The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-09-08
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE BY THE
REV. JOHN BALLOON sHEW, D. y.
Subject: The &sh-caa Bible-History of
Il Volume of Holy Writ That is Uniqne
in Church Misunderstanding Against
Common Typs OF Family Deterioration

in Church Misunderstanding Against a
Common Tyre OF Family Deterioration
New YORK CiTY-The following sp!en-
did sermon was preached Sunday morning
by the Rev. John Baicom Shaw. 1t is en-
titled The Ash-C&n Bible His text
was: The word of God which liveth and
ab:deth forever--I Peter LIS.
This book, rather than the words have
read from it, is my text. Not the Bible in
general as theme TO be discussed, but this
particular Bible consisting of paper, print
ing and binding, as an ocject lesson to be
taught.
This Bible has history. It was gift
to the church under the uniQuest condi-
tions. Indeed l doubt ii there Is another
church in the who.c world that came by
its pulpit Bible in the same o. III anything
like similar way.
This is its history: One morning last
spring woman. 4 pewhoider, but not a
member CT this church. came into the min
listers Office, where I was keeping the pas
toral hour, and handing me a package
neatly wrapped and tied. asked me II L
could make use of its contents Ill any way.
Opening the package and finding this beau
tifuiiy bound Bible inside, |, Of course, an
swered afirlaativeiy, and suggested that 1
hand it on to some mission church or
>NS -
puIpit Bible.
She then tod ME its story. That Morn
ing upon coming out Of the apartment
where she lived she spied ar elegantly
bound book on the top OF the ash-can that
stood awaiting the coming Of the garbage
cart. Feeling it was shame to allow so
fine book to be disposed of in that way,
she went to the ash-can and turned its title
roand toward her. What was her amaze
ment, her horror, her sense OF deseccatjon,
to find it was copy OF the Holy Bible!
She opened it and found that several leaves
between the Old Testament and the New
had been cut out, and the explanation
came to her at once, an explanation Which
the janitor afterward fully confirmed.
It seems that a family, apparently re.
spectacle and well disposed, had moved
away from the apartment house the day
before, and desiring to throw away every
thing for which they had no use and which
increased the bu.k of their effects, had
seized upon the family Bible which mad
been in their home for years, as a thing
that could be as easily get along without
as anything else, had cut out the family
record that it might not be lost, and sent
the hook down to the ianitor as rubbish to
be thrown away. He, either because he
had failed to recognize it CT because he
had a low estimate OF the Bibles value.
had deposited it in the asa-can, end was
looking fer the city's cart to come at any
moment and take it away.
A new interest Immediately attached it.
self to the Bible. I put it into the minis
ter's room to await some prcvidential op-
portunity to dispose of it. That opportu-
nifty was not long in coming. When this
new pulpit was set in pace upon my re-
turn 1t was found that not one of the
three pulpit Bibles that had been previous
" presented to the church would fit its
book board I then went to the minister's
room and brought out this ash.caa Bib.e.
It was just the thing. Besides being OF
the right size, its gold edges and richly en-
bossed covers made IL peculiarly suitable
to mount this pulpit, and here it viii stand
as itself a memorabilia pulpit 4 memorial
to family who loved the Bible, guided
nifty by its counseis. and sent forth into it
streams of Christian influence that vii
never run cry; the Billie which rests upon
this pulpit speaking to US o: a family who
fitted into this ne;gh5orhood, and after
restless soiourn Of few months. more
probably OF not more than few weeks,
fitted out again without having done any
thing to help it. and who thought so little
of God and goodness. desired so family.
not only to light the road hsavenwaId for
Others, but to have it lighted for them
selves, that they threw away their family
Bible and moved cl to drag down the re-
ieicus tone and temperature of some other
community.
Robert Browning, in his great poem.
''The King and tae Book tets the story
of finding rare book at a stall in the
Square of Florence, and, after reporting its
contents, he gives rein to his poetic mus
ings upon the life. character and history
of the persons figuring within its narrative,
punctuating with MARKS or exquisite
strength and beauty the lessons Of their
lives.
This strangely discovered book starts no
poetic strains within mel have no sucl,
strings to vibrate-hut it does set my sou.
to musins. and those musings seem to me
to take the path CT like.iest lac: and truth.
They carry me back over the carrier his
tory OF this book. It may have been, 1t
doubtless was, wedding present, gwen
probably by pioas father and mother
long since among the, sa!nted dead. 1t
had been in the home through ali the years
of their family history, ard had become as
familiar an object as the silver on their
table or the pictures r:loa their walls.
Again and again they had gone to 1t
through the passing years to lnscrine With
in it's sacred pages the records OF their
home. With the daint:cst touch they had
put in their own names While the honey
moon was still on. Later when that lit:
tie life caIoe to them. their first born. and
the gov OF paren thood flushed their souls
as with baptism from heaven, they
dipped the pen as ii into some cove fluid
and wrote oat with pride the dear little
ones newly chosen name.
A few years r:ssscd and the ansei came
and took the sweet so1l &Tay. The fun
erai over. the father one evening. .wnsn
they were alone ard the house was silent,
went through into the rac.or, unknown to
his vile, and put l. the record. leaning
over the open toolt till TIC tears began to
sell the page, aud tnen turning ovtl d few
pages into the book that aGjoncd the rec
ora, he read over ard over again those
dear and holy words. "'Sutfer little chill
dren to come unto Ne. and forbid them
not, for OF such is the kingdom OF heaven y
and those other words so inseparab.y 1850
ciated with them, 3'Their angels 60
always behold the face OF ~ Father 1t
was the Bible, too. out OF which the minis
ter had read at the little ones funeral,
and in this and hundred other ways it
had taken on halloweduess and built IL
self into the whole lie CT the nome.
But FIVE years ago the family moved into
= IL