BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 123, 26 May 1893, Page 3

BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.

AUCKLAND AUXILIARY.

The annual meeting of tho Auckland Auxiliary of the British and Foreign Biblo .Society wag held last night in the locture hull of the V.M.C.A. His Lordahip Bishop Cowie presidad, and was supported on the platform by a largo number of reverend gentlemen of various religious bodies. There wes a good attendance of subscribers. . In opening tho meeting, Bishop Oowie said that it was a long time since ho was able to attend the annual meeting of tho Society, aa the day of tho meeting had been during his absence from Auckland in some distant part of the diocese. Those who approvod of the principles of the Society must be gratified by tho steady progress of its work. The leading principle was to circulate the Bible as extensively as possible without note or comment. Not that the Biblo needed no exposition ; but in order to help aa many persons as possiblo who desired to extend the knowledge of the Bible, whatever their own special understanding of tho Bible might be. It had been said that " \ou can carve what you like oub of a quarry," and so every sort of erronoous teaching can bo bolstered up by toxtu ot Scripture torn from their context. The Bishop hopod that before long Christ's people in New Zealand would K'-roe upon some book of extracts from the Bible to be read in our Board Schools, extracts that would need little or no explanation, and that could not oasily be wrested from their original and obvious meaning. Tho Bible Society, he said, was not a missionary society in the ordinary sense of tho word, bub it supplied a chief means whereby tha work of missionaries wan carried on. When in India, he received ready help from the Society, in grants of Hindustani Bibles for a small native Christian community, living near the military cantonmeut in which he was chaplain to tho British soldiers. When he was in London in ISBB, the Society offered to bear tlio coat of printing a Bible with references, in the Maori language; and the Bishop had never appealed in vain for help to tho Society. In these days of general inquiry as to the origin and ciaima of institutions, Christian toachers should explain to young people how the writings of tho New Testament came to be bound up with biio3e of the Old. For lack of such ex planation at the right time, many persons ware afterwards shaken in their faith, on discovering that the origin of the l».ew Testament was not what they had thought it to be. Many good Christian people beamed to think that the New Testament in its present form was given to Christiana in the earliest days of the Gospel, and that each Christian man and woman was left to draw his or her doctrine from it, and to form BOcietWa in accordance therewith. As a matter of fact, the Church universal was wifchoutChriabian Soriptures formany years. By the providence of God tho Church was enabled, in due time, to decide which of the early Christian writings should be received as inspired, and which should be rejected from tho sacred volume. The Canon of the New Testament now means the list of writings contained in that Book ; but the word cauon meant originally the unwritton rule of the Church, by which it tested the character of tho writings to bo dealt with. Some of our best Biblical scholars thought that the list of Christian writings published by Bishop Athanasius, of Alexandria, in 365, was the earliest official recognition of the Canon of the New Testament as we now know it in our JBngHsh Bibles. The Bishop, in conclusion, recommended to the notice of Bible Btudents two small works by eminent; Biblical and Hebrew scholars of the day, namely, Westcott's "Bible in the Church," and KirkPatrick's "Divine Library in the Old Testament."

The Rev. H. H. Lawry, honorary secretary, read the annual reporb, which said it was a matter of joy to bo able to cay that instead of the continually-enlarging income of tho British and Foreign Bible Society being again insufficient to meet its still j heavier expenditure, tho balance was once more on the right side. Tho report then went on to say that: "The British and Foreign Bible Society's report for 1892 states that its issues for that year wore 3,989,215, or within 11,000 of 4,000,000 copies of God's Holy Word, either whole or in part. This is an advance of 62,680 copies on the issued of 1891, and of J96.952 on those of 1890. The copioa sent forth by the Society einco 1804 have been 151,844,796 —i.e., nearly 132 millions of copies. The entire free income of the Society for that year was £114,284 14a Id, and by sales, £96,871 15s Bd. The gross receipts for the year amounted to £234,782 4s 2d. The National Bible Society of Scotland reports an income of £32,486 6s lOd, which has more than met tho expenditure. Its issues were 673,862 copies of God's word. The Hibernian Bible Society continues its contribution of £500 : with £100 from tho auxiliary nt Belfast." For the year now ending, 1893, the Auckland Auxiliary reports an issue of 3,848, aa against 2,808 last year, being an increase of 1,040. The numbers issued by sale were: In the English language, 1,867 Bibles, 940 Testaments, and 163 portions; in Maori, 77 Bibles, 148 Testaments, 118 portions; Tonf/an, 500 Bibles ; French, 4 Bibles, 12 Testataiaente ; German, 2 Bibles, 1 Testament; Gaelic, 1 Testament; Swedish and Norwegian, each 1 Bible: total sales, 3,835, as against 2,685 last year. Value of saloe, £396 18a 3d, in 8 different languages. The stock on hand at March 3lst, in 25

