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books of pretended revelation that man has wandered from the strait path of duty and happiness, and become by turns the victim of doubt and the dupe of delusion.

Except in the first article in the Chriftian creed, that of believing in God, there is not an article in it but fills the mind with doubt as to the truth of it the inftant man begins to think. Now every article in a creed that is necellary to the happinefs and falvation of man ought to be as evident to the reafon and comprehenfion of man as the firft article is, for God has not given us reafon for the purpose of confounding us, but that we fhould use it for our own happinefs and his glory.

The truth of the firft article is proved by God himself and is universal, for the creation is of itself demonstration of the existence of a Creator. But the fecond article, that of God's begetting a fon, is not proved in like manner, and flands on no other authority than that of tale. Certain books. in what is called the New Testament tell us that Jofeph dreamed an angel told him fo. (Matthew chap. 1, v. 20.) "And behold the angel of the Lord appeared unto Jofeph in a dream, saying, Joseph thou fon of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the holy gholt." The evidence upon this article bears no comparifon with the evidence upon the firft article, and therefore is not entitled to the fame credit, and ought not to be made an article in a creed, becaufe the evidence of it is defective, and what evidence there is, is doubtful and fufpicions. We do not believe the first article on the authority of books, whether called Bibles or Korans, nor yet on the vifionary authority of dreams, but on the authority of God's own vifible works in the creation. The nations who never heard of fuch books, nor of fuch people as Jews, Chriftians, or Mahometans, believe the exiftence of a God as fully as we do, because it is felf-evi dent. The work of man's hands is a proof of the exiftence of man as fully as his perfonal appearance would be. When we fee a watch we have as pofitive evidence of the

exiftence of a watch-maker as if we faw him; and in like manner the creation is evidence to our reafon and our fenfes of the existence of a Creator. But there is nothing in the works of God that is evidence that he begat a fon, nor any thing in the fyftem of creation that corroborates. fuch an idea, and therefore we are not authorifed in be lieving it. What truth there may be in the story that Mary, before fhe was married to Jofeph, was kept by one of the Roman foldiers, and was with child by him, 1 leave to be fettled between the Jews and the Chriftians. The ftory however has probability on its fide, for her hufband Jofeph fufpected and was jealous of her, and was going to put her away. Jofeph her husband being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, "was going to put her away privately." (Matthew chap. 1, v. 19).

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I have already faid that " whenever we step afide from "the firft article (that of believing in God) we wander "into a labyrinth of uncertainty," and here is evidence of the juftnefs of the remark, for it is impofsible for us to decide who was Jefus Chrift's father. But prefumption can affume any thing, and therefore it makes Jofeph's dream to be of equal authority with the existence of God, and to help it on it calls it revelation. It is impoffible for the mind of man in its ferious moments, however it may have been entangled by education, or befet by priest craft, not to ftand still and doubt upon the truth of this article and of its creed. But this is not all,

The fecond, article of the Chriftian creed having brought the fon of Mary into the world (and this Mary according to the Chronological tables was a girl of only fifteen years of age when this fon was born) the next article goes on to account for his being begotten, which was, that when he grew a man he fhould be put to death. to expiate, they fay, the fin that Adam brought into the world by eating an apple or fome kind of forbidden fruit.

But though this is the creed of the church of Rome, from whence the Proteftants borrowed it, it is a creed which that church has manufactured of itself, for it is not

contained in, nor derived from, the book called the New Teftament. The four books called the Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, which give, or pretend to give, the birth, fayings, life, preaching, and death of Jefus Chrift, make no mention of what is called the fall of man, nor is the name of Adam to be found in any of those books, which it certainly would be if the writers of them believed that Jefus was begotten, born, and died for the purpose of redeeming mankind from the fin which Adam had brought into the world. Jefus never fpeaks of Adam himself, of the Garden of Eden, nor of what is called the fall of man. Neither did the early Christians believe the story of the fall of man to be fact, but held it to be allegory. The perfon called St. Auguftine, fays in his City of God, that the adventure of Eve and the ferpent, and the account of Paradife, were generally confidered in his time as allegory, and he treats them as fuch himself without attempting to give any explanation of them, but thinks a better might be given than had been offered.

