I't. "v ■^ ^«M?>?^ k •» o^ ^ 11^ s^ .^^ s:^. "^^^ (IF TIIK PRINCETON, N. J. [ o :v € » 1.- SAMUEL AGNEW, OK PHILADELPHIA, PA. ■^/ez- q4^o - ^ha4^cJ/ydr£^ ir§^erve, in \ii'ifree translation, the spirit of the originaL Scandit tatalis niachina muros Feta armis. Pueri ciicurn innuptaque Puella Sacra canunt, funcmque manu contingcre gaudent. ^NEiD. Lib. II. V^ers. 237. Leslie, in his Rehearsals, Vol. iv. p. 22, in less Jiarmonious language, has adapted to the circumstances of the times in which he lived,^a dif- ferent scene of the same transaction, which some possibly may not deem too improbable to be subjoined as a sequel to the Secretary's parody in its present application, as exhibiting " the beneficial results" to which he encourages the American students to look foiward as the issue of their undertaking. " Is not this such a clashing of arms as the Trojans heard in the horse the Greeks left them ? and might have given them a just suspicion, had not their superstition, and the on.tory of S'mon, a spy of the Grecians benumbed their senses, and made them the instruments of their own destrucUon." a2 TO THB RIGHT REV. FATHER IN GOD, WILLIAM, LORD BISHOP ELECT OF LONDON. — .\'V^'V*«— MY LORD, The loss which the Church in general and this Diocese in particular have sustained by the death of that distinguished Prelate, to whose dignity and labours your Lordship is chosen to succeed, occasions the dedication of the ensuing pages to your Lordship. Under any other circumstances, than those which characterise the publication, this liberty •would not have been taken without your Lord- Vi ship's permission being first solicited and ob^ tained; but the subject treated of involves in it the discharge of Pastoral obligations, and is therefore tendered officially to your Lord- ship, as an appeal, from the decision of self- constituted judges, to that legitimate Autho- rity which is at once empowered, and quali- fied to decide. The question at issue, my Lord, is whether the engagements entered into by Clergymen at their Ordination are merely words of course, attaching no responsibility to those >vho make these solemn stipulations ; or whether they are to be conscientiously fulfilled in the seve- ral particulars specified, whenever occasions arise to which each of them specifically re- lates. In this abstracted form the very statement of the question is- its solution: and respect for himself would restrain any man from en- tering into controversy lipoa it. But^^ when fedu6ed to practice, the prejudices and the passions of mankind revolt at its operation> and form so strong a party in the minds of some men as to wrest from their judgment its deliberative and discriminating powers, and to impel them to contend against it with re* lentless opposition. In the ensuing Correspondence and Papers^ occasioned by proceedings at Hackney in pro- secution of the design of Incorporating the Parish, one of the largest and most populous in your Lordship's Diocese, in an Auxiliary District of the Bible Society ; and of subse- quently subdividing it into Bible Associations ; your Lordship will find, 'should you honour the ensuing pages with your perusal^ the fore- going remark most strikingly exemplified ; for you will see the chief patron of that design charging the Parochial Clergy with taking too much upon them, because, being fully persuaded that the direct tendency of that lostitution is — to encourage " erroneous and VI 11 strange doctrines," which they are pledged to use " all faithful diligence to banish and drive away ;" and — to interrupt " quietness, peace, and love amongst Christian people," which they are equally bound " as much as lyeth in them to set forward and maintain," and " especially amongst those committed to their charge," they testified their respect to these solemn obligations, by the most urgent entreaties and the strongest remonstrances they could use, in the outset of the undertak- ing ; and, when these were set at nought, by withstanding the introduction of the evils which they apprehended, and the invasion of their Pastoral office, by all the lawful means in their power. I am well aware, my Lord, that respect- ing the tendency of the Bible Society opposite opinions are still entertained, even amongst men of distinguished worth and reputation ; and I am ready to admit, that it would have been highly arrogant in any one, in the IK hitherto divided state of mind in which Churchmen are found upon the subject, to have expected from them, that to such per- suasions as those stated above, they slioukl yield a general concession. — But this was not what the Clergy of Hackney soUcited, The sum and substance of their sohcitation was, that deference might be paid to their conscientious judgment, within those hmits, in which they sustained the burthen of sub- ordinate spiritual authority, and had the line of conduct which it was their duty to pur- sue, marked out to them by the above speci- fied stipulations. By these stipulations then, my Lord, it i* presumed, the question must be decided ; and, with respect to the first of tliem, I am not aware that any one of the panegy- rists of the Bible Society has had the hardi- hood to maintain, that, giving, as it does, the right hand of fellowship to the votaries of " erroneous and strange doctrines," it 5 takes that course which is oest calcula|e5 " to banish and drive them away.'* And it is conceived to be of no consequence what other hypothetical advantages these advo* cates may propound^, so long as' it is obvious that the givhig countenance to it militates against an Ordination vow. That single cir- cumstance, to Clergymen, seeing it in that point of view, must be their ample justifi- cation, that in resisting its encroachments upon their Cure, they have not taken too nmch upon them, but have merely done that which their most solemn engagements had rendered necessary for delivering their own souls. With respect to the other stipulation al- ledged as, in the judgment of the Parochial Clergy of Hackney, imposing upon them a conscientious obligation to adopt the course which they did pursue ; I am aware, m3r Lord, of the claims set up in behalf of the Bible Society, that its tendency to promote '' quietness, peace, and love " is one of its mobt obvious recommendations — ^and thus, my Lord, is the pubhc judgment of the Church of England cancelled, — one stipula- tion of its Ordination vow confronted wilh the other, and the heavy accusation brought against it of imposing upon its Ministers con- tradictory obligations. It might be sufficient, for the purposes of this appeal to your Lordship, to ailed ge that the method prescribed by the Church for the promotion of peace, and bound upon the con- sciences of her Clergy, is " the banishing strange doctrines away :" not by any violent measures, my Lord, but by those whicli St. Paul charges the ministry to exercise, by reproof, by rebuke, and by exhortation. Bat when the integrity of our Holy Mother is im- peached, it ill becomes those specially en- gaged in Her service, to be content witli hav- ing vindicated themselves, without offering something further in Her vindication. Her appeal, my Lord, is to the testimony of Her itii God : and when the boisterous winds of reli- gious contention shall sufficiently subside, that the still small voice of Scripture can be heard, it will be found that submission to the above discipline, now every where spoken against, is the only course to be taken to ob- tain that rest which Ave are all gasping after, and to put strife and disquietude away; for as the source of all those distractions which agitate mankind is set forth in that Sacred Volume to be man's hostility against the truth of God, and his " changing that truth into a lie" — so reparation of that great offence — the renunciation of false doctrine of every kind, and the restoration of truth to its primaeval purity, and to universal ac- ceptation, are there exhibited as the only terms on which God will reclaim us from the tyranny of our " vile affections," and restore to us " the great blessing of peace." In the mean time, my Lord, in patience only shall we possess our souls ; for in the xiif following pages, should tliey find tliat favoi^tr- able acceptance at your hands which I most respectfully solicit, your Lordship will dis- cover, that such is the waywardness of the present generation, that whilst the great body of the Clergy, of whose characters in the present instance their accuser must be ignorant, are consigned to obloquy as negli- gent of the duties of their holy calling * ; those under his observation, whom concern for his own character> obliges him speci- fically to except, are censured as officious -f; and that such only as symbolize with him- self, in giving countenacce to his favourite Society, are the objects of his unqualified ad* miration J . In the present stage of the in- sidious warfare which is carrying on, your Lordship's Venerable Bench is but covertly assaulted ; but in addition to the develope- ments already specified your Lordship will * See P. 84. Note. f See 17, 72, 79—82. % See P, 84. XIV perceive, that to this extent has the ahena- tion of some Churchmen's affections proceed- ed, that it is deemed completely consistent at once to profess a zealous affection for the Establishment *, and to lay down principles, which, if carried into full effect, would super- sede in every Diocese its Episcopal jurisdic- tion -f. Such are the characteristics of the times, my Lord, in which it has pleased God that our lot should be cast, and that in his Pro- vidence your Lordship should be raised to the oversight of this important Diocese : that the aids of his Holy Spirit may be afforded to your Lordship in that measure which your great occasions may require — that your Clergy, " following with a glad mind and will your Godly admonitions, and submit- ting themselves to your Godly judgement," may do every thing that in them lies, to * See P. 1% 19*. t See P. 42, SI. 2tV to Mghleu the weig'lit of responsibility, ancl ^irther your exertions ; and thai the Divine Blessing may crown them with success, is th^ earnest prayer of. MY LORDo Vour I^ordship's dutiful Son and Sejvant, IL H. NORMS, ,, Grove-street, Hackney j ^ej)t, IS J o^ INTRODUCTION. IN submitting the following pages to the public the Editor is aware that he is calling their atten- tion to a subject^ which has been undet discussion^ without any respite^ for so long a series of years, that a general disinclination prevails to any fur- ther enquiry. He has nevertheless felt, himself under an imperious obligation to add one to those who have engaged in the thankless^ but^ he is sa- tisfied, most patriotic and charitable undertaking, of exposing tlie real tendency of the Bible Society to the world : and he persuades himself, that^ should he dbtain an hearinj:*- from the considerate and unprejudiced part of the community, (to pro- mote whose best interests is his only motive for coming forward,) whatever may be the conviction produced, it will be acknowledged, that his mate- rials are new, and to the purpose, and that his me- thod of handling the question is not preoccupied ; and thereforCj that he has not swelled the bulk of XTilt art! alrcafcTy voluminous coiytroversy by an miiiece*» sary publication, 1'be cry, wliicb has been most effecfnal in drowning the voices of those who biave investi- gated the principles and proeeedings of this spe- cious Instittitionj with the view of exciting-, what they d-eemed^ a becoming apprehension of the danger with which it menaces the country, 13 that '^' no one argument which can at all be con- sidered as proof that it has any of these secret ¥icw3 injurious to- the interests of the Established Church/' which are attributed to it^ has yet been exhibited — That '^ the charg-e hithertO' rests upon ^Rspicion and surmise ; and that there must be some; better and stronger etidenee" brought for- ward, before it can be expected " that an Institu- tion should be condemned^ of which excellent and distino'uished men have entertained and testified so high an opinion."' The weight of this objection is much more? knposing than substantial ; for it demands aif evidence whi-cli., in the outset of any undertaking;;^ it i» no^. in the nature of things possible to pro- duce : it implies that the connection between- moral causes a.nd ci*ects bears no analogy to tlieir connection in nature ; and that mankind can^ draw no sound practical conclusions from past i experience: and it involves this further impli- cation, that all enquiry of a precautionary natiire is unavailing ; and that every mischievous device must be allowed such progress tov/ards success, that those whom it is circumventing, and, when suffered to have its perfect work, it will ultimately destroy, must first sustain some partial injury from its baneful operation, before any effectual impres- sion can be made upon their minds, that it has any properties belonging to it by which their welfare can be affected. It is, however, to meet this objection, that the present publication is sent forth. It answers the demand of those who call for demonstration ; and this is its specific claim to public regard. It is emphatically what its title sots forth — a prac- tical exposition of the tendency and p'roceedinvs of the Bible Society. It is an exhibition of its whole plan sj/stematicallj/ arranged and dis- played, not in theory but in effect. The "^ sur- 77iTses" which were deemed too uncandid and improbable to be listened to, are all verified * / and the artifices are exposed, by which " excel- lent and distinguished men" have been lured to give it their support f . The comparative value, * See p. 72, Note d. 94. Note p. 202—236. 286, to i\\e end, I P. 88, note n, a3 XX jnoreovci'y of this main stai/ of the Institution Is appreciated *j and its disrespect towards Dignita- ries discountenancing its proceedings is pointed out f . From the special relation which it bears to a particular parish^ it might be conceived to be a detail rather of a local nature^ than one of general application ; and it is so far true^ that a lively interest in the welfare of that parish, to which many powerful ties bind the Editor's affec- ,tions, first sngo:ested the undertaking; and much of the exemplification which appears is derived from documents and information which vigilant attention to the proceedings of those, who were resolved, at all adventures, to make Hackney an Auxiliary station, put in his possession. But many most important illustrations are extracted from the records of simultaneous movements in other parts of the kingdom : and the parallel pas- sages from scarce remains of Puritanical History, and from the system of the United Irishmen, have a reference to all. Independently however of this, it is to be recollected, that, in all the ramifications of the Bible Society, one system prevails ; it being not the least profound article of its policy, that a plan of organization, synoptically exemplified, and most distinctly explained J, should be assiduously * P. 90. note n. f P. 188. note p. ■4: See a folio sheet, prepafecf by the Conmiittee in London, entitled, '• Hegulations' respecting Supplies of Bibles and XXI circulated wherever any openinj^; appeal's for an attempt at affiliation. Its characteristic prin- ciple is that it should be one and indivisible. AVherever, therefore, the scene is laid, the drama is the same, as well in its dcsi^-n as in its execii- tion ; and tiiough the Editor reports specifically transactions which have taken place at Hackney, yet " niutato nomixie de te, *' Fabula narratur." Hor. Sat. i. 1. 17. will brinf^- home his narrative to every parish throughout the kingdom; which, if already brought within the magic circle of Auxiliary Association, may read in it a transcript of what has been prac- tised upon itself, thougli very possibly, through in- advertency, without its observation ; and^ if hitherto undisturbed by the Society's assiduous proselytists, may confidently consider it as a pra^monition of what it will experience, should it ever become the subject of their operations, * The Editor, having thus far explained the nature of his design, it only remains that he sliould put Testaments to Auxiliary Societies, with Hints on the Con- stitution and Objects of Auxiliary and Subordinate Societies ;'* with an *' Address to Clergymen and Dissenting Ministers" subjoined, inviting them, in the yiaine of the General Com- mittee, to encourage their formation '' oa the j)laii rccmu-' ynended abpve," i\\e Reader in possession of the method of its execution. The Publication commences with a series of letters between himself and the gentleman, who, according' to his own statement, " first submitted the measure to his neighbours ;" the correspon- dence being introduced by a letter from the Edi^ tor, addressed to Mr. Fresblield the moment the fact was established that he had this project in view ; and it was written in the hope that it might add something to the weight of the decided expressions of disapprobation which both the Rev, Dr. Gaskin and tlie Rev. Dr. Watson liad signified : and being an additional evidence of the unanimiti/ which prevailed amongst the Parochial Clergy of the two Parishes of which his Auxiliary district was to be composed, and of the strong sensibiliti/ of their feelings upon the subject, might in its asso- ciated operation induce him to deem it expedient to abandon his undertaking. This not being the case, the correspondence proceeded till Mr. Fresh- field's third letter convinced the Editor that alj further reasoning upon the subject was in vain, No reply, therefore, was returned to it, and this; defect is now supplied by copious annotations, The Appendix which follows, and which may ra- ther be considered as a continuation of the discus- sion, is much the most important part of the work. It comiTJcnccs with a loiter from the Rev. Dr. Wfttson^ conveying' to a respectable parishioner his reasons for disapp raving- of the projected In- stitution^ vrhich, at the joint request of that gen- tleraan^ and several of hlr, ncig'hbours, was printed and circulated throu5'-h the Parish for 2,'eneriil in- formation. This is followed by the unanimous Resolutions of three successive meetin5;s of Vestry, passed in consequence of the Vicar's letter, and circulated through the Parish : together with ano- ther letter from him, occasioned by tiie vote of thanks expressive of the high sense entertahied by the Vestry of the value of his Pastoral exertions. The preliminary address of the Provisional Cjni- mittee of the proposed Auxiliary Society folio -.vs next ; to whicli a counter address^ and a Church- man's reasons for discountenancing the estabhsh- ment of the institution^ (the two replies v/hich it produced) are subjoined. Upon both of these papers Mr. Prcshileld published his remarks. These are inserted next in the series with animad- versions by the Editor, The three ensuinir arti- cles are Socinian pasquinades ; preiixed to v/isich will be found some preliminary observations upon tlie mterest taken by Socinians in the Bible Society, interspersed with authentic documeiits establishing* that important fact, and shewing- the baneful ope- j-ation of this aiiiance upoij tiie Christiau Faitii. XXIV At the close of these observations, the sing'ular co^ ahtion of some Churchmen with Socipians and Papists, in charging- Popery upon those of their brethren who have withstood the aggressions of the Bible Society, is touched upon ; and a parallel co- alition of the Calvinists and Papists in the reign of James the First is pointed out, and some apposite extracts trom the " Gag," which Bishop Montague applied to " the Ganger of Pr(?testants," are pro- duced. The last paper of a controversial nature is an exeellent letter from the Vicar of Doncaster to the Editor of the Doncaster Gazette, which was reprinted for the benefit of the Parish of Hackney, and closed the Parochial discussion of the subject. To these discussions succeed the practical p^rt of the proceedings ; the two next papers being' the notice of the Auxiliary Meeting, and a state- ment of the proceedings of the day, published by authority. Here the Editor thought that his labours were to terminate. But, no sooner was the Auxiliary Meeting over, and the Parochial collection made, than the gentlemen, who had been active in the execution of that design, comnpenced ulterior pro- ceedings ; and parcelling out the parish into four , subdivisions, they distributed themselves into four new Provisional Committees, and resumed their XXV functions in that capacity for adjustinc^ all the prehminaiy arrangements for the incorporation of the lower orders in four Bible Associations ; and, after an interval of six months^ General Meetings were called in each subordinate district^ and these Avere formally established. The Editor^ therefore, had a further task as- signed him to render his practical exposition com- plete, Accordingly, the account of the Auxiliary Meeting will be found succeeded by a short narra- tive to connect the two proceedings togetlier, and the whole terminates with the hand-bills, notices, and resolutions, of this perfecting extension of the Auxiliary system, illustrated by the Editor, and pommended to the reader's serious and impartial consideration in a concluding address ; in which the pretensions of the Bible Society are briefly investigated, the dangers to be apprehended from it set forth, and that course of proceeding earnestly recommended to the adoption of Churchmen of all descriptions, which in his strong conviction the present emergency requires. Such is the nature of that publication which the JEditor now sends forth into the world. It com- menced in a private letter written on the spur of the occasion, and it has gradually encreased iu till it has swelled to a size, on many acccunts^ far beyond his inclination. Tiiis, however, ha« arisen from causes whicli he could not controul, and it has produced a result which himself only lias reason to complain of; for he does not hesitate to pronounce^ that the volume encreases in interest as its pages accumulate, and that the last portion of it is by much the most important ; not from any greater display of talent in himself, but from the materials furnislied by others, which at once verily the predictions of those wlio, at its very outset, pointed out what it would ultimately endeavour to atchieve, and direct the most superficial enquirer into English histoiy vvhere to search for illustra- tions. That offence will not be taken at the deve- lopement which is made, is a hope which he has hot the inexperience to entertain. His object is, the maintenance of that asccndanci/, idiich the pure and reformed part of Christ's Ilofj/ Catho- lic Church, established in these kingdoms, has so long enjoyed, with that liberal toleration of all who differ from licr, which has never been exer- cised under anij other religious domination, and which will imniediatelj/ cease, should her numerous assailants succeed in their enterprize, and again brins: her down to the s^round — and this is a scr- vice which, however reasonable for a decided Churchman to undertake, he knows cannot be at once effLcienily and inoJjensi%'cly performed. XXYll •yS.The moment she fell^ at a former period of national frenzy and infatuation^ tolei^ation fell ^vitl^ her : for the Presbyterians, who first snatched the reins of spiritual power into their hands, esteemed i\iQ rights of private judgement in Religion, to be spiritual ZDickedness, and did their utmost to abo- lish the exercise of it hi/ Icrdo. And when, in the progress of reform, the Independent party gahied the mastery over them, though universal liherLy of conscience was their principle, yet tolerating bias- phemies of every kind — they inicrdicted the doc- trine and discipline of that Church, vvhosc too compliant spirit had enabled them to acquire the power by which they refused to allow her tolera- tion. The Editor confesses that he does not wish to gee the days of the Usurpation return, and that, to prevent their recurrence, is the object of his la-> bours. He would say to every man, in the freest spirit of toleration, "" Choose you this day vfhom2/ou will serve ;" for truth, he is satisfied, is only to be propagated in a rational way, and force vvill not work 7'eal conviction. But while he grants cheer- fully this hcence to others, he wishes to enjoy tlie game privilege himself and to be allowed to adopt th« close as well as the commencement of the Jewish Ruler's declaration : " As for 7ne, and mj/ house, we will serve the Lord;" and lest this XXV 111 should give an offence, which he most anxiously disclaims, he begs to qualify it by this proviso, that he arrogates no iiifallibihty to himself ; but he does mean to affirm, that the Scriptures promulgate one faith to be kept, and one mode of worship to be observed, and further to avow his deliberate conviction to be, that the Church of England in both these respects sets forth the revealed way of Salvation. CONTENTS. CORRESPONDENCE, LETTER L Pag®.. JbiiDlTOR states to Mr. Preshfield, information received of his being engaged in forming an Auxiliary Bible So- ciety in Hackney — conjures him to reconsider his reso- lution— gives him credit for his motives — asserts hi» own cordial attachment to the circulation of the Bible — alledges evidence to prove it — notifies the decided re- sistance which a sense of duty will constrain him to make, if Mr. F. perseveres— glances at mischievous ten- dency of the institution — suggests a preferable method of attaining the object in view — renews his entreaties to reconsideration .#..•««•».»»•»•••♦•»»••♦•♦•»•••» 2 LETTER II. Pag« Mr. F. compliments the Editor, but persists in his resoki- tion— confirmed in it by a rciercnce to God in Prayer — and by a conviction of the awful consequences which would result to himself, and others, if prejudice were to paralise his exertions — expresses respect for Christian Knowledge Society — but imputes inefficiency to its members and repulsivcness to its regulations — enters into a general defence of the object and constitution of the Bible Society — presents Editor with a copy of Cam- bridge Auxiliary proceedings .....»..••..-..»..... 5 LETTER III. Editor recals Mr. F.'s attention from the general merits of the Bible Societj'- question, to the particular expe- diency of establishing an Auxiliary Society in Hackney — restates the points submitted to his consideration— alledges examples of strong delusions with reference to the success of prayer— suggests cautions upon this aw- ful subject — corrects Mr. F.'s mis-statements relative to the Cambridge Auxiliary Society — remarks upon the nse made of false-colouring by the Bible Society, and Upon the efficacy of that expedient — requites Mr. F.'s inclosures by the present of an account of Christian Knowledge Society — points out use of it — rectifies mis- tcike that Bible Society only circulates Bibles 9 XXXl LETTER IT. Pa; Mr. F. states liis Intention of coming Immediately to the point — and being full in hi& reply — introduces main question : the expediency of his favourite project — no- tices what he conceives a material oversight of the Edi" tor — carries Editor's concessions to his own conclasions — assiunes a concardat between them on tiie object of the institution — passes on to Editor's 1st objection: dis- approval of the Parochial Clergy — confounds Auxiliary district with parish — and takes advantage of it — com- pliments Parochial Clergy, but cashiers them of all au- thority— avails himself of Bp. Povteus — confounds the Ep.'s private opinions with his public judgments — and puts Editor to confusion with a parallel drawn from his mistake — passes on to 2d objection : tendency of the measure to engender strife — argues against it — alledges an example — passes on to pacilic alternative — makes money first criterion of excellence — involves himself in a contradiction — testifies great coubideration for the re- spectability of the parish — criticises Editor's quotations from Scripture — misconstrues his reference to fanatical delusions respecting prayer into the implication of a si- milp,rityia all respects between himself and the persons specified — rebuts the charge — alledges in his vindica- tion passages from Scripture, and from Liturgy — re- proves Editor for disrespect to Cambridge Auxiliary Associates — compliments Christian Knowledge Society, but represents Eible Society as " a thorn in its side,^' which gave-tlie stimulus to its exertij^ns- — parries a,seri* xxxli fsge duf ctiafge against Bible Society b}' treating it as a Btroke of pleasantry — charges Editor with disrespect to Dignitaries of the Chureh — adnx)nishes him of his fault 15 LETTER V. Editor states corfection of errors to be occasion of his reply — refers alledgcd oversight to Mr. F.'s inadver-* tency- — vindicates declaration of cordial attachment ta general distribution of Scriptures from Mr. F.'s miscon- struction— establie-hes hJs own accuracy in stating all the Ministers of the parish adverse to his plan — ex- presses bis astonishment at iNIr. F.'s deeming this a cir- cumstance not of any account— attempts his conviction by the argumentum ad houiinera — shews the cases of Bishop Porteus and the Parochial Clergy to be not pa- rallel— and the inference iilegimate — reproves Mr. F* ibr his disrespect to Bp. Porteus in abasing his autho- rity— and for setting forth the inhabitants of Hackney generally as approving his design — detects a mutilation,- and points out the irrelevancy of reasoning against fact for the disproof of the charge of engendering strife laid against Bible Society — admits the numerical pre- tensions of Bible Society, but shews them to be ground of self-reproach rather than of boasting- bewails the deplorable fascination of the Bible So- cictv — rectifies Mr. F.'s misapplication of examples of mispersuasion of success in prayer — dilates upon the grounds on Vvhich he deemed ]Mr. F. under that delu- sion— labours to convince him tliat such is, really tlie XXX ui ^ase — points out tile propriety of designating him a vo- lunteer— guards against a misconception, that he (the Editor) would discountenance the co-operation of the Laity — defines the limits of this co-operation — specifies the difference between the associates of the Christian Knowledge and the Bible Societies — shews the Bible So- ciety to be the source of Mr. F.'s mispersuasion — fixes his charge ofdisrespect to dignitaries of the Church upon - himself — hails the auspicious circumstance of his mode- rated reprehension of the Christian Knowledge Society — waves altercation upon the contrasted merits of that and the Bible Society and why — laments Mr. F.'s intro- duction of a sore subject : the Welch Bible concern — glances at it, and refers to sources of more copious in- formation— maintains the gravity of his charge of breach of faith against Bible Society — reminds Mr. F. that he was the aggressor — shews that duty imposed upon himself the course which he has pursued S7 LETTER VL jVIr. F. compares Editor's last letter to an ignis fatuus— »« Editor entreats Reader not to receive raihng for re- futation— Mr. F. contrasts the grounds of argument taken by himself and Editor, and pronounces Editor's comparatively immaterial — Editor shews Mr. F. to have involved himself in an awkward dilemma— Mr. F. supports his position by a citation from Dr. Clarke — Editor criticises the citation and matches it with a parallel passage from Dr. Pi-iestley — Mr. F pronounces bis auxiliary district clear of any ecclesiastical licad— b F Editor thanks Mr. F. for his plain epeaking — Mr. F. professes ignorance hovv' the mode of distributing the Scriptures by Bible Society is inconducive to dissemi- nation of Christian Knowledge — or how it tends to de- gradation of Sacred Volume — Editor furnishes him ^vith the necessary instruction — Mr. F. denies the ten- dency of Bible Society to lessen practical influence oC Scriptures upon the poor — Editor affirms it — and de- monstrates the incapacity of the Society to perform ei- tlier of the functions which Scripture specifies as th© ends of religious association — notices discord at Leices- teir — Mr. F. limits the deference due to Clergy to ques- tions of form, compliment, and etiquette — Editor re- niar]cs upon their usefulness in Mr. F.'s estimation — Mr. F. draws odious comparisons between Clergy of Hackney and their neighbouriiig brethren — Editor shows these comparisons not at all to the purpose, and re- quests Mr. F. to suspend the confusion he would intro- duce to a period which he trusts God's good providence will avert — Mr. F. reproves the Editor for insinuating, that he deemed the Clergy generally disqualified for their office — Editor recalls Mr. F. s own words to his recollection — Mr. F. turns this Editor's argumentura ad hominem against him — Editor detects the fallacy of his reasoning — Mr. F. disparages the argument from au- thority— Editor reminds him that that argument is his own — points out his impolicy in casting disparaging re- flections on it — details the expedients resorted to by the Bible Society to obtain this decoration — furnishes the reader with a criterion for ascertaining its value ^ Mr. F. declares the consistency of those who originalltf approved the Bible Society pledged for the continuance of their approbation — Editor calls the attention of men •frank to the plunge which they make when they con- XXXV - . . . P"S* Sent to incorporation— and exhibits to vvhaf a depth it may carry them— he vindicates Bishop Porteus s me- mory from this reproach— Mr. R cites the evidence of the Rev. R. Hodgson in confirmation of his position —Editor produces that Gentleman's authority to h'n confusion— and draws out at length the grounds on which the Bishop would now reprobate the Bible So- ciety, though at its institution he approved it Mr F. cites the authority of other Prelates— Editor places in juxta-position Episcopal instrument of institution, and the cancel of it effected by the Auxihary System, as its operation is defined by Mr. F cites an apposite passage from a letter of Alexander" Bishop of Alex- andria—Mr. F. impeaches accuracy of Editor's local statements — Editor proves them all to be true Mr. F. protests against reflection imputed to him on parish of Hackney— Editor retracts the charge, but jus- tifies the impugned construction as the obvious mean- ings of his words, and as the language of the advo- cates of the Society— Mr. Cunningham's speech at Henley — reflects upon the shackles of preji|dice fixed by Bible Society upon understandings of its votaries Mr. F. cliarges Editor with torturing his meaning Editor analyses the passage, rebuts the charge, and admonishes Mr. F. on the solemn subject of prayer Mr. F. charges Editor with personality— Editor vin- dicates himself, and shews Mr. F. how insensible the Bible Society spirit has made him to his own inhumanity of observation— Mr. F. asserts dangers apprehended from Bible Society to be all imaginary— Editor proves from its own report that they are real- Mr. F. iirti-' mates that the Parochial Clergy had a preference *hewn to them before others in being solicited to tak« the lead in the Awociation— the Editor delfeils th« h 2 Fags wTinle proceecling-, anJ illustrates the inference drawn from these premises — shews the course pursued here to be systematic, by statement of proceedings at Beck- ing— Mr. F.^ is sceptical upon the subject of the Welsh Bible ccnceni — Editor endeavours to clear up his doubts by testimony of Bishop Randolph^ emblazons Mr. Charles's pretensions to the premier" peerage of the Bible Society. — Mr. F. appositely ' denominates proceedings of Bible Society " ^od old icai/" — Editor recognises reference to " good old catiscy' and explains that obsolete expression — Mr, F. complains of Editor's selection of his carrespon- dent — Editor reminds Mr. F.. that lie was rjot al- lowed the privilege of selecdoH, and iikistrates his case by two Scriptural allusions — ^Mr, F, in conclu- sion offers Editor a word of Scriptural advice- Editor hints to Mr. F. that the advice offered is the counsel of a Pharisee— that Rabshakeh charged He- zekiah with sacrilege upon the same principle — and' that the Puritans made constant use of the passage for the same purpose as that for which it is now brought APPENDIX. I, "t"icar of Hackney's Letter printed at the request of some of .his parishLoners for general information of the parish-Viear- to preclude Bible Society raisrepreseji"' XXXVll Nation, explains motives for discountenancing Auxi- liary Society — professes anxiety to do this without giv- ing offence — declares conviction of unfitness of Church- men procuring Bibles by instrumentality of Bible Society — alledges motives .for his conduct of a local ■and personal nature — expresses hopes of the aban- Ajnmezit of the design ..^ 129 IL Eesdutions of Vestry, Nov. 2, 1812, approving Vicar's Letter — engaging to discountenance formation of Auxi- liary Society — thanking Vicar for his prompt exer- ''^ t;on to preserve harmon}'^ of the parish. „ 136 IIL l^car's Letter of acknowledgement to Vestry — requests euspension of circulation of resolutions till further aggression requires it — expresses confidence from actual knowledge of the large annual distribution of pibles in the parish, that the want of them must be inconsiderable— suggests a wi^h to avail himself of the high tide of zeal for distribution, and to turn it into its proper channel ..,.........;,....,..■ 108 IV. Resolutions of Vestry, Nov. 26, 1812, upon Vicar's Reply — Vestry resolve that the tendency of indiscri- minatii'g distribution of Bible is to lessen reverence due to it — engage to co-operate with Vicar in accomphsh- ing his wish, that ull persons cfisposed and c^ualified ' XXXVlll Page to make good use of a Bible may have that and the Jjiturgy given them 14fO Resolutions of Vestry, Dec. 7, 1812 — accepting dona- tion ofFerjed from an anonymous parishioner, of 100 Bibles and Testaments, and 100 Prayer Books I4t% VL Address of Provisional Committee on proposed formation of Auxiliary Bible Society— Committee mis-quote Scripture as fundamental pretext — adapt and apply difficulties to their own previouslj'- contrived solution — display decorations -— atchievements — prophetical references to themselves — emblazon in capitals, their .■fummory of pretensions — pass from Parent to Auxi- liary children — display famine of the land — appeal to feelings — announce general meeting., 14^ Vlf, Counter Address to Inhabitants, Sfc. by Well Wisher to Peace of Parish of Hackney — Addresser rectifies mis- application of Christ's commission to his Apostles — i suggests obedience as better than sacrifice — particu- ,laxly when own inventions the objects of worship— r enters a caveat against deeming success a pledge of the Divine blessing — accounts for success of Bible Society — supplies the defect of the address in ex- plaining the object and tendency of the Society — ptates grounds of objection — points out real tenden-5 XXXIX Past cies — -impeaches fidelity of report of labours — proves impeachment — submits these questions to the conai- •deriition of the parish 1^4. vni. Churchman's reasons for discountenancing Auxiliary So- ciety, &c — Churchman makes precautionary statement ol' grounds of discountenancing Auxiliary project- points out liability of judgment to be overpovrered by feeling, and presses dispassionate consideration— !- convicts Bible Society, by the bible, of taking too much upon it — passes to plea of Auxiliary projectors — con- victs them of misapplication of prophecy — detects ia- accuracy and inconclusiveness of the money^changf ing arguments — eiiamines allegation of Patronage— r- scrutinizes statement of deficiency amongst poor—" convicts auxiliarists by their own witnesses — shews present impulse to promote unity by Bible So- ciety devices, to proceed from ignorance of the Sacred Voluo^e, which it evinces so much zeal to disperge • • • • 164> IX. JtJr. Freshfield's remarks on counter address, &c. — Mr. F. designates counter address; an extraordinary paper • — rebuts addresser's charge against Bible -ociety of superseding office of Preacning — Editor establishes it — Mr. F. attempts to shew decided superiority to the members of the Establishment provided for by con- stittition of Bible Society— Editor leave^j the questiou fis stated by his correspondent to the judgment of the reader— Mr. F. meets the addresser's charge ajc -inst Socjetv, of scattering discord, with the assertion that Pag« it invites to union — Editor examines the species of union solicited in the invitation, and illustrates it with •an apposite Scriptural example — Mr. F. designates as ealumnlators those who impeach the representation of the labours of the Society — Editor submits the case to the reader for his decision to whom this epithet is due— Mr. F. answers Addresser's three questions- designates the first a libel on the Bench of Bishops — Editor expatiates upon this point, and produces au- thentic documents to prove the use and the aJm^e of that venerable Bench b}^ the Bible Society — Mr. F, passes to Churchman's reasons, and contents himself with expressing liis absence of surprise at imaginary Heresies being raised up where so little of real objec- tion can be found- Editor suggests an enquiry to Mr. F. which may probably induce him to admit that there is some reality in the imputation — Mr. F. charges the Editor with having published a mass of mis-represen- tatiorss — and insinuates the charge of illiberality, un- candidness and unfaithfulness against him — the Editor proves that with respect to the only specified instance Mr. F. has suffered excressions to escape him which, there can be no doubt, he will lament that he uttered... ITS X. XL XII, Socinian VsLmnmsL'Xe?.— Address of Patrick O^Flcmashan to the Clergy, Gentlemen of the Vestrif, and other op-, posers (if any there, lej of the Hackney Auxiliary ' ■ Bible Society. Measons for thinking that Patrick O'Flanaghan is the real author of the Resolutions of the Vestry and the Letters against the Hackney and Neivington yhixilia^y Society '...... , 244, 253, 257, Xii PAEISn OF ST. JOHX, AT HACKNEY. Page ^t a Meeting of a select Committee of the Society of Bi- gotry-Arians held the \Uh of Decem^er^ 1812. " A Letter directed to the Chairman and laid before the Committee, xvas taken into consideration — tf ivkich the Jbllotving is a Capy.** (i.e. of the consideration;) PRELIMINARy OBSERVATIONS. Editor states internal testimony of these scurrilous papers being Socinian contributions to the Bible Society —and that from this circumstance alone they derive their importance as proof of the interest which So- cinians take in the institution — adduces evidence of their hostility against that Faith which it professes to disseminate — profession of Bible Society exhibited — hostility of Socinians set forth — Improved Version — popular books of devotion unchristianizcd — Soci- nian conferences at Hackney ; list of subjects for 1812, 13 — Mr. Clarke's Socinian papers — evidence summed up and fact of Socinian hostility assumed upon it — Socinian co-operation investigated — pro- ceedings at Hackney — at Newcastle upon Tyne— at Huntingdon — at Ipswich — at Chester and at Uxbridgc — account of Mr. Hodgson's publicly renouncing all connection with that Auxiliary Society — and of Mr. Owen's casuistry — policy of Socinians in tliis double dealing set forth — Mr. Dealtry's protests against this charge upon the Society noticed — his inconsideration xlii jn hazarding an assertion for which a Socinian at York immediately took him to task — and which facts out of nuqiber liave so abundantly contradicted — the inter- community now gloried in by the secretaries of the Institution — Mr. Hughes's speech at Yarmouth — the rapid advance of the incorporation noticed — concilia- tion towards Socinians at Auxiliary Meetings — Nor- wich— Hackney — inference drawn of probable influ- ence of Bible Society upon Christian faith — proscrip« tion of Socinianism superseded by it — principle, though operating with force of law only within the limits of Bible Society, extends evil influence much further-— views further opened — comprehension of th^ whole family of man in furtherance of the design — similar policy adopted both by Eastern and Western Anti- christ and the Bible Society — advances made towards this consummation — Mr. Thorpe's candid statement, that both Deists and Atheists were to be brought in — this confirmed by London Committee — new dis- cussion introduced by publication of Roman Catholic Bible Society correspondence — clamour of Popery raised by advocates of Bible Society against Church- men who withstand them — advantage taken of it by Papists — first introduced into the question by Mr. Dealtry, by publication of Pasquinade similar to the iirst Socinian paper published in Hackney — disinge- nuity in dropping Christian Observer's comments upon it — curious Association noticed — exploit of Mr. Gan- dolphy not original — Gag for the new Gospel — Bishop Montague's Gagger — the heretical pravity charged upon Church of England in the Gag — precisely that which Bible Society is instrumentaf in reviving — • Bishop Montague's state of the case — Articles re- ferred to — true doctrine of the Church of England established against Papists on one hand, and Bibl^ Paje xliii JSociety advocates on the other— further set forth by a second testimony from Bishop Montague, and an apposite illustration from Leslie .«....,.. 202 XIIL J^etter from Rev. R, Affleck, T'icar of Doncaster, to the Editor of the Doncaster Gazette — Mr. Affleck states occasion of letter to be to exonerate himself from im,« putation implied in anonymous advertisement, that a want of reflection and Christian charity produced the apathy of all who withheld their recommendation from the measure — confines remarks to object and consti- tution of Bible Society — object too narrow and defec- tive— reasons stated — comparison instituted betweea Christian Knowledge and Bible Society — former pre- ferred— objections against constitution stated — Society ibr the propagation of religious truth not to act merely like a many-headed machine — success oc9asioned by captivating appearance — not the result of investiga- tion— alledged objections all justified by the Bible — '• state of things in Gospel age brought home to our own times — no weight in the imposing argument from pa- tronage— that against Society if accurately weighed — local circumstances such as to render Association com- , pletely unnecessary — facts stated „.... 26Q XIV. $iotice of Auxiliary Constituent-Meeting— seats for ladies — this device chronologically deduced from ita prigia to present time — Editor respectfully admo- XI IV rushes his countrywomen to beware of it — Provisional Committee deprecate" evil passion, and bewail jea- lousy excited, and employ botli soothing and terri- fying expostulations to aliay it — lament the deplor- jible lack of Scriptm'es-^Editor enters caveat — pro- claim unexampled harmony — Editor pronounces this most outrageous— produces an apposite commentary from Leslie's Rehearsals upon it —adverts to a chef .,.„....,........... 2SQ Counertiii''' Narrative betwee7i Establishment of AuX' i/ian/ Society/ and ^ubdivismi of District into Bible Associations. Editor states substance of address to inhabitants circulated b^' Committee of Auxiliary Society iramediatdy after General Meeting — notes upon the illegalilij of collect- ing money from house to house witliout the " Boyal licence^' so to do— states amount of collection, and assigns to Churchmen and Dissenters their respective . proportions — states the appointed appropriation of it — states '.vhat the Bible Society set forth as the advan- tages which they hold out to Auxiliary Societies to lemit all their collections to them — shews that almost double the number of Bibles might have been procured with the money from the Society for Promoting Chris- tian Knowledge — sets forth the 4-uxihary Census of the poor families unprovided — shews the collection to be completely adequate to supply the defect — expresses suri:)rize at the six months delay in supplying it — dis- covers the solution of this problem — the ulterior views of the Auxiliary Committee to tlie incorporation of . the poor in Bible Associations— gives a sketch: of these and of the proceedings in forming them — notes upon the prophanation of churches — exhibits an early spc-, cimen of a Bible Association that improvements in the last edition may be more conspicuous ^ ^ ^ 307 XVI. Appeal to Mechanics, Labourers, and others, respecting Bible Associations • 32G XVIL Address on Bible Associations — to which is added me- thod of conducting them — Editor notes circulation of these papers from the Society's repository— commends them to the inspection of those whom it may concern as most powerfully delusive ., ^ 331 xlvl XVIIL Inquisitorial Paper delivered at all the houses of the poor, and collected again by persons especially deputed for that purpose 338 XIX Notice of Bible Association Meeting „ ».... 33d XX. Resolutions of the Constituent Meeting of the first of the four Bible Associations, into which the Auxiliary District of Hackney and Newington is divided, with notes and illustrations by the Editor from the produc- tions of the Puritans and the United Irishmen 340 CONCLUSION. Editor expresses confidence that the primary object of his labours is attained — the vindication of the Paro- chial Clergy of Hackney from the reproaches cast upon them for the discountenance which they gave to the formation of the AuJiiliary Society— hopes he has done much more — calls the attention of the country to the solemn league and covenant— shews in these par- ticulars its parallelism in effect produced with the Bible Society confederation— notes catastrophe of this in- s.trunient of delusion— invites to the consideration whe- 3 xlvii ther the benefits already conferred by the Bible So- ciety, or the pretensions set up by it, are such as can justify the country in incurring the hazard of being again reduced to the necessity of avenging its wrongs by SD"Contemptible an expiation — investigates its deeds — enters a caveat against plea of foreign services — sup- ports caveat by evidence — impeaches domestic bene- fits— alledges evidence — passes to pretensions — takes a survey of object — introduces from Scripture a pa- rallel case — reverts to Solemn League and Covenant — shews that confederation to have been to all intents and purposes a Bible Society— glances at constitutibii — sums up evidence — points out dangers — suggests the necessary remedy — calls upon Churchmen to associate —points out Society for promoting Christian Know- ledge as the nucleus of incorporation — animates to exertion, and inspires confideuce in God., ,.„, „. 353 COLLECTION OF DOCUxMENTS. Ko. I. Fag* Extract from Life of Lord Herbert of Cherbury — his appeal to Heaven upon the printing of his book De Veritate, &c. — Extract from the Life of Col. Hutch- inson— his appeals to Heaven to direct his conduct with respect to the sentence to be passed upon Charles I. — and his acceptance of pardon from Charles II 395 No. IL Extract from a speech made at a Meeting held at the Shire Hall at Ipswich, &c. by the Rev. John Owen, paired with an extract from another speech of that Gentleman's, made at the Bloomsbury Auxiliary Meeting • - 399 No. III. JJxtract from Heylin's Theologia Veterum 401 No. IV. Specimens of appeals to the poor to extort from them their weekly penny subscription ♦ • • ♦ t . . . . 402 1 xlis V. Page Extract from Dugdale's Sliort View of the troubles re- lative to tlie purchase of Impropriate Rectories by the Puritanical leaders, and to their insinuating persons of their party into Headnhips in the Univeroities ............ 429 VL Extract from Dedication of Edwards's Gangraena — dis- playing a portraiture of the Puritanical reformation by a convinced aecompHce , 431 VIL Extract from Walker's History of Independency dis- playing the catastrophe of the present popular project of the Bible onli/, as it has been once, in these king- doms, carried into effect 434 VIII. Additional Notes and Illustrations , 437 IX. Speeches of W. Wickstead, Esq. and the Rev. John Eyton 486 ADVERTISEMENT TO SECOND EDITIO^.--'- ' .v/ -' aI ZOLu v., IN consequence of the encreasing" demands for the Practical Exposition, a new Edition is sub- mitted to the pubhc. The Editor would gladly have divested it of its local reference, and have abridged it in many parts which may not be deemed generally interesting ; but to have done this he must have re-cast the whole Volume, and he has not the time at his command for so tedious an un- dertaking. The Work therefore comes forth in no respect differing from the former Edition, except S m (hat typograpliical and verbal errors are corrected*^ and some additional notes and illustrations sub- joined,, which he thinks will be found to deserve particular attention. He has only to add, that of the mass of evidence which the Volume contains^ three items comprise the whole, against the fide- lity of which any exception have been taken. The advocates of the Bible Society have publicly attempted to impeach, or rather to soften down by explanation, the statement of the proceeding's at Hertford, and Mr. Cunning-ham and the President of the Clapton Bible Association have privately protested ag-ainst the expressions imputed to them. These exceptions the Editor has thought it due to . the parties concerned to record in their proper places ; but he trusts the reader will go along with him in thinking that they give no occasion either to withdraw or to alter the original passages. The exc-eptions, and the Editor's reply to them, will be found among the additional notes, p. 444, 449, 476. liii The Reader is requested to make references to the additional notes at the following places : — Page 69, 80, ■ 88, 96, 108, 116, Note Page 122, Note c 176, f 236. 278, c 310, a 318, b Page 349, Note b. Grove-street, Uadkneij, D^c. 16, 1814. By inadvertency in the Editor the following variations exist between his own Copy of his first and second Letter, and that which he sent to Mr. Freshfield. When his third Letter was dispatched, publication was thought a probable result, and the two Copies of that were collated. P. 1. 1. 12. dele " which I am persuaded have escaped your notice." p. 3. 1. 7. insert after " generate, both in principle and in practice," 1. 17. ajier " not" omit " yet." 1. 19. instead of" to" lege " unto" 1. 28. dele " in the iiingdora." p. 9. 1. 3. instead of " merits of the question" lege " general question" 1. 6. after " doubt" insert " that" 1, 8. instead of" with" lege " by" 1. 9. instead of " have" lege " had" instead of stated "stated already" lege " already stated" after " better" insert " stated" p. 10. 1. 27 i after " attainable" viscrt " in full perfection" p. 11. 1. 9. dele" khe" 1. 23. after " communicated" insert " to us" 1. 25. dele " that" ]. 26; instead of" bearing" lege " which bear" p. 12. 1. 5. after " taking" insert " also" ]. 12. fl/itn- " knowing" i?isert " that" 1. 13. dele " to Scripture" 1. 16. instead of" this" lege " the" 1. 21. instead of" proceedings" lege " meeting*' 1. 22. after " the" insert " Auxiliary" after" and" insert '' that I" p. 13. 1. 5. instead of " of" read " to" 1. 10. dele " its members of" !• 18. instead of "I trust you will find" lege " you will find T (rust" ]. 22. instead of " the" lege " that" p. 14. 1. 6. after " made" instrt " above" 1. 13. i»stcarf o/'" in this statement" /e^e " upon t'Js point" 1, 18. after " ixnd" insert" ol" LETTERS, 4c. LETTER I. FROM REV. H. H. NORRTS TO J. W. FRESHFIELD, ESQ. SIR, IT has just come to my knowledge that you are engaged in the formation of an Aux- ihary Bible Society for a district in which the parish of Hackney is to be included. As a Clergyman of the Church of England, officially connected with this parish, and on many accounts deeply inte- rested in its welfare, I lose not a moment in con- juring you, seriously to re-consider the expediency of this measure, before you finally resolve to carry it into execution ; as it involves many considerations not so prominently obvious as to be immediately ob- served, which, I am persuaded, have escaped your notice. I beg to assure you, in the fust place, that though 1 have not the honour of a further know- ledge of you, than having once (I believe,) dined in your company, yet I am not a stranger to your li 2 high respectability, and have no hesitation in at- tributing to the most excellent motives the interest which you take in the work, which you have in hand. I beg to assure you also, that I am equally alive with yourself to the importance of the ob- ject to be promoted by your projected institution ; that for these last twenty years, nearly half of my life, I have been an active member of a most ve- nerable Society, instituted above a century ago for the express purpose of promoting it ; that, at this moment, the furtherance of the designs of this Society occupies a considerable portion of my time ; and that during the whole period above specified the want of a Bible has never come to my knowledge, which I have not immediately gratuitously supplied. I feel it necessary to state all this to you in the most unqualified manner, that I may preclude the possibiHty of one moment's misapprehension on your part of the ground, on which I must give my most decided opposition to what you are so zealous to establish, should you not be induced to relinquish your design ; which, for the sake of peace, I hope will be the case. In the general dissemination of the authorised version of the Scriptures amongst the poor, I go with you heart and hand ; for they contain a cor- dial for all the hardships of the most destitute con- dition, and will pacify even those poignant disqui- 5 ttudes, which no other remedy can assuage. And were there no other means of imparting to this va- luable class of the community this treasury of consolation, but those devised by the Bible Society, formidable to my apprehension as are the evils, which that Society, from its very constitution, has a direct tendency to generate, I should undergo many conflicts in my mind, before I could re- solve to withhold my co-operation ; though in afford- ing it, I should incur the risk of becoming a party in the production of such a catastrophe as, I am sure, had you the least forebodings of it, would stagger your present resolution. In such a case„ the objections which press upon my mind, and which are all before the public, might possibly be balanced by the acknowledged excellency of tlie object: but God be thanked, we are not reduced to this painful and perplexing alternative. There is another door open to us (I speak as to Church-^ men) leading directly to the end we aim at IVq have a Society, by which all the advantages pro- posed to us by the Bible Society may be secured, without any of the risks above adverted to, which have made so fearful an impression upon the minds of numbers of the most zealously affected Chris- tians in the kingdom, that howevev excellent be the design of this widely spreadmg institution, its pro- minent effect, as every county newspaper in the kingdom will demonstrate, is to unite into one Bocfy every denomination of Disscaters, and to produce strife, iinimosity, and dibiHcmbemient in the Cliureh. I earnestly iiitreat of you to weigh well these considerations, before you become pledged to prosecute an object which you cannot purchase, but by the sacrifice of peace, and by dis- severing the afiections of many, who, now at unity among themselves^, are strengthening continually the bonds of Christian fellowship, by the blessed interchange of all the charities of life ; and I beg to inforce this intyeaty by reminding you, that it comes from a t'bristian Minister, who is as zeal- ously affected as yoti eaii be to the promotion o^ Christian Knmvlcdge ; and I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace ; and I pray of Him to give yo.u a right understanding in all things. I have the honour to he,, &c. Grove Street, Haehieu, Oct, 23flf. 1812. LETTER IL FEO.M J. W. PRESHl-IELD, ESQ, TO REV. H. H. iN ORRIS. SIS, I AM favored with j^our Letter of this date, which has received from me the con- sideration to which it was justly intitled, as well ii'om the official situation, and respectable charac- ter of its author, as the great importance of the subject. Indeed it would have been highly crimi- nal in me, not long since to have considered the matter very fully, in which I have not relied upon any vain conceits of my own, but have earnestly and seriously referred myself to God in prayer, that I might be guided and directed in the aftkir, according to his holy mind and will. Having thus endeavored to have my mind rightly informed, I feel warranted in saying, that I am thoroughly convinced, the plan of the British and Foreign Bible Society is right and unobjectionable in principle and practice; and being so convinced, I should feel, tliat to give less than my utmost assistance lo the forniation of the intended Auxiliary Society, would subject me to the awful conse- quence of being ashamed of the name of Christ ; and while I should blush for myselt^ if I could so conduct myself, I should tremble under the con- sideration, that souls might be passing to eternal perdition, M-ho, with the blessing of God, might be turned from the error of their way, but for a pre-* judice that paralyzed my exertions. I am aware you will here refer to your own exer^ tions in the service of the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge : I honor you for those exer- tions, but must appeal to past experience, whether it has called forth, during the century it has been established, any general warm feeling, any zealous, active exertions, on the part of the Members indi- vidually. Whether it had even become generally known to exist at the time the British and Foreign Bible Society was established ; and whether, on the contrary, even to those who had heard of it, there was not something repulsive in its regulations. For myself, I can state, that though well affected to the Society, and disposed to aid its funds, I was not prepared to subject my principles, unnecessa- rily, to the judgment of the Committee, and incur the risk of being black-balled by those to whom I was not known, as if I had ambitiously aimed at sharing in the benefit of chartered rights, But in the present instance, a Society is propo-i sed in which no opportunity occurs of recommend- ing any peculiarity : the pure unmixed Scriptures ■are to be circulated : no one act can be done by the members of the Society, as connected with the Society, except to distribute copies of the Bible, and whether that be done by Churchmen or Dis- senters, the effect must be the same ; and a, to the intercourse between Churchmen and Di^-ient- ers, in connection with this Society, having a dan- gerous tendency, I should as soon believe it dan- gerous for Churchmen and Dissenters to trade to- gether, nay, more so, for, in connection with the Society, mutual caution and watchfulness are ex- cited, whilst, in the other instance of intercourse, there is nothing to distinguish the one from the other. But it is said, having a common object, they pursue it, and become familiarly acquainted with each other, and that jealous}-, essential to preserve the full difference and distinction, is soft- ened down to indifference, and passes away : that in other words, is saying, that the jealousy proceeds from mutual ignorance, and when we become ac- quainted with each other, we find it not warranted by actual experience, and the prejudice dies a natural death. I have to apologize for having taken up so much of your time, and request the favor of you to read, (if you have not already done so) the accompanying very interesting account of the formation of a Bible Society, for the University of Cambridge, where zeal for the Establishment must be in as full exer- cise as in any other part of his Majesty's domi- nions, I hav6 the honor to be, Sir, Your obedient, and very humble Servant, J. W. FRESHFIELP* Stoke Netvington Road, 23d, Oct. 1812. LETTER III. FROM REV. H. H. NORRIS TO J. W. FRESHFIELD, ESQ. SIB, IN my former Letter I scrupulously abstained from entering in the least into the merits of the question, upon which I felt it to be my duty to address you ; and I did so for this reason, that a complete discussion of it is now before the world, which I had no doubt you had fully considered, and therefore that it would be to no purpose for jne to inforce my intreaty with arguments, which have been stated already, (and better than I can state them,) by the Country Clergyman*, the Dean of Eocking'', Professor Marsh", and Mr. Nolan ^, ^ Address to Lord Teignmouth. Kivingtons. 1805. Second Letter to Lord Teignmouth. Rivingtons. 1810. ^ Reasons for declining to become a Subscriber to tlie British ^nd Foreign Bible Societ}-. Rivingtons. 1810. Letter to Lord Teignmouth. Rivingtons. 1810. <= Inquiry into the Consequences of neglecting to give the Prayer-Book with the Bible. Rivingtons. 1812. History of the Translations which have been made of the Scriptures. Rivingtons. 1812. Letter to Right Hon. N. Vansittart, M. P. Rivingtons. 1812. ^ Objections of a Churchman to uniting with the Bible So- ciety. Rivingtons. 1812. 10 and yet had failed of carrying any conviction t» your mind. Indeed it was beside my purpose, and Mould have been presumptuous to have entered into the general argument, for upon that I have no right to obtrude my sentiments upon you. It is only when, in the exuberance of your zeal to pro- mote the extension of the Bible Society, you be- come a volunteer in the work of that ministry in which I hold a subordinate appointment, and take measures to establish in this parish an Auxiliary In- stitution, that you give me grounds to expostulate with you ; and I beg to press it upon your attention, that it is upon this ground only that I have built my expostulation. I feel it necessary to do this, because it is evi- dent from your reply, that the full possession, which the merits of the question, generally considered, have taken of your mind, has so absorbed its atten- tion, that the particular considerations, on which I entreated you to deliberate, have wholly escaped your notice. Those considerations limited the question between us to the expediency of establish- infT in this Parish an Auxihary Branch of the Bible Society, in opposition to the most conscientious and maturely weighed objections of its Ministers, and at the expence of its peace ; the object being at the same time attainable by the adoption of a course ©f proceeding, in which they could cordially co- 7 11 operate, and in which parochial harmony would be preserved. Expressly excluding then all reference to the parent Institution, and to those features which mark its character, and, in respect of wliich, I as heartily deprecate, as you can desire, its success ; suffer me to bring the question, thus re-stated, a second time before you, and in order to shake, if it be possible, that full assurance which has be- trayed you into the entertainment and promulga- tion of imaginations, which I cannot but contem- plate with disma}', allow me to solicit your atten- tion to the concluding incident in the life of Lord Herbert of Cherbury *; and to the annals of those fearful times, when domineering fanaticism (pro- fessedly for the glory of God) had overturned in this kingdom both the Altar and the Throne. They will suggest to you, I am persuaded, some very seasonable misgivings of your present confidence in the success of your prayers ; particularly if you will take it at the same time into your consideration that " God's holy mind and will" is not now com- municated by illapses from heaven, but is to be sought in those Scriptures, in which he has made his hnal Revelation to man: and that, amongst a great variety of passages bearing immediately upon * See Appendix of Documents, No. !♦ 12 tlie point at issue, St. Paul has declared that every member of the spiritual, as well as of the natural body, has its own office*; and " that every man *' in that calling in which he is called, is therein to " abide with God''; and withal taking this very material circumstance into the account, that ;you have not been separated by the Holy Ghost to the very responsible office of overseeing the flock of Christy and of watching for their souls ^ and that there is this very awful warning in the Epistle of St. James, " Brethren, be not many masters, know- " ing we shall receive the greater condemnation'." I confess that I am surprised, that this reference to Scripture escaped you, at the time you were con- templating the instruction of others by the means of this Word of Life ; but it only shews how zeal is apt to blind our eyes, when good intentions unwar- rantably pursued have hurried it beyond the con- ti'oling influence of discretion. It only remains, that I should thank you for the documents transmitted to me relative to trie pro- ceedings of the Bible Society at Cambridge, and should transmit to vou an account of the Society for promoting Cliristian Knowledge in return. Your present I have had in my possession long '^ Rom, xil. 4. '' 1 Cor. vii. 20. ^ Acts xx. 28. ^ Ileb. xiii. IT. ^ James iii, 1. IS ago, and the importance, which you attach to it, only shews liow much the Bible Society owes its reputation to its own false colouring of its proceed- ings, and to the ignorance of persons at a distance of the real state of tnings. The truth is, that so far from being established in the University, its attempt to establish itself has in no place been so signally defeated as there ; for no sooner did it make known its designs, than the University met as a body, and, by a majority of its Members of ten to one, voted lOOl. to the Society for Promo- ting Christian Knowledge, and took no notice of it The attendance of some of its Members in the Town Hall could not be prevented : but, though all their titles are displayed, I can assure you there is not one of them whose opinions, upon theological points, are held there in much consideration. So much then for your present ; mine, I trust, you will tind, (if you choose to scrutinize its cpr- rectness,) tells a much truer tale ; and the perusal of it, I am persuaded, vyIH render you this essential service, that it will preserve you >n future, from the remorse which is so severely felt by every ingenuous mind, when it discovers that it has too precipitately vilified either venerable men or venerable institu- tions. I have but one other mistake to rectify, ami 1 14 have done. You say, that " no one act can be *' done by the Members of the Society, as cennccted *' with the Society, except to distribute copies of " the Bible." Now what, I will be^ to ask of you, is that paper which you did me the favour to inclose, and upon which I have made some observations ? What, moreover, ^re those reams of extracts, recom- mendations of yourselves, and calumnies upon those Societies and Individuals who will not con- nect themselves with you, which bear, I am per- suaded, no inconsiderable proportion even to the Bibles ^vhich you distribute? I beseech you, Sir, use some reserve and qualification in this state- ment in your future correspondence, and accept of my labours, which, (though ill able, and very much disinclined to divert them from more con- genial pursuits,) I have, for the sake of your spi- ritual welfare, and the public peace, thus largely devoted to you. I have the honour to be, your's, &c, Grove-streety October 28, 1814, 15 LETTER IV. FROM J. W. FRESHFIELD, ESQ. TO REV. H. H. NORRIS. SIR, IT would have given me pleasure had it been in my power to return an earlier an- swer to your favour of the 28th instant, but it con- tained matter of so much importance, not merely to the original question, but as it respects Religion generally, that I could not satisfy myself to address- you, until I could vvithdraw as much of my atten- tion from my ordinary pursuits, as was necessary to enable me to write fully upon the subject. My intention is to leave no part of your Letter unanswered ; but as you consider my former replv did not meet the point upon which you requested me to dehberate, and which you now restate, I shall take that somewhat out of its natural course, and •apply to it my first attention. The question then is, as to " the expediency of '*' establishing in this Parish an Auxiliary Braach of *' the Bible Society." It no doubt escaped you at the time you wrote, that the Society to be formed is not for the Parish of Hackney alone, but for a District 16 including that Parish : and I think it rin;ht to notice that circumstance, as it materially weakens the weight of the objection which you press upon me. But to proceed : you have in your first Letter ad- mitted to me all that it could be necessary to prove in favor of the object in view ; which object is, the most extensive distribution of the Scriptures ; and^ in order to lay my foundation, I shall here transcribe 3'our own words : " In the general dissemination of " the authorized Version of the Scriptures amongst " the poor, I go with you heart and hand, for they " contain a cordial for all the hardships of the most " destitute condition, and will pacify even those " poignant disquietudes which no other remedy " can assuage." You proceed one step further, and admit the end to be so important, that if there were no other means of attaining it, than those de- vised by the Bible Society, you would undergo many conflicts in your mind before you could resolve to withhold your co-operation. Thus then we have it established, that the end is right and essential : which naturally brings me to your objections ; and you have limited me to those objections, without reference to what you term the general question. Your first objection is, that the attempt to establish the Society is " in opposition " to the most conscientious and maturely weighed *' objections of its Ministers." I 17 Here again, for the sake of accuracy, I must re- mind you, that all the Clergy within the District do not unite in opposing the intended measure ; but, on the contiar}^, some Clergymen (one connected with a neighbouring Parish to your's) are zealously affected to the promotion of this great object : but, for the sake of the argument, let it be taken that the Clergy of the District oppose the plan : with the heads of two of the Parishes within the District, I am well acquainted, and it is impossible to be so without feeling for them the highest esteem and the purest affection ; and, though I have not the honor of being personally acquainted with you, yet I know enough of your general character to respect you : to differ therefore with Gentlemen so deserv-" ing of esteem, must be, to my mind, a great mis- fortune : 1 cannot however think you will consider that the opposition of the Clergy ought to deter- mine the question : these are points upon which every man of independent mind will naturally think for himself, especially when even those who oppose the measure acknowledge the " excellency of the " design;'' and without meaning it offensively to the Clergy of the District, I may be allowed to re- mind you, that though the late Diocesan was most strongly attached to the British and Foreign Bible Society, yet the Clergy did not feel that they were bound by his opinion ; but, conscientiously differing from him, they did not join in the exertiQns madc^ C 18 by hiiiii in its favor, nor did be coiisideir it an oppo^ sition to be complained of ; 1 should hope therefore vou Avill feel that th€ Inhabitants of this extensive District may, with equal propriety, adopt the senti- ments of that venerable Prelate, though, unhappily, you and the other Clergymen do not concur m them* But vAmt are the objections made by the Clergy ? I am not aware of any having been stated, except that the British and Foreign Bible Society " unites " into one body every denomination of Dissenters-, " and produces strife, animosity, and dismember- " ment in the Church." Upon the first member of the proposition, I have in my former Letter deli- vered my sentiments, and have, I trust,- shewn that no danger eould reasonably be apprehended from the union of all classes of Christians in the further- ance of an object, so simply and unequivocally good, and in v.hich no peculiarity of sentiment, or conflicting interest, could be introduced. There-,; maining consideration, is the strife and animosity, which you suppose incident to the establisbment of such societies. You admit the design to be ex- cellent, very many conscientious- Churchmen gladly embrace it, and consider it an additional recom- mendation in favor of the plan^ that it has the efl^ect of brinsin^f into one heart, and one mind, various classes of Cliristians. Others as conscientiously 19 object to the plan, and entertain fears of some mis« chief to be produced by it ; but this does not ne- cessarily create strife or animosity ; neither has any one a right to ascribe a motive to the other, incon- sistent with the purest Christianity ; much less is this difference of opinion likely to produce " dis- " memberment in the Church." The Society has no object that can interfere with the doctrine or discipline of any Church ; its members meet only to regulate the general object, the distribution of the Bible. With respect to the religious opinions of each, they cannot come in question ; but each remains attached to his own Church. Strife, animosity, and dismemberment, can never take place except where the parties engaged in promoting the object, and those who do not concur therein, so far forget themselves and the peaceful character of the Christian Religion, as to ascribe to each other motives which neither entertain ; and I submit to your candour, whether it be a legitimate course, first to oppose a plan, and then urge that very opposition, as an evidence of strife and ani- mosity. I must maintain that such consequences are not the necessary consequences of the measure, and are only incidental, when men forget what they owe to God and to each other; and J firmly be- lieve, from the respectability of those who have hi- therto shewn a disposition to oppose the measure, c 2 that the only circumstance to be regretted will be, that the exertions of the Society will be less vigor- ous, for want of their co-operation ; but that this transaction will furnish decisive proof, that an Auxiliary Society may be established, without pro- ducing any of the evils apprehended. I cannot conclude the consideration of this ob* jection, without calling to your recollection, how materially the course now taken by some Members of the Establishment differs from that pursued in former times. In the year 1714, .Dr. King, then: Archbishop of Dublin, wrote against the worship as used by the Dissenters ; but so far from consi- dering it essential to continue the separation be- tween them and the Mem.bers of the Establishment by stronger boundaries, he exhorted dissenting Mi- nisters " to concur with the Clergy, to beat down " such vices and immoralities as are confessed, on «' all hands, to be against their common Christi- ^' anity." And after enumerating many instances of concurrence to be expected, he added : " These- " are but few of those things, that might be in- ** stanced, in which we may concur in our prac- *' tice, as well as we do in our opinions; and if we " did, I persuade myself, that though they did not ** bring us to one religious communion, yet they «* might much contribute to our living easy with " onie another, and take off that uncharitableness 5 ** which our religious sentiments are apt to cause " amongst us." And in another part, that good Bishop, speaking of the conduct to be expected from Christians, in respect of their differences, ex- pressed himself thus : " No man ought to take it " ill that another proposes reason against his opi- " nion ; but to scoff at, or revile any practice or " opinion, that another believes to hie founded on " the Word of God, is not only ill manners, but is " of dangerous consequence, being apt to breed ** bitterness and animosities between the parties; *' and if it should happen in a case where the prac- *' tice and opinion is really warranted by the Word " of God, it would be a blasphemy and impiety ; " and therefore, in all matters of religion, we ought " to avoid this manner of treatment : and whatever " book uses it, we need trouble ourselves no further " with it, for 'tis certainly written only to serve a *' party, and not truth/' I hope I have shewn that the design which you admit to be so excellent, may be pursued in the way proposed without danger, and, as I apprehend, with great advantage ; but you add, as one of the grounds upon n^hich the formation of the proposed Society is not considered expedient, that " the oh- " ject is attainable in full perfection by the adop- *' tion of a course of proceeding, in which they *' .