fenfe, repeated almoft in every page of the New Teftament, and fealed with the blood of Chrift, his apoftles, and martyrs. When he appeared on earth to convert the Jews and Gentiles, and deftroy idolatry, which blindfolded mankind, could he have taken more oppofite steps to his million, than to raise the dead, and change the course of nature, in proof of a doctrine infinuating his Divinity, if he had no real claim to the title? At a time when the credulous multitude were apt to enrol extraordinary men in the number of their Gods,when they worshipped the earth that nourished them,-the air that refreshed them,-the fun that enlightened them, the moon that directed their fteps in the obfcurity of night,-the fire that warmed them, the heroes that cleared the woods and forefts of lions and ferpents that annoyed them, -the conquerors who delivered them from their enemies, the wife and generous princes who rendered their fubjects happy, and the memory of their reign immortal,at a time when altars were erected at Athens, to the Unknown God,—when the priests of Salamis raifed the facrific knife, to offer victims in honour of Paul, whom they took for Mercury, on account of his eloquence, and the novelty of his doctrine, and in honour of Barnabas, whom they revered as Jupiter, on account of his venerable afpect,--and when

the

the fortileges of Simon, the magician, procured him the honour of a temple at Rome, and the appellation of the Great God,at fuch a critical period, when gratitude deified benefactors, and extraordinary powers laid the foundations of temples, and fwelled the catalogue of falfe gods,it was a dangerous and ill-timed doctrine, to preach that he was equal to God; that he was the Son of God, that eternal life confifted in the knowledge of himself and of his Father; to command his followers to lay down. their lives, fooner than deny him, &c. and to confirm this doctrine by filencing the winds that fubfided at his nod; by calming the ftormy feas,-changing the nature of the elements; restoring fight to the blind,-the ufe of their limbs to the lame; forcing Death to furrender his spoils,-and all nature to acknowledge his power and empire. Shall a Paul and Barnabas tear their garments in being taken for fomething more than mortal men; and shall Jefus Chrift, if he be not God, in a calm, deliberate manner, rob the Creator of all things, of his glory and the worship due to him, in affirming that himself and the God of Heaven are one,-in applauding the faith of the apoftle who faid that he was the Son of the living God,-and in not checking the disciple who, after thrusting his hand into his fide, exclaimed, My Lord "and my God!"

It

It is not only in the time of his liberty, when he vifits the cities of Ifrael, healing their fick, raifing their dead, feeding multitudes with a few loaves, and refusing the temporal fovereignty which the people offered him, that he attributes to himself the prerogatives of the Divinity. It is in chains, in the courfe of his trial, and on the cross. Conjured by the high priest to tell whether he is Chrift the Son of God, he anfwers in the affirmative and, in proof of his affertion, fays that they fhall fee him on the right hand of God. "Do you hear the blafphemy?" cries out the other. Had he ufed any mental reservations on this occafion, by faying one thing and meaning another, by expreffing outwardly, "I am the Son of God," and reftraining in his mind the fenfe of the words, to the quality of a meffenger, he would not have answered according to the pontiff's meaning, who knew but too well the difference between a meflenger, fuch as any prophet may be, and a Son, who must be of the fame nature with his Father. What a precedent for perjurers! And what blafphemy in St. Paul, who affirms," that he thought it no ufurpation to "make himself equal unto God!"

Common fenfe often fupplies the room of metaphyfical demonftrations. And common fense will inform you, that Jefus Chrift is either the greatest impoftor that ever appeared, or that

he

he is literally what he declared himself to be; God and Man, for whom the martyrs fuffered, whom the Chriftians adore, and to whom all knees are to bend one day.

If he is an impoftor, in vain has the blood of impure victims been drained, in vain have the altars of falfe deities been overturned; in vain have their idols been crushed, and their temples destroyed a new idol has been fet up in their room, and the worfhip due to the fovereign Being has been transferred to an impoftor. If this be the cafe, God, then, must have deceived mortals, in invefting an impoftor, during his life, and his disciples, after his death, with such extraordinary powers. And the miracles wrought in confirmation of their doctrine, and which could never be wrought but by his exprefs and immediate power, muft have been wrought with an express design to mislead his creatures into delufion and error. Reconcile this, if you can, to his goodness, wisdom, and providence ; and behold the abfurdities to which incredulity leads.

lf you intend to reconcile those texts that attribute to the fame perfon, an eternal generation and birth in time,-tranfcendant glory and profound humility, the power and majefty of a God, with the fufferings and death of a man, -admit in the fame perfon, the Divine and

human

human nature.—Then, all feeming contradictions vanish. His infirmities and fufferings are applicable to him, as Man; whilst his glorious characters and titles are to be attributed to his Godhead, disguised under a human veil. Thus, in Jefus Chrift we find the God that created us, whereas he is the fame with his Father ; the Redeemer who purchased us, by paying our ranfom; the spotless Pontiff, through whom we find access to the throne of mercy. His crofs is folly to the Jew, and a scandal to the Gentile : but to the Christian it is the power and wisdom of God. For if he was not man, he could not fuffer and if he were not God, his fufferings would not avail us. He becomes man, to fuffer for our fake: and, as God, he gives his sufferings an infinite price,

I remain, &c.

LETTER