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AN
ANSWER
TO
Mr. PAINE's AGE OF REASON,
CONTINUATION OF LETTERS
PHILOSOPHERS and POLITICIANS of FRANCE,
ON TH«
SUBJECT OF RELIGION;
ANn or THB
LETTERS TO A PHILOSOPHICAL UNBELIEVER.
By JOSEPH PRIESTLEY, LL.D. F.R. S.
WITH A PREFACE BY THEOPHILUS LINDSEY, A.M.
NORTHUMBERLAND TOWN, AMERICA,
PRINTED IN 1794.
93^0 13
L 0 N D 0 N :
BEPaiNTID FOa ], JOHNSON, IN ST. fAUI-'S CHURCH- YARD.
M.BCC.XCy. , .
•0
to
PREFACE.
HTHIS pamphlet confitls of two tracts,
or rather it is the continuation of
two different works, which, becaufe they
both relate to the fame general fubjed:,
?§ I publifh together. When the works
Z to which they belong fliall be reprintedj;
iM
cj they will, of courfe, be feparated,
** The turn that infidelity has lately-
taken in France is not a little remark-
able ; but it promifes well for the caufe
of religion. Whether the belief pro-
o feffed by the National Affembly in the
g being and attributes of God, and in a
^ future ftate, be iincere, or not, it fliews
A 3 - the
301238
iv PREFACE.
the fenfe they entertain of the importance
of this faith, to the good conduct and
happinefs of men, as members of fo-
ciety. And as a comparifon of the evi-
dences of natural and revealed religion,
will foon convince all reafonable perfons,
that the latter is much more free from
difficulty than the former, I am per-
fuaded that when the prejudice which is
now conceived againfl chriltianity, on
account of the fliocking corruptions and
abufes of it, fhall begin to wear off, it
will be embraced firft by philofophers,
then perhaps by the French nation in
general, and laftly by the world at large ;
when I have no doubt, it will be found
to be infinitely better calculated to anfwer
the purpofe not of moralijls alone, but
even of politicians^ than the principles
of mere natural rclipjon.
We muft not, however, be furprifed
if infidelity fliould continue to prevail to
a much greater extent than it has done
yet. The fame general caufes^ which,
in
PREFACE. V
in a late publication, I have endeavoured
to point out, and which have produced
v^hat we now fee, muft continue to
operate fome time longer, and the pro-
phecies of fcripture, lead us to expedl
the fame. Confequently, the faith of
intelligent chriftians, will be fo far from
being fliaken, that it will be confirmed,
by the prefent appearance of things,
though all that is gained by the moft
rational and effedlual defences of chrif-
tianity, be little more than an iiicreafed
attachment of the few who are truly
ferious and confiderate.
How exceedingly fuperficial and fri-
volous are the hacknied objedtions to
chriftianity, and how entirely they arife
from the groffefl ignorance of the
fubjedl, will appear from my animad-
verfions on Mr. Paine's .boafted w^ork.
He would have written rnore to the
piirpofe, if Jie had been acquainted with
the writings of Voltaire, and other
better informed unbelievers. But he
A 3 feems
\i P RE F ACE.
I ' feeriis entirely unread on the fubjedt, and
thereby to be tinacquainted with the
groundj on which either the friends or
the enemies of chriftianity muft ftand.
Had he been better acquahU^ \yith the
fcriptores, which are a conftant fnbje6^
of his ridicule, he might have made a
tniich more plaufible attack upon them.
This, it muft be owned, leaves but
111 tie merit to the belt anfwerer of Mr.
Paine. But it is proper that when, from
whatever circumfcances, any work is
likely to make an unfavourable impref-
lion on the minds of men, endeavours
ihould be vifed to counteradl the effects
of it. I may alfo be allowed to make
the famc_ apology for my frequent de-
fences of revealed religion, that Voltairo
did for his infinitely varied attacks
upon it, vi^, that different works fall
into different hands, and provided the
great end be anfwered, repetitions are
not ufelefj. For my own part, ib
fenfiblc am I of the unfpeakable va-
lue of revealed religion, and of the
I iulTiciencv"
P & E F A d E. vii
fufficiency of its proofs, that I think no
man can employ his time better, than iri
giving juft exhibitions of them, and in
diveriifying thofe exhibition s> as particu-^
lar occafions call for theni.
But the more I attend to this fubjecfl^
the more feniible I am, that no defence
of chrifiianity can be of any avail till it
be i^reed from the many coiruption^and
abiifes irhich have hitherto incumbered
i^; and this mufl particularly ftrike every
i-eader of Mr. Paine' s Jge of Reafon, The
expoiing of theibcorfuptipjis, I therefore
think t6 be the ricloft eflential preliminary
to the defence of chriftianity, and confe-
quently I iliall omit no fair opportunity
of reprobating in the ftrongeft terms^
fuch do6irines as thofe of tranfubjlanti--
atmti the trinity^ atofie^nent, &:c. 8cc. Sec.
to whatever odium I *may expofe myfelf
with fuch chriftians as^ from the beft
motives, but from ignorance, con fid er
them as effential to the fcheme* That
thefe doctrines, and others which are flill
generally received even by proteftantSj
A 4 an
viii PREFACE.
hre corruptions of chriftianity, and were
introduced into it from the principles of
heathen philofophy and the maxims and
cuftoms of heathea religions, I have de-
monflrated in various of my writings,
efpecially in my HiJIory of the corruptions
of chrijlianity-i a third edition of which
will foon be publifhed in this country*
Here we happily enjoy the greatefl free-
dom of difcuffion, as well as the freeft
exercife of religion, without the interfe-
rence of the ftate. Here, therefore, we
may expcdl the natural happy efFedt of
true freedom, in the gradual prevalence
of truth, and the manifold defirable con-
fequences of it.
I am v/ell aware that I fliall be blamed
by many fincere friends of chriftianity,
who may approve of my zeal, and even
the ground of my defence of our com-
mon principles in other refpeds, that [
fo frequently introduce what is offenlive
to them^ with refpe6l to my ideas of
chriftianity. But it is in the nature of
things impoilibie to feparate the defence
3 of
PREFACE. ix
of chriftianity from a view of what I
deem to be its true principles, and which
alone I can undertake to defend. The
perfons who obje6t to me on this ac-
count, are equally at liberty to defend
chriflianity on their peculiar principles,
though they introduce things ofFenflve to
me. Free difcuflion will in time enable
us to demonftrate the truth of chrifli-
anity, if it be true, and alfo to afcertain
the genuine principles of it, whatever
they be. May the God of truth lead us
into all truth !
JN^orthumberland Town, Pennfylvania,
Oftober 27, 1794.
N. B. Some Ohfervations on the Catifes of Infidelity ^
printed in America, is the Publication referred
to above, p. v. 1. i.
PREFACE
Sy the editor.
THE well known author of this trad will ever
rank high, as one of the very few, in dif-
ferent ages, didinguifncd of heaven, who, by fupc-
rior powers of mind, and the virtuous and indefa-
tigable exertion of them, has extended the * limits
of
* Some being ignorant of, and others having afFufted to depreciate
Dr. Prieftley's merits, I flia:II infert his cliarafter in this refpefl, as
given me in the year 1787, by a common friend, Mr. Kirwan^
certainly a moft competent judge. See ♦* An Addfefs to tlie
Students of Oxford and Cambridge, p. 68."
*' To enumerate Dr. Prieftley's difcoveries woald be, in fa<ff, io
enter into a detail of moft of thofe that have been made within thi!:
kft fifteen years. How many invifible fltiids, whofe cxiftence
evaded the fagacity of former ages, has he made known to us ? The
very air we breathe, he has taught us to analyze, to examine, toi
improve : a fubftance fo little known, that even the precife efteft of
rcfpiration was an enigma till he explained it. He firft. made known
to us the proper food of vegetables, and in what the difFerencc
between thefe and animal fubftances confiftcd. To him pharmacy
is indebted for the method of making artificial mineral waters, 2;
well as for the fhcrter method of preparing other medicines; metal-
lurgy, for more powerful and cheaper folvcnts ; and chcmiftry, for
fuch a variety of difcoveries as it would be tedious to recite : difco-
veries, which have new modelled that fcience, and drawn to it, ;ind
to this country, the attention of all Europe. It is certain, that
fince the year 1775, tile eye and regards of all the learned bodies
in Europe, ha\e been dircded to this country by his means. In
ever/
Xll PREFACE BY THE EDITOR.
of human knowlege, and advanced the ufcfLil arts
and comforts of life; and who, at the fame time,
by his various refearches and writings, has contri-
buted to the virtue and happinefs of mankind,
efpecially by helping to difpcl the mills of igno-
rance and fuperftition, which had ftifled and well-
nigh extinguifhed the revelation which the bene-
volent Creator had made of his will to them, and
of the way to his favour for ever.
Still actuated by the fame defires, and en-
gaged in the fame purfuits, to ferve others, driven
now from his native land, by a revival of thofc
High-church pcrfecuting principles, which peo-
pled the defarts of America, in the days of the
Stuarts, he has found an afylum, and been wel-
comed with honour into that country, which had
lately to c(?htend for its own liberty and inde-
pendance ; and which is glad, and able to receive
into its capacious bofom, all the fuffcrers from
religious or civil tyranny throughout the world.
As every event whatfoever, every circumftance
of the life of every man, is ordained and over-ruled,
by the infinitely wife and good Creator, for the
virtuous improvement, and prefent and final hap-
pinefs of the univerfc, and of each individual in it,
we may be fully pcrfuaded, that where man intends
evil, God intends and brings forth good, and that
the beft purpofcs of the divine government will be
promoted by the means of thofe unworthy paflions,
every philofophical trcatife, his name is to be found, and in alraoft
every page. They all own that moft of their difcoveries are due,
either to the repetition of his difcoveries, or to the hints fcattered
through his works.'*
which
PREFACE BY THE EDITOR.* xlli
which compelled this eminent perfon to take refuge
in America. Nay, already they have begun to
Ihew themfelves, in the reception which has been
given to Dr. Prieftley, and in the general eftima-
tion in which he is held, notwithftanding the bafc
arts which have been ufed, (of which more here-
after) to poifon that people's minds, and turn
them againft him.
I find alfo from the accounts of others, befidcs
his own letters, that a very general curiofity is
excited about him and his writings. Many of
thefe have already found their way to that conti-
nent ; and cannot but conduce, in a variety of
ways, to the improvement of its inhabitants ; and
muft, in one inftance particularly, be of moft eflen-
tial fervice, in a country, where, firom various
caufes, from the inhabitants mixing fo much with
the fubjedis of Great Britain, and their intimate
connexion with the French officers who affiled
them in combating for their liberties, a very gene-
ral fcepticifm has taken place, efpecially in the
Southern States. Dr. Prieftlcy's invaluable works,
the Inftitutes of Natural and Revealed Religion,
his Hiftory of the Corruptions of Chriftianity,
together with the Letters to Unbelievers, by which
fome of our bed writers have lince profited, cannot
but be of infinite ufe.
It was natural for Mr. Paine to fend over, and
for the Americans to be inquifitive after his famous
work, " The Age of Rcafon," which had reached
the country before Dr. Prieftley's arrival in it, and
was
Xiv PREFACE BY THE EDITOR,
^vas much extolled and circulated. He foon found
that it was dclired and expedcd, that he fhould
make fomc reply to it, and undertake a caufc.
which he was held fo well able to defend.
Mr, Paine is very far from being a contemptible
adverfary, as he pcHerrcs the talent, perhaps above
gU other writers, of arreting the attention of his
readers, and making them plcafed and defirous of
going on with him, which, vyith many, is one •
ftep towards convincing them.
Without difparagement to the learned and inge-
nious replies, which others have made, to this
popular work againd: revelation, he has here met
■>^'ith an opponent, who has mofl: thoroughly con-
futed, if ht: has not dune fomething even toward
converting him. Here are no exprefiions of afto-
nifhment at any of his alTertions, however flrange
and fingular ; no accufations of his writing with
bad views, or that he is to be blamed for writing
againft the Bible, if he difapproves or thinks it a
bad book. But with that candour and mutual
rcfped:, which becomes men canvalfing important
points, and fecking after truth. Dr. Priclllcy
frankly acknowledges thofe grofs errors among
chriftians, v»hich Mr. Paine juftly reprobates,
whilft he detects and plainly fhews him his mif-
takes in every thing of importance, which he has
advanced againft real chriftianity, and that it flands
firm and fccure againft his objecflions, as againft all
others.
The continuation of the Doctor's letters to the
French politicians and philofophers, which confti-
tutes the (firft part of the prcfcnt publication, is
admir-
PREFACE By THE EDITOR^ XV
admirably contrived, Uike thofe which have gone
before, to recover them po the belief of chrillianity,
which they ha vedifcardcd. And his efFori;§, with thofe
of others, whom Providence (hall hereafter raife up,
will, I hope, be effedlual, to plant again the gofpel,
which had been really loft, in that country. For
the chriftian rel'gion, as they had metamorphofed
and corrupted it, and in the ftate in which it
remains in Italy, Naples, &c. and in Spain and
Portugal, the dire abodes of the Inquifition,. had
actually generated ^nd tends to generate, that infi^
delity and atheifm into which a great part of the
French nation had fallen, and which was becoming
univerfal. And as many of our own countrymen,
frorn various, lo^ig-fubfifting caufes, that might be
pointed out, and not a few among the youngec
part of the learned profeffions, from the reading
of this work of Mr- Paine's, and from the profelyt-
^ng zeal of fome * minute: ^hilofophers lately rifeix
, among
* Perfons of no mean abilities, and of acknowleged worth an4
probity, the fruits, not of their philofophy, but of the chriftiaa
religion in which they were educated, and the early habits they had
derived from it; yet furely, 'verj minute pbilafophers, and blind, who
can argue as if there was no God ; who can maintain that the eye:
was not made for feeing ; who, in the face of day and of the fun, caa
behold this fair fabric of the world, with marks of wifdom in every
part, and not perceive it to be the work of an intelligent creator.
Hear however the verdift of true philofophy. " I had rather
believe all the fables in the Legeitd, and the Talmud, and the Alcoran,
than that this univerfal frame is without a mind. And therefore
God never wrought miracles to convince Atheifm, becaufe his ordi-
nary works convince it. It is true, a little philofophy inclineth
man's mind to Atheifm, but depth in philofophy bringeth mens
minds about to Religion, For while the njiiid of man looketh upon
fecon4
XVI PREFACE BY THE EDITOR.
among us, are faid to be haftcning into the fame
dreary gulph, it is not too much to expedt, that a
due attention to this work of Dr. Pricftley's, and
to his other writings, may fave them from it.
What now could raifc up fuch a (lorm againfl
fo refpeclable a character, as to conftrain him to
retire a voluntary exile from his country, to v.hich
he was fo fmgular an ornament, to whofe benefit
his whole life and fludics had been dedicated, and
where he was fo judly loved and cflecmed by the
good and the liberal, and by fomc of the moll
exalted characlcrs ?
In the number of thefe, to confine myfelf to this
metropolis only, and to fuch of them who have
fmiflied their part, and left this ftage of human
life, I (hall begin with one of the firft charaders
of our times, one of the mod amiable and benevo-
fecond caufes fcattered, it may fometimes reft in them, and go no
further : but when it beholdeth the chain of them confederate and
linked together, it muft flye to Providence and Deity \,"
I would add, that not to worfhip this beneficent parent of the
univerfe, would ftop the current of thofe affedions which belong to
him, and which are as natural as thofe to our fellow-creatures, and
make no fmall part of our happincfs ; and would, by degrees, extin-
guifh all thought of him, and lead to doubt, if not to deny, his very
exiftence, with all its immoral confequences ; efpecially, if the
fafhionable fyftem be taken up when young, before any better habits
are formed. A fubjefi, this, not fufficiently confidered by the
ingenious author of the " Memoirs of Plancta," who in the compafs
of a few lines, (p. 113.) wipes away all application to God by
prayer, not reilefting, how poor a fupport he leaves for the pradke
of jujiice and bene'voUnce to cur felloic creatures, which he rightly
makes the road to bappinejs^ but furely not the ordj road.
■f- Bacon's Effays.
lent
PREFACE BY THE EDITOR.- XVll _
lent ofhuman beings, Dr. Price, whofe life was fpcnt
in learned labours for the good of his country and of
mankind, and who, by his writings ftill continues to
inftrudt and ferve them : with him Dr. Prieftlcy
lived in long and uninterrupted friendfliip, ce-
mented by the fimilarity of their ftudics and pur-
fuits, though differing to the laft in fome points,
which are held to be coniiderable and important.
That generous, public fpiritcd perfon, Sir George
Savile, his country's guardian and delight, ever
held him in high honour and eflefm for his uncom-
mon abili'ties and virtues, and for his fkill in the
arts and philofophy, which he loved ; and was
always happy when he could fee him, and particu-
larly to be his hearer at the chapel in ElTex-ftrcet,
where he himfelf attended.
With Mr. Lee, the late Attorney General, a
man of fine talents, quick difcernment, unbounded
candor and goodnefs of heart, being near him in
age and place of birth, he had an intimate friend-
Ihip, till the death of the former diffolved it. As
no man was a better judge, no one in general more
admired and prized Dr. Prieftley's moral, theolo-
gical, and political writings; and among the latter,
his Letters to Mr. Burke, occafioned by his " Re-
fiedtions on the Revolution in France, Sec." Thefe
Letters were confidercd by him as a mafterpiece in
their way, interfperfed with fine flrokes of wit
and humor, and the trueft eloquence, and a full
confutation of the fiilfe reafoning, and danger-
ous arbitrary principles, advanced in that cele-
brated work. Only he was apprehenlive, that
he might hurt his ufcfulnefs, and increafe the
prejudice of many againft him, by his wtU-meant,
a but
XViii PREFACE BY THE Xt>lT6X.
but injudicious predi<fi:ions of the fatal confe-
quences that would enfue from the neglect of a
timely reformation.
At Mr. Lee's houfe in Lincoln's-inn-fields, for
near twenty years, we were wont to fpend the
Sunday evenings together, whenever they were in
town ; happy nights of chearful pleafantry, and free
difculTion of all fubjeds, (for two men, more
formed and furnifhed for focial converfe are rarely
found) the recollection of which will be always
profitable and pleafmg, nev^r, alas, now to return !
But all does not end here : for there - is an alTured
hope of living again, and converfing with virtuous
friends, in a more durable and ftill happier ftate.
I muft not omit two prelates, truly to be revered,
as being fingularly free from the narrow prejudices
attached to their order, who were not afhamcd of
profefTmg themfclves the friends of Dr. Pneftley ;
the accompliflied Bifliop Shipley, the friend alfo of
Dr. Franklin and of America, with whom he was
long acquainted ; and the venerable Bifhop of Car-
liflc. Dr. Law, v.ho was in perfect accord with
him in his fentiraents on moft fubjects.
This fliort lift will, for brevity's fake, finifh with
one more name, ever to be honoured. To fhew on
what terms of mutual affedtion and high efteem.
Dr. Prieftley converfed with that true patriot,
chriftian, fcholar, and philofopher of the firlt rank.
Dr. John Jebb, there needeth only to mention the
Dedication to him, of his Treatife on the Docl:rine
of Philofophical NecefTity. In that beautiful, and
luminous compofition, proceeding from the fulnefs
of the heart, and conviction of the truth of that
glorious principle in which they both agreed, you
read
PREFACE BY THE EDITOR, XlX
read the true charader of the men, what excellent
creatures they were, and what all may become^
who are under the like influences. .'i
Dr. Prieftley however had one quality, an ardent,
adlive zeal for the reformation of things confefiedly
wrong and hurtful, which was not calculated to
procure a general love and efieem, but often the
contrary, in the prefent ftate of things, and im-
perfed: condition of mankind.
Penetrated with the moft abfolute convicftion of
the reality of the Divine Unity, and of the con-
nexion which the belief of it had with the virtue,
the peace, and happinefs of mankind, he beheld
with deep regret, the whole chrillian world, the
proteftant part of it by no means excepted, funk
in idolatry, and fo far gone from the idea of the
Divine Being, taught by the jewifli lawgiver, and
reinforced by Jefus Chrifl, as to make the fame
Jefus, his meffenger, the fupreme God himfeif, and
to worihip him equally with the Father of himfeif
and of the univcrfe. He therefore helitated nor,
in his immortal writings, from the prefs, in the
fmalleft fize, and to the level of the loweft capa-
cities ; as alfo in larger and more learned volumes ;
from the pulpit alfo on public and proper occa-
iions, (for otherwife his difcourfcs were on things
that related to a virtuous life and pradtice) to main-
tain and defend, that there was no God but the
Father ; and that the worfhip of Jefus, by proteft-
ants, was equally idolatrous with the worfliip of
his mother Mary, by the papifts.
He was alfo much grieved with the nicety and
referve, which fomc profefTed unitarians ffiewed,
in not publicly owning their principles, in ftill
a 2 fre-
XX PREFACE BY THE EDITOR.
frequenting the public eftablidicd worfliip, which
to them was idolatrous ; and in fcrupling to call it
(uch.
