The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 212

HOLY SCRIPTURES

172

IN

NEW TESTAMENT

various parts of the bnilding, afterward to

Holy

so did the

Spirit

by

them

fit

in their places,

different workers prepare the different

New Testament, which afterward He united in a whole. For the Lord, who by His Holy Spirit caused the preparation of these parts, is also King of the Church; He saw these parts scattered abroad He led men to care for them, and believers to have faith in them. And, finally, by means of the men interested, He united these loose fragments, so that gradually, according to His royal decree, the New Testament originated. Hence it was not necessary that the New Testament Scripture should contain only apostolic writings. Mark and Luke were no apostles and the notion that these men must have written under the direction of Paul or Peter has no proof nor force. What is the benefit of writing under the direction of an apostle? That which parts of the

;

;

gives divine authority to the writings of

Luke

is

not the influence

of an apostle, but that he wrote under the absolute inspiration of

the

Holy

Spirit.

Believing in the authority of the

acknowledge the authority equal.

As

to the contents,

New

Testament, we must

of the four evangelists to be perfectly

Matthew's gospel

may

surpass that of

Luke, and John's may excel the gospel of Mark; but their authorThe Epistle to the Romans has ity is equally unquestionable. higher value than that to Philemon; but their authority is the same.

As

to

'Cci&ix

persons,

John stood above Mark, and Paul above Jude;

we depend not upon

but since

the authority of their persons, but

only upon that of the Holy Spirit, these personal differences are of

no account.

Hence the question is not whether the New Testament writers were apostles, but whether they were inspired by the Holy Spirit. Assuredly, it has pleased the King to connect His testimony with the apostolate; for

know

that

He

said:

"Ye

are

Luke and Mark obtained

My

witnesses."

Hence we

their information concerning

Christ from the apostles; but our guaranty for the accuracy and reliability of their statements is not the apostolic origin of the same,

but the authority of the Holy Spirit. Hence the apostles are the channels through which the knowledge of these things flows to us from Christ; but whether this knowledge reaches us through their

makes no difference. The vital whether the bearers of the apostolic tradition were in-

writings or through those of others

question

is,

fallibly inspired or not.

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