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us therefore now obferve the book itself of St. Matthew, and fee what knowledge he appears to have had of the scheme of the gospel.

1. His account of the commiffion, which our Lord gave to the twelve Apostles is in ch. xxviii. 19. Go ye therefore into all the world, and teach all nations. Matthew did not then think, that the Apoftles of Jesus were to teach Jews only, but that they were required to teach all people, and all nations in general.

2. I fuppofe, that he fully understood our Lord's doctrine, when he recorded that fummarie account of it,which is in the fifth, fixth, and seventh chapters of his Gospel. The beatitudes, at the beginning, are a proof of it. And at the conclufion, they who heard and did thofe fayings, are compared to a man that built his house upon a rock: though there had been no→ thing faid to enforce the rituals of the Mofaic law.

3. And that he well understood the spirituality, and the freedom of the gofpel, appears from what he has recorded ch. xv. 10... 20.

4. His clear difcernment of the defign of the gofpel-difpenfation appears even in his account of our Saviour's nativity, particularly, in what he says, ch. i. 21, of the meffage of the angel to Jofeph. And thou shalt call his name Jefus. For he fall fave his people from their fins.

5. If he had not known, that our Saviour was defigned to be, or was already become a bleffing to Gentils, he would fcarcely have thought of inferting the historie of the Magians coming from the Eaft to Jerufalem, to inquire after the birth of the King of the Jews. chap. ii.

6. It is alfo very likely, that he understood those words of John the Baptift, recorded by him, ch. iii. 9. God is able of these fiones to raise up children to Abraham.

7. St. Matthew's knowledge of the calling of the Gentils, and the rejection of the Jews, may be concluded from many things recorded by him. In the hiftorie of our Lord's healing the Centurion's fervant at Capernaum he inferts our Lord's commendation of his faith, and that declaration: Many fhall come from the Eaft and the Weft, and fit down with Abraham, and Ifaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven: but the children of the kingdom fhall be caft out. ch. viii. 10.

12.

8. The admiffion of the Gentils to equal privileges with the Jews must be intimated in the parable of the laborers hired into the vineyard at feveral hours of the day. ch. xx. I. . . 16.

9. The calling and acceptance of the Gentils, and the rejection of the Jewish People, and even their overthrow, are plainly declared in the parable of the vineyard, let out to hufbandmen, and the difcourfe, which follows. xxi. 33. · 46. The fame things are intimated in the parable of the King that made a wedding-feaft for his fon, which is at the beginning of the next chapter. xxii. I. .

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14.

10. I might likewife take notice of the hiftorie of our Lord's curing the daughter of the woman of Canaan. ch. xv. 21..

. 28.

11. It is alfo very likely, that St. Matthew had fome good knowledge, and a diftinct apprehenfion of the extent of our Lord's kingdom, and the progreffe of his doctrine, when he recorded thofe parables in the thirteenth chapter of his Gofpel where our Lord has compared the kingdom of heaven, or the preaching his gofpel, to a grain of muftard-feed, the leaft of all feeds, but becomes a tree: to leaven, by which a large

lump

Jump is leavened to a net, that was caft into the fea, and gathered of every kind. And, explaining the parable of the tares, our Lord fays, ver. 37. 38. He that foweth the good feed is the Son of Man. The field is the world. And what follows.

12. It is probable, that this Evangelift had fome knowledge of the gofpel having been preached out of Judea, when he put down that declaration of our Lord concerning the woman, that poured the rich ointment upon his head: Wherefoever the gospel fhall be preached in the whole world, there shall this also, that this woman has done, be told for a memorial of ber. ch. xxvi. 13.

13. In his account of the inftitution of the eucharift. ch. xxvi. 28. our Lord fays: This is my blood of the New Teftament, which is fhed for many, that is, for all men, for the remiffion of their fins. And in ch. xx. 28. our Lord fays: The Son of Man came...to give his life a ransom for

many.

