The Inspiration of the Books of the New Testament

[f, as has been shown, the Old Testament was written by inspiration, and if the New Testament contains a revelation from God not less important, and is in fact the completion of the Old, can we believe that while prophets were inspired to write the former, the latter was left to be marred and obscured by the weaknesses of nninspired men?

To accomplish the purpose intended by revelation. It seems necessary that the writers who communicate it to posterity should be guided by inspiration. The end of revelation is to convey to men a certain knowledge of truth, to guide their faith and practice. But if the book which contains such a revelation is composed by erring, fallible men, we never can be sure, in any particular case, that we are in possession of the truth revealed. The men may be honest and faithful, but we know that all men are liable to errors and mistakes; and all incn are more or less under the influence of prejudices and prepossessions. It is evident, therefore, that the purpose of giving a revelation would be in a great measure defeated, unless inspired men were employed to mike the record by which it is to be transmitted to the various nations of the earth and to posterity.

Again, when we carefully consider the subject matter of he books of the New Testament, we cannot repos* Implicit cnfiden’o in what is tai ght, ur

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Uiks “ve liff.ve evidence that the pens of A’’.e w liter* were nndcr the guidance of inspiration. To record the discourses which a rrmn hears, and transactions which he sees, seems, a* first sight, to require nothing more than veracity, and integrity in the historian. This might to a certain extent be admitted, if the witness instantly noted down what lie heard or saw; but who can believe that after the lapse of eight, fifteen, or fifty years, the evangelists would be able to record with perfect accuracy, long discourses of their Master, and to relate correctly all the circumstances of the miracles of which they have given an account? It maybe said, indeed, that they could give substantially the facts of which they were witnesses; but this is far from being satisfactory. Such a record would lose a portion of that reverence which it ought to possess, in order to give it a commanding authority over the conscience, and make it a solid foundation for unshaken confidence. In regard to the mysterious and sublime doctrines which the apostles teach in their epistles, if once we admit the idea that they were fallible men, we shall continually be liable to doubt: we shall be afraid they have misapprehended, or forgotten what they had heard; or, that, under the bias of prejudice or inclination, they may have been led insensibly to give a distorted view of the truths which they inculcate.

But we are not left to conclude from the necessity of the case merely, that the writers of the New Testament were inspired by the Holy Ghost. We have clear and abundant proof that our blessed Lord promised infallible guidance (o his disciples whom he chose to be his witnesses to the world; and to whom he committed the propagation of his religion through all nations and all ages. “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know nirn, for he dweileth with you and shall be in you.” A.nd th’^t the HoJv Sr«irit here promised was to guide the apostles in delivering their testimony, nay be infer! ed from what is said in the fifteenth chapter of John: “Bnt when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Sj)irit of truth, which proccedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me. And ye shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.” The promise of plenary inspiration is, however, more explicitly given in the sixteenth chapter. “Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide YOU INTO ALL TRUTH; for hc shall not speak of himself: but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me; for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine; therefore said I that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.” Christ also promised the inspiration of immediate suggestion to his disciples, when called to answer before kings and rulers, and commanded them not to premeditate what they should say, for it would be given to them at the moment what they ought to say. “For,” said he, “it is not you that speak, but the Holy Ghost who speaketh in you.” Now we may argue with irresistible force, that if plenary inspiration was granted to the apostles to enable them to make a proper defence when arraigned at a human tribunal, surely they would not be abandoned to their own weakness when preparing a record of Christ’s words and actions, which was through all ages to be the guide of his Church. If the apostles were ever inspired, we raay be sure that it was when directed to finish and record the testimony of God. The very idea that every book of the Old Testament was given by inspiration, but that the whole of the New was composed without this aid, is revolting to the reason of man. And this will appear the moi-e unreasonable, when we consider, that the light of the new dispensation is seven-fold clearer than that of the old. The very forerunner of Christ was superior to all the prophets that pr3Ccded him. but the least in the king

S36 EVIDENCES 01 CHRISflANirr

dom of heaven was greater than ho. Then certam-!’/, if all the prophets only spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, the apostles who were the chosen witnesses of Christ and chief officers of his kingdom,, were not left without this infalliLiC guidance, when engaged in performing the most important part of he responsible duty assigned them; when executing that part of their commission which was most efFectual in extending and perpetuating his spiritual kingdom. Accordingly, the apostles claim to be inspired men, and speak with an authority which would be arrogant, if they had not written under an infallible guidance. They do not merely express their own private opinions, and endeavour to support them by argument; they speak as men assured of the truth of what they deliver, and decide with authority and without hesitation, questions, which none but men inspired by the Holy Spirit could undertake thus positively to determine, without exposing themselves to the charge of dogmatism and self-sufficiency.

