7 «^V»i $ -A. SERMON PRIACHHD bkfobk thk ALBANY COUNTY BIBLE SOCIETY SIXTY-THIRD ANNIVERSARY. (Tbe (Claims of tbe $iblc upon (Hnibcrsal -Attention.” A SERMON PREACHED BEFORE TI1E ALBANY COUNTY BIBLE SOCIETY, AT ITS SIXTY-THIRD ANNIVERSARY, IN THE STATE ST. PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, ALBANY, March 1st, 1874, By Rev. JOHN JAMES, PASTOR OF THE CHURCH. PUBLISHED BY REQUEST OF THE SOCIETY. ALBANY, N.Y. 1874. Albany, N. Y., March 4, 1874. Rev. John Jambs: Reverend and Dear Sir — At the annual business meeting of the Albany County Bible Society, held Monday, the 2d inst., the following resolution was unanimously adopted : Resolved, That the thanks of the Albany County Bible Society be presented to the Rev. John James for the eloquent and appropriate discourse delivered last evening on the occasion of its sixty-third anni- versary. Also, that a copy be requested for publication. In compliance with the foregoing resolution, you will confer a favor on the Society by furnishing a copy for publication. Veiy respectfully yours, William McElroy, President, S. R. Gray, Recording Secretary. To Mr. William McElroy, President, and Mr. S. R. Gray, Recording Secretary, of the Albany County Bible Society : Dear Friends — I have received with sincere gratification the thanks of the Society which you have forwarded to me, and I gladly comply with your request and send a copy of the sermon for publication. I have added a few foot notes, extracted from good authorities, in sup- port of particular statements made in the body of the discourse, which I think will be useful and satisfactory. And with best wishes for the prosperity of the Albany County Bible Society, and the earnest prayer that the blessed Master, whom we serve, may own and bleas this humble effort to the furtherance of Ilis own cause, I remain, with much esteem, You re very affectionately, John Jambs. Albany, March 10, 1874. T HEME. The Bible, as a Book, has Claims upon Universal Attention. “Seek ye out of the book of the Lokd axd read.” Isaiah, 34 : 16. “ The book of the Lord ” ; this is a high title. There are myriads of books in the world, emanating from the human mind, and many of them possessed of great merit; but we know of only one book which can lay legitimate claim to this divine designation. That book is “ The hook of hooks '' — “ The god of hooks'' as one has called it, — “ The hook of God," — “The Bible.” This book, from its very name, and according to the estimation of multitudes, must be a marvelous book ! Has this “ Albany County Bihle Society " existed for sixty-three years for the sole purpose of circulating this one book? Are there now organizations of a similar kind in almost all Christian countries and communities ? Does the “American Bihle Society" now spend nearly seven hundred thousand dollars annually in printing and distributing this same book? Does the “ British and Foreign Bihle Society" organized in 1804, now spend over a million and a half dollars annually for this same purpose ? Have these two great national associations, since their origin, put in circulation over eighty millions copies , in whole or in part, of this precious book ? Has it been translated into not less than one hundred and sixty languages and dialects ? 4 Docs this book claim rightfully and exclusively such a glorious title ? Has it gathered around it all this concen- trated wealth and talent ? Has all this pious interest, this religious enterprise, this devoted labor been concen- trated upon its free and far-reaching circulation ? Then what a wonderful book it must .be ! Is there any other such book in the world ? Is thei’e any other book which merits such attention ? Is there any other that would repay it, as this has done, and is ceilain to do in yet greater measure ? It is of this book that we discoui’se to you this evening, and we start out with the proposition : The Bible as a book has claims upon universal attention, and ought to be universally circulated. We will endeavor to support this proposition 1 >y dis- cussing the two following interrogations : I. What is the history of the Bible as a book ? II. On what grounds do its claims to universal attention rest First. — What is the history of the Bible as a book? This interrogation embi-aces quite a number and variety of particular inquiries, which we shall attend to hi regular order. 1. When was this book written? The book is divided into Old and New Testaments, and consists of sixty-six parts. The Old Testament portion has thirty-nine, and the New has twenty-seven books. These parts were written at different dates, and in their composition cover a period of not less than 1588 years ! The oldest portion dates as far back as 1491 years before Christ, and is thus 3365 years old ; and the most l-ecent portion is now 1777 years of age. The Old Testament writings were com- pleted, with the book of the prophet Malachi, about 397 years before Christ ; and the books of the New Testament 5 were written between the y cal's 38 and 97 ot the Christian era. These dates mark pretty accurately the times when these books were written in their present form, but they contain historical information and data which carry us back to the very dawn of time and the creation of all things ; and in their prophetic vista give us a glimpse oi coming ages and of the glories of eternity. 