{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_39371/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_39371","id":"gutenberg_39371","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/39371","summary":null,"tags":["Bible -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.","Category: Philosophy & Ethics","Category: Religion/Spirituality"],"text":"Produced by David Widger.\n\n\n\n\n              *A LEGACY TO THE FRIENDS OF FREE DISCUSSION*\n\n                                  _By_\n\n                            *Benjamin Offen*\n\n _PRINCIPAL HISTORICAL FACTS AND PERSONAGES OF THE BOOKS KNOWN AS THE_\n    _OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT; WITH REMARKS ON THE MORALITY OF NATURE_\n\n\n                                 _1846_\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS\n\n\n    PREFACE\n    GENERAL INTRODUCTION\n    DETAILED CONTENTS\n    A LEGACY TO THE FRIENDS OF FREE DISCUSSION\n    GOD'S CHOSEN PEOPLE\n    THE OLD TESTAMENT\n    CHAPTER I. FROM THE CREATION TO THE DELUGE\n    CHAPTER II. A REVIEW OF THE DELUGE AND THE CONFUSION OF TONGUES AT\n    THE TOWER OF BABEL\n    CHAPTER III. FROM THE CONFUSION OF TONGUES TO THE BIRTH OF MOSES\n    CHAPTER IV. FROM THE BIRTH OF MOSES TO THE DEATH OF JOSHUA\n    CHAPTER V. FROM THE DEATH OF JOSHUA TO THE REIGN OF SAUL\n    CHAPTER VI. THE REIGNS OF SAUL, DAVID, AND SOLOMON\n    CHAPTER VII. THE REIGN OF JEROBOAM, AND THE SEPARATION OF ISRAEL\n    FROM JUDAH\n    CHAPTER VIII. ON DIVINE INSPIRATION\n    THE NEW TESTAMENT\n    INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER on THE FACTS AND PERSONAGES OF THE NEW\n    TESTAMENT\n    CHAPTER I.\n    CHAPTER. II.\n    CHAPTER III.\n    CHAPTER IV.\n    CHAPTER V.\n    CHAPTER VI.\n    CHAPTER VII.\n    CHAPTER VIII.\n    CHAPTER IX.\n    REMARKS ON THE MORALITY OF NATURE\n\n\n\n\nPREFACE\n\n\nIN the following pages the author has freely discussed the claims of the\nbooks called the Old and New Testaments, to be considered Divine\nrevelations. He had a _right_ so to do; and in presenting the work to\nthe public he gives the result of his exercise of such right.\n\nThe right of free discussion has been questioned. It would be well for\nhumanity if this were all; but unhappily, the pages of history are\nreplete with deeds of persecution and cruelty, committed by men, in the\npossession of power, on their less fortunate fellow-men, who have\npresumed to exercise the right of free investigation. Cupidity has drawn\na line of demarcation; it has established boundaries for thought; and\nmiserable has been the fate of the unhappy wretch who, rejoicing in the\ndignity of his nature, and anxious to discover the abode of Truth, has\ndared to pass the Rubicon.\n\nWhat is Free Discussion? We answer, it is the exercise of the reasoning\nfaculties. Without Free Discussion man cannot exist. His physical\nexistence might indeed remain; but he could no longer be deemed a man;\nand would have to take a lower rank in the scale of creation.\n\nWithout investigation it is impossible to arrive at Truth; hence the\nutility of Free Discussion. This is never denied when science is the\nsubject; and we have yet to learn why it should be restrained in any\ncase; and also _how_ and _when_ any set of men became possessed of the\nright to restrain the exercise of the reasoning faculties of their\nfellow-men.\n\nWhen men have not been impelled by cupidity to shackle the minds of\ntheir fellow beings, a spirit of uncharitableness has induced them to\npursue the same line of conduct. Whoever has maintained an opinion\ncontrary to theirs, has been considered as being actuated, not by\nmistaken, but, by dishonest motives; and has therefore been deemed a fit\nsubject for punishment. As this work will probably be read by many\nprofessing Christians we will here give an extract from Dr. Blair's\nsermon on _Candor_, which will, probably, make a greater impression than\nany thing we could offer on that subject.\n\n\"It is one of the misfortunes of our present situation, that some of the\ngood dispositions of human nature are apt to betray us into frailties\nand vices. Thus it often happens, that the laudable attachment which we\ncontract to the country, or the church, to which we belong, or to some\npolitical denomination under which we class ourselves, both confines our\naffections within too narrow a sphere, and gives rise to violent\nprejudices against such as come under an opposite description. Not\ncontented with being in the right ourselves, we must find all others in\nthe wrong. We claim an exclusive possession of goodness and wisdom: and\nfrom approving warmly of those who join us, we proceed to condemn, with\nmuch acrimony, not only the principles, but the _characters_, of those\nfrom whom we differ. Hence, persons of well disposed minds are too\noften, through the strength of partial good affection, involved in the\ncrime of uncharitable judgment They rashly extend to every individual\nthe severe opinion which they have unwarrantably conceived of a whole\nbody. This man is of a party whose principles we reckon slavish; and\ntherefore his whole sentiments are corrupted. That man belongs to a\nreligious sect which we are accustomed to deem bigoted; and therefore he\nis incapable of any generous or liberal thought Another is connected\nwith a sect which we have been taught to account relaxed; and therefore\nhe can have no sanctity.--Are these the judgments of candor and charity?\nIs true piety or virtue so very limited in its nature, as to be confined\nto such alone as see every thing with our eyes, and follow exactly the\ntrain of our ideas?\"\n\nThe author disclaims any intention of wounding the feelings of those who\nhold opinions different to his own. For the religions hypocrite he has\nno bowels of compassion; but the sincere believer in Divine revelation,\nwhose conduct is regulated by the universally acknowledged roles of\nmorality, is to him an object of sincere respect and esteem.\n\nMany things connected with what is called Divine revelation, have been\nvery freely commented on by the author; and sometimes in a style which\nthe Christian world will probably be disposed to condemn; but it should\nbe remembered that what appears sacred to one, excites the ridicule of\nothers. The Pagan venerates his manufactured god; the Christian views it\nwith contempt and indignation.\n\nThe object of the author has been the promotion of Truth and\nBenevolence.\n\nShould he fail to produce the effects he has contemplated, he will yet\nbe able to console himself with the reflection, that he has been\nactuated by good intentions. The time has been when the assertion was\nfrequently made that \"hell was paved with good intentions\" had the work\nappeared at that time, the author would, doubtless, have been destined,\nso far as human agency could effect it, to become one of the paving\nstones of that remarkable edifice: but a brighter day has dawned upon\nthe world; Reason is asserting her right to empire; and the cheering\nspirit of benevolence is animating the nations of the earth.\n\nThe shades of life's evening admonish the author that his sojourn in the\nworld will very shortly be brought to a close. He is anxious, therefore,\nbefore his departure, to cast in his mite for the eradication of human\nsuffering, and the promotion of human felicity; and then, in wrapping\nhimself in the mantle of universal benevolence, to retire from the\ntransitory scene, in charity with all men.\n\n\n\n\nGENERAL INTRODUCTION\n\n\nTHE main object of this book is to show that Jehovah, the God of the\nJews, is not the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe, but a fictitious\nbeing, having no real existence whatever. If the above position be\ncorrect, it follows, that the Bible, including the Old and New\nTestaments, is not a Divine Revelation. But that the reader may see,\nmore clearly, upon what uncertain ground divine revelation rests, the\nplan pursued in the following chapters will be a review of the _facts_\nand _personages_ as recorded in the Old and New Testaments. But the\nlimits of this work will only admit of a mere scantling of what might be\nwritten on the subject.\n\nIn most Christian countries (America excepted,) this work would be\nanswered by either fine or imprisonment, or probably both. But\nfortunately for the cause of truth and free discussion, theological\npower here is so happily balanced, that persecution for religious\nopinions is impracticable. The period therefore has arrived, in this\ncountry in particular, when reason is free from the former obstacles\nthat every where crossed its path. Now, then, is the time for us to\nexamine the religion of our forefathers, and explore the regions of\nhuman credulity. A mixture of pain and pleasure will be the\nresult:--_pain_, in considering what suffering has befallen the human\nfamily, when the laudable indulgence of imagining and reasoning was\nconsidered rebellion against God; and _pleasure_, to us who, having\nescaped those dreadful evils which in former ages spread terror\nthroughout the world, can lessen the evils that surround us, and augment\nto an almost unlimited degree our happiness.\n\nTo those who may have the moral courage to read the following pages, I\nwould say, I have neither a desire to shock their feelings, nor any wish\nto change their sentiments in order to gratify my vanity; for had\nChristianity been productive of \"peace on earth and good will towards\nmen,\" I should have been the last to have opposed it. But on the\ncontrary, the page of religious history is blotted with human gore. The\nintolerant spirit that pervades the Old and New Testaments, has so\ninoculated its followers of every sect, that while they profess to love\neach other for Christ's sake, one sect (the strongest) has put to death\na weaker sect for God's sake. Nothing short of convincing men that the\nBible is not a divine revelation, can or will guarantee posterity\nagainst a recurrence of those scenes of horror, at the very thought of\nwhich, the heart sickens.\n\nFrom the pulpit, and in religious works, nothing is more common than to\nexclaim with horror at the unblushing Infidel. Unblushing Infidel! What\ncause have Infidels to blush? The blush, if any, ought to be on the face\nof the Christians of every sect. They have never failed to persecute\nwhen in power: they have been guilty of cruelties, at which the savage\ncannibal would weep, and this will ever be the case so long as the Bible\nis considered as coming from God; because, till all consequence is taken\naway from faith, and transferred to moral rectitude, persecution is the\neffect of believing that _faith_ is the sure passport to glory, while\n_unbelief_ is the broad road to perdition. Men cease to be Christians\nwhen they lose this spirit of intolerance, and become Infidels.\n\nSects are not alike intolerant; but all are in some degree. The\nCalvinists will not permit the Unitarians to preach in their churches.\nThe Unitarians, or Universalists, will not permit an Infidel lecturer to\nspeak in their churches,--no, not even on moral subjects. Christians,\nthen, will always be more or less of a persecuting disposition, and\nnothing but giving up the Bible, as a Divine revelation, will destroy\nthat spirit. To show how a profession of Christianity, unfits men to do\njustice to those who differ from them in religion, I will refer to the\ntreatment of Thomas Paine, author of \"Common Sense.\" His services in the\nglorious struggle that \"tried men's souls\" have been shamefully\nforgotten. Yes! the friend of the immortal Washington, who shared in the\ntoils and dangers with the father of this great republic,--how have\nAmericans generally treated his name and efforts to erect one of the\nmost noble monuments of human wisdom--the _independent republic of North\nAmerica?_ For all his faithful devotedness to the independence of\nAmerica, how is his name and memory spoken of at the present time? From\nthe pulpit, every kind of falsehood and detraction is poured forth\nconcerning him.\n\nIf he had been, a member of a church, the same fanatical priesthood\nwould have lauded him to the skies. Such is the nature of religious\nbigotry, that the friendship of the ever to be venerated\nWashington--even that, cannot shield his name from pulpit calumny.\n\"Bigotry, she has no head, and cannot think; she has no heart, and\ncannot feel.\"\n\nBut the name and services of Thomas Paine, are not, and never will be,\nforgotten. Thanks to the Liberals throughout the Union, his birthday is\nyearly celebrated in most of the cities and towns in the different\nStates. A handsome and durable monument has been erected to his memory\nat New Rochelle, New York State. The thanks of-the Liberals are due to\nMr. G. Vale, Editor of the _Beacon_, published in New York, for his\nuntiring perseverance in urging on the completion of a monument will, in\ntime, command the respect of posterity. Why are the name and services of\nThomas Paine be cautiously omitted by our orators and statesmen, when\nspeaking of the patriotism of a Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Hancock,\nand others? It would offend the church and priesthood, as well as the\nwhole of the Christian community; because--\"_He that believeth not shall\nbe damned._\" This is the brightest gem in the Christian's crown of\nglory. If he nurse this intolerant spirit against Infidels, the\nChristian considers his \"_calling and election sure._\"\n\nSincere believers in Divine revelation are not aware what monsters the\nBible makes of them; but for which they would be humane, compared to\nwhat they are under its influence. I am surprised that they are (the\nmajority of them) so just, humane, and charitable, when I take into\nconsideration the doctrines contained (or believed to be) in what is\ncalled the Word of God. In addition to their own evil habits and\ndisregard for virtue in the common concerns of life, they have a Devil\nto tempt them by a thousand ways in which they are ignorant. Again, they\nhave a Saviour who shed his blood to save them from the just punishment\nof their deserts; so that with their own evil deeds, and being urged on\nby the Devil, they become monsters in crime. They then go, as the phrase\nis, to Christ, be sorry, or profess to be, for what they have done, and\nare pardoned, and in the sight of Heaven are considered _superior_ to\nthe unconverted whom they have injured. Can you, my readers, wonder at\nthe crimes of God's people? According to this doctrine, a man may steal\na horse and cart, by the use of which, another man earned support for\nhis family; the thief sells it, and spends the amount, in connexion with\nwretches like himself. He then goes to Jesus, repents, is forgiven; and,\nto follow the plan throughout--if the man who lost his horse and cart is\nan unbeliever, he goes to Hell, while the rogue sits singing and\nlaughing in Glory!\n\nThis book is sent into society from the best of motives; hoping it will\ninduce Christians to practise moderation, and somewhat abate that\nraging, fanatical fever, that has been so fatal to human happiness. If\nyou take from us the Bible, says the Christian, what will you give in\nits stead? We answer, man requires nothing but what God, or Nature, has\ngiven him. All men in common, have reason to consult, by which man will\nlearn the duty he owes to himself, and also to his fellow beings. The\nerror lies in being taught, that reason, when in full exercise, will\nlead him into error. This has been his misfortune; and his punishment\nhas followed as a consequence. The Bible contains many good moral\nprecepts; but these are, by Christians, thought little of, compared with\nits doctrines. Faith is all important. By faith, barbarous Calvin caused\nServetus to be burnt by a slow fire; and through faith, St. Austin, that\ndrunken debauchee, obtained a good report.\n\nThe Bible is at war with man's reasoning powers; and, like a land\npirate, has held up false lights, which instead of conducting man to the\nhaven of happiness and safety, has caused him to make shipwreck on the\nrocks and shoals of religious dogmas. Man is lost in no other sense than\nthat, the loss of his reason. To recover _that_, and bring it into full\nexercise, is all the Saviour he needs. His moral path is as clear as\nlight. God, or Nature, has made it a law of man's existence that he must\nlove happiness, ease, and enjoyment; and also, that he must hate pain\nand trouble in every stage and form. This law is forced upon him\nindependent of his choice. It is ever present to his senses, till he\nceases to exist, or to be rational. This is man's stock of moral\nmaterial furnished by God, or Nature. How clear, then, is his duty! He\nhas but to follow out this law, by the aid of his reasoning, judging,\nand comparing powers. It will never lead him wrong. He requires no\nBible, no Saviour; he is never lost; he has no incomprehensible\ndoctrines to support or defend. Unlike the sectarian, he feels no\ndisposition to persecute others who differ from him in matters of faith;\nhe has no angry God to propel him on to fight for his glory; he can\nbalance up every night his moral account of the day; and if he has\nfollowed out the law of his nature, by augmenting his own, and also the\nhappiness of his fellow beings, and lightened the load of human ills\naround him, he in truth is the good man, be his faith little or much.\nThat the following work may forward moral improvement, and encourage\nmoderation and universal good will among the human family, is the\nsincere wish of\n\nTHE AUTHOR\n\n\n\n\nDETAILED CONTENTS\n\n\nOLD TESTAMENT\n\nPREFACE.--Free Discussion; the right to use it in examining the\nScriptures; its certainty in destroying error and establishing\ntruth--Extract from Dr. Blair's sermon on Candor--Motives of the author\nin laying his work before the public.\n\nGENERAL INTRODUCTION.--Object of the book--Intolerance and persecution\nof Christian sects--Their abuse of Infidels and calumnious treatment of\nThomas Paine--His name and services appreciated by Liberals--Pernicious\ninfluence of the Bible upon morals--Knowledge of the laws of our\nexistence the only sure guide to wisdom, happiness, and virtue.\n\nGOD'S CHOSEN PEOPLE.--Character and situation of the Jews--Their\ntreatment by Jehovah--Why were they chosen, and did they answer the end\nof their choice?--Probable reasoning of the Jewish God--Account of his\nvisit to Abram and Sarah, and their reception and treatment of him--The\nconsequences to the Jews of considering themselves the chosen\npeople--The five books said to have been written by Moses--Treatment of\nHagar and her child--Jehovah and the Jews.\n\nCHAPTER I.--From the Creation to the Deluge.\n\nCHAPTER II.--A Review of the Deluge and the confusion of Tongues at the\nTower of Babel.\n\nCHAPTER III.--From the Confusion of Tongues to the Birth of Moses.\n\nCHAPTER IV.--From the Birth of Moses to the Death of Joshua.\n\nCHAPTER V.--From the Death of Joshua to the Reign of Saul.\n\nCHAPTER VI.--The Reigns of Saul, David, and Solomon.\n\nCHAPTER VII.--The Reign of Jeroboam, and the separation of Israel from\nJudah.\n\nCHAPTER VIII.--On Divine Inspiration.\n\nNEW TESTAMENT\n\nINTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.--Jehovah's dealings with the Jews--His failure to\nmake them a pattern to the rest of the human family--The coming of\nChrist--The manner of his introduction--his associates; language; and\nconduct--Miracles--The Jews had sufficient reason, for rejecting Jesus\nas the Messiah.\n\nCHAPTER I.--Jesus the pretended Saviour of the world, not sent from\nGod--Moses wrote the most minute things Connected with die system\nestablished by himself, but Jesus left no writings whatever---Vagueness\nand want of authenticity of the writings of the Evangelists--General\nignorance among Christians of what is the true Gospel--No proof of the\nheavenly origin of Jesus--His baptism by John--His temptation by the\nDevil--Its absurdity--Abusive language of Jesus to the Jews--His\nunfitness for his mission, and failure to prove himself sent from God.\n\nCHAPTER II.--Casting out Devils--The case of Mary Magdalene--The\ndoctrine of demoniacal possession, a heathen dogma--Miracles of Jesus no\nproof of his Divine origin--Evidence from the New Testament that no\nmiracles ever took place--Inconsistent conduct and abusive language of\nJesus--The miracle at his baptism--Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus\nfrom the clouds--Folly of miracles and their injurious consequence.\n\nCHAPTER III.--Peter--Disingenuous mode adopted by Jesus to prove his\nMessiahship--The introduction of his mission to the Jews--His obscure\ndoctrines, and disrespectful Language--Survey of his teaching, and mode\nof life--Inutility of his object--His betrayal--Judas Iscariot.\n\nCHAPTER IV.--The Almighty Power that governs the universe not the author\nof the Christian Religion--Destructive saying of Jesus--The power given\nto Peter; its disastrous results--Institution of the\nSacrament--Intolerance and persecution of Sectarianism--Folly of\nreligious teaching.\n\nCHAPTER V.--Orthodox views of Christianity--Remarks on the bad effects\nof believing in the existence of the Devil, and in witchcraft, doctrines\ntaught in the Bible--Trial and execution of two women for witchcraft in\nEngland, in 1664--Account of the witchcraft that prevailed in England\nand Scotland, in the days of Elizabeth--Anecdote of Cromwell's bargain\nwith the Devil.\n\nCHAPTER VI.--Continuation of remarks upon the supposed influence of\nSatanic agency--Dreadful effects of human credulity--Sketch of the life\nand tragical fate of Joan of Arc, the Maid of Orleans--Temptation of\nJesus.\n\nCHAPTER VII.--God and the Devil--Probable origin of the belief in their\nexistence--Mode of reasoning in ancient times by the\nignorant--Theology--Christian Religion--Account of Witchcraft in Sweden,\nin 1670--Reflections.\n\nCHAPTER VIII.--Comprehensive view of the mission of Christ to the Jewish\nnation--Plan of redemption--Willingness of the Jews to welcome the long\nexpected Messiah--The violence and abuse they received from Jesus--Their\ncondition not improved by his coming--Obscurity of his teaching--The\nJews put him to death because they believed him an impostor--Judas, in\nbetraying Jesus, was but the instrument to accomplish the plan of human\nredemption--Unfortunate condition of the Jews--Reflections upon their\npast and present treatment by Christians.\n\nCHAPTER IX.--Object of Christ's coming into the world, uncertain and of\ndoubtful utility--His obvious omission to convince the Jews that he was\nthe Messiah, and his neglect to order his apostles to write a history of\nhis life, show the Christian Religion deficient in the proof of its\nDivine origin--Jesus, according to the Gospels, was a moral\nreformer--Ignorance of his disciples of his Divine mission, as\nmanifested by Peter, at the betrayal--The Resurrection of Jesus--Sudden\ndeparture afterward--Religious quarrels--Difficulty of defining\nChristianity-Reflections on the want of proof of Christ's Divine\nmission, and its insufficiency to reform the world--The Jesus of the New\nTestament an imaginary being.\n\nCONCLUSION.--Remarks on the Morality of Nature--Pernicious effect of\nreligious faith--Its failure to moralize the world--Its intolerance and\npersecution--Infidel morality founded in reason and the laws that govern\nhuman beings--Its superiority over faith in promoting good works,\ninducing correct conduct, and insuring human happiness and improvement.\n\n\n\n\nA LEGACY TO THE FRIENDS OF FREE DISCUSSION\n\n\n\n\nGOD'S CHOSEN PEOPLE\n\n\nBEFORE reviewing the facts and personages, as recorded in the Old and\nNew Testaments, it will be in order to notice the Jews, as Jehovah's\n_chosen race_. The subject will not admit of demonstration; it must be\napproached and examined in the same manner as the Alkoran of Mahomet.\n\nIn order to get at the truth, so as to arrive at something like\ncertainty, and as Infinite Wisdom makes the choice, we must inquire--For\nwhat end were they chosen? and did they answer the end of such choice?\nIf they were really chosen by the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe, they\nmust, however strange they acted as a nation, have fulfilled the purpose\nof their choice; because, whatever they did, was known to Jehovah before\nthe choice was made. How, then, can we reconcile expressions of regret\nand disappointment by Jehovah after he had selected them as his own\npeculiar people--such as, \"_I have nourished and brought up children,\nand they have rebelled against me?\"_ And again--\"_He hated his own\ninheritance,_\"--and also his stirring up and supporting heathen kings to\nsubjugate them as slaves. Is this not the language of disappointment and\nregret? In fact, no learned divine can get over this striking truth that\nthe Bible fully holds out in the plainest manner, that Jehovah was\ndisappointed in his choice of the Jews as his favorite people. Were\nthey, then, chosen to raise up and support the religion given to them by\nGod himself? No, impossible! they continually rebelled against Jehovah\nand worshipped strange Gods; and even Solomon himself built temples for\nidolatry, contrary to express command. Jehovah says of the Jewish\nnation--that he did not choose them because they were better than\nothers, for they were always a stiff-necked people; but because he loved\ntheir fathers. Poor, miserable reasoning, indeed; to choose one of the\nmost contemptible races of men, because their ancestors, some hundreds\nof years before, had superior qualities to their degenerate race.\n\nAgain, another reason given why Jehovah continued to protect them, is,\nthat the promises before made to Abram, Isaac, and Jacob, bound him in\nhonor so to do. Did not Infinite Wisdom foresee that the seed of Abram\nwould not follow in the faithful footsteps of their great progenitor? If\nthis was not foreseen, then we can discover clearly the reason why\nJehovah complains of their rebellious conduct. It will be a vain attempt\nin ministers of the gospel, to reconcile those complaints, if Jehovah\nhad foresight of what the seed of Abram would do. If \"_God is the same\nyesterday, to-day, and forever,_\" how did it happen that he appeared so\nregardless of the fate of mankind, as to allow some hundreds of years to\npass away from the time of the confusion of tongues at the tower of\nBabel, till his visit to the tent of Abram, during which time, according\nto Bible history, Jehovah had no worshippers on earth? The whole of\nmankind were left to make the best of their deserted situation; to\nworship the Gods of their imagination; and they founded mighty empires,\nand became powerful on the earth.\n\nBefore the Lord called on Abram and Sarah in their tent, something like\nthe following mode of reasoning probably took place in the mind of the\nJewish God:--\n\n\"I have made a world and peopled it with inhabitants; Adam and Eve\nrebelled against me; their descendants followed in the footsteps of\ntheir progenitors; I have destroyed them all (eight only excepted,) from\nwhom I expected better things. But, alas! they have also sinned against\nme; and to such a height of wickedness did they arrive, that they began\nto build a tower to reach my holy habitation. I have sent them off in\nconfusion: and now I have no church, no worshippers,--not even a song of\npraise to my name. I possess universal empire, without even one single\nsubject to obey me. What is to be done? A thought has struck me:--I will\ncall on honest old Abram.\"\n\nAnd here let me remind the reader, that the Bible clearly represents the\nJewish God as being as changeable in his disposition and mode of acting\nas mortals. Like man, he is sometimes in a state of inaction, towards\nthe fate of his offspring: at other times, he arouses from this torpor,\nand is the most sensitive and active. Sometimes he appears to repent of\nsome failure in the calculations he has made concerning his creatures;\nattempts to rectify the error, and again blunders. He at one time says:\n\"_fury is not in me,_\" then again he is all fury. No truth is more\nstriking than this,--that the Jehovah of the Bible is not, cannot be,\nthe universal governor of the universe, but merely a creature of the\nimagination, whose power is confined, having no existence without the\ncovers of the Bible.\n\nBut to return to Abram:--Jehovah either goes to him, or sends to him\ndelegates, to acquaint him of the choice he is about to make of \"_Abram\nand his seed forever._\" This is but the beginning of a new experiment on\nthe human race. And here does it not plainly appear, that Jehovah's mode\nof acting, in this case, is unworthy of the governor of the world? Does\nit not prove his total disregard for the welfare of the rest of mankind?\nGood heavens! the believers, one and all, of such absurdities, have ever\nbeen, and are still insane.\n\nThese heavenly visiters find Abram and Sarah living comfortably in their\ntent, watching flocks and herds. They (the angels) are treated with the\nhospitality common in pastoral life. They have their feet washed; they\nare invited to dine on the best; the calf is immediately killed; and\nSarah, was not slow on her part, in the cooking department, from which,\none might be induced to think, that over the door of the tent was\nwritten: \"Dinners Dressed at the Shortest Notice.\"--Soon after being\nseated, the messengers make known their errand; Abram was much pleased;\nSarah laughed outright. The promise was now ratified that had before\nbeen made to Abram, that _his seed should be as the sand of the sea in\nnumber,_ for that Sarah should have _a son in her old age_. This, to say\nthe least of it, was good pay for a good dinner.\n\nHere, then, the reader will please to notice, was the final settlement\nas it regards the Jews being the chosen people of God. And here the\nfollowing ceremony took place:--Three men, angels, or messengers, came\nfrom Heaven; they had their feet washed, agreeably to eastern custom;\nthey sat down and did eat, and we may suppose did also drink with Abram\nand Sarah; one of the three was called the Lord.\n\nI have here strictly adhered to the Bible history of this surprising\naccount; and if it be not literally true, the choice of the Jews, and\nalso the whole of the Jewish and Christian theology, falls prostrate.\nThe account winds up with the departure of the angels to Sodom; where,\nafter having dined with Abram, they took supper with Lot. The day\nfollowing, Sodom was burnt by fire from Heaven; Lot's wife (by way of\nmaking the most of her) was turned into a _pillar of salt_, because she\nlooked back on her old habitation. What became of the angels, Heaven\nonly knows!\n\nBut to return to the Jews, as a nation. For what purpose were they\nchosen? It could not be to establish and support the only true religion\non earth, whereby they became the constant and obedient servants of the\nMost High, because they continued to rebel against Jehovah; and in spite\nof all his commands to the contrary, to worship other gods, which\nconduct provoked the Lord to anger, and the most dreadful punishment\nfollowed for their disobedience. They were not chosen to convert other\nnations to the faith and worship of the God of Israel, because they were\nordered to take the property and destroy the inhabitants of towns and\ncities, with whom they had not the most distant quarrel. Once\nmore,--Were they chosen for the purpose that Jehovah should be their\nGod, and that they should be his people? No, because they, time after\ntime, rejected his authority as their God, and worshipped strange gods,\nunknown to their fathers; for which He sent \"prophets and holy men\" to\nremonstrate with them. But they killed the prophets; and, as a nation,\nnever were for any length of time converted to, nor obeyed, the _God of\nIsrael._\n\nIt was promised to Abram, \"_In thee and in thy seed shall all the\nnations of the earth be blessed.\" When and how_ have the nations ever\nbeen blessed? As for the poor Jews, no curse ever fell so heavy on\nmortals as fell on them, in consequence of their considering themselves\nGod's chosen people, and other nations treating them as such. For\neighteen hundred years, Christians have plundered and murdered them,\nbecause they have faithfully worshipped (since He cast them off) the God\nof their fathers, against whom (when under his protection) they\ncontinued to rebel.\n\nThe Jews are a strange people. Strange and hard has been their fate; and\nit can be easily accounted for, from their being originally cheated into\nthe fact that they were _God's chosen people_ to the exclusion of the\nrest of the human race. Christians ask how it could have been possible\nfor Moses or any other person to induce them to believe that they were\nso chosen, when miracles and wonders were performed in their behalf, if\nno such things did in reality take place? The answer is\neasy:--Christians suppose that the books of the Old Testament were\nwritten at the time the generation lived, before whose eyes those\nwonders were performed. This is a fatal mistake. Those miracles and\nwonders, no doubt, were ante-dated, and brought forward to the Jews in\nafter times, as proofs of what Jehovah had done for their forefathers;\nfor it clearly appears from the internal evidence of Jewish history,\nthat the five books said to have been written by Moses, were not known\nto the Jews, as a nation, till after the reigns of David, Solomon, and\nmany others. At what time the five books were first made known to the\ndescendants of Abram, is not ascertained; but, whenever it was, they\ncontained the history of the Abrahamic family, including all the\nmiracles and wonders performed by Jehovah in their behalf.\n\nIt is easy to perceive, how the Jews might be brought to believe all\nthat was written concerning God's choice of them, as his peculiar\npeople. An ambitious leader and legislator could, without much\ndifficulty, soon establish them firmly in the conviction that they were\nJehovah's chosen people. It would flatter their vanity; and the\ncredulity of the human mind is such, even now, that we need not wonder\nthat the Jews, as a nation, gave credence to the tales of former times\nconcerning their being the especial favorites of Jehovah. The Jews,\nthen, no doubt were cheated into the firm conviction (by their early\nleaders) that _they_, of all people on earth, were the chosen of Heaven.\nThis will account for their keeping themselves as a separate people--the\nheaviest curse that could befal them, and which remains on them till\nthis day.\n\nAccording to the Bible, the dealings of Jehovah towards mankind in\ngeneral, and of the Jews in particular, will bear out the following\nremarks:--That, after the confusion of tongues at Babel, and the\ndescendants of Noah were dispersed abroad on the earth, the Bible God\nforsook the earth for some hundred years. He had no worshippers on\nearth. He then descends and selects one family to be called after his\nname. From that moment, Jehovah appears to direct his whole attention to\nthe family concerns of his new choice. Troubles come on in quick\nsuccession; Abram's domestic jars claim his attention and\nsuperintendence. Sarah and her maid servant quarrel; the maid is turned\nout of doors, about a child who claimed Sarah's husband as its father.\n\nThe Lord interfered and matters were made up. But soon another\nmisunderstanding arose between Sarah and Hagar about the child who had\nill-behaved himself towards Abram's wife. Sarah became enraged, and got\nthe better of the Lord; and Abram and she drove Hagar and her son out of\nthe house for good and all. The Lord again made the best of the matter\nby sending an angel who took charge of Hagar's son; and Abram and Sarah\nlived happy, and directed all their attention to little Isaac.\n\nTo return to the Jews, as a nation. Did they answer the end for which\nthey were chosen? Most undoubtedly they did. For, as \"known unto the\nLord are all his works from the beginning\" whatever his dealings were\ntowards them, in punishing them for their rebellion and disobedience,\nand whatever suffering they endured in consequence of their departure\nfrom his commands, are included in his choice; and are the ends for\nwhich they were chosen. Here, then, we have arrived at the ends for\nwhich they were selected,--he knowing that they would continue to\ntransgress, and also that such transgression would call forth his anger;\nand that punishment would follow from their disobedience. These are the\nonly ends that we can discover by their being chosen, and these ends\nwere fully answered.\n\nAnd as Jehovah is represented as acting the same as men act under\nsimilar circumstances, the following remarks are in accordance with his\ndealings with the people of his choice, namely: that after Jehovah had\ndriven the inhabitants of Babel abroad on the face of the earth, and not\nhaving any church or worshippers in the world, he became weary of this\nstate of inaction, and, sighing for something to do, he chose the\ndescendants of Abram for his future operations on the earth. And from\nthat moment, the Jews required all his attention; his anger was always\nraging: he had no repose whatever.\n\nIn the course of his watching over them, he occasionally stirred up the\nheathen against them, and suffered them to become bondmen and slaves.\nThen, again, they had arms put into their hands, and he marched out in\naid of their victories; and then the \"Lord of Hosts was his name.\" Then,\nas if he had forgotten the promises made to their forefathers, he\nrepents of the neglect shown to them; again renews the combat and orders\nthem to war against nations, and _to spare neither old age nor infancy_.\nSo that, by turns, hating them and showing them no mercy; then again,\nrepenting of his severe conduct towards them, proclaiming to the world\nthat the Lord of Hosts or battle is his name,--the Bible account of\nJehovah confirms us, in concluding, that, he chose the family of Abram\nfor no other purpose than to disturb and brutalize the rest of the\nworld.\n\nThe Jews, and their God, seem to be objects of pity and contempt. Pity\nfor the poor Jews, for their unfortunate fate; and as for Jehovah, if\nthe Bible be true, from the moment he adopted them as his favorites, he\nbecame subject to rage, furious anger, grief, repenting of the choice he\nhad made; and finally casting them off. These, then, are some of the\nglorious ends for which they were chosen. To conclude--Of all the\nimpositions that ever have been palmed on the inhabitants of the earth,\ndestructive of \"peace on earth and good will towards men\" that of the\nJews being God's chosen people, is one of the greatest; the Jehovah of\nthe Bible, being nothing but an imaginary God, to cheat the World into\nthe faith of his being the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe.\n\n\n\n\nTHE OLD TESTAMENT\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I. FROM THE CREATION TO THE DELUGE\n\n\nFROM what has before been written, the reader is no doubt convinced,\nthat the writer of this work does not believe the Bible to have any\nclaim to divine authority; but is entirely, from beginning to end, a\ncollection of absurd tales, of historic facts, and of personages that\nhave no foundation in truth, which unfortunately, by being considered of\ndivine origin, has generated a train of calamities destructive to the\npeace and welfare of the human race. And to account for its hav-ing\ngained credit, and got such strong foothold in the world, we have only\nto consider that _fable_ is the elder sister of history; that nations\nhave run a long career of incidents, mostly fabulous, before any\nappearance of authentic history made its way in the world. What took\nplace in those days may be considered like things taking place in the\ndark.\n\nFrom such fabulous materials, then, national history always commences.\nNot that the writers or authors intend to deceive and impose on\nposterity; they write what they believe; what they have been told, and\nwhat is generally credited in those days. Here, then, we discover the\nBible to be of use to us, in showing to what lamentable extent poor\nmortals have sincerely erred in following the legendary tales of former\ntimes. And now, that the bandage is removed from our eyes, let us all\nuse our best exertions to spread knowledge among those, who, with us,\nare seeking after truth, but who have till now sought it where it is not\nto be found.\n\nThe authors of the Bible, no doubt, followed in the same track as those\nwho are called profane writers. They wrote what had been told them by\ntheir forefathers. Hence the miracles and wonders, credited by them, of\nthe most extravagant nature, that never did and never could take place;\nand unfortunately, for the peace and happiness of mortals, by giving\ncredit to such things, they, for ages, shut up every avenue that would\notherwise have led them to the temple of truth.\n\nTo believe the account of Adam's transgression, in connection with all\nthe circumstances attending it, to be a matter of fact, appears hardly\npossible for any man of sane mind. Yet millions there are, who never\nhave had a doubt of its being literally true. Whoever first wrote it,\ndid so from tradition or hearsay, as this is the origin of all national\nhistory. It is not impossible but that every nation of antiquity had a\nsimilar commencement; because, as history did not appear till hundreds\nof years after the facts related are said to have taken place, it\nfollows that hearsay evidence is the _best_ and _only_ evidence that can\nbe obtained. If this is a correct view of the strange tales related in\nthe Bible; then, the more strange and impossible the greater glory is\ngiven to God, by swallowing all down, and asking no questions.\n\nThe Bible commences, as to persons, with--first, Jehovah, Adam, and Eve,\nand, according to the orthodox Christians, the Devil was near at hand.\nHere, then, we have before us, according to Bible history, Jehovah, God\nof all, about to form or make a world, and put on it both man and beast.\nThis was done without consulting in any way whatever, with Adam and Eve,\nwho were to be placed at the head of all creation. Every circumstance\nthat would take place to Adam and Eve, and their posterity, throughout\nall ages, was planned, approved of, and finally settled, in the mind of\nJehovah, before they had life or being.\n\nHere we have a God knowing all that will take place; and arranging\ncircumstances favorable to its fulfilment. On the other hand, Adam and\nEve were ignorant of the past, the present, and also of the future. Only\nnotice the infinite difference between the two contracting parties. I\nwish the reader to keep this in view, as it respects what is termed the\nfall of our first parents. In all ages of the Christian superstition,\nthe fall of Adam has been urged as a justification of God's quarrel with\nthe human race.\n\nLet us examine this subject calmly. It is but justice that this should\nbe done; since from one hundred thousand pulpits in the different\nnations of the earth, the priests never fail to praise and thank the\nLord for his goodness to the descendants of Adam. I, on the other hand,\nwill honestly, though feebly, advocate the cause of poor, _libelled,\ncondemned, priest-ridden Man_. If, before our first parents had been\ncalled into life, they had been informed on what conditions _they_ and\ntheir _posterity_ were to receive it, together with the final destiny of\nninety out of every hundred of their unfortunate race, they would no\ndoubt have exclaimed, \"For humanity's sake, let us forever sleep in the\nwomb of chaos!\" It is the common practice from the pulpit, as also from\nthe writings of the orthodox Christians, to libel the human race, by\nsaying, that man has rebelled against God, and turned from him; when the\ntruth is, that in all ages and nations, man, has been seeking after the\nbest God he could find, and God; has always remained the great\n_Unknown_, while man, in whatever state we find him, \"savage, saint, or\nsage,\" has been endeavoring to find out God.\n\nThis has always been his misfortune. By trying to find out the absent\nand unknown God, he has, in his imagination, invented and followed a\nthousand foolish whims, till, losing all correct ideas of moral\nrectitude, he has died of old age without arriving at the knowledge of\n_whom or what_ to worship. Whereas, if he had not troubled himself at\nall about his maker, and, by the aid of his reasoning powers, had come\nto the just conclusion, that as he knew not how, nor where to find God,\nit would follow that it was the business of his maker, and not _his_ to\ninstruct in the right way to worship the true God. This mode of\nreasoning will be reprobated by Christians as horrid and wicked; but in\nreply, it may be asked, to what amount of knowledge have they arrived by\nall their seeking after him?\n\nWe now return to the Bible account of Adam and Eve's creation. The\nposition that justice, strict justice, is due on the part of God towards\nhis new creation, must never be lost sight of in our investigations. If\nany thing like trickery or injustice on his part is recorded, we,\nwithout hesitation, denounce it as a libel on his character, and totally\nunworthy of the least credit. In reviewing the Old and New Testament, as\nbeing considered a Divine Revelation, this criterion will be always\nreferred to; for, if any writings purporting to be of Divine authority,\nrepresent their author to be any thing otherwise than a God impartial\nand just, such writings will, by the author of this work, be considered\nentirely unworthy of the broad seal of Heaven, and as fully deserving of\nbeing held up to human beings as false, and a flagrant imposition on the\ncredulity of mankind.\n\nAnd here the reader is reminded, that we have now before us, in the\ncreation of man, a scene of the most surprising nature. A God, infinite\nin wisdom, unbounded in power, about to bring into existence a race of\nbeings; he, on his part, possessing all knowledge of the past, the\npresent, and also of the future; and they, on their part, entirely\npassive, not being consulted as to their organization, their wishes, or\nthe consequences that would result to their progeny. From such a\nposition, what ought we to expect, in order that the being about to be\nmade, might have a fair point from which to start in his untried career?\nWould we not suppose that every advantage should have been given to the\nparty who had no voice concerning his future destiny, nor that of his\nrace? The smallest omission in providing for or securing his first\nmovements, would be fatal to his happiness, and also that of his race.\n\nThat no such precaution, on the part of the God of the Bible, was\npursued towards his new made creatures, will be fully proved by the\nexamination of the events recorded as having taken place in the Garden\nof Eden! Whatever were the passions or the inclinations included in the\nphysical organization of our first parents, they had not any control\nover them whatever, because of the impossibility of their being\nconsulted in a state of non-existence. Whatever they were then, and,\nalso, what was to be their future destiny, was known to Jehovah only; to\nAdam and Eve, it was all unknown. This, then, was the state of the\npretended Creator and the creatures.\n\nWe will pass over the account of the six days' creation, together with\nthe serpent's deceiving Eve by the aid of what the Christians believe to\nbe the Devil. It deserves no comment, except, that from the account\ngiven in the Bible, we may infer, that happy would it have been for Adam\nif he had remained an old bachelor; for, in that case, Satan perhaps\nwould neither have scraped acquaintance with the serpent, nor ever\nthought of lurking about the garden. But the source of all human\nmisfortune, according to the Old and New Testaments, is included in\nEve's eating the forbidden fruit. We may ask, why was one tree forbidden\namong so many? Certainly as a trap, set to catch the inexperienced,\nvirtuous, and harmless Eve. What humbug! to make such a fuss about\nAdam's being alone, without a help-mate; and: at the very time the rib\noperation was going on, Jehovah, stood by, and knew whatever he might\nsay, that the woman, on leaving her ribship, would damn all that he had\ndeclared to be good. Can we, dare we, charge the Governor of the\nUniverse with such trickery? It must never be lost sight of, that the\nvery prohibition of one tree, would be certain, in their state of\nignorance, to produce the consequence that followed: viz., to induce\nEve, from curiosity, to partake of it. Is it any thing short of insanity\nto suppose that such dreadful consequences would follow so trifling an\noffence?\n\nThis forbidden tree had something in it, that, to us, seems very\nstrange. It was to impart knowledge; and as the fruit was inviting to\nthe eye, and a desire existing to obtain knowledge, Eve fell a victim to\nher unfortunate curiosity. Nor was this all. Until Eve ate thereof, it\nappears that the happy couple did not perceive their want of clothing.\nInstantly they set to work to repair this first mishap, by sewing leaves\ntogether to make aprons. But in this stage of the business, the Lord\nseems to have some compassion left, for he, \"_the Lord, made coats of\nskins and clothed them_\"--poor Adam and Eve being ignorant of the\nstrength and durability of leaf aprons. We may suppose the Lord as\nthinking or saying to Adam,--\"Why, this will never do; you must have\nsomething more lasting, or else, by every wind that blows, you will be\nno more than a bundle of tattered rags.\" Soon, therefore, by the Lord's\nassistance, poor Adam and Eve jumped into a new suit of clothes! And, to\nmake sure of man's destruction, by taking that which was forbidden, the\nserpent was permitted to point out the advantages that would follow; so\nthat the appearance of the fruit, and the desire to get knowledge, urged\non by the serpent, together with Eve's ignorance that any thing like\nlying existed in the Garden of Eden, the disobedience of our first\nparents was, by ninety-nine chances out of a hundred, secured, and the\ndamnation of their posterity made sure.\n\nNow, to ascribe such conduct to God, such barefaced design to quarrel\nwith his new creation, is horrid in the extreme, and would disgrace (bad\nas it is said he is) the very Devil himself. And if the account is not\ntrue, if the facts, as recorded, did not take place, but are altogether\nto be considered as an allegory, then it follows, that human redemption\nis an allegory, also; and the whole fabric of the Jewish and Christian\nreligion falls to the ground.\n\nIn dismissing this father of humbugs, (the fall of our first parents,)\nwhich ended in Adam and Eve's expulsion from Paradise, by way of\nconsolation, we may in justice say, \"Farewell, Adam and Eve; you have\nhad but a rough beginning. God and the Devil have both conspired to make\nyou unhappy, But never mind, do your best; comfort and console each\nother; the whole world is before you. This garden trade has proved a\nfailure altogether. If you can but procure a spade, a hoe, and shovel,\nyou will in time get on; and, as your present misfortune originated from\nthat unforeseen quarrel in the garden, live in peace, and share equally\nin your troubles, and also in your prosperity. Things are not so bad,\nafter all; and if Adam's wound in the side is not yet entirely healed,\nit is your duty, Eve, as a good wife, to pay particular attention to it.\nIt is for your interest, also; for if Jehovah should, be again offended\nwith you, as in the garden, and take from Adam the opposite rib from\nwhich you sprang, and of it make a second Eve, the serpent would pay\nanother visit to mar your happiness, and your troubles would have no\nend.\"\n\nWhat kind of religion there was, if any, in those days, we know not; but\nCain and Abel, Adam's sons, appear to have been worshippers of Jehovah,\nnotwithstanding the expulsion of their parents from Paradise. We have it\nrecorded that, in the course of their worship, Cain's offering was of\nthe \"fruits of the earth,\" and Abel's was \"a lamb with the fat thereof.\"\nCain's offering had no respect paid to it; but, on the other hand,\nAbel's offering was respected. The reason why the one was rejected and\nthe other accepted, we have no means of knowing; at any rate, Jehovah\nknew that murder would follow as a consequence. Here, then, we have an\naccount of the _first religious quarrel_, and the murderous spirit that\nwas connected with it. And history confirms this truth, that the same\nmurderous spirit has always, more or less, shown itself in all religious\ndisputes; but more dreadful and furious in the Jewish and Christian\nreligions than in any others. From Cain, the first religious murderer,\nto the present day, intolerance and blood appear to have stained the\npages of Jewish and Christian history. And now, that those days of\npersecution have passed away, let us do all in our power to prevent\ntheir recurrence.\n\nFollowing the history of the antediluvians, in Genesis, chap. vi., we\nare not a little surprised to find a new race of, beings on earth. We\nfind, that after \"_men began to multiply an the face of the earthy and\ndaughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of\nmen, that they were fair, and they took them wives of all which they\nchose, and they bare children unto them; the same became mighty men,\nwhich were of old men of renown_.\" Here we may ask, is it possible to\nbelieve in the truth of this account? But for its being recorded in the\nBible, no person, having one grain of common sense, would for a moment\ngive it the least credit. But its truth rests on the same authority as\nthe fall of our first parents, and no doubt is equally true. We are\ntold, by Christ, that in heaven, they \"_neither marry nor are given in\nmarriage_\"; but here it seems that the sons of God were tired of their\nrestraint, and broke loose, and came a wooing the pretty young girls of\nthose days: and, from the account, the courtship was short; for they\ntook to them, wives of all that they chose. Good heavens! how the young\nmen of those days must have stared to see the young ladies So pliable!\nIf, in those days, \"bustles\" were not worn by the girls, the sons of God\nsoon put them, one and all, in a bustle. Wonder how those gentlemen were\ndressed, that the women became so soon captivated! If, in the course of\ntheir negociations, some girl, more thoughtful than the rest, had asked\nher strange lover what employment he intended to follow, he would have\nbeen stuck fast to have given an answer. After all, if this account is\nto be considered true, heaven is not in so happy a state as is\nrepresented; for the sons of God became uneasy in their confinement, and\npreferred a love frolic to Gabriel's evening song. As heaven is\nconsidered to have the most enchanting music, perhaps the new visiters\nbrought with them their instruments, and began their courtship by a\nheavenly jig. It does not appear that Jehovah exhibited any displeasure\non account of the sons of God leaving the blessed abodes and marrying\nthe daughters of men. For aught we know, it was an experiment to improve\nthe antediluvian race.\n\nBut leaving this point for ministers of the gospel to settle, it seems\nas if their progeny were a jolly set of fellows, and became \"_men of\nrenown._\" Taking, then, a review of the world from its creation until it\nwas destroyed by the deluge, we discover, that if the facts recorded are\ntrue, and did really take place, it was one continued chapter of\nblunders. First, Adam is made and set to work. It is next discovered\nthat he requires a partner; but, behold! no materials are left with\nwhich to make one. Adam is then laid up in dock; taken to pieces like an\nold steamboat; one of his timbers removed, and a woman appears. Things\ngo on well, but only for a short time. Eve soon longs for fruit; she\ntakes it; then, lo, and wonder! she and her husband discover, and for\nthe first time feel, a sense of decency. They set to work to make\naprons; this is but lost labor. The Lord, it appears by the account, was\nnot in the garden, but on returning, found his servants partly clothed.\nHe informs them of their error; sets to work and protects them from wind\nand weather. To be sure, they were not turned out naked; the very ground\nwas cursed for their bad conduct, and thorns and thistles would spring\nup to annoy them. Whether the Garden of Eden was given up altogether, or\nanother gardener employed to keep it, we have no account.\n\nThis, at any rate, was paying dear for an apple, or peach. We find,\nhowever, that our first parents did not despair; for they soon raised a\nfamily. If this expulsion did actually take place, to talk of family\ntroubles is nothing, compared to this unfortunate couple. For one single\nfault, to be driven as outcasts from their only known home, to wander\nthey did not know where, without experience or capital to begin with! Of\nall the houseless wanderers, their lot seems to be the most piteous to\nbehold.\n\nAgain, whether \"the sons of God\" Were permitted to descend and marry the\ndaughters of men by way of improving the race, we know not. If\nimprovement was Jehovah's object in this strange union, another failure,\nequal to former ones, was the result. The antediluvians, one and all,\nwere so wicked, that \"the Lord repented that he had made man on the\nearth; and it grieved him at his heart.\" One exception only, in the\nfamily of Noah; to whom Jehovah immediately communicated his\ndetermination to _destroy man and beast by a flood_--Noah's family only\nexcepted.\n\nTo conclude this chapter, a few remarks will suffice.--If the foregoing\naccount of the creation is maintained to be truly the work of Infinite\nWisdom and Power, what a picture presents itself to the mind of a\nsensible and reasonable man! Can it be possible for such an one to\nbelieve it? His mind must reject it as the most barefaced falsehood that\never could be proposed to human credence; as impossible to be true, and\nequally impossible to be credited by any person having the least claim\non common sense. And yet, in this crazy world, to give credit to it, is\nto be respectable; but to deny its truth, is to be infamous, and an\nobject of Christian horror, unworthy to live in this world, and sure of\ndamnation in the next. No man living can get over this certain\nconclusion, that if the Governor of the Universe did act towards Adam\nand Eve, together with the rest of the antediluvians, as is recorded in\nthe Bible, he made them for no other apparent end than to quarrel with\nthem, so as to have a pretence to punish and torment creatures who had\nno power to resist. And can such a Being be the object of love and\nadoration? The Devil himself is not painted in colors half so black.