,pleasure ,profit in ,bible ,study ,,by ,d4 ,l4 ,,moody ,the statutes of the ,lord are right1 rejoicing the heart 4 4 4 ,more to be desired are they than gold1 yea1 than much fine gold1 sweeter also than honey and the honey-comb4--,psalm xix3#h-aj4 ,fleming ,h4 ,revell ,company ,chicago1 ,new ,york ,toronto ,publishers of ,evangelical ,literature ,,copyrighted #ahie1 by ,,fleming ,h4 ,,revell ,,co4 ,,preface4 ,it is always a pleasure to me to speak on the subject of this volume4 ,i think ,i would rather preach about the ,word of ,god than anything else except the ,love of ,god2 because ,i believe it is the best thing in this world4 ,we cannot overestimate the importance of a thorough familiarity with the ,bible4 ,i try to lose no opportunity of urging people by every means in my power to the constant study of this wonderful ,book4 ,if through the pages that follow1 ,i can reach still others and rouse them to read their ,bibles1 not at random but with a plan and purpose1 ,i shall be indeed thankful4 ,d4 ,l4 ,moody4 ,when thou goest1 it shall lead thee2 ,when thou sleepest1 it shall keep thee2 ,when thou awakest1 it shall talk with thee4 --,prov4 vi4 #bb4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,close ,contact with the ,word of ,god--,word and ,work--,the ,christian's ,weapon--,young ,converts and ,bible ,study--,up to ,date--,every ,case ,met--,great ,peace--,starving the ,soul--,the ,guide-,book to ,heaven4 ,a ,,quickening that will last must come through the ,word of ,god4 ,a man stood up in one of our meetings and said he hoped for enough out of the series of meetings to last him all his life4 ,i told him he might as well try to eat enough breakfast at one time to last him his lifetime4 ,that is a mistake that people are making2 they are running to religious meetings and they think the meetings are going to do the work4 ,but if these don't bring you into closer contact with the ,word of ,god1 the whole impression will be gone in three months4 ,the more you love the ,scriptures1 the firmer will be your faith4 ,there is little backsliding when people love the ,scriptures4 ,if you come into closer contact with the ,word1 you will gain something that will last1 because the ,word of ,god is going to endure4 ,in the one hundred and nineteenth psalm ,david prayed nine times that ,god would quicken him--according to ,his word1 ,his law1 ,his judgment1 ,his precepts1 etc4 ,if ,i could say something that would induce ,christians to have a deeper love for the ,word of ,god1 ,i should feel this to be the most important service that could be rendered to them4 ,do you ask3 ,how can ,i get in love with the ,bible8 ,well1 if you will only arouse yourself to the study of it1 and ask ,god's assistance1 ,he will assuredly help you4 ,,word ,,and ,,work4 ,word and ,work make healthy ,christians4 ,if it be all ,word and no work1 people will suffer from what ,i may call religious gout4 ,on the other hand if it be all work and no ,word1 it will not be long before they will fall into all kinds of sin and error2 so that they will do more harm than good4 ,but if we first study the ,word and then go to work1 we shall be healthy1 useful ,christians4 ,i never saw a fruit-bearing ,christian who was not a student of the ,bible4 ,if a man neglects his ,bible1 he may pray and ask ,god to use him in ,his work2 but ,god cannot make use of him1 for there is not much for the ,holy ,ghost to work upon4 ,we must have the ,word itself1 which is sharper than any two-edged sword4 ,we have a great many prayer meetings1 but there is something just as important as prayer1 and that is that we read our ,bibles1 that we have ,bible study and ,bible lectures and ,bible classes1 so that we may get hold of the ,word of ,god4 ,when ,i pray1 ,i talk to ,god1 but when ,i read the ,bible1 ,god is talking to me2 and it is really more important that ,god should speak to me than that ,i should speak to ,him ,i believe we should know better how to pray if we knew our ,bibles better4 ,what is an army good for if they don't know how to use their weapons8 ,what is a young man starting out in the ,christian work good for it he does not know how to use his ,bible8 ,a man isn't worth much in battle if he has any doubt about his weapon1 and ,i have never found a man who has doubts about the ,bible who has amounted to much in ,christian work4 ,i have seen work after work wrecked because men lost confidence in the spirit of this ,old ,book4 ,,young ,,converts4 ,if young converts want to be used of ,god1 they must feed on ,his ,word4 ,their experience may be very good and very profitable at the outset1 and they may help others by telling it2 but if they keep on doing nothing else but telling their experience1 it will soon become stale and unprofitable1 and people will weary of hearing the same thing over and over again4 ,but when they have told how they have been converted1 the next thing is to feed on the ,word4 ,we are not fountains ourselves2 but the ,word of ,god is the true fountain4 ,and if we feed on the ,word1 it will be so easy then to speak to others2 and not only that1 but we shall be growing in grace all the while1 and others will take notice of our walk and conversation4 ,so few grow1 because so few study4 ,i would advise all young converts to keep as much as they can in the company of more experienced ,christians4 ,i like to keep in the society of those who know more than ,i do2 and ,i never lose a chance of getting all the good ,i can out of them4 ,study the ,bible carefully and prayerfully2 ask of others what this passage means and what that passage means1 and when you have become practically acquainted with the great truths it contains1 you will have less to fear from the world1 the flesh1 and the devil4 ,you will not be disappointed in your ,christian life4 ,,something ,,new4 ,people are constantly saying3 ,we want something new2 some new doctrine1 some new idea4 ,depend upon it1 my friends1 if you get tired of the ,word of ,god1 and it becomes wearisome to you1 you are out of communion with ,him4 ,when ,i was in ,baltimore last1 my window looked out on an ,episcopal ,church4 ,the stained-glass windows were dull and uninviting by day1 but when the lights shone through at night1 how beautiful they were6 ,so when the ,holy ,spirit touches the eyes of your understanding and you see ,christ shining through the pages of the ,bible1 it becomes a new book to you4 ,a young lady once took up a novel to read1 but found it dull and uninteresting4 ,some months afterwards1 she was introduced to the author and in the course of time became his wife4 ,she then found that there was something in the book1 and her opinion of it changed4 ,the change was not in the book1 but in herself4 ,she had come to know and love the writer4 ,some ,christians read the ,bible as a duty1 if they read it at all2 but as soon as a man or woman sees ,christ as the chiefest among ten thousand1 the ,bible becomes the revelation of the ,father's love and becomes a never-ending charm4 ,a gentleman asked another1 ,do you often read the ,bible8 ,no1 was the answer1 ,i frankly admit ,i do not love ,god4 ,no more did ,i4 the first replied1 but ,god loved me4 ,a great many people seem to think that the ,bible is out of date1 that it is an old book1 and they think it has passed its day4 ,they say it was very good for the dark ages1 and that there is some very good history in it1 but it was not intended for the present time2 we are living in a very enlightened age and men can get on very well without the old book2 we have outgrown it4 ,now you might just as well say that the sun1 which has shone so long1 is now so old that it is out of date1 and that whenever a man builds a house he need not put any windows in it1 because we have a newer light and a better light2 we have gaslight and electric light4 ,these are something new2 and ,i would advise people1 if they think the ,bible is too old and worn out1 when they build houses1 not to put windows in them1 but just to light them with electric light2 that is something new and that is what they are anxious for4 ,,every ,,case ,,met4 ,bear in mind there is no situation in life for which you cannot find some word of consolation in ,scripture4 ,if you are in affliction1 if you are in adversity and trial1 there is a promise for you4 ,in joy and sorrow1 in health and in sickness1 in poverty and in riches1 in every condition of life1 ,god has a promise stored up in ,his ,word for you4 ,in one way or another every case is met1 and the truth is commended to every man's conscience4 ,it is said that ,richard ,baxter1 author of ,the ,saints' ,everlasting ,rest1 felt the force of miracles chiefly in his youth2 in maturer years he was more impressed by fulfilled prophecy2 and towards the end of his life he felt the deepest satisfaction in his own ripe experience of the power of the ,gospel4 ,if you are impatient1 sit down quietly and commune with ,job4 ,if you are strong-headed1 read of ,moses and ,peter4 ,if you are weak-kneed1 look at ,elijah4 ,if there is no song in your heart1 listen to ,david4 ,if you are a politician1 read ,daniel4 ,if you are getting sordid1 read ,isaiah4 ,if you are chilly1 read of the beloved disciple4 ,if your faith is low1 read ,paul4 ,if you are getting lazy1 watch ,james4 ,if you are losing sight of the future1 read in ,revelation of the promised land4 ,,great ,,peace4 ,in ,psalm #aai3afe1 we find these words3 ,great peace have they which love ,thy law2 and nothing shall offend them4 ,the study of ,god's ,word will secure peace4 ,take those ,christians who are rooted and grounded in the ,word of ,god1 and you will find they have great peace2 but those who don't study their ,bible1 and don't know their ,bible1 are easily offended when some little trouble comes1 or some little persecution1 and their peace is all disturbed2 just a little breath of opposition and their peace is all gone4 ,sometimes ,i am amazed to see how little it takes to drive all peace and comfort from some people4 ,a slandering tongue will readily blast it4 ,but if we have the peace of ,god1 the world cannot take that from us4 ,it cannot give it2 it cannot destroy it4 ,we must get it from above the world1 it is the peace which ,christ gives4 ,great peace have they which love ,thy law1 and nothing shall offend them4 ,christ says1 ,blessed is he1 whosoever shall not be offended in ,me4 ,now1 you will notice that where ever there is a ,bible-taught ,christian1 one who has his ,bible well marked1 and who daily feeds upon the ,word with prayerful meditation1 he will not be easily offended4 ,such are the people who are growing and working all the while4 ,but it is the people who never open their ,bibles1 who never study the ,scriptures1 who become offended1 and are wondering why they are having such a hard time4 ,they are the persons who tell you that ,christianity is not what it has been recommended to them2 that they have found it is not all that we claim it to be4 ,the real trouble is1 they have not done as the ,lord has told them to do4 ,they have neglected the ,word of ,god4 ,if they had been studying the ,word of ,god1 they would not be in that condition1 they would not have wandered these years away from ,god1 living on the husks of the world4 ,they have neglected to care for the new life1 they haven't fed it1 and the poor soul1 being starved1 sinks into weakness and decay1 and is easily stumbled or offended4 ,if a man is born of ,god1 he can not thrive without ,god4 ,i met a man who confessed his soul had fed on nothing for forty years4 ,well1 said ,i1 that is pretty hard for the soul--giving it nothing to feed on6 ,that man is a type of thousands and tens of thousands to-day2 their poor souls are starving4 ,we take good care of this body that we inhabit for a day1 and then leave2 we feed it three times a day1 and we clothe it1 and deck it1 and by and by it is going into the grave to rot2 but the inner man1 that is to live on and on forever1 is lean and starved4 ,man shall not ,live by bread alone1 but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of ,god4 ,,the ,,guidebook ,,to ,,the ,,christian',s ,,home4 ,if a man is traveling and does not know where he is going to1 or how he is going to get there1 you know he has a good deal of trouble1 and does not enjoy the trip as much as if he has a guidebook at hand4 ,it is not safe traveling1 and he does not know how to make through connections4 ,now1 the ,bible is a guidebook in the journey of life1 and the only one that points the way to ,heaven4 ,thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path4 ,let us take heed then not to refuse the light and the help it gives4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,doubting and ,inquiring--,proving--,a ,savour of ,life unto ,life1 or ,death unto ,death--,understanding the ,scriptures--,cavilling--,using the ,penknife--,the ,supernatural--,inspiration4 ,,we ,,do ,,not ask men and women to believe in the ,bible without enquiry4 ,it is not natural to man to accept the things of ,god without question4 ,if you are to be ready to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is within you1 you must first be an enquirer yourself4 ,but do not be a dishonest doubter1 with your heart and mind proof against evidence4 ,do not be a doubter because you think it is intellectual2 do not ventilate your doubts4 ,give us your convictions1 said a ,german writer1 we have enough doubts of our own4 ,be like ,thomas who did not accept ,jesus' offer to feel the nail-prints in ,his hand and side2 his heart was open to conviction4 ,faith1 says ,john ,mc,neill1 is not to be obtained at your finger-ends4 ,if you are filled with the ,word of ,god1 there will not be any doubts4 ,a lady said to me once1 ,don't you have any doubts8 ,no1 ,i don't have time--too much work to be done4 ,some people live on doubt4 ,it is their stock in trade4 ,i believe the reason there are so many ,christians who are without the full evidence of the relationship1 with whom you only see the ,christian graces cropping out every now and then1 is that the ,bible is not taken for doctrine1 reproof and instruction4 ,,proving4 ,now the request comes3 ,i wish you would prove to me that the ,bible is true4 ,the ,book will prove itself if you will let it2 there is living power in it4 ,for this cause also we thank ,god without ceasing1 because when ye received the ,word of ,god which ye heard of us1 ye received it not as the word of men1 but as it is in truth1 the ,word of ,god1 which effectually worketh also in you that believe4 ,it does not need defence so much as it needs studying4 ,it can defend itself4 ,it is not a sickly child that needs nursing4 ,a ,christian man was once talking to a skeptic who said he did not believe the ,bible4 ,the man read certain passages1 but the skeptic said again1 ,i don't believe a word of it4 ,the man kept on reading until finally the skeptic was convicted2 and the other added3 ,when ,i have proved a good sword1 ,i keep using it4 ,that is what we want to-day4 ,it is not our work to make men believe3 that is the work of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,,convicted--,,lost--,,saved4 ,a man once sat down to read it an hour each evening with his wife4 ,in a few evenings he stopped in the midst of his reading and said3 ,wife1 if this ,book is true1 we are wrong4 ,he read on1 and before long1 stopped again and said3 ,wife1 if this ,book is true1 we are lost4 ,riveted to the ,book and deeply anxious1 he still read on1 and soon exclaimed3 ,wife1 if this ,book is true1 we may be saved4 ,it was not many days before they were both converted4 ,this is the one great end of the ,book1 to tell man of ,god's great salvation4 ,think of a book that can lift up our drooping spirits1 and recreate us in ,god's image6 ,it is an awful responsibility to have such a book and to neglect its warnings1 to reject its teachings4 ,it is either the savour of death unto death1 or of life unto life4 ,what if ,god should withdraw it1 and say3 ,i will not trouble you with it any more8 ,,can',t ,,understand4 ,you ask what you are going to do when you come to a thing you cannot understand4 ,i thank ,god there is a height in that ,book ,i do not know anything about1 a depth ,i have never been able to fathom1 and it makes the ,book all the more fascinating4 ,if ,i could take that ,book up and read it as ,i can any other book and understand it at one reading1 ,i should have lost faith in it years ago4 ,it is one of the strongest proofs that that ,book must have come from ,god1 that the acutest men who have dug for fifty years have laid down their pens and said1 ,there is a depth we know nothing of4 ,no scripture1 said ,spurgeon1 is exhausted by a single explanation4 ,the flowers of ,god's garden bloom1 not only double1 but seven-fold3 they are continually pouring forth fresh fragrance4 ,a man came to me with a difficult passage some time ago and said1 ,moody1 what do you do with that8 ,i do not do anything with it4 ,how do you understand it8 ,i do not understand it4 ,how do you explain it8 ,i do not explain it4 ,what do you do with it8 ,i do not do anything4 ,you do not believe it1 do you8 ,oh1 yes1 ,i believe it4 ,there are lots of things ,i do not understand1 but ,i believe them4 ,i do not know anything about higher mathematics1 but ,i believe in them4 ,i do not understand astronomy1 but ,i believe in astronomy4 ,can you tell me why the same kind of food turns into flesh1 fish1 hair1 feathers1 hoofs1 finger-nails --according as it is eaten by one animal or another8 ,a man told me a while ago he could not believe a thing he had never seen4 ,i said1 ,man1 did you ever see your brain8 ,dr4 ,talmage tells the story that one day while he was bothering his theological professor with questions about the mysteries of the ,bible1 the latter turned on him and said3 ,mr4 ,talmage1 you will have to let ,god know some things you don't4 ,a man once said to an infidel3 ,the mysteries of the ,bible don't bother me4 ,i read the ,bible as ,i eat fish4 ,when ,i am eating fish and come across a bone4 ,i don't try to swallow it1 ,i lay it aside4 ,and when ,i am reading the ,bible and come across something ,i can't understand1 ,i say1 ',there is a bone1' and ,i pass it by4 ,but ,i don't throw the fish away because of the bones in it2 and ,i don't throw my ,bible away because of a few passages ,i can't explain4 ,pascal said1 ,human knowledge must be understood in order to be loved2 but ,divine knowledge must be loved to be understood4 ,that marks the point of failure of most critics of the ,bible4 ,they do not make their brain the servant of their heart4 ,,cavillers4 ,did you ever notice that the things that men cavil most about are the very things to which ,christ has set ,his seal8 ,men say1 ,you don't believe in the story of ,noah and the flood1 do you8 ,well1 if ,i give it up1 ,i must give up the ,gospel1 ,i must give up the teachings of ,jesus ,christ4 ,christ believed in the story of ,noah1 and connected that with ,his return to earth4 ,as the days of ,noah were1 so shall also the coming of the ,son of man be4 ,men say1 ,you don't believe in the story of ,lot and ,sodom1 do you8 ,just as much as ,i believe the teachings of ,jesus ,christ4 ,as it was in the days of ,lot 4 4 4 4 4 even thus shall it be in the day when the ,son of man is revealed4 ,men say1 ,you don't believe in the story of ,lot's wife1 do you8 ,christ believed it4 ,remember ,lot's wife4 ,you don't believe the story of ,israel looking to a brass serpent for deliverance1 do you8 ,christ believed it and connected it with ,his own cross4 ,as ,moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness1 even so must the ,son of man be lifted up3 that whosever believeth in ,him should not perish but have eternal life4 ,men say1 ,you don't believe the children of ,israel were fed with manna in the desert1 do you8 ,our fathers did eat manna in the desert2 4 4 4 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,moses gave you not that bread from heaven2 but my ,father giveth you the true bread from heaven4 ,men say1 ,you don't believe they drank water that came out of a rock8 ,christ believed it and taught it4 ,men say1 ,you don't believe in the story of ,elijah being fed by the widow1 do you8 ,certainly4 ,christ said there were many widows in the days of ,elijah1 but ,elijah was fed by only one widow4 ,christ referred to it ,himself1 ,he set ,his seal to it4 ,the ,son of ,god believed it1 and1 shall the servant be above his master8 ,,jonah ,,and ,,the ,,whale4 ,men say1 ,well1 you don't believe in the story of ,jonah and the whale1 do you8 ,i want to tell you ,i do believe it4 ,a few years ago there was a man whom some one thought a little unsound1 and they didn't want him to speak on the ,northfield platform4 ,i said1 ,i will soon find out whether or not he is sound4 ,i asked him1 ,do you believe the whale swallowed ,jonah8 ,yes1 he said1 ,i do4 ,i said ,all right1 then ,i want you to come and speak4 ,he came and gave a lecture on ,jonah4 ,in ,matthew they twice asked ,jesus for a sign1 and ,he said the only sign this generation shall have shall be the sign of ,jonah in the whale's belly4 ,he connected that with ,his resurrection1 and ,i honestly believe that if we overthrow the one1 we must overthrow the other4 ,as you get along in life and have perhaps as many friends on the other side of the river as you have on this side1 you will get about as much comfort out of the story of the resurrection as