Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1871-07-11
fFor the splrlt Of Jener,on.l

pOItanee OF tne enterprise, lately lnaugurated
In our town. for the purpose Of placing the
Bible-without note or cOmment-in the
hands of all our people, allow me to beg the
favor of place in your columns for the fol-
lowing remarks, of one of Euglands greatest,
Wisest and best men and scholars, made at a
meeting Of one of the auxiliarys of the Brit
ish Foreign Bible Society. Surely nothing
could be more TO the point, OF stimulate tho
friends OF our Bible Society to greater exer>
tons in the noble work of Bible distribution,
than the beautiful thoughts following:
ave are here met together to further the
spread of Gods wOrd-his Word, as the
rules of our venerable Society prescribe, with.
out note or without comment. We send this
Book Of Lille in know not how many-thir.
ty or forty-langnsges into all parts of the
earth aud thus are We permitted to scatter
this blessed golden seed. Aud we scatter
II not without the prayer that the Lord of
the coming harvest will be pleased to vouch,
safe his blessed influence, aud cause his words
to find their places in thousands and tens of
thousands of listening ears and willing hearts,
and that oven in our own time we may be
permitted to perceive the knowledge of the
Lord encOmpasSing the earth. This is our
own happy duty-our high and holy privilege.
Some may say, "Bus, delivering the Word
Only-is that all 2" Yes it is all, and in
many respects more than all. How many
there must be here present who know that in
the simple reading of this Book of Life there
is power conveyed that this is the Living
Word aud when it is rooted in the heart OF
faith 10y the hearing Of faith then the blessed
Word OF this Book falls into the heart like
seed and germinates and spings up. NV
friends We may often have felt the power Of
Gods blessed word alone. There is not one
~ / H.,
by illness and have heard read the words of
this Book of Lite without acknowledging
that they seem mysteriously to find us out;
they seem to disclose to us our thoughts. and
present to US Nominations that We never felt
before: this blessed Word of Life has, l am
confident, found US out eventually often under
circumstances such as have described l
remember we'll time when this truth was
brought home t" the by the case of one to
whom few years ago | was, by tho grace of
God. permitted to minister. lie TO whom [
was thus called in the declining days Of his
life was one who had stood foremost among
the thoughtful aud wise of this world hut
he was one OF those perhaps who did not feel
the full power of the Word of Life. / felt, [
remember, considerable anxiety. | thought
that much depended upon the way in which,
in these closing scenes of life, presented to
and humbly conferred with NV own poor
heat as to what would be best for me to do
in a case that seemed so difficult. AS say,
he was ono having much of this worlds wis
dom. But if the truth had been presented
in any Over-conhdent way by one whom. per
halS, he would have considered less cultivated
than himself, the case WAS one in which felt
and l remember the anxiety with which /
felt it-al miniStratious might have done
harm. l conferred with myself and / thus
reasoned with my auxicty--'Lct me read from
Gods Word some more than usually appro-
pirate portion in such a case. But let me
read Gods Word alone, and leave that Word
to work in this hcrt. My words, am con-
ddcLt, will be as nothing. | will read alone
the Word Of Life Ard the portion chose
was Iha; contained in the last seven or eight
chapters of ST. Johns Gospel. read per-
hals about twenty verses at a time-not more
and added 'n'y tie very simplest cum-
mcn'S seemed TO be necessary; and rcmeIp-
Der wci!-it is a memory cvcr pleasant with
me aud that often encourages me-how the
words seemed to iiud their way into the sick
mans heart; how ! saw shadows On the brow
passing slowly away; how often the cn'nmnn
human eye cot d observe the mystery OF Gods
Word finding its way to the heart | re-
member oUcc or twice lumLly testing wLeth.
er 1t Was 50 by staying away almost purposcly;
and found, on my return, that not l. bu.
the reading Of the Word of Life, had been
sadly missed read onward aud onward.
and am coufjeut-I anu speaking now with
carctuIiy-choscn words-that these Words of
LIE brought that soul close to our saving
Lord. few weeks passed away, and the
one to whom had thus ministered was called
unto his Lord but to the very end the read
ing Of these Words Of Life was the instrument
that produced the effect, the blessed effect,
upon that human soul. The incident pro-
duccd very great effect upon me, aud never
hear any one speak lightly Of what is called
tho mere reading Of the Word Of God with
out having this somewhat serious memory rise
to my mind, and without being convinced, as
| now am in Speaking to you, that there arc,
in this blessed Book alone, without word or
comment, power, force, and a mind that
no human language can describe. Gap,
plause.l"
y MEMBER or THE BIBLE ScIErY.
E2s- Communion Services will he admin
istcred in the Presbyterian Church of this
town on Sabbath next. Preparatory Service
with commence on Friday morning.
Religious Notice.