This particular leads us mightily, to think, that either Mark was an eye-witneffe, or had the belt and fulleft information of things.

14.) Mark iv. 36. And when they had fent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the fhip. This circumftance, peculiar to St. Mark, enables us to account for our Lord's fast fleep in his paffage to the countrey of the Gadarens. We perceive from St. Mark, that this voyage was undertaken in the evening, after the fatigue of long difcourfes in public, and without any refreshment. Our Lord's fleep in the midst of a ftorm is mentioned by all three Evangelifts. Matt. viii. 24. . . . 26. Mark iv. 37. 38. Luke viii. 23. 24. But this Evangelift alone leads us to difcern the occafion of it.

15.) Farther, in the fame ver. 36. of ch. iv. And there were alfo with him feveral other little fhips. A particular, peculiar to St. Mark.

16.) And in the account of this voyage cross the fea, he fays ver. 38. that our Lord was in the hinder part of the ship, afleep on a pillow: two circumstances, wanting in the other Evangelifts.

17.) Certainly, these, and other things, are fufficient to affure us, that either Mark was an eye-witneffe: or, that he wrote things, as related to him by an eye-witneffe, even Peter himself, as all the ancients fay.

18.) In Matt. viii. 28. . 34. Mark v. I..

19. Luke viii. 26. ... 39. are the feveral accounts of our Lord's healing the demoniac, or demoniacs, in the countrey of the Gadarens. For Matthew speaks of two, Mark and Luke of one only. In St. Mark's hiftorie are divers things, not in the other Gofpels. In him alone it is faid, that the man was always night and day in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting bimfelf with ftones. And he only mentions the number of fwine, that perifhed in the fea, faying, they were about two thousand.

19.) All the first three Evangelifts have given a hiftorie of our Lord's raifing the daughter of Jairus, and healing the woman with an iffue of blood, both in connexion. Matt. ix. 18. 26. Mark v. 22. · · · 43. Luke viii. 41... 56 St. Mark has feveral things, which are in neither of the other. Of the woman he fays ver. 26. She had fuffered much of many Phyficians. and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worfe. At ver. 29. And he felt in her body, that he was healed of that plague. At ver. 41. he inferts the very words, which Jefus fpake, when he raised the daughter of Jairus: Talitha Kumi. I have omitted fome other things, pecu

liar to St. Mark in the account of these two miracles,

2o.) Ch. vi. 13. In the account of the commiffion given to the twelve by Chrift in his life-time, he says: they anointed many with cyl, and healed them. Which is mentioned by no other Evangelift, as was observed of old by (r) Victor.

21.) Mark vii. 2. 3. 4. What is there faid of the Jews washing themfelves, when they come from the market, before they eat: and of their cleanfing cups, pots, brafen veffels, and tables, is peculiar to St. Mark. Comp. Matt. xv. I. 2.

22.) Ch. vii. 21. 22. Are the things, that defile men. St. Matthew, ch. xv. 19. mentions feven things only. St. Mark has thirteen. And two of them, an evil eye, and foolishnesse, are very fingular.

(r) See Vol. xi. p. 34.

23.) Ch.

23.) Ch. vii. 31. . . 37. Our Lord bestows hearing and speech upon

a deaf and dumb man.

24.) Ch. viii. 22. 26. Our Lord cures a blind man at Bethfaida. These two miracles are peculiar to St. Mark, being related by no other Evangelift.

25.) Ch. x. 46. 52. is the account of the miracle on the blind man near Jericho. St. Mark, ver. 46. calls him blind Bartimeus, fon of Timaeus. Not mentioned by the other Evangelifts. See Matt. xx. 29... 34. Luke xviii. 35... 43. And at ver. 50. he cafting away his garment, rofe, and came to Jefus. A circumstance peculiar to St. Mark. Which fhews his exact knowledge of the historie, as did likewise his calling the man by his name.

26.) Ch. xi. 13. For the time of figs was not yet: that is, the time of gathering was not yet come. A moft useful obfervation peculiar to this Evangelift, fhewing, that as there were leaves, it was reasonable to expect fruit on this fig-tree, if it was not barren. Upon this text might be confulted (s) Bishop Kidder, and (t) Mr. Hallet.

27.) Ch. xiii. 3. 4. And as he fat upon the mount of Olives, over against the temple, Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, asked him privately, .. When fhall these things be? No other Evangelift has mentioned the names of the difciples, who put this question to our Saviour. Comp. Matt. xxiv. I. Luke xxi. 5.

...

3.

28.) In Mark xii. 41... 44. and Luke xxi. 1. . 4. is the account of the people cafting their gifts into the chefts of the treasurie, in the temple. St. Mark fays: And Jefus fat over against the treafurie. In which expreffion there is great propriety. And he alone mentions the value of the poor widow's two mites, faying: Which make a farthing. 29.) Ch. xiv. 51. And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth caft about his naked body. And the young men [the guards laid hold on him. 52. And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked. A particular, in no other Evangelift, yet very fitly taken notice of, as intimating the ufual noise and difturbance, when a man is taken up in the night-time, as a malefactor, and is carried before a magiftrate. By (u) the noise of the people paffing along that young perfon was excited to come haftily out of the houfe, where he was, to inquire, what was the matter. Mr. Le Clerc, in his French Teftament, has an useful note upon this place. He obferves the natural fimplicity of the Evangelifts narration. Which, as he justly says, confirms the truth of their hiftorie.

