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records of those successive revelations of His will which God has granted to mankind for their guidance and and comfort-to direct their steps on earth and to raise their hopes to heaven-in this case, they acquire so great a value, and must exercise so mighty and bene. ficial an influence, that it becomes the imperious duty of every sincere Christian to extend the know. Jedge of them to the utmost of his power.

Bible Societies have not only declared that the cir. culation of the Holy Scriptores shall be the chief object of their institution, but also that they shall be circulated without note or comment. The mere circulation of the Holy ScripEures does not distinguish the Bible Society from other Societies. The Bartlett's Buildings Society, which existed long before the Bible Society was heard of, circulate the Holy Scriptures; but then it is Dr. Man's Bible which they circulate, containing notes and comments in abundance, and such notes and comments as in their general tendency can be approved only by members of the Church of England, nor even by all of them, but only by such members of the Church as give to the Liturgy and Articles as well as to the Bi

ble an Arminian, and not a Calvinistic, interpretati on. Again the London Unt tarian Society for the promotion of Christian Know. ledge, which was formed twelve or thirteen years be. fore the Bible Society ex• isted, circulate the Holy Scriptures but then it is the Improved Version which they circulate, to which, in like mauder, are appended Dumerous notes and com♣ ments principally intended to prove and illustrate the distinguishing tenets of

that denomination. It is not therefore in the circulation of the Scriptures, but in the circulation of them without note or comment that the peculiar excellency of the Bible Society consists; and in whatever point of view this restriction may be considered it reflects the highest honour on those by whom it was originally adopted. It was a dictate of the wisest policy: for it secured the co-operation and support of the various sects of Christians, who, however much they may differ in the modes of interpretation they adopt or the results to which they come, yet all agree in acknow. ledging the truth of the Scriptures, and in appeal. ing to them as the ultimate authority in questions both of faith and practice. It displayed a truly catholis

spirit; for it showed that the object of the Bible Society was to promote, not the exclusive interests of any particular denomination, but the general interests of Christianity by multiplying the copies of that book which is the universally acknowledged standard both of its doctrines and its pre. cepts. It was calculated to prove eminently beneficial in its effects: for its manifest tendency was 10 lead Christians to forget their mutual differences and animosities in the promotion of a common object as im portant in itself as it was dear to them all. Other Societies are formed to subserve the interests of some particular church,or sect, or party: the Bible Society acknowledges no charch, or sect, or party, more than another, but receives all alike within its wide em. brace. The publications of the former will sometimes express sentiments of which only those of the same deno. mination can approve: those of the latter should contain nothing with which every Christian may not cordially sympathize.

If these views of the Bible Society are correctand we appeal to the coastant and uniform professions of its friends for their Correctness--then it follows

that doctrinal sentiments do not form the proper bond of union between its members; that to inculcate the doctrinal sentiments of one denomination in opposition to those of another is no part of its original object; and that to misrepresent the opinions and characters of those who belong to that other denomination is not only foreign to its purpose but utterly opposed to it, and calculated to abridge its usefulness by introduc ing endless divisions a mong its supporters.

Such, we conceive, the tendency of some of the statements contained in the Second Report of the Cal eutta Bible Association now before us, which we shall endeavour to prove by a few extracts. The first passage to which we would request the attention of our readers is contained in pages 14 and 15:

"The associations into which Christians of ail communions, formerly so widely separated from each other have now en. tered for promoting unitedly the universal diffusion alid study of the Scriptures, seem to be the means by which God intends to unite all believers in the faith and practice of the one divine religion, notwith standing the multiformity of communions, which being formed by men, cannot but be differently formed, as to their outward appearance. At least

it has been abundantly proved by indubitable facts, that the Bible Society forms a principał centre of onion, productive of Christian respect and love, (which is infinitely more than coldhearted, passive toleation,) in which members of all Christian communions, acknowledging each other as professors of one religion, can meet together in peace as friends, as brethren, as being all of the same mind in every essential point, and engage with one accord to glorify that one God and Savionr revealed in the sacred Scriptures, to know him as the way, the truth, and the lite, and to trust in the crucified God Man, as propitiation and peace with God, both in the course of our life, and in the hour of death."

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The above is part of an extraet from a Circular addres sed by the Rev. Dr. Leander Van Ess, a Roman Catholic clergyman in Germany to all Bible Societies throughout the world ;" and in the present instance, "to all Bible Committees in the East." The whole of the Circular, translated from the German is contained in the Appendix, and the extract from which the above quotation is taken,is introduced into the body of the Report by the Committee who "hail with delight, as a highly auspicious sign of the times the public utterance of such truly Christian and Catholic sentiments;" and who "confidently hope that this lovely spirit will

encreasingly prevail, that true believers of all denominations will more and more approximate to each other, both in a mutual reciprocation of love and af fection and in a co-operation of Christian labours."

