Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1901-09-07
THE BOON THAT BLEssEs.
Comfort and Help i'm the book 10,
Every Experience OF This

was very much impressed recently
says l.. a. Banks. ID. D., >in making
PASTORAL call on lady who had but
a few weeks before been greatly aft
fieted by the death OF her mother, by
another phase az this. growth and de-
Selopment in a Bible. The mother,
who had gone away to Heaven, had
been a very devoted Christian wom-
an through long life and had dear
ly loved her Bible. The sorrowing
daughter brought me tAat pfeeiohs
book to exauihe. III wax an tsts-fash-.
soned-loolting book. bound in the thick
leather SO common a hundred years
ago. Bur thick and heavy as the bind
tng had been. il was pretty we'll worn
Through, and was frayed at the edges
from much use. And great many
chapters showed the evidence of hav-l
ing been read and reread over and over
again.
One very interesting characteristic,
OF this Bible was that great many
places were marked with the occa sion
when they had been used TO the dear
sVoman's comfort. Here was one that
was read at the funeral of her child.
Here was another that had been her
.comforter when She was sick. Here
was still another that she had eNuIted
In in time of great, happiness. And
so all through the Bible were these
little wayside shrihes where the good
woman had paused in her pilgrimage
TO worship God. or to find the COM
fort or inspiration She needed on her
hard days, or To give expression To
her JOY and gratitude in, times of hap
piness and rejoicing.
/ was greatly interested at hearing
the daughter tell how delighted she
had been 10 find that many of these,
passages which had been such COM
fort TO her mother were now of the
greatest possible comfort to her,
though she had never noticed them
with any particular interest until after
the great sorrow of her mothers death
came upon her. And with fearful eyes
she turned to me and asked: "Why is
1t that these verses which / did not
before care for seem 50 new and pre-
cicus to me now? Is'it because nv
mother loved them so. a nd / love them
on her accoupt?'' told her thought
there was deeper reason for H.. Her
mother had found the comfort of these
Heavenly words in times when great
sorrow and trial had come to her own,
life, and had marked them then, and
the daughter now rejoices IN them
because she has grown into the same
experiences. She has grown up to her
Bible. She had not found them be-
fore because shel had not specially
needed them, but now that she needs
them they are waitingi there. running
over with blessing and comfort
As handed back the worn and soiled
book 1 said: THAT book must be a
great treasure 20 you these days!"
"Ah, yes, was the answer, "a big for
tune would not buy that book from me.
When / see that mother seems nearer
60 me than at any other time see
her again IN her rocking-chair by the
wind ow. With, the bible on her knees
and the old far-away look of Heavenly
peace on her face"
/ walked away from that. home
thinking how many people there are
who are losing beyond all possibility
of Tecovery.b by not planting out Bible
in youth, so as TO have it growing and
blossoming and bearing its fruit
through all the years of gife-From
Unused Rainbows. -