Pleasure & Profit in Bible Study Part 9

The fear of the Lord prolongeth days.

In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence

The fear of the Lord is a fountain of Life.

Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith.

The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom.

By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.

The fear of the Lord tendeth to life.

By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life.

Be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long."

KEY WORDS.

A friend gave me some key words recently. He said Peter wrote about _Hope:_ "When the Chief Shepherd shall appear." The keynote of Paul's writings seemed to be _Faith_, and that of John's, _Love_. "Faith, hope and charity," these were the characteristics of the three men, the key-notes to the whole of their teachings. James wrote of _Good Works_, and Jude of _Apostasy_.

In the general epistles of Paul some one suggested the phrase "_in Christ_." In the book of Romans we find justification by faith _in Christ_. Corinthians presents sanctification _in Christ_. The book of Galatians, adoption or liberty _in Christ_. Ephesians presents fulness _in Christ_. Philippians, consolation _in Christ_. In Colossians we have completeness _in Christ_. Thessalonians gives us hope _in Christ_.

Different systems of key words are published by Bible scholars, and it is a good thing for every one to know one system or other.

CHAPTER XIV.

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 earth, but they are exceeding wise"--"Every eye shall see Him"--Additional Examples--Suggestions.

DON'T be afraid to borrow and lend Bibles. Some time ago a man wanted to take my Bible home to get a few things out of it, and when it came back I found this noted in it:

Justification, a change of state, a new standing before G.o.d.

Repentance, a change of mind, a new mind about G.o.d.

Regeneration, a change of nature, a new heart from G.o.d.

Conversion, a change of life, a new life for G.o.d.

Adoption, a change of family, new relationship towards G.o.d.

Sanctification, a change of service, separation unto G.o.d.

Glorification, a new state, a new condition with G.o.d.

In the same hand-writing I found these lines:

_Jesus only;_ the light of heaven is the face of Jesus.

The joy of heaven is the presence of Jesus.

The melody of heaven is the name of Jesus.

The theme of heaven is the work of Jesus.

The employment of heaven is the service of Jesus.

The fulness of heaven is Jesus himself.

The duration of heaven is the eternity of Jesus.

BIBLE MARKING: ITS NECESSITY.

An old writer said that some books are to be tasted, some to be swallowed, and some to be chewed and digested. The Bible is one that you can never exhaust. It is like a bottomless well: you can always find fresh truths gushing forth from its pages.

Hence the great fascination of constant and earnest Bible study. Hence also the necessity of marking your Bible. Unless you have an uncommon memory, you cannot retain the good things you hear. If you trust to your ear alone, they will escape you in a day or two; but if you mark your Bible and enlist the aid of your eye, you will never lose them. The same applies to what you read.

ITS ADVANTAGES.

Bible marking should be made the servant of the memory. If properly done, it sharpens the memory; rather than blunts it, because it gives prominence to certain things that catch the eye, which by constant reading you get to learn of by heart.

It helps you to locate texts.

It saves you the trouble of writing out notes of your addresses. Once in the margin, always ready.

I have carried one Bible with me a great many years. It is worth a good deal to me, and I will tell you why; because I have so many pa.s.sages marked in it, that if I am called upon to speak at any time I am ready.

I have little words marked in the margin, and they are a sermon to me.

Whether I speak about _Faith, Hope, Charity, a.s.surance,_ or any subject whatever, it all comes back to me; and however unexpectedly I am called upon to preach, I am always ready. Every child of G.o.d ought to be like a soldier, and always hold himself in readiness. If the Queen of England's army were ordered to India to-morrow, the soldier is ready for the journey. But we can not be ready if we do not study the Bible. So whenever you hear a good thing, just put it down, because if it is good for you it will be good for somebody else; and we should pa.s.s the coin of heaven around just as we do the coin of the realm.

People tell me they have nothing to say. "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh." Get full of Scripture and then you can't help but say it. It says itself. Keep the world out of your heart by getting full of something else. A man tried to build a flying machine.

He made some wings and filled them with gas. He said he couldn't quite fly, but the gas was lighter than the air and it helped him over lots of obstructions. So when you get these heavenly truths, they are lighter than the air down here and help you over trouble.

Bible marking makes the Bible a new book to you. If there was a white birch tree within a quarter of a mile of the home of your boyhood, you would remember it all your life. Mark your Bible, and instead of its being dry and uninteresting, it will become a beautiful book to you.

What you see makes a more lasting impression on your memory than what you hear.

HOW TO MARK AND WHAT TO MARK.

There are many methods of marking. Some use six or eight colored inks or pencils. Black is used to mark texts that refer to sin; red, all references to the cross; blue, all references to heaven; and so on.

Others invent symbols. When there is any reference to the cross, they put "+" in the margin. Some write "G", meaning the Gospel.

There is danger of overdoing this and making your marks more prominent than the scripture itself. If the system is complicated it becomes a burden, and you are likely to get confused. It is easier to remember the text than the meaning of your marks.

Black ink is good enough for all purposes. I use no other, unless it be red ink to draw attention to "the blood."

The simplest way to mark is to underline the words or to make a stroke alongside the verse. Another good way is to go over the printed letters with your pen, and make them thicker. The word will then stand out like heavier type. Mark "only" in Psalm 62 in this way.