30.) Ch. xv. xi. And they compell one Simon, a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the countrey, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his croffe. That particular, the father of Alexander and Rufus, is in no other Evangelift. Comp. Matt. xxvii. 32. and Luke xxiii. 26.

(s) Demonftration of the Meffiah. Part 2. ch. ii. p. 38. 39.

(t) Notes and Difcourfes. Vol. 2. p. 114. 125.

31.) Ch.

(u) Non de Apoftolorum grege... fed ex villa aliqua horto proxima, ftrepitu militum excitatus, et fubito accurrens, ut confpiceret, quid ageretur: Grot. ad Marc. xi. 51.

31. Ch. xvi. 3. 4. And they faid among themselves: Who shall roll us away the ftone from the door of the fepulchre. For it was very great. In no other Evangelift,

32.) Ch. xvi. 7. But go your way. Tell his difciples, and Peter, that he goes before you into Galilee. The mention of Peter is peculiar to St. Mark. For in Matt. xxviii. 7. it is: Go quickly, and tell his difciples. St. Luke has not recorded that meffage.

33.) I add nothing more of this kind. I have omitted many things, which are in this Gospel, and no other, being apprehenfive, that if I larged farther, I fhould be charged with prolixity.

en

34.) The particulars that have been alleged, are fufficient to affure us, that St. Mark is not an epitomifer of another author: and that he was well acquainted with the things, of which he undertook to write a hiftorie. He writes as an eye-witneffe, or as one, who had full and authentic information at the first hand. In a word, St. Mark's Gospel, though short, is a very valuable, and masterly performance.

4. It may be proper for me to add one thing more: That I fuppofe the twelve verfes at the end of the fixteenth chapter to be a genuine part of this Gofpel. If any doubt of it, I would refer them for their fatisfaction to Dr. Mill, and to the obfervations of Grotius at the begining of that chapter, and to Beza upon the ninth verse. And for explaining those twelve verfes, and reconciling them with the other Evangelifts, I refer to Grotius, and other Commentators.

XXXX

CHA P. VIII.

ST. LUK E, EVANGELIST.

XX

1. His Hiftorie from the N. T. II. Teftimonies of ancient Chriftian Writers to St. Luke, aod his two Books, his Gofpel, and the Acts. III. Remarks upon thofe Teftimonies. IV. The Time of writing his Gospel and the Acts. V. Internal Characters of Time in the Gospel. VI. The Place, where it was writ. VII. A general recollection of St. Luke's Character. VIII. Obfervations upon his Gospel. IX. Obfervations upon the Book of the Acts.

His biftorie from the N. T.

1. ****HE firft time that we find any mention of St. T Luke in the books of the New Teftament is in his (A) own hiftorie. Acts xvi. 10. 11. Whereby it appears, that he was in Paul's companie at Troas, before the A

XXXX

poftle

(A) From fome words in the Cambridge manufcript Bp. Pearfon has argued. that Luke was in Paul's companie from the year 43. Dein peragrat [Paulus] Phrygiam et Galatiam, et per Myfiam venit Troadem, ubi fe illi comitem adjunxiffe indicat Lucas xvi. 10. Qui antea etiam Antiochiæ cum Paulo

fuit,

poftle took shipping to go into Macedonia: in which voyage St. Luke was one of the companie. ver. 8. And they paffing by Myfia, came to Troas. 9. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, faying: Come over into Macedonia, and help

10. And when he had feen the vifion, immediatly we endeavored to go into Macedonia, affuredly gathering, that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them. 11. Therefore loofing from Troas, we came with a ftrait courfe to Samothracia.

In that journey St. Paul went from Samothracia to Neapolis, and thence to Philippi. 11... 17. So far St. Luke fpeaks in the first perfon plural. But having finished his account of the transactions at Philippi, which reaches to ver. 40. the laft of that chapter: at the begining of the next ch. xvii. 1. he (E) changeth the perfon, and fays: Now when they had paffed through Amphipolis, and Apollonia, they came to Theffalonica, where was a fynagogue of the Jews.

