,,how ,,to ,,master ,,the ,,english     
,,bible          ,,how ,,to ,,master    
,,the ,,english ,,bible      ,,an       
,,experience1 ,a ,,method    ,a         
,,result1 ,,an ,,illustration      ,,by 
,,rev4 ,,james ,m4 ,,gray1 ,d4,d4       
,,minister ,,in ,,the ,,reformed        
,,episcopal ,,church    ,,author ,,of   
,,synthetic ,,bible ,,studies    ,,the  
,,antidote ,,to ,,christian ,,science   
,,primers ,,of ,,the ,,faith ,,etc4     
,,etc4      ,,edinburgh ,,and ,,london  
,,oliphant ,,anderson  ,,ferrier        
#aijg          ,,table ,,of ,,contents  
,i4 ,the ,story of the ,case      ,,ii4 
,explanation of the ,method     ,,iii4  
,the ,plan at ,work      ,,iv4 ,results 
in the ,pulpit       ,v4 ,expository    
,outlines          ,,note ,,by ,,the    
,,publishers ,,of ,,the ,,british       
,,edition    ,the success of the        
author's book1 ,synthetic ,bible        
,studies1 has been  such that it is a   
pleasure to us to introduce this little 
book to  ,british ,bible students4      

,,note ,,by ,,the ,,publishers ,,of     
,,the ,,american ,,edition    ,the      
author of this book requires no         
introduction to the ,bible-loving       
people of our time4 ,a time it is of    
unusual quickening in the study  of     
,god's ,word along spiritual and        
evangelical lines1 toward which1 as  the
 editor of a leading newspaper has said1
 no one man has contributed  more than  
,rev4 ,james ,m4 ,gray1 ,d4,d4    ,he   
knows what is in the ,book1 says the    
,christian ,endeavour ,world1  and when 
he sounds the clear1 strong notes of    
,god's love1 of victory  over sin1 of   
the believer's assurance1 it is no      
wonder that thousands  of young people  
wax as enthusiastic over the ,bible as  
others do over  athletics or art4       
,the interdenominational ,bible classes 
which he has carried on1 and to  which  
his work directly and indirectly has    
given rise1 are the  largest and in     
other respects the most remarkable      
known4 ,his work has  revolutionised the

 method of teaching in some ,sunday     
schools2 it has  put life into dead     
prayer-meetings2 in not a few instances 
it has  materially helped to solve the  
problem of the second service on the    
,lord's day2 it has been a boon to many 
pastors in the labours of  study and    
pulpit1 whose gratitude is outspoken2 it
 has contributed to  the efficiency of  
foreign missionary workers1 whose       
testimony has  come from the uttermost  
parts of the earth2 and it has reacted  
beneficially on the instruction given in
 the ,english ,bible in some of  our    
home academies1 smaller colleges and    
seminaries4 ,the secret of  these       
results is given in this book4    ,nor  
is it as a ,bible teacher only1 but also
 as a ,bible preacher1 that  ,dr4 ,gray 
holds a distinguished place in the      
current history of the  ,church4 ,his   
expository sermons leave an impress not 
to be effaced4  ,presbyteries and       
ministerial associations are on record  
that they  have stirred communities to  

their depths4 ,even secular editors1    
commonly unmoved by ordinary types of   
evangelism1 have written3 ,here  is     
something new for the people1 something 
fresh and suggestive for  every active  
mind1 which the business interests of   
the city cannot  afford to neglect4 ,the
 testimony of one pastor given at a     
meeting of  the presbytery is           
practically that of scores of others    
throughout the  country4 ,he had        
attended a series of popular meetings   
conducted by  ,dr4 ,gray1 and said3 ,i  
learned more during the few days ,i     
listened to  ,dr4 ,gray about the true  
character of preaching than ,i had      
learned in  all my seminary course and  
my twenty years of ministry4 ,because of
  what ,i learned there of true         
expository preaching ,i shall hope to   
make the last years of my ministry the  
very best of all4    ,we are glad that  
this book contains a practical          
application of all  that the author has 
said and taught to the results which may

 be  gathered from it in the pulpit4    
,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,case         
,,how ,,to ,,master ,,the ,,english     
,,bible      ,,part ,i      ,,the       
,,story ,,of ,,the ,,case               
,sidenote3 ,the ,bible like a ,farm     
,how to master the ,english ,bible6     
,high-sounding title that1 but does  it 
mean what it says8 ,it is not how to    
study it1 but how to master  it2 for    
there is a sense in which the ,bible    
must be mastered before  it can be      
studied1 and it is the failure to see   
this which accounts  for other failures 
on the part of many earnest would-be    
,bible  students4 ,i suppose it is      
something like a farm2 for although     
never a  farmer myself1 ,i have always  
imagined a farmer should know his farm  
before he attempted to work it4 ,how    
much upland and how much lowland8  ,how 
much wood and how much pasture8 ,where  
should the orchard be laid  out8 ,where 
plant my corn1 oats1 and potatoes8 ,what
 plot is to be  seeded down to grass8   

,when he has mastered his farm he begins
 to get  ready for results from it4     
,now there are many ways of studying the
 ,bible1 any one of which may  be good  
enough in itself1 but there is only one 
way to master it1 as  we shall see4 ,and
 it is the ,bible itself we are to      
master1 not books  about the ,bible1 nor
 yet charts4 ,i once listened to an     
earnest and  cultivated young man       
delivering a lecture on ,bible study1   
illustrated  by a chart so long that    
when he unrolled and held one end of it 
above  his head1 as high as his arms    
could reach1 the other curled up on the 
floor below the platform4 ,as the       
auditor gazed upon its labyrinthian     
lines1 circles1 crosses and other things
 intended to illuminate it1  and        
gathered up the loins of his mind to    
listen to the explanation  following1 it
 was with an inward sigh of gratitude   
that ,god had never  put such a yoke    
upon us1 which neither we nor our       
fathers were able  to bear4             

,sidenote3 ,the ,vernacular and ,bible  
,tongues    ,and it is the ,english     
,bible we are thinking about1 the ,bible
 in the  vernacular1 the tongue most of 
us best understand4 ,one is grateful to 
have studied ,hebrew and ,greek1 just to
 be able to tell others who  have not   
that they do not require either to      
hearken to our ,heavenly  ,father's     
voice4 ,he has an advantage as a scholar
 who can utilise the  original tongues2 
but the ,bible was not given to         
scholars1 but to the  people1 and hear  
we every man in our own tongue wherein  
we were  born 7,acts #b3h74 ,it is not  
at all inconsistent to add that he who  
masters the ,english ,bible is possessed
 of the strongest inducement to  study  
it in ,hebrew and ,greek4      ,that    
which follows grows largely out of the  
writer's personal  experience4 ,for the 
first eight or ten years of my ministry 
,i did not  know my ,english ,bible as  
,i should have known it1 a fact to which
 my  own spiritual life and the         

character of my pulpit ministrations    
bore  depressing witness4 ,sidenote3    
,the ,bible in the ,seminary ,nor was ,i
  so fortunate as to meet with more than
 one or two brethren in the  ministry   
who knew their ,english ,bible very much
 better than ,i knew  mine4 ,they all   
declared that the theological seminaries
 did not  profess to teach the ,english 
,bible4 ,they taught much about the     
,bible  of great importance for         
ministers to know1 such as the ,hebrew  
and  ,greek tongues1 the principles of  
exegesis and interpretation1 the        
history of the text1 and the proofs and 
illustrations of ,christian  doctrine2  
but1 in the words of one of the         
ministers referred to 7which  have      
appeared in print71 while we had some   
special lessons in one or  two of the   
epistles1 several of the psalms1 in some
 of the prophecies1  and in a few select
 portions of the gospels1 other and     
vastly  important parts of the ,bible   
were left out altogether4 ,we had       

nothing  on the book of ,revelation1 no 
elaborate study of the ,mosaic ritual   
and  its profound system of types1 and  
especially were we left uninitiated     
into the minute and wonderful           
co-ordination of parts in the various   
books of the ,old and ,new ,testaments1 
which disclose a stupendous  divine plan
 running through the whole1 linking them
 all together as an  indissoluble unit  
and carrying with them an amazing power 
of  conviction4    ,the seminaries have 
assumed that students were acquainted   
with the  great facts of the ,english   
,bible and their relation to one another
  before matriculation1 but so competent
 an authority as ,president  ,harper    
declares that to indicate the line of   
thought and chief ideas  of a particular
 prophet1 or the argument of an epistle1
 or to state  even the most important   
events in the life of our ,lord1 would  
be  impossible for the average college  
graduate4 ,it is such an  unfortunate   
state of things which1 to a certain     

extent1 accounts for  the rise and      
maintenance of those excellent          
institutions1 the ,moody  ,bible        
,institute in this country and          
,spurgeon's ,college in ,london1  with  
their almost countless offspring and    
imitators everywhere1  creating as they 
have a distinct atmosphere of biblical  
and  evangelistic teaching and          
preaching4 ,it is commonly supposed1 it 
may  be said in passing1 that these     
institutions cater to or attract only   
men or women of very limited educational
 attainments1 but in the case  of the   
first-named1 at least1 an incidental    
census taken recently  disclosed the    
fact that one-third of the male students
 then on the  rolls or who had lately   
left were college-trained2 one may      
safely  hazard the opinion that in the  
women's department the proportion of    
college-trained students would have been
 still larger4      ,sidenote3 ,help    
from a ,layman    ,the first practical  
help ,i ever received in the mastery of 

