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 the people did he build on?  If he adhered to the old revelation in the true sense, or (which is sufficient to the present argument) in a sense not received by the people, it was in truth the greatest difficulty he had to struggle with:  and therefore what could tempt him, but purely a regard for truth, to take upon himself so many difficulties, which might have been avoided, could he have been but silent as to the old revelation, and left the people to their imaginations?

To carry on this plot, we are told, that the next thing which Jesus did, was, to make choice of proper persons to be his disciples.  The Gentleman has given us their character; but, as I suppose he has more employment for them before he has done, I desire to defer the consideration of their abilities and conduct till I hear what work he has for them to do.  I would only observe, that thus far this plot differs from all that ever I heard of.  Imposters generally take advantage of the prejudices of the people, generally too they make choice of cunning dextrous fellows to manage under them; but in this case Jesus opposed all the notions of the people, and made choice of simpletons, it seems, to conduct his contrivances.