In spite of my philosophy, I have been often led to hold myself to be under the peculiar protection of " Divine Providence;" for I have passed through some singular casualties unhurt and instructed. But I have long entertained the wish, that there were no insurance offices; for I verily opine, that they cause more fires than they cure or prevent.

62, Fleet-street,

May 12th, 1829,

I am, Sir, respectfully,

RICHARD CARLILE.

To the Rev. Robert Taylor.

DEAR SIR-Herewith I remit the amount, (£4. 3d.) of a small subscription collected here from parties who admire the learning and labour you have applied, with equal fortitude and perseverance, in exposing the baneful effects of superstition, credulity, and priestly imposture-the uncontroulled exercise of which are equally calculated, in their opinion, to degrade, and intended to enslave mankind. It is the wish of the parties that the sums, with the signatures attached, as per statement, should be acknowledged in an early Number of the LION. Wishing you good health and success in every meritorious endeavour, and believing that the exposure of interested imposture in theology, is justly praiseworthy, I remain, very respectfully,

Your obliged and obedient servant,

21, Moor-street, Birming ham, May 6, 1829.

L. s. d. 050

William Butler

A Christian

A Catholic

JOSEPH RUSSELL.

£. s. d.

010

020

010

Collected by Wm. Butler 2 26 A few Friends at the Anni

versary of the Priestlian

Society

086

An Enemy to Persecution,

A good Christian, by G.

by G. Jackson

006

Printed and Published by RICHARD CARLILE, 62, Fleet-street, where all Communications, post-paid, or free of expense, are requested to be left.

Common Sense

003

A few Friends to Religious

Liberty

100

Joseph Russell, who receiv-.

ed the above to forward to

Mr. Taylor

050

4

No. 21. VOL. 3.]

Lion.

LONDON, Friday, May 22, 1829. [PRICE 6d.

THE Infidel rent is, in part, or as a beginning, intended to support an Infidel mission. We have subscriptions already entered to the amount of one hundred and twelve pounds a year, and donations to the amount, of thirty-five pounds: and we, the Rev. Robert Taylor and Richard Carlile, are about to give the first fruits of that rent toward a missionary tour. Before this number of THE LION will be in print, we shall be in Cambridge, presenting to the heads of that University the following

"CIRCULAR.

"The Rev. Robert Taylor, A.B., of Carey-street, Lincoln's Ion, and Mr. Richard Carlile, of Fleet-street, London, present their compliments as Infidel missionaries, to (as it may be) and most respectfully and earnestly invite discussion on the merits of the Christian religion, which they argumentatively challenge, in the confidence of their competence to prove, that such a person as Jesus Christ, alleged to have been of Nazareth, never existed; and that the Christian religion had no such origin as has been pretended; neither is it in any way beneficial to mankind; but that it is nothing more than an emanation from the ancient Pagan religion. The researches of the Rev. Robert Taylor, on this subject, are embodied in his newly-published work, THE DIEGESIS, in which may be found the routine of their argument.

"They also impugn the honesty of a continued preaching, while discussion is challenged on the whole of the merits of the Christian religion."

Printed and Published by R. CARLILE, 62, Fleet Street.
2 T

No. 21. Vol. 3.

Such will be the beginning of the purpose of the Infidel rent and the missionary tour of 1829. After displaying the banner of Infidelity at Cambridge, the place most proper, as the seat of learning and religion, in which it should be first unfurled, we shall, after waiting results at Cambridge, proceed to Nottingham, to give a stamp to the religious lie that said, I was last year driven from that town. There and in every other town in which we make a stay, we shall send our circular to every preacher of the Christian religion, who has a church, chapel, or respectable congregation. There, we shall again try the mettle of the Rev. Mr. Gilbert, who, I am informed, from good authority, has confessed, that he was not prepared to meet me last year, to show, that such a person as Jesus Christ of Nazareth had existed. Is he now prepared, for that, or the question of deity, being a moral or physical power, after his winter's course of lectures?

Two missionary orations are prepared by the Rev. Robert Taylor for general delivery through the country, the one addressed to Christians, the other to Infidels. They are printed and published at one shilling each, and will be sold wherever they may be delivered. Both have been delivered to delighted audiences in London. As proofs of the competency of the Rev. Robert Taylor, for the task which he undertakes, I will place on printed record, the episcopal testimonies of his learning and virtue, by which he was ordained first a deacon, and second a priest of the Established Church.

"LETTER OF DEACON'S ORDER.

