How to Get the Most from Reading your Bible

How to Get the Most from Reading your Bible

by Thomas Watson
Abridged and Modernised by Matthew Vogan

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1. Remove hindrances. (a) remove the love of every sin (b) remove the distracting concerns of this world, especially covetousness [Matt. 13:22] (c) Don't make jokes with and out of Scripture.

2. Prepare your heart. [1 Sam. 7:3] Do this by: (a) collecting your thoughts (b) purging unclean affections and desires (c) not coming to it rashly or carelessly.

3. Read it with reverence, considering that each line is God speaking directly to you.

4. Read the books of the Bible in order.

5. Get a true understanding of Scripture. [Ps. 119:73] This is best achieved by comparing relevant parts of Scripture with each other.

6. Read with seriousness. [Deut. 32:47] The Christian life is to be taken seriously since it requires striving [Luke 13:24] and not falling short [Heb. 4:1].

7. Persevere in remembering what you read. [Ps. 119:52] Don't let it be stolen from you [Matt. 13:4,19]. If it doesn't stay in your memory it is unlikely to be much benefit to you.

8. Meditate on what you read. [Ps. 119:15] The Hebrew word for meditate' means to be intense in the mind'. Meditation without reading is wrong and bound to err; reading without meditation is barren and fruitless. It means to stir the affections, to be warmed by the fire of meditation [Ps. 39:3].

9. Read with a humble heart. Acknowledge that you are unworthy that God should reveal himself to you [James 4:6]

10. Believe it all to be God's Holy Word. [2 Tim 3:16] We know that no sinner could have written it because of the way it describes sin. No saint could blaspheme God by pretending his own Word was God's. No angel could have written it for the same reason. [Heb 4:2]

11. Prize the Bible highly. [Ps. 119:72] It is your lifeline; you were born by it [James 1:18] you need to grow by it [1 Pet 2:2] [cf. Job 23:12].

12. Love the Bible ardently [Ps. 119:159].

13. Come to read it with an honest heart. [Luke 8:15] (a) Willing to know the entire and complete will of God (b) reading in order to be changed and made better by it [John 17:17].

14. Apply to yourself everything that you read, take every word as spoken to yourself. Its condemnation of sins as the condemnation of your own sin; the duty that it requires as the duty God would require from you [2 Kings 22:11].

15. Pay close attention to the commands of the Word as much as the promises. Think of how you need direction just as much as you need comfort.

16. Don't get carried away with the minor details, rather make sure to pay closest attention to the great things [Hosea 8:12].

17. Compare yourself with the Word. How do you compare? Is your heart something of a transcript of it, or not?

18. Pay special attention to those passages that speak to your individual, particular and present situation. e.g. (a) Affliction -- [Heb. 12:7, Isaiah 27:9, John 16:20, 2 Cor 4:17. (b) Sense of Christ's presence and smile withdrawn -- [Isaiah 54:8, Isaiah 57:16, Ps. 97:11] (c) Sin -- [Gal 5:24, James 1:15, 1 Peter 2:11, Prov 7:10&22-23, Prov 22:14] (d) Unbelief -- [Isaiah 26:3, 2 Sam 22:31, John 3:15, 1 John 5:10, John 3:36]

19. Pay special attention to the examples and lives of people in the Bible as living sermons. (a) Punishments [Nebuchadnezzar, Herod, Num 25:3-4&9, 1 Kings 14:9-10, Acts 5:5,10, 1 Cor 10:11, Jude 7] (b) mercies and deliverances [Daniel, Jeremiah, the 3 youths in the fiery furnace]

20. Don't stop reading the Bible until you find your heart warmed. [Ps 119:93] Let it not only inform you but also inflame you [Jer 23:29, Luke 24:32].

21. Put into practice what you read [Ps 119:66, Ps 119:105, Deut 17:19].

22. Christ is for us Prophet, Priest and King. Make use of His office as a Prophet [Rev 5:5, John 8:12, Ps 119:102-103]. Get Christ not only to open the Scriptures up to you, but to open up your mind and understanding [Luke 24:45]

23. Make sure to put yourself under a true ministry of the Word, faithfully and thoroughly expounding the Word [Prov 8:34] be earnest and eager in waiting on it.

24. Pray that you will profit from reading [Isaiah 48:17, Ps 119:18, Nehemiah 9:20].

Natural obstacles You may still be able to profit from reading even though:

1. You don't seem to profit as much as others do. Remember the different yields [Matt 13:8] though the yield isn't as much as others it is still a true and fruitful yield.

2. You may feel slow of understanding [Luke 9:45, Heb 5:11].

3. Your memory is bad (a) remember you are still able to have a good heart despite this (b) you may still remember the most important things even if you cannot remember everything, be encouraged by John 14:26.

Useful Directions For Reading and Searching the Scriptures.
by Thomas Boston

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1. Follow a regular plan in reading of them, that you may be acquainted with the whole; and make this reading a part of your private devotions. Not that you should confine yourselves only to a set plan, so as never to read by choice, but ordinarily this tends most to edification. Some parts of the Bible are more difficult, some may seem very barren for an ordinary reader; but if you would look on it all as God's word, not to be scorned, and read it with faith and reverence, no doubt you would find advantage.

2. Set a special mark, however you find convenient, on those passages you read, which you find most suitable to your case, condition, or temptations; or such as you have found to move your hearts more than other passages. And it will be profitable often to review these.

3. Compare one Scripture with another, the more obscure with that which is more plain, 2 Pet. 1:20. This is an excellent means to find out the sense of the Scriptures; and to this good use serve the marginal notes on Bibles. And keep Christ in your eye, for to him the scriptures of the Old Testament look (in its genealogies, types, and sacrifices), as well as those of the New.

4. Read with a holy attention, arising from the consideration of the majesty of God, and the reverence due to him. This must be done with attention, first, to the words; second, to the sense; and, third, to the divine authority of the Scripture, and the obligation it lays on the conscience for obedience, 1 Thess. 2:13, "For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe."

5. Let your main purpose in reading the Scriptures be practice, and not bare knowledge, James 1:22, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." Read that you may learn and do, and that without any limitation or distinction, but that whatever you see God requires, you may study to practice.

6. Beg of God and look to him for his Spirit. For it is the Spirit that inspired it, that it must be savingly understood by, 1 Cor 2:11, "For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God." And therefore before you read, it is highly reasonable you beg a blessing on what you are to read.

7. Beware of a worldly, fleshly mind: for fleshly sins blind the mind from the things of God; and the worldly heart cannot favour them. In an eclipse of the moon, the earth comes between the sun and the moon, and so keeps the light of the sun from it. So the world, in the heart, coming between you and the light of the word, keeps its divine light from you.

8. Labour to be disciplined toward godliness, and to observe your spiritual circumstances. For a disciplined attitude helps mightily to understand the scriptures. Such a Christian will find his circumstances in the word, and the word will give light to his circumstances, and his circumstances light into the word.

9. Whatever you learn from the word, labour to put it into practice. For to him that has, shall be given. No wonder those people get little insight into the Bible, who make no effort to practice what they know. But while the stream runs into a holy life, the fountain will be the freer.

The Bible's Purpose

In recent years the Bible has been recommended for many other purposes than the one for which it was written. The peace of mind cults, for instance, manage to find in it oil for the troubled waters of the soul; but to make it work they must pick, choose, misunderstand and misapply quite literally to their heart's content. Now, the Bible when read honestly and responsibly does bring peace of mind, but only after it has first brought the heart to a repentance that is often anything but peaceful. When the entire life has been morally transformed and the heart purified from sin, then the seeker can know real and legitimate peace. Any manipulation of the Scriptures to make them speak peace to the natural man is evil and can only lead to ruin.

A few years ago it was fairly popular practice for Bible teachers to claim to find in the Scriptures confirmation of almost every new discovery made by science. Apparently no one noticed that the scientist had to find it before the Bible teacher could, and it never seemed to occur to anyone to wonder why, if it was there in the Bible in such plain sight, it took several thousand years and the help of science before anyone saw it.

Now, I believe that everything in the Bible is true, but to attempt to make it a textbook for science is to misunderstand it completely and tragically. The purpose of the Bible is to bring men to Christ, to make them holy and prepare them for heaven. In this it is unique among books, and it always fulfills its purpose when it is read in faith and obedience

Tozer

Outstanding Tozer excerpt, Christian. The entire post is worthy to put in quotations.

Great job, brother.

Searching The Scriptures

"O how I love Thy law! it is my meditation all the day" Psalm 119:97.

"Search the Scriptures: and they are they which testify of Me" John 5:39.

"The word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard" Hebrews 4:2.

At the beginning of this book there is more than one passage on the use of God's Word in the life of grace. Before I take leave of my readers, I would like to come back to this all important point. I cannot too earnestly and urgently address this call to my young brothers and sisters--your spiritual life greatly depends on your use of God's Word.

Man lives by the Word that comes from the mouth of God. Therefore, seek with your whole heart to learn how to use God's Word correctly. With this in mind, reflect on the following hints:

Read the Word more with the heart than with the understanding. With the understanding I know and comprehend--with the heart I desire and love and hold firmly. Let the understanding be the servant of the heart. Be very afraid of your understanding or carnal nature, which cannot receive spiritual things.1 Deny your understanding, and wait in humility on the Spirit of God. On every occasion, keep silent during your reading of the Word. Say to yourselves, "This Word I now receive in my heart, to love and to let it live in me."2

Always read the Word in fellowship with the living God. The power of a word depends on my conviction regarding the man who wrote it. First, set yourself in loving fellowship with the living God under the impression of His nearness and love. Deal with the Word under the full conviction that He, the eternal God, is speaking with you. Let your heart be silent while you listen to God--to God Himself.3 Then the Word will certainly become a great blessing to you.

Read the Word as a living Word in which the Spirit of God dwells, and that certainly works in those who believe. The Word is seed. Seed has life, and grows and yields fruit of itself. Likewise, the Word has life, and of itself grows and yields fruit.4 If you do not wholly understand it--if you do not feel its power--carry it in your heart. Ponder it and meditate on it, and it will of itself begin to yield a working and growth in you.5 The Spirit of God is with and in the Word.

Read it with the resolve to be, not only a hearer, but a doer of the Word. Let the great question be--What would God now have of me with this Word? If the answer is--He would have me believe it and rely on Him to fulfil it--immediately do this from the heart. If the Word is a command of what you are to do, immediately yield yourself to do it.6 There is an unspeakable blessedness in the doing of God's Word, and in the surrender of myself to be and to act just as His Word dictates. Do not be only hearers, but doers of the Word.

Read the Word with time. More and more, I see that one obtains nothing on earth without time. Give the Word time. Give the Word time to come into your heart, on every occasion on which you sit down to read it. Give it time, in the persistence with which you are faithful to it, from day to day and month to month.7 With perseverance, you become exercised and more accustomed to the Word and the Word begins to work. Please, do not be discouraged when you do not understand the Word. Hold on, take courage, give the Word time. Later on the Word will explain itself. David had to meditate day and night to understand it.

Read the Word with a searching of the Scriptures. The best explanation of the Bible is the Bible itself. Take three or four texts on one point, and set them close to one another and compare them. See where they agree and where they differ. See where they say the same thing or again something else. Let the Word of God in one place be cleared up and confirmed by what He said in another place on the same subject. This is the safest and the best explanation. Even the holy writers used this method of instruction with the Scriptures, "and again " (John 19:37).8 Do not complain that this method takes too much time and energy. It is worth the trouble. Your pains will be rewarded. On earth you have nothing without effort.9 He who wants to go to heaven never goes without taking pains. Search the Scriptures, you will be richly rewarded.

Young Christian, let one of my last and most earnest words to you be this--your growth, your power, and your life depend on your faithfulness to the Word of God. Love God's Word. Esteem it sweeter than honey, better than thousands in silver or gold. In the Word, the Father can and will reveal His heart to you. In the Word, Jesus will communicate Himself and all His grace. In the Word, the Holy Spirit will come into you, to renew your heart and all your thoughts, according to the mind and will of God. Do not simply read enough of the Word to keep you from falling away. Make it one of your chief occupations on earth, to yield yourself so that God may fill you with His Word, and may fulfil His Word in you.

Lord God, what grace it is that You speak to us in Your Word, that we in Your Word have access to Your heart, to Your will, and to Your love. Forgive us for our sins against Your precious Word. And, Lord, let the new life become so strong by the Spirit in us, that all its desire will be to abide in Your Word. Amen.

murray

Meditate, practice, pray

(Thomas Brooks, "The Unsearchable Riches of Christ")

You must meditate and dwell upon what you read;
otherwise your pains and mine will be lost. The more any
man is in the contemplation of truth, the more deep and
firm impression is made upon his heart by truth. Heavenly
meditation brings out the sweetness that is in divine truths.
Not those who get most--but those who keep most, are
richest. So not those who hear most, or read most--but
those who meditate most, are most edified and enriched.

You must also practice and live out what you read. To
read much and practice nothing--is to hunt much and catch
nothing. Ah! what cause have most to sigh, that they have
heard so much, and read so much--and yet done so little!

You must also pray over what you read. Many read much,
and pray little, and therefore get little by all they read. Galen
writes of a fish called Uranoscopos, that has but one eye,
which looks continually up to heaven. When a Christian has
one eye upon his book--the other should be looking up to
heaven for a blessing upon what he reads!

As your Biblical knowledge widens

(John Angell James, "Christian Progress" 1853)

There are many who regard an increasing acquaintance
with the text of the Bible, as an evidence of growth in
grace.

Ask yourselves the solemn question. In proportion as
you store your minds with biblical texts and biblical
ideas--are you all the while seeking to have your
heart filled with biblical feelings, and your life with
biblical actions?

As you grow in acquaintance with the character of God--
do you reverence Him more? As your ideas brighten on the
person of Christ--do you love Him more? As you become
more acquainted with the perfection and spirituality of
God's Word--do you delight in it more? As you see more
clearly the evil of sin--do you hate it with a more intense
hatred?

As your Biblical knowledge widens, do you become . . .
more profoundly humble,
more tenderly conscientious,
more gentle,
more spiritual?

Unless this is the case, you are in a fatal mistake by
supposing that you are making progress in the divine
life, merely because you are advancing in biblical
knowledge.

Private devotions!

The following is from Spurgeon's sermon,
"A Song at the Well-head" No. 776. Num. 21:16-18

You are retired for your private devotions; you
have opened the Bible, and you begin to read.

Now, do not be satisfied with merely reading
through a chapter. Some people thoughtlessly
read through two or three chapters- stupid
people for doing such a thing!

It is always better to read a little and digest
it, than it is to read much and then think you
have done a good thing by merely reading the
letter of the word.

For you might as well read the alphabet
backwards and forwards, as read a chapter
of Scripture, unless you meditate upon it,
and seek to comprehend its meaning.

Merely to read words is nothing: the letter kills.

The business of the believer with his Bible
open is to pray, "Lord, give me the meaning
and spirit of your word, while it lies open
before me; apply your word with power to
my soul, threatening or promise, doctrine
or precept, whatever it may be; lead me
into the soul and marrow of your word."

Also, it is not the form of prayer, but the spirit
of prayer that shall truly benefit your souls.

That prayer has not benefited you,
which is not the prayer of the soul.

You have need to say, "Lord, give me the
spirit of prayer; now help me to feel my
need deeply, to perceive your promises
clearly, and to exercise faith upon them."

In your private devotions, strive after vital
godliness, real soul-work, the life-giving
operation of the Spirit of God in your hearts.

Reading the Bible

by J.C. Ryle

1. READ THE BIBLE WITH AN EARNEST DESIRE TO
UNDERSTAND IT.
Do not be content to just read the words of Scripture.
Seek to grasp the message they contain.

2. READ THE SCRIPTURES WITH A SIMPLE,
CHILDLIKE FAITH & HUMILITY.
Believe what God reveals.
Reason must bow to God's revelation.

3. READ THE WORD WITH A SPIRIT OF OBEDIENCE
AND SELF-APPLICATION.
Apply what God says to yourself and obey His will in all things.

4. READ THE HOLY SCRIPTURES EVERY DAY.
We quickly lose the nourishment and strength of yesterday's
bread.
We must feed our souls daily upon the manna God has given us.

5. READ THE WHOLE BIBLE AND READ IT IN AN ORDERLY WAY.
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable."
I know of no better way to read the Bible than to start at the
beginning and read straight through to the end, a portion every
day, comparing Scripture with Scripture.

6. READ THE WORD OF GOD FAIRLY AND HONESTLY.
As a general rule, any passage of Scripture means what
it appears to mean.
Interpret every passage in this simple manner, in its context.

7. READ THE BIBLE WITH CHRIST CONSTANTLY IN VIEW.
The whole Book is about Him.
Look for Him on every page.
He is there.
If you fail to see Him there, you need to read that page again.

Principles of Biblical Interpretation

from Dr. R. A. Torrey’s
The Importance and Value of Proper Bible Study
(New York: George H. Doran Co., 1921), pp. 55-90.

1. Get absolutely right with God yourself by the absolute surrender of your will to Him.

2. Be determined to find out just what God intended to teach and not what you wish Him to teach.

3. Get the most accurate text.

4. Find the most exact and literal meaning of the text.

5. Note the exact force of each word used.

6. Interpret the words used in any verse according to Bible usage.

7. Interpret the words of each author in the Bible with a regard to the particular usage of that author.

8. Interpret individual verses with a regard to the context.

9. Interpret individual passages in the light of parallel or related passages.

10. Interpret obscure passages in the light of passages that are perfectly plain.

11. Interpret any passage in the Bible as those who were addressed would have understood it.

12. Interpret what belongs to the Christian as belonging to the Christian; what belongs to the Jew, as belonging to the Jew, and what belongs to the Gentiles, as belonging to the Gentiles.

13. Interpret each writer with a view to the opinions the writer opposed.

14. Interpret poetry as poetry and interpret prose as prose.

15. The Holy Spirit is the best interpreter of the Bible

Profitable Bible Study

There are many profitable methods of Bible Study. There is something, however, in Bible study more important than the best methods, that is, the fundamental conditions of profitable study. He who meets these conditions will get more out of the Bible, while pursuing the poorest method, than will he who does not meet them, while pursuing the best method. Many a one who is eagerly asking, "What method shall I pursue in my Bible study?" needs something that goes far deeper than a new and better method.

1. The first of the fundamental conditions of the most profitable Bible study is that the student must be born again.

The Bible is a spiritual book, it "expresses spiritual truths in spiritual words" (1 Corinthians 2:13), and only a spiritual man can understand its deepest and most characteristic and most precious teachings. "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14). Spiritual discernment can be obtained in but one way, by being born again. "No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again" (John 3:3).

No mere knowledge of the human languages in which the Bible was written, however extensive and accurate it may be, will qualify one to understand and appreciate it. One must understand the divine language in which it was written as well, the language of the Holy Spirit. A person who understands the language of the Holy Spirit, but who does not understand a word of Greek or Hebrew or Aramaic, will get more out of the Bible than one who knows all about Greek and Hebrew and cognate languages, but is not born again, and, consequently, does not understand the language of the Holy Spirit. It is a well-demonstrated fact that many common men and women who are entirely ignorant of any knowledge of the original tongues in which the Bible was written have a knowledge of the real contents of the Bible, its actual teaching, in its depth and fullness and beauty, that surpasses that of many learned professors in theological faculties.

One of the greatest follies of the day, is to get unregenerate men to teach the Bible because of their rare knowledge of the human forms of speech in which the book was written. It would be as reasonable to set a man to teach art because he had an accurate technical knowledge of paints. It requires esthetic sense to make a man a competent teacher of art. It requires spiritual sense to make a man a competent teacher of the Bible. The man who has esthetic discernment but little or no technical knowledge of paint would be a far more competent critic of works of art than a man who has a great technical knowledge of paint but no esthetic discernment; and so the man who has no technical knowledge of Greek and Hebrew but has spiritual discernment is a far more competent critic of the Bible than he who has a rare technical knowledge of Greek and Hebrew but no spiritual discernment. It is exceedingly unfortunate that, in some quarters, more emphasis is laid on a knowledge of Greek and Hebrew in training for the ministry than is laid on spiritual life and its consequent spiritual discernment.

Unregenerate men should not be forbidden to study the Bible, for the Word of God is the instrument the Holy Spirit uses in the New Birth (1 Peter 1:23; James 1:18); but it should be distinctly understood that, while there are teachings in the Bible that the natural man can understand, and beauties which he can see, its most distinctive and characteristic teachings are beyond his grasp, and its highest beauties belong to a world in which he has no vision. The first fundamental condition of the most profitable Bible study is, then, "You must be born again." You cannot study the Bible to the greatest profit if you have not been born again. Its best treasures are sealed to you.

2. The second condition of the most profitable study is a love for the Bible.

A man who eats with an appetite will get far more good out of his meal than one who eats from a sense of duty. It is good when a student of the Bible can say with Job, "I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread" (Job 23:12), or with Jeremiah, "When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty" (Jeremiah 15:16). Many come to the table God has spread in His Word with no appetite for spiritual food, and go mincing here and there and grumbling about everything. Spiritual indigestion lies at the bottom of much modern criticism of the Bible.

But how can one get a love for the Bible? First of all, by being born again. Where there is life there is likely to be appetite. A dead man never hungers. This brings us back to the first condition. But going beyond this, the more there is of vitality, the more there is of hunger. Abounding life means abounding hunger for the Word. Study of the Word stimulates love for the Word. The author can well remember the time when he had more appetite for books about the Bible than he had for the Bible itself, but with increasing study there has come increasing love for the Book. Bearing in mind who the author of the Book is, what its purpose is, what its power is, what the riches of its contents are, will go far toward stimulating love and appetite for the Book.

3. The third condition is willingness to do hard work.

Solomon has given a graphic picture of the Bible student who gets the most profit out of his study, "My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God" (Proverbs 2:1-5). Now, seeking for silver and searching for hidden treasure means hard work, and he who wishes to get not only the silver but the gold as well out of the Bible, and find its "hidden treasure," must make up his mind to dig. It is not glancing at the Word, or reading the Word, but studying the Word, meditating on the Word, pondering the Word, that brings the richest yields.

The reason why many get so little out of their Bible reading is simply because they are not willing to think. Intellectual laziness lies at the bottom of a large percent of fruitless Bible reading. People are constantly crying for new methods of Bible study, but what many of them wish is simply some method of Bible study by which they can get all the good out of the Bible without work. If someone could tell lazy Christians some method of Bible study whereby they could put the sleepiest ten minutes of the day, just before they go to bed, into Bible study, and get the profit out of it that God intends His children shall get out of the study of His Word, that would be just what they desire. But it can't be done. Men must be willing to work, and work hard, if they wish to dig out the treasures of infinite wisdom and knowledge and blessing which God has stored up in His Word.

A business friend once asked me in a hurried call to tell him "in a word" how to study his Bible. I replied, "Think." The Psalmist pronounces that man "blessed" whose "delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:2). The Lord commanded Joshua to meditate on it day and night, and assured him that as a result of this meditation, "you will be prosperous and successful" (Joshua 1:8).

Of Mary, the mother of Jesus, we read, "Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2:19). In this way alone can one study the Bible to the greatest profit. One pound of beef well chewed and digested and assimilated will give more strength than tons of beef merely glanced at; and one verse of Scripture chewed and digested and assimilated will give more strength than whole chapters simply skimmed. Weigh every word you read in the Bible. Look at it. Turn it over and over. The most familiar passages get a new meaning in this way. Spend fifteen minutes on each word in Psalm 23:1 ("The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want."), or Philippians 4:19 ("My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."), and see if it is not so.

4. The fourth condition is a will wholly surrendered to God.

Jesus said, "If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own" (John 7:17). A surrendered will gives that clearness of spiritual vision which is necessary to understand God's Book. Many of the difficulties and obscurities of the Bible rise wholly from the fact that the will of the student is not surrendered to the will of the author of the Book. It is remarkable how clear and simple and beautiful passages that once puzzled us become when we are brought to that place where we say to God, "I surrender my will unconditionally to You. I have no will but Yours. Teach me Your will." A surrendered will will do more to make the Bible an open book than a university education. It is simply impossible to get the largest profit out of your Bible study until you do surrender your will to God. You must be very definite about this.

There are many who say, "Oh, yes, my will, I think, is surrendered to God," and yet it is not. They have never gotten alone with God and said intelligently and definitely to him, "O God, I here and now give myself up to You, for You to command me, and lead me, and shape me, and send me, and do with me, absolutely as You will." Such an act is a wonderful key to unlock the treasure house of God's Word. The Bible becomes a new book when a man does that. Doing that brought a complete transformation in the author's theology and life and ministry.

5. The fifth condition is very closely related to the fourth. The student of the Bible who would get the greatest profit out of his studies must be obedient to its teachings as soon as he sees them.

It was good advice James gave to early Christians, and to us, "Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says" (James 1:22). There are a good many who consider themselves Bible students who are deceiving themselves in this way today. They see what the Bible teaches, but they do not follow it, and they soon lose their power to see it. Truth obeyed leads to more truth. Truth disobeyed destroys the capacity for discovering truth. There must be not only a general surrender of the will, but specific, practical obedience to each new Word of God discovered. There is no place where the law, "Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him," is more gloriously certain on the one hand and more sternly unavoidable on the other than in the matter of using or refusing the truth revealed in the Bible.

Use, and you get more; refuse, and you lose all. Do not study the Bible for the mere gratification of intellectual curiosity, but to find out how to live and please God. Whatever duty you find commanded in the Bible, do it at once. Whatever good you see in any Bible character, imitate it immediately. Whatever mistake you note in the actions of Bible men and women, scrutinize your own life to see if you are making the same mistake, and if you find you are, correct it immediately. James compares the Bible to a mirror (James 1:23, 24). The chief good of a mirror is to show you if there is anything out of order about you; if you find there is, you can set it right. Use the Bible in that way. Obeying the truth you already see will solve the mysteries in the verses you do not yet understand. Disobeying the truth you see darkens the whole world of truth. This is the secret of much of the skepticism and error of the day. Men see the truth, but do not follow it--then it is gone.

I knew a bright and promising young minister. He made rapid advancement in the truth. He took very advanced ground on one point especially, and the storm came. One day he said to his wife, "It is very nice to believe this, but we need not speak too much about it." They began, or he, at least, to hide their testimony. The wife died and he drifted. The Bible became to him a sealed book. Faith reeled. He publicly renounced his faith in some of the fundamental truths of the Bible. He seemed to lose his grip even on the doctrine of immortality. What was the cause of it all? Truth not lived and stood for flees. Today that man is much admired and applauded by some, but daylight has given place to darkness in his soul.

6. The sixth condition is a childlike mind.

God reveals His deepest truths to babes. No age needs more than our own to lay to heart the words of Jesus, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children" (Matthew 11:25). We must be babes if God is to reveal His truth to us, and we are to understand His Word. A child is not full of its own wisdom. It recognizes its ignorance and is ready to be taught. It does not oppose the ideas of its teachers to those of its own. It is in that spirit we should come to the Bible if we are to get the most profit out of our study.

Do not come to the Bible full of your own ideas, and seeking from it a confirmation of them. Come rather to find out what are God's ideas as He has revealed them there. Come not to find a confirmation of your own opinion, but to be taught what God may be pleased to teach. If a man comes to the Bible just to find his ideas taught there, he will find them; but if he comes recognizing his own ignorance, just as a little child to be taught, he will find something infinitely better than his own ideas, even the mind of God. We see why it is that many persons cannot see things which are plainly taught in the Bible. The doctrine taught is not their idea, of which they are so full that there is no room left for that which the Bible actually teaches.

We have an illustration of this in the apostles themselves at one stage in their training. In Mark 9:31, we read, "He was teaching his disciples. He said to them, 'The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.'" Now, that is as plain and definite as language can make it, but it was utterly contrary to the ideas of the apostles as to what was to happen to the Christ. So we read in the next verse, "But they did not understand what he meant." Isn't that amazing? But is it any more amazing than our own inability to comprehend plain statements in the Bible when they run counter to our preconceived ideas?

Problems many Christians find with portions of the Sermon on the Mount would be plain enough if we just came to Christ like a child to be taught what to believe and do, rather than coming as full-grown men who already know it all, and who must find some interpretations of Christ's words that will fit into our mature and infallible philosophy. Many a man is so full of an unbiblical theology he has been taught that it takes him a lifetime to get rid of it and understand the clear teaching of the Bible.

"Oh, what can this verse mean?" many a bewildered man cries. Why, it means what it plainly says; but what you are after is not the meaning God has manifestly put into it, but the meaning you can by some ingenious trick of exegesis twist out of it and make it fit into your scheme. Don't come to the Bible to find out what you can make it mean, but to find out what God intended it to mean. Men often miss the real truth of a verse by saying, "But that can be interpreted this way." Oh, yes, so it can, but is that the way God intended it to be interpreted? We all need to pray often if we would get the most profit out of our Bible study, "Oh, God, make me a little child. Empty me of my own ideas. Teach me Your own mind. Make me ready like a little child to receive all that You have to say, no matter how contrary it is to what I have thought before." How the Bible opens up to one who approaches it in that way! How it closes up to the wise fool, who thinks he knows everything, and imagines he can give points to Peter and Paul, and even to Jesus Christ and to God Himself! Someone has well said the best method of Bible study is "the baby method."

I was once talking with a minister friend about what seemed to be the clear teaching of a certain passage. "Yes," he replied, "but that doesn't agree with my philosophy." This man was sincere, yet he did not have the childlike spirit, which is an essential condition of the most profitable Bible study. But there are many who approach the Bible in the same way. It is a great point gained in Bible study when we are brought to realize that an infinite God knows more than we, that, indeed, our highest wisdom is less than the knowledge of the most ignorant babe compared with His. But we so easily and so constantly forget this that every time we open our Bibles we would do well to get down humbly before God and say, "Father, I am but a child, teach me."

7. The seventh condition of studying the Bible to the greatest profit is that we study it as the Word of God.

The Apostle Paul, in writing to the Church of the Thessalonians, thanked God without ceasing that when they received the Word of God they "accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the Word of God" (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Well might he thank God for that, and well may we thank God when we get to the place where we receive the Word of God as the Word of God. Not that one who does not believe the Bible is the Word of God should be discouraged from studying it. Indeed, one of the best things that one who does not believe that the Bible is the Word of God can do, if he is honest, is to study it. The author of this book once doubted utterly that the Bible was the Word of God, and the firm confidence that he has today that the Bible is the Word of God has come more from the study of the Book itself than from anything else. Those who doubt it are more usually those who study about the Book, than those who dig into the actual teachings of the Book itself. But while the best book of Christian evidences is the Bible, and while the most utter skeptic should be encouraged to study it, we will not get the largest measure of profit out of that study until we reach the point where we become convinced that the Bible is God's Word, and when we study it as such.

There is a great difference between believing theoretically that the Bible is God's Word and studying it as God's Word. Thousands would tell you that they believe the Bible is God's Word who do not study it as God's Word. Studying the Bible as the Word of God involves four things.

(1) First, it involves the unquestioning acceptance of its teachings when definitely ascertained, even when they may appear unreasonable or impossible.

Reason demands that we submit our judgment and reasonings to the statements of infinite wisdom. There is nothing more irrational than rationalism, which makes the finite wisdom the test of infinite wisdom, and submits the teachings of God's omniscience to the approval of man's judgment. It is the sublimest and absurdest conceit that says, "This cannot be true, though God says it, for it does not agree with my reason." "But who are you, O man, to talk back to God?" (Romans 9:20). Real human wisdom, when it finds infinite wisdom, bows before it and says, "Speak what You will and I will believe." When we have once become convinced that the Bible is God's Word its teachings must be the end of all controversy and discussion. A "thus says the Lord" will settle every question. Yet there are many who profess to believe that the Bible is the Word of God, and if you show them what the Bible clearly teaches on some disputed point, they will shake their heads and say, "Yes, but I think so and so," or "Doctor -----, or Professor this, our church doesn't teach that way." There is little profit in that sort of Bible study.

(2) Studying the Bible as the Word of God involves, in the second place, absolute reliance on all its promises in all their length and breadth.

He who studies the Bible as the Word of God will not discount any one of its promises one iota. He who studies the Bible as the Word of God will say, "God, who cannot lie, has promised," and will not attempt to make God a liar by trying to make one of His promises mean less than it says. He who studies the Bible as the Word of God will be on the lookout for promises, and as soon as he finds one he will seek to ascertain just what it means, and as soon as he discovers what it means, he will step right out on that promise and risk everything on its full meaning. That is one of the secrets of profitable Bible study.

Search for promises and appropriate them as fast as you find them, which is done by meeting the conditions and risking all on them. That is the way to make your own all the fullness of blessing God has for you. This is the key to all the treasures of God's grace. Happy is the man who has so learned to study the Bible as God's Word that he is ready to claim for himself every new promise as it appears, and to risk everything on it.

(3) Studying the Bible as the Word of God involves, in the third place, obedience--prompt, exact obedience, without asking any questions to its every precept.

Obedience may seem hard, it may seem impossible, but God has commanded it and I have nothing to do but to obey and leave the results with God. If you would get the very most profit out of your Bible study resolve that from this time you will claim every clear promise and obey every plain command, and that as to the promises and commands whose intent is not yet clear you will try to get their meaning made clear.

(4) Studying the Bible as the Word of God involves, in the fourth place, studying it in God's presence.

When you read a verse of Scripture hear the voice of the living God speaking directly to you in these written words. There is new power and attractiveness in the Bible when you have learned to hear a living, present Person, God our Father, Himself talking directly to you in these words. One of the most fascinating and inspiring statements in the Bible is, "Enoch walked with God" (Genesis 5:24). We can have God's glorious companionship any moment we please by simply opening His Word and letting the living and ever-present God speak to us through it. With what holy awe and strange and unutterable joy one studies the Bible if he studies it in this way! It is heaven come down to earth.

8. The eighth and last condition of the most profitable Bible study is prayerfulness.

The Psalmist prayed, "Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law" (Psalm 119:18). Every one who desires to get the greatest profit out of his Bible study needs to offer that or a similar prayer every time he undertakes the study of the Word. Few keys open so many strong boxes that contain hidden treasure as prayer. Few clues unravel so many difficulties. Few microscopes will disclose so many beauties hidden from the eye of the ordinary observer. What new light often shines from an old familiar text as you bend over it in prayer! I believe in studying the Bible a good deal on your knees. When one reads an entire book through on his knees--and this is easily done--that book has a new meaning and becomes a new book. One ought never to open the Bible to read it without at least lifting the heart to God in silent prayer that He will interpret it, illumine its pages by the light of His Spirit.

It is a rare privilege to study any book under the immediate guidance and instruction of its author, and this is the privilege of us all in studying the Bible. When one comes to a passage that is difficult to understand or difficult to interpret, instead of giving it up, or rushing to some learned friend, or to some commentary, he should lay that passage before God, and ask Him to explain it to him, pleading God's promise, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt" (James 1:5-6). It is simply wonderful how the seemingly most difficult passages become plain by this treatment.

Harry Morehouse, one of the most remarkable Bible scholars among unlearned men, used to say that whenever he came to a passage in the Bible which he could not understand, he would search through the Bible for some other passage that threw light on it, and lay it before God in prayer, and that he had never found a passage that did not yield to this treatment. The author of this book has had a quite similar experience. Some years ago, accompanied by a friend, I was making a tour of Franconian Switzerland, and visiting some of the more famous zoolithic caves. One day a rural letter carrier stopped us and asked if we would like to see a cave of rare beauty and interest, away from the beaten tracks of travel. Of course, we said, yes. He led us through the woods and underbrush to the mouth of the cave, and we entered. All was dark and uncanny. He discussed greatly on the beauty of the cave, telling us of altars and fantastic formations, but we could see absolutely nothing. Now and then lie uttered a note to warn us to have a care, as near our feet lay a gulf the bottom of which had never been discovered. We began to fear that we might be the first discoverers of the bottom. There was nothing pleasant about the whole affair.

But as soon as a magnesium taper was lighted, all became different. There were the stalagmites rising from the floor to meet the stalactites as they came down from the ceiling. There were the beautiful and fantastic formations on every hand, and all glistening in fairy like beauty in the brilliant light. So I have often thought it was with many a passage of Scripture. Others tell you of its beauty, but you cannot see it. It looks dark and intricate and forbidding and dangerous, but when God's own light is kindled there by prayer how different all becomes in an instant. You see a beauty that language cannot express, and that only those can appreciate who have stood there in the same light. He who would understand and love his Bible must be much in prayer. Prayer will do more than a college education to make the Bible an open and a glorious book. Perhaps the best lesson I learned in a German university, where I had the privilege of receiving the instruction of one of the most noted and most gifted Bible teachers of any age, was that which came through the statement of one who knew him that Professor Dehtzsch worked out much of his teaching on his knees.

The Bible

People say this Bible was good enough for ancient days, but we have men of culture, of science, of literature now, and its value has decreased to the people of our day. Now, give me a better book, and I will throw it away. Has the world ever offered us a better book? These men want us to give up the Bible. What are you going to give us in its place? O, how cruel infidelity is to tell us to give up all the hope we have, to throw away the only book which tells the story of the resurrection. They try to tell us that it is all a fiction, so that when we lay our loved ones in the grave we bid them farewell for time and eternity. Away with this terrible doctrine! The Bible of our fathers and mothers is true, and the good old way is true. When man comes and tries to draw us from the old to the new way, it is the work of the devil. But men say we have outgrown this way. Why don't men outgrow the light of the sun? They shouldn't let the light of the sun come into their buildings; should have gas; the sun is old, and gas is a new light. There is just as much sense in this as to take away the Bible. How much we owe the blessed Bible! Why, I don't think human life would be safe if it wasn't for it. Look at the history of the nations where the Bible has been trampled under foot. Only a few years ago France and England were pretty nearly equal. England threw the Bible open to the world, and France tried to trample it. Now, the English language is spoken around the world, and its prosperity has increased, while it stands foremost among the nations. But look at France. It has gone down and down with anarchy and revolution. Let us not forsake the old way.

Moody

Brother, please continue with these. I think I am going to translate some of them.

The best commentator!

From Spurgeon's sermon, "LET US PRAY"

"But it is good for me to draw near to God." -Psalm 73:28

In this psalm, poor Asaph had been greatly troubled--
He had been trying to untie that Gordion knot concerning the
righteousness of a providence which permits the wicked to
flourish and the godly to be tried; and because he could not
untie that knot, he tried to cut it, but he cut his own fingers
in the act, and became greatly troubled.

He could not understand how it was that God could be just,
and yet give riches to the wicked, while his own people were
in poverty. At last Asaph understood it all, for he went
into the house of his God, and there he understood the latter
end of the wicked. And he says -- looking back upon his
discovery of a clue to this great labyrinth --
"It is good for me to draw near to God."

Prayer explains mysteries!

If you would understand the Word of God in its knotty points,
if you would comprehend the mystery of the gospel of Christ,
remember, Christ's scholars must study upon their knees.

Depend upon it, that the best commentator upon the Word
of God is its author, the Holy Spirit- and if you would
know the meaning, you must go to him in prayer!

John Bunyan says that he never forgot the divinity he taught,
because it was burnt into him when he was on his knees.

That is the way to learn the gospel.
If you learn it upon your knees you will never unlearn it.

That which 'men' teach you, men can unteach you-- if I am merely
convinced by reason, a better reasoner may deceive me. If I
merely hold my doctrinal opinions because they seem 'to me' to
be correct, I may be led to think differently another day.

But if 'God' has taught them to me -- he who is himself pure
truth -- I have not learned amiss, but I have so learned that
I shall never unlearn, nor shall I forget.

Behold, believer, you are this day in a labyrinth-- whenever you
come to a turning place, where there is a road to the right or to
the left, if you would know which way to go, fall on your knees,
then go on. And when you come to the next turning place, on
your knees again, and so proceed again.

The one clue to the whole labyrinth of 'providence',
and of 'doctrinal opinion', is to be found in that
one hallowed exercise -- prayer.

Continue much in prayer, and neither Satan
nor the world shall much deceive you.

Behold- before you the sacred ark of truth.
But where is the key?
It hangs upon the silver nail of prayer!
Go reach it down, unlock the casket, and be rich!

A little secret...

Spurgeon, "The Holy Ghost, the Great Teacher"

Let me tell you a little secret- whenever you cannot
understand a text, open your Bible, bend your knee,
and pray over that text; and if it does not split into
atoms and open itself, try again.

If prayer does not explain it, it is one of the things
God did not intend you to know, and you may be content
to be ignorant of it.

Prayer is the key that opens the cabinets of mystery.

Prayer and faith are sacred picklocks that can open secrets,
and obtain great treasures.

There is no college for holy education like that of the blessed
Spirit, for he is an ever-present tutor, to whom we have only to
bend the knee, and he is at our side, the great expositor of truth.

The Talking Book...

Spurgeon's, "The Talking Book"

The Bible sanctifies and moulds the mind into the image of Christ.

You cannot expect to grow in grace if you do not read the Scriptures.

If you are not familiar with the word, you cannot
expect to become like Him that spoke it.

Oh, be much with the holy word of God, and you will be holy.

Be much with the silly novels of the day,
and the foolish trifles of the hour,
and you will degenerate into vapid wasters of your time.

But be much with the solid teachings of God's word,
and you will become solid and substantial men and women:
drink them in, and feed upon them, and they shall produce
in you a Christ-likeness, at which the world shall stand astonished.

READING THE SCRIPTURES

By John Angell James

My Dear Friends,
The subject of this Address is a very common one; for I do not hunt after novelties, but desire to stir up your pure minds in the way of remembrance. Curiosity may be gratified by what is new; but improvement is likely to be promoted by a more devout and practical consideration of what is old. We all know more than we do; and we should be more solicitous to reduce to practice what we already know, than to acquire still more of mere theory. My object now, is to point out to you, and enjoin upon you, a profitable method of reading the Scriptures.

What an inestimable treasure is the sacred volume! Well does it deserve the emphatic title by which it is distinguished from all other works, as "THE Bible," which means THE BOOK. Yes, it is indeed the book: the one, and only book for man, as an immortal creature, a lost sinner. It is a book containing God's thoughts, expressed in God's words; or as the great John Locke said, in a description, the comprehension and beauty of which have never been surpassed, "It has God for its author, salvation for its object, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its contents."

What a blessing ought it to be accounted, that we have this Divine revelation in the form of Scriptures, that is, writings, and not merely in oral tradition; that the Divine communications have been translated from the original languages, into our own mother tongue; that we are delivered from the tyranny of the Church of Rome, which denies the unrestricted use of the Scriptures to the people; and that they are now cheapened down, by various means, to be within the reach of the poorest individual. Never was the Bible so low in price, as it is now. It is the cheapest of all cheap books, in an age distinguished for cheap books. Never was the Bible so much talked about as it is now. Sunday schools have produced readers; and Bible Societies have produced purchasers. Ours, by way of eminence, above all that have preceded it, may be called, so far as these things go, "The Bible age."

From the very nature of things, preaching has some advantages over reading; for not only are difficulties solved, seeming contradictions reconciled, and hidden beauties disclosed—but the combined effect of reasoning and rhetoric, aided by countenance, gesture, and voice—must at once awaken and sustain attention, instruct the judgment, captivate the imagination, impress the heart, and excite the conscience. It is therefore of unspeakable importance, constantly to hear the word preached; for faith comes by hearing; and the preaching of the cross is the power of God unto salvation, to those who believe. But still it is an indolent and injurious relinquishment of our own inestimable privilege and indefeasible right to search the Scriptures for ourselves, entirely to substitute hearing for reading; and those people will be found to be the most profitable hearers of the word, who are its most devout and diligent readers.

It cannot be denied, that much of the religion of the present day, is the religion of public meetings and excitement. The closet is a dull scene compared with the place of public resort; the silent page of Scripture a dull teacher, compared with the living voice of the eloquent preacher; and our solitary self dull company, compared with the trooping multitudes of the great congregation. But still, no one can be an eminent Christian, however frequently, admiringly, or pleasantly he hears his favorite minister, who does not converse much with his Bible in secret. He that would grow in grace and in knowledge, must commune daily with prophets and apostles, through the medium of their own inspired productions, he must drink largely of the pure living waters and undiluted milk of the word. It will be found to be a weak and sickly piety, unfit to meet the exigencies, to cope with the difficulties, and to maintain the conflicts of the Christian life—that depends for its support, exclusively, upon the hearing of sermons; or even the reading of Christian magazines, tracts, and reviews.

God's word is the food of the soul, and there is more of concentrated nourishment in a single text of Scripture, when it is drawn out by the digestive process of meditation, to strengthen the heart of the believer, than in many pages of uninspired, though otherwise attractive, and even instructive, composition. God's words are life, and they are spirit. Read the pages of Christian martyrology, and while wondering at the noble heroes that stand before you, and admiring their deeds of deathless fame, you will find the secret of their strength in their intimate acquaintance with the Scriptures; they were Bible Christians, and not mere sermon Christians. If you were but deeply experienced in the ways of God, on the one hand, and the devices of Satan, on the other, you would easily remember times of conflict and of peril, when the perusal of a single chapter, or even the pondering upon a single verse, without the intervention of a human teacher, sounded like the voice of God and seemed like the coming into your soul of the mightiness of his omnipotence. If, then, you would relish the uncorrupted sweetness of the word; if you would realize all its strength-giving efficacy; if you would grow to the strength and stature of a perfect man in Christ Jesus; if you would be valiant in the fight of faith—you must be much in converse with God alone, through the medium of his own blessed word.

Is not this precious privilege too much neglected by many of you? Does not the Bible lie upon the table, or the shelf, for days, yes weeks, unopened? What excuse have you to offer for so ungrateful a return for this inspired book? Perhaps you say, it is a difficult book to understand. That there are dark, and, to ordinary readers, inexplicable passages, I admit. But how much is there that is clear to the feeblest capacity. And even much that appears dark, to one little accustomed to read the word—would brighten and unfold its meaning upon a more spiritual, more devoted, and habitual attention. Diligence, prayer, and a holy state of mind, will unlock, to the inquiring believer, most of the hidden treasures of inspiration. Those who complain of the darkness of the Scriptures, are generally those who have devoted the least time and attention to the study of them. Many uninspired books are difficult to those who only dip into them occasionally, but which, to the very same people, become easy, when studied with care. There is such a thing as becoming, by long examination, familiar with an author's style and manner, just as our protracted acquaintance with an individual enables us to understand the drift of his remarks, better than we did at our first introduction to him. The aid of a commentary may be of service to those who have leisure to peruse it, and the means of purchasing it. Some may now be bought almost as cheap as a Bible without notes used to be.

But, perhaps, you say you have no time. No time to read the Bible! No time to read the book of God!—a book written by God to you, and for you, and of you! The only book which can make you wise to salvation! Have you time to eat, and drink, and sleep? And have you no time to read the Scriptures? Have you time to read letters from your friends, and no time to read letters from God! Time to read the newspaper, and not time to read the Bible? Do you not feel ashamed at the idea, especially when actually put into language? You must find time; and, if in no other way, by redeeming it from sleep, business, recreation, conversation, and other pursuits. How much time would it take daily to read, even with serious attention, a whole chapter? As to the generality of Christians, how many precious fragments of time might be gathered up from other occupations, which are actually wasted—to be employed on this high and holy engagement!

Probably you wish for some DIRECTIONS for your Bible-reading. A delight in the reading fo the Scriptures, is the best guide. He that is in love with a book, scarcely needs a rule to assist him in the perusal of it. He will carry it about with him; make himself acquainted with the author's design; take it out when a few minutes' leisure present themselves; store its contents in his memory; think of them often; and apply them as occasions may present themselves. Love to read the Scriptures—and you will be sure to read them with profit. A real lover of his Bible cannot be an unprofitable one. But if you still wish assistance, take the following rules—

1. Read INTELLIGENTLY, as to the design of the sacred volume. If you do not set out with a clear perception of an author's design, you will be in the dark all the way through. And what is the design of the Bible? As it respects GOD, it is to reveal himself, not simply in the Unity of his essence, but also in the Trinity of his personality. "It is God in Christ, reconciling the world to himself; not the Creating, but Redeeming God, which is the great purpose of revelation. It does reveal, and clearly reveals, God as the Creator—but this is subordinate, in purpose and plan, to the exhibition of God manifest in the flesh, redeeming a lost world from sin, Satan, death, and hell. Christ, as the medium of making God known, by the salvation of man, is the end of the Bible. "Search the Scriptures," said he to the Jews, "for they testify of me," John 5:39. Christ is the Alpha and the omega of revelation. The ceremonial law was the shadow, of which he is the substance—the Prophets testified of him—the Old Testament history contains the records of his ancestors—the Psalms of David celebrate his praises—the evangelists wrote the narrative of his life and death—the Epistles contain the development of his doctrine—and the Apocalypse unfolds his future victories over his foes, and the splendor of his reign to the end of time! All the lines of revelation center in Christ. In all your studies of the word, keep this in mind. Without allegorizing what is plain matter of fact, and nothing more; without spiritualizing what has one literal meaning; still remember that the general design of the Bible is to testify of Christ, and to reveal the moral character of God through him.

But a second design of the Bible regards MAN, which is, through this glorious revelation of God, to restore him to the Divine favor and image, which he lost by the fall. Redemption through Christ is not simply to save us from hell, but to restore us to God; not only to his love, but to his likeness. Justification by faith in Christ, is to the end that we might receive sanctification by the Spirit; having these, glorification follows as a consequence. Take in this whole design in reading the Scriptures. Be ever looking for the object of faith, which is the death of Christ; for the object of love, which is the image of Christ; and for the object of hope, which is the coming of Christ. Remember that the Scriptures are given to form a particular character; a character which is distinguished by three things—holiness, spirituality, and heavenly-mindedness. You must read, to get this character, to maintain it, to perfect it. The Bible is a mold into which mind, and heart, and actions, fused, shall I say, by the fire of holy love, shall be poured, so as to bring out a character corresponding to what is there revealed. You must read, to drink into the spirit, to catch the temper, to imbibe the very tone of the Scripture.

It should be a frequent reflection with us, yes, a habitual one, as we take up the Bible, to say, "This book is intended to form in me a particular character, to fashion my whole self after a prescribed manner; and am I, by reading it, and studying it, answering this end? Have I a Bible-character? Is my mind a Bible-mind? Is my heart a Bible-heart? Is my life a Bible-life? As the seal has impressed its own image upon the melted wax, has the Bible impressed its own character on me? Do others see the fruit and effect of my study of the Scriptures in my likeness to the Scriptures? Do I not only read the Bible, but am I one?—a living, speaking, acting Bible?"

These questions are appropriate and momentous, and show for what purpose, and in what way, you are to peruse the sacred volume: not only for consolation in trouble; not merely for directions in particular emergencies; much less, merely to gratify curiosity in knowing its contents, or to furnish yourselves for theological controversy; but to acquire a holy and heavenly character and life.

2. Read REVERENTIALLY, remembering it is the word of God. Let there be a "Thus says the Lord," sounding in your ears. Realize the fact, that it is God speaking to you in every page! Read with that awe, and reverence, and trembling, with which you would listen—if Jehovah were speaking to you with an audible voice! I do not like to see the sacred volume treated with disrespect or irreverence, even in the manner of dealing with, or handling it; not from any superstitious feeling, as if there were sanctity in paper and printing—but there is in the contents! And as we are creatures of association of ideas, we are in danger of losing our reverence for the contents, if we treat with disesteem the vehicle which conveys them. How would it aid us in the perusal of the Scriptures, if we paused before we opened them, and reflected thus, "I am now going to hear God speak to me!" Into what a posture of reverential attention, would such a consideration place us. How would it solemnize our minds, check our levity, and prepare us to receive the truth with all its powerful and holy influence.

3. Our perusal of the Scriptures should be HABITUAL and CONSTANT; and not merely occasional and accidental. Some rarely take up the Scriptures, but in a season of trial or difficulty, or at a time of leisure, to while away an hour which they know not how otherwise to dispose of. This shows a great neglect, not to say contempt of the Bible. The Scriptures should be, "The Christian's own book," and his "every-day book." There is never a day in his history when he does not need them, and should not use them. David describes the good man as one who delights in the law of the Lord, and meditates therein day and night—that is, every day and night. Never let a day pass without reading a portion of Holy Scripture; and ever consider that one duty of the day, and an important one too, has been neglected, if Scripture reading has been omitted. The truth of Scripture is the food of the mind and soul—and we should be as regular in the meals of the soul, as in those of the body.

4. Read the word of God PRIVATELY. Do not satisfy yourselves with what you hear at family prayer. You need opportunity for meditation, self-application, self-examination, self-reproof, self-stimulus, and, indeed, the whole business of self-improvement. If you would perform this duty effectually, and enjoy this privilege spiritually, you must have leisure and convenience to pause and ponder; to say, "My soul, mark that! You are lacking in this duty, or committing this sin. This is a message from God unto you! This promise, great and precious as it is, belongs to you! This consolation is for you! Look at that glorious object of faith! Contemplate that boundless prospect of glory!" Ah, you know not the secret of the Lord, which is with those who fear him, if there be nothing of this retirement, nothing of this self-communion over the Bible.

5. Do not read at random, or trust to accident, as the Bible may open, for the portion you peruse; but read CONSECUTIVELY. You must not dip for a passage; or pick and choose for some comfortable text. This occasions a waste of time, and leads to the neglect of a large portion of the Scriptures. Read regularly through some portion of the word. Here, perhaps, a question will be asked, whether it is desirable, and a duty, to read regularly through the whole Bible. I reply, that some parts of the books of Moses, which contain what may be called the civil laws of the Jews, were intended, if not exclusively, yet principally for that people, and as they do not so much concern us as other parts, they need not of course be so often read—but even these are calculated, when read with a devout mind, to produce, as they were intended to produce—an impression of the holiness of God, the evil of sin, and the necessity of purity both of mind and conduct. Still it must be admitted, that there are other portions of Scripture, whatever important ends these were designed to serve, which tend far more to general edification than Numbers and Leviticus.

While the Old Testament is by no means to be neglected, especially the Psalms, Proverbs and the Prophecies, yet more time should be given to the New Testament. Without intending to disparage any portion of the Holy Scriptures, all of which were "given by inspiration of God, and are profitable for doctrine, for correction, for reproof, for instruction in righteousness," I may observe, that the parts which should be most frequently read, are the books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, and Isaiah, in the Old Testament, and the Gospels and Epistles in the New Testament. These should be read through in regular order; but still allotting more time to the New Testament than to the Old.

To those who have much time at command, the Scriptures should be taken up as a book of sacred science, as well as daily practice, to be studied with much devout and solicitous research. Its chronology, geography, natural history, together with the history of the text, all might become matter of pleasant and profitable investigation. And what so worthy of it, as that book which boasts of a Divine authorship, and was written by the finger of God. Horne's "Introduction to the Study of the Scriptures," is a compilation of inestimable value, and by those who can afford to purchase it, and have time to read it, would furnish a wide and instructive range of holy and delightful inquiry. How agreeable an exercise is it to compare spiritual things with spiritual, and to unlock the treasures of the Old Testament, by the key of the apostolic writings; and thus to trace the harmony of God's gracious dispensations to the children of men, as centering in the person and work of his Son.

As to the study of the symbolical and unfulfilled prophecies, contained in the books of Daniel, and the Apocalypse, this, to all who have leisure, is not only a legitimate, but a commendable subject of study, provided they conduct their inquiries with humility, draw their conclusions with caution, hold their opinions with a recollection how liable they are to err, and express their views with that diffidence which the multitudinous varieties of sentiment on this obscure topic seem to require.

But on other, and plainer subjects, there ought to be with all Christians, more of what, is very properly called—the searching of the Scriptures. How superficial is the acquaintance of many with this Book of books! How little do they know, because they as little inquire after, the mind of the Spirit! Where is the wish, the effort, and the plan to be mighty in the Scriptures? It is not enough to have a verbal acquaintance with them, to have them stored in the memory; though this may be of great service in scenes of sickness and feebleness of sight, when reading is difficult or impossible—but what is requisite, is an acquaintance with their spiritual import, and a skill and facility in applying them to all the varieties of the Christian's situation and experience. For this there must be time, conscientiously set apart, and diligently employed. It will not do to satisfy ourselves with a few snatches of the Bible, in moments of haste. It will not do to be content with a text taken from some "daily portion." It will not do merely to learn and repeat a single passage a day. Oh no, we must be much alone with the Bible—and give ourselves to the delightful task of poring over its pages! Still, however, it becomes us to recollect, that it is not knowledge alone we should seek—but holiness. It is with this precious food of Divine truth, as it is with the nutriment of the body, there is both pleasure in eating it, as well as strength derived from eating it—but it is the latter that is to be regarded as the ultimate end.

6. Let it not be your aim to read much—but to READ WELL. To read well, is to read with understanding, with meditation, with feeling, with consolation, with improvement. A single verse thus read is better than a whole chapter carelessly and formally gone through. Some people set themselves the daily task of reading so many chapters, and would feel very unhappy if the task were not performed. But this is all. There is no inquiry into meaning, no meditation, no self-application. They know no more when they have finished what they have been reading about, than if they had not read at all. Always look at the heading or title of a chapter before you begin to read it, that you may know what the design of it is; then connect each verse with this design of the whole chapter, and the whole chapter with the design of the whole epistle. It would greatly help you to understand the Epistles, if you ascertain first their design, and occasionally read through a complete epistle at once, observing its own natural divisions, independently of the chapters, which are sometimes very injudiciously divided.

7. It is important, if you would profit, to mix FAITH with reading, as well as hearing. The apostle has beautifully expressed this, where he says, "When you received the word of God which you heard from us, you received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually works in you that believe," 1 Thess. 2:13. Though it is the word of God, sharper than any two-edged sword—it cannot work in us without faith. The reason why it works so little in the way of holiness, consolation, and zeal—is because there is so little faith. It is often read by believers themselves without faith: there is not an act and exercise of faith in it at the time; no felt sense of the truth of the chapter that is thus read; no deep conviction, no practical persuasion, of the Divine authority and power of that promise, command, invitation, or threatening, which may be before the mind. There is the principle of faith in the Bible, as a whole—but not the exercise of faith, at that time, and in reference to that part of the Bible then read. What an impression would the word always produce on us, if we paused to make these two reflections: "This chapter is God's word to me now—and all his words are true."

8. We should read the Scriptures with earnest PRAYER for the teaching of the Spirit. The teaching of the Spirit is not to be expected apart from the word; nor a right understanding and impression of the word, apart from the teaching of the Spirit. Divine influence is not to be sought or looked for in the way of granting us a new revelation, or new faculties—but in the way of a right direction of our present- faculties, to understand the revelation we already possess. That which makes this influence necessary, is not a defect in the Bible, but in ourselves. The Bible, as a revelation, is all that is necessary. "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul" but there is a defect of the spiritual, though not mental organ in us, to receive its light. It is no fault of the sun, that a blind man cannot see the great luminary. Our judgments are affected by the state of our hearts. Hence we are liable to err in our minds, because of the imperfections of our hearts. Our corruptions send up exhalations into the higher regions of our minds, and thus the atmosphere becomes cloudy, and prevents the rays of truth from shining into our souls. Hence the need of praying, "Lord, open my eyes, that, I may behold wondrous things out of your law."

None of us will have any more spiritual understanding than the Spirit gives us; but then he will give us as much as we seek by earnest and believing prayer. To grow in grace, and in knowledge, we must consult both the book and its Divine Author: the one by study, and the other by prayer. What a privilege should we esteem it, in reference to a human author, if he were to say, "When you want any information on any point of my work, come and ask me for illustration and explanation." God does say this to us in reference to his book. His Spirit reveals to us his mind and will in the Scriptures. Hence those striking prayers of the apostle, "I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power to us who believe, according to the working of His vast strength." (Ephesians 1:17-19)

A Guide to Bible Study

Harvey Newcomb (1803-1863) was a Congregational minister in England. He edited several journals, including the "Christian Herald," and authored 178 volumes, including fourteen on church history and many books for children and young people. Among his most popular works are The Young Lady’s Guide, How to Be a Man, and How to Be a Lady. Though excerpted from The Young Lady’s Guide, this booklet is valuable for men, women, and saints of all ages.

"Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15

To a true child of God, nothing is so precious as the volume of inspiration. It is like a mine of all sorts of metals and precious stones, overlaid with gold and silver. That which is most necessary for the common purposes of life lies on the surface. These are the simple truths of the Gospel, which are essential to salvation. But below these are the iron, the tin, the copper—the strong truths, the doctrines, the practical principles, which tax the powers of the mind to develop, but which give strength and consistency to the Christian character. Yet beyond these is an inexhaustible treasure of precious stones, every examination of which discovers new gems of surpassing luster and surprising beauty.

The Bible is the charter of the Christian’s hopes, the deed of his inheritance. Is he a wayfaring man in a strange land? This book contains a description of the country to which he is bound, with a map of the way, on which all the crossways and by-paths are designated. Is he a mariner on the stormy ocean of life? This is both his chart and compass. Here he finds all the shoals and reefs distinctly marked, and monuments placed upon many dangerous places, where others have made shipwreck.

Seeing, then, we have such a treasure put into our hands, it cannot be a matter of surprise that we should be directed to search after the precious things it contains, nor that Christians should love to ponder its sacred pages. "Your word," says the Psalmist, "is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105). It is like a lantern, which sheds light on our path, amid the darkness of the night, to direct the steps of our feet. The sincere Christian will therefore search the Word of God, for a knowledge of His will, with more eagerness than he would search for hidden treasures of gold and silver. In obedience to the command of God, he will set his heart to the work. After the giving of the law, Moses says, "Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day" (Deu 32:46). To set our hearts upon any object implies such a love for it and desire after it, as leads to a strong determination to make every possible effort to obtain it; and this ought to be the settled and permanent feeling of our hearts in regard to a knowledge of the will of God, as revealed in His Word. And, as we obtain this knowledge, we should imitate the Psalmist, who said, "Your word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against you" (Psalm 119:11). His object in hiding the Word in his heart was to know how to regulate his conduct so as not to sin against God. So must we hide the Word of God in our hearts, and for the same reason. We must study it as the directory of life. Whenever we open this blessed book, this should be the sincere inquiry of our heart: "Lord, what will you have me to do?" Let us come to it with this childlike spirit of obedience, and we shall not fail to learn the will of God.

But when we have learned our duty in God’s Word, the next thing is, to do it without delay. First, there must he an earnest desire to know present duty, and then a steadfast and settled determination to do it as soon as it is known. The pressure of obligation rests upon the present moment; and, when present duty is ascertained, the delay of a single moment is sin.

With these remarks, I submit a few practical directions for the profitable reading and study of the Holy Scriptures.

I. Read in a quiet place

Read the Bible in your closet or under circumstances which will secure you from interruption, either by the conversation of others, or the attraction of other objects. Do not attempt to fill up little broken intervals of time with the reading of God’s Word. Leave these seasons for lighter reading. Reading the Scriptures is conversing with God, who speaks to us when we read His holy Word. His all-seeing eye rests upon our hearts; and He knows whether we are engaged in solemn trifling. If we read His Word so carelessly as not to understand its meaning and drink in its spirit, we treat Him as we would disdain to be treated by an earthly friend. Let us, then, never approach the Word of God but with feelings of reverence and godly fear.

II. Prepare your heart and mind

Go to the Word of God with a preparation of heart. If we were going to visit some person of great importance, whose favor and esteem we wished to secure, we would take care to have everything about our persons adjusted in the most fitting manner. So let it be with our minds when we come to converse with God. Let us shut out all worldly thoughts and strive to secure a tranquil, holy, and tender frame, so that the truths we contemplate may make their proper impression upon our hearts.

III. Seek the aid of the Holy Spirit

Christ promised His disciples that, when the Holy Spirit would come, He would "guide you into all truth" (John 16:13). Without His enlightening influences, we cannot understand the Word of God. And without His gracious influences, we shall not be disposed to obey it. But we have the most abundant encouragement to seek the aid of this divine Instructor. Christ assures us that God is more willing to give His Holy Spirit to those who ask Him, than earthly parents are to give good gifts to their children (Mat 7:11). Before opening God’s Word, therefore, we should pray that He would show us the truth, the rule of our duty, and incline our hearts to obey it; and, as we proceed, keep our hearts silently lifted up to God for the same object.

IV. Read with self-application

Whenever you have discovered any truth, ask what bearing it has upon present duty. If it relates to spiritual affections, compare with it the state of your own heart. If it relates to the spirit and temper of Christians, in their fellowship with one another, or with the world, compare it with your own conduct. If it relates to some positive duty, inquire whether you have done it. And, wherever you find yourself deficient, endeavor to exercise repentance, and seek for pardon through the blood of Christ with grace to enable you to correct what is wrong.

V. Read the Scriptures regularly

A daily supply of refreshment is no less necessary for the soul than for the body. The Word of God is the bread of eternal life, "the food of the soul." Take, then, your regular supplies that your soul may not famish. Choose for this purpose those seasons when you are least liable to interruption—when you can retire and shut out the world, when you can best command the energies of your mind. There is no time more fit and suitable for this than the morning. Then the mind is clear, vigorous, unencumbered, and prepared to receive impressions. There is also a propriety in consulting God’s Word at the close of the day. But this depends much on the state of the body. If you become exhausted and dull after the labors of the day, I would rather recommend taking the whole time in the morning. But by no means confine yourself to these stated seasons. Whenever the nature of your pursuits will admit of your seclusion for a sufficient length of time to fix your mind upon the truth, you may freely drink from this never-failing fountain the water of life.

VI. Study the Scriptures systematically

If you read at random, here a little and there a little, your views of divine truth will be partial and limited. This method may indeed be pursued in regard to reading strictly devotionally, but only when other time is taken for obtaining a connected view and a critical understanding of the whole Bible. The Holy Scriptures are like a dish of savory meats. There is almost every variety of style and matter. There is history, biography, argumentative and didactic essays, and poetry. Although these various kinds of writing are contained in a great number of books, written by various authors, at different times, without collusion; yet a remarkable unity of design pervades the whole, and perfect harmony of sentiment prevails throughout. Everything, from the very beginning, points to the glorious plan of redemption revealed in the Gospel. Although we may, at first view, feel the lack of a regular system of divinity, yet a careful attention to the subject will discover Divine Wisdom in the present arrangement. We have here the principles of his government exhibited in living examples, which give us a clearer view and more vivid impression of them than we could obtain from the study of an abstract system. In the systematic and thorough study of the Bible, the following hints may be of use:

1. Grand design

Keep before your mind the grand design of the Scriptures, which is to convince mankind of their lost and ruined condition, make known the way of salvation, and persuade them to embrace it.

