No. 37.] PERIODICAL PAPER. [July, 1853. CONTENTS. Page. PUBLISHED AT THE ROOMS OF THE AMERICAN & FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY, 115 NASSAU ST. 1853. BV2370 As ORGANIZATION OF THE BOARD. THE newly-elected Board of Managers of the American and Foreign Bible Society met, according to the direction of the Society, at the Bible House, No. 115 Nassau Street, New York, on Thursday, 2d June, 1853, and organized by electing B. T. WELCH, Chairman. R. BABCOCK, Corresponding Secretary. J. J. WOOLSEY, General Agent and Financial Secretary. N. C. PLATT, Treasurer. SAMUEL RAYNOR and J. M. BRUCE, JR., Auditors. The following STANDING COMMITTEES were duly appointed: Real Estate.-C. W. HOUGHTON, N. C. PLATT, WM. PHELPS. Publication and Finance.-P. BALEN, J. M. BRUCE, JR., G. C. GERMOND, H. H. LAMPORT, and D. M. WILSON. Agencies.-A. D. GILLETTE, E. T. HISCOX, R. PEGG, J. W. TAGGART, and W. WINTERTON. Legacies.-J. H. ADAMS, I. R. STEWARD, and J. J. WOOLSEY. Library and Versions.-S. A. COREY, W. S. GOODNO, D. M. GRAHAM, J. HATT, and E. L. MAGOON. Each Committee to elect its own Chairman and Secretary. STATED MEETINGS OF THE BOARD. The Board of Managers meet on the Thursday after the first Wednesday of every month, at the Bible House, 115 Nassau-st., at 4 o'clock, P. M. The Committee of Publication and Finance, every Monday immediately preceding the meeting of the Board, at 4 o'clock, P. M., and the Committee of Agencies the next Wednesday at 4 o'clock. BY-LAWS. 1. All meetings shall be opened with prayer. 2. All Committees shall be nominated by the presiding officer, proved by the Board, unless specially otherwise ordered. and ap 3. No moneys shall be paid out of the Treasury but by order of the Board. 4. All resolutions, if required, shall be presented in writing. 5. When any member of the Board, not known to be out of the city, shall be absent from two regular meetings in succession, a committee shall be appointed to wait on such absentee, to ascertain the cause, and whether he can be relied on to attend the meetings in future. ORDER OF BUSINESS. 1. Reading minutes of last meeting. 2. Treasurer's Report. 3. Communications of Corresponding Secretary. 4. Report of Depository. 5. Report of Standing Committees. 8. New Business. BIBLES AND TESTAMENTS. In English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Danish, and Welsh, in great variety, beauty and excellence, constantly on hand, for sale at low prices, either single or by the quantity, at the Depository, 115 Nassau-Street. Special attention is solicited to a fresh importation of English and German Bibles and Testaments-some in rich and attractive bindings. THE SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY was held in the Pearl Street Baptist Church, Albany, on Monday, May 16, 1853. The Annual Sermon was preached on Sunday Evening, the 15th, by the Rev. George B. Ide, D.D., of Mass., from 1 Chron., 12:23. The business meeting of the Society was held in the Lecture Room, at 2 o'clock, on Monday the 16th. The President in the chair. Prayer by Rev. S. D. PHELPS, of Conn. The President congratulated the Society upon the favorable circumstances under which they met acknowledging with gratitude the mercies and favors of the past year. Minutes of the last annual meeting read and approved. The following brethren were appointed a committee to nominate Officers and Managers for the ensuing year: Messrs. WINTERTON, GOODNO and GERMOND, New York, WILSON, N. J., TONKIN, N. H., RAYMOND, Ill., SHEPHERDSON, Ohio, PORTER Mass., GRIGGS, Vt., KILPATRICK, Me., CHASE, Mich., * WILLET, Conn., WATSON, Pa., CHESHIRE, R. I., who reported the following as their recommendation, which was unanimously confirmed: The following resolutions were presented by the Corresponding Secretary, according to the directions of the Board, and its recommendations were unanimously adopted: 1. Resolved, That the restrictive resolutions passed at the Anniversary of this Society in 1850, as a substitute for the original resolves of 1838, on the same subject, which had the previous year been modified, be and are hereby repealed, for the express purpose of substituting again the original restrictions of 1838, which are hereby re-affirmed in the original words. 2. Resolved, That these original resolves of 1838, reported then by a large and judicious committee, and unanimously adopted by the Society, be and are hereby incorporated as an addition to the Second Article of the Constitution as a part of the same, to the intent they may be prominently before the Society, its managers and all its friends. The addition proposed by these resolutions makes the Second Article as follows: ART. II. It shall be the object of the Society to aid in the wider circulation of the Holy Scriptures IN ALL LANDS. In carrying into effect this Article of the Constitution, the Society will expect the most sedulous care in patronizing such versions only of the Sacred Scriptures into the languages of the heathen, as have been, or may be, faithfully made, and are approved by competent examiners; and that in