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Study the Bible for Yourselves
There is nothing more calculated to energize the mind and
strengthen the intellect than the study of the word of God. No
other book is so potent to elevate the thoughts, to give vigor to the
faculties, as the broad, ennobling truths of the Bible. If God’s word
were studied as it should be, men would have a breadth of mind, a
nobility of character, and a stability of purpose that are rarely seen in
these times. The search for truth will reward the seeker at every turn,
and each discovery will open up richer fields for his investigation.
Thousands of men who minister in the pulpit are lacking in
essential qualities of mind and character because they do not apply
themselves to the study of the Scriptures. They are content with
a superficial knowledge of the truths that are full of rich depths of
meaning; and they prefer to go on, losing much in every way, rather
than to search diligently for the hidden treasure.
Men are changed in accordance with what they contemplate. If
commonplace thoughts and affairs take up the attention, the man
will be commonplace. If he is too negligent to obtain anything
but a superficial understanding of truth, he will not receive the rich
blessings that God would be pleased to bestow upon him. It is the
law of the mind that it will narrow or expand to the dimensions of
the things with which it becomes familiar. The mental powers will
surely become contracted and will lose their ability to grasp the
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deep meanings of the word of God unless they are put vigorously
and persistently to the task of searching for truth. The mind will
enlarge if it is employed in tracing out the relation of the subjects
of the Bible to one another, comparing scripture with scripture, and
spiritual things with spiritual. The richest treasures of thought are
waiting for the diligent student.
The knowledge of God is not gained without mental effort and
prayer for wisdom. Many are convinced that the precious treasures
of the kingdom of God and of Christ are contained in the word. They
know also that no earthly treasure is gained without painstaking
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