[fn101 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come, and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain, himself alone." John vi. 15.] [fn102 It is remarkable that the gospels represent Jesus as refusing to acknowledge himself to the Jews as the Messiah. The gospels say, that Jesus confided his Messiahship to the disciples as a secret, with express injunctions not to betray it. "Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was the Messiah." Mat. xvi. 20. See also Mark viii. 29. and Luke ix. 21. This makes it possible that he never did claim that character, and that the glory [fn103] in the gospels that he had told it as a secret to his disciples, was invented in order to furnish a reply to the Jews, who might have told the first Christians, that Jesus had never told them so, and of course never pretended to be considered as such, and that the Christians could not justly blame them for rejecting pretensions which Jesus never made to them, to whom especially he ought to have plainly declared them if he wished them to be received. The truth of the matter appears to be, that the notion of the Messiahship of Jesus, had originally no better foundation than the mistaken enthusiasm of his followers.] [fn103 for "glory" read "story"] [fn104 The case of the Jews and Christians is parallel to that of "the prophet of Judah," and "the prophet of Bethel." The Christians allow that God himself gave the law to the Jews, but they say to the Jews that Jesus was ordered by God to repeal it. "It was said unto me (says the prophet of Judah) by the word of Jehovah, Thou shalt eat no bread, nor drink water there, (at Bethel the chapel of the golden calf,) nor turn to go by the way that thou camest. He (i. e. the prophet of Bethel) said unto him, I am a. prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of Jehovah, saying; Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread, and drink water. But he lied unto him. So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drink water." "And. it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of Jehovah came unto the prophet that brought him back: and he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith. Jehovah, forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of Jehovah, and hast not kept the commandment which Jehovah thy God commanded thee, but camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which Jehovah did say unto thee, eat no bread, and drink no water, thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers." 1 Kings, ch. xiii.] [fn105 after "that" insert "as"] [fn106 1. If the Christians should do this, the fundamental articles of their creed, would be, to love the Lord their God with all their heart, and with all their mind, and soul, and strength, and to love their neighbours as themselves: for on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.