03.10. The Amazing Book

THE AMAZING BOOK Do you want something old, something settled and sure, That has stood through the ages and still shall endure;

Reliable records of all that is past, Indelibly graven, forever to last?

Then come to the Bible and the message it brings, The Book of Beginnings, first cause and first things, Creator, creation, a story sublime, The darkness of chaos, the dawning of time; The world that once was, the world that now is;

Man made by God’s hand, in His image, all His. Do you want something modern and startling and new, As fresh as the morning, as dear as the dew;

Today’s current topics brought quite down to date, Forecast of tomorrow that’s never too late?

Then come to the Bible, for its prophecies hold The symbols of all that the years shall unfold, A wonderful outline of history’s course From a truly authentic and trustworthy source.

While the vivid events of the past it can tell, And the future’s great drama is pictured as well, Satisfying and full is the message it brings; The Book of Completion, the end of all things.

-- Author Unknown -- When we consider this Book, which is both old and new, both ancient and modern, realize the attacks that have been made upon it, the efforts that have been put forth to destroy it, the laws in some states barring it from the public schools and ponder the fact that it is virtually the only book which teachers are forbidden to read to their classes, then, on the other hand, when we consider the grip it has on the world and the heartstrings of humanity, we stand before it in awe and exclaim, "Amazing Book!"

Amazed am I in its presence, This wonderful, Holy Word, Containing the sweetest story That mortals ever heard. The Bible And Great MenThe Bible, which is said to be the first book printed, stands as a peer among all other books; and since it left the press it has held first place in the minds of the great; it is the world’s masterpiece in literature. No book has been so highly and so universally recommended by the great and near great of earth as the Bible, and no other book has been so universally used by such men. Not only did they study, reverence and recommend this Book because they were brilliant men, but because they found that the use of the Bible enriched their minds, refined their natures and improved their tastes for that which was good and noble, thus helping to make them noble characters who are among men as Rainier, Hood, Whitney and Shasta are among the mountains of our country.

Tributes We would like to present here tributes to this amazing Book made by men who have helped to make history.

Thomas Carlyle, the great philosopher, said: "The Bible is the Book wherein the spirit of man can find light and nourishment for that which is deepest in his heart."

Henrich Heine, the Jewish poet and journalist, said: "What a Book, vast and wide as the world, sunrise and sunset, promise and fulfillment, birth and death, the whole drama of humanity in this one volume."

William Jennings Bryan, the silver-tongued orator of the Platte, said: "To the young man who is building character, I would present the Bible. It furnishes wise counsel for the youth, it throws light on the pathway of those in mature years, and is the only Book one wishes to have by him when he knows the end is near; then it is, he finds comfort in the Book of books."

Daniel Webster, whose name still heads the list of American statesmen, said: "From the time at my mother’s feet and my father’s knee, the Bible has been my daily study and vigilant contemplation; if we abide by its principles, our country will go on prospering and to prosper."

William E. Gladstone, whose name heads the list of British statesmen, referred to the Bible as "an old, old story, in an old, old Book which is the greatest and grandest guide ever given to mankind."

If the Bible was worth while to such characters as these, if it found a place in their lives, surely there is a place and a need for it in the heart of every man and woman today.

Open your heart to the influence of this amazing Book. It will enlarge your soul, weed out of your life those tares which would hinder and degrade; increase your capacity for love and beauty; develop those passions which are pure and noble and tune your heartstrings to a higher key.

PresidentsIf the President of our country should come to you and recommend a concern in which it was worth while to invest, a book that you should read, or a painting that you should see; if you had money, would you not invest it, would you not read that book, and if possible, see that painting? The answer is obvious -- certainly you would.

Then let me remind you that a group of men, all Presidents of this great nation, have given to us a recommendation of the Bible and urge by example and direct statement that we give it a place in our lives.

Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, who drafted the Declaration of Independence, a man who for forty years was in the public life of our country, and who might be properly called the father of democracy in America, said: "I have always said, and always will say, that the perusal of the Sacred Scriptures will make us better citizens, better husbands and better fathers."

John Quincy Adams, sixth President of our nation, whose body lies beneath the aisle of an old New England church, said: "The Bible is the Book of all others, to be read by all ages and in all conditions of human life, and never to be omitted unless by some o’erwhelming necessity."

