AUCKLAND AUXILLIARY BIBLE SOCIETY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume II, Issue 442, 13 April 1865, Page 4

AUCKLAND AUXILLIARY BIBLE SOCIETY.

The annual meeting of the Bible Society wan held yesterday evening, at 7 o'clock, in the Wealujaa Chapel, fTigh-str. et, Dr. Kermet in the chair. The ineetrns was opsnod by singing a hymn, and a portion of tiYe Scriptures iras then read, after which the Hev. Mr. M.icdonaid engaged in prayer.

J)r. B in taking the chair, said that the reason why tho meeting was held in. the Wesleyan Chapel was, because there wa? no other suitable place for the purpose. He would hare preferred to har6 hud the meeting held in some more neutral place, but, as they were all awaro, all the usual places' where such like meetings -were held were occupied' by nmurein.'iit-i which were of no value at all eoci-' pared with the object they had in view. Neither whs it from any sectarian feeling that it was held there. No society was more catholic than was this, and for this evening he begged they would consider this as neutral ground. He congratulated them on being met together on such an occasion as this present, one, and he thanVed God that, in spite of waw and rumours of •wars, they were able to meet together on such , sueh interesting occasions us tho present. He then.went on to compare the income of the Parent Society for the years and which showed that inspite of the great distress in Lancashire, an iiiere.Tsi: of £12uO. The Society had issued two and' a half millions of copies of the Scriptures in that period, which raised the total of copies issued since the formation of the Society to forty-five and a half millions. Ho trusted that God w uld continue to bless so great a Society as this, which took the Scriptures a? the Word of G-od. Ht> alluded to the influence of t.ho Bible on the Natives and said that he knew that many souls had been saved through the insti'um/iUaliry of tho Society. While refraining from any politic-id subject yet he would pray that those cruel niuiflerers who hid embrued their hands in the Wood of ihat excellent missionary might he brought to see the error of their ways. This Society was an incentive to faith, auu though there might be mountains of Jiiliculty that faith could remove themAnd lupo, too, locJced to this Society as its field ; and love too claimed tho Bible Society as its own. Hβ then calied on Mr. Buddie to read the report, which was as follows :—

Revobt of Auckland Biht.b Society, 1855. The CcmiruiitPo of the Auckland Auxiliary of the British and Foreign Bible Society, on again meeting their friends to report the proceedings of another year, would first upon them to rejoice over the success which has been vouchsafed to the noMe Institution which they have the honor to represent. " The last General Heport of iho Parent, L«.,:iety is full of the most cheering facts. To present anything like an analysis of that Report would he to swell our own to : an unreasonable length. The Committee recommend a careful examination of the book, the details of which cannot fail deeply to interest every Christian mind " ' "We find in that Tteport accounts of an extended circulation of the Word of God in almost every part of the world. The copies circulated during 186* having jvached the unprecedented number of 2,105 .US" "'Die Financial condition of the Society is al-o greatly improved. The Receipts for the year hare beeu, for £ s. d. Subscriptions, Donations, &c. ... 89,897 13 r > Sales of ISibles. &c 79,007 10 6 Making a total from the usual soureos of luconio of ... 168,905 & 0

" 1 he parent Committee noVo these facto in tones of thankfulness. It is, tney say, no slight ground for encouragement and cause of thanksgiving, that the euro -which was deficient in latt year's revenue, lies fhrough the goodness of God, and liberality of the Chrif tian Church, been more than made up by tho "oiifritmtions of the present, and that both* tho iooome and issues of the Society are the largest which it lifts' ever yet: been permitted your Committee to record. "This grand organization for Bible distribution, has during tho 60 years of ite labours, expended the munificent sum of five millions and a halfin printiug B'-.d circulating the Word of Lifts. A large sum, vet small compared with the greater sums that during the same period havo been upeut in intoxicuting drinks, or in wars, that havo spread desolation and ruin. What a contrast will be presented in the final judgement! What blessed fruits of the one, what terrible results of the other ! •' The tone of the report is not exclusively jubilant, it speaks largely of success, but it refers to riifficulty i ami opposition also. It tells of lands in which thV Bible is -till proscribed, of laws which render its circulation penal, of countries where Papal opposition is defiant, aud infidel resistance fierce, and determined, it contains au oitraet from an Austrian newspaper, which displays tho animus with which the Society is regarded by the enemies of tho Bible.

