The word Bible signifies book,
and when we call it the Bible, we mean that it is the book of
books, the best book, the wisest book, the book that will do us
the most good of any in the world. If all the other books in the
world were destroyed, however great and irreparable the loss,
if men still had the Bible, they would be far better off than
if it were destroyed, and all other books remained. It is the
book that alone can tell how sin can be forgiven, how temptation
can be overcome, how trouble and sorrow can be met, how tears
can be wiped away, and how death can be the gate of everlasting
life. It is indeed the best companion
for days of trial, for the day of sickness, and for the hour
when we must part from all below. Oh, what a treasure is a well-read
Bible! It is a mine of gold, a hive
full of honey, a field covered with a rich harvest. It is a
tree of life, of which every twig bears precious fruit. It
is an ocean full of pearls. It is a river full of the purest
water of life. It is a sun whose beams warm
and cheer the heart. It is a bright star that can
guide the pilgrim through the darkest night. It is a granary
stored with the finest of wheat. It is a medicine chest from which
we may find a remedy for every malady of the soul. It is a Mount
Pisgah from which we can view the promised land of Canaan.
All this and much more is the Bible to those who love to search
it and explore the depths of heavenly wisdom which it contains. Dear friend, whatever you forget,
never, never forget to read something out of this precious book day
by day. The scriptures worn against,
the fear of man, the allurements of worldly pleasures, the snare
of pride, and the temptation of doubt and unbelief. Search the scriptures. Whatever
you have done hitherto, begin now to search them daily as for
hidden treasures. Go deep into this precious mine.
Ponder what you read. Compare the commands and precepts
with your own daily life. Bring its promises to bear on
your heart and trials. When we read the Scriptures,
we should pay good heed to it. There are depths and heights
in many of the simplest verses that we can never reach. Therefore,
we ought to turn them over again and again in our minds. We must
mark, learn, and inwardly digest them. A few verses, or even a
single verse, well thought over, and still better, well prayed
over, will bring more profit and help than many chapters listlessly
or carelessly read. When your words came, I ate them,
they were my joy and my heart's delight.