A Memoir- the Testament

by Jean Meslier

  All these fine and magnificent promises and prophecies have obviously turned out to be false. And the same Prophet also said:

  All the kings and Nations of the Earth shall see the glory of Jerusalem, when its savior will deliver it, and then it will be called with a new name, which the mouth of the Lord will have given it, and will be like a crown of ornamentation in the hand of the Lord and like a royal diadem, in the hand of its God, it will no longer be called forsaken, nor will its land be called desolate; but it will be called the good pleasure of the Lord, for the Lord will take pleasure in it: for He has sworn by His right hand, and by the might of his arm, that it will no longer give its enemies its wheat to eat, nor foreigners its wine to drink, for those who have heaped up wheat, will eat it while praising the Lord, and those who have made wine, will drink it before His holy house[272].

  “Behold”, God says again by the same Prophet:

  I will create new heavens and a new earth, and old things will be forgotten: you will rejoice and be cheered forever by what I will do: I will create Jerusalem for nothing but joy, and its people for rejoicing only. I myself will rejoice for my people, and there will be no more weeping heard among them, nor groaning, they will build houses and dwell in them, they will plant vineyards and will eat their fruits; it will no longer be said that they will build houses for others to dwell in, or that they will plant vineyards for others to consume, for the days of my people will be like the days of trees, and my elect will see the workmanship of their hands grow old; they will no longer work in vain and will no longer beget children who will be exposed to fear, for they will be the prosperity of the Lord’s blessed ones, and those who come from them among them, I will hear them before they even pray to me. The wolf and the lamb shall eat together, the lion and the ox shall eat straw peacefully, serpents shall eat from the ground, they will not harm each other, and there will be no more talk of killing any animal in all the mountain of my Holiness[273].

  All these fine and magnificent promises and prophecies are clearly false. And Jesus Christ told his disciples that they would weep and groan while the world was rejoicing, and that they would be saddened: Amen dico vobis quia plorabitis et flebitis vos, mundus autem gaudebit[274], that they would be persecuted and put to death[275], which is contrary to all these fine promises. The same Prophet adds:

  Rejoice with Jerusalem, rejoice with her, all you who love her, rejoice all you who are sad and afflicted, so that you may enjoy the sweetness of the Lord and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolation. For behold, says the Lord, I will cause to flow upon her a river of peace, and the glory of the nations will come on her like an overflowing stream; I will caress you for your consolation, as a mother caresses her child to pacify it. For ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem, here is what you will see: Your heart will rejoice in it, for the Lord’s power will be shown to His servants, in the bestowal of all manner of blessings on them, but it will be felt by their enemies by His indignation[276]. Ecce servi mei comedent et vos esurietis, ecce servi mei bibent et vos sitietis; ecce servi mei laetabuntur et vos confundemini; ecce servi mei laudabunt prae exultatione cordis et vos clamabitis prae dolore cordis et prae contritione spiritus ululabitis[277]

  And God said, by the Prophet Jeremiah:

  In those days, when you have grown and multiplied in the earth, I will give you shepherds, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding, in those days Jerusalem will be called the Throne of the Lord, all nations will gather to it, in the name of the Lord, who is in Jerusalem, and will no longer follow the evil desires of their hearts[278].

  In addition:

  Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that I will convert my people of Israel and Judah, I will return them to the country I gave to their fathers, and they will possess it. In that day, saith the Lord of Hosts, I will break their yoke and I will break the bonds that held them captive, they will no longer be under the domination of foreigners, but they will only serve the Lord and David their king, whom I will raise unto them. You, therefore, my people Judah, and you, my people Israel, fear not, says the Lord, for I will deliver you and your posterity from the countries where you are held captive. Jacob will return and will rest in peace, he will abundantly enjoy all manner of blessings, and none will make him afraid, they will be my people and I will be their God[279].

  The same Prophet also says:

  Thus saith the Lord: rejoice, for the Lord will deliver His people, He will gather them from the ends of the earth, they in joy and praise, and take possession of the goods the Lord will give them abundantly, wheat, wine, oil, and much livestock, large and small; their souls will be satisfied, they no longer suffer hunger, I will also intoxicate the soul of the priests with fat, and my people will be heaped with goods[280].

  At that time, says the Lord, I will populate the House of Israel and Judah with animals and men, and as I have watched over them to punish them, to afflict and lay waste to them, I will also watch over them to reestablish them. In those days it will no longer be said: the fathers have eaten sour fruit, and children's teeth are set on edge, but each will die for his own iniquity. Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant I made with their fathers in the day that I delivered them from Egypt, which their fathers did not keep. This is the covenant I will make with them, says the Lord: I will put my law into their hearts, I will write it on their hearts, I will be their God, and they will be my people. Nobody will need to teach his neighbor, or any brother his brother, saying: know the Lord, for they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest; for I will forgive their iniquities, I will no longer remember their sins; and all the nations of the earth will sooner perish than the posterity of Israel will be lacking before me[281].