14. There is alfo an expreffion ufed by him once or twice, intimating, that it was fome confiderable space, fince the time of the event and his writing about it. ch. xxviii. 8. Wherefore that field was called the field of blood to this day. Having related the affair of the foldiers, and the direc tions given to them by the Jewish Council to fay, that his difciples came by night, and fole him away, he adds: And this faying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. ver. 15. Such an expreffion does not denote any certain period. But one would think, that, in this cafe, there by must be intended a confiderable fpace of time, more than eight, or ten or fifteen years.

15. I formerly (g) fhewed divers advantages of the late publication of the Gospels. The life of Jefus could not be forgotten in thirty," or forty years. His life and death were very public, as well as very extraordinarie. His resurrection and afcenfion were moft publicly attefted by his Apostles, and others, as we know from the book of the Acts. And from that time forward there were many, who were continually speaking of the things faid and done by him, and of the evidences of his refurrection and exaltation. They were foon known to multitudes of people, Imall and great, and men of all ranks and characters. As St. Paul fays to Feftus, in a very great affemblie. Acts xxvi. 36. For the King knowath of these things, before whom also I speak freely. For I am perfuaded, that none of these things are hidden from him. For this thing was not done in a corner. And was it not the cry at Theffalonica? Acts xvii. 6. Thefe that have turned the world upfide down, are come hither alfo. The account of St. Paul's manner of living at Rome, about the years 61. and 62. is, that he dwelled two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, teaching thofe things, which concern the Lord Jefus Chrift. Acts xxviii. 30. 31. Whilft there were men, who at the hazard of their lives taught, and others that embraced, the things concerning the Lord Jefus, they could not be forgotten. And if about thirty years after our Lord's afcenfion, his hiftorie was writ by eye-witneffes, or their , companions, it was foon enough. Yea, it was the fitteft time of all. At the year fixty of our Lord's nativity, according to the vulgar æra,

(5) Sce Fl. viii. p. 124... 137.

and

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and later, there certainly were enough of fuch perfons, as those just mentioned, ftill living, to record his words and works, and more, who were willing, and defirous to read written hiftories of him, than before; and alfo more to tranfcribe and copy out thofe hiftories for their own use, and for the use and benefit of others, than in any preceding time.

V. It remains, that we confider, in what language this It's Original Gospel was writ: because, many of the ancients, whofe teftimonies have been lately recited, though they allow the. Language.

other Gofpels to have been writ in Greck, have delivered it as their opinion, that this Gofpel was writ in Hebrew.

Of this I have already spoke several times, particularly, in the chapter of (b) Papias, and in the chapter of (i) Origen, and (E) of Eufebius of CeJarea where alfo the opinion of divers learned moderns were alleged, who think, it was writ in Greek. To them I now add (1) Le Clerc, who has an argument upon this head, proper to be confulted by thofe who have leifure, but too long to be inferted here: and his learned fuccellor Mr. Wetstein, who fays: "Here (m) we are of opinion, that the Fathers "do not fo properly bear teftimonie, as deliver their own conjecture; "which needs not to be admitted, if it be not fupported by good reafons, "or may be refuted by probable arguments. Suppofing, and taking it "for granted, that Matthew wrote for the Jews in Judea, they concluded, that he wrote in Hebrew. But there is no weight in that reafon. "The Greek language was at that time much used throughout the whole "Roman Empire, and particularly in Judea. Papias, who first ad"vanced this opinion, was a weak and credulous man. Nor are there "in our Greek Gospel any marks of it's being a tranflation from another 'language."

Mr. Jones (n) has a long argument, well deferving to be read, fhewing that this Gofpel was originally writ in Greek.

Mr. Bafnage (0) is of the fame fide, and has argued exceeding well for it. Ifhould transcribe him, if I had room. As I have not, I refer to him.

(b) Vol. i. p. 243 244.

(k) Vol. viii. p. 184... 189.

Says

(i) Vol. iii. p. 493.... 408.
() Diff. iii. de iv. Evangeliis.

