prophets respecting your Messiah. By them he is emphatically called "the prince of peace." He was to govern the world with truth and righteousness; be a light unto the Gentiles, and in his name the Gentiles should trust. All the families of the earth were to be blessed in him. Hitherto, the nature and progress of Jesus' kingdom bears a strong resemblance to this, as a fulfilment of these and some other predictions. It is true, some have attempted to propagate his religion by the sword, but you know that his religion condemns all fraud or force in its propagation. It is a well attested, historical fact, that his religion never prospered more than in the three first centuries, when opposed in every possible way, and those who preached it suffered most unheard of cruelties without resistance. How then do you rationally account for it that Jesus, an impostor, crucified at Jerusalem, should in so many things agree to the character of the Messiah, described by your prophets, if indeed he was an impostor? Does it not at present appear that his doctrine and laws shall become universal in the earth? How all this should originate from an impostor, crucified by your fathers, is certainly an astonishing event in the annals of the world.

6th. But if Jesus Christ was really an impostor, how came it to pass, that he wrought miracles and predicted events, some of which deeply concerned your nation? Your fathers could account for his miracles in no other way, but by ascribing them to the power of Beelzebub, which you will allow was not very rational or satisfactory. They did not pretend to deny, but admitted, that notable miracles were wrought by the apostles. Jesus predicted his own death, and the manner of it from the hands of your fathers. He also predicted his resurrection on the third day, and the very precautions your fathers

used, of guarding the sepulchre, and sealing the stone, proclaim their belief in his prediction. But he also predicted the destruction of your city and temple, and your dispersion among all nations, forty years before those events happened. But what false prophet ever arose in your nation, foretelling such future events? If you allow that God thus bore testimony to such an impostor, by what rule do you judge a true from a false prophet?

7th. Permit me to urge you to a candid consideration whether the mode your fathers adopted of getting rid of the fact of Christ's resurrection can be satisfactory to any candid man. If they indeed believed that Christ's disciples stole the body from the tomb, why did they not confront them in open court with the evidence of their guilt, and thus forever silence their testimony concerning the resurrection of Jesus? But they gave no credit to their own story; for in all their after opposition to the apostles, it is never once urged to invalidate their testimony. Your fathers were fully aware, that if Jesus rose from the dead, his claim to the Messiahship was established; hence they took every precaution to guard against imposition. But on the supposition that the disciples did steal the body, is it not strange such a fraud was never detected? Judas had no secret plot to divulge, but confessed he had betrayed innocent blood, nor could persecution or death extort from a single disciple that there was any fraud in the case. I can hardly persuade myself that any well informed Jew now believes this story, for it carries its own refutation in its face. But supposing it true, how do you account for so many Jews in Jerusalem, and other places, believing the apostles' testimony, notwithstanding this story, and taking joyfully the spoiling of their goods rather than renounce it? Myriads of Jews believed

Jesus rose from the dead, and all your fathers could do or say did not prevent them. Permit me to express my surprise, that any candid Jew should continue to reject Christianity on such evidence against it. I am not aware that any thing better was ever urged to disprove Christ's resurrection. Until something better is produced, you could not expect a Christian to renounce his faith in it.

8th. It is near two thousand years since the destruction of your city and temple, and dispersion among all nations. Did your prophets predict that those events should precede, or follow the coming of your Messiah? If they were to precede it, he is yet to come, and you are acting wisely in patiently waiting for his coming. It is also certain, that for nearly two thousand years Christians have been believing in one of the greatest impostors the world ever produced. But if the events which have befallen your nation were to follow the coming of your Messiah, is it any wonder that the wrath of Jehovah has been poured out so long upon you? Nor does there seem to be any hope that it will be turned away from you, until your hearts are turned to him concerning whom your fathers said, "away with him; crucify him; his blood be upon us and upon our children.”

3d. To Deists. I agree with you that credulity is the mark of a weak mind, and that there are many credulous Christians. But, did it never occur to you that incredulity is also the mark of a weak mind? A strong, candid mind is regulated in believing, by the degree of evidence presented, that the thing proposed for belief is true. There may be credulous deists as well as credulous Christians, and deism may be imbibed in the nursery as well as Christianity. You cannot accuse me of believing just as the Church believes, and holding fast my nursery no

tions, whether right or wrong, for I have freely animadverted on some corruptions of Christianity, and am sorry to find you rejecting it, yet holding fast these corruptions. As you have rejected the fact of Christ's resurrection from the dead, on which my hope rests for existence beyond the grave, you can have no objection that I examine the foundation of your hope.

Most deists believe in a future state of existence. I am aware, that there are mortal and immortal deists, but so far as I know, deists in the present day are of the latter denomination. Permit me then to ask, what you expect shall live after death? It cannot be your body, for it must be raised from the dead, which is a miracle, which all deists deny. It must then be your souls you expect to live after death. I have then to ask, how you came by this article in your creed? How do you know that there is any life for man after death? Or that he has a soul which will survive it? From what source did you derive this information? You cannot say any of your friends have returned from the state of the dead to impart it, for this would be very like a miracle, a thing you hold in abhorrence. Well, did Mr. Paine, or some other deistical writer teach you this? But this only provokes the question, how came they by this knowledge? You cannot say God revealed this information to deists, for you deny all revelation. I press you then with the question, how came you by the information, that you shall live or be happy after death? It would be little to your honor, to say you derived it from the Bible, after discarding it. But I have shown from the Bible, that no such doctrines are taught in it. I rather think, you must after all confess, that these are notions you learned in the nursery. You pride yourselves in being men of reason, and free from all vulgar notions and preju

dices. But is this all the reason you have to give for the hope that is in you? You laugh at Christians, for their traditionary faith and nursery notions, but are deists reduced to the same degraded condition? You unquestionably are, and Christians might here turn the laugh against you, were they not in the same condition. I do not wish to turn the laugh against either of you, but I urge both of you soberly to consider, if it is any honor to deism or Christianity, to adopt mere heathen notions as articles of your creeds.

It will not do for you to urge, that the immortality of the soul and its existence after death, are articles which have been believed among all nations throughout past ages. No. For this would be a mere traditionary faith and nothing better than nursery notions. Besides, on this principle you must believe many other things which you and Christians both discard as heathen superstitions. Nor will it answer to say, the strong desire men have after immortality proves they shall live after death. Shall I become a god or an arch-angel after death, if I only strongly desire it? And has not many a man strongly desired to be rich, yea, labored hard to attain it, yet died in the almshouse? But perhaps you found your hope of future life on the justice, wisdom and goodness of God? Stop. This is rather premature in a deist, for he has got first to prove there is such a God, without the aid of divine revelation. But, granting you that there is such a God, it is presumption in you or any man to hope for future life until he gives you a promise of this life? Man's existence here is a gift, its continuance is a favor, and God, in taking it away, does man no injustice. We have no claim on him for its continuance an hour, far less forever. Every reptile that lives, on the same ground might urge his plea for an endless life