But perhaps in nothing did Dr. Pricftley give
more offence, or more excite the ill-w ill of many
againft him, than by thofc freedoms which he took
in cenfuring, what he held above all other things
the moft baneful to true religion and the gofpel,
the interference of the civil pozvcr in the things of
religion^ all ufurpation upon confcience, wherever
lodgedy or by whomfoever exercifed. This queftion
he was called forth to difcufs on many occafions,
in defence of himfelf, and of all Difienters from
the State-religion ; but particularly in a work, at
firft publifbed feparately, in the form of Letters to
the Inhabitants of Birmingham, now printed to-
gether in one volume.
An ordinary perfon would have funk under the
meansthat were ufed to afpcrft and depreciate hischa-
radlcr. But confcious of his own upright views and
abilities, and of the fallhood of the charges brought
againfl him, and of the goodnefs of the caufe he had
undertaken, he, with perfect eafe and compofurc,
repelled the attacks of his adverfarics : for he was
by no m.eans the aggrcffbr. With a continual vein
of pleafantry, he plays with the arguments urged
againft him, in refuting them ; and if his remarks
are fometimes fevere and cutting as a razor, the
reader will judge, whether there was not a caufc.
Swift's Draper's leacrs certainly had not more
true humour, nor were more plain, and adapted to
every underftanding. Some may be pleafed with
the
PREFACE BY THE EDITOR.' XXV
the fample of. his flile and manner, which I have
put in the ipargin *, and perhaps be diverted
with it.
Bifbop Hard, in the life of his friend and patron,
Bifhop Warburton, lately publillied, has thought
fit to declare, in very ftrong terms, his condemna-
tion of Socinians in general, and of Dr. Prieftley in
particular. Evidently alluding to and in contrail
• '* A good lady, who wrote me an anonymous and fcolding letter,
on the idea, as fhe faid, that, being unworthy of the caftigation of
any ma», the pen of a luoman was more properly employed, began
her curious letter with faying, that I " feized on Mr. Madan as
a cat feizes on a moufe." But if fhe had recolledled that both
Mr. Madan and Mr. Burn were the aggrejjbn, in this controverfy,
fhe would have fecn that they confidered themfelves as the cats, and
me as the defenCelefs moufe. However if they have found them-
felves miftaken,and fee-reafon to think, with my anonymous corre-
fpondent, that I am the cat and they the mice, I hope they will be
fatisfied that, though I have played with them a little, I have done
them no material injury, (fuch as they would have done to me)
but have taught them for the future not wantonly to provoke other
animals of prey, more favagely difpofed than myfelf.
•* It is true, I am an avowed enemy to the church ejiahlijhment oi\ki\%
country, but by no means to any who belong to it. I write againll
Calvinifm, but have the greateft refpeft for many Calvinifts, and
"Wifli to make them exchange their darhnefs for my light, I am alfb
an enemy to Atheifm and Dcifm, but not to Athcifts or Deifts. I
have a particular friendfhip for many of them in this country and
other countries, and I write in order to inform and reclaim them.
There is nothing perfonal in all this. They think as unfavorably
o^.myfyjiem, as I do of /^f/rj. Let all points of difference be fairly
difcuffed. Truth will be a gainer by it. But let us refpeCt one
another A& we refped /r«/^ itfelf ; love all, and ui(h the good of
all without diftindion. This is true candour, and confident with
the greateft zeal for our particular opinions" Familiar Letters to the
Inhabitants of Birmingha7n^ p. iS6.
a 3 with
XXii PREFACE BY THE EDITOR.
with him, he mentions the diflenting miniflersi
^ith whom Bilhop Warburton was acquainted, as
men " who did not then glory in Socinian impie-
ties, or indulge themfclves in rancorous invedlives
againft the Eftablifhed Church." p. 112.
Again, p. 119. fpeaking of Bp. Warburton, he
fays : " Next to Infidels profefled, there were no
fet of writers he treated with Icfs ceremony, than
the Socinian ; in whom he faw an immoderate pre-
fumption, and fufpe6lcd not a little ill faith. For,
profefling to believe the divine authority of the
fcriptures, they take a licence in explaining them,
which could hardly, he thought, confift with that
belief. — In fhort, he regarded Socinianifm (the
idol of our felf-admiring age) as a fort of infidelity
in difguife, and as fuch he gave it no quarter."
One cannot help lamenting that Bp. Hurd in his
very advanced years, in writing the life of his
friend Bp. Warburton, fhould feel it either necef-
fary or right, to try to enhance his charad:er, by
traducing a whole body of chriftians, neither defti-
tute of learning, nor fmall in number, and of well
known probity y (having nothing to gain but perfe-
cution) though he call it in queftion : and this for
holding fentiments, which they certainly think
they derive from the teachings of their divine
thaftcr Chrift, and for which they give their reafons,
which are before the public, and which furely
Bp. Hurd ought rather to have endeavoured to
confute, and fct them right, inrtcad of merely rail-
in^x againft and f^ivinj]!; them bad names.
If we may judge of Bilhop Hurd from his
theological writings, he appears to have given
more
PREFACE BY THE EDITOR. XXJh
more of his application to philology and the belles
letters ^ than to the ft tidy ojf the fcriptures, which
may have prevented his attending to the impor-
tance of exhibiting them to the Engli{h nation as
genuine and corredt as poiHble. For otherwife he
could not have fpoken fo degradingly * of the la-
bors of a learned prelate, Dr. Lowth, much his '
fuperior in his own, and in every way ; nor have
endeavoured to throw cold water on the noble de-
lign of a new tranflation of the Bible, which Biftiop
Lowth had fo much at heart, and ftrove to pro-
mote.
Happy would it have been, if Bifhop Hurd had
been difpofed, at the time, to give attention to the
weighty " Confiderations" addrelTed to him by Dr.
Prieftley, in the conclulion of the fecond volume of
his " Hiftory of the Corruptions of Chriftianity."
He might thereby have been happily influenced to
what would have turned out to the honor and fur-
therance of the Gofpel, as well as for the benefit
of the State. But he had taken his ply, and the
clofe of the fcenc is too near to look for a change,
on this fide the grave.
There was however always a large number
among the clergy, and members of the church of
England as well as the DifTenters, throughout the
kingdom, though few in comparifon of the large
mafs, who were not backward in teftifying, nor
fome of them in publicly declaring, their value
for Dr. Prieftley 's exalted charadler and extra-
ordinary merits, and their obligations tp him
• Life of Bifhop Warburton, p. 94.
a 4 ' foi
XXIV PREFACE BY THE EDITOR.
for the benefits they received from his writings.
At the time, when a panic was fpread through the
nation, and too generally credited, of fecret plots
and confpiracies to deftroy the king and the con-
ilitution, and to level all ranks and property, and
multitudes thronged to court to teftify their loyalty,
and no obloquy and abufe were thought too grofs
to be vented againft the Diflenters, and Dr. Prieftley
by name, who were held forth to the public as"
accomplices in the nefarious defign : indignation,
at the fight: of fuch impofition and eafy credulity
on the one iiJc and on the other, and the mean
adulation of many, but not fpringing from any
difrefped: to the prince on the throne, drew from
a genius of fuperior order, the following Itrains
addrefied to Dr. Prieftley, which Milton himfelf
might have been proud to own :
Stirs not thy fpirit, Priefcky, as the train
With low obeifance and with fcrvile phrafe.
File behind file, advance, with fupple knee.
And lay theLr necks beneath the foot of power ?
£urns not thy check indignant, when thy name.
Oil which delighted fcience lov'd to dwell.
Becomes the bandied theme of hooting crowds ?
With timid caution, or with cool refcrve,
When e'en each reverend Brother keeps aloof.
Eves the i>rack deer, and leaves thy naked fide
A mark for power to flioot at ? Let it he.
*' On evil days though fallen and evil tongues,"
To rfiee, the IlanJer of a palling age
Imports not. Sceiies like thcfe hoid little fpacc
In his large mind, whofe ample ilretch of thought
Ciaf|Js iuuire periods.— \\'dl can'U thou afford
PREFACE BY THE EDITOR. XXV
To give large credit for that debt of fame
Thy country owes thee. Calm thou-can'ft conCgn it
•To the flow payment of that diftant day.
If diftant, when thy name, to freedom's join'd.
Shall meet the thanks of a regenerate land. .
D{c» 29, 1792,
The Tij/teSy and other minifterial prints, kept
no bounds in throwing thpir malignant afperlions
upon Dr. Prieftley, after the burniHg of his houfe,
library, &c. ; with a view to reprefent him, as
having brought down this vengeance juftly upon
himfelf, for his pretended republicanifm and hof-
tility to government; 0!i the principle, no doubt,
of the Italian affaflins, the injurer never forgives.
It was alFerted in this paper of the 19th of July,
1791, that at. the dinner^ on the preceding 14th of
July, to celebrate the French Revolution, one of
the firft toads that was drank, was, DeJiru5lion to
the prefent government, and, 'The King's Head upon
a charger. And it was immediately fpread through
the kingdom, that it was Dr. Prieftley, who gave
this toaft, although he w^as not prefent on the occa-
fion. This rumour was at the time publicly con-
tradiiiied, and proved to be falfe, yet the ftory ftill
continues to have credit with many perfons, who
probably never faw the fact truly ftated. This
Paper, with fome others, feem to have had a ftand-
jng order to calumniate Dr. Prieftley at all feafons,
under the notion that fome of their dirt muft ftick;
One other inftance only of their fcandalous be-
haviour to Dr. Prieftley, firft openly expofed a few
weeks ago, I ftiall tranfcribe, from one o^ the
public prints, that it may not die away, but re-
main a monument of their inventive faculty.
A pa-
XXVI PREFACE BY THfi EDITOR,
A paragraph inferred in the True Briton, and
the Sun, of the nth of December, 1794,
" There is a gentleman living in Leadenhall-
flreet, who went over to New York in the fame
veiTel with Dr. Prieftley. He fays nothing could
furpafs the chagrin and difappointment of the
Dod:or on his arrival there, at the dearnefs of pro-
vifions, the cool manner in which he was received,
and the difficulty there is for a European to fettle
himfelf to his mind. Two young men from Bir-
mingham, whom he had brought up Unitarians ;
whom he had cloathed, educated and fed ; whofe
paflage he had paid, to that Land of Promife, on
condition of their ferving him there, quitted their
mafter the third day after their arrival, faying, that
they were free to do as they liked, and that they
would ferve him no longer. The Dodlor found no
invitation to preach in any of the churches in that
Country, which likewife was mortifying; for it
appears they do not like a politicml go/pel from the
pulpit there. A Mr. Lyon, a rich farmer, who
went over at the fame time, and bought an eftale,
fold it foon after on account of the manners of the
people ; his workmen, in fmock frocks, would
dine with him, and bring their companions with
them : In fhort, the traits of ruftic democracy are
extremely laughable, at the fame time that it is
clear, they mufl: render America intolerable to any
man accuftomed to live as we do in England.
America is only good for the flout-working-man,
who labours himfelf, but not at all for the rich
Farmer or Manufacl:urer. The idea uf cmigratmg
6 there
PREFACE BY THE, EDITOR. XXVll
there will foon ceafe ; and there are now at New
Vork numbers of Englifli who would return, but
their money is all gone, and they have not the
means."
A REPLY TO THE ABOV?.
* A paragraph having appeared in the papers
(the True Briton, and the Sun) of the i ith of
December, 1794, dating the difappointment of
Dr. Prieftley, and Mr. Lyon, on their arrival in
America; the latter, being now returned to this
Country for a fhort time, declares the whole to be
ftilfe; and though the Dodtor's characlier flands
too high, both there and here, in the eftimation of
every well wiiher to the human race, to need Mr.
Lyon's defence, he thinks it but juftice, in the
Dodlor's abfence, to blunt the point of an Alfallin's
dagger. If AddrelTes from all the different fo-
cieties, (the Tories excepted) and deputations
waiting upon him in all the principal Towns
through which he paiTed, congratulating him upon,
and welcoming his arrival in their country, and
the offer of the Proff-fforfhip of Chemiftry in Phi-
ladelphia, are marks of the cool reception he met
with, it mufl: be allowed the affcrtions are true.
As to the two young men, mentioned as coming
from Birmingham, who ll'iewed fo much ingra-
titude to the Doctor, the f3.6i is, there was no per-
fon whatever on board the fhip from that place,
nor any other perfon, to whom the alFertion is ap-
plicable. That the Do<5lor received no invitations
to preach, is equally without foundation. A ge-
neral
XXVlii PREFACE BY THE EDITOR.
neral diflike to political doctrine from the Pulpic,
fhcws the good fenfe of Americans, and this coun-
try, by holding it in proper contempt, would do
veil to copy after them. As to Mr. Lyon, he
never purchafed any eftate, of courfe could not fell
it with lofs, neither had he any fervants there ; if
he had, he can have no hcfitation in faying, he
Iliould have been as well fcrvcd by them, as he
was in England, and with as much proper atten-
tion and refpedt. The Country is not a good one
for idle and debauched characters to emigrate to,
becaufe they will find nobody coming under that
denomination will get employment ; but Mr. Lyon
defies the proof of a finglc inftancc of any perfon,
not anfwcring the above defciiption, Mifliing to
tcturn to England, except like himfclf to prepare
for a final removal and fcttlement there. Servants,
and labourer's wages ar^ mere tlian double what
they are here, notwithflanding the Farmers and
Graziers profits are great in proportion. Mafons,
both flone and brick. Carpenters, Cabinet-makers,
MilUwrights, Whecl-wrights, Blackfmiths, Shoe-
makers, and Taylors wages are two thirds higher
than in this Country.'
Th£ fame bad fpirit which pcrfecuted Dr.
PrielUcy at home, produced an infamous and formal
attack upon him from the Prefs, after his retreat
to America ; the title of which was, *' Obferva-
tions on the Emigration of Dr. Jofeph Prieltley,
and on the feveral AddrefTes delivered to him, on
his
PREFACE BY THE EDITOR. XXIX
his arrival at New York. Philadelphia, printecf:
London, reprinted. 1794«
In this piece, the writer reprefents Dr. Prieftlcy
as a firebrand, an open and avowed enenny to the
conftitution of his country ; whofe property had
indeed been deflroyed by a mob for thofe very
principles, but that he had received annple repa-
ration for his lolTes, notwithfianding his whining
lamentations every where to the contrary, &c. &c.
I fhall not enter into the queftion, whether the
pamphlet was firft conceived and originated in
America, or in England, though not a few incline
to think it, in a great mcafure, of Englifh growth.
From whatever quarter it ilTued, it is the work of
a man who fheweth himfelf void of truth, and of
every moral principle, if he were an englilhman;
if an American, a grofs and ignorant calumniator.
I am happy, however, to be able to fpeak from
knowledge, that in America, this libellous publi-
cation, which was defigned to calumniate, and
inftigate the country againft Dr. Prieftley, on his
firft arrival, had quite the contrary efFedl, and in-
flcad of anfwering the vile purpofe, did really re-
commend him more than a laboured panegyric on
his charadler could have done. For the Ameri-
cans were not wholly ignorant (what civilized
country in the world is ignorant) of his writings,
of his being one of the firft philofophers of the
age, and an eminent defender of true religion.
But what ftili moft of all helped to give credit
to, and to fpread this atrocious attack on the moft
virtuous of men, was the Review of- it, made by
the Britiih Critic, for the monlh of November,
I794i
XXX PREFACE JpY THE EDITOR.
1794, aPxd the giving it the feal of their appro-
bation.
6e the original author of the pamphlet who he
will, and whatever the degree of his guilt, their's
3s of nnuch deeper die, who could coolly and de-
liberately adopt and reconnnicnd it, as they could
Kot but know it to be a tiU'ue of aban;inable ca-
lumnies.
The Reviewer fets out with great folrmnity ;
and with rhetorical art and ftudied malice, ftrives
to lift up his little pamphlet to the rank and dig'
nity of larger volumes, on account of the impor-
tance of the teftim.ony it gives concerning Dr.
Prieftley ; and for that end labours to prove it of
American origin. Let the reader judge of the
complexion,, of the piece by the pompous ftile of
the very firft fentence in it.
'* IVe fometimes elevate a ■pamphlet^ on account
cf its importance^ to a rank among our primary ar^
tides y and this honour is peculiarly due to a (Ir anger y
who comes forward to give his deci/ion as an umpire,
en points wherein the paffions of Engjifhmen may
he fuppofed fufficienth interejled to bias their judg-
ment,**
The reft of the review is taken up, with a crafty
fcledlion of the moll: atrocious accufations at full
length, with Ihort innucndos, that they forbear *
to quote fome pafTages out of concern for the
Dodlor, but really to excite the greater attention
to them ; giving, in their comments throughout,
* " We fhall not infert the conjedures that follow, bccaufe we
hope they are too fevere,"
a force
PREFACE BY THE EDITOR, XXXI
a force and fting to the vileft inlinuations, which
they would not otherwife have had.
Did thefe Reviewers never hear, that Dr. Prieflley
has been an eminent Tutor of youth, a teacher of
the gofpel, beloved and efleemed by all to whom
he has borne thefe relations; a philofopherof fome
note ? How can they then paint him merely as a
monfter that delights in blood and confulion ; for
nothing elfc can their readers gather from their
exhibition of him and his character.
If you had looked. Gentlemen, into his nume-
rous writings, would you not have perceived, for
he is plainnefs and fimplicity itfelf, that he had
been from early youth devoted to God, and to
virtuous purfuits ; that he has never been influ-
enced by views of imereft and mean ambition, but
earneftly fought the truth, and openly profelTed
what he difcovered, for which he has been a fuf-
ferer from very early life to this hour that he is
perfccuted by you.
If you would take his charadler from his ene-
mies and oppofers, who have openly owned them-
felves as fuch, and not from fuch alTallins in the
dark, whom you chufe to truft ; do you find that
they ever allege againft him any thing mercenary,
or cruel or deceitful, or charge him with any
crime, but a too vehement zeal and ardor for a re-
formation in church and ftate, which he believes
would favc both, but they fay, would throw all
things into confufion and defolation ? And is he
for this to be frowned upon by men in power and
the governors of his country ; to have his houfe,
noble library, philofophical apparatus, and valu-
able
XXXll PREFACE BY THE EDITOR.
able manufcripts, burnt and deflroycd, and his life
cndangcjx'd, and to be jeered and infukcd when he
complains of the heavy lofs? is, he for this to be
hunted down, like a wild beall, from his native
land, to which he has been the greatefl benefactor,
to be purfued acrofs the great ocean, and not be
fuffered, as iar as ye could prevent it, to have a
, friend to compalTionatc him, or a place Vvhere he
could lay his head in peace and fafety ?
I fpare to fay, to whom vulgar report afcribcs
the dircvHiion of your periodical publication, cfpc-
cially on tiieological fubiecLs, and what relates to
men's civil and religious rights. But this is
an ill fpecimen of the difcharge of the ofiice ye have
undertaken, a very honourable one in itfelf, to
form the public mind and tafte, to enable your
readers to make a right judgment of the truth and
faldiood of the things and characters that come
before them.
O moral degradation ! O Hiame to fcience ! when
its votaries can k'nd their rare abilities, heaven's
gift for better purpofes, to pleafe the great, and
gain their favour, who are far from being the mod
virtuous; and to lower and deprcfs eminent virtue,
and hinder others from reaping advantage from
that example and thofe writings, by which they
might be formed to goodnefs, and excellence, and
happinefs for ever 1
A COPY of the prcfcnt work was very lately put
into my hands, by a gentleman who had brought it
from. America, when I refolvcd to make it public
and
PREFACE BY THE EDITOR. XXXlll
and print it immediately, having been much in-
quired after, the fubjedt alfo being very feafonable
and important. It foon occurred, that it would be
defireable, and proper for me, if I could acquit my-
felf in it in any tolerable manner, to take the Op-
portunity that offered, of faying fomething in
behalf of an honoured and beloved friend, that
might remove or foften the violent prejudices en-
tertained againft him, in this country, and in this
country only ; for in all others, his fame is great,
and his charadler revered.
It is a fad too well known, and of every day's
experience, that thefe prejudices here run fo ftrong,
that, in general, in promifcuous public compa-
nies, among the clergy, nobility, men of fortune,
thofe that are already raifed high, or that look for
preferment in the different learned profeflions, all
who are conne(5led with minifters of flate, it is an
affront to mention the name of Prieftley, and to
commend his writings would be followed with a
dead filence, if not a rebuke. I have therefore en-
deavoured, in the foregoing (beets, to vindicate
his fair fame, and to indicate the caufes of this an-
tipathy, and mean, unmanly condud:, which can
only injure the perfons themfelves, by keeping up
an averlion to this eminent perfon, and his writ-
ings, by which they might be benefited and im-
proved ; but cannot hurt him now, who is out
of the reach of all perfonal infult.
Unqueftionably, the fevere truths Dr. Prieftley
delivered, irritated the minds of fome againft him,
who are againft all reformation in chuich and
h ftate i
XXxiv PREFACE BY THE EDITOR;
ftate ; but he has chiefly fuffcred by the fpiritand
temper of the times being changed, fince the pe-
riod that the venerable Hoadly went off the ftagc,
who would have embraced our author with af-
fcdion and eftcem, and protedcd him. This fpirit,
much increafed within a few years, has not only
vented itfelf againft him, but has caufed continual
migrations of mofl valuable perfons among the
different claiTes of DifTenters, to feek for that
peace and liberty in a foreign land, which they
could not enjoy at home.
