CHAPTER XII.
IN THEIR PROPER REPOSITORIES.
Certain propositions have been established by facts and arguments that cannot be successfully controverted:
(a) The advent of Christ and its stupendous results.
(b) The formation of numerous churches which by the end of the first century were in all parts of the Roman Empire, with presbyters or bishops and elders in every church, and many thousands of communicants.
(c) They regarded him with the greatest reverence and affection, obeying his commands as their Lord and Master, paying him divine honors, and for his sake joyfully yielding up their lives.
(d) Of his disciples and followers, twelve, called Apostles, were understood to have special authority from him in the Church.
(e) From the nature of the case we should look for the reception in these numerous churches, of Memoirs of their Lord which they would deem authentic, and at so early a period, that they would be able to determine whether they were authentic or not.
(f) To such Memoirs, once accepted, they would be so strongly attached that they could not be displaced and others substituted for them, in hundreds of churches in all the Roman Empire, without such controversy as would have left indubitable evidence of it.
(g) As far back as history goes, doctrines[1] were taught, facts asserted, and quotations made, corresponding with the Canonical Gospels, and such use was continued until a time when there is a positive identification of them by name. Within this period there was one writer making numerous quotations and references, who declared that the writings from which he quoted, and to which he referred, were “Memoirs” of Christ “drawn up” by Apostles or companions of Apostles.
(h) There is no proof of the existence of writings other than those Gospels answering to his description, or corresponding with the quotations; and finally within forty years of his first reference to these “Memoirs” they are clearly seen to be the Canonical Gospels.