A public show of respect for the Bible has been the posture of men and women in western civilization for centuries. Positions of prominence have been occupied by those who, sincerely or not, pronounced their belief in and appreciation for The Book. Only in more recent years has it become fashionable to ridicule and denounce God and the Bible openly, but now that point has been reached in this country and others. Art, theater, journalism, politics—even religion, have especially seen these views grow within their own ranks, even to the extent of blatant blasphemy. There is, however, a body of material written by men of renown in various fields of endeavor that are worthy of our consideration.
William Cowper
A glory gilds the sacred page,
Majestic like the sun;
It gives a light to every age,
It gives, but borrows none.
Immanuel Kant
The existence of the Bible, as a book for the people, is the greatest benefit the human race has ever experienced. Every attempt to belittle it is a crime against humanity.
Patrick Henry
The Bible is worth all other books which have ever been printed.
John Clifford
“Last eve I passed beside a blacksmith’s door
And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;
When looking in, I saw upon the floor,
Old hammers worn with beating years of time.
‘How many anvils have you had,’ said I,
‘to wear and batter all these hammers so?’
‘Just one,’ said he; then said with twinkling eye,
‘The anvil wears the hammers out, you know.’
And so, I thought, the anvil of God’s Word,
for ages skeptics blows have beat upon;
Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard,
The anvil is unharmed—the hammers gone.”
Charles Dickens
The New Testament is the very best book that ever was or ever will be known in the world.
Sir William Herschel
All human discoveries seem to be made only for the purpose of confirming more and more strongly the truths contained in the Sacred Scriptures.
William Ellery Channing
The incongruity of the Bible with the age of its birth; its freedom from earthly mixtures; its original, unborrowed, solitary greatness; the suddenness with which it broke forth amidst the general gloom; these, to me, are strong indications of its Divine descent; I cannot reconcile them with a human origin.
William H. Seward
The whole hope of human progress is suspended on the ever-growing influence of the Bible.
Charles Hodge
The best evidence of the Bible’s being the Word of God is found between its covers.
Charles Meigs
What is a home without a Bible? ‘Tis a home where daily bread for the body is provided, but the soul is never fed.
The Apostle Paul By the Inspiration of the Holy Spirit
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work,” 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
Of course, neither the Bible’s value nor its credibility stands or falls on the condition of man’s acceptance. Those whose words were penned in years past and printed on this page did not always live by the import of their remarks, but their words remain as a reminder that the Bible continues to deserve our attention and our reverence. Thank God for it! Study it! Know it! Teach it! Live by it!
