The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-07-31
IMPORTANCE OF BIBLE STUDY.
An Address Delivered Before the saluda
Baptist Sunday School Institute, ut An
dersOn, S. c., July IS, 1879, by j. Scott
Murray, Jr.
published by Reques. of the Institute.)

(Pubhshcd by Request Of the Instittlte.)
Itis difficult for US rightly to estimate
and appreciate Sunday School work, and
the influence exerted by it. The Sunday
School is occupying a field that cannot
be filled by any other instrumentality,
with results equally beneficial.
Sometime since, gentleman with
whom I was conversing told me that
about thirty years ago, member of a
church, of which he was a member, in
Laurens County, disconnected himself
with it'for six or seven years because a
Sunday School was held in the house of
worship. There were many then who
looked upon the Sunday School as an
tagonistic to the interests of the Church.
But not so now. 1t is recognized as a
most important instrumentality, in the
hands of the Church, for educating and
preparing the minds and hearts of those
who attend it for the reception of Chris
tianity. Here youthful minds behold
the dawning of that sacred light which,
flashing through heavens gates, like the
star that shone on Bethlehem's plains,
Heads to Him, on whom the hopes of a
sinful world are fixed, to Him who in
His tender humanity is God, and in His
awful Justice is merciful. And the ma
turer minds, stored with those precious
gems of truth found in the Scriptures,
reflect the glory of the Author of light,
and are the caskets of His sacred treas
ures. And those whose care it is to i'm
part information are stimulated to study
in proportion to the advancement of
their classes, and by trying to impress
Others with the truths of the lesson have
them impressed on their o,on hearts, in
all their richness and fullness that study
>lmparts. It seems to US sad and lam
entable} fact, that the greater part of
mankind must receive the views of their
chosen leaders as the truth, however er-
roneous they may be, and that they do
not investigate for themselves the sub
ject which so much concerns them. Yet,
to study the Bible is 9 privilege and a
duty which all of us should esteem and
embrace, and for neglecting it we must
give account to God, who has given US
the Scriptures, which testify of Him. I
suppose that the conversion of so many
of the Bereans under the labos of Paul
and Silas, after their work at Thessalo-
Mica, was the result, in large measure, of
the study of the Scriptures; for we are
told, in the 18th chapter of Acts that
<'they received the word with all readi-
mess of mind, and searched the Scrip
tures daily, whether those things were
so. Therefore many of them believed"
How many strange snd erroneous doc
trines, pIofessedly taken from the Scrip
lures, could be preached from Sunday to
Sunday without our ever searching them
to see whether those things were So"
We should encourage, in every way,
to the fullest extent, the study of Gods
word. The word search" does not mean
to learn the answers to afew questions
found in the uniform lessons or the ques-
ton books, but it means to inquire dill
gently, to seek earnestly, to study thor
oughly; and such study cannot be, as
rule, more successfully initiated and en-
couraged than in Sunday Schools. It
ought to be done at home, but here none
the less. 1t is not encouraged at home
sometimes from neglect, and sometimes
on account of incapacity to instruct; (;
and it is in filling these deficiencies that
the Sunday School is efficient.
"Whatever is worth doing, is worth
doing WE'LL" and if the Bible is worth
studying at all, it is worth understand
ing. 1t is impossible to understand it
without the study which the advanced
classes in Sunday Schools try to initiate.
Errors like straws upon the surfacs flow,
He who would search for pearls must dive below"
The knowledge of which Solomon
speaks is the pearl of great price, the
reward of astudious, fervent and conse-
Grated spirit; "the knowledge above all
knowledge" without which, in this
world, even Byron is but mystery gaz-
ing upon mystery; genius confounded
with grandeur; the inquirer searching
the inscrutable; "Vanity of vanities !"
That belief which comes from heart,
full of the love and knowledge of the
word of God, is the most sincere and
intelligent of all beliefs, and will enable
the Christian to say: ''I know whom I
have believed" The Bible classes in
Sunday Schools ought to supplement our
Theological Seminaries as far as possible.
Whilst these seminaries are attended by
few, comparatively, the Sunday School
is attended by many; the old as we'll as
the young, ladies as well as gentlemen
and under the teachings there that char
acter should be formed which can fnd
companionship alone with purity and
holiness. I once heard DR.. Tucker, OF
Georgia, say, in a sermon, Religion is
an affair of the head, of the heart and
of the hands," The majority of those
who are members of our churches were
once Sunday School scholars, and if they
studied we'll in the school they have an
intelligent belief, and their religion is SO
far "an affair of the head" We need
educated believers in the Christian war
fare! We need the exercise of intellect