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MACKENZIE, M.A., Incumbent of St. James', Holloway. The Bible is eminently the book for ledge about Himself, — about ourman. It meets his wants. It is the selves, - about sin, death, eternity, key which fits the perplexities which the glories of heaven or sorrows of meet us on every side. But it is em- hell. We might have been left to phatically the book for our day. We grope our dark way in this life, to are struggling with social evils which plunge into the blackness of despair the prevalent knowledge of the Bible in the life to come. But, blessed be would have prevented. We are God, He has been pleased to bring blessed with freedom, civil and reli- life and immortality to light through gious, now peculiarly precious, for the Gospel. which we are indebted to the Bible. If then, God, in great inercy has We are threatened with evils which given us the Bible,-inspired by His may be averted by the fuller know- own Spirit,-preserved by special proledge of the Bible. We want, there- vidence for so many ages, so that fore, to urge the great importance of nothing is lost and nothing added, a more diligent and conscientious ac- caused it to be faithfully translated quaintance with the word of God. into our mother tongue, and to be We know well that many persons obtained at so low a rate that even want directions how to make their the poorest may have a Bible of his Bible reading more profitable. More- own, then it is plainly the duty of over, the study of God's word is one every man, woman, and child, seriof the Christian's every-day duties. ously to read the Scriptures for themIt is imperative then, to do it in the selves. If God has given us His inmost edifying way that we can. What spired Bible, it is our plain duty to an inestimable blessing it is, that God know for ourselves what God there was ever pleased to give us the Bible! says to us. If God speaks, surely He might have left us to spend a man must hear. If God writes, dreary sojourn in this dark world, surely man must read. If God comwithout a single ray of true know- mands to search the Scriptures, surely JANUARY--1852. that man must incur grievous guilt the rivers of water, that bringeth forth who lets his Bible lie by, reads other his fruit in his season; his leaf also things, but neglects that. shall not wither, and whatsoever he In all ages of the Church men have doeth shall prosper.” Psa. i. been commanded to search the Scrip- When the lawyer enquired how he tures, as the great means of salva- must obtain eternal life, our Lord at tion. Thus Moses said to the Israel- once refers him to the Bible ;-"What ites, " And these words which I com- is written in the law? How readest mand thee this day, shall be in thine thou?” When the rich man in torheart, and thou shalt teach them ment besought Abraham to send some diligently to thy children, and shalt messenger to his five brethren, lest talk of them when thou sittest in they should join him in that place, he thine house, and when thou walkest is referred to the Scriptures as God's by the way, and when thou liest method for saving souls ;-" They down, and when thou risest up; and have Moses and the prophets, let thou shalt bind them for a sign upon them hear them.” And when He thine hand, and they shall be as wished to strengthen the faith of His frontlets between thine eyes, and disciples about His own death, resurthou shalt write them upon the posts rection, and glory, “Beginning at of thine house, and on thy gates.” Moses and all the prophets, he exDeut. vi. 64-9. Isaiah said, “Seek pounded to them in all the Scriptures ye out of the book of the law and the things concerning himself.” When read.” St. Paul tells the Colossians, the Lord was tempted by the devil, it “Let the word of Christ dwell in you was by a passage of the Scriptures richly in all wisdom.“ Our Lord re- that He repelled the enemy; shewing buked the Sadducees about the resur- us that we also must learn to use that rection,_“Ye do err, not knowing "sword of the Spirit, which is the the Scriptures.” Timothy is com- word of God.” Wherever the aposmended that from a child he had tles went, the Scriptures were their known the Scriptures. It was the armoury. Indeed, the sum of this brightest feature in Josiah's history, great duty may be comprehended in that he brought the word of God St. Paul's striking words, “All Scripfrom its concealment and placed it ture is given by inspiration of God, freely before all the people. David's and is profitable for doctrine, for redelight was in the law of the Lord, proof, for correction, for instruction wherein he meditated day and night. in righteousness, that the man of God Apollos was “mighty in the Scrip- may be perfect, thoroughly furnished tures.” St. Peter declares that all to all good works." Christians, as new born babes, desire In the Scriptures we have all that the sincere milk of the word, that is needful to be known for our souls' they may grow thereby. The Bereans salvation. Thus our sixth Article are praised because “they searched distinctly expresses, “Holy Scripture the Scriptures daily to see if these containeth all things necessary to things were so." And David de- salvation; so that whatsoever is not scribes the prosperous believer, whose read therein, nor may be proved “ delight is in the law of the Lord;" thereby, is not to be required of any Z" he shall be like a tree planted by man, that it should be believed as an Article of the Faith, or be thought re- tred to the Scriptures, and take such quisite or necessary to salvation." The pains to keep men in ignorance of Bible tells us what man was before he God's saving method of mercy. fell, and the consequences of his fall- One great purpose in keeping the ing. It tells us, that in the deep Jews so distinct from the world was, compassion of an all-gracious God, a that they might faithfully preserve plan of recovery was formed; it re- the inspired Scriptures; they were to veals the Glorious Person who ac- be stewards of the Bible; "unto them complished, and the Divine Spirit who were