Old Bibles

There is a special place in my heart for old things.  Long years ago I got interested in collecting pre-1900 religious books.  When traveling I made many a stop at old stores that sold antiques, early American junk, and very old books.  Usually, the old books were in the back of the store in places frequented only by a few souls who were not afraid to breathe generous portions of dust and mildew.  Over the years of endangering my health, I gathered a large number of old literary religious finds.  Though many are interesting, none have proven to have any monetary value.    

One thing which was always on my radar were old Bibles.  This part of the collection does have some value because along the way I have added numerous family Bibles to my shelves.  The Bibles I have which belonged to my parents were void of mold and dust and, therefore, have a place where they are visible even though not really used.  There is something special about holding a Bible read by someone who has nurtured you in your faith.  They are not things to ever be sold, but always to be held close to the heart.  

As a preacher I have more Bibles than I can read at one time.  Actually, I have two that I use.  One is older, a companion of many years, and one that is full of underlined verses.  The second one is much newer and was purchased mostly because it was a Bible in larger print.  It, too, is starting to show signs of an ink pen though I doubt it will suffer as much as its older companion.  I wonder sometimes what will happen to these Bibles which have nurtured my soul for so long.  Of all the things I might pass on to the waiting generations, these are, like my mother's Bible, most important.