The Trial of the Witnessses of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ | Page 8

to shew, that Jesus laid hold of this opportunity, struck in with
the opinion of the people, and professed himself to be the prince who
was to work their deliverance. But so far, it seems, is this from being
the case, that the charge upon Jesus is, that he took the contrary part,
and set up in opposition to all the popular notions and prejudices of his
country; that he interpreted the prophecies to another sense and
meaning than his countrymen did; and by his expositions took away all
hopes of their ever seeing the victorious deliverer so much wanted and

expected.
I know not how to bring the Gentleman's premisses and his conclusion
to any agreement; they seem to be at a great variance at present. If it be
the likeliest method for an imposter to succeed, to build on the popular
opinions, prejudices and prophecies of the people; then surely an
imposter cannot possibly take a worse method, than to set up in
opposition to all the prejudices and prophecies of the country. Where
was the art and cunning then of taking this method? Could anything be
expected from it but hatred, contempt, and persecution? And did Christ
in fact meet with any other treatment from the Jews? And yet when he
found, as the Gentleman allows he did, that he must perish in this
attempt, did he change his note? did he come about, and drop any
intimations agreeable to the notions of the people? It is not pretended.
This, which, in any other case which ever happened, would be taken to
be a plain mark of great honesty, or great stupidity, or of both, is in the
present case art, policy, and contrivance.
But, it seems, Jesus dared not set up to be the victorious prince
expected, for victories are not to be counterfeited. I hope it was no
crime in him that he did not assume this false character, and try to
abuse the credibility of the people; if he had done so, it certainly would
have been a crime; and therefore in this point at least he is innocent. I
do not suppose the Gentleman imagines the Jews were well founded in
their expectation of a temporal prince: and therefore when Christ
opposed this conceit at the manifest hazard of his life, as he certainly
had truth on his side, so the presumption is, that it was for the sake of
truth that he exposed himself.
No. He wanted, we are told, the common and necessary foundation for
a new revelation, the authority of an old one to build on. Very well. I
will not inquire how common, or how necessary this foundation is to a
new revelation; for, be that case as it will, it is evident, that in the
method Christ took, he had not, nor could have the supposed advantage
of such foundation. For why is this foundation necessary? A friend of
the Gentleman's shall tell you "Because it must be difficult, if not
impossible, to introduce among men (who in all civilized countries are

bred up in the belief of some revealed religion) a revealed religion
wholly new, or such as has no reference to a preceding one; for that
would be to combat all men on too many respects, and not to proceed
on a sufficient number of principles necessary to be assented to by
those on whom the first impressions of a new religion are proposed to
be made." You see now the reason of the necessity of this foundation: it
is, that the new teacher may have the advantage of old popular opinions,
and fix himself upon the prejudices of the people. Had Christ any such
advantages? or did he seek any such? The people expected a victorious
prince; he told them they were mistaken: they held as sacred the
traditions of the elders; he told them those traditions made the law of
God of none effect: they valued themselves for being the peculiar
people of God; he told them, that people from all quarters of the world
should be the people of God, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, in the kingdom: they thought God could be worshipped only at
Jerusalem; he told them God might and should be worshipped
everywhere: they were superstitious in the observance of the sabbath;
he, according to their reckoning, broke it frequently: in a word, their
washings of hands and pots, their superstitious distinctions of meats,
their prayers in publick, their villanies in secret, were all reproved,
exposed, and condemned by him; and the cry ran strongly against him,
that he came to destroy the Law and the Prophets. And now, Sir, what
advantage did Christ have of your common and necessary foundation?
What sufficient number of principles owned by