THE ONLY ANVIL
One night, as we were standing beside the village spring,
We heard the blacksmith’s anvil in tones of clearness ring.
And where the smith was working, the shadows failed to hide
A heap of worn-out hammers, which he had cast aside,
We said. “How many anvils did it require, we pray,
To wear out all these hammers which you have thrown away?”
He said, “This only anvil is all I have in show,
For it resits the hammers, and wears them out you know.”
And, like a solid anvil, the sacred Scripture stands;
And fiercely is it beaten by unbelievers’ hands.
With noise, and show of learning, they make a large display;
But, like the blacksmith’s hammer, they wear themselves away.
That Anvil is for weapons whose edge is always keen;
And used for making armour for ages it has been.
On it are formed the sandals, by which brave feet are shod;
And heroes shape their helmets upon the Word of God.
But some, who once in Scripture professed to find their joy,
Today appear to labour its message to destroy,
Abortive are their labours and fruitless all their pains;
Unmoved by all that threatens, the Anvil still remains.
With sparks, and smoke and vapour, they fashion forms of doubt,
Until, amid the shadows, the hammers are worn out.
While all the passing ages their varied hammers bring,
They always fail to silence that ancient Anvil’s ring.
Above the direful discord, which from contention springs,
In measured tones majestic that Anvil’s message rings.
“His light forever shineth: night is to Him as day;
The Word which He hath spoken shall never pass away.”
Thomas Watson
"Smite on, Smite on, ye hostile hands, Your hammers break, God's Anvil stands!" The Anvil that breaks hammers! God's Word continues to confound the sceptic and those who reject and oppose its teachings. The Bible is an anvil that many try to smash, but really there is no contest - The Bible, God's Word was forged in the heavenly furnace of God's holiness. A book of secrets which God reveals to those who humble themselves before Him, a living Word which brings hope and salvation to millions through Jesus Christ, countless blessings upon those who obey it's teachings. The Lord has given us an anvil that will never break!
We heard the blacksmith’s anvil in tones of clearness ring.
And where the smith was working, the shadows failed to hide
A heap of worn-out hammers, which he had cast aside,
We said. “How many anvils did it require, we pray,
To wear out all these hammers which you have thrown away?”
He said, “This only anvil is all I have in show,
For it resits the hammers, and wears them out you know.”
And, like a solid anvil, the sacred Scripture stands;
And fiercely is it beaten by unbelievers’ hands.
With noise, and show of learning, they make a large display;
But, like the blacksmith’s hammer, they wear themselves away.
That Anvil is for weapons whose edge is always keen;
And used for making armour for ages it has been.
On it are formed the sandals, by which brave feet are shod;
And heroes shape their helmets upon the Word of God.
But some, who once in Scripture professed to find their joy,
Today appear to labour its message to destroy,
Abortive are their labours and fruitless all their pains;
Unmoved by all that threatens, the Anvil still remains.
With sparks, and smoke and vapour, they fashion forms of doubt,
Until, amid the shadows, the hammers are worn out.
While all the passing ages their varied hammers bring,
They always fail to silence that ancient Anvil’s ring.
Above the direful discord, which from contention springs,
In measured tones majestic that Anvil’s message rings.
“His light forever shineth: night is to Him as day;
The Word which He hath spoken shall never pass away.”
Thomas Watson
"Smite on, Smite on, ye hostile hands, Your hammers break, God's Anvil stands!" The Anvil that breaks hammers! God's Word continues to confound the sceptic and those who reject and oppose its teachings. The Bible is an anvil that many try to smash, but really there is no contest - The Bible, God's Word was forged in the heavenly furnace of God's holiness. A book of secrets which God reveals to those who humble themselves before Him, a living Word which brings hope and salvation to millions through Jesus Christ, countless blessings upon those who obey it's teachings. The Lord has given us an anvil that will never break!