BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1797, 23 March 1888, Page 2

BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.

As the annual meeting m connection with this Sooioty takes plaoe this evening m St. Stephen's Schoolroom, the following acoount of the Sooiety's operations will be of interest to many of our readers : —

Apart from all ecclesiastical, theologioal, and even national distinctions, the translation and distribution of the Holy Scripturoß without noto or oommont is an object of the deepest interest. This was evidenced by the visit of tho Orion tal Congress to the Library of tho Biblo Society during their sittings m London. Never had Buoh a babel of tongues echoed within its walls. Englishmen, Americans, Frenchmen, Germans, Italians, mitred Syrians, and turbaned Indians,— whom tbe study of languages had brought together— left tho Institution with the oonviotion that the Word of God is indeed a living force m tho world, reaohing mens' hearts and influencing their lives as no merely human book oould do.

Eighty-yeara ago witnessed the birth of this Sooiety, whose inoome is now about £200,000, and whose objeot is to provide the Soriptures for the millions who are outßide the pale of Christendom as well as for thogewho are nominally within it. While the venerable Christian Knowledge Sooiety issues the Bible, entire or m part, m only twelve languages ; and the Soottish Bible Sooiety m very few European languages, the British and Foreign Bible Sooiety haa published it m nearly two hundred and seventy-nine languages and versions, and is ever multiplying its translations. Through its instrumentality, direotly more than one hundred million oopies of the Holy Book havo, witbin the the last eighty, threo years,- been oiroulated m all the oountries of Europe ; m the prinoipal Asiatic and Afrioan nations; m Madagascar; m the South Paoifio Islands; m South .America, Mexico, Labrador, etc., and through the British oolonies.

It is the ohief link whioh unites the Australian apd New Zealand ohurohes with the missionary institutions of our fatherland, and bindß together m ono common worif all Protestant communities, without compromising Jiheir peculiar ecclesiastical organisations. The narration of its operations and triumphs illustrates the divine authority of the Bible, its adaptation to enlighten and elevate all nations, and excites that true missionary spirit whioh is the antidote to sectarianism and worldjiness, and the precursor and indication of a revived (Jhuroh. Never was the world so open for the distribution of the Bible as now, and never did the Bible Sooiety need more enlarged sympathy and corporation. Tbe reports of tho Society provo that tho Word of God has lost none of its anolent power. The Parent Committee and its several auxiliaries throughout these colonies, therefore, invito prompt and hearty aid m promoting the sucoess of the Book and its Missions. Amid the many looal and denominational olaims which aro clamorous for help, the Bible Sooiety pre-eminently stands before the ohurohos more ns their benefactor than their beneficiary, and justly pleads—" Freely yo have reoeived, therefore freely give." Tho Bishop of Exotor, as reported m " Tho • Timeß " of Ootober 29. juetly affirmed what has been repeatedly deolared by the Arohbishopß and other loading members of the Episoopal Bench—" that of all the Booieties whioh were doing God's work m the world, it would be difficult to find one the value of which oould be pet side by side with that of €hb Bible' Society. The work* of the Sooiety would ultimately tontf more than any other, not only to spread God's truth m the world, but also unite m oloaer bonds all who acknowledge that truth.!' It is the privilege and boast of the Church that she has a Society like this— a Sooiety whioh exists m oonneotion with no other work— whose objoot is to light the Lamp of Life m the oottage of the English peasant, and m the wigwam of the Indian ; m the refined home of the Frenchman, and m tho hut of tho South Sea Islander ; a Society whiob, by the grandeur of tho results it has produoed, the nobility of spiiit it displays, and tlie Christian love by'whioh ita movements are animated, may booome one of tho 'strongest witnesses m favor of tho superiority and supremacy of the Soripturos. Tho New Zealand Auxiliaries are ;— l, Auokland, with Branoh Societies at Waikato, Gisborne, Waipu, Onehunga, Opotiki, Otahuhu, Thames, Tauranga, Whangarei ; 2, Canterbury, with branches at Ashburton, Kaiapoi, Lyttelton, Oxford, Rangiora, Temuka. limaru, Waimato ; 3, Greyroouth ; 4, Hawko'B Bay ; 5, Hokitika ; 6, Nelson ; 7, Sou bland; 8, Taranaki; 9, Wanganui ; 10, Wellington. In Otago tho agent is welcomed at the prinoipal towns, but they partly support tho Scotch National Bible Sooiety.