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their being chosen by our Saviour; that fo, putting all the places that relate to them together, I might fee what obfervations they would afford me.

AFTER I had performed this task with all the care I could, from thofe parts of the Gospels which relate to that matter, and from the Acts of the Apostles, I perufed what had been written by Dr. Cave, Monfieur le Clerc, Dr. Whitby, Bishop Lloyd, and others; but efpecially by Archbishop Ufher (who first threw great light on the facred chronology), and Bishop Pearson in his Annales Paulini, who has fettled the chronology of St. Paul with fuch learning and judgement, as has obliged me to follow him in most particulars where I had happened to differ from him. And though, on a careful review of the chronological order into which I had digested the Acts, I have generally preferred Bishop Pearfon to Bishop Lloyd (who had the advantage of writing after him) where they differ, yet in fome points I continue to differ from the former. The reafon of my differing from him will appear, in moft of the inftances of any moment, either in the Abstracts, or one of the two last Effays. But the point wherein I differ the most widely from him (as well as from Bishop Lloyd, Dr. Whitby, Mr. Pyle, and most of our later commentators)

is in the time I affign to St. Paul's writing his first epistle to Timothy. And as I had not room to give my reafons for differing from Bishop Peafon in the Abftracts, nor any proper occafion to give them in either of the Effays, I will do it in a Poftfcript, rather than break the thread of this preliminary difcourfe. I will there likewife give my reafons for preferring Bishop Peafon's chronology generally to Bishop Lloyd's, where they differ

from each other.

I FOUND fome hints which had flipped me, not only from Bifhop Pearfon, but from all the reft of thefe authors I confulted, except Dr. Cave, who I think has little that is not very common and obvious, except fome idle legendary ftories, with which he abounds. What I met with from any of them I carefully inferted; and in fome other inftances I found reafon from them alfo to alter what I had done: but, on perufing them, I did not think my own labour entirely loft; neither they nor any other (as far as I know) falling in with my defign. Archbishop Ufher's Chronology is a work of a vaft compafs as well as learning. Bishop Pearfon's only fettles Paul's chronology from his being present at the ftoning of Stephen, without regarding the hiftory of the other apoftles previous to that period. Monfieur le Clerc has mixed

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the hiftory of the apoftles with the other parts of ecclefiaftical hiftory. And Dr. Whitby, in the end of his Commentary (as many others have done), has given us a fhort abstract of the greater events of the whole hiftory of our Saviour and his apoftles, in the order of time, borrowed from a learned prelate (Bishop Lloyd), highly celebrated for this part of learning, as the Doctor tells us in his Preface to his Commentary.

My design is different from each of these. For I have only endeavoured to give a short Abstract, in the order of time, of all the fcripture-history of the apostles; and chiefly with regard to thofe parts of their history that may fhew us what the apoftolical work and office was, as diftinguifhed from other minifters of the firft Chriftian church; and what were the steps by which they were directed by Providence to spread the Chriftian religion in the world; in which, I think, the greatest wisdom, harmony, beauty, and proportion, will appear: fuch as will fhew the new creation every way worthy of the Word and Wifdom by which God not only made the worlds, but introduced this new fyftem of religion into ours. I have likewife endeavoured to reprefent it in a fcheme, by which the hiftory of the apoftles may be more eafily traced than in any I have yet feen.

In this I have distinguished Paul's five apoftolical journeys, which ought to make fo many different sections of Paul's history, and is the only way by which the method obferved by St. Luke in writing that part of it can appear. And, that St. Paul's history might yet be more eafily be traced, I have also given a fhort Abstract of this Abstract, that fo it might be feen at one view; and that the reader might confult one or the other as he fhould find occafion. And because the Abstract of the Abstract is capable of being reprefented in one view, I have divided that. into those greater and their leffer periods, of which I fhall fay more prefently. But I could not divide it conveniently into St. Paul's five apoftolical journeys, without rendering the periods fomewhat confufed; as the periods, on the other hand, would have been of little ufe in an Abstract confifting of feveral sheets. However, either of these defects may be eafily fupplied, by turning either to the Abstract, or the Abstract of the Abstract, as there is. occafion. And that St. Paul's five apoftolical journeys (on which the order that St. Luke. writes his hiftory in depends) might be the more easily traced, I have added a map of his journeys and voyages, where, I hope, by the method I have taken, the eye will pic fently find them,

WHILE the learned authors I have juft now mentioned, and others, have made ufe of this chronological method themselves, to the great advantage of chriftianity, in feveral of their excellent labours; and while others have done the like from the affiftance they have had from them; yet feveral things perhaps have escaped their obfervation, which, by a more careful attention to this method, might have offered themselves to their notice. Whether they have or no, I must leave the world to judge; now that I have been prevailed on to publifh thefe papers by fome of my learned friends, to whom I communicated my thoughts (after I had finifhed them for my own private ufe), that fo I might have their opinion on fubjects which are fo nice and difficult in themfelves, and on my manner of confidering them; but without any intention of communicating them to the world.

I HAVE been led to the notions that run through them, from confidering the hiftory of the apoftles in the order in which the feveral tranfactions that are recorded about them happened, either under the miniftry of Jefus or of the Spirit. I dare fay the reader, on perufing them, will find feveral new interpretations given to a great many texts, fome of which have been generally thought very difficult and obfcure. If the turns that

are

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