2. Aim to understand the meaning of the writer

Make it your constant aim to ascertain what is the plain and obvious meaning of the writer, for this is the mind of the Spirit. To aid you in this, observe the following particulars:

(1.) Endeavor to become acquainted with the peculiarity of each writer’s style. Although the Scriptures were dictated by the Holy Spirit, yet it was so done that each writer employed a style and manner peculiar to himself. This does not invalidate the evidence of their divine origin, but rather shows the wisdom of the Spirit. If the whole Bible had been written in a uniform style, it would have given opponents a strong argument against its authenticity. The lack of that uniformity furnishes conclusive evidence that it could not have been the work of a single impostor. Again, a continued sameness of style would make the reading of so large a book as the Bible tedious and unpleasant, but the rich variety presented by the various authors of this blessed book helps our infirmities and makes the reading of it pleasing and delightful.

(2.) Inquire into the character, situation, and office of the writer; the time, place, and occasion of his writing; and the people for whose immediate use he intended his work. This will enable you to understand his allusions to particular circumstances and customs, and to see the practical application of the principles he advances.

(3.) Consider the principal scope or aim of the book, or what was the author’s object, design, or intention in writing it. Notice also the general plan or method, which he has pursued. This will enable you to discover his leading ideas, if it be an argumentative work, or the particular instructions of God’s providence, if it be historical.

(4.) Where the language is difficult to be understood, pay strict attention to the context, and you will generally find the author’s meaning explained. But, if not, consider whether the difficult phrase is a peculiarity of the writer’s style. If so, look out the place where he has used it in a different connection, and see what meaning is attached to it there. But if this does not satisfy you, examine the passages in other parts of the Scriptures which relate to the same subject, and compare them with the one under consideration. This will generally clear up the darkest passages. But if you still feel in doubt, you may find assistance from consulting commentators who have made themselves acquainted with the particulars I have mentioned; which, with a knowledge of the language in which the book was originally written, may have enabled them to remove the difficulty. But in reading commentaries, always bear in mind that they are the productions of fallible men, whose opinions are not to be taken for Scripture. You may, however, avail yourself of their knowledge, without submitting your mind implicitly to their judgment. This you will be compelled to do because on many points, they differ in opinion.

3. Do not hurry

Do not task yourself with a certain quantity of reading at the regular seasons devoted to the study of the Bible. This may lead you to hurry over it, without ascertaining its meaning or drinking into its spirit. You had better study one verse thoroughly, than to read half a dozen chapters carelessly. The nourishment received from food depends less on the quantity, than on its being perfectly digested. So with the mind: one clear idea is better than a dozen confused ones. And the mind, as well as the stomach, may be overloaded with undigested food. Ponder upon every portion you read, until you get a full and clear view of the truth that it teaches. Fix your mind and heart upon it, as the bee lights upon the flower, and do not leave it until you have extracted the honey it contains.

4. Read in course

By studying the whole Bible in connection, you will obtain a more enlarged view of its contents and perceive more distinctly its unity of purpose. But I would not have you confine yourself entirely to the regular reading of the whole Bible in course. Some portions of the historical parts do not require so much study as that which is more argumentative and doctrinal; and some parts of the Word of God are more devotional than others are, and therefore better fitted for daily practical use.

A very good plan is to read the Old and New Testaments in course, a portion in each every day. If you begin at Genesis, Job, and Matthew, and read a chapter every day, at each place, omitting the first and reading three Psalms on the Sabbath, you will read the whole Bible in a year, while on every day you will have a suitable variety. Besides this, the more devotional and practical books should be read frequently. The Psalms furnish a great variety of Christian experience, and may be resorted to with profit and comfort in all circumstances. This is the only book in the Bible, which does not require to be read in course. The Psalms are detached from each other, having no necessary connection.

The other books were, for the most part, originally written like a sermon or a letter. They have, for convenience, since been divided into chapters and verses. If you read a single chapter by itself, you lose the connection; as, if you should take up a sermon and read a page or two, you would not get a full view of the author’s subject. I would therefore recommend that, in addition to your daily reading in the Old and New Testaments, you always have in a course of thorough and critical study some one of the most difficult and fruitful of these books. But, if you attend the Sabbath school, either as teacher or pupil, the lessons there studied will be sufficient for this purpose.

Before beginning the study of a book, you ought to take an opportunity to read the whole of it rapidly at one sitting, in order to learn the author’s scope and design. You will find this a profitable practice whenever you have time for it. You will be especially interested to review, in this way, the books you have studied. The more thoroughly they have been studied, the more deeply will you be interested in the review. You will find great advantage from the use of a reference Bible and concordance. By looking out the parallel passages, as you proceed, you will see how one part of the Scriptures explains another and how beautifully they all harmonize.

5. Inquire on certain subjects

In reading the Scriptures, there are some subjects of inquiry, which you should carry along with you constantly.

(1.) What do I find here which points to Christ? Unless you keep this before your mind, you will lose half the interest of many parts of the Old Testament, and much of it will appear to be almost without meaning. It is full of types and prophecies relating to Christ, which by themselves appear dry, but when understood are most beautiful and full of instruction.

(2.) The Bible contains a history of the church. Endeavor then to learn the state of the church at the time of which you are reading.

From the commencement, you will see a gradual development of God’s designs of mercy, and a continually increasing light. Take notice of what period of the church you are reading, and from this you may judge of the degree of obligation of its members—for this has been increasing with the increase of light, from the fall to the present day, and it will continue to increase to the end of time. Note also the various declensions and revivals of religion, which have occurred in every period of the church, and endeavor to learn their causes and consequences. By this, you will become familiar with God’s method of dealing with his people; from which you may draw practical lessons of caution and encouragement for yourself

(3.) Inquire what doctrinal truth is taught, illustrated, or enforced in the passage you are reading and what principle is recognized. Great and important principles of the divine government and of practical duty are often implied in a passage of history, which relates to a comparatively unimportant event. Let it be your business to draw out these principles and apply them to practice. Thus, you will be daily increasing your knowledge of the great system of divine truth.

(4.) Note every promise and every prediction. Observe God’s faithfulness in keeping His promises and fulfilling His prophecies. This will tend to strengthen your faith. You will find it profitable, as you proceed, to take notes of these several matters particularly. At the close of every book, review your notes and sum them up under different heads.

6. Study Jesus

Read the Gospels with great care for the purpose of studying the character of the blessed Jesus. Dwell upon every action of His life and inquire after His motives. By this course, you will be surprised to find the Godhead shining through the manhood in little incidents, which you have often read without interest. Look upon Him at all times in His true character, as Mediator between God and man. Observe His several offices of Prophet, Priest, and King. See in which of these characters He is acting at different times, and inquire what bearing the particular action you are considering has upon His mediatorial character. Observe also the particular traits of character which appear conspicuous in particular actions—such as power, energy, manly hardihood, dignity, condescension, humility, love, meekness, pity, compassion, tenderness, forgiveness, etc. Take notes, and when you have finished the course, draw from them, in writing a minute and particular description of His character. This will be of great service to you as a pattern. You will also, by this means see a peculiar beauty and fitness in Christ for the office He has undertaken, which you would not otherwise have discovered. But do not stop with going through this course once. Repeat it as often as you can consistently with your plan of a systematic study of the Holy Scriptures. You will always find something new, and upon every fresh discovery you can revise your old notes.

7. History and biography

In reading the historical and biographical parts of Scripture, observe the following.

(1.) The histories contained in the Bible are the histories of God’s providence. Notice His hand in every event, and inquire what principle or law of His moral government is exemplified, carefully observing its application to nations, communities, and individuals.

(2.) When you read of particular mercies or judgments, look back for the cause. In this way, you may discover the principles on which God administers His most holy, wise, and just government.

(3.) In the biographies of the Bible, study the motives and conduct of the characters described. If they are unconverted men, you will learn the workings of human depravity, and discover what influence a correct religious public sentiment has in restraining that depravity. If they are good men, you will see in their good actions living illustrations of the great doctrines of the Bible. Endeavor to learn by what means they made such attainments in holiness, and strive to imitate them. If any of their actions are bad, look back and inquire into the cause of their backslidings. If you discover it, you will find a way-mark to caution you against falling into the same pit.

8. Poetry and instruction

The poetical and didactic parts of the Scriptures are scattered throughout the whole Bible. These abound with highly wrought figures. This is probably owing partly to the insufficiency of ordinary language to express the lofty and sublime ideas presented to the minds of the writers by the Spirit of truth, and partly to the method of communicating ideas which always prevails in the infancy of language. Endeavor to understand the figures used. They are often taken from prevailing habits and customs, and from circumstances peculiar to the countries where the Scriptures were written. These habits and circumstances you must understand, or you will not see the force of the allusions.

Others are taken from circumstances peculiar to particular occupations in life. These must also be thoroughly studied, in order to be understood. But where the figures are drawn from things perfectly familiar, you will not perceive their surprising beauty and exact fitness to express the idea of the sacred penman, until you have carefully studied them and noted the minutest circumstances. Beware, however, that you do not carry out these figures so far as to lead you into fanciful and visionary interpretations.

9. The prophets

The books of the prophets consist of reproofs, exhortations, warnings, threatenings, predictions, and promises. By carefully studying the circumstances and characters of those for whom they were written, you will find the principles and laws of God’s government set forth, in their application to nations, communities, and individuals. From these you may draw practical rules of duty, and also learn how to view the hand of God in His providence in different ages of the world. The predictions contained in these books are the most difficult to be understood of any part of the Bible. In reading them you will notice,

(1.) Those predictions whose fulfillment is recorded in the Bible, and diligently examine the record of their fulfillment. You will see how careful God is to fulfill every jot and tittle of His Word.

(2.) There are other prophecies, the fulfillment of which is recorded in profane history; and others still which are yet unfulfilled. To understand these, it will be necessary to read ancient and modern history, in connection with the explanation of the prophecies, by those writers who have made them their study. Attention to this, so far as your circumstances will admit, will be useful in enlarging your views of the kingdom of Christ. But beware of becoming so deeply absorbed in these matters as to neglect those of a more practical nature; and especially be cautious of advancing far into the regions of speculation as to what is yet future.

10. A whole book

You will find it an interesting and profitable employment, occasionally to read a given book through, for the purpose of seeing what light it throws upon some particular point of Christian doctrine, duty, practice, or character. For example, go through with Acts with your eye upon the doctrine of Christ’s divinity. Then go through with it a second time, to see what light it throws on the subject of Revivals of Religion. Pursue the same course with other books and in respect to other subjects. In this way, you will sometimes be surprised to find how much you have overlooked in your previous reading.

The foregoing suggestions may appear formidable because of the time and study requisite to carry them into execution. But it is to be remembered that the young Christian has his lifetime before him, and that his great business is to obtain a knowledge of divine things. The plan is not sketched with the expectation that everything here recommended will be accomplished in a single year, but with the view of laying out business for life.

I'm not going to pretend that I have read all the articles, they are quite long, which is your hallmark!

But they are always so good.

I do love the quotes by Spurgeon and others.

We do need to fall in love with the word of God, to meditate on His law day and night, Ps 1.

If we are not taking in God's word, and hardly praying, what hope or confidence in God do we have?

We are no different to the unsaved.

Love God and His word.

God bless.

Exposition Must Have Application
A. W. Tozer

The Bible is among other things a book of revealed truth. That is, certain facts are revealed that could not be discovered by the most brilliant mind. These facts are of such a nature as to be past finding out. They were hidden behind a veil, and until certain men who spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost took away that veil, no mortal man could know them. This lifting of the veil of unknowing from undiscoverable things we call divine revelation.

The Bible, however, is more than a volume of hitherto unknown facts about God, man and the universe. It is a book of exhortation based upon those facts. By far the greater portion of the book is devoted to an urgent effort to persuade people to alter their ways and bring their lives into harmony with the will of God as set forth in its pages.

No man is better for knowing that God in the beginning created the heavens and the earth. The devil knows that, and so did Ahab and Judas Iscariot. No man is better for knowing that God so loved the world of men that He gave His only begotten Son to die for their redemption. In hell there are millions that know that. Theological truth is useless until it is obeyed. The purpose behind all doctrine is to secure moral action.

What is generally overlooked is that truth as set forth in the Christian Scriptures is a moral thing; it is not addressed to the intellect only, but to the will also. It addresses itself to the total man, and its obligations cannot be discharged by grasping it mentally. Truth engages the citadel of the human heart and is not satisfied until it has conquered everything there. The will must come forth and surrender its sword. It must stand at attention to receive orders, and those orders it must joyfully obey. Short of this any knowledge of Christian truth is inadequate and unavailing.

Bible exposition without moral application raises no opposition. It is only when the hearer is made to understand that truth is in conflict with his heart that resistance sets in. As long as people can bear orthodox truth divorced from life they will attend and support churches and institutions without objection. The truth is a lovely song, become sweet by long and tender association; and since It asks nothing but a few dollars, and offers good music, pleasant friendships and a comfortable sense of well-being, it meets with no resistance from the faithful. Much that passes for New Testament Christianity is little more than objective truth sweetened with song and made palatable by religious entertainment.

One reason for the divorce between truth and life maybe the lack of the Spirit’s illumination. Another surely is the teacher’s unwillingness to get himself into trouble. Any man with fair pulpit gifts can get on with the average congregation if he just “feeds” them and lets them alone. Give them plenty of objective truth and never hint that they are wrong and should be set right, and they will be content.

On the other hand, the man who preaches truth and applies it to the lives of his hearers will feel the nails and the thorns. He will lead a hard life, but a glorious one. May God raise up many such prophets. The church needs them badly.

Our Need of Scripture
by J. I. Packer

“Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psa 119:105).

See the psalmist’s picture. He has to travel. (Scripture regularly pictures life as a journey.) He was in the dark, unable to see the way to go and bound to get lost and hurt if he advanced blindly. (This pictures our natural ignorance of God’s will for our lives, our inability to guess it and the certainty in practice of our missing it.) But a lamp (think of a flashlight) has been handed to him. Now he can pick out the path before him, step by step, and stick to it, though darkness still surrounds him. (This pictures what God’s word does for us, showing us how to live.) The psalmist’s cry is one of praise, thanks, admonition, testimony and confidence—praise that God glorifies his grace by giving men so precious a gift as his word; thanks because he knows how much he himself needed it, and how lost he was without it; admonition to himself and any who might read his psalm always to value God’s word at its true worth and to make full use of it for the purpose for which it was given; testimony to the fact that already in his experience it had proved its power; and confidence that this would continue.

The psalmist would have committed to memory the Pentateuch, the law of Moses in its narrative context, and in his meditations would be working from that. We are privileged to have the entire Bible available to us in printed form. How well do we know it? How much do we love it? Happy are we if we have learned, in defiance of modern skepticism, to make the psalmist’s words and meaning our own.

Some 170 of the psalm’s 176 verses celebrate the ministry of God’s revealed word in the godly man’s life as his source of guidance, hope, strength, correction, humility, purity and joy. Psalm 19:7-14 and 2 Timothy 3:15-17 more briefly do the same thing. Do we know anything of what Paul and the psalmists knew of the power of Scripture to reshape, redirect and renew disordered lives?

Why does contact with God’s scriptural word transform some people while leaving others cold? First, some let the written word lead them to the living Word, Jesus Christ, to whom it constantly points us; others don’t. Second, not all come to the Bible hungry and expectant, conscious of daily need to hear God speak. “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it,” says God (Psa 81:10). The open mouth is a gesture of hunger and dependence. “With open mouth I pant, because I long for thy commandments,” says the psalmist (Psa 119:131). Desire for God, springing from a sense of our need of him, is the factor that decides how much or how little impact Scripture will make upon us. Bible reader check your heart!

What Bishop J. C. Ryle wrote in a tract over a century ago remains wholly relevant:

You live in a world where your soul is in constant danger. Enemies are round you on every side. Your own heart is deceitful. Bad examples are numerous. Satan is always laboring to lead you astray. Above all false doctrine and false teachers of every kind abound. This is your great danger.

To be safe you must be well armed. You must provide yourself with the weapons which God has given you for your help. You must store your mind with Holy Scripture. This is to be well armed.

Arm yourself with a thorough knowledge of the written word of God. Read your Bible regularly. Become familiar with your Bible…Neglect your Bible and nothing that I know of can prevent you from error if a plausible advocate of false teaching shall happen to meet you. Make it a rule to believe nothing except it can be proved from Scripture. The Bible alone is infallible…Do you really use your Bible as much as you ought?

There are many today, who believe the Bible, yet read it very little. Does your conscience tell you that you are one of these persons?

If so, you are the man that is likely to get little help from the Bible in time of need. Trial is a sifting experience…Your store of Bible consolations may one day run very low.

If so, you are the man that is unlikely to become established in the truth. I shall not be surprised to hear that you are troubled with doubts and questions about assurance, grace, faith, perseverance, etc. The devil is an old and cunning enemy. He can quote Scripture readily enough when he pleases. Now you are not sufficiently ready with your weapons to fight a good fight with him…Your sword is held loosely in your hand.

If so, you are the man that is likely to make mistakes in life. I shall not wonder if I am told that you have problems in your marriage, problems with your children, problems about the conduct of your family and about the company you keep. The world you steer through is full of rocks, shoals and sandbanks. You are not sufficiently familiar either with lighthouses or charts.

If so, you are the man who is likely to be carried away by some false teacher for a time. It will not surprise me if I hear that one of these clever eloquent men who can make a convincing presentation is leading you into error. You are in need of ballast (truth); no wonder if you are tossed to and fro like a cork on the waves.

All these are uncomfortable situations. I want you to escape them all. Take the advice I offer you today. Do not merely read your Bible a little—but read it a great deal…Remember your many enemies. Be armed!

There is a Presumption
in Favor of the Bible
A.W. Pink

This argument may be simply and tersely stated thus: Man needed a Divine revelation which was committed to writing, a revelation couched in human language. God had previously given man a revelation of Himself in His created works—which men please to term “nature”—but this revelation was inadequate. Though the creation bears unmistakable testimony to the existence of its Creator, and though sufficient is revealed of God through it to render all men “without excuse” (Rom 1:20), yet creation does not present a complete unveiling of God’s character. Creation reveals God’s wisdom and power, but it gives us a very imperfect presentation of His mercy and love. Creation is now under the curse. It is imperfect because it has been marred by sin. Therefore, an imperfect creation cannot be a perfect medium for revealing God and hence, also, the testimony of creation is contradictory.

In the spring of the year, when nature puts on her loveliest robes and we see the beautiful foliage of the countryside and listen to the happy songs of the birds, we have no difficulty in inferring that a gracious God is ruling over our world. But what of the wintertime, when the countryside is desolate and the trees are leafless and forlorn, when a pall of death seems to be resting on everything? When we stood by the seashore and watched the setting sun crimsoning the placid waters on a quiet eve, we had no hesitation in ascribing the picture to the hand of the Divine Artist. But when we stand upon the same seashore on a stormy night, listening to the roaring of the breakers and the howling wind and watching the boas battling with the angry waves, having to helplessly listen to the heartrending cries of seamen as they go down into a watery grave, then we are tempted to wonder if, after all, a merciful God is at the helm. As one walks through the Grand Canyon or stands before the Niagara Falls, the hand and power of God seem very evident; but, as one witnesses the desolations of the San Francisco earthquake or the death-dealing effects of the volcanic eruptions of Mount Vesuvius, he is again perplexed and puzzled. In a word then, the testimony of nature is conflicting, and, as we have said, this is due to the fact that sin has come in and marred God’s handiwork. Creation displays God’s natural attributes but it tells us little or nothing of His moral perfections. Nature knows no forgiveness and shows no mercy, and if we had no other source of information we should never discover the fact that God pardons sinners. Man then needs a written revelation from God.

Our limitations and our ignorance reveal our need. Man is in darkness concerning God. Blot the Bible out of existence and what should we know about His character, His moral attributes, His attitude toward us, or His demands upon us? As we have seen, nature is but an imperfect medium for revealing God. The ancients had the same nature before them as we have, but what did they discover of His character? To what knowledge of the one true God did they attain? The seventeenth chapter of the book of Acts answers that question. When the Apostle Paul was in the famous city of Athens, famous for its learning and philosophical culture, he discovered an altar on which were inscribed the words, “To the unknown God.” The same condition prevails today. Visit those lands that have not been illumined by the light of the Holy Scriptures and it will be found that their peoples know no more about the character of the living God than did the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians.

Man is in darkness concerning himself. From whence am I? What am I? Am I anything more than a reasoning animal? Have I an immortal soul, or, am I nothing more than a sentient being? What is the purpose of my existence? Why am I here in this world at all? What is the end and aim of life? How shall I employ my time and talents? Shall I live only for today, eat, drink, and be merry? What after death? Do I perish like the beasts of the field, or is the grave the portal into another world? If so, whither am I bound? Do these questions appear senseless and irrelevant? Annihilate the Scripture, eliminate all the light they have shed upon these problems, and whither shall we turn for a solution? If the Bible had never been written how many of these questions could have been satisfactorily answered? A very striking testimony to man’s need of a Divine revelation was given by the celebrated but skeptical historian Gibbon. He remarked, “Since, therefore, the most sublime efforts of philosophy can extend no farther than feebly to point out the desire, the hope, or, at most, the probability, of a future state, there is nothing except a Divine revelation that can ascertain the existence and describe the condition of the invisible country which is destined to receive the souls of men after their separation from the body.”

Our experiences reveal our need. There are problems to be faced which our wisdom is incapable of solving; there are obstacles in our path which we have no means of surmounting; there are enemies to be met which we are unable to vanquish. We are in dire need of counsel, strength, and courage. There are trials and tribulations which come to us, testing the hearts of the bravest and stoutest, and we need comfort and cheer. There are sorrows and bereavements which crush our spirits and we need the hope of immortality and resurrection.

Our corporate life reveals our need. What is to govern and regulate our dealings one with the other? Shall each do that which is right in his own eyes? That would destroy all law and order. Shall we draw up some moral code, some ethical standard? But who shall fix it? Opinions vary. We need some final court of appeal; if we had no Bible, where should we find it?

Man then needs a Divine revelation; God is able to supply that need; therefore, is it not reasonable to suppose He will do so? Surely God will not mock our ignorance and leave us to grope in the dark! If it is harder to believe that the universe had no Creator than it is to believe that “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” if it is a greater tax upon our faith to suppose that Christianity with all its glorious triumphs is without Divine Founder than it is to believe that it rests upon the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, then does it not also make a greater demand upon human credulity to imagine that God would leave mankind without an intelligible communication from Himself than it does to believe that the Bible is a revelation from the Creator to His fallen and erring creatures?

If there is a personal God (and none but a “fool” will deny His existence), and if we are the works of His hands, then He surely would not leave us in doubt concerning the great problems which have to do with our temporal, spiritual, and eternal welfare. If an earthly parent advises his sons and daughters in their problems and perplexities, warns them of the perils and pitfalls of life which menace their well-being, counsels them with regard to their daily welfare and makes known to them his plans and purposes concerning their future, surely it is incredible to suppose that our Heavenly Father would do less for His children!

We are often uncertain as to which is the right course to pursue; we are frequently in doubt as to the real path of duty. We are constantly surrounded by the hosts of wickedness which seek to accomplish our downfall. And we are daily confronted with experiences which make us sad and sorrowful. The wisest among us need guidance which our own wisdom fails to supply; the best of humanity need grace which the human heart is powerless to bestow; the most refined among the sons of men need deliverance from temptations which they cannot overcome. Will God mock us then in our need? Will God leave us alone in the hour of our weakness? Will God refuse to provide for us a Refuge from our enemies? Man needs a Counselor, a Comforter, a Deliverer. The very fact that God has a Father’s regard for His children necessitates that He should give them a written revelation that communicates His mind and will concerning them and that points them to the One who is willing and able to supply all their need.

To sum up this argument, man needs a Divine revelation. God is able to supply one. Is it not, therefore, reasonable to suppose He will do so? There is then a presumption in favor of the Bible. Is it not more reasonable to believe that He whose name and nature is Love shall provide us with a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path than to believe that He has left us to grope our way amid the darkness of a fallen and ruined world?

An intelligent plain man, untaught in the truths of Christianity, coming upon this text, would likely conclude that John meant to teach that it is the nature of God to speak, to communicate His thoughts to others. And he would be right. A word is a medium by which thoughts are expressed, and the application of the term to the Eternal Son leads us to believe that self-expression is inherent in the Godhead, that God is forever seeking to speak Himself out to His creation. The whole Bible supports the idea. God is speaking. Not God spoke, but God is speaking. He is by His nature continuously articulate. He fills the world with His speaking Voice.

One of the great realities with which we have to deal is the Voice of God in His world. The briefest and only satisfying cosmogony is this: “He spake and it was done.” The why of natural law is the living Voice of God immanent in His creation. And this word of God which brought all worlds into being cannot be understood to mean the Bible, for it is not a written or printed word at all, but the expression of the will of God spoken into the structure of all things. This word of God is the breath of God filling the world with living potentiality. The Voice of God is the most powerful force in nature, indeed the only force in nature, for all energy is here only because the power-filled Word is being spoken.

The Bible is the written word of God, and because it is written it is confined and limited by the necessities of ink and paper and leather. The Voice of God, however, is alive and free as the sovereign God is free. “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” The life is in the speaking words. God’s word in the Bible can have power only because it corresponds to God’s word in the universe. It is the present Voice which makes the written Word all-powerful. Otherwise it would lie locked in slumber within the covers of a book.

We take a low and primitive view of things when we conceive of God at the creation coming into physical contact with things, shaping and fitting and building like a carpenter. The Bible teaches otherwise: “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. . . . For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.” “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God.” Again we must remember that God is referring here not to His written Word, but to His speaking Voice. His world-filling Voice is meant, that Voice which antedates the Bible by uncounted centuries, that Voice which has not been silent since the dawn of creation, but is sounding still throughout the full far reaches of the universe.

The Word of God is quick and powerful. In the beginning He spoke to nothing, and it became something. Chaos heard it and became order; darkness heard it and became light. “And God said — and it was so.” These twin phrases, as cause and effect, occur throughout the Genesis story of the creation. The said accounts for the so. The so is the said put into the Continuous present.

That God is here and that He is speaking — these truths are back of all other Bible truths; without them there could be no revelation at all. God did not write a book and send it by messenger to be read at a distance by unaided minds. He spoke a Book and lives in His spoken words, constantly speaking His words and causing the power of them to persist across the years. God breathed on clay and it became a man; He breathes on men and they become clay. “Return ye children of men,” was the word spoken at the Fall by which God decreed the death of every man, and no added word has He needed to speak. The sad procession of mankind across the face of the earth from birth to the grave is proof that His original Word was enough.

We have not given sufficient attention to that deep utterance in the Book of John, “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” Shift the punctuation around as we will and the truth is still there: the Word of God affects the hearts of all men as light in the soul. In the hearts of all men the light shines, the Word sounds, and there is no escaping them. Something like this would of necessity be so if God is alive and in His world. And John says that it is so. Even those persons who have never heard of the Bible have still been preached to with sufficient clarity to remove every excuse from their hearts forever. “Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing Witness, and their thoughts the mean while either accusing or else excusing one another.” “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.”

This universal Voice of God was by the ancient Hebrews often called Wisdom, and was said to be everywhere sounding and searching throughout the earth, seeking some response from the Sons of men. The eighth chapter of the Book of Proverbs begins, “Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?” The writer then pictures wisdom as a beautiful woman standing “in the top of the high places, by the way in the places of the paths.” She sounds her voice from every quarter so that no one may miss hearing it. “Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of men.” Then she pleads for the simple and the foolish to give ear to her words. It is spiritual response for which this Wisdom of God is pleading, a response which she has always sought and is but rarely able to secure. The tragedy is that our eternal welfare depends upon our hearing, and we have trained our ears not to hear.

This universal Voice has ever sounded, and it has often troubled men even when they did not understand the source of their fears. Could it be that this Voice distilling like a living mist upon the hearts of men has been the undiscovered cause of the troubled conscience and the longing for immortality confessed by millions since the dawn of recorded history? We need not fear to face up to this. The speaking Voice is a fact. How men have reacted to it is for any observer to note.

When God spoke out of heaven to our Lord, self-centered men who heard it explained it by natural causes: they said, “It thundered.” This habit of explaining the Voice by appeals to natural law is at the very root of modern science. In the living breathing cosmos there is a mysterious Something, too wonderful, too awful for any mind to understand. The believing man does not claim to understand. He falls to his knees and whispers, “God.” The man of earth kneels also, but not to worship. He kneels to examine, to search, to find the cause and the how of things. Just now we happen to be living in a secular age. Our thought habits are those of the scientist, not those of the worshipper. We are more likely to explain than to adore. “It thundered,” we exclaim, and go our earthly way. But still the Voice sounds and searches. The order and life of the world depend upon that Voice, but men are mostly too busy or too stubborn to give attention.

Every one of us has had experiences which we have not been able to explain: a sudden sense of loneliness, or a feeling of wonder or awe in the face of the universal vastness. Or we have had a fleeting visitation of light like an illumination from some other sun, giving us in a quick flash an assurance that we are from another world, that our origins are divine. What we saw there, or felt, or heard, may have been contrary to all that we had been taught in the schools and at wide variance with all our former beliefs and opinions. We were forced to suspend our acquired doubts while, for a moment, the clouds were rolled back and we saw and heard for ourselves. Explain such things as we will, I think we have not been fair to the facts until we allow at least the possibility that such experiences may arise from the Presence of God in the world and His persistent effort to communicate with mankind. Let us not dismiss such a hypothesis too flippantly.

It is my own belief (and here I shall not feel bad if no one follows me) that every good and beautiful thing which man has produced in the world has been the result of his faulty and sin-blocked response to the creative Voice sounding over the earth. The moral philosophers who dreamed their high dreams of virtue, the religious thinkers who speculated about God and immortality, the poets and artists who created out of common stuff pure and lasting beauty: how can we explain them? It is not enough to say simply, “It was genius.” What then is genius? Could it be that a genius is a man haunted by the speaking Voice, laboring and striving like one possessed to achieve ends which he only vaguely understands? That the great man may have missed God in his labors, that he may even have spoken or written against God does not destroy the idea I am advancing. God’s redemptive revelation in the Holy Scriptures is necessary to saving faith and peace with God. Faith in a risen Saviour is necessary if the vague stirrings toward immortality are to bring us to restful and satisfying communion with God. To me this is a plausible explanation of all that is best out of Christ. But you can be a good Christian and not accept my thesis.

The Voice of God is a friendly Voice. No one need fear to listen to it unless he has already made up his mind to resist it. The blood of Jesus has covered not only the human race but all creation as well. “And having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.” We may safely preach a friendly Heaven. The heavens as well as the earth are filled with the good will of Him that dwelt in the bush. The perfect blood of atonement secures this forever.

Whoever will listen will hear the speaking Heaven. This is definitely not the hour when men take kindly to an exhortation to listen, for listening is not today a part of popular religion. We are at the opposite end of the pole from there. Religion has accepted the monstrous heresy that noise, size, activity and bluster make a man dear to God. But we may take heart. To a people caught in the tempest of the last great conflict God says, “Be still, and know that I am God,” and still He says it, as if He means to tell us that our strength and safety lie not in noise but in silence.

It is important that we get still to wait on God. And it is best that we get alone, preferably with our Bible outspread before us. Then if we will we may draw near to God and begin to hear Him speak to us in our hearts. I think for the average person the progression will be something like this: First a sound as of a Presence walking in the garden. Then a voice, more intelligible, but still far from clear. Then the happy moment when the Spirit begins to illuminate the Scriptures, and that which had been only a sound, or at best a voice, now becomes an intelligible word, warm and intimate and clear as the word of a dear friend. Then will come life and light, and best of all, ability to see and rest in and embrace Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord and All.

The Bible will never be a living Book to us until we are convinced that God is articulate in His universe. To jump from a dead, impersonal world to a dogmatic Bible is too much for most people. They may admit that they should accept the Bible as the Word of God, and they may try to think of it as such, but they find it impossible to believe that the words there on the page are actually for them. A man may say, “These words are addressed to me,” and yet in his heart not feel and know that they are. He is the victim of a divided psychology. He tries to think of God as mute everywhere else and vocal only in a book.

I believe that much of our religious unbelief is due to a wrong conception of and a wrong feeling for the Scriptures of Truth. A silent God suddenly began to speak in a book and when the book was finished lapsed back into silence again forever. Now we read the book as the record of what God said when He was for a brief time in a speaking mood. With notions like that in our heads how can we believe? The facts are that God is not silent, has never been silent. It is the nature of God to speak. The second Person of the Holy Trinity is called the Word. The Bible is the inevitable outcome of God’s continuous speech. It is the infallible declaration of His mind for us put into our familiar human words.

I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not only a book which was once spoken, but a book which is now speaking. The prophets habitually said, “Thus saith the Lord.” They meant their hearers to understand that God’s speaking is in the continuous present. We may use the past tense properly to indicate that at a certain time a certain word of God was spoken, but a word of God once spoken continues to be spoken, as a child once born continues to be alive, or a world once created continues to exist. And those are but imperfect illustrations, for children die and worlds burn out, but the Word of our God endureth forever.

If you would follow on to know the Lord, come at once to the open Bible expecting it to speak to you. Do not come with the notion that it is a thing which you may push around at your convenience. It is more than a thing; it is a voice, a word, the very Word of the living God.

tozer

Methods of Bible Study
by Rev. R. A. Torrey

1. First of all make up your mind that you will put some time every day into the study of the Word of God. That is an easy resolution to make, and not a very difficult one to keep; if the one who makes it is in earnest. It is one of the most fruitful resolutions that any Christian ever made. The forming of that resolution and the holding faithfully to it, has been the turning point in many a life. Many a life that has been barren and unsatisfactory has become rich and useful through the introduction into it of regular, persevering, daily study of the Bible. This study may not be very interesting at first, the results may not be very encouraging; but, if one will keep pegging away, it will soon begin to count as nothing else has ever counted in the development of character, and in the enrichment of the whole life. Nothing short of absolute physical inability should be allowed to interfere with this daily study.

It is impossible to make a rule that will apply to everyone as to the amount of time that shall be given each day to the study of the Word. I know many busy people, including not a few labouring men and women, who give an hour a day to Bible study, but if one cannot give more than fifteen minutes a great deal can be accomplished. Wherever it is possible the time set apart for the work should be in the daylight hours. The very best time is in the early morning hours. If possible lock yourself in with God alone.

2. Make up your mind to study the Bible. It is astounding how much heedless reading of the Bible is done. Men seem to think that there is some magic power in the book, and that, if they will but open its pages and skim over its words, they will get good out of it. The Bible is good only because of the truth that is in it, and to see this truth demands close attention. A verse must often-times be read and re-read and read again before the wondrous message of love and power that God has put into it begins to appear. Words must be turned over and over in the mind before their full force and beauty takes possession of us. One must look a long time at the great masterpieces of art to appreciate their beauty and understand their meaning, and so one must look a long time at the great verses of the Bible to appreciate their beauty and understand their meaning.

When you read a verse in the Bible ask yourself, What does this verse mean? Then ask: What does it mean for me? When that is answered ask yourself again: Is that all it means? and do not leave it until you are quite sure that is all it means for the present. You may come back at some future time and find it means yet a great deal more. If there are any important words in the verse weigh them, look up other passages where they are used, and try to get their full significance. God pronounces that man blessed who "meditates" on the Word of God "day and night" (Ps 1:2,3). An indolent skimming over a few verses or many chapters in the Bible is not meditation, and there is not much blessing in it. Jeremiah said: "Thy words were found and I did eat them." (Jer 15:16). Nothing is more important in eating than chewing. If one does not properly chew his food, he is quite as likely to get dyspepsia as nourishment. Don't let anyone chew your spiritual food for you. Insist on doing it for yourself. Any one can be a student who makes up his mind to. It is hard at first but it soon becomes easy. I have seen very dull minds become keen by holding them right down to the grindstone.

3. Study the Bible topically. Take up the various subjects treated in the Bible, one by one, and go through the Bible and find what it has to say on these subjects. It may be important to know what the great men have to say on important subjects; it is far more important to know what God has to say on these subjects. It is important also to know all that God has to say. A great many people know a part of what God has to sayand usually a very small partand so their ideas are very imperfect and one-sided. If they only knew all God had to say on the subject, it would be far better for them and for their friends. The only way to know all God has to say on any subject is to go through the Bible on that subject. To do this it is not necessary to read every verse in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. It would be slow work, if we had to do that on every subject we took up. This would be necessary were it not for topical guides and Concordances. But in these we have the results of the hard work of many minds. Here we have the various passages that bear on any subject brought together and classified for use, so that now we can do in a few hours what would otherwise take months or years.

The topical method of Bible study is simplest, most fascinating and yields the largest immediate results. It is not the only method of Bible study, and the one who pursues it exclusively will miss much of the blessing God has for him in the Bible. But it is a very interesting and fruitful method of study. It was Mr. Moody's favourite method. It fills one's mind very full on any subject studied. Mr. Moody once gave several days to the study of "Grace"; When he had finished he was so full of the subject that he rushed out on the street and going up to the first man he met he said: "Do you know anything about Grace?" "Grace who?" the man asked. "The Grace of God that bringeth salvation." And then Mr. Moody poured out upon that man the rich treasures he had dug out of the Word of God. That is the way to master any subject and get full of it. Go through the Bible and see what it has to say on this subject. This is easily done. Take your Textbook and turn to the subject. Suppose the subject you desire to study is "Prayer." There will be found a long list of the various passages of Scripture that bear on this subject. Look them up one after another and study them carefully and see just what their teaching is. When you have gone through them you will know far more about prayer than you ever knew before, and far more than you could learn by reading any books that men have written about prayer, profitable as many of these books are. Sometimes it will be necessary to look up other subjects that are closely related to the one in hand. For example, you wish to study what the teaching of God's Word is regarding the atonement. In this case you will not only look under the head "Atonement," but also under the head "Blood," and under the head "Death of Christ." To do this work a concordance is not necessary but it is often very helpful. For example, if you are studying the subject "Prayer" you can look up from the concordance the passages that contain the words "pray," "prayer," "cry," "ask," "call," "supplication," "intercession," etc. But the Textbook will give most of the passages on any subject regardless of what the words used in the passage may be. Other passages will be found in the section on Bible Doctrines under their proper headings.

There are four important suggestions to make regarding topical study of the Bible.

First: Be systematic. Do not take up subjects for study at random. Have a carefully prepared list of the subjects you wish to know about, and need to know about, and take them up one by one, in order. If you do not do this, the probability is that you will have a few pet topics and will be studying these over and over until you get to be a crank about them, and possibly a nuisance. You will know much about these subjects, but about many other subjects equally important you will know nothing. You will be a one-sided Christian.
Second: Be thorough. When you take up a subject do not be content to study a few passages on this subject, but find just as far as possible every passage in the Bible on this subject. If you find the Textbook incomplete make additions of your own to it.
Third: Be exact. Find the exact meaning of every passage given in the Textbook on any subject. The way to do this is simple. In the first place note the exact words used. In the next place get the exact meaning of the words used. This is done by finding how the word is used in the Bible. The Bible usage of the word is not always the common use of today. For example, the Bible use of the words "sanctification" and "justification" is not the same as the common use. Then notice what goes before and what comes after the verse. This will oftentimes settle the meaning of a verse when it appears doubtful. Finally see if there are any parallel passages. The meaning of many of the most difficult passages in the Bible is made perfectly plain by some other passages that throws light upon them. Then parallel passages are given in the margin of a good reference Bible and still more fully in The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, a volume worthy of a place in the library of every Bible student.
Fourth: Arrange the results of your topical study in an orderly way and write them down. One should constantly use pen and paper in Bible study. When one has gone through the Textbook on any subject, he will have a large amount of material, but he will want to get it into usable shape. The various passages given on any topic in the Textbook are classified, but the classification is not always just the one best adapted to our individual use. Take for example the subject "Prayer." The classification of texts in the topic is very suggestive, but a better one for some purposes would be:

Who Can Pray so that God Will Hear?
To Whom to Pray.
For Whom to Pray.
When to Pray.
For what to Pray.
How to Pray.
Where to Pray.
Hindrances to Prayer.
The Results of Prayer.

The passages given in the Textbook would come under these heads. It is well to make a trial division of the subject before taking up the individual passages given and to arrange each passage as we take it up under the appropriate head. We may have to add to the divisions with which we began as we find new passages. The best classification of passages for any individual is the one he makes for himself, although he will get helpful suggestions from others.

There are some subjects that every Christian should study and study as soon as possible. We give a list of these:

The Atonement (of the Blood of Christ)
Justification
The New Birth
Adoption
Sanctification
Holiness
Assurance
The Flesh
Cleansing Faith
Repentance
Prayer
Thanksgiving
Praise
Love:
To God
To Jesus Christ
To Christians
To all men
The Future Destiny of Believers
The Future Destiny of the Wicked:
Punishment of the Wicked
Death of the Wicked
The Character of Christ
The Resurrection of Christ
The Ascension of Christ
The Second Coming of Christ:
The fact, the manner, the purpose, the results, the time
The Reign of Christ
The Holy Spirit
Who and what He is
His Work
God.
His Attributes and Work
Grace
Messianic Prophecies
The Church
The Jews
Joy
The Judgment
Life
Peace
Perfection
Persecution
4. Study the Bible by chapters.This method of Bible study is not beyond any person of average intelligence who has fifteen minutes or more a day to put into Bible Study. It will take, however, more than one day to the study a chapter if only fifteen minutes a day are set apart for the work.

First: Select the chapters you wish to study. It is well to take a whole book and study the chapters in their order. The Acts of the Apostles (or the Gospel of John) is a good book to begin with. In time one may take up every chapter in the Bible, but it would not be wise to begin with Genesis.
Second: Read the chapter for today's study five times. It is well to read it aloud at least once. The writer sees many things when he reads the Bible aloud that he does not see when he reads silently. Each new reading will bring out some new point.
Third: Divide the chapters into their natural divisions and find headings for them that describe in the most striking way their contents. For example, suppose the chapter studied is 1John 5. You might divide in this way:

The Believer's Noble Parentage (1 John 5, verses 1-3)
The Believer's Glorious Victory (verses 4,5)
The Believer's Sure Ground of Faith (verses 6-10)
The Believer's Priceless Possession (verses 11,12)
The Believer's Blessed Assurance (verse 13)
The Believer's Unquestioning Confidence (verses 14,15)
The Believer's Great Power and Responsibility (verses 16,17)
The Believer's Perfect Security (verses 18,19)
The Believer's Precious Knowledge (verse 20)
The Believer's Constant Duty (verse 21)
In many cases the natural divisions will be longer than in this chapter.
Fourth: Note the important differences between the Authorized Version (KJV) and the Revised and write them in the margin of your Bible.
Fifth: Write down the leading facts of the chapter in their proper order.
Sixth: Make a note of the persons mentioned in the chapter and of any light thrown upon their character. For example, assume your chapter is Acts 16. The persons mentioned are:

Timothy
Timothy's mother
Timothy's father
The brethren at Lystra and Iconium
Paul
The Jews of Lystra and Iconium
The apostles and elders at Jerusalem
A man of Macedonia
Luke
Some women of Philippi
Lydia
The household of Lydia
A certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination
The masters of this damsel
Silas
The praetors of Philippi
The Philippian mob
The jailor of Philippi
The prisoners in the Philippian jail
The household of the jailor
The lictors of Philippi
The brethren in Philippi
What light does the chapter throw upon the character of each?
Seventh: Note the principal lessons of the chapter. It would be well to classify these: e.g., lessons about God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, etc., etc.
Eighth: The Central Truth of the chapter.
Ninth: The key verse of the chapter if there is one.
Tenth: The best verse in the chapter. Opinions will differ widely here. But the question is, which is the best verse to you at this present reading? Mark it and memorize it.
Eleventh: Note the verses that are usable as texts for sermons or talks or Bible readings. If you have time make an analysis of the thought of these verses and write it in the margin, or on the opposite leaf if you have an interleaved Bible.
Twelfth: Name the chapter. For example, Acts 1 might be called The Ascension Chapter; Acts 2, The Day of Pentecost Chapter; Acts 3, The Lame Man's Chapter; etc. Give your own names to the chapters. Give the name that sets forth the most important and characteristic feature of the chapter.
Thirteenth: Note subjects for further study. For example, you are studying Acts 1. Subjects suggested for further study are, The Baptism with the Holy Spirit; The Ascension; The Second Coming of Christ.
Fourteenth: Words and phrases for further study. For example you are studying John 3, you should look up words and expressions such as, "Eternal life," "Born again," "Water," "Believer," and "The Kingdom of God."
Fifteenth: Write down what new truth you have learned from the chapter. If you have learned none, you had better go over it again.
Sixteenth: What truth already known has come to you with new power?
Seventeenth: What definite thing have you resolved to do as a result of studying this chapter? A permanent record should be kept of the results of the study of each chapter. It is well to have an interleaved Bible and keep the most important results in this.
5. Study the Bible as the Word of God. The Bible is the Word of God, and we get the most good out of any book by studying it as what it really is. It is often said that we should study the Bible just as we study any other book. That principle contains a truth, but it also contains a great error. The Bible, it is true, is a book as other books are books, the same laws of grammatical and literary construction and interpretation hold here as hold in other books. But the Bible is an entirely unique book. It is what no other book isThe Word of God. This can be easily proven to any candid man. The Bible ought then to be studied as no other book is. It should be studied as the Word of God. (1Thes 2:13). This involves five things.

First: A greater eagerness and more careful and candid study to find out just what it teaches than is bestowed upon any other book or upon all other books. We must know the mind of God; here it is revealed.
Second: A prompt and unquestioning acceptance of and submission to its teachings when definitely ascertained, even when these teachings appear to us unreasonable or impossible. If this book is the Word of God how foolish to submit its teachings to the criticism of our finite reason. The little boy who discredits his wise father's statements because to his infant mind they appear unreasonable, is not a philosopher but a fool. When we are once satisfied that the Bible is the Word of God, its clear teachings must be the end of all controversy and discussion.
Third: Absolute reliance upon all its promises in all their length and breadth and depth and height. The one who studies the Bible as the Word of God will say of every promise no matter how vast and beyond belief it appears, "God who cannot lie has promised this, so I claim it for myself." Mark the promises you thus claim. Look each day for some new promise from your infinite Father. He has put "His riches in glory" at your disposal. (Php 4:19).
Fourth: Obedienceprompt, exact, unquestioning, joyous obedienceto every command that is evident from the context applies to you. Be on the lookout for new orders from the King. Blessing lies in the direction of obedience to them. God's commands are but signboards that mark the road to present success and blessedness and to eternal glory.
Fifth: Studying the Bible as the Word of God, involves studying it as His own voice speaking directly to you. When you open the Bible to study it realize that you have come into the very presence of God and that now He is going to speak to you. Every hour thus spent in Bible study will be an hour's walk and talk with God.
Sixth: Study the Bible prayerfully. The author of the book is willing to act as interpreter of it. He does so when we ask Him to. The one who prays with earnestness and faith, the Psalmist's prayer, Open Thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law, will get his eyes opened to see beauties and wonders in the Word that he never dreamed of before. Be very definite about this. Each time you open the Bible to study it for a few minutes or many, ask God to give you the open and discerning eye, and expect Him to do it. Every time you come to a difficulty lay it before God and ask an explanation and expect it. How often we think as we puzzle over hard passages, "Oh if I only had so and so here to explain this." God is always present. Take it to Him.
Seventh: Look for "the things concerning Christ" "in all the Scriptures." Christ is everywhere in the Bible (Lu 24:27). Be on the lookout for Him and mark His presence when you find it.
Eighth: Improve spare moments in Bible study. In almost every man's life many minutes each day are lost; while waiting for meals or trains, while riding in the car, etc. Carry a pocket Bible or Testament with you and save these golden minutes by putting them to the very best use listening to the voice of God. The Textbook can easily be carried in the pocket as a help in your work.
Ninth: Store away the Scripture in your mind and heart. It will keep you from sin (Ps 119:11), from false doctrine (Ac 20:29-30, 32; 2Ti 3:13-15), it will fill you heart with joy (Jer 15:16), and peace (Ps 85:8), it will give you the victory over the Evil One (1Jo 2:14), it will give you power in prayer (Joh 15:7), it will make you wiser than the aged and your enemies (Ps 119:98, 100, 130) it will make you "complete, furnished completely unto every good work." (2Ti 3:16, 17). Try it. Do not memorize at random but memorize Scripture in a connected way. Memorize texts bearing on various subjects in proper order. Memorize by chapter and verse that you may know where to put your finger upon the text if anyone disputes it.

Scripture Reading: 2 Tim. 3:15-17; Psa. 119:9-11, 15, 105, 140, 148

I. THE IMPORTANCE OF READING THE BIBLE
Every Christian should read the Bible because it is "God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16). It shows us many things that God has done for us and the way He has led men in the past. If we want to know the riches and vastness of God's provision for us, we must read the Bible. If we want to see God's step-by-step guidance for men, we must read the Bible as well.

God's speaking to man today is based upon what He has already spoken in the past. Even though a person may be quite advanced in his spiritual walk, God's revelation to him will still be confined to the words that He has spoken in the Bible. Hence, God's speaking today is merely a repetition of His own word. If a person does not know what God has spoken in the past, it is difficult for him to receive His revelation in the present because he lacks the basis for God's speaking.

Moreover, if God wants to speak something to others through us, He will also do it on the basis of what He has spoken in the past. If we do not know what God has said in the past, He cannot speak through us to others, and we are useless in the eyes of God.

This is why we need to let the word of God dwell in us richly. By letting His word dwell in us richly, we know His past ways and hear His present speaking. Only then can God use us to speak to others.

The Bible is a great book. It is a monumental work. Even if we spent our whole life on the Bible, we could only touch a part of its riches. It is impossible for a person to understand the Bible without spending time to study it. Every young Christian should do his best to labor on God's Word so that when he grows old, he can nourish himself and supply others with the riches of the Word.

Everyone who wants to know God must study His Word in a serious way, and every believer should realize the importance of reading God's Word from the very beginning of his Christian life.

II. BASIC PRINCIPLES IN READING THE BIBLE

There are four basic principles in reading the Bible: (1) Discover the facts, (2) memorize and recite the words, (3) analyze, categorize, and make comparisons, and (4) receive God's enlightening.

We must follow the sequence of these four steps when we read the Bible. We cannot jump from the third to the first step or from the first to the third step. First, discover the facts in the Bible. Second, memorize these facts. We must know and memorize God's Word accurately and exactly. We cannot afford to leave out or ignore any portion. If we do, our reading will profit little. Third, analyze, categorize, and make comparisons with the facts. After we have analyzed the facts accurately, categorized them properly, and compared them clearly before God, we will have the ground to take on the fourth point—God's enlightening.

The Bible contains many facts that are spiritual in nature. When a man's inner eyes are blind, he cannot see these facts. But once he discovers these biblical facts, half of the light contained in the Word will be his. God's enlightening is just His shining upon the facts that are recorded in His Word. Discovering the facts is half of our job in reading the Bible. When we read the Bible, the first thing we have to do is discover these facts.

For example, gravity is a fact. The law of gravity existed long before Newton, yet for thousands of years no one discovered it. One day, an apple fell on Newton while he was asleep under a tree. Through this he discovered the law of gravity. There is no question about the existence of facts. The question is whether or not these facts have been discovered.

For example, the Bible mentions something in some places and does not mention it in other places. One place mentions one thing while another place skips it. One place says it one way while another place says it a different way. The same word can be in the plural form in one place and in the singular form in another. Sometimes the Bible emphasizes the Lord's name while at other times it emphasizes a man's name. Chronology is clearly mentioned in some places, but totally skipped and seemingly neglected in other places. These are all facts.

A person who is good at reading the Bible is surely a careful person before God. He cannot be sloppy or muddled. Every iota or serif of the Bible is unalterable. God's Word says it, and it is so. The moment God's Word is opened up, you should know what its emphasis is. Many people are very careless. They listen to men's words carelessly and read God's Word carelessly. They do not see what God's Word emphasizes and are ignorant of the depths in His Word. The first thing a person has to do is discover the facts. Afterwards, he has to memorize these facts and analyze, categorize, and compare them. Only then will he receive light from the Lord. In this way he will get the supply and also supply others. He will receive nourishment and also nourish others.

A basic principle in reading the Bible is to discover the facts. If we cannot discover any facts, we cannot expect to receive any light from God. It is not a question of how many times we have read the Bible, but a question of the facts we have discovered through our many times of reading.

Paul was a person who knew how to discover facts. Consider what he said in Galatians 3. He saw from Genesis that God would bless the nations through the seed of Abraham. God used the word seed in its singular form, not in its plural form. This refers to Christ. First, Paul discovered this fact. He saw that the nations would be blessed through the seed of Abraham, and he saw that this was a unique seed. From this he realized that this seed referred to Christ. If it had been plural, it would have referred to the many children of Abraham, that is, the Jews, and the meaning would be completely different. Paul read the Scripture thoroughly and discovered the facts.

In the Bible there are many facts. Whether or not a person is rich in God's Word depends on how many facts he has discovered. The more facts he discovers, the richer he becomes. If he cannot discover any facts and if he reads through the Bible in a hasty and mindless way, he will not understand much.

III. DIFFERENT WAYS TO READ THE BIBLE

What follows are a couple of methods of study that will be helpful for you in studying and growing as a Christian.

A. Meditating on the Word in the Morning

Concerning meditating on the Word, I think the best thing is for me to quote George Müller. He said:

It has recently pleased the Lord to teach me a truth, irrespective of human instrumentality, as far as I know, the benefit of which I have not lost, though now, while preparing the fifth edition for the press, more than fourteen years have since passed away. The point is this: I saw more clearly than ever that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not how much I might serve the Lord, how I might glorify the Lord; but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man might be nourished. For I might seek to set the truth before the unconverted, I might seek to benefit believers, I might seek to relieve the distressed, I might in other ways seek to behave myself as it becomes a child of God in this world; and yet, not being happy in the Lord, and not being nourished and strengthened in my inner man day by day, all this might not be attended to in a right spirit. Before this time my practice had been, at least for ten years previously, as an habitual thing to give myself to in prayer, after having dressed myself in the morning. Now, I saw that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the word of God, and to meditation on it, that thus my heart might be comforted, encouraged, warned, reproved, instructed; and that thus, by means of the word of God, whilst meditating on it, my heart might be brought into experimental communion with the Lord.

I began therefore to meditate on the New Testament from the beginning, early in the morning. The first thing I did, after having asked in a few words the Lord's blessing upon his precious word, was, to begin to meditate on the word of God, searching as it were into every verse, to get blessing out of it; not for the sake of the public ministry of the word, not for the sake of preaching on what I had meditated upon, but for the sake of obtaining food for my own soul. The result I have found to be almost invariably this, that after a very few minutes my soul has been led to confession, or to thanksgiving, or to intercession, or to supplication; so that, though I did not, as it were, give myself to prayer, but to meditation, yet it turned almost immediately more or less into prayer. When thus I have been for a while making confession, or intercession, or supplication, or have given thanks, I go on to the next words or verse, turning all, as I go on, into prayer for myself or others, as the word may lead to it, but still continually keeping before me that food for my own soul is the object of my meditation. The result of this is, that there is always a good deal of confession, thanksgiving, supplication, or intercession mingled with my meditation, and that my inner man almost invariably is even sensibly nourished and strengthened, and that by breakfast time, with rare exceptions, I am in a peaceful if not happy state of heart. Thus also the Lord is pleased to communicate unto me that which, either very soon after or at a later time, I have found to become food for other believers, though it was not for the sake of the public ministry of the word that I gave myself to meditation, but for the profit of my own inner man....

And yet now, since God has taught me this point, it is as plain to me as anything, that the first thing the child of God has to do morning by morning is, to obtain food for his inner man. As the outward man is not fit for work for any length of time except we take food, and as this is one of the first things we do in the morning, so it should be with the inner man. We should take food for that, as every one must allow. Now what is the food for the inner man? Not prayer, but the word of God; and here again, not the simple reading of the word of God, so that it only passes through our minds, just as water runs through a pipe, but considering what we read, pondering over it, and applying it to our hearts. When we pray, we speak to God. Now, prayer, in order to be continued for any length of time in any other than a formal manner, requires, generally speaking, a measure of strength or godly desire, and the season, therefore, when this exercise of the soul can be most effectually performed is after the inner man has been nourished by meditation on the word of God, where we find our Father speaking to us, to encourage us, to comfort us, to instruct us, to humble us, to reprove us. We may therefore profitably meditate, with God's blessing, though we are ever so weak spiritually; nay, the weaker we are, the more we need meditation for the strengthening of our inner man. There is thus far less to be feared from wandering of mind than if we give ourselves to prayer without having had previously time for meditation. I dwell so particularly on this point because of the immense spiritual profit and refreshment I am conscious of having derived from it myself, and I affectionately and solemnly beseech all my fellow-believers to ponder this matter. By the blessing of God I ascribe to this mode the help and strength which I had had from God to pass in peace through deeper trials, in various ways, than I had ever had before; and after having now above fourteen years tried this way, I can most fully, in the fear of God, commend it....

How different, when the soul is refreshed and made happy early in the morning, from what it is when, without spiritual preparation, the service, the trials, and the temptations of the day come upon one!— George Müller, Autobiography of George Müller, the Life of Trust, 1861, reprinted 1981, pp. 206-10.

B. General Reading During the Day

It is good for a new believer to spend a few months to read through the whole Bible and familiarize himself with it in a general way. After this he can begin serious study of the Bible.

In familiarizing himself with the Bible, he should read the whole book chapter by chapter, consecutively over and over again. The best way is to decide the number of chapters in the Old and the New Testament one wants to read each day. The reading should neither be too fast nor too slow. It should be regular, continuous, and general in nature. George Müller read the Old and New Testament a hundred times during his lifetime. Those who have just received the Lord should learn to read the Bible and remember the number of times they have read through it. It is good to write a letter to notify a more elderly brother the first time you have finished reading through the New Testament. It is also good to leave a blank page in your Bible to record the number of times you have read through it. You should write the date and the place you finished reading it the first time, the second time, and so on. Each time you finish reading it, you should mark down the occasion. Identify clearly whether it is the Old Testament or the New Testament you have read through. I hope that you, like Mr. Müller, can read through the Bible a hundred times during your lifetime. If a person wants to read through the Bible a hundred times, assuming that he lives for fifty years as a Christian, he will have to go through the whole Bible at least twice a year. You can see why you need to spend much time to read the Bible.

The principle of reading the Bible is to go through it chapter by chapter, over and over again. Those who are more advanced in the Lord should pay attention to the way the newly saved ones read their Bibles. Sometimes it does good to examine the dates recorded in their Bibles, to check how many chapters they read every day, and to find out where they are each week. We should all pay attention to this work and should not slacken. We should remind those who are progressing too slowly, "Half a year has past. How come you have not finished reading the New Testament once yet?"

If a person reads his Bible according to the above way, after some time his knowledge of the Bible will increase. If possible, one should try to memorize one or two verses each day. In the beginning, a person may have to force himself a little to do this. It may come as quite a dull chore. But after some time he will reap the benefit of it.

C. Intense Study during a Specifically Apportioned Time

The first kind of daily Bible reading—praying and meditating over the Word—is a continuous lifelong practice. The second kind of reading—general reading, involving some kind of Bible study—can begin after at least six months are spent gaining some knowledge of the Bible.

Every Christian should have a definite plan of studying the Bible. If you can set aside half an hour a day, develop a plan to study the Bible for half an hour a day. If you can afford an hour each day, develop a plan that includes an hour of study. Whatever time you can afford, make a plan that will fit your schedule. The worst way to read is by "inspiration," that is, casual, unplanned reading that begins at whatever page one feels, at times reading voraciously for ten days and at other times not reading anything for ten days. This is the wrong way. We should not adopt this "inspirational" method. Everyone should have a definite plan of reading. In reading the Bible, we need to be restricted and disciplined.

However, do not set too high a standard or too long a time for yourself. If you set too long a time, it will be hard to maintain the schedule. This is worse than having no plan at all. Once you decide to do something, stick to it for five years, ten years, or fifteen years. Do not stop after two, three, five, or six months. This is why you should consider carefully before the Lord the amount of time you should set aside for your study. One hour each day should be quite sufficient. Half an hour may be too short; one may not get much done in half an hour. Of course, if time does not allow you to have an hour, half an hour is still good. One hour, however, is the optimum period of time. If one can afford two hours, it is good. Normally, there is no need to spend more than two hours. We have not seen a brother or sister who studies for three hours a day who can maintain this schedule for long.

Let us assume for now that a person has one hour a day to study the Bible. He can allocate his time in the following way:

1. First Twenty Minutes—Studying by Subjects

The experience of some people suggests that an hour of study can be divided into four sessions. The first session of twenty minutes is for studying specific subjects like prophecies, types, parables, dispensations, the Lord's teachings on earth, or a specific book. One can read all the related passages and find the verses that deal with the subject chosen. If one is trying to study one book at a time, he should select the book he wants to study. He may choose Romans or the Gospel of John. After he finishes one book, he should go on to the next. He should study the whole book and find out the content of each book. If you decide to dedicate twenty minutes of your time each day to this kind of study, do not prolong or shorten it. We must learn to restrict ourselves and never be a careless or loose person.

2. The Second Twenty Minutes—Word Study

The second twenty minutes can be used for word study. There are many special terms like reconciliation, blood, faith, joy, peace, hope, love, obedience, righteousness, redemption, mercy, etc., which are scattered throughout the Bible, and they all are very meaningful. If they are grouped and compiled together, we can get a better grasp of their meaning. For example, we may study the word blood. First, we should jot down all the chapters and verses that mention the blood. Then we should analyze the meaning of each occurrence. What has the blood done for us before God? What type of persons does the blood deal with? What and how much has the blood accomplished for us? In the Old and New Testament, we can find many verses which speak of the blood. We can analyze them all. This cannot be accomplished in one sitting. One cannot hope to see much result on the first day. If he has access to a concordance, he can save much labor.

3. The Third Ten Minutes—Gathering Information

One can choose specific topics and spend the next ten minutes solely gathering information concerning them. There are many topics in the Bible, such as creation, man, sin, salvation, repentance, the Holy Spirit, regeneration, sanctification, justification, forgiveness, freedom, the Body of Christ, the Lord's coming, judgment, the kingdom, eternity, etc. You can choose certain topics and then gather information about them from the Bible. The most one can handle at one time is five topics; if there are more than five topics, there will be too many clues, and it will be difficult to handle them all at once. Do not gather material for one topic alone; this is too time consuming. One may find material for more than one topic in a chapter. For example, you may be studying about the Holy Spirit. But the particular chapter you are on may not have anything on the Holy Spirit. But you can definitely find other topics in the same chapter. It is not a bad idea to gather information on two, three, four, or five topics at the same time. But do not take more than five at one time.

Each topic may require some time to complete its study. Every day you have to add more material to your study. Write down all the materials (verses) you have gathered, and from these write down the main words and meanings of each passage. It is useless to merely jot down the verses. You must know what the verses are saying. Suppose you are studying the Holy Spirit in Ephesians. In writing down "sealed with the Holy Spirit" in 1:13, you should also write down the meaning of the word seal. First, write down the verse, then the related terms, and finally the meaning of the verse. You should gather all the information this way. One day when you need to deal with such a topic, these materials will be on hand for you to apply.

4. The Fourth Ten Minutes—Paraphrasing

The final ten minutes can be used to paraphrase the Bible. This exercise is very useful. Paraphrasing the Bible gives fresh insight into a passage. By paraphrasing the Bible with simple words, we express a passage in a way that others can understand at a glance.

For example, you may be doing a chapter-by-chapter study of the book of Romans. If a teen-ager comes and says, "I have read Paul's word in Romans, but I cannot understand it," you will have to think of some ways to explain this book to him using your own words. A paraphrase is not a commentary; you are merely using your own words to convey what Paul said so that those who do not understand it can understand. In order to do this, you have to learn to paraphrase the Bible with your own words. Take the book of Romans and try to paraphrase it with your own words. Paul wrote the Epistles in his words. Now you should try to write the same thing in your own words. Try your best to do this. Do it properly and intelligently so that you can understand it and so that other brothers and sisters who read it can understand it as well.

Such paraphrasing will show how well we know the Scriptures. Using our own words to reiterate the apostles' thought is a good way to prepare us for biblical exposition. Paraphrasing is the first step; exposition is the second step. First we should learn to paraphrase the text of the Bible with our own words. Our training before God must be in the proper order. Do not try to expound the Bible before learning to paraphrase it; this is too hasty. Learn to paraphrase the Bible first and then learn to expound it. If we cannot paraphrase the Bible well, it is impossible for us to expound it well. We must paraphrase first and then expound. We must all learn this basic lesson. First, paraphrase Paul's Epistles, then paraphrase the remainder of the New Testament.

In paraphrasing the Bible, try to avoid using the words of the Bible. Use your own words instead. The main lesson to learn here is to express the meaning of a passage with words that are within your grasp. After you have tried one book, you will know how precious the experience is and how profitable the exercise is. A careless and sloppy person cannot paraphrase the Bible. You must pray much before the Lord and read the Bible properly before you can paraphrase it correctly. After you finish a book, go back and revise your work once or twice, modifying it with appropriate words and polishing your sentences. This will give you a better impression of the book, and you will come to know what the apostles were talking about. You need to paraphrase a passage before you can have a deep impression of it.

