of what he taught. He fays" The prejudices "of the Jews in favour of their religion were very

great which I do not at all wonder at, as they "had the fame external evidence of the truth of their religion, which Chrift gave of bis: for the Miracles of Mofes, their great Law-giver, muft claim with them at leaft, an equal regard with Thofe of JESUS CHRIST *"How fhall we reconcile this Author with himself, or fuch peculiar and manifeft contradictions with that morality he profeffes to regard?

As to the truth or falfehood of the Author's affertion of what he finds with regard to the Character JESUS himself affumed, That will appear abundantly evident from the following particulars.

JESUS affirmed,

That God bad fent him: John xvii. 3, 8, 18, 21.iv. 43-xx. 21. And exprefsly, that be was NOT come of bimfelf: chap. vii. 28, 29, -viii. 42.

2.-That he came from the Father, and went to him: John xvi. 16, 28.

3.-That what he did was a work given him by God to do John xvii. 4, 8.iv. 34

4.-That he had received every thing he declared IMMEDIATELY from God himself: John viii. 40. 5-Jesus claimed, and made ufe of a peculiar intercourfe with God: Matth. xi. 25-27. Luke x. 21. John xi. 41, 42.-xii. 27, 28.-xvii. throughout.

6. Afferted himself to be a greater perfonage than a Prophet Matth. xii. 39-41.

7-Styled himself the Refurrection and the Life: John xi. 25.

8-Declared that whofoever not die: John, xi. 25, 26,

P. 16.

believed on him should

iii. 18-v. 24.

9.-Styled himself, the Lord: Luke xix. 31: fo.-Styled himself the only begotten Son of God; John iii. 16-18.-ix. 35-37.-Matth. xxvii.

43. II.Afferted that be exifted before the world: John viii. 56-58. and had glory with the Father before the world was: John xvii. 5, 24.

12.-Affumed, and accepted of, the Character of the Son of God; and of the CHRIST, or MESSIAH; as prophecied of in all the writings of the Old Teftament; who fhould come into the world: Matth. xvi. 16, 17, 18, 20—xxvi. 63, 64.—Luke xxiv. 25-27, 44-47: John iv. 25, 26-v. 39, 46-X. 24, 25-xi. 27-vi. 68-70. Matth. xiv. 33.-Mark ix. 41.

13.-Affumed the power of working MIRACLES: John xi. 4, II, 14, 40, 43.

14.-Afferted that be worked MIRACLES; and that his Miracles were the proper evidence on which they ought to believe, that He had an immediate Commiffion from God: John v. 36—vi. 26—10. 37, 38-xiv. 10-xv. 24.-Luke viii. 46Matth. xvi. 9, 10—xi. 4, 5, 20—24.

15.

Styled the Power by which he performed his miracles the Holy Ghoft: Matth. xii. 31, 32. 16. Conferred the Holy Ghost upon the Apoftles: John xx. 22, 23.

17.-Affumed a power of enabling his Difciples to work MIRACLES: Matth. x. 5, 8. Luke ix. I -X. 9, 17-20.

18. Claimed a power to forgive Sins, or declare whose fins were forgiven: Matth. ix. 2, 6.Mark ii. 5, 10.-Luke v. 20, 24.

19.-Affumed the knowledge that the faithful Difciples would inherit eternal life: Luke x. 20. and that He had power to give them eternal life: John xvii. 2.

20.Laid claim to other Divine Knowledge: Matth. xiii. 17. Luke x. 24-xxiv. 1—41. John i. 48, 50-iv. 18-ix. 3-xiii. 21, 26, 38. -xvi. 4.-Matth. 24. throughout.

21.-Foretold his own death, and his Refurrection on the third day: Matth. xvi. 21-xvii. 22, 23— xx. 18, 19. And that afterwards he would go before his Difciples into Galilee: Matth. xxvi. 32.

22.Affumed a power of fending to the Difciples, as a Comforter from the Father, THE HOLY GHOST; who should communicate to them Divine Knowledge: John xiv. 16, 17, 26-xv. 26-xvi. 7, 13, 14. -Declared that He is to be the Judge of the World: John v. 22, 25, 27-29.