(m) Neque tam facile affentimur fententiæ eorundem Patrum flatuentium, Matthæum fcripfiffe Hebraice, hoc eft, Syriace, five Chaldaice, quà lingua tunc temporis Judæi in Palæftina utebantur... Exiftimamus enim Patres hic jam non teftimonium dicere, fed conjecturam fuam in medium proferre, non admittendam, fi aut idoneis rationibus non fit fulta, aut verofimilibus argumentis refutari poffit. Quod enim putant neceffe fuiffe ut Hebræis fcribens He braice fcriberet, verum non eft: cum conftet eo tempore linguam Græcanı per totum Imperium Romanum, et in Judæa præfertim, in ufu fuiffe.

Videntur ergo vetutiffimi Patres, et inter eos Papias, homo fimplex et credu lus, re non explorata, inani Nazaræorum jactantiæ fidem habuiffe... Nul. lum fane in noftro Matthæo reperitur indicium, unde colligi poffit, ex alia in aliam linguam fuiffe converfam. Plurima vero aliud fuadent. ` Wetstein. N. T. Tom. i. p. 224.

(n) See bis Vindication of the former part of St. Matthew's Coffel, ch. 17. 19. p. 180,

186.

(0) Ann. 64. n. xiii.

Says (*) Dr. Fortin: "In the time of Chrift and his Apoftles the Greek was really the univerfal language. The New Teftament is a proof of it, if proof were wanting. And this is one reafon amongst many others, why St. Matthew probably wrote his Gofpel in Greek. See Wetftein's N. T. p. 224. St. Matthew ch. v. 47. 48. says: "OTI TEλvaι övtw ποιᾶσιν. ἔσεσθε ἐν ὑμεῖς τέλειοι . . that is, be not τελῶναι, but τέλειοι. Videtur autem Matthaeus vocem réu hic habuiffe, ut is opponeret. WetStein. Add to this, that reins and thus are both derived from the fame word réxos. See again, ch. vi. 16. we find an antithefis in the words ἀφανίζεσι τά πρόσωπα, όπως φάνωσι. Eleganter dicitur: Tegunt faciem, ut appareant, &c. Wetstein.

And many others of the fame fentiment might be mentioned, who are men of great learning and good judgment.

after our

I fhall now propofe fome obfervations relating to this point. 1. If St. Matthew did not write till about thirty years Lord's afcenfion, we must be led to think, he would ufe the Greek language. That he did not write fooner, I fuppofe to have been fhewn to be very probable. If indeed there were good reafons to think, his Gospel was writ within the space of eight years after Chrift's afcenfion, we might well conclude, that he wrote in Hebrew. But, to me it feems, that we may be fully fatisfied, that Matthew did not write within that space, nor fo foon as fifteen years after our Lord's afcenfion, nor till fome good while afterwards. St. James, refiding at Jerufalem, writes an epiftle about the year of Chrift 60. as is fuppofed. It is addreffed to the twelve tribes fcattered abroad. And he writes in Greek, as is allowed. Why, then, fhould not St. Matthew ufe the fame language?

2. There was very early a Greek Gofpel of St. Matthew. It is quoted, or referred to, by Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, not now to mention any others: none of whom intimate, that they made ufe of a tranflation.

3. Though many of the ancients fay, that St. Matthew wrote in Hebrew, they feem not to have fully believed it. For they have fhewn very little regard to the Hebrew edition of it. This has been particularly fhewn in the chapters of (p) Origen, (q) Eufebius bf Cefarea, and (r) Jerome, the moft likely of any of the ancients to make ufe of that edition, if they had been perfuaded, that it was authentic and original.

4. There are not in our Greek Gospel of St. Matthew any marks of a tranflation. So faid Mr. Wetstein in the paffage just tranfcribed. And this obfervation was before made by us in the chapter of (s) Papias.

