SCRIPTURE INVESTIGATION MEETING.
“Prove all things, and hold fast that which is good.”—Paul.
In accordance with the above notice meeting was held thrice at Chelsea Hall for the first time on December 19. In the afternoon I addressed about sixty people there on the 19th of Luke, dwelling principally upon salvation coming to the house of Zaccheus “forasmuch as he was a son of Abraham;” and upon the partial accomplishment of Zechariah 9: 9-11, in the entrance of Jesus, Zion’s king, into Jerusalem, “riding upon a colt the foal of an ass.”
In the evening I spoke to them on the fearful consequences of ignorance, and the blessed effects of the right use of the knowledge of God’s truth. This was demonstrated by reference to the passage read at the beginning, in which Paul tells the Thessalonian disciples that “he would not have them ignorant,” and exhorts them to “prove all things;” and for the reason given in his letter to the Ephesians, namely, because that a darkened understanding alienates from the life of God, and hardens the heart against all that he approves. Eschew ignorance of the truth, then, as a man in love with life would avoid death. “Buy the truth,” therefore, if it can be procured in no other way, and seize on every opportunity Providence presents of making it your own. “If the gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost.” This is tantamount to saying that the ignorant are lost if they continue ignorant, for if the gospel be hid from a man he is ignorant of it. He does not believe it, and therefore cannot be saved, as the Lord Jesus has affirmed. How perilous and damnable a thing is ignorance! When voluntary it is punishable, when helpless it is pitiable, but still alienating from the life of God. This is the natural condition of all the sons of Adam. Ignorant of that system of truth which the Bible teaches, they are all heirs of death interminable. “In the congregation of the dead they shall remain.” Ignorance is degrading—it is soul-degrading; it is a horrible, an awful thing. Look at savage men on the isles afar off. Nay, look at the savages at home—in the purlieus of this city, and then say if ignorance of the knowledge of God be not the great brutaliser of the human heart. What rational man, then, would continue ignorant when knowledge is brought to his very door? It is offered to you. You are invited to come to this place every Sunday night, and in a free and friendly manner to examine what the Scriptures teach, to make you “wise unto salvation.”
Thus we spoke with respect to ignorance and its consequences. I then presented the brighter view unfolded by the Scripture testimony concerning knowledge, and its divine results when rightly used.
“This is eternal life, to know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.”
“Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me.”
These were the Scriptures of Moses and the prophets; for when Jesus spake the words there was no New Testament extant. Of these same Scriptures Paul said to Timothy,
“Thou hast known them from a child, and they are able to make thee wise unto salvation through the faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
The knowledge they reveal is wonderful in its nature and in its influence upon the heart of man. It is miracle-working. It can slay the old Adam, and compel one to put him off with his deeds; and create a new man instead after the image of God who hath revealed it. The Colossians were at one time mere children of the flesh, subject to the thinking of the flesh, and doers of its deeds. But Paul carried the Kingdom’s gospel to them. They believed it, and obeyed it too; and so put on the second Adam, becoming new men in him, as saith the apostle,
“Ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new, which is renewed by knowledge after the image of him that created him.”