2. In what country and language was the hook originally written / The book belongs to one nationality, and that great honor is claimed by the Jewish nation, who pos- sessed the land of Palestine. The portions of the Old Testament, with some few important exceptions, were written in that favored country. The books of Moses and Job were written before the Israelites entered the prom- ised land, and those of Ezekiel and Daniel belong to the period when the Jews were captives in Babylonia. Many of the parts of the New Testament were written in cities of Greece and Italy — countries of Europe — and some of them in Asia Minor, and at Jerusalem. The Old Testament was written in the Hebrew — the native language of the Jew — and the New, in the Greek , which had become the commercial language of Palestine in the time of our Saviour and his apostles. The New is Jewish, however, in its composition, as well as the Old, though it is dressed in the Greek garb. These are fre- quently called the '■'■sacred languages ,” from this circum- stance, that in them these sacred books were originally given to the world. Oh ! how much do we owe to this land and nation ! They gave us our prophets and apostles, our Holy Bible and our Messiah — the Divine Redeemer ! “To whom,” the apostle says (Rom. 9 : 4-5), “ pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the sendee of God, and the promises ; whose 6 are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.” * 3. By whom v:as this book written ? Not In' any one man, though it claims to have “ one author .” About forty separate individuals were employed by its Great Author on its composition. Many of the books are called after their names ; and almost without exception the writers of each part respectively are known — yea, we seem to be familiar with them and with their names, as with men of a very recent generation. These men belonged to and were chosen from the different ranks and conditions of society. Some were kings, and judges, and learned men, trained in the schools of the prophets ; and some were herdmen, gatherers of fruit, and fisher- men, unlearned and rude in their condition. Their natural talents and acquirements were conse- quently of all possible variety ; but they were constituted “ Holy men of God, who spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” And their characters being approved, and their commission executed with fidelity before God, their writings command the most serious attention of men. Notwithstanding that these books cover a period of sixteen hundred years in their compilation ; that forty * “ Jesus Christ and his apostles never accused the Jews of unfaith- fulness as to the deposit of the oracles of God with which they had been entrusted. God has been pleased to furnish us with two irrefragable witnesses — Josephus and Philo — both contemporaries of the apostles, both men of letteis, both Pharisees, both descendants of Aaron, both in high repute among their i>eople, and both versed in Hebrew learning. Josephus, besides enumerating the books that were regarded as div ine by all his people, testifies, ‘They maintain them even to death ; none of them dare to add or to take away anything.’ As to Philo, we see him deputed by fifty thousand Jews of Alexandria to offer prayers and sacrifices at Jerusalem, in the temple of their fathers. He also visited Rome on an embassy to the Emperor Caligula, to defend his country- men against the accusations of Apion ana others; and we hear him declare that ‘the Jews would rather die ton thousand times than per- mit a single word to be altered in their scriptures.’ ” — Qaussen. individuals, belonging to different generations, living far apart, and many of them unknown to each other except by name, were employed in the work ; yet what a mar- velous unity characterizes the Bible. True, there are verbal discrepancies ; there are differences as to dates and names, and difficulties as to the interpretation of particu- lar passages ; but these are few and of trifling moment, compared with the grand unity of purpose which pervades the whole, or with the one great system of doctrines which is interwoven with the whole fabric of revealed truth. One translation or one interpretation may be more correct than another, but we claim that the great revelation is one , and that it has been preserved to us in its completeness. This marvelous unity and preservation bespeaks the revelation divine. The Bible is “ the book of the Lord.” * 4. How have these sixty-six parts been included in this booh and not others also S No doubt other and useful * “ The MSS. are innumerable. They belong to all ages, and many of them are very ancient. They have been kept for centuries in dis- tant parts of the world, under the custody of opposing sects, and in cir- cumstances that made extensive or important alterations impossible. The possessore of these manuscripts deemed them of the highest value, and professed to live under the influence of the truths contained in them. Copyists preserved them with the utmost reverence, counting every letter of every book, and registering the very tittles of the law. How remarkable, how decisive as an evidence of divine care, that while all the libraries of Europe and of the