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The Commoner
VOL. 22, No. 10
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Mr. Bryan's Bible Talks
TEACHING THE LAW OF GOD
By WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
BIBLE TEXT LESSON FOR SEPTEMBER 10
(Nohemlah 8:1-3, 5, 6, 8-12)
And all tho peoplo gathered themselves together
as one man Into the street that was before tho
water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to
bring the book of tho law of Moses, which the Lord
had commanded to Israel.
And Ezra tho priest brought the law before tho
congregation both of men and women, and all that
could hear with understanding, upon the- flrst day
of the soventh month.
And ho road therein before the street that was
beforo the water gate from tho morning until mid
day, before tho men and tho women, and thoso that
could understand; and the ears of all tho peoplo
wore attcntlvo unto the book of the law.
And Ezra opened tho book In the sight of all tho
people; (for he was above all tho people;) and
Wherf ho opened It, all tho peoplo stood up:
And Ezra blessed tho Lord, tho great God. And
all the peoplo answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting
up tholr hands; and they bowed their heads, and
worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
So they read In tho book in the law of God dis
tinctly, and gave tho sense, and caused them to un
derstand tho reading.
And Nehemlah, which is tho Tlrshatha, and Ezra
tho priest tho scribe, and the Levltes that taught
tho people, said Unto all tho people, This day Is
holy unto tho Lord your God; mourn not, nor weep.
For all tho people wept, when they heard tho words
of the law.
Thon ho said unto them. Go you, way eat tho
fat, and drink tho sweet, and send portions unto
them for whom nothing is prepared; fon this day
is holy unto our Lord: neither bo ye sorry; for tho
joy of the Lord is your strength.
So tho Levltes stilled all the people, saying, Hold
your peace, for tho day Is holy; neither bo yo
grieved. ' .
And all tho peoplo went their way to eat,, and to
drink, and 'to send portions, and to mako great
mirth, because they had understood tho words1 that
wore declared unto them.
For several-weeks past we have been studying
the lessons contained for all of us of today in
the return to Jerusalem of the Jews carried into
a long and bitter exile after the sack of their
city by Nebuchadnezzar. v
We have seen the great temple of Solomon re
stored by the friendly aid of Cyrus and furnished
by the aid of Darius, and the city's walls rebuilt
by the assistance of a third famous Persian
king, the Artaxorxes of secular history.
We have seen the noble Ezra leading back and
sustaining the second band of exiles. We have
followed the indefatigable and resourceful Nehe
miah as he erected the walls and organized tho
people even in the face of the weak-hearted
within and the threatening enemies without.
The Jews are once more firmly established in
their beloved home land; now the people are
called back to worship and obedience; and we
have Ezra and Nehemiah brought together be
fore us on this highly important and impressive
occasion.
"And all the people gathered themselves to
gether as one man into the street (or the broad
place, as the Revised Version has it) before the
water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe
to bring.the book of the law of Moses, which the
Lord had commanded to Israel."
There was unity among the people; all desired
to hear tho reading of tho law. There had been
disobedience and wanderings, repentance and
punishments; now with one accord they sought
instruction as to their duty.
WHAT OF AMERICA?
What if tho same, could be said of all tho peo
ple of this groat nation? Statistics show that
more than one-half of tho adult males in the
United States are not connected with any church,
organization. Ten" years ago the people of the
United States were spending five times as much
for intoxicants as for religion five dollars were
laid on the altar of the drink god for every dol
lar dedicated to God.
Ezra brought the law before the assembly
and road therein "from tho morning until mid
day, beforo the men and the women, and those
that could understand." Ho did not read to a
sleeping congregation; "tho ears of all the neo
ple were attentive unto the book of the law "
They were not so exhausted by the social
functions of Saturday night as to be dull on
Sunday morning; they were not so occupied with
trial balances and plans for the coming week as
to be oblivious to what was boing'said. Having
ears, they heard.
"And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God.
And all tho people answered, Amen, Amen, with
lifting up their hands; and they bowed their
heads, and worshipped the Lord with their faces
to the ground." It was a very solemn occasion,
as every occasion is that calls us back to funda
mental things.
"And Nehemiah (the governor) and Ezra the
priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the
peoplo, said unto all the people. This day is
holy unto .the Lord your God, mourn not, nor
weep. For all the people wept, when they heard ,
tho words of the law." It was a day for enjoy
ment rather than for weeping. They were told
to "eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send
portions unto them for whom nothing iB pre
pared." THE INESTIMABLE VALUE OF THE LAW
And yet there are those who would discredit
the Bible who spend their years endeavoring
to prove that there was no such person as Moses
or that the books atttributed to him were writ
ten by others critics who see nothing extra
ordinary in the Pentateuch.
Instead of elaborating upon the verses sug
gested by the text, I venture to call attention to
the inestimable value of the Law, the reading of
which so impressed the Children of Israel nearly
twenty-five hundred years ago.
The Christian faith rests upon the Bible. The
Bible is either true or false; it is either the
Word of God or the work of man. The Chris
tian church must either defend it or abandon it.
If it is not inspired, as it claims to be, it has
practised an imposition upon the world for cen
turies. If it can be convicted of being an impos
tor of fiction which have not laid claim to in
spiration. It cannot be taught in a doubtful way with in
terrogation marks questioning its authority. If
it is in fact the Word of God, the revealed will
of the Heavenly Father, there is no' other book
in-the same class with it. Those who accept it
as the Book of Books will be interested in read
ing it and in bringing it to the attention of
dthers.
