty years afterwards that it was
 mentioned by the younger ,pliny        
7governor of ,bithynia7 in a letter to  
the ,emperor ,trajan4 ,this letter was  
written about the beginning of the      

second century1 and it shows that ,pliny
 had heard nothing of ,christians until 
he went to that province1 as he speaks  
of them as a novelty with which he did  
not know how to deal1 and represents    
them to the ,emperor as a set of vile   
and vicious fanatics4 ,however1 it      
appears that the animosities and        
dissensions amongst the propagators of  
the new sect had produced effects       
destructive of the peace and welfare of 
society1 at a very early period4        
,numerous party-gospels1 and forged     
writings under the names of apostles1   
were in circulation at the latter end of
 the second and third centuries2 all    
hostile to each other1 and generating   
nothing but fraud and contention4 ,these
 writings being exclusively in the hands
 of the leading impostors1 they could   
alter them at pleasure1 and make any    
invention the word of ,god4 ,our four   
adopted gospels are as spurious as the  
others499       99 ,the earliest        
,christians1 viz41 the ,ebionites1      

,nasarenes1      ,corinthians1 etc41    
denied that any of our four gospels were
      genuine1 except that of ,matthew2 
but they excluded as      forgeries the 
two first chapters1 containing the      
miraculous      conception and birth1   
declaring them to be spurious1 and not  
to be found in the genuine copies of    
,matthew4 ,both ,st4      ,jerome and   
,epiphanius allow that this is true4    
,nothing is more certain than that no   
man can rationally predict of the       
future1 otherwise than by deduction     
drawn from the past2 and1 therefore1    
there is reason to believe that the     
writers of ,matthew and ,luke1 who most 
probably wrote after the middle of the  
second century1 spoke by inference drawn
 from their own experience1 when they   
uttered that plain1 bold1 and bloody    
declaration regarding the future fruits 
of ,christianity4 ,suppose ye that ,i   
came to send peace on earth8 ,i tell you
 nay2 ,i came not to send peace1 but a  
sword4 ,for ,i am come to set a man at  

variance with his father1 and the       
daughter against her mother4 ,and a     
man's foes shall be those of his own    
household4 ,this terrible denunciation  
has proved true to a tittle4 ,where is  
there another of all the ,new ,testament
 predictions that has been so literally 
fulfilled8 ,if such effects began to    
show themselves while it was yet in its 
infancy1 and even crying out for        
tolerance amongst the ,pagans1 can we   
wonder that in subsequent times1 after  
gaining the patronage of tyranny1       
riches1 and power1 it should engender a 
greater mass of human misery than was   
ever caused by all the other systems of 
religious plagues put together4  ,the   
artificers of this scheme saw well that 
the power and influence of the priest   
and despot1 were ever in exact          
proportion to the debasement of man2    
and1 therefore1 they laid their         
foundation in that hideous sink of vice 
and depravity1 the ,jewish superstition2
 for there they found the examples of a 

numerous and rapacious priesthood1 the  
enforcement of tithes1 and a perfect    
specimen of the iniquitous league       
between civil and theological tyranny2 a
 combination which makes an easy        
conquest of the human mind in a state of
 ignorance and renders it incapable of  
one liberal1 manly or independent       
sentiment4 ,when man is thus shorn of   
his native energy1 and all virtuous     
dignity1 by the surrender of his reason1
 these confederate powers erect their   
common throne on the ruins of his       
freedom1 welfare and happiness4 ,the    
ferocious character ascribed to deity in
 the barbarous books of the ,jews1 was  
no stumbling-block against their        
adoption1 when contrasted with the      
mighty advantages to be derived from the
 precedents already noticed1 and which  
have so eminently served the successors 
of the adopters in the way of trade4    
,they were utterly reckless that the    
writers of these books1 in the delirium 
of blasphemy 7to use a cant word7 have  

depicted the ruling power of the        
universe as a contemptible and wicked   
personation1 with the worst of human    
passions1 and as sanctioning or         
commanding the perpetration of the      
blackest crimes that ever disgraced     
human nature4 ,by quoting these bloody  
examples as laudable and worthy of      
imitation1 have not priests caused half 
the earth to be ravaged1 and debauched  
the minds of princes 7who would         
otherwise have been humane and virtuous7
 and made them devastators and infamous 
persecutors8  ,some philosophers have   
been of opinion that the history of past
 ages is a true picture of what the fate
 of man ever must be2 that he is        
destined for ever to-be the slave of a  
succession of superstitions--to be the  
tool and puppet of tyrants in the shape 
of priests and aristocratic rulers4     
,this is a melancholy representation1   
which implies inherent viciousness in   
his nature2 and that there will never be
 a want of rogues to prey upon          

ignorance4 ,in the coalition of the     
priest and the law-giver1 we invariably 
find the unchangeable enemy of the human
 race2 for1 besides the mental slavery  
thereby maintained1 anything like good  
civil government is necessarily         
precluded1 that being found impossible  
while it is leagued with the pernicious 
inventions of supernaturalism4 ,have the
 majority of mankind1 who are thus      
victimised1 no remedy against this      
horrid order of things8 99 ,they are not
 entitled to any1 while they find it    
easier to be cheated than to think for  
themselves1 a case which will always be 
theirs until they become                
self-regenerated1 by the removal of     
ignorance2 a reform that must be        
effected by themselves alone1 since it  
is evidently and energetically opposed  
by their oppressors4 ,ignorance being   
the only element in which priestcraft   
can thrive1 or its concomitant1 bad     
government be tolerated2 so is it the   
primary source of that degradation and  

baseness which rears up the             
mind-subduing altars1 of superstition1  
whose foster-mother it is2 and without  
whose aid no kind of secular despotism  
could have plunged man into the abject  
and contemptible condition he is in at  
present throughout ,europe49999         
99 ,small hopes have the nations6       
,while reason is brought                
,every hour to be laid on credulity's   
shrine1           ,till the             
truth-seeking spirit submission is      
taught1           ,and the dreams of a  
dotard seem doctrines divine6       9999
  ,when the humane and enlightened      
,cortes of ,spain would      have       
abolished the ,inquisition1 the priests 
told the      populace that it would be 
an infringement of their      liberties2
 and the priests were bettered6' ,so    
true is the      ,spanish proverb1 that 
,man is an ass that kicks those8 who    
take off his panniers4  ,we repeat1 that
 a better order of things cannot result 
until man shall1 by education and a     

virtuous reform of his moral habits     
assert his own dignity and thereby      
emancipate himself from being the       
devoted grovelling victim of this       
theologico-aristocratic conspiracy1 and 
the unjust laws and institutions which  
ever must of necessity spring from it2  
whereby he is at all points robbed of   
the enjoyment of his nature1 and        
vegetates as the regularly trained slave
 of the most abominable artifice4  ,a   
truly wise and equitable government1 so 
far from coalescing with the priesthood 
of any religion or superstition for     
mutual support against the justice of   
equal rights1 would not allow itself to 
know anything whatever about theology   
and its train of distracting1           
misery-creating delusions4 ,it would    
leave these wholly to the incurable     
ignorant dupes who will maintain        
impostors in idleness1 eschewing with   
contempt all such nefarious alliance1   
and recognising alone the infinitely    
more dignified principle and functions  

of civil policy1 i4e41 the protection of
 person and property1 the equality of   
rights1 and the sacred freedom which is 
every man's birthright4 ,where is such a
 government to be found8 ,to the shame  
of a degraded and abused world1 such a  
government is nowhere to be found but in
 the ,united ,states of ,america2 for   
although the populace there are         
exceedingly bigoted1 and grievously     
preyed upon by the locusts of           
superstition1 still the supreme         
authority has1 with a wise jealousy1    
preserved itself uncontaminated by any  
connexion with1 or preference given to1 
anyone of the religious factions1 while 
giving equal protection to all4         
,nevertheless1 every enlightened        
,american will remember1 with the most  
lively gratitude1 that but for the      
philosophic caution and foresight of    
,thomas ,jefferson1 and two or three    
other patriots1 the probability is that 
the new and glorious state would have   
closed with the foul embrace of some one

 of the contending sects 7glorious then 
no longer71 as the most importunate     
efforts were made by the sectarian1     
leaders to effect that object2 though   
nearly all of them had studiously and   
sneakingly stood aloof from the         
patriotic cause1 while the issue of that
 noble struggle was doubtful4  ,in the  
proud rank of national greatness which  
the ,united ,states have so deservedly  
attained in the present day1 and with   
the example of priest-governed ,europe  
continually before their eyes1 nothing  
more than the prudent vigilance of      
common patriotism is required in the    
supreme councils1 to guard against the  
co-partnership1 or admission of anyone  
of all the pernicious systems of        
churchcraft1 to the slightest connexion 
with the government4 ,but in the        
unsettled infancy of the republic1 after
 the declaration of independence1 when  
those insidious clerical hypocrites1 who
 had kept aloof1 as aforesaid1 ready to 
join whichever party might be           

victorious1 and1 backed by ignorance and
 fanaticism1 beset the framers of the   
constitution with their spiritual claims
 and conflicting pretensions--by        
incessant solicitations and intrigues1  
to gain their execrable ends1 it        
required the incorruptible virtues of a 
,washington1 a ,jefferson1 a ,paine1 a  
,franklin1 and a ,barlow1 to prevent    
their effecting a similar adulterous    
connexion with the state to that which  
is now the bane and disgrace of the     
mother country4  ,whenever the          
government of these great and powerful  
,states shall become so mentally        
imbecile as to favor1 by an exclusive   
state establishment1 any form of        
superstition199 or system of religion   
pretending to supernatural revelation1  
the fatal time of their division1       
weakness1 and final decline and fall1   
will follow at a very short distance4   
99 ,let the priest be ever kept on the  
same footing as the      merchant--that 
is1 maintained at the expense of the    

consumer4 ,he who has no priest1 and    
consumes none of the      commodity he  
deals in1 should not be compelled to pay
 any      part of his hire4  ,,end ,,of 
,,lecture ,,fifth4     ,,lecture        
,,sixth4 ,,effects ,,of ,,the           
,,christian ,,superstition 7,continued7 
,let those weak minds that live in doubt
 and fear1           ,to juggling       
priests--fair ,nature's foes1 repair2   
,these soul-savers1--truth's blackest   
enemies1           ,i ne'er consult1 and
 heartily despise4       ,its foul      
leagues with tyranny1 persecutions1     
cruelty2      society poisoned by its   
all-pervading influence2 what is        
good in gospel morals borrowed from the 
ancients2 its      usurpation of        
one-seventh of man's time1 and one-tenth
 of      the proceeds of his industry2  
other evils which it occasions          
generally4  ,in extending our view of   
the immoral1 degrading1 and malign      
effects of the ,christian superstition1 
it is but just and fair to observe1 that

 all other systems of religion which    
have successively plagued the world1    
founded on the pretensions of impostors 
to supernatural revelations1 have also  
been destructive of human welfare1      
though in a degree much less subversive 
of natural rights4 ,the scanty remains  
of ancient history and science1 which   
,christian and ,mahommedan priests and  
tyrants have suffered to reach us1 show 
clearly that in all ages and countries1 
the ignorance of the bulk of mankind    
hath constantly rendered them the dupes 
of some sort of priests1 by whom that   
ignorance has been uniformly cherished  
and promoted1 as the most congenial soil
 for the growth of church and state     
corruptions4 ,there never has been1 and 
there never can be1 any very bad        
government without the confederate aid  
of that master evil199 the imaginary    
science of theology 7for all is illusion
 that is said to be beyond the physical 
powers of ,nature9999 the poetical      
personification of which is called      

,nature's ,god72 and a wicked and       
tyrannical government1 whether kingly or
 aristocratic1 can no more do without a 
sympathetic priesthood1 than the latter 
can do without their devil2 hence it    
follows that all state authority has    
been pernicious in the exact ratio of   
its connexion with these priesthoods4   
,this may partly be proved by the       
superiority of the government of the    
,united ,states1 7where the alloy of    
ecclesiastical union is strictly guarded
 against7 over that of any ,european    
nation1 not excepting ,england1 where   
both houses of ,parliament are sadly    
tainted1 and one of them almost governed
 by the wizard influence of the church2 
yet1 owing to the decayed1 and rapidly  
decaying1 power of this incubus1 these  
dominions enjoy more liberty than       
,spain1999999 which for many centuries  
has had no other executive rule than the
 most oppressive and irksome            
superstition that ever degraded and     
enslaved the human race2 and whose sons 

are at this moment pouring out their    
blood in the endeavor to pull out the   
teeth1 and curtail the claws1 if they   
cannot kill1 the monster4       99      
,plato states that religious pretences  
have always formed      one of the most 
powerful frauds of political despotism2 
and      ,aristotle calls the profession
 of religion not only the      surest   
auxiliary of tyrants1 but an enslaving  
tyranny in      itself4       9999      
,divines say that ,nature is wholly     
inexplicable without a      god2 that   
is1 to explain what they know very      
little of1 they      have recourse to a 
cause which they know not at all4       
999999 ,for many centuries past1 the    
finest countries in ,europe1      via41 
,spain1 ,portugal1 and ,ireland1 have   
been nothing but      theological       
beargardens1 and so they are to this    
day4  ,the history of all religions1 we 
repeat1 is but a catalogue of follies1  
knavery1 cruelty1 and crime2 the whole  
forming a continued libel upon mankind1 

and proving their ignorance and         
unbounded credulity2 the tyrant1        
confederate with the priest1 assists him
 to impose upon you his creed1 on the   
strength of which he demands your faith1
 on the strength of which he demands    
your money--not at the point of the     
bayonet1 in the first instance1 but if  
you refuse to deliver1 he calls in the  
aid of his political partner1 whom he   
has ever taught you to obey in all      
things2 so that1 between the priest and 
the powers that be1 your money is       
extorted1 though not by a highwayman4   
,the iniquity of compelling a man to    
support an idle and rapacious order of  
theologians1 whom he wishes to have     
nothing to do with1 is an act of        
injustice too shameful to be committed  
by any wise and good government4  ,since
 we can distinctly trace priestcraft so 
far back as the times of ,hesiod and    
,homer1 to talk of its origin would be  
as futile and unprofitable1 as it would 
be to speak of the first evil amongst   

men2 if the two are not necessarily     
coeval1 certainly the cup of the latter 
was not full until the former filled up 
the measure4 ,and1 as things naturally  
bad make strong themselves by ill1      
tyrannical governments have been        
enabled1 through collusion with this    
baleful pest1 to carry their oppressions
 to the highest pitch of profligacy and 
wickedness2 and for a quiet submission  
to the degradation and miseries thus    
occasioned in real life1 the dupes are  
promised a blissful remuneration1 in an 
imaginary post mortem life1 created for 
this express purpose4 ,but every        
endeavor to open the eyes of the        
deceived1 or to remove the evils arising
 from this mischievous confederacy1 is  
threatened with a life of everlasting   
burning after death499       99 ,the    
object of the first legislators was to  
govern the      people2 and the easiest 
method to effect it was through the     
priesthood1 to terrify their minds1 and 
prevent the exercise      of reason4    