Andrew Jackson, our seventh President, as he lay dying, pointed at the Bible, saying, "That Book, sir, is the Rock on which our republic rests."

Ulysses S. Grant, the eighteenth President, one of the most courageous men who ever led an army to battle, and who showed his true greatness by refusing to take the sword from the defeated General Lee, said: "Hold fast to the Bible as the sheet anchor of your liberties. Write its precepts upon your heart and practice them in your life."

Woodrow Wilson, the World War President, wrote to the young men in the army: "When you have read your Bible you will know that it is the Word of God, because in it you will have found the key to your own heart."

Herbert Hoover, the "depression" President, said, "There is no other book so full of concentrated wisdom, whether it be of law, business or morals; he who seeks for guidance in any of these things may look inside its covers and find illumination, for it is the world’s richest library of human experience." Were these men fools and fanatics? Were they deceived as to the content and value of this Book? Certainly not. They knew whereof they spoke. Was it not faith in the God of whom the Bible speaks that caused President Washington to kneel and pray during the terrible winter at Valley Forge?

If Abraham Lincoln had been in doubt as to the value of this Book would he have spent a night in prayer with Bishop Simpson for God to save the Union?Would President James A. Garfield have been a preacher of the Gospel if he did not believe in the only Book in which that Gospel is written? The fact that Theodore Roosevelt made his way on many a Sunday to the little Dutch Reformed Church and often filled the pulpit is not only evidence that he believed in God but also in the Book of God.

If the Bible has found a place in the hearts and lives of the men who have stood at the head of our nation, shall it not have a place in your life and mine? If their recommendation regarding other things is valued, appreciated and accepted, shall we not accept their recommendation of the Bible, the Book of books, and make it the guide for our lives, the companions of our hearts and the foundations for our characters? The story is told of a young man who went to the city seeking work. With grip in hand he made his way into a manufacturer’s office and applied for a job. The manufacturer asked him if he had recommendations, whereupon the boy opened his suitcase and began to search for his papers. As he did so, a Bible dropped out. "What is that book?" asked the man. "A Bible, sir," answered the boy. "Do you intend to practice it?" the man asked. "Yes," was the reply. "That is recommendation enough," the manufacturer replied. "The position is yours."

Take the Bible into your heart and life. Queen Victoria said that it was the secret of England’s greatness. It will be a foundation stone for your life, and if you possess any qualities for greatness it will arouse them, stir them and direct them in the path of truth and right where most can be accomplished. The Bible -- A Book Of Authority The Bible is a Book of authority. It does not speak of everything, but of what it does speak it speaks with authority. It has been said that "the best ancient history man ever wrote was found to contain two thousand mistakes, but the widest learning that skepticism can command has failed to demonstrate one historic inaccuracy in this record."

Lieutenant Maury said: "Whenever, in my investigation of any scientific problem, I find anything said on that subject in the Bible, I always find the Bible statement is the safest platform on which to speak." Professor Clay said: "Nearly every historic statement of the Old Testament has been confirmed."

These are only a few among many statements which might be quoted from eminent scholars of the world to show that though scientists have changed their guesses again and again, they have always come back to the Bible to find that what seemed to be merely a hint or a casual sentence was not an error but a peephole into a vast storehouse of scientific knowledge. Many men, greatly inflated over some new discovery or invention, have had their balloons punctured by some old saint who looked into the Bible and found that their "new" discovery had been hinted at or prophesied thousands of years ago, and they have been made to feel that Solomon was not a fool when he said, "There is no new thing under the sun."We search the world for truth, we cull The good, the true, the beautiful, From graven stone and written scroll, And all old flower fields of the soul;

And, weary seekers of the best, We come back laden from our quest To find that all the sages said Is in the Book our mothers read. An Authority on Religion The Bible was not written as a book of science; it is not a treatment of geology; it is not a work of astronomy; what it says regarding scientific subjects is rather illustrative or incidental. The Bible is a book on religion; it is the history of humanity and the story of God’s love for a fallen race. It was written to tell us whence we came and whither we are bound, to give us the choice between two destinies, to show us how to live and what to do to achieve the better of the two destinies. It was written to set forth the principles of the Christian religion, and it is an absolute and final authority upon that. A religion that does not affect man’s emotions is worthless. A religion which affects only the emotions is equally worthless, but we are not to view our consciences or our emotions as our guide to right living; we must look to the Bible. "This should be both our rule of faith and practice." At the same time, if we adhere to the Word and follow its guidance and precepts, it will stir our emotions to their depths and give us a conscience void of offense toward God.

