STUDY OF TOPICS

I. Sources of information

A. The scriptures for inquiries confined to scripture topics.

1. God should be heard first. The fact that he has seen fit to say anything implies that he should be heard.

B. Profane literature, history and geography.

1. The first for meanings of words.

2. The second for manners, customs and illustrative events.

3. The third for localities, climate, productions, etc.

C. When any conflict occurs, all must yield to the Word of God.

II. Two Methods of Study.

A. The dogmatic consists of getting thoughts for reflections and searching scriptures for proof to support them.

1. Objections to this method.

a. It is presumption. It is taking our own "think-so" rather than what God says.

b. Generally incomplete.

c. Always unsafe.

B. The inductive method.

1. Get all statements of scriptures and adopt them as conclusions.

2. Draw from them all necessary deductions. ("Necessary" means logical.)

3. Advantages of this method.

a. It furnishes all God sees fit to say on the subject—that is enough.

b. It makes scriptures form the theory, rather than conform to it.

c. When preaching thus, we are preaching the Word,

C. Caution: The induction must be complete. Partial induction is unsafe for other facts might reverse the conclusion. (Note: We have also the Mystic and Rationalistic Methods. These are not worthy of discussion. The former is almost obsolete. (Swedenborgen and others.) The latter is only used by skeptics. It is used to decide what part of the Bible is of God. That is skepticism.)

III. Rules: Inductive Method.

A. Collect the individual thoughts and facts of scripture.

1. Process:

a. By concordance and reading, find all passages that bear on the subject.

b. Apply to each the rule of exegesis and get its exact thought.

c. Write them in the most precise terms possible.

2. Classify the thoughts collected. This is done:

a. By connection of sequence (time.)

b. By logical connection of cause and effect or of premise and conclusion.

c. By connection of association; i.e., or natural division of question at issue.

(1) These classes of thought constitute the divis­ions of the subject.

B. Arrange the thoughts of each division.

1. Observe same connection as in rule 2.

2. Have reference to connection of the divisions.

3. Let the last thought of each division be connected with the first thought of the next division.

C. Arrange the division of the topics.

1. This done as in rule 2.

D. Obtain a connected view of the whole subject.

1. This done by reflection on each part with reference to every other part and with reference to the whole.

2. Now proceed to write or speak on the whole or any part.