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interpretation entitled "right division" (II Tim. 2: 15), for He concluded His reading at the
words, "To preach the acceptable year of the Lord". Had He read on to the next line and
said, "and the day of vengeance of our God", He could not have also said, "This day is
this scripture fulfilled in your ears", for those two sentences, though divided in our
version by but a comma, belong to the two different advents of the Lord, at least
1900 years lying between them.
Therefore the second lesson that we learn is, that not only must the reading be
"distinct", to give the sense, but that it must also be "rightly divided", otherwise passages
that belong to differing dispensations will be confused and the hearers misled.
(3) The Opened Book speaks of Christ.
"And they said one to another, Did not our hearts burn within us, while He talked with
us by the way, and while He opened to us the Scriptures?" (Luke 24: 32).
If we enquire what it was that caused this glow within the breasts of the saddened
disciples, we discover that it was not eloquence, although we are sure that when He read
the Holy Book. He, as none other, read "distinctly" and "gave the sense"; neither was it
right division, although He could never confuse the dispensations that He Himself came
to fulfil. No, He made His disciples' hearts burn within them because,
"Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the
Scriptures the things CONCERNING HIMSELF" (Luke 24: 27).
So we, too, in type and shadow, in prophecy and in doctrine, shall see Him, and we
shall preach Him, otherwise all our "distinctness" and all our "division" will be dead and
fruitless. If, on the other hand, the ministry of the Opened Book follows the lead given
by these three examples, we may confidently expect the sequel, "Their eyes were
opened" (Luke 24: 31); "Then opened He their understanding, that they might
understand the Scriptures" (Luke 24: 45).
It was announced from this "Pulpit with a purpose" at the inaugural meeting, that for
the first six months the theme at the Sunday morning service would be the basic doctrine
of the inspiration of all Scripture, so that there should be no uncertainty on the part of
new-comers as to our attitude to the Word of God. We do not, of course, propose
reproducing these thirty addresses on this one great theme, but we believe every reader
and every supporter of the Central Witness would appreciate some idea of the way in
which this theme has been presented, and we trust that the record may not only indicate
the position taken up by the Central Witness, but that it will prove a blessing to those who
read the outlines, and possibly provoke further testimony in the hands of those who are
already engaged in public ministry. We therefore look forward to meeting the reader
again in these pages, there to repeat the testimony given from the "Pulpit of the Opened
Book".