We are at a loss what language to adopt in remark. ing upon these extracts, which contain at once pro fessions of the most unbound. ed liberality, and proofs of a narrow party spirit. The writer of this Circular and the authors of this Report could not be ignorant that all Unitarian Chris tians, including those in Calcutta, several of whose names we observe in the lists of Contributors and Members,consider the com pound phrase,a“Gɔd-man,” as a solecism in language; the being it is intended to describe as impossible in fact net less than absurdin idea; and the doc trine which it involves as not caly unsoriptural and heathenish in its origin, but as anti-biblical and antichristian in its tendency. Yet "the crucified God. man" is the phrase employ ed, in an official communi. cation, by this accredited agent and correspondent of the ParentSociety,and a belief in this doctrine is represented as one of the links of that chain "by which the Bible Societies

Nor is this

have united the great family of Christians." all. It is these sentiments, containing such a gross and palpable violation of the fundamental principle and comprehensive spirit of the Bible Society, that are pronounced by the Committee of the Calcutta Association to be "truly Christian and Catholic." It is the utterance of these sentiments that is hailed with delight

as a bigbly auspicious sign of the times." And it is the "lovely spirit" they display which it is confidently hoped" will encreasingly prevail." We do not at present object to this language considered iu itself, but as being wholly unsuitable to the character and professions of the Institution that adopts it. То meet with it in a Church, or Independent, or Baptist Missionary Report would neither surprise nor offend us: but to give place to such language in a Bible Society Report is to prostitute to sectarian purposes an Institution which claims, and deserves, aod. but for this and similar deviations from its principles, would obtain the universal suffrages of Christians.

We

do not, therefore, consider that we are unreasonable in demanding either that the Calcutta Bible Association shall publicly avow that it

has been formed for the express purpose of propagating Trinitarian and Calvinistic doctrines; or that in its future proceedings and Reports it shall refrain from the use of language which many Christians, and even some who have liberally contributed to its funds, can regard in no other light than as an attack upon the denomination to which they belong.

It will perhaps be replied that Unitarians are not reckoned among those "true believers of all denominations" who it is confi. dently hoped "will more and more approximate to each other," and that therefore no deference is due to their scruples, no compromise is to be made with their errors. It is to be hoped that bigotry and uncharitableness have not gained so firm a footing in Calcutta as such a defence would imply; but if such a defence should be made, it would at once determine the real character of the Calcutta Bible Association. Unitarians indeed might urge that, if they chose to imitate a bad example, they could with as great ease and justice deny the Christian name or character to Trinitarians, as Trinitarians deny it to them. But such recrimiuations would place them too much on a level with

those whose principles and spirit they disapprove, and would lead, only by a more unpleasant course, to a result rendered previously necessary, viz. the entire withdrawal of their subscriptions and support from an Association which has so far lost sight of its proper object as to erect itself into a tribunal of faith and conscience. But we again say that we hope better things, and that although nothing can be advanced to justify the language we have quoted, yet that in future the practice of the Association will more fully come up to its professions.

The next passage worthy of notice is contained in the Appendix, No II, p. 20:

"He has a. pretty correct idea of the principles of our blessed religion: but there are certain doctrines which he yet stumbles at, such as the Trinity. This, however, should not surprize us, for there are many among Us even, to whom it is a rock of offence and a stone of stumbling. On the other hand, he invariably admits of the justice of God, and begins to stagger at the idea of a sinner's being saved mere. ly on the score of mercy."

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The Rev. D. Schmid, one of the Secretaries of the Calcatta Bible Association, addressed a Circular to the Missionaries in which they "were requested to com. municate any facts respecting the readiness of the Na

tives to receive the Scriptures which might fall under their experience, and any instances wherein the copies distributed appeared productive of spiritual good." The above is an extract from that one of the only two commanications he received in reply, which as being of a particularly pleasing nature" is inserted in the Ap. pendix. The person referred to in it, is described as a re. spectable Moghul inquirer into the merits of Christianity.

It is evidently quite with in the province of a Bible Secretary to inquire of Miss sionaries" respecting the readiness of the natives to receive the Scriptures" bes cause" the circulation of the Scriptares is the express object for which Bible Soc ieties are instituted. But the interpretation of the Scriptures is no part of that object : on the contrary it is in direct terms disavowed, and therefore the Bible Secre tary seems to have forgot, ten both to whom he was writing and in what charac ter he wrote, when he re quested to be informed by the Missionaries of" any instances wherein the copies distributed appeared productive of spiritual good." How could a Missionary re ply to such an inquiry with out exhibiting his own pe

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