OUR PARSON'S CHAT.

Hutt News, Volume 7, Issue 36, 27 February 1935, Page 8

OUR PARSON'S CHAT.

(By "i'ulax.")

ON BIBLE KEADINU (3) in my lust chat 1 pointed uut that Co obtain iue most lroni tne Jjiuie it mast Uu reiut as uod s u oril to you. it 1 migi.x create a word, i won,a day it uiusi ue '" personalis..!!, l *' appropriated lor outsell', Hie promises or Uod are ior you just us surely as tliuy were lor tire nioii or olik-11 days. God who treated people ni tne punt ages in a certain way will treat you today in the same way. This is simply the practical application o 1 tlio luiUi ihat God is the same yesterday, Unlay and forever. When you .ead your Bible you read it ior ilie pin pose ot. learning about God and .altering iulo fellowship with llim. Once again t emphasise it must, lie treated as God's wont to us personally. f—" Therj is however, one important thing ,o be borne in muni wuen we read our Bible:-. It is that winle tne Bnne has sixtv six books il is yet, one bonk. ,naL i mean tliere is a unity about the Bible wnieli is remarkable and winch is a sign of its inspiration. Tlx' unity is something more man the lact that all the books aie bound together and deal with the same theme. It is the kind of unity the human body has. There are many members ol it yet it is only onC body. The sixty six books of the l>ibie in a very real sense' have a unity that makes it one book—the Bible. Tlus means that, when we read the Bible we must be eareiul to get. the geneial message of scripture. A great many people en astray here. 1 have eome across il time and time again in the course of my pastoral work. Many of the sma'i, strange seels that abound today depend almost for their existence upon the interpretation ot a few texts, instead of upon the g' nerul view of scripture. Tin; Brotestant view has always been that the general idea of serpilure is the thing t0 take. Let me give an illustration thai will make i-lear what I mean. Any one who reads the Bible wdh an open mind cannot help but believe in the existence of .a future Jife. I am not concerned now with the details of the idea. What I am saying is that the general impression one receives lroni reading the scripture is that there is a futuie life. There is a .life after this. But the book of Ecelesiastes such an idea seems to be denied. Tt is concerned with' this life. "A living dog,'- - the writer says, "is better than a dead lion." Any one reading Ecelesiastes on its own might, be pardoned for doubting nn mortality. But the general voice of scripture is (dearly an assertion ot a in tare life. "When Ecelesiastes itself is read aright it does not conflict with that idea. The only point however on winch r am insisting now is that in tl/e readjn<r of scripture the general concensus of"opinion must be token in preference to an-/ single text. A great many people became cranks because tliey ignore this fu,idnmen!!,•) rule of Bible reading. The U1(1IV we insist upon what I have called the "personalising" of the Bible as the best method of Bible reading, the more we must insist upon the above fundamental rule. Bavin"' written that as a warning I want now to set out what I consider to be a good practice in Bible reading. Having read your Bible passage, try to reconstruct in your imagination what you have read.

Tiiis morning I have been reading of Abraham sending his servant to find !i bride for his son. With a little practice it becomes very easy to see with the imagination the whole scene. You can see the old man making his servant promise him lie will carry out his mission. 11, is easv to see also the servant at the 'well with his camels. There is not a scene in scripture that cannot be simiI )ar.lv treated. Now having imagined the scene look for any message it may have for you! Some time ago the Crusader I'nion published a card that might help in (his connection. It is a series of questions to be asked after reading the porfi,in. What do you consider: — 1, The main subject spoken of 7 L'. The main lesson to be learned? The principal persons? ■1, The verse that impresses you most? Can you find: — f>. Any leaching by word or picture about Jesus Christ and His salvation? , (!. Any example to follow? 7. Any error to avoid? S. Any command to obeyt !i. Atsv promise to believe or claim 1 in. Ativ prayer to echot 1 f you asked those questions each day after reading your Bible passage you would soon find the Bible become a new bonk for you. It will become a moans <-I>ll■ 11111 mi• >11 with God. It will strcngththe spiritual life and purify nil of HIV the main thing is to read the I ji| ,lc ['or viursell' and discover the metl|ll,l ~f that best suits yourself. Do not be discouraged by a failure or two. Remember there is something worth while

'to In- gained ami perservere until the treasure becomes jours. "We search the work! for truth; we cull the good, tl.'e pure, the beautiful From graves stone and written scroll From all the flower fields of the soul; And, weary seeks of the best, We come back laden from our quest To linil that all the sages said Is in tlie Book our mothers read: A PRAYER BEFORE BIBLE READING ' Almighty God, enter Thou our hearts, and so till us with Thy love, that, forsaking all evil desires, we may embrace Thee oiif only good. Skew unto us for Thy mercies sake, 0 Lord our God, what Thou art unto us. Say unto our souls, I am Thy salvation. So speak that we may hear. Our hearts are before Thee; open Thou our ears; let us hasten, after Thy voice, and take hold on Thee. Hide not Thy face from us we beseech' The© 0 Lord. Enlarge Thou the narrowness of own souls, that Thou nrayest enter in. Repair the ruinous mansions, that Thou mayest. dwell there. Hear us, 0 Heavenly Father, for the sake of Thine only son, J cans Christ our Lord, who livcth and leignetlv with Tliec and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. —St. Augustine (354-430.)