(the INIinisters of the Parish) could cordially cp- 22 ^* operate, and in which parochial iiarmony would *' be preserved." That course of proceeding is fur^- ther explained, in a Letter written by the amiable Vicar of Hackney, to a respectable friend of mine, from whom I have also the misfortune to differ ; which Letter has been recently printed and circu- lated. It is there suggested, that the Dissenters, within the Parish should transmit any subscriptions they may choose to make, directly to the parent In- stitution, and that Members of the Establishment should support the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge. Very few observations will suffice to shew, that the course suggested would not secure the full and beneficial effect proposed. In the first place it would not possess the advantages belonging to. Auxiliary Societies, by which a larger proportion of actual exertion, both personal and pecuniary, is called forth, than could be expected to arise from a less systematic course. The continued interest and ex- ertion in favor of the object would not be effectually kept up, even if the first subscriptions obtained by the plan suggested, should be equal. The object, as it respects the poor of the district, would be en- tirely waived, and must therefore depend, as at pre^ sent, upon individual liberality, (in which many dis- advantages might be stated) ; and, finally, there can be no reason to suppose this course would tend, ta 23 preserve parociiial harmony, more than the forma- tion of the proposed Society ,* because many IVIem- ixirs of the EstaWishment conscientiowslv approve the plan of the British and Foreign Bible Society, upon the very ground that it is a great and powerful engine, calculated to attain the object more effec- tually, from the associated strength of all parties being engaged therein, and persons so thinking are not likely to abandon the principle upon which their opinion is formed. It is not necessary for me to enter into the bene- fits likely to result from the formation of an Auxi- liary Society within the district ; that you prohibit me from doing, because that is the general question upon which you waive all argument; I may how- ever be allowed to say, for those who are desirous to establish the proposed Society, that they are not unnecessarily forward in suggesting the measure, in- asmuch as the Societies of a similar description, already formed, and others forming, entirely sur- round the district : ai]:d would probably, in a few days, leave it an exception in the midst of an en- lightened and respectable neighbourhood. Upon these grounds, I trust it will appear, that it is expedient to establish within the district, in- cluding Hackney, an Auxiliary Bible Soqiety ; and I shall not trouble you with further observation or 24 statement upon that part of your Letter ; but I feel I might be charged with indifference upon matters of great and vital importance, if I did not offer some considerations upon other parts of your Address ; which I shall therefore proceed to notice, in the order in which you have stated them. I am not insensible to the arguments opposed to the plan and object of the British and Foreign Bible Society, by the authors to whom you refer : for I have indeed read and considered their works ; and yet they have failed to carry any conviction to my mind, upon the propriety or reasonableness of their objections; and I beg to add one more author, whose work 1 have read upon the same side of the ques- tion: I allude to the Rev. Dr. Maltby : if you will take the trouble to read the latter author, and then compare the objectors with each other, you will find them agree in so few particulars, disagree in so many, and putting their objections upon principles so entirely inconsistent vvith the admissions you have made, that I should hope they will not appear so important, as you are at present disposed to consi- der those you have mentioned. You ascribe to me an " exuberance of zeal to " promote the extension of the Bible Society ;" but I pray you, Sir, consider whether it be safe, in the present day, to attack a Member of the Establish- 25 ment upon this quality, at a time u-hen you, and every conscientious Clergyman, are lamenting the deadness and apathy of Churchmen in general ; surely, unless you can add something more to the charge, and shew that it is a zeal not according to knowledge, it may be forgiven me, if I take what you consider a little latitude on that side of the question. In what respect I have " become a volunteer in " that Ministry in which you hold an appointment,'* I have yet to learn : if a proposition was made to establish within the same district a Society Auxi- liary to that respectable Institution, usually called the Bartlett's-Buildings Society, I should certainly support it, by my personal recommendation and my purse ; and I do not see how, in the one case, or the other, my conduct could fall within your de- scription ; but I apprehend it would be consistent with the instructions given by St. Paul to Timothy, to charge those persons under his care, who were able, " That they do good, that they be rich in good " works, ready to distribute, wiUing to communi- " cate." 1 Tim. yi. IS. You have quoted two passages from the 7th and 12th chapters of St. Paul's first Epistle to th^ Co- rinthians, which stand in your Letter as if the Apostle had used them in connection : it will how- ever be necessary that I should restore Uiem to their actual state, and then I may be allowed to observe upon the first, that the Apostle's reasoning docs not appear to answer the purpose for whicli you use it, so conclusively as you consider ; for he not only ascribes to the meanest member an effec- tive use, but he was evidently referring to the pre- vailing disposition of the Corinthians, which he had more particularly described in the 3d chapter, ac- cording to which it appears, that they were more inclined to call themselves after the names of per- sons to be exalted as the leaders of parties, than to look to God, w ho was indeed the Author of the good they received. The other passage you cite from the 7th chapter of the same Epistle, I am sorry to be compelled to say, appears to me not very applicable to your subject. The Apostle sup- posed persons disposed to abandon their trade or profession, after being called by the grace of God to believe ; which course he thought inconvenient, and provided the profession, trade, or station were an honest employment, it would be better that the individual should continue in it, for the Gospel would teach a man how to behave in any condition, and particularly to bear its inconveniences ; and in this sense you will find the commentators under- stand the passage. How this can establish your point I do not understand. S7 A distinct passage is cited by you from the 3d chapter of the Epistle of St. James, and which you consider so important, you are surprized that the reference escaped me, at the time I was contem- plating the instruction of others, by means of the Word of Life. 1 cannot think that this bears more upon your point than the others, upon which I have observed : the primary sense given by commentators to that passage is, that " Teachers ought not to do- *' mineer and assume authority in the Ciiurch,'* If I had applied this to you, and corisidered the style of your Letters, as falling within the defini- tion given of the passage, you would consider I treated you disrespectfully ; and I should be sorry to do so, but I am sure a perusal of your Letters will satisfy any unprejudiced mind, that in the strained attempt to apply the passages upon which I have observed, and in some other sentences I shall have to notice, no slight excitement of per- sonal feeling has been oflered ; but I hope the friends of the British and Foreign Bible Society >vill be found " slow to anger, and of great kind- " ness." But even giving to the passages the sense you put upon them, they do not apply to me ; I have not affected to be a teacher, or to interfere in the w ork of the Ministry ; and if what I have done, or propose to do, can be so considered, then every 2^ person who presents a Bible, or any other book of instruction, to a poor neighbour, is equally repre- hensible. You have solicited my attention to the con- cluding incident in the Life of Lord Herbert, of Cherbury, and to the annals of those fearful times, when fanaticism produced so much mischief in Church and State ; and you have felt yourself jus- tified in applying, not merely the charge of fanati- cism, but of that particular description, upon me : with what propriety you have done so will remain to be seen, when I have considered the ground you have taken. In reference to the miserable indivi- dual Avhose portrait you point to, it is sufficient to state, that I deprecate such conduct as much as you can possibly do ; nor would I be so absurd as either to expect such an answer to prayer, or to act upon such impressions as his imagination pre- sented. But I come now to the particulars upon which you have relied, for the application of this extraor- dinai"y charge. In my former Letter I stated, that upon this important subject I had referred myself to God in prayer, that I might be guided and di- rected in the affair according to his holy mind and will : this you call " being betrayed into the enter- " tainment and promulgation of imaginations, you S9 ** cannot but contemplate with dismay." You tell me, that the reference you have made to some de- plorable effects of fanaticism, " will suggest some " very seasonable misgivings of my present confi- *' dence in the success of my prayers :" and yoi> desire me particularly to take into my considera- tion, that " God's holy mind and will is to be *' sought for in those Scriptures, in which he has " made his final revelation to man." And it is upon my lamentable error, in respect of this im- portant point of doctrine, that I am charged ^vith fanaticism, in the hard words and severe applica- tions I have quoted ; and I owe it, first, to myself to rebut the charge ; and, secondly, to the religious profession we make, that I should examine the matter of your reproof. You and I both refer to the Scriptures as our warrant and authority ; the one for promoting, the other for opposing, the measure in question : both cannot be right; one must understand, and the otlier misunderstand, the meaning of those Scrip- tures, relating to the point in question : surely then it cannot be considered fanaticism to pray for a riglit understanding of them, that thereby we may be guided and directed : and until I am better in- foi'mjed, I must believe, that in principle it is no more than praying, that God would control the matter so as to promote his own glory; and, if I 30 am wrong, it must be equally wrong to use that part of the Lord's Prayer, in which we implore, " Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth." But without being a fanatic, I may be allowed to proceed one step further, and ask, whether our Sa- viour did not, in the same instruction in which he taught his Disciples to pray, as an encouragement to prayer, tell them, that their " Heavenly Father" would " give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him :" and I should submit to you we have as much right to take this promise to ourselves, as we have to consider the form of prayer itself as designed for our use. Again, allow me to refer to a passage in St. Matthew, xxi. 22. " And all things whatsoever " ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." And further, in the first Epistle general of John, V. 14, 15. " And this is the confidence we have in *' him, that, if we ask any thing according to his " will, he heareth us : and if we know that he hear " us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have " the petitions that we desired of him." And again, in the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Philip- pians, iv. 6. '' In every thing, by prayer and suppli- *' cation, with thanksgiving, let your requests be " made known unto God." These authorities will, I hope, be sufficient to justify me as a Christian, in the course I have pre- sumed to take, in asking, that if it was the will of 31 God, the work might succeed; and, if not, 1 might be enabled to discover my error. But this point, so vital to Religion, must not rest here; let me refer you then to a few selections from the numer^ ous authorities to be found in the offices of our Church, and which, as a Churchman, 1 regard as highly as you can. In the Collect for Grace^ used in the Morning Service, we are taught to pray to God in these words, " That all our doings may " be ordered by fh/ goveDianceJ" — In the Prayer for all conditions of men, we pray, " O God, the ** Creator and Preserver of all mankind, we hum- " biy beseech Tlice for all sorts and conditions of " men, that Thou wouldest be pleased to make " i/ij/ xi'aj/s knoxvn unto t//em."-'^ln the Collect for the lirst Sunday after Epiphany, " Almighty and " everlastino; God, who dost govern all thinc^s in " heaven and earth, meixifully hear the aupplica- " tions of thy people." — In the Collect for Easter Day, " We iiumbly beseech Thee, that as by thy " special grace preventing us, Thou dost put into- " our minds good desires ; so by thy continual " help, we may bring the same to good effect." — In the Collect for the fifth Sunday after Easter,. " O Lord, from whom all good things do come ; " grant to us, thy humble servants, that, bi/ thy " holy inspiration, rce may think those things «' that be good, and, by thy 7?iercijtcl guidiifg,. '^ viay perform the sameJ" — In the Collect for the* 32 ninth Sunday after Trinity, " Grant to us, Lord^ " ■vve beseech Thee, the spirit to think and do al- *' zvays such things as be rightful ; that ^ve, who " cannot do any thing that is good without Thee, *' may, by Tliee, he enabled to live according to " thy wiir— And in the Collect for the 19th Sunday after Trinity, " O God, forasmuch as with- " out Thee, we are not able to please Thee ; mer- " cifully grant, that thy Holy Spirit may in all " things direct and rule our hearts'' I shall not further multiply passages ; but I ask with confidence, whether, after those stated, I am to be branded as an unhappy fanatic, as " cnler- " taining imaginations which you cannot but con- '* template with dismay :" but I must leave it to you to reconcile your severe imputation, witii the obvious meaning of this mass of authority. The proceedings at Cambridge you treat very lightly, and, as it appears to me, most disrespect- fully. And while you consider that I have shown " how zeal is apt to blind our eyes," I must think you are an instance how the judgment of a good man may be perverted by prejudice. Your present of an Account of the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge I have read with much satisfaction ; and can assure you 1 receive 53 the sincerest pleasure to find that its funds have been so usefully employed. I shall be happy to hear of their exertions being muUi})lied a thousand fold : I am ready to give them any assistance in my po^ver, and should rejoice to tind that they l^addone so-much, that nothing further remained for the Bi> tish and Foreign Bible Society to do. Tliese are, and ever since I have heard of the Society for pro- jnoting Christian Knowledge have been, my sentl.- mcnts ; and therefore I must hope, for the future, you "vvill not charge upon me, that I have vilified either venerable men, or venerable institutions : but even, with the respect I feel for that Institution, I must be allowed to refer you to the Eighth Re- port of the British and Foreign Bible Society, and then you will decide for yourself, whether it has not effected considerably more in eight years, than the other Society has accomplished in one hundred and fourteen. And further, according to the paper you transmitted me, you vvill find the two great periods of exertion, which occasioned the Society for pro- moting Christian Knowledge to diminish its capital, are fixed in 1809 and 1810, after the formation of the British and Foreign Bible Society. I am, how- ever, unwilling to draw any comparison between the two Societies^ they arc not naturally, and can-» not be fairly, in opposition the one to the other ; each has great objects to accomplish ; there is more than sufficient for both to do ; and if CUri«» D 34 tians are" brought to know their duty correctly, the success of both Societies will be promoted by the same means. The objects of the British and Foreign Bible Sot ciety are too well known to need my restating them : those objects, whether pursued by Churchmen or Dissenters, or a union of both, are consonant M'ith the precepts and principles of Christianity, as set forth in the Articles of the Church of England, and held by the most orthodox of her Clergy ; and I repeat, that " no one act can be done by the Mem- " bers of the Bible Society, as connected with the " Society," inconsistent with those objects; and I cannot think you are serious in pointing out the publication of the opinions of the late Bishop of London in favor of the Society, to which, I pre- sume, you allude, by the term " Extracts," or the proceedings of its own meetings, or of the meeting of Auxiliary Societies, as being really incon-r sistent. I have now arrived at the end of vour Address, in which I find you beseeching me *' to use more " reserve and qualification in my future corres- " pondence;" and, with the same entreaty, I shall conclude this long Letter. You are (as your first Letter states) " a Christian Minister, zealously af- *' fected to the promotion of Christian knowledge :" ■ 7 si Tneed not tell you, therefore, that you are to he aa ccnsample to the flock ; and I submit to your om rt decision, whether it be right to speak of the Lord Bishop of Bristol, the Master of a College, Dr. Milner, President of another College, Dr. Davy, also Master of a College, and the Lord Bishop of Llatidaff, Regius Profesaor of Dwinity, as persons " whose opinions, upon theological points, are *' not held there (at tlie University of Cambridge) *' in much consideration." They are men whosp •talents are stamped with the approbation of public authority, and e^levated to situations, in which, ac- cording to your own argument, erroneous opinions might aftect the foundation, upon which the civil and religious constitution materially rest ; and it is to their honor, and for the benefit of the Church and State, that they have fully justified the high ex- pectations those best acquainted with them formed 4)i their merits. In taking leave of you, I beg you to believe, that if I have used language that may appear strong, I have done so with no view to outrage your feel- ings, or to give you offence; but that I have felt it necessary to speak unequivocally, and therelore to use plain language ; and if it should be deemed necessary by you to devote more of your valuable time to me, I hope, for the sake of the Religion we profess^ you will be able to do it with more p S 86 n^oderatlon than you have used in the Address, to which I have now concluded my reply. I have the honor to be. Sir, Your most obedient Servant, J. W. FRESHFIELD, BioJce Netcington Ugad^ LETTER V. FROM REV, H. H. NORRIS TO J. W. PRESHFIELD, ESQ. SIR, I AM hot aware that ill my hit tommunication I trespassed beyond the " original *' tjuestion, " in one single particular, farther than you yourself had carried me, by the introduction of extraneous circumstances into your Letter, to i\hicli I felt it to be my daty to reply. It is my present purpose to lay myself under the same re- strictions, and therefore you are troubled with this Letter, merely to correct the many erroneous con- clusions, and misappreheilsioris, which your favour of the 31st of October, now before me, contains. You begin, by apprizing me of a circumstance, which you apprehend had " escaped" my notice, but which you will find expressly stated by myself, in the introductory sentence of my first Letter to you. The circumstance, I assure you, has never been lost sight of, and since I have been apprized of the importance which you attach to it, 1 have more deliberately considered it ; but neither then did I see how it affected in the least the weight; of my objection^ nor to this moment have I made the discovery. Pursuing yom' o'^vn arrangement of the points^ mider discussion, I come immediately to an erro- -aieous conclusion vi'hich I cannot suffer to remain uncorrected. This erroneous conclusion is, that I " adii.iL" all that it would be necessary''for ydii to- prove, with reference to the object of the Bible Society, in order co establish its unqualified excel- lence, and " essential" importance. Against this conclusion I protest, as not fairly deducible from my words. By "the general distribution of the autho- " rized version of the Scriptures amongst the poor," I meant only to profess my cordial adlierence to that principle of the Reformation, which guarantees to every Christian indiscriminately free access to the- Word of Life ; and my readiness to co-operate, heart and hand, in the giving to that principle full effect. But I never meant to express my concurrence in the outrage upon that principle, with which the Bible Society appears to me too justly chargeable, and of which our Saviour has most impressively warned his Disciples to beware ' ; and when I held' up the practice of the Society for promoting Chris-^ tian Knowledge, as- that course of proceeding, by »Matt.vii.6. 59 which all the good professedly intended by the Bible Society could be attained, and moreover stated how I had myself pursued the object of this new Insti- tution, I thought I had sufficiently guarded my ex- pressions, to secure them from being construed into an approval of a distribution of the Scriptures cha- racterized by nothing but its extent. It had in- deed occurred to me to specify those provisos, %vhich it is very necessary to make, before the de- mands of the Bible Society, in behalf of the excel- lence of their object, are acceded, to ; for in the prosecution of any object, in proportion to its ex- cellence ought tb be the measure of our circumspec- tion ; but I avoided the statement, because it be- longed to the general argument which I determined to avoid, because it would have carried me to greater length than I w^ished to extend my observations, and because, as I have already stated, I thought what I had said sufficientl}' qualified to prevent any misconception. I shall still persevere in my reso- lution not to enter upon this argument, but I beg most explicitly to declare, that, approving heartily of the general distribution of the Scriptures amongst both rich and puor, I still think that the manner, in which they are distributed by the Bible Society, is far from being calculated to promote the proper ehd of their distribution, the dissemination of Christian Knowledge; inasmuch as it has a direct tendency to degrade the Sacred Volume in the eyes of the 40 people, and so to lessen its practical influence upcn tiieir minds. Ycai next except against the accuracy of my statement, that ail the Ministers of this Parish are adverse to your plan ; and, in proof of this excep- tion you alledge, that ** a Clergyman connectetl *' with a neighbouring Parish," is zealously affected towards it. This requires no answer • and had I extended my statement to the proposed district, the answer would have been easy ; for the INlinisters of a Parish are those who hare cure of souls within it, and the whole of those, both at Newington and here, deprecate your proceedings But you waive this objection, that you may meet mine in its full force; and, by concluding that / shall not consider " the most conscientious and " maturely weighed objections of the i\linisters of " the Parish, a sufficient ground for abandoning ** your design," you intimate that this is your per- suasion, and could I for one moment suppose, that you had unhappily contracted that most uncha- ritable, but most assiduously propagated opinion, that the National Clergy are, indiscriminately, ig- norant and disqualified for the management of the >veighty concerns of their profession, I should be able to assign to myself some reason for this per- ^ua#ion baving taliien 3uch tircn possession of your 41 tnlritlj that you consider it a thing of course tliat I shall concede it; and therefore should not, in the first instance, be surprised that, on a subject so cal- culated to excite the sensibilities of the pious Chris- tian, you should give bold way " to your indepen- " dent mind," and should think it " natural" to decide for yourself, against them, on the best means ^of promoting the spiritual edification of their tiock : but this solution of tiie difficulty would afford me only a momentary satisfaction ; for you have done those, against whom you oppose yourself on the pre- sent occasion, the justice to deliver a decided opinion in their favour; you have admitted that they do dis- play a becoming zeal in discharging the duties of their Holy Calling ; and therefore your assumption is that the opinion of Divines of acknowledged ability and worth upon a question of Theology, (for such I must always consider the best means of promoting edification to be,) is not entitled to the same consi- deration that you would claim to your opinion upon a question of Law. I beseech you, Sir, ponder in your heart awhile this apparently parallel case; and do point out to me, what it is that creates this very essential difference between our respective profes- sions, that it should be deemed perfectly monstrous, in the one case> in any one, how great soever his *' independency of mind" to pursue a line of con- duct, in matters subject to its cognizance, opposite to the opinion of its accredited practitioners, afid yet 4^2 in the other it should be deemed " natural" for him, under similar circumstances " to think for himsetfr" But I refer you, Sir, to the Scriptures, the Letter of which you are under such an impulse to disperse :* in them the point is most unequivocally decided ; and if you search them diligently, having first prayed heartily to their Divine Author to remove the bias of prejudice from your mind, you cannot fail, even without the aid of either " 7iote or comment ^^ to come to the knowledge of the truth. From assuming that the remonstrances of the ]\linisters of a Parish are not entitled te that degree of respect, that they should induce you to abandon the measure in question, you proceed to adduce a precedent to support your assumption. And the freedom, to differ with the late venerable Bishop of London upon the propriety of joining the Bible Society, taken by the Clergy, and approved by his Lordship, is produced as affording you in the pre- sent instance ample justification. But neither are the cases parallel, nor is your inference drawn from the premises legitimate. I will draw out your arp;a- ment in form, and you will at once perceive that the mere statement of it is its refutation. The Clergy %vithheld their concurrence from a Religious Society which their Bishop honoured indeed by his support, but never thought proper authoritatively to recom- mend ; therefore the Inhabitants of two contiguous 43 !P'arishes may combine to establish within them a Religious Society in opposition not merely to the opinions, but to the solemn remonstrances of their respective Ministers, sanctioned by the opinion of their Diocesan : in the one case there is no infringe- ment Lfpon Ecclesiastical Authority, in the other ■ you will see, that all its limitations are' obliterated ;. and that there is an actual rising of those who are to learn religion, against t*hose' appointed to teach it ; of those who have devoted their talents t& other professions, against those who have been trained up in the Schools of the Prophets, and according to the ordinary course of God's dealing with the sons of men, waiving the consideration of their divine commission, have equal right. with the Physician and the Lawyer to seat themselves ii> their own chair, and to claim respect to what they -say. . ' But the inapplicableness of Bishop Porteus's ex- ample, I think, does not end here : he approved of the original institution of the Bible Society ; but does it therefore follow, that he would approve of its present proceedings ? that he would approve of its parcelling out the country into new departments, and erecting a lay-eldership in each, to supersede the ministrations of the regular Clergy ? Do not. Sir, whilst you reverence that departed Saint, im- pute to hina such inconsistenay as this ; for does not 44 : the imputation imply, that his personal and ofHciai conduct were in contradiction to each other, and that, in the former capacity he sanctioned measures, directly levelled at the validity of that commission which in the latter he conferred ? But in this short passage, you have so accumir- lated mis-statements, that 1 have yet another to correct : for you speak of the Inhabitants of this extensive district, without any limitation, as opposed to its Clergy in the present question. Allow me, Sir, to ask you, is this a fair representation ? Da the unknown individuals, whose proceedings are conducted with such privacy (that, with a few ex- ceptions, even who they are 1 have not been able, by the most diligent investigation to discover,)"con- stitute all the Inhabitants of the two Parishes to be amalgamated into this Bible Society district? They do not constitute, you know, a thousandth part of them. But the question, in which the Clergy of the Church of England are specially interested, is. Do they constitute, or in any degree represent, that portion of the said Inhabitants who wait upoii their ]\Jinistry? Our paramount concern, Sir, is for our own flock ; if those, who conscientiously renounce our communion, feel it to be a duty to associate for the purpose of giving furtherance to the designs of the Bible Society, they neither ought, HOP will they experience any opposition from us; 45 ^ut we may be permitted, I trust, Avithout offence, to feel a godly jealousy for those committed to our care, and accepting of our labours ; and we may protest against tbeir being confounded in tlie un- distinguishing denominatioa of the Inhabitants of the district, when we know from personal enquiry, (jis far as we have been able to make it,) that the whole of them protest also themselves against the proceeding. Having shewn, as you conceive, the unreason- ableness of the opposition of the Clergy to the pro- posed formation of an Auxiliary Bible Society ; you ■proceed to consider the objections alledged as tho grounds of it; and you enter into a discussion of my chief objection, which I will extract a little more at large than you have re-stated it, that " how- r." ever excellent be the design of this widely spread- -*■ ing Institution, its prominent ejfects (as every " County Newspaper will demonstrate,) are to unite " into one body, every denomination of Dissenters, " and to produce strife, animosity, and dismem- *' berment in the Church." Now if you will con- sider my objection in this its more perfect form, you will, at once, perceive that all your reasoning upon it is perfectly irrelevant; for I appealed not to reasoning, but to matter of fact; and I told you that I purposely avoided arguing upon it, because the argument had been already exhausted in publi- 45 . cations which c^re before the \voY\d ; and from which, I am satisiied that; there are few unpreju* diced readers but will be so established in the va- lidity of the objection, in both its parts, that no sor phistry will shake their conviction. T pass over therefore three pages of observations, «.nd I come to your reasons for rejecting thealterna- •tive suggested, for the preservation of peace, by iiim, whose Ministry among us has been one conti- nued exertion to prevent the bonds of it from being broken, and who, if he succeeds not here, will, I i)elieve, have to regret this as the first occasion on which he has failed to sooth others into a congenial spirit with his own. The " fulness of the effect," I admit, will be niore completely accomplished by the projected Auxiliary Society than if the present method be suffered, without a rival, to continue its unobtrusive operation : but that the etfect will be beneficial, in proportion as it is full, is a position which I con- fidently deny. On the contrary, I have affirmed*, and Mr. Nolan has incontrovertibly proved it> that the fulness of this effect is its most baneful property ; for the consequence of it already pro- duced is, that Bibles are prophaned to the basest purposes, being hawked about by Jew Boys amongst their contemptible merchandize, being 47 in use at Cheesemongers to urap up tlieir articles of traffic, and being bartered at the Gin Shop for the means of intoxication. Your other reasons for rejecting the proposed peaceful alternative are all dependent upon tliis ; and therefore I may waive their consideration ; but I must not omit to express to you the obligations of myself and my Clerical Brethren, for your very complimentary representation of the state of our respective Parishes, — that but for the Apostolical interposition of this Auxiliary Society *' they would *' probably in a few days become an exception to *' surrounding light and respectability." If upon this subject my mind were susceptible of any but serious sensations, I should smile at this undis- guised appreciation of our labours, which stamps a countless value upon your expressions of respect, and is an excellent gloss upon those commendatory passages, to guide us, who from habit are plain dealing men and literal interpreters, to their mOxS recondite interpretation. But here is exhibited another of the many deplo- rable breaches on sccial happiness which the Bible Society has occasioned, especially since affiliation has been the order of the day. It so completely entrances the understanding, that a person in himsdf kindly-affectioned, doing justice, loving mercy, and 4S walking humbly with his God, once fascinated to drink of its incantations, from that time forth be- comes blind to all religious excellence, and to every commendable quality belonging to those who resist the importunity used to bring them within the magic circle of the fraternity, and can so far forget himself, as to hold up a neighbourhood to contempt as " an exception to surrounding light ^' and respectability." I am sure, Sir, that your religious principles will revolt at this, and I am not without hope, that it will prove such a stimulus to the acknowledged liberality of your mind, as to ex- cite you, by a noble etfort, to extricate yourself froii> tlie delusion. I have now followed you- through your animad- versions on the main argument; and I come to those points not necessarily connected with it, which you introduced into the discussion, and therefore made it necessary for me to reply to. Dr. INIaltby's work I have never read ; and as those four authors, to whom I referred you, have, in my judgment, com- pletely exhausted the subject, and developed all the depths of the design, I must beg to he excused the perusal to which you invite me. I pass over all your animadversions upon tlie passages, which I produced from Scripture to prove to you that your " zeal was not according to know-. 49 " ledge;" and therefore, that species of " exube* " ranee," which, from its widely spreading effects, is an hundredfold more injurious to religion and to society than the apathy which you complain of: and I pass them over, because I think that, not- withstanding all you have alledged to demonstrate their misapplication, Ihey still remain uninvali- dated ; and are profitable for your " instruction in " righteousness." I now come to some misapprehensions of my meaning, which, both for your sake and my own, I am most anxious to rectify ; because, as you have interpreted it, it involves accusations which it was the farthest from my intention to lay to your charge. I advert to your misconstruing my reference to Lord Herbert, and to the regicides, into an identification of yourself with them in the crimes of which they were guilty. You had stated to me, that by " earnestly and seriously referring yourself to God " in prayer," to be " guided and directed in the " affair, which you had in hand, according to his " holy mind and will," you had confirmed yourself in a conviction, " that should you give less than " your utmost assistance to the formation of the *^ intended Auxiliary Society, you Avould become " subjected to the awful consequences of being " ashamed of the name of Christ and of suffering: " souls to pass to eternal perdition, who, with th« E 60 " blessing of God, might have been turned from " the error of their ways, but for a prejudice which " paralyzed your exertions." Now it will immedi- ately strike you, that your convictions, and those of the zealous and learned Divines appointed to pre- side over the religious concerns of the two parishes, to be included in the proposed district, are upon tliis point in direct opposition to each other ; and that therefore, if your prayers have really received that answer from Heaven which is so firmly im- pressed upon your mind, they are involved in those fearful consequences, which an abandonment of your project wOuld have entailed upon you : for they do not merely withhold their concurrence from the measure, but they discountenance it. As one of those Divines, whose conscience bears him witness, that, with all the fervency he can awaken, he applies continually to all the appointed means of procuring divine illumination, and thus attain- ing ta the knowledge of the truth, can you expect, that I should admit that your prayer had been heard, and that mine, and those of my brethren had been rejected? This you will scarcely have the inconsideration to exact from me. And, con- ceding this point, you must of necessity concede the alternative to this, that in our judgment you were under delusion. What then wa& the course which, under such circumstances, duty pointed out ? Obviously that which I pursued : to endea- 51 vbiir, by the allegation of instances of persons whom you yourself vvould admit to have been under strong delusion as to the success of their prayers, to shake, if it were possible, your confidence in the issue of your's. This, Sir, was my whole purpose in referring to those very monitory passages of our annals, to which I called your attention; and it is a purpose which, thus explained, I am persuaded you will now view in a more favourable li^ht, and consider not as an offence unto you, but, being an eminent act of Christian benevolence, as laying you under considerable obligation. But my persuasion of your having been betrayed in this momentous concern into so fatal a mistake was not founded simply upon the opposite results of our respective applications to the Throne of Grace ; it received very considerable confii mation from the specific result of your*s as du have stated it, in terms, which I felt it my duty to tell you, " I *' could not but contemplate w ith dismay ;" for it was this part of your Letter, and not, as you mis- conceive, your statement that " you had referred *' yourself to God in prayer," which constrained me to make that observation ; and I cannot now read the passage without being similarly affected. For what is it that you have promulgated as an impression wrought from Heaven upon your mind? In the first place, " that, should you give less than Eg '52 ** your utmost assistance to the formation of the " intended Auxiliary Society, you would become " subjected to the awful consequences of being ** ashamed of the name of Christ:" that is, that you should incur this fearful responsibility, unless you set at nought the unanimous remonstrances of those, who, within the two parishes which are to compose the intended district, are authoritatively appointed, and have pledged themselves by the most solemn vows, to make that holy Name their boast, and to excite the people committed to their care to glory in it also ; of whom, moreover, you are constrained to bear this testimony, that they are eminently zealous for the honour of their Lord and Master: and who remonstrated against your proceedings for these reasons, auiongst others, that they are full of apprehension lest those proceed- ings, so far from contributing to magnify the name of Christ, shojld in their consequences, expose it to the very indignity, from the guilt of offering which you are so anxious to exonerate yourself, — should put it to an open shame. Surely upon consideration. Sir, the very- resist- ance, which this project has experienced, will afford you convincing proof that your's must be a vain imagination ; for can it bear a question, whether a crime of so deep a die as the being " ashamed of *' the name of Christ," is so ambiguously defined in 53 Scripture, that a large body of conscientious Clergy men, devoted to their profession, sholild inadver- tently implicate themselves, and labour to involve others in the guilt of it? And yet it is evident that they are guilty, and are labouring to make others guilty also, if you are under no delusion as to the line of conduct which you conceive to be im- posed upon yourself, as necessary to the preserva- tion of innocence. This representation, I trust, will thus far undeceive you. But there is this further persuasion wrought upon your mind, and as conndently avowed as the fore- going, that should you give less than your utmost assistance to the formation of the intended Auxi- liary Society, " souls miglit be passing to eternal " perdition, who, with the blessing of God, might '* be turned from the error of their ways, but for a " prejudice which paralyzed your exertions." Here again. Sir, had it occurred to you who those are, to whom you liave opposed yourself, conscientious in- defatigable Clergymen, you would have thought it possible that their judgment, upon tlie efficacy of any measure " to save souls from perdition," was preferable to your's; and doing tliem the justice to believe, that they resisted the establishment of the projected Institution, not merely because they were satisfied of its neutrality in this respect, but that in this very respect it was baneful in its operation ; 54 you would have suspected the correctness of your own persuaTsions, rather than have confidently pro-, mulgated that, which, by necessary impHcation, traduces them as either criminally ignorant, or most traitorously unfaithful. But in the censure which this latter imagination conveys, the Master of the house is included with his household ; for the forma- tion of Auxiliary Bible Societies is a very recent invention ; and therefore if, in themselves, they in- deed possess that powerfully reclaiming influence, that they will " save the souls of many," who, but for their instrumentality, " would pass to eternal " perdition ;" the method of salvation has been hi- therto essentially incomplete ; Christ, though the Author, could hardly, in every sense, be called the Finisher of our faith; and the means of turning sinners from the errors of their ways, which his Di- vine Wisdom would thus seem to have but imper-r fectly provided, would be npw improved upon by man's device, and human ingenuity would arrogatqi to itself tlie praise of carrying it on to perfection. It was with reference to this intended dedication of yourself to aid the labours of those authorita- tively commissioned to " save from perdition the *' souls" of the inhabitants of this parish, that I spoke of you as becoming " a volunteer in that ** Ministry, in which I hold a subordinate appoint- f* meiit ;" and as 1 specifically reminded you, that 55 you had not been " taken from amongst men to " minister for Ihem in things pertaining unto God,'' 1 am surprized that you should not perceive the propriety of the denomination. 1 know indeed, that it is one of the maxims of the children of " the " new (Era of light ^'^ that " the Bible is now to do ** its own work," and to supersede oui^ antiquated Institution : and upon this principle I could at once account for my phraseology requiring expla- nation ; but you would have great reason to com- plain of me, had I, even by implication, imputed to you this conceit, till I had learnt from your own words, that you had been beguiled into it ; and yet, upon this principle alone, could any other form of expression accurately describe your invasion of our particular province, contrary to our most earnest solicitation. I am very anxious here to guard against a mis- conception of my meaning, which might lead you to suppose, that I am jealous of the co-operation of the Laity with us in our spiritual labours, and that I count their interference in it an intrusion: and this anxiety is awakened by your representing " the presentation of a Bible, or any other book of " instruction, to a poor neighbour," as a parallel to that proceeding of your's which I have felt it to be my duty to reprehend; and by your citation of 1 Tim. vi. 18, where the genuine exercise of Chris- tian benevolence is so explicitly and comprehen- sively commanded, as your full justification. Now, so far from discouraging this valuable co-operation, I beg to assure you that I am most tenderly alive to its incalculable importance ; and my friends amongst the Laity vvill, I am sure, bear me wit- ness, that I am not deficient in my importunity with them to provoke them to yield it to me on all occasions. But it is one thing to aid our labours, and another to supersede their operation. It is one thing to act, in due Christian subordination, in giving effect to oup ministry ; and another, by the substitution of your own services to the disparage- ment of our's, to make it appear useless, nay ob- structive to the propagation of the Gosped. The former of these methods of dealing w ith us we soli- cit with all the ardency of desire : the latter we are bound to discountenance, or we shall betray our Master's cause, and incur his heaviest indig- nation. For " the dispensation of the Gos})el is *' committed to us ^ ;" and our Divine Masters en- gagement to us is, " Lo ! I am with you always, even *' to the end of the world ^:" his charge, " Occupy " till I come':" I appoint you my " Ambassadors'*;'* I appoint yon the " stewards of my houshold^" " the overseers of my flock ^; I place you as » 1 Cor. ix. 17. *" Matt, xxviii. 20. " Luke xix. 13. ^ 2 Con V, 20, ^ Luke xii, 42, ^ Acts xx. 28. 57 " "watchmen"' over my people, and you are " to " give account to me" of all the souls thus com- mitted to your care. We cannot therefore, how- ever powerfully nioved to it by the love of peace, and by thoc^e importunate cravings of human infir- mity to be disentangled fropn anxiety — we caimot make any comproujise, which shall even imply an acquiescence in the devolving upon unconsecrated persons its fearful responsibihty, however inconsider- ately precipitate they may be to take it upon them- selves : for woe will it be to us if we do not raise our warning voice against all invasion of our sacred charge ; if we do not deliver, and continue sted- fast in delivering, without m.utiIation, this Apos- tolical summary of our Divine Master's message to the world ; this compendiiun of the doctrine and discipline of Christianity, " that God was ia " Christ reconciling the world unto himself, Dot *' imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath " committed unto us the word of reconciliation,"' Q^ Cor. V. 19.) It is not hence to be inferred, that you, Sir, are excluded — I should rather say exonerated, from giving furtherance in your own order to the e will find it what, in St. Paul'e figure, may be described as " the hay and stubble" of the Dr.'s own imagination; which, in the enthu- siasm of his zeal for the cause which he had in hand, he has been betrayed into the rearing upon a Scriptural foundation: not sufficiently considering the danger of profaning the sym- bols of Scripture by the most obvious perversion, and of build- ing with them thus prostituted upon holy ground ; and it is hoped, overlooking also the depreciation of his, own order, which his similitude conveys : a parallel to which is handed to him from the pen of Dr. Priestley, wdio, taking a com- parative view of the two Universities, and Dissenting Esta- blishments for education, describes the former, in conse- quence of the precautions taken by them for " convej'ing re- " Ilgious instruction (to adopt the Doctor's figure) through *'" the gate belonging to the Priests," as " resembling pools " of stagnant water secured by cjams and mounds, and. *' offensive to the neighbourhood ;" whilst the latter, free from these obstructions, " are like rivers which, taking their '* natural course, fertilize a country." LeLtiT to Mr. Pitt, p. 32. /ii Bible Society is • proposed to be established, '' af- " fected ill tlie least the weight of your objection.'* I therefore answer, that the District described has no necessary connection with any Parish, as a Parish, it includes the intire of two Parishes and part of one other, (I believe of two others:) it is therefore clear of any ecclesiastical head, and if rightly considered, cannot intitle the Parochial Clergy in any one Parish to " deprecate the pro- " ceeding" because in opposition to their opinion ' nor would all the Clergy within the district be so intitled, though it is not yet ascertained that all con- cur in doing so : however, it is enough for my original proposition that the objection founded upon the opi- nion of the Parochial Clergy at Hackney is mate- terially weakened thereby ^ ^ This is speaking oxat jplainly — the only boon which tlioscj who view with lively apprehension the proceedings of the Bible Society.- have to ask of its advocates. Let the reader treasure up this declaration in his mind, that one part of the reformation to be wrought by that Society is to " dear' all the parishes in the kingdom " of their Ecclesiastical Heads :'* it is " to save souls from eternal perdition," (to refer again to Mr. Freshfield's statement. Vide Appendix, No. 9.j in a new method which " does not come within either Parochial, Pastoral, or Episcopal Jurisdiction.'* This considerate men have perceived and laid to its charge long ago ; but we have now got a distinct avowal of it from one of the founders of the confederacy ; who does not hesitate Xq tell a Parochial Clergyman that, in consequence of the for- 73 I have yet to learn how *' the manner in which '* the Scriptures are distributed by the Bible So* *' ciety is far from being calcuhited to promote " the proper end of their distribution, the disse- *' mination of Christian knowledge %" — or how matlon of a wew auxiliary district of the Bible Society, in which his Parish is included, he is no longer " entitled" even " to *' deprecate proceedings" which in his conscience he believes to be most prejudicial, in their effects, to the spiritual welfare of his parishioners ; and which moreover he conceives himself to be bound by his Ordination vows, not merely to protest against, but, if possible, " to banish and to drive away." What an arrogation of supremacy is here ! ! ! A handful of private individuals convene a meeting, erect themselves into what they are pleased to call " a Provisional Committee,'* and, without farther ceremony, proceed to obliterate ancient landmarks, to dissolve constituted authorities, and accordintr to their own caprice to circumscribe a tract of country as a territory for themselves ; and then, having given it the de- nomination of" a District," in the plenitude of their usurped sovereignty, proclaim that " no necessary connection" sub- sists between it " and any Parish as a Parish,*.' which lies within its boundary, in any of those concerns which they have thought proper to take under their superintendance and controul. Tlie cautious veterans, who direct in secret the campaigns of the Society, will surely deem Mr. Fresh- field's developement premature. The work indeed is pro- ceeding systematically throughout the country ; but then the Bible, held up before our eyes, lulls all our circumspection to rest, and under covEr of it the engineers advance in confi- dence and security, reorganizing the kingdom, and Superseding its venerable establishments. " K»& Mr. Freshfield voluateered his services to " rescue ^* it has a direct tendency to degrade the sacred *' volame in the eyes of the people, and sq to lessen «* souls from eternal perdition," and " has he yet to learn'* > how ill calculated the distributing Bibles divested of " notes and comments,'" is to eHect this benevolent design amongst those who are the special objects of the Bible Society's care, the ignorant and the uninstructed ? Has be yet to iearn, that men may have the Scriptures in their possession, and rot only so, but may have acquired such a familiarity with the sacred text as constantly to speak in Scripture phraseology, and yet may err for lack of know- ledge of them ; and may die in their sins in consequence of their error I Has he yet to learn, that their saving effi- cacy is not in the ' letter," but is vested exclusively in the ** spirit" of tliem, and the^"efore in their true interpretation, and that this true interprdtation is set forth by means of " notes " and comments," some of them handed \i\vn to us from the Apostolic age, tiirough a successioQ of faithful men', and others subsequently produced by those v/ho hnve searcheel dilig'j.tly what the Spirit designed to signify in the Sacred R.ccords, patiently comparing spiritual things with spiritual % and so limiting ali their determinations as to preserve inviolate the proportion of faith ^ i And finally, has he yet to learn tiiat whilst, through its distributing so defectively tlie means of knowledge, the system which he espouses is scarcely cap..L)le of leading the uninstructed to the Truth; the making the dis- tribution through the instrumentality of a mixed multitude of Sectarists of every denomination, directly tends to lead them into error, nay, worse than this, into indifference to every re- ligious opinion, and finally into unbelief? If Mr. Freshfield does not know these things, " though for the time" he may » 2 Tim. ii. 2. * 1 Cor. ji. IS. 3 Rom. xii. fi^ 75 ** its practical influence upon their minds." Your Letter contains the assertion, and it also asserts, *' that Bibles are prophaned to the basest purposes, *' being hawkecj about by Jew boys amongst their *' contemptible merchandize, being in use at cheese- " mongers to wrap up their articles of traffic, and ** being bartered at the gin-shop for the means of '^ intoxication ;" but I do not discover any proof in support of either assertion ^ To take the latter first, I would ask how, if Bibles are so misused do you distinguish them to be copies proceeding from the British and Foreign Bible Society, and if think himself qualified to be a *' Teacher, lie has need that some one should teach him again which be the ^rsi principles of the Oracles of God*;" and he has further need to be re- minded of our Saviour's awful warning to those who *' took ** away the key of knowledge" in his days ; that if the " blind " lead the blind, both shall fall into the pit^" ' These instances of the prophanation of the Scriptures are supported by authorities which the Editor had stated at length. But the proceedings of the Court of Common Coun- cil, (vid. Morning Chronicle, Jan. 15th, 1313,) have rendered this unnecessary, as what is charged upon the Bible Society in the above passage is recognized in these proceedings as a glaring fact, and appears to have chiefly influenced the deci- sion of the Court to reject the motion for making to that So- ciety an additional grant of £200, the Editor therefore deems his position sufficiently established, and gladly spares the reader an uninteresting detail. 4 Heb. V. 12. 5 Matt. xv. 14. so, what proportion do they bear to the immense number (nearly half a million) circulated by that Society? And again, is it to be contended, that because in the distribution of so many, a few un- M'orthy objects have become possessed of a treasure they did not know how to estimate, that therefore it is to be charged upon the Society as an objec- tion to the principle of its proceeding? Again, would it not be a reasonable exercise of charity to suppose, that amongst so great a number of the poorest class of society, some from the extreme of indigence have been compelled to sell even this in- valuable book? and why was not this objection equally charged upon former means of distribution? You must remember to have seen copies of the Scripture in great numbers, both ordinary and curi- ous copies, at the shops of pawnbrokers many years before the Bible Society was established, and yet it never occurred to any one to argue thence, that there were too many Bibles in circulation, or that those who distributed them brought the Scripture^ into disrepute^. s In order to implicate the Bible Sodety in the prophana- tion charged upon it above, it is not necessary to prove that the Bibles sold are those issued from its repository. If the zeal, with which its agents labour to accumulate evidence of the nakedness of the land in this respect, impresses the poor with a belief that they xvish to find the deficiency after which they are enquiring, that msh will seldom be disappointed. i7 To go back to your first assertion, the best answer is to refer you to the numerous testimonies The poor will be tempted to secrete the old Bibles which they formerly reverenced, by the hope of obtaining a new one from the Society ; and those who have employed artifice and false- hood to acquire the Sacred Volume will seldom be very scru- pulous in parting with it. In some cases therefore the old one, in others the new one will become an object of the dis- graceful traffic particularized in the Corresf/ondence ; and the Society will become justly chargeable with the consequences which its own ill-regulated and indiscriminate bounty has pro- duced. That t;his is no groundless surmise, three facts can be alledged to testify, which, without any enquiry on the part of the Editor, have been brought to his knowledge, as having occurred in this Parish in the course of the inquisition among the poor as to their want of Bibles. In one instance, a wo- man letting out apartments, knowing all her lodgers to be provided, answered for them that they were so : and she had no sooner thus dismissed the enquirers than she was severely reprehended by one of those inmates for having prevented her from obtaining a second copy by divulging what she would have concealed. In another, the possession of a Bible was acknowledged, but after much questioning a confession was extorted that the print was small ; upon which it was sug- gested that for a small sum one of larger print would be fur- nished, and the name of the candidate was enrolled in the hst of deficiency. In the third, a he was told and succeeded. A woman, who was in possession of a good Bible, denied having one, and was enrolled. Her husband publicly stated her successful falsehood, concluding his statement with the declaration, that it would sell for ivaste paper. To these three another may be subjoined, of a woman's undergoing a spe- cies of persecution ; being beset in succession by three de- is of positive good effected by means of the Bibles distributed by tlie Society, and which }ou will find referred to in the pubhcations of its proceedings, which prove that " the proper end" is attained, that *' Christian knowledge" is disseminated, which I apprehend is to honor, and not " degrade the *' sacred volume." Nor can I admit, that to make the poor acquainted with the Scriptures, is likely " to lessen its practical influence upon their " minds ^" putations of Sectaries of different denominations, who would scarcely take any refusal, though she told them all, that she was already provided with a Bible ; and that had she wanted one, she would go to the Editor, on whose ministrations she attended, who, she knew, would readily supply it. These are instances which have all been ohlnuled upon the Editor's notice ; there can be little doubt, therefore, that they would be multiplied exceedingly by enquiry. It is further set up in defence of the Society, that Bibles have been heretofore 6old. This is admitted, but it is subjoined that till now they were never hawked about as ivaste jmper. ^ If the reader examines '■' the testimonies" referred to, he will find statement upon statement of strong desire ex- pressed to obtain possession of Bibles, and of great joy and thankfulness on receiving them. But Bibles are not charms —neither the possession nor the perusal of them does of necessity produce " Christian knowledge ;" for " Christian *' knowledge'* and Christian truth have been shewn (note ") to be synoniraous expressions, and this deduction has been drawn from thence, that " Christian knowledge'' can only be "disseminated," in the case of the ordinary objects of 79 IS^'otwlthstanding the very labored argument you have produced, 1 must continue to think that the gratuitous distribution, by accompanying the saa-ed text with its true interpretation —that interpretation which at all times, and in all places, has been held by all the faithful members of the Universal Church,— that these " numerous testimonies'* therefore, alledged as demonstrative of positive good, effected «« |}y means of the Bibles distributed by the Society," are so .in reality, is a completely gratuitous assumption; nay, an as- sumption, under the circumstances under whioh that distribu- tion is conducted, so very questionable, that the obvious con- elusion from the data, which we have to reason upon, is di- rectly the reverse, viz. that, in the case above stated, it is nuichmore likely to be prejudicial than advantageous, inas- much as those circumstances give such an obliquity to the religious instruction which it communicates, as must render .that instruction rather conducive to " the causing" the simple " to err from the words of knowledge '" than to the instilling true wisdom into their hearts. There are only two objects for which men can legitimately . congregate in a religious association ; and these are brouo-ht together by the Psalmist, when celebrating the praises "of Jerusalem he sets forth this as one of the causes of its being " a city at unity in itself," that " thither the tribes went up to " testify to Israel, and to give thanks to the name of the Lord ^" Now it is rem.arkable, that from the prosecution of both "these objects the Bible Society is by its very constitution "excluded; for were it to begin '' testifying to Israel," as it ii= recorded to have happened at the Theatre at Ephesus, and ^, notwithstanding all the address, concession, and explana- tion which have been called in to prevent it, has been upon ' Pi ov. xix. 'ZT. ^ Ps. cxxii, 4. 80 opposition of the Parochial Clergy ought not to determine the question; first, because this is a the very point of happening at Leicester *, at Norwich, and at Hackney, some would cry one thing and some another, the assembly would become confused, and the greater part would not soon know wherefore they were come together ^ Indeed, so sensible of this is one of its zealous advocates, that in the most unqualified language, and with a significant, but not very complimentary reference to " the builders of Babel," he pre- dicts its '* downfall the moment it attempts, b}' adding a parti- *' cle of note or comment," to give that *' distinction" to the words of Scripture, which, in the case of the peculiar objects of gratuitous distribution is indispensable, according to St. Paul's irresistible reasoning *, to prepare it for delivering an intelligible testimony, and for *' edifying the Church/* (Wai'd'^ Letter to Dr. Gaskin, p. 37.) For " testifying unto Israel" then, the first Divinely pre* scribed object of religious association, the Bible Society is compleatly disqualified ; and so sensible were its founders of its constitutional disqualification for engaging in the other, " the giving thanks to the Name of the Lord," that they did not venture to suggest the propriety of the Society's ever joining in any act of devotion. In thej two Church Sscieties, which together have prosecuted, for above a century, all that • The Apple of Discord at Leicester, was an unfortunate testimony of commendation to the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, borne by the venerable Dean of Middleham, at the Anniversary Meeting of the Auxiliary Bible Society there on the 18th of April, 1812, which very greatly disturbed the harmony of the ftieeting, and would have had so awkward an appearance in print, that all mention of it was suppressed in the account of the proceedings. For an account of the other inr stances above specified, see Preliminary Observations to App. No. X> ? Acts xix. 32, * 1 Cor, xiv. 7. 81 question not of form, compliment, or etiquette, but of principle — one upon which the Parochial Clergy of Hackney have no better means of judg- is beneficial both in the domestic and foreign designs of this rival Institution, prayer always precedes and terminates their deliberations ; and therefore here was a precedent, to which, it might have been very reasonably expected, that those who discover so strong a propensity to appropriate piety to them- selves would have done homage, in the formation of their code of laws, and would not only have adopted it, but have brought it prominently forward, as a regulation of indispensable and prime importance. But it was sagaciously foreseen that the mixed multitude of Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Independ- ents, Baptists, Quakers, Socinians, &c. (who were to exhibit that phenomenon to the world which the Prophet Amos ' deemed without the bounds of possibility, and " were to walk *• together" retaining all the while their several contrarieties of opinion,) could be induced by no consideration <' to agree *' on earth'' either as " touching what they should ask of " their Father in heaven **," or as touching the manner of ask- ing it ; but that the fiercest contentions would arise the mo- ment any one of the motley confederation should hazard the pi-esumptuous attempt to entrench so far upon the Christian liberty of his brethren as to call them to join with him in his devotions. This dilemma therefore was inevitable, either the project must be abandoned altogether, or it must be prose- cuted without prayer to God for its success ; and should it succeed, without any return of thanks to Him for its pros- perous issue. The latter alternative prevailed, and thus have we a Religious Society already found incapable of testifying to the truth, and now convicted of the further incapacity of ^ AraosiiiS. ^ Mat. xviii. 19. G mg than other Clergymen connected with the parish as Lecturers or otherwise, and other Clergymen within the district who support the measure. — - Secondly, because it is not even contended by you, that the measure can be ri«;ht at Cambridge and not at Woodford, or right at Enfield and wrong in Hackney, and therefore the inhabitants of this district have a right to examine the ground of the opposition, and weigh it against the conduct and opinions of other Clergymen similarly con- nected v.'ith other districts. And thirdly, because this is not a question of Tiieology, but, according to my belief, of plain, obvious, positive, moral obliga- tion binding upon every Christian ". supplicating the Divine blessing upon its undertakings, and in the face of this, making haughty and imposing claims to hav- ing devised " the most probable means" of spreading the Gos- pel of Christ. ^ Does Mr. Freshfield mean that no deference is due to the judgment of the Parochial Clergy upon " questions of " principle ;" but anly upon those of " form, compliment, *' and etiquette ?" If so, how necessary and useful must the Diviucly constituted Order of the Priesthood appear in tiiat gentleman's estimation ? But no sooner has he taken the question out of their cognizance, and driven them out of court, than he brings them back again to wage amongst themselves a war of unavailing words, and proceeds to balance, one against the other, their contending opinions. To what purpose is this, except it be to cast scorn upon a conscientious Pastor of a Parish by a triumphant display of that complcat prostration of Ecclesiastical Authorit}', which 83 JBefbre I proceed further upon this part of your — Letter, I must be allowed, once for all, to state, the auxiliary system has been for several years most insidi- ously employed to accomplish, and which Mr. F. considers so nearly effected that he speaks of it in the beginning of his Letter as if it were now established by law ? But Mr. F. should know, that the Church, though its enemies are *' compassing it on every side," is not yet disfranchised of that system of discipline, by which the limits of its several Ministries are defined. " Lecturers," those excrescences upon our Ecclesiastical Establishment which Puritanism produced, having nothing else to do than to preach their afternoon sermon, and to read prayers twice a year, if so re- quired, in proof of their conformity, have no cure of souls in a Parish, and therefore have neither the means of judging, nor authority to deliver any judgment upon the present question ; and Pastors of Parishes themselves, when they so far forget their own character as to intermeddle in any spi- ritual concerns without the limits of their charge, only invoke their Ecclesiastical Superiors to inflict that penalty, v/hich St. Peter has awarded against all '* aA^oVoETna-x&Tra; %" " Busy Bodies in other men's matters :" and which St. Paul has specified to be that " their mouths must be stopped *,** lest they " subvert" that venerable fabric, which they are under the most solemn obligations to uphold. When the Kingdom is re-organised, and the Bible Society's new District map published by authority, then its Managing Committee may form a new Ordinal to correspond with this new order of things, and may make to themselves Priests of whom they please. But at present the confusion which Mr. r. would introduce is premature, and we trust that through >■ iPet. iv. 15. * Titus i. 11. ^ W4 that I neither assert nor entertain the opinion^ *' that the national Clergy are indiscriminately " hbth ignorant and disquahfied for the manage- '' ment oi the weighty concerns of their profes- " sion ;" on the contrary, I know and admire many of them as eminently qualified for every duty to which they can be called, and consider them among the main stays and props of the kingdom ; and I have no doubt, there are to be found many such in every part of the island ; and if I had no other knowledge upon the subject than that afforded by the proceedings of the different Auxiliary Bible Societies, I should consider the feet sufEciently established, and I am sorry that you should find any difficulty in divesting your correspondence of insinuations', (as against me and others,) of this the quiet good sense of Englishmen, under the snperinten- dance of the good Providence of God, it wilt never take effect. ^ That the " insinuation" here complained of, which was- conveyed in the most inoffensive manner in which language could express it, is not without foundation, proof is in Mr. Freshfield's own possession ; if he has retained a transcript of his correspondence with Dr. Gaskin ; as, unless the Editor's' recollection is more treacherous than he believes it to be, Mr. F. will find himself to have deliberately declared, in the course of that correspondence, *' that ii teas so ohvioiisly true thai *' the defection from the Church was awing to the too ge- ** neral indifference of the Clergy , that it teas both defensi" " hie and fair to reason unon it as a- fact :^^ and it is sub- 85 .description, which lead to length and digression, and do not prove any thing connected with the subject. You consider the opinion of Divines upon a question of Theology intitled to the same considera- tion that I would claim to my opinion upon a mat- ter of law ; this you consider a parallel case, and call upon me " to point out the difference between our ■:^* respective professions." I am content to take your own illustration. If I maintained an opinion upon a point of law, in direct opposition to very many able and experienced practitioners ; further, if my opinion happened to be opposed by those of several learned Judges, I could not consider it an offence offered to me that the opposite opinion should be preferred; if I did, I should degrade my own judgment by the exercise of presumption and vanity, — and as you consider the cases parallel, I only need remind ,you, that a very numerous body of tlie Clergy, of acknowledged reputation, and of the Ecclesiastical JudgeS; and heads of the Church, have promoted, and are supporting Auxi- liary Bible Societies, founded upon the same prC' cise plan, which the Parochial Clergy of Hackney mitted to his own decision, whether what the Editor so du- biously conjectured as possibly Mr. F.'s opinion,* reflects more severely upon the objects of it, than what is here charged upon them by him without any qualification. 86 think it their duty to oppose ; it is therefore not asking much when we claim, with tliese directly opposite opinions before us, to judge which of the two sentiments we should adopt *". ^ The force of this parallel, as drawn out by Mr. F., re- solves the question between himself and the Editor, as to which of them the charge of " degradation of judgment, of *' presumption and vanity'' attaches, into the preponderance of the weight of suffrage in favor of the Bible Society, and against it. To this decision the Editor can have no objec- tion to submit the case : but as Mr. F. has added new par- ticulars to the parallel, which were not in the contemplation of his correspondent ; to make it apposite in its extended state, he should have been a little more comprehensive still, and should have associated his professional referrees with Messrs. Hunt and Finnerty, and any other Legal Heretics which this self-opinionated and licentious age has produced : and he should have specified, moreover, the point upon which they v/ere at issue with their more narrow-minded brethren ; that it was, whether Elementary Treatises, and Precedents, and indeed Lawyei's themselves, were not antiquated appendages to the Statute Book, the pure unmixed text of which these new luminaries considered much better calculated to spread the knowledge of law, and to subdue the human heart into obedience to its decisions, than when encumbered with Notes and Comments, and Advocates, to confine its meaning within prescribed limits, and to harmonize it's numex'ous enactments into one consistent interpretation. Nay, further, he should have stated that the case at present at issue be- tween himself and his correspondent, and in support of which he had cited the authority of these new luminaries of law, had this further specialty belonging to it, that it hinged. 87 I have here, you observe, assumed, in consi- dering your argument, that the question on whicli we differ is one of Theology ; but I must not be supposed to concede tiiat point, and if my propo- sition is right, that this is no question of Theology, but of moral duty, then your reasoning upon a supposed exclusive right of judgment, fails upon that ground. But in the strain of exultation with which most of your sentences conclude, you desire me to. search the Scriptures, the letter of which I am under such an " impulse" to disperse. You have not con- descended to assist my search, and I do not appre- hend you intend to refer me to i Thcss. v. £1. " j^rove all things, hold fast that which is good.' » not upon the question of" the expediency of inh-oducing these improvements into tliose Courts and Circuits in which the infatuation in favour of them prevailed, but upon the right which these Novellists arrogated to themselves of forcing* them upon those, whose Officers protested against the inno- vation; nay, of cramming them down the throats of all the Chief Justices and Puisne Judges of the Realm. The outline of the parallel having thus had its deficiencies sup- plied is referred back to Mr. Freshfield for reconsideration ; , and when he has drawn it out at length, which from concern for the Reader the Editor omits, it is submitted to himself to decide to whom the reproach of'* presumption and var.ity'* is due. 88 The precedent adduced of the late Bishop ol London is more applicable than you are willing to admit, and to give you back your own argument, it will stand thus ; that to oppose the Bible Society is right, because the present Diocesan sanctions the opposition, and of course if hereafter another Diocesan should think " proper authoritatively to *' recommend" tiie Society, it w^ould become your duty to support it; so that the value of the measure is to be found not in the principle, but in the per- sons recommending its adoption or opposition, and that a conduct less subservient would be considered a rising against those who have a right "to seat " themselves in their own chair and to claim re- " spect to what they say °." " Mr. Freshfield has forgotten that the argument from authority is not the Editor's, but his own. The Editor ab- sohitely disclaims it ; and together with all those who view with apprehension the progress of the Bible Society, desires nothing more earnestly than that the managing Committee of that Institution would suffer it to undergo the ordeal which is, as Mr. F. most justly intimates, the only true cri- terion of excellence, and divesting it of the imposing influ- ence which splendid patronage confers, would submit it to be fairly weighed by its own intrinsic merits, and either tp be established or dissolved as these merits should prepon- derate or be found wanting. But what is the course of proceeding constantly pursued when the formation of a new Auxiliary Society is in agitation ? In the first place, to set about securing the names of every person of consideration 09 It is asked by you whether because ■' Bishop *' Porteiis approved of the original institution of €ltlier from his rank or property within the district ; and to obtain this object, the most injurious, and I might add, the ■most unjustifiable expedients are resorted to. If, in the conception of the canvassers, the person to be gained is indisposed to afford pecuniary support, he is given to under- stand that his money is not wanted, and that he may become very instrumental in serving God by that which will cost him nothing * ; if he is a than of retired habits, or full of occupation in his own concerns, the intimation is, that no attendance will be required, and that he may contribute very considerably towards spreading the Gospel, without making the irksome Bacrifice of personal exertion f ; if popularity is his ruling passion, the political ascendancy of the Society is enlarged Upon, and it is demonstrated to him that its influence can turn the tide of public opinion either in his favour or against l^ira : In short, a compleat political index is formed of all the nobility, magistracy and gentry of the proposed district, their characters are studied, the avenues to their hearts explored, they are personally solicited with an importunity whicfi will scarcely accept a denial, and by persons gained over from their connections, and selected to be sent as suitors to them, as being those they least know how to refuse. In some in- stances where corporate bodies are to be gained, the members * In the Eighth P>eport of the British and Foreign Bible Society there are above twenty Vice-Presidents of Aux'liary Societies, whose names do rot appear in their respective subscription lists, nor in the general stibscription list of the Society. '\- The Editor has seen a letter from a person of great consideration , in the Bible Society, and mc;?: zealously active in promoting its exten- sion, to a Peer, whom it vf^s of great importance to procure, conceived ill terms very similar to th: above. 90 " the Bible Society, it therefore follows he would " approve of its present proceedings." I answer are canvassed separately, and by a convenient adoption of a Rhetorical Prolepsis, are each assured of his brethren's con- currence, and thus one by one the whole fraternity is gained *. And when it has been deemed important to secure the countenance of a particular individual, and it has been known that all solicitation would be vain, there are instances of possession being taken of him without asking his consent, and of the advantage of his sanction being thus secured at the first appeal to public feeling in behalf of the design without giving him the opportunity of protesting against it. A second thought then bestowed upon this passage would surely have caused the impolicy of suffering so disparaging a reflection upon the argument from authority to go forth, to flash upon Mr. Freshfield's mind ; for to this argument the Bible So- ciety is more indebted for its success than to any other expe- dient which it has put in motion. And its advocates are so sensible of this, that from the Rt. Hon. the President down to the orators of the lowest description who bestow their eloquence upon the Society '}-, all universally din this argu- * The Editor lias an authentic document in his possession of a re- cent detection and discomfiture of this device by some of the Magis- tracy of the County, \ " It has received the sanction of P.oyalty, the support of Pre- *' LACY, the patronage of Nobility." (Vide Address to Parishioners of Hackney, App. No. 6.) The first absolutely false, forneither the King, nor the Regent, have given their sanction to the Bible Society j and the term Royalty applies only to them. The second partially false, for Prelacy is a comprehensive term, describing the whol^ Bencli of Bishops, seven of whom only in this kiny-dom out of twenty- six have lent to the Society their names ; and the latter, for the same reason comfhiely hyperbolical, but to what extent, the Editor has not time to ascertain. 91 in the affirmative, because that ever to be revered Prelate was a consistent Man, and as the proceed- ings of the Society are at present perfectly con- sistent with the original institution, it follows that he would approve them ". ment in our ears, and the sound of it has scarcelj^ subsided in one part of the country, than it is clamoured forth in ano- ther, and echoed and re-echoed by reports of speeches and every other channel of conveyance, till the very air we breathe is infected with it, and the very friends of the Society begin to nauseate the tiresome recitative. There is howevex* a coun- terpoise to the weight of this argument, which the Society with more prudence than honesty has most studiously con- cealed, but which the public ought to be in possession of, as indispensable to the due appreciation of its value. It dis- plays with numerical exactness, as the frontispiece of all its proceedings, the titles and dignities which it has gained <5ver for their decoration, but a profound silence is observed with reference to everi/ rejected ajjplication, because were these re- corded, they would not merely neutralise the operation of those in which it had been successful, but they would turn the force of the argument completel}^ against it. The reader however may easily supply the deficiency for himself; he has only to take the Red Book, and to extract from it all the names which are not registered in the Reports of the Society, and he may depend upon it he will not be far wrong in his calcu- lation if he sets them dov.