,they led them through winding by-paths1
 lest they      might perceive the      
designs of their guides2 they forced    
them      to fix their eyes in the air  
lest they should look at their          
feet2 they amused them on the way with  
idle stories2 in a      word1 they      
treated them as nurses do children4  ,by
 thus playing upon the unlimited        
credulity of man1 in a state of         
ignorance1 through the delusive medium  
of supernatural existences1 he is       
trained from childhood to submit to     
mental and bodily oppressions1 which    
manhood would make him shake off1 and   
spurn with indignation1 were it not for 
these paralyzing deceptions1 which1     
while they degrade1 form the principal  
tower of strength against him in the    
hands of his oppressors4 ,his belief in 
the traditionary tales of the ,jewish   
compilation1 is anxiously instilled into
 his mind in childhood1 as the word of  
the ,supreme ,power of the ,universe2   
and this false impression subsequently  

becomes so rooted and strong1 that he   
neither can nor dares to see the immoral
 and destructive tendency of these      
tales2 and1 that from them have been    
drawn precedents to justify the most    
atrocious and murderous invasions of    
peaceful countries4 ,from these         
mischievous legends have also been      
drawn1 as a common fountain of evil1 all
 those conflicting doctrines1 dogmas1   
and creeds1 which the militant priests  
of ,christendom have made convertible at
 will1 and turned into a channel        
overflowing with the good things of a   
world which they affect to despise4     
,this is the polluted source from which 
has sprung what is falsely called       
civilisation1 which has created around  
man an unnatural atmosphere1 wherein    
vice and dissimulation are the chief    
ingredients1 rendering civilised man in 
many respects1 the vilest of animals2   
and more contemptible1 because less     
virtuous1 than the uncorrupted child of 
,nature4  ,these pernicious dogmas and  

creeds did not begin to show their      
deadly effects nationally1 until the    
imperial apostate ,constantine gave     
patronage and strength to one of the    
belligerent sects2 and by interposing   
his authority1 prevented1 for a short   
time1 their cutting each other's        
throats2 but as for attempting to       
assimilate their wild and discordant    
schemes1 he might as well have commanded
 the winds to blow continually from one 
point2 for as the heterogeneous mass of 
theological machinery arose out of the  
fabulous or allegorical legends of      
various countries1 a system drawn from  
such chaotic materials1 must be always  
at war in its parts2 hence the fierce   
and virulent animosities--the           
remorseless and exterminating           
devastations1 which these maniacal      
notions and creeds engendered all over  
,europe4 ,such of the contending sects  
who1 from their number or their         
violence1 were considered most suitable 
for the purposes of political tyranny1  

were taken into league with successive  
governments1 which gave them the power  
of exercising over all their opponents1 
the utmost cruelty and oppression4 ,from
 these times till about the close of the
 sixteenth century1 when the science of 
,nature began to check the mischievous  
demon of theology1 we repeat that       
millions upon millions of men1 women and
 children were tortured and murdered in 
religious persecutions99 and wars2      
whilst a sum not less than              
,l#djj1jjj1jjj1jjj in money1 besides    
other property1 was wrung from the      
laboring man1 not to instruct him in a  
particle of useful knowledge1 but to    
keep him in that state of abject        
ignorance which alone fits him for      
slavery4       99 ,all religions        
pretending to revelation1 are           
necessarily of      the persecuting     
kind2 and it is these alone that show an
      extraordinary zeal                
for-dissemination in other countries3   
but the religion of ,nature being       

perfectly tolerant1 leaves      its own 
propagation to self-evidence4  ,all this
 has been done to maintain various      
denominations of aristocratic tyranny1  
combined with rapacious priests1 in     
whose minds were seated the deepest     
hypocrisy and the blackest vices--who   
carried humanity on their lips1 and     
robbery and murder in their hearts4 ,the
 victims of ,christianity far exceed in 
number the whole that have fallen by all
 the other idolatrous superstitions     
which at any time have plagued the      
world2 and most truly did it announce   
that it came not to send peace on earth1
 but a sword2 a sword that never has1   
and never will find a scabbard1 until   
the whole baseless fabric of delusion   
shall sink into merited oblivion2 we    
would say a thousand times over--look at
 ,spain--look at ,ireland--look at any  
country in ,europe before the #agth     
century1 and you will see the priests   
reeking with gore4 ,and if you are not  
utterly lost in ignorance and prejudice1

 you will see the effects of corrupt    
governments striving to force favored   
superstitions upon the dupes of other   
religions4 ,no intellectual blindness   
but that which will not see1 could      
prevent your seeing palpably1 that all  
religion1 except that of ,nature1 is the
 accursed thing which occasions and     
perpetuates the deadly feuds between man
 and man2 and creates those insane      
animosities which embitter and poison   
all the natural sweets of this fair     
world4 ,such fatal results must be      
inevitable whilst man has the credulous 
folly to maintain in idleness and       
luxury1 myriads of his own species whom 
his labor educates1 as it were1 for the 
express purpose of deceiving him4 ,these
 are the professors of the pretended    
science of supernaturals1 alias1        
nonentities1 or at all events of        
unproved existences1 of which the most  
illiterate hind knows just as much as   
the proudest hierarch4  ,the principle  
of priestcraft being unchangeable1 the  

countries where this freshly modified   
superstition first gained a footing had 
been kept in deep ignorance by the old  
mythology199 so that the hierarchy of   
the new were safe in going any lengths  
in multiplying absurdities2 for nothing 
can ever be monstrous enough to shake   
the credulity of the vulgar             
populace29999 so prodigies of all       
dimensions grew common1 and every       
cunning impostor1 who found himself able
 to deceive others1 had inspirations    
from heaven--turned priest1 and dealt in
 supematurals2 knowing well that where  
mental imbecility has been successfully 
fostered by the craft1 it is sheer      
silliness to be scrupulous about the    
means of deception1 however             
monstrous4999999            ,be joggled 
mob6 you are the tools           ,that  
priests do work with1 called fools4     
99 ,one universal mythos1 or fable      
wearing the garb of      history1 has   
been the basis of all religions1 ancient
 and      modern4 ,this mythos is rooted

 in1 and has secret allusion to      the
 zodiac and the solar system1 in which  
the sun and the      rest of the ,host  
of ,heaven were turned into imaginary   
personages1 under peculiar nomenclatures
 in each country2      and fanciful     
narratives concerning them1 were        
invented by      the astronomising      
priests1 in order to stultify and       
subject      the minds of the ignorant  
populace4 ,this deception continues     
to the present day1 for the solar mythos
 was the true      ,christianity4 ,when 
the ,french1 under ,napoleon1 possessed 
,italy1 they examined the chair of ,st4 
,peter1 and found upon      it the signs
 of the zodiac4       9999 ,nothing1    
says the ,cardinal de ,retz1 convinces  
fools so      much as that which they   
cannot comprehend4--,lucian             
,redivivus4       999999 ,as the        
ignorance of nations grows darker1      
priests of all      religions see their 
way the more clearly4  ,in regard to the
 theogony upon which these conjurors    

founded their various systems1 it       
appears never to have been of the       
slightest importance whether it         
consisted of one1 two1 three1 or thirty 
thousand divinities2 though it must be  
confessed that the triune mythology of  
,christianity has answered1 better than 
any other1 the aristocratic purpose of  
general ignorance and oppression4 ,like 
their predecessors1 its priests have    
governed solely in the names of their   
gods1 whom on all occasions they cause  
to speak whatever is fitting and        
agreeable to sacerdotal interests and   
power2 and all this passes as the       
commands of ,god1 which1 they declare1  
must take precedence of all civil       
affairs4 ,from this usurpation is formed
 the almost insurmountable barrier      
against human liberty1 the imperium in  
imperio1 or the visionary empire of     
supernaturalism within1 and either      
confederate with1 or independent of1 the
 secular empire4 ,all belief in anything
 supernatural is a pitiable and         

deplorable hallucination of mind1       
everything pretending to be such being  
the offspring of sheer imposture2 and   
until the age of reason and science     
shall have succeeded those ages of      
delusion and ignorance through which the
 world has hitherto rolled1 the         
paramount power upon its surface will be
 priestcraft4  ,this craft is twin      
sister to witchcraft2 and the former    
cherished and supported the latter as   
long as her head could be kept above    
water2 but when the sun of science 7the 
mortal foe of these two crafts7 began to
 beam upon the imaginary hag1 she sank  
to rise no more299 and men are now      
astonished at the credit she had gained 
in the world1 and still more at the     
brutal ignorance which allowed her to   
shed so much innocent blood49999        
99 ,science having thus as it were      
suffocated the weird hag of             
witchcraft1 a most useful auxiliary is  
gone of that religion      which1 more  
than all others1 has been               

,blood-nursed1 and watered by the       
widow's tears4       9999 ,the ,stat4 #a
 ,james #ast1 c4 #ab1 enacts1 ,that all 
persons      invoking any evil spirit1  
or consulting1 covenanting with1        
entertaining1 employing1 feeding1 or    
rewarding any evil      spirit1 etc41   
etc41 etc41 shall be guilty of felony1  
without      benefit of clergy1 and     
suffer death4 ,oh the height1 the       
profound depth of the wisdom of our     
ancestors6  ,it is computed that about  
#cj1jjj miserable victims were tortured 
and burnt for this supposed offence2    
yet1 if this blood be compared with the 
quantity shed by the still surviving    
sister1 it would appear but as a drop in
 the ocean4 ,but the same sun of        
science1 in exact ratio as it is now    
dispelling the mists of ignorance and   
superstition which the mother1 theology1
 has raised1 is hastening the remaining 
twin's downfall4 ,witchcraft was one of 
the thousand dismal evils arising from  
the belief in preternatural existences1 

but quite conducive to the views in     
trade of all church mystagogues1 who    
never failed to sanction and abet the   
horrid executions of the poor           
defenceless culprits4 ,the priests drew 
their justifying precedent from that    
book in which the vindication of every  
crime may be found3 in ,exod4 xxii41    
#ah1 the inhuman order is given1 ,thou  
shalt not suffer a witch to live4 ,here 
we have a point-blank justification of  
all those atrocious immolations which   
disgraced humanity for so many          
centuries1 and laid the foundation of   
detestable laws1 in the countries of    
,america4 ,at ,salem1 where so many     
murders were committed for the fanciful 
crime of witchcraft1 the accusations    
originated in the house of a priest were
 chiefly carried on by priests1 who blew
 the terrible flame of fanaticism       
against the helpless accused1 whose     
lives were acknowledged to be moral and 
blameless4 ,nineteen of these innocent  
victims were executed199 one was pressed

 to death because he would not plead to 
the indictment1 and eight more were     
condemned4 ,this hideous business ended 
by a declaration of the priests that1 in
 the whole the devil got just nothing2  
but ,god got praises1 ,christ got       
subjects1 the holy spirit got temples1  
the church got addition1 and the souls  
of men got everlasting benefits6 ,with  
similar views1 and in such a laudable   
spirit1 ,john ,wesley exclaimed1 ,while 
,i live ,i will bear the most public    
testimony ,i can to the reality of      
witchcraft4 ,at a torturing and burning 
which took place at ,irvine in #afac1 in
 the affair of ,margaret ,barclay and   
others1 there were present the ,earl of 
,eglinton1 the ministers of ,ayr1       
,kilmarnock1 ,dairy1 and ,irvine1 when  
three innocent people were              
sacrificed49999 these wretched       99 
,it is said that several of these       
victims were persuaded by      the      
priests to believe1 and even to confess 
that they had      been guilty of this  

imaginary crime4 ,this affords a        
melancholy proof that1 in a state of    
ignorance1 the      credulity of man is 
absolutely boundless4       9999 ,see   
,scott's ,demonology1 and ,murphy's     
,essay4  ,what6 ,were not these holy    
ministers prompted by their superior    
learning and humanity1 to endeavor to   
save people8 ,quite the contrary1 they  
appear to have been there rather to     
countenance and approve1 if not to      
enjoy1 the shocking spectacle4 ,such as 
these were the heavenly teachers1 who1  
for more than a thousand years1         
asserted1 preached1 and practised1 that 
the rack was the fittest engine of      
conviction1 and the stake the most      
effectual cure for unbelief499 ,as      
conservators and upholders of every     
invention in the delusive machinery of  
supernaturalism1 upon which their trade 
wholly depends1 anything in the shape of
 human interference in favor of the     
victims1 or any compunctious feelings   
for the barbarities which these men of  

peace and love sanctioned1 were         
altogether out of the question on such  
occasions4 ,no animal has ever been more
 cruel and remorseless than priests of  
all religions have been1 in supporting  
those delusions which support them1     
whenever they had the power4999999 ,the 
,jew books being now nullified as       
authorities for the existence of        
witchcraft1 what sustains their validity
 in all other matters8       99 ,what   
terrific outrages does superstitious    
ignorance      perpetrate4 ,thousands   
have been burnt for witchcraft4         
,millions have been murdered for being  
what bad government      and            
,christianity have made them4 ,and      
hundreds of millions      are threatened
 with eternal tortures for having       
beliefs      which it is impossible for 
them not to have4       9999 ,belief or 
disbelief 7being the work of the        
judgment1 and      not of the will7 is  
involuntary2 and there is neither merit 
nor demerit in either4 ,you believe only

 that which seems to      you to be     
true1 and1 in spite of your hypocrisy1  
,i defy you      to believe more4 ,what 
does the ,atheist less8 ,and that which 
appears to you to be a lie1 you         
necessarily reject1 and what      does  
the ,atheist more4       999999         
,superstition is to be feared only when 
the authority of      iniquitous laws   
rallies round her standard1 for then her
      cruel and sanguinary nature is    
gratified4  ,such has been ,jewish and  
,christian immorality and wickedness1 in
 punishing the guiltless for the        
fanciful crime of witchcraft2 and in    
other respects we may find in these     
books innumerable instances of          
sanctioned cruelty and injustice1 both  
in example and precept3--take the       
following malevolent sentiment1 said to 
have been uttered by the all-ruling     
power of the universe2 let his children 
be fatherless2 let them be vagabonds    
continually1 and beg2 let them also seek
 their bread out of their desolate      

places4 ,let the extortioner catch all  
that he hath2 and let the stranger spoil
 his labor1 let there be none to extend 
mercy to him1 neither let there be any  
to favor his fatherless children2 let   
his posterity be cut off1 etc41 etc4    
,again1 in ,exod4 xxiii41 #c4  ,neither 
shalt thou countenance a poor man in his
 own cause4 ,these are specimens of     
,bible morality6 ,he alone is the       
blasphemer who attributes such vicious  
and malevolent orders to the supreme    
power4  ,the ,christian1 in their       
presumptuous and unwarrantable          
assertions1 assume that the science of  
ethics is comparatively of modern date1 
and that the personage called ,jesus    
,christ was the first who taught that   
pure morality and virtue constituted the
 summum bonum of human happiness2 and   
that all morality owes its existence to 
their gospels2 and that all ethical     
goodness to be found out of             
,christendom1 is entirely attributable  
to their ,scriptures4 ,but nothing can  

be farther from the truth than this     
evangelical detraction1 with its        
inexorable disregard to facts4          
,fortunately for the calumniated cause  
of ,paganism1 we have data1             
chronological and historical1 to show   
that the science of ethics was not only 
perfectly known to the ancients1 but    
that the few really good things which   
are to be found in the ,new ,testament1 
were borrowed from what is called the   
divine philosophy of the ancients2 or   
the moral maxims of ,pythagoras1        
,thales1 ,solon1 ,bias1 ,pittacus1      
,chilo1 ,cleobulus1 ,periander1 and many
 others1 who lived full #ejj years      
before the ,christian era4 ,this is so  
demonstrably true1 that the sayings of  
these men are in some instances copied  
into the ,new ,testament almost word for
 word2 but for the maxims of that book  
which are either bad or questionable    
7and these are not a few71 there is no  
authority to be found in the ancients   
cited4  ,the compilers of the above book

 have also drawn literally from the     
moral maxims of ,confucius199 who1      
according to some writers1 has been held
 in great esteem in ,china for about    
#d1jjj years1 but all agree that he     
lived at least #eej before our era4     
99 ,as names in eastern languages are   
expressive of some      attribute or    
quality adherent to the possessor2 so   
,confucius      signifies a speaker of  
wisdom4  ,his #bdth moral is the most   
precious standard maxim in ethics3 ,do  
to another what you would he should do  
to you1 and do not unto another what you
 would should not be done unto you4 ,to 
impress this indelibly upon the mind1 as
 the concentrated essence of morality1  
he adds1 thou needest this law alone1 it
 is the foundation and principle of all 
the rest4 ,in his #ecrd moral1 he says1 
,acknowledge thy benefits by return of  
other benefits1 but never revenge       
injuries4 ,this is a noble maxim when   
compared with that abject and slavish   
one of the new will of ,god1 which      

enjoins the holding up of the cheek to  
receive a second blow4 ,the disciples of
 ,confucius are yet numerous1 though    
many thousands of years have elapsed    
since he lived4 ,he instructed as well  
by example as by his precepts2 and it   
would be well if his morals were taught 
in all the schools of ,christendom1     
instead of dogmas and creeds which are  
unintelligible1 inasmuch as they relate 
to things which have no proven          
existence1 ,the ,german writer ,boll1   
very justly observes that1 if           
,christianity be got rid of1 which seems
 likely1 men must labor not to let such 
absurd ideas get into the new religion  
of morals1 which will be established on 
the ruins of superstition4 ,he was      
alluding to the eternal tortures of     
those priestly indispensables called    
souls1 and other unsightly dogmas4      
99 ,to the shame of credulous and       
priest-degraded mankind1 the            
present superstition of ,europe hath    
been established1 as it      were1 in   