  Thus says the Lord, you say that this city (i.e., Jerusalem) will be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon, and that the people will perish by famine, by sword, and by plague: Behold, says the Lord, I will gather all of them from the countries where I have scattered them in my anger, I will bring them back to this place and I will keep them here in safety, they will my people and I will be their God: I will give them one heart, I will lead by the same path, so that they will fear me forever, and I will do good to them, both them and their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will never cease to bless them. I will place fear of myself in their hearts, lest they turn away from me. I will rejoice over them by blessing them, I will establish them in this land, with all my heart and soul, says the Lord, for, just as I brought upon this people all the evil it now suffers, so I will also bring upon them all the good that I promise them[282].

  Thus says the Lord God of Israel, to the houses of this city, which are destroyed: I will close up their wounds and bring them a full recovery, and I will be for them an abundance of peace and truth, I will bring back the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel, and I will restore them as they were before; I will wipe away all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned against me, I will forgive all their iniquities[283].

  The Prophet Ezekiel said[284]:

  Thus says the Lord, when I will have gathered the house of Israel from among all the peoples where I scattered them, I will be sanctified in them, in the sight of all nations, and they will inhabit the land that I gave my servant Jacob; there will they dwell in safety, there will they build houses and plant vines, and stay there in all safety, when I have sent my judgment against those who have afflicted them, and they will know that I am the eternal Lord, and their God. ...Thus says the Lord: I will save my flock, so it will no longer be the prey, I will banish from their countries all manner of evil beasts, such that they will remain in safety in the desert places and they will sleep in safety in the forests. They will no longer be a prey to foreign nations. The beasts of the earth will do them no harm and none will frighten them. Thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel, I will sanct
ify my name, which is great, which you have profaned among the nations, and the nations will know that I am the Lord, when I am sanctified in you in their presence; for I will take you from among the nations and I will gather you from all lands, and I will lead you into your lands; then I will spread on you clear waters, and you will be cleansed, I will cleanse you of all your filthiness and from all your Gods of dung, and will give you a new heart, and I will put in you a new spirit and take away the stony heart out of your flesh, I will give you a heart of flesh, I will place my spirit in you, I will make you walk in my commandments, and you will keep them. You will remain in the country that I gave to your fathers, and thus, be my people and I will be your God and from all your iniquities will I deliver you, I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the profit of your fields, so that you will no longer bear the shame of hunger among nations[285].

  All these fine and magnificent promises and prophecies are manifestly false.

  Thus says the Lord, I will lead back Jacob from captivity, and will take pity on the whole house of Israel. I will be jealous of the glory of my holy name, after they have borne their shame and the punishment of all their iniquity; I will lead them back from among the nations, and will gather them from the lands of their enemies. I will be sanctified in them, in the sight of many nations, I will no longer hide my face behind them, for I will pour out my Spirit upon all the house of Israel, says the Lord[286].

  Thus says the Lord, I will take the children of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, I will gather them from all parts, and will bring them into their land, they will no longer be any more than one nation, they and all of them will have but a single King for their King, and will no more be two nations, and will no longer be divided into two kingdoms. They will no longer be defiled by the worship of Idols, or with their abominations and iniquities, for I will redeem them from their iniquities and cleanse them of all their sins. They will be my people and I will be their God. They will follow my ordinances and will faithfully observe my commandments. They will live forever, they and their children, in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob. With them I will make a covenant of peace and an everlasting alliance, for I will multiply them and I will put my sanctuary among them, to be there forever, that the nations may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel [287].

  Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, I will raise up a seed from the seed of David, which will be a righteous seed, who will reign as King, he will be wise and will bring judgment and justice to the earth; in those times Judah will be saved and Israel will be assured, and behold the name of this just seed will be called the Lord, our righteous one. Dominus justus noster[288].

  In the times of these Kings, says the Prophet Daniel, that is, after the time of the kings of Babylon, of which he spoke, the God of the heavens will raise up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not be left to other people, thus He will break and consume all those other kingdoms, and it will remain eternally. That the kingdom, lordship, and greatness of the kingdoms which are under all the skies, will be given to the saints of the Sovereign, the kingdom of which people will be an eternal kingdom, and all the kings will serve and obey him. There are seventy weeks determined on his people and on the holy city, to bring an end to the disloyalty, to put an end to sin and efface the iniquity and for it to reign forever[289].

