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modern, an oration equally eloquent with the first chapter of this despised book, or any poem more sublime than that in the fourteenth.

21. He says, the prophet of Judah was found dead by the contrivance of the prophet of Israel.

Where does he find his evidence? He can prove no such thing. There is an old-fashioned book of high authority, which saith-When the Devil speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own; for he is a liar, and the father of it.

22. SOLOMON had his house full of wives and mistresses at the age of one and twenty.

Let him produce his evidence. Where is it recorded?

23. The infants were not butchered by HEROD, because the Baptist was not involved in the destruction.

Mr. PAINE ought to have known, that the parents of the Baptist did not live at Bethlehem; but at Hebron, which was at a good distance.

24. He intimates, that CHRIST had in view the deliverance of his country from the Roman yoke.

Assertions are not proofs; where is the evidence?

25. He says, CHRIST was not much known, when he was apprehended.

Where did he learn this? Produce the evidence.

26. He affirms, CHRIST did not intend to be apprehended and crucified.

This is in direct opposition to the Gospels, from whence all his evidence arises.

27. He asserts, that PETER was the only one of the men called Apostles, who appears to have been near the spot at the crucifixion.

It is very plain from this, that Mr. PAINE knows very little about what he is so abusive. Where was JOHN?

28. Mr. PAINE calls LUKE and MARK apostles.

Let any person consult the list of these twelve honourable men, and see if he can find these two names among them.

29. He says, it appears from the Evangelists, that the whole tine, from the crucifixion to the ascension, was apparently not more than three or four days.

This assertion shews the most cousummate ignorance of the subject upon which he writes.

30. He says, all the circumstances of CHRIST'S Conduct,

between the resurrection and ascension, are reported to have happened about the same spot.

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Some happened at and near Jerusalem, others in Galilee, which was upwards of fifty miles from Jerusalem..

31. He affirms, that, according to MATTHEW, CHRIST met his disciples in Galilee on the day of his resurrection.

There is a plausibility in this assertion, of which many of the others are destitute, but it is without due consideration.

32. Mr. PAINE insinuates, that CHRIST appeared only once after his resurrection.

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Read the Gospels, and judge what credit is due to such a writer. He appeared upon various occasions.

33. He asserts, that we have only the evidence of eight or nine persons to the resurrection of CHRIST.

Such affirmations merit nothing but contempt. Were not the twelve Apostles witnesses of this event? And what does he make of the 500 witnesses mentioned by PAUL?

34. He says, there was nothing miraculous or extraordinary in the conversion of St. PAUL: he was struck down with lightning.

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This is the apostle of Infidelity! What strange credulity is necessary to make a complete Deist?

35. Mr. PAINE affirms, that St. PAUL's discourse on the resurrection is" doubtful jargon-as destitute of meaning as the tolling of the bell at the funeral."

Well done, TOMMY PAINE, thou art a clever fellowworthy of a seat in the French convention! We shall ex← pect, ere long, to hear thou hast obtained one of the most honourable niches in the national Pantheon, as a benefactor of mankind!

36. Mr. PAINE has the audacity repeatedly to call St. PAUL a fool.

Mr. LockE, Lord LITTLETON, and Mr. PALEY, will settle the matter of the Apostle's foolishness with this doughty champion for unbelief.

After all these instances of ignorance, falsehood, malicious ness, or misrepresentation, will any person undertake to say that Mr. PAINE is a wise man.

37. Mr. PAINE roundly asserts, "that there was no such book as the New Testament till more than 300 years after CHRIST."

If priests and prophets are such "lying rascals, that there is no believing any thing they say," I close this long catalogue of strange assertions, by asking-Who is the liar now?!

The principal books, of which the New Testament consists, were in existence, and read as sacred writ, from the time they were first composed by the authors whose names they respectively bear. I defy Mr. PAINE or any other man to disprove this assertion*.