Dr. Prieft ley's enemies^ however, by their igno-
rant, malevolent detraction, cannot make him un-
happy, but only hurt themfelves. Changing his
country, he changes not thofe habits, which
form the virtuous, the holy, the benevolent, the
upright charai5ler. Thcfe conllitute happinefs,
flrcfc accompany a man wherever he goes, of which
no malice or violence can deprive him. In his
pafTagc to America, which was unufually long,
upwards of eight weeks, he was happy, as all fuch
ever will be, in contemplating the new fcenes of
nature, which prefented themfelves to view, which
he defcribcs in his letters, and fpeaks of obferva-
tions made by him, that fuggellcd various experi-
ments, which he Ihould profecute, when he could
get his apparatus at liberty. Ever intent alfo upon
fbuii-^T the good feed of truth and virtue, at all
fc:i! Dns. and in all places, in trull that fomcthing
of goo.i might ipring up afterwards, as no virtuous
effort js ever loft, he found opportunity for this
mort: pleafing employment, which would be the more
9 likely
PREFACE BY THE EDITOR. XXXV
Jikely to fucceed, as he is always chearful, and the
fartheft poflible from all religious gloom, nor dif-
pofed ever unfeafonably to obtrude advice or in-
ftrudion. Mentioning in his fir ft letter, the va-
riety of charaders that were in the ihip, fomc
that did not trouble themfelves much about reli-
gion, but " a number of ferious perfons, univer-
fally Calvinifts, though the majority were mode-
rate, as you will fuppofe," fays he, ** on their ap-
plying to me to perform divine fervice to them.
This I did with much fatisfadlion, when the wea-
ther and other circumftances would permit, feveral
others of the palTcngers joining us.'* Thefe things
are not mentioned as being peculiar or extraordi-
nary, but to ihew his bent and drfpofition.
Never was any one's bias and turn more miftaken,
than in his being reckoned a political charad:er;
although, like Locke and Newton before him (at
the time of the Revolution) he would have been
ready to ftand forth, at any hazard, when properly
called out, and his country's liberties in danger.
What he fays of himfelf, in a letter foon after his
arrival in America, fpeaks the truth concerning
him, in this refpe<5t. " As I am much attended
to, and my writings, which were in a manner
unknown, begin to be inquired after, I propofe
to get my fmall pamphlets immediately printed.
I Ihall carefully avoid all the party politics of the
country : for I have no other obje(5ls befides reli-
gion and philofophy.
I cannot conclude better than with an extrad
from his laft letter, which ihcws his views and
b 2 defigns
XXXvi PREFACE BY THE EDIT6R.
dcfigns to be the fame which they have been from
early life.
It is dated the latter end of February, from
Northumberland town, upon a branch of the
Sufquehanna, the place of his relidencc.
" You are concerned, as I apprehended you
would be, at my fixing in this place, fo much out
of the world as you adlually take it to be. But
had you been here, you would not, I think, have
advifed me to do any other than I have done,
diftant as it is from my original views."
Then follows a large fatisfadlory detail of his
rcafons for declining the invitation to the Chemi-
cal ProfefTorlhip at Philadelphia, which was made
to him in the handfomefl: manner, and was not
for feme time after, if it be now filled up, with
a hope that he might change his determination.
He then goes on :
** As to my ufefulnefs in other refpe(fi:s, I really
think it will eventually be greater in confequencc
of not immediately forcing myfelf into a more
public fituation. My writings which are now
much inquired after, and were not known or
thought of before, will prepare the way for my
preaching in Philadelphia, which I am determined
upon, about two months the next winter. In the
mean time I fliall have a fmall congregation here,
all the more intelligent people in the place having
agreed to join in building me a place of worfliip.
We fhall firft build a fmallcr place, which may
afterwards fervc for a dwelling houfe, or a library-
room, which we talk of eftablifhing, and after-
wards to erctft a place of feme elegance ; the
grojnd
PREFACE BY THE EDITOR. XXXVU
ground for which I have already fccured. This
town not only will be, but even is, a place of
greater refort than you may imagine. And if wc
cftablifh a College here, I do not think that I
could any where be fixed to more advantage;
efpecially if it be conlidered, that I have here the
leifure for my purfuits that I could not have in a
populous town, and the climate, &:c. much fupe-
rior to any thing near the coaft in feyeral impor-
tant refpeds.**
The CONTENTS.
T ETTERS addrcfled to the Philofopherf and Politi-
•^ ciansof France.
LETTER vi.
Of the beft Method of communicating moral InftruSion
to man - - - - i
LETTER vii.
Of Hiftorical Evidence . - • ^
LETTER viii»
Of the Evidence of a future State - • l6
Letters to a Philo/opbical Unbeliever.
PART III.
LETTER i.
Of the Sufficiency of the Light of Nature for the Fur-
pofe of moral Inftruftion - - " ^7
LETTER ii.
Of the Nature of Revelation, and its proper Evidence 38
LETTER iii.
Of the Objed of Chriftianity, and of the Hiftory of
Jefus - - - - 46
LETTER iv.
Of the proper Origin of the Scheme of Chriftianity,
and Antiquity of the Books of the New Tefta-
ment - - - - 63
LETTER V.
Of Mr. Paine's Ideas of the Qi^cSlrines and Principles of
Chriftianity - -. - . ^y
LETTER vi.
Of Prophecy - - > - 89
LETTER vii.
The Conclufion - - - - 96
Y /f
L' E T T E R S
ADDRESSED TO THS
PHILOSOPHERS and POLPTICUNS
O F
FRANCE.
LETTER VI.
Of the heft Method of communicating moral
InJiruSfion to Man,
MY FELLOW CITIZENS,
*T HAVE read with pleafure, and even with
enthufiafm, the admirable Report of Robef
perre on the fubjedl of morals and religion, and
rejoice to find by it, , that fo great and happy
a change has taken place in the fentiments of
the leading men of France, fince the year 1774,
when I was in your country. Then, excepting
Mr. Necker, who was a Proteftant, every
perfon of eminence to whom I had accefs,
and, as I faw reafon to think, every man of
letters almoft without exception, was a pro-
feffed atheift, and an unbeliever in a future
ftatc on any principle whatever. At prefent
your whole National AfTembly have profefTed
B their
7. Letters to the
their belief in the being of a God, and alfo lit
a future flatc, on the principle of the immor-
tality of the foul, as highly ufeful, if not ne-
ceiTary, to the obfervance of thofe moral duties,
which are effential to the well being of fociety.
Taking it for granted, that thefe are now
your fentiments, as well as thofe of the Nati-
onal AlTembly, mkny of whofe members rank
with philofophers, as well as politicians, give
me leave freely to expoflulate with you on
your rejecftion of chriftianity, which has no
other than the fame obje<fl, and the principles
of which appear to me to be much better calcu-
lated to anfwer your great purpofe. The laws
of morality, whether they refpe£t the Supreme
Being, our fellow creatures, or ourfelves,
fuch as the obligation of oaths, the duties of
juftice and humanity, thofe of men in the re-
lations of magiflrates and common citizens, of
hufbands and wives, of parents and children,
of mailers and fervants, and the rules of fo-
briety and moderation in the government of
all our paflions, are taught with infinitely
greater clearnefs and authority in the fcriptures,
as the voice of God, the common parent of the
human race, than they are by the mere light
of nature.
s The fufiiclcncy of the light of nature is the
frequent boall: of unbelievers in revelation ;
^ ^ t ^-h? deduction cf moral and reliQJous tru t h s,
ibecuJative
\-
French Philofophers, &c, 3
fpeculative or pradtical, from mere appear-
\\ ances in nature, is, in many cafes, far tQQ
[' difficult for the bulk of mankind.N> That by the
mere light of nature mankind in general would
ever have attained to the idea of a God, an
intelligent author of_ nature, is by no means
probable. Apj)ea.rances wEich are conftant anj.
invariable, as I haye^ obferved before, feldom ,
draw the attention of the bulk, of mankind.
They fee that ftones, and other heavy bodies,
•always fall to the ground; they fee the fun,
moon and ftars, rife and fet every day ; they
fee fummer and winter fucceed one another
every yejTj they perceive in themfelves vari*
ous powers of adtionjand enjoyment ; but, with-
out attending to> the caufes, or reafons, of
thefe things, or, contenting themfelves with
the mofl ahfurd and infufficient reafons. It is
enough for them that the appearances are uni-
form, (o that they caji always depend upon
them, a.nd^dt accordingly.
<The moil fublime and fundamental docftrines
of religion,^ are thofe of the unity of God, of
the immenfity of creation being the work of
one great agent, governed by one fuperintend-
ing providence, and tending to one great end,
viz. the happinefs of the percipient, and efpeci-
ally the rational, part of the univerfe> But thele
are. fo. far fro.m_. being: dedudiions eafily drayvn
bj the bulk of mankind, that, after being in
B 2 ^ poflef-
^ laetters to the
pofleffion of them, they have appeared to Ser
too great to be retained by them, and have al-
ways eluded their grafp. The dod:rine of a
muhiphcity of gods, gods of different pro-
vinces, powers, and characflers, fomc aiming^
to do good, and others evil, has always forced
itfelf on mankind, and has never failed to
be followed by the mofl abfurd and mifchiev-
ous fuperflitious prad:ices,. calculated, as was
imagined, to obtain the favour of thefe vari-
ous deities. This has ever \i^^w the cafe, with
Heathens, Tews, and Chriftians- and it has
only been by repeated revelations, that men
have been broui^ht back to the belief of the
unity of God, and the important practical con-
fequences of that belief. ■'^'^-'---/^ <^;ir^l* <vv^7v<.
The precepts of univerlal benevolence, and
impartial juftice, are allowed to be the mofl
important in the whole fyftem of morals ; but
nature, without a fuperior interpreter, does
not teach them, with lutiicient "cleafnefs and
uniformity J becaufe we fee many evils, and
many of them fuch, as the mofl innocent pcr-
fons are involved in, take place in the ufual
courfe of nature, and therefore, no doubt,
according to the v/ill of the author of nature.
That all natural evils are ultimately fubfer-
vient to good, I have no doubt, but it is far
from being apparently fo ; and kings and
conquerors, v/ho fpread undiflinguifliing ha-
vock wherever they come, might plead that
they
French Philofophers, &c, 5
tliey imitate the Almighty, in his ftorms and
tempefls, in his plagjues, peftilences, and fa-
mines.
It is poffible, however, that by much reflec-
tion, and frequent obfervations on the general,
order of nature and providence, intelligent per-
fons might arrive at the belief that all evil will
ultimately produce good. But this will not
give them the full fatisfaclion which all chrif-
.tians have from believing, that men infpired by
God have, in fo many words, affured them, that
a// things will work together for good to them that
'love hi?ny that they may fafely rejoice in all tri~
iulation, and even chearfully die in a good caufe,
depending upon a happy refurredlion, and an.
abundant recompence being made to them in
the life to come. It is impoflible that the mere
.contemplation of nature fhould give men this
full confidence, which is the parent of habitual
devotion, and of the moft heroic aftion.
That men are the offspring of God, and
dierefore, that he is our parent, are ideas fuf-
ficiently natural, pleafing, and ufeful j but they
are only realized, and felt, when God acftually
calls us his children, and encourages us to ad-
drefs him as our Father who is in Heaven.
What nature teaches us with refpecfl to the
.man ner in which we fliould conduct ou rfelves
^" life? is not in words ^ intelligible to all_men,
but mufl be deduced by way of inference from
B 3 appear-
6 . Letters -to the .^, ^ ,
appearances, which one man will interpret in
one way, and another in. a different one ; and
every naan being neceflarily biafled by his own
prevailing inclination, he will generally con-
ceive that his own favorite purfnit is not for-
bidden by it ', fo that moft men will live much
as they pleafe, and yet all imagine that they live
agreeably to 77atiire.^But m re\»elation, God, th^
author of nature, fpeaks in a language, that,
with refpe(ft: to every thing of importance, can
never be mifunderflocd, and which mufteyer
command refpecS. It is equally the language
of a parent, and of a fovereign, anxious for the
happinefs of all his children.
All that you can make of nature is a figura-
tive perfonage, whom you may addrefs as you
would the heavens or the earth, which are
parts of it ; and of God, confidered merely as
the author of nature^ (but who has" never dif-
covered himfelf except in vifible objeds, fuch
as the fun, moon, and flars, the earth, or the
plants and animals with which it is flocked,)
you cannot form fuch an idea as you do of a
■perfon, approaching more nearly to a human
being, of whofe feelings you have a perfed:
knowledge, and to whom, by the principle of
affociation, fentiments of veneration and love,
which lead»to obedience, are intimately united.
The idea of the mere author of nature, whom
you can fee only in his works, will not make
~~ fuch
French Philofopbers, &c, y
fiich an Impreflion on the mind of man, as is
made by that of a real perfon, who, befije s
being conceived to be intimately prefent to you,
can, if he pleafes, fpeak to you^ and permit you
to fpeak to him, and to v/hom you can always
addrefs yourfelves with a certainty of being
heard, and being attended to by him. The
' promifes and threatenings of fuch a being as
this will be refpeded as thofe of a magiftrate or
a parent.
The God of the Scriptures is apprehended
/ in this light, as the experience of all Jews and
^r Chriftians witnefTes. The God who appeared
to Abraham,- who delivered the law from
Mount Sinai, wlio fpoke by the prophets,' and
who difplayed his power, and fignified his will,
by Chrifl: and the apoftles, will be confidered,
and behaved ^to, as a real perfon, the objecft of
the higheft reverence, and the mofl lincere
attachment ; one to whom men will naturally
pray, and in whom they will put confidence.
And the commands of fuch a Being, delivered
by his authorized meffengers, will be obeyed as
thoTe ot a real lovereign, whole faygjir-isdll^be
d e h reT, and whofe difpleafure will be dreaded ;
and confeq.uently, as thefe commands had no
other objed: than the duties of morality, this
fyftem of revdationy which you difclaim, is far
better adapted to prom.ote your great objed:,
than the fyflcm of mere natural religion .
B 4. "' So
8 Letters to the
So much more are men imprefled by any
thino; approaching to humanity^ that there ^vas
the greatefl wifdom and propriety in the Divine
Bein^, condefcending not only to make ufe of
articulate founds, fuch as conftitute human
fpeech ; but to exhibit a^ppearances of the human
form in his firft communications with man, as
was probably the cafe with Adam, and perhaps
with Abraham ; though afterwards, as men
attained more jufh and fublime ideas of the
Supreme Being, thofe appearances were with-
drawn. That there is nothing in reality re-
volting to the human mind in the idea of the
X)ivine Being condefcending to manifefl himfelf
to men in this familiar manner, however it m_ay
now be objefled to, is evident from univerfal
hiftory, which fliews that all men, in early ages,
expedted, and readily believed in, fuch appear-
ances. Nor was this the cafe with the vulgar
onlv : for Socrates himfelf, fenfible of the dark-
nefs in which he, and the reft of mankind, were
involved, with refped; to truths of the greatefl
importance, expreffed his earnefl wifh for fome
divine inflrudor.
I am, &c.
LET-
French Philofopbers, &c. 9
LETTER VIL
Of Hijiorical EvideHce,
GENTLEMEN,^
HISTORICAL evidence, on which the
belief and authority of revelation muft' ne -
ceflarily reft, has been greatly undervalued by
the advocates for the fufficiency of the light
of nature. But the experience of all mankind
is again ft them ; fince there are no truths vyhich
more readily gain the aflent ot mankind, or are
more firmly retained by them, than thofe of
an hiftorical nature, depending upon the tefti.-
mony of others. It is a kind of eviaence to
which all men are moft accuftomed, fo that it
is quite familiar to them -, and it is peculiarly
adapted to the great bulk of mankind, whio are
unufed to abftradl fpeculation. The authority
of a parent or of a tutor, we fee to have the
greateft weight with young peifons and others
who have not been ufed to think for them-
felves. They naturally take it for granted, that
what they have been taught by the?n may be
depended upon ; and from their own natural
love of truth, they acquire a general confidence,
that
lo Letters to the
that when men who are even drangers to them,
Eave no intcrcft in their deception,' they will
Bot deceive them.
Hence it is that we have, in fa(fV, no firmer
perfuafion cgncerning any thing, than we have
«)f the exiftence of many things which u^e have
never feen ourfelves, nor ever expecft to fee,
and of the truth of fa (Tts, which we know only
from the information of others, as that there
arc fiTch places as ConftantinopJe and Pekin,
and that Charles I. of England, and Lewis
XV'I. of France, were beheaded ; and no
diiflance of time fenfibly diminiOies the force
ef this perfuafion, when the fafls have been
fa:IIy alcertained. Who, that is at all acquainted
•^ith ancient hiflory, entertains the leaft doubt
€f Julias Cx'far having been killed in the
Roman fenatc houfe, of Xerxes having been
cefiated in his attempts to conquer Greece, or
Babylon having been taken by Cyrus ?
Such a £iith as thh we fee, in fact, to be as
f u ffi cient a foundation for aciion, as faith of
any other kind whatever. Confequently, Jthat
God may chufe to fignify his will to mep, that
thefe men may prove their divine miffion by
miracks, or fuch works as God, the author of
nature, could alone perform, and thatthe j3er-
formance of fuch mjraclcs maj^ b^attefbed by
proper evidence, fo as to be entitled to our
fuUeft credit, are things ealy of belief to man-
kind in c-encral. Indeed all men, in all ai^x.s,
h;;ve
French PhilofopherSj &c, 1 1
have been difpofed to believe thefe things, and
only a few fceptical perfons have entertained
doubts reiped:ing the credibiHty of miracles,
or the propriety of the Divine Being having re-
courfe to them, in order to communicate his
vv^ill to men. It is not frpm fuppofitions, but
from adtual fa^s, that we are to learn what
mode of inflirudtion, or what kind of evidence, '
is berft calculated to imprefs the minds of men.
The Great Bein^ who made man, and who beft
knows him, will, no do'iibt, employ the beft
method for this purpofe ; and it feems to be
agreeable to the general plan of his providence,
to make ufe of men for the inftrucftors of men .
RoufTeau, who received the morality, and
even the divine miffion of Jefus, though, in-
confiftently enough, without admitting the
miracles recorded in the books of fcripture, ap-
pears not to have given fufficient attention to
the nature and force of hiftorical evidence, when
he afks the following queftions^ {Emile, liv. v.)
^* God, you fay, has fpoken. But to whom
" has he fpoken ? To men. But why, then,
*' have I heard nothing of it ? It would have
** been no more trouble to him, and I fhould
** then have been fecure from deception. How
*' has the miffion of the melTengers from God
" been proved ? by miracles ? But where are
" thofe miracles ? In books. Who have writ-
*' ten thofe books ? Men. And who have feen
" thofe
1 2 Letters to the
** thofe miracles ? The men who attefl: them.
" What, always human teftimony ? Always
" men who tell men, what other men have re-
** lated ? How many men between God and
*' me !" .'
He might have afked juft the fame queftions
with refped to all fa6ts in ancient hiftory, or
any thing elfe that he himfelf had not feen ;
and yet, like other men, he certainly enter-
tained no more doubt with refped: to many
things of this kind, than if he had feen them
himfelf.
As to the evidence of miracles y it is preciiely
of the lame ;?^/z^rc' with that of other fa(5i:s. It
is only requifite that it be ftron^er, on account
of their want of analogy to other fa6ls. But
if the evidence of any fadts, miraculous or na-
tural, be fufficient to fatisfy thofe who faw
theni, it -may be made equally fatisfadtory to
thofe who did not fee.tbfem. If the peifons, who
themfelves faw the miracles, were in fufficient
numbers, and fufticiently unbiaffed, we can have
no doubt but that (fmce thofe perfons were
conftituted in the fame manner as we are) had
we been in their place, ive fhould have been as
well fatisfied as they were. Nay, in many cafes,
men are even better fatisfied with the evidence
of other perfons than they are with their own,
from a diflrull of their own fenfes and judg-
ment.
I would
French Pbilofophers, &c» 1 3
i would alfo obferve, that if other biftorIe8>
though written in ancient and unknown lan-
guages, can yet be made credible to the un-
learned, fo may the hiftory of the Bible ; and
it cannot be denied, that mere French and En-
glifh readers have as firm faith in the hiftories
of Greece and Rome, as thofe who are acquainted
with the Greek and Roman languages.
Chriftianity, more than any other religion,
is calculated for the ufe of plain and unlearned
perfons j and tho' the learned only can read
the fcriptures in the original tongues, the moft
unlearned have fuffident means of fatisfying
themfelves, by comparing different tranfla-
tions, &CC. with refped: to the fidelity with
which the general fenfe has been conveyed to
them; and this is all that they are interefled in.
This or the other particular book of the Old or
New Teflament, or particular parts of books
may be fpurious ; but if the general hiftory
of the Jews, as contained in the books of
Mofes, and the moil general account of the life
of Jefus, OF his principal miracles, his death,
and his refurredtion, as related by any of the
Evangelifts, be true, we have fufficient reafon
to regulate our lives by the precepts of chrif-
tianity, from the firmefi: faith in that refurrec-
tion to an immortal life, of which it gives us
the fulled ailurance.
