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of Persia. He then read on, chap. xi. ver. 6, 7. Was God really afraid they would get into heaven? chap. xii. ver. 10. Let me see, did not God promise here in chap. viii. ver. 22, that while the earth remaineth, seed time and harvest should not cease? Chap. xii. ver. 19, let us see who was this Pharaoh, he was no Jew, no; nor a Christian; he seems too generous and virtuous for either. Chap. xvii. ver. 17, what, laugh in God's face, worse than blasphemy! Chap. xix. ver. 8, (the manner in which this verse was read caused something like horror around). Chap. xix. ver. 35, surely this man was a drunkard, for he was blind drunk two nights together; but he does not belong to my gang! Chap. xxi. ver.-17, (here the defendant screamed out like an old woman) What aileth thee Hagar."

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After he had finished this chapter, the Recorder advised him to consider whether the course he was pursuing was likely to serve him or not, and that he did not think that his line of defence applied to the charge against him.

Defendant-I intend to prove that this book is what I have stated it to be, false and nonsensical.

Recorder-It appears, your object is only to weary the court and jury; and I ask you, if it is your intention to read the Bible through?

Defendant-Yes, Sir, and the Testament also.

Recorder-The court will not allow it.

Defendant-I must, Sir, in order to prove the truth of my asser

tions.

A Juror then got up and asked if it were not possible to stop the defendant from proceeding any further?

Defendant--Then you stop my defence.

Recorder-The greatest part you have already said, has nothing to do with the charge, perhaps you think it has, so follow your own contumelious course.

Defendant-Well, perhaps I may skip some verses or chapters here and there; but I will turn over every leaf.

He then read on. Chap. xxii. ver. 15, out of heaven, oh! it can't be far off, if Abraham could hear him! chap. xxv. ver. 5, gave all that he had to Isaac, ver. 6, gave gifts to the sons of his whores. Why I thought he gave all that he had to Isaac! Ver. 22, struggled together within her. Oh! then it is no wonder they could not agree together when they came out of her, seeing they quarrelled within her. Chap. xxvi. ver. 1, another famine, Gentlemen! ver. 10 and 11, here was morality without your Christianity. Chap. xxxii. ver. 1, angel of God met him, I wonder where they were travelling, chap. xxxiv. throughout. Is it possible that two mere boys could do this, if they did why were they not punished? has not God said, chap. ix. ver. 6, whoso sheddeth man's blood shall die, horrid! Chap. xxxvi. ver. 31, this could not be written sure

ly till after some king had reigned in Israel, chap. xxxviii., throughout. Now if we turn to Matthew, chap. i. ver. 3, we shall find, that from this incestuous connection our blessed holy Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, sprang. Chap. xlix. ver. 10, the sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a law-giver, until Shiloh come. Now this Shiloh, the priests would persuade us, means Christ; but we find in Luke chap. iii. ver. 1, that the sceptre was departed long before he came, and if this means Christ, what a drunken fellow he must have been; it says, his eyes shall not only be red with, wine, but he shall wash his cloaths in wine. I dont't think that Jessu was such a drunkard, so I won't believe it can mean him. Exodus chap. ii. ver. 12, slew the Egyptian. There, Gentlemen, I have proved Moses, at any rate, to be a murderer, even by his own account: ver. 14, Moses feared. I think I recollect in Hebrews chap. xi. ver. 27, that Moses went away not fearing, ah! here it is, chap. iii. ver. 22. Is not this an encouragement for robbers, seeing it was God's commands; and is he not the same to day he was yesterday. Chap. iv. throughout, 5, a curious way of making them believe, by destroying them all in the Red Sea: ver. 16, oh! the vanity and presumption, he thus made himself a God, for God is too jealous of his Godhead, to make any more Gods: ver. 21, hardened his heart! I thought God tempted no man; look at James chap. i. ver. 13,-24, sought to kill him, and could he not? ver. 25, even his own wife called him a bloody husband! chap. vii. throughout, 1, ah, here he is a God again! ver. 12, this cannot be considered much of a miracle, if wicked men could do the same, ver. 22, they did so too, why where did they get the water, I thought all the water, even the very ponds, were turned into blood before? how then is this? oh, I have no faith. Chap. viii. throughout, what was the use of sending so many messages to him, when he said before, in chap. iii. ver. 19, that he was sure he would not let them go, ver. 7, clever fellows! I wonder whether the two armies of frogs got fighting together, like Homer's frogs and mice? Ver. 13, ah, the lord is merciful, his tender mercies are over all his works; ver. 15, he hardened his heart, why I thought the Lord hardened it for him in chap. vii. ver. 13. Chap. viii. ver. 18, how the plague could they, when all the dust was made lice before? I think I have read enough of this nonsense to prove it fabulous. Chap. xv. ver. 3, this cannot be the same God spoken of in Hebrew chap. xiii. verse 20; for there he is called a "God of Peace."

