The citations out of this Gofpel in the works of Tertullian, Origen, Cyril, Cyprian, Ambrofe, Auftin, Jerome, &c. are so very numerous, and so easy to be observed every where in their writings, that I fhall omit making any collections out of them. Thefe, as the preceding Fathers, appeal always to this Gofpel as Scripture; and no wonder they should, when they were affured it was, as Eufebius calls it, sóπveusor Bibxíov, an infpired book. Hift. Eccl. lib. 3. c. 4.

Arg. III. The Gospel of St. Luke is Canonical, because it was read as Scripture in the churches or affemblies of the primitive Chriftians, by Prop. VI. For the proof of the fact I must refer the reader to Part I. Ch. X. of this work, and what I have above faid, Ch. III. in this Part, concerning the reading of St. Matthew's Gospel.

Arg. IV. St. Luke's Gofpel is Canonical, because it was efteemed as fuch by the Churches of Syria in or near the Apostles' time; and accordingly by them in those days translated, and inferted in their collection of facred books, Prop. XV.

Thus much concerning the Canonical authority of this Gofpel; nor have I any farther to add, but that as Marcion and his heretical followers had a different Gospel of St. Luke, from that which we now receive, fo these differences were all owing to the impudence of Marcion, who inferted and left out what he thought convenient to serve his own purposes; which has largely been proved by Irenæus, Tertullian, and Epi

12.

a Adverf. Hæref. lib. 3. c. 11,

Adv. Marcion. lib. 4. c. 3, &c. phanius,

phanius, to whom I muft refer the reader; and among later writers to Sixtus Senenfis, Father Simon, Du Pin, and Dr. Mille.

CHA P. XIII.

A Collection of all that is faid of St. John in the New Testament. The Hiftory of his Life from the Antients. He fettled in Afia Minor. Suffered under Domitian. Was banifhed to Patmos. Returned to Ephefus. A ftory of him and Cerinthus. Another of him and a young Man. He raised the dead, &c. When and how he died. Joh. xxi. 21. mifunderstood by many of the Antients, who imagined thence, that he never died.

'OR the clearer establishment of the Canonical authority of this Gospel, it will be requifite that here, as in the former Gospels, I fhould firft give fome account of the author, and then of his work.

Concerning the author we have some accounts in Scripture, and some which are credible in the primitive Christian writings. Each fhall be distinctly confidered.

I. The accounts which we have of St. John the Evangelist in the writings of the New Teftament, are as follow; viz. 1. His father's name was Zebedee, a fisherman by trade, and his mother's Salome f.

2. He was born in Galilee, as is probable, because there Christ found him, and called him with his brother James. 3. He was conftituted one of Chrift's first Apoftles, and sent out with the Twelve h.

4. He feems to have been of a very warm and zealous temper. This I gather; (1.) Because he is intitled by Chrift, with his brother James, Boanerges ", i. e. Son of Thunder. (2.) Because he was for forbidding a certain perfon any more to caft out Devils in Chrift's name, because HE did not follow them. (3.) Because he with his brother James defired to call down fire (i. e. thunder or lightning) from heaven, to confume the Samaritans . (4.) Because after Christ's afcenfion, we find John with Peter was the chief Speaker and a&or in the defence and propagation of the Gospel at Jerusalem3.

5. He received feveral particular inftances and marks of our Saviour's favour, above most or all the Apostles. Hence he has often the character given him of that Difciple whom Jefus loved; and particular evidences hereof feem to be, (1.) That he was admitted with Peter and James to be prefent at our Saviour's transfiguration. (2.) That he was fent with Peter to prepare the last paffover for our Saviour. (3.) He was

placed in the most honourable feat at the fupper; he leaned on Jefus's bofom, or lay on his breaft ; i. e. he fat in the next place to Chrift; and as it was the cuftom of thofe countries then, to lie along on couches at meals, his head lay in the bofom of Chrift, who fat before him; (4.) When Peter durft not himself, he defired John to ask Chrift, who fhould betray him; which he did, and received an answer, (5.) He alone, with his brother James and Peter, was admitted to the favour of our Lord's difcourfe and devotion in the Mount of Olivesk. (6.) Christ upon the Crofs appointed him the guardian of his mother, the Virgin Mary, giving her inftructions to own him as a fon, and him to own her as a mother: John accordingly took her to his home. (7.) He was first favoured by Chrift with the difcovery of himself to him, at the fea of Tiberias,

after his refurrection 2. (8.) The answer which Chrift gave to Peter, relating to John, seems not a little to his honour, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?

Befides the above-mentioned, we have the following particulars concerning him; as (1.) That he with his brother James petitioned Christ to be advanced to high pofts in his (temporal) kingdom: and though Matthew fays, their mother presented the petition for them "; yet feeing Mark so pofitively afferts their prefenting it themselves, and both Matthew and Mark agree, that our Saviour directed his answer to the fons, and not the mother, there can be no room to doubt but they were concerned therein. (2.) He was known to the High-Priest, attended our Saviour's trial, and procured introduction for Peter into the hall. Though John be not named there, yet being spoke of as ufual in the third person, and it being certain that he afterwards attended Christ at his crucifixion, which we do not know that any other Apostle did, it is more than probable he was the perfon there intended. (3.) He ran with Peter to Chrift's fepulchre, on the first account of his refurrection. (4.) After Chrift's afcenfion he preached with Peter in the Temple, and healed the lame man, preached to the people h, was apprehended of the Sadducees, imprifoned, and boldly pleaded in defence of Christianity *. (5.) He was the deputy of the Apoftles with Peter to go to Samaria, to confirm and enlarge the churches which were planted there'. And befides this I find nothing related concerning him in the New Teftament, except his being the author of three Epiftles and the Revelation; of which in their proper places. There are indeed two other places of the Gofpel, in which John is fuppofed to be the perfon referred to, viz. that, John i. 35-40. where mention is made of two of John the Baptift's Difciples who went to

Chrift; the one is faid to be Andrew, the other not named is supposed to be John our Evangelist, because he particularly relates all the circumstances of the hiftory, and conceals his own name ; but this is by no means a fufficient reason, especially confidering that John feems not to have known Christ till he was called, Matt. iv. 21. The other place is that, Mark xiv. 51, 52. where we read of a young man that followed Chrift, when he was apprehended, having a linen cloth caft about his naked body, which he left in the hands of those who laid hold on him; this is supposed to be John by several of the antients, Chrysostom, Ambrose, and Gregory », and Dr. Cave among the moderns ; but as there is no evidence offered to support the conjecture, it cannot be unfair to reject it.

II. The accounts which we have from the antients concerning St. John, are large. I fhall lay down what seems most

remarkable.

It is generally agreed by the antients, that when the Apoftles determined to go abroad to propagate the Gospel, St. John had Afia Minor for his province. This is attested by Polycrates, Irenæus, Eufebius, Dorotheus %, and many others. I fhall only observe, that in the Life of this Apoftle", under the name of Prochorus (who was one of the feven deacons appointed by the Apostles, Acts vi. 5.), it is said, that all the Apoftles met at Gethsemane after Chrift's afcenfion, and having their several provinces determined by lot, Afia fell to John; which, though he received at firft with concern, he afterwards complied with. It is however very probable, that