THE ENGLISH BIBLE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1118, 4 May 1911, Page 2

THE ENGLISH BIBLE.

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS. SUCCESSFUL MEETING AT ST. JOHN'S. INTERESTING SPEECHES.. A large congregation assembled in St. John'a Presbyterian Church, Willis Street, last evening, to celebrate, the three hundredth anniversary, of the publication of tiio authorised version of tho English Bible. Dr. Oibb presided, and a number of other Presbyterian ministers and ministers of other, denominations were present to assist or to take part in tho meeting. Apologies for non-attendance were received from Mr. Justice Chapman, Professors Picken and Easterfield, and Messrs, J. P. Firth and G. Shirtcliffe. A Representative Gathering. Dr. Gibb, in a brief opening address, said thankfulness might justly bo felt at tho interest manifested in this city and throughout this land in the Tercentenary of an English Bible. Though this meeting might havo been much larger, his hearers had at least reason to congratulate themselves upon the fact tiiat it was so representative. Representatives ot many churches.had met tnero to express their love and admiration of the old Book. The speaker could have wished that all tho non-Koman churches of this city had been represented. Perhaps in another hundred years some one standing in the place he occupied that 'night would be able to express regret that all tho churches wero not represented. So far ns tho speaker's knowledge went, the non-Koman churches had been, or would be, united in every othm , centre of population, probably in the I£mpire, and certainly in tile Dominion. Wellington, among the cities of tho Dominion, and probably of tho Empire, was raised to a bad eminence in this matter. However, they should not allow the non-representation of one denomination to cloud their satisfaction. "The Grand Melodious Voice." Speaking upon' tho subject of "How England got ner bible," we Kev. J. J. JNortii sanl nothing great was ever lightly got and the hngiisli Bible was not got without a great cost ill blood and sorrow and suliering. This great Book had been intimately connected with all the great achievements, sull'erings, and martyrdoms of the English people. It was from no quiet . studies that the, grand melodious voice of Holy Scripture, in our nativo tongue, was born. The Bible was the greatest giit ever given to a tree peopln. It iirst came to England with Christianity when London was a Latin colony. During tho (Ihrkness of the Middle Ages, tide alter tide of foreign invasion swept over Britain, but at last, through that thick night, shone tho morning star of Wydiffe. Tho, work that Wycliffe did was, comparatively speaking, transient', but the great seed had been sown and the English people had become aware that Church and Scripture were not two, but one. Tyndalo at length arose with the idea not of merely translating the Bible from the Latin, but from the original tongues. Ho found that thero was not room in all England to carry out the work. After years of labour on the Continent ho was able to send out tho Scripture in nil the rndianco of its English dress. This was the master stroke that gave England her Bible. The New Appreciation, ' Taking as' his topic "The New Appreciation of tho Bible," the Eev. J R. Glasson claimed that tho study. of the Bible was.growing more and more popu lar, especially among the .educated classes. For his own part he believed that the study.of the Bible was going to be very niuch more popular and more influential in tho days to come than in.the past. It might bo reckoned that from the presses q'f the BiWe Society and other ■presses lJ'ttf 20 million Bibles were sent ■out every year. Nothing approaching 'tlVeso was to be seen in tho circulation pi any other book in the world; Explanation'of the new appreciation :of the Bible might be found in the reverend and devout work of many Christian scholars. It had brought the-Book nearer, made it more living and vital, and hence moro interesting, inspiring, and helpful to modern men and women than it ever was before. Influence on Civic Life.. Speaking of the Bible and civic life, the Hon. Geo. Fowlds declared that tho very idea of our civic liberties grew out of the struggle that our forefathers had to secure liberty of conscience. It was recognised that ono of the greatest boons ever given to. the world was tho opportunity given the common people to study in their common tongue this most marvellous product of the literary world. From the time the Authorised Version <vas given to tho English people thero had been n steady growth that had placed our nation in tho forefront of tho civilised world. The three, hundred year* during which the English Bible had been extant wero practically the ?.;e of civilisation. _ Concluding, "Mr. Fowlds said it was significant that two nations speaking the tongue into which the Bible wns translated 300 years ajio were to-day considering the possibility ot a complete treaty of peace. This w?.s another of the triumphs of tho English Bible. Address liy the Hon. C. M. Luke. The Hon. C. M. Wise, in an address npon "The Divine Power of tuo Bible," declared that the Bible was the inspirittion of modern civilisation. No other religious system could show such results. The power of the Bible for good upon the unit, the family, and the State, was incalculable. A number of hymns wre sung at intervals by the choir and congregation. A lesson (Psalm 19) was read by tho Kev. J. K. Elliott, and a prayer was said by tho Rev. J K. Chapmaii. The Rev. \V. Shirer read a lesson (Luke xxiv. 14-21). The service closed with the Benediction, pronounced by Dr. Gibb.