Excerpt from The Latter-Day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 64: September 11, 1902

From the Apostles we turn to the fathers, and later teachers in the church and secure their evidence. The earlier of these quote from the gospels and the epistles without mentioning from whom they quote, and sometimes with little verbal accuracy. Their use _of the books proves, however, that they regarded them as Scripture for the guidance of the church. This evidence is most valuable in attesting the antiquity of our New Testament, since its books must have existed. Long before to have been so venerated by these worthy writers. Here are a few examples of their quotations.

Clement of Rome, the earliest of writers after the Apostles, says, Remem ber the words Of our Lord Jesus Christ; for He said, 'woe to that man; it were better for him that he had not been born than that he should offend one of my elect. It were better for him that a millstone should be tied about his neck and that he should be drowned in the sea than that he should ofi'end one of my little Matthew, Mark and Luke each use words similar to these. It is from one of them he no doubt quotes (see Matt. Xviii: 6 Mark ix: 42; Luke xvii: 1 In the Epistle of Barnabas, written about 97 a.d., is the following: Let us take heed lest, as it is written, we be found many called, but few chosen. This is clearly a quotation from the written gospel Of St. Matthew (matt. Xx: Papias, who lived during the first half of the second century mentions the gospels Of Matthew and Mark, and the epistles of Peter and John (eusebius h.e. III. One of the very best of early witnesses to the New Testament is Justin Martyr, who wrote an apology addressed to the Roman Emperor Antonius about 150 a.d. He quotes copiously from the gospels, and though he does not name his authors, says the memoirs he uses are called gospels, and were composed by Apostles and those who followed them. These memoirs, said he, were read along with the Prophets the Old Testament) at the meetings of the Christians each Sunday.

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