In
14 Letters to the
In order to form a judgment concerning the
reality of prophecies and miracles, which are
the proper proofs of a divine miffion, RoufTeau
(ib,) fays, " We mud: know the laws of chance,
** and probabilities, to judge whether a predic-
" tion can be accomplifhed without a miracle :
** we mufl know thfe genius of ancient lan-
" guages, in order to afcertain what is a pre-
" didion in thofe languages, and what is only
" a figure of fpeech; what fa(fls ard within the
" order of nature, and what are not; and laft-
" ly to fay, why God has chofen, as an at-
" teftation of his having fpoken, methods which
" have themfelves fo much need of atteflation;
" as if he fported with the credulity of men,
*' and as if he purpofely avoided the true means
** of perfuading them."
But if this writer would avoid what he him-
fclf (ib.) confiders as an intolerable inconveni-
ence, viz. that " there fhould be as many
" miracles as natural events," it is abfolutely
neceffary, that they fhould not be exhibited to
all men, but only to fome men, and on parti-
cular occafions, and that the perfons who were
witnefles of them, fliould tranfmit their know-
ledge of them to others, in the ufual, but
what are found by experience to be fufficient,
methods.
In fome cafes, no doubt, it may be difHcult
to diflinguifh a predidion from a fortunate
guefs^
I
French PhilofopberSy &c, 15
guefs) and alfo a miracle from an event witliin
the compafs of nature. But in many cafes,
^ and efpecially fuch as occur in the fcrlpture
' hiftory, there is no difficulty at all. With re-
ipeO: to thefe, the mofl fceptical of men can-
not pretend that there could be any doubt of
the reality o£ the predidion, or of the mira-
culous nature of the fad:, if the appearances
were fuch as the hiftorians defcribe. Was it
poffible, for example, to have been by means
1 of any natiiral difeafe, that the firft born, and
I the firfl born only, of all the ^Egyptians, and
the firft born of their cattle, as w^ell as of tljeir
'>1 men, fhould all die in one night, and that thofe
of the Ifraelites fhould entirely efcape, and after
an exprefs and unequivocal predid'ion, that it
would be fo ? Could any power in nature, tliat
we are now acquainted with, divide the Red
Sea, and the river Jordan in fuch a manner, as
that fome millions of people ihould walk through
them as on dry land ? -
With refped to prophecy ^ could it have been
by any naturaf fagacity, that Mofes predided
the fate of the Ifraelitiih nation to the end of
the world ; or, leaving out what is yet to come,
could he have defcribed their fituation fo ex-
adly as all hiftory flicws it to have been, till
this very time, and as we ourfelves now fee
it to be ? Or could our Saviour have foretold
the deftrudion of Jerufalem, and the total de-
mo! it ion
1 6 Letters to the
molition of the temple, as events that iliould
take place in that very generation, when it is
evident, that no other Jew of that age had the
leafl apprehenfion of any fuch thing ? It re-
quires no more knowledge of philofophy, or of
human nature, than all men are poflefled of, in
order to avoid deception in fuch clear cafes as
thefe.
I am, &c.
LETTER VIIL
Of the 'Evidence of a future State,
GENTLEMEN,
THE principles on which you maintain
the doctrine of a future fate of retribution, are
much more liable to be called in queflion than
thofe of revelation. Philofophers will never
approve of them, and their opinions will have
weight with thofe who are not philofophers ;
and no authority of laws can prevent this. It
is not your national afTembly decreeing that the
belief of the being of a God, and of the immor-
6 tality
French "Philofophersy &c, iy
tality of the human foul, are the principles of
religion with Frenchmen, that will make them
be believed by the people of France, or of any
, other nation. The proper authority, on which
i any fpeculative principles, which are the foun-
/ datiort of all practice, are founded, muft be the
reafons alleged in their favour j and it will be
faid, that admitting there is a God, or an intel-
ligent author of nature, where is the evidence of
'man furviving the grave ?
1 1 Men are not, in reality, acfluated by any
I 'other principles than thofe of other animals.
Our faculties differ from theirs only in degree,
and by no means in kind i and thofe of fome
brutes approach very near to thofe of fome
men i and as men live, fo they die, in the fame
manner as brute creatures. Confequently, if
it be any thing in the natural conftitution of
man, on which you found your expectation of
the immortality of the thinking principle within
him, you muft have the fame expectation with
refpe<St to every brute creature, and even every
infedt.
When men ceafe to breathe, they ceafe to
think, and alfo to (hew any figns of percep-
tion, juft as brutes do ; and you commit both
in the fame manner to the earth, when every
principle of which they confifted, is either dif-
folved, and difperfed by the procefs of putre-
faction, or affords n©uriihment to other ani-
C mals.
1 8 Letters to the
mals, fo as to fuftain life in fome other form.
What appearance, then, or what natural evi-
dence of any kind, is there, that any part of
the dead man, or the dead animal, efcapes ?
Or, if any thing invifible to us fliould efcape
at death, what evidence is there of that part of
man retaining all the powers of perception and
thought ?
If while a man lives, his faculty of think-
ing is deranged by a blow on the head, or a dif-
eafe of the brain ; or if when he is thrown into
a ftate of found fleep, his faculty of thinking be
fufpended, how can he perceive, or think, when
his brain is infinitely more difordered, or when
he has no brain at all ? Certainly there is no
analogy in nature that can lead us to form
fuch a conclufion. Had we had no knowledge
of men but in a ftate of death, it would have
been no more rational to fuppofe that they
were pofiTefTed of the power of thinking, than
that fo many logs of wood had the fame power.
If you fay that it is impcflible to conceive
how the properties of perception and thought
ftiould refuU from any organization of mere
matter, T fay it is equally impoflible to conceive
how the properties of gravitation, of magnet-
ifm, or of electricity, lliould refult from the
fubftances which we find to be endued with
them. The connection between the fubftance
and the properties is equally unknown in all
the
French Thilofophers^ &^. 10
the cafes. Befides, what do we know oiimma-
terial fubflances more than we do of thofe that
I We call material? We have, in faft, no pro-*
per idea of 2^y fubjianee, but only of the pro^
perties by which they afFedt our fenfes, and
which we fay inhere in, or belong to them j
fo that to the mere terms material or immaterial^
as expreflive of things or fubflances, and ex-
clufive of their properties, which we fay belong
to them, we equally annex no ideas at all. Con-
fequently our difficulty with refped: to the
caufe of perception and thought, is not at all
removed by fuppofing that they belong to an
immaterial fubflance, which is invifible to us^
and which efcapes when a man dies.
If you fay that there muft be fomething in man
which is immortal, in order to his receiving
a juft recompence for his adtions in this life, it
will be afked, what reafon have you to expe<ft
that men will receive from the author of na-
ture, any other recompence than they do in
this life ? You can only judge of the dejigns,
as well as of the power of God, from what you
fee of his works and his providence j and if
you fee that men ad:ually do die in their crimes,
without receiving any proper punifhment, the
fair inference is, that the author of nature,
who is the author of life and of death, did not
intend that they fliould receive any. If you
form any other idea of God, he is a Being of
C 2 your
20 ' Letters to the
your own Imagination, and therefore nothing
that you can fuppofe fuch a being as he
ought to do, or to provide for, can be the
ground of any real expectation whatever.
I cannot help obferving that Monf. Robef-
pierre, in his excellent Report on the fubjedt,
gives no reafons whatever for his belief in the
immortality of the foul, befides the import-
ance and ufe of the dodrine -, and Mr. Paine,
who in his Age of Reafon profeiTes the fame be-
lief, contents himfelf with faying, page lo,
that ** The power which gave him exift-
** ence is able to continue it, and that it ap-
" pears to him more probable that he ihall
" continue to exift hereafter, than that he
** fhould have had exiftence, as he now has,
** before that exiftence began." But he gives
no reafon whatever why this appears to him to
be probable. Before he had any exiftence at
all there were numberlefs millions to one,
that he never would have exiftcd. For
exadly fuch a perfon as Mr. Paine was but one of
an infinite variety of beings, that might have
been produced, and therefore, confiftently
enough with what he has advanced, there may
be many millions to one again ft his exiftence
after death. That the power which gave him
exiftence is able to continue it, is no proof at
all that he ivill continue it ; ftnce there is, no
doubt, an infinite number of things within the
power
French Philofophers, &c» • zi
power of the Almighty, that never adually
take place.
The more attention you give to this im-
portant fubjed, the more fatisfied, I am con-
fident, you will be, that no principles befides
thofe of chriftianity can enfure the firm belief
of a future ftate, as neceffary to that doftrine
of future retribution y which you wifh to efta-
blifh. In the principles of chriftianity, there
is nothing metaphyfical or dubious. That man
will furvive the grave, chriftianity aflures us,
not on the principle of the immateriality, or
immortality, of any thing invifible belonging
to a man, which death cannot afFed:, but on the
adual refurredion of the whole man in a fu-
ture period; and this upon the politive word
of him that made man, and who, no doubt,
has power, though in a manner which we can-
not comprehend, to reftore the life which he
firft gave.
That the Divine Being has given men this
aflurance, is confirmed by fuch evidence as no
perfon can reafonably objed to. For in the na-
ture of things, ftronger evidence could not
have been given, or even imagined y as I pre-
fume I have fufiiciently proved in my Dif-
courfe on the refurre5lion of Jefus, to which I
take the liberty to refer you. What could the
moft incredulous of men have required more,
than that a man, commifiioned by God, and
C 3 evidencing
2 2 Letters to the
evidencing his miffion, by unqueftionable mi-
racles {fome of which were raifing of dead
perfons to life) fhould not only affert the
dod;rine, on the authority of thofe rniracles,
but, as an ultimate proof of it, fhould exhibit
himfelf as an example of it, by announcing
his own death and refurre^tion within a limited
time, being put to death by his enemies, in
the moft public manner poflible. The cer-
tainty of his refurred;ion was alfo evident from
the conduct and miracles of the apoflles, ad:ing
in his name afterwards, >
Evidence of this kind is far better adapted
to the nature of man than any arguments that
can be alleged in favour of the immortality
of the human foul, which, it is well known,
never, in fad, produce any confiderable ef-
fect, fo as to induce men to live and to a^,
and flill lefs to die, in the full perfuafion of its
truth 'y and it cannot be denied, that this ha^
been unqueftionably the cafe of thoufands and
tens of thoufands, with refped: to the chriftiari
dodtrine of a refurredlion. What real influ-
ence had the dodtrine of the immortality of
the foul upon any of the ancients ? And it is
well known, that the little appearance there
was of the belief of it, had vanifhed before the
time of Chrift. It is fufficiently evident that
even Cicero, who with great ingenuity collec-
ted, and Hated, all the arguments he could find
in
French PhilofopherSy &c, 23
in favour of this dodrinc, did not himfelf lay
any flrefs upon them.
The deifts of the laft century in England
began indeed, with profeffing, as you do, their
"^ belief in the immortality of the foul, as well
as in that of the being of a God, and of a pro-
vidence : but it was not retained by their dif-
ciples. Few perfons have had an opportunity
of being better acquainted with the unbeliev-
ers of my own age and country than myfelf 5'
and I can affure you, that I have hardly ever
known one of them, who had the leaft expec-
tation of a future life, and fome of them have
publicly maintained, that the belief of it, as
well as that of the being of a God, has done
much harm in the world. If, therefore, you
wifli to eftablifli the belief of a future ftate,
as a fecurity for good morals, you muft not dif-
countenance the chriftian dodtrine of a refurrec-
tion, and rely on a principle which has never
yielded it any folid fupport.
Simple unitarian chriftianity invites your par-
ticular and ferious attention. What you have
hitherto feen of chriftianity, has been little
more than the fhocking abufes and corruptions
of it, which have made it fubfervient to the
mifchievous policy of kings and priefts. Be
perfuaded to examine for yourfelves, and you
will find, that none of thofe things which
have give^i you fo much juft offence, are at
C 4 all
34 Letters to the
all authorized by the pure gofpel of Chrift,
On the contrary, his dodtrines are rnoft fa-
vourable to the liberty and equality of mariy
and to every thing clfe that contributes to his
dignity and happinefs. In the gofpel, men of
all ranks and defcriptions, Jew or Gentile, Bar-
barian, Scythian, bond, or free, as the apoftlq
Paul expreifes hipifelf, are confidered as bre^
thren, being equally children of God, and heirs
of immortality, They are reprefented as hav-
ing different parts to adt on the great theatre
of the world, but as entitled to an equal re-
ward, if they a<ft them well. So far is there
from any preference being given to the rich
and great, that their chance for future blifs,
is always reprefented as lefs than that of the
poor, who, on that account, are pronounced
moft happy.
In the original inftitutions of Mofes, there
was no provifion for a kittg, tho' all the neigh-
bouring nations were governed by kings, and
in the moft arbitrary manner ; and when the
Hebrews wifhed to imitate their neighbours in
this refpedt, as they did in every other, the
prophet Samuel, fpeaking by authority from
God, defcribed to them the fatal confequence
of adopting that form of government, in as
earneft and as emphatical a manner as you j^our-
felves could now do it, viz. as leading to op-
preflion and every fpecies of abufe.
So
Trench PhilofopherSt &c, 25
So far is the gofpel from being a fyftem of
ecclefiafikal tyranny ^ which is the ufe • that has
been unhappily made of it, that nothing is id
ftrongly inculcated by Jefus as the virtue of hu*
mllity, and that all pre-eminence is founded on
ufefulnefs. Having called his apoftles together,
on two of them difcovering fome fymptoms of
ambition, he faid, Matth, xx, 25, &c. " Yc
** know that the princes of the Gentiles exer*
** cife dominion over them, and they that are
" great exercife authority upon them \ but it
** ihall not be fo among you. But whofoever
** will be great among you, let him be your
** minifter, and whofoever will be chief among
** you, let him be your fervant \ even as the
^* fon of man came not to be miniflered unto,
" but to minifter, and to give his life a ranfom
" for many/' The very ftile made ufe of by
the pope, who gradually ufurped all power in
heaven and in earth, clearly points out this ori-
ginal maxim of the gofpel, for he calls himfelf
the fervant of the fervants of God.
Originally all chriftian churches were no-
thing more than voluntary afTociations of chrif-
tians who appointed officers for the ufe of the
fociety, and difplaced them whenever they
pleafed -, and it was their firft cuftom, to ap-
point a number of the fame rank, to manage
all their concerns, not one of whom, as the
l^ijhop in after times, had any more power
than
±6 Letters to the, &c.
than another. In Ihort, nothing could be more
favourable to the principles of ejiial liberty than
the genuine maxims of the gofpel, and the
uniform pra£lice of the primitive ages of chrif-
tianity.
Still more evident is it, that minifters, in
chriftian churches, had originally nothing at
all to do in civil matters. In w^hat manner
they acquired the power of which we find them
poflefled afterwards, and what ufe they made of
it, ecclefiaftical hiflory abundantly (hews. But
in no other cafe will you plead for the total dif-
ufe of any thing, on account of the abufes to
which it has been fubjeft.
Hoping that in the prefent very critical and
interefting fituation of your country, and of
all Europe, you will take thefe things into
your ferious confideration, I am, with my fin-
cere wifhes for the perfe(fl eftablilhment of
your liberty, and the difappointment of all
your enemies, your highly honoured fellow
citizen.
J. PRIESTLEY.
Norfhumherland in America,
Findemiaire J. De la Republiqtic Fran^oife,
Ann. 3.
LET-
LETTERS
TO A
PHILOSOPHICAL UNBELIEVER.
PART III.
LETTER r.
Of the Sufficiency of the Light of Nature for the
Purpofe of moral InJiruBion,
PEAR SIR,
CONSIDERING how diftlnguifhed and
important a part Mr. Paine has a6led on the
theatre of the political world, and the eager-
nefs with which his writings have been read,
not only in America and England, but, by means
of tranflations, in all parts of Europe, I do not
wonder that you are apprehenfive that his viru-
lent attack upon revelation, in his late work
entitled T^he A^e ofReafon, fhould make an un-
favorable
28 Letters to a
favorable impreffion upon many perfons. And
as I have been happy enough, in the former
part of our correfpondence, to have given you
fome fatisfa<5tion v/ith refpe6l to the vyritings of
MrTGibbon, and other modern unbelievers, y^ou
requeft my perufal of this work, and my opinion
\x^ of the ilren^th or v^eaknefs of the arguments
contained in it,
I agree with you in thinking, that this work
ihews the fame vigor of mind and flrength of
expreffion, that diilinguilh the other writings
of Mr. Paine. But I hope to fatisfy you, and
others who are fufficiently candid, that he had
not the fame previous knowledge of the fubje<3:
of which he treats -, and without this knowledge
of his fubjed, the greateft mental ability ^rid
command of words only enable a man to impofe
upon the ignorant and unwary ; who will na-
turally prefume that when a man writes with
great confidence in his own opinion, and con-
tempt of that of others (which are undifguifed
in this work of our author) he has taken pains
to make himfelf mafter of his fubjed;, and that
he feels the ground on which he ilands. There
can be no doubt but that Mr. Paine thought fo.
But let us examine the foundation of his confi-
dence, beginning with what he fays of the fuf-
ficiency of the li^ht of nature for moral inftruc-
tion.
** What
Philofophical XJnbettevef, h)
f " What mote," fays he, page 70, ** docs
" man want to know, than that the hand, or
** power that made thefe things, is divine, is
I *• omnipotent ? Let him believe this, with the
I ** force it is impoffible to repel, if he permits
f •* his reafon to aft, and his rule of moral life
" will follow. of courfe." Speaking of the
creation^ he fays, p. 66, ** It preaches to all
•* nations, and to all worlds, and this word of
" God reveals to man all that is neceflary for
'* man to know of God."
Now, much more is neceflary to be known
hy man, than that the hand, which made him»
and all things, is omnipotent. For all the rules
of moral conduct by no means follow from this
fcanty kncwledge. A being may be omnipo-
tent, and yet .malevolent. For though the idea
of a devil has, I believe, no archetype in nature,
it is poffible in itfelf, and univerfally thought
to be fo. Nay, whole nations have believed in
^^ originally evil principle, as well as an origin-
ally good one.
Indeed, forgetting what he had faid about
the idea of the mere ornnipotence of the author
of nature, being fufficient to lead men to the
knowledge of all moral duties, Mr, Paine calls
to his aid the marks of benevolence^ which are
imprefled on the face of nature, fuppofing the
author of it to fay to man, p. S6, " Learn Irom
" "^y munificence to all, to be kind to each
8 **"other,"
^o hetters to d
•' other." There are, no doubt, rharks of be^
ncvolencc, as well as of power, in the conftitd^
tion of nature, and the condudt of providence^
fufficient to enable a reflefting mind to conclude
that the author of nature is fupremely benevo-
lent, and that the great end of all his works is
the happinefs of his creatures. But this is not
fo apparent, but that many have drawn a con-
trary conclufion i and there are appearances in
nature which would feem to juftify the gene-
rality of mankind, who are unable to take
enlarged and extenfive views of things, in draw-
ing it. At leaft, we fee in thefe appearances
the natural caufes of their miftake. For it
cannot, be denied, that there is much evil as
well as good in the world, much pain as weU
as pleafure; and that the introdudion of the
evil was with a view to the produftion of more
good, and not the pleafure which the intro-
ducer of it took in the thing itfelf, is not always
evident.
Men naturally judge of the thoughts and de-
figns of other intelligent beings by what they
experience in themfelves, and obfervc in thofe
about them. Now, whatever be the caufe,
there certainly are perfons who really delight
in mifchief, and take a pleafure in the fuffer-
ings they occafion to others. It is no wonder,
therefore, that men have fuppofed that there
are beings above them, and at whofe mercy they
are.
Pbilofophical Unbeliever, 3 1
are, who take pleafure in tormenting them j
and though they (hould form an idea, that one
Being was the author of the various and feem-
iogly contradi<5tory appearances in nature
(which, however, is more than mankind have
ever in fa(5t attained to themfelves) they might
fuppofe that this great Being was of a variable
difpofition, ibmetimes rejoicing in good, and
fometimes in eviL To learn of him, therefore^
and to imitate his condu<^, they might think
was occafionally to indulge themfelves in a little
mifchief; as, they might fay, the author of
nature did, by ftorms and earthquakes, or when
he fent war, and peftilencc, and famine among
men. Men, therefore, left to the mere light Qf
nature, might fay, that, fince, in thefe cafes,
there is an evident violation of all the rules of
juftice, as well as of mercy and goodnefs, there
was no reafon why men {hould be bound by
laws by which the Supreme Being did not bind
himfelf.
Agreeable to this, it is well known, that in
the very worfhip which the heathens paid to
their gods, they indulged both their lufl and
their revenge without the leaft rcilraint. They
even inflidted the greateft tortures upon them-
l^lves as well as upon others, as the fureft way
tb gratify the inclinations, and fecure the fa-
vour of the objects of their worihip ; and abfurd
as we now juftly think thofe pradices to have
been,
^2 Letters to a
been, it was not the wifdom of man, but the
preaching of that gofpel which Mr. Paine treats
with fo much contempt, that brought men off
from them. This defpifed inflrument did more
for mankind in this important refpedl in a few
years, than all the learning of the Egyptians,
and the philofophy of the Greeks were able to
do in many centuries. In fadt, this learning
and philofophy, and all the light of nature,
fhining on the moft improved of human minds,
effedted no real change at all ; not one of the
moft abfurd of the popular fuperftitions, having
been corrected by then>.