\n\nBut enough has been said on this subject. We turn from it in disgust,\nand boldly say to all the world, that no such God ever did, nor does now\nexist; nor did the facts recorded in the Bible, of Adam's fall, _ever\ntake place._\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II. A REVIEW OF THE DELUGE AND THE CONFUSION OF TONGUES AT THE\nTOWER OF BABEL\n\n\nTO destroy all mankind by drowning, because of their wickedness, seems\nto us a strange reason; for, when we attentively consider it, we are\ncompelled to conclude that the Jewish God had banished from his moral\ngovernment the very appearance of justice. What! no compassion for the\nyoung men and women who had been brought up under circumstances so\nunfavorable to virtue, from the bad example of their fathers? What! no\nmercy for the thousands of infants? What! no feeling towards the youth,\nfrom manhood through all the gradations down to helpless infancy? None.\nWe know that it is common for men and women to go crazy. From so strange\na perversion of justice on the part of Jehovah, it would seem that he,\nat times, has his crazy fits, also. Destroy the innocent with the\nguilty--allowing the innocent no chance of escape! If this were\nperformed by an earthly monarch, _insanity_ would be the most charitable\nallowance to be made for so atrocious an act. But when ascribed to the\nall-wise and powerful God, and insisted on as an article of faith, such\ndoctrines are only fit for madmen to preach and idiots to hear.\nChristians little think to what extent they blaspheme the God whom they\nprofess to adore.\n\nLet us bring this horrid scene nearer to our eyes:--thousands and tens\nof thousands of children from six years old and up to the age of\nmaturity, of both sexes, imploring for mercy, cut off in the midst of\nenjoyment, for crimes over which they had no control, and which their\ntender age precluded them from committing: yet to them the door of mercy\nwas forever closed. A raging Almighty God commanding Noah to proceed,\nthat his vengeance might be satisfied! Only look at such a picture, so\nfaintly drawn; for if the deluge did really take place, this portrait\nbears but a small resemblance to a scene too dreadful for the\ncontemplation of man, and, Oh! heavens! too unjust and cruel to ascribe\nto a God. To drown the whole of the human race by a flood, is one of the\nmost dreadful visitations of vengeance that cruelty could execute. In\nit, we discover nothing to defend. The mind shrinks back with horror at\nthe bare recital. It is one among hundreds of such acts recorded as\nbeing performed by the Lord.\n\nTurn to what part of the history you will, where the Jewish God is about\nto do something, or to interfere in any way in human affairs, the\nconduct ascribed to him, either in punishment or granting favor, you\nwill find to be always contrary to justice and reason. If justice be the\ntheme, it will end in cruelty. If to show favor, it will be sure to be\nill directed and allied to favoritism. Among men, justice is the\nfoundation of correct moral principles. On the contrary, the Bible God\nacts as if influenced by fury and almighty rage; soon, very soon, angry;\nvery hard to please; punishing and destroying his creatures, as if pain\nwere a good instead of an evil, and man died without a groan. It is not\npossible to calculate the amount of evil that has taken place on the\nearth, in consequence of Christians taking for their example the conduct\nof their God. Let us mark the difference between any misfortune that may\nbefall the human race in the course of events, and the same evil\ninflicted by the Lord. In the former case, man will sympathize with his\nunfortunate fellow man; in the latter, however, it _appears_ cruel and\nunjust. \"It is just, yes, and also merciful,\" says the Christian, \"for\nGod to destroy the innocent descend-, ants of his enemies, because he\nhas a right to do whatever he pleases with his own.\"\n\nThis mode of reasoning, the believers in the divinity of the Bible\nresort to, in order to shield Jehovah from the attacks of Infidels, for\nbringing on the deluge; and the same mode is followed throughout, to\njustify the Lord in all his warlike movements against the nations doomed\nto die by the hands of his chosen people. Can we, then, wonder that both\nJews and Christians, believing in, and worshipping, a God whose acts are\nso revolting to every idea of justice and humanity,--can we, ought we,\nto be surprised that they have drank so deeply of that spirit of\ncruelty, injustice, and intolerance, that is recorded concerning the\ndealings of Jehovah with his creatures, in involving in one common ruin\nthe innocent with the guilty? For it is from the horrible character\ngiven of the Lord, that both Jews and Christians have in all ages drawn\nin, as by a kind of inspiration, the same spirit of cruelty and\nproscription, in imitation of their God.\n\nIt is in vain that Christians assert, that the persecution that has\nattended the progress of Christianity, in all ages, is but the abuse of\nit No; it has been the _thing itself_. The moral precepts of the New\nTestament (and many of them are excellent) have never been strong enough\nto deter men from putting each other to death on account of their\ndifference of faith. Cruel Calvin, with the New Testament before his\neyes, and that saying staring him in the face, \"_He that hateth his\nbrother is a murderer_,\"--with this before his eyes, he caused the\nunfortunate Servetus to be burnt by a slow fire, so completely had the\ndoctrines of the Bible destroyed in him all compassion.\n\nTo show what baneful influence the doctrines of the Bible have had upon\nmen eminent for their wisdom, justice, and humanity, the following\nauthentic account will fully prove:--In the year 1664, two old women\nwere hanged upon a charge of witchcraft, having been tried by a Jury\nbefore three learned Judges, at the head of whom was Sir Matthew Hale,\nwho passed the dreadful sentence of the law, as it then stood, which was\nput into execution in about two weeks afterwards. A more upright,\nhonest, wise, and humane Judge never sat in a court of justice; and yet,\nbehold! he condemned and caused two poor, ignorant, and defenceless old\nwomen to be hanged for a crime they neither did nor could commit The\nremarks made to the Jury, by Sir Matthew, in substance were the\nfollowing:--\"Gentlemen of the Jury, you have nothing to do in inquiring\nwhether the crime of witchcraft can be committed; the Bible has settled\nthat subject,--but, whether the evidence you have heard is proof that\nthe prisoners are guilty of the charges brought against them,\"--which\ncharges were, killing, their neighbors' children by the agency and power\nof the Devil, and causing them to vomit pins and nails. Here, then, it\nis clear that it was the Word of God, and not Judge Hale, that brought\nabout the death of those unfortunate women. Had Sir Matthew been an\n_Infidel_, the page of history had never been stained by the blood of\ntwo poor helpless beings.\n\nLet not Christians, then, say that persecution and intolerance are the\nabuses of Christianity. Its very essence is congenial with blood and\ntorture in all their horrid forms. The moral precepts of the Gospel\nnever have nor ever will so far neutralize the doctrines of the Bible,\nas to guarantee the human race in trusting power in the hands of the\ndisciples of Jesus. They always will, according to the New Testament,\nprefer the man of orthodox faith, to men in common, however virtuous.\n\nHaving shown the injustice and cruelty of drowning all the inhabitants\nof the earth,--on account of the wickedness of some who ought to have\nbeen made an example to society at large,--let us inquire, what end was\nobtained by so universal a destruction? Have the human race been more\nmoral, and, on the whole, more virtuous, since the flood than before? If\nthey have not, (and that they have not, the Bible itself fully proves,)\nit then follows, that no moral good resulted from their being destroyed;\nand instead of the Lord's anger being softened down, it would rage in\nall its former fury. If the Lord really said to Noah, what the Bible\nrecords, \"_that it repented him that he had made man on the earthy and\nit grieved him at his heart_\" it is as much as to say,--\"I can bear this\ndistracted state of mind no longer; I will try you and your family,\nNoah, and ease myself of the disappointment I have endured from the\nwickedness of my creation; I will have a better race on the earth which\nI have made, or man shall cease to exist.\"\n\nBut did a better race succeed? No; for Noah, in time, became\nintemperate, and in a fit of intoxication became an object of contempt\nto one of his sons, who, so far forgot his duty to his intoxicated\nfather, that instead of concealing his folly and shame, he exposed it.\nWhen Noah awoke from his slumber, and discovered what had taken place,\nhe began most heartily to curse his son and his posterity for ages to\ncome, and also to prophesy evil concerning them, which prophecy,\naccording to the Bible, the Lord approved of and brought to pass. Here,\nagain, Jehovah is disappointed; that is, if he expected a moral world\nbetter than the one he had destroyed.\n\nTurning, then, with detestation from an account which represents the\nGovernor of the Universe as having drowned a world and repented he had\nmade it, and also of being grieved at heart, we will notice Noah's\npreparing the ark and making ready for his singular voyage. Nothing\nshort of repeated miracles could have completed the embarkation of Noah,\nhis family, and the living cargo, or freight. A miracle must have been\nwrought on all those beasts, whose savage nature had made them a terror\nto man, in order that they might become tame, and be conveyed to the\nvicinity of the ark. Another miracle must have been in continual\noperation on all those who were engaged in procuring the beasts, birds,\nand reptiles, to induce them to labor without any remuneration for their\ntoils, but the certainty of being left to perish by the flood. A\ncontinuation of miracles must follow on, to induce the then population\nto stand quiet, up to their necks in water, and not to make an effort to\nforce their way into the ark before it was closed up; and also to enable\nNoah and his family to attend to feeding and keeping clean their\nrespective cages and dens. The water, also, to drown the world, and\ncover the highest hills, must be created for this express purpose, and\nthen reduced again into its native nothingness. For, from an accurate\ncalculation, it would require one hundred and eight times as much water\nas is now on the face of the earth, to cover the highest mountain,\nadmitting its height to be no more than twenty thousand feet, and there\nare mountains still higher. It would follow, therefore, that after the\nflood, one hundred and eight oceans must be annihilated, there not being\nroom for so much water on the earth.\n\nFrom what has been said concerning the flood, it is clear that no such\nthing really took place, but that the whole is fabulous; because, the\ndeluge is said to be in consequence of the Lord's being grieved at the\nwickedness of the antediluvians. This is no reason why he should destroy\nthem, even admitting the possibility of the fact. His grief could not be\nlessened by so doing, as men since the flood have been equally wicked as\nbefore; and have continued so, down to the present time. If the Lord was\ngrieved then, and repented at having made man, he is still unhappy and\ncontinues to repent, because the evil that caused him then to grieve and\nto repent, is not removed.\n\nThe reader is requested not to lose sight of one thing that is equally\nglaring both in the Old Testament and the New--that the Jehovah of the\nJews is always blundering and making mistakes; the choice he often makes\ndoes not answer the end purposed, but falls short. Another and another\nplan is pursued; still, some striking failures take place. The God of\nthe Bible is as unlike the Supreme Power that governs the material\nuniverse, as the swarthy African is unlike the fair complexion of the\ntemperate zone.\n\nAs the main object of this work is to prove, as clear as the nature of\nargument will admit, that the Jehovah of the Jews is not the Supreme\nRuler of Nature, let us examine their respective characters. The God of\nthe Jews, in his acts, is governed by no correct principle of justice;\nhe is changeable, and subject to all the passions that, in turn, agitate\nthe minds of mortals. How different is the Ruler of the World, of whom\nwe know nothing, abstracted from the material universe! In the\ngovernment of the material world, we discover that \"_order is heaven's\nfirst law_\"; that a regular arrangement of causes and effects pervade\nevery department of nature. In it, there is no doing and undoing; no\nderangement in the wonderful, adaptation of cause and effect, of\nprinciples and consequences. In the laws that rule the universe, nothing\nhappens that has the appearance of falling short of ends intended to be\ncarried out; these laws depend not on the will or conduct of mortals;\nbut the more we are acquainted with them, the more we are compelled to\nadmire the wonderful wisdom and harmony of the mighty whole.\n\nIs the kingdom of grace, or, in other words, does the Old and New\nTestaments present to us a God any way similar to the power that rules\nthe world? The God of Nature, an expression used to convey no other\nmeaning than the power that mingles itself with the mighty whole,--does\nthis power show any thing like partiality to nations, or to sects and\nparties? Do the general laws, by which the world is governed, indicate\nany thing in their author of a vindictive or vengeful character. Any\nthing like disappointment or regret? Does the prosperity of nations, or\nof individuals, depend (abstractly considered) on whether they worship\none, or many Gods, or none at all? On the contrary, the Jehovah of the\nBible is depicted as being more unstable than mortals. Ye Jews and\nChristians! in vain do you vindicate the character and conduct of your\nGod towards the human race, by saying that \"he ought to do what he\npleases with his own.\" The conduct of the most cruel and unjust tyrant\nthat ever lived can with more truth and propriety be exonerated than\nyour God; because a tyrant, however wicked and cruel, may have to\ncontend with those who are capable of doing him an injury, and\nself-defence on his part may form some excuse for his actions. A tyrant\nmay have to come in contact with others, his equals in power and\nphysical force. But the Christian God is above any personal injury; he\nhas no rivals; possessing all power, all knowledge, nothing can take\nplace by him unforeseen. If mortals, by their conduct, call forth his\nanger, he chooses to be angry. The human race did not ask for existence;\nhe alone was the projector. If mortals, in the course of their career\nthrough life, (as foreseen by him) deserve punishment, he felt happy in\npunishing them. Ye ministers! prate, then, no longer against the\n\"*unblushing Infidel*\"; for, as you maintain that the God of the Bible\nis the author of the universe, we leave you to blush at the horrible\ncharacter you portray of him whom you hypocritically call a God of love!\nOh! heavens! what dreadful consequences have resulted from the Jehovah\nof the Jews being worshipped as the author of nature! The worshippers of\nsuch a God have in all ages partaken, more or less, of his character for\ncruelty, injustice, and intolerance; and under this banner \"whole armies\nhave marched forth to glut the earth with blood.\"\n\nViewing, then, the Bible account of the deluge, in which the innocent\nwere destroyed with the sinner, as but a fabulous tale, had I a voice\nloud enough to make all mankind hear, I would boldly and fearlessly\nproclaim it a falsehood, disgraceful to God, and too foolish to obtain\ncredit in the present age.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III. FROM THE CONFUSION OF TONGUES TO THE BIRTH OF MOSES\n\n\nTHE object to be accomplished in this chapter is, to show, from the\nBible history itself, the folly and absurdity of admitting the Jehovah\nof the Bible to be the Supreme Ruler of the Universe; for, after\ndestroying every thing that had life, by the flood, Jehovah, somewhat\nlike a conquering hero, returns to heaven. The war with the human race\nbeing over, Divine vengeance is satisfied. No religious worship, that we\nread of, was then known on the earth. But, behold! a new outbreak\noccurs, that requires the immediate interference of the God of Israel.\n\nIn Genesis, chapter xi., it is recorded, that the then inhabitants of\nthe earth began to build a tower, the top of which was to reach the\nheavens, that they might make to themselves a great name, and be no more\nscattered abroad on the earth. What crime it could be considered by\nJehovah, for men to unite in building a tower so lofty that the top\nwould reach the heavens, we know not. However ignorant the then\ninhabitants of the earth were, the Lord knew that they could not annoy\nhim by the erection of a tower to any height they might be inclined to\nraise it. The writer of the account makes it appear, that Jehovah became\nuneasy at the progress the workmen were making, and at last could bear\nit no longer; so he came down, as the term is, and confounded their\nspeech in such a manner that they could not understand each other.\n\nCan it be possible, for men who reflect at all, to believe such glaring\nnonsense? The writers of the Bible have not only made a God unjust and\nvengeful, but they have put into his head such foolish whims, as, that\nafter having destroyed a world by a deluge, the innocent with the\nguilty, he came down from heaven to scare away carpenters and\nbricklayers from their honest labor; and have made him virtually to\nsay--\"Be off! Clear out! I will not permit you to hammer away here!\" The\nconduct of the Bible God towards the builders of Babel, and, in fact,\nthe whole of the then human family, seems to be like that of an\nunfeeling father, who cares not for his children, and who is also\nequally indifferent as to whether the human race worshipped him, or fell\ndown to worship stocks or stones; for, instead of ordering them to build\nan altar to the true and living God, he ordered them off, to wander\nabroad on the earth, and do the best they could. And here an opportunity\nwas lost of insuring their conversion; since, as they were all of one\nlanguage and speech, how easy to convert the whole race at once! Now,\nhere we may discover a _man-made God_. Sometimes he is all jealousy for\nhis own name--all fury against idolatry; at other times, he seems to\ncare but little for the happiness of his creatures, or the honor of his\nname. After having compelled the builders of Babel to quit their\nundertaking, Jehovah returns back to heaven; and from the silence of\nBible history, he does not appear to have superintended human affairs at\nall, for hundreds of years after. And now, ye ministers of the Gospel of\ngrace, what have you to say in vindication of the very existence of such\na God? The origin of your God is of man's creation; he never had a real\nexistence.\n\nAfter an absence of many years, having given up, to all appearance, any\ninterest in human affairs, Jehovah turns his attention to Abram and his\nfamily, and adopts them as his chosen people. And from this account, we\nclearly discover the absurdity of believing the God of Abram to be the\nuniversal sovereign; for, from the moment of the adoption of Abram and\nhis seed forever, from that very moment the family affairs of Abram,\nIsaac and Jacob, seem to engross the attention of Jehovah; and, while I\nam writing, I blush for shame at the credulity of mankind in professing\nto believe such contemptible trash. What can be more weak and ridiculous\nthan to suppose that the Lord and two angels came to the tent of Abram,\nand went through all the ceremonies of a pastoral visit,--such as\nwashing of feet and taking water until dinner was prepared, and that\nwhile partaking of Abram's hospitality, they inquired for his wife, and\nthen renewed what before had been promised, namely--that Sarah, Abram's\nwife, should have a son in her old age?\n\nOne remarkable feature, throughout the whole of the Bible, presents\nitself. It is this: that in every movement Jehovah makes among his\nfavorite people the Jews, and in all the correspondence he holds with\nAbram and his seed, every thing is done by way of experiment on that\npeople; as if Jehovah did not know what would happen until he had gained\ninformation by _actual experiment!_ In the case of the builders of the\nTower of Babel, it is said--\"_And the Lord came down to see the city,\nand the tower which the children of men builded._\" And again--\"_Go to,\nlet us go down, and there confound their language_.\" And also, in the\ncase of Sodom, the Lord told Abram concerning the cry of the wickedness\nof the inhabitants of Sodom. The Lord said to Abram--\"_I will go down\nnow, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of\nit, which is come unto me; if not, I will know._\"--[Genesis xviii. 21.]\nAbram, having heard of the intended destruction of the Sodomites,\nremonstrates with Jehovah on the injustice of destroying the innocent\nwith the guilty. Then follows the pleading of Abram with the Lord, in\nfavor of Sodom; and from the willingness of the Lord to comply with the\nrequest of Abram,--if the old patriarch had had the moral courage to\nhave gone on with one more request,--Sodom might have been saved. The\npersonage who communed with Abram is, by the inspired writer, called the\n\"_Judge of all the earth_.\" The same who had that day dined with Abram,\nand to whom Abram said, \"_Behold, now I have taken upon me to speak unto\nthe Lord, which am but dust and ashes_\"!\n\nAnd now, patient reader, what have Christians to believe in reference to\nthis matter? Why, they must believe that the great immortal God came to\nthe earth from his Unknown abode, in the likeness of _man_, in company\nwith two angels; that he called on Abram, who was surrounded by his\nflocks and herds, dwelling in a tent, perhaps inferior to our Indian\nlog-houses; that he, the Judge of all the earth, with two of his angels,\nwere (according to eastern hospitality) presented with water to drink,\nand also, water to wash their feet--a practice most refreshing in a warm\nclimate. An invitation was given them to dine, which they accepted and\nso particular is the narrative, that, what they had for dinner is\nmentioned: the calf was instantly slain, and the baking commenced.\n\nAnd here we may inquire, whether or not this circumstance did really\ntake place, as it is recorded? If it did, then the believers in the\nBible, as a Divine Revelation, have to believe that the Great God of\nall, the Universal Ruler of the Universe, came on earth to the tent of\nAbram, in the form of a man, with two of the angelic host; and that they\n_then and there_ had their feet washed, and sat down to a dinner of veal\nand griddle cakes, and did eat thereof, and drink water. Now, if Moses,\nor any other pretended inspired writer, wrote this, I ask, is not the\nGod of Abram a _man-made God?_ He is said to have feet that required\nwashing, and an appetite that required food. He had a mouth, teeth, and\nalso a stomach to receive food; and we may infer that he had hands, for\nit is not recorded that Abram cut his victuals, or fed him or the angels\nwith a spoon.\n\nIf the believers of the Bible consider that the foregoing account is\nallegorical, and not to be considered as having really taken place, it\nthen follows that human redemption is allegorical, also; for the promise\nmade to Abram was, that _In thee and in thy seed shall all the nations\nof the earth be blessed_. This promise included the mission of Jesus,\nwho was to save his people from their sins, and also to _heal the\nnations, and to bring in everlasting righteousness_. Christians, then,\nif they believe the Bible to be a Divine Revelation, must believe that\nthe Judge of the whole earth, while at dinner, in promising Abram a son,\nincluded also, in that promise, the mission of Jesus, _the Saviour of\nthe world._\n\nAnd here we may notice the views that Abram had of the Supreme Judge of\nall. As he appeared to Abram in the form of a man, and as such was\ntreated by him, Abram brought forth water to wash the feet of the Lord,\nand invited him to dine, which he did; which is proof positive that\nAbram considered that the Lord was in the habit of taking refreshment,\nsuch as eating and drinking, or he would never have thought of giving\nthe Lord such an invitation. If this account be true, the New Testament\nmust be false, when it declares that _no man hath seen God at any time,\nand that none can see him and live_. But of Abram it is written, that he\nsaw the Lord, face to face, and also that they dined together; and, as\nif to remove all doubt of its truth, it mentions what they dined on,\nnamely--veal and cakes. It therefore follows, that the account, as\nrecorded of the Lord's dining with Abram, must be taken in its plain and\nliteral sense; because it is connected with the destruction of Sodom and\nGomorrah, and also of Lot's wife being turned _into a pillar of salt_;\nwhich account is referred to as having taken place, by the writers of\nthe New Testament. After the Lord and the two angels had retired from\ndinner, the Lord informed Abram of his errand to the above cities; which\nwas, to find out whether their ill-fated inhabitants were as wicked as\nthey had been reported; as he (the Lord) was determined to know. It was\nthen that Abram began to plead with the Lord, and to show the injustice\nof destroying the innocent with the guilty, as from the nature of the\ncrime for which the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were to be destroyed,\nall the women and children were innocent. Abram, therefore, saw\nimmediately the horrid cruelty and injustice of such destruction as was\nabout to overtake the unfortunate inhabitants of Sodom. In the\ndiscussion, Abram had the best of the argument, but his efforts were\nunavailing. Fire came down from heaven, and they were burnt alive,\ninnocent and guilty together.\n\nFrom the account it appears, that after the Lord parted with Abram, he\nalso took his leave of the angels; and what became of the Lord, the\nBible is silent; but the angels, after having dined with Abram, took\nsupper with Lot. This Lot seems to be the only man in Sodom that was\nworth saving; and he certainly acted very strange: for when his townsmen\ninsisted on knowing who the angels were, and on what business they came,\nLot offered to turn into the street his two innocent daughters, to be\ndealt with according to the wishes of those vile wretches, if they would\nbut permit him to lodge and entertain the strangers. Certainly, the\nmorality of the Bible is most sublime, and the ways of the Jewish God\n_past finding out!_\n\nThe case of Lot's wife is, to all appearance, very strange. Her crime of\nlooking back, would appear to us much less than that of her husband's in\nturning his daughters into the street. The history of Lot winds up with\na strange account, and not very favorable to strict morality,\nnamely--the project of his daughters in making him drunk, and the\ndisgusting consequences that followed. Thus, it is clear, that Lot's\nwife (bless the good old woman!) was the best, in a moral point of view,\nin the whole family; and only for looking back on her beloved home, she\nwas treated like a dead sow, by being put into pickle. To conclude this\ntirade of nonsense and folly, we will add--\"_remember Lot's wife_.\"\n\nIt appears from Bible history, that when Abram left his own country, he\nwas any thing but rich; and as his substance consisted in a few heads of\ncattle, a famine soon overtook him as he journeyed, which induced him to\ngo down into Egypt, the then granary of the earth. To prevent any\nunpleasant consequences that might result to Abram, because of the\nbeauty of Sarah, his wife, she was instructed to call her husband her\nbrother. It turned out as was expected, for she was recommended to\nPharaoh, and taken into the royal palace. Immediately, presents came\nunto Abram in quick succession, consisting of \"_sheep and oxen, and he\nasses; men-servants and maidservants; and she asses and camels_.\" But\nthe Lord, ever watchful over Abram's affairs, troubled Pharaoh and his\nhouse; and when Pharaoh discovered the cause of this evil, he\nremonstrated with Abram for his duplicity, and returned his wife\nundefiled. So kind, however, was the Lord to Abram, that the presents\nwere made before the cheat was discovered, and he came out of Egypt a\nrich man.\n\nThis may be said to be the beginning of Abram's good luck; and we may\nsuppose that in returning home to their old pasturage, Sarah would laugh\nand exclaim--\"See what it is to have a handsome wife!\" Another famine\nwill make brother Abram and sister Sarah the richest couple in pastoral\nlife.\n\nIn the course of events, Abram and Sarah had recourse again to the same\ntrick, on Abimelech, King of Gerar, which had been acted with so much\nsuccess in Egypt. Sarah, on account of her beauty, _at ninety years of\nage_, was taken by the King; but the Lord, ever the guardian of Sarah's\nvirtue, came to Abimelech in a dream, and threatened him and all his\nhouse with death, if Sarah was not given up to her lawful husband. The\nKing remonstrated with the Lord, and justified his conduct by declaring,\nthat both Abram and Sarah had deceived him; and said--\"_In the integrity\nof my hearty and innocency of hands, have I done this._\" The Lord\nreplied--\"_I know that you did it innocently, for I withheld thee from,\nsinning against me; therefore, suffered I thee not to touch her._\"\nAgain, as before, presents of cattle, men-servants, and maid-servants,\nwith a thousand pieces of silver into the bargain, were given to Abram,\nwith his wife, who is as chaste as morning dew.\n\nI have dwelt longer on this account than I at first intended, merely to\nshow the folly in believing that the Almighty Lord of all had any\nconcern in such contemptible fooleries as are recorded in the family\nconcerns of Abram. One thing, however, is omitted; and that is, the\nquarrel between Sarah and Hagar. The tent or house became too hot to\nhold those rival women; at last, Sarah triumphed by turning out Hagar\nand her love-begotten child, which demanded the Lord's interference, and\ngave poor Abram no small share of trouble.\n\nFrom the moment that Jehovah adopted the family of Abram, the Bible\naccount warrants us in supposing that the family concerns of that\npatriarch particularly engaged the attention of Jehovah; since, for\nevery trifling concern that took place, the Lord was applied to in order\nto settle the matter. Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau, when about\nto become a mother, applied to the Lord for information respecting her\nsingular situation; and the Lord informed her that she would be the\nmother of two celebrated nations, and satisfied her mind as to every\nother inquiry she made. And here we may ask, how it was that the Lord,\nin those days, was so easy of access? How every gossipping old woman\ncould lay her case before the Lord, and wait his advice and answer? The\nreply is at hand. The whole account of the Lord's saying unto Abram, or\nthe Lord's saying unto Moses, and again, \"_the word of the Lord came\nunto Moses, saying,\"_ is all humbug: no such word ever came; no such\nconversation ever took place.\n\nWhoever wrote the Book of Genesis, has placed Jehovah in an immoral\npoint of view; as keeping company with unprincipled knaves, and as\nacting without any regard to the strict rules of justice and mercy; as\nhaving a system of favoritism, which does not admit of administering\nimpartial justice. The case of Jacob and Esau is directly opposed to\ntruth and impartiality. Esau was, in a moral point of view, evidently\nthe best of the two; but Jacob was Jehovah's choice. Esau, according to\nBible history, was a hardy, industrious, and generous man. Jacob, on the\nother hand, was his mother's pet; and the deception which he and his\nmother played on old Isaac, who was blind, is in strict accordance with\nthe conduct of all the Lord's favorites. Jacob, according to Bible\nhistory, was, through his whole life, full of deception and trickery. He\ncould lie and take a false oath to deceive his blind father; and by\ndeceit, deprive his brother Esau of his lawful right of inheritance. And\nyet the Lord was with him, and connived at all his baseness!\n\nBut Jacob, conscious of his wickedness, and justly deserving his\nbrother's resentment, fled to his uncle for protection. On his way, the\nLord appeared to him in visions; and, notwithstanding his lying and\nfalse swearing to his father, promised him divine assistance. Jacob\nstill acted in the same crafty manner, even with the Lord himself;\nalways having his own self-interest in view; for, after the Lord had\nsaid, Genesis xxvii., 15, \"_And behold, I am with thee, and will keep\nthee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into\nthis land; for I will not leave thee until I have done that which I have\nspoken to thee of_\"--even after this promise from the Lord, in verse 20\nit is said--\"And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, if God will be with me, and\nwill keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and\nraiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace,\n*then shall the Lord be my God*.\"\n\nWell done, Jacob! that is making a good Jew bargain. Jehovah and Jacob\nboth kept their word; for Jacob married his two cousins, the daughters\nof his uncle Laban, and staid with him until he, by the help of the\nLord, contrived to jockey old Laban out of the best of his cattle, and\nran away back to his own father's house, taking with him, by stealth,\nthe gods of Laban his father. Thus did Jacob not only triumph over the\nheathen gods, by carrying them off captive, but continued to adhere to\nJehovah, his own God, who did not desert him in his recreant tricks. It\nis not to be wondered that the sons of Jacob should be so base in their\nactions, after the example of their father; and considering what a mixed\nbreed they were, having so many mothers. Their conduct towards their\nbrother Joseph is a sample of their actions; and although Bible history\nrecords the good fortune of Joseph, he, among the rest of his brethren,\nacted the tyrant as soon as power would permit him so to do.\n\nThis chapter will conclude with a few remarks on the life of Joseph, and\nhis career in Egypt. The fame and good fortune of Joseph, depended on\nhis gift of interpreting _dreams_, which finally made him, under\nPharaoh, _Lord of the land_; and according to his predictions, _seven\nyears of famine were to succeed seven years of plenty_; by which, Joseph\nplanned the entire subjugation of Egypt. He, by the authority of\nPharaoh, bought up all the grain left of the seven years' plenty; and\nwhen the famine came, the grain was sold to the inhabitants at the price\nthat Joseph was pleased to put upon it. But the famine continued so long\nthat all the money was spent. The poor, half-starved people told Joseph\ntheir situation, and offered their cattle in exchange for grain; the\ncattle were taken by him; at last, all their cattle disappeared, and the\npeople continued in want; then, offer was made of their lands, which\nJoseph also took; and with their lands, themselves; so the government\ntook all. But after the famine, Joseph proposed to furnish them with\nseed wherewith to sow their fields, on condition that, ever after,\nPharaoh was to have one-fifth of the yearly produce. How kind of Joseph!\nNow, if the Bible be true concerning this matter, I ask, could anything\nbe more unjust and cruel?\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV. FROM THE BIRTH OF MOSES TO THE DEATH OF JOSHUA\n\n\nTHIS chapter will put beyond dispute all connection between the Jehovah\nof Moses and the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe. Whoever drew the\npicture of Jehovah, as it is recorded in the Bible, made him, in every\nsense of the word, a mere man; and put him under the same necessity of\nre-sorting to means for obtaining information, when the subject of\ninquiry is involved in doubt. For instance: Jehovah informs Abram that\nthe inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah were reported to be wicked in the\nextreme; and that he (the Lord) came down to get information on that\nsubject. Again, when the builders of Babel were about to commence their\nlofty tower, the Lord came down to see what they were doing; and, not\nbeing pleased with their intentions, put a stop to the work, and\nperformed a miracle, whereby they were driven abroad on the face of the\nearth. Besides, the Lord's coming from a certain place to another place\nfor information, implies that, without such movement, the information\nsought for could not be obtained. These instances, and hundreds of\nothers of the same kind, imply also that the Jewish God had a local\nhabitation. Again, to say that the Lord came to a place, staid there,\nand then returned back again,--these are movements which are common with\nmen, but cannot be applied to the omnipresent God. The free access that\nMoses and the Old Testament prophets had to their God will warrant the\nidea that he resided next door to them, and that the Lord was obedient\nto their every call.\n\nThe children of Israel, after the death of Joseph, began to multiply so\nfast that the Egyptians feared for their own safety in the event of a\nwar with other nations; and in consequence, ordered the mid wives to\ndestroy all the male children, but to save the females alive. But Moses\nwas saved, according to the Bible, in consequence of Pharaoh's daughter\ndiscovering him in the river; and when he came to maturity, the Lord\nselected him to go to Egypt to demand of Pharaoh, the king, to let the\nIsraelites go out from that state of bondage in which, for four hundred\nyears, they had been held.\n\nThe departure of Moses from Egypt was not very honorable for a future\nambassador; for before his departure he murdered a man, and buried him.\nTo escape justice, he then fled to Midian, and became acquainted with a\npagan priest, who took him into his house, and ultimately gave him one\nof his daughters in marriage, and he became his father-in-law's\nshepherd; and the Lord made himself known to Moses. It was while tending\nthe flocks that he was chosen go to Egypt to demand the release of his\nbrethren, then in cruel bondage. After the Lord had given him his\ninstructions, and, to all appearance, Moses had started on his mission,\na remarkable circumstance took place, that must puzzle Bible\ncommentators to explain. It is recorded in Exodus iv., 24, \"_And it came\nto pass, by the way in the inn, that the Lord met him and sought to kill\nhim._\" This meeting appears to have been accidental, for no mention is\nmade of the business of either of them. Here, again, we observe that the\nwriter, whoever he was, has spoken of the Lord as a man. It is not\npossible for men of sound understandings to conceive of the reality of\nthe Lord's meeting Moses at an inn, if by the Lord, We understand the\nAlmighty Power that governs all Worlds.\n\nOn the account as it stands recorded, and as Christians take it as\nreally having happened, the following remarks may reasonably be made,\nnamely: that after Moses had been ordered to proceed to Egypt on his\nimportant mission, he loitered his time away in a tavern; and that the\nLord surprised him in that place, and showed anger for his contempt of\norders, given to and accepted by him. But the cause of a meeting so\nextraordinary, it is difficult to unravel. It is easily conceived why\nMoses might visit a tavern; but that the Lord of heaven and earth should\nfollow a creature into a pot-house, and show signs of anger, and a\nquarrel should be the result, is very hard to believe; for it said, the\n\"_Lord sought to kill him_.\" Again, if the Lord sought to kill him, it\nmust be in appearance only, for he could have done it. However, Moses\nstarted off.\n\nThe account warrants us in supposing, that Moses had staid in the inn\nlong enough for his wife to overtake him, and to upbraid him with\nneglect. Something is said about his son's being uncircumcised; and\ntaking a sharp stone, she performed that operation with a very clumsy\ninstrument; after which, she exclaimed, in an angry tone, \"_A bloody\nhusband thou art, because of the circumcision_;\" as if she meant to\nsay--\"Shame on you! to leave it to me to do that which is so revolting\nto my feelings!\" Moses then departed for Egypt, and obeyed the Lord in\nhis journey to his brethren.\n\nWe can discover neither justice nor humanity in the course that was\ntaken by the God of Israel, in bringing the Jews out of bondage. On the\ncontrary, the greatest inhumanity and injustice are discoverable in\nevery movement that Moses made under the authority of the Lord; which\nfully proves, that Infinite Wisdom and Goodness had nothing to do in the\nmighty fuss of liberating the seed of Abram from bondage. The plagues\nthat were inflicted on the inhabitants of Egypt, if true, make the\nconduct of Jehovah more vindictive than any thing we have heard of as\nproceeding from the Devil himself for the Lord had told Moses\nbeforehand, that he had hardened Pharaoh's heart that the people might\nknow the power of the Hebrew God to afflict the nation. It might have\nbeen sport to the man made God of Moses, but not very pleasant and\ncomfortable to the Egyptians, to be lousy, to be stunk to death with\nputrid carcasses, having frogs for bed-mates, when the Lord had hardened\nthe King's heart. But the worst and most infamous of all the judgments,\nwas the destruction of the first-born. This act would have disgraced the\nvery devil: to institute the Feast of the Passover.\n\nWe may indulge in a little mirth in reference to the destroying angel\ngoing round the streets, finding out the doors marked with the blood of\nyour paschal lamb, and taking care not to wring the neck of a little\nHebrew. Wonder if the destroying angel had a lantern? But, perhaps, he\nhad cat's eyes, and could see as well by night as at noon-day! No\nwonder, ye Jews, that the inhabitants of Egypt so willingly gave you\ntheir gold and silver ornaments to get rid of a people so detestable,\nand, with them, a more detestable God.\n\nIn a short time after the Jews had left the house of bondage, they began\nto upbraid Moses that they had changed for the worse; and in the course\nof their journeying, they quarrelled with him, and the Lord had\ncontinually to interfere, and to feed them by miracles. At Mount Sinai,\nMoses halted; and, according to the command of the Lord, the law was\ngiven to the nation, as recorded in Exodus, chapter xx. And this boasted\nlaw is said to have been given by the Lord, in the hearing of all the\nChildren of Israel. The first commandment contains a spirit of\nintolerance, which, whether he gave it or not, has never failed to\ngenerate in Jews and Christians a spirit of religious persecution which\nhas deluged the earth with blood.\n\nThe ten commandments, given by Moses to the Children of Israel, contain,\nin general, good moral precepts, with the exception of the first. The\nfirst begins by the Lord's speaking in a language which all the people\ncould understand:--\"_I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out\nof the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no\nother Gods before me._\" This command, which by both Jews and Christians\nis considered so just and reasonable, contains in it the germ of\nintolerance. Had this command been given immediately after the recorded\nfall of Adam, its influence would have had a very different bearing on\nthe peace and happiness of society, than it had at the time, and has had\never since it was given. It would have been both just and right in the\nLord of all to demand of his creatures to worship him, and him alone, in\nthe way and manner he saw fit; since in that case, no evil consequences\ncould have followed from a command so just and proper, as for the\ncreature to obey his Creator.\n\nBut at the time the Lord gave the first commandment, the whole world\nwere in the practice of worshipping the gods of their forefathers: the\norigin of which worship was then lost, and the worshippers were no doubt\nas sincere in their devotion as the most pious Jew or Christian of the\npresent day. By the publication, then, of the first commandment, at a\ntime when every nation had its particular god, and the worshippers lived\nin peace, the spirit of intolerance and religious persecution being\nunknown, the great I am declared a religious war against all the gods,\nand their worshippers on the face of the earth. But according to Bible\nhistory, Jehovah permitted his creatures to wander on earth, and\nappeared regardless as to what gods were worshipped; and then, after\nsome thousand years, he all at once began to rage against all the\nreligious systems then known.\n\nBut it was otherwise with what are called heathen nations. Each had its\npeculiar god, and also its different forms of worship; and they lived\nhappily with each other on the score of theology. And here we may\nobserve, how unfortunate it has been for the human race, that the Lord\ndid not either give his law sooner, or not at all; for it is plainly to\nbe seen, that if the first commandment had been given by the Lord before\nmen had followed other gods, idolatry would have been prevented, and\nJehovah's watchfulness over the worship he had established, would have\nbeen productive of universal happiness. But, on the contrary, the\ncommand being given so long after, and that, too, when religious systems\nwere flourishing, and temples crowded with devout worshippers, the worst\nconsequences have followed.\n\nThe worshippers of Jehovah, whether Jews or Christians, have, by the\nBible itself, become intolerant and persecuting; and never have they\nfailed, when power would admit, to destroy the enemies of their God\nwithout mercy: so that the first commandment, by coming too late, has\nproved the greatest curse that ever afflicted the human family. And\nhence the folly in believing that Infinite Wisdom and Goodness would\npermit false religion to progress so long before the true one was made\nknown to the human race. After the moral law, or the ten commandments,\nhad been given by the Jewish God, on the mount, amid thunder and\nlightning, we have it recorded that Moses was ordered to go up to the\ntop of the mount, and there, with the Lord, he staid forty days and\nnights; during which time Aaron, his brother, remained with the whole of\nthe Children of Israel in camp, at the foot of Mount Sinai.\n\nAnd now, candid reader, prepare your mind for an account of what took\nplace on the mount, between Jehovah and Moses; and when you have read\nit, and maturely reflected on what is recorded, then I say, ask yourself\nwhether there is one word of truth in the account of this strange\ninterview between Moses and his God? Compare it with any of the\nabsurdities to be found in the _Koran_ of Mahomet, and discover, if you\ncan, whether the latter is less true than the former.\n\nThe Bible record states, that Moses was ordered to ascend the mount, on\nprivate business with the Lord, and to leave Aaron in charge of his\nchosen people till his return. The account clearly states, that Moses\nwas then and there to receive instruction how to fit up and ornament the\nTabernacle that was to accompany the Children of Israel in their journey\nto the promised land. And here we may notice, \"_That in six days the\nLord made heaven and earth, and all things therein_\"; yet it required\nforty days to plan and fit up this moveable church; and before it was\nfinished, the chosen people, with Aaron at their head, became idolators;\nso that before the Lord and Moses (both hard at work) had completed the\nchurch, they lost the congregation. This, to make the best of it, was a\ndreadful blunder.\n\nAfter the forty days had run out, during which time Moses and his God\nwere hard at work, and Moses had often received the precaution, \"_See\nthat you make all things according to the pattern given on the\nmount,_\"--all at once, the Lord said to Moses, \"Do you know what is\ngoing on below?\" Poor Moses, full of thought, and over-joyed at the\nprospect of so fine a fit-out, was altogether ignorant of the Lord's\nmeaning. \"Why, Moses, that stubborn race you brought out of Egypt, have\nset up strange gods, and have turned their backs on both you and me\"! If\nthis story was strictly true, how Moses must feel on hearing this\nunfortunate news! We must suppose he would exclaim and say, \"Oh! Lord,\nour forty days' labor is all knocked on the head. Is it possible, Oh!\nLord, that they have forgotten what you did for them in Egypt? What a\npity it is, Oh! Lord, that they ever got rid of the lice when they left\nthe house of bondage, for if they were now tormented by those nibblers,\nit would remind them of the lousy miracle you performed for them in the\npresence of Pharaoh. Those lice, if not destroyed, would have been 'a\nforget-me-not.'\" And the Lord said unto Moses, \"Now let me alone, that\nmy wrath may wax hot against this people, for I know that they are a\nstiff-necked race. I will destroy them, and from you shall a great\nnation spring up.\" But Moses, not having at this time lost his temper,\nsaid, \"Oh! Lord God, now do not destroy them; besides, what will the\nEgyptians say? And also remember what you promised to Abram, Isaac, and\nJacob: how you swore that you would give it to Abram and his seed\nforever.\" \"Well, Moses, you reason correctly. I own I was rather too\nhasty; upon a second thought, I retract; I will take your advice; but go\ndown and see what you can make of them.\"\n\nMoses, not well pleased, left the Lord, and went down from the mount;\nand when he came to the camp, he lost all patience, and, in a passion,\nnot knowing what he did, threw down the stones on which were written the\ncommandments--and written, too, with the finger of God--and they were\nbroken asunder. No wonder that Moses lost his temper: forty days' labor\nlost; having had, during the whole time, nothing to eat; and having lost\nhis church members before the moveable church was complete! No one can\nbe surprised that he acted as he did. Moses reasoned so correctly with\nthe Lord, that he cooled Jehovah down, but was not so fortunate with\nhimself.\n\nAaron, finding himself in a dilemma, excused himself by charging the\npeople with the fault. But Aaron's story was but a lame tale; for, when\nthe people demanded a god, to whom they might pay divine honors, Aaron\ncould have told them to have patience, and Moses would return with\nproper instructions from their God. But poor, silly Aaron told Moses,\nthat when he threw the rings and bracelets into the fire, out came the\ncalf. At any rate, between the Lord, Moses, and Aaron, a sad blunder was\nmade; and to finish off, Moses commanded the Levites to go sword in hand\nand kill every man his brother and neighbor; and three thousand were\nslain, who, if things had been conducted properly, might have been\nfaithful worshippers of Jehovah. Finally, nothing can exceed in folly\nthis foolish story of Jehovah, Moses, and Aaron, except it be the folly\nof believing it to contain one word of truth.\n\nAfter Moses had slain the people for their idolatry, not having been\nreproved by the Lord, he was commanded to prepare two tables of stone,\nin place of those that were broken, and the next morning to go up again\nto the Lord, on the mount. It is then said that the Lord descended on\nthe mount to meet Moses; so it appears that the Lord (after the\ndeparture of Moses to the bottom of the mount) departed also, into\nheaven or to some unknown place; for it is recorded that he came down\nagain to meet Moses with the two new tables prepared by him. The whole\naccount of the Lord's interview with Moses, on the mount, implies that\nJehovah labored, talked, and acted in concert with Moses, as one man\nacts with another; and that they remained together forty days and as\nmany nights. Whether they continued their work through the night, we\nhave no account; nor whether they needed candles. At all events, if it\nbe considered literally as a matter of fact, it was a long time for\nMoses to be without food or sleep; but as Christians are compelled to\nbelieve it to be matter of fact, we will remark on it as such.\n\nWe begin, then, by asking if the Children of Israel were indeed the\nLord's chosen people, how can we account for the neglect in not giving\nAaron proper instruction respecting the business of Moses on the mount,\nso as to prevent the people from seeking after other gods? And, also,\nhow came it to pass that the Lord did not inform Moses sooner of the\npeople's revolt, so that the three thousand that Moses caused to be\nmurdered, might have been saved? And lastly, is it consistent with the\nattributes of the Governor of the Universe to resolve, in wrath, to do\nany thing, and then repent and not perform it?\n\nIf nothing had been recorded in the Old Testament of the sayings and\ndoings of the Jewish God, but that which is related concerning him in\ngiving the law on Mount Sinai, and of his giving instruction to Moses\nhow to fit out the Tabernacle, it is of itself sufficient to show the\nabsurdity of Jehovah's being the God of Nature. To unite in one person\nthe attributes of the great and all-powerful God, with the contemptible\narrangement of giving patterns for curtains, and a thousand trifling\nthings of no importance whatever, and to take forty days to garnish his\nchurch, and, while so doing, to let, from sheer neglect, his people lose\nsight of Moses, and then to destroy three thousand persons in\nconsequence of such want of foresight, is too much for credulity to\ndigest.\n\nWhen we notice the importance attached to rites and ceremonies the most\nunimportant, and then again how lavish the Jewish God is of human life,\nand totally regardless of human suffering, we dare not for a moment give\ncredence to the strange stories and foolish whims of the Bible God, and\npalm them upon the all-bountiful Author of Nature. Moses, after coming\ndown the last time from the mount, begins to prepare for the priesthood,\nby saying, that the firstlings of cattle, whether of the ox, or the\nsheep which are of the male kind, belong to the Lord; but the firstling\nof the ass was to be redeemed by substituting a lamb! But if the owner\nhad no lamb to offer, the neck of the ass was to be broken; as if the\nLord had said--if you have nothing better to give, I will not accept of\na young jack-ass!\n\nWhoever wrote the Book of Exodus, has made the God of Israel appear like\nunto an old clothes-man, giving orders for a thousand ornaments for his\nworship, which would disgrace a heathen temple; such as giving orders\nfor all kinds of brass work; likewise, gold and silver ornaments; all\nkinds of oils and spices; particular patterns of cabinet work; what kind\nof leather skins, and, also, of what particular color, to grace his\nhouse withal: and even down to the cut and color of the garments: not\nforgetting to give instruction concerning the making of breeches for\nAaron and his sons! In the present day, it is no uncommon thing for\nladies to wear the breeches; but in those days, when breeches were cut\nby inspiration, it would have been no small crime for a woman to have\nstepped into Aaron's inexpressibles, or those of his sons. How is the\ndignity of the Governor of the World disgraced, by ascribing to him an\nemployment fitting only for a pedler in old clothes!\n\nLet' us compare the majestic grandeur of Jupiter, the supreme god of the\nGreeks, to the peddling, gossipping concerns that the writers of the Old\nTestament have palmed on Jehovah, the God of the Jews! Hear what the\npoet says of Jupiter, when challenging all the gods to oppose his\npower:--:\n\n    \"Let down our golden, everlasting chain,\n    Whose strong embrace holds heaven and earth and main;\n    Strive all, of mortal or immortal birth,\n    By this to drag the thunderer down to earth;\n    Ye strive in vain; if I but lift this hand,\n    I heave the heaven, the ocean, and the land;\n    'T is thus I reign, supremely and above;\n    Such are men and gods compar'd to Jove!\"\n\nThe contradictions, as recorded in the Bible, concerning Jehovah, are so\nbarefaced, that it is impossible to reconcile them. It is said in many\nparts of the Old, and also in the New Testament, that no man can see God\nand live; but we are told that Moses conversed with Jehovah, face to\nface, as one conversing with his friend. It is in many places recorded\nthat God never repents--\"_For he (God) cannot lie nor repent_.\" In many\nother places it is recorded that Jehovah has repented and taken a\ncontrary course in his dealings with the sons of men. I again repeat,\nthat if no other account had been recorded of the conduct of the Jewish\nGod, but what we have mentioned, it is impossible to believe Jehovah to\nbe any thing but a _man-made God._\n\nAfter the death of Moses, Joshua was appointed as his successor. His\nbusiness was to complete what Moses had left undone, in subjugating or\ndestroying the nations on the other side of Jordan. The first exploit of\nJoshua was to send spies to Jericho to examine the strength of the city.\nThese spies entered the house of Rahab, the harlot, where they were\ntreated with kindness; it being such a house as would in modern times be\ntermed a house of _bad fame_. That it was a house of ill-fame, the proof\nis positive; because the harlot's father, mother, and all the family,\nwere saved when Joshua took the city, because Rahab had concealed the\nspies: so no doubt remains as to the character of the house, and that it\nwas entirely under her control and that the whole family were supported\nfrom the wages of prostitution.