any other story in the ,bible4 ,christ had no doubt about the story4 ,he said ,his resurrection would be a sign like that given unto the ,ninevites4 ,it was the resurrected man ,jonah who walked through the streets of ,nineveh4 ,it must be supposed that the men of ,nineveh had heard of ,jonah being thrown overboard and swallowed by a great fish4 ,i think it is a master-stroke of ,satan to make us doubt the resurrection4 ,but these modern philosophers have made a discovery4 ,they say a whale's throat is no larger than a man's fist1 and it is a physical impossibility for a whale to swallow a man4 ,the book of ,jonah says that ,god prepared a great fish to swallow ,jonah4 ,couldn't ,god make a fish large enough to swallow ,jonah8 ,if ,god could create a world1 ,i think ,he could create a fish large enough to swallow a million men4 ,as the old woman said1 ,could ,he not1 if ,he chose1 prepare a man that could swallow a whale8 ,a couple of these modern philosophers were going to ,europe some time ago1 and a ,scotch friend of mine was on board who knew his ,bible pretty well4 ,they got to talking about the ,bible1 and one of them said3 ,i am a scientific man1 and ,i have made some investigation of that ,book1 and ,i have taken up some of the statements in it1 and ,i have examined them1 and ,i pronounce them untrue4 ,there is a statement in the ,bible that ,balaam's ass spoke4 ,i have taken pains to examine the mouth of an ass and it is so formed that it could not speak4 ,my friend stood it as long as he could and then said1 ,eh1 mon1 you make the ass and ,i will make him speak4 ,the idea that ,god could not speak through the mouth of an ass6 ,,clipping ,,the ,,bible4 ,there is another class4 ,it is quite fashionable for people to say1 ,yes1 ,i believe the ,bible1 but not the supernatural4 ,i believe everything that corresponds with this reason of mine4 ,they go on reading the ,bible with a pen-knife1 cutting out this and that4 ,now1 if ,i have a right to cut out a certain portion of the ,bible1 ,i don't know why one of my friends has not a right to cut out another1 and another friend to cut out another part1 and so on4 ,you would have a queer kind of ,bible if everybody cut out what he wanted to4 ,every adulterer would cut out everything about adultery2 every liar would cut out everything about lying2 every drunkard would be cutting out what he didn't like4 ,once1 a gentleman took his ,bible around to his minister's and said1 ,that is your ,bible4 ,why do you call it my ,bible8 said the minister4 ,well1 replied the gentleman1 ,i have been sitting under your preaching for five years1 and when you said that a thing in the ,bible was not authentic1 ,i cut it out4 ,he had about a third of the ,bible cut out2 all of ,job1 all of ,ecclesiastes and ,revelation1 and a good deal besides4 ,the minister wanted him to leave the ,bible with him2 he didn't want the rest of his congregation to see it4 ,but the man said1 ,oh1 no6 ,i have the covers left1 and ,i will hold on to them4 ,and off he went holding on to the covers4 ,if you believed what some men preach1 you would have nothing but the covers left in a few months4 ,i have often said that if ,i am going to throw away the ,bible1 ,i will throw it all into the fire at once4 ,there is no need of waiting five years to do what you can do as well at once4 ,i have yet to find a man who begins to pick at the ,bible that does not pick it all to pieces in a little while4 ,a minister whom ,i met awhile ago said to me1 ,moody1 ,i have given up preaching except out of the four ,gospels4 ,i have given up all the ,epistles1 and all the ,old ,testament2 and ,i do not know why ,i cannot go to the fountain head and preach as ,paul did4 ,i believe the ,gospels are all there is that is authentic4 ,it was not long before he gave up the four ,gospels1 and finally gave up the ministry4 ,he gave up the ,bible1 and ,god gave him up4 ,a prophet who had been sent to a city to warn the wicked1 was commanded not to eat meat within its walls4 ,he was afterwards deceived into doing so by an old prophet1 who told him that an angel had come to him and said he might return and eat with him4 ,that prophet was destroyed by a lion for his disobedience4 ,if an angel should come and tell a different story from that in the ,book1 don't believe it4 ,i am tired and sick of people following men4 ,it is written1 though an angel from heaven preach any other gospel1 let him be accursed4 ,do you think with more light before us than the prophet had that we can disobey ,god's ,word with impunity8 ,,the ,,supernatural ,,in ,,the ,,bible4 ,it is a most absurd statement for a man to say he will have nothing to do with the supernatural1 will not believe the supernatural4 ,if you are going to throw off the supernatural1 you might as well burn your ,bibles at once4 ,you take the supernatural out of that ,book and you have taken ,jesus ,christ out of it1 you have taken out the best part of the ,book4 ,there is no part of the ,bible that does not teach supernatural things4 ,in ,genesis it says that ,abraham fell on his face and ,god talked with him4 ,that is supernatural4 ,if that did not take place1 the man who wrote ,genesis wrote a lie1 and out goes ,genesis4 ,in ,exodus you find the ten plagues which came upon ,egypt4 ,if that is not true1 the writer of ,exodus was a liar4 ,then in ,leviticus it is said that fire consumed the two sons of ,aaron4 ,that was a supernatural event1 and if that was not true we must throw out the whole book4 ,in ,numbers is the story of the brazen serpent4 ,and so with every book in the ,old ,testament2 there's not one in which you do not find something supernatural4 ,there are more supernatural things about ,jesus ,christ than in any other portion of the ,bible1 and the last thing a man is willing to give up is the four ,gospels4 ,five hundred years before ,his birth1 the angel ,gabriel came down and told ,daniel that ,he should be born4 ,and whiles ,i was speaking in prayer1 even the man ,gabriel1 whom ,i had seen in the vision at the beginning1 being caused to fly swiftly1 touched me about the time of the evening oblation4 ,again1 ,gabriel comes down to ,nazareth and tells the ,virgin that she should be the mother of the ,saviour4 ,behold1 thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a ,son1 and shalt call his name ,jesus4 ,we find1 too1 that the angel went into the temple and told ,zacharias that he was to be the father of ,john the ,baptist1 the forerunner of the ,messiah2 ,zacharias was struck dumb for nine months because of his unbelief4 ,then when ,christ was born1 we find angels appearing to the shepherds at ,bethlehem1 telling them of the birth of the ,saviour4 ,unto you is born this day in the city of ,david a ,saviour1 which is ,christ the ,lord4 ,the wise men seeing the star in the east and following it was surely supernatural4 ,so was the warning that ,god sent to ,joseph in a dream1 telling him to flee to ,egypt4 ,so was the fact of our ,lord's going into the temple at the age of twelve1 discussing with the doctors1 and being a match for them all4 ,so were the circumstances attending ,his baptism1 when ,god spake from heaven1 saying3 ,this is my beloved ,son4 ,for three and a half years ,jesus trod the streets and highways of ,palestine4 ,think of the many wonderful miracles that ,he wrought during those years4 ,one day ,he speaks to the leper and he is made whole2 one day ,he speaks to the sea and it obeys ,him4 ,when ,he died the sun refused to look upon the scene2 this old world recognized ,him and reeled and rocked like a drunken man4 ,and when ,he burst asunder the bands of death and came out of ,joseph's sepulchre1 that was supernatural4 ,christmas ,evans1 the great ,welsh preacher1 says3 ,many reformations die with the reformer1 but this reformer ever lives to carry on ,his reformation4 ,thank ,god we do not worship a dead ,jew4 ,if we worshipped a dead ,jew1 we would not have been quickened and have received life in our souls4 ,i thank ,god our ,christ is a supernatural ,christ1 and this ,book a supernatural ,book1 and ,i thank ,god ,i live in a country where it is so free that all men can read it4 ,some people think we are deluded1 that this is imagination4 ,well1 it is a glorious imagination1 is it not8 ,it has lasted between thirty and forty years with me1 and ,i think it is going to last while ,i live1 and when ,i go into another world4 ,some one1 when reading about ,paul1 said he was mad4 ,well1 it was replied1 if he was he had a good keeper on the way1 and a good asylum at the end of the route4 ,i wish we had a lot of mad men in ,america just now like ,paul4 ,,inspiration4 ,when ,paul wrote to ,timothy that all ,scripture was given by inspiration of ,god and was profitable1 he meant what he said4 ,well1 some say1 do you believe all ,scripture is given by inspiration8 ,yes1 every word of it2 but ,i don't believe all the actions and incidents it tells of were inspired4 ,for instance1 when the devil told a lie he was not inspired to tell a lie1 and when a wicked man like ,ahab said anything1 he was not inspired2 but some one was inspired to write it1 and so all was given by inspiration and is profitable4 ,inspiration must have been verbal in many1 if not in all1 cases4 ,peter tells us1 regarding salvation through the sufferings of ,christ3 ,of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently1 who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you4 ,searching what or what manner of time the ,spirit of ,christ which was in them did signify1 when it testified beforehand the sufferings of ,christ1 and the glory that should follow4 ,unto whom it was revealed1 that not unto themselves1 but unto us they did minister the things1 which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the ,holy ,ghost sent down from heaven2 which things the angels desire to look into4 ,so that the prophets themselves had to enquire and search diligently regarding the words they uttered under the inspiration of the ,spirit4 ,a man said to a young convert3 ,how can you prove that the ,bible is inspired8 ,he replied1 ,because it inspires me4 ,i think that is pretty good proof4 ,let the ,word of ,god into your soul1 and it will inspire you1 it can not help it4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,the ,old and the ,new ,testaments4 ,i ,,want to show how absurd it is for anyone to say he believes the ,new ,testament and not the ,old4 ,it is a very interesting fact that of the thirty-nine books of the ,old ,testament1 it is recorded that our ,lord made quotations from no less than twenty-two4 ,very possibly ,he may have quoted from all of them2 for we have only fragments reported of what ,he said and did4 ,you know the ,apostle ,john tells us that the world could scarcely contain the books that could be written1 if all the sayings and doings of our ,lord were recorded4 ,about eight hundred and fifty passages in the ,old ,testament are quoted or alluded to in the ,new2 only a few occurring more than once4 ,in the ,gospel by ,matthew there are over a hundred quotations from twenty of the books in the ,old ,testament4 ,in the ,gospel of ,mark there are fifteen quotations taken from thirteen of the books4 ,in the ,gospel of ,luke there are thirty-four quotations from thirteen books4 ,in the ,gospel of ,john there are eleven quotations from six books4 ,in the four ,gospels alone there are more than one hundred and sixty quotations from the ,old ,testament4 ,you sometimes hear men saying they do not believe all the ,bible1 but they believe the teaching of ,jesus ,christ in the four ,gospels4 ,well1 if ,i believe that1 ,i have to accept these hundred and sixty quotations from the ,old ,testament4 ,in ,paul's letter to the ,corinthians there are fifty-three quotations from the ,old ,testament2 sometimes he takes whole paragraphs from it4 ,in ,hebrews there are eighty-five quotations1 in that one book of thirteen chapters4 ,in ,galatians1 sixteen quotations4 ,in the book of ,revelation alone1 there are two hundred and forty-five quotations and allusions4 ,a great many want to throw out the ,old ,testament4 ,it is good historic reading1 they say1 but they don't believe it is a part of the ,word of ,god1 and don't regard it as essential in the scheme of salvation4 ,the last letter ,paul wrote contained the following words3 ,and that from a child thou hast known the ,holy ,scriptures1 which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in ,christ ,jesus4 ,all the ,scriptures which the apostles possessed were the ,old ,testament4 ,when skeptics attack its truths1 these find it convenient to say1 ,well1 we don't endorse all that is in the ,old ,testament1 and thus they avoid an argument in defence of the ,scriptures4 ,it is very important that every ,christian should not only know what the ,old ,testament teaches1 but he should accept its truths1 because it is upon this that truth is based4 ,peter said the ,scriptures are not given for any private interpretation1 and in speaking of the ,scriptures1 referred to the ,old ,testament and not to the ,new4 ,if the ,old ,testament ,scriptures are not true1 do you think ,christ would have so often referred to them1 and said the ,scriptures must be fulfilled8 ,when told by the tempter that ,he might call down the angels from heaven to interpose in ,his behalf1 he said3 ,thus it is written4 ,christ gave ,himself up as a sacrifice that the ,scriptures might be fulfilled4 ,was it not said that ,he was numbered with the transgressors8 ,and when ,he talked with two of ,his disciples by the way journeying to ,emmaus1 after ,his resurrection1 did ,he not say3 ,ought not these things to be8 am ,i not to suffer8 ,and beginning at ,moses ,he explained unto them in all the ,scriptures concerning ,himself1 for the one theme of the ,old ,testament is the ,messiah4 ,in ,psalm #dj3g1 it says3 ,in the volume of the book it is written of me4 ,what ,book8 asks ,luther1 and what ,person8 ,there is only one book--the ,bible2 and only one person--,jesus ,christ4 ,christ referred to the ,scriptures and their fulfillment in ,him1 not only after ,he arose from the dead1 but in the book of ,revelation ,he used them in ,heaven4 ,he spoke to ,john of them on the ,isle of ,patmos1 and used the very things in them that men are trying to cast out4 ,he never found fault with or rejected them4 ,if ,jesus ,christ could use the ,old ,testament1 let us use it4 ,may ,god deliver us from the one-sided ,christian who reads only the ,new ,testament and talks against the ,old6 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,my ,word shall not ,pass ,away--,printing the ,revised ,version in ,chicago--,circulation of the ,bible4 ,,christ speaking of the law1 said3 ,one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law until all be fulfilled4 ,in another place ,he said3 ,heaven and earth shall pass away1 but my ,word shall not pass away4 ,now1 let us keep in mind that the only ,scripture the apostles and ,christ had was the ,old ,testament4 ,the ,new ,testament was not written4 ,i will put that as the old and new covenant4 ,one jot or tittle of the law shall in no wise pass away until all be fulfilled1--the old covenant2 and then ,christ comes and adds these words3 ,heaven and earth shall pass away1 but my ,word shall not pass away1--the new covenant4 ,now1 notice how that has been fulfilled4 ,there was no short-hand reporter following ,him around taking down ,his words2 there were no papers to print the sermons1 and they wouldn't have printed ,his sermons if there had been any daily papers--the whole church and all the religious world were against ,him4 ,i can see one of your modern free-thinkers standing near ,him1 and he hears ,christ say3 ,heaven and earth shall pass away1 but my ,word shall not pass away4 ,i see the scornful look on his face as he says3 ,hear that ,jewish peasant talk6 ,did you ever hear such conceit1 such madness8 ,he says ,heaven and earth shall pass away1 but his ,word shall not pass away4 ,my friend1 ,i want to ask you this question--have they passed away8 ,do you know that the sun has shone on more ,bibles to-day than ever before in the history of the world8 ,there have been more ,bibles printed in the last ten years than in the first eighteen hundred years4 ,they tried in the dark ages to chain it1 and keep it from the nations1 but ,god has preserved it1 and the ,british and ,american ,bible ,societies print thousands of ,bibles every day4 ,one house in ,new ,york has sold one hundred thousand ,oxford ,bibles during the last year4 ,,printing ,,the ,,revised ,,version4 ,suppose some one had said that when we had a revised version of the ,new ,testament1 it was going to have such a large circulation--men reading it wherever the ,english language is spoken--the statement would hardly have been believed4 ,the new version came out in ,new ,york on a ,friday--on the same day that it was published in ,london4 ,chicago did not want to be behind ,new ,york4 ,at that time the quickest train between the two cities could not accomplished the journey in less than about twenty-six hours4 ,it would be late on ,saturday afternoon before the copies could reach ,chicago1 and the stores would be closed4 ,so one of the ,chicago daily papers set ninety operators at work and had the whole of the new version1 from ,matthew to ,revelation1 telegraphed to ,chicago on ,friday2 it was put at once into print and sold on the streets of that city next day4 ,if some one had said years ago1 before telegraphs were introduced1 that this would be done1 it would have been thought an impossibility4 ,yet it has been done4 ,notwithstanding all that skeptics and infidels say against the old ,book1 it goes on its way4 ,these objectors remind one of a dog barking at the moon2 the moon goes on shining just the same4 ,atheists keep on writing against the ,bible2 but they do not make much progress1 do they8 ,it is being spread all abroad--silently1 and without any blasts of trumpets4 ,the lighthouse does not blow a trumpet2 it goes on shedding its light all around4 ,so the ,bible is lighting up the nations of the earth4 ,it is said that a lecturer on ,secularism was once asked1 ,why can't you let the ,bible alone1 if you don't believe it8 ,the honest reply was at once made1 ,because the ,bible won't let me alone4 ,,circulation ,,of ,,the ,,bible4 ,the ,bible was about the first book ever printed1 and to-day ,new ,testaments are printed in three hundred and fifty-three different languages1 and are going to the very corners of the earth4 ,wherever the ,bible has not been translated1 the people have no literature4 ,it will not be long before the words of ,jesus ,christ will penetrate the darkest parts of the earth1 and the darkest islands of the sea4 ,when ,christ said1 ,the ,scriptures can not be broken1 ,he meant every word ,he said4 ,devil and man and hell have been in league for centuries to try to break the ,word of ,god1 but they can not do it4 ,if you get it for your footing1 you have good footing for time and eternity4 ,heaven and earth shall pass away1 but my ,word shall not pass away4 ,my friends1 that ,word is going to live1 and there is no power in perdition or earth to blot it out4 ,what we want to-day is men who believe in it from the crown of their heads to the soles of their feet1 who believe the whole of it1 the things they understand and the things they do not understand4 ,talk about the things you understand1 and leave the things you do not4 ,i believe that is one reason why the ,english and the ,scotch ,christians have got ahead of us1 because they study the whole ,bible4 ,i venture to say that there are hundreds of ,bible readings in ,london every night4 ,you know there are a good many ,christians who are good in spots and mighty poor in other spots1 because they do not take the whole sweep of the ,bible4 ,when ,i went to ,scotland ,i had to be very careful how ,i quoted the ,bible4 ,some friend would tell me after the meeting ,i was quoting it wrong4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,fulfilled ,prophecy--,unexplored ,country--,babylon--,tyre--,jerusalem--, egypt--,the ,jew4 ,i ,,know nothing that will upset an honest skeptic quicker than fulfilled prophecy4 ,there are very few ,christians who think of studying this subject4 ,they say that prophecies are so mysterious1 and there is question about their being fulfilled4 ,now the ,bible does not say that prophecy is a dark subject1 to be avoided2 but rather that we have a more sure word of prophecy1 whereunto ye do well that ye take heed1 as unto a light that shineth in a dark place1 until the day dawn and the daystar arise in your hearts4 ,prophecy is history unfulfilled1 and history is prophecy fulfilled4 ,when ,i was a boy ,i was taught that all beyond the ,mississippi river was the great ,american desert4 ,but when the first pick-axe struck into the ,comstock lode1 and they took out more than one hundred million dollars' worth of silver1 the nation realized that there was no desert3 and to-day that part of the country--,nevada1 ,colorado1 ,utah and other western states--is some of the most valuable we possess4 ,think of the busy cities and flourishing states that have sprung up among the mountains6 ,so with many portions of the ,bible3 people never think of reading them4 ,they are living on a few verses and chapters4 ,the greater part of the ,bible was written by prophets1 yet you never hear a sermon preached on prophecy4 ,between five and six