That nature teaches the duty of prayer to
God, Mr. Paine is fo far from aflerting, that
he ridicules the idea of it. **• What," fays he,
p. 63, " is the amount of all his prayers, but
** an atternpt to make the Almighty change his
** mind, and a6l otherwise than he does ?"
And yet men when left to nature, have univer-
fally had recourfeto^ player. How, then, does
Mr. Paine's theory and the pradlice of man-
kind^^^ee ? It is, however, evident to me,
that mankind in general have, Jri this rejped:,
judged and adted more naturdly_-tiian JV|r^
Paine. The generality of mankind, judging of
other intelligent beings, and confequently of the
Supreme Being, from what they experienced in
themfelves, and obferved in thofe with whom
they had intercourfe, would naturally fuppofe
that
Pbilofophical Unbeliever, 33
that his feelings bore a refemblance to their own,
and that his conduct would be dired:ed by the
fame principles. As, therefore, they had been
accullomed to apply for what they wanted, to
their earthly fuperiors, they would naturally ap-
ply to the Supreme Being for fuch things as
they imagined he alone could give. Their be-
lieving that he knew all their wants, and was
well difpofed towards them, would not prevent
their applying to him ; fmce, judging from
their own conducft towards their children and
dependants, they might think that he would
defer his bounty till they applied for it; a? that
would be an expreffion of the fenfe they had of
their dependance upon him, and their obliga-
tion to him.
In an advanced ftate of human nature, I can
conceive xh-M petition may be an unnecellary
part in prayer. We may perhaps even fee an
impropriety of any mode of diredt addrefs to
the Deity ; and rejoicing in the full perfua(ion
that we have of the benevolence and wifdom
of the Supreme Being, indulge no fentiments
but thofe of gratitude and joy. But ih-M petition ,
as well as thank/giving, is adapted to the prefent
ftate of human nature, and human life, and that
it becomes even the moft intelligent of men to
join with the vulgar in that pradice which Mr.
Paine fo much ridicules, I have the fuUeft per-
^ualion.
D Prayer
^4 Letters to a
Prayer is a neceflary flep in the intelledual
aad moral improvement of man. That habitual
regard to God, which does not imply any diredt
addrefs to him, but (as Dr. Hartley has ad-
mirably and philofophically explained the pro-
eefs) eminently contributes to exalt and purify
^^ niind, cannot be attained without it. As
good and as pious a man as Mr. Paine may be
(and on this, no doubt, he founds the hope he
expreiTes to have p. 8, of happinefs beyond this
life) I am confident he would have been^rnore
pious, and confequently more virtuous, if he
had made confcience of daily prayer, tho' it may
be too late for him to make the experiment of
having recourfe to it now.
If we form our judgment of the light of na-
ture, not from the practice of the bulk of man-
kind, even in all ages, and all nations, but
from the avowed principles, and condudt of
thofe who, in oppoiition to the friends of re-
velation, make the greateft boaft of it, we fliall
fee reafon to form no high idea of the fuf-
ficiency of it ; lince the moft celebrated of
modern unbelievers have defended pra<5lices
which are evidently unjuftifiable.
, If there be any thing of a moral nature that
is indifputably ri^^ht, as a branch of perfect in-
iegrky, it is, that a man's profeffions fliould
correfpond to his real lentiments, and his con,
^ ^>-^ct to his profefTioiis j fo that both ^ by hi j
words
Philofophical Unbeliever. 35
words and his adlons, he fliould lead others
fiito no miftake concerning his principles. In
•this Mr. Paine perfe<ftly agrees with me. ** It
" is" impoffible," he fays, p. lo, ** to calcu-
** late the moral mifchief, if I may fo exprefs
** it, that mental lying has produced in fociety.
" When a man has fo far corrupted and prof-
** tituted the chaftity of his mind, as to fub«
** fcribe his profeffional belief to things he docs
** not believe, he has prepared himfelf for the
** commiffion of every other crime. He takes
** up the trade of a prieft for the fake of gain,
** and in order to qualify himfelf for that trade,
** he begins with perjury. Can we conceive
** any thing more deftrudlive to morality than
« this?"
This inftance of immorality, Mr. Paine fees
in its juft light, " when chriftians are guilty of
^^* But unbelievers, who have profeflcd the
greateft attachment to the light of nature, have
not only been habitually guilty of the fame
enormity, but have defended their condu£t with
refpcdt to it. Roufleau, who firft folemnly ab-
jured the proteftant religion, in which he was
educated, and afterwards as folemnly renounced
the catholic religion without pretending to have
• changed his opinion, fays {Emi'/e, /h, iv.) " In
** the uncertainty in which we are, it is inex-
" cufable to profefs any other religion than
*' that in which we arc born, and falfehood.
Da ** not
36 Letters to a
** not iinccrely to pradlife what we profcfs."
Voltaire always profefTed himfelf a catholic
chriftian, and on his death bed he made a con-
feilion of his faith, in which he declared, that
he died in the catholic religion, in which he
was born. * Mr. Hume, Mr. Gibbon, and.thp
jj^enerality of unbelievers in England, always
wrote under the mafk of chriftianity, and at-
tacked it not diredily, but only in an artful in-
fidious manner* Not fo, the apoftles, the
primitive chriftians, and the proteftant mar-
tyrs. It is only among the believers in revela-
tion that we fliall find the noble heroifm of
dying, rather than profefs what is believed to
be a falfehood. Many unbelievers have not
fcrupled to throw away their lives in duels, or
to deftroy themfelves through difappointment,
or e?i7mi. But how much more noble is it to die
for important truth ?
Another virtue of the greatell importance
to the good order of fociety is chaflity, or an
. adherence to the rules which have been laid
down by all the civilized part of mankincj to
reftrain the commerce of the fexes. But un-
believers, who profefs to live according to n2i-
ture, have in general, made little account of
this virtue. Roufleau profeffed to think hii
felf the very beit ot his Ipecies, tKoiighliemade
no fcruple of his crinxinal connexion vvith a
great
* St'e his life written by Cgndorcet,
I
Pljilofophkal Unbeliever. 5^
great variety of women. He was not iparried, till
late in life, to the Woman by whom he had fe-
veral children, all of whom he fent to the found-
ling hofpital, without taking any care of their
education. He alfo fpeaks in the highefl: terms
oi the fublime virtue of a woman, with whom
himfelf, and, according to his account, many
others in their turns had the fame connexion.
Surely, then, the politive command of God was
highly expedient, if not abfolutely neceiTary to
reftrain thofe irregularities eventually fo hurtful
to fociety, and deftruc-live of its peace. The
authority of the great and wife parent of man-
kind was required to guide the condud: of his
children, before their own reafon would have
difcovered the true rule of life, and the way to
happincfs.
I atn, ^Q,
D3 LETTER
301.238
j[^.,» Letters to a
LETTER II.
Of the Nature of Revelation, and its proper*
Evidence,
DEAR SIR,
IT mufl be allowed by all perfons, that the
only proper evidence of revelation » is a miracle^
or fomethin|; out of the ufual courfe of nature.
For no other than the author of the lavys of
nature can controul them, and depart from
them. '* But, fays Mr. Paine, p. i'^6," " Un-
*' iefs we know the whole extent of the laws,
** and of what arc commonly called the powers
** of nature, we arc not able to judge whether
** any thing that may appear to us wonderful
** or miraculous, be within, or be beyond, or
** be contrary to. her natural power of ading."
To this it is eafy to reply, that though no
man knows the whole extent of the powers,
or laws of nature, we are fufficiently well ac-
quainted with fome of them. Not to mention,
the cafe of the death of the firft born, and of
the tirit born only, both of men, and of cattle,
throughout the whole land of Egypt, in one hour
of
FhilofopVtcal Unbeliever, 39
of one particular night, and that diftln^ly •an-
nounced beforehand; or the dividing the Red
Sea or the river' Jordan, 10 that a whole na-
tion could march through them at their lei-
fure, which are fadts in the Old Teftament
hiftory : will Mr. Paine himfelf fay, that the
inflantaneous cure of all kinds of difeafes, not
excepting thofe that require the longeft medi-
cal treatment, fuch as dropfies, pahies, and in-
fanity, by a word fpeaking, was within the
ufual courfe of nature ; or that a man could
walk on the fea, and ftill a tempeft, by com-
mand, without a miracle. Still lefs will he fey
that a man who had been crucified on Friday,
and left alone in a fepulchre, could walk about
and converfe on the Sunday following, as if
nothing had been done to him, without a
miracle. Admitting the facfts to be, as they are
reprefented in the gofpel hiftory, he would
furely fay, that little as we know of the whole
compafs of nature, fuch things as thefe are
clearly beyond it, and unqueftionably fnper-
natural.
It is mere burlefque writing, and unworthy
of this ferious fubjed:, to fay {on the fuppofi-^
^ tion of miracles being employed to prove a di-
vine million) as Mr. Paine does p. 139, " It
'* is degrading the Almighty into the characfter
** of a fhowman, playing tricks to amufe and
" make the people ftare and wonder ;" when,
D 4 in
40 Letters to a
in the nature of things, miracles were neceilary
to engage the attention of mankind, and to con-
vince them of the power and prefence of God.
He fays, [ib.) " That whenever recourfe is
** had to ihow for the purpofe of procuring;
*' belief (for a miracle undef any idea of the
" word is a fliow) it implies lownefs, or weak-
** nefs, in the dodrine that is preached." But
might not Mr. Paine with juft as rnuch reafon
fay, that the exhibition of the works of nature
is only another kind of fhow ; and therefore
'that no dodrine can be taught by //.^ But
there are dodtrmes which, to m¥n at lea.ft, ab-
folutely require the aid of miracles to their
j|| proof; as that of a refurre£tion from the dead
■ at. a future period, which it is impoflible for us
to learn from any appearances in nature ; but
, which we may firmly believe on the exprefs
\ word of our Maker, afcertained in the only way
\ in which it poflibly can be afcertained, viz. by
^ miracle.
But Mr. Paine thinks that, admitting the
- poffibility of miracles, the reality of them can
j never be made credible, ** Is it more proba-
*' "Ble," fays he, p, 141, ** that nature fhould go
•* out of her courfe, or that a man fliould tell
** a lie ? We have never feen in our time na-
•* ture go out of her courfe ; but we have good
" reafon to believe that millions of lies have
** been told in the fame time. It is, therefore,
*' at
Philofophica! Unbeliever. 41
** at leaft millions to one that the reporter of a
** miracle tells a lie."
This is by no means the true ftate of the
cafe, as it refpe(5ls the miracles recorded in the
fcriptures. Should, indeed, any iingle perfoii.
I efpecjally a ftranger, come and tell me that he
j faw a man, who was unqueftionably dead, fud«
^ denly rife up, walk about, and converfe as in
perfect health, I fhould, no doubt, conclude
either that he waf deceived himfelf, or that he
i defigned to impofe upon me ; this being more
-probable than the truth of the fa(fl. But when
j I find thatjhoufands, and tens of thoufands of '^
i perfons, who had the beft opportunity of in-'
forming themfelves concerning a fad: of this
miraculous nature, and who had every motive
that men could have to fcrutinize the evidence
with the grealeft rigour, fhew their full perfua-
fion of the truth of it, by relinquifhing every
thing dear to them in life, and even life.itfelf,
rather than give up their belief of it ; the ques-
tion to be confidered is, whether it be more
probable that fuch a number of perfons, cir-
cumftanced as thefe were, could be impofed
upon, or the thing itfelf be true ; and efpecjally
if a great and good end was vifibly anfwered by
the truth of the facft, which is the cafe with
refped; to thofe miracles which eftablilhed the
belief of chriftianity. And what a chriflian
fays, is, that to fuppofe all thefe perfons, who
had
^>
^U Liefters to a
'u had the perfed ufe of all their fenfes, and who
I were as capable of judging as he himfelf could
be, and as much interefted in afcertaining the
truth, to be deceived, would, in reality, be more
extraordinary, and therefore, properly fpeaking,
more miraculous, than the fad: in queftion. -'
It is, no doubt, true, that millions of lies
have been told bynien ; but if only ten or a
dozen men of Mr. Paine's own acquaintance,
fhouid, independently of one another,^ tell him
^^^ ^^"^g thing, as equally feen by;jhemfelyes,
and he ihould not be able to difcover any motive
that they could have to wifh to deceive him, I
am perfuaded that, like any other man. in the
fame circumflances, his incredulity would be
daggered.
It is upon the idea of the utter incredibility
of miracles, that Mr. Paine, fpeaking of them,
makes the following extraordinary aflertion.
** It is," fays he, p. 139, " the moft equivocal
*' fort of evidence that can be fet up. For the
** belief is not to depend on the thing called a
** miracle, but upon the credit of the reporter,
" who fays that he faw it, and therefore the
" thing, were it true, would have no better
'* chance of being believed than if it were a
*< lie." The credit of the reporter, is, no
doubt, neceilary to my faith in the miracle
which he reports. But this being eflabliflied,
the miracle is a jufl foundation of my belienn a
divine
Philofophical Unb'eltever, 43
rdivine interpofition, becaufe none can work a
/ miracle but God only.
It is upon the fame fuppolition of the abfolutc
incredibility of miracles, that he fays, p. 138,
Since appearances are fo capable of deceiving,
and things not real have a ilrong refemblance
to things that are, nothing can be more in-
confiftent than to fuppofe that the Almighty
would make ufe of means, fuch as are called,
miracles, that vyould fubjed: the perfon who
performed them, to the fufpicion of being an
impoftor, and the perfons who related them
to be fufpedted of lying, and the dod:rinc
intended to be fupported thereby, to be fuf-
pedted as a fabulous invention." But the
fufpicion of impoflure, does not neceffarily arife
from the relation of a miracle, but upon various
circumftances attending the narrative; and in
thefe cafes, one perfon might entertain a fufpi-
cion, when another had none at all, Hiftory
unqueftionably proves that Mr. Paine's reafon-
ing on the abfolute incredibility of miracles is
not well founded. Since he cannot deny that
credit has been given to miracles by men of all
nations, in all ages ; it is evident that they are
adapted to gain credit with men, and that by
having recourfe to them, the Supreme Being
has not made ufe of an improper inflrument for
gaining his purpofc.
The
44* \ Letters to a
The following is another truly curious, and
I believe a quite original argument of Mr.
Paine's on this £ibje«5l. " It is," fays he, p. 13,
** a contradidion in terms and ideas, to call
" any thing a revelation, that comes to us at
'* fccond hand, ^either verbally, or in writing.
" Revelation is necefTarily limited to the firfl
" communication. After this it is only an
" account of fomething which that perfon fays
" was a revelation made to himy and though he
" may find himfelf obliged to believe it, it
" cannot be incumbent on me to believe it in
*' the fame manner, for it was not a revelation
" made to me, and I have only his word for it,
** that it was made to him.''
On this principle, it is not incumbent on Mr.
Paine to believe what any perfon may tell him,
and he may give credit to nothing but what
he fees himfelf, in which cafe his faith will be
reduced to a very fmall compafs indeed. His
pretence to a contradi5iion in terms is a mere
quibble. We do not lay, that the revelation
made immediately to Mofes, ^or_to Chrift, is
ftridtly fpeaking a revelation to us. But if vyp
fee fufficient reafon to believe that the revela-
tion was made to themy we are properly fpeak-
ing believers in revelation ; and if the revelation,
whatever it be. relate to the whole human race,
as well as to the perfon to whom it was imme-
diately made, all mankind, Mr. Paine himfelf
included.
Philofophical Unbeliever, 45
included, will find themfelves under an cqugl
' obligation to rcfpe(fl: it.
Mr. Paine's obfervation on the infufficiency
of human language, to tranfmit the knowledge
of revelation, is trite, but as little to the pur-
pofe. ** Human language," he fays, p., 85, ** is
0** local and changeable, and is therefore inca-
f ** pable of being ufed as the means of un-
t ** changeable and univerfal information. As
y** to tranflations," he fays, p. 64, ** every man
/ ** who knows any thing of languages, knows
■ " that it is impoflible to tranfldte from one
** language into another, not only without
\ ** lofing a great part of the original, but fre-
\^ ** quently miflaking the fenfe." But the truth
|of revelation does not depend upon niceties of
j ideas, which it is ditlicult to exprefs, or upon
the niceties of any particular language, which it
is difficult "to transfufe into another language.
i What miflake has ever arifen, or can poflibly
\ arife, from the tranflation of the te?2 cormnand-
\me?itSy or the Lord's prayer ^ into all the lan^
guages in the world ? Mr. Paine might as well
fay, that the great facts in the Roman Hiftory,
i fuch as the conqueft of Carthage or the death
1 of Julius CaL'far, could never be credible, be-
caufe they are recorded in human language,
which is local and changeable, and the tranlla-
tion of it uncertain, as that the Molaic or chrif-
tian hiilory is incredible on that account. If
there
k)i
^6 Letters to a ' •
there be fuch a thing as cavillings unworthy of
a ferious writer, it is fuch reafoning as this.
Indeed, I do not think, I have any where met
with more confident aifertions, or a loofer mode
of arguing, than in this trad of Mr. Paine's.
I am, &c.
LETTER III.
Of the ObjeB of Chrijiianity ^ and of the Hijlory
ofjefus,
DEAR SIR,
. YOU will not much wonder that a perfon
fo occupied as Mr. Paine has been, and fo
ufefully occupied, in matters of civil policy,
fhould not underftand every thing j though his
extraordinary fuccefs in writing on fome fub-
jeds, might lead him to think himfelf equal to
any other. But you are now, I am perfuaded,
convinced, that diflinguifhed_as his^abilities are,
he has not given fufficient attention to the fub-
je<5t of revelation, that he has totally mifcon-
ceived the objedl of it, and cfpecially the nature
~ of
6
Philofophical Unbeliei)er, -/^
of its evidence. His ignorance of this fubjed:,
(arifing, I fuppofe chiefly, from his contempt
for it,) is more apparent in what he fays con-
cerning'chriftianity in particular ; the origin of
which, as lying within the compafs of well
Ehown hiftory, it was much eafier for him to
make himfelf acquainted with.
What is more remarkable ftill, Mr. Paine
admits"^hings that are manifeflly inconfiftent
with one another. For, according to him, no-
thing can be more truly amiable and excellent
than the charader of Jefus, the founder of
chriftianity, or more upright and difinterefted
than his views in founding it, and yet nothing
more deteftable than the real fpirit and ten-
dency of it. Indeed he himfelf fays, p. ^y,
fpeaking of the New Teflament, " Out of the
" matters contained in thofe books, together
** with the affiftance of fome old ftories, the
** church has fet up a fyflem of religion very
** contradictory to the chara<fter of the perfon
** whofe name it bears."
" He was, he fays, p. i8, a virtuous and
** amiable man. The morality that he preach -
** ed and praftifed was of the moft benevolent
** kind, and tho' limilar fyflems of morality
** had been preached by Confucius, and by
" fome of the Greek philofophers, many years
" before, by the Quaker* Iince, and by many
** good
4? Letters to a
" good men in all ages, it has not been ex-
" ceeded by any."
" The church, he fays, p. 57, has fet up
** a religion of pomp and of revenue, in the
•* pretended imitation of a perfon, whofe life
" was humility and poverty. Jefus, he fays,
** p. 22, preached the moft excellent mora-
** lity, and the equality of man ; but he preach -
" ed alfo againft the corruptions and avarice of
" the Jewifh priefts, and this brought upon
** him the hatred and vengeance of the whole
'* order of priefthood." " All national inftitu-
" tions of churches, whether Jewifh, Chrif-
** tian or Turkifh, he fays, p. 9, appear to me
'* to be no other than human invention, fet up
" to terrify and enflave mankind, and monopo-
** lize power and profit."
Here, then, is an extraordinary circumftancc,
which requires a little" inveltigation. Tne
founder of the chriflian fyflem was confeffedly
the moft unambitious of men, and yet hig religion
(for he does not fay, the corruptions or abufes
of it) was, " an invention fet up to enflave
" mankind, and to monopolize power and
** profit." Jf the apoflles and not Jefus, were
the founders of this religion, as Mr. Paine feems
to intimate -, they were peculiarly unfortunate
in their choice of a patron, and very unfuccefs-
ful with refped to their object. For none of
them
PhiiofophicalUnbt'lie'ver. 49
them acquired any Hiare of power or profit ;
and in general, after living wretched lives, fub-
je<ft to every mode of perfecution, died violent
deaths. If this fcheme of *' enllaving man-
" kind, and monopolizing power and profit,'*
had any later origin, it cannot be afcribed to
chriftianity itfelf, but to fomething that arofe
out of it, and for which it is not anfwerable ;
and all hiftory, though Mr. Paine may be un-
acquainted with it, proves that this was the
very fa(5t. '
But before I confider Mr. Paine's account of
the origin of the fyflem to which he fo much
objeds, I (hall attend to what he farther fays
concerning Jefiis himfelf; and this, like his
account of the obje<5l of his religion, is a ftrange
mixture of truth and falfehood. That fuch a
perfon as Jefus Chrift exifled (a thing not ad-
mitted by Mr. Volney, Lequinio, and other
philofophers in France,) Mr. Paine, p. 22,
does not deny. He farther fays, " that he was
** crucified, which was the mode of execution
" at that day, is an hiflorical relation ftridly
** within the limits of probability. MofI: pro-
" bably, he fays, p. 78, he worked at his
.** father's trade, which was that of a carpen-
" ter, and he does not appear to have had
" any fchool education, for his parents were
" extremely poor." This the evangelical hif-
tory confirms ; but when he adds, that " The
E " pro-
50 Letters to a
" probability is that he could not write," he
certainly had no foundation for it at all. If the
general account of the hiftory of Jefus, which
Mr. Paine does not call in queftion, may bs
depended upon, he read in a JewifTi fynagoguc,
and the probability is, that a man who can
read fluently, as reading in public requires,
could alfo write. In one incident recorded of
hmy John viii. 6, he wrote, or made fome kind
of chara<Sters, on the ground. Mr. Paine fays,
p. IQ, " Jefus wrote no account of himfelf, of
** his birth, parentage or any thing elfe. Not
" a line of what is called the New Teftament
•* is of his writing. The hiftory of liim is alto-
** gether the work of other people." But fuch
was the cafe with Socrates, and yet it was ne-
ver inferred from that circumftance, that he
could not write.
