Bishop Gibson is for Jesus of Nazareth's Messiahship, because he cured the bodily Blindness of many miraculously; And a good Work it was: But I am for the Messiahship of a spiritual Jesus to come, who will open the blind Eyes of our Understandings to discern Truth from Error, which will be a most glorious Operation, that his Jesus of Nazareth has not as yet done.
Bishop Gibson is for Jesus's Messiahship, who once cured bodily Deafness in many, which was indeed well done of him: But I am for the Messiahship of a spiritual Jesus to come, to heal the Deafness of our Souls, or their Dulness in Apprehension of sublime Mysteries, which will be a divine Work, that his Jesus has not as yet done.
Bishop Gibson is for Jesus's Messiahship, because he cured Men's bodily Lameness, for which I do praise him: But I am for a spiritual Jesus's Messiahship, who will heal Mankind of their Halting between two and more Opinions; a more blessed Work, that Jesus of Nazareth has not as yet done for us!
And so, comparing all other Diseases of Body and Soul together, I am for the Jesus, who will heal the Diseases of the Soul; and have a much less Regard for Bishop Gibson's Jesus, who cured the Diseases of a few Men's Bodies; but for all that, am not angry with the Bishop for his high Veneration of his Jesus, neither would I by any Means have him prosecuted and punish'd for not being of the same Mind with me.
But, because the Bishop suspects me of Infidelity, in that I have ludicrously treated some of the Miracles of his Jesus, which by the by he has not vindicated from the Absurdities and Incredibilities I charged them with; I will humour the Bishop, and supposing Jesus wrought literally those Miracles which are allegorically interpreted by me, will in those very Miracles compare his literal and my spiritual Jesus together; and appeal to all Men of Consideration, which is the most worthy of the Title and Honour of the true Messiah.
Bishop Gibson is for his Jesus's Messiahship, who miraculously drove the Buyers and Sellers out of the Temple, just as if a Man, was God to invest him with Power, should furiously drive the Butchers and Grasiers with their Cattle, to the Confusion of their several Properties, out of Smithfield: A notable Miracle That! But I am for the spiritual Jesus's Messiahship, who according to the Form of that typical Story, will at his Coming expel Ecclesiastical Merchants out of his Church, who make Merchandise of the Gospel, selling their Bulls and Beasts, and Fatlings of the Letter: A most glorious and beneficial Work to Mankind will this be! And to prepare Mens Souls for the Susception of such a spiritual Jesus, I intend to publish a Discourse of the Mischiefs and Inconveniencies of an Hireling Priesthood, wherein it shall be proved, that Mankind can't be either good, wise or happy under the Kingdom of this Messiah to come, without an Abolition and Extirpation of them.
Bishop Gibson is for the Messiahship of his Jesus, who cast the Devils out of the Madmen, and permitted them to enter into the Herd of Swine, that ran violently down a Precipice, and were choak'd in the Sea: How great a Miracle it was thus to cure the Madmen, the Bishop may know best, being perhaps better acquainted with the Devil than I am; but was it not for Pity to the Swineherds, for their Losses, I could even now laugh at the Thoughts of the Hoggs running and tumbling down-hill, as if the Devil drove them: But leaving the Bishop calmly, decently, and seriously to admire the Wisdom and Justice of his Jesus in that Act, I am for the spiritual Jesus, who, according to the typical Form of that Story, exorcis'd the furious and diabolical Tempers out of the Jews and Gentiles of old, whom no Chains of Reason could hold from doing Violence to the Christians, till they were converted; and tho' He permitted the like persecuting and diabolical Spirits to enter into Ecclesiastical Swine; yet will they be precipitated into the Sea of the Knowledge of God, wherein they will be absorpt with divine Visions and Contemplations. O most glorious Work! that bespeaks the Wisdom, Power and Goodness of our spiritual Jesus, from the Beginning to the End of it.
Bishop Gibson admires his Jesus, for his Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, tho' neither He nor any Body else can tell, wherein lay the Miracle, nor into what various Figures and Shapes Jesus was transform'd: But I am for the spiritual Jesus, whose glorious Transfiguration, after six grand Days of the Creation, will be conspicuous, when with the Eyes of our Understanding we shall behold him metamorphosed into the Forms of all the Types of him under the Law. I am now ravish'd with the intellectual View of this Transfiguration; and believe, was I to set about it, I could give others (except the Bishop) an Idea and Conception or it to their Astonishment at the Glory of Jesus in it.
Bishop Gibson is for the Messiahship of Jesus of Nazareth, because he cured a Woman of an Issue of Blood, after she had spent all she had upon Physicians to no purpose, which might be, or might not be a Miracle, for any thing he can argue upon it: But I am for the spiritual Jesus's Messiahship, who, at his Coming, will, according to that typical Story, cure the Woman of the Church of her Issue of Blood, that is shed in Persecution and War, which her Ecclesiastical Physicians of the Clergy have not been able to stop, tho' they have receiv'd large Fees and Stipends of the Church to that Purpose. Will not this be a desirable and beneficial Work to all Nations? And who knows not, (excepting the Bishop) that it is of the Office of the true Messiah, to give abundance of Peace to Mankind, to make the Lion to lye down with the Lamb; and to induce Men to break their Swords into Plough-shares, and their Spears into Pruning-hooks; and to make Wars to cease in all the World. Which Prophecies are so far from being fulfill'd by Jesus of Nazareth, that there has been nothing but Wrangling and Jangling, and Scolding and Fighting about him ever since. I wonder the Want of the Accomplishment of the foresaid Prophecies has not long before now occasion'd the Rejection of Jesus's Messiahship, or of the Authority of the Prophets.