flame of zeal and spirit for spreading the holy Scriptures among the nations has pervaded all ranks and orders of Christians; and I rejoice in contemplating this mark of the Divine goodness, that God bath put it into our minds to be the instruments of spreading the knowledge of the kingdom of his Son. Therefore, while others exeite needless alarms and indulge unwarrantable suspicions, let us continue our endeavours to put Bibles into the hands of those who have them not, resting assured that every calculation, which concludes against the expediency of our doing so, is, in some part of it, undoubtedly erroneous.

"My Lord and Gentlemen, it is with pain and regret that I ain compelled to allow that there are certainly persons of great learning, rank, and respectability in general, who not only do not approve of our proceedings, but also persuade themselves that they see great danger in them. The author of a late address to our senate is one of those persons; and though his address is but short, it contains imputations which every member of our establishment, who subscribes to the Bible Society, is called upon to repel.

ciety which candour will admit, and prejudice cannot deny, has done more in this view, during the short period of seven years, than all the societies in Christendom have done in a century.

"The term 'authorised version' is emphatical, because extremely important; it is so important in my mind, that whenever the society shall begin to publish their Bibles with glosses, comments, and alterations of their own, that is, whenever they shall distribute unauthorised versions, I pledge myself that I will instantly withdraw my name from them.

"But, my Lord, I will not dissemble that this is far from a complete statement of the grounds of the objections of our adversaries. There appears to be in their minds a corner in which resides the principle of a rooted aversion to any con nection, in religious concerns, with Christians of any denomination, if they dissent from the Established Church. By permitting Dissenters to join with us in this excellent work, we are said to throw weight into their scale: we desert the esta blishment: we encourage and promote defection from it. This, this is that solid nucleus of dislike and hostility; a nucleus which, after enveloping itself, like the comet, in much nebulous obscurity, terminates in a fiery tail of portentous magnitude. "My Lord, I bring forward dis

tinetly the objection that is made to

"In this address it is plain that every member of the Established Church, who subscribes to the Bible Society, is treated as a person who may, in so doing, probably enough be contributing to the very dissolution of our ecclesiastical establishment. Now it must be allowed, that so us on account of our connection with heavy and tremendous a charge dissenters, because, on all occasions ought not to have been made on of contrariety of sentiment, I feel slight grounds; and posterity, I almost an instinctive aversion to think, will scarcely believe, that vain and fruitless contentions conthe foundation of this charge, that is, cerning the outsides of questions. On that the dreadful fault which we all occasions, I wish to meet fairly have committed, is, that we do our the real points in dispute, and to vemost to distribute the authorised grapple with them; and so in the version of the Bible, unaccompanied present instance. I am convinced with any other book, throughout the that if several of our most respecta world, in the language which the in- ble adversaries were now present, habitants of the respective nations and amongst them I may well

reckon the learned author of this

This is the sole object of the address, they would say, that they society to which we belong; a soheartily joined in many of the

that an intercourse and an agreement with the dissenters, of which both the basis and the superstructure, of which both the beginning and the end, and also all the intermediate parts, are the dissemination of the holy Scriptures, is in itself utterly void of all reasonable objection; and that so far from widening the breach between us and the dissenters, such an intercourse tends to lessen it, and to bring us nearer together; while, on the other hand, an oxcessive spirit of jealousy and distrust and suspicion has a tendency to irritate, to exasperate animosities, and increase disunion in the country. "There is not any one member of our church establishment, who en tertains a more exalted idea of the excellence of our Liturgy, and of our Prayer-Book in general, than I do; and I heartily wish that Christians of all denominations could be persuaded to adopt the use of it; but as this is not to be expected, while dissenters of several denominations adhere to their present system of ceremonies and of church government, I would not represent the distribution of the Bible alone as a thing that cannot be done with safety, unless accompanied with the corrective of a Prayer-Book of the Church of England.