\n\nViewing this account as having actually taken place, as Christians must\ndo, as believers in the Bible, it was a very proper house at which the\nspies would resort; for it was a house at which all were welcome; where\nall sorts of news could be collected. After the spies had become\nsomewhat familiar with Mrs. Rahab, they informed her who they were, and\nthe nature of their errand. All on a sudden, they were about to be\narrested by the city authorities; and when forced to depart, Rahab\nextorted a promise from the spies that her whole family should be saved\nwhen Jericho should fall. Such a promise, the spies could not well deny,\nafter having been so kindly treated. Rahab, consequently, let them out\nby a private way; and, on returning to Joshua, they praised the Lord for\nhaving directed them to so hospitable and honorable a mansion as the\nhouse of the virtuous Rahab. This was the Lord's doings, as also the\nexploit of the seven rams'-horn trumpets that threw down the walls of\nJericho; and it is marvellous in our eyes--_praised be his name!_\n\nHere, serious reader, pause and wonder how Infinite Wisdom can bring\ngood out of apparent evil, by taking into his employment murderers,\nthieves, and harlots! and also, how such characters have immortalized\ntheir names, when their actions have been connected with faith in the\nJehovah of Israel! For this noble act of betraying the city of Jericho,\nand giving the spies comfortable lodging, and no doubt, also, very\nagreeable bedmates, Rahab secured the favor of Jehovah, and her name is\nrecorded in connection with many others of equal virtue; for Paul says,\nin Hebrews xi., 31,--\"_By faith, the harlot Rahab perished not with them\nthat believed not, when she had received the spies in peace._\" Nothing\nis acceptable to the Lord, without faith,--that faith \"which keeps the\nsouls of sinners as sweet as salt does meat.\"\n\nAfter the taking of Jericho and destroying every thing that had life,\n(the family of Rahab excepted,) Joshua followed in the same destructive\ncourse as had been commanded by Moses, which command Jehovah gave on the\nother side of Jordan. If the warfare pursued by Moses and Joshua did\nreally take place, and Jehovah gave the orders, it is idle prate to talk\nof a God of justice. And when the Lord is made to say that _he (the\nLord) hardened the hearts of those Kings on either side of Jordan_, that\na plausible appearance of justice in their destruction might be made\nout,--for Christians to sing of a God of mercy, is horrible indeed.\nWhether a God ever commanded or encouraged the Jews in their wars of\nextermination, under Moses, Joshua, or any other of their generals, or\nnot, Christian nations, as well as individuals, have drank deep of the\nspirit of religious warfare. A Lord of hosts, a fighting God, has given\na sort of license to mortals to torment each other for his glory.\n\nEvery Infidel ought to oppose this spirit, and vindicate the Author of\nNature from the imputation of cruelty and carnage--an imputation that,\nis opposed to every idea of justice, and contrary to every thing we can\nconceive of the Supreme Ruler of all worlds. And hence, nothing can be\nmore honorable to a man or woman of good sense and kindness of heart,\nthan to assert that the God of the Bible is unworthy to be worshipped as\nthe Governor of the Universe; which in fact is to say, that to all\npretended divine revelations, they are no less than avowed Infidels--a\nname that will eventually be as honorable as is now the name of\nChristian.\n\nAccording to Bible history, the nations on the other side of Jordan were\nso alarmed at the frightful news they received of the Jewish army, and\nthe ravages they committed, that five Kings, with their armies, came out\nto stop their progress; and in this account, we have the climax of\ndivine interference on the part of Jehovah. After a desperate effort was\nmade by the five Kings to stop the progress of Joshua, and after\nfighting the whole day, until _towards the going down of the sun_, they\nretreated. At that moment Jehovah is said to have given support to his\nchosen people, by causing a hail-storm to descend, and more were slain\nby the hail than fell by the sword. But when the hail was exhausted,\nsomething more was requisite to be done; Divine aid was still wanting.\nThen Joshua, in sight of his army, said, \"_Sun stand thou still upon\nGibeon, and thou, moon, in the valley of Ajalon_,\" and they obeyed his\ncommand. So that, according to this miracle, the hostile armies were\ncompletely destroyed, and the sun and moon (we suppose) were ordered to\npursue their courses.\n\nAnd now, reader, to believe this improbable, or rather impossible tale,\nand hundreds of others of the same sort, even in our day, will make a\nman respectable, and fit to fill any office where intelligence and\nhonesty are required. But to doubt it, and publicly express the doubt,\nwill cause him to be considered infamous, and unfit for \"public trust or\nprivate care.\" And this will be the case until men shall be bold enough\nto express their honest convictions that it is a libel to charge the\nSovereign Ruler of the Universe with being the direct, or the indirect,\nauthor of the Bible, or having ever chosen the Jews to be his peculiar\npeople.\n\nBut to return to Joshua, who appears to be more highly favored with\nmiracles than Moses, as the miracle of the sun and moon standing still,\nto give time to Joshua to complete his victory over the Kings that came\nagainst him, exceeds every thing of the kind on record. The writer,\nwhoever he was, that mentions the sun and moon standing still in the\nheavens, evidently knew nothing of astronomy; for admitting the truth of\nthe story, and that the sun and moon appeared to stand fixed in the\nheavens, it was in reality the earth that instantly obeyed the command\nof Joshua. And another miracle must have followed immediately, to\nprevent the dreadful consequences of the earth's ceasing from turning\nround on its axis: for we have but to consider the effects of the\nearth's instantly ceasing to turn round; the shock would have been so\ngreat that trees and houses and the armies would have been thrown high\nin the air, and the battle would have immediately ended, the combatants\nbeing destroyed. But the tale is too foolish to be credited; and it\nfurnishes another proof that the Jehovah of the Jews is not the Author\nof Nature. In this battle, Balaam, the soothsayer, was slain; and before\nfinishing this chapter, we will give the account as recorded, with some\nremarks on that celebrated fortune-teller.\n\nWhen the Children of Israel had left Egypt, and were marching to the\nland of promise, they had to go through different kingdoms and\nprovinces; and their numbers, connected with the depredations they\ncommitted in the name of Jehovah, caused the inhabitants of those\nregions to be greatly alarmed; and understanding that their God fought\nfor them and that they were about to pass through the land of Moab,\nBalak, King of Moab, having learned what had been done by them to the\nAmorites, sent to Balaam to consult with him, intending, if possible, to\nstop their progress, or at least, to find out what the Jewish God had\ndestined his people to perform.\n\nIn the Book of Numbers, chapter xxii., the account commences. Balaam, it\nappears, was then what now would be called a celebrated conjuror, or, as\ncountry people say, a _cunning man_, by which he made a living, and a\ngood one, too: for, from the Bible story, he appears to be a man well\nknown by princes, and was attended by two servants as out-riders. Like\nour present lawyers, he never gave his services until he had received a\nhandsome fee; for the King sent off the elders to Balaam, with the\nrewards of \"_divination in their hand._\" Balaam received them, and\ninvited them to stay with him till the next day, for, (as he told them,)\nhe would first inquire of the Lord.\n\nIt is then recorded, that \"_God came unto Balaam, and said, what men are\nthose with thee?_\" This inquiry of the Jewish God appears strange, when\nhe must have known all about it without asking; but here, as in hundreds\nof other passages, the _man-made God_ appears. But, for the information\nof the Lord, Balaam gives a suitable answer. The Lord then informs the\nfortune-teller that he must not go to Balak, _nor curse them, for they\nare blessed_. The elders then returned to the King, to inform him that\nBalaam could not come, because the God of Israel had forbid him so to\ndo. Again, Balak sent others, more honorable than the first, with\npromises of riches and honor. The Lord came again to Balaam, and told\nhim to go with the men to Balak, King of the Moabites, but to mind what\nthe Lord had said to him. Balaam went off with the princes of Moab; but\nthe Devil, or something else, got into the jack-ass on which the old\nfortune-teller rode, and he became skittish; and although then dumb, he\nseemed to say to his master, \"I shall go no further.\" Balaam became\nenraged, and laid some heavy stripes on poor jack; but still the animal\nrefused to go on, until neither the Lord nor jack could bear it any\nlonger. The beast then broke silence, and reasoned with the old prophet\non his brutality. All of a sudden, Balaam saw an angel with a drawn\nsword in his hand, who told him if it had not been for jack's superior\neye-sight, he would have been a dead man. The angel then told Balaam to\ngo on, but to mind what he did against Israel. What contemptible humbug\nis all this! two miracles performed to do nothing! The first, to send an\nangel down from nobody knows where; and the second, to make a dumb ass\nreprove his owner. And what was Balaam's fault? He was going on as the\nLord commanded; and to complete this solemn farce, an apostle quotes it\nas a real fact that actually took place, by saying--\"And the dumb ass\nspake with man's voice, and forbade the madness of the prophet.\"\n\nAfter returning to Balak, Balaam ordered seven altars to be built, on\nwhich were to be offered seven bullocks and seven rams: and again, the\nLord came to see the process, and in private conversation with the\nfortune-teller, told him that it would not answer; Israel must not be\ncursed. This was repeated by Balaam three times; so that twenty-one\nbullocks, and as many rams, were offered up to no purpose: and at each\noffering, the Lord came down and conversed in private with Balaam. Is it\npossible that men possessed of reason can believe that in this account\nthere is one word of truth, as it respects the Governor of the Universe\nhaving any thing to do with it? If this account, or any one like it, was\nrecorded in any other book than the Bible, no man of a sound mind would\ngive the least credit to it. But yet the Christian dares not doubt it;\nfor even the apostles of Jesus speak of it as a real fact that took\nplace with the miracles attending it.\n\nTo conclude this chapter of absurdities, we beg the reader to bear in\nmind--first, that Balaam was not a prophet of Jehovah, but a conjuror;\nand if he professed any religion, it was that of heathenism. But he\n(Balaam) had heard of the manner of sacrificing to the Jewish God, and\naccordingly began by slaying seven bullocks and an equal number of rams;\nand while the altars were smoking, (if the Bible be true,) the Lord of\nthe whole earth left his throne, and came down to see what was going on.\nThe old fortune-teller was hard at work, and the princes of Moab\nstanding by to hear the result; when lo, and behold! the Lord descends,\nand we may suppose him to say--\"Balaam! why, you are cooking for a large\nparty! Come, Balaam, before you go any further, a word with you, if you\nplease. Come this way. What does all this mean? We must have some\nprivate talk about this affair.\" \"Why, my Lord, you know my business. I\nmust do all I can for my employers; I thought that if sacrifice is made,\nagreeably to your order of worship, you might be induced to alter your\nmind towards your people: for we have heard that at times, when the fit\ncomes on, you give them a severe thrashing.\" \"Yes, Balaam, there is some\ntruth in the report; but I tell you, once for all, that if you offer all\nthe bullocks in the world, and all the rams beside, you cannot, must\nnot, curse Israel.\"\n\nNo lawyer ever stuck closer to a rich client than did Balaam to the King\nof Moab; for again and again did he sacrifice to the Lord of Hosts.\nAnother trial, on a mountain, was made, and again Jehovah descends and\ntells Balaam the same as before. The third and last effort being made,\nwhich would incline us to think that the patience of Heaven must have\nbeen tired out, was enough to make the doorkeeper exclaim, \"Here is\nMonsieur Tonson come again!\" The last descent is made by the Lord, and\nthe prophet gives in, reluctantly. I challenge any minister of the\ngospel to produce a more absurd story, in any system of theology, than\nthe account of Balaam, his ass, and the Lord of Hosts.\n\nI will not insult the reader by saying, _do not believe it;_ but rather\nsay, _believe it who can!_\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V. FROM THE DEATH OF JOSHUA TO THE REIGN OF SAUL\n\n\nWE now come to the time when the Israelites were settled in the land of\nCanaan, Moses and Joshua being dead. This period of Bible history, from\nthe death of Joshua to the time of Saul, their first King, is about four\nhundred years. And, seeing the miracles and wonders performed in behalf\nof God's chosen people, in the times of Moses and Joshua, we might\nreasonably expect that the same care would be continued towards them in\nsucceeding generations. But, on the contrary, during the time the\ndifferent Judges presided over them, nothing but disasters and confusion\nprevailed; and if their history is to be credited, it must appear as if\nJehovah had nearly given them up as a prey to his and their enemies.\n\nNotwithstanding all that has been said and written about Moses being the\nauthor of the first five Books, including the Jewish worship, with the\nlaws, ceremonial and moral, it does not appear that the contents of\nthose Books were known and obeyed by the generations that followed after\nhis death; for it is recorded in the Book of Judges, ii., 10, that after\nthe death of Joshua, \"_there arose another generation after them; which\nknew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel_.\" If\nthe mighty works had been done in behalf of God's chosen people, which\nare recorded, it is impossible to believe that they should have been\nforgotten or disregarded. Can we suppose, that, in a few years, the\nDeclaration of our Independence on the 4th of July, 1776, together with\nthe name of *Washington*, and the heroism of his brave companions in\narms, can be forgotten? No; it is impossible. It is then clear, that the\nBooks said to have been written by Moses were not known; or if known,\nthey were not believed in by the people.\n\nAfter the land of promise had been divided among the tribes of Israel,\ninstead of Jehovah's setting up some permanent form of government, and\ncausing his name to be adored, so as to make his chosen people happy and\nprosperous, they were, to all appearance, left in the most confused and\nunsettled state: and hence it is often said, \"_In those days there was\nno King in Israel, and every man did that which was right in his own\neyes._\" It is not too much to infer, that for hundreds of years after\nthe death of Moses and Joshua, the Jewish God, as if he had forgotten\nhis engagements with Abram, Isaac, and Jacob, concerning their\nposterity, became indifferent to their happiness altogether.\n\nWe will now refer to their situation. As it respects government, they\nhad none; it was accidental; and, although it is recorded that their God\nfought for them, and caused both sun and moon (as the phrase is) to\nstand still, to give them time to destroy their enemies, Jehovah's\nconduct was so altered that he seemed to enjoy the troubles of his once\nchosen people. With all these facts, Christian ministers prate of an\nunchangeable God! We read of Jehovah's stirring up heathen Kings against\nhis people; and to such a deplorable state were they reduced, that an\nold woman was their Chief-Justice, and also General of their army. At\nthat time, to say the least of it, no nation under heaven was in so\ndegraded a state. At times, upstart Judges arose; the Lord was with\nthem; and, for a while, all things appeared prosperous. At their death,\nhowever, the troubles were renewed. Such was their situation at one\ntime, that they had no weapons of war, nor smiths to repair their\nploughs or harrows. Then they _cried unto the Lord_, and he sanctioned\nthem in every dishonorable way to out-wit or murder their oppressors.\n\nIn such a state of subjugation were the tribes to their foes when Saul\nwas made King, that only two swords could be found in Israel; and the\n\"_Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen every man his share\nand his coulter, and his axe and his mattock._\" What folly, then, to\nsuppose, that after all that had been done for God's favorite people,\nthey should have been so neglected, and there should be nothing but\nslaughter and blood throughout the land of promise! What madness, to\nbelieve that the Author of the Universe should permit such carnage, and\nhis whole attention seem to be directed to the foolish quarrels of an\nunfortunate race, who, by some imposture, had been taught to consider\ntheir nation as his peculiar choice!\n\nAnd as to their religion, by what is recorded, it seems that their\nproneness to worship the gods of their neighbors, is what brought on the\nchastisements of Heaven. This is but a poor excuse, and dishonorable to\nthe God of the Universe, to urge on nations to make war on his people,\nbecause he was displeased with them for worshipping strange gods. It\nappears strange, _passing strange_, that Jehovah could not convert his\nown people. But only substitute the term _Priest,_ instead of the\n_Lord,_ and reject altogether the idea of God's having any thing to do\nwith their theology, and the matter is plain and clear. Admitting,\nhowever, that the Lord of Hosts had so rebellious a race, and was a\nspectator of all their departures from his laws, he must be as great a\nsufferer as the Jews, because he was forever punishing; for, if anger is\nto a God a punishment equal to what human beings feel under its\ninfluence, then it follows that the God of the Jews is the greatest\nsufferer. Oh! ye ministers of grace you have preached up an angry God\nuntil you have brutalized the human race; and your intolerant spirit has\never been, and will ever continue to be, a _burning coal_ taken from the\naltar of an angry, vengeful God, to be rekindled when power is united to\nyour impositions.\n\nThat the reader may form correct ideas of the Lord's fighting for\nIsrael, and delivering their enemies into their hands, and also of the\nLord's giving the land or towns to his favorite people that they had\ntaken in war, it should be observed, that it was the manner of\nexpressing the results of a victory among the Jews, and also with other\nnations. They all claimed for themselves the interference of their\nrespective gods, and to them they gave sacrifice and thanks. As a key,\nto understand how God fought for his favorite people, it is recorded in\nJudges i., 19, \"_And the Lord was with Judah, and he drove out the\ninhabitants of the mountain, but could not drive out the inhabitants of\nthe valley because they had chariots of iron,_\" The same idea is to be\ncarried out in explaining such passages as the following:--\"_And the\nangel of the Lord appeared to [such an one] in a dream\"---\"Thus saith\nthe Lord,\" &c._\n\nNow, all that can be made of this is, that the person mentioned, dreamed\nthat he saw an angel, and that he said this or that. Again, it is often\nrepeated, that _the word of the Lord came unto Moses, saying_. Common\nsense will inquire, how came the word? who brought it? Words do not pass\nthrough the air like birds. Suppose it should be reported, that the word\nof the President of the United States came to some person in New York,\nsaying, _do this or that_, or something uncommon and unheard of, and the\ninquiry be made, _who_ brought this word, and an answer should be\nrequired? No reasonable one could be given. It must fill the Christian\nreader with astonishment to find, that during the time the Judges\npresided over Israel, (some hundreds of years,) that neither the name of\nMoses nor his laws are ever mentioned. On the contrary, his laws, both\nmoral and ceremonial, were either suspended or departed from. Neither\nthe Sabbath nor the Passover was observed, and the moral law said to\nhave been given by Jehovah, from Mount Sinai, was broken by the worship\nof graven images.\n\nIf we turn to Judges, chapter xvii., we there find, that after the death\nof Samson, who judged Israel twenty years, _a young man (a Jew) stole\nfrom his mother eleven hundred shekels of silver, which she had put by\nto make a god for herself and her son's household_,--a worship contrary\nto the express command of Jehovah, as given in the second commandment;\nand when her son heard his mother curse most bitterly, he returned it to\nher. She then loaded him with blessings, and with a part of the silver,\nand gave the rest to the founder, or artist, and a graven image was made\nand erected as their god, and a priest hired to perform worship. In the\n13th verse of the same chapter, her son exults, and says, \"Now know I\nthat the Lord will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.\"\n\nTo conclude this account of worship, the Levite asked counsel of God,\n(the image,) and received a gracious answer. This image-worship was the\nreligion of the Danites until they were carried away captive. This,\nthen, is proof positive, that the five Books said to have been given by\nMoses, were then unknown; and without this admission, it is not possible\nto account for the silence regarding Moses and his writings for so many\nhundred years. Not only were the five Books of which Moses is the\nreputed author, written many hundreds of years after his death, but also\nthe Book of Judges could not have been written till after Kings bad\nreigned in Israel; because, it is often repeated in that Book, \"_And\nthere was no King in Israel, and every man did that which was right in\nhis own eyes_\"; for until the end of the Judges, no King was ever\nmentioned, or thought of, among the tribes. It was in consequence of the\ninjustice of the sons of Samuel, that the seed of Abram demanded a King,\nin order to get just judgment; and in his person to secure a leader in\ntime of war.\n\nThe foolish story of Samson, which commences in Judges, chapter xiii.,\ndeserves no notice, but for its being ascribed to Jehovah, the God of\nIsrael. The whole silly account, when it is fathered on the God of the\nUniverse, will not fail to convince every man of a sane mind, how human\nbeings have been imposed upon, in ascribing to the Sovereign Ruler of\nall worlds such contemptible trash. After the Israelites had for forty\nyears been subjected to the Philistines, Jehovah determined to deliver\nhis chosen people from bondage, by raising up a man (then unborn) to war\nagainst their enemies. Samson was the person chosen for this business.\nThe story is as follows:--\n\nThe mother of Samson had for years lived with her husband, Manoah, but\nremained childless. Her sorrow, on that account, so prevailed with the\nLord, that an angel came down from Jehovah, whom Christians believe to\nbe the allwise Governor of the Universe, and informed her that she\nshould have a son that would war against the oppressors of Israel, and\nthat particular care on her part must be taken during her pregnancy. She\nwas to drink no wine, nor strong drink, nor eat any thing unclean; and\nno hair must on any account be taken from his head. The woman told her\nhusband the good tidings, and he was over-joyed, and prayed to the Lord\nthat the angel would again descend. This request was granted, and the\nangel repeated to the husband what had been told to his wife. When these\ninstructions, given by the angel, were ended, out of gratitude to the\nheavenly messenger, this joyful pair proposed to dress a kid, and\ninvited the angel to partake of it This request was not complied with,\nbut Manoah and his wife were told to sacrifice to the Lord; which they\ndid, and as the flame ascended, the angel went up with it, after\nrefusing to make known his name.\n\nIn a few months, Sampson was born; and his parents were particular in\nobserving all things commanded, as it respected the child, until his\narrival to manhood; when, behold! this Samson, the gift of the Lord, who\nwas to deliver his countrymen out of bondage, from the galling yoke of\nthe Philistines--this Samson commenced his life by going down to the\nPhilistines, and taking up with different women. Some he took as wives,\nand with others he carried on any thing but a respectable intercourse;\nand in all his actions he sought a quarrel with the enemies of Israel.\nAll unknown to his parents, it is recorded that he possessed strength\nsuperior to human beings, and that this strength resided in the hair of\nhis head. His enemies discovered this strength, and bribed his wives and\nconcubines to discover how he could be bound, so that they could destroy\nhim. After lying, and submitting to be bound, he betrayed the secret to\none of his favorite women. His head was shaved, his eyes put out and he\nwas cast into prison.\n\nIn the course of his revels among his ladies, he was waring continually\nwith his wives' countrymen; and such was his dexterity, that he caught\nthree hundred foxes and tied them tail to tail, and turned them into the\nstanding corn and burnt up their harvest. At another time, when pursued\nby his enemies, it is recorded that he slew a thousand men with, the\njaw-bone of an ass; and so mighty was his strength, that the gates of a\ncity were by him carried away with ease, and placed on the top of a\nmountain; and so terrific was his strength, that his favorite woman, by\nbribery, at last found out that his almost almighty power was in his\nhair, which had been from his birth untouched and unshorn; but as soon\nas his hair was taken off, Jehovah withdrew his strength, and his foes\nbound him with care, put out his eyes, and cast him into prison. At\nlength, his hair grew again on his head, and his mighty strength\nreturned. He then prayed to Jehovah to enable him to lift up the mighty\nbuilding in which the Lords of the Philistines were; and having\nsucceeded, down it came with a dreadful crash, and Samson, with all that\nwere within, perished in the ruins.\n\nNow, this is the man who is recorded to have been raised up to restore\nto the seed of Abram their lost power; whose whole life was a scene of\nfolly and madness. Can any man, in the full exercise of his reason,\nbelieve that the Ruler of all worlds would employ such a contemptible\ncreature to bring about his plan of redeeming his favorite people from\nbondage? Let us take a bird's-eye view of Samson's life; and first, we\nwill inquire, what end was to be answered by raising up this mighty man?\nSecondly, did Samson perform the intention of Jehovah towards his chosen\nrace?\n\nWe proceed to the first inquiry, What end was to be answered by raising\nup Samson? His whole life was one continued scene of folly and\nlicentiousness; shedding of blood was his practice; and the mighty\nstrength given him by Jehovah, was employed in doing the most wanton\nmischief, such as none but a madman would perform. The object of so much\nmurder and bloodshed, we are informed, was to deliver the Israelites\nfrom Philistine subjugation; in doing which, he fell a victim to his own\nfolly, in destroying the enemies of the Lord. Can it be possible that\nthe Ruler of all worlds raised up such a madman to carry out his plans?\nIf a story of this kind should be recorded in any other book than the\nBible, no credit would be given to it. But when it is recorded as making\na part of God's dealings with his chosen people, it is shocking to all\nour ideas of Infinite Wisdom, Power, and Goodness.\n\nIn the second place, What resulted to Israel by the efforts of Samson?\nWe answer, nothing at all; for in consequence of the wickedness of the\nBenjamites, a war soon after commenced between the tribes, in which\nthousands and tens of thousands were slain. The history of Samson, then,\nis one of those fables with which the Scriptures abound, and which, if\nrecorded by heathen authors, no one could be found who would believe\nthem to be any thing but fables. But being a part of the Bible,\nChristians attach consequence to them, and father them on the all-wise,\nall-powerful God, the Ruler of the Universe.\n\nFinally, to show the folly in believing that Samson was raised up to\nredeem the Israelites from serving the Philistines:--by the battle\nfought immediately after the death of Samson, the Philistines gained a\ncomplete victory over Israel, routed the whole army, and took the ark of\nthe Lord prisoner.\n\nIt may be of service to the reader to give some account of the ark of\nthe Lord; and in this, we must be instructed by the Bible account alone.\nThe ark, it appears, was a chest: or box, in which the following things\nwere said to be kept: the book of the law, the pot with manna, and\nAaron's rod, by which the wonders were performed in Egypt On the lid or\ncover were placed two cherabims with their wings somewhat extended, and\ntheir necks turned downwards to the cover of the ark, called the\nmercy-seat. This holy ark was kept in the holy of holies; and when the\npriests entered in to perform sacrifice on the mercy-seat, the cloud of\nsmoke between the cherabims became luminous. This light was considered\nby the priest as an acceptance of the offering made by him for the sins\nof the people. Hence the phrase of adoration applied to the Jewish God,\n\"_Oh! thou God that dwelleth between the cherubims!_\"\n\nWhen the Jews were in the battle with the Philistines, and about to be\nrouted, they brought the ark of the Lord into the camp as a protection\nagainst a defeat, and also to encourage the Israelites to fight most\nmanfully: the Lord of Hosts being then in the midst of them, they\nshouted for joy, as being certain of a victory over their enemies. On\nthe other side, the Philistines, understanding that the God of the\nHebrews had arrived in their camp, were afraid, and cried out, \"_Woe\nunto us! who shall deliver us ont of the hand of these mighty Gods?_\"\nThe commanders of the Philistines then encouraged their soldiers to\nbattle, urging them on, so that the Jews might be vanquished; and they\nslew the Israelites with a destructive slaughter, and took the ark of\nthe Jewish God prisoner, and killed the two sons of Eli, the High-Priest\nThis dreadful news so overcame the old man, who was ninety-eight years\nof age, that he fell out of his chair and broke his neck.\n\nWe may now ask, what will Christians say to God's raising up Samson? Did\nhe deliver the Jews out of their their bondage? But I have wasted too\nmuch time on such a contemptible madman and fool; yet I excuse myself in\nthis respect by the desire of showing, that, to call Samson a servant of\nthe Ruler of the Universe, is too contemptible even for ridicule. A few\nremarks on the fate of the ark of the Lord, will conclude this chapter.\nThe foregoing account is recorded in 1 Samuel, chapter iv.\n\nAfter the dreadful daughter of the Israelites, and the capture of the\nark, the Philistines were afflicted with a complaint that threatened\nthem with destruction; and after consulting among themselves as to the\ncause of their sickness, they concluded that the capture and detention\nof the ark was to them more than a counterbalance for the victory gained\nover the Jews. They therefore agreed, one and all, to send it back to\nits owners. Before sending it back, we may suppose something like the\nfollowing conversation took place:--We have defeated the Jews, and slain\nthousands of them; and although their God was in the camp of Israel, he\ncould not save them from the edge of the sword. But, after all, we are\nafflicted with a dreadful disorder, which, if it continues, will\nexterminate our nation. Our complaint is of that nature, that we shall\ndrop to pieces in the streets and upon the highways. Our wives, instead\nof baking bread, must be continually making poultices, to prevent our\nbeing considered as walking pestilences: the ark must be returned.\nInstead of a God for a prisoner, why, we have the Devil in the box. We\nmust get rid of it; it must be sent back to the Jews. Home it was\ncarried; and when it had arrived at Beth-shemesh, in the time of\nharvest, the reapers, overjoyed to witness the safe return of the ark,\nlaid down their sickles and ran to look into it. The Jehovah of Israel\ndestroyed the honest-hearted reapers, to the number of fifty thousand\nthreescore and ten, for their impudence.\n\nCan a man on earth be found who can believe the foregoing account to be\nany thing but fabulous? If this account is matter of fact, what\ndegrading ideas are connected with the existence of Infinite Wisdom and\nGoodness! If there is any thing Divine about this foolish tale, it then\nfollows, that the Almighty Power that presides over all worlds,--that\nastonishing Wisdom which strikes us dumb in contemplating the harmony\nand surprising adaptation displayed in the universe,--associated with\nsuch madmen and fools as Samson, and hundreds of others whose freaks are\nrecorded in the Bible. This is opposed to every idea that we can\npossibly have of his greatness. Let those who are but little acquainted\nwith Astronomy, contemplate the grandeur of the universe, and ask if it\nbe possible that a Being who arranges all, and who governs all with that\nexactness which overwhelms not only the ignorant and untaught man, but\nalso the most profound and learned of the human race, should thus act?\nMark well the infinite wisdom which is apparent in the vast universe of\nwhich man forms but so small a part! For one moment reflect on boundless\nspace, filled with millions of millions of suns, around which revolve\ninnumerable worlds; all of them arranged and upheld by that Power which\nChristians believe to be the author of the Bible, either directly or\nindirectly. That this being should mix up with the most abandoned\ncharacters on earth, and be forever doing and undoing; forever planning\nand failing in his plans; choosing his favorites, and then repenting of\nsuch choice; inheriting all the infirmities of fallible man; sometimes,\ntired out with the follies and wickedness of his chosen people, sinking,\nas it were, down into a state of inaction; again, rising in vengeance,\ndestroying even his chosen people without mercy; at times, appearing to\nbe long-suffering and merciful; at other times, revenging injuries by\ndestruction and death on a present generation, for the errors of another\ngeneration long since dead and gone, is inconsistent with common sense.\n\nIn fact, the Jehovah of the Bible, from the accounts recorded, appears\nnever to be at ease. Anger, rage, fury, alternately disturb him. The\nsmallest deviation of his chosen people in the performance of some\ntrifling ceremony, would at times call down the most horrid\nchastisements on both the innocent and the guilty. If the Bible truly\nrecords the movements of Jehovah, he must be the most unhappy Being in\nthe universe; for it is said that _he is angry every day_. The previous\ndescription of the God of the Bible is but a scantling of what is\nwritten concerning his dealings, even with the seed of Abram.\n\nYe ministers of the gospel! look at the heavens above, and the earth\nbeneath! Mark well the unchangeable order which pervades the whole! How\nadmirably every thing is arranged! how skilfully the means are adapted\nto the end intended! No arranging, and then re-arranging: no missing the\nmark--no going beyond or wide of the mark. Before you talk of the\n\"unblushing Infidel,\" and deal out the vengeance of your Bible God, look\nat the order, the grandeur the undisturbed harmony that governs the\nwhole; and then pause, and ask yourselves, if it be possible for the\nSovereign Ruler of all worlds, to have dictated the Bible, which you so\npositively assert is the Word of the only true and living God?\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI. THE REIGNS OF SAUL, DAVID, AND SOLOMON\n\n\nSAMUEL, the last of the Judges of Israel, when very old, appointed his\nsons to judge the people--\"But they took bribes and perverted judgment.\"\nThe Israelites complained to Samuel of their injustice, and demanded a\nKing, like other nations. Now, considering the unsettled state of the\nJews for hundreds of years, \"when there was no King in Israel, and every\nman did that which was right in his own eyes\" the request was\nreasonable; for they were tired of the unsettled state of their national\naffairs. Samuel inquired of the Lord what was to be done? The reply from\nthe Lord was, that Samuel was to let them have a King, agreeably to\ntheir wishes; at the same time, it displeased Jehovah, who chose Saul\nwithout consulting the people. His choice is recorded to have been\npleasing to the Lord, who gave Saul a good character. This kingly\ngovernment seemed fair in the beginning, and we ought to expect it would\nhave proved a change for the better, as it was by Jehovah's own\nappointment At the commencement of Saul's reign, he was ordered to go\nand fight against the Amalekites. The order was thus given:--\"_Thus\nsaith the Lord of Hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel; how\nhe laid wait for him in the way when he came up from Egypt_\" This\noffence was given some hundred years before, when the Israelites were\npassing to the land of promise; when the Amalekites opposed them, and\nrefused to let them go through their land. To us, this vengeance appears\ncruel and unjust. This was visiting the sins of the fathers on the\nchildren with a vengeance. At the present day, no tyrant could be found\nthat would imitate such base conduct as is fathered on the all-wise,\nall-powerful Ruler of the World.\n\nThe following statement will serve to make the situation of Saul clearly\nunderstood by the readers of this work, and will show the nature of\nSaul's offence for which he and his family were so severely\npunished:--Some four or five hundred years before Saul was born, the\nIsraelites were opposed by the Amalekites passing through their land;\nand when Saul was chosen King, by Jehovah, his first campaign was to go\nand destroy the then inhabitants of Amalek, for an offence committed by\ntheir forefathers long since dead and gone. Saul was ordered by Jehovah\nnot to save old or young, but to kill (murder) all, from the suckling to\nhoary old age. He fulfilled his orders as he thought, excepting that of\ntaking their King prisoner, and the best of the cattle to sacrifice to\nJehovah's honor; and for this one act of mercy, Saul was deposed, and\nDavid chosen in his stead. Now, if Jehovah knew that Saul would not obey\nthe orders given, why was he chosen to be their King at all? And if\nJehovah was disappointed, where was his foreknowledge? Does that Power\nand Wisdom that rules the Universe, blunder in this way? What say you,\nChristian ministers?\n\nAccording to what is written, the Jewish God repented that he made this\nchoice! Did he repent? We are told that when Saul was put down, and\nDavid made King in his stead, that Jehovah could not, like man, repent\nin putting down David, though he had done so as it respected Saul. To\nfather such inconsistency on the Author of Nature, is an outrage on\njustice and common sense. Again, to punish with fire and sword a whole\nnation, for what their forefathers had done five hundred years before;\nand to make the God of the Universe the author of such a command,--if\nblasphemy exists against God, this is it to perfection.\n\nFrom the short reign of Saul, we cannot form a decided opinion as to his\nkingly character; but one thing is clear, from the Scriptures, that his\nact of mercy towards the King of Amalek, offended Jehovah, and both\nhimself and family suffered grievously for it; for Samuel told Saul,\nthat' in consequence of his sparing Agag, the King, his royal authority\nwas taken from him, and _given to a man better than he_. Well might a\npoet, who wrote on this subject about forty years ago, call Samuel an\nimpostor, and exclaim--:\n\n    \"From haunts of men be that impostor driven,\n    Who thinks humanity incenses heaven.\"\n\nIn concluding this account of Saul, we may venture to affirm, that he\nwas one of the best Kings on record; his only failing appears to have\nbeen his humanity.\n\nWe now come to the reign of David, \"_he man after God's own heart._\" It\nappears that his slaying Goliah, first brought him into notice; for\nwhich act David was to be rewarded by having Saul's daughter in\nmarriage. Before this took place, however, it is recorded, in 1 Samuel\nxviii., 10, \"_And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit\nfrom God came upon Saul_\"; but David could play so well on some kind of\na musical instrument, that his performance drove the Devil out of the\nold King. From this account it seems, if the evil spirit means a Devil,\nthat Jehovah kept Devils ready to start off from heaven to do any dirty\nwork; a very worthy practice to ascribe to the God of all! It appears\nthat Saul's troubles, and the evil spirit sent to him from the Lord, had\nnearly made him crazy--and well it might: but I have no pity for him,\nbecause there is not one word of truth in the whole silly tale.\n\nDavid now demands his wife, according to promise; but Saul puts a heavy\ntax on his intended son-in-law, before his daughter could be given up.\nThe demand made by Saul on David, before he was permitted to marry his\ndaughter, is written in 1 Samuel xviii., 25, an account showing how well\ncultivated Kings and Princes were in those days, but too filthy for me\nto detail. Notwithstanding Saul was deposed, and David anointed King,\nstill Saul kept possession of the kingdom, and David was an object of\njealousy. At this time, the Israelites were in an unsettled state; and\nDavid, although a King, had no resources. A part of the people were with\nDavid, but the bulk of the nation adhered to Saul.\n\nThose two Kings, then, both of whom had been chosen by Jehovah, were\nstill opposing each other. Now, what folly to suppose that either of\nthem were appointed by the Governor of all the Earth! Even admitting the\nhistorical part to be true, who can believe that Infinite Wisdom had any\npart in so unsettled a form of government? it being like unto what\nEngland was at one time of her history, when two parties were contending\nfor power. What a changeable, unsettled Being do the Scriptures make the\nJewish God! and what folly to believe him to be the Sovereign Ruler of\nall! The regularity and order which is every where and at all times\nmanifest in nature, proclaim to all nations that the Jehovah of the\nBible is not Nature's God.\n\nAlthough David had been anointed King, to the exclusion of Saul and his\nhouse, still the old King retained his authority, and David was\ncompelled to be cautious how he proceeded, as Saul was jealous of him as\na rival. Now David had recourse to the following expedient:--\"_And he\ncollected every one that was in distress, and every one that was in\ndebt, and every one that was discontented, and he became a captain over\nthem, and there were with him about four hundred men._\" David, in one of\nhis flights from Saul, and being in want of bread, applied to Abimelech,\nthe priest, for five loaves; and the priest answered David, and said,\n\"_There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread,\nif the young men have at least kept themselves from women._\" And David\nanswered the priest, and said unto him, \"_Of a truth, women have been\nkept from us about three days, since I came out._\" The reader will now\nsee how David began his reign, as the following incident, will also\nfully confirm. The above account may be found in 1 Samuel, chapter xxi.\n\nThe following account of the progress of David and his small army, is in\n1 Samuel, chapter xxv.:--David fled into the wilderness, and while\nthere, he heard of a rich man by the name of Nabal, who had, on a\nshearing, made a feast for his shearers and friends. David embraced this\nopportunity, to levy a tax on Nabal, and sent ten young men to ask for a\npart of the good things prepared for the sheep shearing: \"_And Nabal\nanswered David's servants, and said, who is David? and who is the son of\nJesse? there be many servants now-a-days that break away every man from\nhis master. Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that\nI have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men whom I know not\nwhence they be?_\" This answer so enraged David, that he exclaimed, \"The\ntime my army lay in the wilderness, near to the flock of Nabal, we took\nnothing from them, and also prevented others from stealing of the flock,\nand now I cannot get a dinner for me and my six hundred men.\" \"_And\nDavid said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded\non every man his sword: and David also girded on his sword: and there\nwent up after David about four hundred men, and two hundred abode by the\nstuff._\" Now, to use David's own words, he intended to slay every man\nliving; Nabal, sheep shearers, and all belonging to him. Don't forget\nthis was the man _after Jehovah's own heart!_\n\nBut it happened that Abigail, Nabal's wife, heard of her husband's\nrefusal to David's demands, and she loaded several asses with all kinds\nof the best provisions, and met David as he was advancing to take\nvengeance on Nabal. And when David saw her, he said, \"_Blessed be the\nLord God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me. For in very\ndeed, as the Lord God of Israel liveth which hath kept me back from\nhurting thee, except thou hadst hasted, and come to meet me, surely\nthere had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light, any that\npisseth against the wall_.\" It is recorded after this, that in about ten\ndays, \"_the Lord smote Nabal that he died._\" Christians, perhaps, will\nsay, it served him right; because he would not give away his dinner to\nthe Lord's anointed. But to complete this account of David, it is\nwritten that he married Nabal's widow, and then he had sheep, goats, and\nall, although he had many wives before; but, being \"_a man after Gods\nown heart_\" we Infidels must be silent.\n\nAfter the death of Saul, David being in favor with the people, and\nstrictly adhering to the worship of Jehovah, his reign bid fair to be\nhappy to himself, and to the nation at large: but he had too many wives,\nand consequently his family troubles came on thick and fast. One son\nrebelled against him, and flew to arms; and Solomon usurped the throne\nafter the death of his father, and put to death his elder brother by a\nformer wife, under a pretence the most frivolous, to secure himself a\nsafe possession of his usurped power. Another son ravished his\nhalf-sister by another mother; and in return, the ravisher was murdered\nby the brother of the violated virgin. In truth, if it is true as\nrecorded, David's whole life was one continued scene of blood and\nslaughter; and on his death-bed he recommended Solomon to murder\nothers--as his oath prevented him from doing it in his lifetime.\n\nHowever strictly David obeyed Jehovah, and \"turned not aside to worship\nother gods,\" in a moral point of view he was a wicked man. His conduct\nfor licentiousness was notorious. In addition to the number of wives he\nhad before the death of Saul, his royal master, Nathan the prophet says\nthat \"Jehovah gave him Saul's wives, besides\"; but, not satisfied with\nall this, so contemptible was his conduct, he sneaked about to obtain a\nsight of an officer's wife while in the bath. Such low, cowardly\ncuriosity would disgrace the driver of a dung-cart. A lady's bath not to\nbe held sacred by this filthy, dirty animal, and yet to be called \"the\nman after God's own heart\"! His actions would disgrace the Devil, for\nSatan offered no insult to Eve: his worst crime was no more than\nsaying--\"Madam, the fruit is good, do taste, it will do you no harm, and\nyou will be the wiser; after all.\"\n\nNever let us forget the artifice the Lord's anointed made use of, in\norder to conceal his crime. When Uriah, his officer, came from the army\nwith news of importance to David, after the seduction of Bathsheba, the\ncunning debauchee said, come, Uriah, do not hurry back to the camp; go\nhome to Bathsheba, your wife; she will be happy to see you: go home, my\nfaithful servant, and stay with your wife.\n\nBut Uriah refused, by saying, the officers and the army are in the open\nfields, and I will not go home to take comfort in my own house. So Uriah\nslept in the gate with the servants. And when David found that he had\nnot been home, he made him tarry another day, and that night got him\ndrunk. In the meantime the King wrote a letter to Joab, the Captain of\nthe host, and sent it by Uriah, to place him in the front of the battle,\nwhere he would be killed. The unsuspecting Uriah then returned; to his\nduty, with his death warrant in his hand; and, according to the orders\ngiven to Joab, the commander of the host of Israel, Uriah was placed in\nthat part of the engagement where he fell, covered with wounds and\nglory.\n\nIt will be seen by the orders sent to the Captain, concerning Uriah, by\nthe King, what cowardly artifice was used to murder his noble officer,\nwhose wife, unknown to him, had been seduced. David's words are, \"_Set\nye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him\nthat he may be smitten and die._\" Such an act would disgrace the worst\ndespot on earth, but it was done by \"the man after God's own heart\"!\nWhen Nathan was sent by Jehovah to David, to remind him of his\nwickedness, it was done, in the way of a parable. David did not at first\ndiscover its application: and it is recorded, that \"_David's anger was\ngreatly kindled against the man, and he said unto Nathan as the Lord\nliveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die.\" \"Thou art\nthe man!_\" said Nathan; and David exclaimed, \"_Oh! Lord, I have\nsinned._\" In fact, he was found out, but for which he would not have\nmade this acknowledgment.\n\nAfter the death of Uriah, David took her (Bathsheba) to wife, and\nJehovah made up the matter with him; first, by destroying the child, the\ninnocent victim who had no part in the murder; and, secondly, by saving\nand pardoning David for crimes of the deepest dye: and, also, the Lord\ntold him, that because of his wickedness he should have discord in his\nfamily:--\"_Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against\nthee, out of thine house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes,\nand give them unto thy neighbor, and he shall lie with thy wives in the\nsight of this sun._\" To destroy the innocent child, who had no\nparticipation in the crime of the father, is too shocking to be\nadmitted, when it is recorded as the sentence of the just and impartial\nGod. I know Christians will reply, that the ways of God are not as our\nways, and that it is wicked in mortals to find fault with what is done\nby a Being of infinite power, wisdom, and Goodness. In reply, it is\ncontended that the conduct pursued on this occasion by Jehovah, is\nshocking when ascribed to a God impartial and just, and that it is more\nbecoming mortals, like ourselves, to reject the whole story as a vile\nfalsehood, than to father it on that Being, or that Cause, who:\n\n    \"Warms in the sun, refreshes in the breeze,\n    Glows in the stars, and blossoms in the trees.\"\n\nTo conclude these remarks on David's life and conduct, we ask, which is\nthe more reasonable supposition, that the whole account, so far as it\nimplicates a God of Justice, is, from beginning to end untrue? or, that\na Being of unbounded power, wisdom and goodness, should in any way\nassociate with so abandoned a character as King David? For myself, I\nprefer the latter. I have omitted another account in the life of David,\nthat requires to be noticed. It is recorded in 2 Samuel, chapter xxiv.,\nthat David ordered the people to be numbered. One account says that\nSatan, and another account says that the Lord, moved David to number the\npeople: no doubt it was done to get the number of the fighting men of\nIsrael; for doing which, the Lord was angry with David; and three modes\nof punishment were submitted for the choice of the King:--\"_Seven years'\nfamine, or to flee three months before his enemies, or to have three\ndays' pestilence in the land._\" The last was chosen, and it is recorded\nthat seventy thousand men died of the pestilence, as a punishment for\nthe offence of David. It is a libel on the Supreme Being to charge him\nwith the authorship of such injustice and cruelty. That thousands of\npersons may have been cut off by plague, or pestilence, at times, and in\ndifferent nations, is highly probable--but not by a judgment for other\nmen's sins.\n\nIn Homer's Iliad, we have a similar account, written, according to\nhistorians, about nine hundred years before the Christian era. In the\naccount of the Trojan War, the commander of the Grecian army, in the\nsacking of different towns, took many female captives, among whom was\none who was the daughter of the Priest of Apollo, one of the Grecian\ngods. The venerable Priest came to the General, clothed in his robes,\nbearing the sublime and awe-inspiring ensigns of his god, and demanded\nthe liberation of his captive daughter. The General insulted the Priest\nby a positive refusal to give up his daughter, and he (the Priest)\ndeparted, and offered the following prayer:\n\n    \"If e'er with wreaths I hung the sacred fane,\n    Or fed the flame with fat of oxen slain,\n    God of the silver bow, thy shafts employ,\n    Avenge my quarrel, and the Greeks destroy.\"\n\nThe second General in command inquired of the Grecian Priest the cause\nof such mortality among the soldiers; and the Priest returned the\nfollowing answer:--:\n\n    \"The King of men, the reverend Priest defied,\n    And, for the King's offence, the people died.\"\n\nThe similarity between the Jehovah of the Jews, and the Apollo of the\nGreeks, is very striking. Jehovah slew the Jewish army because David\nnumbered the people; and the Grecian god slew the soldiers because the\nPriest had been insulted. The number is exactly the same, each being\nseventy thousand men. The God of the Jews is said to have been the\nauthor of the destruction of the army of the Israelites, and a heathen\ngod the destroyer of the Greeks. The first is believed to be a part of\nDivine Revelation; the last is acknowledged to be but fiction.\n\nFrom all the accounts recorded respecting David, to me he appears to\nhave been a wicked man; much worse than Saul, whose worst action seems\nto have been his humanity in sparing Agag, whom he took prisoner. I\ncannot, therefore, believe, that the Universal Ruler of all Nature\nsanctioned his actions, directly or indirectly, any more than he does\nnow, or ever has done, those of any other legal murderer.\n\nA few remarks more will conclude the life and conduct of David. In 1\nKings, chapter i., it is recorded, that David being old and infirm,\ncould get no warmth in bed, and a fair young damsel was sought for\nthroughout the land of Israel, to wait on him by day, and sleep with him\nduring the night, to keep the old King warm. With her he was much\npleased, but the account states, that \"David the King knew her not.\"\nThis is a strange tale, for if the sole object was, to get a young woman\nto sleep with him, then not the fairest, but the fattest, plumpest girl\nto be found throughout the land, would have been the most proper person\nfor such service; for at that time, David must have had half a score of\nwives living. It is therefore clear, that warmth was only a pretence for\nselecting a handsome young maiden to comfort the Lord's anointed; and we\nmay safely infer that David was not cured of his former tricks.\n\nThe life and conduct of Solomon must now pass in review. When his father\nwas on his death-bed, he gave his son Solomon instructions to put to\ndeath several persons who had been the subjects of David, but to whom he\n(David) had sworn while living, that he would spare their lives. And\naccordingly, Solomon, after the death of his father, put into execution\nthe orders he had received, and slew the persons mentioned by David; so\nthat his reign commenced in blood.\n\nAnd here it is proper to notice, that Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, and\nthe mother of Solomon, in order to disinherit the eldest son of David by\nhis former wife, prevailed on David to have Solomon anointed King, in\nthe lifetime of his father. So that Adonijah, the real heir, was set\naside; and the better to secure the throne, Solomon had his half-brother\nput to death. The cause of this execution, as is recorded, was because\nAdonijah asked leave of Solomon, the King, to marry the damsel who kept\nDavid warm in his old age! Jehovah had chosen a strange family, after\nturning out Saul from the-kingdom, and Solomon was too pure to let a\nbrother live, after being so wicked as to ask permission to marry the\nyoung virgin who had kept the back of his old father warm in a cold\nnight!\n\nAfter Solomon had slain those men according to the orders before given\nby his father, he added another to the list, viz., Adonijah, his\nhalf-brother. The Lord appeared to him in a dream, and said, \"Ask what I\nshall give thee.\" Solomon then dreamed that he gave the following reply\nto the gracious permission:--_\"Give, therefore, thy servant an\nunderstanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good\nand bad.\"_ This request is said to have pleased the Lord, who added to\nit _\"both riches and honor\"; \"and-Solomon awoke, and behold it was a\ndream.\"_ This account is written in 1 Kings, chapter iii.; and all that\ncan be made of it is, that Solomon dreamed the Lord told him so, and we\nhave nothing but his word for it.\n\nThe Bible record of Solomon's riches, and, in fact, the whole of his\nlife, is not entitled to any credit whatever. We may say, however, that\nsome allowance ought to be made for Solomon on account of the bad\nexample under which he was brought tip in the family of his father; for\nif the Scripture history of the facts concerning Solomon is to be\nconsidered true, then the whole of his reign is the most extraordinary\nwhich ever happened in the world. Beginning with his riches, it exceeds\nevery thing in ancient or modern times. The feast at the opening of the\nTemple was no small matter.