Page:The Chinese Empire. A General & Missionary Survey.djvu/474

 Peet's New Testament was four times reprinted ; meanwhile, other portions of the Bible were being issued.

In 1864 came the first important step towards union, as mentioned above, by the American Board and the Methodist Episcopal Missions uniting in the revision of the New Testament. This was published in four volumes in 1866, portions of the Old Testament following. This New Testament was reprinted in one volume in 1869. In 1874 the next important step in advance was made by the Church Missionary Society workers joining with the two American Societies in the completion of the Old Testament translation, the funds for this work being supplied by the American Bible Society. The whole of the Old Testament was ready in 1884, the 1866 New Testament having been revised and published in 1878.

The final step towards union was taken in 1887, when the two Bible Societies already interested (A.B.S. and B.F.B.S.) agreed to share in the production of a revised Bible. A committee was appointed consisting of the Revs. C. C. Baldwin, Archdeacon "Wolfe, LI. Lloyd, W. Banister, all of the C.M.S., and the Rev. N. J. Plumb of the M.E.M., and under the care of the latter worker the entire Bible was revised and printed by 1891 at the Methodist Episcopal Mission press at Foochow. This Bible was again printed in 1895 with some slight alterations, further editions of this last version subsequently being issued.

The first book to be put into the Romanised character was the Gospel according to John, and this work was undertaken by the Rev. LI. Lloyd, the system employed being an old one. This was in 1881. Subsequently the Rev. R. W. Stewart put St. John's Gospel into Romanised according to a system employed at Amoy. With the assistance of various workers Mr. Stewart was able to put the whole New Testament through the press in London in 1890.

By the end of 1897 this last edition of the Romanised New Testament was sold out, and it was decided to prepare a new edition, with references, the basis of this edition to