The Baptist Pillar © Brandon Bible Baptist Church 1992-Present www.baptistpillar.com
"...The church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."
I Timothy 3:15
How Readest Thou?
It is one thing to read the Bible through,
Another thing to read to learn and do.
Some
read it with design to learn to read,
But to the subject pay but little heed.
Some
read it as their duty once a week,
But no instruction from the Bible seek;
While others
read it with but little care,
With no regard to how they read, nor where.
Some read
it as a history, to know
How people lived three thousand years ago.
Some read to bring
themselves into repute,
By showing other how they can dispute;
While others read because
their neighbours do,
To see how long ‘twill take to read it through.
Some read it for
the wonders that are there,
How David killed a lion and a bear;
While others read it
with uncommon care.
Hoping to find some contradictions there!
Some read as though it
did not speak to them,
But to the people at Jerusalem.
One reads it as a book of mysteries,
And
won’t believe the very thing he sees.
One reads with father’s specs upon his head,
And
sees the thing just as his father said.
Some read to prove a pre-adopted creed,
Hence
understand but little that they read;
For every passage in the book they bend,
To make
it suit that all-important end!
Some people read, as I have often thought,
To teach
the book instead of being taught,
And some there are who read it out of spite
I fear
there are but few who read it right.
So many people in these latter days,
Have read
the Bible in so many ways
That few can tell which system is the best,
For every party
contradicts the rest!
But read it prayerfully, and you will see,
Although men contradict,
God’s words agree.
For what the early Bible prophets wrote,
We find that Christ and
his apostles quote:
So trust no creed that trembles to recall
What has been penned
by one and verified by all.