\n\nScripture informs us, that at the dedication of the Temple, Scripture\ninforms us, that at the dedication of the Temple, the sacrifice offered\nup, was twenty-two thousand oxen, and one hundred and twenty-two\nthousand sheep. This, when we consider the smallness of David's domains,\nand the general poverty of his family, is incredible; but as every thing\nis so wonderful, and the whole of the reign of Solomon is so\nextravagant, no dependence whatever is to be placed on any of its\naccounts.\n\nAs it regards Solomon's household, the provisions named for each day are\nthe following:--\"_Thirty measures of fine flour, threescore measures of\nmeal, ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pastures, and an hundred\nsheep, besides harts and roebucks, and fallow-deer, and faited fowls.\"\n\"And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and\ntwelve thousand horsemen.\"_ Now, in so small, and in many parts barren\nland, where could they be raised? But Solomon had need of a plentiful\ntable, for it is recorded that he had seven hundred wives, and three\nhundred concubines! If he had wisdom enough to regulate his house so as\nto live happy, it must be owned that the Lord had given him more than a\ncommon share; but as none but fools or madmen will believe this account,\nwe may let it pass without comment.\n\nThe most astonishing inconsistency in the reign of Solo-man, is his\ncontinual departure from the worship of Jehovah, who had been his\nbenefactor, and who had also repeatedly warned him of the consequences\nof a departure from the God of his father. If what is recorded of his\nriches be true, they were greater than those of any monarch on earth.\nThe gold he is said to have possessed when he built the Temple, exceeds\nall calculation, and is in strict accordance, in point of magnitude,\nwith his feast at the dedication of the Temple, and with his daily\nallowance of food for his household, and also with his seven hundred\nwives, and three hundred concubines. But when we consider the poverty of\nthe Israelites up to the time of his father's reign, and also David's\npoverty until the death of Saul, when at times, David had neither food\nfor himself nor army, neither had he gold nor silver wherewith to\npurchase it--it may be asked, how Solomon came into the possession of\nsuch an immense quantity of gold? and also from what vast extent of\ncountry did he procure his horses, when but a few years before, David,\nhis father; could scarcely afford to keep a jackass? Again, where did he\nprocure such numerous herds of cattle and flocks of sheep?\n\nBut as I have before said, the greatest inconsistency of all is, that\nSolomon should worship other gods, contrary to the express command of\nJehovah, who had given him wisdom, riches, and honors. Leaving\nChristians, then, to settle with Solomon, how he, with all his wisdom,\ncould so play the fool and madman in the face of his God, some attention\nwill be directed to the God of Abram, Isaac, and Jacob. It will be\nrecollected that Saul, the predecessor of David, had offended Jehovah by\nsparing the life of Agag, a captive King. In consequence, it is recorded\nthat the God of Israel repented that he put Saul on the throne. He then\nchose David, and his family, to succeed the house of Saul; and having\nmade this second choice, he declared he should not repent again.\n\nIf this last declaration had been made by man, in his choice, after\nhaving before been mistaken, the following mode of reasoning would aptly\napply; and Jehovah would also thus reason:--\"I made choice of Saul to be\nKing over Israel. I sent him to smite Amalek, and not to spare any soul\nalive, old age and infancy not excepted; but Saul did not obey my\norders, but spared the King and brought him a captive, which I did not\nexpect As I took him from driving mules, and made him a King, he ought\ntherefore to have obeyed my commands. I dethroned him and his family\nforever. I then appointed David, a man after my own heart. In this\nchoice I was happy. He departed not from my worship or my law, but with\na few exceptions. It is true, David committed adultery and murder, in\nthe case of Bathsheba and Uriah; but he repented, and I caused the brat\nto die out of the way, which made room for Solomon. Now, who could ever\nhave thought that Solomon would have turned out so bad? Why, the fellow,\nin addition to wisdom, riches, and honor, has now seven hundred wives,\nand three hundred concubines! and not content with this number, he\nmarries the daughters of heathens, prostrates himself before their\nidols, and builds new temples to their gods; but I promised not to\nrepent again, yet Solomon must be punished. I will not, therefore,\ndepose him, but in his son's reign I will divide the kingdom, and give\nthe greater part of it to one of mean birth. I will not wholly take it\naway from the seed of David, because I promised him that he should not\nwant a man to sit on his throne; but I will, for the wickedness of\nSolomon, cause discord among the tribes, that will induce them to fight\nagainst each other. It is not for the thousand women that Solomon had,\nwhich would not fail to create discord and all manner of misery; neither\nfor putting to death his brother: all that I could have tolerated--but\nhe changed his religion, and worshipped strange gods; I will rend the\nnation asunder, never more to be united. It would have been more to my\nhonor to have suffered Saul to continue on the throne, for he only\ndisobeyed my Orders once, but the son of David built temples for\nidolatry, and worshipped false gods, setting my authority at defiance.\nIn his son's reign, therefore, I will bring on trouble in his house,\nthat all Israel may know how great is the sin of worshipping false gods,\nand thus rebelling against the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel.\"\n\nI will now ask the Christian preachers, whether I dishonor the all-wise\nSovereign of the Universe, in not believing him to be capable of such\ntomfoolery as this: in choosing, and again rejecting his former choice:\nin blundering, to rectify a former blunder, and falling into one much\ngreater, to remedy the first: to be doing, and undoing: to have an end\nto accomplish, and to make use of means that fail in its accomplishment.\nYe priests! if ye are not blind, look at the heavens above, and also on\nthe earth beneath, and then ask yourselves, whether the God of all is\nthe same personage as Jehovah, the God of Israel?\n\nTo conclude these remarks respecting the house of David and\nSolomon:--Even admitting that such personages had a real existence, I\ncannot so dishonor the Supreme Governor of Nature as for a moment to\nadmit, that he dealt with either David or Solomon any otherwise than he\ndeals with every human being, and I should stand before my fellow men a\nself-convicted hypocrite, were I to affect to believe.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII. THE REIGN OF JEROBOAM, AND THE SEPARATION OF ISRAEL FROM\nJUDAH\n\n\nREVIEWING the character of the three former Kings, two of whom gave\nJehovah much trouble, and David, the best of them, committed adultery\nand murder, we must say, it was an unfortunate beginning of royal\ngovernment. After the death of Solomon, his son, Rehoboam, began to\nreign. The people requested the new made King to ease them somewhat of\nthe taxes and burdens laid on them by his father, Solomon. Rehoboam\nconsulted with his father's old servants on that subject, and they\nadvised him to attend to the wishes of his people; but he, on consulting\nwith his own particular party, returned the following answer:--\"_My\nlittle finger shall be thicker than my father's loins: my father hath\nchastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions_.\" This\ngives us a sample of Solomon's reign, and also of the course intended to\nbe pursued by his son.\n\nRehoboam's answer produced a revolt, and the kingdom became divided. Ten\ntribes broke off from Rehoboam, and proclaimed Jeroboam King of Israel,\nwhile Rehoboam retained two tribes: so that the Israelites were divided.\nThe ten tribes were called the kingdom of Israel, and the other two, the\nkingdom of Judah. This is the punishment that the Lord said he would\nbring on the nations in consequence of the sins of Solomon. So it was\nthen, with the Lord's people, as it has ever been in Christian countries\nwhere the aristocracy is every thing, and, the people are considered as\nnothing. According to Jewish history, Jehovah and the Kings of his own\nchoosing quarrelled, and then the people had to suffer in consequence of\ndisputes in which they had but little or no interest; and one of the\nstrongest proofs that \"the God of the Bible\" is not that Being whom we\nbelieve to be the only true God, is, that when the Jehovah of Moses and\nthe Kings quarrel, the Kings are spared alive, but the innocent people\nare in some way or other murdered; thus clearly showing, that Kings are\nby Jehovah worth more than those who by honest toil cultivate the earth,\nand labor for the benefit of society,--a doctrine directly opposite to\nall our ideas of impartial justice.\n\nWe now proceed to examine the course pursued by Jeroboam, the fourth\nKing who was chosen to reign over Israel. We ought to find him fitted\nfor so important a station; but, on the contrary, we have again to\nrecord another chapter of blunders, far worse than those before\nmentioned. Saul, their first King, disobeyed the command in sparing\nAgag, the King, after having destroyed every soul that drew breath.\nDavid _followed the Lord with his whole heart_; that is, he never\nentered into the temple of idols except to destroy them and their\nworshippers; but he was guilty of two crimes, for either of which, had\nhe been any thing but a King, or Priest, he would have been, by the laws\nof his own country, put to death. Solomon's character was marked by\nevery thing extravagant; but he did not wholly turn from the worship of\nJehovah, only at times, as when he espoused a heathen lady. Then, to\nprove his love for his new spouse, he worshipped in the temple of\nstrange gods, and also built new churches to their honor. This is a\ngeneral outline of the three Kings, all of whom were chosen by Jehovah\nhimself.\n\nJeroboam was appointed, according to what is recorded, in consequence of\nSolomon's idolatry. I then ask, whether it is not reasonable to expect,\nthat, in the reign of Jeroboam, the worship of the God of Israel would\nalone be the religion of the ten tribes who were taken from Solomon\nbecause of his departure at times from the God of Abram, Isaac, and\nJacob? Jeroboam being then, by Jehovah, made King, in preference to all\nothers, and being raised in the family, of Rehoboam, Solomon's son, and\nonly as a servant connected with the family, we cannot suspect that ever\na new choice should have been made for the worse. Could this have been\nthe case if Infinite Wisdom had chosen him? No; it is impossible! No\nsooner, however, did Jeroboam obtain the rule over the ten tribes, by\nthe direct order of Jehovah himself, than he set up a religion directly\nopposite to the God who had elevated him to such honor and power.\n\nIt is impossible for this account to be true, for two reasons that will\nbe given. The first is, that Jeroboam must have known the cause why\nSolomon's family were excluded from reigning over the whole of the\nJewish nation, namely, because he (Solomon) did at times worship what\nwere called false gods. Now, Jeroboam well knew this, and also, that the\nonly way for him to secure his power was, never to depart at any time,\nor under any circumstances, from the worship of Jehovah. But, contrary\nto this, he commenced his reign by falling back into Egyptian idolatry.\nUnder pretence of keeping his subjects faithful to his government, by\nnot permitting them to go up to the Temple, at Jerusalem, Jeroboam set\nup two golden calves, one at Dan, and the other at Bethel, and\nproclaimed, \"_These are thy Gods, O Israel who brought you up out of the\nland of Egypt._\" Besides, he knew that Jehovah would pardon an\nadulterer, or murder, as he had done in the case of David; but on no\naccount did he ever forgive the sin of idolatry.\n\nThere is nothing improbable in admitting that the tribes should split\ninto two kingdoms, and have different rulers. This has often been the\ncase; but the only way to account for the conduct of Jeroboam is, by\nconcluding that he knew, the whole to be a trick, and that neither\nJehovah, nor any other God, had a hand in the putting up or dethroning\nof Kings. This being admitted, we can see clearly through the whole\nmatter. Jeroboam then would, from policy, set up a new religion, or\nrevive an old one, so as to keep his subjects from mixing with their old\nacquaintances of the kingdom of Judah. It is utterly impossible for\nJeroboam to have acted as is recorded, if he in truth believed that the\nonly true and living God was his benefactor, and had raised him to regal\nauthority.\n\nThe second reason why Infinite Wisdom had nothing to do in the elevation\nof Jeroboam, is, because he must have foreseen that Jeroboam would have\nmade the matter worse, so far as idolatry was concerned; and this will\nappear the more striking by the first act of his reign. As soon as\nJeroboam came to the throne, he (contrary to the law of Moses) set up\nimages, and made priests of the lower orders of the people, and began\nhimself to worship in the character and office of a priest; for which, a\nprophet from Judah is sent (by the God who, it is said, gave Solomon the\nkingdom of Israel) to curse the altar at the time Jeroboam was in the\nact of sacrificing. Now the conduct of the prophet so sent, will enable\nus to see through the whole farce. This is recorded in 1 Kings, chapter\nxiii.\n\nThe following is in substance the prophet's mission:--This man of God\nwas sent by Jehovah to cry against and curse the altar at the time\nJeroboam was performing sacrifice; and being at the altar, he ordered\nhis officers to lay hold of the prophet, at the same time pointing to\nhim; and instantly the King's arm became useless, and could not be drawn\ninto its proper place. Jeroboam then cried to the man of God to pray\nthat his arm might be restored. The man of God besought the Lord, and a\nrecovery took place. Here, then, was a miracle performed; and Jeroboam,\nbeing grateful, invited the prophet home to reward him by an\nentertainment of bread and water; but the man of God refused, by saying,\nthat he was ordered by the Lord not to eat bread nor to drink water--in\nfact, to make no friendship whatever, but to return. Off, therefore, he\nwent, after he had performed two miracles; one of which was, to cause\nJeroboam to lose the use of his arm; the other, to restore it The\nprophet, on his way back, was met by a man who made the same request,\nnamely, to go home with him, and eat and drink; but the man of God still\nrefused. The man who thus enticed him, further said, I am also a\nprophet, and _\"an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying,\nbring him back into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water.\nBut he lied unto him.\"_\n\nThe lying prophet was in the service of Jeroboam, King of Israel; but\nthe man of God, who came to cry against the altar, belonged to the\nkingdom of Judah. The man of God, who understood that his first orders\nwere countermanded, went home with the lying prophet, and did eat and\ndrink. The reader will now notice the following three verses in 1 Kings\nxiii., 20, 21, 22:--\"And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that\nthe word of the Lord came unto the prophet that brought him back: And he\ncried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the\nLord, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and host\nnot kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee, but\nearnest back, and hast eaten bread and drank water in the place of which\nthe Lord did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcass\nshall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.\" If men would but\nexercise their reason, is it possible for them to believe that the\nSovereign Ruler of all had any concern in so paltry a transaction as\nthis?\n\nThe sum of the whole account may be expressed in a few words. The first\nprophet came to Jeroboam, by order of the Lord, to curse the altar. He\nthen and there performed two miracles, as proof that his commission was\nDivine. He then departed. All was so far right; but, on meeting another\nprophet, he was told, in so many words, that things were changed, and\nthat he might do now that which he was ordered not to do when he first\nset out. But the old prophet of Jeroboam, we are told, was a liar; and\nwhen they sat at meat, the word of the Lord came to the lying prophet\nand gave him orders to condemn the first. So that the Lord first\nemployed an honest servant, who performed his errand faithfully, and\nthen took into his service a false prophet and a liar! Believe this who\ncan!\n\nIt is possible that Jeroboam may have been King over Israel: this is not\nthe point in dispute; but that Infinite Wisdom appointed him, cannot\npossibly be true, because he was made King in consequence of Solomon's\nidolatry. Solomon did not, by sinning himself, corrupt the whole nation;\nbut Jeroboam set up false gods, and the people followed his example, so\nthat the worship of Jehovah, by the ten tribes, was entirely abandoned.\nSuch blundering cannot be admitted, if the true and living God is to be\nconsidered as the projector. Besides, Jeroboam was not cured of his\nerror by reformation, although he had been an eye-witness of the\nmiracles performed on his own person. Enough, then, has been said to\nprove, that the whole account of God's making Jeroboam King over Israel,\nis without any solid foundation.\n\nWe will now turn to the man of God who came to curse the altar, and we\nshall be able to discover what we are to understand by the word of the\nLord coming unto this or that man, saying. And here I call on the reader\nto keep in mind, that in many places in the Bible, when any thing\nunfortunate occurred to Jehovah's chosen people, such as the Lord raised\nup such and such enemies, and also that such misfortunes were from the\nLord: also, again, _an evil spirit from the Lord came on Saul_;--all\nsuch passages, and many others, mean no more than that the Lord\npermitted such events to take place. In this sense, we may say that it\nwas from the Lord that Andrew Jackson destroyed a great part of the\nEnglish army; but no man is foolish enough to suppose that the Lord had\ndirectly any thing to do in the defence of New Orleans. Again, it is\nrepeated in hundreds of places in the Bible, that _the word of the Lord\ncame to this or that person, saying._ Now, apply this interpretation to\n\"the word of the Lord came unto Moses,\" and all that can be made of it\nis, that Moses ascribed every order he gave of his to the people, as\ncoming from the Lord. It is in several places recorded that the word of\nthe Lord came to one prophet of Judah, and then this said word was taken\naway from the first person, and turned over to another prophet who\nbelonged to Israel; and in 1 Kings xxii., 24, it is recorded, that one\nprophet smote another on the face, and said, \"Which way went the Spirit\nof the Lord from me to speak unto thee?\" Nothing can be more clear, than\nthat the whole of the Lord's interference is out of the question.\n\nAfter Israel and Judah were divided, they continued as two separate\ngovernments, with each a King for a leader. Sometimes they fought\nagainst each other, calling in other Kings to assist them; at other\ntimes, they were united and fought together to oppose the common enemy,\ntheir heathen neighbors. In a war with the Syrians, when Jehoshaphat,\nKing of Judah, and Ahab, King of Israel, united their armies against the\nSyrians, and being on the eve of battle, an inquiry was made of the\nLord's prophets, as to what success they would have? Ahab, the King of\nIsrael, called his prophets, four hundred in number, and, on being\nconsulted as to the result of a battle, they one and all said, go fight,\nfor the Lord will deliver your enemies into your hands. Jehoshaphat,\nbeing more cautious, said, is there not another prophet of whom we may\ninquire of the Lord? And the King of Israel (Ahab) said, there is; but I\ndo not like him, because he always foretells something to my\ndisadvantage. Then Micaiah, a prophet of the kingdom of Judah, was\ncalled, and he foretold that the event of a battle would be favorable to\nthese kings; but that Ahab would be slain. One of Ahab's prophets then\nbecame enraged, and smote Micaiah on the face, and sneeringly asked him,\n\"_Which way went the Spirit of the Lord from me to speak to thee?_\"\n\nWe have here a sample of the prophets on each side They one and all\nappear to be ready to lie, and deceive each other, in the name of the\nLord, and also, to fight for their employers. In this account, it is\nalso recorded that the God of truth accepted of the services of a lying\nspirit, to deceive four hundred prophets, in order to get rid of a\nwicked king, the whole account of which is to be found in 1 Kings,\nchapter xxii.\n\nAfter the tribes were separated, it was common for the prophets to\noppose each other. The kings, also, of each nation aided in the\ndestruction of the prophets, and were worshippers of strange gods. And\nyet it is recorded, that Jehovah chose Jeroboam to be king over\nIsrael,--the very man who introduced the worship of idols, to the entire\nexclusion of the worship of the God of Abram! This choice of Jehovah\nlaid the foundation of scenes of bloodshed too horrid to be ascribed to\nthe all-wise Author of Nature. It could not have been worse, had the\nDevil been the chooser.\n\nFor years after the Israelites became two distinct nations, we read of\nlittle else than quarrels and bloodshed; and the prophets of Judah\n(called the prophets of Jehovah) were much worse than those called false\nprophets. This can be easily accounted for, as the Jewish religion was\nthen the most intolerant of any on earth. The Kings of Judah gave\norders, in the name of the Lord, to destroy all the heathen, as the\nenemies of Jehovah. The prophets followed up the same practice; at the\nsame time, the prophets of the heathen gods were less cruel, and,\nmorally speaking, much better men. According to what is recorded,\nwhenever power was in the hands of the Kings of Judah, or their\nprophets, no mercy was shown to the opposite party; and as to prophets,\nthey seemed to spring up like mushrooms, for it was often inquired by\nkings, is there not a man of God here?\n\nA few remarks on the prophets of those times may be here made. Elijah\nseems to have had delegated to him almost unlimited power; for lo! he,\nunder pretence of having orders from Jehovah, anointed kings agreeably\nto his pretended orders. He then foretold what the Lord intended should\nbe done to certain kings and their families. Those kings, then, thus\nanointed by the authority of Elijah, received orders to destroy such and\nsuch families; so that after Jehovah had separated the Israelites into\ntwo kingdoms by setting up Jeroboam, nothing but cruelty and murder\nfollowed, in consequence of the Lord's making so bad a choice.\n\nIt would, judging from what transpired, have been better not to have\nchanged the dynasty, but to let Solomon's heirs continued to have\nreigned over the whole of the Israetish nation; for in this state of\nJewish history, idolatry, murder, carnage, and every bad passion was let\nloose; and the kings of each nation of the Jews, by the direction of\nthese upstart prophets, showed no mercy to those of their brethren who\nhad, by the fortune of war, fallen into their power. All this horrid\nstate of things originated from Jeroboam being made king, and setting up\nidolatry throughout the land. Can we then admit, for a moment, that the\nSovereign Ruler of all brought on such a wretched state of things, or\nascribe to him so foolish a choice as the appointment of Jeroboam to be\nKing of Israel? No! it is utterly impossible.\n\nBut to return to the prophets. Elijah and Elisha were, at this time, the\nLord's servants. Elijah was foremost, and Elisha acted as his servant.\nThe following circumstance brought Elijah into direct conflict with the\nkingdom of Israel, and the then called false prophets:--Ahaziah, then\nKing of Israel and Samaria, met with an accident, and was sick; and he\nsent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub whether he would recover or not\nNow, Elijah was sent, or, he said he was sent, to say to the messenger,\n\"_Is it because there is not a God in Israel, that thou sendest to\ninquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?_\" The King of Israel then\ninquired what sort of a man it was who thus remonstrated with the\nmessenger? And from the account given, he found it to be Elijah, the\nprophet of Judah; consequently a prophet of the Lord. Elijah was sitting\non a hill, and the king sent a captain and fifty men to bring him before\nhim; and this was the order:--\"_Thou man of God, the king hath said,\nCome down. And Elijah answered, and said to the captain of fifty, If I\nbe a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven and consume thee\nand thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven and consumed him and\nhis fifty._\" And again, another captain and fifty went, and shared the\nsame fate. Then the third captain and fifty were sent; but the captain\nof the last fifty fell on his knees before-the prophet, and begged for\nhis life, and for the lives of his-men. The Lord then ordered Elijah to\ngo down with the captain to the king.\n\nNow I ask the reader, if his mind is prepared to, believe that these two\nslaughters, consisting of one hundred men, with their two captains, were\nbrought on them by fire from heaven, as a judgment? What was their\ncrime? They acted as they were ordered by the king. Here we may discover\nthe falsity of the statement; for if any punishment was to follow in\nsending for the prophet, ought not Ahaziah to have been the victim? This\nwanton shedding of blood, by the mere calling down from heaven\njudgments, by an old fellow wrapped up in a bear's-skin, and called a\nman of God, is too barefaced a lie for the present state of society.\nThere is not one word of truth in the whole marvellous story. Jehovah's\nmurdering the people for the vices of their rulers, is anti-republican;\nand if men would consult their reason, and employ common sense, the\nChristian priesthood would be ashamed to preach of a God of mercy, and,\nat the same time, ascribe to him injustice and cruelty.\n\nElijah and his man Friday, Elisha, appear to be two of the most cruel of\nall the band of pretended men of God. They, according to what is\nrecorded, seem to have had a sort of general license to kill and destroy\nevery thing that came in their way. All the prophets and worshippers of\nthe god Baal-zebub, the then worship of the kingdom of Israel and\nSamaria, were put to death by the stratagem and order of Elijah; and\nafter him, Elisha received an affront by being called \"_old bald head_\"\nand for this great offence, the Lord sent two she bears out of the\nwoods, and devoured forty and two little children! The nonsense of the\nKoran cannot come up to this account. During the lives of Elijah and\nElisha, Jehovah could attend to little else than their concerns, for\nthey were forever praying for something to incommode or destroy human\nbeings.\n\nWhat man is there, at the present day, who can believe that the Author\nof Nature gave to a mortal, power to withhold the rain or the dews of\nheaven from descending on the earth, as is recorded was given to Elijah,\nwho told Ahab, King of Israel, (1 Kings xvii., 1,) \"_As the Lord God of\nIsrael liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain\nthese years, but according to my words_\"? This miracle is referred to by\na New Testament writer, but it is not the more true on that account. I\nhave, however, said enough of Elijah, and, as he is about to go up into\nheaven, I have no wish to follow him.\n\nI will only mention his ascension. It appears that all the towns and\nvillages round about had heard, by what means I know not, that Elijah\nwas soon to be taken up into heaven; for wherever he and Elisha went,\nthe people said unto Elisha, _know you wot that Elijah is about to be\ntaken from you?_ and Elisha nodded an assent, and said, \"_hold your\npeace._\" It appears as if Elijah endeavored to evade Elisha's presence\nwhen he would be taken up; but Elisha stuck to him until up he went in a\nchariot of fire, with horses of the same; and Elisha saw it, and cried\nout, \"_My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen\nthereof!_\" In going up, his mantle fell off, Elisha taking it, and with\nit, the prophetic spirit of his master. Elisha then followed on in the\nfootsteps of his predecessor; and his first act was, to call on his God\nto destroy some little children, for the enormous crime of calling so\nodd a looking fellow, \"_old bald head_\" In truth, we discover in most of\nthe prophets such a spirit of intolerance and rage towards those who\nwere so unfortunate as to differ from or oppose them, that they ought to\nbe considered prophets of the Devil, and not servants of him whose\nwisdom, power and goodness are stamped on all the works of this mighty\nuniverse.\n\nThe prophet Jonah seems to have been a man every way unfit for the\nprophetic service; for when ordered to go to Nineveh, to cry against the\nwickedness of its inhabitants, he ran away; and, according to the\nrecord, his, disobedience produced a violent storm, and when the sailors\nfound that he was out of his road to Nineveh, they cast lots to find out\nthe person who had caused the storm, and the lot fell on Jonah, who\nconfessed himself to be the guilty person. He then told them to cast him\ninto the sea, as the only way to save themselves and the ship. It is\nwritten what followed. Another blunder again in the choice of Jonah; and\nmiracles must be performed to cause this run-away prophet to reach his\ndestination. He then again made an attempt to preach repentance to the\nNinevites; and they, hearing of the destruction against them, repented,\nand this made the prophet stark mad; for his consequence as a prophet\nbeing hurt, he exclaimed, that _he was tired of life_. Poor, paltry\ntrash for the employment of a God, to reason with and coax a hotheaded\ncreature like Jonah! but, like all the rest of such tales, there is not\none word of truth in the whole concern.\n\nBefore taking leave of the prophets of the Old Testament, a few remarks\nmay suffice to point out their real character. From the time that\nJehovah adopted the seed of Abram for his chosen people, nothing but\ntrouble and vexation on his part occurred; and on the part of the\ndescendants of Abram, Isaac, and Jacob, one disaster after another\nfollowed in quick succession. Under whatever form of government they\nlived, they strayed from his commands, and in spite of his watchfulness,\nhis chosen people would worship strange gods, for which offence they\nwere punished. Heathen kings were stirred up against them, and their\nsubjugation was the consequence. They then cried unto the Lord, and\nmatters were made up for a while. The same scenes again took place, and\npunishments followed. From the beginning of the Jewish dispensation\nuntil it ended, there was continual quarrelling between Jehovah and his\nfavorites, and some of those quarrels were so contemptible that they\nwould disgrace a foolish old man and a peevish wife disputing how the\nfirebrands should be put together, by an evening fire-side. The\nprophets, also, partook of the same spirit; they abused each other, and\nsometimes came to blows: they would lie and deceive in the name of the\nLord.\n\nBut the worst part of the Jewish dispensation commenced with the reign\nof their kings. Saul was first chosen by Jehovah himself; and, admitting\nthe account to be true, the only crime that is laid to his charge is,\nthe sparing of Agag, the King of the Amalekites, although he had\ndestroyed every other being, both old and young. For this one act of\nhumanity, Saul and his family were rejected by Jahovah. David, his\nsuccessor, obeyed the Lord in all things respecting religious worship;\nbut he committed adultery and murder, thereby forfeiting his life by the\nlaw of Moses. But he was forgiven, and the child, the fruit of his\nadulterous intercourse, was, by the Lord of Hosts, destroyed. Solomon,\nhis son, and the son also of his companion in guilt, was made king.\nSolomon worshipped idols at times, throughout his reign, and Jehovah was\nangry, and resolved to try another line of kings. Jeroboam was then\nanointed king over ten tribes, and the family of Abram, Isaac, and Jacob\nwere split in twain.\n\nNow, mark! This separation was in consequence of Solomon's idolatry. We\nmight expect, judging from Jehovah's former disappointment, that\nJeroboam would entirely devote himself and his people to the worship of\nthe God of Israel. But behold! Jeroboam began with setting up two golden\ncalves, in direct opposition, to the law of Moses, and also to the\ncommand of Jehovah, who had raised him from a state of servitude to sit\non a throne, savage and only at times departed from the Lord, but\nJeroboam excluded every vestige of the worship of Jehovah from his\nkingdom. This, then, is a just statement of the conduct of those kings\nselected by the Lord of Hosts, as recorded in the Old Testament And can\nit be possible that Infinite Wisdom should have been thus disappointed\nby those whom he had chosen? The just conclusion, then, is, that the\nRuler of all worlds had no concern in putting up or pulling down any of\nthe Kings of Israel or Judah. The history is, from first to last, a\ncheat on the human race, and blasphemy against the only true God.\n\nFrom the time that Jeroboam was made king until the tribes were carried\naway into captivity, idolatry was the sin complained of by all the\nprophets; it was the constant burden of all their prophecies; and the\nprophets, one and all, intermixed with their complaints the prediction\nthat the Lord had not entirely cast them off, but that the time would\ncome when he would _raise up unto them a prophet like unto Moses_. Such\npredictions, often repeated by all the prophets together with continued\nreferences to their future renovation and restoration, is what caused a\ngeneral expectation of some mighty deliverer that would, _in the\nfullness of time_, appear among them.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII. ON DIVINE INSPIRATION\n\n\nI INTENDED to conclude the review of the Old Testament by examining the\npassages supposed to be prophetical of Jesus Christ, and, as such,\nquoted by the writers of the New Testament; but as that has already been\ndone, in a masterly manner, by Mr. ---------- (Name crossed out by a\nformer reader. ED) and as his opinion respecting them coincides entirely\nwith my own, I beg leave to refer my readers to the work of that able\nwriter on the subject. Professing Christians believe that what are\ncalled the five Books of Moses were given by divine inspiration. I\nshall, therefore, in this chapter, consider what is to be understood by\ndivine inspiration, abstractly considered, and also with reference to\nprophecy and miracles. It is contended that Moses wrote the account of\nthe Creation, and that it is true. If so, then all the particulars of\nthat remote age must have been given to the writer by nothing short of\nSupreme Intelligence. I ask, how was this information communicated? The\nChristian answers--by inspiration. This does not solve the difficulty. I\ntherefore ask, what is inspiration?\n\nDivine inspiration, according to the Christian's idea of it, must have\nbeen the source of prophecy and miracles, and implies infinite knowledge\nand power. Now, as Adam could not have given an account of his own\norigin, whoever wrote the history of the creation of the world, and of\nour first parents, must, if divinely inspired, have had all the\nparticulars of the past clearly made known to him. We are told, by the\nNew Testament writers, that \"_all Scripture is given by inspiration_\";\nand again, that \"_Holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy\nGhost._\" Still, divine inspiration remains an inscrutable mystery as to\nwhat it is abstractly considered; and, also, with respect to the manner\nin which it is communicated. It seems strange, to say the least, that\ndivine revelation should be given to the human race by the means of\ninspiration, and yet the mode of communication be enveloped in profound\nmystery. As divine inspiration and divine revelation are closely\nconnected, the first being the avenue of conveyance, and the latter\nbeing the subject communicated, I shall define, as clearly as I can,\nwhat constitutes divine revelation; but in order, if possible, to\nprevent mistake, I shall first point out what it is not.\n\nThe developments and improvements which man effects by the exercise of\nhis perceptive and reflective faculties, are results which are not\nobtained through the medium of divine revelation. From being a savage,\nand wandering in a state of destitution in the forests, he has, by the\nuse of his varied faculties, made advances in civilization and the arts,\nwhich at first sight appear superhuman, but which were, nevertheless,\nunaided by divine revelation. Contrasting the present state of the\nwonderful and awe-inspiring science of astronomy with that when the best\ninformed of the human race were but ignorant star-gazers, we can but\nfeel proud that we are a part of the human family. Again, when we look\nback at the period when the frail little bark could not venture out of\nsight of land, and then contemplate the improvements in naval\narchitecture of our present times, which have presented us with that\nsplendid floating palace, the _Great Britain steamships_ we can but see\nthat all this has been effected without any assistance from divine\nrevelation. If, at some future time, by means of improvements in the\ntelescope, inhabitants should be discovered in the moon, we should not\nbe indebted for the discovery to divine revelation. But, the discovery\nnot having been made, should an angel be sent from heaven to make known\nthe fact, such information would undoubtedly constitute a divine\nrevelation. So, then, it is dear that whatever improvement man may make,\nby the unaided exercise of his faculties, cannot be considered as the\nresult of divine revelation. Divine revelation is that which man cannot\nknow, consequently never has known, and never will know by the aid of\nhis reasoning powers The Old and New Testaments collectively are called\na divine revelation; and that the information these books contain,\nrespecting man's duty to his Maker, came from the Almighty; Ruler of the\nuniverse, is the Christian's view of the matter.\n\nWe will now examine the various inlets, or avenues, by which divine\nrevelation is said to have been communicated to man. According to the\nscriptures, the first in order is that God himself conversed with\nmen;--secondly, by the medium of angels;--thirdly, by inspired\nprophets;--fourthly, by dreams;--fifthly, by visions;--and lastly, by\nhis son. These are the principal inlets. We will examine these different\nmodes, and make such remarks as are applicable to each. First, then, as\nto the assumption that God himself, conversed with men. It is recorded\nthat he appeared to and conversed with, our first parents; also with\nNoah, Abram, Moses, and even Balaam. The Deity's conversing with Adam\nand Eve may be considered as the commencement of divine revelation. With\nrespect to the truth of these conversations, and the remarkable\nappearances connected with them, no positive testimony can be adduced\neither for or against; we must therefore take reason for our guide in\nthe examination. We begin, then, by observing, that if such events did\nactually occur, it is clear that God was accessible to man in those\ndays, and that in a manner very different to what he is in our own\ntimes; and, also, that the unknown and invisible being could be\napproached on the most trifling occasions.\n\nNo good having ever resulted to man from such visits from the Great\nAuthor of all things, is proof presumptive that they never took place.\nSo far from any moral good having resulted to Adam and Eve from their\ndaily intercourse with Jehovah, we find in the case, of Eve, that, being\nseduced, either, by the serpent, or her own vicious inclination, she ate\nthe forbidden fruit The ejectment of our first parents from the garden\nof Eden, would seem to warrant us in believing that the Lord watched\nover them for evil, and not for good. A pair of human beings brought\ninto existence without experience of the past, or knowledge of the\nfuture, must stand much in need of instruction from their Creator; and\nyet the result of all the recorded intercourse was, they became\ndisobedient; and were driven out of the garden provided for them by no\nless a being than the Author of the universe. Had the Bible-makers\narranged the story so as to have made the conversations and intercourse\nresult in the continuance of our first parents in the garden, the\naccount would have borne some resemblance to truth: but to represent it\nas having ended in their expulsion, is by far too large a draft upon\nhuman credulity, unless they can believe that God is what Christians\ndeclare the Devil to be.\n\nIf the advocates for the authenticity of the Bible contend that the\nrecorded intercourse between the Lord and our first parents is literally\ntrue, that view of the subject is attended with so many difficulties\nthat it is almost impossible to give credit to it But if they contend\nthat it is an allegory, then the probability is that the account of the\ncreation is altogether a fabulous tradition, consequently not a divine\ninspiration. When the Lord is represented as having appeared to Abram,\nor any of the renowned men of old, such appearances are not spoken of as\nbeing of uncommon occurrence, nor is any surprise manifested. The Lord\nis always represented as having appeared in a human form. Before the\nsceptic can believe in the reality of these visitations, he must know\nfor what end they took place; and, also, why the Lord should in the\nolden times be always ready to appear to, and converse with, his\nfavorites, and in modern times altogether discontinue his visits, as if\nthere were now nothing on earth worthy of his particular notice.\n\nThe Bible informs us that three angels in the form of men appeared to\nAbram, and that one of them was called the Lord, the _Judge of all the\nearth_. They must have been in the likeness of men: for, they had their\nfeet washed; they dined with Abram, and the particular kind of food is\nmentioned, which in our day would be denominated veal and griddle-cake.\nAnd at this dinner the promise was confirmed that Abram and Sarah should\nbe blessed with a son in their old age, and that from his descendants\none should arise who should be for the healing of the nations. After\ndinner the Lord informed Abram that he had heard that Abram's neighbors\nwere extremely wicked, and that he and his companions had come to\nascertain if the report were correct, and that the vengeance of Heaven\nwas about to fall on Sodom and Gomorrah for their crimes. The good old\nman plead hard for the inhabitants, saying, \"_Far be it from the Lord to\nslay the righteous with the wicked,_\" and thereby in a slight degree\naverted the dreadful doom. The reader can peruse the account (Genesis,\nchapter xviii.,) and make his own comments. The writer could as soon\nbelieve that the moon is a large cheese, suspended in the firmament, as\ngive credit to this contemptible story. If it should be asked, how Moses\nobtained his information as to what Abram had for dinner, the answer is,\nby inspiration.\n\nWe will here notice two remarkable appearances of the Lord: one of them\nto Balaam, the other to Moses, A few remarks on each will suffice.\nBalaam was a conjuror, and a person of no small consequence in his day.\nHe was applied to by the princes of Moab to prophesy evil against the\nIsraelites, That whole nation, under the guidance of Moses, being in the\nact of marching through the land of Moab on their route to the land of\npromise, and having the character of making too free with other people's\nproperty, the princes of Moab hired Balaam to curse them. We are told\nthat the heathen prophet judged it best to procure the permission of\nJehovah, the God of the Jews, before he cursed his people. He,\ntherefore, erected an altar on the top of a hill, and on it sacrificed\nseven bullocks and seven sheep. During the sacrifice, the Lord of heaven\nand earth came down, and called the prophet aside from the presence of\nthe princes of Moab, and forbade him to curse his people. The sacrifice\nwas repeated thrice. On each occasion the Lord appeared to Balaam,\ngiving him leave to go with the princes, but forbidding him on any\naccount to curse the Israelites. The remainder of the tale is to be\nfound in the history of Balaam.\n\nNow, can it be possible, that this account contains a particle of truth?\nCan we suppose, that the unknown power, whom man calls God, presented\nhimself at the altar of a heathen necromancer, and, whispering in his\near, forbade him to perform his monkey tricks to the detriment of his\nchosen people? And that three times he should descend from heaven to\noverawe the old trickster, as if he thought him capable of doing harm to\nthe Israelites? This account is rendered more contemptible by being\nreferred to by New Testament writers, although the scripture declares in\nmany places that \"no man can see God and live.\" Christians little think\nhow largely their credulity is taxed when they are taught to believe\nthat such accounts were given by divine inspiration.\n\nIt is written in the book of Exodus, (chapter xxiv.,) that After the\ngiving of the moral law on Mount Sinai, the Lord called Moses to the top\nof that remarkable place to give him instructions respecting the\ntabernacle and its paraphernalia. Moses remained there forty days,\nattending to the commands of Jehovah. The Lord, on a sudden, informed\nMoses that the Israelites had forsaken him, had set up a golden calf,\nand were in the act of worshipping before it and dancing for joy. Moses\nwas ordered to go down. Before he left the mount, however, the Lord's\nanger waxed hot, and he told Moses not to plead for the wicked people.\nJehovah, being about to destroy them, Moses besought him not to cut them\noff, and reminded him that, by so doing, the Egyptians would triumph and\nsay that their God led them into the wilderness to destroy them.\n\nMoses also reminded Jehovah of the promises made to Abram, Isaac, and\nJacob, respecting their posterity; and by the arguments he made use of\nin favor of showing mercy to the Jewish people, at length prevailed on\nthe Lord to suppress his anger. Having descended from the mount, Moses\nfound the people half-naked, and dancing in a state of joyful excitement\nbefore the Golden Calf. The man who had but just before plead the cause\nof his brethren, and thereby prevented Jehovah's destroying the whole of\nthe seed of Abram, found it less difficult to quiet the fury of an angry\nGod, than to keep his own temper; for, when he saw their idolatrous\ndancing and revelry, he lost all patience, and, throwing down the tables\nof stone on which the laws were written, made the inquiry, \"_Who is on\nthe Lord's side?_\" The Levites instantly came forward and declared for\nthe Lord. Moses ordered every man to take his sword and slay his\nneighbor and friends who had rebelled against Jehovah,--a shocking\nslaughter ensued, for three thousand were slain on that day!\n\nIf this account could be credited, it would be truly harrowing to the\nreflecting mind. To believers in Christianity, we would say, can you\nexpect persons who depend on the exercise of their reason for the\ndiscovery of truth and the detection of error, to believe the account of\nthe transactions of Jehovah and Moses on the mountain? Surely, you\ncannot. We give the following reasons why it is out of our power to\nbelieve it:--The narrative represents the Almighty Ruler of the Universe\nas possessing the same frailties as his creature, man. The Creator is\nforty days contriving (assisted by Moses) ornaments and decorations for\nhis own worship. Before these were completed, the people, who were to be\nthe worshippers, deserted their God, and either commenced a new religion\nor revived an old one. For a considerable time, Jehovah allows Moses to\nremain in ignorance of what is going on at the foot of the mountain;\nthen, all of a sudden, informs him of it; in a burst of passion tells\nhim to stand out of his way, so as to be no hindrance to him in pouring\nout his wrath; and seems determined to exterminate the whole race.\nMoses, less passionate than the Deity, argued strenuously in favor of\nhis brethren, and pointed out to Jehovah two reasons why he ought to\nspare them:--first, that their extermination would break the promise\nmade to Abram; and secondly, that the Egyptians would exult in the\ndestruction of their former slaves, Jehovah losing all the honor of\nhaving brought them out of bondage with _a mighty hand and an\noutstretched arm_.\n\nHaving thus cooled down Divine vengeance, Moses himself became the Jack\nKetch, or executioner of his brethren.\n\nIf this account had been found in any book but the Bible, not one person\nin a thousand would have believed it. It destroys the attributes of the\nGod of all worlds, gives the lie to his foreknowledge and immutability,\nand then invests him with all the weakness, folly, and mutability of\npoor, frail, erring man.\n\nWith respect to the dreams and visions, of which we find so many\naccounts in the Old and New Testaments, they are spoken of by the\nprophets as being the medium of divine inspiration. One of them thus\nexpresses himself:--\"_It shall come to pass in the last days, saith the\nLord, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh, and your sons and\nyour daughters shall prophesy, your old mm shall dream dreams, your\nyoung men shall see visions._\" (Joel, chapter ii.) Now we know that\ndreams are not the result of divine inspiration. When we read that an\nangel appeared to a man of God, no more can be made of it than\nthis:--the priest, or pretended prophet, dreamed that an angel appeared\nto him, and conversed with him.\n\nI have many times dreamed of seeing my first wife, who died upwards of\nforty years ago. If I were to insist that the dream was a reality, it\nwould be considered by my friends that my mind was disordered; in short,\nthat I was insane. From dreams, we can obtain no correct ideas of\nrealities. If persons, who are much subject to dreams, were to imagine\nthat their dreams pointed to realities, they would be all their lifetime\nin pursuit of shadows. Dreams and visions would be very uncertain\nchannels for the conveyance of divine revelations, for the supposed\nangel might be the servant of the Devil instead of a messenger from\nheaven.\n\nThe writings in the Old Testament which are called prophecies, generally\nrelate to the Jewish nation. How are we to know that they are\nprophecies? In order that there may be no uncertainty with respect to a\nprophet's pretensions, he should foretell something to come to pass in\nthe lifetime of the persons to whom he declares the prophecy, stating\nthe precise time and place, so that when fulfilled, it should be a\nmillion to one against its being the result of guess-work. It would then\ncarry with it a convincing proof of being the result of divine\ninspiration.\n\nTo show the dependence that can be placed on prophecies, we may refer to\nthe Millerite delusion. The pretensions and extravagances of that sect\nwere based on the prophecies of Daniel. I have heard many preachers, of\nacknowledged learning and talent, attempt to explain Daniel's prophecies\nwith regard to the time of the second advent; but they generally\ndiffered in their views. About the year 1803, a preacher in London,\n(England,) of first rate abilities, told his congregation, a very large\none, to keep, in mind the year 1833, for that he had, after the most\nlaborious calculations, arrived at the conclusion that about that\nperiod, signs and wonders would indicate the near approach of him who is\nto come again in _power and great glory_.\n\nThere is no doubt but hundreds of learned men have, since the time that\nJesus is said to have left this world, consumed the \"midnight oil\" in\ntheir researches to discover the time of the second advent, but to no\npurpose. To no purpose, did I say? I mistook. In the case of Miller, it\nwas to a most unfortunate purpose. Thousands of his followers have been\nin a state of partial insanity; many have been absolutely deranged; some\nhave committed suicide; others sold their lands, abandoned their\noccupations, neglected their wives and children, and will never regain\ntheir former happy homes. Can we suppose that the all-wise Ruler of the\nUniverse would promulgate prophecies so uncertain with respect to their\nfulfilment, and so disastrous in the effects arising from their\nuncertainty? I repeat, that prophecy, to answer any good purpose, should\nbe fulfilled in the lifetime of the persons to whom it is addressed;\notherwise, the uncertainty attending it renders it worse than useless.\n\nIf Daniel had been divinely inspired to foretell any thing relating to\nChrist, common sense suggests that it would have reference to his first\nappearance on earth. Instead of this being the burden of his prophecy,\nhe makes no allusion to his first coming, but, according to Christian\nexpositors, his dreams and visions refer to the _second_ coming of\nChrist, and the final judgment. Father Miller's bubble having burst, his\nsincere but deluded followers are in a state of extreme wretchedness;\nall of them injured either in mind or circumstances, and most of them in\nboth. Many of them will doubtless reject religion altogether. So much,\nthen, for depending on divine inspiration.\n\nThe power to perform miracles is included in the idea of divine\ninspiration, and implies the possession of a power superior to all human\npower. The exhibition of a power by an individual, superior to what the\nunited exertions of a whole nation could perform, ought to be credited\nto the exhibiter as a power _received from on high_,--a conclusion drawn\nby Christian commentators, and also by Jesus himself, with respect to\nhis recorded miracles; for, he says--\"_If I had not done among them the\nworks which no other man did, they would not have had sin; but now_\n[they having seen his miracles, and yet rejected him] _their sin\nremaineth._\"\n\nMiracles are uncertain evidences of divine inspiration. What an ignorant\nman might deem to be a miracle, a man of intelligence and education\nmight know to be the result of combined natural causes. What in one age\nhas been currently believed to have been the effect of supernatural\nagency, a succeeding and more enlightened age has known as the result of\ncertain operations of nature. Nothing can justly be regarded as a\nmiracle unless it be, past all dispute, beyond human power to perform.\nTo suppose that the Deity makes use of means to promote the improvement\nof his creatures, which are calculated to mislead them, is to impeach\nhis wisdom and goodness.\n\nMiracles could not have been evidences of divine interposition to the\nJewish people, at the time of Christ's appearance among them, owing to\nthe prevailing belief that supernatural beings, called devils, could\nperform wonderful things, far above man's power or comprehension; and\nthat some of them, more powerful than the rest, could invest mortals\nwith the power of performing-miracles of the same nature as those\nascribed to Jesus Christ.\n\nMost of the religious sects at the present day affect to be influenced\nby something almost amounting to divine inspiration--their religion\nconsisting of feelings, not of action. In the Scriptures we read, \"_If\nany man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his._\" I have often\nnoticed the variety of modes in which the spirit operates on different\nsects. The Methodists, while seeking the Lord, as they term it, will\nsigh, moan, and howl, and immediately after be in ecstasies bordering on\ninsanity, and bawl so loud that a passer-by might reasonably conclude\nthat some dreadful accident had befallen them. Passing to the other\nextreme, the Friends, or Quakers, are as dumb as mutes, and will not\nallow their speakers to open their lips until impelled to do so by the\nspirit. But the Jumpers, in Wales, (Great Britain,) go ahead of all, for\nthey often perform the journey from their homes to their churches, by\nthe same kind of evolution as frogs make when on their peregrinations in\nsearch of water. All these monkey tricks are of much easier performance\nthan feeding the hungry, or clothing the destitute. Can, or, presuming\nthat they can, will the preachers please inform us, which of these three\nmodes of spiritual manifestation will be practised in heaven?\n\nIn concluding this chapter, I shall make some remarks on the Mormons,\nthat being one of the last sects, of any importance, which have arisen,\nprofessing the Christian faith. They also profess, or their leaders, at\nleast, to be specially moved by the Holy Spirit; in other words, that\nthey are the recipients of divine inspiration. Whatever other\ndenominations of Christians may think of their claims to supernatural\ngifts, they are founded on quite as reasonable grounds as were the\npretensions of the prophets of old, not even excepting Moses, the Jewish\nlegislator; as a brief history of their rise and progress will prove.