The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1895-12-20
THE SUNDAY EVENING hE'r' ""S
MI Maxwell on the New

NJ, maxwell ON the New Testament '"n-
Rev. III. -. Maxwell's sermon pun
day evening IN Biblical history ana III
ternretation. had the New Testament
Canon for its bjcct and was most III
,ernst;noly treated from an historical
standpoint. ..i, wc are
dealing entirely with facts of history. sauaS
Of Inc history of the New Tcst;llhciia tn snn.
means simply an n1 ,ee Kew received
Tnr;nr the formative period of early Chrlstian
literature. The word Canon mas u ,o",,l
suggestive OF the term Classical, ~, - no lead
book was one which was regarded ny NY 49, u"
mo men of the early church as worthy ol Wrst
eryation the canOncal books were ,iiose ,rhich
we're separated from the mass o. wIitanEs " The
camc into being In response TO the hccus VI ~
time. and declared BY explicit testimony VI ~
more universal usage 70 be best adapted 10 'n'
times and problems. ,,. -. ,ha for
rThe nnostolic age was unfayorable to ihe iol,
nation nf n canon: The spiritual teachings %
Jesus which the apostles were pr0cia'h'i n,i
with its demands for great sen s,ciin ii co.,
self remuneration did not appear 10 tnc Iu, N the
classes. 1t was most gladly received w tno
common people, by the every nay WolhlnS
classes but they were not the KIND OF n.aI 81
who would or could pay spcciai at.Gn,on =. Tho
literary productions which were born OF ,nc
new movement; They were most alsposcu "
listen to the instruction and eXhoration OIL .l1c
| preacher and to disregard the WritlcH "oiu.
| liz Christianity had made It's way ainohI ".
| cancnted men and women of that age Its 'itera.
turc would undoubtedly have hceh more caIr
! fully studied and preserved an" more ea' hos''a
rcvereneeu. =., t. ,.h,is,
aims were eagerly looking for the return OF
Jesus; and the establishment OF NJ Me ss.'ar
republic, such AN expectation was hh la's
4 able to the selection OF Il deuhito
npmher of writings which should
constitute an iniaible collection; why devote
any time to the recording OF the me anu st9 ih.s
of the Master, when he Wouiu 70 soon p1 " ~,
I thcm AGAIN in tiersonz None of the church
/ fathers during the first century ana quarry
after The death Of Jesus make any ihenhoh IN IN
their writings ol q definite Soils'to " nf
/ which were regarded as exclusive sources o.
authority. with practical unanlmlty thcE icstiH
that oral tradition was mnch ih'fe , niS.t ~ ~
teemea than the written worn. ,l.nr."t :, ~,
| Rome who lived at about the enu OF the M ~
| rantury makes no mention OF any deilhnc COZ
/ lection OF authoritative volumes, nor uots NJ ~
/ cnunclatc any doctrine OF speclai apostolie ~
/ spiratton. If Polycarp, l1 -, one OF the
/ most illustrious OF the early martyrs, was nc
uuaintcd with the Gospels BY name, ne aoes Ilut
reveal his knowledge. Papias, acontehlioihlS
Eof Polycarp, says u'a tbe " Iorh in Ihe
Hebrew dialect but OF special canonical boohi
he bclrays no conception. justin Martyr iuil ~
his conception Of Holy scriptures 70 'ne ny
Testament although he made hundreds OF 4uo
fations from what he called the Memoirs OF tht
apostles. ircnaeus and Iertulian 40 the pesih
ming of the third century appealeu 70 n.y. ,, "
the New Testament writings and Regarded thetl
as equal in Importance to the books OF me oldei
covenant in their time the Tour soSpels W.T.
unrriticaily accepted, ana felefteh 10 lhC "u
thors whose names they bear. mi.
During the first two centuries oral tiault'oi
was more highly valued than the recoraeu teaeIl
ing; the leaders in the churches aufllT tla i
nerind knew nothing OF the doctrine of an inial
tlble collection OF books; the canon Of the \
was a 9 owth, and the dogma of literal lhsplra
ton and preservation was an aitef neN''oPth'i
Of the succeeding centuries.