THE BEREAN. §1. THE BIBLE. As the Bible is the record of God's past communications with men, and especially of his manifestation of himself in Christ and in the primitive church, so it is the most valuable external conductor of his continued communications, and his appointed means of making known to all generations the work of his Son. The continuation of the primitive gospel-that by which the communication with God, opened by the atonement, is kept open to the world -is not a church, or a set of ordinances, or a line of successors to the apostles, but it is the Bible. By the Bible, Christ and the apostles utter their proclamation across the ages that have past since the destruction of Jerusalem. By it they yet live and speak on earth. Christ promised that the gates of hell should not prevail against his church.' Thus far the only church which has had a clear right to be called his, is that which was in immediate personal communication with him, which completed the Bible, and which passed within the veil at the end of the apostolic age. But let no man say that the gates of hell' have prevailed against that church, even in this world, till the voice of the New Testament has been silenced-till the Bible has sunk in oblivion. Papists and Puseyites need not thrust forward their line of priests to save the promise. It is safe without them. The Bible, being thus the representative and organ of Christ's kingdom in the world, has, of course, been the centre of conflict between the powers of good and evil. Heaven has protected it and cheered it onward in its mission. Hell has struggled to destroy its influence and its integrity. The Jews were God's first secretary, and kept his records till the advent of Christ. But at that time they revolted against him, and refused to take charge of the New Testament. He cashiered them, and gave their office to the Gentile church. The new secretary, when he had grown great, and put on the crown of Popery, became the instrument of the same diabolical enmity against the word of God which had corrupted the Jews, and turned the power of his office against the trust committed to him. He kept the Bible safely, but he 'kept it laid up in a napkin' instead of putting it to the exchangers, and so proved to be an evil servant. He too was turned out of office. The Reformation gave the Bible into the hands of the Protestant churches; and at the same time the invention of the art of printing scattered it far and wide, and made its suppression thenceforth impossible. It must be acknowledged to the honor of the third secretary, that he has thus far discharged his office with a good degree of fidelity. The leading Protestant churches, whatever else may be laid to their charge, have not essentially mutilated or suppressed the Bible. They have indeed loaded it with perverting commentaries, and drawn it to and fro in their sectarian dif ferences; but it may be considered as a fair offset for this, that they have cherished a zeal for biblical investigation, and have scattered the word, without comment, over a great part of the earth. We freely and gratefully ac knowledge our indebtedness to the influences of the Congregational church, and to the labors of such men as Stuart and Robinson, for many incentives and facilities to biblical study. But the war which Satan of old waged against the testimony of God, has not ceased. It has assumed a new form. The enemy, finding it impossible either to exclude a part of the Bible as the Jews would have done, or to sup press the whole, as the Papists attempted to do, has set himself to resist its invading influences by discrediting its authority. Infidelity, in various forms, is, in modern times, the most active assailant of the scriptures. The infidels of the last century were open and bold in their hostility, giving no quarter to any part of the Bible, and seeking to destroy it by main force of scoffing and blasphemy. The French Revolution was in part, to say the least, the fruit of their labor; and its horrors were such that a strong reaction against the principles of the blasphemers and in favor of the Bible, took place. The event and the result may well be described in the language of the Revelator concerning the two witnesses: There was a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand; and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.' Rev. 11: 13. The infidel spirit, in its second attack on the Bible, which is now in progress, has adopted a new and more prudent system of tactics. The fashion is to discriminate between certain parts of the Bible and others. It has been found impossible to destroy the entire credit of the sacred writers by summary scoffing, and the next method is to separate them and cut them up in detail, by speaking respectfully of some of them to save appearances, while the war is carried on against the rest. Some of those who are employed by the spirit of infidelity in this way, profess to honor the New Testament, but speak slightingly of the Old; others adhere to the four gospels, but despise the writings of the apostles. They generally agree in conceding to public sentiment that Jesus was a great and good man, and that those books of scripture which relate directly to him have some sort of divine authority; butas for this Moses,' say some of them, we wot not what has become of him ;'-as for Paul,' say others, who made him a ruler and a judge over us?' This is the kind of infidelity which, according to our observation, is creeping in at every opening, especially among reformers,' and scceders from the churches. We meet it thus: 6 The credit of the Bible, as a whole, is identified with the credit of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament, as it is at this day, existed when he was on earth, and he endorsed it, by assuming it as the basis of his own religious system. The New Testament is the work of his accredited agents, and he is responsible for its sentiments, as the President of the United States is responsible for the sentiments of his official organ. The Bible therefore will stand or fall with Christ, and Christ will stand or fall with the Bible. Whoever discredits one, discredits both. Whoever honors one, honors both.Whoever loves Christ, and knows the power of his grace, loves the Bible as a whole, and knows that it is a vehicle of spiritual light and life. These propositions we proceed to defend. Christ cites from 29. From Exo From Leviticus, I. CHRIST ENDORSED THE OLD TESTAMENT. It was his constant practice to quote the Jewish scriptures as authorities in his discourses. He cited or referred to all the principal books in the Old Testament. The reader may examine at his leisure the following list of endorsements. the book of Genesis, in Matt. 19: 4, 5, 24: 37, Luke 17: dus, in Matt. 5: 21, 27, 33, 38, 15: 4, 19: 18, 19, 22: 32. in Matt. 5: 43, John 7: 22. From Numbers, in Matt. 12: 5, From Deuteronomy, in Matt. 4: 4, 7, 10, 5: 31, 19: 7, 8, John 8: 17. From Samuel, in Matt. 12: 3. From Kings, in Matt. 12: 42, Luke 4: 25 26, 27. From Chronicles, in Matt. 23: 35. From Psalms, in Matt. 5: 5, 21: 16, 42, 22: 43, 27: 46, John 7: 42, 10: 34, 13: 18, 15: 25. From Proverbs, in Luke 14: 8. From Isaiah, in Matt. 13: 14, 15: 8, Mark 9: 44, Luke 4: 18, 19, 22: 37, 23: 30. From Jeremiah, in Matt. 21: 13. From Daniel, in Matt. 24: 15. From Hosea, in Matt. 9: 13, Luke 23: 30. From Jonah, in Matt. 12: 40, 16: 4. From Micah, in Matt. 10: 35, 36, From Zechariah, in Matt. 26: 31. From Malachi, in Matt. 11: 10, 14. The following passages, in which the Old Testament is designated by the various expressions, the law and the prophets, the scriptures,' &c., show Christ's ordinary manner of testifying his respect for the sacred books.Matt. 5: 17, 18. Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 7: 12. All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.' 22: 37-10. Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great coinmmandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.' Luke 24: 25-27. He said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to have entered into his glory? And beginning at Moses, and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.' Ver. 44. He said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning me.' John 5: 39. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they 6 which testify of me.' Ver. 46, 47. Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?' John 10: 35. The scripture cannot be broken.' Christ never spoke disrespectfully or doubtingly of the Old Testament. He labored, not to unsettle, but to confirm the confidence of the Jews in their scriptures. Some of the precepts of Moses were obviously accommodated to the darkness of the age in which he lived, and Christ changed them. (See Matt. 5: 21-18, 19: 8.) But he prefaced his alterations with the most solemn declaration that he came not to destroy the law or the prophets, but to fulfil;' (Matt. 5: 17;) in the same discourse he honored the law and the prophets by declaring their essence to be the golden rule;' (Matt. 7: 12;) he gave a reason for the imperfection of the Jewish law which implied no wrong in Moses; (Matt. 19: 8;) and instead of setting himself against Moses, he appealed to the predictions of Moses for his authority as the ultimate lawgiver. (See John 5: 45-47, and compare Acts 3: 22.) He prepared the way for the abolishment of the ritual institutions of Moses; but in the meantime, till the full period allotted them was finished, he scrupulously respected the authority of those who sat in Moses' seat.' (See Matt. 23: 2, and 8: 4.) Finally, the manifestation of Moses and Elijah with him in glory on the Mount, signally sealed his alliance with the law and the prophets. From all this it is evident that they who lightly esteem the Old Testament are not followers or sincere friends of Jesus, however they may think it expedient to say many fine things about him. In fact their position implies one of two slanderous charges against him, viz: that he was imposed upon by Moses and the prophets, or that he practised imposition on others. II. THE APOSTLES WERE THE OFFICIAL REPRESENTATIVES OF CHRIST, AND HIS CREDIT IS IDENTIFIED WITH THE CREDIT OF THEIR WRITINGS. In the first place, as Christ wrote nothing himself, all we know about him comes from his apostles and their assistants. If the four gospels are not true accounts of Christ, we have no true account of him-the whole basis of his credit vanishes, and we are left in the absurdity of honoring a man of whom we know nothing except that he had not understanding or benevolence enough to make, or provide for making, a true record of his life and principles. Even the semi-infidels, therefore, who speak well of Christ, but despise the apostles, are forced to accept that part of the writings of the apostles which relates directly to Christ. Assuming then the truth of the gospels, we inquire of them what authority Christ gave the apostles. Their answer is contained in the following passages: He that receiveth you, receiveth me; and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me.' Matt. 10: 40. The parallel passage in Luke is stronger: 'He that heareth you, heareth me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth me ; and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me.' 10: 16. These declarations were made when Christ first empowered the twelve to preach and work miracles, but they cover the whole period of the apostles' mission, even to the Second Coming, as is evident from the whole tenor of the 10th of Matthew, and especially from the 23d verse. A good reason for the honor thus put upon them, is given in ver. 19, 20- But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak; for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you.' If the Spirit of the Father spoke in them it is reasonable to conclude that it also wrote by them. The penalty for despising their words is stated in ver. 14, 15,- Whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.' This tremendous penalty will certainly take effect on those who despise their written word. Christ, in his last conversation with the apostles, promised that the Spirit of truth should come upon them and should 'teach them all things and bring all things to their remembrance, which he had said to them,' and 'lead them into all truth.' He also promised that they should do the works which he did, and even greater. In his final prayer for them he said-'I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me, are of thee. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.' John 17: 6-8, 14. Thus having secured their qualification to be his substitutes, he declares the nature of their mission in these emphatic words: 'As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.' Ver. 18. So again after he had risen from the dead, he said to them-Peace be unto you: as my Fa ther hath sent me, even so send 1 you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.' John 20: 21-23. In the commission which Christ gave his apostles just before his ascension, he made them his plenipotentiaries, thus: Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved; but he that believeth not, shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe: in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.' Mark 16: 15-20. Let the reader further consider the following passages: I say unto thee, that thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven.' Matt. 16: 18, 19. 'Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, |