\nThe following account, the writer had from some of the principal\npreachers of the Mormon faith:--\"About the year 1827, or '28, Joseph\nSmith, a young man of obscure parentage, presented to the world a\nproduction which he called the Book of Mormon, or the Golden Bible; and\nof which, according to his own account, he became possessed in the\nfollowing manner:--When about fifteen years of age, being under\nreligious impressions, he used to retire to the fields and thickets in\nthe neighborhood of his home, to exercise himself in prayer. One day,\nwhile thus engaged, an angel appeared to him, and informed him that the\nLord had a great and important work for him to perform, but that the\ntime had not yet arrived for its consummation. Then, after telling him\nthat he would be again visited, and urging him to pursue a godly life,\ndisappeared. A few years after this, the angel re-visited Joseph,\nrepeating his declaration respecting the contemplated work, and\ndisappeared as before. At length, on a third appearance, the angel\ndirected Joseph to go to a certain spot and dig in the earth, telling\nhim that he would there find something of vast importance. Joseph did as\nthe angel commanded, and found a number of golden plates, on which were\nimpressed characters in a language to him altogether unknown. Having\ncopied a portion of the characters, he sent the copy, by a friend, to a\nteacher of the dead languages, in New York, in order to ascertain the\nmeaning; but his friend returned without having obtained the desired\ninformation. The Holy Spirit then enabled Joseph to translate the\ninscriptions, and the translation is, denominated the 'Book of Mormon,'\nbeing named after the person who, fourteen hundred years before, had, by\nDivine command, deposited it in the earth.\" This book can be obtained of\nthe Mormon preachers.\n\nThe progress of the Mormons, or Latter-Day Saints, as they designate\nthemselves, has been astonishingly rapid, their number being computed at\nno less than two hundred thousand, of whom about ten thousand are\ncongregated in the city of Nauvoo, (or Joseph,) in the State of\nIllinois. This portion of the Mormons had previously located themselves\nin the State of Missouri, but after suffering great persecution, were\ndriven out of that State by the inhabitants. They then settled in the\nwestern part of Illinois, and built the city of Nauvoo, and have nearly\ncompleted a splendid temple of unique architecture. They, like the Jews,\nbelieve that they are God's chosen people, and that, as _the earth is\nthe Lord's_, they shall have the honor of calling together the Jews, the\nformer chosen people of God, and that all who have not then embraced the\nMormon faith will be speedily cut off. As the Mormons make the Bible the\nground-work of their religious belief, and are sparing in their\nallusions to the Book of Mormon, they are likely to become permanently\nestablished, as a portion of the Christian world, and will probably\nbecome not only a very numerous, but also a powerful sect.\n\nBut the demon of religious persecution--let me pause for a moment. I\nwould not knowingly libel any thing, not even religion. Am I not\nmistaken? Not in the personage, most certainly, but I may be in error\nwith respect to his official character. Perhaps I owe an apology to the\nreligious world. It may be the demon of fraud. At all events, a demon of\nsome description is hovering over this remarkable people, and\nthreatening them with vengeance. Their smoking and desolate homesteads\nwill furnish matter for the future historian, who, with indignation,\nwill record, that in the nineteenth century, in the favored land of\nIllinois, the ennobling principles of liberty could boast of no better\nrecognition than an empty name. Give ear, ye advocates of liberty in the\ndown-trodden nations of Europe! A voice would address you from the land\nof promise. Ten thousand men, women, and children in the State of\nIllinois, can receive no protection from the Genius of Liberty, but in\nthe coming spring are to be driven from their peaceful happy homes, to\nwend their way through a dreary wilderness, and seek a resting place on\nthe shores of the Pacific Ocean. \"Oh! shame! where is thy blush!\" Cannot\neven tottering age, and helpless infancy, arrest the fell purpose?\n\nThe present position of the Mormons, with respect to the rest of the\nworld, so nearly resembles that of the Jews when they were leaving\nEgypt, that it is not unlikely for them to assimilate their movements in\na measure to those of the Israelites, and, believing, as they do, that\nthey are influenced by the Holy Ghost, their historians some centuries\nhence will probably record miracles as having been performed by the\nMormons, similar to what are said to have taken place among the Jews,\nwhen travelling under the guidance of Moses, to the promised land.\nFeebleness of body reminds me that Death is shaking his arrow over me,\nbut surely my mind remains unclouded. Am I really living in the\nenlightened nineteenth century? And if so, am I on the free soil of\nAmerica, or in barbarous Russia, and a subject of the Emperor Nicholas?\n\nThe Mormons are to be driven out of the United States. Why? \"Because\nthey believe themselves to be God's chosen people, and that all other\nnations must become subject to them.\" Indeed! and do not the Jews\nentertain the same belief with respect to their nation? Are they to be\ndriven out along with the Mormons? The Mormons are to be driven out.\nWhy? \"Because they speak in an unknown tongue.\" But a few years ago, the\ndisciples of Irving, a celebrated preacher in London, spoke in an\nunknown tongue; but so far from their being driven out of the country in\nconsequence, the ministrations of Irving were attended by the principal\nnobility and statesmen of Great Britain. The Mormons are to be driven\nout. Why? \"Not on account of their religious faith, but because they are\na community of thieves.\" In the English navy the seamen have a very\ncontemptuous idea of the marines, and when a very improbable story is\ntold by any one, they say, \"Tell that to the marines,\" intimating that\n_they_ are weak enough to believe any thing.\n\nWe are told that a religious community which numbers ten thousand\npersons is composed of incorrigible rogues. And yet it is well known\nthat they are very industrious, have well cultivated farms, have built a\ncity, and nearly completed a splendid temple. What says the experience\nof the world with respect to thieves--that they have been usually found\namong the industrious, or the idle? What are we called upon to believe?\nThat a highly industrious religious sect, numbering ten thousand souls,\nmanifests such a total disregard of all moral principle that its\nexistence cannot be allowed in civilized society? Tell it not in Gath!\nOh! no; better tell it to the marines.\n\nI do believe that I am in America, and not in Russia, after all. The\nfilm is departing from my mental vision. An idea strikes me. It is this.\nIn this country, under certain circumstances, _well_ understood by the\npublic, bills of _exceptions_ are frequently filed. Aye, now I have it\nThis is a Republic; and a Republic is a government intended for the\nbenefit of _all_, with the _exception_ of the Mormons to-day, and of\nsome other religious sect to-morrow; and so on, as avarice, or bigotry,\nor the tyranny of a moneyed aristocracy may dictate, to the end of the\nchapter.\n\nThe republicans of the State of Illinois have determined that the\nMormons shall not remain among them. \"Oh! consistency, thou art indeed a\njewel\" For the benefit of persons visiting Illinois, I shall close with\na quotation from the Old Testament, not remarkable, perhaps, for\nelegance of diction, but having a claim to attention for its\ntruthfulness. It is this:---\"It is useless to search for a _jewel_ in a\nswine's snout.\"\n\nEND OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.\n\n\n\n\nTHE NEW TESTAMENT\n\n\n\n\nINTRODUCTORY CHAPTER on THE FACTS AND PERSONAGES OF THE NEW TESTAMENT\n\n\nTO these persons who can take, without fear, a correct view of Jehovah's\ndealings with his chosen people, as recorded in the Old Testament, it\nmust appear, that the Jews, as a nation, did not, in any way, do honor\nto his choice; for, as it regards religion, they neither were at any\nlength of time faithful to Jehovah, nor did they obey his laws. The\ndreadful punishments inflicted on them, together with the teaching of\nthe Prophets, did not cure them, so as to prevent them from worshipping\nother gods.\n\nTo men of common sense, it is clear that the Jewish God undertook to\nmake of the seed of Abram that which never took place. The attempts to\nkeep them as true worshippers of Jehovah, continually failed; and he, in\nthe language of regret and complaint, says:--\"I have nourished and\nbrought up children, and they have rebelled against me.\" And here we may\ninquire, how were they brought up? The answer is at hand. They were\ntaught to consider themselves, as a nation, more valuable than any\npeople on earth; and this pride caused them to act with hostility in\ntheir intercourse with, the Gentiles, and to rob and murder all nations\nless powerful than themselves; for doing which, they had from the Lord a\ndirect order. To _show mercy_ was forbidden, and they were punished for\nso doing. The command was--\"_Thou shall do no murder._\" This command had\nto do with Jews only. To others it was said, \"_Spare not a soul alive_.\"\nAgain, \"_Thou shall not steal,_\"--that is, from Jews: from all heathens,\nsteal all you can. \"_Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife,_\" &c.\nRemember!--the wife of a Jew; but when the Lord commands, you must\nmurder other men's wives, and take their daughters for the most wicked\npurposes. This is the manner the seed of Abram were brought up; and, in\nthese particulars, they seldom disobeyed the Lord.\n\nIn this manner the Jews were educated by the Lord of Hosts. Can we then\nwonder that they, in a moral point of view, should have been the most\ncruel and wicked of any nation on earth? It follows, that they were a\ndisgrace to that God who selected them as his own; and the Jewish\ndispensation ended in a complete failure: so that it is recorded, that\nthe Lord \"_hateth his own inheritance._\" Jehovah failed to rear up and\nprotect a nation who should serve as a pattern to the rest of the human\nfamily. They axe acknowledged, by both God and man, to have been the\nworst people on earth.\n\nWe are now about to consider another attempt, on the part of the God of\nIsrael, to recover and convert his disobedient people to the new\ncovenant, or dispensation, by sending the long-expected Saviour of the\nseed of Abram, according to the flesh. Here we ought to expect that a\ndouble degree of caution will be manifest on the part of the Jewish God,\nso that no mistake may happen to the Jewish nation in their reception\nof, and obedience to, his Son, as an ambassador of peace and\nreconciliation; because, if the mission of Jesus was not clearly\nunderstood by the Jews, another scene of trouble, more dreadful than\ntheir former disobedience, would follow as a consequence. We ought to\nexpect that Christ would be instructed so to present himself to his\nbrethren, that his person and his plans for their recovery would be\nself-evident. No guess-work can be allowed, as it respects the vast\nimportance of his mission, or the identity of his person. It needs no\nargument to show, that, when an end or object is to be fully obtained,\nthe means must be adapted to answer the end intended, or a failure is\nthe consequence.\n\nHere we may ask, for what purpose did Christ come to the Jews? Was it to\nfulfil the promises made to them by Jehovah, _that he would make a new\ncovenant with them, and write his laws on their hearts; not according to\nthe covenant he made with their fathers, when he brought them out of\nEgypt, but that he would write his laws on their hearts, and their sins\nand iniquities remember no more, and that they should be to him a\npeople, and that he would be to them a God?_ In fact, we cannot admit of\nthe possibility of any mistake or failure to happen in Jehovah's plan of\nsalvation, when we consider that the seed of Abram longed for and\nexpected the Great Deliverer of Israel. No trickery or deception ought\nto be resorted to in a case involving such dreadful consequences. It is\nhighly dishonorable to the God of the Universe, to admit of any\ndouble-dealing on his part, when his people were prepared to receive the\nMessiah.\n\nThe situation of the Jews, as a nation, at the time it is said that\nChrist made his appearance among them, ought to be kept in view, in\nreading this introduction. They expected a king, or a deliverer, to\narrive, agreeably to what they had learned from the Old Testament.\nHence, their inquiry was, \"_Art thou he that should come, or do we, or\nare we, to look for another?_\" As much as to say, we long for his\nappearance, but we have had false Christs; and the repeated impositions\npractised on our nation makes us cautious as to giving credence to any\npretender, without full proof of his being the true, the very anointed\nof God. No inquiry could be more reasonable; for it is clear that the\nJewish nation were open to conviction, and ready to receive with joy the\nsent of Jehovah; but repeated deception and disappointment had made them\nslow to believe in the pretensions of any that came to them in the name\nof the Lord.\n\nWe need not be surprised that the seed of Abram should have been so\nscrupulous in believing, until they had incontrovertible proof that the\nhope of Israel had arrived. They considered that event as the end of all\ntheir troubles; and relying on the promises made, to God's chosen people\nby the prophets,--that the \"_sun of, righteousness should arise with\nhealing in his wings_\" that his identity would be as clearly known, and\nall obscurity entirely removed as to his being the true Christ, the hope\nand expectation of Israel. The Jews, as a nation, were not prepared for\nany thing short of a full manifestation of Jehovah's promises in the\nperson of the Messiah, that he would be their \"_Prophet, Priest, and\nKing_\" It is not possible to conceive that a single Jew could be found\nwho would stretch forth his hand against the Lord's anointed. This,\nthen, was the feeling and expectation of the Jews, at the time it is\nrecorded that Christ came as the deliverer of Israel. It follows, then,\nthat the only thing the Jews required, in order to receive and obey\nChrist, was, unerring proof that Jesus was the promised Messiah; for\nthey were earnestly waiting for that glorious event.\n\nWe will now inquire, whether or not his introduction to the Jewish\nnation was the most probable way to convince them that the long-desired,\nthe long-expected Redeemer of Israel was come? It must ever be kept in\nmind, that the coming of Christ was to the Israelites of vast\nimportance, when we consider their former troubles, how they had been\nforsaken by their God, sold, as it were, into severe bondage, and\nscattered over the face of the earth, in consequence of their departure\nfrom the God of their fathers. To all which, it may be added, that they\nhad been deceived by false Christs: so that, as a nation, they ought to,\nand doubtless did, fully expect that the true Messiah, on his arrival,\nwould convince every real Jew that he was the sent of God, and that the\nevidence would be different, in all respects, from what had before\nattended impostors and cheats. Of all the embassies ever sent by one\nnation to another, none ever equalled in importance the one where the\nSon, the only Son of God, was the ambassador.\n\nIn the intercourse between nations, and when a minister is sent out from\none nation to another, one thing is always provided for, and on no\naccount is it ever omitted, namely:--proper credentials are always\nprepared and sent by one nation to another, so that the identity of the\nambassador is indisputable. This indispensable qualification appears to\nhave been omitted in sending Christ to the Jewish nation, and it proved\nmost unfortunate to those ill-fated people; for it is evident, from\nScripture, that they mistook Jesus for an impostor, since one of the\napostles admits, that if they (the Jews) had known him, \"_they would not\nhave killed the Lord of life and glory_.\"\n\nHere, then, was the fatal mistake, the unfortunate error; and now we may\nask, for what was Jesus sent? Jehovah knew that they would not receive\nhim, and that a failure would be the consequence. But if Jehovah did not\nknow of his rejection, what then are we to say of the attributes of the\nGod of Israel? Taking either side, involves the greatest absurdity, and\nis shocking to every idea we can have of infinite wisdom, power, and\ngoodness.\n\nIf Jesus, on his arrival to the Jews as a nation, intended to prove his\ndivine mission by the performance of miracles, he appears to have taken\nthe wrong course to carry conviction to the minds of his fellow\ncountrymen. Instead of performing signs and wonders before the most\nlearned of his nation, he associated with the most ignorant classes of\nsociety. These were chiefly fishermen, who could be easily imposed on by\nany sleight of hand, performed by a dexterous juggler. It was to the\nmost learned and competent men of that day to whom his appeals ought to\nhave been made; but on the contrary, he employed such vulgar abuse\nas--\"_O, generation of vipers! how can ye escape the damnation of\nhell?_\" It may safely be inferred, that such abusive language as this\nwould be considered by the priests and rulers sufficient to stamp its\nauthor as a man of low character and violent temper.\n\nAgain, instead of opening his mission with the declaration of Jehovah's\nformer promises to the Jewish nation, _that the God of their fathers had\nsent him to recover the lost sheep of the home of Israel_, he tells them\nthat the holy temple was then _a den of thieves_; and at another time,\ncommences with a cord, or rattan, (like a drunken man,) to drive men\nfrom the temple. Is it possible to conceive that such could be the\nconduct of him who was proclaimed to be \"_Peace on earth and good will\ntowards men_\"?\n\nAgain, miracles, as proofs of Christ's divine mission, ought to have\nbeen performed before the most learned and talented men among the Jews.\nOn the contrary, it was the ignorant and unlettered part of society who\nwere the witnesses of his mighty deeds; for it is impossible for men who\nare unacquainted with the laws and phenomena of nature, to form any\nthing like a correct judgment of those laws, so as to know what were\ntheir natural operations, to the exclusion of divine power. So that a\nperformance of any thing, however wonderful to ignorant and untaught\nmen, would, to others, who were better acquainted with the laws of the\nuniverse, be no miracle at all.\n\nIn conclusion, then, so far as miracles are concerned, a miracle must be\nsomething performed by another, that is impossible to take place without\nsuperhuman aid; and before persons who are so fully acquainted with the\nlaws of the universe, that imposition would be impossible. Now the Jews,\nat the time of the coming of Christ, if he did come at all, had no such\nknowledge. In that age, many strange things were believed, that never\nhad any real existence. For instance, it was fully believed by the Jews,\nand nearly throughout the world, that evil spirits or demons took\npossession of the bodies of men, and ceased, not to torment them in a\nthousand ways; and the casting out of these was considered a miracle.\nJesus is said to have performed many miracles of this kind. Mary\nMagdalene had seven of them ejected by the Saviour. So it is recorded.\n\nBut now, no man of science gives the least credit to such tales; so that\nthe fact is, no devils ever were cast out, because none ever entered the\nhuman body. If Jesus, then, pretended to cast out devils, when he knew\nthere were none possessed of them, how can we exempt him from the charge\nof being a deceiver? If, on the other hand, he believed that Mary\nMagdalene had seven, and that they left her by his orders, in that case,\nwhat shall we say as to his knowledge?\n\nAt the present day, should a person apply for medical aid to cast out a\ndevil, such person would be considered a lunatic. This is proof positive\nthat Jesus partook of the superstition of the age in which he lived; and\nthat his pretensions to cast out devils by the power of God, were\nincompatible with his mission as the Son of God, the Redeemer of Israel.\n\nThe history of Jesus, as recorded in the four Gospels, fully represents\nhim as acting like most reformers in all ages and nations, namely, by\nabusing men of wealth and power. But, unlike most others, Jesus\nrepresented himself as the only Son of God, by whose authority he\n(Jesus) called the priests and the rulers of Israel by names the most\noffensive, thereby exciting their opposition to his mode of teaching and\nacting. At the same time, the lower grades of society did then, as they\ndo at the present day. They considered him as a reformer, the friend of\nthe people, in proportion as he was lavish in his abuse of the most\nviolent nature.\n\nIn concluding this chapter, we may safely infer, that if Jesus was sent\ninto the world to be put to death as a sacrifice for sin, his manner of\npreaching to his countrymen, and his violent abuse and denunciations\nagainst the then rulers of Israel, were calculated to bring about his\ntragical end. But, on the contrary, if Jesus came from God, To _restore\nthe lost sheep of the home of Israel_, as the Jews, one and all,\nexpected the Messiah would do, it then follows, that the Jews, as a\nnation, were deceived, and in putting him to death, they thought him a\nblasphemer, having no claim to be considered as the true deliverer of\nhis nation. If Jesus came from God to the Jews, as their long-expected\nSaviour and Deliverer, and every blessing, as it respected them,\ndepended on their giving him an obedience agreeable to his mission as an\nambassador of peace, to mistake him for an impostor, was a misfortune\nmore deplorable than all the misfortunes, as a nation, the Jews had ever\nexperienced from the call of Abram until the time that Christ is said to\nhave arrived in the land of Judea. If, in reality and truth, he came\nfrom the Jehovah of that people, as they had for ages expected, then,\ninstead of his collecting together a few fishermen, common sense would\ninstruct us to suppose, that the Lord's anointed would go direct to the\npriests and Jewish, rulers, and accost them in the following way:--\"The\nlong-expected, the long-desired, is now in the midst of you. I am the\ntrue, the very Christ, the anointed of Jehovah, of the seed of Abram. My\nbeloved mother will lift her hand, and swear on the altar of her God and\nmy God, the Father of us all, that I am the offspring of God, and that\nin the absence of all earthly intercourse, she brought me forth, and\nthat angels announced her miraculous conception, before I saw the light;\nand that I am endowed with power from on high, to do before your longing\neyes miracles and wonders, such as all former pretenders could not\nperform. But, as you have before been deceived by impostors who have\nforged my name, and assumed my character, believe me not for my word,\nbut for my works' sake. Mark well my deportment Give credit to my mighty\ndeeds only when they are openly addressed to your senses, that no doubts\nmay remain as to the identity of my person, and the high commission of\nwhich I am the bearer; and being fully convinced of my Messiahship, obey\nme as the earthly representative of your heavenly Father, while I unfold\nthe blessings that await you, in the fulfilment of the promises made to\nAbram and his seed forever.\" Instead, however, of thus openly and\nfrankly making known the object of his message to his nation, Jesus\nbegins by making use of expressions the most insulting, charging the\npriests and rulers with crimes of the basest description, in the worst\nlanguage possible; the direct tendency of which was, to arouse their\nworst feelings, leaving them in doubt what to think of one who arrogated\nto himself authority over the Mosaic law, and whose teaching was so\nobscure as not to be understood even by his own disciples. In speaking\nof himself and the kingdom he was about to set up, he said that his\ndeath formed a part of the divine arrangement included in his mission;\nas much as to say, I must be put to death before my plane can be\ndeveloped. At times, in the course of his preaching, Jesus referred to\nhis future exaltation, as the \"Judge of quick and dead.\" At other times\nhe represented himself as the only true light that enlightens every man\nthat cometh into the world; and yet, he courted obscurity in most of his\npreaching, so much so, that one of his most intimate friends (Judas) was\nbribed to inform the rulers who this extraordinary man was, and where he\ncould be found.\n\nWhat would be thought of an ambassador, sent from America to England on\nbusiness of the first importance, if, instead of proceeding to the Court\nof St. James, at London, he should be found lecturing to fishermen and\npeople in the lower walks of society, and at the same time, in language\nof the most violent kind, abusing the British Government? In fine, such\nwas the preaching and acting of Jesus during his stay in the land of\nIsrael, that to me it appears impossible to discover the object or the\nutility of his coming. No wonder, therefore, that the Jews rejected him\naltogether.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\n\nWHATEVER may have been the moral character of the Jews, as a nation, at\nthe time the reputed Messiah came among them, the priests and the people\nnot only expected his advent, but they also considered that event as an\nend to their then subjugation, and more than a renewal of their former\ngreatness and glory. And here the reader will perceive that they (the\nJews) had no prejudice against the appearance of such a personage; the\nonly thing they required was, his certain identity, that they might know\nthe true Messiah was among them. Nothing could have been more favorable\nto his reception than such a universal expectation. This general belief\nthroughout the nation was on their part equivalent to their saying to\nthe God of Jacob, \"We have long waited, and most ardently desired, the\nfulfilment of the promise made to Abram and his seed forever.\" This\nshort statement is faithful, and true as to the feelings and\nexpectations of the whole Jewish nation.\n\nIn this stage of our remarks, every thing appears to warrant the\nconclusion, that, on the part of the descendants of Abram, no difficulty\nstood in the way of their submitting to their expected Lord and Master.\nTo make him fully known to them, so that no mistake could possibly\nhappen as to his person and authority, belonged to Jehovah alone; for if\nthe Messiah promised, seemed in nowise to be represented in the person\nof Jesus, then the Jews would have been sure to have rejected him as\nanother impostor of the same sort as had previously imposed on their\nnation. In reviewing, then, the New Testament, the object of the writer\nwill be to show, that Jesus, the pretended Saviour of the world, was not\nsent from God, and consequently, the New Testament is not of Divine\nauthority.\n\nIn the following inquiry, I shall not dispute the existence of Jesus,\n_as a man_, living about the time recorded of him, but take for granted\nthe history of his life, with the exception of his divine mission, as\nthis method will be better understood by the reader, as excluding\nirrelevant matter. In the Gospel history, then, it clearly appears, that\nJesus wrote nothing of his own sayings or doings; it was all done by\nothers. This omission to give a clear code of morals, adapted to the\nGospel dispensation, and also rules and regulations for this new sect,\nwill appear strange, when we refer to the formation and regulation of\nthe Jewish Church. Moses, or whoever was its founder, took great pains\nto record the most minute things connected with the Jewish worship;\nwhile, on the contrary, the Christian Church is left in such a state of\nuncertainty, that its author wrote not a word himself, nor, for aught we\nknow, did he give orders to his followers to commit to writing any thing\nhe did or said, not even of the miracles he so often performed. It must\nappear passing strange, that a religion of such vast importance to the\nwhole human race should be, as it were, left to chance, as to the manner\nin which it was to descend to posterity, when compared with the\nminuteness of the Mosaic code. Of the four evangelists, no one in\nparticular had orders to write the life and doings of Christ, so that\nthe inference is this: that all the history of the life of Jesus,\nincluding his death and resurrection, is but the testimony of others;\nconsequently, we have no certainty that Christ ever said or did those\nthings recorded of him. So that it amounts to this--somebody has said\nthat Jesus performed miracles; and the same may be said of the rest of\nhis sayings and doings; and we may add, that somebody has written that\nhe was put to death, and that on the third day he arose from the dead.\n\nIt is from such vague and unauthenticated writings, written by nobody\nknows who, nor when they made their first appearance, that the\nfoundation is drawn on which rests the Gospel Dispensation; and as the\ndifferent writers have given different accounts of the things said to\nhave taken place, no reliance can be given to any of the facts recorded\nas having actually occurred. The different writers have also given rise\nto doctrines so opposite to each other, that every sect can find\nScripture evidence for the support of its respective dogmas. Eighteen\nhundred years have then passed away, and we are still ignorant of what\nis, and what is not, Gospel.\n\nIs it possible that any thing can be more directly in opposition, than\nthe Universalists and the different sects that believe in endless\npunishment in a future life? Again, can any two things be more opposite\nthan the doctrines concerning the person of Christ, as held by the\nUnitarians and the Trinitarians; and yet, both of these doctrines are\ntaken from the New Testament, which contains all that is written of him.\nAnd what is still more wonderful, each of these sects are positive with\nrespect to their own opinions, and are surprised at each other's\nignorance of God's Word; and even at the present day, they only want\nfull power, and they would soon come to blows. Not only these opinions,\nbut many more, equally opposed to each other, can be supported by\nreferring to God's unerring Word. It is a common saying, \"the glorious\nuncertainty of the law\"; I will add, it is the glorious uncertainty of\nthe _Gospel_ which has made so many priests, and also, it is its\nuncertainty which has been in every age of the church the cause of\nthousands of honest persons meeting a violent and cruel death, for the\nglory of God.\n\nThe reader will in the following pages discover, that my main object is\nto show that Jesus was no more sent from heaven to save mankind by the\nsacrifice of himself for the sins of the world, than others are sent to\nbuild houses or dig canals; and that the plan, as it is called, of human\nredemption, has brutalized the human race, and stood in the way of moral\nrectitude, and the development of kind and humane feelings. Although\nMatthew and Luke have recorded the miraculous conception of Jesus, yet,\nas it is omitted by Mark and John, I shall begin my remarks with the\nbaptism of John. As it respects the heavenly origin of Jesus, he never\nmentions it in the course of his ministry, neither does his mother.\nJesus, in speaking of himself, said he was _the son of man_. Now, if\nJoseph, or some other man, was not his father, he (Jesus) then went by a\nfalse name; for, in that case, he was but the son of a woman. We will\nleave this point of disputation with the Christians, and begin with the\nbaptism of John.\n\nAfter Jesus had been baptized by John, it is recorded, that there came a\nvoice from heaven, saying, \"_Thou art my beloved Son in whom I am well\npleased._\" (Mark i., 11.) \"_And immediately the Spirit driveth him into\nthe wilderness, and he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted\nof Satan._\" What possible end was to be obtained by this journey into\nthe wilderness, and what kind of spirit it was that drove him there, we\nhave no information. At any rate, in a forlorn state, and very hungry,\nSatan made his first visit to the Messenger of Peace. Jesus seemed no\nway surprised at this Satanic intrusion. They conversed together as old\nfriends. We may suppose Satan to open the conversation somewhat in the\nfollowing manner:--\n\n\"Why, Jesus! you seem to be any thing but in comfortable quarters. This\nis carrying temperance rather too far; nothing to eat or drink, and\nsurrounded by wild beasts as hungry as yourself! I have heard that you\nrepresent to your nation that you are sent to them from Jehovah, your\nfather. Now, if you have any thing to communicate to them of importance,\nthis secluded spot is very unfavorable to make known your mission. Come,\ngive over fasting, for _if you are the Son of God, command these stones\nthat they be made bread?_\" This observation, or, as it is called, this\ntemptation of the Devil, caused Jesus to make this reply:--\"_It is\nwritten, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that\nproceedeth ont of the mouth of God. Then the Devil taketh him up into\nthe holy city, [or coaxed him to leave the wilderness,] and setteth him\non a pinnacle of the Temple, and saith unto him, If thou be the Son of\nGod, cast thyself down, for it is written,, he shall give his angels\ncharge concerning thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest\nat any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It\nis written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the\nDevil taketh him up into art exceeding high mountain, and showeth him\nall the kingdoms of the worlds and the glory of them; and saith unto\nhim, all these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall dawn and\nworship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan; for it is\nwritten, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou\nserve. Then the Devil leaveth him, and behold angels came and ministered\nunto him._\" (Matthew, chapter iv.)\n\nTo those Who are not afraid to examine this strange account, it must\nappear unworthy of the least credit. In the first place, as it stands\nrecorded, the Devil and Jesus act as if they had been old and intimate\nacquaintances. This is the first announcement we have that any such\npersonage as the Devil ever visited this earth, except he is the same\nidentical being who, upwards of four thousand years before, came to the\ngarden of Eden and tempted Eve, and was the cause of herself and her\nhusband's being expelled from that abode of innocence. If it were the\nintention of the writers of the life of Jesus, that it should be\nunderstood that the Devil had been resting quietly, and enjoying\nhimself, and then appeared, ripe for new schemes of mischief, and Satan\nreasoning within himself was resolved again to try his hand,--is it\npossible, when this account is duly considered, that one person in a\nthousand can give credit to such nonsense?\n\nA few remarks on Christ's temptation by the Devil will suffice to show\nits absurdity. In the first place, then, can we believe that a being of\nInfinite Power, Wisdom, and Goodness, ever has, or does now, keep in\nexistence a Devil whose whole aim and happiness consist in tempting\nGod's creatures to rebel against their maker and benefactor; and that\nGod has given him power and capacity to induce men and women to commit\nevery sort of crime that disgraces humanity? Besides, so artful is this\nDevil that man has but a poor chance to escape his cunning attacks and\ndevices. We are told that the Lord is angry with the wicked every day;\nand yet for all that, he has made a being of immense power who possesses\nunbounded malice against both God and man. Would any man, who was in his\nright mind, keep in his employ a person who would daily destroy his\nproperty, and breed discord among his steady workmen? None but a madman\ncould so act; and shall we suppose that the all-wise ruler of the\nuniverse would follow in the path of a man out of his senses?\n\nAgain, according to the account in Matthew, the Devil seems full of life\nand impudence; while the reputed Saviour appears sheepish and stupid,\nand seems willing to follow the Devil about at his bidding! We have no\naccount as to the form in which the Devil appeared, whether as a rich\nman or a loafer; whether fat or lean, and how old he appeared to be;\nneither are we informed in what kind of dress he walked through the\nstreet of Jerusalem, whether it was in the costume of the age, or in the\nlivery of hell. At any rate, Jesus seemed rather scared at the old\nserpent. Jesus commenced his mission more like a hermit than as a\nmessenger of peace; to God's chosen people. In fact, there is, in Jesus,\nthrough his whole life, something so unearthly that his existence as a\nman is very doubtful. In the whole account of the temptation of the\nDevil, the evidence of its being a mixture of fable and falsehood is,\napparent.\n\nBesides, it is altogether unaccountable how Jesus and the Devil became\nso well acquainted with each other; for Jesus was a Jew by nation, and\nstrictly obeyed the law of Moses; but Moses is completely silent as to\nthe existence of any such personage as the Devil. At the time when it is\nsaid Jesus came to the Jewish nation, they had, during their captivity,\nembraced the theology of their conquerors; and on their return to the\nland of their nativity, brought with them the-belief in the existence of\ngood and bad angels, and also the doctrine of a future state of rewards\nand punishments,--dogmas unknown to, and never taught by, Moses. It is\nclear, then, that the very existence of a Devil never was a doctrine of\nthe Old Testament, but on the contrary, it was borrowed from eastern\nmythology; and Jesus, finding that the Jews professed to believe it,\nfell in with it, as also a heaven and a hell, and a judgment to come,\nwhich doctrines were all of heathen origin. The Old Testament is silent\nas to what constitutes orthodox Christianity. Ye Christian ministers!\nyour heaven and hell, by the teaching of which you gain wealth and live\nlike princes, is nothing but an echo of by-gone ages, which had its\norigin in the imagination of the priesthood of an antiquity anterior to\nthe existence of Moses or of the Jewish nation!\n\nBut to return to the temptation of Jesus by the Devil. And here it may\nbe asked, how it can now, or ever could, be considered a temptation at\nall? If Jesus was what they say he professed to be, _the sent of God_,\nhe knew well that the Devil had nothing to give him by way of inducement\nto distrust his Father's superintendence and care. Jesus might have said\nto Satan, \"You lying old Devil, you know that you have no kingdom to\nbestow; you likewise well know that you have not land enough whereon to\nbuild a hovel, in which to shelter your favorite associates, the swine!\"\nBut, on the contrary, Jesus seems to act with great respect towards the\nDevil. He made no objections to follow Satan wherever he chose to lead\nhim. We are ignorant of the object Jesus had in view by retiring into\nthe wilderness; and how the Devil came to be acquainted with his\ndestitute situation, we are also at a loss to conjecture. Likewise, we\nhave yet to learn whether Satan resided among the Jews, or dwelt in the\nregions of the air, as he is called \"the Prince and power of the air,\nthe spirit which works in the hearts of the children of disobedience.\"\n\nThe number of forty years, or days, is repeatedly chosen by the writers\nof the Old Testament, in which to perform something wonderful, and of\ngreat importance. Thus, the Jews were forty years going from Egypt to\nthe land of promise, during which time nearly all that came out of\nbondage were destroyed for their disobedience against the God of Abram,\nIsaac, and Jacob. Jehovah and Moses were forty days on Mount Sinai,\npreparing ornaments for the Jewish worship, during which time Aaron and\nthe rest of the Israelties returned back to worship the gods of their\nformer oppressors; so that it appears, before the church of Jehovah in\nthe wilderness was ready to sing his praise, and thank him for bringing\nthem out of bondage, both Aaron and the people were singing and dancing\nbefore the golden calves of Egypt! The number forty has been most\nunfortunate for Jehovah's plans; for, in addition to repeated failures\nconnected with the number forty, it is recorded that Jehovah was grieved\nforty years for the transgressions of his chosen people; and Jesus,\nafter forty days' fasting, surrounded by devouring beasts and hungry\nvultures, behold! the Devil came skulking along with brazen-faced\nimpudence, and Jesus, the better to get rid of him, broke up his\nsolitary abode. Thus, again, the number forty concluded without any\napparent object being effected.\n\nWhoever wrote this account of Christ's temptation, as if it was not\nfoolish enough, has added, that after the Devil had withdrawn from\nmaking Jesus such tempting offers to enlist into his service, angels\ncame and ministered unto him. What the nature of the service was, which\nthey performed, we know not; but one would suppose their first inquiry\nought to have been, whether he did not wish to have his dinner as soon\nas possible? The whole of this account is so contemptible, that I shall\nnot give it any further attention.\n\nIf we contrast the submissive conduct and humble deportment of Jesus,\nwhen in conversation with the Devil, with his manner and intercourse\nwith the rulers and priests of his own nation, he appears, in reference\nto the latter, whom we should expect he would have treated with that\nrespectable language due to their standing in society, and consistent\nwith his dignity as the Messenger of Peace, to great disadvantage as a\ndivine teacher: for it must be ever borne in mind, that Jesus must be\nconsidered, according to his own account, superior to all that ever came\nbefore him, and to the imperfections found in men in common, and even in\nthe prophets of old, so that he must so conduct himself that his sayings\nand doings must be capable of standing the most rigid moral scrutiny.\nBut, instead of his appealing to the Jewish rulers in the most courteous\nmanner--instead of his plainly stating who he was, and the vast\nimportance of his coming on earth, he begins by upbraiding them in a way\ncalculated to disgust them, and thereby frustrate the object of his\nmission. He calls them \"a generation of vipers\" and asks them \"how they\ncan think to escape the damnation of hell?\"\n\nAlthough the chief priest and rulers were over-anxious in their\ninquiries as to whom he was, and by what authority he so openly\ncondemned others, he treated them as unworthy of a civil reply; for, let\nthe moral conduct of the Jewish priests and rulers be what it might,\nadmitting it was very bad, nothing could justify him in the use of\ninsult and the most violent vituperations. What kind of reception would\nan ambassador meet with in England, should he, before his' mission was\nfully understood by that Court, abuse the rulers of that kingdom, and at\nthe same time associate with a few obscure individuals as witnesses of\nsuch abuse? Would he be considered a fit person to represent the\nauthorities who sent him? for, never let us forget, that of all the\nmissions sent by one nation to another nation for the settlement of any\ndifficulties that might exist between them, none ever was of such\nimportance as the one which Jesus was to present to \"_the lost sheep of\nthe house of Israel_.\" Let us also bear in mind, that the rulers among\nthe Jews made every inquiry as to whom he was, and the purport of his\ncoming. Yes, every effort on the part of the Jews was made to draw out\nof him from whence he derived his authority: but his answers were any\nthing but to the point, for, he said on one occasion, \"_An evil and\nadulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be\ngiven to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas,_\" and that was no answer\nat all.\n\nI am well aware what Christians will say in this case: that his miracles\nwere sufficient evidence; but all the proof we have that he did perform\nmiracles, is, somebody has written that he did so. But here I shall\ndispute the performance of some of his miracles, from the New Testament\naccount of them; and, in my next chapter, I shall show that modern\ndiscoveries have proved, beyond dispute, that some of the miracles said\nto have been performed by Jesus could not have taken place, for if any\nperson in the present age, were to pretend that he could perform similar\nmiracles, he would not only be considered an impostor, but would also be\ndeemed an ignoramus.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER. II.\n\n\nOF all the miracles said to have been wrought by Jesus, as recorded in\nthe Gospels, the casting out of devils are among the foremost. The case\nof Mary Magdalene is often referred to by Jesus himself; it is related\nthat no less than seven had taken possession of her person. It is truly\nwonderful, that at the time of Christ's preaching, the old Devil of all,\nand a host of subordinate ones, appeared to be more active than at any\nother time of which we have any account The Old Devil came forward after\nan absence of more than four thousand years; for, we have no account\nthat he, either in person or by proxy, had visited God's chosen people,\nadmitting that it was he, who, by the agency of a serpent, or by any\nother means, deceived Adam and Eve, by which deception, pain, and even\ndeath, followed as a consequence. Satan might well think that he could\nafford to rest awhile, till Jehovah should make some new movement to\nbenefit the human race.\n\nHow the Devil came to know that Jesus was about to commence preaching\nrepentance for the remission of sin, we have no means of finding out;\nbut, when Jesus had retired into the wilderness, behold the Devil was\nclose at his heels, and they seemed to be as well acquainted as two old\nplaymates. The Devil was well fitted for discussion, for he appeared\nwell versed with the Old Testament. However, if he were the same Devil\nwho outwitted Jehovah in Paradise, he failed to obtain a victory over\nthe Son in the wilderness. What became of him after his defeat on the\nTemple, and when he came down from the mountain, we have no account No\nmention is made of his being concerned in riding the hogs into the sea.\nWe must, therefore, leave him, and attend to the triumph of Jesus in\nejecting them from their strong holds.\n\nThe first in order which we shall review, as being possessed of devils,\nwill be Mary Magdalene, out of whom, it is recorded, Jesus cast seven\ndevils. This woman must be considered most grievously afflicted. How\nthey operated on her--whether it was by inflicting bodily pain, or a\nmental disease, we know not; at any rate, she seemed incapable of\ngetting rid of them. The number being seven, and having dispositions\nopposed to each other, they no doubt often quarrelled among themselves,\nand disturbed her in her sleeping hours; at all events, her gratitude\nand attachment to Jesus is proof positive that she preferred their room\nto their company.\n\nChristians, in speaking of Mary Magdalene, convey the idea, that,\nprevious to the casting out of the devils, she did not bear a good\ncharacter. But this is a mistake; for, if the New Testament account of\ndevils taking possession of persons, be true, and that no human power\ncan eject them, it then follows, that Mary Magdalene was truly\nunfortunate, since no less than seven of these intruders were constantly\nabout her. We are left to conjecture how the number seven could have\nbeen discovered. If Mary had been compelled to have had seven teeth\nextracted, the number could have been fully known to those who stood by;\nbut how, or in what way, it could have been known that seven devils were\ncast out, unless they appeared visible to the by-standers, does not\nappear. But we will not dwell too long on such sheer nonsense, as not\none word of truth is in the whole story of casting out devils; for the\nbest of all possible reasons, because there were none at all to cast\nout. It is recorded that the Jews were troubled with devils of different\nkinds, such as unclean devils, deaf and dumb devils, and, in one case, a\nkind of devil which could not be cast out only by prayer and fasting.\nIf, at the present day, a person was to apply for medical aid, and hint\nto the doctor that his wife was really possessed with (not seven) but\none devil, the doctor would consider such a man a fit subject for a\nlunatic asylum.\n\nAs it respects demoniacal possession, it is, or rather was of heathen\norigin. The Jews, as a nation, believed in its truth, as did also the\nsurrounding nations; consequently, if a person had a complaint attended\nwith fits, or any thing rather out of the common way, by which human\nbeings were afflicted, such a disease was considered a possession of one\nor more evil spirits. But now, that the laws of nature are better\nunderstood, and medical science more fully developed, demonology, as\nwell as witchcraft and sorcery, are given up altogether. No doubt now\nremains, but that the whole was the effect of ignorance and fraud; and\nconsequently the casting out of devils by Jesus and his apostles, had no\nreality in it whatever. It is not possible for us to conceive why demons\nor devils should have taken possession of human beings, admitting that\nthey have a real existence. We are ignorant as to the state of mind of\nthese beings. Whether in those days they took possession of men and\nwomen out of rebellion against God, or, having no real home, were only\nwanderers, and felt more comfortable when dwelling in the bodies of\nanimals or of human beings, we cannot determine. The latter, however,\nappears to have been the case; for, an one occasion, when Jesus was\nabout to expel a legion, the devils _besought him to permit them to\nenter into the swine_; but it is recorded, that the hogs started off\ndown into the sea, and were drowned. What became of the devils, we know\nnot. If this miracle took place, one thing is clear, namely, that the\ndevils, with all their cunning, made a bad calculation as to the\nsecurity they would have m the swine.\n\nAt the time Jesus is said to have lived among the Jews, the casting out\nof devils was a common occurrence; for Jesus, in reply to the charge\nthat he cast out devils by Beelzebub, the prince or chief of devils,\nsays, \"_If I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast\nthem out? therefore they shall be the judges,_\" So that, after all, it\nfollows, that what so many could do without the authority of Jesus, was\nno miracle at all. It was nothing short of imposition, and failed of\nbeing any proof of his divine mission. The truth is, that casting out\ndevils was a heathen practice, among many other things, of heathenish\norigin; and Jesus, according to the New Testament, fell in with it, as\nhe did with many doctrines which the Jews brought into the land of\nIsrael when they returned from their long captivity. The Jews brought\nback with them the belief of a future state of rewards and punishments,\nthe existence of the soul, a heaven for the virtuous and good, and a\nhell for the wicked; also good and bad angels, and a future judgment,\nover which Jesus said to the Jews he was appointed to be the judge.\nNotwithstanding the silence of the Old Testament as to the tenets above\nnoticed, yet Jesus fell in with them, and he also threatened the Jews\nthat they were in danger of that very hell and damnation which they\ngathered from their heathen conquerors. Ye Christian priests! your\nheaven and hell, and also your devil, belong to and originated in a\nheathen mythology, the beginning of which is lost in a remote antiquity.\nYes, Christian doctors! your heaven and hell, which, from the hope of\nthe first, and the fear of the last, you teach as divine truths, and, by\nso doing, live in splendor,--these very doctrines have nothing divine\nabout them, and you ought to know it.\n\nLeaving, then, the miracles of casting out devils, which were no proof\nof the divine mission of Jesus, because others, it is said, could,\nwithout his aid, do the same, we must refer to the other miracles said\nto have been performed and intended to establish his claim as being the\ntrue Messiah, _the sent of God_. If the miracles that Jesus performed,\nhad been intended to remove all doubts that the Jewish nation had as to\nhis being an impostor, such miracles ought to have been sufficiently\nconvincing for that purpose; for, on such test, his reception or\nrejection entirely depended. Now, from the accounts of his appealing to\nhis countrymen, and reproaching them for their unbelief, he does not, to\nall appearance, wish nor try to convince them; for, it is said of his,\nmiracles, that \"he did not many mighty works because of their unbelief.\"\nTheir incredulity as to his being the true Christ, is a reason why he\nshould have followed up miracle after miracle, until unbelief would have\nbeen impossible on the part of the Jews; for, the reader must keep in\nmind that the dispute with Jesus and the Jews was not of a moral\ncharacter: it was as to his authority in assuming to be greater than\nAbram, or all the prophets of the Old Testament.\n\nAgain, Jesus says, \"_Woe unto you_ [of such a town or village,] _for if\nthe mighty works which have been done in you, had been done in Sodom and\nGomorrah, they would have repented in sackcloth and ashes_.\" \"Therefore\nit will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah, in the day of\njudgment, than for you.\" Now here we can see, that the miracles were not\nof the sort to convince. Then, why not produce others more strong?\nBesides, it showed Jesus to be ignorant of the human mind, his\ncondemning men for not believing when the evidence was not strong enough\nto convince them. It is true, according to the accounts of Christ's\npreaching to the Jews, that instead of argument he resorted to abuse of\nthe coarsest kind, and the same conduct is pursued by Christians towards\nunbelievers at the present day. In some instances, Jesus charged the\npersons on whom a miracle had been performed, that _they should tell\nnone of it._\n\nAgain, the evidence arising from the working of miracles must always\ndepend on the information possessed by those before whom such signs and\nwonders were wrought. If Jesus intended to rest his Messiahship on the\nwonders he intended to perform, in such a case the most learned and best\ninformed of the Jewish nation were the proper persons to be the judges\nfor, in our day, in the nineteenth century, we have daily proof that so\nuniversal is ignorance, and so credulous is the mass of society, that\nsuch trash and inconsistent doctrines as those taught by Joseph Smith\nand his famous Golden Bible have gained thousands Of believers, and the\ngreatest part of them are sincere, and would suffer death sooner than\nrenounce what they believe to be a divine revelation to Smith, and\nothers of the same stamp. The most learned and intelligent of the Jews\nknew this truth, as many of their ignorant people had been led away by\nfalse Christs, and lost their all, and their lives also. No wonder,\nthen, that they should watch closely every movement made by Jesus, the\nthen reputed Messiah. There are, in the present age, many things\ndiscovered and known to the most unlearned, that, in former times, much\nless remote than the time in which Jesus is said to have lived, Would\nhave been thought miraculous, and the persons performing them as\npossessing power more than human. So that we may safely conclude, that\nInfinite Wisdom would not have made use of so uncertain a species of\nevidence as miracles, to convince the Jews that the _sent of God was\ncome_. Other and more certain means would have been resorted to, so that\nthe Jews could not have mistaken the real Christ, and put him to death\nfor an impostor.\n\nIf we attentively examine the life of Jesus, as written by the four\nevangelists, we shall be surprised at many parts of his proceedings. His\nuncourteous language to the great men of his nation must strike the\nreader very forcibly. He preaches humility and meekness, and soon we\nperceive him arrogating divine honors, and calling those, who came\nbefore him, robbers and thieves. He commands his followers to _judge\nnot_, and the next moment he judges others, and condemns them without\nceremony; and although it is said of him, that \"a bruised reed he would\nnot break, and smoking flax he would not quench,\" and that \"_his voice\ncould not be heard in the street,_\" yet we find him using something very\nlittle short of outrage and violence. In the affair of the Temple, for\ninstance, it is recorded that Jesus took a cord, and began to attack\nthose sitting about that sacred place, \"_overthrowing the tables of the\nmoney-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves,_\" calling them\n\"_a den of thieves._\" Such conduct the Jews could not expect from their\nlong-wished and earnestly-desired Messiah.\n\nEven at twelve years of age, his conduct seems to have had something\nstrange about it; namely, his absenting himself from his home. When his\nparents found him, and told him that \"_they had sought him sorrowing,_\"\nhe said, in reply, \"Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's\nbusiness?\" This answer appears not to have been understood by his\nrelations; but if Joseph was not his father, his mother could not wonder\nat his straying from home; she would have said to Joseph, \"As you are\nnot his father, he has reference to the Holy Ghost.\" His conduct also\npartook of the same strangeness at the marriage-feast. When the wine was\nall out, his mother told her son of it; his reply was not very\ndutiful--\"_Woman_,\" says he, \"_what have I to do with thee?_\" At such a\nplace, on the night of a marriage ceremony, there seems something so\nunearthly about him, that he never appeared at ease in any company; such\nan absence of mirthful enjoyment was calculated to spread a gloom\nthroughout the whole party.\n\nBut that which appears very strange in Jesus, is his using language that\neven his disciples did not understand, such as, \"The kingdom of heaven\nis at hand;\" that he \"came down from heaven;\" for, says Jesus, \"_No man\nhath ascended up into heaven, but he who came down from heaven, even the\nson of man, who is in heaven._\" And again, \"_Repent ye, for the kingdom\nof heaven is at hand;_\" and to the rich man, who asked him what he was\nto do to secure the kingdom of heaven, Jesus said, that in addition to\nloving and fearing God, and doing his duty to his neighbor, he \"_must\nsell all he had, and give it to the poor._\"\n\nThe reader must ever keep in mind the true merits of the case between\nJesus and the Jews. It was not, whether they were more immoral than\ntheir heathen neighbors, nor as to their being more or less learned than\nsurrounding nations; for, we do not find that Jesus ever made any\ninquiries as to their mechanic arts, or the state of agriculture\npractised among them. Neither do we find that Jesus interested himself\nas to their progress in the science of astronomy. The last of these we\ncan conceive would have been very useful; and it might be supposed that\nhe could impart some knowledge in regard to it, since, in his passage\nfrom heaven to earth, he must have crossed: some of the planetary\norbits, and no doubt observed their satellites then undiscovered; but to\ncommunicate such important information was not included in his mission.