The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1863-11-25
Iscnding the scriptures.

=
plc, therefore, their meaning must be as
ccrtaincd by the samo rules Of study and
Interpretation which we apply to other
books. For, if men arc to understand the
Bible, it must speak in the language OF men,
employing words whose meaning they
know, conforming to the common laws oI
language it must not he different from all
other books in this respect it must not
require nv to bring to the reading Of II new
and unknown rules oi Interpretation, or TO
discover, rs we may, unhcard-of meanings
for its words. We must he cure. when we
read Gods Word, that He desires us to
comprehend it, and has given Ills messages
to us. not to puzzle but to teach and there
| fore that it commonly means what, to an
! intelligent reader, it seems to mean I; and
we are not to look for somc strange mys-
| terry in every word, nor to suppose that an
expression may in tho same place, have
| several siguiiicatiuus but we arc to be
/ llcve that God has spoken to ns in the Ian
/ guagc of mon, and after the manner of mon,
so that Ills words are light, and not dark
ness to our minds.
Tho reading Of the Scriptures should be
with habit aud system. a few careless
pcrusals will leave us still very much in
the dark. The words which have come to
us from the mind Of God, cannot fail to be
rich in thought they need TO be read again
AID again and each pcrusal will reveal to
us something we did not sea before. 1t
is well, too, to take some one book of the
Scriptures and employ ourselves exclusive
y upon that for time, until everything it
contains shall have become familiar to the
mind. Such study, however, is very differ
Cut from tho attCmpt6 which have been
sometimes encouraged, TO sec in how short
u time the Bible may bc read through. Cal
culations have been put forth To show that,
hy reading 80 many chapters every week
day, and SO many more on Sundays the
whole Bible may he gone through in year.
We have very little respect for such calcu-
lations. The Bible was not meant to he
treated like a Tartar praying machine, and
valued according 10 the number of times il
is turned over. ltwcrc better that the time
in which three chapters can be read should
he employed upon three verses, than that
what il read should not he understood.
But let even a small portion OF Scripture he
: read thoughttuly every day and all who
make the experiment viii bc surprised and
delighted to find how rich in tho divincst
wisdom, even tho labor of few months
will mako you.
In reading the Scriptures, we must attend
carefully to tho scope or designs OF tho
writer. This ispcrhnps the most important
and useful of all rules which can hc given.
Evory writer has some object in Wow and
: unless wo perceive what this object is-
unless we know what hc is writing about
! it is not reasonable that wo should expect
to understand him. His weighticst argu.
p ments, his most apt illustrations, his most
, eloquent appeals will he lost upon us, if we
do not perceive to what subject they relate
This is always our first cndcavor in reading
any book or portion of book The same
thing must he done in reading the Scrip
, lures for tho Bible is not---as many socnl
to supposo--a mere collection of proverbs
Every verso is not a distinct and isolated
, saying. There is as real and as close q
: connection as in any other book. The
, writer's always have somo object III view
= somo particular point which they are con
. silcring. We need entirely to forget til,
>, ! arbitrary and modern division of the Scrip
: lures into chapters and verses, and suiio
y the thought of the writer naturally to fran,
= his words into paragraphs and divisions, a
1t in other books, Unless we do this, W,
shall constantly fail to perceive his scop,
and intontion, 1t must not be forgotten
that the real meaning of u passage in Scrip
turo is not whatever it may ho read L
:, moan taken by itself aloue hut what tn
Take, for instance the words in Matthew
,f V. iS; Re We therefore perfect, even a
l. your Father IN heaven il perfect We ca
n, give this passage an lntelligiblo meaning
"a without regard to its connection. But "
do not fluid lts real meWliug until we lear
re- the subject upon which Christ is spcakinp
n and the object lac has IN view and then "
nj see that the passage Is not mere gcner;
H. cNhoriauon to be perfect, but II has a pOln
a specific idea, II mcaus that our benev,
!. lcucc must he pcrivct--nut onc-Sidcd, lot
~ consistent, impartial, limited 10y no pref,
N dlCcS, checked 10y no ing1titudc, wthho,
=. from mo- cucmy even our Father in hcavo
y is kind to ,hc uthaukml and tho evil ,
we'll as To the good,
". In most eases We shall ascertain III
OF scope 10y looking at the context SOM
~ times the writer expressly mcnuous ii
e, subject that he has in haud--as Paul
III tho EpiStlc TO the Galatians " mary
that yc are 80 soon removed from him th
OF called YOU into the grace OF Christ un
OF another Gospel showing that the dcSig
-, Of the whole cplStlc is to correct the crro
of into which the Christians Of Galaua h,
'el fallen.
There are very many passages of Scri
To turc from which We can get no definite ia,
or il we take them by themselves Il is
Al. rule, therefore, of the first Importance, th,
cs 60 understand the Scriptures, we must fin
es out the design OF the writer, The O
seryanco ot this rule will assist us mu
IN than anytlhng else To- correct kuowlcd,
M, of the Word of God. Ii we can answer ii
rS questions, Who is speaking 10 who
Il, does lac speak, nu what occasion and co
,re corning what subject does hc speak tho
,h will hc few passages that viii not Toe re
sonahly clear to our minds.
To this chief rAc may he added the cor
w pairing Il scripture with Scripture
81 studying together all passages that reicr
HI the same subject; the becoming acauaiut,
~, with Biblical history and antiquities ii
j" use of common sense in reading the iigur
~ tive language of the Bible and, above a
~ the lahitual seeking Of divine assistance |
." prayer. Gods wish is not that we shou
be perpleNel and puIt,ed with the Wor
IA but that we should understand it. |
r giyeh wisdom "ibcrally" 10 them IA
o. ask IL and they shall feel in thcir own e
ip pererce, the truth of the inspired sayn
d The entrance Of nay VOID givgth hgh
lie It giNeth Understanding to the simple
m
es The Christian loves God and Uuuilit