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    OurSaviow ' e aaswer to this inquiry eenaisls of twa parts . The firsts is qout ^ iued in the nineteenth and twen tieth verses . Butit is ev ident that her& it was our Saviour ' s intention-to avoid tfyp question—not to answer it . He indeed stated a fact that was true

    in ., itself—that lus disciples would mourn after his departure—but it h ^ -d uo particular bearing upon the question just ; proposed to him . Our Sa-Yioujc in , this and other instances avoided gj ping" & direct answer to various queries , not because he was unwilling % q declare , apd avow the truth , but hecause he knew that their minds were

    wholly unprepared to receive an auswer to the inquiry both fall and expJiciV and accordant with the tenor of truly Christian priaqiples . They were too powerfull y under the influence of prepossessions and former

    habits of thinkiug to understand the sp irituality of the Christian worship 3 U { J . discipline ; so that if an answer % , d been mode to them on this occasion in explicit and direct tern ^ s , na

    gqod aod useful effect could have been j ) O $ sibly produced , bi | t , tjie contrary . jn ^ the 2 ist and 2 &ttdL verses a direct answer is given to the qjxe&tion concerning f ^ tiog ; but it is . expressed in such symbolical terms , that however

    i ^ e ^ d y the inqptrers might be to admit tjie truth of the literal meaning , ( for who does , nqt ?) they were unable to understand the application to tfre subject under consideration . The qbscu * - rif , y of the passage Ws indeed remained to . the pre ^ emt day ; as moat read ers understand what is said about the

    garment and . the wine as a kind of provprbial truism ; and the cominent ^ t tors themselves think tfyey explain it suffici , eatly , vvhcii t )) ey infonu tl ^ e unlearned r ^ adpr , thart at was

    cuatoipary m Judea to keep wine iji certain aniiAal skins prpp ^ red for that jpurpose . Kvea tJUe 4 isciples of our Lord qould not imd erst and tUc true applicjatipji and ^ jpprt of t tlm syiobobcal and stmjiausly obscure laugu ^ g-e , until they became acquainted with the

    essential difference between the old and new dispensation , the former being -a system of external observances and bodily exercises , the latter a disgensation of spiritual . worship , and , rboral discipline . A coprecjt v \ pw » ~ liowe ^ r , of tjie nature q £ t ^ tyfp j ^ ar psiisations * . the one c arj *^ ^ ^(^ ur

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    bolix ^ fl ^ ffiJt ^ e ua ^ h by our &w viour : ^ d it amounts to . th | ft > - ^ If I ; ( we Bi ^ suppose our-Siijriwr to say , ) I vvho , hive l ^ een sent ipto , tii ^ world on purpose to abolish the whole cer ^ mo-Mosaic

    mal CQUSt ^| t ^ ioii of t ^ e l » aw tp redeem Jthe > Jews from under the curse of the la * K , to do awq ^ entirely every thing rf ^ carnal and formal nature ; and was seat into the world , on

    the contrary , on purpose to teach the spirituality of divine worship , th ^ essential obligations of the divine law of morality equally on Jews and Gentiles , and thus to polish the aid , and introduce a new order o { divioe

    worship and reli g ious d ^ seipiine — If I , under such circumstances , were to impose the necessity of fasting on my d ^ ciple ^ , Cand ^ P& ?* T * twiie % of any other ceremonial outwar 4 observance ^ I should be actiBs-the foolish and inconsistent part of him , who should put new wine into old skins > or sew a piece of new cloth upaxy an old gar *

    meat . The above interpretation is easy and natural , aad approves itself to the ipind ^ soon as it is offered : c ^ ad our surprise is Cat leapt it was the case with myself ) tliat it escaped Qur nptke ^ o long . The reason , perh ^ pe , why it bas been so little known or perceived , is the unhappy prejudices and

    misapprehensions of the . generality of Chris * t ^ anB in regard to the spiritual nature of the kipgdomt of Christ . T , he system of religioa which k geaerally upheld in this qweuct ^ r of the world is qs 8 entia % a worldly policy-r-a tempo-E ^ t domiaation . 1-J ^ e kirigdojii of

    Christ is nQt a , kingdooi oi this world * That , therefore , institutions and ordinapces s ^ ioul ^ have 4 | e ^ a introduced intpoi ^ e , wh ^ ch the other Jip t only virtually diaciaima , but e ^ preflriy cej ^ cta and disavows , is no wonder after the adzjaisaion of an essential and radi-M P >>» ' ^ T * nm ftf ' f "J » y mm ^ - ' P . ;»» JT » ^» IWVW W » yp »| ¦» ¦ W > ' M % WSM mr ~

    cal mkttali € f . hope it . will give , ^ ati ^ &H > tiop to the ational a ? i < l GOii 3 iBuat ^ ted ' ) y , tfea investigation at * scriptural ftnuth a ^ d tjie laiigu ^ ge of ^ N ' ew

    Testament 9 by means of which diswveritf are p ? ad ^ from' time to time , of greater or kss importaacc ^ by those who jttu

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    7 & KMplamtx > n < Qfrbl * xK vi . r $ fe $ j ^

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Feb. 2, 1823, page 76, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1781/page/12/