abroad. However, feveral of them might stay there a good while longer, and not remove, till a little before the commencement of the Jewish war in 66.

6. We may now perceive the benefit of the early choice and call of Paul to be an apoftle. Who having been feveral years employed and exercifed in preaching to Jews in Judea, and out of it, was ready to preach to Gentiles likewise, as foon as a door was opened for applying to them at Antioch, and other places as there was, after Peter had received Cornelius at Cæfarea whilft it was not as yet fit for any of the twelve apostles to leave the land of Ifrael.

7. We now obtain fome affiftance for interpreting those expreffions of Paul, Gal. ii. 7, 8, 9. When they saw that the gofpel of the uncircumcifion was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcifion was committed unto Peter. For be that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcifion, the fame was mighty in me toward the gentiles. And they gave unto me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship, that we Jhould go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcifion. And Rom. xi. 13. inasmuch as I am the apoftle of the gentiles, I magrify mine office. Thofe expreffions cannot be intended to fignify that Paul was apoftle of the gentiles only, and exclusive of the Jews or that Peter, and the other of the twelve, were apoftles of the circumcifion only, exclufive of the gentiles. For an apoftle is a teacher or mafter of the whole world. They were appointed to be fo by Chrift: nor could their commiffion be limited by any compact among themfelves. Our Lord's commiffion given to his twelve apoftles, is in Matthew to this purpose: Go ye therefore and teach all nations, ch. xxviii. 19. and in Luke xxiv. 46, 47. be faid to them, that repentance and forgiveness of fins fhould be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerufalem. And Acts i. 8. And ye fhall be witnesses unto me in Jerufalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermoft part of the earth. And Mark xvi. 15. And be faid unto them, go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. And ver. 20. And they went forth and preached every where. Of Paul the Lord fays in a vifion to Ananias at Damafcus: He is a chofen veel unto me, to bear my name before the gentiles, and kings, and the children of Ijract. Acts ix. 5. And Paul fays to king Agrippa: I was not difobedient to the heavenly vifion; but showed first unto them of Damafcus, and at Jerufalem, and throughout all the coast of Judea, and then to the gentiles, that they should repent, and turn

to God. ch. xxvi. 19, 20. Moreover we know from the history of Paul's preaching recorded in the Acts, that he always first addreffed himself to Jews, in all the places where he came, if there were any, and if they had there a fynagogue.

It fhould be observed likewife, that Peter had actually preached to gentiles in Judea, and was the firft difciple of Jefus that did fo. There is a particular account of it in the book of the Acts, ch. x. and xi. And himfelf takes notice of it in his fpeech at the council of Jerufalem. ch. xv. 7.

The reason therefore why the gospel of the circumcifion is faid to have been committed unto Peter, and the other apostles with him, is, that for a good while their miniftry was folely, or however very much, and chiefly employed among Jews in Judea though afterwards they preached very freely to gentiles in feveral parts of the world. And Paul is called the apoftle of the gentiles, and the gofpel of the uncircumcifion is faid to have been committed unto him, because he got the ftart of all the reft in preaching to gentiles, and had laboured among them for a good while in divers countries, with great fuccefs, and had formed many churches in divers places : whilft they were still in Judea teaching Jews, and had made no addreffes to gentiles abroad in other countries.

It may be alfo implied in what St. Paul fays in the epiftle to the Galatians, that feveral of the first twelve apoftles intended to ftay ftill fomewhat longer in Judea. This they were the more willing to do, being fully fatisfied with the preaching of Paul in foreign countries: infomuch that they encouraged him to proceed as he had begun.

8. Once more, we may now be reconciled to the fuppofition of the late date of the gofpels. For they were not to be pubfhed till the doctrine concerning Jefus had been preached in divers parts, and many converts had been made, to whom they would be useful, for whom they would be needful, by whom they would be received with joy, be highly valued,

Alterum, quod ex dicto Pauli ad Galatas colligimus, illud eft, Joannem etiam poft difceffum Pauli cum duobus collegis per aliquod temporis intervallum Hierofolymis, et in Judæa fubftitiffe. Gentium enim converfione Paulo et Barnabæ demandata, ipfi inter Judæos fe operam porro locaturos declarant.

Quæ etiam cauffa eft, cur Joannis et fociorum in Actis Apoftolicis vix mentio occurrat, quia poftquam primordia Ecclefiæ Chriftianæ inter Judæos memorata erant, nihil amplius videbatur addendum, nifi ut narretur, quomodo primitiæ Gentium effent introductæ. Lamp. Proleg. in Jo. 1. 1. cap. 3. § vii.

frequently

frequently read, and often copied. Written hiftories of Jefu could be little wanted by the Jewish believers in Judea, whil all the apostles were ftill in that country, and there were alfo ftil living among them many fincere followers of Jefus, and eye witneffes of his perfon and miniftry. Very probably, there fore, there was no written gofpel till after the council a Jerufalem.

Still there may be objections which fhould be ftated and confidered.

Obj. 1. It may be faid: was not the progrefs of the gofpe by this means much retarded? I answer: no. And thi objection, methinks, fhould be of little moment now, afte all that has been faid of the many advantages of the apoftles ftay in Judea.

However, fome confiderations fhall be here added to wha has been already faid. Though the apostles did not leav Judea themfelves, they encouraged thofe who did, wh preached the gofpel abroad, whether to Jews or Gentiles Of this there is an inftance with regard to the church o Antioch, related Acts xi. 19-22. And there may have bee fome other like inftances. Moreover the apostles were very ufeful by their ftay in Judea, as has been already fhown They made many converts among the Jews. During their stay in that country, if there was any measure of public liberty for the believers, the apostles would all, or most of them, b at Jerufalem at the great feafts, to which there was a genera refort of Jews from all countries. Here the inquifitive o that people would have an opportunity of converfing with the apoftles and if they were convinced, and perfuaded by them they would carry the doctrine of the gospel into the places o their ufual refidence, and propagate it there.