committed the oracles of God :" alone can apply it. It proclaims Christ and thus far, faithful stewards they Jesus as the only “way" by which sin- were. When the Lord came, he magners must return," the truth," which nified the Scriptures by every means. they must believe," the life" which In the labours of the Apostles, “ the must quicken them; the strength word of the Lord had free course and which must sustain them. It gives was glorified.” During the early all we need for salvation. Do we persecutions, when every thing was want life? It is here. Do we want done to destroy the Scriptures, they pardon? It is here. Do we want were branded with lasting infamy, as sanctifying grace? It is here. Would traitors to Christianity, who gave up we know how God can be just, and their Bibles. It was the glory of yet the justifier of him that believeth? Luther's Reformation, that he gave That great question is answered here. the Scriptures to the people in their All, all is here, in this blessed volume; own tongue. He says of himself, “ I the light to my wandering feet, and had the whole body of Papists to oplamp to my path, in my dreary jour- pose; I preached, I wrote, I pressed ney to an eternal world. on men's consciences the doctrines of Now it is natural to remark, what the word of God. Yet, it is not I, must be the guilt of that Church of but the Divine Word which has done Rome which sets its face against the every thing.” It was just so with the Scriptures; which forbids, under the glorious Reformation in this country. severest threats, that guilty, dying The art of printing had been most sinners shall read, or even possess providentially discovered in time for them; which keeps even her priests the Reformers to supply the people in ignorance of the Scriptures; which with their English Bible. And now, searches for Bibles in a house sus- for two hundred years, the English pected of concealing one, that they Bible, as we now have it, has been may destroy it, as persons would seek freely distributed throughout the out some venemous reptile that had country, without any restriction. crept into their dwellings. No won- During all these years, there has been der, then, she enjoins objects of wor- no very general departure from Bible ship which the Scriptures condemn; Christianity. Infidelity last century teaches doctrines about which the tried her utmost. Some of the leadScriptures are silent. Romanism is ing writers of the day, who had most not Christianity. It disclaims its ori- influence over the public mind, were gin from the Christian Scriptures. bitter haters of God's truth, and used The heaviest judgments of God must every subtle means to make the peoawait those who shew their bitter ha- ple hate it too. But numbers of real Christians, who were quickened by its rier against the Infidel Socialist, or life-giving truths, loved it in their the Popish agent. A Bible reading breasts and adorned it in their lives. people will not easily be led astray. Ever since the Reformation, the con- But are we Bible readers? We science of the nation has been con- hear Bible truth preached; and one vinced that the Bible is God's own truth. day we must give account of the use They cannot but see its power in the which we have made of that great conversion of men. The power of that Gospel privilege. But, we are afraid philosophical infidelity has passed that many go to church and hear, away. Thank God for that! But who do not much retire to their room still a desperate struggle is going on. to read, and think, and pray over Dark districts, where population is Gospel truth. Preaching is God's dense and means of grace scanty, are great ordinance for converting and leavened with popular infidelity; not quickening the soul. But that man's so much based upon arguments as christianity is very sickly and feeble upon total ignorance of the Scrip- which is supported only by the public tures, and utter recklessness as to all expositions of scriptural truth. The sense of duty. In immense tracts, soul wants food taken in other ways densely peopled, in our city and ma- besides. Public preaching is not nufacturing populations, true religion enough. It puts truth broadly before is hardly known, and still less expe- us. It gives us the deep outlines. It rienced. And now we have the tide tells us what to look for. It quickens of Popery set in, in a way that this the soul. It brings us to the Saviour country has not known since the revealed in the Scriptures. But we time of the Stuarts, and perhaps not must not stop indolently there. It puts the Scriptures in our hand. It · Still here is the antidote. The Bible tells us what we shall find there ; and is now the cheapest of all books. It bids us take them, and go into our costs ten-pence, and the New Testa- chamber, and there search for ourment three-pence. It is circulated selves, that we “may become wise by millions of copies, by the Bible unto salvation.” Society and other means. The in- II. Then, what is the best way for creasing spread of knowledge is mul- profitably searching the Scriptures ? tiplying Bible readers. Bible lessons 1. Let us first obtain readable are parts of instruction in most copies of the Scriptures, with good, schools. Parents who were not clear type, which we may use with trained to daily Bible reading, feel comfort for many years to come; the their own great loss; they are re- marginal references in the authorized solved, at any rate, that their children editions are extremely useful, -well shall know the Scriptures. In our selected, and not too many. Thus proNational Schools, Bible teaching is vided, let our minds be soundly immatter of course. Instructors of all pressed with the immense importance other kinds feel that the public mind of knowing what theScriptures contain. is made up to this, their pupils must Let us feel that our souls' interests, in have Scripture Truth questioned into this life and the life to come, are bound them. We rejoice in all this. The up in this duty. Let us be convinced Bible diligently read is the best bar- of the guilt and shame which we must then. |