THE ADVANTAGES
OF DISTRIBUTING
THE HOLY SCRIPTURE
_ AMONG THE
LOWER ORDERS OF SOCIETY,
CHIEFLY .
BY THEIR OWN AGENCY.
SSS Ganassesmes
LONDON:
PRINTED BY ELLERTON AND HENDERSON,
JOHNSON’S COURT, FLEET STREET,
SOLD BY L. B, SEELEY, 169, FLEET STREET :
PICCADILLY,
1812,
AND J. HATCHARD, 190,
i
‘
“Et ala ll gala iesaec mth clei tat
THE ADVANTAGES
QF DISTRIBUTING
THE HOLY SCRIPTURE,
ABCC ws One
Wu OEV ER is acquainted with the history
of the Reformation, cannot fail to have observed
the extreme anxiety displayed by our Martyrs ~
and Reformers for the free circulation of the
Bible. The same feeling has been found to ani-
mate wise and good men in every age, since the
promulgation of the Gospel; and some of the
charitable: institutions which have arisen in mo-
‘dern times, hold out the pleasing assurance, that
this Christian principle still survives ; that many
are still emulous to follow the example before
them, and are in some degree influenced by. the
spirit of those who have long since gone pare
resting-place of the just.
One of the most important and sflethivie insti-
tutions which the world has ever seen, is the Bri-
tish and Foreign Bible Society. _ Its means are
great, but its projects are magnificent. . It pro-
6
poses to do nothing less than to diffuse the bless-
ings of Revelation to all men. Its operations
must be considered in a twofold view: as a Bri-
tish Society, it directs its first regards to the wants |
at home; and as a: Foreign Society, 1t encourages
the reprinting and dissemination of acknowledged ©
versions, where they already exist, and promotes
translations, and the circulation of the Scriptures,
where they are wholly unknown.
The efforts and utility of such an institution can
be limited only by its means; and in. proportion
to. the augmentation of its funds, will it extend —
the empire of knowledge and of truth. The as-
sistance which has been afforded. by Auxiliary
Societies in many parts of the country, can hardly
be estimated at too high a rate. By calling the
attention of the opulent to the want of Bibles in
their own vicinity, they have contributed very es-
sentially to the benefit of thousands, who might
otherwise have remained’ in ignorance; and by
aiding the funds of the parent institution, they
have enabled it to carry on its foreign operations
with great and increasing success. _ Many are the
prayers which have ascended from distant lands _
on behalf of their benefactors in Britain, and
many are the blessings which: ‘eat been invoked
on their heads. |
That a project of this godlike dete. so full
ar
4
of mercy, and so abundant in reward, should be
checked or narrowed by the want of resources, is
a citcumstance deeply to be lamented. Yet no-
thing is more certain, than that the efforts already
made, however glorious and however unexampled,
are not commensurate with the magnitude of the
case. Here is a world in ignorance! a world to
be enlightened, and evangelised! To the reflecting
mind it must be obvious, that a plan, which shail
at the same time adequately supply the demands
at home, and effectually meet the hopes and ex-
pectations of those myriads of human beings;
who, in other lands, suffer ‘‘a famine of the
word of the Lord,” must be supported by more
general interest, and aided by more extensive
means. el
To complete the system biel has commenced;
and been conducted with such happy results, no
measure seems to have oceurred of such reasonable
tig as Bible Associations*. The contributors
M4 Bible renee have pate Si taeds in many places.
The Auxiliary Bible Society for Blackheath and its neigh-
bourhood, has ten within its district; and one, within the
town of Darlington, produces after the rate of 701. a year;
_ being more than adequate to supply the deficiency of the
Scriptures amongst the poor of that town; thereby com-
pletely liberating the funds of the Auxiliary Bible Society for
Darlington and its vicinity, so far as relates to the town of
Darlington itself, for the ‘supply of foreign parts,
8
to the Institution in London, and to its. Auxilia2
ries and Branches: in different parts of the coun-
try, consist, in general, of that class of persons
who are somewhat elevated in the scale of society.
