The very office of a supernatural revelation is to lead men to an adequate and certain knowledge of God and his will, other- wise unattainable to them. But an infallible record is the only channel through which a certain knowledge of a divine revelation, made by God to the men of one age and nation, can be conveyed to men of all ages and nations. Without inspiration the opin- ions of Paul would be of less authority than the opinions of Lu- ther would be with an inspired Bible. And if the record be not inspired, the revelation as it comes down to us would not be more certain than the unassisted conclusions of reason.
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13. How may the inspiration of the apostles be fairly inferred from the fact that they ivr ought miracles ?
A miracle is a divine sign (orjfiecov) accrediting the person to whom the power is delegated as a divinely commissioned agent, Matt, xvi., 1, 4 ; Acts xiv., 3 ; Heb. ii., 4. This divine testimony not only encourages, but absolutely renders belief obligatory. Where the sign is God commands us to believe. But he could not unconditionally command us to believe any other than un- mixed truth infallibly conveyed.
14. How may it be shown that the gift of inspiration was promised to the apostles ?
Matt, x., 19 ; Luke xii., 12 ; John xiv., 26 ; xv., 26, 27 ; xvi., 13 ; Matt, xxviii., 19, 20 ; John xiii., 20.
15. In what several ways did they claim to have possession of the Spirit ?
They claimed —
1st. To have the Spirit in fulfillment of the promise of Christ. — Acts ii., 33 ; iv., 8 ; xiii., 2-4 ; xv., 28 ; xxi.? 11 ; 1 Thes. i., 5.
2d. To speak as the prophets of God. — 1 Cor. iv., 1 ; ix., 17; 2 Cor. v., 19 ; 1 Thes. iv., 8.
3d. To speak with plenary authority. — 1 Cor. ii. 13 ; 1 Thes. ii. 13 ; 1 John iv. 6 ; Gal. i., 8, 9 ; 2 Cor. xiii., 2, 3, 4. They class their writings on a level with the Old Testament Scrip- tures.— 2 Pet. iii., 16 ; 1 Thess. v., 27 ; Col. iv., 16 ; Eev. ii., 7. — Dr. Hodge.
16. How was their claim confirmed ?
1st. By their holy, simple, temperate yet heroic lives.
2d* By the holiness of the doctrine they taught, and its spiri- tual power, as attested by its effect upon communities and indi- viduals.
3d. By the miracles they wrought. — Heb. ii., 4; Acts xiv., 3; Mark xvi., 20.
4th. All these testimonies are accredited to us not only by their own writings, but also by the uniform testimony of the early Christians, their cotemporaries, and their immediate successors.
74 INSPIRATION.
17. Show that the writers of the Old Testament claim to be inspired ?
1st. Moses claimed that he wrote a part at least of the Pen- tateuch by divine command. — Deut. xxxi., 19-22 ; xxxiv.. 10 ; Num. xvi., 28, 29. David claimed it. — 2 Sam. xxiii., 2,
2d. As a characteristic fact, the Old Testament writers speak not in their own name, but preface their messages with, " Thus saith the Lord," " The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it/'etc. — Jer. ix., 12 ; xiii., 13 ; xxx., 4 ; Isa. viii., 1 ; xxxiii., 10 ; Mic. iv., 4 ; Amos iii., 1 ; Deut. xviii., 21, 22 ; 1 Kings xxi., 28 ; 1 Chron. xvii., 3.— Dr. Hodge.
18. Hoio was their claim confirmed ?
1st. Their claim was confirmed to their cotemporaries by the miracles they wrought, by the fulfillment of many of their pre- dictions, (Num. xvi., 28, 29), by the holiness of their lives, the moral and spiritual perfection of their doctrine, and the practical adaptation of the religious system they revealed to the urgent wants of men.
2d. Their claim is confirmed to us principally, (1.) By the remarkable fulfillment, in far subsequent ages, of many of their prophesies. (2.) By the evident relation of the symbolical reli- gion which they promulgated to the facts and doctrines of Chris- tianity, proving a divine preadjustment of the type to the anti- type. (3.) By the endorsation of Christ and his apostles.
19. What are the formulas by ivhich quotations from the Old Testament are introduced into the New, and how do these forms of expression prove the inspiration of the ancient Scriptures ?
" The Holy Ghost saith," Heb. iii., 7. " The Holy Ghost this signifying," Heb. ix., 8. " God saith," Acts ii., 17, and Isa. xliv., 3 ; 1 Cor. ix., 9, 10, and Deut. xxv., 4. "The Scriptures saith," Eom. iv., 3 ; Gal. iv., 30. "It is written," Luke xviii., 31; xxi., 22 ; John ii., 17 ; xx., 31. " The Lord by the mouth of his ser- vant David says," Acts iv., 25, and Ps. ii., 1, 2. " The Lord limiteth in David a certain day, saying," Heb. iv., 7; Ps. xcv., 7. "David in spirit says," Matt, xxii., 43, and Ps. ex., 1.
Thus these Old Testament writings are what God saith, what
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 75
God saith by David, etc., and are quoted as the authoritative basis for conclusive argumentation, therefore they must have been inspired.
20. How may the inspiration of the Old Testament writers be proved by the express declarations of the New Testament ?
Luke L, 70 ; Heb. i., 1 ; 2 Tim. iii., 16 ; 1 Pet. i., 10-12 ; 2 Pet. i., 21.