the PREACHING OF OUR BLESSED LORD HIMSELF. He was the great Prototype. In looking up to him, the Author of their faith and mission, and to the very words in which he was wont to dictate to them (which not only yet sounded in their ears, but were also recalled by the aid of his Holy Spirit promised for that very purpose), they have given us three Gospels, often agreeing in words, though not without much diversification, ana always in sense."4 whether one or two blind men miraculously received their of a common document; but that document was no other than sight in the neighbourhood of Jericho; and whether that miracle was performed at one end of the town or at the other, are circumstances which, when compared with the miracles themselves, are of so little importance, as may easily be supposed to have made but a slight impression on the minds of even some of the most attentive observers, whose whole attention had been directed to the principal object, and by whom these circumstances would be soon forgotten, or, if remembered at all, remembered confusedly. To the order of time in which the miracles were performed, the evangelists appear to have paid very little regard, but to have recorded them, as Boswell records many of the sayings of Johnson, without marking their dates; or as Xenophon has recorded the memorabilia of Socrates in a work which has been, in this respect, compared to the Gospels." With respect to the doctrines of our Lord, it should be recollected that the sacred historians are labouring to report with accuracy the speeches and discourses of another; in which case even common historians would endeavour to preserve the exact sense, and, as far as their memory would serve them, the same words. "In seeking to do this," says the late eminently learned Bishop of London (Dr. Randolph), "it is not to be wondered at, that two or three writers should often fall upon verbal agreement: nor, on the contrary, if they write independently, that they should often miss of it, because their memory would often fail them. With regard to the sacred writers, it is natural to suppose them studious of this very circumstance; and we have also reason to think, that they had assistance from above to the same effect: and yet it is not necessary to suppose that either their natural faculty, or the extraordinary assistance vouchsafed them, or both, should have brought them to a perfect identity throughout; because it was not necessary for the purposes of Providence, and because it would have affected their character of original independent witnesses. Let me add, that these discourses, before they were committed to writing by the evangelists, must have been often repeated amongst the apostles in teaching others, and in calling them to remembrance among themselves. Matthew had probably often heard and known how his fellow-labourers recollected the same discourses which he had selected for his own preaching and writing. We know not how much intercourse they had with each other, but probably a great deal before they finally dispersed themselves. Mark and Luke had the same opportunities, even if they were not original eye-witnesses.2 l'admit, then, 1 Bp. Gleig's edition of Stackhouse's History of the Bible, vol. iii. p. 104. "As no two human minds ever proceed with an exact parallelisin of ideas, or suggest an unvaried flow of the same words, so in reporting these things, with all their care, the evangelists, like other men, made some minute variations. Substantially, their accounts are the same, and bespeak the same origin; namely, truth, reality, and correct representation. Inspiration was doubtless a further guarantee for this substantial agreement, though it went not to the length of suggesting words. In little matters, therefore, they vary, so that one reports the same fact rather more fully, another more concisely; one preserves more of our Lord's words, another To this powerful reasoning we can add nothing: protracted as this discussion has unavoidably been, the importance of its subjects must be the author's apology for the length at which the preceding questions have been treated; because the admission of either the copying, documentary, or traditionary hypotheses is not only detrimental to the character of the sacred