The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-10-09 00:00:00

THE BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.

The annual meeting of the Liverpool Auxiliary to this
valuable Society was held last night, in the Lecture Hall
of the Collegiate Institution, which was crowded by a
highly respectable audience. The Lord Bishop of Chester
took the chair at half-past six, and the presence of his
lordship appeared to give the utmost possible satisfaction.
His lordship is evidently anxious to forward the interests
of every society calculated to advance the temporal and
spiritual welfare of our fellow-creatures whatever perso-
nal exertion be may have to encounter to enable him to
do so. Among others we noticed the following clergymen
and gentlemen on the platform :—Rev. Archdeacon
Brooks, Reads. Dr. Byrth, W. W. Ewbank, W. Rawson,
J. Cordeaux, H. Hampton, Dr. Carpenter, Hy. Car-
penter, Thos. Carter, B. A. Marshall, J. S, Boutflower,
F. Parry, T. C. Cowan, H. Marlen, F. Barker, H. Mosse.
T. Whalley, Faulkner, Butler, Knill, (of Chester ),
Blrrell, Stamp, Hughes, K'rkns, Kelly, Brown, Edwards,
Liddell. Messrs. Crook, Rimmer, Stitt, Houghton,
Griffith, Payne, Maples, John Cropper, Blackburn, Eden,
Mill, Cooper, Moore, W. S. Crook, Inman, &c., &c.
The Right Rev. CHAIRMAN, in opening the proceedings
of the evening, spoke nearly as follows :—My Christian
friends, the purpose for which we are met together does
not require from me any lengthened explanation. This
society has existed for many years, and its objects are fully
understood. We are met together in the humble hope
that God's blessing will attend us, and allow us to be in
some measure the humble instruments in his hands for
promoting the spread of the gospel of His blessed Son
throughout the various countries of the world. We act
upon the broad principle that the book we distribute is the
Word of God, and the Book of Life. No doubt it con-
tains in it things hard to be understood, things which,
from their very nature, are beyond our power to compre-
hend or grasp; but happy ought we to be to know that it
also contains things easy to be understood, and these are
the things which concern and belong to our everlasting
peace. (Hear and cheers.) Whatever may be obscure in
the merciful offer of pardon and acceptance to all those
who with true repentance and true faith, turn to Chris-
tianity—(hear, hear)—the humblest, if he reads and
studies it with an honest heart, cannot lay if down with-
out learning from it welcome and saving truths. There
are many present here, I make no doubt, who, from mo-
tives of humanity and Christian charity, visit occasionally
the dwellings of the poor. Those who have done so must
have experienced, as I have done myself, what a difference
it makes in one's own feelings, and what a difference there
is in their humble dwellings when we find the Bible
there. if we see the aged bending over the sacred pages
of that book, and consulting its promises at the close of
their life, or, if what is not unfrequently the case, we see
the young reading this blessed volume to their parents—
we have a happy hope of what the rising generation in
such a family is aspiring to, and in either case—to see
either the one case or the other which I have named, is
indeed a gratifying and a delightful sight. The bible
society has been the means of spreading this religious
feeling in our own country, and also beyond our own
country, amongst the various nations of the earth.
Wherever the bible is found, it is found to be a savour of
life in times of trouble; and we cannot say what it may
not be doing at this moment—we cannot say how far it may
not be the means of conveying comfort to many who are
now suffering from the hardships and troubles of the world.
Let me just mention one instance, not, perhaps, directly
connected with the Bible Society, but certainly directly
connected with the distribution of the Bible. Before
Sir John Franklin left this country, for his adventurous
expedition to the polar seas, that gallant man applied to
the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, and
begged to be supplied from them with Bibles and other
religious books, for the use of his crew. Four years, and
more than four years have elapsed since that expedition
sailed. It has been a long time, a very long time, during
which no tidings have been heard of that gallant crew,
nor any thing respecting them, come to the knowledge of
their families. Many a heart has been sad, and many a
tear fallen during the uncertainty that has prevailed, and
I fear I must say, the uncertainty that still hangs over
their doubtful situation. But just at the present moment
—and God grant it may be realised--the hope has been
revived, that the long-lost crew are safe ; and if it should
please God to bring them once more to their native land,
they will be received with acclamation when they again
touch on the English shores, and will be wel-
comed home again with joy by all their countrymen ;
and it may be confidently hoped, that not the least
gratifying of what we shall have to learn from them,
will be, that what sustained them most in all their trials
and in all their privations, was that book of God which
they carried with them from our shores, and which en-
abled them to trust in his providence, and which sus-
tained them in all their afflictions. May his guardian
hand lead them back in safety, and restore them to their
homes and their friends. I will not detain you longer
than to say, that in requesting the secretary to read the
report to you. I hope that God will bless our efforts, and
that he will render this society an instrument in spread-
ing the Saviour's gospel wider and wider abroad. The
right rev. prelate resumed his seat amidst loud cheering.
The Rev. R. DAVIES, one of the clerical secretaries,
next read the report, of which the following is the sub-
stance : _ .