I give these as so many specimens of the false, ignorant, or malicious representations of this vain-glorious man. It were an easy matter to encrease the number. These, however, may suffice. It can be of little use to enlarge the selection. From the whole, it appears, that misapprehen sion, misrepresentation, false, wit, empty declamation, scurrilous language, and bitter invective, are the sum total, that the keenest capacity, and most virulent enmity can produce against the Sacred Writings. I have examined his books repeatedly, and with scrupulous attention, and I declare, upon my salvation, that it does not appear to me, he has made good, and fairly substantiated, any one objection to the Sacred Volume, that, in the smallest degree, affects the business of human redemption, or the credit of the Divine Records. He has, indeed, done his best. The book and the authors whom MILTON, LOCKE, ADDISON, BOYLE, HALLER, EULER, and NEWTON had in reverence, almost to adoration, this ignorant and conceited man bath treated with all possible indignity and contempt. We have given the reader a few specimens of his ignorance; we will produce a few instances of his insolence.-Among other malignant things, with which his pamphlets abound, he says: "The books of Moses were written by some very ignorant and stupid pretenders to authorship."-" MOSES was one of the most vain and arrogant of coxcombs."-" Genesis is but an anonymous book of stories, fables, and traditionary or invented absurdities, or of downright lies."" Among the detestable villains that in any period of the world have disgraced the name of man, it is impossible to find a greater than MOSES." "The Bible is such a book of lies and contradictions, there is no knowing which part to believe, or whether any."

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* See SIMPSON's Essay on the Authenticity of the New Testament.

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"The book of RUTH is an idle, bungling story, foolishly told, nobody knows by whom, about a strolling country girl creeping slyly to bed to her cousin BoAz."" Wrinkled fanaticism."-" Priestly ignorance."-" Studied craft of the scripture-makers."" Cant phrase of all the prophets."Barefaced perversion."-" The lying prophet and impostor ISAIAH, and the book of falsehoods that bears his name.""The traitor JEREMIAH."" Stupidity of the Bible.""A stupid book-maker, under the name of JEREMIAH.""The prophets are impostors and liars."-" JEREMIAH, another of the lying prophets."-"The poetical, musical, conjuring, dreaming, strolling gentry, the prophets."-ELISHA was a conjuror."-" The prophets were famous for lying.”— "Some of them exulted in cursing. ""Frantic writing," of the prophets." The vicious and malignant character of a Bible prophet, or a predicting priest."-" The cant language of a Bible-prophet."-" This lying book the Bible."-" The virgin MARY was debauched by a ghost."-" MATTHEW was a dashing writer."-" The writer of the book of MATTHEW was an exceeding weak and foolish man."-" The sum total of a parson's learning."-" Priests and conjurors are of the same trade.". "It is better, far better, that we admitted, if it were possible, a thousand devils to roam at large, and to preach publicly the doctrine of devils, if there were any such, than that we permitted one such impostor or monster as MOSES, JOSHUA, SAMUEL, and the Bible-prophets, to come with the pretended Word of God in his mouth, and have credit among us." "What is it the Bible teaches us?"-" Rapine, cruelty, and murder."What is it the Testament teaches us" To believe that the ALMIGHTY Committed debauchery with a woman, engaged to be inarried; and the belief of this debauchery is called faith."-" Fragments of morality are irregularly and thinly scattered in the books of the New Testament."-" The obscurity and obscene nonsense of the Testament." "Faith hath its origin in a supposed debauchery."-"The descent of the HOLY GHOST is such absurd stuff as is fit only for tales of witches and wizards."--" The grovling tales and doctrines of the Bible and the Testament are fit only to excite contempt."

These are some of the flowers of Mr. PAINE's Age of Reason. I have not one word to reply. If any one of my

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readers find a stomach for such stuff, he is very welcome to it. I envy not his taste. If he would give himself the trouble to read over Bishop WATSON's Apology for the Bible, he will see most of these scurrilities handsomely chastised. I shall only apply the words of one of these Bible-writers as he contemptuously calls them, to the case in hand: Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man?—Thy tongue deviseth mischief; like a sharp razor working deceitfully. Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue! But God shall destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him. Lo, this is the man, that made not God his strength-but strengthened himself in his wickedness. Psalm lii.

To proceed to other considerations:

"Some men of great ingenuity have very seriously called in question the very existence of JESUS CHRIST, and have contended, that there never was any such person upon earth."

Those, that will call in question whether there ever existed upon earth such a person as JESUS CHRIST, may with much greater reason question the existence of ALEXANDER, CÆSAR, POMPEY, and all the other heroes of antiquity.

"Others there have been, who have presumed to reject the anthority of the New Testament."

Those who will undertake to deny the genuineness and authenticity of the four Gospels, with the writings of PETER, PAUL, JAMES, and JOHN, may, with much more appearance of truth, deny the authenticity of the writings of HOMER and HESIOD, of PLATO and XENOPHON, of HORACE and VIRCIL; seeing there is much more evidence for the authenticity of the former, than of the latter.

"Does it not appear unaccountable, that the whole Jewish nation should entertain such a warm expectation of their MESSIAH's appearance, and that they should reject CHRIST when he actually did come, if he had not been au impostor ?"

It is well known that many thousands of the Jews and religious proselytes were at first converted to the faith of

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