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    therefore speaks plainly to him : but , if he had spoken as plainly to his disciples , when the traitor Judas was amongst them , he would

    have given his enemies a handle for an accusation , which they without fail would have used ; it was his prudence to guard himself from their snares .

    At his trial , it is said , that Jesus made a full confession of himself . I have very great doubts in my own mind on this subject : but allowing that he did , what does his confession amount to ?

    The high priest asks him ; art thou the Christ , the Son of the blessed ? Pilate asks ; art thou a king ? Our Saviour answers , according to the common interpretation , I am .

    In this case it appears , that he gave testimony only to that truth , for which he came into the world ; namely , that he was the Messiah , the expected king of the Jews . If the miracles which he had

    wrought , could not convince the Jews of the truth of his mission , we need not be surprised , that his own declaration had no effect upon them . When all the charges

    they could bring against him were of no avail , he was adjudged to be worthy of death , tfor declaring himself to be the Christ , the Son of God .

    But I would ask any person , who reads attentively the history of our Saviour ; is it not very extraordinary , that , the priests should be so much at a loss to

    find an accusation against ; him , when modern Christians tell us , -that he declared publicly to rtfce Jewv that ihe was . Goad ? Would *« tt * ey have putt -hUn to / dgatih ; for pretending to he . tbe ; Christ , if they had sway Evidence of his pre ~ * ea « iom-to po much higher a cha-

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    racter ? Is k possible therefore , that he , who till his trial never avowed himself publicly to the Jews to be tbe Christ , is it possible I say , that he should have

    given them so fair a charge against himself ; and , that they , who were taking all the pains in the world to accuse him , should pever hear of it ? It is in the highest degree improbable ; but let us hear , what foundation there is for such

    an opinion . The chief grounds for this opinion I find , sir , from your 4 t 9 * course to be , that Jesus called God his Father , and was undqrstood by the Jews to make

    hinaself God : that he said , I and my father are one , and No man knoweth the son , but the father , su&d who the father is , but the sou * I have already proved , that nothing can be deduced in fawur of your doctrine from the use of the teem

    Son of God , and > by parity 91 reasoning , I might conclude that when Christ said God was his father , he meant nothing mojpe than in the other phrase , I am the Son of God But l ^ st this

    reasoning should not convince you , the words of Christ and $ * e Jews may have > better success . Christ called God his , tfiuhes ; so the Jews called God their father . We have one father , even God . Why docs . Christ deny , that God was their father ?

    because say £ he , if God were-your father , ye would love me , Whom God . sent * JVnd why doesn he eatl 4 be-dewl JnsteLid of < if <* d theirJh « ( tfet&irf ( Ueeause / tixey wem * full o £ d *~

    . viiish lusts , and actied lite children , of % e d ^ vil , the lather of li e ** Hence it I 9 evident , that : / ChatiaC called God his iathftr , because 4 m& >^> okft ? -whai J * eibad jn *« ii > fic *

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    On the Testimony of the Jews to the Tersonpf Christ . Letter 7 * 545

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Oct. 2, 1808, page 543, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2397/page/19/