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of passages, away from the observation of the Pagan world above, and among the intricacies of which-familiar only to them they were perfectly free from molestation. The only emblems to be found on the tombs of these Christians are the fishes (pisces) and the pierced ram or lamb (aries)— Essenian relics of planetary worship, and the Buddhist Swastica," an emblem of Essenian monasticism.

XVII.

THE TITLE OF MESSIAH-THE MESSIAHSHIP OF JESUSSALVATION NOT FOR ALL-LEGENDARY CHARACTER OF THE MESSIAH'S DOINGS-HIS MYTHOS.

JESUS is represented to us as a "divine" being; as a "Messiah" sent to redeem mankind from sin; and held up as a noble and grand character. Now, as regards his divinity, the word "divine" is of pagan origin, derived from the Latin words dii and vini-wine gods or priests of Bacchus. We should hardly expect a divine being to make mistakes, but here is one who not only made a mistake as to the time when he would appear again on earth and "reward every man according to his works" (Matt. xvi. 27, xxiii. 36-39, xxiv. 34; Mark ix. 1; Luke ix. 27; xi. 32), but he made other statements which turned out to be untrue. He said, “I am the light of the world" (John viii. 12), though up to the present time two-thirds of its inhabitants have not heard of him. But even where he has been heard of, where has light been introduced? Certainly not upon morals, for they existed before his advent, and he taught nothing new of an ethical character, simply repeating moral principles he had learned from the pagan priests in his youth. Nor has his light shone upon the progress of civilization, for general advancement was comparatively unknown until the dominance of the Church was got rid of and the light of Science and Education illumined the human mind; nor upon the means of establishing "peace and goodwill" among mankind, for during the Christian era wars and rumours of wars" have devastated the world and provoked the worst passions of human nature. And, if it were possible for a prophecy to be fulfilled, the only one that has apparently been fulfilled is the one to the effect that he had "not come to bring peace, but a sword" (or dissension). We can

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hardly harmonize this prophecy with the repeated assertions that he and his divine father were gods of Love and Peace! Time has shown that his statement, "that there be some standing here which shall not taste of death till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom," was a delusion. And who was the original of the noble and grand character, for we find the same individual outside the Gospels, and centuries before the time of Jesus? And in what way was the grandeur of character shown, for there is no record of anything wonderful that he ever said or did, as we have seen? Then again, he lacked those characteristics which are supposed to belong to divine beings. He was subject to hunger, anger, and reckless passion; he was wanting in wisdom and a general knowledge of science and philosophy; and he was insufficiently acquainted with the daily requirements of human life. From the accounts given of him-and this is in accordance with what we should expect from his early training among the Essene monks-we would judge him to have been a morbid sentimentalist, misanthrope, and religious fanatic.

The doctrine of the "Trinity," which with mariolatry was of Egyptian origin, rests upon the supposition that Jesus was part of the godhead, and he himself is made to say: "I and my father are one" (John x. 30); and “All things are delivered to me of my father, and no man knoweth the son but the father, and no man knoweth the father save the son, and he to whomsoever the son will reveal him " (Matt. xi. 27); also, "Before Abram was, I am" (John viii. 58). What unutterable rubbish and mystic wordiness! Now there are numerous passages in the Gospels which contradict this, and he himself says: "My father is greater than I" (John xiv. 28); "the son can do nothing of himself" (John v. 19). So that, though in some parts of the N. T. he is represented as claiming to be equal with his (divine) father, in others he makes no such claim.

The Christian definition of the triune God is one living and true God, everlasting, without body, parts, or passions (Prayer Book, Art. i.)—an excellent description of nothing. Yet this God, without "body" and "parts," walked in the Garden of Eden, talked to Adam, met Moses on Mount Sinai, appeared at the door of the tabernacle, talked to Moses "face to face, as a man talketh to his friends,"

presented his "back parts" to the gaze of Moses, and was seen by Aaron, Isaac, Jacob, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy others. This God without "passions" exhibited anger, jealousy, "love for all men,” and damned some whom he sent to Hell. The fact is, the more Christian theologians try to describe their God, the more inextricable mess they get into. They have not a scrap of evidence to bring forward that such a deity as Yahuh, which they have pictured to their imagination, ever existed; and they have the plain statement in the Psalms (lxxxiv. 11), that "the Lord God [Yahuh of the gods] is a [or the] sun." See also Psalm civ. 19.

The title "Messiah," which was claimed for Jesus, was synonymous with "King of the Jews," was suggestive of political designs and aspirations, and was, therefore, an extremely dangerous one to assume. Josephus tells us (Antiq., xviii. 1) of a sedition produced by a messiah; also of one Theudas (xx. v. 1), who called himself a "prophet," and deluded many of his workers, saying he would divide the river Jordan, and thus afford them an easy passage across. Troops of Roman soldiers were sent after them, killing many, and taking many alive to Jerusalem, together with the head of Theudas. Then, what are we to suppose would have become of this wandering young ascetic, Jesus, a comparative stranger in his own country, had he assumed this title, as he is alleged to have done?

Then there is nothing more extraordinary than the way he is reported to have gone about his work as a Messiah. His divine father, Yahuh, is said to have so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son to "seek and save that which was lost" (Luke xix. 10), and promised that "whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life " (John iii. 16). Yet, instead of telling his father's "chosen," but "lost" ones, what to do to be saved, giving a satisfactory reason why they required saving, and from what, and leaving written instructions for future generations, with full information regarding the conditions of the plan of salvation his father had formed, he simply went about the little province of Galilee preaching platitudes to the Jews, and narrating allegorical stories, which he called "parables," without attempting to explain their hidden meaning; calling himself a "good shepherd," a "door," a "vine," "living bread," living water," "light of the world," "the resurrection,"

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"the life," etc., etc., and continually repeating such meaningless expressions as “repent," and "believe" in the gospel, and in his name, for the "kingdom of God is at hand." But he never once explained what they were to repent of, or what he meant by the " gospel" or the kingdom of God." As to giving them a gospel, he does not appear to have given them a single line, and it is not shown that he was even able to write. Time has shown, too, that the kingdom of God was not "at hand."

Though we are told that this Messiah came to save them that were lost," and that it was not the wish of Yahuh, his father, that "any should be lost," he deliberately put every difficulty in the way of his father's chosen people finding the way to "eternal life." He tells us that he had made the gate "wide" and the way "broad" that led to destruction, and narrowed, and thus made difficult, the gate that leads to eternal life, so that "few" would be able to find it (Matt. vii. 13). This was a curious way of saving people who were lost, and whom he and his father professed to love so much. It is certainly not the way any ordinary human being in this prosaic age would proceed to effect such an important business as saving a whole world from a fearful doom, a doom which this loving and beneficent Creator had pre-arranged for them! When he restored the sight of the blind man (Mark viii. 23)-assuming that it really occurred-did he do it in the sight of the chosen people he had been sent to save, in order that they might see and believe at once? No; he took the man out into the country, where he adopted the old pagan remedy and applied spittle to his eyes, and told him not to go near the town or show himself to his fellow-townsmen !

None but the Jews were, in the original plan of redemption, to participate in the message of salvation-" them that were lost of the house of Israel." "Go not," he said, "into any way of the Gentiles, and enter not into any city of the Samaritans " (Matt. x. 5); though, when he passed through Samaria, we are told (John iv. 39-42), the people of Sychem believed in him, saying: "This is, indeed, the saviour of the world." So that those to whom he was sent he treated to allegories only, and those to whom he was not sent, though they showed an inclination to believe in him, he studiously avoided. When he performed his "wonderful