I went one day to a printing establishment and asked for a price on some cards I wished printed. A man took the card, measured it and examined it. Then, after having consulted a book, he quoted me a price. I told him I had been having cards printed for less and he replied, "Well, I don’t know about that. This is a union shop, and this is the price the book says we must charge. We go by the book." I thought, That is the keynote of our religion; we do not go upon theory, tradition or emotions; we go by the Book. The Bible is a Book of authority. "The young should read it to know how to live, the old to know how to die, the ignorant for wisdom, the learned for humility; the rich for warning, the poor for enrichment, and all for salvation, for it is the Book for all sorts and conditions of men." An Authority on Problems of Life The Bible speaks with authority on the problems of life. It may not always be possible to ask or follow the well-known slogan of Dr. Sheldon, "What would Jesus do?" But it is possible and it is practical to apply the principles of Christ taught in the Word to every problem that may confront us.

We may meet, and no doubt will have, problems which are not mentioned in the Scriptures, but no condition, no matter how new or strange, will be so isolated that we cannot find principlesin the Word which are applicable to it. Read the biography of almost any Bible character and see how closely his problems of thousands of years ago resemble the problems we are facing today: they were confronted and had to grapple with love and hate, courage and fear, wealth and poverty, friends and foes, joy and sorrow, popularity and loneliness, prosperity and adversity just as we do.

I read the story of a Chinaman, burning with hatred for some man who had wronged him, who came to a missionary and had a knife with which to kill his enemy. He asked the missionary how he could kill him in a way that would cause the most pain and suffering. The man of God told him he had a Book that would tell him just how to do it; so he took the knife and gave him a copy of the New Testament. The Chinaman went away and after ten days returned, saying, "This book say best way is not to kill him but love him. You keep knife. I keep Book." He had found the principle that best solved his problem.

Friend, do you desire to know how to answer the questions of life and cope with the dangers along the way, whether seen or unseen? Do you desire to face the issues and handle the difficulties? Then obey the exhortation of the Apostle Paul: "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

O friend of mine, let me urge you who may have laid aside your Bible for other interests, go back to the Bible; for be these other interests ever so wholesome, they cannot take the place of the Word of God. Go back to the Bible, the Book of authority, from which all other worth-while books draw their inspiration.

Thou truest friend man ever knew, Thy constancy I’ve tried; When all were false, I found thee true, My counselor and guide. The mines of earth no treasures give That could this volume buy; In teaching me the way to live, It tells me how to die. The Bible Commands Respect A Book so profound in its teachings, so authoritative in its statements, so clear in its doctrines, so indestructible in its contents, calls for respect, and if we are sometimes appalled at the neglect and indifference to it, at the same time when we stop to consider we are amazed at the reverence and respect it is given, not only by the people of God, but also by multitudes who have never known Him. Our government so respects the Word that no man takes the oath which makes him President of the United States without the use of the Bible. When Chief Justice Taft administered the oath which made Calvin Coolidge the President, the Chief Executive said, "So help me God," and lifted a small Bible which his parents had given to him when he was a boy and kissed it. The Gideons The Gideons, as an organization of Christian businessmen, have accomplished a great work for God and Christianity by placing well-bound copies of the Bible in millions of hotel rooms all over America and other countries. This has opened the door to hearts of multiplied thousands of people.

