the bare possibility that that which he has so arraigned may be founded in truth? I believe in my conscience, that Paine himself and the present defendant, in their calmer moments, could not but have some little doubt on the subject. What, then, must be the feelings of the defendant at the close of his life, when he remembers that he has been the means of putting such publications into the hands of the young and the inexperienced, to dishonour that Deity whom we all profess to worship, and to whom we owe the manifold blessings we enjoy ?

The next passage to which I beg your attention, is not less blasphemous than those I have already quoted-it is; thus:

"I have now gone through the examination of the four books ascribed to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; and when it is considered that the whole space of time, from the crucifixion to what is called the ascension, is but a few days, apparently not more than three or four, and that all the circumstances are reported to have happened nearly about the same spot, Jerusalem, it is, I believe, impossible to find in any story upon record, so many and such glaring absurdities, contradictions, and falsehoods, as are in those books. But the case is, that people have been so long in the habit of reading the books called the Bible and Testament with their eyes shut, and their senses locked up, that the most stupid inconsistencies have passed on them for truth, and imposition for prophesy. The all-wise Creator hath been dishonoured by being made the author of fable, and the human mind degraded by believing it. I forbear (continues the author) making any remark on this abominable imposition of Matthew, the thing glaringly speaks for itself; it is priests and commentators that I rather ought to censure for having preached falsehoods so long, and kept people in darkness, with respect to those impositions. I am not contending with these men upon points of doctrine, for I know that sophistry has always a city of refuge; I am speaking of facts; for wherever the thing called a fact is a falsehood, the faith founded upon it is delusion, and the doctrine raised upon it not true. Ah! reader, put thy trust in thy Creator, and thou wilt be safe, but if thou trustest to the book called the Scripture, thou trustest to the rotten staff of fable and falsehood. I have now, reader, gone through and examined all the passages which the four books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, quote from the Old Testament, and call them prophecies of Jesus Christ. When first I sat down to this examination, I expected to find cause for some censure, but little did I expect to find them so utterly destitute of truth and of all pretensions to it, as I have shewn them to be; the practice which the writers of those books employ, is not more false than it is absurd; they state some trifling case of the person they call Jesus Christ, and then cut out a sentence from some passage

of the Old Testament and call it a prophecy of that case. But when the words thus cut out are restored to the place they are taken from, and read with the words before and after them, they give the lie to the New Testament."

One would suppose that some little decorum, some little decency would be observed in the discussion of so sacred a subject-but no, the whole is treated as an imposture, a lie, and a fable. I do not think there is a man existing who will not say that this is a direct attack, couched in the coarsest terms, on the Holy Scriptures and the religion which is professed in this country. The libel goes on thus:

"These repeated forgeries and falsifications create a well-founded suspicion, that all the cases spoken of concerning the person called Jesus Christ, are made cases on purpose to lug in, and that very clumsily, some broken sentences from the Old Testament, and apply them as prophecies of those cases, and that so far from his being the Son of God, he did not exist even as a man; that he is nerely an imaginary or allegorical character, as Apollo, Hercules, Jupiter, and all the deities of antiquity were. There is no history written at the time Jesus Christ is said to have lived, that speaks of the existence of such a person, even as a man. Did we find in any other book, pretending to give a system of religion, the falsehoods, falsifications, contradictions, and absurdities which are to be met with in almost every page of the Old and New Testament, all the priests of the present day, who supposed themselves capable, would triumphantly shew their skill in criticism, and cry it down as a most glaring imposition; but since the books in question belong to their own trade and profession, they, or at least many of them, seek to stifle every enquiry into them, and abuse those who have the honesty and the courage to do it. They tell us, that Jesus arose from the dead and ascended into Heaven: it is very easy to say so; a great lie is as easily told as a little one; but if he had done so, these would have been the only circumstances respecting him that would have differed from the common lot of man, and consequently the only case that would apply exclusively to him as prophecy, would be some passage in the Old Testament, that foretold such things of him; but there is not a passage in the Old Testament that speaks of a person who, after being crucified, dead, and buried, should arise from the dead and ascend into Heaven. Our prophecy-mongers supply the silence, by telling us of passages they call prophecies, and that falsely so, about Joseph's dreams, old clothes, broken bones, and such like trifling stuff."

I now entreat the Jury to mark the manner in which the opinions of the author are summed up:

Now (says he) had the news of salvation by Jesus Christ been inscribed on the face of the sun and the moon, in characters that all

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nations would have understood, the whole earth had known it in twenty-four hours, and all nations would have believed it. Whereas, though it is now almost 2,000 years since, as they tell us, Christ came upon earth, not a twentieth part of the people of the earth know any thing of it, and among those who do, the wiser part do not believe it. I have now, reader, gone through all the passages tailed prophecies of Jesus Christ, and shewn there is no such thing. I have examined the story told of Jesus Christ, and compared the several circumstances of it with that revelation, which, as Middleton wisely says, God has made to us of his power and wisdom in the structure of the universe, and by which every thing ascribed to him is to be tried.' The result is, that the story of Christ has not one trait, either in its character or in the means employed, that bears the least resemblance to the power and wisdom of God, as demonstrated in the creation of the universe. All the means are human means-slow, uncertain, and inadequate to the accomplishment of the end proposed, and therefore the whole is a fabulous invention and undeserving of credit. The priests of the present day profess to believe it, they gain their living by it, and they exclaim against something they call infidelity. I will define what it is: he that believes in the story of Christ is an infidel to God."

