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temptation of Christ, (ver. 9-13.); the calling of Simon and Andrew, James and John, (ver. 14—20.); the casting out of an unclean spirit by Christ, (ver. 21—28.); the healing of Peter's wife's mother, and many sick persons, (ver. 29-34.); the preaching of Christ in Galilee, and the cleansing of a leper, (ver. 35-45.); the cure of the paralytic, calling of Matthew, and vindication of the disciples, (ch. ii.); the healing of the man with the withered hand, and various others, the choice of twelve apostles, and the confutation of the scribes who ascribe Christ's casting out devils to the power of Beelzebub, (ch. iii.); the parables of the sower, the seed sown, and the grain of mustard seed, and the stilling of the tempest, (ch. iv.); the casting out of a legion of devils, healing the woman with an issue, and raising Jairus's daughter, (ch. v.); the sending out of the apostles, various opinions respecting Christ, the beheading of John the Baptist, the miraculous feeding of five thousand by Christ, his walking on the sea, and healing of the sick, (ch. vi.); Christ's vindication of his disciples for eating with unwashen hands, healing of the daughter of the Syro-Phoenician woman, and the man who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, (ch. vii.); the miraculous feeding of four thousand, refusal of a sign, warning of his disciples of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod, giving sight to a blind man, predictions of his own sufferings, &c. (ch. viii.); the transfiguration of Christ, the casting out a deaf and dumb spirit, the foretelling of his death and resurrection, &c. (ch. ix.); the doctrine of Christ concerning divorces, his reception and blessing of young children, instruction of the rich young man, prediction of his sufferings, reproof of the ambition of his disciples, and healing of blind Bartimeus, (ch. x.); Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, cursing of the barren fig tree, expulsion of the traders from the temple, and silencing of the priests and scribes who questioned his authority, (ch. xi.); the parable of the vineyard let out to wicked husbandmen, the answer of Christ to the Pharisees and Herodians respecting giving tribute to Cæsar, to the Sadducees concerning the resurrection, and to a Scribe concerning the first commandment, his question respecting whose son the Messiah was to be, warning against the ostentation and hypocrisy of the scribes, and commendation of a poor widow, who cast two mites into the treasury, (ch. xii.); Christ's prediction of the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem, and the parable of the fig tree, (ch. xiii.); the conspiracy of the chief priests and Judas against Christ, his anointing by a woman, the preparation and celebration of the passover, institution of the Lord's supper, his agony in the garden, apprehension, condemnation by Caiaphas, and denial by Peter, (ch. xiv.); Christ's condemnation by Pilate, mocking by the soldiers, crucifixion between two thieves, death and burial, (ch. xv.); his resurrection from the dead, appearance to Mary Magdalene and the disciples, and ascension into heaven, (ch. xvi.)*

The Gospel of St. LUKE, which consists of twenty-four chapters, has

* Comprehensive Bible, Introduction to Mark.

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been divided by critics into the five following classes or sections: Class I. comprehends the narrative of the birth of Christ, with the preceding, concomitant, and immediately succeeding circumstances, (ch. i. ii. 1—40.) Class II. comprises the particulars relative to our Lord's infancy and youth, (ch. ii. 41-52.) Class III. contains an account of the preaching of John the Baptist, and the baptism of Christ, whose genealogy is annexed, (ch. iii.) Class IV. includes an account of all our Lord's transactions, during the whole three years of his ministry; his temptation, (ch. iv. 1—13.); preaching at Nazareth, (ver. 14—30.); performance of many miracles, and preaching at Capernaum, (ver. 31-44.); calling of Peter, Andrew, James, and John, (ch. v. 1—11.); healing of a leper and paralytic, (ver. 12—26.); calling of Matthew, &c. (ver. 27—39.); justification of the disciples for plucking corn on the Sabbath, and healing of the withered hand, (ch. v. 1—11.); ordination of the twelve apostles, &c. (ver. 12-19.); repetition of the sermon on the mount, (ver. 20—49.); healing of the centurion's servant, and raising of the widow's son at Nain, (ch. vii. 1—17.); reply to the disciples of John the Baptist, and discourse concerning John, (ver. 18—35.); anointing by a woman in the house of Simon, (ver. 36—50.); preaching in Galilee, and parable of the sower, &c. (ch. viii. 1—21.); stilling of the tempest, expelling of a legion of devils, curing of an issue of blood, and raising of Jairus' daughter, (ver. 22-56.); sending forth of the apostles, miraculous feeding of five thousand men, transfiguration, expelling of a demon, and foretelling of his sufferings and death, (ch. ix. 1—50.) Class V. contains an account of our Lord's last journey to Jerusalem, and of every circumstance relative to his passion, death, resurrection, and ascension :—his journey through Samaria, (ch. ix. 51—62.); sending forth of the seventy disciples, and their return, &c. (ch. x. 1—37.); entertainment by Martha and Mary, (ver. 38-42.); teaching of his disciples to pray, reply to the Jews who ascribe his expulsion of demons to Beelzebub, to those who demand a sign, and reproval of the Pharisees, (ch. xi.); exhortation and warning of his disciples, and reproaching of the people for not knowing the signs of the times, (ch. xii.); parable of the fig tree; healing of an infirm woman on the Sabbath; parable of the grain of mustard seed, and of the leaven; his journey to Jerusalem, and lamentation over that impenitent city, (ch. xiii.); healing of a dropsical man on the Sabbath, and parable of the great supper, (ch. xiv.); parable of the lost sheep, lost piece of money, and prodigal son, (ch. xv.); parable of the unjust steward, admonition against avarice, hypocrisy, and reliance on the judgment of men, against divorces; parable of the rich man and Lazarus, (ch. xvi.); duty of not giving offence, the cure of ten lepers, and sudden coming of Christ, (ch. xvii.); the parable of the importunate widow, and of the Pharisee and publican, and encouragement of the people to bring little children to Jesus; foretelling of his death, and cure of a blind man

