that period which is universally known to have answered to the 29th of the received Christian æra. He supposes, the Baptist's ministry opened in the spring, when the weather was warm; and allowing the remainder of the year to the spreading of his reputation, he concludes, that our Lord was baptized before the end of it, when Tiberius's 16th year was begun. (Mat. iii. 1—17. Mark i. 1-11. Luke iii. 1-18, 21-23. John i. 6-18, sect. 15-18.) After this the temptation ensued, (Mat. iv. 1-11. Mark i. 12, 13. Luke iv. 1-13, sect. 19.) and all those testimonies of John to Jesus, and the interviews between Jesus and his first disciples, (which are mentioned John i. 19, to the end, sect. 20-22.) as likewise our Lord's journey to Galilee, and his first miracle there. (John ii. 1-11, sect. 23.) Then followed our Lord's FIRST PASSOVER, which, according to Sir Isaac, (and I would be understood through all this part of the dissertation to be only reporting his opinion,) happened A. D. 30. at which he drove the traders out of the temple, (John i. 12, to the end, sect. 24.) had that celebrated conference with Nicodemus, (John iii. 1-21. sect. 25, 26.) and continued for some time to abide in Judea, baptizing by his disciples, while John baptized in Enon, and bore his last recorded testimony to him. (John iii. 22, to the end, sect. 27.)

Thus the summer was spent, till John was thrown into prison about November; (Mat. xiv. 3-5. Luke iii. 19, 20. Mark vi. 17-20, sect. 28.) and our Lord passed through Samaria, in his way to Galilee, about the winter solstice, that is, four months before harvest: (John iv. 1-42, sect. 29, 30. See note (c) on John iv. 35. After which he went, first to Cana in Galilee; (John iv. 43-54. sect. 31.-) and then, after a circuit, or rather journey, in Galilee, (Mat. iv. 12. Mark i. 14, 15. Luke iv. 14, 15. sect.-31, 32.-) he came and preached at Nazareth, (Luke iv. 16-30. sect.-32.) and being rejected there, went and settled for a while at Capernaum, where he called Peter, Andrew, James, and John. (Mat. iv. 13–22. Mark i. 16-20. Luke iv. 31, 32. v. 1-11. sect. 33, 34.) This our author thinks must have taken up all the spring, and must bring us to our Lord's SECOND PASSOVER, A. D. 31.

It is after this passover, that Sir Isaac places another circuit through Galilee; which also carried his fame throughout all Syria, and added multitudes from thence, and from Decapolis, to those that followed him from Judea and Jerusalem. (Mat. iv. 23, to the end. Mark i. 28. Luke iv. 44. sect.-36. To these he preached the celebrated sermon on the mount: (Mat, v. vi, vii, U

VOL. IV.

sect. 37-43.) Immediately after which, he cured the leper, (Mat. viii. 1-4. Mark i. 40, to the end. Luke v. 12-16. sect. 44). the centurion's servant, (Mat. viii. 5-13. Luke vii. 1-10. sect. 55.) and Peter's mother in law, with many others. (Mat. viii. 14—17. Mark i. 29–38. Luke iv. 38-44. sect. 35, 36.—)

By this time Sir Isaac supposes, the feast of tabernacles approached, when our Lord passing through Samaria was refused a lodging; (Luke ix. 51-56. sect. 127.-) to which he strangely supposes a reference, Mat. viii. 19, 20. (Sect. 69.-) After which, when the feast was over and Christ returned from Jerusalem toward winter, he stilled a tempest as he crossed the sea, (Mat. viii. 23-27. Mark iv. 35, to the end. Luke viii. 22-25. sect.-69.) and when he had landed, dispossessed the legion: (Mat. viii. 28, to the end. Mark v. 1-21. Luke viii. 26-40. sect. 70.) And then returning again to the western side of the sea, cured the paralytic, (Mat. ix. 1—8. Mark ii. 1—12. Luke v. 18-26. sect. 45.-) called Matthew, (Mat. ix. 9. Mark ii. 14. Luke v. 27, 28. sect.-45.) and having been entertained at his house, (Mat. ix. 10-17. Mark ii. 15-22. Luke v. 29, to the end, sect. 71.) went out to raise Jairus's daughter, curing the woman, who had a bloody flux, by the way: (Mat. ix. 18-26. Mark v. 22, to the end. Luke viii. 41, to the end, sect. 72.—) And after performing other cures, (Mat. ix. 27-34. sect.—72.) he took another circuit in Galilee, (Mat. ix. 35, to the end, sect. -73.) gave a charge to his apostles, and sent them out: (Mat. x. 1, to the end. xi. 1. Mark vi. 7-13. Luke ix. 1-6. sect. 74—76.) After which, having answered the messengers which John had sent, he discourses with the people concerning him, (Mat. xi. 2-19. Luke vii. 18-35. sect. 57, 58.) and upbraids the impenitent cities of Galilee. (Mat. xi. 20, to the end, sect. 59.) And as these events would employ the winter and the spring, our author places the THIRD PASSOVER here, A. D. 32.

