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It does not appear, then, that there are in the apoftolical epiftles of the New Teftament any references to written Gofpels, or hiftories of Jefus Chrift. I no not fay, this is a proof, that no fuch hiftories were then written. Nevertheless, I have thought it not improper to fhew, that there is no notice taken of any, fuch hiftories in thefe epiftles: and therefore they cannot afford any evidence of their being then writ and publifhed, I think likewife, that it was not amifs to embrace this occafion to fhew the true meaning of fome texts, which have been often mifinterpreted.

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Obfervations of ancient Chriftian Writers, leading to the true time, when the Gofpels were writ.

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1. ****AYS. Irenaeus, as formerly (s) quoted, For (t) we have not S "received the knowledge of the way of our falvation from ****"any others, than thofe, by whom the gospel has been brought to us. Which gospel they first preached, and afterwards by the will of "God committed to writing, that for time to come it might be the "foundation and pillar of our faith. Nor may any fay, that they preach"ed, before they had a compleat knowledge of the doctrine of the gof"pel. For after that our Lord rofe from the dead, and they [the Apoftles] were endowed from above with the power of the Holy Ghost "coming down upon them, they received a perfect knowledge of all < things. They then went forth to all the ends of the earth, declaring to "men the bleffing of heavenly peace, having all of them, and every one "alike, the gofpel of God."

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He then proceeds to speak of the Gospels of the four Evangelifts feverally, and the times and occafions of writing them. All which will be taken down by us hereafter in proper places. Here is fufficient to induce us to think, that the written Gofpels, or hiftories of Jefus Chrift, were not published, till fome good while after our Lord's afcenfion. For the Apostles first preached, he says, before they

wrote.

2. Says Eufebe in a long paffage formerly quoted: "Those (u) admi"rable and truly divine men, the Apoftles of Chrift,neither knew, nor attempted, to deliver the doctrine of their mafter with the artifice

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See Vol. i. p. 353:

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Non enim per alios difpofitionem falutis noftræ cognovimus, quam per cos, per quos evangelium pervenit ad nos: quod quidem tunc præconaverunt, poflea vero per Dei voluntatem in fcripturis nobis tradiderunt, fundamentum & columnam fidei noftræ futurum. Nec enim fas eft dicere, quoniam ante pra dicaverunt, quam perfectam haberent agnitionem, ficut quidam audent dicere, gloriantes, emendatores fe effe Apoftolorum. Poftea enim quam furrexit Dominus nofter a mortuis, & induti funt fupervenientis Spiritus Sancti virtutem ex alto, de omnibus adimpleti funt, & habuerant perfectam agnitionem, exierunt in fines terræ, ea quæ a Deo nobis bona funt evangelizantes, & cœleftem pacem hominibus annunciantes: qui quidem & omnes pariter & finguli eorum habentes evangelium Dei. Iren, ady. Hær. l. 3. cap. 1. () Vol. viii. p. 90... 92.

"and eloquence of words... Nor were they greatly concerned about "the writing of books, being engaged in a more excellent miniftrie, " which is above all human power. Infomuch that Paul, the most able ❝ of all in the furniture both of words and thoughts, has left nothing in "writing, befide a few epiftles. a few epiftles.... Nor were the reft of our Saviour's "followers unacquainted with these things, as the feventy disciples, and << many others, befide the twelve Apoftles. Nevertheless of all the dif "ciples of our Lord, Matthew, and John only have left us any memoirs; "who too, as we have been informed, were compelled to write by a kind "of neceffity." And what follows.

3. This paffage fhould be compared with another of (x) Origen. And they who please may alfo confult our remarks (*) upon what has been now transcribed from Eufebe. Which may be of ufe to caution us, not to be too precipitate in giving a very early date to the Gospels, as if they were writ immediately after our Lord's afcenfion: when there is reafon to think, they were not writ, till after numerous converts had been made, who expreffed their defires to have written hiftories of what they had heard, for refreshing their memories.

4 Says Theodore, Bishop of Mopfueftia, in the later part of the fourth centurie, about the year 394. "After (y) the Lord's afcenfion to hea"ven the difciples ftaid a good while at Jerufalem, vifiting the cities in "it's neighbourhood, preaching chiefly to the Jews: until the great Paul, "called by the divine grace, was appointed to preach the gospel to Gen❝tiles openly. And in proceffe of time Divine Providence, not allowing "them to be confined to any one part of the earth, made way for con"ducting them to remote countreys. Peter went to Rome, the others "elfewhere. John, in particular, took up his abode at Ephefus, vifiting " however at seasons the feveral parts of Afia..... About this time the "other Evangelifts, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, published their Gospels, "which were foon fpread all over the world, and were received by all the "faithful in general with great regard." He proceeds to fay,

"that nevertheless, the Christians in Afia, having brought those Gospels "to him, earnestly entreated him to write a farther account of fuch "things, as were needful to be known, and had been omitted by the rest., "With which request he complied."

This remarkable paffage, upon which divers obfervations were made, when it was firft quoted, may difpofe us to think, that all the four Gofpels were writ about the fame time, and that none of them were published till after, or about the fixtieth year of our Lord's Nativity.

