and cementing an union of efforts, a harmony of affection between all parties, in one great design, that of giving the most extensive circulation to the book which contains the bequest of the Prince of Peace, the law of love, and the counsels of Divine and universal mercy; whatever differences of opinion, what variations soever of religious profession may exist amongst us, here we are of one heart and one soul. It is an institution most honourable to the Scriptures, for it implies cur absolute submission to their authority; it expresses an ardent desire that their authority only may prevail in forming the religious faith and practice of mankind. Christians of all denominations have been too ready to identify their own views of the Christian doctrine, their own interpretations, glosses, and deductions with the Scriptures themselves; and to conceive, that they who do not admit the latter cannot reverence the former. Our joint consent to discard our own notes and comments in the circulation of the Scriptures, is a reverential appeal to them only, as a Divine and infallible guide; it is acting upon the true Protestant principle, that the Bible only is our religion. It is a declaration, as far as actions can speak, that we humbly lay our preconceived ideas, our prejudices, our principles of education, the results of our own enquiries, the creeds and prac. tices with which our interest has been connected, at the throne of the God of Truth. When we put a Bible" without note or comment," into the hands of any one, we virtually deliver with it this admonition: "this is the book to whose sacred dictates we all wish conscientiously to bow; take it as the Di. vine standard of truth; read it carefully, read it seriously, read it impartially, and judge for yourself." May we offer it, and you receive it with a solemn conviction that both of us are alike amenable for our use of it at the tribunal of God, whose unerring oracles are recorded in it! To do this is not to intimate a doubt or distrust of the rectitude of our sentiments, but rather a confidence in them, that we fear not to have them tried by this test; or it implies a disinterested fortitude of mind, under a persuasion that truth, whether it exists in one party or the other, will finally prevail. On these principles allow me to say on my own behalf, and on behalf of others with whom, it is known, I agree in many opinions different from those held by the majority of the members and patrons of the English and Foreign Bible Society, we adopt with cordial approbation the simplicity of its object: we are devoutly glad in conjunction with them, to circulate the Scriptures" without note or comment;" and in the United Kingdoms the authorised version. May I be permitted, Sir, to suggest another consideration, which, with peculiar force recommends this institution to our attention and support, which affords us cause to congratulate ourselves on seeing its commencement, and witnessing its glorious progress. We behold in its rapidly advancing spread and influence, the growing fulfilment of the word of prophecy, and a prelude to its complete accomplishment. If in the days of the Apostles it could be said of the preachers of Christianity, that " their sound was gone into all the earth, and their words to the end of the world;" with how much greater propriety and force may this be now said of the doctrine of grace and salvation, transmitted down to us in those invaluable writings. It was the fervent prayer of the times before Christ, "God be merciful unto us, and bless us, and cause his face to shine upon us, that thy way may be known on earth, and thy saving health among all nations." This prayer was, in the first instance, answered, when "in the fulness of time, the day spring from on high visited mankind, to give light to them that sat in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the ways of peace." But still much remained to be effected, partial was the spread of the gospel; a long night of darkness followed the opening day of light and salvation. The Refor mation, at least in great part of Europe, dispersed in a great degree, the darkness; the Reformation, aided by the invention of printing, opened and distributed the treasures of truth and grace. Subsequent measures have assisted the progress of Divine knowledge: but slow, local and limited has been that progress. Through ages "little, comparatively, has been done towards generalizing the knowledge of the Bible." Darkness, while centuries have rolled on, has overshadowed the earth. The rays of light have, at most been few, scattered and feeble. But the sun of righteousness has, recently, burst forth from the dark clouds with a bright lustre, has enlightened with greater lustre the territories of Europe and Asia, and darted his resplendent beams beyond the wide Atlant c. Read the Reports of the British and Foreign Bible Society, which become every year more interesting by the variety and num ber of facts which they detail. Reflect on the increasing formation of Auxiliary Societies in this kingdom, in foreign countries to the east of us, and in the American States The first Bible Society established in that country was at Philadelphia, about three years since; there are now twenty Societies of this description in the United States, circulating the Scriptures in every direction. Reckon up the number of Bibles and Testaments which have been distributed by the parent Society Traverse over the countries into which, by its patronage, translations of the Scriptures have been introduced. As its last report expresses it, it may be truly affirmed, that it has opened channels, by which the springs of life have not only flowed to the numbers who thirsted for them, within the United Kingdoms, but have been conveyed to the barren and parched soils of the remotest regions In connection with these details of its operations, recollect the word of prophecy. Prophecy declared "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea; in that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the lind shall see out of obscurity and darkuess; all thy children shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." Compare