He does not indeed expressly assert, that this was the feast, at which our Lord cured the lame man at the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem, and made that defence before the Sanhedrim, related in the vth chapter of John: (Sect. 46-48.) But according to this general plan, this must be its proper place. And that there was a passover about this time, he argues from the story of the disciples rubbing out the ears of corn, which is related as in this place (Mat. xii. 1-8. Mark ii. 23, to the end. Luke vi. 1-5. sect. 49.) Soon after which, happened the cure of the withered hand, (Mat. xii. 9-15. Mark iii. 1-7. Luke vi. 6-11. sect. 50.) and a variety of other miracles; (Mat. xii. 15-21.

Mark iii. 7-12, sect 51.) with that of the dispossession imputed to a confederacy with Beelzebub. (Mat. xii. 22, to the end. Mark iii. 22, to the end. Luke xi. 14-36. sect 61-64.) Here Sir Isaac places the parables delivered at the sea side, as he supposes about seed-time, or the feast of tabernacles, (Mat. xiii. 1-52. Mark iv. 1-34. Luke viii. 4-18. sect. 65-68.) his renewed visit to Nazareth, (Mat. xiii. 53, to the end. Mark vi. )—6. sect. 73.-) and the return of the twelve, after having spent, as he supposes, a year in their embassy. (Mark vi. 39, 31. Luke ix. 10. sect. 78.-)

About this time our author places the beheading of John the Baptist, after he had been in prison two years and a quarter: (Mat. xiv. 1-12. Mark vi. 14-29. Luke ix. 7-9. sect. 77.) After which those multitudes resorted to Christ, whom he fed with the five loaves, (Mat. xiv. 13-23. Mark vi. 30-46. Luke ix. 10-17. John vi. 1—15. sect. 78.) and to whom, after having crossed the Lake, (Mat. xiv. 24, to the end. Mark vi. 47, to the end. John vi. 16-21. sect. 79.) he discourses concerning the bread of life. (John vi. 21, to the end, sect. 80-→ 82.) As we are expressly told, John vi. 4. that when this miracle was wrought the passover was near, Sir Isaac concludes this to be the FOURTH PASSOVER after our Lord's baptism, A. D. 33. and argues from John vii. 1, that Christ did not cele brate it at Jerusalem.

Quickly after this, followed the dispute with the scribes who came from Jerusalem: (Mat. xv. 1-20. Mark vii. 1--23. sect. 83, 84.) After which our Lord departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon; and after having dispossessed the daughter of a Syrophænician woman, (Mat. xv. 21-28. Mark vii. 24, to the end, sect. 85.) he returned to the sea of Galilee, where he fed the four thousand; (Mat. xv. 29, to the end. Mark viii. 1— 10. sect. 86) and after having replied to the unreasonable demand the pharisees made of a sign from heaven, and cautioned his disciples against the leaven of their false doctrine, (Mat. xvi. 1-12. Mark viii. 11-26. sect. 87.) he came to Cæsarea Philippi; and having by the way acknowledged himself to be the Messiah, he was afterwards transfigured, and ejected an obstinate dæmon. (Mat. xvi. 13, to the end, xvii. 1-21. Mark viii. 27, to the end, ix. 1-29. Luke ix. 18-43. sect. 88-91.) He then came to Capernaum, and made provision by a miracle to pay the tribute; (Mat. xvii. 24, to the end, sect. 92.) and there, or in the neighbourhood of it, discoursed of humility, forgiveness, &c. (Mat xviii. 1, to the end. Mark ix. 33, to the end. (Luke ix. 46-48. sect. 93-95.)