In order to paraphrase the Bible, one must first study it thoroughly. He must understand what a passage says and what is implied in the passage. He can then incorporate all his knowledge into his paraphrase. This requires a thorough understanding of a verse. A person can only paraphrase the Bible when he has a clear grasp of what it says. Through practicing a little every day, and through careful reading and meticulous writing, one will eventually be able to paraphrase one of Paul's Epistles. He will then be able to understand Paul's word and will be able to use other words to convey the same meaning.

We have mentioned four things already. First, study by topic; second, do a word study; third, gather information; and fourth, paraphrase. We should go through all twenty-eight methods one by one. A definite schedule of Bible study is an exercise for us. We must gird up our loins, be restricted and regulated before the Lord, and not be loose. If we have made up our mind to study for an hour, keep this hour. We should not shorten or lengthen the time, unless we are sick or on vacation. Other than such exceptions, we should always keep our schedule. If we persist in this exercise daily, we will soon reap the harvest.

W.Nee

While there is definitely more text here than I could afford to read outside of the Bible, I have appreciated a number of the articles. What a treasure of encouragement and perspective to keep the Bible in the right place. This thread is definitely one of value. I am going to take some of the shorter pieces and make them into a booklet. I might be able to make it available in PDF--we'll see.

The Word of Men and the Word of God

Preached at Providence Chapel, Oakham, on
Tuesday Evening, October 4, 1864, by J. C. Philpot

"For this cause also we thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard of us, you received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually works also in you that believe." 1 Thess. 2:13

Let us with God's help and blessing, approach our text, in which I think we may see these four leading features–

First, "the word of men" as contrasted with "the word of God."

Secondly, that there is a receiving of the gospel as the word of men, and a receiving of the gospel as the word of God.

Thirdly, the evidence and proof of the reception of the gospel as the word of God– its effectually working in them that believe.

Fourthly, that it is a matter for unceasing thanks and praise; "for this cause also thank we God without ceasing."

I. "The word of men" as contrasted with "the word of God." As far as the apostle was a man, speaking with human lips and using ordinary human language, his word was necessarily the "word of men." Indeed, it could not possibly be otherwise. God does not speak to his people with a voice from heaven, does not use the instrumentality of angels to reveal his mind and will to the sons of men. He speaks to man by men of like passions with their fellow men, and in a language which they mutually understand. Otherwise it would be as Paul says, "There are, it may be, so many kind of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification. Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaks a barbarian, and he who speaks shall be a barbarian unto me." (1 Cor. 14:10, 11.) In that sense, therefore, the word that the servants of God speak is "the word of men;" and yet in another sense it is "the word of God," clearly establishing a vital, essential distinction between them.

Let us seek then to enter a little more closely and fully into the distinction between the word of men and the word of God, as intended by the apostle, for upon that point the force of the text mainly turns.

1. By "the word of men" we may first, then, understand that general mode of communication between man and man, by which every transaction of human life is carried on. I need not explain that everything in the way of communication between man and his fellow is carried on by words; for if writing is used, it is only words in another form. The use of language to communicate thought is one of the grand distinctions between man and the brute creation, and without its continual use and exercise the whole frame of society would fall to pieces like a ship cast by a storm upon the rocks. This, then, is the province of the word of men, to communicate to each other their mutual thoughts, and to link society together by a participation of mutual interests. As long, therefore, as the word of men is engaged in its regular province, it is what God meant it to be; what he who devised language and gave us power of thus uttering and making known to others our thoughts, needs, plans, and intentions, and of understanding those of our fellow men, designed it to accomplish. The apostle is not disparaging or discarding the word of men and thus engaged in its natural province of communication between man and man, or even its higher employment when used as the instrument of preaching the gospel. As long then and as far as these words of men are words of truth and uprightness, words of integrity, sincerity, and honesty, they fulfill a purpose without which the world itself could not stand or society be carried on.

But when we approach the domain of heavenly things; when we leave earth, with everything earthly, and come to heaven and things heavenly, there the word of men necessarily fails. Words are but the expression of thought or the communication of knowledge. But what can man, as man, think or know of the deep mysteries of God? Are they not completely out of his sight and out of his reach? "It is as high as heaven; what can you do? Deeper than hell; what can you know? The measure thereof is longer than the earth and broader than the sea." (Job 11:8, 9.) As, then, God's thoughts are not our thoughts, and his ways not our ways, what can we know of them but by a divine revelation? Thus everything concerning God, and especially his existence in a trinity of Persons and Unity of Essence; everything connected with the co-equality and co-eternity of his dear Son; everything connected with his acceptable worship, or how a sinner can be saved; everything connected with a future state of happiness and misery; in a word, every doctrine we find in the Scriptures is beyond all the comprehension and conception of man's heart by nature. And as it is beyond his conception, it must be beyond his expression. We see, therefore, from this, that there is a need of something beyond the word of men to communicate to us a knowledge of that which concern our eternal and immortal interests. The word of men, then, is good as far as it is connected with the things of men; but there is a necessity for something beyond the word of men, if we are to know anything of those heavenly truths and divine realities which are not only for time but for eternity.

2. Here, then, comes in the necessity and the nature of the word of God; for though God uses in it human words, yet he communicates by them what none could have known but by divine revelation. Besides, then, the use of "the word of men" as the instrument of ordinary speech, there is a higher sense in which "the word of men" is made a means of communicating the word of God. The knowledge, the thoughts, the inspiration are divine; but the words in which they are expressed, though dictated by God, are as human language and so far only the words of men.

Now the apostle was sent to preach the word of God. To do this was the end and object of his life; and that what he preached as the word of God should be received as the word of God, was the joy and delight of his soul. But how came he to know it was the work of God? What evidence had he in his bosom that the gospel he preached was not the word of men; that there was something in it supernatural and divine; and that in a way so pre-eminent that it was as much the word of God from his lips, as if God himself spoke it. To see this, let us look at the apostle's call when the Lord himself appeared to him at Damascus' gate, and hear what was the commission which the very Jesus whom he was persecuting there and then gave him– "But rise, and stand upon your feet– for I have appeared unto you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of these things which you have seen, and of those things in which I will appear unto you." (Acts 26:16.) This commission was renewed three days after, when Ananias came with a message from the Lord. "The God of our fathers has chosen you, that you should know his will, and see that Just One, and should hear the voice of his mouth. For you shall be his witness unto all men of what you have seen and heard." (Acts 22:14, 15.) Here, then, we have Paul's own clear, indubitable testimony that there was something spoken to him by God; that there was something supernatural and divine which he had seen, which he had heard, which he had tasted, felt, and handled, and which he was to declare as a special revelation from God to him, not only for his own soul, but also for the souls of others.

In an almost similar way he speaks in his epistle to the Galatians– "But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." (Gal. 1:11, 12.) He therefore speaks in a similar way in the first Epistle to the Corinthians– "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him. But God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit– for the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God." And to show that the very words wherein he spoke to them were given from above, he adds, "Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches– comparing spiritual things with spiritual." (1 Cor. 2:9, 10, 13.)

Is it not evident from these testimonies that what Paul spoke in the name of God, he spoke as the very word of God? As God spoke to him, so God spoke by him, and what he uttered by his lips was in fact uttered by the Holy Spirit through him; that divine and heavenly Teacher making use of his tongue to express the things revealed to his soul. He therefore declares of his preaching that it was "in demonstration of the Spirit and of power." (1 Cor. 2:4.)

Now without this inspiration which was thus given to the apostle and to the other writers of the Old and New Testament, we have no evidence or certainty that the Bible is the word of God, and as such contains a revelation of his mind and will. The whole matter lies in a very narrow compass. The Bible is either the word of God or not. If it is the "word of God," it is not the "word of men;" if it is the "word of men" it is not the "word of God." Surely those who received it as the word of God, must have known whether God did or did not speak unto them. And see what a conclusion we must come to if we deny this. Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and all the prophets of the Old Testament, and the apostles of our Lord in the New, must either have received words into their heart directly and immediately from God, when they said "the word of the Lord came unto them," and that God spoke unto them, or they must be the worst impostors that ever lived. There can be no other conclusion but one of these two. They must either be what they profess, prophets and apostles, inspired of the Holy Spirit, and receiving their message direct from God, or they must be the worst deceivers, and the worst of impostors, in pretending that God spoke unto them, when he never spoke to them at all. Thus, whatever men may say against inspiration generally, or against verbal and plenary inspiration in particular, we are brought to this point, that these men of God must either have been what they said they were, inspired of the Holy Spirit with a message from God, which they have delivered to us, or else must have been some of the basest impostors the world ever knew.

To this point then we are come, that the gospel which Paul preached was not the word of men, that is of natural, unenlightened, uninspired men, but the word of God. This you will say might have been true of the gospel which Paul preached when he preached it. But Paul is dead; and what evidence have we that we have Paul's gospel now? Our evidence is, that the same Paul wrote the Epistles who preached the gospel; so that what he once spoke by his tongue, he now speaks by his pen. He therefore says to the Corinthians, "If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord." (1 Cor. 14:37.) He also says to the Romans, "I long to see you that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift." (Rom. 1:11.) Now that spiritual gift which he would impart to them by his mouth, he imparts to us by his hand. We have therefore the same gospel, the same word of God in his writings which the Thessalonians had in his words.

II. But I pass on to consider our next point, in which I proposed to show what it is to receive the gospel as the word of men, and what it is to receive the gospel as the word of God.

The apostle in our text evidently draws a very plain line between these two things. "For this cause also we thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard of us, you received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth the word of God." From this we evidently gather that there is a receiving of the gospel as the word of men; for had they received this gospel only as the word of men, there would have been no cause for rejoicing in his heart.

A. Let us then look at this point, what it is to receive the gospel as the word of MEN; for you may receive the gospel as the word of men, without receiving it as the word of God. And this is the case with hundreds and thousands. They receive the gospel, they believe it to be true, and in very many cases make a profession of their faith, and yet do but receive it as the word of men. Thus we read of those who "for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away." (Luke 8:13.) So we find that "many believed in Christ" in the days of his flesh, who never believed in him to the saving of their soul, but were of their father the devil. (John 8:30, 44.) Truth has in it a commanding power. When Jesus spoke, "the people were astonished at his doctrine, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes." (Matt. 7:28, 29.) Even Simon Magus is said to have "believed," and was baptized upon that faith, continuing with Philip and wondering as he beheld the miracles and signs which were done. And yet he "had neither part nor lot in this matter;" for "his heart was not right in the sight of God;" and with all his faith, and all his baptism, he was still "in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity." (Acts 8:13, 21, 23.) Truth, as I said, has a commanding power; and now I will endeavor to show you the effect it has as such when received as "the word of men."

1. First, then, it is received into the natural UNDERSTANDING. There is a light which attends the gospel. We read, therefore, that when the Lord went and dwelt in Capernaum, that "the people who sat in darkness saw great light, and to those who sat in the region and shadow of death, light sprung up" (Matt. 4:13, 16); and yet this very Capernaum which was "exalted unto heaven" by Christ dwelling there as the light of the world, was "to be brought down to hell." (Matt. 11:23.) There is also a beauty, a harmony, and a self-evincing evidence in the truth which often commends itself to men's minds; and under this influence many receive the word into their judgment, their intellect, their understanding, who never felt and never will feel, the power of truth in their hearts, as attended with divine light, life and efficacy, to regenerate their soul.

2. Again, there is a receiving of the gospel as the word of men into the natural CONSCIENCE; for there is a natural conscience as well as a spiritual conscience. This is very evident from the language of the apostle when speaking of the Gentiles– "Who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or excusing one another." (Romans 2:15.) And do we not read of those in the case of the woman taken in adultery, who were "convicted by their own conscience, and went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even to the last." (John 8:9.) The apostle also speaks of "commending himself to every man's conscience, in the sight of God." (2 Cor. 4:2.) Now as he preached to thousands, he could not have done this unless there was a conscience in every man, as well as in every good man. Scarcely anything seems to approach the work of grace so nearly as this; and yet we see in the cases of Saul, Ahab, and Herod, that there may be the deepest convictions of conscience and yet no saving conversion to God. Thus there is a receiving the gospel into the natural conscience, producing moral convictions, and a work that seems at first sight to bear a striking similarity to the work of God upon the soul; and yet the whole may be a mere imitation of grace, a movement of nature floating upon the surface of the mind, and at times touching upon the domain of conscience, yet not springing out of the word of God as brought with a divine power into the heart.

3. But there is a going even beyond this. There is a receiving of the gospel as the word of men into the affections, that is, the natural AFFECTIONS. This seems indeed to be the nearest approach possible to a divine work; for "to receive the love of the truth" is given in Scripture as a mark of salvation. (2 Thess. 2:10.) And yet, there is a being "zealously affected, but not well." (Gal. 4:17.) There is a love to a minister, so that "if possible, there would be a plucking out of their own eyes, and giving them to him;" and yet an apostle may justly stand in doubt of such. (Gal. 4:15, 20.) So sweet may be the sound of the gospel, that a minister may be unto a people "as a very lovely song of one that has a pleasant voice;" and yet they may "hear his words and not do them." (Ezekiel 33:32.)

Does not the Lord speak of the stony ground hearers who "receive the word with joy" and yet "they have no root, who for a while believe and in time of temptation fall away?" (Luke 8:13.) Herod heard John gladly, and did many things– yet could command his head to be cut off at the word of a dancing girl. All these things show us that there is a receiving of the gospel into the natural affections, having a liking, even what we may almost call a love to it, and yet all be deception and delusion.

This then is receiving the gospel as "the word of men." Thousands never receive it in any other way, nor does it ever enter further, or penetrate deeper, than what I have described, or is it ever attended with saving power to them. The similarity indeed is so great, and the correspondence so close between the two, that it is the hardest possible thing for a minister to draw the perfect line of distinction between a child of God in his worst state and a hypocrite in his best, between the lowest work of grace and the highest work of nature. But there is a line, though it may be such as "no fowl knows, and which the vulture's eye has not seen," which I shall now endeavor to draw, by describing what it is to receive the gospel, not as the word of men, but as "the word of God."

B. What it is to receive the gospel as the word of GOD. God speaks in and by his word, the Bible, which we have in our hands, and I hope some of us in our hearts. When the apostles preached, theirs was then the word of God; for God spoke in them as he now speaks to us by them. Bear then this in mind, that there is no other way whereby God speaks to the souls of men but by his written word. As this contains and unfolds the gospel of his grace, it is especially in and by this gospel that his voice is heard; for it is the same gospel which Paul preached, and of which he says in our text that it is the word of God. Now he tells the Thessalonians that this gospel "came not unto them in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance." (1 Thess. 1:5.) This is the same distinction which I have sought to draw. It comes to some in word only. They hear the word of the gospel, the sound of truth; but it reaches the outward ear only; or if it touches the inward feelings as I have described, it is merely as the word of men. But where God the Holy Spirit begins and carries on his divine and saving work, he attends the word with a peculiar, an indescribable, and yet an invincible power. It falls as from God upon the heart. He is heard to speak in it; and in it his glorious Majesty appears to open the eyes, unstop the ears, and convey a message from his own mouth to the soul. Thus it comes "not in word only but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance."

As then I have drawn the line of distinction between nature and grace, and endeavored to show the way in which the gospel is received as "the word of men," I shall now take the counterpart, and attempt to point out how it is received as "the word of God." And you will observe that in almost every point there is a resemblance, and yet a distinctive difference.

1. First, then, under the teachings and operations of the blessed Spirit, it is received as the word of God into an enlightened UNDERSTANDING. That the understanding is spiritually enlightened is evident from Paul's prayer– "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him– the eyes of your understanding being enlightened." (Eph. 1:17, 18.) A peculiar light attends the gospel as brought into the heart by the power of God. Of this light the apostle thus speaks– "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Cor. 4:6.) It is this peculiar shining of God into the heart which distinguishes this light from the mere enlightening of the natural understanding. Our blessed Lord therefore calls it "the light of life." "I am the light of the world; he who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (John 8:12.)

It is also of this light that John speaks– "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:7.) It is by this light shining upon the Person of Christ that those who received him "beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father." To have this light is to be "filled with a knowledge of God's will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;" and by this we are "delivered from the power of darkness, and are translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son." (Col. 1:9, 13.) This is a very different thing from what is called "head knowledge;" for it is attended by regeneration, or "a putting on of the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." (Col. 3:10.) The apostle therefore says, "You were once darkness, but now are you light in the Lord."

2. Again, under this divine power the gospel is received as the word of God into the CONSCIENCE. God speaks in and by the word particularly to the conscience; and when he so speaks the soul falls under the power of the word, for the conscience is as it were its vital, tender part. Some hear the gospel as the mere word of men, perhaps for years before God speaks in it with a divine power to their conscience. There has been sometimes a touching of the string of natural feeling. They thought they understood the gospel; they thought they felt it; they thought they loved it. But all this time they did not see any vital distinction between receiving it as the word of men and as the word of God. But in some unexpected moment, when little looking for it, the word of God was brought into their conscience with a power never experienced before; a light shone in and through it which they never saw before; a majesty, a glory, an authority, an evidence accompanied it which they never knew before; and under this light, life, and power they fell down with the word of God sent home to their heart, as the apostle speaks in his Epistle to the Corinthians. (1 Cor. 14:25.)

Here is the beginning of the work of grace, for this divine light and life produce spiritual convictions of sin, godly sorrow, working repentance to salvation not to be repented of; with a sense of the Majesty of Jehovah as the great Searcher of hearts and of our ruined, lost condition before him. For God speaks to the conscience; that is the special domain of the Holy Spirit; that is the special seed-bed of the word of God– the soil in which it takes root, grows, and thrives.

3. But as I am now chiefly speaking not of the law but of the gospel as the power of God unto their salvation, I must pass on to a third point, whereby it is distinguished from the "word of men." Whenever the gospel is brought with a divine power and an unctuous evidence into the heart as the word of God, it is received into the spiritual AFFECTIONS. Thus as we have a natural understanding for the word of men and a spiritual understanding for the word of God, and as we have a natural conscience for the one and a spiritual conscience for the other, so we have natural affections to like the word and spiritual affections to love the word. "Set your affections," says the apostle, "on things above." We read of some who "received not the love of the truth that they might be saved;" clearly implying there is a receiving of the truth without receiving a love of the truth, and that whenever there is a receiving of the love of the truth, there is a salvation in it. When then Christ speaks in the gospel to the heart; when he reveals himself to the soul; when his word, dropping as the rain and distilling as the dew, is received in faith and love, and he is embraced as the chief among ten thousand and the altogether lovely one, by the power of the gospel he takes his seat upon the affections and becomes enthroned in the heart as its Lord and God.

This is receiving the word of God into the affections, as before it was received into the understanding by a divine light, and into the conscience by a penetrating power. And it is "received." Before it was rebelled against, shut out, repelled; or if received, it was but skin deep, floating upon the surface; a sort of passing light, or transient conviction, or momentary affection; nothing solid, nothing abiding, nothing vital, nothing really divine or spiritual; but a mere rising and falling, a heaving and sinking of natural feeling, which left the understanding really unenlightened, the conscience really untouched, and the affections really unmoved, unrenewed, unchanged.

Thus, though there is an imitation of the Spirit's work upon the soul, which seems as though it embraces these three things, light, life, and love; yet the levity, the superficiality, the emptiness stamped upon all who merely receive the gospel as the word of men is sufficient evidence it never sank deep into the heart, never took any powerful grasp upon their soul. It therefore never brought with it any real separation from the world; never gave strength to mortify the least sin; never communicated power to escape the least snare of Satan; was never attended with a Spirit of grace and supplications; never brought honesty, sincerity, and uprightness into the heart before God; never bestowed any spirituality of mind, or any loving affection toward the Lord of life and glory or to the people of God. It did its miserable possessors no more real good than any science, or art, or a trade, which they might have learned naturally. It was merely nature in another form, and was but the reception of truth in the same way as we receive mere scientific principles, or learn a language, a business, or a trade.

But where it is received as the word of God, it takes such an effectual hold of a man's understanding, heart, conscience, and affections, that it never lets him go until it lands him safe in heaven. A man can never escape, nor ever wishes to escape out of the eternal arms, which are underneath him in the word of God, as made life and power to his soul. Nor does he ever get out of the gospel net, for it has encircled him with the bands of love, and will ever hold him fast. Nor does he wish to escape from the eye of God, or get away from the sound of the gospel, or leave that Lord who has made himself precious to his soul. His concern and anxiety rather are, that he knows so little, feels so little, and enjoys so little of the gospel of the grace of God, and it would delight his very soul if he had more light in his understanding, more tenderness in his conscience, more love in his heart.

He does not "say unto God, Depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of your ways" (Job 21:14); but on the contrary is ever desiring for the Lord to come nearer and nearer to him. Nor is he contented with the form of godliness while he denies the power; for he is ever sighing after the power, ever wants the teaching of the Spirit, ever struggles under a body of sin and death, longs for nothing so much as liberty, love, communion, spirituality, and enjoyment of divine things in his own bosom, to walk worthy of his calling, live a life of faith and prayer, and thus manifest himself as one taught and blessed of God.

Thus though it is hard for a minister to describe the nice distinction between nature and grace and show how far a man may go and have no real religion, or how far a saint may sink and seem to have less than even a base hypocrite, yet there is a vital difference which distinguishes the precious from the vile, and that not only visible to the eye of the great Searcher of hearts, but obvious also to our more dim sight. We cannot but carry at times in our bosoms a clear evidence of the distinction between receiving the word of God as the word of God, and receiving it as the word of men. Even the gracious hearer sometimes listens to the gospel as the word of men. He knows that it is truth which is sounding in his ears, but no life or power, dew, savor, or divine influence attends it to his soul. He is not shaken as to the doctrines which he holds, and which he hears boldly, faithfully, and clearly preached; the experience described corresponds with what he has felt, tasted, and handled of the word of life; but there is something lacking, what I may well call the main thing; for if "the kingdom of God is not in word but in power," not to feel the power is to fall short of a vital apprehension and a living enjoyment of the kingdom of God in one's own soul. At these times then the word of God is to him but the word of men, for there is no voice in it beyond the voice of the preacher.

But there are times and seasons when the gospel is made the power of God unto salvation; when it comes not in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance. And though he may be scarcely able to describe his feelings– for many well taught Christians are very unable to describe what they experimentally enjoy and know– yet he has an inward, indubitable evidence that God has spoken to him in the gospel, and brought a message of reconciliation, of pardon, of mercy, of peace, of salvation into his breast.

The power that he has thus felt under the gospel is such as carries with it its own evidence. He cannot explain it to others, or understand its nature himself; but when he has once felt it, he can always afterwards recognize it, and is conscious of everything distinct from it, and that falls short of it. Thus though the children of God may be often exercised, how far they may go and prove wrong at last, still each carries in his own bosom more or less of inward evidence that he has at various times received the gospel, not as the word of men, but as it is in truth the word of God.

III. I pass on to our next point, the PROOF and EVIDENCE of receiving the gospel, not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God– it effectually works in those who believe.

Receiving the word as the word of men works, as I have shown, certain effects; but it does not work effectually. That word "effectually" stamps the difference between the two works with God's own stamp-mark. If what I have said is correct; if I have traced out with any degree of truth and clearness the work of nature and the work of grace, you will see that receiving the gospel as the word of men works in the understanding, in the conscience, and in the affections, that is, so far as they are natural; but it does not work effectually so as to bring forth salvation. There is nothing really done thereby; no good is actually communicated, nothing wrought in or brought forth that will stand for eternity; in fact, even as regards visible effects, there is no effectual work where there is no grace. There is no effectual separation from the world; no effectual repentance; no effectual faith, hope, or love; no effectual prayer or supplication; no effectual cleaving to the Lord with purpose of heart. It is all shallow, all superficial, deceptive, and hypocritical.

But where the gospel is received as the word of God, though it may be in a small measure, it is in an effectual measure. God's word, like God's work, must have a reality in it. When God said, "Let there be light," light burst forth at his creative fiat, and was effectual light– it existed at once as day. When God commanded the day-star to know its place, the sun to shine in the sky, or bade earth produce its living creatures, its grass, its fruits, and so on, God's word was effectual. "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. For he spoke, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast." (Psalm. 33:6, 9.)

But the word of man is not effectual. I might go forth on a night like this and say, "Wind change! rain fall!" but my words would be the words of an idiot. Let God only command the 'bottles of heaven', and they will drop their full store upon the earth after the long and severe drought. Let God only speak, and nature smiles, or nature withers, according to the word of his mouth.

So it is in grace. When God speaks, he speaks effectually, and his word has an effectual operation. Thus, if he gives conviction, it is effectual conviction, and never wears off until it ends in effectual consolation. If he brings the soul effectually under Mount Sinai, he will bring it effectually under Mount Zion; if he convinces effectually of unbelief, he will give effectual faith; if he effectually kills, he will effectually make alive; and if he effectually brings down, he will effectually bring up. This is the great distinguishing mark of receiving the gospel as the word of God– that it is thorough work. When God called Abraham, there was no delay– he went out into the land which he knew not. Compare the going out of Lot from Sodom with the going out of Lot's wife. Lot went out effectually. Lot's wife followed the steps of her husband; but she turned back; there was no effectual leaving of Sodom, and therefore she fell under the destruction of Sodom.

We read of one who said, "I will go, Sir," but he went not. There was no effectual going. The other said he would not go, but afterwards repented and went. That was effectual going. So when Abraham was called on to offer Isaac, he rose up early in the morning and went unto the place which God had told him of. God worked effectually in him by his word, and by the power of that word in his heart he was enabled to offer up Isaac. Thus, even if you have but a small measure of grace, yet if you have received the gospel into your heart as the word of God, it has wrought in you effectually. It may not have been a very deep work, or of long standing; you may have much yet to learn both of yourself and of the Lord, of your misery and his mercy, of your weakness, and of his strength, of your sin to condemn and of his mercy to save. Your faith may be weak, your hope dim, and your love but scanty; and yet if they have been wrought in your heart by the power of God through his word and the gospel of his grace, they have been wrought in you effectually.

There is a vast difference between a still-born child and a living babe. The living babe may not be so fine a child, judging from appearance, as the still-born. Many babes we know that live are born very weak and feeble, and some have even been laid aside to die who have revived through careful nursing, life being discovered in them, and grown up into strong men or women. So you must not measure the work of grace in your own soul or in that of others by its depth or strength, but by its vitality. Is there life in your bosom? Has God's power attended the work? Is the grace of God really in your heart? Has God spoken to your soul? Have you heard his voice, felt its power, and fallen under its influence?

It may perhaps at present not extend much beyond the conviction of sin, the confession of your transgressions and iniquities, covering you with confusion and shame of face before God, some attempt to call upon his holy name, and seek his face by prayer and supplication. At present you may have little effectual operation of his word upon your heart, except to make you in earnest about the salvation of your soul, separating you from the world, and bringing you as a humble hearer under the preached gospel. Your views of the Person and work of Christ, of his suitability to your wants and woes, of the compassion of his loving heart, of his heavenly blessedness may be but dim and feeble, and yet they may be so far spiritual and real, as to draw forth a measure of faith toward him and of hope in him.

There may be all this weakness in your faith and hope, and yet there may be truth and vitality in them. I would not speak a word to encourage the presumption of a vain, self-confident professor, but I certainly would not put forth my hand to quench the smoking flax, or break the bruised reed. I would seek if this be the last time I speak in your ears, to encourage the faintest, feeblest work of grace, while I would equally endeavor to stamp out all sparks of false fire, that you may have kindled to warm your hands at. But though I thus speak, yet I know that it is the hardest part of the Christian ministry to draw this narrow line so as to strengthen the weak hands and confirm the feeble knees of real believers– and yet not strengthen the hands of self-deceived professors.

I say "real believers;" for now look at the characters in whom, according to our text, the word of God effectually works, "in those who believe." Faith is the eye whereby we see light in God's light; faith the ear whereby we hear the word of God, and faith the hand whereby we receive out of Christ's fullness grace for grace. Thus the word of God works effectually in those who believe, and in them only; for where there is no faith there can be no effectual work; and I may add that it works effectually in exact measure and proportion to our faith. If our faith is weak, then the power that works in us is weak; or, to speak more correctly, if the power that works in us be weak, our faith, corresponding to that power, will be weak also. As we believe, it is done unto us. Strong faith brings strong consolation; weak faith brings weak consolation.

We have all of us the same hand, the same number of fingers, the same way of using them; but the hand may be the hand of a babe or the hand of a strong man. The babe may grasp the same object as the man; but O the difference of strength with which the tiny fingers of a babe grasp an object, and the muscular hands of a stout man! So the hands of the feeblest babe in grace may take hold of the Person and work of Christ, and receive out of his fullness; but compare that feeble hand with the strong hand of the man blessed with sweet assurance and a holy, happy confidence, enabling him to rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

IV. But it is time to advance to our last point, the cause that there is for UNCEASING THANKFULNESS that God has a people who have received the word of God not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God– "For which cause also thank we God without ceasing."

O there we sadly fail! What an ardent flame of heavenly love burnt in the breast of Paul. He was praising God without ceasing for the blessing that rested upon his ministry. Here we come short; here we see how scanty is our measure of grace, compared with that of the apostle. And yet every Christian minister, every servant of God, must have deep cause for thankfulness in seeing and believing that there is a people who have received his gospel, not as the word of men, but as it is in truth the word of God; and in having proofs and evidences how effectually it works in those who believe, from beholding the fruits of faith as manifested by their lips and in their life. John could say, "I rejoiced greatly that I found of your children walking in truth" (2 John 4); and again, "I have no greater joy, than to hear that my children walk in truth." (3 John 4.) So Paul could say to the Thessalonians– "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For you are our glory and joy." (1 Thess. 2:19, 20); and again, "Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith; For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord." (1 Thess. 3:7, 8.)

I hope, though I would wish to speak of myself humbly and modestly as becomes me– yet I would gladly hope that the Lord, not only here, but elsewhere, has caused the gospel I have preached to be received not as the word of men, but as it is, the word of God. And I hope there are those underneath this roof this evening who can set to their seal that they have received what I have said from time to time from this pulpit, not as the word of men, but as the word of God. They have felt at various times a power in the word, as if God himself were pleased to speak to their hearts by it; and from the effects realized by it, in the peace and joy it has communicated, in the liberty which it has brought, in the comfort which it has given, in the sweet assurance with which it has been attended, in the abiding effects which it has wrought, and the permanent effects which it has produced, they can look back and recognize it as having been to them the very voice of God.

Now, my dear friends, this will stand, and stand forever. If you have received what I have spoken to you for these many years only as the word of men, when I am gone all will be gone, and I and it as much forgotten as if I had never preached in your ears the word of life. It will be as vain, as fleeting, as useless as the foam upon the water when stirred by a breeze, will all pass away as the smoke out of a chimney, or as the chaff of the summer threshing floors.

No, worse, for where the gospel is not the savor of life unto life, it is the savor of death unto death (2 Cor. 2:16); and if our gospel be hid, it is hid to those who are lost. (2 Cor. 4:3.) It will little profit you in the great day to have heard the gospel for many years if it has not been made the power of God to your salvation. No, it cannot but increase your condemnation to have seen the light and rebelled against it, to have heard the truth, and yet inwardly or outwardly, in heart or in life to have turned aside to lies.

But you who have received the gospel from my lips as the word of God, and found and felt its effectual power in your heart, will stand every storm and live at last. What you have thus heard and received has been for eternity. It has saved and sanctified your soul, and it will be owned of God at the last day as his voice through me to you. The faith raised up in your heart by the power of this word, the hope that has been communicated, and the love shed abroad by the Holy Spirit through it will all have his approbation in the great day when Christ shall come and all his saints with him. Then you who by his teaching and testimony have believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God, even you who can only say you desire to fear his name, be you weak or strong, will be found in him in that day accepted in the beloved.

O that we may now be blessed with a sweet assurance that we shall then enter into the joy of the Lord; when all the infirmities of the flesh shall be forgotten, all the sins of our nature lost and buried in the grave, and we stand before the throne, with palms in our hands and everlasting crowns upon our heads, and all sorrow and sighing forever fled away!

Ask yourselves the solemn question. In proportion as you store your minds with biblical texts and biblical ideas--are you all the while seeking to have your heart filled with biblical feelings, and your life with biblical actions?

What an important thread here.

hmmhmm:

Thanks for the wealth of materials! I skimmed through them and gleaned some nuggets. Of all these writings, I would be interested to know what have been perhaps the two or three most impacting things for you. Please do tell :-)

Ken

Josiah777 wrote:
hmmhmm:

Thanks for the wealth of materials! I skimmed through them and gleaned some nuggets. Of all these writings, I would be interested to know what have been perhaps the two or three most impacting things for you. Please do tell :-)

Ken

i thought id take some "out-takes" that really to me are nuggets, As some has said its quite long, but everyone could download the thread as PDF, it is very good reading all of it, but i thougt tonite when i have some time id make a "quote" post here .

until then God bless

christian

Some "nuggets", i have taken quotes out from almost every article..

of course there are about 100 more i could take, but i wanted to keep it "short" :-) i hope these inspire the "lazy" readers to read all of the thread ;-)

15. Pay close attention to the commands of the Word as much as the promises. Think of how you need direction just as much as you need comfort.

17. Compare yourself with the Word. How do you compare? Is your heart something of a transcript of it, or not?

21. Put into practice what you read [Ps 119:66, Ps 119:105, Deut 17:19].

3. Your memory is bad (a) remember you are still able to have a good heart despite this (b) you may still remember the most important things even if you cannot remember everything, be encouraged by John 14:26.

Watson
-----------------------------

5. Let your main purpose in reading the Scriptures be practice, and not bare knowledge, James 1:22, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." Read that you may learn and do, and that without any limitation or distinction, but that whatever you see God requires, you may study to practice.

9. Whatever you learn from the word, labour to put it into practice. For to him that has, shall be given. No wonder those people get little insight into the Bible, who make no effort to practice what they know. But while the stream runs into a holy life, the fountain will be the freer.

Boston
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Now, the Bible when read honestly and responsibly does bring peace of mind, but only after it has first brought the heart to a repentance that is often anything but peaceful. When the entire life has been morally transformed and the heart purified from sin, then the seeker can know real and legitimate peace. Any manipulation of the Scriptures to make them speak peace to the natural man is evil and can only lead to ruin.

Tozer
-----------------------------

Read the Word with time. More and more, I see that one obtains nothing on earth without time. Give the Word time. Give the Word time to come into your heart, on every occasion on which you sit down to read it. Give it time, in the persistence with which you are faithful to it, from day to day and month to month.

Young Christian, let one of my last and most earnest words to you be this--your growth, your power, and your life depend on your faithfulness to the Word of God. Love God's Word. Esteem it sweeter than honey, better than thousands in silver or gold. In the Word, the Father can and will reveal His heart to you

Murray

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You must also practice and live out what you read. To
read much and practice nothing--is to hunt much and catch
nothing. Ah! what cause have most to sigh, that they have
heard so much, and read so much--and yet done so little!

Brooks

-----------------------------

As your Biblical knowledge widens, do you become . . .
more profoundly humble,
more tenderly conscientious,
more gentle,
more spiritual?

Unless this is the case, you are in a fatal mistake by
supposing that you are making progress in the divine
life, merely because you are advancing in biblical
knowledge.

James

-----------------------------

. READ THE BIBLE WITH CHRIST CONSTANTLY IN VIEW.
The whole Book is about Him.
Look for Him on every page.
He is there.
If you fail to see Him there, you need to read that page again.

Ryle
-----------------------------

One of the greatest follies of the day, is to get unregenerate men to teach the Bible because of their rare knowledge of the human forms of speech in which the book was written. It would be as reasonable to set a man to teach art because he had an accurate technical knowledge of paints. It requires esthetic sense to make a man a competent teacher of art. It requires spiritual sense to make a man a competent teacher of the Bible.

A man who eats with an appetite will get far more good out of his meal than one who eats from a sense of duty

The reason why many get so little out of their Bible reading is simply because they are not willing to think. Intellectual laziness lies at the bottom of a large percent of fruitless Bible reading. People are constantly crying for new methods of Bible study, but what many of them wish is simply some method of Bible study by which they can get all the good out of the Bible without work.

There are many who say, "Oh, yes, my will, I think, is surrendered to God," and yet it is not. They have never gotten alone with God and said intelligently and definitely to him, "O God, I here and now give myself up to You, for You to command me, and lead me, and shape me, and send me, and do with me, absolutely as You will." Such an act is a wonderful key to unlock the treasure house of God's Word

There are a good many who consider themselves Bible students who are deceiving themselves in this way today. They see what the Bible teaches, but they do not follow it, and they soon lose their power to see it. Truth obeyed leads to more truth. Truth disobeyed destroys the capacity for discovering truth. There must be not only a general surrender of the will, but specific, practical obedience to each new Word of God discovered

There is a great difference between believing theoretically that the Bible is God's Word and studying it as God's Word. Thousands would tell you that they believe the Bible is God's Word who do not study it as God's Word.

-----------------------------

But, perhaps, you say you have no time. No time to read the Bible! No time to read the book of God!—a book written by God to you, and for you, and of you! The only book which can make you wise to salvation! Have you time to eat, and drink, and sleep? And have you no time to read the Scriptures? Have you time to read letters from your friends, and no time to read letters from God! Time to read the newspaper, and not time to read the Bible? Do you not feel ashamed at the idea, especially when actually put into language? You must find time; and, if in no other way, by redeeming it from sleep, business, recreation, conversation, and other pursuits. How much time would it take daily to read, even with serious attention, a whole chapter? As to the generality of Christians, how many precious fragments of time might be gathered up from other occupations, which are actually wasted—to be employed on this high and holy engagement!

James

-----------------------------

What is generally overlooked is that truth as set forth in the Christian Scriptures is a moral thing; it is not addressed to the intellect only, but to the will also. It addresses itself to the total man, and its obligations cannot be discharged by grasping it mentally.

Tozer
-----------------------------

Store away the Scripture in your mind and heart. It will keep you from sin (Ps 119:11), from false doctrine (Ac 20:29-30, 32; 2Ti 3:13-15), it will fill you heart with joy (Jer 15:16), and peace (Ps 85:8), it will give you the victory over the Evil One (1Jo 2:14), it will give you power in prayer (Joh 15:7), it will make you wiser than the aged and your enemies (Ps 119:98, 100, 130) it will make you "complete, furnished completely unto every good work." (2Ti 3:16, 17). Try it. Do not memorize at random but memorize Scripture in a connected way. Memorize texts bearing on various subjects in proper order. Memorize by chapter and verse that you may know where to put your finger upon the text if anyone disputes it.

Torrey
-----------------------------

A person who is good at reading the Bible is surely a careful person before God. He cannot be sloppy or muddled. Every iota or serif of the Bible is unalterable. God's Word says it, and it is so. The moment God's Word is opened up, you should know what its emphasis is. Many people are very careless. They listen to men's words carelessly and read God's Word carelessly. They do not see what God's Word emphasizes and are ignorant of the depths in His Word. The first thing a person has to do is discover the facts. Afterwards, he has to memorize these facts and analyze, categorize, and compare them. Only then will he receive light from the Lord. In this way he will get the supply and also supply others. He will receive nourishment and also nourish others.

Every Christian should have a definite plan of studying the Bible. If you can set aside half an hour a day, develop a plan to study the Bible for half an hour a day. If you can afford an hour each day, develop a plan that includes an hour of study. Whatever time you can afford, make a plan that will fit your schedule. The worst way to read is by "inspiration," that is, casual, unplanned reading that begins at whatever page one feels, at times reading voraciously for ten days and at other times not reading anything for ten days. This is the wrong way. We should not adopt this "inspirational" method. Everyone should have a definite plan of reading. In reading the Bible, we need to be restricted and disciplined.

W.Nee

------------------------------

These are the 'short' nuggets for 'lazy' readers?

Boy am I lazy!

Thanks.

God bless.

Awesome! I'm going to print out this stuff. :-)
[edit]Downloading this discussion as pdf doesn't work somehow... Can someone make me a pdf?

GOD'S WORD AND PRAYER by Zc Poonen

The two things that a new-born baby needs on birth, are food and air. It's exactly the same with those who experience a spiritual birth. The newborn child of God needs to eat and to breathe.

God's Word is to be his food, and prayer is to be his vital breath.

God's Word - Our Spiritual Food

A child needs milk to start with, but he needs solid food later on. The Bible contains both milk and solid food. The milk is called "the elementary teaching about the Christ" (Heb. 6:1); and the solid food is called "the word of righteousness" (Heb. 5:13).

How soon we move on to solid food, depends on how quickly we obey any light that God gives us.

Our spiritual growth is dependent on faith and obedience.

God has given us promises in His Word so that we can trust Him. He has also given us commands to obey. If we meditate on God's Word regularly and trust and obey Him we will find that we are deeply rooted in God, like an evergreen tree that never withers. God will then be able to bless us in such a way that we prosper in everything we do (Psa. 1:2,3).

We can't understand God's Word by intellectual study alone. We need the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that spiritual truths were hidden from the clever and the intelligent and revealed to babes (Mt. 11:25).

What do babes have, that clever, intelligent people don't have?

A pure heart!

God looks at the heart and not at the head. He gives revelation to those who are humble and who tremble at His Word (Isa. 66:2).

Jesus said that only those who were willing to do the will of God would understand God's Word (Jn.7:17).

God's Word - The Sword of the Spirit

God's Word is also the weapon that we use in our warfare against Satan.

It is called "the sword of the Spirit" in Ephesians 6:17.

Jesus Himself used this weapon with great effect, during the last three temptations in the wilderness. Each time, he countered Satan's temptations with "It is written...." (Matt. 4:4,7,10).

That's how He overcame; and that's how we can overcome too.

Satan is the Accuser. We must distinguish between his accusations and the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Satan always seeks to harass us and make us feel condemned by his accusations. The Holy Spirit's conviction, on the other hand, is always gentle and full of hope.

We can overcome the Accuser only by "the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony" (Rev. 12:11). His accusations concerning our past sins can be overcome only as we give him our testimony that the blood of Christ has cleansed us and justified us thoroughly. We have to use the same weapon that Jesus used : "It is written..."

Confessing God's Word to Satan is the way to overcome not only Satan's accusations, but also discouragement and anxiety and a host of other temptations with which Satan assails our mind.

That's why it is important to know God's Word well, so that the Holy Spirit can bring to our mind the right Scripture at the time of our need.

It is good therefore to have a time every day when we meditate on God's Word asking Him to speak to us. As we hide God's Word in our heart, it will keep us from sinning against Him (Psa. 119:11).

God's Plan for our Lives

God has a perfect plan for our lives. And He wants to guide us into fulfilling it. The most blessed life that we can ever live on earth is one in which we fulfil that plan completely. In choosing a career or in marriage, how wonderful it is to know that God has already charted a course for us to take! If we choose His way, we can avoid the many pitfalls that Satan has lined up for us. It is through His Word primarily, that God guides us into that plan.

Finding the will of God is an exhaustive subject and has been covered more fully in my book entitled `FINDING GOD'S WILL'.

Approaching marriage in a spiritual way has been covered in another book of mine entitled `SEX, LOVE & MARRIAGE - The Christian Approach.'

Prayer - Speaking to God

Communication with God is a two-way matter. We hear God speaking to us through His Word first. And then we speak to Him.

But prayer is not just making requests to God. A primary part of prayer should be having fellowship with God, like a bride with her bridegroom.

There are no rules on how a bride should speak to her bridegroom.

But as a discipline, it's good for our prayers to consist of: (i) praise to our Father for Who He is; (ii) confession of sin and failure; (iii) petitions concerning the kingdom of God; (iv) petitions concerning our own needs; (v) intercession for the needs of others; (vi) thanksgiving for what God has done; and (vii) thanksgiving for what God will do.

Jesus told us to "pray at all times" (Lk. 18:1).

A good habit to develop is to learn to speak to God about the little things of daily life - and thus to be in a spirit of prayer throughout the day. Thus, speaking to God will become a joy for us and not a ritual. We'll also find that God speaks to us in our hearts in surprising ways.

But these are just the kindergarten-lessons in the school of prayer. We can progress further if we are faithful.

In any case, prayer should never be allowed to degenerate into a dry, empty ritual. Prayer is like breathing. When our breathing becomes difficult for us, then we know that something is wrong! Prayer was never meant by God to be dry or boring.

But as we progress, we will find that prayer becomes hard work. If we are faithful with the little burdens God lays on our heart to pray about, we'll find that God gives us more and more of His burdens. Thus we can become co-workers with God, in His work of blessing others.

Jesus prayed `with loud crying and tears' (Heb. 5:7). Once when He prayed in Gethsemane, His sweat became like great drops of blood (Lk. 22:44). His praying was so intense.

Once He spent a whole night in prayer (Lk. 6:12). He had a habit of slipping off frequently into the wilderness to pray (Lk. 5:16). As someone has said "Like tourists look for sights to see, whenever they come to a new place, Jesus always looked for a quiet place to pray wherever He went."

Jesus' example shows us how important prayer is. If He needed to pray so much, how much more you and I need to.

Fight the battle against laziness then, and determine to be a man/woman of prayer at any cost.

TAKING GOD’S WORD SERIOUSLY by Zac Poonen

A bad habit that many believers have is that of taking God’s Word lightly. Take Jesus’ words in Matthew 12:36, 37 for example: “Every careless (idle) word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgement. For by your words you shall be justified and by your words you shall be condemned.”

Most believers do not believe that they will have to literally give an account for every single useless word that they have spoken. When we really believe this, all backbiting, gossiping, evil-speaking and anger will be eliminated from our lives. All who take these words of Jesus seriously will be radical in cutting out useless words from every part of their speech.

Jesus says here that we will be justified by our words. We all know about justification by faith. But faith without works is dead, and a faith that does not cleanse our speech is a dead faith.

Think of all the words that you have spoken (or written) during the last three months - at home and in the office, to husband, wife, children, servants etc., Would a tape-recording of your speech prove that you are a justified child of God, different from the world around you? Or would your words be similar to the speech of unbelievers?

The speech of many believers has not been cleansed, because they have not taken the words of Jesus seriously. This in turn is because they do not fear God. They fear men more than they fear God. We cannot hope to make spiritual progress in our life if we don’t develop the habit of taking God’s word seriously.

James 1:26 says, “If any one thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.”

If a man cannot control his tongue, his Christianity is worthless - for, as Jesus said, the words we speak show what our heart is like. “The mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.”(Mt.12:34). The way we use our tongue is one of the clearest indications of our spiritual condition.

Here is another example: God’s Word says that husbands should never be bitter against their wives. “Husbands, love your wives, and do not be embittered against them.”(Col.3:19).

What does that mean? Does it permit a husband to be bitter against his wife even once? We know that when God’s Word forbids adultery or murder, we must not commit such sins even once. Yet when we read that a husband should not be bitter against his wife, it does not hit us with the same force. Why is that? It’s because we pick and choose which commands of God’s Word are serious and which are not. We don’t realise that all of God’s Word must be taken seriously.

Those who take every word of God seriously will mourn over their sin, each time they fail. Thus they will find the comfort (strength) of the Holy Spirit, and be led into a life of victory. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted (strengthened).”(Mt.5:4).

Here then is another secret of victory: Take every Word of God seriously and mourn over your sin whenever you come short of God’s standards.

Thus you will prove that you fear God - and the fear of God is the beginning of that wisdom that leads to a victorious life.

God looks with grace and favour at those who are broken and contrite in their spirit and who tremble at His Word.

“To this one I will look, declares the Lord, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My Word” (Isa.66:2).

Bible Quotes for the Remnant

"the Bible definately is infallible, how else could it survive so many years of bad preching"
Leonard Ravenhill

“Defend the Bible? I would just as soon defend a lion. Just turn the Bible loose. It will defend itself.”
Charles Spurgeon

"The Word of God well understood and religiously obeyed is the shortest route to spiritual perfection. And we must not select a few favorite passages to the exclusion of others. Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian."
A.W. Tozer

"Here, then, is the real problem of our negligence. We fail in our duty to study God's Word not so much because it is difficult to understand, not so much because it is dull and boring, but because it is work. Our problem is not a lack of intelligence or a lack of passion. Our problem is that we are lazy."
R. C. Sproul

"One of these days some simple soul will pick up the Book of God, read it, and believe it. Then the rest of us will be embarrassed."
Leonard Ravenhill

"It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible."
George Washington

"The Bible itself is intolerant, and true followers of God's word should be as well."
Bob Jones III

"There are more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history."
Sir Isaac Newton

"Another century and there will not be a Bible on earth!"
Voltaire

"Voltaire expected that within fifty years of his lifetime there would not be one Bible in the world. His house is now a distribution center for Bibles in many languages."
Corrie Ten Boom

"Beware of reasoning about God's Word - obey it."
Oswald Chambers

"Zeal without knowledge is like a mettled horse without eyes, or like a sword in a madman's hand; and there is no knowledge where there is not the word: for if they reject the word of the Lord, and act not by that, 'What wisdom is in them?' saith the prophet (Jer 8:9; Isa 8:20)."
John Bunyan

"It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible."
George Washington

"There are more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history."
Sir Isaac Newton

"Peace is such a precious jewel that I would give anything for it but truth."
Matthew Henry (1662-1714)

"Though we claim to believe the whole of Scripture, in practice we frequently deny much of it by ignoring it."
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981)

“Out flashed the sword of the Spirit: our Lord will fight with no other weapon. He could have spoken new revelations, but he chose to say, ‘It is written.’ There is a power in the Word of God which even the devil cannot deny.”
Charles Spurgeon

"If there is anything in my style or thoughts to commend, the credit is due to my parents for instilling in me an early love of the Scriptures. If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity."
Daniel Webster

"This book, sir, is the rock on which our republic rests."
Andrew Jackson

"So great is my veneration for the Bible that the earlier my children begin to read it the more confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens of thier country and respectable members of society. I have for many years made it a practice to read through the Bible once every year."
John Quincy Adams

Wow, there is a lot of good stuff here - thanks for posting!

"the Bible definately is infallible, how else could it survive so many years of bad preching"

like this one

here are some sermons about the word of God

[url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/visit.php?lid=13848] To Love the Word of God (Part 1) by Paul Washer[/url]

[url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/visit.php?lid=13849]To Love the Word of God (Part 2) by Paul Washer[/url]

[url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/visit.php?lid=13850]To Love the Word of God (Part 3) by Paul Washer[/url]

[url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/visit.php?lid=13851]To Love the Word of God (Part 4) by Paul Washer[/url]

[url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/visit.php?lid=13464]Believe His Word Powerfully by Don McClure[/url]

[url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/visit.php?lid=4633] The Word of God by Keith Daniel[/url]

[url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/visit.php?lid=4029]Constructive Bible Reading by Paul Hershberger[/url]

[url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/visit.php?lid=5014]The Word by A.W. Tozer[/url]

anyone have any other sermons on this subject please post them,

God bless you all

Christian

The Bible

(Henry Law, "Beacons of the Bible" 1869)

The Bible is the richest treasure of the world.

Without it the palace is a dark blank.

With it the humble cottage sparkles with celestial light.

It is the transcript of God's heart.

It tells, what human reason is weak to find.

It is pure truth without one shade of error.

It gives knowledge on all things
needful for time and for eternity.

It is a safe guide through life's entangled path.

It is a compass . . .
through shoals and rocks;
amid winds and waves;
to heaven's eternal rest.

The sage is ignorant without it.

The peasant learns from it salvation's road.

It is a solace for every hour.

It is a companion always ready to converse.

It cheers when other comforts fail.

It is arrayed in every charm for intellect.

It never wearies.

It is always fresh.

Its oldest truths cannot grow old.

Its readers become more wise; more holy.

Other books may puzzle and corrupt. The
Bible is from heaven, and leads to heaven.
It enters the heart with purifying grace.

The more you search the Bible, the more your
minds will wonder, and your hearts will love.

Read it as literally true. Then no human
philosophy will beguile you.

Ponder its characters. You will find on
them the intrinsic stamp of truth.

Beware of light reading!

from Horatius Bonar's book, "FOLLOW THE LAMB"

Beware of light reading!
Shun novels; they are the literary curse of
the age. If you are a parent, keep novels
out of the way of your children. But whether
you are a parent or not, neither read them
yourself, nor set an example of novel reading
to others. Don't let novels lie on your table,
or be seen in your hand. This light reading
has done deep injury to many a young man
and woman.

The light literature of the day is working
a world of harm; vitiating the taste of the
young, enervating their minds, unfitting
them for life's plain work, eating out their
love of the Bible, teaching them a false
morality, and creating in the soul an unreal
standard of truth, and beauty, and love.

Let your reading be always select; and
whatever you read, begin with seeking
God's blessing on it.

[i][b][font=Georgia].But see that your relish for the Bible be above
every other enjoyment, and the moment you
begin to feel greater relish for any other book,
lay it down till you have sought deliverance from
such a snare[/font][/b][/i], and obtained from the Holy Spirit
an intenser relish, a keener appetite for the
Word of God.

Here are some of my favourite quotes from the thread, and the reasons why.

The most humorous:
'The Bible is definately infallible, how else could it survive so many years of bad preaching?' Leonard Ravenhill.

The most politically incorrect, (for this day and age that is):
'The Bible itself is intolerant, and true followers of God's word should be as well'

Bob Jones 111

A warning:
'Beware of reasoning about God's word - obey it.'

Oswald Chambers.

The most serious:
Peace is such a precious jewel that I would give anything for it- but truth.

Matthew Henry (1662-1714)

These were just my own observations.

God bless.

The reading of novels is indeed a snare, but then, they didn't have tv or the internet to contend with as well.

Glossy colour magazines are of no use to the Christian life. They have opinions and articles that oppose the word of God.

Acts 6v4, 'But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.

God bless.

some scriptures from scripture about studying the scriptures :-)

Act 17:11 And these were more noble than those of Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind and searched the Scriptures daily to see if those things were so.

Pro 1:2 to know wisdom and instruction; to recognize the words of understanding;
Pro 1:3 to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and uprightness;
Pro 1:4 to give sense to the simple, knowledge and judgment to the young man;
Pro 1:5 the wise hears and increases learning; and understanding ones get wisdom;
Pro 1:6 to understand a proverb and its meaning; the words of the wise, and their acute sayings.
Pro 1:7 The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge; but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Pro 1:8 My son, hear the instruction of your father, and forsake not the law of your mother;

Pro 9:9 Give to a wise one, and he will be still wiser; teach a just one, and he will increase in learning.
Pro 9:10 The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Psa 1:2 But his delight is only in the Law of Jehovah; and in His Law he meditates day and night.

Psa 119:97 MEM: Oh how I love Your Law! It is my meditation all the day.

Psa 119:100 I understand more than the old men, because I keep Your Commandments.

Psa 119:148 My eyes go before the night watches, so that I might think on Your Word.

Isa 8:20 To the Law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this Word, it is because no light is in them.

Isa 34:16 Seek out of the book of Jehovah, and read; not one of these shall fail, none shall lack its mate; for My mouth has commanded, and His Spirit has gathered them.

Luk 16:29 Abraham said to him, They have Moses and the Prophets, let them hear them.

Luk 24:44 And He said to them, These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalms about Me.

Joh 3:21 But he who practices truth comes to the Light so that his works may be revealed, that they exist, having been worked in God.

Joh 5:38 And you do not have His Word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He has sent.
Joh 5:39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life. And they are the ones witnessing of Me,
Joh 5:40 and you will not come to Me that you might have life.

2Ti 3:15 and that from a babe you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
2Ti 3:17 that the man of God may be perfected, thoroughly furnished to every good work.

1Pe 1:10 About which salvation the prophets sought out and searched out, prophesying concerning the grace for you;
1Pe 1:11 searching for what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ made clear within them, testifying beforehand of the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that should follow.
1Pe 1:12 To them it was revealed that not to themselves, but to us, they ministered the things which are now reported to you by those who have preached the gospel to you in the Holy Spirit sent from Heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
1Pe 1:13 Therefore girding up the loins of your mind, being sober, perfectly hope for the grace being brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ,

2Pe 1:19 We also have a more sure Word of prophecy, to which you do well to take heed, as to a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the Daystar arises in your hearts,
2Pe 1:20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture came into being of its own private interpretation.
2Pe 1:21 For prophecy was not borne at any time by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke being borne along by the Holy Spirit.

1Jn 4:5 They are of the world, therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them.
1Jn 4:6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us. The one who is not of God does not hear us. From this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

These scriptures ar not about studying the scriptures, but the results of doing so.

Psalm 119v9, 'How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.

Psalm 119v11, Your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against You.

Makes you wonder about the end result of not studying God's word.

Scripture does say, but I won't go into that.

God bless.

i love that 119 psalm, one man said to me, every new Christian should read that psalm every day until it is a reality in their life's.

"How to Use This Word"

From C. H. Spurgeon, Spiritual Warfare in the Believers Life,

(Lynnwood, Washington: Emerald Books, 1993), pp. 77-83.

Notice first that Jesus used the Word to defend His Sonship. The fiend said, "If Thou be the Son of God," and Jesus replied, "It is written." That was the only answer He needed to give. Jesus did not call to mind evidences to prove His Sonship. He did not even mention that voice out of the excellent glory that had said, "This is My beloved Son." No, but "It is written."

I do not doubt but that you have been already subjected to the infernal "if." How glibly it comes from Satan's lip. It is his darling word, the favorite arrow of his quiver. Satan is the prince of skeptics, who worship him while he laughs in his sleeve at them, for he believes and trembles. One of his greatest works of mischief is to make men doubt. "If "-- with that sneer he whispers this already in the ear. Never let Satan get you away from the solid ground of the Word of God. If he once gets you to think that the fact of Christ being the Savior of sinners can only be proved by what you can see within yourself, he will plunge you into despair.

The reason that I am to believe in Jesus lies in Jesus and not in me. I am not to say, "I believe in the Lord Jesus because I feel so happy," for within half an hour I may feel miserable; but I believe in Christ because it is written, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31). I believe in the salvation provided by Jesus Christ not because it always agrees with my reason or suits my frame of mind but because it is written, "He that believeth on him is not condemned" (John 3:18). Nothing can alter this truth; it stands and must stand forever. Believer, abide by it, come what may. Satan will say, "You know there are many evidences; show me one." Tell him to mind his own business. He will say, "You know how imperfectly you have behaved, even since conversion." Tell him that he is not so wonderfully perfect that he can afford to find fault with you. If he says, "Ah, but if you were really a changed character you would not have those thoughts or feelings," argue not at all with him but dwell upon the fact that it is written, "Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners" (1 Tim. 1:15).

"It is written." Stand upon it, and if the devil were fifty devils in one, he could not overcome you. On the other hand, if you leave "It is written," Satan knows more about reasoning than you do. He is far older, has studied mankind very thoroughly, and knows all our weak points. Therefore, the contest win be an unequal one. Do not argue with him but wave in his face the banner of God's Word. Satan cannot endure the infallible truth, for it is death to the falsehood of which he is the father.

Our Lord next used the Scripture to defeat temptation. He was tempted to distrust. There lay stones at His feet, there was no bread, and He was hungry. Distrust said, "God has left you; you will starve; therefore, stop being a servant, become a master, and command that these stones be made bread." Jesus, however, met the temptation confidently trusting God's Word. If you are placed by providence where you think you will be in need and are afraid that God will not provide for you, the dark suggestion will arise, "Whatever it takes, I must find a way to put myself in comfortable circumstances." True, the action would be wrong, but many do it, and therefore Satan whispers, "Necessity has no law; take the opportunity now before you." In such an hour, foil the enemy with "It is written, 'Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed'" (Ps. 37:3). In that way only can you safely meet the temptation to distrust.

Then Satan tempted the Lord to presumption. "If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down," said he (Matt. 4:6). But Christ had a Scripture ready to parry his thrust. Many are tempted to presume. "You are one of God's elect, you cannot perish; you may therefore go into sin; you have no need to be careful, since you cannot fall finally and fatally" -- so Satan whispers. If we are at any time tempted to yield to such specious pleadings, let us remember, it is written, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation" (Matt. 26:41). It is written, "Keep thine heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of fife" (Prov. 4:23). It is written, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:48). Begone, Satan. We dare not sin because of the mercy of God. That were indeed a diabolical return for His goodness. We abhor the idea of sinning that grace might abound.

Then will Satan attack us with the temptation to be traitors to our God by worshipping other gods. "Worship me," says he, "and your reward will be great." He sets before us some earthly object that he would have us idolize, some selfish aim that he would have us pursue. At that time, our only defense is the sure word, It is written, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength" (Mark 12:30). "Ye are not your own, ye are bought with a price" (1 Cor. 6:20). "Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Rom. 12:1). "Little children, keep yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:21). Quoting such words as those with all our hearts, we shall not fall. We must keep from sin. If Christ has indeed saved us from sin, we cannot bear the thought of falling into it. Those who take delight in sin are not the children of God. If you are a child of God, you hate it with a perfect hatred, and your very soul loathes it. To keep you from sin, arm yourselves with this most holy and pure Word of God which shall cleanse your way and make your heart obedient to the voice of the thrice-holy God.

Next our Lord used the Word as a direction to His way. This is a very important point. Too many direct their way by what they call providences. They do wrong things and they say, "It seemed such a providence." I wonder whether Jonah, when he went down to Joppa to flee to Tarshish, considered it a providence that a ship was about to sail. If so, he was like too many nowadays who seek to lay their guilt upon God by declaring that they felt bound to act as they did, for providence suggested it. Our Lord was not guided as to what He should do by the circumstances around Him. Anyone but our Lord would have obeyed the tempter and felt it was providence to turn the stones into bread. It was a providence, but it was a testing providence. When you are tempted to do wrong to relieve your necessities, say to yourself, "This providence is testing me but by no means indicates to me what I ought to do, for my rule is, 'It is written.' " If you make apparent providence your guide, you will make a thousand mistakes, but if you follow "It is written," your steps will be wisely ordered.

Nor are we to make our special gifts and special privileges our guide. Christ is on the pinnacle of the temple, and it is possible that if He had chosen to cast Himself down He could have done so safely, but He did not make His special privileges a reason for presumption. While it is true that the saints are kept by the power of God, I am not to presume upon a doctrine; I am to obey the precept. For a man to say, "I am a child of God, I am safe, and therefore I live as I want," would be to prove that he is no child of God at all, for the children of God do not turn the grace of God into licentiousness. That can only be the devil's logic.

Satan tried to make his own personal advantage our Lord's guide. "All these things will I give thee," said he, but Christ did not order His acts for His own personal advantage but replied, "It is written." Well might He have said, "If I fall down and perform this small act, all the kingdoms of the earth will be Mine! There are all those poor oppressed slaves; I could set them free. The hungry and the thirsty, I would supply their needs. Indeed, that is the very thing I am about to die for, and if it is to be done so easily by bowing the knee to this spirit, why not do it?" Far, far removed was our Lord from the wicked spirit of compromise. Though the whole world would be at His disposal, He would not compromise. "It is written" was His guide, not His usefulness or personal advantage.

Believer, it will sometimes happen that to do the right thing will appear to be most disastrous. It will shipwreck your fortune and bring you into trouble, but I charge you do the right thing at any cost. Instead of your being honored and respected and accounted a leader in the church, you may be regarded as eccentric if you speak straight out; but speak straight out and never mind what comes of it. You and I have nothing to do with what becomes of us or our reputations or with what becomes of the world or of heaven itself. Our one business is to do our Father's will. "It is written" is to be our rule. With dogged obstinacy as men call it, but with resolute consecration as God esteems it, through the mire and through the slough, through the flood and through the flame, follow Jesus and the Word infallible.

Note further that our Lord used "It is written" for maintaining His own Spirit. I love to think of the calmness of Christ. Christ is not the least flurried. He is hungry, and He is told to create bread, and He answers, "It is written." He is lifted to the temple's summit, but He says, "It is written" just as calmly as you and I might do sitting in an easy chair. There He is with the whole world beneath His feet, gazing on its splendor, but He is not dazzled. "It is written" is still His quiet answer. Nothing makes a man self-contained, cool, and equal to every emergency like always falling back upon the infallible Book and remembering the declaration of Jehovah, who cannot lie.

The last thought on this point is that our Lord teaches us that the use of Scripture is to vanquish the enemy and chase him away. "Go," said He to the fiend, "for it is written." You too shall chase away temptation if you keep firmly to this: "God said it, God promised it; God cannot lie, whose very word of grace is strong as that which built the skies."

How Christ Handled the Word

How are we to handle this sword of "It is written"? First, with deepest reverence. Let every word that God has spoken be law and gospel to you. Never trifle with it; never try to evade its force or change its meaning. God speaks to you in this book as much as if He came to the top of Sinai and lifted up His voice with thunder. I like to open the Bible and pray, "Lord God, let the words leap off the page into my soul; make them vivid, powerful, and fresh to my heart." Our Lord Himself felt the power of the Word. It was not so much the devil who felt the power of "It is written" as Christ Himself. The manhood of Christ felt an awe of the Word of God, and so the Word became a power to Christ. To trifle with Scripture is to deprive yourself of its aid. Reverence it, and look up to God with devout gratitude for having given it to you.

Next have it always ready. Our Lord as soon as He was assailed had His answer prepared: "It is written." Have the Scriptures at your fingertips. Better still, have them in the center of your heart. It is a good thing to store the memory with many passages of the Word -- the very words themselves. Our Savior knew so much of Holy Scripture that out of one single book - the book of Deuteronomy - obtained all the texts with which He fought the wilderness battle. He had a wider range, for the Old Testament was before Him, but He kept to one book, as if to let Satan know that He was not short of ammunition. If the devil chose to continue the temptation, the Lord had abundant defense in reserve. "It is written" is an armory wherein hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men. It is not merely one but a thousand, nay, ten thousand weapons of war. It has texts of every kind, suitable for our aid in every emergency and effectual for repelling every attack. Study the Word of God and have it ready at your side when the father of lies approaches.

