The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1918-06-07

Il and rcrCau ii and roread II. IL re-
quires heart determination to 90
that, for our threefold enemy VIII
rise up and say mo when we at"
tempt to read the Book.
The world will say You are too
busy or YOU will think There are
too many important things requiring
my time To use it reading the BIb!e.
Many look to the preacher TO give
Them their spiritual food. The Lord
does give his people pastors but the
pastors study can never take Inc
place of ones own individual~ study.
The world Will do what it c; n to op-
pose the reading of the Cook. Tie
world has a subtle ability to fill our
lives so full of seemingly important
things, will bring so many croWdlns
opportunities for the use of our time
that we need a heart determination TO
make time for Bible reading.
The flesh will also oppose it. We
become so tired physically. 1t is q
remarkable thing that one can sit
down with an interesting book and be-
come so absorbed in it as to read far
into the night and not feel sleepy.
But how quickly the flesh wants to
sleep and how the head mods when we
would read the Bible for an hour or
two in the evening.
The devil also will hinder if he
can. He will suggest the difficulty Of
understanding what we read, will say
HE Bible is closed book to our
minds and do all he can to bring dis
cOuragcment. But if we are to come
TO an understanding of the truth and
Keep our souls strong and healthy, we
must read and rercad the Book itself.
Note books about the Bible, nor eN-
positions by man, but the Bible itself.
In the second place. we must have
Il heart determination to allow the
Book to mean what it says. We must
permit it to define it's own terms. We
must make it explain itself. 1t Will
answer questions concerning the words
and terms It uses. We go to the Bible
unconsciousy prejudiced. We think
we know the truth and naturally sup
pose what the Bible says ought to
not agree we are in danger of fore
'ng into it our own IDEAS rather than
LET it mean what it says. We come to
it too often for confirmation instead
IF information. l DO not mean that
one shall determine to accept all ii
says at Gnce. MORT TO believe all it says
at once, but | mean that we shall al
-I,,,t + and to
define its own terms whether that
agrees with US or not. And soon We
will find that we agree with it. In
his way much confusion will be avoid
ed In the third place, there must be
Il heart determination to allow it to
speak to oneself i'll am to study the
Bible rroftaEly l must allow it to
speak to me and not try to dodge. We
are all more or less adept lis spiritual
dodgers The incident, recorded in
the fourth chapter of st. J"hn is Il
very human picture. Our Lord en-
cages the woman in conversation. She
is hcSitant about it because it is Il
strange thing for Il Jew TO speak TO
4 Samaritan, but she enters into the
conversation. Gradually our Lord goes
Il little deeper into her history until
finally he puts rs finger on the sore
spot. She tries 20 escape the issue by
attempting to si,ictr&ck hin. The mo-
ment he gets his finger on the sore
::pot. she says "Our fathers WOrshiped
in this mountain and ye say that in
Jerusalem is the place for Worship"
That sounds religious and interesting.
nut it is mere SubtcrfUge to avoid
Tie issue We will do that in our
minds to dodge what the Book says to
lis personally.
II is difficult to allow the Book to
speak to our OWE hearts but Bible
,ludy is vaIucIesS and indeed danger
Gus unless it is allowed TO bear fruit
in our lives. II cannot he studied
merely as literature. This then is the
needed preparation for profitable Bib"
strdy-n heart determination to read
the Hook-to aiio'v it TO mean what
it says and TO permit it TO speak tC
cur own hearts