登陆注册
15401600000045

第45章 THE NEW TESTAMENT THE (12)

Sometimes Paul affects to be a naturalist, and to prove his system of resurrection from the principles of vegetation."Thou fool" says he, "that which thou sowest is not quickened except it die." To which one might reply in his own language, and say, Thou fool, Paul, that which thou sowest is not quickened except it die not; for the grain that dies in the ground never does, nor can vegetate.It is only the living grains that produce the next crop.But the metaphor, in any point of view, is no simile.It is succession, and [not] resurrection.

The progress of an animal from one state of being to another, as from a worm to a butterfly, applies to the case; but this of a grain does not, and shows Paul to have been what he says of others, a fool.

Whether the fourteen epistles ascribed to Paul were written by him or not, is a matter of indifference; they are either argumentative or dogmatical;and as the argument is defective, and the dogmatical part is merely presumptive, it signifies not who wrote them.And the same may be said for the remaining parts of the Testament.It is not upon the Epistles, but upon what is called the Gospel, contained in the four books ascribed to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and upon the pretended prophecies, that the theory of the church, calling itself the Christian Church, is founded.The Epistles are dependant upon those, and must follow their fate; for if the story of Jesus Chiist be fabulous, all reasoning founded upon it, as a supposed truth, must fall with it.

We know from history, that one of the principal leaders of this church, Athanasius, lived at the time the New Testament was formed; [Athanasius died, according to the Church chronology, in the year 371 -- Auther.] and we know also, from the absurd jargon he has left us under the name of a creed, the character of the men who formed the New Testament; and we know also from the same history that the authenticity of the books of which it is composed was denied at the time.It was upon the vote of such as Athanasius that the Testament was decreed to be the word of God; and nothing can present to us a more strange idea than that of decreeing the word of God by vote.Those who rest their faith upon such authority put man in the place of God, and have no true foundation for future happiness.Credulity, however, is not a crime, but it becomes criminal by resisting conviction.

It is strangling in the womb of the conscience the efforts it makes to ascertain truth.We should never force belief upon ourselves in any thing.

I here close the subject on the Old Testament and the New.The evidence I have produced to prove them forgeries, is extracted from the books themselves, and acts, like a two-edge sword, either way.If the evidence be denied, the authenticity of the Scriptures is denied with it, for it is Scripture evidence: and if the evidence be admitted, the authenticity of the books is disproved.The contradictory impossibilities, contained in the Old Testament and the New, put them in the case of a man who swears for and against.

Either evidence convicts him of perjury, and equally destroys reputation.

Should the Bible and the Testament hereafter fall, it is not that Ihave done it.I have done no more than extracted the evidence from the confused mass of matters with which it is mixed, and arranged that evidence in a point of light to be clearly seen and easily comprehended; and, having done this, I leave the reader to judge for himself, as I have judged for myself.

同类推荐
  • THE GERMAN IDEOLOGY

    THE GERMAN IDEOLOGY

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 胎藏金刚教法名号

    胎藏金刚教法名号

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 佛说净业障经

    佛说净业障经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • The Warsons

    The Warsons

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 观林诗话

    观林诗话

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 黑子的篮球之错爱

    黑子的篮球之错爱

    她或许是个苦命的。但她丝毫没有这么觉得。纵使她喜欢的人不喜欢她又怎么样?所有的问题都是能迎刃而解的吧?可是最难熬的事,莫过于被他注意到。“我不喜欢不听话的狗。”“那我养猫还不行吗?”“不需要。”“你给我好好听话就行了。”『可能我只是你生命里的一个过客,但你不会遇见第二个我。』『那我好好珍惜还不行么。』
  • 太上救苦天尊说拔度血湖宝忏

    太上救苦天尊说拔度血湖宝忏

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 现代做妃古代为后

    现代做妃古代为后

    一段令人感动的穿越爱情故事,从现代到古代,经历了多少辛酸,白沙晨都坚强的挺了过来,没有流过一滴泪,可是当她在古代遇见银寒轩的时候,所有的坚强伪装都被他的一句“我爱你,你做我的皇后吧。”给打碎了。有过误会,有过不甘,从皇宫到民间,事业,爱情都成为她的幸福。但是在爱情和自由之间,该如何抉择呢?这就要看看沙晨的心中有什么样的想法了?
  • 余森落繁

    余森落繁

    这是一个关于过去与未来的感情故事。两年前余声对洛凡的专情,洛凡对余声的冷淡。随着时间不断改变曾经深爱的人不爱了,不爱的人爱上了。在这场感情中夹杂着太多的悲欢离合,却也使他们彼此更深爱对方。
  • 海贼王之鬼剑士传奇

    海贼王之鬼剑士传奇

    就是想写本书,写本海贼王的书,不一样的穿越,没有熟知剧情的外G,剧情以搞笑热血为主,主角只是个普通的宅男,就像我本人一样,不一样的是主角随身携带着DNF的游戏系统,看主角如何在大海贼时代中谱写出属于鬼剑士的传奇......
  • 穆若清风

    穆若清风

    相知的人冷漠无言,陌生的人似曾相识,亲近的人渐行渐远。今生恍若前世,她不知前路如何,却也随遇而安。迷雾重重,她只浅笑看在眼里,此生她不留恋,可轻生也不甘愿。只如此,不强求,不埋怨……再相见,但愿终风且霾,惠然肯来。
  • 剑影无双

    剑影无双

    这个天下,是永远都不会平静的,每逢乱世,都会这个时代的王者仗剑而出,开创属于自己的时代,成就属于自己的传说。这个时代,是属于徐晨风的!在这个乱世之中,他要用自己手中的剑安这一世太平。一柄剑,一段情,亦是一段传说!
  • 一世安然吧

    一世安然吧

    18岁,正值青春最美好的时刻,18岁那天,她订婚的日子,可是,18岁那天,她的订婚宴却成了别人的。她深爱的那个男人在给了她一枪后和另一个女人订婚。她的第一次却在生日前一个晚上给了一个陌生男子。18岁,一个刺眼的字眼。18岁,她经历了无数坎坷。都说上帝在给你关上一扇门后,又会给你开一扇窗。她怀孕了,却被外公强行拉去坠胎,她逃离A市,遇到和自己同命相连的好朋友,两个人都怀着小宝宝,她的朋友在生下两个小宝宝后难产而死,同一天,她也生下一对龙凤胎,之后,一个人抚养4个小孩。幸福的5个人的生活在一个女人的嫉妒中结束。这个女人就是夺走她未婚夫的女人,这个女人杀了她其中一个孩子。她回国,唯一的目的就是复仇!
  • 宦官的忠犬宣言

    宦官的忠犬宣言

    一个刚刚进宫当上皇后就守活寡的年轻太后,执掌朝政十几年后,被羽翼丰满的小皇帝下令赐死。那时,只有她的太监总管为了她的一线生机慷慨赴死。重生一次,太后娘娘决定对他好一些。全才宫斗能手感情白痴年轻太后X暗恋主子一步步爬上高位阴冷变态偏执忠犬男。
  • 苦中苦乐中乐

    苦中苦乐中乐

    天有白天有黑夜,一年有春夏秋冬,四季轮回;人有痛苦就有欢乐,人生百态,酸甜苦辣,冷暖自知!屌丝男叶流星生在红旗下,长在新社会,用叶流星的话说,小的时候虽然没有办法选择自己的出生,长大了却能选择自己过怎么样的生活,这一生没白活!