,,the ,,miraculous ,,conception3  ,,or1 
,,the ,,divinity ,,of ,,jesus ,,christ  
,,considered ,,as ,,the ,,foundation    
,,of ,,the ,,christian ,,religion4      
,london3  ,,printed ,,and ,,published   
,,by ,r4 ,,carlile1 #ed ,,fleet         
,,street4  ,,miraculous ,,conception    
,there are two accounts of the          
miraculous conception1 one in the gospel
 according to ,st4 ,matthew1 the other  
in the gospel according to ,st4 ,luke4  
,in both these accounts there are       
several collateral circumstances which  
are here printed from the approved      
version1 but the examination is intended
 to be confined as closely as possible  
to those parts only which relate to the 
miraculous conception1 and1             
consequently1 to the supposed divinity  
of ,jesus ,christ4 ,that the ,christian 
reader may see nakedly1 and without     
disguise1 the grounds of his faith4     
,the story in ,st4 ,matthew is as       
follows3--  ,,chap4 ,i4  #ah4 ,now the  
birth of ,jesus ,christ was on this     

wise3 when as his mother ,mary was      
espoused to ,joseph1 before they came   
together1 she was found with child of   
the ,holy ,ghost4  #ai4 ,then ,joseph   
her husband being a just man1 and not   
willing to make her a public example1   
was minded to put her away privily4     
#bj4 ,but while he thought on these     
things1 behold the angel of the ,lord   
appeared unto him in a dream1 saying1   
',joseph1 thou son of ,david1 fear not  
to take unto thee ,mary thy wife3 for   
that which is conceived in her is of the
 ,holy ,ghost4  #ba4 ',and she shall    
bring forth a son1 and thou shalt call  
his name ,jesus3 for he shall save his  
people from their sins4'  #ii4 ,now all 
this was done that it might be fulfilled
 which was spoken of the ,lord by the   
prophet1 saying1  #ic4 ,behold1 a virgin
 shall be with child1 and shall bring   
forth a son1 and they shall call his    
name ,emmanuel1 which being interpreted1
 is ,god with us4  #id4 ,then ,joseph   
being raised from sleep1 did as the     

angel of the ,lord had bidden him1 and  
took unto him his wife4  #be4 ,and knew 
her not till she had brought forth her  
first-born son4 ,and he called his name 
,jesus4  ,this is all ,st4 ,matthew says
 on the subject4  ,st4 ,luke's account  
is more circumstantial1 it is as        
follows3--  ,,chap4 ,i4  #e4 ,there was 
in the days of ,herod1 the king of      
,judea1 a certain priest named          
,zacharias1 of the course of ,abia3 and 
his wife was of the daughters of ,aaron1
 and her name was ,elizabeth4  #f4 ,and 
they were both righteous before ,god1   
walking in all the commandments and     
ordinances of the ,lord blameless4  #g4 
,and they had no child1 because that    
,elizabeth was barren1 and they both    
were now well stricken in years4  #h4   
,and it came to pass1 that while he     
executed the priest's office before ,god
 in the order of his course1  #i4       
,according to the custom of the priest's
 office1 his lot was to burn incense    
when he went into the temple of the     

,lord4  #aj4 ,and the whole multitude of
 the people were praying without at the 
time of incense4  #aa4 ,and there       
appeared unto him an angel of the ,lord 
standing on the right side of the altar 
of incense4  #ai4 ,and when ,zacharias  
saw him he was troubled1 and fear fell  
upon him4  #ac4 ,but the angel said unto
 him1 ',fear not1 ,zacharias2 for thy   
prayer is heard2 and thy wife ,elizabeth
 shall bear thee a son1 and thou shalt  
call his name ,john4  #ad4 ',and thou   
shalt have joy and gladness2 and many   
shall rejoice at his birth4  #ae4 ',for 
he shall be great in the sight of the   
,lord1 and shall drink neither wine nor 
strong drink2 and he shall be filled    
with the ,holy ,ghost1 even from his    
mother's womb4  #af4 ',and many of the  
children of ,israel shall he turn to the
 ,lord their ,god4  #ag4 ',and he shall 
go before him in the spirit and power of
 ,elias1 to turn the hearts of the      
fathers to the children1 and the        
disobedient to the wisdom of the just2  