-n as designating persons whose patronage the Society has sought to obtain, but who have re- turned to their solicitation an absolute refusal. For more interesting particulars relative to this argument, the reader is referred to Appendix No. 9. Note (q.) " This is begging a very important question, and ought to excite the jealousy of f-uch as are invited to lend their names 92 JBut still further to remove your doubto, respect- ing the contmued approbation of the Bishop of to the Bible Society ; who, whevi they have once committed themselves, must t^o all lengths with it ; for it is in possession it seems of an amalgamating menstruum, by which it can re- duce into one uniform course of proceeding projects which bear no affinity to each other ; and thus it leaves to those who have once associated themselves with it, no way to escape, except by the reputed sacrifice of thpir consistency. Who would have thought that the parcelling out the country into new districts, and the superseding, by means of self-constituted Provisional Committees, the Pastoral superintendance of the Clergy over those committed to their care, would be openly avowed to be so *' ferfectly consistent with the *' original institution" of the Bible Society, that a Prelate, to maintain his consistency, should be declared pledged to con-r tinue tp it under these circumstances that approbation which he fit the first bestowed ? In the Taunton Courier of Dec. 3d, 1812, a further developement is made of the plans of the Society ; for the different towns in the County are invited by advertisement to send delegates to represent them at a County meeting to be convened for the purpose of con- sidering of the best means of furthering its important ob- jects. Does this come within the dilating compass of its consisiency ? and is the consistency of all the members pledged to approve it ? These questions deserve grave con- sideration. In the mean time the caveat is renewed in behalf of the late Bishop of London, and as the auxiliary system only commenced just previous to his Lordship's death, and after he was much debilitated by age and infirmities ; it is a completely gratuitous assumption, in which the advocates of that system presume to indulge themselves, that it would have met with his concurrence and support ; on the contrary. 93 London, of the proceedings of the Societ}', aiIo\t me to transcribe for your information, a few pas- sages from his life by the Rev. Robert Hodgson, in which his Biographer says, " It does I confess " appear to me, that no one argument has yet been " advanced against the British and Foreign Bible " Society, which can at all be considered as proof ** that it has any secret views injurious to the in- ~" terests of the Established Church, or that it has " m the slightest degree deviated from the original *' exclusive pui'pose to which in the face of the world " it stands most solemnly pledged. The charge hi- " therto rests upon suspicion and surmise; and there " must be some better and stronger evidence be- " fore I can bring myself to condemn an institution " of which the Bishop, in conjunction with many " other excellent and distinguished Men, enter- *' tained so high an opinion, and the avowed de- " sign of which is so strictly in unison with the ** labours and the spirit of the Christian Minis- try. from the manner in which, on all occasions, he maintained the authority and influence of the Parochial Clergy ; there is every reason to conclude that he would have been the first to protest against a measure so obviously calculated to inva- lidate that authority and influence, and gradually to effect its extinction. Especially in such a case as that of New- ington and Hackney, where the Clergy were unanimous ift withstanding it. 94f This v,as the opinion of the Rev. Mr. Hodgson in Ibil, and I do not assume much when I as- sert it was the opinion of the good Bishop Porteus wlien he died in May 1809, or his biographer, who records some very late sentiments of his Lordship upon this subject, would have found it his duty to state any change or alteration of those sentiments ^. P Nothing could have been more unfortunate for Mr. Freshfield than this appeal to the respectable nephew and biographer of Bishop Porteus, or than this citation from his work; for Mr. Hodgson has now pubHckly renounced %is connection with the Bible Societj'^ ; and has assigned as his reason for doing so, that *' no conscientious clergyman can continue to act in the dissemination of the Bible with an avowed Socinlan, whom the Secretary of that Society at the same time declares that it was exjoressly the principle of the Societtf to admit." See Statement of the whole proceeding, App. 217, note '^. It is evident then, that neither Mr. Hodgson, nor in bis opinion, the good Bishop (for he also was as " consci- " entious a clergyman" as ever the Church of Eiiglaud pro- duced) did enter into the depths of i\\e fundamental j)rin- eiple of this specious association. They did not see to what extent it would carry its comprehension ; that its purpose was to embrace " the whole family of man" without respect to t\\G\r Jail h or hrfidelitjj ; but this is now proclaimed by the Secretary, and still more explicitly by Ivir. Thorpe, at Bristol, as always its design. See p. 234^. They did not see, moreover, that it would " interfere" in " the disciplinr of the Church," and as *' suspicions *• and surmises" were assailing their coniidence upon this m You express yourself with anxious apprehension lest in giving the late Bishop of London credit for point, they received, doubtless, from time to time, rei- terated assurances from the noble President, to allay any misgivings which were excited, and to lull them again into security ; for even subsequent to the death of the good Bishop, that distinguished Peer has declared publicly to the world (see Letter to Dr. Wordsworth, p. 23) that " with the *• discipline of the Church it does not presume to interfere.'* But this interference is now become obstrusively obvious, for it literally sets at nought *' conscientious, indefatigable *' Clergymen in their oivn ■parishes;" is absolutely obliterating parochial limitations, and by one of its founders and most zealous advocates, is declaring itself exempt from either *' parochial, pastoral, or episcopal jitrisdictioti" in all parts of the kingdom, is acting up to its declaration, and (what if the reader had not just seen it under Mr. Freshfield's hand he would scarcely believe) is pronouncing " these *' proceedings also perfectly consistent ivith the original iu' "?* stittition," and such therefore as Bp. Porteus, to preserve his consistency, must approve. They did not see that it had " secret views injurious to *' the Church's interest as established in these kingdoms;" they looked, as Mr. Hodgson states it, " a^ the avoived de- *' sign;^' the universal circulation of the Bible— a design well characterized by Mr. Nolan, as at once " splendid ** a7id delusive.'* They looked, moreover, as Mr. H. fur- ther states, at the " excellent and distinguished men'' who gave it their support ; and at the undeviating fidelity with which the Society prosecuted "its original exclusive " purpose." But those views v/hich were then kept secret, as being in the critical state of recent excogitation, are now far advanced towards maturity, and are promulgated without 96 ^ettUments so honorable to himself and the Bible Society^ an imputation of inconsistency should be reserve or qualification. For at the last Anniversary of the Hertford * Auxiliary Meeting, held on Whit-Monday, one of the Speakers made tliis avowal : That he did not support the Bible Society on the ground usually taken. He did ijot, nor could he think, that many could believe the Bible to be the work of inspiration ; he mentioned the Song of Solomon, and some part of the Gospels as mere human inventions; and then s'-'d, that he patronized the Bible Society because he thought it would 'overthrow the Established Church. Some disapprobation being ex- pressed at this, another Speaker got up, and declared himself a zealous supporter of the Bible Society, so much so, that he had travelled forty miles to be present at the meeting, but that he would not go one mile to take a stone from a steeple, as he considered that but a secondary object. And at Ncvt- ington, on tlie 5th of the present month (July), at a Bible Association (t!ie last disclosed progression of the Society's original design, directed specially to the lower orders, for gaining them over to the confederacy, and for spreading amongst them disaffection to the Church) sneers were insi- nuated by a young Civilian against the Ecclesiastical Head of the Church, and were received by a crowded audience of this class, parficidarlij females, with thundering applause; a Clergy- man of the Church of England presiding. • It is a curious fact, which has been communicated to the Editor, that it having been deemed expedient that a preparatory discourse should be preached at Ware, on Whitsunday, by tbe Rev. Professor Dealtry j the several Dissenting Fraternities at Ware and Hertford, agreed to pay the public compliment to this ardent advocate of the Bible Society, of closing their Meeting Houses in order to attend at Church as part of his congregation. m implied, and that it should be supposed " that his " personal and official conduct were in contra- Lastly, Thoy did not see what effect upon their own body this sj-mbohzing with Sectaries would produce ; that as far as the infatuation should spread itself, all pastoral ideas would be extinguished ; and that in the place of a Parochial Clergy linaitjng their spiritual oversiglit to those mdJioritatively com- .mitted to their care, assiduously watching over them, and carrying them on from strength to strength by the Divinely instituted Ministries of the Gospel, a species of itinerancy would be established, and the paramount object of Clerical emulation would become, tlie pouring forth with fluenc)^ at Auxiliary Meetings stimulating provocatives to the indiscrimi- nate circulation of the Bible, and the bringing in the greatest number of proselytes to swell the muster-roll of the Society, and the compassing the largest tract of country for that pur- pose. But all this is now displayed and gloried, in before our eyes; and did not delicacy towards brethren forbid it, such a prostration of pastoral feeling might be exhibited in detail, as v/ould demonstrate how low, in many instances, through the baneful operation of the Bible Society, the character of the Parish Priest is fallen. But Mr. Hodgson does now see that, which no one, acquainted with his exemplary discharge of the duties of his laborious cure, will wonder that he had not found leisure earlier to discover; he has obtained that " better ." and stronger evidence than suspicion and surmise" which hexequired, and with a manliness v- Iiich does him the highest honour, he has stood forward publicly, and condemned the Institution as one with which no *' conscienticm Member of the *' Church of England'^ cmi contimce associated^ and has accord- ingly broken off the connection. Out of Mr. Freshfield's own mouth, therefore, may he be condemned for the obloquy which he has endeavoured to fix II 98 ^ diction to each other, and that in the former *[ capacity he sanctioned measures directly level- " ed at the validity of the comn,iission, which in " the latter he conferred." I am glad to find you have so much regaid for the character of that upon the memory of a departed Prelate, with whose ve- nerable name such unwarrantable liberties are taken; and the ftiithful witness to whom he has appealed, will testify against him, that Bp. Porteus would have done as his bio- grapher has done ; would have renounced the Society, when its destructive tendency was no longer mysterious, when it became evident that the Bible was only its stalking horse, and that, under cover of the sacred volume, it was shaking the very basis of the Church of Christ established in these kingdoms, and sapping the very foundation of the Christian faith. It must not, however, be forgotten, that some persons more allve to the subtlety of the sons of confusion in these our days, and more at leisure to analyze their devices, and to compare them with the projects of congenial spirits in past ages, and with simultaneous proceedings in other parts of the world, iid investigate the plan of the Bible Society at the time it was first put forth, and did warn the country of its tendency and probable results, and the Letter of the Country Clergy- man to Lord Teignmouth, published in 1805, if now re- perused, will not appear to be the work of " an obscure re- " cluse, knowing nothing of the world — full of groundless " fears for the safety of the Church — and judging both of ♦* men and things without Opportunity or ability to form a ♦' correct judgment of either," but it will be generally ad- mitted to be the reverse of this in every particular — the very counterpart of the evils which have now taken place within line years of their anticipation. 99 pioujs Christian and zealous Churchman, and I hope you will always do justice to his merits ; and that 1 may be the* more fortified in ascribing to him that laudable conduct, so alarming to your ap- prehension, 1 shall proceed to give you two or three other instances of Bishops, who not only ap- proved the plan of the original Institution, but also the Establishment of Auxiliary Bible Societies ; *' the parcelling out the country into new depart- " ments," &c. The first instance is that of the Bishop of Nor- wich, who accepted the office of President of the Suffolk Auxiliary Bible Society ; and in a Letter addressed to the Rev. Mr. Cobbold, requesting him to take the Chair at the General Meeting, his Lordship expressed himself as follows: " I can " with truth add, that I shall have particular sa- " tisfaction in being represented by a Clergyman, *' whose steady and judicious attachment to our " excellent ecclesiastical establishment renders *' him a peculiarly proper person to promote the " success of an Listltution, so inseparably con- " nected with the best interests of this Establish' " ment:' Add to this the instance of the Lord Bishop of Durham, who accepted the office of President of the Darlington Auxiliary Bible Society. 100 And as a further proof, you are no doubt aware that another Prelate, "vvho \vas contemporary with Bishop Forteus, and like him approved the ori- ginal Institution, has since recommended the Aux- iliary Societies, in a Sermon preached in the Ca- thedral Church of St. Paul's. These facts are too strong to need beinc; further enforced \ ^ Upon these detailed and very indelicate citations the Editor has only to obsei-ve, that one part of the Bishop's Office is to " charge in the Lord** Clergymen presented to him for that purpose " with the cure of tlie souls of the •' parishioners" in the several parishes in his Diocese, " and ** with the government'' of their respective Churches ' ; and that the pith and man-ow of the Auxiliary System, as ex- plained by Mr. Freshfield, and as exemplified in the prac- tice of the Auxiliary Associates wherever they fail in be- guiling the Clergy to concur in their design, is to' " clear*' these Parishes " of their Ecclesiastical Heads .*" or to esta- blish a new method '* of saving souls from eternal per- *' dition," which (as he expresses it in his Remarks, Szc^ App. No. 9.) " DOES NOT COME WITHIN EITHER PaRO- *' CHiAL, Pastoral, or Episcopal Jurisdiction.'* The Editor merely places these passages in Juxta-position, The problem which rises out of them, he confesses to be too high for him, and he feels a respectful restraint upoa his mind, which prevents him from attempting its solution. There is, however, a passage in the Ecclesiastical History of the 4th century, recounting the artifices which those, wh» were then " greedy of gain and domination," had recourse to for the attainment of their ends, so accurately the coun- ' Instrument of Institution. iOi Your remarks and appeal upon the subject, whether the measure is approved by the inhabitants, \oyta.!; cT'Trov^a.Qwjliq' xeot aTUf/.v'Ku'ripa, y^ci,i/.iA»Toe, vu^ uvruiv «(T«f!'Tc?j ivK 'Truccciiayivua'x.oiiTii; avra, tok vtt uvtui* r,iTC4.Tr,iji,£vot<;} a^STaioJjTOK e? oi? l, w{ ccv trv (.'.>]/>} if) of? avTOK ko.] oiji.o!p^oi»<; I'vsyTsj 'EniEKO'nOYZ. Theodorit. Hist. Eccies. Edit. Reading, Tom. 3. J). 10. » The period here adverted to, which was to flash coe:- 102 I come now to a passage which I had rather not have met with. You say the Inhabitants who fusion in the Editor's face for having so greatly under-rated the numbers of the inhabitants of Hackney who had constituted themselves a provisienal Committee for the formation of an Auxiliary Bible Society in the Parish, that his " appeal" was not deemed " worthy of a serious reply," is at length expired; and so far is he from feeling himself put to shame, that he hag the confidence to re-state what is called his undervaluation ; and further to assure the Reader, that the terms *' unknown " individuals," by which he described that Conclave, still con- tinues to be, to the best of his knowledge, and after the most diligent enquiries, the proper designation of its Members ; for he has looked tor the enumeration of their names through every publication which they have put forth, and has been uniformly disappointed. At the general meeting indeed he did promise himself that his curiosity would be satisfied; but though the gentlemen in question were distinguished by a vote of thanks, awarded to them for the crambe repetita which they had dished up for the entertainment of the company, an unaccountable disinclination to exhibit themselves to public view kept them incog, with the exception of one member of their body, even on this triumphant occasion. This statement is made on the authority of the account of the proceedings of the day, which though evidently sent to the Editor of the Times (vid. App. Ko 15.} as an article of news, he has perversely authenticated as (yfficial. That the proceedings of this Provisional Committee were conducted with much privacy is also re-stated. They held, it is true, their first meeting " at a public Tavern in the centre *' of Hackney." But nobody knew of this meeting but the persons attending it (who, from information obtained upon the spot, were about twenty in number) and a few other persons who 103 vwait upon the Ministry of the Clergy you know from personal " enquiry" so far as you have been able to make it (" the whole of them") " protest also " themselves against the proceeding." Consider- ing that you describe yourself a plain dealing man, and a liberal interpreter, 1 must think this a bold assertion, and somewhat unguarded, because you do personally hww persons of high respectability in the parish of Hackney, who are among the regular and consistent Members of the Established Churchy who actively support the plan proposed, and you also personally know others who have not so pro- tested, notwitnstanding they have been solicited not were invited, but declined the invitation. At the close of this meeting, which was held on Friday, Oct. 23, 1812, it was re- V solved to adjourn to the Monday se'nnight following at the same place, but in the interval, for reasons which have not been suffered to transpire, a more retired Council Chamber was deemed expedient ; the answer given at the Tavern to en- quiries respecting the Meeting was suddenly altered, and was so expressed as really to beguile the Editor into the indul- gence of an hope, that in deference to the earnest entreaties of the Parochial Clergy the 'project was given up ; but after some days he discovered that the sittings of the Committee were only transferred to the house of one of the zealous sup- ■^'■porters of the design, and concealment characterised from that time forth all their deliberations. And though it is admitted that the personal enquiry amongst the poor, which Mr. F gpeaks of, was partially made, yet in the Editor's neighbour- hood, the domiciliary visit took place under th« shade of dark- ness. 1Q4 to subscribe to the intended Society, and you also know, that the publication lately distributed as the act of the vestry, at which you presided, was in fact the act of a very small proportion of that body, ai^ against which it would probably have been easy to record a protest on the part of many more vestry^- men than attended your meeting, but the Friends of the. Bible Society do not descend to such mea- sures, they rely upon the good sense of the Inhabi- tants not to be misled by appearances but to judge of the plan by its own intrinsic merit '. ! This triumphant strain of contradiction the Reader might well suppose has strong facts to support it. The Editor, how- ever, re-asserts his impeached affirmation, and without any qua- lification re-states, tliat at the time it passed his pen, though he had made personal enquiry in all parts of the parish, he did not know one individual attendant upon the ministry either of the Vicar or his Curates, who did not " protest against the " proceeding." He has no wish to conceal that he had pre- vious knowledge that the sentiments of one gentleman answer- ing the description given by Mi*. F. were generally favourable to the constitution and designs of the Bible Society ; but the two questions of generally supporting that Society, and aiding the estabUsJmient of an Auxiliary branch of it, appeared to him so distinct, that he deemed it very possible for the same person to be devoted to the one, and at least to observe neutrality to the other ; and though he was awa,re of the high tide to which this gentleman's zeal i-> apt to be elevated when he has a fa- vourite project in hand, yet he thought he saw on this occasion such an embankment of restrainin;. considerations accumulated around him^^^ as would infallibly set bounds to the most power- 105 . upon the restatement of your assertion of what ** every country newspaper will den:ioristrate," I ful agitations of the animal spirits; and secure his continuance In a state of inactivity, however great revulsions within himself this self-denial might occasion. He had, however, scarcely dispatched his Letter to Mi\ F. before he had the mortification to learn that he was mistaken, but till the General Meeting took place he could hear but of one other Churchman in the parish associating himself with him ; and the developement which that day produced only added three or four more to the number, whose names, for the most part, the Editor is taught lo believe that Gentleman's influence produced. Among such a string of charges, one surely ought to have some foundation, yet the last count in the indictment, the Editor is concerned to state, is more palpably incorrect than any of the preceding. It is true that at the Vestry, which passed the first resolutions, there was not an attendance of all its Members, but there was the usual attendance, and all were unanimous. It is also true, that in consequence of the Vicar's absence in the country, and the confinement of the senior Cu- rate to his bed-room, the Editor was in the chair ; but that there is no truth in the insinuation, that " it probably would ** have been easy to record a protest on the part of more Ves- ** trymen than attended this meeting ;" if no other evidence could be adduced, the very circumstance that it was noi re- corded would convince any one, who has had the least oppor- tunity of observing the zeal and indefatigable perseverance of Auxiliarists in surmounting every obstacle opposed to the suc- cess of their designs. But the first resolutions were followed up by others, and of the intention to move them every Vestry- man had special notice, accompanied with a copy of the Vicar's Letter, (Vid. App. No. 3.), out of which they arose. And of this circumstance it is scarcely possible that Mr. Freshfield do not find it necessary to comment, as you have not thought it proper to notice " three pages of " my reasoning," which you consider irrelevant, and which without vanit}^, I must take to myself as a compliment ; for I am confident, had you found it easily refuted, it would have received its share of attention (and for a proof of which I may appeal to the whole tenor of your observations.) You next suppose me to have inade a degrading representation of the state of the parishes of New- ington and Hackney, but I most solemnly protest against your statement of my Letter and your de- ductions from it, both of which are most mistaken, (though I am willing to believe not wilful,) perver- sions. I have not represented the two parishes as containing less of light and respectability than those by which they are surrounded ; but s-peaking of them, and the others conjointly, as of an enlight- ened and respectable neighbourhood, 1 stated as a defence of those who promoted the proposed plan, that they were not unnecessarily forward, as " other *' Societies of a similar description already formed, " and others forming, intirely surround the district, " and would probably in a few days leave it (the could be ignorant, as the gentleman, to xrhom it is supposed he alludes as actively supporting the plan, and with whom he was in frequent consultation, is a Vestryman, and received the no- tice, and yet absented himself from the Meeting, ]07 ** district) an exception," not as to light or respecta- bility, but as being tiie only district in a very exten- sive neighbourhood, without such a Society esta- blished within it : I submit therefore to your own candour, whether you have not deviated strangely from (what appears to me) a most obvious sense, for the purpose of ascribing to me a sentiment in- consistent with my whole Letter and (I hope I may add) my whole conduct in general, and toward the Clergy in particular, both in public and private^ The mis-statement just complained of, and into ■which your too warm feelings must have betrayed you, is calculated to excite " that strife and ani- *' mosity in the Church," which you profess to de- precate, but I must rely upon the candour of the Clergy, that they will not ascribe all the plain deal- ing and simple honesty to your side of the question, and all the " recondite" meanings and objections to mine "• ■ It cannot be the wish of the Editor to put upon Mr. Fresh- field's words a meaning which he disclaims. In his own justi- fication, however, he must submit it to the reader whether the characterising any place as " an exception in the midst of an ** enlightened and respectable neighbourhood" does not imply a deficiency in these properties in the excepted place in com- parison with those with which it is contrasted. This, it is con- fidently presumed, every one would pronounce to be the natural construction oi" the passage, in whatever situation he should find it : but in the mouth of an advocate of the IJible Society 105 I am ever ready to accept any thing in the shape of explanation, I shall not therefore reject there is the same strong additional reason for so construing it, that the genius of any author furnishes for affixing a specific meaning to phraseology employed by him which in itself will admit of a double interpretation: for it is one of the maxims of this institution to arrogate to itself a compleat monopoly 'o( illumination* at least, if not of respectability, and every fresh specimen of its oratorical effusions furnishes additional proof, that those who become its devotees imperceptibly catch its spirit and adopt its language, and therefore in many instances, when pleading in its behalf without really, meaning to cast upon the several objects, which come in review before them, either unmerited obloquy or adulation, they are beguiled into the chai*acterising of these objects as " respectable" or as *' exceptions" to respectability, ac- cordingly as they appear in co-operation with it or hostile to the success of its designs. We have only to look to the pre- ceding paragraph of the Letter before us for an exemplifica- tion of this, for Mr. F. has there, in a more offensive manner than before, renewed his reflection upon the respectable inha- bitants of Hackney, by representing the Vicar and the Vestry as adopting *' measures" to defeat the enterprise " of the ." friends of the Bible Society," to which those friends would " 7wt descend" and by surmising against the Vestry and the • Thus at the Henley Meeting Mr. Cunningham insinuates that «' the honour and the interest oi the University of Oxford" are at stake, unless an Auxiliary Bible Society be formed there, and that its refusal to sanction such an institution would be an act which he could "hardly " refrain from considering as a proof that its sight 'was impaired or ex- «' tlnguiihed:'' See Account of Proceedings at Henley, Reading Mercury, Oct. 19, 1812. 109 your declaration, that the serious charge of fanati- cism was not intended to rest on me, in reference to the fact stated in my Letter that " I had referred *' myself to God in prayer," but you maintain that you had a right to refer to " those very monitory " passages of our annals" to m hich you called my attention, to prove that I might be under *'delu- " sion" as to the success of my prayers. With every disposition to pass over particular expressions, and to give you credit for an intention consistent with Editor other very dishonourable insinuations. It is not in- tended by calling these forth to notice, to charge Mr. F. with repeating an injury almost in the very breath in which he was about to disclaim an intention to the same effect. The Editor in his own behalf, and in the behalf of his respectable fellow- parishioners, completely exonerates Mr. Freshfield from the charge; but Mr. F. must be aware, that under the influence of some bias upon his mind he does suffer expressions to escape him which are as full of injury as they are of meaning, and what this bias is, the exact accordance betv/een his languao-e and that of his fellow associates, when advocating the same cause, in- controvertibly demonstrates. His commendation also of h.is own Society speaks to the same effect, as his disparagement of those who resist its encroachments : for to state tliat, where it seeks parochial countenance, its appeals are " to the "-ood sense " of the inhabitants," and that " its reliance'' for sup- port, is. " on the intrinsic merits of its plan," is so palpably contrary to the fact, that a gentleman of Mr. Freshfield s dis- cernment and integrity could never have affirmed it, had not prejudice in this particular shackled him in the free exercise a£ his understanding. no Christian cliarlty, I am bound to protest against the whole of your reasoning upon that part of my Letter, because it obviously depends upon a mis-statement of its contents, and a misconception of its meaning. You think proper to consider the whole foundation of my conduct to rest upon a supposed " impression ** wrought from Heaven upon my mind." But my language must be tortured indeed to warrant any such interpretation, and it might be sufficient for me to repeat my disavowal of the notion imputed to me; hpwever I need not rest here, but refer you again to my Letter in which you will find me stating that the subject had received from me very full consideration; that I should have deemed it cri- minal if I had not long before considered the mat- ter; that I had not relied upon any vain conceits of my own, but had also prayed for guidance and direction from whom (according to our Church service) *' all good counsels and just works do pro- *' ceed ;" — and " having thus endeavoured to have " my mind rightly informed," I declared myself thoroughly of opinion the plan of the Bible Society was " right and unobjectionable in principle and "practice." — Obviously referring for the ground of my conviction to that full, anxious, and serious con- sideration given to the subject, the importance and nature of which hath rendered it peculiarly proper that I should make it one of my petitions to the Fountain of Light, " in whom are hid all the trea- Ill " sures of wisdom and knowledge," and in doing so, I find I have the satisfaction to receive the sanction of your own similar conduct. Your first Letter to which mine was an answer, intreated of me to con- sider; I therefore answered in a way I thought would be most satisfactory to you, that I had con- sidered, that I had done so in deference to your de- sire; that I had done so long before ; that I had done so most fully ; and as a further proof that the con- sideration you desired had been given, and was not of a light or transient description, I added, that I had pursued the most solemn duty of a Christian in tlie prosecution of a great and important object ^, * The heavy charge of torturing Mr. Freshfield's mean- ing is brought against the Editor, because, in vindicating himself from a former accusation (vid. p. 49, 50,) of hav- ing identified his con-espondent with Lord Herbert and the Regicides, in the crimes which they committed, he only cited that part of the introductory paragraph of his correspondent's first Letter, which suggested to his mind the reference to those monitory examples : but it seems he should have separated the passage word from word, and should have made a sentence of each, as Mr. F. has now done, that the points compressed into his apopthegmatic phraseology might each have received its du» appreciation. The Editor would willingly have been spared further refer- ence to a part of the correspondence which does not immedi- ately bear upon the great question at issue between himself and Mr. Freshfield ; but being impeached of such outrageous de- linquency, he must vindicate himself. He proceeds, therefore, to remark, that Mr. F. has furnished a standard, by which it 112 Before I quit this point, so purely personal that I regret to have been obliged to notice it, I must tras natural to conclude that he designed the value of his " full consideration" should be estimated. This the reader will find in the very passage upon which his charge is founded ; for he there tells the Editor, that he has given his Letter " that •* consideration to which, as well from his official situation and *' respectable character as from the great importance of the " subject, it was entitled ;'" — and yet he previously puts it wpon record, that he had considered it, adopted his conclusion, and dispatched his reply, all on the same day on which the Letter was received. He afterwards characterises the results of his "full consideration" as " vain conceits :" he further disclaims the placing any " reliance" upon them ; and finally, he refers the " guidance and direction" of his conduct " in the " affair"' to the impressions which he conceives will be wrought by God upon his mind as the return of Prayer.- The Editor persuades himself that there is no distortion here, and therefore trusts that he shall receive a full ac- quittal of having partially represented the grounds of Mr. F.'s conviction, as he conceives it to be demonstrated that the i^round of confidence, which with no sm.all labour of investiga- tion he has endeavoured to appreciate,-is the only one whose value is not cancelled by Mr. F. himself. Upon this solemn subject of Prayer, and upon Mr. F.'s dan- gerous misconceptions of it, the Editor has already animad- verted, in the hope of being instrumental in reclaiming him from the error of his way ; and as the resumption of the subject has been forced upon him, he cannot dismiss it without again warning Mr. F. against continuing to turn that means of grace which was given him for his health into an occasion of falling^ If he has recourse to it, for the purpose of supphcating the continuance of a sustaining Providence, and for grace to think 113 be allowed to remind you, that if I have beeri guilty of fanaticism, you labour under the same imputation ; for it appears by your Letter, you and I have pursued the same course in our desire to be and act according to the Divine will as revealed in the xoritten Word, and makes his prayer in sincerity as well as in truth, he will not ask in vain; still, however, not in the way of sudden and irregular impulse will his petition be granted; but according to the stated and ordinary methods of the Divine dispensations. Any thing beyond this, especially the importuning the Divine Providence to inspire certain private thoughts, or to confirm certain personal convictions, relative to the success of a project merely speculative, and which, if it is not discountenanced, (as to the conviction of the Editor it most decidedly is, ) is at least unauthorised by his revealed Word ; not only has no founda- tion in Scripture, but leads, by a necessary consequence, to en- thusiasm and fanaticism, and finally to confusion and to every evil work *. Of all the passages cited in a preceding Letter, in support of the course which Mr. F. has taken to obtain guid- ance and direction from above. Mat. xxi. 22. is the only one which offers any thing to the purpose ; and this, when taken with its context, ibid. 20, 21. will not only justify Mr. Fsesh- field's pretences, as it does the Apostles' claims, to private rcvC' lotions, but will prove the efficacy of that gentleman's prayers ** to vjork miracles and to remove mountains.'* This will con- vince Mr. F. that it was not, as he flatters himself, because his citations were unanswerable that they received no reply, but really because the Editor believed they would deceive lio one who was not before in love with the delusion. • Sse Memoirs of Col. Hutctinson, third Edition. Vol. 2. p. 158 and 276, for two additional monitory example very much to the pur* pose. App. of Docunsests, No. 1. I 114 rightly inforrriett ; and unless you consider your own prayers to^have been impertinently offered up, you art driven to the other alternative, and must reflect upon them as a satistlaction to your mind, that you had pursued all the means ol" God's appointment, in order that you might come to a right conclusion upon the matter in question ^. y Continual charges of personality have been preferred against the Editor, and as this is the last of them^ he now, once for all, protests against the imputation, and salenanly declare? that no sentence or expression has designedly issued from his pen which did not appear to him material to the great object before him — the averting from his own parish the blow whiclv was aimed at its peace, and the exposing the sophistry and the artifices of that Society which has become the prolific parent of such formidable mischief, and tlie displaying an impressive exhibition of its practical effects. Had he reproached Mr, Freshfield with such culpable ignorance, or such corrupt hand- ling of the Science of the Law, as would have been conveyed in charging him with ''opposing the immateriality of its forms *< to the substance of it, and adopting the form in lieu of ** the substance," and had he selected the season of afflic- tion to cast this reproach upon him, he should have deemed no reprehension too severe which he had received ; and as Mr. Freshfield, while continually complaining of personality, }ias*so far forgot himself as to send specifically, as a season- • •* Mr. F. is extremely sorry to find Mr. Norris's mind has beei> *• so painfully exercised of late with doracstic affliction', and he trusts *' he will no^ be considered impertintnt, if he !=\:ggests at such a sea- ** son, how much thes& trials are calculated to' shevr the immateriality ** of fonns, as opposed to, or adopted in lisu of, the substance of Chris- " tlanity. In the hour of death, v.ill it not be a subject cf regret, if 115 It will not be necessary for me to offer distinct considerations to all the different members of the proposition you next select from my Letter ; they all depend upon the certainty for which you con- tend, that the Parochial Clergy of Hackney are right in their view of the inexpediency of forming the proposed Auxiliary Bible Society, and of the mischiefs they apprehei>d from its establishment; to which I shortly answer, that the " imaginations" I hold upon the subject are supported by several Bishops and very many conscientious Clergymen of the Established Church, who certainly do la- ment that any individual can bring his mind to op- pose the most probable means of spreading the Gospel ; relying for their warrant to do so upoa certain evils and dangers which have no existence able intimation to the Editor under the trial which the succes- sive deaths of two relations brought with it, a parallel impeach- ment of his "Christianity" with that exemplified above, he will surely now perceive that he does not know what spirit he is of, and that his attachment to the Bible Society betrays him into acts of inhumanity which his generous mind would im- mediately revolt at, were tlie operation of its baneful influence but for one moment suspended. *' much valuable time shall have been expended in pursuing the clr- *• cumstantials of Christianity, 'mstead of its grand fundamental prin- •' cipks."— Extrsct of note from Mr. Freshfield to Mr. Norris, dated Dec. 3, \Q11. lib fekcept in *' itnagination */' but we are still willlrio; to give full credit to the purity of the motive by ivhich fcLich opponents ^ve^e actuated. " In the developeraeiit which has been made hi the preco- (hng pages, the Editor confidently promises liimsch^, that a complete antidote to the requiems of the Bible Society and its advocates is provided; and that the soothing sounds of " danger " h'aviiig no existence but In Imagination''' will lull the reacfer i'lxto fatal security no more. That it Is time for him to shake off his slumbers, this self-recommended and professedly unas- suming Institution shall now testify against itself. Its own eighth Report will announce to him, that it contemplates some ' \\\vi\z,heijond " the circulation oiihc jture unmixed Scriptures,*' and. is fully aware, and not a little ostentatious In the display of its polificfil poivcr ; for in p. TS of the aforesaid Report, adopt- ing a portion of the annual commendatoiy declamation of one of its Auxiliary dependencies, it makes Its boast of *' havii>g *' formed, in the midst of our enemies, and holding by " the strongest ties of attachmen-t, select bands of fric?ids, " whose union and co-operation have a strong tendency " to counteract the efforts of those who seek our de- '* struction — of being thus instrumental in turning the tide *' of public opinion in our favour; and, as every form of *' human government must, in a greater or less degree, *' respect public opinion, on which ultimately it depends ♦' for its support, of gradually extending its influence to the " very seats of those Governments which are now in a *' state of actual or impending war," and thus of hastening according to its own visions, the happy tlm'e of ulniversal peace, but far more probably the prelkninary period of uni- versal apostacy and universal confusion. This is its own statement of a benefit strictly political, which tve are told that a review of that portion of its foreign eorrespondeace. H7 All your reasoning upon the supposed kivasion "bj the laity of your particular province depends principally upon the origi;;ial question, uhethep the measure of the Bible Society be right in itself, because if it is, then your argument is dispose4, of. The Parochial Clergy were solicited to tak^ the lead ; they declined doing so, and therefbra Qther Clergymen, in conjunction with the laity, are doing uhat yo-u have refused. The laity thus co- dperatc, (which you admit to be right,) and by no ■which is ali-eady before the world, demonstrates it to be confer- ring on this country. But its operations arc not confined to fo- reign parts. It is a British as well as a Fo7-eign Society ; were not this the case, we might leave to Foreign Governments to avail themselves as they pleased of thisdevelopement of a most insidious and formidable conspiracy against them, and to take such measures for its discomfiture as they should spe fit. But we must be besotted indeed to read this detail ofthe dexterous glidings of this new Pontificate from the aftections of the peo- ple to the usui-pation of the throne, and not to be remind- ed that the Society has acquired also demestic influence; and that l£ m foreign countries (wiiere its numbers are but few, and where little depends upon public opinion,) it can counteract in any degree the measures oftheir respective GorerH7?v'e?;/.?,murh more is all this to be apprehended from its overpowering num- bers and combined eftbrts in tii is conr\try, where public opinion vill always make itself heard, and eventually prevail. — The evils and the dangers then to be apprehended from tlve Bible Society &re not imag-tnary ; they ha\'e substantial existence; they are af «nce formidaMe and imminent; and "Ne quid detrimcnti capiat ." Respublica" is a memento vrell deserving the prompt atten' {j^pn of those whom it may concern. See App, xy, note b.* 118 means supersede the operation of the labours of the ('lergy ; and this enables me to pass over a considerable part of your letter ^ ** In this passage it is simply stated, that " the Parochial *' Clergy were solicited to take the lead." But in the Offi- cial Report of the Proceedings at the General Meeting, (for which Mr. Freshfield, as the founder and chief agent of the confederacy, is also responsible, and which has been laid before the world) it is further declared that *' the intention" (i. e. of forming the Auxiliary Society) " when it first ** suggested itself, was immediately communicated to the ** principal Parochial Clergy." The Editor is obliged to state that this is a most unfaithful representation ; for he had private notice given him that the project was afloat on September 2Sd, and on the following day communicated his intelligence, by letter, to the Vicar ; and this intelligence, though he could not, at that time, trace it to its source, came, he now knows, from Mr. Freshfield ; the Editor's in- formant having received it from a gentleman to whom Mr. F.. had applied for his concurrence. For upwards of three weeks after this the Editor heard no more of the report, and really had persuaded himself that it was a groundless rumour ; but then the Vicar acquainted him in his turn, that he had just received a letter from Mr. Freshfield, apprizing him of the design, and inviting him to give it his sanction and support. This was on October 16th, and a similar communication to Dr. Gaskin (whose Church Mr. F. is in the constant habit of attending) bears the same date. So far then from being immediatehj apprized, it was not till the plan was matured, and, the Editor verily believes, the Provisional Committee chiefly formed, that the Clergy were advertised of it* ; and * The same course precisely has been pursued at Bocking, in Essex, and at the adjacent parishes, excepting in the few instances where the 119 The chai'i^e against you of disrespect towards those concerned in the Cambridge proceedings, h'ls belief is founded upon this fact, that he knows two of the inost respectable Churchmen in Hackney, to whom Mr. F. previousli/ applied to meet some of their neighbours for setting on foot the Association. The first of them assented, but recalled his assent tlie moment the matter was explained ; and the other enquired whether he had communicated with the Vicar, and upon being told that he was about to do so, recommended that step to him as his first proceeding, and the Letter was received the same day. It is far from the intention of the Editor even to surmise any thing against ihe integrity of his Correspondent by this recital. On the contrary, he is satisfied tliat he is an honourable and con- ,6cientious man ; but having persuaded himself (as together with every speaker at the Hackney Meeting he declares) that the cause in which he is engaged is the cause of God, those who oppose it (as characterized by the Provisional Committee, see App. No. xv.) appear the enemies of God; and it seems no more than Christian prudence to circumvent them. Thus much for the illustration of the fundamental position of the passage. The superstructure is to this effect, that because the Parochial Clergy are faithful to their ordi- nation vows, therefore a confederacy of intrusive Brethren Clergy are Members of the Bible Society. At the former place, a do- miciliary visitation was made by Dissenters without Dr. Wordsworth'* privity ; and, after an interval of three weeks, when all things were ready for a public meeting, lie was insulted by an invitation, delivered by a Clergyman, to take the lead in forming a Branch Association. In the course of two years, he had himself distributed in the Parish 180 Bibles, 140 Testaments, 196 Prayer-books, 400 bound religious books, and religioui Tracts out of number ; but this would not preserve his Pastoral Charge from invasion and auxiliary enrolment. 120 remains in its full force. You say you delivered no opinion, but merely stated a fact; and upon referring to your Letter, I find you distinctly state, that though all the titles of the members of the University who attended the Town Hall are dis- played, yet (you add) " I can assure you there is *' not one of them whose opinions upon theological *' points are held there in much consideration/' You have therefore your choice ; either it is your opinion the highly respectable characters referred to are persons whose opinions upon theological points are not entitled to consideration ; or you assert the fact, upon your own authority, that at Cambridge the opinions of those persons are not held in much consideration ; either alternative would, I think, fix upon you the charge you formerly preferred against me, of having " vili* *' fied venerable men," if not a " venerable insti- *' tutionV and Sectarian Teachers are to combine with Laymen of their several persuasions to usurp the authority of the aforesaid Clergymen, and to supersede them in their office. ' The only reply the Editor can make to this reiterated charge, is to refer to his statement of the fact upon which his assertion is grounded, (p. 13.) and to make this further remark upon it, that the time and circumstances of the grant were of so marked a character as plainly to demonstrate, that in the points of theological controversy, upon which the Bible Society has for the last eight years been disturbing the peaee 121 In answer to your question, why I bring " the ** Bishop of Llandaff from Westmoreland, and ** the Bishop of Bristol from his lodge in Trinity *'' College," to partake of your censure? I beg to refer you again to the account of the Cambridge proceedings, according to which you will see that both prelates became vice-presidents of that ob- noxious Society ^ I have met with no circumstance that should lead me to consider the " quality of the work' performed by the two Societies to which you refer, different in excellency ; 1 must therefore continue to think the surplus " quantity" a very important consideration. »f the Church, the opinions of its advocates were not, in the University, held in much consideration. •^ Mr. F. must know that this reference must be to his own confusion ; for the Editor's observation is expressly li- mited to those Members of the University who gave their *' attendance in the Town Hall;" and Mr. F. knows, that the paper referred to, though it records that the Prelates in question had lent their '^ames to the Society, bears no testi- mony to their attendance at the Constituent Meeting ; in- deed, its very silence with respect to them among the compli- ments of the day proves that they were not there. Tlie Editor's vindication of himself, therefore, remains in full force, and Mr. F. is responsible for having so indecorously, and with- out any warrant whatever, dragged two of our Church Gover- nors into the correspondence. i£2 The discussion to which you allude respecting the supply of the Welch, in 1 809; with Bibles, I never entered into ; but I think that even here you labour under some mistake, because I recollect, an application being made to me and others, so Jong ago as the year 1803, by a Clergyman from Wales, representing the great want of the Scrip- tures within the principality; and I then consulted with a gentleman now high in his Majesty's ser- vice, as to the means of supplying those wants ; and out of the difficulty which then presented itself, I believe the plan of the British and Foreign Bible Society arose; and I can certainly vouch for the fact, that at that time no sectarian object was en- tertained, but those persoris who were applied to would most gladly have witnessed the supply af-. forded by any society or any means ; and thisoQ- . curred six years prior to the period to which .you. refer ; if therefore the want continued until 1 80P, it is a lamentable fact, and loudly called upon all Christians for exertion *. * The Bishop of London's statement of the Welch Bible coMcern is as follows : — " The very first act, or one of them, *' of the British and Foreign Bible Society was to undertake ** a Welch Bible, at a time when the Society for promoting ^' Christian Knowledge, in conjunction with the University ** of Oxford, were preparing as large an edition as could " be wanted, under the patronage of the Welch Bishops; *• and to put it into the hands of a most noted leader of the 123 The Bible Society has for its end and object " the circulation of the Word of God for the sal- " vation of mankind;"- — it introduces no novel inventions, but pursues the track long tried, and *• Dissenters in that country *. And Avlien put to shame on ** this head, they still persisted in fonvarding their edition, " (an act, as it seems to me, of undue rivalship,) by means *' which the University of Oxford could not take, in order " to give an advantage to the Dissenters ; for it is a fact, ** though it may seem improbable to you, that the very clis- *' tribution of the Bible was made an instrument of injluence *' to the Sectaries, who, in my opinion, have, in that country, ♦* done more injury to society and sound Religion, than any *' thing that has happened for centuries before. / say these ** things J'ron personal experience and knotvledge." Letter to the Clergy of Colchester. Vid. Papers occasioned by Attempts to form Auxiliary Bible Societies, &c. Rivingtons, 1812. See also Dr. Wordsworth's Letters to Lord Teignmouth, p. 45 — 54-, and p. 156/ * From Mr. Dealtry's Vindication, &c. p. 8, 11. it appears that the person here adverted to is Mr. Charles, of Bala, upon whom tlie Bible Society have bestowed an " Honorary governorship for life," the high- est of the two dignities which they have created to reward the two de- grees of merit to be earned, by rendering them either "essential" or " fvery essential services j" (See 8th Rep. of the B. and F. Bible So- ciety, p. xlv.) Of the natTire of these services, the passage above cited affords a specimen, and of the value set by Mr. Charles upon Bible Society approbation, this criterion is furnished by himself, that even the cordial thanks of an Auxiliary Meeting called forth from him the public acknowledgment, which the Editor almost shudders to record, that he "esteemed them next to the approbation of the Redeemer."" See account of the Merionethshire Auxiliary Bible 'Jociety Meeting. Sa- lopian Journal of January «7th, 1813. 124 whi-ch may be denominated the good old way'; but if good men will persevere in violent oppo» sition to measures so obviously right, the Society may surely oppose to them what other good men have said in its support, and the reasons which have induced them to promote its success, which is per- fectly consistent with the pledge *' only to distri- " bute Bibles," You need no apology to me for the course you have pursued, nor do you incur the risk of being considered my " enemy" — nay further, 1 shall not attempt to detract from the boldness and courage you consider yourself to have displayed. Perhaps it might have been as well had you selected for the object of your attack one of the Clergymen who promote the formation of the intended Society, or an individual who had as much leisure as your- ' " The good old way," will naturally remind the reader of " the good old cause," with which it is intimately con- nected, as being the course scientifically adjusted for carry- ing on that " cause," from its commencement to its con- summation. Of this " good old cause," and of the griui features which mark its character, all trace upon our me- mories appears rapidly wearing out ; though during Crom- well's Usurpation, when it was last triumphant, our fore- fathers heard and felt enough of it, one would think, to have absolutely engrained the horrors which it visited upon them, in the very frame of their posterity, and to have made them uneradicably constitutional. 7 icr5 self ^ : however, as I neither write for fame, riOT as the champion of the British and Foreign Bible Society, I trust I shall have sufficiently protected my own character from misconstruction, and shall not prejudice the merits of the Society, by the hasty compositions which numerous pressing engagements compel me to return to your addresses. In taking (I hope as far as this subject is con- cerned) a final leave of you, allow me in return for the large portion of advice you have given me, to offer this one sentence for your adoption, it will relieve your mind from much uneasiness, and ren- ' At the close of this correspondence, it nill not be ne- cessary for the Editor to use many words to repel the charge nhich is here insinuated that he was the aggressor. He was quietly occupied in the discharge of his parochial duties, and really had nothing farther from his thoughts than con- tending with any one upon the greatly sophisticated ques- tion of the merits of the Bible Society, when Mr. Fresh- field conceived, and began to execute the presumptuous project of " clearing" the j^nrishes of Stoke Nexxington and Hackney " of their Spiritual Heads," and " of savitfg the " soids of the inhabitants Jt-om eternal perdition," hy a new method and a new ministry of his own. Whatever the Editor has done therefore, fidelity to the sacred trusts confided to him has exacted ; he has had no more opportunity of '**' selecting his object of attack," than the steward of any household has when his master's property is invaded, or than the shepherd has when he sees the wolf coming to make havoc bf his flock. 126 der the path of diity plain and simple. " If thi* ** counsel or this work be of men, it will come to " nought. But if it be of God, ye cannot over- " throw it ; lest haply ye be found even to fight *' against God*"." I have the honour to be, Sir, Your most obedient Servant, J. W. FllESHFIELD. ^ The niost gi-ateful acknowledgments are due to Mr» Freshfield for •' offering" to the Editor's •' adoption" his valedictory citation, (from Acts v. 38, 39.) and as the best return he can make, he begs to direct his correspondent's attention to v. 34-. of the same chapter, which will temper his zeal with a little useful knowledge, by instructing him that what he " offers" as authority, is but the opinion of a Pharisee of the Pharisees. The Editor begs further to enhance the Value of his requital by another reference, ver}' much in point with the phaenomena of present times, (2 Kings xviii. 22.) by which he will perceive that the mere putter down of the •worship of imaginations, is sometimes liable to be proscribed as the sacrilegious destroyer " (jf the High Places^ and the •' Altars of God:' As this sentence of Gamaliel's is not appropriated to its present use exclusively by Mr. Freshfield, but is submitted, with all the confidence and solemnity of a Divine prohibition by Mr. Dealtry to Dr. Wordsworth, and by the Dean of Car- lisle to Professor Marsh ; it seemed necessary to point out the real author to the Reader, and to put him in possession of a Scriptural Caveat against the intimidation which this use of it is designed to convey to the truly religious, for the purpose of awing them into neutrality at least with respect to the 5 127 Bible Society's proceedings; and to this end it is expedient further to apprize him, that it has often been employed in the same service, as Nalson observes upon, that " it is one of " those Texts of which the Puritans were wont to make *' constant use to encourage their party, and to discourage *' weak and timorous minds from meddling with them," and he enters at considerable length into very judicious observa- tions upon it, to shew how grossly it was perverted by this misapplication. See Countermine, or Ptcligion pretended but Rebellion intended, p. 1 70. See also another instance in point, App. XIV. Note <•, APPENDIX* I* Xn consequence of the Vicars permission, as ed'- pressed in the subsequent Correspo?iclence, the folloxving Letter is respectfully submitted to the cofisideration of the Parish, HACKNEY, 30th Oct. 1812* MY 1)EAR SIK, I HAVE read with particular satis- faction' the Letter which you have done me thei favour to address me, stating your reasons fof disapproving the formation of an Auxiliary Bible Society at Hackney, and have thought it my duty to communicate it to as many of my neighbours as have fallen in my way, and it is our opinion that you should suffer it to be printed for general dis- persion through the Parish; as it appears to us K ISO that your sentiments upon this subject should not be either unknown or misapprehended among your Parishioners. I am, dear Sir, Yours most truly, THOMAS WARBURTON. Hackney, 28th Oct. 1812. UY DEAR SIR, I HAVE to beg 3'our excuse for not returning an immediate answer to your obliging communication ; but I confess to you I have had considerable difficulty in making up my mind upon the subject of your Letter, for I have at all times an extreme unwillingness to obtrude any observa- tions of mine in print. Yet as I trust that in my private remarks to you I cannot have expressed myself in a manner so contrary to my intention as to have said any thing which can give pain or provoke controversy, if you and the respectable Friends with whom you have conferred ore of opinion that. a more general circulation of my Let- 131 ter may have any tendency to promote the great object which I have at heart — the peace and quiet of my Parish — I cannot refuse to leave to your adoption the only way perhaps in which that cir- culation can be effected. I am, dear Sir, Yours ever, with esteem, JOHN JAMES WATSON, Hackney, Thursday ^ Oct, 29th. 1812. MY DEAR SIR, MY best thanks are due to you for your considerate reference to me in a matter so intimately connected with the spiritual concerns of my parish, as the projected formation of an Aux- iliary Bible Society in Hackney. And I am still more obliged by your kind and ready acquiescence in the opinion which I expressed to you through our friend Mr. Norris. With such a simple ex- pression of my sentiments on this occasion I would Kg 132 gladly have contented myself. But, though in the correspondence of the respectable individual who has invited both your support and mine, it is par- ticularly grateful to me to have been allowed that entire credit for the conscientious purity of my iiiotives to which I feel myself justly entitled, yet, since on adverting to the public discussions upon this highly important subject which have taken place in other parts of the country, we cannot but lament that it has been one of the unhappy features of this new Society to allow none to dissent from its pro- ceedings without subjecting themselves to imputa- tions, which every Member, and more especially evei^ Minister of our Church must be most anx- ious to disclaim, it is a duty which I owe to you, and to myself, and still more to that Church to which we have the happiness of belonging, to put you in possession of such a brief explanation as- may preclude any mis-apprehension of the motives which determme my conduct. And in doing this I would most solicitously ab- stain from the repetition of a single argument which can unnecessarily excite any unpleasant feeling in the minds of those who conscientiously difter from me m their religious opinioi:»s, and who can see nothing objectionable in the constitution of the Bible Society. For from many of them I have re- ceived too repeated and strong proofs of personal 1 regard, not to feel real regret, Avhen a sense of dutv forbids me to act in concert with them, and more particularly when it seems to call for an eii- larseinent on the reasons which restrain me from co-operation. The general arguments upon this interesting sub- ject have been long before the public, and I think they will seldom fail to satisfy such JMembers of the Establishment (to whom alone indeed any ob- servations of mine must be considered applicable) as have leisure dispassionately to weigh them. For my own part it would be disingenuous not to avow that they have left no doubt upon my mind as to the unfitness of our using the instrumentality of the Bible Society in the pursuit of an object, however great and glorious, while an equal facility of attaining it is otfered to us by another venerable Society, which has for more than a century been successfully engaged in widely diffusing the bles- sings of Christian Knowledge in different quarters of the world, and which to Churchmen must be free from every objection. Upon these general arguments, however, as I before intimated, I shall forbear to insist, and con- fine myself simply to two motives — of a personal and of a local nature — which have had a consi- 134 derable share in influencing my conduct in the pre- sent instance. .^ In the first place., then, I have for my govern- ment the decided opinion of my Diocesan, ia an- swer to an application distinctly made to. hiifl\by some of his Clergy for his Lordship's advice and direction upon this very point — And a dutiful re- gard for his declared and deliberate judgment must at all times controu. my conduct in matters in which I can conscientiously act upon it. And in the next place, as I am happy to know, that in my vie^v of ihe subject I have the concur- rence of the resideni Clergy, and of 'several highly respectable Laymen in my Parish, I cannot but anxiously deprecate the introduction of a qiicstion among us, which^ from the manner in which it has hitherto been too generally agitated in other Dis- tricts, threatens to aggravate tlie unavoidable evils of conscientious dissent, and to divide those who are at present walking together in the unity of the Spirit, and in the bond of peace. I cannot but hope, therefore, that even those who are most earnest in the prosecution o^ this plan, may yet be induced to forego their design, •when they perceive that it can only be pursued at 2 135 the hazard of interrupting that general harmony, which, I bless God, has so hapi)ily subsisted in our mutual relations and intercourse since the commencement of my connection m ith the Parish. And more especially would I indulge this hope, wlien it is recollected, that vihether these indi- viduals be Members of our Church, or upon the purest principles may have separated from her Comaiunion, the important object which they have, so much at heart, is, from our nearness to the Me-t tropolis, and continual communication with it, ac- complishable by nieans not" liable to the same ex- ceptions. In the case of the latter, by a direct contribution to the Parent Institution in London— and in tiie case of Churchmen, through the agency of the Society for promoting Christian Knovvledge, above referred to, which 1 cannot indeed too strongly recommend to their support, from my per- sonal acquaintance with the extensive benefits which it is at this tiihe renderins; to the cause of true Religion, by the gratuitous supply, both at home and abroad, of Bihles, and also of Prayer- Books, and of the most pious and judicious Tracts on all the leading points of Christian Faith and Practice. Under these circumstances then, and upon these grounds, I trust that my Parishioners will feel with 13^ mc that it is not expedient to form an Auxiliary Bible Society in Hackney. I am, with much esteem, Dear Sir, yours very truly, JOHN JAMES WATSON. llacJcney, Tuesday Eventing, 9,1th Oct, 1812. To Thos, Warburton, Esq. IL PARISH OF ST. JOHN AT HACKNEY, J.t a Vtstry, held the Qd of November, 1812, in the Vestry-lioom of this Parish, the following Resolutions were unanimously/ agreed to. The Letter addressed by the Vicar to Mr. War-' burton, dated the Tit h October 1812, and cir^ ciliated among his Parishioners, in which he assigns his Reasons for disapproving the For- xnation of An AyxiLiAiiY Bible Society m the Parish, being read, it was Resolved, That this Vestry entirely coincide in opinion with the Vicar, and will use its best endeavours to discourage such a Society being 137 formed, the inexpediency of which is so clearly set forth in the Letter alluded to, as well as its ten-* dency to create disunion in the Parish. Resolved, That the thanks of this Vestry be presented to the Rev. Dr. Watson, for his zeal rnaniiested on ail occasions in promoting the peace and harmony of this Parish, and for his attention to the spiritual and temporal comforts of his pa- rishioners. Resolved, That Dr. Watson's Letter of the above date be entered upon the minutes of this day's proceedings. Resolved, That a copy of the above Resolu- tions be presented to the Rev. Dr. Watson, signed by the Chairman. Resolved, That the above Resolutions be printed, and circulated through the Parish. By Order of the Vestry, W, LANGMORE and SON, Vestry Cleiiks* 138 III. The -Reply of the Rev. Dr. IVatson to the Vote of Thanks contained in the foregoing Resolu- tions» DEAR NORRIS, I AM much obliged by your conveyance of the Resolutions of the Vestry, and request you will communicate to them at their next meeting (if I should be prevented from assuring them in person) how sensible 1 am of this testimony of approbation to my pastoral labours. In the mean time I trust I may be excused for submitting a wish for tiie suspension of their last resolution, at least until further proceedings on the part of the friends of the Bible Society shall evince their determina- tion to persevere. In this event, indeed, it would be perhaps no longer proper in me to interpose an objection against the circulation among my parish- ioners of so gratifying (and I would hope so usefiil) a confirmation of my sentiments on that important subject. But I cannot quit so interesting a topic as the provision for the spiritual wants of any part of my flock, without repeating a wish which I have ever felt and expressed, that the word of God should be in the hands of every family in my parish. 139 properly disposed to search the Scriptures. And although from the knowledge on the part of my poorer parishioners that the Sacred Volume has at all times been freely given by me upon every suit- able application, and from my own knowledge that besides the regular supplies horn the parochial schools, many of the clergy and laity of the parish have long been in the habit of co-operating with me in siaiilar donations, I am willing to believe there cannot be room for a very wide distribution here ; yet when [ see Ci.ristian zeal running so high in the cause, should it be found upon a sober en- quiry that th' desire to possess and the disposition to use tiie Holj Scriptures are augmented in a de- gree commensurate with the readiness to disperse them, I should feel myself wanting in duty to my flock if I did not seek to turn that zeal into tiie best channel. Should therefore the perseverance of the advocates of this Auxiliary Bible Society oblige me to abandon the hope which I had cherished of pre- serving; the parish from an attempt, which I must still think likely to interrupt its peace, I would, from the same motives which dictated my letter to Mr. Warburton, wave any proposition which may have the appearance of rivalry between the two Societies therein referred to, and submit it to the further consideration of the Vestry, whether this great object, as far as it more immediately respects us as a parish, may not be fully and unobjection- 140 ably attained by a parochial contribution coBfined to parochial purposes. Hackney^ Nov. 3, 1812. I am, Dear Norris, Yours ever affectionately, J. J. WATSON. Rev. H. H. Nojris. IV. PARISH OF ST. JOHN AT HACKNEY. At a Vestry, held the 26th of November, 1812, in the Vestry-Room of this Parish, by Special Summons, for the Purpose of taking into Con- sideration the Vicars Letter of the 3d of November, in Anszver to the Communication of the Proceedings of the last Vestry, the fol- lowing Resolutions were unanimously agreed to. Resolved, That, in the apprehension of this Meeting, an indiscriininating distribution of the Bible has a tendency to lessen the reverence due to that Sacred Volume, 141 Resolved, That this Meethig do at the same time most heartily concur in the wish expressed by the Vicar, that a copy of the Ploly Scriptures, together with the Liturgy of the Church of England, were in the possession of every family in the parish de- sirous of obtaining them, and who upon due in- quiry shall be found likely to make a right use of such a gift. Resolved, That notwithstanding this Meeting is convinced that individual donations of Bibles and Prayer-books, especially on the part of the Vicar and Clergy of this parish, have long been freely made, where there appeared a reasonable prospect of their being usefully applied, yet, from a consideration of its great extent and increasing population, they are anxious publicly to express their readiness to co-operate with their Vicar for the fullest attainment of his wishes in the further- ance of so desirable an object. Resolved, That fhe above Resolutions be printed and circulated through the parish. By Order of the Vestry, W. LANGAIORE and SON, Vestry Clerk?, 142 V, PARISH OF ST. JOHN AT HACKNEY. At a Vestrif held the 7th of December, 1S12, a Letter directed to the C/uiirman, and laid before the Vestrif, was taken into Consideration, of which the following is a Copy, •" SIR, " Though not a Vestryman myself, " I have seen in the hands of one of the Vestry " the Vicar's Letter of the third instant ; and hear- " tily concurring as a parishioner in his suggestion " for the relief of the spiritual wants of his parish, " and as a Churchman in the sentiments which he " has expressed in his former Letter on the subject ^' of the British and Foreign Bible Society, I beg to " tender in furtherance of his parochial plan " 100 Bibles and Testaments, " 100 Prayer Books. " For though I am persuaded that much mis- " representation obtains in all the statements I " have yet seen, as to the real extent of the de- *' ficiency, to the correction of which Clergy and " Laity, Churchmen and Dissenters throughout " the kingdom have for many years, in their several " proportions and -in their separate communions, " been largely contributing, wherever a reasonable 143 <* hope of useful application appeared ; yet, per- ** haps, the supply of such a population as Hack- " ney, ought scarcely to be left to individual bounty, ** however liberally it may hitherto have been " exerted. " I have therefore only to add, that upon the " acceptance of my offer being testified by my ad- *' mission into your subscription list, under the " designation subjoined *, the books will be imme- " diately forwarded to the Vicarage house by « Sir, " Your obedient Servant, ** A Member of the Society for promoting " Christian Knowledge.'' Resolved, That the thanks of the Vestry be and they are hereby presented to the liberal and unknown writer for his generous offer. Resolved, That the Vicar be requested to receive the same, as well as any other contribution * " A Member of the Society for promoting Christian ** Knowledge, and a friend to the Vicar, and to the widest ** distribution of the Scriptures in the manner suggested by ** him." 144 that may be offered, and to superintend the distri* bution thereof. Resolved, That the above Besolutions be printed and circulated in the parish* By Order of the Vestryj W. LANGMORE, Vestry Clerki a=a VI. An Address, • on the proposed Formation of an AiLviliary Bible Society for the District of Hackney and its Vicinity. IT was the last injunction of oitr blessed Sa- viour to his disciples, that they should *' go and " preach the Gospel to every creature *." The * The sincerity of that reverence for Holy Scripture which the advocates of the Bible Society, with so much solemnity affect to entertain, may be estimated by their respectful methodl of handling it, in the very first sentence of this address : for a reference to Mark xvi. 14, 15, (from whence the citation eomes) will shew that the charge to " preach the Gospel to *' every creature,'* was not delivered to " the Disciples^" as is here most shamelessly mis-stated, but to the eleven Apostles,, The motive of this corruption of the Sacred Text is too obvious to need specification. 145 Oospel reveals a system of mere}-, worthy of its Divine Author, and deserving of all acceptation; it contains that which can mitigate the severities of war, smooth the bed of sickness, comfort the dis- tresses of the poor ; that which brings present peace, and leads to endless happiness. "When the Christian Philanthropist considers this interesting subject, he is ready to exclaim, O ! that it were possible to put this heavenly and inestimable gift into the hands of those millions of immortal crea- tures, who, as yet know nothing of the true God, or of his salvation ! Is tliere no vvay, he eagerly inquires, of uniting and combining the whole Christian world in one firm body ^ ; which, animated. ^ For this difficult ij the " Christian world" are indebted to the Bible Society no less than for its solution. They were both excogitated together ; the One to be the Chaperdne to the other. That the difficulty did not exist, a reference to 1 Cox-, xii. 13, X. 17, i. 10, and Acts ii. 41, 42. will demon- strate, foir in the three former passages the Christian means of cementing and cherishing union are pointed out, and in the last their efficacy is exemplified : In the third collect, moreover, for Good Friday, the tender concern of the Church upon this subject is displayed, and the real obstacles which delay its consummation are specified. To remove these obstacles by giving them sanction and consolidation — to heal the breaches of Christian unity, *' by maJcing schism catholic," as Mr. Nolan pithily expresses it, and '' hy reducing the " Church to the outimrd seeming of a schism J'rom the sec* *' taries,'" is a pharmaceutick discovery worthily co-evai L 146 with love, and burning with zeal for the best in« terests of their poor benighted brethren, might be enabled, through an union of effort, to scatter among them the " Bread which came down from " Heaven?" Thanks be to Him '' from whom " alone all good counsels, and all just works do " proceed," the wish of the philanthropist is grati- fied ; there is a M-ay now made known by which all good men may join hand and heart in the best of viorks ; a door is now thrown open, through which the rays of light and life are streaming forth on those who have hitherto " sat in darkness, and " in the shadow of death." "Notwithstanding the general interest excit-ed by tlie British and Foreign Bible Society, many are not accurately acquainted with its const it ut ion, its professed object, and its direct and ultimate ieU' denci/. with Dr. Gardiner's Universal Medicine, both of tliem tiie characteristic and collateral phenomena of the celebrated *' third ^ra of Light ;" When however Rom. xvl. 17, Tit. iii» 10, 2 Thess. iii. 6, 14, and 2 John 9, 10. have been con- sidered, it will perhaps be thought that in ascribing the " Counsel" and the " Work" to God, He is made the au- thor of that which He most peremptorily prohibits, and that these illuminators of the world would do well first to correct their own " ignorance or contempt of God's word," before they proceed farther in its dissemination. 147 Its comtitution is simple, comprehensive, and firmly cemented. Among the ]?>lembers who com- pose it, are the good and the great of every de- nomination : His Majesty's Ministers, Lords Spi- ritual and Temporal, Dignitaries and Clergymen of the Established Church, Dissenting Ministers and Laymen in general. All who acknowledge the Bible to be the Word of God, and sufficient to make men wise to salvation, are invited to enlist under its truly Christian and Catholic banners. Thus it has received the sanction of ROYALTY, the support of PRELACY, the patronage of NOBILITY " ; whilst it is strengthened and en- couraged by a vast and daily increasing number of the truest friends to their King and Country, to the Church and State. Its professed object is the most noble that ever entered the mind of man ; to circulate the Holy Scriptures without Note or Comment, over the whole earth, beginning at our own native country. Its direct and ultimate tendency is sufficient to gladden the heart of every disciple of our Lord, and of every well wisher to the human race. By ^ See p. 90, Note n, and then decide upon the modesty and the veracity of those who penned this passage. t2 lis glancing at what lias been done, we may form so!tic estimate of what may ultimately be looked for. In the short space of eight years, during which period the Society has existed, nearly half a million (431,939) Bibles and Testaments have been issued from the Society, exclusive of those circulated at its charge in various parts abroad. JNIore than one hundred thousand pounds have been expended, twenty similar Societies have been formed in Ame- rica, others in Europe and Asia, through its assist- ance, and in consequence of its example ! ! I In addition to these facts, translations and editions of the Holy Scriptures have been promoted or circulated in more than fifty foreign languages, in many of which, copies either never existed, or could not be procured from their extreme scarce- ness, to supply the pressing dem.ands of the poor. The translations into all the principal Eastern dialects, spoken in those countries, where the san- guinary rites of Pagan superstition are still acted^ will, by the Divine blessing, in u few years be com- pleted. These translations require annually con- siderable sums of money for their support; and .that necessary aid is liberally afforded by the Bri- tish and Foreign Bible Society. We read in the sublime prophecy of Daniel that,. The stone which was cut out without hands, " be- 149 *' came a enjoin- ed us to resort to, for the preservation of " the *' Faith once delivered to the Saints """' from error and corruption. With regard to the Patronage of which this So- ciety so highly boasts, it is to be observed, that if some Churchmen have joined this coalition, many more, it should seem, have declined uniting with it ; — that, of those who hwoc united with it, none have advanced any thing in its defence which has not been fully answered ; — and that of those who have not joined it, some have come forward with a statement oi such objections to it as have not yet received any Satisfactory reply. ** The wants of the Poor," it is declared, " are " Jude 3, 170 '^ much greater than have been imagined." By ?neans of "a very careful and impartiai inquiry " in the City of London, it was found that above , *' one half vias destitute of the Word of Life." But will this InslitL.tion supply this true want of religious hioxvltdge : and are we to infer that all " are destitute of the Word of Life" who " are not " possessed of either a Bible or a Testament/* while they are publicly read and explained in our Churches? Every thinking person on making full allowances in the present calculation, will readily discover its fallacy. From the number of ^hose who, they are informed, are destitute of the Bible, they will subduct those who. cannot 7'ead it t\hen they receive it ; those who will not ope?i it if -they can read it ; who will not imderstand it if they read it ; and who will not obey it when they understand it: and will consequently find the numr bers so reduced as to render the interference of this Society perfectly useless. Ot those who may be be- nefiied by having the Bible, there are few who are not able to purchase it; there are none who may not have it through that Society which the Church ap- proves and lias instituted. As for those yi\\o search after authorities among cur first Reformers, in favour of an expedient de- vised within these last eight years, they deserve but little iK)tice. The .Eeformation undertaken by 171 those excellent persons, they accomplished, not on the principles of this novel Institution, bist on those which the Church itself had derived from our Lord and his Apostles. What their sentiments would have been of such an association as this, wef can be at no loss to conceive : nor do we merely cite their names, but produce their opinions, in testimony of what we advance. " We cannot/ says the venerable Bp. Latimer, " be saved wiih- " out God's Word ; it is a necessary way to Sai- " vation We cannot be saved without Faith: " and Faith cometh by hearing the word: And *' how shall they hear without a Preacher? I tell *' you it is the footsteps of the ladder of heaven *' of our Salvation. There jniist be FreacherSj " if we look to be sax)ed. — St. Peter sheweth that " one place of Scripture declareth another. It is " the circumstance and collation of places, that *' make Scripture plain. But we are regenerate, *' saith St. Peter, and we be born again, iiow ? " Not by a mortal seed, but by an immortal. What *' is this immortal seed ? By the word of the living " God, by the word of God, preached and opened. " Thus cometh in our new birth." VI. Serm. be- fore K. Edw. fol. 72, 73. In a word, were those who evince so much zeal in dispersing the Bible, to exhibit but a iii le know- ledge in quoting it, while they presume it to be in- 172 telligible to every one by whom it is perused, they wouM not only have anticipated the objections urged against them from its authority, but have discovered that it acknowledges no principle oiunitii but " one " body, and one spirit, one hope of our calling, one ** Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Fa- " ther of all." This is that " unity of the Spirit '' and bond of Peace," in which Christians are to unite ; and not merely in the distribution of the Bi- ble. If the Bible were thoroughly read, and un- derstood, and respected, those Ordinances of the Christian Church the Christian Sacraments, would not be superseded to make way for new terms of Communion ; nor would there be any obstacle to a general union of Christians, not indeed upon terms invented witlun these eiuht years past, but upon those enjoined by the great " Author and P'inisher " of our Faith," even " Jesus Christ, the same ** yesterday, to day, and for ever." A CHURCHMAN. Hachieij, Nov. 21th, 1812. 