gone over the cities of Israel;62 for the gospel must be preached to every creature;63 therefore, says he, "take heed to yourselves, and keep sober, lest that day come upon you unawares.'

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The Apostles also seem to have held the same opinion; for Paul says the ends of the earth are come upon us,6 5 we who are alive, and remain unto the coming of the Lord;66 who will come in a little while, and will not tarry 67 for the gospel has been preached, he says, to every creature under heaven ;6 yea the sound thereof, had gone forth through all the earth, and the words unto the ends of the world: it being made manifest and known unto all nations. 69 If Paul spoke truth, what need is there of sending missionaries to and fro through all the earth, if every nation has had this gospel preached to them eighteen hundred years back? Even Peter says the end of all things is at hand; be sober, looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God.70 But John puts the matter beyond all dispute, by saying, "Little children, it is the last time; as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.'

Perhaps you may shrug up your shoulders, and say these are things which cannot be comprehended by carnal minds; because the natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God. 72 Then how is the natural man to come to the knowledge of the truth? You may reply that it was for this purpose the priesthood was instituted, in order that they might explain the words of this God to the ignorant and carnal-minded man. But can they explain them Do they not all cry out, great is the mystery of godliness P73 And have they not always been fighting, quarrelling, and persecuting each other, ever since they have been written? Even Paul and Peter could not agree in opinion concerning them ! 7 4 Besides, is there a priest in Christendom that will accept the challenge which I gave in a public court, to prove before our most gracious Sovereign, George IV. King of Great Britain, and defender of the Faith, that these books were only invented and composed by ignorant and

designing men? A pretty sort of a God he must be, who cannot make himself understood without employing a parcel of interpreters, supposing that they could explain them! But I tell you that there is no God that employs them; they are employed by fools and knaves; and although they give thousands, yea millions, year after year, to have these words explained, still there are none that can understand them; no, not one! Why is it? Because there never was, nor ever will be such a monster as this bible thing, called a GOD; a proof of this I shall give you shortly. Consequently, these words are the words of base designing men, contrived to enslave the minds and bodies of their simple fellow creatures, while they themselves are living in ease and voluptuousness, in direct opposition to the commands of that God whom they preach; who has commanded, they tell us, that man should eat his bread in the sweat of his face until he re

turns to dust. 75 Even Paul says,' 76"that if any would not work, neither should he eat." Therefore, if they call preaching work, they violate that day themselves, of which they say it is written, "in it thou shalt do no manner of work, thou, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle." For how often do we see these Reverend, and Right Reverend Fathers in God, (I might add others, but I do not wish to be too personal,) after they have been preaching and enforcing the above command, step into their carriage, with which their manservants and cattle have been waiting at the door, ready to carry them to participate in some extravagant and unnecessary luxuries which have been prepared by their maid servants at home? These are the men, whom, we are told, this God has appointed to explain his word! which word, as Peter Annett justly observed, might pass for heavenly light if there were no human reason in the world, but that the latter puts the former out, and discovers its palpable darkness. I shall therefore conclude my observations for the present, on the nature of prophecies; and with Jeremiah say, 77 that every man is mad, who maketh himself a prophet. And every man who attempts

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to pervert the writings of another, as Mr. Matthew has done, is both an imposter and a liar.

Verse 11. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshipped him and when they had opened their treasure they presented unto him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh.'

We read in Exodus, (xxiii. 8.) that this God commanded the Jews to take no gift; for the gift blindeth the wise and perverteth the words of the righteous. Yet we find the holy mother of this holy child, receiving gifts from strangers; which is a clear proof to me, that when interest is in the case, the commands of this God are laid aside. Witness Solomon, who received gifts year by year; 78 although he knew that a gift destroyed the heart; 79 and that when a King receiveth gifts, the land is overthrown ! 80

Verse, 13. "And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word; for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him."

This verse implies a foreknowledge of certain events; but did not this foreknowledge, or prescience, also know that a vast number of innocent children would lose their lives in consequence of this flight? Where then is the wisdom and power of this God, if he could not preserve the life of his only son, without occasioning the death of others? Though, as I shall probably show, at the conclusion of this work, by the similarity which exists between the life of Jesus and the life of Moses, that the one is only a modification of the other, I will only here just observe a slight variation, which is, that instead of flying out of Egypt, as Moses is said to have done, through fear of Pharaoh, Jesus is said to have fled into Egypt, through fear of Herod. However they are both commanded to return, and that too for the very same reasons. Compare Exod. iv. 19. with Matt. ii. 20.

Verse. 14, 15. "When he arose and took the_young child and his mother by night and departed into Egypt; and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, out of Egypt have I called my son.'

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Although Mr. Luke had promised Theophilus to write every thing in order, relating to Jesus, yet we find that he makes no mention of his going into Egypt: but on the contrary he assures him, that after Jesus had been circumcised, (circumcise the son of God!) and the days of his mother's purification were accomplished, (which were forty and one, after the birth according to the Jewish law,82) he was brought to Jerusalem; and when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee to their own city Nazareth; whence they came to Jerusalem every year, until he was twelve years of age, (without fearing any person,) after which time, we hear no more of him until he is baptized, at the age of thirty. But Matthew says, that he departed into Egypt, and that this was done to fulfil that which was spoken by the prophet, saying, "out of Egypt have I called my son."

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By searching the prophets I find these words in Hosea; who, when reminding the Jews of their primitive state, said that Jacob fled into the country of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep; and by a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved. 84 And in another place he says, when Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. 85 I wonder what Matthew will call a prophecy next? it being evident that Hosea was speaking of the events that had occurred, which was the calling of Israel out of Egypt by Moses, who is here called a prophet; and the children of Israel whom the Lord calls his 8 6 son, even his first-born, 87 were at the same time reminded, that when they were so called, they sacrificed unto Baal, and burned incense to graven images. 88 Surely this needs no further comment, the imposition being so clear and obvious to every one.

Verse 16. " Then Herod when he saw that he was

mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.”

That such an order as this should have been given by Herod, who only held his office under the Roman Government, is highly improbable; especially as we find, that it was not the manner of the Romans to deliver any man to die, before he who was accused, had the accusers face to face, and had license to answer for himself, concerning the crime laid against him; as was the crime with Paul. 89 How then could Herod send forth such a decree against little children, who could not answer for themselves? Besides, could not the parents of these children appeal unto Cesar with as much propriety as Paul, who we find was allowed that privilege ?90 And how came John the Baptist to escape? Luke speaks of his jumping in his mother's womb, but says nothing of his jumping from this slaughter! Neither do we find that Jesus or any of his historians, (besides Matthew,) ever alluded to such an inhuman massacre; which gives me reason to conclude that the whole is nothing but a fable.

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Verse 17, 18. "Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, in Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation and weeping, and great mourning. Rachel weeping for her children and would not be comforted because they are not."

On referring to Jeremiah, I find that he, like the rest of his profession, promised glorious days to the Jews: for behold, he said "the days come, saith the Lord, that the city shall be built from the tower of Hananeel, unto the gate of the corner. 92 I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel. 93 For I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth and they shall come with weeping and with supplications will I lead them. For he that scattereth Israel, will gather him; and I will turn their mourning into joy." "Thus saith the Lord, a voice was heard in Ramah,