the  ,english ,bible was from a layman4 
,we were fellow-attendants at a  certain
 ,christian conference or convention and
 thrown together a good  deal for       
several days1 and ,i saw something in   
his ,christian life to  which ,i was a  
comparative stranger--a peace1 a rest1 a
 joy1 a kind of  spiritual poise ,i knew
 little about4 ,one day ,i ventured to  
ask him  how he had become possessed of 
the experience1 when he replied1 ,by    
reading the epistle to the ,ephesians4  
,i was surprised1 for ,i had  read it   
without such results1 and therefore     
asked him to explain the  manner of his 
reading1 when he related the following3 
,he had gone  into the country to spend 
the ,sabbath with his family on one     
occasion1 taking with him a pocket copy 
of ,ephesians1 and in the  afternoon1   
going out into the woods and lying down 
under a tree1 he  began to read it2 he  
read it through at a single reading1 and
 finding  his interest aroused1 read it 
through again in the same way1 and1 his 

interest increasing1 again and again4 ,i
 think he added that he read  it some   
twelve or fifteen times1 and when ,i    
arose to go into the  house1 said he1 ,i
 was in possession of ,ephesians1 or    
better yet1 it  was in possession of me1
 and ,i had been 'lifted up to sit      
together in  heavenly places in ,christ 
,jesus' in an experimental sense in     
which  that had not been true in me     
before1 and will never cease to be true 
in me again4    ,i confess that as ,i   
listened to this simple recital my heart
 was  going up in thanksgiving to ,god  
for answered prayer1 the prayer  really 
of months1 if not years1 that ,i might  
come to know how to  master ,his ,word4 
,and yet1 side by side with the         
thanksgiving was  humiliation that ,i   
had not discovered so simple a principle
 before1  which a boy of ten or twelve  
might have known4 ,and to think that an 
ordained minister must sit at the feet  
of a layman to learn the  most important
 secret of his trade6    ,sidenote3 ,dr4

 ,stalker's ,experience    ,since that  
day1 however1 the writer has found some 
comfort in the  thought that other      
ministers have had a not unlike         
experience4 ,in an  address before the  
,national ,bible ,society of ,scotland1 
the ,rev4 ,dr4  ,stalker speaks of the  
first time he ever read a whole book of 
the  ,bible straight through at a       
sitting4 ,it was while as a student he  
was spending a winter in ,france1 and   
there being no ,protestant church  in   
the town where he was passing a ,sunday1
 he was thrown on his own  resources4   
,leaving the hotel where he was staying1
 he lay down on a  green knoll and began
 reading here and there as it chanced1  
till1  coming to the epistle to the     
,romans1 he read on and on through to   
the  end4 ,as ,i proceeded1 he said1 ,i 
began to catch the drift of ,paul's     
thought2 or rather1 ,i was caught by it 
and drawn on4 ,the mighty  argument     
opened out and arose like a great work  
of art above me till  at last it        

enclosed me within its perfect          
proportions4 ,it was a  revolutionary   
experience4 ,i saw for the first time   
that a book of  ,scripture is a complete
 discussion of a single subject2 ,i felt
 the  force of the book as a whole1 and 
,i understood the different parts in    
the light of the whole as ,i had never  
understood them when reading  them by   
themselves4 ,thus to master book after  
book is to fill the  mind with the great
 thoughts of ,god4      ,sidenote3 ,the 
,author's ,plan    ,let me now speak of 
what ,i1 personally1 began to do after  
the  suggestion of the layman1 for the  
results which1 in the providence of     
,god1 have grown out of it seem to      
warrant dwelling upon it even at  the   
risk of prolixity on the one hand or the
 suspicion of egotism on  the other4 ,at
 first1 supposing it more desirable to  
read the books in  the original than the
 vernacular1 ,i began to memorise some  
of the  smaller epistles in ,greek1 but 
the ,lord showed me a more excellent    

way in view of the purpose which the    
event proved ,him to have had in  mind  
in the matter4 ,accordingly1 ignoring   
the ,bible tongues for the  time1 ,i    
read ,genesis through in the ,english at
 a single reading1 and  then repeated   
the process again and again until the   
book in its great  outlines had         
practically become mine4 ,then ,i took  
up ,exodus in the  same way1 ,leviticus1
 ,numbers1 and practically all the other
 books of  the ,old and ,new ,testaments
 to ,revelation1 with the exception of  
,proverbs1 the ,psalms and one or two   
others which do not lend  themselves    
readily to that plan of reading1 and    
indeed do not require  it to their      
understanding and mastery4 ,i am careful
 to emphasise the  fact that ,i did not 
read the ,bible in course1 as it is     
commonly  understood4 ,one might read it
 in that way a great many times and not 
master it in the sense indicated above4 
,the plan was to read and  re-read each 
book by itself and in its order1 as     

though there were no  other in          
existence1 until it had become a part of
 the very being4      ,sidenote3 ,joy   
and ,power    ,was the task tedious and 
long8 ,no more than was ,jacob's when he
  served ,laban for his daughter        
,rachel4 ,there were compensations all  
along the way and ever-increasing       
delight4 ,no romance ever held sway     
over the thought and imagination in     
comparison with this ,book of  books4 ,a
 better investment of time were never   
made by any minister2  and1 shut me up  
to-day to a choice between all the      
ministerial lore ,i  ever learned       
elsewhere and what was learned in this  
synthetic reading  of the ,bible1 and it
 would not take me many minutes to      
decide in  favour of the latter4 ,nor   
did ,i know until lately how closely my 
feeling in this respect harmonised with 
that of a great educator and  theologian
 of an earlier day4 ,sidenote3 ,dean    
,burgon and ,dr4 ,routh  ,dean ,burgon  
tells of an interview he had in #ahdf   

with the learned  president of ,magdalen
 ,college1 ,oxford1 ,dr4 ,martin ,joseph
 ,routh1 then  aged ninety-one4 ,he had 
called upon him for advice as to the    
best way  of pursuing his theological   
studies4    ,i think1 sir1 said ,dr4    
,routh1 were ,i you1 sir--that ,i       
would--first  of all--read the--the     
,gospel according to ,st4 ,matthew4     
,here he  paused4 ,and after ,i had read
 the ,gospel according to ,st4          
,matthew--,i  would--were ,i you1       
sir--go on to read--the ,gospel         
according to  ,st4--,mark4    ,i looked 
at him1 says ,dean ,burgon1 anxiously1  
to see whether he  was serious4 ,one    
glance was enough4 ,he was giving me1   
but at a very  slow rate1 the outline of
 my future course4    ,here was a       
theologian of ninety-one1 says the      
narrator of this  incident1 who1 after  
surveying the entire field of sacred    
science1  had come back to the starting 
point1 and had nothing better to advise 
me to read than--the ,gospel6 ,and thus 

he kept on until he had  mentioned all  
the books of the ,new ,testament4 ,sad1 
however1 that the  story should have    
been spoiled by his not beginning at    
,genesis6      ,sidenote3 ,lightening   
,labour    ,words fail me to express the
 blessing that reading has been to      
me--strengthening my conviction as to   
the integrity and plenary  inspiration  
of the whole ,book1 enlarging my mental 
vision as to the  divine plan along the 
line of dispensational truth1 purifying 
my life  and lightening my labours in   
the ministry until that which before had
  often been a burden and weariness to  
the flesh1 became a continual  joy and  
delight4    ,to speak of this last-named
 matter a little further4 ,the claims on
 a  city pastor in these days are enough
 to break down the strongest men1       
especially when their pulpit preparation
 involves the production of  two        
orations or finished theses each week   
for which they must read  up in         
systematic treatises1 philosophic       

disquisitions1 works of  literature1    
magazine articles and what not1 drawing 
upon their  ingenuity of invention and  
fertility of imagination all the time in
  order to be original1 striking1       
elegant and fresh4 ,but when they  come 
to know their ,bible1 and get imbued    
with its lore and anointed  by the      
,spirit through whom it speaks1         
sermonising will give place  to         
preaching--the preaching that ,god bids 
us to preach1 the  exposition of ,his   
own ,word1 which is not only much easier
 to do1 but  correspondingly more       
fruitful in spiritual results4 ,and1    
indeed1 it  is the kind of preaching    
that people want to hear--all kinds of  
people1 the converted and the           
unconverted1 the rich and the poor4 ,a  
wide experience convinces me of this4   
,here is the minister's field1  his     
specialty1 his throne4 ,he may not be a 
master in other things2 he  may and     
should be a master in this4 ,the really 
great preachers  to-day1 the            