to make ready a people prepared for the 
,lord4'  #ah4 ,and ,zacharias said unto 
the angel1 ',whereby shall ,i know this8
 for ,i am an old man1 and my wife well 
stricken in years4'  #ai4 ,and the angel
 answering said unto him1 ',i am        
,gabriel1 that stand in the presence of 
,god2 and am sent to speak unto thee1   
and to shew thee these glad tidings4    
#ij4 ',and1 behold1 thou shalt be dumb1 
and not able to speak1 until the day    
that these things shall be performed1   
because thou believest not my words1    
which shall be fulfilled in their       
season4'  #ba4 ,and the people waited   
for ,zacharias1 and marvelled that he   
tarried so long in the temple4  #bb4    
,and when he came out1 he could not     
speak unto them2 and they perceived that
 he had seen a vision in the temple3 for
 he beckoned unto them1 and remained    
speechless4  #bc4 ,and it came to pass1 
that1 as soon as the days of his        
ministration were accomplished1 he      
departed to his own house4  #bd4 ,and   

after those days his wife ,elizabeth    
conceived1 and hid herself five months1 
saying1  #be4 ',thus hath the ,lord     
dealt with me in the days wherein he    
looked on me1 to take away my reproach  
among men4'  #bf4 ,and in the sixth     
month the angel ,gabriel was sent from  
,god unto a city of ,galilee1 named     
,nazareth1  #bg4 ,to a virgin espoused  
to a man whose name was ,joseph1 of the 
house of ,david2 and the virgin's name  
was ,mary4  #bh4 ,and the angel came in 
unto her1 and said1 ',hail1 thou that   
art highly favoured1 the ,lord is with  
thee3 blessed art thou among women4'    
#bi4 ,and when she saw him1 she was     
troubled at his saying1 and cast in her 
mind what manner of salutation this     
should be4  #cj4 ,and the angel said    
unto her1 ',fear not1 ,mary3 for thou   
hast found favour with ,god4  #ca4      
',and1 behold1 thou shalt conceive in   
thy womb1 and bring forth a son1 and    
shalt call his name ,jesus4  #ci4';,he  
shall be great1 and shall be called the 

,son of the ,highest3 and the ,lord ,god
 shall give unto him the throne of his  
father ,david3  #cc4 ',and he shall     
reign over the house of ,jacob for ever2
 and of his kingdom there shall be no   
end4'  #cd4 ,then said ,mary unto the   
angel1 ',how shall this be1 seeing ,i   
know not a man8'  #ce4 ,and the angel   
answered and said unto her1 ',the ,holy 
,ghost shall come upon thee1 and the    
power of the ,highest shall overshadow  
thee3 therefore also that holy thing    
which shall be born of thee shall be    
called the ,son of ,god4  #cf4 ',and1   
behold1 thy cousin ,elizabeth1 she hath 
also conceived a son in her old age3 and
 this is the sixth month with her1 who  
was called barren4  #cg4 ',for with ,god
 nothing shall be impossible4'  #ch4    
,and ,mary said1 ',behold the handmaid  
of the ,lord2 be it unto me according to
 thy word4' ,and the angel departed from
 her4  #ci4 ,and ,mary arose in those   
days1 and went into the hill-country    
with haste1 into a city of ,juda4  #dj4 

,and entered into the house of          
,zacharias1 and saluted ,elizabeth4     
#da4 ,and it came to pass1 that1 when   
,elizabeth heard the salutation of      
,mary1 the babe leaped in her womb and  
,elizabeth was filled with the ,holy    
,ghost4  #db4 ,and she spake out with a 
loud voice1 and said1 ',blessed art thou
 among women1 and blessed is the fruit  
of thy womb4'  #dc4 ',and whence is this
 to me1 that the mother of my ,lord     
should come to me8'  #dd4 ',for1 lo1 as 
soon as the voice of thy salutation     
sounded in mine ears1 the babe leaped in
 my womb for joy4'  #de4 ',and blessed  
is she that believed3 for there shall be
 a performance of those things which    
were told her from the ,lord4'  #df4    
,and ,mary said1 ',my soul doth magnify 
the ,lord4'  #dg4 ',and my spirit hath  
rejoiced in ,god my ,saviour4'  #dh4    
',for he hath regarded the low estate of
 his handmaiden3 for1 behold1 from      
henceforth all generations shall-call me
 blessed4'  #di4 ',for he that is mighty