different languages, numbered 7,014 volumes valued at £491 6s Bd, and all insured. The report further stated thab as ib had been found that there had been no facilities for the purchase of Scriptures at Te Aroha —indeed, that a Bible could not be purchased there—a depot had been formed I there. Special eilorto bad been made for I the purpose of supplying the Maoris with i the Holy Scriptures in their native language | without much success. Circulars had j boat) issued to traders and friends in various parts of New Zealand, ofiering the Now Testament Scriptures and portions of the New Testament, contain- j ing the four Gospels and the Acts of the Apo«tles, for sale at very low prices, in the hope that Bales mig-ht be made, if the books were placed within easy reach of the natives in their villages. Bub to this there was no response. In view of the number of scholars in the Maori village schools maintained by the New Zealand Government!, but not under the Education Act, and of the absence of literature in the Maori language, the committee offered to provide, for use in such schools, a quantity of that portion of the Holy Scriptures comprised in the Four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. But they were informed that, though such schools were not under the Education Act, tho Minister for Education considers himself bound to observe

the same rales in regard to the question of religious instruction in native schools, as are "imposed by the law in the case of schools maintained under the Education Act " There ia rather more hope (continued the report) in some other directions. For instance, a Salvation Army Captain, whose work lay largely among Maori villages, became convinced that his wort could not stand, unless it rested upon God s Holy Word, and that issued by sale, so he haa obtained a supply. But, unfortunately for his success, that district was not long ago supplied by Europeans, with a considerable quantity of New- Testaments gratis ; to the great detriment of Bales in the future in that part of the country. Still your committee having been largely instrumental in the issue by sale of a complete edition of the Maori Bible, extending to 6 000 copies, is not discouraged in its efforts to circulate these leas expensive portions of it They are endeavouring to arrange witu Maori clergymon to colport them in the native ' districts. Notwithstanding the want of success in these special efforts, tho ordinary sales of Maori Bibles, Testaments, and portions, continue to be good. Dunng the year an order has reached us from Tonga for another 500 copies of the Tonßan Bible; and tho books have been obtained, torwarded to Tonga, and paid for in full. Our old and generous friends at Waipu have again shown their zeal for God, in the direction of aiding to spread tho knowledge of His Holy Word throughout the world, by sending'upas a free contribution to the funds of the British and Foreign Bible Society the sum of £36 5s 6(1. The branch depots in outlying townships have mo=t of thorn been visited by our depositary, Mr H. J. Edmiston, and placed upon a better footing, to tho benefit of the Society's interests, and the satisfaction ot tho committee. Your treasurer reports the receipt by him of £98 from Messrs James and W. A. Carruth, as executors of the will of the late Mr Wm. Carruth. of Kamo ; also tho sum of £85 Is 2d from Mr Theophilus B. Heath, aa executor to tho estate of Mr John Roskell. In response to an appeal by printed circular from the parent committee, under date ISOvomber, 1892, ' for additional income from tho colonial friends of the British and Foreign Bible Society, to the extent of £25,000 par annum,' both the above amounts were promptly forwarded, togother with sundry items received on free grant account, viz., £10 from Thames, £20 from Gisborne, £13 8s 3d from Cambridge, and £36 5s 64 from Waipu ; and aleo certain other moneys on purchase account, as shown in the treasurers statement. In conclusion, we remark that the progress towards the evangoliaation of the world which is reported along the whole line of mission work, implies corresponding drafts and claims upon the Bible Societies, without which, as ia constantly confessed, there can be no satisfactory missionary advance." The report closed with the prayer that Almighty God would hasten the time when at the came of Jesus evory k>iee shall bow, of things in heavon, ami things in earth, and things undor tho earth ; and that evory tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Mr F. Prime, hon. treasurer, read