The Bible Society of the Canton de Vaud has acted upon the principle of securing to itself a permanent income, for the perpetual distribution of the Holy Scriptures, independent of new contributions—by funding its capital. This measure has displeased many individuals in the Canton; and has probably assisted to give birth to other societies in Lausanne and its neighbourhood, acting upon a different principle. I speak from pretty accurate knowledge of that Canton, when I say, that the state of religion is very remarkably improved in it. It is impossible that any one who reads the religious publications of the day should be ignorant of the severe measures adopted by the government of the Canton de Vaud, within a few years, to prevent religious meetings, and otherwise obstruct the course of true religion. But the advancement in piety, and especially amongst the members of the Established Church, is not a little conspicuous. I can truly say, that I visited no place where the spirit of religious enquiry was more alive, and where the taste was more extended for simple biblical reading. The severity of the government has in a great measure relaxed. The piety of the people has increased. Is it unfair to consider as one of the instruments of this improvement, that, in addition to the number of Bibles before in circulation there has been circulated, by the Bible Society of that place, 15,000 copies of the word of God, amongst a population of 160,000 persons?
As to the newly revised edition of Osterwald’s Bible, published at Lausanne, it is impossible not to condemn in it both the deviations from the original, and the employment, in what are called the improvements, of a great deal of paraphrastic language. In speaking of that edition of the Bible, I think it right, however, to bear my humble testimony to the general character of the authors of this revision; and to state my conviction of the facility with which your Committee may have been betrayed into something of undue confidence in them. The gentlemen engaged in that revision, were some of them amongst the persons in the highest general estimation for talents and piety: of Professor Levade, the president of the Lausanne Bible Society, I may say that a more faithful friend to the general distribution of the Scriptures cannot be found. I have myself taken the liberty of strongly expressing my dissent from him upon various subjects connected with the society in general, and the Lausanne edition in particular. But I must be allowed to say to his honour, that, independent of the labour and cost he has sacrificed on this edition of the Bible, he has for a series of years sustained the burden of the Cantonal Bible Society on his almost unassisted shoulders, and continues to exhaust the strength of his declining age in giving efficiency to the operations of this Institution.
The next Bible Society of importance which I visited was that of Basle. I was there soon brought into communication with the Committee on the subject of their temporary estrangement from your Society on the ground of the late resolution as to the Apocryphal Books. I endeavoured to explain to the Committee the probable result of the resolutions to which they had come of refusing to be even the agents of those Societies which had resolved in no way to assist in the circulation of the Apocrypha. When they found that the decision of the London Committee was the result, not of prejudice, but of conscience, they at once gave up their own resolutions, and acquiesced in the proposal which was made to them. They passed a resolution expressive of their kind sympathy towards the British and Foreign Bible Society; and they undertook still to serve it as agents; although, at the same time, they could not, according to their judgment of the question, consent personally, and for themselves, to circulate Bibles without the Apocryphal Books. I cannot easily convey to you the high opinion which I formed of the Committee of the Bible Society of Basle, and of its venerable President, the Antistes. The interest which they feel, and the labour which they devote to the distribution of the Scriptures is what I have never seen exceeded in any other place, and I can have no doubt, that whatever commission you are pleased to entrust to them, will be judiciously and faithfully executed.
It is my wish in the last place to say something on the state of Germany. And here the few observations I have to offer will be of a somewhat more general nature, or, at least, less confined to particular societies.
I. As to the question of the Apocrypha.
The German Societies labour under great difficulty respecting the Apocryphal Books; and the greater part of them are not at present disposed to give them up. They ground their determination in general upon the following reasons. 1st. In all cases in Germany the Societies are sanctioned by the government of the respective countries, on the implied condition of distributing the Scriptures as approved by the ecclesiastical authority, i.e. with the Apocryphal Books. In some cases that condition is even expressed. The Societies could not therefore alter the mode of distributing the Scriptures, without the permission of the government, which permission they apprehend would not be granted if it were asked. 2d. There are in Germany a vast variety of moral school books, the lessons of which are taken partly from the Apocrypha, and which they imagine would be useless if the Apocrypha were taken from common use. 3dly. The original principle on which the Foreign Societies formed their alliance with the British and Foreign Bible Society was conciliatory. The Anti-apocryphal resolution they hold to be reforming; and they think that no Bible Society has a right to establish a reforming principle as a law to other Bible Societies. 4th. The question being, as they conceive, whether each Bible Society shall be permitted to bind the Apocrypha together with the canonical books, at their own expence; they think they may claim for the Apocrypha bound up with the Bible, the same liberty which is exercised in England in the case of prayer books bound up with the word of God. A person, they apprehend, in this country may bind up with the Bible he receives from the Bible Society whatever tract he pleases, without forfeiting his right as a member of that Society.—Some persons desire to retain the Apocryphal books as valuable historical documents; others fear the ill consequences which might result from appearing to the ill-informed to take away a part of Scripture.—Of all these reasons it may be said that they are founded, rather on views of expediency, than conscience; and are not therefore to be put in comparison with the great principle involved in this question, and which has directed the decision of the London Committee, viz. whether that which is not the word of God ought to be put on a level with that which is. I cannot but think that if our Christian brethren in Germany were led to this view of the question; that if the writers on the subject, in this country, were to direct a little of the zeal for their instruction upon this point; the more pious part of our neighbours would be induced, at no distant period, to adopt the resolution which we have established. In the meantime, there are very many persons and districts, as the correspondence of the Society may testify, who, even now, are willing to receive and distribute the Bible without the apocryphal writings. The example of these societies will, I doubt not, work powerfully upon others.
