e puniment, to neglect the falvation revealed by a mere man, than to difobey the word fpoken by glorious Angels!-to fpeak of this mere man as made a little lower than the Angels, (an expreffion which plainly implies that he once was higher) in order that, by the grace of God, he might tafte death for every man, and to fignify that he was now crowned with glory and honour, the world to come being put into subjection to him, and not to Angels:-to affure us, that, in as much as we were partakers of flesh and blood, he alfo took part of the fame, a manner of speaking from which it is natural to infer that he had it in his choice whether he would take part of flesh and blood or not, and that he acted voluntarily. in taking part of it, and therefore that he preexifted-to mention it particularly, as the end of his taking flesh and blood, that he (a mere man ! might destroy Satan, and deliver mankind from his works, especially from death and the fear of it, to which fo many myriads of the human race, are continually fubject: to magnify it as an aftonishing inftance of his love, that he paffed by the nature of Angels and laid hold on finking men, affuming the human nature into union with himfelf, and condefcending to be made in all things like unto his brethren; and to hold him forth to our view, as being therefore a merciful and faithful High Prieft, in things pertaining to God, who both makes reconciliation for the fins of the people, and is able to fuccour them that are tempted; an expreffion this which certainly implies his being perfectly acquainted with them and ever at hand to help them, wherever they may be difperfed abroad over the face of the earth; which it is certainly inconceivable that any mere man fhould be!Methinks (I fay) that as these things, if understood of a mere

man,

man, must be falfe, fo to fuppofe them is very ridiculous, and fufficient to difcredit any pretences, not only to a fupernatural afflatus, but even to ordinary reafon and understanding.

Chap. 11. 3. We meet with a paffage ftill more extraordinary, if confidered in this point of view, This perfon, (fays the Apoftle) was counted . worthy of more glory than Mofes, inafmuch as HE

THAT

BUILDED THE HOUSE, HATH MORE HO

NOUR THAN THE HOUSE: For every houfe is 'builded by fome one, but he, (this mere man!) that BUILT ALL THINGS IS GOD: And Mofes verily (one mere man) was faithful as a SERVANT,but Chrift (another mere man!) as a SON OVER HIS OWN HOUSE, WHOSE HOUSE (or family) WE ARE, if we hold faft the confidence and the rejoicing of hope firm un'o the end.. -For we are made partakers of (this mere man) Chrift, if we hold faft the beginning of 6 our confidence ftedfaft unto the end."

Respecting this remarkable paffage, I fhall only fay, that as certainly as the Author of it com pares Chrift to Mofes, and afferts his great fuperiority to the Jewish Lawgiver; fo certainly does he fignify that that fuperiority confifted in two things: Mofes was but a fervant in the family of God, Chrift a fon: Mofes was the houfe itself, or rather only a part of it, but Chrift was the builder of the houfe, yea, is the builder of all things, is God. Now, is it poffible, on the principles of common sense, to reconcile this doctrine of the Apoftle with the fuppofition of his viewing Chrift, whom he thus magnifies, as a mere man? Surely, if Christ be a mere man, he was and is God's fervant, and a part of God's house as much as Mofes.

Pals we on to the 14th verse of the 4th Chapter, where we meet with another paragraph, which Q-2

on

6

6

6

on the principles of common fenfe, is molt equally irreconcilable with the fame doctrine of Chrift's mere humanity. The Socinian hypothefis requires us to understand it thus ing 'therefore a great High Prieft, that is, paffed into the heavens, Jefus THE SON OF GOD (that is, a mere man let us hold faft our profeffion, for 6 we have not an High-Prieft who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, (although it must be granted that being a mere man, he cannot be acquainted with our infirmities!) Let us therefore come boldly ' unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need! Still more ridiculous, according to the fame doctrine, is the Apoftle's language in the 7th Chapter, where he difcourfes largely on one of the capital doctrines of Chriftianity, and holds forth the Lord Jefus as an High-Prieft for ever after the order of Melchifedeck.-Comparing them together, he obferves, verfe ift. This Melchifedeck, king of Salem, Pricft of the most high "God,--firft being by interpretation, king of righteoufnefs, and after that alfo king of Salem, which is king of peace, without Father, without Mother, without defcent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the for of God,' who, as Dr. Prieftly teaches, is a mere man, and had both a Father and a Mother, and at leaft beginning of days, if not alfo end of life. For he teftifieth, Thou (a mere man !) art Prieft for ever after the order of Melchifedeck. 'Therefore this mere man because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable Priefthood. Where'fore (though a mere man ! he is able to fave to 'the uttermoft, all that coine unto God by him, $ feeing he ever liveth to make interceffion for them. For fuch an High-Priest became us who

·

a

is

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is holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from 'finners, and (though a mere man!) HIGHER THAN THE HEAVENS; who needern not daily, as those high-priefts, to offer up facrifice, firit 'for his own fins, and then for the people's: for 'this he did once when he offered up himfelf: for

the Law maketh men High-Priests, who have infrinity, but the word of the oath which was 'fince the Law, maketh the Son,' viz. a mere man who, according to Dr. Priestley, had infirmity alfo, and was weak and peccable like others, but neverthelefs, it feems, who is confecrated for ever-more!"

Now here I would afk, on the fuppofition that the Author of this Epiftle believed Jefus Chrift, the great High-Priest of our Profeffion, to be a mere man, the proper Son of Jofeph and Mary, begotten, conceived and born like other men, how came he to avail himself of the filence of the Old Teftament, refpecting the genealogy of Melchizedeck, in the comparifion which he draws between him and Chrift? How came he to take notice of his being without (any) Father, record. ed in the Scripture, without Mother, without defcent, and his having neither beginning of days nor end of life, mentioned in the divine Oracles, as circumstances which rendered him a more complete type of the Son of God ? Certainly, if the Son of God be a mere man, and the Apostle had confidered him as fuch, he must have seen, that Melchizedeck, would have refembled him much more, had all these particulars been otherwife; I mean if he had had a Father and a Mother fpoken of in the Jewish Scriptures, and if the beginning of his days, had also been recorded there. For, it must be allowed that a man that has human Parents, and whofe days have had a beginning, is, in thefe refpects, a fitter type of Q 3

a mere

a mere man, conceived and born as all others are, than one who never had any progenitors, and whole days never began to be. And as it is probable that Melchizedeck was a real man, and therefore, that he had both a Father and a Mother, though that circumftance be not mentioned in the fhort. account Mofes has given us of him, certainly the Apoftle would have taken no notice of thefe. particulars, much lefs would he have enlarged upon them, as he has done, had he viewed Jefus Chrift in the light in which Dr. Priestley views him: as it is not to be conceived that any end could be anfwered by it, unlcfs to miflead people and make them believe, that the Son of God, of whom this Melchizedeck was an illuftrious type, was not of this world, nor of any human origin.

I need make no remark upon divers other expreffions in the paffages quoted above. They fpeak for themfelves, and make it evident that if the Apostle believed Jefus Chrift to be a mere man, he ftrangely forgot his creed, when he wrote thefe verfes, and uttered things, to fay the least, very inconsistent with it. For let common fenfe judge. How can a mere man, whofe prefence is and must be merely local, and who is immenfely removed from our world, and confined in the third heaven, how can he, I say, be acquainted even with the perfons, and much more with the infirmities of all his followers, nay, and of all mankind in every part of the habitable globe? And how can he be present with and affifting to every one, that fhall apply to him at whatever time or place, giving grace to help in time of need, directing, protecting, ftrengthening and comforting all in general, and each individual in particular, as their wants and neceffities require? I pafs by many particulars, alfo,

in