5. By divers ancient Chriftian writers it is faid, that (z) Mark, the disciple and interpreter of Peter, at the defire of the brethren of Rome, wrote a fhort Gofpel, according to what he had heard related by Peter. So ferome (a) befide others, as before quoted, in his book of IIluftrious Men.

(x) See Vol. p. 236.

(y) See Vol. ix. p. 403. 404.

(*) Vol. viii. p. 124... 137.

St.

(≈) See Vol. i. p. 247,.. 249. ii. 472.. 489. viii. 305... 306. mi. p. 31. (a) Vol. x. p. 92.

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St. Peter, I reckon, did not come to Rome before the reign of Nero, probably, not till the fecond time that Paul was in that city, in the year 63. or 64. And yet, at this time, the Chriftians at Rome defired Mark to give them in writing an account of Peter's preaching, for refreshing their memories concerning what the Apostle had said of Christ, and his doctrine. The confequence is manifeft. They had not then any written Gospel in their hands. Nor did they know, that there was one, "The truth is, fays Mr. Jones (b), if St. Mark, or any one elfe, had had "St. Matthew's Gofpel, at Rome, there would have been no need of St. "Mark's writing."

These are general obfervations in the ancients, or deduced from them, which may be of no small ufe to lead us to the true time of writing the firft three Gospels,

SE C T. III.

That the first three Gospels were published before the destruction of Jerusalem, which happened in the year of the Chriftian epoch LXX.

****ONCERNING this I tranfcribe below (c) a very good arC gument of Le Clerc from his Differtation upon the four Evange **** lifts.

The Jewish war began, according (d) to Jofephus, in the Month of May, in the 66. year of the Chriftian epoch, and ended in September, in the year 70. in the defolation of the city of Jerufalem and the temple. And I think, it may be fhewn to be very probable, that the first three Gospels were writ before the year 66. when the final troubles and calamities of the Jewish People were coming on.

This must appear to have a great deal of probability from the predic tions therein recorded concerning the deftruction of the temple, the overthrow of the city of Jerufalem, the ruin of the Jewish State and People in Judea, together with divers circumftances of thefe events, and many troubles and calamities preceding them. Thefe predictions are recorded in the hiftories of our Saviour's ministrie, which we call Gof

pels,

(b) Vindication of the former part of St. Matthew's Gospel p. 54. chap. vi. (c) Quinetiam, fi ex Veterum nonnullorum teftimoniis antea adductis, de re judicemus, affirmabimus, Matthæum, Marcum, et Lucam, ante ultima Neronis tempora, quibus occifi funt Petrus et Paulus, Evangelia fcripfiffe. Quod non levi argumento confirmari poteft, ducto ex Matth. cap. xxiv. Marc. xiii. Luc. xxi. ubi narratur jerofolymæ excidii prædictio, quafi rei etiamnum futuræ, eo tempore, quo Evangelia ab iis fcribebantur. Si enim eam prædicationem poft eventum fcripfiffent Evangeliftæ memorati, verbulo faltem monuiffent, prædictionem fuiffe eventu confirmatam. Quod tantum abeft ut faciant, ut Matthæus et Marcus hac admonitione, i dvαywwσxwv VOETTO, qui legit, intelligat, quam fubjiciunt præfagiis Jerofolymitana cladis, admonere videantur Chriftianos in Judæa viventes, ut diligenter futura illa præfagia attendant, quo poffint vitæ fuæ confulere. Vide Matth. xxiv. 15. Marc. xiii. 14, et ad ea loca interpretes. Cleric. Diff. iii. de quatuor Evangeliis. num. viį, P. 541.

(d) Vid. Jofeph. Antiq. Jud. 1. 20. cap. xi. n. c. &c. B. I. 1. 6. cap. x.

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pels, without any the left hint, either exprefs and defigned, or accidentally dropping from the writers, that thofe predictions had been fulfilled and verified, or that the things spoken of had happened. Those prophecies are recorded in Matth. xxiii. 34. 39. and xxiv. Mark xiii. Luke xxi. St. Luke has alfo elsewhere recorded the affectionate concern, which our Lord expreffed in the view and profpect of thofe impending evils. ch. xiii. 34. 35. and xix. 41. 44. These things are alfo referred to, and fpoken of, in divers other difcourfes, fome plain, fome parabolical, or otherwife figurative: as Matth. xxi. 33... 46. xxii. 1. . . 7 Mark xii. I... 12. Luke xiii. 1. 20. xxi. 5... 13. In none of · 9. xx. 9.. all which places does there appear any intimation, that the things spoken of were come to pass. And in recording the prefages of this final and total overthrow of the Jewish nation the hiftorians have inferted warnings and admonitions, proper to excite the attention of readers, and induce thofe who lived in Judea, to take care of their own fafety, without delay. Matt. xxiv. 15.... 18 When ye therefore fhall fee the abomination of de folation, fpoken of by Daniel the Prophet, ftand in the holy place, (whofo readeth, let him understand:) then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains. Let him which is on the house-top not come down to take any thing out of his houfe. Neither let him which is in the field, return back to take his clothes. And what follows. And to the like purpose in Mark xiii. 14... 16. When these discourses were recorded, the things spoken of had not yet come to pass. There were men living, to whom these admonitions might be useful for fecuring their fafety.!