Obj. 2. But, if the apoftles had attempted to make a long ftay in Judea, it feems that they must have been all deftoyed I answer, that doubtless they met with many and great diffi culties. What they were from the time of our Lord's afcen fion to the year 44, was briefly rehearsed juft now. Afte that, for feveral years, as I apprehend, their difficulties would not be fo great as they had been. Yea, during that space would be the beft opportunity that ever they had to promote the interests of the gospel, as I faid before. For the Jewif people

i Contra perfuafum habeo, hoc emblema fupponere, Ecclefiam jam

longo admodum tempore fuiffe af flictam... Ne jam dicam, nor

conftar

people had not the power of life and death in their own hands. And the Roman procurators were not difpofed to give any men difturbance upon account of difference of opinion in religious matters. Finally, the apostles of Jefus Chrift, we have reafon to think, had an especial direction, and an especial protection. They, who were employed in teaching fo important a doctrine, and were enabled to work miracles upon others for confirming it, may be reasonably supposed to have been the fubjects of fome wonderful interpofitions of Providence. And it must be reckoned very probable, that affairs would be fo over-ruled and influenced, as that these chofen men fhould be upheld and enabled to fulfil their miniftry, and bear fuch a teftimony to Jefus, as fhould be fufficient to lay a good foundation for the establishment of his church in the world, and leave all thofe of the Jewish people, who did not receive him as the Meffiah, abfolutely inexcufable.

CHA P. VII.

ST. MARK, EVANGELIST.

I. That the Evangelift is the fame as John Mark, and Nephew to Barnabas. II. His History from the New Testament. 1II. From other Writers. V. Teftimonies to his Gospel, in ancient Writers. V. Remarks upon them. VI. The Time of writing his Gospel, according to thefe ancient Writers, and the Sentiments of learned Moderns. VII. Characters of Time in the Gospel itself. VIII. Obfervations upon this Gofpel.

I. It is generally, or even univerfally allowed, that Mark, mentioned i Pet. v. 13. is the evangelift. But it has been doubted, whether he be the fame as John Mark mentioned in

conftare ex hiftoria Ecclefiæ, quiram illi fint Martyres, quorum fanguis, præter eum Stephani, et utriLique Jacobi, de quorum altero ex Luca, altero ex Jofepho liquet et Hegefippo, a Judæis fufus fuerit. Jadei enim, excepto brevi interValo regni Agrippe, rerum fuarum non erant domini: et licet in Chriftianos peffime affecti fuerint, a præadibus tamen Romanis prohibeban

tur, pro lubitu in innocuos Jefu Chrifti difcipulos fævire. Quæ enim junior Ananus tentavit in Jacobum fratrem Domini, et Tivas EтEp8s, quofdam alios, Chriftianæ profeffionis homines, ut conftat ex Jofepho, Fefto mortuo, et Albino adhuc in itinere agente, peracta funt. Campeg. Vitring in Apoc. cap. vi. ver. 12. xxx. p. 303.

the

the Acts, and fome of St. Paul's epiftles; and it appears from our collections out of ancient authors, that there were doub about this in the minds of fome in former times.

с

a

Divers learned moderns are perfuaded, that they are differ ent perfons. Of this number are Cave, [who neverthele thinks him the fame Mark, that is mentioned by St. Paul i his fecond epistle to Timothy] Grotius, Du Pin, and Tillemont. Which laft, in his Ecclefiaftical Memoirs, make two different articles for this name: one entitled St. Mark the evangelift, apostle of Egypt, and martyr: the other, St John Mark, difciple and coufin of St. Barnabas. On th other hand they are reckoned one and the fame by Jer Jones, Lightfoot, and Wetstein.

h

I fhall now without delay confider the reafons of thofe who think there are two Marks mentioned in the New Teftament.

1. They fay, that Mark the evangelift was converted and baptized by Peter, because he calls him his fon. I Pet. v. 13 But there is no reason to fuppofe this of John Mark.

To which I anfwer. That needs not to be reckoned the conftant meaning of the expreffion. It may denote only grea affection and tenderness, and a refpect to faithful fervices: in like manner as Paul fays of Timothy, Philip. ii. 22. tha as a fon with the father he had ferved with him in the gospel

Gr. Pr. in Marc.

d Diff. Prelim. 1. 2. ch. ii. § iv. e Mem. Ec. Tom. II.

f New and full Method, vol. III. ch. vi. p. 65–70.

g Lightfoot is making obfervations upon the first epiftle of St. Peter. He fends this epiftle, fays he, by Silvanus, Paul's old attendant, but now with Peter.... His naming of Mark with him calls our thoughts back to what has been mentioned of Mark heretofore :

his being with Paul at Rome, and his coming from him into the caft To fuppofe two Marks, one with Peter, and another with Paul, is to breed confufion where there need eth not. . . . It is eafily feen how John Mark came into familiarity with Paul and Peter. And other Mark we can find none in the New Teftament, unlefs of our own in vention.... He it was that wrote the gofpel. Lightfoot Harm. o the N. T. vol. I. p. 336.

h Nihil vetat, quo minus fimpli. citer cum Victore et Theophylacto hunc eundem Marcum intelligamus, quoties illius nomen in Actis et Epitolis reperimus. Wetft. Pr. in Marc. tom. I. p. 551.

Grotius