Origen, another of the ancient fathers of the Church, treats the account of the creation in Genesis, and the story of the Garden of Eden and the fall of man, as fable or fiction.

What man of good sense, says he, can ever persuade himself that there was a first, a second, and a third day, and that each of those days had a night, when there was yet neither sun, moon, nor stars! (N. B. According to the account in Genesis, chap. 1, the sun and moon was not made until the fourth day)-What man, continues he can be stupid enough to believe that God acting the part of a gardener had planted a garden in the east; that the tree of life was a real tree, and that the fruit of it had the virtue of making those who eat of it live for

ever.

To be continued.

Profession of faith of a Savoyard Curate, from Rousseau, continued from our last.

It is in the infatiable hearts of mankind, corroding with envy, avarice, and ambition, that their avenging passions punish them for their vices, amidst all the falfe appearances of profperity. Where is the necefsity of feeking all in another life, when it is to be found, even in is, in the hearts of the wicked?

Where our momentary necefsities or fenfelefs defires have an end, there ought our pafsions and our vices to end alfo. Of what perverfity can pure fpirits be fufceptible? As they ftand in need of nothing, to what end fhould they be vicious? If deftitute of our groffer fenfes, all their happiness confifts in the contemplation of things, they cannot be defirous of any thing but good; and whoever ceafes to be wicked, is it pofsible he fhould be eternally miferable? This is what I am inclined to believe on this head,without giving myfelf the trouble to determine pofitively concerning the matter.-O righteous and merciful Being! whatever be thy decrees, I acknowledge their rectitude: if thou punishest the wicked, my weak reason is dumb before thy justice; but if the remorse of these unfortunate wretches is to have an end, if the same fate is one day to attend us all, my soul exults in thy praise. Is not the wicked man after all, my brother? How often have I been tempted to resemble him, in partaking of his vices? O may he be delivered from his misery; may he cast off also that malignity which accompanies it; may he te ever happy as myself: so far from exciting my jealousy, his happiness will only add to mine.

To be continued.

NEW YORK:

Printed and published by the Editor, No. 26, Chathamstreet, at Two Dollars per annum, one half paid in advance, every six months.

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Comments upon the Sacred Writings of the Jews and Christians. Exodus Chapter 9.

N our laft comment we entered particularly into an enquiry refpecting the extraordinary matters and miraculous details contained in this chapter. It will be neceffary now to purfue the fubject ftill further; for there is ftill remaining on hand a mafs of incoherent ftuff which ought to be fubjected to fevere infpection, other wife it will be impoffible to preferve pure and immacu late the character of Almighty God. The frogs and the lice which had been formed by the dexterous management of the Jewish conjurers, cut a splendid figure; but they were fruitlefsly employed in the fervice of the God of Mofes, being, as the hiftory fhews, incompetent to produce the defired effect. Pharaoh the royal tyrant ftill remains inflexible, and invites, by his obftinacy, ftill further severities from the theocratic power by which he had been fo often threatened. It became therefore neceffary for Mofes and Aaron in conjunction with their God, to invent new kinds of terrific calamities to foften, if possible, the obdurate heart of Pharaoh. For this pur pose they manufactured flies by wholesale, and filled the houfes of the enemies of God's chofen people, and covered over the whole land with thefe peftiterious infects. This feems to produce fome trifling effect upon the hard heart of the Egyptian tyrant and extorted from him a promife of temporary duration, that he would let the people go. In all this bufinefs we fee neither the majefty of the Supreme Being, nor the correct calculations of any in tellectual agent whatever. The most prominent and important reflection that prefents itself after reading and examining this strange ftory, is this-is God poffeffed of

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