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    $dr+ Wright, on the Person of Christ. 63...

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    Mr, Wright^ Reply To C€ An Old Disciple ...

    _< 5 u _4 nces of the constitution of human nature have nothing in in them of the nature of sin _, and , as Jesus was made in all _things like unto his brethren , such sinless imperfections were unavoidable to him . 4 . Jesus continued a private character _^ undistinguished by

    any miraculous gifts or communications _^ for near thirty years _> when at Jordan a voice from heaven marked him out as the object of divine approbation _^ and the person appointed to be the Messiah , the Messenger of the truth and favour of God to mankind . It was for this love of righteousness and hatred of iniquity God anointed him above his fellows . ( Heb . i . 9- ) Being called to the Messiahshi p _> though it conferred digni ty _* did not bestow moral excellency , however much it implied the moral

    worth of the person so distinguished . \ 5 . Miraculous gifts and supernatural communications confer not moral excellency ; they are talents for which the _possessor is accountable ; they may be either improved or misimproved . With the extraordinary powers bestowed upon Jesus , his temptations and the difficulty of his obedience increased _.

    Whether these explanations will satisfy your correspondent I know not ; some of your readers will , perhaps , think I have gone too far ; be this as it may , I have said no more than I think

    the New Testament authorizes and the subject absolutely requires . If Jesus be truly a man , who was made like other men , in a peccable state _^ subject to the sinless imperfections of humanity , and had every thing of .. a moral nature to attain even as we have _^ I see not how the suitableness of his example can be

    questioned . These things admitted , the more perfect his character and the example he hath left us , the more fit is he for us to imitate . On the supposition that Christ were of the same nature in

    every respect with mankind , " your correspondent seems to be at a loss to account for bis having attained a superior degree of moral excellency to ail other men ; but the same difficulty may be felt in a thousand other instances ; for there is an almost infinite variety in the _moral attainments of human beings . A great dissimilarity of character is perceivable among men ; individuals rise superior to each other in moral worth ; and why dividual _^ rise superior to each other in moral worth ; and why

    should it be thought incompatible with simple humanity for Jesus to excel all others ? Some individual must stand highest in moral attainment and perfection of character . It is quite natural to suppose that God would most highly distinguish the nun who most excelled in piety and obedience : _$ ftidL . as hejias _distinguished Jesus above all others it is reasonable to conclude that he excelled ail other men in the excellency of his _character . Perhaps your correspondent and I may not affix _precisely the

    $Dr+ Wright, On The Person Of Christ. 63...

    _$ dr _+ Wright , on the Person of Christ . 639

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• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Dec. 2, 1807, page 639, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/mrp_02121807/page/19/