Chapter I: God Hath SPOKEN

It’s a wonderful thing that God hath spoken. Just try to imagine what condition this world would be in if God had never spoken. What if he had not spoken to Adam, to Noah, to Moses, or to any of our forefathers down through the centuries?

As a clue to the conditions which would prevail if God had not spoken, consider the places on earth today where the Bible is unknown; where its influence has had only a very remote and indirect effect. In such places we find backwardness, ignorance, disease, darkness. By way of contrast, you may consider our own country where the Bible is better known; though far from being fully and faithfully followed. Here we have an effective system of public education, industrial and scientific advancement, a comparatively high degree of intelligence, numerous charitable organizations and institutions, or what may be summarily described as a high standard of civilization.

If such material blessings come to those who even partially respect the word that God has spoken, just think how wonderful its influence would be if every individual were a faithful student and faithful follower of his word. The word that God has spoken _makes a difference_! If it were not for his word, we would be in total darkness. “It is not in man that walketh to direct his own steps.” The learned Grecian philosophers, with all of their wisdom, were not able to figure out a way of life that would lead to happiness on this earth, to say nothing of leading to salvation in that world which is to come. If God had not spoken, we would not know where we came from, we would not know where we are going, and we would not know what to do in the meantime. We owe all of our progress, not only spiritually but otherwise also, to the fact that God hath spoken. Oh, we could learn from the material universe that God is; we could learn that some sort of a great being had brought into existence all of the things we behold but if God had not spoken, we would not know his will concerning us. We would not know what he wants us to do. We would not know about the Way that leads to happiness here and hereafter. So I want you to meditate upon the fact that God hath spoken. I believe that that meditation will beget within you a feeling of gratitude for God’s word, a greater appreciation of it, and, therefore, a more careful study of it and a more diligent adherence unto it.