Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

At Dusseldorf, Cologne, Neuield, and Halle, 55,930 Bibles and Testaments were distributed during the year. At Dresden, 6,897. Bishop Fabricius at Herrnhut issued in half a year 2,110 copies, making 11,314 Bibles and 38,202 Testnments, since 1814, most of which went into Bohemia.

The Central Prussian Bible Society, with its 44 auxiliaries, has distributed since August 1814, 450,000 copies of the Sacred Scriptures; and 8,000 copies besides have been granted to individual agents in Berlin, for distribution.

At Wittemburg 1050 Bibles and Testaments have been circulated. Arrangements have been made at Leipzig for printing 5,000 Bibles, and 5,000 Testaments extra, with 2,000 Servian and 5,000 Popish Testaments; which were nearly completed. At Nurenburg 7,436 Bibles and Testaments have been circulated; the Society there having circulated 18,179 since its commencement. At Munich the friends of the Society have been supplied with 1,100 Bibles and Testaments. The professors in the university there applied for Bibles on behalf of the 1700 Catholic Students, of whom 600 are studying theology, and many are destitue of the Scriptures from their poverty. In Augsburg a bible Society has recently been formed, to which 900 Bibles and Testaments have been granted. In eleven months the Wuertemburg Bible Society circulated_19,596_copies : its total distributions having been 203,019 copies. Pastor Barth_of Moettlingen has received 300 Bibles and 500 Testaments To ether individuals in the German states 51,530 copies have been granted.

Switzerland.-The Basle Society has circulated 5,000 during the year, and 100 more have been distributed by an individual. The total by the Society is 156,307. The Berne Society has distributed by its own means many more than the proceeding year, and 900 copies have been granted it. The Lausanne Society has distributed since 1827,2782 Bibles and 400 Testaments with its own funds; and 1550 copies of both have been granted to it. The Geneva Society has effected much in its own neighborhood, and contributed 2400 francs for French and German Bibles; and is now printing an edition of the New Testament for Greece. To individuals at Neufchatel 150 Bibles have been granted.

France. The Paris Society has circulated 5355 copies during the last year, and 103,751 since its organization. Prof. Kieffer has circulated 38,384 during the year, and three other individuals 1200; and 22,850 besides have been sent to the depository, on behalf of the British and Foreign Society. The Testament has been printed for the Basque population of France, amounting to 60,000; among whom not a copy of the Scriptures could be found.

Russia. About 10,960 copies of Bibles and Testaments have been distributed by individuals, principally grants from the British and Foreign Society.

Sweden. The Swedish Bible Society, from its organization to 11th of April 1829, printed 106,687 entire Bibles, and 177,100 Testaments; making 283,787 copies; while its issues had been 273,518. Grants amounting to 300 copies have been made, during the year.

Norway-To the Norwegian Bible Society 2000 copies have been sent; and 50 to an individual.

Denmark. To individuals and societies 6,375 copies have been sent. The Sleswig Holstein Society has circulated since its establishment 80,000.

In Lubeck 4516 copies have been circulated; in Bremen 8450; in Osnaburg 850; to Hamburg 425 have been sent; and the Hamburg Society has circulated since its commencement 40,857 Bibles, and 5774 Testaments.

The Dantzig Society last year circulated 1143; and since its commencement 15,105: 200 copies have been granted them.

Prussia.-The Konigsberg Society has circulated many in Lithuanian and Polish, and 590 have been sent to it. The Detmold Society has circulated 3174 copies in all. The Carlsruhe Society and individuals have circulated 8439; the Minden Society 6115; 800 Bibles and Testaments have been sent to Buchwald; and 850 to Buntzlau; 550 to Fraustadt. The Leignitz Society circulated 1260 copies, and individuals 920; the Barth Society 750; Upper Pomerania Society 1000; the Stettin Society 13,291 in all; the Potsdant Society 7500; 1850 have been sent to Warsaw, and other parts of Poland. Italy-An edition of 5000 copies have been printed in Italian. Mediterranean-8950 Bibles and Testaments in various languages were sent to the depository at Malta. An edition of 2500 copies of the New Testament in Armeno-Turkish, prepared by the American missionaries, is in the press. Also an edition of the whole Bible in Modern Greek is preparing at Corfu. An edition of the New Testament in 10,000 copies is also in press. About 12,000 copies have been circulated in Grecce during the year. The issues 'from Smyrna and Constantinople were nearly 9000. Editions are in press in the Tartar and Constantinople dialects: and 700 Testaments and Psalters have been issued in the Persian. An edition of the Persian Bible has been ordered.

