in oppofition to the law of nature and of the Old Teftament, as Gronovius expreffes it. How this idea harmonizes with the berely of Socinus, may appear from the fhort view which we have of the Socinian theology, Mofh. vol. ii. p. 276.-"GOD, "who is infinitely more perfect than man,

though of a fimilar nature in fome respects, exerted an act of that power by "which He governs all things, in con

fequence of which an extraordinary "perfon was born of the Virgin Mary. "That perfon was JESUS CHRIST, whom "GOD firft tranflated to heaven, and hav

ing inftructed Him fully there in the "knowledge of His will, counfels, and defigns, fent Him again into this fublunary world to promulgate to man"kind a new rule of life, more excellent " than that under which they had formerly lived, to propagate the truth by His miniftry, and to confirm it by His "death." Thus blafphemed Socinus against the excellence, purity, and perfection of the law of JEHOVAH, as well as against the glory and divinity of the Son of GOD! However, this notion about a new law given by CHRIST, is not to be called the invention of Socinus, who lived fo late as the 16th century; it was a doctrine of the Koran, when the im

poftor * Mahomet set up his religion; for we are there informed, that, "of 224,000 prophets which have from time to time "been fent into the world-among whom

313 were apostles, fent with fpecial "commiffions to reclaim mankind from infidelity and fuperftition-fix of them "brought new laws for that purpose, "which fucceffively abrogated the pre

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ceding. Thefe were 1. Adam, 2. Noah, σε 3. Abraham, 4. Mofes, 5. Jefus, 6. Ma"homet." See Broughton, Hift. Lib. Tit. Mohammed.

It was fundamentally neceffary for Mahomet's plan, to have it believed that GoD had fent feveral prophets into the world, who had fucceffively abrogated the laws of those who had gone before: for as Mahomet's intention was to appear as fuch an one himself, he very artfully kept his followers from looking after the credentials of his miffion in the writings of the Old and New Teftaments; for had he appealed to these himself, or referred his followers to their evidence of his miffion from GoD, He must have appeared as

Earlier ftill-" Lactantius confiders CHRIST'S "miffion as having no other end, than that of lead“ing mankind to virtue, by the most fublime precepts, and the most perfect example." Mosheim, vol. i. 188, note h, century 4th.

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great

great an impoftor in their eyes, as doubtlefs he was in his own.

The bleffed Jefus proved the reality of His miffion, by a courfe directly contrary to this, for, in all his teaching, He conftantly appealed to the law and the prophets It is written," was His warrant for all He faid and did-He founded all His claim to the character of the MESSIAH, on the writings of the + Old Teftament, and all His miracles were a conftant appeal to what was there foretold concerning him. So far from affuming to Himself the authority of abrogating that holy, perfect, and fpiritual rule of life, which was contained in the law given from God by Mofes, He began His public miniftry with the moft folemn protest against such a fuppofition. Therefore, to contend for his enacting any new

Mahomet was too cunning not to be fenfible of this. Therefore he got rid of all danger from their authorities, by making it believed that the pentateuch, pfalms, and gofpels were fo altered and corrupted, that little credit was to be given to them— That God had promised to take care of the Koran, and to preferve it from any addition or diminution. Koran, c. 15.

+ So His fore-runner, John the Baptist, appealed to the Old Testament for the truth of his miffion. See Matt. iii. 3. Luke iii. 4-6, with John i. 22, 23.

law, contrary to the law of nature, and of the Old Teftament, is to call in question His veracity, and to place Him in a rank of impofture even below Mahomet himself. Mahomet profefsed to destroy the law and the prophets, as they had destroyed all preceding fyftems: whereas CHRIST most solémaly declared—that heaven and earth could fooner pass, than one jot or tittle pafs from the late-Think not, faid He, that I am come to deftroy the law or the prophets, I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. So far from abrogating the law, or rule of life, which had been delivered by the hand of Mofes, or fetting up a new law in oppofition to it-He came into the world to be fubject to it in all things, and fo to fulfil the whole righteousness of it. Matt. iii. 15. To magnify and make it bonourable. If. xlii. 21. even by His obedience unto death. Speaking in the Spirit of prophecy (Pf. xl. 8.) He fays-Lo-I come in the volume of the book it is written of me I delight to do thy will, O my GOD; yea, THY LAW is within my heart. And in His public miniftry, how uniformly doth he speak the fame thing? How does He difclaim the imputation of abrogating the law of GOD, and of fetting up any new law of His own, in oppofition to it? He whom GOD hath fent, faid He, fpeak

etb

eth the words of GOD. John iii. 34.-My doctrine is not MINE, but His that fent me. John vii. 16, 17.-If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of GOD, or whether I speak of. MYSELF. John viii, 28.-I do nothing of MYSELF, but as my Father bath taught me Ifpeak these things. John xii. 49, 50.—I have not spoken of MYSELF, but the Father which fent me, He gave me a commandment what I should fay, and what I should. Speak. My meat is to do the will of Him that fent Me, and to finish His work. John iv. 34. This is not the language of one who came to abrogate GoD's law, as delivered by Mofes, and to fet up a new law of His own, contrary to the rule of life revealed in the Old Teftament, but of one who came to fulfil the righteousness of the law, every precept of which He revered, whofe every commandment He perfectly obeyed.

II,

Let the reader turn to his Bible, and confider what is faid of the law of GODPf. xix. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and throughout the whole long 119th pfalm, and furely he muft fay, that the idea of a more excellent law, or rule of life, than is therein fet forth, is as replete with folly, as it is with blafphemy. The fame teftimony which the Old Teftament bears to the perfection

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