ample, with all those accompaniments, of place and circumstance, which are the best calculated to inform the judgment, impress the memory, and affect the heart. It teaches us both how to think and how to act; how to meet the temptations and cavils of the adversary, and pour instruction into the willing ear; how to recognise God in everything, while going about doing good to men; how to sweeten life with the graces of action and of speech; and be at the same time prepared to act with the sternest virtue, and speak with the boldest truthfulness. No education, however expensive, can surpass-none can even at all compare with that which is now available for the poorest of our peasantry.

May God give us wisdom to improve this best of blessings-the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! So shall we be wise for time, and wise for eternity.

In order that these advantages be fully enjoyed, it must, however, be granted that more requires to be done, than has generally been done, in communicating this most desirable knowledge. This lack it is now attempted to supply.

Previous to experience it is difficult to estimate the vast advantages of 'a Harmony of the Four Evangelists,' which presents, in juxta-position, the several inspired narratives of our Lord's Life and Ministry, so as that we can immediately compare them, and, from their various statements combined, obtain a knowledge of the History as a whole; and of all that the Holy Spirit has seen needful, by them, to supply, in order that we might have a full account of the particular sayings and doings of our blessed Exemplar and Redeemer. It is also most needful that we should have herewith a reference to Old Testament facts, types, and prophecies that are referred to in the Gospel Narratives, and to those principles and predictions, that by these are illustrated or confirmed; and that we be pointed forward to those farther developments of doctrine, and of evangelical obedience to the law of God, which are supplied in the Acts, Epistles, and Apocalypse. All this is attempted in the accompanying Harmony.

The Harmony is needed for the whole History, inasmuch as one of the Evangelists may sometimes supply whole sections that are omitted by all the others. This supplemental character is more particularly possessed by John's Gospel. The Harmony is also needful, as shewing how the different Gospels are supplemental to each other, in a more minute degree, where different Evangelists narrate the same fact, or give an account of the same discourse, but do so in different words; or as each presenting a part different from, although harmonious with, the others: so that the whole account requires to be made up of two, three, or four narratives, all beauti

fully blending into each other, thus giving the true testimony of what our Lord did or said upon this particular occasion.

It is also delightful to have at one view the united testimony of the Evangelists, even when there is considerable sameness in their reports.

It may be observed that the several sections are numbered in the order of time; and that these numbers being marked upon Mimpriss's map of our Lord's Life and Ministry, the whole can be traced chronologically and geographically at once. The memory may thus be considerably assisted by both locality and number, as well as that there is, according to this system, a constant exercise of comparison, whereby both the judgment is quickened, and the mind made more tenacious of its hold of Him who is The Way, the Truth, and the Life,' the knowledge of whom we may well prize above all the treasures of this world. It is the treasure which prepares us for the world to come, and our only everlasting possession.

THEOPHILUS.

ERRATUM.

Page 91, Sect. lxxxii., line 8 from bottom, for 'From Bethlehem,' read From Bethphage.

PART FIRST.

1

SECTION I. Lesson 1.)—LUKE i. 1—25. (G. 1.) No. 1. Luke's preface.-Luke i. 1-4. FORASMUCH as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed 2 among us, even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were "eye-witnesses, and ministers of the word; [a Ch. xxiv. 48, § 98; Jno. xv. 27, § 87; Ac. x. 39-41; ii. 3. Ac. xxiii. 26; xxvi. 25; Ps. xvi. 3; Pr. xii. 26.

5

8

it seemed good to me also, having had per- 3 fect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, that thou mightest 4 know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.

1 Pe. v. 1; 2 Pe. i. 16; Ac. i. 3-8; 1 Jno. i. 1-3; Heb. Sig. 'lover of God;' Ac. i. 1; Jno. xiv. 23, .4, § 872

Jerusalem.

