The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1880-07-06 00:00:00

BRITISH AND EOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.

The Rev. A. K. Moults, B.D. (late ol Fordinnton),
preached at St Mary's on Sunday, mocking and
in aid or this society.
On Monday evening the annual mastitis was held l Si.
Mary's achoolroom, when the chair was taken by the
Rector. Ltd R... Talbot Grearee. There were also present
the &v. A. E. MAI!, tb• Rev. Ur Palmer. the Rev. Rev. W. Brace, it,,. W. Lswis. Rev. R Rolston, Rev. Mr.
Tratf ord.

A hymn having been sung and prayer offered by the
Bee r. Trafford.
The Rev. CHAIRMAN briefly addressed the ineetiog. In
the course et his remarks he seld he believed their
financial stematent would he found to be of • tolerably
sane factyry and encouraging character, and that notwitht
standing the alto et unprecedented depression of trade
there had been an leen, c iu the income of the Bible
'3ocieety. lie believeel lb e free income had iueresned
something the £14,000. mei the amount *eget by the
society hal increateed£6.ooo during the year. As regarded
miner he thought they might Umiak God and t skis courage.
The sowed of this large increase of inoolllll WM to be
traced to the simple fact that it was a society fed by so
many rilla of Chriatian interest. AU Christian churches
were bee 'wing alive to the great responsibility of circulat-
ing the Word of God. (Hear. hear.)
Ur R. if ELIOT reed his usual financial statement of
• the Weymouth Auxidary, showed Wee amount of sub-
I seri:Aims for the year to be £llell9e. 111.. tia- payment t
the society for purchase of bus, éc., £77 On. fit.; elite
remitted to the socm.y ; and af.er whine:pewees had been
peel. this left • bateauo in bend at l6i. lid.
The R ,v. B. BOLTON then aelelreaud the meeting at
some length. He expressed bin pleasure at being once
more On that platform because it gave him an topper-
tunity of showing his unfailinr confidence in the
society, and his growing sense of the groat and lmportat
work which was being done at home and abroad. The
society wee one of the noblest agencies for the
spread of God's truth. In conclusion he trusted
that :hi mutt of that meeting would be to make
them love God's truth more and more, and that it
weeild stimulate their nil and make them speak more
b dilly and endeavour to spread God's truth throughout
the weal. (Applame)
The Rev. A. E. llouut, who attended as • deputation,
then gave • most interetteag address on the labours of the
society, particularly in China. In opening his remarks,
however, be made reference to the chairman's observa-
tions on the finances. The had told them that there was
an incresee in the funds Let year, netwithetuding that
It was • year of dein, +don, ant that meet be aorounted
for from the fact that it cum in from many diverging
rills. Now he most tell them that SuOle of their 111110ete:
tiring had " dri ed up." and that there heel been • decrease
of /lUD on that account And • further very alarming fact
was that one-tourth of the free income of the society came
from legacies, and that during the tut three yeses they
had exceeded their ordinary income by £lO,OOO • year,
where'so now, thiceeigh MA'. Tomos, they were at an
equilibrium. Ti.', h ovever, dit it imply that they
mulel fold their buds and soy there "s no necessity for
epveial effort. The whole eve rid was op n before them.
The whole earth we helieg enfolded ise if a great
curtain wets being lilted up from Africa, Cemtral Aaia, and
eintOst every part of this great world of ours. His eddrees,
which gave sonic valuable and interesting information
with regard to the noble work, was full of anecdotes, and
it was listeneed to with lust ked attention throughout.
The Rev W. Bing expressed his deepest sympathy with •
the objects of the society, and also the sympathy of the
deuorninetion of which he wee the repreeentstive, in
common with the denomination, repreeseeed there, in the ,
gl so es edejects rout. mmipl.t.l I.y tio• s..riety. (Hear.
near.) He very often thougot that the boa I bases upon
which the operations of the satiety rested was one of the
main causes of les marvellous success. It somehow or
other harmoniously united the VeriOUs et clone into which
the Christian church wee broken up and gave them one
rollmop ground on which they could work heart and Keil
In Its 'torten. object.. (fleer, hoar.) Another reason why
he sympathised with the alms of this society wee this. We
were living In times of very dining activity, and the
current of religious thought ran very swiftly, and slate
in sonic instances he feared it tended rather to the
depreciation of their love for the written will of God. If
teese were stirring times, if the desire for scientific
investigation was becoming a popular craving and desire,
then he maintained that these were times for the Bible,
and the Bible wee the B iok for the times, and this muddy
called upon all who believed in the written Word of God
to unite heartily in the work. The rev. gentleman con.
eluded an excellent speech be urging them to do their
utmost in support of the society.
The CHAIRMAN in the course of his closing speech, said
God forbid that he should say one word of too sanguine •
character. His friend, Yr. Motile, thought be was too
sanguine, but he Wes of the same mind now as he was at
the first, that the strength of the society was fed by the
rills of every department of the gospel church. Bethought
they ought not to be discouraged because in • certain year
when legacies were un usually large there w som e felling-off
in the local aseociatioas. Legacies were gilm from the
most active and energetic workers of the society, 04N1 they
knew to their cost when 'amounted membvr had
withdrawn. it did for • time check the work of the emciety
In that particular hbourhood. Ile did not think there
was any ground for discouragementif,during the past year,
there bad been • little falling-off in the local amociations
and an increase of legacies. but legacies were the most un-
satisfactory part of their great work. It could he best if
men wonlei have the courage to give during their live.
indeed of putting it off for •dying hour. The work of the
Rible Society eriari by no means accemphahed. The res.
Chairman then spoke at considerable. leogeh On this
society's work, eeeeclally in Savage Island, where a
glorious work was going on, and which was now One of
the Mightiest spots on the feu of God's earth. In con-
elution he said : Let it he our life-lons effort and earnest
prayer to rise to the dignity, the glory, and the importance
of the work of giving to the perishing nations of the earth
God's own infallible Word of Ills own infallible revela-
tion. (Applause)
The benediction and doxology cloud the meeting