IN the Old Testament days we read of the Scriptures or "The Law" being
hidden away under the rubbish of the neglected temple. There is great
danger in these days that we might lose our Bible in this way also. We
so easily and frequently put it aside, neglect it, and then forget it
and often forget where we put it. The cares of this world and its
sinful pleasures are the dust which so often covers our Bible, and
which covers it over to such an extent that we find it is not even in
our thoughts.
In many of our homes, the Bible is out of sight. The children do not
find it open and ever before their eyes. It is a buried book. There
should be a Bible in every room, always kept open, which will speak in
a silent tongue of power "Search me, and in so doing you will find
eternal life." To illustrate the fact that in most homes this is not
done, and that the Bible has been covered with the rubbish of life,
secure a good sized Bible, and before the children assemble, cover it
all over so it is entirely out of sight with, first, a Sunday
newspaper, next, a cash book used in business, next an entertainment
program, then a theatrical window poster folded up, then a fashion
plate picture, after this a book containing your engagements for every
night, and late night affairs; also a popular work of fiction, a pile
of school books; a well worn catalogue of Victor records, and at last
a daily newspaper. When the audience is assembled, explain you will
talk to them about the neglected book of God or the buried Bible. Let
us all look and see what we use to cover up our Bible, and thus put it
out of sight. This pile of stuff on the table covers up the dear word
of God, and prevents us from reading it as we should. The Bible is the
world's greatest medicine chest, and it is lost. The world is in
dreadful pain and we cannot find the medicine. Let us see together
what has covered it up, and search together under the rubbish until we
find it.
First lift off the daily newspaper. This is always read first by most
people, and when we have finished reading it, there is no time to read
the Bible, and we are not in a good mental state to grasp its meaning,
so we neglect to read our Bible. We should go to the Holy Book first,
if only to find one verse for the day, for in so doing, we begin the
day with God. But the daily newspaper has hid it out of sight. Next
take up the Victor talking machine catalogue, which should be much
worn by frequent use, and in so doing explain that one-half the time
listening to God speak through His word, as we give to the popular
song and music of the day, our Bibles would be in as prominent a place
as the talking machine. Popular music is good in its place but when it
takes the Bible's place, it is all wrong and out of its place. Don't
hide the Bible back of the talking machine, or you will lose it some
day.
Next, take off the _School books._ "No time to read the Bible, | have
so many lessons to study." This is often the cry we hear from boys who
attend school. Sometimes the school books are enemies to the word of
God and destroy all taste for the Bible. Often when the boys and girls
have finished their book learning, they have not only no time for the
Bible but no use for it at all. They cast it into the rubbish and say
"The world has outgrown the Bible." So under the books of the school,
they have buried it and called it dead and that is the reason they
buried it. Bright boys and girls should know the Bible is the king of
all books of learning, and the highest crowning wisdom of all is to
know God, that alone is the _perfect education._ Don't therefore, hide
your Bible under your school books. Now pick from the rubbish
heap--the novel. "I am so interested in reading fiction I have no time
to read the Bible." This is just what the boys and girls often say.
They will sit up all night if possible to see how the story "turns
out." Of course there is no time to read the Bible if this is the way
we spend our reading time and so the Bible once more is pushed aside
by the novel. Reading is a splendid means of mental culture, and it
makes a full man, but the best reading of all is the Bible. Mix a
chapter of the good Book in with your other reading, and you have a
superb mixture. The Bible contains the world's best literature, and it
is more than good literature. Its words are life and concentrated
power. They are bits of radium. They glow with inside light, they
never lose their lustre. Their light is as penetrating as the X-ray.
They shine into the other life. Don't hide the light of the mighty
word with the novel or secular reading of the present day.
Now take from the pile of stuff your book of engagements. Open it, and
discover you have an engagement for every night in the week. They are
social functions. You must go; you will lose your standing among the
"high class" if you don't. Put down among your engagements this one. I
have an engagement of thirty minutes with my Bible. This is
imperative. Keep that engagement with your Bible as you would keep all
other engagements and you will never lose your Bible under a heap of
dates.
At this time take from the heap of rubbish the book of fashion plates.
