church of England, I attended that form of worship from infancy to maturity, when time and reflection presented to my amazed faculties, the glaring inconsistency of those creeds to which I had hitherto yielded a tacit belief.

Disgusted with the absurdity of the established church, and inanimate uninteresting discourses of the preacher, I separated myself from that form of worship, in the hope of meeting with some sect, more rational and consistent. It is unnecessary to state the various tenets of the different sects to which, from an impartial motive, I attended; suffice it to say, of all I have heard and reflected upon, those of the Unitarians operated most forcibly on my mind. But a great obstacle in the way of my belief was, from the various pretensions of the different sectaries, each arrogating to himself the infallibility of his doctrine-1 had imbibed a very strong doubt as to the authenticity of the scriptures.

Chance had directed me to the Freethinking Christians' society, when they first commenced their lectures or disputations in Cateaton-street: from the sophistry too evidently displayed in their commencement, I expected but little reformation or conviction from a society apparently inconsistent with themselves. Having again lately attended their church in the Crescent, Jewin-street, I was surprised and delighted with, to my thinking, the great improvement both in the principles and abilities of the speakers! In short, Sir, from the free and candid manner yourself and friends in general treat those subjects which come under your investigation, I am induced to apply to your's as the only church or set of men professing Christianity, from whom 1 can hope for a candid answer to that question, which is the present stumbling block in the way of my belief, namely the authenticity of the scriptures. It may be expected of me to state on what ground I reject or disbelieve the authenticity of the scriptures; and here I claim but little merit to myself in what I shall advance. The few crude ideas which from reading and reflection presented themselves to my mind, I have found the most ably explained and enlarged upon in M. Volney's Ruins of Empires; and I must refer you to that book for a better elucidation than I can attempt to give. When I reflect on the great similitude between the scriptures and the religious books of the heathen world, it seems evident to my mind that the charge of plagiarism must attach somewhere. The Christian charges the Mahometan, "with having travestied the histories of the Old and New Testament, into the most absurd tales; that the majority of ideas on which his religion is founded, existed for a long time before it; and that it is nothing more than a confused mixture of the Christian and Jewish religion, which

an ambitious man made serve his projects of dominion and worldly views." In like manner the disciple of Zoroaster charges both Jews and Christians with "having adopted the principles of his great master, namely the immortality of the soul, or a life to come, the revolt of the principal angel, heaven and hell, ideas unknown to Moses, and which constitutes the present theology of both Jews and Christians." And the Hindoo asserts the antiquity of his religious books as prior by many thousand years to all the rest.

As Bramanism, particularly one sect of it, is more similar to Christianity, than any other religion, I shall take the liberty of quoting the words of M. Volney, on the subject:-" In the beginning (said the Lama of Thibet), there was one God, selfexistent, who passed through a whole eternity, absorbed in the contemplation of his own reflections, ere he determined to manifest those perfections to created beings, when he produced the matter of the world. The four elements at their production lay in a state of mingled confusion, till he breathed upon the face of the waters, and they immediately became an immense bubble, shaped like an egg, which when compleat, became the vault or globe of the heavens, in which the world is inclosed. No sooner was the earth and the bodies of animals produced, than God, the source of motion, bestowed upon them, as a living soul, a portion of his substance. But of all the substantial forms, that of men is most pleasing to the divine being, as most resembling his uncreated perfections; and man, when by withdrawing himself from the commerce of the senses, he becomes absorbed in the contemplation of his own nature, discovers the divinity that resides in it, and himself becomes worthy of divinity. Thus is God incessantly rendering himself incarnate. But his greatest and most solemn incarnation, was 3000 years ago, in the province of Cassimere, under the name of Fôt or Beddou, for the purpose of teaching the doctrine of self-denial and self-annihilation." "The Lama proceeded to detail the history of Fôt, observing that he had sprung from right intercostal of a virgin of the royal blood, who, when she became a mother, did not the less continue to be a virgin that the king of the country, uneasy at his birth, was desirous to put him to death, and caused all the males who were born at the same period to be massacred; that being saved by shepherds, Beddou lived in the deserts to the age of thirty years, at which time he opened his commission, preaching the doctrine of truth, and casting out devils; that he performed a multitude of the most astonishing miracles, spent his life in fasting and the severest mortifications, and at his death bequeathed to his disciples the volume in which the principles of his religion are contained." The Lama began to read, he

that forsaketh his father and mother (says Fôt) to follow me, shall become a perfect Samanean (a heavenly being)," &c.

The Christians may well charge this sect of Hindoos with plagiarism, but the Hindoos (says M. Volney), "supported by all the chamans, bonzis, gonnis, talapoins of Siam, of Ceylon, of Japan, and of China, demonstrated to the Christians, from their own theologians, that the doctrine of the Samaneans was known through the east upwards of a thousand years before Christianity existed; that their name was cited previous to the reign of Alexander, and that of Boutta or Beddou, could be traced to a more remote antiquity than that of Jesus." The Hindoo then charges the Christian to demonstrate the authenticity of his religion by any such historical monuments of antiquity as they have adduced; and asserts that the gospels were taken from the books of the Mithrag of Persia, and the Essenians of Syria, who were themselves only reformed Sama

neans.

