LETTER CXXXVII*.

From Bp. POTTERT.

Cuddefden, July 25, 1722

I

MY LORD,

HAVE received the favour of your letter left for me with Dr. Clavering ||; and when Mr. Atterbury § returns to the College, it will be a particular fatisfaction to me to have it in my power to be any way ferviceable to him.

As to the conclufion of St. Mark's Gospel, your Lordship gives very good reasons why we ought not to have a thought of laying it afide and I readily agree with your Lordfhip, that walax, in the last verse, hath a relation to πάνα τὰ ἔθια and πάσῃ τῇ κλίσει, in

Indorfed by Bp. Atterbury, "Bp. of Oxford's letter, June 25, 1722."

Then Bp. of Oxford, afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury.

It should be "June," as indorfed by Bp. Atterbury.

Afterwards Bp. of Peterborough.

The Bishop's fon. Bp. Potter was then Profeffor of Divinity, and Canon of Chrift-Church.

our Lord's commiffion to the Apostles; and farther, that it implies the execution of that commiffion, at leaft in part; but I fubmit it nevertheless to your better judgement, whether any thing more be implied in the last words of St. Mark, than that, foon after our Lord's Afcenfion, the Apostles went forth and preached, not as formerly to the Jewish towns only (fee Matthew x. 5.) but every where, walaxe, that is, in the towns of Jews and Gentiles indifcriminately. There feems to me to be very good ground for this interpretation; but, fince I find Maldonat* is of the fame opinion, I shall rather refer your Lordfhip to his comment on this paffage, than trouble you with my own reafons. And, left your Lordship should not have this book at Bromley, where I perceive you now are, I have here inclofed a tranfcript of his words fo far as they relate to this matter. If this

be

* A celebrated Spanish Divine, who wrote a Commentary on the Gofpels, &c. and died at Rome in 1583.

Marc. xiv. 20. Prædicaverunt ubique.] Id "eft, non folum inter Judæos, fed etiam inter Gentiles, ubicunque potuerunt, nullâ jam ullius "loci, ullius nationis, habitâ ratione; vide fupra, verfu 15.

Cc 2

* Ver.

be the true fenfe of St. Mark's words, as I am in hopes your Lordship will think it

to

"Ver. 15. Euntes in mundum univerfum.] Sunt "qui exiftimant miflos effe Apoftolos à Chrifto "univerfum terrarum orbem peragrare; quod mi"nimè mihi videtur cffe probabile. Sciebat enim "Chriftus id eos facere non poffe, & non eft credendum, quod facere non poterant, illis præcepifle; deinde quod hic præcipitur, non folum cunctis, fed fingulis etiam Apoftolis præceptum eft; fingulos autem totum terrarum orbem per"agrare non potuiffe, opinor, nemo dubitabit. "Docuit ctiam eventus non ita fuiffe hoc præcep"tum intelligendum, ut aut finguli, aut fimul "cuncti, univerfum terrarum orbem obirent, neque "enim id re ipfà præftiterunt, cum non folum "Origenes tractatu in Matthæum 28, fed D. etiam

t

Auguftinus Epiftolâ So, ne ætate quidem fuâ, id "eft quadringentis poft Chriftum annis, non dico ab "Apoftolis, fed ne ab ullo quidem Chriftiano doc"tore ex tam multis Apoftolorum fuccefforibus,

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multis in locis Evangelium prædicatum fuiffe do. "ceant. Quod noftrâ memoria experientia comper"tum eft, multis longâ & inufitatâ navigatione pate, "factis terris, in quibus nulla notitia, nulla memoria, erat Evangelii: itaque quod ad Romanos "x. 18. fcribit D. Paulus, fed dico nunquid non "audierunt? Et quidem in omnem terram exivit fonus eorum, & in fines orbis terræ verba eorum, per hyperbolen de his tantum gentibus de qui"bus Apoftolus loquebatur, id eft, de Afianis &. Europæis intelligendum eft. Quod cum ita fit, "dicendum non eft id Chriftum Apoftolis præcepiffe, quod cos non fecifle conftat. Tantum

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to be, then nothing farther can be inferred from them, in relation to your prefent fub

ject,

"ergo voluit Chriftus terminos ad illud ufque tempus legi, Evangelioque præfixos revellere, & "non alios Evangelio, quam orbis terrarum fines ponere. Nam & lex intra Judæam terminabatur. "Notus in Juda â Deus, in Ifrael magnum nomen ejus, "Pfalm. lxxv. 2. & antequam ad prædicandum

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Evangelium Chriftus mififfet Apoftolos, extra "Judæam excedere vetuerat Matthæi x. 5. In "viam gentium ne abieritis, & in civitates Samari"tanorum ne introieritis: Hos nunc removet ter

minos, & exiguis regni Judæorum anguftiis "totius orbis amplitudinem apponit, quafi dicat; "cuntes non jam in Judæam folum, ut prius, fed "in mundum univerfum prædicate. Rupta enim eft

jam per mortem & refurrectionem meam legis "maceria, quæ intra Judææ fines continebatur "Ephef. ii. 14. experti jam fumus, quantum "apud Judæos proficiamus; auferatur igitur ab "illis regnum Dei, & detur gentibus facientibus "fructum ejus. Matthæi xxi. 43. Ergo hæc "verba etfi affirmatione conftent, non tam per "affirmationem, quam per negationem intelligenda funt; quafi dicat Chriftus, Ite quocunque vo "lueritis, quocunque potueritis, ut Evangelium longè latéque diffundatis nullos jam vobis loco"rum fines præfcribo.

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"Prædicate Evangelium omni creatura]. Krisis, "creatura, pro generatione, aut gente, pofita vide"tur. Nam quod Marcus dicit, Prædicate Evangelium omni creaturæ, Matthæus xxviii. 19. "dicit, Docete cmnes gentes. Opponit ergo omnem

ject, than that this Gospel was not finished till after Cornelius was converted, and a good part of the Apoftles had for fome time left Jerufalem; which probably will not interfere with any hypothefis your Lordship hath formed concerning this matter.

I must confefs, that I could never come to any refolution with myself concerning the perfon meant by St. Paul, 2 Cor. viii. 18. There feem to be very probable reasons to underftand it either of St. Luke, or Silas: but which of these two ought to have the ference, I dare not determine. Eftius, who comments very well on this paffage, inclines to Silas, and his arguments are not contemptible; but those against Luke seem not to be demonftrative. Such of the Ancients as

pre

"crcaturam, id eft, omnes gentes, uni Judæorum "genti, alludens ad id, quod dixerat Matthæi x. 5. "In viam gentium ne abieritis, quafi edictum illud "refeindat."

To the above tranfcript Bp. Atterbury has added: "It is obfervable that even when the "first commiffion was given to the Difciples "(Matth. x 5.) with the limitation there ex-' "preffed, to which Maldonat here refers; yet "St. Luke, in his account of their execution of « it, fays, Εξερχόμενοι διήρχοντο κατὰ τὰς κώμας, των Γλιζόμενοι και θεραπεύοις παλαχε, Luke ix. 6

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are