Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1836-06-16

corrupted fountain of heavenly light, that
we anticipate the meridian of that day
which shall pour its e1ulgenee upon eve
ry cline, and place the government of "aU
nations in His hands whose head is des-
tined to wear many crowns"
1t was under such impressions that the
American Baptist Board of Foreign Mis-
sions, convened in Salem, in April, 1888,
instructed their missionaries Ito endeayor
by earnest prayer and dhlgent study to
ascertain the precise meaning oftbe orig
lnal text, and to express that meaning as
exactly as the nature of the languages in
to which they shall translate the Bible
will permit, and to transfer no words
which are capable Of being literally trans
lated"
Under the auspices Of Divine Provi-
dence, missionaries of our denomination
have translated the inspired volume, in
whole or in part into the languages spok-
en- BY more than half of the human iami-
". That their versions are "most faith
tul," has not been denied, and yet the
British and Foreign Billie Society, ard
the American Bible Society, have refused
TO aid US in giving them to the perishing
heather; merely because the original word
baptizo and It's cognatts have been trans
lated. Could We do otherwise, as faith
full servants of Christ? Is any translator
at liberty to compromise his duty to Cod
and to the millions Of mankind, Ly with
holding from them the literal rendering
of the Bible, unolScured in any fits parts
BY human dictation? Although this was
done by those who acted under the author
ity of King James, in producing our Eng
lish version, Baptist missionaries dare not
assume So fearful a responsibility, nor i'm
itate an example frought with such disas-
trous consequences. We are, therefore,
thrown upon the providence Of God and
our own resources, IN yivingto all man
kind q pure Cnd una'terrd Billie. And
if in carrying forward this mighty work
of Christian btLevolencc, the four hun
bred thousand BaptiSts in the United
States do but combine unity OF Effort with
faith, prayer and perseverance, they must
ere long, attain to undisputed pre-emi-
ncnce in the moral conversion Of the
world
At no previous time has the path Of du-
ty been more clearly marked out, than in
the recent unprecedented success and eX-
pansion ofour missionary operations. In
dependentIy of what we owe to the inhab-
itants of the United Statcs-a vast terrific
ry, teeming with mu11itudinous popua-
ton, has been committed to US, for moral
cultivation. Not only do the eighteen
millions of Burmah, but one hundred
millions of Shans, occupying the region
from the Western banks Of the IrraWad-
dy to the province Of Assam, and from the
Burhlmpootrr TO the Chinese Tartarv,
present sphere Of action which requires
the ftrvent prayers, the talents and the
treasures, of our whole denomination. Il
is moreover cheering fact, that to our
missionaries there is opened, through the
medium of the Shans and the Siamese, an
avenue to the three hundred millions OF
! the celestial Emnire;' embracing facil.
tiles, such as have not been afforded to
any other denomination Thirty millions
of Bengalese, also, are willing to receive
the Book that reveals to them the etclnai
God. Thus in Asia and America clone
arc we called upon to give the Bible to
one half of the entire population of the
globe. Besides this, the whole of Ger
many, Denmark, Sweden, Norway. Hol-
land and Greece, have special claims to
our attention. inaslnuch as their versions
of the sacred Scriptures contain those
words with reference to the ordinance o.
baptism, which define our peculiar pTac.
tice It's also very desirable, as soon as
practicable, TO supply France, Spain, Fer.
tugal, and South America, with rure y>v-
sims of tie inspired volume, instead O
the mutiIatcd and altered Bibles wiict
are now being circulated in those coun
tries
4 view Of these facts has given q pow
] erful impulse to our churches, through
out the land and holy excitement, a
= extraordinary as il is irresistible, clearI,
! indicates that the time for action has come
! The friends of the Bible are in motion
, and one loud and long continued exclama
e ton echoes throughout our runAs-iet u
! send the lamp of life into all the domln
/ ions of ignorance and sin, Brethren, GU
n field Of labor is circumscrGed by no Pc
/ liticaI or geog~ap hicaI 'irrits-tEc Who'll
q world is before US. With an humble b.
d firm reliance or the promises of God, l'
e US frarle2slv advance in this hal]owed CT
) terpr;sc ofChristicn philanthropy, and W
h may confidently anticipate the apProvln
V smile ofHeaven. But whatever be tn
degree of our future success, we shall
g least enjoy the consciousness Of having e1
IS deavored 10 promote the preat ut and ete1
y nal happiness OF millions, whom, uFo
: earth. we may not hope to behold.
t. Like The n}a4nanimons enterprise
II Father in 1929. TIE work We contempla
d may be opposed and tra1uced; but la
Jf though it lc, we shall bv this means en-