The article is headed ; "IIE A!TO SHE." And is as follows—" Aβ there is a " He" in Europe, s" there is also a " She " Wherever you may be " She'" is at your side with a book in her hand. Aro you sitting in any public room, "She" comes and kindly hands you a book. Are you a travelling? " She" is sitting next you in tho railway carriage or ! on ?he etoamcr, aud presents you with a book. Are j -ou pnssins: the night at a strange place ? " She" ! hastening on before, was attentive enough to place a i book for you next your bed. Nay, even our troops j in tho hospitals at Flensburg, and*other places, uiay see how busy '• She" is, going from room to room, and with a smile distributing books amongst the wounded. Tn a word, if you want to get a Bible of Luther's version for nothing, you have only to apply and '-She" will be most willing to meet your wishes. J.Vr direction is " The British and Foreign Bible Society, London." While this extract displays an animus towards the SociMy, it at the same tune shows how widely extended ari? its agencies, and how actively employed its labourers. Yet in some parts of Austria weir is a spirit of awakening, and heads of faniilits are uniting to obtain the Scriptures and also a faithful gospel minister. " The publication of n New Life of Jesus, by Hone. jßonaii, has caused no small stir in Europe. The work, written in a brilliant and fascinating style, i? ssid to have had :t circulation of 100,000 copies. But the God of the Bible has always an army of -oser-re, er.r ready to nif-t the enemy in the gate, ami the iuiiilel work of the Frenchman has been pietty well demolished by some of the Ministers of our Israel. Dr. Cairns, in his sermon, preached before the National Bible Society of Scotland, has cleared away the mist Kenan had" thrown around his subject, and" fully exhibited the false ground on which he'had built his theory of the Life of Jesus. He lias demonstrated that the Christ painted in Benau's elaborate Work is a false Christ, false to the resources whence they aiv profesedly drawn, false to human r.uture, faUe to every just conception of God, and false to the undeniable facts of history ; and that tho .rut- Jesus of the Gospel, the Jesus which the Christian Church alone knows, the b'on of God, the Saviour cf the world, is still undisturbed possessor of the name.

" These fact?, present the friends of the Bible with fresh motives for continued prayer to Almighty God, for the gift of the Holy Spirit, 'who tilono can render Bible dTstriblition effective in saving souls, and for the puidaiu'O of Divine providence, that diiiicultiee may be removed, that new doors may be opened, and tike "Word of tho Lord have free course and be gloiiHed. " Inreporrins the labours and results of this Auxiliary, the Committee have pleasure in stating that the "circulation during the past year has been in advance of former years. Sales at the Dep-jt have been ... 126S By the Colporteur 591 I'ree grants have been made for use of Maori priscners ... ••• ■■• 56 O\yal 1918 "The versions distributed during the year have been as follows :—Enplish, 1380; Maori, 352; Gaelic, 20: French, 14; German, o5; Danish, 2; Swedish, •i; Welsh. 2; Hebrew, 2; Latin, 8; Greek, 1; Portuguese, 1;• Italian, 7; Samoan, 1; Irish, 1; SDaEi-'h, 2. *" These figures an increase in the distribution of 197 copies over that of the preceding year. " The Ccromittef have great pleasure in bearing testimony to the zeal and perseverance with which the Colporteur lias prosecuted his labours during the year, liei-ide visiting various parts of the City and Suburbs, he has made several visits to the Country Districts."