Our author takes no notice of the mission of the seventy, and their return; (Luke x. 1-24, sect. 97, 106.) but he would probably have placed it here, previous to that which he supposes to be Christ's last departure from Galilee, (Mat. xix. 1, 2. Mark x. 1. sect. 135.-) when he went up to the feast of tabernacles. (John vii, viii. sect. 98-105.) Neither does he take notice of the visit to Bethany; (Luke x. 38, to the end, sect. 108.) nor of the date of any of those discourses which are recorded by Luke, (from chap. xi. 1. to chap. xviii. 14. sect. 109-129. except where any passages happen to be parallel to those in Matthew, to which he hints they are to be reduced. He then introduces our Lord's visit to Jerusalem, and the cure of the blind man at the feast of dedication; (John ix, x. sect. 130-134.) after which Christ retired beyond Jordan, (John x. 40.) where he treats of divorce, (Mat. xix. 3—12. Mark x. 2-12. sect.—135.) blesses the little children, (Mat. xix. 13—15, Mark x. 13-16. Luke xviii. 15-17. sect. 136.) answers, and remarks upon the young ruler. (Mat. xix. 16, to the end. xx. 1-16. Mark x. 17-31. Luke xviii. 18-30. sect. 137, 138.) After which, on the death of Lazarus, he returns to Bethany, and raises him from the dead; (John xi. 1-46. sect. 139, 140.) and then withdraws to Ephraim, till the approach of the FIFTH PASSOVER after his baptism, which was the last of his life: The particulars of which are related at large by the evangelists, and with the subsequent circumstances of his death, resurrection, appearances, and ascension, make up the rest of this important history: But the contents need not be inserted here, as, for any thing that appears, there is no material difference between a harmony formed on Sir Isaac's principles, or on ours.

I have taken the trouble of quoting the particular passages in each evangelist, as well as of every correspondent section in the Family Expositor, that it may be easy for any who desires it, to read over the whole Paraphrase according to this new scheme; and also to see, how it transposes the passages in question, and how it differs from what I judge to be the most exact method of disposition. And the attentive reader will easily see, that there is a difference in the order of several of the stories, and a much greater in the dates we have respectively assigned to several which are placed in the same order by both.

A repetition of all the particulars would perhaps be disa greeable. I shall therefore content myself here with observing in general, that Sir Isaac constantly follows the order of Matthew, whatever transpositions of Mark and Luke it may require; which we do not: And he also concludes, there were FIVE

PASSOVERS from the baptism to the death of Christ, whereas we, with the generality of harmonizers, suppose there were but FOUR. I have in my notes hinted at some considerations which determined me to the method I have taken: But it will be expected, I should here at least touch upon them again, and give a view of them together; which I the rather do, as they strongly illustrate each other.

The grand reason, why I do not every where follow the order of Matthew, is in one word this: That both Mark and Luke do not only in several instances agree to place the stories otherwise, though we have not the least reason to think, that one wrote from the other; but also, that they do, one or another of them, expressly assert, "that the events in question actually happened in a different order from that in which Matthew relates them" Whereas it is observable, that in all such cases Matthew does not so expressly assert his order, as to contradict theirs. A few instances of this may be expedient; and a few shall suffice.

Thus, though Matthew relates the cure of Peter's mother. in-law, (sect. 35.) in his viiith chap. ver. 14, 15. after the sermon on the mount, and according to Sir Isaac some months after the call of Peter, Andrew, James, and John, which he had related, chap. iv. 18-22. Mark says, this cure was immediately after they came out of the synagogue, into which they entered straightway after the call of those disciples. Mark i. 20,

21, 29.

Again, though Matthew gives us the story of Christ's calming the sea, dispossessing legion, and curing the paralytic, in the latter part of his viiith and beginning of his ixth chap. and does not relate the parables of the sower, tares, &c. delivered from the ship, till the xiiith; and places so many facts between, that Sir Isaac concludes the miracles to have been wrought in winter, some time before the passover A. D. 32. and the parables not to have been delivered till about the feast of tabernacles, almost a year after; Mark is very punctual in assuring us, (chap. iv. 35, and seq.) that, in the evening of the same day in which the parables were delivered from the ship, Jesus calmed the sea, and dispossessed legion: For which reason I have followed him, and placed these miracles immediately after the parables: (sect. 69, 70.) But have set that of the paralytic much higher, (sect. 45.) as both Luke and Mark connect it strongly with the cure of the leper, which Sir Isaac allows to have happened immediately after the sermon on the mount.

Matthew relates the message of John, and those subsequent