Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1899-07-29
DAvIO's BIBLE
Had to Copy 1t Word For Word On
Parchment-Not So Large As Ours.

20 how love Thy law."-Psalm
119. 81.
These are the words of King David.
He wrote this Psalm, which you know
rs the longest in the Bible, that he
might show how much he loved the
word OF God. Read the Psalm, and
you will find something about this best
of books in almost every verse. ! WISH
10 speak about David's Bible. and
yours; to teN some reason why he
loved it so much, and to show why we
should love it too.
First Of all, wish you to go with
me in your thoughts to David's home
1t was a palace. very large and grand.
We pass through many rooms and gal
Ieries, all beautiful with cedar and iv-
DRY and gold.
Princes are there, the captains, and
wise and great men. We hear them
speak OF their king. so great and good;
but David is not among them. He is
in the little chamber by himself. Let
aus so in. His golden crown is of his
head. His harp is standing by. He Is
at the table, WIN reed in his hand.
a roll OF parchment before him, busily
writing. What can ii be? We draw
near; ii is the book of God. He is
copying IL word for word And what
n smile OF JOY is on his facet How he
seems 20 love his task! He looks as IL
ne could say in words that are written
An this very Psalm. How sweet are thy
words to my taste! Yea, sweeter
zhan honey TO my mouth" He would
rather be in that little room than count
ang his treasures. or sitting upon his
chrome. For the law of God was "bet-
ger unto him than thousands OF gold
and silver" his dearest delight" and
his sweetest song"
But why was David Obliged to write
1he Bible with his own hand? He was
rich. Why could he not have bought
5t2 Would he not have loved 1t quite
so much? Remember. children, that
there were no printed books then. as
there are now. There was only written
rolls, like that which David was copy
ing: and very few OF them. Besides,
God had commanded, in the seventeenth
chapter OF Deuteronomy, that every king
when he came to the throne, should
write out the scriptures for himself,
that Iii might be with him, and he
should read it all the days OF his life,
that he might learn to fear the Lord
His God, and to keep all the words of
his law to do them"
But how large was David's Bible?
Not so large as yours, children. For,
II you will think a moment you will
see that there are many things in our
scriptures that could not have been
written till after David had long been
dead. Let Us see then, how much of
Gods blessed book this good king had
Genesis. with its account of the six
days creation. of Adam and Eve who
lost the beautiful garden and brought
ssin into the world, OF the deluge and
the Ark, OF Abraham, and Isaac, and
Jacob. Of Joseph and his eleven breth-
-ren-David certainly had that. And
Exodus too, that tells of Moses in the
bulrushes. and of the glorious way in
which God helped him when he had
sgFCSn up to lead the children of Israel
out OF the land where they had been
treated so cruelty. And Leviticus, with
Its hard and wonderful chapters about
priests and sacrifices. And Numbers,
that show how the Israelites wandered
In the desert for forty years. how they
.sinned against God and he forgave them
again. And Deuteronomy. and Josua,
and judges and the beautiful story OF
Ruth. all full OF the wondrous way of
God and the history of his people. But
S-hTs was all perhaps the book of job.
but this is uncertain). Look, and see
what a small part of this Bible it makes
How much have wet Psalms and
Prophets, and, more than all, the prec-
1ous New Testament that speaks OF
Jesus and His cross and the way to
0e saved through Him.
And a long time ago, long before ever
our grandfathers were born, the scrip
lures cost so much that only the rich
could buy. Rev. S. Green went once
Tnto an old church. built hundreds o.
years ago After looking round a little
this is what he saw-opposite the pull
pit, desk black with age, hard anC
worm eaten. He went near to look a
1t. and there saw lying on Ii a bool
with strong, thick, iron chain. He op
eDed the book, it was heavy to move
and was printed inside with strang'
black letters. II was the Bible HI
asked why il was there. and was tolI
that years ago, when the scriptures COS
a great deal of money and very few
persons knew their letters, large Ri
bles like this one were put in churches
so the poor people might go and 81
there and listen while some neighbOr
wiser than themselves read to them on
of the holy book. All, children, do yo
ever think OF praising God for so pre-
cious a gift? Do you seek to under
stand this blessed book, and try to ODE
it, If not those poor people who coul
not read, and King David. whose Bibl
was so little. and others who never ha
any Bible at all, will surely rise up /
Judgment against you. May God hel
you to understar( and love that hol
book; and so ma <e you Ike Timothy
that happy child. taught to read tn
scriptures by his mother. While hi
1ShitaShaired S-rar-lmo-her sat by. an