173 IX. Ile??iarJcs on the " Counter Address'' to the In- habitants of Hackney.., on the proposed For- matio7i of an Auxiliari/ Bible-Sucitty ; and 021 a Paper entitled " BotJi Sides of the Question^' ^c. 8^c. by J. JV. Freshfttd. With Animadver- sions by the Editor. AS the " Counter- Address'" to the inhabitants of Hackney, contains statements, positions, and reasonings, calculated to mislead those who are either wholly unacquainted, or but partially conr versant with, the nature, object, and proceedings, of the British and Foreign Bible;-Socii:ty, I trust I shall be excused for inviting the attention of the inhabitants of Hackney to the following re- marks on that extraordinary paper. 1. The British and Foreign Bible-Society is treated as if it were the design of the Institution, and the very purpose of its Advocates, to supersede the office of preacliJng, * and the use of all expla- » If this is not the design of the Institution, why do its ad- vocates boast of its hav'nig preached the Gos^jcl? and to what purpose was the last injunction of our Saviour to his Apostles, that they should "go and preach the Gospel to every creature" placed at the head of the " Address i" If ihc suppoiteri of in natory aids to the understanding of the Bible, The fact is this : the Bible-Society has selected for its^'ecvclushe object, the circulation of the Holy Scriptures: It has made this exclusive selection, %?ith the hope,— a hope which has been amply justified of engaging Christians, without any ex- the Bible Society mean that, by distributing the Bible it really preaches the Gospel, tlien they represent it as virtually super- seding the preacher's office. If they do not mean this, it be- comes them to shew what they really do mean ; and to recon- cile, (if they can) to the principles of honest and fair dealing, the assumption of a character to which, according to Mr.Fresh- field>s own admission, the Society is not entitled. Let them beware lest • moveat cornicula risum Furtivis nudata coloribus. HoR. Ed. * If this is its exclusive object it will furnish every sound Churchman with a strong reason for preferring the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, for unless it can be proved, that the mere Letter of Scripture is as likely to make men good Christians, as that Scripture when accompanied b}' a pro- per interpretation, the Society which pursues the latter mode of distribution will certainly deserve to be preferred before that which adopts the former. * Quo teneam vultus mutantem Protea node ? Here is ano- ther object, besides the exclusive object^ to which after all only a secondary rank seems to be allowed. For the circulation of the Bible, voithout note or comment, now appears to have been adopted with the hope that by its means, that spurious kind of union between " Christians without any exception" might be produced, which, as it constitutes the grand aim of the Society, 175 eeption, in its support; and thereby insuring a more imnjediate, extensive, and eflectualj circula- tion of the Word of God. Now if guides and tracts be useful, as expository of the Holy Scrip- tures, they can only be so (at least in a safe ^ de- gree,) to those who arc already possessed of them : Hou\ therefore, a Socieiy rchich furnishes the *very text^ which it is the office of the preacher, and the object of the commeRtator, to expound, can he designed to supersede hctJi, is a paradox^* so does it aiFord to every sound and zealous Churcliman the most serious cause of alarm. ^ " If spiritual guides are only^u-eful in a safe degree to those who are a'rei''.dy possessed of the Scriptures," in what a state of peril must the prinntive Christiaus have been left, when copies of the Scriptures were so rare as scarcely to be in the possession of any private individual. The mode which the Divine Autlior of our holy religion adopted for its promulgation must appear a dangerous one to Mr. F. He sent out the preachers first: and they had been long engaged as guides before it was possible for the Scriptures to be in the possession of the people. V/ill Mr. F. assert that " spiritual guides were net useful in a safe degi-ee" during the early ages of the Church I or that they have not been safely useful to those many millions of believers, who not being able to read the Scriptures even if they were in their possession, are still left wholly to their care I * The Society v/hich asserts, that by furnishing the text of Scripture it has " preached the Gospel ;" that it " has done " more for the diffusion of Christianity than has been effected *• in the same time in any age since the apostolic :" and that. 176 which I must leave to be solved by those who have had the ingenuity to construct it. 2. The constitution of this Society is repre- sented in the Counter- Address to be " so framed " as to give a decided superiority to the Dissent- *' ers, whenever they choose to exert it." " The " facility ^ of making assertions, (says Mr. Gis- *' the Bible alone is able to give wisdom to the simple ;" cer- tainly goes far towards superseding the office of the Preacher, and the object of the Commentator. And when it claims to it- self the merit of having done all that the preacher was appoint-- ed to do ; and that the Bible, as circulated by it, is alone com- petent to all which the commentator proposes by his labours ; as the evident tendenct/ of such conduct is to supersede both, the alledged paradox in supposing such to be its design is not verv perceivable. *' Whatever may be the facility of making assertions, Mr. F. must be convinced by his own experience, that the facility of repeating assertions often made, and as often refuted, is equally great. This very mode of forming the Committee has been re- ferred to again and again bj^ those who have written on the" other side of the question, for proof of their position, that the Bible Society is so constituted as to afford a decided superiority to the Dissenters. By what magic does Mr. F. expect that by re-stating it here he shall make it prove the very opposite ? As Mr. Gisborne has been quoted, it may be allowable to observe, that, but for this remark of liis, which Mr. F. deems so perti- nent, it would perhaps have been no easy master for many hearers and readers of that far-famed speech to account for some oftheassertions.it contains. 177 ** boiTie, in his late speech at the Chestef irreet* *' ing,) appears on many occasions to eorrespond " with the difficulty of proving them." Let us see how this remark applies to the assertion under consideration : — The Committee of the Society consists of 36 lay members, of whom six are foreigners ; and, of the remaining 30, half are members of the Estab- lished Church, and the otlier half, members of other Christian denominations. The president, vice-presidents, and treasurer, are ex officio mem- bers of the Committee; so are all clergymen who are members of the Society, donors of 50 guineas, and subscribers of 5 guineas annually. And therefore, inasmuch as the members of the Church of England are to the Dissenters, as well in point of property as of number, in a ratio of great su- periority, the " Counter-Address" would have described the Society with more accuracy had it represented its constitution to be " so framed as *' to give a decided superio?'iti/, (not to the Dissen- *' ters, but) to the members of the EstabUs}i£d *' Church whenever they choose to exert it*' 3. On the tendencies of the Society, the " Counter- Address" observes, that it " scatters '-^ the seeds of discord." The truth is, the Society N ITS- incites * to uriidn. It is optional with the parties- to whom its overtures arc made, whether they wil! accept them or not : many persons, I am' per- suaded, abstain from* uniting with it, on the most- conscientious and honourable grounds : of those^ whether vestry-men, clergy, or prelates, it would be unjust, uncharitable, and even indecorous, to speak, if it be necessary to- speak of them at all; in any other terms than those of forbearance and respect. But if steps are taken to traduce the Society as hostile to the Church and to peace: if the vestry y the vicar y and the bisJiop, are to be e Tlie Society calls upon Churchmen to join Dissenters^ although the certain consequence of doing so must be aliena* tion from their brethren. Such is the union which it pro- poses. An abandonment of the true Christian unity of spirit, for the sake of forming a mere nominal connection between persons who- will not differ from each other one iota the less on account of the junction. Unless indeed the Churchman be induced to compliment the Dissenter by r&- nouncing his orthodoxy. If tliis be the object of the Bible Society, it miy call the proposal an invitation to union, but there can be no doubt, that St^ Paul would have denominated it a temptation to schism. A mighty man of former days, and a sore enemy to the existiag. supremacy of his time, conceived a project of union not unlike this, when he tied the foxes tail to tail, and sent theai to carry firebrands, into the stand- ing corn of the Philistines. The animals, though their heads all turned different ways, appear to have acted with wonderful unanimity in- accomplishing the work of destruction to which- they were appointed. 7 179 set in array against such inhabitants of a populous parish, as may choose to follow the example of so many other parishes in the kingdom, by uniting in a local institution in support of it : if they are to be pretty roundly told, that, in adopting such a measure, they must expect to be regarded and held up as abettors of spiritual schism, and pa- rochial variances ; the guilt ^ of " scattering the " seeds of discord,'' and, I may add, of watering them too, will be, not with the friends of the In- stitution, but with those who employ such unwar- rantable means of opposing and calumniating them. 4. " With respect to the labours of the Society " abroad, the " Counter-Address" informs us, that " the panegyrists of the Society have been led by " their zeal, to make assertions which it v/as " equally difficult to maintain, and awkward to re- '■ So to remind the parishioners that, as Members of the Established Church, it becomes them to follow the direc- tions of their Vicar, who is acting under the sanction of their Bishop, is to " scatter and water the seeds of discord.'* The pei'sons who provoke a contest are generally accounted chargeable with the guilt of it, not those who take proper steps to check their progress, by appealing to that authority which was given for the express purpose of maintaining order in the Church. May it be allowable to ask Mr. F. what are his ideas of the duties owed by Churchmen to their Spiritual Fathers ? N 2. 180 ^* tract." Lcf us see whether the. calumniators * df '^ It Is yet ta be sTiewn who {!>€ cafutnniators of the So- Cret}'^ are- Calumny, s-ays Dr. Johnson, is a slander,, a false ehargs, a groundless accusation. Mr. F. must be more fortunate in his attempts at argument th^n he has hitherto lieen, before he can succeed in attaching to his opponent* in this controversy either of She above ingredients of calumny- The Bible Society has been described as an unnatural co- alitioii of Churchmen and Dissenters^ persons who never (?aB «^'dially agree as to the proper mode of accomplishing ?he object they mutually profess to pursue, and therefore have adopted one, which each of them in his Individual capacity «annot but allow to be wholly inconspetent to the purpose.- Is this slander ? It has moreover been asserted, that the ten- dency O'f this Society is to divide the Church, by sowing' she seeds of disunion among those, who, by all the tie* which can bind them as professors and teachers of one com- man faith, and servants ef one common Master, are obliged to Kve in mutual harmony and peace. Is this a false charge * J40 — it is a fact — a melancholy one Indeed ; but a fact to- whlch the recorded proceedings of almost every Auxiliary Bible Society in the kingdom bear unimpeachable testimony, it has also been said, that the advocates of the Bible So- ciety have uncharitably and untruly represented their oppo^ ■rients a5 actuated by motives, vi^-hich the-}' must know could jiot influence them, inasmuch as they liave asserted, tha" fehey ai'e hostile to the dispersion ©f the Scriptures, at the ssame time that their overt acts have proved them to fee zealously employed in that ei^cellent work. Is- th's z, groundless accusation? Let Mr. F, consalt the speeches and tlie writings' of his coadjutors in the task ef defending the Bible Society, and answer the question for himself. If, "^ovi^eyer^. his, m\'«stigations fail to furnish him with sufficieat 181 £l\e Society htive acted in this respect with mom discretion. I. "The British aud Faveign Bible Society, (sayg- '* the " Counter-Address 'V') liir from tianslating proof, the Editor has abundaiice at Ms serviee, which ao- tliing but regard for tl^e situation and character of thosCp who have uttwisely been led to stand forth as the accusers of their brethren, prevents him fi-om now bringing forward.- Away then with the charge of calumHy. Controversy, ne- cessary and unavoidable as it is, has evils enough attached to it, as it is too commonly conducted ; they need not bs aggravated by the use of hard vv'ords and railing epitliets. ,Mi'» F' may also not improperl}'^ be reminded of the homely. proverb, which advises him who begins throwing stones to look wcU tq his own windows. ^ It will not be difficult to prove, that the author of the Counter Address has not in this instance earned for himself the reproachful name of calumniator. In order to shew what had been the real extent of the foreign operations of the Bible Society, he quoted the words of Dr. Marsh, in his " History of the Translations," and referred his readers to the work itself for ftu'ther information. As that excellent pamphlet has nevei- yet been answered, it is to be presumed that the assertions it contains are fully admitted ; and that it presents a fair statement of the Society's labours, up to- the time of its publication. What has been done since cer» tainly had nothing to do with the question before Dr. Marsh ;• ' nor could it in candour be supposed, that the author of the Counter Address, by quoting him, meant to extend his asser-. tions beyond the period to which he referred. It appears then that the charge of calumny is misplaced. But it may 1S2 *'' the Holy Scriptures into any one language, into " which they had not been previously translated, ijot be amiss to pursue the subject a little farther, for the purpose of removing altogether the ground of that vain cou? fidence of boasting, which is so unwisely adhered to. It is not then to be denied, that, while the advocates of the So-' ciety were claiming for it the merit of having " preached ** the Gospel in fifty-four languages," of having "translated ** the Scriptures into no less than forty-three languages or *' dialects;'' it had not in reality translated any two of the Gospels into any one language into which they had not been previously translated; and the translations which had been made, viz. St. Mark's Gospel into the Eugis and Macassar dialects, had not been printed. Mr. F. does not attempt' to disprove this ; but he scruples not to accuse the Counter Address of calumny ; because, since the time to which that paper plainly refers, St. Matthew's Gospel has been trans- lated into two languages or dialects, St. Mark's into three, St. Luke's, and part of St. John's, into one. Still no evi^. dence is qfTered by Mr. F. that any of these translations have been printed. Though until that be done, the pro- fessed object of the Society can scarcely be said to have been in any respect accomplished. The fact being thus fairly and dispassionately stated, the conclusion shall be left with the reader. Only he is requested to bear in mind, that this v/onderful Society, which is represented as having so far exceeded in the success of its exertions in this par-: ticular all that has gone before it, cannot, after being stimu-/^ lated by a charge striking at the very foundation of that cha- racter which it has laboured so hard to build up for itself* prove that it has in reality preached the Gospel (even in its evvn sense of the words) in foreign languages at all : as th$ m *** has not even so mucli as translated ctny two of '* tlie Gospels." Td this assertion, the followiifg authentic state** ment^ from the 75th page of the Appendix, to tlie Society's 8th Report, (a document which has been four months beiore the public,) shall furnish a reply. " Dr. Leyden has delivered to the secretary th§, ■** following manuscript, viz. sum total of its labours consists in having translated a very incuasiderable portion ©f the Ne^t Testament into five of ihe Asiatic dialects, viz. St. Mark's Gospel into fiva : St, jMatthew's into two of these five : St. Luke's, and the latter ;part of St. John's, into one of them. So that the whole of the four Gospels has not yet been translated into any one Jlanguage ; and of the portioiis wJiich have been translated, "not one has hitherto been of the smallest use to the natives for whom they w6re intended, as they arc not any of them printed. And now let i\ir. F., if he can, exclaim against mis- representation, and call those calumniators who strip orf the mask of delusion from uis favourite idol. If it can be proved, that, in any one ins'tance, those wao have written agc.inst the Bibie Society have magnified Us defects or its foh.es, let them bear the due reproach of such conduct; but let »r. f. also take shame to himself for having so injudicious ly ic^.n- tified himself with those, v/ho, to procure the support of the credulous and unwary, have ventured so grossly to exag^Ciat^ Its labours. 184 '' 1. Pushiu. •" St. Matthew's Gospel, " St. Mark's Gospel. " 2. Maldhian. *' St. Matthew's Gospel, '' St. Mark's Gospel, *' St. Luke's Gospel, ^' St. John's Gospel, (part ?.) " 3. Baloch. '' St. Mark's Gospel. " 4. Macasar. " St Mark's Gospel. *' 5. Bwo7>. '' St. Mark's Qospel. " In all, nine Gospels." 2. On the question of relative merit betwe^r^ the British and Foreign Bible Society, and th^ ^aptist Society in this country, little need be saicj. Attempts have been made to set these bodies at variance; but they are too well acquainted witll the object of those wiio are commending the latter, at the ex pence of the former, to fall into the snare, Some notice must, however, be taken of the assev ^ 185 tloRS and insinuations, in reference to this subject, contained in the " Counter-Address." It is asserted^, that the Baptist Missionaries had been many years at work in translating and print* ing the Scriptures, before the Bible Society aided theni. The Bible Society iiot only does not dis- pute this priority of operation on the part of the Baptist Missionaries, but has expressly published the fact in the Appendix to its tirst Report, in 1805. It is asserted"', that the Baptist Society ^vould pro- vide translations for Jndia, without help from the Bible-Society. Now, when it is known, that there are sixty millions of Hindoos and Mahome* dans in that part of India which is dependent on ' This assertion is made upon the authority of the Baptist Missionaries themselves. " Mr. F. has here varied from the phrase of the *' Coun- ** ter-Address." It is there asserted, on the authority of their own statements as referred to by Dr. Marsh, that the Baptist Missionaries were engaged in translating and print- ing the Scriptures in the principal dialects of Asia ; and that, according to their own declaration, to enable them to complete their grand design, they wanted nothing more from England, in addition to their own funds in India, thaa the annual lOOOl. provided for them by their own Society, As Mr. F. cannot be supposed capable of having designedly altered the language of the Counter-Address, for the purpose j&f more easily refuting its statements, he will doubtless be obliged to the Editor for pointing out the unintentional mis- jtepresentatipH, •186 tl[ie British Government, — that beyond those limits there are the isles of the Indian Archipelago, th« Chinese Empire, and various Asiatic nations: all which are contemplated in the measures now car* rying forward : — When it is further considered that there are nearly a million native Christians for whose use, primarily, the Calcutta Auxiliary Bible Society has been instituted, — and the presi- dent of which institution expressly states, that, with an income of 20001. a year, it will be a work of years to supply the demand which exists for the Word of God among the different denomi- nations o.f Indian Ciiristians : (See the 8th Re- port, Appendix, p. ^.) — When these particulars are taken into consideration, it must be by a gti'ange sort of computation that one religious Society, and that bearing a denomination not adapted to conciliate the greater number of Christians in its favour, could, by its solitary re- sources, accomplish a work of such prodigious labour, and almost boundless expence. It is insimiated'', that the Baptist missionaries do not feel themselves much obliged to the Bible- » The Counter-Address does not deal in insinuations, it does indeed say, that, if" the Baptist missionaries knew that the Bible Society had contrived to deprive them of the credit to which they were justly entitled, they probably ^ouid not feel much indebted to it. This is no insinuatioafc 187 Society for the aid which it has afforded thiem. Let us see how the fact stands. In a letter to the secretary of the Calcutta Auxiliary Bible Society, dated, Mission-House, Sept. 4, 1811, and signed by Dr. Carey, and Messrs. Marshman and Ward, the heads of that mission, is the following record of their gratitude : " Reverend and dear Sir, " We beg you will make our best ac- " knowledgments to the British and Foreign Bible- *' Society, /b?' the liberal assistance they have so *' often and so generously afforded us, and particu" *' larly for the last donation of 5001." 5. On the labours of the Society at liome, it is only necessary to observe, that, if the Society's bounty has been abused, (of which however no evidence" is adduced,) the formation of Auxiliary but a simple statement of feelings which it is natural to sup* pose that persons so treated would entertain. The Author of the Counter-Address may therefore venture to repeat that they have full reason so to feel ; and moreover to record his opinion, that the mere civil acknowledgment of pecuniary assistance, which they neither wanted nor desired, is assuredly ijo proof to the contrary. ° Evidence could be adduced if it were necessary, and that of the most unexceptionable kind : evidence of the bounty of an auxiliary Bible Society having been abused : where, though the Scriptures were circulated through the 188 Societies, and consequently of that at Hackney, wiii operate as an antidote to such abuse in future, by circulating the Scriptures through the bands of those, who are by local connection most likely to be acquainted with the wants and the merits of the petitioners, 6. To the three questions proposed at the con- clusion of the " Counter-Address," as an individual, I shall give the following answers ; 1st. I should think it a libel on the bench of bishops^ to doubt whether 1 could, as a churchman, hands of those, who were by local connection most likely to be acquainted with the wants and merits of the petitioners^ it was soon found that indiscriminate circulation had done harm ; that no regard was had to the vierits of the peti- tioners ; and that the consequence of giving a Bible to every person who asked for it was precisely that, wiiich all, but those who are blinded by enthusiasnj, might have easily foreseen. P The value of tliis answer is about equal to its decency. It is difficult to conceive how it has escaped the notice of Mr. F. that this numerical statement proves rather more against his Society than for it. But though his argument, such as it is, may be safely left to the refutation it carries with it, his language requires animadversion ; and tlie more because it is by no means pecliliar to himself, but is rather to be considered as characteristic of his Society. ; A passage nearly parallel may be found in the Gloucestet Journal of August 17, 1812, Nvhereip a writer, who stiies J 89 "^afdif join an Institution whicli reckons 20 out of 48 among its patrons or supporters. himself *' a clerical member of the British and Foreign ** Bible Society," thus addresses the Bishop of Gloucester, ** It will not be easily credited, that an Institution can be " prejudicial to the chartered Societies, or the establisl^ed " Church, which (not to mention others) numbers a Por- " tens, 'a Barrington, and a Burgess, among its mitred '* Patrons and invariable fnends.'* What are we to under- stand by this ? To accuse these zealous promoters of union of a desire to sow dissension among the Bishops, would per- haps appear to savour of harshness. And notwithstandiiig' their expressions may seem to bear prima facie evidence of such an intention, these writers, it is to be hoped, are too well aware of the desperate folly of such an attempt to feel any inclination to make it. Without however endeavouring to assign anj' motive for this language, as it respects the venerable Prelates themselves, it is allowable to eonsidcT it as bearing testimony to the real estimation in which this Society holds their opiiiie-ns and their station. No per- sons are mare ready to enlarge upon the respect due to epis- C0|X»1 authority, wlicn it can be produced in their favour ; none more systematically labour to vilify asid degrade it, when it is opposed to their progress. The Bishops who have supported the Bible Society, have been extolled by its orators in terms which (with all possible respect for their character and office) it may be affirmed, are often marked by the most extravagant and disgusting adidation. One of its n)ost re- spectable writers, though he could not condescend to the language of nauseating flattery, yet seems to have felt tire full value of the argument from authority, and to have used it without suSciently considering how easily it might be turned against hun. " Such," says he, " are the tcrais of i W6 ♦' reprobation you bestow on a Society, which was patron--' ♦' ized by the late venerable and lamented Bishop of London; *' which is still honoured with the patronage of the most *' Reverend the Archbishop of Cashell, and the Right Rev*^ " the Lords Bishops of Durham, St. David's, Salisbury and " Bristol few men of sober understanding will be in- •' duced to believe that a Society patronized by such- *' characters can merit the imputations which you v/ould *' attach to it." Lord Teignniouth's Letter to Dr. Words- worth. The conduct of the Kent Auxiliary Bible Society may be cited, as a further proof of anxiety to represent the Institution as enjoying the countenance and support of the Bench. Having applied to the Archbishop for his patron- age, and received a positive refusal, in a letter addressed to the Mayor of Canterbury, the Committee in their address to the public did not scruple to condescend to a paltry ar- tifice, for the purpose of persuading its readers, that his Grace, and the Bishop of London, were friendly to the prin- ciple oftheir Establishment : appealing for proof of the fact to the support they had given to the Naval and Military Bible Society *. And this they ventured to do, although (besides the private reasons v/hich the Archbishop's answer to their application had afforded them for knowing how much they had ntiisrepresented his sentiments) it was notorious to the whole kingdom, that both these prelates bad, in the most * Were this tlie proper place, it weiild not be difficult to shew, that there is no kind of similarity between the principles of the two Societies j that they are, both in their object, and in their mode of carrying that object into execution, essentially dissirailai-; consequently that patron- age afforded to the Naval and Military Bible-Society gives no proof of approbation of the British and Foreign Bible Society. It is known t» the Editor that such is the opinion of his Grace the Archblshpp : but this must be sufficiently obvious to every candid observer, without far- ther evidence tg establish it. ifjarked and signal manner, expressed their disapproBatiou of the Society, and that one of the Archbishop's ChaplainS;^ in a pamphlet dated from Lambeth Palace, and circulated with the privity and under the sanction o-f liis Grace, had taken the lead in exposing its dangerous tendency. But as a majority of the Bishops have refused to connect themselves with the Society, it has happened in not a few instances, that Episcopal authority has been cited against its Auxiliary Establishments. Such was the case at Gloucester j. where the language of its advocates vmderwent, in conse* <5uence, a very striking alteration. A writer who- stiles himself " a: clerical friend to all religious Institutions," ad- dresses the Clergy of the diocese in the following terms. - •* I ask, has he (theBisliop) forced his opinion upon you? " does he wish for you to pin your faith oo his sleeve ? does *' he desire you to return to your infantile state ? ta become ** mere babes, to have no mind of your own ? Surely not. ** In refusing to connect yourselves with the Bible Society " then, I ask, would you act from the firm conviction of •* enlightened minds?" Gloucester Journal, September 14, 1812.. Language soeh as this requires no comment; nor does tha Editor dare to trust his pen to make one. But he is aware it will be said, that the Society cannot fairly be made resnonsible for the language of every intemperate and anonymous writer, who may chuse to take up his pen in itfr defence. And the objection would have its weight, if it could be proved that any disapprobation of such a mode of advancing its cause had ever been expressed by its official and autliorized advocateii He is not aware that any such disavowal is recorded. He has looked for it in vain. His researches, on the contrary, have furnished sufficient evidence that this writer, though per* haps more unguarded in his language than its more prac^ ^sed champion*, has beeu pretty accurate in his expressiaa of the sentiments of the Society. Mr. Gisborile, who ap- peared at the Meeting held at Chester for the formation of an Auxiliary Establishment, as the representative of Mr. Owen, the official organ of the Parent Society, did not scruple to conclude the eulogy upon the deceased Bishop Portcus, with wliich he was pleased to wind up his harangue upon that occasion, with an implied sarcasm, not only upon his successor in the See of London, but upon that Prelate also, in whose Cathedral city he had undertaken to advocate a measure, to which he knew him to be adverse. *' That Prelate, (said the Rev. Orator speaking of Bishop *' Porteus) has now experienced how blessed are the dead *< who die in the Lord. He rests from his labours, and his " works have followed him ; and among those works, his ** good deeds on behalf of the Bible Society have their " place. That sun is set : but this horizon long may glow *• with its reflected beams. The brightness of that Prelate's *' example irradiates the path of tiie Bible Society over *' lands from which he is taken away ; and shines to lead *♦ other Bishops of Chester, and other Bishops of London, to *« be — WHAT ONCE WAS BiSHop PoiiTEus." Chester Cou- rant, Nov. 2^, 1812. The Editor would be sorry to impute to Mr. Gisborne any premeditated intention of outraging the feelings, or reflecting upon the conduct of two respectable Prelates : most happy will he be to attribute his words to motives more suitable to the sanctity of his profession, more in harmouy with the general worth and benignity of his character. It is the language, not the motive of it, on which he feels called upon to comment. The tendency of it was evident. And where such language was received not only without disapprobation, but with unmixed and universal applause, it is not to be denied that no reverence for the Episcopal office, no respect for the persons by whom it is ex- ercised could possibly Imve been felt. 193 2d. I know not " another Society'"' which has either sufficient latitude in its constitution, or A similar spirit was manifested by the founders of the Prayef Book and Homily Society ; which may be said to have grown out of the Bible Society, as it was projected and formed by those among its members, who, professing to belong to the Church, conceived that they could thus evade the objections of Dr. Marsh. These Gentlemen first solicited the patronage of the whole Bench of Bishops individually. But when this venerable Body signified to them its unanimous determination not to support the projected Institution, and its disapprobation of the measure altogether ; the Meeting was held notwithstand- ing on the following day, and the Establishment completed without the aid of the Bishops, and in utter disregard of their opinion. 'i The indiscriminate circulation of the Scriptures in all languages and countries has already been shewn to be un- necessary and ineffectual. But there is nothing either in the constitution or the object of the Society for promoting Chris- tian Knowledge, which prevents its Members from circulating them in any way, or to any extent they may think proper. The subscriber of one guinea per annum has an unlimited pri- rilege of applying Jbr books, Bibles, or otherwise, at the prices of the Society, as he may deem expedient, and of distributing them at his own discretioa. A subscriber of one guinea per annum to the Bible Society is allowed, on the contrary, the privilege of purchasing Bibles and Testaments within the year at the reduced prices to the amount of five guineas only. Which Society affords the greatest facility to the dispersion of the Scriptures the reader may judge. If every Churchman would zealously labour to increase the funds of the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, the assertion might be made o simplicity in its oUjeet, to quality it for doing ^vhat the Bible-Sockty -has uiKiertaken to do, viz« Tg promote the circulation of the Holy ScriptureSy in all languages and countries, both at home and .chroad. 3d. As by becoming a member of an Auxiliary Society^ I can obtain a greater privilege " in pro- curing: Bibles and Testaments ; I can ensure an effectual and permanent supply of my immediate vicinity ; and can aid more powerfully in raising contributions for the general designs of the parent institution, than I could by subscribijig in London : I prefer the former method to the latter; and as this is a case which does not come within either .parochial, pastoral, or episcopal jurisdiction, I must ■be permitted to follow my own judgmei^t^ though it without any fear of refutation, that it would do much more than the Bible Society does, or can undertake to do ; for it would not only disperse the Bible wherever it might be deemed expedient to give it circulation, but would also send with it, what alone can make it effectual to the salvation of mankind^, the Mini5ters and Sacraments of the Christian Church. ■■ Docs then the Bible Society afford greater privileges to the Members of Auxiliary Societies than to its own Members? Or cannot Mr. F. as easily supply the poor of his own immediate vicinity by sending to the depository in Fleet-street, as by ap- plication to the Committee at PTackney ? Quodcunque ostendis mihi sic, incredulus odL ' 195 be, which I deeply regret, at variance with the 6pi- nion of the vestry, the vicar^ and the bishop. In answer to another paper, entitled, " Both " Sides of the Question," it is only necessary to remark, that, nearly the whole of its reasoning is founded upon a false assumption, namely, that the British and Foreign Bible-Society seeks to exclude the office of the ministry. This I have denied, and, I trust, disproved'; — but, knowing how little the opponents of the Institution can really say, with an appearance of truth, against a design so pure and excellent, I cannot be surprised to find them raising tip imaginary heresies^, which have no existence, except within their own fancy : The only other ob- jection noticed in '' Both Sides of the Question," is the union of Churchmen with Dissenters, in pro- moting the circulation of the Scriptures. — The au- thor appears to have been ashamed of the allusion to this stale and fully-refuted prejudice"^, and there- ' Tile attentive reader may perhaps think differently, ^ When Mr. F. discovers the masked buffoon who has thought proper to make the Athanasiati Creed the subject of his ridicule, for the purpose, as he no doubt intends, of furthering the in- terests of the Bible-Society ; he will probably admit the here- sies, which he accuses the objectors to the Institution of rais* ing up, are riot quite imaginari/. Vide App. No. XII. ^ It it intended to include among these stale and fully re- futed prejudices, the command of St. Paul, 2 Thess- iii, 6, and kis affectionate intreaty, Rom. xvL 17.? O S fore has founded no argument upon it ; and I- shall not give to it an importance it does not deserve, by offering observations in answer ; but, by Avay of ad- vice to the authors of the " Counter-Address," and " Both Sides of the Question," I would say, in the language of a modern and reverend poet : " Shall those, whose narrow souls can scarce embrace " A narrow sect, contracted as themselves ; '• Who aim at all, that dare to overstep *' The straitened bounds their bigotry prescribes, " Thundering anathemas ; who love to doom " To endless misery tlreir fellow men, ** Because, forsooth, in different modes and forms *' They worship God* — Shall such be recognised *' As HIS disciples, whose benignant heart " With soft compaission melted, and whose love *' Far as' Creation's utmost limits flew ^." * To prevent the intention of this quotation from being per- verted, I shall transcribe the amiable author's own Note. — " It is hoped the reader will not consider these sentiments as favouring the supposed indifference of all modes and forms in religion, much less as approving the fashionable cant of mo- dern infidelity, which represents * the votaries of Osiris, Ju- piter, Qdin, or Veda, as paying homage, though in different forms, to the same God whom Christians adore.' All that is intended, is to censure the conduct a subtle and systematical hostility against it. It is this which gives importance to the following papers; for the inference is not to be evaded, that Unlo The dod of our Lord Jesus Christ. Eph, i. 17. The onlj/ true Cod. John xvii. 3. The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Rom. xv. 6. Our Father. Matt. vi. 9. Phil. iv. 20. Gal. i. 5. The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our Father, his God and our God. John xx. 17. The one Cod the Father. 1 Cor. viii. 6, God even the Father. 1 Cor. xv. 24. Col. i. 2. 12. In the na7ne of Jesus Christ. John xvi. 23. 3Iatf. xviii. 20. Eph. V. 20, Through him. {Jtsus Christ). Roin. i. 8. vii. 25. Eph. ii. 18, By him. Col. iii. 17. / thank thee, 0 Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth, (Jesus Christ J J will pray the Father. (Jesus Christ) When ye (wy Disciples) pray, say. Our Father. (Jesus Christ) The true uorslippers shall worship the Father. (Jesus Christ) Not God the Son, Not God the Holy Ghost. Not Holy, blessed, a?id glorious Trinity. (Expressions not to be found in the Scriptures.) In thai day yc shall a^k me nothing. (Jesus Christ) Ash the Father. (Jesus Christ) There is no printer's name lo this paper. 213 a Sect which is striking daily, with measured blows, at the very vitals of Christianity, and which, be- cause the authorized version of the Scriptures stood in its way, has pared it down to its own standard, and has ventured to publish it thus mu- tilated, as an improved transcript of the original, would have been induced by no consideration to make common cause with the Bible Society, if it had not perceived in the secret tendencies of that Institution something which would conduce rather to the advancement of Socinianism than to the general dissemination of pure and perfect Chris- tianity, the splendid but delusive object which the Bible Society professes exclusively to prosecute, JIT. EASTCOT. Scriptural Scliool. FIVE GUINEAS EEWAKD WILL BE DISTRIBUTED AS BELOW : To the child who first points out the chapter and terse in the Bihky in which is found the phrase^ God the Son, TWO GUINEAS. To the child who first points out the chapter and verse in the Bible, in which is found the phrase, GoD the Holy Ghost, TfVO GUINEAS. To the child who first points out the chapter and lerse in the Bible, in which is found the word — Trtxity, ONE GUINEA. N.B. The Parents and Friends of the children are per-- tnitted tu assist them in the seaich. Lake, Printer, Uxbridge^ 214 and which has fascinated so many sincerely reli- gious men. If, however, these papers were solitary instances of Socinian co-operation, to draw an inference from them involving the whole Sect would be a very in- conclusive deduction; as they were probably all the effusions of an individual. But whoever will take the pains to enquire into the composition of Auxiliary Societies, will find that Soc'mians in gene- ral, especially the teachers of the sect, have asso- ciated themselves with them, and that there are several instances, at constituent and anniversary meetings, of their taking a lively interest in the pro- ceedings, and distinguishing themselves in the decla- mation of the day. In this parish a gentleman of that persuasioa bore so prominent a part in the Provisional Com- mittee, that he acted as its representative at the General Meeting, and is in fact the only Member of that self-constituted body, of whom any official record has appeared. At Newcastle-upon-Tyne^, at Huntingdon^, ' At Newcastle-upon-Tyne, according to the statement in 6th Report of the Bible Society, the joint Secretary, with the Rev. John Smith, Vicar, is Mr. William Turner, the teacher of the Socinian Meeting in Hanover-square in that town. 215 This gentleman, in a note to a Sermon preached at York, and dedicated to the students of a seminary under the direction of Mr. Well-beloved, a Socinian teacher in that city, and a Mem- ber of the Auxiliary Bible Society there, refers them to the Improved Version, and thus not merely approves it himself, but recommends it to young students as a book of authority. He is moreover engaged (as appears by an advertisement subjoined to another sermon of his just published) in the Socinianizing of Dr. Watts's Psalms, togetiier with those of Addison, Merrick, &c. and is about to put out Offices for Public and Family Devotion, " for the accommodation," as he states, " of small associations of Unitarian Christians, ** who may not be able as yet to maintain a regular Minister, ** or of families who may reside or be occasionally situated ** at a distance from any place where worship is addressed " to the one God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.'* This may be considered as Socinianism made Easy^ and cer- tainly as an unquestionable recommendation of Mr. Turner to the most confidential situation amongst his own connec- tions ; but on what principle it can warrant his appointment to the joint secretaryship of the Newcastle Bible Society, where his talent for impi'oving Versions is so much out of place, the Editor must refer it to those better informed upon the subject to explain. * From reading the first Annual Report of the Hunting- don Auxiliary Bible Society, no suspicion would be excited in the mind of any one unacquainted with the persons who made themselves prominent on that occasion, that there were sub- stantial grounds for alledging that association as an instance in point. It is nevertheless true, that amongst the speakers a Socinian of no small notoriety appears, who in connection with a powerful body of men of his own persuasion in that part of the world, is uniform in the support of every institution which can weaken the interests of the Church. Tliis whole fraternity 216 at Norwich ^ and at Chester \ Socinians have made themselves very conspicuous. At Uxbridge Mr. Clarke of Swakely House, the dispenser of those most insidious libels upon our Holy Faith which have been exhibited above, stands enrolled among the Vice Presidents, and makes the Bibles which he receives from the Bible Society the ^vehicles of their circulation ^, and it is from view- ing the following papers in connection with these came forward in aid of the Huntingdon Auxiliary Society, and by the hasty joy with which they flocked to its standard be- trayed their conviction that it would be of infinite use in the cause of mischief. •» See evidence of Soclnian co-operation at Norwich, p. 221. * See the speech of Mr. J. Lyons at the Chester AuxiHary Meeting described as " Unitarian Minister of that City," in the Chester Courant of Nov. 24, 1812. Of this Auxiliary So- ciety all the Socinian inhabitants are members. At Ipswich, among the persons who convened the Constituent Meeting, {Socinians appear, and the Committeee is not without them. At Bath there is a Socinian upon the Committee, and all the Socinian teachers of the city are members of the Society : in abort, from the enquiries which have been made, the Editor has reason to believe that wherever Auxiliary Societies have been formed, Socinians in general have become associates. ^ Just as these sheets were going to press, the Editor ob- tained the following important statement of a proceeding at the Annual Meeting of the Uxbridge AuxiHary Bible Society, held April 23c!. Mr. Hodgson, the zealous and respectable Rector of St. George's, Hanover Square, having been induced to he- come a Vice-President of this Auxiliary Bible Society, was ap- plied to by a friend for information whether the Mr. Clarke, 217 simultaneous exertions of Socinians in places far remote from each other, that their concerted support of the Auxiliary system is inferred. whose name appeared associated with his in the list of Vice- Presidents of that Institution, was the circulator of the So- cinian papers exhibited above. With a manhness which does the highest honour to his character, be resolved to authenti- cate*this fact at the fountain head. Accordingly lie attended the Committee, wliich sat previous to the General Meeting, and finding Mr. Clarke there, he put the question directly to him, whether what his friend had heard was true. Mr. C. re- plied that he pleaded guilty to the whole charge, if guilt it could be called: Upon this open avowal, Mr. Hodgson declared that it was totally impossible for himself and Mr. Clarke to remaia together in the same Society, and therefore that unless Mr. C. should think proper to resign, he should deliver in Iiis own re- signalion, which declaration, upon Mr. Clarke's signifying- his intention to retain his situation, he carried immediately inta effect. Before howevever Mr. Hodgson quitted the room, Mr. Owen entered it, and upon Mr» Hodgson's telling him what had occun-ed, his first observation was, that it was expressly the principle of the Bible Society to admit all descriptions of persons, let their religious opinions be what they might * ; * At the Auxiliary Meeting at Bath, Mr. Owen is not quite so com- prehensive in his charity. He there limits " the connection and co~ ** operation which the Members and Ministers of the Church are com- ** petent to maintain to all who in every place (all on the Redeemer gs *' their Lord and Sa^viour,"^ and he intimates that they would " yield ** to a base compromise, ^^ were they to overstep this Jimitatlon. Sec Bath Auxiliary Report, p. 7, 8. This is stated in the Prologue to the drama of the day. In the Epi- logue (which, from many specimens, appears to be assigned also by 218 That Socinians sliould reason and act in this manner only shews that they are M'ise in their generation. If those who adore that " great mys- " tery of godliness, God manifest in the flesh," and who count it their joy, their glory, and their confidence that they " are purchased with his " own blood," will give to men, who do continual despiglit unto these most precious doctrines of the that for instance, he saw nothing adverse to that principle in admitting a Jew or a Mahometan to be members of the Institu- tion, adding that some Jeus were at that time members of it. But upon being pressed rather more home upon the subject, and questioned by Mr. H. whether after the avowal made by- Mr. Clarke, a conscientious member of the Church of England could continue to aot with him in the dissemination of the Bi- ble as Co- Vice President of the same body, he was rather put ■ to a non plus. His adroitness however in parrying inquiries which it is inconvenient to meet openly either witla a direct affirmation or denial, quickly suggested the following casuisti- cal distinction, which long practised as INIr. Owen must have been in the splitting of hairs in order to preserve the semblance of consistency at Auxiliary Meetings could scarcely have been systematic arrangement always to this chief performer) his liberality dilates itself, and by a definition of schism which is compleatly original and remarkably ingenious, he cancels his former limitation by which Socinians are excluded, and represents an Indefinite " co-operation with «' Separatists in the circulation of the Bible" as bound upon Church- men in order to preserve them from the guilt " of authorising causeless " separation in some of its modifications and degrees, and from be- *« coming themselves Schismatics and Dissenters," Bath Report^ p. 4'3. 219 Gospel, the right hand of fellowship, 'tis their policy to receive it: for the tendency of our nature is towards corruption no less in the spirit than in the flesh, and, by a moral necessity, evil commu- nications will corrupt goo6 principles as well as good manners, as a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. The Sacred Volume, so much v^enerated in the abstract by the Bible Society, most perempto- rily determines this ; but the conductors of that In- stitution, engaged in the magnihcent scheme of con- verting the whole world, are too sublimely occupied to descend to the domestic detail of its practical de- terminations. conceived, till demonstrated by the event, within the compass even of his acumen to excogitate. " If the avowal," he replied, " had been voluntary, there *' might have been some ground for objection, but that as it *' was draimi out by a question, which he thought at that time *' ^-adi place an indelicate one, he did not see any force in Mr. *' Hodgson's conclusion.*' Mr. Hodgson, not gifted with this acute discrimination of intellect, could not conceive that deli- cacy had any thing to do in such a case : he thought he had a right to know whether or not he was acting with a person hold- ing Socinian principles, and that, having ascertained the fact, he ought not to act with him any longer. This he stated in reply to Mr. Owen, and then left the room, assailed by the ac- cusations of several persons present, particularly of a Dissent- ing Minister, of having excited discord m a Society uliich had hitherto been peaceably conducted. 2 220 ^f r. Dealtry ' indeed, its laureate advocate, has \indertaken its vindication against the charge here preferred : he felt so strongly how derogatory to its religious character it was to labour under the imputation of extending its comprehension to a Sect, which no description of Christians ever before deemed it consistent with the reverence due to their Divine Master to affiliate with themselves in any kind of religious association, that he is quite indignant with the Dean of Booking and " his " brethren,^' whom he stiles " the authors of this *' fiction," for having, as he alledges, devised and propagated so injurious a calumny ; and he repels it by a declaration that " having made diligent " inquiry," so far from finding Socinians entered into the Society to any great amount, " he heard " only of one or two." But demonstration of the inaccuracy of this too inconsiderately hazarded assertion has been al- ready produced, and it is about to be shewn that the conciliatory spirit of the Society with respect to Socinians is carried far beyond the mere tacit acquiescence in their admission, even tQ the inviting them to associate, to the smooth- hio- dozvn et'ery obstacle to their fraternization ; ' See Vindication of British and Foreign Bible Society, p. 83. S21 nay to the eulogising them ^^ for making sacrl- " ficei' stated to be *' perhaps not tr'wiaV in so far conceding their own religious scruples as to take part in the dissemination of the Scrip- tures according to the authorized "version: and this eulogy is passed upon them, not by an ordinary IMember of the Society from whom it can disengage itself by disclaiming all respon- sibility for his opinions ; but bi/ one of the Legates a latere of the parcfit Institution, and that too in his Legatine capacity^ assisting, by special delegation, at the e7iccenia of a newly organized dependency, and in his official declama- tion, brought with him ready prepared for the occasion '". And this conciliatory demeanour towards So- cinians seems spreading itself rapidly and growing into a bye law of the Bible Society ; for at the last Anniversary of the Norwich Auxiliary Society, (in which, in the motley group of its committee-men at least two persons of this persuasion appear) an intimation having transpired that a Member in •" Extract from the speech of Mr. Hughes at Yarmouth, Oct. 29, 1812. " Here the Catholic had united with the Protestant, the Churchman with the Dissenter, the Pres- byterian with the Calvinist, and tlie Methodist with the Member of the Society of Friends. But why do I apply this term to a particvdar sect ? we are all friends ; all differ- 2£2 attendance was come prepared to express that honest abhorrence of the envenomed blasphemies of Socinianism which is inseparable from genuine Christian feeling in the heart of man ; solicitations were made to him to abstain from all such animad- versions, as persons, it was urged, of that persua- sioa would be present, and it might destroy the unanimity of the day. He was not however to be induced to compromise his jealousy for the honour of his Lord and Master. The constrain- ing love of Christ prevailed over temporising suggestions, he carried his pious purpose into effect, and the apprehended altercation ensued, as must be the case continually, in an assembly, so constituted, till the Bible Society has had its perfect work, and has either driven those, who love the ence of opinion is put out of question, and the British and Foreign Bible Society is indeed a Society of Friends, Creeds were not thought of, for each gave up a ];esssr for a greater good, A large portion of the members of one religious sect had made a sacrifice which was perhaps not trivial^ they believed that many errors of translation were to be found in the authorized version of the Scriptures, and had accordingly published a version of their own; but here they had given up that particular opinion, and had come forward as advocates for the distribution of that translation of the Bible in which they believed some errors were to be found." See Report of Proceedings at Great Yarmouth, at the formation of a Branch Society, p. 15, 16, 223 truth, and are resolved under grace to hold fast the profession of it to the last extremity, " to the " dens and caves of the earth," or has otfered them up as victims at the altar of the idol of these last times — Inbifference to every Religious Opinion. In the same spirit have the Committee of the Hackney Auxihary Society drawn up their report of the speeches dehvered on the day of their in- auguration; for the harmony of the Constituent Meeting here sustained something approachino- to a similar interruption to that just stated to have taken place at Norwich. One of the speakers, to whom was assigned the part of proposing the Committee, could not repress his abhorrence of Socinianism, nor restrain himself from protesting as far as he was concerned, against giving the right hand of fellowship to its professors, but he pro- claimed to the whole assembly that " if thei'e was a " Socinian in the room, his faith differed from the " faith of that person as far as East from West " • — as Earth from Heaven." It has not come to the Editor's knowledge, that any attempts were previously made to dissuade the gentleman from violating the concordat of the Institution, as was done in the former instance : indeed the contradiction into which he was betrayed of pro-^ posing as Members of the (yommittee a list of per- 224 sons among whom Socinians appear, and in the same breath renouncing all communion with men of that irreligious persuasion, makes it evident that there could have been no previous e.vplana' tion between him and his associates. But as the Editor has received information on which he can rely, that though this attack upon Socinianism produced no further altercation at the Meeting than the being repelled by a profession of Soci- nian unbelief; yet that afterwards violent symp- toms appeared of the offence which it had given ; insomuch that the awkward circumstance of a rupture in this newly solemnized confederation was apprehended : and as this rupture has not taken place, at the same time that all reference to the Socinians is suppressed in the speech in question, as printed by authority, there is strong circumstantial evidence that a subsequent com^ promise was made, and the legitimate inference is, that the retractation of the offensive passage was the conciliatory expedient employed to effect the pacification ". ■ The conductor of the Leicester paper, after promising for two successive weeks an account of the proceedings of the Anniversary Meeting of the Auxiliary Bible Society of that town, which took place on the 13th of April last, states "in the following paper, that " he understands it to be the *' wish of the gentlemen who delivered their sentiments on •• that occasion, that the speeches should not now appear.'* 225 The influence then which the Bihie Society is likely to have upon the Christian faith is now pretty Amongst these sentiments, as the Editor has been informed on good authority, was delivered a remonstrance with the Socinian Members of the Society, (the Socinian Teacher being present,) for having so ill requited the conciliatory spirit manifested by their brethren of other denominations, in giving them the right hand of fellowship, as to have lent no co-operation in circulating the Authorised Version of the Scriptures, and to have continued circulating their own *' Improved Version" since their fraternization. This pa- rallelism to the incident stated above as having taken place at Hackney, throws some light upon the suppression of this burst of eloquence ; for these little interruptions of harmony spoil the stage effect, and break one of the most potent spells of the confederation : and therefore that paramount concern, its welfare and support, requires that they should be kept as much as possible from public view. It is known to the Editor that some Members of other Aux- iliary Societies of high Evangelical pretensions partake in the well-founded scruples which displayed themselves at Lei- cester, and are by no means at rest in their consciences with respect to their Socinian alliance. They feel themselves in an awkward dilemma, and there can be no doubt that the aforesaid remonstrants feel the same; indeed that the feel- ing prevails generally amongst this class of the asso- ciates: for what can be more preposterous than for mea who speak in so high a tone respecting doctrine, and set themselves forth as the only " true Churchmen," to as- sociate themselv^," for Christian purposes, with those whd deny almost every article of the Christian faith ; and have literally mutilated the sacred text, because they can nei- ther resist the force, nor sophisticate the clearness of the Q 2£b well ascertained ; for till its institution Socinians were as the Ishniaclites of the Christian dispen- sation : they excommunicated as idolaters all pro- fessors of Christianity but themselves, and ever}* other denomination of Christians exccHiimunieaied them as '* blasphemers of that worthy name " whcrebv we all arc called," as " enemies of the " cross of Christ," as " denying the Son, and *' therefore not having the Father :" nay,, with such general abhorrence was this pestilent heresy con- templated, that it stands proscribed, not merely by Ecclesiastical La'.v, but by Civil Legislative authority, and by successive Royal Proclama- tions". evidence, with wliich it witnesses against them. But fehey are so committed to tiie principle of their association thab they cannot disengage themselves^ from it; neither can. they set bounds to its operation. They have held it up as " the great Diana" which is to concei:H;rate " the worship " of all the world," and tliey niu&t admit and retain all comers " without violating," as Mr. Lancaster has happily expressed it, " the sanctiwry of any man's pi'ivate religious *' opinions." Thus it is that, pinned down as it were to a stake> they are baited by conscience and expediency, and as one or the other of these Philistines is upon them, they either disclose their disquietude in the league which they have formed, or make unworthy compromises to prevent its being broken. ° Socinians are excommunicate ipso facto by the .'Jth and 6th Canons of the Church of England. They are speci- fically excluded from tlie benefits of the Toleration Act.^ • 2f7 ' But now this proscription is in effect superseded, for in the Bible Society those who in the Unity of the Godhead worship the Son, and the Holy Ghost, equally with the Father, and those who degrade the Son to a level with themselves, and the Holy Ghost to a mere quality or attribute, mix indis- Their opinions are pronounced " blasphemous and impious" in a subsequent Act of Parliament passed expressly against them, ** effectually to suppress (to adopt its own phra- *' seology) the detestable crimes of avowing and publishing " them.'' Whilst this sheet is printing off, an attempt is making to procure the repeal of the above statutes. What will be the result, considering the times we live in, it is impossible to calculate ; but whatever it may be, the spirit of the party is marked by the application ; for there is perhaps scarcely another instance upon record of Parlia- ment being moved to repeal statutes against which no in- stances of actual grievance could be alledged. Nor surely amongst Socinians can there be many who, except under circumstances of pecuHar oppression, could bring themselves to petition specificallt/ for the abrogation of a law, which, though " the deaial of the Trinity'* formed the subject of its concluding prohibition, set forth " the railing upon a7id ** cursing God'* as the prominent offence against which it was enacted. Yet in the Bill of Repeal, as framed by its authors, and as presented to the House of Commons, and printed by its order of June' 15th, an Act with the above title exhibited at full length is inserted. And this Act. moreover, not cognizable in any part of the United Kingdom, except in Scotland, and there never put in force but in a single instance, and that 117 years ago ; so that it is com- pletely obsolete, Ml ass criminately together, and the effect, as Mr. FFe^'=' field states it, is that " having a common object *' they pursue it, and become familiarly acquainted " with each other, and that jealousy essential to " preserve the full difference and distinction is " softened down into indifference and passes away ; *' or, in other words, is found to proceed from *' mutual igiiorance, and not to be warranted hi/ " actual e.rperience, and the prejudice dies a *' natural death p." This is the admission of a founder and most zealous advocate of the Bible Society, who both at Hackney and at Huntingdon has stood prominently forward in the formation of Auxiliary Societies in concert with a'cowed So' cinians : and when applied to that particular class of associates, it amounts to this r that the standard of the Christian faith, within the limits of the Insti- tution, is lowered down to the Nadir point of So- cinian neutrality. For the papers above produced (the most blasphemous of which are publicly cir- culated by a Vice President of one of the Auxi- liary branches of the Bible Society) demonstrate that the " natural death" of pre-existing " preju-^ *' dices" has not been brought about by a renunci- ation of the offensive dogmas which excited them,, or even by mutual concessions, but by the tacit acquiescence of that portion of the confederacy, p See preceding correspondence, p» Y. 2S9 •who are sound m this article of the faith, with those who have so far departed from it, that they «tand upon the very verge of infidelity. But though this prostration of Christian prin- •ciple has the force of law only within the limits of the Bible Society, its evil influence extends much further; for the members of that Institution set themselves forth, and are contemplated far and ^ide, as one and indivisible, as a new Apostolate xaised up in these last days for the universal pro- pagation of the Gospel. And the necessary im- pression which this conceit carries with it is, that ihey must hold in c-ommon the substance of Chris- tianity ; the points of difference among them being «nly those of doubtful disputation, or its '' imma- '' terial forms ;" upon which, in that enlargement •of mind which free inquiry has at length produced, they have agreed that a general silence shall be observed, that so they may prosecute with andis- tracted energy their stupendous design, and may • present Christianity to the world so simphfied and ■ -so accommodating, that " it shall' no longer con- ^' tradict the apprehension, the experience, and the " reasoning of mankind ;" and shall thus secure /or itself that " universal reception" which " con- " tendeis for Creeds" '^ have so long laboured S See Dr. Paley's Moral Philosophy, Dedication. There ^fi strong ground to hope, from Dr. Paley's posthumous Vo.- 1230 lo effectuate only to their own discomfiture and confusion. And upon this principle its language becomes intelligible when it speaks of comprehending within itself " the whole family of man ;" for ever since the dispersion of Babel the propensity to atchieve the enterprise which was then so signally defeated has continually manifested itself, not merely in projects for universal 'empire, but in projects also for the consolidation of mankind in one generalised system of religion. To refer only to occurrences within the Chris- ]ume of Sermons, that he lived to be convinced of the bane- ful tendency of this observation, as in that volume he has not jnerely assumed in a general way the character above con- demned, but has attached it to himself in all its controverted particulars ; having contended Jor many of the leading articles *' of the Creed^^ in separate discourses appropriate to each, and having enforced, with all the energy of his powerful mind, their necessity to Salvation. It is due to the memory of Dr. Paley to keep alive the recollection, tliat his System of Ethics was his earliest production : and it is further no more thap justice to him, that these his Yr^t** 'J'foj/Ti^es should be subjoined as an appendix to it, as his own antidote to that religious indifference which its principles will of ne- cessity generate in all who imbibe them ; and which it is greatly to be feared, that during the last twenty-eight years \% has most extensively diffused. 531 tian tera, this was the project of the Eastern Anti- christ, whose counterfeit revelations therefore com- prise almost every heterodox opinion to be met with amongst the antienl heretics. The Western Antichrist, that mother of abominations, adopted a similar policy ; she erected into religious orders the devotees to new imaginations as they arose, she bestowed upon them honours and emoluments, and incorporated them into her own body ; and thus invigorated herself by those very breaches of unity, the natural tendency of which was to her own dismemberment and decay. The Bible So- ciety is a refinement upon these expedients; it has set forth the word of God as a universal language,' which at once expresses the sentiments of all those who profess to derive out of it their religious sys- tems ; and therefore as a common document which they may all adopt as the basis of a general con- federation, in virtue of which, as Mi\ Thorpe, the Bristol orator, expresses it, " the heat of contro- " versy" being extinguished, and " the shock of " parties, and the collision of argument" set at rest for ever, all shall heaceforlh " ?neet as fel-" ** LOW-CITIZENS OF THE HtAVENLY JeRUSA- " -LEM '." And they arc far advanced towards the consum- ' See proceedings at the second Anniversary Meeting of the Bristol Auxiliary Bible Society, p. 22. 232 mution of this splendid enterprise ; for in giving the right hand of fellowship to Socinians they have virtually given it to the votaries of Mahomet, the Socinians having long ago recognised them as their ** fellow champions" in leligion, und as symboiizing- much more closely with themselves than their ne-vv associates, who will be found traduced by them as *' idolizing Christians'." And independently of this virtual admission, according to Whitaker, the Mahometans have a claim of preference to the Socinians as being the better Cin-istians of the two, for he observes, that their Prophet, '' weak and " Avicked as he was, never ventured out into the " high blasphemies of Socinianism, but was merely • ' an Arian, and can be justly claimed only by *■' Arians as their confederate *." And as he in- culcates upon his followers the highest reverence for the Scriptures, and merely put forth the Koran for the same reason that the Socinians have pub- lished their Improved Version, because there were some passages in Holy Writ which the Christian expositors of it would obtrude upon public notice, and would not suiFer him to explain away ; there ' See Socinian epistle to Ameth Ben Ameth, ambassador from the Emperor of Morocco to Charles II. Leslie's works, vol. i. p. 207. the origmal of which is still among the MSS. ia the Lambeth Library. * Whitaker's Hist, of Arianism, p. 400. Note. 233 can be little doubt that Avhenever Mr. Thorpe's re- presentation, which is equally applicable to ne\y gospels as to " new translations," shall be made to the Mahometans, they will imbibe that spirit of conciliation for whicti the Socinians have been oifi- cially panegyrized by Mr. Hughes, and will chear- fuUy make that " not trivial sacnhce" (in his estima- tion) " 6f coming forward as advocates ior the dis- *' tribution of that" authorised transcript of the sa- cred records, " in which they believe many interpo- *' lations are to be found ;" as it is most obvious that all grounds of Mahometan, equally with those of Socinian jealousy respecting it, are completely removed " by that simple principle of the Bible So- " ciety," which throws it open indifferently to all parties in religion, and guarantees to each of them the undisturbed dhtortiGu of it according to their own conceits, and thus makes it a compleat sub- stitute for every legend or improved translation >vhich the New Lights of different ages have "issued " or shall hereafter put forth conformable to their *' several creeds" to support their respective sys- tems by the semblance of divine authority ". " The Editor was not aware that what he has here inferred, was an admitted principle of the Bible Society, till Mr. Owen's declaration at Uxbridge was reported to him. Ou that gentleman's authority it is now put out of all question, that not Mahometans only, but even Jews are qualified for 234 But to complete the comprehension, the Deist and the Infidel must be introduced, and the afore- said Mr. Thorpe has specifically invited them to associate, and has set forth the Bible Society as so congenial in its proceedings with both their views that consistency requires their co-operation. "It " may probably appear, (he says,) paradoxical, it is " nevertheless a truth, that the Deist, if" a man of *' sense and humanity, in order to act consistently ** with his own sentiments, ought to take part in the *' distribution of the Scriptures," and his reason is this, that " Deism is a tare which flourishes only " in the field where the seeds of Christianity have Decoming its members, nay, that some of the latter are en- rolled. Papists are also stated by Mr. Hughes to form a part of the confederacy; but from what has recently transpired, it appears that they are not disposed, (as Mr. Lefroy words it) to " advance that harmony and good understanding" to a re- ciprocity of fraternization. Those acquainted with our annals will recollect, that ia former times ihey assumed the garb, and became the most zealous partizans of the Puritans, even to the enlisting themselves in great numbers in the ParliameiU Army, The Church of England is the great Bulwark of the Reforma- tion. This is the first article of their political creed, and they will engage even with Heretics, and in violation of their own subordinate principles, in any project which has the least tendency to overturn it ; but still their ruthless enmity against Heretics remains as unrelenting as ever, and the object ulti- mately aimed at by every measure which they adopt, is their extermination. See Foxes and Firebrands, or a specimen of the danger and harmony of Popery and Separation, 8vo. 1682- 235 *' previously been sown. Hence, (he proceeds) a " sensible Deist, conscious of the insufficiency of *' philosophy to promote his designs, must be a " friend to the spreading of the Gospel in Pagan " nations. Idolatry with its sanguinary rites being ** overthrown, the lurid gloom of superstition dis- " persed, and the notion of the one God generally " -established, then is the time for the Deist with ** his false philosophy to work, persuading man- **' tind that his knowledge is the offspring of nature *' alone, and that revelation is unnecessary." The reader will probably feel himself in a strait ■which most to admire, Mr. Thorpe's paradox, or j^is solution of it, so creditable to the Society whose cause he undertakes to advocate, which arrogating to itself the office of preaching the Gospel to the world, not onlj/ invites the opefi enemies of that Gospel to come into its besom and to assist in the work ; but holds out to them the facilities which it generates for carrying on their hostility ^ and the complacency with which it contemplates their at- tacks, as inducements to accept the invitation. But the finishing stroke of Mr. Thorpe's liberal- ized ingenuity remains to be exhibited. Servetur ad imum Qualis ab incccpto processerit, et sibi constet js his motto : and so, boldly pushing his principles to their necessary but rather staggering ultimatum ; " Thus Infidelity (he proceeds) may look favor- *' ably on the dispersion of the Bible, hoping there- " by that its interests will be eventually promoted ** by introducing the golden age of reason " THE MILLENNIUM OF InFIDELS "^Z' This language speaks for itself. It sets forth the views of the Bible Society so distinctly, that no comment upon it can heighten its effect, except it be to inform the reader, that Dr. Francis Ran- dolph, late of Laura Chapel, Bath, who presided on the occasion, with an exquisite locality of ex- pression, closed the proceedings of the day, in a speech full of eulogy " on this partnership of love, ** this great and growing merchandise of human " happiness i' and that the Parent Society has given its sanction to Mr. Thorpe's representation by the adoption of his speech amongst the speci- mens of Auxiliary eloquence, furnished at its repo- sitory as models for inexperienced orators. The Editor is aware that the papers which fol- low, are too contemptible for the consequence ap- parently attached to them by this introduction. In themselves they really are below contempt. Their "* See proceedings of the second Anniversary Meeting pf tlie Bristol Auxiliary Society, p. 23, 24. 237 only importance arises from the corroborating testimony which they bear to the lively interest taken by Socinians in the success of the Bible So- ciety, and to the sensibility excited in them by any opposition to its designs. This it seemed desirable to the Editor to appreciate, and to trace to its final results, and therefore he took the occasion which the three following papers gave him to enter into this investigation. And here he had concluded these preliminary observations, when the correspondence relative to the Roman Catholic Bible Society * came into his hands, and disclosed the advantage which the Papists are taking of this clamour of Poperv, raised by the advocates of the British and Foreign Bible Society to drown the voices of those J\Iembers of the Church of England who are endeavourinor to expose their puritanical encroachments upon the principles of the Reformation. Mr. Dealtry introduced into the Bible Society controversy this unworthy substitute for argumen- tative refutation; by republishing amongst his authorities for the several charges alledged in his " Vindication'', &c." a pasquinade, under the * Correspondence on the formation, objects, and plan of the Roman Catholic Bible Society, &c. 8vo. 1813. ' Vittdication of the ^British and Foreign Bible Society, in t3S fictitious name of Peter O'Leary, which first ap- peared in an early nuaiber of the Christian Ob- server, and conveyed an insinuation of Popery against a respectable Divine who first impeached the principle of his favorite institution, for incul- cating in a tract admitted upon the list of the So- ciety for promoting Christian Knowledge, the ob- servance of a Christian obligation, enjoined in the very Act of Uniformity, the principal enactment of the Legislature of this kingdom for the establishment of the Reformed Religion. It is curious to observe the association which is thus formed between Mr. Dealtry, Chaplain to a Protestant Bishop, the anonymous Socinian, whose papers are to follow, and Mr. Gandolph}^ a real Romanist ; the two former insidiously introducing vulnerable points into the English Reformation, and the latter taking advantage of the treachery, a Letter addressed to the Rev. Dr. Wordsworth. See Appendix to ditto, K. In republishing Peter O'Leary's Letter, it #ould have been but ingenuous to have annexed to it the observations which even the Editor of the Christian Observer could not refrain from making upon it, when first introducing it to public notice; but these expose its fictitious character, and therefore its unfitness for the place given it amongst a selection of extracts, alledged as evidence, from the writings of Archbishop S3'nge, Tillotson, and Seeker, and moreover contain a very powerful antidote to the false principles which it was reproduced to insinuate. 