,mac,larens1 the ,torreys1 the ,campbell
 ,morgans1 are ,bible  expounders4      
,george ,whitefield1 in ,boston1 had a  
congregation of two  thousand people at 
six o'clock in the morning to hear him  
expound  the ,bible4 ,the people trod on
 ,jesus to hear the ,word of ,god1 and  
if  pastors only knew it1 it is the way 
to get and to hold the people  still4   
,sidenote3 ,d4 ,l4 ,moody and the       
,international ,bible ,classes    ,my   
experience in the premises soon began to
 be that of others4 ,some  theological  
students under my care at the time      
undertook the mastery  of the ,english  
,bible in the same way and with the same
 blessing4 ,then  the work began to     
broaden1 and ,god's further purpose to  
reveal  itself4 ,such ,bible institutes 
as those already spoken of1 organised   
for the purpose of training ,christian  
young men and women as  evangelists1    
pastors' helpers1 missionaries and      
gospel workers  generally1 were in need 
of some simple1 yet practical1 method of

  putting their students in possession  
of the facts of the ,word of ,god  for  
use among the people with whom they had 
to deal1 and ,god had been  making ready
 to supply their need4 ,but out of these
 institutes again  have grown those     
large interdenominational ,bible classes
 which have  become a feature of our    
church life in different parts of the   
country4 ,their origin is traceable1    
like that of so many other good  things 
of the kind1 to the suggestion and      
support of the late ,d4 ,l4  ,moody4    
,one summer1 while conducting a special 
course of ,bible study  in the ,chicago 
,institute1 he said to the writer3 ,if  
this synthetic  method of teaching the  
,bible is so desirable for and popular  
with our  day classes1 why would it not 
take equally well with the masses of    
the people on a large scale8 ,if ,i     
arrange for a mass meeting in the       
,chicago ,avenue ,church1 will you speak
 to the people on ',how to ,master  the 
,english ,bible' and let us see what    

will come of it8 ,the  suggestion being 
acted upon1 as a result about four      
hundred persons  out of some one        
thousand present that evening resolved  
themselves into  a union ,bible class   
for the synthetic study of the ,bible   
under the  leadership of ,mr4 ,william  
,r4 ,newell1 then assistant             
superintendent  of the ,institute4 ,this
 class continued to meet regularly once 
a week  with unabated interest          
throughout the whole of that fall and   
winter1  and the next year had          
multiplied into five classes held in    
different  parts of the city1 on        
different evenings of the week1 but     
under the  same teacher1 and with an    
aggregate membership of over four       
thousand4  ,the year following1 this had
 increased to over five thousand1 two or
  three of the classes averaging        
separately an attendance of twelve      
hundred to fifteen hundred4 ,since that 
time several similar classes  have      
attained a membership approaching two   

thousand1 and one1 in  ,toronto1 to     
nearly four thousand4 ,at the time of   
this writing1 in the  heat of the       
summer1 such a class is being held      
weekly in ,chicago4  ,from ,chicago the 
work spread in other cities of the ,east
 and ,middle  ,west1 and under other    
teachers4 ,classes for briefer periods  
have been  carried on in ,canada and    
,great ,britain4 ,a religious weekly    
organised  a class to be conducted      
through its columns1 enrolling tens of  
thousands in its membership1 and through
 its influence many pastors1            
,y4,m4,c4,a4 and ,y4,w4,c4,a4 workers   
have instituted classes in their own    
fields which have1 in turn1 multiplied  
the interest in the popular  study of   
the ,english ,bible in increasing ratio4
          ,,explanation ,,of ,,the      
,,method          ,,part ,,ii           
,,explanation ,,of ,,the ,,method       
,the contents of the preceding pages may
 be said to be preliminary to  the      
definition or description of what the   

synthetic study of the  ,bible is2 for  
by that name the method to be described 
has come to be  called4 ,the word       
synthesis suggests the opposite idea to 
the word  analysis4 ,when we analyse a  
subject we take it apart and consider   
it in its various elements1 but when we 
synthesise it1 so to speak1  we put it  
together and consider it as a whole4    
,now the synthetic  study of the ,bible 
means1 as nearly as possible1 the study 
of the  ,bible as a whole1 and each book
 of the ,bible as a whole1 and as seen  
in its relation to the other books4     
,sidenote3 ,a ,coloured ,critic    ,a   
very dear ,christian friend and         
neighbour1 the late ,a4 ,j4 ,gordon1    
,d4,d41 used to tell an amusing story of
 a conversation with a deacon  of a     
church for coloured people in his       
proximity4 ,he asked the deacon  how the
 people liked their new pastor1 and was 
surprised to hear him  say1 ,not berry  
much4 ,when pressed for an explanation  
he added that  the pastor told too many 

'antidotes' in the pulpit4 ,why1 said   
the  doctor1 ,i'm surprised to hear     
that2 ,i thought he was a great ,bible  
man4 ,well1 replied the deacon1 ,i'll   
tell yer how 'tis4 ,he's de  best man ,i
 ebber see'd to tak' de ,bible apart1   
but he dunno how to  put it togedder    
agin4 ,principal ,cairns1 ,i think it   
was1 who heard  this story1 said it was 
the best illustration of the distinction
  between the constructive and          
destructive criticism to which he had   
ever listened4 ,the synthetic study of  
the ,bible1 it may be said in a  word1  
is an attempt to put it together rather 
than to take it apart4      ,sidenote3  
,illustrations of the ,method    ,to    
illustrate1 ,i have always felt a sort  
of injury in the way ,i was  taught     
geography2 capes and bays1 and lakes and
 rivers were sought to  be crowded on my
 understanding before ,i ever saw a     
globe4 ,should not  the globe come      
first1 then the hemispheres1 continents1
 nations1  capitals and the rest8 ,does 

not a view of the whole materially      
assist  in the comprehension of the     
parts8 ,is it not vital to it1 indeed8  
,and  history--what is the true method  
of its study8 ,is it not first the      
outline history of the world1 then its  
great divisions1 ancient1  mediaeval1   
modern1 then the separate peoples or    
kingdoms in each1 and  so on8 ,how could
 you hope to interest a child in botany 
who had never  seen a flower8 ,how would
 you study a picture of a landscape8    
,would  you cover the canvas with a     
cloth and study one feature of it at a  
time8 ,what idea of it would you obtain 
under such circumstances8  ,would you   
not rather say1 ,hang it in the proper  
light1 let me get  the right position   
with regard to it1 and take it all in at
 a  single glance1 fasten the whole of  
it at once on the camera of my          
consciousness1 and then ,i shall be able
 and interested afterward to  study it  
in detail1 and to go into the questions 
of proportion1 and  perspective1 and    

shading1 and colouring and all that8 ,is
 it not the  failure to adopt the       
corresponding plan in ,bible study which
 accounts  in large measure for the lack
 of enthusiastic interest in its        
prosecution on the part of the people8  
,sidenote3 ,the ,american ,bible ,league
    ,it is assuring to discover that the
 ,american ,bible ,league1 which        
promises to do much to quicken ,bible   
study among the people along  lines of  
faith in its integrity as the revealed  
,word of ,god1 has  reached almost      
precisely the same conclusion as to     
method4 ,the  esteemed secretary of that
 league1 ,rev4 ,d4 ,s4 ,gregory1 ,d4,d41
 ,,ll4,d41 a  man of wide experience in 
educational and literary lines other    
than  those of the promulgation of      
,bible truth1 charges the present       
ignorance of the ,bible1 everywhere in  
evidence1 to the failure of  the old    
methods of its study4 ,to quote his     
words in the ,bible  ,student and       
,teacher3    ,the fragmentary method was

 tried for a generation or two4 ,we were
  kept studying the comments upon verse 
after verse1 on the tacit  assumption   
that no verse had any connection with   
any other verse1  until we wearied of   
that1 and would have no more of it4     
,so the lesson systems came in1 and we  
have had series upon series  of such    
systems1 showing that men deeply felt   
that there was need of  system in the   
study of the ,bible4 ,but these systems 
have been  artificial1 all of them2 the 
latest of all the most so of all4 ,the  
men who have been engaged in preparing  
them deserve our gratitude4  ,they have 
done the best they could1 doubtless2 and
 we will look for  more light and       
improvement for the time to come4 ,but  
you hear  everywhere that the people are
 weary of lesson systems4 ,they are so  
because the systems are artificial1 and 
because they do not take you  directly  
to the ,bible as the ,word of ,god1 but 
rather by means of most  useful lesson  
leaves and other devices take you away  

from it4    ,and it is impossible to    
grasp the system1 however valuable it   
may  be4 ,you study in seven years your 
three hundred and fifty lessons in  a   
so-called system2 and at the end of the 
seven years the best memory  in         
,christendom has been found unable to   
hold that system so as to  tell what has
 been taught in that time4 ,when you    
have passed on from  each lesson you    
have lost its connection with the       
,bible1 and lost the  lesson1 too4      
,sidenote3 ,rationalism in the ,sunday  
,school    ,it is the judgment of this  
same observer that these fragmentary    
methods account1 in part1 for the       
assault of the rationalistic  critics   
upon the work of the ,sunday school4    
,there was a call for  something better1
 a 'vacuum' in the minds of teachers and
 professors  in charge of instruction in
 the ,bible1 and just at the            
psychological  moment there came all    
this ,german material--interesting1     
ingenious1  imaginative1 ready to fill  

that vacuum4 ,the two needs met1 and so 
we  have had our recent development of  
the critical system of studying  and    
presenting the ,bible1 which they are   
seeking now to introduce  into all the  
schools and colleges and ,sunday        
schools4    ,that critical method has   
taken the ,bible apart into bits and    
scraps  and scattered it to the ends of 
the earth1 as we have heard and have    
reason to know4 ,when one comes upon its
 results he feels that he does  not know
 exactly where he is4    ,men hate bits 
and scraps1 as this writer says1 and as 
,bible teachers  we should bring our    
methods into harmony with their natural 
constructive sense4 ,like the expert    
mountain climber1 let us take  them to  
the highest peak first1 that they may   
see the whole range1  and then they can 
intelligently and enthusiastically study
 the  features of the lower levels in   
their relation to the whole4 ,the       
opposite plan is confusing and a        
weariness to the flesh4 ,give people  to