Besides, some parts of the New Testament, like much of the Old, are prophetic, and if true, could be written in no other way than by inspiration. The Apocalypse or Revelation given to John, is either a mere enthusiastic fable, or it was written by inspiration; and such is the majesty of the ideas here presented, and the awful subliniity of the style, that even Dr. Priestley was constrained to acknowledge that it bore on its face marks of a superhuman origin. If we had time to compare the prophetic representations of this singular book with authentic history, there would arise an evidence of its inspiration which could not be easily contradicted. Such men as Sir Isaac Newton, Dr. S. Clarke, Bishop Hurd, Bishop Newton, and a multitude of others, have seen in this book the most convincing proof of divine inspiration. The same may be said of all the prophecies of the Old and New Testament. If there is any truth whatever in tham, they must be inspired; for none but inspired mi ri can foretell future contingent events. Cndeed, in ai. the cases where Moses and others

Jeclare that God spoke to them, and comnia.iicatt’d instructions or laws, they must be considered as divinely directed, unless we deny their veracity. Bui we are now reasoning on the hypothesis, that the books are authentic and written by men of truth anc honesty.

The style of the evangelists has often been adduced as an evidence of their inspiration: not that they write with an elegance and sublimity which cannot be imitated; but because they write as persons divested ol the feelings which commonly belong to men They write with an unaffected simplicity, and with an impartial, dispassionate regard to truth, which has no parallel, and has never been successfully imitated. How could illiterate men produce such works as the gospels without inspiration? Sclest a thousand sensible men, but unaccustomed to composition, and set them to write a simple history of the most remarkable transactions with which they have been conversant, and there will not be in any one of them an approximation to the characteristic manner of the evangelists. Others, and men possessed of more learning than the apostles, have undertaken, without inspiration, to write gospels, as if composed by some one or other of those holy men; but you cannot place the evidence of the inspiration of the genuine gospels in a stronger light than by contrasting them with any or all the apocryphal writings under the names of the apostles.

But we are in danger here of repeating what has already been said under the head of the internal Evidences of Christianity, The truth is, that the whole of the arguments from this source, for divine revelation, are directly in point to prove the doctruie of inspiration; and therefore, instead of going over the ground the second time, I would refer to what has been said on the subject of internal evidence.

Miracles also furnish the most conclusive proof of inspiration, where it can be ascertained that the writer of any book of Scripture possessed the power of performing such works; for the v’^ry end for which miracles were exhibited, was, to prove that the pr’ son speaking was sent from God to deliver somt message. As Nicodemus properly said, “We know that thou art a teacher come from God, for no man can do the miracles which thou doest, unless God be with him.” If miracles are sufficient to prove the truth of an oral communication, will they not also be equally conclusive in favour of a written declaration? If there be any difference, it is in favour of the latter, because it is much more important that a written discourse intended for the instruction of all ages should be well attested, than a discourse from Jhe lips, which is heard by few, and can never be recovered after it has been spoken.

In the whole of what has been said on the subject of inspiration, the truth of the facts recorded in the New Testament has been taken for granted: and also, that the Scriptures contain a divine revelation. We are not arguing with infidels, but with those who, while they acknowledge the divine origin of tht Christian religion, doubt, or deny that the persons wno wrote the books of the Old and New Testameni were guided by a plenary inspiration. Now, as these persons admit that the apostles and evangelists were men of veracity and integrity, their testimony on this subject ought to be decisive. If they claim inspn-ation, we cannot deny it to them, without invalidating all the strongest evidences of the truth of Christianity. Why were they endowed with the power of working miracles, but that full credence might be given to what they testified? And when they declare that they were moved by the Holy Ghost, and that what they delivered was not the word of men, but the word of God received by divine revelation, do not these miraculous powers which they possessed, as fully confirm what they wrote as what they spoke?

Having before shown that the apostles furnish am-Die testimony to the inspiration of the Old Testament, we shall now adduce a few texts to prove that they :;laimed inspiration for themselves. Their message s every where called, the word of God. Paul declares, that what he preached, he received not from man but “froiii the revelation of Jesus Christ;” that the things which he wrote were “the commandments of the Lord;” and that the things whicl.. he and his brethren taught, “God had revealed to them by his Spirit.” He therefore declared, that he who despised the things which lie taught, despised not men Isut God. Peter ranks the commandments delivered y»y the apostles with the words of the holy Prophets; and as has been before remarked, reckons the epistles Df Paul with the other Scriptures. John says, “We are of God; he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God, heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.”

