Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1901-11-21
ANNIVERSARY
OF BIBLE SOCIETY.
The Attendance at Both Sessions
Was Quite Small.

Ihe S6th anniversary OF the Cum
berland County Bible Society was held
Thursday afternoon and evening in
the Trinity NJ E. Church. The at
tendance was disappointingly small.
In the afternoon the meeting was
opened with the hymn, "How pre-
cious is the Book Divine. - Prayer
was offered by Rev. D. 1. Camp, of
the Deerfield Presbyterian Church,
and the hymn, my Faith Looks up
to Thee" was sung. The first address
was by Rev. H. J. Zelley, pastor of
Trinity M E. Church, Millville. His
subject was Goods Picture of His
Own Book. - The 10Th Psalm was
taken as the foundation of the ad-
dress, and was clearly and forcibly
outlined. All Scripture was inspired
by the Holy Ghost. Higher criticism
has wrought havoc in the church.
The first higher critic was in the Gar
den of Eden. From this Psalm we
learn that Gods book is 1. A perfect
book. 2. A sure book. g. A righ-
teous book. 4. A pure and clean
book, in its source and teachings, and
IN the end sought. 5. A true book,
its truth established more and more
by recent discoveries. It's effects.
Converts the soul, makes the wise the
simple. Never conflicts with the
highest revelations of science Re-
| iniaoc ~ NJ oTa1i ohfa11c fha
1t is permanent; it endureth forever.
The Treasurer presented his report,
and the following officers were elected:
President, James J. Reeves; Vice
Charles B. Phillips, Enoch Hanthorn
Secretary, J. Lenhart Rice; Treasurer,
Howard W. Fithian.
In the evening after the hymn, so
Word of God Incarnate,' prayer was
offered by Rev. J. S. Parker, of Ced-
arville, and the choir rendered selec-
tion. Then there were words of
greetings by President James j.
Reeves, given in practical quotations
from the Bible.
In presenting the greetings of the
parent society, the President regretted
the apparent lack of interest in the
work of the society upon the part of
the churches in the city and county.
He also gave very interesting report
of the work of Bible distribution in
the country in former years. Rev.
Geo. Tompson, of Woodbury., then ad-
dressed the meeting on "The Inspira-
tion of the Bible confirmed by Practi-
cal Proofs. - Two theories of inspi-
ration.
1st. Verbal inspiration. Every
word and sound dictated directly by
the Spirit. 2. Holy men inspired to
write God speaks through them but
the utterance was characterized by
the mental status of each individual
They were influenced in their utter
ances the prevailing opinions of the
time in which they lived
Like no other book on earth it is
known by what it does. Our loyalty
to Christ will be measured by our
conception of His character. Man
/ has gone wrong, and wants to be di-
rected back to the pathway of right.
The world is adverse to the pursuit
of right The Bible furnishes motive
and inspiration in the way life. We
need help in bearing the burdens and
responsibilities of life. The Bible
| develops true manhood 1t makes
men by saving them. 1t has been the
strength of the strongest men, and
the goodness of the best man. 1t is
| the impulse of all true civilization.
1t tells us how to live and how to die
The Bible is doing divine things
therefore is a divine book.
After another hymn, there was an
address by Rev. ]. @. Austerberry, of
Millville, upon "The Bible the Source
of Our National Strength" He saiu
"The Law of the Lord is to the
individual or to the Nation the source
of true strength. A heathen king
wished to know the secret of Eng
lands power and sent one of his
trusted men to Queen Victoria's court
with the inquiry and was by her pre-
| sented with Bible as the answer to
his inquiry. In our temple of liberty,
in the constitution of our land, in all
that constitutes us a prosperous ma
tion, the Bible is the head stone of
the corner Some say that our form
of government is yet problem that
it will be but of short duration. Take
away the Bible and this will be true
but with the Bible as the basis of our
laws and our practice, we will be
safe. This society may be weak in
numbers but if we are faithful in
disseminating it there can be no such
thing as failure. 2
The President read letter from the