It is the object of Bible Associations to bring into
action also the inferior classes; to collect sub-
scriptions not merely from the opulent, but like+
wise from that large body of the people, who are
unable to give much, and are yet not unwilling to
give a little. If the number of contributors be
ereat, the accumulation even of small sums will
not be contemptible; and it may be presumed,
- that most persons, who are not absolutely in the
lowest walks of life, can afford a sons gga of a
penny a week. | | | )
A series of resolutions, recommended for wach
tion by Bible Associations, is subjoined to this
address. In illustration of that paper, it may be
proper to observe, that while the committees of
such associations are formed from the contri-
butors themselves, yet the stimulus must be af-
forded by others. On the formation of an Aux-
iliary Branch Society, the members of the com-
mittee (under the designation of sub-committees),
“should select certain districts for their own more
immediate exertions, and endeavour to awaken)
the attention of the inferior classes to the i impor-
tance of rendering - whatever aid they can afford.
9.
It would be expedient to appoint’ a numerous
committee for each Association, in order that a
- greater interest may be excited, and that the
‘ wants of the poor may be more accurately known.
Certain members of the Auxiliary or Branch
committees, should also be appointed frequently
to sit with the committees of Bible Associations.
A proper direction will: thus be given to their
efforts ; -a similarity of system will be maintained;
and the parent Society, with all its auxiliaries and
dependencies, will thus present a perfect whole,
correspondent in plan and) united in harmony: a
noble fabric, in which all the parts are combined
at once for beauty and for strength; whose foun-
dations are laid deep in the ground, but its pillars
are seen from afar, and its turrets sparkle in the
skies. © eden y abtaes Lait onde odds
'' As the object and tendency of the measure
here recommended, is to promote the. widest cir-
culation of the Scriptures, and to excite the
greatest attention to ‘them through the whole mass ©
of the community, it may seem almost superfluous
to enlarge upon the benefits which must result
from its adoption. In a land professing to be
Christian, where is the man who would arrest the
free streams of heavenly mercy? Where is the
man, who’ would not rather rejoice to behold
every mound and barrier swept away by the
10
ample tide ?—to see the liberal current “overflow
and pass over” in all its rich and fertilizing in-
fluence? that the soil, which has hitherto been
parched and unfruitful, or ‘ fertile only to its
own disgrace,” may smile.in new attraction, and
cheer the eye with strange luxuriance.
If, in these awful times, we conceive ourselves
to be placed upon an eminence from which we
may contemplate the ever-varying scenes which
are flitting around us, how melancholy is the
prospect! The face of nature, indeed, continues
the same; the works of creation still reflect the
wisdom and goodness of the Creator; seed-time
and harvest, and summer and winter, acknow-
ledge their appointed course; the earth expands
her beauties to the day, and the lights of heaven
still rise and descend obedient to the will that
formed them. But the moral world is thrown into
convulsions; the image of God is defaced; the
impress of the Divine hand seems to be almost
obliterated; and the best and chiefest. of his
works—for the sake of which this fair and fertile
earth. is commanded to yield her increase, and
the lights of heaven to travel. on their destined
way—presents little else than the fragments of a
mighty wreck. Public principle has been violated,
public order inverted ; the fury of the nations has
shaken, even to their base, the pillars. of civilized —
11
society, and the stately edifice itself seems tot-
tering to its fall. Long have we remained in.
tranquillity, spectators of the scene. We have
heard, indeed, the rolling of the thunder; but
it was a distant sound. We have seen the ter-
rors of the lightning; but its violence has been
spent upon others. The day seems now to be
approaching, when: this Cidatel of Liberty itself
may have to encounter the storm; to be rocked
by the heavings of that earthquake, which has
tumbled into ruins| so many of the kingdoms
around us. The ordinary checks of opinion and
of. law have been trampled upon with scorn.
