in

ing as Apostles, but all Chriftians were as yet the Rank of Difciples; then what is here said to the Disciples, can't fairly be interpreted to be meant of them in their apoftolick, but in their common Chriftian Capacity; and confequently this whole Sermon being addreffed to the Difciples, before any of them were made Apostles, muft be meant of, and applied properly to all Chriftians in general. I foresee what will be answered to this Argument; it is to be gathered from the learned Calvin, and a Multitude of other Commentators, namely, that as to the timing of Things, St. Matthew is not always very exact, and does not pretend to give us them in the fame Order as they were done, as (g) St. Luke doth: And that St. Luke, before he gives us an Account of this Sermon, which begins Luke vi. 20. doth first, viz. at the thirteenth Verfe of that Chapter, give an Account of the Election of the Twelve Apofiles; and therefore that it is moft probable they were elected before this Sermon was preached. This is plaufible enough; but I have two or three Things to reply to it, which will fufficiently invalidate the Force of this Answer. 1. That the whole Force of it depends upon a Suppofition that this Sermon is the fame individual Sermon with that of St. Luke, which it will be a hard Matter for any Man to prove, there being much greater Difficulties to be accounted for by them who make them one and the fame Sermon, than by them who make them two, and preached at different Times. For all the Inconveniency I can perceive in this laft Opinion is, that our Saviour at two feveral Times, and in two feveral Places, and, for ought we know, in the Hearing

(g) Luke i. 3.

of

of two feveral Crowds of Auditors, preached two Sermons very like to each other. And where's the Harm of this Suppofition, that fo neceffary Doctrine, as this was, might be preached by our Saviour at two feveral Times, to two feveral Auditories; nay, if it had been to one and the fame Auditory, to urge the fame important Truths, and to imprint them more firmly upon his Difciples who were prefent at both? We find feveral other Truths which our Saviour urged oftener than once upon his Difciples, not to speak of the Lord's Prayer, which was twice taught, and upon two feveral Occafions, Mat. vi. 9. and Luke xi. 2. I will give you one Instance of a Doctrine which our Saviour preached at least fix or seven feveral Times to his Difciples, with lefs Variation of Expreffion than there is between St. Matthew and St. Luke in their Accounts of this Sermon ; it is his foretelling his Death and Sufferings. St. Matthew tells us of this, Mat. xvi. 21. after the Question what the World faid of him, and after he had found that his Difciples believed him to be the Christ. From that Time, fays St. Matthew, began fefus to fhew unto his Difciples, how that he must go unto Jerufalem, and fuffer many Things of the Elders, and Chief Priests and Scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third Day. The fame Doctrine, the fame St. Matthew, Chap. xvii. Ver. 22. tells us, that Jefus preached to his Difciples before they came out of Galilee; and the fame again Chap. xx. Ver. 17. in his last Journey to Jerufalem: We have the fame a fourth Time, two Days before his last Paffover, Mat. xxvi. 2. and a fifth Time, Ver. 12. in Justification of Mary, that poured the precious Ointment

upon

upon him, which he faid was against his Burial; and a fixth Time, at his laft Supper, Ver. 23. and a feventh Time in the Garden, immediately before he was apprehended, Ver. 45. Here then is a Doctrine recorded by one Evangelift exprefly to have been delivered to the fame Difciples feven feveral Times, befides that it was the Subject of the Difcourfe at the Transfiguration, (b) where were prefent three of the fame Difciples. And now fhall any Body wonder if a great Part of this moft ufeful Sermon was preached oftener than once? So that there is no Inconveniency attends this Suppofition, that they are two different Sermons, This, and That in the fixth Chapter of St. Luke. And if they are, the Order of both Evangelifts concerning the Election of the Apostles may be eafily reconciled; for they might be only in the Number of common Difciples, when this Sermon was preached, which is recorded by St. Matthew, and conftituted Apostles a little before that Sermon which St. Luke gives us an Account of in the fixth Chapter of his Gofpel. And if fo, all this Anfwer, concerning the Election of the Apostles, as far as relates to this Sermon, is quite out of Doors. And all that is here faid, must be understood to relate to Difciples at large, that is, to all Chriftians; for by this Suppofition at that Time there were no other. But they who affert that these two are one and the fame Sermon, but once preached, have a great many more Difficulties to account for, namely, for St. Luke's omitting above one Half of it; for St. Luke's faying that his Sermon was preached in the Plain, when St. Matthew's was preached on the Mount; for St. Luke's

(3) Luke ix. 31.

making the healing of the Leper, and the calling of Matthew, prior to his Sermon; whereas St. Matthew makes them both posterior to his, befides divers other more minute Variations. But, Secondly, Suppofe we should grant that these Sermons are both one, but once preached, only more largely rehearsed by St. Matthew, and more compendiously by St. Luke, and that one or other of them, in Matters not material, might neglect the Chronology; I do not fee how this would mend the Matter: For fuppofing the Apostles had been chosen before this Sermon, as St. Luke relates it; it will not follow, that whatever was spoke to them afterwards was fpoke in their apoftolick Capacity, and not as private Chriftians. For if the general Obfervation I made before (which I will now more fully repeat) holds good, that whatever is faid of, or to the Twelve, under the common Compellation of Difciples, (without diftinguishing them either in the Place it felf, or in the Context, or at least in fome parallel Account of fome other Evangelift, either by their proper Names, or by their Number of Twelve, or Eleven after the Death of Judas; fo that it appears plainly what particular Sort of Difciples are defigned) is always to be understood to belong to them in their Chriftian, not their Apoftolick Capacity: If, I fay, this Obfervation holds good, (as I believe it does, for I have examined all those Places in the New Teftament, which are upwards of an hundred, and can't find one Exception) then for all the prior Election of Apoftles, this Sermon being addreffed to our Saviour's Difciples, tho' by that Word are comprehended the Perfons of the Apostles, yet it belongs to them only as VOL. I.

G

Dif

[SERM. Difciples, in their Chriftian, not in their Apoftolick Capacity; and therefore ought to be interpreted as relating to all Chriftians, and not reftrained to the Office of Apoftles of old, or Pastors and Teachers in following Times. Thirdly, To go further ftill upon this granted Suppofition of this and the Sermon in St. Luke being all one, and but once preached, (which is more than any Man can prove) yet there are two Things we may obferve in St. Luke's Account of it, from both which the Limitation of any Part of the Sermon to Apoftles falls to the Ground; and it muft all of it belong to Difciples at large, or Chriftians in general. The firft is, that tho' our Saviour before the Sermon separated the Twelve from the rest of the Difciples, and took them into his own Family; and tho' by way of Diftinction and Anticipation they are called Apoftles, as Judas, wherever he is mentioned in the Gofpels, and in this very Place, by Anticipation and Diftinction, is called or defcribed as the Traitor, long before the Hiftory of his betraying his Mafter; yet really even by St. Luke's Account, they had not their Commiffion of Apostles, nor were they chosen into that Office, but only defigned for it, till a confiderable Time after that Sermon in St. Luke was preached: So that both St. Matthew and St. Luke agree in making their apoftolick Commiffion posterior to the Sermon, or Sermons, we are a fpeaking of. For St. Matthew gives an Account of this Sermon in the fifth, fixth, and seventh Chapters of his Gofpel, then of the firft Commiffion to work Miracles, and to preach, in the Beginning of the tenth Chapter. St. Luke gives an Account of the Sermon Chap. 6. then of the Apoftles Commiffion to work

I

Miracles,