The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-01-31 00:00:00

BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.

On Thursday last prayers were offered up, and a
sermon preached at St. John'a church, Fordington, by
the Vicar, the Ite•. H. Moule, to forward the progress
of the above Society. The attendance was thin, owing,
doubtless, to the inclemency of the weather. Great
attention WAS paid by those present to the rev, gentle-
Inane remarks. . .

The Rev, H. Horde chose for his test the last two
verses in the third chapter of the second Epistle of Paul
the Apostle to Timothy: "All Scripture is given by
inspiration of Gosh, and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness :
That the man of Goff may be perfect, throughly fur-
nished unto all good works." Ile attid it was his inten-
tion to have spoken somewhat more fully than lie should
now do as to some 1 the operations of the British and
Foreign Bible Society, on behalf of which lie proistsed
to make a collection. Mit his mind had been drawn to
several circumstances, and he would speak principally
Im two points, just to give a general view as to what
that Society had done, and is now doing; and then he
would speak of it in the light on which he was now de-
lighted to place it in his mind in connection with the
revival of the at irit of devotion that God is giving to his
people Consider this may brethren, that • little more
than fifty years ago, in the co 'Bee-room of the
Irish Society. an idea occurred to • good man, when
seeking to obtain copies of the Scripture in the Welsh
language, and having Freat difficulties in doing it—the
idea occurred to him in the midst of his difficulties,
" Why not have a Bible Society for the world." The
idea fist—and for some time—was laughed at, and the
ridicule lasted to the time that he could recollect. He
remembered, moreover, that this was not in time of
peace—such as we now enjoy—but in a time when the
whole world was at war with England. The difficulty in
getting missionaries at that ti ne was such that fifteen
years passed away before a clergyman went out in that
capacity ; we depended almost on one little State in
Germany for motions. The rev. gentleman added
that the Scriptures were translated into one hundred
and sixty different languages. To such an extent had
it gone, that in that one difficult country of China, the
Scriptures had been translated in that difficult dialect
--the character of which was seen on tea-cheats; and
also in the language of that part in which his son now
is—Ning Po. But, it was • fact, that in one hundred
different languages. ninny of which had not a written
character before, the labours of missionaries had trans-
lated the Scriptures, and the British and Foreign Bible
Society had printed them. If those who found fault
with such societies knew what had been done in dif-
ferent parts they would never begrudge for a moment
the money that had been spent. In order to show them

that the work had just begun, he said that more than
two hundred different languages in America had
never been touched for translation. The rev, gentle-
man then made a few observations upon the "revival"
in Ireland, and said that there was • mark that God
was working there. Men were seeking (or the Spirit;
the Spirit was given to sinners ; sinners were convinced
of their sin ; sinners were brought by the Spirit to
Jesus, and then they received the truth of the Scrip-
tune. They seek to be instructed out of them ; and he
was particularly struck with the assemblage of children
in their Sunday School, which, considering the disposi-
tion of many of the parents, must, he believed, be looked
upon as God's work. They had had on an average 200
children in the Sunday School every Sunday, and last
Sunday upwards of 220. These children bad had the
simple truth of the Gospel put to them. More than
that, they had little books given them, and had sub-
scribed to • Missionary Society. He looked upon this
as a little seed dropped, and he believed God was about
to bless some of these children and the parents. He
lair tokens of what God was about to do, and that
there was a readiness to be spoken to, a readiness to hear
God's word, and a readiness to meet together for prayer
which lie had newer seen before. The only thing he
feared was that people would stop there ; he found so
many people say " I hope they will go on with this."
When a sinner begins to lee his sin then there is •
beginning of the work. The work is God's, and we the
instrument; and God can make the weakest instrument
• blessing.