\nHis only object was, to convince the Jews that he, and he alone, was the\ntrue and undoubted Messiah promised by the prophets to redeem and\nrestore the Jews, as a nation, to their former greatness and glory.\nEvery either subject was useless, and only stood as an hindrance in the\nway of the great purpose of his coming.\n\nI have before stated, that miracles must ever be considered doubtful\nevidence to prove that the performer is any thing; more than what men in\nall ages have pretended to be; and to pretend to do what is far beyond\nhuman agency, presupposes that the persons who are to be the judges,\nknow where human power ends, and divine power begins. But for this\nknowledge, no just and certain rule can be laid down; consequently, it\nis folly to conceive that Infinite Wisdom would make use of means so\nill-adapted to the end m view. It would be but an attempt to prove a\ndoubtful truth, by means equally if not more doubtful.\n\nBut, before closing this chapter, we will inquire into the probability\nof any miracles having been performed, as mentioned by the New Testament\nwriters. And here our attention must be turned to the internal evidence\nafforded by the New Testament itself. We shall there find internal or\nindirect proof, that those miracles never took place, and that the whole\nof them were ante-dated; that is, after the persons were dead who are\nsaid to have been the performers. If this can be made out, miracles will\nthen receive a shock from which they never can recover. To do this, will\nbe the work of what remains to be done in this chapter.\n\nJohn the Baptist is the first personage we shall select. The miracle\nsaid to have taken place at the baptism of Jesus, is recorded by John,\nas follows:--\"_And after Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens\nwere opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a\ndove, and lighting upon him; and, lo! a voice from heaven saying, *This\nis my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased._\" (Matthew iii. 16, 17.)\nAgain, in John's Gospel, i., 36, when John the Baptist saw Jesus, he\nsaid of him, \"_Behold the Lamb of God.\" John also said of Jesus, that\n*he knew him not till it was told him, that on whomsoever he (John)\nshould see the Spirit of God descend, the same is he_--meaning the true\nChrist. Now here are repeated miracles to convince not only John the\nBaptist, but also all that were present at the baptism of Jesus. Such\nevidence ought to have stopped any future inquiries as to the real\nMessiahship of Jesus; but there are strong doubts as to the truth that\nany such wonders were exhibited at the time they are recorded to have\ntaken place.\n\nI shall proceed to present those doubts to the reader, as truth is my\nobject, and I am not afraid to follow after it:--in Matthew ii., 1, 2,\nit reads, \"_Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ,\nhe sent two of his disciples, and said unto him, Art thou he that should\ncome, or do we look for another?_\" This question, sent by John to\nChrist, shows clearly that John did not hear of the wonders wrought by\nChrist until he (John) was in prison for his reproof of Herod. This\naccount makes it almost certain that the whole story of John's baptizing\nJesus, and also of the voice from heaven, saying, \"This is my beloved\nSon, in whom 1 am well pleased,\" is a fabrication altogether, and that\nJohn had never heard of Jesus until his confinement For this conclusion,\nwe have twofold proof: since if John had baptized Jesus, and the wonders\nwere performed as recorded, John could not have required any further\nevidence us to his being no pretender, but the true Messiah, the hope\nand expectation of Israel. On the part of Jesus, his reply would have\nbeen, \"Why, John, what do you mean by sending a question as to whom I\nam? You heard the voice from heaven when I was baptized; you also saw\nthe dove descend on my head; and now you send two of your disciples to\ninquire of me, by saying, 'Art thou he that should come, or do we look\nfor another?'\"\n\nIf we consider John's question to Jesus, and also Jesus's reply, it will\nbe plain that John had not even seen nor heard much of Jesus, till after\nhe was in prison. What, then, aha** we say of those wonders at the\nbaptism of Jesus? The answer is at hand, which is, that there is no\ntruth in the story. The probability is, that it was recorded from\nhearsay evidence, by some person unknown, and ante-dated so as to\ncorrespond to the time of John the Baptist; but that such evidence was\ngiven to John, of the identity of Jesus, as to prevent any future\ninquiry, there can be no doubt, admitting it ever took place; but John's\nsending his disciples to Jesus to ascertain the truth of his being the\ntrue Messiah, fully destroys the truth of any voice being heard by John,\nor the Holy Spirit descending like a dove on the head of Jesus.\n\nThe ignorance of all the disciples of Jesus, as it regards who he really\nwas, is remarkable, if it be admitted that he performed what is said of\nhim. We will notice the Apostle Peter, as he may be fairly considered\nthe representative of the twelve. It is written, that when Jesus and\nPeter were together, behold! old Moses and Elias (Elijah) came so near\nto the earth that they held conversation with Jesus, and that Peter,\nsomehow or other, knew them; but he, so far from being alarmed at seeing\nthose two old prophets, was unwilling that they should return, and even\nproposed to Jesus to prepare for their stay. Surely, that was an age of\nmiracles and wonders! We have an account of the old Devil's crawling out\nfrom some hole or cave, and following Jesus into the wilderness; and,\nagain, we have two old prophets returned, hovering in the air, and\nconversing with Jesus; one of whom is said to have died a thousand years\nprevious to the time of his holding this supposed conversation with\nJesus from the clouds; and the other, at nearly the same time, was taken\nup into heaven in a chariot of fire! Those two strange personages must\nhave had business of great importance with Jesus. Are we to consider\nthis strange visit to have taken place, when the truth of it rests on\nthe same authority as all the other miracles and wonders which are\nrecorded concerning the mission of Jesus? If Moses and Elijah did not in\ntruth and reality talk to Jesus from the clouds, in the hearing of\nPeter, in their real persons, or by their apparitions, it then follows,\nthat there is no truth in any of the miracles or wonders said to have\nbeen performed, to prove that Jesus was _sent from God_; for all the\nmiracles and wonders which (it is said) took place, stand or fall\ntogether.\n\nIf, for instance, the Devil did not find Jesus in the wilderness, and go\nwith him into the city, and tempt him to throw himself from the\nTemple--if this is not strictly true, why, then, it is false as to Moses\nand Elijah's talking with him from the clouds. This incredible story, if\nrelated in any book but what is called the Word of God, would not be\ncredited by one in ten thousand; but being found in the life of the\nRedeemer, the man who rejects it and proclaims it unworthy of credit, is\nconsidered an enemy of God, and will have the sentence of \"_Go, ye\ncursed_,\" &c. As so much importance is attached to what is called the\nWord of God, we will discuss a little further the business which brought\nMoses and Elijah so near to this earth. As to where Moses or Elijah\nreside, we have no knowledge, and what is the nature of their\nemployment, we know not; but if they still live, they must have some\nlocation, and also, we suppose, must be employed about something--but\nthese things we must leave to those who are better acquainted with other\nworlds, while our attention will be directed to the business of the\nheavenly visitors.\n\nIf Moses had any interest in the mission of Jesus to the Jews, he could\nhave been serviceable to him, as he had been their former leader, and\ntherefore could give him useful hints concerning them. We may suppose he\nwould introduce the subject of Jesus's mission in the following\nmanner:--\"I am Moses, the former leader of the seed of Abram, and\nhearing that Jehovah had sent his son Jesus to convert them to the true\nworship of God, and the practice of justice and truth, I come to offer\nmy services, as I am well acquainted with that disobedient race; and, in\ntruth, I had a terrible time of it with them: only think of forty years\nin the wilderness, always murmuring, and worshipping strange gods, for\nwhich, at times, they were cruelly punished; Jehovah destroyed thousands\nof them for resisting my authority; but they were incurable. He would\nhave, at one time, so great was his wrath, destroyed them all; but I\ntold him what the Egyptians and the heathen in general would say, and he\naltered his mind, and killed off the worst of them: for, getting a\nlittle out of temper with them at one time, in consequence of their\nmurmurings, Jehovah became angry with me, and I was prevented from\nenjoying full possession of the promised land. It always surprised me\nhow it came about that Jehovah should select them from the rest of the\nhuman race, for in my lifetime nothing was ever made of them; they even\ndisgraced the God who had made them his choice. I left them in thy hands\nof Joshua, as the most proper person to rule over them; but how he got\nalong with them, I have not heard.\" \"Your offer, Moses, is duly\nappreciated; but the Jews, as a nation, are now a different people from\nwhat they were when you had to manage them. My course will be different\naltogether from what you pursued. Farewell! Moses and Elijah.\" We may\nsuppose that Jesus would say to Peter, \"As for your purposing to erect\nthree tabernacles in this place, one for myself, one for Moses, and\nanother for Elijah, it is proof that you are entirely ignorant of my\nfuture dealings with my own nation; for, in a few months, such things\nwill transpire, that even you, Peter, all zealous as you are, will swear\noff and deny any knowledge of me.\"\n\nNow, reader, nothing can be more extravagant than to suppose that such\nconversation took place between Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. But if those\ntwo old prophets did really descend, and converse with Jesus, then what\nI have supposed is no more extravagant than that two prophets, who had\nnot been on earth for a thousand years, should pay a visit to Jesus, and\nhold converse with him. These miracles never occurred, and the world has\nbeen imposed upon and plundered by men, who, by telling such tales, have\nlived in idleness; and their quarrels about what Jesus said or somebody\nsaid, or did, have in every age been the cause of evils of every kind,\nand of rendering human beings ignorant and wretched.\n\nChristians, in speaking of the divine mission of Jesus, urge is miracles\nas proofs that he came from God with full authority to give laws to, and\nfinally _to judge both quick and dead_; but the proof is wanting that he\never performed one miracle. All the evidence we derive from the miracles\nsaid to have been performed is not, that we know they were wrought by\nJesus, but that it is by somebody recorded that he did the mighty works\nattributed to him, and which to us is no evidence at all. To believe,\nthen, what is written, without knowing by whom, or at what time and\nplace it was written, is to believe without evidence, which would be a\nvoluntary degradation of the noble faculties which have been conferred\nupon man.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\n\nPETER, of all the twelve apostles, seems to have been more in the\nconfidence of Jesus than the rest; since when he and Peter were alone,\nhis inquiry of Peter was as to what the people thought of him. For he\nsaid to Peter, \"_Whom do the people say that I, the son of man, am-?_\"\nPeter answered him, that different opinions were abroad concerning him.\nSome said one thing, and some another; but the general opinion was, that\none of the old prophets had returned. Jesus then turned to Peter and\nasked him as to his own conviction, and received for answer, \"_Thou art\nthe Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto\nhim, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not\nrevealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven._\" In\nconsequence of this declaration of Peter, Jesus then grants him\nsuperhuman power. To Peter, he says--\"_Upon this rock will I build my\nchurch. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and\nwhatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and\nwhatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven. Then\ncharged he his disciples, that they should tell no man that he was Jesus\nthe Christ._\" (Matthew xvi., 18, 19.. 20.)\n\nFrom the subsequent conduct of Peter, it is not possible for him to have\nwitnessed the astonishing miracles said to have been performed in his\npresence. Peter was present when Moses and Elijah conversed with Jesus;\nand while Peter was speaking to his Divine Master, \"_Behold, a bright\ncloud overshadowed them, and, behold, a voice out of the cloud, which\nsaid, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him._\"\nNow, if there were such a demonstration as this, (and many such proofs\nPeter had been favored with,) how is it possible for us to account for\nPeter's denying that he even knew Jesus at all? This ought to be\nsufficient for us to conclude that the accounts of those wonders\nperformed in the lifetime of Jesus, are false statements, written after\nthe reputed resurrection of Jesus, and the death of Peter, and that\nneither of them saw nor believed any thing of the kind whatever.\n\nIn the present chapter, I shall notice the mode adopted by Jesus to\nprove his Messiahship. In this investigation, we shall discover a want\nof openness and plain-dealing as it relates to the communication of his\nobjects as the expected _hope and deliverer of Israel._ The reader must\never keep in mind, that the object of Christ's coming, so far as the\nJews were interested, was, first, to prove, beyond the shadow of a\ndoubt, that the true and only Messiah had arrived among them. Until this\nwas settled, nothing which Jesus said or taught would be of any avail,\nbecause, unless this point was established, none would admit his\nauthority to enforce any thing that appeared in opposition to Jewish\ntheology, or to the ceremonies of the laws of Moses, the observance of\nwhich, the Jews could not be prevailed upon to neglect; for it clearly\nappears that the Jewish priests and rulers never showed any disposition\nto resist, or in any way to treat with disrespect, the _holy one of\nIsrael_. The Jews, then, were in a favorable state of mind to receive\nhim whom they had so long and so earnestly expected and desired. But, as\nthat nation had before been deceived, a double degree of caution became\nnecessary to detect deception and expose imposture; for, until Jesus had\nproved, beyond the possibility of a doubt, that he had the sanction of\nHeaven for all which he taught, the Jews could place no reliance on his\npretensions.\n\nIt will now be proper to notice the introduction of the mission of Jesus\nto the Jews. If he came by the divine command of the Governor of the\nUniverse, we ought to expect that his mission would be clearly made\nknown to all those who were interested. Nothing of such vast importance\nmust be guess-work; and the first and most important of all inquiries\nwould be, who are you, and by whom are you sent? for, until these\ninquiries were 'finally settled, his sayings could not have their full\neffect; since, as it has before been remarked, the moral state of the\nJews was not the point at issue, until his mission was made known, and\neach party came to a right understanding. When, therefore, the Jews\nunderstood who Jesus was, and the high authority under which he taught,\nto correct their moral defects would make a part of his teaching, and\ntheir minds would have been free from the obstacles that stood in the\nway of attending to his precepts.\n\nThe erratic method resorted to by Jesus, in his converse with his\nnation, as recorded in the history of his life, seems very singular. So\nhigh a personage as the _only Son of God_ to be sent on a mission of\npeace and reconciliation to his chosen people, it certainly must be\nexpected that his steps would have been directed to the most learned men\nof his nation, and that all offensive language would have been withheld,\neven admitting that the Jews were immoral to a very great degree. But\nthe acquaintances of Jesus were the most ignorant and unlearned of the\nJews, and were, from the nature of their employment, incapable of\njudging correctly of those signs and wonders which Jesus produced as\nproofs of his divine authority. The learned priests and scribes were the\nproper persons to have resorted to, as being alone competent to examine\nand explain all those predictions which related to Christ's coming, as\nforetold by the prophets of the Old Testament. What would be thought of\na Minister Extraordinary, who, being sent from Washington to London on\nbusiness of the first importance, should he, instead of repairing to\nLondon, make known his mission, by hints and indirect sayings, to some\nuntaught fishermen, and, at the same time, abuse, and also make use of\nthe most threatening expressions towards the heads of the government to\nwhom he was sent? Could it be expected that such conduct would be\nproductive of any thing but failure? This is exactly similar to the\nconduct pursued by Jesus in his intercourse with the Jewish rulers. Can\nwe, for a moment, admit that Infinite Wisdom could have sent such an\nambassador on the all-important subject of the salvation of the human\nrace? Jesus repeatedly reproaches the Jews in general, and his disciples\nin particular, for their want of faith in his divine authority: at the\nsame time, he makes use of sayings that it was impossible for them to\nunderstand.\n\nJesus often referred to his treatment and death. How was it possible for\nthem to understand this prediction? It never could have entered the\nminds of the descendants of Abram, Isaac, and Jacob, that the true\nMessiah must suffer death before he could begin to restore the Jews to\ntheir former greatness. Instead of calling together the most talented\nand the most influential of the Jewish nation, and openly making known\nto them the object of his delegation, he associated with that portion of\nsociety whose knowledge of Jewish history was very limited; and, as if\nhe dreaded publicity, often charged them to \"tell no man that he was the\nChrist\"--the very opposite course to what appears to be consistent with\nthe important object of his coming. Taking the history of Christ's life,\nand also, more particularly, that of his teaching, he seems to have no\nsettled plan whatever. At times, he seems to be in the strictest sense a\nJew, not only as it regards his nation, but, also, most strictly\nfollowing the law of Moses, submitting even to all its ceremonies. At\nother times, he opposes his sayings to those of the law of Moses, and\nopenly forgives sins, without having any recourse to the offering of\nsacrifice according to the Mosaic law. Sometimes, he speaks of being not\nonly \"_Lord of all,_\" but that they would \"_see him coming down in the\nclouds, in power and glory, to judge both quick and dead_\"; and then,\nagain, speaking of his poverty, as \"not having where to lay his head.\"\nHis living a life of wandering and mendicity, at times making a great\nexcitement in one place, and suddenly departing to another,--these\nstrange movements (admitting they occurred) entirely took off the\nattention of the heads of the Jewish people, and caused him to be\nconsidered as any thing but the promised _restorer of Israel_. In\naddition to his unsettled state, his repeated attacks on the rulers,\nholding them up to the scorn and contempt of the people, had generated\nsuch feelings in the minds of the priests and scribes, that they\nconsidered him as a pretender to the Messiahship. Besides the hostility\nhe showed to rich men, in speaking of the almost impossibility of their\nentering that kingdom which was included in all his teachings, namely,\n\"_The kingdom of heaven is at hand,_\" when a rich man asked him \"what he\nwas to do to inherit eternal life?\" the answer of Jesus to him was, in\naddition to what the rich man had done, \"Go and sell all, and give to\nthe poor, and follow me.\" We are told that the rich man refused to do\nthat, and Jesus then said of the rich, \"how difficult it was for a rich\nman to enter the kingdom of heaven.\" This is the wild and levelling\ndoctrine taught by modern prophets. Nothing can be more unreasonable and\nunjust. If such doctrines as these had, in in the time of Jesus, been\npractised, he would have drawn a host of idlers after him. Besides, to\nteach such an unqualified practice as the one proposed to the rich man,\nmust, at that time, have convinced every well-informed man how very\nunfit Jesus was to regulate society. I well know that Christians will\nconsider this mode of examination of the sayings and doings of Jesus, as\nwicked and horrible; as opposing the weak judgment of man to the\ninfinite wisdom of God. In reply to this, I would say, it is by\ninvestigating the teachings of Jesus as recorded in the New Testament,\nthat we can perceive its defects, and thereby fully discover that the\nwise Ruler and Governor of all never sanctioned doctrines such as those\nsaid to have proceeded from Jesus.\n\nIn taking a candid survey of the teaching, manner, and life of Jesus as\nit is written in the evangelists, we find that both he and his apostles\nlived a wandering life. How they raised funds, we know not, but it seems\nthat Judas Iscariot was treasurer; and that he loved money better than\nhe did his master, his betraying him to the rulers for thirty pieces of\nsilver, fully proved. His having no fixed home, and following no regular\nand permanent employment, will throw some light on the system of morals\nwhich Jesus inculcated. Although some of his moral precepts were\nundoubtedly good, and calculated to make those happy who reduced them to\npractice, still others there were, which, if practised, would create\ndisorder---such as that which repudiates the taking any thought for the\nmorrow. There is a vast difference in taking prudential thought for the\nmorrow, and always looking at the gloomy side of what may possibly\nhappen. Jesus makes no distinction; but in his explanation he leaves the\nsubject more obscure than if he had not left any comment at all. Jesus\nsays, \"_Consider the lilies of the field; they toil not, neither do they\nspin, yet Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.\"\nAnd again, \"Take no thought for the morrow, what ye shall eat or what ye\nshall drink, nor wherewithal ye shall be clothed, for your heavenly\nfather knoweth ye have need of all these. But seek ye first the kingdom\nof heaven, and its righteousness, and all these things shall be added\nunto you.\" Again, \"If a man sue you at law and take your coat, let him\nhave your cloak also:_\" and many more precepts of the same nature, which\nare impracticable, and which must be left to prudence and common sense\nto carry into practice.\n\nBut this very imperfect code of morals could be practised better by\nJesus and his followers, considering their mode of life, than by others\nwho had fixed homes. How Jesus and his apostles lived, as to their means\nto buy food or clothing, is unknown,--unless they lived the lives of\nmendicants, or, to speak more plainly, by what they could pick up, which\nis implied in the saying of Christ: \"for,\" says he, \"_foxes have holes,\nand the birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has not where to\nlay his head,_\" To persons so situated, the taking thought for the\nmorrow would be but of little use; but by those persons who had homes,\nand who, by labor, had to provide for a family, such morality could not\nbe practised. We will give but one instance.\n\nSuppose a person had business from home for some weeks, and had given\nhis wife orders to provide his linen, with other things, for his\njourney; and when the time arrived for him to leave home, his wife had,\nagreeable to the precepts of Jesus, taken no thought for the\nmorrow,--would such an excuse satisfy the husband? No. Prudent\nforethought is connected with every thing moral; and without it, society\nwould be entirely broken up. But to persons living a wandering life, and\nnot knowing from one day to another how they should fare; and rising in\nthe morning ignorant how it might turn out as to where they could lie\ndown at night--to such, the sayings of Jesus would better apply. But to\nthose who were settled and had fixed homes, the _taking no thought for\nthe morrow_ would break up every family who should attempt it. Had we\nbeen of the Jewish nation, and lived in the time of Jesus, in all\nprobability we should have considered the conduct of Christ very\nstrange. Sometimes, he upbraided the Jews for their unbelief; and at\nothers, charged his own apostles to keep as a secret that he was the\nChrist.\n\nThe only way to understand this strange history of the Messiah is, to\nreject the account of his preaching altogether; and to consider the\nwhole of his ministry as being written by unknown persons from hearsay\nonly. And it is nearly proof positive that no such person as Jesus\nexisted, who said and did those things ascribed to him; for it is\nutterly impossible by his history, admitting it to be correct, to\ngather, from the evangelists' account of it, for what he came, and also\nwhat end was answered to the Jews. They we're left in a worse state than\nif Jesus had not been among them: for, as the Jews mistook the object of\nhis mission in consequence of the obscurity of his preaching, so the\ndifferent sects, to this day, have not decided what is Christianity.\n\nThe history of the life and preaching of Jesus, is such a confusion of\nopposite doctrines, that, after eighteen hundred years' investigation,\nby men the most learned; and after thousands and tens of thousands of\nvolumes have been written, and commentators have endeavored to settle\nthe different and conflicting accounts of what he taught, it still\nremains unsettled whether Christ is part God and part man, or whether he\nhad a natural father, and is to be considered as nothing but a man, but\nof superior holiness of life. It is not settled whether Christ died for\nall, or only a part of the human race. Again, it is not yet agreed on by\nChristian sects whether baptism should be extended to infants, or be\nadministered exclusively to adults. These, and many more subjects, are\nby different parties viewed differently; at the same time all and each\nappeal to the New Testament in support of their respective creeds.\n\nI will now appeal to the reader whether a God of infinite wisdom and\npower would be the author of a religion which could give rise to so many\ncontradictory doctrines? which in the life-time of the propagator was\nnot understood? and for eighteen hundred years has been a fruitful field\nof discord, war, and murder, instead of producing \"peace on earth and\ngood-will towards men?\" It has never failed to be a source of war,\nhatred, malice, and ill-will towards men; and nothing but the extension\nof Infidel Principles can secure the human race against a recurrence of\nthose dreadful scenes, which, for ages, converted this otherwise happy\nworld into a slaughter house of human victims. To my brother Infidels,\nthen, I say, \"Ye are the salt of the earth.\" If you cease from your\nnoble exertions, the human race may again exhibit one mass of\ntheological putrefaction. If Infinite wisdom and power had ever\nundertaken to give a revelation to man, we should not have witnessed any\nblunders or mistakes. A revelation coming from such a being, would have\nbeen directed to some beneficial end, and, like the eternal laws of the\nuniverse, the means made use of would not have failed to bring about the\nglorious end intended. But the Bible, including the Old and New\nTestaments, is not only unworthy of its pretended high authority; but it\nportrays the all-wise Governor and Director of all worlds as a being\nchangeable, cruel, and unjust.\n\nIn addition to the obscure manner resorted to by Jesus in his speeches,\nhe seldom conversed with any of his countrymen of any distinction. It\nwas always the lower ranks of society to whom he directed his sayings;\nso that, to the most learned and opulent of the Jews, he was little\nknown; for when the higher powers were about to take him into custody,\nto them he was unknown. It then became expedient to offer a reward to\nsome one to point him out to the officers appointed to arrest him. Judas\nIscariot was the man who seemed willing as well as competent, to conduct\nthis ungrateful business. Jesus had often said that _one of his apostles\nwould betray him_. There is something very strange in the saying of\nJesus, that _he had chosen twelve apostles and one would betray him_. If\nJesus came to the Jews as the promised and expected Messiah, the very\nidea of betraying him implies that he did not intend that the Jews\nshould ever know him as _the sent of God_. At all events, Jesus, at the\ntime Judas made him personally known to the chief priest and rulers,\ncomplained of the deceitfulness of Judas, which is full proof that he\ndid not wish at that time to be put on his trial.\n\nBut in what did this betraying consist? The Jewish rulers wished to have\nthe man pointed out to them who had made so much noise and stir among\nthe lower order of the people. Judas took the reward, and if Jesus were\nreally sent by the Lord of all to his nation, this betraying was only\ngiving him an opportunity of openly avowing his Messiahship. Here then\nwas the time for him to show such signs and wonders as to prevent any\ndoubts as to who he was, and of the important object of his coming; for\nif _he came into the world to die for the sins of mankind_, Judas then\nwas of vast importance in bringing about that which was before ordained\nby the _determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God_. But if he (Jesus)\ndid not intend to suffer death, then, and only then, had he cause to\ncomplain of Judas as a traitor. Jesus, in speaking of Judas, says, \"_it\nhad been good for that man if he had never been born:_\" but if the\nsalvation of mankind depended on the death of Christ, a more important\nperson than Judas was never born of woman. Whether such a man as Jesus\never lived or not, it is impossible to determine; but admitting that\nsuch a man as he is said to have been, did exist, it does appear that\nhis life was a scene of incongruities bordering on insanity. And the\nwhole of his public ministry was so erratic, that it seems as if he had\nno specific object in view.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\n\nNOTHING can be more unreasonable than to admit, for a moment, that the\nAlmighty Power which governs the vast unbounded universe, should be the\nauthor, either directly or indirectly, of a system which has produced so\nmuch cruelty, carnage, and bloodshed, as the Christian Religion--a very\nlarge portion of which has been brought about by the discordant\ndoctrines attributed to the preaching of Christ. If God is its author,\n(which is more than doubtful,) if, in addition to the evils with which\nhuman nature is afflicted, he had intended to make man's misery\ncomplete, the Christian religion seems well adapted to secure that end,\nfor it is the key-stone of human wretchedness. A great amount of evil\nhas resulted from the different sects that have arisen from the New\nTestament.\n\nA few particulars will suffice to show that the various doctrines, all\ngathered from and founded on the sayings of Christ, have created discord\nand persecution among the followers of Jesus, the pretended pacificator\nof the human race.\n\nOne of the most destructive sayings of Jesus--one which has entailed on\nthe human race a system of continual evil, and which bids fair to last\nfor ages to come, is the delegated power given to the Apostle Peter, and\nwhich is, to the present day, claimed by his successors. Peter, being\nasked by Christ as to what the Jews thought of him, answered that \"some\nthought that one of the old prophets had returned from the dead, while\nothers thought differently.\" But, says Jesus to Peter, \"_Whom do you say\nthat I am?_\" Give me your opinion. Peter replied, \"_Thou art the Christ,\nthe Son of God._\" This answer was responded to by Jesus, and to Peter he\nsaid, \"_Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood has not\nrevealed it unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven;\" and Jesus added,\n\"Thou art Peter, and on this rock will I build my church, and the gates\nof hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys\nof the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall\nbe bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be\nloosed in heaven._\" (Matthew xvi., 19.)\n\nAfter appearing to give Peter unlimited power, he tells him that \"_the\nchief priest and scribes will put him to death, and that he should be\nraised the third day._\" Peter, not understanding this sad reverse, and\nout of regard for his master, rebuked him, but very mildly, by saying,\n\"_Be it far from thee, Lord, this shall not be unto thee._\" At this,\nJesus seemed to lose his temper, and said, \"_Get thee behind me, Satan,\nthou art an offence to me._\" Jesus then tells Peter that \"_The son of\nman should come in the glory of his Father, with his angels, to reward\nevery man according to his works,_\" Jesus then adds, \"_Verily, I say\nunto you, there be some standing here which shall not taste of death\ntill they see the son of man coming in his kingdom._\"\n\nNow it was not possible for Peter, or any one else, to understand\nChrist's meaning. He tells them things concerning his second coming,\nbefore they understood his object as it related to his Messiahship.\nBesides, what he told them would surely come to pass in their time, is\nnot yet fulfilled. This obscure mode of teaching runs through all his\nspeeches; and he continually reproaches them for their want of faith in\nhis doctrines. A method so incoherent appears to approach to insanity.\n\nBut to return more immediately to the power given to Peter. A power so\nundefined as was given to Peter, at a time when he did not even\ncomprehend the final destiny of Jesus, cannot be admitted to have been\ngiven. But as this part of Christ's history was written long after his\nleaving this earth, the writer, whoever he was, wrote from hearsay; and\nthere being no one to question its truth, it became, like many other\nsayings, reputed as coming from Jesus. Inconsistent as it was, it became\none of the doctrines of the church; and the successors of Peter retain\nit in the Catholic Church at the present day. This original power given\nunto Peter is still invested in the person of the Pope of Rome, and\nthrough him down to the rest of the clergy. This power, said to have\nbeen given by Jesus to the church, has been productive of discord. The\nPopes have held and acted upon it as a divine prerogative bequeathed by\nChrist to his church, which has been denied by other sects, so that\nquarrels have been the consequence. And hence both rich and poor,\nlearned and unlearned, have, and do still, confess to the priest their\nsins, and receive pardon.\n\nAll the evils that have resulted from such foolery, sprang from the\nauthority said to have been by Jesus given to Peter. What a rich harvest\nhave the priests reaped from this delegated power! Can men, possessing\none grain of common sense, believe that such power was ever given to\nmortal man? But the different sects will say, that Jesus never intended\nthat it should be thus understood. This does not mend the matter at all;\nfor God must have foreseen what use would be made of it. The\nconsequences, therefore, rest with Him. But are we prepared to admit\nthat Infinite Wisdom would have left unguarded, doctrines of such vast\nimportance to the peace and harmony of his church?\n\nAgain, the shocking consequences which have followed the institution of\nthe Sacrament, or Lord's Supper. Jesus, according as Christians believe,\ninstituted the breaking of bread and drinking of wine, as an emblem of\nhis body being broken, and his blood being poured out as a sacrifice for\nsin. But this doctrine or ordinance, being undefined, the different\nsects of Christians have practised it under the impression of its\nsacredness, taking its literal meaning instead of regarding it as a\ntoken of remembrance. The Catholic believes, or professes so to do, that\nafter the descendants of Peter have prayed over, and consecrated, the\nbread and wine, its nature is changed into the real body and blood of\nthe Saviour. One horrible consequence which has resulted from such\ntomfoolery, has been, the burning of hundreds of human beings at the\nstake, for not admitting so important a truth. This evil, and many\nothers, has arisen from the obscure doctrines taught by Jesus, whom the\nscriptures describe as being the light of the world. Jesus, before being\ntaken into heaven, told his disciples that it was for their good that he\nshould leave them; for, to make up for his absence, _he would send the\nHoly Ghost, who would be a comforter, and would lead them into all\ntruth_. How far this promise has been fulfilled, we have the evidence of\neighteen hundred years; for, immediately after Jesus had left his\nchurch, they became divided, and ever since they have butchered each\nother without mercy. This is the comfort, then, that Christians have\nreceived by the coming of the Holy Ghost.\n\nAnother fruitful field of slaughter and blood has been thrown open in\nconsequence of Jesus withholding from the Christian church the real\nnature of his being. So confused was he on this subject, that, even now,\nChristians do not agree. Some contend for his manhood alone, and that,\nlike all other men, he had an earthly father,--the Unitarians, for\ninstance, and other sects. But the real Orthodox contend that Jesus was\nborn of a pure virgin, who, though a mother was yet a virgin. These\ncontradictory views are supported by the life and history of Jesus. Does\nit require any thing more than common sense to repudiate the divinity of\na Book containing such opposite statements of the same accounts, or\nfacts? It is the uncertainty of what Christianity really is, which has\ncaused so much evil in the world; and this has arisen from the dark and\nobscure mode of teaching attributed to the Son of God. Those Christians\nwho have embraced views so opposite to each other, but who have taken\nthem from the same Word of God, have, in every age, been the most\nimplacable enemies, and have seldom failed, when power has been in their\nhands, to inflict the most cruel torments on those who differed from\nthem. Indeed, the history of the Christian Church is one continued\nrecord of persecution and cruelty.\n\nI was, for some few months, called on by an Orthodox deacon, who\nearnestly requested me to reflect on the dangerous situation I was in as\nan unbeliever, being totally unprepared for a future state. I asked, if\nI were in a worse state than an Unitarian? You admit, said I, that they,\nmany of them, are good men, and will not be excluded from heaven. He\nreplied, that, morally speaking, they might be good; but, he added, that\nmy claim to heaven stood on equal, if not superior ground to theirs, as\nthey did not believe in the vicarious sacrifice of Jesus for sin;\nconsequently, they had neither part nor lot in the matter.\n\nAll the intolerance and persecution which have deluged the earth with\nblood, have arisen from Christianity not having ever been defined.\nHundreds of different creeds have been founded on the sayings and doings\nof Jesus and his apostles, as found in the New Testament; and there are\nyet materials for many more. Each sect regards all other sects as being\nwickedly obstinate, and resisting the truth. All this misery and\ndestruction, arising from the different construction of the doctrines\nsaid to have been delivered by Jesus, would never have taken place, if\nthe all-wise Ruler of the Universe had dictated them; but the evils they\nhave brought on the world can never be reconciled as coming from a Being\nof infinite wisdom, power, and goodness. If such a Being had ever given\na revelation to the human race, there is no doubt but that it would have\nbeen adapted to man's reasoning powers; that mistakes would not have\nopposed its progress; thousands of books would not have been required to\nexplain what Infinite Wisdom had proclaimed; no fires of martyrdom would\nhave been lighted, to compel men to believe what none could understand.\n\nIf God had been the author of the Christian religion, it would, like all\nhis works, have been so arranged, and the means so wisely adapted, that\nthe intention or end would be fully answered. But the religion of the\nBible, both the Old and New Testament, is a continual trial of\nexperiments on man. And what has religion made of him? Is he generally\nfit to be trusted, in word or action? Is he generally humane and\ntender-hearted? No! very far from it. Society is, in its best state,\nvery defective in humanity. The accumulation of riches is the\nChristian's object. Gold is the god he adores.\n\nIt is impossible for Christians to deny that the persecutions and\nburnings, the cruel torture, and every infliction of cruelty practised\nby one sect towards others, who honestly differed from the most\npowerful, were all in consequence of the different sects embracing and\nmaintaining opposite doctrines; all of which were founded on the\nteaching of Jesus. Can we, then, believe that the Almighty Ruler of all\nworlds would have sent his Son to teach mankind something that should\ninvolve the human race in a never-ending quarrel, by teaching so\nobscurely that two persons, equally honest and intelligent, should form\nopposite opinions; knowing, as the Almighty must, that such teaching\nwould engender hatred and malice, and be the cause of producing unheard\nof cruelty and torture?\n\nHow dreadful it is to reflect on the mad fury of religious zeal, when\nthe persecutor and the persecuted are equally sincere! The first,\nbelieving he ought to put to death those who differ from him, for the\nglory of God; and the latter, considering that his crown of glory can be\nobtained only by sufferings death the most horrid to bear! Poor,\nunfortunate creatures! Both parties are objects of pity. The evils\nresulting from the different doctrines collected from the teaching of\nJesus, have, for eighteen hundred years, converted the otherwise happy\nworld into a pious mad-house. The doctrine of human depravity, although\nit may not have been so productive of evil as some others, is a libel on\nhuman nature. It is taught by Jesus; the preachers repeat it weekly from\nthe pulpit; and the necessity of a new birth results from it. A thousand\npulpits thunder forth vengeance against man because of the hardness of\nhis heart. We are told that he has rebelled against his God; that he is\nat enmity with him, and that he has turned his back to his Maker.\n\nAll this is done to humble man, and to bring about his conversion. The\nScriptures also represent the Almighty as angry with poor, feeble man,\nand that he will eventually pour out his wrath in never-ending torments!\nThese doctrines, so earnestly taught, and so fully credited, constitute\na principal part of what comes from ten thousand preachers; and if we\nexamine the truth of them, none can we find. As it respects man's\nrebelling, and turning his back on his Creator, man's error and\nmisfortune has ever been in trying to find out something about his\nMaker.\n\nThis curiosity, no doubt, originated in a state of ignorance. And even\nin the present day, man has yet to learn the inutility of every attempt\nto discover any thing as to the being and nature of a Supreme Power that\nis supposed to govern the universe. We are lost in wonder and admiration\nwhen we contemplate the mighty universe! but of the Grand Regulator of\nall, we are, and no doubt shall ever remain, in total ignorance. It is a\nlibel on man, then, to teach that human beings are at enmity against\nGod. I ask my readers, both male and female, whether they ever had those\nfeelings of hatred against the unknown Governor of the grand and sublime\nuniverse? But Christian priests proclaim it; and to those who believe\nit, it is a source of lamentation; and being under the belief that man\nis the natural enemy of God, the minds of such persons become\nprostrated, and then this otherwise happy world is despised and\nneglected for a future state of supposed bliss.\n\nLet any one attend a Protracted Meeting, where there may be some\nhundreds of persons, and among the number, many youths of both sexes;\nboth young and old are appealed to by the speakers, who describe them as\nenemies of God, and as having turned their backs on the God of goodness.\nThey become alarmed, not having before conceived that they could have\nbeen so wicked. I have seen upwards of fifty, at one time, sobbing and\ncrying and imploring mercy, who, poor, weak mortals, until this\nfoolishness of being at enmity with God was preached to them, had no\nconception of their dreadful enormities and danger. By exciting the\nfeelings with falsehood, this process is called conversion and the work\nof the Holy Ghost. At the same time that the most virtuous females are\ndenounced as deserving damnation for their wickedness, and told that,\nwithout repentance, their future state will be wretched to all eternity,\nshould one word derogatory to the character of these females, thus\nrepresented by the priests, be spoken by any body else, an action for\nslander would be instituted.\n\nBut as long as people will give up their reason, and be hoodwinked with\nthe nonsense that God is angry, and that they are every moment in danger\nof falling into hell, so long will the Christian priesthood riot in\nprofusion and plenty, by dealing out damnation to those whose only crime\nis enmity against God. So completely hoodwinked is man, that he attends\nweekly, and pays well into the bargain, to hear the priest deal out\nendless damnation to nine-tenths of the human race; and it is ten\nchances to one that he also is included among the subjects of the Devil!\nShould an Orthodox preacher, for a few Sundays, preach on moral\nsubjects, and consider that morality was the one thing needful in the\nChristian Church, the congregation would complain that their souls\nrequired more substantial nourishment. The preacher must return to the\nold mode of teaching, and again shake them over the lake of fire! And\nhence it follows, that, as the people, are not satisfied without having\nthe wrath of God the constant theme, the preacher gives it as they wish\nto have it. An angry God; a cunning, crafty and tempting Devil; and the\nenmity of man's wicked heart: this is the set of tools by which the\nChristian teacher carries on his theological trade. The discordancy of\nreligious opinions, and all of them taken from the doctrines as taught\nby Jesus and the apostles, each preacher referring to the favorite\npassages which support his views, is and will be, a never-ending theme\nof disputation; and at some future period, may renew the practice of\nburning each other alive for God's glory.\n\nNothing but the spread of Infidelity can completely stop this dreadful\nevil. We have only to suppose, that, at some future time, the savages\nwho have been what is called converted by preachers of opposite sects,\nsuch as the Calvinist and the Universalist, or the Trinitarians and\nUnitarians, should, by some cause not now foreseen, be left by the\nmissionaries to support the Christian church; then the savage converts\nof different sects would be very likely to fall on each other, and the\nfires of Smithfield, which Infidelity, the companion of humanity, has\nextinguished, may again blaze on the Islands of the Pacific Ocean. This\nis a very probable case; for, in the present day, the same Bible is the\ntext book of all denominations, and all of them would persecute if they\nhad but the power. Christianity is now what it ever has been, and what\nit ever will be, a persecuting religion; and, although the fires of\nmartyrdom cease to torment the human race, the embers are still emitting\nsmoke, and may again be rekindled. Nothing short of _unbelief in all\ndivine revelation_, openly and fearlessly avowed, can guarantee the\nhuman family against a renewal of the religious butchery of past ages.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\n\nTAKING the Orthodox views of Christianity, there are four personages\nconnected with divine revelation, and each has a different department to\nact out. The first three are the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Leaving,\nfor the present, the first three, our attention will, in this chapter,\nbe directed to the fourth and last, namely, the Devil. And so much\nconsequence do Christian sects attach to the existence of the Devil,\nthat, to deny it, or even to doubt it, would be enough to separate a\nmember from the church. Religious people must have a Devil; for, as the\nDevil, by his incessant cunning and temptation, is the indirect author\nof men's sins, so, on the other hand, the Saviour stands ready to ransom\nthe guilty. It then follows, that the sinner, after all, stands on\npretty good ground; for, if the Devil tempts him to commit one-half of\nhis crimes, and the Saviour pardons the other half, man is not in much\ndanger of being condemned.\n\nIn this chapter, it will be seen, what an amount of evil has arisen to\nthe peace and happiness of the human race, not from what the Devil\nreally has done, but from what mortals have believed he has done, by\nsupposing him to have almost unlimited power. And here we can perceive,\nwhat evil has transpired from what never has, nor ever could have taken\nplace, but from what has been believed to have really happened. This has\nbeen in consequence of the credulity of the human mind when reason is\ndeparted from, and man becomes the creature of imagination. It is then\nthat man can give credit to the most glaring absurdities, and honestly\nreject the plain dictates of common sense. It is then that he leaves the\nsolid earth on which he treads, and launches into the region of airy\nnothings; and, by the ductility of his mind, creates beings of so\nterrific a nature, that, at the thought of them, the stoutest hearts\nhave been made to quail. This is strictly true as to the existence and\ninfluence of the Devil.\n\nThat the New Testament sanctions the existence of the Devil, there\nremains not a doubt. The temptation of Christ is proof positive. But\nthat alone should not suffice. The case of Mary Magdalene, and also the\nexpulsion of devils by Jesus and his disciples, put all doubt out of the\nquestion. When we consider the terrible consequences of this belief on\nthe peace and happiness of the human race, we can but pity the deluded\ncreatures, who, in different ages of Christianity, have been sufferers\nfor the supposed commission of a crime that never was, nor ever will be\ncommitted. All nations, in all ages, have credited, to a lesser or a\ngreater extent, the existence of a being, or beings, of a malignant\nnature, possessing power beyond man's conception; who, from some cause\nunknown, delighted in doing mischief to the human family. And ever since\nthe introduction of the Christian religion, it has been credited that\nsuch wicked spirits could delegate power to human beings equally wicked\nas themselves; by which power, they, for a time, could vent their\nmalice, and do wonders by selling themselves, or by some infernal\ncontract could do harm to, or among those of, their neighbors who were\nso unfortunate as to fall under their displeasure.\n\nThis sin, which never was, and never can be committed, has ever been\nthought the worst of crimes; and less mercy shown to the supposed guilty\nperson than if guilty of murder itself. And so extensively has it been\ncredited, and so great has been its influence, that laws have, in most\nnations, been passed for its punishment; and thousands, and tens of\nthousands have been put to death under circumstances of torture at which\nthe human heart sickens. Surely, if our minds are not entirely darkened\nby the ignorance of past ages, we must be able to see that the Bible has\nbeen the most destructive book that was ever written; and is unworthy to\nclaim infinite power, wisdom, and goodness for its author. If the belief\nin witchcraft and sorcery had been confined to the ignorant and\nunlearned of all nations, its evil would have been so limited that not\nmuch misery would have followed, because men of good sense and talent\nwould have stood in the way of its progress. But, unfortunately, this\nhas not so happened. Its evil influence has ascended to the highest\nclasses in society. The king on his throne, and the learned judge seated\nin the chair of impartial justice, have partaken of its deadly\ncontagion. The reader will now be presented with facts of the most\nundoubted authority, showing what wretchedness has occurred from\nbelieving in the existence and malignity of the Devil--a doctrine\nsupported by divine revelation.\n\nThe first fact that is brought forward, took place at Bury, St. Edmonds,\nin the County of Suffolk, (England,) in the year 1664. Amy Duny and Rose\nCallender, two poor women, who were ignorant, and of the coarsest\nmaterials, had, for eight years previous, the reputation of being\nwitches. So horrid were they considered, that the fishermen would not\nsell them fish, and the boys in the streets were taught to fly from them\nwith horror. The principal charges against them were, that the children\nof two families had been many times seized with fits in which they\nexclaimed that they saw Amy Duny and Rose Callender coming to torment\nthem. They vomited, and in their vomit were often found pins, and once\nor twice a two-penny nail.\n\nOne or two of the children died. To support these allegations, a wagoner\nappeared, whose wagon had been twice overturned in one morning in\nconsequence of the curses of one of these witches. Sir Matthew Hale\npresided at the trial, assisted by Sir Thomas Brown, two of the most\nable and learned Judges then in England. Those two poor women were by\nthe jury found guilty, and hanged on the seventeenth day of March, 1664,\none week after their trial.\n\nSir Matthew Hale refused to sum up the evidence, but left it to the\njury, to whom he said, \"That the Scriptures left no doubt that there was\nsuch a thing as witchcraft; and instructed them that all they had to do,\nwas, first, to consider whether the children were really bewitched; and,\nsecondly, whether the witchcraft was sufficiently brought home to the\nprisoners at the bar.\" The Jury found them guilty, and they were hanged\nas before stated.\n\nHere we have a shocking account of the credulity of the human mind. The\nwhole English nation were laboring under a mental delusion. Here it was\nnot to be said, \"_O, ye of little faith!_\" but, \"_O, ye religious\nmadmen! your faith has changed your nature from kindness and pity, to\nperform acts of cruelty which the savage cannibal would shudder to put\ninto practice._\" I would here remind the reader, that Judge Hale was\nconsidered a just and humane Judge. What a dreadful state a nation must\nbe in, when such laws as have been referred to, were in full force, and\nthe jurisprudence of England was, as it were, under the influence of a\nBeing the supposed enemy of man! And it may in truth be said, that an\nunknown and invisible world governed one that was known and visible.\n\nNow, in the case of those two poor women, who were really murdered, the\nquestion arises, who were their murderers? Was it Judge Hale, or the\nJury? It was neither. It was the Bible---a book which records the\nexistence of a Devil, the sworn enemy of God and men. Reader! can you\nwithhold pity from two poor creatures in such circumstances, and can you\nstill praise to the skies a Book that has made the best and wisest of\nmen cruel brutes,--who, at the same time, were happy to have a chance to\nmake war against the Devil, by destroying two helpless beings whose only\ncrime, in all probability, was poverty and ignorance? Every humane\nunbeliever must exclaim, \"O God! O Nature! what havoc have ignorance and\nsuperstition made among your works!\"\n\nNothing could be better calculated to give importance to the credibility\nof the activity and influence of the Devil's employing and entering into\na league with wicked and ill-disposed persons, after Christianity became\nestablished, than the Scripture account of the Devil's tempting Jesus,\nand endeavoring to make a contract with him to obey and submit to his\nproposals. But as the Devil was non-suited by the Saviour of mankind, it\nmight be expected that after Jesus had left this world, the Devil would\nendeavor to enlist into his service many of those who had embraced the\nreligion of that Saviour whom he had tried to seduce.\n\nIn the course of time, in the middle or dark ages, when' men's\nimaginations were active, and reason was nearly banished from among\nChristians, it became a matter of faith and certainty, that persons in\ndifferent towns and villages had really entered into a contract, for a\ncertain number of years, with the Devil himself; and to carry out and\ncomplete this supposed covenant with the enemy of God and man, a motion\nwas started of the Devil's Sabbath, on which, a place being appointed,\nwicked men and women could meet and contract with Old Lucifer himself;\nand books were printed to show the nature of the contract After this\nstrange opinion became fully credited, and witchcraft was made a crime\npunishable by law, those persons who were accused of witchcraft were\ntortured, in order to compel them to own that they had attended the\nSabbath of the Devil.