existing events with these predictions. These predict ons foretold an universal spread of Divine knowledge; existing events open a prospect of it more propitious, niore encouraging than any preceding æra has afforded. May we not say that now the word of prophecy begins indeed to receive its accomplishment. May we not augur from present appearances, that the time is rapidly approaching, when "the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord ?" These appearances, be it observed, break out under awful and alarming circumstances. When war has, for nearly twenty years, been waving its bloody banners over the nations of Europe; when, as it is stated in the last Report, "the difficulties with which Boston Gazette, February 13, 1812. manufactures and commerce have to contend, make it a matter of astonishment and gratitude, that the exertions in this benevolent cause have been so little restrained in any place, and have, in most places, been stimulated and enlarged." Under these circumstances has the British and Foreign Bible Society commenced. Under these circumstances has its noble design been successful. What has been effected, in this situation of the world and of our own country, affords, from its correspondence 10 prophecy, a peculiar confirmation to our faith in the truth of that Revelation, to which it is our pious and earnest wish to give the most extensive circulation; it creates the most encouraging conjectures of what will take place, nay, it converts conjectures into lively hope, and raises hope into divine confidence. But much yet remains to be done. To ripen auspicious beginnings, and to realize expectation, your continued efforts are solicited, and are necessary. The anticipation, which we are invited to entertain, is delightful to every follower of the great Founder of our religion, of every denomination and sect Let it animate our strenuous persevering exertions. I embrace this moment to make my public acknowledgments to the respectable clergyman*, whose candid application first disposed me to enlist myself in this sacred and philanthropic institu tion. I this day thank my God with humble and joyful gratitude, whose gracious providence has lengthened out my years, that I have lived to see the day in which an institution so propitious to the universal spread of Divine knowledge has commenced. I hail, Sir, with gladdening hope, the approach of that period when many, when all nations shall say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and he will teach us his ways: come ye and let us walk in the light of the Lord." Filled with this idea, and rejoicing in this hope, let us, my townsmen and fellow Christians, renew our efforts to bring on, more rapidly, this glorious period, and to diffuse these sentiments, these desires after sacred knowledge: and with our efforts let us unite our fervent prayers. From every heart let this request ascend to heaven, " O God send out thy light and thy truth;" and let every voice echo, AMEN. * Rev. Mr. Burn. Manchester New College, removed gether with the interest, by small an to York. To this ex nual instalments. The classical and The Committee of the MANCHESTER NEW COLLEGE are desirous to submit the following circumstances to the consideration of their numerous friends. When this Institution was removed from Manchester, and placed under the able direction of the Rev. Charles Wellbeloved, the only difficulty which occurred, arose from the want of proper apartments for the students. Mr. Wellbeloved could accommodate in his own house only a very limited number, and as his family grew up, even this ceased to be convenient to him. To obviate the difficulty, apartments were engaged in different lodging-houses in York, in which the students were placed. But besides the heavy expense attending this mode of accommodating them, especially as their number increased, there were several other obvious objections. That the force of these was not seriously felt, affords a striking testimony to the excellent principles and virtuous conduct of the young men who have hitherto been students in this institution. It would have been unreasonable, however, to expect that this should always continue to be the case; and the want of permanent accommodations, in which the students might all lodge together, under the immediate superintendance of the tutors, had indeed been stated by several parents, as an insuperable objection to their placing their sons in the college. It therefore became an object of anxious concern with the Committee to procure such accommodations. And a very suitable range of buildings, in the immediate neighbourhood of Mr. Wellbeloved's house, being offered for sale, about two years ago, the Committee were instructed, by the general body of trustees, to purchase them, and they were accordingly bought for the sum of 3140l. It may be desirable to state, that they do not consist of showy public buildings, incapable of being converted, without great expense, to other purposes; but of plain dwelling-houses, which may at any time be readily disposed of, with little or no loss. The purchase-money was advanced by twenty-five gentlemen, on the condition of its being repaid, to Benefactions already announced. Robert Philips, Esq. Park, near Manchester, T. B. W. Sanderson, Esq. Chowbent, Lancashire £ • 200 100 100 100 100 100 The late Rev. William Grindrod, of Chester, subject to John Worthington, Esq. Altringham, Cheshire The following additional Benefactions are announced, in Samuel Jones, Esq. Greenhill, near Manchester 50 0 21 Proceedings in Parliament rela. tive to the New Toleration Act. HOUSE OF COMMONS, JULY 20. Mr. William Smith, on the question that the Toleration Amendment Bill be read a third time, rose for the purpose of making one or two observations. And first, he could not help congratulating the House and the country on the singular progress of the present Bill through that House, to this its last stage, without having provoked the expression of one sentiment of hostility against it. This he could not help looking up. on as a most auspicious system of the rapid advance of liberal and enlightened opinion. [Hear!] The