Recorder said; defendant, you know the marginal references are not considered the word of God.

Defendant-Here are no marginal references you see (holding up the book) this is the Porteusian Bible.

The defendant proceeded. Chap. xvi. verse 35, how could Moses write this, when he died long before he entered Canaan?

Read Joshua chap. v. verse 12, and the manna ceased on the morrow, after they had eaten of the old corn of the land, that was the land on the other side of Jordan to that on which Moses died. Chap. xvii. verse 3, murmured against Moses: no wonder when the poor creatures had no water. Chap. xix. verse 19, I wonder who made this trumpet? chap. xx. verse 5, this cannot be the same God who spoke to Ezekiel: look at chap. xviii. verse 20, he says, "The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father."—verse 13, he should have told Moses this before he slew the Egyptian: verse 14, God forgot this I suppose, when he told David by Nathan the prophet, in 2d Samuel chap. xii. verse 11, that his neighbour SHOULD lie with his wives publicly in sun shine, and which we find was fulfilled in chap. xvi. verse 22, when his own son Absalom went into his father's whores, if they were not his wives. Chap. xxii. ver. 18, oh, there were witches then; why should you suppose there are none now? Chap. xxiv. verse 2, now if those seventy men saw God, John must tell a lie, for he says, 1st John chap. iv. verse 12, no man hath seen God at any time; and Paul says, 1st Timothy chap. vi. verse 16, no man can approach him: but. here they not only saw him, but it seems they had a feast together. Chap. xxv. verse 8, make me a sanctuary "that I may dwell with them," why I think Stephen says, in Acts chap. vii. verse 48, that he does not dwell in temples made with hands:" verse 18, cherubims, what are they? if they be the likeness of any thing either in heaven or earth, he soon forgot his former command in chap. xx. verse 4; but perhaps they were like something in hell. Chap. xxxii. verse 1, this is an odd manner of speaking, concerning a man like Moses: verse 10, let me alone, ah, Job says, it is of no use. Job chap. xxiii. verse 13, he is of one mind, who can turn him; verse 14, oh then it appears Moses did turn him. Chap. xxxiii. verse 11, he could not speak to him as a man speaketh to a friend without hearing his voice, and Jesus says in John chap. v. verse 37, "ye have not heard his voice or seen his shape." I won't say Jesus was a liar, but one must be it is evident. Verse 20, this is very strange, when Jacob has told us in Genesis chap. xxxii. verse 30, that he had "seen God face to face:" verse 23, his back parts, Gentlemen, observe that. Now I have gone through the second book; and I find here, in the latter part, a great many commands about making candlesticks, snuffers, and other trifling things; but not a word about that which is the most important, a future state. However, we will see what we can find in Leviticus. Recorder said, you will find it in other parts of the Bible. Defendant-Well, we shall see.

Recorder-Defendant you are only aggravating your crime, without doing any service to yourself.

Defendant-Sir, I am bound to prove that those persons men

tioned in the indictment, were guilty of those acts I have attributed to them.

Recorder (with a nod and sarcastic grin)-Go on with your defence.