The great similiarity between those books and the gospels have been remarked by Christian missionaries, and M. Volney asserts" there are absolutely no other monuments of the existence of Jesus Christ, as a human being, than a passage in Josephus, a single phrase in Tacitus, and the gospels. But the passage in Josephus is unanimously acknowledged to be apocryphal, and to have been interpolated towards the close of the third century; and that of Tacitus is so vague, and so evidently taken from the depositions of the Christians before the tribunals, that it may be ranked in the class of evangelical records. It remains to enquire of what authority are those records. All the world knows (says Faustus, who though a Manichean, was one of the most learned men of the third century); all the world knows, that the gospels were neither written by Jesus Christ, nor his apostles, but by certain unknown persons, who rightly judging they should not obtain belief respecting things which they had not seen, placed at the head of their recitals the names of contemporary apostles.' This sagacious writer has demonstrated the absolute uncertainty of those foundations of the Christian religion, so that the existence of Jesus is no better proved than that of Osiris and Hercules, or that of Fôt or Beddou, with whom (says M. de Guignes) the Chinese continually confound him, for they never call Jesus by any other name than Fôt."

It would be swelling this letter to a treatise, to state all the objections that might be made against the authenticity of the scriptures. It is the opinion of many learned critics, that the book of Genesis in particular was not written by Moses, but is a compilation digested by the Jewish rabbis, after their return from the Babylonish captivity, containing in it the Chaldean opini

ons respecting the origin of the world.-1 cannot desire or expect that you should prove to a demonstration, on which side the charge of plagiarism ought to be placed, or whether Moses was Bacchus, or Noah Deucalion, &c. ; but briefly on what authority we ought to receive the scriptures, particularly that part of them entitled the New Testament, as the work of inspired writers; or whether the Christian religion is only a refinement on Paganism.

Considering the idea of religious worship as originating in the wants of man, who first supplicated protection from the power of the elements, afterwards as his mind became expanded and his reason refined, the science of astronomy took its rise: man having figured to his imagination the form of animals in the celestial sphere, under an idea of their influence on the terrestrial, began to worship them on earth: hence the adoration of the Egyptians to animals, which gave rise to the Pagan system of idolatry; and as the world became more enlightened, the Jews refined on the Pagans, the Catholics on the Jews, the Protestants on the Catholics, the Dissenters on the Protestants, the Unitarians on all the other Dissenters, and with justice may I add, the Freethinking Christians on all who have preceded them.

If the New Testament, as before stated, cannot claim to be considered as the work of inspired writers; yet much praise is due to those men who in the present infatuated age, shall endeavour to clear it from those, mysteries and inconsistencies which have been interpolated, and to reduce it to a pure refined system of beneficent morality-to a guide which simply and clearly points out the path of virtue, and instructs mankind to "look through nature up to nature's God."

We may pity those infuriated bigots to superstition, who have shed so much blood in the propagating their principles; and while without persecuting or annoying any man in his religious profession, we endeavour to "do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God," we may with propriety add, in the language of Pope,

"For modes of faith let graceless zealots fight;

His can't be wrong whose life is in the right."

If, Sir, the foregoing observations are considered worthy insertion, you will please to give an explanation of the question proposed, through the medium of your Magazine, and you will oblige several persons, my friends, as well as Your's, &c.

March 23, 1812.

P.

THOUGHTS ON THE TRIAL OF MR. D. I. EATON, FOR PUB LISHING THE THIRD PART OF PAINE'S AGE OF REASON.

:

"If then men should be permitted amongst us, to go on delivering their sentiments freely in matters of religion, and to propose their ob Jections against Christianity itself; I apprehend we have no reason to be in pain for the event. On the side of Christianity I expect to see, as hitherto, the greatest share of learning, good sense, true wit, and fairness of disputation which things, I hope, will be superior to low ridicule, false argument, and misrepresentation. This victory, obtained ́ upon the ground of argument and persuasion alone, by writing and discourse, will be honourable to us and our religion; and we shall be able to reflect upon it with pleasure. We shall not only keep that good thing we have received, but shall deliver it down to others with advantage. But a victory secured by mere authority is no less to be dreaded than a defeat. It may appear a benefit for the present; but it really undermines the cause, and strikes at the root of our holy profession.”—-Dr. Lardner.

To the Editor of the Freethinking Christians' Magazine.

Ο

SIR,

TO notice the passing events of the day, which connect themselves with the interests of religion, is the business of every one who thinks religion of importance to the wellbeing of society. Such being the opinion of the individual who now addresses you, he presumes the subject on which he is about to offer a few thoughts will not be considered incompatible with the nature and design of your publication.

There is, in my opinion, an unpardonable supineness with regard to public occurrences, in which many good disposed persons indulge. The quietest jogs through life, with his eyes fixed on the ground, without exchanging a word with his fellow-travellers on the road, or knowing, or caring whether the prospect around him is dreary or picturesque. What's the news? eagerly enquires the flippant newsmonger of the day; not that he thinks it concerns him to know-not that he seeks to enlarge his mind-to extend his knowledge of men or things-or to draw his own conclusions from the general aspect of affairs--no !---but his head is like a broken cistern, which must be filled every-day-the news of yesterday has all run out, and he will remain dry and empty unless he takes in a fresh supply to-day--he seizes with avidity that wonderful thing called a newspaper-runs through the list of bankrupts -looks at the head of the law reports-dozes over the parliamentary debates-reads the summary of politics-falls into the reasoning, and adopts the opinions of the editor as his own -praises the prowess of Wellington-execrates the villainies of Bonaparte-admires the virtues of the Regent-dispatches embassies to foreign courts-defeats armies-and settles the fate of nations; but if a customer calls to pay a bill, or the ser