The works of Nathaniel Lardner - The Christian Researcher - Home

274 Credibility of (he Gospel History.
' but examines them like a philosopher. He has not so
' much as mentioned the grace of Jesus Christ, and he seems
' to have supposed that man can of himself do good as well
' as evil.'
James Basnage, the first editor of Titus in Greek and
Latin, speaks'i to the like purpose. And indeed it is commonly
said that' Augustine himself, in his book against the
Manichees, spoke of man's free-will just as Titus and Didymus,
and other Greeks did.
I ought now briefly to observe this writer's testimony to
the books of the New Testament. He frequently quotes the
gospels, and the epistles of St. Paul, particularly that to the
Hebrews : he quotes' the first words of the epistle, and afterwards,
in another place, a ^ large part of the first chapter,
expressly as Paul's.
in one" short paragraph he quotes the beginning- of St.
Matthew's and St. Mark's gospels, and the sixth and seventh
verses of the first chapter of St. John, and cites all those
several evangelists by name.
Titus likewise quotes^ the Acts of the Apostles. I shall
have occasion to take particular notice of the passage here-
after.
He has little
Apocalypse.
or nothing out of the catholic epistles or the
1 have observed in this author these general divisions of
scripture; ' the"^ law and the prophets:' 'the'' law, the
' gospel, and Paul:' and presently afterwards, ' the> law,
' our Saviour, and the apostle,' often, ' law ^ and gospel
for Old and New Testament.
His respect for the scriptures of the Old and New Testament
is manifest; I need not allege particular passag;es.
At the beginning of his work he says: ' We'' learn the way
1 Non modo siluit de peccato original!, quo facile necessitatcm et aequitatem
pcenariim fiimare poterat ; sed virtutem a ralionis exercitatione hominisque
electione pendere absque ulla Christi gratia affimiabat. Basn. ap. Canis. Lect.
T. i. p. 57. ' Libertatem arbitrii tarn ad bonum quam ab malum
hommi lapso tribuit [Didymus :] nee mirum, omnes enira ad versus Manichaeos
dL'jputantes, ne Augustine quidem excepto, banc sententiam propugnaverunt.
Id. lb. p. 199. ' Kai 6 UavXog oiCi—ypaipwv fiiv 'E^paiotc
ovTwg Xeyii, TloXv^inwg kui TToXvrpOTrwg, k. X. Tit. contr. Manich. 1. 3. ap.
Cams. Lect. T. i. p. 'l42. ' lb. p. 153.
" lb. p. 141. " lb. p. 155. " ToffavTtjv yni>
iTnyiiKuuv TH vojih kui tojv TrpotptjTojv TrtiToir]Tai o aujTijp, k. \. 1. 3. p. 140.
" EiTTtvo vofioQ— iiTTt TO ivciyjiKiov— ipotiTiv o VlavXog.— ib. p. 153. in.
^' KcavtvoriTcn— €k vo/ih, kcu aojrtfpog, km airoroXa. ib. p. 153.
' Vid. lb. p. 154. in.
* AXX' avTT]v Tr)c, ctXriOuaQ ttjv iiSov, ek rt nov aytuv ypa