the distribution of the Scriptures in the English language,the commonly received version will be used until otherwise directed by the Society. The Building Committee reported progress, as follows: TO THE AMERICAN AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY: THE Committee appointed by you on the 14th April, 1852, to procure suitable premises for the use of the Society, beg leave to report progress. In pursuance of their charge, and after much examination as to the relative merits of different locations, your Committee found that the property which was formerly owned by the American Bible Society, situate on Nassau Street, in the City of New York, was well suited for the purposes of this Society. These premises were offered for sale at public auction in January last, in one parcel, and in order to procure that portion of them which was adapted to and sufficient for the purposes of the Society, it was necessary to purchase the whole. This purchase was made by one of your Committee, Mr. Nathan C. Platt, for $105,000. Upon consultation, after this purchase, it was determined that the southerly portion of the property, that known as the " Bible House," being about 50 feet wide on Nassau Street, and extending through about 100 feet to the Street in the rear, would be sufficient. This part of the purchase, which was more than one-half of the whole, was assumed by your Committee at $55,000, and the residue, containing about 44 feet front, was kept by Mr. Platt, on his own account, at $50,000; a proportion of price larger than his proportion of the property. Mr. Platt has completed his purchase according to the terms of the sale, and received the deed of the property, and this Society went into possession of their portion on the second day of this month. Your Committee believe that this property, with reference to its central location, its adaptation to their business, its price, the prospective improvements in the neighborhood and enhancement in value, is both suitable and desirable for the Society. They farther report that subscriptions to the amount of about thirty thousand dollars have been made toward the $55,000 necessary to complete their purchase. According to the terms of this subscription, and the wish of the donors, they have provided that rooms and accommodations in the premises should be offered to the Am. Bapt. Home Mission Society, to the Am. Bapt. Missionary Union, to the Am. Bapt. Publication Society, and to the New York Baptist Missionary Convention. for their permanent occupancy, and free from Rent. It is intended that this property shall be conveyed to the Society as soon as the necessary arrangements can be completed. Your Committee are desirous that the residue of the subscriptions should be raised by the 1st day of September next; and hope to be able to make a final report at the next Annual Meeting. Respectfully submitted, NEW-YORK, 14 May, 1853. S. P. TOWNSEND, Chairman. At 3 o'clock, P. M. the Society assembled in the body of the church. The President in the chair. Exercises introduced by reading the 19th Psalm, by Rev. C. G. SOMMERS. Singing 392 Hymn of the Psalmist: "How precious is the Book divine." Prayer by Rev. LEWIS LEONARD, of Cazenovia, N. Y. The President then addressed the Society as follows: MEMBERS OF THE AMERICAN AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY. ON behalf of the Board of Managers, and with all my heart, I tender to you, dear brethren, fraternal and affectionate salutation upon this our sixteenth anniversary; and I do so the more feelingly, as the peculiar incidents and associations of the occasion are to me alike pleasing and impressive; at the Capital of the State, in this house, in the bosom of this Church, in a position and under circumstances that awaken the memories of the past, recalling, in strong impression, scenes and events of deep and solemn interest. In this city, where the prime of my manhood was exhausted in the labors and trials of the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ; in this pulpit, where my head whitened under the anxieties and responsibilities of a long protracted ministry, which, however weak and imperfect, was graciously sustained; in this place, where I have enjoyed so much of blessed elevation of spirit from the Master's presence, and of painful depression from conscious inadequacy, I am permitted, in the kind providence of God, to greet you brethren, beloved in the faith and fellowship of the Gospel, and as coadjutors in a precious cause. May God the Holy Spirit descend upon this Church, multiply its numbers, and establish it in the truth. May an unction from the Holy One prepare us for the duties and responsibilities of the session, and concentrate our entire moral being upon the great work to which we are called. Among the interesting recollections of the past year, there are some of a solemn and impressive character. We are forcibly reminded of the necessity of redeeming our time, and of girding ourselves for the work of God, by the recent departure of our beloved brother and Recording Secretary, the