The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 211

NEED OF NEW TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE

171

the Holy Spirit had borne witness in the churches that this set of writings constituted a whole, and was, indeed, the Testament of the Lord Jesus to His Church, then the Church became conscious

possessed a second collection of sacred books of equal authority with the first collection given to Israel then it put the Old and that

it

;

New

the

ture,

Testament together, which unitedly form the Holy Scrip-

our Bible, the

To

the question,

Word

of God.

How

did the

New

Testament Scripture

origi-

we answer without hesitation. By the Holy Spirit. How? Did He say to Paul or John " Sit down and write" ? The gospels and the epistles do not so impress us. It does

nate?

:

indeed apply to the Revelation of

New Testament

Scriptures.

St.

John, but not to the other

They rather impress us

as being written without the slightest idea of being intended for the Church of all ages. Their authors impress us as writing to certain churches of their own definite time, and that after a hundred years perhaps not a single fragment of their writings would be in existence. They were indeed conscious of the Holy Spirit's aid in writing the truth even as they enjoyed it in speaking; but that they were writing parts

Holy Scripture, they surely knew not. St. Paul had finished his Epistle to the Romans, it never occurred to him that in future ages his letter would possess for milof the

When

lions of God's children an authority equal to, or

even higher than

that of the prophecies of Isaiah and the Psalms of David.

Nor could readers of his epistle, in the church of Rome, have imagined that after eighteen centuries the names of their principal men the

first

would still be household words in all parts of the Christian world. But if St. Paul knew it not, surely the Holy Spirit did. As by education the Lord frequently prepares a maiden for her still unknown, future husband, so did the Holy Spirit prepare Paul, John, and Peter for their work. He directed their lives, circumstances, and conditions; He caused such thoughts, meditations, and even words to arise in their hearts as the writing of the New Testament

And while they were writing these portions Holy Scripture, that one day would be the treasure of the universal Church in all ages, a fact not understood by them, but by the Holy Spirit, He so directed their thoughts as to guard them against mistakes and lead them into all truth. He foreknew what the complete New Testament Scripture ought to be, and what parts would belong to it. As an architect, by his mechanics, prepares the Scripture required.

of the

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