The power of anecdote and illustration to press home the truth into the hearts and minds of their hearers is largely utilized by preachers and teachers of to-day.
The occasion often happens, however, when an anecdote would put the text out of sight, and when some trite saying, some deep thought crystallized into a few words, would serve the preacher’s purpose better, in order to flash light upon his subject.
During the course of my reading, I have always tried to gather “nuggets” by the way, and make a note of them on the margins and blank leaves of my Bible. I have found it to be a useful habit, preserving for use many seed-thoughts and apt sayings that otherwise would have escaped my memory.
“Notes from My Bible” is the harvest of many years’ gathering in this direction, and I want it to be distinctly understood that its contents are not claimed to be original. The flowers in this book have been culled from many gardens. I would be glad to give full credit to the men to whom I am indebted, by attaching their names to their sayings; but I found that this could be done only very partially, and therefore decided to omit names in every instance.
The arrangement of the book is simple. Over against the text is the thought or illustration. At the beginning of the books and chapters of the Bible is placed whatever has a general reference to that section. A number of miscellaneous outlines are added at the end of Revelation.
I take this opportunity of impressing upon you, reader, the advantage of making notes. Let this book serve you not only as a storehouse, but also as a stimulus. Whether you are minister or layman, you will find that you will grow more deeply interested in your Bible day by day if you follow the course of making notes of sayings similar to those contained in this volume, of outline sermons, and of anything that helps to light up some well-known truth and fasten it in the memory. It is a good thing to be ready with new thoughts to present the old truths of the Bible.
God grant that this book may be very helpful to you.
D. L. Moody
CrossReach Publications