darkness? Why did he rise in the dark, and afterwards play least in sight? Was he afraid of a second crucifixionwhere was his miraculous power? If he came into the world, that the world through him might believe, and that by believing they might be saved, why did not his works correspond with his doctrine? Why did he deny us the reasonable evidences of a well grounded faith? And how then can you christians blame us for not blelieving this was he that should come, and that we are not to look for another? For what works did he do? It is plain our fathers questioned his miracles; if they said, he cast out devils by Belzebub, what could they mean but that they thought it stratagem, and not pure miracle; that the devil was put in, before he was cast out by the same art. It is certain that miraculous. works of real goodness could not be ascribed by them to the devil, as is confidently pretended. Whatever wonders are attributed to him in your gospels, it is evident they were all done in the dark, or out of sight of any but his friendswhatever those may have written, who wrote what they pleased: For they are all as good as denied, since they own that a miracle was what our fathers wanted, as a proof of his character. What sign she west thou that we may see and believe thee "what dost thou work," was their cry? And whatever may be your gospel, historians pretended, Jesus himself confessed, he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his works may be manifest-and as this was his own doctrine, it was calling on him to put it in practice, and to come to the light, that they might come to the truth; and know the truth of his light, and the light of his truth: for as he that walks in darkness knows not whether he goes so he that believes in darkness knows not the consequence of so blind a faith. A miraculous proof of his mission was what they perpetually called upon him for, as your evangelists themselves confess therefore they never had a satisfactory one. At length we are told, his own resurrection was to be the consummate proof and evidence of his mission and see how this proof is proved, and this evievidence turns out! Then it is to be proved by another miracle! What does this look like? The honest man, that can pay the just demands made upon him in current coin, will never shuffle off his creditors with bad bills. If the story of one miracle be defective, how can it be patched up by another of a different kind? Where was the residence of Jesus the forty days he is said to abide on earth after his resurrection? How could he be alive so long among his disciples, and not be discovered to others? Why did he not

in all that time appear in public as before? Why did he secrete himself on purpose to make his resurrection doubted? Why is the means of salvation made so unreasonable, that we must believe, what did not appear? If Jesus kept out of the sight of unbelievers, they could not be convinced; and if his rising again was not to convince them, to what purpose was it? Why did not the disciples proclaim that Jesus was risen, before they reported he was ascended-and not to be seen while his own appearance could have proved it? Why did he send his disciples (as they say he did) to be knocked at Head, for telling people what they could not believe-when he might have prevented their ill success only by his appearance? Which would have prevented their persecution ;so their blood is owing to his ill conduct. The watch (if there was any) denied his resurrection. What is pretended of the terrible angel and earthquakes, was before any disciple came to the sepulchre, according to Matthew's own account-how then could the disciples know any thing of the matter? Did the soldiers tell them? Then whom themselves call liars were the authors: I dare say the high priests and elders were not so great with the disciples to acquaint them with it. Does not. this then look like forgery, and sufficient of itself to shew of what nature it is, without an authentic act of the elders and chief priests to the contrary? And if they really bribed the soldiers to report what they did, I would fain be informed how the disciples came to know it.

She

Believe or be damned was the first christian Authority, and believe or be burned was the next, as soon as they had power to make it and put it in execution. To hate friends and relations for Christ's sake, is a true christian doctrineand consequently, to persecute and burn them for Christ's sake, isa true christian spirit. Does not a law to punish a man for not believing a report, afford reason enough to render it suspicious? For 'tis not the nature of truth to use any authority but that of right reason and clear evidence. never obtrudes herself on trust, nor forces her way by pains and penalties. From those that will not regard her voice, she turns away-their disregard brings on their own disgrace and punishment. Does not the necessity of believing the thing proposed on hard and rigid terms, shew the reason of that necessity? For if you don't believe, you will examine-and examination makes frauds as well as truths appear. Ifthe reporters and assertors cannot work upon men's reason, they must, in order to be believed, work upon their

passions, for all depends upon belief-therefore he that believes and professes shall be saved! Noble encouragement !

