Ecclesiastical history epitomized containing a faithful account of ye birth life & doctrine, crucifixion & ascension of ye holy Iesus : with the lives of ye apostles evangelists & primitive fathers & other famous men in ye Christian Church both antient & modern who have couragiously confessed & suffered glorious martyrdomes & persecutions under several tyrannical governours both heathenish and Romish : faithfully continued to ye reformation and since deduced to this present age / carefully collected by J.S. ... ; in two parts.

The Life of St. MATTHEW the Evangelist, together with his Martyrdom.

ST. Matthew otherwise called Levi, was born a•• Nazareth, a City belonging to the Tribe o•• Zebulon, where our Saviour was brought up. He was the Son of Alpheus and Mary, Sister o•• Kinswoman to the blessed Virgin. His Employ was a Tax-gatherer under the Roman Publicans an Office though detestable amongst the Jews yet greatly esteemed amongst the Romans. Ou•• Saviour first espied him near to the Sea of Caper∣naum, where he sat at the receipt of Custom and had no sooner called him, but he left his Wealth and followed him, and at that time entertained our Saviour and his Retinue at Dinner, where∣upon the Pharisees upbraided him, that he eat with Publicans and Sinners, when as he told them that it was only those that were sick who needed a Physi∣tian.

After his Election to the Apostolate, he con∣tinued at Jerusalem till our Lord's Ascension; the•• preached the Gospel in Judaea for several years, and at his departure he wrote his Gospel and left it with the Christians whom he had Converted. From thence he turned to the Gentiles, making (as is most likely) his first Progress into Aethiopia, that being the Province assigned to him. But Me∣taphrastus will have it, that he went into Parthia,

and having planted Christianity in those parts, he thence travelled into Aethiopia, where by his Preaching and working Miracles he Converted many to the Christian Faith, ordaining Spiritual Guides and Pastors to instruct them in the way of Truth: When having continued a considera∣ble time amongst them, Nicophorus in his Ecclesi∣astical History tells us, That he went into a country of Canibals constituting Plato, one of his followers, Bishop of Myrmena; and that our Saviour appearing to him in the form of a beautiful youth, gave him a wand, which he pitching in the ground, it strait sprung up a tall Tree: and that by his working Miracles he Converted the Prince of that Country. But as to the Credit of those Reports, I must refer them to the Judgement of the Reader, by reason they have been looked upon by some as Fabulous and ground∣less.

We find it in an Antient Author, that he suf∣fer'd Martyrdom at Naddabar, a City of Aethio∣pia, but what kind of Death he died is not there∣in mentioned; and as Dorotheus Reports, he was Buried at Hierapolis. During his Life-time, he was a great Assertor of the true Religion; a con∣temner of Worldly Treasure, which is evident by his leaving so gainful a Calling to follow our Saviour. As for his Humility, he exceeded any of his Fellows which may well be observed in his Writings, where he gives them the Pre-eminency. His Diet was very spare, he feeding for the most part on Leaves and Roots. His Age at the of his Death is not certainly known, though some are of Opinion he died in the 70 year, &c. He having written his Gospel as is aforesaid, a Copy of it is said to be found anno 485 in the Grave of St. Bar∣nabas

in Cyprus. Nor was free from having coun∣terfeits fathered upon him after his Death, but they like all the rest vanished like Smoke, the true Word of God being only permanent.

The End of St. MAT∣THEW'S Life.