That Mr. Paine was very little acquainted
with the real character, and even the common
hiftory of Jefus, is evident from his faying,
p. 23, "It is not improbable that the Roman
** government might have fome fecret appre-
** henfion of the effedts of his doftrlne, as well
** as the Jewifti priefts. Neither is it impro-
" bable, that Jefus Chrift had in contemplation
** the delivery of the Jewifh nation from the
** bondage of the Romans. Between the two,
** however, this virtuous reformer -and revo-
" lutionift loil his life/'
Certainly
Fhilofophical Unbeliever » 51
Certainly there is no appearance of any thing
like this in the evangelical hiflory. On the
contrary, Jelus not only carefully avoided giv-
ing any umbrage to the Roman government,
but he declined giving his opiniorl on any poli-
tical fubjedt whatever. When he was applied
to about the divilion of an eftate, he faid, Luke
xii. 14. Who 77iade me a judge, or a divider over
you ? When he was appealed to about the law-
fulnefs of paying tribute to the Romans, he
cautioufly anfwered. Give unto Ccefar the things
that are Ccefars, and unto God the things that
are God's,
When Pilate, who certainly would not have
been fo much difpofed to favour him, as he
evidently was, if he had fufpeded him of any
defigns againft the government, aiked him if
he was a king, he acknowledged it, indeed, but
added, that his. kingdom ivas not of this world,
and that he was fent to bear witncfs concerning
truth.
When the common people would more than
once have placed him at their head, and have
ad:ually made him a king, he always rejected
the propofal with indignation, fo that at length
they ceafed to importune him on the fubjecft.
If he had had any fcheme of this kind, but did
not chufe to truft the common people, he would
naturally have confulted v/ith the great men
of his nation; and this might have recommend-
E 2 ed
£t ' Letters to a
ed him to them. Whereas fo differently did
they conceive of his views, as moft hoftile to
theirs (vvhofe wifli, as their whole hiftory fliews,
was to emancipate themfelves from the yoke
of the Romans) that they thought there was
no fafety for themfelves but in putting him to
death, which accordingly they contrived and
executed.
This, however, certainly fhews, that Jefus
was a very confpicuous charatfter. Elfe, why
all this alarm ? He had no advantage of birth,
or (?t)nnexions, that could make him formidable.
He does not appear to have been a man of very
extraordinary natural talents ; and according
to Mr. Paine, could not even write his name.
Why then were the rulers of the Jewilh nation
fo much afraid him ? Why take away the life of -
a poor illiterate carpenter, and, not content with
their owk forms of judicature, contrive to get
him condemned by the Roman governor him-
felf, and crucified by his order ?
But Mr. Paine fays, " The manner in which
he was apprehended, fhews he was not
much known at that time, and it fliews alfo
that the meetin^zs he then held with his fol-
lowers were in fecret, and that he had given
over, or fufpended preaching publickly. Judas
could no other wife betray him, than by giv-
ing information where he was, and point-
ing him out to tlie oliiccrs, who went to ar-
" reft
Phllafophkal Unbeliever, 5 j
** reft him j and the reafon for employing and
" paying Judas for this, could arife only
** from the caufes already mentioned, that of
** his not being much known, and living con-
" cealed."
This difficulty, however, is eafily removed.
The apprchenfion gf Jefus was to be in the
night, and by the common officers of juftice;
and it is very poffible that, let a man be ever
fo well known in the day time, fuch perfons as
thefe might neither be able to find him in the
night, nor diftinguifh his perfon at that time
without fome affiftance, Befides, why did
- the Jewifh rulers think it neceil'ary to ufe the
precaution of apprehending Jefus in the night,
but becaufe he was fo popular at that time
with the common people, that the apprehend-
ing of him in the day time was thought to be
too hazardous ? That the preaching of Jefus
was then, and at all times, moil: public, his
whole hiftory clearly fliews ; and when he was
feized in the night, he himfelf faid, Mark
xiv. 48. Are ye come out as againjl a thief ^ with
'fwords and with jiaves to take me f I was daily
with you in (he temple, teaching, and ye took me
?iot."
Mr. Paine fays, p. i . ** The idea of the
" concealment of Jefus, not only agrees very
** ill with his reputed divinity, but ailbciates
** with it fomething of pufiUanimity ; and his
E 3 " being
54 Letters to a
" being betrayed, or in other words, his being
** apprehended, on the information of one of his
*' followers, fliews that he did not intend to
*' be apprehended, and confequently that he
*' did not intend to be crucified."
It would be of material confequence to the
caufe of injfidelity, that what Mr. Paine here
afierts fhould be true, viz. that Jefus had no
apprehenfion of the violent death to which he
was expofed. But the whole of his hiflory
fliews, tliat he knew from the beginning that
he was to die in confequence of his undertak-
ing, and by a public crucifixion ; and though
for fome time he chofe to withdraw himfclf
from the perfecution of his enemies, it was
only till the proper time was come for his
throwing himfelf into their hands.
Some time before his lafl journey to Jeru-
falem, it is faid, Matth. xvi. 21. from that time
forth began Jcfus to ficw u7ito his difcipks how
thai ke niiijl go up unto Jenifaiemy and fujf'er
many things of the elders, and chief prif Is, and
fcribes, and be killed, and he raifed again the
third day. At the fame time, and on other
occafions, he plainly forewarned his follow-
ers, that they mufl be ready to fufter as he did 5
language which was ill calculated to favor any
conceivable purpofe of an impoflor. When
Peter on this occafion rebuked him, faying. Be
it far from thee. Lord! Thisjhall not be unto thee.
He
Philofophical Unbeliever, 55
He turned and /aid unto bim. Get thee behind me,
Satan. Thou art an offence unto me -, for thou
favour cji not the things that are of God^ but thofe
that be of men. He then faid to his difciples, ^
any man is ivilling to come after me, let him deny
himfelf and take up his crofs, and follow me i
for whofoever Jhall fave his life Jhall lofe it, and
whofoever will lofe his life for my fake fmll find
it. If they were to die in his caufe, what prof-
pedt could they have of gaining any thing by
their attachment to him ?
In one of the pubUc difcourfes of Jefus, in
which he compared himfelf to a fhepherd, he
/aid, John x. 15. I lay down my life for the
Jheep, and therefore does my father love 7ne,
btcaufe I lay down my life, that I might take it
again.
On his lad journey to Jerusalem, he faid
Mat. xvii. 22, The fon of man Jhall be betrayed
into the hands of men, and they fiall kill him,
and the third day he jhall be raifed again ; when
we find the difciples, to whom this language
was addreffwd, as was natural, exceedingly
forry.
That Jefus went tp Jerufalem at this tims
with a fixed purpofe to die there, is evident
from what hejaid when he was told that He-
fod fought to kill him, Luke xiji, 33. I nntjl'
walk to day and to morrow, and the day foU
lowing ; for it cannot be that a prophet perijh
E 4 out
^6 Letters to a
out of JeruJhJem. As they were gravelling,
Mat. XX. 17. he toak the tivelve difciples apart
in the way, and [aid unto them. Behold ive go up
to yerufale??!, and the fdn of mari fiall he betrayed
unto the chief priefis, and unto the fcrlbes ; and
they Jhall condemn him to death, and fiall deliver
him to the gentiles, to mock and to fcourge him ;
and the third day he Jhall rife again.
When Jefus was arrived at Bethany, and
was at fupper there, he faid, by way of apology
for Mary who had anointed him with fome
valuable ointment, John xii. 7. Let her alone,
againjl the day of my embalming has Jhe kept
this. When he was difcouriing in the temple,
a few days before his death, he faid, alluding
to it, V. 24. Except a grain of ^ivhcat fall into
the ground, and die, it abide th alone ; but if
it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that
loveth his life fall lof it, and he that hateth his
lif in this ivorld fall keep it unto life eternal.
That he not only apprehended his death at
this time, but that he was moft fenfiblv affeded
with the idea of it, appears from what he
added on this occafion ; Noiv is my foul troubled,
and what fid all I fayf Father, fave me from this
hour I But for this caufe ca?ne I unto this hour.
But nothing n:iews the fteady purpofe of Jefus
to give up his life in his undertaking, whatever
it was, more clearly, than his foiemn inftitution
of the ' eucharifl the very night in which he
was betrayed, exprefsly, as a memorial of his
death,
Phihfophkal Unbeliever. fj
death, the bread reprefenting his body, which
was to be broken, and the wine his blood,
which was to be fhed. All his difcourfes to
his difciples recorded in John xiv. xv. and xvi.
and his , Iblemn prayer, ch. xvii. as they
went to the garden of Gethfemane, were cal-
culated to comfort them with refpe<5t to his ap-
proaching death, and his temporary feparation
from them, John xvi. 16. A little while y and
ye fiall not fee me^ and again a little while and
ye fiafl fee fne, bccaufe I go to the Father,
Verily^ verily, I fay unto you, that ye fiall
weep and lament , but the world fiall rejoice,
and ye fiall be forrowfuly ■ but your forrow fi:all
be turned into joy. Te now have forrow ; but
I will fee you again y and your heart fiall rejoice,
and your joy no man takcth from you. In his
laft prayer, he fays, John xvii. 11. Now
I am no more in the world, but thefe are in the
world, arid I come to thee. What did he mean
by this, but that he was going to die ? In the
garden he appears to have felt what I believe
any man of equal fenfibility, would have felt
in the fame circumllances. But though he
wiflied, if it had been poiTible, to have avoided
his painful and ignominious death, and therefore
prayed, faying. Math. xxvi. 39. 0 my father,
if it be pojjible, let this cup pafs from me ; he
added, neverthelefs, not as I will, but as thou wilt.
As Jefus knew from the beginning the pur-
pofe of Judas, why, if he did not mean to be
appre-
5^ Ijetters to a
apprehended, did he go to the place where
he expefled to meet him, and why did he not
endeavour to make his efcape, which, when
they who came to apprehend him (probably
overawed by his prefence and manner of ipeak-
ing)JeII to the ground^ John xviii. 6, he had
an opportunity of doing ? When he was in
the prefence of his jewifli judges and of Pilate,
did he behave like a man who wilhed to avoid
the fate that he could not but fee was impend-
ing over him ? Had he recourfe to any mean
fubmiffion, or apologies, to five his life ? Nay,
did he not fhew as great marks of prefence of
mind, and calm intrepidity, as any man ever
Ihewed in the face of certain death ?
If all the circumftances of the apprehenfion,
the trial, the crucifixion of Jefus, be duly at-
tended to, we fhall no where find an example
of truer fortitude, accompanied with the mofl
perfedl benevolence, and the moft entire rcfig-
nation to the will of God ; efpccially if we
confider his extreme fenfibility, difcovered in
his agony in the garden. To die with a fpirit
of revenge, and to bear torture with rage
againfi: a man's enemies, is a common and low
attainment, compared to dying with that fpirit
of perfe(51; meeknefs and forgivenefs which was
difcovered by Jefus, when he prayed for his
executioners. This argues a mind of a fuperior
and extraordinary cafl,
Mr,
Phihfopbkal Unbeliever, 4^
..^ Mr. Paine, not confidering that the great
I f^ife lof the death of Chrift was to prepare the
I I way for the moft fatisfadtory evidence of the <
I ' refurrecfllon, fays, p. 52. " The chriftlaii
*' mythologifts tell us that Chrifl died for the
** iins of the world, and that he came on pur-
** pofe to die. Would it not then have been the
** fame if he had died of the fever, or fmall
** pox, of old age, or of any thing elfe?" But
it is obvious to obferve, that had Chrift died
\ of any difeafe, and of courfe in private y among
his friends, it would always have been faid by un^
\ believers, that he never had been actually dead;
/ whereas this could not be faid of a man, who
was condemned to death by his enemies, and
publicly crucified.
Mr. Paine's account of the refurre£tion of
Jefus, fliews that he was but little acquainted
with the circumflances of that part of the hif-
tory. " A fmall number of perfons,*' he fays,
p. 21, " not more than eight or nine, are
** introduced as proxies for the whole world,
** to fay they faw it ; and all the reft of the
'* world are called upon to believe it. But
** it appears that Thomas did not believe the
** refurre(5tion ; and, as they fay, would not be-
" lieve without having ocular and manual
** demonflration himfelf, fo neither will I;
<* and the reafon is equally as good for
<* ji^e, and for every other perfon, as for Tho-
** mas.
6o Letters to a
*' mas. It is in vain to attempt to palliate
** or difguife this matter. The ftory, fo far
** as relates to the fupernatural parts, has
" every mark of fraud and impofition ftamped
** upon the face of it. Who are the authors
*^ of it, it is as impoffible for us to know,
** as it is for us to be affured that the books
" in w^hich the account is related, were written
** by the perfons whofe names they bear.
** The befl furviving evidence we now have,
" refpe^fting this affair, is the Jews. They are
" regularly defcended from the people, who
" lived in the time that this refurrcdion and
" afcenfion is faid to have happened, and they
** fay it is not true."
Inftead of eight or nine, the eleven apoflles,
and feveral other perfons, faw Jefus repeatedly "
after his refurredtion, and he met the great
body of his difciplcs in Galilee by particular
appointment. Paul fays, i Cor. xv. 6. that
" he was feen by more than five hundred at
" once, the greater part of them being then
** alive ;" and it is eafy to obferve, that if the
evidence of five hundred perfons, none of
whom had any intereft in deceiving, or being
deceived, v/as not deemed fufficient to eftablifh
the truth of any facft, which requires nothing
more than the evidence of the fenjes, that of
five thoufand, or any other number, might be
objedled to as infufficient. And fo far is this
dory
Phiiojhphtcal Unbeliever, ' 6i
ftory from bearing any mark of fraud, or im-
pofition, that I challenge Mr. Paine, or any
other perfon, to propofe any other circumftan-
ces that would have made it more credible
than it now is at this diftance of time. This
I think I have fufficiently fhewn in my Difcourfe
on this fubjed:, though I do not expedl that
Mr. Paine will think it worth his while to look
into it.
If by the Jews who fay that the ftory of the
refurredtion is not true, Mr. Paine means the
Jews of this age, or the Jewifh Rulers, and the
majority of the Jewifh nation, at the time, it
is acknowledged. But their unbelief is much
more eafily accounted for, on the fuppofition
of the ftory being true, than the belief of the
many thoufands of Jews who entertained no
doubt of it at the time, on the fuppofition of
its not being true. For thefe muft have had as
ftrong a prejudice again ft the belief of it as any
other Jews; and no prejudice of which wc
have any account in hiftory could be ftronger
than this.
Had the Jewifh nation in general, in con-
fequence of their believing this fact, become
chriftians, Mr. Paine would have had much
more to objed: to the ftory than he now has ;
as he would, no doubt, have faid that the Jewifli
priefts and rulers were in the fccret, and muft
have had it in their power to contrive and exe-
cute
62 Letters to a
cute the fcheme of a refurrecftlon^ or any thing
t\.{^ which they had thought proper for their
purpofe ; that there does not appear to have
been any motive for a rigorous inquiry into the
truth at the time, and that it is too late now.
Mr, Paine may require the fame evidence
for the refurredion of Jefus that Thomas
did, and he may require the fame evi-
dence of any other fadt, and believe nothing
but what he himfelf fees. But it fatisfies me,
that perfons as incredulous as Thomas evident-
ly was, and as much fo as Mr. Paine himfelf
could have been, perfons as capable of judg-
ing in the cafe, and as much difpofed rigoroufly
to examine into the truth, were convinced
of it. The evidence that fatisfied fuch perfons
as thefe, and a fufficient number of them,
v^ould, no doubt, have fatisfied me, if I had
been in their place. It is not expected that
fa(fts in the chriflian hiflory, or thofe in any
other hiflory, will be believed by the violently
prejudiced. It is enough that they gain the
affent of perfons of competent judgment and
candour, and whofe minds are in a proper
flate to be imprefled by reafonable evidence.
I am, &c.
LET-
PMlofophkal Unbeliever, 6.3
LETTER IV.
Of the proper Origin of the Scheme of Chrijii-^
anity, and Antiquity of the Books of the New-
Tejiatnent.
DEAR SIR,
Mr. PAINE's account of the origin of wKat
he calls chiiftianity, is the moft curious ro-
mance I have ever met with. He does not
deal in dates, any more than in q'lQlatiQUS,
writing wholly irom his meniory; and. gs he
acknowledges, without having even a Bible at
t^nd. ?\xl he fhouid have toFd us ibout what
time he fuppofed the chriftian fyftem, which
gives him fo much offence, was formed. He
owns it is unjuftly afcribed to Chrift himfelf.
We may, therefore, fuppofe that the iEra to
which he refers it, was either the time when
the books of the New Teftament were written,
or when they were colledled and arranged as
they now are. But as they were colledled and
kept together, almoil as foon as they were writ-
ten, thofe two dates cannot be far diftant from
one another j and indeed, he himfelf makes no
great diftindtion between them 5 but having no
knowledge of hiilory, he refers the writing of
thefe books to a period even fome centuries later
than
64 Letters to'the
than the true one, as acknowledged by all other
enemies of chriftianity,
" The writings afcribed to the men called
** Apoflles. he faj;[s^_^._2J^, are chiefly con-
*' _j£gygffi^^> ^nd the gloominefs of the Jubjecl
*' th£y__dwell__upon^ that of a man dying in
*' agony q]i_the_crofs, is ISetter fijitedr~to~the
'* gloomy fenfes of a monk in a cell, by whom
*' it is not impoflible they were written,
" than to any man breathing the open air of
** the creation."
Now it is well known that nothing of the
fyftem of monkery exifted, or was thought of,
in the time of the apoftles; and the great maxims
of their writings condemn every thing that
leads to it. Let Mr. Paine pointout_any paf-
fage in the New TeftamenQHit, in the inoft
diflant manner^., intimates that God is pleafcd
by the,, mortifications and tormexits that men
iniiiifi on themfelves, or that.it is- dieir._ duty, or
at ^11 nrrepfohlg, to Ondf that they fliould
fhut themfelves up from the world, and de-
cline the adive duties of life. On llie__a)n-
trary, if he will_£ondefcend to ]o6k. mtcTTiis
BTbTe once mQre_(but from the contempTTvith
which' he fpeaks of it, it is not probable he
ever will, or that he could read it without
prejudice if he did) he will find that the
great duties which he himfdf would fay
are mofiiincumbcnt upon men as n2embers of
focietv,
Fhilfophkal Unbeliever, 6$
fociety, are thofe which are chiefly infifted
upon there, and that nothing is more itronj>7y
inculcated in the fcriptures, thanthat men
are to 41iew ,thejr lavfi^to God, thei. common
parent, by kind offices to his children, and
their brethren.
Mr. Paine is of opinion, p. 58. " that the paf-
" fages in thtf New Teftament on which the
" whole theory or dodlrine of what is called the
" redemption is built, have been manufad:ured
" and fabricated, on purpofe to bring forward
" the fecondary and pecuniary redemptions of
" the church of Rome. Why," fays he, *' are
** we to give this church credit, when jfhe
'*- tells us that thofe books are genuine in every
*' part, any more than we give her credit
** for any thing elfe fhe has told us, or for
** x}cit miracles fhe fays ihe has performed ?
" That file could fabricate writings is certain,
'* becaafe fhe could write, and the compofi-
** tion of the writing in queflion is of that
** kind, that any body might do iti and that;
" file did fabricate them is not more inconfifl-
'* ent with probability than that flie fhould
" tell us, as (he has done, that flie could, and
*' did, work miracles."
Here Mr. Paine is guilty of the grofTefl ana-
chronifm, iince it is well known, that the
fyflem of pecuniary redemptions y v/as not efla-
blifhed till many centuries after the writing of
' F the
66 Letters to the
the books of the New Teftamcnt, which it
is evident, contain nothing that could lead to
it. To fay that the church could, or that it
was willing to invent books, with any par-
ticular view, is nothing to the purpofe, when
all hiflory fhews, that the books actually ex-
ifted long before the church had any fuch
views. Befides, if fome perfons were interefted
in forging books, were not others as much
interefled in detecfting the forgery ? Or will
Mr. Paine fay, that the apoftles, and other
primitive chriftians, had any advantage in
point of literature, or fuperior underlland-
ing, which could enable them to impofe upon
the whole world, and fo much to their in-
jury, as Mr. Paine pretends ? This church
muil have been a moft extraordinary perfo-
nage, to have done all that Mr. Paine afcribes
to her. She mufl have been a very great knave,
and the world a very great fool. But all knave-
ry has not been confined to churchmen, nor
all folly to the reft of the world. Hlftory
fhews that both thefe articles have been pretty
equally divided between them both.