and he that believes not shall be damned! Dreadful terror! whom they cannot lead, they drive-the first takes in all easy good-natured fools, the other all tardy timorous ones. So the poor fools of this world are persuaded, that by this means they are made rich and wise in faith. Thus those who are governed more by their passions than reason, the simple and sinners, who are much the greater part of the world, are drawn in; these by numbers into the church, numbers bring power, and by power the rest are compelled, at least, to pretend belief. Thus faith, of one sort or another, like a spiritual deluge, has overrun the world.As when the dogs are muzzled, the wolves will destroy the sheep-so silence the wise and experienced, and the incautious will be taken in, and become the prey of men practised in deceit. This may certainly be said of the mother church, whatever may be pleaded for her chil dren:

APHORISM.

If reason be the only power by which truth is to be discovered, then the religion which proscribes the use of reason, is a false religion.

PUBLIC DISCOURSES,

UPON MORAL and PHILOSOPHICAL SUBJECTS, will be delivered by the Editor every Sunday evening, at 6 o'clock at Snow's long room, No. 89 Broad-Way.

NEW-YORK:

PRINTED and published by the editor, at No. 26 Chathamstreet, price 2 dollars per annum, one half paid in advance every six months.

PROSPECT,

OR

View of the Moral World,

BY ELIHU PALMER.

VOL. I:

SATURDAY, March 10th, 1804.

No. 14.

Comments on the sacred writings of the Jews and Chris: tians: Genesis, Chapter the ninth.

CREATION OF RAINBOWS.

IF we take the assertions made in the Bible for truth, we shall be compelled to admit that the former or primitive state of the world, was very different from what it is at present; -that the laws of nature have undergone several essential alterations, and that some of the philosophic facts with which we are at present acquainted, had in ancient days no existence. By the account in this ninth chapter of Genesis, one would suppose that the Rainbow, the natural causes of which are well understood, was of post deluvian creationverse twelve, "and God said, this is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you, for perpetual generations. I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth, and it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you, and every living creature of all flesh-and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud, and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth." By this passage it ap. pears that God created the Rainbow at that time, and for a special purpose, and that in an arbitrary manner he set it in the clouds to give consolitory assurances to an ignorant and wicked world, that he would never become so far out of hu

mour again, as to send another flood. But how is this business of creating the bow at that particular time to be reconciled to the principles of philosophy, or the properties of the natural world? The sun existed before-the waters also had their being-exhalations, evaporations, and of course, showers of rain must have been the consequences. The properties of refrangibility and reflexibility must also have been essential in the rays of the sun-under these circumstances every one knows, who knows any thing about it (christians only excepted) that the appearance of rainbows, must have been unavoidable. But it is said that this bow was created at that particular time to answer another special and important purpose, that of the refreshing the memory of the creator, and preventing him in another fit of anger from drowning the world," and the bow shall be in the cloud, and I will look upon it that I may remember the everlasting covenant, &c. And did these Bible makers really believe that their. God was so stupidly forgetful, as to require a thing of this sort to induce him to do his duty? This is degrading him to the condition of some foolish people, and children who tie a string round their finger, in order that they may remember at some particular time what they other. wise expected to forget. When the character of the almighty thus suffers by the descriptions contained in this revealed system of religion, it is high time for all honest believers to enquire into the grounds of their confidence, and the reasons why they believe a book to be divine which is destitute of all the essential features of pure and genuine theism.

To suppose that God can alter the settled laws of nature

which himself formed, is to suppose his will and wisdom mutabl and that they are not the best laws of the most perfect being-ior if he is the author of them, they must be as immutable as he is-so that he cannot alter them to make them better, and will not alter them to make them worse.Neither of these can be agreeable to his attributes. If the course of nature is not the best, the only best, and fittest that could be-it is not the offspring of perfect wisdom, nor was it settled by divine will-and then God is not the author o nature, if the laws thereof can be altered: for if the laws of nature are God's laws, he cannot alter them in any degree without being in some degree changeable. If all nature is under the direction of