How Precious is This Book? By Tony Cooke
How Precious is This Book?
By Rev. Tony Cooke
“So great is my veneration for the Bible that …the earlier my children begin to read it, the more confident will be my hopes that they will prove useful citizens of their country and respectable members of society. I have for many years made it a practice to read through the Bible once every year.”
– John Quincy Adams
“I speak as a man of the world to men of the world; and I say to you, Search the Scriptures! The Bible is the book of all others, to be read at all ages, and in all conditions of human life; not to be read once or twice or thrice through, and then laid aside, but to be read in small portions of one or two chapters every day, and never to be intermitted, unless by some overruling necessity.”
– John Quincy Adams
“In what light soever we regard the Bible, whether with reference to revelation, to history, or to morality, it is an invaluable and inexhaustible mine of knowledge and virtue.”
– John Quincy Adams
“The first and almost the only Book deserving of universal attention is the Bible.”
– John Quincy Adams
“The Bible is no mere book, but a living Power that conquers all that oppose it.”
– Napoleon Bonaparte
“The American nation from its first settlement at Jamestown to this hour is based upon and permeated by the principles of the Bible.”
– Justice David Joseph Brewer, Supreme Court Justice
“I believe the Bible because it is the Word of God.”
– William Jennings Bryan
“I know the Bible is inspired because it finds me a greater depth of my being than any other book.”
– Samuel Taylor Coolidge
“It is impossible to enslave mentally or socially a Bible-reading people. The principles of the Bible are the groundwork of human freedom.”
– Horace Greeley
“I have always believed in the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, whereby they have become the expression to man of the Word and will of God.”
– Warren G. Harding
“The Bible is worth all other books which have ever been printed.”
– Patrick Henry
“That book, sir, is the rock on which our republic rests.”
– Andrew Jackson
“The Bible contains more true sublimity, more exquisite beauty, more pure morality, more important history, and finer strains of poetry and eloquence than can be collected from all other books, in whatever age or language they may have been written.”
– Sir William James
“Of the hundreds of thousands of artifacts found by the archaeologists, not one has ever been discovered that contradicts, or denies one word, phrase, clause, or sentence of the Bible . . . but always confirms, and verifies the facts of the Biblical record.”
– Dr. J.O. Kinnaman
“In all my perplexities and distresses, the Bible has never failed to give me light and strength.”
– Robert E. Lee
“All the good from the Savior of the World is communicated through this Book . . . All the things desirable to man are contained in it.”
– Abraham Lincoln
“I am profitably engaged in reading the Bible. Take all of this Book upon reason that you can, and the balance by faith, and you will live and die a better man.”
– Abraham Lincoln
“I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book.”
– Abraham Lincoln
“In regard to this Great Book, I have but to say, I believe the Bible is the best gift God has given to man. All the good Saviour gave to the world was communicated through this Book. But for this Book we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man’s welfare, here and hereafter, are to be found portrayed in it. To you I return my most sincere thanks for the elegant company of the great Book of God which you present.”
– Abraham Lincoln
“I consider an intimate knowledge of the Bible an indispensable qualification of a well-educated man.”
– Dr. Robert A. Milliken
“We account the Scriptures of God to be the most sublime philosophy. I find more sure marks of authority in the Bible than in any profane history whatever.”
– Sir Isaac Newton
“I thoroughly believe in a university education…but I believe a knowledge of the Bible without a college course is more valuable than a college course without the Bible. Everyone who has a thorough knowledge of the Bible may truly be called educated.”
– Dr. Wm. Lyon Phelps, Yale University
“A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.”
– Theodore Roosevelt
“Make it the first morning business of your life to understand some part of the Bible clearly, and make it your daily business to obey it in all that you do understand.”
– John Ruskin
“There is only one Book – the Bible.”
– Sir Walter Scott
“The whole hope of human progress is suspended on the ever-growing influence of the Bible.”
– William Henry Seward
“Nobody ever outgrows Scripture; the book widens and deepens with our years.”
– Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“You ask me what I think of Christ? He is the Chiefest among ten thousand, and altogether lovely – my Lord, my Saviour, and my God. What do I think of the Bible? It is the infallible Word of God, a light erected all along the shores of time to warn against the rocks and breakers, and to show the only way to harbor of eternal rest.”
– William Strong
“The Bible is the moral code of civilization.”
– Harry S. Truman
“A loving trust in the Author of the Bible is the best preparation for a wise and profitable study of the Bible itself.”
– H.C. Trumbull
“After all, the Bible must be its own argument and defense. The power of it can never be proved unless felt. The authority of it can never be supported unless it is manifest. The light of it can never be demonstrated unless it shines.”
– Henry Van Dyke
“I cannot too greatly emphasize the importance and value of Bible study—more important than ever before in these days of uncertainties, when men and women are apt to decide questions from the standpoint of expediency rather than on the eternal principles laid down by God Himself.”
– John Wanamaker
“It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.”
– George Washington
“If there is anything in my thoughts or style to commend, the credit is due to my parents for instilling in me an early love of the Scriptures. If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity.”
– Daniel Webster
“The Bible is our only safe guide.”
– Daniel Webster
“A man had deprived himself of the best there is in the world who has deprived himself of this, a knowledge of the Bible. When you have read the Bible, you will know it is the Word of God, because you will have found it the key to your own heart, your own happiness and your own duty.”
– Woodrow Wilson
“I am sorry for the men who do not read the Bible every day. I wonder why they deprive themselves of the strength and of the pleasure.”
– Woodrow Wilson
“It is very difficult for an individual who knows the Scripture every to get away from it…it forms a part of the warp and woof of his life.”
– Woodrow Wilson
“This Book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe in it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s character. Here paradise is restored, heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed. Christ is its grand object, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is given you in life, will be opened in the judgment, and will be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibilities, will reward the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.”
– Unknown
The text that led to Martin Luther’s conversion, and inspired the Reformation: “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’” (Romans 1:17)
The text which more deeply influenced the life of John Knox: “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3)
The text which saved William Cowper from suicide: “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.” (Romans 3:24-25).
John Bunyan’s favorite text: “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37).
The text which challenged David Livingstone: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and, lo I am with you always, even to the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:19-20).
Just use me – I am the Bible.
I am God’s wonderful library.
I am always – and above all – The Truth.
To the weary pilgrim, I am a good strong staff.
To the one who sits in gloom, I am a glorious light.
To those who stoop beneath heavy burdens, I am sweet rest.
To him who has lost his way, I am a safe guide.
To those who have been hurt by sin, I am healing balm.
To the discouraged, I whisper glad messages of hope.
To those who are distressed by the storms of life, I am an anchor.
To those who suffer in lonely solitude, I am a cool, soft hand resting on a fevered brow.
O, child of man, to best defend me, just use me!
– Unknown
The Bible in 50 Words
God made, Adam bit, Noah arked, Abraham split, Jacob fooled, Joseph ruled, Bush talked, Moses balked; Pharaoh plagued, people walked. Sea divided, tablets guided, Promise landed. Saul freaked, David peeked, prophets warned, Jesus born. God walked, love talked, anger crucified, hope died. Love rose, Spirit flamed, Word spread, God remained.