I have now, Gentlemen, gone through the counts of the indictment against the defendant, and have I not read enough? Have I not proved, taking Christianity to be the law of the land, and that which is not to be reviled by word or writing, that the defendant has offended against the law? Has he or has he not reviled the Christian Religion? Gentlemen, if you can put your hands to your hearts and say he has not, he will be entitled to his acquittal: but if you should be of a contrary opinion, as I think you must be, then you will only be discharging your duty to God and your country, by convicting him. I have seen it and heard it said, that this prosecution has been instituted for other purposes; but, Gentlemen, it has not, and such assertions are without foundation. This prosecution has not originated in any disposition to interfere with opinions which may be entertained upon disputed topics. No, praise be to Him who sent it! notwithstanding the various differences of opinion existing between the various sects and classes of the earth, the Christian religion has endured for ages, because it is built upon a rock, which all the infidels of other times have in vain endeavoured to assail. To use the words of Mr. Locke, "The religion of this country has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its subject and its matter." Such a religion cannot be affected by the works of Paine, or those of

greater men. But protection must be afforded to the people against such impious missiles as are there flung out against their happiness and peace. Prosecutions for such calumnies against religion are necessary for the public good, although the religion itself has no need of support from the arm of man, for in my conscience I believe that persecution alone can injure it. But this prosecution has not been instituted for the purpose of oppressing any individual. No, it has been only instituted for the purpose of protecting the lower and illiterate classes from having their faith sapped and their minds divested from those principles of morality, which are so powerfully inculcated by the Christian religion. The gospel is preached particularly for the poor. It is ealculated to shew them the vanity of all earthly things: it enables them to bear up against the pressure of misery and misfortune, and teaches them to rely upon those rewards which they shall earn by leading a life of honesty, sobriety, and deference to the laws of God, and of their country. But when such terrible productions as those now under consideration are put into their hands, into the hands of those who unlike the rich, the informed, and the powerful, are unable to draw distinctions between ingenious though mischievous arguments, and divine truths-the consequences are too frightful to be contemplated. It is said of vice that it becomes familiar by being known, and it will be so in the same manner with infidelity. I repeat again, there is no intention of prosecuting any man for his religious opinions, provided they be not promulgated in such a manner as to produce positive mischief to the community. It is not for me, Gentlemen, to dictate to you the line of conduct you are to pursue. I am addressing twelve gentlemen of education, and consideration in life; I have stated to you what I apprehend to be clearly the law on this subject, namely, that to ridicule Christianity is an offence at common law. I hat offence is imputed to the Defendant on the present indictment. The eyes of the country, Gentlemen, are upon your proceedings; and your deliberations and determination are looked to with a painful anxiety. Much do I lament that, although a great length of time has elapsed since the publication of this libel, the subject has not before been brought under your consideration. Unavoidable circumstances have prevented this step. But no time, however, has unnecessarily been lost, and whatever delays have taken place, are solely to be attributed to the forms of law, and to other occurrences which

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were not within my controul. The Defendant exercised the right of traversing, which produced a certain delay. It was impossible, from certain circumstances, that it could have been tried in April-and this is the first opportunity at which it could have been brought forward. I repeat it, Gentlemen, that the eyes of the country are upon you-all the religious-all the moral-all the thinking part of mankind are waiting anxiously the decision of this case. to be decided by you, Gentlemen of the Jury, whether Christianity is a fabulous imposture, and whether we are to continue under that religions part of the system of our constitution, to which we have heretofore looked with confidence and veneration. If the Defendant has committed an offence, and that he has, in my estimation, no man alive can entertain a doubt, after hearing the passages which I have read-I am sure I need not call upon you to be firm in the conscientious discharge of your duty. If you believe that the Defendant has offended against the laws of God and the country, you will, without the slightest hesitation, give a verdict to that effect. It only remains for me to prove the case which I have stated, and this I shall do very shortly, by proving the sale of the book by the Defendant; and unless you have made up your minds to treat as nothing, the solemn obligation of the oath which you have taken, and to consider Christianity as a fable, and as a gross imposi tion, I am satisfied, upon the facts, that the only verdict which you can return on this occasion will be that of Guilty.

Solicitor General.--Call Griffin Swanson.Witness being

sworn.

Solicitor General.-Are you in the employ of the Solicitors to the Treasury?

Witness. I am a clerk and messenger in their employ. Solicitor General. Did you on the 19th December last go to the shop of the Defendant?

Witness (examining a book).--It was on the 17th of December.

Solicitor General-Where is that shop situated?

Witness.-On the right hand side of Fleet Street.

Solicitor General.-Do you mean the right hand side going from, or towards, Temple Bar?

Witness. I mean the right hand side going towards Temple Bar.

Solicitor General.-Did you purchase any thing at that time?