239 and then, in the haughty tone of a victorious as- sailant, boasting of his " success in subverting the " grand and fundamental principle of Protestant- " ism:" and glorying over " the Reformers" in- discriminately, as having *' run mad with the Bible " fever\" But there is not even novelty in this exploit ; for the same occasion uas given by the Puritans in the reign of James I. and the same advantage was taken by the Papists of those days ; who, in a work entitled " A Gag for the New Gospel," made tlie same boast which Mr. Gandolphy has so confidently repeated : but Bishop IMontague * stepped forth, and in the name of the Church of England disclaimed all but eight or nine out of forty-seven propositions, upon the heretical pravity of which the overthrow of the English Reformation was assumed ''; and it is remarkable, that the se- tond of them, of which the Bishop distinctly pro- » See Extracts from a Defence of the aacient Catholic Faith, by the Rev. P, Gandolphy, selected by Editors of Cor- respondence on formation, objects, and plan of Roman Catholic Bible Society, p. 89. =" Of the state of things at the period here referred to, so co- incident with our existing circumstances, an interesting account will be found in the address to the reader, prefixed to Dr. Hey- lin's Theologia Veteruni. " Answer to the late Gagger of Protestants, 4to. 1624. Ad- dress to Reader, 5 240 nounces " the Church of England hath no such " faith as this^" is that which the advocates of the Bible Society are now endeavouring to fasten upon her again, and that nioreover on account of the display of his prowess upon which, tlie newly- raised-up Champion of Popery so exults in his atchievement. Bishop Montague's representation of the case, . and of his proceding in it, is to this effect : that " whereas the Puritans were wont to be shrouded " under the covert of the Church of England, and ^' to vent, publish, and tender their many idle " dreams, fancies, and furies into the world, un- " der pretext of the doctrine of our Church, and *^ our opposites of the Romish side did accordingly ^^ charge our Church with them, he, out of " just indignation of that open vvrong and injury. *| done unto his Mother — disbanded them from their "shelter, took them off from colluding under " the Church's protection, and sent them to " their own homes, to shrowd there if they could, " and to answer for themselves, and likevAise as- " serted the Church unto her own true tenets, " natural and proper unto that doctrine which is ' Ibid. p. 13. The position thus renounced in behalf of the. Church of England, is " that in matters of Faith, we must not ** rely upon the judgment of the Church and of her Pastoss, *• but only upon the Written Word." 541 ** publicly determined and authorised in her ail- ** thentic records ^." The same course must be again pursued, and ^vhilst the xxth and xxxivth Articles remain in our Confession, as well as the vith, it will be quite suf- ficient to refer to them upon the point in question^ to put both false brethren and open enemies to silence, for though the vith Article most consistently with primitive doctrine justifies the position, that " the Bible, and the Bible only, is" so far " the " Religion of Protestants," " that whatsoever is " not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is " not to be required of any man that it should be " believed as an article of Faith;" yet the xxth Article declares the Church to be " the keeper and " the expounder of Holy Writ, and to have aU- *' thority in controversies of Faith ;" and the xxxivth pronounces it invested with authority to inflict censures on those who offend in these particulars " against its common order ;" nay, declares it to be its duty so to do, and that for this reason, which, as specially deserving of attention, Dr. Jackson has singled out from those specified in the Article, " lest their impunity should minister of- ** fence to weak brethren, it being (in his estima- *' lion) impossible to give greater offence to the * Montague's Appello Caesarem, 4to. p. 114. M2 " weak and ignorant, than by emboldening them to " disobedience, wh^re obedience is due ^" Mr. Dealtry and the advocates of the British and Foreign Bible Society may call this Popery — ^Ir. Gandolphy and the advocates of the Roman Catholic Bible Sx)ciety may call it inconsistent Protestantism. Such, however, is the unequivocal language of the Church of England, a formal de- fence of which would here be out of place, and cannot be necessary at tliis day. It n^ay not, how- iever, be amiss to state briefly, in the words of Bishop Montague, the true Church of England doctrine upon the point at issue. He puts the case to " the Gagger of Protestants." " If a " question should be moved juris controversi " upon controverted matters, who shall decide and " settle the doubt?" " You," he replies, ''say the '^' Church ; and so say I ; nay, so say we. You *' say we say the Scriptures, even against the '^' Church. No such thing, Sir; you mistake us. " We say the Church must do it, explaining, de- **• claring, resolving the Scriptures, as the direc- ^' tiori is from God himself, to purpose Deut. '' xvii. 18. and as your texts and fathers do pre- •" tend it, and no otherwise ^" And to this it may « Jackso»*s Works, Tom. 3. p. 692. where there are som^ excelleat observations on this subject. - • ^ Aus\^'erto the late Gagger, 410. 1624'. p. 14w 243 bfe' vfery useful to subjoin Leslie's illustration, as it exhibits a synopsis of the doctrine of the Church of England, and of those doctrines put in competition with it on either side, and furnishes the reader with a key, by which he may extricate his under- standing in a moment from the confusion which names have produced, and may appropriate to the several subjects who come before him their real eligious designation. " I suppose,'* says Leslie, a traveller on his road, with a map in his hand, to come where there are three ways, and that three guides offer to direct him. The first (the Papist) says, you cannot understand the map ; give it up to me : go as I direct you, and you cannot be wrong. The next (the Church of England) says, keep your map in your hand, I will go with you, and help you where the way is intricate ; and I will likewise shew you my authority for becoming your guide. The third (the Dissenter) says, what can you want more than your map ? Go and find your way as you can ; besides, I have no authority to direct others. When we left the Roman Catholic country about two hundred and eighty years ago, we gave up all pretensions to have any dwimly authorised guides; and have avowed ever since, that every man shall go up and down R 2! 24-4 /^ the country in any path to which his fancy inay .*' lead him V X. The Address of PatricJt OFlayiaghmij to tk€ Clergy, Gentlemen of the Vestry, and other Opposers, (if other there be,) of the Hack?2ej/ Auxiliary Bible Society. Bonner's Hall, Dec. 4, 1812. Tery dear BRE'rHREi;ry "^'•^*"*^ '.^ Startle not at this affectionate compellation froni a Roinan Catholic Priest ^ your reasonings and conduct with regard to the proposed Auxiliary Bible Society in this neigh- bourhood have won my heart ; and I will venture to say that the hearts of all the sound and con- sistent professors of the antient and venerable Mother Church are with you, and that interces- sions are daily put up from our communion to th& Blessed Virgin, on your behalf. 1 Leslie's Works, fol. voL l,p. 188, where the substance ©f this passage will be found, which, as it stands above, was ex- tracted from the first letter of Candidas, in the Collection o£ Papers, Rivingtofxis, 1812. S4-5 Go on, worthy disciples of your Lauds aEd Sacheverells, and may the patron saint of my native country, the holy Sx. Patrick, bestow upon you his benediction. Well and truly do you insist on " the unavoid- *' able evils of conscientious dissent * " Our church agrees with you that schism is the only Anti" cJmst. Ogh ! that uniformity of faith had never ijeen violated ! But I am not now in a temper to reproach you for past deeds ; your present avowed principles are to my heart's content, and excite in me the delightful persuasion that the time is not far distant when the sister Churches of Rome and Ens land will meet and embrace, — when, (altering the figure,) there shall be but one fold, under one shep- j^erd, the Supreme Bishop, Christ's Vicar. In letters of gold should be written the First of the Second set of Resolutions in the Vestry,-— that " an indiscriminating distribution of the Bible has " a tendency to lessen the reverence due to the " Sacred Volume." The thought was surely in- spired by the ever-blessed Saint John^ under whose patronage you assembled, who, you know, terms the sacred writings a scaled hook : woe to those who break open the seal and discover and disperse the • Vicar's Letter, p. 3. 246 holy arcana. This irrefragable doctrine of the danger of a perusal of the Bible, is, you are aware, a favourite opinion of your Roman Catholic brethren : for this, how have they been maligned by inconsi- derate members of your hierarchy ! Thank the holy apostles and all the saints of the calendar ! you at least, under the care of Mr. JVarburton, have re- turned to a right mind. -r-Yoi\v position is as much common sense as it is piety : vulgarity and pro- faneness are the same (Odi Profanum Vidgus,) nor can any thing be sacred which is common. Do we not prize articles in proportion to their scarcity ? What makes the worth of a jewel ? Or, in a more homely image, what is the reason that a guinea is more valuable now than twenty years ago ? Wl>a't but the scarcity of guineas? (Mimiit prccsentia famam.) Diminish then the circulation of the Bi- ble, and you will increase its value in public esti- mation. Lodge the treasure in the hands of the priest, who, more properly than the magistrate, is the custos utriiisqiie tahulcE^ which by a free trans- lation I render, tht Preserver, (and a preserver is not a distributor), of the sacred records. Or, at most, imitate your forefathers, and allow only a parish-bible, to be chained to the altar and con- sulted on holidays alone, and then in the presence of the curates or keepers of souls, who shall see that the common people carry away nothing that would fee pernicious. Ogh ! that the Bible should ever be- S47 come (as the proposers of tiie new inslitiitioii wquld make it) cheap. Your and our CGmmon antagonists v»ill hurl at ns the charge of holding that Ignurance is the mother of Devotion ; but let us not be frightened by words. Altering the phraseology only, let us accept the re^ proach, and manfully assert the principle, recog- nised equally by taste and piety, that obscurity is one of the sources of the sublime, — that fear springs out of darkness, — that fogginess aggrandizes objects to the view, — that, in short, as philosophy is but another name for irreligion, and as a scriptural critic V6 identical with a sceptic, he must be the best bcr liever who believes most, and he the most merito^ rious believer who goes most on trust for his ftiitti. The common people read the scriptures ! Can they iind out better articles of faith than our churches have laid down for them? The chances are a hun- dred to one, as the learned Professor of your com- munion has demonstrated, against their finding out these. The private sense in religion is productive of nothing but heresy ; planted in the Bible, it is like the favourite fruit of my native land, the true Hesperian apple, the potatoe, full of eyes, out of every one of which sprouts a plant, which^ though from a good root, bears nauseous berries. Perhaps, however, very dear brethren, it may not 1248 be possible to prevent at once the circulation of the book so hard to be understood and so easily wrested to mischief*; in that case, lake counsel of your own Besolution (2d oi Set II.) let none have it but such as " upon due inquiry shall be found likely to make *■ a right use of such a gift." By this means, you will keep it out of the hands of Anabaptists and all the sects of the New Lis^ht : regular church-goers alone will obtain it, and ironithem no abuse of it is to be apprehended, Ist. because it is the fundamen- tal article of their faith to believe only what the Church bjlieves^ and 'idly, because there cannot be jiiuch ^buse wiiere there is little use. One charge you must lay upon such as you select for the recep- tion of Bibles, and that is, never to put them into the haqds c4 ihejr children, till they have got by heart and underbtoo;] the Catechism and the 'Jliree Creeds, — Understfiud ^\\i\\eBQ they .never will, an4 thu3, my dt^ar brethren, you are safe. *' tThe Bible contains matter that is above the ** ordinary apprehensions of mankind f ." Admir- able sentiment ! For this the author should have ^y letter of credence to Rome for canonization. 'What. follows from this acknowledged unintelligibi- lity of the ijpriptures, but the necessity of an uner^ ♦ 2Pet. iii. 16. f Both Sides of the ftuestiop, p.; ,!» .^ 249 ling expositor, an infallible head? Stop short of this conclusion you cannot, — but to such loo-icianj as the Vestry, the argument needs not to be un- folded. Verbum sat. How does it rejoice my heart, further, to find your Vicar so obedient to his Diocesan, I also have my Diocesan, and from him I learn the sen- timents which are there expressed. In this neigh- bourhood I am but a visitor; my residence Is ^^ #*#*#*#******^ ^^-^^ jj-,y spiritual superior is' Dr. John M'dner, Vicar Apostolic, He too has written against the Bible Society, and from him I shall extract a few sentences, which I almost flatter myself were before the eyes of the Vestrymen, when they drew up their Resolutions and composed their letters : this intercommunity of sentiment is an-- other gladdening presage of a future more substan* tial union. ' " Is the perusal of the Bible the only means by ** which mankind can attain to a knowledge of the " revealed truths of religion? "Was it intended to •** be such by the divine author of Christianity, when ** he sent his apostles to teach all ?zatio??s, even to ** the end of the world, without saying a single word *' to them about writing the gospels or epistles ? Iq *' fact, our Saviour knew that ninety -nine out of a (* hundred of those individuals of all nations, whocR '250 *' he sent his Apostles to convert, would neither be '' able to procure any written books of revelation, " nor even to read them, if they could procure " them*." " The divine law, like tlie law of the land, is " partly written and partly unwritten. And as it is " possible that we might have known and enjoyed " the British laws and constitution, though our,an- " cestors had been unacquainted with the use of " letters, so it is possible that all the essential doc- '' trines and institutions of Christianity might have ^' been transmitted to us, though the different ^' books of the New Scripture had not been com- •' posed f." " And what, after all, is the Word of God ? " * It does not,' says a boly father, ' consist in the ** * letter of it, but the sense.' For the letter, we ^' are assured, killeth, but the spirit giveth life* If, ** in reading the Scriptures, we fall into essential ^' errors with respect to its meaning, it becomes to ■^ us a dark lanthorn, or, what is worse, an ignis .^^ fatuuSy instead of a beneficial light J." * An. Inquiry into certain vulgar Opinions concerning the Catholic Inhabitants and the Antiquities of Ireland. By the Eev. John Milner, D.D. F.S.A. &e. 8vo. 1808. p. 186. t Icl- P- 136, 187, i Id. p. 188. *' Hence, you see, tbtit the mere distributing of *^ Bibles is not a sure way to diffuse the light ot the ^' Gospel amongst the people, unless you turnish '' them, at the same time, \\ ith some accredited in-' " terpretation of its meaning, which the very dis- ^' sentions amongst honest and well-meaning people, *' who profess to make it their only guide, prove to ** be often obscure, or rather unmtelligible, unless *' you point out to them a living, speaking tribunal, ■' which is at all tinies open and ready to explain " their difficulties and decide upon their contro- *' versies *." These extracts from my venerable Diocesan will ehew you, very d&ar brethren, that i/oa are not far from the k'mgdom oj heaven. May Pie, the Rock of the Roman Foundation, who hath the heys of the heavenly city, open to you, when he shall exclude the schismatic distributors of the Bible and heresy together, and appoint them the place oi sorcerers, as bewitching the people, and idolaters (Rev. xxii. \5.) as setting up the Scriptures in their worship. I cannot conclude without saying what joy I felt on taking up your first publication, to find a name, ominous of mischief to the Roman Catholic prin^ * An Inquiry into certain vulgar Opinions concerning the Catholic Inhabitants and the Antiquities of Ireland. By the ftey. John Milner, D,D. F.S.A. &c. 8vo. 1808, p. 189. 252 ifiiples, set at the head of those who, in your parish, are so nobly defending our fundamental and most favourite tenet. Bishop Warburton founded a lec- ture against us*; Mr. Warburton is stirring him- self for the erowning doctrine of our communion. May health, wealth, and heaven be given to him ! May the Vestry, under his regimen, ever be bound straight and fast in the good old faith ! And that, though as sound in their principles as they can be, they may go on improving to the world's end antj ^jeyond it, is the earnest prayer of PATRICK O'FLANAGHAN. P. S. Knowing the propensity of my own dear nation to Bulls, (I do not mean the Pope's) I em- ployed one of the Vestrymen to revise and correct my scrawl, all but the last paragraph, in which if I have blundered and talked incoherently, the sub- ject of it must plead my excuse: an excuse from such kindred souls as you I shall have before I as)^ it. * Here again, I must quote my Diocesan : pardon any little harshness in the quotation. " Bishop Warburton has left a ** salary for a preapher, to prove every year at Lincoln's Inii " Chapel, that the Pope is Antichrist ; who, if he should suc- ** ceed, would prove at the same time that the bishop hinvself «« had borrowed his orders, his liturgy and his Christianity from « this chief agent of Satan." Inquiry, ^c. ut sup. p. 233. S53 XL Reasons for thinking that Patiick O'Flanaghan is the real Author of the Resolutions of the Vestri/y and the Letters against the Hackney and New- ington Auxiliary Bible Society, Your HiberHian Bidh are wit-rampant in madness; your Romish Dog- mas are the Hydrophobia of Religion. MS, Note on Warburttn's Alliance. Reason I. Because the language (reasoning it must not be miscalled) of those Resolutions and Letters is Popish and not Protestant. (See Patrick's Letter.) Reason IL Bull 1. Because the ***** is made to put himself under the care of Mr. TVar^ burton. (See CofTespondcnce between JVai^burton and a JVarburt07iia?i.) Reason III. Bull 2. Because the ***** is represented as giving up most unnecessarily two letters to the press, at the very moment that he de- clares that he has " at all titnes an extreme unwil' " lingness to obtrude any obser'cations of his in *' print." (See Mr. JVarburtotis First Bulle//« of the *****'s state of mind.) « 254 IIeason IV. Bull 3. Because the Vestry are represented as minuting down the ***** 's hostility to the Bil/le Society^ and at the same time as thank- ing him for his attention to the spiritual comforts of Iiis parishioners. (See Resolutions I. and II. of the Vestry, No, 2, 1812.) Reason V. Bull 4. Because the Vestry are described as coinciding with the ***** in opposing the Bible Society for the s-dke of prevent i??g a spirit ibf opposition in the parish. (See Resolution I. Nov. 2.) ; and because they commence a paper-w^r in order that the peace of the parish may not be broken. Reason VT. Bull 5. Because the 1st Reso- lution of Nov. 26 declares, " That an indiscrimi^ " nating distribution of the Bible has a tendency " to lessen the reverence due to the sacred volume;'* which must mean, either that the more the Bible is known the less it will be respected, or that the cir- culation of the books of Scripture is not the way to make them known * ! * Qjierijy Docs Patrick 0* Flanaghan admit the truth Off parallel propositions, as, for instance, that a general distribvH tion of copies of a rojal proclamation is the way to keep it ttn« known or to abate its observance ? 3 255 Reason VII. Bulls 6, 7, 8. Because the Resolutions of Nov. 26 successively declare (with modifications, indeed, but such as are absolutely nu- gatory,) that though the distribution of the Bible is an evil, the resolvers wish to see a copy in the hands of every fanaily in the parish : — that such family, however, must express the very desire, (viz. of hav- ing a copy of the Bible) which the Vestry Resolu- tions are calculated to repress; — that if the desire be expressed it ought not to be complied with, un- less, it can be foreseen how compliance with it will operate, i, e. unless it be known, before the poor have the Bible, how they will understand it*; and * This condition attached by the Vestry to the distribution of the Bible is of itself a strong presumption that the Resolu- tion containing it was drawn up by Patrick O'Flanaghan, for it is substantially and almost verbally the same as a Resolution of the Council of Trent. It is here given on authority that the Vestri/ will hold unexceptionable. *' The fourth rule of the Index o^ prohibited booh, com- " posed upon the command and auspice of the Council of " Trent, and published by the authority of Pius the fourth, " Sixtus the fifth, and Clement the eighth, runs thus. — Since ** 'tis manifest by experience that if the Holy Bible be sitffered ** proynixcuously in the vulgar tongue, such is the temerity of " men, that greater detriment than advantage will thence arise ; " in this matter let the judgment of the bishop or inquisitor be *' stood to : that with the advice of the curate or confessor, " they may give leave for the reading of the Bible in the vul- " gar tongue, translated by Catholics, to such as they hnovi. " xmll not receive damage, but increase of faith and piety •* thereby. Which faculty they shall have in writing; aud 25(5 that the ***** and clergy have long been in th^ habit oi freely distributing the Bible (a side reaso'rt for the non-necessity of any increased distributiort of it,) but yet that the Vestry " are anxious pub- ** licly to express their readiness to co-operate with ** their Vicar for the fullest attainment of his wishes, ** in the furtherance of so desirable an object." This exposition of Irishisms and Romanisms will, it is presumed, satisfy the parish that Patrick O'Flanaghan is the primum mobile of the oppo- sition to the proposed Auxiliary Bible Society ; but whoever he be, he also is commended to the care of Mr. JVarburton, N. B. Should Patrick O'Flanaghan come forth again in aid of the Vestry, he will perhaps give his opinion on the following case of Conscience. A clergyman feels himself bound to submit to the wishes of his Diocesan : his Diocesan opposes the Bible Society and he opposes it ; but his Diocesan dies, and the see is filled by a warm friend of the Bible Society : here is the dilemma ; how shall the' said clergyman act? shall he be consistent in obe- dience and thereby inconsistent in conduct ? *' whosoever without such faculty shall presume to have or t© " read the Bible, he shall not, till he have delivered it up, re- ** ceive absolution of his sins.'* — Author of the Whole Duty of Man. Lively Oracles, 8vo. 1696, p. 190. 25)' XII. PARISH OF ST. JOHN AT HACKNEY. At a Meeting of a Select Committee of the Society of Bigotry-arians^ held the \^th of December, 181^, " ^i Letter directed to the Chairman^ and " laid before the CommitteCj was taken into Con- " sideration — qfxvhich the folloiving is a Copy — " (i. e. of the Consideration.) siii, *' Where ignorance is blisSj 'tis folly to " be wise." Tiiis is, as you well know, the motto of our Society. " Though not a" Select Cotn- niittee-man " myself, I have seen in the hands of *' one of the" Committee the Resolutions of your last ]\Ieeting of the 7th of December, " and hear- " tily concurring therein," " I beg to tender, in " fuvtherance of the parociiial plans" of your wor- thy Vicar and your pious Doctor *, 100 copies of the Athanasian Creed, neatly printed on foolscap paper. * This gentleman is from the nature of his profession de- nomin£ited a M** Doctor — he has the care of the minds of the Vicar's flock, — \\\q Vicar himself takes care of their ales can hear this without disgust and horror ; this alone might supersede all further testimony of the banefai operation «f the Bible Society. • 1 Pet. iii. 1. at home and abroad, of one of the chief' Means provided by Infinite Wisdom, for securing " Glory *' to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good- " will towards men." beautiful delineation of the female character in the 31st chap- ter of Proverbs all the perfections celebrated are of a domestic nature. Amongst the lessons which St. Paul gave it in charge to Titus to enjoin the teaching of the Women subject to his Spiritual jurisdiction, that they should be " keepers at home *,'* is specifically mentioned : and to the Corinthian women he is- sues this injunction himself, that if there be any thing which they are desirous to learn they must ask their husbands theref. A perfect knowledge of the female character and of its cha- racteristic infirmities doubtless suggested this restriction. These are inseparable from those qualities which constitute its amia- biUty, and give it that sway which the Apostle celebrates as the mean by which it imparts, within its own orbit, such pre- eminent blessings to Society ; but they lay it very open to the intrigues of sophisters of every description, and there- fore to the danger of becoming the victim of delusion, if that reserve which is at once its ornament and its security be thrown off. The passages of History cited above are a very admonitory accumulation of evidence demonstrative of this. And if any thing can be added to the impression which they are calculated to produce, it will be acquired by the perusal of Pro- fessor Robison's affectionate address to his Countrywomen, in his Proofs of a Conspiracy, from p. 24'3, to p. 271, which is earnestly recommended to those Ladies who frequent Auxiliary Meetings for their attentive consideration. • Titui ii. 5, ft Cor. xiv. 35. 27^ That an object such as this should have roused the jealousy, and have been pursued by the direct opposition of Christians, cannot but be a matter of general regret — that any of their immediate neighbours should be found in the ranks of such adversaries, is to the Committee a source of perso-. nal concern. They cannot discover what there is in the proposal to disseminate the pure word of God, by whomsoever made, which can merit such obstruction ; but, remembering that the motives of those who promote, and of those who hinder the measure, must be disclosed and judged in the day on which " the fire shall try every man's work of *' what sort it is," — to that decision the Committee refer the question of good and evil, as to motive and end, between themselves and their opponents. That " day shall declare it." In the mean time, the Members of the Auxiliary Society will feel it their duty to pursue the labours which they have undertaken, knowing that " a " great door and effectual is opened unto them," for doing good, did their views extend no farther than to supply the deplorable lack of the Sacred Scriptures, proved by an actual enquiry to exist among the poorer inhabitants of the district'', *• Upon the probability of this imputed deficiency of the Scriptures, see the Vicar's Letter, App. No. 3. p. 138. for 277 And while they dispense the Holy Scriptures ONLY, without Note or Conmioitj if others are moved to distribute the Liturgy of the Established Church, and other Books, tending to make men wise unto Salvation, they will give God thanks and bid such fellow-workers God-speed. " The " Harvest truly is great, may the Lord of the' " Harvest send forth labourers into his Harvest." Let it be observed, however, that the Hackney ; and Newington Auxiliary Society will not overlook the important object of aiding, by its funds, the Parent-Society in its noble efforts to communicate the Word of Life to their poor and ignorant fellow- men in other countries: for in so beneficent an endeavour, what Christian would not wish to have a part ! Such is the object which the Provisional Com- mittee of the Hackney and Newington Auxiliary Bible Society present to the judgment and tieelings of the respectable Inhabitants of the district, di- rected, as it is hoped they will be in considering it, by the principles of the religion of Him, who came " to seek and to save that which is lost." The Inhabitants of the British Isles, with a zeal and a few specimens of the accuracy with which the enquiry was conducted, see Letter 6, Note g. ^78 harmony hitherto unexampled % have espoused the design of uniting their best energies in spreading * That a committee composed of men of character and re-= Bpectability should boast of " the unexampled harmony with *' which the inhabitants of the British Isles have espoused ** a design," which has notoriously fomented division in every part of the kingdom into which its advocates have forced it, can only be accounted for by this circumstance, that the address is an anonymous publication, for the alle-f gations contained in which none of the members deem them- selves individually responsible. In this respect the hortar tpry productions of the Bible Society ^e ^ remarkably de- fective. And they have high authority for overlooking that which squeamish novices revolt at. In Leslie's Rehear- sals, No. 5, the secret is disclosed. Never to matter truth or falsehood, he tells us, was the constant rule from forty-one, downward. But his Countryman objects : — ** The " rogues will be disproving our Ues^ what shall we do then ? Psha, man, replies Observator, thou art an oaf Thou art not half learned in our mystery, Disprove quotha ! what signifies that ? repeat the same lie over and ovgr again, and with ten tinics more assurance. Never heed ansivering, who minds answers'? 'Tis the weakest side that answers, they are the defendants, and it is the attacking party carries it t^n to one," The last production pf the l^ible Society, the Oxford Address, shews that they go all the length to which this precedent carries tb<.^ra, for they have there repeated the lie with tenfold assurance. How they must laugh in their pleeves as the United Irishinnen did at the Aristocrats!!.' (Irish Report, App. No. IV») In the University of Oxford^ within three weeks after public declaration has been made with exulting confidence at Q,j^ Auxiliary Anniversary, at, Hertford, (see Lette? 6, Npte g.) that the project w^iclx. 3 279 the Word of God throughout tiic world — in every part of them the friends of Revelation " ofter them- '' selves willindv" — and shall it be said to thos6 who dwell in the district of Hackney and Newington, '' Why came ye iiot up to the heli) of the Lord, to " the help of the Lord against the mighty*^?" the Bible Society has in hand ** will overtljrow the Church ** Establishment ;" they have succeeded in apparently/ per- suading some Heads of Houses and Professors, " that this ** same project will tend, more than any other, to its sta- *' hility and honour." What it will really tend to, the Querela Cantabrigiensis, which forms a part of the Mercurius Kusticus, experimentally points out, which is therefore ear- nestly recommended to these gentlemen's consideration. They will there see that the Puritans made it as much a point as the Bible Society have done, to gain possession of an University as " the Rendesvouz of their Association.'* They will see moreover the motive specified for the anxiety which has been displayed for the attainment of this object ; that " the countenance and authority which the sacred name of an University being listed their s'' would give them, was a species of support which " these subtle engineers of the great pretended work of Reformation felt that they stood, at that time, very much in need of;" and lastly, they will see the requital of these sei-vices, '* what prophanutions, violences, outrages, and wrongs, the chapels, colleges, and. the persons of the members sustained," from which even protections from the Parliament and the General could not? deliver them. ' • "'^ ^ There is no comparison between the injury which Reve- lation sustains from the sneers and blasphemous innuendoes of the infidel, and the sanctimonious misapplication of its sacred 280 passages by those who affect a zeal for religion ; for the baneful influence of the one will only operate upon minds at best in a state of neutrality as to spiritual matters : whilst the truly pious are too frequently seduced by the imposing plausibility of the other. In this latter respect the Bible Society has incurred fearful responsibility, for in the rppOrt of speeches at its Auxiliary Meetings, there is more of this " deceitful handling of the Word of God;'* more of this alledging that *' the Lord hath said, when the Lord hath '>* not sppken,'* more of this embodying of self-applause and railing accusation in sacred phraseology, and in the pro- phetical promises and denunciation of Scripture, than has disgraced the religion of the cQuntry since the days of Puritanism *. * Wood, in his Athens, sa3's of John Owen, " the Achltophel of " Cromwell," that he had a vvonderful knack of entitling all the pro- ceedings of his own party, however villainous and inhuman, to an especial Providence, to the plainly legible conduct of Heaven, which he zealously preached up as suiBcient to overturn all the obligations of conscience and religion. He could easily make the transactions of the three kingnoms to be the fulfilling of many old prophetical predictions, still teaching (as most of the biethren did), that, to pursue a success in villainy and rebellion, was to follow the guidance of providential (Jispensations. Of this John Owen, ij: is reported by Wood, that he rung all the changes of the times, beijig originally a Clergyman of the Church of England — hen a Presbyterian, when that faction gained the ascen- dancy } and, lastly, an Ir.dependent, upon perceiving them about to prevail ; that he viola' ed all oaths, first that of Canonical obedience, then the Solemn League and Covenant ; and being a man of parts, and capable of moving and winning the affections of his admiring auditory almost as he pleased, he was enabled to do greater mischief, especially jp preaching up Sectarism, as he did ever and anon, wherever he came. Athens, Vol. II. p. 737—741. 28 J Of this a more aggravated iustance cannot be produced, than the citation which has called forth this remai-k ; for it is not extemporaneously accomnjodated to the subject in hand; jn thephrenzy of Auxiliary declamation, but it is the cool an4 deliberate prophanatiou of a (Jouimittee. .■ That a severer reprehension is not passed than the pros-» titution "^arrantSj we njay appeal to the passage itself, and subr mit it to the judgment of every spber-miaded man. It is the inspired rebuke of the Prophetess Deborah to the in- habitants of Meroz, for not joining the armies of IsraeJ, when they were divinely summoned to embody themselves against Jabin, king of Canaan, who had pijghtily oppressed them twenty years *. He and his captain Sisera are " the mighty'* against whom they are reproached with refusing to come up ; s^nd this aggravation of the offence that " they came not up *' to the help of the Lord" is charged upon them, because the Lord had signified that the battle tpcs His, in reply to their cries unto him for deliverance. The insinuations then conveyed by the adoption of this passage are in the first place, that the cause of the Bible Society is beyond all controversy the cause of God ; secondly, tl)^t those who withstand its progress, are actuated by the sanje spirit of enmity against Hini as rankled in the hearts of Jabin and Sisera, the oppressors of his antient people ; and lastly, that all who do not enter into the Holy League and Covenant which it is in the act of forming, have an account to render why " they came not up to the Ijelp of the Lord " against the mighty." This proclamation is made to the in- habitants of Hackney and Newington, and thus the Posse Comitatus of these two parishes is attempted to be raised against the Clergy who have unanimously discountenanced the measure, and against the principal inhabitants, Mem- n — : — T. ' ' — • « Judges Y- «3. C82 bers of the Church of England, who have fe^tptessed their confidence in their respective Pastors, by concurring with them in withstanding it. The Public should be informed that this is another cha« racteristic mark testifying to what generation the advocates of the Bible Society belong ; for this passage of Scripture is not now for the first time employed to excite odium against the Church, and those who continue faithful in their attach- ment to it; but was produced and descanted upon for the same purpose in 1641 by that " great incendiary and *' Archflamen" (as Clarendon describes him) of the Puri- tanical rebellion Stephen Marshall, who, as Walker, himself a Presbyterian and (till made to eat the fruit of his own de- vices) an accomplice, testifies, in his Plistory of Independency, *♦ so long cursed Meroz and neutrality, that he brought *' God's curse upon the land, and put Church and Common. ** wealth into a flame, at which he and his brats warmed *' their fingers *." Nor was he the only one chargeable with this prophanation, for it is upon record that *' the Re- bellious Preachers in general were wont to sound it as a common topic in the ears of the people, to make them ima- gine that they should fall under a grievous curse, if they, as many at least as were fit to make soldiers, did not list into the Parliament Army, to fight, what these hypocritical Re- bels called, the Lord's battles against the mighty ; viz. against the King and his friends." And the Scots, (in their decla- ration, Aug. 10, IG-iS, concerning their expedition into England) make a solemn appeal to Heaven to be saved from the Curse of Meroz ; broadly insinuating that their coming to the succour of the English Rebels was the fulfilment of that religious duty, for their neglect of which the inhabitants of Meroz incurred so tremendous an imprecation. * Walker's History of Independency, 4to. 1661, Part I. p. 80. £83 Th? Editor hqs hqw before him Marsliall's Discourse upoa tliis passage, which, excepting its? perversion, in the pomt; 3l;ovuvt\y Thtcphilanthrepic ^ bwt may have hadan eye to that reciprocity of good offices by which, oaVA- •»/ going in the hast out of their ivay, the Bible Society might make him full remuneration. Indeed all this appeared so obvious to Mr. Nolan that, befiore the interesting intelligence tranjipired, he had ven- tured to predict that at no great distance of time the Society might ex- pect not merely " Patronage," but a subsidy from Buonaparte. H&' doubts however *' whether government can in prudence or with safety *• to itself tolerate- this alliance," and perhaps when the reasons oft> which his doubts are founded have been weighed, other persons will. %8corae equally sceptical* See Objections gf a Churchmany p. 4?— 44i 7 291 T^ho in a speech of well-defined liberality, proved the correctness of the constitution of the Bible Society, and the expediency and utility of a Local Auxiliary Institution. C. Townley, L.L.D.' moved the cordial thanks of the Meeting to the most Noble the Marquis of Downshire, for his patronage and support, in ac- cepting the office of President. Dr. T. introduced his motion with many happy allusions to the strength teer. It is no feflectioil upon Mr. Freshfield to state that ex- emplary as he is at present . in his attendance upon the pubHc service of the Church of England, the Editor has been as- sured that when he became a parishioner of Hackney he was equally exemplary in his attendance at an old and respectable Independent Meeting (Mr. Palmer's,) in St. Thomas's-square, as he had previously been at Mr. Toll's Meeting, in London Wall. Whether it be true or not, may not be matter of much importance ; but if it be true, as from the particularity of the information there would seem little reason to doubt, it may perhaps account for Mr. Freshfield's still appearing inadver- tently to retain the principles of Independency in Church matters, and upon these, which, whether right or wrong, are obviously not the principles of the Church of England, to justify the support which he has given to the Hackney Auxi- liary Society. See Letter 6, Note b. together with the pas- sage upon which it animadverts. See moreover Leslie's illus- tration of Church and Dissenting principles, p. 2H. of the foregoing statement. * This learned Civilian belongs to the Newington division ©f the Auxiliary district, having been an ipmate with his u 2 afxl mnty of the Parent Society. A letter vvj?.5 tii«;n read from the ]\larquis, expressing his warm brother who resided till lately upon the Newington road, and was in preparation at the " Hoxton Independent " Academy," for becoming a teacher in that connection *. * The public cannot be move efitctiially introduced to the know^- ledge of Dr. Townley,- than by the t'oilowing paragraph, extracted from the Morning Chronicle of Wednc'^day, August 11, 1813. " A correspondent at Margate observes, arhong- the n?ultitudinou9 anTusements and occupauons which engage the visitors to this gay place,; every thing has given way to the astonishment excited by a project for a» entertainment at the Gardens at Dandelion. Every person, who for the last 20 years has visited the Tsle of Thanet, remembers the gaietyi^ the festivity, the l^ospitaiity bf Townley-House, its balls, suppers, card- jTavtieSj prom'enades. All this has passed away. Two of Mrs. Town*- ley's sons (leaving Doctors' Commons) are become preachers, and in. addition to their regular and licensed labours, proposed to give Theolo- gical Lectures at Dandelion on Friday last. Their intention was an- nounced by advertisements and hand-bills, with the name of the Prince Regent as Patron, the Countesses of Dartmouth and Darnley as Pa- tronesses, the Earl of Liverpool as President, with those of Lord Hen- niker, and other highly respectabfe persons as Vice-Presidents of the General oea-Bathing Infirmary, for the benefit of which Institution the profits were to be applied. The Gardens were to be opened at twelve o'clock, at Is. 6d. and children 6d. ; and at one o'clock Dissertations were to be delivered on the Millennium. 1st. Its Certainty, by the Rev. Chi^rles Townley, LL.D. 2 J. Its Natur«, — Rev. Henry Townley. 3d. Its Approach^— Rev. Charles Maslen, of Hertford.'' (^hi/ ggntlemun is pint Secretary -zvith Mr. Dcaltry cf the Hertford Auxiliary Bible Scciety.) ** Some ol the nejgKbounng Magistrates, who have always been sanono- the nfost zealous h lends and sujiporters of that most excellenJ •stabllshment, signified/t?iei9 Uisapprobation of this very objectionahie project, RuU it v/as in «onsequence ab^tfidened , It is unnetfussary ta .ft&ncHM'ence in the motiyes of the proposed Socbtjt, ■accompanied with a donation of JO guineas. Dr. Townley was seconded by the Rev. J. Clayton \ in an eloquent address to the Of .the noble Marquis, v.lioni he 'proposed as President, his to the pucpose to observe, that the only interest whjch he has in the parish of Hackney is about five yards square in the old ■church-yard, the burying place of Sir Thon?as Rowe, whicji has descended as an heir-loom to him. ^ This gentlemen is residetvt in HaclcRey, and is registered in the Evangelical diary of the i)resent year, as teacher of the Dissentiu": Meetin;j-atfc ■on the following evenins-," 294 refiection and sense of every denomination of Chris-^ tians. The Rev. T. Burnet^ shewed the inconsistency 2 Upon this young man, a Clergyman of the Church of England, resident in Kackney, and performing the duty of one of the Churches in London, the Editor forbears to make any observation ; for though once unwarily betrayed into offi- ciating in an unlicensed place of Public Worship, he took the earliest opportunity of relinquishing the connection, and since that noble sacrifice of interest to principle has had, the Editor verily believes, many difficulties to contend Avith. With respect to the Vice-Presitlents proposed by him, Mr. Baron Graham is a considerable landed proprietor, but not an inhabitant in the parish, and too much occupied in the duties of his public station to be conversant with its concerns. Whatever authority may have beea obtained for the use of his name, it is not sanctioned by any pecuniary contribution. The two gentlemen next in order are the two County Members, v/ho, from the constant recurrence of their names amongst the aristocracy of all the Auxiliary Societies of Middlesex, may be considered as Vice-Presidents ex officio. To the latter of them, the concluding remark upoa the learned Baron is also applicable. The next Vice-Pre» sident, S. Tyssen, Esq. is a considerable landed proprietor in the parish, but resides at Narborough-Hall, in Norfolk. To obtain his consent to the use made of his name, the measure was represented to him as having the actual sup- port of the respectable inhabitants, amongst whom he natu- ^rally felt satisfied, that ** the Vicar of the parish," as well as the principal gentlemen resident in it, were included, and under this impression he accepted the proffered dignity. ©f Churchmen in opposing the Bible Society ; smi read some very approprig-te quotations from tha Honailies of the Church. He moved the nominal • tion of Vice-Presidents ; vi;5. The Hon. Mr. ^aron Graham, W. Mellish, Esq. JVI.P- George Byng, Esq. M.P. Samuel Tyssen, Esq* Lord of the MancM" o/ Hackoey, W- Wjillan, Esq, Hav«ig obt^ced his name, to render it more ernamental. Lord of the Manor was gratuitously appended to k : his rer spectable patronage however was enjoyed but a short time, for no soaner was he made acquainted with the deceit which had been put upon him, than he directed it to be expunged,, and he fortunately received the intelligence at the nick of 'time when he was about to remit his subscription. The Manor of Brondeswpod, of which Mr. "VVillan, the next Vice-President, a gentleman resident at a distance in the country, is described as the Lord, (not within the district as defined by the Chairman) is a Corps of one of the Pre? bends of St. Paul's, and he is the Lessee of it. To give him precedence before the venerable Mr. Boddington merely because Lord of a Manor could thus be annexed to his name, extorts the reflection, what importance must the Sor eiety attach to titles, ^hen it goes so far out of its way, and so violates decorum, to make the most of the decoration! Of the other Vice-Presidents, four have been already desig- nated : of the remaining four, all gentlemen of high respectr ability, three are Dissenters of different denominations, and the other, though of late years an attendant upon the worship of the Church of England, formerly belonged to Mr. Pahner's tCODgregation. 295 Lord of the Manor of Brondesvvood, T. Boddingr ton, Esq. T. F. Forster, Esq. E. Forster, Esq, J. W. Freshfield, Esq. James Heygate, Senior, Esq. J. Smith, Esq. J. Stonard, Esq. and Charles Town- ley, Esq. LL.D. • The Rev. G. Hodgkins ^ followed, and dwelt on the many claims \yhich the Bible Society had on the support of all pious men. Mr. Heygate, Junior, thanked the Meeting ir^ the name of his father, for the honour they had conferred on his name, by selecting him as a Vice- President. Mr. Stonard also expressed his sense of the per- sonal respect paid to him in like manner. Mr. Lefroy' spoke with much taste on the ** This gentlecaen is the Teacher of the Independent; Meeting at Newington ; for what reason the Editor does not; know, neither his name nor the place of worship at which he officiates is registered in the Evangelical diary. * This gentleman is not of the district, but is a part of ** the overflow from the vicinity," that is from Doughty- street, near the Foundling Hospital ; his enthusiasm in the cause has long been conspicuous, and the correspondence lately published of Mr. Blair and himself, with Bishop iPoynter and Mr, Gandolphy, &c. and animadverted upon p. 237 — 244. has given indelible celebrity to his name. Un- 297 general grandeur of Christianity, and moved for W. Alcrs, Esq. to be appointed Treasurer. The Rev. H. F. Burder'' seconded the motion in a speech of great neatness and piety. The Rev. INfr. Cox^ then moved, that the Rev. T. Burnet, Rev. Dr. Smith, and Mr. Wenham, Junior, be appointed Secretaries, and signified his approbation of tlie whole plan of the Bible Socictv, -less the Editor has been misinformed (and he received his in- formation from several persons on the day of the Meeting) the promptitude of the Chairman to suppress all sounds merely ominous of discordancy had nearly stifled in limine " his tasty " representation of the general grandeur of Christianity,'' (as his panegyrist describes it) its introductory sentence contain- ing some apparently inharmonious expressions by which a prejudice against it was excited. ^ This gentleman is registered in the Evangelical diary as joint Teacher of the old Independent Meeting in St. Thomas's Square. ^ This gentleman is registered in the same repository aa the Teacher of the new Baptist Meeting in Mare-street. Of the Secretaries nominated by him, the first has been made mention of before ; the second was till lately the respectable Head of the old Protestant Dissenters' Academy in Homer- ton, and now officiates at the Meeting in connection with it in what is called Hackney Gravel Pit : the third, upon the best information which the Editor can obtain, now attends thtt ttew Meeting, in Clapton. £5« in terms of persuasive elfect and animated candour. He was followed by E. Forster, Esq. who, with polite commendation, bore testimony to the abilities and active benevo- lence of the proposed Secretaries. The sixth mo- tion was brought forward by the Eev. Dr. Smith. In a short, but sensible address, he moved Ihe for- mation of the Committee. To second his motion, the Rev. T. Sheppard " came forward, and spoke ^ This gentleman is registered in the Evangelical Diary, as the " reputed preacher of the Gospel,'* at Stoke Newing- ton Church, which appears by this Sectarian Chronicle only to enjoy the privilege in the afternoon of Sunday, though the irenerable Rector, Dr. Gaskin, officiates there in the morning. The Committee nominated by Mr. Sheppard are as/ollowst William Allen. William Baxter. Daniel Britten, sen. John Cowie. Joseph Goodheart. George Gaviller. George Greaves, sen, George Greaves, jun. Stephen Hope, William Hale. Benjamin Hutlon. Samuel Jackson, T. H, Jackson. William Kent. Jabez Legg. Joseph Luck. Thomas Marshall. Thomas Ramsay. Thomas SaviU. William Slark. John Surgey. Richard Stubbs. John Usborn. Joseph Williams, sen, Joseph Williams, juif. James Young. With power ta add to their number not exceeding twenty other inhabitants. ^P9 with great animation and effect. The Rev. S. Pal- mer", with a happy allusion to the peaceful demean- our and tendency of Auxiliary Bible Societies, moved the thanks of the Meeting to tlie Provisional Committee. He was seconded by the Rev. J. Hill", who expressed himself on the general subject with much Christian liberality. In the name of the Provisional CommitteCj thanks were returned to Of these gentlemen at the utmost only four are in pastoral ^connection with the Parochial Clergy, either of Hackney or Newington, and it is believed that two of these were overper- fiuaded by importunity ; and most certainly, according to the printed statement, they have not sanctioned by any pecuniary contribution the use made of their names. It should seem therefore, that a fundamental rule of the Parent Society spe- cifically adopted into the Hackney Au>:iliary Code, which requires that haW the Committee should be members of the Church of England, whilst it has been thus publicly recog- nized, has been virtually set at nought, " This gentleman has for many years had tlie charge of the old Independent Meeting, in St. Thomas*s Square ; and has so reputably and so peaceably filled that station, that the Editor, as one of the Parochial Clergy, is truly con- cerned, that the line of conduct, which, in connection with the Vicar and his other Curates, he felt it his duty to pursue, should have excited him to alter his resolution, and to take part in a measure from which, as in his opinion unnecessaiy, he at first withheld his concurrence. • This gentlemen is assistant to Dr. Smith, at the Grarel Pit Meeting. sm Mr. Young''. This gentleman spoke with waiti-ith on the dull inactivity of many professing Christianity in promoting good designs. The Rev, C. W. Le Bas '^ descanted with mucli eloquent demonstration on the incoherence and absurdity of most of the objections insidiously cast against the Bible Society. He concluded, by moving the thanks of the iMeetin^ to the Secretaries of the Parent Society, for theii- attendance and services. .f This gentleman is an attendant at t'he New Socinian Meeting. ^ This gentleman, being the Rector of Shadwell, must be assigned over to the complement furnished from " the ** Vicinity.** His presence at the JNleeting undoubted hy- Tcflected a credrt upon it which (as far as the Churcii of Enjrland is concerned) it received from no other individual : for Mr; Le Bas is a clergyman of high Tespectability. It is therefore much to be regretted, that he was not aware that the Parochial Clergy of Hackney were onanimous in most conscientiously disapproving of the measure, and that the Vicar and the Vestry had both publicly protested against it, as in their judgment cakulated to increase the evils ef division, without answering any beneficial purpose, for the effecting of which obvious and ample means were not already provided. It is known to the Editor, that had he been ap- prized of this, no consideration would have induced him so far to forget that deference which is due from one clergyman to another within their respective parishes, as to have tres- passed within the limits of their charge to give it his sun- port. This was seconded by tlie Rev. T. Jones ', of Plorrt* sey, who gave his cordial support to the business of the day. In the name of the Secretaries, the Rev. J. Owen ' returned thanks. He expatiated, in his usual flow of Christian ardour and eloquence, on tlie unlimited good resulting from such Societies as w ere now forming in all countries on the plan of the ^ This gentleman is stated to be '• From Hornsey." He was once just about to be of St. George the Martyr, Queen's Square, but the Rector put a hasty termination to that engage- ment, because in a Charity Sermon delivered in that Church, he was pleased to edify the congregation with tl\e folLewing sen- timents, '* that a person who should charge Mr. Lancaster with. " personal or party views would have charged Christ himself ** with being interested," that '* Mr. Lancaster's selfishness^ " if he was accused of any, was the selfishness, he had almost *' said, of Divinity," ami that '* in the estimation of Christ, " the King's patronising Mr^ L. was the brightest jewel in " his crown." Tliis hard measure produced a violent Philip- pic against the Rector ia the shape of a Letter on Ecclesias- tical Liberty, printed for Gale and ^ Curtis, Paternoster-row, 1812, in which the above sentiments are recorded, p. 42, 43= ' The name of Mr. Owen is become his sufficient designa- tion. There is however one other circumstance respecting hiiu in addition to the few interesting particulars occasionally de- tailed in the course of the preceding pages, Vi'hich perhaps the members of the Church of England are not generally apprized of, and which it is not unimportant for them to know, and that is, that his connection with Fulham Church has procured it the honour of being registered in the Evangelical Diary as one 302 British and Foreign Bible Society; and congrata- lated the district on containing so many liberal, of those " churches * in which the Gospel is reputed to be •' preached in the afternoon" when it states Mr. O. to occupy the pulpit : the morning being left in blank as a tacit compli- ment to the Bishop of the Diocese, who frequently preaches, and to his Chaplain Mr. Wood the present zealous and learned Rector. In his peroration he is reported to have ** adverted •* in a strain of dignified rebuke," (i. e. as one of his audience informed the Editor, in great agitation and wrath,) on son>e printed animadversions in which his name had been brought forward f ; and most certainly if he could " advert " to the purpose upon these animadversions, i. e. could shew that they " had the merit," (as Mr. Freshfield ventures to affirm) " of *' commenting upon sentiments which were never uttered by " him," the dignified rebuke would have well become him, and the expenditure of animal spirits would have been turned to excellent account ; for the animadversions make rather an awk- ward disclosure of what spirit he is, and whither his zeal might Iember of this Association subscribe not- less than one penny a week : the contributions to be payable quarterly, monthly, or weekly, at the option of the subscriber. HI. Tliat the Committee shall appoint a gratuitous Collec- tor to receive the contributions, who shall pay the same to im Treasurer on the first of January, April, July, and Octobei*, re- epectively. Y 2 o ■2-^ The Parochial Papers now follow in their order^ in which all the defects of this first essay are abun- IV. That a Treasurer, Secretary, and Committee, consisting ©f eight, be chosen from among the Subscribers annually. V. That the Committee meet every second Monday in the month, at eight o'clock in the evening precisely ; and that three ijhali form a quorum, VI. That every Subscriber have the privilege of presenting- any family or individual in wani of a Bible or TestameiTt,^ to tlie Committee. VII. The whole of the funds of this Association, whether arising from subscriptions, donations, or the sale of Bibles or Testaments, at prime cost, or reduced prices, shall, from time to time,be expended in thepurcliase of Bibles and Testaments,, to be given or sold among the poor of this neighbourhood, un- til they shall be adequately supplied with the Holy Scriptures *. in which case, the amount of future subscriptions and donations shall be remitted to tlie British and Foreign Bible Society,y in. aid nf its benevolent designs. VIII. That application be made by the Committee to the Committee of the British and Foreign Bible Societi/y for per- mission to lay out the funds of this Association iupurchasing at the Depository of the said Society, Bibles and Testanaents at the cost prices. IX. That a General Meeting of the Subsci-ibers be held an- nually, at the Society House, the second Monday in April : when the accounts shall be presented, the proceedings of the past year reported, and a Treasurer, Secretary, and eight Com-» j»ittee-men appointed. X. That Mr. Thomas Baelance, be Treasurer; Mr. John Meek, Secretary; 3S5 dantly supplied, and the scheme is exhibited in per- fection. And Mcssi-s. Charles Penny, Thomas Clarke, John Prince, Geo. Goodluck, Messrs. Ulchard Green, John Millie^ James Grinaway, William Bonner, Members of-the Committee, for the year ensuing *. XI. That subscriptions and donations be now entered into ; and that they be also received by the Treasurer, Secretary, and the Members of the Committee. Apy person disposed to forward the views of this Institution, may do so by applying at the place of meeting ; and at any of the uuder mentioned places, where books are kept for the purpose of taking such persons names down, Mr. Thos. Ballance, Treas. 37, Steward-street, Spital-fieWs. Mr. John Meek, Secretary, 4, Swan-yard, Shoreditch. Mr. Millie, 1, Crab-tree-row, Hackney road. Mr. Goodluck, Hoxton Town. Jtfr. Richard Green, 1 4, Long-alley, Moorfields. Mr. John Fox, 93, Bethnal-Green-road. Mr. William Bonner, Hope Townu * The parties concerned in this Association are chiefly journeymen weavers. The Treasurer being a master manufacturer of that frater- inity; the Chairman is a chimney-sweeper and old rag- merchant, and the only other raen?ber of the Committee yet undesignated is a dealer in old ^cloaths. D'z £6 XVI. Appeal to Mechanics, Labourers, and others, re- specting Bible Associations. " 77?^ 'KorJcmcn ivrotighf, and the ivorJc 'coas perfected by thein^ a7id they set the house of God in his state, and strengthened it J* —2 Chron. xxiv. 13. THE British and Foreign Bible Society is a treasury, open to receive not only the gifts of the rich, but the mites of the poor. The widow of old, who of her want threw all that she had into the of- ferings of God, M'as said by our Saviour himself to have cast in more than all they that of their abund- ance had cast in much. Who then shall say, " I jam too poor to contribute any thing of value to so amazing a work as the publication of the Scriptures in every language, among every people under hea- ven ?" — God sees the heart of every man, and judges its thoughts : he watches the motions of every hand, and records its deeds. If the heart be right towards him, the deeds of the hand, however few and small, will be accepted and sanctified. It is therefore right that the poor should lend unto the Lord, by bestow- ing on those who are poorer than themselves, that Book which may enrich them for ever. 327 It is right : — is it not more tlian right ? — Is it not iiecessnri/, that every one, according to his abihty, should minister in the service of God, the Author of all the good he ever had, or has, or hopes to have ? Under the Law none approached the altar without a gift; the gifts were indeed proportioned to the circumstances of the parties j but eve?'!/ one zcas re- quired to bring a gift. Oxen, and sheep, and goats were sacrificed by those who could afford tiiem ; but the most needy were not exempted from making some oblation. Have you not heard of a mother, who came to present her first-born Son in the temple of God ? Too poor to furnish a lamb, she brought only a pair of doves for an atonement, —yet shall all generations call /zer blessed ^ — and that Son, whom at his birth she laid in a manger, was the Lord from heaven, O how did God ho- nour poverty here? And how does he still honour poverty, by receiving and recompensing its meanest offerings ! " Whosoever shall give you a cup of cold water to drink, in my name, verily he shall not lose his reward." So said our Saviour concernins the gift of tha poor to the poor- — a Cup of cold wa- ter to one of his disciples. Who then shall say, " It is not necessary lor me to pinch anything out of my pittance to relieve the wants of others ?" Does our Saviour bless a cup of cold water, given for his sake, and hast thou not a cup to spare for thy bro- ther, who is perishing for thirst ? — When there was 328 a sore famine in Israel, God sent his prophet to ask bread of a poor widow, who had but a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse, and who was gathering two sticks, as she said, to dress it for her- self and her son before they died of want. You know the story : she made a cake for the prophet first, — and did she repent of her generosity ? No : none ever trusted in the Lord in vain. But is \i practicable for the poor to contribute ef- fectually to the purposes of the Bible Society ? Re- member the saying of the Lord Jesus, — '' It ismore blessed to give than to receive,'" What, then : is the greater blessing reserved for the rich alone, and can the poor only enjoy the lesser? — God forbid; the whole tenor of Scripture contradicts the supposition, that there is one higher blessing promised in any pas- sage of it to the rich than to the poor. The poor therefore may give as well as receive, they may pos- sess the greater as well as the lesser blessing. A labouring njan, who can just support his family, may well afford a penny a week to a Bible Association, •which will enable him, at the year's end, to be the benefactor of a man poorer than himself, by present- ing him with a gift more precious than all the trea- sures of the earth. If it be thus blessed to receive a Bible, how much more to give one ! The poor are as deeply interested in the success 329 of the Bible Society as any other class of people ; r—and in the promotion of this great work, perhaps even THEY CAN DO MORE THAN THE RICH. How ? — A penny a week subscribed by every poor person in this kingdom, who really could afford it out of his earnings without hurting his family ; — for how little food can a penny purchase ! —would exceed, on a very moderate calculation, half a million annually. And who can 7iot afford a penny a week for such a noble end ? Those only who are in the lowest state of famine, wretchedness, and disease : — among all others, wher^ever there is a willitig heart there is an able hand. On these we call, not to confer an obligation upon the Bible So- ciety, but to partake of its benefits by sharing its la- bour of love. We call upon them to e.vercise a right, diwd to enjoy a privilege, which belongs as well to them as to the rich. All that have may give, whether of their want or their abundance, and all may prove that it is more blessed to give than to re- ceive. When our Saviour opened his mission on earth, he read to his audience, from the prophecy of Isaiah, — " The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, be- cause the Lord hath anointed me to preach the Gos- pel to the poor." And who was this Preacher? Our Lord Jesus Christ, " who though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, that we through 530 his poverty might be made rich." — And whom did he afterwards send to preach this Gospel to every creature ? Poor fishermen, and others in the hum- blest ranks of life. Thus, in its commencement, was the. Gospel preached not only to the poor, but hy the poor, herein shewing its excellency above the philosophy of the heathen, which was confined to the learned, the rich, and the great, the common, people being overlooked and despised as a profane herd. To you then, ye Poor, is this Gospel sent ; and if ye receive it, ye will be eager to send it forth to others. When ye have found it the power of God unto salvation in your own souls, ye will earnestly desire the salvation of the souls of your neighbours. And who are your neighbours ? The poor through- out this land, and the poor throughout the world, who are yet strangers to God and his Truth. Come then, MEN AND BRETHREN, join hearts and hands with us. We are building the Church of God by the promulgation of his Word. In such a work, what the greatest among us can do is little, and what the least DOES is something ; all shall receive their reward, — they that labour in the foun- dations as well as they that bring forth the head- stone with shoutings, crying, " Grace, grace unto itr Here follows " Resolutions recommended for Adop- tion at Aieetings assembled for the Formation of Bible Associations,'' the policy of providing which need not be pointed out; nor is it requisite to in- cumber the publication with them, as they are the very outlines of those which will appear filled up with all the requisite specifications, App. No. XX, xvir. Address on Bible Associations. TO a good man, there is nothing more delightful than to do good ; and those who possess the oppor- tunity, and neglect to improve it, omit a positive duty. As we have opportunity, let us do good unto all men. It is thus that we best imitate the God and Father of us all. The goodness of God we per- ceive in all his ways ; he considers all the sons of men as the -children of his care : we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. It has pleased him, for wise ends, to place us in different situations ; but he has withheld from none of us the means of adding to the comfort of others. If there be an honest and pure heart, it will excite us to generous 33Q aetions. How many poor persons have cast in theic mite at a charity sermon for the instruction of youth, or for the beneht of age! And did they be^ come poorer for the gift ; or could they ever repent of it? It is a great privilege to be able to feed the hungry ; but how much greater is the privilege, if we can direct those, that are hungering after righte- ousness, to Him who hath declared himself to be the Bread of Life ! Millions of human beings are igno- rant of God, and have no knowledge of his revealed •will. Would it not be a blessed thing to tell them, that they are the creatures of a Divine Hand, and must live in happiness or misery for ever ? Would it not be a noble act, to endeavour to raise them from a death of sin to a life of righteousness ; to seek out those who are as sheep going astray, and to bring theni to the Shepherd and Bishop of their souls ? Shall we ask, Who is sufficient for these things ? The answer is. That this privilege may belong to the poor. It was through the poverty of Jesus Christ, that many of us have been made rich — rich in the possession of his Gospel, in the enjoy- ment of his favour, and in the hope of immortality ; and by such acts of charity as our poverty can be- stow, many may obtain those treasures, which no 335 moth can corrupt, and no thief can steal. Be mer-^ ciful after your power. If you that have little do your diligence gladly to give of that little (although the sum should be only a penny a week), you may not only supply your poorer neighbours with a Bible, but may carry it even into distant countries ; — into countries devoted to idolatry, and immersed in dark- ness ; where innocent children are delivered, even by their parents, to crocodiles and beasts of prey ;. where women, upon the death of their husbands, are burned alive : and the wretched enthusiast throws himself under the wheels of the machine which car- ries his god, that he may be crushed to pieces in ho- nour of the idol ! Yet even upon these victims of superstition may the light of truth, through your cha- rity, arise and shine: the wilderness and the solitary place may be glad for i/ou; you may cause the name of a Saviour to be heard, where now it is utterly un- known. Thus shall new songs of Sion ascend from those, ^vho at this day have no heart to sing, and no feelings of devotion to be kindled into joy. And it will npt be forgotten by them, that t0 2/vi(, as the in- struments of heavenly mercy, is their gratitude ow- ing. It will not be forgotten by the Father of mer- cies, that you did good with a willing mind. It will not be forgotten by Him, who commended the con- tribution of the poor widow, that you also of your want have thrown into the offerings of God — and he will bless the gift. 5 334f *' Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive." It is sweeter in the recollection ; it is more excellent in its effects. Even a cup of cold water, when given for his sake to a poor disciple, shall not lose its reward. Those, who upon Christian prin- ciples do good to others, enjoy in the present life a pleasure which the mere possession of wealth cannot confer. The benefits thus imparted shall be returned abundantly into their own bosoms, even in this world ; and will be followed by an ex- ceeding great reward, when the earth and its glories shall have vanished away ^ ^ The Editor has only evidence of the latter of the above two papers being circulated in the Hackney and Newington district ; but as the former is referred to in the latter, and as they are delivered in pairs at the Parent Society's Repository in London, there can be no doubt of the minds of the poor in the above district having been perverted by both. To these papers, as sent forth from the above Repository, is appended a slip of paper, intimating that they are to be purchased else- where by all persons engaged in the formation of Auxiliary Societies, at the price of the printing and paper ; and it was very carefully stated to the Editor (who rather preferred ob- taining his documents at the fountain head) by the Society's agent who delivered them, that they are not printed at its charge, but are provided by a zealous friend of the Institu- tion. Another appeal to the Poor, which is understood to be from the pen of Mr. Dcaltry, also circulated in this dis- trict, and issued from the Society's Repository, at the cost of tlie aforesaid nameless friend, will be found amongst the The Method of conducting Bible Associations. (For the Rules for forming Bible Associations, see an ** Ap- peal to Mechanics, Labourers, and othersy ) Each Member of the Committee may associate \vith himself as many otlier persons as he conve- niently can ; some two ; others three ; and others four or more. Such Member of the Committee, documents at the end of the volume, and, together with it, several other addresses to the same effect, the produc- tions of other zealous and ingenious friends in different dis- tricts. They are brought together, that those concerned in the preservation of the peace of the country may be ap- prized of the work which is going on — that they may see that a new Holy Cause is at this time creating, precisely the counter-part of that whicli once plunged the country into Civil War, and deluged it witli the best blood of its inhabi- tants— that they may be satisfied that the spells ministered to the poor to excite an enthusiasm amongst them in prosecution of it, are not casual and local, but systematical and univer' sal — that they may judge for themselves Avhat, in the ordinary course of liumau events, the catastrophe must be, unless means be promptly taken to arrest the frenzy in its pro- gress, and to break the power of the incantation; and lastly, that they may considei", whilst something more profita- ble than self-reproach may result from the consideration, that the lower orders, if subjected to the operations of sophistry, which they have not the ability to unravel, will be much less chargeable with guilt, on account of the outrages which, under its impulse, they may commit, than those, who, having the guardianship over them, have not interposed to protect them from the delusion. ^S6 ^\th his associates, would form a Sub-Committee i each Member of which Sub-Committee should engage to collect Is. per week, by weekly contri- butions of one penny or upward each; or 5s; per* month, by monthly contributions of Is. or upward each : or, if favourably circumstanced, he may collect in both ways, and to a larger extent than here specified. As a Sub-Committee of about five persons will b^ found most convenient, the following scale is given to shew the great accumulation of funds which will arise from this division of labour. 1 Number of Persons, each asso- ciating with himself four others. Number of Sub-Com- mittees so formed. Number of Persons in sucli Sub- Commit- tees, Yearly pro- duce where each person collects IS. per week. Yearly pro- duce where each person collects 5s. per Calen- dar month. Yearly a- mount of both. 1 1 5 £. 13 £. 15 <£. 28 2 9, 10 26 50 56 3 3 15 39 45 84 4 4 20 52 fin 1 1 0 ou 1 IZi 5 5 25 65 75 140 10 10 50 130 150 280 And so on to any extent. 337 tf one or more persons are disposed to assist the British and Foreign Bible Society, where no Association has been organised, their contributions ffiay be remitted to the nearest Auxiliary Bible Society. Yet it is submitted that this will necessa- rily happen but very seldom, as even a tew persons, willing to subscribe, may be able to establish ari Association, by which means only they will become entitled to the privilege of purchasing the Scriptures at Prime Cost, from the Auxiliary Society to which they remit the collection. Number of Persons. Annual amount ol IS. per week by each, Annua 5s. f amount ot er month each. Annua both amount of by each. . 1 £.<2. 12 0 £.S 0 0 £.5 12 0 2 5 4 0 6 0 0 11 4 0 3 7 16 0 Q 0 0 16 16 0 4 10 8 0 12 0 0 22 8 0 5 13 0 0 15 0 0 28 0 0 10 26 0 0 30 0 0 56 0 0 And so on to any extent. 333 XVIII. Bible Association among the Poo?% connected with the Hackney and New'ington AiLviliary Bible Society. *" IT is the earnest wish of many persons, that; there should not be a family among their poorer neighbours which has not a Bible; and in per- forming this service, they are desirous of having the assistance of the Poor themselves. A sub- scription of a penny a week will make any bene- volent person a Member of the Association, and Bibles and Testaments will be sold to the Members ^t the lowest prices. The object of this Paper is to inform you of the design, and to ask you to promote it. You will be £0 good, therefore, as to consider the subject, and to give an answer to the following Questions : — Place for Anstvers* How many Bibles or Tes- taments have you in your fa- mily, and how many are you ( in family ? Are you ready to join in' supplying yourselves and others with the Word ot God, by subscribing a Penny a Week? 539 Place Jbr Anstvers* A General Meeting wiir be held in July, to which 1 you are invited ; will you at- tend it? Jo«r answer to the above enquiries mil he called for. XIX. BIBLE ASSOCIATION, Reo. Thomas Sheppard, M.A. in the Chair. A Meeting will be held at the late Mr. Sand* ford's Brewery, Stoke Newington, on Monday next, the 5th of July, 1813, to establish a Bible Association for Supplying the Poor in the district of Stoke-Newington, Newington-green, and Stam- ford-hill, with the Holy Scriptures, when the com- pany of the neighbouring Poor is particularly requested. The Chair will be taken punctually at a quarter before seven o'clock. Seats will be provided for Ladies '. " The Editor not having been able to procure a copy of the tiotice of the Kingsland Bible Association Meeting, which was the first, and to which the following Resolutions relate, has been obliged to jprint the second notice as bis specimen. 54D XX, Khtgsland, ShacklewcU, and Dalston Bible Asso- ciation ', P resident y James iViUiam Freshfield ^ Esq. Treasurer,, George Robci^ts, Esq ^— At a innnerous Jlfcefing, held on Blonday, the lilh of June, 1813, this Association xcas fonnedy and the foUoxcing Resolutions zvere unanimously adopted as its Basis \ * The three other Bible Associations Into which, in con- junction with the above, the Auxihary District of Hackney and Newington is divided, are the Stoke Newington, New- ington Green, and Stamford Hill Association, the Clapton ditto, and the Hackney and Homerton. As the constituent code of each of them is in substance the same, witli the ex- ception of the last, in whicli appear only two, but those sig- nificant variations, the purposes of this publication will be answered by a single specimen ; to the several i-esolutions of wliich whatever the Editor may deem it useful to observe oh them will be appended. *> It is due to Mr. Freshfield's perseverance in the cause ai the Bible Society, unrivalled in this particular, to state, tliat though he appears attached specifically to this Associa- tion only, liis zeal operated upon him as a retaining fee to engage his attendance as an advocate at the encsenia of tlie three other Sister Institutions ; and that commencing his cir- cuit, as above, at the Methodist ^Meeting at Kingsland, he closed it at the Independent Meeting in St. Thomas's-squarCj having pleaded in its behalf upon this extension of the Auxi- liary design, at intermediate intervals, at the Brewhouse at Kewington, and at the New Meeting at Clapton, reported to belong to the Sandemanian connection. « The Presidents to the three other Associations are |he Rev. Thomas Sheppard, M. A* Thomas Furley Forster, 341 I. That we form ourselves into an Associa*' lion, for the purpose of contributing towards the Esq. and Edward Forster, Esq. The Treasurers, Joseph Stonard, Esq. WilHam Kent, Esq. and Joseph Goodhart, Esq. The names of these Gentlemen are recorded, as the reader will recognize in all of them persons with whom he is already acquainted, as Members of the Auxiliary Vice-Pre- sidency and Committee. ^ The first of the variations adverted to (in, Note a,) occurs in the Hackney and Homerton recital of this annuncia- tion ; and if it had been adopted on printing the Clapton Hesolutions, the representation made would have been nearer the truth. The amended annunciation merely states, that " at a meeting held on such a day the following resolutions were adopted :" nothing is said of a " nume- rous" attendance, though, as Mr. Freshfield, to provoke contribution, stated in his speech, one moiety of the whole district, with respect to population, was comprized within the limits of this subdivision. The fact is, that in this association district the attendance was so very small as to amount to a compleat discomfiture, and that small attendance so much from curiosity, that though just previous to the business being concluded, the Chairman practised a ruse de guerre UDon the company assembled, and carried a motion that the dootb jf the meeting-house should be closed, and that they should pass through the vestry, where he stated books to be ready to receive the names and subscriptions of those present ; and though the managers were liberal, several pound notes being put into the plate, and many three-shilling pieces, yet he collection amounted only to 71. 17s. 6d. The observation, which here naturally suggests itself is, that it is only in those parts of the parish which are remote from the Church, and whose poor inhabitants are debarred from attendance upon it^ , 343 circulation of the Holy Scriptures, without Note or Comment, particularly amongst the Poor of this Neighbourhood ; and that it be denominated, the " KiNGSLAND, Shacklewell, and Dalston Association." II. That the bounds * of this Society be on the North — Eden Nursery. sacred services, that the association scheme has succeeded ; and how should it be otherwise, when the means are withheld from the regular Clergy of performing their sacred functions amongst them, and when sectarism furnishes them with all the religious instruction which they receive. * To the common reader, who looks no further for the reason of a thing than the statement set before him, this definition of boundaries must appear made with a precision which is a compleat burlesque upon the occasion of it. — He should therefore be informed, that beyond the object specified, it has reference to the new Geography of Eng- land, which the Bible Society is preparing, and is to be regarded as the elements of that statistical undertaking. — As the country at large are deeply interested in the progress of this work, inasmuch as the completion of it will intro- duce important changes *, and not improbably a new aera in •* The important changes here adverted to may very possibly ante- date the full execution of these statistical arrangements, for the Puri- tans are great authority, and they risked their experiment when the preparatory work of Association had advanced no farther than to put a Home Cijcuit of seven Counties into their possession ; (viz. Middle- sex, Kent, Surry, Sussex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire,) and by tneans of the resources which they drew from these, they completed their project of reformation. S43 'West-^Prali'-^Pond Turnpike, including the neigh- • botrrheodf East of Newington Green. South — The Northern boundary of the parish of Shoreditch in the Kingsland Road. East" The Eastern extremities of Shackle well and Dalston. HI. That every Member of this Association sub- scribe not less than one penny per week*^. our history, the Editor is happy to have it in his power to state, that in addition to the maps of single Auxiliary Districts, which are numerous, a connected delineation of the eight Auxiliary Districts of the metropolis is completed, as he has had the good fortune to procure an official copy, neatly en- graved by C. Taylor, upon a scale of four inches to a mile^, which appears to be rather the production of an engineer than a surveyor: as its title seems to intimate, not that it is an ex- emplification of districts already formed, but a " plan \*' Jot the formation of them, and is thus an evidence of the con- cert, deliberation, and professional skill with which the work is carried on. * Quarterly and annual, as well as weekly Subscriptions and Donations will be most thankfully received. f This Ptesolution is framed from models of great authority, the most recent exemplification of which will be found in the financial system of the United Irishmen, where " funds were f Title of the map. " P/au of the Division of the Mttropolis into Districts/or AuxUiuiy Societies." 