hundred ,old ,testament prophecies have been remarkably and literally fulfilled1 and two hundred in regard to ,jesus ,christ alone4 ,not a thing happened to ,jesus ,christ that was not prophesied from seventeen hundred to four hundred years before ,he was born4 ,take the four great cities that existed in the days when the ,old ,testament was written1 and you will find that prophecies regarding them have been fulfilled to the letter4 ,let me call your attention to a few passages4 ,,babylon4 ,first regarding ,babylon--,and ,babylon1 the glory of kingdoms1 the beauty of the ,chaldees' excellency1 shall be as when ,god overthrew ,sodom and ,gomorrah4 ,it shall never be inhabited1 neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation2 neither shall the ,arabian pitch tent there2 neither shall the shepherds make their fold there4 ,but wild beasts of the desert shall lie there2 and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures2 and owls shall dwell there1 and satyrs shall dance there4 ,and the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses1 and dragons in their pleasant palaces2 and her time is near to come1 and her days shall not be prolonged4 ,and again3 ,the word that the ,lord spake against ,babylon and against the land of the ,chaldeans by ,jeremiah the ,prophet4 ,declare ye among the nations1 and publish and set up a standard2 publish and conceal not2 say1 ,babylon is taken1 ,bel is confounded1 ,merodach is broken in pieces2 her idols are confounded1 her images are broken in pieces4 ,for out of the north there cometh a nation against her2 which shall make her land desolate1 and none shall dwell therein2 they shall remove1 they shall depart1 both man and beast4 ,because of the wrath of the ,lord it shall not be inhabited1 but it shall be wholly desolate2 every one that goeth by ,babylon shall be astonished1 and hiss at all her plagues4 ,how is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken6 ,how is ,babylon become a desolation among the nations6 ,i have laid a snare for thee1 and thou art taken1 oh ,babylon1 and thou wast not aware2 thou art found1 and also caught1 because thou hast striven against the ,lord4 ,a hundred years before ,nebucadnezzar ascended the throne1 it was foretold how ,babylon should be destroyed1 and it came to pass4 ,scholars tell us that the city stood in the midst of a large and fruitful plain4 ,it was enclosed by a wall four hundred and eighty furlongs square4 ,each side of the square had twenty gates of solid brass1 and at every corner was a strong tower1 ten feet higher than the wall4 ,the wall was eighty-seven feet broad1 and three hundred and fifty feet high4 ,these figures give us an idea of the importance of ,babylon4 ,yet nothing but ruins now remain to tell of its former grandeur4 ,when ,babylon was in its glory1 the queen of the earth1 prophets predicted that it would be destroyed2 and how literally was it fulfilled6 ,a friend going through the valley of the ,euphrates tried to get his dragoman to pitch his tent near the ruins1 and failed4 ,no ,arabian pitches his tent there1 no shepherd will dwell near the ruins4 ,,nineveh4 ,now take ,nineveh4 ,and ,i will cast abominable filth upon thee1 and make thee vile1 and will set thee as a gazing-stock4 ,and it shall come to pass1 that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee1 and say1 ,nineveh is laid waste2 who will bemoan her8 ,whence shall ,i seek comforters for thee8 ,now1 how are you going to cover the city up8 ,i will cast upon her abominable filth4 ,how are you going to cast abominable filth upon the city8 ,and yet for #b1ejj years ,nineveh was buried and an abominable filth lay upon her4 ,but now they have dug up the ruins1 and brought them to ,paris and ,london1 and you go into the ,british museum1 and there is not a day except the ,sabbath but what you can see men from all parts of the world gazing upon the ruins4 ,it is just as the prophets prophesied4 ,for #b1ejj years ,nineveh was buried1 but it is no longer buried4 ,,tyre4 ,then look at ,tyre3 ,therefore thus saith the ,lord ,god2 ,behold1 ,i am against thee1 ,oh ,tyrus1 and will cause many nations to come up against thee1 as the sea causeth his waves to come up4 ,and they shall destroy the walls of ,tyrus and break down her towers2 ,i will also scrape her dust from her1 and make her like the top of a rock4 ,it shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea1 for ,i have spoken it1 saith the ,lord ,god1 and it shall become a spoil to the nations4 ,coffin1 who was correspondent of the ,boston ,journal during the war1 went round the world after the war was over in '#fh4 ,one night he came to the site of old ,tyre1 and he said the sun was just going down1 and he got his dragoman to pitch his tent right over by the ruins1 where the rocks were scraped bare1 and he took out his ,bible and read where it says1 ,it shall be a place for the spreading of nets4 ,he said the fishermen had done fishing and were just spreading their nets or the rocks of ,tyre1 precisely as it was prophesied hundreds and hundreds of years before4 ,now mark you6 ,when they prophesied against these great cities1 they were like ,london1 ,paris and ,new ,york in their glory1 but their glory has gone4 ,,jerusalem4 ,now take the prophecy in regard to ,jerusalem3 ,and when ,he was come near1 ,he beheld the city1 and wept over it saying1 ,if thou hadst known1 even thou at least in this thy day1 the things which belong unto thy peace3 ,but now they are hid from thine eyes4 ,for the days shall come upon thee1 that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee1 and compass thee round1 and keep thee in on every side4 ,didn't ,titus do that8 ,didn't the ,roman ,emperor do that very thing8 ,and shall lay thee even with the ground1 and thy children within thee2 and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another2 because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation4 ,i have read of two ,rabbis going up to ,jerusalem1 and they saw a fox playing upon the wall2 one began to weep when he thus looked at the desolation of ,zion4 ,the other smiled and rebuked him1 saying that the spectacle was a proof that the ,word of ,god was true1 and that this was one of the prophecies which should be fulfilled--,because of the mountain of ,zion1 which is desolate1 the foxes walk upon it4 ,it was also said that ,jerusalem should be as a ploughed field4 ,this prophecy has also been fulfilled4 ,the modern city is so restricted that outside of the walls1 where part of the old city stood1 the plough has been used4 ,,egypt4 ,now take the prophecies regarding ,egypt3 ,it shall be the basest of the kingdoms2 neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations2 for ,i will diminish them1 that they shall no more rule over the nations4 ,now1 mark you6 ,egypt was in its glory when this was prophesied4 ,it was a great and mighty empire1 but for centuries it has been the basest of all nations4 ,they have not got a native prince or king to reign over them4 ,the man that is reigning over them now is not an ,egyptian1 but he is some foreigner1 and so it has been4 ,,the ,,jews4 ,then1 again1 the prophecy of ,balaam with regard to the ,jews has been already greatly fulfilled4 ,lo1 the people shall dwell alone1 and shall not be reckoned among the nations4 ,who can count the dust of ,jacob1 and the number of the fourth part of ,israel8 ,the ,jews were not to be reckoned amongst the nations4 ,there is something in this people's looks and habits that ,god continues to perpetuate1 just1 as ,i believe1 to make them witnesses in every land of the truth of the ,bible4 ,the race has remained all these centuries separate and distinct from other nations4 ,in ,america there are all kinds of nationalities4 ,take an ,irishman1 and in a generation he will have forgotten his nationality4 ,so1 too1 with the ,germans1 ,italians1 and ,french2 but the ,jew is as much a ,jew as he was when he came over one hundred years ago4 ,see how the race has been persecuted1 yet the ,jews control the finances of the world and can not be kept down4 ,egypt1 ,edom1 ,assyria1 ,babylon1 ,persia1 ,rome1 and all the leading nations of the earth have sought to crush out the ,jews4 ,frederick the ,great said1 ,touch them not1 for no one has done so and prospered4 ,the people are the same now as they were in the days of ,pharaoh1 when he tried to destroy all the male children4 ,the prophecy is fulfilled--,god has made the nation numerous and united4 ,the time is coming when ,god will reinstate the ,jew4 ,for the children of ,israel shall abide many days without a ,king1 and without a ,prince1 and without a sacrifice1 and without an image1 and without an ephod1 and without teraphim4 ,are they not without a ,king1 without a nation1 and without a sacrifice8 ,are they not scattered among the nations of the earth1 a separate and distinct people8 and they do not bow down to idols4 ,their last ,king they crucified1 and they will never have another until they restore ,him4 ,he was ,jesus ,christ1 as inscribed upon ,his cross1 ,the ,king of the ,jews4 ,,other ,,prophecies4 ,we see how it was prophesied that ,eli should suffer4 ,he was ,god's own high priest1 and the only thing against him was that he did not obey ,god's word faithfully and diligently4 ,he was like a good many nowadays4 ,he was one of these good-natured old men who don't want to make people uncomfortable by saying unpleasant things1 so he let his two boys go on in neglect1 and did not restrain them4 ,he was just like some ministers4 ,oh6 let every minister tell the truth1 though he preach himself out of his pulpit4 ,everything went all right for twenty years1 but then came fulfilment of the prophecy4 ,god's ark was taken1 the army of ,israel was routed by the ,philistines2 ,hophni and ,phineas1 old ,eli's two sons1 were killed1 and when the old man heard of it1 he fell back in his chair1 broke his neck and died4 ,so with ,king ,ahab1 taking the sinful advice of ,jezebel4 ,naboth would not sell him that piece of land1 so they got him out of the way4 ,three years afterwards the dogs licked ,ahab's blood from his chariot in the very spot where ,naboth's had been murderously shed4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,text ,preaching and ,expository ,preaching--,peter and ,paul at ,jerusalem--,oratorical ,preaching ,,here is a word of counsel for young men who have their eye on the ministry4 ,if you take my advice1 you will seek not to be a text preacher1 but an expository preacher4 ,i believe that what this country wants is the ,word of ,god4 ,there is no book that will draw the people like the ,bible4 ,one of the professors of the ,chicago ,university gave some lectures on the ,book of ,job1 and there was no building large enough to hold the people4 ,if the ,bible only has a chance to speak for itself1 it will interest the people4 ,i am tired and sick of moral essays4 ,it would take about a ton of them to convert a child five years old4 ,a man was talking of a certain church once1 and said he liked it because the preacher never touched on politics and religion--just read nice little essays4 ,give the people the ,word of ,god4 ,some men only use the ,bible as a text book4 ,they get a text and away they go4 ,they go up in a balloon and talk about astronomy1 and then go down and give you a little geology1 and next ,sunday they go on in the same way1 and then they wonder why it is people do not read their ,bibles4 ,i used to think ,charles ,spurgeon was about as good a preacher as ,i ever knew1 but ,i used to rather hear him expound the ,scripture than listen to all his sermons4 ,why is it that ,dr4 ,john ,hall has held his audience so long8 ,he opens his ,bible and expounds4 ,how was it that ,andrew ,bonar held his audience in ,glasgow8 ,he had a weak voice1 people could hardly hear him1 yet thirteen hundred people would file into his church twice every ,sabbath1 and many of them took notes1 and they would go home and send his sermons all over the world4 ,it was ,dr4 ,bonar's custom to lead his congregation through the study of the ,bible1 book by book4 ,there was not a part of the ,bible in which he could not find ,christ4 ,i preached five months in ,glasgow1 and there was not a ward or a district in the city in which ,i did not find the influence of that man4 ,a ,,reminiscence ,,of ,,dr4 ,,andrew ,,bonar4 ,i was in ,london in '#hd and a barrister had come down from ,edinburgh4 ,he said he went through to ,glasgow a few weeks before to spend ,sunday1 and he was fortunate enough to hear ,andrew ,bonar4 ,he said he happened to be there the ,sunday ,dr4 ,bonar got to that part of the ,epistle of ,galatians where it says that ,paul went up to ,jerusalem to see ,peter4 ,then after three years ,i went up to ,jerusalem to see ,peter1 and abode with him fifteen days4 ,he let his imagination roam4 ,he said one day he could imagine they had been very busy and they were tired1 and all at once ,peter turned to ,paul and said1 ,paul1 wouldn't you like to take a little walk8 ,and ,paul said he would4 ,so they went down through the streets of ,jerusalem arm in arm1 over the brook ,cedron1 and all at once ,peter stopped and said1 ,look1 ,paul1 this is the very spot where ,he wrestled1 and where ,he suffered and sweat great drops of blood4 ,there is the very spot where ,john and ,james fell asleep1 right there4 ,and right here is the very spot where ,i fell asleep4 ,i don't think ,i should have denied ,him if ,i hadn't gone to sleep1 but ,i was overcome4 ,i remember the last thing ,i heard ,him say before ,i fell asleep was1 ',father1 let this cup pass from me if it is ,thy will4' ,and when ,i awoke an angel stood right there where you are standing1 talking to ,him1 and ,i saw great drops of blood come from ,his pores and trickle down ,his cheeks4 ,it wasn't long before ,judas came to betray ,him4 ,and ,i heard ,him say to ,judas so kindly1 ',betrayest thou the ,master with a kiss8' ,and then they bound ,him and led ,him away4 ,that night when ,he was on trial ,i denied ,him4 ,he pictured the whole scene4 ,and the next day ,peter turned again to ,paul and said1 ,wouldn't you like to take another walk to-day8 ,and ,paul said he would4 ,that day they went to ,calvary1 and when they got on the hill1 ,peter said1 ,here1 ,paul this is the very spot where ,he died for you and me4 ,see that hole right there8 ,that is where ,his cross stood4 ,the believing thief hung there and the unbelieving thief there on the other side4 ,mary ,magdalene and ,mary ,his mother stood there1 and ,i stood away on the outskirts of the crowd4 ,the night before when ,i denied ,him1 ,he looked at me so lovingly that it broke my heart1 and ,i couldn't bear to get near enough to see ,him4 ,that was the darkest hour of my life4 ,i was in hopes that ,god would intercede and take ,him from the cross4 ,i kept listening and ,i thought ,i would hear ,his voice4 ,and he pictured the whole scene1 how they drove the spear into ,his side and put the crown of thorns on ,his brow1 and all that took place4 ,and the next day ,peter turned to ,paul again and asked him if he wouldn't like to take another walk4 ,and ,paul said he would4 ,again they passed down the streets of ,jerusalem1 over the brook ,cedron1 over ,mount ,olivet1 up to ,bethphage1 and over on to the slope near ,bethany4 ,all at once ,peter stopped and said1 ,here1 ,paul1 this is the last place where ,i ever saw ,him4 ,i never heard ,him speak so sweetly as ,he did that day4 ,it was right here ,he delivered ,his last message to us1 and all at once ,i noticed that ,his feet didn't touch the ground4 ,he arose and went up4 ,all at once there came a cloud and received ,him out of sight4 ,i stood right here gazing up into the heavens1 in hopes ,i might see ,him again and hear ,him speak4 ,and two men dressed in white dropped down by our sides and stood there and said1 ',ye men of ,galilee1 why stand ,ye gazing into heaven8 ,this same ,jesus which is taken up from you into heaven1 shall so come in like manner as ye have seen ,him go into heaven4' ,my friends1 ,i want to ask you this question3 ,do you believe that picture is overdrawn8 ,do you believe ,peter had ,paul as his guest and didn't take him to ,gethsemane1 didn't take him to ,calvary and to ,mount ,olivet8 ,i myself spent eight days in ,jerusalem1 and every morning ,i wanted to steal down into the garden where my ,lord sweat great drops of blood4 ,every day ,i climbed ,mount ,olivet and looked up into the blue sky where ,he went to ,his ,father4 ,i have no doubt1 ,peter took ,paul out on those three walks4 ,if there had been a man that could have taken me to the very spot where thy ,master sweat those great drops of blood1 do you think ,i wouldn't have asked him to take me there8 ,if he could have told me where ,i could find the spot where my ,master's feet last touched this sin-cursed earth and was taken up1 do you think ,i wouldn't have had him show it to me8 ,,oratorical ,,preaching4 ,i know there is a class of people who say that kind of preaching won't do in this country4 ,people want something oratorical4 ,well1 there is no doubt but that there are some who want to hear oratorical sermons1 but they forget them inside of twenty-four hours4 ,it a good thing for a minister to have the reputation of feeding his people4 ,a man once made an artificial bee1 which was so like a real bee that he challenged another man to tell the difference4 ,it made just such a buzzing as the live bee1 and looked the same4 ,the other said1 ,you put an artificial bee and a real bee down there1 and ,i will tell you the difference pretty quickly4 ,he then put a drop of honey on the ground and the live bee went for the honey4 ,it is just so with us4 ,there are a lot of people who profess to be ,christians1 but they are artificial1 and they don't know when you give them honey4 ,the real bees go for honey every time4 ,people can get along without your theories and opinions1 ,thus saith the ,lord--that is what we want4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,reading and ,studying--,at ,family ,prayers--,a ,word in ,season--,helpful ,questions4 ,,merely reading the ,bible is not what ,god wants4 ,again and again ,i am exhorted to search4 ,these were more noble than those in ,thessalonica1 in that they received the word with all readiness of mind1 and searched the ,scriptures daily1 whether those things were so4 ,so they read in the book in the law of ,god distinctly1 and gave the sense1 and caused them to understand the reading4 ,we must study it thoroughly1 and hunt it through1 as it were1 for some great truth4 ,if a friend were to see me searching about a building1 and were to come up and say1 ,moody1 what are you looking for8 have you lost something8 and ,i answered1 ,no1 ,i haven't lost anything2 ,i'm not looking for anything particular1 ,i fancy he would just let me go on by myself1 and think me very foolish4 ,but if ,i were to say1 ,yes1 ,i have lost a dollar1 why1 then1 ,i might expect him to help me to find it4 ,read the ,bible1 my friends1 as if you were seeking for something of value4 ,it is a good deal better to take a single chapter1 and spend a month on it1 than to read the ,bible at random for a month4 ,i used at one time to read so many chapters a day1 and if ,i did not get through my usual quantity ,i thought ,i was getting cold and backsliding4 ,but1 mind you1 if a man had asked me two hours afterward what ,i had read1 ,i could not tell him2 ,i had forgotten it nearly all4 ,when ,i was a boy ,i used1 among other things1 to hoe corn on a farm2 and ,i used to hoe it so badly1 in order to get over so much ground1 that at night ,i had to put down a stick in the ground1 so as to know next morning where ,i had left off4 ,that was somewhat in the same fashion as running through so many chapters every day4 ,a man will say1 ,wife1 did ,i read that chapter8 ,well1 says she1 ,i don't remember4 ,and neither of them can recollect4 ,and perhaps he reads the same chapter over and over again2 and they call that studying the ,bible4 ,i do not think there is a book in the world we neglect so much as the ,bible4 ,,family ,,worship4 ,now1 when you read the ,bible at family worship or for private devotions1 look for suitable passages4 ,what would you think of a minister who went into the pulpit on ,sunday and opened the ,bible at hazard and commenced to read8 ,yet this is what most men do at family prayers4 ,they might as well go into a drug store and swallow the first medicine their eye happens to see4 ,children would take more interest in family prayers if the father would take time to search for some passage to suit the special need4 ,for instance1 if any member of the family is about to travel1 read ,psalm #aba4 ,in time of trouble1 read ,psalm #ia4 ,when the terrible accident happened to the ,spree as we were crossing the ,atlantic in ,november1 #ahib1 and when none on board ship expected to live to see the light of another sun1 we held a prayer-meeting1 at which ,i read a portion of ,psalm #ajg3 ,they that go down to the sea in ships1 that do business in great waters2 ,these see the works of the ,,lord1 and his wonders in the deep4 ,for he commandeth1 and raiseth the stormy wind1 which lifteth up the waves thereof4 ,they mount up to the heaven1 they go down again to the depths3 their soul is melted because of trouble4 ,they reel to and fro1 and stagger like a drunken man1 and are at their wits' end4 ,then they cry unto the ,,lord in their