speeches there, to induce them to withdraw from it; or, at least, to raise some misgivings in their minds, as to the real views of many of its most active members.

"His Lordship states, that though it be our duty to show gentleness and forbearance and charity towards all our Christian brethren, yet that we are not authorized to give the right hand of fellowship, or co-operation, to those who cause divisions; but, on the contrary, we are taught (Rom. xvi. 7.) to avoid them: and he seems to think it most absurd and unaccountable, that they who pray in their liturgy to be delivered from false doctrine, heresy, and schism, should unite in religious associations with those who publicly avow the falsest doctrines, the most notorious heresies, and the most determined schism; as strange would it be (says his Lordship) to see loyal Britons forming a political association with, or furnishing money and arms to, those whom they knew to be exciters of sedition, abettors of privy conspiracy, and promoters of rebellion." P. 8.

The "BRIEF ANSWER" which first appeared, and which was sent, by special messengers, to all the chief towns of the Diocese immediately upon its publication, commences with a reason (remarkable for its decency) for bringing the passage under discussion, viz. that "his Lordship was understood to have de clined printing it (his Charge) in his own name, in order that he might not be involved in controversy." It is true that his Lordship did decline to print it, though most strongly solicited by the great body of his Clergy so to do at most (if not all) of the places where he held his Visitation. He had discharged his duty in putting those, for whom he is officially responsible, in possession of his "Godly judgment" on a point vitally affecting the great interests of religion, and yet so perplexed by the sophistries both of open enemies and false brethren, that they had a right to expect a decided opinion from him for their direction and support; and here he chose to stop, it is very possible for the cause alleged, as deeming it, perhaps upon the whole expedient, or at least more conducive to his own peace, not to give occasion to those who are ever upon the watch to seize it, for speaking evil of dignities, and bringing into contempt all legitimate authority which has not suicidally lent itself to the furtherance of their designs. If, however, such were his Lordship's motives for excusing himself from acceding to the wishes of his Clergy, the pamphlet before us must soon have taught him that his forbearance had been worse than unavailing; for this forbearance is very decorously construed into “ a secret conviction of the weakness of the cause which he has undertaken to support," whilst his end is defeated by a surreptitious extract, published in different newspapers and periodical journals; and by a most insolent insinuation in the above-cited passage, the imputation is cast upon him, that he privately promoted the publication by means of his attendants, sarcastically

sarcastically designated in the ensuing pages his Aides de-Camp, in the hope, that "the substance of it" (his Charge) might, "by bush fighting and sharp shooting," atchieve the same ob ject" as "the main army," which "it had been found inconvenient and impolitic to bring up." Who were the publishers, of course, it is not possible to ascertain; but at Leicester a clergyman was detected in the act of transcribing, and required by the Bishop to desist; and he was not an Aide-de-Camp of his Lordship, but one of the most zealous purtizans of the confederacy; and the obvious presumption from all that has appeared is, that his adversaries themselves were the publishers.

Having thus prefaced bis undertaking the author, stating himself to be a Churchman, and a Member both of the Bible Society and of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, proceeds very consistently to depreciate the latter Institution; and to compliment the dissenters at the expence of his brethren. This, together with the puritanical invective of Popery, founded upon the worn-out caluinny that the dispersion of the Bible is the object of alarm, and with the equally worn-out emblazonment of "venerable Bishops, Royal Dukes," "Illustrious Peers," and "Members of his Majesty's Government," "who patronise the Society," constitutes the substance of much empty declamation in the ensuing pages.

