C

vi's house; and St. Luke, that Levi made him a great feaft in his own houfe; but St. Matthew fays only, as Jefus fat at meat in the house; not mentioning in whofe houfe, though he omits nothing that the others fet down, but the mention of his own Hofpitality. St. Jerom fays, that the other Evangelifts, out of Refpect to St. Matthew, call'd him by that Name, which was lefs known than Matthew; being of opinion, that St. Matthew had alfo the Name of Levi. Eufebius alfo takes notice, that St. Matthew places himself after St. Thomas, in the Catalogue of the Apostles, whereas the other Evangelifts place him first.

d

St. Peter gives an ample Teftimony to St. Paul's Epiftles, 2 Pet. iii. 16. notwithstanding what is written of himself in that to the Galatians. In St. Mark's Gospel, e which was written from the account, that that Evangelist had from St. Peter, when St. Peter anfwer'd our Savionr, that he was the Chrift, no farther is faid of our Saviour's Reply, but that he charged them that they should tell no man of him, Mark viii. 30. St. Peter omitting that honourable Character given him by our Saviour, and the Power of the Keys beftow'd upon that occafion, which is at large related by St. Matthew, Matt. xvi. 16. But immediately after St. Peter's Behaviour towards our Saviour is fully related; which was fo unfeemly, as that he began even to rebuke Chrift for fpeaking of his Sufferings, and extorted that fevere Rebuke from Meeknefs it felf, Get thee behind me, Satan. This St. Peter has left written of himself by St. Mark, who wrote by the Approbation and Direction of St. Peter; but the ho nourable part is paft over in Silence, though belonging to the fame time and place. So again, the Denial of St. Peter is related in all its Circumftances of Ag.

c Hieron. ad Matt. ix. 9.

d Eufeb. Dem. Evang. ib.. e Tertul. adv. Marc. 1. iv. c. 5. Iren. 1. 3. c. I.. Origem

ajud Eufeb. 1. 6. č. 25.

gravation,

gravation, by St. Mark, as well as by St. Matthew, Matt. xxvi. Mark xiv. He acquaints us, that without any Torments or Menaces, or the leaft Compulfion, at the bare queftion of a poor Maid, he deny'd his Master, and that he deny'd him thrice, and the last time even with Oaths and Imprecations, which are not mention'd by St. Luke and St. John, Luk. xxii. Joh.xviii. A Man, that delivers these things of himfelf, plainly fhews, that he is fo far from all Vanity and feeking his own Praife, that he can be supposed to have no other aim or defign, but to declare the Truth to the Glory of God, and the Benefit of Mankind, though it prove to be never fo much to his own Difgrace. And they relate, that as foon as our Saviour was apprehended, all his Difciples forfook him and fled, when they might have been able to have witneffed in his behalf, and to have confronted Judas, who, they might well believe, would have turn'd his Accufer, after he had betray'd him. But St. Peter foon repented, and both he and St. John took courage, and return'd to fee what became of their Mafter, and both St. Peter's Denial, and their leaving their Master thus in his Distress, might never have been known, unless they had discover'd it themfelves. St. John never mentions himself, nor his Brother St. James by Name throughout his whole Gofpel, but omits their early coming to Chrift, when he had as yet but two Dif ciples; and their felf-denial in leaving their Father and all that they had; tho' he relates what St. Matthew and St. Ma k write concerning St. Andrew's and St. Peter's coming to Chrift but just before; and then speaks of Philip and Nathanael, purpofely declining to fay any thing of himself on fo Memorable an Occafion, Matt. iii. 21. Mar. i. 19. Joh. i. 40.

The Reproofs, and fometimes very fevere Reprehenfions, which were given them by Christ, could never have come to our Knowledge, but by their own Information; as that they were blamed for having lit

tle Faith, Matt. xvi. 8. no Faith, Mark ix. 19. that our Saviour upbraided them with Unbelief and Hardnefs of Heart, Mark vi. 52. viii. 17. xvi. 14. for being foolish and flow of Heart, to believe all that the Prophets have spoken, Luke xxiv. 25. They declare, that they were ambitious, and emulous, and fond of Temporal Honours; that they had very wrong Notions of Chrift and his Kingdom, and they set forth, at large how timorous and how difficult they were of Belief, and how very fcrupulous and diffident of Chrift's Refurrection

