white, and speckled ;" controversies without number, and creeds the most discordant; mitred heads, and senseless dogmas; long beards and unfathomable mysteries; real persecutions, amid pretended toleration; affected benevolence covering actual maliciousness; tortures upon earth and eternal torments in the world to come-such are the features of the gloomy picture, such the incidents of the terrific tragedy, produced to the world by Mr. Volney as a correct likeness and transcript of the religion of Jesus. The Quaker, the Pietist, and the Enthusiast - the Papist, the Protestant, and the Presbyterian-play the principal characters in this impartial and unprejudiced representation. Popes, monks, priests, vagabonds, in short, of every description, fill up the scene, and the catastrophe is most ably and appropriately brought about, by the entry of the familiars of the inquisition, and no very distant prospect of the flames of an auto da fè. Now your correspondent, Sir, has asserted himself to be a man that has been in the habit of examining and enquiring into the religion of Jesus-he has seen through the impositions of priestcraft, and beheld in their true colours the ridiculous creeds of the establishment-the doctrine of Unitarianism, or the belief of one only God, has operated forcibly on his mind, and he has visited the conferences of your society, with attention and delight. To him, therefore, as to one possessed both of the means, and the abilities to decide on the subject, we may boldly address ourselves, to know whether this representation, or any the minutest portion of it, bears the most distant resemblance to the religion which was revealed by Jesus, promulgated by his apostles, and which stands recorded in the books of what is called the New Testament? If to this question he can conscientiously reply in the affirmative, then, indeed, will I pronounce, with Mr. V. that Christianity, like every other religion, or superstition upon the earth, is a senseless and absurd imposition, founded in blood, and erected on the ruins of reason and common sense; but should he, on the other hand, be compelled to reply in the negative; should it appear that this representation is both erroneous as a whole, and false and unfounded in all its parts; that it contains, not even, as it were, by accident, one single fact or doctrine which makes the smallest approach to truth, but that every thing which really relates to the religion of Jesus, has been, as if it were from a consciousness of its strength and invincibility, most carefully and studiously avoided; then may we with an equal degree of certainty conclude (not indeed that Christianity is true, and the writings which record it authentic, for that assuredly wholly rests on other grounds), but that that truth LAWS. The essence of right and wrong does not depend upon words and clauses inserted in a code or statute book; much less upon the conclusions and explications of lawyers; but upon reason and the nature of things, antecedent to all laws. THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTIANITY COMPARED WITH THE SPIRIT OF THE TIMES. If the great founder of Christianity were to descend on the earth, with what indignation would he behold the heads of his ministry invested with wealth, with patronage, and political power !-With what indignation would he behold the cringing, the meanness, and servility of the subaltern clergy towards their superiors--to see his mild disinterested religion coupled with political faction-to see worldly preferment their only pursuit, and the sacrifice of independence and public virtue and honour the only means of attainment--to see the most lofty ambition, the most selfish avidity, the most persecuting spirit of tyrannic ascendancy concealed under the colour of sanctity and the garb of hypocrisy ! Well might he ask what part of his sacred writings authorised his ministers to rank themselves at the head of the opulent lords and most puissant princes of human creation, instead of that self-denial, that humility, that meekness, that contempt of riches and honour's, which he preached in every line of his gospel. ORIGINAL POETRY. SILENCE. WRITTEN ON THE SEA SHORE. UPON the shores a death-like silence reigns, But solemn silence reigns. Save when the screaming sea-fowl takes her flight, An awful silence reigns. Or when, against the smooth and sandy shore, On such a spot let contemplation dwell, While such sweet silence reigns. For here no busy din, to towns confin'd, No earthly calls arrest the pious mind, Where great Jehovah reigns. MAGAZINE. No. 17.] MAY, 1812. [VOL. 2. REMARKS ON VOLNEY'S RUINS OF EMPIRES," WITH A REFUTATION OF HIS STATEMENT OF THE DOCTRINES OF CHRISTIANITY. To the Editor of the Freethinking Christians' Magazine. SIR, A Correspondent in your last number having adverted to the celebrated "Ruins of Empires" by Mr. Volney, as a book in which his own objections to Christianity were most ably explained, and his ideas on the subject enlarged upon, I have been induced to give that work an immediate perusal; and now propose submitting to your attention the substance of the ideas and observations, which have occurred to me, on a hasty indeed, and perhaps indigested, but, 1 trust, impartial and unprejudiced review of the subject. Mr. Volney's performance, as indeed is sufficiently evident from the title of it, is by no means confined to religious subjects, but takes in almost every question that relates to the nature of society, and the moral and intellectual condition of mankind. In his general views and conceptions on these subjects, he displays a benevolence of intention, and an ability and acuteness of research, which most incontrovertibly attest his claim to the titles of a philosopher, a metaphysician, and a friend of the human race; whilst his style, endued with a peculiar smoothness, and a remarkable aptitude in the conveyance of his ideas under pleasing and impressive images, is precisely of that nature which is the most likely to