 hath done to me great things2 and holy1
 it his name4'  #ej4 ',and his mercy is 
on them that fear him from generation to
 generation4  #ea4 ,he hath shewed      
strength with his arm2 he hath scattered
 the proud in the imagination of their  
hearts4  #eb4 ',he hath put down the    
mighty from their seats1 and exalted    
them of low degree4'  #ec4 ',he hath    
filled the hungry with good things2 and 
the rich he hath sent empty away4'  #ed4
 ',he hath holpen his servant ,israel1  
in remembrance of his mercy4'  #ee4 ',as
 he spake to our fathers1 to ,abraham1  
and to his seed for ever4'  #ef4 ',and  
,mary abode with her about three months1
 and returned to her own house4  ,the   
whole of the foregoing matter1 as well  
that taken from ,matthew as that from   
,luke1 is rejected by the ,unitarians as
 spurious4 ,this sect1 which is every   
day increasing1 contains1 and has long  
contained1 many very learned men2 and   
these men have for the use of the sect  
made a new translation of the           

,testament1 which is published under the
 title of ,the ,new ,testament1 in an   
improved ,version1 c4  ,in a long note1 
appended to the #afth verse of the #ast 
chapter of ,st4 ,matthew1 reasons are   
given for rejecting the story of the    
miraculous conception4 ,among other     
things it observes1 ,the account of the 
miraculous conception of ,jesus was     
probably the fiction of some early      
,gentile convert1 who hoped1 by         
elevating the founder1 to abate the     
popular prejudices against the sect4    
,see upon this subject1 ,dr4            
,priestley's ,history of ,early         
,opinions1 ,vol4 ,,iv4 ,book iii4 c4    
#ii2 ,pope on the ,miraculous           
,conception2 ,dr4 ,williams's ,free     
,enquiry2 ,dr4 ,bell's ,arguments for   
the ,authenticity of the ,narratives of 
,matthew and ,luke1 and ,dr4 ,williams's
 ,remarks2 ,dr4 ,campbell's and ,dr4    
,newcombe's ,notes upon the ,text2 ,mr4 
,evanson's ,dissonance1 chap4 i4 sect4  
#c4 chap4 iii4 sect4 ,s42 ,jones's      

,developement of ,events1 ,vol4 ,i4 p4  
#cfe1 c4  ,in a note to the #ast chapter
 of ,luke1 the ,improved ,version has   
six articles1 containing reasons for    
rejecting both that and the succeeding  
chapter4 ,the six articles are summed up
 by the following observation3 ,and     
there are many other circumstances in   
the story which wear an improbable and  
fabulous aspect4  ,it has1 they         
continue1 been objected1 that so large  
and gross an interpolation could not    
have escaped detection1 and would never 
have been so early and so generally     
received4 ,in reply to this objection it
 is observed1 that the interpolation was
 not admitted into the ,hebrew #a copies
 of ,matthew's ,gospel1 nor into        
,marcion's #b copies of ,luke4       #a 
,the language in which ,matthew is      
supposed to have written4       #b      
,marcion was the leader of a sect in the
 second century4  ,that it is notorious 
that forged writings1 under the names of
 the apostles1 were in circulation      

almost from the apostolic age4 ,see #b  
,thessalonians1 chap4 ii4 ver4 #b4 ,that
 the orthodox charge the heretics with  
corrupting the text2 and that the       
heretics recriminate upon the orthodox4 
,also1 that it was much easier to       
introduce interpolation when copies were
 few and scarce1 than since they have   
been multiplied by means of the press4  
,and1 finally1 that the interpolation in
 question would1 to the generality of   
,christians1 be extremely gratifying1 as
 it would lessen the odium attached to  
,christianity from its founder being a  
crucified ,jew1 and would elevate him to
 the dignity of the heroes and demi-gods
 of the heathen mythology4  ,the        
,unitarians1 reject all that is related 
of the birth of ,christ1 as spurious and
 interpolated1 and of course consider   
him as the son of ,joseph and ,mary1    
begotten in the ordinary way2 and they  
give references to many scholars and    
inquisitive men1 in whose works the     
curious reader will find a number of    