(G. 2.) The birth of John the Baptist foretold.—Luke i. 5—23.
There was in the days of a Herod, the
king of Judæa, a certain priest named Za-
charias, of the course of Abia: and his
wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and
6 her name was Elisabeth. And they were
both righteous before God, walking in all
the commandments and ordinances of the
7 Lord blameless. And they had no child,
because that Elisabeth was barren, and
they both were now well stricken in years.
And it came to pass, that while he ex-
ecuted the priest's office before God in the
9 order of his course, according to the cus-
tom of the priest's office, his lot was to
burn incense when he went into the tem-
10 ple of the Lord. And the whole multi-
tude of the people were praying without
11 at the time of incense. And there ap-
peared unto him an angel of the Lord
standing on the right side of the altar of
12 incense. And when Zacharias saw him,
he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said unto him, s Fear not,
Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and
thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son,
14 and thou shalt call his name 'John. And
thou shalt have joy and gladness; and
15 many shall rejoice at his birth. For he
shall be great in the sight of the Lord,
and shall drink kneither wine nor strong
drink;
and he shall be filled with the

Holy Ghost, even from his mother's
womb. And many of the children of 16
Israel shall he turn to the Lord their
God. And he shall go 'before him in the 17
spirit and power of Elias, to "turn the
hearts of the fathers to the children, and
the disobedient to the wisdom of the
just; to make ready a people prepared
for the Lord.

And Zacharias said unto the angel, 18
Whereby shall I know this? for I am an
old man, and my wife well stricken in
years. And the angel answering said 19
unto him, I am "Gabriel, that stand in the
presence of God; and am sent to speak
unto thee, and to shew thee these glad
tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be 20
dumb, and not able to speak, until the
day that these things shall be performed,
because thou believest not my words,
which shall be fulfilled in their season.
And the people waited for Zacharias, and 21
marvelled that he tarried so long in the
temple. And when he came out, he could 22
not speak unto them: and they perceived
that he had seen a vision in the temple:
for he beckoned unto them, and remained
speechless. And it came to pass, that, as 23
soon as the days of his ministration were
accomplished, he departed to his own
house.

b 1 Chr. xxiv. 7, 10, .9.

[a Mat. ii. 1-15, .6, § 5; Lu. xxiii. 7-12, § 90. Noah,' Ge. vi. 9: Rom. iii. 24-.6; 2 Cor. v. 21. d Ex. xxviii. 1. 1 Ki. vi. ; 2 Ki. xxv. 8, 9; Is. xliv. 28; Ezra i. 1-4; Jno. ii. 20, § 12; was destroyed by the Romans under Titus about A.D. 70. Ge. xvi. 7-12; xix. 1; xxviii. 12: Ju. vi. 11-21; He. i. 14; Lu. i. 26-33, § 2; Ac. i. 10, .1, § 98. 8 Ge. xv. 1; Lu. i. 30, § 2. h Ge. xxv. 21; Ja, v. 13-.8. i Lu. i. 63, § 3. k Nu. vi. 2-4; Ju. xiii. 4-7; Mat. iii. 4, §7; xi. 18, § 29. 1 Mal. iii. 1; iv. 5, 6; Jno. i. 19-34, § 10. m 1 Ki. xvii.; xviii. 17-40; Mat. xi. 14, § 29. n Lu. iii. 7-14, §7. 91 Cor. i. 30; Ja. iii. 17, .8. P Da. viii. 16; Lu. i. 26, § 2. 9 Nu. xx. 12; 2 Ki. vii. 1–20; 2 Ti. ii. 13.]

(G. 3.) The conception of John the Baptist.-Luke i. 24, .5. Hill-country of Judæa. 24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth me in the days wherein he looked on me, conceived, and hid herself five months, to take away my reproach among men. 25 saying, Thus hath the Lord dealt with

26

SECTION II.

Lesson 2.)-MATT. i. 18-25; LUKE i. 26-56.

(G. 4.) No. 2. The annunciation to Mary.-Luke i. 26-38. Nazareth.