Writing, as Mr. Paine evidently does, with-
out the leaft knowledge of the fcriptures, or
indeed of hiftory, his work may make an im-
preflion on thofe who are as ignorant as him-
felf. But what fcholar will not fmile at his ac-
count of the influence which he aflerts the pro-
grefs
Philofophical Unbeliever. tj
grefs of chriflianity had on the progrefs of know*
ledge, ** However unwilling," he fays, p. 96,
" the partizans of the ^hriftlan fyflem may be
" to believe, or acknowledge it, it is neverthe-
** lefs truC; that the age of ignorance com-
** menced with the chriftian fyftem. There
" was more knowledge in the world before that
** period, than for many centuries afterwards.
** Had the progreffion of knowledge," p. 98,
" gone on proportionably with the ftock that
•* before exifted, that chafm," (meaning what
are generally called the dark ages) *' would
" have been filled up with chara<51:ers riling
** fuperior in knowledge to each other; and
'* thofe ancients, we now fo much admire,
" would have appeared refpe<^ably in the
** back ground of the fcene. But the chrif-
** tian fyftem laid all wafte."
He farther fays, p. 92, " The fetters up
" and the advocates of the chriftian fyflem of
** faith could not but forefce, that the conti-
** nually progreffive knowledge that man
** would gain by the aid of fcience, of the
" power and wifdom of God manifefted in
** the ftrudlure of the univerfe, and in all the
•* works of the creation, would militate
** againft and call into quefllon, the truth of
•* their fyftem of faith; and therefore, it be-
" came neceflary to their purpofe to cut learn-
*' ing down to a fize lefs dangerous to their
F 2 " projed:;
68 Letters to a
^' projecfl ; and this they efFeded by reftriding
" the idea of learning to the ftudy of dead
'* languages.'*
In all this Mr. Paine mufl have written from
documents exifting in his own brain only, the
real flate of things is fo much the reverfe of
what he defcribes. No real progrefs had, in
fa(5l, been made in any thing that Mr. Paine
himfelf would call ufefiil fcience, for feveral cen-
turies before the chriftian sra. The only pur-
fuits to which men of leifure and letters devoted
themfelves, related to the arts of fpeaking and
writing. In the knowledge of moral duties it
is certain, that no real progrefs was made ; nor
do I think that Mr. Paine will fay that in
all this period any confiderable improvement
was made in the fcience of government ; and
for about three centuries after the chriftian sra
every thing of this kind went on jufl as it had
done before, without any obftru6lion, but with-
out any real progrefs. How then doesit appear
that in this refpedt, " the chriftian fyflem laid
** all wafte ?"
Chriftianity was promulgated in a ftate of
the world, the mofl: enlightened, the mofl fa-
vourable to the progrefs of knowledge, and con-
fequently the moft unfavourable to any fchemc
of impofture, of any from the beginning of the
world to that time. All the civilized part of
the world was then at peace, and the ruling
nation had been for fome time enamoured with
fuch
Philofophkal Unbeliever. 69
' fuch fcience as then prevailed. Chriftianity,
though at firft embraced chiefly by the un-
learned, foon made converts of the learned -, and
in confequence of this, the heathen vi^riters be-
came fewer, and the chriftian writers more nu-
merous ; and there was certainly no appearance
of the learned among the chriftians difcourag-
ing literature. This was fo far from being the
cafe, that in a very fhort timte the chriftians
publi(hed more books than the heathens had
ever done, till at length we hardly find any
heathen v^riters at all, but chriftian writers
without number, ^nd this continued to be the
cafe till the invafion of the Roman Empire by
the northern barbarians j and this circumflance,
not chriflianity, was the thing that laid all
•wajle.
As to the deep fcheme that Mr. Paine af-
cribes to the " fetters up of the chrillian faith,"
in confequence of the umbrage they took at the
progrefs of knowledge, viz. their dDntriving
that all learning fliould coniift in the ftudy of
dead languages, I will venture to fay it never ex-
ifled but in his own fingle imagination, no other
writer, at lead, having ever entertained fuch a
notion. The apoftles and other early chriftians,
whom Mr. Paine may call xht fetters up of
chriftianity, were in general unacquainted with
any language but their own, except that fome
of them underftood Greek. This, however,
F 3 was;
^o Letters to a
was fo much the language to which all perfons
who could read were moft accuftomed, that it
was neceflary that all the books of the New
Teftament fhould be in that language ; and in
all the eaftern parts of the world, nothing was
written in any other language by chriftians or
heathens. .
At Rome, and in the weftern parts of the
empire, the chriftians as well as the heathens
wrote only in Latin, and few of them appear
to have known any thing of Greek. There
were then no dead languages to ftudy, except
Hebrew, with which, only a few of the more
learned Chriftians were acquainted. But thofe
who were, and thofe who in any other refpccfl
diftinguiftied themfelves by their application to
literature, as Origen, Jerom, Pamphilus of
Caefarea, and Eufebius, were held in the higheft
efteem on that account. How then did chrif-
tianity lay all things wafte ?
On the irruption of the northern barbarians,
(which is well known to have been the com-
mencement of that age ofdarknefs which Mr.
Paine afcribes to chriftianity) all the books,
and the literature which then exifted were pre-
ferved not by the heathens, but by chriftians ;
and had Mr. Paine been living at that time,
he muft have looked for every thing of this
kind in cathedral churches, but more efpecially
in monaftcries, where it was the occupation of
many
Philofopbical Unbeliever, 71
many of the fraternity to tranfcribe ancient
books ; and without this it is probable we
(hould not now have had any of the writings
of thofe ancients, of whom our author (without
knowing perhaps fo much of them as he does
of the fcriptures) fpeaks with fo much refpedt.
What was done for the remains of Roman
literature by the chriftian monks in the weft,
was done for the Greek literature by thofe in
the eaft.
In thofe times, and at the revival of letters,
all books being in Greek or Latin, the know-
ledge of thofe languages became abfolutely ne-
ceflary, ,and without any concurrence of the
priefts, and much lefs of the fetters up of the
chriftian faith, who had all been dead many
centuries, it was the only fource of knowledge,
and almoft the whole of literature was, in their
circumftances, reduced to the ftudy of them.
Such is the deep fcheme laid by the fetters up
of chriftianity, to confine all learning to the
ftudy of languages. How a plain tale, as
Shakefpeare fays, will fometimes put a maa
down ?
Mr. Paine's account of the compiling of the
canon of the New Teftament, is fufficiently of
a piece with his account of the origin of chrif-
tianity. " How much," he fays, p. 35, *' or
** what parts of the books now called the New
" Teftament were written by the perfons.
F 4 ** whofe
72 Letters to a
" whofe names they bear, is what we know
*' nothing of; neither are we certain in what
** language they were originally written."
Now there is, I may venture to fay, a hun-
dred times the evidence of the books of the
New Teflament having been written by the
perfons whofe names they bear, than there is
of Virgil or Ovid having been the authors of
the poems afcribed to them, or Julius Casfar
of his Commentaries ; and there never was the
leaft doubt as to the language in which any of
the books of the New Teflament was written,
except with refped: to the gofpel of Matthew,
which fom^ faid was written in Greek and
ethers in Hebrew, and which was probably
written in both.
In proportion as any fubje(5t is more intereft^
ing, the more pains men will naturally take
to afcertain the truth ; and the Chriftians who
made fo much ufe of the books of the New
Teflament, and who valued them fo highly,
were from the beginning exceedingly careful
in diilinguifliing thofe that were genuine from
thofe that were fpurious. Eufebius divides
thofe that were not fpurious into two clafies,
thofe that were univerfajly received, and thofe
of doubtful authority ; and the former contains
all the hiflorical books or thofe which record
faifls, and likewife the epillles which bear the
name pf Baul. Indeed, as thefe epiflles were
.. ' moflly
Thilofofhical "Unbeliever. 7g
moftly written to whole churches, it was abfo-
lutely impolTible that an impofition with rcfpeft
to them fliould not have been deted:ed.
The only books of the genuinenefs of which
the chriftians in the early ages had any doubt
are very few, and thofe of the leaft confequence.
There never was any more doubt of the epiftles
of Paul being really written by him (though
Mr. Paine, without giving any reafon for it,
fuppofes p. 56, that even thefe may be fpurious)
than that the epiftles of Cicero were written by
thst Roman orator. The internal evidence is
alfo as flrong in the one cafe as in the other.
Let any perfon read Mr. Paley's Horce Pau-
linos, and be of a different opinion if he can.
I will add, that for thef^ epiftles (to fay nothing
of the other books of the New Teftament) to
be written fo early, and to be received as they
were, and the facfls referred to in them not to
be true, is abfolutcly impoffible, if human na-
ture was the fame thing then that it is now.
Mr. Paine farther fays, p. 33, " When the
*' chriflian mythologifts eftablifhed their fyf-
** tern, they colled:ed all the writings they
*' could find, and managed them as they pleafed.
** It is a matter altogether of uncertainty to us,
** whether fuch of the writings as now appeal
** under the name of the Old or the New Tef-
?* tament, are in the fame ftate in which thofc
^* <;olled:ors fay they found them, or whether
** they
74 Letters to the
•* they added, altered, abridged, or drefTed them
" up. Be this as it may, they decided by vote,
<* which of the books out of the coUedion they
" made fhould be the word of God, and which
** fhould not. They rejeded feveral, they voted
** others to be doubtful, fuch as the books
** called the Apocrypha, and thofe books which
** had a majority of votes were voted to be the
** word of God. The book of Luke was car-
" ried by a majority of one only. Had they
** voted otherwife, all the people fince, calling
" themfelves chriflians, had believed otherwife.
*' For the belief of the one comes from the vote
** of the other. Who the people were that did
** all this we know nothing of, they called
** themfelves by the general name of the church,
** and this is all we know of the matter."
This may be all that Mr. Paine knows of the
matter. But any perfon who will take the
trouble may eafily know a great deal more, and
that the fad; was the reverfe of what Mr. Paine
defcribes. The greater part of the books of the
New Teilament (and I have no occafion to
look any farther) were unqueflionably written,
while the fads recorded, or alluded to in them,
were recent, and they were received with full
credit by thofe who were deeply interefted in
their contents. They were written not in con-
cert, or at one time, but feparately, and by
different perfon s, as particular occafions called
for
French Philofophers, &c, 75
for them. Having relation to the fame great
fubjefl, they were, as might naturally be ex-
pe(fted, collected and kept together, as the Jews
did the different books of their fcriptures. But
all perfons ufing their befl judgment and op-
portunities, fome coUedled more, and others
fewer of them.
In this ftate things continued near four hun-
dred years; when as thefe books, written by
apoftles or apoflolical men, were appealed to in
the decifion of controverfies, it was thought
proper to have a ftandard collection ; and the
bifhops met in council at Laodicea, Anno Do^
miniy 373, did this as well as they could, but
by no means to the fatisfadtion of all. For, with
refped: to fome of the books, there are different
opinions even to this day. What books fhould
be taken into this colleftion, and be deemed
canonical t was of courfe decided by vote ; but
if, as Mr. Paine fays, thofe bifliops had ma-
naged the bufinefs as they pleafed, and not to
the fatisfacflion of the chriftian world in general,
(then, and from the beginning, divided into
many parties, fome of whom were fure to ob-
je£l: to what had been done by others) their
decifion would have iignificd very little.
As to the gofpel of Luke being carried by
a majority of one only, it is a legend, if not of
Mr. Paine's own invention, of no better au-
thority whatever. For my own part, I muft
fay.
y6 Letters to the
fay, that I never heard of it before ; and on the
fame authority, I doubt not, he might have
added, if he had fo pleafed, that the gofpel of
Matthew was carried by two votes, that of
Mark, by three, and that of John, by four.
The gofpel of Luke, and the A5is of the apojiles
written alfo by him, are unqueftionably among
the oldeft books of the New Teflament. They
were evidently written before the deftrudion
of Jerufalem, and their authenticity was never
called in queflion by any perfon, Chriftian, Jew,
or Heathen -, fo that it never was in the power
of any council, by any voting, to fhake their
eft?j^lifhed credit. He might juft as well fay
that it is in the power of any alTembly of li-
terati to vote Rapins hijiory of England, or
Ramfays of the American Revolution , to be au-
thentic, or not.
Mr. Paine fays the chriftian mythologiils eila-
bliflied their fyftem at the time that the canon
of the books of the New Teflament was form-
ed, though this was near the clofe of the fourth
century, long after the Roman Empire became
chriftian. Will Mr. Paine fay, that there was
no chriftianity in the world before that time ?
Others will fay that its beft days were then
over, and that a corrupted kind of chriftianity
had then begun to take its place. And it was
not till long after that time, that, from caufes
eafily traced, it came to be that fyftem of
prieft-
PhiJofophical Unbeliever, *fy
prleftcraft and oppreflion, which Mr. Paine fb
ignorantly confounds with chriflianity itfelf.
I am, &c.
LETTER V.
Of Mr. Paine' s Ideas of the T>o5irinis and
Principles of Chrijlianity,
DEAR SIR,
YOU have feen, and I dare fay have been
furprizedat the ignorance of Mr. Paine, on the
fubjed: of revelation in general, and of the evi-
dencCy as welt as of ih^fpirit of chriftianity, ig
particular. But his ignorance, real or affe<5ted,
(for I own, I fufpe(5t the latter) of the doBrines
and principles of it, is not lefs. He loads the
fyftem with all the abfurdities, which he might
eafily have known, have long been difcarded by
intelligent chriftians. But fuch a view of its
doctrines as he has given beft anfwered his pur-
pofe, which was to difcredit revelation, by
turning^
78 Letters to a
turning it into ridicule. Indeed, the greateft
part of his book conlifts of little elfe than this
kind of fcurrility, of which I fhall only give
the following fpecimen.
" Putting afide," he fays, p. 89, " the out-
•* rage offered to the moral juftice of God, by
" fuppofing him to make the innocent fuffer
" for the guilty, and alfo the loofe morality, and
" low contrivance of fuppoling him to change
** himfelf into the fhape of a man, in order to
" make an excufe to himfelf for not executing
** his fuppofed fentence upon Adam; it is cer-
•* tain, that what is called the chriftian fyftcm
** of faith, including in it the whimlical account
" of the creation, the ftrange ilory of Eve,
" the fnake and the apple, the amphibious
" idea of a man God, the corporeal idea of
" the death of a God, the mythological idea
" of a family of Gods, and the chriftian fyf-
" tem of arithmetic, that three are one and
" one three i are all irreconcileable, not only to
** the divine gift of reafon God has given to
** man, but to the knowledge that man gains
** of the power and wifdom of God by the aid
** of the fciences, and by ftudying the flructure
** of the univerfe that God has made."
As Mr. Paine is far from being deficient in
underftanding, he might, wdth a little pains,
have fatisfied himfelf, that the doctrines of
atone-
Pbilofophkal Unbeliever, 79
atonentent, incarnation and the trinity*, to which
he here alludes, have no more foundation in
the fcriptures, than the do(flrines of tranfub-
ftantiation or tranfmigration. He might have
added all the peculiar dodtrines of the church
of Rome, and the difcordant dodlrines of all
other churches nominally chriftian. ' ^
Mr. Paine, either* from art, or for want
of better information, uniformly takes it for
granted, that every thing which has been afcrib-
ed to revelation, even by the mofl abfurd of
the Catholics, really belongs to it ; and it is
fometimes amufing to follow him, in his obfer-
vations on fubjedts, concerning which he is
wholly ignorant. On that of myjiery, as well
as on that of miracles and prophecy, which I
Ihall prefently confider, he enlarges much to
his own fatisfadtlon, and, as, no doubt, hie
thought, to the inftruftion of his readers.
" Having fhewn," he fays, p. 129, " the
** irreconcileable inconfiftencies between the
** real word of God, exiting in the univerie,
" and that which is called the word of God,
** Tliewn to us in a printed book that any
* *' Chriftian mythology," he fays, p. 107, " has five
" deities. There is God the P'ather, God the Son, God
*' the Holy Ghoft, the God providence, and the goJdefs
" nature." On what authority Mr. Faine afierts this, is
bcft known to himfelf. He miglit jufl as well have laid,
that chriftians had fifty, or five hundred, dtiues.
*' man
So Letters to a
" man might make, I proceed to fpeak of
" three principal means, that have been em-
" ployed in all ages, and perhaps in all coun-
" tries, to impofe upon mankind.^ Thofe
" three means are myjiery, miracle and pro-
*' phecy. The two firft are incompatible with
" true religion, and the third ought always
** to be fufpeded/* Then, after fome juft
** but obvious remarks upon the fubje(fl,'he fays,
p. 231, " though every created thing is in one
" fenfe a myflery, the word myflery cannot be
" applied to moral truth, any more than obfcurity
" can be applied to light. The God in whom
** we believe is a God of moral truth, and not
*' a God of myftcry or obfcurity. Myflery is
" the antagonifl: of truth, &c. Religion, there-
** fore," p. 132, " being the belief of a God,
•• and the pra(5tice of moral truth, cannot have
•' any conne6tion with rnyftery."
Mr. Paine, I fuppofe, did not know^ that m
many oFhis obfervations on this fubjedt, he
was writing like a rational chriftian. He had
never, I believe, heard, that Dr. Fofter, one the
moft intelligent and moft zealous of chrlflia^s,
and who wrote in defence of revelation, dif-
tinguiflied himfelf by faying, that where myjiery
begins, religion ends.
If we look into the fcriptures we fhall find
that the word myjiery is never ufed in the fenfe
thaf Mr. Paine affixes to it, viz. of fomething
which
PhJlofophicalUn believer, 8i
which it is impoffible to underftand, or com-
prehend, but only fomething that was unknown
till it was revealedj or explained. It was in
this fenle tTiat tlie word was ufed by all chrif-
tians for feveral centuries before the dodtrines
of the trinity and tranfubftantiation were known;
and this was alfo the common ufe of the word
in the Englifh language. Thus the myfleries of
any trade did not mean any thing incomprehen^
fible in that trade, but only the fecrets of it,
which every mafter was obliged to make known
to his apprentice. The great myfiery that the
apoftle Paul fpeaks of, was the preaching of
the gpfpel to the Gentiles, as well as to the
Jews, which, though unknown and unfufpecfled
by the zealots among the latter, there was no
difficulty in underftanding.
As to any other kind of myftery in religion,
fuch as the dodtrine of incarnation, that of the
trinity, or tranfubftantiation/^ we difclaim them
as much as Mr. Paine can do. We alfo a^ree
with Mr. Paine in acknowledj^ing that there
are fome things which we cannot help belie.Vr
ing, though we cannot comprehend them. H£
acknowledges the belief of a God to be in this
fenfe myfterious or incomprehenfible. For
certainly we can have no conception how the
univerfe fhould require a cau'fe, and yet that the
caufe of the univerfe fhould require none. But
we find ourfelves compelled to believe it, be-
~^~ G ~ caufe
82 Letters to a
caufe we fhould otherwife involve ourfelves in
a ftill greater ^ifficufty, viz.. that the univerfe
mufl have begun to exiil without any caufe at
all. Confequently, fomething muji have been
uncaufed. The chriltian do(flrine of a refur-
redlion is not more myfterious in this fenfe than
Mr. Paine's belief of an immaterial and immor-
tal foul, which evidently does not think with-
out the body, and the brain, and which it is
therefore philofophical to fuppofe incapable of
thinking without them, and yet is taken for
granted to continue to think when the body
and brain are totally deflroyed.^
Mr. Paine ftrangely enough fuppofes, that
we are to look for the origin of chriilianity in
that fyftem of heathenifm, to which it is mofl
hoftile, and which in the end, it completely
overthrew. ** It is not difficult," he fays,
p. 1 6, " to account for the credit that was
*' given to the ilory of Jefus Chrift being the
'* fon of God. He was born at a time when
**'the heathen mythology had ftill fome fafliion
** and repute in the world, and that mythology
*' had prepared the people for the belief of ^lich
*' a. ilory. It is curious," he farther fays,
p. I J, " to obfervc how the theory of what
** is called the chriflian church, fprung out of
** the tail of lieatheu mythology. A direct
** incorporation took place in the firfl inftance,
" by making the reputed ibunder to be cc-
*' leilially
Philojbphical Vribeliever. S3
** leftially begotten. The trinity of gods
" that then followed, was no other than a re-
** dudlion of the former plurality, which was
** a:bout twenty or thirty thoufand. The ftatue
** of Mary fucceeded the ftatue of Diana of
** Ephefus. The deification of heroes changed
** into the canonization of faints. The
** mythologifts had gods for every thing,
" the chriftian mythologifts had faints for
** every thing. The church became as crouded
'* with the one, as the pantheon had been
** with the other, and Rome was the place
" of both. The chriftian theory is little elfe
** than the idolatry of the ancient mytholo-
** gifts accommodated to the purpofes of
*' power and revenue, and it yet remains to
" reafon and philofophy to abolifti the am-
" phibious fraud."
