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order for printing an edition, Sep. 3, 1804. They committed the superintendance of this edition to one of the most noted leaders of the sectaries in Wales, by whom alterations were reported to be projected. This caused a great alarm among the clergy, who applied again to the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, through the Bishop of St. Asaph, (then Bishop of Bangor,) for a supply, which produced an order from that Society, in March, 1805, for an edition of 20,000 copies, to be carefully revised under the superintendance of the Welch Bishops, and to have the authority of their signatures, conformably with the Act of Uniformity. The Bible Society had not then begun to put their order in execution, as appears by the message brought by one of their members to the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, that they had altered their plan, and would print after the text of the Oxford copy.* But they did not withdraw their order; on the contrary, they hastened their edition and by putting (if I am rightly informed) different parts into different hands, succeeded in anticipating that of Oxford; which it was soon seen would take up much time, on account of the pains taken in correcting the text, and from the adoption of the stereotype, then new at the University.'-p. 47 to 49

Notwithstanding these circumstances, the British and Foreign Bible Society has proceeded with its object; and the success which it has experienced is very considerable. In so fair a light indeed have its proceedings hitherto appeared, that not only has it received ample subscriptions from those who, on account of their religious principles were not admissible within the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, but churchmen themselves have readily given it their concurrent assistance. Bishops have con-sented to partake in the direction of its affairs. Many of the beneficed clergy have contributed to its support and smaller soci eties are forming in various parts of the country, in aid of the views of the parent society in London. At length, however, an alarm has been taken; and under that impulse was prepared the first pamphlet of Dr. Wordsworth, which contains his reasons for declining to become a subscriber to the new society, and to

Indeed the final resolution to undertake to print your edition was not passed, I see, till Dec. 9. in the same year, (1805,) eight months after the like resolution by our Society, as appears by an extract from the minutes of your Committee, given in the Second Report, page 180.

"Resolved Unanimously,

"9th December, 1805.

"To adopt the edition of 1752, with the orthography of Dr. Davies in proper names, as the copy for the edition of the Bible to be printed for this Society in the Welch language, correcting typographical errors, and collating the text with former authorized versions.'

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It may be fit, however, that I should state, what is not specified by your Lordship, that the size which you fixed upon was a "smaller than octavo" and for a reason thus assigned in your first report: "The size of the Welch Bibles was ultimately fixed, in consequence of a resolution of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, to print an getavo edition of it." p. 20'-p. 49.

which the letter of Lord Teignmouth is a reply. It appears, that Dr. Wordsworth's original intention was only to state his sentiments for the private use of certain professional friends, who would understand his hints, and save the necessity of a fuller argument. To the public, however, it is obvious that such a document must appear insufficient without much enlargement and explanation. This is now given in the Letter to Lord Teignmouth, from which the above quotation is drawn.

We sincerely wish that Dr. Wordsworth had acted in a different manner. We wish that he had seen the importance of stating his objections to the Bible Society at once, with that explicitness which the subject required, and which the peace of the church rendered so necessary. In his mode of management, however, the vehemence of his complaint appeared to most readers, as well as to Lord Teignmouth, to exceed the ground of his reasons; and till the publication of his second pamphlet, (which will not be so extensively read,) he had left the subject in an obscurity very unfavourable to the cause of the church, and of the effect of which Dr. Wordsworth has no right to complain. We wish too, that he had conducted the explanation itself with more clearness and caution. He fatigues his reader through a considerable portion of it with petty remarks on those doubts and misconceptions which might perhaps have been obviated by a fuller statement of the question at the beginning. Writing too with no small appearance of hurry and irritation, he sometimes falls into rashness, and often into an involved phraseology, which darkens the subject and deadens the attention. But we must be content; and notwithstanding the blemishes which disfigure his letter to Lord Teignmouth, it contains many valuable sentiments, and furnishes us with the only authorized documents and explanations which we have on his side of the question.

Having given this short view of the nature of the controversy, and the persons chiefly engaged in it, we shall confine ourselves to the principles by which, as appears to us, it may best be determined. These may be comprised in the following questions. 1. Ought a new society for the dispersion of the scriptures to have been formed? 2. May members of the church belong to it without prejudice to our establishment and the cause of the Gospel?

1. We presume that the new Society would have existed, though the want of Welsh Bibles had not been pleaded as the immediate reason of its formation. This is implied in its very title, unless the foreign part of the plan grew out of the Welsh question, which, however, does not appear probable. It is strongly asserted indeed, by the opponents of Lord Teignmouth, that a Bible Society was in the contemplation of the Dissenters before he was induced to lend his name to the present association: and the assertion stands

on the testimony, always weighty, of Mr. Granville Sharp. The question, however, is still to be asked, whether a Bible Society, however planned, might be innocently formed? We have no hesitation to answer in the affirmative;-and or the primary ground of this judgment we must revert to the constitution of the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge. This, as we have already seen, maintains as one of its leading and characteristic principles, the confinement of the power of subscription to the members of the Established Church. It is obvious, that the strictness and purity of its ecclesiastical management were the objects of that regulation, and that these are of very great importance. Under the impossibility, therefore, of obtaining admission into this Society, the Dissenters were either obliged to abstain altogether from the distribution of the Scriptures, through an excess of reverence towards the claims of the ancient Society, or to form a separate association for that purpose. No person, whose mind is free from the most narrow and degrading bigotry, will argue that Bibles are not to be given by Dissenters thus circumstanced. If there is a void in Christian knowledge not filled up by any other institution, we know no law, human or divine, which prohibits an attempt to supply the defect. It is impossible, indeed, to look through the Christian world without perceiving how much ignorance still remains to be remedied, notwithstanding the long and most laudable exertions of the Church. And similar will be the confession, after the additional efforts of the new Society. Mr. Spry may lament that, if the clergyman is too poor, and his rich parishioners too careless, to give Bibles, the ignorant should be instructed by a present from any other hand. We cannot descend to this jealous exclusion; and we regard the Dissenters, under the circumstances above described, as at full liberty, in point of conscience, to form associations for the purpose of distributing Bibles. This indeed is very properly allowed by Dr. Wordsworth.

