Dissenters in that country, in order to give an advantage to the Dissenters."-Does not this impeach their motives? You will probably object, that as the Bishops of London, and Durham, and Salisbury, and St. David's, were not very likely to lend themselves to such a design, Mr. Daubeny must have committed some error in quotatiou. This I find to be the fact; but you will at least allow, then, that he has expressed his own opinion; and in this light I am contented to view the matter. To the objection itself, that the intention of the Bible Society is to overthrow or injure the Church, I do not find myself disposed to make any reply,

Objection 10. The purport of this objection is, "that the Bible Society requires no test or symbol of the man, who desires to be admitted to a participation in their undertaking, but the tender of a piece of gold; and that its doors are thrown open to all individuals, of all sects and all denominations of professing Christians, who come before them thus furnished and qualified t."

To this I answer:

1st. That no test is necessary. The institution is established to give the Scriptures, and the Scriptures alone, and all the contributions received are employed to that end. If, indeed, the Society were in pos

*It is curious to observe how a story improves: you and Mr. Daubeny speak of a "noted Dissenter :" a friend of Mr. Daubeny's says, "the Welsh Bibles printed by this Society were placed in the hands of notorious Dissenters, and so distributed by them as to promote the dissenting interest!"-An Enquiry, &c. p. 24.

+ Dr. Wordsworth, p. 98.

session of Tracts, "expressly directed" against their Christian brethren, I should certainly recommend some test on admission. Many a perturbed spirit would be glad to subscribe, for the gratification of his own malignity; and therefore Christian charity would compel me, if possible, to exclude him.

I answer, 2dly, Did you never read the Rules of the Naval and Military Bible Society, over which his Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury presides, and which has now been established for thirty years? Let me present you with a few of the laws.

"2. A subscription of one guinea per annum shall constitute a Governor of this Society; and a benefaction of not less than ten guineas, a Governor for life.

"3. No other books shall be given by this Society, than Bibles and New Testaments, according to the authorized version, without note or comment: and no person shall be entitled to receive them beside those who belong to the royal navy and the army (including the royal marines and militia) of the United Kingdom."

"6. A Committee of not less than thirty Governors shall be chosen at every annual meeting, in April," &c.

What is there in the constitution of this Society to prevent Dissenters from paying their guinea, and becoming Governors, and Members of the Committee? What is there to prevent them from forming a decisive majority? Your objection applies with at least as much force to this excellent institution, as it does to the Bible Society.

Objection 11. The Bibles of the New Society pass through "unfriendly and noxious channels," and are given to the poor.

This objection is chiefly the discovery of another: "Wherever the clergyman of a parish may be unable, or the more opulent of his parishioners unwilling, to devote any part of their income to such purposes" (the distribution of Bibles), "there the Dissenters, supported by a rich and powerful Society, will generally be found ready enough to supply the vacancy. The consequences are obvious: the bond of union between the clergyman and his flock must be insensibly weakened! for the poor, illiterate labourer, instead of going to church to learn his duty, is taught to read, and judge for himself; and encouraged probably, when he meets with a difficulty, to seek its solution not from his minister, but from his new benefactor, who has put the Bible into his hands. Thus, by degrees, the distributors of the Bible become its interpreters also; and the very circumstance of its being printed without comment or note, as it gives the poor man no means of clearing up his doubts but by oral communication, in fact accelerates the evil which it was intended to prevent; and, instead of guarding him against false doctrine, sends him, almost of necessity, to seek it t."

* Dr. Wordsworth, p. 62.

+ Mr. Spry's "Enquiry into the Claims of the British and Foreign Bible Society," p. 24.-It is remarkable that this gentleman almost invariably cites a particular and extreme case, in order to establish a general principle.

This is a very neat specimen of Christian charity. It proves eight things:

1. That if the clergyman cannot give away Bibles, and the rich Churchmen will not, Dissenters probably will.

2. That Dissenters, therefore, to their lasting shame, are more zealous than we are.

3. That poor men, contrary to all sound principles, are taught to read and judge for themselves.

4. That if the clergyman be unable or unwilling to explain the Scriptures, his parishioners will apply to others.

5. That the Bible, without note or comment, is, for practical purposes, a hard book.

6. That it is likely to lead poor men out of the

way.

7. That it therefore injures the church; and, therefore,

8. That no poor man should have a Bible. Again.

"Let us consider the effects likely to be produced in a parish, where an opulent Dissenter, supplied by the British and Foreign Bible Society, has always a Bible to give to the poor man, who will ask for it; while the resident curate, unprovided with similar pecuniary resources, has no such favours to bestow. Will not a great portion of the poor man's reverence and affection be gradually transferred from his parish priest to his new spiritual friend? Will not his mind be rather disposed to receive the free-will offering of advice from the latter, than to listen to the instructions of the former; whom he begins to consider as an hireling, one paid for doing his duty, and taking no

real interest in the success of his labours?

And what, let me ask, will speedily be the state of such a parish? Or where will be the security to the Established Church, from the mere circumstance of the Bibles thus distributed being in the authorized version, and without comment or note * ?"

If the rich Dissenter give a coat, or a few shillings, or some tracts, or a pitcher of milk, while the curate has none to give, will not the gratitude of the poor man be equally excited? Besides, how can you, prevent the Dissenters giving away Bibles? Does not Dr. Wordsworth himself allow, that they would have had a Society, though the clergy had never been placed at the head of it ?-And where is the Rector all this time? Is he as poor as the Curate? Have they neither means of charity nor power of persuasion? Let me answer this "Sound Churchman," by quoting you. "If he" (the clergyman) "can himself spare but little from his own scanty means for this charitable work, at least he knows whither to resort and thus the cause of virtue and piety loses little, perhaps gains, by his necessities; for he calls in therefore the aid of his more wealthy neighbours, &c. t."

That poor men are not to have Bibles, because we are slothful and indolent, is a doctrine not very likely to be beneficial to us either in this world or the next. A day is coming, when other persons will find that they too have an awful responsibility, as well as the members of the Bible Society.

Again. You must know that Bibles are perfect camelions they always take their colour from the

* An Enquiry, &c. p. 26.

+ Dr. Wordsworth, p. 36