The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1874-07-14 00:00:00

!IS 1 4
The sales of the depositories during the year have been
Iblhl. 477
Testaments and portions of Scripture . 337

Total

.. 1014

Rev. E. Roues said it was simply • matter of very:
pleasant duty that he came forward to pre the way for
the deputation. We meet here as people
followers of the Lerd Jesus Christ, and it is a grand thing
we have a common platform to come to. We ought to
nieet together more frequently •. we all belong to one
church and one Lord, lie supposed that if we dhl but dig
deep enough in the earth, we should at lest come to the
granite rock, and below all our denominations we ought
to find Christ, the Rork of ages. at the foundation. We
have unabated attachment to the Bible Society because
we have such attachment to the Bible. There ie a danger
lest we fall short in estimating the debt due to that book.
What • foes it would be if all Bible quotations were taken
out of books, what an enormous loos if all Bible influence
were taken out of mar lives and of our commercial
principles. our daily lives What &chaos it would make !
An intelligent Hindoo said the Englieh are • wonderful
people, and they are mainly so by their Bible: and now
they are (riving the Bible to the Hindooe, and telling them
by that book to raise themselves. Shall there be disease
and we poses, the remedy, and not give it to the sick?
Shall there Ike darkness and we keep back the light
Shall there be famine, and we withhold it from the
needy Let us give the remedy, the light the food, to the
nations of the earth. He had more faith in sendom the
leek than sending the man. A paean went to bathe in
the Arno. and found • book, tightly clasped, nuke his
feet. Taking it up, he found it was the Bible, and took it
home. the Italians gathered to read it, and • community
of Bible reading Christians was formed. Let us send the
book out, and he prayed that it be mightily blessed to the
salvation of our common humanity, and the glory of our
God and Saviour—(applause.)
'The Rev. Muoa Fitt and there been a vet
increase in the income of almost all the evangelical
societies, this year, and though last year there was about
gift 000 deficiency, yet Cod had given thm the aniount tvrice
over, being an increase of 'shoot LWOW The principal Part
of the increase arose from the amount ef sales, so thatit was
not altogether profit. The amount per head was not
according to the wealth of. place, or in proportion to the
populetion, for in the wealthy county of Durham it was
only 4.1. per head, in Westinoreland Id. per head, in
Arudesea lid. per head, and Merionethshire, pureiv
agricultural, ed, per head, so that it does not depend
altogether on the wealth of the population. In one
purely country audience, when the minister had well
worked up the interest in the society, instead of about
£4 or .C 5. as he expected, over Xl7 was collected, mostly
In ludfcrowne, and he heard that the poorest person in
the parish would think they were falling short if he or
she /lid not give a half-crown. They asked for a second
meeting, and at that they collected .4:21. Gel had
enabled the society to circulate more this year than ever
before, except the year of the war, for 2.054,000 Bibles
Testaments, and portions had been eirculated. As to
home, noting all the Bible Society has done, each year
witnesses still greater demands for Bibles. Even the
colporteurs find the demand rather increasing than
diminshing, though they have mold so many, because
there is a growing intelligence among agricultural
labourers, and the rise in wages enabled them to purchase
—assn. On the clay of one fair in Birmingham, the
oolporteure sold 1100 copses and on the day of the Union
Fair, 1300 copies_ The society have great calls on
Christian churches for gratitude ; by supplying to Sunday
Schools alone, they lost £9300 a year, for every 10d. Bible
supplied to • school float 4d. As to India, it came upon
upon them with awe that instead of the numbers taught
at school, there are now 140,000,1/110 of people in India.
There are 100 languages in India : but in all the large
languages, as Tamil, Teloogoo. Hindostanee dr.., the
the 'society is prepared with translations to supply three.
fourths of the population. There is • committee is each
province, and in the Madras report are instances of snores
and hu
thendreds of people brought, without the interveution
of e mlssionambu by the Bib alone, to Christ. lest year
the Indian Bible societies offered the Government • copy
of the Bible grads for every school and college. in Bengal.
The offer had been oftee refused: but it has At last been
accepted, one of the greatest vietories they have ever
achieved. The different =sinewy societies in India
used to have different Tamil Bibles, sad the natives took
advantage of it. The Bible society offered to undertake