defiance of the light of ,nature1       
reason1 common      sense1 and all      
experience2 and what is still more      
strange      and revolting1 by those    
very means and agencies which men       
ought to hold most in contempt and      
detestation2 viz41 fraud1      forgery1 
pretended miracles and prophecies1      
hypocrisy1      avarice1 tyranny1       
cruelty1 massacres1 and wars which have 
deluged the earth with blood1 and       
sacrificed hundreds of      millions of 
human beings to its frenzied demon4  ,in
 no age of the world was morality ever  
found more pure and virtuous than       
amongst the ,epicureans of old2 and no  
ancient sect has been so much traduced  
and vilified by ,christian priests of   
all denominations1 who1 in lauding the  
most revolting system that ever insulted
 the understanding of man199 have been  
utterly regardless of truth in their    
foul aspersions of ,paganism2 and have  
represented these amiable rationalists  
as reckless sensualists--profligate     

voluptuaries2 which is just the reverse 
of their true characters4 ,with them the
 preservation of health was the         
fundamental principle1 since there can  
be no enjoyment of life without that    
pre-requisite2 and the means they used  
to secure its permanence was the strict 
observance of temperance in everything1 
according to the dictates of ,nature2   
all excess of any kind whatsoever was   
avoided as injurious1 and the full and  
proper exercise of the body was enjoined
 as indispensable4 ,free from the       
restlessness of ambition1 the utility of
 their maxims was evinced in their      
lives1 and they were generally esteemed 
as the most exemplary and virtuous of   
all the ancients1 and the most noted for
 the value of their moral actions4 ,we  
may gather from the writings of ,cicero 
and ,diogenes ,laertius1 that they did  
more scrupulously observe the laws1     
piety1 and fidelity among men1 than any 
other sect whatsoever1 not excepting    
even the ,stoics themselves4 ,like the  

philanthropist1 ,owen1 they held that a 
man was either good or bad according to 
education and custom4 ,being1 above all 
others1 strict observers of truth and   
honesty1 they were often chosen to      
manage the inheritances of orphans1 and 
it was common with them to rear and     
educate1 at their own expense1 the      
children of deceased friends2 their     
known integrity frequently procured for 
them offers from the ,roman consuls and 
emperors1 to fill high places of        
employment and trust2 but these offers  
were often declined1 from the strong    
desire they had to lead private lives1  
free from care and anxiety4 ,they had no
 desire for posthumous renown1 and      
denied that there was any future state  
of existence for man1 more than for any 
other animal2 and teaching that mind or 
soul is wholly dependent on animal      
organisation99--the mere creature of the
 brain1 without which it has no         
existence2 and that the matter composing
 the bodies of men and other animals1 is

 alone eternal1 though subject to       
thousands of millions of different      
forms1 modes1 or states of being4       
99 ,intelligence is the result of the   
animal organisation of      matter1 and 
cannot be separated from1 or have       
existence      without it4 ,animated    
matter is not the result of             
intelligence4 ,thought1 mind1 soul1 or  
breath1 call it      which you will1 is 
as much the offspring or effect of      
organisation as music is of the         
instrument that produces it4       ,one 
of the great luminaries of the church1  
even the ,bishop      of ,llandaff1 has 
given us his own creed respecting what  
is      called soul1 which savors of    
something more than mere                
scepticism4 ,speaking of its supposed   
flight into      immortality1 after     
death1 he says1--,this notion was1      
without doubt1 the offspring of         
prejudice and ignorance2 ,i      must   
own that my knowledge of the nature of  
the soul is much      the same now that 

it was then 7in childhood74 ,i have read
      volumes on the subject1 but ,i    
have no scruple in saying that      ,i  
know nothing about it--,anecdotes of his
 own life1      written by himself4     
,but in modern times1 under the triune  
mythology 7or the three-god fable71     
society is in a great measure destitute 
of such pure morality1 and sound        
philosophy2 all being mixed up with the 
deleterious alloy of theology1 and its  
ever-changing inventions in its own     
peculiar element of unproved existences4
 ,this supernaturalism is the only      
delusion that deserves the name of      
atheism1 because it beguiles man to set 
at nought the immutable revelations of  
,nature2 and its very essence being to  
prevent all correct views of that       
,power1 the pretension to look beyond it
 nullifies or vitiates everything good  
on earth4 ,whilst mankind shall not only
 continue to be advocates for those     
impositions which destroy their own     
pleasure and happiness1 but pay for     

their degradation by supporting a       
mischievous canker-worm priesthood1 they
 deprive themselves of a fair trial to  
see what a state of affluence and ease  
they might attain by very moderate      
labor2 and by repudiating all doctrines 
and dogmas founded on spiritualism1     
immaterialism1 or any other nothingism1 
because they are words absolutely       
without meaning1 as they represent      
nothing that has a real existence2 and  
therefore1 until some immaterial entity 
can be made palpable to the senses1 they
 will remain downright contradictions in
 terms1 though they have hitherto served
 as the principle machinery of theologie
 deception499 ,contemning all such      
visionary mummeries1 our divines of the 
present day are at no loss to find you a
 vast difference between a spiritual    
body1 and a bodily spirit6       99 ,the
 learned amongst the ,fathers were      
materialists4      ,tertullian says1    
,nihil incorporale nisi quod non est4   
,saint ,hilary1 in the fourth century1  

affirmed that1 there      is nothing but
 what is corporeal ,yet and attending to
 the      principles of their own       
nature1 together with the physical      
realities that surround them1 and upon  
which alone depends      every atom of  
their welfare and happiness1 mankind    
will be      able by perseverance to    
remove the overwhelming evils of        
their present condition2 but in vain    
will they expect such      results1     
while they continue mere automata1 to be
 played at      pleasure by superstition
 and despotism4  ,amongst the many      
immoral corruptions which the present   
superstition of ,europe has entailed on 
the laboring man1 few have a worse      
tendency than the compulsory exaction of
 one seventh of his time1 which its     
priests have procured to be dedicated to
 their purposes alone2 whereby he is    
compelled either to be idle1 or to swell
 their vain pageant train to that shrine
 of hypocrisy called church4 ,the       
observance of ,sunday is1 like          

everything else in ,christianism1       
borrowed from the heathens2 and is      
merely a continuation of the ,pagan     
festival that was held in the temples of
 the ,sun1 in adoration of that         
luminary1 as the name attests beyond all
 contradiction2 with this difference    
alone1 that the ,fathers1 as if it were 
to make the thing more expensive and    
intolerable in their ,scripture traffic1
 changed it into a weekly festival1     
substituting the triune machinery of the
 church for that of the temple4 ,but as 
the present observance of this day      
throughout ,christendom is nowhere      
enjoined in the ,new ,testament1 it was 
customary with ,christians1 even in the 
fourth century1 to perform their usual  
work on that day2 and1 according to     
,mosheim1 many of them held ,thursdays  
and ,fridays to be as sacred as ,sunday4
 ,the entailing upon human industry this
 weekly curse of idleness was reserved  
for1 and was worthy of1 the ,emperor    
,constantine1 a man who had the guilt of

 seven family murders upon his head3 and
 as the priests of ,paganism refused to 
expiate those crimes 7so ,zosimus and   
others say71 he abandoned their         
religion1 and adopted that of           
,christianity1 whose less scrupulous    
priests absolved him1 and white-washed  
his crimes to the purity of snow4 ,in   
return for this scouring1 the imperial  
murderer felt himself prompted by       
gratitude to do all in his power to     
establish a new hierarchy1 who could    
make themselves so subservient to the   
purposes of tyranny2 so he began by     
paving the way for finally depriving the
 industrious man of one seventh of his  
time1 which was to be appropriated in   
promoting the importance1 the riches1   
and the power of his newly adopted      
priesthood4  ,but even this pious man of
 blood 7who to the very last1 kept two  
strings to his bow1 but was rather more 
willing to pay his respects to ,jupiter 
than to ,jehovah71 wedded as he was to  
that priesthood1 which had so kindly    

effaced the stains of so many inhuman   
murders1 durst not gratify them all at  
once1 lest he should bring a famine upon
 the empire2 and therefore by his edict 
issued on the subject1 the observance of
 ,sunday was compulsory only upon       
magistrates1 and the inhabitants of     
cities generally2 but in regard to the  
people in the country1 and all          
agriculturists1 he says3--,on the       
venerable day of the ,sun1 let those who
 are situated in the country1 freely and
 at full liberty1 attend to the business
 of agriculture4 ,after the death of    
this emperor1 the church which he had   
planted soon grew strong in wealth and  
power2 and the consequent influence of  
the hierarchy enabled them1 gradually to
 extend the forced respect for their own
 harvest-day1 over both town and        
country4  ,this clerical usurpation is  
so far from being sanctioned by any     
authority1 that the ,new ,testament     
suffers no man to judge another in      
respect to the ,sabbath day1 or of any  

holy days 7see ,coloss1 ii41 #af74 ,it  
asserts the right to esteem every day   
alike1 agreeably to the persuasions of a
 man's own mind 7,romans1 xiv41 #e74 ,it
 binds no man to the observance of days1
 and months1 and times1 and years 7,gal4
 iv41 #aj7 ,jesus did not enjoin respect
 for the ,sabbath1 but justified the    
contrary 7,matt1 xii41 #e74 ,there being
 no gospel authority requiring this     
waste of time for the benefit and       
gratification of priests alone1 it was  
not until some time in the fourth       
century that they fully succeeded in    
palming upon industry this weekly inlet 
to every vice2 nor was it legally       
enforced1 we believe1 until a           
considerable time after the ,council of 
,nice1 that foulest combination of      
fraud1 knavery1 and priestcraft that    
ever degraded the human race1 ,let us   
now attend a little to the glaring      
immoralities and crimes which are the   
inevitable effects of compulsory        
idleness on this day1 that was          

originally the heathen festival of the  
glorious solar deity4  ,there are few   
exceptions to the general rule1 that the
 industrious man is the virtuous4 ,by   
the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat    
bread1 is the universal decree of       
,nature2 and every violator of this law 
of health shall be unhappy in the       
precise ratio of its violation4 ,hence  
it follows that when men are compelled  
either to be idle vagrants1 or give up  
their minds mechanically to a worship   
which appears to them at once useless   
and irrational1 they cannot do otherwise
 than prefer the former2 and being thus 
compelled to be idle1 they are virtually
 forced to be vicious1 which leads to   
the reverse of happiness4 ,the          
profligacy and crime arising from this  
weekly idleness1 is amply set forth in  
those scenes of drunkenness1 debauchery1
 gaming1 and quarrelling1 which are of  
constant ,sunday occurrence in our beer 
and gin palaces3 but as the various     
poisons vended in these sinks of ruin   

pay high duties to government1 and are1 
next to its oppressive ally1 a rapacious
 priesthood1 the surest means of keeping
 the multitude in poverty and ignorance1
 that virtuous and salutary legislation 
which would suppress or regulate them   
according to public health and good     
morals1 is not to be expected from our  
present lawgivers1 aristocratical and   
clerical1 who feel a deep interest in   
the ignorance and debasement of the     
laboring classes4 ,the orthodox ,paley1 
who could not afford to keep a          
conscience alludes to such places of    
public resort1 when he says1 the        
laboring classes 7being doomed to       
idleness7 consume their time in rude1 if
 not criminal pleasures--in stupid sloth
 or brutish intemperance4 ,he might have
 added1 that vast numbers of young men  
who have ended their career by an       
ignominious death1 have dated the       
commencement of their vicious courses   
from what the pampered harpies in black 
are pleased to call sabbath breaking1 or

 profanation of the ,lord's day4 ,and   
who is to blame for all this8 ,verily   
none but that powerful phalanx of       
hypocritical delusionists1 who pretend  
to be delegated from the immaterial1    
invisible ,persons1 who rule the upper  
regions2 and who1 in confederacy with   
hereditary lawgivers on earth1 have1    
amongst other conventional impositions1 
not only deprived the wealth producers  
of their right to spend the seventh part
 of their time in the way most suitable 
to their circumstances1 but enforced    
idleness during that time1 which1       
coupled with that lurid ignorance called
 religious instruction1 most commonly   
leads to vice and debasement4 ,with a   
dissimulation and effrontery that is    
matchless out of the sacerdotal order1  
they pretend an interest in the laboring
 man's ease and welfare2 that he        
requires the seventh as a day of rest1  
which day should be dedicated to the    
,lord but as their ,levitical           
authorities are derived from the rankest

 species of priestcraft that ever       
degraded man1 they will no longer pass  
in the present age2 for those must be   
mentally blind who do not see1 that in  
all times1 whatever was ostensibly      
dedicated as ,god's share1 was          
appropriated solely for the benefit of  
the priests4 ,it is most true that the  
working man wants rest2 but is not he   
the best judge when recreation or rest  
becomes necessary8 ,the simple fact is1 
he never can have either peace or rest1 
or live under equitable and salutary    
laws1 nor enjoy the fruits of his labor1
 whilst his mind is kept in darkness by 
the delusions of supernaturalism1 and   
his industry preyed upon by its priests4
 ,to perpetuate the stultifying         
influence of this wizard power1 whose   
nature it is to be adverse to the       
natural enlightenment of the bulk of    
mankind199 every corner of the country  
is assiduously studded with expensive   
temples1 devoted to the exercise of its 
,sunday spells2 but particularly for the

 nursing of popular ignorance4 ,against 
such an overwhelming antagonist1 abetted
 by the government and riches of the    
country1 all in deep array to frustrate 
his intellectual improvement1 the       
laboring man has nothing to oppose but  
self-cultivation alone1 which will lead 
him to the knowledge that it is better  
to think for himself than to be cheated2
 and that all the miseries he suffers   
are in reality rooted in unearthly      
chimeras--nonentities which1 in all ages
 and religions1 have been invented for  
similar purposes of deception and       
slavery4 ,until he so relieves himself  
from this bondage 7no other power will  
do it for him71 his condition must      
continue to be more abject and pitiable 
than that of the sturdy savage1 who     
stalks in the pride of his mental and   
bodily independence2 or even that of the
 beast of the field4       99 ,hobbes   
calls the pretended science of theology 
the kingdom      of darkness4 ,it is    
indeed a perpetual insult to human      

reason1 debasing and debauching the     
mind4  ,thus it appears that amongst the
 ,christians1 the coercive observance of
 ,sunday originated in a combination of 
the two crafts1 kingly and clerical1 as 
a potential auxiliary for the permanent 
inthralment of the human mind2 for which
 it is indeed extremely well calculated1
 owing to its unceasing recurrence as   
the weekly stifler of reason1 and the   
soporific of folly and ignorance2 its   
frequency allows no breathing time for  
common-sense4 ,if men will contemn the  
light of ,nature and the evidence of    
their senses1 to maintain a degrading   
superstition1 let them not suffer their 
political rulers to form co-partnership 
alliance1 offensive and defensive1 with 
its priests4 ,there can be no surer     
proof of the corruption of a government 
than its confederacy with the professors
 of any religion whatsoever4 ,mahommed  
was so sensible of the danger of        
priesthoods in political states1 and of 
their corrupting all government1 that he

 disapproved the allowance of any such  
institution1 and wished every ,moslem to
 keep a copy of the ,koran1 and be his  
own priest4 ,but exactly as in the case 
of ,christianism1 his political and     
theological followers soon established  
the accursed thing4 ,the ,quakers are   
too wise and too moral to allow this    
locust race to spring up amongst them4  
,in the leading dogmas invented by      
theologians1 it seems essential that    
spiritual or divine justice should      
reverse the simplest rules of morality  
and virtue2 and that ,nature's immutable
 law of death should be held in terror  
as the greatest evil1 though in reality 
it is merely a necessary and happy      
transition of organised matter into     
another form1 throughout the animated   
creation2 and as such1 an absolute      
good499 ,the ancients did not represent 
death as ,christians do1 with meagre    
countenance1 and a hideous structure of 
bones2 but pleasant and composed1 as the
 image of the profoundest sleep2 and    

such it struck no terror4 ,as the       
stronghold of priests1 however1 it has  
been clothed in every imaginary horror  
that fraud can conceive1 to render their
 spells indispensable for death-bed or  
gallows repentance1 where a belief in   
their conjurations expiates all the     
crimes that may have outraged society4  
,amongst the ,gentiles1 ,pliny spoke the
 fullest and plainest on this subject1  
thus3 ,after the interment of our       
bodies1 there is a great diversity of   
opinions concerning the future state of 
our souls1 or ghosts2 but the most      
general is this1 that they return to the
 same state in which they were before   
they were born4 ,however1 such is the   
folly and vanity of men1 that they      
extend this existence even to future    
ages2 and some crown it with            
immortality2 others pretend a           
transfiguration1 and others render unto 
the soul of the departed honor and      
worship1 making a ,god of him that was  
not so much as a man2 as if the manner  

