Are there no other divine books except the canonical ? No. The canon is not ordained of men, but of God through men. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.”
How can I know the difference between the books of the Scriptures and other pious books, such as the Apocryhpa, which have rightly been banished from the Bible by many Churches, the Reformed, the Anglican, and the Presbyterian, and of which Luther writes, “Books, whichare not to be considered equal to the Holy Scriptures?”
By the Spirit of God.
To whom does God give this Spirit? To every one who asks Him. “If ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him ?” (Luke 11, 13.)
Is the Bible therefore of heavenly origin? Yes; it is, as much as we understand of it, a copy of the heavenly “Scripture of truth” (Dan. 10, 21), in which the angels read (Mai. iii, 16).
What shall the Christian answer the scoffer who wants to prove to him that the Bible contains all kinds of mistakes, and errors, and contradictions, and things that are untenable ? Nothing. He is not concerned about the reason of the faith that is in you (1 Peter 3, 15), but about the expression of His own conceited wisdom in holy things.
We are not to give that which is holy unto the dogs, and it does not pay to contend with a blind man concerning light and colors. On account of his faith in the Bible, the Christian must suffer to be considered a fool by the world.
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