" The Greek Language and the Christian Ministry" by F.F. Bruce

Christian theology is based upon the firm belief that God; the Maker of heaven and earth, has revealed Himself to mankind as a righteous God and a Saviour, and that this revelation, at first conveyed partially and variously through those whom He called to be His spokesmen, has been perfectly  communicated in Jesus Christ His Son. The preparatory and consummating stages of the revelation have been recorded respectively in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. To these sacred writings, Evangelical theology in particular attaches unique importance, believing that they constitute the standard of faith and practice, that they contain all things necessary for salvation, and that nothing must  be pressed upon men as of the essence of Christian belief and life which cannot be established from them.

The Christian theologian, particularly if he calls himself Evangelical, must therefore pay the most painstaking attention to these writings. He must realize that sound theology rests upon true exegesis, and true exegesis requires a  number of preliminary disciplines, of which linguistic study and textual criticism are two of the most important. The Biblical theologian―and do we not all call ourselves  Biblical theologians nowadays!―cannot be content with a second-hand approach to his foundation documents, by reading them in another man’s translation. He will, no doubt, consult and value many translations, but he will wish to control them by regular, direct reference to the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek texts. “True,” says one reader, “true so far as the theological specialist is concerned. But I am no theological specialist; I have no ambition but to be a parish clergyman, charged with the cure of souls. I have neither the time nor perhaps the inclination to pursue linguistic study.” But, my friend, that very vocation to which  your life is dedicated, makes you a theological
specialist. Not a theological  specialist among theologians, admittedly, but a theological specialist among laymen. To whom should your  parishioners turn for an expert ruling on some point of theological or Biblical interpretation if not to you, their true pastor? Must you, like them, depend on other men’s translations and other men’s explanations for an answer?  No doubt you will have access to many more translations and explanations than they; but your answer will still, in some important respects, be second-hand.

"Bible Study" by A. W. Pink

  (From Studies in the Scriptures Publication: July, 1939)

      From our correspondence we gather that in these strenuous days, there are not a few who deplore the fact that they do not now have the time available for serious reading which they once had. Working conditions are so exacting, competition is so keen and ruthless, the pace has become so feverish, that the majority are too exhausted at the close of the day to apply themselves in the evening to anything which involves much effort. We sympathize with these weary toilers, and would offer to them the following remarks. First, God is no Egyptian taskmaster, laying upon us a burden grievous to be borne. Second, there is nothing more restful to the nerves and relief-bringing to an over-taxed mind than half an hour spent alone with God; say five minutes in reading a Psalm or a portion from the Gospels, 15 or 20 minutes at the Throne of Grace--thanking God for the mercies of the day, pouring out to Him our troubles, seeking fresh supplies of grace: and then reading a chapter from the Epistles. Third, retire to rest half an hour sooner than you have been doing, and rise that much earlier in the morning, so as to spend it with God, preparing yourself for the demands of the day. Fourth, be most particular in seeing to it that you spend several hours on the Sabbath over God's Word and reading edifying books. It is not honouring to the Lord for you to rush from one meeting to another and leave yourself little opportunity for private devotions.

"Reading and Searching the Scriptures" by Thomas Boston

1.   Follow a regular plan in reading the Scriptures, so that you may become acquainted with the entire Bible; and make this reading a part of your private devotions. Do not always confine yourselves only to read according to your set plan, so as never to read by choice, however, having a plan leads to the most edification. Some parts of the Bible are more difficult, some may seem very dry for an ordinary reader; but if you would look on all of it as being the very Words of God, never to be disregarded, but read with faith and reverence, then without a doubt you will find great gain.
2.   Be sure to mark those passages you read, the ones which you find most fitting to your situation, condition, or temptations; or those that you have found which touches your heart more than other passages. It will be most profitable for you to often review these marked passages.

"Useful Directions For Reading and Searching the Scriptures" by Thomas Boston

 There is so much to gain from reading the Puritans.  In this "relevant" world we find ourselves the Puritans are often scorned for being "unrelevant" and out of touch with our modern day problems.   God raised these men up for the edification of the people of that time and that place, but He also raised these men up for the people of this time and this place so we would be in serious error not to take advantage of the gift of the Puritans.  It has been centuries since the last of the Puritans put quil to paper but this doesn't mean they are to be left in the past.  Today we have a chance such as previous generations never had, we can easily find, purchase and read hundreds of books that were out of print for years and years.      The following is from Thomas Boston on Reading and Searching the Scriptures......  be Holy!        Shane C. Montgomery

How to Study the Bible by the Rev. James Stalker, D.D. 1895

  I must admit, I am drawn to 19th century Scottish preachers, something about their no nonsense approach to Scripture and to personal piety that brings me to want to read them and in this case we have the Rev. James Stalker who many might not have heard mentioned but deserves to be read today, he did not put out a ton of literature but what we have we should read.   I love this era of British preachers, Bonar, Ryle, Spurgeon and a little later on, my favorite, A.W. Pink.   So I present to you Stalker's guide to the study of Scripture.   May it bless and edify you!