pounds, triumphal entry into Jerusalem, foretelling of its fate, and teaching in the temple, (ch. xix.); Christ's confutation of the chief priests, scribes, elders, and Sadducees, (ch. xx.); he commends the poor widow, foretells the destruction of the temple, delivers the parable of the fig tree, &c. (ch. xxi.); the rulers conspire against Christ; Judas sells him to them; Jesus eats the passover with his disciples; institutes the Lord's Supper, foretells his being betrayed; abandonment by his disciples, and denial by Peter, and going out to the Mount of Olives, where he is in an agony, he is apprehended, brought to the high priest's house, denied by Peter, and tried before the Sanhedrin, (ch. xxii.); he is delivered to Pilate, sent to Herod, again sent to Pilate, condemned and crucified, (ch. xxiii.); his resurrection, appearances to the disciples, and ascension into heaven, (ch. xxiv.).*

The Gospel of St. JOHN consists of twenty-one chapters; containing an account of the pre-existence, divinity, and creative exertion of the Word of God, the dispenser of light and life, (ch. i. 1—5.); the mission of John the Baptist, and the non-reception of the Word amongst the Jews, (ver. 6-13.); the incarnation and glory of the Word, (ver. 14.); the Baptist's testimony concerning himself and concerning the Messiah, (ver. 15—34.), which induces two of his disciples to follow Jesus, (ver. 25—39.); the calling of Peter, Philip, and Nathanael, (ver. 40-51.); the miracle of turning water into wine at a marriage in Cana, (ch. ii. 1—11.); the driving of the buyers and sellers out of the temple, (ver. 12--17.); the prediction of Christ concerning his death and resurrection, as a proof of his authority, (ver. 18-22.); the adherence of many to him, because of his miracles, to whom he will not trust himself, knowing what is in man,' (ver. 23—25.); the conversation of Christ with Nicodemus, on regeneration, faith, and fortitude in the cause of truth, (ch. iii. 1—21.); the baptizing of the disciples of Christ in Judea; while John baptizes in Enon, (ver. 22-24.); the testimony of John to the superior excellence of the mission, and the personal dignity of Christ, (ver. 25—36.); the conversation of Christ with a Samaritan woman, near Sychar, to whom he avows himself to be the Messiah; and many of the Samaritans believe on him, (ch. iv. 1-42.); the healing of the nobleman's son who was sick at Capernaum, (ver. 43-54.); the curing of a man who had been diseased thirty-eight years, at the pool of Bethesda, whom Jesus orders to carry home his couch on the Sabbath, (ch. v. 1-9.); the altercation of the Jews in consequence, first with the man, and then with our Lord, who defends himself by the example of his Father, and proves his mission by the testimony of John, the miracles he wrought, the declaration of his Father at his baptism, and the Jewish Scriptures, (ver. 10—47.); the feeding of five thousand men with five loaves and two fishes, (ch. vi. 1-15.); the miracle of Christ's walking on the sea to his disciples, (ver. 16-21.); the instructions of Christ to the people who flock about him

* Comprehensive Bible, Introduction to Luke.

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at Capernaum, declaring himself to be the bread of life, prefigured by the manna, at which many are offended and forsake him, (ver. 30—66.); the declaration of Peter, in the name of the twelve, that Jesus is 'the Son of God,' (ver. 67-71.); the teaching of Christ in the temple at the feast of tabernacles, and the attempt of the Jews to take him, (ch. vii.); his dismissal of the woman taken in adultery, the justification of his doctrine, the opposition of the Jews, and his assertion of his diguity, at which the Jews attempt to stone him, which he eludes, (ch. viii.); the cure of a man born blind by Christ, and his declaration of his being the Son of God,' and the design of his coming, (ch. ix.); Christ's representation of himself as the door of the sheepfold, and the good Shepherd, declaring that his works proves his mission, and that he and the Father are one,' at which the Jews attempt to stone him; but he escapes and goes beyond Jordan, where many believe on him, (ch. x.); the raising of Lazarus from the dead by Jesus, in consequence of which many Jews believe, while the Pharisees and rulers hold a council against him, (ch. xi.); the anointing of Christ by Mary at Bethany; his triumphal entry into Jerusalem; prophecy of his death; and warning to the Jews, (ch. xii.); the washing of the feet of his disciples, and prediction of his betrayal by Judas, and denial by Peter, (ch. xiii.); the consolatory discourse of Christ to his disciples and prayer for them, (ch. xiv.-xvii.); his crucifixion, (ch. xviii. xix. 1—37.); his resurrection and appearances to his disciples, (ch. xix. 38-42. xx. xxi.)*.

