HYMN OF THEÂ MONTH:
Holy Bible, Book Divine
by John Burton, 1773-1822
Our theme for 2025 is "We Believe" and we're exploring core biblical doctrines we can pass to the next generation using hymns as a teaching tool.
This month we're looking closer at the doctrine of inspiration and why we can trust the Bible as God's Word. Come join us anytime!
Factories to Sunday School
One evening in the late 18th century, Robert Raikes walked through the streets of Gloucester, England and came across a group of children fighting. Their clothes were torn and dirty and their faces told a sad story.
He stepped in and broke up the fight and then, turning to a woman nearby he asked, "Who are these children?"
She sighed and replied, "People call them the slaves of England.”
She went on to tell Mr. Raikes that these children worked 12 hours or more each day in factories, had no education, couldn’t read, and most of their parents were either in prison or dead.
“Sundays are the worst” she said. “It’s their only day off, and they run wild, like animals."
It was in that moment, Robert Raikes decided to establish more and more schools where these children could gather on Sundays to learn how to read and write using the Bible as their primary textbook.
Over time, God’s Word began to transform the children as they came to know Jesus. They became joyful, responsible and productive members of society, and crime rates in the area plummeted.
In 1803, amazed by the power of God’s Word to change hearts and lives, Sunday School teacher John Burton wrote a special hymn to sing in Sunday School. Holy Bible, Book Divine quickly became a Sunday School favorite and people of all ages still love it today.
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Read & Relate
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;
 Eph. 2:10; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Ps. 19:8-11; Gen. 1:26-28
Mine to chide me when I rove;
Mine to show a Savior's love;
Mine thou art to guide and guard;
Mine to punish or reward;
 2 Tim. 4:2; Eph. 5:2; Heb. 4:12; Ps. 119:105
Mine to comfort in distress,
Suffering in this wilderness;
Mine to show by living faith,
We can triumph over death;
1 Thess. 4:16-18; Rom. 10:17; 2 Cor. 1:3-4;Â 1 Cor. 15:56-57
Mine to tell of joys to come,
And the rebel sinner's doom;
O thou holy book divine,
Precious treasure, thou art mine.
Psalm 16:11;Â Rev. 21:8; Romans 15:4; Mt. 7:13-14