And in the sixth month the angel Ga- Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin es- 27 briel was sent from God unto a city of poused to a man whose name was Josep.

ever; and of his kingdom there shall be nofend. Then said Mary unto the angel, 34 How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said 35 unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, 36 behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing 37 shall be impossible. And Mary said, Be- 38 hold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

of the house of David; and the virgin's 28 name was a Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: 29 blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with 31 God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt 32 call his name 'JESUS. He shall be dgreat, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him 33 the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ra Sig. bitterness, or my myrrh:' Ex. xv. 23-.6; Mat. i. 18-20, infra; Jno. xix. 26, § 91. Zep. iii. 17; Mat. i. 21, .5; Lu. ii. 11, 21, § 4; Ga. i. 4. d Mat. i. 21, infra; Is. ix. 6,7; i. 17, § 8; Mk. i. 24, § 17; v. 7, § 35. é Is. ix. 7; Jer. iii. 17; confirm., Mat. xix. 28, § 75. Da. ii. 44; vii. 13, .4; Rev. xi. 15. B Ps. ii.; Mat. iii. 17, §8; xvii. 5, § 51; Lu. xxii. 70, § 89; Jno. i. 49, 10; iii. 16, .7, § 12; v. 25, § 23; ix. 35-.7, § 55; x. 36, § 56; xix. 7, § 90; see Mk. i. 1, § 7. Job xlii. 2; Da. iv. 35; Jer. xxxii. 17-27; Mat. xix. 26, § 75.]

39

41

b Is. vii. 14. xii. 6; Mat. f Is. ix. 7; h Ge. xviii. 14;

(G. 5.) Mary visits Elisabeth.-Luke i. 39-55. Hill-country of Judæa. And Mary arose in those days, and went into the "hill country with haste, into 40 a city of Juda; and entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth 42 was filled with the Holy Ghost: and she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and 43 blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of 44 my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb 45 for joy. And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. 46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify

b

the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in 47
God my Saviour. For he hath regarded 48
the low estate of his handmaiden: for, be-
hold, from henceforth all generations shall
call me blessed. For he that is mighty 49
hath done to me great things; and "holy is
his name. And his mercy is on them 50
that fear him from generation to genera-
tion. He hath shewed strength with his 51
arm; he hath scattered the proud in the
imagination of their hearts. He hath put 52
down the mighty from their seats, and ex-
alted them of low degree. He hath filled 53
the hungry with good things; and the
rich he hath sent empty away. He hath 54
holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance
of his mercy; (as he spake to our fathers,) 55
to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

e

ra Josh. xxi. 4-19. b1 Sa. ii. 1-10. e Ex. xv. 11; Is. vi. 3; lvii. 15; Lev. xix. 2. dEx. xv. 1-19; Is. li. 9-11; lii. 1, 9, 10. Ps. ii.; Eze. xxxviii. 14-23; xxxix.; Rev. xix. 17-21; Zeph. iii. 8-13; Joel iii. 11-7. Ge. xvii. 1-8; xxii. 16-8'; Is. liv. 1, 9, 10; see on ver. 72, p. 3.]

(G. 6.) Mary returns home.-Matt. i. 18-25; Luke i. 56.
Luke i. 56. And Mary abode with her about
three months, and returned to her own
house.

Matt. i. 18. Now the birth of Jesus Christ
was on this wise: When as his mother
Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they
came together, she was found with child
19 of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her
husband, being a just man, and not wil-
ling to make her a public example, was
20 minded to put her away privily. But
while he thought on these things, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared unto him
in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of
David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy
ra De. xxii. 21, .2. b See Mat. ii. 19, § 5, p. 6.
viii. 21, § 55; 2 Cor. v.:19; 1 Tim. iii. 16; Rev. xxi. 3.]

Nazareth.

wife: for that which is conceived in her is
of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring 21
forth a son, and thou shalt call his name

JESUS: for he shall save his people
from their sins. Now all this was done, 22
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken
of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Be-23
hold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall
bring forth a son, and they shall call his
named Emmanuel, which being interpret-
ed is, God with us. Then Joseph being 24
raised from sleep did as the angel of the
Lord had bidden him, & took unto him his
wife: & knew her not till she had brought 25
forth her first-boru son. (Ch. ii. 1, 2 v. p. 5.)
c See on Lu. i. 31, § 2. d Is. vii. 14; Jno. i. 14, §7;

SECTION III. (Lesson 3.)-LUKE i. 57-80.

(G.7.) No. 3. The birth, &c., of John the Baptist.-Luke i. 57-79. Hill co. of Judæa. Now Elisabeth's full time came that forth a son. And her neighbours and her 58 she should be delivered; and she brought cousins heard how the Lord had shewed

57