India. The Calcutta Society distributed 6109 copies, and 1100 have been granted them. The Madras Society have distributed 18,952, mostly in Tamul. The edition of the Testament was begun with 5500, and 5000 more of Matthew were afterwards added, and 1000 or 1200 more must be printed, so great had been the demand for the parts first struck off, before the latter part could be put to the press. To Bombay have been sent 900 Gospels and Psalters in Persian and Syro-Chaldaic. Some of the Gospels have also been printed there. In Goojurattee 3350 copies have been distributed.-At Colombo 6000 copies of the New-Testament have been printed in Cingalese. To Malacca 800 copies have been sent; to Singapore some, and some to Siam.

[ocr errors]

At New South Wales and Van Dieman's Land 975 copies have been distributed during the year, and more than 6340 in all.

The translation into the Tahitian language is nearly completed and arrangements are made for printing it.

[ocr errors]

The Amharic Bible is also preparing for the press. The Epistles are printed. About 400 copies in various languages were distributed in Egypt: 150 have been sent to Sierra Leone.

South America and West Indies.--Nearly 500 copies have been sent to Bermuda and Demarara; 115 to Berbice; 300 to Antigua; 1381 to Jamaica; 1000 to Surinam; 300 to La Paz; and 201 to Mexico. Mr. Thompson, who has, for some years past, been very actively and successfully engaged in distributing Bibles in the country, has found his labors so much impeded by the political state of the country, and by edicts against the circulation of the Scriptures, that he has been induced to return to his native country.

The circulation of the Scriptures both on the continent of Europe and in South America has been very much restricted by the resolution of the Society to distribute no copies of the Bible themselves, and to aid no societies who do distribute copies containing the Apocrypha. In all papal countries there is a prevailing unwillingness to receive the Bible without this appendage. Many of the avenues, however, by which the Society formefly caused its blessings to flow into and over the continent of Europe, and which, for a time, were shut, are again opening, and the objections to receiving the simple Scriptures are diminishing.

North American Provinces. To these provinces 9907 Bibles, 2700 Testaments, and 500 Gospels or other portions of the Scriptures have been sent during the year. These are principally received and distributed by auxiliaries, which made remittances to the present society.

To the missionaries of the United Brethren, 450 copies of the book of Revelation, in Esquimaux, and 100 Greenland Testaments have been sent for the use of the Esquimaux and Greenland converts. The Society has also printed 1000 copies of the Psalms in Esquimaux.

Great Britain. While the Society has been endeavouring to bless other and distant nations with the word of life, great exertions have also been made to ascertain and supply the wants of the British people. Upon investigation the number of families in some counties is found to be unex ectedly great, amounting, in some instances, to one third of the whole population. The number of auxiliaries and subordinate societies, and their receipts and issues of the Scriptures have been much increased during the year. All the various societies for promoting morals and religious knowledge have exerted themselves with great success, in distributing the Bible. In the first report of the Merchant's Seamen's Auxiliary it was stated that 590 ships, having 6149 men on board, of whom 5490 were reported as able to read, were utterly destitutute of a copy of the Bible; while last year it is stated that only four vessels, having 47 men on board were found without the Bible.

Ireland. During the year 79,329 Bibles and Testaments have been granted to various societies to be sent into Ireland. Two societies, have, since their organization, sent 812,835 copies of the Scriptures to Ireland, Mis. Herald.

"LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE."

Mr. R was a native of S-, a town, in Connecticut how much of his life was spent there I have not the means of knowing. At the age of forty he became an inhabitant of the town of M., in the state of New-York; then a poor man, with a small family, and actually owing more than he was worth; but he loved the cause of Christ.

The church of which he was now a member was very small, and Mr. R- felt it his duty to afford all the assistance possible in sustaining the preached gospel. Unlike too many professed Christians, who do little or nothing for God while they are in debt to their fellow men, Mr. Rventured to give while he was thus encumbered.— He often said, here his prosperity began.