\n\nAnother fact will now be stated, to show what ideas of the Devil's\ninfluence prevailed in England and Scotland, in the days of Elizabeth.\nJames the First, of England, who, succeeding Elizabeth, was born in\n1566, was the only direct heir to the Crown of Scotland, and had a\nprospect of succeeding Elizabeth in England, which he did on the death\nof the Queen. James had witnessed a great number of prosecutions for\nwitchcraft, in Scotland, in the reign of Mary; and he, as might be\nexpected, most firmly believed that the Devil was very active in the\ncountry of his birth; so that, when he came to the Crown of England, his\nmind was di-rected to put a stop to the prevailing crime of witchcraft\nand to break up the Devil's Sabbath, he believing that numbers of his\nEnglish subjects were visitors to those unholy meetings. A circumstance\nwill now be mentioned which will fully prove what views the people of\nEngland and Scotland had of the activity of the Devil in drawing persons\ninto his service and kingdom; for it is impossible to evade the truth,\nthat the existence and opposition of the Devil against the progress of\nthe Gospel, was strengthened by what had been recorded of the Devil in\nthe New Testament.\n\nJames the First, of England, is here cited to show what was then the\nprevailing opinion of the existence of witchcraft in that kingdom. And\nalthough it is painful to reflect on the sufferings of thousands, it\nmay, by its recital, assist those who are still somewhat in darkness, to\ndiscover how the human race have been deluded. James the First had fixed\nhis mind on a daughter of the King of Denmark. A splendid embassy was\nsent from England to conclude the treaty of marriage, and to bring home\nJames's royal consort; but the ships met with violent storms, and\ninstead of arriving at the capital of Scotland, the news came that the\nship in which the Princess had taken passage, was driven back on the\ncoast of Norway; nothing uncommon m these seas at that, season of the\nyear. The King, being disappointed, sailed to the place where the\nshattered ships lay, and the marriage was consummated; and the King and\nQueen remained at Copenhagen, and did not arrive at Edinburgh until the\nfirst of May, 1590. The storm was, after their return, considered to be\nthe result of some supernatural interference.\n\nThe King, after his return, suspecting that witchcraft had something to\ndo in raising the storm which drove his intended wife on the coast of\nNorway, set to work to make discoveries; and two of his female servants\nwere suspected of causing the storm before alluded to. Their names were\nGeillis Duncan and Agnes Sampson. Both of them were put to the torture\nto extort confession. These poor young women, broken down and exhausted\nby so dreadful an operation, became willing to answer such questions as\nthis royal blockhead had prepared to put to them. Agnes Sampson told the\nKing, that she, in company with two hundred other witches, had sailed in\nsieves from Leith to North Berwick Church; how they had there\nencountered the Devil in person; how they had feasted with him, and what\nobscenities had been; practised. She related, that in this voyage they\nhad drowned a cat, having first baptized it; and that immediately a\ndreadful storm arose, and in this very storm the King's ship had been\nseparated from the rest of the fleet. Inconsequence of this confession,\nAgnes Sampson was condemned to the flames. The system of torture\nresorted to under cir-circumstances of suspicion, compelled poor\nsuffering creatures to answer any questions put to them to satisfy their\ncruel tormentors and in many cases, after all, they were put to death.\nKing James the First published his Dialogues on Demonology in three\nbooks. But many years after he renounced his belief in the real\nexistence of Witchcraft altogether; and in the latter part of his reign,\ndeclared that all he had done was the effect of delusion.\n\nThese were dreadful times for humanity. Thousands and tens of thousands\nof victims suffered every kind of torture that savage, ingenuity could\ndevise; and what made it the more to be deplored, the ignorant creatures\nwho inflicted the torments were honest in their abhorrence of those\nunfortunate persons, who suffered for what was, in those dark ages,\nconsidered the worst of crimes. In what horror, then, were persons held\nwho could be so wicked as to have dealings with the devil? The case of\nJames is here recorded, to show the reader that the belief in witchcraft\nwas not confined to the ignorant: and unlettered portion of society; but\nthat England, and Scotland, and, it may be said, every Christian nation\nwith its government, and the army also, were all laboring under this\ndelusion. And the truth of its existence was then, and is now, supported\nby the New Testament, and fully confirmed by the Devil's temptation of\nJesus, the Christian's _Son of God_; for the desire manifested by the\nDevil to entice Jesus to enter into his service, did, in those dark\nages, strengthen persons in the conclusion that the Devil, although he\nfailed to seduce the Redeemer, would continue to enlist, if possible,\ngreat numbers into his service. The firm belief of his attempts on the\n_Son of God_ would dispose persons to credit the fact that people of\nabandoned characters would hire themselves to the Devil. In the days of\nOliver Cromwell, a story is recorded by Echard, the historian, as\nshockingly illustrative of the credulity of the age in which he lived.\nIt takes its date from the morning of the third of September, 1651, when\nCromwell gained the battle of Worcester against Charles the Second. It\nis on the authority of Colonel Lindsey, who was senior captain in\nCromwell's own regiment. The story recorded is, \"That on the morning of\nthe battle, Cromwell took with him Colonel Lindsey to the side of a\nwood, not far from the army, and bade him alight and follow him into the\nwood, and to take particular notice of what he saw and heard. And having\nsecured their horses, and walked some little way into the wood, Lindsey\nbegan to turn pale, and to be seized with horror from some unknown\ncause. Cromwell asked him how he felt himself? He answered, that he was\nin such a trembling that he never felt the like in all the conflicts and\nbattles he had ever been engaged in. 'How, now,' said Cromwell, 'what!\ntroubled with the vapors? Come forward, man.' They had not gone far,\nbefore Lindsey stood still, and said it was impossible for him to go one\nstep further. Upon which, Cromwell called him a faint hearted fool, and\nbade him stand there and observe, or witness. And then the General,\nadvancing to some distance from him, met a grave elderly man with a roll\nof parchment in his hand, who delivered it to Cromwell, and he eagerly\nperused it Lindsey, a little recovered from his fear, heard several loud\nwords between them, particularly Cromwell said, 'this is but for seven\nyears, I was to have it for one and twenty.' The grave elderly man told\nhim positively, it could not be for more than seven. Cromwell cried with\ngreat fierceness, 'It shall, however, be for fourteen years.' Cromwell\nthen took his parchment, and returning to Lindsey, 'Now, Lindsey,' said\nhe, 'the battle is our own, I long to be engaged.' It did then commence.\nAfter the first charge, Lindsey deserted his post and rode away with all\nspeed to a friend's in the county of Suffolk, and never returned.\nCromwell offered a great reward for him, dead or alive. Cromwell died on\nthat day seven years, September 3, 1658.\"\n\nIt is of no consequence whether this story is true or not It fully\nproves that at that time it was believed, that men sold themselves to\nthe Devil.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\n\nTWO more remarkable cases will, in this chapter, be made known to the\nreader, to show that for hundreds of years the Devil, or rather the\nbelief in his existence, was a source of terror to all Christians, and\nmust have operated on almost every transaction in which society were\nengaged. In almost every town and village, to be surrounded with wicked\nbeings who had entered into a contract with Satan to be empower-ed to\nperform deeds of darkness which no prudence could guard against, must\nhave had an influence on the peace and safety of almost every family.\nBut now, that the delusion has nearly passed away, and mankind are no\nlonger subject to such terror, we may be happy to think that our lives\nare exempted from the evils which afflicted our forefathers. And nothing\nbut an open avowal of our unbelief in all systems which in any way\nsanction the existence of a Being who has made a large portion of the\nhuman family crazy, can prevent a recurrence of past ignorance with all\nits baneful consequences.\n\nJoan of Arc, called the Maid of Orleans, an unfortunate creature,\ndemands our pity. Her tragical history ought to impel every humane\nperson to do all in his power to prevent mortals from again witnessing\nscenes of so dreadful a nature.\n\nHenry the Fifth, of England, won the decisive battle of Agincourt in the\nyear 1415, and some time after concluded a treaty with the reigning King\nof France, by which he was recognized, in case of that King's death, as\nheir to the throne. Henry the Fifth died in the year 1422, and Charles\nthe Sixth, of France, in less than two months after. Henry the Sixth was\nonly nine months old, at the time of his father's death; but such was\nthe deplorable state of France, that he was the same year proclaimed\nKing in Paris, and for some years seemed to have every prospect of a\nfortunate reign. John, Duke of Bedford, the King's uncle, was declared\nRegent of France. The son of Charles the Sixth was reduced to the last\nextremity. Orleans was the last strong town in the heart of the kingdom\nwhich held out in his favor; and that place seemed on the point of\nsurrendering to the conqueror.\n\n\"In this fearful crisis, appeared Joan of Arc, and, in the most\nincredible manner, turned the whole tide of affairs. She was a servant\nin a poor inn at Demremi, and was accustomed to perform the coarsest\noffices, and, in particular, to ride the horses to a neighboring stream\nof water. Of course, the situation of France and her hereditary King\nformed the universal subject of conversation, and Joan became deeply\nimpressed with the lamentable state of her country, and the misfortunes\nof her King. By dint of perpetual meditation, and feeling in her breast\nthe promptings of energy and enter-prize, she conceived the idea that\nshe was destined by Heaven to be the deliverer of France. Agreeably to\nthe state of intellectual knowledge at that period, she persuaded\nherself that she saw visions and held communications with the saints.\nShe then had conversations with St. Margaret and St. Catherine of\nFierbois. They told her that she was commissioned by God to raise the\nsiege of Orleans. She then presented herself to Baudricourt, Governor of\nthe neighboring town of Vaucouleurs, telling him her commission, and\nrequiring him to send her to the King at Chinon. Baudricourt, at first,\nmade light of her application; but her importunity, and the ardor she\nexpressed, at length excited him. He put on her man's attire, gave her\narms, and sent her, under an escort of two gentlemen and their\nattendants, to Chinon. Here she immediately addressed the King in\nperson, who had purposely hid himself behind his courtiers, that she\nmight not know him. She then delivered her message, and offered, in the\nname of the Most High, to raise the siege of Orleans, and conduct King\nCharles to Rheims to be anointed.\n\n\"Desperate as was then the state of affairs, Charles and his ministers\nimmediately resolved to seize the occasion that offered, and put forward\nJoan as an instrument to revive the prostrate courage of his subjects.\nHe had no sooner determined on this, than he pretended to submit the\ntruth of her mission to the most rigorous trial. He called together an\nassembly of theologians and doctors, who rigorously examined Joan, and\npronounced in her favor. He referred the question to the Parliament of\nPoictiers, and they who, previously to meeting, were persuaded that she\nwas an impostor, became convinced of her inspiration. She was mounted on\na highbred steed, furnished with a consecrated banner, and marched,\nescorted by a body of five thousand men, to the relief of Orleans. The\nFrench, strongly convinced by so plain an interposition of Heaven,\nresumed the courage to which they had long been strangers.\n\n\"Such a phenomenon was exactly suited to the superstition and credulity\nof the age. The English were staggered with the rumors that every where\nwent before her, and struck with a degree of apprehension and terror\nthat they could not shake off. The garrison, informed of her approach,\nmade a sally on the other side of the town, and Joan and her convoy\nentered without opposition. She displayed her standard in the market\nplace, and was received as a celestial deliverer. She appears to have\nbeen endowed with a prudence not inferior to her courage and spirit of\nenterprise. With great docility, she caught the hints of the commanders\nby whom she was surrounded, and, convinced of her own want of experience\nand skill, delivered them to the forces as the dictates of Heaven. Thus\nthe knowledge and discernment of the Generals were brought into play at\nthe same time that their suggestions acquired new weight when falling\nfrom the lips of the Heaven-instructed heroine. A second convoy arrived,\nthe wagons and troops passed between the redoubts of the English, while\na dead, silence and astonishment reigned Among the forces so lately\nenterprising and irresistible. Joan now called on the garrison no longer\nto stand upon the defensive, but boldly to attack the army of the\nbesiegers. She took one redoubt, and then another. The English,\noverwhelmed with amazement, scarcely dared to lift a hand against her.\nTheir veteran Generals became, spell-bound and powerless, and their\nsoldiers were driven before the prophetess like a flock of sheep. The\nsiege was raised. Joan followed the English to a fortified town which\nthey fixed on as the place of their retreat, and all the English were\nmade prisoners. The late victorious force now concentrated themselves at\nPatay, in Orleanois. Joan advanced to meet them. The battle lasted not a\nmoment; it was rather a flight than a combat. Fastolfe, one of the\nbravest of the English Generals, threw down his arms, and ran for his\nlife. Talbot and Scales, the other Generals, were made prisoners.\n\n\"The siege of Orleans was raised on the eighth of May, 1429; the battle\nof Patay was fought on the tenth of the following month. Joan was, at\nthat time, twenty-two years of age. This extraordinary turn having been\ngiven to the affairs of the kingdom, Joan next insisted that the King\nshould march to Rheims, in order to be crowned. Rheims lay in a\ndirection expressly through the enemy's garrisons. But every thing\nyielded to the marvellous fortune that attended upon the heroine. Troyes\nopened its gates. Chalons followed the example. Rheims sent a\ndeputation, with the keys of the city, which met Charles on his march.\nThe proposed solemnity took place amid the ecstasies and enthusiastic\nshouts of his people. It was no sooner over, than Joan stepped forward.\nShe said, she had now performed the whole of what God had commissioned\nher to do. She was satisfied. She entreated the King to dismiss her to\nthe obscurity from which she had sprung.\n\n\"The Ministers and Generals of France, however, found Joan too useful an\ninstrument to be willing to part with her thus early, and she yielded to\ntheir earnest expostulations.\n\n\"Under her guidance, they assailed Laon, Soissons, Chauteau, Thirry,\nProvins, and many other places, and took them one after another. She\nthrew herself into Compiegne, which was besieged by the Duke of Burgundy\nin conjunction with certain English commanders. The day after her\narrival, she headed a sally against the enemy; twice she repelled them,\nbut finding their numbers increase every moment with fresh\nreinforcements, she directed a retreat. Twice she returned to her\npursuers, and made them recoil; the third time she was less fortunate.\nShe found herself alone, surrounded by the enemy, and having performed\nprodigies of valor, she was compelled to surrender herself a prisoner.\nThis happened on the twenty-fifth of May, 1430. It remained to be\ndetermined what should be the fate of this admirable woman. Both friends\nand enemies agreed that her career had been attended with a supernatural\npower. The French, who were so infinitely indebted to her achievements,\nand who owed the sudden and glorious reverse of their affairs to her\nalone, were convinced that she was immediately commissioned by God, and\nvied with each other in reciting the miraculous phenomena which marked\nevery step in her progress. The English, who saw all the victorious\nacquisitions of Henry the Fifth crumbling from their grasp, were equally\nimpressed with the manifest miracle, but imputed all her good fortune to\na league with the Prince of Darkness. They said, that her boasted\nvisions were so many delusions of the Devil. They determined to bring\nher to trial for the tremendous crimes of sorcery and witchcraft.\n\n\"They believed that if she were once convicted and led out to execution,\nthe prowess and valor which had hitherto marked their progress, would\nreturn to them, and that they should obtain the same superiority over\ntheir disheartened foes. The Devil, who had hitherto been her constant\nally, terrified at the spectacle of the flames that consumed her, would\ninstantly return to the infernal regions, and leave the field open to\nEnglish enterprise and energy, and to the interposition of God and his\nsaints. An accusation was prepared against her, and all the solemnities\nof a public trial were observed. But the proofs; were so weak and\nunsatisfactory, and Joan, though oppressed and treated with the utmost\nseverity, displayed so much acuteness and presence of mind, that the\ncourt, not venturing to proceed to the last extremity, contented\nthemselves, with sentencing her to perpetual imprisonment, and to be\nallowed no other nourishment than bread and water for life. Before they\nyielded to this mitigation of punishment, they caused her to sign with\nher mark a recantation of her offences. She acknowledged that the\nenthusiasm which had guided her was an illusion, and promised never more\nto listen to its suggestions.\n\n\"The hatred of her enemies, however, was not yet appeased. They\ndetermined in some, way to entrap her; They had clothed her in a female\ngarb; they insidiously laid in her way the habiliments of a man. The\nfire, smothered in the bosom of the maid, revived at the sight; she was\nalone, she caught up the garments, and; one by one adjusted them to her\nperson. Spies were set to watch for this even; they burst into her\napartment. What she had done was construed into no less offence than\nthat of a relapsed heretic. There was no more pardon for such confirmed\ndelinquency. She was brought out to be burned alive; in the market place\nof Rouen, and she died embracing a crucifix, and in her last moments\ncalling upon the name of Jesus. A few days more than twelve months had\nelapsed between the period of her first captivity and her execution.\"\n\nThe preceding history of Joan of Arc, is taken from \"Godwin's Lives of\nthe Necromancers.\" Reader! we see in this tragical account, the dreadful\neffects of human credulity. The unfortunate; Maid of Orleans, who so\nwell deserved a monument for her patriotism, was thus cruelly put to\ndeath. Her hard fate fully shows how superstition fortifies the mind\nagainst compassion and the dictates of common sense. In that the of\nreligious intolerance, whole nations, had caught this theological fever.\nKings and Parliaments, Judges and Generals, from the highest to the\nlowest, were alike the subjects of that awful contagion. Justice was\nbanished from the earth, and humanity had no existence. From whence\nproceeded this state of savage barbarism? The answer is presented to us\nin bold relief. It was the effects of human credulity. It was brought on\nby believing without examination; and, in the New Testament, faith is\nurged as the thing most pleasing to God, and unbelief as the greatest\nsin. The existence of the Devil, and his enmity, to God and man, being\nsupported by the New Testament, to be guilty of forming a contract with\nthe Prince of Darkness was considered a horrid crime. The origin of\nsorcery, (which consisted in holding a communion with beings from the\nfabulous world of spirits,) is lost in the night and darkness of\nantiquity, but all ancient-nations and people were believers in its\nreality.\n\nIt was of heathen origin, yet the Jews practised it, and individuals\nfollowed it for a livelihood, as, for instance, the witch of Endor.\nChristians have also been believers in it in connection with all the\ndifferent branches of magic.\n\nBut that which has established its truth among Christians, is the part\nperformed by Jesus during his ministry. By his own temptation by the\nDevil, the Existence of the Devil is put beyond all doubt And when Jesus\nwas about to cast out a devil, the devil is reported to have cried out\nto the Saviour, \"_We know who thou art, and art thou come to torment us\nbefore the tinte?_\" This mode of expression to Jesus by the Devil who\nwas about to be cast out, implies that when the Devil was ejected, he\nhad to return to hell, his native place of torment. It would lead us to\ninfer that devils were permitted to leave their dread abodes, and take\npossession of men or animals, as a cessation of torture; but when cast\nout, they had to return home, their vacation being run out Admitting\nthis to be warranted by the New Testament, we can account for those\ndevils whose names were \"Legion,\" petitioning to _be permitted to enter\nthe herd of swine_. So, then, it appears that the devils had other\nmotives in taking possession of human beings than to rebel against God,\nor to torment men. It was a fine holiday to blow off the soot and ashes,\nand to get fresh air. At any rate, Jesus, by pretending to cast out\ndevils, fully admitted their existence. And by the temptation of Christ,\nis proved a desire on the part of the Devil to enlist persons into his\nservice.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\n\nTHE reader will not fail to notice, that the personage known by the name\nof the Devil, Satan, &c., is treated of more fully than any other\nrecorded in the Old or New Testament. The reason is, because his\ninfluence exceeds that of all the prophets, and even of the Saviour\nhimself. So destructive has been his supposed reign, throughout the\nearth, that hundreds of volumes could be written, and still the half\nwould remain untold. In the conclusion of this chapter, an account will\nbe given of witchcraft in Sweden, which far exceeds any thing on record.\nThe bare recital fills the mind with horror, pity, and indignation.\n\nBefore giving the dreadful tale, it will not be amiss to indulge in a\nfew thoughts on the probable origin of the existence of a Being who has\nbeen a terror to all nations, both learned and ignorant. As the writer\nis convinced that every thing pertaining to theology is of man's\ncreation, it may be useful to express his opinions how it has happened\nthat all religions have been based on two beings who have ever been\nopposed to each other, namely, a God and a Devil. Their opposition to\neach other is the ground-work of every system, whether it be of saint or\nsavage.\n\nTo attempt to go back to the origin of theology, as to when or where it\nfirst assumed the form of religious worship, is to begin at the\nbeginning of the human race. Religion may be compared to a chain, the\nfirst link of which is hidden in the darkness of past ages. The curtain\nis continually dropping; and the most that we can do is, to peep behind\none of its comers. We find ourselves connected with that link which we\ncall Christianity. How many preceding links there may have been, we know\nnot, nor have we any means of knowing. All, therefore, is but\nconjecture. But carrying our ideas back to a time we know not when, to\nthe beginning of that theology, the basis of which is a God and Devil\nopposing each other, the following memories are presented:--Before human\nbeings were acquainted with the laws of nature, the universe must have\npresented to them appearances which surprised and alarmed them.\nReceiving no ideas but through the medium of the senses, the first idea\nwhich must strike them would be, the great contrast between a mighty\npower and their own weakness. They would discover from what they saw\naround them, a mighty power which no prudence could guard against, and\nwhich no strength, which they had, could oppose. They would see, that,\nif by accident, they fell into water, it would destroy life; if, by any\nmeans, their dwellings took fire, it would consume them; that thunder\nwas calculated to alarm them, and that death, often followed the storm;\nand also, that the slightest accident often caused severe pain, and\nsickness followed, without their being acquainted with the original\ncause of all these evils. The first men, then, must have been astonished\nwith the mighty power which every where surrounded them, when compared\nwith their own weakness. Sometimes tasting the sweets of life, and at\nothers, its evils, the first gave them pleasing sensations, the last,\npain and distress. Having, then, nothing to guide them in drawing\nconclusions but the objects by which they were surrounded, they inferred\nthat the mighty power which was every moment visible to their senses,\nand from which they received every thing that contributed to their\nhappiness, resided in a being like themselves, but possessing wisdom and\ngoodness.\n\nTo these children of nature, who saw \"God in the clouds, and heard him\nin the wind,\" by a simple process of the mind, such conclusions were\nvery natural. The first theologians, then, who, by way of reasoning, we\nplace at the fountain head of all religious systems which have come down\nto us, were convinced of the existence of a Supreme Power who governed\nthe destinies of the human race. Power, then, was the first idea which\nman had, in the infancy of his rea-son, as to the existence of a God;\nand it is all that the great-est and wisest of the human race have ever\ndiscovered of the Being called by that name. And in this view of the\nsubject, there is no man living who is an Atheist. The power that\npresented itself to untaught man, required no laborious investigation to\ndiscover. It struck his senses with as equal a force as it does the\nprofoundest philosopher. On the contrary, the wisdom and goodness\nascribed to God, resulted from a knowledge of the order and wonderful\nadaptation which pervades the universe, the investigation of which has\nemployed master minds in all subsequent ages.\n\nBut untutored man must be overwhelmed with thinking of that power to\nwhose bounds he could set no limits. The wisdom and munificence that run\nthrough all nature, were to him unknown. To those, therefore, from whom\ntheology took its rise, it was a world of confusion. Ignorant of cause\nand effect in the order of nature, and their imaginations being active,\nwhile their reasoning powers were undeveloped, every thing they saw or\nfelt was to them a mixture of pleasurable or painful sensations. The\npleasure, ease, or comfort which they enjoyed, would be considered as\nthe gift of a good power which conferred such blessings. On the other\nhand, it would appear inconsistent to them to ascribe the evils\nattending them to the author of good, they being incapable of judging\nthat good (pleasure) and evil (pain) could proceed from the same power.\n\nIn reasoning from what they saw, they concluded that power was connected\nwith, and resided in, living beings, who had life and motion like\nthemselves. Hence they inferred, that the power from whom they received\ngood, existed somewhere to them unknown. Proceeding in the same track in\nwhich they, in imagination, first set out, they conceived this power to\nbe a Being whose residence was in the starry heavens. Untaught man,\nhaving imagined a Being from whom he received all the good, in following\non in the same course soon came to the certain conclusion that the God\nwho was the author of all his happiness, must have a location, a\ndwelling above, in some of the stars--at any rate, beyond the ken of\nmortals. As men's thinking powers became move expanded, but still under\nthe influence of imagination, they would conclude that this Being who\ndwelt in the skies, would, of course, have his attendants who fulfilled\nhis orders, and added splendor to his habitation.\n\nIt appears, that by such a train of thinking, under the influence of the\nimagination, that the religious system which has come down to us, and\nwhich, from time to time, has had additions and modifications, namely,\nthe existence of a God and of a place called Heaven, inhabited by\nangels, had its origin. Ignorant of the laws of nature, the power of\nimagination has produced, owing to the organization of the human mind, a\nworld of fiction, consisting of a God, angels, and a habitation in the\nskies. By the same process of reasoning, (though feeble,) yet propelled\nby an active imagination, which had fixed the habitation of a good Being\nin the skies, in a splendid city, with attendants singing his praises,\nand eager to execute his orders, untaught man now turned hi# attention\nto the author of his misfortunes and misery. Being totally ignorant that\na portion of pain was indispensable to the full enjoyment of happiness\nin his precarious life, he could not think that pleasure and pain\nproceeded from the same being; which must have induced him to conclude\nthat an evil and malignant being existed, nearly equal in power to the\none that was good; and to such an one, he ascribed all pain and\nmisfortune.\n\nHere, then, are all the materials for a system of theology which has\nbeen propagated and believed in by every nation under heaven, in which\nhave been included \"saint, savage, and sage.\" In all the hundreds of\nsystems of religious worship, the before-mentioned materials have been\nthe ground-work, with the exception of the Jewish; for, during their\ndispensation, the Devil made no part of it. But when Jesus came to\ngather up \"_the lost sheep of the house of Israel,_\" along came Mr.\nDevil to oppose him. As the imagination had created a Devil, the Father\nof all evil, something was still wanting to complete the whole; and that\nwas, an abode of darkness and horror. Hell, then, is his dread mansion,\nover which he reigns triumphant.\n\nIt has been reserved for the Christian Religion to depict hell in all\nits awful terrors. The New Testament represents hell as a place of\ntorment by fire never-ending, where the unfortunate occupants are\nforever burning, but kept alive, and never consumed. The hell of the\nGreeks and other nations is less horrible, being represented as the\nabode of darkness, humiliation, and sorrow. But Christianity has a God\nin heaven, and a Devil in hell, forever contending with each other, like\ngladiators of old for the prize; and that prize is the human race. But\nthe same New Testament represents that the Devil will have by far the\ngreatest number of prisoners, so that, in the final winding up of this\nholy war, _Old Nick_ will win the field.\n\nThe same process of reasoning, which led man, in the infancy of his\nreason, to personify the power who presided over the human race, induced\nhim to infer that his pain and misfortune emanated from a malignant\nbeing, who delighted to do him harm. He then, by the simple process of\nhis imagination, concluded that there must be two opposing powers which\ngoverned the affairs of mortals. The good, proceeded from a being who\nshowered down blessings on mortals; and all evil and pain, from a being\nwho took pleasure in the unhappiness of the human race; and his\nresidence, to correspond with his evil disposition, was by them fixed in\nthe gloomy regions of darkness and horror. This, then, Christians,\nappears to have been the origin of your God and Heaven; and also your\nDevil and Hell. That both heaven and hell are of heathen origin, there\ncan be no doubt; and it is also equally clear, that the Jews, when they\nreturned from captivity, brought these doctrines back with them into\nJudea. They then made part of the Jewish faith, and Jesus embraced them;\nfor he pretended to cast out devils, and the Devil enticed him in the\nwilderness to rebel against God and enlist into the service of his\nSatanic Majesty. And this heaven, which originated in heathenism, Jesus\npromised as the reward of his faithful followers; and with this very\nhell he threatened the disobedient.\n\nWhat can Christians say (after this) of the divinity or the antiquity of\nthe New Testament? Its doctrines originated in an age unknown, among a\npeople more ancient than Moses, or than Adam, who is said to have been\nthe first man. Yes! ye ministers of grace, your heaven and hell, by the\nproclaiming of which you alarm the good man, but make the wicked man\nworse, have no more existence in reality than the heaven and hell of\nMahomet. But if there be a heaven, such as you preach up, and the road\nto it be as difficult as Jesus declared it to be, many of you will have\nto put up at the half-way house; you will never reach the end of your\njourney.\n\nThe following account of witchcraft in Sweden, is extracted from\n\"Godwin's Lives of the Necromancers:\"--\"The story of witchcraft, as it\nis reported to have passed in Sweden, in the year 1670, and has many\ntimes been reprinted in this country, (England,) is, on several\naccounts, one of the most interesting and deplorable that has ever been\nrecorded. The scene lies in Dalecarlia, a country forever memorable as\nhaving witnessed some of the earliest adventures of Gustavus Vasa, his\ndeepest humiliation, and the first commencement of his prosperous\nfortune. The Dalecarlians are represented to us as the simplest, the\nmost faithful, and the bravest of the sons of men;--men, undebauched and\nunsuspicious, but who devoted themselves in the most disinterested\nmanner for a cause that appeared to them worthy of support, the cause of\nliberty and independence against the cruellest of tyrants. At least,\nsuch they were in 1520, one hundred and fifty years before the date of\nthe story we are going to recount. The site of these events was at Mohra\nand Elfdale, in the province that has just been mentioned. The\nDalecarlians, simple and ignorant, but of exemplary integrity and\nhonesty, who dwelt amid impracticably mountains and spacious mines of\ncopper and iron, were distinguished for superstition among the countries\nof the north, where all were superstitious. They were probably subject,\nat intervals, to the periodical visitation of alarms of witches, when\nwhole races of men became wild with the infection, without any one's\nbeing able to account for it.\n\n\"In the year 1670, and one or two preceding years, there was a great\nalarm of witches in the town of Mohra. There were always two or three\nwitches existing in some of the obscure quarters of this place; but now\nthey increased in number, and showed their faces with the utmost\naudacity. Their mode, on the present occasion, was, to make a journey\nthrough the air to Blockula, an imaginary scene of retirement, which\nnone but the witches and their dupes had ever seen. Here they met with\nfeasts and various entertainments, which it seems had particular charms\nfor the persons who partook of them. The witches used to go into a\nfield, in the environs of Mohra, and cry aloud to the Devil in a\npeculiar sort of recitation, \"_Antecessor! come and carry us to\nBlockula._\" Then appeared a multitude of strange beasts: men, spits,\nposts, and goats with spits run through their entrails, and projecting\nbehind, that all might have room. The witches mounted these beasts of\nburden, as vehicles, and were conveyed through the air over high walls\nand mountains, and through churches and chimneys, without perceptible\nimpediment, till they arrived at the place of their destination.\n\n\"Here the Devil feasted them with various compounds and confections;\nand, having feasted to their heart's content, they danced and then\nfought. The Devil made them ride on spits, from which they were thrown;\nand the Devil beat them with the spits and laughed at them. He then\ncaused them to build a house to protect them against the day of\njudgment, and presently overturned the walls of the house, and derided\nthem again. All sorts of obscenities were reported to follow upon these\nscenes. The Devil begot on the witches sons and daughters; this new\ngeneration intermarried again, and the issue of this further conjunction\nappears to have been toads and serpents. How all this pedigree\nproceeded, in the two or three years in which Blockula had never been\nheard of, I know not that the witches were ever called on to explain.\nBut what was most of all to be deplored, the Devil was not content with\nseducing the witches to go and celebrate this infernal Sabbath; he\nfurther insisted that they should bring the children of Mohra along with\nthem.\n\n\"At first, he was satisfied, if each witch brought one: but now, he\ndemanded that each witch should bring six or seven for her quota. How\nthe witches managed with the minds of the children, we are at a loss to\nguess. These poor, harmless innocents, steeped to the very lips in\nignorance and superstition, were, by some means, kept in continual alarm\nby the wicked, or, to speak more truly, the insane old women, and said\nas their prompters said. It does not appear that the children ever left\ntheir beds, at the time they reported they had been to Blockula. Their\nparents watched them with fearful anxiety. At a certain time of the\nnight, the children were seized with a strange shuddering; their limbs\nwere agitated, and their skins covered with a profuse perspiration. When\nthey came to themselves, they related that they had been to Blockula,\nand the strange things they had seen, similar to what had already been\ndescribed by the women. Three hundred children, of various ages, are\nsaid to have been seized with this epidemic.\n\n\"The whole town of Mohra became subject to the infection, and were\novercome with the deepest affliction. They consulted together, and drew\nup a petition to the royal counsel at Stockholm, entreating that they\nwould discover some remedy, and that the government would interpose its\nauthority to put an end to a calamity to which otherwise they could find\nno limit. The King of Sweden, at that time, was Charles the Eleventh,\nfather of Charles the Twelfth, and was only fourteen years of age. His\ncouncil, in their wisdom, deputed two commissioners to Morah, and\nfurnished them with powers to examine witnesses, and take whatever\nproceedings they might judge necessary to put an end to so unspeakable a\ncalamity. They entered on the business of their commission, on the\nthirteenth of August, the ceremony having been begun with two sermons in\nthe great church of Mohra, in which we may be sure the damnable sin of\nwitchcraft was fully dilated on, and concluded with prayers to Almighty\nGod, that, in his mercy, he would speedily bring to an end the\ntremendous misfortune with which, for their sins, he had seen fit to\nafflict the poor people of Mohra. The next day they opened their\ncommission. Seventy witches were brought before them. They were all, at\nfirst, steadfast in their denial, alleging that the charges were\nwantonly brought against them, solely from malice and ill-will. But the\njudges were earnest in pressing them, till, at length, first one, and\nthen another, burst into tears, and confessed all. Twenty-three were\nprevailed on thus to disburden their consciences; but nearly the whole,\nthose who owned the justice of their sentence, as well as those who\nprotested their innocence to the last, were executed. Fifteen children\nconfessed their guilt, and were also executed. Thirty-six other\nchildren, (who, we may infer, did confess,) between the ages of nine and\nsixteen, were condemned to run the gauntlet, and to be whipped on their\nhands at the church door every Sunday for a year together. Twenty others\nwere whipped on their hands for three Sundays.\"\n\nThis is certainly a very deplorable scene; and is made the more so, by\nthe previous character which history has imposed on us, of the\nsimplicity, integrity, and generous love of liberty of the Dalecarlians.\nFor the children and their parents, we can feel nothing but unmingled\npity. The case of the witches is different. That three hundred children\nshould have been made the victims of this imaginary witchcraft, is\ndoubtless a grievous calamity. And that a number of women should be\nfound, so depraved and so barbarous, as by their incessant suggestions\nto have practised on the minds of these children, so as to have robbed\nthem of their sober sense, to have frightened them into fits and\ndisease, and made them believe the most odious impossibilities, argued a\nmost degenerate character, and well merited severe reprobation, but not\ndeath. Add to which, many of those women may be believed innocent;\notherwise, a great majority of those who were executed would not have\ndied protesting their entire freedom from what was imputed to them. Some\nof the parents, no doubt from folly and ill-judgment, aided the\nalienation of mind in their children, which they afterward so deeply\ndeplored, and gratified their senseless aversion to the old women, when\nthey were themselves in many cases more the real authors of the evil\nthan those who suffered.\n\nThe honest and serious reader is now recommended to pause, and, for a\nmoment, reflect on the foregoing recital; for if ten thousand real\ndevils had been let loose and turned out on the earth in a visible and\nbodily form, and had been permitted to do their worst against the human\nrace, if such a thing had actually taken place, the evils inflicted by\nthem would have been little compared to what has really taken place by\nmen's believing in the existence of an invisible Devil, who never had a\nbeing but in the imagination of mortals. The destructive influence which\nhas spread over the whole earth has brought to a premature grave\nthousands and tens of thousands of harmless beings, who have been\ncharged with holding converse with this supposed enemy of God and man.\nOf all the crimes which have been committed on earth, to sin against\nOrthodox faith has been considered the worst; when, in fact, it is no\nsin at all. There is nothing immoral in it. To differ from any man, or\nfrom all men, about religion, cannot be a crime. It is the inherent\nright of every human being; and to rob him of that right is the worst of\nfelony. But to punish a man with death in addition, is to unite robbery\nand murder. And what makes it worse is, that religious offenders are put\nto death without pity or mercy. Few, very few tears of compassion ever\nhave fallen for them, where Christianity has been the prosecutor.\n\nThe baneful influence which has spread over the world, by believing in\nthe existence of the Devil, is shocking to humanity. It has been\ncomputed that as many as one million persons have suffered, in various\nways, since the commencement of the Christian era. Some have been\nbanished; some have been branded and imprisoned; others put to death,\nafter having been tortured in the most cruel manner; and thousands have\nbeen out-lawed and driven from their peaceful homes without pity. All\nthis has taken place because the Scriptures teach and support the\nexistence of a Devil, the inveterate enemy of God and men. There is no\ndoctrine more fully carried out in the New Testament than the existence\nand hostile activity of the Devil. Jesus, it is said, \"_cast them out._\"\nHe also was tempted to rebel against God, and to worship the Devil. In\nthe Book of Job, the Devil is represented as being permitted to afflict\nJob. And Jesus threatens the ungodly with a punishment in connection\nwith the Devil and his angels. If a devil has no being whatever, why\nshould Jesus pretend to cast out devils? And if there be, in truth, such\na personage as the Devil, possessing such power, and, also, forever\nopposing Almighty power, can it be possible that a God of goodness would\npermit him to live and annoy God and men?\n\nWe see that it is the height of folly to suppose that such a personage\never did live, or does now; but the belief of it has been one of the\ngreatest curses which ever befel mankind. Here, then, let us bring up\nthe idea, and reflect upon it, that all the evil which has taken place,\nand all the sufferings endured by the unfortunate beings in the dark\nages, may possibly again occur. The Bible is the same, and mam is the\nsame. The difference is in the actions of men in different ages. When\nreason and the morality of things are man's guide, then he is peaceable\nand humane; but when acting under the imagination, he is capable of\nbecoming as bad as is the Devil.\n\nIn concluding this chapter, let us look back to those times of ignorance\nand superstition. Let us place ourselves by the misortunate victims who\nwere put to torture and death for a crime they could not commit. Could\nthey, in their extreme pain, but have had a hope that a day would arrive\nwhen a band of master spirits would arise on the shores of the Atlantic,\nwho, by reason and the moral fitness of things, would upset and\nprostrate the systems under which they so severely suffered---could the\npoor, suffering victim, with his broken heart and fractured limbs, have\nhad assurance, when his tortured mind was about to quit its lacerated\nboundary, that a time would soon surely come when the truth of the Bible\nand the existence of a Devil would cease to be made the instruments of\nunspeakable misery and torment, it would have been a cheerful ray of\ncomfort amid the devouring flame. The time _has_ at length arrived, and\nwe ought to improve it. Let us, then, with untiring perseverance and\nmoral courage, give the death-blow to the Divinity of the Old and New\nTestaments, and thereby forever obliterate, not only the incentives to,\nbut also the remembrance of all religious persecutions.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\n\nAS this work is about to be concluded, it will be of importance to the\nreader that a comprehensive view be taken of the mission of Christ to\nthe Jewish nation. In doing which, an opportunity will be given to such\nof my readers as may hitherto have been afraid to doubt the truth of the\nDivine authority of the Bible, to see, at one glance, its absurdity.\n\nIn the four Gospels, which contain the sayings and doings of Jesus\nduring his ministry among the Jews, and also in the Epistles of the\nApostles, it is uniformly declared and enforced, that the main purpose\nof Christ's (_the anointed of God_) coming into the world was, to die.\nAnd this death was required by the Father as an atonement for the sins\nof mankind, that whosoever believed in and obeyed him, their pardon\nshould be sure, not for any thing which they had done as it related to\njustice, chastity, or humanity, but for the ransom paid for their sins\nby the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. An apostle, in speaking on this\nsubject, says--\"_He (Christ) being delivered by the determined counsel\nand foreknowledge of God, ye have, by wicked hands, crucified and\nslain._\" This decree, then, was absolute, and every movement then made\nby Jesus, and also his preaching and conversation with the Jews, was so\narranged, that die he must, to save a lost and ruined world.\n\nThis, according to the Scriptures, was the divine arrangement between\nthe Father and the Son. This doctrine is taught in the New Testament.\nAnd in such a lost condition were the human race, that Jesus _freely\ngave himself as a ransom to be completed in due time_. If the New\nTestament does not teach this, it is not possible to know what it does\nteach. To die, then, as a sacrifice for sin, included the sum and\nsubstance of the Gospel, or good news.\n\nHaving laid down the ground-work of human redemption, we proceed to\ncarry through the plan said to be the work of mercy and goodness flowing\nfrom the mighty God, the author of all things. In the examination of\nsuch an arrangement, it appears impossible to conclude that the Author\nof the Universe can be considered as the God of the Jews and Christians.\nThe Jews had always been taught to believe that they were God's favorite\npeople, and they retain the same faith to the present day. For ages\nbefore the Christian era, they not only expected the coming of the\nMessiah, but also, that no nation but their own would be interested in\nthat glorious event. It never entered their minds that he would come in\nany disguise, for many impostors had appeared, who, being discovered,\ntheir Messiahship procured them certain destruction. The Jews,\ntherefore, inferred, that when the proper time should arrive for the\nlong-expected and ardently-looked for Messiah to appear among them,\ntheir nation would be raised to more than its former greatness, and\nGod's chosen people would be held up to the nations of the earth as\nconfirming the truth of what their ancient prophets had foretold of\ntheir future prosperity.\n\nIt could never, therefore, have entered the minds of the Jews, as a\nnation, that the Messiah would come in any disguise. And it must have\nbeen far from their thoughts to expect that he, when he should arrive,\nwould load them with violent abuse, and reproach them as being too low\nto be considered as any thing else than a nation of hypocrites. If Jesus\ncame into this world to die, then every thing which he taught, and also\nall the intercourse which he had with his own people, was preparatory to\nthat event. That the Messiah would come to the Jewish nation to dwell\namong them, to be their leader, to exalt them above all other nations,\nwas what they had been taught to expect. Instead of which, he calls them\n\"_a generation of vipers!_\" and pronounces terrible things against the\nheads of the nation, commencing his denunciations with \"_Woe unto you,\nscribes and pharisees, hypocrites!_\" Such violence and abuse surprised\nthem, coming from one who said \"_he came to seek and to save that which\nwas lost._\"\n\nAgain, Jesus said that \"_he came not to call the righteous, but sinners\nto repentance._\" But Jesus gave them no quarter, but sent them head and\nheels to the Devil. The Jewish rulers must have been more than human to\nhave quietly taken such vulgar abuse. Sometimes, Jesus seemed to soften\ndown in his conduct, as when he says, \"_O Jerusalem! Jerusalem! how\noften would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen gathereth\nher chickens under her wings, but ye would not._\" So erratic is Jesus\ndepicted, in the account we have transmitted down to us, that we are at\na loss as to forming an opinion concerning his manner of treating his\nown people. But as it was \"_by the determined counsel and foreknowledge\nof God_\" that he was to be a \"_sacrifice for the sins of mankind,_\" his\nmode of addressing the rulers of Israel was calculated to bring about\nthe \"_will of his Father._\"\n\nAdmitting, for the sake of argument, that Jesus was the true Messiah,\nthe Jews were in a worse state than if he had not appeared among them.\nThe statement made by Jesus of the destruction of Jerusalem, and of his\nsecond coming, confounded all their ideas of the Messiah's kingdom. In\nthe twenty-third and twenty-fourth chapters of Matthew, after having\npronounced a number of dreadful predictions against them, he winds up in\nchapter twenty-third as follows, \"*YE SERPENTS! YE GENERATION OF VIPERS!\nHOW CAN YE ESCAPE THE DAMNATION OF HELL?*\" In the twenty-fourth chapter\nof Matthew, Jesus gives a long account of his second coming. How was it\npossible for the Jews to understand what he there describes? Their\ndesire was, to know if he was the Messiah promised by the prophets; and,\nif so, what steps he would take for the exaltation of their nation, so\nthat they might enjoy all they had been induced to expect when the \"_sun\nof righteousness should arise with healing in his hands_.\"\n\nFor Jesus to tell his disciples and the Jewish nation what would be the\nsigns of his second coming, before they under-stood what his object was\nin coming the first time, must appear very strange. From the particular\naccount which Jesus gave of his second coming, the Jews must have\nunderstood him to mean, that although he professed to be the true\nMessiah, yet his stay was but short with them. As yet, his time for\noperation was not come. The discourses of Jesus to his countrymen, were\nall calculated to mislead and confound them. In his sermon on the Mount,\nhe claims an authority of his own superior to the law of Moses. Matthew,\nchapter v., verse 33--\"_Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by\nthem of old time, thou shalt not forswear thyself but shall perform unto\nthe Lord thine oaths. But I say unto you, swear not at all_\" Verse\n38--\"_Ye have heard that it hath been said, an eye for an eye, and a\ntooth for a tooth. But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil; but\nwhosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheeky turn to him the other\nalso._\" What could the Jewish rulers think of a man, who, without any\nceremony, set up laws in direct opposition to the laws of Moses, when,\nat other times, he declared himself a follower of Moses, and that he\ncame not to destroy the law, but to fulfil it? Such inconsistent\nteaching as this, will not admit of Infinite Wisdom's being the author.\n\nIn Matthew, chapter xiii., 10, it reads--\"_And the disciples came and\nsaid unto him, Why speaketh thou unto them in parables? He answered and\nsaid unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of\nthe kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.\" Verse\n13--\"Therefore speak I to them in parables, because they seeing, see\nnot; and hearing, they hear not, neither do they understand.\" Verse\n14--\"And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By\nhearing ye shall hear and shall not understand, and seeing ye shall see\nand shall not perceive.\" Verse 15--\"For this people's heart is waxed\ngross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have\nclosed, lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with\ntheir ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be\nconverted and I should heal them_\"\n\nNow this mode of treating the Jewish nation is perfectly in character\nwith the plan, in accordance with which, Jesus came to lay down his life\nfor sinners; for had he convinced the Jews that he was the expected\nrestorer of Israel, no Jewish arm would have been raised against him;\nnor would it have been possible to have prevailed on the national rulers\nto have attempted his life; since although the priests and Pharisees\nmight, in a moral point of view, have been wicked in the extreme, still\ntheir veneration for, and their earnest expectation of the coming of,\nthe Messiah, would have prevented any hostile feelings against \"_the\nanointed of the Lord, the Holy one of Israel._\"\n\nBut if the preaching of Christ, and his arrangements, were of such a\nnature that the Jews supposed the whole to be an imposture, then the\ncase took a different turn altogether. Instead of the Jews refusing to\nreceive Jesus as the sent of God, they put him to death from the hatred\nwhich they had towards any one who they supposed had fabricated his\nauthority and office. If the main object of Christ's coming to the Jews\nwas to die for the sins of mankind, both Jew and Gentile, and thus\nbecome a willing sacrifice for sin,--if this was the plan of human\nredemption, it then follows that the Jews did that part which, in the\ndivine arrangement, was allotted for them to do. Then the conduct of\nJesus was consistent in keeping them ignorant, so that their part might\nby them be carried out. If he had convinced them, that he was, in truth,\nthe sent of God, but that they must hang him on a tree, the plan of\nhuman redemption would have failed, for they, immoral as they might be,\nnever would have put him to death.\n\nThere could be no other way of bringing about the death of Christ, but\nby keeping the Jewish nation ignorant that he was the Messiah. The\ncourse that was pursued by Jesus, would imply that his orders were to so\nact among them, that their condemnation would be just for rejecting him;\nbut on no account to perform miracles sufficient to convince them, for\nin that case the Jews would not have condemned and put him to death as a\nblasphemer and an impostor. Again, if Jesus came on earth to die, and\nwithout shedding his blood there could be \"_no remission of sin_\" what\nmockery for him to exclaim \"_O Jerusalem! Jerusalem I how oft would I\nhave gathered thy children together, as a hen gathereth her chickens\nunder her wings, and ye would not_!\" For if the Jews had sheltered\nthemselves under the wings of Jesus, how was he to die as a sacrifice\nfor sin? But he was not put to death, they knowing him to be the Christ,\nbut on the contrary, they condemned him for pretending to be the very\nanointed of the Lord. And although the story was propagated that Jesus\narose, after his descent from the cross, the Jews as a nation did not\ngive credit to it, nor have they till this day. If, therefore, \"_there\nis no other name under heaven whereby men can be saved,_\" but by\nbelieving in Christ and in his dying for the sins of mankind, then the\nJews, ever since the death of Christ, and also the present race, are\nlost and forever shut out from that pardon which was procured by the\ndeath of Jesus, which was brought about by the instrumentality of the\nJews by the condemnation of the Messiah.\n\nThe account of Judas, in what is called betraying his Master, is strange\nindeed. In speaking of that circumstance, Jesus says, \"_It would have\nbeen better for that man if he had never been born_.