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him who is ever on the watch to sow discord among brethren. It would have been long before our various religious institutions would have recovered the shock given to public confidence, had the Bible Society, the most favoured of them all, been wrecked amidst the storm.

Among the topics which have pressed upon the public attention during the year, it was impossible that we could shut our eyes to the absorbing question of parlia mentary reform. As Christian Observers, it was our duty to urge what appeared to us to be the right view of the matter, upon religious as well as merely political grounds; and we shrunk not from stating our conviction that it was just and necessary, and our hopes that it would prove beneficial. We are more than ever confirmed in the former point; and we trust, notwithstanding some passing clouds, that the nation will not be ultimately disappointed in the latter. Church reform, law reform, the abolition of West-Indian slavery, and several other important matters which there was little hope of speedily and satisfactorily adjusting under the system of borough nomination, and the denial of the elective franchise to the major part of the wealth, intelligence, and morality of the country, seem now likely to be entered upon with promptitude and vigour. The chief danger will now be from the violence of evil disposed men who take advantage of popular feeling to blend what is good with what is evil, and to pull down and destroy, instead of repairing what is decayed. Against the devices of such men, every man who makes the word of God his standard of conduct ought to be vigilantly on his guard, otherwise our popular institutions will prove our ruin.

Of church reform we have said much, and we have much yet to say, and we therefore will not dilate upon the topic in this brief retrospect. On the plurality bill and some other measures of church reform we expressed an honest and decisive opinion, and events have more than justified all that we advanced. We have felt the difficulty, when such discussions have arisen, of speaking the truth without seeming to disparage persons or institutions which we delighted to honour; but the times required sincerity, and we do not believe that the way to support the church or its officers is to cloke or palliate abuses.

The violation of the Lord's day, which is one of the most grievous sins of this nation, has been touched upon in our volume more than almost any other single topic during the year. We begin to have hopes that at length something will be effected, not only by private Christian effort, but by public opinion and by the legislature, to bring back the nation to a sense of its solemn duty and blessed privilege in regard to the Christian Sabbath; and we purpose keeping the matter conspicuously before our readers in our next volume.

The state of the poor, and the means of bettering their temporal and spiritual condition, have been prominent topics of remark. Our effort in these discussions has been, without overlooking the importance of any partial alleviations which may be devised, to keep in view those large principles without which the question cannot be wisely and permanently adjusted.

We have not said much in this volume respecting the deplorable outburst of fanaticism which occupied so many pages of the two preceding volumes. When the eruption commenced and seemed likely to spread far and wide, and several clergymen who ought to have known better were found encouraging the wild notion of the revival or non-cessation of miracles, we could not in duty hold our peace; but when the extravagance and unscriptural character of the whole proceeding, and its connexion with awful heresies, became apparent to all, and some who were at first led away by the delusion were retracing their steps, we thought it unwise to give much further prominence to the matter. It will now, we trust, die away; and it were neither kind nor wise to renew the anxieties of its early victims. We remarked at the commencement of the discussion, that some clergymen who were originating or encouraging the delusion would live to repent their folly when it was too late to restrain the extravagancies of their followers; and we repeat the warning, as a wholesome caution against future delusions. Would that all Christians, when tempted by new and exciting speculations, would remember the duty of seeking out the good old ways, and keeping in the footsteps of the flock.

We live in a dark and cloudy day; yet if infidelity and licentiousness are on the increase, true religion is greatly on the increase also; and in the contest between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan, we know upon infallible authority which shall eventually prevail. Let us, then, gird ourselves manfully for the contest; knowing in whom we have believed, and that greater is Ile that is for us than they that are against us.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