Rev. MORGAN J. RHEES, to the rest that remaineth for the people of God. At our last session we had the benefit of his valuable services, and listened with profit and pleasure to his judicious counsels; but that active hand is now still, and that persuasive tongue is now silent in death: long will his memory be cherished, and his loss deplored by the members of this Board. Amiable in manner, and gentle as a child in disposition and feeling, yet wise in council, prompt and energetic in action, his talent and labors were inestimable to this Society, while his admirable qualities and ardent piety endeared him to the entire circle in which he moved, and especially to those who were honored with his confidence. It was my very great privilege to be near him in his dying hours, and to frequently unite in prayer with and for his departed spirit; nor shall I soon forget those solemn scenes, for sweet and precious beyond expression were those moments of communion with that happy spirit, just about to be made perfect in heaven. Eloquent and artless he certainly was, both in the pulpit and on the platform, but more impressively and touchingly so upon the bed of death. I sat by his bedside, and listened to his affecting deprecations of an imperfect life and ministry, to his expressions of confident faith in the merits, grace, and cross of his Redeemer, and his exulting hope of immortal life, until I deeply realized that "The chamber where the good man meets with death, Is privileged beyond the common walks of life, Among the last of his expressed desires and prayers (not the least fervent) were for the prosperity of this Society and the successful prosecution of its work. Upon one occasion, when his physician had intimated some encouragement, and I had expressed the hope that he might yet be restored, he said, "Yes, it would be pleasant to live for my family, and that I might be present at our anniversary in Albany." Then, after a pause, in which he appeared absorbed in thought, he said, "But no, this is not probable, but you will be there. Say to our brethren, the word of the living God is in their hands, let it fly let the Bible fly over the whole earth!" I have delivered the message of that ardent spirit, when standing as upon the threshold of the Father's House, and shall we not listen to it? It comes back upon us as a voice re-echoed from his lone grave! Or rather like the mantle of the prophet that fell upon Elisha, as he ascended in a chariot of flame; it drops down upon us from heaven, as he was starting upon his upward flight from this dark world of sin and death, to the bright abodes of perfection and bliss. May the last desire of our departed secretary be answered on earth, while he lives in the presence of God and the Lamb in heaven. Beloved brethren, our Anniversaries not only afford the opportunity of mutual counsel and congratulation, but also to review the past; and from the recollections of the Divine goodness, derive motive to grateful confidence in his faithfulness and power, and the strong impulse to earnest devotedness in the important work confided to our hands. The history of the American and Foreign Bible Society is replete with interesting reminiscences that forcibly evince, in its formation and progress, the smiles of the Divine favor. Its origin was marked by peculiar and gracious interpositions of His unseen but mighty hand, leading His people in a way that they knew not, but in a path and progress beautifully illustrative of His superintending providence, and to results eminently calculated to glorify His name, and vindicate the authority of His word. With this history you are perfectly familiar, and have frequently admired the displays of wisdom and grace by which it has been characterized. After long and pleasant co-operation with our great and honored national institution, to whose treasury the zeal of our Churches contributed their full proportion, and after protracted and painful discussion, aid was refused by their Board to our foreign translations of the Scriptures; their patronage withheld, and for no other reason but because the fidelity of our translators imparted the inspirations of the Holy Spirit in intelligible terms, making known the will of God in heathen lands, in relation to the ordinances of His house. Our duty was plain and unquestionable. We were impelled, by our allegiance to the King in Zion and His sovereign claims upon us as the subjects of His moral government, to take the work into our own hands, and prosecute it in humble dependence upon His providence and promise, "whose we are and whom we serve." Who that was present at our great Denominational Convention at Philadelphia, in the year 1836, (an assembly unsurpassed in number and sanctified intelligence by any ecclesiastical body ever convened in this country,) could fail to have marked the evident tokens of the Divine presence and guidance? It was indicated, and by many deeply felt, in the progress of its earnest yet calm deliberations, and especially in its wise and almost unanimous conclusions. 69335 |