"My Lord, our Liturgy itself owes its establishment to the free use of the Bible among the people; and I greatly mistake, if, among the numerous errors of the Church of Rome, there exists a more dangerous tenet than that the holy Scriptures themselves must be tried at the bar of the traditions of fallible men.

"The late printed address to the members of this university would justify me in making many other observations on the different parts of it; but I forbear. If that should appear, which at present does not appear, viz, that the author of it has gained, in any material degree, the pulilie mind to believe, that we who subscribe to the Bible Society are unfaithful members of our church establishment, it may then be ne

cessary to defend ourselves by doing away the misrepresentation. Again, if the members of the society itself should discover a disposition to de part from their avowed principle of printing the Bible without note or comment, we may then unite to check that disposition, or even pro ceed to the length of quitting the society entirely. Lastly, if other objects inimical to the church should indeed, as is intimated, appear to be associated with its main object, is it to be supposed that the artful, politic Dissenters will be all awake, and the simple, honest, harmless, unsuspecting Church-of-Englandmen fast asleep?

"On the whole, and in conclusion, I am compelled to observe, that in this short address to the University of Cambridge, there appears to be such an accumulation of unkind intimations, suspicions, and conjectures (all of which I am to suppose were intended to have their effect), as call for much greater confidence than I have yet learnt to have in the author's ability for judg. ing of the probability of future events. - I must own I do sincerely wish that the spirit which but too evidently pervades almost every part of it, had been more conciliat ing, and had savoured in general more of that true Christian charity which hopeth all things. That holy book, my Lord, the dissemination of which is the glorious object of this meeting, is itself the real care of all dissent and all contention that are not innocent: and it is my firm belief that, if dissenters of all denominations, by no means excluding Roman Catholics, or the members of our own communion, did but read and study their Bibles more constantly, and with more devout care and application, and with more of a direct view to improve the heart and correct the practice, Christians of every denomination, without exception, would approach much nearer to one another than they now do; would actually coincide, or nearlv so, in most essentials; and in re

gard to subordinate matters, they would exercise so much mutual kindness and forbearance towards each other, as would almost annihilate the evil of any remaining diflerence of sentiment."

The Rev. Mr. DEALTRY, Fellow of Trinity College, then addressed the meeting in nearly the following terms:-"I rise, with a view of proposing a motion, to which I am couvinced no objection will be made. The purport of it is, to return thanks to the three Secretaries of the parent society in London, for their attendance and assistance upon the present occasion. That assistance, indeed, I consider as peculiarly valuable; it is in the power of these gentlemen fully to explain the nature, the constitution, and the object of their institution, and with an authority which it is impossible to doubt. Should any misconceptions have prevailed upon these points, I trust that they are now entirely removed from the minds of us all. We are alt now convinced, if we doubted before, that the dispersion of the Scriptures, without note or comment, is the sole and simple object of the Bible Society. It has, I know, been more than insinuated, that this important regulation has not been observed. This charge I have with my name publicly denied, and I bere repeat the denial; it is, in fact, utterly unfounded; and after the speeches which we have heard from the Secretaries this day, the man, who shall venture again to advance it, is possessed, to say the least of him of a very hazardous spirit of perseverance.

"The extension and effects of this noble society have been displayed to us by the Secretaries in terms of glowing animation, which have kindled the best feelings of all who heard them. The affecting details, with which they have favoured us, cannot fail to have warmed your hearts, as they have warmed mine. One spirit seems to have pervaded our whole assembly; and so long as

memory shall retain any trace of the events which belong to this interest ing occasion, that spirit can hardly become dominant.

