The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1914-05-20

# In the New Tes-
V ~ lament the word
l(RASI0R RUSSElD Ia1ysr has a very
different meaning
from our general usage. 1t applied to
those religious teachers Of the Jews who
made special professions Of sanctity of
heart and earnest desire to know Gods
will, as expressed In the Mosaic Law,
and to teach the same to the people. Tn
corresponding class Of today are desig
mated Doctors of Divinity. Our text
therefore, with this correcttoA, reads
"Woe unto you. Doctors Of Divinity,
for ye have taken away the Key Of
Knowledge; ye entered not In your
selves. and them that were entering ye
hindered." When the common peopk
heard Jesus gladly they inquired
"Have any Of the Scribes and Phart
sees believed on Him? Have the Doe
tors Of the Law endorsed HimT
Tho key of Knowledge Buried.
In our text Jesus charged the Jee
ish Doctors of Divinity with the r.
sponsibility of having taken away the
Key Of knowledge, refusing to use 1t
themselves to enter into the great AZ
probation Of the blessings then due.
and hiding it from the common people,
who trusted. them so implicitly. We
charge that the same thing Is true to-
day. Not only were the Jewish people
typical of spiritual Israel, and their
Age typical Of this Age. and their Har-
vest typical Of the Harvest or closing
time of this Age. but additionally, now
as then. Gods people perish for lack
of neutrality-suspicious. ", G..
1t is this matter Of misleading the
people. d~eceiving them. that constitut
ed the basis Of Jesus charge against
the Doctors of Divinity Of old, and we
beliece that His Judgment is very sim
liar today respecting the Doctors OF
Divinity of Christendom-"Ye have
taken away I'VE have hidden) the Key
Of knowledge; We have not entered In
yourselves, and them that were enter
ing ye hindered:" T.
Necessity For Knowledge =
knowledge of God, the Bible do
clares, is indispensable for the attain.
ment Of the great prize Of the High
Calling. Thus Jesus said, This is life
eternal, that they may know Thee, the
only True God, and Jesus Christ
whom Thou hast sent" John xvii, 81
We are not to understand this to sig
nifty that anyone who has merely been
made acquainted with the fact that
there Is one Creator, and that Jesus Is
His Son, is on account Of this knowl.
edge to be granted everlasting life. $
Our Lords words do not refer to a
knowledge about God, but to a knowl-
edge or personal acquaintance .otfh
God and His Son. And such an inti'
mate acquaintance is not obtained
merely by an introduction, but by com
partnership; it signifies al intimacy
of acquaintanceship, a familiarity.
Thus Jesus prayed for us. his fol.
lowers, "Sanctify them through Thy
Truth, nSy Word is Truth" Any who
neglect the Divine Word will fail OF
the sanctifytng power and thus fail OF
the acqualntanceship with God which
alone guarantees everlasting life. -,
To those who have come under the
sanctifying influence Of His Word our
Lord says today. as He said to BIS
Jewish followers eighteen centuries
ago, ITO you it is given to know the
Mystery Of the Kingdom Of God. but
to all outside these things are spoken
in parallels and dark sayings, that
hearing they might not understand, and
seeing they might not perceive" The
outsiders-the Doctors Of Diyinity-are
not permitted the Key Of knowledge.
even So, Father, for so it seemeth
good in Thy sight."-Matthew xi. rs, 20.
What Constitutes tho key7
The Key Of knowledge consists OF
the faithful study Of Gods Word. with
an honest purpose to know the things
that are freely given unto US OF God.
This implies a conservation of heart
for none others would really desire
that they might do the Divine Will
And this implies also a faith IN our
Lords prssaise that The that doeth the
will of My Father shall know Of the
doctrine" John vii, ~ 1t is this
consecrated. conscientious Bible study
that is hcking today-that Is being
discouraged today by the great teach
ers and Doctors Of Divinity.
Everything calculated to help Bible
study, to get rid Of the darkness Of the
creeds and superstitions Of the past, Is
opposed-but not openly. But, oh, what
weeping of disappointment, and what
a chagrin and crashing Of teeth will
come shortly to the false Shepherds
to the Key-hiding Doctors Of Divinity.
when they find that with all their en-
deavors to bolster up shams and super
~stitions in which they themselves do
not believe. the entire fabric Of Church
ianity will collapse, as the Scriptures
predict!
.-