Life, ver. 19. That God has given Men all reasonable Evidence of the Certainty of a future State, ver. 29, 31. CHAP. XVII. The heinous guilt of drawing others into Sin, ver. I. That Men ought to be ready to forgive, ver. 3. Of Faith, ver. 5. and that Men ought not to value themselves upon the Gifts wherewith God has endued them, ver 7. Jesus healeth ten leprous Perfons, ver. II. 11. Of the Nature of Chrift's Kingdom; And a Prædiction of the Deftruction of the Jews, ver. 20.

CHAP. XVIII. Of importanate Prayer, ver. 1. Of Humility and Pride, ver. 9. Jefus encourages little Children to be brought to him, ver. 15. Of the young Man that would not forfake his Poffeffions for Chrift, ver. 18. Of the Danger of Riches, ver. 24. The Blefjedness of Suffering for Religion, ver. 28. Jefus foretels his Death, ver. 31. and heals a blind Man, ver. 35. CHAP. XIX. The Converfion of Zacchæus, ver. 1. The Parable of the King going into a far Country, ver. 11. Grace encreafed by Improvement, ver. 26. Jefus rides into Jerufalem, ver. 28. Foretels its Deftruction, ver. 41. and clears the Court of the Temple, ver. 45.

CHAP. XX. Jefus filences the chief Priests with a Question about John's Baptifm, ver. 1. The Parable of the Vineyard, ver. 9. Of Obedience to Civil Powers, ver. 21. The Refurrection proved against the Sadducees, ver. 27. Of Christ's being David's Son, ver. 41. Of Hypocrify, ver. 45. CHAP. XXI. Charity and Piety to be efteemed, not by the Meafure of the outward Work, but by the Zeal of the Heart, ver. 1. Prædiction of the Destruction of Jerufalem, ver. 5. Of Watchfulness, ver. 34. CHAP.XXII. Judas agrees to betray Jefus, ver. 1. Jefus eats the Paffover, ver. 7. Inftitutes the Lord's Supper, ver. 19. Of Ambition, ver. 24. Jesus's Agony, ver. 39. Peter's Der nial, ver. 54. Jefus is tried and mocked, ver. 63. CHAP. XXIII. Jefus's Trial before Pilate, ver. 1. and before Herod, ver. 6. and before Pilate again, ver. 13. His Crucifixion, ver. 26. One Malefactor reproaches, and another acknowledges him, ver. 39. Prodigies attending Jesus's Death, ver. 44. Jofeph of Arimathæa buries him, ver. 50. CHAP. XXIV. Jefus's Refurrection declared to the Women, ver. 1. He appears himself to Two Difciples, ver. 13. and to the reft, ver. 36. He inftructs them about their Ministry, ver. 44. His Afcenfion, ver. 50.

A PARA

A

PARAPHRASE

ON THE

Gospel of St Luke.

*** ***

CHA P. I.

1.

The Preface, ver. 1. John the Baptift's Conception, ver. 5. and Office, ver. 15. The Conception of Chrift, ver. 26. His Office, ver. 32. The Bleffed Virgin's Hymn of Thanksgiving, ver. 46. The Birth and Naming of Jolin, ver. 57. Zacharias's Hymn, ver. 68.

1

F

Orafmuch as 1 & 2. many have taken in hand to fet forth in order a declaration of thofe things which are moft furely believed among us,

2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitneffes, and minifters of the word :

کے

W

Hereas feveral have written Historical Accounts of the Life and Doctrine of Christ, and of those great and celebrated Tranfactions, upon which the Proof of our Religion depends, and of the Truth whereof we are moft fully perfuaded; they being delivered to us by Perfons of unqueftionable Sincerity, and fuch as were themselves Eye-witneffes of all the Matters of Fact, and conftantly accompa nied Jefus in all his Travels during his whole Miniftration.

A 4

3 & 4.

3 & 4. It feemed good to me alfo, having had full and perfect information of all thefe things, to write to you, moft excellent Theophilus, a fhort yet particular and exact Account of the principal Actions and Difcourfes of our Lord, from his Birth till his Afcenfion; that you might fee in one view, the Doctrine of that Religion wherein you have been inftructed, and the Evidence of it.

3 It seemed good to me alfo, having ftanding of all things had perfect underfrom the very firit,

7. And happy they were in all things, excepting only that they wanted the Bleffing of Children, Elifabeth having been always barren;

to write unto thee in

order, moft excellent Theophilus,

4 That thou mighteft know the certainty of thofe things wherein thou haft been inftructed.

5.

5.9. AN

ND because there happened feveral things before the Birth of Chrift, relating to his History, ufeful and neceffary to be known; I will therefore begin with a brief account of his Fore-runner John the Baptift. The manner of whose Conception and Birth, was this. There was in the Time of Herod the Great, a Prieft whofe Name was Zacharias, of the Family of Abia, and confe quently one of them whofe Lot was to ferve in the eighth of the 24 Courses of the Priests, which were appointed to minister in the Temple by Turns; 1 Chron. xxiv. 10 & 19. And his Wife's Name was Elifabeth, a Woman of the Family of Aaron.

6. Now Zacharias and his Wife, were both of them eminent for their fingular Piety and Integrity; Perfons fincere and upright in the Sight of God, and of unfpotted Reputation in the Judgment of Men; living in the strict practice of all inward Holiness, and in an exact obfervance of all outward and pofitive Laws.

THere was in the days of Herod the king of Judea, a certain prieft named Zacharias, of the course of Abia:

and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.

6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and

ordinances of the Lord, blameless.

And they had no child, because that Elifabeth was barren, both were now well and they ftricken in years.

And moreover they were now both of them old, and in the courfe of Nature paft having Children. But at length, the Wisdom of Providence defigning by the miraculous Birth of John the Baptift to prepare Men for the belief of that more wonderful Miracle, the Birth of Chrift; God gave Elifabeth a Son, not without wonderful Prefages even before his Conception, that he fhould be a great and extraordinary Man.

8, 9, 10 & 11. For at the time when the Priefts of the Family of Abia, were miniftring in the Order of their Courfe; and when, according to the ufual Custom of appointing to every one by Lot in what part of the Service he fhould officiate, it happened to be Zacharias's Lot to offer Incense: As he was performing this Office a lone within the Sanctuary at the accuftomed Hour, and all the Congrega tion of the People stood praying without; there appeared to him an Angel of God, in a glorious Form, standing on the right fide of the IncenfeAltar.