344* IV. That the general concerns of this Asso- ciation be under the management of a President, ** produced not only by the admission fees, loans, and contri- " butions of the Aristocrats, but also by taxes of one penny ♦' per month, levied upon all individuals of the Association." They however were only Plagiarists of the English Puritans ; for it is stated by May (History of the Parliament, Lib. ii. Ch. V. p. 97), that " for the support of the holy cause not ** only did the wealthiest citizens bring in their large bags and ^' goblets, but the poor sort presented their mites alsOf inso-^ *< much that it was a common jeer of men disaffected to call «* it the Thimble and Bodkin Army." From a view of the speeches which three of the four Bible Association raeetings have produced (with MSS. reports of which the Editor has been favoured from notes taken upon the spot) the jugulum causa in the estimation of its managers was the passing this resolution ; for to the persuading the poor to part with their pence the whole force of the eloquence of the different speakers was directed, and it must be admitted that their proficiency in the popular department of oratory — affect- ing examples — rmai'vellous analogies — correctives to diffidence , appeals to pride-r^to compassion — and to unregulated reli- gious feeling— have established their reputation as most able ^jVIissionaries to the multitude, to carry them away in their sim- plicity whithersoever they will *. But here again they must • Lest the reader should suspect that the above description is the gratis dictum of the Editor, a few specimens of each of the flowers of eloquence are submitted. As samples of the first. — The stories of a toy diverted from his design pf spending at Greenwich Fair sevenpence halfpenny, which he had been iivin.; for that purpose, by seeing the System, extend- ing it to the lowest orders, providing for their coniplete organi- zation, and thus making the whole Society " one and indivi- *' siblc." It is no new device, as the Irish Union, distributing Itself from National into Provincial Committees, and from Pro- vincial into County, and from County into Baronial, and so at length terminating in individual Societies, is the model upon which it is formed. The whole work, moreover, of the Puri- tans was done by Committees, with which the whole kingdom was invested. " They were erected," sajs Echard (History of England, vol. ii. p. 388.) " of such men as were for the ** good cause, as they called it, who had authority from the *' Members of the two Houses at Westminster, to fii^ and •*■ imprison whom they pleased," and executed those com- mands with rigour and tyranny, " so as to harrass and oppress ** the country in a most arbitrary and scandalous manuer." ** The uhole government of it," Lord Clarendon (vol. iii. p. 72) informs us, " by their means got tvholfj/ into the hands of *' persons, ivho in the beginning of the Parliament "were scarce ** ever heard of." Those not above the rank of ordinary con- itables seven years before, being advanced to Justices of the Peace, and to instance in one particular, *' the town of *' Chelmsford, in Essex," as stated in Mercurius Rusticus p. 30, " coming to be governed by a tinker, two coblers, \.\\o ** taylors, and Vwo pedlars." (See Willow Walk Association, p. 32S.) It is important to observe, that in this lowest linjc of the chain of Association, which exceeds in compass all the rest, the Bible Society is to all intents and purposes a secret confederation, as the Editor has taken the utmost pains to obtain a copy of the muster-roil ! and co-collectors have re* fused copies of their ligts to one of their own body, whom $60 IX. Tliat whenever any class exceeds the num- "ber of twenty-four, the surplus shall be formed into a new one, who, on completing their number, shall report their Collector as a ^leniber of the Committee'. they suspected not to be hearty in the cause ; and it is lite- rally true, that in the two districts most remote from the Church, where the measure has succeeded, the only lista which the Editor has been able to procure, are the lists of those who have become alive to the mischief, and in these are the names of several receiving parochial relief, and vrho are thus made to pay out of the Parochial Rates their penny . contribution. To complete this expose, the secret instruc- tions given to the collectors should appear, and the second and third of them throw light upon the subject, which it is of consequence not to withhold. 1st. That they bring their books to every Committee Meet- ing, with the amount of subscriptions. 2d. That they enquire of the Subscribers, v/hether they are subscribing in aid of this Association, or paying for a Bible. Those paying for a Bible to be marked thus * before the name. (Query. What is the sublime distinction here intended?) 3d. That when such Bibles are paid for, they persuade them to become Subscribers. Some idea may be formed of the productiveness of thia measure, by the statement made at Spitalfield Church, by one of the decbiimers, that the penny contribution in the Borough am.ounted anmudhj to 30001. ' This Resolution again is a modified transcript of one of the expedients of the Irish Union, as the following extract demonstrates, which exhibits a plan, the same in principle .only differing in the time of separating the offset from the ^51 X. That the Committee inquire of tiie Poor within the district; first, whether they possess the Scriptures, and in what condition ; secondly, if not, and yet are desirous of possessing them, whether they have the means, at once or by degrees, of {Purchasing them ; thirdly, if any, and how^many of the family can read. Such information shall be entered in separate columns of a book provided for the purpose ; and in either of such cases, it shall be the duty of the Committee to furnish them by sale at reduced prices, or by gift, as they may think best, according to circumstances ; always preferring sale to gift, as being most likely to ensure the pre- servation of the books ^ Parent Stock ; the AuxIIIarists making the separation upon its first shoot, whilst the United Irishmen wait the period of its growing to maturity. " When an individual Society amounted to thirty-six members, it was equally divided by lot, tlie first eighteen drawn by the Secretary, were con- sidered the senior split, the remaining eighteen forming the junior split." See Ace. of Irish Union, Barruel's Proofs, Vol. 4, Notes, p. 3« ^ The other of those two significant variations adverted to, in Note a, which distinguishes the code of the Hsickuey and Homerton subdivision of the district, from that of the other three, occurs in this Resolution, which is completely recast upon this last occasion, and in its amended form, is to the following eftect : " That the Committee shall consider it to be their primary duty (query, tohat is the secondary duti/?) to take measures for supplying the Poor with the Scriptures, sotliat, 2' 55^ 5tL That the whole of the funds of this Associ* ^tion, whether arising from subscriptions, donations, or the sale of Bibles and Testaments, shall from time to time be expended in the purchase of Bibles and Testaments, to be sold or given among the Poor within the bounds of this Association, as be* fore directed, until the whole be adequately sup- plied with the Holy Scriptures ; in which case, the amount of future subscriptions and donations shall be remitted to the Hackney and Newington Auxi- liary Bible Society, in aid of its benevolent de- signs *. if possible there may not remain a dwelling within the dis- trict, ill which the Word of God is not found : that, for this purpose, such enquiries be made among the poor as the Com- tnittee shall judge convenient, and the results reported, and recorded on their minutes, and that the Committee shall direct supplies to be afforded, either by gi/i or sale^ at loic prices, as they may think best, always preferring sale to gift, where cir- -cumstances will allow it, as tending to enhance the estimation in wliich the Sacred Volume is held." By comparing this and the above original together, the partiality of the Auxiliarists towards the Hackney and Hojnerton subdivision of the district will appear N'ery conspicuous. The motive to that partiality is ihis, that tlie resolution as it stood before would not furnish them even with a pretext for their association, and even in its amended fomi, the Editor believes it will scarcely do so, as it has been alreadj"^ stated that one of their own agents who dis- tributed and collected again their inquisitorial paper, reported to them that he found one Bible at least in every family which be visited, and in many more than one. The outline of tM^ financial regulation is derived from the 353 XII. That application be made, by the Com- jnittee, to the Committee of the Hackney and New- ington Auxiliary Bible Society, for permission to lay out the funds of this Association in purchasing, at the Depository of the said Society, Bibles and Testaments at the cost prices. XIII. That the Members of the Committee of Hackney and Newington Auxiliary Bible Society have liberty to attend and vote at all meetings of this Association ™ Vnited Irishynerif whose penni/ taxes were transmitted through regular gradations to the High Superiors. ■ This and the following Resolution form one of the most important improvements upon the Willow Walk Association Paper. Meetings of the poor to enquire into the want of Bibles would soon grow vapid and die away if it were not for the attendance of declaimers to enliven them * ; but this expedient again is derived from the Puritans ; " so far, (says Bates, Troubles, Part I. p. 26.) was the Parliamentary dignity de- based, that many times Members of the House of Commons came to the clubs of apprentices where they consulted about, related, and examined the affairs that passed in Parliament ; what was designed to be done, what they were themselves to act, and when. Hence their tumults became, by this kind of schooling, in a manner to be regular, being distributed into * If the reader will refer to Collection of Documents, No. iv. p. 400, he will see in that scientific production the importa;ice attached t« this '* sti/nulut,'" and the repetition employed to enforce it, A a 3i4 XIV. That the CUergymen and Dissenting Mihisters officiating in the district, be empowered to attend and vote at all meetings of this Society ". proper classes oxidi fraternities, as of porters, watermen, taylors, &c. who under pretext of petitioning, at the least hint from their demagogues flocked together into bodies." " It is too well known what part the Lecturers had in the puritanical rebellion, every history of those troubles concurs in holding them up as the great incendiaries of the nation, not merely their sermon, but even their prayers, being employed to infuriate the people. With respect to the former, Dr. South's statement (Serra. Vol. I. p. 450.) delivered in the two follow- ing questions, with his ov/n replies subjoined, is very much to the purpose : and with reference to the latter, an extract from Bates's View of Troubles, Pt. I. p. 134. is equally in point. " How came such multitudes of our own nation, at the be- ginning of tliat monstrous (but still surviving and successful) rebellion in the year 1641, to be spunged of their plate and money, their rings and jewels, for the carrying on of the schismatical, dissenting, king-killing cause I Why, next to their own love of being cheated, it was the publick or rather . prostitute faith of a company of faithless miscreants, that drew them in and deceived them. And how came so many thousands to fight and die in the same rebellion ? Why they were de- ceived into it by those spiritual trumpeters who followed them with continual alarms of damnation if they did not venture life, fortune, and all, in that which, wickedly and devilishly, those impostors called the cause of God. So that I myself have heard one say (Colonel Axtell, whose quarters have since been hung about that city, where he first had been deceived) that he, with many more, went to that execrable war with such a eoiitroiding horror njion their spirilSffrom those SermoiiSt "$55 XV. That a General Meeting of the Sn^bscri* tjers be held annually in June, when the accounts, as audited by the Committee, shall be presented ; (he parCiculaTly mentioned those of Brooks and CalftMy) "that they verili/ believed they should have been accursed hy God for ever, if they had not acted their part in that dismal tragedy, and heartily done the devil's work, being so effectually called and commanded to it in Gvd's name.** South's Serm. Vol. I. p. 450. " We must know that these Sons of the Earth had great intimacy and correspondence with Heaven, as they pretended j and when they were about to act any thing contrary to the Law of Nature, the Light of Reason, or the Laws of God ^d Man, they used to begin the work with prayers to Al- «highty God, in a doubtful manner proposing the case ; an^ the matter being first discussed between the Majesty of Heaven and themselves, they then, by turning and 'winding their prayers, shape an answer to their designs; which like a divine oracle rendered to the praying inquirers, they impose upon the common soldiers as an article of faith, though the matter had been long before hatched in their thoughts : nor durst any man gainsay it who had not a mind to have his name dasht out of the roll of the saints. A*nd hence it was that the people dreaded their fasts and prayers, as ominous prodigies.' ' Bates's View of Troubles, Part I. p. 134. '■ It is curious to remark in Dugdale, tJiat the fund out of which these preachers were supported ^as raised by the pu?^ chase of impropriate rectories ; which were placed in the hands of trustees, who rewarded those enlisted in their cause in pro- portion to their exertions. The extract is so apposite to pre- sent times, that in justice to the reader the Editor could not suppress it, it will therefore be found in the Coll^tiou of Do- cuments, No. V, A a 2 266 .the proceedings of the past year reported ; and a President, Treasurer, three Secretaries, and a Committee appointed. XVI. That James William Freshfield, Esq. be President. XVII. That George Roberts, Esq. be Trea- surer ; and that the Rev. John Campbell, G. G. Chambers, ' Esq. R. N. and Mr. William Caster- ton, be Secretaries. XVIII. That Messrs. Joseph Allen, Barnctt, Covvie, Fernie, Field, Flint, Forrester, G and all, Garret, Godden, GofF, Gosling, Greenwood, Har- ford, Hocknell, Lindsay, Nattras, Parks, Parks, Jun. Parkinson, Porter, Reed, Robinson, Rut^ H. Sarson, Shoobert, Smith, Sundius, William Tayler, Thomas Tayler, Joseph Tayler, Turmain, Rev. ]\Ir. Wall, Warman, Watson, and Willats, be members of the Committee for the year ensuing. XIX. That the Committee now chosen have power to increase their number °. » The summary of the Committees thus constituted, and of their several Meetings throughout the year is as follows. The executive body including the Auxiliary Committee, its four ctep'eiidencies, and their respective officers ibrm a corps of 130 S57 * Quarterly and Annual, as well as Weekly Sub- scriptions, will be most thankfully received. The Committee feel highly gratified by the sup- port they have already received, and .they solicit the help of all who can afford it; but while they ac- knowledge their satisfaction in offering to their poor neighbours an opportunity of co-operating in tlie important object of an extensive distribution of the Holy Scriptures, they would regret to receive assistance from any persons to whom the contribu- tions might be inconvenient. resident members, who are to assemble at five General Meet- ings, when the whole of their constituents are invited to at- tend, and at 60 Committee Meetings ; and this immense in- corporation, and these numei-ous sittings, are professedly for no other purpose than to supply the Poor of this district rvit/i Bibles !!! A spirit of deep sleep indeed, must have fallen upon the nation, if it cannot see through such a glaring de- ception as this ; if it cannot awaken itself to the immense ac- cession of strength which any party must acquire by being so constantly embodied ; or can remain insensible to the exist- ence of designs beyond those obtruded upon public view, when the means are so out of all proportion excessive to what can possibly be employed in the execution of what is professi edly undertaken. See Professor Marsh's Reply to the Dean ef Carlisle'* Strictures, p. 1S6\ ' S5& Subscriptions and donations will be received by the Tre-asurer, the Secretaries, the Members of the Committee, and the Master of the Da^ and Sunday School, at the School Room, Kingsiand Road. THE Editor has now completed the task in "which Mr. Freshfield laid him under an obligation to engage, and he persuades himself that he has at least placed the tendency and the proceedings of the Bible Society in a sutiiciently questionable point of view, to justify himself and his brethren in the decided part which they have taken in withstand- ing the attempts of its agents to entoil the parish of Hackney in the trammels of that Institution. This was his primar 2/ duty, a duty which, in justice to himself and his clerical brethren, he felt himself under an imperious obligation t . discharge, that he might rescue his own and their characters from obloquy and misrepresentation ; and, as he has already intimated, in his introduction, this com- prized, in the outset of his labours, the whole of his design. But the subject opened upon him as he proceeded, its general and momentous import ac- quired, moreover, continually additional hold upon 359 his mind, and he now hopes that he has done ffmch more than what he originally intended— he hopes he has made out such a case as will excite a general jealousy of the immense incorporation which is now taking place, so preposterously excessive in com- parison of the object, to the attainment of which it professes itself exclusively devoted ; and of the political ascendancy which it is acquiring. lie hopes, moreover, that he has fixed the public atten- tion to the instructive records of a former period of our History, when Religion was made the pretext for the darkest designs, and when a frenzy of re- formation, rendered as contagious as a pestilence, by the strong delusions of visionary and designing men, prevailed for a season over the quiet good sense of Englishmen, and hurried them from one wickedness to another, till the kingdom was deirraded to its ancient barbarism, and became the victim of the capricious tyjanny and insatiable avarice of the most abandoned of its inhabitants, and the prolific parent of every species of apostacy from God. Should this last mentioned object of his labours have been, in any degree, attained, he would es- pecially direct the attention of the reader to the solemn League and Covenant which was virtualli/ entered into by the English Parliamentin Alay, 1641, when its " harbinger, the Pr otestation" was taken, 360 and was immediately pressed upon the country at large by all the agents, whose services the faction, which brought it forward, could command, and by all the motives which subtlety could suggest, or the inconsiderable power M^hich they had then acquired, enabled them to apply. For though between the specific object of this and the Bible Society confede- ration a ditference may appear, they will be fr ind upon exariii:":acicn to be, i?i spirit and in operation^ the very counterparts of each other ; the pretext for each of them being the redress of imaginary religi- ous grievances, and the establishment and mainte- nance of Christianity in, what the popular enthu- siasts of the day have been pleased to set forth as, evangelical purity and perfection. If a comparison be instituted between these bonds of union, it will be found that the former provided, as amply and as explicitly as the latter professes to do, for the security of the Established Church ; in- somuch that Walker * states, that the taking of it was no sooner proposed in Parliament than it was acceded to by all the Members of both Houses, with the exception of two of the Lords, " those who wished well to the Church (even the Bishops) ima- gining that they had effectually defeated the new Beformers in the project against it which they had Sufferings of the Clergy, Part I. p. 22- 351 in hand," and had abst)Iutely obtained from them a public and solemn engagement for its security. But it will be found also, that nothing less was intended in either instance by the founders of the conlede- racy, tor with respect to the Protestation, no sooner had it received that almost unanimous Parliamen- tary sanction which was indispensible to give it the currency required, than those who framed it, re- gardless of their oath, published an interpretation of it by which they declared *' the worship, discipline, government, rites, and ceremonies of the Church** excluded from the guarantee; and though no au- thoritative comment to the same effect has yet beea promulgated by tne Bible Society upon their consti- tution ; yet in Serinons and at public Meetings, in- dividuals make no hesitation in declaring that the overthrow of the Establishment is at the bottom of its design ^ ^ The following important statement, testifying specifically to the same effect as the many other facts adduced in the course of the preceding pages to awaken public jealousy at the pro- ceedings of the Bible Society, has just been transmitted to the Editor from a distinguished Dignitary of the Church, who states it to be " in substance derived from memoranda takea at the time.'' In the month of August, 1810, I was at Birmingham. One Sunday afternoon, I attended at a meeting-house, which I was induced to go in quest of, from having just before met with a pamphlet published by the dissenting teacher to whom it be»- longed, which, though containing opinions I did not assent to, appeared to me to be v.-ritten with a good deal o^ ability, £62 It will be found, moreover, that the operation of the two expedients is the same, and is alike condu- He expounded extempore on Rev. xviii. 1 — 5, compared with xvii. 5. 6, &c. His discourse was exceedingly controver- sial and inflammatory; and unprofitable in the highest degree to such a congregation as his, consisting of the lowest orders. Interpreters, he said^ had disputed what Babylon meant. There jiad been a great consent among many of them, that the name and the attributes here given to it, belonged to the Church of Rome — and so they did ; but they went a great deal further ; they applied to all Churches^ especially all EUahlkhed Churches, and among the rest to our ami. He enlarged very much on the characteristic of Babj'lon the Great, the Mother of Harlots, being Mystery, under which title he brought in (in a steady proud spuit of invective) the Sacraments both of Baptism and the Lord's Supper ; all Creeds, Confessions, and Articles oi' Faith; all ChiircJi Authority ; every thing that related to an Establishment of Religion, the Cleri- cal profession, &c. illustrating all the way his observations by appealing to our own Church Establishment, its Ordinances, Clergy, &c. &c. their persecutions, usurpations over consci- ence, &c. &c. Well ! but Babylon was to fall (Chap, xviii. 2), all things were to be swept away* — And how was this to be effected ? You have all heard much of late of the Bible Society. Here, and in all parts of the kingdom, you and I have taken part in its proceedings, through our recommendation of it, and our * ** With respect to the Sacraments, I did not clearly make out whether his threat was dhected against them altogether, or merely against the administration of them, and the ceremonies with which they are accompanied in the Church of England and in other assemblies of Christians ; but the latter, I rather believe, was the thing intended." (Explanatory passage, extracted from a subsequent Letter.) 3^5 <^ve to. the success of strcti a» conspiracy — that if, for instance, the alle.dged emergency to provide for ■which the Protestation was stated to be sent forth, ^yas " a public suggestion that the Church of Eng- land, in some parts of her constitution, uas Popish" —the popular war-hoop against her in that day ; no less is the pretext of the Bible Society's Auxiliary proceedings a broad insinuation of her inefficiency, and indeed uselessness as a religious institution — > the clamour by which she is now assailed and be- reaved of the aflections of her children. That, if another end answered; by the Protestation was that patronage, and we did voell — for it is that Society, through, the circulation of the pure Word of God, thai is destined to cause Babylon, and her mysteries, and her persecutions to Jail. Not one of a thousand of the good men, tvho have taken part in these proceedings, sees ivhither they are tending— Jor if they did (says he) instead of being its ardent friends, as we have seen, they tvoidd be its most determined foes. B?it they arejighting the Lord's battles — and in His hands are preparing their oivn doimfall. Fear not, ye little flock, the voice of pro^ phecy will be accomplished — Mysteries, Sacraments, Confessions of Religion rcill be yio more. The discourse was long — with a great degree of steady ani- mation and confidence about it : and the proud spirit of the speaker, haranguing a congregation of not more than three hundred people of the lowest order, displayed itself, especially in the latter part, where he shewed that the thoiuands ofvohom he spake (alluding to the Members of the Church of England especially) did not see that they were worivINg xariit qw* UNDOING. 3(54 in the country the taking or refusing of it acted as *' a plain and visible note of distinction by which the puritanical faction discovered their friends from their foes, and the respective strength of either party ;" no less does the domiciliary visitation, en- rolment, and military organization, even down to companies of twenty-four men each, which the Bible Society are now so assiduously pressing forward, convey to our modern reformers the same intima- tion.— And that if, lastly, the Protestation whilst it consolidated and organised the enemies of the Church, spread perplexity and disunion amongst its friends, " many who meant no harm being drawn into it" by its specious plausibility", and then want- ing the energy requisite to extricate themselves ; in no respect is the Bible Society so banefully efficaci- ous ; and though it is not armed, like the Protesta- tion, with the entanglement of an oath, yet it has a certain glossing infl(jence by which, as that profound observer of men and things the late Bishop of Lon- don remarks, " it palliates from time to time the ' evil gradually creeping on so as to prevent its ap- ^ These things being contrived and carried on between the factious Scots and Enghsh, those who took that Covenant with an honest purpose, as nianj/ good men did, being won over by fear, delusion, or false hope, called themselves Presh^tC7-ians.- Other factions of less note, as Independants, Anahapiists, and Other Fanaticks, not disdaining to list themselves in the same cause. Bates's Troubles of England, Part I. p. 61. S65 pearing to every one in its true colours till -it be- comes difficult or too late to remedy it, and till even secession will be without advantage, the dissenting party having made all the use of Churchmen which their purposes require, and having by their assist- ance gained the ascendency." (Letter to the Clergy of Colchester.) Here the comparative survey must be suspended for the Bible Society has not yet had its perfect work. But the catastrophe of the Puritanical at- tempts at reformation is well known, and if the Pro- testation be traced to the close of its career, after that it had merged into the Solemn League and Co- venant, and invigorated by this improved republica- tion had done its utmost towards the accomplish- ment of its designs; it will be found that all the crime, and all the misery that ensued were referred back to it as their original ; and as the most deci- sive testimony of the guiltiness imputed to it, and of the execration in which it was held, no sooner bad government resumed its functions, and dis- charged it first duty upon those personally con- cerned in the murder of the King, than the Parlia- ment of the three kino;doms brought it, as the next capital culprit, before them, and consigned it to be burnt by the hands of the common hangman, " as the bond," says Bates, " of English and Scottish conspiracy — the Sacrament of Presbyterian vil- lainy." 5^5 *' Thus," he continues, " it expiated 'at leftc^th by its own ashes the wickedness of three na.ions.* Into the equivalence of which expiation to the enoV- mities for which it is here stated to have atoned, it is not to the present pilrpose to inquire ; but no question can more seasonably be raised out of it, than whether the kingdom shall incur the hazard of beinsf again reduced to such circumstances, as to have this miserable retribution left to it as the only means of venting its indignation for the wrongs it shall sustain — wrongs at which the ear of every one who heareth them must tingle, and which, were the ominous tendencies of the Bible Society towards the dreadful catastrophe but surveyed with half the attention which their menacing aspect demands, W'Ould raise up and combine into a phalanx every individual in this kingdom, to whom either the in- terests of the Church of England, or the public tran- quillity were objects of real concern, for the pur- pose of placing themselves in such a posture of de- fence as would effectually overawe the restless spi- rits confederated in the Institution, or ensure their discomfiture sliould they persist in pushing forward the accomplishment of their designs. It is to this question, the Editor repeats it, that his chief purpose is to fix the reader's attention. Is the immediate object of the Bible Society, (i. e. the circulation of the Scripture uithont vote or com- rnent) so unequivocully and unniixedly good ; 4s it t€7 so exclusively or even supereminently efficacious in the production of tlie ultimate end in view, that the portentous tendency of its measures (identically those stamped with the probatum est of revolu- tionists in all ages and in every part of the world,) is to be deemed completely extinguished by the grandeur of its design, and that, with these ob- trusively exposed as its trophies, and its retinue, it is to be conducted in triumph to its consumma- tion? It is now in the tenth year of its establishment- it has expended near a quainter of a million of mo- ney, and has distributed Bibles in quantity almost to the same amount — Testaments nearly double ^, " exclusive of those circulated at its charge in vari- ous parts abroad." And what progress has it made towards the renovation of the face of tiie m.orai world, of which it presumptuously announces itself the divinely appointed instrument and harbinger, and which it palms upon the public as the basis of its preferable claim to whatever portion of their sub- stance the piety of individuals may induce them to devote to the propagation of the Christian Faith ' ? ^ The accurate amount of the money ex- pended is - - - 5^.227,233 13 8| The number of Bibles distributed is 221 ,734' Testaments 412,785 • The strictures of Mr. Nolan upon this presumptuous as- sumption, are well worthy of notice : " Without proceeding," S6S Its favorite appeals in this behalf are to its Foreign atchievements — the grand display emulazoned upon he sayp, " to determine a matter of fact," (" the production cf an indefinite diffusion ofi heavenly hiovoledge by the issue of 325,000 copies of the Scriptures from the Bible Society^ s Depe^ sitvry in London," the conclusion which they they draw per saltmii from these premises) " by at best a very doubtful ex- pectancy ; let us take this question a little below the surface, and we apprehend the true secret of " producing a diffusion of knowledge," is not merely to multiply books, but to procure them readers. Let us then try the question in the great Coa- tment of Asia, which has opened the widest field to the exer- tions of this Society. They have taken good care to enume- rate ffteen of the Oriental languages, into which they have procured the Scriptures to be translated. May we then beg to be informed, whether they have succeeded in making Jifteen proselytes, in any of those districts where those lan- .guages are spoken, and the Bible is now rendered intelligible ? Until vouchsafed some satisfactory intelligence on this point, I must beg leave to question, whether the calculations of tliis Society are not merely premature, but vain and deceitful. To adopt an}^ other conclusion on this subject, involves an ab- surdity, which it would be a waste of time to employ a mo- ment in refuting, that every people, among whom the Scrip- tures are translated and puolished, become converts to Chris' iianify, or, what is in substance the same, that every one who receives a book becomes very learned in its contents, and highly improved by its doctrine" In notes upon this passage, Mr. N. supports the sceptical opinions, which he maintains, by the testimony of Mr. Kolhoff, Mr. Horst, and Mr. Pohle, the Missionaries of the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge in the East Indies, and their testimony is very much in point. The two former inform the Society, that " i\\e progress of Christianity^ and the conversion 56^ the annual report of its proceedings being the great things which it has accomplished abroad. The late Bishop of London, who was not in the habit of making gratuitous accusations, gave it under hi3 hand to the Clergy of Colchester, " that he looked " on these accounts with much doubt and suspic'wn^^^ and Professor Marsh has so compleatly detected the infidelity of these narratives in one leading particu- lar *, that not only has no attempt been made to repel the charge, but their guilt in this respect has actually been admitted in the vexy front of the So- ciety's most recent vindication ^ of the Heathens^ resident at a distance from any of their con* gregations, have obliged them to increase the number of theit native teachers ; and tlie latter, after expressing his grateful thanks for the annual stores and presents just received from the Society, breaks out into this fervent exc -imation, « Would to God that we could also receive neto Missionaries ! I am now upwards of QQ years old ; my strength faileth me, and I may soon be gone, and the Mission be an u7iprovided-for orphan, whereof to think only is painful to me." (Account of Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, for 1811, p. 182, 194.) The complaint here, says Mr. Nolan, is not of want Ki? Bibles ., but oi persons to teach it.'^ Objections of a Church- man, p. 12. e See p. 161, 162, and p. 181, note k, where these preten- sions are investigated. ^ " In the ensuing work no notice is taken of Dr. Marsh's History of Translations of the Scriptures. Lest, therefore, any of his friends should consider the omission as a proof that Bb ^70 , lbs only satisfactory evidence then of tlie' So- ciety kiving redeemed tlie pledge for wljich it ha$ liis arguments on this subject are unans\ve2^ble, it may be prO" per to observe, that the facts tioliich he has stated, supposing fhem all tnie, are of no consequen<;e in the present contro- Tersy. If, by the exeriions of the Society, copies of the Scrip- tures, in various languages, abound where formerly they were r.ot to be procured at all, or not without great difficulty ancj expence, 1 am not anxious to be informed whether this inesti-' mable improvement has been produced by printing new, or by reprinting old translations." (Advertisement prefixed to the Dean of Carlisle's Strictures, &c.) In order to appreciate the' success cf this attempt to pany Professor Marsh's home thrust at the credit of the Bible Society, the assumption at Avhich is was directed, should be brought back to the reader's recol- lection. It was contained in Mr. Vansittarfs Reply to his Ad- dress, &c. and was to thfs effect' : " That the I^ible Society has- done more far the diffusion of Christianity^ than has been ef- fected in the same space of time in any age since the Apo3>- folic," having, " in seven years, been the means oi' preaching ihe Gospel in jiftjj-four languages,-" In Mr. Clarkson's Letter^ printed in the Ipswich Journal of Nov. 23, 18^11, M'hich is X.& this effect : that the Society had " translated the Scriptures' into no less \han forty-three different knguages o? dialects.'*" And ia Mr. Hardy's Speech, at Leeds, (printed in the Gam- bridge Chronicle, Nov. 29, 1811, and now circidated, as one specimen, in its Collection of Hints to Bible Society Orators^ ffom its repository in London, from which the Editor obtained it six weeks ago) which is to this effect :, *' that tlie Scriptures have already been translated into more than thirty languvges / and by the blessing of Providence on the labo^urs of those em- ployed, Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, Pontus, and Asia, strangers of Rome, Jews 371 tnade itself so largely responsible, must be the demonstration of advances made at home, by its in- fluence and instrumentality, towards general refor- mation. And even waiving for a moment the above impeachment of its fidelity in reporting \is forclo-n progress ; the natural course to be taken in raising a title to credibility for its atchievements abroad, is to found that title upon the proofs exhibited of the success of its domestic exertions, as it must be on all hands admitted that the inhabitants of this king- dom are in a better state of j)reparation for the pro- fiting by its labours than the victims cither of Hea- thenism or Superstition ; and that here the Society enjoys facilities for ensuring to itself success, to which those elsexvhere furnished bear no de<^'^ree of proportion. The reasonahle demand then, which the Bible Society has to satisfy, is that now puhlicly made to it for the production of its domestic demonstrations — 'if these demonstrations exist, the challeno'e will be easily answered, for its doings have not been done in a corner, but stages have been erected in all the chief places of concourse, and agents, more numerous than the whole phalanx of public func- tionaries, have been employed to give publicity to end Proselytes, Cretes and Afablans, may hear in their qwa tongue the wonderful works of God." Bb2 572, its performances, and to insinuate them from house to house into the affections of the people ; so that if they are powerful in their operation, in kind as well as degree, in the least approaching to the extent which its arrogations set forth ; as far as this king- dom is concerned, it must have made some consi- derable progress in the fulfilment of the predicted final triumph of the Gospel — in the " filling of our land with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." Let the agra then of its commencement and the present period be compared, and let every compe- tent and impartial observer of this busy decad of years decide which have been most productive within the season, the tares of the enemy ^ or the good seed of the Son of Man ? It is without any hesita- tion maintained, that the former have gained ground with a luxuriancy that cannot escape observation; and it is maintained further, that the baneful influ- ence of that Institution would have spread much more extensively the religious indifference which it has engendered, had it not been for the ability, the promptitude, the indefatigable perseverance, and the public spirit with which its aggressions have been withstood, and its sophistries exposed, by that portion of tiie Members of the Establishment, both laity and Clergy, who, alive to this most imposing ilelusion^ have devoted themselves to the preserva- 373- tion of that purest and best reformed part of Christ's Holy CathoUc Church, wiiich it is the distinguished beatitude of these dominions to con- tain. There would be no difficulty, the Editor is per- suaded, to establish by the induction of particulars all that is above imputed, as well with respect to moral depravity '^ as to spiritual wickedness— but his appeal is to Churchmen ; and if the state of Religion in this country, as far as the Establishment is concerned, is at this moment thus far deteriorated beyond what it was ten years ago, that bitterness of hostility towards it in tlie ejiemies of the Church ', •» The murders committed within the period have been both more in number, and more horrid in the circumstances attend- ing them, than have disgraced the annals of the kingdom for a long series of years ; and they have further been characterized by these two peculiarities, that the perpetrators of them, in very many instances, have either, under the influence of de- spair, attempted to elude the execution of justice by laying •ciolent hands upon themselves, or inflated with presumption, have hailed the instrument of death with raptures, deeming themselves saints and confessors, and professaig the fullest assurance of salvation. * This point is excellently opened by Mr. Nolan, in the fol- lowing apposite questions, followed up by the reference to a fact, which speaks for itself, and is decisive. " While we are amused with these fair appearances, and still fairer professions, do we find any abatement in their hos- 574 snd an imJlfftrence amongst its friends, are both greatly eiicieased — if Churchmen are more divided tile designs on tlie Establishment ? Is there one of those emissaries whom they disperse through the rules of its Spiri- tual Governors, withdrawn from the work of undermining its foundatioii : is there one of those productions, charged with matter the most dangerous and pernicious, withheld froni the work of plotting its destruction ? Has one of those al- tars been removed which have been raised against its altars; pr one of those members restored which they have torn from a body, that they have now severed and disunited? Within the memorable lustrum in which this Society has been form- ed, we have witnessed a slight stand made, to repress their alarming encroachments on the Church, and to restrain them in practices, which have since proved to be as illegal as they %vere dangerous. But y^e do not forget the petitions which were poured forth by the whole body, and the clamourous importunity with which they beset the Legislature, to acknow- ledge, as their riatural right, the liberty which they asuumedy as much in drjlance oj' justice as laiv, to trample down every thing which v/e prize upder that name." Objections, &c, p. .'54. Nor should we fgrget titherj the Editor subjoins, the pro- ceedings at Pancras, at the close of the last and the beginning' of the present year, to defeat the very reasonalle endeavour of the Vicar to procure an Act for the erection of a new Pa- rish Church, the present not accommodating above three himr dred of his parishioners, whilst the population is near Jifty thousand. These facts speak so decidedly to the point as to supersede all further appeal — the opposition in the last in- stance having been marked with characters of virulence and rancour, which perhaps were never before exhibited in a Ghrisr {ian country. 375 am-sngst themselves, ^vliilst Dissenters, from being divided, are become clo.sclij confederated together, then is the Vvhole case made out v.hich it is to his present purpose to establish; and that these fea* In addition to the above, anotlier paiBfui instance of very recent date may be recorded ; for nothing can more strikingly exemplify the malignant spirit which has gone forth, than the. comments which have been publicly made upon the sudden death of the Bishop of London, whose valuable qualities have been made daily more and more conspicuous, and v.'ho has been gaining continually upon the affection? of his Clcre professed object of the Bible Society ; that distinct heij/ is not the circulation of the Bible, but the circula- tion of it zvithout Note or Comme?it. It is not what it imparts, but what it zvithholds, that cha- racterizes the Institution. Na}-, its involution of character is so exquisitely skilful that the full idea of it is not yet conveyed ; for besides what it xcith' holds, what it imperceptibly insinuates enters into its mystical composition. The Scriptures indeed, by the preliminari) Jiltration which they are made to undergo, come into this vast reservoir, prepared for their general diffusion, purijied from that par^ ticular tincture which they have received, as well from those who interpret them according to the truth, as from those who corrupt them according to their various imaginations : but they are not emitted in this purity to those to whom this splen- die receptacle dispenses them again ; for, in con- seq lence of tlie various strata of which its clian- nel is composed, they undergo a sort of chemical process within it, by which they are impregnated widi all those tinctures conjointly in their most mibtle and least detectable forms \\\i\\ which be* fore they were separately coloured ; and the truth is annihilated by the overpowering evaporations of 37S error ^. Now, in that last and most contentious period of the Jewish history, which the Gospel con- tains, a religious fraternity are brought prominently forward, who were in as complete possession of public estimation as the Bible Society ever was, even in the zenith of its popularity, and who had adopted and carried into full effect this expiirga- tory regulation. The Pharisees are the fraternitj/ referred to, and the analogous principle of their po- licy is that they " took away the key of knowledge;" i.e. the true interpretation^ of their Sacred Writings, ^ " In joining them (the Dissenters) in any scheme when the latter (the Ministry, or notes and comments, for in the one the other is included) is not merely overlooked, but the former (the Bible) deemed exdtisiveli/ adequate, we virtually abandon our otvn principles, and add our sanction to their' s.'* Nolan's Object. &c. p. 'ho. J Luke xi. 52. Grotius notes upon this passage, " Vetus quidam annotator ■,^^ccre exposuerat ix^v^l^cre, non male, quod et in textum alicubi penetravit. Clavini autem Tertullianus recte exponit interpretationem Scripturarum. Et mos erat apud Hebra^os, cum cui potestas dabatur Legem et Prophetas iaterpretandi, clave data, quasi in possessionem muneris mittere. Wilson, in his Christian Dictionary, in explanation of this passage, says, " The sense of Scripture is as it wei-e locked up, till it be opened by wise and sound interpretation, which is the \eij qfknovoledgeJ'^ Besides Tertullian cited by Grotius above, he cites St. Chrysostom and Jerome as thus explaining the phrase. Pople also coincides in this coni^truction. S79 la which that witness which they hore to the Mes- siah and to his dispensation was set forth. The ex- pedient then is brought before us in the very narra- tive of our Lord's ministry upon earth ; nay, it is He himself who introduces it to our notice, and He in- troduces it only for the purpose of denouncing a woe against those who had contrived so subtle a device, and both exposes the corrupt motives in which it originated — that its inventors might without detection ^' teach for doctrines the commandments of men" (Mat. xv. 9), and make the commandment of God of none effect by their tradition (]\lat. xv. 6) ; and also admonishes its self-deluded votaries of its mischievous effects, that it at once indisposed them from entering themselves into the kingdom of Hea- ven, and involved them in the further guilt of hin» dering those from entering in, who were otherwise nvell disposed to sue for admission. (Luke xi. 52.) But when our Saviour thus condemned it, it had not filled up the measure of its iniquity ; it had not betrayed the misguided multitude into the " deny- ing the Holy One and the Just ; into the desiring a murderer might be released unto them in his stead; into the killing the Prince of Life," (Acts iii. 14, 15.) and into the invoking his blood upon them-r selves and their posterity. — (]\Iat. xxvii. QS.) These, however, followed in the train of dreadful conscr quences, fgr which it must render an account ■ for 380 St. Luke is express in his declaration, (Acts xiii. 27.) that into this complication of wickedness, " the inhabitants of Jerusalem and their Rulers" were in- fatuated, " because they knew not the Toices of' the Prophets which were" yet " read to them every Sabbath-day," — because, though supplied in due portions with the te.vtoi Scripture, the key of know- ledge which would have opened its time interpreta' tion to their minds, had been surreptitiously taken away, and thus, as the Inspired Historian continues, *' they fulfilled these Prophecies in condemning Him." A more impressive demonstration than this of the reprobate state of mind to which the expedient of separating the sacred text from its true " interpre- tation, criticism, and comment," has so fatal a ten- dency to reduce those who adopt it, and of the de- spight against the Spirit of Grace which will too probably ensue, placed as it is upon the pages of the Sacred Volume which was thus made the ruin of those which it was designed to save, could not surely have been prepared to act as a preservative upon Christians, effectually to prevent them from stripping it again to " that simple state," and *' presenting it," thus unprotected from injury and insult, " as an object of universal circulation." (Sketch of the Designs of the Bible Society pasted on a Sheet.) 2 581 But the survey may be continued, and the mis" chievous results of the expedient brought nearer home to ourselves; for our Saviour foresaw that the perverse propensity was not so effectually corrected, but that it would revive again ; that in the vicissi- tudes of his Church when consigned to his newly chosen, no less than under the conduct of his ancient people, times would recur, when men would not en- dure scund doctrine, when they would turn away their ears from tlie /n^//z, and would be turned unto fables, and that then the same designs against the key of knozdedge would be suggested and entertain- ed ; the same sun^eptitious removal of it take eflfect, and the same infatuation^ guilt, and misery ensue. As therefore it had been predicted of himself, not merely that " he should be led as a lamb to the slaughter ;" but that his own people, M'ho should lead him thither, .ye//-ex eluded from the true intent of the prediction, should " esteem him smitten of God" and themselves consequently the executioriers of Divine vengeance against him ; so did he fore- warn his Apostles and their successors, not merely that like himself they should be exposed to persecu- tions and to death, but that " times should come upon them when whosoever /.-///ed/ them would think he was doing God service," (John xvi. 2.) ; would persuade himself with the same full assurance that St. Paul did with respect to the Law, (Acts xxii. 3, 4.) that he was actuated by zeal for the Gospel, and 582 ivith all the solemnity of Caiaphas would rend his clothes, (Mat. xxvi. 65.) and pronounce that they had spoken blasphemy, when like their Master they were bearing witness to the truth, and would, from the seat of Judgement, sentence them to execution. All this accordingly has been brought to pass J and, to confine the appeal made in exemplification of it, to the transactions of this kingdom, in the So- lemn League and Covenant, and in the pillage and slaughter of Christ's faithful servants, which that bond of iniquity both legalized and ushered in, is exhibited its abundant completion. The confede- racy formed by means of this instrument of delu- sion, was, with the exception only of the name, a Bi- ble Society •". The Bible and the Bible only was the *» Dr. Milner, at p. H<2, laments (says Professco- Marsh} *< that a Bible Society was not formed in the time of Charles Iv Now there was a Bible Society farmed in the reign of CharlesI^ (rejoins the Professor) and it compvised all the Puritan? in the kingdom. I have got a/?ri)?^of it, of which I gave an account in a preceding Chapter." Referring to this Chapter, the ac- count will be found as follows : " The print consists of three figures ; the figure of a Puritan with b, Bible in his hand; the figure of an English Bishop with the Prayer Booh in bis hand ; and the figure of a Romish Bishop with the Mass Book in his hand. The two last figures are in all respects alike, feliey have the same height, the same dress, the same look, the same every thing. Over them is written, " Every plant which my Hea- venlj^ Father hath not planted, should he rooted u;p." Here we S85 $i/7'en song with which it wrought its fascinations — - with which it charmed into a temporary coalition, ** Cluistiaiis of every iiame and description "j" and have a true specimen of the Bible onlt/ to be distributed by the Protestant : and we know that in four years from that time the Prayer Book was fornxally abolished." Marsh's Reply to Mil- ner, p. 138. 92. The scrupulous pveciseness with which the Puritans rejected all " Notes and CoimnentSy" and doated upon the text of ScHp- ture, is thus noticed by Hooker, Ecc. Pol. Book ii. Sect. 1. Th? head theorem of all their discourses, who plqad the change ©f Ecclesiastical Government in England is, " That the Scrip" iure of God is in such sort the rule of human actions, that sin>ply whatsoever we do, and are not, by it directed thereunto, the sams is sin." A curious exemplication of this theorem is exhibited in a Tract, pi'inted during the Rebellion, entitled, " Aecommodo' fion diseommended as incommodious to the Commonviealtk.'^ It is a Scholastic production, and the argument is as follows : *' First, Accommodation is not the language of Canaan, and therefore it cannot conduce to the peace of Jerusalem. Se- cond. It is no Scripture xvord : now,, to vilify the ordinances' which are in Scripture, and to set up^ Accoinmodation, which is- tJOt in Scripture, no, not so much as in the Aj^ocrypka, is to relinquish the Word and to follow the inventions of man, which is plain popery. " The exact similarity exemplified in the former note be- tween 'the Puritans and the Bible Society, with respect to the pretext of the two confederacies, prevails no less in thecom- pYehensive principle of both constitutions. This appears in the title assumed by the Root and Branch Faction, which v/ent out from them in search of furthec, reformation, " This title,'" S84? xtblch it cited as its justification on all occasionSj even when it was " overthrowing God's altars, slay* ing his Prophets with the sword," and shedding the sacred blood of his Anointed, The^e are not points of ^oz/i^Z/m/ disputation, they txe geiiei'allij admitted facts, registered by those who did the deeds, and either gloried in their doings, or had been disciplined into vexation and remorse by feedincf upon the bitter fruit of their own devices " ; and if it be required, what could betray men /;ro- fessing godliness into such inhumanity and sacrilege as this, the cause is equally notorious with the effect ; an overweeniuiT fondness for their own imaginations had engendered a disinclination either to the open- (Independents) says Bates, " did well quadrate to all the other sects in general, and was used by them, because, depending on the government of no National Church, nor civil power, they ordered all things relating to doctrine and Church discipline in their private congregations. Not that most part of them had any concern for Religion, but that that specious profession, giving a comprehensive latitude to all sects. Anabaptists, Qua- kers, IMillenaries, and all other fanatics, they might swell the number and power o£ their Jaciion.'' — Troubles of England, p. IS. ° Edwards, in the dedication of his Gangra^na to the Parlia- ment, at once professes so strongly his former attachment to the cause of Puritanism, and his subsequent abhorrence of the outrages which it had occasioned, that his confession conveys a most v/holesome lesson, and will therefore be found in the Col* lection of Documents, No. VI. 385 ing Scripture by the key of knowledge, or to the re*- ceiving it so opened by its appointed Keepers, and had induced them to conspire, even to take this key surreptitiously away ; and thus " the Gospel became hid'" to them, " they knexv not the voices" of Christ and his Apostles, " which were" not merely " read to them every Sabbath-day," but which were con- stantly in their mouths, and were prostituted to serve all the purposes of their most trivial conversation ; and thus as the Jews had dealt with the Master of the House, so did they with those of His household; they A'eV/e^them, that in their oxvn conceits they might do good service to God^ and might place Christ on his throne in unsullied majesty among them. And, to close this speculative survey of the pro- fessed object of the Bible Society, there is a moral necessity that the same tremendous result should uniformly ensue, w'hen, as is now the case, and as Mr. Nolan excellently states it, " under the pretext of recommending the Bible, the Ministry is super^ seded, and mankind are set at liberty, to treat, after their own good will and pleasure, a Book, which they have all confidence enough to believe they can understand, and are weak enough to be able to per- vert." (Objections of a Churchman, p. 25.) Se^ Appendix, No, 7. There yet remains the constitution of the Society Cc 385 to be made the subject of speculation, which, now that " the sole and exclusive object'" (as it is called) is removed out of the way, and there is no stalking horse interposed to shelter it from observation, can scarcely need a remark to consign it, amongst con- scientious men, whatever be their mode of faith, to general reprobation. For the conscientious Dissen- ter and the conscientious Churchman are, in this par*- ticular, in the same predicament, that neither of them can make a compromise of those dogmata, which, according to their respective interpretations of Scripture, constitute, in the belief of each of them, the fundamentals of Christianity ; and to the Editor it is a paradox which he confesses him- self not able to unravel ; how, without making such compromise, they can join a so constituted associa- tion. But his argument is with Churchmen ; and he t)ess to refer them to the third Collect for Good -Friday, and then to answer to themselves, how, be- lieving with the Church, that " Jews, Turks, Infi- dels, and Heretics," are all without the fold of Christ, and that they are the victims of either *' ignorajice, hardness of heart, ov contempt of God's h'ord,'" and how supplicating so heartily for the re- moval of their respective antipathies, and for their being '\fetchedhome to Christ's fioch that they may be saved amongst the remnant of the true Israelites, 587 and be made one fold under om Shepherd, Jesus Christ our Lord ;" they can do that which seems so obviously calculated, as much as in them lies, to ren- der of no effect these several supplications ; which levelling the distinction between Churchman and Sectary, will not only confirm those who have xvan- deredivom the fold, in the error of their way, but vi\\\ smooth i\\Q path to /wr^/ier separation ? The claims then of the Bible Society upon Churchmen for patronage and support, have been submitted to the test of expeiience, and have been weighed moreover in the balance of the Sanctuary, and have been found miserably defective in both : for there are two choice and comprehensive bles- sings— TRUTH AND PEACE, which Christians are to sustain and cultivate, as constituting Man's chief good in both states of his existence ; and whilst, by its object, it prepares the way for changing the former of them into a Vie ; by its constitution it dissipates the latter ^ and sows the seeds oi universal conjusion. But withal it is most specious in its proceedings; — it has that in its composition (as a Bristol asso- ciate hesitates not to publish, or the Parent Society (See p. 9.31 — 236.) to xonfirm,) which will lure into it, not merely Christians of every denomina- tion, but Jews and MahometanSj — nay^ ^yea c c 2 388 Deists and Infidels: and will thus congregate, \vithout all question, so formidable a confederacy, and one so precisely the counterpart of that, in the toils of which the martyred Sovereigns, both of England and of France, were taken ; that, re- flecting upon these instances of successful treachery, it is scarcely possible to avoid the in- ference from past experience of this kingdom's pre- sent perilous condition ; or to repress the apprehen- sive exclamation of the rulers of Jezreel, " Behold two kiu'Ts stood not before it, how then iliall th's country stand ?" the answer, however, is obvious : • — both the Sovereigns in question would not be awakened to their danger, and neglected till too late the proper remedies by which it might have been prevented; under God, therefore, our sta- bility depends upon ourselves ^ P Leslie, In his Rehearsal, No. V. puts into the mouth of Observator (who personates one of the progeny of the Puri- .tans) this account of the conceding poHcy of Charles I. by which they gained the ascendancy over hm> " Th^y (the Royalists) know better how to get a victory, than how to make use of it when they have got it. They will begin to court and to flatter us again to show their moderation ! and still continue to employ us In places of power to please us. This was the method used by Charles I. all along ; who often had it iii his power to have crushed us to nothing, and ended (what he called) our rchelUon. Tkis gave us new strengtli, and ice gained by his advantages over us, as well as by ours ever hiui. For thi.s ijhtwed us to be the considerable party 389 When beset by similar li/ consiitiUed Societies with that now under review, but having a politi- which must be gratified, and of whom the Government was afraid. This magnified us in the eyes of the people, till we got them all over to us at last. Louis XVI. says Barruel (Memoirs of Jacobinism, vol. iv. p. 39-i) might have known this perfidious {Minister (Neckar. ) The whole plan of the conspiracy, contrived by Neckar and his adepts of philosophism, had been laid before the King ; but, alas ! he could not be made to believe, that such ivick' edness and hijjjocrisi/ was to be found in man. The day came, however, when he sorrowfully exclaimed, IVJty did I not believe it, eleven years ago ivns every thiito- fore/ old •which now befalls me'? It was to Neckar that he alluded; for during his first ministry, was that man, and the plots contrived in his house, and at the hotel d'liolbach, formally denounced in a memorial to Mr. de Maurepas and to Louis XVI." The Editor could have illustrated the pro- ceedings which have been under investigation by parallel passages, in every instance most apposite to his purpose, from the above Memoirs, but he has abstained from doing so be- cause he has heard that the prejudice which, for obvious reasons, was attempted to be raised against them, has in some degree taken effect. His conviction is, that they con- tain internal evidence of their own authenticity, independently of the strong collateral evidence which Professor Robison's Proofs, &c. afford; that book being a contemporary produc- tion, and the two Historians having stated the same facts, without the least intercourse with or even knowledge of each other. Barruel has observed (vol. iv. p. 516,) that " the adepts have not forgot the land of their ancestors, the Puri- tans, the Anabaptists, and Independents," and that *« the Scourge has been wafted across tlie ocean with all its plots.** S90 cat pretext to cover their designs, it was God's great mercy to England, that more enlightened and vi- gorous counsels prevailed, and a wiser course was taken; she embodied the well-disposed into loyal associations : she exposed ihe sophistries of the propounders of the new Rights of Man ; — and that so effectually as to recover to their allegiance many whose principles had been shaken, and touching very sensibly their generous affections, attached them more warmly than ever to her cause. The same measure must again be taken ; adapted to the new cast of character which the enemy has assumed, and to the new point of attack which he has chosen. Instead of unrestricted liberty^ the present pretext is a generalized religion^ and the breach now meditated is made to confine its me- naces solely to the Church; it being the deep- laid policy of its present assailants to detach the StatCj as much as possible, from taking part in the contest, by refraining studiously from any No wonder then that attempts should be made to bring this practical illustration of them into disrepute ; for should it be listened to, their designs must be defeated, but with the same assiduity that the sons of confusion labour to discredit it, should those who wish to foil them in their enterprizes exert themselves to recover its reputation, and to draw the public attention to its tremendous narrative, the preparatory scenes of which, with the most circumstantial accuracy, are now acting amongst ourselves, and in open day, without exciting apprehension. hostile acts by which its jealousy may be excited. Religious associations, therefore, of all who re- tain any attachment to the national establishment of religion, are the first measures to be resorted to, and the adoption of them is a duty which a due regard to Christian obligations, no less than to tem- poral welfare, peremptorily imposes, that by one simultaneous expression of abhorrence against Deistical generalities, and of resolute adherence to the Faith and Worship of this purely primitive Church, and by the distribution of popular vindi-' cations of its formularies and ordinances, and of that Apostolical succession of the Priesthood of which, (without the pale of Popery,) it retains in these kingdoms the e.vdusive possession, the weak may be supported, the feeble-minded strengthened, a general stimulus given to orthodoxy and devo- tion, and the gainsayers consigned to shame and confusion of face ''. "J It is most profoundly observed by Barruel, that the Sect IS a Sect of opinion j that nations have been seduced by a subterraneous warfare of illusion^ error, and darkness ; and that if it is our intention to guard against the misfortunes whicli have befallen France, honest men must oppose these with ivisdom, truth, and light. (Memoirs, &c. vol. iv. p. 560*) The Psalmist long ago made a similar developement, when recounting the proud boastings of those aspiring geniuses in his days, who revolted at the very idea of having any Lord over them, he takes from their mouths this maxim of their policy, proclaimed, as it were in defiance, from their confi- 392 The Society for promoting Christian Knowledge which, by the instrumentality of the Clergy in their respective Parishes, and of a large body of pious laymen co-operating with them, has been, for above a century, unobtrusively supplying the re- ligious wants of the nation with whatever pertains to life and godliness, is exceiiently adapted to form the nucleus of the projected associations, and, by means of the diocesan and district committees al- ready formed under its auspices, and fostered by its superintendence, it has made consideriibie pro- gress in this necessary incorporation. Let it be carried without delay into fail effect. Let Ci^urch- jxitu congregate ia theu' respective neighbourhoods, and that their devout energies may be concentrated and systematically called forth, let them rally, as to their center of union, round this venerabie So- ciety, and zealously contributing of al! ciieir talents to the prosecution of its labour ot U>ve, — jhs MAINTENANCE AND DISSEMINATION OF THE dence in its success, " Bt/ our tongues tviU ive prevail.'* (Psalm xii. 4.) And in another place, (Psalm Ixiv. S.) he insti-ucts us, that the only efficient method of counterplotting them is to turn their own weapons against themseives, and so compleately to unravel their sophisms that " thei>- aim tongues" by which they wheedled themselves into the affections of the people, '♦ shall raake them fall," and their detected delusions turn the tide of popularity against them, and convert the plaudits of the misguided multitude, who had followed theax in their simplicity into " the laughing them to scorn.'* 593 FAITH ONCE DELIVERED TO THE SAINTS, let them testify their gratitude for the inestimable blessings which they enjoy, and commend themselves to the continued protection of the Ahnighty. Then notwithstanding the portentous aspect of the present period, we may hnmbly hope to re- ceive, as heretofore, in the time of need, deliver- ance from on high, and to be sustained on that distinguished eminence to which, amidst natioQS rendered desolate by the successful issue of similar designs, we have been elevated as the house of refuge for persecuted Christianity, and as the IVIount Sion of these last days, the joy of the whole Earth. APPENDIX OF DOCUMENTS REFERRED TO IN THE FOREGOING /FORK. No. I. P. 11. As the frame of my whole Book, (De Verltate prout dis- tingwitur a Rcvelatione verisimili, possibili, et a falso,) was so dittcrent from any thing which had been written heretofore, I found I must either renounce the authority of all tliat had written formerly concerning the method of finding out truth, and consequently insist upon my own way, or hazard myself to a general censure, concerning the whole argument of ray- book ; I must confess it did not a little animate me, that the two great persons abovementioned did so highly value it, yet as I knew it would meet with much opposition, I did consider whether it was not better for me awhile to suppress it. Beini thus, doubtful in my chamber, one fair day in the summer, my casement being opined towards the South, the sun shining clear and no wind stirring, I took my book De Verltate in my hand, and kneeling on my knees devoutly said these words. ** O Thou Eternal God, author of the light which now shines upon me, and giver of all inward illuminations, I do beseech Thee of thji infinite goodness to pardon a greater re- quest than a sinner «ught to make ; 1 am not eutisiied enough^ S96 yrhether I shall publish this Book De Veritate, if it be for thy glory I beseech Thee, give me some sign from Heaven, if not I shall suppress it. I had no sooner spoken these words, but a loud though yet gentle noise, came from the Heavens (for it was like nothing on Earth) which did so comfort and cheer me, that I took my petition as granted, and that I had the sign I demanded, whereupon also I i-esolved to print my Book. This (how strange soever it may Geem) I protest be- fore the Eternal God is true, neither am I any way superstiti- ously deceived herein, since I did not only clearly hear the noise, but in the serenest sky that ever I saw, beinij without all cloud, did to my thinking see the place from whence it came." Life of Lord Herbert, of Cherbury, 4to, 1770. p. 171. The citations from Bates and Perenchief, are not given, be- cause in both those instances, prayer was resorted to m gross h^jiocrisy. The above instance and that which fellows, are those in point ; as in both, recourse is had to it in sincerity but under strong delusion, and the most manifestly false convictions are produced. P. 113. "AS for Mr. Hutchinson, although he was very much con- firmed in his judgment concerning the cause (the puritanical reformation) yet here being called to an extraordinary action, (the signing of the warrant for the King's death) whereof many were of several minds, he addressed himself to God by prayer, desiring the Lord that, if through any human frfaity he were led into any error or false opinion, in these greate transactions, he would open his eies, and not suffer liim to proceed, but that he would conlirme his spirits in the truth ; 597 and lead him by a right enlightened conscience ; and finding no check, but a confirmation in his conscience that it was hia duty to act as he did, he, "upon serious debate, both privately in his addresses to God, and in conferrences with conscientious, upright, unbiassed persons, proceeded to sign the sentence against the King. Although he did not then believe but it miglit one day come to be again disputed among men, yet both he and othei-s, thought they could not refuse it without giving up the people «f God, whom they had led forth and engaged themselves unto by the oath of God, into the hands of God's and their enemies, and therefore he cast himselfe upon God's protection, acting according to the dictates of a conscience which he had sought, the Lord to guide, and accordingly the Lord did signalize his favour afterwards to hhn.'* Memoirs of Col. Hutchinson, Svo. vol. ii. p. 15S. " When the CoUonels saw how the other poore gentlemen we trepaned that were brought in by the proclamation, and how the whole cause itselfc, from the beginning to the ending, was betrayed and condemned, notwithstanding that he him- selfe, by a wonderful overruling providence of God, in that day was preserved : yet he looked upon himselfe as judged in their judgment, and executed in their execution ; and although he was most thankful to God yet he was not very well satis- fied in himselfe for accepting the deliverance. His wife, who thought she had never deserved so well of him, as in the en- deavours and labours she exercised to br?ng him off, never dis- pleased him more in her life, and had much adoe to persuade him to be contented with his deliverance, which, as it was eminently wrought by God, he acknowledged it with thankful- nesse ; but while he saw others suffer, he suffered with tliem in his mind, and had not his wife perswaded him, had ofFered himselfe a voluntary sacrifice, but being by her convinced that God's eminent appearance, seemed to have singled him out for preservation, he with tlianks acquiesced in that thing j and 398 furtlier remembering that he was but young att that time, when he entered into this engagement, and that many who had preacht and led the people into it, and of that parliament, who had declared it to be treason, not to advance and promote that cause, were all now apostatized, and as much preacht against it, and called it rebellion and murther, and sat on the tribu- nall to judge it ; he again reflected seriously upon all that was past, and begged humbly of God to enlighten him and shew ■liim his sin, if ignorance or misunderstanding had led him into error ; but the more he examined the cause from the first, the more he became confirmed in it, and from that time sett him- selfe to a more diligent study of the Scriptures, whereby he attained confirmation in many principles he had before, and daj'Iy greater enlightenings concerning the free grace and love of God in Jesus Christ, and the Spiritual worship under the Gospel, and the Gospels liberty, which ought not to be sub- jected to the wills and ordinances of men in the service of God. This made him rejoice in all he liad done in the Lord's cause, and he would often say, the Lord had not thus emi- nently preserved him for nothing, but that he was yett kept for some eminent service or suffering in this cause ; although having beene freely pardoned by the present powers, he re- solved not to doe anie thing against the king, but thought himselfe obliged to sitt still and wish his prosperity in all things tliat were not destructive to the interest of Christ and his members on earth ; yett as he could not wish well to any ill way, so he believed that God had set him aside, and that therefore, he ought to mourne in silence and retirednesse, while he lay under this obligation.'* Memoirs of Coll. Hutchinson. Svo. 1810. vol. ii. p. 275.: ^99 No. II. P. 198, 301. Eji^tract from a Speech made at a Meeting, held in the Shire-Hall, Ipsxvich, Dec. 10, 1811, for the Establishment of a Suffolk AiLviliary Bible Society, by the Rev, John Owen, Secretary to the Pai^ent Institutioii. ** HE wished to congratulate the Chairman on his conduct, and on the success of the day ; but he could find no terms adequate 'to those which had been already used. His treat- ment of the opponents of the Institution, had been liberal, and manly, and noble. His conduct towards them had been marked by tenderness, by firmness, and by judgment. Had it not been for his great and charitable forbearance, he might have exposed them to obloquy, and contempt, and ex- ecration. He knew that he had a secret document in his pocket, which, if produced, would overwhelm them with shame *. But his Christian feelings triumphed, and the ene- • This formidable document was a letter from the Churchwardens of the Tower Church, refusing the use of it for the meeting, in which it had been advertised to be held. Whilst the Editor is writing this rote imelligcnce is brought to hira, by a person who was present, that last night, (September 20th) Spitalfields Church was used for tlie purpose for which the Tower Church was refused, or rather for a Bible Association instead of an Auxiliary Meeting. As was the case in Bishopsgate Church, a stage was erected for the orators in the front of the reading desk j the Church was crowded. Some clergy of the Es- tablishment, and sectaries of all denominations harangued the assembly in that stile «f oratory, and with those arguments of which, speci* 2 4()0 taics of the meeting were suffered to refit m peace. Thg time, however, would come when he should be exalted, and they would be debased; \vhen, like the bold, and towering co- lumn, he should be elevated, and they should be trampled on and despix^dy like the ivretched slaves that iivell ike proud tri* umph of Hie conqueror.^* As a suitable accompanyment to the above specimen of Mr. Owen's strains of eloquence, during his paroxj^sms of wrath, the ensuing effusion, evidently uttered in the exstacy of admi- ration, is subjoined. Thus connected they form a pair of spectacles through which that gentleman may be easily read and cannot well be mistaken. The gentleman whose apothe- osis is tlius celebrated is said to be IMr. Grant, Jun. " And here, Sir, while I pay all due respect to the exer- tions of others, and particularly to those of the honourable and learned gentlemen, who addressed us in an early stage of the proceedings, I cannot withhold my humble testimony of admiration to the prodigious display, both of talent and piety, on the part of another honourable gentleman who, in his exertions this day, has not only surpassed others, but ex- ceeded himself. " Sir, while I listened to the lofty strains of Christian elo- quence, in which that honourable gentleman pleaded the cause of the Bible, I felt I could sympathize with those enraptured heathens, who, when they heard the words of truth from the lips of Inspiration, exclaimed, " The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men !" To me, how- ever, the terms of the statement required to be inverted in or- mens have been already given, and which are so powerfully delusive with the poor ; but what is chiefly to be noticed, is the continual clap^ ping with which the desecrated edifice resounded, and the thanks •which were voted to the Rector and Churchwardens for allowing the Church to be so employed. 4D1 der to suit the circumstances of the case. I saw In the speaker, ■^ mortal like myself; but elevated above the standard of hiu own great powers by the majesty of the great subject on which he spoke. To my view he seemed to have vornpped' hbnself in the skirts of that garment, ix>ith which the Father of Light is covered; and while he appeared to reflect a lustre borrowed from the Divinity itself, methinks I could have found it in my heart to exclaim : " men are come among us in the likeness of God P' — Mr. Owen's Speech at the Bloomsbury Auxiliary Meeting. See Account of Proceedings, p. 71. No. in. See p. 239» ** PRIVATE opinions^ especially if countenanced by som* of emifient name, were looked on as the public resolutions ot the Anglican Church, and the poor Church condemned for teaching those doctrines which by the artifice of some mea had been fastened on her. So that it was not without some ground that the Archbishop of Spalato, having gone from hence, did upbraid this Church, in his " Consilium Re- deundi,'* for taking into her confession (which he acknow- ledges of itself to be sound and profitable) *' multa Calvini et Lutheri dogmata," many strange doctrines broached by Luther, and held forth by Calvin. To which, when Dr. Crackanthrope was commanded to make an answer, he thought it neither safe nor reasonable to deny the charge, or plead not guilty to the bill: and therefore, though he called his book Defensio Ecclesias Anglicanae^yet he chose rather to defend those dogmata that had been charged oa thijs Church iu the Bisibop's pamphlet, than to assort to this Dd - 402 Church her genume doctrines. They thaC went otherwise t9 , work w^jre like to speed no better in it, or to be otherwise re- quited for their honest zeal, than to be exposed to public envy, and made the common subject of reproach and danger^ So that I must needs look upon it as a bold attempt (though a most necessary piece of service) as the times then were in Bishop Montague of Norwich, in hiu answer to the Popish Gagger and the two appellants, to lay the saddle on the right horse, as the saying is, I mean to sever or discriminate the opinions of jparticuJar wen from the received and au- thorized doctrines of the Church of England ; to leave the one to be maintained by their private fautors, and only to defend and maintain the other. And certainly had he not been a man of a mighty spirit, and one that easily could con- temn the cries and clamours which were raised against him for so doing, he could not but have sunk reniedilesly under the burden of disgrace and the fears of ruin, which that per- formance drew upon him. To such an absolntc authority ivere ike ncnncs and veritings of some mtti advanced by their diligenS J'ulloivers, that not to i/ield obediciise to their ipse dixit tvas a crime unpardonable.'''