The Hammer and the Anvil

Speaking of the authority of the Bible ... John Clifford's poem, "The Hammer and the Anvil," is one of the great ones:

Last eve I passed beside a blacksmith’s door
And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime
When looking in, I saw upon the floor,
Old hammers worn with beating years of time.

"How many anvils have you had," said I,
"To wear and batter all those hammers so?"
"Just one," said he; then said with twinkling eye,
"The anvil wears the hammers out, you know."

And so, I thought, the anvil of God’s Word
For ages skeptic’s blows have beat upon;
Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard,
The anvil is unharmed--the hammers gone!