quickened though we live not to behold it sprouting from the earth. It is something if Christianity at first only civilizes society; it is more if it succeeds in restraining the grosser passions and in cultivating the more gentle and amiable affections; and it is after these points have been secured that we may hope, provided that there be no counteracting circumstances from the falling away of some and the fanaticism of others, to find the genuine sons of Abraham like the stars of heaven or the sands on the sea shore for multitude. (c)

But while our business with respect to India and the British Colonies, and, indeed, with respect to every nation over which our influence may extend, is to establish the Church; our business in this country, where the Church is already established, is to teach the people, thus favoured by the inscrutable grace of the Saviour, what those duties are which are consequent upon their calling and election. Their calling, in being born in a Christian land; their election, in being admitted by baptism into the Christian Church.

As to the English people then, our commission, as clergy, is first to admit them, as

part and parcel of a converted nation, into the Church by baptism, and then to instruct them in the duties of their profession. But the invention of the art of printing has rendered it necessary to convey instruction, whether by the inculcation of the principles of truth or by the refutation of error, not only from the pulpit but through the press. And to assist the clergy in this, their all important duty, is the chief object which, in addition to the support of missionaries abroad, and of schools at home, the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge has in view.

The very name of this society,—" The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge,” must be sufficient at once to recommend it to the Christian who has been renewed by the blessed Spirit in the inner man. But it is one thing to profess a righteous end, and another to labour for its accomplishment by righteous means. It is hard, indeed, to say whether the attempt to promote a good object, by unlawful or unhallowed means, betray, in greater proportion, a hardihood of presumption or a lack of faith. Our business is simply to do our duty. It is our duty to endeavour to promote Christianity; but it is

not our duty, it is a gross dereliction of our duty, to attempt to do so by means inconsistent with our principles.

(D) In addressing then members of the Church of England-English Catholics, as we deem ourselves to be and in recommending the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge to their support, it will be proper, in the first place, to state, not only that the Society is under the superintendence of the Archbishops and their suffragans in both the Provinces of the English Church, but, what is of still more importance, that the Society recognizes their Episcopal and Diocesan authority. I say that this is of still more importance, because it is no proof that an institution is worthy of a churchman's support, because a few individuals who chance to be Bishops belong to it; (for those individuals, like any other individuals, may be in error;) but it is of importance that a Society conducted by Episcopalians should show that respect to the Episcopal order and office which Bishops themselves are not always found to evince. I speak advisedly: for the most fierce, determined, uncompromising, and unrelenting opponent that the Episcopal order and the Church

of England ever had to contend with, voted with our Spiritual Peers and revelled as Lord of Farnham Castle. But, while in those days the clergy of England manfully refuted the sophistry of Dr. Benjamin Hoadley, they respected the Bishop of Winchester. Because, when Dr. Hoadley acted officially, as Bishop of Winchester, he could only do what the Canons of Holy Church enjoined and the laws of the land permitted. They knew how to reverence the officer, while they felt bound to oppose the man. They acted thus in the full spirit of our Article, and, indeed, of the Catholic Church.* Though, sometimes, the evil have chief authority; yet, forasmuch as they act not in their own name, but in Christ's, and do minister by his commission and authority, it is lawful to use their ministry. This, however, may serve to shew that it is highly important, if we would avoid error, to distinguish the acts of the individual from the acts of the prelate; and to be on our guard lest individual error should cause detriment to the Church. (E)

Having thus ascertained that our Society

* See Article xxvI.

will not lead us into schism, let us now see how it proposes to promote christian knowledge. And this it does, in the first place, by circulating the sacred volume. For it is, in fact, the Church of England Bible Society. So far there will be no dispute. For so much is, in these days, prated about the circulation of the Scriptures, that the mere possession of a Bible, even by those who are unable to peruse its sacred contents, appears to be regarded by some persons in much the same light as a phylactery by the Jews or a relic by the Papists.

But after all we have the highest authority for maintaining that the Holy Scriptures, which may be employed for the best purposes, may, also, by the unlearned,-the unlearned and unstable, be wrested to their destruction.* So that if our Society merely circulated the Bible, we could not assert solely on that account, that it promoted christian knowledge. That might or might not be according to circumstances: for to the Bible homo-ousian and arian, sound churchman and semi churchman,-calvinist and arminian,-presbyteri