  Meanwhile the Prophet Hosea says:

  The children of Israel will remain for many days without kings, without any government, without sacrifices, without altars, without ephod, and without Teraphim, but after this the children of Israel will return to the Lord their God, and will fear his power until the last day[290]. At that time, says the Lord, I will make a covenant with the beasts of the field and with the birds of heaven and with the reptiles of the earth. I will break the bow and the sword; I will put an end to war, and I will make them sleep safely. At that time, says the Lord, I will fulfill the heavens and heavens will fulfill the earth, and earth will produce wheat, wine, and oil, I will be merciful to those who were ruthless, and I will call my people those that were not my people[291].

  All these fine and magnificent promises and prophecies are manifestly false. The Prophet Joel said this:

  The Lord is jealous of the earth, He is touched by compassion for His people, he told His people: behold, I send you corn, wine, and oil and you will be satisfied by them, and I will no longer expose you to the contempt of the nations. Behold, the time is coming, says the Lord, when I will bring back those who have been led captive from Judah and Israel. I will gather all the nations and will make them descend into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and I will enter into judgment with them, because of my inheritance of Israel, whom they have scattered by the nations, and that they have brought the fate of my people. You took my gold and silver, he says, to its enemies; you brought to your temples my most precious and best things, and sold the children of Judah and the children of Jerusalem, to take them out of their own country; but behold, I wall make them rise up from the place where they have been taken after you sold them, and I will avenge myself on you for having treated them this way, I will sell your sons and daughter to the children of Judah, who will sell them to other nations further away, for the Lord has spoken. Proclaim this loudly among the nations, prepare for war, wake up the strong ones, let all the warriors prepare and march, forge swords from your hoes, and lances from your pruning hooks, let he who is weak claim to be strong, for the Lord will roar from Zion and will cause His voice to descend from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth will be shaken, and the Lord will be the hope and the strength of the children of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord who dwells in Zion, the majestic mountain; and foreigners will no longer go there. At that time the mountains will distil the sweetness of the liqueurs; the hills will flow with milk and cream, water will flow pleasantly in all streams of the land of Judah, and a fountain will even flow out from the house of the Lord, which will water the torrents of thorns, Egypt will be desolate, and Edom shall be a desert of destruction because of the evils they have done unjustly to the children of Judah, and Judah will be inhabited forever and Jerusalem will remain from generation to generation; for I will cleanse the stains of their blood, which I had not cleaned, and the Lord will dwell in Zion[292].

  The Prophet Amos said:

  Behold, the time comes when the plowman and the harvester will be together, and he who harvests and he who plants the seeds will be gathered, and the mountains will distill the sweetness of the liquors and all the hills will be cultivated, I will lead back all those of my people who had been led captive, they will rebuild their houses which fell into ruin, and will inhabit them, they will plant vineyards and will drink wine, they will plant gardens and will gather and eat their fruits, for I will establish them on their lands, and they will no more be driven out, says the Lord God[293].

  Salvation will be in Mount Zion (i.e., Jerusalem), it will be holy, and the house of Jacob will possess those who once held them captive, and the house of Jacob will be like a fire, and the house of Judah like a flame, which will consume their enemies as fire consumes straw[294].

  I will gather the whole house of Jacob, I will gather all the remnant of Israel and bring them together like a flock, into one pen; they will be massed by the multitude of men who will be present, their head will rise before them, to open a path for them: they will reverse all that opposes their passage, and the Lord Himself will be at their head. In the last days, the house of the Lord will be strengthened at the top of the mountains, and it will be exalted above all the hills; the peoples will come to it in droves; many nations will come running to it, saying: come and go up to the mountain of the Lord and the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways and we will walk by His paths; for the law will come from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will rule many peoples and will beat back many strong nations, and they will forge their swords into plows, and their spears into pruning hooks, nation shall not lift
up sword against nation and they will no more wage war on each other, but each of them will repose pleasantly under their vine, and under their fig-tree, and there will be none to case fear or terror in them, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it[295].

  All these fine and magnificent promises and prophecies are manifestly false. But the same prophet continues:

  The remnant of the house of Jacob will be among the nations, like a dew from the Lord, and like a gentle rain falling on the grass, when least expected, and the remnant of Jacob will be among the nations and peoples like a lion among the animals of the forest, like a young lion in a flock of sheep, which destroys whatever it meets: for they will pursue their enemies and all their enemies shall perish. I will cut off, says God, all the idols, and I will take from among you all the graven images, and you will not bow any more to the works of your own hands. Who is like you, Lord, you who remove iniquity and erase the sins of the remnant of your inheritance? He will no longer punish you in anger, for He would be merciful with you, He will have compassion on you, He will put down your iniquities and will cast all your sins into the depths of the sea, He will uphold the truth of His promises, as he swore to your fathers[296].