trouble1 and he bringeth them out of their distresses4 ,he maketh the storm a calm1 so that the waves thereof are still4 ,then are they glad because they be quiet2 so he bringeth them unto their desired haven4 ,oh that men would praise the ,,lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men6 ,a lady came to me afterwards and said ,i made it up to suit the occasion4 ,,helpful ,,questions4 ,i have seen questions that will help one to get good out of every verse and passage of ,scripture1 ,they may be used in family worship1 or in studying the ,sabbath ,school lesson1 or for prayer meeting1 or in private reading4 ,it would be a good thing if questions like these were pasted in the front of every ,bible3 #a4 ,what persons have ,i read about1 and what have ,i learned about them8 #b4 ,what places have ,i read about1 and what have ,i read about them8 ,if the place is not mentioned1 can ,i find out where it is8 ,do ,i know its position on the map8 #c4 ,does the passage refer to any particular time in the history of the children of ,israel1 or of some leading character8 #d4 ,can ,i tell from memory what ,i have just been reading8 #e4 ,are there any parallel passages or texts that throw light on this passage8 #f4 ,have ,i read anything about ,god the ,father8 or about ,jesus ,christ8 or about the ,holy ,spirit8 #g4 ,what have ,i read about myself8 about man's sinful nature8 about the spiritual new nature8 #h4 ,is there any duty for me to observe8 any example to follow8 any promise to lay hold of8 any exhortation for my guidance8 any prayer that may echo8 #i4 ,how is this ,scripture profitable for doctrine8 for reproof8 for correction8 for instruction in righteousness8 #aj4 ,does it contain the gospel in type or in evidence8 #aa4 ,what is the key verse of the chapter or passage8 ,can ,i repeat it from memory8 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,how to ,study the ,bible--,feeding one's self--,the ,best ,law--,three ,books ,every ,christian ,should ,possess--,the ,bible in the ,sabbath ,school4 ,,someone has said that there are four things necessary in studying the ,bible3 ,admit1 submit1 commit and transmit4 ,first1 admit its truth2 second1 submit to its teachings2 third1 commit it to memory2 and fourth1 transmit it4 ,if the ,christian life is a good thing for you1 pass it on to some one else4 ,now ,i want to tell you how ,i study the ,bible4 ,every man cannot fight in ,saul's armor2 and perhaps you cannot follow my methods4 ,still ,i may be able to throw out some suggestions that will help you4 ,spurgeon used to prepare his sermon for ,sunday morning on ,saturday night4 ,if ,i tried that1 ,i would fail4 ,,feed ,,yourself4 ,the quicker you learn to feed yourself the better4 ,i pity down deep in my heart any men or women who have been attending some church or chapel for1 say five1 ten1 or twenty years1 and yet have not learned to feed themselves4 ,you know it is always regarded a great event in the family when a child can feed itself4 ,it is propped up at table1 and at first perhaps it uses the spoon upside down1 but by and by it uses it all right1 and mother1 or perhaps sister1 claps her hands and says1 ,just see1 baby's feeding himself6 ,well1 what we need as ,christians is to be able to feed ourselves4 ,how many there are who sit helpless and listless1 with open mouths1 hungry for spiritual things1 and the minister has to try to feed them1 while the ,bible is a feast prepared1 into which they never venture4 ,there are many who have been ,christians for twenty years who have still to be fed with an ecclesiastical spoon4 ,if they happen to have a minister who feeds them1 they get on pretty well2 but if they have not1 they are not fed at all4 ,this is the test as to your being a true child of ,god--whether you love and feed upon the ,word of ,god4 ,if you go out to your garden and throw down some sawdust1 the birds will not take any notice2 but if you throw down some crumbs1 you will find they will soon sweep down and pick them up4 ,so the true child of ,god can tell the difference1 so to speak1 between sawdust and bread4 ,many so-called ,christians are living on the world's sawdust1 instead of being nourished by the ,bread that cometh down from heaven4 ,nothing can satisfy the longings of the soul but the ,word of the living ,god4 ,,the ,,law ,,of ,,perseverance4 ,the best law for ,bible study is the law of perseverance4 ,the ,psalmist says1 ,i have stuck unto thy testimonies4 ,application to the ,word will tend to its growth within and its multiplication without4 ,some people are like express-trains1 they skims along so quickly that they see nothing4 ,i met a lawyer in ,chicago who told me he had spent two years in studying up one subject2 he was trying to smash a will4 ,he made it his business to read everything on wills he could get4 ,then he went into court and he talked two days about that will2 he was full of it2 he could not talk about anything else but wills4 ,that is the way with the ,bible--study it and study it1 one subject at a time1 until you become filled with it4 ,read the ,bible itself--do not spend all your time on commentaries and helps4 ,if a man spent all his time reading up the chemical constituents of bread and milk1 he would soon starve4 ,,three ,,books ,,required4 ,there are three books which ,i think every ,christian ought to possess4 ,the first1 of course1 is the ,bible4 ,i believe in getting a good ,bible1 with a good plain print4 ,i have not much love for those little ,bibles which you have to hold right under your nose in order to read the print2 and if the church happens to be a little dark1 you cannot see the print1 but it becomes a mere jumble of words4 ,yes1 but some one will say you cannot carry a big ,bible in your pocket4 ,very well1 then1 carry it under your arm2 and if you have to walk five miles1 you will just be preaching a sermon five miles long4 ,i have known a man convicted by seeing another carrying his ,bible under his arm4 ,you are not ashamed to carry hymn-books and prayer-books1 and the ,bible is worth all the hymn-books and prayer-books in the world put together4 ,if you get a good ,bible you are likely to take better care of it4 ,suppose you pay ten dollars for a good ,bible1 the older you grow the more precious it will become to you4 ,but be sure you do not get one so good that you will be afraid to mark it4 ,i don't like gilt-edged ,bibles that look as if they had never been used4 ,then next ,i would advise you to get a ,cruden's ,concordance4 ,i was a ,christian about five years before ,i ever heard of it4 ,a skeptic in ,boston got hold of me4 ,i didn't know anything about the ,bible and ,i tried to defend the ,bible and ,christianity4 ,he made a misquotation and ,i said it wasn't in the ,bible3 ,i hunted for days and days4 ,if ,i had had a concordance ,i could have found it at once4 ,it is a good thing for ministers once in a while to tell the people about a good book4 ,you can find any portion or any verse in the ,bible by just turning to this concordance4 ,thirdly1 a ,topical ,text ,book4 ,these books will help you to study the ,word of ,god with profit4 ,if you do not possess them1 get them at once2 every ,christian ought to have them4#a ,,sunday ,,school ,,quarterlies ,,and ,,the ,,bible4 ,i think ,sunday school teachers are making a woeful mistake if they don't take the whole ,bible into their ,sunday school classes4 ,i don't care how young children are1 let them understand it is one book1 that there are not two books--the ,old ,testament and the ,new are all one4 ,don't let them think that the ,old ,testament doesn't come to us with the same authority as the ,new4 ,it is a great thing for a boy or girl to know how to handle the ,bible4 ,what is an army good for if they don't know how to handle their swords8 ,i speak very strongly on this1 because ,i know some ,sabbath schools that don't have a single ,bible in them4 ,they have question books4 ,there are questions and the answers are given just below2 so that you don't need to study your lesson4 ,they are splendid things for lazy teachers to bring along into their classes4 ,i have seen them come into the class with a question book1 and sometimes they get it wrong side up while they are talking to the class1 until they find out their mistake1 and then they begin over again4 ,i have seen an examination take place something like this3 ,john1 who was the first man8 ,methuselah4 ,no2 ,i think not2 let me see4 ,no1 it is not ,methuselah4 ,can't you guess again8 ,elijah4 ,no4 ,adam4 ,that's right1 my son2 you must have studied your lesson hard4 ,now1 ,i would like to know what a boy is going to do with that kind of a teacher1 or with that kind of teaching4 ,that is the kind of teaching that is worthless1 and brings no result4 ,now1 don't say that ,i condemn helps4 ,i believe in availing yourself of all the light you can get4 ,what ,i want you to do1 when you come into your classes1 is to come prepared to explain the lesson without the use of a concordance4 ,bring the word of ,god with you2 bring the old ,book4 ,you will often find families where there is a family ,bible1 but the mother is so afraid that the children will tear it that she keeps it in the spare room1 and once in a great while the children are allowed to look at it4 ,the thing that interests them most is the family record--when ,john was born1 when father and mother were married4 ,i came up to ,boston from the country and went into a ,bible class where there were a few ,harvard students4 ,they handed me a ,bible and told me the lesson was in ,john4 ,i hunted all through the ,old ,testament for ,john1 but couldn't find it4 ,i saw the fellows hunching one another1 ,ah1 greenie from the country4 ,now1 you know that is just the time when you don't want to be considered green4 ,the teacher saw my embarrassment and handed me his ,bible1 and ,i put my thumb in the place and held on4 ,i didn't lose my place4 ,i said then that if ,i ever got out of that scrape1 ,i would never be caught there again4 ,why is it that so many young men from eighteen to twenty cannot be brought into a ,bible class8 ,because they don't want to show their ignorance4 ,there is no place in the world that is so fascinating as a live ,bible class4 ,i believe that we are to blame that they have been brought up in the ,sunday school without ,bibles and brought up with quarterlies4 ,the result is1 the boys are growing up without knowing how to handle the ,bible4 ,they don't know where ,matthew is1 they don't know where the ,epistle to the ,ephesians is1 they don't know where to find ,hebrews or any of the different books of the ,bible4 ,they ought to be taught how to handle the whole ,bible1 and it can be done by ,sunday school teachers taking the ,bible into the class and going right about it at once4 ,you can get a ,bible in this country for almost a song now4 ,sunday schools are not so poor that they cannot get ,bibles4 ,some time ago there came up in a large ,bible class a question1 and they thought they would refer to the ,bible1 but they found that there was not a single one in the class4 ,a ,bible class without a ,bible6 ,it would be like a doctor without physic2 or an army without weapons4 ,so they went to the pews1 but could not find one there4 ,finally they went to the pulpit and took the pulpit ,bible and settled the question4 ,we are making wonderful progress1 aren't we8 ,quarterlies are all right in their places1 as helps in studying the lesson1 but if they are going to sweep the ,bibles out of our ,sunday schools1 ,i think we had better sweep them out4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,the ,telescopic and ,microscopic ,methods--,job--,the ,four ,gospels--,acts--,psalm #eb3a4 ,,there are two opposite ways to study the ,bible4 ,one is to study it with a telescope1 taking a grand sweep of a whole book and trying to find out ,god's plan in it2 the other1 with a microscope1 taking up a verse at a time1 dissecting it1 analyzing it4 ,if you take ,genesis1 it is the seed-plant of the whole ,bible2 it tells us of ,life1 ,death1 ,resurrection2 it involves all the rest of the ,bible4 ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,job4 ,an ,englishman once remarked to me3 ,mr ,moody1 did you ever notice this1 that the book of ,job is the key to the whole ,bible8 ,if you understand ,job you will understand the entire ,bible6 ,no1 ,i said1 ,i don't comprehend that4 ,job the key to the whole ,bible6 ,how do make that out8 ,he said3 ,i divide ,job into seven heads4 ,the first head is3 ,a perfect man untried4 ,that is what ,god said about ,job2 that is ,adam in ,eden4 ,he was perfect when ,god put him there4 ,the second head is3 ,tried by adversity4 ,job fell1 as ,adam fell in ,eden4 ,the third head is3 ,the wisdom of the world4 ,the world tried to restore ,job2 the three wise men came to help him4 ,that was the wisdom of the world centred in those three men4 ,you can not1 said he1 find any such eloquent language or wisdom anywhere1 in any part of the world1 as those three men displayed1 but they did not know anything about grace1 and could not1 therefore1 help ,job4 ,that is just what men are trying to do2 and the result is that they fail2 the wisdom of man never made man any better4 ,these three men did not help ,job2 they made him more unhappy4 ,some one has said the first man took him1 and gave him a good pull2 then the second and third did the same2 the three of them had three good pulls at ,job1 and then flat down they fell4 ,then in the fourth place1 said he1 in comes the ,daysman1 that is ,christ4 ,in the fifth place1 ,god speaks2 and in the sixth1 ,job learns his lesson4 ',i have heard of ,thee by the hearing of the ear2 but now mine eye seeth ,thee4 ,wherefore ,i abhor myself1 and repent in dust and ashes4' ,and then down came ,job flat on the dunghill4 ,the seventh head is this1 that ,god restores him4 ,thank ,god1 it is so with us1 and our last state is better than our first4 ,a friend of mine said to me3 ,look here1 ,moody1 ,god gave to ,job double of everything4 ,he would not admit that ,job had lost his children2 ,god had taken them to heaven1 and ,he gave ,job ten more4 ,so ,job had ten in ,heaven1 and ten on earth--a goodly family4 ,so when our children are taken from us1 they are not lost to us1 but merely gone before4 ,now1 let me take you through the four ,gospels4 ,let us begin with ,matthew4 ,,matthew4 ,men sometimes tell me when ,i go into a town3 ,you want to be sure and get such a man on your committee1 for he has nothing to do and he will have plenty of time4 ,i say3 ,no1 thank you1 ,i do not want any man that has nothing to do4 ,christ found ,matthew sitting at the receipt of custom4 ,the ,lord took some one ,he found at work1 and he went right on working4 ,we do not know much about what he did1 except that he wrote this ,gospel4 ,but1 what a book6 ,where ,matthew came from we do not know1 and where he went to we do not know4 ,his old name1 ,levi1 dropped with his old life4 ,the ,key4 ,the ,messiah of the ,jews and the ,saviour of the world4 ,supposed to have been written about twelve years after the death of ,christ1 and to be the first ,gospel written4 ,it contains the best account of the life of ,christ4 ,you notice that it is the last message of ,god to the ,jewish nation4 ,here we pass from the old to the new dispensation4 ,matthew does not speak of ,christ's ascension1 but leaves ,him on earth4 ,mark gives ,his resurrection and ascension4 ,luke gives ,his resurrection1 ascension and the promise of a comforter4 ,john goes a step further and says he is coming back4 ,there are more quotations in ,matthew than in any of the others2 ,i think there are about a hundred4 ,he is trying to convince the ,jews that ,jesus was the son of ,david1 the rightful king4 ,he talked a good deal about the kingdom1 its mysteries1 the example of the kingdom1 healing the sick1 etc41 the principles of the kingdom as set forth in the sermon on the mount2 also1 the rejection of the king4 ,when anyone takes a kingdom they lay down the principles upon which they are going to rule or conduct it4 ,now1 let me call your attention to five great sermons4 ,in these you have a good sweep of the whole book3 #a4 ,the sermon on the mount4 ,see how many things lying all around ,him ,he brings into ,his sermon1 salt1 light1 candle1 coat1 rain1 closet1 moth1 rust1 thieves1 eye1 fowls1 lilies1 grass1 dogs1 bread1 fish1 gate1 grapes1 thorns1 figs1 thistles1 rock1 etc4 ,someone1 in traveling through ,palestine1 said that he did not think there was a solitary thing there that ,christ did not use as an illustration4 ,so many people in these days are afraid to use common things1 but don't you think it is better to use things that people can understand1 than to talk so that people can't understand you8 ,now1 a woman can easily understand a candle1 and a man can easily understand about a rock1 especially in a rocky country like ,palestine4 ,christ used common things as illustrations1 and spoke so that everyone could understand ,him4 ,a woman in ,wales once said she knew ,christ was ,welsh1 and an ,englishman said1 ,no1 ,he was a ,jew4 ,she declared that she knew ,he was ,welsh1 because ,he spoke so that she could understand ,him4 ,christ did not have a short-hand reporter to go around with ,him to write out and print ,his sermons1 and yet the people remembered them4 ,never mind about finished sentences and rounded periods1 but give your attention to making your sermons clear so that they stick4 ,use bait that your hearers will like4 ,the ,law was given on a mountain1 and here ,christ lays down ,his principles on a mountain4 ,the law of ,moses applies to the outward acts1 but this sermon applies to the inward life4 ,as the sun is brighter than a candle1 so the sermon on the mount is brighter than the law of ,moses4 ,it tells us what kind of ,christians we ought to be--lights in the world1 the salt of the world1 silent in our actions but great in effect4 ,i say unto you1 occurs twelve times in this sermon4 #b4 ,the second great sermon was delivered to the twelve in the tenth chapter4 ,you find over and over again the sayings in this sermon are quoted by men viz43 ,shake off the dust off your feet against them4 ,freely ye have received1 freely give1 etc4 #c4 ,the open air sermon4 ,you want the best kind of preaching on the street4 ,you have to put what you say in a bright1 crisp way1 if you expect people to listen4 ,you must learn to think on your feet4 ,there was a young man preaching on the streets in ,london when an infidel came up and said3 ,the man who invented gas did more for the world than ,jesus ,christ4 ,the young man could not answer him and the crowd had the laugh on him4 ,but another man got up and said3 ,of course the man has a right to his opinion1 and ,i suppose if he was dying he would send for the gasfitter1 but ,i think ,i should send for a minister and have him read the fourteenth chapter of ,john2 and he turned the laugh back on the man4 ,this sermon contains seven parables4 ,it is like a string of pearls4 #d4 ,the sermon of woes2 ,christ's last appeal to the ,jewish nation4 ,compare these eight woes with the nine beatitudes4 ,you notice the closing up of this sermon on woes is the most pathetic utterance in the whole ministry of ,christ4 ,your house is left unto you desolate4 ,up to that time it had been ,my ,father's house1 or ,my house1 but now it is your house4 ,it was not long until ,titus came and leveled it to the ground4 ,abraham never loved ,isaac more than ,jesus loved the ,jewish nation4 ,it was hard for ,abraham to give up ,isaac1 but harder for the ,son of ,god to give up ,jerusalem4 #e4 ,the fifth sermon was preached to ,his disciples4 ,how little did they understand ,him6 ,when ,his heart was breaking with sorrow1 they drew ,his attention to the buildings of the temple4 ,the first sermon was given on the mount2 the second and third at ,capernaum2 the fourth in the ,temple2 the fifth on ,olivet4 ,in ,matthew's ,gospel there is not a thing in hell1 heaven1 earth1 sea1 air or grave that does not testify of ,christ as the ,son of ,god4 ,devils cried out1 fish entered the nets under ,his influence1 wind and wave obeyed ,him4 ,summary3--,nine beatitudes2 eight woes2 seven consecutive parables2 ten consecutive miracles2 five continuous sermons2 four prophecies of ,his death4 ,,mark4 ,the four ,gospels are independent of each other1 no one was copied from the other4 ,each is the complement of the rest1 and we get four views of ,christ1 like the four sides of a house4 ,matthew writes for ,jews4 ,mark writes for ,romans4 ,luke writes for ,gentile converts4 ,you don't find any long sermons in ,mark4 ,the ,romans were quick and active1 and he had to condense things in order to catch them4 ,you'll find the words ,forthwith1 ,straightway1 ,immediately1 occur forty-one times in this gospel4 ,every chapter but the first1 seventh1 eighth and fourteenth begins with ,and1 as if there was no pause in ,christ's ministry4 ,luke tells us that ,christ received little children1 but ,mark says ,he took them up in ,his arms4 ,that makes it sweeter to you1 doesn't it8 ,perhaps the high water mark is the fifth chapter4 ,here we find three very bad cases1 devils1 disease and death1 beyond the reach of man1 cured by ,christ4 ,the first man was possessed with devils4 ,they could not bind him1 or chain or tame him4 ,i suppose a good many men and women had been scared by that man4 ,people are afraid of a graveyard even