and SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST, and his APOSTLES, &C. 303 his office, and called him to follow him. The man was rich, had a large and pro- fitable employment, was a wife and pru- dent perfon, and doubtlefs underllood what it would coil him to comply with the call of Jesus : he was not ignorant that he mat exchange wealth for poverty, a cuf- tom-houle for a prifon, rich and power- ful mailers, for a naked and defpifed Savi- our : but he overlooked all thefe confedera- tions, left all his intereft and relations, to become our Lord's difciple, and to embrace a more fpiritual wayof commerce and traf-. fick, which might bring glory to God, and peace ofconfcience to himfelf. It is not likely that he was before wholly unacquainted with our Saviour's perfon or doarine, efpecially as herefided at Caper - naum, where our Lord fo often preached, and wrought his miracles ; fo that he muff, in fome meafure, be prepared to receive the impreffions which our Saviour's call made upon him: and to Phew that he was not difcontented at his change ; he entertained both his Materand his difciples at his houle, calling together his freinds, efpecially thefe ofhis own profeflion, hoping, no doubt, that theymight alfobe convertedbythecompany and converfation ofour bleffed Redeemer. As the Pharifees had fought all oppor- tunities of raifing objeaions againt the doarine of thebleffed Jesus, fo they took this opportunity of fuggefling to his dif- ciples, that it was highly unbecoming fo pure and holy a perfon, as their Mailer pretended himfelf to be, to converfe fo fa- miliarly with the worn of men, with pub- licans and finners, perlons infamous to a proverb : but he prefently replied to them, that thefe were the fick, and therefore needed the phyfician ; that his company was of mot confequence, where the fouls of men mot required it ; that God himfelf preferred works of mercy and charity, efpecially in doing good to the fouls of men, infinitely above all ritual obfervances ; and that the principal deign ofhis coming into the world, was not to call the righte- ous, or thole who like themfelves. vainly pretended to be fo, but finners, mode(!, humble, felf-convinced finners, to repent- ance, and to reduce them to a better [late and courfe of life than they had hitherto purfued. St. Matthew, after his eleaion to the apofflefhip, continued with the ret till the afcenfion ofhis great and beloved Ma- ter; after which, for the fire eight years at leaf', he preached in different parts df Judea ; but afterwardshe left the country of Paleffine to convert the Gentile world. Before his departure, he was entreated by the Jewifh converts to write the hitóry of the life and aEtions ofthe bleffed Jesus, and leave it amongft them as a Landing monument of what he had fo often deli- vered to them in his fermons. This he readily complied with, as we [hall more particularly mention, in giving an account of the gofpel penned by him. Leaving Judea, he travelled into feveral parts, efpecially Ethiopia; but the parti- cular places he vifited are not known with any certainty. Metaphratus tells us, that he fin vifited Parthia, and after planting Chriffianity in thole parts, he travelled into Ethiopia; where, by his preaching and miracles, he triumphed over fuperftition and idolatry, convinced multitudes of the error of their ways, and prevailed on them to obey the precepts of the gofpel ; or- dained them fpiritual guides and patois to confirm them in the faith, and bring over others to the religion of the Son of God, which he had inculcated both by his doarine and example. Having laboured indefatigably in the vineyard of his Mater, he afterwards fuf fered martyrdom at a city of Ethiopia, called Nraddabar; but by what kind of death, is not abfolutely known, though . the general opinion is, that he was Hain with an halbert. This apoflle was a remarkable intance' of the power of religion, in bringing men . to a better temper of mind. If we reflect; upon his circumtances while he continued a- tranger" to the great Redeemer of mankind,
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