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giving Sight to the blind Man, by anointing his Eyes with Clay: And, 8, laftly, His raifing Lazarus from the Dead: All which Miracles are omitted by the former Evangelifts, except the 5th and 6th, and these two St. John feems to have recorded, chiefly to introduce a moral Difcourfe, which our Saviour took occafion to make to the People, and whereof the former Evangelifts had taken no notice. And therefore the Silence of the former Evangelifts is not a stronger Objection against the History of Lazarus, than it is against many other Facts, recorded by St. John; or (to fpeak more properly) than it is against his whole Gofpel. His Gospel indeed he wrote in an advanc'd Age, but, m according to the Account of fome, not many Years after the death of Lazarus, at the most, when a whole Generation was alive, who must frequently have feen Lazarus, and been acquainted with the Story of his Refurrection, had it been true, and able to fhame and confute the Hiftorian, had it been falfe.

The Truth is, all the Evangelifts have omitted many things, which the others, one or more of them, have recorded;

Vid. Whitby in John xi. Defence of Scrip. Hift. p. 66.

Why Chrift raifed

corded; even St. John himself o confeffes, that his own Gofpel, though it fupplied the Defects of the former Evangelifts in many refpects, left the Hiftory of Jefus ftill unfinish'd. It was fubmitted indeed to their own Judgement and Discretion, out of the infinite Variety of Miracles, which Jefus wrought, to choose, each of them, fuch, as feem'd to them the most material: And if, upon the whole, the good Providence of God has fo order'd the matter, that there is enough recorded to lay the Foundation of a reafonable Faith, we ought to be contented, and not bufy our felves in enquiring minutely, why this Miracle was recorded, or this Perfon made the Subject of it, rather than another?

P The Defign of a Miracle is, not fo much for the profit of him, on whom it thefe Per- is perform'd, or of his Friends and Refons more lations, who are interested in his Welefpecially. fare, as it is to atteft the divine Miffion of him, who works it, and to give Authority to the Meffage and Doctrine, which he delivers; and, to this purpose, the raising a DAY-LABOURER is as conducive, as raising a PRINCE, and opening the Eyes of a blind Beggar by the Wayfide, as curing a powerful Magiftrate, or a wealthy Merchant.

• John xx. 30.

Jarus

Lardner's Vind. p. 36.

Jarus however, whose Daughter was raised, was, both by Character and Office, a Person of Eminence among the Jews; and, confidering the Perversenefs and Obftinacy of many other Rulers of the Synagogue, this might be a Motive with Jefus to diftinguish him by fo divine a Favour. Lazarus, we know, was his peculiar Friend; and, as his Affection, no doubt, was defervedly placed on him, the fame Reasons, that engag'd his Love, might prevail with him to exprefs it in fo wonderful a manner: And as to the Cafe of the Widow of Nain's Son, this the Scripture has fet off in fuch moving Colours, as deferve a more particular Obfervation. The parting with a beloved Child, is, at any time an Affliction, which, in tender Mothers, ftirs a very fenfible Concern; but when Time and Acquaintance have endear'd their Conversation, when we have not only enjoy'd the Diverfions of their Childhood, but the Promifes of their Youth, and begin to conceive juft Hopes of their Attainments and Profperity, this adds a confiderable Weight to the Blow. But that, which here drove it deeper, is, that this young Man was the only Son of his Mother; no Remnant left behind to mitigate, or to fupply the

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Lofs;

Stanhope's Epift. and Gofp. vol. 3. Luke vii. 12.

Lofs; no Remembrance of her Travail,
but that moft uncomfortable one of
Fears and Pangs undergone to encrease
the Number of the Dead. And
And yet the
moft melancholy Aggravation is still be-
hind, that he was a Widow; a State, of
all others, the moft Friendless and For-
lorn, and, for this Reafon, frequently
mention'd in Scripture, as that, which
God receives into his more immediate
Protection. Such then, being the Con-
dition of this mournful Woman, be-
reav'd of her Husband, bereav'd of
her Son, in the Bloom and Vigour of
Youth, when just at a Condition to re-
pair a Mother's paft Tenderness and
Trouble, by becoming the Stay and
Support of her Age and approaching
Infirmities; it is not at all to be won-
der'd at, if this Complication of Mifery
mov'd Compaffion in the merciful Jefus,
to exert his divine Power, in order to
turn her Sorrow and Lamentation into
Joy.

What became of these several Perfons, Why we have no after they were raised from the dead, Account we have indeed no Account transmitted fubfequent to us; but the Reason hereof is plain, Lives, because the Evangelifts, writing the

of their

History of Chrift only, had occafion to take notice of them fo far as Chrift was

concern'd

! Defence of Script. Hift. p. S.

concern'd with them, but were under no Obligation to enter into their particular Story. To prove the Miracles to be true, the Evangelifts particularly relate the Circumftances of the Perfons death, and particularly alfo the Circumftances of their being raised to Life again; and what more can be expected than this? If we had the minuteft Account of their Affairs afterwards, the Miracle would ftand juft as it does, neither impair'd nor confirm'd by the History: But then, to expect that the Gospel, which was intended to inftruct the World in Religion, fhould be fill'd with Mens private Adventures, or that the Evangelifts fhould be oblig'd to write every Perfon's Life, on whom Chrift wrought a Cure, is a thing highly abfurd and unreasonable. If however, we may be allow'd to conjecture, it feems not improbable, from the speedy Progress of the Gospel, that many of these Persons, by modeft and humble Acknowledgments of the Benefits they had receiv'd, by fatisfying the Inquifitive, and convincing the Doubtful, might, according to their Stations, help forward the Work of the Apostles, and others engaged in fpreading the Doctrine of Christ.

t

Whether

Lardner's Vind. p. 30.

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