THERE are three kinds of Bible readers. First, there is the reader; second, the student; third, the listener. The mere reader gathers very little, if anything. The student knows the Bible from cover to cover. The listener knows God. “Canst thou by searching find out God?”—No! To the natural man the “deep things of God” are foolishness, and we are told that he will neither receive them, nor can he know them. Why?—Because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Cor. 2:14. The revelation of God is not given to the reader, nor to the mere student, but to the listener. Therefore the “babe” can make more progress in real Bible study than the philosopher. Some one has said, “Tarry at a promise until God meets you there.” Carry this plan out in your study, and be sure never to leave a promise until you have really met the Promisor. Look upon your Bible as the trysting-place where your Beloved has promised to meet you. The next thing I would say is, Don’t run away with the idea that it is necessary to have a library at your command in order to gain a good knowledge of the Bible. Books may be helpful, but they are not essential; and what is more, they may become a snare in leading you from dependence upon the Holy Spirit, who is sent to teach you all things, to take of the things of Christ, and to lead you into all truth. The Bible is its own best interpreter. A lady once wrote me: “While learning is desirable, and knowledge is power, the Spirit-taught workers are pre-eminent, and are those whom the Lord will account chosen vessels unto him.” In studying an epistle try to read it through at a sitting. This is called the ‘telescopic’ method, whereby one takes a grand sweep of the book. Then take it chapter by chapter, and verse by verse. This is the ‘microscopic’ method. A word about difficulties, for they will certainly meet you. Don’t make a blockade of one, and say, “Until that is explained, I’ll go no farther.” The best plan is to walk round it, and get on higher ground; then you will have a better view of it. Difficulties seldom overthrow us; too often we throw ourselves down before the difficulty. Never let the things you can not understand hinder you from getting help and comfort from the things you can understand. God did not give us the Bible as a kind of Chinese puzzle to please our fancy or test our brain power. He gave it to show us his will, and as far as we are willing to do his will, we shall know of the doctrine. John 7:17. “The law of progress in understanding the Word is that the truth already received shall have been obeyed in the life. The Bible is a sealed book to thousands of people because there has not been response in their lives to the measure of truth received.”—J. P. Hill, in the Bugle Call.