The Minneapolis journal., 1903-12-08
HOW TO MASTER
The BIBLE
DIR. GRAY's SIMPLE RULE is no
READ IT.
But 1t Must Be Read Again and
Again-Dr. Gray Got His Plan from
a Layman and Tried 1t with Very
Satisfactory Results.

For the first time in the Bible con-
ference, DR.. Gray last night departed
from his uniform custom of expound-
ing portion Of Scripture to give an
address upon How to Master the
English Bible. He remarked that
there were many ways to study it, but
only one way to master it. The ad
dress was largely a relation of his
personal experiences in arriving at
what he called the synthetic meth
od.' Altho a minister, he was con-
scious that he was not getting hold
of the Bible as he should. The first
real help he got was from a layman
| who was fellow delegate to a re-
| ligious convention and a guest in the
same home. DR.. Gray realized that
| this New York merchant experienced
| a peace and exhibited an equipoise
| to which he himself was a stranger.
| When asked how he had come into
possession of these things, the layman
explained that it had come from the
repeated reading of the epistle to the
Ephesians one day he was spending
with his family in the country. Some
! twelve or fifteen times he read the
epistle as he lay under the trees, until
| he had mastered it.
| This incident gave DR.. Gray the key
| to the mastery of the Bible. He be-
gan with Genesis, reading it over and
! over again until he was perfectly fa-
miliar with it, and then passed on to
each book until he had mastered it
in the same way. The result was that
his faith in the absolute inspiration,
authenticity and infallibility of the
Bible was so strengthened that no de-
structive critics could disturb it in the
least. He found in the study of the
Bible an education he had never
known before. The scope of his intel
lect was enlarged, his spiritual life
deepened and his ministerial labors
lightened. -a..
| A movement, started at about this
time, for the establishment of Bible
Institutes in various sections of the
country for the training of young peo.
pie for Christian work, offered DR.
Gray the opportunity for introducing
his method of study. Out of thes'
Institutes have grown the great inter
denominational Bible classes meeting
weekly for the synthetic study Of thu
Bible, with memberships ranging vi
ito four thousand, as in Toronto.
DR.. Gray gave six rules for tn
guidance of those wishing to 1naste
, | the English Bible.
First-Begin at the beginning. H
told how Dr.. Ashrnore Of China begal
teaching a Chinese class the Epistl
to the Hebrews. - They asked SO man,
:, questions, he had to take them bac]
! to Leviticus as explaining Hebrews
The questions continued, and the
went back to Exodus as explaining
Leviticus, and then to Genesis as ex
planning Exodus.
Second-Read the book. Many peo
pie read books about the Bible, blu
don't read the Bible. DR.. Gray sal
the key to the Scriptures was tn
:. reading Of them. - 81 - - p. =
Third Read each book continuous
S ly. p Almost every book has a pivota
thought that should be discovered an
Y grasped.
E Fourth-Read the book repeated!
t Each reading will bring out sornethin
, new.
E Fifth-Read it independently. Mas
I ter the book before you go to the com
8 mentators.
3 za Sixth-Read it prayerfully. ls.> q
E DR.. Gray will have the young pee
| pie in mind in his exposition to-nigl
- Of ga Messianic Psalm, or Jesus Keep
= ing the Quiet Hour" On Wednesda
- | and Thursday evenings he will spea
upon the person and work of the Hol
+ Spirit. ---- -..~-