of men's breathing differed from that of
 other living creatures2 or as if there 
were not to be found in the world many  
animals that live much longer than man4 
,now these are surely but fantastical1  
foolish1 and childish toys1 devised by  
men who would fain live always2 the like
 foolery is there in preserving the     
bodies4 ,but what a folly of follies is 
it to think that ,death should be the   
way to a second life6 ,certainly this   
foolish credulity1 and easiness of      
belief1 destroy the benefit of the best 
gift of ,nature--death2 7which is as    
necessary1 nay1 even as natural to every
 animal as life itself47 ,how much more 
easy1 and greater security1 were it1 for
 each man to ground his reasons and     
resolutions upon an assurance1 that he  
should be in no worse a condition than  
he was before he was born4--,nat4 ,hist4
       99 ,the fear of death1 which     
,christian dogmas create1 has           
effects the most baleful and pernicious 
imaginable2 and has      contributed    

more to stock the ,bedlam of            
,christendom1 than      any other cause 
whatever4 ,all animals avoid and fear   
bodily      pain1 as the greatest       
evil--man alone fears death4 ,why8      
,because he alone has priests and a     
hell4 ,epicurus says3      ,death1 which
 some suppose to be the most terrible of
 evils1      is nothing to us2 seeing   
that while we are in being1 death       
is not present2 and when it is present1 
then we are not      ,hesiod1 in        
alluding to those who1 in the golden age
 7when it      may be presumed1 there   
were neither priests1 hells1 nor        
supernaturals7 died without             
superstitions fears1 sung thus3--       
,they sunk to death1 as opiate slumber  
stole           ,soft o'er the sense1   
and whelm'd the willing soul4           
,the ,works and ,days4  ,among the      
,republican ,romans1 the deed that was  
accounted the most virtuous and heroic1 
was that of dying on the field of       
battle1 in defence of liberty2 and the  

next was the act of suicide1 resorted to
 as the means of avoiding subjection or 
dishonor4 ,and so indulgent was custom  
in this case1 that those who were       
proscribed in after times1 were commonly
 permitted to retire from life in any   
way they thought proper1 to elude the   
disgrace of being public spectacles4    
,this was humane1 as far as it is       
possible to extend lenience under such a
 predicament2 and as for the act itself1
 there was neither impiety nor the      
slightest odium attached to it1 but the 
contrary4 ,it is curious to observe     
that1 amongst the host of evils         
introduced with1 or generated by1 the   
modern superstition of ,europe1 a total 
change of law and sentiment regarding   
this action has been effected by its    
priests1 who1 as they engrossed all     
learning when in the zenith of their    
sway1 were enabled to brand everything  
as heinous wickedness that militated    
against1 or seemed to evince contempt   
for1 their avocations4 ,and as the act  

of suicide affords no harvest for the   
priest--shuts the door against fees and 
confessions--punishes him in his purse1 
and overlooks the importance of his     
conjurations1 it comprises every other  
offence2 and1 therefore1 every ignominy 
and abuse is heaped upon the memories1  
and even the dead bodies of the         
self-victims1 though their only crime   
was ridding themselves of those         
unbearable miseries1 which are chiefly  
caused by theology1 and the laws which  
it has occasioned499       99 ,the      
person who commits suicide1 is no more  
criminally      guilty1 and in all      
probability1 much less insane than he   
who      dies of fever1--they are       
exactly on a footing1 both had          
supported life so long as it was        
supportable4  ,though reason and science
 have now cooled the roasting-alive     
spirit down to the moderate temperature 
of modern times1 yet the essential      
property of priestcraft to augment1 and 
in no rational manner ever to alleviate1

 human suffering will never fail to show
 itself1 wherever its views and         
interests are concerned4 ,by laws and   
customs procured in its all-powerful    
days1 the mental and bodily tortures of 
condemned criminals are most            
unmercifully prolonged between sentence 
and execution1 and their situation      
rendered as horrid as possible4 ,under  
pretence of the soul-saving anxiety1 the
 dreadful anguish of their minds is1 by 
a cruel delay1 increased in a ten-fold  
degree1 whilst they are inexorably      
guarded lest they should anticipate     
their doom by relieving themselves1 and 
give the priest the go-by1 which they   
are told is the acme of sin and         
wickedness2 but if they drag out their  
agonising misery quietly1 and give him  
due opportunity to play off his         
incantations1 and above all--believe1 or
 pretend to believe in the efficacy of  
his dogmas1 then a heavenly pardon is   
secured1 even at the gallows4 ,if1 in   
the endeavor to avoid this catastrophe1 

the unhappy victim of the ignorance and 
crimes of society--overwhelmed as he is 
with misery and despair1 is driven to   
seek relief in the quiet sleep of death1
 he is seized and accused by the        
authorities of a felonious intention to 
escape from the evils with which bad    
laws and abominable superstitions have  
surrounded him2 and is1 therefore1      
absurdly required to find security that 
he will not again attempt to elude his  
wretchedness1 but will quietly linger   
out the remainder of life in hunger1    
rags and cold2 all entailed upon him by 
existing society1 every element of which
 is pregnant with corruption4  ,thus the
 action which1 amongst the ,romans and  
others of the ancients1 was deemed      
virtuous heroism1 has1 by the selfish   
inventions of modern theology1 been     
condemned as a deadly crime1 and even   
stigmatised as cowardice1 than which    
nothing can be more false and           
contemptible4 ,but in every attempt to  
depict1 in their true colors and direful

 effects1 the evils generated by that   
canker1 there must ever be a want of    
words to convey adequate force of       
execration4 ,such diabolical mockeries  
of humanity may be authorised by modern 
godism1 but they were not approved by   
that of antiquity4  ,in a state of      
society so vitiated by falsehood and    
crime 7created by an abandonment of     
,nature7 as to be almost wholly made up 
of moral evil1 is it at all wonderful   
that a vast portion of mankind should   
pursue the most criminal courses to     
obtain a bare and wretched existence8   
,can we then imagine any lengths to     
which a hireling clergy would not go in 
their routine of deception to secure for
 life riches1 honors1 ease and luxury8  
,the knowledge of this truth alone ought
 to be sufficient to rouse men from     
their sottish lethargy1 for it requires 
nothing but inquiry to make it appear   
that error and falsehood reduced to a   
system forms the groundwork of that     
overwhelming scheme of delusion which   

procures the above blessings for all    
priesthoods1 who are hired and          
prostituted to defend deceptions which  
enrich them and impoverish industry4    
,could you1 without an aberration of    
mind1 expect truth from men who1 in     
order to secure all the good things the 
world affords1 make you their victims by
 forcing false notions upon your weak   
and pliant understandings in childhood8 
,well may they cry out1 ,train up a     
child in the way he should walk1 and    
when he is old he will not depart from  
it499 ,this is a correct aphorism1 and  
is equally true whether applied to good 
or bad training1 for if the mind be as  
it were mortgaged1 or sacrificed to the 
priest in childhood19999--       99 ,the
 spirit of priestianity may be1 and is1 
repressed by      science and           
philosophy2 but it is utterly           
unchangeable4 ,the      children        
educated by the ,druids to recruit their
 own ranks      were secluded in woods  
and caverns1 and denied all             

intercourse with their parents till     
after they had attained      fourteen   
years of age4 ,by this mental monopoly  
it was      evidently meant that the    
esprit du corps1 its secret ways        
and interests1 should be so indelibly   
fixed upon the mind as      to be ever  
afterwards proof against every natural  
affection4       9999 ,the more         
outrageous against ,nature and reason   
the false      notions instilled in     
childhood are the more difficult it     
seems to be to eradicate them4 ,it was  
said of an ,arab1 who      was a man of 
sense1 an arithmetician1 a chemist1 and1
 what      is still more strange1 a     
skilful astronomer1 that nothing        
could induce him to give up the belief  
that ,mahommed put      half of the moon
 in his sleeve4 ,the reformers of       
,england had      more difficulty in    
giving up the ',real ,presence' in the  
,sacrament1 than in parting with any    
other dogma in ,popery4      ,the       
impossible and the absurd are           

indispensable pre-      requisites with 
all religionists4            ,ere yet   
their minds1 through tender age1 can    
choose           ,what's for their good1
 or for their harm refuse4              
,before their natures1 and their wills  
are strong1           ,justly to think1 
or judge of right and wrong2            
,or how th' affections with the body    
grow1           ,the self-denying doom  
they undergo4            ,in blooming   
youth and innocence betrayed            
,to cursed altars1 thus are victims     
made4  ,hardly one in ten thousand of   
such victims will escape mental slavery 
for life4 ,moreover1 men dedicated to   
sacerdotal delusion1 are bound by strong
 necessity to maintain their deceptions1
 or else give up not only their ease and
 luxury1 but their very means of        
subsistence4 ,once enlisted in the      
cause1 they must defend it2 for should  
anyone of them1 prompted by convictions 
from impartial research and rational    
experience1 honestly avow opinions      

hostile to the national superstition1 or
 decline to administer in the usual     
manner to your nursery-conceived        
prejudices and errors1 would you not    
abandon him to obloquy and starvation8  
,these things duly considered1 you may  
ask yourselves whether you are not more 
likely to meet with truth from men who  
neither seek your money nor court your  
favor--who are actuated by no other     
motive or interest than that which the  
love of the principle of truth          
excites--who are unprostituted by       
hire--who1 under the armour of reason1  
can resist and despise the venomous     
calumny which is cast upon every        
exposure of priestcraft2 and who1 having
 discharged a duty1 feel it as a matter 
of indifference whether you shall be    
pleased or offended by the truth4 ,you  
complain that the contemner of your     
religious opinions1 at once tortures    
your feelings and arraigns your         
judgment2 but has any judgment          
proceeding from your impartial          

investigation of that subject1 ever had 
anything to do in the matter8 ,did you  
not fall heir to those absurd whims     
which you are pleased to call religious 
opinions1 in right of your mother and   
other relations2 and if these had       
happened to be followers of ,mahommed1  
would not your blind zeal for the       
prophet of ,mecca1 have been as great as
 it now is for his alleged predecessor  
of ,palestine899 ,your answering this   
question in the negative would be the   
highest proof of folly and stupidity4   
,having sadly experienced for more than 
half a century the obstinate and angry  
nature of superstition1 we are prepared 
to expect anything but your approbation 
when we repeat to you1 that your faith  
has no other basis than traditional     
fables1 legends1 and allegories--that   
your attempt to prove their literal     
truth by prodigies and violations of    
,nature's laws1 is far more inadmissible
 than the fables themselves2 and that   
your understanding is so obscured by the

 pestilential fogs raised by these      
theological absurdities1 that the       
rational truths of ,nature can find no  
admittance4  ,the usual reply to such   
arguments and reasoning as the          
foregoing1 is the hue and cry of        
infidel1 atheist1 etc42 but is it       
atheism to prefer the known to the      
unknown1 and to consult experience and  
the evidence of our senses1 in          
preference to dogmas drawn from books of
 unauthenticated legends1 which are     
remarkable for nothing so much as the   
numerous libels they contain against the
 ruling power of the universe89999 ,when
 the laws and institutions of a country 
become so corrupted by the usurpations  
of religion1 and the political tyranny  
which it engenders1 as are those of     
,great ,britain1999999 where the most   
grievous abuses in church and state are 
cherished and perpetuated to serve the  
ends of the aristocracy and the         
hierarchy1 and where even the sciences  
are allowed to be seen only through the 

spectacles of superstition1 are the men 
,atheists who seek a radical reform of  
them all8       99 ,the minds of the    
great mass of mankind may be compared to
      the glasses in a tavern1 which    
bear about whatever may be      put into
 them4 ,if the tavern be in ,turkey1 the
 sensual      potations of ,mahommed's  
heaven will fly about2 if at ,rome1     
the sparkling froth of ,catholicism3 if 
in any one of the      ,protestant      
countries of ,europe1 your features will
 be      distorted by the acetous       
draughts of ,calvin4       9999 ,by one 
,act of ,henry ,,viii41 it was high     
treason to have      the ,bible in      
possession2 by another it was permitted 
to      noblemen and gentlemen2 and     
next1 to countesses1 ladies1      etc42 
and lastly to grown people1 but not to  
apprentices and      children4 ,it was  
wise to allow the reading of such a book
 to      those alone who were interested
 in upholding it4 ,reason1              
philosophy and science will ultimately  

bring it into      contempt4            
999999 ,all the ecclesiastical1 and most
 of the other laws of      ,great       
,britain1 are in opposition to          
everything that is      salutary to man1
 or protective of his natural rights4   
,to the      former class1 every man of 
sound morality and virtue1 ought      to
 make a point of denying jurisdiction   
and obedience4 ,all      the laws and   
usages1 without exception1 that have    
relation      to the intercourse of the 
sexes1 are so unnatural1 cruel and      
absurd1 that they seem calculated to    
make them mutual snares      for each   
other4  ,if there be indeed any such    
thing as a post mortem judgment seat1 to
 try the wicked and unrighteous for     
their immoralities and crimes1 priests  
will have much to answer for at that    
tribunal1 on the score of the           
complicated chain of calamities which   
their trade hath entailed on their      
brother man2 for they alone             
,have dared to babble of a ,god of      

peace1           ,even while their hands
 were red with guiltless blood--        
,murdering the while--uprooting every   
germ           ,of                      
truth--exterminating--spoiling all--    
,making the earth a slaughter-house4    
,as sanctioning precedents for the      
commission of almost every crime may be 
conveniently found in the ,jew books1 in
 like manner they hold forth examples of
 the coarsest obscenities1 though false 
translation has hidden many of them4    
,where shall we find vices so lewd and  
unnatural as those which were practised1
 and seem to have been of ordinary      
occurrence1 amongst the chosen people8  
,would the law relating to asses and    
he-goats have been made if the unnatural
 crime which it was intended to prevent 
had not been in practice8 ,see in       
,judges xix4 the infamous doings of the 
men of ,gibeah and ,benjamin1 the       
descendants of the chosen son of ,jacob4
 ,would any man of ordinary decency read
 to the females of his household        

passages so outrageously--nay1 so       
matchlessly obscene1 as those we        
frequently meet with in the ,bible8 ,for
 instance1 ,ezekiel iv41 #ab1 and nearly
 the whole of the chapters xix4 and     
xxiii4 of the same book4 ,see also      
,hosea i41 #b and #c1 and chapter iii4  
to the end4 ,the ,song of ,solomon is   
evidently the lascivious99 effusion of  
some devoted debauchee2 yet such is the 
transcendent impudence of our priests1  
that these superlatively lecherous      
imaginings have been1 by forged         
headings1 called ,christ's love9999 to  
the church4 ,the instances above cited  
are trivial when compared with the      
number which might be adduced1 of       
obscenities altogether unequalled in any
 other book2 and we would ask any ,bible
 advocate1 ,whether any young woman who 
should be detected in reading a book    
7not labelled ,the ,holy ,bible7 which  
contained a fiftieth part of the foul   
and rank immodesties that pervade this  
',will of ,god1' would not lose her good

 reputation for ever8       99 ,in      
chapter v41 #d1 it is very significantly
 said1 my      beloved put his finger1  
etc42 but to damp this plainly          
libidinous expression1 the inspired     
translators foisted in      of the door4
 ,no forgery can be more barefaced4 ,the
 words      are ,dilectus meus          
demittebat manum suam a for ami ne1 cum 
visceribus meis frementibus in me4      
,there is no mention      whatever of a 
door4--,lucian ,redivivus4       9999   
,if they would call them typical of the 
,duke of ,york's      love for ,mrs4    
,clarke1 they would be much nearer the  
truth4       999999 ,at a trial in      
,london1 for the imaginary crime of     
blasphemy1 the judge very ingenuously   
acknowledged the      revolting         
obscenities of the ,jew books1 by       
ordering the      women and boys to     
leave the court while the defendant1 in 
an      able defence1 was reading the   
,bible4  ,but these obscenities are of  
little ethical importance1 compared with

 the mass of moral evil which in all    
ages of ,christianity has arisen from1  
and been justified by precedents drawn  
from the conduct of those men called    
,bible worthies1 though they appear     
decidedly to have been the very worst   
characters portrayed even in that book4 
,this is not surprising1 when we know   
that the ,jewish god was an abstract    
personification of the will and         
interests of the robber-in-chief1       
combined with the priesthood2 and the   
interests of all priests being          
essentially different1 or opposed to    
those of the industrious producers of   
wealth1 the men who oppressed and       
plundered them1 and stuck at no crime in
 serving the sacerdotal order1 were of  
course the favorites of the ,lord4      
,david afforded a full and prominent    
proof of this4 ,hickeringill1 a learned 
,hebraist and clergyman of the ,english 
church1 has let out the secret1 that    
,david was a man after ,god's own heart1
 not in holiness1 that is not meant1 and

 would be unaccountable after his       
adultery1 murders1 his many other sins1 
and cursing his enemies to the lowest   
pit of hell2 but1 after ,god's heart1 is
 a ,hebraism199 and in ,english         
signifies as much as1 a man for my turn 
7or he is the man for my money71 he will
 kill and slay as the priest commands   
and directs4       99 ,one of the most  
learned ,hebraists of ,england1 has     
declared      that1 no two translators  
would agree in rendering any verb       
from the ,hebrew4 ,godfrey ,higgins     
says3--,i am quite certain      that ,i 
shall be able to show--to prove--that   
every letter of      the ,hebrew has    
four1 and probably five meanings4 ,what 
an      accommodating language for the  
priests1 when their interests           
require an alteration in their ,word of 
,god6  ,here we have an exceedingly     
important confession from a learned     
churchman6 ,that a person so profligate1
 wicked1 and cruel1 as the whole life of
 ,david shows him to have been1 should  

acquire the above title1 has no doubt   
astonished many people2 but the         
exposition shows clearly that the       
priests bestowed it upon him1 for his   
pre-eminence in the commission of every 
crime that promoted their interest and  
power4 ,many others of these worthies   
appear to have been the peculiar        
favorites of ,jehovah1 from possessing  
similar qualities 7saints in subsequent 
times were always made out of the same  
sort of material71 whilst with the good 
and virtuous few he was generally at    
enmity4 ,this appears in contrasting the
 bloody and revengeful character of     
priest ,samuel1 with that of the plain1 
honest1 and brave soldier1 ,saul2 that  
of the cunning and deceitful ,jacob1    
with his generous and amiable brother   
,esau4 ,amongst the numerous atrocious  
murders of ,david1 do we not find that  
of ,mephibosheth1 the lame son1 or      
brother of his peculiar friend and      
generous protector1 ,jonathan8 ,the     
wholesale murders ordered by ,moses1    

