to walk as far as he pleased in any city. The reckoning of two thousand cubits did not commence till he was out of the city. And if the learned Buxtorf has represented their sense rightly, they included the suburbs also under the name of the city 2, and the suburbs were always two thousand cubits more. These, put together, make a sabbath-day's journey about two Roman miles from the walls of the city, which is about the distance that Bethany was from Jerusalem.

It is very certain the Talmudists have laid down such rules for the measurement of their sabbathday's journey from any city or town, that they frequently included large spaces beyond the utmost houses of the town, sometimes two thousand cubits a, and thereby took in neighbouring towns or villages. With regard to Jerusalem in particular, Bethphage, which we learn from the sacred writers was situate upon Olivet, and from others that it was a mile distant from Bethany, is by the Talmudists reckoned as a part of Jerusalem. Hence, therefore, a sabbath-day's journey reaches Bethany. St. Luke, speaking in the Acts of the Apostles after the Jewish manner, a sabbath-day's journey, must be supposed to reckon as they did, i. e. from Bethphage. St. John, speaking after the Roman manner, reckons from the walls of Jerusalem.

? Lex. Tal. p. 2583.

a

Light. vol. 2. p. 304. Seld. de Jur. Nat. 1. 3. c. 9. p. 317, 318, 319.

b Buxt. Lex. Tal. p. 1691. Light, vol. 1. p. 252. vol. 2. p. 37,

39, 40.

CHAP. XI.

The principal facts confirmed.

HAVING considered the several incidental and circumstantial things mentioned in the History of the Acts, and seen how far they are confirmed by other authors, I now proceed to the principal matters therein related, which are the propagation of the Christian religion, and the miraculous means made use of to accomplish it. The writer of this History gives a plain narration of the fulfilment which Christ made of his promise to endue his followers with power from on high, and of their spreading the gospel doctrine by their preaching, and the wonders they wrought through some of the most known parts of the Roman empire, together with the opposition that was made to it; but this so very briefly, that it is evident he omits many more things than he records. In endeavouring to shew how far what he says is confirmed by other authors, I shall begin with those who lived at the time when the things themselves were transacted. Through the good providence of God there are some pieces come down to us which were written by the persons principally concerned in the facts recorded. I mean the Gospels of St. Matthew, St. Mark, and St. John, together with the Epistles of the holy apostles, most of which were sent before the History of the Acts was finished, and contain an ample confirmation of wellnigh all the things therein related.

§. 1. In this History is frequent mention made of the baptism of John, the forerunner of our Lord a. a Ch. i. 22. xiii. 24. xviii. 25. and xix. 3, 4.

John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus b. Accordingly we read in the Gospel of St. Mark, that John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance. And in all three of the Gospels we are told that he referred to Christ, who should come after him. And St. John expressly says, that the intention hereof was, that the people might believe on him: He came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believed. Another saying of John the Baptist is recorded in the Acts, Whom think ye that I am? I am not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose e. And agreeably hereto, in the Gospel of St. John, the Baptist is introduced, saying, Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. And the other part of the saying, Behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes latchet I am not worthy to loose, is mentioned by all the three evangelists 8.

It is represented in the Acts, that when our Lord, immediately before his ascension, ordered his disciples not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, he added, For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence". And in the Gospel of St. Mark, John the Baptist says, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet

of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down to unloose. I indeed have baptized you with water, but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost. And much to the same purpose in the other two Gospels k.

It is said in the Acts, that the preaching of Jesus began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached'. And thus it is represented in the three Gospels: St. Matthew says, Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee. From that time Jesus began to preach, and say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And St. Mark: Now after that John was put into prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God n

§. 2. It is added in the Acts, that the word preached by Jesus was published throughout all Judæa. And we read both in St. Matthew and St. Mark, that Christ not only preached himself in the cities of Judæa, but that he chose twelve, whom he sent on the same errand P. St. Peter is represented in the Acts as saying to the Jews that Jesus of Nazareth was approved of God among them by miracles, and wonders, and signs, which God did by him in the midst of them, appealing to their own knowledge of the fact, as ye yourselves also know 9. And in another place, to Cornelius and his friends, Jesus of Nazareth went about doing good, and

i Ch. i.

7,

8.

1 Ch. x. 36, 37. et xiii. 24.

k Matt. iii. II. John i. 26, 27, 33. m Ch. iv. 12, 17.

n Ch. i. 14. See also John i. 43, &c. et ii. 1—II.

• Ch. X. 37.

q Ch. ii. 22.

P Matt. x. 5, 6, 7. Mark vi. 7. 12. 30.

healing all that were oppressed of the Devil". And that our blessed Lord went about from place to place, both in Galilee and Judæa, not only preaching repentance, and the gospel kingdom, but also healing the diseased and the lame, and performing the greatest miracles, is the known subject of the three Gospels.

It is said in the Acts, that he chose him apostles; and the names of the eleven, which were then living, are recorded $. His choosing twelve apostles is particularly related by St. Mark, and both St. Matthew and St. Mark give us their names, all which, excepting one, are the same with those in the Acts. The twelve are represented in the Acts as having been with Christ from the beginning of his ministry, or from John's baptism, and as his witnesses to the people". Accordingly, in St. John's Gospel, Jesus says to the twelve, And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginnings. In the Acts Jesus tells them, Ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earthy. And in the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Mark, he commissions them to go teach all nations: Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel unto every creaturea.

§. 3. The circumstances of our Lord's trial and death, referred to in the Acts, agree exactly with

* Ch. x. 38.

t Matt. x. I

67, 70, 71.

$ Ch. i. 2. 13.

-4. Mark iii. 14, &c. et vi. 30. See also John vi.

" Ch. i. 8, 21, 22. ii. 32. iii. 15. iv. 13, 33. v. 32. and xiii. 31.

* Ch. xv. 27.

a Mark xvi. 15,

y Ch. i. 8.

z Matt. xxviii. 19, 20.