\" Now if Jesus came\nto die, Judas, by informing the authorities where he was to be found,\ndid no more than bring to pass what was before ordained should take\nplace. Judas, then, was but the instrument to accomplish the plan of\nhuman redemption, by informing the Jewish authorities when and where\nthey could secure the object which they sought after. The very idea of\nbetraying Jesus, proves two things:--first, that Jesus was but little\nknown to the Jews, except from report; and, secondly, that although he\nheld often said he came to lay down his life for sinful man, yet he\nintended to evade death as long as possible. It was owing to this\nobscure method of teaching, that his disciples, although always with\nhim, could not understand fully what his objects were; and though he had\nso often told them of \"_the kingdom of heaven being at hand,_\" they\nunderstood him not.\n\nTo bring the position of the Jews nearer, at the time of Christ's\nappearance in Judea, let us suppose ourselves to have been Jews, then\nliving, and expecting and desiring his coming. At length, it is said,\n\"he is arrived.\" The first inquiry would very naturally be, is he the\ntrue Messiah, or is he an impostor? If, then, to our inquiries made to\nhim on that point, we had received in return nothing positive, but the\nvilest abuse, and threatenings of damnation in a future world, could we\nbe expected to view him as the promised deliverer? When the Jews heard\nhim denouncing them as hypocrites, and, at the same time, assuming an\nauthority over Moses, and the laws of Jehovah given by Moses, and\ncalling the Temple (for which they had so high a veneration) a den of\nthieves, it must have had a tendency to shut up their minds against his\ndivine mission. If Jesus wished the Jews to be convinced of his being\nthe personage whom they had long expected, he should, in the first\nplace, have attended to their inquiry, \"_Art thou he which should come,\nor are we to look for another?_\"\n\nThis question being settled, by indisputable evidence, Jesus would have\nhad a foundation for correcting what was wrong, and exposing their base\nconduct. But he began at the wrong-end, by upbraiding them for their\nevil doings before he had 'convinced them of his being appointed to\nabrogate, or, in any way, to alter, the law of Moses. We may then safely\nconclude, if Jesus was divinely commissioned to the Jews, that it was\nnot intended they should believe in him. But who, for a moment, can\nthink, that, if the Almighty Ruler of the Universe had sent him, his\nmission would have been marked with trickery and deception, and have\nfailed, and the Jews have been left in a state far worse than if he had\nnever been among them? Can we reasonably conclude, that a Being of\ninfinite wisdom and goodness would have sent his Son to the Jewish\nnation, without giving them any evidence of his being the Messiah, and\nthen have taken advantage of their unbelief to deal out judgments\nagainst them?\n\nIf Jesus was sent into the world to die, and by dying, became \"_a\nsacrifice for the sins of mankind,_\" then the Jews, by putting him to\ndeath, brought to maturity what God had ordained should come to pass. In\nthat case, then, it is clear, that Jesus was so to act, that the Jews\nmust not be convinced that he was the true and real Messiah, for had\nthey believed in him as the restorer of their race, whom they had long\nexpected, they would not have slain the \"_Lord of life and glory_.\"\nThen, how would he have paid the \"_ransom for lost sinners_\"? But, on\nthe other hand, if Jesus was sent by God to the Jewish nation, and\ngifted to perform signs and miracles to convert them, how did it happen\nthat they remained in sin and unbelief;--their whole race, the seed of\nAbram, remaining in that state until the present time? The Jews have\nsurely been an unfortunate people. To the Jews, then, 1 must say, \"I\nknow not which demands the most pity--you, or your God; for, after all\nthe attempts to subject you to his will, you are a race of outcasts, and\nhave been plundered by all the Christian nations on earth. After all the\npains taken by the Lord of Hosts to convert you, every one has failed;\nbut the last failure is the most to be deplored. From the time Jehovah\nis said to have called Abram, your progenitor, and selected him from the\nrest of the human race, and promised him and his seed forever, blessings\nfrom which the rest of the world were excluded, Jehovah and your\ngenerations have ever been on bad terms. You are spoken of in Scripture\nas a stiff-necked, rebellious people. On the part of God, he has always\nappeared as if he was angry with your conduct. Forty years together, he\nsays, he has been _grieved with your disobedience_. To such a height has\nbeen his displeasure, that thousands and tens of thousands of your\nnation have been cut off by the terrible judgments of the Lord. You have\nbeen led into captivity and sold as slaves, time after time, and Jehovah\nhas even threatened to destroy your whole race.\n\n\"Jehovah, in his anger, has raised heathen kings against you, and the\nslaughter has been dreadful. But when you have turned to the Lord, and\nhumbled yourselves, he has attended to your cry, and delivered you out\nof their hands. Jehovah has, at times, inspired prophets who have\nforetold that you should one day have a personage appear among you,\nrestore you to your former greatness, be to you a God, and you should be\nto him a people. This personage is said to have been among you, but _you\nknew him not_. You, then, from obedience to Jehovah, rejected Jesus as\nan impostor, and considered him as arrogating to himself Divine honor,\nand finally put him to death. And, for eighteen hundred years, you have\nsuffered the most cruel treatment from every nation among whom you have\ndwelt. You have been the most unfortunate people on earth; but you still\ncling to your prophets, and are looking for the coming of the Messiah.\n\n\"And what appears more unfortunate than all your past evils, is, you\nhave put to death, through mistake, your last refuge, the true Messiah.\nThere are, at the present time, upwards of one hundred millions of\nChristians who maintain and believe that the same Jesus whom _ye slew\nand hanged on a tree, is in truth both Lord and Christ,_ the same whom\nyour nation so long and so earnestly looked for. If, then, faith in that\nChrist whom you rejected, has opened the kingdom of heaven to the\nChristian world, while your whole race is shut ont, the Christians owe\nyou a debt of everlasting gratitude, for by this sacrifice they are to\nenter into the Supper of the Lamb, and your unfortunate race have the\ndoor closed against them. But do not despair, for the Infidels of the\npresent day are your friends. They will make all right They will, if you\nattend to them, convince you that your forefathers were imposed on, when\nin a state of ignorance, by some artful impostor, who persuaded them\nthat the seed of Abram was chosen by God to the exclusion of all other\npeople and nations.\n\n\"In the infancy of your nation, Moses, or some other artful leader, took\nadvantage of your inexperience, and by antedating miracles said to have\nbeen performed in behalf of your ancestors by Jehovah, but which never\nwere performed, and which at the time was incapable of refutation, your\nnation imbibed the reality that the seed of Abram was the _chosen of the\nLord_. This conviction for thousands of years has been received, and has\nbeen handed down from father to Son till the present time. Yes, ye seed\nof Abram, (by this name I address you,) by considering yourselves the\nchosen people of God, this conviction has been your perpetual curse.\nYour faith in the ancient accounts of those miracles and wonders,\nwrought in your behalf by Moses, has been your fatal delusion. You\nconsider it not possible for your fore-, fathers to have been deceived;\nfor, say you, the miracles and wonders were performed before your whole\nnation.\n\n\"In this consists your error. There is no certainty as to who wrote the\nhistory of the wonders, said to have been wrought in your behalf, nor at\nwhat time they were first recorded. But the internal evidence of the\nbooks ascribed to Moses, fully prove him not to have been the author.\nThe same evidence also proves that the first five books were not written\ntill after the reign of the first kings of Israel. So that, by\nantedating the wonders recorded to have taken place in the infancy of\nyour nation, and then by a cunning impostor to have been subsequently\npresented for the first time to the Jews, giving them an account of\nthose wonders of old, an ignorant nation would be likely to believe\nthem; and in that case a whole people would be converted at once, giving\ncredit to an absurdity producing an influence in the world which has far\nexceeded any imposture that ever has been Saddled on the human race. The\ndreadful error into which your forefathers fell, and by handing down to\ntheir posterity the foolish story of your being _a chosen people_, the\ngreatest curse which could befal you, you have, without doubt, been the\nmost unfortunate people on earth; for by considering yourselves _God's\nchosen people_, you have despised the rest of the human race, and you\nhave in return been persecuted and plundered. You have been treated by\nall nations as outcasts.\n\n\"On the ground-work of your having been chosen by the supposed God of\nthe universe, the world has assumed an appearance very unlike to what it\nwould have had, if no such imposition had been practised on your\nprogenitors. Wars innumerable have taken place, and rivers of blood have\nflowed through the earth, occasioned by theological strife. Religious\nquarrels, ending in the application of the rack and torture, and\npersecutions in quick succession, have been the result, and thousand of\nhorrid cruelties have taken place in every age, all in consequence of\nthat curse of all curses, the belief that _God has a chosen people_.\nAlthough it had doubtless been thought by your nation the highest\npossible honor to be chosen by the Lord, this has proved your greatest\nmisfortune; for from this source, Christianity has been produced. You\nmay exult in the idea, that you have in your sacred books, the doctrine\nof but one God, notwithstanding your religion and its Christian\noffspring has been more cruel and intolerant than any on earth.\nAccording to your own books, your nation and the God who chose them,\nwere forever at war; your people continually rebelling and receiving\nchastisement, till, at last, you are to appearance forsaken. But as has\nbeen before mentioned, the Infidels are your friends; for, by means of\nfree discussion, and the diffusion of useful knowledge, they will\nultimately destroy that intolerant spirit which has been the earth's\ngreatest curse, and you will eventually, with the rest of the human\nfamily, open your eyes, and discover the folly and absurdity of\nbelieving in a God \"partial, vengeful, and unjust.\" And then you will be\nno longer _Jews_, but will become men.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\n\nIN the preceding chapter we have endeavored to ascertain the object of\nChrist's coming into the world, but without being able to arrive at any\npositive conclusion. As it respected the Jews, they did, and they had a\nright to expect, that his, coming would be to them a blessing; and not,\nby any means, that it would prove disastrous in its consequences. It is,\nby Christians, contended that the primary object of the Messiah's advent\nwas, to die for sinners; by which death he would make an atonement for\nthe sins of the world. In this view of the case, (and the Scriptures\nseem to bear it out,) the Jews were altogether deceived, and are\ntherefore objects of pity. The kingdom of heaven being opened to the\nworld at large, to both Jew and Gentile, the Jews were unsuspectingly\nshut out. That Christ did not intend to convince the Jews that he was\nthe Messiah, seems to be warranted from the manner of his preaching to\nthem; his violence, and the abusive language he used, being calculated\nto prejudice them against him. And again, if Christ was to become a\nsacrifice for sin by expiring On the cross, somebody must put him to\ndeath, and the Jews are said to have been his executioners. The Jews,\ntherefore, did that which the divine mind intended they should do. But\nsuch double-dealing and deception, in order to entrap the Jews, could\nnever have originated with the Great Eternal, the unchangeable ruler of\nall things.\n\nIn reading the history of Jesus, (written nobody knows by whom, or\nwhether by his authority or not,) we must judge of him by the account as\nit stands. It certainly appears strange that we have no intimation that\nJesus gave any orders to his Apostles to write, or in any way to\ntransmit to posterity an account of his life or doctrines. And it\nappears more singular, when we consider in how particular a manner the\nlaws of Moses were written, which, without doubt, is what kept the Jews\nfrom being divided into a number of sects. But so neglected were the\nsayings and doings of Jesus, that, soon after his death, forty or fifty\nGospels were abroad; an equal number of sects sprang up, and the various\nreligious dogmas were introduced, which, till the present day, have\ndivided the Christian world, and, at times, have produced wars,\npersecutions, and blood. On so important a subject as the salvation of\nthe human race, it might reasonably be expected that the founder of\nChristianity would have left some documents to guard against so\ndestructive an evil. This entire neglect, if not positive proof against\nthe divine mission of Jesus, must create doubts leading to the\nconclusion that the Christian religion is deficient as to the evidence\nof its divine origin. It appears from the Gospels that Jesus was a moral\nreformer; that the priests and rulers were proud, haughty, and of wicked\ndispositions; that the founder of the Christian religion exposed their\nhypocritical pretensions, and that, by thus exciting their malice, he\nfell a victim. This has been the fate of hundreds of moral reformers, in\ndifferent ages and nations.\n\nChristians, of all sects, could they be brought to reason impartially on\nthe mission of Jesus, would have their faith shaken, from the following\nconsiderations:--Admitting, as all Christians do, that the Jewish\nreligion is of divine authority, and had for ages been by the Jews\nconsidered as such, to set that aside and introduce another, required\nauthority from heaven, but such authority was never given. The bare word\nof Jesus, that he was the sum and substance of the law of Moses both\nmoral and ceremonial, seems to be insufficient. The Jews, however base\nor immoral they were, as a nation never showed a want of faithfulness\nwhen their religion was assailed. So that it appears, that to do away\nwith the form of worship, and introduce a new order of things, required\nsomething more than the obscure sayings of Jesus, who was but little\nknown at the time of his death. If, by the coming of Christ, a new\ndispensation was to supersede the old, then the highest and the most\nincontrovertible authority should be produced. But this was not the\ncase, for Jesus often charged those whom he had cured of some disease,\n\"to tell no man\" how they were made whole: as much as to say, \"Keep\nsecret with respect to the person who restored you to your former\nstate.\" We need not wonder that the Jews rejected Jesus, seeing that he\nassumed an authority higher than that of Moses; for, at the giving of\nthe law on the mountain, it was Jehovah himself who spake to them. The\nJews, then, considered that the same God who gave the law, and he alone,\nmust change it, or introduce another, and not a person whose object in\ncoming they could not comprehend, and who taught doctrines, a very great\nportion of which, were of a threatening and menacing character.\n\nAnd, finally, so little did Christ's disciples understand of his divine\nmission, that, when he was betrayed, Peter, the boldest of them all,\nbecame alarmed, and denied any knowledge of him. This was very strange\nin Peter, if it was a fact that he heard Moses and Elias, at a former\ntime, conversing with his Divine Master. But be that as it may, Jesus is\nreported to have suffered death on the cross, one of his disciples\ninforming against him to the rulers, for the paltry sum of thirty pieces\nof silver, and another swearing he never knew him. This has often\nhappened, when a bold reformer has been taken into custody; his\nfollowers would disown and forsake him; but it is not likely that Peter\nwould thus have acted, had he witnessed the mighty deeds said to have\nbeen done by Jesus. I remember hearing an Unitarian minister remark,\nthat \"If Moses could return from the dead, how he would be surprised to\nread what was written of him after his death; and that he would say that\nthe wonderful things reported of him, he knew nothing about.\" This, no\ndoubt, would be the case with Jesus, as all his mighty works are\nrecorded _of_ him, but none were recorded _by_ him.\n\nAs his resurrection was the key-stone of the Christian arch, some\nobservations on that all-important event will be made. Whatever Jesus\ncommunicated to his disciples respecting his rising from the dead,\nduring his life, is not recorded; but it appears that his death entirely\nfrustrated their expectations. The resurrection of Jesus presented the\nmost favorable opportunity to dispel all doubts of the Messiahship of\nhim whom the Jews had put to death as an impostor. It will be in order,\nthen, to observe what steps were taken by Jesus, after his resurrection,\nto convince the Jews, and the world at large, that his mission was from\nheaven. This, of all times, was the fittest to convince the Jews of\ntheir unfortunate mistake. The short account given in the Gospels, does\nnot afford much light on that subject. But if the Jews, as a nation, had\nstill retained their unbelief, such incredulity must soon have given way\nby his continuing among them.\n\nIf the Jews, from mistaken convictions, did put Jesus to death, it seems\nbut just that they should have had a chance to rectify their unfortunate\nerror. But owing to the short stay of Jesus on earth, after his\nresurrection, and he being the most of that time in company with his\ndisciples, the Jews had not an opportunity of fully investigating the\nreality of his death and re-appearance, and his deportment after it was\nsaid he was returned to life. The greatest difficulty experienced by\nChristians in defending the divine authority of the New Testament\nDispensation, is, to account for the sudden departure of Jesus, who,\naccording to the Scripture record, was taken up into heaven in a few\nweeks after his resurrection. To an inquiring mind, there are many\nobjections which deserve notice. The writer does not pretend to say that\nthe thing is impossible, because to deny the possibility of it would be\nto set limits to the power that governs the universe.\n\nWe will examine the account of Jesus's leaving this world so soon, to\ndiscover if possible, what end was to be obtained by his sudden\ndeparture from the scene of his suffering and degradation. It seems\nreasonable to suppose that it was of the highest importance for Jesus to\nstay on earth to establish Christianity on a sure foundation. It is\nwritten that he told his disciples that it was for their good that\nthings were so arranged that he should leave them, for if he went away,\nhe would send the comforter to them, who was to be their guide, and to\nbring to their remembrance the things he had told them; and also that\nthe Holy Ghost, the comforter, would, to make up for his absence, lead\nthem into the way of truth. This is, in substance, what they were to\nexpect. But unfortunately it did not take place, but the reverse; for,\nfrom the accounts which have come down to us, a great number of sects\nsprang up in a few years after Jesus left the world, and numerous\ngospels were extant, which, for a number of years were quoted by the\nearly Fathers of the Church, and were considered authentic; but were\nafterwards rejected, and are now bound up together and called \"The\nRejected Gospels.\"\n\nIn the beginning of the fourth century, the Christian sects were not\nonly numerous, but began to assume a spirit of intolerance and\npersecution, and when that monster, Constantine, became a convert to\nChristianity, religious quarrels were of the most violent character. Not\nto dwell on the particulars of these religious differences, we may ask,\nwhat did they quarrel about? The answer is at hand. They quarrelled\nabout something that Jesus was reported to have said or taught. Their\ndisputes were not of a moral, but of a theological description. In these\ndisputed subjects no standard of reference could be set up. Jesus was at\nthe right hand of his Father, and their differences could not be settled\nby him. Quarrel after quarrel followed in quick succession; the strong\npersecuted the weak; and the earth was deluged with blood. Constantine,\nthe Roman Emperor, hoisted the banner of the cross; and after having\nmurdered nearly the whole of his own family, he sought consolation from\nthat religion which says, that \"the blood of Jesus cleanses from all\nsin.\"\n\nThe history of Jesus, including his doctrines, and also what the\napostles taught concerning him, and the belief in his second coming; the\ndifferent opinions that have arisen concerning the person of Christ; and\nalso, the various dogmas collected from the writers of the gospels, all\ntaken from what is called divine revelation, have never ceased to\ngenerate quarrels among the different churches professing to be\nChristian. Ever since the commencement of Christianity, there has been\nlittle else but religious animosity among the different sects--each of\nthem professing to have the truth, to the exclusion of all the rest; all\nof them appealing to the same word of God to support their various\ndogmas. We may then ask, has that proclamation ever been fulfilled, that\nwas made by _multitude of the \"heavenly host_\" namely,--\"_Peace on earth\nand good-will towards men\"?_ But no doubt its fulfilment is, in point of\ntruth, equal to its ever having been given; for angels are airy\nnothings, and have no existence but in the imagination.\n\nFrom what has been stated, it will be seen that the religious quarrels\nwhich have taken place from the commencement of the Christian era, arose\nfrom the uncertain standard appealed to by the various sects. They all\nreferred to some particular passage or passages recorded, either by\nChrist or his apostles. Every sect had a portion of truth supported by\nScripture authority; and it has at times happened, that whole\ncongregations, as well as individuals, have changed their opinions\nconcerning what the Scriptures taught. For instance: a Church, believing\nthat the Scriptures taught the doctrine of the Trinity, have given up\nthat doctrine, and embraced Unitarianism. The Scriptures remained the\nsame; it was their opinions that underwent the change. In fact, every\nsect has Scripture for its support; so that it is plain to be seen, that\nthe New Testament is not, nor ever can be, a true and certain rule to\nwhich a reference can be made, whereby disputes can be ended. The Old\nTestament was superior in this respect to the New. And now, after\neighteen hundred years' fighting; in which time, tens of thousands have\nbeen victims, and the earth has been drenched by human blood, nothing is\ncertain as to what Christianity really is. Can it then be possible, that\nthe God of the Universe would have left that religion (to establish\nwhich, his Son expired on the cross,) in such a wretched state of\nuncertainty, by calling him so early to his holy habitation? Impossible.\n\nIf Christ was taken from this earth, he has now a local habitation, and,\nalso, he must be actively employed. Can Christians conceive where he is,\nand what he is doing? Is it possible he would have remained so long\nabsent, knowing, as he must, that the cause for which he suffered would\nbe so wretchedly carried on? The absence of Christ, if not the entire\ncause, is one cause of all the religious wars and bloodshed among\nnations, and, also, of the hostile feelings of one sect against another.\nHad he remained on earth, there would have been but \"_one Lord, and his\nname one_.\" If Jesus died for the salvation of the world, common sense\nwould dictate, that, after his resurrection, he would dwell in that\nworld for whose salvation he came, and not have been taken into heaven\nbefore his plan of redemption was arranged; so that, instead of union\nand harmony prevailing in his absence, by disunion, persecution, and\nreligious warfare, the different churches exhibited a complete confusion\nof tongues.\n\nIf Jesus had remained on earth, all religious persecution would have\nbeen prevented; for if his laws and regulations had been written, and to\neach church a copy had been sent, it would not have been possible for\nany difference of opinion to have brought on disorder so as materially\nto have disturbed the peace of his church. And if any dispute had taken\nplace, Jesus, dwelling on any particular spot on earth, his authority\ncould, in such a case, have been appealed to, and the matter would have\nbeen peaceably settled. But, after his death and resurrection, there was\nnothing to which a reference could eb made, but certain Gospels written\nby unknown persons.\n\nIn summing up this matter, the following remarks may safely and truly be\nmade:--In a short time after Jesus arose from the dead, it was declared\nby his apostles, that he had ascended into heaven, and had left orders\nfor the Gospel, or good news, to be proclaimed throughout the world; and\nthat after remaining with his disciples a few weeks, when on a journey\nwith some of them, a cloud intervened, and they lost sight of him.\nBefore his death, Jesus had told them to watch for his second coming,\nfor that it would be sudden and unexpected; and he also added, that\nthere were those standing among them that would live to see it, and that\nhe should then appear in glory, attended by angels, judge the world, and\nreward every man acccording to his deeds. The apostles taught this,\ndoctrine, and the early Christians looked for that event with eager\nexpectation. But a long and dreary night of religious intolerance has\nnearly passed away, and Jesus has not yet arrived; during which night,\nthe world has witnessed scenes of horror unknown to the most savage ages\nof antiquity.\n\nAll this confusion and wretchedness must have been known by Jesus, and\nalso by his Father, at whose right hand it is recorded that he is\nsitting. Now can Christians conceive where Christ has been, or what he\nhas been doing? Strange, indeed, does it apppear, that, during the\ndisorder and violence in which the Christian Church was involved for\nages, when thousands of honest, pious, and sincere Christians were put\nto death, their Redeemer could sit quietly in heaven and not interfere\nin their behalf! Perhaps it ought to be more strange, that it was the\nwill of God that Jesus should ever have left that world which was the\nscene of his suffering.\n\nLooking at the plan of human redemption, from the time of the birth of\nJesus, and the incomplete finish made of it by his being taken up into\nheaven, leaving his followers ignorant of what he meant during his\npreaching on earth;--knowing, too, that the various sects have kept the\nworld in an uproar, destroying each other by thousands, and that all\nthese evils have taken place in consequence of Jesus being quietly\nseated by the right hand of God,--these considerations, and many others\nnot noticed in this work, convince me, that the mission of Christ was\nnot of Divine authority.\n\nThe following remarks will contain, in substance, the strongest\nobjection against the divinity of Christ's mission; and are given by the\nauthor as presenting his final conclusions on that subject And here he\nwould ask--If the God of the Bible is, as Christians believe, the Author\nof the universe, what are we to understand by the assertion, \"_That\nJesus is seated at his right hand?_\" God is a spirit pervading all\nspace, of whom one of the Scripture writers says, \"_In him we live, and\nmove, and have our being._\" The same idea was expressed by the Greeks in\nreference to their supreme God,--\"All things are full of Jupiter.\" How,\nthen, can it be believed that the unknown power who is the God of all\ncreation has a local dwelling place?\n\nJesus, after his resurrection, declared that he had \"_flesh and bone._\"\nHow, then, he can be located with an universal spirit, is beyond human\nconception As Jesus is a being possessed of a tangible form, he must\nhave a place of residence; and it is impossible that he can dwell with\n_his God and Father_ in any other than a local habitation. The\nsupposition, then, that the Almighty Ruler of all worlds has a palace on\nsome fixed star, or planet, where Jesus has for eighteen hundred years\nresided in company with the Infinite Creator, surrounded by angels\nconversing and singing; the Devil, during the same time, \"_going about\nlike a roaring lion seeking whom he might devour_\" while Christians were\ncutting each other's throats in consequence of their disputes about the\nmeaning of what Christ said, or the object of his performances on earth,\nis very unlikely, to say the least of it.\n\nIt seems astonishing that men, possessed of the noble faculty of reason,\ncan believe that Jesus is now alive in some unknown world, and in\ncompany with the Sovereign Ruler of nature. In conclusion, the author of\nthis work (over whose head seventy-three summers' suns have passed,)\nwould say that he does not, _cannot_ believe that the Jesus of the\nChristians has any existence but in the imagination of his followers.\n\n\n\n\nREMARKS ON THE MORALITY OF NATURE\n\n\nHAVING concluded my remarks on the Old and New Testaments, I have\nthought it proper to give a chapter on Morality. I do this to prevent\nthe reader from concluding that, because I am not a believer in the\nDivine authority of the Old and New Testaments, I disregard all moral\nobligation, and do not hold myself accountable to God, Nature, or my\nfellow beings. Nothing can be further from truth than such a conclusion.\nIf no such being as God exists, who will judge every man at the final\nday of accounts; and if no such judgment will ever take place, admitting\nall this, even then should I stand in the same relation to my fellow\nbeings in a moral point of view.\n\nChristian preachers, generally, teach their hearers the entire\nworthlessness of good works, without they are connected with faith in\nthe Gospel. This mode of treating unbelievers has a bad effect on the\nminds of church members, who, giving full credit to the pastor of the\nflock, are taught to consider that the person, or persons (however just,\nhumane and virtuous they may be in all their actions,) who do not come\nup to the standard of their faith, are wicked, and will, at the day of\njudgment, be condemned, and their sentence will be, \"_Go, ye cursed,\ninto everlasting fire._\" &c. We need not wonder, therefore, at the\nintolerant spirit which is so active among all professing the Christian\nname. Notwithstanding the moral precepts taught by Jesus, his followers,\nat the present day, pay but little regard to them. To believe in the\nSaviour, and consider him as the endorser of their sins, and presenting\ntheir claims at the throne of the Eternal, form an easy way for\nexpiating a life of wickedness and cant. If we compare the moral\ncharacter of professing Christians with the precepts taught by Jesus, we\nshall be surprised at the vast discordance between their profession and\ntheir practice. We find that, in practice, Christianity is hostile to\njustice and humanity.\n\nThis is easy to be accounted for. It is because the Scriptures represent\nour most virtuous actions as worthless in the sight of God, and without\nfaith we are told it is impossible to please him; and this is not all:\nmuch depends on what kind of faith it is. The followers of John Calvin\nthink the faith of the disciples of John Wesley but little better than\nthe faith of devils, \"_who believe and tremble._\" It has been because\nmen have judged by their faith, and not by moral rectitude, that one\nChristian sect has persecuted even to death, others who have borne the\nChristian name. It was this spirit of intolerance that propelled John\nCalvin to cause Servetus to be burnt by a slow fire, not because he was\na wicked man, nor was it for want of faith in the Christian religion,\nbut because the faith of Servetus did not agree with the faith of John\nCalvin. Had moral excellence been the standard of their friendship, and\nvirtue the bond of their union, Servetus would have died in peace, and\nCalvin would not have been handed down to posterity as a cold-hearted\nmurderer.\n\nIt is the common practice of Christians, when in conversation with\nInfidels, to boast of the purity of Christ's moral precepts; but in all\ntheir sayings and doings with Infidels, the want of faith is the\nunpardonable crime which induces them to fix the badge of infamy on the\nhead of the unbeliever. No doubt cruel Calvin would very good-naturedly\nshake hands with a brother of his own church and creed, and love him for\nChrist's sake; but at the same time torment poor Servetus to death, as\nthe enemy of God, for God's sake. Oh! ye persecuting Christians! your\nprayers ought ever to be opposed to a day of judgment, and your constant\nhope should be, that it will never take place, for \"_how can you escape\nthe damnation of hell?_\"\n\nIt is the high estimation of faith, enforced by Christ, and also\ninsisted on (as the sure passport to glory) by his followers, that\ncompels them to consider virtue as worthless, when it is not in\nconnection with what is called saving faith, which makes it clear to be\nseen that Christianity in its practice is not favorable to morality; for\nas the Scriptures truly say that \"_no man can serve two masters,_\" so\nfaith will be always uppermost, and justice and humanity be placed in\nthe background. On this principle, hard-hearted Calvin acted towards\nServetus. Christians are commanded to do good for evil. \"_If your enemy\nhunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink._\" This is pure morality.\nThus we see that morality has no chance of justice when faith is the\nprosecutor. The moral precepts of the New Testament have never been\nstrong enough to neutralize the violent and intolerant spirit that runs\nthroughout the Scriptures, and which is the very life of the Christian\nfaith. Had Servetus been a criminal of the worst kind, condemned to die\nby the laws of Geneva, Calvin, no doubt, would have had feelings of pity\nfor him; but his crime came under the dominion of faith, which will not,\nwhich cannot admit of one grain of mercy.\n\nOn the contrary, Infidel morality has no alloy. It is unadulterated.\nLike pure gold, it is current at all times, and in all places. Like the\nbright orb of day, it shines by its own native brightness. Its principal\nattribute is humanity, which, in its exercise, is not confined to\ncreeds, or professions; but like the bountiful hand of nature, it\ndispenses its blessings even to the unthankful and unworthy. If justice\ndemands its aid, the balance is held even without regard to color or\nclime. I have often been reminded, that if we did not take the\nScriptures for our guide, we should then have no rule to regulate our\nactions. This remark would be more conclusive, if Christians generally\nacted up to what they profess; but this is not the case; nor will it\never be, so long as faith is the only sure passport to the Christian\nheaven, for it is a fact that many preachers of the Gospel are the worst\ncharacters in society. At the same time that they are preaching up\nholiness of life, it is discovered that they for years have been living\nin the indulgence of the most filthy of vices; and thus while they are\nthundering against the Devil as the enemy of souls, they are only\nabusing their betters.\n\nThis being the truth, it is time that morality should be dissevered from\nall religious creeds, and stand on its own intrinsic merits. Religion\nhas taught man that he is poor and helpless; that he has no power to\nact; that he has no desire to perform virtuous actions, and that he\nhimself and his fellow beings are, by some (to him unaccountable)\ndestiny, thrown at so vast a distance from his Creator, that he can\napproach him only by the means of kneeling and prostration, and that he\nis so far indebted to his Maker, who will have full payment to the last\ncent. Being ignorant of his real situation in the universe, and also of\nthe resources of his mind, he overlooks or undervalues the strength he\npossesses, and neglects the means which God or nature puts within his\nreach to be both virtuous and happy.\n\nIn this state of mind, he seeks for happiness in a religion the author\nof which is depicted as a being like himself. It is, then, the vast\nimportance which has been attached to faith in the Redeemer, which has\nmade the path to heaven so smooth, and easy for the Christian traveller,\nthat moral rectitude has been thought of but little consideration in his\nroad to glory. Let me, says the Christian, make sure of my interest in\nChrist, and my salvation is sure. Hence, we often find, that even Gospel\nministers are men of the basest description; at the same time their\nhearers are consoled, with believing that their immoral pastor is sound\nin the faith, resting firmly on the \"_rock of ages_.\"\n\nThe importance of faith is not the abuse of Christianity; it is the\nthing itself. Jesus taught it to his disciples, and blames them for\nhaving so little. But when Peter, his trusty servant, in a passion, cut\noff a man's ear, his divine Master only gave him a gentle rebuke,\ntelling him to be careful how he used the sword, for he might have to go\nin mourning for his own ears.\n\nThe consistent Infidel, who renounces all religious creeds, and who\nviews the whole human family as beings possessing the same faculties,\nsubject to the same wants, and liable to the same misfortunes as\nhimself, can, by the use of his reason, without the aid of revelation,\ndiscover the duties which he owes to himself, and also the true relation\nin which he stands to his fellow mortals. He, by what he observes around\nhim, and by what he feels within himself, can see clearly the correct\nline of duty, and can, at any time, draw a just conclusion as to his\nmoral standing in society. But it is far otherwise with the Christian,\nwhose whole dependence is on what his Saviour has done for him. He is\nalternately disturbed with doubts and fears as to the ground on which he\nstands; and being taught, that his best efforts to attain a moral\nelevation by a steady course of virtuous actions, is considered by his\nMaker worse than nothing, he loses sight of the high responsibility he\nstands in, in relation to his fellow man.\n\nIn proportion, then, as faith is considered superior to moral virtue,\nthe first is sought after, and highly valued, and the latter is\nneglected as of little consideration in securing happiness in this life\nor in that which is to come. We need not, therefore, be surprised that\nChristians, as a class, fall far below Infidels in point of moral\nrectitude. Christianity, at best, is a cold-hearted system; its\nfollowers are generally unsocial. They are taught to \"_love not the\nworld nor the things of the world._\" Jesus himself says to his\ndisciples, \"_Ye are not of the world, even as I am not of the world; but\nbecause I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth\nyou._\" Pride and intolerance are leading features in the conduct of\nChristians generally. These defects among professors of religion, arise\nfrom the belief that faith in Christ, as their Redeemer, secures them\nheaven; and as it respects the duties of life, they hold them very\nlightly, regarding them as, matters of little or no weight in the\narticle of salvation.\n\nProfessors of the Christian religion, at the same time that they\nconsider that faith in the divine mission of Jesus secures them an\nacceptance with God, and that moral rectitude without faith in the\nRedeemer, is worthless in the sight of God, are compelled to admit, that\nwhere good works and virtuous conduct are wanting, the faith of the\nindividual not being supported by Justice, Humanity, and Chastity, with\nall the virtues which adorn human nature, the damnation of such an one\nis doubly sure. So that, after all, this thing called faith borrows all\nits brightness and real value from moral rectitude. Faith, like a\nplanet, is in itself a dark body, and has no light but what it receives\nfrom the bright sun of moral excellency.\n\nThe very nature and spirit of the Christian religion, is intolerant. It\nsays, \"_Whosoever believes, shall be saved; and he that believeth not,\nshall be damned._\" This is the firm ground on which the Christian\nstands, and where he must continue to stand. If he quits this strong\nhold, he ceases to be a Christian, and, of necessity, becomes an\nInfidel. It follows, then, that believers in the Divine authority of the\nBible must continue to be, what they always have been, intolerant and\npersecuting. How differently do those feel who have given up all ideas\nof Divine Revelation! They attach no consequence to faith, whatever.\nThey have no disposition even to blame, much less to injure persons who\nbelieve in the most absurd inconsistencies. They, on the contrary, feel\nthe most lively interest in their happiness, knowing that no one can\ncontrol the honest convictions of the mind.\n\nThe Infidel, then, has the advantage, in a moral point of view, over the\nChristian, for the following reasons:--The Infidel has not to defend the\ncharacter nor the actions of any God or Gods, particularly of a God\n\"partial, vengeful, and unjust.\" He imbibes no angry feelings, by\nbelieving in a God of cruelty and carnage. The Infidel has divested his\nmind of the nonsense and inconsistency of considering unbelief as a\ncrime; and, also, of the fallacy that men can credit absurdities on\ninsufficient evidence. He perceives that every man's religion is, to a\nvery large extent, a consequence of the circumstances of his situation\nin early life, and the influences which surrounded him at his birth. The\nInfidel, therefore, has no inducement whatever to injure those who\ndiffer from him in opinion; for, by detaching all importance from faith,\nand referring entirely to good and virtuous actions, he escapes all\nthose angry theological quarrels in which Christians are more or less\ninvolved. So that the mind of an unbeliever is in a sound and calm\nstate, not harrowed up by the terrors of an avenging God, and the\nthoughts of endless damnation.\n\nThese evils, and many more, the Infidel is not exposed to; consequently\nhis mind is at rest; his sense of degradation is not because he is\ntaught to believe that he is a poor lost sinner; he feels degraded only\nin proportion as he neglects the duties which he owes to his fellow men.\nThe unbeliever, then, being free from the terror of doubting that which\nhe feels it is impossible for him to credit, commences to walk in the\npath of moral rectitude, considering his own nature, and the connection\nhe occupies in relation to society, composed of beings like himself. He\nlistens to the voice of reason, and clearly understands that which God\nor nature has done for him, and also that which remains for him to do\nfor himself. Leaving forever all religious dogmas, calculated to\nbewilder his mind, his moral path is as clear as light. No longer\nstanding on the fearful precipice of faith, trembling at every step, or\nchain-bound in a state of inaction, the Infidel cheerfully travels on in\nthe practice of justice and humanity with a calmness of mind to which\nthe Christian is a stranger. He has no angry God to dread, nor any\ntempting Devil, against whom the Christian must forever be on the watch.\n\nAll human beings on arriving at maturity, find themselves placed by an\nunknown power in a world, in which they will have to enjoy pleasure or\nhappiness, and also to endure pain. This is the destiny of all, without\nexception. The same power which propelled us into existence, has made it\na law of our nature to dread or shrink from pain, and also to desire and\nlove ease and pleasure. And here we can at once discover what God or\nnature has done for us, and likewise what is left for us to perform for\nourselves. This, then, is the stock of moral material with which mortals\ncommence a life of pleasure and pain. The same unknown power has also\ngiven man and woman reason, by the exercise of which they can augment\ntheir pleasure, and reduce their pain. By the use of man's rational\npowers, he can plainly discover his duty towards beings like himself. He\nloves happiness, ease, and every thing which makes life worth having; so\nalso, do his fellow beings. He hates and retreats from positive pain; so\ndoes every being which has life, animals not excepted. What revelation,\nthen, but this, does man want to teach him that which he owes to\nhimself, and likewise those things he ought to practise to every being\nthat has life and feeling?\n\nAnd the voice of God, or nature, calls to every rational being in\nlanguage which, but for false religion, all would understand. Mortals!\nattend to what is done for your permanent happiness. Ignorance and\nneglect are the causes of most of the evils which, torment you. You are\nmade to love happiness; you are also made to shrink from and hate pain.\nEvery human being is subject to the same laws; only attend to the moral\nthis contains. You have no excuse for inflicting pain on any living\ncreature, because you know that every being possessing life is governed\nby the same feelings as yourself. God, or nature, has so arranged things\nas to induce mortals to practise virtue, and to be kind to every thing\nthat possesses life and feeling; because, by acting agreeably to the\nlaws of your own organization, you become happy in yourself, and have\nthe additional pleasure of making others happy also. What excuse, then,\ncan men have for neglecting the duties they owe to every thing that has\nlife and feeling? Do they need a revelation to inform them that they\nought to be just and humane? Do they require information from heaven to\ninform them that cruelty to man or animals is wicked? Let them but\nconsult their own feelings; full information is at hand calling on them\nto practise kindness and compassion.\n\nDo men and women need the Bible to learn the duty incumbent on them\ntoward their offspring? Must we read the pretended word of God in order\nto discover that the husband ought to be kind and in every way faithful\nto his wife, (making allowance for her weakness, either of body or\nmind,) and perform every duty connected with her permanent happiness?\nMan requires no Divine aid, beyond the exercise of his reason, to inform\nhim that, in order to be happy in this life, he must be _just,\npeaceable, sober, and temperate in all things; chaste, a lover of truth,\nkind, and humane_ to all beings who possess life. Let every human being,\nthen, turn to the laws of his own organization, namely, to his love of\nhappiness, and aversion to pain. These laws will give him unerring\ninstruction as to the duties which he has to perform, and also as to\nwhat evils he is to avoid.\n\nThis is indeed a Divine revelation, which will never deceive or lead\nastray. Man carries it within himself. It differs from all pretended\nDivine revelation. It is suitable at all times, and in all places. It\nrequires no priest to explain it. It changes not with times and\ncircumstances. These laws of our nature (the love of happiness and\naversion to pain) are a never-failing revelation, to which we can always\nrefer with entire confidence, as a true revelation of God or nature.\nAway, then, with the childish question, \"If you take away the Bible,\nwhat will you give us in its stead\"? The short and final answer to which\nis, study the laws of your organization, and direct your reason to their\ninterpretation, and let the priest read his Bible, and exclaim against\nunbelief. The reader will now understand the views the Infidels have of\nmoral rectitude; and if the principles are faithfully carried out in our\njourney through life, the end of all will be peace. These moral\nprinciples were enforced (for upwards of eight years) in Tammany Hall.\nThey are now spreading far and wide, and instead of producing evil in\nsociety, they are calculated to ensure \"_peace on earth and good-will\ntowards men._\"\n\nIt is because the Christian world have been taught to depend on a\nSaviour for the pardon of the worst of crimes, believing that the price\nwas paid by Christ as a ransom from the captivity of the Devil, that it\nis destructive of pure morality. The apostles maintained this doctrine;\nand from them, till now, the true and Orthodox faith is, that moral\nrectitude has nothing to do, abstractly considered, with the salvation\nof the soul, but faith in what Christ has done and suffered. This\ndoctrine is not only unfavorable to virtue, but it places the basest of\nmankind in a superior point of view to those whose whole lives have been\ndistinguished by the practice of correct moral actions. That divines\nview and act on the vicarious sacrifice of Christ as being alone\nsufficient in the last hour to save sinners, we need but to refer to the\nattention paid by them to criminals up to the last moments of their\nlives. It is faith in the Redeemer, which gives a passport to glory to a\nwretch, who but a few days before had murdered perhaps a good father and\nmother. No matter what his crimes, or how large the number, only let him\nbelieve in the Saviour, and, although the guilty criminal is considered\nunworthy to live one hour longer on earth, yet according to the Gospel\nplan of salvation, he is promised, and induced to believe that he will\nin the evening of the same day join in the song of angels and chant the\npraises of the Great Eternal.\n\nIf the doctrine of saving faith be true, the thief or murderer, if the\nlaw lays hold of him, and the fear of the gallows induces him to rely on\nJesus, goes directly to heaven; whereas, if he had been honest and\nvirtuous, but had not faith in Christ, he might have died in his sins\nand gone to hell! Oh! how consistent is Orthodox salvation with justice\nand truth! In one case, the Orthodox Christian is in truth consistent.\nIt is this: that in this life, even in New York, a man will not be\nadmitted as a church member, however virtuous. He must be a sinner, or\nhe cannot be admitted. So, also, in heaven, a good man must not enter.\nIt would be no injustice to say that every religious society should have\nit written in large capitals over the door-way of its building--\"_No\nhonest men admitted as members here--sinners are always welcome._\" The\nsame should be posted at the gate of heaven. Although this statement may\nto some appear wicked and untrue, it is correct in the Christian spirit,\nand also true to the letter. Honest men have no business in Christian\nchurches, as they will also be rejected in heaven. The worst of\ncharacters make the best Christians, if they can bring one grain of\nmustard-seed faith to the altar of Jehovah.\n\nThe Christian who depends for salvation and acceptance, in a future\nlife, is never at rest in this. He has no correct standard whereby to\njudge whether he has saving faith. His hopes and his fears are regulated\nby his feelings, not by his conduct. If, for instance, his animal\nspirits are depressed, he desponds, and considers that the Lord has\nwithdrawn from him the light of his countenance. He trembles, and in the\nagony of his mind, cries out, \"_I believe, O Lord, help thou mine\nunbelief._\" Let him become cheerful, and his mind become buoyant, he\nthen considers himself sure that he has, what is called, an interest in\nChrist.\n\nMoral rectitude is out of the question. All the moral virtues combined,\nand brought into action, are as nothing, in the sight of the Christian's\nGod. The sinner's debt is paid, by the sufferings of Jesus on the cross.\nSo that, according to the plan of human redemption, if Jesus had been\nacquitted on his trial, the whole human race would die (as the Scripture\nphrase is) in their sins. It then follows, that, as man's acceptance\nwith God, and the salvation of his soul, is in consequence of the\nsacrifice made by Christ on the cross, his moral rectitude is of little\nconsequence. The all-important state of the believer is, not the\nsoundness of his morals, but the relying by faith on Jesus for what he\nhas done by his suffering on the \"accursed tree.\" This doctrine is the\nconsolation of the murderer at the gallows; and the same reliance on\nwhat Jesus has suffered for the human race, was what consoled and\nsupported Andrew Jackson in his last moments, as reported by the\nnewspapers.\n\nThe Christian religion, by teaching believers to trust in a Saviour for\nthe pardon of crimes of the worst description, has been an obstacle in\nthe way of attaining to that moral excellence which is calculated to\ndignify human nature.. Faith, the \"_pearl of great price,_\" has, ever\nsince the introduction of Christian theology, obscured the path of\nvirtue, and invested its haughty possessor with an intolerant\ndisposition, accountable only to the tribunal of faith; and, having\nbroken loose from the restraints of moral obligation, has, as it were,\nlaughed to scorn the principles of justice, of chastity and humanity.\nAnd yet, one and all, who profess Christianity, charge those who\nconsider moral worth superior to faith, with demoralizing youth, and\ncorrupting the manners of the age in which they live.\n\nBefore concluding this chapter, it will be useful to inquire, in what\nway the world has been benefitted by propagating the heaven-born\ndoctrine of faith in the Redeemer's kingdom? The page of history bears\nwitness, that, for eighteen hundred years, with but short intervals of\nrest, a large portion of the earth has been the theatre of _crime and\nwar, cruelty and murder_; and this state of things has been brought\nabout by the uncertainty of what Christianity is. When the reputed\nFounder of the Christian faith was about to leave this world, to sit at\nthe right hand of his Father, he told them that his absence would be to\nhis followers a real blessing; for it is recorded, that he said to them\nthat \"_the Comforter_\" would abundantly supply his place--that is, or\nwas to be, the Holy Ghost, who would \"_lead them into alt truth, and\nbring to their remembrance all things which he had told them._\" But this\npromise, if ever made, proved a total failure; for soon after Christ,\ntheir Divine Master, left this earth, upwards of forty different sects\narose, and began to dispute and quarrel about what Jesus, while on\nearth, taught, concerning the kingdom of heaven. Sect opposed sect,\nparty opposed party, and Christianity became involved in mystery.\nConventions were formed, and the worst passions soon gave proof that the\nmultitude of angels, who, at the birth of Christ proclaimed, that\n\"_peace on earth, and good-will towards men_\" would be realized, were\nsadly mistaken. Nothing but one continual scene of war, destruction, and\nslaughter, between Christian nations, and in society, and and even in\nfamilies, ensued; peace and harmony were unknown. The Holy Ghost, that\nwas to be the comforter, soon made them any thing but comfortable!\n\nThis good news, or Gospel, proved to be most unfortunate news to the\ninhabitants of this world. Thousands and tens of thousands of human\nbeings came to a premature or violent death by rack and torture; the\nfires of martyrdom were lighted up, and millions of madmen gave glory to\nGod. This is but a mere outline of the horrors arising from faith in the\nglorious plan of human redemption; and thus mortals when they became\nbelievers in the Redeemer's kingdom, ceased to act as men, and became\ndownright devils. If, instead of teaching him the doctrines of the\nChristian religion, the laws which God or nature had stamped on every\nhuman being (which are always present, and which, at every moment of his\nexistence, call on him to attend to the lessons which they teach) had\nbeen pointed out to him, man would have learned how to live in peace and\nhappiness, in a society of beings organized like himself, and governed\nby the same laws, always loving happiness and dreading pain.\n\nTo the reader, then, I recommend attention to the hints here given; and\nin order to form a correct judgment how he should perform the duties\nwhich he owes to himself, and also to his fellow mortals, to study and\nalways appeal to the laws of his organization. Let him bring every\naction to that never-failing index of his nature, the love of happiness\nand the aversion to pain. Let him sum up every day his moral accounts by\nthis unerring rule, and this mode will never fail to make his moral path\nas clear as light; for as he knows that, according to the laws of his\nnature, he is compelled to love happiness, and to shrink from pain, so\nalso, is every one that has life, governed by the laws of pleasure and\npain. The laws of our organization, and the voice of reason united,\nproclaim to every human being, that the whole of man's duty towards his\nfellow man consists at all times, and in all places, in increasing his\nhappiness, and reducing his pain.\n\nTo know this, so easy to be known, and strictly to practise it, is all\nthe revelation which man requires. But pretended revelation has either\nobscured moral light, or held out lights that are false and delusive.\nThe false light presented to man, called revealed religion, instead of\nconducting him safely into the haven of happiness, has continually\ntossed him, without rudder or compass, on the roaring billows of\ntheology, on which troubled ocean he has met with little else than\nrobbers and pirates.\n\nNever, then, let us forget, that the best men or women are they, whose\nwhole lives are directed to the promotion of the permanent happiness of\nevery thing having life and feeling, and to the reduction of misery\nwherever it may be found; and that whoever shall thus act, will be not\nonly the best, but also the happiest, of the human race.\n\nTHE END.\n\n\n\n\n                                  ----","title":"A Legacy to the Friends of Free Discussion: Principal Historical Facts and Personages of the Books Known as The Old and New Testament; With Remarks on the Morality of Nature","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":82193}