5. There is no where any probable account, who tranflated this Gofpel into Greck. No particular tranflator was mentioned by Papias, as may be concluded from the accounts given of his books by Eufebe. Nor is any tranflator of this Gofpel named by Irenaeus, Eufebe, or any of the

writers

(*) See his Difcourfes concerning the Chriflian Religion. p. 176, note (2), the third edition.

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writers of the first three centuries, that are come down to us. Nor is there any reason to think, that he was named in any other: forafmuch as no notice is taken of him by Eufebe, or Jerome, who faw many writings of ancients now loft, both catholics and heretics. Jerome having faid, that Matthew wrote in Hebrew, prefently adds: "Who (t) afterwards tranflated him into Greek, is uncertain." And all the accounts of a tranflator, fince given, are too late to be credited, and are likewise very improbable. In the Synopfis afcribed to Athanafius, but not writ till long after his time, it is faid, "That (u) Matthew's Gofpel was tranflated into Greek by James, the firft Bifhop of Jerufalem." Which is very improbable. It would be more reasonable to imagine, that he tranflated it out of Greek into Hebrew. But as that is not faid by the ancients, fo neither have we reafon to fay it. Moreover, the fame reafons, as one may think, which would induce James to make a Greek tranflation, should have induced Matthew to write in Greek. Neverthelefs, Dr. Mill (x) has pitched upon that perfon for the tranflator, and formed an argument thereupon. Which only ferves to fhew, that there is nothing, for which fomething may not be faid by thofe, who indulge themselves with fuppofitions, without ground. Theophylact informs us, that (y) in his time it was faid, that John tranflated this Gospel into Greek. But it was only a common report. And indeed it could be no more. However, out of a regard to fuch reports and teftimonies, Mr. Lampe (z) has very properly reckoned a tranflation of this Gospel among the works falfly afcribed to St. John.

6. Once more, I apprehend, we may difcern the origin of this opinion, that St. Matthew's Gospel was writ in Hebrew. There was foon made a tranflation of his Greek Gospel into Hebrew. We have feen proofs, that (a) in very early days of Chriftianity there was a Hebrew Gofpel. And many, not examining it particularly, nor indeed being able to do it, for want of understanding the language, imagined, that it was firft writ in Hebrew. Jerome exprefsly tells us, that (b) by many in his time the Gospel

(u) Vol. vii. p. 249.

(t) Vol. x. p. 89. Quis in Græcum transfuderit, incertum eft. Papius de hoc nihil ab Ariftione aut Joanne prefbytero accepit, aut tradidit. Auctor Synopfeos S. Scripturæ Jacobo fratri Domini diferte adfcribit hanc verfionem. Theophy lactus, ex fama duntaxat, Joanni Evangelifte. Ego ad priorem illam fententiam, feu magis verifimilem, accedo. Satis enim probabile eft, Evangelium in Hebræorum ufum linguâ ipforum patriâ primum exaratum, ab ipforum Epifcopo primario Jacobo, Epifcopo Hierofolymitano, in fermonem Græcum, per provincias, in quas difperfi erant ex gente ifta plurimi, Judæis pariter ac aliis in ufu familiari, tranflatum fuiffe, &c. Proleg. num. 66.

(γ) Μετέφρασε δὲ τἔτο ἰωάννης ἀπὸ τῆς ἑβραίδος γλώττης εἰς τὴν ἑλληνίδα, ὡς λέω yut. Theoph. Pr. in Matth. p. 2. D.

(z) Matthæi Evangelium Græce a Joanne Evangelifta verfum effe, refert Eutychius Tom.i. Annalium, p. 328. et Nicetas præfatione ad Catenam in Matthæum. Lampe Prolegom. in Joan. l, i. cap. 7. num. 31.

(a) See ch. xiv. Vol. i. p. 320.321,

(b) In Evangelio, quo utuntur Nazareni et Ebionitæ, quod nuper in Græ, cum de Hebræo fermone tranftulimus, et quod vocatur à plerifque Matthæi authenticum. Hier, in Matth. cap. xii. T. 4. P. i, p. 47.

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