Plots of misrule, and confederacies strange to
Englishmen, have spread with alarming rapidity,
and have been accompanied by atrocities of sad
and fearful expectation. Success has given con-
fidence to crime; the incendiary hardly waits |
tor the cover of darkness, and the hand of the
assassin has executed its purpose even in the
light of day. | :
These are scenes at voit wise men are con-
founded, and good men turn pale. Nor will the
considerate mind be much eased of its anxiety, by _
turning to the occurrences of private life, espe-
cially among the ignorant and uninstructed. In
poverty there is nothing which necessarily tends —
to. debase the character. Many have ‘‘ wandered
12
about in sheep-skins and goat-skins, being desti-
tute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was
not worthy:” ‘ the Son of Man” had “ not
where to lay his head :” but who can dwell, with-
out emotion, upon the wretched state of the un- ’
tutored and irreligious poor?’ It is here that we
see human nature in its lowest condition, de-
graded and sunk in shame. We behold a crea-
ture, formed after the Divine resemblance, but
without one feature remaining to indicate his
heavenly origin. For him there exists no reci-
procal charity, no real union of affection, no
Christian sentiment of mutual regard. ‘To these
feelings he is unable to rise ; he knows them not,
neither does he desire to know them. "That state
which was intended, by the Giver of every good
and perfect gift, to add, above all earthly means,
to the happiness of man, by the society of one
who should be, at the same time, the ornament
and the blessing of social life, presents little else
than the spectacle of cruelty and of suffering.
The wickedness of the parent is reflected in his
offspring. Scarcely has the infant tongue learned
to articulate, before it begins to blaspheme its
Maker. ‘The language of cursing and reviling is
there; and those who ought to be the pledges
of affection, contribute only to exasperate evil,
and accumulate misery ; —the scandal of their
3
neighbours, and the disgrace of their kind; —
without comfort i in this world, without hope for
the next...
Many, are thie esti oth of a waht and. pri-
vate nature, to which human legislation can apply
no remedy: they are to. be removed by that in-
fluence alone which can reach the heart; by those
sacred, principles which are. developed and. en-
forced in the records of ‘unerring wisdom. The
Scriptures have ever been acknowledged, by good
men, as the best foundation of morals ; and those
who labour to give them general circulation, and
to excite a general interest: for the perusal of
them throughout the great body of the people,
must: be considered:as rendering no common ser-
vice both to. individuals and to their country.
. Let it:be granted, that by,any means the Holy
Scripture i is perused with diligence by every poor
man who, is able to»read. it ;:what would be the
consequence? -Is it too, much to hope, that the
noise of tumult and disorder may be hushed in
peace ?. that men may be taught to fear God, and
to, honour the king? to do unto others as they
wish that, others should. do:unto them: and to
_ discharge with fidelity all the duties and relations
of life? Is it, an unreasonable. expectation, that
husbands may learn to cherish their wives and to
love their children? that woman may rise to her
just elevation and legitimate influence ? and that
14
the virtues of the parents may shine forth in their
ofispring? If the blessings of Christianity should
be extended to all according to the measure in
which they are enjoyed by many, how would this
world of sorrow and of pain be converted into a’
picture of Heaven! Should we refer to past ex-
perience, there is no fact more certain, than that
“the religious and moral state of every country
may be fairly estimated by the facility of procur-
ing Bibles, and the disposition’ to. read them.
‘‘ Appeal to a Christian, in any age and in any
country, and ask him, what is the greatest benefit \
which one child of mortality can confer upon an-
other: will he not refer you: to the Bible? «He
will tell:you, that the streams of charity may,» in-
deed, flow ‘in ten thousand channels; and that they
will not fail: to! convey blessings ' wherever ‘their
course can’ be directed; but that the records‘of
Heaven are calculated, above:all other means;’ to
meet the wants and to diminish the sufferings of
man: to point out to him his condition : to point
out to him, also, his’ privileges : to’ improve’ his
state, and to brighten his prospects : to impart
consolation as he proceeds upon his earthly /pil-
grimage, and to cheer his last hours, even in the
agonies of dissolving nature, with a hope full of
immortality *.” It would seem as if the very
oe Dealtry’s Speech on the formation ‘of the Southwark
Auxiliary Bible Society,
15
touch of the inspired volume had power to com-
municate new feelings, and to kindle new desires ;
to elevate the standard of principle, and to raise
the tone of morals; to purify the springs of do-
mestic happiness, to tame the fierceness of the
passions, to civilize manners, to bind in harmony
the various ‘‘ members of the embodied state,”
and to give to the family on earth some resem-
blance of the family above. Whenever Chris-
tianity has been permitted to walk forth in the»
native majesty of her form and the loveliness of
her character, a blessed influence has travelled by
her side. Her charms have fixed the regards of
infancy and of age. \The mouth which was once |
_“ full, of. cursing; deceit, and fraud,” has learned
to utter the language of sincerity and praise. The
feet. which. were. “‘ swift to shed blood,” have run
with alacrity: i in the-way of God’s commandments.
