BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 75, 27 March 1872, Page 2

BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.

A meeting of those interested in the operations of this Society was held at the Temperance Hall last night, the chair beiDg taken by Dr. Irvine, who in a few words explained the object of the meeting, and introduced tbe Rev. B. Backhouse, the travelling agent of the Society. A hymn having been sun?, and a prayer offered up by the Rev. W. J. Watkin, the Rev. G. H. Johnstone, moved the first resolution which was as follows : — That this meeting heartily rtjoices in the success of the British and Foreign Bible Society both at home and abroad, and welcomes its representative the Key. B. Backhouse to Nelson, and trusts that his visit here and to the colonies generally will be productive of much good. He was sure that the warmest welcome would be accorded to Mr. Backhouse, a gentleman wbo entered heart and soul into the noble work of this Society, a work which must meet with the approbation of all of us who as Christians thoroughly and honestly believe in the truth of God's word. It was the object of the Society to translate tbe Bible into every language and to distribute it throughout the whole world, and the blessings that must accrue from the fact of every nation possessing the Holy Scriptures in their native majesty were almost inconceivable, tending as it must do to raise the moral standard, and to elevate the minds oi those among whom they were circulated. There was one very serious evil of which we had to complain in these days which would, he believed, be remedied to a great extent by the wider dissemination of God's word, namely, tbe want of filial reverence that, especially in the colonies, was so noticeable in the present age. As the Scriptures became more widely circulated, so would this great evil be found to disappear before their sacred influence. The rev. gentleman concluded an interesting speech, by a number of anecdotes illustrative of the working of the Society as it had come under bis own personal observation, iD Russia, India, Ceylon, and various other parts of the world. Mr. H. C. Daniell, in seconding the resolution, said that he trusted that the present meeting would bave the effect of reviving an interest in the Society in Nelson, where hitherto a fatal sleepiness had prevailed on the subject, and very little had been done to encourage it beyond tbe occasional transmission of a very small sum to the Parent Society. The resolution was then put from the chair, and carried unanimously. The Rev. B. Backhouse had hoped to see a larger attendance that evening, not so much for the sake of the Society or for his own sake, as on account of the indication it would have afforded of the piety of the people of Nelson, and of the interest they took in the great work of distributing the gospel throughout the world. This was not the age of miracles, and if a man had not life in him, no other human being could endow him with it, but he trusted that a Higher power would interfere, and arouse the people of this place to life and actioD, and to interesting themselves in the forwarding of the noble work he was there to advocate. He hoped that the few present would throw themselves heart and soul into the matter, would be disheartened by no rebuff, and by their own lives and actions show that they were in earnest in their desire to place at the disposal of all the nations of the earth the treasure of God's holy word, as by so doing he was sure that they would lead others, who were at present apathetic in the matter, to take an interest io it, and to undertake their share in the good work. This Bible Society organisation was the best means of meeting the intolerance and audacity of the bitter opponents of the truths of the gospel, and it had a still farther advantage. It was one in which all Christians could join, and he hoped that it would one day act in the direction of removing those barriers to tbe union of the various denominations which at present existed. Mr. Backhouee then proceeded to give some details of the work of the Society, more especially with reference to France and Germany during the late war, where a vast field for labor was suddenly opened to it, and when it proved itself to be an association wonderfully adapted to meet any emergency as, but for it, the opportunity that suddenly arose of distributing copies of the Word of God among the huge armies that were collected together would have been entirely lost. To give some idea of the work that had then been done, he might state that the colporteurs engaged in the sale of Bibles had disposed of over a million and a half of copies to the soldiers of permany and France alone, and many striking^ instances bad come to light of the good thereby effected. Mr. Backhouse's address, which was of some

length, was plentifully interspersed with interesting anecdotes relative to the benefits conferred upon various individuals by the placing at their disposal copies of the Scriptures. He was most attentively listened to throughout, and sat down amid continued applause. Mr. Hunter Brown then proposed, and Mr. I. M. Hill seconded the following resolution, which was carried unanimously: That those attending this meeting and assenting to the resolutions passed, do hereby pledge themselves to do all in their power to help the Society. On the motion of the Rev. W. J. Watkin, seconded by the Rev. G. H. Johnstone, it was resolved : That the Committee for the ensuing year consist of the clergymen of the various denominations, together with the following gentlemen :-— Messrs. I. M. Hill, R. Burn, M. Campbell, C. H. Brown, H. Gou'stone, A. Sclanders, T. R. Fisher, H. C. Daniell, and H. D. Jackson, with power to add to their nnmber, and that the Bishop of Nelson be President, Mr. H. C. Daniell, Treasurer, and Mr. H. D. Jackson, Secretary. Before the meeting broke up a collection amounting to £6 18s. 3d. was made in aid of the Society.