the revision, the societies sent coraraittees all eat for
many yeara and at last the Bible was revised and there is
now only one Tamil Bible. The revision committee had
introduced new bases of agreement between the different
denominations in India, and the Word of God is fulfill.
l'ng • glorious mission. The heathen schoolmasters have
adopted the Bible as a text book in Indian Schools, not
because they believe in it, bat because it is the cheapest
book they can get. And landed proprietors often purchase
and give away large quantities of Bibles because they be-
lieve the moral effect will be good. The missionaries in
India, when they wants change., areallowed to have it, on
condition of becoming colporteurs,and reporting whet they
have seen, and some of the most reliable reports have
been received from these miesionary colporteurs. A
=mwished to do something for Christ on a part of the
ina coast ; but found that within 00 miles, IR
languages were spoken. He wrote to die Bible Society,
received an unanimous call, and went forth as • colporteur,
and sold thousands sad thou/lands of Gospels. A dek
Brahmin went to his priest for • charm, and received
some rice wrapped in paper. That paper was two leaves
of the Gospels, containing an amount of Christ's
crucifixion and resurrection. This aroused his curiosity,
and he met a missionary, enquired about Christ, and was
instructed, resulting is his conversion and baptism. The
Bible is everywhere doing in India • great and glorious
wort. From Austria, II years ago, after being connived
at. the Bible Society was expelled, through the influence
of the C.oneordat. Now there is free course for the work
in Austria. a legalised position, and in Elizabeth-street. •
large depository for Bible sale. In the window were
exposed Bibles open, and many people came and read, so
that Mr. Milliard, the agent, turned over • leaf every
morning, and found the radars continually increased.
Now in Vienna hundreds of thoussuide of Bibles are
printed, and they are sold all over the land. In Austria
the Old Catholics are leaving the darknese for light, and
through Bishop Reinkens they have proclaimed that the
Bible is every man's birthright. For the nations of
Europe the society have in each an army of colporteuni,
and In India a large army. In one European town the
priest demanded all the Bibles, under pain of excom-
niunication. and many of the people gave them up; but
not all. The priest demanded the rest; but one man he
was doubtful of. and was overjoyed to find the man
brought a hooh but the priest was mortified to see if it
WM a book of legends, which he gave up, wing that it
wu of no use. In a German town, a colporteur tried to
sell Bibles ; but a priest came and prevented any of his
flock from purchasing any. But in the meantime a show-
man whose panorama did not draw, advertised that he
would give every one a present. A lot of people aune,
and the showman, finding that the cheapest thing was a
portion of the Itibleihebou.st a n.umber of portions and
ineb4andaTi gat; were roam's:On in the town, that
In cothne.
elusion he asked for prayer and monied help—hipplauso.
The CHAMMAII said they had had a very bright and
cheering account of the blessed work of the Bible society,
and it was well they should be cheered and their faith
strengthened, and they should understand that they
were connected with • work that is to prosper. The great
athelistical philosopher, Voltaire, said he. lived in the
twilight of Christianity, and truly he did live in the
twilight of Christianity: but he made this great mistake,
he lived not in the twilight of the evening; but of the
morning. They had been spared to have seen the light
shine brighter and brighter, and they hoped that it would
shine even unto the perfect day. He did not wonder at
an infidel like Voltaire imagining that Christianity and the
Bible would soon he dead; became man when looking at
the Bible thought of it only as a book, and for the Oust I
part hooks if not deed will soon die. They serve • pas=
purpose, and then they are entombed in same
library, and they seam speaking any more to future
generations. But the Bain never ceases to go na speak-
ins to successive generations of rues The dew of its
youth is always fresh upon It, it is like Moses, its eye is
not dimmed nor its natural forte abated, And what a,
testimony the triumphs of the Bible Society are'
to the character of the Bible itself? Ho long as I
fhe Bible fiOttotr gees on circulating so many millions of
-cusses of the Scriptures, so long as God is pleased to bear
tentless,. by the conversion of many souls by His Grace,
we shall as ant any further proof of the truth of the
Bible. We slin2 Ist need our Christian evidence rinse, I
so lenges we hive this meat testimony to the real results
if the Weed of God. Why was,,,,t that the Bible lived on