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The defendant (looking round the gallery) began, Leviticus chap. xv. verse 16, to the end; chap. xviii.; chap. xix. verse 13, they should have had this command before they left Egypt. Chap. xxi. ver. 7, ah, Hosea did not know this, I suppose; let us see, Hosea chap. i. verse 2, oh! I find God told him to "take a wife of whoredoms," and again, another whore, chap. iii. verse 1; and what is worse, one that was beloved of her friend." Well, I see God does not remember every thing. Chap. xxiv. verse 10, now, Gentlemen, there have been great disputes and altercations about the word blasphemy: if this is the word of God why do you not take his word for your standing rule, you will find here that blasphemy consists in cursing God, (the defendant read 10, 11, and 12 verses) "Put him in ward," that was a prison I suppose, that they might know what punishment to inflict upon a man who would dare to curse his God, for it does not appear that there was any command to that effect before; cursing or calling people bad names does not seem to have been such a crime; for we find, as we have already read, that Noah cursed his own grandson; Shimei cursed David,; even Jesus cursed a fig-tree, which was not his own, because it did not bear fruit out of season; even Job would curse the day of his birth, but he would not curse God; because he knew he would get stoned for it, according to this law which God now made. He then read verses 13, 14, 15, 16, perhaps Job's wife might have found it to her interests to persuade her husband to curse God and so die. We even find that an angel can curse. Read Judges chap. v. ver. 22,thus, Gentlemen, you see, that blasphemy is cursing God, by the Mosaic law, and who among you can charge me with cursing God? It may be said, that those things were only "types or shadows of things to come," that the apostolic doctrine teaches different, let us see then, what James says, read James chap. ii. ver. 5, 6, 7, Here you find that blasphemy consists in oppressing poor people like me, and dragging us before your judgment seats. I think I have now explained what blasphemy is, according either to the old or new will of God, and as I should suppose the jury might require a little refreshment as well as myself, I would beg to ask permission to retire a quarter of an hour.

Recorder-Go on with your defence.

(The defendant's voice here began to fail, and the Governor of Newgate, Mr. Wontner, persuaded him to read only those passages which he might consider as absolutely necessary, for he was sure he would soon be exhausted; he then began)

Numbers chap. xii. verse 3, could Moses write this of himself? If he did, it shews a great deal of vanity; but let us see whether the record he gives of himself be true, read chap. xxxi.

Is this the meekest man of the earth? Could any man act more barbarous? The chapter is so horrid, that I cannot dwell upon it. Chap. xxii. ver. 20, to the end. Is not this a fable? chap. xxv. ver. 6, 7, 8, Josephus says they were married; but if not, was he justified in murdering them? O, yes, he had a "covenant of peace" given to him in 129, died 24,000, now Paul, when speaking of this says only 23,000. Surely, this is a contradiction, a thousand men is a great number, Duet. chap. iii. ver. 1 to 8, what slaughtering work is here! I am tired of reading it, chap. xiii. ver. 1 to 5, observe, Gentlemen, this command is said to be given by God. If a dreamer's dream did come to pass, he was to be put to death, if his dream tended to draw them after any other God; now, read Matthew chap. i. ver. 20, and chap. xi. ver. 13, and chap. xxii, you can find here, that Joseph dreamed three dreams and was never put to death, although the thing which came to pass did actually tend to draw them towards another God; namely Christ, and all this was done it is said chap. xxii. ver. 23 to fulfil a prophecy, let us read this prophecy, it is in Isaiah chap. vii. (Here the defendant read the vii. chapter to the 17 verse and by commenting in various parts proved that this prophecy applied no more to Jesus than himself, but by the eighth chapter he explained the prophecy,) chap. xviii. ver. 15, I have heard some persons say, that this too, meant Christ, but Christ was no more like Moses than chalk is like cheese. The prophet, he was speaking of, was Joshua, who was exactly like Moses, a blood thirsty murdering villain. Read some of his acts, Joshua x. and xi. Surely it is enough to prove him a murderer, Judges. chap i. ver. 19. What a pretty God this was that could not drive them out because they hid themselves in iron chariots! chap. iii. ver. 15 to 23, here is something more than is contained in the indictment, here is encouragement for treason. The Defendant asked again if he might not be allowed to retire for five minutes, only to take a little refreshment, the Recorder told him he had better go on. The Defendant said he found himself exhausted for want of refreshment; but he would read a little more and contrast the one part with another, in order to prove its contradictions.

Recorder-You are wasting your time in reading what cannot

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