The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-10-05
THERE IS NEED FOR
MORE BIBLE STUDY
Plea Made by Rev. Dr.. Mcleod 10 His
Morning Sermon.
THE EXAMPLE OF PAST EXPERIENCE
Proves That Indifference 10 the
Bibles Teachings Invites an Alb.
sence Of Christianity, Civiliza.
tiOn and Thrift. of
Mexico and Massachuse usetts..Secrct
OfQuccn VictOria's Distinction.

A plea for Bible study in the full sense
of the word study" was made by
Rev. Dr. James Mcleod in his sermon
yesterday morning in the First Presby-
terian church. His text was from John
V. 80. Search the Scriptures" He said:
Thousands of young people will be
in our city this week. who have pledged
themselves to read the Bible everyday.
This is good resolution. But what does
1t mean. If by reading the Bible they
only mean a surface glance at verse
or a chapter. such reading is or little
use. The Bible is the commonest book
in the world and the most widely distri-
buted, and yet there are millions, even
in ChriStendom, who are ignorant of its
contents. This is a great shame but 1t
is the exact truth.
1T ought to stimulate us to Bible
study to recall the debt we owe the
Bible. Literature, philosophy, science,
poetry, painting, music, civil and re-
ligious liberty owe far more to the Bible
than many are willing to acknowledge.
Christianity Is the organized embodi-
ment of Bible truth. and he would be
bold man who would say that Christ
ianity has not blessed the world. When
the Bible was a sealed book the ancient
church became degenerate and wor-
shipped idols. When the Bible was
found and searched the Israelites put
away luOIdtTy anu WOTSlllppeutn tne lotu.
1t was the preaching and the prac-
tice of Bible truth that drove every god
out of the Roman Pantheon. During the
long dark night of the Middle Ages 1t
was rare thing to find a copy of the
Bible, and the people had no access to
it. We know the condition of Christen-
dom just prior to the great RefOrma-
tion in the sixteenth century, and we
know what caused the Revolution that
taH in a Rafnrrn a tion Wa know
that the Bible emancipated the human
intellect from the thraldOm of ignOr-
ance and the human soul from the
thraldom of priestcraft.
FOUNDATION OF GREATNESS.
foundation of our own nations great
ness. 1t is the Bible. And it is the
Bible. more than anything else. that
has made England and Germany
mighty empires.
"The brightest jewel in the crown OF
Victoria is the fact that she has not
forgotten the words addressed on the
day of her coronation. She has searched
the Scriptures and she has found in
them eternal life. In all her relations
as IA queen, as a wife. as a mother and
as a Christian she has been true to the
truth. and she has a godly example
to the nation over which she reigns. 1t
is no secret that England. Germany
and these United States owe their
greatness to free and open Bible.
Contrast England with Spain! Con-
trast Germany with Italy! Contrast
the United States with the South Amer
lean Republic! What a contrast! Why
this great difference? Or do what has
been done. contrast Massachusetts with
Mexico Mexico was CooniZed whole
M h.fnra n n nhnSatts Vts
settlers We're the noblest spirits Of
Spain in her Augustine age--the epoch
of Certes. and Cervalites. and Column
bus and the great Isabella. Mexico Il
garden, Massachusetts wilderness.
Hut in respect Of al that gave to make
ii people happy and useful Massachu-
sets stands ut the highest point and
Mexico at the lowest. Why is this? The
answer is easy. The Bible has always
been "a free aud open book in Massa-
chusetts. while in Mexico 1t has always
been practically a sealed book to which
the people were forbidden access
ERRORS OF THE AGE.
"The errors Of the age are manifold
and If we are to meet them successful
ly we must search the Scriptures. The
only way to keep out error Is to pour
in truth. a wrong Interpretation of
scripture must De met ny d TlsHt III
terpretatiOn. 1t is here that many pro-
Tossing Christians are weak. 'They are
not able to give a good reason for their
faith. They do not search the Scrip
lures. They do not dig beneath the
surface or for hidden treasures. Young
people do not study the Bible now as
they did in formed years. They do not
Inemorize it as they used to do Some
protesting Christians are far more ia
nliliar with the daily papers than they
are with their Bible.
This is cause for regret, because
the sound of the spirit is the word of
God and we cannot handle that sound
skillfully unless we have familiarized
ourselves with it. Infidelity is not
dead, and the best weapon with which
to meet it is the Bible. At times in
fidelity has used the Bible in order to
propagate its error-which. I take
leave to say, is neither science nor
Christian-and while it carries the
Bible under its arm it tramples it's doc
trine under its feeet. Thus far the
Bible has withstood all the attacks of
infidelity, in all it's forms. and it is
as strong, yes, stronger. to meet the
foe of truth than ever it was The
GOspel of ChriSt-fOr that is Only an