world containing copies of the sacred Scriptures have been examined, all ancient vereions extant compared, the MSS. of all countries from the third to the sixteenth century collated, the commentaries of all the fathere again and again investigated, nothing has been, discovered, not even a single general reading, which can set aside any important passage hitherto received as genuine. This negative conclusion, that our Bible does not essen- tially differ from the Bible of the primitive Church, is indeed an ample recompense for all the labor and time which have been devoted to these pursuits.” — Angus. “ Eat the Scripture bread in simplicity, just as you have it, and do not be disturbed if here and there you tind a grain of sand which the mill-stone may have suffered to pass. If the Holy Scriptures, which have been so often copied, were absolutely without variations, this would he so great a miracle that faith in them would be no longer faith. I am astonished, on the contrary, that from all these transcrip- tions there has not resulted a greater number of various readings.” — Bengel. 8 writings existed in the times to which these belong. AVe have evidence of this in the Apocryphal books, and the spurious gospels and epistles which have been preserved, as well as many other writings, not professedly sacred, which we know to have existed in those early times. But, so far as we know, do these books and writings ever claim this high rank ? Do they not rather repudiate it, and guard their readers against supposing that t he}' speak by divine inspiration? Moreover, these writings possess no internal marks, nor do they bring with them any external evidences, that they are of divine authority. They cannot therefore be admitted within the sacred canon. But how stands the case with regard to the books of the Bible ? The writers of these books claim that they speak in the name and by the authority of Jehovah. They spoke to beings and nations with an authority peculiarly their own, foretelling their prosperity or downfall, sometimes with terrible accuracy. They gave forth commandments which potentates and peoples must respect and obey at the peril of all which they held dear, and they denounced threatenings, the speedy execution of which, by the power of Jehovah alone, involved their beloved cities, temple, houses, friends, and even them- selves, in ruin and bitterest grief. Yea, they would rather suffer severest persecution than withhold such denunciations when God’s command was upon them. In various ways did they support* their claims that they wrote and spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. They wrought miracles in support of their divine mis- sion. They certify one another in an almost unbroken chain. Almost all testify of Moses, the man of God, and his writings, nor is the ancient sainted Job forgotten. The later writers speak of the word of “the Lord which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun,” and of Samuel the 9 prophet ; and so later still of David, and Solomon, and Isaiah, and Jeremiah. Yea, Daniel’s prayer which he prayed for the deliverance of his people from Babylon is founded on the word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah before the people had been carried away captive. More- over. Jesus and his apostles certify the Jewish canon of the Old Testament Scriptures by quoting from its several books, and bv referring to it and speaking of it under the same arrangement and classification as the Jews had carefully adopted for their sacred books. And we know with what care and solicitude they preserved and guarded this precious treasure. And only those which were written and certified by the inspired apostles of Christ our Lord were admitted into the New.* Nor do these particulars exhaust the claims which may be put forth in support of the authenticity and genuine- ness of these divine records. There are internal evidences of a high order, which we can only hint at. There are the great truths revealed which are altogether beyond the reach of the human mind. Truths relating to God, to creation, to man, to salvation, to time, to the insurrec- tion, to eternity ! There is the purity which characterizes these writings; a purity which elevates the mind, refines t he heart and ennobles the soul ! And there is the inherent moral or spiritual power with which the Bible as a book is impregnated ; a power which revolutionizes individuals, communities, and even nations, where its circulation is promoted. The external evidences are not less remark- able ; the stupendous miracles wrought in its support ; the fulfilled prophecies relating to nations, cities and * “ The Apocrypha are not found in any catalogue of canonical writings made during the first four centuries after Christ, nor were they regarded as part of the rule of faith till the decision of the Coun- cil of Trent, 1545. Philo never quotes them as he does the sacred Scriptures, and Josephus expressly excludes them. The Jewish church never received them as part of the canon, and they are never quoted either by our Lord or by his apostles.” — Angus . 1 * 10 events far in the future ; and the lives given up in mar- tyrdom in defence of the truths which they had declared. All these facts, testimonies and evidences demonstrate that this and this alone is the word of the living God.