. Mankind have been taught: to love one another,
and have delighted in the assembling of them-
selves together: the house of prayer has been
crowded with worshippers, and the sentiment of
every heart has echoed responsive to the sweet
singer of Israel: ‘“ How amiable are thy taberna-
cles, O. Lord of Hosts! My: soul longeth, yea,
even fainteth, for the courts of the Lord: my
heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.
Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: <i
16
will be still praising thee.” Let it be granted that
the Scriptures are read it assiduity through the
whole extent of. our population, and results like
these may be confidently anticipated. | “‘ My word
“shall not return unto me void, but it shall accom- -
plish that which I please, and it shall prosper in
the. thing whereto I send-it.” What though the
effects. are. not. immediately perceptible; what
though the, groans of the creation are not at once
hushed. in repose, or converted into sounds: of
joy : the promise is indisputable, and the blessing
is sure... The.change. in the moral world will re-)
semble the change in the natural: the sun arises, —
and the dews descend; but the rigours: of winter
do not instantly abate, nor does the face of nature
at once resume the gaiety of spring: yet the great
principle of life and fertility is secretly at work ;
it 1s, imperceptibly. operating in.ten ‘thousand
channels, and: gradually ‘covers: the regions of
sterility with luxuriant vegetation and abundant
harvests. : |
If this be a just. representation df the moral
change. which a knowledge of the Bible is calcu-
lated, to:produce, and if the system of Bible Asso-
ciations tend, in-an especial degree, to the general
diffusion of that knowledge, few arguments can
be so powerful as those which recommend their
adoption... To the rich and. to the middle ranks
17
it may be urged,—“ You have a deep interest in
the welfare of the poor. If the security of a state
depend upon the loyalty and morals of its people,
by what other means can you contribute so
essentially to the preservation of order, to the au-
thority of the law, and the stability of the govern-
ment? Among what description of men will you
look for patience and industry, for sobriety and
obedience? Who are the persons most decent in
their demeanour, most frugal in their habits, and
(what is no mean political consideration) most
anxious to avoid the necessity of becoming charge-
able to their parishes? The answer is obvious.
And is it not, then, a matter of policy, as well as
of duty, to create an interest among the lower
_ classes for the possession and perusal of those sa-
cred records from which benefits so great and
various are acknowledged to. flow ? |
“And if © righteousness éxalteth a nation,’ if
national piety be recompensed by national mer-
cies, in what way can you hope so effectually to
secure to your native country the protection of
Him by whom ‘kings reign and princes. decree
judgment,’ as by extending the knowledge of his
name and the blessings of his religion? By such
means: may this empire be fixed indeed, upon the
Rock of ages,—tranquil amidst general distur-
bance, and safe amidst surrounding ruin,
, me
18
“Your zeal has already been attended by
great success. By your liberal exertions, Britain .
has already become the benefactress of distant
lands; and, while the nations are crumbling
around her, she stands alone and pre-eminent.