Nor does he any more exprefsly speak of himself, untill Paul was a fecond time in Greece, and was fetting out for Jerufalem with the collections, which had been made for the poor faints in Judea, Acts xx. I. . . 6. And after the uproar [at Ephefus,] was ceafed, Paul called unto him the difciples, and embraced them, and departed for to go into Macedonia. And when he had gone over thofe parts, and had given them much exhortation, be came into Greece, and there abode three months. And when the Jews laid wait for bim, as he was about to fail into Syria, he purposed to return through

Mace

fuit, et jam eum Troade affecutus eft: ut colligere licet ex A&t. xi. 28. ubi Codex Cantabr. habet, ovvespaμμévwv de μ. Ab anno igitur 43. per octen. nium difcipulus fuerat Antiochiæ. Annal. Paulin. p. 10. But it is not fafe to relye upon one manuscript only, different from all others, and of no great authority. As Mr. Tillement took notice of this observation of Pearson, I tranfcribe his thoughts about it. Selon le manufcrit de Cambrige S. Luc dit qu'il eftoit avec S. Paul à Antioche, des l'an 43. ce que Pearson a receu. Mais il ne feroit pas feur de fier à un manufcrit different de tous les autres. Et quand cela fe pourroit en quelques occafions, ce ne feroit pas à l'égard du manufcrit de Cambrige, qui eft plein d'additions et alterations contraires au veritable texte de S. Luc. Mem. Ec. T. 2. S. Luc. note iii. Some may argue from these words, that Luke was a Gentil, converted by Paul at Antioch. And others might argue, that he is the fame as Lucius, mentioned A&s xiii. 1. But I fhould think it beft for neither fide to form an argument from this reading. Mr. Wetstein has referred us to a place of St. Auguftin, where this text is quoted very agreeably to the Cambridge manufcript. In illis autem diebus defcenderunt ab Jerofolymis Prophetæ Antiochiam. Congregatis autem nobis, furgens unus ex illis, nomine Agabus. &c. De Serm. Dom. I. 2: c. 17. But it is obfervable, that Irenaeus l. 3. c. 14. init. a more ancient writer, enumerating St. Luke's journeys in St. Paul's companie, begins at Troas. A&s xvi. 8. . . 10. I prefume, it must be beft to relye upon him, and the general confent of all manufcripts, except one, in the common reading.

(B) Nevertheless it is fuppofed by many, that Luke continued with Paul. Irenaeus calls him Paul's infeparable companion, after his coming to be with the Apostle at Troas. Adv. H. l. 3. c. 14. So likewife Cave, Cujus perinde fectator erat, et omnis peregrinationis comes. H. L. T. i. p. 25. See also Tillem. St. Luc. Mem. Ec. T. 2.

Macedonia. And there accompanied him into Afia Sopator, of Berea. Thefe going before, tarried for us at Troas. And we failed away from Philippi.. and came unto them at Troas in five days, where we abode feven days. So that Luke accompanied Paul, at that time, from Greece through Macedonia to Philippi, and also went with him from thence to Troas.

And it appears from the sequel of the historie in the Acts, that Luke' was one of thofe, who accompanied the Apoftle to Jerufalem, and ftaid with him there. And when the Apoftle was fent a prifoner from Cefarea to Rome, he was in the fame ship with him, and ftaid with him at Rome during the whole time of his two years imprisonment there, with which the hiftorie of the Acts concludes.

From St. Paul's epiftles writ at Rome, in the time of that confinement, we have proofs of Luke's being with him. He is mentioned as with the Apostle. 2 Tim. iv. 11. an epiftle writ, as I fuppofe, in the fummer, after the Apostle's arrival there. In Philem. ver. 24. he is one of those, who fend falutations to Philemon, and is mentioned by the Apoftle, as one of his fellow-laborers. And, if Luke the beloved Phyfician, mentioned Col. iv. 14. be the Evangelist, that is another proof of his being then with the Apostle.

St. Luke is alfo fuppofed by fome to be the brother, whofe praise is in the Gospel throughout all the churches. 2 Cor. viii. 18. But that is not

certain.

As I think, that all St. Paul's epiftles, which we have, were writ, before he left Rome and Italie, when he had been sent thither by Feftus; I must be of opinion, that the New Testament affords us not any materials for the hiftorie of St. Luke, lower than his own book of the Acts, which brings us down to the end of that period. From anci- II. I now therefore proceed without farther delay, to obferve what light may be obtained from ancient Chriftian writers. And as St. Luke's two books, his Gospel and the Acts, were all along univerfally received; I intend here, for avoiding prolixity, to allege, chiefly, fuch paffages only, as contain fomething, relating to the hiftorie and character of St. Luke, or the time of writing his two abovenamed works.

ent authors.

Irenæus, as before quoted: "And (a) Luke, the companion of Paul, put down in a book the Gospel preached by him." And the coherence feems to imply, that this was done after the writing of St. Mark's Gofpel, and after the death of Peter and Paul. In a paffage formerly cited (6) at length, Irenæus fhews from the Acts, as we did just now, that Luke attended Paul in feveral of his journeys and voyages, and was his fellow-laborer in the gofpel. He likewife fays: " that (c) Luke was not only a companion, but also a fellow-laborer of the "Apoftles, especially of Paul." Again, he calls him "a (d) disciple and "follower of the Apoftles." "The (e) Apoftles, he fays, envying none "plainly

(a) Vol. i. p. 354.

(b) P. 361... 363. (d) P. 361.

(c) P. 363. (e) Sic Apoftoli fimpliciter nemini invidentes quæ didicerant ipfi a Do-mino hæc omnibus tradebant. Sic igitur et Lucas nemini invidens, ea quæ

ab