The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-03-19
EXalt the Word.
BY BISHOP CYRUS d. Foss, IN SUN
DnY SCHOOL TIMES.-No 2.


BY BISHOP CYRUS D. Foss, IN SUN
DAY SCHOOL TIMEs.-No 2.
They will surprise and delight you
with deep questions about God and
duty and destiny. And what they
thus lean they will never forget.
Train til, n. IN private prayer and fam
ily wors.,p. / regard the decay OF
home worship as enc Of the alarming
signs of our times. Have q family al
tar, and make the worship there vari-
GUS and interesting. ] remember with
perpetual gratitude such an altar, at
which my father so read the Scriptures
as to hold attention, now and then
reading them with moistened eye and
tremulOus lip, and which my widowed
mother kept UP until her sons were old
enough to take her place. | can never
forget my fathers last words to his
sons, words weighted with deep and
lasting power Of impression because
backed by a life which justified such
dying counsel, l,-"And thou,..... my
son, know thou the God of thy father,
and serve him with perfect heart and
with willing mind......if thou seek
him, he will be found of thee; but il
thou forsake him, he will cast thee of
forever" One of those four sons soon
followed the father to the better cOun-
try. and the other three all followed
their fathers steps into the ministry OF
the same church. When, in her nine
tieth year, the aged mother passed on
to the goodly fellowship above, she left
the old family Bible to the sole survi-
vor, with this inscription, "This time
worn, time-stained holy Book, the
guide and director of once happy, un-
broken household in their daily wor-
ship of the triune God, remains a pre-
cious relic, which transfer to my dear
SOIL"
The private reading and study of the
Holy Scriptures is, of course, the solid
basis for the proper use of them in the
pulpit, the Sunday-school, and the
family, and, when duly accompanied
by needed explanatory readings and
prayer, it is the tap-root of the Chris
tian life. In some homes many books
have crowded out 1.-THE one Book", or
have crowded it into very narrow quar-
ters. The daily paper is regularly
read the religious weekly and the
literary magazine receive attention. ;
some favorite books are often in hand,
but what proportion of protesting
Christians, aud of religiously disposed, 3,
church.going people, give their Bible
any regular, thoughtful, deliberate al
tention every day? Too often this
great duty and priceless. privilege is
left to odd scraps of time, or omitted
altogether.
A striking proof of the divinity of
the Bible is that it has accomplished so
much in the world in spite OF the mis-
use, or non-use, or imperfect use, of 1t
by its friends. Who doubts that Chris
tian character would be far richer, and
church activities tenfold more success
full, if Christians generally would put
in practice the most familiar sngges-
tions concerning the use OF the WORD
of God? I submit these: !. Read the
Bible regularly every day /; 2. AS near
lv as possible at fixed hour; 3. Alone
in your room; 4. Never when in
haste; S. The morning is the best
time, but if yon have found no other
opportunity during the day, take time
Immediately before retirement at
night 6. Read in course; 7. Select, in
addition, from any part of the Rlb!e,
such passages as you especially need ;
8. From time to time read largely
several chapters, or a whole Eplstle or
other book, at q sitting. In this way
give your Bible chance to pour into
YOUR soul its great tides of truth &; g..
Above all, read devoutly, as for your
SOULS life. Prayer is the key that un-
locks the Word. =,
Two things have often struck
thoughtful observers of the religious
life,-the maturest saints are those
most saturated with the Bible, and
those who read it most love it best,
and find the most in it that is fresh
and new.. In my early ministry l had
occasion frequently to visit an aged
man who bad been for many years
bed-ridden. His spiritual life was
constantly fed from the perennial
fountains, and always found him Sc
rene, and often triumphant. One day
found him with a large copy of the
Psalms in his thin white hands, and
said to him, Father Knapp, you do not
seem tired of the Word" "Tired OF
the Word w he answered mo in
deed. 1 have read the whole Bible
through sixty-seven times, and am
now as far as the Psalms in my sixty
eight reading of it; and declare to
YOU, pastor. I have found more in it
that is fresh and new this time than
ever before.n Truly, "thy testimonies
are wonderful" BY some means, by
all means, exalt the Word. "Wis-
dom is the principal thing therefore
get wisdom...... .EXalt her, and she
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