The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1876-05-11
Thorough Study Of the Bible.

One of the things we lack in the pres
ent day is more Bible study. l think
this nation is Just waking up to the fact
that We have had famine. 1t Is not the
man now that makes fine grafton in the
puIpit so much as it is the man who ek
bounds the word of God that we need.
A bow once asked another boy how he
caught all the pigeons there were In that
.neiShbOrhOOd, He said: "Well, tell
YOU; it is because I feed them we'll" If
vol feed the people well they will come;
and the people have got tired Of hearing
a little more or less elOquGnte. The
preachers have hitherto used the Bible
merely as a textbook. They have taken
their texts out of the Bible, and they have
gone all over ChristendOm alter their
sermons. The result is that our churches
are weak in spiritual power. But 1t Is
beginning to improve already Inc
churches are not now hunting alter
man that will make p grand Grafton 50
much as they are for a man that will
unfold to them the word of God: That
is what the people want. If they can
only Get back to the word of God, then
We will have not here and there a re-
viva1. but We will be in a revival all the
time. The church will be constantly in
a revived state 1t is those Christians
that are feeding on the word of God that
are revived all the while. There Is some
thing fresh about them, and people are
glad to hear them talk.
As we come to talk of this word of God
| to-day, we want to keep IN mind that 1t
| is the word of God, not the word of man;
| and that as the word of God, 1t Is true.
| I have not come here to-day with any
ARGUMENT about it. / think the cOlOred
man was about as near the truth as one
need be. when some infdel came 10 him
! and told him the Bible was not true.
THAT Book not true? Massa, was once
| a murderer, and thief, and blasphemer,
and that book made me good man.
| That book must be true! If 1t was bad
| book, it could not make such bad man
| good" That is argument enough; we
| do not need any more. Look around us:
! if a man becomes a PrOhigate, he begins
| to talk against the Bible; if he IS up
right, he takes it as a lamp to his feet.
! We are never afraid of man that tries
! to live according to the teachings OF this
| book. This book is Gods word, and 1t
will stand. Over the new Bible house
recently built in London, England, arc
written these words: 1.-The Word OF the
| Lord endureth forever" That building
will pass away, that city may pass away,
| like Babylon and Nineveh, and other
cities that once fourished, but the word
of God shall endure forever. Not one
word that God has spoken shall fall to
the ground.
We want also to bear in mind that the
Bible is not dry, uninteresting book, as
a great many skeptics try to make out.
They say, I'VE want something new; we
. | 10 NNhvv no word
of God is the only new book in the
world. All that the newspapers can do
is to tell of things as they have taken
| place, but the Bible will tell of things
that will take place. We do not con-
slider the Bible enough as a whole. We
Just take up a word here and there, and
! a verse here and there, and a chapter here
and there, and never take it up in any
| systematic way. We therefore know
| very little about the Bible. ! will guar
antee that the bulk of Christians in
America only read the Bible at family
worship; and you will notice, too, that
| they have to put 4 bOOk-mark in to tell
where they left off the day before. You
ask them an hour after what they have
read, and they have forgotten all about
it. OF course we cannot get much know
ledge of the Bible in that way.
In order to understand the Bible We
will have to study 1t carefully. l wa.
told in California that the purest and
best gold that they get they have to dig
the deepest for; and 50 in studying the
Bible we must dig deep. And there ar'
great many Christians walking or
crutches in their Bible studying. They
do not dare to examine for themselves
They go wondering what others say, wha
Edwards says, what the commentator
say. Suppose you look and see for your
selves. God has given you your owl
mind to use. IT we viii 60 TO the wore
OF God and be willing to be taught BY
the Holy Ghost, God will teach Us anC
will unfold His blessed truth to us
| MOODY.