Apostle's Creed, the Nicean Creed, the Athanasian Creed, and out of the loads of rubbish that were presented, it voted four to be Gospels, and others to be Epistles as we now find them arranged.

Of those called Gospels above forty were presented, each pretending to be genuine. Four only were voted in, and entitled, The Gospel according to St. Matthew-the Gospel according to St. Mark the Gospel according to St. Luke-the Gospel according to St. John.

This word according shews that those books have not been written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, but according to some accounts or traditions, picked up concerning them. The word according means agreeing with, and necessarily includes the idea of two things, or two persons. We cannot say, The Gospel written by Matthew according to Matthew; but we might say, the Gospel of some other person, according to what was reported to have been the opinion of Matthew. Now we do not know who those other persons were, nor whether what they wrote accorded with any thing that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John might have said. There is too little evidence, and too much contrivance, about those books to merit credit

The next book after those called Gospels, is that called the Acts of the Apostles. This book is anonymous; neither do the Councils that compiled or contrived the New Testament tell us how they came by it. The church, to supply this defect, say it was written by Luke, which shews that the church and its priests have not compared that called the Gospel according to St. Luke, and the Acts together, for the two contradict each other. The book of Luke, chap. 24, makes Jesus ascend into heaven the very same day that it makes him rise from the grave. The book of Acts, chap. i. v. 3, says that he remained on the earth forty days after his crucifixion. There is no believing what either of them says. The next to the book of acts is that entitled. "The Epistle of Paul the Apostle* to the Romans." This is not an Epistle, or letter, writen by Paul or signed by him. It is an Epistle, or letter, written by a person who signs himself TERTIUS, and sent, as it is said at the end, by a servant woman called Phebe. The last chapter, v. 22, says. "I Tertius, who wrote this Epistle, salute you." Who Tertius or Phebe were, we know nothing of. Epistle is not dated. The whole of it is written in the first person, and that person is Tertius, not Paul. But it suited the church to

The

*According to the criterian of the church, Paul was not an apostle: that appellation being given only to those called the twelve. Two sailors belonging to a man of war, got into a dispute upon this point, whether Paul was an apostle or not, and they agreed to refer it to the Boatswain, who decided very con onically that Paul was an acting apostle but not rated.

ascribe it to Paul. There is nothing in it that is interesting except it be to contending and wrangling sectaries. The stupid metaphor of the Potter and the clay is in the 9th chap.

The next book is entitled "The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle, to the Corinthians." This, like the former, is not an Epistle written by Paul, nor signed by him. The conclusion of the Epistle says, "The first epistle to the Corinthians was written from Philippi, by Stephenas and Fortunatus and Achicus and Timotheus.' The second epistle entitled, "The second epistle of Paul the Apostle, to the Corinthians," is in the same case with the first. The conclusion of it says, "It was written from Philippi, a city of Macedonia, by Titus and Lucas.

A question may arise upon these cases, which is, are these persons the writers of the epistles originally, or are they the writers and attestors of copies sent to the councils who compiled the code or canon of the New Testament? If the epistles had been dated this question could be decided; but in either of the cases the evidences of Paul's hand writing and of their being written by him is wanting, and therefore there is no authority for calling them Epistles of Paul. We know not whose Epistles they were, nor whether they are genuine or forged,

The next is entitled, "The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Galatians." It contains six short chapters. But short as the epistle is, it does not carry the appearance of being the work or composition of one person. The fith chapter, ver. 2, says, "If ye be circumcised Christ shall avail you nothing.' It does not say circumcision shall profit you nothing, but Christ shall profit you nothing. Yet in the sixth chap. v. 15, it says, "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new creature." These are not reconcileable passages, nor can contrivance make them so. The conclusion of the epistle says, it was written from Rome, but it is not dated, nor is there any signature to it, neither do the compilers of the New Testament say how they came by it. We are in the dark upon all these mat

ters.

The next is entitled, "the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesian." Paul is not the writer. The conclusion of it says, "Written from Rome unto the Ephesians by Tychicus."

The next is entitled, "the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Philippians." Paul is not the writer. The conclusion of it says, "It was written to the Philippians from Rome by Epaphroditus." It is not dated. Query, were those men who wrote and signed those Epistles Journeymen Apostles, who undertook to write in Paul's name, as Paul is said to have preached in Christ's name!