From all that I was able to learn in Germany, it appeared to me that, to every class of protestants, the resolution of your Committee respecting the Apocrypha will be attended with immense advantage. Great benefit may result, from this resolution, to the general theological teaching of that country. A large proportion of the errors of the German divines, appear to me to have originated in breaking down the boundaries of inspiration. The first work published by Semler, who may be considered as the originator of the new school of Theology, in Germany, is entitled “Apparatus ad liberalem Novi Testamenti Interpretationem.” The object of this work is to give extent to the powers of human reason; and, in defiance of the common notions of the authority of inspiration, to accommodate Scripture to the philosophic views of the author.—Subsequent writers have contended for the partial inspiration of the Scripture; others for the unreasonableness of inspiration altogether, &c. till the dignity and authority of the divine sanction, is wholly withdrawn from the word of God, and critics have felt themselves at liberty to discuss both the books of the Bible, and their contents with no other restraint than they would feel in the examination of the most ordinary publication. Now the anti-apocryphal resolution of the Committee will I conceive go far to suggest for each man’s consideration, this important question—“What is, and what is not the Bible?” and, thus, a primary and most important question will be discussed, one which must stand at the basis of all sound theology; and this, if rightly determined, will assist to bring back the German divines from the wild notions they have so generally adopted; and the benefit resulting from this resolution will probably be a larger distribution of the Bible itself. In those cases amongst the protestants where the societies may refuse to act as agents for the distribution of our canonical books, which cases will, I apprehend, eventually be very few; those societies may be prompted to greater exertion to secure their independent existence; and in the case of most Bible Societies, it will be found that they are capable of doing much more for themselves, and others, than they have done, whilst they continued to receive assistance from this country.
With respect to the Catholic population any considerable distribution of the Old Testament will undoubtedly be prevented by the Anti-apocryphal resolution. But this need not hinder the circulation of the New Testament. This indeed may be distributed in larger abundance than before. Leander Van Ess told me that he had then before him applications for 30,000 copies of the Catholic New Testament, whilst he had only two or 300 in his depository; and that he waited only for the direction of your Society to encrease his circulation to a very great amount.—I have no hesitation then in offering my cordial approbation to those who have supported the Anti-apocryphal Resolution of the Bible Society. Independently of every other consideration, this resolution will I think, speedily, as well as remotely, be attended with important benefit as respects the advancement of real Christian knowledge.
II. It may be desirable to say a few words as to the Committees and officers of the German Bible Societies. It has been a subject of grief to me, on my return to this country, to find these individuals reproached, in very general terms, as ‘infidels,’ ‘Neologians,’ ‘designing men,’ ‘who have taken the offices they hold for their crafts’ sake,’ &c.
It is true I apprehend that many Neologians are connected with the Bible Societies in Germany,—some by virtue of the offices they hold, and others voluntarily. In Heidelburg for instance the fundamental rules of the Society placed all the professors of divinity attached to the university, ex-officio, upon the Committee of the Bible Society. One of these individuals is the professor Paulus. But from all the inquiries I was able to make, I could never learn that any individual in Germany, publicly holding neological opinions, was an active agent of the Bible Society. And how could any thing like an active agency be expected of such individuals. After the Bible Society had been formed in Germany, it soon spread very rapidly. Many Neologians, from various motives no doubt, enlisted themselves in its ranks. But what was the real history of this movement? The religious body were the originators of these societies, but they were soon compelled to seek the protection of others in authority, because the existence of societies in many countries must depend upon their sanction; and they were glad, even in other cases, to make those who heeded not the word of God themselves, the distributors of it to the rest of the world. But if, at this time, there are inactive agents of the German Bible Societies; if there are even secretaries who feel very little of the value of the Bible,—are there no counterparts to these in our own country? We take the best we can get,—lament their deficiencies,—and devoutly wish them better; but still we prefer the deposit for Bibles being placed in such hands, rather than having no deposit at all.