Daily globe., 1879-01-20
ut the First Baptist Church.


Revs. Samuel Conn, NJ. Moe. Dana, j. B.
Chaffee and H. J. Crist, participated in the
devotional exercises conducted by Mr.. w. G.
Hackett.
The service was commenced with the
congregational singing of the 735th hymn
beginning:
Behold the morning sun
Begins his glorious way;
Prayer by the Rev. II. j. Christ.
The Rev, Mr.. Chaffee then read the scrip
tural lesson from the Psalms XIX, begin
nings
The heavens declare the glory of God, and
the armament showeth his handy work.
John, Chap. V, "a:
Verify, verify say unto you, he that heareth
my word and believeth on him that sent me,
hath everlasting life, and shall not come into
condemnation, but is passed from death unto
life.
The congregation then joined in singing
the familiar hymn commencing:
Holy bible, book divine,
Precious treasure, thou art mine.
THE UNITY AND HARMONY OF THE BIBLE.
DR.. Conn then addressed the congrega-
ton. He first explained why the Ramsey
County Bible society had an existence. It
was to disseminate the bible. It
was only one of thousand
other societies for the same purpose.
To carry the word of God throughout the
land, over the Threshold of every home in
the country. He knew of no other society
organized for the one special purpose af dis
Sributing any one book to all people except
the bible. From this he deduced one point
of the lengthened argument for it's divine
origin. 1t was suitable for all men, like the
atmosphere, it assembled to the highest and
enveloped him; descended to the hum
blest and embraced him. It was
adopted to the wants of all mankind
The reverend speaker claimed as an evidence
of the Books divine origin its wonderful
unity. It was composed Of sixty-six books
bounded together. A library in itself,
though book in form. Sixty-six books
treating of biography, history, law, poetry;
addressed to the merchant, the lawyer, the
soldier, the sailor, Written by the oriental
prince, the learned Pharisee, the fisherman,
the shepherd, the peasant or vine trimmer,
written within period of 1,60O years by over
1oTey different persons, without
colluslon or consultation, yet
throughout the whole book the
unity and harmony of the one purpose was
preserved, Christ and his salvation. Writ
ten as it was at odd and great intervals of
tleae by all classes, it presented consistent
Whole without contradiction; beginning,
the creation; middle, the incarnation and
atonement; an end, the summation of the
worlds affairs.
All variety of rhetoric and composition
were presented. The handwriting was diff
ferent but the thought was the same, given
by the inspiration OF the Holy Spirit. The
reverend gentleman continued at length,
gave an extended analysis of the bible, and
eloquenty alluded to it as the masterpiece
OF literature in construction, harmony and
unity, He contrasted it with the
literature Or books of the philos-
ophy of any and every land. The
work of human minds preserved
only the unity of nationality. AS religious
work, he contrasted it with that of all others
Confuscius had given the Chinese their
religion; the Koran was heterogeneous col
lection of Christianity, Judaism and Pagan
ism; the Zoroastus of Persia was the creed
of one man: sand the Hindoo's religion was
the work of few men in a prescribed space
OF time. But the bible was the work OF
centuries of many men, and through
all ages preserved its unity and
was adapted to all condition of men. The
speakers remarks were eloquent, impressive
and were delivered in manner command
ing the entranced attention of his auditors
The congregation then sang the 729th
hymn, commencing:
How precious is the book divine,
By inspiration given.
THE PROBLEM OF CHRISTIANITY.
DR.. Dana followed in a few remarks
touching upon the practical influence of the
bible, and related how year by year this in
Huence was extended by the wide extended
distribution of the word of God, until the
forefront of the century could be emblazon
ed with fact, that the bible was becoming
the common property of man. He said the
problem of outstanding the world is the
problem of circulating the bible.
One fact as cheering as it is significant, is
this, that despitefall the assaults of science
and infidelity on Christianity, the distribu-
ton and translation of the Ebible has gone
steadily forward. More are reading it to- dav
than ever before; more lives are being guided
and blest by its teachings than in any previ-
Gus age. These free and open scriptures are
costly bequest to US, and we seldom enough
think of what has been paid in the way of
suffering and service to secure it to us, with
the untrammeled right to read and believe
for ourselves.
Think how the work of translating it has
progressed. This volume has now been
translated into more than 200 of the Ian
guages and dialects spoken by men. Not
only is this an achievement which attests the
genius and devotion of Christian scholars.
but witnesses as we'll to the eagerness there
IS on the part of the nations to have this
book in their own tongue. The Arabic
translation, by Drs Smith and Van Dvck,
consumed sixteen years of labor, and brings
the scriptures within reach of the millions
of Arab speaking people, The translation
into Osmanli Turkish, by DR.. Schaufler and
his coadjutors, finished May, 1878, puts it
within reach of 35,O0O,O0O in the Ottoman
empire.
DIR. Morrison spent eight years on the
Chinese bible, and now the crowded millions
OF that empire have not that edition only. |
but one in colloquial Mandarin, by DR..
Schereschewsky, on which fifteen years of
labor was expended.
The wide distribution of these scriptures is
another encouraging fact-for it shows how
widely read the book is. And what promise
of good is there in this. Now the word If
God may do it's own work in all lands and
amid all peoples. If we were to name anv
revival peculiar to our own country, it wonld |
be the revival of interest in the bible. The
common people are turning to it with their
SINS that need forgiveness, and their sorrows
that need cure. The proof to-day of its
inspiration is the fact that it inspires. The
more 1t is taken up into the hearts of the
multitude the better becomes life and society.
1t is fresh faith in the book now that Is
needed. It has no conflict with scientists.
for Its claim to infallibleness is only in it's
moral and spiritual inculcations. It profess
es, not to teach how the heavens 90, but how
men may go to heaven. It produces like
fruit the world over, and does its silent. |