Jews; the circumstance of his having drawn the bolts with his miraculous power being omitted by the historian, as is plain from a similar instance, recorded Acтs, v. 23, where the officers sent to fetch the apostles out of prison make the following report to the council:-The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within. From the circumstance of the doors being shut, and the officers opening them, no one imagines that the angel, in bringing the apostles. out, made them pass through the prison doors. The reason is, Luke, in the preceding part of his narration, says expressly that the angel opened them. Neither does any reader fancy that he did not shut them again, though the sacred writer does not mention it; for the officers reported that they found them shut. But had Luke, in the former part of his narration, happened to omit the circumstance of the angel's opening the prison doors, as he does of his shutting them, to have inferred, from their being found shut by the officers, that the angel carried the apostles through them without opening them, would have been absurd.

THE FOLLOWING ARE EXAMPLES OF REFERENCES TO THINGS OMITTED BY THE EVANGELIST WHO MAKES THE REFERERCE, BUT WHICH ARE RECORDED BY SOME OF THE REST.

JOHN, Xviii. 15: We are told that the disciple who was known to the High Priest's family went into the palace with Jesus; yet in the preceding part of the history there is no mention made of Christ's being carried thither. It is only said that they led him away to Annas, who was father-in-law to Caiaphas the High Priest. We must therefore suppose that the soldiers, with Judas at their head, carried him to Caiaphas, after Annas had dismissed him. This circumstance is mentioned by the other historians. The Evangelist John, in the thirteenth chapter of his Gospel, relates our Lord's transactions at the Passover, which he ate with his disciples immediately before his passion, but does not tell us directly that supper was the Passover. Nevertheless, by comparing his account with those which the other evangelists have given of this affair, it evidently appears to have been the Passover. Besides, we cannot rightly understand the particulars which John himself has mentioned, without making this supposition. In the history which John gives of our Lord's trial before the Roman governor, he tells us, chap. xviii. ver. 33, that Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews? The priests, it seems, in the charge which they brought against Jesus, informed the governor that he had called himself King of the Jews; yet, in the

preceding part of his history, the evangelist does not mention this circumstance. It is supplied, indeed, by Luke, who tells us, chap. xxiii. ver. 2, that they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Casar, saying that he himself is Christ a King. King. Luke, xxiv. 2, speaking of the journey of the women who carried the spices to the sepulchre on the morning of the first day of the week, tells us, that they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre; yet, in the history which he has given of our Lord's burial, he does not mention any stone that was laid to secure the entrance. This circumstance is sup. plied by Matthew, who informs us, chap. xxvii. ver. 60, that after Joseph had laid our Lord's body in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock, he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.

As these instances prove that the evangelists were acquainted with particulars of our Lord's history which they did not think proper to mention directly, it is reasonable to think that they omitted many things with design wherefore we need not be surprised, if, on comparing their histories, we meet with large periods of Christ's life entirely passed over in silence, or which are touched upon but very slightly, while other periods appear exceedingly crowded with actions and discourses. The whole of our Lord's public life was full of action, being spent in doing good to the bodies and souls of men, though the history exhibits but a few of the particulars. Had we a journal of his life, such as they were wont to keep in the palaces of the eastern monarchs, what an astonishing multitude and variety of sermons, sayings, precepts, admonitions, parables, miracles, and other particulars, all worthy to be recorded, read, considered, and kept in remembrance, would present themselves to our view, which are now buried in oblivion! The Apostle Paul has preserved one memorable saying of our Lord, which none of the evangelists have mentioned, though it must have been a favourite saying, and often repeated:-ACTs, xx. 35: I have showed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. The same apostle has mentioned two appearances of Christ after his resurrection, which are likewise omitted by the evangelists, namely, the appearance to Peter first, then to James. 1 COR. xv. 5, 7.

EXAMPLES OF DOCTRINES, PARABLES, AND PRECEPTS, REPEATED BY OUR LORD IN THE COURSE OF HIS MINISTRY.

The parable of salt is delivered, MAT. v. 13; it is repeated, MARK, ix. 50; it is made use of a third time, LUKE, xiv. 34.

The parable of the lighted lamp makes part of the sermon on the mount, MAT. v. 15; it was delivered again as the improvement of the parable of the sower, LUKE, viii. 16; it was spoken a third time when Jesus confuted the calumny of the Pharisees, do. xi. 33. The parable of the marriage supper was delivered first in Perea, while Jesus was dining with one of the rulers, do. xiv. 16; then in the temple before a great number of the chief priests and Pharisees, MAT. xxii. 1. The parable of the talents was delivered in the house of Zaccheus, LUKE, xix. 12; also on the mount of Olives, as Jesus went from Jerusalem to Bethany a little before his passion, MAT. xxv. 14. The proverb, Whosoever exalteth himself, &c. was spoken no less than seven different times, MAT. xviii. 4; do. xx. 26; do. xxiii. 12; LUKE, xiv. 11; do. xviii. 14; do. xxii. 26; JOHN, xiii. 14; and so of many others.