* 5. What translations have been made in early times, and how far have they tended to the preservation of a pure text? The first translation made of the Old Testament was from the Hebrew into the Greek language. This took place about 300 years before Christ, and is known as the ‘ 1 Septuagint version so named, as is supposed, from the number of persons employed upon the translation. This version has always been held in high repute among scholars, and was the copy of the Scriptures most in use in the times of our Saviour and his apostles, inasmuch as the quotations in the New Testament are generally made from it.f Many other versions of both the Old and New * “Most, of the apostles seem to have sealed their testimony with their blood, and each nobly endured the trial. The following facts are gathered chiefly from ecclesiastical history. They are not all, however, equally certain : Matthew suffered martyrdom (by the sword) in Ethiopia. Mark died at Alexandria, after being dragged through the streets of that city. Luke was hanged on an olive tree in Greece. John was put into a cauldron of boiling oil, but escaped death, and was banished to Patrnos. Peter was crucified at Rome with his head downwards. James was beheaded at Jerusalem. James the Less was thrown from a pinnacle of the temple, and beaten to death below. Philip was hanged against a pillar in Phrygia. Bartholomew was flayed alive. Andrew was bound to a cross, whence he preached to his persecutors till he died. Thomas was run through the body at Coro- mandel, in India. Jude was shot to death with arrows. Matthias was first stoned and then beheaded. Barnabas was stoned to death by Jews at Salonica. Paul, in deaths oft, was beheaded at Rome by Nero. Does the world furnish any such examples of sincerity and faithfulness? — Angus. f “It is not probable that the Jews had any Greek version of their sacred Scriptures before the reign of Alexander, for until that time they had little or no intercourse with Greece. From that time, dis- persed and resident in that country, they might, of their own accord, gradually translate their sacred books into that language which now became their mother tongue. “ Aristeas, however, said to be a writer of the third century before Christ, and one of the officers of Ptolemy Philadelphia, king of Egypt, states that Demetrius Phalereus, library keeper of that prince, who was a great collector of books, informed him that the sacred books of 11 Testaments were made at a very early period, chief among which were the following : 1st. The Peshito version, in the Syriac language, which belonged to the tirst century, and was made from the Hebrew of the Old Testament.* * 2d. The Italic version, in the Latin language, which belonged to the third century, and was founded on the Greek Septuagint. It was thus a copy of a copy, and was not deemed entirely satisfactory. Hence Jerome, in the end of the fourth century, failing to revise and improve the Italic to his mind, undertook a new transla- tion direct from the Hebrew. lie devoted the larger portion of twenty years to this work, and it was com- pleted in 405 A. D. This version came into great favor, and has for centuries been known as the Latin Vulgate. Copies of it were rapidly multiplied, and in a few centu- ries. through the frequency of transcription, many errors and corruptions crept in. We shall have occasion to refer to this again. 3d. The Ethiopic version, in the G/ieez , the sacred language of Ethiopia, the country of Candace, whose eunuch Philip the apostle baptized (see Acts, 8 : 26), and the same as the modern Abyssinia. the Jews ought to he added to his library, and being in a foreign lan- guage, that they ought to be carefully translated ; that the king wrote to the Jewish high priest, requesting that this might be done, and in return agreed to set at liberty all the Jewish captives, said to be 100,000, in his dominions; that the high priest sent him a copy of the Scriptures, along with six of the most respectable and learned men of each of the twelve tribes, in all seventy-two, to translate them ; that the king received the gift and embassy with great veneration, carried the seventy-two interpreters to the island of Pharos, for their greater quiet ; that in seventy-two days they completed the revision ; that they read it to an assembly of the Jews, who approved of it, and to the king, who admired it; and that, having placed it in his library, he sent back these men, loaded with presents and honor.” — Han ken’s Theology. * “The Peshito version of the Scriptures was probably made by those translators ‘who were sent to Palestine by the apostle Jude and Abgarus king of Edessa.’ Such is the ancient tradition, and it is in itself sufficiently probable. From internal evidence it is believed that the translators were Jewish Christians, and that they translated the Old Testament from the original Hebrew.” — Angus’ Hand Book. 12 This version belongs to the fourth century. “ Its author is not known. Perfect copies of the Old Testament are not common, though Bruce, in his travels, states that he found several, and there are manuscripts of it in some of the libraries of Europe.” Belonging to about the same period are the Coptic and Thebaic versions, dialects of Egypt. These are all founded on the Septuagint ver- sion. There were also the Gothic, Georgian and Slavonic, or old Russian language, of great critical value, belonging respectively to the fifth, sixth and ninth centuries. These are some of the prominent versions and transla- tions of early date. But since the art of printing was discovered, in the beginning of the fifteenth century, ver- sions of the Scriptures have greatly multiplied, until now there is scarcely a language or dialect into which they have not been translated, and in some languages there are several versions. This book has been issued in languages which before had never been written, and circulated in communities where no other literature existed. By the art of embossed printing it has been given even to the blind. How have these versions helped to preserve a correct or pure text ? Suppose you wish to make a perfect pat- tern or model of a famous monument which has existed for centuries in the land of Egypt, and which, though carefully guarded by royal authority, is liable to change or decay. You learn that a certain celebrated traveller made a perfect drawing of it two hundred years ago ; that another had a monument built exactly the same, in another country, some century later; that still another had taken a photograph of the original many years since. And now suppose you have free access to all these, will you not be able to determine whether the monument has undergone any material change? and will not the inves- tigation of these aid you very much in bringing your 13 own model to perfection? So it is in relation to this monument of divine revelation. Whilst there are many manuscripts of the original Hebrew and Greek texts, yet by a careful collation of the still more numerous manu- scripts of these translations and versions, tin 1 perfect state of the preservation of the former may be tested, or the unavoidable verbal errors which may have occurred in the course of transcription may be corrected. By this means have eminent biblical scholars been enabled to give to the Church and to the world the word of God in a degree of perfection that is really wonderful ; specially when we consider its antiquity, the persecutions which those endured who tenaciously clung to its precious truths, and the great changes and revolutions through which it has passed. We may well exclaim : What a marvelous book in its certain antiquity, its grand unity, its sure preservation, its divine completeness ! * This community has of late been interested in the ques- tion as to whether the Protestant or Roman Catholic English Bible is the more correct. We think this ques- tion might be made to rest on two facts : 1st. The Douay version is professedly made from the Latin Vul- gate, which itself was a translation, and at the time the * “ At the time when the first volumes were planted, there were man- uscript copies of the Scriptures in most of the public libraries of Europe. They form, with the writings of the Fathers, or of other ecclesiastical authors of the middle ages, the bulk of most library catalogues of the fifteenth century. Dr. Kennicott collated 630 of these MSS. for his critical edition of the Hebrew Bible. De Rossi collated 734 more. And upwards of 600 MSS. have been examined for recent editions of the Greek text.” “ In the case of the Greek and Roman classics, twenty or ten MSS. are deemed amply sufficient to form an accurate text. Fifteen MSS. of Herodotus are known to critics, of which the most ancient belongs to the tenth century, and that is a fair average of the ancient MSS. of classic authors. It is obvious, therefore, that the advantage in this respect is gi-eatly on the side of the Scriptures. The number of MSS. has afforded ample provision for restoring the text to its original purity, and at the same time gives absolute security against extensive corruptions.” — Angus’ Bible Hand Book. 14 second translation was effected, not a very correct copy, by reason of the many transcriptions through which it had passed ; whereas the Protestant translation was made from the original Hebrew and Greek direct, “ and with the former translations diligently compared and revised.” 2d. If we mistake not, each revision or improvement of the Douay version which has been made has brought it into greater harmony with the Protestant translation. This is a tacit and unmistakable testimony to the excel- lence of our English Bible. So excellent, indeed, is this translation, that many very eminent scholars and divines question the expediency or use of the revision now pro- posed. This version was first printed in the year 1611, and has thus been in use over two centuries and a half ; and we question much if any translation can be made which will be more generally. useful and acceptable to the great mass of Bible readers.