Before I was converted I often stayed in a hotel room where there was a Bible and although I did not read it, I always looked upon it with respect, for it was the volume which my mother had taught me was the Book of God. For more than twenty-five years I have been traveling through the United States as an evangelist, and in the majority of the hotels where I stay there are Gideon Bibles. I have observed with thankfulness that these have been carefully preserved. This does not mean that they are ignored, for some have born marks of considerable use, but they have not been used for scratch pads; the leaves have neither been torn nor mutilated. This indicates a profound respect for the Bible by people from all walks of life. A Shield of Temptation The very presence of this amazing Book is a shield against temptation, for not only do men respect the Bible, but also the person who carries it. Young people, particularly, will find that those with whom they work and with whom they associate will respect the man or woman who reads and cherishes the Word of God. In Literature

Again we exclaim, "Amazing Book!" when we consider its place in literature. Goethe said: "The Bible has served me as a guide in all my literary work." Although he was a professed skeptic, the walls of his home were covered with religious maps and pictures. The Bible has been called the fountainhead and the foundation stone of all good literature, and if all the books in the world which have borrowed from the Bible were set on fire today, 90 per cent of the world’s great libraries would be in ashes tomorrow. A noted English writer tells us that the finest gems in both poetry and prose are to be found within its pages, and that the account of Paul’s shipwreck is the most perfect narrative in print. ’The world’s greatest model of peerless eloquence," he said, "is not to be found in the orations of great orators of the writings of great men, but in Matthew 11:1-30 in the words of Jesus, ’Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’

Men who know, tell us that books which live longest are those which follow the pattern of the Bible and which contain the most quotations from Scripture. Alfred Lord Tennyson included three hundred and seventy-five passages from Holy Writ among his writings; William Shakespeare, in giving his literature to the world, gave with it five hundred and fifty-seven quotations from the Word of God; John Ruskin, the great English writer, saturated his literaturewith passages of Scripture, quoting from the Bible nearly a thousand times. When asked for his opinion of the Word he said: "Make it the first morning business of your life to understand some portion of the Sacred Scriptures; then practice it throughout the day."

Talmage So closely is the Bible allied with the literature of the world that DeWitt Talmage said: "Every great book that has been published since the first printing press was lifted has directly or indirectly derived much of its power from the Sacred Oracles; Milton’s Paradise Lost is borrowed from the Bible; Spenser’s writings are imitations of the parables; John Bunyan saw in a dream what Saint John had previously seen in a vision; Macaulay crowns his most gigantic sentences with Scripture quotations; Walter Scott’s characters are Bible men and women under different names; Hobbs stole from this ’Castle of Truth’ the weapons with which he afterward attacked it; and the writings of Pope are saturated with Isaiah. The Bible is the fountain of truth from which other good books dip their life."

"Holy Bible, Book divine, Precious treasure, thou art mine;

Mine to tell me whence I came;

Mine to teach me what I am.

"Close I press thee to my heart, All I am I owe to thee.

We will never, never part, ’Til my Saviour’s face I see.

"Precious Book, God’s Word to me, Revealer of immortality, Guide me ’till reach life’s goal; Be a guest within my soul." The Most Popular Book -- The Bible

There is no field in which the Bible does not excel. It is the most popular Book in the world. Whether judged by its theme, its content, its influence, its sale or popular usage, it is always in the lead. Its Theme The theme of the Bible is holiness, and there is not a chapter in it that does not teach or point to this great doctrine. It is holy in quality, eternal in its duration and its content is inexhaustible. There are shallows where a child can play and depths where a Titanic can sail -- and can sink. Its heights have never been scaled, its depths have never been fathomed and its breadth is still unmeasured.For centuries the greatest minds of earth have been mining its ore, yet the veins have never been depleted, and the content of this wonderful Book concerns every phase of human life, offers a balm for every soul, an answer to every question and a solution to every problem.

"There’s many a nugget hidden there, Of silver and of gold.

There’s many a jewel rich and rare, The half has ne’er been told." Its Influence The Bible excels in its influence. There are seven wonders of the world, but the Bible is not among them; it is above them.

Just as the Grand Canyon of the Colorado in Arizona exceeds in width and depth, in beauty and grandeur, in length and splendor of color all others, and has been so since God by His omnipotent power scooped it out with His mighty hand, and there is no possibility that any other will equal its magnificence, in an infinitely and much greater way does the Bible excel in influence, power, wisdom and beauty all other books. No other book has even approached the popularity of the Bible, and those men who have foolishly attempted to write a better book have lived to see their folly, and those who have dipped their pens in its fountain and patterned their books after it have found it the strongest part of their foundation.