theannual balance-sheet, which showed the receipts from various sources—collections, contributions, with legacies of the late W. Carruth, Esq. (£9B 16s sd), and the late J. Roskell. Esq. (£BS Is 2d)-fco be £840 6s sd. Tho expenditure, including remittance to the parent society of £324 13s 7d, totalled £787 9a 4d, leaving a credit balance of £52 17s Id. Both the amiual report and balance-sheet wore unanimously adopted. The Rsv. Mr Kobertson thought no one could possibly have conceived at the Society's commencement its wonderful growth of later yeare. Truly it was of God and not of man. Just as He who made the mountains formed them out of the tiniest atoms, so was tho Socistyiarge as ib was, extonsive.aa its operations wore, composed of individuals. There was no more power in the Society itself than thoro was in the telegraph wire. As the real line power lay in the electric battery et the end of tho wire, so the power of the Society lay nob in its organisation but in its subscribers. The Society's agents might trausmib the glorious message, but the message would never be pent but for the battery. The Society was based upon individualism. Every subscriber was obeying the Divine command "Go and preach tho Gospel to all nations." The Rev. YV. J. Williams was convinced, after mature consideration and observation, that Auckland waß the most satisfactory auxiliary in .New Zealand. There had been loud lamentations over its loss of preetige in the seat of Government being transferred to Wellington, but Auckland had a far greater honour than ever the scab of Government could confer on the city. Ib was the centre of New 7ealand missionary enterprise. This waa as it slionld be, for the missionary seed had been sown on fields of missionary labour and watered by misnionary blood. Ho then referred to the Thoosophical mode of damning the Bible with faint praise by placing it. on tho level of the sacred books of India. Of these comparisons he felt no fear, for whenever the Bible had como into comparison with other books no matter how good they might be, its transcendant superiority Boon established itself. Speaking in terms of gratitude for the assistance the Bible had rendered Wesleyan missionary work, Mr Williamß said if the British nnd Foreign Bible Society was nob specifically a missionary society ib was the right arm of those bodies that were. The Rev. Mr Robjohns, New Zealand agent for the Society, moved a vote of thanks to the chairman and to the lady collectors. He eaid it had been the strict course of tho Socioty from its foundation to publish the word of God without a single word of comment. In its naked, simple eloquence, the Holy Word was sufficiently irresistible During tho year 1892, there were issued by tho Society 1,050,000 more Bibles than in 1882, with practically tho same amount of ink. Labour had nob been sweated down to obtain this increase, but economy had been exercised ; 812 volumes of tho Bible go out of the Bible house every half hour. The Bible was now fully translated in 304 difforent languages, aud partially in 335. Complete copies of the New Testament could be purchasod for Id in many different language?. Tho Society had also printed an edition of the Old Testament in Hebrew which wassold separately for Jews. TheNewTeeta ment had been translated during the year into tho principal New Guinea dialects. Ho referred briefly to tho operations of the Society in China and Spain, and moved hie vote of thanks which wns carried with acclamation, the following officers being first elected for the ensuing year :—President, The Right Rev. the Biahop of Auckland. Vice-president: The Yen. Archdeacon Maunßell. Hon. ecrebaries: liev. H. H. Lawry, general and corresponding secretary ; Mr W. Brakonrig, local secretary. Treasurer: Mr F. L. Prime. Agent: Mr H. J. Edmiston (tbe Auckland Sundayecliool UnioD). Committee : Yen. Archdeacons Maunsell, Clarke, Dudley, Rev. Dr. Kidd Rom J. Blaikie, R. Burrows, A. Carrick, G. D. Cox.J. Gny, F. LarkingW.Lee, R F. Macnicol, G. B. Monro, C. M. Nelßon, S. F. Prior, J. Ward, R. Scott West, W., J. Williams, Hons. Sir W. Fox, Colonel" Haulbain, Dm. Kenderdino, A. O. Knight, Mesera F. Battley, F. Bodle, T. Buddie, C. E. Button, P. E. Cheal, J. Edson, J. C. Firth, S. C. Johnson, J. Kirker, W. H. Lyon, T. Macky, S. H. Matthews. T. MeMaster, S. Parker, T. PeacWk, R. B. Shalders, R. W. Waterhouße, J. L. Wilson, E. Withy. Executive Committee: Rev.?. W. Lee, G. B. Monro, Hon. Colonel Haultain. Messrs F. Battley, B. B. Shald&"-. H. J. Edmiafon,