Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-10-05
HoW DO study rae BIBLE.
A Thoughtful and Eloquent Sermon al
the First Presbyterian Church

A Thoughtful and Eloquent Sermon at
the First Presbyterian Church.
At the First Presbyterian Church last
night the pulpit was occupied by Rev.
DR.. Payne, President Of the Mt. Union
College, at Mt. Union, Ohio. The rev.
erend gentleman selected his text from
the Tooth Psalm, S0th verse, and his
sermon was devoted to an explanation
OF the proper method OF studying the
Bible
The text, he said, was evidently a
prayer for the spiritual understanding
Of the word OF God. We see the blind
walking in the street, and we extend
our sympathy to them in their misfor-
tune; so 1t seems, too, that the
angels look upon US, and pity us,
as they see Us cropping hither and
thither In spiritual darkness. We
cannot in ourselves understand
the Word Of God, until we see 1t
through the eye Of faith. The
Psalmist was not physically blind,-the
text refers only to his spiritual condl-
ton. He sought no other physician but
the Great Jehovah, -"Open Thou my
eyes aud l will see wcndrous things in
the Lord.
There are three things, three wells,
drawn over our eyes, which cause US TO
be spiritually blind. The first Is the
veil OF prejudice. Prejudice creeps into
society, business, religion, and into all
the affairs OF life. We are naturally
prejudieed In behalf Of our own nation
atty against all others, but among all
foreigners there are men just as enlight-
ened, Just as refined, and just as religious
as Americans, and America furnishes
Just as many rascals as any other ma
ton. The question, then, is not "ls
he an Americana" but "Is he man?"
We are also apt to entertain prejudices
against all other churches but our own.
Thank God, this spirit is rapidly disap-
pearing and we are seeing and under
standing each other better in the Lord.
There are persons who have this preJu-
dice against religion Itself and against
the Bible. II the Sacred Book is read
in a spirit Of prejudice, how are we 60
ing to understand the truths contained
therein? We will miscOnstrue almost
everything there presented. No won
der IngerSOll finds so many mistakes In
Moses. The mistakes are not in the
book, but are the spawn OF his own
prejudice. II man lays aside his pre-
judice he is In a condition TO better I'M
derstand the Word of God.
The second evil is worldly wisdom and
cOnceit. Read any book in spirit OF
superior wisdom and you will overlook
things which the author wanted you TO
see. and substitute ideas which were
not intended, and you must inevitably
fail to see the eXcellencies OF that book.
The contents OF the Bible are not so
much matters Of intellectual investiga-
ton as Of spiritual apprehension. But
there are persons who foOlishly reject
the Bible from a misconception OF Its
merit, from a mere literary point OF
view, Notwithstanding that even all OF
the greatest skeptics and inidels have
pronounced 1t otherwise. II we turn to
read the Bible in a spirit OF worldly
wisdom and conceit, how hard IL will be
to understand I'LL 1t is a spiritual book,
and in order TO understand it, we must
look at 1t with a spiritual eye.
The third veil is unbelief. We don't
see the beauties Of the Bible, because
we look at 1t in a spirit OF unbeliet.
Read in this way, we see pictured fan
cies that are suggested by the book,
but do not grasp the true meaning OF
the words. Doesn't your Episcopalian,
Unitarian, Presbyterian, Mormon quote
from the Bible to sustain his religious
belief? Any man, skeptically inclined
as he may be, If he comes to read In
spirit of candor and honesty, God will
lead him out into the light. Your sins
are wells that hide your spiritual sight.
The pure in heart see God, and the
pure in heart read Gods message.
There are two other things which In
terfere with study of Gods word;
they are not wells but films. You fail
to see some of the wonders OF the
Bible, because the film Of tnGtteptton Is
over your eyes. We don't see the
things at which we look. The young
especially should cultivate habits OF
attention, and they will find observa-
ton a better magnifying glass, than
more pretentiOus lenses.
The second film is superfcialtY. APP
ply yourselves to a study Of the Bible,
pay attention to what you read, and
YOU cannot fail to see the beauties
which God has placed therein.