"All that Homer had to say has been translated into only twenty languages, all that Shakespeare wrote into forty, Count Tolstoy’s works into sixty, Thomas a’ Kempis’ Imitation of Christ into forty-five, John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress into one hundred and eighteen different languages, but the Bible or some portion of it has been translated into over a thousand different languages and dialects."

If the world stands, the words of this wonderful Book will soon be translated into every language and dialect known to man. The Bible never follows civilization; it precedes it; decay and degeneration will follow its removal from a nation.

It has wielded the widest influence; it has never been bad, but always good. See what the Bible has done in the countries of the world. It has checked the organizations of vice, inspired the building of homes, churches, schools and hospitals and is the foundation stone of every worth-while institution. The Best-Seller The Bible stands as a peer among the best-selling books of the world. Other books sell well for a while, then drop to second place, then third and finally most of them cease to sell at all. From the day the Bible left the press it has been the best-seller. In a recent year thirty-five million copies of the Bible were sold. Millions are printed every year and the demand is increasing.No other book can be translated into so many languages and dialects with the assurance of a sale as the Bible. No other book can be divided into so many portions, printed, bound and placed on the market with no fear of being overstocked. The Bible has been published in more sizes, binding, prices, than any other book, and every copy finds a buyer. A complete Bible can be purchased for twenty-five cents; on the other hand, an ancient copy of the Word of God sold a few years ago for nearly one hundred thousand dollars, and there are other copies not for sale at any price. The Two Extremes The largest Bible in the world was written by hand in 1922, and was the work of twelve thousand people; it is five feet two inches in height, three feet six inches in width and twelve goatskins were required to make the cover. The smallest Bible is leather bound, one and three-fourths inches in height, and one and one-fourth inches in width. Either of these volumes would find a ready market if placed on sale, whereas any other book so published would be virtually a total loss. The Bible is the only book in the world which a salesman can sell to a man for his own use when he already has from one to a dozen copies.

I wrote to a friend of mine, a Bible agent, and asked, "Did you ever sell a man a Bible who already had a copy?" He replied, "I sold a man a copy yesterday who said when he paid me, ’I don’t know why I am buying this. I have eight copies of the Bible in my home now.

Popular Usage

"The Bible excels in popular usage, it is read in all churches and temples in our country, it can be found on the table in almost every home, be it palace or hut, from the brown stone mansion of the rich, to the humble cabin of the plantation Negro. It is one of the few books found in the libraries of the Pullman train, and no battleship goes to war, and no great liner from a civilized country sails the deep that does not carry a copy of the Word of God."

It has circled the globe with the navigator, pierced the air with the aviator and accompanied the explorer on his trip to the pole. Soldiers have died with it upon their hearts and many starving travelers have clung to the Bible when, because of their weakness, they have had to discard his other earthly possessions.

It is the one Book concerning which men have almost universally agreed with Scott that it was the only Book when the shades of eternity were gathering about their cots. Men who have spent their days fighting the Bible have often used their last rapidly waning strength on their deathbeds to rue their folly and to recommend the Book.It is the only Book used in the inauguration of the President of our country; it is used in taking the oath of virtually every worth-while office in the land; it is used every time a witness is sworn in court. When the club of infidels of which he was a member called upon Lord Lyttleton to burn the Bible, he took the Book and approached the fire, then turned and laid it upon the stand, saying, "We will not burn this Book until we have found a better one." That better one, and a more popular one, has never been written. The soldier who, single-handed, overcame his enemies and walks forth from the fight battle-scarred but victorious, is applauded for his success and decorated for his bravery’. So let us applaud and decorate this amazing Book-hero of ten thousand battles, attacked by infidels and skeptics for centuries, besieged openly by enemies on the one hand, and ambushed by wolves in sheeps’ clothing on the other, yet standing today like a Gibraltar, the impregnable Rock on which our religion rests.

Book of our fathers! living still In spite of skeptics’ cruel knife, Book of our fathers! holy Book!

We will be true to thee through life.

* * * * * * * THE END Other Books by Jarrette Aycock The Nightingale of the Psalms The Crimson Stream The Grand Old Book The Two Prodigals The Prince of This World

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