Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1856-11-05
THE BIBLE.

specting the attachment which men have
for it. There is no other book of which c
you may not be surfeited. But the more Il
you read the Bible, the more interesting
are its sacred pages. 1t is related that
when the poet Scott was on his dying
bed, he said to Mr.. Lockhart, "Bring
me the book" "of poetry ?'' ''NO."
"Of the history which 1 consulted in
the preparation of my own history ?"
"No." "What book ?" "Do you ask
what book ?" said the dying scholar
"There is but one book and that is the
Bible"
Reference has been made to the circu'
lation of the Bible in the Crimea. Af-
ter giving you all due credit, we can say,
that we too in the United States have
been doing something. At an early |
day we sent out an agent to CONSTANT
nople. From thence he went to the Cri-
mea. There he found the French Sold
iers greedy for the Bible, and he has
distributed among them all his Bibles
There by hangs tale. Some three or
four years ago, Napoleon saw the igno-
rance of reading among the soldiers of
his armies, and hired a teacher for them.
This man took a slate and pencil with
which to instruct them. And what was
the first book he gave them TO read 1t
was French translation of the Gospel of
St. John. This explains why the French
soldiers were so greedy for the Bible
They had been vaccinated with that
tract, ''No man having drunk old wine
straightway desireth the new"
The bible possesses a wonderful re-
productive power. 1t has a reduplica-
ting influence in itself. God has provi-
ded that what is intended for the physi-
, cal support of man is endowed with re-
productive powers. Christ says, "the
seed is the Word of God !" "Behold
: sower went forth to SOW Sometime 1
! think this intended not only as parable,
but also proverb. And 1 thought that
: while the Savior stood on the shore of
GaliIee, and observed the sower strewing
, his seed broadcast, that he stretched his
eye forward to the beginning of the 10Th
century, and saw the British and Amer
can Bible Societies, spreading abroad
that seed which is the Word.
Some few years ago a mummy was
brought into New York which had been
taken from the Catacombe of Egypt, and
, among the bandages which swathed i;
were found few grains of wheat of a
large size. As curiosity, it was plan
ted, to see whether it would yield aught.
VIII you believe it, that from these few
grains, Eg, ptiau wheat has become al
mcst staple in the American market; ;
that, from that small quantity, thousands
of bushels are now annually brought to
market. A few years ago, comparative
ly little handful of wheat was found in
a monastery of Europe. 1t was the true
seed of the Word. Martin Luther was
affected by it, and was led to translate
the Bible mad publish it to the world
The influence of the Bible is so great,
that though set in operation without visi-
bic instrumentality, it will still perform
its great mission.
The speaker Illustrated this by the
thrilling scene of prairie on fire. The
day is calm. The fire rises in spiral col
umns, moving to no point of the compass.
As it burns, the flames are driven on
and on; the grass feeds the flame, and
the fire itself creates the breeze which
fans the blaze. So it is with the inhu.
ence of the Bible The Word contains
in itself the elements of progress. The
speaker remarked that there had been
some agitation on the subject of war be-
tween the United States and England
But this would never be. No sooner will
such an attempt be made than thechurch
will throw the Bible between the bellig-
erents, and they dare not traniple on its
, holy teachings. The Bible has made
these two nations what they are, and it
is the Bible only which will make any
: nation prosperous.-Rev. L. n. Seud-