The institution of the Bible Society was first projected among the Dissenters; and had it been happily left in their hands, all would have been well, and preserved exactly as it should be. The right, the necessity, the expediency, the wisdom, and praise and salutary fruits of such a society, I, for one, would never have impeached and questioned. I should have rejoiced in it exceedingly. I can hardly conceive any case in which it could ever have occurred to me to draw my pen against it. The Bibles, thus dispersed, whether at home or abroad, would have come, at least so far as we of the Church of England were concerned, an unmixed offering of good into the common stock and treasure-house for the refreshment and relief of afflicted humanity,' &c. Letter, p. 53. It is true, that, in other parts of his letter, Dr. Wordsworth states his principal complaint to be against the distribution of Bi

VOL. IV. NO. VII.

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bles at home. But it is obvious that the complaint must arise not from the mere fact of the distribution, but from the mixed com. position of the distributing Society.

The first question is thus far answered. Dissenters are at liberty, even in the judgment of the principal antagonist of the Bible Society, to form associations for the distribution of Bibles, not only abroad, but at home. This part of the subject cannot be dismissed, however, without inquiring, whether there be any other class of persons who may fairly deem themselves at liberty to act, as Dissenters, for this purpose? Does then the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge object to certain members of the Church who offer themselves for admission as subscribers? This is a very serious question. On the one hand, it is of the highest importance to preserve the purity of the established doctrine; on the other, to reject an apparent member of the Establishment, is to treat him as a Dissenter. Unless therefore the most cogent grounds can be assigned for the rejection, such a proceeding is most highly dangerous. An enemy may be made of him who was desirous of shewing friendship. Too fastidious a scrutiny may be exercised; and a fear and dislike may be prematurely and unjustly entertained against those persons of the Church to whom popular clamour may have given the name of Methodists. Most reluctantly we confess that we have heard one serious complaint of this nature. We know not indeed the secret grounds of the rejection; but, from the respectability and connections of the remonstrating party, we have reason to fear that an alarm somewhat extensive has been given, and that others have been deterred from offering their names to a scrutiny which they deem offensive to their feelings, and degrading to their honour and character. Here then, we presume, is another class of persons who, not admitted into the ancient Society, or actuated by the fear of a rejection by it, are at liberty to join their benevolence with that of the Dissenters for the purpose of distributing the Scriptures.

2. The other question remains, whether members of the Establishment, whose principles are undoubted, may belong to the Bible Society?

To this also we answer in the affirmative, provided they first belong to the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, the claims of which are of an higher nature; and provided they discover, in the new Institution, none of those circumstances, from which alore, as we conceive, mischief would arise to the Establishment. -The reasons of this judgment we shall also state in their order; and first, for the demand that the Churchman be a member of the ancient Society.

When we separated from the church of Rome, the contest was, in a great measure, concerning the free use of the Scriptures. To

these we demanded an uncontrolled admission, not only for the sake of obtaining a genuine knowledge of the terms of salvation, but of forming a pure and apostolic church, freed from the corruptions of faith and discipline which had, in the lapse of time, disfigured the original establishment of Christianity. By the Reformation therefore we succeeded in forming an Ecclesiastical Polity, as well as in securing the liberty of the Bible. Our liturgy was framed, and our doctrine and discipline fortified by the Articles and Canons of our Church. At the present time then we stand with our Bible in one hand, and our Common Prayer in the other. We must cast away neither. Looking at both, indeed, we see the identity of their principles. This is our strong ground. Our Liturgy is drawn from the Scriptures, and we contend, that it may be resolved into them again by the soundest process of argument, and by the most exact tracing of authorities. But, thus extracted from the Scriptures, it is to be for ever maintained, together with them, by all the true sons of the Church. It is the external monument and test of our Establishment; and hence we are bound, in a peculiar degree, to maintain the Book of Common Prayer, and all the doctrines calculated for its support. But by preferring the Bible alone to the Bible and Liturgy united, we return to the imperfect state in which we were before the completion of our Reformation. This road, indeed, is open to Dissenters; but the present question is with the genuine and undoubted Church; and, in this view, we do not hesitate to affirm, that the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, the object of which is to secure the Book of Common Prayer and the Bible together, has a prior and superior demand, first on all the clergy of the Establ sh ment, and next on all the laity. We therefore consider the Churchman who, without visible cause, shrinks from the support of the Society, as having some objection to the constitution of our Ecclesiastical Polity.

Let us now pass to some view of those circumstances which are to be considered by the Churchman as the ground of his subscription to the Bible Society, or of his determination whether he ought to continue in it.-His judgment may be formed then on the following questions: whether the new Society extends a salutary agency beyond the reach of the ancient Institution ;-whether, within the circle of the latter, it impedes the cause of Christianity, and menaces the Church Establishment?-and whether, with its outward provisions as a religious association, it connects any secret attempts at political objects?

In the first of these cases we conceive the door of subscription to be open to all, with perfect safety to the Church. The diffusion of the Scriptures by the Bible Society has been effected through a larger tract of the world than was embraced by the ancient Insti

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