Excellence of the Bible
By Daniel Webster
When in Paris, some years ago, I received an account of a French infidel, who happened to find in a drawer of his library some stray leaves of an unknown volume. Altho in the constant habit of denouncing the Bible, like most infidel writers he had never read any part of it. These fugitive leaves contained the prayer of Habakkuk (chapter 3). Being a man of fine literary taste, he was captivated with its poetic beauty, and hastened to the club-house to announce the discovery to his associates. Of course they were anxious to know the name of the gifted author, to which inquiries the elated infidel replied, "A writer by the name of Hab-ba-kook, of course a Frenchman!" Judge of the infidel's surprise when informed that the passage he was so enthusiastically admiring was not produced by one of his own countrymen, nor even by one of his own class of so-called freethinkers, but was penned by one of God's ancient prophets, and was contained in that much-despised book, the Bible. This I regard as one of the sublimest passages of inspired literature; and often have I wondered that some artist, equal to the task, has not selected the prophet and his scene of desolation as the subject of a painting.—Daniel Webster.