in daylight1 but think of a live man being in the tombs and possessed with devils6 ,he said3 ,what have ,i to do with thee1 ,jesus1 thou ,son of the most high ,god8 ,i adjure thee by ,god that thou torment me not4 ,but ,jesus had come to do him good4 ,next1 the woman with the issue of blood4 ,if she had been living to-day1 ,i suppose she would have tried every patent medicine in the market4 ,we would have declared her a hopeless case and sent her to the hospital4 ,some one has said3 ,there was more medicine in the hem of ,his garment than in all the apothecary shops in ,palestine4 ,she just touched ,him and was made whole4 ,hundreds of others touched ,him1 but they did not get anything4 ,can you tell the difference between the touch of faith and the ordinary touch of the crowd8 ,thirdly1 ,jarius' daughter raised4 ,you see the manifestation of ,jesus' power is increasing1 for when ,he arrived the child was dead and ,he brought her to life4 ,i do not doubt but that away back in the secret councils of eternity it was appointed that ,he should be there just at that time4 ,i remember once being called to preach a funeral sermon1 and looked the four gospels through to find one of ,christ's funeral sermons1 but do you know ,he never preached one8 ,he broke up every funeral ,he ever attended4 ,the dead awaked when they heard ,his voice4 ,,luke4 ,we now come to ,luke's gospel4 ,you notice his name does not occur in this book or in ,acts4 7,you will find it used three times1 viz42 in ,colossians1 ,timothy and ,philemon74 ,he keeps himself in the background4 ,i meet numbers of ,christian workers who are ruined by getting their names up4 ,we do not know whether ,luke was a ,jew or a ,gentile4 ,the first we see of him is in ,acts #af3aj ,and after he had seen the vision1 immediately we endeavored to go into ,macedonia1 assuredly gathering that the ,lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them4 ,he did not claim to be an eye-witness to ,christ's ministry nor one of the seventy4 ,some think he was1 but he does not claim it4 ,it is supposed that his gospel is of ,paul's preaching1 the same as ,mark's1 was of ,peter4 ,it is also called the ,gospel of the ,gentiles1 and is supposed to have been written when ,paul was in ,rome1 about #bg years after ,christ4 ,one-third of this gospel is left out in the other gospels4 ,it opens with a note of praise3 ,and thou shalt have joy and gladness2 and many shall rejoice at ,his birth2 ,and they worshipped ,him1 and returned to ,jerusalem with great joy4 ,and were continually in the temple1 praising and blessing ,god2 and closes the same way4 ,canon ,farrar has pointed out that we have a seven-fold gospel in ,luke3 #a4 ,it is a gospel of praise and song4 ,we find here the songs of ,zacharias1 ,elizabeth1 ,mary1 ,simeon1 the angels1 and others4 ,some one has written beautifully of ,simeon as follows3 ,what ,simeon wanted to see was the ,lord's ,christ4 ,unbelief would suggest to him1 ',simeon you are an old man1 your day is almost ended1 the snow of age is upon your head1 your eyes are growing dim1 your brow is wrinkled1 your limbs totter1 and death is almost upon you3 and where are the signs of ,his coming8 ,you are resting1 ,simeon1 upon imagination--it is all a delusion4' ',no1' replied ,simeon1 ',i shall not see death till ,i have seen the ,lord's ,christ2 ,i shall see ,him before ,i die4' ,i can imagine ,simeon walking out one fine morning along one of the lovely vales of ,palestine1 meditating upon the great subject that filled his mind4 ,presently he meets a friend3 ',peace be with you2 have you heard the strange news8 ,what news8' replies ,simeon4 ',do you not know ,zacharias the priest8' ',yes1 well4' ',according to the custom of the priest's office1 his lot was to burn incense in the temple of the ,lord1 and the whole multitude of the people were praying without4 ,it was the time of incense1 and there appeared unto him an angel1 standing on the right side of the altar1 who told him that he should have a son1 whose name should be called ,john2 one who should be great in the sight of the ,lord1 who should go before the ,messiah and make ready a people prepared for the ,lord4 ,the angel was ,gabriel who stands in the presence of ,god1 and because ,zacharias believed not1 he was struck dumb4' ',oh1' says ,simeon1 'that fulfills the prophecy of ,malachi4 ,this is the forerunner of the ,messiah3 this is the morning star3 the day dawn is not for off3 the ,messiah is nigh at hand4 ,hallelujah6 ,the ,lord shall suddenly come to ,his temple6' ,time rolls on4 ,i can imagine ,simeon accosted again by one of his neighbors3 ',well1 ,simeon1 have you heard the news8' ',what news8' ',why there's a singular story in everybody's mouth4 ,a company of shepherds were watching their flocks by night on the plains of ,bethlehem4 ,it was the still hour of night1 and darkness mantled the world4 ,suddenly a bright light shone around the shepherds1 a light above the brightness of the midday sun4 ,they looked up1 and just above them was an angel who said to the terrified shepherds1 ,fear not1 ,i bring you glad tidings of great joy1 which shall be to all people6' ',this is the ,lord's ,christ1' said ,simeon1 'and ,i shall not taste death till ,i have seen him4' ,he said to himself1 ',they will bring the child to the ,temple to present ,him to the ,lord4' ,away went ,simeon1 morning after morning1 to see if he could get a glimpse of ,jesus4 ,perhaps unbelief suggested to ,simeon1 ',you had better stop at home this wet morning3 you have been so often and have missed ,him3 you may venture to be absent this once4' ',no1' said the ,spirit1 'go to the ,temple4' ,simeon would no doubt select a good point of observation4 ,see how intently he watches the door6 ,he surveys the face of every child as one mother after another brings her infant to be presented4 ',no1' he says1 ',that is not ,he4' ,at length he sees the ,virgin appear1 and the ,spirit tells him it is the long-expected ,saviour4 ,he grasps the child in his arms1 presses him to his heart1 blesses ,god and says3 ',lord1 now lettest thou ,thy servant depart in peace1 according to ,thy word4 ,for mine eyes have seen ,thy salvation1 which ,thou hast prepared before the face of all people2 ,a light to lighten the ,gentiles1 and the glory of ,thy people ,israel4' #b4 ,it is a gospel of thanksgiving4 ,they glorified ,god when ,jesus healed the widow's son at ,nain1 when the blind man received sight1 etc4 #c4 ,it is a gospel of prayer4 ,we learn that ,christ prayed when he was baptised1 and nearly every great event in ,his ministry was preceded by prayer4 ,if you want to hear from ,heaven you must seek it on your knees4 ,there are two parables about prayer--the friend at midnight and the unjust judge4 #d4 ,here is another thing that is made prominent1 namely1 the gospel of womanhood4 ,luke alone records many loving things ,christ did for women4 ,the richest jewel in ,christ's crown was what he did for women4 ,a man tried to tell me that ,mohammed had done more for women than ,christ4 ,i told him that if he had ever been in ,mohammedan countries1 he would be ashamed of himself for making such a remark4 ,they care more for their donkeys than they do for their wives and mothers4 ,a man once said that when ,god created life ,he began at the lowest forms of animal life and came up until ,he got to man1 then he was not quite satisfied and created a woman4 ,she was lifted up the highest1 and when she fell1 she fell the lowest4 #e4 ,this is the gospel of the poor and humble4 ,when ,i get a crowd of roughs on the street ,i generally teach from ,luke4 ,here are the shepherds1 the peasant1 the incident of the rich man and ,lazarus4 ,this gospel tells us ,he found the place where it was written1 ,the ,spirit of the ,lord is upon me--to preach the gospel to the poor4 ,it is a dark day for a church when it gets out that they do not want the common people4 ,whitfield labored among the miners1 and ,wesley among the common people4 ,if you want the poor1 let it get out that you want them to come4 #f4 ,it is a gospel to the lost4 ,the woman with the seven devils1 the thief on the cross illustrate this4 ,also1 the parables of the lost sheep1 the lost piece of silver1 and the lost son4 #g4 ,it is a gospel of tolerance4 ,he that winneth souls is wise4 ,do you want to win men8 ,do not drive or scold them4 ,do not try to tear down their prejudices before you begin to lead them to the truth4 ,some people think they have to tear down the scaffolding before they begin on the building4 ,an old minister once invited a young brother to preach for him4 ,the latter scolded the people1 and when he got home1 asked the old minister how he had done4 ,he said he had an old cow1 and when he wanted a good supply of milk1 he fed the cow2 he did not scold her4 ,christ reached the publicans because nearly everything he said about them was in their favor4 ,look at the parable of the ,pharisee and publican4 ,christ said the publican went down to his house justified rather than that proud ,pharisee4 ,how did ,he reach the ,samaritans8 ,take the parable of the ten lepers4 ,only one returned to thank ,him for the healing1 and that was a ,samaritan4 ,then there is the parable of the ,good ,samaritan4 ,it has done more to stir people up to philanthropy and kindness to the poor than anything that has been said on this earth for six thousand years4 ,go into ,samaria and you find that story has reached there first4 ,some man has been down to ,jerusalem and heard it1 and gone back home and told it all around2 and they say ,if that ,prophet ever comes up here1 we'll give ,him a hearty reception4 ,if you want to reach people that do not agree with you1 do not take a club to knock them down and then try to pick them up4 ,when ,jesus ,christ dealt with the erring and the sinners1 ,he was as tender with them as a mother is with her sick child4 ,a child once said to his mother1 ,mamma1 you never speak ill of any one4 ,you would speak well of ,satan4 ,well1 said the mother1 you might imitate his perseverance4 ,,john4 ,john was supposed to be the youngest disciple1 and was supposed to be the first of all that ,christ had to follow ,him4 ,he is called the bosom companion of ,christ4 ,someone was complaining of ,christ's being partial4 ,i have no doubt that ,christ did love ,john more than the others1 but it was because ,john loved him most4 ,i think ,john got into the inner circle1 and we can get in too if we will4 ,christ keeps the door open and we can just go right in4 ,you notice nearly all his book is new4 ,all of the eight months ,christ spent in ,judea are recorded here4 ,matthew begins with ,abraham2 ,mark with ,malachi2 ,luke with ,john the ,baptist2 but ,john with ,god ,himself4 ,matthew sets forth ,christ as the ,jew's ,messiah4 ,mark as the active worker4 ,luke as a man4 ,john as a personal ,saviour4 ,john presents ,him as coming from the bosom of the ,father4 ,the central thought in this gospel is proving the divinity of ,christ4 ,if ,i wanted to prove to a man that ,jesus ,christ was divine1 ,i would take him directly to this gospel4 ,the word repent does not occur once1 but the word believe occurs ninety-eight times4 ,the controversy that the ,jews raised about the divinity of ,christ is not settled yet1 and before ,john went away he took his pen and wrote down these things to settle it4 ,a seven-fold witness to the divinity of ,christ3 #a4 ,testimony of the ,father4 ,the ,father that sent me beareth witness of me4 #b4 ,the ,son bearing testimony4 ,jesus answered and said unto them1 ,though ,i bear record of myself1 yet my record is true2 for ,i know whence ,i came1 and whither ,i go2 but ye cannot tell whence ,i came1 and whither ,i go4 #c4 ,christ's works testify3 ,if ,i do not the works of my ,father1 believe me not4 ,but if ,i do1 though you believe not me1 believe the works1 that ye may know and believe1 that the ,father is in me1 and ,i in ,him4 ,no man can make me believe that ,jesus ,christ was a bad man2 because ,he brought forth good fruit4 ,how any one can doubt that ,he was the ,son of ,god after eighteen centuries of testing is a mystery to me4 #d4 ,the ,scriptures3 ,had ye believed ,moses1 ye would have believed me1 for he wrote of me4 #e4 ,john the ,baptist3 ,and ,i saw1 and bare record that this is the ,son of ,god4 #f4 ,the ,disciples3 ,and ye also shall bear witness1 because ye have been with me from the beginning4 #g4 ,the ,holy ,ghost3 ,but when the comforter is come1 whom ,i will send unto you from the ,father1 even the ,spirit of truth1 which proceedeth from the ,father1 he shall testify of me4 ,of course there many others that show ,his divinity1 but ,i think these are enough to prove it to any man4 ,if ,i went into court and had seven witnesses that could not be broken down1 ,i think ,i would have a good case4 ,notice the ,i am's of ,christ4 ,i am from above4 ,i am not of this world4 ,before ,abraham was1 ,i am4 ,i am the bread of life4 ,i am the light of the world4 ,i am the door4 ,i am the ,good ,shepherd4 ,i am the way4 ,i am the truth4 ,pilate asked what truth was1 and there it was standing right before him4 ,i am the resurrection and the life4 ,in the gospel of ,john1 we find eight gifts for the believer3 the bread of life2 the water of life2 eternal life2 the ,holy ,spirit2 love2 joy2 peace2 ,his words4 ,,acts4 ,a good lesson to study is how all through the book of ,acts defeat was turned to victory4 ,when the early ,christians were persecuted1 they went every where preaching the ,word4 ,that was a victory1 and so on all through4 ,luke's gospel was taken up with ,christ in the body1 ,acts with ,christ in the church4 ,in ,luke we read of what ,christ did in ,his humiliation1 and in ,acts what ,he did in ,his exaltation4 ,with most men1 their work stops at their death1 but with ,christ it had only begun4 ,greater works than these shall ye do1 because ,i go to ,my ,father4 ,we call this book the ,acts of the ,apostles1 but it is really the ,acts of the ,church 7,christ's body74 ,you will find the key to the book in chapter #a3h3 ,but ye shall receive power1 after that the ,holy ,ghost is come upon you3 and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in ,jerusalem1 and in all ,judaea1 and in ,samaria1 and unto the uttermost part of the earth4 ,we would not have seen the struggles of that infant church if it had not been for ,luke4 ,we would not have known much about ,paul either if it had not been for ,luke4 ,there were four rivers flowing out of ,eden2 here we have the four gospels flowing into one channel4 ,three divisions of the ,acts3-- ,i4 ,founding of the church4 ,,ii4 ,growth of the church4 ,,iii4 ,sending out of missionaries4 ,i believe that the nearer we keep to the apostles' way of presenting the gospel1 the more success we will have4 ,now there are ten great sermons in ,acts1 and ,i think if you get a good hold on these you will have a pretty good understanding of the book and how to preach4 ,five were preached by ,peter1 one by ,stephen and four by ,paul4 ,the phrase1 ,we are witnesses1 runs through the entire book4 ,we say1 to-day1 ,we are eloquent preachers4 ,we seem to be above being simple witnesses4 ,i4 ,peter's sermon on the day of ,pentecost4 ,someone said that now it takes about three thousand sermons to convert one ,jew1 but here three thousand were converted by one sermon4 ,when ,peter testified of ,christ and bore witness that he had died and had risen again1 ,god honored it1 and he will do the same with you4 ,,ii4 ,peter preaches in ,solomon's porch4 ,a short sermon1 but it did good work4 ,they did not get there till three o'clock1 and ,i believe the ,jews could not arrest a man after sundown1 and yet in that short space of time five thousand were converted4 ,what did he preach8 ,listen3 ,but ye denied the ,holy ,one and the ,just1 and desired a murderer to be granted unto you2 ,and killed the ,prince of ,life1 whom ,god hath raised from the dead3 whereof we are witnesses4 ,repent ye therefore1 and be converted1 that your sins may be blotted out1 when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the ,lord4 ,,iii4 ,peter preaches to the high priests4 ,they had arrested them and were demanding to know by what power they did these things4 ,by the name of ,jesus ,christ1 4 4 4 doth this man stand here before you whole4 ,when ,bunyan was told he would be released if he would not preach any more1 he said1 ,if you let me out ,i will preach to-morrow4 ,,iv4 ,peter's testimony before the council4 ,they commanded them not to preach in the name of ,christ4 ,i don't know what they could do if they were forbidden that4 ,some ministers to-day would have no trouble2 they could get along very well4 ,about all the disciples knew was what they had learned in those three years with ,jesus1 hearing ,his sermons and seeing ,his miracles4 ,they saw the things and knew they were so1 and when the ,holy ,ghost came down upon them1 they could not help but speak them4 ,v4 ,stephen's sermon4 ,he preached the longest sermon in ,acts4 ,dr4 ,bonar once said1 ,did you ever notice1 ,brother ,whittle1 that when the ,jews accused ,stephen of speaking blasphemous words against ,moses1 the ,lord lit up his face with the same glory with which ,moses' face shone8 ,an old ,scotch beadle once warned his new minister1 ,you may preach as much as ye like about the sins of ,abraham1 ,isaac and ,jacob1 but stick to them and don't come any nearer hand if ye want to stay here4 ,stephen began with them1 but he came right down to the recent crucifixion1 and stirred them up4 ,,vi4 ,peter's last sermon and the first sermon to the ,gentiles4 ,notice the same gospel is preached to the ,gentiles as to the ,jews1 and it produces the same results4 ,to him give all the prophets witness1 that through ,his name whosoever believeth in ,him shall receive remission of sins4 ,while ,peter spake these words1 the ,holy ,ghost fell on all of them which heard the word4 ,now the leading character changes and ,paul comes on4 ,,vii4 ,paul's sermon at ,antioch1 in ,pisidia4 ,an old acquaintance once said to me1 ,what are you preaching now8 ,i hope you are not harping on that old string yet4 ,yes1 thank ,god1 ,i am spreading the old gospel4 ,if you want to get people to come to hear you1 lift up ,christ2 ,he said1 ,i1 if ,i be lifted up1 will draw all men unto me4 ,be it known unto you1 therefore1 men and brethren1 that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins4 ,,viii4 ,paul's sermon to the ,athenians4 ,he got fruit at ,athens by preaching the same old gospel to the philosophers4 ,,ix4 ,paul's sermon at ,jerusalem4 ,x4 ,paul's defence before ,agrippa4 ,i think that is the grandest sermon ,paul ever preached4 ,he preached the same gospel before ,agrippa and ,festus that he did down in ,jerusalem4 ,he preached everywhere the mighty fact that ,god gave ,christ as a ransom for sin1 that the whole world can be saved by trusting in ,him4 ,having therefore obtained help of ,god1 ,i continue unto this day1 witnessing both to small and great1 saying none other things than those which the prophets and ,moses did say should come3 ,that ,christ should suffer1 and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead1 and should shew light unto the people and to the ,gentiles4 ,,the ,,microscopic ,,method4 ,let me show what ,i mean by the microscopic method by taking the first verse of ,psalm #eb3 ,why boastest thou thyself in iniquity1 ,o mighty man8 ,the goodness of ,god endureth continually4 ,this verse naturally falls into two divisions1 on the one side being--man1 on the other--,god4 ,man--mischief2 ,god--goodness4 ,is any particular man addressed8 ,yes3 ,doeg the ,edomite1 as the preface to the psalm suggests4 ,you can therefore find the historic reference of this verse and ,psalm in #a ,samuel #bb3i4 ,now take a concordance or topical text-book1 and study the subject of boasting4 ,what words mean the same thing as boasting8 ,one is glorifying4 ,is boasting always condemned8 ,in what does ,scripture forbid us to boast8 ,in what are we exhorted to boast8 ,thus saith the ,lord3 ,let not the wise man glory in his wisdom2 let not the rich man glory in his riches2 but let him that glorieth glory in this3 that he understandeth and knoweth me1 that ,i am the ,,lord which exercise loving-kindness1 judgment and righteousness in the earth2 for in these things ,i delight1 saith the ,lord4 ,treat the subject mischief1 in a similar manner4 ,then ask yourself is this boasting1 this mischief1 always to last8 ,no3 the triumphing of the wicked is short1 and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment4 ,i have seen the wicked in great power1 and spreading himself like a green bay tree4 ,yet he passed away1 and lo1 he was not3 ,yea1 ,i sought him1 but he could not be found4 ,the other half of the text suggests a study of goodness 7or mercy7 as an attribute of ,god4 ,how is it manifested temporally and spiritually8 ,what ,scripture have we for it8 ,is ,god's goodness conditional8 ,does ,god's goodness conflict with ,his justice8 ,now1 as the end of ,bible study as well as of preaching is to save men1 ask yourself is the ,gospel contained in this text in type or in evidence8 ,turn to ,romans #b3d3 ,despiseth thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long suffering3 not knowing that the goodness of ,god leadeth thee to repentance8 ,here the verse leads directly to the subject of repentance1 and you rise from the study of the verse ready at any