Thus they became “partakers of the divine nature.” Not by the belief of mere facts, for they will renew no man. This is manifest from daily observation. The wretched papist who worships dead men’s ghosts and bones, and saint-idols, believes, or rather credits the word of his priest, who tells him that one Jesus lived in the days of a certain Pontius Pilate, the Son of God by the blessed Virgin, who was crucified, dead and buried, and rose again on the third day, and then ascended to the right hand of God, where he has been ever since. But this credence has no renewing effect upon his heart any more than it hath upon the hearts of Protestants who luxuriate in all earthly things, and enjoy a pious siesta in “the dim religious light” of some fashionable conventicle once a week. The renewing knowledge of God propounds something more heart-renovating than “sacred history;” it plants within us full assurance of faith in the exceeding great and precious promises he has made in regard to his kingdom and glory. “By these”—by faith in these, the apostle Peter avers it is, that men become partakers of the divine nature—not by the breathing of a particle of the divine essence into a babe’s nostrils, but by a rational and intelligent man’s hearty belief in the covenants of promise, that a goodness of disposition is elaborated such as was in the man Christ Jesus, the image of the invisible God, whose nature was strikingly displayed in his character before the eyes of men. Who, then, that aspires to the dignity of divine manhood would continue in ignorance of the exceeding great and precious promises of God? Who would neglect to search the Scriptures where they may be found? Far be it from any listening to my voice this night. Rather let us assemble here with all diligence, and help one another and ourselves to understand the words of God, and he will aid us; for God helps those who help themselves. The book of his testimony is in our hands. The leaders off the people are confessedly unable to expound or interpret it. Shall we perish for lack of knowledge because of their incompetency? Nay, my friends, if they be content to dream away their lives in the strong delusion of ignorance, let us be up and doing. You are invited, be ye Papist, Protestant, Infidel, or Jew, to meet here every Sunday evening at half-past seven to examine the Scriptures. Not to dispute about theories, or to propound crotchets; but to search into God’s knowledge that you may come to understand the truth and be saved by it.
Will you accept the invitation? Can you find it in your hearts to refuse a call so beneficial to yourselves? While many are running to and fro, and knowledge is increasing on every side, a feature so characteristic of the times in which we live, denoting that “the time of the end” is come, can you consent to stand still, and to remain without understanding in “the deep things of God,” which every one must do who contents himself with the pulpit oratory of the day, and does not search the Scriptures with a Berean mind? What extraordinary encouragement is set before us to become wise!
“The wise shall inherit glory.”
“They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”
As we have seen, “the Scriptures,” that is, Moses and the prophets, elucidated in part by the writings of the apostles, “are able to make us wise,” if we will study them, and it is written that “the wise shall understand.”
Now, to afford you such facilities to this end as we can command, or place at your disposal, we have taken this hall. Compared with the palatial temples of this city, it is a very humble and insignificant place. It is, however, the best accommodation we can offer you at present. It is water-tight, capable of being well warmed, and is well lighted by day and night. The truth resides not in palaces and stately mansions, and its friends have been for the most part less comfortably and conveniently housed than in this room. We think it will answer the present purpose, and prove no obstacle to the acquisition of the truth.
Next Lord’s day evening, then, we propose to meet here to commence our free and friendly examination of the Holy Scriptures. The chair will be taken precisely at half-past seven by one appointed by the society which has rented the hall. The members will sing a hymn, and one whom the chair shall invite will offer prayer to God for a blessing upon our endeavours to understand his word. After this the Scripture investigation meeting will be considered as opened. The chairman will then read the portion of Scripture to be examined, upon which he will invite any one present, who believes that the Bible is a true and faithful record of the past, and an infallible exponent of God’s purposes in regard to the future, to favour the audience with what appears to him to be the obvious meaning of the passage. He may occupy as much time as he pleases not exceeding fifteen minutes; at the expiration of which he will give place to another, who will conform to the same regulation. Speakers will be careful to expound, not to dispute. They will be expected to explain the passage read as they best can without criticising the expositions of those who have preceded them, for they must remember that the meeting is an assembly of learners, not of teachers—the only teacher recognised being the word itself. This is the only doctrinal authority admissible; hence every exposition to be convincing must be sustained in all its points by a “thus it is written,” and a “thus saith the Lord,” in the plain, grammatical, parallel, and contextual signification of the words. After the passage has been sufficiently handled, the chairman will then present his understanding of the matter, which will close the subject for the evening. He will then notify the audience what will be the topic or passage for consideration at the next meeting, that individuals may think over it during the week, so that they may not rise to speak without reflection. The members will then sing, and the meeting will be dismissed with thanks to God through the Lord Jesus Christ for his word, and the privilege enjoyed of thus publicly investigating it in security and peace.
Having spoken to this effect, we announced the first chapter of Genesis as the portion to be examined at our next meeting. We then sang a hymn, and having supplicated the blessing of God, dispersed to our several abodes, very well satisfied with the commencement we had made in this great heart of the American Union.
EDITOR.
MOTT HAVEN, WESTCHESTER, N. Y., December, 1852.
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