writers, but also diminishes the value and importance of their testimony. "They seem to think more justly," said that eminent critic Le Clerc, "who say that the first three evangelists were unacquainted with each other's design: thus greater weight accrues to their testimony. When witnesses agree, who have previously concerted together, they are suspected: but those witnesses are justly credited who testify the same thing separately, and without knowing what others have said."s fewer; one subjoins a reason or an explanation, which another did not feel to be necessary; and thus, we may be assured, would three of the most correct observers, and scrupulously exact reporters in the world do always, if they separately related what they had seen or heard the very day before. Probably each would do so if he twice related, in conversa may prove this to us. Narrations of the same facts, or of the same distion only, the very same transactions or discourses. Our daily experience courses, always differ from each other; generally, indeed, more than they ought to differ; from carelessness, inaccuracy, or the love of embelson will relate rather more, another rather less, of the facts or words; one lishment. But setting these causes aside, they still must differ. One perwill try to explain as he goes, another to illustrate; and the expressions used will always savour, more or less, of the habitual mode of discourse peculiar to the individual. But in reporting speeches, the more care is taken to preserve the very words of the speaker, the less there will be, in that part, of the usual difference of expressions. Still, something there will always remain, because, however careful a man may be to describe correct view, and I hesitate not to say, the only correct view, of the resem or imitate another, he is never able to put off himself. This, then, is the blances and differences in the Gospels. They agree as narratives will agree, whose common model is the truth. They differ as distinct narratives will always differ, while men are men; but they neither agree nor differ deacon Nares's Veracity of the Evangelists demonstrated, pp. 171-174. as copied narratives would, for the reasons already assigned." Mr. ArchIn pp. 175, 176. 297-301. the coincidence and difference of the evangelists and of St. Paul's two narratives of his own conversion, and the historical are appositely illustrated by harmonized tables of the parable of the sower, narrative of St. Luke. 3 John xiv. 26. 4 "Remarks on Michaelis's Introduction to the New Testament," p. 32. et seq. See also Bishop Gleig's edition of Stackhouse, vol. iii. pp. 105-112. Multo rectiùs sentire videntur, qui evangelistas tres priores scripsisse suas historias censent, cùm neuter aliorum consilii conscius esset, unde etiam eorum testimonio majus accedit pondus. Cum enim consentiunt testes, qui inter se capita contulerunt, suspecti potiùs habentur: sed testes, qui idem testantur seorsim, nescii aliorum testimonii, meritò verum dicere videntur.-Joannis Phereponi [i. e. Le Clerc] Animadversiones in Augustini Librum de Consensu Evangeliorum. Appendix Augustiniana, p. 532. Antverpie 1703. folio. No. II. TABLES OF WEIGHTS, MEASURES, AND MONEY, MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE. Extracted chiefly from the Second Edition of Dr. Arbuthnot's Tables of Ancient Coins, Weights, and Measures. 4. Scripture Measures of Capacity for Liquids, reduced to 7. Roman and Greek Money, mentioned in the New Testament, English Wine Measure. reduced to the English Standard. gal. pints. A caph 05 51 4 A cab 0 A farthing (Kopavтns) about 0 3 A hin 2 A penny, or denarius (A) 0 0 14 0073 3 A bath or ephah In the preceding table, silver is valued at 5s. and gold at £4 per 720 | 180 | 60 | 30 394 No. III. A CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF THE PRINCIPAL EVENTS RECORDED IN THE BIBLE. PART I. A Table of the most REMARKABLE EVENTS comprised in the Old Testament, abridged from Archbishop USHER and Father CALMET, together with the corresponding Dates adopted by the Rev. Dr. HALES in his "New Analysis of Chronology," and by the Right Rev. Dr. GLEIG, in his new Edition of Stackhouse's History of the Bible. The true Date of the Birth of Christ is FOUR YEARS before the common Era, or A. D. Dr. A. M. Hales. 