The faith of our fathers - Carmel Apologetics

"GoTHE CHURCH AND THE BIBLE. 101Finally, in this very passage our Lord is explaining the sense of Holy Writ ; therefore, its true meaning is not left to the private interpretation of everychance reader. It is, therefore, a grave perversion ofthe sacred Text, to adduce these words in vindication of the private interpretation of the Scriptures.But when our Redeemer abolished the Old Law,and established His Church, did He intend that HisGospel should be disseminated by the circulation ofthe Bible, or by the living voice of His disciples ?This is a vital question. I answer most emphatically,that it was by preaching alone that He intended toconvert the nations, and by preaching alone theywere converted. No nation has ever yet been converted by the agency of Bible Associations.Jesus Himself never wrote a line of Scripture.He never once commanded His Apostles to write aword,* or even to circulate the Scriptures alreadyexisting. When He sends them on their Apostolicerrand, He says: teach all nations." l Preach"the Gospel to 2 "everycreature." He that hearethyou, heareth Me." s And we find the Apostles acting in strict accordance with these instructions.Of the twelve Apostles, the seventy-two disciples,and early followers of our Lord, only eight haveleft us any of their sacred writings. And theGospels and Epistles were addressed to particularpersons or particular churches. They were writtenon the occasion of some emergency, just as Bishops1Matt. xxviii. 19.2 Mark xvi. 15. 3Luke x. 16.*NOTE: Except when He directed St. John to writeApocalypse,i. 11.9*the