6. _The Character of the New Testament:_ The Apostles all drew their doctrine from personal contact with the divine human history of the crucified and risen Savior, and from the inward illumination of the Holy Spirit, revealing the person and work of Christ in them, and opening to them his discourses and acts. This divine enlightenment is inspiration, governing not only the composition of the sacred writings, but also the oral instructions of their authors; not merely an act, but a permanent state. The Apostles lived and moved continually in the element of truth. They spoke, wrote, and acted from the Spirit of truth; and this, not as passive instruments, but as conscious and free agents. For the Holy Spirit does not supercede the gifts and peculiarities of nature, ordained by the Lord; it sanctifies them to the service of the kingdom of God. * * * * * While the New Testament forms one harmonious whole, it was written by different men, inspired indeed, and yet free and conscious agents. The peculiar character, education, and sphere of the several writers, therefore, necessarily show themselves in their writings." (International Commentary and Introduction, p. 9.) 7. _The Chronological Order of the Books:_ This cannot be determined with absolute certainty, as no dates are given in the books themselves. Some of the Epistles of Paul, especially that to the Romans, contain indications and allusions which enable us to assign them to a particular year. The Epistle of James, and the Epistles to the Thessalonians were probably writen first, the writings of John last. The three Synoptic Gospels must have been composed before the destruction of Jerusalem (A. D. 70), which by them is predicted as a future event. The Acts were written after 63, yet before the death of Paul, (which is supposed to have occurred 68 A. D.), as they suddenly close with his imprisonment in Rome." (Ibid, pp. 10, 11.)