1 100 101 1 THE creation 3 Cain born, Adam's eldest son. 4 Abel born, Adam's second son. 201 128 Cain kills his brother Abel. 230 130 Seth born, son of Adam and Eve. 795 395 Mahalaleel born, son of Cainan. 960 460 Jared born, son of Mahalaleel. 1122 622 Enoch born, son of Jared. 3769 4996 3341 2091 3317 4124 1474 874 Lamech born, son of Methuselah. 3344 2094 3130 3937 Abram's victory over the five kings, and rescue 1913 2070 of Lot. Sarai gives her maid Hagar, for a wife, to her 1910 2067 husband Abram. Ishmael born, the son of Abram and Hagar. Abram was 86 years old. (Gen. xvi. 16.) 3357 2107 The new covenant of the LORD with Abraham. 1897 2054 2136 1536 God informs Noah of the future deluge, and 2468 3275 3358 2108 2227 1651 Lamech dies, the father of Noah, aged 777 2353 3184 years. 2348 1656 Methuselah dies, the oldest of men, aged 969 2349 3155 3383 2133 (Gen. xvii.) 3398 2148 Isaac marries Rebekah. 1858 2013 3418 2168 Jacob and Esau born, Isaac being 60 years old. 1836 1993 3495 2245 Isaac blesses Jacob, who withdraws into Me- 1759 1916 3526 2276 Joseph, being 17 years old, tells his father 1728 1885 3539 2289 3548 2298 2346 3153 2311 3018 2281 2888 2247 2754 and sell him to strangers, who take him into Pharaoh's dreams explained by Joseph, who is 1715 1872 Joseph's ten brethren come into Egypt to buy 1706 1863 ren return; Joseph discovers himself, and 2234 2614 3683 2433 A revolution in Egypt. The Israelites perse-1571 1728 2857 1771 The beginning of the Babylonian or Assyrian 2233 2554 2787 1787 Reu born, the son of Phaleg. 2130 2337 2217 2624 2185 2492 cuted. Moses born; exposed on the banks of the Nile; and found by Pharaoh's daughter, who 3723 2473 Moses kills an Egyptian; flees into Midian; 1531 1688 1520 2155 2362 3763 2513 Moses, commissioned by God, returns into 1491 1648 2126 2283 2056 2213 1998 2805 1996 2153 Egypt. Pharaoh refuses to set the Israelites No. III. A CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF THE PRINCIPAL EVENTS RECORDED IN THE BIBLE. PART I. A Table of the most REMARKABLE EVENTS comprised in the Old Testament, abridged from Archbishop USHER and Father CALMET, together with the corresponding Dates adopted by the Rev. Dr. HALES in his "New Analysis of Chronology," and by the Right Rev. Dr. GLEIG, in his new Edition of Stackhouse's History of the Bible. The true Date of the Birth of Christ is FOUR YEARS before the common Era, or A. D. Dr. A. M. Hales. or 1 100 101 year of the World PERIOD I. From the Creation to the Deluge. 1THE creation Eve, tempted by the serpent, disobeys God, 3 Cain born, Adam's eldest son. 4 Abel born, Adam's second son. 201 128 Cain kills his brother Abel. 230 130 Seth born, son of Adam and Eve. 795 395 Mahalaleel born, son of Cainan. 1487 987 Enoch translated: he had lived 365 years. 1474 874 Lamech born, son of Methuselah. 930 930 Adam dies, aged 930 years. 1142 1042 Seth dies, aged 912 years. 1656 1056 Noah born, son of Lamech. 1340 1140 Enos dies, aged 905 years. 2864 4071 1534 1235 Cainan dies, aged 910 years. 2769 3877 1690 1290 Mahalaleel dies, aged 895 years. 2714 3721 1922 1422 Jared dies, aged 962 years. 2582 3489 2136 1536 God informs Noah of the future deluge, and 2468 3275 3358 2108 3383 2133 2227 1651 Lamech dies, the father of Noah, aged 777 2353 3184 (Gen. xvii.) Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, burnt Abraham offers his son Isaac for a burnt-offer-1871 2028 3398 2148 Isaac marries Rebekah. 1858 2013 3418 2168 Jacob and Esau born, Isaac being 60 years old. 1836 1993 3495 2245 Isaac blesses Jacob, who withdraws into Me-1759 1916 3526 2276 Joseph, being 17 years old, tells his father 1728 1885 3539 2289 3548 2298 2346 3153 2311 3018 2281 2888 2247 2754 Pharaoh's dreams explained by Joseph, who is 1715 1872 made governor of Egypt. Joseph's ten brethren come into Egypt to buy 1706 1863 ren return; Joseph discovers himself, and 2234 2614 3683 2433 A revolution in Egypt. The Israelites perse-1571 1728 2554 2857 1771 The beginning of the Babylonian or Assyrian 2233 2554 2787 1787 Reu born, the son of Phaleg. 2130 2337 2217 2624 2185 2492 cuted. 2155 2362 3763 2513 Moses, commissioned by God, returns into 1491 1648 2126 2283 2056 2213 1998 2805 1996 2153 Egypt. Pharaoh refuses to set the Israelites 395 |