MY Bible has a wonderful story to tell, so has yours, dear young reader; a story that I am not afraid to promise, if you will only give it an attentive hearing, you will agree with me is as interesting as it is wonderful. In the first place, it is all true, because God is its Author. I heard the other day of a little girl who wanted to give her father a birthday present. A Bible was decided upon, and bought with her own pocket money.
“What shall I write in it?" she asked her mother.
“To my dear father, from his loving little daughter," was the reply.
She ran off to her father's study, where she was sure of finding pens and ink, but seeing upon the table a book that had been sent to him by its writer, she turned to the fly-leaf and read, "Presented to Mr. M— by the author.”
“That will do!" she exclaimed delightedly, and wrote in her large round hand, "To my dear father, from the Author.”
Now if we remember that our Bibles come to us from their Author, GOD, we shall, I feel sure, give a reverent hearing to the story "The Grand Old Book" has to tell.
A friend, speaking of one of the Lord's servants, said, "I am told that Mr. K—can preach in eleven languages." A great many, is it not? But to-day the Bible is telling the wondrous story of redemption in about seven hundred and twenty-five different languages and dialects, though we must not forget that in some of these only a small portion of scripture, perhaps one or two of the gospels, have as yet been translated.
In some parts of Africa the first missionaries found that the people had no written language, so of course the work that lay before the messengers of the cross was very slow and uphill, and one that needed great patience and perseverance.
Perhaps I had better tell you about the one I myself know most about, how the New Testament was translated into the language of the people of Incongo, a place on the shores of the great African river, the Congo.
Some few years ago the Lord laid it upon the hearts of two young men who were enjoying the sunshine of His love to carry the gospel to those who had never heard it. Many difficulties stood in the way, but in simple confidence in God they went forward, and after a long journey by land and sea reached the Belgian Congo, not knowing a single word of the language of the people among whom they hoped to live and labor.
But the Lord who knew all their need put a desire after Himself into the heart of a native youth, who willingly engaged to be their servant (his wages being paid in beads and salt), and gave them all the help he could in learning the language. At first it was very slow work. Every word when learned had to be written down, with the best guess they could make as to its spelling; but in a short time they were able to begin work with such short sentences as "God is good to all"; "God loves you"; and when they were able to preach and begin a day-school, the Lord blessed the work, and now there are in Incongo quite a number of baptized Christians, who read for themselves the New Testament in their own language, the whole having been translated for them by the patient, plodding work of the missionaries.
The Bible is a living book. A Chinese scholar said to a native colporteur, "Our books are very old, and very learned, too; they tell us what we ought to do, and yet you ask us to give up our books and follow the teachings of your book. If you can show me that your book is better than ours, I will buy a copy, and I will not only buy the book, but I will read it.”
“Your books," replied the colporteur, "tell men and women what they ought to do, but those who love my book and follow its teachings, receive what your books cannot give, power to do right. I can tell you of some who were living careless, and even openly sinful lives, they were gamblers, and opium-smokers, but my book by the teaching of the Holy Spirit has changed their lives. They no longer gamble or smoke opium: ‘Old things have passed away,' they are living happy, useful lives, their homes are comfortable; their families are not only well cared for, but they are being taught to serve and love the true God.”
“If what you say is true," exclaimed the scholar, "your book must be alive. Give me a copy, for it is what I have long wanted, a living book.”
Yes, that is what the Bible is to all who humbly seek to be taught of God, to love and value
“God's holy Book of truth,
The blessed staff of hoary age,
The guide of early youth.”