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. Page Page RELIG. AND MISCEL. COM.--Last Days of Dr. Johnson.. Letters of Miss Boothby to Dr. Johnson..Family Library.. Edinburgh Cabinet Library.. Praver against Pestilence ..Communion-Table not an Altar.. Letter change by meeting of 1831 Pronounces nothing respecting Socinians.. Dryden on 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 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- 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 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.. RELIG. INTEL.-Church of Geneva OBIT.-Dr. Turner, Bishop of Calcutta (con- 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- 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 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- 231 Letter xi. Alleged Annexation of Notes times.. Prayer for the Society RELIG. AND MISCEL. COM.-St. Paul's .. 273 De Foe's Narrative ..Vincent's God's Terrible Voice.." Preparation for the Plague" ..Shaw's Welcome.. Arch. Hoare's Lectures ..Church Forms.. St. Basil on Classical Stu- dies.. "German Rationalist" respecting "the Evangelical Class ".. Croker and La Trobe on Dr.Johnson..Thetern "Altar "301-347 REV. OF-Riland's Extension of the Church of England..The Church in Danger, by Acaster.. Remedies, by the same..Cox's Liturgy..Church Reform, by a Churchman Newton's Pluralities indefensible M'Gavin's Church Establishments RELIG. INTEL.-Trinitarian Bible Society 358 PUB. AFF.-Reform Bill.. Pluralities Bill.. .373-395 RELIG. AND MISCEL.COM.-Henry Martyn's Farewell Sermon.. Subordination of the Holy Spirit.. Prayer at the Execution of Mary Queen of Scots.. Oaths.. Special Manifestation of Divine Displeasure Jewish Prayer on the Cholera..Calamities REV. OF-Works on the Church and its ne- cessary Reforms (continued): - Riland's Extension of the Church of England-The Church in Danger, by Acaster-Remedies, by the same-Cox's Liturgy-Church Re- form, Churchman - Newton's Pluralities indefensible-M'Gavin's Church Establish- ments-Church Reform, by Lord Henley.. Wolfe on the English Prisoners in France Page RELIG. AND MISCEL. COM.-Church Reform (concluded).. Dr. Chalmers on Pauperism and Cottage Allotments..Tears of Parents (continued from January).. Believers judged according to their works..Rector of Eyam-Divine Worship.. Life Members of Societies..Origin of the Appellation "Chris- tians".. Pre-requisites for Baptism.. Pro- RELIG. INTEL.-Colony of Carlshuld PUB. AFF.-Great Britain - Parliament Speech-Foreign Relations Ireland NUMBER X. RELIG. AND MISCEL.COM.-Tears of Parents (continued).. Believers being judged ac- cording to their Works..Verifications of Scripture.. Modesty in Dress.. Letter of Dr. Watts.. Definition of Useful Knowledge.. Special Providence of God.. Gracious Ope- rations of the Holy Spirit.. American Di- vines-the Rev. J. Lathrop, D.D. ....629–654 REV, OF-Wilks's Duties of Christian Electors ..Southey's Life of Bunyan (continued) 661-668 RELIG. INTEL.-Colony of Carlshuld PUB. AFF. Election Tests.. Church Reform West-Indians .. Outrages in Ireland.. Cholera.. Deaths of Sir W. Scott and Dr. Adam Clarke.. Beer Bill.. Dramatic Lite- rature.. Europe.. Death of Baron Cuvier.. being led by the Holy Spirit..Apathy of the Church of England in Missionary Ex- ertions.. Metrical Sketches, by Bishop Mant: St. Philip and St. James-Saul, who is also called Paul-Judas............757-788 REV. OF.. Deane's Worship of the Serpent ..Ivimey's Reprint of Life of Bunyan 789-805 LIT. AND MISCEL. INTEL.-Historical Chart RELIG. INTEL.-Church Missionary Society OBIT.-M. Le Baron Chabaud-Latour PUB.AFF. Electioneering Contests.. Church |