In all this, Mr. Paine, for want of better
information, or affedling to want it, has moft;
evidently confounded, as indeed he does per-
petually, the corruptions of chriftianity, and
even thofe of a very late date, with chrifti-
anity itfelf. The former, it is acknowledged,
arofe from the principles of the heathen philo-
fophy, and the heathen religion, as myfelf and
many others have clearly proved. Mr. Paine
fhould have ftiewn, that thefe do<ftrines of the
incarnation, of a trinity of gcds, and a multi-
plicity of objects of worfhip, were authorifed
G 2, by
8^. Letters to a
by the fcrlptures ; becaufe other wife it makes
nothing for his argument. But it was more con-
venient for his purpofe not to make this ob-
vious diftinftion. He mufi: have known that
there are many chriflians, who beUeve nothing
more of the things that he here objefts to
than himfelf.
Mr. Paine is perpetually introducing the
■ Mofaic account of the creation, as a neceilarv
part, nay the very foundation of the fyftem of
revelation, and yet he himfelf fays, p. 37,
** that Mofes does not take it on himfelf, by in-
** troducing it with the formality that he ufes
" on other occafions, fuch as that of faying,
** The Lord /pake unto Mofes y faying." After
giving an account of the ancient mytholo-
gifts, and the war of the giants againft Jupiter,
he fays, p. 24. " The chriftian mythologifts
** tell that their fatan made war againfl the
" Almighty, who defeated him, and con-
" lined him afterwards, not under a mountain,
** but in a pit. It is here eafy to fee that the
** f\x9i fable fuggefted the idea of the fecond.
** For the fable of Jupiter and the giants was
" told many hundred years before that of
** fatan. Thus far the ancient and the chrif-
" tian mythologies differ very little from each
" other. But the latter have contrived to
" carry the matter much farther. They have
•* coatrived to conncdt the fabulous part of
*' the
Fhilofofbtcal Unbeliever, 85
' the (lory of Jefus Chrift with the fable ori-
* ginating from Mount iEtna, and in order
* to make all the parts of the ftory tie toge-
* ther, they have taken to their aid the tradi-
* tion of the Jews. For the chriltian mytho-
* logy is made up partly from the ancient
* mythology, and partly from the Jewish tra-
' dition."
From what we have already feen of Mr. Paine,
we have no reafon to expe(l^ from him much ac-
curacy with refped; to hiftory and chronology.
If he fuppofes, as he evidently does, that the
fable of fatan was fubfequent to that of Ju-
piter and the giants, and borrowed from it,
he ought to produce his authorities for fo novel
an opinion. For I believe it is univerfally
allowed that the books afcribed to Mofes are
at leaft a thoufand years older than any others
that are extant. But the hiftory of fatan, though
found at full length in Milton, where Mr. Paine
probably learned it, is not found in the^writ-
ings of Mofes, who does not fo much as men-
tion fatan, or the devil, in any part of his
writings. Both the idea and terms were pro-
bably introduced from the oriental philo-
fophy, in which there was a principle of evil
oppofed to a principle oi good. But by Satan or
the devil, it is moft probable that the facred
writers meant only an allegorical, not a real
perfon. Our Saviour calls Judas a devil,
G 3 and
S6 Letters to a
and Peter Satan^ bscaufe their thoughts were
improper, arifing from fomething that was evil,
or amifs, within them.
" The moft extraordinary/' Mr. Painer
fays, p. 142, *' of all the things called miracles,
** related in the New Teftament, is that of
*' the devil flying away with Jefus Chrift, and
'* carrying him to the top of a high mountain,
** and to the top of the higheft pinnacle of
** the temple." But the probability is, either
that all this fcenery was a vifion,' or a figura-
tive account of what pafTed in the mind of
Jefus > reprefenting all the trials to which he
would be expofsd in the courfe of his public
miniftry, trials arifing from ambitious or in-
terefted views.
The flory of the miraculoiis conception of
Jefus could not efcape a perfon, whofe objedl it
was to turn chriftianity into ridicule. So much
does Mr. Paine confider this nnracle as eflen-
tial to the chriftian fcheme, that he fays, p. 19,
** the account given of his rcfurred;ion and
*' afcenfion w^as the neceflary counter-part
*' to the ftory of his birth." Now Mr. Paine
might have known, that there have been in all
ages, chriftians, who never profelled to believe
the miraculous conception. The Jewiih chrif-
tians in general, who may be prefunied to be
the beft judges in the cafe, never received it.
Their Gofpel, which was that of Matthew, had
not
Philofophical Unbeliever, ' 87
not the two firfl chapters ; and though there
is not the fame external evidence of the fpuri-
oufnefs of the two firft chapters of the Gof-
pel of Luke, there is great internal evidence
of it, ai}d fome of an external nature, as may
be feen in my HiJIory of early Opinions concern-
ing yejus Chriji. However the truth of chrifli-
anity does not reft upon any miracles per-
formed in fecret, fuch as that of the miracu-
lous conception, or the temptation of Jefus,
if the literal account of it be true, but upon
fadls of the moft public nature, which were
open to the examination of great numbers of
perfons, fucii as his miracles wrought in the
face of the whole country, in the prefence of
his enemies, his death, and his refurredtion.
if thefe fafts were true, there can be no doubt
of the divine origin of chriftianity, whatever
we may think of particular circumftances
relating to it.
The moft extraordinary account of the na-
ture and tendency of chriftianity, that I be-
lieve was ever given by any man, and the far-
theft from every appearance of truth is, Mr.
Paine's reprefenting it as nearly allied to athe*
ifm. " As to the chriftian fyftem of faith,"
be iays, p. 74, ** it appears to me as a fpecies
" of atheifm, a fort of religious denial of
'* God. It profelTes to believe in a man rather
" than a God. It is a compound made chiefly
G 4 ♦' up
8S • Letters to a
*' up of manifm, with but little deifm ; and is
" as near to atheifm as twilight is to darknefs.
" It introduces between man and his maker
" an opaque body, which it calls a redeemer,
" as the moon introduces her opaque felf
" between the earth and the fun; and it pro-
" duces by this means a religious, or an irre-
" ligious echpfe of light. It has put the
*' whole orb of reafon into fliade. The efFedt
" of this obfcurity has been that of turning
** every thing upfide down, and reprefenting
*' it in the reverfe, and among the revolutions
" it has thus magically introduced, it has made
*' a revolution in theology."
This is fuch random wild aflertion as re-
quires no particular refutation. With much
more reafon did Mr. Paine affert, that chrifti-
anity is nearly allied to paganifm ; for what
he conceives chriftianity to be, abounds with
objedls of worfliip, fuperior and inferior, jufl
as the Pagan religion did. In imitation of Mr.
Paine, I fhall not attempt to reafon on this
fubjedl. Let any man read the New Tefla-
ment, and fay whether Jefus and the apoftles
were atheifls, or whether tbey taught what had
any tendency to make them fo. It looks as if
Mr. Paine was pre-determined to load chrifti-
anity with every term of reproach that occurred
to him, however inconfiftent with one ano-
ther. To complete the inconfifiiency, this
fame
Philofophical Wibeliever, * 89
fame chrlftianity, which is fo nearly allied both
to atheifm and polytheifm, has, according to
Mr. Paine, in my laft quotation from him, a
little of deiftnin. it.
I am, &c.
" Of prophecy.
DEAR SIR,
Mr. PAINE's account o^ prophecy , intended
to turn the fubje(5l into ridicule, is, I believe,
quite peculiar to himfelf, and by no means
correfponds to what may be collected concern-
ing it in the fcripturcs.
" All the parts of the Bible," he fays, p. |8,
** generally known by the name of the pro-
*^ phets, are the works of the Jewifh poets, and
" itinerant preachers, who mixed poetry, anec-
** dotes and devotion together. The word,'*
.. . ■ I o — • j«
he fays, p. 44. ** was originally a term of
" fcience, promifcuoufly applied to poetry a_nd
*' to mufic, and not reilridied to any fubjecf^
** upon which poetry and mulic might be ex-
*' ercifed. Deborah, and Barak are called
** prophets, not becaufe they predided any
** thing, but becaufe they compofed the poem
" or
90 Letters to a
or fong, that bears their name in celebra-
tion of an ad; already done. David is ranked
among the prophets, for he was "a muti-
cian, and was alio reputed" to Be, thbugli
perhaps very erroneoufly, the author of
the Pfalms. But Abraham, Ifaac, and
Jacob, are not called prophets. It does not
appear, from any account we have, that
they could either ling, play mufic, or make
poetry. We are told of the greater q^d
lejjer prophets.^ They m[ght as well tell us
of the greater and leiler God, for there can»
not be degrees in prophecyin,g;, confidently
with its modern fenfe. But there are degrees
in poetry, and therefore the phrafe is re-
concileable to the cafe, when we underftand
by it the greater and leiTer poets."
It is truly curious to obferve, how completely
Mr. Paine fuppofes he had obviated every
thing that can be advanced by the friends of
revelation on the fnbje6l of prophecy, by his
new definition of the Jfrm. *' It is altogc-
* ther unnecciliiry," he fays, p. 45, " atter
' this, to offt^r any obfervdtions upon what
V^thofe men rtiled prophets have written.
' The axe goes at once to the root, by fliew-
' i".^ that tiie ori2;inal meaning of the word
* has been millakcn, and confequently, all
' the inferences that have been drawn from
' thofe books, the devotional refoect that has
'* been
miofophical Unbeliever. 91
'* been paid to them, and the laboured com-
" mentaries that have been written upon them.
" under that miftakcn meaning, are not worth
*' difputing about."
No doubt, the prophets generally delivered '
themfelves in elevated language, fuch as is
faid to conflitute poetry ; but if Mr. Paine had
not forgotten the contents of his Bible, he
would have recollected, that the Jewim pro-
phets, in the plain^il: of all language, predicted
many important future events^ fo as to ^e
entitled to the name o^ prophets in the Itrifleft^
and"wliat he calls the modern fenfe of the
word. Thefe predictions he ought to compare
with the events predicted. It is not his arbitra-
rily changing the lignification of a word that
can avail him any thing.
Any perfon who only looks into his Bible,
mull fmile at Mr. Paine's palpable miftake of
the meaning of the term greater and lejfer pro-
phets ', for it has no relation whatevef to what
they wrote, or to the manner* of their writing,
but only to the quantity of it. Ifaiah, Jere-
miah, and Ezekiel, whofe books are compara-
tively large, are, on that account, called the
greater prophets. Whereas, Hofea, and eleven
others, who wrote but little, are therefore
called the lejjer prophets.
As Mr. Paine triumphs not a little on this
fubjed:, I fhall quote what he farther fiys upon
it.
92 Letters to a
it.; *' The original meaning of the words pro-
*' p.bet 2ind p'opbecyin^, he fays, p. 82, has been
** changed, and a prophet, in the fenfe in which
""the word is now ufed, is a creature of mo-
** tiern invention ; andjt is owing to this
" cnange in the meaning of the words, that
" the flints and the metaphors of the jewijh
** poets, and phrafes and ex|}reffions now
** rendered obfcure by our not being a£a^ainted
" with the local cii::QJOin:ancestQ^ which thev
** iippfifS^t the time they were ufexlj, have
* ' been eredtea ' " <-o j,^roi3heiies , _an d made to
" bend to explanations at the will and whim-
*' fical conceits of fedtaries, expounders, an4
" commentators. Every thing unintelligible
** was prophetical, and every thing inlignihcant
" was typical. A blunder would have fervid
" for a prophecy ; and a difn-clout for a type.
" If by a prophet, we are to fuppofe a man
" to whom the Almighty communicated
** fome event that would take place in future,
** either there were fach men, or there were
" not. If there were, it is confiftent to be-
" lieve that the event fo communicated would
" be told in terms that could be underftood,
** and not related in fuch a loofe and obfcure
" manner as to be out of the comprehenfion
" of thofe that heard it, and fo cq^iiivocal as
* * to fit almofl any circumi1:ance_tli^t m igh t
*' happen aftervvards. It is conceiving very
** irreverently
Philofophical Unbeliever, 93
" irreverently of the Almighty, to fuppoT^
** that he would deal in this jefting manner
" with mankind. Yet all the things called
" Prophecies y in the book called the Bible,
" come under this defcription."
" But it is with prophecy as it is with.rrii-
" racle. It w^ould not anfwer the purpofe,
" even if it were real. Thofe to whom a
** prophecy fhould be told, could not tell whe-
" ther the man prophefied or lied, or whe-
" ther it had been revealed to him, or whe-
** ther he conceited it; and if the thing that
** he prophefied, or pretended to prophecy,
** (houid happen, or fomething like it, among
" the multitude of things that are daily happen-
" ing, nobody could again know whether he
" foreknew it, or gueffed at it, or whether it
•* was accidental. A prophet, therefore, is
** a charadler ufelefs and unnecefTary, and the
** fafe fide of the cafe is, to guard againft being
" impofed upon, by not giving credit to fuch
^* relations."
By Mr. Paine's own account, he has not
read his Bible lately, and probably will never
look into it any more. But I appeal to any per-
fon who is in the habit of reading it, whether
his account of prophecy, or that which I fliall
give, be the more jufl. Prophets, in the fcrip-
rure fenfe of the word, were men to whom
G od communicated whatever he intended to
be delivered to others. Some of thefe com-
munications
94 Letters to a
munications were moral admonitions, butr»thers
were diflinc^, unequivocal annunciations of
future eventsy to take place, either very foon ,
or at difiiant periods. Such are the prophecies
of Mofes, now in a ftate of fulfilment, concern-
ing the future hiftory of the Ifraelitifh nation,
their fettlement in the land of Canaan, their
expulfion from it, and their difperfion into all
parts of the habitable world, previous to their
£nalrefloration to it; thofe of Ifaiah, Jeremiah,
Ezekiel, and others, concerning many parti-
cular definite eVents, which happened in their
own time, as well as the future glorious flate
of their nation, and the peaceful and happy
flate of the world in general ; thofe of Daniel
concerning the fucceffion of the four great
monarchies, and thofe of our Saviour concern-
ing the deftrucSlion of Jerufalem and the Tem-
ple. Let any perfon of common difcernmgnt
perufe thefe prophecies, and fay whether they
could have been written fo long before the
events hy^uefs or b^ accident. If not (which
fuch a perfon muft pronounce to be the cafe)
the language could only be di(^ated by that
rreat Being '^^'^ojfe^s ^[^f^^ts in their mofl:
remote caufes, and therefore are proofs of di-
vine communication.
Some parts of the book of Daniel, and alfo
of the Revelation, are written in fuch a man-
ner, that it is probable we (hall not under-
flaod
Philofophical Unbeliever* 95
ftand them completely, till we can compare
them with the events to which they are to cor^
refnond. But it is very poffible we may then
be iatisfied, that only he who can fee the end
from the beginning, could have defcribed them
even in that obfcure manner fo long before-
hand ; and the reafon of the obfcurity of thofe
particular prophecies, concerning events which
are yet to come, is pretty obvious. For as thefe
prophecies are now in the hands of thofe who
refpedt them, it might have been faid that they
contributed to their own fulfilment, by the
friends of revelation endeavouring to bring
about the events predi(5ted. However, though
fome intermediate fteps in the great train of
events be thus obfcure, both the great outline
^f the whole, and the cataftrophe, are moft
clearly exprefled. Obfcure as is the language
of thefe prophecies, they plainly enough indi-
cate a long period of great corruption in chrif-
tianity, efpecially by the rife of a perfecuting
power within itfelf j but that this power, toge-
ther with all the temporal powers of this
world, in league with it, is to be overthrown ;
and that this will be a feafon of great calamity,
fuch as the world had never experienced before ;
that after this, Chrlfl will come in the clouds
of Heaven, when there will be a refurredion
of the virtuous dead, and a commencement of
a glorious and peaceful flate of the world in
general-
g6 Letters to a
general. After this will be the refurreftion of
all the dead, and the general judgment. Is it
conceiving irreverently of the Almighty, ajid
fuppofing that he jefts with mankind, when he
clearly announces to them events of this great
magnitude, in which they are fo nearly in-
tcrefted ?
I am, &c.
LETTER VIL
T'he Conclujion,
DEAR SIR,
IT is amuling to obferve how differently
the fame things imprefs different perfons. Mr.
Paine, fpeaking of the Bible in 2:eneral, fays
p. 38, ** When we read the obfcene ffories,
" the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and
*.' torturous executions, the unrelenting vin-
" didivenefs, with which more than half the
" Bible is filled, it would be more confident
** that we called it the word of a demon, than
" the word of God. It is a hiflory of wicked-
" nefs,
6
Philofophkal Unbeliever, 97
** nefs, that hath ferved to corrupt and
** brutalize mankind, and for my own part I
" fi"9crely detcft it, as I deteft every thing
"' that is cruel. We fcarcely meet with any
*• thing, a few phrafes excepted, but what de-
** ferves either our abhorrence or our contempt,
** till we come to the mifcellaneous parts of the
•* Bible."
The probability is that I am much better ac-
quainted with the Bible than Mr. Paine, and
I read it daily in the original*, which is certainly
fome advantage, and one to which Mr. Paine
will not pretend. Now I can truly fay that
I read it with increafing fatisfadtion, and I
hope with much advantage in a moral refpedt* I^
do not conlider it as written by divine infpira^
tion7~but it confiils of books relating to the
moft important of all fubjed:s, the hiflorical
parts being written by perfons well acquainted
with the events which they relate, and the
prophetical parts by perfons who had commu-
nicatTonswith God, fo as to deliver the moft
folemn admonitions, or the moft important
predldlions in his name. There are the moil
une qu ivocal marks of the moft exalted .pietji,
* It (hould feem as if, for a moment, Mr. Paine had for-
gotten that the Bible was not written in Englifh ; fince as
a proof, that fome parts of it are " in poetical meafure,"
he quotes our common verfion. See the Note, p. 40.
H and
9^ Letters to d ,^
\\\d. the pureft benevolence. In the writers o/
tfaefe books ; fo that the perufal of them cantiot
^'^^^ to warm the heart by exciting the^fame ge-
nerous fentiments, with every thing that is
truly ^reat and excellent in man.
The Bible contains the hiftory of a mo ft re-
markable people, through whom it has pleafed
God to make his principal communications
to mankind ; and bein^ a truer hiftory than
any other, it exhibits a faithful account of the
vices, as well as the virtues, of the moft dif-
tinguiftied perfons in that nation, as well as of
fome in other nations ; but with the ftrongeft
difapprobation of thofe vices, fo that thofe
particulars in the narrative are as inftrucftive
as any others.
In the writings of Mofes and the prophets,
in the difcourfes of Chrift, and in the epif^les
of the apoftles, there is a dignity arrd an autho-
rity to which nothing in the writings of any
of the heathens approaches. Even Socrates
and PJatOL are cold and drj, when compared
with them. The writings of the ancient phi-
lofophers contain but little of what man is
moft interefted to know. Whereas the fcrip-
t^res leave nothings unknown^ that is of
much importance for man to be acc^uainted
with. They give the moft fatisfacflory view of
the whole condud of providence with re-
fpe(5l
6
Philofspbical Unbeliever. 99
fped: tg AiS life, ib as to enable rcttn under
all events, , pro^rous or adverfe, to live with
fatisfa(5tion, and to die with confidence and
joy, in the firmefl: belief of a future ftatc jaf
retribution._ Whereas ajl that Mr. Paine fays,
p. 1 50, is, ** that the power which gave him
" exiftence is able to continue it, and that it
" appears more probable to him that he {hall
" continue to exifl hereafter, than that he
*' fhould have had exiftence, as he now has, be-
** fore that exiftence began," which certainly
affords him no real ground of expedlation at
all. For what was the probability of his re-
ceiving exiftence before he had any ?
Upon the whole, there are, in my opinion,
no writings whatever, that are at all compara-
be to the fcriptures for their moral tendency,
in giving juft views of the attributes and pro-
vidence of God, or in udding to the dignity
of man, fitting him for the difcharge of his
duty in this life, and making him a proper
fubjed of another and better ftate of being,
of which it gives him the cleareft information
and the moft fatisfadory evidence. I own, I
am at a lofs for words to exprefs my venera-
tion for thofe books for which Mr. Paine ex-
prefTes the greateft contempt. Let thofe who
are beft acquainted with them judge between
us.
1 fhall
100 Letters f tSc,
I fhall be happy if thefe obfervations on
this work of Mr. Painc's gives yoa any fatis-
fa(aion, and am.
Dear Sir,
Your*s fincerely,
J. PRIESTLEY,
Northumberland in America,
Odtber 27, 1794,
THE END.
CATALOGUE OF BOOKS/
writtek by
Dr. PRIES^LET.
AND FRINTED FOX.
J. JOHNSON, BOOKSELLER, St. PAUUsCHURCH-YARD, LONDON.
I
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Alfo publijhed under the DireSlion o/Dr, Prieftlcy.
The THEOLOGICAL REPOSITORY,
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to promote Religious Knowledge, in Six Volumes, 8vo.
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BOOKS written by the Rev. T. LINDSET, A. M.
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J792, IS.
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8. A fecond Addrefs to the Same, 179c, /if.%,fewcd.
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JO. An Examination of Mr. Rohinfon*s Plea for the Divi-
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Chapel in ElTcx Street, 6d. 1793.
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%* The Hymns may be had alone, price, 2s. 6d. bound.
9 3 3: 13
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