 see for themselves what the ,bible is  
in the large1 and then they  will have a
 desire to see it in detail4 ,put a     
telescope in their  hands first1 and a  
microscope afterwards4 ,sidenote3       
,luther and  the ,apple ,tree ,martin   
,luther used to say that he studied the 
,bible  as he gathered apples4 ,he shook
 the tree first1 then the limbs1 then   
the branches1 and after that he reached 
out under the leaves for the  remaining 
fruit4 ,the reverse order is monotonous 
in either case--  studying the ,bible or
 gathering apples4          ,,the ,,plan
 ,,at ,,work          ,,part ,,iii      
,,the ,,plan ,,at ,,work      ,sidenote3
 ,begin at the ,beginning    ,there are 
certain simple rules to be observed in  
the synthetic study  of the ,bible if we
 want to master it1 and the first is to 
begin to  study it where ,god began to  
write it1 i4e4 at the book of ,genesis4 
,the newer criticism would dispute this 
statement about the primary  authorship 
of ,genesis1 but the best answer to the 

objection is to try  the plan4 ,as ,dr4 
,smith says in his ,the ,integrity of   
,scripture3  ,inherent in revelation    
there is a self-witness4 ,the latest    
portion  points to the beginning1 and   
the beginning1 with all that may be     
limited and provisional1 contains the   
germ of the end4 ,god's  discovery of   
,himself is not an episode1 but rooted  
in a vast breadth  of the world's life1 
intertwined with human history1 and     
growing from  less to more1 as in this  
divine education and discipline man     
became  capable of receiving the full   
self-unveiling of ,god4    ,dr4         
,ashmore1 for fifty years an honoured   
missionary of the ,american  ,baptist   
,missionary ,union at ,shanghai1 relates
 the following1 which  furnishes a      
practical illustration of this thought4 
,at one time he  and his brother        
missionaries started a ,bible school for
 their young  converts1 and began to    
teach them the ,epistle to the ,hebrews4
 ,now the  ,chinese are remarkable for  

an inquiring disposition1 and questions 
began to descend upon the teachers to   
such a degree that they were  compelled 
to forego their purpose to teach        
,hebrews and go back to  ,leviticus as  
explanatory of or introductory to it4   
,but the teaching  of ,leviticus        
produced the same result1 and they went 
back to ,exodus4  ,and from ,exodus they
 were driven to ,genesis1 when the      
questions  materially abated4 ,the      
,bible is wondrously self-interpretive  
if we  will give it an opportunity1 and 
that opportunity is afforded if in  its 
perusal we will wisely and submissively 
follow the channel marked  out by its   
divine ,author4      ,sidenote3 ,read   
the ,book    ,the second rule is to read
 the book4 ,it is not asked that it be  
studied in the ordinary sense1 or       
memorised1 or even sought to be         
understood at first2 but simply read4   
,the purpose is to make the task  as    
easy1 as natural1 and as pleasant as    
possible4 ,it matters not1 for  the time

 being1 how rapidly you read it1 if you 
but read it4 ,but is  it not strange    
that this is one of the last things many
 really  earnest ,christians and seekers
 after ,bible truth are willing to do8  
,they will read books about the ,bible  
almost without limit1 but to  read the  
books of the ,bible itself is another   
matter4 ,but how could  one master any  
corresponding subject by such a method8 
,and is it not  dishonouring to ,god for
 any reason to treat ,his authorship    
thus8 ,we  are living in a time when1 if
 only for good form1 we feel an         
obligation to be acquainted with the    
best authors4 ,but shall we say  that   
,dante1 or ,shakespeare1 or any other of
 the masters is able to  interest us in 
what he wrote1 while ,he who created him
 is unable to  do so8 ,are we prepared  
to confess that ,god cannot write a book
 as  capable of holding our attention as
 that of one of ,his creatures8  ,what  
an indictment we are writing down       
against ourselves in saying  that1 and  

how it convinces us of sin6    ,i know a
 lady who once travelled a long distance
 on a railroad with  her trunk unlocked1
 and when she met her husband at the    
terminus and  reported the circumstance 
there was naturally some emotion in her 
speech4 ,she had been unable to find the
 key anywhere1 she said1 and  only      
discovered its loss at too late a moment
 to have another fitted  before she     
started upon her journey4 ,and the trunk
 with all its  treasures had come that  
whole distance with only a strap around 
it4  ,why1 exclaimed her husband1 do you
 not recall that when we come  home from
 a journey ,i always fasten the key of  
the trunk to one of  its handles8       
,there's your key1 pointing to the end  
of the trunk4 ,the  incident is recalled
 by the so frequent inquiry one hears   
for a key  to the ,bible4 ,its ,author  
has provided one1 and to the average    
person1  at least in this enlightened   
country1 it is always at hand4 ,read the
  book4      ,sidenote3 ,read ,it       

,continuously    ,the third rule is1    
read the book continuously4 ,i think it 
is in his  lecture on ,the ,lost ,arts  
that ,wendell ,phillips tells the story 
of  the weaver who turned out so much   
more material from his loom than  any   
other workman in the mill4 ,how was it  
done8 ,in vain was the  secret sought1  
until one day a bribe from one of his   
employers  elicited the information1    
,chalk the bobbins4 ,each morning he had
  carried a piece of chalk with him to  
his loom1 and when unobserved1  applied 
it to that small but important part of  
the machinery4 ,the  result was         
astonishing4 ,the application of the    
chalk to every bobbin  of every loom of 
every workman made his employers rich4  
,who cannot  supplement this story with 
some other where a principle just as    
simple wrought results as great8 ,try it
 in the case of the continuous  reading 
of a given book of the ,bible1 and see  
what it will do4    ,but what is the    
meaning of continuous in this instance8 

,the  adjective may not be the most     
lucid1 but the idea is this3 ,it stands 
for two things--the reading of the book 
uninfluenced by its divisions  into     
chapters and verses1 and the reading of 
the book in this way at  a single       
sitting4 ,the divisions1 it should be   
remembered1 are of  human origin and not
 divine1 and1 while effecting a good    
purpose in  some particulars1 are a     
hindrance to the mastery of the book in 
others4 ,sometimes a chapter or a verse 
will cut a truth in half1  whose halves 
state a different fact or teach a       
different doctrine  from that intended  
by the whole1 and necessarily affecting 
the  conception of the outline4 ,as to  
the single sitting1 the reason for  it  
is this4 ,many of the books of the      
,bible have a single thread  running    
through the whole--a pivotal idea around
 which all the  subsidiary ones         
resolve--and to catch this thread1 to   
seize upon this  idea1 it is absolutely 
necessary to unravel or break up the    

whole in  its essential parts4 ,to read 
,genesis in this way1 for example1 will 
lead to the discovery that1 large as the
 book is1 it contains but  five great or
 outline facts1 viz43        ,the       
history of creation4      ,the history  
of the fall4      ,the history of the   
deluge4      ,the history of the origin 
of the nations4      ,the history of the
 patriarchs4      ,it is1 then1 a book  
of history1 and the larger part of it   
history of  the biographical sort4 ,this
 last-named fact can be subdivided again
  into four facts1 viz41 the histories  
of ,abraham1 ,isaac1 ,jacob1 and        
,joseph1 and thus the whole book can be 
kept in mind in a very  practical way in
 eight words4 ,moreover1 the reading    
necessary to have  gained the eight     
words will unconsciously have fastened  
upon the  understanding the subsidiary  
facts associated with each word1 so that
  a very satisfactory examination might 
be passed as to the contents of  the    
whole book4      ,sidenote3 ,read ,it   

,repeatedly    ,the fourth rule is to   
read the book repeatedly4 ,the reader   
will  understand that by the book in    
every case is meant the particular  book
 of the ,bible1 ,genesis1 for example1  
which it is now being sought  to master1
 and which is not to be laid aside for  
any other succeeding  book of the ,bible
 until the mastery is assured4 ,this    
cannot usually  be accomplished by one  
reading1 but only by repeated readings  
after  the manner designated4 ,a        
stranger sailing along the ,new ,england
 coast  on a foggy morning could hardly 
believe there was a coast4 ,but later1  
when the sun rises and the fog begins to
 dissipate1 there is1 at  first1 a line 
of sandy beach discernible1 then a      
cluster or two of  rocks1 then a little 
verdure1 a house or two1 a country road1
 the  wooded hillside1 until at length  
the whole of the beautiful landscape    
stands out in view4 ,it is much the same
 in the synthetic reading of a  given   
book of the ,bible4 ,the first view is  

not always satisfactory1  and it        
requires a little courage to try again  
and again2 but the  effort brings a     
wonderful and inspiring result at last4 
,the first  reading of ,genesis may not 
reveal what was spoken of above1 but two
  or three readings will reveal it4     
,leviticus is more difficult than       
,genesis or even ,exodus1 because it  is
 dealing with laws and ordinances rather
 than historic happenings2  but as soon 
as you discover that its theme is laws1 
these latter will  begin to             
differentiate themselves before your    
mind and naturally  suggest a simple    
classification such as this3        ,the
 law of the offerings4      ,the law of 
the consecration of the priests4        
,the law of the clean and the unclean4  
,the law of the day of atonement4       
,the law of the feasts4      ,the law of
 the redemption of land and slaves4     
,the law of the year of jubilee4        
,what a great and indispensable aid such
 a classification is for any  further   

study of that book or1 for that matter1 
any other part of the  ,bible to which  
this revelation of the ceremonial law is
 particularly  related6 ,even the ,old  
,testament prophets1 which some have    
described  as the desert of the         
,scriptures1 will rejoice and blossom as
  the rose under such treatment as this1
 the discourses readily  distinguishing 
themselves by structure and subject4    
,and1 of course1  the ,new ,testament   
will possess far less difficulty than   
the ,old4      ,sidenote3 ,read ,it     
,independently    ,the fifth rule is to 
read it independently--i4e4             
independently1 at  first at least1 of   
all commentaries and other outside aids4
 ,these are  invaluable in their place1 
of course1 but in the mastery of the    
,english ,bible in the present sense1   
that place is not before but  after one 
has got an outline of a given book for  
himself4 ,indeed1 an  imperfect or      
erroneous outline of one's own is better
 than a  perfect outline of another4    

