1.F 07. Study of the Bible

Study of the Bible. In the first place, the whole science of interpretation, the whole study of the Word of God and all the developments that are either based upon it or nearly touch it, will be a world of advantage to you.

I had the good fortune to be under Professor Stowe in my theological training. Those who have gone through a course with him need not be told how much knowledge he has, nor his keen and crystal line way of putting that knowledge. The advantages which I derived from his teaching, his way of taking hold of Scripture, the knowledge I got of the Book as a whole, are inestimable to me. These I got while pursuing my studies in the seminary. In looking over my old note-books, which I filled independently of my course there, but which were partly in consequence of it and partly from teaching in the Bible-class, I found I had gone then very nearly through the New Testament with close and careful study, and had formed an intimate acquaintance “with it, before I began to preach regularly. In the early years of my ministry I engaged in a great amount of exegetical study and interpretation of the Word of God, having one service every week which was mainly devoted to that work. Now, the preliminary acquisition of the power to do that will abbreviate your after-work more than you can tell. Do not believe that your enthusiasm will be a light always burning. You must have oil in your lamps.

Study and patient labour are indispensable even to genius. God may have given you genius, but unless he has also given you industry, the genius will leak away, unused, wasted, without profit. Inspiration, intuition, and all the efflorescence of genius, are divine gifts; yet there must be some material for them to work upon. You cannot have a flame unless there is something that will feed combustion; you cannot study too much while in the seminary, preparing for the field of your future labours. It will neither cumber you nor hinder you. It will facilitate your work at every step.