nstantine for
the establishment of these horrible impositions. The Roman, the Greek,
and the Protestant churches by vain, ambitious, and hypocritical
disputes have ravaged Europe, Asia, and Africa. Add to these men, whom
these quarrels murdered, the multitudes of monks and of nuns, who became
sterile by their profession, and you will perceive that the Christian
religion has destroyed half of the human race.

I conclude with the desire that we may return to Nature, whose declared
enemy the Christian religion is, and which necessarily instructs us to
do unto others as we would wish them to do unto us. Then the universe
will be composed of good citizens, just fathers, obedient children,
tender friends. Nature has given us this Religion, in giving us Reason.
May fanaticism pervert it no more! I die filled with these desires more
than with hope.

ETREPIGNY, March 15, 1732

JOHN MESLIER

ABSTRACT OF THE TESTAMENT OF JOHN MESLIER

By Voltaire;

OR, SENTIMENTS OF THE CURATE OF ETREPIGNY ADDRESSED TO HIS PARISHIONERS.

I.--OF RELIGIONS.

As there is no one religious denomination which does not pretend to be
truly founded upon the authority of God, and entirely exempt from all
the errors and impositions which are found in the others, it is for
those who purpose to establish the truth of the faith of their sect, to
show, by clear and convincing proofs, that it is of Divine origin; as
this is lacking, we must conclude that it is but of human invention, and
full of errors and deceptions; for it is incredible that an Omnipotent
and Infinitely good God would have desired to give laws and ordinances
to men, and not have wished them to bear better authenticated marks of
truth, than those of the numerous impostors. Moreover, there is not one
of our Christ-worshipers, of whatever sect he may be, who can make us
see, by convincing proofs, that his religion is exclusively of Divine
origin; and for want of such proof they have been for many centuries
contesting this subject among themselves, even to persecuting each other
by fire and sword to maintain their opinions; there is, however, not one
sect of them all which could convince and persuade the others by such
witnesses of truth; this certainly would not be, if they had, on one
side or the other, convincing proofs of Divine origin. For, as no one of
any religious sect, enlightened and of good faith, pretends to hold and
to favor error and falsehood; and as, on the c