,the necessity to alter it when1 by     
comparison1 the error is discovered may 
prove a valuable discipline  and        
education4    ,the independent reading  
of a book in this sense is urged because
 of  its development of one's own       
intellectual powers4 ,to be ever leaning
  on help from others is like walking on
 stilts all one's life and  never       
attempting to place one's feet on the   
ground4 ,who can ever come  to know the 
most direct and highest type of the     
teaching of the ,holy  ,spirit in this  
way8 ,who can ever understand the most  
precious and  thrilling experiences of  
spiritual illumination thus8 ,should you
 wish  to teach others1 how could you   
communicate to them that sense of your  
own mastery of the subject so vital to a
 pedagogue had you never  really dealt  
with it at first hand8 ,one of our      
millionaires is  reported as carrying a 
cow around with him on his yacht because
 he  dislikes condensed milk4 ,it is a  
great gain to so know the ,bible for    

yourself that1 carrying it with you     
wherever you go1 you may be  measurably 
independent of other books in its study 
and use4    ,but there is another reason
 for the independent reading of the     
book1  and that is the deliverance from 
intellectual confusion which it         
secures4 ,the temptation is1 when an    
interpretive difficulty is  reached1 to 
turn at once to the commentary for      
light1 which means so  very often that  
the reader has become side-tracked for  
good1 or  rather bad1 as the situation  
is now viewed4 ,the search for the      
solution of one little difficulty leads 
to searching for another1 and  that for 
another1 until1 to employ ,f4 ,b4       
,meyer's figure1 we have  become so     
occupied with the hedgerows and the     
copses of the  landscape as to lose the 
conception of the whole sweep and extent
 of  the panorama of truth4 ,the        
intensive has been pursued to the great 
disadvantage of the extensive1 and      
usually there is nothing to be  done but

 to begin all over again1 for which     
every reader does not  possess the      
required courage4    ,and there is an   
advantage in this independent reading   
from the  teacher's point of view1 too1 
as well as that of the learner4 ,how    
many pastors through the country have   
spoken of the success the  synthetic    
method has been to them in attracting   
their people to the  house of ,god and  
awakening in them a real interest in    
,bible study6  ,that is1 what a success 
it has been up to a certain point1 when 
they  got swamped1 to use the very      
expressive word of more than one of     
them6 ,swamped8 ,how8 ,investigation has
 always revealed the one cause1  and    
brought the one confession--a failure to
 diligently and  faithfully pursue the  
method in consequence of the temptation 
to  investigate minutiae and multiply   
details4 ,there is lying before  me at  
this moment the debris of a collapse of 
this kind4 ,a  devoted pastor sends me  
the printed syllabus of his work with   

his  congregation covering the          
,hexateuch4 ,they were so delighted and 
so  helped by it until now1 when there  
has come a hitch4 ,he fears he is       
getting away from the plan1 and giving  
and expecting too much4 ,and  his work  
reveals the ground of his fears4 ,such  
work belongs to the  pastor in his      
study1 but not on the platform before a 
popular  audience in ,bible teaching4   
,and if it will swamp the trained and   
cultivated teacher1 how much more the   
inexperienced learner6 ,a  faithful     
reading of the various books on an      
independent basis will  secure a working
 outline1 and this should be carried    
with one in his  mind1 and on his       
notebook1 as he proceeds from book to   
book1 until  the work is done4 ,then he 
can successively begin his finer work1  
and analyse his outline1 and study      
helps1 and gather light1 and  accumulate
 material1 without confusion of thought1
 without a false  perspective1 and with 
an ever-increasing sense of joy and     

power4      ,sidenote3 ,read ,it        
,prayerfully    ,the most important rule
 is the last4 ,read it prayerfully4 ,let
 not the  triteness of the observation  
belittle it1 or all is lost4 ,the point 
is insisted on because1 since the ,bible
 is a supernatural book1 it  can be     
studied or mastered only by supernatural
 aid4 ,in the words of  ,william ,luff1 
,it is the ,spirit's ,bible6 ,copyright 
every word6      ,only ,his thoughts are
 uttered1 only ,his voice is heard6     
,who is so well able to illuminate the  
pages of a given book as the  author who
 composed it8 ,how often when one has   
been reading ,browning  has he wished   
,browning were at his side to interpret 
,browning6 ,but  the ,holy ,spirit1 by  
whom holy men of old wrote1 dwells      
within the  believer on ,jesus ,christ  
for the very purpose of bringing things 
to  his remembrance and guiding him into
 all the truth4 ,coleridge  said1 ,the  
,bible without the ,holy ,spirit is a   
sundial by moonlight1  and a greater    

than he said1 ,we have received1 not the
 spirit of the  world1 but the ,spirit  
which is of ,god1 that we might know the
 things  that are freely given us of    
,god 7#a ,corinthians #b3ab74 ,that dear
 old  ,scottish saint1 ,andrew ,bonar1  
discriminated between a minister's      
getting his text from the ,bible1 and   
getting it from ,god through the        
,bible2 a fine distinction that holds   
good not only with reference to  the    
selection of a text to preach upon1 but 
with reference to the  apprehension     
spiritually of any part of the ,word of 
,god4 ,eye hath  not seen1 nor ear      
heard1 neither have entered into the    
heart of man1  the things which ,god    
hath prepared for them that love him2   
but ,god  hath revealed them unto us by 
his ,spirit 7#a ,corinthians #b3i1 #aj74
  ,the inspired apostle does not say    
,god has revealed them unto us by  ,his 
,word1 though they are in ,his ,word2   
but by ,his ,spirit through ,his  ,word4
 ,for the ,spirit searcheth all things1 

yea1 the deep things of  ,god4 ,for what
 man knoweth the things of a man1 save  
the spirit of the  man which is in him8 
,even so1 the things of ,god knoweth no 
man1 but  the ,spirit of ,god4    ,there
 is a parallel passage to the above in  
the first chapter of  ,ephesians which  
has always impressed the writer with    
great force4  ,paul had been unveiling  
the profoundest verities of holy writ to
 the  ,ephesians1 and then he prays that
 the eyes of their heart 7,r4,v47  might
 be enlightened to understand1 to know  
what he had unveiled4 ,he  had been     
telling them what was the hope of their 
calling1 and the  riches of the glory of
 ,god's inheritance in the saints1 and  
the  exceeding greatness of ,his power  
toward them that believe2 but how  could
 they apprehend what he had told them1  
save as the ,holy ,spirit  took of these
 things of ,christ and showed them unto 
them8 ,the ,word of  ,god is not enough 
without the ,spirit of ,god4 ,in the    
light of the  foregoing1 let the reader 

punctuate the reading of it and every   
part  of it with prayer to its divine   
,author1 and he will come to know ,how  
to ,master the ,english ,bible4         
,,results ,,in ,,the ,,pulpit           
,,part ,,iv      ,,results ,,in ,,the   
,,pulpit      ,in the preceding pages   
the consideration of the lay reader has 
been  in the foreground1 though the     
ministry has not been out of mind4 ,but 
in what follows the writer ventures to  
address his brethren of the  ministry1  
especially his younger brethren1 most   
particularly4 ,in vain  we seek to      
interest the people in ,bible study in  
any permanent or  general way except as 
they are stimulated thereto by the      
instruction  and example of their       
ministers4    ,sidenote3 ,a ,vitiated   
,taste    ,there must be even more than 
an example4 ,in connection with a ,bible
  conference in a city of the ,middle   
,west1 a private gathering of  pastors  
was held1 at which one of them arose and
 with deep emotion  said3 ,brethren1 ,i 

have a confession to make4 ,i know not  
whether it  will fit in with the        
experience of any others1 but ,i have   
been guilty  of cultivating in my people
 a vitiated taste for preaching1 and    
henceforth1 by ,god's help1 ,i intend to
 give them ,his own ,word4 ,to  search  
the ,scriptures on their own account1   
the people of our  churches must acquire
 a taste for their contents4 ,they must 
be  constantly fed with the bread of    
life to have an appetite for it4  ,they 
will desire the sincere milk of the     
word1 if so be they have  tasted that   
the ,lord is gracious4 ,but to what     
extent do they taste  it in the ordinary
 pulpit ministrations of the day8       
,sidenote3 ,secretary ,shaw    ,the     
,honourable ,leslie ,m4 ,shaw1          
,secretary of the ,treasury1 gave an    
address recently in ,washington1 on the 
occasion of a ,sunday school  jubilee1  
which interested the writer deeply4 ,he 
was pleading for the  ,sunday school on 
the ground that it was the only place at