You have opened many channels through which
the streams of mercy and of life may flow: but
extensive deserts are still to be found, and Eng-
land itself yet contains many a parched and
thirsty waste. If the lower orders be ignorant, it
must be yours to instruct them; if they be care-
less and indifferent in this good cause, it must be
yours to rouse them into action. Shew them
their privileges and their duty : lay before them
the benefits which they must themselves expe-
rience from hearty co-operation in such a service,
and appeal to their best feelings by displaying the
blessings which they will confer upon others. Let
a concern for the circulation of the Scriptures be
thus excited through the great body of our popu-
Jation, and the lapse of a few years will furnish
every poor family in the British dominions with
the treasure of a Bible. If the poor can be in-
‘duced to subscribe even the smallest weekly sum,
for the possession of the Scriptures, and the dis-
tribution of them to others still poorer—if they
can be led to inquire into the wants of their
neighbours, and to arrange the best means of
19
supplying them—an interest will gradually be
created in their own minds, to which they have
hitherto been strangers ; and that, which at first
was matter of indifference, will become the object
of earnest attention. Such is the natural progress
of the human mind. Those who give the Bible”
will soon find a desire to peruse it; and while en-
gaged in recommending it to others, they will be
impelled to examine it for themselves ; to read it
in their houses ; to teach it to their children, and
to make it the frequent subject. of their thoughts
and conversation. —
“ Let not coldness or timidity suggest, that the
attempt will be abortive: if despair of success
should be the guide of our counsels, what great
project could ever be accomplished? Had this
feeling been suffered to damp the ardour of those
{who first raised the standard of Christianity
among our ignorant forefathers, or to depress the
“_spirit of our Reformers, what might have been, at
this day, the condition of England! Was it in de-
spair of success, that the champions of humanity ”
‘fought, for twenty long years, the battles of in-
jured Africa? Was it thus that they rose again
and again, after combat and defeat, still fresh for
engagement? No! confident in their good cause,
and in the approbation of Him who is the Friend
of the poor and needy, hoping as against hope
C2
20
they pursued with determination their glorious
way, till at length they broke her chains, and gave
freedom to her sable sons. And why should you
doubt of success in attempting to interest the poor >
upon the most interesting of all subjects? Have
they not senses, feelings, affections, passions, like
yourselves? Are they not influenced by the ordi-
nary motives of hope and fear? Shall the ebulli-
tions of folly, and the senseless harangues of de-
mocracy, awaken their enthusiasm for earthly
liberty, when they can complain of no oppression,
and can urge no wrong; and shall they be utterly
insensible, when called to contemplate that hea-
venly liberty which makes them free indeed ?
which releases them from the dominion of those
sordid habits and degrading passions whose ty-
ranny they experience every day ? which rescues
them from the bondage of Satan, and converts
them into the children of God? Are they, in so
may instances, ready to confer a trifling benefit
‘upon their poor neighbour, and will they deny
him the greatest which a child of mortality can
~ bestow? Shall the motives which direct and. go-
‘yern them in the ordinary transactions of life,
fail in that instance alone from which they derive
tenfold force and incalculable importance ? Shall
‘the impression be less as the reasons are more
/
powerful ?
~
Q1
“Will it be insinuated, that the lower orders
would rather associate and contribute for a bad
purpose than for a benevolent object ? The very
persuasion of their proneness to associate, should
be an argument for attempting, with all your
might, to give a right direction to that tendency
and to correct and improve it; if, by thus em-
ploying them in a good cause, they can be pre-
served from base and injurious combinations, you
will render, both to them and to society, a double
service. In times like the present, these consi-
derations come with peculiar force.
Will it be urged, that we have no encourage-
ment to proceed in this work of charity ? What!
when millions are rousing themselves, in different
quarters of the world, from the lethargy of ages,
anxious to behold ‘the Desire of all nations,’
can we possibly need any additional encourage-
ment or motive for circulating those imestimable
records which testify of Him ?
“Will it be contended, that no great effect
can be produced by small contributions? The
contribution of an individual to the government
is small ; but it is by the aggregate of such sums
that the state is supported. A ray of light and a
drop of rain are small; but it is by the sun and
the shower that our harvests wave in the field,
22
and by the accumulation of waters that the riches
_of all lands are transferred to this.
«“* Freely ye have received, freely give :’ if you
acknowledge for yourselves the blessed influence
of Divine Revelation, invite others to partake of
it. The light of Heaven is streaming, in all its
effulgence, above and around you: O, let not the
beams be interrupted ? Open for it a free passage
into the dwellings of the poor!”
To men of humbler condition it may be observ-
ed, in addition to the arguments already adduced ;
‘«* Although, for reasons best known to Infinite
Wisdom, the Almighty has withheld from you
rank and opulence, yet has he given to you the
privilege of conferring benefits on others, and of
conferring them in the highest degree. The faci-.
_lities which you possess, for discovering the wants
of those immediately around you, may be consi-
dered as an intimation of Providence, that, ac-
cording to your ability, you should seek to relieve
them. Silver and gold you may have none to
give ; but you can give that which is better than
rubies. You cannot, indeed, raise your poor
neighbour above the pressure of the times, or re-
move those afflictions which are especially inci-
dent to his condition; but you can furnish him
with a remedy for all : you can present him with
eS 4 ee
23
those oracles of wisdom, which will enlarge his
views and brighten his prospects; which will
teach him, that this scene of trouble is but the
pilgrimage of a day; that he is but the tenant of
an earthly tabernacle, which shall presently be
dissolved ; and that the disembodied spirit shall
then seek its everlasting home, shall ascend to
that * building of God, the house not made with
hands, eternal in the heavens.’