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Moreover, though these predictions must have been recorded, before they were accomplished; I think, the fulfilment was then near at hand, and not far off. This feems to be implied in that expreffion: Let him that readeth, understand. And indeed it must have been difficult and hazardous to publifh fuch things in writing. How offenfive these sayings must have been to the Jewish People, and perhaps to fome others likewife, is eafie to conceive from the nature of the things fpoken of. And it may be confirmed by divers inftances. When our Lord had spoken the parable of the vineyard, let out to husbandmen, recorded in Luke xx. 9... 18. it is added by the Evangelift. ver. 19. 20. And the Chief Priefts, and the Scribes, the fame hour fought to lay hands on him. But they feared the people. For they perceived, that he had spoken this parable against them. And they watched him, and fent forth fpies, which should feign themfelves juft men, that they might take hold of his words, that fo they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the Governor. And among the odious charges brought against our Saviour by falfe witneffes, this was one, that he faid: I am able to deftroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days. Matth. xxvi. 61. With this he was reproached likewife, when hanging on the crofs. xxvii. 40. The like offenfive charges were brought against Stephen. Acts vi. 14. We have heard him fay, that this fefus of Nazareth fhall deftroy this place, and shall change the customs, which Mofes delivered to us. And, poffibly, he did fay fomewhat not very different. So likewife St. Matthew, and the other Apoftles, might repeat in the hearing of many what Chrift had faid to them, and in part to others alfo, concerning the overthrow of the temple, and the Jewish state. Yea, very probably, they had often repeated these things to attentive

hearers.

hearers. But fpeaking and writing are different. And I apprehend, it could not have been fafe, nor prudent, to record these predictions, (many of which are very plain, and all intelligible,) foon after our Lord's afcenfion.

These prophecies therefore of our Lord, as recorded in the first three Gofpels, afford at once an argument, that they were written and published before the deftruction of Jerufalem: and that they were not published many years before it, or however, not many years before the commencement of the war at the time above-mentioned.

SECT. IV.

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An Argument, fhewing the true Time of writing the Gospels, taken from the Acts, and the beginning of St. Luke's Gofpel.

ONE can fuppose, that the book of the Acts of the Apoftles was composed before the year 62. or 63. as the hiftorie is there brought down to the period of St. Paul's two years imprisonment at Rome.

And, very probably, the Gospel, to which St. Luke refers at the beginning of that book, had not been writ long before. This I fuppofe to be now the common opinion of learned men. And for giving the greatest fatisfaction to all my readers, I fhall transcribe below at large the fentiments of feveral to this purpose, such as that of the late (e) Mr. Jones, and (f) Eftius, (g) Mill, (*) Dodwell, and (h) Bafnage: though the

thing

(e) "Hence we fee near to what time this hiftorie of the Acts was written : viz. either in the year 62. or not long after: it being altogether probable, that St. Luke would not defer writing long after his departure from St. Paul. Which feems to have been now, when the Apoftle was fet at liberty from his confinement at Rome... That he wrote both the Gofpel and the Acts in the fame year, feems very probable: as it is certain, that one of them is only to be looked upon as the fecond part, or continuation of the other." Jones New and Full Method, &c. Part. 4. ch. xvi. Vol. 3. p. 158. See him also ch. xi. p. 115.

(f) Deinde, nec fatis conftat, Evangelium Lucæ jam tum editum fuiffe, quando Paulus hanc epiftolam fcripfit. Nam Acta quidem Apoftolica fcripfiffe videtur ftatim poft Evangelium, tanquam ejufdem voluminis libros primum et fecundum. Scripfit autem Acta poft biennium Pauli Romæ commorantis, id eft, multis annis poft hanc epiftolam. Quare circa idem tempus Evangelium ab eo fcriptum fuiffe, credibile eft. Eft. ad 2. Cor. viii. 18.

(g) Voluminis hujus D. Lucæ partem pofteriorem, feu óyor déuregor quod attinet, librum dico Actuum Apoftolorum, haud dubium eft. .. quin is fcriptus fit ftatim poft aóyou węŵtov, five Evangelium. Mill. Prol. num. 121. (*) Sunt enim Ada δέυτερος ejufdem operis λόγος, cujus πρῶτον λόγον ipfe fuum agnofcit Evangelium. A&t. i. 1. Dodw. Diff. Iren. i. num. xxxix.

(3) Non multum vero interjectum fuiffe temporis inter Actorum Apoftolicorum et Evangelii confectionem, conjectura ex præfatione ad Theophilum duci poteft. Primum quidem librum confeci... Actuum ergo liber continuatio eft, feriefque Evangelii,... Multum vero abiiffe temporis antequam a priore libro omnibus numeris expleto ad pofteriorem tranfire Lucas, nulla ratione cogimur ad credendum, &c. Bafnag. Ann. 60, num. xxviii.

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