St. Paul, the great Apostle of the Gentiles, as St. Peter was the Apoftle of the Circumcifion, by his Difciple and Companion St, Luke, has likewife left an account of himself, which none but a fincere honeft Man, regardless of his own Praife, would ever have fuffer'd to be given of him. St. Luke fays, that the Witnesses against St. Stephen, laid down their cloaths at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul, A&s vii. 58. and that he was confenting to St. Stephen's death, which he repeats twice, and once from St. Paul's own Mouth in his Speech to the Jews, Acts viii. 1. xxii. 20. He fays, that St. Paul made havock of the Church, A&s viii. 3. and breathing out threatnings and flaughter against the Difciples of the Lord, went unto the high-priest, and defired of him Letters to Damafeus, Acts ix. I. These are not the words of one, that had a defign to diffemble or extenuate in favour of any one. And out of a deep fenfe of this offence, though it were committed ignorantly in unbelief, St. Paul declares himfelf to be the leaft of the Apostles, and not meet to be cal led an Apoftle, because he had perfecuted the Church of God, 1 Cor. xv. 9. and at another time ftiles himself lefs than the leaft of all Saints, Eph. iii. 8. and chief of finners, 1 Tim. i. 15. afcribing all to the Power and Grace of God. St. Luke relates, that there was a sharp contention between St. Paul and St. Barnabas, A&s XV. 39. aud St. Paul tells the Galatians, that he had withstood

withstood St. Peter to the face, Gal. ii. 11, 14. So plain it is, that they did not act by any confederacy between themfelves, and that the Truth was dearer to them than any thing befides. In the mean time the Apostles have left behind them little or no account of their Journeyings, and Labours, and Sufferings, only St. Paul mentions fome things of himself upon a neceffary occafion; the reft we have from St. Luke, and he fpeaks chiefly of St. Paul, and of him only till his firft coming to Rome, and of St. Peter very little in comparison of the reft of the Apoftles, fcarce any thing in particular: fo little defign had they of propagating themselves a Name to Pofterity.

St. Paul ufed all lawful compliances, and he, who when the honour of Religion was concerned, made fo ftout oppofition to St. Peter himself, at other times, when he might fafely do it, became all things to all men. And he joins others together with himself in the beginning of many of his Epiftles, (1 Cor. i. n. 2 Cor. i. 1. Gal. i. 1. Colof. i. 1. i Theff. i. 1. 2 Theff. i. 1. Philemon i.) Which was a great condefcenfion, and a kind of communicating his Authority to them, whom he took, as it were, into commiffion with himfelf. But when through the malice and infinuations of falfe Apostles, he was forced to speak in his own defence, he does it with great unwillingness, and calls it folly, and confidence of boasting, 2 Cor. xi. 1, 17. and if he must needs glory, he will glory in the things which concern his infirmities, ver. 30. He recounts his Sufferings only, and omits the Succefs, in the many Converfions, and numerous Victories obtained by them: He mentions here nothing of his Preaching, nothing in particular of his Miracles; but infifts upon that, which was the leaft he could fay of himfelf, when fomething must be faid, that he had fuffered much for the Gofpel of Chrift, whatever the Effect had been. He had concealed his being caught up to

the

the third Heaven, (as St. Ambrofe obferves) for fourteen Years, and had not at least discovered it, but for the benefit of others; and even then he confeffed, that he knew not whether he was out of the Body, or in the Body; fo far he was from glorying in his Knowledge, that he owned his Ignorance, and fpake of himself in the third Perfon, with great humility and unwillingnefs, intimating only that he meant himself. His manner of Expreffon fhews, that nothing less than the occafion upon which he mentions it, could have forc'd from him fuch a Discovery. And at the fame time, he confeffes there was given to him a thorn in the flesh, the Meffenger of Satan to buffet him, left he bould be exalted above meafure, and declares himself to be nothing, 2 Cor. xii. 5, 7, 11. He gives all the Glory to God, magnifying his Office, and the Grace, which enabled him in the Adminiftration of it: and as upon all other occafions he speaks of himself with the greateft abasement, fo when the importunate Malice of his Enemies conftrained him to it, and the Glory of God and the Salvation of Men required him to speak fomething lefs fubmiffively of himself, he difcovers his great humility in that he used fo much caution, and put in fo many leffening and abating Claufes, that the Glory might redound to God and not to himself: infomuch that it appears to have been one of the greateft inftances of the Humiliation and Self-denial of fo truly humble and holy a Man, to be forced to speak things which might feem boafting, and make him incur the cenfure of Pride and Folly. But he was wil ling to be counted vain and proud for the fake of the Gofpel; and had fo tar mortified all pride and vain Glory, as to be contented upon fo juft an account, to incur the difgrace of being fuppofed guilty of it. For there can be no higher inftance of a truly humble and

Amb. in Pf. 35.