A BOOK THAT NEVER WEARS OUT
Its use may be considered from four stand
points; first, the personal reading of it.
It differs from other books in that it neyer
wears out. No matter how often one re-reads
it, it is ever revealing new truth or giving new
emphasis to old truths. Sometimes a single
verse or a single word, will stand out as never
before and become the basis of a life resolve or
of a line or argument,.
The Pocket Testament League is gajning a
large membership by cultivating the fiabit of
carrying a copy of the New Testament in the
pocket for daily consultation. It is astonishing
how much one can read in odd moments if he
chooses so to employ his time.
Second, there is .the study of the Bible in the
home.
If parents regard the Bible as an infallible
guide to life and conduct, they will, of course,
bring it to the attention of the children Here
is the first test of genuine belief in the Word of
God. A parent's interest in the child is the su
preme concern because the life of the parent is
reflected in, and extended through, the children.
THE HEART'S TWO ALTERNATIVES
President Roosevelt regarded his speech on
race suicide as one of the most important of his
addresrss. He selected it from among all his
speeches, up to 1906, as the one to be published
with other of the world's great orations. Races
as well as fanlilies, survive or die out according
to the children born. The general interest
which society has in each new generation can
never be as great as the interest which members
of each generation feel in their own descendants
If the heart controls the life, then religion -which
controls the heart, must be the dominat
ing influence and the Bible is the expression of
religion in the Christian world. The children
must learn tho Bible and they must learn it
while they are children. ,
Science tells us that nature abhors a vacuum
there is likewise no vacuum in the moral world'
The heart that it not filled with religion is filled
with irreligion. No one can grow to manhood
or womanhood in a Christian country without
accepting or rejecting belief in God.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL'S FUNCTION
Third, but while the home is the flrst nursery
for religion, it is not the only place where the
Bible should be taught. The Sunday School
conies next. Though less than two hundred years
old, it has become a largo and permanent factor
in the training of children.
Some have expressed a fear that it has been
substituted for home training. It should not be
the training of the Sunday School should bo
added to the training of the home, not substi
tuted for it. If there is less home training than
there should be, the remedy is not to abandon
the Sunday School, but to stimulate the study of
the Bible at home. . ,
The Bible class is a distinct advance in the en
couragement of study of the Bible by adults.
Within the last few years there has been a not
able growth in men's Bible classes. I have re
cently been brought into contact with three.
In one city of less than one hundred thousand
there is a Bible class with an enrollment of
twelve hundred and an average attendance of
about six hundred. -In a city of less than ten
thousand there, is a Bible class of three hundred
fifty,-with other Bible classes that bring the total
enrollment up to seven hundred. The attend
ance has been doubled in two years and the
whole moral tone of the town has been im
proved. In another town of less than fifteen hundred
there is a menl's Bible class of over three hun
dred, nearly all railroad men. The meetings are
held on Thursday night and thefeeacher is super
intendent of a division of the road.
Fourth, the subject of Bible study in the day
schools is being discussed in many states. Local
conditions so largely influence public opinion on
this subject that no national rule, can be laid
down. Sometimes religious differences in a
community are -such -that agreement upon Bible
teaching is difficult. In some places the prob
lem has been solved by a plan which permits
Bible instruction by different groups, each group
supplying its own instruction all the groups
being afforded equal opportunity.
The lesson focuses attention upon the import
ance of Bible instruction; out of tho discussion
will come some plan which will adjust itself to
local conditions a plan which will supply an
universal ueed by entwining spiritual enlighten
ment with intellectual development.
x "WILL A MAN ROB GQD?:
By WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
BIBLE TEXT LESSON FOR SEPTEMBER 17
(Malachi 111:7-18)
Even from the days of your fathers ye are gono
away from mine ordinances, and have not kept
them. Return unto me,, and I will return unto you,
saith tho Lord of hosts. But ye, said, Wherein shall
we return?
Will a man rob God? Yet yo have robbed mo.
But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In
tithes and offerings.
Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed
me, even this whole nation.
Bringr yo tithes into the storehouse, that there
may be meat in mine house, and prove mo now
herewith, salth the Lord of hosts, if I will not open
you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a
blessing1, that thero shall not bo room enough to
receive it.
And I will rebuke tho dovouror for your salces,
and ho shall not destroy the fruits of your ground;
neither shall your vino cast her fruit beforo tho
'time in tho field, saith tho Lord of hosts.
And all nations shall call you blessed: for yo
shall bo a delightsome land, saith the Lord of
hosts.
Your words have been stout against me, saith
the Lord. Yet yo say, What-have wo spoken so
much against theo?
Ye have said, It is vain to .servo God: and what
profit is it that wo have kept his ordinance, and
that wo have walked mournfully, beforo tho Lord
of hosts? " I
And now wo jail the proud happy; yea, they
that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that
tempt God are oven delivered.
Then they that feared tho Lord spake often one
to another: and tho Lord hearkened, and heard
it, and a book of remembrance Was written beforo
him for them that feared tho Lord, and that
thought upon hfs name. r
And they shall be mine, saith tho Lord of hosts,
in that day when I mako up my jewels; and I will
spare them, as a man spareth his own son that
serveth him.
Then shall yo return, and discern between tho
righteous and tho wicked, between him that
Berveth God and him that servoth him not.
Ho is numbered1 among the minor prophets,
but in the four short chapters that constitute
the closing book of the Old Testament, Malachi
brings us one of the most vital messages that
we can study.
Tho burdenof. his message was the dis-
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