23.

24-Afferted, that all Power was given him in Heaven and in Earth: Matth. xxviii. 18.- -John iii. 35 xvii. 2.Luke x. 22.

25. Afferted, that by the immediate Authority of God, he had Power to lay down his Life, and Power to take it again: John x. 15, 17, 18 compared with xv. 12, 13. 26.-Afferted, That as God bad Life in himself, fo God had given to Him to have Life in himself: John

V. 26.

27. Afferted, That he was able to have delivered bimfelf from the Jews, by the extraordinary Interpofition of God; but that he forbore to do it, that the Scriptures relating to the MESSIAH might be fulfilled. Matth. xxvi. 53, 54.

28.-Afferted, That he underwent all he fuffered on This very Account: Luke xxiv. 2527, 44-46.

29.Afferted, That he should go to God to prepare a place for the Apoftles: John xiv. 2, 3. 30.And that be fhould enter into his GLORY: Luke xxiv. 46.

31.

31.Afferted, That AFTER HIS DEATH he would do any thing that his Difciples should ask in his Name: John xiv. 13, 14-xvi. 23, 24.

32. Promifed the Twelve, that They Should be endued with miraculous powers from on high,' to qualify them for preaching his Gofpel, foon after his Afcenfion: Luke xxiv. 49. Acts i. 4, 5. Which Promise he accordingly fulfilled,

Acts ii.

After this bare recital of fo many diftinct affertions of our Lord, with regard to his own true Character, Authority, and Office; in the least of which he lays claim to the dignity of an imme diate and fpecial Meffenger from God, in the praper fenfe of the words, and entirely diftinct from that of the Author; and by all of which taken together, he affumed a Divine Character, high beyond our conceptions; particularly that of the promifed Meffiah; and of having all Power given bim in Heaven and in Earth; and appealed directly to the Miracles he performed, for an indifputable proof of the truth of all his pretenfions; After perufing these particulars, what can we think of the modefty, the ingenuousness, or the morality, of the Author, who has not fcrupled to affert That he does not find that CHRIST himself laid claim to any higher character, than that of a mere Man; who could in no other fense be stiled a meffenger from God, than because he had voluntarily chofen to preach true morality, which was certainly the will of God; and that he does not find, that CHRIST ever pretended to produce any immediate commiffion from God? But above all, what muft we think of the Author's fincerity, and reverence for the Supreme Being, when he has not fcrupled to make this affertion; which is perhaps one of the most shameless falsehoods that ever man uttered; and yet hath dared to make

the

the following appeal to the Searcher of all Hearts: "The eternal God, whom I humbly adore, "knows that I have employed the faculties he "hath given me, in an honeft and impartial en' quiry after truth; the truth as it is in Him."

SECT. VII.

The Author's Objections against MIRACLES confidered.

E have feen the Author attempting to per

W fuade us, if we would take his word upon

the point, that the New Teftament does not reprefent JESUS as appealing to any evidence of his having an immediate Commiffion from God. But this bare affertion being likely to have but little weight, as no affertion can be more notoriously falfe; he has thought fit to fupport it, by throwing out a remark upon Miracles in general; intended to prevent us from paying regard to any fuch pretenfions, wherever they may be found.

"We find, fays he, that all religions pretend "to the feal of Heaven, the certain criterion of a religion's coming from God, and that all "others are false and counterfeit, and, what is worthy of remark, the principal and diftin"guifhing characteristics of divinity, in almost

+ See P. 365 Should the Author be driven to allege, that Jesus never did in fact make the feveral fupernatural claims and declarations here attributed to him, he will expofe hmfelf to the utmoft contempt : →→→→→→→ By affecting firft, That JESUS laid claim to no higher character than that of a mere uninspired preacher of morality, in order to prove that these declarations are falfely attributed to him; And then contending that thefe declarations are falfely attributed to him, in order to prove that he laid claim to no higher character than that of a mere uninfpired preacher of morality.

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