"By the tenor of these presents, we, George Henry, by divine permission, Bishop of Chester, do make it known unto all men, that on Sunday, the fourteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and thirteen, we, the Bishop before-mentioned, solemnly administering holy orders under the protection of the Almighty, in the parish church of Saint James, Piccadilly, did admit our beloved in Christ, Robert Taylor, A.B. of St. John's College, Cambridge, (of whose virtuous and pious life, and conversation and competent learning, and knowledge in the holy scriptures, we were well assured) into the holy order of DEACONS according to the manner and form prescribed and used by the Church of England; and him, the said Robert Taylor, did then and there rightly and canonically ordain deacon, he having first in our presence, freely and voluntarily subscribed to the thirty-nine articles of religion, and to the three articles contained in the thirty-sixth canon, and he likewise having taken the oaths appointed by law to be taken for and instead of the oath of supremacy; in testimony whereof, we have caused our episcopal seal to be hereunto affixed, the day and year above written, and in the first year of our consecration.

"Geo. H. (L. S.) Chester,

at the request of the Bishop of Chichester."

66 LETTER OF PRIEST'S ORDER.

"By the tenor of these presents, we, John, by divine permission, Bishop of Chichester, do make known unto all men, that, on Thursday, the twenty-eighth day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirteen, we, the Bishop before mentioned, solemnly administering holy orders under the protection of the Almighty, in the chapel belonging to our palace at Chichester, did admit our beloved in Christ, Robert Taylor, clerk, Bachelor of Arts, (of whose virtuous and pious life, and conversation and competent learning, and knowledge in the holy scriptures we were well assured) into the holy order of priests, according to the manner and form prescribed and used by the Church of England; and him the said Robert Taylor did then and there rightly and canonically ordain a priest, he having first, in our presence, freely and voluntarily subscribed to the thirty-nine articles of religion, and to the three articles contained in the thirty-sixth canon, and having also taken the oaths appointed by law to be taken for and instead of the oath of supremacy; in testimony whereof, we have caused our episcopal seal to be hereunto affixed: dated the day and year above written, and in the sixteenth year of our consecration.

"J. (L. S.) Cicest."

Such are the prospects with which we commence our Infidel mission, the holy orders for which we shall find in the subscription to the Infidel rent. Such is the first principle to which that rent is to be applied; so, think ye well, whether it be worth your support.

To the self-styled and mis-styled co-operatives, I must give a parting word of advice, and say, go operate, and let me see that you can do something more than talk about co-operation, when I return to notice you."

R. C.

ORIGIN, RISE, AND PROGRESS OF CHRISTIANITY STATED BY THE REV. DR. STOPFORD.

May 19, 1829,

HAVING just now looked over the book called DIEGESIS, and having, at different times, attentively considered the subject of the rise and progress of Christianity, I will set down my views, in the humble hope, that the God of all mercy may render them useful, and cause them to be a guide to some minds in their search for truth.

After the fall of man, it pleased God to promise a restoration, through the seed of the woman: he should come, and overcome Satan, Death, and Sin, and all the evils of the fall. The first men could not but hand down this prophecy from father to son, and it must have been their comfort in life, and hope in death. Before writing was invented they would keep up a memorial of it in engravings, and in verse-a pure transcript of that primeval promise was placed in an ancient temple in India, and is seen now in the figures of Chrishna, suffering and triumphant, in the former, giving the appearance of one miserable, and with a serpent twisted round him and biting his heel, the latter exhibiting him crowned, and treading on the serpent's head.

Afterwards Sanscrit poets added fables to this original prophecy.

Verses were embodied in sibylline oracles. The woman whose seed should come was represented sometimes suckling a boy, sometimes with a sheaf of corn σ in her hand; so the verses respecting the sibyl were truly respecting the restoration of the human race* through the son of the woman; these were pure at first. Afterwards when Greek mythology grew up, they passed into the stories of Hercules, Adonis-taken, perhaps at first, from Egyptian corruptions of primitive religion. Yet the Egyptian temple at Sais, and from it Athens, kept up the knowledge of the supreme God, but having lost the primeval revelation, they called him the unrevealed God, the unknown God.

The true religion was still preserved in the family of Abraham, and for a period in the Jewish economy, till the Redeemer should come. The Persian empire restored the Jews, the Greek empire placed them in colonies in various cities, and synagogues were multiplied over the earth-in these, gentiles worshipped, and having forsaken idolatry, they became a people prepared for the Saviour of the world.

The twelve Apostles and Paul preached to these synagogues, and at the same time were granted the form of working miracles; and in the reign of Claudius and Nero, a Christian polity and government was established over a large population of the inhabitants of the earth-they took the plan of the government of the synagogue, the books of the Old Testament, and established the rites of baptism, Lord's supper, and changed the explanation of prophets and psalms from an executed Saviour, to Jesus of Nazareth, the now exalted Prince and Saviour, the Mediator with the Father.

One of the elders of the synagogue was called Episcopus, which explains the beginning of Philip-or angel—which explains the beginning of the Apocalypse.

The Greek Jews looked for the Redeemer (the Messiah) under the name of χριστος.

See Hyde's History of Persia.