Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

2 THE PRESBYTERIA* "COPYRIGHTING THE BIBLE." An esteemed friend has commented on our editorial on this subject. He says: "I can not see in either acrnnnt nf tlia "1 ? - c *1 ? w.v. vitalising or tne i empie any criticism of what was done 'per se.' How else could the multitude who came from a distance, secure lambs and Jewish coin, but from people in Jerusalem? And if so, I can see no reason why they should not have paid a reasonable profit.'' Neither do we. It was well understood among the U-1 .1 i icurcws mat tnc non-resident might buy his lamb at Jerusalem. Of course the seller made a reasonable profit. But that is far different from a monopoly on the business. Suppose that the priesjts had refused to sacrifice the lamb that was bought elsewhere! We suppose that all those who now print Bibles for sale make a profit, and rightly. But they leave to others the privilege of competition. This is what the present publishers refuse to do. Our correspondent adds: "In the account of the first cleansing, Jesus rebuked the traffickers for carrying on their business in God's temple." He is right. That is the point of Christ's censure. Today we see a nnhlisll''1"' 1 , ..6 vwuipdn.v proclaiming to the world, that this Revised Version is the only perfect translation of the Bible?the only one that ought to be used in the church?but yet putting an assessment upon every man who would worship God with this version. It is not quite the same as the act of the noted evangelist who charged an admission fee to the church services on the Sabbath day. CHANGING THE PROOFTEXTS. On another page we print a letter from our esteemed friend. Dr. E. C. Gordon, chairman of the Assembly's Committee on Proof Texts, conrernina tVi<? , w>IV UVIL/UIIOOIUII of its work to the Presbyteries for approval. It will be read with interest. We note with pleasure that the Committee does not propose to change the phraseology, or to introduce the language of the Revised Version. With pleasure we note the fact that the Committee proposes to issue the proposed revision proof texts with each of the new texts under the text of the Confession or Catechism, in such a way that its relation may be perceived at once. This will greatly facilitate an examination of the work. The Committee of Publication ha<s in liu?H tii? lication of this work for submission to the presbyteries. We have not yet seen a copy of it. The delay will embarrass many in their voting on the subject. It is very easy to refer a matter in a "pro forma" way to an ad interim committee, but that does not convince the voter that its changes are the best that can be found. We greatly wish that all our presbyters had been able to examine it before going to presbytery. From the letter of Dr. Gordon, we understand that the Publication Committee is arranging to print not sucn a number ot copies as will supply every minister and session in our Church, but only enough to supply the chairmen and members of the ad interim committees, Suffer an expression of the hope that in this plan a change will be made and that every minister and every session will be supplied with a copy of the I J OF THE SOUTH. Sept. 22, igog. changes proposed. True, this will cost considerable, but the cost will be small in comparison with the satisfaction and contentment that will follow when each presbyter shall feel that he has had a fair opportunity of conference and a full voice in the adoption of the book. Any suppression or repression will have a * ,,<v i<j pruuuce inairrerence to the book that may be adopted. From the circulation in advance of copies of the proposed changes another great good would result. We apprehend that there are many of our elders?are there not some ministers also??who have not made themselves thoroughly familiar with the proof texts as well as the text of the Confession. Possibly we could not induce them to take it up as a mere matter of duty. But now, if it comes as a matter of questioning. it may serve?as did the advent of a new preacher in a certain pulpit?to make some of the sleepy ones awake to see whether it is all sound or not. Possibly some may read it who never did before. We have a splendid Confession, but the proof texts are far better than the Confession. We would gladly promote the study of them. The Church, as we apprehend, does not want to adopt changes in these proof texts on the opinion of a Committee. It would adopt them upon the personal conviction of each voter that he knows for himself il * i inai tnev are an improvement. Therefore, we hope that every presbyter will have a copy of the changes before him for study. THAT THEY GO FORWARD. This is the command and the expectation of our Lord that His Church go forward. An army with banners, "bannered hosts," as the margin reads, is the Church of God; and it is marshalled, equipped and supplied for the conquest of the world for Christ, its Redeemer and its King. Is our own division of the "bannered host" with it* nw? Kino Km^o- ? V***t uiuv I y a 11 11 v_ I 111 cl !S. I 11 any progress? We have a great field in the States of the South and Southwest, and a greater territory across the seas for which we have a solemn responsibility. Are we out in the field, advancing gladly and with confidence? Two hundred and eighty thousand are enrolled in our churches. In the last church year, sixteen thousand were added to our rolls, confessing Christ and enlisting under his banner, nearly two thousand more than in the previous year. That is evidence of much spiritual life and activity. Our army of young in the Sunday-schools numbers about two hundred thousand; an increase of about ten thnneanH wi-iiMi is encouraging, seeing that some of the large denominations report a decrease in Sunday-school enrollment. The number of ministers was increased by sixty ordinations, and the number of candidates grew from three hundred and seventy-five to four hundred and thirty-one, an increase of fifty-six, after a period of decline in the number of candidates in nearly all the churches, at home and abroad A total increase of $100,CXX) is reported contributed for all causes. Over a million dollars was given for the gFeat benevolent objects of which about $450,000