Back even of Genesis there is still a beginning, in the adoption of proper methods of Bible study, which should be considered at the outset. The Bible itself gives emphatic directions for its proper examination. First of all we are to remember that as the Book of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, it demands, for its true perusal, a mind illumined by that same Spirit. Goethe says, that before a reader complains of obscurity in an author, he should examine whether he himself is “clear within; in the twilight a very plain writing is illegible.” “The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned.” No amount of light on the pages will compensate for a blind eye. “If the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” The Bible should be taken up with the prayer, “Open Thou mine eyes, that I may beheld wondrous things out of Thy law.”
This must be emphasized at the very threshold. No man can have spiritual insight into the Word of God without the influence of the illumining Spirit. The most able commentators have been the most devout. Bengel, author of “The Gnomon,” bathed his studies in tears and hallowed them with prayers. Unless taught of the Holy Ghost, the Bible is a sealed book even to the learned.