The 2d. Epistle to Timothy is fimilar to the firft. The fame ftrain of abfurdity runs through it alfo, on the fuppofition that its author held the doctrine of Chrift's mere humanity. A few paf fages I fhall quote and read according to that hy pothefis.

Chap. is 1, Paul an: Apoftle of (the mere man) Jefus Chrift, by the will of God, according to the promise of life, which is in (this mere man) Christ Jefus : To Timothy my beloved fon, grace, mercy and peace, from God, the (infinite and eternal) Father, and from the Lord Jefus • Chrift (a mere man of yesterday, weak and depen dant ! JVerfe 8, Be not thou ashamed of the teftimony of (this mere man our Lord, nor of me his prifoner, but be thou a partaker of the afflictions of the Gospel, according to the power of God. Who hath faved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our: works, but according to his own purpofe and grace, which was given us in Chrift Jefus before* the world began (though this Chrift Jelus be a 4 mere man, who had no existence till the world was at least 4000 years old!) but is now made "manifeft by the appearing of this (mere man) our Saviour Jefus Chrift, who (mere man as he is) hath abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light, through the Gofpel.'-Obferve, Rev. Sir, a mere man hath abolished' death, and brought life and immortality to light! For which caufe, adds he, 1 alfo fuffer thele things nevertheless I am not afhamed, for I 'know whom I have believed, and am perfuaded that (though a mere man!) he is able to keep, • that which I ha e committed unto him against that day.I think, Sir, they that believe him to be a mere mán, must have many doubts refpecting

refpe&ting his ability to keep what they may come

mit unto him.

The Apostle proceeds Chapter ii. 1,

Thou

therefore, my Son, be ftrong in the grace that. is in (this mere man!) Chrift Jefus! endure. hardness as a good foldier of Jeius Chrift (the. 'fame mere man.) No man, that warreth, entangleth himself with the affairs of this life, that he may pleafe him that hath chofen him to be a Soldier. See that thou then (he might, have added, as indeed is implied) make it thy care to pleafe the mere man Jefus Chrift, who, hath chofen thee! For, thy encouragement let me remind thee that (yerle 10, I endure all things,, for the elect's fake, that they may obtain the. falvation which is in (this mere man) Chrift Jefus, with eternal glory. It is a faithful faying, if we be dead with him, we fhall also live. with him if we fuffer with him, we fhall also. reign with him if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, he abideth faithful, he, (though a mere man!) cannot deny himfelf. O£ thefe things put them in remembrance!' that is, put them in remembrance that a mere man cannot deny himself! Soine will think that it is an affertion that requires proof, rather than repetition. As in the words laft quoted, the Apostle af cribes immutability to this mere man, fo, verfe 19, he afcribes omnifcience to him. The foundation

"

of God, fays he, standeth fure, having this feal, the Lord knoweth them that are his (according to what Jefus himself had teftified, John 10,. know my sheep, and am known of mine) and let him that nameth the name of Chrift depart from iniquity. The fame attribute is also, in effect, afcribed to him, Chap. iv. t. But on the Socinian hypothefis it must be interpreted as fol lows. 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 Jefus Chrift (that mere man, who, being now in heaven, and immenfely removed from our world is an utter ftranger to us, and perfely 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 righteoufnefs, which the Lord, the righteous judge (I mean a mere man !) will give me at that day, and not to me only, but to all them allo hat love his appearing, (viz. the ap pearing of the fame mere man 18, At my my first anfwer no man flood with me, but the Lord (how strange foever it may appear, fince • he is a mere man !) stood with me and ftrengthened me-and I was delivered out of the mouth of the Lion. And the Lord, (the fame mere man!) fhall deliver me from every evil work, and will preferve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom, (mere man though he be !) be glory for ever and ever! (This mere man,) The Lord Jefus Chrift be with thy Spirit!' and yet when I recollect myfelf, I acknowledge it is in vain to expect fuch a thing, however defirable it might be, for as his prefence is merely lol, and the heavens muft receive him until the times of the reftitution of all things, it is impoffible he fhould either hear or anfwer any fuch requeft. I fay therefore, Grace be with you! Amen!'

The Epistle to Titus being very fimiliar to the two Epiftles to Timothy, I fhall pass it over, referring only to one paffage, which according_to

Dr.

Dr. Priefley's plan of doctrine must be under ftood thus, Looking for the bleffed hope, and the glorious appearing of (a mere man!) who however is, our GREAT GOD AND SAVIOUR, το μεγάλο θες και σωτήρος ημών, JESUS CHRIST. WHO mere man as he is!) GAVE HIMSELF FOR us, that he, la mere man, by his laying down a temporal life!) might redeem us, (many myriads" as we are,) from all iniquity and purify to HIMSELF (that is, fays Dr. Prieftley to a mere man !} a peculiar people zealous of good works! Thefe things (are of deep importance therefore) speak and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man defpife thee' for terming a mere man the great God our Saviour!

6

པ

The Epifle to Philemon affords feveral inffances of the fame kind with thofe quoted above. Paul a prifoner of Jefus Chrift, (that is, a prifoner for his attachment to a mere man !) Grace to you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jefus Chrift; that is, from the • eternal God and a mere man!)-I thank my God, hearing of thy love and faith, which thou haft toward (that mere man) the Lord Jefus :-that the communication of thy faith may become effectual.' or that thy faith may be effectually communicated to others, by the acknowledging, (that is, by their acknowledging) of every good thing which is in you in Chrift Jefus, (that fame mere man!--Wherefore, though I might be bold in (this mere man) Chrift to enjoin thee • that which is convenient, yet for loves fake, I rather befeech thee, being fuch a one as Paul the aged, and now alfo a prifoner of (the fame • mere man) Jefus Chrift:-1 beseech thee for my fon Onefimus,-a brother beloved, efpecially to · me, and how much more to thee, both in the flesh and in the Lord.-Yea, brother, let me

have

have joy in thee, in (this meré man, whom t term) the Lord, refresh my bowels in him.~~ Epaphras, my fellow-prifoner in (this fame mere man) Chrift Jefus, faluteth thee. The grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift, (that is, the grace of a mere man!) be with your Spirit! Amen!'

May thefe bieffed words, fo often repeated, be at length fo confidered by Dr. Priestley and other Socinians, that they too may fee their need of di vine grace and begin to apply to Chrift for it, though at prefent they may judge it would be idolatry to do it !-Surely, Rev. Sir, if the fun. dry paffages, produced in this Letter, were attended to, they must convince all candid and unprejudiced perfons that, whether St. Paul was right or wrong in his views of the Methiah, he certainly had a much higher idea of him, than that of a mere man.

To take no notice of other things, to appeal to the Lord Jefus as omniprefent, and give Timo thy repeated charges as in his fight, as well as the fight of God the Father: to reprefent him as abolishing death, and bringing life and immortality, to light by the Gospel, and as being able to keep what we commit unto him fafe unto that day to exhort Timothy to be frong in His grace, to endure hardness as a good foldier of his, and make it his chief care to please him in all things, as the Captain of his falvation who had called him; to reprefent falvation, in all its branches and eternal glory as being in him, and to be attained only by those who die with him, that may live with him, and fuffer with him, that they may reign with him to view him as unchangeable and omnifcient, as one that abideth faithful and cannot deny himself, as the Lord who knoweth them that are his, and as the righteous Fudge who, at the day of his final and glorious coming, will give the crown of

ght