learned arguments against the stories of
 ,matthew and ,luke being received1 and 
to these he is referred4 ,what follows  
is a short examination of the two       
stories on the principles of what is    
usually called common sense1 in the way 
in which an ordinary man would          
investigate a tale in which he was      
interested in knowing the truth4  ,we   
will begin with ,matthew1 because he is 
admitted to have been the oldest writer4
  ,ver4 #ah4 ,before they came together4
 ,it was necessary to premise this1     
because their coming together was in no 
way disreputable according to the custom
 of the ,jews of that time4 ,it was     
usual1 when both the parties were of    
mature age1 for them to come together as
 soon as they were espoused2 if the     
woman became great with child1 they were
 then married1 if otherwise1 the        
espousement continued for a year1 when  
the parties were usually married2 but it
 sometimes happened that they separated 
by consent4 ,not having children being  

considered a curse4  ,ver4 #ai4 ,joseph 
was minded to put her away privily4 ,in 
the former verse it is said1 she was    
found with child of the ,holy ,ghost1   
here1 it seems1 it was not suspected to 
be of the ,holy ,ghost1 but by a man1   
and that too as a fraud upon ,joseph1   
who was minded in consequence to put her
 away4 ,it follows1 also1 that ,mary was
 unconscious that it was of the ,holy   
,ghost she was breeding1 or we must     
suppose she would not have failed to    
have told ,joseph of so very important a
 circumstance2 it is1 however1          
abundantly plain1 she told him nothing  
about it4  ,she was found with child4   
,how found8 her own confession4 ,no such
 thing2 had that been the case1 it would
 certainly have been mentioned2 and the 
angel which1 in the next verse1 came on 
purpose to announce it1 would1 instead  
of announcing it1 have come only to have
 confirmed her account of her being with
 child1 without having known man1 and to
 say how it happened4 ,but1 no2 the     

angel comes not for any such purpose1   
but to prevent her being put away when  
it had been discovered that she was     
breeding4 ,by what was she found to be  
with child4 ,by her appearance8 ,no2 in 
that case1 putting her away privily     
would have been absurd8 ,by her friends8
 ,no2 putting her away privily would in 
that case have been equally absurd4 ,it 
could then have been known to no one but
 her husband ,joseph1 who finding       
himself imposed upon1 was willing to    
hide his shame by getting rid of her in 
the quietest way he could4 ,but all this
 happened before they came together2    
this assertion was made for the         
open-mouthed1 wide-throated1 credulous1 
ignorant people1 to whom this ,gospel   
was addressed1 and for their successors1
 who strain at a gnat1 and swallow a    
camel4  ,if they had not come together1 
all ,joseph would have had to do would  
have been to send her home again to her 
parents2 he would have had no occasion  
to cogitate oh the means of getting rid 

of her2 he would have told her          
relations1 ,my bargain was for sound    
ware1 and ,i cannot take this 'cracked  
pitcher1' and there the matter would    
have ended4 ,but it was by their coming 
together that ,joseph found out she was 
with child2 how long they had cohabited 
does not appear1 but it must have been  
some time1 according to the easy1       
familiar style of the narrative3 ,when  
as his mother ,mary was espoused to     
,joseph1 before they came together she  
was found with child4 ,their having been
 together1 and her being with child1    
were indeed the only reasons why he     
could not send her home again1 as       
barrenness was a curse1 so fruitfulness 
was a blessing1 and had ,joseph sent her
 home he would have been reminded that  
he had possessed the person of his      
espoused1 and was in a fair way to be   
blessed4 ,according to the ,jewish law  
and custom1 he had no cause for         
complaint1 and could have received no   
redress2 therefore he thought on these  

things1 and was minded to put her away  
privily4  ,so far this story is told in 
a bungling manner1 pompously introduced 
by a falsehood1 that she was found with 
child of the ,holy ,ghost4  ,ver4 #bj4  
,but while he thought of these things1  
behold1 the angel of the ,lord appeared 
unto him in a dream1 saying1 ',joseph1  
thou son of ,david1 fear not to take    
unto thee ,mary thy wife1 for that which
 is conceived in her is of the ,holy    
,ghost4' ,in verse #ah1 she was found to
 be with child of the ,holy ,ghost1 and 
then1 and not till then1 ,joseph was    
going to put her away2 plain enough it  
is1 if the words have any meaning1 that 
she was found with child1 but not of the
 ,holy ,ghost if it had been so1 it     
could not have been said1 ,then ,joseph 
was minded to put her away1 neither     
would it have been necessary for the    
angel of the ,lord to pester him in his 
sleep1 as he is said to have done4      
,cavillers may talk themselves blind1   
learned doctors may preach themselves   