captivate the attention, and carry conviction to the mind of his reader. To this general character however must be claimed an exception, in the instance of Christianity, which he evidently either misunderstood himself, or has purposely misrepresented to his readers; and this being the main object of our enquiry, and one, besides, which must be decided by facts, and fair argument, rather than by a mere statement either of agreement or disagreement in opinion, I shall proceed without further preface to state the reasons which have led to this conclusion, and to examine those passages in Mr. Volney's work by which I think it can be fully supported and justified. On perusing his 21st chapter, which he entitles "the problem of religious contradictions," the reader is naturally struck with and authencity stand wholly unaffected by the statements of Mr. V. and that the credit of the system cannot possibly be impeached by the repetition of any of the assertions or conclusions, which he, upon such false representations and premises, has made upon the subject. His general aim has been to shew, that every system of religion is equally authentic, and equally absurd-all derived from one common source, and all productive of the most serious and extensive mischiefs to mankind.' But would it not have been as well if he had made a distinction between those evils which have really been produced by one religion, and those which could only proceed from the actual and positive breach of another? Thus when Mr. V. makes it appear that the professors of Christianity and Mahometanism have equally, at times, been bloody and intolerant, we may perhaps be compelled to admit the fact; but, I think, we must deny the inference that has been deduced from it, viz. that the religions themselves are founded on similar principles of cruelty and persecution. The Musselman draws the sword at the express command, and in pursuance of the example of his prophet, whilst the Christian who does so acts in direct contradition both to the faith and the conduct of his master, and is, in fact, unworthy of the name. The same confusion runs through all Mr. V.'s ideas with respect to a priesthood, his general argument on the subject appearing to be, as well as I can collect it, as follows:-Priests being impostors, and every religion having a priesthood, therefore is every religion an imposition. Now I cannot but think that if he had really understood the question he was treating of, or did not wish to misrepresent it to his readers, he would rather have reasoned thus:-Priests being impostors, and every religion but Christianity having a priesthood, then is the Christian religion a single exception to the general charge of imposition. Want of space prevents me from entering upon this part of the question; but your correspondent, if he has really examined the subject, and has attended to your conferences, has not to learn that a priesthood is an institution which is no way sanctioned by the religion of Jesus. The authenticity ofthe scriptures is, it seems, the point at issue, and this can only be rendered doubtful by the supposing them to have been the artful forgeries of designing and ambitious men, originating in imposition, and only to be carried on by a system of priestcraft, as is known to have been the case with other religions. But, unfortunately for this hypothesis, it happens that the Christian scriptures, unlike those of the others in question, do not support that system, nay stand in direct opposition to it; and it cannot surely be seriously contended, that priests would have invented a religion, whose first act was to dispense with their services, or forged writings, that, instead of supporting their claims, only tended to render their titles disputable. The historical and moral evidences in favour of the reality of the existence of Jesus, are in themselves so glaring and so strong, and have been besides so frequently discussed by those who are much more competent to the task than myself, that I have not thought it necessary to enlarge on that part of the subject; one or two short observations, however, occurwhich, before I conclude, 1 must beg leave to make. Mr. Volney has represented Faustus, a Manichean of the third century, as saying, that the gospels, &c. were written neither by Jesus or his apostles, but a long time after, by certain unknown persons. Now though this may sound very well from the pen of Mr. V. in the 18th century, it certainly comes rather awkwardly from a writer of the third, as the stating the forgeries to have been written a long time after Jesus would, by bringing the imposition up to the very time in which he wrote, render it so glaring and notorious, as neither to require or be deserving a refutation. From this fact, however, whether well or ill founded, there is drawn this conclusion, though whether it be the conclusion of Faustus or of Volney is more than 1 can discover-it is, that "the existence of Jesus, is no better proved than that of Osiris, or of Hercules, or Beddou." assertion may possibly with some carry great weight, but for my own part, I must frankly confess, that I should think it equally reasonable to doubt of the existence of Buonaparte, because I disbelieved the exploits which are commonly attributed to Tom Thumb, and Jack the Giant Killer! Paddington, April 15, 1812. I remain, &c. This J. D. ON PRIVATE PRAYER. To the Editor of the Freethinking Christians' Magazine. SIR, WHEN the bigotted and superstitious are disposed to calumniate, they are seldom at a loss for a subject; the mind that can persuade itself to believe a phantom to be a reality, or an absurdity to be a truth, will find as little difficulty in creating as in believing them; and he who opposes such characters as these should remember that pride and prejudice produce obstinacy, and an obstinate man pays as much regard to the justice of the expedient, to which he resorts for his defence, as a knvae does to honesty, or an assassin to the sixth commandment ; |