But while, as Protestants, we strenuously deny the doctrine that the Bible is ever a useless

this subject. The following paragraphs, among others, are peculiarly apt and cogent :

"If I should send a servant to Paris, or Rome, or Jerusalem, and he using his utmost diligence not to mistake his way, yet, notwithstanding, meeting often with such places where the road is divided into several ways, whereof every one is as likely to be true, and as likely to be false, as any other, should at length mistake and go out of the way, would not any man say that I were an impotent, foolish, and unjust master, if I should be offended with him for so doing? And shall we not tremble to impute that to God, which we would take in foul scorn, if it were imputed to ourselves? Certainly, I, for my part, fear I should not love God, if I should think so strangely of him.

"Again, when you say that unlearned and ignorant men cannot understand Scripture, I would desire you to come out of the clouds, and tell us what you mean;-whether that they cannot understand all Scripture, or that they cannot understand any Scripture, or that they cannot understand so much as is sufficient for their direction to heaven. If the first, I believe the learned are in the same case. If the second, every man's experience will confute you; for who is there that is not capable of a sufficient understanding of the story, the precepts, the promises, and the threats of the Gospel? If the third, that they may understand something but not enough for their salvation; I ask you, first, why then doth St. Paul say to Timothy, The Scriptures are able to make him wise to salvation?' &c.

"Neither did they write only for the learned, but for all men. This being one special means of the preaching of the Gospel, which was commanded to be preached, not only to learned men, but to all men. And therefore, unless we will imagine the Holy Ghost and them to have been wilfully wanting to their own desire and purpose, we must conceive

or dangerous book, or requires to be accompanied by man's fallible exposition, we ought to feel much gratitude to God that we have it in our power to present the poor with so valuable a commentary and companion as the established formularies of our truly scriptural church, and especially the Book of Common Prayer. These, though not of Divine inspiration, are so consistent with the doctrines and spirit of Scripture; so admirably adapted to heighten devotion, and to lead to holiness of life; that it would be quite inexcusable in the members of the church not to disseminate them largely among the poor. If there be If there be any who reproach us for so doing, let them shew us better confessions of doctrine, better forms of devotion, better exhortations to a devout life, better preservatives against sin and error, than those which are contained in those venerable documents.

"So far we consider that all churchmen must be agreed; for, on the subject of distributing the Bible, the Prayer-book, and the other formularies of the church, there can surely be no question; but the subject of Religious Traets re

that they intended to speak plainly, even to the capacity of the simplest, at least touching all things necessary to be published by them and believed by us."-Chillingworth's Religion of Protestants, chap. II. sec. 105, 106.

quires somewhat more caution. Their utility is however so manifest, and they present so easy a method of doing much good at little trouble and expense,that the friends of religion and the church would be guilty of a material oversight if they did not include them among the instruments of popular instruction, An ample variety may be found in the tracts of the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, the "Church-ofEngland Tract Society," and the Cheap Repository Tracts, with individual ones published in various other quarters, and many cheap and useful books not belonging to any society. It

The tracts of the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge are too well known to need specification. In so very extensive a list, the degree of merit must necessarily be unequal; but as a whole it contains many of the very best publications in the language for the use of the poor.

"The Church-of-England Tract Society's" publications are not so extensively known as many of them deserve to be, especially the Lives of the Martyrs and Reformers, and those which detail the grounds of our belief and practice as churchmen. The latter in particular is a topic of great importance, on account of our having no authorized catechism embracing the subject.

The Cheap Repository Tracts need no eulogium. Among many other eminent men, the late Mr. Pitt expressed his high opinion of their merit and utility. They possess an ample share of what many otherwise excellent tracts cannot boast, the power of captivating the attention of the reader, and pleasing while they instruct. Had they appeared on Messrs. Rivingtons' list, they might have done incalculable good in stemming the late torrent of sedition and blasphemy.

is only necessary to exercise a rigorous judgment in the selection.

There is one plan more which ought not to be overlooked in providing the poor with materials for their private reading, and which, in the present circumstances of the times would be peculiarly beneficial; namely, founding Parochial Libraries throughout the kingdom. The nature and extent of these institutions might vary with the circumstances of the case. In large towns they would perhaps be sometimes difficult to regulate; but, in country parishes, they might be kept up and watched over at very little trouble and expense. The plan might even be adopted, on a small scale, either by an individual clergyman, or by one or more benevolent persons in a parish. A few pounds' worth of well-assorted books and tracts would furnish the poor with a circulating library which might have a powerful effect in superseding vain and immoral publications, especially as they would possess the advantage of coming to them free of expense. It is earnestly to be hoped, that the excellent Society of Dr. Bray's Associates, or some other institution, may be enabled before long to take up this measure on a large scale, so that no poor man in any part of the country shall henceforth have it in his power to say that he resorted to

exceptionable publications from inability to procure good ones. A parish library in every vestry in the kingdom, well selected and duly managed, if we may judge by the instances in which the practice has been hitherto adopted, might produce a most powerful effect in promoting devotion and church principles *.

It is highly important, that in all these measures for the promotion of piety and church principles, and indeed in every other plan of benevolence in which the poor are concerned, there should be a constant aim to make them as far as possible their own almoners. Much may be done in this respect by endeavouring to inte rest them in the object, and by leading them to look chiefly to their own agency to carry it into effect; though wisely availing themselves of the guidance of those whose benevolence of disposition, and whose influence or station in life, constitute them their natural guardians. Till the

* The author little thought when he wrote the above, that he should have the satisfaction of stating within less than a month after, that the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge had taken up the scheme of parochial libraries. Not having been able for some time to attend the Monthly Board of the Society, he was not aware that such a plan was in agitation; and he feels the more pleasure in the unexpected concurrence, as it tends to satisfy his mind that the other plans which he has ventured to propose are not visionary.