Bible Translation Society. 467 country. Great suspicion rests on, enabled, for the first time, to issue the whole Bengali Bible in one volume. In all probability 3,000 copies of the New Testament, of the same size, will be struck off at the same time for our mission, to be bound up with the remaining 3,000 copies of the Old Testament. a native deputy-collector who has recently been dismissed from the service of the Government. He has been arrested on suspicion, and two burkundazes, who should have been on guard, are also in confinement. It was a desperate attempt, and it was most merciful that the ruffian did not accomplish his object. BIBLE TRANSLATION SOCIETY. We have much pleasure in publishing the following letter from Mr. Wenger at the request of the Secretary of the Bible Translation Society. "Oxford, April 5th, 1861. "MY DEAR SIR,-I feel it to be my duty to comply with your request that I would furnish you with some information regarding our Indian scriptural translations, that might be available for your Annual Report. "In all probability Mr. Parsons has long since sent to press his Hindi translation of the book of Acts; and I trust he may be spared to carry on his work to the end of the New Testament. I take the liberty of mentioning here, that I deeply feel the great importance of your Society's contemplating the preparation of a good Hindi version of the Old Testament, similar in character to that of the New which Mr. Parsons is engaged upon. "It was mentioned in the last Report, that the printing of the third edition of the entire Bengali Bible had advanced to the end of the Old Testament, the edition consisting of 5,000 copies. Not long after my departure from India the Calcutta Auxiliary Bible Society purchased 2,000 copies of that edition (as it did of the previous edition some years ago), and expressed a wish to obtain an equal number of copies of the New Testament, uniform with it. I believe this desire was complied with, so that the local Bible Society will be 66 Will you allow me to avail myself of this opportunity for offering a few remarks upon our real position with regard to the British and Foreign Bible Society, as I find that much misapprehension prevails upon this subject? The independent position which the Bible Translation Society has secured to Baptist translators, is certainly a standing protest against any attempt of the British and Foreign Society to influence the convictions and consciences of translators. In our case, the terms descriptive of baptism afforded an occasion for exhibiting such a controlling tendency. Elsewhere the British and Foreign Bible Society has endeavoured to compel translators to follow an edition of the Greek Testament printed in 1624, and even-what appears almost incredible among Protestants-to command them to express, in passages of doubtful interpretation, the sense given in the authorized English version, just as if that version was to be regarded by Protestants with a superstitious veneration, like that with which Roman Catholics regard the Vulgate. It is the great privilege of Baptist translators to be free from all trammels of this description; and I believe they have not abused their liberty. Whilst refusing to submit to dictation in matters which ought to be settled by enlightened scholarship, they have not been blind followers of fashion in biblical criticism; and whilst declining to adhere slavishly to the authorized English version, they have ever been ready to admit and admire its rare excellences, and to walk in the good old paths of translation which are pointed out in it. "But, whilst thus protesting, by their position rather than their language, against the course which "Yours very sincerely, "J. WENGER. "The Rev. W. W. Evans." has been sometimes adopted by the | bring out, God permitting, after my British and Foreign Bible Society, return to India, with the sanction of the Baptist translators in Bengal the Committee of the Baptist (not to speak of others) may never- Missionary Society. theless claim to be numbered among its truest and most active friends. We have not objected to the Calcutta Auxiliary Bible Society's reprinting our Bengali New Testament. We have allowed that Society to make use of our Bengali Old Testament, and of our Sanscrit version, at the mere expense of the ordinary printing charges; and it is needless for me to say that the preparation and repeated revision of these versions has cost the Baptist Mission and the OF ABSTRACT STATEMENT Testaments John Acts ... Luke and Acts ::: 3,000 32,000 32,000 36,000 ... 16,000 10,000 5,000 134,000 Bible Translation Society a very BENGALI NEW TESTAMENT SCRIPTURES. large amount of money. It should further be borne in mind, that these. are the only versions in those languages which are now in use, and that the Bengali version is in great demand by all classes. The local Bible Society reprinted our Bengali New Testament twice at presses with which we had no connexion; and when it wished to have such reprints executed at the Baptist Mission press, we offered no objection, although we could not be ignorant of the probability that it would alter our terms for baptism. These facts prove clearly that we are not the enemies, but the friends of the British and Foreign Bible Society. If our work was of a secular character, we might perhaps not unjustly be charged with an excess of generosity, if not with weakness and inconsistency; but the rules by which secular interests are judged, are obviously inapplicable to so solemn a matter as the responsibility of impeding the circulation of the Word of God in a heathen land, where millions are perishing for lack of knowledge. "I append to these brief remarks a statement, as correct as I can here make it, of the Scriptures printed at Calcutta for the Bible Translation Society from January 1st, 1852, to February 29th, 1860; and I also enclose a memorandum regarding an annotated edition of the Bengali Bible, which I hope to SUBSCRIPTIONS RECEIVED FOR A NEW FOUNT OF ORIYA TYPE. Subscriptions and Donations in aid of the General Baptist Missionary Society will be thankfully received by Robert Pegg, Esq., Treasurer, Derby; and by the Rev. J. C. Pike, Secretary, De Montfort Square, Leicester, from whom also Missionary Boxes, Collecting Books, and Cards may be obtained. |