* © * “ Even Roman Catholic divines have felt the superiority of the Authorized version, and Challoner, in his editions of the New Testa- ment in 1748, and the Bible in 1763, often follows it in preference to the Rheims or Douay translations.” “Thus Addison dwells on its ennobling the coldness of modern lan- guages with the glowing phrases of Hebrew, and Swift confesses that the translators of the Bible were masters of an English style far titter for that work than any we see in our present writings. Each half- century naturally added to the prestige of these merits. The language of the Authorized version has intertwined itself with the controversies, the devotion, the literature of the English people. It has gone whei-e- ever they have gone, over the face of the whole earth. The most solemn and tender of individual memories are, for the most part, asso- ciated with it. Men leaving the Church of England for the Church of Rome turn regretfully, with a yearning look, at that noble ‘well of English undefiled ’ which they are about to exchange for the uncouth monstrosities of Rheims and Douay. In this case, too, as in so many othei’s, the position of the Authorized version has been strengthened less by the skill of its defenders than by the weakness of its assailants.” — /Smith's Bible Dictionary, pages 3435 and 3438. “A question of much interest remains: Is the English version of the Bible accurate ? and may the reader regard it as, on the whole, expres- sive of the mind of the Spirit of God l And, again, the answer is at hand. The English Bible is essentially the Bible of the primitive Church. The committee appointed in the days of the Commonwealth to inquire into the possibility of improving it, reported that while it contained some mistakes, it was in their judgment ‘the best of any 15 Second. — On what grounds do its chains to universal attention rest ? These claims might he argued on many important grounds, and in minute detail, did time permit. They arc all worthy of earnest study, and are full of deepest interest. Propriety will only allow us to notice a few of the more prominent. 1. Its great antiquity and its historical data. The aged man with fresh and unimpaired memory can live over again the early scenes of youth and active life. IIow valuable to him, in meditative, declining years, to have his memory fully stored with early, pleasant and pure reminiscences. Books are the world’s memory ; and how valuable do the recorded events, experiences and enter- prizes of human history become to succeeding genera- tions. The age and correctness of these records give them special value. But where can we find any writings which possess the same historical value as the Bible ? It furnishes historical data which no other book can, and is more distinct and determinate. Other books record external acts and appearances, and deal with second causes onlv. This is a revelation of God in history, and traces his governing power and controlling will in all. With this book in hand we may walk and live througrh the ages. It will carry us back to the very dawn of time, and by its aid we may look out on the great work of creation, and learn lessons of vital import from the recorded experiences of past generations. 2. Its literary excellence and beauty. Notwithstanding translation in the world.’ A later witness. Dr. Gediles, admits ‘that if accuracy, tidelity, the strictest attention to the letter of the text, he supposed to constitute the qualities of an excellent version, this, of all versions, must in general be accounted the most excellent.’ ‘ Of all the European translations,’ says Dr. A. Clark, ‘this is the most accurate and faithful. Nor is this its only praise. The translatoi-s have seized the spirit and the soul of the original, and expressed it almost every - where with pathos and energy.’” — Angus’ Bible Hand Book. 16 the simplicity of the times and language in which these ancient books were written, what elevating and sublime conceptions of nature and deity do they contain ! In the poetry of this book, what bold imagery and yet true harmony of idea or conception ! And what instructive sympathy with the freshness, beauty and purity of nature, as chosen to illustrate and set forth the deeper feelings of devotion and the high aspirations of praise ! What simplicity and perspicuity in its narrative and con- versation ! There is no affectation nor fine spinning of mystifying speech. What bold and decided declama- tion, and clear discernment and description of character, denouncing with withering scorn and fearful threatening whatever is mean, tyrannical, unjust or wicked, and exalting the brave, the noble, the generous and the pure into the admiration of the good and to the favor of the High and Holy One ! What pathos in its pleadings, invitations, promises and consolations, softening the most obdurate natures and wooing and winning the hardest heart ! What stimulus and elevation has it even imparted to thought and feeling ! Where is there any book which possesses the same variety, the same literary excellence in each, the same harmony of sentiment and unity of truth and purpose, the same mental force and moral power, the same transcendent revealing and keen discern- ment ? W e know not any. 8. Its just legislation and pure morality. Its principles and precepts take cognizance of all human relations and offices. It is the basis of all true and just legislation. Property, person, life, character or good name are all guarded with sacred jealousy. Social and domestic rela- tionships are regulated with care. Labor, remuneration, rest, are all treated of in harmony with healthy industry and true generosity. The institutions of the Sabbath and of marriage and the family are clearly defined, and surrounded with blessed and awful sanctions, according as they are observed or disregarded. Private and even secret life and conduct are not overlooked ; but this law, which is exceeding broad, penetrates even to the inmost thought, and tries the heart and reins. Where have we any legislation so comprehensive, so clear, so just, yea, so divine ? 