 present in  which the ,bible was       
taught4 ,it is not now taught in the    
public  schools1 said he1 nor am ,i here
 to say that it ought to be taught      
there4 ,in our busy life it is not      
taught in our homes4 ,the head of  the  
family ought to be a priest1 but the    
,bible is seldom read1 much  less       
taught1 in the home4 ,it is seldom      
taught in the pulpit4 ,not  that ,i am  
criticising the ministry4 ,but take up a
 paper and see what  the sermons are to 
be about4 ,you will learn about the plan
 of  salvation if you listen to the     
sermons1 but you will not know much     
about the ,bible if you depend on       
getting your knowledge of it from  the  
pulpit4 ,he then went on to say that the
 only place on this  earth where the    
,bible is taught is in the ,sunday      
school4 ,when1  however1 we consider the
 character of the average ,sunday       
school1 the  scraps and bits of the     
,bible there taught1 the brief period of
 time  devoted to the teaching1 the lack

 of discipline in the classes1 and  the 
inadequate training and preparation of  
the average teacher1 we  begin to       
inquire1 ,where is the ,bible taught8   
and wonder whether we  have fallen on   
the times of the prophet3      ,behold1 
the days come1 saith the ,lord ,god1    
that ,i will send a    famine in the    
land1 not a famine of bread1 nor a      
thirst for    water1 but of hearing the 
words of the ,lord2 and they shall      
wander    from sea to sea1 and from the 
north even to the east1 they shall      
run to and fro to seek the word of the  
,lord1 and shall not find    it4--,amos 
#h3aa1 #ab4      ,sidenote3 ,professor  
,mathews on the ,sunday ,school    ,i am
 with ,professor ,shailer ,mathews1     
,d4,d41 in some of his strictures  on   
the modern ,sunday school1 if only it be
 allowed that there are not  a few      
blessed exceptions to the rule he lays  
down4 ,i do not know how  we should     
agree as to a remedy for present        
conditions1 but one remedy  would be1   

where there is a ,bible expositor in the
 pulpit1 to do away  with certain       
features of the ,sunday school          
altogether for the time  being4 ,the    
infant or primary departments might be  
retained as they  are1 and possibly the 
,bible classes for older adults1 but the
  intermediate classes would do well to 
be gathered together under the          
instruction only of the pastor himself4 
,in time1 such a plan would  beget      
enough teachers of the right quality and
 spirit to return to  the former method 
if desired4 ,the cabinet officer's      
warning and  appeal are timely1 for an  
awful harvest of infidelity and its     
attendant evils must be reaped in the   
next generation should the  ,church fail
 to arise to her responsibility as to   
the teaching of the  unadulterated ,word
 of ,god in the present one4    ,it is  
for this reason that the writer pleads  
with his brethren to  make expository   
preaching the staple of their pulpit    
ministrations4  ,should they have read  

the previous chapters in a sympathetic  
spirit1  they will begin to do this     
without much urging even where they have
  been strangers to it hitherto4 ,but if
 otherwise1 then a further word1  before
 our concluding chapter1 as to the      
history and practicality of  that kind  
of preaching1 may throw them back on    
what has been said  before in such a way
 as to catch the spirit of it and be    
influenced  by it4      ,sidenote3      
,expository ,sermons ,defined           
,expository sermons differ from the     
textual not so much in kind as in       
degree4 ,for example1 the text is       
usually longer1 and more attention  is  
given to the explanation of the words4  
,the text1 indeed1 may cover  several   
verses1 a whole chapter1 or parts of    
more than one chapter4  ,and the        
treatment need not necessarily be       
confined to the definition  of words1   
but include the adjustment of the text  
to the context1 and  the amplification  
and illustration of the various ideas   

suggested4    ,dr4 ,james ,w4           
,alexander1 from whose ,thoughts on     
,preaching ,i draw  generously in what  
follows1 says3    ,sidenote3 ,the       
,notion of a ,sermon    ,suppose a      
volume of human science to be placed in 
our hands as the  sole manual or        
textbook to elucidate to a public       
assembly1 in what  way would it be most 
natural to go to work8 ,certainly we    
would not  take a sentence here1 and    
another there1 and upon these separate  
portions frame one or two discourses    
every week6 ,no interpreter of          
,aristotle or ,littleton would dream of 
doing that4 ,nor was it adopted  in the 
,christian ,church1 until the sermon    
ceased to be regarded in  its true      
notion1 as an explanation of the        
,scripture1 and began to be  viewed as a
 rhetorical entertainment1 which might  
afford occasion for  the display of     
subtlety1 research and eloquence4       
,sidenote3 ,inspired ,sermons    ,the   
same author recites some interesting    

facts that might be summed  up under the
 general head of the history of         
expository preaching4 ,for  example1 he 
reminds us that as early as the time of 
,ezra we find the  reading of the law   
accompanied with some kind of           
interpretation4 ,see  ,nehemiah #h4 ,in 
the synagogues1 moreover1 after the     
reading of the  law and the prophets1 it
 was usual for the presiding officer to 
invite such as were learned to address  
the people1 and it was in  this way that
 our blessed ,lord ,himself--as well as 
,his apostles1  subsequently--was given 
the opportunity to open up the          
,scriptures4  ,see our ,lord's discourse
 in the synagogue at ,nazareth1 reported
 in  the fourth of ,luke1 and observe   
that it was an expository treatment  of 
,isaiah #fa4 ,notice1 also1 the         
discourses of ,peter and ,paul in the   
book of the ,acts4      ,sidenote3 ,the 
,christian ,fathers    ,the early       
,christian assemblies adopted this      
method in their religious  services1 as 

we may judge from allusions and examples
 in the writings  of ,justin ,martyr1   
,origen1 ,augustine and ,chrysostom4    
,their homilies1  especially in the     
instances of the last mentioned two1    
were usually  of the nature of a close  
interpretation1 or running commentary on
  the text1 followed by a practical     
application4 ,chrysostom1 quoted by     
,neander1 says3 ,if anyone assiduously  
attend public worship1 even  without    
reading the ,bible at home1 but         
carefully hearkening here1  he will find
 a single year sufficient to give him an
 intimate  acquaintance with the        
,scriptures4 ,in how many of our        
churches could  the same be said to-day8
 ,but ought it not to be said in all8   
,dr4 ,alexander is further sponsor for  
the statement that it was about  the    
beginning of the thirteenth century when
 the method of preaching  from insulated
 texts came into vogue1 and the younger 
clergy adopted  subtle divisions of the 
sermon4 ,and he says1 too1 that it was  

warmly  opposed by some of the best     
theologians of the age1 as a childish   
playing upon words1 destructive of true 
eloquence1 tedious and  unaffecting to  
the hearers1 and cramping the           
imagination of the  preachers4 ,he is   
not prepared to entirely accept this    
criticism of  the theologians1 however1 
nor am ,i1 believing that both the      
topical  and the textual methods of     
preaching have their attractions and    
advantages4 ,sidenote3 ,the ,reformation
 ,period ,nevertheless1 it is a         
pleasure to record that when the light  
of divine truth began to  emerge from   
its long eclipse1 at the ,reformation1  
there were few  things more remarkable  
than the universal return of evangelical
  preachers to the expository method4   
,book after book of the ,bible was      
publicly expounded by ,luther1 and the  
almost daily sermons of ,calvin  were1  
with scarcely any exceptions1 founded on
 passages taken in  regular course as he
 proceeded through the sacred canon4    

,the same is  true of the other         
reformers1 particularly in ,england and 
,scotland4  ,in the times of the        
,nonconformists the textual method came 
into  practice again2 but1              
notwithstanding1 exposition was         
considered a  necessary part of         
ministerial labour4 ,matthew ,henry is a
 conspicuous  example of this1 who1     
although he frequently preached from    
single  texts1 yet on every ,lord's day 
morning expounded a part of the ,old    
,testament1 and in the evening a part of
 the ,new1 in both instances  proceeding
 in regular order4    ,sidenote3 ,modern
 ,examples    ,in modern times ,charles 
,h4 ,spurgeon has followed the example  
of  ,matthew ,henry to a great extent4  
,he preached topically1 with great      
interest and power1 but at almost every 
service the exposition of  ,scripture   
was made a distinctive1 and always      
popular1 feature of the  exercises4 ,the
 late ,dr4 ,howard ,crosby was heard to 
say that1 in the  course of his         

pastorate in ,new ,york1 he had thus    
given instruction to  his people on     
every verse in the ,bible4 ,the writer1 
also1 can add his  testimony to the fact
 that this method of preaching is       
delightful  both to pastor and people4  
,both need training for it1 but when    
once  the taste has been acquired it    
demands constant gratification4         
,let me now supplement these            
observations on the nature and history  
of  expository preaching with some      
remarks upon its practicality and       
value4    ,sidenote3 ,the ,easy ,way    
,in the first place1 when the art is    
learned1 it is the easiest form  of     
preaching2 and this is saying a good    
deal in an era of the  conservation of  
energy4 ,the other day my attention was 
called to an  announcement of a series  
of ,sunday evening discourses by a city 
pastor1 on ,the ,gospel in ,recent      
,fiction1 in the course of which he     
proposed to speak of the spiritual and  
ethical teaching of some  half-dozen of 