time to preach a short sermon that may be the means of converting some one4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,one ,book at a ,time--,chapter ,study--,the ,gospel of ,john4 ,i ,,know some men who never sit down to read a book until they have time to read the whole of it4 ,when they come to ,leviticus or ,numbers1 or any of the other books1 they read it right through at one sitting4 ,they get the whole sweep1 and then they begin to study it chapter by chapter4 ,dean ,stanley used to read a book through three separate times3 first for the story1 second for the thought1 and third for the literary style4 ,it is a good thing to take one whole book at a time4 ,how could you expect to understand a story or a scientific text-book if you read one chapter here and another there8 ,dr4 ,a4 ,t4 ,pierson says3 ,let the introduction cover five ,p's2 place where written2 person by whom written2 people to whom written2 purpose for which written2 period at which written4 ,here it is well to grasp the leading points in the chapters4 ,the method is illustrated by the following plan by which ,i tried to interest the students at ,mt4 ,hermon school and the ,northfield ,seminary4 ,it provides a way of committing ,scripture to memory1 so that one can call up a passage to meet the demand whenever it arises4 ,i said to the students one morning at worship3 ,to-morrow morning when ,i come ,i will not read a portion of ,scripture1 but we will take the first chapter of the ,gospel of ,john and you shall tell me from memory what you find in that chapter and each learn the verse in it that is most precious to you4 ,we went through the ,whole book that way and committed a verse or two to memory-out of each one4 ,i will give the main headings we found in the chapters4 ,,the ,,gospel ,,of ,,john1 ,,by ,,chapters4 ,chapter #a4 ,the call of the first five disciples4 ,it was about four o'clock in the afternoon that ,john stood and said1 ,behold1 the ,lamb of ,god4 ,two of ,john's disciples then followed ,jesus1 and one of them1 ,andrew1 went out and brought his brother ,simon4 ,then ,jesus found ,philip1 as he was starting for ,galilee1 and ,philip found ,nathaniel1 the skeptical man4 ,when he got sight of ,christ his skeptical ideas were all gone4 ,commit to memory verses #aa and #ab3 ,he came unto his own and his own received him not1 but as many as received him1 to them gave he power to become the sons of ,god1 even to them that believe on his name4 ,key word1 ,receiving4 ,chapter #b4 ,whatsoever ,he saith unto you1 do it4 ,we had a good time in this chapter on ,obedience1 which is the key word4 ,chapter #c4 ,this is a chapter on ,regeneration4 ,it took us more than one day to get through this one4 ,this gives you a respectable sinner1 and how ,jesus dealt with him4 ,commit verse #af3 ,god so loved the world1 that ,he gave ,his ,only begotten ,son that whosoever believeth in ,him should not perish1 but have everlasting life4 ,key word1 ,believing4 ,chapter #d4 ,a disreputable sinner1 and how ,jesus dealt with her4 ,if we had been dealing with her1 we would have told her what ,jesus told ,nicodemus1 but ,he took her on her own ground4 ,she came for a water-pot of water1 and1 thank ,god1 she got a whole well full4 ,key word1 ,worshipping4 ,memorize verse #bd3 ,god is a ,spirit2 and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth4 ,chapter #e4 ,divinity of ,christ4 ,commit verse #bd3 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,he that heareth my word1 and believeth on him that sent me1 hath everlasting life1 and shall not come into condemnation2 but is passed from death unto life4 ,key word1 ,healing4 ,chapter #f4 ,we called that the bread chapter4 ,if you want a good loaf of bread1 get into this sixth chapter4 ,you feed upon that bread and you will live forever4 ,key verse3 ,christ the bread of life4 ,i am the living bread which came down from heaven2 if any man eat of this bread1 he shall live for ever2 and the bread that ,i will give is my flesh1 which ,i will give for the life of the world4 ,key word1 ,eating4 ,chapter #g is the water chapter4 ,if any man thirst let him come unto me and drink4 ,you have here living water and ,christ's invitation to every thirsty soul to come to drink4 ,key word1 ,drinking4 ,chapter #h4 ,the ,light chapter4 ,i am the light of the world4 ,key1 ,walking in the light4 ,but what is the use of having light if you have no eyes to see with1 so we go on to ,chapter #i4 ,the ,sight chapter4 ,there was a man born blind and ,christ made him to see4 ,key word1 ,testifying4 ,memory verse3 ,i must work the works of ,him that sent me while it is day3 the night cometh when no man can work4 ,chapter #aj4 ,here you find the ,good ,shepherd4 ,commit to memory verse #aa3 ,i am the ,good ,shepherd3 the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep4 ,key word1 ,safety4 ,chapter #aa4 ,the ,lazarus chapter4 ,memorize verse #be3 ,i am the resurrection and the life3 he that believeth in me1 though he were dead1 yet shall he live4 ,key word1 ,resurrection4 ,chapter #ab4 ,verse #cb3 ,i1 if ,i be lifted up1 will draw all men unto me4 ,here ,christ closes up his ministry to the ,jewish nation4 ,key word1 ,salvation for all4 ,chapter #ac4 ,the ,humility chapter4 ,christ washing the feet of his disciples4 ,learn verse #cd3 ,a new commandment ,i give unto you1 that ye love one another4 ,key word1 ,teaching4 ,chapter #ad4 ,the ,mansion chapter4 ,commit to memory verse #f3 ,i am the way1 the truth1 and the life3 no man cometh unto the ,father but by me4 ,key words1 ,peace and comfort4 ,chapter #ae4 ,the ,fruit chapter4 ,the vine can only bear fruit through the branches4 ,verse #e3 ,i am the vine2 ye are the branches3 ,he that abideth in me1 and ,i in him1 the same bringeth forth much fruit3 for without me you can do nothing4 ,key word1 ,joy4 ,chapter #af4 ,the promise of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,here you find the secret of ,power1 which is the key word4 ,chapter #ag4 ,this chapter contains what is properly the ,lord's prayer4 ,learn verse #ae3 ,i pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world1 but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil4 ,key word1 ,separation4 ,chapter #ah4 ,christ is arrested4 ,chapter #ai4 ,christ is crucified4 ,chapter #bj4 ,christ rises from the dead4 ,chapter #ba4 ,christ spends some time with his disciples again1 and invites them to dine with him4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,study of ,types--,types of ,christ--,leprosy a ,type of ,sin--,bible ,characters--,meaning of ,names4 ,,another way of studying is to take five great divisions--,history1 ,type1 ,prophecy1 ,miracle1 ,parable4 ,it is a very interesting thing to study the types of the ,bible4 ,get a good book on the subject and you will be surprised to find out how interested you will become4 ,the ,bible is full of patterns and types of ourselves4 ,that is a popular objection against the ,bible--that it tells about the failings of men4 ,we should1 however1 remember that the object of the ,bible is not to tell how good men are1 but how bad men can become good4 ,but more especially the ,bible is full of types of ,christ4 ,types are foreshadowings1 and wherever there is a shadow there must be substance4 ,as ,john ,mc,neill says1 ,if ,i see the shadow of a dog1 ,i know there's a dog around4 ,god seems to have chosen this means of teaching the ,israelites of the promised ,messiah4 ,all the laws1 ceremonies and institutions of the ,mosaic dispensation point to ,christ and ,his dispensation4 ,the enlightened eyes see ,christ in all4 ,for instance1 the tabernacle was a type of the incarnation of ,jesus2 ,john #a3ad1 and the word was made flesh1 and tabernacled amongst us4 ,the laver typified sanctification or purity3 ,ephesians #e3bf1 that he might sanctify and cleanse the ,church with the washing of water by the word4 ,the candlesticks typified ,christ as the ,light of the world4 ,the shewbread typified ,christ as the ,bread of ,life4 ,the ,high ,priest was always a type of ,christ4 ,christ was called of ,god1 as was ,aaron2 ,he ever liveth to make intercession2 ,he was consecrated with an oath1 and so on4 ,the ,passover1 the ,day of ,atonement1 the ,smitten ,rock1 the sacrifices1 the ,city of ,refuge1 the ,brazen ,serpent--all point to ,christ's atoning work4 ,adam was a beautiful type4 ,think of the two ,adams4 ,one introduced sin and ruin into the world1 and the other abolished it4 ,so ,cain stands as the representative natural man1 and ,abel as the spiritual man4 ,abel as a shepherd is a type of ,christ the heavenly ,shepherd4 ,there is no more beautiful type of ,christ in the ,bible than ,joseph4 ,he was hated of his brethren2 he was stripped of his coat2 he was sold2 he was imprisoned2 he gained favor2 he had a gold chain about his neck2 every knee bowed before him4 ,a comparison of the lives of ,joseph and ,jesus shows a startling similarity in their experience4 ,the disease of leprosy is a type of sin4 ,it is incurable by man2 it works baneful results2 it is insidious in its nature1 and from a small beginning works complete ruin2 it separates its victims from their fellow-men1 just as sin separates a man from ,god2 and as ,christ had power to cleanse the leper1 so by the grace of ,god ,his blood cleanseth us from all iniquity4 ,adam represents man's innate sinfulness4 ,abel represents ,atonement4 ,enoch represents communion4 ,noah represents ,regeneration4 ,abraham represents ,faith4 ,isaac represents ,sonship4 ,jacob represents ,discipline and ,service4 ,joseph represents ,glory through suffering4 ,,bible ,,characters4 ,another good way is to study ,bible characters--take them right from the cradle to the grave4 ,you find that skeptics often take one particular part of a man's life--say1 of the life of ,jacob or of ,david--and judge the whole by that4 ,they say these men were queer saints2 and yet ,god did not punish them4 ,if you go right through these men's lives you will find that ,god did punish them1 according to the sins they committed4 ,a lady once said to me that she had trouble in reading the ,bible1 that she seemed to not feel the interest she ought4 ,if you don't keep up your interest in one way1 try another4 ,never think you have to read the ,bible by courses4 ,,proper ,,names4 ,another interesting study is the meaning of proper names4 ,i need hardly remark that every name in the ,bible1 especially ,hebrew names1 has a meaning of its own4 ,notice the difference between ,abram 7a high father71 and ,abraham 7father of a multitude71 and you have a key to his life4 ,another example is ,jacob 7supplanter71 and ,israel 7,prince of ,god74 ,the names of ,job's three daughters were ,jemima 7a dove71 ,kezia 7cassia71 and ,keren-happuch 7horn of paint74 ,these names signify beauty2 so that ,job's leprosy left no taint4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,study of ,subjects--,love--,sanctification--,fait h--,justification--,atonement --,conversion--,heaven--,revivals--,sepa ration--,grace--,prayer--,assurance --,god's ,promises4 ,i ,,find some people now and then who boast that they have read the ,bible through in so many months4 ,others read the ,bible chapter by chapter1 and get through it in a year2 but ,i think it would be almost better to spend a year over one book4 ,if ,i were going into a court of justice1 and wanted to carry the jury with me1 ,i should get every witness ,i could to testify to the one point on which ,i wanted to convince the jury4 ,i would not get them to testify to everything1 but just to that one thing4 ,and so it should be with the ,scriptures4 ,i took up that word ,love and ,i do not know how many weeks ,i spent in studying the passages in which it occurs1 till at last ,i could not help loving people4 ,i had been feeding so long on ,love that ,i was anxious to do everybody good ,i came in contact with4 ,take ,sanctification4 ,i would rather take my concordance and gather passages on sanctification and sit down for four or five days and study them than have men tell me about it4 ,i suppose that if all the time that ,i have prayed for ,faith was put together1 it would be months4 ,i used to say when ,i was ,president of the ,young ,men's ,christian ,association in ,chicago1 ,what we want is faith2 if we only have faith1 we can turn ,chicago upside down--or rather1 right side up4 ,i thought that some day faith was going to come down1 and strike me like lightning4 ,but faith did not seem to come4 ,one day ,i read in the tenth chapter of ,romans1 ,now faith comes by hearing1 and hearing by the ,word of ,god4 ,i had closed my ,bible1 and prayed for faith4 ,i now opened my ,bible1 and began to study1 and faith has been growing ever since4 ,take the doctrine that made ,martin ,luther such a power1 ,justification--,the just shall live by faith4 ,when that thought flashed through ,martin ,luther's mind as he was ascending the ,scala ,santa on his knees 7although some people deny the truth of this statement71 he rose and went forth to be a power among the nations of the earth4 ,justification puts a man before ,god as if he had never sinned2 he stands before ,god like ,jesus ,christ4 ,thank ,god1 in ,jesus ,christ we can be perfect1 but there is no perfection out of ,him4 ,god looks in ,his ledger1 and says1 ,moody1 your debts have all been paid by ,another2 there is nothing against you4 ,in ,new ,england there is perhaps no doctrine assailed so much as the ,atonement4 ,the ,atonement is foreshadowed in the garden of ,eden2 there is the innocent suffering for the guilty1 the animals slain for ,adam's sin4 ,we find it in ,abraham's day1 in ,moses' day2 all through the books of ,moses and the prophets4 ,look at the fifty-third of ,isaiah1 and at the prophecy of ,daniel4 ,then we come into the ,gospels1 and ,christ says1 ,i lay down ,my life that ,i might take it again4 ,no man taketh it from ,me1 but ,i lay it down of ,myself4 ,,conversion4 ,people talk about ,conversion--what is conversion8 ,the best way to find out is from the ,bible4 ,a good many don't believe in sudden conversions4 ,you can die in a moment4 ,can't you receive life in a moment8 ,when ,mr4 ,sankey and myself were in one place in ,europe a man preached a sermon against the pernicious doctrines that we were going to preach1 one of which was sudden conversion4 ,he said conversion was a matter of time and growth4 ,do you know what ,i do when any man preaches against the doctrines ,i preach8 ,i go to the ,bible and find out what it says1 and if ,i am right ,i give them more of the same kind4 ,i preached more on sudden conversion in that town than in any town ,i was in in my life4 ,i would like to know how long it took the ,lord to convert ,zaccheus8 ,how long did it take the ,lord to convert that woman whom ,he met at the well of ,sychar8 ,how long to convert that adulterous woman in the temple1 who was caught in the very act of adultery8 ,how long to convert that woman who anointed ,his feet and wiped them with the hairs of her head8 ,didn't she go with the word of ,god ringing in her ears1 ,go in peace8 ,there was no sign of ,zaccheus being converted when he went up that sycamore tree1 and he was converted when he came down1 so he must have been converted between the branch and the ground4 ,pretty sudden work1 wasn't it8 ,but you say1 ,that is because ,christ was there4 ,friends1 they were converted a good deal faster after ,he went away than when ,he was here4 ,peter preached1 and three thousand were converted in one day4 ,another time1 after three o'clock in the afternoon1 ,peter and ,john healed a man at the gate of the ,temple1 and then went in and preached1 and five thousand were added to the church before night1 and ,jews at that4 ,that was rather sudden work4 ,professor ,drummond describes a man going into one of our after-meetings and saying he wants to become a ,christian4 ,well1 my friend1 what is the trouble8 ,he doesn't like to tell4 ,he is greatly agitated4 ,finally he says1 ,the fact is1 ,i have overdrawn my account--a polite way of saying he has been stealing4 ,did you take your employer's money8 ,yes4 ,how much8 ,i don't know4 ,i never kept account of it4 ,well1 you have an idea you stole #a1ejj last year8 ,i am afraid it is that much4 ,now1 look here1 sir1 ,i don't believe in sudden work2 don't you steal more than a thousand dollars this next year1 and the next year not more than five hundred1 and in the course of the next few years you will get so that you won't steal any4 ,if your employer catches you1 tell him you are being converted2 and you will get so that you won't steal any by and by4 ,my friends1 the thing is a perfect farce4 ,let him that stole1 steal no more1 that is what the ,bible says4 ,it is right about face4 ,take another illustration4 ,here comes a man and he admits that he gets drunk every week4 ,that man comes to a meeting and he wants to be converted4 ,i say1 ,don't you be in a hurry4 ,i believe in doing the work gradually4 ,don't you get drunk and knock your wife down more than once a month4 ,wouldn't it be refreshing to your wife to go a whole month without being knocked down8 ,once a month1 only twelve times in a year6 ,wouldn't she be glad to have you converted in this new way6 ,only get drunk after a few years on the anniversary of your wedding1 and at ,christmas2 and then it will be effective because it is gradual4 ,oh6 ,i detest1 all that kind of teaching4 ,let us go to the ,bible and see what that old ,book teaches4 ,let us believe it1 and go and act as if we believed it1 too4 ,salvation is instantaneous4 ,i admit that a man may be converted so that he can not tell when he crossed the line between death and life1 but ,i also believe a man may be a thief one moment and a saint the next4 ,i believe a man may be as vile as hell itself one moment1 and be saved the next4 ,christian growth is gradual1 just as physical growth is2 but a man passes from death unto everlasting life quick as an act of the mind--,he that believeth on the ,son hath everlasting life4 ,people say they want to become heavenly-minded4 ,well1 read about heaven and talk about it4 ,i once preached on ,heaven1 and after the meeting a lady came to me and said1 ,why1 ,mr4 ,moody1 ,i didn't know there were so many verses in the ,bible about heaven4 ,and ,i hadn't taken one out of a hundred4 ,she was amazed that there was so much in the ,bible about heaven4 ,when you are away from home1 how you look for news6 ,you skip everything in the daily paper until your eye catches the name of your own town or country4 ,now the ,christian's home is in heaven4 ,the ,scriptures contain our title-deeds to everything we shall be worth when we die4 ,if a will has your name in it1 it is no longer a dry document4 ,why1 then1 do not ,christians take more interest in the ,bible8 ,then1 again1 people say thy don't believe in revivals4 ,there's not a denomination in the world that didn't spring from a revival4 ,there are the ,catholic and ,episcopal churches claiming to be the apostolic churches and to have sprung from ,pentecost2 the ,lutheran from ,martin ,luther1 and so on4 ,they all sprung out of revivals1 and yet people talk against revivals6 ,i'd as soon talk against my mother as against a revival4 ,wasn't the country revived under ,john the ,baptist8 ,wasn't it under ,christ's teachings8 ,people think that because a number of superficial cases of conversion occur at revivals that therefore revivals ought to be avoided4 ,they forget the parable of the sower1 where ,jesus himself warns us of emotional hearers1 who receive the word with joy1 but soon fall away4 ,if only one out of every four hearers is truly converted1 as in the parable1 the revival has done good4 ,suppose you spend a month on ,regeneration1 or ,the ,kingdom of ,god1 or ,the ,church in the ,new ,testament1 or the divinity of ,christ or the attributes of ,god4 ,it will help you in your own spiritual life1 and you will become a workman who need not be ashamed1 rightly dividing the word of truth4 ,make a study of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,there are probably five hundred passages on the ,holy ,spirit1 and what you want is to study this subject for yourself4 ,take the ,return of our ,lord4 ,i know it is a controverted subject4 ,some say ,he is to come at the end of the ,millennium1 others say this side of the ,millennium4 ,what we want is to know what the ,bible says4 ,why not go to the ,bible and study it up for yourself2 it will be worth more to you than anything you get from anyone else4 ,then ,separation4 ,i believe that a ,christian man should lead a separated life4 ,the line between the church and the world is almost obliterated to-day4 ,i have no sympathy with the idea that you must hunt up an old musty church record in order to find out whether a man is a member of the church or not4 ,a man ought to live so that everybody will know he is a ,christian4 ,the ,bible tells us to lead a separate life4 ,you may lose influence1 but you will gain it at the same time4 ,i suppose ,daniel was the most unpopular man in ,babylon at a certain time1 but1 thank ,god1 he has outlived all the other men of his time4 ,who were the chief men of ,babylon8 ,when ,god wanted any work done in ,babylon1 ,he knew where to find some one to do it4 ,you can be in the world1 but not of it4 ,christ didn't take ,his disciples out of the world1 but ,he prayed that they might be kept from evil4 ,a ship in the water is all right1 but when the water gets into