The New York herald., 1845-10-20

TheBibIe as the Word OF God-The Bible
the Ground of the Catholics Falth-The
Bible as q school Book.
"A Lecture Delivered by the Yery Rev. Dr. Power ef New
York. in S. Peters Church, Sunday Evening, ioM Oe-
tober, ls45.
As was anticipated, st. Peters church was last
evening crowded 10 sutocation, by most respecta-
BILE and attentive auditory, comprising great many
members OF the Protestant church. The celebrity
OF Dr. Power, and the interesting nature of the sub
ject on which he was to lecture, naturally attracted
vast assembage, and the spacious and elegant edi-
fice was filled to overlooking. DIR. Powers
is digniiied and impressive, and he was listened
TO with breathless attention. But without further
comment, we present our readers with the following
report of
THE LECTURE.
.aH Scripture dpinsly inspired is useful to teach, &C.
$c.-St Paul, I'd Ep. Tim. Sd chap.
II is not them from the book of Proverbs alone that
the simple to learn wisdom and the young pru
dence, seeing that the inspired apostle says that all
Scripture divinely inspired il useful to each &C. The
apostle in his episs to the Romans says, in the
l4th chapter That all that has been written has been
written for instruction. in order that we may have
firm hope through the consolation which the Holy Scrip
.
knowledge of duties; and st Peter in his ID Epse
commends the early Christians for their attachment to
the prophecies. In view of this thankful to AL
mighty God for having impaired to people relish
for the sacred writings in order to derive from them
der the guidance of their pastors those words OF spirit
and of life which amongst the most powerful means
employed by the Almighty to promote our eternal vel
fare. As to say great deal in the short time
which allotted to me- shall proceed, without farther
preface the subject Of this lecture The subject
the Holy Bibe." The Bible that to say, the Book
by excelence is the collection of those books which
were written by the inspiration Of the Holy Ghost
and which constitute what We call the Old Testament
and the New. The inspiration Of the Old Testament il
admitted by the Jews and Christians of all denomna
tions admit the inspiration of both the old and the
Those books are called canonical books. The wore
canon means a rule and because the Holy Scriptures
are rule to us and are designated by Of the
mons the church, they therefore called canonca
The canonca books of the Old Testament divided
into four classes. The first class comprises the legal
books the five books OF Moses The second, the his
torca books The third the moral books. The fourth
the prophetical books The canonical books the New
Testament the four gospels the Acts of the Apos
Ties the Epstles Of the Apostles and the Apocalypse
Some the books OF the Bible called proto
and others deuterocanonicsl The first those books
Of whose inspiration there any doubt. The
second those books whose inspiration was doubted
by many of the orthodox before the decision of
church. The synagogue, the Jewish church, had her
Of the Sacred Scriptures. In the canon which
was made by Esdras, find but twenty-five books O
this have to remark that Esdras united books
which before this time were separate. Thus we find
the Book of Ruth united to the Book of Judges and
what call the first and second of Kings the Hebrews
call the Book of Samuel and what call the third and
fourth Of Kings they call the first of Kings The syna.
gogue excluded from her canon the following books
WISDOM Ecclesastious, Tob Judith, and the books OF
Maccabees. According to some writer's they excluded
the Book of Barek and that Of Esther. The Catholic
belonging to the Old Testament and twenty seven to
the New. This canon we have from the Third Council
II his to % the wear o
st. Augustine mentions books canonical in his
second book upon the Christian religion, sth chapter
and also have canon from the Council of Rome
held under Pope Gelasus in the yea 495 The church
has never deviated from this canon the Council
Trent her fourth session anahernatizes those who
deny the inspiration and authority Of any of its books
In reading ecclesiastical history: find that the Mani
Some Of the ancent heretcs rejected the gospeis the
Calvinists rejected the books Of the Old Testament
which were not found in the Jewish canon, and be-
sides these the Luherans rejected the Epistle to the
Hebrews, the Epise of st. James, that of ST. jude the
2nd Of st. Peter, and the and and srd Of St. John,
the Old Testament Wisdom, Ecclesasticus, Tobith
Judith and LIST and I'd Maccsbees to these may add
Barsk and Esther The deutero-canonical books Of the
New Testament the epistes of the Apostles, which
have already mentioned, with parts oi
the gospels viz the history Of the bloody and
that of the woman taken in adultery. The Apocrypha
of the Old Testam the books Of Enoch, the Sd and
1h Maccabees, 3i and 4h Of Esdras the Prayer of Ma
and the sst Psalm The Apocrypnal books OF u
Hermes, the companion Of 81. Paul. the Episte of st
Barnabas the Epistle Of Jesus to Egbarus with some
that Apocryphal books mean books Of authority We
find that Of the books of the Old Testament have
is made to the book Of the Wars Of the Lord In
the 10th chapter of Joshua mention made Of the book
Of the Just mention s also made Of the book Of the Say
ngs of the King of Juda and Of some thousand Proverbs
OF Solomon There is evidence OF the inspiration OF
any Of these books and must say with st. Augustine
that they necessary the integrity Of ah OF
morals Here / must be permitted to make few re.
marks From the rapid history which have given you
perceive that in the early ages Of the church il
positively defined which were the canoncal books OF
the New Testament The Gospels were written by the
Evangests for the benefit Of the churches which they
written by Of the Apostles for the benefit Of
their converts These works ut first circulated amongst
those for whose benefit they written; they gradu
ally became kno to the churches aar Of and after
considerable time they became known to the whole
church. In the meantime other works written.
from some of the others of the Apostles and were be-
eved to be genuine in the provinces in which they
published Now, until the genuine Scriptures we're
TO ALL and until the genuine were separated from
them as their sole rule offah But the genuine not
separated from the spurious until the year 495 by Pope
estans it evidently follows from this fact that the Chris
ans Of five first centuries not Protestants How
could they take their religion from book which they
had not 1t may be said that the pastors had genuine
pies OF the Scriptures which they explained in their
sermons and exhortations to the people II this be So
who does not that this is Popery7 for in this suppos
on the pastors searched the scriptures for the
And If the people believed because their pastors told
them to believe, not this rank Poperyp TO many it
will appear strange that the first christians had the
scriptures Before the invention Of the of printing
il extremely difficult to procure copy the sacred
scriptures, of the New Testament The first copy
of the New Testament was given for example to the
church for which il was written. Now, how would this
copy be multiplied We answer by transcribing IT, How
many copies think you could scribe furnish in fair
and legible hand in twelve months We twelve
at the most But one scribe could furnish only twelve
copies in year, will not little arithmetic show that II
would require between eighty and ninety thousand
scribes to give New Tesaments In year TO million
OF people. and 80 many be required for million
how many, think you. will be required for the millions
who compose the universal churchi Here you not
forget that the art Of writing not general in those
days as at present Where then could this immense
number Of scribes be found, and II they could,
has fnundc IN trnns he