John Moulton was the proprietor of a "general store" in a small village. He was considered to be an honest man (especially when he was obliged to be) but he was an avowed atheist and regarded himself as above all "religious nonsense." He despised the counsels and commands of God, and ridiculed the Christian religion and its professors as well. Consequently, it was not surprising when his father died and left him a handsome family Bible, that he should at once declare his intention of using its sacred leaves as wrapping paper.
"In the first place," said he, "Father made a fool of himself in buying that old Bible; and in the second place, in giving it to me. He gave ten dollars for it. It has never been read—none of any consequence— and it isn't of any account now surely in a literary or religious way. I couldn't sell it in the lump for more than a dollar if I should try, but it will bring me in much more than that if I retail it out by the ounce and pound. That thin soft paper is just the thing to wrap small parcels.”
"I don't think I would dare to use the old family Bible that way, John," said his wife. "It seems, somehow, as if it would be wicked. Besides, it would make talk among the go-to-meeting folks, and some of them are your customers, you know.”
"Let the hypocrites mind their own business," snapped out John Moulton. "Mine is the only store in these parts, and they've got to trade with me"; and this open reviler of God's Word stripped off the handsome, substantial cover from the old family keepsake and, putting the thick mass of leaves under his arm, strode across the street to the store.
It did indeed "make talk" in every house in town when small parcels from John Moulton's store were brought home wrapped with the inspired words of Moses and the prophets.
John was, however, studiously left alone, so far as any controversy with words was concerned, until one evening a God-fearing old farmer from the outskirts of the town ran into the store to get an ounce. of nutmegs. After the storekeeper had placed a leaf from the old Bible in the scales and, having weighed out the nutmegs, was proceeding to do them up, the farmer called out in an abrupt manner characteristic of him, "No, no, Mr. Moulton; no, no! Don't use that to wrap up anything I buy here. That won't do at all for my nutmegs.”
"I have nothing else handy," replied the storekeeper with a contemptuous laugh.
"Hand them right over here then; I'll put them loose into my coat pocket," and suiting the action to the word, with a grieved, sorrowful look toward the storekeeper and the torn Bible lying on the counter, he turned towards the door.
He had proceeded but a few steps when John Moulton, standing with the rejected leaf still in his hand and exchanging sly glances with a few of his cronies who were in the store at the time, called after him, "A good many of your brethren and sisters in this vicinity, sir, have had parcels done up in that kind of paper, and you are the first person who has ever objected to it.”
And absently folding and re-folding the leaf, he put it into his pocket.
After every customer and hanger-on had left the little store for the night, and John had finished posting his books and was arranging his papers, he found that folded leaf among his other papers. Smoothing it out on his desk, he read it over slowly and attentively.
The leaf spread out before him happened to be the last chapter of the book of Daniel. The hardened infidel read it over again and again, but he could not understand it. His lifelong ignorance of God's Word made this portion of it all the more puzzling to him. The last verse in particular impressed him: "But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days." Dan. 12:1313But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days. (Daniel 12:13).
He read these words over and over until he seemed to feel them like coals burning into his heart. He sat at his desk with bowed head, pondering them, until his wife became alarmed and crossed the street to the store to see what had delayed him. He heard her tap at the locked door and, opening it, drew her in.
Pointing to that last verse, the letters of which now seemed to him to stand up from the crumpled page, he asked her, with trembling voice and blanched face, "What shall my lot be at the end of the days?”
"Oh, John! that you should ask me such a question! How can I tell you?" And she bent in her turn over the torn leaf. "This verse has references in the margin though, to Isaiah, and to the Psalms, and to Revelation. Let's look them up," and she turned to the coverless, mutilated old Bible. He knew nothing, and she little, of the order of the books, but after considerable searching they found that the two first named books were missing. Presently they came to the Revelation, and eagerly read the thirteenth verse of the fourteenth chapter, "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.”
"I've done no works that I want to follow me," said the husband. "That's one great proof to me that it is wrong to lead such a life as we do. If what little we have read here be true, and we die as we are, won't we be among those mentioned here in the second verse on this page, 'some to shame and everlasting contempt'?”
"I don't know," said the wife again, and weeping now. "But I do believe this must be God's Word, and maybe, even in what there is left of it, we can find out how to live so that we won't be afraid to die.”
"We will look for it, then," said John Moulton, "and we will never stop studying this Bible until we have found out the best way to live.”
And carefully placing the remnant of the soiled, mutilated book in a basket, in which were a few little articles for their own household use, he carried it back across the street to their dwelling. He was as good as his word. The precious Bible was studied, first the old, torn one, and then a new and perfect copy, until the way of life and salvation was found; and his wife was only too glad to join him in the now sweet exercise of prayer and reading of the Holy Scriptures, and in walking with him in the heavenly way.
And so that old family Bible finally accomplished its mission, and all there was left of it, up to the time of that protest of the stranger customer, lies to this day beside a newer, but already well-read copy, in John Moulton's house.
"The holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." 2 Tim. 3:16, 1716All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Timothy 3:16‑17).