"Who can reflect upon these things, without the strongest emotions of admiration and astonishment? And is it not a remarkable circumstance, that at the very moment, when we possess the will and the power to circulate the Scriptures through so many lands, there should be on every side such an anxiety to possess them? If the shower is descending to the earth, the earth also is prepared for the shower. lato particulars I cannot enter: but whoever will read the correspondence of the society, as annually given to the public, will be delighted at the expressions of joy and gratitude, which arise from every quarter on the prospect of receiving the ward of God. The poor and destitute have every where hailed the heavenly treasure, with emotions which words can but feebly express; but their prayers have ascended, and their tears have flowed, in behalf of those benefactors in England to whom they acknowledge themselves indebted for the best of earthly gifts. Yes, even in countries with which we are engaged in war, we have a powerful party; all those are with us, who love the Scriptures and who fear their God; and looking to England as the sacred asylum of religion, and the last hope of a miserable world, thousands, of whom we know nothing, and whom we never cau know, till that day shall declare them, in their constant addresses to the Throne of Grace, solicit the best blessings of Heaven upon this favoured and happyland: nor will they solicit in vain. "That any objections should be raised against an institution, thus abundant in good works, and thus liberal in acts of mercy, might have appeared incredible, had not recent experience established the fact. Still less could it have been imagined that men of talent, and piety, and learning, would have embarked in such a cause. For the truth of the fact, however, we need only advert to the occurrences of the last few days. And what is the amount of their objection? Truly it is neither more nor less than this: that our measures have a tendency to ruin the Church of England. Does the dispersion of the Scriptures tend to ruin the church? We have abandoned no one point of doctrine; we have surrendered no one point of discipline; we retain every syllable of our liturgy and articles and homilies: we have compromised nothing: we mean to compromise nothing: we leave to every man the free exercise of his own judgment and conscience, and we claim for ourselves a similar privilege. Ruin the church? Where then is the discretion of all our archbishops and bishops, of all the dignitaries and beneficed clergy, and of all those members of the establishment, who have supported the Bible Society? Can it be believed that they are so weak in understanding, or so desperately impelled by inverted ambition, as to join in a scheme of this tendency?- Let us never forget, that the Scriptures, for the dispersion of which we are thus publicly arraigned, are the word of the Most High; let us never forget, that they contain the dictates of infallible wisdom, and that they are given to us by God himself, as calculated above all other means to make us wise unto salvation and to lead us in the way to heaven. So far, in my opinion, is the Bible Society from being hostile to the establishment, that the very contrary tendency is with me a powerful argument in its favour. Whatever promotes the cause of Christian charity, must infallibly be beneficial to the church; and no means, I am persuaded, were ever yet discovered, so likely to excite and to cherish the genuine feelings of charity in the hearts of all men. If we cannot all think alike, this lesson at least we shall learn, to respect

one another, to forbear with one another, and to provoke each other to love and to good works.

"The counsel of those gentlemen who are hostile to the Bible Society, and who recommend us to desert it, appears to me not a little extraordinary. They advise the Dissenters to have their own institution upon a similar basis, but would keep us from the contagion. They would therefore give to them the full po. pularity of the plan, which would still invite thousands of churchmen, who, in spite of all our remonstrances, would see no harm in circulating Bibles; and they would probably retain the co-operation of the conti nental societies. And what secu rity, I would ask, should we then have, for the purity of the versions distributed throughout the United Kingdom? It is evident that they might circulate any versions they please, corrupt or incorrupt. Thas then we are to throw power into the hands of those, whom we are taught to consider as inveterate enemies, and to do it in a manner the most ungracious, offensive, and exaspe rating, that can possibly A more anwise measure, I think, was never proposed by any man, who professed attachment to the church. What does it imply? Our archbishops and bishops, who coun tenance the Bible Society, are now, forsooth, to confess, with penitent faces, that in the simplicity of their understanding, they have been, for several years, the mere dupes and tools of a parcel of politic dissenters: our nobles are to retire with shame: the numerous and respec table clergy, who have lent us their aid in every part of the kingdom, are now to acknowledge that they too have been the children of infatuation; and by this public act we are to record it as our deliberate opinion, that the circulation of the Scriptures is an evil which must undermine and blow up the Church of England, and be fatal to the best interests of Christianity.

be devised.

1