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change by meeting of 1831 Pronounces

nothing respecting Socinians.. Dryden on

the Bible and its effects

Letter iii. Inquiry into the Lawfulness of

the Society's Principle.-Partial tests

either too much or not enough..The Bible

its test..This open constitution early opposed

by Bishop Marsh, Mr. Norris, Country

Clergyman, &c. &c... New class of oppo-

nents.. Examination of texts urged by them

..shewn not to be applicable..Society not

necessarily connected with Socinians.. Low

views of the importance of circulating the

Scriptures..Present objections only old ones

revived..Impracticability of applying tests 153

Letter iv. Inquiry into the Expediency of

the Society's Principle.-Practical inex

pedience of tests..Would exclude many

Christians.. A further succession of tests

would be required.. Partial tests accredit

those not excluded.. Purity of the Canon

preserved by rival sects.. Adoption of tests

must lead to strifes, as in the Trinitarian

Bible Society

Letter v. Case of the Socinians.-Have not

abounded in the Society.. No Socinian ever

on the parent committee.. No practical

evils have arisen, as admitted by the Naval-

and-Military Bible-Society

The Society

distasteful to Socinians.. They object to our

Canon, Version, and Headings.. Socinian-

ism unpopular.. Ought to be opposed

Injury to the common salvation by misin-

terpretation of the Society's regulations

respecting sects.. Socinians raised to un-

deserved importance.. Many of them have

received spiritual good through Bible Soci-

eties.. No inconvenience found from their

non-exclusion.. Evils have arisen from other

quarters, called orthodox..Trinitarian tests

would not prevent the evil..The Society

a protesting Society

Letter vi. Case of the Roman Catholics.

-Changes in the Trinitarian Bible Society

..Note on the constitution of that Society

. Difficulty of circulating the Scriptures

among the Roman Catholics..Openings for

it made by the Bible Society.. Extracts to

that effect from Roman-Catholic corres-

pondents..Catholic priest in Swabia..Te-

nacity of the Society to its rules.. Professor

Wittman's affecting appeal.. Milner's re-

marks on Anselm.. Roman-Catholic letters

..Benefit of the Society to Roman-Catholics

..Catholics unjustly expelled from the Trini-

tarian Society.. Ill effects of this regulation

..Papists had generally excluded them-

selves from Bible Societies..Testimonies of

the Pope and Bishop Milner to that effect..

Society's extensive issues of Scriptures to

Roman Catholics

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RELIG. AND MISCEL. COM.-Secession from

the Church.. Failure of Sunday Schools..

Simeon on the Holy Spirit .......197-205

BIBLE-SOCIETY QUESTION (continued).

ALLEGED EXCEPTIONABLE DETAILS.

Letter vii. Introductory Letter.-Speci-

fication of objections: namely, the omission

of oral prayer-the circulation of the Apo-

crypha-patronizing improper versions--

admitting notes and comments-improper

agents.. Acrimonious charges against the

Society..Orthodox character of the founders

of the Society.. Orthodox character of the

Society's documents.. Illustration from So-

lomon's temple

Letter viii. Question of Oral Prayer.-

Duty and blessedness of prayer..Question

of times and places.. Prayer not omitted to

please Socinians.. Difficulties among ortho-

dox Christians.. Prayer not neutral.. Case

of the Society of Friends..Their views of

prayer..Illustrative quotations from Fox,

Penn, Barclay, Besse, Gurney, and Yearly

Epistle for 1831.. Conscientious difficulties

Application of principles to detai's... Ultraism

..Testimonies of Robert Hall and Society's

Reports to the prayerful character of the

Society.. Prayer not forbidden by its rules 211

Letter ix. Question of the Apocrypha.—

Question settled in 1826.. Charges still

brought forward.. M. Kieffer's Italian Bibles

..Charges insinuated, not asserted.. A po-

crypha still used in Church of England,

also by other Protestant confessions.. Diffi-

culty of contending with the jealousies of

Foreign churches.. Society's anti-Apocry

phal regulations of 1826-27.. Difficulties for-

merly felt by the committee..Apocrypha

formerly urged on them by Mr. Drummond

and others..Rheims New Testament pa-

tronized by Mr. J. E. Gordon.. Bible Society

never translated the Apocrypha.. Regula-

tions of 1826 not violated.. Alleged case of
violation in the Italian Bibles.. Copies of
Apocrypha destroyed.. M. Kieffer's expla
nation respecting Italian Bibles.. Quotation
from Apocrypha

Letter x. Patronizing exceptionable Ver-

sions.-General improvement of the Society

.. Difficulties of versions.. Authorized En-

glish translation, and history of.. Translators

maligned..Imperfection of foreign versions

..Eminent scholars and Christians employed

by the Society in editing and revising..