" Otahuhu has been visited several time?, and six dozen copies of the Scriptures sold in the village and at the Military Camp. " Papakura and Drury have also been visited, and about thirty copies were sold. " Several visits hare been made to Oneliunga, and twelve dozen copies sold among the inhabitants. Attention has been pa'dto the ImmigrantßarracksatUiat place, and meetings of an encouraging character were held for Scripture reading and prayer. Some little opposition was encountered from those who are tausht to look on Uible Societies and Scripture readers as enemies of truth, but your messenger pursued his way. " At the diU'Jrent sawing stations on the Manukau Harbour the Colporteur met with grent encouragement. At Big Muddy Creek during two visit?, nine dozen copies of Scripture were sold, t>nd interesting and profitable meetings held. Both tho man:igar and men received him with great kindness, and wished him to repeat his visits. '■ At the Cockatoo station he was also gladly receive!, sold four dozen copies, ar.d held meetings for reading the "Word and prayer, at which the people w,-re most attentive. The manager gave him £1 as a subscription to tho Society. " At another station on the3lanukau, when he first appeared, lie was laughed at for going there to sell bibles. Still the manager said, "I am glad you have eoiue, and will help you all I c;m." fie Bold three dozen Scriptures, and held meetings with the men, and on leaving received their thinks, and a £3 donation to the funds from the manager; all expressing their earnest de3Jrs that he would visit them again. " At Panmure he could effect no sales.

" At Howick twelve copies were disposed of. _ " Two stations in Mccury Bay have been visited Here he was told that he should do nothing in the way of selling bibles in tho bush, but soon proved this to be a mistake. Three- family bibles were ordered, and other bibles sold aad ordered to tho amount of between £S and £9-

" Waipu has also been visited, and the District canvassed, o doz. copies were sold, and 7 doz. more ordered to be sent. The Colporteur speaks of the kindness he met with from the Rev. Norman McLeod, and from the settlers in that district, who have ever manifested a lively interest in the proceedings of the Society. Tho Committee have again to record their ! obligations to Mr. McLeod, and his congregation, whose subscriptions to the Society's funds, have this Tear reached the noble sum of £62 Is. lid. " The Military Camps at Otahuhu, Papakura and Drury, have several times been visited, and meetings have been held for ecripturo reading and prayer. The number.? attending the meetings gradually increased. The staff Surgeon, and a Capt. of tho 50th were so much pleased with the labours of the Colporteur, as to request to pay a weekly visit to tho Camp ; this he could not comply -with. Testimonies to the good resulting from these visits have been received. A soldier writes from Taranaki, " I have some good news to tell you. You recollect the time you paid us a visit in Otahuhu, there were only a few in our regiment endeavouring to lead a godly life. I. am happy to inform you such is not the case now, for since our arrival here many young men have come out boldly from the -world and aro earnestly, I believe contending for ' the faith once delivered unto the saints.' I wish dear brother you could pay us another I'iait, wo so often speak of you, and 1 shall never forgot tho happy evenings spent with you at Otahuhu, especially among the ti tree.' I " The Committee are thus particular in reference to the labours of the Colporteur that their friends may see that his labour?, are attended with gratifying reKulty. " The Committee cannot in silence pass over the prefent state of Bible circulation among the of this country. A sad change lias taken place ; instead »,!' almost universal reading of Scripture there ie now

in many places general Bible neglect. In tho room of incessant applications for the Word of God hae arisen a disposition to destroy it. ' It is said that one' of tho tenets of the new faith now promulgated among tho Maoris' is that Bibles nro to bo bnmt. Surely " Satan has como down having great wrath becaueo ho knoweth he hath hut a short time." Shall wo despond? Shall wo say that the Gospel in New Zealand hag ftiiled to accomplish its mission ? Were we to do eo, thousands of redeemed Maoris who have died in tho fajth of Christ, and are novr with Jesus, would say, No! And Many who are at this momont, amid the general npoatacy, walking in tho fear of God, and in the love of hie truth, would say No! And the comparatively small amount of violent outrage during a four year a war saye No! If Goapol truth had been without effect on the Nativo mind and on tho Native habits, wo should havo had to record many a tragedy like that of Opotiki. " Ycur Committee would here record their tribute of respect to the memory of the devoted servant of God, the Uev. S. C. Volkner, who fell a victim to the superstition and fanaticism of cruel and misguided men. Thoy honour tho faith in tho Word of Uod that sustained tho man of God in his trial, and enabled him to pray for his murderers as thoy took bis lifo.

