Read "The Age of Reason" by Thomas Paine online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
In the New Testament, Mark 16: 16, it is said, "He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. " This is making salvation, or, in other words, the happiness of man after this life, to depend entirely on believing, or on what Christians call faith.
But the 25th chapter of The Gospel according to Matthew makes Jesus Christ to preach a direct contrary doctrine to The Gospel according to Mark; for it makes salvation or the future happiness of man, to depend entirely on good works; and those good works are not good works done to God, for he needs them not, but good works done to man.