Scriptures were
translated into 66 languages; to-day the Scriptures in part or in
whole are available in more than 500 languages and dialects. One of
the most striking intellectual achievements of the world has been made
by the missionaries in the translation of the Scriptures, to say
nothing of their tremendous contribution to science and all the
branches of knowledge by the reduction of languages to writing, by the
translation of text-books, and by the publication of many other books
in the vernaculars. When it is remembered that the Edinburgh
Conference declared that there are 843 languages and dialects in
Africa alone and that only about 100 of them have been reduced to
writing, a glimpse is given of the magnitude of the intellectual task
remaining before the battle is won. The difficulties have been very
great. Milne, a colaborer of Morrison, has this to say regarding the
learning of the Chinese language:

"To learn Chinese is work for men with bodies of brass, lungs of
steel, heads of oak, hands of spring steel, eyes of eagles, hearts of
apostles, memories of angels, and lives of Methuselah!"

III. SIGNS OF WORLD-WIDE VICTORY

=Progress by Centuries.=--The following table used by Gulick in _The
Growth of the Kingdom of God_, indicates the onward sweep of
Christianity throughout the last two thousand years. Of this table
Gulick says: "The table does not give the number of professed
Christians or church-members, but only the number of those who may be
fairly said to have accepted the Christian standards of moral life
whether attempting and professing to live up to them or not. The word
'Christianity' is used in its broadest, loosest sense."

The first column includes the period to the end of the century named.
The second column gives the number of millions of Christians of all
faiths:

2nd century 2 millions

10th century 50 millions

15th century 100 millions

18th century 200 millions

19th century 500 millions

A glance at these figures reveals the following inspiring facts.

The number of Christians reported at the end of ten centuries was
doubled in the next five centuries. The total was doubled again in the
next three hundred years. At the end of the nineteenth century the
number was two and a half times as great as at the end of the previous
eighteen centuries.

=Recent Vic