Evidences of Christianity.
By Moses Hull
PROPOSITION 2. The writings of the New Testament are quoted as possessing Supreme authority, and as conclusive in all matters of religion. It is unnecessary to argue this proposition at length, as many of the proofs of the former, are proofs of this. If we appeal to the Laodicean and Nicene councils, we find them not making a Bible, but bowing to the authority of one in existence centuries before. As Mr. Patterson argues this case more clearly than we can, we insert the following from his pen: "There did exist, then, undeniably in the year 325, large numbers of Christian churches in the Roman Empire, sufficiently numerous to make it politic, in the opinion of infidels, for a candidate for the empire to profess Christianity; sufficiently powerful to secure his success, notwithstanding the desperate struggles of the heathen party; and sufficiently religious, or, if you like, superstitious, to make it politic for an emperor and his politicians to give up the senate, the court, the camp, the chase, and the theater, and weary themselves with long prayers and longer speeches of preachers about Bible religion. Now that is certainly a remarkable fact, and all the more remarkable if we now inquire, How came it so? For these men, preachers, prince, and people, were brought up to worship Jupiter and the thirty thousand gods of Olympus, after the heathen fashion, and leave the care of religion to heathen priests, who never troubled their heads about books or doctrines after they had offered their sacrifices. In all the records of the world, there is no instance of a general council of heathen priests to settle the religion of their people. How happens it, then, that the human race has of a sudden waked up to such a strange sense of the folly of idolatry and value of religion? The Council of Nice and the Emperor Constantine and his counselors making a Bible, is a proof of a wonderful revolution in the world's religion—a phenomenon far more surprising than if the secretaries of State, and Senate, and President Pierce, should leave the Capitol and post off to Boston, to attend the meetings of a Methodist Conference assembled to make a Hymn Book. Now what is the cause of this remarkable conversion of prince, priest and people? How did they all get religion? How did they get it so suddenly? How did they get so much of it? "The infidel gives no answer, except to tell us, that the austerity, purity and zeal of the first Christians, their good discipline, their belief in the resurrection of the body and the judgment, and the persuasion that Christ and his apostles wrought miracles, had made a great many converts. Gibbon's Dec. & Fall, chap. v. This is just as if I inquired how a great fire originated, and you should tell me that it burned fast because it was very hot. What I want to know is, how it happened that these licentious Greeks, and Romans, and Asiatics, became austere and pure—how these frivolous philosophers suddenly became so zealous about religion—what implanted the belief of the resurrection of the body and of the judgment to come in the skeptical minds of these heathen scoffers—and how did the pagans of Italy, Egypt, Spain, Germany and Britain come to believe in the miracles of one who lived hundreds of years before, and thousands of miles away, or to care a straw whether the written accounts of them were true or false? According to the infidel accounts the Council of Nice and the Emperor Constantine's Bible making, is a most extraordinary business—a phenomenon without any natural cause, and they will allow no supernatural, a greater miracle than any recorded in the Bible." Fables of Infidelity, pp. 87, 88. The great change spoken of by Mr. P., can only be accounted for by the fact that the New Testament, had come into existence, and up to this time, had been received as something more than merely good advice. It carried an authority with it, which enabled it to do its work. Irenæus, born in the first century, calls the apostolic writings, "Divine oracles," "Scriptures of the Lord," &c. He says that the Gospel "was committed to writing by the will of God, that it might be for time to come, the foundation and pillar of our faith." Lard. 1, 372. "He fled to the gospels, which he believed no less than if Christ had been speaking to him; and to the writings of the Apostles, whom he esteemed as the presbytery of the whole Christian church." Origen says, "Christians believe Jesus to be the Son of God, in a sense not to be explained and made known to men, by any but by that Scripture alone which is inspired by the Holy Ghost; that is, the evangelic and apostolic scripture, as also that of the law and the prophets." Id. 545. Cyprian, exhorts "all in general but especially Christian ministers, in all truthful matters to have recourse to the gospels and epistles of the apostles, as to the fountain where may be found the true original doctrines of Christ." He says, "The precepts of the gospel, are to be considered as the lessons of God to us; as the foundation of our hope, and the supports of our faith." Id. 2, 27. 592–3. PROPOSITION 3. The scriptures were publicly read in the churches and Commentaries written upon them at a very early period. The practice of publicly reading the scriptures prevailed among the Jews. Our Saviour also practiced it, [Luke iv, 16.] and the early Christians imitated their example. In the days of Paul it was the custom of the disciples to publicly read the apostolic epistles. Hence Paul says, "And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea." Indeed this was the only way of communicating the epistles to those for whose benefit they were written. Justin Martyr says, "And upon the day called Sunday all that live either in city or country meet together at the same place, where the writings of the apostles and prophets are read, as much as time will give leave." Justin Martyr's first apology translated by Wm. Reeves, p. 127. Tertullian is equally explicit. In giving an account of early Christians, he says, "They assemble to read the scriptures and offer prayers." In another place he specifies the "reading of the scriptures and singing of psalms" as a part of Christian worship. Tertullian de Anima. Augustine says "The canonical books of scripture being read everywhere, the miracles there recorded are well known to all people." "The epistles of Peter and Paul are daily recited to the people. And to what people? And to how many people? Listen to the psalm, 'Their sound hath gone out into all the earth.'" Again, "The genuineness and integrity of the same scriptures may be relied on, which have been spread all over the world and which from the time of their publication were in the highest esteem and have been carefully kept in the churches." Lardner, Vol. ii, pp. 593, 594. In proof of the assertion that commentaries were written upon the scriptures at an earlier period than infidels are willing to admit them to have had an existence, I refer the reader to Paley's Evidences, also to Lardner, Vol. 1. Paley says "No greater proof can be given of the esteem in which these ancient books were holden by the ancient Christians, or of the sense then entertained of their value and importance, than the industry bestowed upon them. Moreover it shows that they were then considered as ancient books. Men do not write comments upon publications of their own times; therefore the testimonies cited under this head afford an evidence which carries up the evangelic writings much beyond the age of the testimonies themselves and to that of their reputed authors." The fact that commentaries were written upon the New Testament and harmonies of its books were formed, proves that it not only had an existence but that it was prized higher than other books; for commentaries were not written upon others.