the popular novels of the day4 ,i could 
not but think if  he had put the same   
time and interest into the reading and  
analysis  of as many books of the       
,bible1 he would have worked less and   
accomplished more4 ,it might be said he 
would not get as many people  to hear   
him1 but ,i doubt the truth of that     
statement1 if it were  known what he was
 going to do1 and if he did it well4    
,moreover1 there  is another side to the
 question4 ,the ,watchman says3 ,time   
and again  we have seen ,sunday         
congregations increased greatly under   
the  stimulus of what is called         
'up-to-date' preaching1 but the church  
as  a spiritual body1 effective for     
achieving the true ends of a church1    
became progressively weaker4 ,the       
outsiders said that it was doing a      
tremendous work1 but really it was not  
doing anything like the work  it did in 
the days of its comparative obscurity4  
,at the risk of enlarging upon this idea
 beyond its due proportion1 it  is      

difficult to resist the temptation to   
quote a further paragraph  from the     
,interior1 to the effect that nothing is
 of less value to  the church than a    
full house--except an empty one4 ,we    
happened the  other morning1 says the   
editor1 --it was ,monday--to meet the   
treasurer of an important city church   
whose doors had been crowded  the night 
before4 ,we congratulated him upon the  
success of his pastor  in 'filling the  
pews4' ',yes1' was the hesitating reply1
 'he has  filled the pews1 and filled   
the vestibule1 and filled the pulpit    
steps--but he has emptied the collection
 baskets4 ,we have the biggest  audience
 in the city1 and will soon have the    
biggest debt4' ,in  another city two    
thousand miles distant1 and in another  
denomination1  we came upon a church    
from whose doors hundreds were turned   
nightly  away4 ,three years later we    
asked the principal layman how the      
church  was doing now1 and he replied1  
with a tinge of sadness1 ',we had a     

grand debauch under ,brother ,x41 and we
 haven't quite recovered from  it yet4' 
,sidenote3 ,the ,proper ,way    ,it is  
not only the easiest but the most       
appropriate form of  preaching1 i4e4 it 
assumes and compels on the part of the  
preacher  a large knowledge of the ,word
 of ,god and aptness in imparting it4   
,as  was remarked in part1 before1 in   
another connection1 where no  extended  
exposition is attempted the preacher is 
naturally induced to  draw upon         
systematic treatises1 philosophical     
theories1 works of mere  literature1 or 
his own ingenuity of invention and      
fertility of  imagination2 with the     
result that the rhetorical aspect of    
preaching  attracts undue attention1 and
 the desire to be original1 striking1   
ingenious and elegant supersedes the    
earnest endeavour to be  biblical4      
,there are few ministers1 honest with   
their own souls1 who  will not admit the
 truth and the seriousness of this      
implication4  ,here1 too1 is how heresy 

comes to raise its head and grow apace4 
,the  biblical preacher is always       
orthodox and evangelical1 and has no    
trouble in remaining so4    ,and this is
 the same with his congregation1 for    
here we have a rule  that works both    
ways4 ,a biblical preacher comes1 in    
time1 to make a  biblical church1 and   
should that not be the aim of every     
minister8  ,should not his example be   
that of ,paul1 teaching every man in all
  wisdom1 that he may present every man 
perfect in ,christ ,jesus8 ,the  truth1 
however1 is1 as the authority quoted    
above says1 that the  scriptural        
knowledge possessed by our ordinary     
congregations1 amidst  all our boasted  
light and improvement1 bears no         
comparison with that  of the ,scottish  
peasantry of the last generation1 who1  
from very  infancy1 were taught to      
follow the preacher1 in their little    
,bibles1  as he expounded in regular    
course4 ,why hear we so much in these   
days  of ,bible ,training ,schools and  

,bible ,conventions1 and ,union ,bible  
,classes and the like8 ,they are good   
signs of the times1 and bad  signs4     
,they demonstrate a hunger on the part  
of some of the people  of ,god for ,his 
,word1 and an inability to have it      
satisfied in the  place where they      
naturally belong4 ,every church should  
be more or  less truly a ,bible         
,training ,school1 and the pastor the   
head of it4      ,it is the most useful 
form of preaching4 ,dr4 ,alexander has  
some  excellent observations that fit in
 under this head1 every one of  which ,i
 have experienced to be true in my own  
ministry1 and earnestly  recommend to   
the prayerful consideration of my       
brethren4    ,sidenote3 ,the ,useful    
,way    ,for example1 expository        
preaching affords inducement and        
occasion to  the preacher to declare the
 whole counsel of ,god4 ,it keeps him   
from  neglecting many important         
doctrines and duties which otherwise    
would almost necessarily be overlooked4 

,it gives a symmetry and  completeness  
to his pulpit efforts4 ,it promotes     
variety and enables  him to escape ruts4
 ,to how many people are such biblical  
truths as  predestination and election  
unwelcome6 ,yet1 how important they are1
  how necessary to be discussed and     
explained by the minister of the        
,gospel1 and how likely to be avoided   
nonetheless6 ,but let him be  expounding
 ,romans1 and he must deal with those   
difficulties1 and  glorify ,god in the  
doing of it4 ,i say glorify ,god2 for   
the reason  that those doctrines1 and   
some others1 are abhorrent to the       
popular  mind1 is chiefly that they are 
usually set forth in their naked        
theological form1 and not in their      
scriptural connection4    ,and then1    
too1 there are certain sins which every 
pastor feels he  ought to inveigh       
against once in a while1 but from which 
he is  prevented either from delicacy1  
or through fear of being considered     
personal in his remarks4 ,let him adopt 

the expository method of  preaching1    
however1 and his hesitation in these    
respects will be  removed as he comes   
across the very themes that should thus 
be  touched upon1 in a natural way4     
,sidenote3 ,the ,popular ,way    ,it may
 become the most popular form of        
preaching4 ,indeed1 it should  become   
so4 ,the fault is ours1 i4e4 the        
ministers'1 if such is not  the case4   
,we should keep at it till we learn to  
do it well4 ,we should  besiege the     
throne of grace for power and wisdom to 
do it well4 ,who  doubts that the       
,author of the ,holy ,scriptures would  
answer such  entreaties8 ,chalmers'     
lectures on ,romans1 ,archbishop        
,leighton's  lectures on ,first ,peter1 
,f4 ,w4 ,robertson's on ,first          
,corinthians1 are  old1 but standard    
types of what may be done in this       
respect4 ,i doubt  not that ,archbishop 
,trench delivered the substance of his  
book on the  ,epistles to the ,seven    
,churches to his congregation before it 

appeared in print2 and so in the case of
 ,bishop ,ryle and his  ,expository     
,thoughts on the ,gospels1 and ,dr4     
,moule and his ,studies  in             
,philippians4 ,i1 myself1 have seen     
large congregations held from  week to  
week in city churches1 where the chief  
attraction was the  exposition of the   
,bible text4 ,god wrote the ,bible for  
the common  people1 and it is irreverent
 to suppose that they cannot be         
interested in the reading and           
explanation of it4 ,there is no other   
book in the world which sells like      
,god's ,book2 it leads the market6  ,how
 short-sighted1 then1 are we ministers  
who fail to take advantage  of the fact1
 and utilise it to draw our audiences1  
and interest them1  and nourish them    
with the bread of life6 #a    #a ,a part
 of what the author has here written on 
the subject of  expository preaching    
formed the substance of a previous      
communication  from his pen in ,current 
,anecdotes1 a monthly magazine for      

ministers1 ,f4 ,m4 ,barton1 ,cleveland4 
,,expository ,,outlines          ,,part 
,v      ,,expository ,,outlines         
,our concluding chapter has been        
reserved for one or two sample          
expository outlines that may prove      
helpful as suggestions to  inexperienced
 beginners4 ,the first is drawn from the
 author's own  store1 and the second is 
that of ,pastor ,f4 ,e4 ,marsh1 of      
,sunderland1  ,england1 which has come  
under the author's observation and      
affords a  good illustration of another 
variety of the species4    ,sidenote3   
,how ,obtained    ,the principle on     
which the first-named was obtained was  
that  explained in the previous         
chapters4 ,the synthetic reading of     
,romans  led to certain discoveries1 as 
follows3  7#a7 ,that epistle contains a 
single theme1 viz41 the gift of ,god's  
righteousness to men4  7#b7 ,this  theme
 is developed along three main lines3   
its necessity1 its nature1  and its     
effect upon man4  7#c7 ,its effect upon 

man is developed again  along three     
lines3 his relations to ,god1 his own   
experience1 and his  relations to       
others4  7#d7 ,the last-named           
subdivision 7his relations  to others7  
covers chapters #ab-af1 and expands the 
idea socially1  politically1 and        
ecclesiastically4    ,sidenote3 ,the    
,strong and the ,weak    ,some time     
before this final thought was arrived   
at1 the consideration  of the epistle   
had already yielded material for several
 expository  discourses1 but it was     
conceived that still a good one of a    
very  practical order lay embedded1 say1
 in chapters #ac3h to #ae3g1 where  the 
inspired writer is dealing with the     
,christian in his church or             
ecclesiastical relations4 ,a sample     
better in some respects might  readily  
be given1 but this is chosen because it 
lies at hand1 and  also because it is   
not a stock piece got up for the        
occasion1 but  such an one as lies upon 
the surface of the text1 and which any  

