466 tru th of God’s Word, which th e n atu ra l man, a t his best, can n either know or expound, is revealed unto th e unlearned as well as the educated, if only they will be ta u g h t by Him. See Mt. 11:25; Jn 14.26; 16:13; 1 Cor. 2:10, 12. And men unlearned in the lore of the schools may know how to expound the Word. See Mt. 21:16; Acts 4:13; 1 Cor. 1:26-29. I know more th an one man unable to parse a simple sentence in a n 'E n g lish gramm ar, a t whose feet theological professors and doctors of divinity can sit every day in the year and be taugh t in the things of the kingdom, if only they are humble enough to learn from any one competent to teach them. Of course Xam not inveighing against education. I understand th e advan tages of a secular and theological edu cation as fully as any man possibly can. I am simply trying to show th a t the Scriptures are for the ignorant as well as the learned. I want, also, to say th a t, th e Word of God, whether read or expounded, is quite as safe in th e keeping of th e common people as the clergy. I was once in a convention of Christian work ers, and a m inister, who evidently be lieved th a t th e oracles of God had been especially delivered into his keeping, w ith awful presence, arose and said-§§ “ I greatly fear th e resu lt of these un ordained men going out and attem p t in g to preach. They may promulgate erro rs th a t will in ju re th e church.” When he took his seat the chairm an of th e meeting asked me if I did not have a word to say. I responded by saying —-“ I do not sympathize w ith th e fears of th e last speaker. X have known, first and last, a g reat many unordained men to preach, bu t never heard of an erro r falling from th e ir lips.” But the air today Is full of false teachings by ordained ministers^ The fact is, nearly if not quite all heresies have had th e ir b irth in the m inds of ordained min-
T HE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
isters, and by them have been given to the people. The m inister h a s tem p ta tions in th is direction th a t o ther peo ple have n o t.. See Je r. 23:16-22; 2 Tim. 4:1-4; T itus 1:9-11. The safeguard against false teachings is fo r th e people to have the Word and study it for themselves under th e guid ance of the Spirit. I believe th e re is a larger number doing th is th a n ever before. I also believe th e re is a larger number of faithful m inisters who are preaching th e Word th a n in any age of th e Church. This is seen in th e forc ing of issues. The lines are more clearly drawn. The false prophets must show th e ir colors. The more th e peo ple study th e Word, th e more th is will be so. Give them more Bibles to study and expound according to th eir gifts, and let th e fight go on. “ It is not L u th er’s Reformation, bu t God’s.”
STUDYING “ABOUT” THE BIBLE “The method of study which reads about the Bible, and all the while ne glects th e Book itself, is not a quali fication for sound knowledge in regard to th e F a ith of Christ,” says th e Lon don Christian. The simple man, who reads, marks, learns, and inwardly di gests the Book itself, is far b etter off th an th e presumed expert who never comes to grips w ith the deeper things of Divine Revelation. Such a man, in fact, may gath er the Spirit of th e Holy W ritings, and have communion w ith the Mind th a t inspired them , while th e keen gramm arian, occupied w ith lit erary analysis, may lose the Divine Mes sage in th e m idst of debates upon ver bal term inology. In other words, the man who comes to his English Bible in a prayerful fram e will command the aid of the Com forter, th e HOLY GHOST, and reach heights and depths of Divine knowledge th a t will ever be beyond th e grasp of self-complacent scholarship. OUR GOAL—100,000 SUBSCRIBERS THIS
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