“‘ Since the beginning of time, no method has
ever been devised, by which you might do good
on so large a scale, and by such easy means.
The effects arising from other acts of charity,
must often be confined to the immediate object :
but the influence of your liberality will probably be
permanent, and descend with increasing blessings
‘from age to age. It is an enterprize of exalted
benevolence, which would become a sovereign
better than his crown, and add a greater lustre to
his throne than the widest enlargement of domi-
nion. This is a work which may bring all classes
into action without prejudice to any: here the
rich and the poor may meet together in common
exertion, for common good: poverty itself may
be thus enriched, and the lowest rank ennobled :
one generous feeling may animate all the orders
of society, may impel them to the same labour of
love, and crown them with the saine reward. |
| 24
‘What pleasure can be derived even from
wealth, like the pleasure of doing good? And this
is a gratification which, without riches, you may
enjoy in its highest measure. Look upon your
poorer brethren, and then ask, whether any de-
light can surpass the enjoyment of charity like
this ’—of charity, that extends blessings the most
pure and exalted, to the humblest of mankind—
that produces ‘an elevation of mind and of feel-
ing, which no poverty but Christian poverty can
exhibit ’—that gives light to the blind, heals the
broken in heart, brings life and immortality to
light among those who sit in darkness and the
shadow of death, and renders the poor of this
world rich in faith and heirs of the promises. If
the blessings of those who are ready to perish be
worthy of acceptance, then may you be blessed ;
if there be joy in heaven over one sinner that re-
penteth, then may the angels of God rejoice even
in your labours, and the Father of mercies himself
look down with approbation upon you. Above
all other considerations, let this be supreme ; if
by engaging in these acts of benevolence, you are
induced to read your Bibles with more earnest-
ness for yourselves, you may become Christians
indeed ; and, however low your situation in this
life, the treasures of that better world will be
your rich and eternal repayment.”
25
And is it not a recommendation to men of all
classes, that this system will soon carry the tidings
of salvation into the most distant lands? When
the demands at home shall have been satisfied by
the contributions of the poor, the subscriptions of
the more opulent to the parent Society and all
the Auxiliaries may be wholly converted into
foreign channels. Thus will the lower orders, by
their exertions at home, greatly contribute to the
increase of the supply abroad; and, in this
view, may even they be considered as elevating
on high the standard of Christianity, as becom-
ing “heralds of salvation to the ends of the
earth.”
They will share in the services and in the
triumphs of those who, by the blessing of the Al-
mighty, shall be made the instruments of ‘‘ shew-
ing his glory” to the millions of their fellow-crea-
tures that sit in utter darkness, or that hitherto
have only caught glimpses of the light of Revela-
tion, like interrupted flashes distantly shooting
across a gloomy sky. They will march, if we
may so speak, in the retinue of Him who shall
come forth ‘“‘ conquering and to conquer.” They
will add wings, as it were, to that angel of mercy,
who shall fly into all lands, bearing the everlast-
ing Gospel. Their hearts will be gladdened by
the gratitude of those whom, under God, they
26
shall have assisted to save; and they will receive
yet a far ampler reward in that place, where
“THEY THAT BE WISE SHALL SHINE AS THE
BRIGHTNESS OF THE FIRMAMENT, AND THEY
THAT TURN MANY TO RIGHTEOUSNESS, AS THE
STARS FOR EVER AND EVER.”
27.
RESOLUTIONS
RECOMMENDED FOR ADOPTION AT MEETINGS ASSEMBLED
FOR THE
FORMATION OF BIBLE ASSOCIATIONS.
err eee
“AT a Meeting of several Friends to the British and Foreign
Bible Society, in the Chair,
“* Resolved,
<* 1. That we form ourselves into an Association for the
purpose of contributing toward the circulation of the Holy
Scriptures, without note or comment, particularly among
the poor of this neighbourhood, and that it be denominated
the Bible Association of
“2. That every Member of this Association subscribe
not less than One Penny a week.
