The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-11-23
made in accordance with carefully


wonderful progress Of Israelitish history
from the smallest beginning. through trial
and trouble, then victory and possession
the organization of the nation by Samuel.
the establishment of the monarchy by
David; its disruption at the death of Sol
ONION: apostasy and sin followed by the
destruction of the northern nation; again
apostasy and sin and the long captivity;
the return, almost pitiable in contrast with
the former glory; the pickering and strife,
the gradual dying out OF that national fire,
that divine inspiration which had burned
for SO many centuries? Has your plan of
study included a careful comparison of
these periods their relation to each other.
and the special part played by each in the
great dramatic worlds redemption?
With your knowledge of Israelitish his
tory thus gathered and systematized, have
you gone back again to the beginning and
taken up the study of prophecy Qnter-
woven so closely with that history as al
most to be identical with hD. and followed,
generation by generation, century by CEN
fury. the growing; fabric Of the revelation
of God: the lines branching out in this
direction and that: now dim. now resplen;
moving side by side with the old. until all
lines. old and new, converge in the life
work and death of the Christ?
THE man who-has net studied prophecy
in this way, noting carefully the origin and
development of each of the many ideas
II.
Of deli .erance and a delivered. a ga vation
and a Savior; the man who has not con-
nected the prophetic utterances with the
great events of history and personal eXpe-
rience from which they sprang and of
which they form part has ne done work
worthy of being called systematic?
the great books of Old Testament philos-
ophy job Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes; for
that collection of laws, the most wonderful
the world has ever seen? Have you ever
made a systematic study of that most sa-
cred and fascinating of all subjects, the
life of Christ; or the IRE and the writings
friends are we studying according to a
plan which includes all these subjects and
many more. in an order which VIII enable
us most clearly to grasp their meaning. and
the mutual relation which they sustain to
each other? Haye you any plan at all? Is
been moving around in a circle, and not
forward? Are some of US feeding from hand
to mouth, not knowing, not even Caring
what is TO come next Without plan,
flexible perhaps. yet definite, there can be
no systematic study,
But again Our work, if it is to be in the
best and StricteSt sense systematic. must
be independent. A machine may be syS-
tematic but the human mind, if its system
is only that of a machine, would better
be unSyStematic. That student makes no
real progress who is satisfied with having
learned what some one else has said con-
corning the meaning of verse or the
scope of passage; who always follows;
who Is always leaning upon another. such
a student Grams: he does not digest. Is
craming consistent either with any true
purpose or any carefully prepared plan?
Such work is done for the moment not for
all time. Is such work.honest, not to speak
of it's being systematic? The lack OF indie
pendence explains O multitude Of failures
under our present system. admirable 1T
is Many of us. strangely enough. suppose
that we need only read the notes published
in any sheet. or perhaps only the practical
lessons suggested, and in time we will come
to know the Bible. This is wrong, partly
l. .,.ztn arsA fn>
the merest trash, and partly because even
when most excellent. they are not properly
studied The Bible student who. feels that
the preparat ion of his Sunday school lesson
is all the Bible study which he need under
take who is satisfied TO study that lesson
as he would be ashamed to study a lesson
makes an out-afid-out failure. Clutches
are freely furnished us these days-so free
gotten how to stand on our own feet. If
our work is TO be systematic it must be
planned and executed Independently and
not in slavsh dependence upon some one
man or set of men.
MUST KNOW. THE CONTENT.
"a systematic study of the Bible will be
logical a philosophical study of it. 1t will
not be the mere memorizing of list of
names and dates: the naming of the most
important cities. villages. rivers and noun
tains. 1t will not be the study of verse
here and passage there without consider
ing that verse or passage in the light of
the context. 1t will not be the citing. as
from heaven, of words quoted by an in
spirited writer from the mouth of drunken
and debauched priests or perhaps from
the lips of Satan himself. The attempt to
exhaust the meaning of verse, without
hrst d study OF the chapter of which the.
verse is a part, or of chapter without
first a study OF the book of which the chap
ter is part.such On attempt is Illogical:
IL Is more, II Is absurd. There must be
logical order; there must be consecution.
connection. or the work will be defective.
We must know who il was, where it was
ana when Ii was; but We must know more
if it is possible to know it. The effort will
be comparatively 81 failure if we do not
discover also why il was. But | must
hasten. ieltc'-
Our study, to be systematic. must be
comprehensive. Mastery of details is need
ed. yet also mastery of the subject as Il
ment that Bible study consists in the study
of isolated texts, or i'm the study of
f single Ghaptor RS; or even in the study of
all his life and know comparatively little
of the Bible. Besides the man who stud
narrow work As has been said, he who
does not have in mind the entire book,
and from this standpoint do his work. does
not and cannot appreciate the full force
nj Il single verse contained i'm that book
The same thing holds good in higher
sphere. 1T is not sufficient merely to have
given book Although we may know the
contents. the analysis. TIE occasion. pur-
pose. author, ETC.. etc, of this book. there
is still something 70 be ascertained. What?
| The place of tina book in the Bible as a
| whole: its relation TO other books; the re-
| latiCn of it's contents to the contents of the
| entire Bible, to the entire plan of God for
| the salvation of men. How comparatively
contemplate, after all. is the study of
mere verses, How much he loses who sat-
isfes himself that having done this he
has done all, We should be close. critical
ing. analytical students of book; we
should also be broad. comprehensive. gen.
eral students of the Bible Let our work
therefore. whatever else it Is. be compre-
hensive work. Tor. unless it be comprehen-
sive. it will not BE systematic.
SEEK DEFINITE RESULTS.
"Our work must be one which will
| lead to definite results. When one has fin
ished a course of study in any department
he will surely be disappointed and dssatis-
| self if he is not able to put his hands on
| certain definite results. Now. the Bible is
| a small book. 1t is, we all believe an in
| exhaustible book: and yet the work of
| mastering this book is. i'm one sense. a
very definite one. With "a plan of study
| looking towards thorough work and definite
results the facts, The purpose, the teach
| ings of book after book will come into our
| possession: one principle after another
| will become familiar: one period after an
! other will gradually develop itself be-
/ fore us.
Here. alas. is where failure stares most
M 1rS n he ar