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Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

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THE SECOND MAN VEEIFIED IN HISTORY.153infer to have been necessary for the maintenance<strong>of</strong> the truth, because it was so done. That thesewritings were the property <strong>of</strong> the Church-herScriptures-may be inferred with no less truth,because they were addressed only to her children,and presupposed a system <strong>of</strong> instruction alreadyreceived by those who were to read them. And,finally, that they were to be understood in theirright sense only, by the aid <strong>of</strong> the Spirit who dictatedthem, is, their being given in this manneronce admitted, an inference <strong>of</strong> just reasoning. Itis plain, when once these things are stated, thatthese writings were not intended to stand alone,as ordinary books, and to be understood by themselves.Not only were they part <strong>of</strong> a great body<strong>of</strong> teaching, but a portion <strong>of</strong> a great institution,to which they incessantly alluded and bore witness.<strong>The</strong>y would speak very differently to thosewithout and to those within the kingdom <strong>of</strong> whichthey were documents. <strong>The</strong>y would remind theinstructed at every turn <strong>of</strong> doctrines which theyhad been taught, corroborating these and themselvesexplained by them. Some <strong>of</strong> them indeedwere letters, and we all know how different is themeaning: to<strong>of</strong> letters to those who know the writerand his allusions, and to those who do not. Aword <strong>of</strong> reference in these documents to a greatpractice <strong>of</strong> Christian life would kindle into a namethe affection <strong>of</strong> those who possessed that practice,while it would pass as a dead letter to those who

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