hoarse1 commentators may write so many  
books1 that the world would not contain 
them1 they will never be able to make   
any thing more of this story than that a
 poor1 ignorant1 credulous man1 dreamed 
in his sleep that an angel had been     
talking nonsense to him2 this folly     
might have passed1 as no doubt it did   
pass for reason1 some centuries ago1    
when almost every body had faith in     
dreams1 but it is an ill compliment to  
the intelligence of the present         
generation to expect it should be       
equally besotted4  ,joseph dreamed that 
he saw an angel1 that the angel told him
 his wife was with child by ,god        
himself1 7the ,holy ,ghost being ,god71 
and ver4 #bd1 ,then ,joseph being raised
 from his sleep1 did as the angel of the
 ,lord had commanded him1 and took unto 
him his wife4 ,but did ,joseph dream8   
,perhaps he did2 but whether he did or  
did not1 clear enough it is that he1 and
 he alone1 could relate that he had     
dreamed2 whether or not he did make such

 a relation we are not told1 but we are 
left to infer that he did1 because      
somebody1 nobody knows who1 has written 
that he did say he had dreamed4 ,but if 
he had dreamed1 and had personally      
related his dream to every one of us1   
would that be any reason for our        
believing that ,god had got his wife    
with child1 and that an angel had been  
sent to tell him so8 ,talk of blasphemy2
 in what can this relation be paralleled
 as blasphemous1 except indeed by the   
grossest credulity8 ,a poor1 ignorant   
man relates a dream1 and all the world  
are called upon not only to believe his 
relation of that dream1 absurd1         
abominable1 and ridiculous as it is1 but
 to place their everlasting happiness   
upon the absurd relation1 to inculcate a
 belief for it into their children1 to  
waste their substance in paying people  
to preach it1 and to persecute to death 
those whose minds cannot receive the    
monstrous doctrine as undoubted truth4  
,moral evidence there is none1 there can

 be none2--there is nothing in the story
 which can be compared and contrasted2  
there is nothing out of it which can    
elucidate it2 it is nothing more than a 
pretended relation of a credulous       
man--,that he1 being a sleep1 had       
dreamed a dream43  ,according to the    
account given by ,st4 ,luke1 not one    
word of all this story is true4  ,st4   
,luke4 ,chap4 ,i4--,here the story is   
altogether1 from the beginning to the   
end1 a different one from that told by  
,matthew4 ,here there is no account1    
#a4 ,of ,mary being found with child4   
#b4 ,of ,joseph's intention to put her  
away4  #c4 ,of ,joseph's dreaming4  #d4 
,of the angel appearing to him4  #e4 ,of
 his changing his mind1 and resolving to
 keep her4  ,it should be observed1 that
 these five items include the whole     
account in ,matthew4 ,so1 in ,luke1 not 
one of the circumstances related are    
told by ,matthew4 ,in ,matthew1 ,joseph 
is made the important personage1 while  
poor ,mary seems to have been ignorant  

of all that was passing2 in ,luke she is
 made the important personage1 and poor 
,joseph is now as ignorant as ,mary was 
according to the former relation4       
,luke's account is indeed very          
circumstantial1 he says it was the angel
 ,gabriel who visited ,mary1 but        
although he relates the very words which
 passed between them1 it does not appear
 that ,mary knew she was conversing with
 an angel2 he did not announce himself  
as an angel1 nor is there one word in   
the dialogue between them which can     
fairly be said to indicate any such     
understanding on the part of ,mary3 she 
does not appear to have been at all     
surprised at the visit1 private and     
abrupt as it was4 ,she was troubled at  
his saying1 not at his presence1 and    
cast in her mind what manner of         
salutation this should be2 at this      
salutation she might1 to be sure1 be    
somewhat confounded1 although she       
immediately afterwards submitted herself
 so humbly to her guest4 ,all these     

things she kept in her heart1 for it    
does not appear that she communicated   
any of them to her husband2 to him she  
never opened her lips on the subject2 no
 angel visited him1 sleeping or waking1 
to tell him of it2 nothing is said about
 his knowing her not till she had       
brought forth her first-born they lived 
together in the ordinary way of poor    
people1 as man and wife1 until she was  
brought to bed in a stable1 ,joseph all 
the time considering the child as his4  
,luke's story1 stripped of its verbiage1
 is this3--,the angel ,gabriel was sent 
by ,god to ,mary1 who was espoused to   
,joseph4 ,the angel addresses her very  
familiarly--she becomes alarmed1 and the
 angel tells her she shall conceive in  
her womb1 and bring forth a son1 and    
shall call his name ,jesus4 ,mary1 in   
her simplicity1 asks how that can be1   
seeing ,i know not a man4 ,the angel    
replies1--,the ,holy ,ghost shall come  
upon thee1 and the power of the ,highest
 shall overshadow thee4 ,and ,mary says1

