had fome paffages which ours has not, and wanted fome that ours has, particularly the genealogy, were only deficient in this laft, I fhould think it more likely to be true. That his writing was at the time, and for the reason, that he was going to leave the Christians at Jerufalem, and go abroad in the world; and that the year when he and moft of the other Apostles did this was about twelve years after the Afcenfion, A. D. 45, is the most current tradition; and is fomething confirmed by the concurrence in time of that command of God to the church of Antioch to fend out Paul and Barnabas on the fame errand.

That there was fome confiderable interval of years between Chrift's paffion and St. Matthew's written account of it appears, I think, from two obfervations that he makes at the time of his writing: that the lying report of Chrift's body being stolen by his difciples, raised at the time of his refurrection, and the name Aceldama of Judas's field, did both of them continue at that time when he wrote. "They do continue," says he, "μéxes rūs nepov." Which is a phrase

: hot

not used but in the cafe of a confiderable fpace of time.

cover.

I am, my Lord, afhamed, as I said, that nothing of more moment has occurred to me on a subject which, by your Lordship's command, I was very defirous, and should have been proud, to improve; but could not find where to fet my foot. What my dull eye could not, your Lordship's eye will difYet as he that is fent on a commiffion of enquiry must return an account of his failures, as well as he must have done of his fuccefs, I have had for fome time a purpose of coming, though empty, and waiting on your Lordship: but have from time to time apprehended, by my fon's account of things, that it must be unfeasonable, during the great grief under which your Lordship laboured for a lofs which you then continually feared, and have fince fuffered *: for which

*The death of his lady, which happened April 26, 1722. See vol. I. pp. 91. 94. Since that volume was printed, I have met with the following fepulchral infcription on this lady, and on a daughter of Bp. Atterbury, who is no where else mentioned. It is, or was, in Weftminster-Abbey, not far from the monument of Dr. John Freind, near the Confiftory-court, and under the long window looking from the Abbey-houfe into the Church.

"ELI

which I humbly befeech Almighty God to grant your Lordship his comfort; being, my Lord, your Lordship's dutiful fon and servant,

WILLIAM WALL.

LETTER CXXXVI.

To Dr. WALL*

Bromley, June 15, 1722.

REV. SIR,

TH

HE letter you fent me about a month ago fhould have been anfwered ere this, if intervening accidents had not prevented. I now thank you for it; and will, when we meet (which I hope may be, as foon as your leifure and convenience will permit), fay fomewhat farther to you on the fubject you have been fo kind to confider at my inftance. At prefent I fhall obferve to you, that it would have been natural to have "ELIZABETH ATTERBURY, wife to FRANCIS Lord

F

Bishop of ROCHESTER: She died the 26th day "of April, 122, aged 56 years. And ELIZABETH "ATTERBURY, daughter to the Bishop and his "Lady, who dying the 29th day of September,

66

1716, aged 17, was buried the 4th of October "following, in the area, two feet from the door "of St. Edward's Chapel; and being removed the "2d of May, 1722, was depofited here."

Indorfed by Bp. Atterbury, "My letter to "Dr. Wall, June 15, 1722."

inter

interpreted that paffage of St. Mark (xvi. 20.) in that restrained fehfe you mention, if it had not tallied for exactly with another in the fame chapter, which hath certainly a more extended meaning: Пopsutéves is TOY κόσμον ἅπανα, κηρύξαζε τὸ εὐαγγέλιον πάσῃ τῇ aliot, fays the isth verfe, and Enpeïa dè wapanionσei, &c. ver. 17. Then comes the execution of this commiffion, and completion of this promife, ver. 20, in words that feem exprefsly to refer to thofe in which they were given: Ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ἐξελθόλες, εκήρυξαν παλαχο, το Κυρίε συνεργενος- διὰ τῶν ἐπακολεθένων σημείων*. You fee how they agree. Πορευθέντες κηρύξαζε | Σημεία παρακολεθήσει

Ἐξελθόντες ἐκήρυξαν. Διὰ τῶν ἐπακολεθέν]ων ση· μείων.

And therefore walay in the latter verfe may feem alfo naturally to refer to noμcv ἅπανα and πάσῃ κίσει, in the former ; and if it does fo, muft fignify more than barely their preaching in Judæa ́ and Samaria. Here lies the difficulty, which I am not willing to get rid of at the expence of allowing part of the laft chapter to have been added to St. Mark after the first edition

*The Bishop has a Sermon on this text in his third volume.

6

of

of it; because this, I think, would furnish unbelievers with more doubts and objections than the fuppofed late date of the Gospels. Nor indeed can I perfuade myself that the Gospel of St. Mark, as it came out of his hands, ever ended with the words pouvo ag; as is fuppofed by all thofe who allow an addition to have been made to it. They are too abrupt to clofe a regular, though brief narration, which opens in foffolemn a manner as this of St. Mark does: 'Agx Tõ εúaysedír, &c. and must therefore have been shut up in a way fuitable to his style in all other parts of his story, however thofe MSS. which St. Hierom, Gregory Nyffen, &c. refer to, came to end the Gofpel there. I am therefore, I own to you, at a lofs in this matter, and cannot, as yet, tell how to extricate myfelf perfectly to my own fatisfaction. And yet I am very clear on thefe heads, and think I can prove them to the fatisfaction of every indifferent mind, viz.

That the Gospels were all written in the fame order in which they are now placed; and indeed no reasonable account can be given of their being placed in this order, but because they were written in it :