,joshua1 ,david1 and some others1 are1  
if true1 the most horrid imaginable4    
,blood was the order of the day among   
the ,jews1 so it flowed on all          
occasions4 ,exod4 xiii41 #b1 shows that 
by their laws the first-born children   
were dedicated as sacrifices to the     
,jewish ,moloch1 as well as the         
first-born of other animals2 but it is  
probable that the horror which this     
shocking barbarity excited in           
surrounding countries1 at last induced  
the priests to accept of a lamb1 or     
other victim that was equally good to   
eat1 in redemption of the devoted child4
 ,the poor donkey1 being rather a tough 
morsel for the ,lord and his priests1   
was to be put to death1 if not redeemed 
by something more tender and savory2    
mark the malignity of the priests6 ,that
 the ,jews offered such human           
sacrifices1 is proved in ,solomon's     
having built a temple to ,moloch1 which 
he would not have done with the         
intention of observing any other rites  

than those of the ,ammonitish god4 ,the 
,jew books have also furnished          
,christianity with examples of private  
assassination1 which are nowhere else   
matched in cool atrocity3 to give two   
instances only1 see the base cowardly   
treachery by which those of ,sisera1 and
 of ,eglon1 king of ,moab1 were         
perpetrated4  ,we cannot conclude this  
lecture without making the important    
observation1 that1 while the instruction
 of youth continues to be founded upon  
these ,jew books1 which hold forth such 
barbarous and vicious men as patterns of
 humanity1 virtue1 and sound morality1  
no material improvement can ever be made
 in the moral condition of society4     
,these books are imposed upon the mind  
as the one thing needful in education1  
because they divert from the study of   
the useful and salutary truths of       
,nature 7the knowledge of which is the  
bane of the priest71 which stand in     
direct opposition to the fabulous       
absurdities of ,jewish theology299 and1 

therefore1 our hireling priests1 who    
dread nothing so much as the development
 of these truths1 use their utmost      
energies in suppressing all such        
investigation2 whilst they instil such  
reveries only as promote ignorance1 and 
keep the mind in childhood through life4
 ,when the fogs of religious stupidity  
have thus mentally moulded the audience1
 the pulpit becomes a fountain of the   
most unqualified nonsense1 which is     
safely showered down in torrents without
 any danger of detection1 on the part of
 the long-ear'd rout1 who1 being taught 
to spurn the evidence of their senses1  
when put in competition with faith1 are 
prepared to swallow the grossest        
impossibilities3--            ,for zeal1
 fanatic zeal1 once wedded fast         
,to some dear falsehood1 hugs it to the 
last4       99 ,the caricatures 7they do
 not deserve a better name7 which       
the ,jews followed by the ,christians   
have drawn of the      ,supreme ,power1 
are extremely disgusting to rational    

piety2      they make their deity       
command theft and murder3 he avowedly   
breaks his promise 7,numb1 xiv41 #cd74  
,he grieves and repents      of his past
 conduct 7,gen4 vi41 #f74 ,he prompts   
his prophets      to lying 7#a ,kings   
xxii41 #bb74       ,the theology of the 
present day1 says ,d',holbach1 is a     
subtile venom1 calculated1 through the  
importance attached      to it1 to      
infect everyone4 ,by dint of            
metaphysics1 modern      theologians    
have become systematically absurd and   
wicked1 in      teaching the odious     
ideas they entertain of the deity4  ,the
 imagination of the bewildered bigot    
fears a mysterious phantom which acts on
 none of his senses2 and he fears       
nothing so much as to have nothing to   
fear4 ,if his religion was clear to     
human intellect1 it would have no       
attractions for his ignorance2 there    
must be obscurity1 incredible prodigies1
 fables1 sorceries1 and terrors1 to keep
 his perverted brain in perpetual dread 

and agitation4 ,by such chimerical      
apparatus1 the priest can reduce the    
mental faculties of man almost to       
annihilation1 and hence it is that the  
great herd of human beings have hitherto
 been mere congregated masses of        
variously compounded folly1 knavery1 and
 credulity2 where ignorance is prized   
and cherished as the sole medium through
 which clerical and secular oppressors  
can ride over the necks of the          
multitude299 while the spider's web of  
superstition confines their intellects  
as it were within the bounds of a       
nutshell4 ,in this way are the whole    
nations of human beings educated under  
traditional and legendary lies and      
fables2 yet so firmly does the false    
impressions instilled in childhood rivet
 them upon the mind1 that myriads have  
died for them1 as the highest service to
 their ,god6 ,this is a species of      
devotion which the theologues most      
willingly perform by deputy4       99   
,in every age1 and in every country of  

the world1 the      religions that have 
been invented by impostors and priests1 
and sanctioned by rulers1 have been put 
forth with no other      intention than 
that of deceiving the people2 whilst the
      distinguishing characteristic of  
all religious professors      has been  
to profess one thing and mean another4  
,under such abject and debasing         
circumstances have the intellectual     
powers of the bulk of mankind been      
crushed and smothered throughout ,europe
 by the juggle of church and state      
collusion1 until about the middle of    
last century1 when a ray of mental light
 burst forth from a constellation of    
exalted minds1 headed by that most      
enlightened of philosophers1 ,voltaire1 
who shook to its very foundation the    
whole fabric of ,christian priestcraft4 
,in the present century1 that light1    
guarded by the true emancipating ,savior
 of the human race1 the printing        
press199 is now becoming more widely    
diffused and clear1 through the erudite 

minds of a ,brougham1 an ,owen1 a ,hume1
 and many other advocates of education2 
but still the truths of ,nature are so  
obscured by the dense fogs of           
priest-fostered ignorance1 that no      
efficient political relief need be      
expected for ,christendom1 until the    
people reform themselves by abandoning  
the evils which cause their physical and
 mental intoxication2 these are         
inebriating liquors1 and grovelling     
superstition4       99 ,though the art  
of printing1 so as to multiply the      
copies      of a document to any extent1
 was known in ,europe in the year       
#addd1 yet the control and fear of      
priestly vengeance1      prevented its  
being extensively useful for two        
centuries      afterwards4 ,this art1   
nevertheless1 had been known and        
practised from time immemorial by the   
priests of ,buddha1      throughout the 
immense empire of ,thibet1 though       
confined by      them exclusively to the
 purposes which promoted the            

interests of their religion4 ,oh1 how   
rejoiced the priests of                 
,christianity would be at this day1 were
 it in their power to      establish a  
similar monopoly of the printing        
press6--,see      ,higgins'             
,anacalypsis4  ,when our present        
ultra-,reformers1 who call themselves   
,chartists1 prate of church-going1 and  
offering up prayers and religious hymns1
 previous to their vain consultations1  
our political rulers pass the wink to   
their clerical confederates1 conveying  
as much as to say1 this is all very     
well2 for while these men continue under
 the thumb of any sect of theologians1  
or suffer their minds to be deluded and 
debauched by any scheme of              
supematuralism whatsoever1 real         
knowledge and sound judgment must be    
strangers to their meetings2 whilst the 
animosities of sectarism must ever      
prevent unanimity1 without which they   
never can be formidable to the powers   
that be1 however corrupt4 ,when the     

education of mankind shall be so        
salutary as to teach them what they are 
in reality1 the reform necessarily      
springing from it would quickly         
dissipate ignorance1 conquer            
superstition and its priests2 and1 in   
place of pretending to look beyond      
,nature1 whose surface alone man is     
hardly capable of perceiving1 he would1 
through the evidence of his senses1     
follow that unerring power as the only  
polestar of his happiness4 ,for the     
great majority of human beings thus to  
reform themselves1 they have but to will
 it2 if they will not1 they deserve to  
continue what they ever have            
been--degraded outcasts and aliens from 
their nature4            ,thus with     
strong speech ,i tore the veil that hid 
,,nature1 and ,,truth1 and              
,,liberty4--,shelley4  ,,end ,,of       
,,lecture ,,sixth4     ,,dialogue4      
,,physiological ,,and ,,theological     
,thou1 ,nature1 art my goddess3 to thy  
law my services are bound4              

--,shakspere4       ,philosophy teaches 
us to seek in ,nature1 and the knowledge
      of her laws1 for the cause of     
every event2 when this      knowledge   
shall become universal1 man will        
relinquish1 with      elevated          
satisfaction1 his attachment to         
supernatural and      vindictive        
theology4 ,it is this theology that has 
destroyed      the harmony of ,nature1  
and demoralised the intelligent         
world4   ,,lucian ,,and ,,moderatus4    
,,moderatus4--,in all ages of the world1
 the tide of human affairs hath shown   
that reigning opinion1 however          
ill-founded and absurd1 is always queen 
of the nations2 and1 since a man's      
interest and general good footing in    
society1 are1 to a great extent1        
involved in his acquiescence in these   
opinions1 it is strange that you1       
,lucian1 should venture to entertain    
heresies so much at variance with       
everything that is called orthodox4 ,but
 as it is only upon hearsay that ,i     

judge of your opinions1 pray let me know
 from yourself your notions respecting  
the deity8  ,,lucian4--,you must first  
define precisely and intelligibly1 what 
you mean by the terms deity or god3 do  
you mean by either of them to designate 
a fanciful personification of the       
physical powers of universal matter or  
nature8  ,mod4--,no2 ,i mean that       
infinite1 eternal1 incorporeal body in  
the human form99--the creator of the    
universe out of nothing1 that is1 out of
 himself1 he being nothing1 according to
 ,christian orthodoxy4       99         
,zenophanes observed1 that if the ox or 
the elephant      understood sculpture  
or painting1 they would not fail to     
represent the ,deity under their own    
peculiar figure4 ,in this      they     
would have as much reason at the ,jews  
and ,christians1      who gave him the  
human form4            ,and 'twere an   
innocent dream1 but that a faith        
,nurs'd by fear's dew of poison1 grows  
thereon4  ,,lucian4--,i can form no     

conception of such a being as you       
describe2 but such a phantasm may be    
very suitable for1 as it is quite of a  
piece with1 a religion that is made up  
of chimeras4 ,if your term nothing has  
any meaning1 it is the negation of      
matter1 which is nonsense1 because the  
mind can form no conception of          
immaterial existence4 ,by the same rule1
 reason and common sense reject the word
 spiritual1 because it is a term        
absolutely without meaning1 and         
represents no existing thing of which   
the mind can possibly form any idea499  
,all these words have been coined in the
 mint of theology for the purpose of    
deception2 and1 together with the       
principal tool of priestcraft1 called   
soul1 make up the machinery of delusion4
 ,everything rational is foresworn by a 
set of mystagogues1 when they declare   
that their ,god was engendered before   
his mother1 and is of the same age as   
his father6  ,,mod4--,but laying aside  
these foolish inventions1 which could   

only be imposed upon ignorance2 and     
allowing that1 to the question1 what is 
god1 no proper answer can be given1 but 
that we do not know2 still1 if all1 or  
universal matter was created1 it must   
have had a creator2 and there being no  
materials to work with1 this creator1   
being himself immaterial1 must of       
necessity have created matter out of    
himself1 that is1 out of nothing4       
,these were ,jehovah's words3           
,from an eternity of idleness1          
,i1 ,god1 awoke2 in seven days' toil    
made earth           ,from nothing2     
rested1 and created man2           ,i   
placed him in a paradise1 there         
,planted the tree of evil2 so that he   
,might eat and perish4           ,and so
 says the church4       99 ,spirit is   
literally air1 and air is matter in a   
gaseous or      fluid form2 but this is 
not the sense in which the word is      
used by the theologian4                 
,,lucian4--,that is going still deeper  
into theological absurdity4 ,no axiom   

can be clearer than this1--out of       
nothing cometh nothing4 ,there could be 
no creation of that which necessarily   
and eternally exists in and of itself   
,there can be but one infinite being1   
one nature1 i4e4 the boundless universe1
 7call it god1 or by any other name you 
please7 and this all-in-all             
self-existent being1 produces in itself1
 by an internal or innate action1       
whatever changes matter undergoes by    
this essential action or motion2 whether
 in the production of living creatures1 
or inanimate forms3 thus universal      
matter is at once both agent and        
patient--efficient cause and subject2 it
 produces nothing but what is its own   
modification4 ,spiritualism is supported
 only by fraud1 and ignorance of        
materialism4  ,,mod4--,are not the words
 creator and creation used in the       
,bible8 what do they mean8              
,,lucian4--,the learned confess that we 
have a very false translation of that   
book4 ,in the ,talmud of ,jerusalem1    

creator and creation merely signify the 
giver1 and the act of giving forms to   
matter99 ,there is not one word in the  
,bible about a creation from nothing2   
this notion1 according to ,mosheim19999 
was the invention of the ,christians4   
,all identities of matter arise from    
motion alone2 and as no portion of it   
can ever cease to be in motion1 that    
motion is perpetually destroying        
existing forms1 and out of these        
producing fresh identities of matter2   
but this is change of form alone1 and   
chemistry has proved the self-existence 
of the material principle1 in the       
demonstration that no particle of it can
 be annihilated4       99 ,the word     
,tsour has been adopted in ,genesis1    
where it is1      say the learned1      
falsely translated creator1 though it   
merely signifies1 the giver of forms4   
,according to ,volney1      that name is
 also one of the definitions of ,osiris4
       9999 ,appendix to ,cudworth4     
,,mod4--,in our ,bible account of the   

creation1 there are certainly some      
apparent contradictions1 or             
incongruities1 such as the getting up of
 three whole days before the sun was    
made and set in the firmament2 now it   
appears to us that1 as the sun is the   
sole source of day1 they were a little  
preposterous in forgetting to make him  
first4  ,,lucian4--,it must appear plain
 to every one not blinded by his slavish
 fears and prejudices1 that the writer  
of ,genesis 7the cosmographical part7   
was entirely ignorant even of the       
rudiments of natural science4 ,the god  
he set up1 and the handiwork he makes   
him perform1 are proofs of this4 ,the   
,jupiter of the pretty and lively       
mythology of the ,pagans1 was frequently
 engaged in ludicrous amours299 but in  
general he preserved an awful dignity1  
and was never represented in the        
discharge of those mean and servile     
offices1 which the ,jews depict their   
,jehovah as performing2 though these    
were nothing to the ferocious1 cruel1   

