lection, or were suggested by their
particular design at the time of writing.

This particular design may appear sometimes, but not always, nor often.
Thus I think that the particular design which Saint Matthew had in view
whilst he was writing the history of the resurrection was to attest the
faithful performance of Christ's promise to his disciples to go before
them into Galilee; because he alone, except Mark, who seems to have
taken it from him, has recorded this promise, and he alone has confined
his narrative to that single appearance to the disciples which fulfilled
it. It was the preconcerted, the great and most public manifestation of
our Lord's person. It was the thing which dwelt upon Saint Matthew's
mind, and he adapted his narrative to it. But, that there is nothing in
Saint Matthew's language which negatives other appearances, or which
imports that this his appearance to his disciples in Galilee, in
pursuance of his promise, was his first or only appearance, is made
pretty evident by Saint Mark's Gospel, which uses the same terms
concerning the appearance in Galilee as Saint Matthew uses, yet itself
records two other appearances prior to this: "Go your way, tell his
disciples and Peter, that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall
ye see him as he said unto you" (xvi. 7). We might be apt to infer from
these words, that this was the first time they were to see him; at
least, we might infer it, with as much reason as we draw the inference
from the same words in Matthew: the historian himself did not perceive
that he was leading his readers to any such conclusion; for, in the
twelfth and following verses of this chapter, he informs us of two
appearances, which, by comparing the order of events, are shown to have
been prior to the appearance in Galilee. "He appeared in another form
unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country; and they
went and told it unto the residue, neither believed they them:
afterwards he appeared unto the eleven, as they sat at meat, and
upbraided them with their unbelief, because they believed not them that
had seen him after he was risen."

Probably the same observation, concerning the particular design which
guided the historian, may be of use in comparing many other passages of
the Gospels.

CHAPTER II.

ERRONEOUS OPINIONS IMPUTED TO THE APOSTLES.

A species of candour which is shown towards every other book is
sometimes refused to the Scriptures: a