His location being favourable to the mechanical business which he pursued, he was soon able to discharge all his debts, and provide himself with all the necessaries of life. In the mean time he opened his hand liberally to all the benevolent objects of the day, and his influence soon became very salutary and extensive.

At a certain time, the church and society of M., after struggling with much difficulty for two or three years to support preaching half the time, held a meeting to see what should be done, and were about to relinquish the object, and do without the gospel, because too poor to support it, when Mr. R- arose and said "Brethren, I cannot endure the thought of living without preaching; I do not feel as though I could afford to be without the gospel; I am unwilling to give up the object without another trial;" and stepping up to the table he took his pen doubled his subscription, whieh was already known to be very liberal. His example was followed, and on the spot enough was raised to secure the desired object.

From that moment the society continued to prosper, and in the year 1825 they were able to settle a minister with a salary of 600 dollars. Soon after this Mr. R- called on his pastor, and mentioned, that in a certain portion of the township, (it being very large) there were many souls without religious instruction; and multitudes of children without the benefit of Sabbath schools, and that something must be done for them. At his suggestion the minister visited, and thoroughly explored that part of the town described, and found it in great need of help. On relating the particulars of his visit to Mr. R- he said, with much meaning, "Something must be done for them-they must have a missionary, and we must help them they are our neighbours, and we ought to care for them.” After imploring the divine direction, Mr. R- said, "My family will give forty dollars." Encouraged by such an example, efforts were made, and two hundred dollars were soon raised, a missionary was obtained, two hundred dollars more were raised by the people on the ground where he laboured, and the result is, that two meeting houses have been erected, two churches resuscitated and reorganized, a goodly number of souls have been born again, and they are now able to support the gospel without foreign aid.

About this time Mr. P heard that a small church in a neighbouring town were without a place of worship, and that they had not the means, or courage enough to attempt to provide one. Unsolicited he sent them forty dollars, to be appropriated for a meeting house in that place. This donation has been the means, under God, of securing to that people a house of worship. Many other facts might be mentioned to show the benevolent spirit of this good man, which must be omitted, least the reader should be wearied with the length of this article. Suffice it to say, he lived TO DO GOOD. His life, for several years, was one continued series of good works, tending constantly to advance the interests of piety, and to spread the triumphs of the cross. To lay up for his children was not his calculation; they well understood that their father cared much more for the welfare of Zion than he did for their worldly prosperity. In this they seem well satified; and their respect and affection for their parent corresponds with the degree of interest which he felt for the welfare of the church of Jesus Christ. In this is illustrated the important truth, that the most certain way to secure filial respect, is to set before the household an example of consistent pety.

[ocr errors]

Mr. R- died of the consumption, February, 1828, after a confinement of several months, during which time his faith increased, until hope was "swallowed up in fruition." It was affecting to see his family hang around his dying bed; they loved their father, and they saw in him an earnest of immortal joys; the brightening hopes of heaven glowed in his countenance as he decended to the tomb. On the day of his death the writer of this was with him several hours, but not when he expired. I said to him, "Brother R, is all peace? He opened his eyes, and with an expression on his countenance which I can never forget, for it told of heaven, replied, "O yes, I can say, I know in whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he will keep that which I have committed to him until that day." His family were all present, watching with deep interest the lingering moments of their beloved parent; several other friends were also there. I left him, though with great reluctance. All along he had told his children their father had no fear of death, because the Saviour lives. They saw it true when he sunk into the arms of death. All was now still. The eldest son looked calmly on, holding the arm of his dying father, to ascertain the exact moment when the soul should leave its earthly tenement for the abodes of immortality. His end was perfect peace; and when the silent palm had told the solemn truth that he was gone, the pious son laid the lifeless arm upon the breast, closed the unconcious eyes, then turning to his brothers and sister, wish a smile, "Now let us fall down and thank the Lord that we have had such a father.”

While the closing scene of this good man's life showed the high respect and affection of his children for their father, their subsequent conduct exhibits no less clearly the happy effect of his example upon them. It is enough to say, they walk in his footsteps, and a systematic course of benevolent action proves, that the ruling principle in most of them is, the love of doing good.

« AnteriorContinuar »