The Pamphlet, which follows next in the series, assails the Bishop from a higher quarter. Its author sets himself forth as not merely a meniber, but a minister of the Church of England, He has evidently much the advantage of his predecessor in intellectual power, but his superiority is exhibited, not in that genuine excellence which makes an author respectable, whatever cause he espouses, but in the measured and digested malignity of his observations, which are framed not for conviction but effect. As a sort of preface to the extract from the Charge, five pages of intimidation precede it, in which a muster of the Bible Society's forces is made and set in array before the Bishop; "the 21,000 persons nearly all of the lower orders," enlisted in "the Southwark Auxiliary alone," and regularly organised in 12 regiments *, being numerically displayed, whilst it is admitted, in so many words, that "there are circumstances under which this Mass of the Community might prove highly dangerous to the Church," which circumstances are stated to be, their "becoming impressed with the idea that the Church is indifferent to their best interest, views what is done for them with a jealous eye, and seems to

* It is remarkable, that the first act of violence in the Puritanical Rebellion was " a mighty and tumultuous rising on May 5, 1640, of apprentices and young men in Southwark." Vicar's Parliamentary Chronicle, 4to. 1644. p. 17.

indicate

indicate a distrust of the effect likely to be produced by the diffusion of the pure and unmixed word of God;"-all which malicious calumnies against the Church, he does all he can to infuse into the minds of the lower orders by the most wilfully wicked misrepresentations. We beg to prefix a N. B. to this introductory passage, and to call the attention of Government to it, as an undisguised avowal of the Bible Society's revolutionary designs, against which a due concern for the public welfare seems to us to require them to take prompt and vigorous measures of precaution. Having given the extract from the Bishop's Charge which comprizes, what he is pleased to designate, his Lordship's "attack" upon the Bible Society; the well earned meed of praise, which his Lordship bestows upon the venerable Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, excites his first splenetic effusion, which runs on in gall and bitterness through above twenty pages; his object being to show the insufficiency of the Christian Knowledge Society for the accomplishment of those designs, which an Institution thus comprehensively designated may legitimately undertake, and therefore ought to aim at.

The extraordinary course, which he takes to fix this disparagement upon the Christian Knowledge Society, is, in the first place dexterously to lay down as the criterion of its powers, "what it had done, or was doing, at the period when the Bible Society was formed," and then to draw out in detail what the Bible Society has now atchieved, or rather what it makes its boast of, and to contrast these two statements together. The simple narrative of this pious fraud is its detection. At the period adverted to the Christian Knowledge Society was unobtrusively, yet assiduously promoting all the great ends for which it was instituted, to the utmost extent of its means, and even beyond them. Its daily increasing popularity has advanced with the disingenuous tempts of its rival to blast its reputation, and its operations have increased in vigour and extent as enlarged resources have been placed at its disposal; and its enemies know, and cannot conceal the mortification which they suffer in consequence of their knowledge, that every fresh Report which it puts forth, conveys to the country at large accumulated conviction, that all it stands in need of, is liberal support to ensure it doing whatever may legitimately be done for the promotion of Christian Knowledge.

Upon the items which compose the statement framed to aggrandise the Bible Society much might be said, did it fall within our province to descend to these particulars: but though we shall refrain from animadversion on many of their jesuitical practices, we cannot refuse the acceptance of the challenge, with which this triumphant recapitulation of Bible Society. exploits is wound up, for we can produce from an æra the Apostle's days," a record to the full as extraordinary

❝since

"as the Society's Eleventh Report"-to the full as prolific in discoveries of "the finger of God," and of instances of " glorious work," " pronounced" upon equal evidence, and with equal hardihood of assertion, to be "the grand operation of his hand," and this record is entitled JEHOVAH JIREH. GOD IN THE MOUNT; or ENGLAND'S PARLIAMENTARY CHRONICLE. Containing a most exact narration of all the most material proceedings of this renowned and unparalleled Parliament; collected and published principally for the high honour of our wonder-working God, still most graciously and gloriously carrying on the great work of a pure reformation, in Church and State; by the most unworthy admirer thereof, JOHN VICARS. London: 1644. This notable production, we repeat it, and the Society's Reports are competitors for public amazement, exactly formed for comparison with each other; for it is no very extravagant figure of speech to designate that general assembly of deputies, under whose sanction the latter publications ssue, the Parliament of the confederacy-not in the saddle indeed, as was that Parliament which ordered JEHOVAH JIREH to be published, but creeping on annually towards that vantage ground, from which they may spring into it with certainty; and in the mean time, as Nalson says of the sad-countenanced puritanical reformers," encouraging their own party, and discouraging weak and timorous minds from meddling with them," by the constant use of Gamaliel's apothegm; which has served the purposes of every religious faction, in its embryo state, from his days to those of the Bible Society, whose propagandists from the Dean of Carlisle and Mr. Dealtry down to the letter writer before us, giving it the semblance of a divine counsel, brandish it on every emergency for the purpose of intimidation.

