The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-10-17
THE NEW TESTAMENT"
DIR. HTDEy,s SECOND LECTURE ON
ITS ORIGIN AND HISTORY.
No Fears as to the Results of Careful, Can
did, Even Critical Investigation OF the
Claims of the Various Books.

Rev. DIR. j. C. Hiden delivered at the
Young Mems Christian Association Tues
day night the second In a course OF lee
lures on the subject, "OrIgin and History
OF the New Testament"
Or. Hiden is recognized as an authority
on sacred history. having given the sub
ject profound thought and careful re-
search. Adding 10 his vast fund OF IN
formation i powerful delivery and a pc
culiar gift as a teacher. Or. Hiden's leo
lures at the Y. NJ. c. A. each Tuesday
evening are attracting wide attention.
In the course OF his lecture last Tues
day night Or. Hiden said:
THE LECTURE.
1--WE need entertain no fears as 70 the
results of careful, candid, even critical
investigation OF the claims OF the various
books OK the New Testament. Some ex-
celent Christian people have sometimes
| expressed their fears that the whole New
Testament might be destroyed piece-meal;
but apart from the very powerful exter-
nal evidence Of the genuineness and au-
thority Of the sacred books, there Is the
unanswerable question, Who could have
forged such books? Bad men would
not have written such books, even IL
they could for they would have been
writing their own condemnation. Nor
could they have produced such a system
OF morality as the Gospel teaches, even
IL they had desired to do IT. The very
materials for such system did not eN-
ist anywhere In the world. In some very
important particulars, the moral teach
ings Of Jesus were thoroughly original
and peculiar. How could such doctrines
have originated with men who were capa-
bic OF committing forgery?
THAT men ever existed who were wise
enough and good enough 20 devise such
system, and, at the same time, stupid
and wicked enough To forge such books
IS a supposltion too monstrous TO be en-
tertained by any rational mird And. az
a matter Of fact, the forgery hypothesis
has long since been abandoned by the
most radical Of the rationalists'
ALL GENUINE.
christian scholars are now generally
at one in tho belief that all tho books OF
our New Testament collection are gem
uue and authoritative True there IS
still considerable divergence Of opinion
as 70 the authorship Of the Epistle 10
the Hebrews. but these doubts do not
involve its authority as an inspired work.
The tone, style. and contents of the
book are. of themselves, sufficient TO
settle this
Some doubts as 10 the character Of the
Second Epistle Of Peter are still enter
tanned by certain scholars but these
doubts may have arisen from compari-
son OF the second chapter of this Epistle
with the Epistle Of Jude, to which 1t
certainly does bear a most extraordinary
resemblance.
"Still. this resemblance is not so mark
ed as Is that which obtains among sew
eral OF the ovaneests in their accounts
90 1 ord
and when we remember the relations
which Peter and Juda sust aimed 20 each
other, and when We note the subject
upon which they were both writing, II
cannot be shown that the resemblance Is
more difficult to explain than is the re-
semblance between Matthew and Mark.
which will be explained further on
ARBITRARY INCONSISTENCY.
upon the whole, there are stronger
evidences OF the genuneness Of most OF
the books OF the New Testament than OF
any Of the profane works of antiquity
SO that the man who rejects the New
Testament and still accepts Caesars
commentaries on the Gallo War; or
Clcero's work ON the Nature OF the
Gods is acting with arbitrary inconsist-
oncy.
III is quite probable that the New Tes-
lament collection was originally made
with q view TO settling doctunal disputes
I'm the early church. IL is a very com
mon, and very erroneous BELIEF that
there were no differences OF doctrine
among the churches Of the Apostolic age.
Such differences were rife in the days OF
paul: and quite a large proportion Of al
his eXtant Epistles were written mainly
with a view 10 correcting errors OF doc
trine and Of practice I'm the churches
which he himself had founded Nearly
all these Epistles are controversial, thaI
IS 10 saw. they were aimed al prevailing
errors and the same thing is, TO great
extent true Of most of the books OF the
New Testament, and Of not Few In
the Old. The same thing may be SAID
of many Of the discourses or Jesus as
recorded by the eyanselists. -u,.
NECEs SITY OF THE COLLECTION
"Now. during the Apostolic age. doc
trinal disputes could De so'tieu Dy -, -
healing 70 the Apostles themselves. Lhe |
Apostolic Council. as it is often called !
which convened in Jerusalem (See Acts |
XVI was called 10 settle one or the as
uutes which long agitated the Apostolic |
churches, and which gave serious uou-
bic TO Paul and Peter
"Rut after the death OF the last or the !
Apostles, and after the extraordinary /
,,anifestations Of the Holy Spirit, incl |
dent 10 the Apostolic age, had ceased, II |
oer,e IN he a matter of serious import |
ance 10 have some recognized and author
native standard Of doctrine, taith ana
practice; and hence the value OF the
New Testament collection.
1.-THE Apostle John probably lVed 10 |
the age OF ninety years, and cleo aOous |
the close OF the first century during mo
relen Of the Emperor Domitan. Inc |
extraordinary manifestations OF the Holy |
snirit which marked the Apostolic age |
nav have fingered for some years after |
mis-. INIT I'm the course OF time, their Cd
iect having been accomplished theJ
ceased: ond then the necessity OF coHect-
ing the Apostolic writings became appa-
rent. -. 49,. |
"Thess writings were read in the Apos-
tolic churches; but they were not the |
regular books for public reading IN lhe
ordinary Christian assemblies Tor WoI-
shin. For this purpose the Old Tesla
mont still retained its place. for one great |
obieet of reading the Scriptures was TO |
shoyv that Jesus was the Christ, who
had been promised by Jehovah through |
HE nrophets. In Second Peter, S:l5, We |
have the only passage in which any New
Testament writer applies the turn scrip
tlre to anything but the Old restan ent-
In this verse Petsr ranks Paufs EpistlsS
with the other Scriptures
IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS
.,rhs small amount Of Apostolic lltera-
.,.o would seem 10 be striking phe- |
,,or,apa especially when we consider the |