of St. Matthew and St. John: but, ifa third and a fourth historian appear, professing to derive their intelligence, not from the evidence of their own senses, but from the relation of others who had seen what they described, the narratives are immediately brought to a comparison with each other, an examination is instituted, the object of which is to ascertain whether the additional testimony is either in spirit or in word contradictory to the first. If the most perfect congruity both in matter and form is found to exist, then not only is the certainty of the facts related strengthened, (if certainty can admit of degrees,) but a general proof is afforded of the reverential care with which the reports of the matters in question were circulated among the original depositaries. It would be erroneous to suppose that St. Luke derived his intelligence only from the other writers of our Saviour's life. He was the author of the Acts of the Apostles, and the constant companion and fellow-traveller of the chief actor in them, the great Apostle to the Gentiles: with St. Paul also he was at Jerusalem, and must have conversed with

St. Peter and St. James, as well as with St. John, a rare felicity for one of a Gentile family, as will be hereafter shown to have been the case with respect to this Evangelist. These, no doubt, are the eye-witnesses of whom he speaks: and is it possible that a narrative composed from communications so various (authentic, no doubt, all of them, but still various and oral) should have been found to coincide so exactly with the other published histories of our Saviour's life, if the subject-matter had been merely conventional among the first writers and contrivers? The positive occurrence of those facts upon which our faith is built is, I say, rendered yet more sure by the circumstances under which St. Luke wrote his Gospel. Besides, had this Evangelist himself no interest in knowing the certainty of those things wherein he had been instructed before he communicated the instruction to others? We We may look back to him and to St. Mark as our representatives at that important era when Christianity first sprung up and offered itself to human notice, as the representatives of all those who were

hereafter to believe, without themselves seeing, hearing, and handling. Would they not, think ye, examine minutely the various evidence which was presented to them? Would they not compare the narrative, seek for contradictions or incongruities, demand explanations, before they surrendered their minds to conviction? But they had an interest to serve in becoming the ready followers of one who had died a shameful and cruel death, and in propagating his doctrines. They had worldly objects of vast importance, or at least of most seductive pretensions, to gain. Yes; observe the reward in which St. Luke shares, and ask yourselves whether it be one of a nature likely to induce a man to make a ready surrender of his ancient religion, and to become an easy proselyte to the new doctrines. This is the description which the Evangelist of whom I am treating gives of it in his own writing: They shall lay their hands and persecute you, delivering you synagogues, and into prisons. . shall be betrayed both by parents,

66 on you, up to the

66

66

And

ye

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"and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends;

“and some of you shall they cause to be

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put to death, and ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake." What less than conviction founded on evidence from which the human mind saw no means of escaping, what less than the assurance of a transcendent recompense in a world to come, can have drawn a man from the religion of his fathers to embrace a faith pregnant with such temporal suffering? But further, though St. Luke's first belief in Christianity, and his accession to the apostolic body, must have been founded upon the evidence of others, yet would he not long remain in that sacred brotherhood before he would also have the conviction of his own senses, I mean his bodily organs, that the religion which he had embraced was true. And by whomsoever in after times this faith shall be cordially received, and its precepts sedulously practised, by him it will soon be learned, though not as in the case of the Apostles, from the report of his bodily organs, yet from the internal sense of present satis

St. Luke xxi. 12. 16, 17.

faction, and holy hope, that he has done more than follow a cunningly devised fable".

"If any man will do his will, he shall "know of the doctrine whether it be of God"." St. Luke's narrative records the last promise of our Saviour to his disciples, that he would send down the Holy Ghost upon them'; and his eyes must have witnessed its accomplishment in the mighty works which they performed. He had therefore, like the rest of the Apostles, the report of his senses, the evidence of miracles, as guarantees for the truth of the religion which he had embraced: and his conversion may strengthen our faith.

The other incidents of this eminent person's life shall be briefly summed up. He is related by the early writers of ecclesiastical history to have been a Syrian by birth, of the city of Antioch, the capital, a city interesting to Christians, as the place in which we first obtained our name, and

d 2 Pet. i. 16.

f St. Luke xxiv. 49.

G

e St. John vii. 17.

Acts xi. 27.