National Republican., 1883-05-07
Religious Exercises in Some Of the Washington
Churches Yesterday.
Fifty-Fifth Anniversary Of the Bible Soci-
ety--Address Of Rev. Dr. Jack.
Rev. DR.. Greene on "The Avsnger Of Blood" at the
Calvary Baptist Church.
glove One Another" ms illustrated by
Rev. w. X. Boyle, OF Baltimore.
THE HOLY RIRLE.

brated its fifty-ffth anniversary at the Con-
grcgational church. Previous TO the religious
exercises the officers OF the society held a
meeting in the vestry, and tho officers for
1ss3-'S4 are as follows: President, Rcv. A. w.
Titzer, ID. ID. vice presidents, John 9. Hark-
ness, Andrew Rothwell, Charles Lyman, VIM.
S. Fort. A. S. Pratt, w. j. Sibley, w. i.
Woodward, George Ryneal, jr., Geo. Rhine
hart r. S. Jordan secretary, James V. A.
Shields; treasurer and depository, William
Ballantyne; directors, r. IL. Ball, John II
Given, II, G. Stier, g. NJ Robinson, @. b
Parkman, Irwin b. Linton, Thomas q. Jones'
J. b. johnson, John b. Wight, John G.
Tasker, J. II. Mcriwethor, VIM. p. Allen,
Henry l.. Rose, u. s. Buckler, G. II. Middle.
ton, N. A. Robbins, W. II. Andrews, John w
Easily, A. II. Nelson, and l.. ID. Alden.
The report of the treasurer shows that dur
ing the past year there were received 81, ,359.S2
and that the disbursements have left bal
anco in the treasury of $2564S.
There were purchased by the depository
during the year: 1,5T bibles, 2,S5S testa-
ments, and 397 portions.
The gratuitous distribution by order of
board Of managers were as follows: IL testa-
ments to railroad men, Q bibles to theological
department Howard university, bibles to
W. q. Colby (Drapers Valley, Na.), $50 tCsta-
mcnts and bibles for work at the Jail, D
bibles and 10 testaments to Soldiers nome,
80 testaments to Gurley mission, 80 bibles to
Unity Presbyterian church Sabbath school,
90 testamcnts to Church of the Fatherand
Sabbath school, 80 bibles to Bethany mission
10 bibles to 4. A. Gee for distribution among
the poor in South Washington, testaments
TO Freedmen's hospital, and Z bibles and 2
testaments to the poor.
Nb..ra lar0 NJ ot tIn
church. composed largely of the members of
the society. Tho Rev. DIR. Pitzer opened the
exercises with prayer, and introduced the
Rev. A. T, Jack, of Hazelton, Pa, who deliv-
cred learned and eloquent address on the
Bible. He said all scripture is given by in
spiration Of God. What a sublime conception
that gives you of the Bible. TO think that
what is now enshrined in syllables
was once enshrined in God, The holy
men of old wrote it, and while 1t
is true that that different portions of
the book are called by different
names it Is also true that they are just SO
many branches of the tree. They are one in
their origin, one in their inspiration, one in
their object, and one in their end. They are
so many streams flowing from single fount
ain, so many beams shooting from single
sun. The whole of the Bible is baptized in
inspiration, and may be named in that one
short sentence of the Apostle Paul, IAN Epis-
tie of Jesus Christ"
Some hold that the writers of the Biblo
needed at one timo to be superintonded, at
another time to be directed, at another time
to have thoughts suggested to their minds /;
as If the Sun of Righteousness had just
looked out Of the heaven for an hour, flung
His rays on one page, and left another in
comparative obscurity. Is it not evident that
the prophets and apostles needed more than
Buperintendence suggestion or direction,
IN "a thnirz m pht hn
been produced, and yet error have occurred
The holy spirit not only told them
what to write, but how to write and
apart from this it is hardly possible to con-
cevc of inspiration at all. God would never
communicate truth to man, and leave man to
communicate that truth imperfcctly. Men
very often mistake the language of each other,
even when they think they cannot be misun-
derstood. Therefore, though the writers of
the Bible may have been compelled to write
with accuracy, our faith in their accuracy
rests exclusively on the assistance of the
Holy Spirit The world has stood aloof and
Knocked at our anxiety for the Bible, the
whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible.
We have been asked in scorn: What would
the world suffer If we should expunge tho
Song of Solomon or the visions Of Zachariah
The answer Is To talk about what the world
would suffer is only begging the question. We
are the pledged repositories of u sacred treas
As we have received, so must we transmit.
We dare not obliterate this and the other
portion of the Bible because they may
happen to have been abused We dare not
curtail our Fathers legacy because some of
his apostate children are quarreling with
its dry details. Had the Jews acted after
this fashion, of how many authentic vindi-
cations of our Saviours mission would the
world have been left in ignorance? The
writers Of the Bible were not mere machines
they continued to be men. The influences
of the spirit did not change mans style any
more than they changed mans handwriting.
The writers of the Bible wrote according to
their peculiar tastes and temperaments.
There waathe rhymer, there was the annalist,
there was tho dry and tedious ohronicer,
NIL Of these were pressed into the spirits
service; and that spirit 80 guided their pens
that every word they wrote was really the
word of God, and that in sense no less exact
than il the spirit had dipped his finger in
light of heaven and traced the Bible on tho
everlasting hills. Modern infdels say there
are n great many books like the Bible
in the world but he can find only
three. The Book Of Mormon, the Koran
of Mahomot and the Shasters of the Hindoos
The first is an impious and clumsy lie, which
is the basis of.'ap outrageous system of licen-
tiousness andlbeastiality. The second is a
plagiarism and very poor one Examine the
fidels themsclves-th If there is any revela'
tion from God at all the Bible is that revela'
tion. Again the infdel goes on to say that he
cannot believe this book has come from God
because of tho inperfection Of the Old Tesla
ment saints, and because of the ceremonial
imperfections of the jewish law. This only
proves that the book is honest since, in re-
cordinR the history of imperfect men, it gives
us tho OWL that is. in their character as well
the good.4
There Is oneness in the Bible. Turning
from Adam, who fell, it points us to Ono who
coming is the toxt Of its prophecy. The Law
of his coming supersedes all other laws. The
oath of His coming is the only oath that II
uttered by the tongue of God No Alps, ne
Andes, no lofty peak or towering pyramic
was ever more distinct on shore or sea thar
is Messiah on the page OF scripture
MIR. jack spoke OF the Individual domesti,
and political effects of the Bible. HI
made strong plea for the circulation Of th'
Bible. The Bible, he said, contains panacci
for all evils that afflict the race for men o.
every color and cline and character for thu
Iaan of the forest and the man Of the wild
for those who are shivering at the poles, anC
for those who are scorching on the line Ant
could i now pass before you men Of ever!
abascincnt, the most mentally and PHYSICAL.
enlccbled, the most wretched, the mos
barbarous, the most squalid, tho mos
ganguinary; the worst Of heathen, tn
urowler Of the desert, the thugs of India, tn
cannibals Of the South Pacific. AS this pro
cession was winding past you this Bibl
would have to say, These are the partners O
D,our beinu; these are the tenants of you