" Shall wo despond in reference to Itho future ? No, ' Tho word of tho Lord ertdureth [for ever,' ' it shall not return unto me void,' saith the Lord, ' but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in tho thing wheroto I sent it.' " Tho contributions of the year amount to £4GI 9a 3d ; tho sum of £250 has been remitted to the parent Society, on purchase account, and £50 as a lree grant. "Tho details of income and oxrenditure will bo giTen in the Treasurer'b Account. "Tho present stock on hand is 5,867 volumes, value £513 7s Id, and is the largest and most varied tho Society has over possessed. " 1 ho Committee have received from the Parent Society, Bibles to the value of £336 7a 6d, and also obtained a temporary supply from Syduey, to the amount of £,il 7a 3d." Mr. S. H. Smith (in tho absence of Mr. Firth), read tho following financial statement: — tTNAKCIAL aTATKMIf.NT. Rec eipta. lSfit-5. £ e- d. To balance (April 20, 18G4) . 94 14 9 Collection at annual mooting . 14 0 0 Subscriptions . . . 140 5 5 Pale of books . . .178 11 10 Balance duo to Treasurer » 33 17 3 4GI 9 3 Payments. IS6-1-5. ' £ s. d. By Bibloe ordered from Sydney 61 7 3 Insurance . . 2 12 l> One year's rent of depot . 30 0 0 Three-quarters ealarv, colporteur . . ' . . 112 10 O Remittance to Parent Society (purohase account) . • 100 0 0 Do. - do. . . 150 0 O Premium en remittances . 15 0 Advertising and printing reports, &c. . • . 10 0 6 Sundries . - . 3 14 0 461 9 3 3. C. KlllTH, Treasurer. 12th April, 1565.

The Bfv. J. Moblev (Weskyftn) and the Rev. W. Coixey (Primitive Methoditt)," in speeches at some length, moved and seconded the first resolution, and after some exceedingly interesting and amusing remarks from Mr. Mason (the Society's colporteur), being a rerrew of his doings during the past year, it was passed as follows :— " Tt at the Report now read be adopted and printed, and that (he gratitude of the meeting is due to tho God of the Bible for the success that has attended tho ■ Society's labours during the past Tear." The Kov. T. Hamee moved the second resolution— "That this meeting believing that the word of Godj's the grand (barter of human liberty, tho true conservator of human interests, and the real BOurco of peace and prosperity to the nations of the Earth, re- j cognises in the Bible the grand remedy for all the , evils that now afllict this land, and sees in the pro- j sent Mate of the country the necessity for increased i liberality and zeal in the cause of Bible distribution." Tho Rev. &. Bitttlb seconded, and on being put to the meeting it was agreed. The third resolution was then passed as follows :— " That the thanks of this meeting are due and are hereby presented to the officers and Committee of this Auxiliary for tho manner in which they hnvo conducted the atlairs of the Society during the past year, and the following be appointed for tho ensuing " President—His Excellency Sir G. Gruy, K.C.B. Vic.-President—Tho Eight Eeverend tho Biehop of Waiapu. Treasurer— J. C. Firth, Esq. Hon. Secretary—Bov. T. Buddie. Agent—llr. J. Edson. Colporteur — Committee —Ten. Archdeacon Kissling, Von. Arch Maunsell, Revs. K. Burrows, A. Macdonald, J. F. Lloyd, T. Hamor, A. Roid, .T. Whiteley, J. Hobbs, .1. Mandeno, J. Macky, < T - Gorrie, N. McLeod, C. Baker, R- Laishley, J. Warren, H. H. Lawry, W. Morley, T. Booker, "W. Collcy, Dr. Bennett, Dr. j Kenderdine, Dr. Day, Messrs. Kout. K. I. i A. S'omerville, R. B. Shalders, J. Shorland, F. T,. i Prime, D. Co ley, S. H. Smith, J. Edson, G. P. Pierce, T. Mtscikrl&ne,' Jos. Newman, C. Arthur." A vote of thanka was then passed to tho Chairman for "he able manner in which ho had presided over the meeting. A collection was made, and the brought to a close by the sinking of the Doxoloj»y and Mr. Hamer pronouncing the Benediction.