Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-02-08


books, essays, books of travel, books
of all sorts are there. ] go into your
library and turn over the leaves hap
hazard. find that you have read most
OF these books. Have you systcmatical-
ly read Gods book as much az you
have the books of human authors! Is
your idea Of an education great
deal like that of the poor Irshwoman
whose husband was learning how TO
read? Ono day her pastor came TO her
and said: well, Mary, J understand
John is learning how to read. Can he
read the first chapter of Genesis yetY'
BLESS your heart, pastor" said Mary,
John Is doing better than that He
has got far beyond the Bible. Why,
John now spends most Of his time in
reading the daily newspapers. Isn't
that splendid" All, my friends. II
matters not how smart we arc intel.
lectually, we can never get so educated
that we are beyond studying tho worI
OF God. Is there a daily Arabia for
you? If Paul. who once sat at the feet
OF Gamaliel. had to spend three year
in the deserts sands to study cor
word, TO find out who Christ wa.
what lie wanted him TO do, surely s..
time is not wasted when YOU are o..
ing the Psclms or sitting at Christ
feet when he breaches to you the SCI
mon on the mount as he uttered it C.
the multitudes of old.
But mere knowledge of Gods word
was not Il sufficient equipment to have
made Paul the highest type of gospel
evangelist A man may know all
about the Bible and yet not have one
particle of spiritual power in his heart.
He may study his Bible I'm exactly the
same sense rs ! might study the my
thology of the Greeks and the Romans
or learn why Mecca and Medina and
Jerusalem and Hebron are the four
sacred cities OF the Mohammedan and
why silva and Nishnu appear with Bud.
dha at the shrines of India Knowl-
edge may be one OF the great essentials
for spiritual power, but knowledge Of
the word of God does not always prove
that the spirit of Christ has been trans.
lated into the lesires of our own hearts.
The History of the Dark Ages.
Take for instance, the history of the
dark ages. Did the knowledge which
the Roman catholic hierarchy had OF
the Bible make them true gospel evan
ge!ists: a short time ago / was read
ing that most marvellous. fascinating
history ever written by mortal pen,
Motley's Rise of the Dutch Repub-
lie I'm the eighteen years of Tor
quemada's administration" he wrote,
"1022O individuals were burned alive
and 1892 punished with infamy. con
fiScation of property or perpetual i'm
prisonment. so that the total number
of families destroyed in this one perse-
cution amounted to 11+,4Ol." Did the
knowledge of the word of God make
Torquemada n true evangelist of Je-
Sus Christ? Has the knowledge Of the
Bible made some of your friends Chris
tians and true disciples Of your Divine
Master? Why. some Of the meanest
men you ever knew were members OF
the Christian church. They We're not
only church members. but also teach
ers in the Sunday school. yet when you
met them in Il business way you intui-
been touched by the Twin. Goals of
fire from off the altar of the Holy Spir-
it, You knew they were not converted
men. They may have known the Bi-
bic from lid to lid. Their creed OF
their theology of the head was all
right. but the Christology of the heart
was all wrong. As they studied the
word of God they did not pray like
Paul; Lord. what wilt thou have me
to do: Lord, make me thy servant.
Lord, forgive my sins. Lord, help me
TO save my fellow men" All, it is i'm
portant to study the word of God, but
it is just as important to pray that God
will send down his Spirit upon you and
make you like unto his dear Son. Have
you your sacred Arabian deserts or
your regular hours for pleading with
and talking 10 God as well ms your sa
cred hours Of having God talk to You?
Can you think Of Paul out in that
desert unless he is praying? | cannot
can no more think of a prayerless
Paul than I can of Il prayerl"ss Christ
While thinking Of this matter | had
strange dream in my study. thought
1t was again the year IS A. ID. | was
again vending my way toward that lit
tie bur in the Arabian desert which l
have already described. | was again
sitting by the side of the dear Apostle
Paul. He was eXpounding the word Of
God TO Inc. Then suddenly he stops
and says: II cannot go any further:
wait awhile; must talk to my friend"
Talk to your friend:" ! say. what
do you mean? | do not sec any one
around. Talk to what friend why,
talk to my friend Jesus Christi says
Paul. Then. without any affectation,
Paul drops on his knees and begins to
talk to Christ Just as would talk to
my dear mother il she were alive by
my side.
In my dream he did thus every little
while as ! studied with him that day.
And do you know he prayed so often
that in my dream / could feel that
Christ was just by our side and not a
dead Christ, as some of US think That
night went TO sleep quite early, for l
was much fatigued. But in the middle
Of the night ] was awakened. In that
humble hut | heard again the mighty
voice or Paul PRAYING, praying, pray