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66 things he should relate might the better appear, he would "relate them diftinctly and separately, &c." If then other writers, facred and profane, have fo very frequently neglected this order, we need not be furprized, that St. Matthew and the other Evangelifts have done fo too; especially when we confider, that it is only in a few inftances, that they have done it, and then for the most part, if not always, fome good reason may be affigned, why they have done fo. This leads me,

III. To confider, Why, and for what reasons, the Evangelifts receded from the order of time, in their histories. . I fhall not be at the pains to confider all the feveral branches of their hiftories, in which this order is neglected, and fhew the particular occafions why they are placed as they are; all that I defign, is to mention some general causes or occafions of their relating things in a different order, from that in which they were done, and particularly,

1. Sometimes the Evangelifts relate thofe facts together, which were done at a different time, because they were done in the fame place. It seemed a very good expedient to affift the memory, fometimes to relate the several miracles our Saviour wrought at one place together, though they were done at different times. So, the healing of the leprous perfon; the cure of the centurion's fervant; the recovering of Peter's mother-inlaw, are placed immediately one after another by St. Matthew, ch. viii. from ver. 2, to the 16th, because each of these miracles was wrought at Capernaum, though at different "Hence (fays Dr. Lightfoot) the mention of a place ❝ doth oftentimes occafion these holy penmen to speak of stories "out of their proper time, because they would take up the whole "ftory of that place all at once, or together a." For this reafon it is, that St. Luke places the history of the unclean spirit being caft out of the man in the fynagogue at Capernaum, ch. iv. 33, &c. and the account of Peter's mother-in-law being cured of a fever, ver. 39, &c. before the call of the Apofiles by the fea-fide, ch. v. I. (which has been proved to be contrary to the order of

times.

a

b

Lightfoot, Harmon, of the New Test. §, 20.

b. P. 30.

time); viz. because having mentioned our Lord's being and preaching at Capernaum (ver. 31.) he had a mind to record together the miracles our Lord did there, though done at another time.

2. Another reason, why the Evangelifts fometimes place a fact out of its proper order of time, is, because they having been Speaking of the perfon concerned in it before, had a mind there to finish all they defigned to fay of him. So, for inftance, the story of John the Baptift's being imprifoned by Herod, Luke iii. 19, 20. (which has been proved not to be in the order of time) was placed where it is, because the Evangelift, having before been giving an account of John's ministry, and not designing to fay much more of him, had a mind here to finish his whole ftory together. This is fo far from being any fault in a history, that it is really oftentimes the best and most accurate way of writing it; because by a strict and conftant adherence to the order of time, there must neceffarily be continual breaches and frequent interruptions in the hiftory. Stories must be often brought in without any connection or coherence, and consequently are not fo like to be remembered. It may therefore be fometimes much better that the whole ftory of a perfon or thing be told together, though fome other things intervene, which are told afterwards. For this reason, we may obferve, the infpired penman of the book of Genefis has placed the death of Ifaac (ch. xxxv. 28, 29.) fo much too soon, as it has been above proved to be ", viz. because having, ver. 27. given an account of his fon Jacob's coming to him to Hebron, and defigning to fay no more concerning his life, but to proceed to the hiftory of his pofterity; it seemed very proper there' to mention his death, that he might not be forced elsewhere to bring it in, by any breach or interruption in his history. For the

Facilius cujufque rei in unum contracta fpecies, quam divifa temporibus, oculis animifque inhæret. Vellei. Paterc. 1. 14.

b P. 36.

• Conftat ante mortem Ifaaci venditum fuiffe Jofephum, cum tamen

hanc hiftoriam (fc. Josephi) Moses poft obitum et fepulturam recitet: ut neceffario concedenda fit hyfterologia, cujus ratio hæc fuit; quia poft adventum Jacobi in Hebron, nihil amıplius de vita Ifaaci vellet narrare Mofes, et ad ea, quæ de Jacobo Pa

triarcha

the fame reafon alfo is the ftory of Shimei's death placed too foon, 1 Kings ii. 39. that the whole ftory of him might be finished at once, and not brought in without any connection, as it must neceffarily have been, if it had been placed afterwards.

3. It is not at all' abfurd or unreasonable to fuppofe, that divine Wisdom ordered it to be thus, to prevent all fufpicion of the Evangelifts' writing in concert, or by combination, with defign to impofe upon the world. Chriftianity was looked upon at first, by many, as a delufion, and the authors of these facred books as cheats and impoftors. Against this the Christians commonly argued, that, if the writers of the Gospel-history had had any fuch defigns, they would not have so many things, which feemn contrary to each other. The reafoning of Chryfoftom on this head is so very juft, that it well deserves transcribing 2. He brings in a perfon making this objection, that the Evangelifts do not agree in their accounts. To this he answers; "Their not agreeing in every particular, is a full "demonstration of their truth; for if they had in all things "agreed with a perfect exactness, both as to time, and place, " and words, none of our adverfaries but would have believed "that they met together, and wrote by compact and consent "to deceive: but now that difference there feems to be be"tween them in these smaller matters, defends them from all "fuch fufpicion, &c." Such arguing feems to be very just; and if it be, what is there abfurd in fuppofing, that divine Wisdom ordered thefe little differences, thofe in respect of time among others, for this good end?" The Holy Spirit," fays a learned man, "influenced the Evangelifts to write many

triarcha notanda acciderent, pergere deliberaffet, hiftoriam Ifaaci operæ pretium judicavit concludere per mortem ipfius, &c. Rivet. Exercit. 144. Gen.

