The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-02-25
FOOD FOR THE SOUL.
The Word of God Is the Source of a Need.
full Supply.

The Word of God Is the Source of Need
full Supply.
When the Apostle John in his second
epistle says: Behold, wish above all
things that thou mayest prosper and be
in health, even as thy soul prospereth,"
there seems to ba suggested analogy
between bodily and spiritual health, such
as may properly be considered in re-
r spect to means Of promoting health of
body and health of soul. Evidently
the first requisite in promoting bodily
health is sufficient supply OF suitable
food. PROFESSIONALLY, health of body
is greatly affected by the quality and
quantity of food; and what is thus true
in relation to the body is equally true
as to the soul. An adequate amount of
proper kind of spiritual nutriment is
needful in order to securing the best
condition of the SOUL which like the
body, must be kept from furnishing or
perishing for want of ailment, or on ac-
count of noxious diet.
The Word of God is the great source
of this needful supply, affording as it
does appropriate food for the soul in all
the various stages and conditions of
spiritual life. The great Teacher has
said: 'Man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word that proceed
eth out of the mouth of God"
The soul has its necessities in
regard to nutrition, as well as the
body, nor can the one, any more
than the other, do without constant
noulishment. Both alike must be sup
piled with nutriment, and undoubtedly
the best sustenance of the soul is fur
nished by the revealed truth of God
contained in the Holy Scriptures.
Thus Job said: II have esteemed the
words of His mouth more than my
necessary food" No more could he dis
pense with that Word than with his
daily bread. DR.. Wayland wrote of
himself during period of feeble health;
''Blessed be God, am able to read His
Word with increasing interest, and to
entertain more constant hold of eternal
life" F - a. q =
The Apostle Paul teaches that In the
spiritual life, as in the physical life,
milk is adapted to babes, and strong
meat to matured men, and both the
milk and theA meat are found in the
Word of God, from which the renewed
soul must derive it's necessary food"
Without this soul-f there can be no
soul-health, If, indeed, there can be any
soul-life. Spiritual health can no more
be secured without the Word Of God
than natural health can be secured with
out food for the body. Not more GER
tainly will the body tamish and become
siclSly without its required food than
will the soul starve and sicken without
the sustenance found only in the Word
of God. Every healthy soul must be
better fed than any soul can be in the
neglect of this essential meansiof Icing
in the most desirable of all health Tc
neglect the Bible, therefore, is to i'm,
peril the soul Surely, there should b
no occasion for saying, as has been said
"ln days gone by, the Bible occupied
that position which God and our soukt
dcstinies demanded; when at home
abroad-on the Sabbath-in the week.
it stood foremost; when the hoary-the
middle-aged-the child-reverenced it.
pages and treasured it's precepts. But {
change has come over us. Religion.
books, periodicals and papers cluster
around; and the Bible has given place
and lies splendidly bound on the table
or dust-covered on the obscure shelf; al
ornament or an encumbrance alike un
used"
All who healthily prosper in sou
must make much of the Bible, and un
dervalue it no more than did the con
verified Tahitians when France took pos
session of their island they, hurrying t,
the n,vantai,is, left their Bibles witt
the missionaries until they should com,
back, to, save them as fugitives from
carrying them SO far; but ere long they
came back, in the face of danger, to sa,
that they could not live without thei
Bibles. and must have them, what
ever might befall them as captives
Their valuation Of the Bible should b.
more common. and there should be
greater number of those who so regar,
it they could not do without it as the,
value their highest welfare. This Bool
Of books should be read much, and onl,
read less because it can not be rea,
more. Ilrd Bacon tells Of certain
Bishop who used to battle regularl
twice every day, and on being aske
why he b..acd thus often replied: BE
cause l can not conveniently do it thre
tines" so, those who love the Script
urcs a. affording them necessary spirit
ual nutriment, If asked why they rea
the Billie 90 often should be able hor
sstly to RELY: because we can nc
find tine to read II oftener. "-wstch
man.