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THE

MISSIONARY OBSERVER.

JUNE, 1883.

The British and Foreign Bible Society and the Baptists.

It will be known to many of our readers that for nearly fifty years the British and Foreign Bible Society has refused assistance to any versions of the New Testament Scriptures in which the word baptize was translated. For all these years so far as the Bible Society's versions are concerned the Scriptures have not been allowed to speak intelligibly upon the subject of baptism, and the heathen have been kept in ignorance respecting this divinely appointed ordinance. On several occasions the committee have been requested to modify the rule established in 1837, but without success. Recently, however, the question has again been brought before their attention, and a new rule has been passed upon the subject. The following extracts will enable our readers to see how the case now stands :

"Extract from Minutes of Editorial Sub-Committee of the

British and Foreign Bible Society of November 29, 1882;
Confirmed at General Committee of January 22, 1883.

"Presented a letter from Rev. S. W. Organe, dated Madras, September 1, forwarding proceedings of the committee of the Auxiliary Bible Society, from which it appears that the Rev. Dr. Jewett had resigned his membership of the Revision Committee, the Telugu Baptist Mission which appointed him having revoked his appointment. The committee accepted his resignation with a resolution of cordial thanks for his past

services.

"Presented a letter from the Rev. Dr. Hay, dated London, November 27, referring to the difficulty which had arisen with reference to the terms used for baptize in the Telugu version, and expressing his great anxiety to avoide anything tending to sectarian controversy in the Word of God, and of the great necessity of minimizing differences of opinion in presence of the common foe; and asking if it would not be possible to secure cordial co-operation, and the use of the same Bible, by simple transliterating the word baptize in the text, and allow their Baptist brethren to place in the margin, 'Some translate by immerse.'

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MISSIONARY OBSERVER.

"(In view of the importance of the question to be decided, the committee engaged in special prayer led by Bishop Alford.)

"The Rev. Dr. Hay, being present on the eve of his departure, urged his views on the committee with a view to the supreme importance of having one version of the Scriptures for the use of all Telugu missionaries.

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Resolved, to recommend that, in accordance with the principle already adoped by this society, in certain cases, of printing alternative marginal readings, the Editorial Sub-Committee be at liberty in future issues of Scriptures in foreign tongues, to retain in the text either a neutral term, or the untranslated terms for baptize and baptism, and to place in the margin a reading or readings indicating the views of translators-e.g., 'Some translate immerse.'

"(Signed)

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WM. WRIGHT, "Editorial Superintendent."

The following Extract is from the Abstract of the Seventy-ninth Annual Report of the British and Foreign Bible Society presented at Exeter Hall, May 2nd, the Earl of Shaftesbury in the chair:

"In bringing this report to a close, the committee would briefly advert to a step they have taken, which they trust may tend to the good of nations that are being brought out of heathenism, and to the closer fellowship of all concerned in mission work, whether abroad or at home.

"Letters received from India have shown that there was grave danger in the Telugu field of conflicting versions of the Scriptures being put forth, as has already been the case elsewhere, in consequence of a difference of opinion on the part of translators as to the right words to be employed in that language for expressing baptize and baptism in the New Testament.

"An earnest desire to avoid this calamity to the native church, and to secure to it the blessing of a single version accepted by all parties, has led your committee to review the whole subject.

"They have long felt anxious that nothing on their part should remain undone which might, without disturbing the conscientious views of others, enable their Baptist brethren to unite with them in the circulation of the same versions; and it has now appeared to them that a solution of the difficulty might be found in the adoption, where needed, of an alternative marginal rendering, stating that the Greek word which expresses this rite is by some translated immerse, the neutral or transferred term being itself retained in the text. The society would thus be carrying out a plan which is of frequent occurrence in the English Bible, and would simply be stating an undoubted fact.

"A resolution to the above effect has been passed and communicated to Translating Committees in India, in the hope that it may enable missionaries of various denominations to join in the use of one and the same version.

"Whatever be the immediate result, of this your committee are assured, that it was right for them to consider how far they could go towards securing united action, and that the question is now being

NOTES FROM ROME.

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approached on both sides in a candid and brotherly spirit, which must issue in a deeper sympathy between those whose common aim it is to make known among men the living oracles of God."