" The report, after alluding with thankfulness to their
being allowed to meet once more, and to the solemn visi-
tation of pestilence, recorded with feelings of sincere
regret the removal by death of two very valued members
of the society, John Priestley, Esq., and Robert Job, Esq.,
whose urbane and Christian tempers, and whose attention
to the general interests of the society will be long re-
tained in the minds of the committee, The total issues
of the Scriptures by the Society since its commencement
amount to 21,973,355. Many openings for the distribu-
tion of the Scriptures have been made by the recent con-
tinental disturbances. In Turin, where by the new con-
stitution the Bible is not allowed to be printed, 1000 co-
pies have been circulated, and here none were previously
accessible to the people. In Milan, Genoa, and Nice, all
strongholds opposed to the entrance of the Bible, a large
distribution has been effected. But the crowning success
has been in Italy. In Rome itself the scriptures have
been printed, the same has taken place in Florence, and
the whole of the peninsula is thirsting for the streams of
pure truth. Post after post from Italy brings demands
loud, earnest, large for supplies, not of hundreds, but of
thousands. And should the church of Rome again resume
her sway there, she will find the sword of the spirit un-
sheathed to meet her. The annual subscriptions of this
auxiliary for the past year amount to £398 95., being £24
more than the receipts from that source in 1847, and
£lO 10s. have been received since the accounts were made
up. The donations last year, including legacies, amounted
to £209. The legacies were the following : Miss Cordelia
Ellison, £l9 19s. ' • Mr. Stephens, £lOO. ; Mrs. Hill, Cla-
rence-street, £2l. The contributions of the Ladies'
Branch for the last year amounted to £166 17s. 9d., being
£B9 less than the previous year. This branch has for
several years been declining. The committee again ex-
press their regret that so few ladies are willing to enrol
themselves as collectors. The amount received from the
sale of books last year was £519, being £7l less than the
previous year. From the country associations £283 13s. 4d .
has been received. but this is £69 less than the year before.
Of this, Wallasey contributed £3O 17s. ; Warertree, £31.;
Prescot, £26; St. Helens, £4B ; Southport, £75 ; Orms-
kirk, £l4. The mechanics among Mr. Haigh's workmen
' contributed last year £lO Bs. 11 d. The only collection
made in any place of worship was at St. Clement's Church,
and the amount received was £4. The Welsh Branch
remitted through the committee £4OO, which has been
acknowledged with devout thankfulness by the parent so-
ciety. From all these combined streams the auxiliary has
received £2,251, being £3l less than the year 1847. The
number of copies of the Bible distributed by the auxiliary
and its branches amounted last year to 14,409, being 1,337
less than in the year before. The total of its issues since
its establishment in 1811 amount to 385,545. To fifteen
vessels sailing from this port, 134 Bibles and 273 Testa-
ments have been given. A sub-committee has been ap-
pointed to visit the hotels and other similar establish-
ments, and the most pleasing results have followed. A
colporteur has also been engaged, who has entered on'his
labours with zeal and energy, an,d his success is most
marked and encouraging,and plans are laid out for further
operations in the good cause. The report concluded
with an urgent appeal to the public to use increased efforts
in support of the society.
The TREASURER (Mr. E. Cropper) then read the state
ment of the accounts, shewing a balance in the bank of
£240 16s. 7d.

The Rev. W. W. EWBANK, who was warmly greeted,
moved the first resolution adopting the report. The rev.
gentleman could not see how they could object to receive
the report then read, after hearing of the great circula-
tions which the society had been able to give to the bles-
sed Word of God. He bad been interested in this society
by his parents since his childhood. The Lord Bishop had
said that the greatestduty of man was the circulation of
God's Holy Word, which contained the essentials of sal-
vation. We all acknowledged that the Bible did contain
the essentials of religion. We had revealed to us our
sinful state, and the mode of our complete release
from such sin. But it was not to convey to us the know-
ledge of these essentials alone that the Bible was written.
We circulated the Bible, for one reason, because men in
this day were struggling to acquire knowledge, and we
have yet to learn that we are forbidden to use our reason
to enable us to obtain such knowledge. The rev. gentle-
man went on to show that astronomers had been charged
with advancing doctrines which were said to be opposed
to the Bible's teaching, but argued that the Bible had
never been intended to teach astronomy or philosophy of
any description. We knew that what the Scriptures
taught us was true; and any denial of this we accounted
to be blasphemy. The religious books of some of the
sects in India erred in the scientific doctrines taught ; and
hence when those who had studied them became acquainted
with science as developed by English intellect, they found
that they had imbibed false principles of science, and, became
infidels in religion. Another reason why be was anxious
for the circulation of the Bible, was, that it led us to no
wild speculations. It told us what was sufficient to us
both of the past and the future—it was emphatically a
lamp to our feet. It taught us that the great curse upon
us was through sin. and that now is the accepted time,
and that now is the day of salvation ; and on this ac-
count, amongst others, it was that he had pleasure in
moving the resolution
The Rev. RICHARD KNILL, of Chester, seconded the
resolution, and stated that his own hand had assisted in
the circulation of 40,000 copies of the Bible, having been
connected with the British and Foreign Bible Society
since his boyhood. He gave a most interesting anecdote
of his acquaintance with a translator of the Bible,
wrecked on the shores of Coromandel, whilst he was
stationed there, and of a crucifixion which the party had
once witnessed in the Birman Empire, drawing from his
anecdote a strong ground for liberal efforts to circulate
the Word of Jesus, who had endured for us the torments
which he bad described. Referring to the labours of the
Missionaries in the South Sea Islands, the rev. gentle-
man reminded his hearers of the saying that every hour
of the day the prayers, of the world should rise up to