walk by the sea-side, where he taught the people that flocked after him. Here he saw Matthew sitting in his office, and called him to follow him. The man was rich, had a large and profitable employment, was a wise and prudent person, and doubtless understood what it would cost him to comply with the call of JEsus: he was not ignorant that he must exchange wealth for poverty, a custom-house for a prison, rich and powerful masters, for a naked and despised Saviour: but he overlooked all these considerations, left all his interest and relations, to become our Lord's disciple, and to embrace a more spiritual way of commerce and traffic, which might bring glory to God, and peace of conscience to himself.

It is not likely that he was before wholly unacquainted with our Saviour's person or doctrine, especially as he resided at Capernaum, where our Lord so often preached, and wrought his miracles; so that he must in some measure, be prepared to receive the impressions which our Saviour's call made upon him, and to shew that he was not discontented at his change; he entertained both his Master and his disciples at his house, calling together his friends, especially those of his own profession, hoping no doubt that they might also be converted by the company and conversation of our blessed Redeemer.

As the Pharisees had sought all opportunities of raising objections against the doctrine of the blessed JESUS, So they took this opportunity of suggesting to his disciples, that it was highly unbecoming so pure and holy a person, as their Master pretended himself to be, to converse so familiarly with the worst of men, with publicans and sinners, persons infamous to a proverb; but he presently replied to them, that these were the sick, and therefore needed the physician : that his company was of the most consequence, where the souls of men most required it: that God himself preferred works of mercy and charity, especially in

doing good to the souls of men, infinitely above all ritual observances, and that the principal design of his coming into the world, was not to call the righteous, or those who like themselves vainly pretended to be so, but sinners, modest, humble, self-convinced sinners, to repentance, and to reduce them to a better state and course of life than they had hitherto pursued.

St. Matthew after his election to the apostleship, continued with the rest till the ascension of his great and beloved Master, after which, for the first eight years at least he preached in different parts of Judea, but afterwards he left the country of Palestine to convert the Gentile world before his departure, he was entreated by the Jewish converts to write the history of the life and actions of the blessed JESUS, and leave it amongst them as a standing monument of what he had so often delivered to them in his sermons. This he readily complied with, as we shall more particularly mention, in giving an account of the gospel penned by him.

Leaving Judea, he travelled into several parts, especially Ethiopia; but the particular places he visited are not known with any certainty. Metaphrastus tells us, that he first visited Parthia, and after planting Christianity in those parts, he travelled into Ethiopia; where, by his preaching and miracles, he triumphed over superstition and idolatry, convinced multitudes of the error of their ways, and prevailed on them to obey the precepts of the gospel: ordain them spiritual guides and pastors to confirm them in the faith, and bringing over others to the religion of the son of God, which he had inculcated both by his doctrine and example.

Having laboured indefatigably in the vineyard of his Master, he afterwards suffered martyrdom at a city of Ethiopia, called Naddabar; but by what kind of

death is not absolutely known, though the general opinion is that he was slain with an halbert.

This apostle was a remarkable instance of the power of religion, in bringing men to a better temper of mind. If we reflect upon his circumstances while he continued a stranger to the great Redeemer of mankind, we shall find that the love of the world had possessed his heart. He had acquired a plentiful estate, was in possession of a very rich and profitable office, supported by the power and favour of the Romans, prompted by covetous inclinations, and these confirmed by long habits and customs: but notwithstanding all this, no sooner did CHRIST call him, than he abandoned, without the least scruple or hesitation, all his riches; nay, he not only renounced his lucrative office, but ran the greatest hazard of displeasing the masters who employed him, for quitting their service, without giving them the least notice and leaving his accounts in confusion.

Had our blessed Saviour appeared as a secular prince clothed with temporal power and authority, it would have been no wonder for St. Matthew to have gone over to his service, but when he appeared under all the circumstances of meanness and disgrace, when he seems to promise his followers nothing but misery and sufferings in this life, and to propose no other rewards than the invisible encouragements of another world, his change appears truly wonderful and surprising. It was indeed so remarkable, that both Porphyry and Julian,two subtle adversaries of the Christian religion, took occasion from hence to charge him either with falsehood or folly with the former, if he did not give a true account of things; and with the latter, if his case was fairly represented, in so hastily following the person who called him: but these detractors would have done well to have remembered, that the holy JESUS was no common person; his commands were attended with something more than common.

St. Jerom is of opinion, that besides the divinity which evidently appeared in the miracles of the Lamb of God, there was a divine brightness and kind of majesty in his looks, which was at first sight sufficient to draw persons after him; but however that be, his miraculous powers that reflected a lustre from every quarter, and the efficacy of his doctrine accompanied with the divine grace made way for the summons sent to our apostle, and enabled him to conquer all oppositions, and all the difficulties that opposed his obeying the commands of his Saviour, when he received the powerful call.

A still further evidence of this contempt of the world appeared in his exemplary temperance and abstemiousness from all delights and pleasures; nay, even, from the ordinary conveniency and accommodations of it: he was so far from indulging his appetite with delicate rarities, that he refused to gratify it with lawful and ordinary provisions; his usual diet being only herbs, roots, seeds, and berries: but what appeared most remarkable in him, and which, though the least virtue in itself, is the greatest in the esteem and value of a wise man, was his humility: he was mean and modest in his own opinion, always prefering others to himself: for whereas the other evangelists, in describing the apostles by pairs, constantly place him before St. Thomas, he modestly places him before himself.

The rest of the evangelists are careful to mention the honour of his apostleship, but speak of his former sordid, dishonest, and disgraceful course of life, only under the name of Levi ; while he himself sets it down, with all its circumstances, under his own proper and common name; a conduct which at once commends. the prudence and candour of the apostle, and suggests to us this useful reflection. That the greatest sinners are not excluded from divine grace; nor can any, if penitent, have just reason to despair, when VOL.ii.

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publicans and sinners find mercy at the throne of grace. The conduct of the other evangelists with regard to St. Matthew, should also teach us to use a penitent brother with the greatest modesty and tenderness; it being contrary to the rules of civility, as well as the laws of religion, to upbraid and reproach a person, after his repentance, with the errors of his former life and practices.

We shall conclude the life of this apostle with a remark concerning his gospel, which was written at the entreaty of the Jewish converts, while he abode in Palestine, but at what particular time, is uncertain; some will have it to be written eight, some fifteen, and some thirty years after our Lord's ascension: it was originally written in Hebrew, but, soon after translated into Greek by one of the disciples, probably by St. James the Less: but whoever the translator was, is of no consequence, because the version was well known to the apostles, and approved by them; and accordingly the church has from the earliest ages received the Greek copy as authentic, and placed it in the sacred canon of Scripture.

The Greek translation having been entertained, the Hebrew copy was afterwards chiefly owned and used by the Nazaræi, a middle sect between Jews and Christians; with the former, they adhered to the rites and ceremonies of the Mosaic law; and with the latter, they believed in Christ, and embraced his religion; and hence this gospel has been styled, The gospel according to the Hebrews, and the gospel of the Nazarenes.' But after a time, it was interpolated by these Christians, who inserted several passages of the evangelical history; which they had heard from the apostles, or from those who had familiarly convers ed with them; and to these additions the ancient fathers frequently refer in their writings. The Ebonites, on the contrary, struck out many passages because they were not favourable to their tenets. A Hebrew