throughout the Acts, relating to particulars not mentioned (though deferving to be mentioned) in his Gofpel; of which I remember I gave your Lordship one remarkable instance*, in that faying of Chrift which St. Luke has recorded, Acts xx. from a speech of St. Paul, at which he appears to have been present, about five years before the hiftory of the Acts ends; which faying (a very remarkable one) I cannot doubt but St. Luke would have inferted into his Gofpel, had he published it after the time of that fpeech, and have told us perhaps the occafion upon which it was uttered by our Lord.

You add, that" it can hardly be thought "that our Lord's appearance to more than 66 500 brethren at once was unknown either "to St. Matthew or St. John, or indeed St. "Mark; who nevertheless have not thought "fit to mention it ;" and you infer from thence, that though St. Luke alfo might have known it from St. Paul's Epiftle, yet he might, as the others did, omit to record it.

My Lord, as to St. Matthew, I can, I own, give myself no fatisfactory account of his omiffions either in this cafe or in another

(perhaps of more confequence), the afcenfion
of our Lord, concerning which he is totally
filent but I firmly believe, that the Holy
Spirit moved other Evangelifts to write, in
order to fupply his omiffions, and farther to
explain and illuftrate feveral paffages in the
story of our Lord. That this was St. Mark's
defign, will
appear to any one that carefully
compares his Gospel with that of St. Matthew,
step by step, in an harmony; he will find
that he does little more than regulate the
crder of St. Matthew's relations, and epito-
mize them, in order to add fomewhat new
on thofe heads wherein he otherwise agrees
with him. His intention, I fay, was to
fupply, as briefly as he could, what he
thought wanting either to be cleared in St.
Matthew, or added to him; but not to write
an entire Gospel himself, without any refe-
rence to what had been written before him.
He has therefore added, in a concife manner,
fome new proofs of the refurrection, as they
fell in with his defign, and as he had them
from the relation of St. Peter (who perhaps
was not prefent at this appearance of our
Lord to the 500 brethren); and, having fo
done,

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done, his end in writing his Gospel was fufficiently answered; though he did not collect every thing that was poffible to be (or hath fince actually been) further added to the history. But St. Luke's profeffed design was to write as complete an account as he could of our Saviour's ftory; πληρέςατον εὐαγγέλιον, as Epiphanius fomewhere calls that of the

,; and as he traced it as high as he could, and prefaced it with many particulars not *

*This letter, here printed from the Bishop's own hand-writing, ends imperfectly; and perhaps was never finifhed,

LET

LETTER CXLIV *

To the Right Honourable JOHN Lord CUTTS,

Baron of GoURAN.

MY LORD,

A

T your command I preached this difcourfe; but upon fo fhort a warning, that nothing less than your repeated command

* This dedicatory Epiftle was prefixed to the Funeral Sermon of Lady Elizabeth Cutts, as originally printed in 4to, 1698; and again, in a fecond edition, the fame year; but was omitted when the Bishop's Sermons were collected into volumes. The whole character of this amiable young Peerefs (for fhe died at the age of 18 years and as many days) is worth recommending to the reader's notice. "As her life was fhort," fays the preacher, "fo her death was fudden; fhe was called away in hafte, and without any warning. One day fhe drooped, and the next he died; nor was there many hours diftance between her being very eafy in this world, and very happy in another. However, though fhe was feized thus fuddenly by death, yet was the not furprized; for he was ever in preparation for it; her loins girt (as the Scripture fpeaks), and her lamp ready trimmed, and burning. The moment almoft that fhe was taken ill, fhe was juft rifen from her knees, and had made an end of her morning devotions. And to fuch an one a fudden death

mand could have excufed me for publishing it. The fubject of it is death; a'thing which you, my Lord, have very familiarly converfed with, and feen in all its fhapes; but never, I believe, found it so terrible as in the face of my Lady.

All that were about you were witneffes with how fenfible a concern you bore the lofs of her and indeed it was fuch a lofs, as even all your courage was little enough to bear. I I pray God it may turn to account to your Lordship another way; and may [furnish you with fuch reflections, and in

death could be no misfortune. She stayed no longer after he was called, than to affure her Lord of her entire refignation to the divine will; and of her having no manner of uneafinefs upon her mind; and to take her leave of him, with all the expreffions of tenderness. When this was over, The had nothing more to do with her fenfes, and therefore funk immediately under her illnefs, and, after a fhort unquiet flumber, flept in peace."

*Two other Sermons were published on the fame occafion; one by John Provofte, M. A. with an account of her moft pious life and lamented death, and a dedication to Lord Cutts; the other, preached at Kenfington Church, Dec. 5, 1697, by W. Wigan, M A. Vicar of Kenfington, and Chaplain to the King.-Atterbury was at this time alfo one of the King's Chaplains.

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fpire