And how are we to get our thoughts so occupied by it, Edward?"
"By continually reading it I suppose," replied Edward, rather sullenly.
"By reading it often, and meditating on it much," said his uncle; "and
that we can do without interfering with our other business. Without
prayer, you cannot obtain any spiritual blessing, nor maintain any
communion with God; and without reading the Scriptures you will have but
little desire to pray.
"We are like people wandering in the dark, while the Bible is as a
bright lamp held out to direct us in the only safe path. You cannot be
a child of God if you do not His will; you cannot do it unless you know
it, and it is by the Bible that He is pleased to have that knowledge
known. Do you begin to see, Edward, that the Bible is more suitable as
an every-day book than your profane history?"
"Why, yes, uncle; but the Bible is a serious book, and if I read it so
constantly, I never should be merry."
[Illustration]
"There is no merriment among the lost, Edward; and that dreadful lot
will be your portion if you neglect the great salvation which the
Scriptures set forth. Besides, there is no foundation for what you
suppose to be the effect of reading the Bible. I have known people
naturally melancholy and discontented, become cheerful and happy by
studying it; but I never in my life saw an instance of persons becoming
unhappy because they had a hope of going to heaven.
Pages:
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144