The Massachusetts Spy, And Worcester County Advertiser

Moral and Religious.

[For the Massachusetts Spy.]

Worcester County Auxiliary Bible Society.

The Annual Meeting of the Auxiliary Bible Society of the County of Worcester was holden at Rutland the 8th inst. at the house of Mr. Stratton. The Meeting was opened by prayer by Rev. Mr. Gay, of Hubbardston. The Reports of the Treasurer and Board of Directors were read and accepted; after which, the following persons were elected Officers of the Society for the ensuing year :

Hon. JONAS KENDALL, President.
Rev. Dr. Bancroft, Vice-President.
Rev. Joseph Allen, Secretary.
Charles Allen, Esq. Treasurer.
Rev. Dr. Thayer.
Hon. Bezaleel Taft, jr.
His Excellency Levi Lincoln.
Rev. Josiah Clark.
S. V. S. Wilder, Esq.
Isaac Goodwin, Esq.
Rev. John Nelson.

The next Annual Meeting was appointed to be holden in Charlton, and the Rev. Josiah Clark, of Rutland, was chosen second preacher. The following is the Report of the Board of Directors:

Ninth Annual Report of the Auxiliary Bible Society of Worcester County, presented at the late Anniversary in Rutland, Sept. 8, 1825.

Ten years have now elapsed since the Bible Society of the County of Worcester was organized by the adoption of a Constitution and the election of Officers. The Society was formed on the most liberal basis, inviting to its fellowship Christians of all denominations, and adopting for its fundamental principles the following article—That the distribution of Bibles and Testaments in the common English version, without note or comment, shall be the sole object of the Society.

As soon as the Society was organized, the Board of Directors, agreeably to one of the provisions of the Constitution, proceeded to the appointment of Committees in the several Religious Societies in the County, whose duty it should be to solicit subscriptions, to examine into the wants of the poor, and to distribute Bibles and Testaments subject to the order of the Board.

Not long after, another Circular was addressed to the Minister of each Religious Society in the County, recommending a Contribution in their respective Societies for the benefit of the Association. This request was in general promptly attended to, and more than $700 were added to the funds of this Society in the course of that year.

The Society has, from its first existence, made it a primary object to supply the destitute of this County with the Word of Life. With this object in view, the Board of Directors have always kept on hand a supply of Bibles and Testaments, and have endeavored to have it extensively known, that copies would be furnished gratis or at reduced prices, to the destitute of the County on their application; and they have moreover repeatedly called upon the Ministers and Committees, in the several Societies in the County, to endeavor to ascertain whether a deficiency of Bibles existed among them, and if so, to furnish the requisite supply.

Since the year 1822, this Society has been Auxiliary to the American Bible Society, which, following in the glorious path of the British and Foreign Bible Societies, the parent of all similar Institutions, has already extended its influence to every part of this great Nation, and possesses, in an unusual degree, the confidence of Christians of all denominations.

With this great National Institution, this Society now acts in concert ; and its whole income is required to be paid over to the Treasurer of the American Bible Society.

It was confidently hoped, that the union thus effected between this and the National Society, would operate as an incitement to increased effort on the part of the members of this Society; and that the consequent enlargement of its funds would enable its managers to make regular remittances each year, in some degree proportionate to the importance of the object and the wealth and respectability of this County. But your Directors are constrained to say that they have been hitherto disappointed in this reasonable expectation. Very few of the members have for several years past paid their annual assessments. Many of the largest and wealthiest towns in the County have done little or nothing towards promoting its object. Liberal contributions were indeed made in several towns in the eastern part of the County, during the last year; and in the same time, five Ministers were made life members of the A. B. Society, by the payment of $30 each by the ladies of their respective congregations. But by a large proportion of the towns in the County very little has yet been contributed to the funds of the Society: and yet its object is one that scarcely yields in importance to any—and one, too, in the promotion of which all Christians can act together in perfect harmony, without yielding any of the points in controversy.

To borrow the language of one of the early reformers, " The Bible—the Bible only, is the religion of Protestants :" and it is the Bible only, without note or comment, the circulation of which is the sole object of this and all kindred Associations.

