res to yield their meaning. Then, and only then, the
Bible appears in its true greatness. Then is it the effective voice of
God, tender as the sob of a babe, and majestic as thunder; it then is
the temple of living truth, filled with the glory of the Lord's
presence; it then is the revelation of the eternal world, showing the
beauty of holiness, the mystery of the cross, the conquest of death, the
horrors of sin, the doom of the lost, the joy of the saved. Oh, what a
Book the Bible is to the inspired reader! It becomes transparent. The
light of the face of Jesus flashes from the lines and between the lines,
through the words and amidst the letters, turning the page into heaven's
bright scenery, and the chapters into the unveiling of the wonders of
redemption. Such was the Book of God to the Covenanters, as they passed
through the fires of persecution.

The homeless Covenanters, wandering from place to place, carried the
Bible with them. It was their faithful guide and constant companion.
When they were hungry, it was their food; when thirsty, it was their
drink; when forsaken, it was their friend; when wounded, it was their
balm; when pursued, it was their refuge; when condemned, it was their
advocate; when executed, it was their welcome into heaven. When they
retired to the darksome caves, its promises made the dripping stones
shine; when they sought shelter in the mountains, the music of the
Psalms cheered their hearts; when their blood bedewed the moss, the loud
cry on Calvary sanctified their pain; when they sat on the Bass Rock
begirt with waves and swept by storms, the visions, creations, and
tumultuous grandeurs of Patmos were reproduced in the spiritual
experience of these illuminated sufferers, by means of the Word of God.
To these devout Covenanters, the blessed Book yielded up its wealth,
breathed its deepest love, revealed its hidden glory. In their spiritual
visions, the desert blossomed at their feet, gardens flourished around
them, harvests ripened for their sickle; summer drove back the dreary
winter; they verily dwelt in Immanuel's land.

The Covenanters loved the Bible more than their lives. In it they found
eternal life, and counted all things but loss for the excellency of the
knowledge of Christ. Many instances are on record, showing their
willingness to die, rather than abandon, or conceal, the Book of God.
One man, M'Roy by name, was shot on the spot, because he was found
reading his Bible. It wa