. In the 7th and 8th verses he makes the Almighty to say,
"At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a
kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and destroy it, if that nation,
against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent me
of the evil that I thought to do unto them." Here was a proviso against
one side of the case: now for the other side. Verses 9 and 10, "At what
instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to
build and to plant it, if it do evil in my sight, that it obey not
my voice, then I will repent me of the good wherewith I said I would
benefit them." Here is a proviso against the other side; and, according
to this plan of prophesying, a prophet could never be wrong, however
mistaken the Almighty might be. This sort of absurd subterfuge, and
this manner of speaking of the Almighty, as one would speak of a man, is
consistent with nothing but the stupidity of the Bible.

As to the authenticity of the book, it is only necessary to read it in
order to decide positively that, though some passages recorded therein
may have been spoken by Jeremiah, he is not the author of the book. The
historical parts, if they can be called by that name, are in the most
confused condition; the same events are several times repeated, and that
in a manner different, and sometimes in contradiction to each other;
and this disorder runs even to the last chapter, where the history, upon
which the greater part of the book has been employed, begins anew, and
ends abruptly. The book has all the appearance of being a medley of
unconnected anecdotes respecting persons and things of that time,
collected together in the same rude manner as if the various and
contradictory accounts that are to be found in a bundle of newspapers,
respecting persons and things of the present day, were put together
without date, order, or explanation. I will give two or three examples
of this kind.

It appears, from the account of chapter xxxvii. that the army of
Nebuchadnezzer, which is called the army of the Chaldeans, had besieged
Jerusalem some time; and on their hearing that the army of Pharaoh of
Egypt was marching against them, they raised the siege and retreated for
a time. It may here be proper to mention, in order to understand this
confused history, that Nebuchadnezzar had besieged and taken Jerusalem
during the reign of Jehoakim, the redecessor of Zedekiah; and that it
was Nebuchadnezz