Page 365 - Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students (1913)

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Some Results of Bible Study
361
cross-bearing. Besetting sins must be battled with and overcome.
Objectionable traits of character, whether hereditary or cultivated,
must be compared with the great rule of righteousness, and then
conquered in the strength of Christ. Day by day, hour by hour, a
vigorous work of self-denial and of sanctification must go on within;
then the works will bear witness that Jesus is abiding in the heart
by faith. Sanctification does not close the avenues of the soul to
knowledge, but expands the mind and inspires it to search for truth
as for hidden treasure.
An Unerring Guide
The young man who makes the Bible his guide need not mistake
the path of duty and of safety. That Book will teach him to preserve
his integrity of character, to be truthful, to practice no deception. It
will teach him that he must never transgress God’s law in order to
accomplish a desired object, even though to obey involves a sacrifice.
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It will teach him that the blessing of heaven will not rest upon him
if he departs from the path of right doing; that although men may
appear to prosper in disobedience, they will surely reap the fruit of
their sowing.
Those only who read the Scriptures as the voice of God speaking
to them, are true learners. They tremble at the voice of God, for to
them it is a living reality. They open their understanding to divine
instruction and pray for grace, that they may obtain a preparation for
service. As the heavenly torch is placed in his hand, the seeker for
truth sees his own frailty, his infirmity, the hopelessness of looking
to himself for righteousness. He sees that there is in him nothing
that can recommend him to God. He prays for the Holy Spirit, the
representative of Christ, to be his constant guide, to lead him into all
truth. He repeats the promise, “The Comforter, which is the Holy
Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you
all things.”
John 14:26
.
Receiving to Give
The study of the Bible in our schools will give the students
special advantages. Those who receive into their hearts the holy