“« 3. That for every fifteen or twenty Members, the Com-
mittee shall appoint a gratuitous Collector (or that office
may be filled by the Subscribers in rotation, each for a cer-
tain period), to receive the Contributions, who shall pay the
same to the Treasurer on the first day of every month.
“« 4. That the business of the Association be under the
management of a Treasurer, a Secretary, and a Committee
consisting of _ other Members ; and that
the ‘Treasurer, Secretary, and three fourths of the other
Members who have most frequently attended the Committee,
shall be eligible for the ensuing year,
28
“5. That the Committee shall meet once every month,
or oftener, on some day to be fixed by themselves, and
that shall form a quorum.
* 6. That the Committee divide this neighbourhood into
Districts, and appoint a Sub-Committee for each District,
for the purpose of soliciting Subscriptions from the inha-
bitants thereof.
*¢ 7. That the Committee shall make it their business to
inquire, by the appointment of Sub-Committees, whether
any families or individuals, residing within its sphere, are
in want of Bibles or Testaments, and unable to procure
them ; in which case it shall be the duty of the Committee
to furnish them therewith at reduced prices, or gratis, ac-
cording to their circumstances. |
“ 8. That the whole of the Funds of this Association,
whether arising from Subscriptions, Donations, or the sale
of Bibles or ‘Testaments, at prime cost or reduced prices,
shall, from time to time, be expended in’ the purchase of
Bibles and Testaments, to be sold or given among the
poor of this neighbourhood, as before directed, until they
shall be adequately supplied with the Holy Scriptures; in
which case, the amount of future Subscriptions and Dona-
tions shall be remitted to the Auxiliary Bible Society at
, or the Branch Bible Society at
, in aid of its benevolent designs.
*« 9. That application be made by the Committee to the
Committee of the Auxiliary Bible Society at
» or to the Branch Bible Society at :
for permission to lay out the funds of this Association, in
purchasing, at the Depository of the said Society, Bibles
and ‘Testaments at the cost prices. _
“10. That a General Meeting of the Subscribers be held
at the in each year, when
the Accounts (as audited by the Committee), shall be pre-
29
sented, the proceedings of the past year reported, and a
Treasurer, Secretary, and Committee-men ap-
pointed. |
“41. That be Treasurer, Secretary,
and Members of the Committee for the year
ensuing.
© 42. That Subscriptions and Donations be now entered
into, and that they be also received by the Treasurer, Se-
cretary, and the Members of the Committee.”
fal
The Sub-Committees should inquire of the poor, first,
whether they possess copies of the Scriptures, and in what
condition; secondly, if not, and yet are desirous of pos-
‘sessing them, whether they have the means, in whole or in
part, at once, or by degrees, of purchasing copies; thirdly,
if any, and how many, of the family can read: and enter
such information in separate columns.
The plan of selling the Scriptures to the poor has been
tried, and has been found to possess several important ad-
vantages (where practicable) over gratuitous distribution.
When purchased, even at a low rate, they are generally
held in higher estimation, and more carefully preserved,
than when given. The expediency of extending this mode
of supply as widely as possible, is forcibly urged by the
consideration, that, if sold at an average but of one half of
the cost price, and the money so received invested in the
purchase of more books, and this repeated till the whole
fund and stock be exhausted, the number of copies thus cir-
culated will be nearly double that which could have been
gratuitously circulated by the expenditure of the original
sum. This average of one half may be obtained by carry-
ing the price, according to the circumstances of the parties,
30
from one fourth to three fourths of the cost price, or even
from one eighth to seven eighths. If the parties cannot pay
immediately, they may be allowed to discharge the small
debt by weekly instalments ; which will enable a very large
proportion of the poor to purchase the Scriptures, and ren-
der it unnecessary to give them excepting to a very few.
The effect which the adoption of this system will have in
accelerating the supply at home, and in enabling the Society
to enlarge its exertions abroad, must be obvious to every
considerate person.
Ae oe es eee
*,* The Contents of this Pamphlet are printed ina
cheap form, for general distribution, and may be had of the
Printers hereof, in quantities of 250 or upward, at the fol-
lowing prices—viz.
ees fn a es ae tee, OS Le. 6
MMe dine. Te ena s sotn sere te Mat eae
1000, or upwards, in the latter proportion.
———— ae
Ellerton and Henderson, Printers, Johnson’s
Court, Fleet Street, London.