century's witness to the bible. 



97 



varying senses — claims to be the custodian of Scripture, bears 

 witness in some degree to the Book. Clergy, ministers, and teachers 

 of all orders give to the Book a supreme place, or at least a place 

 of its own ; and in many ways they bear witness to the greatness 

 of the Book, and their conviction as to its truth. 



(3) Every edition of the Text of Scripture, in whole or in part, 

 whether of the Hebrew Old Testament or the Greek New Testament 

 — and the work of the last century along this line was of the 

 utmost importance — is a constructive witness to the Book. These 

 works — involving a tremendous amount of labour on the part of 

 scholars, and a great outlay of money on the part of patrons and 

 publishers — would never have been issued but for the certainty of a 

 demand on the part of the Christian public. The demand is an 

 expression of regard for the Book — testimony as to its exceptional 

 character and great spiritual influence. 



(4) Every volume produced during the century having for its 

 object the explanation of the Book— grammars, lexicons, concor- 

 dances, in the languages of the original text, or of the early versions 

 that have a special bearing thereon — -make deposition on this subject. 

 In some cases such works represent the labour of many years — 

 undertaken and carried through in order to meet the demand of 

 Christian people for help in the study of the Book ; and the 

 meaning of all this also is found in the fact that a large and 

 educated public bears witness to the Book by laying out money and 

 applying the mind to study and research. 



(5) What, moreover, is to be said of the output of elementary 

 books prepared for schools, and manuals for colleges ; of works of 

 introduction and of systematic commentaries ; of volumes of 

 devotion and spiritual meditation, as these are issued in never- 

 ending profusion from the printing press 1 We must admit that 

 there is a marvellous demand for these books, and that demand 

 expresses a testimony eloquent and persistent — a witness to the 

 Book, its unique character, and its essential relation to the highest 

 concerns of the life of man. 



Thus the activities of the Bible Societies, in this country and in 

 other lands — and we may also include the great University Presses, 

 and many publishing houses — as they meet a need for copies of the 

 Book, and stimulate in the hearts of people a desire to know its 

 contents, not only prove the greatness of the Bible, but likewise 