and disgusting caricatures which are    
everywhere drawn of him in their books4 
,allowing for a moment the possibility  
that poor deluded man can be guilty of  
impiety towards the all-ruling ,power1  
certainly his mind could not devise     
anything more blasphemous than to       
personify that power into such a deity  
as that set up by ,moses4 ,ignorance of 
the operations of matter or ,nature1 has
 made man invent deities as causes of   
the effects he sees produced2 these     
deities were so many chimeras1 and these
 chimeras have been the basis of all    
religions4       99 ,when ,diagoras of  
,melos declared that there were no such 
beings in existence as ,jupiter1        
,neptune1 ,apollo1 etc41 their          
priests offered a talent for his head1  
or two talents if      taken alive4 ,in 
the latter case1 the higher sum was     
probably      offered1 that they might  
have the pleasure of torturing him4     
,in the #aeth century what would        
,christian priests have done      to the

 blasphemer1 who would haye been so     
impiously wicked      as to assert1 that
 the above gods did still exist in full 
power8 ,priests are ever the same2 but  
gods change names and      wills1 going 
in and out of power1 like ,whigs and    
,tories4  ,,mod4--,i confess that in the
 all-important matters of morality1 the 
,bible presents exceeding great         
difficulties4 ,truth1 justice1 and mercy
 are immutable principles1 and must not 
be subverted to uphold any system of    
religion whatsoever4 ,that which is     
cruel and wicked in a man1 cannot be    
admitted or defended in a god2 and every
 moral feeling of the virtuous mind must
 be discarded ere we cease to doubt the 
truth of a religion based upon the      
desecration of these principles4        
,besides1 it is repugnant1 if not       
impossible to reconcile the god of      
,moses with the reverential and sublime 
idea1 which superior minds are capable  
of forming of the almighty power4       
,,lucian4--,as the man who takes a      

priest for his guide will be led astray2
 so1 if the ,bible has been his sole    
instructor1 he is likely ever to remain 
in ignorance2 the first will not teach  
him anything useful--the latter cannot4 
,previous to the time when it is said   
the ,bible lawgiver entered upon his    
murderous invasion of the ,canaanitish  
countries1 each of them had its local   
god or goddess1 some of whom we have    
elsewhere mentioned2 these were so many 
personifications of the sun1 moon1      
stars1 elements1 and seasons1 and served
 as objects of adoration amongst the    
ignorant4 ,as a priest of ,heliopolis1  
,moses must have known all this1 and    
wishing to be like his new neighbors1 he
 set up his barbarous deity in          
imitation1 changing his ,theban name of 
,jahouh into ,jehovah 7see ,strabo's    
,geography71 charging his followers not 
to represent it by any emblem1 as he was
 in vain wishful of preserving the      
,egyptian unity of the ,supreme ,power4 
,but as the sun was then in ,taurus1 or 

the ,bull1 the ,egyptian priests had    
taught the illiterate ,israelites to    
worship a calf2 and as they were        
desirous of clinging to their calf      
adoration1 ,aaron1 as every other priest
 would have done1 took advantage of this
 religious folly1 to despoil them of the
 gold ornaments1 which1 by ,jahouh's    
command1 they had swindled from the     
,egyptians4 ,in this affair ,moses and  
his brother1 no doubt1 understood each  
other well4 ,to rob upon religious      
pretences1 is not altogether a modern   
invention4  ,,mod4--,in the supposed    
time of ,moses1 the religion of ,egypt  
being polytheistic1 ,jahouh must have   
been one amongst many deities that were 
worshipped by the ,egyptians2 so that if
 ,moses borrowed that deity of the      
,thebans1 he could not at the same time 
borrow his doctrine of the unity of god4
  ,,lucian4--,the learned ,egyptian     
priests appear to have been decidedly   
,materialists4 ,infinitely above the    
minor deities which they invented for   

the ignorant populace1 they believed in 
the great material principle199 acting  
by self-existing energies and           
properties2 infinite1 therefore         
causeless2 and constituting the unity of
 the ,supreme ,power4 ,they represent   
this power by no emblem1 conceiving that
 to be impossible2 but the ,greeks      
personified it in the god ,pan4 ,thus   
the unity of the ,supreme ,power was the
 basis of the hierarchical religion of  
,egypt1 as is acknowledged by the       
learned ,hyde1 and also by ,cudworth4   
,as an ,egyptian priest1 ,moses         
7admitting his existence7 must have     
known this1 and was therefore wishful of
 preserving this unity in his ,theban   
deity2 though that availed nothing when 
neutralised by the discordant and       
inconsistent qualities attributed to    
him4 ,in order to be justified as an    
invader and plunderer of peaceful       
countries1 ,moses was under the         
necessity of endowing his god with      
fierce and barbarous passions1 which on 

most occasions led him to be cruel and  
unjust2 as when he issued his ferocious 
and bloody mandate to his priests1 the  
sons of ,levi1 7,exod4 xxxii41 #bg7 to  
sacrifice about three thousand          
,brothers1 companions1 and neighbors1 in
 cold blood199 ,you say1 materiality    
cannot think--do you know of any        
thinking without it8 ,pray how does     
immateriality think8       99 ,see also 
the inhuman mandate issued in ,deut4    
xiii41 #fth      to #ajth4 ,this has    
justified every refinement in the       
cruelty      of persecution throughout  
,christendom for more than fifteen      
hundred years4  ,,mod4--,that massacre  
was caused by the idolatry of the       
people1 in setting up and worshipping   
the golden calf4  ,,lucian4--,priest    
,aaron was herein the principal actor2  
yet he and his tribe not only go        
unpunished1 but are employed to commit  
the shocking murders4  ,,mod4--,but     
theologists assure us that what is      
justice with god is injustice with man4 

,christians have ever drawn a line of   
distinction between divine and human    
justice3 proving that what appears to   
man cruel1 partial1 and unjust1 in the  
works of god1 are1 in reality1 justice1 
impartiality1 and mercy towards man4    
,,lucian4--,robbery and murder are      
strange ways of showing mercy4 ,it is by
 the hideous and pernicious dogmas you  
mention1 that pretended supernatural    
revelations have poisoned the pure      
stream of morality2 they utterly        
confound every idea or perception we can
 have of the natural principles of right
 and wrong2 and have sanctioned or      
justified the foulest enormities        
throughout ,christendom4 ,the principles
 of truth1 justice1 and morality1 are   
ever the same1 and immutable from       
whatever source they emanate4           
,,mod4--,it is true that the ,supreme   
,being is1 upon the whole1 not much     
beholden to the ,jewish priests for the 
sketches of character in which he is    
portrayed in the ,bible4 ,but this is   

speaking according to human reason4     
,,lucian4--,the capricious and cruel    
character of this theological creation1 
as set forth in the ,jew books1 is      
generally so demoralising as to be      
altogether unworthy of imitation in     
human conduct1 ,the cruelty ascribed to 
it1 is the shield behind which          
priestcraft has sheltered itself in all 
its bloody persecutions4 ,in other      
respects the various menial1 or bad     
offices and functions which it is made  
to perform1 are truly ludicrous when    
said to be executed by the all-ruling   
power2 such as1 a god-midwife 7a71 a    
nightly assassin 7b71 a butcher 7c71 a  
barber 7d7 a slave-dealer 7e71 a        
murderer 7f71 a fool 7g71 a deceiver    
7h71 a promise breaker 7i7199 a deluder 
7j 71 a tailor 7k71 a shoemaker 7l74    
,such was the deity who the ,jewish     
priests impiously and blasphemously     
called the ,supreme ,power of the       
universe1 though guised by them in the  
form and likeness1 having all the       

appendages and members physical1 of the 
human body2 and possessing many1 if not 
all the worst passions incident to human
 nature4 ,and such is the deity adopted 
by ,christianity1 after undergoing such 
modifications1 and receiving into       
partnership such colleagues as suited   
the interests of his priests4 ,these    
things1 in a mental point of view1 have 
degraded man below the more rational    
animals of the field4       99 ,the     
,jewish god never gave his chosen people
 anything      better than              
promises4--,vide ,acts vii41 #e2 and    
,heb4 xi41 #ci4       ,in the reign of  
,ahab1 a lying angel1 or spirit1 offers 
his      services as a deceiver1 which  
services were very acceptable      to   
the ,lord4 ,here we have a lying angel1 
and the supreme      being endeavoring  
to deceive by prompting to a falsehood4 
,the belief of such impious absurdities 
shows that the      unbounded credulity 
of man is the safety of the priest4     
,,mod4--,you have evinced a strong      

partiality for what you call the pretty 
and lively mythology of the ,gentiles1  
consisting of the numerous fabled gods  
and goddesses of antiquity1 which1 you  
say1 the lower orders of the people were
 taught to consider as so many real     
personages1 though1 in the esoteric     
doctrines of the initiated1 they were   
merely so many emblems of the host of   
heaven1 the elements and seasons4       
,,lucian4--,precisely so2 and such is   
the origin of the ,christian scheme     
also1 springing as it does out of the   
,egyptian and ,zoroastrian systems2 for 
as the epithet ,christ physically       
signifies the sun1 so1 in like manner1  
has it been made to represent a fabled  
personage2 whilst the true revelation of
 this prosopopoeia 7the figure by which 
things are made persons7 is now         
suppressed or lost through priestcraft1 
or its foster-child1 ignorance4         
,,mod4--,in modelling his deity it was  
evidently the intention of ,moses to    
preserve his unity2 but his followers   

being the most barbarous of human       
beings1 he was under the necessity of   
adapting his god to their ignorant and  
rude notions of things2 and1 therefore1 
not blameable for the tricks and        
deceptions he used1 since these were the
 only means of governing them4 ,why1    
then1 should not similar means be used  
in the nineteenth century to answer the 
same purpose8 ,the ignorance and        
credulity of the mass of mankind are at 
all times the sufficient warrant of     
theological frauds4 ,it is not at all   
necessary that men of learning1 and the 
rulers of nations1 should believe in the
 irrational fictions of any scheme of   
supematuralism2 but experience seems to 
point out the utility of their yielding 
them a pretended belief1 and a real     
support1 for the sake of governing the  
multitude4  ,,lucian4--,as an initiated 
,pagan priest1 the conduct of ,moses    
towards his followers was quite in      
character2 and the religion which he    
manufactured was1 no doubt1 well suited 

to the extreme savageness of the        
,jews499 ,but it is wonderful that this 
religion1 blasphemous and absurd in the 
highest degree1 and contrived solely for
 the purpose of over-awing and governing
 a horde of plundering banditti1 should 
maintain a sacred influence over nations
 where history and science abound4 ,the 
grovelling credulity of uninstructed man
 is such1 that all despotic rulers1     
aided by their iniquitous connexion with
 subservient priesthoods1 have during   
centuries of darkness1 shackled the     
necks of mankind with great success in  
the way you mention4 ,but the wicked    
stratagem of keeping men in ignorance1  
in order that they may be misgoverned by
 theological fables1 is now meeting a   
stumbling-block in the increasing light 
of reason and useful knowledge among the
 people4 ,this wretched policy has      
already produced revolutions2 and others
 of yet brighter aspect seem rising on  
the political horizon1 still farther to 
weaken1 and ultimately to overthrow1 the

 church-contaminated governments of     
,europe4 ,superstition1 though still    
leagued with political rule1 is utterly 
unable to be its mainstay any longer1   
because of the reasonable hostility of  
the people whose eyes begin to be opened
 to the evil tendency in regard to      
morality1 as well as to the prodigious  
expense entailed upon industry1 in      
support of the voracious hydra of       
superstition4            ,an inhuman and
 uncultured race1 who           ,howl'd 
hideous praises to their 'jealous ,god'4
       99 ,to establish a religion upon 
the wild reveries of an      ignorant   
people1 whose legends are in all cases  
filled with      miraculous events      
against the order of ,nature1 and       
bearing      on their very front the    
most glaring marks of imposture1 is     
the very acme of human folly--the       
pestilent mania which has      convulsed
 nations1 and deluged the world with    
blood4  ,,mod4--,that all rational and  
unprejudiced minds find an insuperable  

repugnance at the idea of reconciling1  
or identifying the ,supreme power1 with 
the deity of ,moses1 as depicted in the 
,bible1 is a point which ,i readily     
concede4 ,when the man of free          
reflection meditates on a boundless     
universe1 governed in the most          
consummate order and harmony1 nothing   
appears to him so shocking as the       
impious comparison of the               
incomprehensible ,being1 the creator and
 ruler of millions of worlds1 with the  
impotent1 puerile1 and inconsistent     
deity of the ,jews--the contrast is1    
beyond all expression1 revolting and    
abhorrent4 ,this immutable order of all 
things 7we are forced to the conclusion7
 could not exist without the guidance of
 an infinite ,being who is not only     
independent of matter1 or ,nature1 but  
regulates that principle4               
,,lucian4--,matter and motion alone     
constitute what we call ,nature1 which1 
you allow1 is the essential principle1  
therefore1 there is no room left for    

supposing any anterior existence2       
because1 as the essential principle1 it 
could have no antecedent--no cause2 and 
must in consequence be self-existent and
 eternal4 ,if invariable order and      
harmony evince the design of an         
artificer1 surely the transcendent      
intellect of your supreme artificer 7the
 demiourgos7 evinces still more the     
necessity of a greater designer1 in his 
production4 ,we know that harmony and   
adaptation exist in the energies of     
matter1 from which spring all animal    
organization2 is it not then quite as   
satisfactory1 and far more easy1 to     
suppose that ,nature--her harmony and   
intelligence--have existed eternally1   
than it is to suppose a time when       
boundless matter was not in being2 and  
that it derived its existence from an   
immaterial personage1 of whom the mind  
cannot form the slightest conception8   
,as material ,nature is the infinite    
,being1 it cannot be an effect2 it is   
the principle of principles1 whose      

innate energies produce within itself   
the eternal routine of cause and        
effect499 ,of this necessitated process 
ad infinitum1 man cannot know or        
describe even the surface2 yet has the  
folly to pretend to look beyond the     
boundless plenum6       99 ,to become a 
,materialist under existing modes of    
education1      is no easy attainment2  
it is the fruit of much impartial       
research and knowledge1 arising from    
independent and      fearless thought4  
,,mod4--,but may not such an infinite   
spiritual power as the ,platonists1 and 
after them the ,christians1 figured to  
themselves1 exist and rule the universe1
 although the mind of man can form no   
definite idea of this ,being8           
,,lucian4--,man has nothing to do with  
that which he can neither know nor      
comprehend299 and it is impossible for  
him to believe in that which is beyond  
his comprehension4 ,materialists        
maintain the existence of an all-ruling 
,,power2 but every attempt to personify 

that ,power1--and all pretensions to any
 knowledge of it beyond that which is   
gathered from the process of ,nature1 in
 her works1 they hold as deceitful and  
pernicious2 regarding all pretended     
revelations said to be supernaturally   
made to man1 as the work of the most    
dangerous and wicked impostors3 and     
their revelations as the direst curses  
that were ever entailed upon mankind4   
,it would be a perversion of terms to   
speak of more than one infinite ,being3 
whether then is it most rational to     
suppose it to be that which we know to  
exist1 or that which we do not know9999 
to exist8 ,so far is it from being      
difficult to suppose the eternity of    
matter1 it is hardly possible to imagine
 anything but its eternity4 ,previous to
 what you call its creation by your     
immaterial artificer1 was he a vacuum   
living in a vacuum8999999 ,as the       
,christian's definition of his deity    
confounds all language1 it is its own   
best refutation4 ,with a face of        

gravity1 he talks of his body spiritual 
that has no body2 an incorporeal        
something that is essentially nothing2  
an immaterial substance that is         
non-substantial2 and though this body is
 immaterial1 it possesses the form and  
likeness1 together with the bodily      
members1 of a man6 ,these are the       
pestilent offspring of theology--your   
distracting chimeras1 which             
,turns them to a shape1 and gives to    
airy nothing           ,a local         
habitation and a name4       99 ,man    
neither can nor ought to have anything  
to do with that      which is           
confessedly inconceivable2 if he        
pretends to know      or say anything of
 such a being1 he immediately falls into
      contradictions4 ,when did a       
theologian understand himself      when 
speaking of his deity or                
deities8--,never4       9999 ,we have   
five witnesses in favor of the existence
 of      matter1 viz41 seeing1 hearing1 
feeling1 smelling1 and      tasting2 but