the ship1 then look out4 ,a worldly ,christian is just like a wrecked vessel at sea4 ,i remember once ,i took up the grace of ,god4 ,i didn't know the difference between law and grace4 ,when that truth dawned upon me and ,i saw the difference1 ,i studied the whole week on grace and ,i got so filled that ,i couldn't stay in the house4 ,i said to the first man ,i met1 ,do you know anything about the grace of ,god8 ,he thought ,i was a lunatic4 ,and ,i just poured out for about an hour on the grace of ,god4 ,study the subject of ,prayer4 ,for real business at the mercy seat1 says ,spurgeon1 give me a homemade prayer1 a prayer that comes out of the depths of your heart1 not because you invented it1 but because the ,holy ,spirit put it there4 ,though your words are broken and your sentences disconnected1 ,god will hear you4 ,perhaps you can pray better without words than with them4 ,there are prayers that break the backs of words2 they are too heavy for any human language to carry4 ,some people say1 ,i do not believe in ,assurance4 ,i never knew anybody who read their ,bibles who did not believe in ,assurance4 ,this ,book teaches nothing else4 ,paul says1 ,i know in whom ,i have believed4 ,job says1 ,i know that my ,redeemer liveth4 ,it is not ,i hope1 ,i trust4 ,the best book on ,assurance was written by one called ,john1 at the back part of the ,bible4 ,he wrote an epistle on this subject4 ,sometimes you just get a word that will be a sort of key to the epistle1 and which unfolds it4 ,now if you turn to ,john #bj3ca1 you will find it says1 ,these are written1 that ye might believe that ,jesus is the ,christ1 the ,son of ,god2 and that1 believing1 ye might have life through ,his name4 ,then if you turn to #a ,john #e3ac1 you will read thus3 ,these things have ,i written unto you that believe on the name of the ,son of ,god2 that ye may know that ye have eternal life2 and that ye may believe on the name of the ,son of ,god4 ,that whole epistle is written on assurance4 ,i have no doubt ,john had found some people who questioned about assurance and doubted whether they were saved or not1 and he took up his pen and said1 ,i will settle that question2 and he wrote that last verse in the twentieth chapter of his gospel4 ,i have heard some people say that it was not their privilege to know that they were saved2 they had heard the minister say that no one could know whether they were saved or not2 and they took what the minister said1 instead of what the ,word of ,god said4 ,others read the ,bible to make it fit in and prove their favorite creed or notions2 and if it does not do so1 they will not read it4 ,it has been well said that we must not read the ,bible by the blue light of ,presbyterianism2 nor by the red light of ,methodism2 nor by the violet light of ,episcopalianism2 but by the light of the ,spirit of ,god4 ,if you will take up your ,bible and study assurance for a week1 you will soon see it is your privilege to know that you are a child of ,god4 ,then take the promises of ,god4 ,let a man feed for a month on the promises of ,god1 and he will not talk about his poverty1 and how downcast he is1 and what trouble he has day by day4 ,you hear people say1 ,oh1 my leanness6 how lean ,i am6 ,my friends1 it is not their leanness1 it is their laziness4 ,if you would only go from ,genesis to ,revelation1 and see all the promises made by ,god to ,abraham1 to ,isaac and to ,jacob1 to the ,jews and the ,gentiles1 and to all ,his people everywhere2 if you would spend a month feeding on the precious promises of ,god1 you would not go about with your heads hanging down like bulrushes complaining how poor you are2 but you would lift up your heads with confidence and proclaim the riches of ,his grace1 because you could not help it4 ,after the ,chicago fire a man came up to me and said in a sympathizing tone1 ,i understand you lost everything1 ,moody1 in the ,chicago fire4 ,well1 then1 said ,i1 some one has misinformed you4 ,indeed6 ,why ,i was certainly told you had lost all4 ,no2 it is a mistake1 ,i said1 quite a mistake4 ,have you got much left1 then8 asked my friend4 ,yes1 ,i replied1 ,i have got much more left than ,i lost2 though ,i can not tell how much ,i have lost4 ,well1 ,i am glad of it1 ,moody2 ,i did not know you were that rich before the fire4 ,yes1 said ,i1 ,i am a good deal richer than you could conceive2 and here is my title-deed1 ',he that overcometh shall inherit all things4' ,they say the ,rothschilds can not tell how much they are worth2 and that is just my case4 ,all things in the world are mine2 ,i am joint heir with ,jesus the ,son of ,god4 ,some one has said1 ,god makes a promise2 ,faith believes it2 ,hope anticipates it2 and ,patience quietly awaits it4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,word ,study--,blesseds of ,revelation--,believings of ,john--,the ,fear of the ,lord of ,proverbs--,key ,words4 ,,another way to study the ,bible is to take one word and follow it up with the help of a concordance4 ,or take just one word that runs through a book4 ,some time ago ,i was wonderfully blessed by taking the seven ,blesseds of the ,revelation4 ,if ,god did not wish us to understand the book of ,revelation1 ,he would not have given it to us at all4 ,a good many say it is so dark and mysterious that common readers cannot understand it4 ,let us only keep digging away at it1 and it will unfold itself by and by4 ,some one says it is the only book in the ,bible that tells about the devil being chained2 and as the devil knows that1 he goes up and down ,christendom and says1 ,it is no use your reading ,revelation1 you can not understand the book2 it is too hard for you4 ,the fact is1 he does not want you to understand about his own defeat4 ,just look at the blessings the book contains3 #a4 ,blessed is he that readeth1 and they that hear the words of this prophecy1 and keep those things which are written therein3 for the time is at hand4 #b4 ,blessed are the dead which die in the ,lord4 4 4 4 4 ,yea1 saith the ,spirit1 that they may rest from their labors4 #c4 ,blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments4 #d4 ,blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the ,lamb4 #e4 ,blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection4 ,on such the second death hath no power2 but they shall be priests of ,god and of ,christ1 and shall reign with him a thousand years4 #f4 ,blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book4 #g4 ,blessed are they that do ,his commandments1 that they may have right to the tree of life1 and may enter in through the gates into the city4 ,or you may take the eight overcomes in ,revelation2 and you will be wonderfully blessed by them4 ,they take you right up to the throne of heaven2 you climb by them to the throne of ,god4 ,i have been greatly blessed by going through the believings of ,john4 ,every chapter but two speaks of believing4 ,as ,i said before1 he wrote his gospel that we might believe4 ,all through it is ,believe6 ,believe6 ,if you want to persuade a man that ,christ is the ,son of ,god1 ,john's gospel is the book for him4 ,take the six precious things in ,peter's ,epistles4 ,and the seven walks of the ,epistle to the ,ephesians4 ,and the five much mores of ,romans ,v4 ,or the two receiveds of ,john ,i4 ,or the seven hearts in ,proverbs ,,xxiii1 and especially an eighth4 ,or the fear of the ,lord in ,proverbs3-- ,the fear of the ,lord is the beginning of wisdom4 ,the fear of the ,lord is to hate evil4 ,the fear of the ,lord prolongeth days4 ,in the fear of the ,lord is strong confidence ,the fear of the ,lord is a fountain of ,life4 ,better is little with the fear of the ,lord than great treasure and trouble therewith4 ,the fear of the ,lord is the instruction of wisdom4 ,by the fear of the ,lord men depart from evil4 ,the fear of the ,lord tendeth to life4 ,by humility and the fear of the ,lord are riches and honor and life4 ,be thou in the fear of the ,lord all the day long4 ,,key ,,words4 ,a friend gave me some key words recently4 ,he said ,peter wrote about ,hope3 ,when the ,chief ,shepherd shall appear4 ,the keynote of ,paul's writings seemed to be ,faith1 and that of ,john's1 ,love4 ,faith1 hope and charity1 these were the characteristics of the three men1 the key-notes to the whole of their teachings4 ,james wrote of ,good ,works1 and ,jude of ,apostasy4 ,in the general epistles of ,paul some one suggested the phrase in ,christ4 ,in the book of ,romans we find justification by faith in ,christ4 ,corinthians presents sanctification in ,christ4 ,the book of ,galatians1 adoption or liberty in ,christ4 ,ephesians presents fulness in ,christ4 ,philippians1 consolation in ,christ4 ,in ,colossians we have completeness in ,christ4 ,thessalonians gives us hope in ,christ4 ,different systems of key words are published by ,bible scholars1 and it is a good thing for every one to know one system or other4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,bible ,marking--,borrowing and ,lending ,bibles--,necessity of ,marking--,advantages--,how to ,mark and ,what to ,mark--,taking ,notes--,four things which are little upon the earth1 but they are exceeding wise--,every eye shall see ,him--,additional ,examples--,suggestions4 ,,don',t be afraid to borrow and lend ,bibles4 ,some time ago a man wanted to take my ,bible home to get a few things out of it1 and when it came back ,i found this noted in it3 ,justification1 a change of state1 a new standing before ,god4 ,repentance1 a change of mind1 a new mind about ,god4 ,regeneration1 a change of nature1 a new heart from ,god4 ,conversion1 a change of life1 a new life for ,god4 ,adoption1 a change of family1 new relationship towards ,god4 ,sanctification1 a change of service1 separation unto ,god4 ,glorification1 a new state1 a new condition with ,god4 ,in the same hand-writing ,i found these lines3 ,jesus only2 the light of heaven is the face of ,jesus4 ,the joy of heaven is the presence of ,jesus4 ,the melody of heaven is the name of ,jesus4 ,the theme of heaven is the work of ,jesus4 ,the employment of heaven is the service of ,jesus4 ,the fulness of heaven is ,jesus himself4 ,the duration of heaven is the eternity of ,jesus4 ,,bible ,,marking3 ,,its ,,necessity4 ,an old writer said that some books are to be tasted1 some to be swallowed1 and some to be chewed and digested4 ,the ,bible is one that you can never exhaust4 ,it is like a bottomless well3 you can always find fresh truths gushing forth from its pages4 ,hence the great fascination of constant and earnest ,bible study4 ,hence also the necessity of marking your ,bible4 ,unless you have an uncommon memory1 you cannot retain the good things you hear4 ,if you trust to your ear alone1 they will escape you in a day or two2 but if you mark your ,bible and enlist the aid of your eye1 you will never lose them4 ,the same applies to what you read4 ,,its ,,advantages4 ,bible marking should be made the servant of the memory4 ,if properly done1 it sharpens the memory2 rather than blunts it1 because it gives prominence to certain things that catch the eye1 which by constant reading you get to learn of by heart4 ,it helps you to locate texts4 ,it saves you the trouble of writing out notes of your addresses4 ,once in the margin1 always ready4 ,i have carried one ,bible with me a great many years4 ,it is worth a good deal to me1 and ,i will tell you why2 because ,i have so many passages marked in it1 that if ,i am called upon to speak at any time ,i am ready4 ,i have little words marked in the margin1 and they are a sermon to me4 ,whether ,i speak about ,faith1 ,hope1 ,charity1 ,assurance1 or any subject whatever1 it all comes back to me2 and however unexpectedly ,i am called upon to preach1 ,i am always ready4 ,every child of ,god ought to be like a soldier1 and always hold himself in readiness4 ,if the ,queen of ,england's army were ordered to ,india to-morrow1 the soldier is ready for the journey4 ,but we can not be ready if we do not study the ,bible4 ,so whenever you hear a good thing1 just put it down1 because if it is good for you it will be good for somebody else2 and we should pass the coin of heaven around just as we do the coin of the realm4 ,people tell me they have nothing to say4 ,out of the abundance of the heart1 the mouth speaketh4 ,get full of ,scripture and then you can't help but say it4 ,it says itself4 ,keep the world out of your heart by getting full of something else4 ,a man tried to build a flying machine4 ,he made some wings and filled them with gas4 ,he said he couldn't quite fly1 but the gas was lighter than the air and it helped him over lots of obstructions4 ,so when you get these heavenly truths1 they are lighter than the air down here and help you over trouble4 ,bible marking makes the ,bible a new book to you4 ,if there was a white birch tree within a quarter of a mile of the home of your boyhood1 you would remember it all your life4 ,mark your ,bible1 and instead of its being dry and uninteresting1 it will become a beautiful book to you4 ,what you see makes a more lasting impression on your memory than what you hear4 ,,how ,,to ,,mark ,,and ,,what ,,to ,,mark4 ,there are many methods of marking4 ,some use six or eight colored inks or pencils4 ,black is used to mark texts that refer to sin2 red1 all references to the cross2 blue1 all references to heaven2 and so on4 ,others invent symbols4 ,when there is any reference to the cross1 they put in the margin4 ,some write ,g1 meaning the ,gospel4 ,there is danger of overdoing this and making your marks more prominent than the scripture itself4 ,if the system is complicated it becomes a burden1 and you are likely to get confused4 ,it is easier to remember the text than the meaning of your marks4 ,black ink is good enough for all purposes4 ,i use no other1 unless it be red ink to draw attention to the blood4 ,the simplest way to mark is to underline the words or to make a stroke alongside the verse4 ,another good way is to go over the printed letters with your pen1 and make them thicker4 ,the word will then stand out like heavier type4 ,mark only in ,psalm #fb in this way4 ,when any word or phrase is oft repeated in a chapter or book1 put consecutive numbers in the margin over against the text4 ,thus1 in the second chapter of ,habakkuk1 we find five woes against five common sins2 7#a7 verse #f1 7#b7 verse #i1 7#c7 verse #ab1 7#d7 verse #ae1 7#e7 verse #ai4 ,number the ten plagues in this way4 ,when there is a succession of promises or charges in a verse1 it is better to write the numbers small at the beginning of each separate promise4 ,thus1 there is a seven-fold promise to ,abraham in ,gen4 #ab1 #b-c3 7#a7 ,i will make of thee a great nation1 7#b7 and ,i will bless thee1 7#c7 and make thy name great2 7#d7 and thou shalt be a blessing2 7#e7 and ,i will bless them that bless thee1 7#f7 and curse him that curseth thee3 7#g7 and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed4 ,in ,prov4 #a1 #bb1 we have 7#a7 simple ones1 7#b7 scorners1 7#c7 fools4 ,put a x in the margin against things not generally observed3 for example1 the laws regarding women wearing men's clothes1 and regarding bird-nesting1 in ,deut4 #bb1 #e-f2 the sleep of the poor man and of the rich man compared1 ,ecc4 #e1 #ab4 ,i also find it helpful to mark3 #a4 cross-references4 ,opposite ,gen4 #a1 #a1 write ,through faith1 ,heb4 #aa1 #c--;because there we read--,through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of ,god4 ,opposite ,gen4 #bh1 #ab1 write--,an answer to prayer1 ,gen4 #ce1 #c4 ,opposite ,matt4 #f1 #cc1 write #a ,kings #c1 #ac and ,lu4 #aj1 #db1 which give illustrations of seeking the kingdom of ,god first4 ,opposite ,gen4 #cg1 #g1 write--,gen4 #ej1 #ah--which is the fulfilment of the dream4 #b4 ,railroad connections1 that is1 connections made by fine lines running across the page4 ,in ,daniel #f1 connect will deliver 7v4 #af71 able to deliver 7v4 #bj71 and hath delivered 7v4 #bg74 ,in ,ps4 #ff1 connect come and see 7v4 #e7 with come and hear 7v4 #af74 #c4 ,variations of the ,revised ,version3 thus ,romans #h1 #bf reads--the ,spirit ,himself in the ,r4 ,v41 not itself4 ,note also marginal readings like ,mark #f1 #ai1 an inward grudge instead of a quarrel4 #d4 ,words that have changed their meaning2 meal for meat in ,leviticus4 ,or where you can explain a difficulty3 above for upon in ,num4 #aa1 #ca4 ,or where the ,english does not bring out the full meaning of the original as happens in the names of ,god3 ,elohim in ,gen4 #a1 #a1 ,jehovah ,elohim in ,gen4 #b1 #d1 ,el ,shaddai in ,gen4 #ag1 #a1 and so on4 #e4 ,unfortunate divisions of chapters4 ,the last verse of ,john #g reads--,and every man went unto his own house4 ,chapter #h begins ,jesus went unto the mount of ,olives4 ,there ought to be no division of chapters here4 #f4 ,at the beginning of every book write a short summary of its contents1 something like the summary given in some ,bibles at the head of every chapter4 #g4 ,key words and key verses4 #h4 ,make a note of any text that marks a religious crisis in your life4 ,i once heard ,rev4 ,f4 ,b4 ,meyer preach on #a ,cor4 #a1 #i1 and he asked his hearers to write on their ,bibles that they were that day called unto the fellowship of ,his ,son ,christ our ,lord4 ,,taking ,,notes4 ,when a preacher gives out a text1 mark it2 as he goes on preaching1 put a few words in the margin1 key-words that shall bring back the whole sermon again4 ,by that plan of making a few marginal notes1 ,i can remember sermons ,i heard years and years ago4 ,every man ought to take down some of the preacher's words and ideas1 and go into some lane or by-way1 and preach them again to others4 ,we ought to have four ears--two for ourselves and two for other people4 ,then1 if you are in a new town1 and have nothing else to say1 jump up and say3 ,i heard someone say so and so2 and men will always be glad to hear you if you give them heavenly food4 ,the world is perishing for lack of it4 ,some years ago ,i heard an ,englishman in ,chicago preach from a curious text3 ,there be four things which are little upon the earth1 but they are exceeding wise4 ,well1 said ,i to myself1 what will you make of these 'little things'8 ,i have seen them a good many times4 ,then he went on speaking3 ,the ants are a people not strong1 yet they prepare their meat in the summer4 ,he said ,god's people are like the ants4 ,well1 ,i thought1 ,i have seen a good many of them1 but ,i never saw one like me4 ,they are like the ants1 he said1 because they are laying up treasure in heaven1 and preparing for the future2 but the world rushes madly on1 and forgets all about ,god's command to lay up for ourselves incorruptible treasures4 ,the conies are but a feeble folk1 yet make these their houses in the rocks4 ,he said1 ,the conies are very weak things2 if you were to throw a stick at one of them you could kill it2 but they are very wise1 for they build their houses in rocks1 where they are out of harm's way4 ,and ,god's people are very wise1 although very feeble2 for they build on the ,rock of ,ages1 and that ,rock is ,christ4 ,well1 ,i said1 ,i am certainly like the conies4 ,then came the next verse3 ,the locusts have no king1 yet go they forth all of them by bands4 ,i wondered what he was going to make of that4 ,now ,god's people1 he said1 have no king down here4 ,the world said1 ',caesar is our king2' but he is not our ,king2 our ,king is the ,lord of ,hosts4 ,the locusts went out by bands2 so do ,god's people4 ,here is a ,presbyterian band1 here an ,episcopalian band1 here a ,methodist band1 and so on2 but by and by the great ,king will come and catch up all these separate bands1 and they will all be one2 one fold and one ,shepherd4 ,and when ,i heard that explanation1 ,i said2 ,i would be like the locusts4 ,i have become so sick1 my friends1 of this miserable sectarianism1 that ,i wish it could all be swept away4 ,well1 he went on again1 the spider taketh hold with her hands1 and is in kings' palaces4 ,when he got to the spider1 ,i said1 ,i don't like that at all2 ,i don't like the idea of being compared to a spider4 ,but1 he said1 ,if you go into a king's palace1 there is the spider hanging on his gossamer web1 and look-down with scorn and contempt on the gilded salon2 he is laying hold of things above4 ,and so every child of ,god ought to be like the spider1 and lay hold of the unseen things of ,god4 ,you see1 then1 my brethren1 we who are ,god's people are like the ants1 the conies1 the locusts1 and the spiders1 little things1 but exceeding wise4 ,i put that down in the margin of my bible1 and the recollection of it does me as much good now as when ,i first heard it4 ,a friend of mine was in ,edinburgh and he heard one of the leading ,scotch ,presbyterian ministers4 ,he had been preaching from the text1 ,every eye shall see ,him1 and he closed up by saying3 ,yes1 every eye4 ,adam will see ,him1 and when he does he will say3 ',this is ,he who was promised to me in that dark day when ,i fell2' ,abraham will see ,him and will say3 ',this is ,he whom ,i saw afar off2 but now face to face2' ,mary will see ,him1 and she will sing with new interest that magnificat4 ,and ,i1 too1 shall see ,him1 and when ,i do1 ,i will sing3 ',rock of ,ages1 cleft for me1 ,let me hide myself in ,thee4' ,,additional ,,examples4 ,turn to ,exodus #f3f-g-h4 ,in these verses we find seven ,i wills4 ,i will bring you out from under the burden of the ,egyptians4 ,i will rid you out of their bondage4 ,i will redeem you