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2 (840) THE
translating the Bible was entirely checked by
the corruption of the church in the Middle
Ages, until it received a new impetus by the
invention of printing. The first book ever
printed was a German Bible, as was also the
tirst book printed in the United States. Before
Martin Luther there existed twenty editions
of the Latin Bible and a dozen in German.
So Protestantism is no departure from
the faith of the fathers, but rather a return
to the primitive practice of the church.
The ignorance of the Bible in Roman Catlio
lie countries, even among the educated, is
amazing. In South America, an editor, a
friend of Dr. Chamberlain, had often denied to
him the religious ignorance of the people. One
day he said to him: "I admit the justice of
your criticism." What had changed his opinion?
During "holy week" he had printed the
gospel account of the passion and crucifixion
of our Lord. To his astonishment, senators,
iudcreK And mpn nf Odionno nAmnlinn?n*~) ~
m . 0 wmj^liUiCUtUU mill
on the admirable article he had written!
What, then, can be expected from the uneducated
common people!
What would New Orleans be today, if Bienville
and his associates had brought the Bible
with them, when coming from Canada they
laid the foundations of this city! Would there
not be a mighty difference in the character of
the society that has grown up here? If the Bible
were now read and followed, would it not
at once elevate the character of our Catholic
element ?
What could our French missionaries do without
the Bible among the Creoles in southwest
Louisiana! And our Sunday school missionaries?
In fact, all our home missionaries and
our Sunday school workers? A sufficient supply
of Bibles in cheap editions is as indispensible
in home mission work as in foreign fields.
Now, where do we get them?
THE WORK OF THE BIBLE SOCIETIES.
The work of translating, printing and dis
tributing the Bible is such that no single church
or denomination could successfully cope with
it. In the first place, it is too expensive and
the large funds required for it would necessarily
be diverted from the regular mission work.
Then, if each denomination should make its
own translation, we should have as many versions
as there are denominations. That would
be a calamity and increase the scandal of a divided
Christendom. This work is, therefore,
wisely left to the Bible Societies which
are iindennininntinnnl on/^ intoi<rlo?iAm;nn*in?~i
bodies formed for the sole purpose of publishing
the Bible without note or comment.
The largest of these is the British and Foreign
Bible Society founded in 1804. In that
year a girl came to Rev. Thos. Charles in Wales
to buy a Bible in the Welsh language. She had
saved up for six years and walked many an
hour, and was greatly disappointed when stating
the object of her errand she received the
reply that no more Welsh Bibles were printTripoli,.
? i j-t i
vu. x- jimuj' mc luiiiisi cr iiuiiueu ner mis own
copy. When, on a visit to a friend in London
who happened to be a member of a Tract Society
just organized, this same minister mentioned
his experience with the Welsh girl, his
friend invited him to attend a meeting of the
Tract Society and speak about the need of
Bibles. His address made a deep impression.
Then said one: "Certainly we need a Bible Society.
But why for Wales onlyt Why not for
the whole world t" That was the beginning
of the British and Foreign Bible Society.
Many others have sprung from it. In Germany?though
the Canstein Bible Institute at
Halle had been active since 1712?societies at
Nuremberg, Wurtemberg, Regensburg, Berlin,
I.
PRESBYTERIAN OF H E SO
etc., were started or greatly aided by the London
Society. In Holland, the United Netherlands
Bible Society was founded in 1815. In
1814 the Danish Bible Society was formed and
also one in Sweden. The next two years saw
similar organizations in Iceland and Norway.
Even in Russia a Bible Society was established
in 1813, but suppressed in 1826. Another was '
privately formed in 1869 which has the sane- i
tion of the Greek Catholic Church and sends
the Scriptures through colporteurs to the re- I
motest parts of the Empire. In France the
work began as early as 1792, but was interrupted
by the Revolution. A Protestant Bible Society
was formed in Paris in 1818, and for a 1
time received British aid. There- are similar
societies also in Malta and Corfu, as well hh
Calcutta, Madras and Bombay. All these have 3
been aided more or less by the British and
Foreign Bible Society.
The American Bible Society formed 1816, in
New York, stands next to it in magnitude and
importance of its operations. It has more than
2,000 auxiliaries in all parts of the Union. It6
work is thus briefly summed up. What it does
for America:
1. It forces down the price of Bibles for everybody,
by selling them at cost.
2. It searches out the poor and neglected in
cities and in isolated regions who would otherwise
be deprived of God's word.
3. It supplies the men of our army and navy
and through its auxiliaries, the inmates of hospitals,
prisons, "homes," and many other institutions.