Endeavor also to understand its meaning and so to understand it that you can discern between its meaning and its perversion. Half the mischief in the world -- and perhaps more -- is done not by an ostensible lie but by a perverted truth. The devil, knowing this, takes a text of Scripture, clips it, adds to it, and attacks Christ with it. Our Lord did not therefore despise Scripture because the devil himself might quote it, but He answered him with a flaming text right in his face. He did not say, "The other is not written, you have altered it," but He gave him a taste of what "It is written" really was, and so confounded him. You can do the same. Search the Word, get the true taste of it in your mouth, and acquire discernment so that when you say, "It is written," you may not be making a mistake. Texts of Scripture out of context, twisted and perverted, are not "It is written," but the plain meaning of the Word should be known and understood. Read the Word and pray for the anointing of the Holy Spirit that you may know the Word's meaning, for so will you contend against the foe.

And learn to appropriate Scripture to yourself. One of the texts our Lord quoted He slightly altered. "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." The original text is, "Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God." But the singular lies in the plural, and it is always a blessed thing to be able to find it there. Learn so to use Scripture that you take home to yourself all its teaching, all its precepts, all its promises, all its doctrines, for bread on the table does not nourish; it is bread that you eat that will really sustain you.

When you have appropriated the texts to yourself, stand by them whatever they may cost you. If to give up the text would enable you to make stones into bread, do not give it up. If to reject the precept would enable you to fly through the air like a seraph, do not reject it. If to go against the Word of God would make you emperor of the entire world, do not accept the bribes. Go as far as the Bible but not an inch beyond it. Though Calvin should beckon you, and you esteem him, or Wesley should beckon, and you esteem him, keep to the Scripture only. If your minister should go astray, pray that he may be brought back again, but do not follow him. Though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel than this book teaches you, do not give any heed to us -- no, not for a single moment. Here is the only infallibility: the Holy Ghost's witness in this book.

Remember, lastly, that your Lord at this time was filled with the Spirit. Jesus being filled with the Spirit went to be tempted (Matt. 4:16-5:1). The Word of God apart from the Spirit of God will be of no use to you. If you cannot understand a book, do you know the best way to reach its meaning? Write the author and ask him what he meant. If you have a book to read and you have the author always accessible, you need not complain that you do not understand it. The Holy Spirit has come to abide with us forever. Search the Scriptures, but cry for the Spirit's light and live under His influence. So Jesus fought the old dragon, "being filled with the Spirit." He smote Leviathan through with this weapon because the Spirit of God was upon Him. Go with the Word of God like a two-edged sword in your hand, but before you enter the battlefield, pray the Holy Ghost to baptize you into Himself; so shall you overcome all your adversaries and triumph even to the end.

The Scriptures
The Book of the Lord,
and the Diligent Study and Search Thereof Recommended
by the
Rev. Thomas Boston

Isaiah 34:16.--Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read : no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.

Having considered the divine authority of the holy scriptures, and their scope, I come now to recommend unto you the diligent study and search of these sacred oracles, from the text now read.
In the former part of this chapter, there are most terrible threatenings denounced against the enemies of God and his church, which receive not their full accomplishment till the last day, as appears from ver. 4, 10. In the text there is the confirmation of the whole. And therein we have,

1. An intimation that all shall be accomplished according to the word. Wherein two things are to be observed.
(1.) The study of the word required. Where we may notice, (1.) The hononrable epithet given to it, The book of the Lord. Thus the holy scripture is called, as being of divine original and authority, God himself being the author of it. It is true, that in Isaiah's days, even the canon of the Old Testament was not completed, some of the historical books, and of the prophetical too, not being then written. But the body of the doctrine of the word was comprised in the law, or five books of Moses; and what was afterwards written, was but a building on that foundation, by enlargement, explication, and application; And this prophecy looking as far as the end of the world, the Spirit of God might here have an eye to the complete canon of the Old and New Testament. [2.] The study of it recommended, Seek: out of it. The word signifies to inquire, search, seek out; and imports diligence and earnestness in consulting a thing to learn from it. And so it is emphatically pointed, to denote a vehemency and intenseness of spirit in the study. It does in a great measure answer that word, Acts 7:11--Searched the scriptures. We are not only to seek from it, but out of it, or, as the Hebrew signifies, from in it, or, as in the Greek, to it, and seek from it. [3.] The way to study, read it. Do not satisfy yourselves to hear if, but read it with your own eyes. For the eye makes ordinarily deeper impression than the ear.
(2.) The accomplishment in the most minute circumstance. [1.] Whereas the Lord had named a great many horrible creatures that should possess the dwellings of his enemies, none of then shall fail, they shall all be there.[2.] Whereas he had said they should have their mates, that so their binds might be continued there, none of them shall want their mate for that purpose.

2. The confirmation or reason of this accomplishment according to the word. and it hath two parts, namely, that he has spoken the one, and will effectuate the other.
(1.) Himself has spoken the word: My mouth it hath, commanded. His truth is engaged for its accomplishment. He has commanded, not these creatures, but the word or book, as Psal. 105: 8.--The word he commanded: and God is said to command his word, for that he gives it as a lawgiver, of supreme authority. And so this answers to the first part of the intimation.
(2.) He will effectuate the thing in accomplishment of the word: His spirit will gather these creatures. So his power is engaged to make it forthcoming. There seems to be here a remarkable change of the persons. But I am mistaken if the mouth of the Lord be not one of the names of Christ in the scripture: Thus, Isa. 62: 2. 'Thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name.' Jer. 23:16. " They speak--not out of the mouth of the Lord.' Compare John 1. 18. 'No man hath seen God at any time: the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.' Heb, 1:1, 2. 'God who at sundry times, and in divers manners, spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son.' And so the words run very plainly and exactly according to the original, For my mouth he hath commanded, and his Spirit it hath gathered them.
Two doctrines naturally arise from the words, viz.

Doct. I. 'The holy scripture is the book of the Lord.'
Doct. II. " The scripture is a book to be read, carefully, and diligently searched, consulted, and sought into.'
As it is the last of these doctrines I mainly intend to discourse upon, I shall be very brief in the illustration of the first: and though some things to be spoken upon it interfere with what has been already delivered, I hope it will tend to your establishment in the truth, and the more endear the holy scripture to you.

Doct. I. 'The holy scripture is the book of the Lord.'
All I intend upon this head is to show,

I. In what respects the holy scripture is the book of the Lord.

II.That it is so.

III. Make a short improvement.

I. My first province is to show in what respects the holy scripture is the book of the Lord.
1. The Lord is the subject-matter of that book, as the book of the wars of the Lord. It is the commendation of a book, that it treats of a noble subject; and this book treats of God, the great scope of it being to show what God is, and what his will is. Hence we are commanded to 'hold fast the form of sound words,' 2 Tim. 1:13. If we would know God, and our duty to him, we must turn to this book and learn it.

2. The Lord is the author of it, 2 Tim. 3:16. 'All scripture is given by inspiration of God.' And who was fit to make a book on that noble subject but himself? John 1:18. forecited. It is the product of his own unerring Spirit, and so his own book in a most proper sense. It is for this reason that it is called 'the book of the Lord.' It is true, several hands were employed in the writing of it; but yet all and every part of it was from the Lord.
(1.) The motion to write was from the Lord, by a particular impulse on the spirits of the holy penmen, which influenced them to the work, and carried them on it, 2 Pet. 1:21. 'Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.' Sometimes they had particular express calls, but they had always this motion powerfully determining and inclining them to the work.
(2.) The matter of their writing was from him. He laid it to their hands, 2 Tim. 3:16. 'All scripture is given by inspiration of God.' Some things were matters of pure revelation, that could not be known otherwise; such as things past, whereof there was no manner of record, things to come, things without the reach of men's knowledge, as the thoughts of others. These things they had by immediate suggestion. Some things they might have by other records, their own judgment, or memory. In these the Spirit of the Lord infallibly guided them what to chose and refuse, strengthened their judgment and memories, so that they could not mistake, John 16:13. 'The Spirit of truth--will guide you into all truth.
(3) The very words they wrote were from him. Since the apostles spoke the very words of the Holy Ghost, much more did they write them, 1 Cor. 2:13. And therefore God is said to speak by and in the holy penmen, 2 Sam. 23:2. Luke 1:70. Acts 1:16. He did not give them the matter to put in their own words, but put the words in their hearts too, but in a manner suited to their native style. And truly it is hard to conceive how the inspiration of the holy scriptures could reach the end without it, seeing so much depends on the suitable expressing of matter.

II. I proceed to show, that the holy scripture is the book of the Lord. This is evident from many things, of which I shall only observe a few.
1. This book discovers what no mortal could ever have done, and nowise could be had but by divine revelation, as the history of the creation, what was done before man was on the earth, the sublime mysteries of the Trinity of the incarnation of the Son of God, and the eternal counsels of God concerning man's salvation.
2. The perfect holiness of the doctrine. It commands all holiness, forbids all impurity in heart and life, under the pain of damnation: which shows it could neither be the work of men, being so far above their reach, and cross to their corrupt nature; nor of evil angels, being so opposite to Satan's kingdom; nor of good ones, who could never have put a cheat on the world, making their own words pass for God's.
3. The efficacy of the doctrine in its searching and convincing the conscience, Heb. 4: 12.; converting souls from their most beloved lusts, even when nothing can be expected from the world for such a change, Psal. 19: 7.; rejoicing the heart under the deepest distresses, ver. 8. This is not from any virtue in the letters or syllables, but from the Spirit, whose instrument it is.
4. The miracles wherewith it has been confirmed. These were wrought to confirm the doctrine, Mat. 9:6. These are God's seal, which he will never put to a lie.
5. Lastly, There is an inward sensation of this in the spirits of those that have their senses exercised. For it is not to be doubted, but as the works of God bear the marks of a divine hand, so his word also does. And while there are such manifest differences betwixt one voice and another of men, how can it be thought, but the voice of God has a peculiar signature on it? If that be not discerned by others, it is by his own people that know his voice.

I shall now make a short improvement of this point.
Use 1. For information. It informs us, that,
1. The scripture is the best of books. They who heard Christ, said, 'Never man spake like this man:' and they that see the true glory of the scriptures must own, never did any write like these writings. There we have the true picture of the great Author, in spotless holiness; there the revelation of his mind with respect to our salvation. Whatever other books there be in the world relating to our salvation; they are but dim tapers lighted at this burning lamp.
2. They are enemies to God that are enemies to the scriptures, whether in their principles, as Papists and others, or in their practices. For if men loved God, they would love his word, Psal. 119: 97. And men, by their relish of the word, may know what case their souls are in. For according as they relish the scriptures, so is it with their souls. If they have lost the gust of them, it is evident that either they have no grace, or that it is not in exercise.
3. Woe to those whom the Bible condemns; and these are all wicked men and hypocrites, whatever their stations or professions be. But happy they whom it approves and justifies; and these are all the sincere seekers of God. Seek to be of the number of the latter, and then none of the woes denounced in God's word shall fall upon you.

USE II. Of exhortation.
1. Let us highly prize this book for the sake of the author. The Ephesians thought that they had good ground to be zealous for the image of Diana, because they fancied it fell down from Jupiter, Acts 19:35. Your Bible is a book really come from God; let us be ashamed we do not prize it more, by using it diligently to the ends for which if was given the church.
2. Let us believe it in all the parts thereof; the commands, that we may study to conform ourselves to them; the promises, that we may thereby be encouraged to a holy life; and the threatenings, that we may thereby be deterred from sin. Alas ! though we own it to be the word of God, that we are no more moved with it than if it were the word of man, and such a man as we give little credit to. For compare the lives of the most part with it they say, it is but idle tales.
3. Let us submit our souls to it, as the oracles of the living God. He is the great Lawgiver, and in that book he speaks: let us own his authority in his word, and submit to it as the rule of our faith and life, without disputing or opposing.
4. Lastly, Let us study to be well acquainted with it, and make it our business to search the scriptures. This brings me to the main thing I intend.

DOCT. II. " The scripture is a book to be read, carefully and diligently searched, consulted, and sought into."
If ye ask, by whom this is to be done ? it is by all into whose hands, by the mercy of God, it comes. Some never had it, and so they will not be condemned for slighting it, Rom. 2:12. Magistrates are called to look into it, and be much conversant in it, Josh. 1:8. 'This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayst observe to do according to all that is written therein. Deut. 17:18, 19. 'And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book, out of that which is before the priests the Levites. And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life; that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law, and these statutes, to do them.' Ministers are in a special manner called to the study of it, 1 Tim. 4:13. 'Give attendance to reading. 2 Tim. 3:16, 17.' All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.' But not they only are so commanded, but all others within the church, John 5:39. 'Search the scriptures.' Deut. 6:6, 7. " These words which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.'

In discoursing further from this point, I shall,

I. Explain this seeking into the book of the Lord.

II. Give the reasons of the doctrine.

III. Make application.

I. I am to explain this seeking into the book of the Lord. And here I will show,
1. What is presupposed in this seeking.
2. What is the import of a studious inquiry into the scriptures.
First, I am to show what is presupposed in this seeking into the book of the Lord. It presupposes,
1. That man has lost his way, and needs direction to find it, Psal. 119: 176. 'I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant.' Miserable man is bemisted in a vain world, which is a dark place, and has as much need of the scriptures to direct him, as one has of a light in darkness, 2 Pet. 1:19. What a miserable case is that part of the world in that want the Bible ? They are vain in their imaginations, and grope in the dark, but cannot find the way of salvation. In no better case are those to whom it has not come in power.
2. That man is in hazard of being led farther and farther wrong. This made the spouse say, 'Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for Why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions ? There is a subtle devil, a wicked world, corrupt lusts within one's own breast, to lead him out of the right way, that we had need to give over, and take this guide. There are many false lights in the world, which, if followed, will lead the traveller into a mire, and leave him there.
3. That men are slow of heart to understand the mind of God in His word. It win cost searching diligently ere we can take it up, John 5:39. Our eyes are dim to the things of God, our apprehensions dull, and our judgment is weak. And therefore, because the iron is blunt, we must put too the more strength. We lost the sharpness of our sight in spiritual things in Adam; and our corrupt wills and carnal affections, that savour not the things of God, do more blind our judgments: and therefore it is a labour to us to find out what is necessary for our salvation.
4. That the book of the Lord has its difficulties which are not to be easily solved. Therefore the Psalmist prays, 'Open thou mine eyes, that I may see wondrous things out of thy law,' Psal. 119: 18. Philip asked the eunuch,' Understandest thou what thou readest ? And he said, how can I, except some man should guide me ? ' There are depths there wherein an elephant may swim, and will exercise the largest capacities, with all the advantages they may be possessed of. God in his holy providence has so ordered it, to stain the pride of all glory; to make his word the liker himself, whom none can search out to perfection, and to sharpen the diligence of his people in their inquiries into it.
5. That we need highly to understand it, otherwise we would not be bidden search into it. 'Of the times and seasons (says the apostle), ye have no need that I write unto you;' and therefore he wrote not of them. There is a treasure in this field; we are called to dig for it; for tho' it be hid, yet we must have it, or we will pine away in our spiritual poverty.
6. Lastly, That we may gain from it by diligent inquiry. The holy humble heart will not be always sent empty away from these wells of salvation, when it plies itself to draw. There are shallow places in these waters of the sanctuary, where lambs may wade.

SECONDLY, I proceed to show what is the import of a studious inquiry into the scriptures. This holds out the matter and manner of the duty.
First, As for the matter of the duty; it lies in three things.
1. We should be capable to read the scriptures distinctly. Alas ! How shall they study the book of God that cannot so much as read it? Isa. 29:12. It is sad to think that there are among Christians who call God their Father, and cannot read his testament; who say they would be at heaven, and yet cannot consult the directions for the way. And if their parents have neglected to teach them, they have not the grace to make up that by their own industry. Their case is little better that cannot read it distinctly; for without that there can be little benefit got by it. Neh. 8:8.
2. We should acquaint ourselves with the letter of the scriptures, the histories, prophecies, precepts, &c. This Timothy is commended for, 'that from a child he had known the holy scriptures,' 2 Tim. 3:15. That is the sacred field where the treasure lies; the blessed body, where the soul of the scripture lodgeth; the words wherein the mind of God towards sinners is held forth, Mat. 13:52.
3. We ought to labour to understand the mind of God in them, and that savingly and spiritually. Wisdom lies in the book of the Lord; and see what course we should take to get at it, Prov, 2:4, 5. 'If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures: then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord; and find the knowledge of God.' To read the scriptures just for reading's sake, without labouring to understand what ye read, is very unprofitable work. Nay we should search narrowly till we find the sense and meaning of what we read, as one that digs deep, breaks the clods of earth, till he finds the golden ore.

Secondly, As to the manner of the duty; it imports,
1. A high esteem of the treasure to be found in the book of the Lord, Matth. 13:44. People will not be at the pains to seek into what they do not value. If men did not prize gold, they would not rip up the bowels of the earth for it. It is the undervaluing of the scriptures that makes people so little to study and seek into them.
2. A design of spiritual profit by the scripture. No wise man will be at pains but to gain thereby. And he that would aright study the holy scriptures, must design his soul's advantage thereby. We should come to the reading of the book of the Lord, as to a soul-feast, Psal. 119: 131; its to the gathering of spoil after battle, Psal. 119: 162. Some read the scriptures to furnish their heads with notions of the things of religion, and their tongues with talk about them; but read ye for holiness to your hearts, and to rule your walk thereby. Some read them to support their errors, and some for matter of jest and drollery; which are horrible work. But 'search ye the scriptures: for in them ye will find eternal life; and they are they that testify of Christ,' John 5:39.
3. A serious application of the heart to the work; for it will not be a by-hand work, Psal. 1: 2. In the scriptures God speaks to us, as in prayer we speak to God; and when God speaks, we should listen attentively. The angels pry into scripture-mysteries, 1 Pet. 1:12. So should we into the scriptures, James 1:25.
4. Painfulness in the study. Silver and gold are not to be gathered up by every lazy passenger from the surface of the earth, as stones are, but must with labour be digged out of the bowels of it, Prov. 2:4. forecited. This is the gate of heaven; and there must be striving to get in at it. It is not easy to overcome a dark, carnal, hard heart, which unfits us for the study of the scriptures. And indeed many get but little advantage by their reading it; for dig they cannot, and beg they will not; and therefore they go empty from these wells of salvation.
5. Diligence and constancy, 1 Pet. 1:10. It is the hand of the diligent that maketh rich in all cases, while drousiness cloaths a man with rags. See the duty of a Christian with respect to the word, Psal. 1:2. 'His delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.' He suffers not his Bible to gather dust.
Lastly, A thorough search. We should go through every leaf of the book of the Lord, and endeavour to acquire the knowledge of the whole scriptures. For 'All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,' 2 Tim. 3:16. Some never read all the Bible in their days, but pick out portions here and there only. Searchers do not so, but look into every corner, And we should labour to know more and more of what we have some insight into: for this Bible says one, contains a puncheon that hitherto has not been pierced.

II. The next general head is, to give the reasons of the point, that the book of the Lord should be read, carefully and diligently searched, consulted, and sought into.

1. Because the way of salvation is to be found only therein, John 5:39. forecited. This is the star risen in a dark world, to guide us where Christ is. All the researches of the wise men of the world, all the inventions of men, can never guide us to Immanuel's land, John 1:18. 'No man has seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.' Here, and here only, the counsels of God touching man's salvation are discovered. And so, as salvation is the most necessary thing, the study of the scriptures is the most necessary exercise. To slight it, is to judge ourselves unworthy of eternal life.
2. It is the only rule of our faith and lives, Isa. 8: 20. 'To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them,' Eph. 2:20. 'Ye are built upon the foundation of the prophets and apostles, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone,' Rev. 22:18, 19. 'I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.' The Bible is the pattern shown on the mount, to which our faith and lives must be conformed, if we would please God. The Lord says to us, as Deut. 28:14. 'Thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand or to the left.' None can walk regularly unless they observe the rule; but how can one observe it unless he know it ? Matt. 22: 29. God has given each of us our post in the world: the Bible is the book of our instructions; and shall we not study it:! The lawyer studies his law-books, the physician his medical books; and shall not a Christian study the book of the Lord ?
3. The Lord himself dictated it, and gave it us for that very end, 2 Tim. 3:16, 17. forecited, Rom. 5:4. 'Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning.' And has the Spirit of the Lord written it, and will not we read it? Has he given it us to be studied by us, and will we slight it ? This must be horrid contempt of God, and ingratitude to him with a witness. Whose image and superscription is this on the scriptures:! Is it not the Lord's ? Then take it up and read.
4. We must be judged by the scriptures at the great day, John 12:48. That is one of the books opened, Rev. 20:12. This is the book of the Lord's laws and ordinances, by which he will proceed in absolving or condemning us. I own God will go another way to work with those who never had the Bible, Rom. 2:12. But know thou, that seeing it is in the country where thou livest, though thou never readest a letter of it, thou must be judged by it. Is there not good reason then for reading the scriptures:!

III. I proceed now to the practical improvement of this important subject.
USE I. Of information. It lets us see,

1. The necessity and advantage of translations of the scriptures into the vulgar languages, as I have formerly shown.
2. The people not only may without any licence from the church guides, but must read the scriptures, for God has commanded it. The Papists here take away the key of knowledge; for their kingdom riseth and standeth by darkness, and ignorance of the scriptures.
3. The scriptures, whatever difficulties be in them, yet are so plain in things necessary to salvation, that even the unlearned may reap advantage by reading them.
USE II.Of exhortation. I exhort one and all of you to the study of the holy scriptures, to seek out of the book of the Lord, and read. I will lay this before you in several branches, before I come to the motives.
1. Let such as cannot read, learn to read. Ye that have children, as ye tender their immortal souls, teach them to read the Bible. Remember therefore the vows taken upon you at their baptism, and the duty laid upon you by the Lord himself, Eph. 6:4. 'Fathers, bring up your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord,' 2 Tim. 3:15. Timothy from a child knew the holy scriptures. Ye who got no learning when ye were young, labour to get it now. Alas! some parents, or others that have had some when young with them, have been cruel to their souls, as the ostrich to her young. They have learned them to work, but have been at no pains to teach them to read; so have sent them out into the world a prey to the devourer's teeth, without the ordinary means of the knowledge of God. Thus they are destroyed with gross ignorance. But will ye pity your own souls, though others did not that brought you up? And do not enter yourselves heirs to their sin, by being as negligent of yourselves as they were. Though perhaps they left you nothing to live upon, yet for a livelihood ye have done something for your bodies. And will you do nothing for your souls ? Think not it will excuse thee at the hand of God, that thou art a servant; for thy soul is in as great danger as thy master's, and ignorance of religion will destroy it, Isa. 27:11. There are few but know how to improve the scarcity of servants to the raising of the fee; but will you improve it by getting it in your condition to learn to read, and seek out such families where you may have that advantage, for some such there are, like Abraham's, Gen. 18:10. Nay rather than not do it, give over service for a time, and learn. Neither will it excuse you that now you have a family; for you have an immortal soul still, which gross ignorance of the mind of God in the scriptures will ruin eternally, 2 Thess. 1:8. And the more need you have to read the scriptures, that you have a family, that you may know the Lord's mind yourself, and teach it your family. Such an excuse will no more screen you from everlasting destruction, than covering yourself with leaves will save you from the flames of a devouring fire. Say not you are too old now to learn. It is never out of time to learn to do well for your eternal salvation. If your eyes can serve you to learn, you ought to do it, whatever your age be. But if your sight be so far gone, that you cannot though you were ever so willing; then tremble at the thoughts of the awful judgment of God, that has taken away sight from you, that when you had it would not use it for his glory, and the good of your own soul; and humble thyself, and apply to the blood of Christ, for this thy neglect, lest it prove ruining to thee for ever. And cause others read to you, and beg the teaching of the Spirit, if so be such an old careless slighter of salvation may find mercy.
2. Let such as can read procure Bibles. I dare say one that has a love to the Bible (and that all who love the Lord have) will make many shifts ere they want one. But they must be lawful shifts: for stealing of Bibles, or keeping them up from the owners, is like a thief stealing a rope to hang himself in. But spare it off your bellies or your backs, and procure one rather than want.
3. Let such as have Bibles read them frequently, and acquaint themselves with the book of the Lord. Read them in your families morning and evening; and read them in secret by yourselves; it should be a piece of your duties in secret. Make the Bible your companion abroad and at home, in the house and in the field. It is lamentable to think how unacquainted with the Bible many are, and how little heart they have to it. Ballads and song-books get the place of the Bible with many; and many have no use for it but once in the week, on the sabbath-day, as if it were more for a show with them than the necessity of their souls.
4.Lastly, Not only read it, but search into it, and study it, to know the mind of God therein, and that ye may do it. Be not superficial in your reading of the scriptures, but do it with application, painfulness, and diligence; using all means to read it with understanding; breaking through the surface that ye may come at the hid treasure therein. Reading as well as praying by rote is to little purpose: for a parcel of bare words will neither please God, nor edify your own souls.

I shall now give some motives to enforce this important duty of reading the scriptures.
Mot. 1 God requires it of us, he commands us to do it, John 5:39. 'Search the scriptures The Jews had once the scriptures committed to them; but did God design they should only have them in the temple? nay, in their houses also: Only laid up in the ark ? nay, he designed another chest for them, even their hearts, Deut. 6:6, 7. formerly cited. Let the authority of God sway you, then, and as you have any regard to it, study the scriptures.
Mot. 2. Nay, the very being of the Bible among us is enough to move us to study it, seeing it is that by which we must stand or fall for ever. The proclaiming of the law publicly is sufficient to oblige the subjects; and they cannot plead ignorance, though they get not every one a copy of it. Ignonrntia juris excusat neminem ; for every one ought to know the rule of his duty, and sinners will be condemned by it, if they conform not to it, whether they knew it or not, John 3:19.
Mot. 3. It is an exercise very pleasing to God, so that it be done in a right manner, namely, in faith. For thereby God speaks to us, and we hear and receive his words at his mouth; and obedient ears are his delight.
1. The Spirit of God commends it. It was the commendation of the Bereans, acts 17:11. of Apollos, chap 18:24. of Timothy, 2 Tim. 3:15. And why does the Spirit of God commend others for this, but to recommend the scriptures to us ?
2. There is a particular blessing annexed to this exercise, Rev. 1:3. 'Blessed is he that readeth.' And the children of God in all ages have sucked the sap of it, while they have had sweet fellowship with God in his word, and the influences of the Spirit, to the quickening, enlightening, fructifying and comforting their souls.
Mot. 4. consider what a great privilege it is, that we have the scriptures to read and study, at this day. If Christ had not died for our salvation, the world had never been blessed with this glorious light, but had been in darkness here, as a pledge of eternal darkness. Let us compare our case with that of others, and see our privilege.
1. Look back to the case of the church in its first age before the flood, or the time of Moses, while they had not the written word. The will of God was revealed to some of them by visions, voices, dreams, &c.; but we may say, as 2 Pet. 1: 19. 'We have a more sure word of prophecy.' But that was not the lot of all, but of a few among them; the rest behoved to learn by tradition. Now every one has alike access to the word of divine revelation.
2. Look to the case of the church under the Old Testament. In David's time there was little more than the five books of Moses written; yet how does that holy soul swell in commendation of his little Bible, when little more than the ground-work of this glorious structure was laid! Psal. 119. Take that church at her best in this respect, when the canon of the Old Testament was completed, they saw not the light of the New. Now the whole canon of the scripture is in our hands, this glorious image of God has got the finishing stroke; no more is to be added thereto for ever. The New Testament casts a light upon the types, shadows, and dark prophecies of the Old; And shall we not be sensible of our mercy ?
3. But look abroad into the Pagan world at this day, in comparison of which all that know any part of the scriptures are but few, and the Bible is not heard of among them. That precious treasure is not opened to them to this day, and they can know no more of God but what they can learn from the dark glimmerings of nature's light. O may we not in some sort say, as Psal. 147: 19, 20. 'He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel. He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the Lord.'
4. Look back but a few years hence, when no Bibles were but such as were manuscript, namely, before the art of printing was found out, which was but a little before the reformation from Popery. How rare behoved they then to be ! and how dear, ye may easily perceive. But now how common and easy are they to be had ?
5. Look to the case of those that lived, or yet live, under Popish tyranny, where it is a crime to have or to read the Bible without a special licence. What a struggle had our reformers in this church, ere they could get allowance by the laws of the land to read the Bible in English ? And how is the Bible kept out of the people's hands to this day in Popish countries ? Whereas now ye are pressed to read and study it, a New Testament was very precious in those days of Popish persecution, when one gave a cart-load of hay for a leaf of the Bible. But, alas ! as one says of the French Protestants, When they burned us for reading the scriptures, we burned in zeal to be reading them; now with our liberty is bred also negligence and disesteem of God's word.
6. Lastly, Consider the many helps there are to understand the scriptures beyond what were formerly. Many have run to and fro, and knowledge that way has been increased, both by preaching and writing. And that useful exercise of lecturing, which our church has commanded to be of a large portion of scripture, is no small help. What will we be able to answer to the Lord, if this great privilege be slighted ?
Mot. 5. Consider it has been the way of the people of God, to be much addicted to and conversant in the scripture. So true is it that wisdom is justified of her children. O take heed ye go forth by the footsteps of the flock, and ye will not find them in the way of slighting, but prizing the word of God. Consider,
1. Ye shall find the saints highly prizing the word, Psal. 19. & 119. what large commendations of the word are there ! How sweet was it to Jeremiah ! chap. 15:16. ' Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart.' Peter, who heard the voice on the mount, yet prefers the scriptures to voices from heaven, 2 Pet. 1:19. Paul speaks highly of it, 2 Tim. 3:16. 'All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.' The martyrs highly prized it, and ventured their lives for it. One cast away at sea, and swimming for his life on a mast, having five pounds, which was all his stock, in the one hand, and a Bible in the other, and being obliged to let go one of them, kept the Bible, and let the five pounds go.
2. Ye shall find them much addicted to the study of the word. It was David's companion and bosom oracle, Psal. 119: 97. Daniel at Babylon searches the scriptures of the prophets, Dan. 9:2. So did the noble Bereans, Apollos, and Timothy.
3. Yea, the Spirit of God makes it the character of a godly man, Psal. 1:2. 'His delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.' O how rational is that! The man that is born of God has a natural desire after the word, as the child after the mother's breast, 1 Pet. 2:2. The new nature tends to communion with God; it is by the word the soul has communion with him, for thereby God speaks to us. And therefore it is a sad sign; that there are few true Christians, while there are so few that diligently ply the word.
Mot. 6. Consider the excellency of the scriptures. There is a transcendent glory in them, which whoso discerns cannot miss to hug and embrace them. To commend the Bible to you, I shall say these eight things of it.
1. It is the best of books. They may know much, ye think, that have many good books; but have ye the Bible, and ye have the best book in the world. It is the book of the Lord, dictated by unerring infinite wisdom. There is no dress here with the gold, no chaff with the corn. Every word of God is pure. There is nothing for our salvation to be had in other books, but what is learned from this. They are but the rivulets that run from this fountain, and all shine with light borrowed from thence. And it has a blessing annexed to it, a glory and majesty in it, an efficacy with it, that no other book has the like. Therefore Luther professed he would burn his books he had writ, rather than they should divert people from reading the scriptures.
2. It is the greatest and most excellent of the works of God to be seen in the world, Psal. 138: 2. If the world beautified with sun, moon, and stars, be as a precious ring, the Bible is the diamond in the ring. The sparkling stars, and that glorious globe of light the sun, yet leave but a dark world, where there is no Bible. Were it put to the choice of the saints, either to put the sun out of the firmament, or the Bible out of the world, they would choose the former, but never the latter; for that they cannot want till they go there where they shall read all in the face of Jesus. For that must needs be most excellent that has most of God in it.
3. It is the oracles of God, Rom. 3:2. This was the chief of the Jewish privileges, without which their temple, altar, &c. would have been but dumb signs. The Pagan world did highly reverence and prize the devil's oracles: but we have God's oracles, while we have the scriptures that manifest to us the secrets of heaven, and if we discern aright who speaks in them, we must say, The voice of God, and not of man. Here is what you may consult safely in all your doubts and darknesses; here is what will lead you into all truth.
4. It is the laws of heaven, Psal. 19:7. The Lord and King of heaven is our great Lawgiver, and the laws are written in this book. It concerns us to study it. Hence we must prove our title to heaven, the blessed inheritance, or we will never obtain it. From thence the sentence of our justification must be drawn, else we are still in a state of wrath. Here is the rule we must follow, that we may please God here; and from this book shall the sentence of our absolution or condemnation be drawn at the great day.
5. It is Christ's testament and latter-will, 1 Cor. 11:25. Our Lord has died, and he has left us this Bible as his testament; and that makes his children have such an affection to it. Herein he has left them his legacy, not only moveables, but the eternal inheritance; and his last will is now confirmed, that shall stand for ever without alteration. So all the believer's hopes are in this Bible, and this is the security he has for all the privileges he can lay claim to. This is his charter for heaven, the disposition by which he lays claim to the kingdom. and therefore, if ye have any interest in the testament, ye must needs not be slighters of it.
6. It is the sceptre of his kingdom, Psal. 110: 2. and it is a sceptre of righteousness. It is by this word he rules his church, and guides all his children in their way to the land that is far off. Wherever he hath a kingdom, he wields it; and the nations subjecting themselves to him, receive it. And where he rules one's heart, it has place there too, Col. 3:18. It is a golden sceptre of peace, stretched forth to rebels to win them by offering them peace; to fainting believers, to give them peace. And whosoever will not subject themselves to it, shall be broken with his rod of iron.
7. It is the channel of influences, by which the communications of grace are made, and the waters of the sanctuary flow into the soul, Isa. 49. ult. The apostle appeals for this to the experience of the Galatians, chap 3:2. 'Received ye the Spirit by the law, or by the hearing of faith ? Is the elect soul regenerated? the word is the incorruptible seed, whereof the new creature is formed, 1 Pet. 1:23. Is faith begotten in the heart ? it is by the word, Rom. 10:17. 'Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.' Is the new creature to be nourished, strengthened, quickened, actuated, &c.? Christ is the fountain, faith the mouth of the soul, the word the pipes of conveyance, whereat faith must suck, as the child at the nipples.
8.Lastly, It is the price of blood even the blood of Christ, 1 Cor. 11:25. Had not the personal Word become flesh, and therein died to purchase redemption for us, we had never seen this written word among us. For it is the book of the covenant which is founded on the blood of the Mediator. It is the grant and conveyance of the right to the favour of God, and all saving benefits to believers; for which there could have been no place had not Christ died. And they that slight it, will be found to tread under foot the blood of the covenant.
Mot. 7 Consider the usefulness of the word. If we consider the author, we may be sure of the usefulness of the work. The apostle tells us; that it alone is sufficient to make the man of God perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works, 2 Tim. 3:16, 17. There is no case a soul can be in, but it is suitable to their case, that desire to make use of it. To commend it to you from its usefulness, I will lay these eight things.
1. It is a treasure to the poor, and such are we all by nature, Rev. 3:17. 2 Cor. 4:7. Therefore the Lord bids us search the scriptures, in allusion to those that search in mines for silver and gold. If the poor soul search here, receiving the word by faith, he is made up. He shall find there the discharge of his debt, a new right and title to the mortgaged inheritance. This word of the Lord is a treasure,
(1.) For worth. People make not treasures of any but valuable things. There is nothing in the scriptures but what is highly valuable. There are the eternal counsels of God touching our salvation; life and immortality brought to light; there are the purest percepts, the most awful threatenings, and the most precious promises, 2 Pet. 1:4, &c.;
(2.) For variety. In the scriptures shines the manifold wisdom of God. They that nauseate this book of the Lord, because they find not new things in it after some time perusing it, discover their senses not to be exercised to discern. For should we come to it ever so often, bringing fresh affections with us, we would find fresh entertainment there; as is evident by the glorious refreshment sometimes found in a word, that has been often gone over before without any thing remarkable. And truly the saints shall never exhaust it while here; but as new discoveries are made in it in several ages, so it will be to the end.
(3.) For abundance. There is in it not only for the present, but for the time to come, Isa. 42:23. There is abundance of light, instruction, comfort, &c. and what is needful for the saints travelling heavenward, Psal. 119: 182. And indeed it is the spoil to be gathered by us. Our Lord having fought the battle against death and devils, here the spoil lies to be gathered by us that remained at home when the fight was.
(4.) Lastly, For closeness. This word contains the wisdom of God in a mystery. It is a hid book to most of the world, and indeed a sealed book to those that remain in their natural blindness. Nor can we get into the treasure without the illumination of the same Spirit which dictated it, 1 Cor. 2:10. There is a path here which the vulture's eye hath not seen, which the carnal eye cannot take up, ver. 14. Therefore have we need to seek diligently, and pray, as Psal. 119: 18. "Open thou mine eyes, that I may see wondrous things out of thy law."
2. It is life to the dead: "The words that I speak unto you (says Christ), they are spirit, and they are life,' John 6:63. We are naturally dead in sins; but the word is the means of spiritual life. It is the ordinary means of conversion, Psal. 19:7. " The law of the Lord--converteth the soul;' and of regeneration, 1 Pet. 1:23. 'Being born again of incorruptible seed by the word of God.' By it the soul is persuaded into the covenant, and brought to embrace Jesus Christ. For thereby the Spirit is communicated to the elect of God. Thus it is of use to bring sinners home to God, from under the power of darkness to the kingdom of his dear Son.
3. It is light to the blind, Psal. 19:8. 'The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.' It is a convincing light, to discover one's state to him, and so to rouse up the soul from its natural security. It pierces the heart as an arrow, and makes the careless sinner stand and consider his way: for it freely tells every one his faults, Jam. 1:25. And while the child of God travels through a dark world, it serves to light him the way, 2 Pet. 1:19. 'a light shining in a dark place ; and lets him see how to set down every step. Hence David says, ' Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path,' Psal. 119: 105.
4. It is awakening to those that are asleep, Cant. 7:9. It is the voice of God which is full of majesty, to awaken the sleepy Christian to the exercise of grace. For as it is the means of begetting grace in the heart, so it is also the means of actuating and quickening thereof, Psal. 119: 90. 'Thy word hath quickened me.' Here the Christian may hear the alarm sound to rise up and be doing. Here are the precious promises as cords of love to draw, and the awful threatenings to set idlers to work.
5. It is a sword to the Christian soldier, Eph. 6: 17. 'The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.' Whoever has a mind for heaven must fight his way to it: for none get the crown but the conquerors, Rev. 3:21. They must go through many temptations, from the devil, the world, and the flesh; and the word is the sword for resisting them. It is an offensive and defensive weapon. We see how our Lord Jesus wielded it, Mat. 4:4, 7. 'It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.--It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.' And whatever be our temptations, if we be well versed in the word, we may from thence bring answers to them all.
6. It is a counselor to those who are in straits, doubts, and difficulties, Psal. 119: 24. 'Thy testimonies are--my counsellors.' Many a time the children of God, when tossed with doubts and fears, have found a quiet harbour there; and have got their way cleared to them there, when they knew not what to do. And no doubt, if we were more exercised unto godliness, and looking to the Lord in our straits, we would make more use of the Bible, as the oracles of Heaven.
7. It is a comforter to those that are cast down, Psal. 119: 49, 50. " Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.' The way to heaven lies through many tribulations, and afflictions are the trodden path to glory. But the Lord has left his people the Bible as a cordial to support them under all their pressures from within and without. And indeed the sap of the word, and the sweetness of the promises, are never more lively relished, than when the people of God are exercised under afflictions. Then does that heavenly fountain flow most plentifully, when, created streams being dried up, the soul goes for all to the Lord. To sum up all in one word,
8.Lastly, It is a cure for all diseases of the soul, Prov. 4:22. 'My words are--health to all their flesh.' There is no malady that a soul is under, but there is a suitable remedy for it in the word, 2 Tim. 3:16, 17. frequently quoted above, being adapted by infinite wisdom to the case of poor sinners. By it the simple may be made wise, the weak strengthened, the staggering confirmed, the hard heart melted, the shut heart opened, &c. it being the means the Spirit makes use of for these and all other such purposes.
Mot. 8. Consider the honourable epithets given to the scriptures. Amongst which I name only three.
1. The scriptures of truth, Dan. 10:21. Men may wrest the scriptures to patronize their errors, but the whole word of God is most pure truth. Here are no mistakes, no weaknesses, that adhere to all human composures. Here we may receive all that is taught us without hesitation. The hearers of men, or readers of their works, are divided into four sorts: Some like sponges, that suck up all, both good and bad: Some like sand glasses, who, what they receive at the one ear let go at the other: Some like a strainer, that lets all the good pass through, but keeps the dregs: Some like the sieve, that keeps the good grain, and lets through what is not worth. These last are only to be approved; but in the reading of the word we must be as the first sort.
2. Holy scriptures, 2 Tim. 3:15. They are the word of a holy God, from whom nothing can come but what is holy. It consists of holy commands, holy promises, holy threatenings, instructions, directions, &c. And holy hearts will love and reverence them for that very reason.
3.Lastly, The book of the Lord. What can be said more to commend it to us, if we have any regard to the Lord himself? If I could tell you of a book that fell down from heaven, and were to be had by any means, who would not be curious to have such a book and study it ? This is the book that contains the counsels of Heaven, and is given from Heaven to the church, to let men see the way to it.
Mot. last. Consider the danger of slighting the word. It exposes to sin, and consequently to the greatest danger. How can they keep the way of the word that do not study to acquaint themselves with it ? They must needs walk in darkness that do not make use of the light; and this leads to everlasting darkness, John 3:19. If by this word we must be judged, how can they think to stand that neglect it ?

I conclude with some directions for the study of the scriptures.

1. Keep an ordinary in reading them, that ye may be acquainted with the whole; and make this reading a part of your secret duties. Not that ye should bind up yourselves to an ordinary, so as never to read by choice, but that ordinarily this tends most to edification. Some places are more difficult, some may seem very bare for an ordinary reader; but if you would look on it all as God's word, not to be slighted, and read it with faith and reverence, no doubt ye would find advantage.
2. Set a special mark, one way or other, on those passages you read, which you find most suitable to your case, condition, or temptations; or such as ye have found to move your hearts more than other passages. And it will be profitable often to review these.
3. Compare one scripture With another, the more obscure with what which is more plain, 2 Pet. 1: 20. This is an excellent means to find out the sense of the scriptures; and to this good use serve the marginal notes on Bibles. And keep Christ in your eye, for to him the scriptures of the Old Testament (in its genealogies, types, and sacrifices) look, as well as those of the New.
4. Read with a holy attention, arising from the consideration of the majesty of God, and the reverence due to him. This must be done with attention, (1.) To the words;(2.) To the sense: and (3.) To the divine authority of the scripture, and the bond it lays on the conscience for obedience, 1 Thess. 2:13.
5. Let your main end in reading the scriptures be practice, and not bare knowledge, Jam. 1:22. Read that you may learn and do, and that without any limitation or distinction, but that whatever you see God requires, you may study to practise.
6. Beg of God and look to him for his Spirit. For it is the Spirit that dictated it, that it must be savingly understood, 1 Cor. 2:11. And therefore before you read, it is highly reasonable you beg a blessing on what you are to read.
7. Beware of a worldly fleshly mind: for fleshly sins blind the mind from the things of God; and the worldly heart cannot favour them. In an eclipse of the moon the earth comes between the sun and the moon, and so keeps the light of the sun from it. So the world, in the heart, coming betwixt you and the light of the word, keeps its divine light from you.
8. Labour to be exercised unto godliness, and to observe your ease. For an exercised frame helps mightily to understand the scriptures. Such a Christian will find his case in the word, and the word will give light to his case, and his case light into the word.
9. Lastly, Whatever you learn from the word, labour to put it in practice. For to him that hath shall be given. No wonder they get little insight into the Bible, who make no conscience of practising what they know. But while the stream runs into a holy life, the fountain will be the more free.

A 29-Point Guide to Reading the Bible:

There are certain basic principles that guide all verbal communication. God, in giving us the Bible, has stooped down to our level to communicate His message to us in written form. God does not reveal His will to us through our emotions, but through a book written down by the hands of men. As a result, we must be careful to read the Bible as we would any other book-- we have to read it with certain principles in mind. Of course, the Bible is not merely a human book; it is God's revelation to us, so we must submit to the Bible in a way we submit to no other book. The Bible must be given the role of correcting our beliefs, attitudes, emotions and actions. We must have the proper attitude before the text:

1. We are required to study the Scriptures.

But beyond this, we are given the privilege of receiving the message that God repairs our sin-ravaged souls. Those in darkness need a lamp at their feet. Bible study is both a duty and a privilege. Deuteronomy 29:29; Psalm 119.

2. To misinterpret a Biblical passage is sin.

It is wrong to misrepresent anyone, but especially God. As R.C. Sproul has said: More often than not, when we misinterpret the Bible, it is not because God has failed to do His work, but because we have failed to do ours.

3. We must accept that only the Spirit of God knows the things of God.

We cannot expect to have a satisfactory understand the Scriptures unless we have the Spirit-- unless we are truly Christian. This is why I’m extra-cautious when taking a class or reading a biblical commentary written by an unbeliever.

4. We must be prepared to submit to and obey the Scripture.

Whatever it requires, we must be in submission to God’s word if we are to interpret it correctly. Have you ever changed your behavior in an area simply because the Scripture commanded it? If not, you have some soul-searching to do before God.

5. We must not approach the Bible in an individualistic manner. Ask for help.

God has gifted some Christians with gifts of knowledge, wisdom and teaching to degrees that He has not given to all. God's people read the Scripture together-- do not think you can understand every biblical text alone. Do not despise any spiritual gift. Self-sufficiency before the text is arrogance before God.

6. We may not speculate beyond what the Scriptures teach.

What God has given is enough for us. Don’t make up stuff, even if it sounds neat or makes sense to you. Our speculations must be subservient to the text of Scripture. Deuteronomy 29:29.

7. We must interpret every biblical passage in light of the whole of Scripture.

An interpretation of one biblical passage must “fit” with other passages, and with the overall teachings elsewhere in the Bible. God does not contradict Himself. We can never “pit” one biblical text against another.

8. Always interpret unclear passages in light of clearer passages.

But be prepared to accept the possibility of having misinterpreted previous passages.

9. Don't pretend to be "neutral."

We all have firmly held beliefs which we bring to the Scripture. Be open about what you believe, and be prepared to change what you believe if Scripture requires.

10. Don’t jump off into the mystical deep end.

There is nothing “spiritual” about finding secret, hidden or mystical meanings in biblical texts when they’re not really there. Remember, to misinterpret a biblical passage dishonors God. He has spoken to us in human language, so we understand his word by studying its human language—in a sense, like we study any other book.

11. No “lucky-dipping.”

This is when you pray, “God tell me what decision I should make,” and then blindly drop your finger on a page of the Bible to find out what the answer is. God does not lead us in this manner. Lucky-dipping is an occult form of divinization that seeks to manipulate God into telling us what he has not told us. The Lord does not want usto by-pass our God-given decision-making abilities. God wants us to value what he values, be willing to do whatever he teaches, and discern (with the help of elders) how we can best glorify God.

12. There is ultimately only one correct interpretation.

Two contradictory interpretations cannot both be right. When two people in a small group have contadicting interpretations of a passage, at least one of them must be wrong, even if that sounds intolerant. We have to be concerned with truth. The only proper meaning of a passage is the meaning given to it by God, communicated to us through intelligible human language.

13. Remember to read the Bible as a needy sinner, not as a self-righteous legalist.

We’re not to ask the text, “What do I have to do to make God like me today.” Jesus rejected the Pharisees because they searched the Scriptures, thinking that by them they could gain eternal life. Eternal life is free from Jesus for those who know they’re failures and want peace with God. When we open the Bible, we need to ask “How can God’s grace change me?” “How can I live in Christ’s life?”

The Bible's Main Purpose: Redemption

It is easy to miss the main point the Scriptures teach us, even though we study them carefully. In John 5:39, Jesus rebuked the biblical scholars of His day because they missed the very center of God's communication in His Word. "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about Me." Christ the Redeemer is the center of the biblical message. The Bible is not merely a rule book, telling us how we may fix ourselves. We are fallen, broken people, completely unable and incompetent on our own. Christ must save us. Christ must enable us to live the Christian life. Christ, who has brought us safe thus far, must also take us home.

Three Questions to ask of every biblical text:

1. What does this text tell me about my need for grace?

2. What does this text tell me about the God of grace?

3. How does this text tell me to respond in faith to God's grace?

14. We must seek God’s help in applying the biblical text to our lives.

This is often difficult. The biblical books were written to different people thousands of years ago-- how can we apply them directly to ourselves? I’ve heard it said, “Reading the Bible is like reading the mail of people who died 2,000 years ago.” I just can't remember the last time I was tempted to eat meat sacrificed to idols-- and it's been years since I last offered children to Molech in the fire. Bryan Chapell proposes looking at the text's “Fallen Condition Focus” as a key to properly applying a passage to ourselves.

Fundamentally, the question is this: What do Christians at the twilight of the twentieth century have in common with ancient Israelites or first century Greeks? The answer: sin. Sin has infected every corner of our lives, leaving us hopeless and impudent, desperately needing a gracious God to restore us. This is our Fallen Condition, the state we find ourselves in, whereby we need Christ's redemptive work (his help)-- not just His forgiveness, but the ability to obey as well.

To bridge the gap and apply the Scriptures,

FIRST: look for the Fallen Condition Focus in the biblical text. What problem was the Scripture originally addressing in its own historical context? Fear? Immorality? Lack of knowledge? Lack of hope? Lack of faith?

NEXT: look for how you and other Christians share in that same Fallen Condition. What do you have in common with those in the text?

THEN: ask the text, "How does God provide the grace and love (whether encouraging or disciplinary love) necessary for His people then and now?

15. Apply the Scriptures according to their biblical emphasis.

Do not make one element in the Christian life dominant, and do not neglect another aspect of Scriptural teaching. You may be asking for God’s help with the same one bad habit again and again when he’s trying to work on some other area of your character. Don’t become sidetracked onto one concern.

16. Take into account cultural differences.

Give me a holy handshake or a heavenly hug, not a holy kiss. Kissing in the ancient world meant something different than what kissing means now. Sorry, Harry, I’ll offer you my hand instead. Still, be warned: a lot of people mis-use this “cultural” principle. Whatever they don’t like is just “cultural” and not for us today. This is a sure sign of unbelief. Care is needed here, as well as a real heart-submission to the text. Still, even though the principle is often abused, there really are some instances where the application of biblical principles plays out differently in our culture than it did in Jesus’ day.

17. Read a passage in light of its Genre.

There are many different kinds (or “genres”) of literature in the Bible. And each different kind of literature has special rules to follow in interpreting it. When we pick up a children's storybook, we assume different rules of interpretation than when we look at a lab write-up or a law book or a first-hand account of a battle. Is this to be taken as historical fact? Probably not with the storybook. Is this a morally binding command? Probably not with the lab write-up. To interpret a passage correctly, we must know what kind of literature, what genre, we are seeking to understand. There are a lot of specifics that could be mentioned, but here are just a few characteristics of seven biblical genres (adapted from Dan McCartney and Charles Clayton, Let the Reader Understand, 1994. p.210-228.):

A Short Guide to Biblical Genres

A. Theological History:

Most of Genesis through Esther, the Gospels and Acts are theological history. Theological history is just that: both history and theology. It seeks to give an accurate account of events, just like with modern history, but also seeks to interpret those events from God's perspective. Ask:

How has God worked out His purpose with His people in the past?

How has this action established a people for God in the past?

How should we, as God's people today, trust and obey this same God?

B. Law:

The law reveals what God requires of His people. Not simply "commands," the law is more fully understood as God's instruction for His covenant people-- the law does not come against us as our enemy, but rather leads us to Christ and guides us in grateful living in obedience to Christ. In the Old Testament, we must distinguish universal commands, as found in the Ten Commandments ("Do not murder.") from case laws, which show how those universal commands applied to specific situations ("If..., then...."). Further, in this new covenant era, we must distinguish between three aspects of the Mosaic Law:

The Moral Law: This is an expression of God's character, the universal moral norm for all people everywhere forever.

The Ceremonial Law: These regulated the religious ceremonies of ancient Israel, such as the sacrifices, which have been fulfilled now in Christ. The Ceremonial aspect of the Mosaic law has now expired.

The Judicial Law: These were the administrative laws of the state of Israel before Christ came. As no state is now in covenant with God, these too have expired (See Mt. 19:7-9 regarding divorce, for example.)

C. Poetry:

Poetry in the Old Testament is distinguished, not so much by rhyme or meter, but by parallelism. A parallel consists of two or more lines of roughly the same length (in Hebrew) which address the same topic. Look out for how the second line in the parallel advances or alters the thought of the first. See the Psalms.

D. Prophecy:

Most biblical prophecy is not concerned to foretell future events (though prophets did this). Most prophecy is concerned simply to bring God's message to His people-- the condemnation of sin, the warning of coming judgment and the call to repentance are common themes. It was as more forth-telling than fore-telling. Often when long-range predictions were given, they were fulfilled in more symbolic ways than many suppose, and often were not fulfilled all at once.

E. Parables:

Parables, used most by Jesus Himself, are stories which illustrate spiritual truth. Jesus used parables as much to conceal as to reveal (Mt. 13:12-15). Parables often have one point for each major character, though sometimes they make only one simple point. The key to understanding many parables in to look for an unusual detail in the story, for that detail (like a really big mustard tree) often reveals the meaning (the kingdom of God starts out small but gets really big).

F. Epistles:

Most of the New Testament is composed of epistles, or letters. One common problem is that epistles were written to specific people with specific circumstances. The interpretation of certain passages will thus depend on how one understands the historical situation the letter addressed. This urges us to be cautious-- it is easy to "import" a foreign situation into the text so as to yield a desired (and false) meaning. Most passages, however, are not situation-specific.

G. Apocalyptic:

Revelation and portions of Daniel are apocalyptic. Apocalyptic literature describes earthly events from God's perspective, as part of the heavenly struggle between God and the forces of evil. Apocalyptic literature assures us that God will gain victory in the end through His Messiah (Dan. 7:13-14; Rev. 1:12-18). Such literature is highly symbolic, and such symbols must be interpreted in light of what the first readers would have understood (often in light of Old Testament imagery). Another characteristic of apocalyptic is dualism between good and evil, holy and profane, the true God and Satan, the pretender.

18. Analyze large sections of the Bible, not just words & Sentences.

Imagine a Christian man is facing severe trial. Suffering has shown its face at his door, and his world would seem to be crumbling. In desperation, he cries out to God, "Lord, show me what I should do!" The man closes his eyes, opens his Bible, lets his finger drop and... what is God's word for him today? "So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself." What went wrong?

The problem was a failure to study the passage (Matthew 27) as a whole, focusing in on just one verse instead. (Of course, the man erred also in bringing his own question to that text, rather than allowing the text to pose its own questions.) Context is key. Even among those who do show concern for a text's context, Bible study too often gets bogged down in concern over the precise meaning of particular words, or becomes a mere listing off of verses without grasping the overall argument.

It may come as a surprise to learn that words mean nothing by themselves. A word can have any number of meanings. We may speak of being "saved by the bell," or we may speak of saving chairs or of "getting saved." What does the verb "to save" actually mean? Not much, unless there is someone doing the saving, someone or something being saved, and a larger argument from which we can determine which meaning of "to save" is being used. The study of a larger discourse, not merely the study of individual words, is vital to properly interpret a biblical passage. (I just saved this on my computer.)

Dan Doriani suggests "thinking in paragraphs" as one way in which to analyze a larger discourse:

FIRST: Start by reading through a chapter (more or less) two or three times, making mental or written notes on its chief ideas.

NEXT: Try to capture the essential thought of each paragraph in a single sentence.

THEN: As you work on this, keep an eye on preceding and following paragraphs. They will help you remember where you are

on the ‘ladder of ideas.’

Example: Discourse Analysis of Romans 5:1-5

Analyzing a large discourse (studying a longer section) works best in the epistles (letters), where a single argument is being made in any given passage. A formal discourse analysis will look at the relationship between the various phrases in a discourse so as to trace the flow of thought. How does this statement relate to the previous one? And where does it fit within the overall argument the author is presenting? For Romans 5, this might look like this:

v.1 since we have been justified ground for what follows

we have peace with God consequence #1

through Jesus Christ means of peace

v.2 through whom we have access to grace consequence #2

in which we now stand specification of grace #1

and we rejoice specification of grace #2

v.3 rejoice in sufferings consequence #3

because suffering produces perseverance reason

v.4 perseverance, character further reason

character, hope even further reason

v.5 hope does not disappoint final cumulative reason

because God has poured our his love reason for reasons

by the Holy Spirit means of love

Romans 5 in a bigger context:

Looking at the entire letter to the Romans, we can see Romans 5 as part of an even larger argument in Romans 1-8:

Romans 1:1-15 Introduction: God’s gospel

Romans 1:16-17 THEME: "For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed."

Romans 1:18-3:20 The need for righteousness from God

Romans 3:21-31 Righteousness received by faith alone now

Romans 4:1-25 Righteousness by faith alone in the Old Testament

Romans 5:1-21 RESULT #1: Peace with God

Romans 6:1-23 RESULT #2: Righteous behavior

Romans 7:1-25 RESULT #3: Freedom from condemnation of law

Romans 8:1-39 RESULT #4: The indwelling Spirit as assurance

19. Understand that the Bible makes use of some common literary devices.

The biblical authors have used a great many literary devices in composing the Scriptural record. It is simplistic to think that we can just take the "plain and simple sense" of any passage. Was Jesus speaking literally when He said, "I am the door?" Does the Messiah have a door knob? Obviously not. We immediately realize that such sayings are figurative. Jesus was using metaphor; He is like a door in that all must go though Him. Here are a number of literary devices to watch for:

Common Literary Devices in the Bible.

metaphor & simile: a figurative comparison between two things, such as Ps. 18:2, "The LORD is my rock," or Lk. 13:32, "Go tell that fox (Herod)...." Fox in the first century meant "crook" (not "sly"). Herod was not really a big, hairy animal that howled—he was really human.

synecdoche: representing the whole by a part, or vice versa. Judges 12:7, "Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in the cities of Gilead." Jephthah was not dismembered. He was buried in only one city, but “cities” stands for the one.

metonymy: substituting one word for another, as in "The White House issued a statement today." The house itself didn’t talk, the President’s press secretary actually issued the statement. Similarly, Paul uses "the circumcision" to refer to the Jewish people (the medical practice wasn’t causing problems in Paul’s day, the Jews were).

hyperbole: rhetorical overstatement, as in 1 Kings 10:27, "The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones...." Jesus also used this device when he said that if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off, and if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. The point he was driving home was that we need to radically amputate the sin in our lives. He doesn’t want us to mutilate our bodies, though. Blind men can still lust. Handless men can still covet.

irony: the use of words in which the intended meaning is the opposite of the expression, as in Michal's words to David in 2 Samuel 6:20, "How the King of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!"

ellipsis: shortening a phrase without shortening the meaning. In 2 Cor. 5:21, "sin" for "sin offering." Jesus was not actually sin.

anthropomorphism: describing God in human terms, as in John 10:29, "no one can snatch them out of My Father's hand." The Father has no hand, but is a spirit (John 4:24), invisible (Col. 1:15).

personification: giving human qualities to inanimate objects, as in Ps. 24:7, "Lift up your heads, O you gates." Even if the gates actually had heads, they could never lift them up on their own.

20. Watch out for illogical leaps.

Try to find each illogical step in this paragraph:

Why Are Fire Engines Red? They have four wheels and eight men; four plus eight is twelve; twelve inches makes a ruler; a ruler is Queen Elizabeth; Queen Elizabeth sails the seven seas; the seven seas have fish; the fish have fins; the Finns hate the Russians; the Russians are red; fire engines are always rushin'; so they're red.

The next few points will look at some of these wrong ways (“fallacies”) of reading the Bible.

21. Avoid the Root Fallacy.

This is the mistake of defining a word with its etymology—the original meaning the word had centuried earlier. A word used in 100AD may not have the same meaning it had in 300BC. The English word "nice," for example, comes from the Latin nescius, which means "ignorant." Words change meanings over time. When your mother says you're nice, she diesn’t mean that you’re ignorant.

22. Don’t trip over the Totality Transfer.

This is the mistake of pouring all the meanings of a particular word into every use. Often a concordance will list several meanings of a word, just like a dictionary may have several definitions of a word. These are only the possible meanings. The error may sound like this: "We see here in Strong's Concordance that flesh means the body and the sin nature. The body, according to the word flesh, is the fundamental core of sin." Only one of those definitions is correct in any one instance. “Green” for example can mean either the color green or envious. If a guy says his friend who failed the test he aced is green, he does not mean both that he is envious and colorful—just that he is envious. Watch out for totality transfer.

23. Don’t argue from a text’s silence on an issue.

This is the mistake of assuming that silence on a given topic necessarily has theological significance. "If Paul had believed in Hell, he certainly would have taught it in Philippians" Really? Why? His silence in Philippians means nothing.

24. Negative Inferences can be misleading.

This mistake assumes that negative inferences from a true statement are also true. "All Mormons own a Bible. Jessica is not a Mormon. Therefore Jessica does not own a Bible." The problem? Such a statment may or may not be true.

25. Don’t fail to distinguish between apples and oranges.

This mistake assumes that because two things are alike in some respects, they must be alike in all respects. "Since in Christ there is neither male nor female, women can be ordained as elders." Wrong. When Paul says this in Galatians, he is discussing our equality as equally united to Christ in salvation. He is not discussing whether equal men and women always have the same roles to play in God’s design. Equality and interchangeability are different categories.

26. Be on the lookout for the Excluded Middle.

Sometimes people will set two (and only two) options before you when in fact there are more than two possibilities. This is an error I come across all the time, even from the sharpest of people. This mistake sets up a false either-or dilemma, when other options are present. Like this: "What matters about Adam and Eve is not whether they ever actually existed, but the theological significance of their story." Oh really? I agree that the theological significance matters. But I also realize that it matters because it is true—it actually happened. Make-believe fairy tales are not theologically significant because they aren’t real. Both—fact and theological significance—matter. This is the third option that wasn’t mentioned. Watch out for people who say, ”Which is it—this or that?” Ask yourself whether a third (or fourth) option exists.

27. Don’t assume that a biblical term has a technical meaning unless you know otherwise.

Sometimes phrases have technical meanings, sometimes they don’t. If I’m watching a football game, and someone mentions a “super bowl,” I assume their talking about a national football championship game. This use of “super bowl” has a technical meaning. However, if I’m in the crystal section of Dillard’s department store, and someone says, “Look at that super bowl,” I assume that super bowl doesn’t have a technical meaning. Many Word-Faith prosperity preachers on television read the phrase "word of faith" in Rom. 10 as a technical term for "naming it and claiming it,” wrongly justifying their gospel of greed. “Son of man” is another example. In some Old Testament texts, it simply means a “human being”—as opposed to a son of a sheep, which would be a baby sheep. Elsewhere in the Old Testament, “Son of man” refers to the coming messiah who (though divine) would come to Israel as a human being.

28. Remeber: The Bible is ultimately not a book about humans and their religion, but about God and his eternal purpose.

The Bible’s message is not that the Israelites sought God, but that God sought the Israelites. It is not all about us coming to Christ, but about Christ coming to us and saving us. The focus is on God and his greatness, faithfulness and mercy, not on us and our faithfulness. All the glory goes to God, not to us. Whether written in or not, God is the chief actor on every page of the Bible.

29. A final reminder: Enjoy reading the Bible.

This won’t always be easy. Your sinful nature will try to make it a chore. It’s not. (Funny, my sin nature never complains about my waisting hours watching TV, but ten minutes in the Bible can raise the firsest objections from my sin!) You have been given a wonderful love-letter from God. Read it, love it, hide it in your heart, and tell everyone else about it!

PROFITING FROM THE WORD A.W Pink

1. The Scriptures and Sin

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There is grave reason to believe that much Bible reading and Bible study of the last few years has been of no spiritual profit to those who engaged in it. Yea, we go further; we greatly fear that in many instances it has proved a curse rather than a blessing. This is strong language, we are well aware, yet no stronger than the case calls for. Divine gifts may be misused, and Divine mercies abused. That this has been so in the present instance is evident by the fruits produced. Even the natural man may (and often does) take up the study of the Scriptures with the same enthusiasm and pleasure as he might of the sciences. Where this is the case, his store of knowledge is increased, and so also is his pride. Like a chemist engaged in making interesting experiments, the intellectual searcher of the Word is quite elated when he makes some discovery in it; but the joy of the latter is no more spiritual than would be that of the former. Again, just as the successes of the chemist generally increase his sense of self-importance and cause him to look with disdain upon others more ignorant than himself, so alas, is it often the case with those who have investigated Bible numerics, typology, prophecy and other such subjects.

The Word of God may be taken up from various motives. Some read it to satisfy their literary pride. In certain circles it has become both the respectable and popular thing to obtain a general acquaintance with the contents of the Bible simply because it is regarded as an educational defect to be ignorant of them. Some read it to satisfy their sense of curiosity, as they might any other book of note. Others read it to satisfy their sectarian pride. They consider it a duty to be well versed in the particular tenets of their own denomination and so search eagerly for proof-texts in support of "our doctrines." Yet others read it for the purpose of being able to argue successfully with those who differ from them. But in all this there is no thought of God, no yearning for spiritual edification, and therefore no real benefit to the soul.

Of what, then, does a true profiting from the Word consist? Does not 2 Timothy 3:16,17 furnish a clear answer to our question? There we read, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." Observe what is here omitted: the Holy Scriptures are given us not for intellectual gratification and carnal speculation, but to furnish unto "all good works," and that by teaching, reproving, correcting us. Let us endeavor to amplify this by the help of other passages.

1. An individual is spiritually profited when the Word convicts him of sin. This is its first office: to reveal our depravity, to expose our vileness, to make known our wickedness. A man’s moral life may be irreproachable, his dealings with his fellows faultless; but when the Holy Spirit applies the Word to his heart and conscience, opening his sin-blinded eyes to see his relation and attitude to God, he cries, "Woe is me, for I am undone." It is in this way that each truly saved soul is brought to realize his need of Christ. "They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick" (Luke 5:31). Yet it is not until the Spirit applies the Word in Divine power that any individual is made to feel that he is sick, sick unto death.

