befide himself."

We are also told that his "brethren," or relations, "did not believe in him;" and on account of the ill reception, which he met with amongst his neighbours, he has recorded his own conviction of the accuracy of the observation, that a "prophet has no honour in his own country *

FROM the number of those persons, who were in the habit of attending him, when he affumed the office of a public teacher, we are told that Jefus †, after spending the night in prayer, felected twelve, as the more peculiar and confidential witneffes of his life, and doctrine. With the motives of his choice we are not made acquainted ; but all parties will agree, that he selected those, whom he thought most fit for his purpose. Certain however it is, he did not feed their ambitious hopes with any alluring promises, or entice them with any tempting offers; fince the discourse he addreffed to them, immediately after they were chofen, was only calculated

* Vid. Mark iii. 21. John vii. 5. Matth. xiii. 57. and Luke iv. 24-29.

+ Luke vi. 12, 13.

See the choice of fuch men, as the fittest attendants upon the Divine miniftry of our Saviour, vindicated by Bp. Law, Reflections, p. 282, &c.

calculated to alarm their prejudices, and to damp their expectations*. He announces their impending perfecution; reproves worldly anxieties; rebukes the hypocrify, and foretells the punishment, of those, to whom they looked up as patterns of religious and moral perfection; and in exprefs terms, warns his followers of the extreme difficulty of performing the dutics, and attaining the rewards, of his difpenfation. We are not told that this difcourfe produced any effect upon the difciples; it is probable they were far from having a clear conception of it's import; as indeed their ignorance†, added to their prejudices, incapacitated them from comprehending much of what our Saviour told them, relative to his kingdom, during his life-time. Undoubtedly their faith in him was very far from being fettled at this early

*Luke vi. 20-22. Matt. v. 10, 11. and in general, the whole fermon on the mount. See alfo c. x. 16, &c.

+ This ignorance is far from being denied by the Apostles, or their hiftorians. St. Luke plainly admits, that Peter and John were "unlearned and ignorant men." Acts iv. 13. and the other Evangelifts, as well as St. Luke, repeatedly adduce inftances of the dulnefs of their apprehenfion, particularly concerning the real nature of their master's character and kingdom. See particularly Matt. xv. 16. Mark viii. 15-21. x. 26. Luke ix. 54. xviii. 34. xix. 9-11. John ii. 22. iv. 27-33. vi. 6. x. 6. xi, 12. xii. 16. xx. 9, 25.

early period, fince, very foon after, they betrayed the most alarming apprehensions of perishing, even when their master was with them *. "And he faith unto them, why are fearful, O ye of little faith!”

NOTWITHSTANDING it is recorded by the facred hiftorian, that Jefus had given his difciples abundant proof of his miraculous powers, and had even, for a time, imparted a fhare to them, yet we read, in the 14th and 15th chapters of St. Matthew, fome notable inftances of their dif trust and doubts, concerning the extent of his preternatural endowments. And upon thefe and other circumftances, which are related, freely and without difguife, concerning the miraculous acts to which they were witneffes, it is obvious to remark, that, if the writers of these accounts had been conscious of a design to fabricate, or propagate falfehoods, yet no poffible reason can be given, why they should accompany the narrations with an acknowledgment of their own incredulity.

Compare Luke viii. 23. with Matt. viii. 26.

IN

This pofition will be maintained, and the fubject difcuffed, in the following chapter.

IN the 16th chapter of the fame Evangelift*, it appears to be intimated, that all the difciples had not fully afcertained, in their own minds, what was the real character of their Mafter: fince only one†, in reply to his question upon that point, defcribed him by his true defignation. But immediately afterwards, that fame Apostle fhewed his utter ignorance of the nature of that defignation, and the entire coincidence of his notions, with thofe of his countrymen, when, in direct oppofition to a plain declaration of Jefus, concerning his impending fufferings and death, he replied in a tone of impatience and incredulity: "Be it far from thee, Lord, this fhall not be unto thee." A tranfaction is related to have taken place foon after, which drew forth

In this inveftigation, I have adhered to the order of time obferved by St. Matthew, as he is generally fuppofed to be more accurate in this refpect, than the others. And, as all the Evangelifts agree perfectly in the general representation of the conduct of the Apoftles, in adhering principally to one, I reprefent the fenfe of all, and gain the advantage of purfuing the inquiry through a more unbroken feries of facts. Mr. Whifton indeed objects to the order obferved by St. Matthew, but his objections are refuted by the learned and fagacious Mr. Jones, of Tewksbury.

That Peter, in this inftance, haftily gave his own opinion, and not that of the other difciples, appears to me clear, from the particular and pointed addrefs of our Lord to him in reply: "Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee," &c.

forth again, from fome of the chofen followers, a fresh proof of their mistaken and ambitious views. It is faid, that he was transfigured before three of his difciples: "and his face did fhine as the fun, and his raiment was white as the light;" as an earneft of his future glory, and as affording fome idea of his real grandeur, notwithftanding the humiliated ftate in which he appeared upon earth. Then did his friends, who were permitted to be witneffes of this circumstance, begin to think that their ambitious hopes were realized, their afpirations after the Meffiah's kingdom gratified. And upon this occafion, they fhewed the most evident marks of exultation, and expreffed the most anxious defire to have the beatific scene prolonged. Peter, who was again the most eager to attract the attention of his Mafter, and who here undoubtedly expreffed the fentiments of his affociates*, as well as his own, exclaimed in the language of warm felf-congratulation: "Mafter, it is good for us to be here; if thou wilt, let us make here

three

*This, I think, is apparent, not only from the circumftances which had taken place, but also from the mode of his addrefs: "It is good for us to be here; let us make” &c.Lightfoot's note upon this paffage is excellent.