* remained until this day : but I say unto you, 'that it shall be more tolerable for the land of 'Sodom, in the day of judgment, than for

' thee.'

Luke proceeds to the election of Peter, James, and John; who, in this account, appear to have been influenced by a miracle which above all others, seems best calculated for the purpose. As Jesus stood by the lake of Gennezareth, the people crouded round him to hear the word of God; he entered Simon's ship, and defired he would put off a little from the land: in this fituation, having taught the people; he defired Simon to launch into the deep and let down the net; Simon replied, that they had toiled all night, and taken nothing, but at his request they would make another attempt: in doing this, they inclosed so many fish that the net gave way. Upon this Simon called to his partners, James and John, who were in another ship, for their afsistance: thus united, they so filled both the ships, that they began to fink, Simon was so alarmed at those circumstances, that he fell on his knees before Jesus, and exclaimed - Depart 'from me, for I am a finful man, O Lord.' To which Jesus replied-' Fear not; from hence' forth thou shalt catch men. And when they ' had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.' Nothing is faid about Andrew; but I apprehend he was with them. This

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This account of Luke's differs confiderably from that of Matthew and of Mark.

We will next examine John's, which differs from them all, with respect to this election. Ch. i. v. 35.-' Again the next day after, John ' (the Baptift) stood, and two of his disciples : ' and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he faith, 'Behold the Lamb of God. And the two dif'ciples heard him speak, and they followed 'Jesus.' He turning asked whom they fought? They say-Master, where dwellest thou ? He replied-Come and fee. They followed and staid with him that night. The next morning one of them, which appears to be Andrew, went in search of his brother Simon Peter, tells him'We have found the Chrift,' and brings him to Jesus; who, upon his approach, says- Thou

art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas' (a ftone). The next day Jesus walkin Galilee, faw Philip, and said to him-' Follow ' me.' (Philip, Andrew, and Peter were inhabitants of Bethfaida). Philip findeth Na

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thaniel, and faith unto him-We have found ' him of whom Mofes in the law, and the pro

phets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the fon of 'Jofeph. And Nathaniel said unto him, Can ' there be any good thing come out of Nazareth* ? • Philip faith unto him-Come and fee. Jesus saw ' Nathaniel coming to him, and faith of him'Behold an Ifraelite indeed, in whom is no guile. 'Nathaniel faith unto him, Whence knowest 'thou me? Jesus answered and faid unto him, 'Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast ' under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathaniel faith 'Rabbi, thou art the Son of God: thou art the 'King of Ifrael.' (This Ifraelite without guile seems also without fufpicion of guile, and of a very easy faith.) Jesus said to him, Because I 'faid unto thee, I saw thee under the fig-tree, believest thou? Thou shalt see greater things 'than these. Adding-Hereafter you shall fee Heaven open, and the angels of God afcending ' and defcending upon the Son of Man.' Though Nathaniel was treated with this distinction, he was not elected one of the twelve, and even what became of him we know not; nor how, when, or where the promise made to him was fulfilled,

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Having examined the four accounts given of this election by the evangelifts, in which John differs very much from Luke, and Luke differs as much from Mark and Matthew: without any profpect of reconciling them we will proceed with John's history, as it relates some things omitted by the others. Ch. ii. v. 1.' And the third day (after the baptifm) there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; and both Jesus and C4 'his

' his disciples were called to the marriage. And ' when they wanted wine, the mother of Jefus ' faith unto him, They have no wine.' (An odd application; and she receives as odd an answer)

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Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine

' hour is not yet come.' She however orders the servants to obey any directions he might give them; and he soon after tells them to fill fix pots, of two or three firkins a-piece, with water; having so done, he orders them to draw off, and bare the water, now become wine, to the governor of the feast. He having tasted it; accused the bridegroom of having acted contrary to the general custom- Every man at the beginning, ' doth set forth good wine: and when men have ' well drunk (which was the cafe with them; or ' their stock was small) then that which is worse: ' but thou hast kept the good wine until now. 'This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of 'Galilee, and manifested forth his glory, and his

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disciples believed on him.' Luke records a miraculous draught of fish to induce Peter, James, and John to become disciples; here John afsigns a tempting inducement for Peter, Andrew, and Philip: wine produced from water. But how happens it, that John, who was so materially concerned in the former, says not a word about it; and that he, who does not appear to have any concern in the latter, is the only one who records it? 'After this he went down to • Capernaum,

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Capernaum, he and his mother, and his bre-Chapter Verfe

thren, and his disciples.' If his brethren were

with him at Capernaum where (Luke tells us) he performed so many miracles, and where fo many devils proclaimed him to be the Christ, the Son of God, &c. what occasioned their unbelief, &c. John, ch. vii. v. 5? They might reasonably distrust the devils; but if they saw the miracles, why urge a repetition of them to enforce a belief? When Jesus was electing his difciples, Mark, ch. iii. v. 21. tells us- When his 'friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on ' him; for they faid, He is beside himself. The next scene John produces, is the cleansing of the temple; but as it does not stand in the order of time recorded by the other three, we will return to Matthew's history.

' And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching iv. ' in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel ' of the kingdom, and healing all manner of fickness, and all manner of disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Sy'ria: and they brought to him all fick people ' that were taken with divers diseases, and torments, and those which were poffefsed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those

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' that had the palfie: and he healed them. And ' there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from

Jerufalem, and from Judea, and from beyond 'Jordan.'

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