The Christians have made him the murderer of himself,
and the founder of a new religion to supersede and expel
the Jewish religion. And to find pretence and admission
for these things, they must have supposed his power or his
wisdom imperfect, or his will changeable ; and the change-
ableness of the will is the imperfection of the judgement.
The philosopher knows that the laws of the Creator have
never changed, with respect either to the principles of
science, or the properties of matter. Why then is it to be
supposed they have changed with respect to man ?

I here close the subject. I have shewn in all the fore-
going parts of this work that the Bible and Testament are
impositions and forgeries ; and I leave the evidence I have



THE AGE OF REASON. 195



produced in proof of it to be refuted, if any one can do it ;
and I leave the ideas that are suggested in the conelusion of
the work to rest on the mind of the reader ; certain as I am
that when opinions are free, either in matters of government
or religion, truth will finally and powerfully prevail.
END OF "THE AGE OF REASON.
LETTERS CONCERNING "THE AGE OF
REASON."



AN ANSWER TO A FRIEND.
Paris, May 12, 1797.
In your letter of the 20th of March, you give me several
quotations from the Bible, which you call the word of God, to
shew me that my opinions on religion are wrong, and I
could give you as many, from the same book to shew that
yours are not right ; consequently, then, the Bible deqides
nothing, because it decides any way, and every way, one
chooses to make it.
