The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1918-01-19

whom to know
Alright is life eter-
nal. e r wise
there would not be so many weak and
wasted lives, 20 much doubt, and fear,
and despair, so much cruel oppres-
sion, and bitter hatred, and rivers red
with human blood.
For some time the Moody Bible insti-
tute has been urged to add to its ac-
tivities the work of promoting daily
Bible reading. There are several or
CARNATIONS already doing excellent
work along this line, but most of them
reach only a limited number of people.
For this reason, and for the further
reason hat in spite of all that is being
done, there yet remains a large num-
Der of processing Christians who are
doing no systematic reading of the
Bible, and millions of others who al
most ignore the book. we feel led to
urge the readers of this column to CO.
operate in this work.
We realize that the members of
Christian Endeavor societies, and
smaller organizations, are already
pledged to read the Bible daily. Fur
thermore, the covenants of most
churches require their members to do
the same, but a large proportion of
Gods people, both young and old, are
not doing it, and therein lies their
weakness.
Make 1t Interesting.
How to induce them to do what they
already admit is their duty, is the
problem. To scold them is worse than
useless. To bind upon them addi-
tional pledges is improbable. The only
method which seems likely to succeed,
Is for pastors and lay workers to make
the Bible SO interesting and attractive
that people will feel that they cannot
afford to neglect it. That we cannot
make 1t interesting to others, unless
we enjoy 1t ourselves, is evident, but
we must enjoy 1t, or resign our posi-
ton as leaders to those who do enjoy
1t.
A man might lecture %eloquently on
the geological formation of Alaska,
and the possibility of finding gold
there, without persuading any of his
audience to become miners; but the
man who comes from the Yukon with
his pockets full of nuggets will fire the
community and start q stream of
miners toward the great Northwest.
Even so, the pastor or lay worker who
is continually opening up the riches of
Gods Word, and showing his people
how to find it for themselves, will soon
have a Bible-reading, Bible-loving flock
who will not be satisfied with anything
else, and who will cooperate with him
in any reasonable effort for the extern
sion of the kingdom.
If all church officers would, with the
pastors, insist upon daily worship and
daily Bible reading in the homes of
all the Christians in the land, them
selves becoming examples and in
spirers therein, God would answer the
effort and service with such a bless
ing to his church as the world has
never known. The people would be
more cody, and the world would have
preached to them the greatest sermon
of these nineteen centuries.
To Pastors Especially.
And now, pastors, will you help us,
and let us help you? We do not claim
to have any special light or wisdom on
this matter, and we would not pre-
sumo to teach you who have long and
prayerfully pondered this problem. But
We have a vision of a widespread and
appalling need, a mighty famine of the
Word of God, and we believe that a
wise and persistent campaign to pro-
mote daily Bible reading is greatly
needed.
We know there is power in the Word,
Almighty power, power sufficient for
every need, and we believe that with
your cooperation we can let loose
some of that power, and make this
column a blessing to m|ultitudes of
hungry hearts and homes. BY giving
helpful methods, timely illustrations,
brief expositions, and stirring testi-
monies, we believe that you and we to-
gether can prove a blessing to thou
sands and tens Of thousands.
VIII you join hands with us in this
campaign? viii you preach on the
theme of daily Bible reading, and stir
up your people on the subject? Will
you tell us of any plans you have found
helpful in arousing an interest in the
Bible? And will you pray for us, as
we do daily for you?