The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-11-23
TALKS BY PROFESSORS
PRESIDENT HARPER. OF CHICAGO
UNIVERSITY, At PLYMOUTH.
Other PuIpits in City Filled by These
Able Men from the Big Institu-
ton of Learning.

deals with the method of study to acquire
thorough and efficient knowledge OF the
Bible and the contemporaneous history that
is essential to a full understanding of the
Bible. His lecture in full follows:
There is much yet to be said upon the
well-worn subject Bible study. There is
still occasion TO ask the QUESTIONABLE to
ask ii with all the emphasis which Ian
guage can FURNISHES not the Bible. of all
books. the book TO be studied? Shall not
our children in school, our sons and
daughters in college, our young men in the
theological seminaries. study this book and
know this book. whatever else they may
or may not know? Shall we teach the most
minute and the most prurient details of
and allow. yes, compel an ignorance OF
even the general features of history and
a literature which in spite of every unto
ward circumstance nave penetrated ana ell
evated the thought and life of humanity as
have no other? But it is not my purpose
at this time, to discuss the subject of
Bible study.
There is much also to be said more by far
than most people imagine, on the closely
related question, Bible study Please note
the place of emphasis Bible study (empha-
sis on study The mass of those who
count themselves Bible students never
study. They read, perhaps; they seldom
think: they never study. Shall we continue
thus TO deceive ourselves? Shall SUBJ
stitute the most hurried and superficial pc
rusal of a verse or chapter for an earnest.
faithful examination of that passage, and
allow ourselves fondly to suppose that We
have studied it? Shall that which, in some
cases, IS worse than no reading at all, be
falsely dignified and dishonesty branded
as study? But it is not my purpose at this
time to discuss the subject Bible study.
Much is being said in these days about
methods of Bible study. What method
shall we adopt? is the question asked. Is
DDS to be cast aside? VIII two men ever do
he same thing best in the same way? Is it
not true that method helpful to one man
or set of men is often ruinous to another
man or set of men? Shall We not seek indie
pendence. not only of spirit, but as well of
method. of any and every method? The
word method is too frequently but another
term for the word rut. And yet there must
be method. He who works without plan
and aimlessly will find his results without
form, and void. chaotic. But ii is not my
purpose al this time to discuss methods.
we who are gathered here to-day are
Christian men. There is in the mind of
each one of a firm purpose. least
a strong desire, to know the Word of God.
! have in mind both kinds of knowledge
that personal experience of certain truths
which will enable US to make practical use
of the same in the hand-to-hand work of
The street or inquiry room; that knowledge,
the ability to use which measures our
strength in Christian work. This kind of
knowledge does not come at once the
memorizing OF verses here and there will
not bring 1t. 1t is the highest of possess
Iions; 1t is the deepest Of all knowledge.
but to him only III time-after long and
persistent effort.
But Ddck OF TINS spiritual grasp,
ierneath il, there is a knowledge of an
ether kind. Must | for lack of a better
term call it intellectual? The two make
| one; they must not be separated: either
without the other will inevitably lead to
error.
An intellectual grasp of the Scriptures
viii lead TO what? mastery, so far as
possible. of the details OF Bible history a
| putting together of this and that event
| an investigation of the great epochs;
| study of the great characters; an inquiry
| into the causes of things as they are rep
! resented in Scripture and i'm their rela-
| lions to each other. An appreciation of the
| knowledge of the circumstances under
which they had their origin; the purpose
| for whom they were originally written
their history Az ability to interpret: to
aPply pEi1fipes of ffnterPretation common
| special principles demanded by the unique
character of the Bible. 1t is for this kind
| yet necessary to a conservation of the
| truth: intellectual yet forming the basis
| IF the deepest spiritual work-that we who
| are here to-day ought to strive.
AN INEXHAUSTIBLE FIELD
The work before us is stupendous The
field is an inexhaustible one. An Intelligent
grasp of the contents of Scripture is not
| something which falls into ones hands
! without the putting forth of effort. Eff
| fort, indeed. may be put forth. ard the re-
suit not come. But the least one can do Is
| 20 make the effort.
| What, now, shall be the character of the
| effort put forth? 1t is this which will de-
| termine the character of the results De-
| scribe 10 me the effort which at the preser,
| time is being made i'm any given section
| or by any individual, and | viii calculat,
for you the results which are being at
| tained i'm that section or by that individual
| Everything turns the effort and is /,
| not true single word my be found which
Will describe the ideal effort. and that wore
Now, let me ask this question: Has the
| effort which you have been making all
the facts and truths of Holy Writ been n
| systematic one? Are you ready to answer
| yes? Do you not like to confess that it is
| not? Before committing yourself one way
| or another. before cOnfessing that you nave
| rot been systematic. before dogInaticaIlN
| asserting. at the risk Of being wrong. thai
| you have been systematic. let us inuuirt
| briefly what is meant by systematic
| Have you had "a clearly defined purpos.
| in your work. and has that purpose been {.
| correct one? The stream never rises higher
| than the fountain. Your work will never
| reach higher than your ideal How is IL
now? Is the ideal in your case a low one
| What have you been aiming at? There are
| some who study merely to satisfy them,
| selves. They are always taking in always
| adding TO their store of knowledge This
| knowledge great though il may he IL
| amount. valuable though il may be in
| character. is of little or no practical value
1
| them. To this class belong many of those
| who are known as scholars. Am here "a
| speak against acknowledgements the moss
| critical and painStaking investigation? Con
| forbid. But is II not true thar from tn,
| men who have this great knowledge tn,
| men whom God has given the opportunitN
| to obtain il. we have a right to expect
! yes, demand-3omething by way of return
| There are on the floor from various quar-.
| ters of our country men of the ripest ana
| highest scholarship In biblical studies. Shall,
| they not open up their hearts and com,
| down from their lofty pedestal and take
| an interest In the proTulgdtinE of intelli-
! gent ideas concerning this sacred volume
| The time has passed when scholarship should
| be divorced from popular work when mel
| who have great stores of knowledge shall
| stand aloof from the masses.
| But there are some who go TO the other
| extreme-they are always giving OUT never
| filling up. In the treatment u. Scrip
| ture passage IL is entirely sufficient I,
| ascertain what seems TO be the great les
| son inculcated and to present Snls lessor
| to those who are dependent on them 70,
| the bread of life without any effort. either
| 10 master FOR themselves the substance OF
| the Holy Scripture or TO help others to dc
! so. These people are always applying. sci
dom studying. never teaching. the sacred
| word. And what do they apply? Their owr
| main under their charge for many years
! and be none the wiser as TO the real con.
| tents of the Bible. M friends what is on,
great purpose in this study? DO we beIone
| to either of the classes | have briefly de.
! scribed? III SO We are laborlng from .
! systematic Bible study. What. then. should
! be our purpose? To know the Bible boob
by book: to become saturated with Its
| thought and its spirit. and then leao