Book Divine

 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.  
2 Timothy 3: 16-17

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Holy Bible, Book Divine
John Burton (1773 - 1822)

Holy Bible, book divine,
precious treasure, thou art mine;

mine to tell me whence I came; 

mine to teach me what I am.

Mine to chide me when I rove;

mine to show a Savior's love;

mine thou are to guide and guard;

mine to punish or reward.

Mine to comfort in distress, 

suff'ring in this wilderness; 

mine to show, by living faith, 

man can triumph over death.

Mine to tell of joys to come, 

and the rebel sinner's doom;

O thou Holy Book divine,

precious treasure, thou are mine.

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Can you imagine a time when there was no Sunday School?  Sunday Schools were introduced to England in 1780 by Robert Raikes.   There was also no public school system, and most children could not read, and many had never seen a Bible.  So when the founders were deciding "what should we teach?" some thought they should have the children memorized catechisms, but Raikes and a young Sunday school teacher names John Burton taught the Bible.  And if the children needed to learn how to read, they taught that, too.

When Barton was thirty, in 1803, he published the above hymn for children in a little book called Youth's Monitor in Verse, a Series of Tales, Emblems, Poems and Songs.  He published it again in another book three years later.  

Can you imagine a small child proudly carrying a Bible close to his chest and singing these words?  Such an image should keep us from taking God's word for granted.  

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RHC 257: Holy Bible, Book Divine (singing) - YouTube

Robert Raikes - Christian Hall of Fame (christianhof.org)

Holy Bible, Book Divine | Hymnary.org