Such conviction that brings home to the heart the awful ravages which sin has wrought in the human constitution is not to be restricted to the initial experience which immediately precedes conversion. Each time that God blesses His Word to my heart, I am made to feel how far, far short I come of the standard which He has set before me, namely, "Be ye holy in all manner of conversation" (1 Pet. 1:15). Here, then, is the first test to apply: as I read of the sad failures of different ones in Scripture, does it make me realize how sadly like unto them I am? As I read of the blessed and perfect life of Christ, does it make me recognize how terribly unlike Him I am?

2. An individual is spiritually profited when the Word makes him sorrow over sin. Of the stony-ground hearer it is said that he "heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; yet hath he not root in himself" (Matt. 13:20,21); but of those who were convicted under the preaching of Peter it is recorded that they were pricked in their heart (Acts 2:37). The same contrast exists today. Many will listen to a flowery sermon, or an address on "dispensational truth" that displays oratorical powers or exhibits the intellectual skill of the speaker, but which, usually, contains no searching application to the conscience. It is received with approbation, but no one is humbled before God or brought into a closer walk with Him through it. But let a faithful servant of the Lord (who by grace is not seeking to acquire a reputation for his "brilliance") bring the teaching of Scripture to bear upon character and conduct, exposing the sad failures of even the best of God’s people, and, though the crowd will despise the messenger, the truly regenerate will be thankful for the message which causes them to mourn before God and cry, "Oh, wretched man that I am." So it is in the private reading of the Word. It is when the Holy Spirit applies it in such a way that I am made to see and feel my inward corruption’s that I am really blessed.

What a word is that in Jeremiah 31:19: "After that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded." Do you, my reader, know anything of such an experience? Does your study of the Word produce a broken heart and lead to a humbling of yourself before God? Does it convict you of your sins in such a way that you are brought to daily repentance before Him? The paschal lamb had to be eaten with "bitter herbs" (Ex. 12:8); so as we really feed on the Word, the Holy Spirit makes it "bitter" to us before it becomes sweet to our taste. Note the order in Revelation 10:9, "And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey." This is ever the experimental order: there must be mourning before comfort (Matt. 5:4); humbling before exalting (1 Pet. 5:6).

3. An individual is spiritually profited when the Word leads to confession of sin. The Scriptures are profitable for "reproof" (2 Tim. 3:16), and an honest soul will acknowledge its faults. Of the carnal it is said, "For every one that loveth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved" (John 3:20). "God be merciful to me a sinner" is the cry of a renewed heart, and every time we are quickened by the Word (Ps. 119) there is a fresh revealing to us and a fresh owning by us of our transgressions before God. "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy" (Prov. 28:13). There can be no spiritual prosperity or fruitfulness (Ps. 1:3) while we conceal within our breasts our guilty secrets; only as they are freely owned before God, and that in detail, shall we enjoy His mercy.

There is no real peace for the conscience and no rest for the heart while we bury the burden of unconfessed sin. Relief comes when it is fully unbosomed to God. Mark well the experience of David, "When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer" (Ps. 33:3,4). Is this figurative but forcible language unintelligible unto you? Or does your own spiritual history explain it? There is many a verse of Scripture which no commentary save that of personal experience can satisfactorily interpret. Blessed indeed is the immediate sequel here: "I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin" (Ps. 32:5).

4. An individual is spiritually profited when the Word produces in him a deeper hatred of sin. "Ye that love the Lord, hate evil" (Ps. 97: 10). "We cannot love God without hating that which He hates. We are not only to avoid evil, and refuse to continue in it, but we must be up in arms against it, and bear towards it a hearty indignation" (C. H. Spurgeon). One of the surest tests to apply to the professed conversion is the heart’s attitude towards sin. Where the principle of holiness has been planted, there will necessarily be a loathing of all that is unholy. If our hatred of evil be genuine, we are thankful when the Word reproves even the evil which we suspected not.

This was the experience of David: "Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way" (Ps. 119:128). Observe well, it is not merely "I abstain from," but "I hate"; not only "some" or "many," but "every false way"; and not only "every evil," but "every false way." "Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right, and I hate every false way" (Ps. 119:128). But it is the very opposite with the wicked: "Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee" (Ps. 50:17). In Proverbs 8:13, we read, "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil," and this godly fear comes through reading the Word: see Deuteronomy 17:18, 19. Rightly has it been said, "Till sin be hated, it cannot be mortified; you will never cry against it, as the Jews did against Christ, Crucify it, Crucify it, till sin be really abhorred as He was" (Edward Reyner, 1635).

5. An individual is spiritually profited when the Word causes a forsaking of sin. "Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity" (2 Tim. 2: 19). The more the Word is read with the definite object of discovering what is pleasing and what is displeasing to the Lord, the more will His will become known; and if our hearts are right with Him the more will our ways be conformed thereto. There will be a "walking in the truth" (3 John 4). At the close of 2 Corinthians 6 some precious promises are given to those who separate themselves from unbelievers. Observe, there, the application which the Holy Spirit makes of them. He does not say, "Having therefore these promises, be comforted and become complacent thereby," but "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit" (2 Cor. 7:1).

"Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you" (John 15:3). Here is another important rule by which we should frequently test ourselves: Is the reading and studying of God’s Word producing a purging of my ways? Of old the question was asked, "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?" and the Divine answer is "by taking heed thereto according to thy word." Yes, not simply by reading, believing, or memorizing it, but by the personal application of the Word to our "way." It is by taking heed to such exhortations as "Flee fornication" (1 Cor. 6:18), "Flee from idolatry" (1 Cor. 10:14). "Flee these things"—a covetous love for money (1 Tim. 6:11), "Flee also youthful lusts" (2 Tim. 2:22), that the Christian is brought into practical separation from evil; for sin has not only to be confessed but "forsaken" (Prov. 28: 13).

6. An individual is spiritually profited when the Word fortifies against sin. The Holy Scriptures are given to us not only for the purpose of revealing our innate sinfulness, and the many, many ways in which we "come short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23), but also to teach us how to obtain deliverance from sin, how to be kept from displeasing God. "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee" (Ps. 119:11). This is what each of us is required to do: "Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart" (Job 22:22). It is particularly the commandments, the warnings, the exhortations, we need to make our own and to treasure; to memorize them, meditate upon them, pray over them, and put them into practice. The only effective way of keeping a plot of ground from being overgrown by weeds is to sow good seed therein: "Overcome evil with good" (Rom 12:21). So the more Christ’s Word dwells in us "richly" (Col. 3: 16), the less room will there be for the exercise of sin in our hearts and lives.

It is not sufficient merely to assent to the veracity of the Scriptures, they require to be received into the affections. It is unspeakably solemn to note that the Holy Spirit specifies as the ground of apostasy, "because the love of the truth they received not" (2 Thess. 2:10, Greek). "If it lie only in the tongue or in the mind, only to make it a matter of talk and speculation, it will soon be gone. The seed which lies on the surface, the fowls in the air will pick up. Therefore hide it deeply; let it get from the ear into the mind, from the mind into the heart; let it soak in further and further. It is only when it hath a prevailing sovereignty in the heart that we receive it in the love of it—when it is dearer than our dearest lust, then it will stick to us" (Thomas Manton).

Nothing else will preserve from the infections of this world, deliver from the temptations of Satan, and be so effective a preservative against sin, as the Word of God received into the affections, "The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide" (Ps. 37:31). As long as the truth is active within us, stirring the conscience, and is really loved by us, we shall be kept from falling. When Joseph was tempted by Potiphar’s wife, he said, "How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" (Gen. 39:9). The Word was in his heart, and therefore had prevailing power over his lusts. The ineffable holiness, the mighty power of God, who is able both to save and to destroy. None of us knows when he may be tempted: therefore it is necessary to be prepared against it. "Who among you will give ear . . . and hear for the time to come?" Isa. 42:23). Yes, we are to anticipate the future and be fortified against it, by storing up the Word in our hearts for coming emergencies.

7. An individual is spiritually profited when the Word causes him to practice the opposite of sin. "Sin is the transgression of the law" (1 John 3:4). God says "Thou shalt," sin says "I will not"; God says "Thou shalt not," sin says "I will." Thus, sin is rebellion against God, the determination to have my own way (Isa. 53:6). Therefore sin is a species of anarchy in the spiritual realm, and may be likened unto the waving of the red flag in the face of God. Now the opposite of sinning against God is submission to Him, as the opposite of lawlessness is subjection to the law. Thus, to practice the opposition of sin is to walk in the path of obedience. This is another chief reason why the Scriptures were given: to make known the path which is pleasing to God for us. They are profitable not only for reproof and correction, but also for "instruction in righteousness."

Here, then, is another important rule by which we should frequently test ourselves. Are my thoughts being formed, my heart controlled, and my ways and works regulated by God’s Word? This is what the Lord requires: "Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" (Jas. 1:22). This is how gratitude to and affection for Christ are to be expressed: "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15). For this, Divine assistance is needed. David prayed, "Make me to go in the path of thy commandments" (Ps. 119:35). "We need not only light to know our way, but a heart to walk in it. Direction is necessary because of the blindness of our minds; and the effectual impulsions of grace are necessary because of the weakness of our hearts. It will not answer our duty to have a naked notion of truths, unless we embrace and pursue them" (Manton). Note it is "the path of thy commandments": not a self-chosen course, but a definitely marked one; not a public "road," but a private "path."

Let both writer and reader honestly and diligently measure himself, as in the presence of God, by the seven things here enumerated. Has your study of the Bible made you more humble, or more proud—proud of the knowledge you have acquired? Has it raised you in the esteem of your fellow men, or has it led you to take a lower place before God? Has it produced in you a deeper abhorrence and loathing of self, or has it made you more complacent? Has it caused those you mingle with, or perhaps teach, to say, I wish I had your knowledge of the Bible; or does it cause you to pray, Lord give me the faith, the grace, the holiness Thou hast granted my friend, or teacher? ‘Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear unto all’ (1 Tim. 6:15).

6. The Scriptures and Obedience A.W Pink

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All professing Christians are agreed, in theory at least, that it is the bounden duty of those who bear His name to honour and glorify Christ in this world. But as to how this is to be done, as to what He requires from us to this end, there is wide difference of opinion. Many suppose that honoring Christ simply means to join some "church," take part in and support its various activities. Others think that honoring Christ means to speak of Him to others and be diligently engaged in "personal work." Others seem to imagine that honoring Christ signifies little more than making liberal financial contributions to His cause. Few indeed realize that Christ is honored only as we live holily unto Him, and that, by walking in subjection to His revealed will. Few indeed really believe that word, "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams" (1 Sam. 15:22).

We are not Christians at all unless we have fully surrendered to and "received Christ Jesus the Lord" (Col. 2:6). We would plead with you to ponder that statement diligently. Satan is deceiving many today by leading them to suppose that they are savingly trusting in "the finished work" of Christ while their hearts remain unchanged and self still rules their lives. Listen to God’s Word: "Salvation is far from the wicked; for they seek not thy statutes" (Ps. 119:155). Do you really seek His statutes"? Do you diligently search His Word to discover what He has commanded? "He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him" (1 John 2:4). What could be plainer than that?

"And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46). Obedience to the Lord in life, not merely glowing words from the lips, is what Christ requires. What a searching and solemn word is that in James 1:22: "Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves"! There are many "hearers" of the Word, regular hearers, reverent hearers, interested hearers; but alas, what they hear is not incorporated into the life: it does not regulate their way. And God says that they who are not doers of the Word are deceiving their own selves!

Alas, how many such there are in Christendom today! They are not downright hypocrites, but deluded. They suppose that because they are so clear upon salvation by grace alone they are saved. They suppose that because they sit under the ministry of a man who has "made the Bible a new book" to them they have grown in grace. They suppose that because their store of biblical knowledge has increased they are more spiritual. They suppose that the mere listening to a servant of God or reading his writings is feeding on the Word. Not so! We "feed" on the Word only when we personally appropriate, masticate and assimilate into our lives what we hear or read. Where there is not an increasing conformity of heart and life to God’s Word, then increased knowledge will only bring increased condemnation. "And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes" (Luke 12:47).

"Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Tim 3:7). This is one of the prominent characteristics of the "perilous times" in which we are now living. People hear one preacher after another, attend this conference and that conference, read book after book on biblical subjects, and yet never attain unto a vital and practical acquaintance with the truth, so as to have an impression of its power and efficacy on the soul. There is such a thing as spiritual dropsy, and multitudes are suffering from it. The more they hear, the more they want to hear: they drink in sermons and addresses with avidity, but their lives are unchanged. They are puffed up with their knowledge, not humbled into the dust before God. The faith of God’s elect is "the acknowledging [in the life] of the truth which is after godliness" (Titus 1:1), but to this the vast majority are total strangers.

God has given us His Word not only with the design of instructing us, but for the purpose of directing us: to make known what He requires us to do. The first thing we need is a clear and distinct knowledge of our duty; and the first thing God demands of us is a conscientious practice of it, corresponding to our knowledge. "What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8). "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man (Eccles. 12:13). The Lord Jesus affirmed the same thing when He said, "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you" (John 15:14).

1. A man profits from the Word as he discovers God’s demands upon him; His undeviating demands, for He changes not. It is a great and grievous mistake to suppose that in this present dispensation God has lowered His demands, for that would necessarily imply that His previous demand was a harsh and unrighteous one. Not so! "The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good" (Rom. 7:12). The sum of God’s demands is, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might" (Deut. 6:5); and the Lord Jesus repeated it in Matthew 22:37. The apostle Paul enforced the same when he wrote, "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be Anathema" (1 Cor. 16:22).

2. A man profits from the Word when he discovers how entirely and how sinfully he has failed to meet God’s demands. And let us point out for the benefit of any who may take issue with the last paragraph that no man can see what a sinner he is, how infinitely short he has fallen of measuring up to God’s standard, until he has a clear sight of the exalted demands of God upon him! Just in proportion as preachers lower God’s standard of what He requires from every human being, to that extent will their hearers obtain an inadequate and faulty conception of their sinfulness, and the less will they perceive their need of an almighty Saviour. But once a soul really perceives what are God’s demands upon him, and how completely and constantly he has failed to render Him His due, then does he recognize what a desperate situation he is in. The law must be preached before any are ready for the Gospel.

3. A man profits from the Word when he is taught therefrom that God, in His infinite grace, has fully provided for His people’s meeting His own demands. At this point, too, much present-day preaching is seriously defective. There is being given forth what may loosely be termed a "half Gospel," but which in reality is virtually a denial of the true Gospel. Christ is brought in, yet only as a sort of make-weight. That Christ has vicariously met every demand of God upon all who believe upon Him is blessedly true, yet it is only a part of the truth. The Lord Jesus has not only vicariously satisfied for His people the requirements of God’s righteousness, but He has also secured that they shall personally satisfy them too. Christ has procured the Holy Spirit to make good in them what the Redeemer wrought for them.

The grand and glorious miracle of salvation is that the saved are regenerated. A transforming work is wrought within them. Their understandings are illuminated, their hearts are changed, their wills are renewed. They are made "new creatures in Christ Jesus" (2 Cor. 5:17). God refers to this miracle of grace thus: "I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts" (Heb. 8:10). The heart is now inclined to God’s law: a disposition has been communicated to it which answers to its demands; there is a sincere desire to perform it. And thus the quickened soul is able to say, "When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, thy face, Lord, will I seek" (Ps. 27:8).

Christ not only rendered a perfect obedience unto the Law for the justification of His believing people, but He also merited for them those supplies of His Spirit which were essential unto their sanctification, and which alone could transform carnal creatures and enable them to render acceptable obedience unto God. Though Christ died for the "ungodly" (Rom. 5:6), though He finds them ungodly (Rom. 4:5) when He justifies them, yet He does not leave them in that abominable state. On the contrary, He effectually teaches them by His Spirit to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts (Titus 2:12). Just as weight cannot be separated from a stone, or heat from a fire, so cannot justification from sanctification.

When God really pardons a sinner in the court of his Conscience, under the sense of that amazing grace the heart is purified, the life is rectified, and the whole man is sanctified. Christ "gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people [not "careless about" but], zealous of good works" (Titus 2:14). Just as a substance and its properties, causes and their necessary effects are inseparably connected, so are a saving faith and conscientious obedience unto God. Hence we read of "the obedience of faith" (Rom. 16:26).

Said the Lord Jesus, "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me" (John 14:21). Not in the Old Testament, the Gospels or the Epistles does God own anyone as a lover of Him save the one who keeps His commandments. Love is something more than sentiment or emotion; it is a principle of action, and it expresses itself in something more than honeyed expressions, namely, by deeds which please the object loved. "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments" (1 John 5:3). Oh, my reader, you are deceiving yourself if you think you love God and yet have no deep desire and make no real effort to walk obediently before Him.

But what is obedience to God? It is far more than a mechanical performance of certain duties. I may have been brought up by Christian parents, and under them acquired certain moral habits, and yet my abstaining from taking the Lord’s name in vain, and being guiltless of stealing, may be no obedience to the third and eighth commandments. Again, obedience to God is far more than conforming to the conduct of His people. I may board in a home where the Sabbath is strictly observed, and out of respect for them, or because I think it is a good and wise course to rest one day in seven, I may refrain from all unnecessary labour on that day, and yet not keep the fourth commandment at all! Obedience is not only subjection to an external law, but it is the surrendering of my will to the authority of another. Thus, obedience to God is the heart’s recognition of His lordship: of His right to command, and my duty to comply. It is the complete subjection of the soul to the blessed yoke of Christ.

That obedience which God requires can proceed only from a heart which loves Him. "Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord" (Col. 3:23). That obedience which springs from a dread of punishment is servile. That obedience which is performed in order to procure favors from God is selfish and carnal. But spiritual and acceptable obedience is cheerfully given: it is the heart’s free response to and gratitude for the unmerited regard and love of God for us.

4. We profit from the Word when we not only see it is our bounden duty to obey God, but when there is wrought in us a love for His commandments. The "blessed" man is the one whose "delight is in the law of the Lord" (Ps. 1:2).And again we read, "Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments" (Ps. 112:1). It affords a real test for our hearts to face honestly the questions, Do I really value His "commandments" as much as I do His promises? Ought I not to do so? Assuredly, for the one proceeds as truly from His love as does the other. The heart’s compliance with the voice of Christ is the foundation for all practical holiness.

Here again we would earnestly and lovingly beg the reader to attend closely to this detail. Any man who supposes that he is saved and yet has no genuine love for God’s commandment is deceiving himself. Said the Psalmist, "O how love I thy law!" (Ps. 119:97). And again, "Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold" (Ps. 119:127). Should someone object that that was under the Old Testament, we ask, Do you intimate that the Holy Spirit produces a lesser change in the hearts of those whom He now regenerates than He did of old? But a New Testament saint also placed on record, "I delight in the law of God after the inward man" (Rom. 7:22). And, my reader, unless your heart delights in the "law of God" there is something radically wrong with you; yea, it is greatly to be feared that you are spiritually dead.

5. A man profits from the Word when his heart and will are yielded to all God’s commandments. Partial obedience is no obedience at all. A holy mind declines whatsoever God forbids, and chooses to practice all He requires, without any exception. If our minds submit not unto God in all His commandments, we submit not to His authority in anything He enjoins. If we do not approve of our duty in its full extent, we are greatly mistaken if we imagine that we have any liking unto any part of it. A person who has no principle of holiness in him may yet be disinclined to many vices and be pleased to practice many virtues, as he perceives the former are unfit actions and the latter are, in themselves, comely actions, but his disapprobation of vice and approbation of virtue do not arise from any disposition to submit to the will of God.

True spiritual obedience is impartial. A renewed heart does not pick and choose from God’s commandments: the man who does so is not performing God’s will, but his own. Make no mistake upon this point; if we do not sincerely desire to please God in all things, then we do not truly wish to do so in anything. Self must be denied; not merely some of the things which may be craved, but self itself! A willful allowance of any known sin breaks the whole law (James 2:10, 11). "Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments" (Ps. 119:6). Said the Lord Jesus, "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you" (John 15:14): if I am not His friend, then I must be His enemy, for there is no other alternative-see Luke 19:27.

6. We profit from the Word when the soul is moved to pray earnestly for enabling grace. In regeneration the Holy Spirit communicates a nature which is fitted for obedience according to the Word. The heart has been won by God. There is now a deep and sincere desire to please Him. But the new nature possesses no inherent power, and the old nature or "flesh" strives against it, and the Devil opposes. Thus, the Christian exclaims, "To will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not" (Rom. 7:18). This does not mean that he is the slave of sin, as he was before conversion; but it means that he finds not how fully to realize his spiritual aspirations. Therefore does he pray, "Make me to go in the path of Thy commandments; for therein do I delight" (Ps. 119:35). And again, "Order my steps in Thy word, and let not any iniquity have dominion over me" (Ps. 119:133).

Here we would reply to a question which the above statements have probably raised in many minds: Are you affirming that God requires perfect obedience from us in this life? We answer, Yes! God will not set any lower standard before us than that (see 1 Pet. 1:15). Then does the real Christian measure up to that standard? Yes and no! Yes, in his heart, and it is at the heart that God looks (I Sam. 16:7). In his heart every regenerated person has a real love for God’s commandments, and genuinely desires to keep all of them completely. It is in this sense, and this alone, that the Christian is experimentally "perfect." The word "perfect," both in the Old Testament (Job 1:1, and Ps. 37:37) and in the new Testament (Phil. 3:15), means "upright", "sincere", in contrast with "hypocritical".

"Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble" (Ps. 10:17). The "desires" of the saint are the language of his soul, and the promise is, "He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him" (Ps. 145:19). The Christian’s desire is to obey God in all things, to be completely conformed to the image of Christ. But this will only be realized in the resurrection. Meanwhile, God for Christ’s sake graciously accepts the will for the deed (1 Pet. 2:5). He knows our hearts and see in His child a genuine love for and a sincere desire to keep all His commandments, and He accepts the fervent longing and cordial endeavour in lieu of an exact performance (2 Cor. 8:12). But let none who are living in willful disobedience draw false peace and pervert to their own destruction what has just been said for the comfort of those who are heartily desirous of seeking to please God in all the details of their lives.

If any ask, How am I to know that my "desires" are really those of a regenerate soul? we answer, Saving grace is the communication to the heart of an habitual disposition unto holy acts. The "desires" of the reader are to be tested thus: Are they constant and continuous, or only by fits and starts? Are they earnest and serious, so that you really hunger and thirst after righteousness" (Matt. 5:6) and pant "after God" (Ps. 42:1)? Are they operative and efficacious? Many desire to escape from hell, yet their desires are not sufficiently strong to bring them to hate and turn from that which must inevitably bring them to hell, namely, willful sinning against God. Many desire to go to heaven, but not so that they enter upon and follow that "narrow way" which alone leads there. True spiritual desires use the means of grace and spare no pains to realize them, and continue prayerfully pressing forward unto the mark set before them.

7. We profit from the Word when we are, even now, enjoying the reward of obedience. "Godliness is profitable unto all things" (1 Tim. 4:8). By obedience we purify our souls (1 Pet. 1:21). By obedience we obtain the ear of God (1 John 3:22), just as disobedience is a barrier to our prayers (Isa. 59:2; Jer. 5:25). By obedience we obtain precious and intimate manifestations of Christ unto the soul (John 14:21). As we tread the path of wisdom (complete subjection to God) we discover that "her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace" (Prov. 3:17). "His commandments are not grievous" (1 John 5:3), and "in keeping of them there is great reward" (Ps. 19:11).

The Bible – A Treasure Invaluable
By Adolf Saphir

If an angel from heaven, who had been before God’s throne for thousands of years, came down to earth to dwell among us, and was willing to communicate to us out of the treasure of his knowledge of divine things, how eagerly we would seek him out, and how attentively we would treasure up his words. But the Bible is better than such a celestial messenger. The Bible is given by God Himself, as the best and most perfect teacher. He, in His infinite wisdom, has adapted both the matter and manner to our needs and particular position in this world.

God has revealed to us things into which the very angels desire to look. What can be more precious than His own language and His own words, revealing to us the inmost thoughts and purposes of His heart? We ought to open the Bible with the greatest gratitude. Here is indeed a treasure invaluable. “Oh, how I love Thy Word! it is better than thousands of gold and silver; it is sweeter than honey and the honeycomb.”

We ought never to open the Scriptures except with a feeling of profound reverence and gratitude. As one has said, “They are heaven speaking upon earth; in them we hear the voice of the living God. …” (A. Monod).

In reading the Scriptures, we ought to approach with awe and reverence, with an attentive mind and a solemn, teachable heart. How thankful ought we to be for this revelation from God, for its fulness and simplicity, for the great truths it unfolds and the minute counsels it contains, for its doctrine and consolation; the history of the past and the prophecy of the future, the example of the saints and the varied experiences of God’s children.

If we speak of our duty to read the Scriptures, we use a weak and inadequate word, that does not at all correspond to the real nature of the case and to the feelings of the Christian. Where there is reverence, love, trust, where there is joy in communion with God, we look upon the reading of Scripture not as a duty, one among many others. It stands by itself. Listening to the voice of God is not one of many duties, but it is the source as well as the regulator of all duties. It is not merely a work which our conscience declares to be right, but our very conscience, and affections, and will, and mind, our whole inner man, receives from this Word light and strength.

We feel it necessary to read the Scriptures, just as food is necessary to sustain life, and as we desire to breathe pure and fresh air. It is a necessity, not a compulsion of an external kind which is opposed to our nature and which is as a mechanical burden imposed on us. It is a necessity in the sense that our whole spiritual life craves for it and cannot prosper without it.

Is not one reason of our languid and feeble spiritual life the simple fact that we do not breathe sufficiently the Bible air? Sermons and tracts and religious books contain not sufficiently that ozone which is the exclusive characteristic of God’s Word.

Read The Whole Scripture

Scripture is a connected whole. Do not neglect the historical or prophetic, or doctrinal portions. Forget not the books of Proverbs nor the little Epistle to Philemon. Think not that there is no food for the soul in the books of the Chronicles.

God has given us the whole, and means us to use the whole, for it is all profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. We Protestants speak much, and at times somewhat boastfully, of our great reverence and love for the Bible. Is our glorying in truth? Do we love the Bible not merely as a text book from which to collect proofs for our doctrine, an armory from which to select weapons to defeat our opponents, but do we love the Bible as God’s revelation in which our minds are to be molded, by which our hearts are to be influenced? Let us be really disciples, learners, not selecting, not rejecting, but receiving all our Lord has graciously caused to be written for our instruction.

While we use with gratitude the books in which men communicate their thoughts and experience, we must always, not merely in theory, but in practice, hold them in a subordinate position. The more the Bible has the pre eminence, the greater will be our power of discernment, and the more shall we be truly benefited by the writings of men. A diligent study of Scripture will place us in the true position of not be ing in bondage to man, and of being willing to learn with gratitude from all servants of the Lord.

Has a Christian ever regretted on his deathbed that he spent too much time in reading the Bible and too little time in reading men’s writings? But many of God’s people have expressed their regret that they have not studied the Word of God more. Let us then act as they would have acted, had their life been lengthened. Let us start now, as they, by the solemn and clear light of their last days, saw it was good, and wise, and blessed to start. Let us give time to the regular and diligent reading of “all Scripture.”

Read Scripture connectedly. It is true, every word of God is pure. Precious is every expression, and on a single line or verse we may meditate only to find that its depth is inexhaustible. But besides this minute reading and meditation, there ought to be also a more rapid and connected reading. Sometimes we dwell on every word and do not gain the meaning of a whole chapter or epistle. Bring all concentration of mind to the reading of Scripture, and then apply your intellect to it as to any other book.

Reverential reading includes the lower attitude of attention, exertion of mind, and earnestness. The Spirit is promised to reveal and apply to us the truths of Scripture. But one result of the Spirit’s influence is an honest application of the mind to the Bible. If we read in a kind of mental paralysis, with a mysterious feeling of perform­ing a duty which somehow or other will benefit us, we misunderstand the nature of the Bible. It is used by the Spirit to convince, instruct, comfort, guide, and this through the understanding, conscience and emotions.

Therefore in the Bible we have history, argument, poetry, precepts and principles, suggestion and appeal. All that is within us is exercised by this Word, and the more the Spirit aids us, the more will all our mental and moral faculties be brought into activity in the reading of Scripture. Again I say, let us give ourselves to frequent, copious, honest reading of the Bible, in dependence on the grace of God who alone gives the increase. …

The Bible’s Practicality For Daily Life

Let us ever remember that God has given unto us His Word that we may find in it Him, and not food for our curiosity, material for the exercise of our skill and scholarship, relief from feelings of gloom, and security in the superficial acceptance of doctrines and promises. Let us use the book for godly edifying in faith, and realize in our experience that it is profitable. The practical character of the Bible will then increasingly manifest itself to us. …

God and God alone is life. He has life in Himself and His words have also life. His words bring with them not merely good things, but that which is the first and essential requisite of all good, that is Life.

The Word is living (“quick,” Heb. 4:12), and when it is recognized as the voice of God it is powerful. Christ’s words are spirit and life (John 6:63). They are therefore compared to the seed, which appears insignificant, but which, if received in good ground, soon shows its vitality. Often the seed springs and grows up, we know not how--first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.

The Word of God, received as such, does not remain in us as a dead and inert mass, a mere addition to our knowledge, but is continually active and growing in our thoughts and words, in our character and walk, bringing forth in some a hundred-fold, in some sixty-fold, in some thirty. It is written that we are to lay aside everything that hinders and receive with meekness the engrafted Word (James 1:21). We are to keep the Word, to hide it in our heart, to give heed that the enemy take it not from our memory and our affection.

Again, this living and powerful Word is as a sword. It possesses a dividing, separating, piercing energy, which penetrates into the very depths of man and discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb. 4:12). With a most faithful accuracy and searching minuteness, it analyzes our motives. It distinguishes between nature and grace, spirit and flesh, the old life and the resurrection life. It divides, where we in our blindness and self-sufficiency imagine that all is pure and pleasing to God.

Thus the Word is a mirror true and clear, in which we may behold our likeness. As a mirror is for the purpose that we should look not at it but into it, so the Word is not used by us according to God’s purpose, unless we look into it to see in it ourselves. All “objective” admiration of the Bible as a wonderful mirror of the world and the Church, only increases our guilt when we neglect the subjective use. We are the subjects, “Thou art the man.” “Know thyself” has from remote antiquity been the counsel of human wisdom. But the precept forgets one great difficulty. “The heart is deceitful above all things” (Jer. 17:9). Who but God can know that mysterious fountain out of which are the issues of life? God alone knows and searches the heart. We therefore need a mirror such as man cannot provide. But while this mirror shows us faithfully our true condition, we behold in it also the face of the Lord from heaven who is our righteousness and whose beauty thus shines on His believers, so that the Father delights in them.

Seed, sword, mirror—these are three aspects of the practical character of Scripture. In reading it according to God’s purpose, in reliance on the Spirit, a wonderful influence is exerted on us. Impressions of an eternal character are received. The influence of the Lord is on the very heart, out of which proceed thoughts and works. Grace is our teacher, and its discipline is through the Word.

As God’s dealings with us may be all comprised under the two grand lessons, our sin and need, and His grace and fulness, so the Word continually kills and quickens—takes away our own life and gives us the Resurrection Life; discloses to us our nothingness, and unfolds to us Christ’s riches.

The ultimate end of Scripture is always Comfort. “Comfort ye, comfort ye My people,” is the motto of the Bible. But God’s comfort is in righteousness and truth. Sin is condemned in the flesh; life is given through the righteousness of Christ. The consolation of the world and the natural mind is based on the imperfect view of sin (thinking it less evil than it is) and on the false view of the creature-life (regarding it with hope). It ignores sin and evades the cross. It does not humble man. It does not lead through death unto life. Not so God’s consolation. It is the consolation of resurrection after the cross. …

The Word makes us wise unto salvation. The Word teaches us what it is to be wise. The world often mistakes cleverness and prudence for wisdom, and sometimes calls unworldliness folly. But Scripture teaches us that wisdom is from above, that Christ is our wisdom and that the end of wisdom is salvation. Yet this wisdom embraces true prudence in all earthly duties and relationships.

If we are guided by the Word, if we seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness, if we have our eye fixed on His promise, and our affections set on the things above, if we walk with Him in humility and faith, our minds will be clear and calm, our words sober, truthful and kind, our actions straightforward and prudent. In our relationship with our fellow men we shall commend and adorn the doctrine of the Gospel. Oh, how beautiful and perfect are God’s directions in Scripture. If we obeyed God in all things, temporal as well as spiritual, inward and outward, how blessed and attractive our lives would be! What civilization attempts, and attempts superficially, God’s Word realizes, and realizes radically. …

Christ In The Scriptures

The Bible is a book for life, and only he who desires to use it for life can enter into its true meaning. The Bible is profitable, but only when we read as disciples whose object is to “learn Christ.” The children of God thus read Scripture, not with the purpose of exhausting its fulness, but of receiving from it what they need for the present, though often they treasure up much which at the time is scarcely understood, but is unfolded in the future.

In reading the Word in which Christ is the substance, the believer feels that the providence of the Father and the application of the Spirit make the Scripture to have direct guiding, exhorting and comforting meaning to him. He thus not merely sees green pastures, but God Himself makes him to lie down in them, and he receives from the heavenly Shepherd what is beneficial and refreshing for his soul.

In like manner he feels that he must read with diligence and meditation, not running hastily over the field in which is hidden treasure, but digging deep to discover the precious gold. Our hearts and lives must be fashioned in accordance with the great and solemn word. We know that the difficulties in understanding the Word are not intellectual but spiritual--in the heart and conscience and will. Hence the study of Scripture is based on self-denial.

In that wonderful 119th Psalm, we have a most instructive description of the attitude and discipline of one who loves the Word: “I have refrained my feet from every evil way that I may keep Thy word. Incline my heart unto Thy testimonies and not to covetousness. I hate vain thoughts, but Thy law do I love.” He who desires to see the hidden things of the Word prays, “Cleanse Thou me from secret faults.”

Whatever the Word is, it is because of its relation to Christ. Is the Word of God quick--that is, living? It is because Christ is the Life. Is it powerful? It is because Christ is the power of God. Is it sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow? It is because Christ is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, because Christ divides between Peter who confesses Him as the Son of God and Peter who savors the things of men.

Is it a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart? It is because Christ knows what is in man, because He sees Nathanael when He is under the fig tree and the Pharisees who think evil in their hearts. Is it said of the Word, “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight; but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do”? It is because the spoken and written Word is identified with the Lord Himself, whose eyes are as a flame of fire, even the Son of man unto whom the Father has committed all judgment.

Is the Word spoken of as the sincere milk, the nourishing food of the soul? It is because Christ is the Bread of Life. Is it commended as light shining into darkness? It is because Christ is wisdom. The essence of Scripture is that Saviour in whom are all things which pertain unto life and godliness. The soul that has found Jesus Christ sees Him in Scripture always and throughout.

Jesus is the door by which alone we can enter the sanctuary of the Word. When we come to Jesus we enter into possession of the Word, for He has the words of eternal life. They are His, and He only can give the Word (John 17:14). As we have the Word through Him, and in Him, so we find Him in every portion of Scripture.

7. The Scriptures and the World A.W Pink

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Not a little is written to the Christian in the New Testament about "the world" and his attitude towards it. Its real nature is plainly defined, and the believer is solemnly warned against it. God’s holy Word is a light from heaven, shining here "in a dark place" (2 Pet. 1:19). Its Divine rays exhibit things in their true colors, penetrating and exposing the false veneer and glamour by which many objects are cloaked. That world upon which so much labour is bestowed and money spent, and which is so highly extolled and admired by its blinded dupes, is declared to be "the enemy of God"; therefore are His children forbidden to be "conformed" to it and to have their affections set upon it.

The present phase of our subject is by no means the least important of those that we have set out to consider, and the serious reader will do well to seek Divine grace to measure himself or herself by it. One of the exhortations which God has addressed to His children runs, "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby" (1 Pet. 2:2), and it behooves each one of them honestly and diligently to examine himself so as to discover whether or not this be the case with him. Nor are we to be content with an increase of mere head-knowledge of Scripture: what we need to be most concerned about is our practical growth, our experimental conformity to the image of Christ. And one point at which we may test ourselves is, Does my reading and study of God’s Word make me less worldly?

1. We profit from the Word when our eyes are opened to discern the true character of the world. One of the poets wrote, "God’s in His heaven—all’s right with the world". From one standpoint that is blessedly true, but from another it is radically wrong, for "the whole world lieth in wickedness" (1 John 5:19). But it is only as the heart is supernaturally enlightened by the Holy Spirit that we are enabled to perceive that that which is highly esteemed among men is really "abomination in the sight of God" (Luke 16:15). It is much to be thankful for when the soul is able to see that the "world" is a gigantic fraud, a hollow bauble, a vile thing, which must one day be burned up.

Before we go further, let us define that "world" which the Christian is forbidden to love. There are few words found upon the pages of Holy Writ used with a greater variety of meanings than this one. Yet careful attention to the context will usually determine its scope. The "world" is a system or order of things, complete in itself. No foreign element is suffered to intrude, or if it does it is speedily accommodated or assimilated to itself. The "world" is fallen human nature acting itself out in the human family, fashioning the framework of human society in accord with its own tendencies. It is the organized kingdom of the "carnal mind" which is "enmity against God" and which is "not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7). Wherever the "carnal mind" is, there is "the world"; so that worldliness is the world without God.

2. We profit from the Word when we learn that the world is an enemy to be resisted and overcome. The Christian is bidden to "fight the good fight of faith" (1 Tim. 6:12), which implies that there are foes to be met and vanquished. As there is the Holy Trinity—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—so also is there an evil trinity—the flesh, the world, and the Devil. The child of God is called to engage in a mortal combat with them; "mortal", we say, for either they will destroy him or he will get the victory over them. Settle it, then, in your mind, my reader, that the world is a deadly enemy, and if you do not vanquish it in your heart then you are no child of God, for it is written "Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world" (1 John 5:4).

Out of many, the following reasons may be given as to why the world must be "overcome." First, all its alluring objects tend to divert the attention and alienate the affections of the soul from God. Necessarily so, for it is the tendency of things seen to turn the heart away from things unseen. Second, the spirit of the world is diametrically opposed to the Spirit of Christ; therefore did the apostle write, "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God" (1 Cor. 2:12). The Son of God came into the world, but "the world knew him not" (John 1:10); therefore did its "princes" and rulers crucify Him (1 Cor. 2:8). Third, its concerns and cares are hostile to a devout and heavenly life. Christians, like the rest of mankind, are required by God to labour six days in the week; but while so employed they need to be constantly on their guard, lest covetous interests govern them rather than the performance of duty.

"This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4). Naught but a God-given faith can overcome the world. But as the heart is occupied with invisible yet eternal realities, it is delivered from the corrupting influence of worldly objects. The eyes of faith discern the things of sense in their real colors, and see that they are empty and vain, and not worthy to be compared with the great and glorious objects of eternity. A felt sense of the perfections and presence of God makes the world appear less than nothing. When the Christian views the Divine Redeemer dying for his sins, living to intercede for his perseverance, reigning and overruling things for his final salvation, he exclaims, "There is none upon earth that I desire beside thee."

And how is it with you as you read these lines? You may cordially assent to what has just been said in the last paragraph, but how is it with you actually? Do the things which are so highly valued by the unregenerate charm and enthral you? Take away from the worldling those things in which he delights, and he is wretched: is this so with you? Or, are your present joy and satisfaction found in objects which can never be taken from you? Treat not these questions lightly, we beseech you, but ponder them seriously in the presence of God. The honest answer to them will be an index to the real state of your soul, and will indicate whether or not you are deceived in supposing yourself to be "a new creature in Christ Jesus."

3. We profit from the Word when we learn that Christ died to deliver us from "this present evil world" (Gal. 1:4). The Son of God came here, not only to "fulfill" the requirements of the law (Matt. 5:17), to "destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8), to deliver us "from the wrath to come" (1 Thess. 1:10), to save us from our sins (Matt. 1:21), but also to free us from the bondage of this world, to deliver the soul from its enthralling influence. This was foreshadowed of old in God’s dealings with Israel. They were slaves in Egypt, and "Egypt" is a figure of the world. They were in cruel bondage, spending their time in making bricks for Pharaoh. They were unable to free themselves. But Jehovah, by His mighty power, emancipated them, and brought them forth out of the "iron furnace." Thus does Christ with His own. He breaks the power of the world over their hearts. He makes them independent of it, that they neither court its favors nor fear its frowns.

Christ gave Himself a sacrifice for the sins of His people that, in consequence thereof, they might be delivered from the damning power and governing influence of all that is evil in this present world: from Satan, who is its prince; from the lusts which predominate in it; from the vain conversation of the men who belong to it. And the Holy Spirit indwelling the saints co-operates with Christ in this blessed work. He turns their thoughts and affections away from earthly things to heavenly. By the working of His power, lie frees them from the demoralizing influence which surrounds them, and conforms them to the heavenly standard. And as the Christian grows in grace he recognizes this, and acts accordingly. He seeks yet fuller deliverance from this "present evil world," and begs God to free him from it completely. That which once charmed him now nauseates. He longs for the time when he shall be taken out of this scene where his blessed Lord is so grievously dishonored.

4. We profit from the Word when our hearts are weaned from it. "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world" (1 John 2:15). "What the stumbling-block is to the traveler in the way, the weight to the runner, the lime twigs to the bird in its flight, so is the love of the world to a Christian in his course—either wholly diverting him from, greatly enticing him in, or forcibly turning him out of it" (Nathaniel Hardy, 1660). The truth is that until the heart is purged from this corruption the ear will be deaf to Divine instruction. Not until we are lifted above the things of time and sense can we be subdued unto obedience to God. Heavenly truth glides off a carnal mind as water from a spherical body.

The world has turned its back upon Christ, and though His name is professed in many places, yet will it have nothing to do with Him. All the desires and designs of worldlings are for the gratification of self. Let their aims and pursuits be as varied as they may, self being supreme, everything is subordinated to the pleasing of self. Now Christians are in the world, and cannot get out of it; they have to live their Lord’s appointed time in it. While here they have to earn their living, support their families, and attend to their worldly business. But they are forbidden to love the world, as though it could make them happy. Their "treasure" and "portion" are to be found elsewhere.

The world appeals to every instinct of fallen man. It contains a thousand objects to charm him: they attract his attention, the attention creates a desire for and love of them, and insensibly yet surely they make deeper and deeper impressions on his heart. It has the same fatal influence on all classes. But attractive and appealing as its varied objects may be, all the pursuits and pleasures of the world are designed and adapted to promote the happiness of this life only therefore, "What shall it profit a man if he should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" The Christian is taught by the Spirit, and through His presenting of Christ to the soul his thoughts are diverted from the world. Just as a little child will readily drop a dirty object when something more pleasing is offered to it, so the heart which is in communion with God will say, "I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord... and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ" (Phil. 3:8).

5. We profit from the Word when we walk in separation from the world. "Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God" (James 4:4). Such a verse as this ought to search every one of us through and through, and make us tremble. How can I fraternize with or seek my pleasure in that which condemned the Son of God? If I do, that at once identifies me with His enemies. Oh, my reader, make no mistake upon this point. It is written, "If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15).

Of old it was said of the people of God that they "shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations" (Num. 23:9). Surely the disparity of character and conduct, the desires and pursuits, which distinguish the regenerate from the unregenerate must separate the one from the other. We who profess to have our citizenship in another world, to be guided by another Spirit, to be directed by another rule, and to be journeying to another country, cannot go arm in arm with those who despise all such things! Then let everything in and about us exhibit the character of Christian pilgrims. May we indeed be "men wondered at" (Zech. 3:8) because "not conformed to this world" (Rom. 12:2).

6. We profit from the Word when we evoke the hatred of the world. What pains are taken in the world to save appearances and keep up a seemly and good state! Its conventionalities and civilities, its courtesies and charities, are so many contrivances to give an air of respectability to it. So too its churches and cathedrals, its priests and prelates, are needed to gloss over the corruption which seethes beneath the surface. And to make good weight "Christianity" is added, and the holy name of Christ is taken upon the lips by thousands who have never taken His "yoke" upon them. Of them God says, "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me" (Matt. 15:8).

And what is to be the attitude of all real Christians toward such? The answer of Scripture is plain: "From such turn away" (2 Tim. 3:5), "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord" (2 Cor. 6:17). And what will follow when this Divine command is obeyed? Why, then we shall prove the truth of those words of Christ: "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you (John 15:19). Which "world" is specifically in view here? Let the previous verse answer: "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you."

What "world" hated Christ and hounded Him to death? The religious world, those who pretended to be most zealous for God’s glory. So it is now. Let the Christian turn his back upon a Christ—dishonoring Christendom, and his fiercest foes and most relentless and unscrupulous enemies will be those who claim to be Christians themselves! But "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you ... for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad" (Matt. 5:11,12). Ah, my brother, it is a healthy sign, a sure mark that you are profiting from the Word, when the religious world hates you. But if, on the other hand, you still have a "good standing" in the "churches" or "assemblies" there is grave reason to fear that you love the praise of men more than that of God!

7. We profit from the Word when we are elevated above the world. First, above its customs and fashions. The worldling is a slave to the prevailing habits and styles of the day. Not so the one who is walking with God: his chief concern is to be "conformed to the image of his Son." Second, above its cares and sorrows: of old it was said of the saints that they took joyfully the spoiling of their goods, knowing that they had "in heaven a better and an enduring substance" (Heb. 10:34). Third, above its temptations: what attraction has the glare and glitter of the world for those who are "delighting themselves in the Lord?" None whatever! Fourth, above its opinions and approvals. Have you learned to be independent of and defy the world? If your whole heart is set upon pleasing God, you will be quite unconcerned about the frowns of the godless.

Now, my reader, do you really wish to measure yourself by the contents of this chapter? Then seek honest answers to the following questions. First, what are the objects before your mind in times of recreation? What do your thoughts most run upon? Second, what are the objects of your choice? When you have to decide how to spend an evening or the Sabbath afternoon, what do you select? Third, which occasions you the most sorrow, the loss of earthly things, or lack of communion with God? Which causes greater grief (or chagrin), the spoiling of your plans, or the coldness of your heart to Christ? Fourth, what is your favorite topic of conversation? Do you hanker after the news of the day, or to meet with those who talk of the "altogether lovely" One? Fifth, do your "good intentions" materialize, or are they nothing but empty dreams? Are you spending more or less time than formerly on your knees? Ts the Word sweeter to your taste, or has your soul lost its relish for it?

Never let good books take the place of the Bible. Drink from the Well, not from the streams that flow from the Well.
-Amy Carmichael.

God is everywhere. However, He does not want you to reach out for Him everywhere but only in the Word. Reach out for it and you will grasp Him aright. Otherwise you are tempting God and setting up idolatry. That is why He has established a certain method for us. This teaches us how and where we are to look for Him and find Him, namely, in the Word.
-Martin Luther.

Within the covers of one single book, the Bible, are all the answers to all the problems that face us today--if only we would read and believe.
-Ronald Reagan.

Gipsy Smith told of a man who said he had received no inspiration from the Bible although he had "gone through it several times." "Let it go through you once," replied Smith, "then you will tell a different story!"

How To Study The Bible

The other day I received a letter from a young Officer asking for a few suggestions as to how to read and study the Bible. Here they are:

I. Read and study it as two young lovers read and study each other's letters. As soon as the mail brings a letter from his sweetheart, the young man grabs it and without waiting to see if there is not another letter for him, runs off to a corner and reads and laughs and rejoices over it and almost devours it. If he is a particularly desperate and demonstrative lover -- (the Lord make us desperate and demonstrative lovers of our Lord Jesus Christ!) -- he will probably kiss it and carry it next to his heart till the next one comes.

He meditates on it day and night, and reads it over again and then again. He carries it down town with him, and on the street car appears very quiet and thoughtful, till all at once a twinkle comes into his eye, out comes the letter and choice portions are read over again. He delights in that letter. If any part is hard to understand, a letter is sent off post haste for explanations, and the explanation and letter will be most carefully compared, and possibly also previous letters will be studiously compared with this one. I knew a young man whose fate was hanging in the balance. He wanted assurance, but the young woman was coy, and she veiled her true feelings and left him in uncertainty, and he studied her letters and weighed every word and phrase and brought them to me, and had me compare letter with letter, as we should compare Scripture with Scripture, in order, if possible, to discover the state of her mind and heart and his prospects. In due time he was abundantly rewarded.

Now, that is the way to read the Bible. It is God's will and testament. It is His own carefully written instructions as to what manner of people He would have us be; as to how we shall behave ourselves; what we shall do and not do; what our rights and privileges in Jesus are; what are our peculiar dangers; how we shall know our enemies and conquer them; how we shall enter into and constantly enjoy his favor and escape Hell and get safely home to Heaven.

II. Read in Acts xvii. 11, what the disciples in Berea did.

'They received the word with all readiness of mind.' A frank and noble mind is open to the truth, and wants it more than gold or pleasure or fame or power.

'They searched the Scriptures.' They wanted to know for themselves, and not by mere hearsay. They searched. Precious things are deeply hidden. Pebbles and stones and autumn leaves abound everywhere, but gold and silver and precious stones are hidden deep in the bowels and rocky ribs of the earth; shells cover the sea-shore, but pearls are hidden in its depths. And so with truth. Some truth may lie on the surface of the Bible, but those that will altogether satisfy and distinguish us and make us wise unto salvation are found only after diligent search, even as for hid treasure. 'Search the Scriptures;' said Jesus, 'for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me' (John v. 39). If you would know Jesus, search the Scriptures, and you will come to know Him and see His face, and be like Him.

'They searched daily.' Daily, not spasmodically, by fits and starts, but daily, habitually, they dug into the word of God, to find out if the things Paul preached were so. And just so must you do. 'Thou shalt meditate therein day and night' (Joshua ii. 8), was God's instruction to Joshua. And once this habit is formed the delight in God's word will become unspeakable.

'Thy words were found, and I did eat them;' said Jeremiah, 'and Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart' (Jer. xiii. 16). 'O how love I Thy law!' cried the Psalmist. 'It is my meditation all the day' (Ps. cxix. 97).

In forming the habit of Bible study we may have to begin and follow it up for a time from a sense of duty, but once the habit is formed, if we are not only hearers but doers of the word, we shall follow it up for very joy, until we can say with Job, 'I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food' (Job xxiii. 12).

III. Read and study the word not to get a mass of knowledge in the head, but a flame of love in the heart. 'Knowledge puffeth up' (I Cor. viii. I), but love buildeth up. Read it to find fuel for affection, food for reflection, direction for judgment, guidance for conscience.

Read it not that you may know, but that you may do.

IV. Follow carefully the line of thought from verse to verse and chapter to chapter. Often the first part of one chapter belongs to the last part of the preceding chapter. For instance, in the last verse of the fourth chapter of Ephesians, we read, 'And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you,' and in the first verse of the fifth chapter we read, 'Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children.'

Those two verses belong together. We are to follow God in what? Why, in the spirit of kindness and tender-heartedness and forgiveness.

Again, in John vii. 53, we read, 'And every man went unto his own house,' and in viii. 1, 'Jesus went unto the Mount of Olives.'

These two verses belong together. Jesus had no house. Bless Him! So when they went each to his own house for the night, Jesus went to the cold, dark mount!

Finally, do not be discouraged if progress in the knowledge of the word seems slow as first. It is like learning to play an instrument or master a trade; for the first few days or weeks it appears impossible, but it is not so. Some glad day a brain-cell will expand or a veil drop from your face and scales from your eyes and you will find yourself doing the impossible with ease.

So it will be in acquainting yourself with the word of God. Keep at it, keep at it, keep at it! Cry to God with David, 'Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law' (Ps. cxix. 18).

Pray for an understanding heart. You will only love and understand the word as Jesus reveals it to you. So walk with Him, take up your cross and follow Him through evil as well as good report.

After His resurrection, He came to His trembling, heart-broken, disappointed disciples, and Luke tells us that 'beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself' (Luke xxiv. 27), and later Luke says, 'Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures' (Luke xxiv. 45).

There are things in the Bible hard to be understood, and we may not know them till we stand by the crystal sea, but we can learn those things that will make us meek and lowly in heart as was Jesus, watchful, patient, loving, kind, forgiving, and utterly zealous and self-sacrificing for the salvation of men. Hallelujah!

Happy shall we be, if; like David, we can say, 'Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee' (Ps. cxix. 11).

S.L Brengle

A Classic Study by Thomas Watson
(c. 1620-1686)

This is part one of a two-part classic study on the right way to approach the reading of the Bible, God's Holy Word. The author is Thomas Watson, who also wrote the classic study on "Obedience". May the Lord bless you as you read and apply this study.

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How We May Read the Scriptures
with Most Spiritual Profit

"And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them." (Deut. 17:19).

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What Cicero said of Aristotle's Politics, may not unfitly be said of this Book of Deuteronomy: "It is full of golden eloquence." In this chapter God instructs the people of the Jews about setting a king over them. And there are two things specified in order to their king:

1. His election.

2. His religion.

1. His election.-- "Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the Lord thy God shall choose." (Deut. 17:15). Good reason God should have the choice of their king seeing "by Him kings reign" (Prov. 8:15).

2. His religion.-- "When he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, he shall write him a copy of this law in a book, out of that which is before the priests the Levites" (Deut. 17:18). Here was a good beginning of a king's reign: the first thing he did after he sat upon the throne was to copy out the word of God in a book. And in the text: "It shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them" (Deut. 17:19). It shall be with him--The book of the law shall be his vade mecum, or daily companion. Charles the Great used to set his crown upon the Bible. Indeed the Bible is the best supporter of the crown. And he shall read therein--It is not below the majesty of a prince to peruse the oracles of heaven: in them are comprised sacred apophthegms: "I will speak of excellent things" (Prov. 8:6). In the Septuagint, it is "grave things"; in the Hebrew, "princely things"; such as are fit for a God to speak and a king to read. Nor must the king only read the book of the law at his first instalment into his kingdom, but he shall read therein all the days of his life. He must not leave off reading till he left off reigning. And the reasons why he must be conversant in the law of God are in the subsequent words: (1.) "That he may learn to fear the Lord his God." Reading of the word is the best means to usher-in the fear of the Lord. (2.) "That he may keep all the words of this law, to do them." (3.) "That he may prolong his days in his kingdom" (Deut. 17:20).

I shall now confine myself to these words: "He shall read in it," that is, the book of the law, "all the days of his life." The holy scripture is as Austin saith, a golden epistle sent to us from God. This is to be read diligently. Ignorance of scripture is the mother of error. . . "Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures" (Matt 22:29). We are commanded to "search the scriptures" (John 5:39). The Greek word [for search] signifies to search as for a vein of silver. How diligently doth a child read over his father's will and testament, and a citizen peruse his charter! With the like diligence should we read God's word, which is our Magna Charta for heaven. It is a mercy the Bible is not prohibited. Trajan the emperor forbade the Jews to read in the book of the law. Let us inquire at this sacred oracle. Apollos was "mighty in the scriptures" (Acts 18:24). Melancthon, when he was young, sucked "the sincere milk of the word." Alphonsus, king of Arragon, read over the Bible fourteen times. That Roman lady Cecilia had, by much reading of the word made her breast bibliothecam Christi, "the library of Christ", as Jerome speaks. Were the scriptures only in their original tongue, many would plead excuse for not reading; but when "this sword of the Spirit" (Eph. 6:17) is unsheathed, and the word is made plain to us by being translated, what should hinder us from a diligent search into these holy mysteries? Adam was forbid, upon pain of death, to taste of the tree of knowledge: "In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Gen. 2:17). But there is no danger of touching this tree of holy scriptures; if we do not eat of this tree of knowledge, we shall surely die. What will become of them who are strangers to scripture? "I have written to him the great things of my law; but they were counted as a strange things" (Hosea 8:12). Many lay aside scripture as rusty armour (Jer. 8:9); they are better read in romances that in St. Paul; they spend many hours inter pectinem et speculum, "between the comb and the glass"; but their eyes begin to be sore when they look upon a Bible. The very Turks will rise up in judgment against these Christians: they reverence the books of Moses; and if they find but a leaf wherein any thing of the Pentateuch is written, they take it up and kiss it. They who slight the word written, slight God himself, whose stamp it bears. To slight the king's edict, is an affront offered to the person of the king. Scripture-vilifiers are in a damnable state. "Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed" (Prov. 13:13). Nor is it enough to read the word of God, but it should be our care to get some spiritual emolument and profit by it that our souls may be "nourished up in the words of faith" (I Tim. 4:6). Why else was the scripture written but that it might profit us? God did not give us His word only as a landscape, to look upon; but He delivered it to us, as a father delivers a stock of money to his son to improve. It is sad not to profit by the word, to be like a body in an atrophy that doth not thrive: men would be loath to trade, and get no profit.

QUESTION. The grand question I am to speak to is this: How we may read the scriptures with most spiritual profit. It is a momentous question and of daily use.

RESPONSE. For the resolution of this question, I shall lay down several rules or directions about reading of scripture.

DIRECTION I. If you would profit by reading, remove those things which will hinder your profiting.--That the body may thrive, obstructions must be removed. There are three obstructions [that] must be removed, if you would profit by scripture:

1. Remove the love of every sin.--Let a physician prescribe never so good receipts, if the patient takes poison, it will hinder the virtue and operation of the physic. The scripture prescribes excellent receipts; but sin lived-in poisons all. The body cannot thrive in a fever; nor can the soul, under the feverish heat of lust. Plato calls the love of sin magnus daemon, "a great devil". As the rose is destroyed by the canker which breeds in it so are the souls of men by those sins they live in.

2. Take heed of the thorns which will choke the word read.--These thorns our Saviour expounds to be "the cares of the world" (Matt. 13:22). By "cares" is meant covetousness. A covetous man is a pluralist; he hath such diversity of secular employments, that he can scarce find time to read; or if he doth what solecisms doth he commit in reading! While his eye is upon the Bible, his heart is upon the world; it is not the writings of the apostles he is so much taken with, as the writings in his account-book. Is this man likely to profit? You may as soon extract oils and syrups out of a flint as he any real benefit out of scripture.

3. Take heed of jesting with scripture.--This is playing with fire. Some cannot be merry unless they make bold with God. When they are sad they bring forth the scripture as their harp to drive away the evil spirit. As that drunkard who having drunk off his cups, called to his fellows, "Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out." In the fear of God beware of this. King Edward IV would not endure to have his crown jested with, but caused him to be executed who said he would make his son heir to the crown, meaning the sign of the crown: much less will God endure to have his word jested with. Eusebius relates of one who took a piece of scripture to jest with, [that] God struck him with frenzy. The Lord may justify giving over such persons "to a reprobate mind." (Rom. 1:28).

DIRECTION II. If you would profit prepare your hearts to the reading of the word.--The heart is an instrument [that] needs putting in tune. "Prepare your hearts unto the Lord" (I Sam. 7:3). The Heathens (as Plutarch notes) thought it indecent to be too hasty or rash in the service of their supposed deities. This preparation to reading consists in two things: (1.) In summoning our thoughts together to attend that solemn work we are going about.--The thoughts are stragglers; therefore rally them together. (2.) In purging out those unclean affections which do indispose us to reading.--The serpent, before he drinks, casts up his poison. In this we should be "wise as serpents" (Matt. 10:16); before we come to these "waters of life", [we should] cast away the poison of impure afections. Many come rashly to the reading of the word; and no wonder, if they come without preparation, [that] they go away without profit.

DIRECTION III. Read the scripture with reverence.--Think every line you read God is speaking to you. The ark, wherein the law was put, was overlaid with pure gold, and was carried on bars, that the Levites might not touch it (see Ex. 25:10-15). Why was this, but to breed in the people reverence to the law? When Ehud told Eglon he had a message to him from God, he arose from his throne (see Judg. 3:20). The word written is a message to us from Jehovah; with what veneration should we receive it!

DIRECTION IV. Read the books of scripture in order.--Though occurrences may sometimes divert our method, yet for a constant course it is best to observe an order in reading. Order is an help to memory: we do not begin to read a friend's letter in the middle.

DIRECTION V. Get a right understanding of scripture.-- "Give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments" (Ps. 119:73). Though there are some knots in scripture, which are not easily untied; yet things essential to salvation the Holy Ghost hath plainly pointed out to us. The knowledge of the sense of scripture is the first step to profiting. In the law Aaron was first to light the lamps, and then to burn the incense: the lamp of the understanding must be first lighted, before the affections can be inflamed. Get what knowledge you can by comparing scriptures, by conferring with others, by using the best annotators. Without knowledge, the scripture is a sealed book; every line is too high for us; and if the word shoot above our head, it can never hit our heart.

DIRECTION VI. Read the word with seriousness.-- "If one go over the scripture cursorily," saith Erasmus, "there is little good to be got by it; but if he be serious in reading of it, it is the `savour of life.'" And well may we be serious, if we consider the importance of those truths which are bound up in this sacred volume. "It is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life" (Deut. 32:47). If a letter were to be broken open and read, wherein a man's whole estate were concerned, how serious would he be in reading of it! In the scripture our salvation is concerned; it treats of the love Christ, a serious subject (see Titus 3:4). Christ hath loved mankind more than angels that fell (see Heb. 2:16). The loadstone, despising the gold and pearl, draws the iron to it: thus Christ passed by the angels, who were of a more noble extract, and drew mankind to him. Christ loved us more than His own life; nay, though we had a hand in His death, yet that He should not leave us out of His will, this is a love "which passeth knowledge" (Eph. 3:19). Who can read this without seriousness? The scripture speaks of the mystery of faith, the eternal recompences, the paucity of them that shall be saved: "Few chosen" (Matt. 20:16). [Vopiscus] saith, the names of all the good emperors of Rome might be engraven in a little ring. There are but a few names in the book of life. The scripture speaks of "striving" for heaven as in an agony (Luke 13:24); it cautions us of falling short of the "promised rest" (Heb. 4:1); it describes the horror of the infernal torments, "the worm and the fire" (Mark 9:44). Who can read this, and not be serious? Some have light, feathery spirits; they run over the most weighty truths in haste; like Israel, who ate the passover in haste; and they are not benefited by the word. Read with a solemn, composed spirit. Seriousness is the Christian's ballast, which keeps him from being overturned with vanity.

DIRECTION VII. Labour to remember what you read.--Satan would steal the word out of our mind (see Matt. 13:4,19); not that he intends to make use of it himself, but lest we should make use of it. The memory should be like the chest in the ark, where the law was put. "I have remembered thy judgments of old" (Ps. 119:52). Jerome writes of that religious lady Paula, that she had got most of the scriptures by heart. We are bid to have the "word dwell in" us (Col. 3:16). The word is a jewel that adorns the hidden man; and shall we not remember it? "Can a maid forget her ornaments?" (Jer. 2:32). Such as have a disease they call lienteria [in which] the meat comes up as fast as they eat it, and stays not in the stomach are not nourished by it. If the word stays not in the memory, it cannot profit. Some can better remember a piece of news than a line of scripture; their memories are like those ponds, where the frogs live, but the fish die.

DIRECTION VIII. Meditate upon what you read.-- "I will meditate in thy precepts" (Ps. 119:15). The Hebrew word [for] "meditate" signifies, "to be intense in the mind." In meditation there must be a fixing of the thoughts upon the object: the Virgin Mary "pondered" those things, &c. (see Luke 2:19). Meditation is the concoction of scripture: reading and meditation must, like Castor and Pollux appear together. Meditation without reading is erroneous; reading without meditation is barren. The bee sucks the flower, then works it in the hive, and so turns it to honey: by reading we suck the flower of the word, by meditation we work it in the hive of our mind, and so it turns to profit. Meditation is the bellows of the affections: "While I was musing the fire burned" (Ps. 39:3). The reason we come away so cold from reading the word is because we do not warm ourselves at the fire of meditation.

DIRECTION IX. Come to the reading of scripture with humble hearts.-- Acknowledge how unworthy you are that God should reveal Himself in His word to you. God's secrets are with the humble: pride is an enemy to profiting. It is observed [that] the ground on which the peacock sits is barren: that heart where pride sits is barren. An arrogant person disdains the counsels of the word, and hates the reproofs; is he likely to profit? "God giveth grace unto the humble" (James 4:6). The eminentest saints have been but of low stature in their own eyes; like the sun in the zenith they showed least when they were at the highest. David had "more understanding than all his teachers" (Ps. 119:99). But how humble was he! "I am a worm, and no man" (Ps. 22:6). David in the Arabic tongue signifies a "worm".

DIRECTION X. Give credence to the word written.--Believe it to be of God; see the name of God in every line. The Romans, that they might gain credit to their laws, reported that they were inspired by the gods at Rome. Believe the scripture to be coelo missa, "divinely inspired". "All scripture is of divine inspiration" (II Tim. 3:16). Who but God could reveal the great doctrines of the Trinity, the hypostatical union, the resurrection? Whence should the scripture come, if not from God?: 1. Sinners could not be the authors of scripture. Would they indite such holy lines? or inveigh so fiercely against those sins which they love? 2. Saints could not be the authors of scripture. How could it stand with their sanctity to counterfeit God's name, and put "Thus saith the Lord" to a book of their own devising? 3. Angels could not be the authors of scripture. What angel in heaven durst personate God, and say, "I am the Lord"? Believe the pedigree of scripture to be sacred, and to come from the "Father of lights" (James 1:17). The scripture's antiquity speaks its divinity. No human histories extant reach further than Noah's flood; but the scripture writes of things before time. Besides, the majesty, profundity, purity, harmony, of scripture show it could be breathed from none but God Himself. Add to this the efficacy the word written hath had upon men's consciences. By reading scripture they have been turned into other men; as might be instanced in St. Austin, Junius, and others. If you should set a seal upon a piece of marble, and it should leave a print behind, you would say there was a strange virtue in that seal: so, that the word written should leave a heavenly print of grace upon the heart it argues it to be of divine authority. If you would profit by the word, believe it to be of God. Some sceptics question the verity of scripture; though they have articles of religion in their "creed", yet not in their belief. "Who hath believed our report?" (Isa. 53:1). Unbelief enervates the virtue of the word and makes it abortive: who will obey those truths he doth not believe? "The word did not profit them, not being mixed with faith" (Heb. 4:2).

