The Portland daily press., 1895-06-03
"GOD AND HIS WORD"
Meeting Of the Maine Bible Society
Last Evening.

1
| The Annual Report of Rev. DIR. Dunn Read
| by N. w. acknowledgement Sermon by
| Rev. DIR. Parsons-Prominent Clergy
men Present.
The annual meeting of the Maine
Bible Society was held at the First Parish
church last evening. Among the pro1ai-
nent clergymen present were Rev. DR..
Henry Blanchard, Rev. DR.. Asa Dalton,
Rev. DIR. Parsons, Rev. DIR. d. B. Ran
dali, Rev. W. NJ Kimmell, Rev. Thomas
S. Samson, and Rev. Gowen G. Wilson
OF Westbrook.
Rev. DR.. Dalton, presided. Rev. W. M.
Kimmen read selections from the
| Scriptures, and Rev. Gowen c. Wilson,
| superintendent of the Bible Society of
Maine, offered prayer. The annual report
of Rev. Dr. A. T. Dunn of Waterville,
president of the society, was then read by
| Newell W. Edison, the recording secre-
tary
From the report Rev. DR.. Dunn read by
Mr.. n. W. Edison, we learn that six
meetin gs of the trustees have been held
the past year. No member of the board
| has died, Mr.. E. B. Stillson the faithful
superintendent for twenty years had to
resign owing to i'll health. DIR. Dunn
paid high compliment to the efficiency
and activity of Mr. Stillson For three
months after his resignation the board
carried on the work assisted by the corps
OF faithful field workers. At the Septem-
Der meeting Rev. Gowen G. Wilson was
elected to fill out Mr.. Stillson's S unexpired
term,i and has served for six monthss ESQ
as win the highest concentrations
Eleven capable male and female field
workers have been at work, fifty towns
in eight counties have fbeen canyassed;
Is, 500 families have been visited; of these
523 Protestant families admitted they
hadn't the Bible in their homes; 6S1O
families have reported themselves as non
church going; 5648 children not in any
Sunday school. Atcost and expenses 4725
volumes of the Scriptures have been sold,
and S19 copies given away. The collec-
ton from churches, Sunday schools and
individuals 1914 43; membership fees
s137 20; collections by workers in the field
So, no 90; income from. permanent fund
1885, 30. The expenditures were salary
and expenses of superintendent, 81, COL. So;
of colporteurs, 80, 05o AZ; Bibles donated,
1914 IA; incidentals $155. 49,.
While Mr.. Edison was reading the report
there was an alarm of fire that led MANY
to withdrew. Rev. DIR. Parsons the
preacher of the occasional sermon said
that like a western minister on a similar
occasion he would say that while he was
travelling preacher he could not preach
to travelling congregation.
EDr. Parsons took for his text ,Epb.
VIII. The word of God. He said that
his text would be his theme and his
theme his outline. God and ;his,Tword is
the largest conception the mind of man
has ever attempted to accomplish. Man
cannot do it, but he will be the better for
trying I may launch my skiff boldly on
the ocean, even while knowing that I
cannot sail all seas 1 breathe, while
knowing that I cannot take in all the at
mosphere. thank God that he is, and
that 1 am. My conception of Him is nv
guide, star locomotive. My belief in
Him is my restraint, my safeguard, my
anchor. I say it and do it in all gentle
ness that the man who does not believe in
God is dangerous man, because lacking
all idea of accountability he is ready to
yield to passion without restraint The
history of the past is the proof of this
There never can be nation, state or a
community of atheists because men who
do not believe in God do not regard each
other. The French revolution abolished
God, and the Christian religion. 1t was
abolished the year of our Lord, and be-
gun with the year one, but it never saw
the year two The existence of God is
here affirmed, not argued The Bible
does not argue the existence of God it
assumes it. God was before the world
We believe that God is, but we ask,
"Will He speak to us?' We believe He
does, and that His word is full of saving
power, and knowing what it has done for
us we are anxious that the streams of
salvation shall flow to others. This then
is His word, and if His word then He in
spired it. How He inspired it I do not
propose to argue. have very strongly
fixed convictions on this point, but 1 do
not propose here to argue debatable
questions, and questions that are debated.
We are to face the facts that in these davs
God is largely ignored. It has come
down to God and materialism. We are to
choose for ourselves, but 1 would rather
trace my descent through Adam up to
God, to think of myself as having de-
| scended from some jelly fish, or some
plant in some tropical forest.
'The Bible is revelation of God and
of religion, and but little else. AS a
| Roman cardinal rule said when men
were disputing over the theories concern
/ iDo tho yox,olrt;ny, IF tho parth tU,l1o