body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

FOR THE DOING GOD'S WILL ON EARTH AS IT IS DONE IN HEAVEN.

BLESSED God, whose throne is encircled with myriads of glorious spirits, who veil their faces as not being able to behold the brightness of thy majesty, and who delight in their attendance upon those ministries whereunto thou hast appointed them; I, thy unworthy creature, prostrate myself in all humility at thy footstool, beseeching thee to give me grace to do thy will on earth with the same diligence and industry, with the same zeal and cheerfulness, as thy blessed angels do it in heaven; that imitating their exemplary obedience, constant devotion, profound humility, unspotted purity, and extensive charity, I may engage their protection in all my necessities; and may particularly enjoy the advantage of their assistance in my last hour, in that dismal conflict with death and the powers of darkness; and being by them conducted to the mansions of glory, may be advanced to a more intimate and happy society with them in the life to come, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE TONGUE.

SET a guard, O Lord, upon my lips, that I offend not with my tongue. Let prudence and circumspection always attend to shut out such discourses as border the least upon evil-speaking. That I may be tender of the reputation of my neighbour, and never diminish his good name by spreading any evil reports concerning him; that the deformity of his body, and the weakness of his

mind, may never be the subject of my light mirth. That I may never encourage backbiters, by listening to their suggestions, and by giving credit to their slanders. Thou hast given me a tongue that I might praise thee, and that I might iufluence others to bless thy holy name. O let this be the main employment of that noble gift, that my words may chiefly aim at promoting thy glory; either to soften the pains of the afflicted; to vindicate the reputation of my neighbour, whenever I hear it injured; to unite the minds of those that are at variance, or to instruct those that know thee not enough; and to entertain all the world, O God, with thy greatness, and thy goodness; to inflame all hearts with thy love, to provoke them to praise thee, to bless thee, to glorify thee; that I may one day mingle my praises with those of thy elect in glory, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

CHAP. XXXII.

ST. LUKE THE EVANGELIST. OCTOBER 18.

Q. What Festival does the church celebrate this

day?

A. That of St. Luke the Evangelist.

Q. What mean you by an Evangelist?

A. The name was at first given to those that preached the gospel; but afterwards it was confined to those four, that wrote the history of the life and preaching of our Saviour Jesus Christ, whose four gospels make part of the sacred canon of Scripture.

Q. Where was the place of St. Luke's nativity?

A. Antioch, the metropolis of Syria, pleasant for its situation, fertile for its soil, rich by its traffic, famous for learning; and above all, renowned for this one peculiar

honour, that here it was that the disciples of Jesus were first called Christians."

Q. What was St. Luke's particular profession? A. That of physic; an art in those days generally managed by persons of no better rank than servants. Q. Was St. Luke one of the seventy disciples? A. Some of the ancients thought he was, and that he deserted our Saviour upon the unwelcome discourse he made to his disciples; but was afterwards recalled by St. Paul. And upon no better ground it is said, he was one of the two disciples going to Emmaus, for, besides the silence of Scripture, St. Luke seems to contradict it himself, by confessing he was not from the beginning an eye-witness and minister of the word. Most probable it is, he was converted by St. Paul during his abode at Antioch.

b

Q. How did he bestow his labours after his conversion?

A. He became an inseparable companion and fellowlabourer of St. Paul in the ministry of the gospel; especially after St. Paul's going into Macedonia; from which time, in recording St. Paul's travels, St. Luke always speaks of himself in his own person.d

Q. How did he endear himself to St. Paul?

A. By attending him in all his dangers; by being present with him in his several arraignments at Jerusalem; by accompanying him in his hazardous voyage to Rome; where he served his necessities, and supplied those ministerial offices, which the Apostle's confinement would not suffer him to discharge, especially in carrying messages to those churches, where he had planted Christianity; and in remaining with him when others forsook him.

' Acts xi. 26.

b John vi.

e

Luke i. 2.

d Acts xvi. 10.

Q. Where did St. Luke preach the gospel?

A. Some say he left St. Paul at Rome, and returned back into the east, and travelled into Egypt, and the parts of Lybia, where he converted many to Christianity, and took upon himself the episcopal charge of the city of Thebais; though it is most probable, he did not wholly leave St. Paul till he finished his course with martyrdom.

Q. What account do others give of his labours?

A. That he first preached in Dalmatia and Galatia, then in Italy and Macedonia; where he spared no pains, declining no dangers in the faithful discharge of the trust committed to him.

Q. What account is given of his martyrdom?

A. That he successfully preached the gospel in Greece, till a party of infidels, making head against him, drew him to execution, and for want of a cross whereon to dispatch him, presently hanged him upon an olive tree, in the eightieth year of his age, though St. Jerome makes it the eighty-fourth.

Q. Where was his body interred?

A. At Constantinople, whither it was removed by the command of Constantine, or his son Constantius, and buried in the great church built in memory of the Apo

stles.

Q. What writings did he leave behind him?

A. His gospel, and his history of the acts of the Apostles, both dedicated to Theophilus.

Q. Who was this Theophilus?

A. Many of the ancients supposed it to be a feigned name, denoting no more than a lover of God, a title common to every Christian; though others, with better reason, conclude it the proper name of a particular person; especially since the title of most excellent is at

tributed to him, the usual form of address in those times to great men. We may probably suppose him to have been some magistrate, whom St. Luke had converted; to whom he dedicates these books, not only as a testimony of respect, but as a means of giving him further assurance of those things wherein he had been instructed.

Q. What may we learn from the manner of these dedications?

A. That in addresses of this nature, though authors should not neglect the giving those titles that are due to men's different qualities (as most excellent seems to be given by St. Luke upon that account, it being the same word in the original, which St. Paul applies to the Roman governors, Felix and Festus') yet they should be very sparing in personal commendations, for fear of contracting the guilt of flattery, so pernicious to themselves, as well as their patrons.

Q. When was St. Luke's gospel supposed to be written?

A. During his travels with St. Paul in Achaia, whose help he is generally said to have made use of in the composing of it. And that this the Apostle primarily intends, when he so often speaks of his gospel. Besides this advantage, we are assured by the evangelist himself, that he derived his intelligence from those who from the beginning had been eye-witnesses and ministers of the word.

Q. Upon what occasion did he write his gospel?

A. Partly to prevent those false and fabulous relations, which even then began to be intruded upon the world; and partly to supply what seemed wanting in those two

Luke i. 4 Luke i. 2.

f Acts xxiv. 3. * Rom. ii. 16. 2 Tim. ii. 8.

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