* Heyiin^s Theo^ogra Tetenmi. Address to the ReaderK No. IV. P. 334. 2'he. Advantages of dlstrihuting the Holy Smphire. anwjig the loxcer Orders of Societifj chkfiy by their ozvn Agencij, " WIIOEVEtl is acquainted with the history of the Re- formation, cannot fail to have observed the extreme anxiety •'iiJ.fWyed fev -our Martyrs and Kcformers for the free circu- 403 iadun 0^ the feiblei The same feeling has been found to anl- tnate wise and good men in every age, since the promulgation of the Gospel ; and some of the charitable institutions which have arisen in modern times, hold out the pleasing assurance, that this Christian pi-inciple still survives ; that many are still emulous to follow the example before themj and are in some degree influenced by the spirit of those who have long since gone to the resting-place of the just. One of the most important and effective institutions which the world has ever seen, is the British and Foreign Bible Societ}'. Its means are great, but its projects are magnifi- cent. It proposes to do nothing less than to diffuse the tlessings of Revelation to all men. Its operations must be considered in a two-fold view : as a British Society, it directs its first regards to the wants at home ; and as a Foreign So- ciety, it encourages the reprinting and dissemination of ac- knowledged versions, where they already exist, and promotes translations, and the circulation of the Scriptures, where they are wholly unknown. The efforts and utility of such an Institution can be limited only by its means ; and in proportion to the augmentation of its funds, will it extend the empire of knowledge and of truth. The assistance which has been afforded by Auxiliary Societies in many parts of the country, can hardly be esti- mated at too high a rate. By calling the attention of the opulent to the want of Bibles in their own vicinity, they have contributed very essentially to the benefit ^of thousands, who might otherwise have remained in ignorance ; and by aiding the funds of the parent Institution, they have enabled it to carry on its foreign operations with great and increasing success. Many are the prayers which have ascended from distant lands on behalf of their benefactors in Britain, and many are the blessings which have been invoked on their heads. Dd 2 404 That A project of this godlike tendenc)', so full of ratrrfr «nd so abundant in reward, should be checked or narrowed by the want of resources, is a circumstance deeply to be la- mented. Yet nothing is more certain, than that the effcrtPr a:Iready made, however glorious and however einexanipled, are not comniensurate with the magnitude of the case. . Here is a world in ignorance ! a world to be enlightened and evangelized ! To the reflecting mind it must be obvious> that a pVm, which shall at the same tin^e adequately supply the damands at honw, and effectually meet the hopes and expec- tations of those myriads of hm^aan beings, who, in other lands, suffer " a famine of the word of the Lord," must be supported by more general interest, and aided by more ex- tensive means. To complete the system which has commenced, and bsea conducted with such happy results, no measure seem* to have occurred of such reasonable promise as Bitde Associa- tions *. The contributors to the Institution in London, and to its Auxiliaries and Branches in different parts of the country, consist in general of that class of persons, who are somewhat elevated rn the scale of society.. It is the object cf Bible Associations to bring into action also the inferior classes ; to collect subscriptions not merely from the opulent, but likewise from that large body of the people, who are un- able to give much, and are yet not unwilling to give a little* If the number of eontributora be great, the accumulatiorx * Bible Associations have been established in many places. The A-Uxiliary Bible Society for Blacklieath and its neighbourhood, has ten within its district j and one, within the town of Darlington, produces after the rate of 701. a year, being nwre than adequate to suppljj the deficiency of the Scriptures anxingst the poor of that town ; thereby ro-inpletcly liberating the funds of the Auxiliary Bible Society for Darlington and its vicinity, so far as relates to the town of Darlingtoa- ttst if, for tiie supply of foreign parts. Note by the Autfxor, AD.5 even- of small sums will not be contemptible ; and it may he presumed, that most persoRs, who are not absolately in tte lowest walks of kfe, can afford a subscription of a penny a Mvek. A series of resolutions, recommended for adoption by Kbie Associations, is subjoined to this address. la illus- tration of that paper, it may be proper to observe, that while the committees of such associations are formed from the contributors themselves, yet t/ie stimulus nntst he afforded by others. On the formatioR of an Auxiliary or Branch Society, -the members of the committee (under the designa- tion ef siab-coramittees) should select certain districts for their own more immediate exertioas, and endeavour to avoaken the attention of the inferior classes to the importance of rendering whatever aid they can afford. It would be ex- pedient to appoint a numerous committee for each associa- tion, in order that a greater interest may be excited, and that the wants of the poor may be more accurately known. Certain members of the Auxiliary or Branch Committees should also be appointed frequently to sit with the Commit- tees of Bible Associations. A proper direction will thus be given to their efforts ; a similarity of system will be main- tained; and the parent Society, with all its auxiliaries and dependencies, will thus present a perfect whole, jcorrespon^d- cnt in plan, and united in harmony ; a noble fabric, in which all the parts are combined at once for beauty and for strength ; whose foundations are laid deep in the ground, but its pillars are seen from afar, £tnd its turrets sparkle in tlie skies *. • The machinery recooimendcd to the adoption of the poor, or rather to the country agents of the Society, in this passage, and which lias been iccurately copied in the constitution of all Bible Associations, is a re- publication of the system of the United Irishmen, with merely literal raiiations ; aad their ^gurarive description ul the Temple of Libeity, 406 \ ■■ ■ ^As the object and tendency of the measure here recom* mended, is to promote the widest circulation of the Scrip- tures, and to excite the greatest attention to them through the whole mass of the community, it may seem almost super- fluous to enlarge upon the benefits which must result fron^ its adoption. In a land professing to be Christian, where is the man who would arrest the free streams of heavenly mercy? Where is tine man who would not rather rejoice to beholcl every mound and barrier swept away by the ample tide? — to see the liberal current *' overflow and .pass over" in all its rich and fertilizing influence? that the soil, which has. hitherto been parched and unfruitful, or " fertile only to itg own disgrace," may smile in new attraction, and cheer the eye with strange luxuriance. ff, in these awful times, w-e conceive ourselves to be placed upon an eminence from which we may contemplate the ever- varying scenes which are flitting around us, how melancholy is the pi'ospect ! The face of nature, indeed, continues the £arne ; the works of creation still reflect the wisdom and goodness of the Creator; seed-time and harvest, and sum-, mer and winter, acknowledge their appointed course ; the earth expands her beauties to the day, and the lights of heaven still rise and descend obedient to the will that formed them. But the moral world is thrown into convulsions ; the image of God is defaced; the impress of the Divine hand seems to be almost obliterated ; and the best and chiefest of which they were confederated to erect, that ** the ample earth was to be its area, and the arch ot heaven its dome," (see Irish Report, App. Noo V.) is an idea so completely identical with the description of the Bible Society, •* its pillars are seen from afar, and its turrets sparkle in the " skies ;" that it seems almost necessary to conceive, that the authors of both had the same vision depicted on their imaginations, only that the taste ot the Irish author was for Gracian architecture, whereas the Gothic was preferred by Mr- Dsaltry, Note by the Editor. 407 his works — for the sake of which this fair and fertile earth is^' commanded to yield her increase, and the lights of heaven to travel on their destined way — presents little else than the' fragments of a mighty wreck. Public principle has been' violated, public order inverted ; the fury of the nations has" shaken, even to their base, tlie pillars of civilized society, and the stately editice itself seems tottering to its fall. Long have we remained in tranquillity, spectators of the scene. We have heard, indeed, the rolling of the thunder ; but it was a distant sound. We have seen the terrors of the light- ning; but its violence has been spent upon others. The day geems now to be approaching, when this citadel of liberty itself may have to encounter the storm ; to be rocked by the heavings of that earthquake, which has tumbled into ruins so many of the kingdoms around us. The ordinary checks of opinion and of law have been trampled upon with scorn. Plots of misrule, and confederacies strange to Eng lishmen, have spread with alarming rapidity, and have been accompanied by atrocities of sad and fearful expectation. Success has given confidence to crime : the incendiary hardly waits for the cover of darkness, and the hand of the assassin has executed its purpose even in the light of day. These are scenes at which wise men are confounded, and 'good men turn pale. Nor will the considerate mind be much eased of its anxiety, by turning to the occurrences of private life, especially among the ignorant and uninstructed. In poverty there is nothing v.'hich necessarily teixls to debase the character. Many have " wandered about in sheep- skins and goat-skins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy :" *' the Son of Man" had " not where to lay his head ;" but who can dwell, without emotipn, upon the wretched state of the untutored and irre- ligious poor? It is here that we see human nature in its lowest condition, degraded and sunk in shame. We behold a creature, foi*med after the Divine resemblance, but without oae feature remaining to indicate his heavenly origin. Tov him there exists no reciprocal charity, no real union of - affection, no Christian sentiment of aiiutual regard. To these feelings he is unoble to rise ; he Jcnovvs them not, neither 4oe6 he desire to know them. That state which was intended, by the Giver of every good and perfect gift, to add, above all earthly means, to the happiness of man, by the society of one who should be, at the same time, the ornament and the blessing of social life, presents little else than the spectacle of cruelty and of suffering. The wickedness of the parent is leflected in his offspring. Scarcely has the infant tongue learned to articulate, before it begins to blaspheme its Maker. The language of cursing and reviling is there ; and those who ought to be the plec'ges of affection, contribute only to ex- asperate evil, and accumulate misery ;— the scandal of their neighbours, and the disgrace of their kind ; — without comfort in this world, without hope for the next, Many are the evils, both of a pubHc and private nature, to ^vhich human legislation can apply po remedy ; they are to be removed by that influence alone which can reach the heart; by those sacred principles which are developed and enforced in the records of unerring wisdom. The Scriptures have ever been acknowledged, by good men, as the best foundation of jijorals; and those who labour to give them general circulation, -and to excite a general interest for the perusal of them through- out the great body of the people, must be considered as ren- dering no common service both to individuals and to their country. J^et it be granted, tliat by any means the Holy Scripture is perused with diligence by every poor man who is able to. read it ; what would be the consequence ? Is it too much to hope, that the noise of tumult and disorder may be hushed in peace ? that men may be taught to fear God, and to ho- nour the king ? to do unto others as they vifish that others ghoi|ld -do unto them ? and to discharge witl^ fidelity all tha 400 ^ut.ies JCid relations of life? Is it an unreasonable e?cpc-cta-f ton, that husbands may learn to cherish their wives, and to ipve their children^ that won>an may rise to her just elcva- ^on and Legitimate influence f and that the virtues of tlie pa- rents may shine forth in their offspring ? If the blessings of Christianity should be ej^tended to all agcording to the mea- sure in which they are enjoyed by many, how would this world of sorrow and of pain be converted into a picture of Heaven ? Should we refer to past experience, there is no fact more certain, than that the religious and moral state of pvery country may be fairly estimated by the facility of pro- curing Bibles, and the disposition to read them. " Appeal to a Christian, in any age and in any country, and ask liim, ^hat is the greatest benefit which one child of mortality Can confer upon another ; will he not refer you to the Bible ? He will tejl you, that the streams of pharity may, indeed, flow in ten thousand channels, and that they will not fidl tp convey blessings wherever tlieir course can be directed ; bwt that the records of Heaven are calculated, above all other xneans, to meet the wants, and to diminish the sufferings of man ; to point out to him his condition ; to point out to him, ^Iso, his privileges ; to improve his state, and to brighten his prospects; to impart consolation as he proceeds upon his earthly pilgrimage, and to cheer his last hours, even in the agonies of dissolving nature, with a hope full of immortality." It would seem as if the very touch of the inspired volume had power to communicate nev.' feelings, and to kindle new desires ; ^o elevate the standard of principle, ai:^d to raise the tone of morals ; to purify the springs of domestic happiness, to tame the fierceness of the passions, to civilize manners, to bind in harmony the various " members of the embodied state," and • ^0 give to the family on earth some resemblance of the family jibove. Whenever Christianity has been permitted to walk forth iia the native ma.jesty of her form, and the loveliness of hey character, a blessed influence hastrayellcd bv Iier side. He^ 410' charms have fixed the regards of lisping infancy and of hoary age. The mouth vhich was once " full of cursing, deceit, and fraud," has learned to utter the language of sincerity and praise. The feet which were " swift to shed blood," have rua with alacrity in the way of God's commandments. Mankind have been taught to love one another, and have delighted in the assembling of themselves together : the house of prayer has been crowded with worshipper, and the sentiment of every heart has echoed responsive to the sweet singer of Is- rael: " How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of Hosts! my soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord ; rny heart and my liesh crieth out for the living God. Blessed ;ire they th.at dwell in thy house : they will be still praising thee." I-et it be granted that the Scriptures are read with assiduity through the whole extent of our population, and re- sults like these may be confidently anticipated. " My word shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I send it.'* What though the effects are not immediately perceptible ; what though the groans of the creation are not at once hushed in repose, or converted into sounds of joy : the promise is indis- putable, and the blessing is sure. The change in the moral world will resemble the change in the natural : the sun arises, and the dews descend ; but the rigours of winter do not in- stantly abate, nor does the face of nature at once resume the gaiety of spring : yet the great principle of life and fertility is secretly at work ; it is imperceptibly operating in ten thousand channels, and gradually covers the regions of sterility with luX" uriant vegetation and abundant harvests. If this be a just representation of the moral change which ^ knowledge of the Bible is calculated to produce, and if the system of Bible Associations tend, in an especial degree, to the general diffusion of that knowledge, few arguments can be so powerful as those which recommend their adoption. To the rich and to the middle ranks it nmy be urged, " You have 4il a deep interest in the welfare of the poor. If the security of a state depend upon the loyalty and morals of its people, by what other means can you contribute so essentially to the preserva-r tion of order, to the authority of the law, and the stability of the government ? Among what description of men will yoq. ^ook for patience and industry, for sobriety and obedience f Who are the persons most decent in their demeanour, most frugal in their habits, and (what is no mean political considera- tion) most anxious tp avoid the necessity of becoming charge- able to their parishes ? The answer is obvious. And is it not, then, a matter of policy, as well as of duty, to create an in-? terest among the lower classes for the possession and perusal of those sacred records, from which benefits so great and vari- fjus are acknowledged to flow ! *' And if ' righteousness exalteth a nation,' if national piety \>e recornpensed by national mercies, in what way can you Jiope so effectuiilly to secure to your naiiye country the pror tection of Him by whom ' kings reign, and princes decree judgment,' as by extending the knovvledge of his name, and the blessings of his religion ? Hy such means may this empire be fixed indeed, upon the Rock of ages, — tranquil amidst gCr jieral disturbances, and safe amidst surrounding ruin. " Your zeal has already been attended by great success. By your liberal exertloiis, Britain has already become the benefactress of distant lands ; and, while the nations are crumbling around her, she stands alone and pre-eminent* You have opened many channels through which the streams of mercy and of life may flow : but extensive deserts are still to be found, and England itself yet contains many a parched ,^nd thirsty waste. If the lower orders be ignorant, it must be yours to instruct them ; if they be careless and indifferent in this good cause, it must be yours to rouse them into action. Shew them their privileges and their duty : lay before thevc\ tXie benefits which they must themselves experience from hearty cp-opcration in such a servicej and appeal to their host feelings 412 by displaying the blessings which tl)ey will confer upon ethers* I^et a concern for the circulation of the Scriptures be thus ex- cited through the great body of our population, and the lapse of a few years will furnish every poor family in the British do- minions with the treasure of a Bible. If the poor can be in- duced to subscribe, even the smallest weekly sum, for the pos- session of the Scriptures, and the distribution of them to others still poorer — if they can be led to inquire into the wants of their neighbours, and to arrange the best means of suppl3'ing them — an interest will gradually be created in their own minds, to which they have hitherto been strangers ; and that, which at first was matter of indifference, will become the object of ear- nest attention. Such is the natural progress of the human mind. Those who give the Bible will soon find a desire to peruse it ; and while engaged in recemmending it to others, they will be impelled to examine it for themselves ; to read it jn their houses ; to teach it to their children, and to make it the frequent subject of their thoughts and conversation. *' Let no coldness or timidity suggest, that the attempt will be abortive : if despair of success should be the guide of our counsels, what great project could ever be accomplished ? Had this feeling been suffered to damp the ardour of those who first raised the standard of Christianity among our igno^ rant forefathers, or to depress the spirit of our Reformers, what might have been, at this day, the condition of England? Was it in despair of success, that the champions of humanity fought, for twenty long years, the battles of injured Africa ? Was it thus that they rose again and again, after combat an^ defeat, still fresh for engagement ? No ! confident in their good cause, and in the approbation of Him who is the Friend of the poor and needy, hoping as against hope, they pursued with de- termination their glorious way, till at length they broke her chains, and gave freedom to her sable sons. And why should you doubt of success in attempting to interest the poor upon the most interesting of all subjects i — Have they not §enses, 413 feelings, affections, passions, like yourselves ? Are they not influenced by the ordinary motives of hope and fear ? Shall the ebullitions of folly, and the harangues of democracy, awaken their enthusiasm for earthly liberty, even in cases when they can complain of no oppression, and can urge no wrong ; and shall they be utterly insensible, when called to contemplate that heavenly liberty which makes them free in- deed ? which releases them from the dominion of those sordid habits and degrading passions whose tyranny they experience every day ? which rescues them from the bondage of Satan, and converts them into the children of God ? Are they, in so many instances, ready to confer a trifling benefit upon their poor neighbour, and will they deny him the greatest which a child of mortality can bestow ? Shall the motires which direct and govern them in the ordinary transactions of life, fail in that instance alone from which they derive tenfold force and incalculable importance ? Shall the impression be less as the reasons are more powerful ? " Will it be insinuated, that the lower orders would rather associate and contribute for a. bad purpose than for a benevo- lent object ? The very persuasien of their proneness to asso- ciate, should be an argument for attempting, with all your might, to give a right direction to that tendency, and to correct and improve it ; if, by thus employing them in a good cause, they can be preserved from base and injurious combinations, you will render, both to them and to society, a double service. In times like the present, these considera- tions come with peculiar force. " Will it be urged, that we have no encouragement to pro- ceed in this work of charity ? What ! when millions are rous- ing themselves, in different quarters of the world, from the lethargy of ages, anxious to behold * the Desire of all nations,* can we possibly need any additional encouragement or motive for circulating those inestimable records which testify of Uimi 414. *' Will it be contended, that no great efFect can be pf(ii duced by small contributions ? The contribution of an hidi- tidual to the government is small ; but it is by the aggregated of such suras that the state is supported. A ray of Hght and a drop of rain are small ; but it is by the sun and the slio\ver that our hai'vests wave hi the field, and by the accu- jnuhuioa of waters that the riches of all lands are transferred to this* " ' Freely ye have received, freely give 5* if you acknow- ledge for yourselves the blessed irtflaence of Divine Revela- tion, invite others to partake of it. The light of Heaven is streaming, in all its eifulgence, above and around you : 0> let not the beams be intercepted ! Open for it a free passage into the dwellings of the poor !" To men of humbler condition it may be observed, in addi* tion to the arguments already adduced : ** Although, for reasons best known to Infinite Wisdom, tlie Almighty has withheld from you rank and opulence, yet has he given to you the privilege of conferring benefits on others, and of conferring them in the highest degree. The facilities which you possess, for discovering the wants of those immediately around you, may be considered as an intimation of Providence, that, according to your ability, you should seek to relieve them. Silver and gold 5'ou may have none to give ; biit you can give that which is better than ru- bies. You cannot, indeed, raise your poor neighbour above the pressure of the times, or remove those afflictions which are especially incident to his condition ; but you can furnish bim with a remedy for all : you can present him with those oracles of wisdom, which will enlarge his views, ai)d brighten his prospects ; which will teach him that this scene df trouble is hut the pifgrimage of a day ; that he is but the tenant of an earthly tabernacle, which shall presently be dissolved ; and tliat the disembodied spirit shall then seek its everlasting home. 415 *1iall ascend to that * building of God, the house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.* *.' Since the beginning of time, no method has ever been devised, by which you might do good on sq . large a scale, and by such easy means. The effects arising from other acts of charity, must often he confined to the immediate object ; but the influence of your liberality will probably be permanent, and descend with increasing blessings from age to age. It is an enterprize of exalted benevolence, which would become a sovereign better than his crown, and add a greater lustre to his throne than the widest enlargement of dominion. This is a work whicli may bring all classes into action without preju- dice to any : here the rich and the poor may meet together in common exertion, for common good : poverty itself may be thus enriched, and the lowest rank ennobled : one generous feeling may animate all the orders of society, may impel them to the same labour of love, and crown them with the same reward. ** What pleasure can be derived even from wealth, like the pleasure of doing good ? and this is a gratitication which, without riches, you may enjoy in its highest mea'sure. Look upon your poorer brethren, and then ask, whether any delight can surpass the enjoyment of charity like this ? — of charity, that extends blessings the most pure and exalted, to the humblest of mankind — that produces * an elevation of mind and of feeling, which no poverty but Christian poverty can exhibit* — that gives light to the blind, heala the broken heart, brings life and immortality to light among those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, and renders the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the promises. If the blessings of those who are ready to perish be worthy of acceptance, then may you be blessed ; if there be joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, then may the angels of God rejoice even in your labours, and the 4iS Father of mercies himself look down with approbation npbti you. Above all other considerations, let this be supreme ;— ' if by engaging in these acts of benevolence, you are induced to read your Bibles with more earnestness for yourselves, you may become Christians indeed ; and, however low your situation in this life, the treasures of that better world will be your rich and eternal repayment." And is it not a recommendation to men of all classes, that this system will carry the tidings of salvation into the most distant lands ? When the demands at home shall have been satisfied by the contributions of the poor, the subscriptions of the more opulent to the parent Society and all the Auxi- liaries, may be wholly converted into foreign channels. Thus will the lower orders, by their exertions at home, greatly con- tribute to the increase of the supply abroad ; and, in this view, may even then be considered as elevating on high the standard of Christianity, as becoming " heralds of salvation to the ends of the earth." .They v/il! share in the services and in the triumphs of those who, by the blessing of the Almighty, shall be niade the instru- ments of " shewing his glory" to the millions of their fellow- creatures that sit in utter darkness, or that hitherto have only caught glimpses of the light of Revelation, like interrupted flashes distantly shooting across a gloomy sky. They will march, if we may so speak, in the retinue of Him who shall come forth " conquering and, to conquer." They will add wings, as it were, to that angel of mercy, who shall fly into all lands, bearing the everlasting Gospel. Their hearts will be gladdened by the gratitude of those whom, under God, they shall have assisted to save ; and they will receive yet a far ampler reward in that place, where " they that be wise SHALL, SHINE AS THE BRIGHTNESS OF THE FIRMAMENT, AND TIIEY THAT TURN MANY TO RIGHTBOUSNESS, AS THE STABS FOR EVER AND EVER." 417 Here follow, as usual, Resolutions recommended for Adop- tion at Meetings assembled for the Formation of Bible Asso- ciations. Address to the Labouring Classes inhahltitig the North East Part of London. YOUR Neighbours and Friends, with His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent, and many benevolent Noblemen and Gen- tlemen at their head, have formed themselves into a Society, called the North-East London Aicxiliary Bible Societij. And they have done this with two motives. First, They wish that every person who can read in Spital- fields, Bethnal Green, Shoreditch, Hoxton, Moorfields, and the neighbouring parts, should have a Bible. Then, Secondly, They wish that every person should give what he is able toward sending the Bible to the Poor in all parts of the British Empire ; and getting it translated into every language, and sent all over th6 world. Among those who will read this Address, there will be vari- ous opinions on this matter. 1. When we look into the Bible, and see that it commanda every man to " love God with all his heart, and mind, and soul, and strength ; and his neighbour a^ himself;" and then walk through the streets, and hear profiineness on all sides, and see almost every where selfishness, and ill- nature, and malice, and wickedness — we begin to fear that not a ityv who read this pa^er, will isa|-— £ e -418 -* Toil vjinit me to have a Bible, a}id to hip to gite one to those that are poorer than I am ! Why I don't knore xihat good the Bible ■zill do me or others .'" Miserable men ! — the Book of God is his best gift to U3 perishing sinners, next to Jesus Christ, whom that Book offers to us as a Friend and Savioivr. And, by the good providence . of God, you have been taught to read : and you must very soon give account to God, how you have employed that skill wliich you have acquired in reading, and how you have valued his Book, and what you have thought of the. Saviour ! If you waste 3'our time on silly or bad books, or care nothing for the Bible, it would have been better for you never to have been born ! It wiM be more tolerable for poor ignorant savages in ^le Day of Judgment than f jr you. 2. Another person may say, when he reads tbis Address — ^ " You ivanf we to assist i/ou in this good work ! I wish I could: but I can hardly get money to buy food!" "Is this true ? We shall enquire into it. And if we find y&ii a worthy and industrious man, and you wish to have a Bible or a Testament, and promise to make a good use of it, and yet cannot possibly buy one : depend upon it we will give you one ; and it shall be a good print, and such as will be a treasure to you. We will beg money from those who are not so poor as yoii 'ai-e,thtit you may have a Bible or Testament without pay- ing for it. We know that this will occasion us much trouble ; but, as we wish every body that can read to have God's blessed Book in his house, we shall not regard our trouble for the sake of a worthy and industrious man. 3. Another person will say — ** / should like a Bible or a Testament, and I -would pay for it: too : but I cannot raise the fnoncy at once. I could raise it by a litlk at a time." 3 419 To such an one we reply — We will help you. You may pay ihe money by a penny or more every week ; and when yon have half or three-quarters paid for the Bible or Testament, you shall have it, and may pay the rest of the money after- ward. And then you must consider, that the Bible Society allows us to have Bibles and Testaments cheaper than book- sellers themselves can buy them ; and we shall sell them to you at the same price. Read over the List at the end, and you will see how much cheaper a poor man may buy a Bible or Testament of the North-East London Society, and be allowed too to pay for it by a penny a week, than he can buy it of a bookseller, and yet he must pay for it at once. 4. Butj here and there, we shall find a good man who will say— . " Have a Bible or Testament ! Yes : I love the Bible ;^ I had one once : but, in these hard times, I have been obliged to part with it." Or another may saj* — " See here is a very old and tsorn-out Bible : t should be vcty glad to have a better. My eyes are groining dim ; and I want one with a good large letter, that I can read easily." And both these good men may tell us— "J "will give my penny a uxelc to buy such a Bible; and, when I have bought myself one, I will go on tpith my penny a week to help others. And, if / can manage it, I will give, t-xo-pence weekly : one penny shall go to buy my own Bible, and the other shall go to help somebody poorer than I am. I wish every man in the world to have a Bible." Whatever labouf ing man or woman shall meet our proposal in this manner, will rejoice our hearts. We know that there are many such worthy persons in this quarter of the town, whom Ee2 420 the goodness and mercy of God have delivered from the'pcTvrer of thc«e vices which disgrace so many of the poor, ruiiv their families, disquiet their own consciences, disturb their neigh- bours, Sifidy if continued in, will eternally destroy their souls. Gome forward then, worthy friends, to our assistance. Give your pennj'^, or your two-pence a week, according as you can spare it : and afford us a little of your time. We want friends among the poo?, who will undertake to collect the weekly con- tributions of 20 or 30 of their neighbours. And we shall be kappy tO' see such Collectors at all our Meetings ; where they shall, if they please, give their vote& on all questions. We expect that these diflFerent opinions will be formed by persons who read this Address. But we are heartily desir- ous of doing good to every man and woman who reads it. And we pray God, that those who have been careless about the Bible, may be careless no more : for we can assure all such persons, that things go well with us, and all is happy within, even in affliction, just in proportion as we follow the Bible ; and that we find ourselves miserable, however prosperous in the , world, just in proportion as we neglect it. And we do think, therefore, that every poor person, or working man, who considers well what he owes to Almighty God for casting his lot in a Christian land, will heartily thank the Royal Duke, and the Noblemen and Gentlemen, and his Friends and Neighbours, who invite him to come forward, and first provide himself with the Book of God, and then do what he can to provide all the world with that blessed Book. ' There are two sorts of notions among poor persons ^bout .being charitable. Son: e say — *• JVhai have we to do with charity? We need charity ourselves. Let the rich give their mvriey: sife have got none to giie." 421 We say to such persons — We do not nsk for a single penny from a poor man whose family x-eally requires it. But remem- ber, that, if you waste an hour in idleness, which might be spent in labour, or in doing good to others ; or if you waste a penny in folly aaid sin ; you will one da}'^ be punished, if you repent not, as unfaithful stewards of the little time and money entrusted to your care, A poor man must account, as faith- fully, for his pence and his hours, as a richer man for his pounds and his days. God gives many of these talents to some men ; but he gives one talent to all : and none of the idle or waste- ful poor will escape the doom of the ♦* unprofitable ser» yanu" But there is another notion among the Poor respecting cha- rity: and they are the more worthy people who have this opinion. They say — " ffe wish to do good, but hozo is it possible ? We do give a penny, now and then, when tpe see some that are more wetched than ourselves : but xvhat is that ? We can take no share in these noble Societies.: our poor penny i^ill do no good !" . - ,<^ To such worthy people we reply— If you will consider a littl?, you will see, that, never in your lives, did you meet with such encouragement to be charitable as you do now. The penny which you have now and then given to a wretched person, has perhaps been thrown away in liquor at the next chop ; but here it is sure to be laid out well. When your pence are given singly, they seem to you to do no good : but here one follows the other, and they are kept carefully by us, till you may see and enjoy the good produced by them, in having an excellent Bible or Testament in your house, or in seeing one in the house ofyour neighbour, bought with this money. 422 Bffside you caa do more than the rich will ! — " How is tha^ ]^6ssib!e?" you say. Why consider a moment. There are about fifteen millions of men^ women, and children, in this Empire : suppose but five millions of them to be working peo- ple, and all of these to give a penny a week each, they would raise more than a million of monexj in the year ; and that is far more than we can ever hope to raise for printing and fcirculating the Bible from those who can give their guinea a year. Let all unite then in this good work ! Let rich and poor labour together ! The blessing of God will rest on us and our families, if we love his word ourselves, and do all in our pdwe^ that others may possess it an4 love it too. (By Order of the Committee) JOSIAH PRATT, ^ JOSEPH BROOKSBANK, [secretaries, JOHN BALLANCE, ) Commttiee Roontf 5, Raven-Row, 4^$ THE BIBLE. *•' Senrch the Scriptures'* John V. 39. EEADER, is it in your power to obey this command ? Have you a Bible ? — In a Christian Country, this may ap- pear a strange question ; but, Reader, it has lately been asked in more than tex thousand Families in this great Metropolis, and, stranger still, the answer, in more than five thousand; has been — " No !" The enquiry has been made by persons earnestly desirous of ascertaining the fact, in order that pro- per measures might be adopted for supplying so serious a want-," wherever it is discovered. — They have gone from house to house, and from room to room, and they have found one half of their neighbours destitute of that sacred Book, which wouM ** make them wise unto Salvation, through faith in Christ Jesus !»' If such be the case in London, what must be the condition of the people in the more neglected parts of the Kingdom ? Ifc is now made certain, that multitudes, in every direction, arc longing for the Treasure which, hitherto, they have been unable to obtain. — And why is it that you are told these, awful facts i It is, that you may assist in supplying yourself, your neighbours, your Gountrynien, and the world, with this Guide through Life ! this Teacher of the way to Heaven !— Reader, look around you 1 consider the conduct of those of your friends and acquaintance who read the Bible, and endeavour to obey its holy precepts ! Are they bad Fathers, Husbands, or Neigh- l^ours ? — Are they Drunkards, Lims, or Pilferers ?^Arc they violent and quarrelsome? — Are they not honest, industrious; and peaceable ;— domestic in their manners, sober in their cou« duct, and friendly in their dirpositions ? Reader, qbserve theia closely, and answer these questions for yourself. — ; i.^'i If you possess a BiBi^E and read it with serious attention, you know its value ; if you do not possess it, you may have one for a trifle^ which the generality, even of the poorest, may contrive to spare. — Your neighbours, whom Divine Providence has blessed with affluence, are willing to bear the greater part of the expence; they are cheerfully corning forward to enable you to po-sess this cheap, but invaluable, Treasure. But you must do SOMETHING yourselvcs ; — you are not asked for the full PRICE of a Bible. Those who now address you, can feel for your temporal wants ; they know that many of you cannot afford to pay what a Bible costs, and therefore, they contri- bute what YOU cannot spare, in order that you may be suppli* edwith, and that every family in Great Britain may possess, a Bible. You are now, for the first time since the creation of the World, invited as a body, to be pai-takers in the privileges of the Rich : — you are invited *' to tastening tol'.im a source of comfoTt in his poverty and distress which the world cannot j,nve nor take away. — The Bible, if r^ad with prayer for the light of God's Holy Spirit, will teach him the secret of living happily in a miserable world, and of dy- ing joyfully in the prospect of a better. The foregoing Rules will shew the pJan of this Association. It will place the Bible within the reach of every man who de- sires to possess it. It will accommodate the price of a Bible to the means which the poor have of purchasing it. And surely those who feel any love to the Holy Scriptures, M'ould rather purchase them at a price adapted to their ability, and thus afford a proof of that love, than receive them as a gift ; especially when they consider that the sum they pay, however small, will assist in supplying others who may be poorer than themselves. The British akd Foreign Bible Society, during the eight years it has existed, has done immense good at home and abroad, by furnishing those with the written Word of God who iiad it not, and who could not have obtained it without the So- ciety's aid. Thousands and tens of thousands of Bibles and Testaments have been yearly distributed by its means ; but mil- lions of our fellow creatures still remain destitute of this un- speakable blessing. And, surely, every que who is concerned for his own salvation nmst be anxious to contribute to this good work, — to be employed, according to his ability, in thus pro» moting the glory of God his Saviour, and the present and eter- nal happiness of mankind, by spreading the knowledge of the gospel of Chiist. The Bristol Bible Association therefore proposes to afford the poor an opportunit}' of casting their mite (see Mark xii. 41, Sec.) into the treasury of the Lord. For why should the pleasure, the honour, the privilege of furnishing the world with Bibles be confined to the rich ? There . are many who cannot give much, who yet would be delighted to give a little: and it may be presumed that there ar^ 4C7 jaauititudes who can aiTorJ die small subscription o'( oiie jienvy^ hijcek. And may not the Christian subscriber to this blessed ob» ject indulge a confident hope, that what he thus gives will con» secrate the fruits of his daily labour, and that a blessing froirj heaven will attend the work of his hands. (Cqmp. Mai. iii. 10. Prov. xix. 17.) Should any one be ready to ask, What can such subscrip- tions avail towards supplying the world v.idi Bibles? let hiin remember that the Ocean is made up of drops, and the World of atoms. — A single subscription of one penny a week, will sup- ply a Bible and a Testaniept yearly : and if that Bible, and that Testament, being accompanied with the prayers of the sub- scriber and the receiver, should be the means of converting a soul, liow vast is the good done by a pc-nny a week ! And who can tell into how rnimy hands that Bible or Testament may pass! —How many niay read thepi ! How many receive spiritual and eternal benefit by them! If one subscription of one penny a week will distribute one Bjljle and one Testament, one hun- dred such subscriptions will distribute one hundred Bibles and one hundred Testaments. And how many such subscriptions inay be obtained in this great City ! It is not too much to ex- pect tliat some hundreds pf pounds may be subscribed, and some thousands of Bibles distributed by the agency of the middling and lower orders of society among us. But let it i\ot be understood that the Committee, in address- ing themselves to the middling and lower classes of society, mean |io confine their application to them : they look further, and entertain sanguine expectations thc^t many who have already subscribed to the Bristol Auxiliary Bible Society, will be dis- posed to aid the fund of the Bible Association, considering that the more immediate object of this latter Institution is to supply the poor of our own city with the Holy Scriptures. — Charity- begins at home. And they also hope that many others, who lijive uot subscribed t© the Auxiliary Society, may, through 428 this Association, be brought to an acquaintance with, and feel an interest in, this most important Institution. They hope that their cause will be warmly patronized in the Schools for both sexes in this city and its neighbourhood, and that the younger membersof the Christian Church, who are therein training up for important stations in it, will thus begin a career of piety and cliarity, which may aftbrd hope of extensive usefulness in ma- turer age. The general Committee of the Bible Association hope to find among all denominations of their fellow Christians a spirit of zeal for promoting this great work. One object of this ad- dress is to solicit the assistance of their brethren in forming sub- committees in every parish of the city, and in as many of the villages adjoining the city as can be induced to unite with them. And they confidently hope that the disciples of Christ, the true friends of mankind, will cheerfully come forward to their aid, by assisting to collect subscriptions, to enquire into the want of Bibles in their respective districts, and to supply those who may be found without the Scriptures and desirous of possessing them. Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him ; let him knoxv, that he which converteth a sinner from the er^ rorqfhisvcay, shall save a soul from DEATH, and hide e^ multitude of sins. (James v. 19, 20.) 4'29 No. V. p. 355. Extract from Dugdales Short View of the lafe Troubles, p. 36. " Under a seeming devout and holy pretence, to advance and promote the preaching of the Gospel, they got in a Dumber of Lecturers into most of the corjwi-aie towns, axiA popu- lous places of this realm (according to the pattern o^ Geneva) especially into the City of London ; whom they maintained by voluntary contributions. " And for the better support of these Boutefeus, they pur- chased in divers impropriate tithes: constituting yeo^es, some of the Clergy, some Lawyers, some Citizens ( all o^ the Puritan party) under colour of redeeming the Lord's portion out of lay hands (as the phrase then was.) By which subtile practice, they gained many large sums in order thereto, from sundry vcell'tneaning people; especially such as lay on iheir death-beds ; who being thus incited to this seeming glorious work, saw no- thing at all of the rnain design which was, under hand driven on by the grand contrivers. Besides this, they likewise cunningly wrought, that such as were of'their party, might by one means or other be made Heads of some Houses in the Universities ; as they did in Emanuel Colledge, and Catherine Hall, in Cam- bridge ; New Inn, and Magdalen Hall, in Oxford. And for an essay of those whom under colour of preaching the Gospel, in sundry parts of the realm, they determined to make instru- mental for carrying on the work, they set up a nicning lecture at St. Antholin's Church in London; where (as probationers for that purpose) they first made tryal of their abilities, which place was the grand nursery, whence most of the seditious preachers were after sent abroad throughout all Eiigland, to poyson the people with their Antimonarchial principles. These being the men, who first began to infuse into their i^iditQrs a 4S0 disaffection to the Church-discipline establislied by law, ftt^j tending it to savour of popery, and after a breach made therein^ then to cry out against miscarriages in government, so that having in a short time weaned the people from kneeling at prayers, and bearing part in the public service of God by their mutual responses as the Liturgy directs; they then cryed doMTi those reverend set forms of devotion, which were enjoyned by* the law; and by degrees using them to long-winded extempore pi-ayers, of their own indigested composure (which they called praying by the Spirit) at length insinuated to them, that the Litnrgif by law established was no other than the tnass ti'ans* lated into English, and a thing uUerlij nauseous to God Al- mighty ; by which means multitudes deserted the pubjiclc praytrs of the Church in tlivers places, where the incumbents continued regular, and forbore to come there until the Psahn preceding the sermon began. So that in the end, the decent and pious order, in serving God, according to the laws, not only became by little and little wholly antiquated; bu^such of the Clergy, as making any conscience of their subscriptions, and oath of canonical obedience, observed the rule ; were fre- quently scandalized with innovation in Religion, and inclina- tion to Popery ; few regarding any thing but the sermons, and those tedious extempore prayers of the preacher in order there- to ; placing all Religion in being present at those wild ani frothy exercises, tho' they slept wheli they came there, or lit- tle regarded what was said. " In which prayers (if I may so call them) it was no wonder to hear them, cunningly to insinuate that, which might put the people into a jealousy cf thu King, and the inferior Alagistrates, by prayiug against this or that miscarriage ; of wliich, by their subtil expressions they would have their auditory belie ve them to be guilty in point of government, or personal .demeanour. Nor were those their sermons, for the most part, other than vain and frivolous declamations against Popery, wherewith they affrighted the more^ ignorant 4:?I sort, of people ; as if tliat were the only thing that woul'd endanger their souls, enslave their consciences, and utterly ruine them in their temporal estates. By whicli sleight, in drawing their thoughts f/om what was really the grand danger, they led them blindfold into those mists of error and ignorance, wherein they became afterwards miserably shackled, and were made slaves to those grand contrivers; who, at length, by these devices, got the full power of the sword into their hands ; verifying therein that prophetical ex- pression of the venerable and judicious Hooker, in that excel- lent preface to his Books of Ecclesiastical Polity, viz. after the Puritans have first resolved, that attempts for discipline are lawful ; it will follow in the next place to be disputed, what may be attempted against superiors.'* No. VI. p. 379. Extract from the Epistle Dedicatory to the Parlianient, prefixed to Edwards s GangrcEnd, Containing a synopsis of his profession of cor- dial attachment to the Cause of Puritanis?n, and his Picture of the Enormities which it had pro- duced. I AM one who out of choice and judgment, have embarked myself, wife, children, estate, and all that's dear to me, in the same ship with you, to sink or perish, or to come safe to land with you; and that in the most doubtful and difficult 4S2 times : not only early, in the beginning of the war and troubles, in a malignant place ; among courtiers, and those who were servants, and had relation to the King, Queen, and their chiJ- dren ; pleading your cause, justifjang your wars, satisfying many that scrupled. But, when your affairs were at lowest, and the chance of war against you ; and some of the grandees and favourites of these times, were packed up and ready to be gone; /was Me?? highest and most zealous for you; preach- ing, praying, stirring up the people to stand for you, by going out in person, lending of money ; in the latter going before them by example. And as I have been your Honour s most devoted servant, so am I still your's, and you cannot easily lose me. Having given thus far a character of bimseif ; let us now hear him tell, what a Blessed Reformation they had in so short a time as four 3'ears produced. — Tilings every day grow worse and worse, you can hardly conceive or imagine them so bad as they are. No kind o{ bias- phemijy heresi/y disorder^ and conjusion ; but it is fountl among. us, or coming in upon us. For we, instead of Reformation, are growing from one extreme to another ; fallen from Scylla to Charibdis ; from popish innovations, superstitions, and prelati- catl tyranny, to damnable heresies, Uorrid blasphemies, liber- tinism, and fearful anarchy. Our evils are not removed and cured, but only changed. One disease and devil hath left us, and another as bad is come in the room. Yea, this last ex- tremity into which we are fallen, is far more high, violent and dangerous in many respects, &c. Have we not a reformation and V. orse things come in upon us, than ev^r we had before ? were any of tliose monsters heard of heretofore ; which are now commo)! among us, and denyli-ig the scriptures, &c — You have broken down the images of the Trinity, Virg in Mary, Apostles ; and we have those, who overthrow the doctrine of the Trinity ; oppose the Divinity of Christ ; speak evil of the Virgin Mary, and slight the Apostles— you have cast out the 4^3 Bishops and their officers ; and we have mauy that cast 4o^v» to the ground all Ministers, in all the Reformed Churches. You have cast out ceremonies in the Sacraments, as the cross, kneeling at the Lord's Supper ! And we have many, who cast out the Sacraments of Baptisrti, and the Lord's Supper. Yoa have put down Saints Days ; and we have many, Tvhd niiake nothing at all of the Lord's Day, and Fast-Days. You have taken away the superfluous excessive tnaintejiance of Bishops and Deans ; and we have many that talce away, and cry down the necessary maintenance of Ministers. In the Bishops days, we had singing of Psalms, taken away in some places, conceived prayer and preaching ; and, in their room, anthems, stinted forms, and reading brought in. And now we have singing of Psalms spoken against, and cast out of som: Churches. Yea, all public prayer questioned, and all Minis terial preaching denied. In the Bishops time. Popish innova tions were introduced, as bowing at Altars, &'c. And now w have anointing the sick with oil. Then we had Bishoping o. children, now we have Bishoping of men and women, by strange laying on of hands. — In the Bishops days we had many unlearned Ministers : and have we not now a company of Je- roboam's Priests. In the Bishops days we had the fourth Com- mandment taken away ; but now we have all the Ten Com- mandments at once by the Antinomians ; yea, all Faith and the Gospel denied.— The worst of the Prelates in the midst of many Popish Arminian Tenets, and Popish Innovations, held many sound Doctrines, and had many commendable practices : yea, the very papists hold and keep to many articles of faith, and truths of God; have some order amongst them, encoura^ learning, have certain fixed principles of truth, with practii^es of Devotion, and good works : but many of the Sects and SeC' tarlcs in our days, deny all principles of Religion, are enemies to all holy duties, order, learning, overthrowing all ; being ver- ♦iginosi spiritus, whirlgigg-spfrits. And the great opinion of an universal toleraiion, tends to the laying all wastt^ ;(Dd dis^ 434 ^•olution of aU ReligioJi, and good manners, ic— What swarm* are there of all sorts of illiterate mechanic Preachers ; yea, of women, and boy-preachers ? — What liberty of preaching, print- ing of all errors, or for a toleration of all ; and against th© directory, covenant, monthly-fast, Presbyterial government, . and all Ordinances of Parliament in reference to Religion ?— These Sectaries have been growing upon us, ever since the Jirsf yeiv of our sitting ; and have everi/ year increased thq}-^ and.more. No. VII. p. 385. The Jive Lights of Walt on; The ensuing extract from Walker's History of Indepen- dency, Part II. p. 152, is, in its concluding paragraph, a testi- mony so much in point, and of so admonitory a nature, that it daims particular attention. As intrpductory to it, the Editor first presents the reader with the theory, of which it will be found an accurate exemplilTcation, as it is luminously set forth in a publication, from which many citations have been made : — " The Objections of a Churchman to uniting with the Bible Society," by Mr. Nolan. " t\% the Church can have nothing to fear from tlie Bible, ^ it might have every thing to hope, if it were not for the effect of those favourite maxims, by which it is now recommend^ ed. For misled by the authority of such false principles, sup- ported by as shallow deductions, mankind are Jirst led to shake off their dependance on the teacher, and thence to shift it from the ^Qo^' .upon their own j/tt7zae5 ; and, when these principles are carried to their nccessari/ extent, come to supersede the 435 ^ibte as well as the ministry, and to fix their dependance on the internal light, not on * the dead letter.' " P. 18. " About the beginning of Lent last, Master Faucet, Mi- nister 0-' Walton upon the Thames, in Surrey, preached in hit parish church after dinner ; when he came down out of his pulpit it was twilight, and into the church came six soukliers, one of them vvith a lanthorn in his hand, and a candle burning in it ; in the other band they had four candles not lighted. He with the lauthoru called to the parishioners to stay a little, for he had a mestiage to them from God, and offered to go up into the pulpit, but the parishioners would not let hun ; then he would have delivered his errand in the church, but there they would not hear him ; so he went forth into the church- yard, the people following him, where he related to them, th^t he had a vision, and received a command from God to deliver his will unto them ; which he was to deliver, and they to re- ceive upon pain of damnation. It coiisisted of 5 lights: , *' l.That the Sabbath was abolished as unnecessary, Jewish, and meerly ceremonial : And here (quoth he) I should put out my first light, but the winds so high I cannot light it. *' 2. Tythes are abolished as Jewish and ceremonial, a great burden to the saints of God, and a discouragement of industry and tillage : and here I shall put out my second light, &c. as aforesaid, which was the burden of his song. " 3. Ministers are abolished as antichristian, and of no longer use now Christ himself descends into the hearts of his saints, and his spirit enlightneth them v, ith revelations and inspirations : and here I should have put out my third hght, &c. " 4. Magistrates are abolished as useless, now that Cliri.st himself is in puritie of spirit come amongst us, and hath erect- ed the kingdom of the saints upon earth; besides, they are ty- rants and oppressors of the liberty of the saints, and tie them to Ff2 436 laws and ordinances, meer humane inventions : and here I should have put, &c. " 5. Then putting his hand into his pocket, and pulling out a little Bible, he shewed it open to the people, saying, Here is « book you have in great veneration^ consisting of tivo parts y the Old and New Testament ; I must tell youy it is abolished : it containetk beggarly rudiments, milk for babes : but noiv Christ is in glory amongst us, and imparts a fuller measure of his spirit to his saints then this can afford; and therefore I am com- mandedto burn it before your Jaces : so taking the candle out of his lanthom, he set fire of the leaves. And then putting out the candle, cryed. And here my fifth light is extinguished.^* *' It became (says Hume, who cites this passage) a pretty common doctrine at that time, that it was unworthy of a Chris- iian man to pay rent to his fellow-creatures: and landlords' were obliged to use all the penalties ef law against their tenant?* whose conscience was scrupulous** 437 No. VIII. ADDITION JL NOTES JND ILLUSTRATIONS, Page 69. Note b. ' THE following extract from a scarce and valuable work at once establishes the fact, that the fundamental princi- ple of the Bible Society, (which discards the Ministry from the Word, and '• sets up private interpretation of Scrip- ture in opposition to the recdved judgement of the Universal Church,") was the chief engine of Puritanical reform, and exemplifies the operation of that fundamental principle, from the first resistance which it engendered against Ecclesiastical Authority, to its consummation — the anarchy and confusion which ensued. " And here, give me leave to observe unto you, how the Presbytery laid the way to their otxn and our Church* s ruin ; even by setting up private interpretation of Scripture, in op- position to the received judgment of the Universal Church. For, do not the Brownists, and the Anabaptists, under the name and notion of Independents, presently beat them with their o\m weapon ? The Presbyterian abolisheth the Public Li- turgy, and takes away Regular Ordination ; brings in the Directory, and sets up Lay Elders ; and all upon this ground^ that what they dii was conformed to the doctrine oithe Scrip- tures ; of whose interpretation themselves would be judges. But, at the heels of the Presbyterian, follows close the Inde- pendent, and, treading in his steps, at last over-reacheth him in his designs, and carries away his Helena from him ; he pulls down the Classes, and the Synod, as himian inventions and remains of Antichrist ; denying that, by the Scripture^ any Presbyters, or persons whatsoever, ought to have power over 43 B the Churches of Christ, which are, by Scrijjfure-rule, inde- pcndant, in their goveinnient, to any secular or ecclesiastical power whatsoever. And for this they urge their Scripture icxts with much heat of contention against the Presbytery^ pleading this their coinmon grouivl of interpreting Scripture by the Spirit, whose inspirations and revelations they pretend to, above what the Presbytery dare own or acknowledge. " As then in jofrez??o; the authority of the Scripture with the judgment of the Church was our Reformation, so is it Satan's subtlety, and the Jesuite's design, both acting by the Enthu- siasts, that in dividing the judgment of the Church from the authority of the Scriptures, may be our ruin. To the preven- tion whereof, what God hath joined together, let np Man put asunder; the Word of Go», and the Ministry of the Church ; for so saith Christ, in his instruction to his Apostles, * Go ye, disciple all nations, baptising and teaching ; teaching whatsoever / have commanded yoic' " — Bishop Mossom's Preacher Tripartite. Folio. 1657. Part III. p. 108. The above passage is not the conjectural foreboding of a gloomy speculatist Iqoking into futurity, nor is it the research of an historian investigating the occurrences of former times, but it is a narrative of the py-esejit experience of the individual who v\a'ites it ; for the Sermon was preached between the years 1650 and 1652, during which interval Bishop Mossom, then a private Clergyman, kept together the congregation of St. Pe- ter's, Paul's Wharf, which by the death of the pious and learned Richard Hoklsworth, (the faithful attendant upon Charles the Pirst both at Hampton-court and the Isle of Wight, and one of tiie most cruelly persecuted victims of the Puritans) was left without a Pastor. The volume, which is described by its author as partly devotional, partly consolatory, and partly designed " to establish Truth and Peace against the then p-esent heresies and schisms," will in all these important respects well repay the labour of those who may be at the pains to peruse jt. A39 P. 80. Nofe *, As the fitlelity of the statement of the disturbance, which took place at the Auxiliary Bible Society Meeting at Lei- 'cester on the 18th of April 1812, has been impeached in aijt insidious periodical publication called the Christian Guardian, (the conductor of which, it is believed, is a Clergyman of Leicester ; ) the Editor transcribes from a Letter, which the late Dean of Middleham addressed to him, dated Leices- ter, Dec. 5lh 1813, the Dean's own account of that trans- action. " I forget the exact terms in which the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, and the other for Propa- 'gating the Gospel, were spoken of by Messrs. Robinson and Hall ; but I thought those terms did so little justice to those long-established . and venerable Institutions^ that I rose to ?peak to what had occurred within my knowledge while resi- dent ia the West Indies. I was astonished at the indifference with which these facts were feceived ; while, on the other hand, much admiration seemed to be excited at the marvellous and sudden convefsion related by Mr. Robinson of a volunteer in the cavalry, by somebody's depositing a little Bible vfery snugly in the holster of his saddle, which he found on taking the pistol from its place. Upon my sitting down a young Cler- gyman of the cast self- eulogised as Evangelical rose, and in his zeal for religious instruction urged some reflections against the University of Oxford as neglectful of the religious information of the young men ; and as having (fifty years ago) persecuted six young men of Edmund Hall for paying {^articular attention to the reading of tiie Sci-ipturcs. When I rose to reply to this censure, instaiatly the cry of Order was uttered by a Clergyman of a certain cast, who was applauded by dappinrr of hands.''* The Dean adds that the young man, wh.o cast the above deflections, was afterwards extremely con- cerned for his indiscreet censure. P. 88. Note n. In further illustration of the artifices put in practice to in- veigle the inhabitants of any place, destined to be the theatre ^440 oF the Bible Society's operations, to assist at the encsenia, and to become associated with it, the lollowing specimens may be ' added to those already adduced. In the Northampton Mercury of July, 1812, the following Advertisement was inserted : — " Julij S^7, 1S12. " The Nobilify, Cltrgi/, and Oentnj, are hereby informed^ that it is resolved fojhnn a. Bible Socikty in the town o/'Brackley arid itn victnitT/, /n connection with the Northamptonshire Aux-' iliary Bible Society. T/je Rev. T. B. V/oodman, the Recfor,- ftas appointed Tiiuf-SDav next for that purpose, and for receiving doncftQns and sabscripfio?is in aid of its funds. — The chair zciU be taken at eleven o'clock." Such formality of notification as this, it will be naturally concluded, no one would have the hardihood to make without having received full authority to that purpose. But the fact is, that the above Advertisement was inserted without Mr. Wood- man's consent, or even knowledge, who disappi'oved entirely of the measure ; and the whole matter was dropped without any public apology for the liberty taken with his name. In a pamphlet, entitled, ^'- Twenty Facts, in addition to Twenty Ahouments,'' published at Winchester, it is stated, as one of the preliminary mancEuvres to prepare the way for the formation of the Basingstoke A. S. that " an active agent" of the Institution called on the Clergyman of a large town, (it is beheved Alton), requesting his support to it ; and, on being informed that the Clergyman, as Curate, deemed it right on all matters that concerned any religious institutions, to consult his Vicar, was pleased very decently to insinuate, that he thought Clergymen, whether Curates or Vicars, who undertook the charge of parishes, were capable of judging for themselves, without being dependant upon others, in matters -of spiritual con- ofern. Failing, however, to pervert the Clergyman by his dis- organising sophistry he proceeded in his canvass, and obtained two supporters and subscribers to his plan by leaving an im- pression on their minds that the Clergyman was Jhvcurable to 441 the measure ; and aftcrwanls obtained a subscription from a Lady in the neighbourhood b}' informing her that the Nev/ Society was countenanced by the Clergy in the neighbourhood, particularly by the Clergyman in question, and a vast number of -Jiis parishioners. When the^ Cumberland A. S. was in preparation, a sort of menace was cast in the face of the Lord Lieutenant. Upon his refusing to lend his name to the measure he was asked by one of Uie party, who waited upon him for that purpose, what he was to say to the Poor wlien they were informed that his Lordship was adverse to the giving them the Bible? and upon the Bishop's continuing firm to his purpose of discounte- nancing the Institution, when strongly pressed to it by another zealous Anxiliarist, he vras so broadly charged, to his face also, with oi)st;ucting the circulation of the Bible, that he felt it his duty to repel the outrage, by retorting upon the slanderer that if he repeated his foul calumny on the other eide tiie door, he would have him prosecuted for defamation. The present Bishop of London, moreover, was no sooner seated upon the Bench, than advantage was taken, by the Hampshire Auxiliarists, of l)is having on the first formation of the Bible Jiociety, and when the extensive distribution of Bibles was all that appeared of its desiijns, given it a donation : and without his knov/ledge and consent such an improper use was made of this act of liberality in a public address, that he felt it ne- cessary to authorise a notification in the Winchester Paper to this effect, that, he had ceased to consider himself a Member of the Society. These are additional instances of preparatory artifice and iUsingenuity, but the whole progress of the Society is marked by contrivance and deceit. That this is no calumny has been abundantly shewn by the facts already before the public, but wiil further appear from the following statement, which the Editor has recently received of the late Auxiliary Meeting at Colchester. " The Annual Meeting was in the week before the la^. " ¥here was of* course the usual parade of words. (5ne daf ** was devoted to the oratory of the one sex, and the next to '* that of the other, and every device was practised to draw " strangers and visitors of both sexes into this vortex of " misguided opinion. The profusion of benevolence 07z Meye * ' '' ■ ■■ — ■■"■' '■.■■■. I ■ I. ■ 1 .1 I \ ■ ■■ f * Numerous instances might be adduced in illustration of this important remark, as to the general tendency of these and feimiiar Societies erabracirg foreign objects to capt Vate by theif splendour persons of the best disposed but sanguine minds, &nd imperceptibly to divert their benevolence and esti'ange tlieir attention from objects of a domestic nature possessing the Strongest and most direct claim upen the affection and regard of Churchmen and indeed of the charitable of all denomi- nations. The circumstances of Leicester, with reference to the different Charities to which it affords support, will furnish a ease in point. Iri the reports o£ the Bible, the Church Missionary^ and the Jew Converting Societies, it holds a distinguished place ; Auxiliary Societies for each of these Institutions, and a Lady's as well as Gentleman's for the last, being incorporated in it, with all the &cs. of Patron, President, Vice Do. and CommitteCk These are Cha- rities carrying the thoughts and affections in a great mea* Sure, to distant objects. There is one remaining of a domes" tic nature, viz. the education of the children of its own tiumerous poor ; of the state of which a report was published last year, in which it is set forth, that out of "■ a population of probably itvo ihoiisandjive hundred children between the ages of seven and fourteen not Jive hundred enjoyed the advantage Of daily instruction ; that two of its parishes were without aiii/ «ky school ; and that a National Central School having been established to remedy this evil, though half the money annu- ally contributed in the town towards gratuitous education would, upon tlie economical plan of the Madras System, supply the necessary resources, yet the School was ofnccess'ty given ■up, in some measure, for want of local co-operation. The state '<'' gratuitous education tliroughout the county, as set forth in 443 *' and similar occasions leaves every other charity to starve *' throaghout the year. One of their measures was on this *• occasion nev.-, and like many others a little extraordinary *' About 50 children of the Colchester National School were *' sent for, without any previous application to the Managing *' Committee, to attend the Meeting. It appeared however, " that, though the Managing Committee had been kept in igng* *' ranee of the intention, the children had been antecedently *' apprized of it ; for they were extremely impatient an4 '* mutinous, that the master did not dismiss them for th§ *' purpose befoi-e the usual hour. These children, it is now *' discovered, have been members of a jpenny association for ** some time, and thus whilst receiving books from one Society, *' and instruction 'ik ova another both belonging to the Churchy " have been beguiled into the contributing to an Institutioji *' now clearly demonstrated to be set in array against it. Contrivance and deceit however is now giving place fa some instances to presumption and defiance, for to such 9, pitch of effrontery have the inferior agents of the Bible Society arrived — that in one instance some time ago they not- only published a notice of a Meeting to be held in Aldgate Church, the same Report, exhibits an equally lamentable detail ; th,^ representation being to this effect, that out oi fifteen thousand clxildren between the above-specified ages, which is the com' puted amount of that class of.its population, not more than six thousand receive ani/ kind of instruction ; and only 07ie thousand seven hundred of these enjoy the benefit to a i'urther extent than a Sunday School can impart it. Surely had St, Paul's solemm jnoiiilion, and our Lord's example been attended to, provision would /m/ have been made by the benevolent inhabitants oi the town and county for their own household, before 800/. anil upwards, the aggregate sum transmitted from the Auxiliary (Committees to the above mentioned Societies, had been given towards Converting Jervs and HeathenSt and immslm^foreit^H .'(.aliens with Bibles, &c. 444 tv-ithout asking the consent of the Officiating Minister, but s«Bt the notice to him for publication from the desk in the time oit Divine Service, as the first communication of their design. And very recently the Hector of another Church in the centre of the metropolis, having refused his assent to its bein^ profaned by the Meeting of a Bible Association, was clilioe- rately informed, that the Apsocistion had the ^ooujct' of meeting there, and had orjly criiled v.po-.. hi.ri to ask his consent as a matter o( compliment. His Correspondent adding that he should think it his duty to recommend to the Society to persevere in their design, unless he (the Rector) gave a siifficient reason, for |iis refusal. P. 96. Note p. In consequence of the extensive publicity given to the Letter which supplied the information relative to the Hertford Auxiliary Meeting, detailed in note p., p. 97, Mr. Dealtry undertook, after the lapse of two months, to apply to the several speakers to furnish Reports of what they delivered ; and after two months more corapleated (what is stated to be) liis " painful task," and produced a fragment in fourteen 12mo. pages as his authentic statement; which, in the name of the Committee, lie regrets that " unavoidable circumstances'* had obliged him so long to delay. The object of his labours is to convict the Letter of mis- representation, and the " extreme incorrectness'* which he endeavours to fix upon it, is exhibited in five distinct charges ; the last of which must be expunged altogether, for the origi- nal Letter is in the Editor's possession, and the term " Dis- senting'* prefixed to " Debating Club," is not in it. With respect to the only material parts of it which arc cited in the Note above referred to, and in Note :j;, p. 276. the difference between the Letter and the printed Report is, that in the printed Report Mr. Fordham is represented to express him- self as *' thinking favourably of the Bible Society onfy on account 6f the hope he entertained that it would destroy the 445 Established Church:'* whilst in the Letter the limitatiou *' only'* is omitted, and the terms *' patronised" and " over- throw" are substituted for " thinking favourably of" and •* destroy,'* and no notice is taken of a previous declaration which Mr. F. made, that on all other accounts he is " a deci- ded enemy" to the Institution. In the Letter, moreover, the feeling which this avowal excited in the Meeting is said to be " some disapprobation ;" but in the printed Report the terms " universal disgust'* are employed. Again, in the printed Report it is represented to be twenty- five miles, but in the Letter forty, that Mr. Clayton stated himself to have travelled to attend the Meeting ; and instead of speaking of the demolition of the Church as " a secondary object," according to the representation of the Letter, the comparison as stated in the printed Report is drawn the other way; and Mr. Clayton is alledged to say, not that the demoli- tion of the Church is of inferior consideration to the circula- tion of the Bible, but that the circulation of the Bible is " an object of a rw*ver exemplary can rend.^- it less than highly presumptuous> 454 though it is not in the power of the Editor to calculate what influence these merits could have in obliterating former recollections ; the fact is that the Pica 8vo. Welsh Bible, above adverted to, was confided to him ; and the consequence has been that unable to restrain himself from to pronounce decidedly on the eternal state of the departed : for God's " heavenly rest" is not man's to give, but is expressly reserved by our Lord himself to the appropriation of the Fa- ther at the Last Day, when the secrets of ail hearts shall be disclosed. The following advertisement, which was published not merely in the London, but it is believed in all the County Pa- pers also, will explain the foregoing observations. BRITISH and FOREIGN- BIBLE SOCIETY.—At a MEETING of the COMMITTEE of the BRITISH and FO- REIGN BIBLE SOCIETY, held at the Kcw London Tavern, Uieapside, on Mondai/, the '^d of August, 1813, the Paght Hon. ^^cCkancellok OF nis Majesty's Exchequer m f^eWaiV, the following Resolution was unanimously adopted, and ordered to be published : — " It hazing pleased God, in the course of his Providence, to call GP^AXVILLE SHARP, Esq. to his heavenly rest, the Commit- tee of the British and Foreign Bible Societt/ feel a mournful plea- sure io recording their veneration for his character, and their gram titudefor his services. In him the Committee recognise the venera- ble person under xvhose auspices the Society -was formed, the earliest and largest benefactor to their library, and one of the most regular^ diligent, and useful attendants at the meetings for the transaction of business. — IVhde the Committee acknowledge the obligations of the Society to the extent and accuracy of his Biblical learning, they feel it their duty to bear particular and affectionate testimony to the in' iegr'ity of his mind, the simplicitij of his spirit, and the philanihrvpy- •fhis. hearty The Committu desire io bitss Gtdfor having centi- 455 carrjing the Improvements he meditated on the former occasion into efFect, he altered, in the New Testament— the portion of Scripture first undertaken— many syllables at the hazard of the true sense, and many more in a manner perfectly indifferent in tliis respect; and it was not till nearly the whole ofthispartof the impression was struck off, that what he had been doing was discovered. And so hard of belief was the noble Presf- dent, that such a deceit from such a quarter could have been practised upon the Society, that till a collation was made and transmitted, and conviction thus forced upon him that the charge was true, he rejected it with an honourable indignation. It is not meant, by this statement, to surmise that any of the alterations were designed to affect the doctrine and discipline of the established Church. Mr. Charles had merely in view the introduction of a new system of orthography, upon which hedoated; but the mischief which this variation will produce, unless the authorised orthography be restored, throughout the stereotype plates, in all places where it has been altered, will be in the proportion that this edition obtains circulation; and of this the Committee cannot be ignorant ; for in the cor- respondence published from their own minutes by Mr. Dealtry, and cited above, and in a Letter from Mr. Davies, the gentle- man whom they appointed as their "referee" under their former dilemma, they are distinctly told that the Critic, who introduces innovations verbal or literal into the Sacred Code, meddles with edge tools; " as the common people, who mied so long among them an instrument of so great vsefulness, and they trust that the benefit of his labours may be perpetuated and ex- tended by the influence of his example. (Extracted from the Minutes. J JOHN OWEN-, ^ JOHEPH HUGHES, i Secretaries, CHAS. F. A. STEINKOPFF. ) A56 form probably the majority of Scripture readers, seefng alfera« tions adopted, without being qualified to judge of their merit, may thereby be led into an endless series of doubts and diffi- culties." This statement will explain why, in the last Re- port, the rapid progress towards a completion of the edition in question is passed over sub silentio; for being very handsomely printed, the Committee, it may fairly be presumed, would not otherwise have ]ost so favourable an opportunity of taking credit to themselves. The book is however now upon sale to subscribers only, it is feared with all its imperfections upon its head, and carrying with it wherever it goes a full justifica- tion of Bp. Randolph's censure of the former proceedings. Connected with the subject of the Pica 8vo. Welch Bible is the Pica 8vo. English Bible, also ** printed for the B. and F. Bible Society." Of this it is stated, in a pamphlet published at Winchester, and before cited, that " the heads of the chapters are curtailed to a single article, which is frequently the first, but often one of those that follow, and often also entirelif neto tvodeUed.''