 where is the proof of the existence of 
anything      that is immaterial8 ,it is
 fancy alone that creates such a        
chimera4       999999 ,the old fact that
 nature abhors a vacuum is still        
unrefuted2 we may indeed go farther and 
say that she will      not allow it1 for
 the art of man has never produced a    
space      where there was nothing4     
,your imagination bodies forth          
,in forms of things unknown2--  ,amongst
 the initiated in the mysteries of      
antiquity1 the term ,god was used only  
as being expressive of an effect1 whose 
cause is ,nature4  ,,mod4--,men are so  
accustomed to trace and find the origin 
of artificial objects1 that a supposed  
analogy readily presents itself1 that   
matter must have had an origin also2    
and1 backed by superstition1 they will  
not give up their ,great ,first ,cause4 
,,lucian4--,forgetting that their ,great
 ,first ,cause stands equally in need of
 a cause4 ,none of the phaenomena of    
,nature prove1 but all disclaim a first 

cause4 ,causes and effects have ever    
moved in an eternal circle2 and that    
which is an effect at one time becomes a
 cause at another1 and vice versa4      
,theology has taught man to reject that 
which is easy and rational1 and blinded 
him to the thousand-fold difficulty of  
supposing a time when neither time99 nor
 matter existed1 contrasted with the    
simple truth that matter is             
self-existent4 ,this is a proposition   
too plain and reasonable to answer the  
deceptive ends of the traders in that   
pseudo science4  ,,mod4--,if1 as you    
say1 no power ever did1 or can create   
matter1 there are at least an endless   
series of changes--of new modes or forms
 of beings which it unceasingly assumes1
 having the appearance of creation4 ,all
 this seems to require intelligence and 
a directing hand4  ,,lucian4--,why may  
not this directing hand be the essential
 energies of matter alone1 of which     
motion is the chief2 for without it no  
change whatever can take place8 ,the    

word creation has no proper meaning     
except when applied to these new        
combinations1 and ever-varying forms4   
,the universe consists of               
infinitely-derived1 and dependent modes 
of beings2 each of which owes its       
existence to the power and efficacy of  
the one that immediately preceded it1 in
 an infinite series of successions1     
without a beginning1 or original49999   
99 ,the theologist makes god say1 before
 time was1 ,i was4       9999           
,according to ,hobbes1 ,god is almighty 
matter4            ,existence still     
maintains existences1           ,and    
nought begins where no existence is4    
,,mod4--,the intercirculation99 of the  
parts of matter1 and its unceasing      
changes into new states of being1 in    
form and substance1 seem to reveal the  
mystery of transubstantiation1 which1 if
 ,i mistake not1 was one of the         
attributes ascribed to deity1 long      
before it was adopted as a dogma of     
,christianity4  ,,lucian4--,like        

everything else in our ,christian       
fabrication1 transubstantiation was     
taken from the esoteric doctrines of the
 ,gentiles1 where it was allegorised in 
the person of ,proteus1 who1 according  
to the poets1 was ,neptune's herdsman2  
and whose name properly signifies       
primary1 or oldest1 meaning that he     
represented the eternal nature of       
matter2 and his changeableness was      
expressive of the endless operations1   
new modes and combinations thereof1     
wrought chiefly in a fluid state by the 
perpetual motion9999 of the sea         
7,neptune71 and the other elements4 ,he 
was said to take all kinds of shapes and
 disguises1 turning himself into        
monstrous animals1 fire1 water1 etc41   
denoting that in him were personified   
the continually varying forms of        
matter4999999 ,he was called the servant
 of ,neptune1 and said to reside in a   
cave1 meaning the apparent concavity of 
the heavens4 ,time1 matter and motion   
form the only eternal ,trinity and      

,unity4       99 ,the perpetual change  
of form produced by this                
intercirculation in the elements of     
matter1 was called by      the ,greeks  
,omoosia or ,omousia4 ,this mutual      
action is      universal2 and is proved 
even in the interchange of the          
material of light between globe and     
globe in the solar      system2 and from
 the fixed stars1 through the medium of 
some      gaseous principle of matter1  
in the highest state of                 
rarefaction4 ,all is matter1 and matter 
is all4       9999 ,it is only by motion
 that we exist1 or even known that we   
exist4 ,a dead animal begets motion of  
itself4       999999 ,empedocles        
says3--,those are infants or            
short-sighted      persons with very    
contracted understandings1 who imagine  
that anything is born which did not     
exist before2 or that      anything can 
be totally annihilated4  ,,mod4--,the   
learned amongst the ,christian          
priesthood1 against their private       

convictions1 are under the necessity of 
supporting the dogma of creation2       
because the giving up of that point     
would destroy the foundation of their   
system2 but many of them have no        
objection to allow the eternity of time4
  ,,lucian4--,during which time1 as has 
already been observed1 their god1 being 
immaterial1 was the vacuum inhabitant of
 a vacuum6 ,another plunge into         
absurdity4 ,the pretended creations and 
false revelations inculcated by         
theology1 have invariably operated to   
suppress or cripple the sciences2       
particularly those of astronomy and     
geology4 ,sacerdotal deception          
un-blushingly tells us that1 something  
less than six thousand years ago1 there 
was no sun1 no moon1 no stars1 no earth1
 no matter of any kind6 ,by the         
invention of this tremendous absurdity1 
priestcraft has had the audacity to     
circumscribe within the comparative     
period of a moment1 the existence of    
even ,nature herself2 and as nothing is 

too gross for unthinking ignorance1 even
 this greatest of all monstrosities goes
 down with the credulous herd of        
mankind1 who dare to look at nothing but
 through the spectacles of this science 
of god4  ,,mod4--,what proof have we    
that this globe has been in being longer
 than the period assigned for it by the 
,jewish and ,christian priesthoods8     
,,lucian4--,there are innumerable       
astronomical and geological facts which 
prove the existence of this earth for   
millions of years499 ,by a change so    
wonderfully slow as to require perhaps  
thousands of centuries to bring it      
round1 the surface of this globe is so  
completely altered towards the sun1 that
 the frigid zones become the torrid1 and
 vice versa1 in succession4 ,the remains
 of tropical animals have been found at 
the estuaries of the ,oby and ,lena1 and
 even in more northern latitudes4       
,petrified crocodiles have been found in
 ,derbyshire1 at the depth of           
eighty-five fathoms2 which proves that  

the land called ,england enjoyed a      
tropical sun1 in antiquity so remote as 
to show in a striking light1 the moment 
sand-glass--or1 if you please1 the      
perfect nothingness--of all human       
chronology4  ,,mod4--,it must be allowed
 that the ,bible cosmogony and its      
stories about deity1 origin of man1     
etc41 appear puerile1 contradictory1 and
 irrational1 unless they can be resolved
 into planetary allegories4 ,but in     
regard to the creation of matter1 these 
,jew books are not so absurd as to      
affirm that it was done out of nothing2 
that was a discovery made by            
,christianity4 ,the ,jewish creation is 
a mere copy of cosmogonies of eastern   
countries1 all of whom1 ,china excepted1
 pretend to account for the origin of   
things4  ,,lucian4--,we had everything  
from the east499 ,the ,bible makers     
compiled out of any oriental legends1 or
 shreds of ,pagan writings they could   
find2 and from ignorance1 turned the    
sublime allegories having allusion to   

the planets1 into vague unmeaning       
narrative and anecdote4 ,even ,druidism1
 which1 like primitive ,christianity1   
was concealed sun worship19999 travelled
 to us from the east2 and there is      
abundant reason to believe that         
priestcraft had reached the highest     
perfection in ,india1 some fifty        
thousand years before the ,jewish       
superstition existed4 ,in western ,asia 
and ,europe1 the usual combination of   
crafts had robbed man of his natural    
liberty1 enslaved his mind1 and eaten up
 the fruits of his industry2 but in     
,hindustan1 the consummate subtlety1 and
 all-subduing art of the priest1 has1 by
 an utter annihilation of mind1 reduced 
certain castes of the ,hindus far below 
the condition of the vilest animal on   
earth1 and with a fiendish influence1   
the most astonishing1 it stimulates     
other castes to actions at which ,nature
 stands horrified4       99             
,christianism stole its materials in the
 east--deceived the      west1 and now1 

in its purloined robes and oriental     
missions1      it would retrace its     
steps1 and deceive the world4       9999
 ,in ,druidism1 as in the most ancient  
religions1 the      mythos in all being 
perfectly the same1 it was required of  
the votaries1 that all prayers for good1
 as well as      invocations of curses1 
should be addressed to the sun1 under   
the name of ,jupiter4 ,in praying for   
blessings1 they went      round the     
stone1 or other object1 according to the
 course of      the sun2 and vice versa 
in the invocation of curses4 ,these     
imprecations are very numerous in those 
solar hymns1 called      the psalms of  
,david4  ,the ,christian priestcraft1   
even in the eleventh century1 when      
ignorance and tyranny had raised it to  
its zenith of power and glory1 was but a
 novice compared with the subtle        
perfection of that of ,india4 ,and it   
was no doubt the complete success of    
this mind-enslaving delusion in the     
east1 which recommended and caused its  

adoption in the west2 for with a        
variation in names1 it is identically   
the same astro-fable everywhere499      
99 ,most of the old churches on the     
continent1 as has      elsewhere been   
observed1 show that both the virgin and 
her      son were introduced into       
,europe1 as black ,gentoos4             
,,mod4--,the absolute sway which        
,brahminism has over the mind of the    
,hindus1 is perhaps attributable to its 
being the oldest of all known religions8
 its priests have the advantage of a    
prodigious antiquity1 through which they
 have matured it to serve their own     
ends1 and established a despotic power  
over their debased votaries4            
,,lucian4--,no conceivable power over   
the mind can exceed that refined        
delusion which causes millions of human 
beings voluntarily to throw themselves  
under the wheels of the ,juggernaut car1
 to be crushed to death on earth1 in    
order to attain some one of those       
heavens which their villainous priests  

have invented4 ,this astonishing power  
is perhaps shown still more in the      
effects of that religious rite1 which   
makes it incumbent on widows to burn    
themselves alive on the death of their  
husbands4 ,the horrible wickedness of   
this sacerdotal injunction requires that
 these victims must sacrifice themselves
 by this excruciating death1 dressed out
 in all the jewels and precious stones  
they are possessed of2 and after the    
dreadful immolation1 these valuables    
become the perquisite of the priests1   
whose emissaries carefully sift the     
ashes of the funeral pile where all the 
gold and gems are found1 with little or 
no injury done them by the fire4 ,this  
is either the usage now1 or was so in   
former times1 and seems to be the acme  
of priestcraft4  ,,mod4--,whether the   
belief in supernatural powers1 which1 in
 all ages and countries1 a certain order
 of men has been maintained to inculcate
 and enforce1 has contributed most to   
human happiness or misery1 is not for me

 to decide2 but while a vast majority of
 mankind are unfitted to think for      
themselves1 advantage will be taken of  
that ignorance1 and combinations formed 
between the rulers of states and        
churches for the more effectual         
government of the many1 who1 if         
oppressed on earth by supporting these  
institutions1 will be remunerated by a  
supernatural promotion in heaven4       
,,lucian1--,just so2 under such         
governments1 man is a mere puppet moved 
at the pleasures of his oppressors1 who 
keep him ignorant1 and work him         
thoroughly3 promising him a post mortem 
happiness in another life1 provided he  
bears the yoke of misery quietly in     
this3--            ,then the mind's     
independence insensibly sinks           
,the taint of one portion enfeebling the
 whole1           ,till oppression1     
preparing the doubled-twined links1     
,king and priests draw their victim     
down--body and soul4  ,but you forget   
the immensely different degrees of evil 

occasioned by the inventions of         
theology2 in ,england1 ,ireland1 and    
,wales199 alone1 the enormous sum of    
nine millions nine hundred and twenty   
thousand pounds is annually squandered  
in pampering and enriching the          
dignitaries1 and maintaining the rest of
 a body of ecclesiastics1 about thirty  
thousand in number4 ,this sum is        
considerably more than half of all the  
clerical revenues of ,christendom2 and  
cannot possibly have any other source   
than the industry of the people1 who1 in
 return for their toil and starvation1  
are robbed of their senses1 their       
judgments1 and their liberties4 ,that   
religion which attempts1 through the aid
 of civil tyranny1 to enforce the belief
 or acquiescence in the truth of its    
dogmas1 virtually gives a premium to    
falsehood--renders truth injurious in   
society1 and1 by these very actions1    
proves itself false4  ,,mod4--,the      
religions of antiquity must have been a 
down-draught upon industry also1 and    

were used wholly for the purpose of     
deception4 ,the dominant superstition of
 a country will always be taken into    
partnership by the political rulers2 not
 because they think it true19999 but as 
an auxiliary and pillar of government1  
which confers upon the professors       
thereof many privileges and immunities1 
in return for their support4       99   
,to these countries nothing has been    
more burdensome and      ruinous than   
the expense of worshipping their gods4  
9999 ,wherever truth is compelled to    
hide her head1 there is      necessarily
 a vicious order of things1 both        
political and      moral4 ,if           
instructors and governors were          
themselves      possessed of knowledge  
and virtue they would govern men more   
easily1 and much better1 by realities   
than by fables4  ,,lucian4--,the        
,athenians never had an established     
priesthood1 that overwhelming           
master-curse of modern times2 and as for
 that of the ,romans1 it did not1 from  

the ,pontifex ,maximus1 down to the     
lowest priest1 exceed from fifty to     
sixty persons2 and as the dignitaries at
 the head of these were always amongst  
the first men of the state1 their       
offices were purely honorary4 ,under    
these circumstances it was quite        
impossible that the whole institution   
could be either oppressive upon industry
 or dangerous to liberty4 ,as the ,roman
 superstition was supported by the state
 for no other purpose than that of      
deception1 to serve the ends of         
political jugglery1 or as a means of    
enabling generals of armies to restrain 
the rashness of their troops1 or excite 
them to fight with enthusiasm when      
required2 so1 in like manner1 are the   
more recently-invented deceptions of    
theology supported1 and from the same   
motive1 by the different nations of     
,europe1 but in a degree1 and with      
effects infinitely more degrading and   
oppressive to all the real              
wealth-producers4 ,of all deceivers who 

have plagued the worlds none are so     
deeply ruinous to human happiness1 or so
 deserving of universal execration1 as  
those impostors who pretend to lead men 
by a light above ,nature4  ,,mod4--,the 
ignorant fears and inquisitiveness of   
mankind seems to require such leaders2  
they cannot account for the phaenomena  
of ,nature1 and therefore they keep a   
class of men in pay who pretend to      
explain to them certain personified     
existences superior to ,nature1 who work
 the machinery behind the scenes2 and in
 whom is inherent1 they say1 the sole   
power to cause and control all such     
phaenomena4 ,but if the hopes and fears 
of an ignorant populace impel them to   
keep such teachers1 it is true that     
those alone who require their services  
should contribute to their support2 yet 
as riches is power1 confederate         
political rulers make their adopted     
priesthoods wealthy1 by the exaction of 
tithes and other imposts upon industry2 
in all of which they are borne out and  

justified by god's old will4            
,,lucian4--,that was one of the reasons 
why ,jahouh1 when he ceased to be a     
,jew1 was not made to revoke his old    
will1 which1 like his new one1 was the  
word and will of his priests1 who were  
not likely to permit him to forget      
tithes4 ,the present condition of the   
,english and ,irish churches shows that 
the legal robbery of this exaction has  
been sadly aggravated since its first   
introduction into ,christianity4 ,for   
the first eight hundred years of our era
 tithes were given as alms4 ,we are     
informed by ,sts4 ,jerome1 ,bernard1    
,chrysostom1 ,wickliffe1 ,huss1 and many
 other writers who uniformly agree1 that
 tithes were purely voluntary4 ,st4     
,augustine says3 ,if we 7the priests7 do
 possess anything privately which doth  
suffice us1 the tithes1 or alms1 are not
 ours1 but the goods of the poor1 whose 
stewards we are2 except we do challenge 
to ourselves a property by some damnable
 usurpation4 ,blackstone says that at   

first tithes were distributed in a      
fourfold division2 one for the share of 
the ,bishop1 another for maintaining the
 fabric of the church1 a third for the  
poor1 and a fourth to provide for the   
incumbent4 ,when the sees of the bishops
 became otherwise amply endowed1 they   
were prohibited from demanding their    
usual share2 so that the poor became    
entitled to one-third4 ,as the clergy   
now eat up the whole1 the usurpation of 
,st1 ,augustine has grown more and more 
damnable4 ,st4 ,jerome asserted that1   
according to ,st4 ,paul1 it was by the  
instigation of the devil that           
distinctions of rank in religion were   
made1 by the creation of bishops and    
other dignitaries4  ,,mod4--,all this   
serves only to show that human beings1  
so far as we know their history1 have   
always paid priests to lead or mislead  
them1 through the medium of             
supematurals1 whether these be real or  
fanciful4 ,in denying any first cause1  
or creation of matter1 ,i suppose you   

