COMMITTING SCRIPTURE TO MEMORY.
"The Bible! 'T is a book divine,
Where heavenly truth and mercy shine,
And wisdom speaks in every line." SOON after the Lord in mercy opened our eyes to behold spiritual things, we commenced committing to memory portions of the inspired volume, carefully, prayerfully, and exactly, word for word, without the slightest deviation from the written letter. First, we committed the sermon on the mount; the most practical parts of the epistles of Paul, Peter, James, and John; and parts of the Psalms, Proverbs, and prophecies. We then committed the whole of Matthew's gospel, whole psalms, and whole chapters in the writings of Solomon and the prophets; likewise whole chapters in Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, James and John, Peter first and second, and in the letters addressed to Timothy and Titus by Paul. This committing to memory portions of the blessed Bible was made a daily business. On some days, only one verse was committed; on others, two, three, four, six, eight, or ten. The passages committed in the morning were often repeated during the day, while going out and coming in, lying down and rising up. While occupied in our usual avocations, or business transactions, these golden gems were turned over and over again, and again meditated upon, and brought home to our hearts. The glorious results of thus treasuring up these "apples of gold in pictures of silver," are inexpressible. We mention only a few of these blessings:— 1. This hiding the word of God in our heart by these daily committals assisted us in prayer, not only in using scriptural language in approaching the great "I Am," but as whole psalms and other parts of the Bible were made up of prayer entirely, we could, when in a state of spiritual ardity and when the heavens were brass over us, and our own words seemed to rise no higher than our head, take the words of the Holy Spirit's dictation, and soon feel our heart kindle with true, spiritual devotion. Often, when clouds and darkness were thus around us, the healing beams of the Sun of Righteousness would dawn. 2. This method of examining the Bible by careful and prayerful committal of its pages assisted us very much in ordering our conversation at home and abroad, in the social circle, and around the table. A verse or two, taken from this pure fountain, was often introduced on these occasions for elucidation and edifying conversation. Moreover, it aided us equally in giving a happy turn to social or family interviews, when otherwise precious golden moments would have been occupied on things of a trifling nature or commonplace, or on things of little or no profit. Furthermore, when conversation was likely to flag, a passage from this light-house would be introduced for mutual edification and spiritual enlargement. 3. In our missionary trips from house to house in cities and villages, this familiarity with holy inspiration was of special advantage; also around sick-beds on occasions when the Bible could not easily be taken up, we could then have recourse to this stock on hand treasured in our memory, and repeat verbatim such passages as would comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak and administer consolation to the sick and dying. 4. In teaching Sabbath-schools, Bible-classes, also in attending meetings for prayer, testimony, and in more public ministration, this fund of Holy Writ, stored for future use, we found incalculably beneficial.
Thy word, "where'er it enters in,
Is sharper than a two-edged sword,
To slay the man of sin." 5. In writing for the press, or otherwise, the same blessed results were experienced as when imparting oral instruction. 6. In severe temptation, we could apply this "sword of the Spirit" skillfully in warding off the fiery darts of the enemy, from the fact of our having so many of the great and precious promises before our mind's eye. Our blessed Lord set an example here, when tempted by Satan, after his long fasting of forty days. What did he say? "Get thee hence, Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." Matt. 4:10. Mark well the purport of the words, "It is written." 7. This hiding God's truth effectually destroyed and killed out forever, the least and last tendency to silly, nonsensical chit-chat, foolish talking, and jesting, about things of little or no profit, so common with many church-members. The attempt to witticisms to excite vain laughter eats out the life and essence of true piety. Whenever you see persons given to light, trifling or frivolous conversation, like the crackling of thorns under a pot, take it for granted such individuals are very superficial in Bible theology, and know but little if anything of the marrow and fatness of the gospel. 8. Another exceedingly important item in thus bringing home the spirit of the Bible to our inmost soul was this: It killed or destroyed entirely and forever all relish for insipid, frothy, and ephemeral publications, the popular periodicals of the day, the fashion-plate magazines and comical, the multitudinous mixture of the bitter and the sweet, God and mammon, Christ and belial, so frequently advertised and puffed by religious editors. When once the truths of the Bible have taken firm root in the heart, and become more precious than gold, sweeter also than honey and the honey-comb, these sugar-coated poisons, snakes in the grass, Satanic transformations, appear disgusting and heart-sickening, and are repudiated as the froth and scum of the pit, fit neither for the land nor the dung-hill. Whenever you see persons poring over these "literary serpents" with evident delight, you know certainly that they have not yet learned the first principles of true discipleship.
"Fill first the bushel with the wheat—
With wisdom, food for souls to eat;
Then chaff, the fiction of the day,
Will find no place, and blow away." 9. This investigating of the writings of holy and inspired men opened our eyes to see the vanity and sinfulness of worldly conformity in dress, equipage, church-building, the pride of aristocracy, the uniting of Christ with belial in matrimonial connections, religious festivals, and secret, oath-bound societies. When you see the professed disciples of Jesus following the wake of worldly popularity, receiving honor from one another, rest assured that God's word has not done its perfect work. 10. This method of searching the Scriptures, accompanied by the influence of the Holy Spirit, eradicated entirely and forever a sectarian spirit and the spirit of caste. We were led also to hate oppression in every form as God hates it, and as every holy being must hate it. Beloved reader, are not the blessings here enumerated, which result from treasuring up God's truth in the heart by committing portions of it daily, worthy of your immediate, prayerful consideration? Can you hesitate a moment from following on to know the Lord in this way, "till the day dawn and the day-star arise in your heart?" "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 2 Pet. 1:20, 21.—Guide to Holiness.