But two passages I must refer to, as affording a plain and evident de. monstration, that the apostle viewed the Lord Jesus Christ in a different light from that in which Dr. Priestley beholds him. The one passage is in the first epistle, chap. iii, 11; and, according to the doctor's hypothesis, must be interpreted as follows:-"Now God himself, even our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, [a mere man!] direct our way unto you. And the Lord [the same mere man!] make you to increase in love one toward another and toward all men; to the end he may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints:" a manifest and undeniable instance this, of a formal and solemn prayer, addressed to the Lord Jesus, that is, as Dr. Priestley will have it, to a mere man! and by one who, he says, believed him to be a mere man! Surely it behooves him to consider how, on his principles, he can acquit the apostle of the gross crime of idolatry! The other passage, second epistle, chap. ii, 16, must, on the same hypothesis, be understood in the same manner. "Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, [a mere man!] and God, even our Father, who hath loved us, and given us everlasting consolation, and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and establish you in every good word and work." Here again we have a plain instance of the apostle's praying to Christ, and that at the very time and in the very manner in which he prays to the Father.

The doctor may pass these things over slightly. But you will agree with me, dear sir, that reason requires him either to allow that the apostle held a different sentiment concerning the Lord Jesus, from that which he entertains, or to give us proof that he can imitate the apostle, and worship Christ as he did. While, then, he informs his people, in the language of St. Paul in these epistles, that Jesus Christ "delivers them from the wrath to come," first epistle, chap. i, 10, and that they "obtain salvation through him," chap. v, 9: that he is "that Lord that shall de. scend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God; who, second epistle, i, 7, shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ,”the person from whose presence and from the "glory of whose power" such shall be "punished with everlasting destruction," when he [a mere man] shall come to be "glorified in his saints, and admired in all them that believe:" and while he prays to the Father for his flock, "that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in them, according to the grace of our God, and Jesus our Lord:" let him approach also the Lord Jesus Christ in prayer, after the example of St. Paul. Though this might a little astonish some of his hearers, as being a procedure that they had not been accustomed to, yet it would have more weight than any thing he has yet said or done to convince the public that he does not differ so widely from St. Paul, as the generality of mankind in this kingdom suppose him to do. But if he cannot conscientiously do this, as believing it would be gross idolatry to worship a mere man in this manner, or speak of him in this exalted strain, then let him acknowledge that St. Paul and he differ widely in their views of the Lord Jesus.

Methinks, Rev. sir, on the Socinian principles, the remarkable passage contained in the second chapter of the latter epistle to this people, which has

generally been applied by Protestants to the pope of Rome, might with much greater propriety be applied to Jesus Christ. He, you know, has been worshipped as God for 1700 years at least, by the generality of Christians; and he, as God, hath sat and still sits in the temple, or Church of God, "showing himself that he is God;" proclaiming him. self the root as well as offspring of David; the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last; and declaring that all men ought to "honour him, the Son, even as they honour the Father; and that he that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father." Now if he be no such being, but only a mere man, and therefore no proper object of Divine worship, it seems it would be no difficult matter, for so great a master of the art of reasoning as Dr. Priestley, to prove that he is the great impostor and usurper, primarily meant by St. Paul in this passage, the grand idol (as indeed he must think him) of professing Christians; an impostor and usurper, by so much greater than the pope, or any other that hath arisen in the Church of God, claiming Divine honours, and exercising dominion over men's consciences; by how much he hath been obeyed more unreservedly and implicitly, and hath been worshipped more devoutly and universally than they.

You know, sir, it is generally supposed that all the most remarkable apostasies from faith in and piety toward God, which have occurred or shall occur in his Church, have been distinctly foretold in the Holy Scriptures. Now, if Jesus Christ be a mere man, the worship of him so generally practised, all over Christendom, for so long a run of ages, must be the greatest corruption of true religion, and the most remarkable defection from the service of the one living and true God, that ever took place in the visible Church. And it would be strange, indeed, and what many would consider as an insuperable objection to the doctor's whole scheme, if this greatest of all apostasies should no where be foretold in the oracles of God, when apostasies, far less criminal and general, are constantly found to have been predicted there. But if it must be supposed to be prophesied of somewhere, it may be worth the doctor's while to consider, whether this passage is not as likely to foretel it as any other.

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 half-thinking 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, nav 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 among us an almost universally prevailing opinion that Jesus Christ, so far from being the person described by St. Paul in this passage, "whose 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, reverend 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 sub. scribe myself your obedient servant in him, even in Christ Jesus, &c.

LETTER VI.

REV. SIR, 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. In order hitherto, 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. Chap. i, 1: "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] our hope; unto Timothy, my 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!

Verse 12: "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 persecutor, and injurious. But I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of [this mere man !] 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 Jesus Christ [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 long suffering, for a pattern to them who should hereafter be

lieve 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!

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 to 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 toward 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 plainly implies his having existed before he so came) to save sinners; and to represent everlasting life as being ob. tained 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 farther certain from what he says of him toward 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; "be. lieved 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 (chap. iv, 6) 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. And (chap. v, 21) I charge thee, before God [the omnipresent and omniscient Jehovah] and the Lord Jesus Christ, [a-mere man!] that thou observe these things!" Again, chap. vi, 13: “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, umrebukable, until the appearing of [this mere man] our Lord Jesus Christ.

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.

Chap. i, 1: "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!] Ver. 8: Be not thou ashamed of the testimony of [this mere man] 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 a 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, reverend 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." 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, chap. ii, 1: "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." 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 (verse 10) "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.

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 testified, John x, I know my sheep, and am known of mine,] and let him that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." The same attribute is also, in effect, ascribed to him, chap. iv, 1. But on the Socinian hypothesis it must be interpreted as follows: "I charge thee before God, [that infinite and eternal Being, who filleth heaven and earth, and therefore has his eye upon us both,] and the Lord Jesus Christ, [that mere man, who, being now in heaven, and immensely removed from our world, is an utter stranger to us, and perfectly unacquainted with our behaviour, but] who will, however, judge the quick and the dead, at his appearing and his kingdom; preach the word. (5.) Watch in all things; for, verse 6, I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand: I have fought the good fight; and there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge [I mean the mere