BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 135, 9 June 1891, Page 2

BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.

The annual meeting of the Auckland Auxiliary Branch of the above Society was held last nitrht in the Tabernacle, when Colonel Haultain presided. The attendance was not large. The following gentlemen were on the platform : —Revs. Walter, Lee, Guy, Cox, Lewis, Lawry, Gilmore, Dr. Purchas, Messrs Sayce, Marshall, Hannington, Aldridge, Vines, Edmiston, Prime, Cheal, Brakenrig ; and Pastor T. Spurgeon was sitting amongst the congregation. After a hymn had been sung, the Rev. Mr Walter read a portion of Scripture, after which the Rev. Mr Lee led the men ting in prayer.

The Rev. Mr Lawry then read the 45th annual report, which testified to the continued success in the work of distributing the Scripturee. A plea was urged for increased efforts bo supply the want of the world. It was mentioned thab for IS9O the Hibernian Bible Society had sent a welcome contribution of £200. The American Bible Society proposed to place a copy of the Bible into the hands of each Sunday scholar in the States. The total cash receipts for 1890 were 597,693-05 dollars, and its disbursements 529,955-74. Its issue for the year was 1,496,057, copies. The statistics of the Fourth General" Resupply show that in the course of eight veare in visiting more than six million homes no less than 757,851 families were found to be without a copy of the Bible, and of these 473,804 families were supplied by the visitors. The National Bible Society oi Scotland's report showed an increase in receipts of £2,098 over the previous year, and £36,487 of total revenue. In round numbers 690,000 Bibles, Testaments, and portions were widely,andas wethink wisely, distributed in Scotland and Ireland, in eleven colonies, and in nineteen foreign countries. From every Scottish household this year there has gone forth, through the hands of the Society, one copy of the Scriptures—a Bible, a Testament, or a portion— on its missionofhelpand healing to mankind. During the year the British and Foreign Bible Society had put in circulation almost 4,000,000 Bibles, whole or in part. More strictly speaking, the issues for the year 1889-90 amounted to 3,792,263 volumes, an increase of 115,059 over the issues of the previous jear. Its payments amounted to £227,566 0s Bd, being £1,401 6s 3d more than last year, and £15,488 10s 6d more than the receipts. The total net receipts reached the sum of £212,077 10s 2d. The Bible had been translated and printed into 226 languages and dialects, if to these are added new translations the number of versions and re-versions amount to 365. Previous to 1890 the total number of Bibles, New Testaments, and portions issued by the Society are reported as being nearly 124,000,000. From this auxiliary 4,368 copies of the Bible were issued for the year ending March 31st, 1891. This year's issue comprised 2,112 Bible?, 2,192 Testaments, and 64 portions. And of these there were issued, by sale, in the English language, 1,907 Bibles, 1,772 Testaments, and 34 portions ; in the Maori language, 22 Bibles, 219 Testaments, and 6 gospels; in other languages, 2 German Bibles and 5 Testaments, 3 Gaelic Bibles and 2 Testaments, 5 French Bibles, 2 Fijian Testaments, 1 Testament each in the Italian, Greek, Irish, and Spanish languages, 1 Swedish and 2 Danish Bibles—making 3,983 volumes sold for £287 14s 2d. This is an increase of 1,236 volumes more than those sold last I year. In addibion free grants of 285 volumes had been made, and 100 Maori Testaments were sold at half-price. The stock at preeenb in hand comprised 26 different languages and 6,828 volumes valued £497 10s 10d. Thanks were accorded to the colporteur, Mr J. C. Brown, to Archdeacon Williams for preparing marginal references to the Maori Bible, the executors of the late Mr C. O. Davis for paying over £100 bequest, and bo Bishop Cowie for handing over a considerable supply of old edition Maori Testaments. BALANCE-SHEET. Mr F. L. Prime read the balance-sheet as follows : — Receipts : Balance from last year, £17 Is Id ; public meeting, £5 ; legacy (the late Mr C. O. Davis), £100 ; safe of Bibles, £240 12s 10d ; branch contributions, £57 12s 6d ; sums collected, £67 16s 6d ; total, £488 2s lid. Expenditure : Remittances to parent Society, £183 14s 6d ; Auckland Auxiliary purchase accounts, £150 6a ; miscellaneous, £134 12s Id ; balance, £19 10s 4d. On the motion of Mr Lawry, seconded by Mr Prime, the reports were adopted and ordered to be printed. Mr W. Sayce, minister of the Friends from England, then addressed the meeting, and advocated the claims of the British and Foreign Bible Society, which body had done more to distribute the Scriptures than any other Society. He recommended very warmly a more earnest searching of the Holy Scriptures rather than accepting other men's opinions. Leb them search for themselves. They all recognised the importance of seeking the enlightenment of God's Spirit. Things which appeared antagonistic seemed to harmonise by the light of thab Spirit. Before they accepted the idea thab there were discrepancies in the Bible they should go down on their knees and ask for the light of God's Spirit. It was impossible for a man that was not spiritually-minded to understand the deeper truths of the Holy Scripture. Might bhey always use bheir Bibles as charts that should be studied. The Rev. H. J. Lewis next addressed the meeting upon the "Principles of Their Faith in the Bible." There seemed to be a feeling that a man could not retain his reverence for the Bible and still hold his respect for modern scholarship. Still. modern criticism should nob shake their faith in the foundation of their belief in the inspiration of the Bible. The inspiration of the Bible was independent of any theory as to the mode or date of compilation of thab Book. Their belief in the inspiration rested upon the truths it contained and the influence it had exerted. The Bible was an inclined plane leading up to Christ, the culminating evidence of its inspiration. Mr Joseph Hannington next testified to the great work done in the world by the British and Foreign Bible Society. He could also testify to the greab liberality of that Society. The Bible proved its own truth, that ib was not made by man of his own hand, bub by the special inspiration of God. * The Rev. Mr Robjohns, the deputation from the parent Society at Home, addressed the meeting at some length, and moved that votes of thanks should be accorded to the chairman, to the friends for the use ot the Tabernacle, to the committee and officers of this auxiliary, and especially to the lady collectors for their arduous efforts. Speaking with regard to the criticism of the Bible, he argued that at the present time the criticism of the world was for the major part in favour of the Bible. He considered thab a great work was going on in the Universities, and it might not be generally known that the recent revival in those institutions had provided no less than 66

scholarly men devotedto the work of the Church Missionary Society. _ Mr P. Cheal seconded the motion, which was adopted. OFFICERS. The following were elected officers foj-* tho ensuing year : - President, The Righ 6 Rev. the Bishop of Auckland; vice-preei dent, Yen. Archdeacon Dudley ; honsecretaries, Rev. H. H. Lawry and Mr VV • Briikenricr ; treasurer, Mr F. L' Prime; Mr H. J. Edmiaton,s committee, Archdeacons Mannsell, Clarke, and Dudley, Revs. Dr. Ridd, Burrows, Berry, Carrick, Cox._ Gilmore, Guy, Lee. Macnicol. Monro, Nelson, Reid, Simmonds. Wallis, Ward. Worboys, Sir W. Fox, Colonel Haultain. Dr. Kenderdine, Messrs Battley, Buddie, Button, Daldy, Edson, Firth, Kirker, Lawry, Lyon, Macky, Matthews, T. McMaster, b Parker, T. Peacock, R. B. Shalders, J. L. Wilson and E. Withy. A collection was taken, the doxology was sung and Pastor Gilmore closed the meeting with prayer.