The Sun.
London, England, 1826-05-04 00:00:00

BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY,

The Twenty-second Anniversary wail held on Tuesday at Frees
. . masons' Hall. None but gentlemen were admitted, and the Hall
.wars crowded to,exeess at an early hour. Upon the platform were
the following distinguished individuals—.viz. Right Hon. Earl of
Ilarrowhy; Lords Teigninouth, Calthorpe, and Gambier; the
,friOn. and iitiltht Rev. Lord Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry,
..:; ,Lora Bishop of Salisbury, Baron Pellet'de Loam. (from'
Ma. Mr. Hewitt, Hou. Mr. Sandford, Hon. Frederick
Calthorpe, Sze. &e.
. -
• - Lord TxtalSMOuTll,.Preeident,•.,on, taking the Chair, cows
roomed with u few appropriate observations.
The Rev. Mr.l4ANne.tll, Secretary, read the Report, which
very voluminous, and occupied nearly two hours' time.
, The topic which most attracted notice was that which adverted to
the achisin respeetiug. the Apocrypha. The Scotch Bible Socie-
ties had been long controverting the expediency of circulating. the
. Apocryphal with the Canonicul Books of Scripture, and after many
diacasssions, it warn finally reaolved,that the Apourypha should not
be printed or eirenlated by the British Bible Society. 2. That
.no‘pectuiiary aid should be given to any foreign satiety printing or
circulating the Apocrypha. S. Thst grants of Bibles to such
societies should be, made on these conditions, viz. The Bibles
'sheald be the Canonical books only, and bound—and also given
• on express condition that the Apocrypha should not afterwards be
bound up with them, er circulated .with them, by the foreign so-
cieties in any way whatever.—(Much cheering followed the an-
nouncement of these Resolutions.)
The Hon. and Right 11ev. the Lord Bishop of LicliFiELD and
Covnisene• always approached this cause with feelings of admira-
tion, interest, and gratitude. He had heard in the Report of the
occasional difficulties and embarrassments of the Society, and
especially a diminution of its funds during last year; but he saw
no cause to weaken his attachment to the Society, nor his con-
viction—nay, assurance of its ultimate success. He could not
bring himself to believe that a reservoir which was to supply the
ePiritual drought of heathen, or infidel, or Popish supereition,
..• . • • - •
could ever be so undermined by objectors as to cease to be of use;
or that any 'efforts could exhaust that fountain of living waters
which for ever bubbled in the wellspring of the Oracles of GOD,
• The present assembly seemed to him like representatives from all
natioue of the earth, saying to the Society respectively, as the mail
of Macedooie'in:the vision said to Paul, " Come over and help
ITS„." uvoked t lie lhem, therefore, not to abate in their ardour—
. .
'." not to Owe the woos to Mls of which they had given a glimpse
'fur seal ty, the living opting% of which they had furnished al-
realy.,crivietis theugh insufficient draughts. He wouhl have
„," sts' thereinixealously affected in. a good thing, and remember that it
IS hi only she endureth to the end shall reap the fruits of his
t.i toils.
ides t Ifnn. lii Cavrnoner. adverted to that passage in
the Beport which mentioned the observation of the Prior ofan
Armenian (;invent, who said, " The best thing Englund ever
di], was the formation
.01 the Bible Society." He (Lord C.)
' never felt so strongly the blessings and privileges of being an Eng-
' lislimau, as on the, platform of that Society.: He noticed two
tarts of the world where their efforts were most remarkable.
China bail arrogated to herself the proud title of the " Celestial
Etnpire," • This absurd epithet, as she now stood, might yet in a
partulthw sense he appropriate, us an opening wits now happily
foe the introduction of that holy volume which could make
her population, indeed, inluibitants of a celestial empire. Great
also was the pro,tat in South America. England, deservedly
called the cradle of ,the civil and religious liberties of the whole
world, was extending. her fostering love to that wonderful coun-
try. He adverted also to the reviving state of religion in France,
u. I having !Token at considerable length, sat down amidst the
cheers of the assembly.
Right Hon. Earl of Ilannowim lamented his being unable to
say much. He felt a weakness in his voice, but feeble as that
voice was, lie could not withhold its beat efforts in favour of this
valuable Society. He. proposed a vote of thanks to their Noble
Chairman, Lord Teignmouth, whose unremitting attention to
their interests was strikingly proved by his presence that day, as
slu'ringnliOds.paat life ; and he earnestly hoped that the Society
might,liwisee him in good health, and (he doubted not) in the
sqnseAparit cif attachment to their MSC.
Lord in acknowledging the vote, declared, that
as long ai it pla:.sed Cioc(to grant ,him life and health, he would
• oever abate his waned exertions in the Society's behalf.
The Hons and llev. ~'dour, had the honour to introduce to
•disc votive of the Meeting tin illustrious stranger, Baron Pelet de
Liiziere, representative of the Paris Bible Society. He (Mr. N.)
could, never forget the reception lie met with from that Society, in
the year 1817, whothe went as the representative of the British
'and Foreign Bible Society, to. Paris. lie hoped that all anticipa-
tiees of evil tnieht be frustrated, awl though the ground beneath
the seemed to have heen'agitated, as by an earthquake
(.1.6114 the lest your (alluding to the controverSies about the Apo-
pia), ye.t, he thought it now seemed to stand firmer than ever.
it was r the colon Wll grewl of all Chriatians—they were wrecked
by a k,llllllloll storm, zeal guyed by a common deliverance. No-
,,lamid prevent their rallying round the standard of the
which he. hoped to see wave triumphant over the crumb!.
ruin; of Pa4att superstition..