honourable gentleman then went into a history of the origin, rise and progress of the present Bill, which we forbear giving, as the same has already appeared before the public, in a letter from the honourable member to a noble lord (Stanhope.) He censured the measure proposed in a former sessions, by another noble lord (Sidmouth,) which he thought might have created the evils it was designed to prevent, though he had no hesitation in acquitting the noble lord of any intole 100 O £1312 rant intent. He declared it as his opinion, that this Act would be generally acknowledged by the Dissenters as a great benefit. He then brought up a clause, allowing to the Dissenters the same exemptions under this act as they enjoyed under that of the 19th of his present Majesty. Mr. Whitbread said he had examined the Bill, and he found it was the same he had himself intended to have brought in. He drew the same happy inferences from the silent progress of this Bill as were drawn by his honourable friend, and he hoped it would continue till the great work of religious freedom received its final consummation, because he thought that the strength of the Estab lished Church rested in the freedom of religious opinions. The clause was then brought up and agreed to, and the Bill ordered to be read a third time, passed and ordered to the Lords.-Adjourned. HOUSE OF LORDS, JULY 23. The Earl of Liverpool moved the second reading of the Toleration Bill. His lordship observed, that in looking into this subject, it was found that it could not be properly entered into without repealing certain acts which certainly ought not to be suffered to remain on the statute book, and which no one would now think ought to be put in force: but which might be made the means of vexations to individuals. Amongst the acts repealed were the Conventicle Act and the Five Mile Act; some parts of the former were retained in another shape, but the latter no one would now think of carrying into exe cution It was well known, that lately, a construction had been put upon the Toleration Act, different from that which it had practically received for upwards of a century, and to remedy the inconveniences thus occasioned to individuais, was one also of the objects of the present Bill. In order to combine the to leration which it was proposed to give in the most ample form with the requisi e securities, it was proposed in the first place, that to assemblies for the purposes of religious worship there should be given notoriety; in the second place, publicity: and, in the third place, that from the preachers and teachers in those assemblies there should be required some test or security in the oaths to be taken by them. Meetings for religious worship, where the num ber of persons assembled, exclusive of the family of the occupier of the house or premises, where such meeting took place, did not amount to more than twenty, were exempt from any restriction; but where the number a nounted to more than twenty, then the place of meeting was required to be registered, in order that upon searching the regis. ters all such places of meeting might be known. In order to secure notoriety it was en cted that all such meetings for the purposes of religious worship should take place with doors unbolted and unbarred, and not fastened, so that any one might go in and, for the purpose of a sufficient test or security, it was enacted that teachers and preachers of congregations should take the required oaths at the sessions; but it was not re quired that they should take the oaths antecedently to their exercising the du ties of teaching and preaching. His lordship, after adverting to the other provisions of the Bill, observed, that an enlarged and liberal toleration was the best security to the Established Church, -a Church, not founded to the exclusion of religious discussion, but in its homilies, its canons, and all the princiVOL. VII. 4 G ples upon which it rested, courting the investigation of the Scriptures upon which it founded its doctrines. Earl Stanhope objected to the Bill, that it was founded in its preamble and its clauses upon expediency and e pediency alone, and did not recognize the right of religious worship, which he contended to be the u alienable right of man. His lordship went through most of the clauses, making several objections to particular parts of them, respecting which it was his intention to move in the Committee. Lord Holland agreed with his noble friend as to the right of religious wor ship, but, nevertheless, was a fir fr.end to the present Bill. He remembered being told some years ago, by he late Mr. Selwyn, that a good law required a great deal of soaking in the House of Commons; so it appeared that a great principle required a great deal of soaking, but the noble lord who moved the present Bill seemed to have become a wet intolerant, and, viewing this Bill as so much gained to the cause of toleration, he Lord Holland) did not despair of seeing at length acknowledged the great principle for which he contended. Lord Viscount Sidmouth could not give an unqualified approbation of this Bill. He approved entirely of the repeal of the Five Mile Act, but he regretted the extension of the number allowed at meetings not registered, from five, the number in the Conventicle Act, to twenty. He thought that giving an exemption from civil duties and militia to preachers and teachers of meetings, who carried on any other business, would lead to abuses, as persons might register small meetings, officiating only once or twice a year at them, for the purpose of obtaining the exemptions. He lamented, particularly, that by this Bill no qualification was required from preachers, or teachers, but that all persons, whitever might be their ignorance or moral character, might, on their taking the oaths, be preachers and teachers. He thought that some qualification ought to be required before they were allowed to preach or teach, instead of their being self-elected and selfappointed, as they would be under this Bill. He did not, however, intend to give any o position to the Bill, but he could not help lamenting that some provision was not made to ensure some test |