tains the Gospel under a veil, but the New contains it unveiled, “ So that 
we may see the glory of the Lord with open face.” 
THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
The first four books of the New Testament are commonly called “ The 
Gospels,” containing particularly the biography of the earthly life of the 
Incarnate Son of God, by the voluntary close of which He actually pur¬ 
chased that redemption which was foreshadowed through the old dispensa¬ 
tion. Though written by four different persons and containing much in 
common, yet they throw light upon the earthly pilgrimage of the Lord 
from four distinct points of view. Matthew writes of Him from the 
standpoint of a Jew, tracing His genealogy back to Abraham. Mark 
views Him more particularly as the Spiritual Conqueror, the Wonder¬ 
worker, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, filling the people with amazement 
and fear. His Gospel was designed especially for Roman readers. Luke 
views the life of the Lord from a broader field, tracing His genealogy to 
Adam, thus bringing Him in touch with the whole world, so that “Our 
Redeemer” is also “Our Kinsman.” The reflective, thoughtful John takes 
a still deeper and broader view than either of his associates, tracing the 
genealogy, so to speak, of Christ to the very bosom of God the Father, 
thus emphasizing the divine nature of the Son of Man. 
Following the Gospels is “ The Acts of the Apostles,” giving an 
account of the doings of the Apostles in carrying out the marching 
orders of their Lord—“Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel”— 
not, however, until the advent of the Spirit, who would endue them 
with “power from on high.” While the Spirit, the third person of the 
Trinity, was in the world from the beginning, yet not until Pentecost did 
He come in His official capacity, henceforth to apply to men’s hearts the 
redemption purchased by Christ. Pentecost may properly be called the 
“Birthday of the Spirit,” and upon His advent went the Apostles forth 
upon their divine mission—“Those who were scattered abroad, went 
everywhere preaching the word,” and as a result of these apostolic activi¬ 
ties the founding of many churches is recorded in the Acts. As a natural 
sequence to this gathering into the Church of Jew, Greek, Barbarian, 
bond and free, many peculiar, and sometimes serious complications arose 
upon questions social and moral, calling at times for the admonition, 
warning and explanation of the Apostles. Hence, we have the Epistles, 
called forth in almost every instance from some peculiar circumstance 
connected with the church to whom it was addressed. The question 
would naturally arise in the minds of early Christians, “ What is to be 
the final result of all this labor, hardship, persecution, sorrow and joy?” 
The Revelation answers the question for them, as it does for the thought¬ 
ful now. 
The Bible closes with a grand panorama of the ultimate triumph of 
that Spiritual Kingdom which has been opposed from the beginning 
by the world, the flesh and the devil. While its language is often that 
of mysterious symbol, yet it pictures with simple vividness the ultimate 
triumph of the friends, and total destruction of the enemies, of the 
Gospel. 
In Benton’s “Thirty Years’ View” we find this interesting incident of 
John Randolph, of Roanoke, upon his deathbed. “ The last time I saw 
him,” says the writer, “when in full view of death, I heard him read 
the chapter of the Revelation of the opening of the seals, with such power 
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