Archdeacon Corrie's testimony to imperfect

fragments..Importance of sending out early

versions.. Mr. Platt's testimony to the So-

ciety's versions.. Note on the constitution

and proceedings of the Trinitarian Bible-

Society..Accusations against the Lausanne,

Danish, and Turkish Scriptures.. Lausanne

Bible.. Mr. Melvill's charge.. Professor

Levade.. Platt, Wilson, and Scholl's tes-

timony to..Interesting extracts from Le-

vade's Book of Prayers.. Platt's testimony

to Lausanne edition.. Orthodox extracts

from Lausanne version.. Orthodox headings

.. Notes of the Lausanne version.. History

of the Lausanne version and correspondence

respecting it.. Levade's remorse and So-

ciety's vindication of its rules.. Danish Tes-

tament..Charges to be received with caution

.. British and Foreign Bible Society not

concerned in the version..Stokes' and Platt's

statement of facts.. Society never purchased

copies of it..Trinitarian constitution would

not have prevented Danish version..Turk-

ish Testament..History of Baron von Diez

..Ali Bey..Kieffer's concern with..Testi-

monials to the version.. New Testament

printed.. Disappointment respecting it..

231

Letter xi. Alleged Annexation of Notes
and exceptionable Headings.-Dr. Muller
on Danish version.. Canstein Institution..
Canstein Hebrew Bible.. Hartwell Horne,
Dr. Knapp, and Mr. Orme's remarks on..
Society not to blame.. Note on headings of
this Bible.. Hanoverian Preface.. Bible
Society not connected with.. Mistake of
Hanover printer.. Character of the Hanover
Preface.. Strasburg Preface..Corespond-
ence and transactions respecting it.. Dr.
Blessig and Professor Haffner's letters..
Bible Society's anxiety to prevent breach
of its rules.. Preface withdrawn by Stras-
burg Society, and funds replaced.. Dr.
Steinkopff and Dr. J. P.Smith's character of
Haffner and Preface..Strasburg theological
controversy.. Unfair course towards the
Bible Society.. Its true character.. Inter-
esting syllabus of its transactions.......... 200
Letter xii. Alleged exceptionable Agency,
foreign and domestic.-Difficulties in its
continental operations by irreligion and
scepticism..Society exposed to a choice of
evils.. Continental churches professedly or-
thodox.. Society did not reject good men..
Testimonies of Steinkopff, Owen, Paterson,
Henderson, Pinkerton, Leeves, and F.
Cunningham.. Haldane's statement, that
the charges against the Society's conti-
nental agents have originated with himself
.. Bible Societies have not countenanced
Neologianism.. attestation of the Darmstadt
Neologian journal.. Interesting extracts
illustrative of the Society's continental cor-
respondence and operations from its for-
mation to 1820.. Nuremburg, Berlin, Prussia,
Germany, Sweden, St. Gall, Gothland,
Gothenberg, Prussia, Saxony, Gothenberg,
Norway, Russia, Netherlands, Norway,
Russia, Switzerland, Paris.. Stokes's tes
timony.. Committee's explanatory decla-
ration of 1827.. Agents, Van Ess..Testi-
monies of Pinkerton,Sibthorp,Cunningham,
Henderson, Wilks, Monod, to Kieffer..
Professor Lee.. Home officers.. Commercial
business and funds..The late W. Green-
field..Obituary of him, extracted from the
Christian Observer .. Attestations to his
character from Waugh, Platt, Bible-Society
committee.. His religious principles proved
to be orthodox.. His death-bed
Letter xiii. Concluding Observations.
Painfulness of controversy.. Christian peace
.. Bible Society compared to the Jews build-
ing the wall of the city.. Opposed by Tobiah
the Ammoaie.. Suicidal conduct of mem-
bers of the Church of England in opposing
the Bible Society.. Solemn entreaty to
clerical brethren.. Religious aspect of the

times.. Prayer for the Society

295

RELIG. INTEL.-Anniversaries in Lausanne 300

ANSWERS

300

RELIG. AND MISCEL. COM.-St. Paul's
visiting Britain.. Prayer before Sermon..
Church Reform.. Prayers against Pestilence

..

273

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.373-395

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