 ,behold the handmaid of the ,lord1 be  
it unto me according to thy word4 ,mary 
then went to her cousin ,elizabeth1 who 
lived at a distance in the hill-country1
 where she staid about three months1 and
 then she came home again4 ,afterwards  
,joseph and ,mary go to ,bethlehem to be
 taxed1 7enrolled72 here ,mary is       
delivered in a stable1 there being no   
room in the inn4  ,a ,mr4 ,le ,clerc1 a 
very learned1 that is1 a very bookish   
man1 made what he called a harmony of   
the ,evangelists2 he puts the relation  
of ,luke first1 and supposes all that he
 relates1 happened to ,mary1 before     
,joseph and she got together3 and that  
she concealed from him all that had     
passed between her and the angel        
,gabriel1 and between her and           
,elizabeth2 and that ,joseph being left 
in utter ignorance of all that had      
passed1 resolved to put her away4 ,to   
prevent this1 says the learned ,doctor1 
an angel appeared to him in a dream     
7what does appearing in a dream mean1   

simply in his imagination7 and told him 
the story as related by ,matthew4 ,the  
learned ,doctor says3 ,joseph being     
awaked from his dream1 perceived it had 
been sent by ,god1 as well because      
,mary1 upon his enquiry1 related to him 
what had happened to her just after the 
same manner as the angel had told him in
 his sleep4  ,to what miserable shifts  
is folly driven to support superstition2
 what miserable pretexts does roguery   
have recourse to1 to propagate and      
uphold imposition6 ,not one word is     
there to warrant this pretended         
conference with ,mary1 which the learned
 ,doctor has so circumstantially        
related4 ,that ,joseph was ignorant of  
the intercourse ,mary had had with the  
angel1 could not be concealed from the  
reader1 who believed ,matthew's         
relation1 according to which ,mary had  
said nothing to ,joseph of the          
communication and commerce she had had  
with the angel1 neither is there the    
least reason from that account to       

suppose that ,matthew knew any thing of 
the decently told story of ,elizabeth1  
or of ,mary's going and remaining three 
months with her2 but1 according to      
,luke1 she hurried off in her exultation
 of being with child1 and there they    
communed together in a state of the     
highest enthusiasm4 ,elizabeth1 being   
filled with the ,holy ,ghost1 and the   
babe leaping for joy in her womb1 spake 
out in a loud voice1--and ,mary followed
 in the same manner1 and in the same    
strain4 ,but notwithstanding this1      
notwithstanding the exultation between  
the women1 ,joseph was not to be let    
into the secret2 all the rapturous      
feelings of ,mary were now subdued2 she 
not only suppressed her joy which seemed
 unbounded1 but she kept the whole      
matter a profound secret1 even at a risk
 of being turned out of doors as a      
strumpet1 and an angel is obliged to be 
sent from ,god to ,joseph in a dream1 to
 prevent the catastrophe2 the deception 
is approved by ,god1 who sends the angel

 from heaven to reconcile ,joseph to his
 wife's perfidy4  ,according to         
,matthew1 a certain man had a dream4    
,according to ,luke1 an angel called    
privately on a young woman1 who1 in     
consequence of the visit1 was with      
child4 ,and this is all there is to     
establish the divinity of ,jesus        
,christ4  ,it cannot be called evidence1
 for by whom it was given1 whether by   
the man himself1 or the woman herself1  
nobody knows2 to whom it was given1 if  
it was given1 nobody knows2 when it was 
given1 nobody knows2 where it was given1
 nobody knows2 and the learned are even 
disputing to this very time about the   
language in which the stories were      
originally written1 and by whom they    
were written4 ,and yet not literally to 
believe either or both of these worse   
than old wives' tales1 is to subject a  
man to persecution2 not to affect to    
believe that which1 when stripped of the
 absurd reverence which has been cast   
round it1 no man ever did or ever can   

