I. Concerning Jesus Christ, and his Authority 1 II. Whether Jesus Christ taught the same God as Moses 6 III. Whether the God of the Israelites formerly, and of their Descendants the Jews now, be the same with the God of the Christians.. IV. Whether Jesus Christ taught that he himself was God...... 9 15 V. What it was that our Saviour taught concern- ... 17 VI. Whether what Christ thus taught concerning himself, is only true of him in one sense, that is, according to his Human Nature, as it is called... VII. Of the Testimony and Sentiment of the three former Evangelists, Matthew, Mark and Luke, concerning our Saviour Christ..... VIII. Of the Testimony and Sentiment of the Apostle John, concerning our Saviour Christ..... IX. Of the true Doctrine concerning God and Christ, as it may be collected from St. Luke's Second Volume, called the Acts.. X. Of the Doctrine of the Apostle Paul, concerning God and Christ.... ..... XI. Of the Doctrine of the Apostles James and XII. Of the Doctrine of the Apostle John, in his XIII. Of the Sentiments and Doctrines of Christ XIV. Of the Origin of the very early and lasting and Christ. 44 52 66 70 77 90 XV. Why such early and lasting Corruptions of the Gospel have been permitted........ 101 THE PREFACE. A great departure from the truth among Christ's followers. The design of this work. The use and importance of the Scriptures. The doctrine of the Divine Unity clearly and plainly revealed in them. Mistakes of Mr. Gibbon concerning the Introduction to St. John's Gospel. A principal object of Mr. Gibbon's History. To the CHRISTIAN READER. ALMOST 1800 years are past since Jesus Christ, our Lord and Master, received a divine commission, and by the powers entrusted* with * It was after prayer to God for his direction and assistance, that Jesus chose his twelve disciples. Luke vi. 12, 13. Acts i. 2. This last should be translated after he had given commandment to the apostles whom he had chosen by the Holy Spirit. (See Dr. Benson's History, &c. of the Christian Religion, Vol. I. pp. 13, 14.) Upon this passage Bishop Pearce has this honest note, for he never had any reserves in speaking what appeared to him to be the truth: "Jesus is every where almost represented as acting and him, imparted the same to certain men, * his apostles, to teach the knowledge of the only † true God, the Father, and the way to eternal speaking by the spirit of God, which (as John says, in chap. iii. 34,) was not given by measure unto him." One wonders the good bishop should stop here, and not see, that he could be none other but a creature who was thus under the continual guidance of God. * John xvii. 18: As thou (O Father,) has sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. Observe here, that in our Saviour's account, and by his own interpretation, to be sent into the world does not signify coming immediately from God and another world, into this; but it signifies the receiving of a divine commission as a prophet or teacher, and nothing more. For Christ applies here the same phrase of being sent into the world, to his chosen disciples, as to himself. xvii. 1, 8: O Father! this is life eternal, to know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent; or to know Jesus whom Thou hast sent, to be the Christ; ον απέςειλας, Ιησουν, Χρισον as this last clause maymore justly be translated. The following remark of our countryman Mr. John Biddle, M. A. of the university of Oxford, à person of eminent learning and piety, written 140 years ago, merits more attention than hath hitherto been paid it, as do all his valuable works: 66 Though Luther and Calvin," saith he, "deserve much praise for the pains they took in cleansing our religion from sundry idolatrous pollutions of the Roman Antichrist, yet are the dregs still left behind; I mean the gross opinion touching three persons in one God: which |