CHAPTER XXIX

"THE BURIED BIBLE"=

_Objects: A Large Bible; a Daily Newspaper; a Sunday Newspaper; a Cash Book; Entertainment Program; a Theatrical Window Poster; a Book of Fashions; a Book of Personal Engagements; a Popular Work of Fiction; School Books; a Phonograph Catalogue_

THE BURIED BIBLE

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.

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