^ Now the fact is, that those wlio prepared this Pica English Bible for the press, found the headings reduced in the Cambridge Xonpareil 12mo. Bible to the bre- vity which the)'- desired ; and that they took it as their text book in this particular, varying from it however in many chapters, and in some substituting new headings of their own j of which that prefixed to Gen. vi. " The depravity of man- kind" may be cited as an instance, as the Editor has not been able to find it in any of the numerous Bibles to which he has referred. Now, not to mention that there is this obvious apo- logy to be offered in excuse for the liberty (possibly not ajusti- fiable one) taken in the Cambridge Nonpareil 1 2mo. Bible, of abbreviating the aidJwrised titles *, that the smallness of the * There is but one Edition of the Bible below the 4to. size it is to be feared, issuing from the presses of either University, in which the original lioadings are preserved entire; and that 457 volume rendered any expedient to reduce the number of pages a great accommodation, which cannot be alledged for the same liberty taken in the Pica 8vo. ; it is surely a violation of tlie fundamental principle of the Bible Society, in their impressions of the English Bible, to make any variation from the copy sanctioned by authority; and it is most important, that the practice should be discountenanced by whomsoever indulged ; for it is opening the door to pernicious innovation, and it is dis- mantling the anthorized version of those useful references which the translators, with great judgment, provided to direct the attention of the unlearned reader to the most important passages upon which the several Articles of our Faith, and all our Formularies of Devotion are founded. In illustration of the former evil, the practices of some Sec-v •urian Editors of Family Bibles, animadverted upon by Dr. Hol- land, in the notes to his excellent Visitation Sermon, may be adduced ; whom he states to be in the habit of so altering the Ssimmaries in question, without apprizing the reader of the al- teration, as to make these tables of contents suit their own peculiar notions — and, in illustration of the latter, it will be Piifficient to state a piece of intelligence, furnished by Mr. Asp- land in his Plea for Unitarians addressed to the Editor, that a few, though but a few. Unitarians have been kept out of the Bible Society, because that in two particulars its proceed- ings did not tally with its principle, the first of them being, that •* professing to circulate the Bible * without note or comment,' the authorised version, which only they use as far as circula- tion in this kingdom is concerned, has a perpetual commen- tary, in the form of tables of cotitenfs at the head of each chapter ; which, it is feared, may be mistaken by the common reader for a part of Scripture itself, and though not often directly systematic, are yet sufficiently so to give a bias to the leaves the curtailment apparently without an assignable cause as far as respects all 8vo. Editions ; for it is 12mo. only, and vet the increased bulk of the volume is not perceivable. A 5$ minds of sacli readers as are not guarded by previous knc^-* ledge." (Aspland's Plea, p. 25.) This bias the Editor, for his part, wishes to see retained ; and therefore, though a stumbling stone to a few Unitarians, who would otherwise, it seems, have joined the Bible Society, he cannot but regret that it is brought^ in the Pica 8vo. Bible which they have published, within one remove of total suppression. P. 176. Note f. The necessity of renewing the debate, respecting the provi- sion made in the constitution of the Bible Society for preserv- ing in the Managing Committee the balance of power between the Churchmen and the Dissenters, is now compleatly su- perseded, for Mr. Simeon has avowed, not indeed in so many words, but in terms which necessarily involve the implication^ that he is a Dissenter from the Church in one of its Jimdamental Articles, in which he symbolizes with the Methodists, and that from his extensive acquaintance with the Clerical Members of the Bible Society, he is authorised to declare, that though there may and must be shades of difference between those who come nearest to each other, the sentiments of the great majority ac- cord with his, there being few, xoryfeix he believes, who ma- teriaUi) differ from him. See this important disclosure set forth, and well commented upon, Marsh's 2d Letter to Si- meon, p. 11 to 19. There can be no doubt that Mr. Simeon's confidence has here far outrun the extent of his information^. But the orthodox and exemplary Clergy of our Church ought to be apprized to what they expose themselves by remaining in this association, that they may be induced to come out of it from a just sense of what is due to their own consistency of character. P. 236. The active ingenuity which the advocates of Soclnianism are now displaying in their attempts to cry down the leading articles «f the Christian Faith ; and the lively interest which they at the 459 name time take in the success of tlie Bible Society; ti)gether with the encouragement held out to them by the promoters of thatlnstitution, to become their associates, are facts, which have been established in that part of the preceding volume to which this note refers, it is beheved, to the paiiiful satisfaction of every unprejudiced reader* That part of it had scarcely passed the press, when the Edi- tor's apprehensions, intimated p. 228 Note o, were verified, by the repeal of those statutes which expressed the abhorrence of this Christian nation against the impugners of the doctrine of the Trinity, and other blasphemers of God; two of these sta- tutes, but they cognizable only in the Scotch Courts and com- pleatly dormant, expressing this abhorrence it is admitted with unwarrantable severity'. The Repeal took eifect, as the last act of the Session on tiie 21st ofjuiy 1813, and on the 30th of that month the Unitarian Society met, and passed the following Resolutions. UNITARIAN SOCIETY.— Jt a SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING of the UNITARIAN SOCIETY for PROMOT- ING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE, anMit PRACTICE of VIRTUE, by the Distribution of Books, convened for the pttrpoir cf talcing into consideration the Act lately passed for the "' Relief fif Persons ■who impugn the Doctrine of the Trinity" holdcn at tJx Chapel in Essex.street, July 30, 1813. The Rev. THOMAS BELSHAM in the Chair. The fulloioiug Resolutions moved by Isaac Solly, Esq. and seconded by Sir Charles Coliille, were adopted : — Resolved, I. That the Members of this Society viexo with great satisfaction the recent stcccess of a measure, which more than twenty years ago they solicited in vain, though supported by the trafis- cendant abilities of the late Mr. Fox ; and they congratulate each other and the friends of civil and religious liberty in general, that by the Bill which has lately passed for the " relief of those who ini- ^ugn tke-doctrine of the Trinity " persons tvho profess their dissent 460 from that art/etc of the Established Creed are no longer exposed to severe and ruinous penalties, but are placed under the protection of the Law. II. That the Members of this Society are trxdy grateful to the legislature for the liberality and unanimity with ■which this impor- tant measure was received : and for the readiness and alaerity with which, when the original Bill was lost, through a technical infor- mality, a new and amended Bill was allowed to be introduced ; was expedited through the necessary forms, and was passed by koth Houses in time to receive the Royal Assent previously to the pro- rogation of Parliament. III. That this Society hail the present measure, as an auspicious prelude to that hnppy day, when all penal laws and political restric- tions on religious grounds shall be for ever abolished ; when an in- vidious and limited Toleration shall give way to Universal Religi- ous Liberty ; and when all, without distinction, shall be entitled by Law to the possession of those civil and political privileges which are the Birthright of Britons. IV. That the Thanks of this Society be given to that able and enlightened Member of Parliament, William Smith, Esq. for the generous Zeal with which he has stood forward, upon this and many other occasions, to vindicate the rights and liberties of his fellow- suhjects ; for the promptitude and cheerfulness with which he under- took to introduce this important measure into Parliament ; and for the attention and perseverance with which he watched and supported the measure in every stage of its progress, till the Bill, which en- titles its author to a conspicuous rank in the honourable records of civil and religious liberty, received the Royal Assent. V. That the Chairman be desired to communicate these Resolu- tions of the Society to Mr. Smith. THOMAS BELSHAM, Chairman. The Chairman having left the chair, it was moved by Sir Charles Culvlfle, and seconded by Isaac Solly, Esq. That the Thanks of this Meeting be given to the Rev. T. Belsham^ for his conduct in the Chair, and the great zealwMch he has on this, 5 461 md every other occasion evinced, both hy his exemjilary conduct and his masterly xcritings, for the interests of the Christian Religion. It toas then moved by James Young, Esq. and seconded by Sir Charles Culville, That the Thanks of this Society he given to the xcorthy Secretary^ the Rev. J. Joyce, for the promptitude that he evinced in summnnina- the Meeting upon this important occasion, and for his sincere and jealous ditcharge of th& duties of his situation, J, JOYCE, Secretary, Morning Post, August 6, 1813. In this string of Resolutions, the acclamation of victoiy, and the manifesto of continued discontent and further aggression, there is much to observe ; but it is so obvious, that it need not be pointed out. There is however one particular which the pubUc ought to know, that they may understand what value to attach even to the officially accredited documents of this Reli- gious Body. In their second Resolution there is this statement, that <* when the original Bill was lost through a technical informa- lity, a new and amended Bill was allowed to be introduced ; ■was expedited through the necessary forms, and was passed by both Houses in time to receive the Royal Assent previously to the prorogation of Parliament.'' Now in this short passage tvoo mis-statements arc made ; for, in the first place, there v/ere three instead of tiw Bills brought before Parliament. The two former of which, when they had passed the Commons, were both successively withdrawn from the Lords, upon intimation made that if brought into that House they would be thrown out : and it was not on account of a mere " technical informality" that this fate would have awaited them, but on account of the introduction of what were J^deeraed by some of the Lords such offensive terms into the repealing clauses, that they declared their detevminatiori to 4(52 make a decided opposition to the Bill, unless those were ex^ punged. It might well be thought, that in the above placard the Sociniaas had sufficiently exulted iq. their success, and notified their future intentions ; but three weeks only were suffered to elapse, when they again thought proper to glory in their achievements, and to cheer each other to those exploits in im- piety, which they had at length obtained a licence to publish, without fear of legal castigation ; and the following Resolii-: tions appeared. UNITARIAN FUND. AT a Special General Meeting of the Subscribers to the Unita- rian Fund, holden at the King's Head Tavern, in the. Poultry, 07J Friday, A^tgust 20, 1813. MR. ALDERMAN GOODBEHERE JN THE CHAIR. Resolved Unanimously, I. THAT 7ve conceive it to be the right of every man — a right derived immediateli/ from the Almighty Creator — to form his oxen religiuus opinions, to pr(fess them amongst his neighbours and fellow- creature, rmd to act vpon them iji the exercises of divine worship ; — rthat in religious opinion, profession and worship, as held, avo-wed and observed in Great Britain, thereisno interruption of the peace of civil Society, and no call for the interference of the Magistrate, ti'ho cannot affect to Tolerate, without assuming authority to Perse- cute : — and that all Penal Statutes, "whether they enact fine or im- prisonma.t, or positive bodily suffering, or whether they declare civil disabilities, exclusion and privation, on the ground solely of such opinion, profession and worship, are manifest invasions of natural right, and equally repugnant to the Christian Religion, atid to Me spirit of the British Constitution. Resolved Utiunimoiuly^ J J. That as Unitarian Christians, distinguished from our fellow Christians only by the faith and worship which tve have learned from the Holy Scriptures, — that the God and Father of the Universe is one Being, Jd'ind, and Person, the sole Object of Religious Wor- 463 ^hip, and that Jesus Christ is the chosen, honoured, and divindy. tnda-^ed Messenger ofGod,~ice had long felt the injustice of being excluded hi/ positive statute from even that share of RtUgious Li- bert i/ which was allo-^edto the mass of Protestant Dissenters ;—rfor ■which exclusion, xve humhhj conceive no reason xcns to be found vi our character and conduct as Subjects and Citizens, wherein we have never yielded, and can never yield, the superiority to any de- nofm'nation or class of our countrymen. Resolved Unanimously, III. That we congratulate our Unitarian Brethren on the Bill lately passed into a Law for the Relief of those who itnpugn the Doc^ trine of the Trinity: the British Legislature having tlms readily performed an act of justice denied by the House of Commons, twenty years ago, to the earnest and eloquent application of that aide and enlightened, and ever-memorable Statesman, the late Mr. Fox. Resolved, IF. That in common with all the friends of religious liberty and just government, we rejoice that persecuting laws, enacted at the cera of the Revolution, in direct violation of the principles then, asserted, and which, though too cruel and impolitic to be often en- forced, have yet remained for a century the disgrace of the statute look, ere at length expunged, amidst a general acquiescence in tke justice and even necessity of their repeal. Resolved Unanimously, V. That our best acknowledgements are due to inUiam Smith, Esq. M.P.,for his compliance with the request, originating in our Covwiiftce, to bring the subject of the legal insecvnty of Unitarians Ujbre Parliament, and for his unremitted attention to the Parlia- tnentaryprogreasofthe Bills, which he accordingly brought into the Il^e of Commons, fur the repeal of those Penal Statutes which had so long rendered Unitarians liable to be deprived o/' civil p7v- fection merely on the ground of their religious profession. Resolv-ed Unanimously, VI. That we trust the period is advancing, and would willingly haiten its arrival,when not only Christians of every description, but also our Q9untrymei\ ai large, shall be alike free to pr^s and de- 464 fend their opiiuoTis, and all equally partake (he civil rights af Britonii. licsoked Uiiavivumshj, . j/lj. That as Unitarian Chiidiansfcared Jiot to profess and irt' culcate what they esteem the Doctrines of the Gospel, though liahfe to the infliction of severe penalties, it is their incumbent duty, nolo that they are placed within the protection of the Law, not to relax their efforts, but rather to estend those exertions "which well consist with the peace and order of Civil Society and the purest principki of Christian Charity. Resolved Unanimously, VIII. That the Thanks of this Meeting be given to the Coinmif- tee of the Unitarian Fund, for their zealous discharge of the trust committed to them, and for their watchfulness oter the Interests of the Unitarian Body. Resolved Unanimously, JX. That the above Resolutions be printed, and that a Copy be tent io every Member (f the Society within the reach of the Two' penvy Post. Resolved Unanimously, X. That the Resolutions now pasied be advertised in the MoKTULY Repository, — a Publication which, for the support it gives to the cause of Free Enquiry and Religious Liberty, is en- titled to the countenance of the Unitarian Body, and particularly of this Society. Resolved Unanimously, XI. That the above Resolutions be advertised also in the princi- pal Periodical Publications and the Newspapers, at the discretion of the Committee. SAMUEL GOODBEHERE, Chairm'^ John Christie, Esq. having taken the Chair, it was Resolved Unanimously, That the Thanks of the Meeting be given to Mr. Alderman Goodbehere for his conduct in the Chair, and for his ge- neral support of the rights and liberties if his fellow citi- •yj/fns and fellow countrymen of all denominations. 4^5 These resolutions also speak for themselves ; and, consider- ing the spirit which they breathe, and the purposes which they unfold, it is very consolatory to observe that, as Sir Charles'" Colville and Mr. Solly were obliged to ring changes with each other in moving and seconding the former resolves, the worthy Knight being even a thii-d time put in requisition as Mr. Young's supporter ; so on the latter occasion the Chair- man and i^.Ir. Christie are the only characters sufficiently con- spicuous to appear. The truth is, that whatever the active members of this religious body may have in their heart, it would be perfectly harmless, but for the support and further- ance which they at this time derive from their incorpoi"ation in the Bible Society, and from the restless exertions of a political party. In prosecution of these Resolutions,especially of the seventh, the following projet of a Course of Socinian Lectures was very extensively circulated early in the last winter, being a modifi- cation of the plan of the Hackney Conferences, adapted to the Sunday. A Course of Sunday Evening Lectures^ •which ivill be delivered at the Unitarian Chapel, St. Thomases Street, Southwark : commencing December 5th, 1813. — Service to begin at Half- ■past Six o'clock, preciseli/. 1813. Dec. 5. Rev. Thos. Rees. God the Father, the only Godo 12. Rev. Rob. AsPLAND. God the Father, the o?ih/ ob- ject of Religious JVor&hip. ^ 19. Rev. J. Gilchrist. Jesus Christ, a Man approved of God. 26. Rev. John Evans, On Faith. 1814. Jan. 2. Rev, W, ViDLER. Jesus Christ, the Mediator he.' tivteen God andif^an. II h 466 Jan. 9. Rev. Thos. Rees. Scriptural Doctrine ofRecon' ciliationf contrasted toitk the Pojmlar Doctrine of Atonement. 16. Rev. Rob. Aspland. The Siifferingi of Jesus Christ the Sufferings of a Man. 23. Rev. J. GiLciiRiSTi Jesus Christ, the Head over all things to the Church. SO. Rev. John Evans. Feb. 6. Rev. W. Vidler. 13. Rev. Thos. Rees. Hope. Eternal Torments not a Doc- trine of Divine Revelation. The Doctrine of Original Sin, as defined' in modern Creeds. 20. R e V. R o B . A s p L A N D . The Influence ofth e Holy Spi- rit. 27. Rev. J. Gilchrist. No Mysteries in Revealed Re* ligion. Charity. The eternal Destruction of the IViclced not consistent mth the Design of Christ^ s Mis- sion. The Resurrection of Christ, the earnest of the Resur- rection of all Mankind. 27. Rev. Rob. Aspland. The Man Christ Jesus, the Judge of Qiiicic and Dead, C. STOWEB, PRINT EB, HACKNEY. Such (as it is stated in an excellent Letter published in The Morning Post of the 28th of August last, in consequence of the last string of resolutions) " is the public attack upon the Religion of the Nation ;" witii which in requital, it is presumed, for the abrogation of penalties the Socinians have carried on, Mar. 6. Rev. John Evans. 13. Rev. W. Vidler, 20. Rev. Thos. Rees. 467 during the last eighteen months, the hostilities which it has bfeea already demonstrated, they had pi*evious]y commenced againstit. In those resolutions, " by a direct and necessary inference, they declare that theirs is the true Faith, and that the Faith of: the Church of England is a. false one ;" and together with the faith of the Church of England they necessarily impeach that which the Bible Society have over and over again declared that it is the sole object of their Institution to inculcate, and without pledging themselves to inculcate which those dignified Patrons^ to whose countenance they owe so much, would have been among their first and most zealous opponents. The Socinians, however, in the face of all this, continue with encreased zeal to eulogise the Bible Society, to flock to its as- sociations, and to give it their unqualified support. The Editors of " A New DiRECTOuy for Non-Conforwist Churches," evidently a Socinian publication, printed for Johnson, 1812, were at that period so well aware of the tendency of the Bible, and the Lancasterian Societies, which they consider as dosehj connected, that at the termination of their seventh Chapter setting forth the motives for using Scripture forms of Worship, " thejf cannot conclude," they say, " this part of their work, without expressing their satisfaction in the won- derful success of those two recent institutions ; and rejoicing also in the animated and successful defences of both, by Clergy and laity of all denominations, against the bigotted, but feeble attempts of those who are afraid to trust the Bible by itself, lest it should betray the readers into error !'' and they assign this as the reason of their rejoicing, that they cannot but hence encourage the chearful hope that Scriptural worship and Scrijj- tural religion, will rapidly gain ground, and thus the prophecy be fulfilled, Jer. xxxii. 39. "/ ivillgive them one heart and one! joflj/," i. e. the way o^ indifference to all the articles of faith, or to express it in one word, the way of Deisju.* * It is mentioned as one of the devices of Weishaupt by Professor Robison in his Proofs of a Conspiracy, p. 215, 4e)8 At a more recent period, Mr. Aspland, in his plea for Unitarian Di'^oEnit^rs addres'iod to the Editor, in conse- fluence of the investigation whic' is here coutinutd, nas in the strongest terras avowed the attackinent of tlie wiiole Socinian body to the Bible Society ; and lest the circumstance, that many have with-held their names from its muster-roll should be mis- construed, he lets out the secret ihzt policy has laid restraint imon their inclination — that their very attachment makes them absentees — operatesnipon many of them (to use his own words) " to ahstnhi from the pleasure, and deny themselves the honour of being amongst its vost public mid zealous promoters , lest their appearing^^^W^c/^/ in its cause should furnish its enemies with a nexv topic of invective, and a convenient handle of reproach : and, lest the odium so industriously heaped upon them should be also made to bear on an Institution, as abhorrent to swne of the Members of the Church as Socinianism itself," (Plea, p. 24, 5.) and in another place, (p. 37,) he very candidly states this as the ground of their attachment ; that " the spirit of the Bible Society is a virtual concession to their plea," (viz. " that if they dis.^ent from the greater part of the Christian world in points oi Faith, they are one with it in the reception and the ob- servance of the rules oi^ moral duty ;" and therefore they " cor- dially hail it as an earnest of the speedy approach of the period* when " all mankind's concern," according to the poet, will be that which, in the judgment of an Apostle, is greater than *' faith," namely, Charity. Not the charity however of the Apostle, which amongst its other characteristics bears this dis- tinctive mark, that it " rejoices in the tridh,'^ but modem charity, which first " clanges the truth into a lie," and then by a general compromise discards it altogether from its affections — the speculative love in short of the tvhole human race, combined that ** he employs the Christian Religion which he thinks a falsehood as the means of inviting Christians of every deno- mination, and gradually cajoling them, by clearing up their Christian doubts in succession, till he lands them in Deism." 469 '^^xCci practical Jerocitif against individuals and e«»2/(^ against God*. Such then is the additional testimony borne by Socinians themselves in the interval between the publication of the Prac- tical Exposition and the present time, to substantiate those two very materials points, in support of which so powerful a body of evidence has been already adduced ; viz. the lively hiterest they take in the success of the Bible Society, and their hostility against the Christian Faith. To establish further the painfid fact, that under these circum- stances they are encouraged to come in, and by Members of the Church of England too belonging to the Institution, it might be sufficient to mention what Dr. IMarsh, (Reply to Dr. Milner, p. 138.) very happily characterises as the Dean of Car- lisle's tenderness towards Socinians f ; for lest he should give * See the Bishop of London's dignified, eloquent, and ela- borate Charge, recently published, in which his Lordship, taking a comprehensive and profound survey of the present state of Religion in this kingdom, thus speaks of Unitarianisra : " I do not hesitate to aver my conviction, that the profession of Unitarian tenets affords a convenient shelter to many ; who would be more properly termed Deists ; and v/ho, by the bold- ness of their interpolations, omissions, find perversions, by the indecency of their insinuations against the veracity of the in- spired Writers, by their familiar levity on the av/ful Mysteries of Religion, and their disrespectful reflections on the person and cliaracter of their Saviour, are distinguished from real Unitarians, and betray the true secret of the flimsy disguise which they have assumed as a cover from the odium of avowed infidelity." P. 15. f Calvinism and Socinianism, upon a superficial observation, appear such contradictory religious opinions, that it is not perhaps conceived to be possible to make them approximate, or bear any relation, to each other. Professor Marsh, however, 470 ihcm offence, he spealcs of their improved Version^ o? the Scriptures as only deemed to be spurious, and expresses him- lias produced evidence which shews that they have been con- sidered kindred heresies, bottomed upon the sams false principle; for he brings forvrard two eminent Lutheran divines of the six- teenth century; the one of whom, Albert Grawer, wrote a work, entitled, Polernica sacra contra Calvuiianos et P/iotiriia- jios, the object of which was to prove that every Calvinist is a Photinian ; "that is," says the Professor, "at any rate worse than an Arian, if not as bad as a Socinian ; and the very ground" he proceeds, " on which Grawer built, his proof of this charge was, that Calvin taught the doctrine of absolute election." The other, John Gerhard, Professor of Divinity at Jena, supported the same argument; for in his Chapter De causa, meritorid justificationis, he speaks of abso^ latum electionis decretuni quod propugnant Calviniani, as follows, " Sienim absoIutaDa voluntate sahandi electi sunt ad •vitam ceternam, utique etiam absolutd Dei voluntate peccata illis remittuntur^xel certe remitti potuerunt, neque opus erit Christi satisfactione et merito. He then concludes, stante dogmate de absolute prccdestinationis decreto non posse Neo-photinianorum errorem soUdc refelU. In support of what is alledged by Albert Grawer and Ger- hard, particularly the latter of them, the opinion of Grotius may be adduced, as it is cited with decided approbation by Bishop Bull in his Examen Ceiisurcc, cap. vii. sect. 23. " Sentio tandem, quam non temere dudum prununtiaverit tir longe doc- tissimus : ' Satisfecisse Christum pro hominura peccatis, doc- irinum esse veram et Catludicam ; sed mire a Calvini discipulis devratatatn ; ita ut eorum error errore Socini in hac re sit periculosior.*'* A further appeal something to the same effect may be made to Dr. Thomas Jackson's Commentaries on the Creed, Book X. Chap. 49. where the degradation of our Lord's character^, 2 471 self so cautiously, as effectually to secure himself from being implicated with those whom he charges with holding this opinion ; he moreover eulogises them, as displaying, by their " co-operation with the other friends of the Bible Society, a notable instance of eandour and moderation worthy of the noticeof believers of a/Z denominations," and as being that re- ligious body " who have made the only real sacrifice" by join- aig the Institution— an " event'' at which ^^ Churchmen y' he involved in the Calvinistic dogma of absolute decrees, is forci- bly pointed out in several particulars. Indeed Socinus himself, according to the quotations from his Controversial Treatise, De Jesu Christo Servat. par. 2. cap. 7. to be found in the Apologia pro Harmonia of Bishop Bull, sect. I. pericop. 9. delivers, as his construction of our Lord's vicarious saci'ifice, such a notion of it as seems to afford considerable countenance to the affinity in question. Bishop Bull collects his sentiments and gives the following summary of them: " Scilicet hxc const ans ejus (Socini) doctrinal Christum non ideo mortuum fuisse, tit aliquid nobis impetrarct d. Day promittendum ; sed tantummodo ut promissorum, jam quasi sponte, et absque propitiatione tiUd intenenieiitcy d Deo fac- torum, Jidem nobis facerct." This is not the place, neither Is it the Editor's Intention to enter into the question which these allegations might raise ; but when Calvinists are making such advances to fraternise with Socinians, and when, besides the general disposition mani- fested by Socinians to fraternise with them, there is amongst the Auxiliary proceedings now before the world, an instance of a Socinian eulogizing a Dignitary of the Church for having distinguished Gospel preachers with his particular patronagd and countenance ; this Socinian, moreover, having himself pre- sented a hving to a highly Calvinistic protege of the leaders of the Party self-designated Evangelical ; it does provoke en- quiry after latent affinities between these Heretical systems. 472 presumes, " will surely be glad," and will " approve thejsm- cij}le which led to it." Milner's Strictures, p. 150, 175. What that principle is, Professor Marsh draws forth to light from beneath the veil of the Dean's misrepresentations, by put- ting the ho})Je question to him, whether tiie Socinians and the Edinburgh Review are not incited by the same motive to the zeal they display in the cause of the Bible Society, and whe- ther that motive is " a regai-d for the Bible, or a regard for the Society, that is, for its levelling principle ? The compilers of the Socinian Directory and Mr. Aspland have both answered the question : yet the readiness to incorpo- rate Socinians * remains unabated, in proof of which, in addition * That Mr. Secretary Owen sympathises with the Dean of Carlisle in his tenderness towards Socinians' and has guaran- teed to them, in common with Jews and Turks, a cordial re- ception into the Bible Society, is established upon evidence which no one has ventured to gainsay, and a record of the im- portant fact will be found, p. 218. note k. Since the occur- rence there related, a new demonstration of the Secretary's tenderness towards them has been made, at the costly sacrifice of his ingenuousness as a professor of the Christian Faith ; for in the hortatory conclusion of his speech, at the Cambridge Auxiliary Meeting, Nov. the 18, 1813, he employs such ac- commodating language to set forth the ultimate end of the Bible Society's labours, that professing Socinians, whether really such, or Deists in disguise, together with their fore- named associates, Jews and Turks, may, by a trifling reserva- tion as to the specified means, cordially concur in promoting that end. His exhortation to his clerical brethren, met in conclave in the bosom of a Christian University, is, that they *' should not consider their object accomplished, or their duty discharged, till enlightened by the Gospel of his honorable, TRUE AND ONLY SoN, all the world shall have learnt to wor- ship THE Father Evi-RLAsiiNG, and Heaven and Earth 47S to the Dean's authoritative testimony, the folIoM'ing new facts "ttiay be adduced. That a Soclnian teacher^ in a populous town in Hampshire, was applied to by one of the princqjal promoters of the Auxihary Bible Society in that county to exert hiiiiself to the utmost in its promotion. (Twenty Facts, &c. p. 34.) That the first report of the Bible Society's proceedings at Norwich was drawn up by a Socinian teacher of Hapten, ia Norfolk (private communication). That " a person of a pre- possessing address and fascinating elocution, who is o.'profe&se^ Socinian, and who even proposes serious doubts of the authen- ticity of the Scriptures, was retained- — the expression," adds the reciter of it, " is not inappropriate — to attend a very re- spectable and populous Meeting, in order that he might repre- sent, in glowing colours, the blessings of that Gospel, the truth of which he scarce believes. What are we to think,'* conti- nues Mr. Clapham, upon reporting this, " of a cause which requires such a detestable recommendation and such an impi- ous support?" — Extract from Sermon preached at primary Visitation of Lord Bishop of Chester, by Rev. S. Clapham. Rivingtons. 1814. To put the authenticity of this decisive but horrid fact beyond all controversy, the Editor has obtained from Mr. Claphara, his authority to assure the public that the fact is altogether " unqtiestionabky" though, from a delicacy towards private feelings, he waives publishing the individual's name. shall be filled whh the Majesty of his Glory." (See Re- port, edited by Rev. George Cornelius Gorham, Fellow 6f Queen's College, p. 53.) The comprehension of the universe in one diversified community of all persuasions, is the splendid atchievemcnt on which the Bible Society is engaged. A uni- versal language, defecated of every peculiar idiom, having therefore become indispensible, it may, with some probability, be supposed, from the above specimen, that Mr. Secretary Owen ip engaged in fvamiqg the vocabulary. 474 But a more offensive and disgusting circumstance remains y«t to be brought forward, and which the Editor produces in the same form in which he received the communication. It is a sequel to the proceedings at Uxbridge— exhibiting in one point of view the most aggravated outrages^ which perhaps were ever committed in a Christian country against its lleli- gion, and the most imjjcnetrable comjulacency in a Society, holding itself up as Christianity's Champion and Apostle, towards the infuriated reviler — a member of its ottw bodi/^ and still cherished in its bosom. The detail is as follows : — *' In addition to the statement, on the subject of the Ux- bridge Meeting, as given to the public in your first edition, I think it important they should know the following particulars. *' That, besides being personally a Soclnian, Mr. Clarke has actually, and without any attempt to conceal the fact, pasted his obnoxious tracts in the Society s Bibles, thus breaking directly the fundamental rule, that the authorized version of the Holy Scriptures should be distributed imtkotd note or comment ; — that the Members of the Society at Uxbridge, do not scruple to ac- knowledge that such conduct in Mr. Clarke is a violation of the rule, and that he ought not in consequence to continue a Member ; — that he notwithstanding does so continiie, and that no step hao been taken to remove him ; — that, not content with holding opaiions fundanientally opposite to the Established Church, he has adopted the most offensive means to propagate and proclaim them ; — that, in the first instance, he exerted all his influence to prevail upon a person, who lives in the village of Hillingdon, to permit him to open a Soclnian School and Library in his house, as being the nearest to the village Church , — that, failing in this, he afterwards procured another house, facing the public higli-road, at its entrance into the tovrn of Uxbridge, where a school and library have been esta- blished at his own expence, the children (fifteen in number) elothed, and Unitarian books offered to all, who may wish io \1s read them ; — that, in particular, he has caused to be placed ovtr this house, in characters large enungh fur every passenger in every coach to read -with ease, the greater part of the texts on which the Socinians found their doctrine, and other sen- tences, to which he has chosen to affix the names of Luther and Calvin ; in one of which it is said, that the word, trinity, is " barbarous, insipid, profane." * *' I may add to these facts, that it has been expyessly ad- mitted to me by some, who take a considerable lead in the proceedings of the British and Foreign Bible Society, that it was much to be lamented, that Mr, Clarke could not be fn- duced to withdraw, and that steps had been taken to persuade him to do so. Yet the truth is, that neither the Parent So- ciety, nor the Auxiliary Society at Uxbridge, have had the courage and consistency to strike off from the list of their Sub- sci-ibers the name of a person, who has acted in the way I have now mentioned ; and wiio is moreover acknowledged on all hands to have violated their primary and Jiiiidamcntal laxv.^' * That public decency continues to be outraged with en- creased effrontery, either by the individual above-mentioned, or by some of his adherents, the following advertisement, taken from The Times of November 24, puts out of all question : — THE SCRIPTURES,— Tins Day is pubUshed, Price Is. ONLY FAIR PLAY for the SCRIPTURES; or, a few words of apology for Scriptural or strictly Protestant Christianity. Sold by J. Bell, Oxford-street; and II. Rees, Pall-Mall. Ofxdom may be had, Briif Hints to Scriptural Christians ; or the Liturgy of the Established Sects further purged of the unscriptural Leaves of the Mass Book : price 2d.; likeixise the three reputed " Blas- phemous Papers, or most insidious Libels on our holy Faith, by a Vice President of the Uxbridge Auxiliary Society." The publica- tion of xvhich led to the secession of the zealous and reputable Rec- tor of St. George's, Hanover'S(piare.-r—Vide, " No'ris's Pi-actical 'disposition," and the British Critic, Stpt ember, 1SJ4. 47^ P. 278. Note c. The end which the Bible Society had in view in going th« lengths to \Thich they went, that they might in semblance zi least, establish themselves in our two Universities, was illustrated, in the Note above referred to, by a similar ma- noeuvre of the Puritans. The alledged intention of the pro- ceeding may now be verified from their own Report ; for in the Appendix to the last, a letter from Mr. Owen to the Se- cretary of a Bible Society, formed in the American College at Nassau Hall, New Jersey, is inserted, in which the examj-jle of our tv/o eminent seats of learning is made use of to ani- mate the zeal of the American students ; and tlirough them to incite other learned bodies, into whose hands the Annual Report may come, to affiliation : and to give the example thus employed, an importance which it does not actually possess, Mr. Owen has ventured to state that the Universities here, ** are now publicly and activehj engaged in promoting the ge- neral dissemination of the Holy Scriptures ;" though, it is scarce possible that he can be ignorant that the Auxiliary Society in question v/as at Oxford proposed to the Vice- Chancellor, and rejected as a University measure ; and ,at Cambridge was not attempted to be brought forward. What credit can be attached to the Reports of a Societ}^ which in- «serts amongst its documents such palpable juis-statcments !!! P. 310. Note a. To render as intelligible as possible the comparative advan- tages which the Bible and the Christian Knowledge Societies afford their respective members, in the particular cases of pa- rochial collections, which it is equally the object of both to . encourage. Let it be premised that the Bible Society regu- lation is to return Bibles to such an amount not exceedirfg one-half 01 any collection, estimated a.t prime cost, as a Com- jnittee appointed for that purpose shall have found to be needed by the poor of that, vicinity. And that the corres' 477 ponding rule of tlie Christian Knowledge Society is to isend books to the amount of ttoo'thirds of any collection estimated at the reduced prices of the Society. This being ascertained, the following examples will, at a single glance, put every one in possession of the merits of the question : — With THE Bible Society, Prime Cost, Six Bibles, nonpareil 12mo. at 4s. 6d. - - aC. 1 7 0 To obtain which six Bibles, as twice that sum (ac- cording to their regulation) must be remitted - 2 14i ()• With the Society for Promoting Christian K N o w L E D o E , Reduced Price. Six Bibles, nonpareil 12rao. at 3s. 3d. - - £. 0 19 6 Remitted to the Parent Society, according to the rule of their Institution - - - - 0 9 9 i6^. 1 9 3 Again, to put tlie same thing in another view : Suppose a parochial collection to amount to af.lS : as is. 6d. is to 91. so is 1 Bible to 40 Bibles ; the number procur- able from the Bible Society. As 3s. 3d. is to 121. so is 1 Bible to 74; nearly the number procurable by the same collection from the S@ciety for PiiOMOTixG Christian Knowledge. In otlierwordsagain, while the Society for Promotinc; Cii RiSTi A N K X 0 w L E DCr E in return for anypacketor depot, re- quires an additional sum of half the amount of the reduced prices of such books ; the Bible Society requires the addi- tional payment of the tohole of the amount of the cost prices. This is not an improper place to observe on the 20 per cent, advance which the Bible Society made last year upon the reduced prices of their Bibles. The progressive encrease of the cost prices since the reduced prices were fixed in J S06, is alledged 6 47S as the ground of it ; and though the Editor, not having thtf table of prices of 1S06 in his possession, cannot make the comparison ; lie is ready to admit the progressive advance, as stated by the General Committee. He observes however that, subjoined to the table of pi'ices for 1809, there is a note which, referring to the great increase of cod prices that had then taken place, announces the resolution of the Committee not to advance their reduced prices at present, relying on the liherality oftheimblic to support them in rendering the Holy Scriptures as cheap as possible, in order to promote an exten- sive circulation." Now the public, it must be admitted on all hands, have performed their fcirt of this contract, they hare most amply yielded that increased support for which reliance was placed upon their liberality ; for in 1810, the net receipts of the Society more than doubled those of the year before, and on every succeeding year to 1812 inclusive, the net receipts of each have nearly doubled those of the preceding; insomuch that this item in the account, which in 1809 amounted only to £11562 125. 4frf, stands in 1812 at ^76455 Is. yet in the face of this pledge voluntarily .entered into, circulated through the kingdom to extort its further benevolence, and ratified on the part of its bountiful inhabitants by their fulfilling the terms annually witli reduplicate profusion, have the Bible Society un- disguisedly set at nought their plighted Faith — their net re- ceipts, when the violation was committed, approaching to nearly seven times the amount to which they had been raised, when, upon their Gix.m proposal, the obligation was contracted. But there is yet a most important remark to be made upoa the jjenor/ when the advance of the reduced prices was ordered — it ^vas at that conjuncture, when, by the establishment of Bible Associations'^ to take Bibles o.t pi' imeco.^t, the Society was * • If it should not immediately strike the reader-,' how the- advance of the reduced prices can have an advantageous ope- ration upon the Society's funds^ through the means of BiWe 479 relieving itself of a large portion of its home e^cpenditiire — • when, after having entrapped the rich and charitable into sub-, scriptions for the supply of the poo}' : it had resorted to an ex-: pedient to make the poor but/ Bibles Jbr themselves— t\n% is the- crisis of advancement, so that a double fraud is comprized In. one transaction — the making the poor pay for that of which a- gratuitous supply had been provided for them, and the making, them pay mweover an increase of p-ice for the commodity, when the Society was under contract not to advance it — and all this that they might reserve the money given primarily for home use for the purchase o^ influence abroad. P. 318. Note h. The President of the Clapton Meeting has disclaimed the sentiment imputed to him, and has called upon the Editor to retract it. In justice therefore to the President the Editor is bound to record his denial, but in justice to the friend who fa-, Associations, which draw Bibles from its depositary, not at the reduced, but at the cost prices of the Institution ; it is necessary- to state that these Associations, though they buy of the Society at its cost prices, yet sell at its reduced prices to the jjoor— and as all the surplus they can save passes through the Auxiliary Societies, of which they are branches, into the ^f»^/«/ trea- sury, for the foreign purposes of the establishment, it is very obvious, that the advance in question, as a measure of finance, was very profoundly devised and very critically adopted. Upon the receipts for sales of 1813, it would amount to up- wards of £4-0C0, and if extended to the issues 'ivoxa the deposi- tary in that year, it would more than double that amount — a considerable portion of which may be considered as having been deatrahied from the earnings of the Poo:' — It being dis-^ tinctly stated that " the major part of the Bibles and Testa- ments," entered on the account, under the head of '* Sales," " vv'erc purcliased by Bllle Ac^ociatiOKS." 480 voured him with the summary of the speeches delivered on that occasion, he is also bound to state that the reporter is posi- tive that the above passage is in substance correctly re- ported. It is left, therefore, to the reader to decide which is most likely to be mistaken, a gentleman placing himself in the new and nervous situation of an extempore declaimer, or one of his audience taking minutes of his speech as he. delivers it. For it is positively re-affirmed that minutes were taken, though the President questions the fact. The utmost the Editor can therefore allow the President to do is to disclaim ike sentiment, but he cannot take upon himself to alter the ex- pression. P. S49. Note h. At the period when this Volume was published Bible Asso- ciations were the lowest department to which the ramifications of the Bible Society had been extended, but in the beginning of the last v/inter the provisions of the 9th article of the con- stitution of those unostentatious, yet very efficient departments of the confederacy (see p. 350) were put in operation, and the splitting system (see p. ibid, note i.) commenced by the subdivision of the Association districts into Square, Street, Lane, and Alley Bible Committees ; the most celebrated of which was a Square Committee at the west end of the town, announced to the public under the patronage of a venerable Prelate, whose name, doubtless, without his consent or pri- vity, was thus indecently brought forward to lure the ser- vants of the neighbourhood to the Meeting, who were all specially solicited to attend. The Bible Society is thus assuming a very different com- plection from that with which it began its career. It came forth to public view, arrayed in the imposing splendour of rank and character ; and thus apparelled as an angel of light, it so dazzled the understandings of a large portion of that nu- merous class of benevolent and pious men, which it has been 4SJ si once tiie glory and the safegura'd of tlie Nadoii to have cherished iu her bosom, that its very presence overawed con- sideration ; or if the most oblique glance of suspicion was ven* turously emitted, a blaze of moral worth and exalted dignity instantly confounded it ; and thus with mouth stretched forth to Heaven, the tongue of the Institution ran throujrh the world, enlisting confederates, and purloining wealth with more rapidity than the observation even of those not imposed upon by its specious exterior could follow it ; and with an over- whelming influence, which all the solid grounds that they alledged for circumspection and enquiry could not controul. But that part of the community which is at once ingenuous and discerning, is every day becoming sensible that it has relied too implicitly upon presumptive evidence, and has too hastily given credit to clamourous pretensions, and a very widely spreading defalcation from the Society in the ligher and middle ranks of life is taking place. It is known to the Editor that during the last year many of its anniver- sary meetings, in various parts of the kingdom which he could enumerate, nay, even that so splendidly set forth, as held in the Egyptian Hall at the Mansion-House, have not received that countenance which the attendance of the eminently great and good afforded them in time past. It is further known, that in those parts of the kingdom which were not Auxiharized, of which Rye in Sussex, and the counties of Hampshire and Dorsetshire may be alledged as instances, its most strenuous exertions to effect an incorporation have been but of small avail. The Bishop of Bristol has seen sufficient cause, and had the manliness to refuse his patronage to the last named Institution ; and at its Constituent Meeting, a Breeches-maker from Weymouth, in the dissenting line, was the most conspicuous orator, who made a successful attempt at declamation. The Society, however, is not to be deemed either an ex- piring or an insignificant body on this account ; it would never^ li 482 it is true, have attained magnitude and iinportaitce in air\' degree ibrmidable, but for the distinguished patronage whicli it at first received ; but, having estabhshcd itself as it ha<^ done, it is not the mere retirement of tliose by whose counte- jriance it was raised to greatness, that Avill either bring abou^ its dissohition or reduce it to insignificance again. ' As it is stated above, the ciiange taking place in consequence of its altered circumstances is only in its cmnplection. It has ob* tained from the great and wealthy all it wants from them, and its assiduities are now, in a great uieasure, devoted to the j)oor. In this class of our countrj men — the great mass of our popu- lation— it finds many who are truly pious but undiscerning ; many more who are profligate, artful, and discontented ; and it is now^ employed in the domiciliary visitation of the whole of these, and in dividing and subdividing them into superin* tending and subordinate confederations, and in the drawing from them their weekly pence ; if ignorantl)'^ religious, by mis- persuading them that their precious mites thus appropriated will purchase them immortality ; if abandoned, by holcUng forth the inviting prospect of better times, in a temporal point of view, as the inevitable consequence of the new and amelio- rated a?ra of human life, wliich is gradually atdvancing towards its accomplishment through the labours of the Association *. * The following extracts from the Appendix to the last Re- port of the Bible Society, taken in connection with what is said in the body of that Report, p. 43, and in page S50, Note h. and 406, Note *, of the preceding work will, it h conceived, incline the reader to admit that the above detail is not altogether visionary : — *' The Auxiliary Society of Southwark, with its txi'ehe asso- ciations, comprise a body of more than six hundred and jifiy active agents in the Bible cause. When you reflect that one hundred and twenty-eight of these are annually succeeded by «evv- Raembers, and consider the influence which each indJK- 48S Ft has been already shewn that the Irish Union, and prevl- busly to that the Puritan Committees, furnislied the models of which the Aaxihary system is an accurate imitation. Evidence is now to be produced that the nation was no sooner delivered from the anarchy of the Protectorate, and returned to its wonted habits of decency and due subordination to legitimate autliority, than some of the Non-conformists planned the revival of the Puritanico Jesuitical confederacy, by which they hadia past times raised themselves into power. The fact is, that what the Dissenting interest have now accomplished is the object which they have been aiming at from the Restoration down- wards, by comprehension and occasional Conformity schemes, by the removal of tests, and by Feathers Tavern Associations! The fundamental principles of all these conceits and combina- tions is the Bible " iviihout note or comment;' and the end of them, the confounding all religious distinctions. The Bible Society critically analyzed is, as far as the confederacy extends, the virtual removal of all tests, and is spreading rapidly that dual possesses within his immediate sphere, the constantly en- creasing moral effect will appear prodigious, and in its ultimate results incalculable."— Extract from 2d Report of South wark Auxiliary Society, published in 10th Annual Report of Bible Society, p. 137. « The number of Bible Assoclationg which have been ma- tured and rendered efficient within a portion of this district, (the Tindale Ward Auxiliary Bible Society) containing 6255 families, in all 29,605 souls, (according to the population re- turn of 1811 ) is twenty-four. In these Associations there are 2076 members ; and they subscribe at the rate of 28^ 18.. 6d. weekly, which, if continued until the end ofthe year from their formation, will make 1503/., 135. 4f/.; in donations 80/. 14^. 10^.; annual subscribers 18/. 19^. ; altogether 1602/. 17^. 2^/."— Ex- tract from 1st Annual Report of Tindale Ward Auxiliary Bible Society, published in 10th Annual Report of Bib^e Society. lis 484 religious indifFereiif a through the land which will prepare the way for their legislative abrogation, and thus open those flood- gates through which mis-belief and unbelief as the succeeding waves of one mighty torrent, will rush vni\\ an impetuosity to be no more restrained to the overwhelming of the true faith of the Gospel. With these preliminary observations, the statement above adverted to, which suggested them, and which describes a fmstraied design remarkably parallel to that which has re- ceived in our days such general coitntenancey is submitted to public- consideration to speak for itself. It is as follows, and xf'xW be found in the Preface to a Pamphlet in folio, by Dr. Hicks, entitled The Spirit of Popery Speaking out of the Mouths of Phanatical Protestants. Printed 168(X. He thus addresses the Dissenters of that day : — " If you take not speedy care, they will put yovt upon Jesuitical jyrojects : set up a cause and interest amongst you, that will be dearer than that of the public, and bring you uader another government besides that of your prince. There was a project of that Jesuitical nature attempted by some of Ajour Principals about four or five years ago, when some of your Ministers and others caballed together about reducing the Presbyter iansy (whether over England only, or over all the three nations, 1 do not well remember) into the same sort €>f policy, by which the Jesuites are governed all over the world. The nation was to be divided into districts, or pro- vinces, every district was to have its Provincial; and over all the provinces, was to be appointed one General, to reside con- stantly (as I remember) in London ; and the first who was to have the honour of that ofEce (like the founder of the Jesuites') had been a soldier, and great malefactor, and also fit to be General of an army, and presided in that consult. He is a GcBtleman whom you ail know, and makes a great part of a iate narrative, wherein this imprudent narrator implicitly calls you tlie most sober and considerate Prot«itauts in the land. 485 The provincials in their several districts were to t^ce an ac count of the growth or decay of the party, to note their friends and enemies, to receive their contributions, and to give an ac- count of all to the General, who was to supervise for the good of tlie whole. This account v.ith which I am confident I don't surprize some of j'ou, was told me upon condition of secrecy, by a very honest and peaceable, but very rigid Presbyterian Minister, our countryman ; who having got notice of the con- sult, broke it in the beginning, by telling the projectors how he abhorred it, and threatening to discover, if they did not desist. He told me also, that he believed the project came first from the designed General, who intended by that means to raise his broken fortunes, which, if he had accomplished^ pe might easily have done." 48^ No. IX. Speeches of IF* JVickstead, Esq. and the J^'yV-^ John Kyion. Shrewsbury Chronicle, IGth Jidy^ 1813. Shropshire AiixUko'i/ Bible Societij, first Anniversary Meeting, continuedfrom our last. Mr. Wickstead, after a few introductory words, addressed the Meeting as follows * : — " When a certain philosopher of antiquity was desired to give an answer to the question, * What is God V he required a day to consider of it ; at the end of the day, when the ques-. tion was repeated, he asked for two days more ; when these were gone, he demanded four days, and thus went on repeat- edly doubling the time : at last he declared, that the more he meditated upon the question, the less able he found himself to, answer it. iVnd this is the case, I imagine, with every reflect- ing mind that undertakes to contemplate this profound subject, * The point to be noted in this Address is, that it exem- plifies bow a man may advocate the cause of the Bible Society, and promote the distribution of the Bible, without receiving any of its peculiar doctrines as articles of Faith. Though ex- ceedingly specious, a Deist might utter every sentiment which it contains : and it is not easy to conceive how a firm believer in the Atonement, can so discountenance that fundamental Christian Doctrine, as it is discountenanced in the apparently measured developement of religious opinion with which the first paragraph concludes. 487 this vast deep, In which all our thouglits are drowned. Is it not then an obvious advantage to have this most interesting question, a question in which no man who has paid the slight- est attention to the influence of religion upon individuals arid society, will saj' that he is unconcerned, or that it is a matter of indifference what sentiments prevail upon it ? Is it not, allow me to ask, a great advantage to have this momentous question answered for us in the rational and satisfactory man-* ner in which it is answered ia the Sacred Scviptures i God is a Spirit, and they who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. This description of the Divinity, and of the /loniage lie requires from his intelligent offspring, subverts at once the whole fabric of sujKrstlLiou, and lays the foundation of rational religion, which springs up in its place. No idle rites, no burdensome ceremonies, no iminjid mortijkaiiomy no cruel sacrifices, no violation of the nj'tciionsy no aI)andon- ment of social duties, are necessary to appease the wrath, or conciliate the favour of that God, whom Christians arc taught to reverence and adore ; for he is a Spirit incapable of human passions, neither injured nor benefited by our actions or ser- vices, and requiring for their own good only the devotion;^ of his creatures. " To believe in the existence of invisible intelligent power seems natural to man ; it signifies httle whether it be an ori- ginal instinct, or the universal accompaniments of his nature ; the belief appears to be inevitable, and as this belief has in all ages and in all countries led to the establishment of sundry practices, which materially affect personal and social liappiness, it is evidently of the first importance that it be a rational, and not a blind belief; that it do not tlepress, confound, and ter- rify ; but that it soothe, sustain, expand, and elevate the soul. Now such a religion as this Is to bo found in the Bible. It id accompanied also by moral precepts, which are simple, per- spicuous, beautiful, pure and easy to be understood. Let finj' man peruse the reasoning of the most acute philosophers^ 483 or think for himself upon the subject of raoral obligation ; and when he has exhausted his own and other men's thoughts, let him declare wliether he has discovered any foundation for morals that is not either resolvable into, or strictly coincident with, the will of God, the foundtition on which Christiaij mor rality rests. " Has any rule been laid down for the government of hu- man conduct, by the wisest men, superior to, or comparable with, that epitome of duties, that concentration of moral phi- losophy, the divine law of doing to others as we would have them do unto us ? Or where can be found a more jqst descrip- tion of religious conduct than in the comprehensive reraai'k, that pure and undefiled religion is to visit the fatherless and widow in their distress, and to keep himself unspotted from the world ? You perceive, Sir, that I am taking the lowest supposition. I am supposing the Bible to be put into our hands, unaccompanied by the external tokens of its Divine Original ; and in this view of it, I contend that it is worthy of all acceptation. Jt carries within it the evidence of its origin, which appeals directly to the heart and understandings of men ; and few, who have read it attentively, refuse to acknowledge its celestial descent : it contains every thing most excellent respecting the duties of man, wiiich is to be found in the writ- ings of antiquity ; and the purity and pei-fection of its religious principles are confessedly unrivalled. It would be an easy and a pleasing task, were it within the compa-.s of an address of this nature, to shew how Christianity aUies itself to all use- ful institutions ; how it civilizes, refines, and exalts the cha- racter both of nations and individuals. To its influence is justly ascribed the abolition of domestic slavery, that indelible disgrace qf Greece and Rome. It has, in a very remarkable nianner, improved the condition of one half of the Christian world, and has abundantly augmented our fireside enjoyments, by raising woman to a more elevated rank in society *. If ii, * De Stael. 489 |i£vc not yet put an e^d to war, it has at least diuiuiished ki horrors by hunianizing the ferocidus feelings. Prisoners are flow treated with a degree of h.umanity unknown to the ages preceding the introduction of Christianity. They are not sold for slaves by their conquerors, as was the custom amon,«' the most polished nations of antiquity. The exclusive praise too .of having founded hospitals, the noblest of institutions, and ^he most honourable to Jiuman nature of any upon record, be- longs to the Christian Church ; and I believe I may venture to gay, that since the Gospel has been preached to the poor, far greater attentisn has been paid to their animal wants, and that their social comforts have been greatly promoted. Indeed it is one of the distinguishing excellencies of this benign reli- gion, to inspire coiBpassion towards every child of want, to direct the efforts of its followers to the alleviation of the dis- tresses of life, to pour balm into the wounded heart, and to shew the utmost tenderness of feeling towards all wliose hard lot implores the pitying eye, and needs the sustaining arm of charity. *' Such are some of t];e advantages resulting fi-om th.e pre- yalence of Christianity. It would, however, be giving a very imperfect idea of its value, entirely to omit v.hat nevertlieless it is not my business to dwell upon ; and yet, perhaps, they are the things v, hich constitute the principal charm of religion, ^nd endear it to most of its votaries. I allude to the peace of mind which the contrite feel from its consolatory doctrines, ^he hope and comfort it inspires in seasons of deep distress, and the sacred calm it diffuses through the breast of the up- right, which the world can neither give nor take awav. Thousands have derived, and daily do derive, unspeakable consolation and joy from the study of the Bible ; and I envy not that man's feelings, who can treat with levity or contempt what is known to alleviate human woe ; nor can I regard that philosophy as sound, or as taking a sufficiently comprehensive yiew of human nature, which overlooks or neglects as beneath ABO its notice, all provision for the spiritual wants of man. Tlii.^ leads me to remark, that the zeal necessary to support an In- stitution like the Bible Society, will depend much upon our opinion of the nature of man. }( we consider him to be a mere animal, occupying a place only one step above the bVute creation, having similar appetites and propensities, affected with similar pains and pleasures, and, like the brutes, formed only for a transitory existence — gifted, indeed, Avith a higher degree of reason, which adds something to his enjoyments fay extending his views, but which adds much more to his wretch- edness by making him sensible of his own worthlessness and jnsip'nificance. If his hope be like the dust that is blown away with the v.-ind — like the thin froth that is driven away with the storm— like the smoke which k dispersed here and there "with a tempest ; if all his lofty expectations and noble aspir- ings are doomed to find their termination in the grave; if man be thus the riddle, jest, and plaything of the world, why then it is comparatively of little importance to extend the knowledge of a bock composed of such materials as the Bible. But if there be in man a something vastly superior to any principle known to exist in the inferior animals, and whiclj, however inscrutable may be its essence, yet since it possesses no properties in common with matter, cannot correctly be called material. A something which thinks, remembers, com- pares, judges, and contrives ; which wills, hopes, fears, loves, and hates ; which enjoys a high degree of satisfaction when engaged in right conduct, and suffers the pangs of remoi-se when it has done amiss ; which is ever looking forward to fu- turity with an anxious eye, and constantly devising schemes of happiness to come ; which is ever grasping, but never satis- fied ; always planning, but never compleating ; — a something, too, of such an awful nature, that it may be sunk by sin below the level of the brutes, or raised by virtue and divine instruc- tion to the sublimest heights of excellence ; — in one word, if there be in man a soul, that eminently distinguishes him abovij 491 pvery other inhabitant of this terrestrial ball, then indeed it is a matter of the deepest and most serious concern to enquire, what is his business here, and his destination hereafter ? Now in this most interesting of all inquiries, very many of the ablest and most excellent men have derived the best assistance from the Bible ; and surely it is wonderfully adapted to our wants, to our expectations, to our capacities, to our mixed nature, and imperfect condition. Tliis is the book which the Bible Society desires to circulate ; this book, unmixed with the com- ments of any particular Church. Man is impatient of the con- troul of his feilow-man, in uiacters touching his sacred inte- rests. We therefore leave to every denomination of Chris- tians the uninfringed right of interpretation, conceiving that no man is amenable to another for Iiis use or abuse of this privilege." Jul// 2S. The Rev, John Eyton addressed the Meeting nearly as follows : — *' Sir. — In rising to acknowledge, on the part of the Branch Bible Society of Wellington, and its vicinity, the honour which has just now been conferred upon us by this very re- spectable assembly, I hope that I shall not seem to be assuming to myself a degree of importance, to which I certainly have no just pretensions, being only an inferior agent to that Esta- blishment. *' The very destitute condition of the poor, in regard to the holy Scriptures, throughout the populous district which our Institution occupies ; the increased attention to the subject of religion, which is diffusing itself so generally both among the higher and lower orders of the community ; the example given us by the neighbouring parish of Madeley, which has so long stood pre-eminent in this county for every good work ; toge- ther witli the great encouragement and support, which we have derived from the patronage of the highly respected person, 7 492 who has kindly condescended to become our President, are, in fact, the principal causes which have combined, under the blessing of God, to facilitate the formation, and to promote the prosperity of the Branch Bible Society of Wellington, and its vicinity. " That similar associations have, in the course of the last twelve months, been multiplied throughout the kingdom, in a proportion, not only unprecedented in any fornaer year, but far surpassing even our most sanguine expectations, is a cir- cumstance in which, I am persuaded, we have not failed most thankfully to recognize the continued favour of God towards an Institution, manifestly designed to convey the knowledge pf Ills name to the uttermost parts of the earth. Surely, Sir, those eyes must be sadly dimmed by prejudice, which cannot discern in the British and Foreign Bible Society, with all its various dependencies, * the vine which the right hand of the Lord hath planted, and the branch which he hath made so strong for himself.* How wonderfully has he prepared room for it ! He has caused it to take deep root, and it is filling the land. Already are the hills covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof are like the goodly cedars. She sends out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river. There are those, it is true, who would break down her hedges, and pluck off her grapes. The boar out of the forest would root it up, and the wild beast of the field would devour it, but he that heareth prayer looks down from heaven. The Lord of Hosts beholds and visits this vine. " When I first beheld the Bible Society emerging as light from obscurity ; v/hcn I contemplated her object, and consi- dered her constitution, I could not but anticipate the day, when in a world like this, fallen from its allegiance to its Maker, and lying in the wicked one, such an Institution would be called upon to draw in her own defence that sword of the spirit, which she was benevolently placing in the hands of others. 493 *' One thing perplexed me : it appeared so utterly imprac- ticable for persons bearing the Christian name, to come forward with any semblance of consistency, as the declared opposers of a Society formed for the exclusive purpose of circulating the Christian Scriptures, that I was totally at a loss to conceive on what ostensible ground the adversaries of an Institution, to say the least of it so perfectly unexceptionable, would deem it prudent to erect their batteries. To direct an attack against the object of the Society they would not surely dare ; and yet. Sir, one hardy and adventurous assailant was not to be deterred even from this enterprize. O tell it not in Gath, that a Pro- testant Divine of the nineteenth century has objected to the general distribution of the Bible as a measure fraught with mischief! Alas, Sir! what infatuation marks the reasoning even of the most profound and accomplished scholar, who does not as a little child receive the kingdom of God. " But I should be doing great injustice to the adversaries of the Bible Society, were I to represent them generally as the abettors of this singular position. The greater part have held a more cautious course, and used a more imposing language ; professing to approve of the object, they have impeached the constitution of the Society ; representing it as a monstrous and unnatural junction of discordant interests, a compound of iron and clay, pretending nothing less (such is their dream, and the intt^rpretation of it) than the ultimate demolition of our ecclesiastical establishment. *' It is not my intention minutely to examine the brittle chain of improbabilities, whereby the propagators of those fears, whether real or pretended, have laboured and toiled to make out some connection between our betraying the interests of the Church of England, and our subscribing to the British and Foreign Bible Society. The weakness of their arguments has been detected and opposed by every individual who has stooped to consider them. The sophisticated chain has been broken at every point where the finger of truth has touched 494 ft ; and the fnrgmcnts have at length been gathered up withiri tlie hand of one w hose athletic grasp has even ground them to powder. •* I am sorrvj in speaking even of the opponents of the Bible Societyj to use a term whieh may sound sonieM'hat harsh ; but re.rllv, Sir, many of the insinuations that have been thrown out b}^ thcui appear to me to have called, not sd much for an argu- mentative exposure of their fallacvj as for a calm and faithful reprehension of their wickedness. INIight it not be asked, for instance, upon what principle it is, tliat any man thinks him- self authorised to presume, that tlie numerous Christians' of other denominations, who are zealously co-operating with the Members of the Established Church, in furthering the objects of the Bible Society, have other ends in view than that M'hich they profess in giving us the right hand of fellowship ? Is it on the principle of charity Avhich thinketh no evil, that a conduct so frank, so liberal, so conciliating, is to be considered as the cloak of inveterate hostility? Or what purpose, it might be enquired, can this want of candour, this violation of justice towards our Dissenting brethren, be found to answer, unless it be the purpose of him * who, by adhering to the maxim, * At the Hackney Auxiliary Meeting held yesterday, (December 15th) a j'oung Divine, (whose name, from respect to his connections, the Editor refrains from publishing) having v.ith singular modesty and singular respect for his Ecclesiasti- cal superiors, in station, years, and abilities, introduced himself to his auditory as standing forward on the occasion from a wish to wipe off from the Cloth the indelible stain of opposition to the Bible Society; in the course of his speech, replete with the ravings of enthusiasm, borrowed from Mr. Eyton the pas- sage here referred to, retaihng the charge against the objects of his spleen of adopting the diabolical maxim, and of acting under diabolical influence, with a coarseness of expression, if possible, surpassing that which its author has '495 * tlivlde and rule,' (a maxim to the adoption of which titft prejudices' and passions of mankind afford too much facility) has maintained, from the beginning, so considerable an influ- ence even in the very bosom of the Church ? *' When we see a spirit of opposition excited among profes- sing Christians to such an Institution as that which we are this day assembled to support ; an Institution whose only bond ia charity, and whose exclusive aim is truth; when we resolve this opposition into its constituent principles, and consider the di- rect tendency of their operation, whether in a simple or a compound form, the result is such ' pure, unmixed, dephleg- mated, defecated evil,' that it is impossible not to perceive that * an enemy hath done this ;' an enemy to whom truth and charity are alike offensive ; an enemy who must needs view with irreconcileable abhorrence every measure which is calculated to diffuse the light of life among them which sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death, or to draw the bonds of union closer among the too much divided subjects of the Prince of Peace. " To such an enemj?^ we may readily conceive it must be an odious and appalling sight, to behold the Dissenter and the Churchman dropping their doubtful disputations, and cor- dially co-operating in the blessed work of breaking the bread of life to them that are ready to perish for lack of knowledge. I can picture to myself the infernal council, looking on and doubting whereunto this will grow. I can imagine tlie angels and principalities and powers of darkness trembling as they ventured to employ. This gentleman, till lately, a zealous but sober-minded and exemplary Parish Priest, is one of the many victims to the spells and incantations of the Bible Society, whose perversion, when the infatuating influence of the Insti- tution has subsided, will more powerfully invoke against it the execration of the trul}' pious than any other of the many in- juries which it has done to pure and undefiled Keligion. 496 perceive the dawn of that d^y, when the kingdom of Clwlsi shall no longer be divided against itself; when * Ephraint shall not envy Judah, noi* JuJah vex Ephraim.* 1 seem to' hear them exclaim, in words once adopted by their agents upon earth, * if we let them thus alone, all men will believe on him ;' and resolving immediately to have recourse to stra- tagem, so often tried aforetime with success, they dispatch their swift-winged messengers to sow the seeds of discord, tp blow lip the coals of strife ; to infuse a spirit of jealousy and distrust among ' this band of brothers ;' and, if possible, to dissolve a union pregnant with certain ruin to the god of this world. *' But, oh, Sir, v.'ho does not grieve to see among the unsus- pecting dupes of these devicesj men pledged and qualified to espouse a better cause ? — men of renown in our congregation, princes in the assembly, eminent alike by their talents and their stations. When one Reverend Divine (of whom we stilf hope better things) publishes to the world, from the very foot of the Primate's throne, a volume of Reasons (as he terms them), for refusing to support an Institivtion, whose only aim is to put into the hands of men the word of God : When another from the chair of a Professor, a Professor of Divinity too, ia the University of Cambridge, blows the trumpet of alarm in the ears of every member of the Senate, I had almost said i« the ears of every inhabitant of the land, lest they should un- wittingly come into the secret, and be united to the assembly of those whom he shrewdly suspects of a design to dig dowu the walls of the Established Church: Wlienwe hear the warn- ing sound reiterated through the diffusive medium of our county newspapers, and are gravely told that this attempt to put the simple inhabitants of our towns and villages upon their guard against the impending danger, originates in the best intention, and in the sincerest attachment to the in- terests of the Church of England ; who can forbear to mourn over such a perversion of judgment, such a prostitution of 497 jseal ? Who, that lias any measure of the mind that was !» Christ, can suppress the prayer, * Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do ?' *' Still, Sir, as it respects the Bible Society, there is no cause for discouragement, On the contrary, it is certainly no idle boast to assert that whatever advantage that Society may have derived from the exertions of its friends, it is no less in- debted to those of its enemies. Its increasing prosperity irj the midst of all their opposition, like that of the Church of Christ, of which it forms the most becoming and distinguished ornament, very forcibly illustrates the observation of the Psalmist, that * the wrath of man shall turn to the praise of God, and that the remainder of wrath he will restrain.' In this assurance. Sir, I feej an effectual antidote to every anxi- ous feeling, to every emotion of ala^-m for the interest and pros- perity of our pre-eminently excellent Society. Nor can I re- gard the failure of every effort which has hitherto been made, to put asunder those whom God has joined together in this most glorious undertaking, otherwise than as security and pledge, that we shall still continue to view the exertions, which our brethi-en tjie Dissenters ax'e making in common with ourselves, not with the jaundiced eyes of jealousy and distrust, but through the purer medium of truth and love, Jii the scrutiny of our own motives for adhering to the Establish^ ed Church, toe can scarcely he too suspicious. In passing judgement upon those of our brethren tvho separatefrom her coni' viunion, it is equally difficult to be too charitable. ♦* But, alas ! Sir, the severity which we ougljt to exercise towards ourselves is generally directed against our neigh- bours, while the charity which should cover a brother's failings, is commonly employed to hide our own. Could both Churchmen and Dissenters be persuaded to exercise their vigilance, and to put forth their zeal, in endeavouring to de- tect and to eradicate those rem nantis of pride, vain glory, ^nd hypocrisy, of envy, hatred, malice, and uncliaritableness, 458 which, it is to be feared, may yet be found lurking in all oaf hearts, the most formidable obstacles to our holding the es- sential articles of the faith * in unity of spirit and in the bond - of peace,' would thereby be effectually surmounted. Well, Sir, let us rejoice, and give thanks that we see this work be- gun ; nor let us less highly venerate and value the British and Foreign Bible Society, as a point of union among those who profess, and call themselves Christians, than as an Institution which promises, under the continued blessing of God, to be the light of the world and the joy of the whole earth. *' But I forbear. Sir, to trespass longer upon your patience. Allow me only to express my heart's desire and prayer, that the spirit of unanimity and concord, which so visibly pervades this Meeting, may continue to actuate the various individuals by whom it is composed, when dispersed to their respective places. In the pulpit and in the closet, in our public labours and in our secret prayers ; may it still be borne in mind that, however distinguished from one another by some minor points of discipline, or of doctrine, we are, nevertheless, fellow- members of the British and Foreign Bible Society. The re- collection of that thought may serve to remind us (of what has been too long forgotten ) that we are likewise fellow-mem- bers of the body of Christ. Thus, Sir, shall the division of our tribes be healed : thus shall the breaches, and desolations of our temple be repa,ired, and the peaceful Spirit of God, who has been grieved by our * bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil-speaking,' shall return and make his abode with us. Thus, Sir, shall all men know that we are Christ's disciples ; and many an individual, at home and abroad, who, in the possession a Bible, may reap t!ie fruit of our united labours, shall be led to exclaim, in thankful admi- ration of the grace of God, ' Behold how good and joyful a thing it Is for brethren to dwell together in unity.' " THE END. Law and Gilbert, Printers, St. John's-Squave, London. Princeton Theological Seminary Libraries 1 1012 01236 4248