from generation to ant Just because it was the
pure truth alone. IrrOr MU mortal, truth Immortal,
error might be established philosophy and force of
argument, but the day is coming which shall burn as an
oven, and all error shall be as stubble for the fire. Depend
upon It, sooner or later the tenth of time will consume
all lies, falsehoal will wither like the grass,__ and be cut
down like the flower of the field ; hut the Word of God
will abide forever, just because it is the pure truth. How
many a popular system of error lies a ruin in the dead
pest, but the Word of God fears not death, and will never
Inc tail in the grave, just because it is the pure un-
adulterated word of God itself. In the triumphs of the
Bible Society he saw increased testimony to the grand
fact that the whole Scriptures were the pure, inspired,
and unadulterated truth of the living God. Moreover, he
, was sure of this—that the triumphs of the Bible Society
, are just another testimony to this grand fact, that they
were written by the Holy Spirit that we might believe
that Jesus was the Christ, t,ny was it that the Bible
was inspired I Just because the living heart of Jesus
throbbed in it, just because the student finds a living
Saviour who once was crucified and now lives. It was
because the Bible is full from Genesis to Revelations of
the Lord Jesus Christ, that it lived on and triumphed it
brines innumerable souls to Him; it was because Jesus—
the Son of God, the sacrifice for sin, Jesus our rightoll9-
MRS, our peace, our prophet, priest and king—is in the
word that it goes forth like Himself, conquering and to
conquer. What a testimony these triumphs of the Bible
Society are to this grand fact, which we should never
lose sight —that the Holy Spirit accompanies the word
of God. Why Is it that we can send out the Bible without
comment or missionaries—because the Holy Spirit Him-
self accompanies the word, lie did not know what con-
nection there is between the two, but that them was
some marvellous connection between the written Scrip-
tures and the Holy Spirit, we ,',,01d not doubt. In some
mysterious way the Holy Spirit hovers about the Word
in nine easel out of ten he would venture to say, the
of the gospel, or the reading of some text in
Miihyingvord, was the means of conversion. It is with the
Bible just as it was with the little burning bush in Horeb,
the Holy Spirit comes with the word, and then the little
bush glows with celestial agency, and we put off our shoes
from our feet, for the pound on which we are standing is
holy pound. As we hear of the triumphs of the Word of
fled, let each ask himself "What is this hook to mar
What is it to each of us that we are so desirous of placing
it In the hands of others! Do we study it as we ought,
If we did, we should never see, as they often did, Christian
families falling away into the surrounding wilderness of
ritualism and Romanist% or individuals who had listened
to evangelical preaching, 'apostatising from their faith.
Let us seek to be niighty an the Scriptures, and carry
them ahout with ILL no Jews placed in the front of
their Bibles • very appropriate text —"Surely God is in
this place ; this is none other than the House of God ;
this is the gate of heaven." May we find the Scriptures
in the hands of the Eternal Spirit all this to us, and then
with loving, prayerful, earnest hearts, we shall circulate
the word of God ; we shall have confidence In the wont,
and be much in earnest prayer, wherever and wheresoever
the word of God the worst of the Lord is circulated, that
It will be accompeinted by the Holy Ghost. In conclusion
he asked them to redouble their contributions, end their
prayers, remembering that the fraud object in hand is
nothing more or less than the giving of God's word to his
own mortal and immortal creatures

The doxolo' -17-a;-;u—ni:Welli;ediction pronounced,
and a coUecon was made at the door.