ANNUAL REPORT OF THE AMERICAN AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY, PRESENTED AT NEW-YORK, MAY 11, 1849. WITH THE MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL MEETING, ANNIVERSARY ADDRESSES, CORRESPONDENCE, A LIST OF AUXILIARY SOCIETIES, LIFE DIRECTORS AND MEMBERS, &c. NEW-YORK: AMERICAN AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY, G. B. MAIGNE, PRINTER, No. 7 SPRUCE STREET, NEW YORK. OF THE AMERICAN & FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY. WHEREAS, the inspired Scriptures, the Hebrew of the Old Testament and the Greek of the New Testament, are the only authoritative Divine standard containing the revelation of God for the whole human family: And whereas, the council of Trent, in 1546, declares that a Latin translation, called the Vulgate, "shall be held as authentic, and that no one shall dare or presume to reject it under any pretence whatever," and the Rheimish Testament was translated from the Vulgate into English, in 1582, the translators declaring that the Vulgate "is not only better than all other Latin translations, but than the Greek text itself in those places where they disagree;" which assumptions have been generally repudiated by all enlightened Christians, not in the Romish church." And whereas, the American Bible Society, in 1836, approved of the following resolution, viz.: "Resolved, That in appropriating money for the translating, printing or distributing of the Sacred Scriptures in foreign languages, the Managers feel at liberty to encourage only such versions as conform in the principle of their translation to the common English version; at least so far as that all the religious denominations represented in this Society can consistently use and circulate said versions, in their several schools and communities." The remonstrants against this resolution, believing it to be a virtual abandonment of the great principle of Protestantism, and the adoption of that of the Council of Trent, as well as a departure from the basis of the original compact of the Society, which states their object to be "the dissemination of the Scriptures in the received versions where they exist, and in the most faithful where they may be required," and having in vain taken every Christian measure to prevent its passage and enforcement, were constrained to form, provisionally, in 1836, and fully organize in 1837, THE AMERICAN AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY: FOUNDED UPON THE PRINCIPLE, that the originals in the Hebrew and Greek are the only authentic standards of the Sacred Scriptures; and that aid for the translating, printing, or distributing of them in foreign languages, should be afforded to such versions only as are conformed as nearly as possible to the original text; it being understood that no words are to be transferred which are susceptible of being literally translated. ARTICLE I. The name of this Society shall be, THE AMERICAN AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY. ART. II. It shall be the object of the Society to aid in the wider circulation of the Holy Scriptures IN ALL LANDS. ART. III. Each contributor of three dollars annually shall be a member; each contributor of thirty dollars, a member for life; and each contributor of one hundred and fifty dollars, a director for life. Lifedirectors shall have the privilege of participating in the deliberations of the Board. ART. IV. All Bible Societies agreeing to place their surplus funds in the treasury of the Society, shall be auxilliaries, and the officers of such societies shall, while in office, have the privilege of life-directors. ART. V. A Board of twenty-five Managers, residing in the city of New York, or its vicinity, shall be annually elected to conduct the business of the Society, with power to fill their own vacancies. ART. VI. The President, one Vice-President, the Secretaries and Treasurer, shall be members of the Board. ART. VII. The Managers shall meet monthly, or oftener if necessary, at such time and place as they shall adjourn to, a majority of whom shall be a quorum. ART. VIII. The Managers shall have the power of appointing such persons as may have rendered essential services to the Society, either members for life or directors for life. ART. IX. The Annual Meeting of the Society shall be held at New York, on the day after the second Thursday in May in each year, or at any other time or place, at the option of the Society; when the accounts of the Treasurer shall be presented, and a President, Vice-Presidents, Secretaries, Treasurer, and such other officers as they may deem necessary, together with a Board of Managers, shall be chosen for the ensuing year, by the members entitled to vote on the treasurer's books the beginning of the said month. ART. X. The President shall, at the written request of six members of the Board, call a special meeting of the Board of Managers, causing at least three days' notice of such meetings to be given. ART. XI. The whole of the minutes of every meeting shall be signed by the Chairman and Secretary. ART. XII. No alteration shall be made in this Constitution, except by the vote of two-thirds of the members of the Society present at an annual meeting. |