with a stretched-out arm4 ,i will take you to me for a people4 ,i will be to you a ,god4 ,i will bring you in into the land of ,canaan4 ,i will give it to you for a heritage4 ,again3 ,isaiah #da3aj4 ,fear thou not1 for ,i am with thee2 be not dismayed1 for ,i am thy ,god2 ,i will strengthen thee2 yea1 ,i will help thee2 yea1 ,i will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness4 ,mark what ,god says3 ,he is with ,his servant4 ,he is his ,god4 ,he will strengthen4 ,he will help4 ,he will uphold4 ,again3 ,psalm #ajc3b3 ,bless the ,lord1 ,o my soul1 and forget not all his benefits4 ,if you can not remember them all1 remember what you can4 ,in the next three verses there are five things3 ,who forgiveth all thine iniquities4 ,who healeth all thy diseases4 ,who redeemeth thy life from destruction4 ,who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies4 ,who satisfieth thy mouth with good things4 ,we can learn some things about the mercy of the ,lord from this same ,psalm3 v4 #d4--;,its quality1 tender4 v4 #h4--;,its measure1 plenteous4 v4 #aa4--;,its magnitude1 great1 according to the height of the heaven above the earth4 ,see margin4 v4 #ag4--;,its duration1 from everlasting to everlasting4 ,twenty-third ,psalm4 ,i suppose ,i have heard as many good sermons on the twenty-third ,psalm as on any other six verses in the ,bible4 ,i wish ,i had begun to take notes upon them years ago when ,i heard the first one4 ,things slip away from you when you get to be fifty years of age4 ,young men had better go into training at once4 ,with me1 the ,lord4 ,beneath me1 green pastures4 ,beside me1 still waters4 ,before me1 a table4 ,around me1 mine enemies4 ,after me1 goodness and mercy4 ,ahead of me1 the house of the ,lord4 ,blessed is the day1 says an old divine1 when ,psalm twenty-three was born6 ,it has been more used than almost any other passage in the ,bible4 v4 #a4--;,a happy life4 v4 #d4--;,a happy death4 v4 #f4--;,a happy eternity4 ,take ,psalm #ajb3f-g3 ,i am like a pelican of the wilderness3 ,i am like an owl of the desert4 ,i watch and am as a sparrow alone upon the housetop4 ,it seems strange until you reflect that a pelican carries its food with it1 that the owl keeps its eyes open at night1 and that the sparrow watches alone4 ,so the ,christian must carry his food with him--the ,bible--and he must keep his eyes open and watch alone4 ,turn to ,isaiah #cb1 and mark four things that ,god promises in verse #b3 ,and a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind1 and a covert from the tempest2 as rivers of water in a dry place1 as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land4 ,there we have3-- ,the hiding place from danger4 ,the cover from the tempest4 ,rivers of water4 ,the ,rock of ,ages4 ,in the third and fourth verses of the same chapter3 ,and the eyes of them that see shall not be dim1 and the ears of them that hear shall hearken4 ,the heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge1 and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly4 ,we have eyes1 ears1 heart and tongue1 all ready to pay homage to the ,king of ,righteousness4 ,now turn into the ,new ,testament1 ,john #d3dg-ec4 ,the noble heard about ,jesus4 went unto ,him4 besought ,him4 believed ,him4 knew that his prayer was answered4 ,again3 ,matthew #aa3bh-cj3 ,come unto me1 all ye that labour and are heavy-laden1 and ,i will give you rest4 ,take my yoke upon you and learn of me2 for ,i am meek and lowly in heart2 and ye shall find rest unto your souls4 ,for my yoke is easy1 and my burden is light4 ,someone has said these verses contain the only description we have of ,christ's heart4 ,something to do1 come unto ,jesus4 ,something to leave1 your burden4 ,something to take1 ,his yoke4 ,something to find1 rest unto your soul4 ,again3 ,john #ad3f4 ,i am the way1 the truth1 and the life4 ,the way1 follow me4 ,the truth1 learn of me4 ,the life1 abide in me4 ,,suggestions4 ,do not buy a ,bible that you are unwilling to mark and use4 ,an interleaved ,bible gives more room for notes4 ,be precise and concise3 for example1 ,neh4 #ac1 #ah3 ,a warning from history4 ,never mark anything because you saw it in some one else's ,bible4 ,if it does not come home to you1 if you not understand it1 do not put it down4 ,never pass a nugget by without trying to grasp it4 ,then mark it down4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,personal ,work--,three ,kinds of ,church ,services--,church ,members--,individual ,experience--,one ,inquirer at a ,time--,those who lack ,assurance--,backsliders--,not ,convicted of ,sin--,deeply ,convicted--,the ,divinity of ,christ--,can't ,hold ,out--,no ,strength--,feelings--,can't ,believe--,can't be ,saved all at ,once--,not ,now--,further ,suggestions4 ,,personal dealing is of the most vital importance4 ,no one can tell how many persons have been lost to the ,kingdom of ,god through lack of following up the preaching of the ,gospel by personal work4 ,it is deplorable how few church-members are qualified to deal with inquirers1 yet that is the very work in which they ought most efficiently to aid the pastor4 ,people are not usually converted under the preaching of the minister4 ,it is in the inquiry-meeting that they are most likely to be brought to ,christ4 ,they are perhaps awakened under the minister1 but ,god generally uses some one person to point out the way of salvation and bring the anxious to a decision4 ,some people can't see the use of inquiry-meetings1 and think they are something new1 and that we haven't any authority for them4 ,but they are no innovation4 ,we read about them all through the ,bible4 ,when ,john the ,baptist was preaching he was interrupted4 ,it would be a good thing if people would interrupt the minister now and then in the middle of some metaphysical sermon1 and ask what he means4 ,the only way to make sure that people understand what he is talking about is to let them ask questions4 ,i don't know what some men1 who have got the whole address written out1 would do if some one should get up and ask3 ,what must ,i do to be saved8 ,yet such questions would do more good than anything else you could have4 ,they would awake a spirit of inquiry4 ,some of ,christ's sweetest teachings were called forth by questions4 ,,three ,,kinds ,,of ,,church ,,services4 ,there ought to be three kinds of services in all churches3 one for worship--to offer praise1 and to wait on the ,lord in prayer2 another for teaching2 and at these services there needn't be a word to the unconverted1 7although some men never close any meeting without presenting the ,gospel71 but let them be for the church people2 and a third for preaching the ,gospel4 ,sunday morning is the best time for teaching1 but ,sunday night is the best night in the whole week1 of the regular church services1 to preach the simple ,gospel of the ,son of ,god4 ,when you have preached that1 and have felt the power of the unseen world1 and there are souls trembling in the balance1 don't say1 as ,i have heard good ministers say3 ,if there are any in this1 place concerned--at all concerned--about their souls1 ,i will be in the pastor's study on ,friday night1 and will be glad to see them4 ,by that time the chances are the impression will be all wiped out4 ,deal with them that night before the devil snatches away the good seed4 ,wherever the ,gospel is proclaimed1 there should be an expectation of immediate results1 and if this were the case the ,church of ,christ would be in a constant state of grace4 ,now when the congregation was broken up1 many of the ,jews and religious proselytes followed ,paul and ,barnabas3 who1 speaking to them1 persuaded them to continue in the grace of ,god4 ,how much would ,paul and ,barnabas have accomplished if they had pronounced the benediction and sent these people home8 ,it is a thing to weep over that we have got thousands and thousands of church members who are good for nothing towards extending the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,they understand bazaars1 and fairs1 and sewing-circles2 but when you ask them to sit down and show a man or woman the way into ,god's kingdom1 they say3 ,oh1 ,i am not able to do that4 ,let the deacons do it1 or some one else4 ,it is all wrong4 ,the ,church ought to be educated on this very point4 ,there are a great many church-members who are just hobbling about on crutches4 ,they can just make out that they are saved1 and imagine that is all that constitutes a ,christian in this nineteenth century4 ,as far as helping others is concerned1 that never enters their heads4 ,they think if they can get along themselves1 they are doing amazingly well4 ,they have no idea what the ,holy ,ghost wants to do through them4 ,no matter how weak you are1 ,god can use you2 and you cannot say what a stream of salvation you may set in motion4 ,john the ,baptist was a young man when he died2 but he led ,andrew to ,christ1 and ,andrew led ,peter1 and so the river flowed on4 ,in the closing pages of this book ,i want to give some hints in regard to passing on the good to others1 and thus profiting them by your knowledge of the ,bible4 ,every believer1 whether minister or layman1 is in duty bound to spread the gospel4 ,go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature was the wide command of our parting ,savior to ,his disciples4 ,there are many ,bible students1 however1 who utterly neglect the command4 ,they are like sponges1 always sucking in the ,water of ,life1 but never imparting it to thirsty souls around4 ,a clergyman used to go hunting1 and when his bishop reproved him1 he said he never went hunting when he was on duty4 ,when is a clergyman off duty8 asked the bishop4 ,and so with every ,christian3 when is he off duty8 ,to be ready with a promise for the dying1 a word of hope for the bereaved and afflicted1 of encouragement for the downhearted1 of advice for the anxious1 is a great accomplishment4 ,the opportunities to be useful in these ways are numerous4 ,not only in inquiry-meetings and church work1 but in our everyday contact with others the opening constantly occurs4 ,a word1 a look1 a hand-clasp1 a prayer1 may have an unending influence for good4 ,is your father at home8 asked a gentleman of a doctor's child4 ,no1 he said1 he's away4 ,where can ,i find him8 ,well1 he said1 you've got to look for him in some place where people are sick or hurt1 or something like that4 ,i don't know where he is1 but he's helping somewhere4 ,that ought to be the spirit animating every follower of ,him who went about doing good4 ,,laying ,,down ,,rules4 ,i admit one can't lay down positive rules in dealing with individuals about their religious condition4 ,tin soldiers are exactly alike1 but not so men4 ,matthew and ,paul were a good way apart4 ,the people we deal with may be widely different4 ,what would be medicine for one might be rank poison for another4 ,in the #aeth of ,luke1 the elder son and the younger son were exactly opposite4 ,what would have been good counsel for one might have been ruin to the other4 ,god never made two persons to look alike4 ,if we had made men1 probably we would have made them all alike1 even if we had to crush some bones to get them into the mould4 ,but that is not ,god's way4 ,in the universe there is infinite variety4 ,the ,philippian jailer required peculiar treatment4 ,christ dealt with ,nicodemus one way1 and the woman at the well another way4 ,,your ,,own ,,experience4 ,it is a great mistake1 in dealing with inquirers1 to tell your conversion experience4 ,experience may have its place1 but ,i don't think it has its place when we are dealing with inquirers2 for the first thing the man you are talking to will do will be to look for your experience4 ,he doesn't want your experience4 ,he wants one of his own4 ,suppose ,bartimeus had gone to ,jerusalem to the man that was born blind1 and said3 ,now1 just tell us how the ,lord cured you4 ,the ,jerusalem man might have said3 ,he just spat on the ground1 and anointed my eyes with the clay4 ,ho6 says ,bartimeus1 ,i don't believe you ever got your sight at all4 ,who ever heard of such a way as that8 ,why1 to fill a man's eyes with clay is enough to put them out6 ,both men were blind1 but they were not cured alike4 ,a great many men are kept out of the kingdom of ,god because they are looking for somebody else's experience--the experience their grandmother had1 their aunt1 or some one in the family4 ,,one ,,inquirer ,,at ,a ,,time4 ,then it is very important to deal with one at a time4 ,a doctor doesn't give cod-liver oil for all complaints4 ,no1 he says1 ,i must seek what each one wants4 ,he looks at the tongue1 and inquires into the symptoms4 ,one may have ague1 another typhoid fever1 and another may have consumption4 ,what a man wants is to be able to read his ,bible1 and to read human nature1 too4 ,those do best who do not run from one person in an inquiry-meeting to another1 offering words of encouragement everywhere4 ,they would do better by going to but one or two of an afternoon or evening4 ,we are building for eternity1 and can take time4 ,the work will not then be superficial4 ,try first to win the person's confidence1 and then your words will have more weight4 ,use great tact in approaching the subject4 ,it will be a great help to divide persons into classes as much as possible1 and bring certain passages of ,scripture to bear upon these classes4 ,it is unwise1 however1 to use verses that you have seen in books until you are perfectly clear in your own mind of their meaning and application4 ,avail yourself by all means of suggestions from outside sources1 but as ,david could not fight in ,saul's armor1 so you possibly may not be able to make good use of texts and passages which have proved powerful in the hands of another4 ,the best way is to make your own classification1 and select suitable texts1 which experience will lead you to adopt or change1 according to circumstances4 ,make yourself familiar with a few passages1 rather than have a hazy and incomplete idea of a large number4 ,the following classification may be found helpful3-- #a4 ,believers who lack assurance2 who are in darkness because they have sinned2 who neglect prayer1 ,bible study1 and other means of grace2 who are in darkness because of an unforgiving spirit2 who are timid or ashamed to confess ,christ openly2 who are not engaged in active work for the ,master2 who lack strength to resist temptation and to stand fast in time of trial2 who are not growing in grace4 #b4 ,believers who have backslidden4 #c4 ,those who are deeply convicted of sin1 and are seeking salvation4 #d4 ,those who have difficulties of various kinds4 ,many believe that they are so sinful that ,god will not accept them1 that they have sinned away their opportunities and now it is too late1 that the gospel was never intended for them4 ,others are kept back by honest doubts regarding the divinity of ,christ1 the genuineness of the ,bible4 ,others again are troubled by the mysteries of the ,bible1 the doctrines of election1 instant conversion1 etc41 or they say they have sought ,christ in vain1 that they have tried and failed1 they are afraid they could not hold out4 ,a large class is in great trouble about feelings4 #e4 ,those who make excuses4 ,there is a wide difference between a person who has a reason and one who had an excuse to offer4 ,the commonest excuses are that there are so many inconsistent ,christians1 hypocrites in the church2 that it would cost too much to become ,christians1 that they could not continue in their present occupation1 etc42 that they expect to become ,christians some day2 that their companions hold them back1 or would cast them off if they were converted4 #f4 ,those who are not convicted of sin4 ,some are deliberately sinful2 they want to see life1 to sow their wild oats2 others are thoughtless2 others again are simply ignorant of ,jesus ,christ and ,his work4 ,a large number do not feet their need of a ,savior because they are self-righteous1 trusting to their own morality and good works4 #g4 ,those who hold hostile creeds1 embracing sectarians1 cranks1 ,jews1 spiritualists1 infidels1 atheists1 agnostics1 etc4 ,always use your ,bible in personal dealing4 ,do not trust to memory1 but make the person read the verse for himself4 ,do not use printed slips or books4 ,hence1 if convenient1 always carry a ,bible or ,new ,testament with you4 ,it is a good thing to get a man on his knees 7if convenient71 but don't get him there before he is ready4 ,you may have to talk with him two hours before you can get him that far along4 ,but when you think he is about ready1 say1 ,shall we not ask ,god to give us light on this point8 ,sometimes a few minutes in prayer have done more for a man than two hours in talk4 ,when the spirit of ,god has led him so far that he is willing to have you pray with him1 he is not very far from the kingdom4 ,ask him to pray for himself4 ,if he doesn't want to pray1 let him use a ,bible prayer2 get him to repeat it2 for example3 ,lord help me6 ,tell the man3 ,if the ,lord helped that poor woman1 ,he will help you if you make the same prayer4 ,he will give you a new heart if you pray from the heart4 ,don't send a man home to pray4 ,of course he should pray at home1 but ,i would rather get his lips open at once4 ,it is a good thing for a man to hear his own voice in prayer4 ,it is a good thing for him to cry out3 ,god be merciful to me a sinner6 ,urge an immediate decision1 but never tell a man he is converted4 ,never tell him he is saved4 ,let the ,holy ,spirit reveal that to him4 ,you can shoot a man and see that he is dead1 but you can not see when a man receives eternal life4 ,you can't afford to deceive one about this great question4 ,but you can help his faith and trust1 and lead him aright4 ,always be prepared to do personal work4 ,when war was declared between ,france and ,germany1 ,count von ,moltke1 the ,german general1 was prepared for it4 ,word brought to him late at night1 after he had gone to bed4 ,very well1 he said to the messenger1 the third portfolio on the left2 and he went to sleep again4 ,do the work boldly4 ,don't take those in a position in life above your own1 but as a rule1 take those on the same footing4 ,don't deal with a person of opposite sex1 if it can be otherwise arranged4 ,bend all your endeavors to answer for poor1 struggling souls that question of all importance to them4 ,what must ,i do to be saved8 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,summary ,,of ,,suggestions4 #a4 ,have for constant use a portable reference ,bible1 a ,cruden's ,concordance1 and a ,topical ,text ,book4 #b4 ,always carry a ,bible or ,testament in your pocket and do not be ashamed of people seeing you read it on trains1 etc4 #c4 ,do not be afraid of marking it1 or of making marginal notes4 ,mark texts that contain promises1 exhortations1 warnings to sinners and to ,christians1 gospel invitations to the unconverted1 and so on4 #d4 ,set apart at least fifteen minutes a day for study and meditation4 ,this little will have great results and will never be regretted4 #e4 ,prepare your heart to know the law of the ,lord1 and to do it4 ,ezra #g3aj4 #f4 ,always ask ,god to open the eyes of your understanding that you may see the truth2 and expect that ,he will answer your prayer4 #g4 ,cast every burden of doubt upon the ,lord4 ,he will never suffer the righteous to be moved4 ,do not be afraid to look for a reason for the hope that is in you4 #h4 ,believe in the ,bible as ,god's revelation to you1 and act accordingly4 ,do not reject any portion because it contains the supernatural1 or because you can not understand it4 ,reverence all ,scripture4 ,remember ,god's own estimate of it3 ,thou hast magnified thy ,word above all thy ,name4 #i4 ,learn at least one verse of ,scripture each day4 ,verses committed to memory will be wonderfully useful in your daily life and walk4 ,thy word have ,i hid in mine heart1 that ,i might not sin against ,thee4 ,some ,christians can quote ,shakespeare and ,longfellow better than the ,bible4 #aj4 ,if you are a preacher or a ,sunday school teacher1 try at any cost to master your ,bible4 ,you ought to know it better than any one in your congregation or class4 #aa4 ,strive to be exact in quoting ,scripture4 #ab4 ,adopt some systematic plan of ,bible study3 either topical1 or by subjects1 like ,the ,blood1 ,prayer1 ,hope1 etc42 or by books2 or by some other plan outlined in the preceding pages4 #ac4 ,study to know for what and to whom each book of the ,bible was written4 ,combine the ,old ,testament with the ,new4 ,study ,hebrews and ,leviticus together1 the ,acts of the ,apostles and the ,epistles1 the ,prophets and the historical books of the old ,testament4 #ad4 ,study how to use the ,bible so as to walk with ,god in closer communion2 also1 so as to gain a working knowledge of ,scripture for leading others to ,christ4 ,an old minister used to say that the cries of neglected texts were always sounding in his ears1 asking why he did not show how important they were4 #ae4 ,do not be satisfied with simply reading a chapter daily4 ,study the meaning of at least one verse4 ,footnotes #a ,the ,new ,topical ,text ,book4 ,an aid to topical study of the ,bible4 ,cloth1 #be cents2 by mail1 #cj cents4 ,the ,bible ,text ,cyclopedia1 a complete classification of ,scripture texts in the form of an alphabetical list of subjects by ,rev4 ,james ,inglis4 ,large #h vo4 cloth1 #a4ge4 ,both issued by the publishers of this volume4