Before dismissing the subject, I must ask you to observe, that this arbitrary, irreverent method of approaching Holy Scripture, is absolutely fatal; and can result in nothing but general unbelief. It confessedly leaves the individual reader to decide what parts of the Bible he thinks could, what parts could not, have been written without Divine assistance;--a point on which I am bold to say that he is not competent even to form an opinion. In other words, it constitutes every man the judge of how much of the Bible he will retain,--how much he will reject. To put the case yet more plainly, it makes every man a GOD to himself, and the maker of his own Bible.--For, mark you, the exceptions taken against a genealogy, or a catalogue of names, are just as applicable to the account of our LORD'S Discourses as given by St. John. Once convince me that the function of Inspiration ceases when a genealogy has to be set down,--because (say you) it requires no Inspiration to enable an Evangelist to copy _written_ words;--and I shall have no difficulty in convincing myself that St. John's Gospel, from the xivth to the xviith chapters inclusive, is not inspired,--because I cannot _but_ infer that then neither can it require Inspiration to enable an Evangelist to copy _spoken_ words.--The original fallacy, I repeat,--the πρῶτον ψεῦδος,--consists in your supposing yourself a competent judge of the nature and office of Inspiration; concerning which, in reality, you know nothing. You can but reverently examine the phenomena of the Book of Inspiration; remembering that you have everything to learn. The Bible, it cannot be too often repeated, too clearly borne in mind,--the Bible must stand or fall,--or rather, be received or rejected,--_as a whole_. A Divinity hath over-ruled it, that those many Books of which it is composed should come to be spoken of collectively as if they were one Book. As it was formerly called ἡ γραφή--"the Scripture,"--so is it happily called "the Bible"--(the Book)--_now_. "Moses--the Prophets--and the Psalms," was the recognized analysis of the volume of the Old Testament. The Gospels, the Epistles, and the Apocalypse, exhibits the sum of the contents of the New.--There is no disjoining the Law from the Gospel. There is no disconnecting one Book from its fellows. There is no eliminating one chapter from the rest. There is no taking exception against one set of passages, or supposing that Inspiration has anywhere forgotten her office, or discharged it imperfectly. All the Books of the Bible must stand or fall together. "Nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it[400]." It is a fabric hard as adamant; and the gates of Hell will assuredly never prevail against it. But remove in thought a single stone; and in thought, that goodly work of Lawgivers and Judges--Kings and Prophets--Evangelists and Apostles,--collapses into a shapeless and unmeaning ruin[401].