The ACTS OF THE APOSTLES consists of twenty-eight chapters; containing an account of the ascension of Christ, the death of Judas, and the choice of Matthias in his stead, (ch. i.); the effusion of the Holy Spirit at the feast of Pentecost, and Peter's discourse to the people in consequence, (ch. ii.); the healing of a lame man by Peter and John, and Peter's discourse to the people on the occasion, (ch. iii.); the imprisonment of Peter and John, in consequence of this miracle and teaching, the defence of Peter before the council, and their dismissal, after being threatened, (ch. iv.); the death of Ananias and Sapphira, and various miracles of the Apostles, who, being imprisoned, are delivered by an angel, and being again apprehended, defend themselves before the council, and are beaten and dismissed, (ch. v.); the ordination of seven deacons, and the discourse and martyrdom of St. Stephen, (ch. vi. vii.); the first Jewish persecution, the planting of a church in Samaria, and the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch through the ministry of Philip, (ch. viii.); the conversion, baptism, and first preaching of St. Paul, (ch. ix. 1—31.); the healing of Æneas, and raising of Tabitha, by St. Peter, the conversion of Cornelius and his family, and the defence of Peter for having associated with the Gentiles, (ch. ix. 32—43. x. xi. 1—18.); the diffusion of the Gospel in Phoenice, Cyprus, and Antioch, where the disciples are first called Christians, (ch. xi. 19-30.): the murder of the Apostle James by Herod Agrippa, the mi

raculous deliverance of Peter from prison, and the miserable death of Herod, (ch. xii.); the planting of several churches in Cyprus, Perga in Pamphylia, Antioch in Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, by Paul and Barnabas, and their return to Antioch in Syria, (ch. xiii. xiv.); the decision of the Apostles at Jerusalem respecting circumcision, and keeping the ceremonial law, with their letter to the churches upon the subject, (ch. xv. 1—35.); the departure of Paul from Antioch, and his preaching in various countries, particularly at Philippi, where he is imprisoned, with the subsequent conversion of the jailor, (ch. xv. 36-40. xvi.); the journeys and labours of Paul and his associates at Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens, with his masterly defence before the court of Areopagus, (ch. xvii.); his journey to Corinth, and thence to Antioch, (ch. xviii. 1—22.); his third departure from Antioch, and the consequence of his preaching at Ephesus, (xviii. 23—28. xix.); his labours in Greece and Asia Minor, and his journey to Jerusalem, (ch. xx.); his persecution at Jerusalem, whence he is sent a prisoner to Cæsarea, (ch. xxi.—xxiii. 1—30.); his arrival at Cæsarea, his defence before Felix, appeal to Cæsar, and defence before Agrippa, (ch. xxiii. 31—35. xxiv.-xxvi.); his voyage from Cæsarea, shipwreck on the island of Melita, and arrival at Rome, where he preaches the Gospel, and resides two years, (ch. xxvii. xxviii.)*

In the EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS, after the introduction, in which St. Paul shews his apostolical authority, and the great subject of his ministry, and salutes the Christians at Rome, thanking God on their account, and praying for them, (ch. i. 1—15.); he proceeds to shew the relations and obligations of man to God his Creator, and his apostacy from his worship and service; and proves the universal sinfulness of both Gentiles and Jews, and the utter impossibility of any man's justifying himself before God by his obedience, (ver. 16-32. ch. ii. iii. 1—20.) Having thus brought in the whole world guilty before God, deserving of wrath, and shut up under sin and condemnation, he next states the method of salvation by the mercy of God, through the redemption of his Son, and the way of justification by faith in his blood, and the imputation of his righteousness, as the righteousness of God, which is unto and upon all that believe,' (ch. iii. 21-31. iv.) He then proceeds to shew, that this way of justification is closely connected with sanctification and obedience; states the believer's experience and conflicts; and displays his character, hopes, and privileges; and at length leads our reflections back to the source of all their blessings, in the sovereign love and mercy of God, (ch. v.—xi.) Having thus stated doctrines, and answered objections, and discussed several questions relative to the call of the Gentiles and the rejection of the Jews, he applies the whole discourse by a variety of practical exhortations, precepts, and instructions, enforced by proper motives, (ch. xii.— xv. 1—13.); and having touched upon some particulars suited to the circumstances of those times, he excuses himself for thus writing to the

* Comprehensive Bible, Introd. to the Acts of the Apostles.

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