In referring to the action of the committee in regard to the new rule, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in his address in Exeter Hall, said: "I thank them very much for having put that word 'immersed in the margin of the translations. I must say that I think they were justified in taking this step; and I do not doubt that this conciliation, based upon the real root meaning of the word, will have its effect."

Whether the new rule is to have a retrospective effect, or whether it is to apply to versions, that are hereafter prepared, we are not informed. While pleased at the concession, so far as it goes, we should like it to have gone a little further, and to have given translators power to place in the text, and not in the margin," the real root meaning of the word." In the Oriya version the words dubeta and duba, which signify immerse and immersion, have been used, nor do we see now, how these words can be relegated to the margin, and the untranslated terms baptize and baptism be inserted in the text. If it could be shown that the words dubeta and duba were not faithful translations of the words baptize and baptism, the missionaries would, we feel sure, be willing to rectify the mistake forthwith. But to expect them to remove the correct Oriya words, which the natives do understand, and to insert in their places Greek words which they do not, appears to us altogether unreasonable. Were they to adopt such a course they would naturally be asked as to the reason why? Nor do we see how any reason could be assigned which would not leave the impression upon the minds of all right thinking men, whether Christians or heathens, that the missionaries had been tampering with the word of God.

Notes from Rome.

BY REV. N. H. SHAW.

BAPTISM AT ROME.

OUR past experience has rendered us extremely cautious in accepting candidates for church fellowship, and it is long since we ventured to add to our numbers. It was, therefore, a great pleasure to be able on Easter Sunday to baptize four brethren. Two of these are men considerably advanced in life; a third is a man of about forty, who has seen much service in the ranks of sin, but who now gives us much hope and comfort by his firmness and zeal; and the fourth is a Government employee, who, being more intelligent than the others, and not inferior to them in the various manifestations of sincerity, will, we hope, prove a useful acquisition to the good work. These friends have been for a long time under special instruction as catechumens, and their faith has been tried and proved in various ways. May they prove good soldiers of Christ.

The baptismal service was very impressive, and attended to in the most perfect order. We need many baptisms here to accustom the minds of the Romans to immersion. At present there is a dread of water among them which is quite pitiable. I have never found anywhere else such a hydrophobia, and all attempts to reply to the many predictions of evil as the result of wetting the skin, only convince Romans that there is a great difference between English people and themselves. There is no city in the world where water is more abundant, and there is no city where it is so little used. When our Baptist views prevail it will be a good thing for Rome, even hygienically.

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MISSIONARY OBSERVER.

There are many things connected with mission work in Rome which make the heart literally to ache, and a day like Easter Sunday, with its baptism, is a real balsam, strengthening and comforting us greatly. May the Lord grant us many more such. We cannot hope for them soon, but must work and wait, and the harvest time may be nearer than we think.

THE ROMAN CAMPAGNA.

For centuries the Campagna around Rome has been neglected by its owners, and instead of producing food in abundance, as it might have done (for it is very fertile soil), it has been the breeding-ground of fever. Now, with the new order of things under the Italian Government, even this crying evil is attacked. The decree has gone forth that the Campagna is to be cultivated! The owners of the soil within a radius of ten kilometres round the city are to be allowed a certain time, after which, whether they will or not, their land must be made to produce food and not poison. They are ordered, within a certain date, to furnish a report of what land they have, and what they are doing or propose to do with it. Then, if the land is not cultivated by them, the Government will look after it. This is as it should be. Let the Government do its duty in this direction, and win the praise of all lovers of Italy; and meanwhile we missionaries will do what we can to rid the country of a greater evil still-the poison which affects not merely the bodies but the souls of men; a poison most malefic in its effects on the intellect and the conscience, on the whole moral, intellectual, and religious life of the nation.

EVEN THE POPE MOVES.

Ever since the temporal power of the Pope was taken from him, he has played the role of a prisoner in his splendid palace of eleven thousand rooms. It has often been affirmed that Leo XIII. would break through this absurdity if the Jesuits around him would permit it. Be that as it may, an astounding thing happened the other day. The Sixtine Chapel at the Vatican was opened to the public while the Pope was present at the functions! No ticket of admission was required. The only requirement was that all should be dressed in black, and that ladies should be veiled, according to the custom on such occasions. The Romans could hardly believe this new order of things, and some of the journals threw doubt on it till it was a fact. I am told that but few persons availed themselves of the privilege accorded them, and that this advance of the Pope was strongly disapproved by the church dignitaries around him.