DIRECTION XI. Highly prize the scriptures.-- "The law of thy mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver" (Ps. 119:72). Can he make a proficiency in any art, who doth slight and deprecate it? Prize this book of God above all other books. St. Gregory calls the Bible "the heart and soul of God". The rabbins say, that there is a mountain of sense hangs upon every apex and tittle of scripture. "The law of the Lord is perfect" (Ps. 19:7). The scripture is the library of the Holy Ghost; it is a pandect of divine knowledge, an exact model and platform of religion. The scripture contains in it the credenda, "the things which we are to believe", and the agenda, "the things which we are to practice". It is "able to make us wise unto salvation" (II Tim. 2:15). The scripture is the standard of truth, the judge of controversies; it is the pole-star to direct us to heaven (see Isa. 8:20). "The commandment is a lamp" (Prov. 6:23). The scripture is the compass by which the rudder of our will is to be steered; it is the field in which Christ, the Pearl of price, is hid; it is a rock of diamonds; it is a sacred collyrium, or "eye-salve"; it mends their eyes that look upon it; it is a spiritual optic-glass in which the glory of God is resplendent; it is the panacy of "universal medicine" for the soul. The leaves of scripture are like the "leaves of the tree of life, for the healing of the nations" (Rev. 22:2). The scripture is both the breeder and feeder of grace. How is the convert born, but by "the word of truth"? (James 1:18). How doth he grow, but by "the sincere milk of the word"? (I Peter 2:2). The word written is the book out of which our evidences for heaven are fetched; it is the sea-mark which shows us the rocks of sin to avoid; it is the antidote against error and apostasy, the two-edged sword which wounds the old serpent. It is our bulwark to withstand the force of lust; like the Capitol of Rome, which was a place of strength and ammunition. The scripture is the "tower of David", whereon the shields of our faith hang (Song of Sol. 4:4). "Take away the word, and you deprive us of the sun," said Luther. The word written is above an angelic embassy, or voice from heaven. "This voice which came from heaven we heard. We have also a more sure word" (II Peter 1:18,19). O, prize the word written; prizing is the way to profiting. If Caesar so valued his Commentaries, that for preserving them he lost his purple robe, how should we estimate the sacred oracles of God? "I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food" (Job 23:12). King Edward the Sixth, on the day of his coronation had presented before him three swords, signifying that he was monarch of three kingdoms. The king said there was one sword wanting: being asked what that was, [he] answered, "The Holy Bible, which is the sword of the Spirit, and is to be preferred before these ensigns of royalty." Robert king of Sicily did so prize God's word, that, speaking to his friend Petrarcha, he said, "I protest, the scriptures are dearer to me than my kingdom; and if I must be deprived of one of them, I had rather lose my diadem than the scriptures."

DIRECTION XII. Get an ardent love to the word.--Prizing relates to the judgment, love to the affections. "Consider how I love thy precepts" (Ps. 119:159; Rom. 7:22). He is likely to grow rich who delights in his trade; he who is "a lover of learning will be a scholar". St. Austin tells us, before his conversion he took no pleasure in the scriptures, but afterwards they were his "chaste delights". David tasted the word "sweeter than the honey which drops from the comb" (Ps. 19:10). Thomas a Kempis used to say, he found no content but to be in angulo cum libello, "in a corner, with the book of God in his hand." Did Alphonsus king of Sicily recover of a fit of sickness with that great pleasure he took in reading of Quintus Curtius? What infinite pleasure should we take in reading the book of life! There is enough in the word to breed holy complacency and delight; it is a specimen and demonstration of God's love to us. The Spirit is God's love-token, the word his love-letter. How doth one delight to read over his friend's letter! The word written is a divine treasury or storehouse; in it are scattered truths as pearls, to adorn "the hidden man of the heart." The word written is the true manna, which hath all sorts of sweet taste in it; it is a sovereign elixir it "gives wine to them of an heavy heart." I have read of an ancient rabbi, who in a great concourse of people made proclamation of a sovereign cordial he had to sell: many resorting to him, and asking him to show it, he opened the Bible, and directed them to several places of comfort in it. Holy David drank of this cordial. "This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me" (Ps. 119:50). St. Chrysostom compares the scripture to a garden; every line in it is a fragrant flower, which we should wear, not in our bosom, but our heart. Delight in the word causeth profit: and we must not only love the comforts of the word, but the reproofs. Myrrh is bitter to the palate, but good for the stomach.

A Classic Study by Thomas Watson
(c. 1620-1686)
This is the final article in a two-part classic study on the right way to approach the reading of the Bible, God's Holy Word. The author is Thomas Watson, a seventeenth century pastor and teacher. The main bulk of this study consists of directions on how to approach reading the Bible. In the first part, the following directions were given:

I. Remove those things which will hinder your profiting from reading scripture.

II. Prepare your hearts for the reading of the Word.

III. Read the scripture with reverence.

IV. Read the books of scripture in order.

V. Get a right understanding of scripture.

VI. Read the word with seriousness.

VII. Labor to remember what you read.

VIII. Meditate upon what you read.

IX. Come to the reading of scripture with humble hearts.

X. Give credence to the word written.

XI. Highly prize the scriptures.

XII. Get an ardent love for the Word.

Now here, we continue this study. May the Lord bless you as you read and apply this study.

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How We May Read the Scriptures
with Most Spiritual Profit

"And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them." (Deut. 17:19).[Footnote #8]

DIRECTION XIII. Come to the reading of the word with honest hearts.--Christ speaks of "the honest heart" (Luke 8:15).

QUESTION. "What is it to read the word with an honest heart?"

ANSWER 1. To come with an heart willing to know the whole counsel of God.--A good heart would not have any truth concealed; but saith, as Job, "That which I see not, teach thou me" (Job 34:32). When men pick and choose in religion, they will do some things the word enjoins them, but not others. These are unsound hearts, and are not benefited by holy writ. These are like a patient, who having a bitter pill prescribed, and a julep, he will take the julep, but refuseth the pill.

2. To read the word with an honest heart, is to read it that we may be made better by it.--The word is the medium and organ of sanctity; and we come to it not only to illuminate us, but consecrate us: "Sanctify them through thy truth" (John 17:17). Some go to the Bible, as one goes to the garden, to pick flowers, that is, fine notions. Austin confesseth, that before his conversion he went to hear Ambrose more for the elegancy of speech and quaintness of notion, than the spirituality of the matter. This is like a woman that paints her face, but neglects her health. But this is to have an honest heart, when we come to the scriptures as Naaman to the waters of Jordan, to be healed of our leprosy. "O," saith the soul, "that this sword of the Spirit may pierce the rock of my heart; that this blessed word may have such a virtue in it, as the water of jealousy, to kill and make fruitful (Num. 5:27-28); that it may kill my sin, and make me fruitful in grace."

DIRECTION XIV. Learn to apply scripture.--Take every word as spoken to yourselves. When the word thunders against sin, think thus: "God means my sins"; when it presseth any duty, "God intends me in this." Many put off scripture from themselves, as if it only concerned those who lived in the time when it was written; but if you intend to profit by the word, bring it home to yourselves: a medicine will do no good, unless it be applied. The saints of old took the word as if it had been spoken to them by name. When king Josiah heard the threatening which was written in the book of God, he applied it to himself: "He rent his clothes, and humbled" his soul "before the Lord" (II Kings 22:11,13).

DIRECTION XV. Observe the preceptive part of the word, as well as the promissive.--The precepts carry duty in them, like the veins which carry the blood; the promises carry comfort in them, like the arteries which carry the spirits. Make use as well of the precepts to direct you, as the promises to comfort you. Such as cast their eye upon the promise, with a neglect of the command, are not edified by scripture; they look more after comfort than duty. They mistake their comforts, as Apollo embraced the laurel-tree instead of Daphne. The body may be swelled with wind as well as flesh: a man may be filled with false comfort, as well as that which is genuine and real.

DIRECTION XVI. Let your thoughts dwell upon the most material passages of scripture.--The bee fastens on those flowers where she may suck most sweetness. Though the whole contexture of scripture is excellent, yet some parts of it may have a greater emphasis, and be more quick and pungent. Reading the names of the tribes, or the genealogies of the patriarchs, is not of the same importance as faith and "the new creature" (II Cor. 5:17). Mind the magnalia legis, the "weighty things of the law" (Hosea 8:12). They who read only to satisfy their curiosity, do rather busy than profit themselves. The searching too far into Christ's temporal reign hath, I fear, weakened his spiritual reign in some men's hearts.

DIRECTION XVII. Compare yourselves with the word.--See how the scripture and your hearts agree, how your dial goes with this sun. Are your hearts, as it were, a transcript and counterpane of scripture? Is the word copied out into your hearts? The word calls for humility; are you not only humbled, but humble? The word calls for regeneration (John 3:7); have you the signature and engraving of the Holy Ghost upon you? Have you a change of heart? Not only a partial moral change, but a spiritual? Is there such a change wrought in you, as if another soul did live in the same body? "Such were some of you; but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified," etc. (I Cor. 6:11). The word calls for love to the saints (I Peter 1:22); do you love grace where you see it? Do you love grace in a poor man as well as in a rich? A son loves to see his father's picture, though hung in a mean frame; do you love grace, though mixed with some failings, as we love gold, though it be in the ore? The bringing the rule of the word and our hearts together, to see how they agree, would prove very advantageous to us. Hereby we come to know the true complexion and state of our souls, and see what evidences and certificates we have for heaven.

DIRECTION XVIII. Take special notice of those scriptures which speak to your particular case.--Were a consumptive person to read Galen or Hippocrates, he would chiefly observe what they writ about a consumption. Great regard is to be had to those paragraphs of scripture, which are most apposite to one's present case. I shall instance only in three cases: 1. Affliction. 2. Desertion. 3. Sin.

CASE I. First, Affliction.--Hath God made your chain heavy? Consult these scriptures: "If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as sons" (Heb. 12:7; See also Job 36:8-9; Deut. 8:15; I Kings 11:39; Ps. 89:30-33; Heb. 12:10-11; Ps. 37:39; Rom. 8:28; I Pet. 1:6-7; II Chron. 33:11-13; Rev. 3:19; II Cor. 4:16; Job 5:17; Micah 6:9). "By this shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit to take away his sin" (Isa. 27:9). "Your sorrow shall be turned into joy" (John 16:20). The French have a berry, which they call uve de spine, "the grape of a thorn". God gives joy out of sorrow; here is the grape of a thorn: "Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (II Cor. 4:17). The limner lays his gold upon dark colours: God first lays the dark colour of affliction, and then the golden colour of glory.

CASE II. Secondly, Desertion.--Are your spiritual comforts eclipsed? "In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment: but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee" (Isa. 54:8. See also Lam. 3:31-33; Ps. 106:6,9; 103:9; Mark 15:34; Isa. 8:17; 49:15; 50:10; 54:10; II Cor. 7:6). The sun may hide itself in a cloud, but it is not out of the firmament; God may hide his face, but he is not out of covenant. "I will not be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made" (Isa. 57:16). God is like the musician, He will not stretch the strings of His lute too hard lest they break. "Light is sown for the righteous" (Ps. 97:11). A saint's comfort may be hid as seed under the clods, but at last it will spring up into an harvest of joy.

CASE III. Thirdly, Sin.--1. Are you drawn away with lust? Read Gal. 5:24; James 1:15; I Peter 2:11: "Abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul." Lust kills the embracing. "There met him a woman with the attire of an harlot. He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter; till a dart strike through his liver," etc. (Prov. 7:10,22,23). "The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein" (Prov. 22:14). Go to the waters of the sanctuary to quench the fire of lust.

2. Are you under the power of unbelief?--Read Isa. 26:3: "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in Thee." Mr. Bolton speaks of a distressed soul who found much comfort from this scripture on his sick bed: "The word of the Lord is tried: He is a buckler to all them that trust in Him" (II Sam. 22:31. See also Zeph. 3:12; Ps. 34:22; 55:22; 32:10; Mark 9:23; I Peter 5:7). "That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish" (John 3:15). Unbelief is a God-affronting sin: "He that believeth not God, hath made him a liar" (I John 5:10). It is a soul-murdering sin: "He that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:36). Thus, in reading observe those scriptures which do rem acu tangere, "touch upon your particular case". Although all the Bible must be read; yet those texts which point most directly to your condition, be sure to put a special star upon.

DIRECTION XIX. Take special notice of the examples in scripture.--Make the examples of others living sermons to you.

1. Observe the examples of God's judgments upon sinners.--They have been hanged up in chains in terrorem. How severely hath God punished proud men! Nebuchadnezzar was turned to grass, Herod eaten up with vermin. How hath God plagued idolaters! (See Num. 25:3-5,9; I Kings 14:9-11). What a swift witness hath He been against liars! (See Acts 5:5,10). These examples are set-up as sea-marks to avoid. (See I Cor. 10:11; Jude 7).

2. Observe the examples of God's mercy to saints.--Jeremiah was preserved in the dungeon, the three children in the furnace, Daniel in the lion's den. These examples are props to faith, spurs to holiness.

DIRECTION XX. Leave not off reading in the Bible till you find your hearts warmed.-- "I will never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me" (Ps. 119:93). Read the word, not only as a history, but labour to be affected with it. Let it not only inform you, but inflame you. "`Is not my word like as a fire?' saith the Lord" (Jer. 23:29). Go not from the word till you can say as those disciples, "Did not our heart burn within us?" (Luke 24:32).

DIRECTION XXI. Set upon the practice of what you read.-- "I have done Thy commandments" (Ps. 119:166). A student in physic doth not satisfy himself to read over a system or body of physic, but he falls upon practising physic: the life-blood of religion lies in the practice part. So, in the text: "He shall read" in the book of the law "all the days of his life: that he may learn to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them" (Deut. 17:19). Christians should be walking Bibles. Xenophon said, "Many read Lycurgus's laws, but few observe them." The word written is not only a rule of knowledge, but a rule of obedience: it is not only to mend our sight, but to mend our pace. David calls God's word "a lamp unto his feet" (Ps. 119:105). It was not only a light to his eyes to see by, but to his feet to walk by. By practice we trade the talent of knowledge, and turn it to profit. This is a blessed reading of scripture, when we fly from the sins which the word forbids, and espouse the duties which the word commands. Reading without practice will be but a torch to light men to hell.

DIRECTION XXII. Make use of Christ's prophetical office.--He is "the Lion of the tribe of Judah," to whom it is given "to open the book" of God, "and to loose the seven seals thereof" (Rev. 5:5). Christ doth so teach as He doth quicken. "I am the light of the world: He that followeth me shall have," lumen vitae, "the light of life" (John 8:12). The philosopher saith, "Light and heat increase together." It is true here: where Christ comes into the soul with his light, there is the heat of spiritual life going along with it. Christ gives us spiritualem gustum, "a taste of the word": "Thou has taught me. How sweet are thy words unto my taste!" (Ps. 119:102,103). It is one thing to read a promise, another thing to "taste" it. Such as would be scripture-proficients, let them get Christ to be their teacher. "Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures" (Luke 24:45). Christ did not only open the scriptures, but "opened their understanding".

DIRECTION XXIII. Trend often upon the threshold of the sanctuary.--Wait diligently on a rightly-constituted ministry: "Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching diligently at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors" (Prov. 8:34). Ministers are God's interpreters; it is their work to expound and open dark places of scripture. We read of their work to expound and open dark places of scripture. We read of "pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers" (Judges 7:16). Ministers are "earthen" pitchers (II Cor. 4:7). But these pitchers have lamps within them, to light souls in the dark.

DIRECTION XXIV. Pray that God will make you profit.-- "I am the Lord thy God, which teacheth thee to profit" (Isa. 48:17). Make David's prayer: "Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law" (Ps. 119:18). Pray to God to take off the veil on the scripture, that you may understand it; and the veil on your heart, that you may believe it. Pray that God will not only give you His word as a rule of holiness, but His grace as a principle of holiness. Implore the guidance of God's Spirit: "Thou gavest them Thy good Spirit to instruct them" (Neh. 9:20). Though the ship hath a compass to sail by, and store of tackling, yet without a gale of wind it cannot sail. Though we have the word written as our compass to sail by, and make use of our endeavours as the tackling, yet, unless the Spirit of God blow upon us, we cannot sail with profit. When the Almighty is as "dew" unto us, then we "grow as the lily," and our "beauty is as the olive-tree" (Hos. 14:5,6). Beg the anointing of the Holy Ghost (see I John 2:20). One may see the figures on a dial, but he cannot tell how the day goes unless the sun shine: we may read many truths in the Bible, but we cannot know them savingly till God's Spirit shine in our souls (see II Cor. 4:16). The Spirit is "a Spirit of wisdom and revelation" (Eph. 1:17). When Philip joined himself to the eunuch's chariot, then he understood scripture (see Acts 8:29-35). When God's Spirit joins Himself to the word, then it will be effectual to salvation.

These rules observed, the word written would, through God's blessing, be "an engrafted word" (James 1:21). A good scion grafted into a bad stock changeth the nature of it, and makes it bear sweet and generous fruit; so when the word is grafted savingly into men's hearts, it doth sanctify them, and make them bring forth the sweet "fruits of righteousness" (Phil. 1:11).

Thus I have answered this question, How we may read the scriptures with most spiritual profit.

I shall conclude all with two corollaries:--

1. Content not yourselves with the bare reading of scripture, but labour to find some spiritual increment and profit.--Get the word transcribed into your hearts: "The law of his God is in his heart" (Ps. 37:31). Never leave till you are assimilated into the word. Such as profit by reading of the book of God are the best Christians alive; they answer God's cost, they credit religion, they save their souls.

2. You who have profited by reading the holy scriptures, adore God's distinguishing grace.--Bless God that He hath not only brought the light to you, but opened your eyes to see it; that He hath unlocked His hid treasure, and enriched you with saving knowledge. Some perish by not having scripture, and others by not improving it. That God should pass by millions in the world, and the lot of his electing love should fall upon you; that the scripture, like the pillar of cloud, should have a dark side to others, but a light side to you; that to others it should be a "dead letter," but to you the "savour of life"; that Christ should not only be revealed to you, but in you (see Gal. 1:16); how should you be in an holy ecstasy of wonder, and wish that you had hearts of seraphim burning in love to God, and the voices of angels, make heaven ring with God's praises!

OBJECTION. But some of the godly may say, they fear they do not profit by the word they read.

RESPONSE. As in the body, when there is a lipothymy or "fainting of the vital spirits", cordials are applied: so let me apply a few diving cordials to such as are ready to faint under the fear of non-proficiency.

1. You may profit by reading the word, though you come short of others.--The ground which brought forth but thirty-fold was "good ground" (Matt. 13:8). Say not you are non-proficients, because you do not go in equipage with other eminent saints: those were counted strong men among David's worthies, though they did not attain to the honour of the first three (see II Sam. 23:19,22,23).

2. You may profit by reading the word, though you are not of so quick apprehension.--Some impeach themselves of non-proficiency, because they are but slow of understanding. When our blessed Savior foretold His sufferings, the apostles themselves "understood not, and it was hid from them" (Luke 9:45). The author to the Hebrews speaks of some who were "dull of hearing" (Heb. 5:11); yet they belonged to election. Such as have weaker judgments may have stronger affections. Leah was tender-eyed, yet fruitful. A Christian's intellectuals may be less quick and penetrating, yet that little knowledge he hath of scripture keeps him from sin; as a man that hath but weak sight, yet it keeps him from falling into the water.

3. You may profit by reading scripture, though you have not so excellent memories.--Many complain their memories leak. Christian, art thou grieved thou canst remember no more? Then, for thy comfort,

(1.) Thou mayest have a good heart, though thou hast not so good a memory.

(2.) Though thou canst not remember all thou readest, yet thou rememberest that which is most material, and which thou hast most need of.--At a feast we do not eat of every dish, but we take so much as nourisheth. It is with a good Christian's memory as it is with a lamp: though the lamp be not full of oil, yet it hath so much oil as makes the lamp burn: though thy memory be not full of scripture, yet thou retainest so much as makes thy love to God burn. Then be of good comfort; thou dost profit by what thou readest; and take notice of that encouragion scripture: "The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, He shall bring all things to your remembrance" (John 14:26).

Thankyou Brother Christian for this work...

God Bless
Jeff

I was just thinking, if you have to read all this, where on earth would you get the time to read the Bible!

By the way, thanks for the 'notes'!

God bless.

enid wrote:
I was just thinking, if you have to read all this, where on earth would you get the time to read the Bible!

.

it has become a minor book ..... this thread :-). And yes its quite long, but i figured since there is quite a lot, one can pick and choose and read some and come back later, every author have their own opinion, some have very similar on how to read and study, i guess everyone can get some advice and hints that may suit them and help them in their study,

and i think we should spend most time in the bible, no matter what books we have we still should hold the word first hand... top priority so to speak. This weeks "featured sermon" comes to mind a quote from Werver.....

"there is no shortcut to holiness"

and there is no easy way to know scripture... time and time and study and study, and pray and pray, then there are some different methods to do it more effectual.... i guess that what it comes down to, get as much as you can for eternity in this short life, but recently i heard a sermon from K.P Yohannan, he said something like, in some countries if you have a bible and read two books about the bible or Christian living you would be considered a theologian because you know so much, because they have no Christian radios, no 25 bible versions, no commentaries , no concordances, if they are real fortunate they have two bibles per church...!!! so we who are very blessed with freedom and this awesome privlige.... we better make sure we put into practice what we read...so its not only knowledge....

God bless

Christian

Glad you took that in good humour. We need that.

The word of God tells us, 'Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away', Matt 24v35.

Whilst, we might think, the Bible is only to get us through this life, and in a way it is, much more, it is to fit us in this life for the next.

I have read an article by John MacAuthur that says we should spend 20 hours per week in Bible study.

It would not hurt, and, like the psalmist, it would show our love for God and His word,
Ps 119v97, plus others!

And it would please God, which should be our ultimate goal, Col 1v10.

God bless.

Guidelines: Part 5 HOW TO STUDY YOUR BIBLE

HOW TO STUDY YOUR BIBLE

1. Begin with prayer
1 Corinthians 2:9-14; John 16:12-15; John 14:26

2. Read the Bible
Nehemiah 8:1-3

3. Study the Bible
Nehemiah 8:8

4. Meditate upon the Bible
Deuteronomy 6:6-9; Psalm 1

5. Pass the Bible on to others
Hebrews 5:12; Romans 12:7

HOW TO STUDY EACH CHAPTER

Locate:

1. The theme
2. The most important verse
3. The most prominent word
4. The teaching about Christ
5. The command to obey
6. The promise to claim
7. The new truth learned
Psalm 119:18

[url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/articles/index.php?view=category&cid=80]J. Vernon McGee [/url]

[url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/visit.php?lid=13296]How Much Is Your Bible Worth? by Warren Wiersbe[/url]

this sermon is maybe not so much "how to get the most" as much as it is a challenge and a sermon on what the word should be in our life...

How much is the bible worth to you?

Bible-Reading by J C Ryle

"Study the Scriptures" (John 5:39).

"How do you read it?" (Luke 10:26).

Next to praying there is nothing so important in practical religion as Bible-reading. God has mercifully given us a book which is "able to make [us] wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:15). By reading that book we may learn what to believe, what to be, and what to do; how to live with comfort, and how to die in peace. Happy is that man who possesses a Bible! Happier still is he who reads it! Happiest of all is he who not only reads it, but obeys it, and makes it the rule of his faith and practice!

Nevertheless it is a sorrowful fact that man has a sad ability to abuse God’s gifts. His privileges, and power, and abilities, are all ingeniously perverted to other ends than those for which they were bestowed. His speech, his imagination, his intellect, his strength, his time, his influence, his money—instead of being used as instruments for glorifying his Maker—are generally wasted, or employed for his own selfish ends. And just as man naturally makes a bad use of his other mercies from God, so he does of the written Word. One sweeping charge may be brought against the whole of Christendom, and that charge is neglect and abuse of the Bible.

To prove this charge we have no need to look elsewhere: the proof lies at our own doors. I have no doubt that there are more Bibles in our country at this moment than there ever were since the world began. There is more Bible buying—and Bible selling—more Bible printing and Bible distributing—than ever was since we were a nation. We see Bibles in every bookstore, Bibles of every size, price, and style—large Bibles, and small Bibles—Bibles for the rich, and Bibles for the poor. There are Bibles in almost every house in the land. But all this time I fear we are in danger of forgetting, that to "have" the Bible is one thing and to "read" it quite another.

This neglected Book is the subject about which I address the readers of this paper today. Surely it is no small thing what you are doing with the Bible. Surely, when the plague is spreading in other lands, you should search and see whether the plague-spot is on you. Give me your attention while I supply you with a few plain reasons why every one who cares for his soul ought to value the Bible highly, to study it regularly, and to make himself thoroughly acquainted with its contents.

I. In the first place, "there is no book in existence written in such a manner as the Bible."

The Bible is "God-breathed" (2 Timothy 3:16). In this respect it is utterly unlike all other writings. God taught the writers of it what to say. God put into their minds thoughts and ideas. God guided their pens in writing down those thoughts and ideas. When you read it, you are not reading the self-taught compositions of poor imperfect men like yourself, but the words of the eternal God. When you hear it, you are not listening to the erring opinions of short-lived mortals, but to the unchanging mind of the King of kings. The men who were employed to write the Bible did not speak themselves. They "spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21). All other books in the world, however good and useful in their way, are more or less defective. The more you look at them the more you see their defects and blemishes. The Bible alone is absolutely perfect. From beginning to end it is "the Word of God."

I will not waste time by attempting any long and labored proof of this. I say boldly, that the Book itself is the best witness of its own inspiration. It is the greatest standing miracle in the world. He that dares to say the Bible is not inspired must give an explanation why he believes this, if he can. Let him explain the peculiar nature and character of the Book in a way that will satisfy any man of common sense. The burden of proof seems to my mind to lie on him.

It proves nothing against inspiration, as some have asserted, that the writers of the Bible have each different style. Isaiah does not write like Jeremiah, and Paul does not write like John. This is perfectly true, and yet the works of these men are not a bit less equally inspired. The waters of the sea have many different shades. In one place they look blue, and in another green. And yet the difference is due to the depth or shallowness of the part we see, or to the nature of the bottom. The water in every case is the same salt sea. The breath of a man may produce different sounds according to the character of the instrument on which he plays. The flute, the bagpipe, and the trumpet, have each their peculiar note. And yet the breath that calls forth the notes is in each case one and the same. The light of the planets we see in heaven is extremely various. Mars, and Saturn, and Jupiter, each have a individual color. And yet we know that the light of the sun, which each planet reflects, is in each case one and the same. Just in the same way the books of the Old and New Testaments are all inspired truth, and yet the aspect of that truth varies according to the mind through which the Holy Spirit makes it flow. The handwriting and style of the writers differ enough to prove that each had a distinct individual being; but the Divine Guide who dictates and directs the whole is always one. All are inspired. Every chapter, and verse, and word, is from God.

Oh, that men who are troubled with doubts, and thoughts about inspiration, would calmly examine the Bible for themselves! Oh, that they would take the advice which was the first step to Augustine’s conversion, "Pick it up and read it! Pick it up and read it!" How many difficulties and objections would vanish away at once like mist before the rising sun! How many would soon confess, "The finger of God is here! God is in this Book, and I did not know it."

This is the Book about which I address the readers of this paper. Surely it is no light matter "what you are doing with this Book." It is no light thing that God should have caused this Book to be "written to teach us," and that you should have before you "the very words of God" (Romans 3:2; 15:4). I charge you, I summon you to give an honest answer to my questions. What are you doing with the Bible? Do you read it at all? How do you read it?

II. In the second place, "there is no knowledge absolutely needful to a man’s salvation, except a knowledge of the things which are to be found in the Bible."

We live in days when the words of Daniel are fulfilled before our eyes: "Many will go here and there to increase knowledge" (Daniel 12:4). Schools are multiplying every where you look. New colleges are set up. Old Universities are reformed and improved. New books are continually coming out. More is being taught—more is being learned—more is being read than there ever was since the world began. It is all good. I rejoice at it. An ignorant population is a perilous and expensive burden to any nation. It is a ready prey to the first who may arise to entice it to do evil. But this I say—we must never forget that all education a man’s head can receive will not save his soul from hell, unless he knows the truths of the Bible.

A man "may have immense learning and yet never be saved." He may be master of half the languages spoken around the globe. He may be acquainted with the highest and deepest things in heaven and earth. He may have read books till he is like a walking encyclopedia. He may be familiar with the stars of heaven—the birds of the air—the beasts of the earth, and the fishes of the sea. He may be able, like Solomon, to "describe plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls, and also teach about animals and birds, reptiles and fish" (1 Kings 4:33). He may be able to lecture on all the secrets of fire, air, earth, and water. And yet, if he dies ignorant of Bible truths, he dies a destitute man! Chemistry never silenced a guilty conscience. Mathematics never healed a broken heart. All the sciences in the world never soothed a dying man. No earthly philosophy ever supplied hope in death. No natural theology ever gave peace in the prospect of meeting a holy God. All these things are of the earth and can never raise a man above the earth’s level. They may enable a man to strut and fret his little time here on earth with a more dignified manner of walking than his fellow-mortals, but they can never give him wings, and enable him to soar towards heaven. He that has the largest share of them, will find in time that without Bible knowledge he has no lasting possession. Death will make an end of all his attainments, and after death they will do him no good at all.

A man "may be a very ignorant man, and yet be saved." He may be unable to read a word, or write a letter. He may know nothing of geography beyond the bounds of his own city or county, and be utterly unable to say which is nearest to England, Paris or New York. He may know nothing of arithmetic, and not see any difference between a million and a thousand. He may know nothing of history, not even of his own land, and be quite ignorant whether his country is headed up by a Tribal Chief or by Queen Elizabeth. He may know nothing of science and its discoveries—and whether Julius Caesar won his victories with gunpowder, or the apostles had a printing press, or the sun orbits around the earth—may be matters about which he has not an idea. And yet, if that very man has heard Bible truth with his ears and believed it with his heart, he knows enough to save his soul. He will be found in the end with Lazarus in heaven, while his scientific fellow-creature, who has died unconverted, is lost forever.

There is much talk in these days about science and "useful knowledge." But a knowledge of the Bible is the one knowledge that is needful and eternally useful. A man may get to heaven without money, learning, health, or friends, but without Bible knowledge he will never get there at all. A man may have the mightiest of minds, and a memory stored with all that strong mind can grasp—and yet, if he does not know the things of the Bible, his soul is damned forever. Woe! woe! woe to the man who dies in ignorance of the Bible!

This is the Book about which I am addressing the readers of these pages today. It is no light matter "what you do with such a book." It concerns the life of your soul. I summon you, I charge you to give an honest answer to my question. What are you doing with the Bible? Do you read it? How do you read it?

III. In the third place, "no book in existence contains such important matter as the Bible."

Time would fail me if I were to enter fully into all the great things which are to be found in the Bible, and only in the Bible. It is not by any sketch or outline that the treasures of the Bible can be displayed. It would be easy to fill a volume with a list of the exceptional truths it reveals, and yet the half of its riches would be left untold.

How glorious and soul-satisfying is the description it gives us of God’s plan of salvation, and the way by which our sins can be forgiven! The coming into the world of Jesus Christ, the God-man, to save sinners—the redemption He has accomplished for man by His suffering, in our place, the just for the unjust—the complete payment He has made for our sins by His own blood—the justification of every sinner who simply believes on Jesus—the readiness of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to receive, pardon, and save to the uttermost—how unspeakably grand and comforting are all these truths! We would know nothing of them without the Bible.

How comforting is the account it gives us of the great Mediator of the New Testament—the man Christ Jesus! Four times over His picture is graciously drawn before our eyes. Four separate witnesses tell us of His miracles and His ministry—His sayings and His actions—His life and His death—His power and His love—His kindness and His patience—His ways, His words, His works, His thoughts, His heart. Blessed be God, there is one thing in the Bible which the most prejudiced reader can hardly fail to understand, and that is the character of Jesus Christ!

How encouraging are the examples the Bible gives us of good people! It tells us of many who were of like passions with ourselves—men and women who had cares, crosses, families, temptations, afflictions, diseases, like ourselves—and yet "through faith and patience inherited what has been promised," and got safely home (Hebrews 6:12). It keeps back nothing in the history of these people. Their mistakes, their weaknesses, their conflicts, their experience, their prayers, their praises, their useful lives, their happy deaths—all are fully recorded. And it tells us the God and Savior of these men and women is still the same today as yesterday, and still waits to be gracious.

How instructive are the examples the Bible gives us of bad people! It tells us of men and women who had light and knowledge and opportunities like ourselves, and yet hardened their hearts, loved the world, clung to their sins, would have their own way, despised reproof, and ruined their own souls forever. And it warns us that the God who punished Pharaoh, and Saul, and Ahab, and Jezebel, and Judas, is a God who never changes, and that there is a real hell.

How precious are the promises which the Bible contains for the use of those who love God! There is hardly any possible emergency or condition for which it does not have a word of hope and encouragement. And it tells men that God loves to be put in remembrance of these promises, and that if He has said He will do something, His promise will certainly be fulfilled.

How blessed are the hopes which the Bible holds out to the believer in Christ Jesus! Peace in the hour of death—rest and happiness on the other side of the grave—a glorious body in the morning of the resurrection—a full and triumphant acquittal in the day of judgment—an everlasting reward in the kingdom of Christ—a joyful meeting with the Lord’s people in the day of gathering together—these, these are the future prospects of every true Christian. They are all written in the book—in the book which is all true.

How striking is the light which the Bible throws on the character of man! It teaches us what men may be expected to be and do in every position and occupation of life. It gives us the deepest insight into the secret springs and motives of human actions, and the ordinary course of events under the control of human agents. It is the true "judge of the thoughts and attitudes of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12). How deep is the wisdom contained in the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastics! I can correctly understand an old Christian saying, "Give me a candle and a Bible and shut me up in a dark dungeon, and I will tell you everything that the whole world is doing."

All these are things which men could find nowhere except in the Bible. We probably do not have the least idea how little we would know about these things if we did not have the Bible. We hardly know the value of the air we breathe, and the sun which shines on us, because we have never known what it is to be without them. We do not value the truths on which I have been just now dwelling, because we do not realize the darkness of men to whom these truths have not been revealed. Surely no tongue can fully tell the value of the treasures this one volume contains. Well might old John Newton say that some books were copper books in his estimation, some were silver, and a few were gold but the Bible alone was like a book all made up of bank-notes.

This is the Book about which I address the reader of this paper this day. Surely it is no light matter what you are doing with the Bible. It is no light matter in what way you are using this treasure. I charge you, I summon you to give an honest answer to my question—What are you doing with the

Bible? Do you read it? How do you read it?

IV. In the fourth place, "no book in existence has produced such wonderful effects on mankind at large as the Bible."

(a) This is the Book whose doctrines turned the world upside down in the days of the Apostles.

Many centuries have now passed away since God sent forth a few Jews from a remote corner of the earth to do a work which according to man’s judgment, must have seemed impossible. He sent them out at a time when the whole world was full of superstition, cruelty, lust, and sin. He sent them out to proclaim that the established religions of the earth were false and useless, and must be forsaken. He sent them out to persuade men to give up old habits and customs, and to live different lives. He sent them out to do battle with the most perverted idolatry, with the vilest and most disgusting immorality, with a bigoted priesthood, with sneering philosophers, with an ignorant population, with bloody-minded emperors, with the whole influence of Rome. Never was there an enterprise for all appearances more unrealistic and less likely to succeed!

And how did He arm them for this battle? He gave them no worldly weapons. He gave them no worldly power to compel agreement, and no worldly riches to bribe belief. He simply put the Holy Spirit into their hearts, and the Scriptures into their hands. He simply commanded them to expound and explain, to require compliance and to publish the doctrines of the Bible. The preacher of Christianity in the first century was not a man with a sword and an army to frighten people, or a man with a license to be sensual, to allure people, like the priests of the shameful idols of the Hindus. No, he was nothing more than one holy man with one holy book.

And how did these men of one book prosper? In a few generations they entirely changed the face of society by the doctrines of the Bible. They emptied the temples of the heathen gods. They starved out idolatry and left it high and dry like a stranded ship. They brought into the world a higher condition of morality between man and man. They raised the character and position of woman. They altered the standard of purity and decency. They put an end to man’s cruel and bloody customs, such as the gladiatorial fights—there was no stopping the change. Persecution and opposition were useless. One victory after another was won. One bad thing after another melted away. Whether men liked it or not, they were slowly affected by the movement of the new religion and drawn within the whirlpool of its power.

The earth shook, and their rotten shelters fell to the ground. The flood rose, and they found themselves obliged to rise with it. The tree of Christianity swelled and grew, and the chains they had thrown around it to arrest its growth, snapped like string. And all this was done by the doctrines of the Bible! Talk about great victories! What are the victories of Alexander, and Caesar, and Napoleon, compared with those I have just mentioned? For magnitude, for completeness, for results, for permanence, there are no victories like the victories of the Bible.

(b) This is the Book which turned Europe upside down in the days of the glorious Protestant Reformation.

No man can read the history of Christendom as it was five hundred years ago, and not see that darkness covered the whole professing Church of Christ, even a darkness that could be felt. So great was the change which had come over Christianity, that if an apostle had risen from the dead he would not have recognized it, and would have thought that heathenism had revived again. The doctrines of the Gospel lay buried under a dense mass of human traditions. Penances, and pilgrimages, and indulgences, relic-worship, and image-worship, and saint-worship, and worship of the Virgin Mary, formed the sum and substance of most people’s religion. The Church was made an idol. The priests and ministers of the Church usurped the place of Christ. And by what means was all this miserable darkness cleared away? By simply bringing forth once more the Bible.

It was not merely the preaching of Luther and his friends, which established Protestantism in Germany. The great weapon which overthrew the Roman Catholic Church’s power in that country, was Luther’s translation of the Bible into the German tongue. It was not merely the writings of English Reformers which threw down Roman Catholicism in England. The seeds of the work carried forward were first sown by Wycliffe’s translation of the Bible many years before. It was not merely the quarrel of Henry VIII and the Pope of Rome, which loosened the Pope’s hold on English minds. It was the royal permission to have the Bible translated and set up in churches, so that every one who wanted might read it. Yes! it was the reading, and circulation of the Scripture which mainly established the cause of Protestantism in England, in Germany, and Switzerland. Without it the people would probably have returned to their former bondage when the first reformers died. But by the reading of the Bible the public mind became gradually leavened with the principles of true religion. Men’s eyes became thoroughly open. Their spiritual understandings became thoroughly enlarged. The abominations of Roman Catholicism became distinctly visible. The excellence of the pure Gospel became a rooted idea in their hearts. It was then in vain for Popes to thunder forth excommunications. It was useless for Kings and Queens to attempt to stop the course of Protestantism by fire and sword. It was all too late. The people knew too much. They had seen the light. They had heard the joyful sound. They had tasted the truth. The sun had risen on their minds. The scales had fallen from their eyes. The Bible had done its appointed work within them, and that work was not to be overthrown. The people would not return to Egypt. The clock could not be pushed back again. A mental and moral revolution had been effected, and mainly effected by God’s Word. Those are the true revolutions which the Bible effects. What are all the revolutions which France and England have gone through, compared to these? No revolutions are so bloodless, none so satisfactory, none so rich in lasting results, as the revolutions accomplished by the Bible!

This is the book upon which the well-being of nations has always hinged, and with which the best interests of everyone in Christendom at this moment are inseparably tied. By the same proportion that the Bible is honored or not, light or darkness, morality or immorality, true religion or superstition, liberty or tyranny, good laws or bad, will be found in a nation. Come with me and open the pages of history, and you will read the proofs in times past.

Read it in the history of Israel under the Kings. How great was the wickedness that then prevailed! But who can wonder? The law of the Lord had been completely lost sight of, and was found in the days of Josiah thrown aside in a corner of the temple. (2 Kings 22:8). Read it in the history of the Jews in our Lord Jesus Christ’s time. How awful the picture of Scribes and Pharisees, and their religion! But who can wonder? The Scripture was "nullified for the sake of man’s tradition" (Matthew 15:6). Read it in the history of the Church of Christ in the middle ages. What can be worse than the accounts we have of its ignorance and superstition? But who can wonder? The times were very dark, when men did not have the light of the Bible.

This is the Book to which the civilized world is indebted for many of its best and most praiseworthy institutions. Few probably are aware how many good things that men have adopted for the public benefit, of which the origin may be clearly traced to the Bible. It has left lasting marks wherever it has been received. From the Bible are drawn many of the best laws by which society is kept in order. From the Bible has been obtained the standard of morality about truth, honesty, and the relations of man and wife, which prevails among Christian nations, and which—however feebly respected in many cases—makes so great a difference between Christians and heathen. To the Bible we are indebted for that most merciful provision for the poor working man, the Lord’s Day of rest—Sunday. To the influence of the Bible we owe nearly every humane and charitable institution in existence. The sick, the poor, the aged, the orphan, the insane, the retarded, the blind, were seldom or never thought of before the Bible influenced the world. You may search in vain for any record of institutions for their aid in the histories of Athens or of Rome. Yes! there are many who sneer at the Bible, and say the world would get on well enough without it, who don’t think how great are their own obligations to the Bible. Little does the unbeliever think, as he lies sick in some of our great hospitals, that he owes all his present comforts to the very book he despises. Had it not been for the Bible, he might have died in misery, uncared for, unnoticed and alone. Truly the world we live in is unconscious of its debts. The day of judgment, I believe, will reveal the full amount of benefit conferred upon mankind by the Bible.

This wonderful book is the subject about which I address the reader of this paper this day. Surely it is no light matter what you are doing with the Bible. The swords of conquering Generals—the ship in which Nelson led the fleets of England to victory—the hydraulic press which raised the tubular bridge at the Menai; each and every of these are objects of interest as instruments of great power. The Book I speak of this day is an instrument a thousand-fold mightier still. Surely it is no light matter whether you are paying it the attention it deserves. I charge you, I summon you to give me an honest answer this day—What are you doing with the Bible? Do you read it? How do you read it?

V. In the fifth place, "no book in existence can do so much for every one who reads it with an open heart, as the Bible."

The Bible does not profess to teach the wisdom of this world. It was not written to explain geology or astronomy. It will neither instruct you in mathematics, nor in natural philosophy. It will not make you a doctor, or a lawyer, or an engineer.

But there is another world to be thought of besides that world in which man now lives. There are other ends for which man was created, besides making money and working. There are other interests which he is meant to attend to, besides those of his body, and those interests are the interests of his soul. It is the interests of the immortal soul which the Bible is especially able to promote. If you want to know law, you may study Blackstone or Sugden. If you would know astronomy or geology, you may study Herschel and Lyell. But if you would know how to have your soul saved, you must study the written Word of God.

The Bible is "able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:15). It can show you the way which leads to heaven. It can teach you everything you need to know, point out everything you need to believe, and explain everything you need to do. It can show you what you are—a sinner. It can show you what God is—perfectly holy. It can show you the great giver of pardon, peace, and grace—Jesus Christ. I have read of an Englishman who visited Scotland in the days of Blair, Rutherford, and Dickson, three famous preachers, and heard all three in succession. He said that the first showed him the majesty of God—the second showed him the beauty of Christ—and the third showed him everything in his heart. It is the glory and beauty of the Bible that it is always teaching these three things more or less, from the first chapter of it to the last.

The Bible applied to the heart by the Holy Spirit, "is the grand instrument by which souls are first converted to God." That mighty change is generally begun by some text or doctrine of the Word, brought home to a man’s conscience. In this way the Bible has worked moral miracles by the thousands. It has made drunkards become sober—immoral people become pure—thieves become honest and violent-tempered people become meek. It has wholly altered the course of men’s lives. It has caused their old things to pass away, and made all their ways new. It has taught worldly people to seek first the kingdom of God. It has taught lovers of pleasure to become lovers of God. It has taught the stream of men’s affections to run upwards instead of running downwards. It has made men think of heaven, instead of always thinking of earth, and live by faith, instead of living by sight. It has done all this in every part of the world. It is still all being accomplished. What are the Roman Catholic miracles which weak men believe, compared to all this, even if they were true? Those are the truly great miracles which are constantly being worked by the Word.

The Bible applied to the heart by the Holy Spirit, is "the chief means by which men are built up and strengthened in the faith," after their conversion. It is able to make them pure, to sanctify them, to train them in righteousness, and to thoroughly equip them for every good work. (Psalm 119:9; John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Spirit ordinarily does these things by the written Word; sometimes by the Word read, and sometimes by the Word preached, but seldom, if ever, without the Word. The Bible can show a believer how to walk in this world so as to please God. It can teach him how to glorify Christ in all the relationships of life, and can make him a good leader, employee, subordinate, husband, father, or son. It can enable him to bear misfortunes and loss without murmuring, and say, "It is well." It can enable him to look down into the grave, and say, "I will fear no evil" (Psalm 23:4). It can enable him to think about judgment and eternity, and not feel afraid. It can enable him to bear persecution without flinching and to give up liberty and life rather than deny Christ’s truth.

Is he weary in soul? It can awaken him.

Is he mourning? It can comfort him.

Is he erring? It can restore him.

Is he weak? It can make him strong.

Is he in the company of the unbeliever? It can keep him from evil.

Is he alone? It can talk with him. (Psalm 6:22).

All this the Bible can do for all believers—for the least as well as the greatest—for the richest as well as the poorest. It has done it for thousands already, and is doing it for thousands every day.

The man who has the Bible, and the Holy Spirit in his heart, has everything which is absolutely necessary to make him spiritually wise. He needs no priest to break the bread of life for him. He needs no ancient traditions, no writings of the Fathers, no voice of the Church, to guide him into all truth. He has the well of truth open before him, and what more can he want? Yes! though he be shut up alone in a prison, or cast on a desert island—though he never sees a church, or minister again—if he only has the Bible, he has got the infallible guide, and needs no other. If he only has the will to read that Bible properly, it will certainly teach him the road that leads to heaven. It is here alone that infallibility resides. It is not in the Church. It is not in the Councils. It is not in ministers. It is only in the written Word.

(a) I know well that many say they have found no saving power in the Bible.

They tell us they have tried to read it, and have learned nothing from it. They can see in it nothing but burdensome and abstract things. They ask us what we mean by talking of its power.

I answer, that the Bible no doubt contains some difficult things, or else it would not be the book of God. It contains things hard to comprehend, but only hard because we do not have the understanding of mind to comprehend them. It contains things above our reasoning powers, but nothing that might not be explained if the eyes of our understanding were not feeble and dim. But is not an acknowledgment of our own ignorance the very cornerstone and foundation of all knowledge? Must not many things be taken for granted in the beginning of every science, before we can proceed one step towards acquaintance with it? Do we not require our children to learn many things of which they cannot see the meaning at first? And ought we not then to expect to find "deep things" when we begin studying the Word of God, and yet to believe that if we persevere in reading it the meaning of many of them will one day be made clear? No doubt we ought so to expect, and so to believe. We must read with humility. We must take much on trust. We must believe that what we don’t know now, we will know later, some part in this world, and all in the world to come.

But I ask that man who has given up reading the Bible because it contains hard things, whether he did not find many things in it easy and plain? I put it to his conscience whether he did not see great landmarks and principles in it all the way through? I ask him whether the things needful to salvation did not stand out boldly before his eyes, like lighthouses. What should we think of the captain of a steamer who came, at night, into the entrance of the Channel, and claimed that he did not know every parish, and village, and creek, along the British coast? Should we not think him a lazy coward, when the lights on the Lizard, and Eddystone, and the Start, and Portland, and St. Catherine’s, and Beachy Head, and Dungeness, and the Forelands, were shining forth like so many lamps, to guide him up to the river? Should we not say, Why did you not steer by the great leading lights? And what should we to say to the man who gives up reading the Bible because it contains hard things, when his own state, and the path to heaven, and the way to serve God, are all written down clearly and unmistakably, as with a sunbeam? Surely we ought to tell that man that his objections are no better than lazy excuses, and do not deserve to be heard.

(b) I know well that many raise the objection, that thousands read the Bible and are not a bit the better for their reading.

And they ask us, when this is the case, what becomes of the Bible’s boasted power?

I answer, that the reason why so many read the Bible without any benefit is plain and simple—they do not read it in the right way. There is generally a right way and a wrong way of doing everything in the world; and just as it is with other things, so it is in the matter of reading the Bible. The Bible is not so entirely different from all other books as to make it of no importance in what spirit and manner you read it. It does not do any good, as a matter of course, by merely running our eyes over the print, any more than Baptism and the Lord’s Supper do any good by the mere virtue of our receiving them. It does not ordinarily do any good, unless it is read with humility and earnest prayer. The best engine that was ever built is useless if a man does not know how to operate it. The best sundial that was ever constructed will not tell its owner the time of day if he is so ignorant as to put it in the shade. Just as it is with that engine, and that sundial, so it is with the Bible. When men read it without benefit, "the fault is not in the Book, but in themselves."

I tell the man who doubts the power of the Bible, because many read it, and are no better for the reading, that the abuse of a thing is no argument against the use of it. I tell him boldly, that never did man or woman read that book in a childlike persevering spirit—like the Ethiopian eunuch, and the Bereans (Acts 8:28; 17:11), and miss the way to heaven. Yes, many will be exposed to shame in the day of judgment; but there will not rise up one soul who will be able to say, that he went thirsting to the Bible, and found in it no living water—he searched for truth in the Scriptures, and searching did not find it. The words which are spoken of Wisdom in the Proverbs are strictly true of the Bible: "If you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God" (Proverbs 2:3-5).

This wonderful Book is the subject about which I address the readers of this paper this day. Surely it is no light matter "what you are doing with the Bible." What should you think of the man who in time of cholera despised a sure prescription for preserving the health of his body? What must be thought of you if you despise the only sure prescription for the everlasting health of your soul? I charge you, I entreat you, to give an honest answer to my question. What do you do with the Bible? Do you read it? How do you read it?

VI. In the sixth place, "the Bible is the only standard by which all questions of doctrine or of duty can be tested."

The Lord God knows the weakness and infirmities of our poor fallen understandings. He knows that, even after conversion, our perceptions of right and wrong are extremely vague. He knows how artfully Satan can overlay error with an appearance of truth, and can dress up wrong with plausible arguments, till it looks like right. Knowing all this, He has mercifully provided us with an unerring standard of truth and error, right and wrong, and has taken care to make that standard a written book—the Scripture.

No one can look around the world, and not see the wisdom of such a provision. No one can live long, and not find out that he is constantly in need of a counselor and adviser—of a rule of faith and practice, on which he can depend. Unless he lives like a beast, without a soul and conscience, he will find himself constantly assailed by difficult and puzzling questions. He will be often asking himself, What must I believe? and what must I do?

(a) The world is full of difficulties about points of doctrine. The house of error lies close alongside the house of truth. The door of one is so like the door of the other that there is continual risk of mistakes.

Does a man read or travel much? He will soon find the most opposite opinions prevailing among those who are called Christians. He will discover that different persons give the most different answers to the important question, What must I do to be saved? The Roman Catholic, the Protestant, and the Mormon each will assert that he alone has the truth. Each will tell him that safety is only to be found in his party. Each says, "Come with us." All this is puzzling. What will a man do?

Does he settle down quietly in some church here at home? He will soon find that even in our own land the most conflicting views are held. He will soon discover that there are serious differences among Christians as to the comparative importance of the various parts and articles of the faith. One man thinks of nothing but Church government—another of nothing but sacraments, services, and forms—a third of nothing but preaching the Gospel. Does he apply to ministers for a solution? He will perhaps find one minister teaching one doctrine, and another another. All this is puzzling. What will a man do?

There is only one answer to this question. A man must make the Bible alone his rule. He must receive nothing and believe nothing which is not according to the Word. He must try all religious teaching by one simple test—Does it square with the Bible? What does the Scripture say?

I pray to God that the eyes of the Christians of this country were more open on this subject. I pray to God that they would learn to weigh sermons, books, opinions, and ministers, in the scales of the Bible, and to value all according to their conformity to the Word. I pray to God that they would see that it matters little who says a thing. The question is—Is the thing said Scriptural? If it is, it ought to be received and believed. If it is not, it ought to be refused and cast aside. I fear the consequences of that submissive acceptance of everything which "the preacher" says, which is so common among many Christians. I fear lest they be led where they know not where, like the blinded Syrians, and awake some day to find themselves in the power of Rome. (2 Kings 6:20). Oh, that men would only remember for what purpose the Bible was given to them!

I tell Christians that it is nonsense to say, as some do, that it is arrogant to judge a minister’s teaching by the Word. When one doctrine is proclaimed in one church, and another in another, people must read and judge for themselves. Both doctrines cannot be right, and both ought to be tried by the Word. I charge them, above all things, never to suppose that any true minister of the Gospel will dislike his people measuring all he teaches by the Bible. On the contrary, the more they read the Bible, and prove all he says by the Bible, the better he will be pleased. A false minister may say, "You have no right to use your private judgment: leave the Bible to us who are ordained." A true minister will say "Search the Scriptures, and if I do not teach you what is Scriptural, do not believe me." A false minister may cry, "Listen to the Church," and "Listen to me." A true minister will say, "Listen to the Word of God."

(b) But the world is not only full of difficulties about points of doctrine, it is equally full of difficulties about points of "practice."

Every processing Christian, who wishes to act conscientiously, must know that it is so. The most puzzling questions are continually arising. He is tried on every side by doubts as to the line of duty, and can often hardly see what is the right thing to do.

He is tried by questions connected with the management of his "worldly calling," if he is in business or in trade. He sometimes sees things going on that are of a very doubtful character—things that can hardly be called fair, straightforward, truthful, and things that you would not want done to you. But then everybody in business does these things. They have always been done in the most respectable houses. There would be no carrying on of a profitable business if they were not done. They are not things distinctly named and prohibited by God. All this is very puzzling. What is a man to do?

He is tried by questions about worldly amusements. Horse Races, and balls, and operas, and theaters, and card parties, are all very doubtful methods of spending time. But then he sees numbers of great people taking part in them. Are all these people wrong? Can there really be such mighty harm in these things? All this is very puzzling. What is a man to do?

He is tried by questions about the education of his children. He wishes to train them up morally and religiously, and to remember their souls. But he is told by many sensible people, that young persons will be young—that it is not right to check and restrain them too much, and that he ought to attend shows, and children’s parties, and give children’s balls himself. He is informed that this noble person, or that lady of rank, always does so, and yet they are considered religious people. Surely it cannot be wrong. All this is very puzzling. What is he to do?

There is only one answer to all these questions. A man must make the Bible his rule of conduct. He must make its leading principles the compass by which he steers his course through life. By the letter or spirit of the Bible he must test every difficult point and question. "To the law and to the testimony! What does the Scripture say?" He ought to care nothing for what other people may think right. He ought not to set his watch by the clock of his neighbor, but by the watch of the Word.

I charge my readers solemnly to act on the maxim I have just laid down, and to adhere to it rigidly all the days of their lives. You will never repent of it. Make it a leading principle never to act contrary to the Word. Do not care for the charge of being overly strict, and a person of needless precision. Remember you serve a strict and holy God. Do not listen to the common objection that the rule you have laid down is impossible, and cannot be observed in such a world as this. Let those who make such an objection speak out plainly, and tell us for what purpose the Bible was given to man. Let them remember that by the Bible we will all be judged at the last day, and let them learn to judge themselves by it here, lest they be judged and condemned by it on Judgment Day.

This mighty rule of faith and practice is the book about which I am addressing the readers of this paper this day. Surely it is no light matter "what you are doing with the Bible." Surely when danger is near on the right hand and on the left, you should consider what you are doing with the safeguard which God has provided. I charge you, I beg you, to give an honest answer to my question. What are you doing with the Bible? Do you read it? How do you read it?

VII. In the seventh place, "the Bible is the book which all true servants of God have always lived by and loved."

Every living thing which God creates requires food. The life that God imparts needs sustaining and nourishing. It is true with animal and vegetable life—with birds, beasts, fishes, reptiles, insects, and plants. It is equally true with spiritual life. When the Holy Spirit raises a man from the death of sin and makes him a new creature in Christ Jesus, the new principle in that man’s heart requires food, and the only food which will sustain it is the Word of God.

cont....

Part 2

There never was a man or woman truly converted, from one end of the world to the other, who did not love the revealed will of God. Just as a child born into the world naturally desires the milk provided for its nourishment, so does a soul "born again" desire the sincere milk of the Word. This is a common mark of all the children of God—they "delight in the law of the LORD" (Psalm 1:2).

Show me a person who despises Bible reading, or thinks little of Bible preaching, and I hold it to be a certain fact that he is not yet "born again." He may be zealous about forms and ceremonies. He may be diligent in attending church and the taking of the Lord’s Supper. But if these things are more precious to him than the Bible, I cannot believe that he is a converted man. Tell me what the Bible is to a man and I will generally tell you what he is. This is the pulse to try—this is the barometer to look at—if we would know the state of the heart. I have no notion of the Spirit dwelling in a man and not giving clear evidence of His presence. And I believe it to be clear evidence of the Spirit’s presence when the Word is really precious to a man’s soul.

Love of the Word is one of the characteristics we see in Job. Little as we know of this Patriarch and his age this, at least, stands out clearly. He says, "I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread" (Job 23:12).

Love of the Word is a shining feature in the character of David. Note how it appears all through that wonderful part of Scripture, the 119th Psalm. He might well have said, "Oh, how I love your law!" (Psalm 119:97).

Love of the Word is a striking point in the character of Paul. What were he and his companions but men mighty in the Scriptures? What were his sermons but expositions and applications of the Word?

Love of the Word appears preeminently in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He read it publicly. He quoted it continually. He expounded it frequently. He advised the Jews to "search" it. He used it as His weapon to resist the devil. He said repeatedly, "The Scripture must be fulfilled." Almost the last thing He did was to "open their minds [Disciples] so they could understand the Scriptures" (Luke 24:45). I am afraid that man cannot be a true servant of Christ, who has not something of his Master’s mind and feeling towards the Bible.

Love of the Word has been a prominent feature in the history of all the saints, of whom we know anything, since the days of the Apostles. This is the lamp which Athanasius and Chrysostom and Augustine followed. This is the compass which kept the Vallenses and Albigenses from making shipwreck of the faith. This is the well which was reopened by Wycliffe and Luther, after it had been long stopped up. This is the sword with which Latimer, and Jewell, and Knox won their victories. This is the manna which fed Baxter and Owen, and the noble host of the Puritans, and made them strong in battle. This is the armory from which Whitefield and Wesley drew their powerful weapons. This is the mine from which Bickersteth and M’Cheyne brought forth rich gold.

Differing as these holy men did in some matters, on one point they were all agreed—they all delighted in the Word.

Love of the Word is one of the first things that appears in the converted heathen, at the various Missionary stations throughout the world. In hot climates and in cold—among savage people and among civilized—in New Zealand, in the South Sea Islands, in Africa, in Hindostan—it is always the same. They enjoy hearing it read. They long to be able to read it themselves. They wonder why Christians did not send it to them before. How striking is the picture which Moffat draws of Africaner, the fierce South African chieftain, when first brought under the power of the Gospel! "Often have I seen him," he says, under the shadow of a great rock nearly the whole day, eagerly perusing the pages of the Bible." How touching is the expression of a poor converted Black, speaking of the Bible! He said, "It is never old and never cold." How affecting was the language of another old Black man, when some would have discourage him from learning to read, because of his old age. "No!" he said, "I will never give it up till I die. It is worth all the labor to be able to read that one verse, "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

Love of the Bible is one of the grand points of agreement among all converted men and women in our own land. People from many Evangelical denominations all unite in honoring the Bible, as soon as they are real Christians. This is the manna which all the tribes of our new Israel feed upon, and find satisfying food. This is the fountain around which all the various portions of Christ’s flock meet together, and from which no sheep goes away thirsty.

Oh, that believers in this country would learn to cleave more closely to the written Word! Oh, that they would see that the more the Bible, and the Bible only, is the substance of men’s religion, the more they agree! It is probable there never was an uninspired book more universally admired than

Bunyan’s "Pilgrim’s Progress." It is a book which all denominations of Christians delight to honor. It has won praise from all parties. Now what a striking fact it is, that the author was preeminently a man of one book! He had read hardly anything but the Bible.

It is a blessed thought that there will be "many people" in heaven in the end. Few as the Lord’s people undoubtedly are at any one given time or place, yet all gathered together in the end, they will be "a great multitude that no one could count" (Revelation 7:9; 19:1). They will be of one heart and mind. They will have passed through the same experience. They will all have repented, believed, lived holy, prayerful, and humble lives. They will all have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. But one thing besides all this they will have in common: they will all love the texts and doctrines of the Bible. The Bible will have been their food and delight in the days of their pilgrimage on earth. And the Bible will be a common subject of joyful meditation and retrospect, when they are gathered together in heaven.

This Book, which all true Christians live upon and love, is the subject about which I am addressing the readers of this paper this day. Surely it is no light matter what you are doing with the Bible. Surely it is matter for serious inquiry, whether you know anything of this love of the Word, and have this mark of following "in the tracks of the sheep" (Song of Solomon 1:8). I charge you, I entreat you to give me an honest answer. What are you doing with the Bible? Do you read it? How do you read it?

VIII. In the last place, "the Bible is the only book which can comfort a man in the last hours of his life."

Death is an event which in all probability is before us all. There is no avoiding it. It is the river which each of us must cross. I who write, and you who read, have to die one day. It is good to remember this. We are all sadly apt to put away the subject from us. "Each man thinks each man mortal but himself." I want everyone to do his duty in life, but I also want everyone to think of death. I want everyone to know how to live but I also want everyone to know how to die.

Death is a solemn event to everyone. It is the winding up of all earthly plans and expectations. It is a separation from all we have loved and live with. It is often accompanied by much bodily pain and distress. It brings us to the grave, the maggot, and corruption. It opens the door to judgment and eternity—to heaven or to hell. It is an event after which there is no change, or space for repentance. Other mistakes may be corrected or retrieved, but not a mistake on our death beds. As the tree falls, there it must lie. No conversion in the coffin! No new birth after we have ceased to breathe! And death is before us all. It may be close at hand. The time of our departure is quite uncertain. But sooner or later we must each lie down alone and die. All these are serious considerations.

Death is a solemn event even to the believer in Christ. For him no doubt the "sting of death" is taken away. (1 Corinthians 15:55). Death has become one of his privileges, for he is Christ’s Living or dying, he is the Lord’s. If he lives, Christ lives in him; and if he dies, he goes to live with Christ. To him, "to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). Death frees him from many trials—from a weak body, a corrupt heart, a tempting devil, and an ensnaring or persecuting world. Death admits him to the enjoyment of many blessings. He rests from his labors—the hope of a joyful resurrection is changed into a certainty: he has the company of holy redeemed spirits—he is "with Christ." All this is true, and yet, even to a believer, death is a solemn thing. Flesh and blood naturally shrink from it. To part from all we love, is a strain and trial to the feelings. The world we go to is a world unknown, even though it is our home. Friendly and harmless as death is to a believer, it is not an event to be treated lightly. It must always be a very solemn thing.

It is good for every thoughtful and sensible man to consider calmly how he is going to meet death. Be strong, like a man, and look the subject in the face. Listen to me while I tell you a few things about the end to which we are coming to.

The good things of the world cannot comfort a man when he draws near death. All the gold of California and Australia will not provide light for the dark valley of death. Money can buy the best medical advice and attendance for a man’s body; but money cannot buy peace for his conscience, heart, and soul.

Relatives, lovers, friends and coworkers cannot comfort a man when he draws near death. They may minister affectionately to his bodily wants. They may watch by his bedside tenderly, and anticipate his every wish. They may smooth down his dying pillow, and support his sinking frame in their arms. But they cannot "minister to a mind diseased." They cannot stop the achings of a troubled heart. They cannot screen an uneasy conscience from the eye of God.

The pleasures of the world cannot comfort a man when he draws near death. The brilliant ballroom—the merry dance—the midnight frolic-the party at the races—the card table—the box at the opera—the voices of singing men and singing women—all these are finally distasteful things. To hear of hunting and shooting engagements gives him no pleasure. To be invited to feasts, and regattas, and fancy fairs, gives him no ease. He cannot hide from himself that these are hollow, empty, powerless things. They are noise to the ear of his conscience. They are out of harmony with his condition. They cannot stop one gap in his heart, when the last enemy is coming in like a flood. They cannot make him calm in the prospect of meeting a holy God.

Books and newspapers cannot comfort a man when he draws near death. The most brilliant writings of Dickens will be gloom to his ear. The most able article in the Times will fail to interest him. The Edinburgh and Quarterly Reviews will give him no pleasure. The Illustrated News, and the latest new novel, will lie unopened and unheeded. Their time will be past. Their calling will be gone. Whatever they may be in health, they are useless in the hour of death.

There is but one fountain of comfort for a man drawing near to his end, and that is the Bible. Chapters out of the Bible—texts out of the Bible—statements of truth taken out of the Bible—books containing matter drawn from the Bible—these are a man’s only chance of comfort when he comes to die. I do not say that the Bible will do good, as a matter of course, to a dying man, if he has not valued it before. I know, unhappily, too much of death-beds to say that. I do not say whether it is probable that he who has been unbelieving and neglectful of the Bible in life, will at once believe and get comfort from it in death. But I do say positively, that no dying man will ever get real comfort, except from the contents of the Word of God. All comfort from any other source is a house built upon sand.

I lay this down as a rule of universal application. I make no exception in favor of any class on earth. Kings and poor men, learned and unlearned—all are equal in this matter. There is not a bit of real consolation for any dying man, unless he gets it from the Bible. Chapters, passages, texts, promises, and doctrines of Scripture heard, received, believed, and rested on—these are the only comforters I dare promise to any one, when he leaves the world. Taking communion will do a man no more good than the Roman Catholic sacrament of "extreme unction," so long as the Word is not received and believed. The Roman Catholic Priest’s absolution will no more ease the conscience than the incantations of a heathen magician, if the poor dying sinner does not receive and believe Bible truth. I tell everyone who reads this paper, that although men may seem to get on comfortably without the Bible while they live, they may be sure that without the Bible they cannot comfortably die. It was a true confession of the learned Selden, "There is no book upon which we can rest in a dying moment but the Bible."

