pounds a year to advance the interests of Christianity.

IV. SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL IN WALES.-This was formed by the Rev. Thomas Gouge, one of the two thousand ministers ejected by the Act of Uniformity in 1662. He had been minister for twenty-four years, of St. Sepulchre's, London. His ample estate he devoted to the glory of his Redeemer and the spiritual welfare of mankind. He made a tour annually in Wales, where he established three or four hundred schools, and preached the Gospel, until he was silenced by the bishops. Still he obtained the co-operation of several conformists as well as non-conformists; and printed, besides many other good books, chiefly at his own expense, a large edition of the Bible in Welsh, one of which were given to the poor. This great man died, at the age of seventy-seven years, in 1681, in the full assurance of salvation; and though a Dissenter, Dr. Tillotson, afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury, preached his funeral sermon. In this he states:-"He had two excellent designs; one, to have poor children brought up to read and write, and to be carefully instructed in the principles of religion; the other, to furnish the poor with the Bible, and other books of piety and devotion. To this end he procured The Church Catechism,' 'The Practice of Piety,' and 'The Whole Duty of Man,' to be translated into Welsh, and sent down to the chief towns in Wales, for sale at easy rates, or to be given away to those who could not buy them. About

a thousand children annually were instructed, and an edition of the Bible, about eight thousand, was published and circulated." The preacher adds, respecting his departed friend,-" All things considered, there has not been since the primitive times of Christianity, many among the sons of men, to whom the glorious character of the Son of God might be better applied, that he went about doing good."

In a blank leaf of a Welsh Bible, in the library of the Duke of Bedford, there is the following inscription, with the names of the Committee of this Bible Society:

"To the Right Hon. Earl of Bedford, Knight of the noble order of the Garter. In thankful acknowledgment of his bounty to Wales, in contributing towards the charge of printing the thousand Bibles in the British language, which were given to poor families, and of teaching many hundreds of poor children to read and write. Signed, J. Tillotson, -E. Stillingfleet,-B. Whichol,-T. Meriton,-T. Gouge,-B. Calamy,-T. Firmin,-J. du Bois."

V. SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE. This originated in 1698: it was formed, as Bishop Burnet observes, after the example of the Dissenters, whose missionary and Bible labours and successes had been noticed by some pious conformists, with devout admiration. The design of this Society was, at first, to propagate the Gospel by schools and religious books, and Bibles: but seeing their efforts productive of fruit, they were induced to send out

school-masters to America and the West Indies, taking measures to render their operations permanent. This Society has continued, with various success, to the present time, as the chief Bible Society of the Church of England.

VI. SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE GosPEL IN FOREIGN PARTS.-This was originally a part of the Society last mentioned; as the "Abstract of the Charter" for it states, "King William III. was graciously pleased, on the 16th of June, 1701, to erect and settle a corporation, with a perpetual succession, by the name," as above. This "Incorporated Society" acts partly as a Bible Society, but chiefly regards schools and missions in the British colonies.

VII. SOCIETY FOR SENDING MISSIONARIES TO INDIA. This was established, in the year 1705, by Frederick IV., king of Denmark, at the suggestion of one of his chaplains. Bartholomew Zeigenbalg and Henry Plutscho were its first missionaries, who learned the Malabar language, in which they formed a grammar and dictionary, and then translated the New Testament. This, with other useful books, they printed and circulated among their followers, aided by the English Society for the Propagation of the Gospel: and this Society has become immortalized by the apostolic labours of its worthy missionary, Christian Frederic Schwartz.

VIII. SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOW

H

LEDGE IN THE HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS OF SCOTLAND.-This was formed at Edinburgh, in 1709. Though chiefly directing its operations in supporting schools and missionaries, it aided in circulating the Bible, extending its efforts to America, where it became immortalized by the labours of one of its missionaries, the honoured David Brainerd.

IX. THE MORAVIAN MISSIONARY SOCIETY.-This very exemplary Society was formed in 1732; and its missions have been greatly honoured in the West Indies, Greenland, North America, South Africa, South America, and the East Indies, in preaching the gospel to the Heathen, and circulating the Scriptures.

X. THE BOOK SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING RELIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE AMONG THE POOR.-This was formed in London, in 1750, by several benevolent persons, Churchmen and Dissenters. Its design was to circulate, at the cheapest rates, Bibles, hymnbooks, and the standard-writings of the best Christian authors. Dr. Doddridge and the Rev. James Hervey were enrolled among its earliest friends, affording a pledge of the more extensive union between Dissenters and Churchmen. This, for many years, was regarded as a principal Bible Society.

XI. THE NAVAL AND MILITARY BIBLE SOCIETY. This useful Institution was formed in 1780, when a military camp was pitched in Hyde Park, on ac

count of the riots in London. It originated with "a few plain Christians," affected with the profaneness of the soldiers. It was established by a few pious officers, and the design was formed to supply the whole army and navy with the Holy Scriptures. Its labours have done immense service to the army and navy of Great Britain.

XII. THE WESLEYAN MISSIONARY SOCIETY.Methodist Missions originated in 1784, when Mr. Wesley, at the Conference held at Leeds, declared his intention of sending Dr. Coke, and some other preachers to America, after the Independence of the United States had been acknowledged. The Wesleyan Missionary Society, however, was not organized until 1847. But this, with other similar institutions, has greatly served the cause of the Bible.

XIII. THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY.-This Institution was formed in 1792, suggested by Mr., afterwards, Dr. Carey, proposing to the Northamptonshire Association of Baptist Ministers," whether it were not practicable and obligatory to attempt the conversion of the Heathen?" Carey submitted a plan, which was accepted, as the form of the Society, and offered himself as the first missionary. And that great man, perhaps more than any other labourer, was honoured in the translation of the Holy Scriptures.

XIV. THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY, commonly called