ANOTHER STRIKING SIGN OF THE TIMES.

Padre Curci, the eminent ex-Jesuit, is delivering addresses in Rome every Sunday. It will be remembered that Curci some time since published the New Testament in Italian, and wrote a very remarkable preface to it, saying that the great want of Italy was the Bible, and that it was the least known of all books to his countrymen. He has since published "The New Italy and the Old Zealots," in which he advocates a full recognition by the church (and for the church's ends) of the Italian Government and the new political order of things, and said some things which are very damaging to certain parties in the church. Padre Curci was expelled from the order of the Jesuits. His books are condemned and placed in the "index," and he humbly submits, himself remaining a true and reverent son of the church. He has been in Rome some time, preparing a new work for the press, and now is permitted to open his mouth in public. It is well known that Curci and the present Pope were formerly intimate friends, and it is generally believed that he is regarded now by the Pope and by Cardinal Pecci, the Pope's brother, with as much favour as the Jesuits and circumstances will allow. He has lectured hitherto four times in the little theatre called the Sala Sinibaldi because, as he explained at the first lecture, the churches were closed to him. Hitherto there has been little or nothing in his lectures which we evangelicals cannot cordially endorse. Curci is listened to by the elite of Rome, and his lecturing in such a manner is verily a sign of the times. It is too soon yet to pass a judgment on the lectures, but when they are finished I may have something to say about them to the readers of the Observer, as also about the other Lenten preachers and preachings.

NOT KRISHNU, BUT CHRIST.

OUR OWN WORK

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proceeds with that quietness and regularity, at present, which is itself a hopeful feature. There is little taking place that is striking enough to report; but for that very reason our position is encouraging, as we have observed that the work which makes the greatest noise is not always the most satisfactory. In the midst of much that tries faith and patience and strength, it is comforting to know that some hear the word of God and believe it, and we hope to baptize several new converts in a few weeks.

THE MORALITY OF ROME.

The other day I met with some figures with respect to the percentage of illegitimate births in various cities of Europe. They occur in a pamphlet published by those curious people who are trying to identify the English people with the lost tribes of Israel. I don't know whence the figures are obtained, and have no means of verifying them. They are as follows:

In London, in 1851, four out of 100 births were illegitimate.

Paris

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1850, 48 Brussels 1850, 53 Monaco 1851, 91

100

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If these figures are reliable, Rome sadly needs the gospel. I wonder whether the result would be at all modified by the same date being taken in each case.

Not Krishnu, but Christ.

SOME time ago, when our native brethren in Orissa were out on a preaching tour, a young Hindoo approached them and asked for a copy of The Jewel Mine of Salvation, a tract giving in metre the story of the gospel. He was asked how he knew anything about the tract, and in reply told the following story:

About two years ago my father put a quantity of merchandise upon his bullocks' backs, and went on a three days' journey into the district to attend a market. While there he met a friend of his from another village in the opposite direction. This friend said to him, "I have three little books teaching a new religion." He showed them to my father, and my father asked him to give him one, and he did, and that was the book. When he got home he put away his bullocks, and washed his feet, and sat down to read his book, and that book perfectly bewitched my father. In a few days he had lost his appetite, and as he read the book, we noticed great big tears trickling down his cheeks, and he became altogether a changed man, his face looking so sorrowful and sad. We thought father was bewitched by that book, and we must burn the book and mix the ashes in water and give it to him to drink, to take the witches out of him; but he guarded the book, and we could not get at it. As he read, sirs, a still more wonderful change came over him: his tears dried up, his face became happy, and his appetite returned, and he took food as usual. But he would not go to the idol temple any more, and he would not have anything more to do with Hindooism or the Hindoo religion. Well, sirs, that father died a year ago; but when he was dying the Brahmans came and stood about the door and wanted to come in and get their presents, but father waved them away with his hand, and said, "No Brahams are needed here-I need not your help," and he would not allow a Brahman to set foot inside his house. Then, when we saw the end was approaching, my mother, my brothers, and myself, gathered around, and said, Father, you are dying-you are dying; do call on Krishnu, for you are dying." He looked up with a pleasant smile, and said, "My boy, I have a better name than that-the name of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world, of whom I read in my little book; that is a better name than Krishnu." And my father died, sirs, with the name of Jesus Christ on his lips.

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