* Πολλαχε γὰρ διαφωνῦνες ἐλέξ χονται. Αὐτὸ μὲν οὖν τοῦτο μέγισον δεῖγμα τῆς ἀληθείας ἐσίν. Εἰ γὰρ πάντα συνεφώνησαν μετὰ ἀκριβείας, καὶ μέχρι καιροῦ, καὶ μέχρι τόπου, VOL. III.

καὶ μέχρι ῥημάτων αὐτῶν, οὐδεὶς ἂν ἐπίςευσε τῶν ἐχθρῶν, ὅτι μὴ συνελθόντες απὸ συνθήκης τινὸς ἀνθρωπί νης ἔγραψαν-Νυνὶ δὲ καὶ ἡ δοκᾶσα ἐν μικροῖς εἶναι διαφωνία πάσης ἀπαλλάλει αὐτοὺς ὑποψίας, &c. Chryfoftom. Homil. in Matth. i. Idem vid. apud Theophylact. Præ

N

Fat. in Matth.

"things

"things in a different order, that they might not seem to have "wrote by compact, or to have borrowed one from another "."

b

4. Mr. Whifton has furnished me with another reason, why the Evangelifts are thus different from one another, and do not observe the fame order in relating the several acts of our Saviour's life. "It ought not (fays he) to seem strange, if "that book, which contains the revealed will of God, be fo «framed, as to have divers feeming contradictions in it, for "the perplexing the ungodly, and the exercife of the pious." This obfervation of Mr. Whifton's, is what feveral other learned men have upon this and other occafions made, and is, if true, a very good reason, why the Evangelifts were not so very exact, in obferving the order of time in their hiftories.

Thus I have endeavoured to justify the practice of the Evangelifts, in relating things in a different order from that in which they came to pass, both by fhewing it was the practice of the best historians, and by several other reasons. I only add, that, as it has been already proved concerning St. Luke a, that he did not tell us he defigned to obferve the exact order of time, so it is certain no one of the Evangelifts has told us fo; and if they did not engage and promise to obferve this order, certainly they are not to be accused of falfehood in not obferving it. Hence the learned Dr. Hammond well observed, "That all these, and (if there were) many more [differences]

do nothing derogate from the fidelity of the writers who, "undertaking to make fome relations of what was done by "Chrift, do no where undertake, nor oblige themselves, to ob"serve the order wherein every thing fucceeded, that being "generally extrinfical, and of no importance to the rela❝tions."

a Voluit vero Spiritus Sanctus diverfo ordine multa ab Evangelistis narrari;-ne vel ex compacto, vel collatis capitibus, fcripfiffè, vel fua a fe invicem defcripfiffe viderentur, &c. Spanheim. Dub. Evang. tom, iii. Dub. 69.

P. 3.

Chronolog. of the Old Teft.

< Multa diverfo ordine ab Evangel itis narrari voluit Spiritus Sanctus, exercendæ et fubigendæ fidei noftræ, &c. caufa. Spanheim. Dub. Evang. tom. iii. Dub. 69. 4 P. 24, &c.

• Annot. on Mark v. 2.

And

And to the fame purpose, it is well remarked by the author just now cited, "That no one can charge that writer with "a falfehood or contradiction, for relating things in a different "order from that in which they came to pafs, if he did not "before-hand engage to obferve that order." The principal thing these facred writers were concerned about, was truth, to be faithful and juft in the accounts they gave us; and this indeed is the most neceflary requifite, and beft character of an hiftorian. Hence Lucian, in his excellent directions for writing history, tells us, "The one thing moft peculiarly requifite to history, is truth. If any go about to write a his"tory, he must principally regard truth, not concerning him"felf about any thing else."

CHA P. V. `

Mr. Whifton's fecond Argument confidered. It does not follow,
that because St. Matthew for the most part obferved the Or-
der of Time, therefore he did in every Particular. The
third Argument difcuffed The Notes of Time Mr. Whiston
mentions, do not prove the Order of Time.

HE fecond argument, which Mr. Whifton makes use of
to prove, that St. Matthew originally obferved the or-

der of time through his whole Gospel, is, because he does fo in
the greatest part of his Gofpel. After what hath been faid in
the two former chapters, there feems very little neceffary to be
said in answer to this. I agree with Mr. Whiston, that St.

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