PI.:!.ET LoziEite noticed the resolution passed at the
:last Anntel 'Meeting tel the. Paris Bible Society, which tltanked the
II;ble Society fur its assistance, rend rejoiced that the good
bid which they had sown had not fallen among thorns. He stated
tt'at ch., ed ,!, the Bildt, was muking greet progress in France as
aml good effects of the Paris Bible,Society.
I.ll,,l;npri,volilents in the state of the Protestants wore very .encou.
riffsirmg. l'rvatt!, rataily,.and public worship were more attended to.
spoke very feelingly,of the hospitality shown by Britain to the
Frenithlrdra4eoA, duct eontrasted the dreadful state of things in
Prance et that time with the present. Then, if a man had a copy of
the gqiptarssi in 414 1)0Mk.),4041, it was enough to condemn him to
tics iftiefroldlae.n,tho Protestants Were obliged to assemble for wor-
aril; itniongst the graves and tombs. Pot tiow the Society was pub-
Hely' instituted Pit eirentiting time Scriptures, and the Protestants of
Prance were building suitable places of worship for themselves.
Queen :Elisabeth' formerly sent a Supply of troops to it French
Monarch at his earnest request, but now the Preach people sup.
,plhae England for a supply of different weeons--seven those of
spiriihal 'temper. 'The. improvement in public feeling in Fridley
was riot 'Confined to religious toleration ; every thing partook of it.
A Society lately established proposed a prize fur the beet treatise
,oti the cauies of national irreligion,,and the best means of remov-
ing it. lie firmly believed the beat end: only means were the
Lreifspel. '' Philosophers might argue, or wits might satirise vice,
'That, nothing. could reform the heart but the pure religion of the
Lord.4na saviour Jesus Christ.
ft.* Trio Nstoorti being now obliged to leave the room from
114 Ittedth, the chair was taken be Lord Gambier.
The Right Hon. CitateLes Gnaw:, 'M.P., rose amidst loud
cle.Alt, he adverted to the Mixed told clutitened sensations of joy
alit regret; gm with which such meetings were always attended.
f' set departUre of the Noble Lord Teignmouth and the omission
of land Gauthier to the Chair, were circumstances of tide nature,
Sti.'were tint emotions excited by hearing the Noble Baron from
Ptak+, whom he was going to call a " stranger," but he recalled
el expression---he would rather say the friend, the Christian ad-
stleite and-eu-partner, in the cause of the Bible. Thief illustrious
Otter hail revived the memory of days of persecution, thank
Gosh' lung past, and afforded in his own paten' n livine proof of
what the Bible Societies can
.Offacte-lhors tl4tureali,44 the an-
tiiiiiatfons which some years ago were only whispered or now-
t:let-A in accents of joy, at first hearing the possibility of forming
a Bible Society at Punit. He WWI in each things a delightful
colftradietion to those words of the Poet, who, wishing to stir up
English animosity against Prance (amidst other glowing imagery),
stmt of! the two natiOns that,
es-r, Collet frowns on eoast,—
Ceds, oppesed.:--but most the adverse mind."
fitlA selltirnenta he (Mr. (1.) woold expunge as hateful to hu-
nnipiti.''' 806e' ty had enabled us to say, that neither
arms, tier geode, nor mind. ore opposed. We • have one common
itit?"4l :are united in Ono common cause. He then
proposed &,vote of thanks to their Iloyal Highnesseit the Dukes of
York, Sassen., tuel Gloucester, for their continued patronage' of
that Society. h4Ve deeper interest in, such Societies than
those who, Inay,bo 'called to rule over: great nations. The present
it au age of mtich Moral and intellectual excitement. Education
Mitking,gr,,at progTess, and we ought to take. care to suppl
good god Solid fitundatlens,
y
while we remove, that insecurity of ie.
'
toraues, or superatition, on.which lwlitiead institutimrs have often
beech said to reptise. ,
the ltieht Hon. the Limo Mavou. spoke a few words, expres-
sive nihy4 high approbation of the Society, his conviction, diet it
sass every mania duty to stipport,it, and that the best elfeete do
every where result fromthe-simulation of the Holy Scriptures
Cirnwistattalst felt it bus duty to direct their
attention to topics kai satisfactory than what they had yet heard,
acsiely,, the dintinutiou of timer funds:. As Englishmen, they
b could look difficulties in the 1144, 'imuire their causes, and seek
t., vowel}, theta. Alr: theist's speech was like the 'sound of a
trumpet, but he (Mr. C.) inuct strike in a minor key, which yet,
rrrr the..pritsciple elmusicatecionce, he hoped might rather increase
tit.= hi: troy the general Iwo-limy of the day. The Rev. G. title-
_ mao thenlpok4 at considerable length, and with greet eloquence,
cm the subjeCt of the late controversies about tilts Apocrypha,
which be illustrated by Many ingenious illustratinne,.. He coin_
pare(
theta to rents in an old chateau wall whiAt Ito had seen in