must allow that man cannot be a         
spontaneous production of the earth1 and
 therefore the admission of his origin  
is unavoidable4  ,,lucian4--,it is in   
vain that we see the human species      
propagated exactly as are all the       
mammalia classes3--theology prevents a  
correct view of everything2 and it is   
its business to trample upon analogy and
 experience1 and to feed man with fables
 about his first production4 ,you ask1  
how came man into existence8 ,but it    
would be quite as philosophical to ask  
how the first tree1 worm1 or oyster1    
came into being499 ,all organised life  
arises from some energy in the          
affinities and motions of matter1 that  
is altogether unknown to us1 and which  
gives rise to vegetable and animal life2
 so that the production of man is       
nothing more wonderful than that of any 
shell fish4 ,all generation is motion4  
,but the rational probability is1 that  
the various species of homo found on    
this globe1 were always upon it2 ,nature

 propagating each upon that part of its 
surface that is congenial to the        
particular species2 and that in the     
almost inconceivably slow process of the
 change1 by which portions of the       
globe's surface become alternately sea  
and land1 they migrated in succession1  
as old lands were wasted by the sea1 and
 as new lands afforded asylums4       99
 ,let us view man when within the shell1
 and when out of      it2 let us take a 
microscope and examine the youngest     
embryos1 those of the growth of four1   
six1 eight1 or fifteen      days2 after 
this age we may discover them with our  
naked      eyes4 ,then we can perceive  
the head only1 a round egg with      two
 blackish specks1 which represent the   
eyes4 ,before this      time1 all being 
unformed1 we can see nothing but a pulp 
of      marrow1 which is the brain1     
where the original of the nerves      is
 first formed1 where the principle of   
feeling is first      seated1 and the   
heart1 which begins already to beat in  

this      soft pulp2 this is the punctum
 saliens of ,malpighi1 part of      the 
liveliness of which does1 perhaps1      
already proceed from      the influence 
of the nerves4 ,then we see the head by 
degree      stretch for the neck1 which 
being widened1 first forms the          
thorax1 where the heart immediately     
descends1 and takes up      its         
situation4 ,the belly is framed next1   
which is divided      into two parts by 
a partition1 called by anatomists the   
diaphragm4 ,these parts being expanded1 
furnish the arms1 the      hands1 the   
fingers1 the nails1 and the hair2 the   
other gives      the thighs1 the legs1  
the feet1 etc41 which form the support  
and balance of the body4 ,all this is   
surprising1 but not      more so in man 
than in any other animal1 or even in    
vegetation2 the same luxury of ,nature  
shines throughout4  ,,mod4--,divines    
have long settled the question against  
you1 that there is no specific          
difference in the human race1 though    

they allow a great many accidental      
varieties2 but they declare upon ,bible 
authority1 that all these varieties     
sprung from a single pair--one original 
stock of mankind4  ,,lucian4--,the      
absurd side of a question is the        
indisputable right of theology499       
,wilful blindness or ignorant prejudice 
alone can raise a doubt1 that the       
,whites1 the ,negroes1 the ,albinos1 the
 ,hottentots1 the ,chinese1 and the     
native ,americans1 are altogether       
different species1 under the genus homo4
 ,the white-skinned1 bearded native of  
,northern ,asia1 could no more beget the
 copper-colored1 beardless native of    
,america1 than a bull-dog could beget a 
f ox2 the ,negro of ,africa1 the        
,laplander2 the leopard1 the lion2 the  
,european1 the ,ethiopian2 the ass1 the 
horse2 or an ,esquimaux1  ,hottentot4   
,therefore1 when theology asserts that  
,america must have been peopled from    
,asia1 it is quite consistent with      
itself1 that is1 a tissue of glaring    

contradictions4 ,when divines can show  
us how the oak and the ash got to       
,america1 and who carried over the dogs1
 cats1 and hogs1 the difficulty as to   
how man got there will be easily solved4
 ,nature did there1 as she has done     
everywhere else1 in producing that      
species of the genus that is proper for 
the climate4 ,but theology1 in its      
disinterested cares for man1 whose folly
 supports it1 shows no kind regard about
 the migration of other animals1 but is1
 on the contrary1 their most deadly     
enemy2 inasmuch as the abominable       
doctrine that all of them were created  
solely for his use1 has authorised those
 atrocious cruelties which we daily see 
exercised upon them4       99 ,the only 
proper definition of this word is--the  
science of      priest-craft4           
,,mod4--,your argument is1 that in      
,america1 as everywhere else1 ,nature   
always produced the animals and plants  
that were proper for the climate and    
soil2 but according to your theory the  

surface of this globe is everlastingly  
undergoing changes1 from the motion of  
the sea and other elements1 which       
unceasing action is alternately making  
and reducing land2 so that the sea      
becomes the true creator or parent of   
the land4 ,now1 if this be the case1 the
 best criterion of the age of the child 
will be its height above the parent2    
consequently1 as ,asia has higher land  
than ,america1 it must be older in its  
formation by the sea1 and might1        
therefore1 furnish the more recent      
continent with man and other animals4   
,,lucian4--,that the sea1 by its        
restless1 mighty1 and irresistible      
workings and creations1 is the parent of
 all land1 is a fact so demonstrable1   
from the proofs it has everywhere left  
behind it1 that it is undisputed except 
by theology2 and though it may require  
many millions of years completely to    
alternate the surface of our globe1 or  
to make those portions of it sea1 which 
had been land1 and vice versa2 yet that 

process and routine1 though almost      
inconceivably slow1 is nevertheless sure
 in endless succession4 ,man has no     
doubt migrated from land to land in the 
way you state2 but this would not affect
 the natural distinction of species1    
which1 however much they may be crossed 
and mixed for a time1 will assert and   
recur to their primitive distinction    
ultimately2 for ,nature positively      
refuses to perpetuate1 within           
themselves1 any of the varieties4 ,this 
is conclusive proof of the specific     
difference under the genus homo4        
,allowing that the height of land is the
 best criterion of its antiquity1       
,america may by this rule dispute the   
palm with ,asia1 as the mountains of the
 former are nearly as high as those of  
the latter2 and1 therefore1 the         
theologian's assertion that the western 
hemisphere was peopled from ,asia1 may1 
with as much truth1 be reversed4        
,whatever may be the respective age of  
these continents1 it seems highly       

probable1 if not certain1 that the      
,andes of ,south ,america will be       
reduced to the fluid state1 by the      
action of the sea and other elements1   
many hundred thousands of years before  
the ,himmalaya mountains of ,asia are   
levelled by these unsleeping powers2 for
 the former have now the great ,pacific 
,ocean undermining their very           
foundations1 whereas1 the latter are    
still two thousand miles from the sea4  
,,mod4--,the time required to bring     
about these and other changes which have
 relation to the celestial globes is so 
prodigious1 that in giving it admittance
 we virtually set at nought not only all
 scripture authority1 but turn the      
extent of human chronology into         
something inconceivably less than a     
moment sand-glass4 ,yet it is quite     
agreeable to the opinion of a great     
authority among the ancients2--,ocellus 
,lucanus says3  ,the universe admitteth 
neither creation nor annihilation1 for  
it ever was1 and ever shall be2 if any  

man should conceive it to have been     
made1 he would not be able to know from 
what material it was made4 ,now1 ,i call
 universal matter by the name of        
universe1 which appellation it obtaineth
 in that it comprehendeth all things1   
being an absolute and perfect collection
 of all natures2 and besides the        
universe there is nothing4 ,wherefore1  
there can be nothing without1 or        
external to that which comprehends all  
things4 ,after men and other animals    
finish the progress of their nature1 and
 have passed their several ages1 they   
die1 and are dissolved1 becoming in the 
same state they were2 quo non nati      
jacent4 ,there is no such thing as quies
 in natura1 all things being in a       
perpetual circular motion4 ,nor hath man
 any original production from the earth1
 or elsewhere1 as some have believed2   
but hath always been1 as he now is1     
co-existent with the world1 whereof he  
is a part4 ,nature and generation govern
 all things4  ,,lucian4--,such were the 

opinions of nearly all the wise men of  
antiquity4 ,theology1 in its ridiculous 
pretensions to knowledge about the      
origin of time1 has utterly infatuated  
the minds of its dupes1 by instilling   
false notions concerning it2 and        
limiting1 comparatively within the      
duration of a moment1 the existence of  
the material universe6 ,all discoveries 
in theology--every appearance in        
,nature1 unite in exposing the absurdity
 of what is called the ,mosaic account  
of time and creation4 ,so exceeding slow
 is the resistless innovating progress  
of the sea1 in changing the face of the 
globe1 that millions of years must      
elapse before a total alternation of    
land and water takes place on its       
surface2 but as the quantity of water   
can never immerse the whole1 a certain  
portion of the surface must ever be     
land1 in succession499 ,this alternate  
succession of land and water is sure as 
fate1 though imperceptible in the       
ephemeral life of man4       99         

,succession no more implies a beginning1
 than it predicates      an end4        
,,mod4--,this watery theory of yours    
seems not very objectionable2 but ,i can
 neither agree in the ,mosaic account of
 the first man1 nor in the opinion of   
,ocellus1 who says1 he had no original  
production from the earth1 but was      
always upon it1 his power of propagation
 existing in himself4 ,man is an animal 
so transcendent above all others in his 
intellectual organisation1 and reasoning
 powers1 as to warrant our inference    
that the supreme ruler of the world had 
some particular design in his           
production1 such as giving him dominion 
over all others1 none of whom are       
possessed of immortal souls1 that       
distinguishing proof of excellence which
 is found in man alone4  ,,lucian4--,you
 may perhaps be able to tell me in what 
part of him it is to be found and what  
it consists of2 but until that is done  
demonstrably1 ,nature1 experience1      
reason1 and all analogy1 will flatly    

deny that man is possessed of any       
immortal part that is not common to     
every other animal4 ,man is immortal and
 universal in his materiality alone2 as 
the matter which composes his body      
belongs to the immortal whole called    
,nature1 or the infinite all-in-all2 and
 he is annihilable in his personal      
identity only4 ,that which you call     
design in the production of man1 the    
,materialists1 we repeat1 ascribe to the
 energies1 adaptations1 and affinities  
in matter1 whereby all organic structure
 in ,nature is effected4 ,we cannot     
trace the effects which these and other 
motions of matter produce1 to anything  
above its own powers2 and therefore the 
deceptive arrogance of the theologian1  
in pretending to look beyond these      
powers1 has been pernicious in the      
highest degree1 in preventing a more    
full development of ,nature's secret    
arcanum4 ,the non-existence of the      
abstract immaterial something1 which    
priests have set up as the supernatural 

ruler of the universe1 is best          
demonstrated by all they have yet said  
of it--that all being downright         
contradiction4  ,the physical           
organisation of man is by no means      
superior to that of many other animals1 
except in his extraordinary allowance of
 brain1 which1 if cultivated for his    
advantage and happiness1 would certainly
 set him above most of the others1 in   
intellectual qualities2 but hitherto    
these have been developed only to be    
perverted by a total departure from the 
laws of his nature1 in everything       
wherein that happiness is concerned4    
,completely estranged at all points from
 the salutary paths which the mother of 
all things intended for his walks1 he   
beggars himself in keeping hireling     
priests1 who conjure up before his      
bewildered mind's-eye those chimerical  
nonentities which decoy him1 like an    
ignis fatuus1 madly to dance after them 
through life4  ,,mod4--,with all your   
hostility to priests1 you cannot do     

without them1 as our laws and society   
are at present constructed3 from your   
birth to the day of your death1 the     
church has got something to do or say in
 every step you take of importance4     
,,lucian4--,that is the chief evil      
afflicting society4 ,there is hardly a  
bad law1 custom1 or institution amongst 
men1 that has not been priest-procured  
in some age ancient or modern4 ,they    
have not left even a vestige of the     
natural rights of women1 and very few of
 those of men2 from the water sorcery   
called baptism1 in infancy1 to the      
funeral incantation of the priest1 they 
are misled1 abused1 and cheated         
systematically1 by the lawgiver and the 
theologian2 whilst every natural right  
is sacrificed on their altar of         
oppression4 ,in room of the birthright  
liberties1 of which man is thus robbed  
from childhood1 supernatural            
excellencies 7such as soul71 and        
peculiar favors from a place called     
heaven1 are falsely bestowed upon him1  

without which he cannot be sufficiently 
donkified to answer the purposes of     
priestcraft2 and the selfish and        
contemptible falsehood is palmed upon   
him1 that the ruler of this ideal region
 ycleped heaven1 created everything for 
his particular use and service4 ,this   
stupid arrogance would be matchable only
 in the vegetables declaring that all   
animals were made for their sustenance4 
,,mod4--,the pride of man will for ever 
prevent your convincing him that he is  
not the most favored creature of the    
,supreme ,being1 who has fitted him out 
with a soul1 and given him such other   
qualities of mind and body1 as show     
indisputably his vast superiority over  
the brute creation1 to whom souls have  
been refused4 ,your appeal to the       
miseries of his life1 which are greater 
than those of any other animal1 or even 
the frightful number of chances recorded
 by his priests against him1 on the     
score of damnation1 will not shake his  
belief in these preternatural           

distinctions in his favor4 ,you complain
 that soul-saving in ,england and       
,ireland is too expensive2 but by a late
 ,transatlantic calculation1 the average
 per head for saving heathen souls1 in  
the ,australian ,archipelago1 by the    
missionaries of the ,united ,states1    
costs the old women of both sexes1      
children1 and fools of these ,states1   
the sum of ,l#hb sterling4 ,now1        
reckoning the population of ,china and  
,india at #dej1jjj1jjj1 which is nearly 
the half of all the human species on    
this globe1 without including the ourang
 outang species of homo1 in whom souls  
have not yet been detected 7probably    
owing to their keeping no priests71 the 
total expense of saving the whole1 at   
the rate of ,l#hb per soul1 would cost  
the above description of persons among  
the ,christian godly1 the enormous sum  
of ,l#cf1ijj1jjj1jjj4 ,we cannot for a  
moment suppose that these holy          
disinterested missionaries would charge 
a farthing2 above the prime cost in     

pursuing their glorious work4           
,,lucian4--,the grand support of        
missionaries abroad and of established  
priesthoods at home1 is the female sex  
of ,christendom1 without whose          
sustaining zeal no one of all the great 
stocks of superstition which now infest 
the world would stand for another       
century4 ,whatever may be the origin or 
absurdity of any system of theology1 set
 up in any country1 the timidity of the 
female sex stimulates them generally to 
cling to it with fervor and devotedness1
 without the slightest examination4 ,and
 while the priest harrows up their souls
 through the fears of his mysterious    
futurity1 a subtle influence is         
exercised by them over the weaker and   
more uninformed portion of the male sex1
 whose apathy gives a tacit assent to   
the endless string of inconceiveables1  
for the sake of domestic quiet4 ,here   
the double battery of the wife and      
priest is irresistible4 ,a learned      
clergyman1 in writing to a female       

friend1 makes this remark3--if1 indeed1 
your sex should enter into the          
irreligious notions1 which now prevail  
too much among men1 the next generation 
would be irrecoverably lost4 ,this      
amounts to a plain confession that1     
should the priest lose his deep-rooted  
impulsive power over the female mind1   
his trade would be irrecoverably lost4  
,women have been1 in all ages and       
countries1 the upholders of             
superstition1 owing1 in the first place1
 to their nature1 which1 according to   
,hippocrates1 is more weak and fearful  
than the nature and disposition of men2 
secondly1 to the delusive and           
mischievous theological dogma about the 
superintendence of what are called      
spiritual powers2 to which may be added1
 the gaudy and imposing pomp of         
ceremonies2 all of which1 taken         
together1 readily operate upon the      
female mind1 it being1 as it were1 a    
softer and more pliant wax than that of 
man1 to receive the unnatural impression

 of the priest4 ,before ,christianity   
was known1 ,strabo made the following   
strong remark3--,it is a thing          
universally taken for granted1 that     
women are the ringleaders of            
superstition2 they tease their husbands 
into all sorts of worship of the gods1  
into the observation of feasts and      
fasts2 but it is a rare thing that any  
man1 leading a single life1 is found to 
be such a person4 ,i shall close my     
authorities on this subject1 with a     
quotation from ,selden4 ,when priests   
come into a family1 they do as a man    
that would set fire to a house1--he does
 not put fire to the brick wall1 but    
puts it into the thatch2 they work upon 
the women1 and let the men alone4  ,,the
 ,,end4