CHAPTER IX.

THE BIBLE-WHY IT SHOULD BE READ.

HE primary object of the Bible is to show the relation between God and man; by the

redemption in Christianity, to reconcile the earth-child to his heavenly Father, and to lead him to live with his fellow-man as with a brother and a friend.

But, confining our view of this volume for the present to its intellectual aspects, I would show, that in this age of universal and varied reading, no book deserves so much attention as this from the advocate of mental progress and the lover of good literature. As a patron of pure taste, and a high literary culture, I should place the Scriptures in the van of all other books. It is a pioneer for the various professions. A distinguished member of the bar writes, at the head of a course of legal studies, "Make yourself familiar with the Bible." Who is the scholar that thinks to stand high on the roll of academic fame, and yet neglect or disparage this book? We say to all such, not only is it the ark of the doctrine of the one true God, and not only is it the best code of morals to be found in past ages or among modern systems of ethics, but as a compendium of literature

-in its classic histories, its full-freighted biographies, its masterly eloquence, and its more than beautiful poetry-it stands unsurpassed, unapproached.

To read wisely and well, we must begin with the Bible. "I can truly affirm," says Coleridge, "that my studies have been profitable and availing to me, only so far as I have endeavoured to use all my other knowledge as a glass, enabling me to receive more light, in a wider field of vision, from the Word of God."

To the student of history, this volume is fraught with instruction. See what it has done for the nations and races of mankind. What was the ultimate fate of those who never saw its light? Assyria, as has been recently proved, made illustrious advancement in science and art. Egypt was renowned for her learning, and Babylon for her wealth and magnificence. Persia stood of old at the very summit of human grandeur and glory. Greece was, at one time, the light of the world in literature, arts, and arms; and Rome succeeded her in a transcendent empire of outward dominion, and in the imperial sway of her intellect. Yet every one of these mighty powers, with their matchless energies and their gigantic achievements, went down, in a material and mental, no less than a moral regard, to the sepulchre of nations. And why? Because they had not the Bible.

To this book the world owes, not only its redemption from sin as a personal offence against God and His law, but what is less frequently considered, all true and enduring emancipation from the savage state and

the gross darkness of barbarism. Why are we now living in the full blaze of civilization, refinement, and social and mental culture? Because we have the Bible. It contains the strongest elements of advancement for the race, and at the same time it is the great conservator of humanity. Take away this grand brake, and the wheels of social progress would sometimes rush down to degradation, corruption, and death.

Contrast with the nations just named, those which have risen to a high and enduring prosperity. Take the history of our own progenitors. We are descended from the ancient Britons, a race of absolute pagans. Barbarous themselves, their priests, the Druids, worshipped the oak and the mistletoe, and sacrificed human beings to their gods. Why are we not doing the same thing to-day? Why are we not bowing down to idols, Juggernaut, or the Grand Lama, or the fetich of Africa? We Anglo-Saxons, sons of barbarians, stand at the summit of modern civilization. We are refined in manners, advanced in literature, science, and the arts, worshippers of the true and living God, and we are still the vanguard of light, freedom, and all sacred, social, and national progress. · And why? We owe it, fundamentally, to the Bible.

Not only is this book precious to the poor and unlearned-not only is it the counsellor and confidence of the great middle class of society, both spiritually and mentally speaking-but the scholar and the sage, the intellectual monarchs of the race, bow to its authority. It has encountered the scorn of a Lucian,

the mystic philosophy of a Porphyry, the heartless scepticism of a Hume, the lore of a Gibbon, the sneers of a Voltaire, the rude weapons of a Paine, and the subtle many-sided neology of modern Germany. But none of these things have moved it. Nay, parallel with these attempts at its subjugation, and triumphant over them all, have advanced the noble works of such commanding intellects as Newton, Chalmers, Robert Hall, Bowditch, Channing, and others equally eminent, testifying, that to them the Bible bore the stamp of a special revelation, and the seal of the Eternal God.

The oldest reliable history is that given by Moses: "And God said, Let there be light, and there was light." And on and down, for four thousand years, the sacred volume follows the fortunes of God's chosen people. And, incidentally, it gives us, at the same time, light on the contemporary nations of heathendom. See what it has done for science! True, it does not unfold to us the mysteries of geology, astronomy, or chemistry. And yet it does train the mind for its loftiest flights and its broadest explorations. "I have always found," said a philosopher, "in my scientific studies, that, when I could' get the Bible to say any thing on the subject, it afforded me a firm platform to stand upon, and another round in the ladder, by which I could safely ascend." It throws its beams into the temples of science and literature, no less than those of religion; and so prepares the way for man's advancement in philosophy, metaphysics, and the natural sciences, no less than

in the realm of ethics; and, as it saves the soul, it exalts the intellect.

If you admire the power of reasoning, turn to the Epistles of Paul. If you would go to Butler or to Pascal for an exhibition of logical ability, pass not by the masterly arguments and the all-convincing conclusions of this mighty Apostle. Do you admire the fascinating tale? No book has more thrilling narratives than the Bible. Read the story of Joseph with a cold heart if you can; or begin the romantic history of Daniel, and lay it down in the middle, unfinished. Elihu Burritt not only devoured a little parish library in his boyhood, but "I was drawn to the Bible at the age of sixteen," he says, "by its beautiful narratives." If you ask for an exquisite home-scene, turn to the tale of Ruth; if pathos is your choice, read the affecting story of David and Absalom.

It

And what shall I say of the poetic element of the Scriptures? It is well known that Bunyan, that prose poet, whose work is as immortal as our language, read no book but the Bible,-that was the inspiration of his genius. How many have been lifted up to the gate of heaven by the strains of Job and Isaiah. is not possible to find any volume of pastoral and descriptive poetry to compare with the Psalms or the writings of Solomon. Every great poet has drank at this one fountain. Milton could not have written Paradise Lost, had he not been touched by the celestial fire of the Bible. Spencer, through this Book, reached his exquisite beauty and tenderness. Cowper