I might easily confirm all I have just said, by examples and illustrations. I might show you the deathbeds of men who have despised the Bible. I might tell you how Voltaire and Paine, the famous atheists died in misery, bitterness, rage, fear, and despair. I might show you the happy deathbeds of those who have loved the Bible and believed it, and the blessed effect the sight of their deathbeds had on others. Cecil, a minister whose praise ought to be in all churches, says, "I will never forget standing by the bedside of my dying mother. ‘Are you afraid to die?’ I asked. ‘No!’ she replied. ‘But why does the uncertainty of another state give you no concern?’ ‘Because God has said, When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you’" (Isaiah 43:2). I might easily multiply illustrations of this kind. But I think it better to conclude this part of my subject by giving the result of my own observations as a minister.

I have seen many dying persons in my time. I have seen great varieties of character and behavior among them. I have seen some die bad-tempered, silent, and comfortless. I have seen others die ignorant, unconcerned, and apparently without much fear. I have seen some die so wearied out with a long illness that they were quite willing to depart, and yet they did not seem to me at all in a fit state to go before God. I have seen others die with professions of hope and trust in God, without leaving satisfactory evidences that they were on the rock. I have seen others die who, I believe, were "in Christ," and safe, and yet they never seemed to enjoy much tangible comfort. I have a few dying in the full assurance of hope, and like Bunyan’s "Standfast," giving glorious testimony to Christ’s faithfulness, even in the river. But one thing I have never seen. I never saw anyone enjoy what I would call real, solid, calm, reasonable peace on his deathbed, who did not draw his peace from the Bible. And this I am bold to say, that the man who thinks to go to his deathbed without having the Bible for his comforter, his companion, and his friend, is one of the greatest madmen in the world. There are no comforts for the soul but Bible comforts, and he who does not have a hold of these, does not have a hold of anything at all, unless it be a broken reed.

The only comforter for a deathbed is the book about which I address the readers of this paper this day. Surely it is no light matter whether you read that book or not. Surely a dying man, in a dying world, should seriously consider whether he has got anything to comfort him when his turn comes to die. I charge you, I entreat you, for the last time, to give an honest answer to my question. What are you doing with the Bible? Do you read it? How do you read it?

I have now given the reasons why I press on every reader the duty and importance of reading the Bible. I have shown that no book is written in such a manner as the Bible,

—that knowledge of the Bible is absolutely necessary to salvation

—that no book contains such matter

—that no book has done so much for the world generally

—that no book can do so much for every one who reads it

—that this Book is the only rule of faith and practice

—that it is, and always has been, the food of all true servants of God

—and that it is the only Book which can comfort men when they die.

All these are ancient things. I do not pretend to tell anything new. I have only gathered together old truths, and tried to mold them into a new shape. Let me finish everything by addressing a few plain words to the conscience of every group of readers.

(1) This paper may fall into the hands of some who "can read, but never do read the Bible at all."

Are you one of them? If you are, I have something to say to you. I cannot comfort you in your present state of mind. It would be mockery and deceit to do so. I cannot speak to you of peace and heaven, while you treat the Bible as you do. You are in danger of losing your soul.

You are in danger, because "your neglected Bible is plain evidence that you do not love God." The health of a man’s body may generally be known by his appetite. The health of a man’s soul may be known by his treatment of the Bible. Now you are manifestly living with a serious disease. Will you not repent?

I know I cannot reach your heart. I cannot make you see and feel these things. I can only enter my solemn protest against your present treatment of the Bible, and lay that protest before your conscience. I do so with all my soul. Oh, beware lest you repent too late! Beware lest you put off reading the Bible till you send for the doctor in your last illness, and then find the Bible a sealed book, and dark, as the cloud between the hosts of Israel and Egypt, to your anxious soul! Beware lest you go on saying all your life, "Men get along very well without all this Bible-reading" and find in time, to your cost, that men without the Bible do very poorly, and end up in hell! Beware lest the day come when you will feel, "Had I but honored the Bible as much as I have honored the newspaper, I should not have been left without comfort in my last hours! "Bible neglecting reader, I give you a plain warning. Judgment is outside your door ready to come in and destroy you. The Lord have mercy upon your soul!

(2) This paper may fall into the hands of someone who is "willing to begin reading the Bible, but wants advice on how to begin."

Are you that man? Listen to me, and I will give a few short hints.

(a) For one thing, "begin reading your Bible this very day."

The way to do a thing is to do it, and the way to read the Bible is actually to read it. It is not meaning, or wishing, or resolving, or intending, or thinking about it, which will not advance you one step. You must positively read. There is no royal road in this matter, any more than in the matter of prayer. If you cannot read yourself, you must persuade somebody else to read to you. But one way or another, through eyes or ears, the words of Scripture must actually pass before your mind.

(b) For another thing "read the Bible with an earnest desire to understand it."

Do not think for a moment that the great object is to turn over a certain quantity of printed paper, and that it matters nothing whether you understand it or not. Some ignorant people seem to fancy that all is done if they read so many chapters every day, though they may not have an idea what they are all about, and only know that they have pushed on their bookmark so many pages. This is turning Bible-reading into a mere form. It is almost as bad as the Roman catholic habit of buying indulgences, by saying an almost incredible number of "Hail Mary’s" and "Our Fathers." Settle it in your mind as a general principle, that a Bible not understood is a Bible that does no good. Say to yourself often as you read, "What is all this about?" Dig for the meaning like an man digging for gold. Work hard, and do not give up the work in a hurry.

(c) For another thing, "read the Bible with childlike faith and humility."

Open your heart as you open your book, and say, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." Resolve to believe implicitly whatever you find there, however much it may run counter to your own prejudices. Resolve to receive heartily every statement of truth, whether you like it or not.

Beware of that miserable habit of mind into which some readers of the Bible fall. They receive some doctrines because they like them: they reject others because they are condemning to themselves, or to some lover, or relation, or friend. At this rate the Bible is useless. Are we to be judges of what ought to be in the Word? Do we know better than God? Settle it in your mind that you will receive everything and believe everything, and that what you cannot understand you will take on trust. Remember, when you pray, you are speaking to God and God hears you. But, remember, when you read, God is speaking to you, and you are not to "talk back" but to listen.

(d) For another thing, "read the Bible in a spirit of obedience and self-application.

Sit down to the study it with a daily determination that "you" will live by it rules, rest on its statements, and act on its commands. Consider, as you travel through every chapter, "How does this affect "my"- view and course of conduct? What does this teach "me?" It is improper to read the Bible from mere curiosity, and for speculative purposes, in order to fill your head and your mind with opinions, while you do not allow the book to influence your heart and life. That Bible is read best which is put into practice in our daily lives.

(e) For another thing, "read the Bible every day."

Make it a part of every day’s business to read and meditate on some portion of God’s Word. Private means of grace are just as needful every day for our souls as food and clothing are for our bodies. Yesterday’s meal will not feed the worker today, and today’s meal will not feed the worker tomorrow. Do as the Israelites did in the wilderness. Gather your manna fresh every morning. Choose your own periods and hours. Do not hurry your reading. Give your Bible the best and not the worst part of your time. But whatever plan you pursue, let it be a rule of your life to visit the throne of grace and the Bible every day.

(f) For another thing, "read all the Bible, and read it in an orderly way."

I fear there are many parts of the Word which some people never read at all. This is a very arrogant habit. "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching" (2 Timothy 3:16). To this habit may be traced that want of broad, well-proportioned views of truth, which is so common in this day. Some people’s Bible-reading is a system of perpetual dipping and picking. They do not seem to have an idea of regularly going through the whole book. This is also a great mistake. No doubt in times of sickness and affliction it is allowable to search out seasonable portions. But this exception, I believe it is by far the best plan to begin the Old and New Testaments at the same time, to read each straight through to the end, and then begin again. This is a matter in which everyone must be persuaded in his own mind. I can only say it has been my own plan for nearly forty years, and I have never seen cause to alter it.

(g) For another thing, "read the Bible fairly and honestly."

Determine to take everything in its plain, obvious meaning, and regard all forced interpretations with great suspicion. As a general rule, whatever a verse of the Bible seems to mean, it does mean. Cecil’s rule is a very valuable one, "The right way of interpreting Scripture is to take it as we find it, without any attempt to force it into any particular system." Well said Hooker, "I hold it for a most infallible rule in the exposition of Scripture, that when the literal construction will stand, the furthest from the literal is commonly the worst."

(h) In the last place, "read the Bible with Christ continually in view."

The primary object of all Scripture is to testify about Jesus:

Old Testament ceremonies are shadows of Christ.

Old Testament judges and deliverers are types of Christ.

Old Testament history shows the world’s need of Christ.

Old Testament prophecies are full of Christ’s sufferings.

Old Testament prophecies are full of Christ’s glory yet to come.

The first coming and the second.

The Lord’s humiliation.

The Lord’s kingdom.

The Lord’s cross and crown.

All these shine forth everywhere in the Bible. Remember this clue, if you would read the Bible right.

I might easily add to these hints, if space permitted. Few and short as they are, you will find them worth your attention. Act upon them, and I firmly believe you will never be allowed to miss the way to heaven. Act upon them, and you will find light continually increasing in your mind. No book of evidence can be compared with that internal evidence which he obtains who daily uses the Word in the right way. Such a man does not need the books of learned men—he has the witness in himself. The book satisfies and feeds his soul. A poor Christian woman once said to an unbeliever, "I am no scholar. I cannot argue like you. But I know that honey is honey, because it leaves a sweet taste in my mouth. And I know the Bible to be God’s book, because of the taste it leaves in my heart."

(3) This paper may fall into the hands of some one who "loves and believes the Bible, and yet reads it only a little."

I fear there are many such people in this day. It is a day of hustle and hurry. It is a day of talking, and committee meetings, and public work. These things are all very well in their way, but I fear that they sometimes clip and cut short the private reading of the Bible. Does your conscience tell you that you are one of the persons I speak of? Listen to me, and I will say a few things which deserve your serious attention.

You are the man that is likely to "get little comfort from the Bible in time of need." Trials come at various times. Affliction is a searching wind, which strips the leaves off the trees, and exposes the birds’ nests. Now I fear that your stores of Bible consolations may one day run very low. I fear lest you should find yourself at last on very short allowance, and come into the harbor weak, worn and thin.

You are the man that is likely "never to be established in the truth." I will not be surprised to hear that you are troubled with doubts and questions about assurance, grace, faith, perseverance, and the like. The devil is an old and cunning enemy. Like the Benjamites, he can "sling a stone at a hair and not miss" (Judges 20:16). He can quote Scripture easily enough when he pleases. Now you are not sufficiently ready with your weapons to be able to fight a good fight with him. Your armor does not fit well. Your sword sits loosely in your hand.

You are the man that is likely to "make mistakes in life." I will not wonder if I am told that you have erred about your own marriage—erred about your children’s education of spiritual things—erred about the conduct of your household—erred about the company you keep. The world you steer through is full of rocks, and reefs, and sand bars. You are not sufficiently familiar either with the search lights or your charts.

You are the man that is likely to "be carried away by some deceptive false teacher for a time." It will not surprise me if those clever, eloquent men, who can "make the lie appear to be the truth," is leading you into many foolish notions. You are out of balance. No wonder if you are tossed to and from, like a cork on the waves.

All these are uncomfortable things. I want every reader of this paper to escape them all. Take the advice I offer you this day. Do not merely read your Bible "a little," but read it a great deal. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly" (Colossians 3:16). Do not be a mere babe in spiritual knowledge. Seek to become "well instructed in the kingdom of heaven," and to be continually adding new things to old. A religion of feeling is an uncertain thing. It is like the tide, sometimes high, and sometimes low. It is like the moon, sometimes bright, and sometimes dim. A religion of deep Bible knowledge, is a firm and lasting possession. It enables a man not merely to say, "I feel hope in Christ," but "I know whom I have believed" (2 Timothy 1:12).

(4) This paper may fall into the hands of someone who "reads the Bible a lot, and yet believes he is no better because of his reading."

This is a crafty temptation of the devil. At one stage he says, "do not read the Bible at all." At another he says, "Your reading does you no good: give it up." Are you that man? I feel for you from the bottom of my soul. Let me try to do you good.

Do not think you are getting no good from the Bible, merely because you do not see that good day by day. The greatest effects are often silent, quiet, and hard to detect at the time they are being produced. Think of the influence of the moon upon the earth, and of the air upon the human lungs.

Remember how silently the dew falls, and how unperceptively the grass grows. There may be far more going on than you think in your soul by your Bible-reading.

The Word may be gradually producing deep "impressions" on your heart, of which you are not presently aware. Often when the memory is retaining no facts, the character of a man is receiving some everlasting impression. Is sin becoming every year more hateful to you? Is Christ becoming every year more precious? Is holiness becoming every year more lovely and desirable in your eyes? If these things are so, take courage. The Bible is doing you good, though you may not be able to trace it out day by day.

The Bible may be restraining you from some sin or delusion into which you would otherwise run. It may be daily keeping you back, and hedging you up, and preventing many a false step. Yes, you might soon find this out to your hurt, if you were to cease reading the Word! The very familiarity of blessings sometimes makes us insensible to their value. Resist the devil. Settle it in your mind as an established rule, that, whether you feel it at the moment or not, you are inhaling spiritual health by reading the Bible, and unknowingly becoming more strong.

(5) This paper may fall into the hands of some who "really love the Bible, live upon the Bible, and read it regularly."

Are you one of these? Give me your attention, and I will mention a few things which we will do well to lay to heart for time to come.

Let us resolve to "read the Bible more and more" every year we live. Let us try to get it rooted in our memories, an engraved into our hearts. Let us be thoroughly well provisioned with it against the voyage of death. Who knows but we may have a very stormy passage? Sight and hearing may fail us, and we may be in deep waters. Oh, to have the Word "hid in our hearts" in such an hour as that! (Psalm 119:11).

Let us resolve to be "more watchful over our Bible-reading" every year that we live. Let us be jealously careful about the time we give to it, and the manner that time is spent. Let us beware of omitting our daily reading without sufficient cause. Let us not be gaping, and yawning and dozing over our book, while we read. Let us read like a London merchant studying the city article in the Times—or like a wife reading a husband’s letter from a distant land. Let us be very careful that we never exalt any minister, or sermon, or book, or tract, or friend above the Word. Cursed be that book, or tract, or human counsel, which creeps in between us and the Bible, and hides the Bible from our eyes! Once more I say, let us be very watchful. The moment we open the Bible the devil sits down by our side. Oh, to read with a hungry spirit, and a simple desire for edification!

Let us resolve to "honor the Bible more in our families." Let us read it morning and evening to our children and spouses, and not be ashamed to let men see that we do so. Let us not be discouraged by seeing no good arise from it. The Bible-reading in a family has kept many a one from the jail and the prison, and from the eternal fires of hell.

Let us resolve to "meditate more on the Bible." It is good to take with us two or three texts when we go out into the world, and to turn them over and over in our minds whenever we have a little leisure. It keeps out many vain thoughts. It tightens the nail of daily reading. It preserves our souls from stagnating and breeding corrupt things. It sanctifies and quickens our memories, and prevents them becoming like those ponds where the frogs live but the fish die.

Let us resolve to "talk more to believers about the Bible" when we meet them. Sorry to say, the conversation of Christians, when they do meet, is often sadly unprofitable! How many frivolous, and trifling, and uncharitable things are said! Let us bring out the Bible more, and it will help to drive the devil away, and keep our hearts in tune. Oh, that we may all strive so to walk together in this evil world, that Jesus may often draw near, and go with us, as He went with the two disciples journeying to Emmaus!

Last of all, lot us resolve "to live by the Bible more and more" every year we live. Let us frequently take account of all our opinions and practices—of our habits and tempers—of our behavior in public and in private—in the world, and in our own homes. Let us measure everything by the Bible, and resolve, by God’s help, to conform to it. Oh that we may learn increasingly to "keep our way pure? By living according to the Word." (Psalm 119:9).

I commend all these thing to the serious and prayerful attention of every one into whose hands this paper may fall. I want the ministers of my beloved country to be Bible-reading ministers—the congregations, Bible-reading congregations—and the nation, a Bible-reading nation. To bring about this desirable end I cast in my resources into God’s treasury. The Lord grant that it may prove not to have been in vain!

How to Study the Bible by S. L. BRENGLE

\tThe other day I received a letter from a young Officer asking for a few suggestions as to how to read and study the Bible. Here they are:
\tI. Read and study it as two young lovers read and study each other's letters. As soon as the mail brings a letter from his sweetheart, the young man grabs it and without waiting to see if there is not another letter for him, runs off to a corner and reads and laughs and rejoices over it and almost devours it. If he is a particularly desperate and demonstrative lover -- (the Lord make us desperate and demonstrative lovers of our Lord Jesus Christ!) -- he will probably kiss it and carry it next to his heart till the next one comes.
\tHe meditates on it day and night, and reads it over again and then again. He carries it down town with him, and on the street car appears very quiet and thoughtful, till all at once a twinkle comes into his eye, out comes the letter and choice portions are read over again. He delights in that letter. If any part is hard to understand, a letter is sent off post haste for explanations, and the explanation and letter will be most carefully compared, and possibly also previous letters will be studiously compared with this one. I knew a young man whose fate was hanging in the balance. He wanted assurance, but the young woman was coy, and she veiled her true feelings and left him in uncertainty, and he studied her letters and weighed every word and phrase and brought them to me, and had me compare letter with letter, as we should compare Scripture with Scripture, in order, if possible, to discover the state of her mind and heart and his prospects. In due time he was abundantly rewarded.
\tNow, that is the way to read the Bible. It is God's will and testament. It is His own carefully written instructions as to what manner of people He would have us be; as to how we shall behave ourselves; what we shall do and not do; what our rights and privileges in Jesus are; what are our peculiar dangers; how we shall know our enemies and conquer them; how we shall enter into and constantly enjoy his favor and escape Hell and get safely home to Heaven.
\tII. Read in Act_17:11, what the disciples in Berea did.
\t'They received the word with all readiness of mind.' A frank and noble mind is open to the truth, and wants it more than gold or pleasure or fame or power.
\t'They searched the Scriptures.' They wanted to know for themselves, and not by mere hearsay. They searched. Precious things are deeply hidden. Pebbles and stones and autumn leaves abound everywhere, but gold and silver and precious stones are hidden deep in the bowels and rocky ribs of the earth; shells cover the sea-shore, but pearls are hidden in its depths. And so with truth. Some truth may lie on the surface of the Bible, but those that will altogether satisfy and distinguish us and make us wise unto salvation are found only after diligent search, even as for hid treasure. 'Search the Scriptures;' said Jesus, 'for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me' (Joh_5:39). If you would know Jesus, search the Scriptures, and you will come to know Him and see His face, and be like Him.
\t'They searched daily.' Daily, not spasmodically, by fits and starts, but daily, habitually, they dug into the word of God, to find out if the things Paul preached were so. And just so must you do. 'Thou shalt meditate therein day and night' (Jos_2:8), was God's instruction to Joshua. And once this habit is formed the delight in God's word will become unspeakable.
\t'Thy words were found, and I did eat them;' said Jeremiah, 'and Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart' (Jer_13:16). 'O how love I Thy law!' cried the Psalmist. 'It is my meditation all the day' (Psa_119:97).
\tIn forming the habit of Bible study we may have to begin and follow it up for a time from a sense of duty, but once the habit is formed, if we are not only hearers but doers of the word, we shall follow it up for very joy, until we can say with Job, 'I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food' (Job_23:12).
\tIII. Read and study the word not to get a mass of knowledge in the head, but a flame of love in the heart. 'Knowledge puffeth up' (1Co_8:1), but love buildeth up. Read it to find fuel for affection, food for reflection, direction for judgment, guidance for conscience.
\tRead it not that you may know, but that you may do.
\tIV. Follow carefully the line of thought from verse to verse and chapter to chapter. Often the first part of one chapter belongs to the last part of the preceding chapter. For instance, in the last verse of the fourth chapter of Ephesians, we read, 'And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you,' and in the first verse of the fifth chapter we read, 'Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children.'
\tThose two verses belong together. We are to follow God in what? Why, in the spirit of kindness and tender-heartedness and forgiveness.
\tAgain, in Joh_7:53, we read, 'And every man went unto his own house,' and in Joh_8:1, 'Jesus went unto the Mount of Olives.'
\tThese two verses belong together. Jesus had no house. Bless Him! So when they went each to his own house for the night, Jesus went to the cold, dark mount!
\tFinally, do not be discouraged if progress in the knowledge of the word seems slow as first. It is like learning to play an instrument or master a trade; for the first few days or weeks it appears impossible, but it is not so. Some glad day a brain-cell will expand or a veil drop from your face and scales from your eyes and you will find yourself doing the impossible with ease.
\tSo it will be in acquainting yourself with the word of God. Keep at it, keep at it, keep at it! Cry to God with David, 'Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law' (Psa_119:18).
\tPray for an understanding heart. You will only love and understand the word as Jesus reveals it to you. So walk with Him, take up your cross and follow Him through evil as well as good report.
\tAfter His resurrection, He came to His trembling, heart-broken, disappointed disciples, and Luke tells us that 'beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself' (Luk_24:27), and later Luke says, 'Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures' (Luk_24:45).
\tThere are things in the Bible hard to be understood, and we may not know them till we stand by the crystal sea, but we can learn those things that will make us meek and lowly in heart as was Jesus, watchful, patient, loving, kind, forgiving, and utterly zealous and self-sacrificing for the salvation of men. Hallelujah!
\tHappy shall we be, if; like David, we can say, 'Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee' (Psa_119:11).

FEEDING ON THE WORD
Jer_15:16.
"Thy words were found and I did eat them; and Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart." -- Jer_15:16.

HERE you have three things. THE FINDING of God's word. This only comes to those who seek diligently for it. Then THE EATING. This means the personal appropriation for our own sustenance, the taking up into our being the words of God. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." And then the REJOICING, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field which, when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." There we have the finding, and the appropriating, and the rejoicing. "Thy words WERE FOUND AND, and I DID EAT them, and Thy word was the JOY AND REJOICING of my heart."
Eating is here the central thought. It is preceded by the searching and finding: it is accompanied and followed by the rejoicing. It is the only aim and use of the one; it is the only cause and life of the other. In the secrecy of the inner chamber how much depends on this -- I DID EAT them!
To realise the difference between this and the finding of God's words, compare the corn a man may have stored in his granary, with the bread he has on his table. All the diligent labour he has bestowed in sowing and harvesting and garnering his grain, all the rich reward he has had for his care, cannot profit him, except as he feeds on the daily portion of the bread his body requires. In the finding, the harvesting, and garnering, the greater the quantity and the speedier the work-these were the things to be looked at. In the eating, the very opposite takes place -- here it is the small quantity, and the slow and unceasing continuance, that characterises the appropriation. Do you see the application of this to your Scripture study in the morning watch? You need TO FIND God's words, and by careful thought to master them, so as to have them stored in mind and memory for your own use, and that of others. In this work there may often be great joy, the joy of harvest or of victory; the joy of treasure secured, or difficulties overcome; and yet we must remember this finding and possessing the words of God is not yet that eating of them which alone brings Divine life and strength to the soul.
The fact of being occupied with, and possessing good wholesome corn, will not nourish a man. The fact of being deeply interested in the knowledge of God's word will not of itself nourish the soul. "Thy words were found" that was the first thing. "And I did eat them " -- that brought the joy and rejoicing.
And what is this eating? The corn which the husbandman had grown and rejoiced in as his very own, could not nourish his life, until he took it up and ate it, and so completely assimilated it, that it became part of himself, entering into his blood, forming his very bone and flesh. This has to be done in a small quantity at a time, two or three times a day, every day of the year. This is the law of eating. It is not the amount of truth I gather from God's word; it is not the interest or success of my Bible study; it is not the increased clearness of view or largeness of grasp I am obtaining, that secure the health and growth of the spiritual life. By no means. All this often leaves the nature very much unsanctified and unspiritual with very little of the holiness or humility of Christ Jesus: something else is needed. Jesus said: MY MEAT IS TO DO the will of Him that sent me. Taking a small portion of God's word, some definite command or duty of the new life, quietly receiving it into the will and the love of the heart, yielding the whole being to its rule, and vowing, in the power of the Lord Jesus, to perform it: this, and then GOING TO DO IT, this is eating the word, taking it so into our inmost being, that it becomes a constituent part of our very life. The same with a truth, or a promise; what you have eaten now becomes part of yourself, you carry it with you where you go as part of the life you live.
You see at once how the two points of difference between the corn in the granary and the bread on the table, cover all your Bible study. The gathering of Scripture knowledge is one thing. The eating of God's word, the receiving it into your very heart by the power of the life-giving Spirit, is something very different. And you see how the two laws of eating the food, in contrast to those of finding it, must always be obeyed. You can gather and garner grain to last for years. You cannot swallow a large enough quantity of bread to last for days. Day by day, and more than once a day, you take your day's food. And so the eating of God's word must be in small portions, just as much as the soul can each time receive and digest. And this, day by day, from one end of the year to the other.
It is such feeding on the word which will enable me to say: "And Thy word was the joy and rejoicing of my heart." George Muller says that he learned that he ought not to stop reading the Word until he felt happy in God: then he felt fit to go out to his day's work.

THE BIBLE STUDENT

Psa_1:1-2.
"Blessed is the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and nights" -- Psa_1:1-2.

THERE is a loud call on every side for more, for truer, Bible study. Evangelists like Mr. Moody and many others, have proved what power there is in preaching drawn directly from God's word, and inspired by the faith of its power. Earnest Christians have asked: "Why cannot our ministers speak in the same way, giving the very word of God a larger place?" Many a young minister has come away from the Theological Hall, confessing that he had been taught everything but the knowledge of how to study the Word himself, and then to stir up and help others to study it. In some of our Churches, the desire has been expressed to supply this need in the training of ministers. It might appear a very simple thing to find good men to undertake the work; and yet it has been found difficult for men with theological training to turn to the simplicity and directness of appeal to God's Word, which is needed to show younger men the way to make Scripture the one source of their knowledge and teaching. In the Students' Movement of our day, God be praised, Bible study has had the place of prominence given to it. There is a wonderful opportunity, as there is a very great need, for so guiding it that it may bring a full blessing to the individual lives, by giving God's word its true place in the work to be done for Him.

Let us look at the principles underlying the demand for more Bible study, and in faithfulness to which alone, it can be truly carried out.

1. GOD'S WORD IS THE ONLY AUTHENTIC REVELATION OF GOD'S WILL. All human statements of Divine truth, however correct, are defective and carry a measure of human authority. In the Word, the voice of God speaks to us directly. Every child of God is called to direct intercourse With the Father, through the Word. As God reveals all His heart and grace in it, His child can, if he receives it from God, get all the life and power there is in the Word into his own heart and being. We know how few second-hand reports of messages or events can be fully trusted. Very few men report accurately what they have heard. Every believer has the right and calling, to stand in direct communication with God. It is in the Word God has revealed, it is in the Word He still reveals, Himself to each individual.

2. THIS WORD OF GOD IS A LIVING WORD. IT CARRIES A DIVINE QUICKENING POWER IN IT. The human expression of the truth is often a mere conception or image of the truth, appealing to the mind and having little or no effect. The faith of its being God's own word and of the presence and power in it, makes it effectual. All life or spirit creates for itself a form in which it is made manifest. The words in which God has chosen to clothe His own Divine thoughts are God-breathed and the life of God dwells in them. God is not the God of the dead but of the living. The word was not only inspired when first given: the Spirit of God still breathes in it. God is still in and with His word. Christians and teachers need to believe this. It will lead them to give the simple Divine word a confidence that no human teaching may have.

3. GOD HIMSELF ALONE CAN, AND MOST SURELY WILL, BE THE INTERPRETER OF HIS OWN WORD. Divine truth needs a Divine Teacher. Spiritual apprehension of spiritual things can only come of the Holy Spirit. The deeper the conviction of the unique character of the word, essentially different from, and infinitely exalted above, all merely human apprehension, the more urgently will the need be felt of a supernatural, a directly Divine, teaching. And all the more will the blessing be wrought which is the great purpose of the word. The soul will be brought to seek God Himself, and it will be led to find Him in the Holy Spirit who dwells in the heart. As that Spirit, in whom God, so wonderfully, has entered our very life and identified Himself with it, is waited on and trusted, He will make us to know wisdom in the hidden part, in the heart and disposition. The word prayerfully read and cherished in the heart in this faith, will through the Spirit, be both light and life within us.

4. THE WORD THEN BRINGS US INTO THE CLOSEST AND MOST INTIMATE FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD -- UNITY OF WILL AND LIFE. In the word God has revealed His whole heart and all His will: in His law and precepts what He wills us to do: in His redemption and His promises what tie wills to do for us. As we accept that will in the word as from God Himself, and yield ourselves to its working, we learn to know God in His will, in the power of which He works in us, and in which His condescending love is known. And the word works out His richest purpose as it fills us with the reverence and dependence that comes from the Divine presence and nearness. Nothing less than this must be our aim, may be our experience, in all our Bible study.
Let us now take these four thoughts over again and make the practical application.
In Holy Scripture we have the very words in which the Holy God has spoken and in which He speaks to us.

These words are, to-day, full of the life of God. God is in them, and makes His presence and power known to them who seek Him in them.
To those who ask and wait for the teaching of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, the Spirit will reveal the spiritual meaning and power of the word.
The word is thus meant every day to be the means of the revelation of God Himself to the soul and of fellowship with Him.

Have we learnt to apply these truths? Do we understand that the word ever says "Seek God. Hearken to God. Wait for God. God will speak to you. Let God teach you?" All we hear about more Bible teaching and Bible study must lead to this one thing. We must be men, and we must help to train others to be men, with whom THE WORD IS NEVER SEPARATED FROM THE LIVING GOD HIMSELF, AND WHO LIVE AS MEN TO WHOM GOD IN HEAVEN SPEAKS EVERY DAY AND ALL DAY.

A Murray

PSALM 119 AND ITS TEACHING

Psa_119:167.
"Oh how love I Thy law; it is my meditation all the day. Consider how I love Thy precepts. Yea, I love them exceedingly."-- Psa_119:167.

IN Holy Scripture there is one portion wholly devoted to teaching us the place which God's Word ought to have in our esteem, and the way we can secure its blessing. It is the longest chapter in the Bible, and, with hardly an exception, in every one of its 176 verses, we have, under different names, mention made of the Word. Anyone who really wants to know how to study his Bible according to God's will, ought to make a careful study of this Psalm. There ought to come a time in his life when he resolves to study its teaching and carry it out into practice. How can we wonder that our Bible study does not bring more spiritual profit and strength, if we neglect the Divine Directory it offers us for that study. It is possible you have never read it once through as a whole. If you have not time, find time, some free Sabbath hour -- or why not some free week day hour? -- in which you read it through and try to take in its chief thought, or at least to catch its spirit. If you find it difficult to do this by reading it once, read it more than once. This will make you feel the need of giving it more careful thought. The following hints may help you in its study: --

1st. Note all the different names under which God's Word is spoken of.

2nd. Note all the different verbs expressing what we ought to feel and do in regard to the Word. Let this lead you to consider carefully what the place is that God's word claims in your heart and life, and how every faculty of your being -- desire, love, joy, trust, obedience, action is called out by it.

3rd. Count and note how many times the writer speaks in the past tense of his having kept, observed, stuck to, delighted in God's testimonies. How many times he expresses in the present tense how he rejoices in, loves, and esteems God's law. And then how, in the future tense, he promises and vows to observe God's precepts to the end. Put all these together and see how more than a hundred limes he presents his soul before God as one who honours and keeps His law. Study this especially as these expressions are connected with his prayers to God, until you have a clear image of the righteous man whose fervent, effectual prayer availeth much.

4th. Study then the prayers themselves and note down the different requests he makes with regard to the Word, whether for the teaching to understand and the power to observe it, or for the blessing promised in the Word, and to be found in doing it. Note especially prayers like "Teach me Thy statutes," "Give me understanding." Also those where the plea is "according to Thy Word."

5th. Count the verses in which there is any allusion to affliction, whether from his own state or from his enemies, or the sins of the wicked or God delaying "to help him "; and learn how it is in the time of trouble that we need God's Word specially, and that this alone can bring comfort to us.

6th. Then comes one of the most important things. Mark how often the little pronoun Thou, Thine, Thee, occurs, and how often it is understood in every petition, "Teach Thou me," "Quicken Thou me," and you will see how the whole psalm is a prayer spoken to God. All the Psalmist has to say about the Word of God, whether with regard to his own attachment to it, or his need of God's teaching and quickening, is spoken upwards into the face of God. He believes that it is pleasing to God and good for his own soul, to connect his meditation and thoughts on the Word, as continually and as closely as possible, by prayer, with the living God Himself. Every thought of God's Word, instead of drawing him off from God, leads him to fellowship with God.
The word of God becomes to him the rich and inexhaustible material for holding communion with the God Whose it is and to Whom it is meant to lead. As we gradually get an insight into these truths we shall get a new meaning from the single verses. And when, from time to time, we take a whole paragraph with its eight verses, we shall find how they help to lift us up, with and through the word, into God's presence, and into that life of obedience and joy which says, "I have sworn, and will perform it, that I will keep Thy righteous judgment." "Oh how I love Thy law; it is my meditation all the day."

Let us seek by the grace of the Holy Spirit to have the devotional life, which this Psalm reveals, wrought into our morning watch. LET GOD'S WORD every day, and before everything else, LEAD US TO GOD. Let every blessing in it be a matter of prayer, very specially our need of Divine teaching. Let our intense attachment to it be our childlike plea and confidence that the Father will help us. Let our prayers be followed by the vow that as God quickens and blesses us, we shall run the way of His commandments, and let all that God's word brings ourselves make us the more earnest in longing to carry that Word to others, whether for the awakening or the strengthening of the life of God in the soul.

MEDITATION

Psa_1:1-2.
"Blessed is the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law doth he meditate day and night." -- Psa_1:1-2. (Jos_1:8. Psa_119:15, Psa_119:23, Psa_119:48, Psa_119:78, Psa_119:97, Psa_119:99 and Psa_119:148. 1Ti_5:15.) "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord." -- Psa_19:14 and Psa_49:3

THE true aim of education, study, reading, is to be found, not in what is brought into us, but in what is brought out of ourselves, by the awakening into active exercise of our inward power. This is as true of the study of the Bible, as of any other study. God's Word only works its true blessing when the truth it brings to us has stirred the inner life, and reproduced itself in resolve, trust, love, or adoration. When the heart has received the Word through the mind, and has had its spiritual powers called out and exercised on it, the Word is no longer void, but has done that whereunto God has sent it. It has become part of our life, and strengthened us for new purpose and effort.

It is in meditation that the heart holds and appropriates the Word. Just as in reflection the understanding grasps all the meaning and bearings of a truth, so in meditation the heart, assimilates it and makes it a part of its own life. We need continual reminding that the heart means the will and the affection. The meditation of the heart implies desire, acceptance, surrender, love. Out of the heart are the issues of life; what the heart truly believes, that it receives with love and joy, and allows to master and rule the life. The intellect gathers and prepares the food on which we are to feed. In meditation the heart takes it in and feeds on it.

The art of meditation needs to be cultivated. Just as a man needs to be trained to concentrate his mental powers so as to think clearly and accurately, a Christian needs to carefully consider and meditate, until the holy habit has been formed of yielding up the whole heart to every word of God.

The question sometimes is asked, how this power of meditation can be cultivated. The very first thing is to present ourselves before God. It is His Word; that Word has no power of blessing apart from Him. It is into His presence and fellowship the Word is meant to bring us. Practise His presence, and take the Word as from Himself in the assurance that He will make it work effectually in the heart. In Psalm 119. you have the word seven times, but each time as part of a prayer addressed to God. "I will meditate in THY precepts." "Thy servant did meditate in THY statutes." "O how I love THY law, it is my meditation all the day." Meditation is the heart turning towards God with His own Word, seeking to take it up into the affection and will, into its very life.

Another element of true meditation is quiet restfulness. In our study of Scripture, in our endeavour to grasp an argument, or to master a difficulty, our intellect often needs to put forth its utmost efforts. The habit of soul required in meditation is different. Here we turn with some truth we have found, or some mystery in which we are waiting for divine teaching, to hide the word we are engaged with in the depth of the heart, and to believe that, by the Holy Spirit, its meaning and power will be revealed in our inner life. "Thou desirest truth in the inward parts; and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom." In the description of our Lord's mother we are told: "Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart." In His mother keeping all these sayings in her heart, we have the image of a soul that has begun to know Christ, and is on the sure way to know Him better.

It is hardly necessary to say further that in meditation the personal application takes a prominent place. This is all too little the case with our intellectual study of the Bible. Its object is to know and understand. In meditation the chief object is to appropriate and experience. A readiness to believe every promise implicitly, to obey every command unhesitatingly, to "stand perfect and complete in all the will of God," is the only true spirit of Bible study. It is in quiet meditation that this faith is exercised, that this allegiance is rendered, that the full surrender to all God's will is made, and the assurance received of grace to perform our vows.
And then meditation must lead to prayer. It provides matter for prayer. It must lead on to prayer, to ask and receive definitely what it has seen in the Word or accepted in the Word. Its value is that it is the preparation for prayer, deliberate and whole-hearted supplication for what the heart has felt that the Word has revealed as needful or possible. That means the rest of faith, that looks upward in the assurance that the Word will open up and prove its power, in the soul that meekly and patiently gives itself away to it.

The reward of resting for a time from intellectual effort, and cultivating the habit of holy meditation, will be that in course of time the two will be brought into harmony, and all our study be animated by the spirit of a quiet waiting on God, and a yielding up of the heart and life to the Word.

Our fellowship with God is meant for all the day. The blessing of securing a habit of true meditation in the morning watch will be, that we shall be brought nearer the blessedness of the man of the first Psalm; "Blessed is the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law doth he meditate day and night."

Let all workers and leaders of God's people remember that they need this more than others, if they are to train them to it, and to keep up their own communication unbroken with the only source of strength and blessing. God says, "I will be with thee; I will not fail nor forsake thee. Only be thou strong and very courageous that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; THOU SHALT MEDITATE THEREIN DAY AND NIGHT . . . Then thou shalt have good success . . . Be strong and of a good courage."

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in THY SIGHT, O Lord my Strength and my Redeemer."Let nothing less be your aim -- that your meditation may be acceptable in tits sight -- part of the spiritual sacrifice you offer. Let nothing less be your prayer and expectation, that your meditation may be true worship, the living surrender of the heart to God's Word in His presence.

LEARNING OF CHRIST

"Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me: for I am meek and lowly of heart; and ye shall find rest to your souls." -- - Mat_11:29.

ALL Bible study is learning. All Bible study to be fruitful should be learning of Christ. The Bible is the school book, Christ is the Teacher. It is He who opens the understanding, and opens the heart, and opens the seals. (Luk_24:45, Act_16:14, Rev_5:9.)

Christ is the living eternal Word, of which the written words are the human expression. Christ's presence and teaching are the secret of all true Bible study. The written Word is powerless, except as it helps us to the Living Word. No one has ever thought of accusing our Lord of not honouring the Old Testament. In His own life He proved that He loved it as coming out of the mouth of God. He ever pointed the Jews to it as the revelation of God and the witness to Himself. But with the disciples it is remarkable how frequently He spoke of His own teaching as what they most needed, and had to obey. It was only after His resurrection, when the union with Himself had been effected, and they had already received the first breathings of the Spirit (Joh_20:22) that we find Him expounding the Scriptures. The Jews had their self-made interpretation of the Word: they made it the greatest barrier between themselves and Him of whom it spake. It is often so with Christians too; our human apprehension of Scripture, fortified as it may be by the authority of the Church, or our own circle, becomes the greatest hindrance in the way of Christ's teachings. Christ the Living Word, seeks first to find His place in our heart and life, to be our only Teacher: thus shall we learn of Him to honour and understand Scripture.

LEARN OF ME FOR I AM MEEK AND LOWLY OF HEART. Our Lord here opens up the inmost secret of His own inner life. That which He brought down to us from heaven: that which fits Him to be a Teacher and a Saviour; that which He has given to us, and which He wants us to learn of Him: you find it all in the words, "I am meek and lowly of heart." It is the one virtue that makes Him the Lamb of God, our suffering Redeemer, our heavenly Teacher and Leader. It is the one disposition which He asks of us in coming to learn from Him: out of this all else will come. For our Bible study and all our Christian life you have here the one condition of truly learning of Christ. He, the Teacher, meek and lowly of heart, wants to make you what He is, because that is salvation. As a learner you must come and study and believe in Him the meek and lowly One, and seek to learn of Him how to he meek and lowly too.

And why is this the first and all-important thing? Because it lies at the root of the true relationship of the creature to God. God alone has life and goodness and happiness. As the God of Love He delights to give and work everything in us. Christ became the Son of Man to show in what blessed unceasing dependence upon God man is to live: this is the meaning of His being lowly in heart. It is in this spirit that angels veil their faces and cast their crowns before God. God is everything to them, and they delight to receive all and to give all. This is the root of the true Christian life: to be nothing before God and men; to wait on God alone; to delight in, to imitate, to learn of Christ, the Meek and Lowly One. This is the very key to the School of Christ, the only key to the true knowledge of Scripture. It is in this character that Christ has come to teach: it is in this character alone you can learn of Him. How little in the Christian Church, humility, the meek and lowly heart, has had the place that it has in the life of Christ and the teachings of God's Word. I am deeply persuaded that this lack lies at the root of a very large part of the feebleness and unfruitfulness of which we hear. It is only as we are meek and lowly in heart, that Christ can teach us by His Spirit what God has for us, and that God will work in us. Let each of us begin with ourselves and count this as the first condition of discipleship, and the first lesson the Master will most surely teach.us. Let us make all our Bible study a learning of Christ, a trusting Him, who is so meek and gentle and kind, a waiting for Him, to work His own spirit and likeness in us. In due time our morning watch will be the scene of daily fellowship and daily blessing.

I know what difficulties I have to contend with in pleading thus that the meek and lowly heart be made the first consideration in Bible study. It is hard to make men realise that, in intercourse with God, disposition and character are everything. It is harder to show them that of all Christian disposition and character, a meek and lowly heart is the very seed and root. It is hard to convince them that without it the profit of Bible study is very little. It is above all hard to lead them to understand and believe that the meek and lowly heart is to be had, because it is the very thing Christ offers to give, teaching us how to find and receive it in Himself. In face even of all these difficulties, I, nevertheless, urge all Bible students, thoughtfully and prayerfully to enquire whether file very first question to be settled in the inner chamber is not this: Is my heart in the state in which my Teacher desires it to be? And if it be not, is not my first work to yield myself to Him to work it in me?

DOING AND KNOWING

"But Jesus said, 'Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.'" -- Luk 2:28.
"If any man willeth to do His will, he shall know." -- Joh 7:17.

SOME time ago I received a letter from one who was evidently an earnest Christian, asking me for some hints to help him in Bible study. My first thought was to answer that there are so many addresses and booklets on the subject, that he would find all I could say, better said already. After a little while, certain experiences in my own immediate circle made me feel how needful instruction was on this all-important subject, and I found there were points to which it appeared desirable that special prominence should be given. I take up my pen with the earnest prayer and hope that what I write may be from God, the fountain of Light and Life, to help His young children to see how they may draw from His precious Word all that Divine instruction and nourishment, all that abundant joy and strength which He has there laid up for them.

I suppose myself addressing a young Christian who has said to me, -- Help me to study my Bible. Give me some rules to guide me as to how to begin, and how to go on, so that I may know my Bible well. The very first thing I have to say to him, the thing that comes before all else, is this: -- In your Bible study everything will depend upon the spirit in which you come to it, upon the Object or End you propose to yourself. In worldly things a man is ruled and urged on by the End or Aim he sets before himself. It is not otherwise with the Bible. If your aim be simply to know the Bible well, you will be disappointed. If you think that the thorough knowledge of the Bible will necessarily be a blessing, you are mistaken. To some it is a curse. To others it is powerless, it does not make them either holy or happy. To some it is a burden, it depresses them instead of quickening them or lifting them up.

And what ought then to be the Aim or End, the real disposition of the Bible student? God's word is food, bread from heaven; the first need for Bible study is: -- A GREAT HUNGER AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS, -- a great desire TO DO ALL GOD's WILL. The Bible is a light: the first condition to its enjoyment is -- a HEARTY LONGING TO WALK IN GOD'S WAYS. Is not this what the texts I have placed above teach us? "Blessed are they that hear the word of God AND KEEP IT" There is no blessedness in hearing or knowing God's word apart from KEEPING IT. The word is nothing if it be not kept, obeyed, done. "If any man willeth TO DO HIS WILL, he shall KNOW." According to this saying of our Lord, all true knowledge of God's word depends upon there being first THE WILL TO DO IT. Is not this the very lesson we are enforcing. God will refuse to unlock the real meaning and blessing of His word to any but those WHOSE WILL IS DEFINITELY SET UPON DOING IT. I must read my Bible with one purpose." Whatsoever He saith unto you, Do IT."

Why this should be so, is easily ascertained when we think of what WORDS are meant for. They stand between the will and the deed. A man wills to do something for you; before he does it, he expresses his thought or purpose in words; then he fulfils the words by doing what he has promised. Even so with God, His words have their value from what He does. In creation His word was with power: He spoke and it was done. In grace He does what He says. David prays (2Sa_7:25) "Do as Thou hast SPOKEN." Solomon says at the consecration of the temple -- "who hath with His hand FULFILLED that which He SPAKE with His Mouth"; "who hath PERFORMED His word that He SPAKE"; "who hast KEPT that which Thou didst PROMISE; "who SPAKE IT with Thy mouth, and hast fulfilled with Thy hand "; "let Thy word be verified, which Thou hast spoken." (2Ch_6:4, 2Ch_6:10, 2Ch_6:15, 2Ch_6:16.) In the prophets, God says, "I the Lord have spoken it; I WILL DO IT." And they say, "What Thou hast spoken, Is DONE." The truth and the worth of what God promises consists in this, that HE DOES IT. His word of promise is meant to be done.

This is no less true of His word of command, of things which He meant US TO DO. If we do not do them, if we seek to know them, if we admire their beauty and praise their wisdom, but do not DO THEM, we delude ourselves. They are meant TO BE DONE; it is only as we do them that their real meaning and blessing can be unfolded to us. It is only as we do them, that we really can grow in the Divine life. "Walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, bearing fruit unto EVERY GOOD WORK (this first, then) and increasing IN THE KNOWLEDGE of God." It is only when we approach God's words with the same object which God had in view THAT THEY SHOULD BE DONE, that we can have any hope of blessing.

Is this not what we see all around us in the pursuit of knowledge, or in any branch of trade? The apprentice or pupil is expected to put the lessons he receives into practice; only then is he prepared for further teaching. And even so in the Christian life, Bible study is mere theory, a pleasing exercise of mind and imagination, worth little or nothing for a life of true holiness or Christlikehess, until the student be ready never to open or close his Bible without making God's purpose His very own, and hearkening when He says -- " DO ALL that I SPEAK."

This was the mark of the saints of old. "So Abram went, as the Lord had spoken to him." "As the Lord had commanded Moses, so did he," is the description of the man who as a servant was faithful in all his house. And of David we read: -- "I have found a man after mine own heart, who shall do all my will." In Psalm 119: we hear him speaking with God about His word, and praying for Divine light and teaching, but ever accompanied by the vow of obedience, or some other expression of love and delight. It is the doing of God's will, that even with God's own Son, is the one secret of entrance into the favour and the mind of God.

I have just been reading Mr. Moody's new book, "Pleasure and Profit in Bible Study." I doubt not but many will avail themselves of the suggestions it contains. They will think rightly, what has helped a man like Mr. Moody, can help me too. And yet they may be disappointed. They must be, unless they bring to the Bible what Mr. Moody brought: AN HONEST DESIRE TO DO WHATEVER HE SAW GOD WANTED HIM TO DO. Young Christian! I beseech you by the mercies of God, when you ask God to lead you into the treasures of His word, into the palace where Christ dwells, do it as one who presents himself a living sacrifice, READY TO DO WHATEVER GOD SHALL SPEAK. Do not think this a matter of course. It is of deeper importance than you know. This is more frequently absent from Bible study than you think. Seek for it with deep humility. The first need for enjoying your food is hunger. The first requirement for the Bible study is A SIMPLE, DETERMINED LONGING TO FIND OUT WHAT GOD WANTS YOU TO DO, AND A DEAD-IN-EARNEST RESOLVE TO DO IT. "If any man willeth TO DO HIS WILL, he shall know of the teaching " -- to him the word of God will be opened up.

The reason why many get so little out of their Bible reading is simply because they are not willing to think. Intellectual laziness lies at the bottom of a large percent of fruitless Bible reading. People are constantly crying for new methods of Bible study, but what many of them wish is simply some method of Bible study by which they can get all the good out of the Bible without work. If someone could tell lazy Christians some method of Bible study whereby they could put the sleepiest ten minutes of the day, just before they go to bed, into Bible study, and get the profit out of it that God intends His children shall get out of the study of His Word, that would be just what they desire. But it can't be done. Men must be willing to work, and work hard, if they wish to dig out the treasures of infinite wisdom and knowledge and blessing which God has stored up in His Word.

[i]6. The sixth condition is a childlike mind.

God reveals His deepest truths to babes. No age needs more than our own to lay to heart the words of Jesus, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children" (Matthew 11:25). We must be babes if God is to reveal His truth to us, and we are to understand His Word. A child is not full of its own wisdom. It recognizes its ignorance and is ready to be taught. It does not oppose the ideas of its teachers to those of its own. It is in that spirit we should come to the Bible if we are to get the most profit out of our study.

Do not come to the Bible full of your own ideas, and seeking from it a confirmation of them. Come rather to find out what are God's ideas as He has revealed them there. Come not to find a confirmation of your own opinion, but to be taught what God may be pleased to teach. If a man comes to the Bible just to find his ideas taught there, he will find them; but if he comes recognizing his own ignorance, just as a little child to be taught, he will find something infinitely better than his own ideas, even the mind of God. We see why it is that many persons cannot see things which are plainly taught in the Bible. The doctrine taught is not their idea, of which they are so full that there is no room left for that which the Bible actually teaches.

We have an illustration of this in the apostles themselves at one stage in their training. In Mark 9:31, we read, "He was teaching his disciples. He said to them, 'The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.'" Now, that is as plain and definite as language can make it, but it was utterly contrary to the ideas of the apostles as to what was to happen to the Christ. So we read in the next verse, "But they did not understand what he meant." Isn't that amazing? But is it any more amazing than our own inability to comprehend plain statements in the Bible when they run counter to our preconceived ideas?[/i]

I agree that plain old laziness is often the cause for our fruitlesness in the things of God. The Puritans were not speculating when they put such weight on "preparing the heart and mind" to recieve the things of God during quiet time. I've found that to discover mere surface riches (an oxymoron if I've ever heard one), all one has to do is read a verse and store it in memory; to mine the deep, life-imparting gemstones, however, one has to labor in the Word with much patience and diligence.

There is an active step we must take, and that is to [i]condition the mind and heart[/i] to receive the ingrafting. I know that a statement like that can be taken wrongly, but it is only the plain reality of our part in walking with God. Some minds are not very inclined to work - mine, I admit, is very lazy. Coming to God and submitting my thoughts to receive from the Holy Spirit can seem tantamount to subjecting my mind to solve a quadratic equation. It's work! Mental gymnastics, a stressing of a faculty we are too often inclined to let lay lax.

This is why God would have us disciplined, not only physically, but mentally most importantly. If we had the reins of our thought-life in better control, we could more easily control the passions of our flesh, and more smoothly and quickly hand them over to the Spirit for mortification. We would also be more readily conditioned to dig into the Word, meditate, and pray effectively in any season.

All of us know we have seasons of fruitbearing, seasons where deep and profound expressions by the Spirit are laid upon us...and this is where we write our good articles, preach our powerful sermons, and have personal, life-imparting revelations straight from God's Word. Other seasons seem phlegmatic and vapid, where even opening the Word of God or uttering a heart-prayer can feel like one of those dreams where you're trying to move underwater. I believe we are expected to overcome these insipid seasons, and God would show us the path during the wonderful seasons of fruit and fire. It is during these seasons where the believer asks himself, "Why can I not always have this liberty in the Word? Why can I not always pray like this? Why must it only be for a season?"

Well, God tells us to be instant in both the dry and wet season, in both the hot and cold seasons, in the fruitbearing and autumnal seasons. This condition of "readiness" must be diligently cultivated, and I am convinced our daily decisions pertaining to our exercises in spirituality have a major part in whether or not we succeed. There must come a point where we come to rest in Christ, reckoning ourselves as dead and hidden with Him in God, and learn to always look to Him as our overcoming power to progress to where God would have us. The striving and labor and discipline on our part comes with the act of actual [i]looking[/i] to Him and denying to look at ourselves. When we learn to look to Christ in faith - as one baptized into His death and Whose Life has become ours - we will be stirred in the spirit to pursue those things which bring us more knowledge of His glorious ways. It is an automatic process, built into our spiritual DNA. It's like when I think about my loving wife, when I consciously turn my thoughts to her, I can't help but be stirred in my [i]soul[/i] and experience the love and emotion already within me for her. When my thoughts are unruly, the flesh has a tendency to envelop it, the worries of the day, the impact of a million fleeting and vain thoughts...but when I deliberately still my mind and focus on the dear gift God has given me, the love I have for her is extracted from within and once again manifested to my senses.

This is how it also is with God in the Spirit, gazing at Christ - only in the quickened spiritual realm, which would shine like a trillion suns were God to take the dark glass away and grant me the full revelation of Sonship.

Brother Paul

From:

[url=http://www.freewebs.com/ratorrey/ ]R. A. Torrey Archive[/url]

THE METHODS AND FUNDAMENTAL CONDITIONS
OF THE BIBLE STUDY THAT YIELD
THE LARGEST RESULTS.

R. A. TORREY

[i]Author of "How to Bring Men to Christ," "Baptism With the Holy
Spirit," etc.[/i]

ELEVENTH THOUSAND
JAMES NISBET & CO., LIMITED
az BERNERS STREET
1903

PREFACE.

This book has been written for two reasons: first, because it seemed to be needed; second, to save the writer time and labor. Letters are constantly coming in from all quarters asking how to study the Bible. It is impossible to refuse to answer a question so important as that, but it takes much time to answer it at all as it should be answered. This book is written as an answer to those who have asked the question, and to those who may wish to ask it. Nothing is more important for our own mental, moral and spiritual development, or for our increase in usefulness, than Bible study. But not all Bible study is equally profitable. Some Bible study is absolutely profitless. "How to study the Bible so as to get the largest profit from it," is a question of immeasurable importance. The answer to the question, found in this book, has been for the most part given in addresses by the author, at the Chicago Bible Institute, before the summer gatherings of college students, at ministerial conferences and Y. M. C. A. conventions. Many, especially ministers, who have heard these addresses have asked that they might be put in a permanent shape. I have promised for two years to comply with this request, but have never found time to do so until now.

CONTENTS.

Part First.

METHODS OF PROFITABLE BIBLE STUDY.

CHAPTER I.

PAGES,
Introductory to Methods of Bible Study

CHAPTER II.
Study of Individual Books - 14

CHAPTER III.
Topical Study - - 57

CHAPTER IV.
Biographical Study 79

CHAPTER V.
Study of Types 82

CHAPTER VI.

Study of the Books of the Bible in the Order Given in the Bible and in Their Chronological Order 85

CHAPTER VII.

The Study of the Bible for Practical Usefulness in Dealing With Men . . . 88

Part Second.
FUNDAMENTAL CONDITIONS.

CHAPTER I.

Fundamental Conditions of the Most Profitable Bible Study 95

CHAPTER II.
Final Suggestions 116

PART I.

THE METHODS OF THE MOST PROFITABLE BIBLE STUDY.

HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE.

CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER TO METHODS OF BIBLE STUDY.

We shall consider the most profitable Methods of Bible Study before we consider the Fundamental Conditions of Profitable Bible study. Many readers of this book will probably be frightened, at first, at the seeming elaborateness and difficulty of some of the methods of study suggested. But they are not as difficult as they appear. Their practicability and fruitfulness have been tested in the class-room, and that not with classes made up altogether of college graduates, but largely composed of persons of very moderate education; in some cases of almost no education. They do require time and hard work. It must be remembered, however, that the Bible contains gold, and almost any one is willing to dig for gold, especially if it is certain that he will find it. It is certain that one will find gold in the Bible, if he digs. As one uses the methods here recommended, he will find his ability to do the work rapidly increasing by exercise, until he can soon do more in fifteen minutes than at the outset he could do in an hour.

The first method of study suggested will be found to be an exceptionally good mental training. When one has pursued this method of study for a time, his powers of observation will have been so quickened, that he will see at a glance what, at first, he only saw upon much study and reflection. This method of study will also train the logical powers, cultivating habits of order, system and classification in one's intellectual processes. The power of clear, concise and strong expression will also be developed. No other book affords the opportunity for intellectual development by its study, that is to be found in the Bible. No other book, and no other subject, will so abundantly repay close and deep study. The Bible is much read, but comparatively little studied. It will probably be noticed by some that the first method of study suggested is practically the method now pursued in the study of nature; first, careful analysis and ascertainment of facts; second, classification of facts. But the facts of revelation far transcend those of nature in sublimity, suggestiveness, helpfulness and practical utility. They are also far more accessible.

We cannot all be profound students of nature; we can all be profound students of Scripture. Many an otherwise illiterate person has a marvelous grasp of Bible truth. It was acquired by study. There are persons who have studied little else, who have studied the Scriptures, by the hour, daily, and their consequent wisdom is the astonishment and sometimes the dismay of scholars and theologians.

CHAPTER 1

THE STUDY OF INDIVIDUAL BOOKS.

The first method of Bible study that we shall consider is the study of the Bible by individual books. This method of study is the most thorough, the most difficult, and the one that yields the largest and most permanent results. We take it up first because in the author's opinion it should occupy the greater portion of our time.

I. The first work to do, is to select the book to study. This is a very important matter. If one makes an unfortunate selection he may become discouraged and give up a method of study that might have been most fruitful.

A few points will be helpful to the beginner:

1. For your first book-study, choose a short book. The choice of a long book to begin with, will lead to discouragement in any one but a person of rare perseverance. It will be so long before the final results, which far more than pay for all the labor expended, are reached, that the ordinary student will give it up.

2. Choose a comparatively easy book. Some books of the Bible present grave difficulties not to be found in other books. One will wish to meet and overcome these later, but it is not the work for a beginner to set for himself. When his powers have become trained by reason of use, then he can do this successfully and satisfactorily, but, if he attempts it, as so many rashly do, at the outset, he will soon find himself floundering. The First Epistle of Peter is an exceedingly precious book, but a few of the most difficult passages in the Bible are in it. If it were not for these difficult passages, it would be a good book to recommend to the beginner, but in view of these difficulties it is not wise to undertake to make it a subject of exhaustive study until later.

3. Choose a book that is rich enough in its teaching to illustrate the advantages of this method of study and thus give a keen appetite for further studies of the same kind. When one has gone through one reasonably large and full book by the method of study about to be described, he will have an eagerness for it, that will make it sure that he will somehow find time for further studies of the same sort.

A book that meets all the conditions stated is the First Epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians. It is quite short, it has no great difficulties of interpretation, meaning or doctrine, and it is exceedingly rich in its teaching. It has the further advantage of being the first in point of time of the Pauline Epistles. The First Epistle of John is not in most respects a difficult book, and it is one of the richest books in the Bible.

II. The second work to do, is to master the general contents of the book. The method of doing this is very simple. It consists in merely reading the book through without stopping and then reading it through again, and then again, say a dozen times in all, at a single sitting. To one who has never tried it, it does not seem as if that would amount to much, but any thoughtful man who has ever tried it will tell you quite differently. It is simply wonderful how a book takes on new meaning and beauty upon this sort of an acquaintance. It begins to open up. New relations between different parts of the book begin to disclose themselves. Fascinating lines of thought running through the book appear. The book is grasped as a whole, and the relation of the various parts to one another apprehended, and a foundation laid for an intelligent study of those parts in detail. Rev. James M. Gray of Boston, a great lover of the Bible and prominent teacher of it, says that for many years of his ministry he had "an inadequate and unsatisfactory knowledge of the English Bible." The first practical idea which he received in the study of the English Bible was from a layman. The brother possessed an unusual serenity and joy in his Christian experience, which he attributed to his reading of the Epistle to the Ephesians. Mr. Gray asked him how he had read it, and he said he had taken a pocket copy of the Epistle into the woods one Sunday afternoon, and read it through at a single sitting, repeating the process as many as a dozen times before stopping, and when he arose he had gotten possession of the Epistle, or rather its wondrous truths had gotten possession of him. This was the secret, simple as it was, for which Mr. Gray had been waiting and praying." From this time on Mr. Gray studied his Bible through in this way, and it became to him a new book.

III. The third work is to prepare an introduction to the Book. Write down at the top of separate sheets of paper or cards the following questions: (1) Who wrote this book? (2) To whom did he write? (3) Where did he write it? (4) When did he write it? (5) What was the occasion of his writing? (6) What was the purpose for which he wrote? (7) What were the circumstances of the author when he wrote? (8) What were the circumstances of those to whom he wrote? (9) What glimpses does the book give into the life and character of the author? (10) What are the leading ideas of the book? (11) What is the central truth of the book? (12) What are the characteristics of the book ?

Having prepared your sheets of paper with these questions at the head, lay them side by side on your study table before you, and go through the book slowly, and, as you come to an answer to any one of these questions, write it down on the appropriate sheet of paper. It may be necessary to go through the book several times to do the work thoroughly and satisfactorily, but you will be amply repaid. When you have finished your own work in this line, and not until then, it will be well, if possible, to compare your results with those reached by others. A book that will serve as a good illustration of this introductory work is "The New Testament and Its Writers," Rev. J. A. McClymont.

The introduction one prepares for himself will be worth many times more to him than any that he can procure from others. The work itself is a rare education of the faculties of perception, comparison and reasoning.

The answers to our questions will sometimes be found in some related book. For example, if we are studying one of the Pauline Epistles, the answer to our questions may be found in the Acts of the Apostles, or in the Epistle written to the place from which the one studied was written. Of course, all the questions given will not apply to every book in the Bible.

If one is not willing to give the time and labor necessary, this introductory work can be omitted, but only at a great sacrifice. Single passages in an epistle can never be correctly understood unless we know to whom they were written. Much false interpretation of the Bible arises from taking some direction manifestly intended for local application to be of universal authority. So, also, oftentimes false interpretation arises from applying to the unbeliever what was intended for the saint. Noting the occasion of writing, will clear up the meaning of a passage that would be otherwise obscure. Bearing in mind the circumstances of the author when he wrote, will frequently give new force to his words. When we remember that the jubilant epistle to the Philippians, with its oft-repeated "rejoice in the Lord" and its "in nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus," was written by a prisoner awaiting possible sentence of death, how much more meaningful it becomes. Bearing in mind the main purpose for which a book was written, will help to interpret its incidental exhortations in their proper relations. In fact, the answers to all the questions will be valuable in all the work that follows, as well as valuable in themselves.

IV. The fourth work is to divide the book into its proper sections. This work is not indispensable, but still it is valuable. Go through the book and notice the principal divisions in the thought, and mark these. Then go through these divisions and find if there are any natural subdivisions and mark these. In this work of dividing the epistle, the Revised Version, which is not chopped up by a purely mechanical and irrational verse division, but divided according to a logical plan, will be of great help. Having discovered the divisions of the book, proceed to give to each section an appropriate caption. Make this caption as precise a statement of the general contents of the section as possible. Make it also as terse and striking as possible, so that it will fix itself in the mind. As far as possible let the captions of the subdivisions connect themselves with the general caption of the division. Do not attempt too elaborate a division at first. The following division of 1st Peter, without many marked subdivisions, will serve as a simple illustration of what is meant:

1. Chap, i: i, 2. Introduction and salutation to the pilgrims and sojourners in Pontus,
etc.

2. Chap, i: 3-12. The Inheritance reserved in heaven and the Salvation ready to be revealed for those pilgrims who in the midst of manifold
temptations are kept by the power of God through faith.

3. Chap, i: 13-25. The pilgrim's conduct during the days of his pilgrimage.

4. Chap, ii: 1-10. The high calling, position and destiny of the pilgrim people.

5. Chap, ii: 11, 12. The pilgrim's conduct during the days of his pilgrimage.

6. Chap, ii: 13-17. The pilgrim's duty toward the human governments under which he lives.

7. Chap, ii: 18:-iii: 7. The duty of various classes of pilgrims.

a. Chap, ii: 18-25. The duty of servants toward their masters enforced by an appeal to Christ's conduct under injustice and reviling.

b. Chap, iii: 1-6. The duty of wives toward husbands.

c. Chap, iii: 7. The duty of husbands toward their wives.

