The Bible Society Meeting

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 426, 8 March 1890, Page 3

The Bible Society Meeting

The annual meeting of the Gisborne branch of the Society was held in the Pre-bytnian church on Thursday evening, the Bishop of Waiapu taking the chair. Bfsides the Bishop the following clergymen were present: Ven. Archdeacon William-'. Canon Fox, and Itevs. Ward, Gardiner, Williams. Byburn, and Bobjohns, and there was a good attendance of the general public. The meeting opened with devotional exercises after which the Chairman (Bi-bop Stusrt) delivered an address. He said that it was with very peculiar a-d mingled feelings that he ’ Blood there to address the meeting from that place on beha'f of the great Society. He could not speak to them with out thinking of one whose memory was so intimately connected with that building and that pulpit. The news of his death came to him with a great shock, and when on arriving at Gisborne he heard of this meeting he felt it was a duty to be there from bia affection for the Bible’ Society and also from his true Christian brotherhood with the former pastor of that Church. They knew how much the work of the Bible Society was in hie heart, how he had from the first taken a part in it and acted as Secretary. He had now pasted away from that scene of earthly labor. God's work bad to be done, and though men may come and men may go His work goes on. The Bishop went on to speak of his own intense effection for the British and Foieign Bible Society since the days when he went out as a Missionary, and of his constant gratitude to the Society. Whence could the Missionary draw his armour bat from the Bible ? Were it not for the good work done they would have been without weapons or munitions of war. The Society found translations and arranged for the circulation of the Scriptures. Africa was now opening, places so long closed seemed now accessible. The one remedy for Africa’s woes was the word cf God ; that alone would have power to break the fetters from off their bauds, and bring about that freedom which knowledge of truth could alone bestow. He would not detain them with more words of his. Mr Bobjohns I had much of interest to communicate, and he | would now call oo the Archdeacon to read the !

- financial statement. I Mr East (Treasurer) being unavoidably absent, Archdeacon Williams read the j financial statement of the branch. This < Showed that the Society had during the year I received £37 17s Bd, inclusive of a brlai ce of £B2 Ids fid brought forward. The expenditure including contribution to parent Society £2O, and £lO towards Jubilee Testament movement, amounting to £3l 12s 31, leaving a cash balance in hand of £6 oa. fid, against which there are sundry Itabmiiea. It was reported that 21 Bibles had been disposed cf during the year. The Archdeacon moved the adoption of the report and balance sheet. He said that the operations of that auxiliary branch were not vary large. It were to be wished they ware larger. Possibly if people were more fplly acquainted with the matter it would be j better. It wee hardly necessary for him, after what the Chairman bad said, to say What an important object It was they were galled upon to support. He bifl before Stated there how much they were Indebted in New Zealand to the Bible Society An edition cl the Bib’a had been issued, and circulated among the Maoris of New Zealand by the Society. For years past the Society had not given the Bihie free, but had left it to people to buy and thus show their sense of appreciation of it. In 1865 one edition of the Bible in Maori was carried through the srest.5 rest. At that time Christianity among the laoris was struck by the Hau Hau movement, It was thought by many that all had apflitatised. He was privileged that year to take part a meeting - f the Bible Society sud OTO i f the Bfjhjeprs was the edition of the Scriptures just issued, and it was thought by many that it waa a pity that all that money bad been spent. Tnere were many people php took part with the Government against the Hau Haus, and many people who did not gide with them in tbsir politics or religion. It jvuu'.d have been much more difficult to have prrught the war to an end if it had not been so. Xi it was a very t-w years put an end to the whole disturbance. This couL not have been the case had not the proportion of the Maori population who adhered to Christianity alio adhered to the Government. They were, it is true, much demoralized by tho war as must always be the case in time of war. There was a further fact that the last edition of the Macri Bible was quite exhausted, consisting fit about 5000 copies. There was a new

edition in preparation. Ths motion was seconded by Bev H, T. RobJohns, who delivered an interesting address on the work of tho British and Foreign Bible Society. He commenced by referring in touching terms to the death of the Secretary of the Gisborne branch (Rev. J. McAra) who be said bad always been an assiduous worker in connection with the local operations of the Society. He also expressed sympathy with the President (Archdeacon Williams) and his family on their recent bereavement and felt that in doing so he was uttering the sentiments of all who were there that night, besides numbers who were not present. Gisborne, he said, was an extremely important centre of the Bible Society work, and from what had transpired recently he foresaw that it might occupy a still more important position in the near future. The Gisborne branch bad done something towards contributing to the ordinary funds'as well az to the Jubilee Testament movement. Wnh regard to the Utter the Testaments had arrived and some would shortly be sent here for distribution in the public schools. Besides all this Gisborne had long been a centre of translation into Maori and revision work. The Society had distritributed among the Maoris over 141,000 copies of either the whole or parts of the scriptures, and with that work Archdeacon Williamehrd been directly identified. At the present time t»ie references for the revised version were being prepared at the Gisborne Native Ocllege under the supervision of the Ardbdckcon, who was Acting as Editor, There was another work |n view in which Gisborne might well occupy the central position, lie (the speaker) had lately had an opportunity qi speaking at a meeting of the Native Church Board, when he had suggested tbac the pativac might lend some assisianee In the propagation of the Gospel among the heathen of other countries, If they were to raise £lOO it would assist materially iu the good Work, encourage the directors of the Bosiety in London, and besides the eatlafsotXon it woitld sirs to Che co'tftribfftbri Would have a wonderful and pleasing effect on Christendom at large. It was time that New Zealand left off the garb of the missioned and

took her proper sphere in the great missionary work. Last year only £405 18s 8d had been contributed by the colony, an amount much too insignificant for such a large and i&porUut division of the Empire, go know that missionaries of late years were but coolly neat ded. They Were not infallible, but they had in moat cases been brought into bad favor by undeserved criticisms of traders and persons with whose interests they had come into collision. The zeal of the missionaries themselves had been cooled for the time, but there was setting in a great reaction and revival of misai -nary fervor under the guidance and influence of spirits like Dr Farrar, of London, and Dr Pierson, of Philadelphia; and he hopefully looked for great result*. %i the meantime there was a Way io which all could assist the great work. No Christian church, school, college, or mission, could exist without tha supplies of scripture now derived from tha Bible Society, ?bat Society was hampered in iw r tbs shortness ci feeds, which were sorely Reeded by ths Society it ila good work wet pot to be curtailed, The spesssr then went Sn to describe tbe work dona by the Society which he represented, aloes its inauguration tn tbs beginning of the century, in tbe three departments of translation, printing and distribution; of tbe 120 000,000 of copies ia at least 200 different languages; of i the -1,000,000 of copies which are cent cat annually; and of the operations in Other countries. Mr Bobjohns was listened Jntsntly during tbe whole of a lengthy Address, end set do®n smith: — Mr Wairen proposed, ;; f W. Williams seconded, a bi arty vote u. .u—r.s to tha officers and committee of the local bran h for the efficient management of tbe Society during the past year. The Archdeacon wa« reappointed President for the ensuing year. The committee, as follows, was appointed :— Tbe ministers of the district, and Messrs Baker, A, Brown, DeLautonr, East, and C. Tkamsoa. with power to add. On the motion •I Mr DeLsutour, In a brief speech, a vMe a! thanks «*a weorded io Mr Rubjohna

ana votes of thanks were also passed to the choir and the Chairman, A collection of £2 13s 41 was taken up, besides promises of subscrip tons.