THE INCOMPARABLE WORD by Friedrich Wilhelm Krummacher

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Aug 9, 1899

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 25, No. 32.

THE INCOMPARABLE WORD.

By Friedrich Wilhelm Krummacher

O THOU Bible! holy Book of wonders! what more can we need, when He who bears "the key of David" opens to us thy treasures? Where is the darkness which thy light will not dispel? where the emptiness which the tree of life will not satisfy? where the thirst which thy living streams will not quench? where the mountains which can not be ascended when we have with us Thy rod and staff? O Word of God, sent from heaven! who can estimate the fulness of that service of love which thou hast wrought for us? We seek after God—thou unveilest to us His face. We desire to know His will—thou discoverest to us His law, with its thunders and lightnings. Terrified by the voice from Sinai, we inquire into the state of our hearts—thou disclosest to us their most secret depths. We sink under the heavy load of our sins—thou showest to us the sentence of condemnation torn asunder, and nailed to the Saviour's cross. We tremble to find that we are naked in the presence of a holy God—thou tellest us of the spotless righteousness of Immanuel, and sayest gently, "Go in peace."

We fear lest we should not walk worthy of our calling—thou sayest to us, "Take courage; for Christ is made of God unto you wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption." We tremble before the enemy who would fain swallow us up—again thou raisest our heads: "The Lion of the tribe of Judah hath conquered; take courage; take courage." Trouble surrounds us—thou liftest us out of the abyss; see, it was the chastisement of love. We are left alone—thou directest us to a friendly bosom, where all tears are wiped away. The path of our pilgrimage is dark and gloomy—thou givest us the wings of hope, so that we fly away over this world's mountains. The day of our life is coming to a close, the evening is drawing nigh—thou openest to us a window that looks to the east, and, behold, we see in the distance the glorious lights of our own eternal home; and, O, what a home! O Word of life! treasure of salvation! without equal; which makes our poverty rich, our weakness strong, gilding with heavenly light the shades of our earthly pilgrimage! Let us kiss thee with kisses of love—let us cover thee with tears of joy.—F. W. Krummacher.