The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 209

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:

XXXIV. The Need

of the

New Testament

Scripture.

" For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add

unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book."

If the live only

Church after the Ascension

of Christ

Rev.

xxii. i8.

had been destined

to

one lifetime, and had been confined only to the land of

the Jews, the holy apostles could have accomplished their task by

But since it was to live at least for eighteen cenbe extended over the whole world, the apostles were

verbal teaching. turies,

and

to

compelled to resort to the written communication of the revelation

which they had received. If they had not written, the churches of Africa and Gaul could never have received trustworthy information; and the tradition would have lost its reliable character ages ago. The written revelation has, therefore, been the indispensable means whereby the Church, during its long and ever-extending career, has been preserved from complete degeneration and falsification. However, from their epistles it does not appear that the apostles Surely, that the Church would sojourn in clearly understood this. this world for eighteen centuries, they did not expect and almost all their epistles bear a local character, as tho not intended for the Church in general, but only for particular churches. And yet, altho they understood it not, the Lord Jesus knew it; He had thus planned it hence the epistle written exclusively for the church of Rome was intended and ordained by Him, and without Paul's knowledge, to edify the Church of all ages. Hence two things had to be done for the Church of the future First, the image of Christ must be received from the lips of the apostles and be committed to writing. Secondly, the things of which Jesus had said, " Ye can not bear ;

;

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