when he wrote his epistles, is evident from the many passages we have quoted from them, which, if understood of a mere man, appear to be absolute nonsense.

The same must be said of the epistles of the other apostles. Many passages in them all, as these letters demonstrate, are truly nonsensical, if interpreted of a mere man; and these, not a few detached and unconnected sentences, but whole paragraphs and sections, yea, entire chapters, the principal doctrine of which is most irrational, as well as the argumentation perfectly inconclusive, on the Socinian hypothesis. For instance, what makes a greater figure in the writings of St. John, or is more frequently mentioned or expatiated upon, than the doctrine of the great love of God, manifested in his sending his Son into the world that we might live through him?" But, if what he advances upon this subject be understood of a mere man, how unworthy is it, I will not say of the inspiration of an apostle, but of the reason and common sense of a man! We need not go far to seek examples of this. I appeal to the passage last quoted. Only suppose it to be spoken of a mere man, and how insipid and unmeaning! nay, how absurd and ridiculous does it appear! "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent [a mere man whom I term] his only begotten Son into the world, [not that we are to suppose he had any existence prior to his being sent,] that we might live through him: [that is, through his teaching and example!] Herein is love! not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent [a mere man called] his Son, to be the propitiation for our sins," that is, (says the doctor,) to die a martyr to confirm his doctrine! Beloved, if God so loved us, [and sent a mere man among us to teach us his will!] we ought also to love one another. We have seen, and do testify, that the Father sent the Son, [I mean that the eternal God seut a mere man !] to be the Saviour of the world." One mere man to save the whole human race!

The doctrine of the next chapter is yet more irrational, if more can be. Thus, verse 5: "Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus [a mere man !] is [by adoption] the Son of God? This is he [the mere man] that came by water and blood, even Jesus; not by water only [in which he was baptized, an emblem of his own purity, and our regeneration,] but by water and blood: [atoning blood, the blood of one mere man, shed for the sins of millions!] and it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; [that is, on the Socinian principles, the Self-existant Jehovah, a mere man, and the power of God!] and these three are one! [the eternal God, his power, and a mere man are one!] This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son, [is in a mere man!] He that hath the Son, [that hath this mere man dwelling in him! see 2 Cor. xiii. 5,] hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God, [that hath not this mere man, dwelling in him!] hath not life." Ver. 20: "We know that the Son of God is come, [that is, that a mere man hath been raised up to instruct us,] and [though a mere man !] hath given us an understanding to know him that is true; and we are in him that is true, in or by his Son Jesus Christ, [a mere man.] He [the mere man I speak of] is the true God and eternal life. [But though I give

these high titles to a mere man, yet, let me add,] little children, keep yourselves from idols!" A necessary caution indeed! but very absurd in this connection.

The second epistle he inscribes to the elect lady, (or, as some rather think it should be rendered, to the elect Kuria, making Kuria a proper name,) and, like St. Paul, he prays for grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ; that is, on the Unitarian hypothesis, from the supreme God, and a mere man! "Many deceivers, (says he, ver. 7,) are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh :" I speak of that mere man, born in Bethlehem, who, having had no pre-existence, must come in the flesh, or not at all. "This is a deceiver and antichrist. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, [the doctrine of a mere man!] hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ hath both the Father and the Son, [both the eternal God, and a mere man !] If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed. For he that biddeth him God speed is a partaker of his evil deeds!" How far this caution concerns the abettors of the doctrine of Christ's mere humanity, the reader must judge. The short Epistle of Jude is of a piece with the epistles of the other apostles. It is also written without common sense, as certainly without inspiration, on the supposition that he believed Jesus Christ to be a mere man. "Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, [that is, the servant of a mere man,] to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in [the same mere man] Jesus Christ, and called. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ: [that is, denying the infinite Jehovah, and a mere man!] Verse 14: Enoch, also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold the Lord [that is, a mere man !] cometh with ten thousand of his saints to execute judgment upon all. But beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, [viz. the apostles of a mere man !] ye beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, [the mercy of a mere man!] unto eternal life," Praying, reverend sir, that this mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, which St. Jude mentions, may be extended to Dr. Priestley also, although he takes such pains to persuade himself and others that it is but the mercy of a mere man; and that whatever strange and unscriptural speculations he may amuse himself and others withal, he may not live and die without the experimental and practical acquaintance with the trinity, spoken of in these words. I remain, reverend sir, yours, &c.

LETTER X.

REV. SIR,-In the foregoing letters I have reviewed all the epistles of the New Testament, and have selected most of the texts in which the Lord Jesus is spoken of; and, methinks, every reasonable man must

allow they are all absurd, and the greatest part of them even profane, on supposition that he is a mere man. The same observation may be extended to the other books of the New Testament. They also contain sundry passages which, to say the least, are very ridiculous; and manifest, either that the authors of them were not Unitarians, in the Socinian sense of the word, or that they were wanting in common sense. In many of these passages, our Lord Jesus Christ himself speaks, either while on earth, or after his ascension into heaven. So that, if Dr. Priestley's doctrine be true, it appears that the Lord Jesus Christ himself (I speak it with reverence) was as much wanting in common sense, as any of his apostles; and his doctrine, like theirs, is absurd and impious. Permit me, reverend sir, before I conclude, to give you, in one or two letters more, a few instances of the truth and propriety of this remark. But as I have already enlarged so much, they shall be very few in comparison with what might be produced; and shall be chiefly taken from the Gospel of St. John, and the Revelation of Jesus Christ, communicated to him. In the latter book, we meet with the following passages among others :