4. Its divine revealings. Here we reach its highest claims. It reveals to 11s truths which are to be found nowhere else, and which lay beyond the range of human thought. It teaches man to know himself jis fallen, guilty, perishing, and yet immortal. It reveals to him the knowledge of God, Ilis nature, attributes, perfections, character and will. It makes known to him the great plan of redemption, and points the way, through Jesus Christ, to life eternal. By these revealings it accounts for all moral and spiritual phenomena, which otherwise had proved the enigmas of human history, experience and existence. What light it sheds on the character and procedure of God iy relation to man, and also on human duty and destiny ! There are certain vines which, springing from a single root, spread themselves all over and cover well the ground. By putting down the hand and pulling up this root, and all that radiates from it, what a bare, barren spot is left. So, were it possible for God, the gi-eat hus- bandman, to put down his hand and pull up again from earth this heavenly vine of holy truth, and all the books, extracts, thoughts, feelings and sentiments which have ever radiated from it, leaving every page and all minds blank so far as Bible knowledge is concerned, then, Oh ! what mental darkness and xxioral barrenness ! How fear- ful to contemplate ! And yet, without divine inspiration how could it ever be again replaced. The mighty changes wrought by this book wherever it 18 has been circulated, read and believed, add greatly to these claims. What changes luts it wrought in individu- als, in families, communities and nations ! Let the life of such an one as Paul, or Bunyan, and the history of such communities and nations as Corinth, Ephesus, the South Sea Islands, and of Madagascar, testify to the power of the Bible. What civilizing, hallowing, elevating effects have been produced wherever it has been freely circulated and read ! Time and language fail to tell and describe the blessed results. In conclusion, this is the booh: we circulate. Let men of learning, let historians, rulers, legislators, moralists, magistrates — yea, let all the people “seek out of the book of the Lord and read.” This book is the beginninu and the end of all elevated thought, pure feeling and holy aspiration. How blessed would be the state of society were men everywhere, and in all conditions and relationships of life, to take this “book of the Lord as the man of their counsel ; a lamp to their feet and a light to their path ! ” Its circulation has been great, but it is only beginning. It shall yet be universal, and its hallowing effects all-per- vading. “ For the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.” Isa. 11 : 9. We have been looking out on some of the prominent points of its claims and happy results. We have been glancing, as it were, on the mountains, seas and oceans, from a distance ; but what shall we say of its fertile val- leys and fields, its rivers and rivulets of blessing and comfort in the walks of private and humble life, and in the homes of the pious poor ? # On the great map of * “Scarcely can we fix our eyes upon a single passage in this won- derful book which has not afforded comfort or instruction to thousands, and been wet with teal's of penitential sorrow or grateful joy, drawn from eyes that will weep no more.” — Payson. 1 !) human history these may be unwritten, but they are the greenest spots, the freshest springs and the most fruitful jrardens in the blessed heritage of Jehovah Jesus. And as yet they are but the first-fruits, the early gatherings of a glorious and universal harvest. 7' his book shall endure forever. It shall endure in its unchanging truthfulness. Whatever may be the changes or revolutions among men on earth, they shall not falsify but confirm the truth of this book of the Lord. It shall endure in its great plan of salvation. That plan shall remain entire in its faithfulness, freeness, fullness, and shall be eternal in its blessedness and glory. And when all other things shall be burned up, when all books, parchments and manuscripts shall have perished, this book shall find an everlasting embodiment. Its terrible threatenings shall find awful embodiment in the flashings of divine indignation and wrath. Its riches of grace shall find embodiment in the exalted characters of the redeemed. Its divine revealings shall be woven into the texture of the glorious robes in which the saints shall stand approved on that day. Its holy feelings of true worship and high strains of praise shall flow into the everlasting song and hallelujahs of heaven. And its pure light, which emanated from the “ Sun of Righteousness,” shall converge again into aii emerald rainbow round about the head of Him who sitteth upon the throne forever; “for that temple shall have no need of the sun nor of the moon to shine in it ; for the glory of God shall lighten it, and the Lamb shall be the light thereof.” . \ •* {■ '