The Bible | AdventAI

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Apr 6, 1876

The Bible.

The following beautiful tribute to the Bible is copied from the writings of Theodore Parker:—

“This collection of books has taken such a hold on the world as no other. It is read of a Sabbath in all the 10,000 pulpits of our land; the sun never sets on its gleaming pages. It goes equally to the cottage of the plain man and the palace of the king. It is woven into the literature of the scholar, and colors the talk of the street. The barque of the merchant cannot sail the sea without it. No ships of war go to the conflict but the Bible is there. It enters men’s closets, mingles in all the griefs and cheerfulness of life. The affianced maiden prays God in Scripture for strength in her home duties; men are married by Scripture; the Bible attends them in their sickness—when the fever of the world is upon them. The aching head finds a softer pillow when the Bible lies underneath. The mariner, escaping from shipwreck, esteems it the first of his treasures, and keeps it sacred to God. It goes with the peddler in his crowded pack, cheers him at eventide when he sits down, dusty and fatigued, and brightens the freshness of his morning face. It blesses us when we are born, gives names to half of Christendom, rejoices with us, has sympathy for our mourning, tempers our grief to finer issues. It is the better part of our sermons; it lifts man above himself—our best of natural prayers are in its storied speech, wherewith our fathers and the patriarchs prayed. The timid man, about awaking from this dream of life, looks through the glass of Scripture, and his eye grows bright; he does not fear to stand alone, to tread the way unknown and distant, to take the death angel by the hand and bid farewell to wife, and babes, and home! Men rest on this their dearest hopes. It tells them of God and of his blessed Son; of earthly duties and of heavenly trust!”