Bible Study by Bishop Horsley

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, Cal. · Jul 1, 1875

Bible Study.

By Bishop Horsley

It is incredible to any one who has not made the experiment, what a proficiency may be made in that knowledge which maketh wise unto salvation, by studying the Scriptures with reference to the parallel passages, without any other commentary or exposition than that which the different parts furnish for each other.

I will not scruple to assert that the most illiterate Christian, if he can but read his English Bible, and will take the pains to read it in this manner, will not only retain all that practical knowledge which is necessary to his salvation, but, by God's blessing, he will become learned, to such a degree that he will not be liable to be misled, either by refined arguments or by false assertions of those who endeavor to ingraft their own opinions upon the oracles of God. He may be safely ignorant of all philosophy except what is to be learned from the sacred book, which, indeed, contains the highest philosophy adapted to the lowest apprehensions. He may safely remain ignorant of all history except so much of the history of the first ages of the Jewish and of the Christian church, as is to be gathered from the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments.

Let him study these in the manner I recommend, and let him never cease to pray for the illumination of that Spirit by which these books were dictated, and the whole compass of abstruse philosophy and recondite history shall furnish no argument with which the perverse will of man shall be able to shake the learned Christian's faith.—Bishop Horsley.