I have fuppofed to be the means of it, were not fufficient; other methods could never be wanting to his infinite wifdom and power. He that confiders how God preferved Canaan from being invaded by its neighbours for fo many ages, when all the males were to go up thrice a year to Jerufalem; the double portion of manna that fell on a Friday in the wildernefs; and the double produce of every fixth year in the promifed land: he, I fay, that duly confiders thefe things, will not find much difficulty in conceiving how this great event might be kept from all the Jewish apostles about four years, and from all the church of Jerufalem, except three of the apoftles, for about thirteen. Or, if thefe reflections fhould not reconcile his mind entirely to this notion, let him but carefully confider the two following phænomena, and I dare fay it will; namely, 1. That when fo fevere a perfecution as that which arose on the death of St. Stephen fcattered all the disciples abroad except the apoftles, yet the apoftles, who were the prime minifters of Chrift's kingdom, and were thought by the Jews to be the heads of the Chriftian fect, fhould continue there unmolefted, at leaft alive, from about the year 33 to about the year 34*. 2. That though, when the Jews

See the Abstract of the Abstract.

were

were a free and powerful government, they were prone to idolatry, and to marrying ftrange wives; yet that now they have been difperfed all over the world for above 160 years without any form of government, they alone, of all the other nations in the world that were their contemporaries, continue ftill an unmixed and feparate people, and at the fame time remain free from idolatry, and very tenacious of all their religious rites; while the very accounts of the rites of the Greeks and Romans, thofe powerful nations, fcarce continue to our time.

HOWEVER, if this does not fatisfy, and other exceptions to this answer, or other objections to this fcheme, fhall occurr to the learned, on confidering it; I fhall hold myfelf obliged to any one who will fet me right; and will give him my public acknowledgements for it. For I have nothing in view but truth, which, next to virtue, is the most valuable poffeffion of mankind.

I WILL add, before I conclude my Preface, that I give these four Effays but as fpecimens of the usefulness of this way of reading the fcriptures; though they will take in what is most remarkable in the history that St. Luke gives us of the apostles; which is the reason of my giving these four, rather than any

others:

others: feveral things fecming to unfold themselves to me by this means, which perhaps I may fome time or other publifh, if the world think thefe of any value.

I WILL alfo add, that as I have only attempted to state the periods of the miniftry of Jefus and of the Spirit; I could with with all my heart, that fome able pen would state the feveral periods previous to that of Jefus. As the period of innocence; the period after the fall to the flood; after the flood to the confufion of languages; from thence to the calling of Abraham; from thence to the death of Jofeph; from thence to the fending of Mofes; from thence to the giving of the law; from thence to the death of Mofes; from thence to the death of Jofhua; from thence to the last of the Judges; from thence to the kingdom's becoming hereditary; from thence to the divifion of the kingdom, and the last of the Kings; from thence during the captivity; from the restoration to the finishing of the fecond temple; from thence to the reviving of prophecy, about the birth of John Baptift; from thence to his ministry; and from his miniftry to the miniftry of Jefus. Light broke ftill more into the world in most of these periods. And I am fatisfied the true way to get a thorough understanding of the VOL. I. fcriptures

fcriptures would be, to make one's felf mafter of each of these periods, as they are described and diftinguished in the Bible, and as they ftand in order of time; the former of theje preparing always for the latter, and the latter ftill referring to the former; fo that we must critically understand each of thefe, before we can have the whole compafs of that knowledge, and the proof of the truth of it, which the Bible is defigned to give us. "God having "thought fit at fundry times and in divers "manners" (or in different parts, fections, or periods, πολυμερώς και πολυτρόπως) "to speak to the fathers by the prophets, and to us

66

by his Son." I am fenfible this is a work that will require a great deal of time, care, and ability; but the very outlines of fuch a defign would be of great ufe and fervice.

In the mean time, I fhall be heartily glad, if these attempts of mine fhould provoke others to ftudy the New Teftament in this way, and in all others that may give fuch light to the obfcure parts of it as is neceffary to fatisfy the ftrict enquirers, who are the best friends of religion; that may remove the objections brought against it by those who doubt of the truth of it, or are fully

! Heb. i. 2.

bent

bent avowedly to oppofe it; and that may, at the fame time, refcue it from the abfurd and fuperftitious gloffes of thofe more dangerous enemies, who, to make it ferve their own private purposes, pretend to draw doctrines from it, that are inconfiftent with the principles on which all religion is built, and which entirely destroy them.