believe1 is to be imputed to him as a   
reproach of so horrible a nature1 that1 
thousands1 who treat it as it deserves  
in their own minds1 dare not avow their 
disbelief2 not to commit the immoral act
 of self-delusion and debasement is     
imputed as a crime1 and men are shunned 
because they are moral4  ,the sanctity  
thrown around this sad nonsense2 the cry
 of blasphemy which has been raised     
against any one who ventured to examine 
it1 the horror felt by fanatics1 which  
vented itself in persecutions the most  
diversified1 deterred people from       
trusting to reason1 and made them even  
forget that it was by reason alone they 
are ever able to choose one religion in 
preference to another4 ,every religious 
sect allows1 that you may use your      
reason to distinguish between what they 
hold out to you1 and what you yourself  
believe2 you may1 and you ought1 they   
tell you1 to exercise your reason so far
 as to give their doctrines the         
preference2 and having thus exercised   

your reason1 and having by its aid      
abandoned your former notions1 and      
adopted theirs2 having become a child of
 grace1 and turned to the right way1    
there shall be more joy in heaven at    
your conversion than over ninety and    
nine just persons1 who having always    
belonged to the sect1 needed no         
conversion4 ,all sects proclaim this    
joy1 at the same moment1 as each makes  
converts from the others2 with all of   
them reason to choose your faith is the 
great the good1 but having exercised it 
so far1 there you must stop1 reason must
 be instantly extinguished2 on no       
account must you trust to such a blind  
guide2 reason1 which but just before was
 all but omnipotent1 is now             
fallible--poor fallible reason1 all is  
now faith examine any one of their      
dogmas1 you are a backslider2 doubt any 
one of their absurd relations1 you are a
 blasphemer2 and thus it is that        
ignorance and persecution brutalizes and
 degrades mankind4 ,had the stories of  

,joseph and ,mary been preached to us   
from the sacred books of the ,persians1 
how would every good ,christian have    
been scandalized6 ,what1 he would have  
exclaimed1 what horrid blasphemy6 first 
to pretend that ,god himself 7the ,holy 
,ghost being ,god7 had commerce with a  
woman1 by which she became with child1  
and who all the time she was breeding   
lived with a man1 lived with him1 too1  
by command of 'an angel sent from ,god1'
 lived with him as his wife in such a   
way that no one seems to have suspected 
the child was not his own1 and after the
 birth of ,god1 7,god the ,son being    
,god7 in the ordinary way of all        
mankind1 and still living with him1 and 
having other children by him4 #a ,first 
,god has her1 then ,joseph has her2     
,these are abominable stories1 indeed4  
,call out blasphemy at yourselves1 ye   
fanatical persecutors of other men's    
opinions4 ,shame1 pity1 contempt1 are   
the passions those terrible tales excite
 for you1 compassion for those who are  

so unfortunate as to become your        
victims4       #a ,matt4 chap4 xiii4    
ver4 #ee1 #ef4 ,is not this the son of  
the      carpenter8 is not his mother   
called ,mary8 and his brethren1         
,james1 and ,joses1 and ,simon1 and     
,judas1 and are not all his      sisters
 with us8  ,thanks1 however1 are due to 
the intelligence of the age which could 
endure this monstrous perversion of the 
human understanding no longer1 which has
 abolished the ,law that made it        
criminal to deny that ,jesus ,christ is 
,god1 and left us at liberty freely to  
express our opinions on this absurd     
dogma4 #a       #a ,by stat4 #i and #aj 
,william #aaa4 c4 #cb4 ,any person or   
persons1 having been educated in or     
having at any time made      profession 
of the ,christian religion within this  
realm1      shall by writing1 printing1 
teaching1 or advised speaking1      deny
 any one or the persons in the ,holy    
,trinity to be ,god1      or shall2     
assert or maintain there are more ,gods 

than one1      shall be liable to       
certain penalties4       ,by stat4 #ec  
,george ,,iii4 c4 #afj4 it is enacted1  
that the ,act      passed in the #i and 
#aj ,william ,,iii4 so far as the same  
relates to persons denying as           
therein-mentioned1 respecting      the  
,holy ,trinity1 be1 and the same are    
hereby repealed4