This observation may be applied with equal propriety to Christ's prophecies; for he might judge it expedient to repeat them also to different audiences, and on different occasions. The following are a few examples :-The prediction that the apostles were to be brought before kings and rulers, delivered among the instructions previous to their first mission (MAT. X. 17-22), was repeated in the prophecy concerning the destruction of the temple, MARK, xii. 9, 13; the prediction, that, by our Lord's appearing on earth, great animosities should be occasioned, delivered also among the instructions given to the twelve, was repeated in the charge to the disciples in general, LUKE, xii. 49; the prophecy concerning the destruction of the Jewish state was first delivered in Samaria, in answer to one who asked when the kingdom of heaven should come, LUKE, Xvii. 20; it was repeated on the mount of Olives a little before Christ's passion, MAT. xxiv. 1; and Jesus predicted his own sufferings no less than six different times, MAT. xvi. 21; do. xvii. 22; do. xx. 18; do. xxvi. 1; Luke, xvii. 25; do. xxii. 15.

This observation may also be applied to our Lord's miracles, and to the other occurrences of his life, whether more ordinary or extraordinary. For as great multitudes every where followed him to be cured, it is not impossible that persons afflicted with like diseases might at different times accost him in the same forms of address, and be answered by him in one and the same manner; if so, it cannot by any means be thought incredible that he should have wrought like miraculous cures more than once, and with like circumstances. In a word, during the course of a life so full of action as Christ's, many similar occurrences, both ordinary and extraordinary, may be expected to have happened, which were really different, although attended with similar circumstances. The conclusion from hence is, that, when we meet with things in our Lord's 2 B

VOL. IV.

history like to one another, we must beware of hastily fancying that they are the same.

EXAMPLES OF OCCURRENCES IN THE life of cHRIST, MATERIALLY THE SAME, BUT DIFFERENT IN RESPECT OF PERSONS AND TIME.

He dined with Pharisees thrice, LUKE, vii. 36; do. xi. 37; do. xiv. 1; he lamented the approaching ruin of Jerusalem three times, do. xiii. 34; do. xix. 41; MAT. xxiii. 37; he seems to have been anointed three times by pious women while at meat, LUKE, vii. 37; JOHN, xxxvii. 3; MAT. xxvi. 7. The two latter anointings resembled each other in several respects. The first and last happened in the houses of two persons who had the common name of Simon. The Jews attempted twice to stone Christ, JOHN, viii. 59; do. x. 31. The disciples contended thrice about the chief posts in their Master's kingdem-once as they entered into Capernaum, MARK, ix. 54; a second time as they were going up to celebrate the last Passover, MAT. XX. 24; and a third time immediately after the institution of the Lord's supper, LUKE, Xxii. 24. In the two latter instances Jesus composed their strife by the very same arguments. He drove the buyers and sellers out of the temple, at the Passover which was celebrated in the first year of his ministry, JOHN, ii. 13; he made the like reformation there a second time, a little before his death, MAT. xxi. 12.

Upon the whole, it must be acknowledged that in the life of Jesus Christ, who performed so many miracles, preached so many sermons, and had so many people continually flocking after him from all places, a number of things may have happened, which, although they might be the same in kind and circumstances, must have been really different, because done at different times. But in writing an account of such a life, if the historian proposed to relate a few of the principal transactions only, he would not record very many of the similar particulars. The brevity which he studied constraining him to make a choice, he would naturally pitch upon things different in kind, that there might be as much variety in his work as its narrow compass would admit. And if a subsequent historian undertook to give another account of the same life, in order to make his work the more useful, he would mention some of the particulars which the former had omitted; and if he also studied brevity while he took notice of these, he would omit the similar ones mentioned by his predecessors, at least as far as the order and perspicuity of his work would admit. The most superficial inspection of the Gospels will show the truth of this branch of the observation. For example, because Luke had related the parable of the marriage supper, as it was first delivered in Perea, chap. xiv. ver. 16, he does not give

the repetition of it in the temple, recorded MAT. xxii. 1. In like manner, because he had told how Jesus was anointed in the house of Simon the Pharisee, chap. vii. ver. 37, he omits the anointing in the house of Lazarus, six days before the Passover; being unwilling to swell a book too much, which it was the interest of every Christian to have in his possession. On the other hand, Matthew and Mark relate the anointing in the house of Simon the leper, because it was omitted by Luke; but say nothing of the anointing in the house of Simon the Pharisee, which that historian had recorded. We need not be afraid of multiplying our Lord's actions and miracles too much; for the Apostle John has declared by a strong figure of speech, chap. xxi. ver. 25, that if all the things which Jesus did had been written, the world itself could not contain the books which should be written, In the space of one hour, when the Baptist's disciples were present, we find Jesus cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and unto many that were blind he gave sight, LUKE, vii. 21; and doubtless there were many such hours in his life which the historians have passed over in silence.

DR. CAMPBELL'S RULES FOR UNDERSTANDING THE SCRIPTURES.

1. Get acquainted with each writer's style.

2. Inquire carefully into the character, the situation, and the office, of the writer; the time, the place, the occasion, of his writing; and the people for whose immediate use he originally intended his work.

3. Consider the principal scope of the book, and the particulars chiefly observable in the method by which the writer has purposed to execute his design.

4. Where the phrase is obscure, the context must be consulted. This, however, will not always answer.

5. If it do not, consider whether the phrase be any of the writer's peculiarities; if so, it must be inquired what is the acceptation in which he employs it in other places.

6. If this be not sufficient, recourse should be had to the parallel passages, if there be any such, in the other sacred writers.

7. If this throws no light, consult the New Testament and Septuagint, where the word may be used.

8. If the term be only once used in Scripture, then recur to the ordinary acceptation of the term in classical authors.

9. Sometimes reference may be had to the fathers.

10. The ancient versions, as well as modern scholiasts, annotators, and translators, may be consulted.

11. The analogy of faith, and the etymology of the word, must be used with caution.