The only thing wanting to complete the evidence of the inspiration of the New Testament, and consequently that oi the Old, is to show that these writings were received unanimously by the Christian Church as inspired writings. But although there exists abundant evidence of this fact, to pursue it would lead us too much into detail, and would not comport with the studied brevity of this work. And I am the less inclined to enter on the labour of collecting this testimony here, because this will be done in a subsequent part of the work. I may say, however, that in tRfe early ages of the Church, no Christian ever called in question the inspiration of the sacred volume; but all held this as a fundamental point in their religion. It was left for those who chose to style themselves rationalists, in modern times, to admit the authenticity of the facts recorded in the Bible, while they utterly deny the plenary inspiration of the writers But this is ground on which no consistent reasonei can long stand. If the miracles and prophecies ot the Scriptures be acknowledged, and the divine on gin of Christianity admitted, the inspiration of the writers of these books must follow as a corollary. It 3annot be denied without the greatest inconsistency. And on the other hand, if inspiration be denied, the authenticity of the miracles and prophecies will soon e abandoned. The course of theologica opinion a42 EVIDENCES OF CHRI.STI AXITT.

anions; the neologists of Germany, for a number oi years past, furnishes a striking ilUistraticm of the truth of the aforesaid observations. For a time the assault, in that country, was merely upon the doctrine of inspiration; but no sooner was that ground conceded »han the critics directed their artillery against the authenticity of the miraculous facts and prophecies.

There is no end to the objections which may be started against the plenary inspiration of the Scriptures, just as is the fact in regard to the visible universe as the work of God; and it cannot be denied that there:”« a striking analogy between the mode of reasoning pursued by atheists and deists. But the foundation of all their arguments is human ignorance. They cannot form the conception of a creation by a being of almighty power and infinite wisdom, and of a supernatural revelation from such a being, which would not be Uable to as great and much greater objections, than they are able to bring forward against his works and word, as they do actually exist. If such men could be induced in a calm and unprejudiced manner to examine this subject, I would recommend to them a careful perusal of Butler’s Analogy of Natural and Revealed Rdigion; and to the deist I would especially reconmiend the seventh chapter of the second part, where the author, in a manner peculiar to himself, makes first some observations on the particular evidences of Christianity, and then, in the close, exhibits a view of the evidence arising from a general survey of the contents of the Bible. The argunient, as presented in this last form, is so original and striking, that I would insert it in this place, were I not afraid of swelling this volume to an inconvenient size. The whole of the second book of the Analogy may be considered as the most satisfactory method of meeting the popular objections to divine revelation.

In legard to particular objections, arising fron] aj.. parent discrepancies, from extraordinary facts, and from mysterious doctrines found in the sacred volume, ‘.t will be sufficient to refer the iiuiuisitive reader to the first volume of Home’s Introducticu. and to Dick’s deservedly popular work on Inspiration, and also to learned commentators, some of wliora have taken much pains to reconcile seeming contradictions, and to elucidate obscure passages, by an application of the rules of sacred criticism. I wouLl only further remark in relation to the usual objections to the inspiration of the Scriptures, that they iniiitate as fully against the authenticity of the facts as against the inspiration of the writers, and therefore do no require to be considered and obviated under this head-A summary of the whole evidence for the plenary inspiration of the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, is as follows: all the Internal Evidences of Christianity — whether arising from the peculiar excellence of the matter, or the simplicir* and sublimity of the style: tVom the perfection of the character ascribed ;o Jesus Christ; from the continual recognition of the over-ruling providence of God, from the pure and elevated spirit of devotion which breathes through the sacred pages, from the penetrating and transforming efficacy of the holy Scriptures, and from their adaptation to the constitution of the human mind, and to the existing relations among men. so to prove, that they were written under the infalliBle guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Again, every prophecy which has been fulfilled, furnishes undoubted and independent evidence of the inspiration of that particular part of the Scriptures; and all the laws which proceeded from the mouth of Jehovah must be considered as infallible precepts, unless we call in question the whole truth of the narrative.

The writers, for the most part, were endued ^^lh the power of working miracles. These facts, it is admitted, prove that God spake by them; and if the prophets and apostles were inspired in the discourses which tlipy delivered, then, a fortiori, they mus have been inspired m p’^paring those witings which were intended to guide the faith and practice of b Hovers through all ages.

Moreover, the sacred writers generally lay claitr to inspiration. They speak authoritatively in the name of the Lord. They call their message, the WORD OF God, and Christ has set his seal to the plenary inspiration of all the Scriptures of the Old Testament. The apostles and evangelists, in the mo3t explicit manner, declare the same truth.

Besides, Christ promised plenary inspiration to his disciples, and they professed to be lender the guidance of the Spirit in what they wrote.

And finally, while some of the apostles were living, their writings were classed with the divine Scriptures, and were universally received as inspired, and as the infallible word of God, by the whole primitive Church.

We cannot but conclude, therefore, that all the books of the Old and New Testament were written by the inspiration of God, and contain an infallible rule to guide the faith and practice of the church to the end of the world.

CANONICAL AUTHORITY

BCOKS OP SCEIPTUKE.