It describes a great and general falling away from the worship and service of the true God, a grand and universally-spreading idolatry, supported by miracles real or pretended. This, according to his hypothesis, must be very applicable to that apostasy from the worship of one God only which the doctor and his friends deplore, which they are using all possible means to remedy, and which he somewhere calls the " 'idolizing of Jesus Christ." And, however it might shock the prejudices of some halfthinking zealots to find that, according to this interpretation, epithets are given to Jesus Christ such as they have not been accustomed to hear him characterized by, and such as they may deem blasphemous, yet this can no way stagger the doctor. For how can he think any appellation too severe which is given to one who, though a mere man, weak, fallible, and peccable like others, for so many centuries has been worshipped as God, and has been the grand idol of so great a part of the known world, and has so manifestly, by word and deed, countenanced and encouraged, nay, and commanded, that idolatry?

...

Now, sir, when the doctor has once proved this point, he will have done his business effectually indeed; he will have brought Jesus Christ as low as he could wish him; he then, instead of being "the Lord of glory" and "Son of God," is discovered to be the man of sin and son of . . . . . But I must check myself: the whole truth must not be spoken at once, for indeed it would not be borne. And at present there is amongst us an almost universallyprevailing opinion, that Jesus Christ, so far from being the person described by St. Paul in this "whose passage, coming is after the working of Satan, with all power, and signs, and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish," is in reality that Lord who "shall consume that wicked one with the spirit of his mouth, and destroy him with the brightness of his coming." If this opinion should have any foundation in truth, I fear Dr. Priestley will be found to have entertained and taught a great error, and may be in danger of meeting with a severe rebuke, if nothing more dreadful, in that day, from him he has thus degraded.

Praying that we, rev. sir, and all professing Christians, may be so endowed with that Spirit of truth whose office it is to reveal the Lord Jesus, that we may both form proper conceptions of his wonderful person, and pay him the honour due unto his name, I break off here, and subscribe myself

Your obedient servant in him,

Even in Christ Jesus, &c.

LETTER VI.

REV. SIR,

In

TIMOTHY, Titus, and Philemon, you know, were particular and intimate friends of St. Paul: in the epistles inscribed to them, therefore, at least, we may expect to find his sentiments concerning Jesus Christ, the grand subject of all his letters, naked and without disguise. Let us, then, narrowly examine these epistles, and see whether they comport with Dr. Priestley's doctrine. order hereto, let us adopt the method pursued above, and see whether those passages which speak of Christ appear to contain good sense and sound divinity when understood according to the doctor's hypothesis.-"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Saviour,” the infinite, eternal, and supreme Jehovah, "and the Lord Jesus Christ," a mere man, weak, fallible, and peccable, who," mere man though he be, "is," nevertheless, hope; unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: grace, mercy, and peace from both these persons, "from God our Father," the supreme Being, "and Jesus Christ our Lord," a mere man, 1 Tim. i. 1, 2.

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our

"I thank" this mere man, "Jesus Christ our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of" this mere man, 66 our Lord, was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus," the same

mere man.

"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus," a mere man, who was not till he was born in Bethlehem, “ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first" this same mere man "Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them who should hereafter believe on him," that is, believe on a mere man, "to everlasting life," for everlasting life is obtained by believing on him, though a mere man. 1 Tim. i. 12-16.

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What a multitude of proofs, undeniable proofs, have we in these few verses, either that St. Paul was devoid of common sense, or that he viewed Jesus Christ in a very different light from that in which Dr. Priestley considers him! To term the Lord Jesus our hope," and represent himself as made an apostle by his commandment, as well as by the commandment of God the Father; to look up to him as well as the Father for grace, mercy, and peace, to be conferred upon Timothy; to thank him for putting him into the ministry, and enabling him to be faithful; to speak of him as exercising towards him all long-suffering, and conferring upon him exceeding abundant grace; to glory in it as a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that he came into the world (an expression which painly implies his having existed before he so came) to save sinners; and to represent everlasting life as being obtained by believing in him ;-surely any, and much more all, of these particulars demonstrate, that if St. Paul possessed, not to say the inspiration of an apostle, but the reason of a man, he must have considered Jesus Christ as being more than a man.

And that he did, is yet further certain from what he says of him towards the conclusion of the third chapter, where he terms him "God manifest in the flesh;" which is giving him a character as far above that of a mere man, as the Creator is above one of his creatures. The apostle goes on, "justified in the Spirit;" "whose extraordinary communication," says an eminent divine, "in the midst of all the meanness of human nature in its suffering state, vindicated his high claim, and marked him out, in the

most illustrious manner, for the divine person he professed himself to be:" "seen of angels," who attentively beheld, adored, and worshipped him, Heb. i. 6; "preached among the Gentiles," as the great foundation of their faith and hope, and object of their love; "believed on in the world,” as their Redeemer and Saviour; "received up into glory," "far above all principalities, and powers, and every name that is named." "If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of" the mere man "Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained." 1 Tim. iv. 6. And "I charge thee before God," the omnipresent and omniscient Jehovah, "and the Lord Jesus Christ," a mere man, "that thou observe these things." 1 Tim. v. 21. Again: "I give thee charge in the sight of God," that infinite, omnipresent, and omnipotent Being, "who quickeneth all things, and before Jesus Christ," a mere man, local in his presence and limited in his power, "that thou keep the commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of" this mere man, our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Tim. vi. 13, 14.

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The second epistle to Timothy is similar to the first. The same strain of absurdity runs through it also, on the supposition that its author held the doctrine of Christ's mere humanity. A few passages I shall quote and read according to that hypothesis :

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'Paul, an apostle of" the mere man "Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in" this mere man "Christ Jesus; to Timothy, my beloved son, grace, mercy, and peace, from God, the" infinite and eternal "Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ,” a mere man of yesterday, weak and dependent. "Be not thou ashamed of the testimony of" this mere man, (6 our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou a partaker of the afflictions of the gospel, according to the power of God; who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began," though this Christ Jesus be a mere man, who had no existence till the

world was at least four thousand years old; "but is now made manifest by the appearing of" this mere man, "our Saviour Jesus Christ, who," mere man as he is, “hath abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”—Observe, rev. sir, a mere man “hath abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light." -"For which cause," adds he, "I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that," though a mere man, "he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." 2 Timothy 1, 2, 8-10, 12. I think, sir, they that believe him to be a mere man must have many doubts respecting his ability to keep what they may commit unto him.

The apostle proceeds: "Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in" this mere man "Christ Jesus. Endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ," the same mere man. "No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him that hath chosen him to be a soldier." 2 Tim. ii. 1, 3, 4. See that thou, then, he might have added, (as indeed is implied,) make it thy care to please the mere man Jesus Christ, who hath chosen thee: for thy encouragement let me remind thee that "I endure all things for the elect's sake, that they may obtain the salvation which is in" this mere man "Christ Jesus with eternal glory. It is a faithful saying, If we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: if we suffer with him, we shall also reign with him if we deny him, he will also deny us: if we believe not, he abideth faithful; he," though a mere man, "cannot deny himself. Of these things put them in remembrance;" that is, put them in remembrance that a mere man cannot deny himself. Some will think that it is an assertion that requires proof, rather than repetition. 2 Tim. ii. 10—14.

As in the words last quoted, the apostle ascribes immutability to this mere man, so, verse 19, he ascribes omniscience to him. "The foundation of God," says he, “standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his," according to what Jesus himself had testi