young  beginner might evolve on his own 
account with a little pains4    ,the    
theme decided on was this3    ,the      
,strong and the ,weak1 or the           
,christian's ,debt to ,his  ,brother4   
,romans #ac3h to #ae3g4    #a4 ,we have 
here the command for ,christians to love
 one another4  #ac3h-aj4    #b4 ,the    
urgency for its observance4 #aa-ad4     
#c4 ,the particular call for its        
application 7fellowshiping the weak74   
#ad3a4    #d4 ,the description of the   
weak 7conscientious scruples as to      
eating1  and the observance of days74   
#ad3b1 #e4    #e4 ,the way in which     
fellowship is to be shown3 7a7 by not   
judging  them1 #c-ab2 7b7 by not putting
 a stumbling-block in their way1        
#ac-ai2 7c7 by edifying them1 #bj-bc4   
#f4 ,the motive in the premises 7the    
example of ,christ74 #ae3a-d4    #g4    
,the object in view 7the glory of ,god74
 #e-g4    ,in developing division #e it 
was shown 7a7 that we should not judge  
the weak brother1 for the following     

reasons3    7#a7 ,god has received him4 
,verse #c4    7#b7 ,he is accountable to
 ,god only4  ,verse #d1 first part4     
7#c7 ,god can make him stand4  ,verse   
#d1 last part4    7#d7 ,each man must be
 fully persuaded in his own mind4       
,verse #e4    7#e7 ,the weak brother may
 be honouring and serving ,god even     
under the  conditions named4  ,verse #f4
    7#f7 ,each one of us must give      
account of himself to ,god4  ,verses    
#aj-ab4    ,it was shown 7b7 that we put
 a stumbling-block in the way of our    
weak brother by an undue insistence on  
our liberty 7verses #ad1 #ae71  and that
 such insistence may itself become sin4 
#af-ah4    ,finally it was shown 7c7    
that we edify one another by following  
after things which make for peace 7verse
 #ai71 and that it makes for  peace     
sometimes to control our zeal4  ,verse  
#bb4      ,sidenote3 ,some ,practical   
,hints    ,of course it is almost vital 
to the best results of expository       
preaching that the people bring their   

,bibles to ,church1 and use them  more  
or less in following their minister4    
,frequently it is desirable  for them to
 read the text aloud with him           
responsively1 or in unison4  ,a little  
gentle coaxing at first1 preceded by    
private prayer1 will  get them to do    
both these things1 bring their ,bibles  
and read the  text1 while afterwards    
they will delight to do them4 ,it will  
cause  church-going and sermon-hearing  
to become a new and living experience   
to them4 ,young and old will like it1   
and sinners as well as saints4    ,but  
another almost necessity is to select a 
subject and treat it in  such a way as  
to obviate as far as possible the       
turning over of the  leaves or pages of 
the ,bible during the progress of the   
exposition4  ,the best plan is to limit 
the exposition1 where you can1 to the   
page  or two just before the reader's   
eye4 ,but if turning must be done1 let  
it be on the principle of ,edward       
,everett ,hale's ,ten ,times ,ten or    

,lend-a-,hand ,society1 i4e4 forward and
 not backward4 ,it is  especially       
confusing and wearisome to a            
congregation to be turning  pages       
backward1 and then forward1 and then    
backward again1 and will  not be        
relished as an innovation4 ,row with the
 tide4    ,in the outline now to follow 
there are leaves to turn1 for it covers 
a whole epistle4 ,and yet with a single 
7and perhaps unnecessary7  exception1   
there is progress in each division4 ,the
 hearers are  stimulated by the thought 
of getting on1 and that there is an end 
in  sight4 ,it might be styled3    ,the 
,character of the ,new ,born4    ,what  
kind of persons are those who are born  
again8 ,we have only to  turn to the    
,first ,epistle of ,john for the answer4
 ,mark the words  born of him1 or born  
of ,god1 which we have again and again  
in  the epistle4 ,we get seven          
characteristics of those who are        
begotten  of ,god3    #a4 ,the people   
who are born of ,god are righteous4     

,every one that  doeth righteousness is 
born of him 7#b3bi74 ,if ,i am not doing
  righteously1 what evidence have ,i    
that ,i am born of ,him8    #b4 ,those  
born of ,god are an unsinning people4   
,whosoever is born of  ,god doth not    
commit sin 7#b3i74 ,sin is not the habit
 of life of the  one who has been born  
again4 ,the trend of his life is not in 
the old  paths of sin4    #c4 ,those who
 are born of ,god are an abiding people4
 ,his seed abideth  in him1 and he      
cannot sin1 because he is born of ,god  
7#c3i74    #d4 ,those who are born of   
,god are a loving people4 ,every one    
that  loveth is born of ,god 7#d3g74    
#e4 ,they are a believing people4 ,he   
that believeth that ,jesus is the       
,christ is born of ,god 7#e3a74 ,it is  
not merely that they say that  ,christ  
is ,christ1 but they know ,him          
experimentally as the ,christ in  power4
    #f4 ,those who are born of ,god are 
an overcoming people4 ,whatsoever is    
born of ,god overcometh the world       

7#e3d74 ,the evidence1 therefore1 of    
being born of ,god is victory over the  
world4    #g4 ,those born of ,god are a 
preserved people4 ,whosoever is born of 
,god sinneth not1 but he that was       
begotten of ,god keepeth him 7#e3ah1    
,r4,v474    ,those who have been born of
 ,god are kept by the power of ,god4    
,these  are the people who constitute   
the church of ,god1 and they answer to  
everything that is said of those who are
 found faithful1 and who  escape the    
things that are coming on the world4    
,the author lingers over the closing    
word1 for he is enamoured of the  theme 
and loath to leave it4 ,no typewriting  
machine has ground out  these pages for 
the press2 the subject has been too     
sacred for other  than his own pen4 ,he 
covets the love of it for every         
fellow-member of  the body of ,christ4  
,he sees the regeneration of the ,church
 in the  general adoption of the plan4  
,he sees the sanctification of the      
ministry4 ,he sees a mighty quickening  

in the pews4 ,he sees the  worldwide    
revival for which a thousand hearts are 
praying4 ,he sees  the unmasking of a   
,christianised rationalism1 and the     
utter rout of a  rationalised           
,christianism4 ,he sees the first thing 
in the world  getting the first place in
 the world4 ,he sees the solution of a  
score  of civic problems4 ,he sees the  
protection of vested rights against     
lawlessness1 and the labourer receiving 
the due reward of his hire4  ,he sees   
the oppressed set free2 no longer       
,condemned by night1 enchained by day1  
,drowned in the depths of grim despair2 
,while running brooks sing roundelay1   
,and ,god's green fields are ev'rywhere4
    ,he sees the missionary treasuries  
repleted4 ,he sees the hastening of  the
 day when this ,gospel of the ,kingdom  
shall be preached as a  witness to all  
nations1 #a and when ,he who is our life
 shall appear1  and we also shall appear
 together with ,him in glory4 #b    ,o  
brethren of the ministry and the laity1 

get back to the ,bible6 ,let  the word  
of ,christ dwell in you richly in all   
wisdom4 #c ,let us  preach the preaching
 that ,god bids us4 #d ,diminish not a  
word4 #e  ,let us be as ,his            
mouthpieces1 nothing more1 nothing less1
 taking  forth the precious from the    
vile1 #f for who knoweth if ,he will    
return and repent1 and leave a blessing 
behind ,him8 #g    #a ,matt4 #bd3ad4    
#b ,col4 #c3d4    #c ,col4 #c3af4    #d 
,jonah #c3b4    #e ,jer4 #bf3b4    #f   
,jer4 #ae3ai4    #g ,joel #b3ad4        
,printed by ,morrison  ,gibb ,limited1  
,edinburgh          ,,by ,,the ,,same   
,,author4    - - - - -    ,,synthetic   
,,bible ,,studies4 ,containing an       
,outline ,study of every ,book of  the  
,bible1 with ,suggestions for ,sermons1 
,addresses1 and ,bible  ,exposition4    
,new ,edition1 ,revised and ,enlarged4  
,demy #hvo1 price #fs4  net4    ,this   
book is intended as a guide to what is  
called the synthetic study  of the      
,bible1 which means1 as we use the term1

 the study of the ,bible  as a whole1   
and each book of the ,bible as a whole1 
and as seen in its  relation to other   
books4 ,the word ,synthesis has the     
opposite meaning  to ,analysis4 ,when we
 analyse a subject we take it apart and 
consider  it in its various elements1   
but when we synthesise it we put it     
together and consider it as a whole1    
which is what this book does in a       
certain sense with the ,word of ,god4   
,,the ,,antidote ,,to ,,christian       
,,science2 or1 ,how to deal with it from
 the  ,bible and ,christian point of    
view4 ,price #bs4 #f;d4 net4    ,as far 
as possible from being another of the   
virulent and unintelligent  attacks of  
which we have had too many4 ,marked by a
 sweet1 forbearing  spirit1 the author  
tries to show where ,christian ,science 
fails as a  religion4 ,since it         
professes to stand on the ,bible1 he    
shows how the  new faith antagonises the
 ,bible1 and how the ,bible antagonises 
it1  concluding with the antidote for   

error1 and a chapter on what the        
,church may learn from ,christian       
,science4    ,,primers ,,of ,,the       
,,faith4 ,price #cs4 #f;d4 net4      ,i4
 ,how we ,know the ,bible is ,genuine4  
,,ii4 ,how we ,know the ,bible is       
,credible4    ,,iii4 ,how we ,know the  
,bible is ,divine4    ,written1 not for 
scholars1 but for the average layman4   
,it is intended  to help ,sunday ,school
 teachers1 ,christian workers1 and      
students4