If, in this privileged part of our country, where, owing to the influence of those excellent Institutions which have been transmitted to us from our pious ancestors, the Bible is regarded as an indispensable article in every well-regulated household, and where almost every one would be ashamed to own that he did not possess a copy, the demand for gratuitous distribution is extremely limited : let it be considered, that, to many of our brethren of the great American family, the lines have fallen in less favored places—that multitudes, even of the descendants of the pilgrims, do not inherit with us the literary and religious institutions founded by our common ancestry. Accustomed, as we have always been, to see the Bible in our houses and in the hands of every one, and knowing the facilities of obtaining it by all but the extremely indigent, without being dependent on the charity of others, we find it difficult to realize, that the state of things is widely different in other sections of our country; and we can hardly be made to feel that it is our duty to do much for the gratuitous distribution of a book, which is so very common and so very cheap. But this lamentable indifference arises, it is believed, from an entire misapprehension of the facts of the case.

Let it only be well understood, what recent inquiries have made known, that thousands and tens of thousands of families, within the limits of the United States, are not only destitute of the holy Scriptures and of regular religious instruction, but must, in all probability, remain so, unless supplied by the benevolent and pious of the more highly favored parts of our country, and the call for aid would not be heard with indifference nor without effect.

Under the influence of these considerations, the Board of Directors are anxious that this Society should awake to a deeper sense of its responsibility, and engage with increased vigor in the good work to which they are called. They ask the co-operation of Christians of every name, and in every section of this extensive County. Without disparagement to any other Society, they are persuaded that this yields to none in the magnitude of its object; and that, as the Bible is acknowledged by all Christians to be the best of books, so the circulation of the Bible ought to be regarded by all as an object of paramount importance, for the promotion of which all Christians should unite their efforts and their prayers.

They earnestly hope that efficient measures will be adopted in each Religious Society in this County to procure an enlargement of our annual income, that thereby your Committee may be enabled to make such remittances to the National Society, as may bear honorable testimony to the benevolence and liberality of the inhabitants of Worcester County.

All who were present at the Meeting of this Society at Worcester, in July last, convened for the purpose of meeting a Delegation from the American Bible Society, and who listened to the interesting statements and eloquent appeals of the gentlemen composing the Delegation, cannot need any thing further to prompt them to act with zeal and energy in furtherance of the object of Bible Associations. The influence of that Meeting, it is hoped, will prove lastingly beneficial. Its immediate influence was very conspicuous, more than $600 having been contributed on the occasion, principally by the inhabitants of Worcester, to the funds of the American Bible Society.

May a like spirit pervade the County, and open the hearts of all to the call of Christian charity.

During the past year there have been issued from the Society's Depository, at Worcester, 10 8vos. 53 12mos. and 15 Testaments. There remain for future distribution 18vo. 177 12mos. 2 18mos. and 50 Testaments. The 8vo. edition is in a large and fair type, is very convenient for persons advanced in life, and it is deemed expedient that a supply be obtained from the National Bible Society at New-York as soon as convenient.

The state of the pecuniary concerns of the Society will be seen from the following statement of the Treasury :

The whole amount of the funds in the Treasury of the Society is $1,388.61. Of this sum, $1,000 constitute a permanent fund; $388.61 remain to be transmitted to the Treasurer of the American Bible Society.

The following sums were received by the Treasurer of the Worcester County Bible Society, at the late anniversary, exclusive of one life subscription, and several annual subscriptions:

From Princeton Branch of Worcester County Bible Society, by Rev. Mr. Clarke, $5.00
From individuals in Templeton, by Rev. Mr. Wellington, 9.00
Contribution in Northborough, by Rev. Mr. Allen. 24.00
Collection in Rutland, after the religious services of the day, 11.00
$49.00

The Directors will not close their Report without expressing their gratitude to the Author of all good, for his benignant smiles on the Bible cause; and they devoutly implore his blessing on this, and all kindred Associations, beseeching him to grant that all of them may be so conducted, that they may be instrumental in advancing the interests of the Redeemer's kingdom.

JOSEPH ALLEN, Sec'y

Rutland, Sept. 8, 1825.