Years ago when Bibles were scarce in Mexico, a man chanced upon
one, and it seemed to him interesting and of good moral tone, so
he told his son he might read it. The boy read and read and was
delighted. He memorized large portions of it, and came to love
it dearly. He thought it was the only book of its kind in the
world, and when he was twelve or fourteen he carried his book as
a proud possession to school to show it to his teacher. What was
his consternation when the teacher threw up his hands in horror
and cried, “Ave Maria, boy, where did you get that book? Don’t
you know it is one of those accurst Protestant books? Give it to
me this instant?”
He seized the volume and carried it to the priest. The boy went
home inconsolable and wept most of the night. The next day he
met the priest, who told him the book was a dangerous teacher of
false doctrines and that he had burned it. From that day the boy
lost interest in everything. He led a careless, dissolute life,
wandering from place to place. At length he was working in El
Paso, Texas, and was invited by a man to attend a gathering in
a near-by hall. As he entered, a man was standing on a platform
at a desk reading from a book. Instantly the boy recognized
some of the words he had memorized from the Bible and in a
trice he was down in front of the reader, demanding, “Sir, have
the kindness to give me back my book. That is my book that you
are reading from. They took it away from me years ago, but it
is mine.” As he stretched out his hand toward the preacher to
receive his treasure he said, “I can prove to you that it is
mine--I will tell you what it says.” And he began and repeated
passages that he had learned years before. They gave him “his
book,” as he truly thought it was--and it changed his life. He
became an honored doctor in the city of Mexico and a member of
an evangelical church.
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