The next is entitled, "the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Colossians." Paul is not the writer. Doctor Luke is spoken of in this Epistle as sending his compliments. "Luke, the beloved

physician and Demas greet you." Chap. IV. v. 14. It does not say a word about his writting any Gospel. The conclusion of the Epistle says, "Written from Rome to the Collossians, by Tychicus and Onesimus.”

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The next is entitled, "The first and the second Epistles of Paul the Apostle, to the Thessalonians." Either the writer of these Epistles was a visionary enthusiast, or a direct imposter, for he tells the Thessalonians, and, he says, he tells them by the word of the Lord, that the world will be at an end in his and their time; and after telling them that those who are already dead shall rise, he adds, chapter 4, v. 17, " Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up with them into the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we be ever with the Lord" Such detected lies as these ought to fill priests with confusion, when they preach such books to be the word of God. These two Epistles are said, in the conclusion of them, to be written from Athens. They are without date or signatures.

The next four Epistles are private letters. Timothy, one to Titus, and one to Philemon. body knows.

Two of them are to
Who they were no-

The first to Timothy is said to be written from Laodicea. It is without date or signature. The second to Timothy is said to be written from Rome, and is without date or signature. The Epistle to Titus is said to be written from Nicopolis in Macedonia. It is without date or Signature. The Epistle to Philemon is said to be written from Rome by Onesimus. It is without date.

The last Epistle ascribed to Paul is entitled, "The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews," and is said in the conclusion to be written from Italy, by Timothy. This Timothy (according to the conclusion of the Epistle called the second Epistle of Paul to Timothy) was bishop of the church of the Ephesians, and consequently this is not an Epistle of Paul.

On what slender cob-web evidence do the priests and professors of the Christian religion hang their faith! The same degree of hearsay evidence, and that at third and fourth hand, would not in a court of Justice, give a man title to a cottage, and yet the priests of this profession presumptiously promise their deluded followers the kingdom of Heaven. A little reflection would teach men that those books are not to be trusted to; that so far from there being any proof they are the word of God, it is unknown who the writers of them were, or at what time they were written, within three hundered years after the reputed authors are said to have lived. It is not the interest of priests, who get their living by them, to examine into the insufficiency of the evidence upon which those books were received by the popish councils who compiled the New Testament.

The cry of the priests, that the Church is in danger is the cry of men who do not understand the interest of their own craft, for

instead of exciting alarms and apprehensions for its safety, as they expect it excites suspicion that the foundation is not sound, and that it is necessary to take down and build it on a surer foundation. Nobody fears for the safety of a muntain, but a hillock of sand may be washed away! Blow then, O ye priests, "the Trumpet in Zion," for the Hillock is in danger.

DETECTOR-P.

END OF THE THEOLOGICAL WORKS.

MISCELLANIES,

IN PROSE AND VERSE,

SELECTED FROM THE PENNSYLVANIA MAGAZINE.

Published at Philadelphia, in the year 1775.

PREFACE BY THE EDITOR.

I shall preface the following effusions with an extract of a letter from Doctor Benjamin Rush, one of the signers of the Declaration of American Independence, to a biographer of Mr. Paine. This I am induced to do for two reasons; in the first place, it sufficiently establishes the authorship; and secondly, it is an authentic testimonial of the early and efficient services of Mr. P. in the cause of liberty in America. I will here take an opportunity to relate an anecdote recorded by his biographer, as stated by Mr. P. himself respecting the cause that first turned his thoughts to govern

ment.

"After playing at Bowls, at Lewes, retiring to drink some punch, Mr. Verril one of the Bowlers, observed, alluding to the wars of Frederick, that the king of Prussia was the best fellow in the world for a king, he had so much of the devil in him. This, striking me with great force, occasioned the reflection, that if it were necessary for a king to have so much of the devil in him, kings might very beneficially be dispensed with."

In an edition of Paine's political and religious works, published by Carey, at Philadelphia, in 1797, the articles here selected are inserted, excepting the two taken notice of by Dr. Rush, and the tale of the monk and Jew; and I have it from Mr. Paine himself that his usual signature to his communications for the Magazine, was Atlanticus; that the song on the death of Wolfe, and the farmer's dog, were written by him before he left England, but never pub