New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1868-06-28
Reading the Bible.

An intelligent reading of the Bible
is necessary for the highest develop
ment of its usefulness to the Christian,
either as manual of devotion or as a
means of instruction. II is not enough
for this purpose that a certain meas
ured portion be read every day, or that
the whole volume be read through in
a given time. This is all very well,
provided the reader does not get into
the habit of daily reading as a matter
of routine, and SO go through his task
mechanically, his eyeon the page, and
his mind on business. "Understandest
thou what thou readest ~ said Philip
to the eunuch. 1t isibetter to read a
single verse understandingly than a
whole chapter for the mere purpose of
getting through it ina certain time.
This division of chapter and verse,
by the way, though very great help
in finding isolated passages, is often a
very great hinderanee to the sense.
Robert Stephens, the learned printer,
who is credited with having devised
the present arrangement, in the six
teenth century, seems to have made it
without any regard to the connection
of different parts; and we are quite in
clined to believe thestory told of him
by Horne, that he accomplished his
task while riding ON horseback. This
may account in part for the disieinted
paragraphs and broken sentences Sc
often found. These artificial divisions
are to be lost sight Of in interpreting
the Scriptures, single thought some
times running through several verses,
and occasionally even overlapping the
boundary which separates the chap
ters. TJ5el
The intelligent reading of the Bible
will be very much halped by the use
of maps of Bible lands. New light will
thus be often thrownon familiar pas
sages, while some passages not UNDER
stood will be made CHAR. We hardly
know of more intensely nteresting
employment for a lover of the Bible
than to begin at Genesis, and read
through, map in haad, finding every
place mentioned ESQ far as Scripture
localities can now be found) as the
reading progresses. Some of the driest
details of the historical books of the
Old Testament viii be found to have q
richness of meaning hot before antici
pated; while the travels Of our Lord
and Of the Apostles will be wonder
fully intensified in interest. Names
of places will not then seem to be
mere arbitrary signs. like numbers OF
mystic symbols, but will be associated
with localities and relative positions
of places.
A knowledge Of the relative chro-
nology of the different parts of the
Bible will add very much to the in.
terest of the Bible reader. True
there. are many yexed questions il
Bible chronology; but leaving these
for the doctors to discuss, we can FIND
enough firm, undispated ground OF
which to tread. How much more in
teresting the prophecies of the Oh
Testament become when we read then
in connection with the historical
books We thus ascertain the co
temporary persons and incidents, ant
can more readily see the force of thu
predictions uttered BY men inspired 0
God. So, also, in the New Tesla
meht, if we read the Epistles, es
peoially those Of Paul, in connection
with the Acts Of the Apostles, we havI
better understanding of them than
weread each epistleas an Independent
work.
The manners and customs Of Bibl
lands also afford very great help i
reading the Bible. Fortunately 70
us the Orientals are so stereotyped i
everything that pertains to outwar
life that we may easily learn the Gus
toms of Bible times by learning thos