Having thus established, as he conceives, the arrogant pretensions of the Bible Society to Spiritual Supremacy, he sets forth its stile and title,-THE SOCIETY OF THE WHOLE CHRISTIAN WORLD; i. e. the Holy Catholic Church according to the new model of this omnipotent and infallible body; and then pro. ceeds to speak of its Constitution. And here he comes really to the point, for he admits all that the Bishop alleges against it; that "it is composed of men of any Creed, and of no Creed; that those who avow the falsest doctrines, the most notorious heresies, and the most determined schisms," may be incorporated in it, nay, that "many Jews, some Mahometans, and even some Pagan Priests are contributing to promote its designs," and having thus made the characteristic feature of the confederacy as anti-christian as possible, he pronounces "the one object for which the union is formed,-that of dispersing the Sacred Scriptures, without note or comment," its full justifica

tio. We have not time to analyse this passage as it deserves, but we must remark upon the speculation with which the author concludes it, that of effecting a confederation of all the aforesaid enemies of the Gospel in all the world, and joining them with himself in one fraternity for the promotion of his favourite object; that if reverence for the Scriptures cannot restrain him from the puritanical impiety of laying violent hands on them, to decoy popular superstition, by their means, into the espousing so palpably unscriptural an imagination, he must suffer us to con front his reference with another from the Sacred Volume, and to submit it to the decision of our readers whether, with respect to the probable issue of such a project, Zech. xiv. 9. should not give place to Rev. xviii. 2, 4. as the more apposite citation.

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Towards the close of the Pamphlet a transient qualm of conscience passes over the Author's mind, and in spite of his own nature he bears this testimony to the bench of Bishops, that "by age, by station, and very generally by talents and learning, they are highly dignified characters, and entitled to a very large share of respectful deference ;" and with it couples this report of himself, that "as compared with the Bishop of Lincoln's claims to public attention," he is " an indi. vidual of very humble pretensions indeed," and certainly may appear presumptuous" "thus to stand forward and controvert the justness of his Lordship's positions, and the wisdom of his recommendations." Against this admonition of conscience however, he instantly hardens himself by alleging that "our Bishops are not Popes, before whose infallibility we must bow in silence, or burn for our contumacy;" and then concludes with an outrage against Episcopacy, which noue but a most mischievous incendiary would have offered--that of exhibiting the venerable bench at discord amongst themselves, and at a time when their unanimity and concert are indispensable to the preservation of the Church, attempting to commit them in hostility with each other *.

The last Pamphlet of the collection is avowed to be the production, not merely of a Clergyman, but of a Clergyman of Lincoln Diocese, and therefore of a person under a solemn engagement of reverent obedience to the Bishop, and of sub. mission to his godly judgement. The argumentative part of

* Besides the above insulting passage at the close of this Pamphlet; it opens, like the last, with imputing to the Bishop the disseminating the extract from his charge "with at least somewhat of a demi-official character, though he had "resolutely declined the publication of it in a more authentic shape." Yet the Editor of the Christian Guardian, a Clergyman of Leicester, designates this a respectful Letter. What an inversion of intellect, and what a cerruption of the moral sense does Bible Society membership generate !