8. Chap, iii: 8-12. The conduct of pilgrims toward one another.

9. Chap, iii: 13-22. The pilgrim suffering for righteousness' sake.

10. Chap, iv: 1-6. The pilgrim's separation from the practices of those among whom he spends the days of his pilgrimage.

11. Chap, iv: 7-11. The pilgrim's sojourning drawing to a close and his conduct during the last days.

12. Chap, iv: 12-19. The pilgrim suffering for and with Christ.

13. Chap, v: 1-4. The duty and reward of elders.

14. Chap, v: 5-11. The pilgrim's walk humble and trustful, watchful and steadfast and a doxology.

15. Chap, v: 12-14. Conclusion and benediction.

V. The fifth work is to take up each verse in order and study it.

1. The first thing to be done in this verse by verse study of the book is to get the exact meaning of the verse. How is this to be done? There are three steps that lead into the meaning of a verse.

a. The first step is to get the exact meaning of the words used. There will be found two classes of words: those whose meaning is perfectly apparent, those whose meaning is doubtful. It is quite possible to find the precise meaning of these doubtful words. This is not done by consulting a dictionary. That is an easy but dangerous method of finding the scriptural significance of a word. The only safe and sure method is to study the usage of the word in the Bible itself, and especially in that particular Bible-writer, one of whose writings we are studying. To study the Bible usage of words one must have a Concordance. Altogether, the best Concordance is Strong's "Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible." The next best, Young's "Analytical Concordance." Cruden's Complete Concordance will do, if one cannot afford a better. But the student should, as soon as possible, procure Strong's "Exhaustive Concordance." All the passages in which the word, whose meaning is being sought, occurs should be found and examined, and in this way the precise meaning of the word will be determined. Many an important Bible doctrine turns upon the meaning of a word. Thus, for example, two schools of theology divide on the meaning of the word "justify." The critical question is, does the word "justify" mean "to make righteous," or does it mean "to count or declare righteous"? The correct interpretation of many passages of Scripture turns upon the sense which we give to this word. Let one look up all the passages in the Bible in which the word is found, and there will be no doubt as to the Bible usage and meaning of the word. Deut. xxv: i; Ex. xxiii: 7; Is. v: 23; Luke xvi: 15; Rom. ii: 13; iii: 23, 24; Luke xviii: 14; Rom. iv: 2-8, R. V., will serve to illustrate the Biblical usage. By the use of Strong's Concordance, or Young's, the student will see that the same word may be used in the English version as the translation of several Greek or Hebrew words. Of course, in determining the Biblical usage, we should give especial weight to those passages in which the English word examined is the translation of the same word in Greek or Hebrew. Either of the Concordances just mentioned will enable us to do this, even though we are not at all acquainted with Greek or Hebrew. It will be much easier to do it with Strong's Concordance than Young's. It is surprising how many knotty problems in the interpretation of scripture are solved by the simple examination of the Biblical usage of words. For example, one of the burning questions of to-day is the meaning of I Jno. i: 7. Does this verse teach that "the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us" from all the guilt of sin; or does it teach us that "the blood of Jesus Christ" cleanseth us from the very presence of sin, so that by the blood of Christ, indwelling sin is itself eradicated? Many of those who read this question will answer it off-hand at once, one way or the other. But the off-hand way of answering questions of this kind, is a very bad way. Take your concordance and look up every passage in the Bible in which the word "cleanse" is used in connection with blood, and the question will be answered conclusively and forever. Never conclude that you have the right meaning of a verse until you have carefully determined the meaning of all doubtful words in it by an examination of Bible usage. Even when you are pretty sure you know the meaning of the words, it is well not to be too sure until you have looked it up.

b. The second step in ascertaining the meaning of a verse is to carefully notice the context (what goes before and what comes after). Many verses, if they stood alone, might be capable of several interpretations, but when what goes before and what comes after is considered, all the interpretations but one are seen to be impossible. Take for example Jno. xiv: 18, "I will not leave you desolate: I come unto you." (R. V.) To what does Jesus refer when He says "I come unto you"? One commentator says, He refers to His reappearance to His disciples after His resurrection to comfort them. Another says that He refers to His second coming, as it is called. Another says He refers to His coming through the Holy Spirit's work to manifest Himself to His disciples and make His abode with them. Which does He mean? When "doctors disagree," can an ordinary layman decide ? Yes, very often. Surely in this case. If any one will carefully note what Jesus is talking about in the verses immediately preceding (verses 15-17) and in the verses immediately following (verses 19-26), he will have no doubt as to what coming Jesus refers to in this passage. You can see this by trying it for yourself.

A very large proportion of the vexed questions of Biblical interpretation, can be settled by this very simple method of noticing what goes before and what comes after. Many of the sermons one hears, become very absurd when one takes the trouble to notice the setting of the preacher's text and how utterly foreign the thought of the sermon is to the thought of the text, regarded in the light of the context.

c. The third step in ascertaining the correct and precise meaning of a verse, is the examination of parallel passages, viz., passages that treat the same subject passages, for example, that give another account of the same address or event, or passages that are evidently intended as a commentary on the passage in hand. Very often, after having carefully studied the words used and the context, we will still be in doubt as to which of two or three possible interpretations of a verse is the one intended by the writer or speaker. In such a case there is always somewhere else in the Bible a passage that will settle this question. Take for example, Jno. xiv: 3, "I come again and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." (R.V.) A careful consideration of the words used in their relation to one another, will go far in determining the meaning of this passage, but still we find among commentators whose opinion ought to have some weight, these four interpretations: First, the coming here referred to is Christ's coming at death to receive the believer unto himself, as in the case of Stephen. Second, the coming again at the resurrection. Third, the coming again through the Holy Spirit. Fourth, the coming again of Christ when He returns personally and gloriously at the end of the age. Which of these four interpretations is the correct one? What has already been said about verse 18 might seem to settle the question, but it does not; for it is not at all clear that the coming in verse 3 is the same as in verse 18, for what is said in connection with the two comings is altogether different. In the one case it is a coming of Christ to "receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also"; in the other case it is a coming of Christ to manifest Himself unto us and make His abode with us. But fortunately there is averse that settles the question, an inspired commentary on the Words of Jesus. This is found in I Thess. iv: 16, 17. This will be seen clearly if we arrange the two passages in parallel columns.

Jno. xiv: 3.

I come again

and will receive you unto myself

that where I am there ye may be also.

I Thess. iv: 16,

The Lord himself sha11 descend

we ... shall be caught up ... to meet the Lord

so shall we ever be with the Lord.

The two passages manifestly match exactly in the three facts stated, and beyond a doubt refer to the same event. But if any one will look at all closely at I Thess., iv: 16, 17, there can be no doubt as to what coming of our Lord is referred to there. "The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge" will be of great assistance in finding parallel passages. These are the three steps that lead us into the meaning of a verse. They require work, but it is work that any one can do, and when the meaning of a verse is thus settled we arrive at conclusions that are correct and fixed. After taking these steps it is well to consult commentaries, and see how our conclusions agree with those of others. Before we proceed to the next thing to be done with a verse after its meaning has been determined, let it be said, that God intended to convey some definite truth in each verse of scripture, and any one of from two to a dozen interpretations of a verse is not as good as another. With every verse of scripture we should ask, not What can this be made to teach? but What was this intended to teach? and we should not rest satisfied until we have settled that. Of course, it is admitted a verse may have a primary meaning and other more remote meanings. For example, a prophecy may have its primary fulfilment in some personage or event near at hand, e. g. , Solomon, and a more remote and complete fulfilment in Christ.

2. We are not through with a verse when we have determined its meaning. The next thing to do is to analyze the verse. This is most interesting and profitable work. It is also a rare education of the various faculties of the intellect. The way to do it is this: Look steadfastly at the verse and ask yourself, What does this verse teach? and then begin to write down: This verse teaches, ist, ; 2d, ; 3d, , etc. At the first glance very likely you will see but one or two things the verse teaches, but, as you look again and again, the teachings will begin to multiply, and you will wonder how one verse could teach so much, and you will have an ever growing sense of the divine authorship of the Book. It is related of the younger Prof. Agassiz that a young man came to him to study ichthyology. The Professor gave him a fish to study and told him to come back when he had mastered that fish and get another lesson. In time the young man came back and told Prof. A. what he had observed about the fish. When he had finished, to his surprise he was given the same fish again, and told to study it further. He came back again, having observed new facts, and, as he supposed, all the facts about the fish. But again he was given the same fish to study, and so it went on, lesson after lesson, until that student had been taught what his perceptive faculties were for, and also taught to do thorough work. In the same way ought we to study the Bible. We ought to come back to the same verse of the Bible again and again, until we have gotten, as far as it is possible to us, all that is in the verse. Then the probability is that when we come back to the same verse several months afterward we will find something we did not see before. It may be, that an illustration of this method of analysis will be helpful. Let us take I Pet. i: I, 2. (Here we have an instance in which the verse division of our Authorized version is so manifestly illogical and absurd that in our analysis we cannot follow it, but must take the two verses together. This will often be the case.)

I Pet., i: I, 2. These verses teach:

(i.) This epistle is by Peter.

(2.) The Peter who wrote this epistle was an apostle of Jesus Christ.

(3.) Peter delighted to think and speak of himself as one sent of Jesus Christ. (Comp. II Pet., i: i.)

(NOTE Apostle is Greek for Latin "Missionary."}

(4.) The name, Jesus Christ (used twice in these two verses). Significance:

a. Saviour.

b. Annointed One.

c. Fulfiller of the Messianic predictions of the O. T. "Christ" has especially reference to the earthly reign of Christ.

(5.) This Epistle was written to the elect, especially to the elect who are sojourners of the dispersion in Pontus, i. *, Paul's old field of
labor.

(NOTE The question whether speaking of the dispersion implies that the destination of this Epistle was to Jewish Christians will have been taken up and answered in the introduction to the Epistle.}

(6.) Believers are:

a, elect or chosen of God.

b, foreknown of God.

c, sanctified of the Spirit.

d. sprinkled by the blood of Jesus Christ.

e. sojourners or pilgrims on earth.

f. subjects of multiplied grace.

g. possessors of multiplied peace.

(7.) Election.

a. Who are the elect? Believers. Comp. vs. 5.

b. To what are they elect?

a, obedience.

b, sprinkling of the blood of Jesus.

According to what are they elect? The foreknowledge of God. Comp. Rom. viii: 29, 30.

In what are they elect? Sanctification of the Spirit.

The test of election: Obedience. Comp. II Pet. i: 10.

The work of the three persons of the Trinity in election

a. The Father foreknows.

b. Jesus Christ cleanses from guilt by His blood.

c. The Spirit sanctifies.

(8.) God is the Father of the elect.

(9.) The humanity of Christ: seen in the mention of His blood.

(10.) The reality of the body of Jesus Christ: seen in the mention of His blood.

(11.) It is by His blood and not by His example that Jesus Christ delivers from sin.

(12.) Peter's first and great wish and prayer for those to whom he wrote was that grace and peace might be multiplied.

(13.) It is not enough to have grace and peace. One should have multiplied grace and peace.

(14.) That men already have grace and peace is no reason to cease praying for them, but rather an incentive to prayer that they may have more grace and peace.

(15.) Grace precedes peace. Comp. all passages where these words are found together.

This is simply an illustration of what is meant by analysing a verse. Tho whole book should be gone through in this way. There are three rules to be observed in this analytical work. 1st. Do not put anything into your analysis that is not clearly in the verse. One of the greatest faults in Bible study is reading into passages what God never put into them. Some men have their pet doctrines, and see them everywhere, and even where God does not see them. No matter how true, precious or scriptural a doctrine is, do not put it into your analysis where it is not in the verse. Considerable experience with classes in this kind of study leads me to emphasize this rule. 2d. Find all that is in the verse. This rule can only be carried out relatively. Much will escape you, the verses of the Bible are such a great deep, but do not rest until you have dug, and dug, and dug, and there seems to be nothing more to find. 3d. State what you do find just as accurately and exactly as possible. Do not be content with putting into your analysis something like what is in the verse, but state in your analysis precisely what is in the verse.

VI. The sixth work in the study of the book is to classify the results obtained by the verse by verse analysis. By your verse by verse analysis you have discovered and recorded a great number of facts. The work now is to get these facts into an orderly shape. To do this, go carefully through your analysis and note the subjects treated of in the Epistle. Write these subjects down as fast as noted. Having made a complete list of the subjects treated in the book, write these subjects on separate cards or sheets of paper, and then, going through the analysis again, copy each point in the analysis upon its appropriate sheet of paper, e. g. , every point regarding God the Father upon the card at the top of which this subject is written. This general classification should be followed by a more thorough and minute subdivision. Suppose that we are studying the First Epistle of Peter. Having completed our analysis of the Epistle, and gone over it carefully, we will find that the following subjects, at least, are treated in the Epistle: (1) God. (2) Jesus Christ. (3) The Holy Spirit. (4) The Believer. (5) Wives and Husbands. (6) Servants. (7) The New Birth. (8) The Word of God. (9) Old Testament Scripture. (10) The Prophets, (11) Prayer. (12) Angels. (13) The Devil. (14) Baptism. (15) The Gospel, (16) Salvation. (17) The World. (18) Gospel Preachers and Teachers. (19) Heaven. (20) Humility. (21) Love.

These will serve for general headings. But after the material found in the analysis is arranged under these headings, it will be found to subdivide itself naturally into numerous subdivisions. For example, the material under the head God can be subdivided into these subdivisions: 1. His names. (The material under this head is quite rich). 2. His Attributes. (This should be subdivided again: (i) His Holiness. (2) His Power. (3) His Foreknowledge. (4) His Faith- fulness. (5) His Long- suffering. (6) His Grace. There are twenty-five or more points on God's Grace in the Epistle. (7) His Mercy. (8) His Impartiality. (9) His Severity.) 3. God's Judgments. 4. God's Will. 5. What is Acceptable to God. 6. What is Due to God. 7. God's Dwelling Place. 8. God's Dominion. 9. God's Work. What God does. 10. The Things of God, e. g. "The mighty hand of God," "the house of God," "the gospel of God," "the flock of God," "the people of God," "the bondservants of God," "the Word of God," "the Oracles of God," etc., etc.

An illustration in full of the classified arrangement of the teaching of a book on one doctrine, will probably show better how to do this work than any abstract statement, and it will also illustrate in part how fruitful is this method of study. We will take I Peter again its teaching regarding the Believer.

[i]Cont.[/i]

[i]Cont.[/i]

WHAT THE EPISTLE TEACHES ABOUT THE BELIEVER.

I. His PRIVILEGES.

1. His Election.

a, He is foreknown of the Father, 1 : 2.

b, He is elect or chosen of God, i: i.

c, He is chosen of God, according to His foreknowledge, i: 2.

d, He is chosen unto obedience, 1:2.

e, He is chosen unto the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus, i : 2.

f, He is chosen in sanctification of the Spirit, i: 2.

2. His Calling.

a, By whom called: God, 1:15.

The God of all grace, 5: IO.

b, To what called:

The imitation of Christ in the patient taking of suffering for well doing, 2: 20, 21.

To render blessings for reviling, 3: 9.

Out of darkness into God's marvellous light, 2: 9.

To God's eternal glory, 5: 10.

c, In whom called: In Christ, 5: 10.

d, The purpose of his calling:
That he may show forth the praises of Him who called, 2 : 9.
That he may inherit a blessing, 3: 9.

3. His Regeneration. He has been begotten again

a, of God, i : 3.

b, unto a living hope, 1 : 3.

c, unto an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven, i: 4.

d, By the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 1:3.

e, Of incorruptible seed by the word of God that liveth, etc., i: 23.

4. His Redemption. He has been redeemed,

a, not with corruptible things, as silver and gold,: i 18.

b, with precious blood, even the blood of Christ, i: 19.

c, from his vain manner of life, handed down from his fathers, i : 18.

d, His sins have been borne by Christ, in His own body, on the tree, 2: 24.

5. His Sanctification.

He is sanctified by the Spirit, 1 : 2.

6. His Cleansing.

He is cleansed by the blood, I ; 2.

7. His Security.

a, He is guarded by the power of God, i: 5.

b, He is guarded unto a salvation ready, or prepared, to be revealed in the last time, 1:5.

c, God careth for him, 5: 7.

d, He can cast all his anxiety upon God, 5: 7-12

e, The God of all grace will perfect, stablish, strengthen him, after a brief trial of suffering, 5: 10. R. V.

f, None can harm him if he is zealous of that which is good, 3: 13.

g, He shall not be put to shame, 2: 6.

8. His Joy.

a, The character of his joy.
(i) . His present joy.

A great joy, i : 8. R. V.
An unspeakable joy, i : 8.
A joy full of glory, i : 8.
(NOTE This present joy cannot be hindered by being put to grief, because of manifold temptations, i: 6.)

(2) His future joy: exceeding, 4: 13.

b, In what he rejoices:

(1) In the salvation prepared to be revealed in the last time, i : 6.

(2) Because of his faith in the unseen Jesus Christ, i: 8.

(3) In fellowship in Christ's sufferings, 4: 13-

c, In what he shall rejoice.

(i) In the revelation of Christ's glory, 4: 13- NOTE Present joy in fellowship with the sufferings of Christ, is the condition of exceeding joy at the revelation of Christ's glory, 4: 13.

9. His Hope.

a. Its character.

(1) A living hope, i: 3.

(2) A reasonable hope, 3: 15.

(3) An inward hope, " in you," 3: 15.

b. In whom is his hope,
(i) In God, i: 21.

c. The foundation of his hope.

(i) The resurrection of Jesus Christ, i: -21.

10. His Salvation.

a, A past salvation.

(1) Has been redeemed, I: 18-19.

(2) Has been healed, 2: 24.

NOTE By baptism, after a true likeness, the Believer, as Noah by the flood, has passed out of the old life of nature into the new resurrection life of grace, 3: 21.

b, A present salvation.

(i) He is now receiving the salvation of his soul, i : 9.

c, A growing salvation, through feeding on His word, 2:2, R. V.

d, A future salvation: ready or prepared to be revealed in the last time, 1:5.

11. The Believer's Possessions.

a, God as his Father, i: 17.

b, Christ as his

(1) Sin bearer, 2: 24.

(2) Example, 2:21.

(3) Fellow sufferer, 4: 13.

c, A living hope, 1:3.

d, An incorruptible, undefined, unfading inheritance reserved in heaven, i : 4.

e, Multiplied grace and peace, i : 2.

f, Spiritual milk without guile for his food, 2: 2.

g, Gifts for service each believer has, or
may have, some gift, 4: 10.

12. What Believers Are.

a, An elect race, 2: 9.

b, A royal priesthood, 2 : 9.

c, A holy priesthood, 2: 5.

d, A holy nation, 2 : 9.

e, A people for God's own possession, 2 : 9, R. V.

f, Living stones, 2: 5.

g, The House of God, 4: 17.

h, A spiritual House, 2:5.

i, The flock of God, 5: 2.

j, Children of obedience, i: 14, R. V.

k, Partakers of, or partners in, Christ's sufferings, 4: 13.

l, Partakers of, or partners in, the glory to be revealed, 5:1.

m, Sojourners or strangers, i: I.

n, Foreigners on earth: he has no civil rights here: his Citizenship is in heaven, 2:11, com. Phil. 3: 20, R. V.

o, A sojourner on his way to another country, 2: i.

p, A Christian: representative of Christ, 4:16.

13. The Believer's Possibilities,
a, He may die unto sin, 2 : 24.

b, He may live unto righteousness, 2: 24.

NOTE We must die unto sin if we are to live unto righteousness \\ 2: 24.

c, He may follow in Christ's steps, 2:21.

d, He may cease from sin, 4: i.

e, He may cease from living to the lusts of men, 4: 2.

f, He may live unto the will of God, 4: 2.

NOTE It is through suffering in the flesh that he ceases from sin and living to the lusts of men, and lives to the will of God.

14. What was for the Believer.

a. The ministry of the Prophets was in his behalf, i: 12.

b, The preciousness of Jesus is for him, 2: 7, R. V.

15 . Unclassified.

a, Has the gospel preached to him in the Holy Ghost, 1:12.

b, Grace is to be brought unto him at the revelation of Jesus Christ, i: 3, com. Eph. 3: 7.

c, Has tasted that the Lord is gracious, 2: 3.

II. THE BELIEVER'S TRIAL AND SUFFERINGS.

I. The fact of the Believer's sufferings and trials, i: 6.

2. The nature of the Believer's sufferings and trials.

a, He endures griefs, suffering wrongfully,

b, He suffers for righteousness' sake, 3: 14.

c, He suffers for well doing, 3: 17; 2: 20.

d, He suffers as a Christian, 4: 16.

e, He is subjected to manifold temptations, i: 6.

f, He is put to grief in manifold temptations, i: 6.

g, He is spoken against as an evil doer, 2: 12.

h, His good manner of life is reviled, 3: 16.

i, He is spoken evil of because of his separated lite, 4: 4.

j, He is reproached for the name of Christ, 4, 14.

k, He is subjected to fiery trials, 4: 12.

3. Encouragements for believers undergoing fiery trials and suffering.

a, It is better to suffer for well doing than for evil doing, 3:17.

b, Judgment must begin at the House of God, and the present judgment of believers through trial, is not comparable to the future end of those who obey not
the gospel, 4: 17.

c, Blessed is the believer who does suffer for righteousness' sake, 3: 14, comp. Matt. 5: 10-12.

d, Blessed is the believer who is reproached for the name of Christ, 4: 14.

e, The Spirit of Glory and the Spirit of God rests upon the believer who is reproached for the name of Christ, 4: 14.

f, The believer's grief is for a little while, I : 6, R. V.

g, The believer's suffering is for a little while, 5: 10, R. V.

h, Suffering for a little while will be followed by God's glory in Christ, which is eternal, 5: 10.

i, The suffering endured for a little while is for the testing of faith, 1 : 7.

j, The fiery trial is for a test, 4:12.

k, The faith thus proved ;is more precious than gold, 1 : 7.

l, Faith proven by manifold temptations will be found unto praise, and honor, and glory, at the revelation of Jesus Christ, i: 7

m, It is that his proved faith may be found unto praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ, that the believer is for a little while subjected to manifold temptations, i: 7.

n, It is pleasing to God when a believer, for conscience toward God, endures grief, suffering wrongfully, 2: 19, R. V.

o, It is pleasing to God when a believer takes it patiently, when he does well and suffers for it, 2 : 20.

p, Through suffering in the flesh we cease from sin, 4: i.

q, Those who speak evil of us shall give account to God, 4: 5.

r, Sufferings are being shared by fellow believers, 5: 9.

s, Christ suffered for us, 2: 21.

t, Christ suffered for sins once (or once for all), the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened in the spirit, 3: 18.

u, Christ left the believer an example that he should follow in His steps, 2: 21.

v. In our fiery trials we are made partakers of, or partakers in, Christ's sufferings, 4: 13-

w, When His glory is revealed we shall be glad also with exceeding joy, 4: 13.

4. How the believer should meet his trial and sufferings.

a, The believer should not regard his fiery trial as a strange thing, 4: 12.

b, The believer should expect fiery trial, 4: 12.

c, When the believer suffers as a Christian let him not be ashamed, 4: 16.

d, When the believer suffers as a Christian let him glorify God in this name, 4: 16.

e, When the believer suffers fiery trials he should rejoice, insomuch as he is made partaker of Christ's suffering, 4: 13, R. V.

f. When the believer suffers, let him not return reviling with reviling, or suffering with threatening; but commit himself to Him that judgeth righteously. 2: 23.

g, When the believer suffers, he should in well-doing commit the keeping of his soul unto God, as unto a faithful Creator, 4: 19.

III. THE BELIEVER'S DANGERS.

1. The believer may fall into fleshly lusts that war against the soul, 2:11.

2. The believer may sin, 2: 20, R. V.

3. The believer may fall into sins of the gravest character, 4: 15. (Note in this verse the awful possibilities that lie dormant in the heart of at least a sincere professed believer.)

4. The believer's prayers may be hindered, 3: 7-

5. The believer is in danger that his high calling and destiny tempt him to despise human laws and authority, 2: 13.

6. The believer is in danger that his high calling lead him to lose sight of his lowly obligations to human masters, 2: 18.

7. Young believers are in danger of disregarding the will and authority of older believers. 5:15.

IV. THE BELIEVER'S RESPONSIBILITY.

1. Each believer has an individual responsibility, 4: 10, R. V.

2. Each believer's responsibility is for the gift he has received, 4; 10.

V. THE BELIEVER'S DUTIES.

I. What the believer should be.
a, Be holy in all manner of living.

(1) Because God is holy, i: 15.

(2) Because it is written " ye shall be holy," i: 16, R. V.

b, Be like Him who called him, i: 15-16.

c. Be sober, (or of a calm, collected, thoughtful spirit,) i: 13; 4: 7; 5: 8.

d. Be sober, or of a calm, etc. , unto prayer,

e. Be of a sound mind : because the end of all things is approaching, 4: 7.

f. Be watchful, 5: 8.

g. Be steadfast in the faith, 5 : 9.

h. Be subject to every ordinance of man.

(1) For the Lord's sake, 2:13.

(2) To the King, as supreme, 2:13.

(3) To governors, as sent by the King for the punishment of evil doers, and for praise to them that do well, 2: 14.

(4) Because this is God's will, 2:15.

i. Be like minded, 3: 8.

j. Be sympathetic, 3:8.

k. Be tenderhearted, 3: 8.

l. Be humble minded, 3: 8.

m. Be ready.

(1) Always.

(2) To give an answer to every man that asketh a reason of the hope that is in him.

(3) With meekness and fear.

(4) In order to put to shame those who revile their good manner of life in Christ, 3: 16.

n, Should not be troubled, 3: 14.

2. What the Believer should not do.

a, The believer should not fashion himself according to the lusts of the old life of ignorance, i: 14.

6, The believer should not render evil for evil, 3: 9.

c, The believer should not render reviling for reviling, 3: 9.

d, The believer should not fear the world's fear, 3: 14.

e, The believer should not live his remaining time in the flesh to the lusts of men, 4: 2.

3. What the Believer should do.

a, He should live as a child of obedience, I : 14.

b, Pass the time of his sojourning here in fear, i: 17.

c, Abstain from fleshly lusts that war against the soul, 2: ii.

d, Observe God's will as the absolute law of life, 2:15.

e, Let his conscience be governed by the thought of God and not by the conduct of men, 2: 19.

f, Sanctify Christ in his heart as Lord, 3: 15. R. V. Comp. Is. 8: 13.

g. Live his remaining time in the flesh to the will of God, 4: 2.

h, Put away

(1) All malice, 2:1.

(2) All guile, 2:1.

(3) Hypocrisies, 2:1,

(4) Envies, 2: i.

(5) All evil speaking, 2:1.

i. Come unto the Lord as unto a living stone, 2:4.

j. Show forth the excellencies of him who called him out of darkness into His marvellous light, 2 : 9

k, Arm himself with the mind of Christ : i. e. to suffer in the flesh, 4:1.

l, Cast all his care upon God because he careth for him, 5 : 7.
m, Stand fast in the true grace of God, 5 : 12.

n, Withstand the devil, 5 : 9.

o, Humble himself under the mighty hand of God, 5 : 5.

(1) Because God resisteth the proud and giveth grace unto the humble, 5 : 5-6.

(2) That God may exalt him in due time, 5:6.

p, Glorify God when he suffers as a Christian, 4 : 16.

q, See to it that he does not suffer as a thief or as an evil doer or as a meddler in other men's matters, 4:15.

r, Rejoice in fiery trial, 4:13.

s, Toward various persons.

(1) Toward God fear, 2 : 17.

(2) Toward the King honor, 2 : 17.

(3) Toward Masters be in subjection with all fear (not only to the good and gentle, but to the forward) 2 : 18.

(4) Toward the Brotherhood,

Love, 2: 17; i: 22; 4: 8.

Love from the heart, i: 22, R. V.

Love fervently intensely, i: 22; 4:8.

Gird themselves with humility as with a slave's apron unto one another, i. e.,

1st, Be one another's slaves.
2nd. Wear humility as a token of their readiness to serve one another, 5:5, com. Jno. 13:4-5.

Minister the gift he has received from God among the brethren as a good steward of the manifold grace of God, 4: 10.

Use hospitality one to another without murmuring, 4: 9.

Salute one another with a holy kiss, 5: 14.

(5) Toward his revilers.

Render blessing for reviling, 3: 9.

(6) Toward the Gentiles.

Have his behavior seemly among the Gentiles, 2: 12.

NOTES 1st. The reason why he should have his behavior seemly among the Gentiles; that the Gentiles might glorify God in the day of visitation, 2: 12.
2nd. This seemly behavior should consist in good works which the Gentiles could behold, 2 . 12.

(7) Toward foolish men.

By well doing put to silence their ignorance, 2: 15.

(8) Toward all men honor, 2: 17.

NOTE The especial duties of believing husbands and wives, toward one another, comes under a special classification.

t, Long for the sincere milk of the word, 2: 2.

u, Gird up the loins of his mind, 1:13.

v, Grow, 2: 2.

w. Set his hope perfectly on the grace to be brought unto him at the revelation of Jesus Christ, i: 13, R. V.

VI. THE BELIEVER'S CHARACTERISTICS.

1. His faith and hope is in God, 1:21.

2. Believes in God through Jesus Christ, 1:21.

3. Calls on God as Father, i: 17.

4. Believes in Christ, though he has never seen Him, i : 8.

5. Loves Christ though he has never seen Him, i: 8.

6. Is returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of his soul, 2: 25.

7. Has purified his soul in obedience to the truth, i: 22.

8. Has unfeigned love for the Brethren, i: 22.

9. Has a good manner of life, 3: 16.

10. Does not run with the Gentiles among whom he lives, to the same excess of riot, (lives a separated life), 4: 4.

11. Refrains his tongue from evil. 3: 10.

Refrains his lips that they speak no guile, 3: 10.

12. Turns away from evil, 3: n.

13. Does good, 3:11.

14. Seeks peace, 3:11.

15. Pursues peace, 3:11.

NOTE From 11 to 14. would very properly come under duties.

VII. THE BELIEVER'S WARFARE.

The believer has a warfare before him, 4: I.

The mind of Christ is the proper armament for this warfare, 4: i.

The warfare is with the devil, 5 : 8-9.

Victory is possible for the believer, 5 : 9.

Victory is won through steadfastness in the faith, 5: 9.

[i]Cont.[/i]

R.A. Torrey (continued)

VII. We come now to the seventh and last work. This is simply to meditate upon, and so digest, the results obtained. At first thought it might seem that when we had completed our classification of results our work was finished, but this is not so. These results are for use: first, for personal enjoyment and appropriation, and afterward to give out to others. The appropriation of results is effected by meditation upon them. We are no more through with a book when we have carefully and fully classified its contents than we are through with a meal when we have it arranged in an orderly way upon the table. It is there to eat, digest and assimilate. One of the great failures in much of the Bible study of the day is just at this point. There is observation, analysis, classification, but no meditation. There is perhaps nothing so important in Bible study as meditation. (See Josh, i: 8; Ps. i: 2, 3.) Take your classified teachings and go slowly over them, and ponder them, point by point, until these wonderful truths live before you and sink into your soul, and live in you, and become part of your life. Do this again and again. Nothing will go further than meditation to make one great and fresh and original as a thinker and speaker. Very few people in this world think.

The method of study outlined in this chapter can be shortened to suit the time and industry of of the student. For example, one can omit the Fifth work (V.), and proceed at once to go through the Book as a whole and note down its teachings on different doctrines. This will greatly shorten and lighten the work. It will also greatly detract from the richness of the results, it will not be as thorough, as accurate or as scholarly, and will not be nearly so good a mental discipline. But many people are lazy, and everybody is in a hurry. So if you will not follow out the fuller plan the shorter is suggested. But any man can be, if he will, a scholar at least in the most important line that of Biblical study.

A still briefer plan of Book Study and yet very profitable, if one has no time for anything better, is to do the Second work (II.) and then go through the Epistle verse by verse looking up all the references given in "The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge." But we urge every reader to try the full method described in this chapter with at least one short book in the Bible.

[i]Cont.[/i]

R.A. Torrey (continued)

CHAPTER III.

TOPICAL STUDY.

A second method of Bible study is the Topical Method. This consists in searching through the Bible to find out what its teaching is on various topics. It is perhaps the most fascinating method of Bible study. It yields the largest immediate results, though not the largest ultimate results. It has advantages. The only way to master any topic, is to go through the Bible, and find what it has to teach on that topic. Almost any great subject will take a remarkable hold upon the heart of a Christian man, if he will take time to go through the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, and note what it has to say on that topic. He will have a more full and more correct understanding of that topic than he ever had before. It is said of Mr. Moody, that many years ago he took up the study of "Grace" in this way. Day after day he went through the Bible, studying what it had to say about "grace." As the Bible doctrine unfolded before his mind his heart began to burn, until at last, full of the subject and on fire with the subject, he ran out on to the street, and, taking hold of the first man he met, he said: "Do you know grace?" "Grace who?" was the reply. "The grace of God that bringeth salvation." Then he just poured out his soul on that subject. If any child of God will study "Grace," or "Love," or "Faith," or "Prayer," or any other great Bible doctrine, in that way, his soul too will become full of it. Jesus evidently studied the Old Testament scriptures in this way, for we read that "beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself." (Luke, xxiv: 27.) This method of study made the hearts of the two who walked with Him to burn within them. (Luke xxiv: 32.) Paul seems to have followed his Master in this method of study and teaching. (Acts xvii: 2, 3.) But the method has its dangers. Its very fascination is a danger. Many are drawn by the fascination of this method of study to give up all other methods of study, and this is a great misfortune. A well-rounded, thorough-going knowledge of the Bible is not possible by this method of study. No one method of study will answer, if one desires to be a well-rounded and well-balanced Bible student. But the greatest danger lies in this, that every man is almost certain to have some line of topics in which he is especially interested, and if he studies his Bible topically, unless he is warned, he is more than likely to go over certain topics again and again, and be very strong in this line of truth, but other topics of equal importance he neglects, and thus becomes a one-sided man. We never know one truth correctly until we know it in its proper relations to other truths. I know of people, for example, who are interested in the great doctrine of the Lord's Second Coming, and pretty much all their Bible studies are on that line. Now this is a precious doctrine, but there are other doctrines in the Bible which a man needs to know, and it is folly to study this doctrine alone. I know others whose whole interest and study seems to center in the subject of "Divine Healing." It is related of one man that he confided to a friend that he had devoted his time for years to the study of the number "seven" in the Bible. This last is doubtless an extreme case, but it illustrates the danger in Topical Study. It is certain that we will never master the whole range of Bible truth if we pursue the Topical Method alone. A few rules concerning topical study will probably be helpful to most of the readers of this book.

I. Be systematic. Do not follow your fancy in the choice of topics. Do not take up any topic that happens to suggest itself. Make a list of all the subjects that you can think of that are touched upon in the Bible. Make it as comprehensive and complete as possible. Then take these topics up one by one in logical order. The following list of subjects is given as a suggestion. Each one can add to the list for himself and subdivide the general subjects into proper subdivisions.

LIST OF TOPICS.

GOD.

God as a Spirit.

The Unity of God-

The Eternity of God.

The Omnipresence of God.

The Personality of God.

The Omnipotence of God.

The Omniscience of God.

The Holiness of God.

The Love of God.

The Righteousness of God.

The Mercy or Loving Kindness of God.

The Faithfulness of God.

The Grace of God.

JESUS CHRIST.

The Divinity of Christ.

The Subordination of Jesus Christ to the Father.

The Human Nature of Jesus Christ.

The Character of Jesus Christ.

His Holiness.

His Love to God.

His Love to Man.

His Love for Souls.

His Compassion.

His Prayerfulness.

His Meekness and Humility.

The Death of Jesus Christ.

The Purpose of Christ's Death:

Why did Christ die?

For Whom did Christ Die?

The Results of Christ's Death.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Fact of the Resurrection.

The Results of the Resurrection.

The Importance of the Resurrection.

The Manner of the Resurrection.

The Ascension and Exaltation of Jesus Christ.

The Return or Coming Again of Jesus Christ.

The Fact of His Coming Again.

The Manner of His Coming Again.

The Purpose of His Coming Again.

The Results of His Coming Again.

The Time of His Coming Again.

The Reign of Jesus Christ.

THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Personality of the Holy Spirit.

Deity of the Holy Spirit.

Distinction of the Holy Spirit from God the Father, and the Son, Jesus Christ.

The Subordination of the Holy Spirit to the Father and to the Son.

Names of the Holy Spirit.

The work of the Holy Spirit:
In the Universe.
In Man in General.
In the Believer.
In the Prophet and Apostle.
In Jesus Christ.

MAN.

His Original Condition.

His Fall

The Present Standing before God and Present Condition of Man outside of the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ.

The Future Destiny of those who Reject the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ.

Justification.

The New Birth.

Adoption.

The Believer's Assurance of Salvation.

The Flesh.

Sanctification.

Cleansing.

Consecration.

Faith.

Repentance.

Prayer.

Thanksgiving.

Praise.

Worship.

Love to God.

Love to Jesus Christ.

Love to Man.

The Future Destiny of Believers

ANGELS.

Their Nature and Position.

Their Number.

Their Abode.

Their Character.

Their Work.

Their Destiny.

SATAN OR THE DEVIL.

His Existence.

His Nature and Position.

His Abode.

His Work.

Our Duty Regarding Him.

His Destiny.

DEMONS.

Their Existence.

Their Nature.

Their Work.

Their Destiny.

For a student who has the perseverance to carry it through, it might be recommended, to begin with the first topic on a list like this, and go right through it to the end, searching for everything the Bible has to say on these topics. This the author of this book has done, and, thereby, gained a fuller knowledge of truth along these lines, and an immeasurably more vital grasp of the truth, than he ever obtained by somewhat extended studies in systematic Theology. Many, however, will stagger at the seeming immensity of the undertaking. To such it is recommended to begin by selecting those topics that seem more important. But sooner or later settle down to a thorough study of what the Bible has to teach about God and Man. The "Abstract of Subjects, Doctrinal and Practical," in the back of "The Bible Text Cyclopedia" is very suggestive.

II. Be thorough. Whenever you are studying any topic, do not be content with examining some of the passages in the Bible that bear upon the subject, but find, as far as possible, every passage in the Bible that bears on this subject. As long as there is a single passage in the Bible on any subject that you have not considered, you have not yet gotten a thoroughly true knowledge of that subject. How can we find all the passages in the Bible that bear on any subject? 1st. By the use of the Concordance. Look up every passage that has the word in it. Then look up every passage that has synonymous words in it. If, for example, you are studying the subject of prayer, look up every passage that has the word "pray" and its derivatives in it, and also every passage that has such words as "cry," "call," "ask," "supplication," " intercession," etc., in it. 2nd. By the use of a Bible text book. A text book arranges the passages of Scripture, not by the words used, but by the subjects treated, and there is many a verse, for example on prayer, that does not have the word "prayer" or any synonymous word in it. Incomparably the best Bible text book is Inglis' "The Bible Text Cyclopedia." 3rd. Passages not discovered by the use of either concordance or text book will come to light as we study by books, or as we read the Bible through in course, and so our treatment of topics will be ever broadening.

III. Be exact. Get the exact meaning of each passage considered. Study each passage in its connection, and find its meaning in the way suggested in the chapter on "Study of Individual Books." Topical study is frequently carried on in a very slip-shod fashion. Passages, torn from their connection, are strung or huddled together because of some superficial connection with one another, and without much regard to their real sense and teaching, and this is called "topical study." This has brought the whole method of topical study into disrepute. But is possible to be as exact and scholarly in topical study as in any other method, and when we are the results will be instructive and gratifying, and not misleading. But the results are sure to be misleading and unsatisfactory if the work is done in a careless, inexact way.

IV. Classify and write down your results. In the study of any large subject one will get together a great mass of matter. Having gotten it, it must now be gotten into shape. As you look it over carefully, you will soon see the facts that belong together. Arrange them together in a logical order. An illustrative topical study is given below.

[i]Cont.[/i]

R.A. Torrey (continued)

What the Bible teaches concerning the Deity of Jesus Christ.

JESUS CHRIST: His DEITY.

Divine names.

a. Luke, 22: 70.

"The Son of God." This name is given to Christ forty times. Besides this the synonymous expression "His son," "My son," are of frequent occurrence. That
this name as used of Christ is a distinctly Divine name appears from Jno. 5: 18.

b. Jno. i: 18.

"The only begotten Son." This occurs five times. It is evident that the statement, that "Jesus Christ is the Son of God only in the same sense that all men are sons of God" is not true. Compare Mark xii: 6. Here Jesus Himself, having spoken of all the prophets as servants of God, speaks of Himself as "one," "a beloved Son."

c. Rev. i: 17.

" The first and the last. " Comp. Is. xli:4; xliv: 6. In these latter passages it is "Jehovah," "Jehovah of hosts," who is "the first and the last."

d. Rev. xxii: 12, 13, 16.

First, " the Alpha and Omega." Second, " the beginning and the ending." In Rev. i: 8, R. V. It is the Lord God who is the Alpha and Omega.

e. Acts iii: 14.

"The Holy One." In Hosea xi: 9, and many other passages, it is God who is "the Holy One."

f. Mai. iii: i; Luke ii: n; Acts ix: 17; Jno. xx: 28; Heb. i: n. " The Lord." This name or title is used of Jesus several hundred times. The word translated "Lord " is used in the New Testament in speaking of men nine times, e. g., Acts 16: 30, Eph. iv: I, Jno. xii: 21, but not at all in the way in which it used of Christ. He is spoken of as "the Lord" just as God is, cf. Acts iv: 26 with iv: 33. Note also Matt, xxii: 43- 45, Phil, ii: 21, Eph. iv: 5. If any one doubts the attitude of the Apostles of Jesus toward Him as Divine, they would do well to read one after another the passages which speak of Him as Lord.

g. Acts x: 36.

"Lord of all."

h. I Cor. ii: 8.

" The Lord of Glory." In Ps. xxiv: 8-10, it is "the Lord of Hosts" who is the King of Glory.

i. Is. ix: 6.

(1) " Wonderful " (cf. Judges xiii: 18, R. V.)

(2) "Mighty God."

(3) "Father of Eternity. " See R. V. marg.

j. Heb. i: 8.

"God." In Jno. xx: 28, Thomas calls Jesus "my God," and is gently rebuked for not believing it before.

k. Matt, i: 23.

"God with us."

l. Tit. 2: 13, R. V.

"Our great God."

m. Rom. 9: 5.

"God blessed forever."

Proposition: Sixteen names clearly implying Deity are used of Christ in the Bible, some of them over and over again, the total number of passages reaching far into the hundreds.

Divine Attributes.

a. Omnipotence.

(1) Luke 4: 39.

Jesus has power over disease, it is subject to His word.

(2) Luke;: 14-15; 8: 54-55; Jno. 5:25.

The Son of God has power over death, it is subject to His word.

(3) Matt: 8: 26-27.

Jesus has power over the winds and sea, they are subject to His word.

(4) Matt. 8: 16; Luke 4: 35, 36, 41.

Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, has power over demons, they are subject to His word.

(5) Eph. i : 20-23.

Christ is far above all principality and power and might, and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that
which is to come. All things are in subjection (R. V.), under His feet. All the hierarchies of the angelic world are under Him.

(6) Heb. i: 3.

The Son of God upholds all things by the word of His power.

Proposition. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is omnipotent.

b, Omniscience.

(1) Jno. 4: 16-19.

Jesus knows men's lives, even their secret history.

(2) Mark 2:8; Luke 5: 22; Jno. 2: 24- 25; (Acts i: 24.)

Jesus knows the secret thoughts of men. He knew all men. He knew what was in man. (cf. 2 Chron. 6:30;Jer. 17:9, 10. Here we see that God "only knoweth the hearts of the children of men.")

(3) Jno. 6: 64.

Jesus knew from the beginning that Judas would betray Him. Not only men's present thoughts but their future choices were known to Him.

(4) Jno. 1: 48.

Jesus knew what men were doing at a distance.

(5) Luke 22: 10, 12; Jno. 13: 1; Luke 5: 4-6.

Jesus knew the future regarding not only God's acts, but regarding the minute specific acts of men, and even the fishes of the sea.

NOTE Many, if not all, of these items of knowledge up to this point could possibly, if they stood alone, be accounted for by saying that the Omniscient God revealed these specific things to Jesus.

(6) Jno. 21 : 17; 16: 30; Col. 2: 3.
Jesus knew all things, in Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Proposition. Jesus Christ is omniscient.

NOTE There was, as we shall see when we study the Humanity of Christ, a voluntary veiling and abnegation of the exercise of His inherent Divine omniscience. (Mark 11: 12-14; Phil. 2: 7.)

c. Omnipresence.

(1) Matt. 18: 20.

Jesus Christ is present in every place where two or three are gathered together in His name.

(2) Matt. 28: 20.

Jesus Christ is present with every one who goes forth into any part of the world to make disciples, etc.

(3) Jno. 3: 13.

The Son of man was in heaven while He was here on earth.

NOTE This text is doubtful. (See R. V. and the Variorum Bible.}

(4) Jno. 14: 20; II. Cor. 13: 5.

Jesus Christ is in each believer.

(5) Eph. 1:23.

Jesus Christ filleth all in all.

Proposition. Jesus Christ is omnipresent.

d. Eternity.

Jno. i: i; Mic. 5: 2; Col. i: 17; Is. 9: 6; Jno. 17: 5 (Jno. 6: 62; Jno. 8: 58; I Jno. i: I, 27); Heb. 13: 8.

Proposition. The Son of God was from all eternity.

e. Immutability.

Heb. 13: 8; i: 12. Jesus Christ is unchangeable. He not only always is, but always is the same.

f. Phil. 2: 6.

Jesus Christ before His incarnation was in the form of God.

NOTE " Morphe" translated "form" means "the form by which a person or thing strikes the vision; the external appearance" (Thayer, Grk-Eng. Lexicon of the N. T.)

g. Col. 2: 9.

In Christ dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead in a bodily way.

Proposition. Five or more distinctively divine attributes are ascribed to Jesus Christ, and all the fulness of the Godhead is said to dwell in Him.

3. Divine Offices.

a, Creation.

Heb. i: 10; Jno. 1:3; Col. i: 16.

The Son of God, the eternal Word, the Lord, is creator of all created things.

b, Preservation.

Heb. i : 3. The Son of God is the preserver of all things.

c, The forgiveness of sin.

Mark 2: 5-10; Luke 7: 48-50.

Jesus Christ had power on earth to forgive sins.

NOTE He taught that sins were sins AGAINST HIMSELF. Luke 7: 40-4.7, both Simon and the woman as sinners were debtors to Him, but in Ps. 57.- 4 sin is seen to be against God and God only.")

d, Raising of the dead.

Jno. 6: 39-44; 5: 28-29.

It is Jesus Christ who raises the dead. Ques. Did not Elijah and Elisha raise the dead? No; God raised the dead in answer to their prayer, but Jesus Christ will raise the dead by His own word. During the days of His humiliation it was by prayer that Christ raised the dead. Jno. n: 41.

e, Transformation of bodies. Phil. 3: 21, R. V.

Jesus Christ shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation into the likeness of His own glorious body.

f, Judgment. II Tim. 4: i, R. V.

Christ Jesus shall judge the quick and the dead.

NOTE -Jesus Himself emphasized the Divine character of this office. (Jno. 5.' 22- 23.}

g, The bestowal of eternal life.

Jno. 10: 28; 17, 2.

Jesus Christ is the bestower of eternal life.

Proposition. Seven distinctively Divine offices are predicated of Jesus Christ.

4. Statements which in the O. T. are made distinctly of Jehovah God taken in the N. T. to refer to Jesus Christ.

a, Ps. 102: 24-27, comp. Heb. i: 10-12.

b, Is. 40, 3-4, comp. Matt. 3: 3, Luke i: 68, 69, 76.

c, Jer. u: 20; 17, 10, comp. Rev. n: 23.

d, Is. 60: 19 (Zech. 2: 5) comp. Luke 2: 32.

e, Is. 6: i; 3: 10, comp. Jno. 12: 37-41.

f, Is. 8: 13-14, comp. i Pet. 2: 7-8.

g, Is. 8: 12-13, comp. i Pet. 3: 14-15, R. V.

h, Num. 21 : 6-7, comp. i Cor. 10, 9. (See R. V.)

i, Ps. 23: i;Is. 40: 10-11, comp. Jno. 10: 11.

j, Ez. 34: u; 12: 16, comp. Luke 19: 10.

k, Lord in the O. T. always refers to God except when the context clearly indicates otherwise: Lord in the N. T. always refers to Jesus Christ except where the context clearly indicates otherwise.

Proposition. Many statements which in the O. T. are made distinctly of Jehovah God are taken in the N. T. to refer to Jesus Christ, i. e. , in N. T. thought and doctrine Jesus Christ occupies the place that Jehovah occupies in O. T. thought and doctrine.

5. The way in which the name of God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son are coupled together.

II Cor. 13: 14.

Matt. 28: 19.

I Thess. 3: ii.

1 Cor. 12: 4-6.

Tit. 3: 4,5, comp. Tit. 2: 13.

Rom. 1 : 7. Many instances of this sort (see all the Pauline Epistles).

Jas. i: i.

Jno. 14: 23, "we," i. e. , God the Father and I.

2 Pet. i: i. (Comp. R. V.)

Col. 2:2. (See R. V.)

Jno. 17: 3.

Jno. 14: i, comp. Jer. 17: 5-7.

Rev. 7: 10.

Rev. 5: 13; comp. Jno. 5: 23.

Prop. The name of Jesus Christ is coupled with that of God the Father in numerous passages in a way in which it would be impossible to couple the name of any finite being with that of the Deity.

6. Divine Worship to be given to Jesus Christ.

a. Matt. 28: 9; Luke 24: 52; Matt. 14: 33, comp. Acts 10: 25-26; Rev. 22: 8-9; Matt. 4: 9-10.

Jesus Christ accepted without hesitation a worship which good men and angels declined with fear (horror).

Ques. Is not the verb translated worship in these passages used of reverence paid to men in high position? Yes; but not in this way by worshippers of Jehovah, as is seen by the way in which Peter and the angel drew back with horror when such worship was offered to them.

b. i Cor. i: 2; 2 Cor. 12: 8, 9; Acts 7: 59. (R. V.)

Prayer is to be made to Christ.

c, Ps. 45: 11; Jno. 5: 23; comp. Rev. 5: 8, 9, 12, 13.

It is God the Father's will that all men pay the same divine honor to the Son as to Himself.

d, Heb. i: 6; Phil, 2: 10, n. (Comp. Is. 45: 21, 23.)

The Son of God, Jesus, is to be worshiped as God by angels and men.

Proposition. Jesus Christ is a person to be worshiped by angels and men even as God the Father is worshiped.

General Proposition. By the use of numerous Divine names, by the ascription of all the distinctively divine attributes, by the predication of several divine offices, by referring statements which in the O. T. distinctly name Jehovah God as their subject to Jesus Christ in the N. T., by coupling the name of Jesus Christ with that of God the Father in a way in which it would be impossible to couple that of any finite being with that of the Deity, and by the clear teaching that Jesus Christ should be worshiped even as God the Father is worshiped in all these unmistakable ways, God in His word distinctly proclaims that Jesus Christ is a Divine Being, is God.

One suggestion remains to be made in regard to topical study. Get further topics for topical study from your book studies.

[i]Cont.[/i]

R.A. Torrey (continued)

CHAPTER IV.

BIOGRAPHICAL STUDY.

A third method of study is the Biographical. This needs no definition. It consists in taking up the various persons mentioned in Scripture and studying their life, work and character. It is really a special form of Topical Study. It can be made very interesting and instructive. It is especially useful to the minister with a view to sermon building, but is profitable for all Christians. The following suggestions will help those who are not already experienced in this line of work.

1. Collect all the passages in the Bible in which the person to be studied is mentioned. This is readily done by turning in Strong's Concordance to the person's name, and you will find every passage in which he is mentioned given.

2. Analyze the character of the person. This will require a repeated reading of the passages in which he is mentioned. This should be done with pencil in hand, that any characteristic may be noted down at once.

3. Note the elements of power and success.

4. Note the elements of weakness and failure.

5. Note the difficulties overcome.

6. Note the helps to success.

7. Note the privileges abused.

8. Note the opportunities neglected.

9. Note the opportunities improved.

10. Note the mistakes made.

11. Note the perils avoided.

12. Make a sketch of the life in hand. Make it as vivid, living and realistic as possible. Try to reproduce the subject as a real, living man. Note the place and surroundings of the different events, e. g., Paul in Athens, Corinth, Philippi. Note the time relations of the different events. Very few people in reading the Acts of the Apostles, for example, take notice of the rapid passage of time, and so regard events separated by years as following one another in close sequence. In this connection note the age or approximate age of the subject at the time of the events recorded of him.

13. Summarize the lessons we should learn from the story of this person's life.

14. Note the person in hand in his relations to Jesus, e. g., as a type of Christ (Joseph, David, Solomon and others), forerunner of Christ, believer in Christ, enemy of Christ, servant of Christ, brother of Christ (James and Jude), friend, etc., etc.

It will be well to begin with some person who does not occupy too much space in the Bible, as, e. g., Enoch or Stephen. Of course many of the points mentioned above cannot be taken up with some characters.

Suggestive books in character studies are Stalker's Lives of Christ and Paul, and Stalker's "Imago Christi"; Rev. F. B. Meyer's "Elijah," and also other O. T. characters; Mr. Moody's "Bible Characters."

CHAPTER V.

STUDY OF TYPES.

A fourth method of study is the Study of Types. We have illustrations of this in the Bible itself, as for example in the Epistle to the Hebrews. It is both an interesting and instructive method of study. It shows us the most precious truths buried away in what once seemed to us a very dry and meaningless portion of the Bible. It need scarcely be said that this method of study is greatly abused and overdone in some quarters. But that is no reason why we should neglect it altogether, especially when we remember that not only Paul but Jesus were fond of this method of study. The following may serve as principles to govern us in this method of study:

i . Be sure you have Bible warrant for your supposed type. If one gives free rein to his fancy in this matter, he can imagine types everywhere, even in places that neither the human or divine author of the book had any intention of a typical sense. Never say this is a type unless you can point to some clear passage of Scripture where the truth said to be typified is definitely taught.

2. Begin with the more simple and evident types, e.g., the Passover (comp. Ex. 12 with I Cor. 5: 7 etc.), the High Priest, the Tabernacle.

3. Be on your guard against the fanciful and overstrained. Fancy is almost sure to run away with any man who is blessed with any imagination and quickness of typical discernment, unless he holds it in check. Our typical sensitiveness and sensibleness will become both quickened and chastened by careful and circumspect exercise.

4. In studying any passage of possible typical suggestion, look up all the Scripture references. The best collection of references is that given in
"The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge."

5. Study carefully the meaning of the names of persons and places mentioned. Bible names often have a very deep and far reaching suggestiveness. Thus, for example, Hebron, which means "joining together," "union" or "fellowship," is deeply significant when taken in connection with its history, as are all the names of the Cities of Refuge, and indeed very many Scripture names. Was it accidential that Bethlehem, the name of the place where the Bread of Life was born, means "House of bread"?

C. H. M.'s notes on Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy are suggestive to one who has had little experience in the study of types.

[i]Cont.[/i]

R.A. Torrey (continued)

CHAPTER VI.

THE STUDY OF THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE IN THE ORDER GIVEN IN THE BIBLE AND IN THEIR CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER.

A fifth method of Bible study is the old-fashioned method of the study of the Bible in course, beginning at Genesis and going right on until Revelation is finished. This method of study is ridiculed a good deal in these days, but it has some advantages which no other method of study possesses. It is sometimes said, you might as well begin at the top shelf of your library and read right through, as to begin at the beginning of this library of sixty-six books and read right through. To this it is a sufficient answer, If you had a library that it was important to master as a whole, that you might understand the separate books in it, and that was as well arranged as the Bible is, then this method of going through your library would be excellent. The advantages of studying in the Bible in course are: First, It is the only method by which you will get an idea of the Book as a whole. The more we know of the Bible as a whole, the better prepared we are for the understanding of any individual portion of it. Second, It is the only method by which you are likely to cover the whole Book, and so take in the entire scope of God's revelation. It will be many a long year before any man covers the whole Bible by Book studies, or even by Topical studies. Every part of God's word is precious, and there are gems of truth hidden away in most unexpected places, e. g., I Chron, iv: 10, we hit upon these priceless gems by studying the Bible in course. Third, It is the best method to enable one to get hold of the unity of the Bible and its organic character. Fourth, It is a great corrective to one-sidedness and crankiness. The Bible is a many sided book, it is Calvinistic and Arminian, it is Trinitarian and Unitarian, it clearly teaches the Deity of Christ and insists on His real Humanity, it exalts faith and demands works, it urges to victory through conflict and asserts most vigorously that victory is won by faith, etc., etc. If we become too much taken up with any one line of truth in our Book or Topical studies, and we are more than likely to, the daily study of the Bible in course will soon bring us to some contrasted line of truth, and bring us back to our proper balance. Some people go insane through becoming too much occupied with a single line of truth. The thoughtful study of the whole Bible is a great corrective to this tendency. It would be well to have three methods of study in progress at the same time: first, the study of some book; second, the study of topics (perhaps topics suggested by the book studies); third, the study of the Bible in course. Every other method of study should be supplemented by studying the Bible in course. Some years ago I determined to read the A. V. through every year, the R. V. through every year, and the N. T. in Greek through every year. It has proved exceedingly profitable, and I would not willingly give it up.

A sixth method of study is closely related to the fifth method and has advantages of its own that will appear as soon as the method is described. It is studying the various portions of the Bible in their Chronological Order. In this way the Psalms are read in their historical settings, as are prophecies, epistles, etc. The whole Bible has been excellently arranged for Chronological study in Miss Petrie's Clews to Holy Writ. (American Tract Society.) The course as outlined by Miss Petrie covers three years, and there are questions given for study and examination.

CHAPTER VII.

THE STUDY OF THE BIBLE FOR PRACTICAL USEFULNESS IN DEALING WITH MEN.

The seventh and last method of study is the Study of the Bible for Practical Usefulness in Dealing with Men.

To study the Bible in this way, make as complete a classification as possible of all the classes of men that one will meet. Write the names of
the various classes at the head of separate sheets of paper or cards. Then begin the Bible and read it through slowly, and when you come to a passage that seems likely to prove useful in deal ing with any class write it down upon its appropriate sheet. Go through the Bible in this way. It would be well to have a special Bible for this purpose, and have different colored inks, or different letters or symbols, to represent the different classes, and underscore the texts with the proper colored ink, or mark it with the appropriate symbol. The results of the labors of others in this line can be found in a number of books, such as Munhall's Furnishing for Workers, Alexander Paterson's Bible Manual for Christian Workers, Drury's Hand-Book for Workers, and the Author's
Vest Pocket Companion for Christian Workers and his book "How to Bring Men to Christ." But the best book is the one you get up yourself. The books mentioned will give you suggestions how to do it. As a suggestion for beginning in the work we give a list of classes of men, to which you can add for yourself.

The careless and indifferent.

Those who wish to be saved but do not know how.

Those who know how to be saved but have difficulties

"I am too great a sinner."
"My heart is too hard."
"I must become better before I become a Christian."
"I am afraid I can't hold out."
"I am too weak."
"I have tried before and failed."
"I can not give up my evil ways."
"I will be persecuted if I become a Christian."
"It will hurt my business."
"There is too much to give up."
"The Christian life is too hard."
"I am afraid of ridicule."
"I will lose my friends."
"I have no feeling."
"I have been seeking Christ, but can not find Him."
"I have sinned away the day of grace."
"God won't receive me."
"I have committed the unpardonable sin."
"It is too late."
"Christians are so inconsistent."
"God seems to me unjust and cruel."
"There are so many things in the Bible which I can't understand."
"There is some one I can't forgive."

Those who are cherishing false hopes.

The Hope of being saved by a righteous life.
The Hope that "God is too good to damn anyone."
The Hope of being saved by "trying to be a Christian."
The Hope of being saved, because "I feel saved," or "I feel I am going to heaven."
The Hope of being saved by a profession of religion, or church membership, or a faith, that does not save from sin.

Those who lack assurance.

Backsliders.

Sceptics.

Infidels.

Those who wish to put off the decision.

Roman Catholics.

Jews.

Spiritualists.

Christian Scientists.

Secret Disciples.

The Sorrowing.

The Persecuted.

The Discouraged.

The Despondent.

The Morbid.

Worldly Christians.

The Stingy.

The results of this work will be of incalculable value. In the first place, you will get a new view of how perfectly the Bible is adapted to every man's need. In the second place, familiar passages of the Bible will get a new meaning as you see their relation to the needs of men. The Bible will become a very living book. In the third place, in seeking food for others you will be fed yourself. And in the fourth place, you will get a vast amount of material to use in sermons, Bible-readings, prayer meeting talks and personal work. You will acquire a rare working knowledge of the Bible.

[i]Cont.[/i]

After some years of reading, i finally have come to the conclusion gradually, that no matter what method we prefer or by which we gain the most light or knowledge, without an active daily obedience we will get nothing out of the bible. We may get knowledge, we may know and have memorized verses or even entire books of the bible, but without obedience we have gained nothing,

Hebrews 5:8-9 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,

obey,

5219 u`pakou,w hupakouo {hoop-ak-oo'-o}
Meaning:
1) to listen, to harken
1a) of one who on the knock at the door comes to listen who it is, (the duty of a porter)
2) to harken to a command
2a) to obey, be obedient to, submit to

Origin: from 5259 and 191; TDNT - 1:223,34; v
Usage: AV - obey 18, be obedient to 2, hearken 1; 21

and i think its important that it is not obedience from a fearful heart, but from a heart of love and longing to be with HIM.

Grace and peace

How to Get the Most from Reading your Bible Thomas Watson-where can I get this book from?

Blazed,

As far as I'm aware, it is not a book. It seem to be more a tract like document that Watson wrote. I have several Watson books, and I don't recall ever seeing it in any of them.

Reading the Scriptures

My dear brother,
You gave me much gratification when you informed me that you were attentive to the reading of the Scriptures. And I rejoice to find you inquiring how you may continue to read them with greater profit. I shall answer your questions, and shall also, from time to time, write you some directions on other things; such as your learning, your manners, and your amusements. I take your questions as you ask them.

1. Ought I to read the Bible in regular order?

I think you ought. Not that this should be the only way of reading—but every day you should be going forward. Suppose you were roaming through a beautiful estate, and that your object was to learn all about it. You might pursue two methods. First, you might set out at one of the gates, and follow the first path, then strike off into a grove, and walk a few steps; then branch into a garden; then return to see the fishpond or the statue. You might spend a day or two in this employment, and at the end of it you would have seen a great many beautiful things. But while you had looked at some of these four or five times over, there would be a great number of spots which you had not seen at all. Instead of looking ten times at the observatory, you might have looked at ten different scenes. What was the matter? I will tell you; you did not view it in regular order. You had no plan. So you might spend years in reading the Scriptures; and at the end of them, you would have learned many whole chapters or even books of the Bible; yet there might be some very useful parts which you would know nothing about. Why? Because you did not read in regular order.

Secondly—You might get an exact plan of the grounds, like a little map, on a piece of paper; then you might divide it off into portions, and say, "I can do so much today, and so much tomorrow, etc." Then you might go over every step of the fine park and gardens, look at every bridge, and examine every curiosity. You would have surveyed every single beauty. But what makes the difference between these methods? You viewed it this second time in regular order. Thus, too, you ought to read the Scriptures. And if you lay down a plan, and take care to observe it, and keep it up for a few years, you will know something about the whole Bible. Why? Because you read it in regular order.

2. Ought I to commit verses to memory?

Most certainly you ought; at least half a dozen every day. The more you learn by rote, the more you will be able to learn. If you get six verses every morning, for one year, you will have learned more than two thousand verses, or more than sixty chapters. But this is not all. At the end of the year, it will be as easy for you to commit twenty verses to memory, as it is now for you to commit half a dozen. The best plan I know of is to learn your verses partially just before you prepare to go to bed. Think of them as you are falling asleep, repeat them as you wake the next morning; and after your morning devotions, learn them perfectly. This you will find, was the advice of the ancients, and if you lay to heart what you learn, it will be the greatest treasure. Nobody can rob you of it. You may he shipwrecked, or robbed, or imprisoned—but no one can take this out of your memory.

3. Ought I to read the Bible for amusement?

Not exactly. If you mean reading it with a thoughtless, careless mind, certainly not. But if you mean, reading its beautiful narratives, and its lively descriptions, because you admire them, and because it refreshes and delights you, certainly it is right for you to read it thus. I have just been reading again the story of Joseph, in the book of Genesis, and I find it more charming than anything I ever saw in any history or romance. Now there is no harm in your going to the Bible for pleasure, rather than to any other book. It is remarkable that more people do not find out how much interesting history the Scriptures contain. Just think of the life of David. It is far more striking than that of Peter the Great, or Baron Trenck. Yet scarcely any one opens the Bible to find rational entertainment.

So I have answered your questions—and now I shall add a few remarks of my own. There are two books in the Bible which are exceedingly interesting and useful. One was written in poetry; the other in prose. The greater part of one was composed by a great king; the greater part of the other by his son, another great king. One was by a warrior, a musician, and a poet; the other was by the wisest monarch who ever lived. In these two books you will find directions for your devotions and your conduct. The Psalms are noble pieces of prayer, thanksgiving, and praise. The Proverbs are short sayings, every one of which is full of meaning, and rich with wisdom.

When you are older, I would recommend to you to read each of these books through once a month. The book of Psalms is already divided into portions, for every morning and evening, in the book I gave you. And the book of Proverbs has just as many chapters as there are days in the long months, one for every day. Scarcely any day will pass in which you will not find an opportunity to govern your speech or your behavior by some one of these short maxims. And as the Lord Jesus Christ is the great subject of many psalms, you will learn from the New Testament how to find him everywhere in your daily reading.

Farewell, my dear boy. Attend to your studies and your health, and, above all, offer up your heart to God.

Your affectionate brother,
James

hmmhmm wrote:
HOW TO STUDY YOUR BIBLE

1. Begin with prayer
2. Read the Bible
3. Study the Bible
4. Meditate upon the Bible
5. Pass the Bible on to others

HOW TO STUDY EACH CHAPTER
Locate:

1. The theme
2. The most important verse
3. The most prominent word
4. The teaching about Christ
5. The command to obey
6. The promise to claim
7. The new truth learned

My father used various study aids- such as concordances, geographical maps, and historical surveys- to prepare his Sunday school lessons each week. In doing this, he was able to place bible passages a more complete context. I try to take after his example, though the short time I have for bible study at my weekly meetings doesn't permit me to explain those passages more fully.