65. Importance of Circulating the Scriptures

From hence, as from the pleasant and fruitful fields watered with the silver dew of Hermo, the people of God are nourished with all saving food. Hence the thirst of languishing souls is restinguished, as from the most pure fountains of living water, and the everlasting waters of Paradise."

It is of the highest importance, that the Bible in English should be placed in the hands of all who may be able to read it. This is due to the excellence of the translation itself; and much more to the value of its contents. To the inquirer after religious truth, the Scriptures stand in the same relation, as the works of nature stand in to the inquirer after scientific truth. The nat ural philosopher who should shut his eyes upon all the facts and phenomena of the material universe, could not fall into greater blunders and follies, than the theologian who closes the lids of his Bible. Without this blessed Book, Protestantism is nothing. Says Luther, a most enthusiastic student and translator of the Bible,—"This volume alone deserves to occupy the tongue, the heart, the eyes, the ears, the hearts of all."* And again,—"While the Word of God flourishes, all things flourish in the Church.†

The refusal of Popery to allow the common people free access to the Scriptures in their vernacular tongues, condemns their divine Author for not having originally inspired his prophets and apostles to write them in dead languages, and unknown tongues. God was not afraid to give the Old Testament to the Hebrews in their mother tongue; nor to publish the New Testament in the Greek speech, which was then more widely spoken and understood than any other. Has it ever been supposed, that the Churches at Corinth and Colosse, for instance, suffered any

* Solus hic liber omnium lingua, manō, oculis, auribus, cordibus, versaretur.

† Florente verbo, omnia florent in Ecclesia.

detriment in receiving those inspired Epistles from the Apostle Paul in a language familiar to all their members?