"Must attend to this book--every month brings me something new. If I
hold my own with 'my set' I must follow the fashion plates to appear
just right." This is burning incense to the Goddess of Vanity, and
this Goddess is not satisfied with a fragment of time, but it demands
full time and it generally gets it. Fashion plates and the scriptures
are impossible mates. They never mix well because they are not of one
blood. So the plate stays and the Bible goes under it. It is right
that we should give attention to our dress and address, and the way to
do this is to seek the Bible way of beauty of dress and character
adornment. To look beautiful we must commence to be beautiful inside,
and at last it will shine forth and transfigure the outside. Follow
the teaching of the Bible and be pure in heart: put on the robe of
Christ's righteousness, and then you will be in heavenly style and
unmatched by anything the wide world can dream of for personal
adornment. Follow the Bible, the world's divine fashion plate.
Next remove the theatrical poster. In this day the popular amusements
have gripped the young people with a mad hand. No time for the Bible.
Much time for the show. "What shall I do to amuse myself" is the
cardinal question of this age and every moment possible is given over
to the answer. People grow white in the face in their excessive
seeking to find the latest thrill, and they stay white until he cold
hand of death gets them. Pleasures pure are pleasures right. At the
right hand of God there are pleasures forever more. If they are right
for heaven, they are right for the world, but pleasures worshipped are
always bad for they are tipped with sin and bar the gates of heaven
from the pleasures at the "right hand of God." There is deep sweet
pleasure in the reading of God's word. Sing with Psalm 103. Whisper
Psalm 23 when the night cometh. Read John 14 when the darkness is at
hand, and nothing in the wide, wide world can be compared to the heart
pleasure this gives. It puts the soul in touch with a little bit of
heaven. Don't cover up God's great pleasure garden--the Bible--with a
ton of worthless worn out, dried and faded earthly flowers.
Now take off the cash book. The Bible has often been hidden by the
business ledger,--so often business crowds the Bible out. Hard work,
mental strain, and the fierce fight of the present day business man
gives but short time for the reading of the Bible, and more often no
time at all. Head and nerves are worn out at the end of the day, and
the soul also is worn out with business cares, so the cash box, the
ledger and typewriter have covered up the Bible and it is out of sight
and buried under business activities. It must be remembered in this
day of fever heat and mad rush that a business man must give his
utmost to his trade if he wishes to put it over, but it should also be
remembered that in the soul's great ledger if "A man gains the whole
world" it is reckoned as loss in the Book of God. We can serve God and
read His Book and yet be successful. Mr. John Wanamaker, the best
known citizen, and foremost Christian of the business world of
America, blended the Bible with his great commercial enterprises by
always putting up a Bible verse over his office desk and mixing up its
truth with the trade of the day. He honored God's word and God honored
his trade. He never lost his Bible under his cash register.
Now remove the bundle of Sunday newspapers. It is because these are
read on Sunday that no time is found to read God's book on God's day.
The newspaper is on the Sunday morning breakfast table inviting us to
spend Sunday with it. No time to read the Bible. The Sunday Newspapers
often contain as many words as the entire New Testament. We will read
the papers first, after that we have no time or mind for the Book.
Very often if all the words we read were counted they would be more
than the words of the four gospels and yet we have no time to read
even a chapter of God's good book. We mean we have no mind to read it.
We have buried it under the sensational and often nauseous Sunday
newspaper. After we lift up the last paper from the Bible, we exclaim
"God's Book--long lost--now found." Lift the Bible up and say "I will
place it next to my heart and cover it with my love, so shall the
Bible not be covered with sin. 'Thy word have I hid in my heart.' May
it always thus be covered and evermore in the battle and strife of
life my Bible shall always be first."
A great merchant in the city of Philadelphia, submerged with business
cares and thoughtless about God, said to his little boy one day he had
no time to read the Bible, he was so bothered with bonds and stocks.
His little boy could not understand these big words, and continued to
ask him to read his Bible and be good. One morning the father came
down stairs with a quick step and hurried to his paper to look over
the morning news when the little boy just recovering from a severe
spell of sickness, crept up into his lap and said "Bible first,
Daddy." The father looked into his little pale face and his heart was
touched, his eyes filled with tears, and he said "It shall be as you
say, dear little fellow. God has given you back to me, and I will go
back to my Bible" and he did, and he said it made a great man of him
and a greater merchant also. Let this be your motto "Bible first" and
it will never be buried under the rubbish of the things of this life
again. "The Bible first, Daddy," is the voice of God.
=CHAPTER XXX
THE CHRISTMAS CANDLE=
_Objects used; A Small Candle; in a Common Candlestick; A
Representation of a Window. This is a Story Object Sermon_