"John, to the seven Churches which are in Asia. Grace be unto you, and peace, from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, [viz. from the eternal God,] and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne, [viz. the Holy Ghost, whose operations are manifold] and from Jesus Christ, [a mere man!] who is the faithful Witness, the first begotten from the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth! Unto him [the mere man!] that hath loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and made us kings and priests unto God, and his Father, to him [mere man as he is!] be glory and dominion for ever and ever! Amen! Behold, he [a mere man !] cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him, and they also that pierced him, and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him! even so! Amen! Verse 9: I, John, who also am your brother and companion in tribulation, and in the king. dom and patience of Jesus, [the kingdom and patience of a mere man!] was in the isle of Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ, [the testimony of a mere man!] I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, [the day of the same mere man!] and heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet, saying, I [a mere man!] am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last! And I turned to see the voice that spake with me, and being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks, and in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks one like the Son of man; his head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were as a flame of fire; and his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters: and he had in his right hand seven stars, and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword, and his countenance was as the sun shining in his strength. And when I saw him, [though he be a mere man!] I fell at his feet as dead: and he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not, I [a mere man!] am the First and the Last! I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore, Amen! and have the keys of death and of hell!" I do not wonder that Dr. Priestley doubts the authenticity of the Apocalypse.

Proceed we to chap. v, 5: "One of the elders said unto me, Weep

And

not, behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, [who, how. ever, is but a mere man, and did not exist till many hundred years after David's death!] hath prevailed to open the book and loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne, and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb' as it had been slain, having seven eyes and seven horns, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth: [for though a mere man, to him belong the seven Spirits of God!] and he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. when he had taken the book, the four living creatures, and the four-andtwenty elders fell down before the Lamb, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book and open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us unto God by thy blood, [the blood of a mere man!] out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests. And I heard the voice of many angels, round about the throne, and the living creatures, and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; saying, with a loud voice, Worthy is [the mere man!] the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing and every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I, saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, [viz. to the eternal God,] and to the Lamb, [a mere man!] for ever and ever! And the four living creatures said, Amen! And the four-andtwenty elders fell down, and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever!" What will the disciples of Socinus say to this? Surely, if Christ be a mere man, idolatry is committed, even in heaven!

And as the Father and the Son are associated in claiming and receiving Divine worship from the saints, whether men or angels, so also in taking vengeance on sinners. Thus, chap. vi, 16: "They said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; [that is, thé wrath of a mere man!] for the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?" who shall be able to bear the wrath of a mere man?

Equally remarkable is the following passage :-" After this, I beheld, (chap. vii, 9,) and lo a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, [viz, of Jehovah,] and before the Lamb, [that is, before a mere man,] clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands, and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God, who sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb," a mere man! Here again, according to Dr. Priestley, a mere man is worshipped, and salvation is ascribed to him, as well as to the infinite Jehovah! And, verse 13, the saints that have come out of great tribulation are said to have washed their robes, and made them white in his blood! "Therefore, (it is added,) are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple. And he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat for the Lamb, [a mere man, says the doctor!] who is in the midst

of the throne, shall feed them, and shall lead them to fountains of living water; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." So that, if the doctor be right, a mere man, in conjunction with the supreme God, is the author of their everlasting felicity. And, chap. xi, 15, the kingdoms of this world are represented as "become his kingdoms," and he is said to reign for ever and ever, being, chap. xvii, 14, "Lord of lords, and King of kings!"

Chapter xix, 11, we meet with a description of this reigning King; a description which but ill agrees with the character of a mere man. "His name (we are assured) is called Faithful and True, and in right. eousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes are as a flame of fire, and on his head are many crowns; and he hath a name written, that no man knoweth but himself. And he is clothed with a vesture dipped in blood; and his name is called the Word of God! And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the wine press of the fierceness and wrath of almighty God. And he hath on his vesture, and on his thigh, a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords.”

In the twentieth chapter is displayed "a great white throne, and he [a mere man, shall we say ?] that sits on it; from whose face the earth and the heaven flee away, and there is found no place for them: and the dead, small and great, stand before God, [Dr. Priestley says, before a mere man!] and the books are opened, and the dead are judged out of those things which are written in the books, according to their works." Here the mere man appears to be the universal Judge, and they that stand before him are said to stand before God! And in the next chapter, the same person is represented as the bridegroom of the Church, which has its Maker, that is, on the Socinian hypothesis, a mere man, for its husband! "And he carried me away in the Spirit, to a great high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. And I saw no temple therein; for the Lord God Almighty, and fa mere man!] the Lamb, are the temple of it; and the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it: for the glory of God [the infinite Jehovah] did lighten it; and the Lamb [a mere man!] is the light thereof." As if one were to say, The sun and a candle are the light of the world! And the nations of them that are saved shall walk in the light of it," viz. in the light issuing from Jehovah, and a mere man! "And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, but they who are written in the Lamb's book of life," that is, the book of life of a mere man!

And as Jehovah and a mere man are the joint sources of light, so of life and consolation also. For, chap. xxii, 1: "He showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God, and of the Lamb, [that is, the throne of Jehovah, and a mere man!] And, ver. 3: There shall be no more curse: but the throne of God [the Supreme Being] and of the Lamb (a mere man!] shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him, and they shall see his face, and his name shall be on their foreheads. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [that is, the grace of a mere man] be with you all! Amen."

Such is the doctrine of St. John in the Apocalypse; a doctrine which,