A Little Thing—Unless You Neglect It

What is the use of reading the Bible to the congregation? We ask the question, in all seriousness, and will be glad to get an answer. Is there any use, which can be measured, increased, or lessened, by any human agency? Or, is the benefit an arbitrary, divine appointment, which always follows any reading of the Bible in public, whether it be read in a known or unknown tongue, whether it be read correctly or incorrectly, naturally or affectedly, properly or improperly, impressively or ridiculously? Let young preachers especially look to this matter. Too many treat this as a matter of indifference, and consequently their reading lessons may as well be omitted, unless they may have some virtue as deeds of penance on the part of reader and hearers. A member of a congregation once went up to his pastor and thanked him for the benefit received from his reading of the Scriptures. The preacher was startled, and felt reproved. "This is the first time," thought he, "in years that such a thing has happened. Can it be possible that it is so rare a thing for me to read a chapter in a way to do some good?"

It is possible to read the most triumphant Psalm, or the most impressive chapter in Isaiah in such a manner that the congregation will wish the reader to hurry through that trifling part of the service. You may sometimes hear the Bible read in a manner which, if imitated by lawyers, would be the signal for the hearers to doze, or laugh, or go out. If a man is called on to read the Bible at all, he is called to read it well. Many persons get their chief knowledge of the Bible from these lessons read in the churches. Some of them think the Bible is a dull, lifeless book, with no adaptation to the every day life of common men. This is a great mistake. But it is not an unnatural one. If Shakspeare, Milton, and Macaulay were read in public as the Bible is often read, very few would have any desire to know more about these authors. There are to-day in all our churches, good men, who ought to be taught to read, or they should be forbidden to read at all. No man has a right to degrade and weaken the Bible by a careless, affected, or repulsive manner of reading it to the people. It is shameful, the way that holy Book is treated. We protest against it, perhaps uselessly. Jay.