What it does for foreign lands:
1. It promotes the accurate translation of
the Scriptures into other languages, a work re- 1
quiring wise unsectarian supervision.
2. It bears the expense of printing and bind- 1
ing these translations, a work beyond private i
enterprise. j
3. It maintains a thorough and extensive sys- v
tem of distribution thro.ugh able and devoted i
agents and colporteurs, who also expound and 1
vindicate the Scriptures. t
4. It thus lays the foundation for, and sup- t
plements the work of foreign missionaries of
every creed. t
The society needs more than $790,000 an- (
nually for its work. Its invested funds 1
amount to about $2,400,000, yielding about i
$100,000 interest. Other sources of income ]
from rents, sales of books, etc., will bring I
about $350,000. The balance of $340,000 must \
be provided by contributions from churches, i
individuals and unrestricted legacies. The so- t
ciety must look to church collections for $250,- e
000 to make up its budget.
Churches whose missionary enterprise the 5
liible Society fosters, need to feel the urgency i
of this question far more than they do. Pres- \
byterians probably contribute three-fourths of
this amount. It may be confidently asserted a
that there is not a Christian congregation in all
this land in which one or more members would t
not gladly contribute to this cause, if it were 1
only properly presented to them and an op- g
portunity given to contribute to it. f
T
GOD'S MIRACLE. t
Oh! do not pray for easy lives, t
Pray to be stronger men!
Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers, e
Pray for power equal to your tasks! s
Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle. \
But you shall be a miracle. c
Every day you shall wonder at yourself, at the i
richness I
Of life which has eome into you by the grace o
of God. f
?Phillips Brooks.
H
U T H I July 17, 1912
COMMENTARIES ON THE DECISION OF
OUR GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN
REGARD TO ROMANISM.
Part II.
bt juan orts gonzalkz.
I invite my readers to examine from another
view point the matter under discussion in my
article of last week's issue.
I am a Spaniard and I expect to go back to
Spain and preach the gospel there. In Spain
the union of church and state is still a fact. The
Roman Catholic Churcih is the State Church.
Have I the right to preach there that this doctrine
is not the gospel doctrine?
Suppose I invite all the Evangelical Churches
to fight down this union by means of a national
newspaper. Suppose in order to run such a
paper we form an interdenominational committee.
Will any one say that such acts are political
acts? And if I can do that in Spain
without being justly accused of mingling with
politics, because I uphold the gospel doctrine by
means consistent with the gospel, then who can
rightly accuse Americans of mingling with politics
when they do the same thing for the parpose
of preventing the Roman Catholic Church
today from doing here what it did in Spain in
the past?
Let my readers see this matter in relation to its
bearing on practical facta. Some Protestant
Boards and several Protestant Assemblies have
protested against the conduct of Taft in regard
io the Indian school affairs. Does such a prolest
mean that they mingle with politics otherwise
than to warn the nation that the American
Constitution does not agree with mingling poliics
and religion?
The Episcopalian Conference at Washington
lot only protested against the conduct of Taft
n* regard to the Indian school affair, but also
ibout the introduction of the Ne Temere Decree,
thereby marriage among Christians is considered
lull and void unless the ceremony is performed
>y a Catholic prie3t. Is it to mingle with poliics
to warn the nation about such acts directed
igainst religious freedom?
Suppose finally that in some of the States of
be Union, New Mexico for instance, where
Catholics are in large majority the State Legisature
passes a law in accordance with the Ne
cvnere Papal decree, that is condemning
Protestant marriages as mere concubinage, will
roiewtanta l> mingling witn politics if tncy
mite to have the law repealed by preaching
Tom the pulpit and by writing to the press
Lgainet such religious preference and even perlecuiion?
Does not our Confession of Faith in chapter
54 about marriage and divorce not only authorze
Presbyterians to make public protest, but
^ould also compel them as a duty to protest!
Let us, brethren, as Presbyterians be honest
ind consistent.
The second part of the recommendation of
he majority report reads: "That the Assembly
ay upon the Executive Committee of Home Misions
the duty of collecting and disbursing a
und for the support of honest convert# for the
irieste, monks and nuns of the Church of Rome
mtil they can be so placed as to take care of
hemselves.
Some of my reader* may think aa I am an
ix-pnest and friar it will tie difficult for ma to
peak from an unbiased viewpoint of a cause
ehiSh I myself represent. I do not wish to think
if this matter from a personal standpoint and
n so far as I am conscious of it, I do not do so.
wish to forget myself entirely and think only
if the best means of converting Catholics and
iromoting the kingdom of God.
I take for granted that it is both our right
j