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We have long been persuaded, on what we conceive to be sure and solid grounds, that the Episcopal Church in Scotland affords the most perfect model of what a Church, not establisired, ought to be. She did so amidst contempt and persecution. She has done so since she was admitted to the rights of toleration; patient and peaceable in the one case, modest and respectful, and unassuming in the other. We are pleased to find the conclusion, which he had formed from other sources, confirmed by an authority so respectable and unsuspicious. We were led to suspect, from some things which we have heard and remarked in occasional visits to Scotland, and from some publications which we have perused, that the established clergy did not entertain for their Episcopal brethren the candid and sympathetic feelings which we are convinced that they have always merited. We are willing to believe, on the testimony of Mr. M. that there is a salutary change. We heartily rejoice to hear it, and earnestly trust it will be permanent. We hope our readers will be induced from what we have said, to pay due attention to this most excellent and interesting discourse.

ART. IX. A Sermon, preached in the Parish Church of St. Julian, Shrewsbury, upon Wednesday, the 12th of July, 1815; being the first Anniversary Meeting of the Salop District of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. By the Rev. Laurence Gardner, D.D. Rector of the Second Portion of Westbury, Salop, and Minister of Curzon Chapel, London. 8vo. 33 pp. Eddowes, Shrewsbury; Rivingtons, London. 1815.

THE members of the Salop district of the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, have shown themselves peculiarly active in the good cause. We are happy, that at their first anniversary meeting, they had the opportunity of hearing a discourse such as the present, which appears peculiarly adapted to the occasion. It is plain, simple, and persuasive, without rhetoric or declamation, but well calculated to recommend the Society, whose interests it espouses. The following general account of its views and progress, must have had a considerable effect on the many strangers, which unfortunately still exist, to its merit.

"It is precisely in conformity with these great truths and principles-first, that Christianity should be as extensively propagated as possible: secondly, that it should be propagated according to a precise and defined system: and thirdly, under the persuasion that this can only effectually be done by having recourse to all those aids

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aids which divine and human wisdom have supplied-that that so. ciety was formed, and has now carried on its labours for nearly one hundred and twenty years, which I would this day more particularly present to your attention.-The high and leading object it has had in view, has been to diffuse, as widely as its funds would permit, and by every means within its power, a knowledge of the Scriptures of the Old and the New Testament. This it has done, in the first place, where the light of the Gospel has never shone, by the establishment of missions, and by employing men of the greatest purity and zeal to preach the glad tidings of salvation to those who are yet in darkness and ignorance, more particularly the benighted nations of the eastern world; by translating the Scriptures into their languages, and promoting their circulation wherever there was the smallest disposition to receive and peruse them. Even in the first years of the last century, facilities for printing were fur. nished; and long before half of it had expired, a translation of the whole Bible into one of the principal languages of the East †, was compleated under the auspices, and by means of the exertions, of this Society. In our own country, its views have never ceased to be directed to the establishment and assistance of parochial schools; to these its liberality is of the most extensive and extraordinary description, not only by furnishing them with Bibles, Testaments, Prayer-books, and all the others necessary for the purpose of teaching the children to read, but with those which instruct them likewise in the knowledge of the doctrines of the Bible, and the principles of their national Church, I do not believe that I in the least degree exaggerate when I state, that three-fourths of the charity schools of this kingdom, established in conformity with the doctrines and principles of the Church of England, derive all their books of these different descriptions from this Society, at a price, generally speaking, not more than one half of what they can be procured for in the ordinary way.

"Another most valuable and important object of this Society is, to circulate with the holy Scriptures familiar tracts, explanatory of the great doctrines, and principles, and duties they enjoin, compiled either from larger works by some of the ablest divines which have adorned the Christian Church of former periods, or by professed publications of the same description from those best able to draw them up, of our own times. The extent of the services it has rendered to the world in this way, is almost beyond belief: and the channels through which they flow, are almost as numerous as human wants points out. It furnishes hospitals and prisons with the books best suited to answer the important purposes to be de

"A printing press, &c. was first sent out in the year 1712.” "Viz. the Malabar or Tamulian. Even among the earliest efforts of this kind, that appear on the records of the Society, is a translation, in 1734, of the whole Bible, &c. into the Warugian or Telinga Dialect, by the Missionary Schultze."

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VOL. VI. AUGUST, 1816.

rived from a proper religious improvement of those situations: and to every ship in his Majesty's navy, or in the East India Company's service, upon proper application, and with a satisfactory assurance that a right use will be made of the indulgence, it furnishes a sufficient number of Bibles, Testaments, and Prayer-books, and explanatory tracts, to enable every sailor in them, so disposed, to understand perfectly his duty to God and man".

"But, after having done all this, there still seemed to be something wanting to compleat the wise and benevolent purposes this Society had in view; in order to stem the torrent of false, and extend a knowledge of right opinion on religious subjects among the inhabitants of this and of other countries, some regular standard explanation of the whole of the Sacred Writings seemed to be necessary, which the great body of the people might refer to with satisfaction and confidence; and believe, that the elucidations they should there find were sanctioned by the ablest and wisest men of the present and of former ages.-Such a work, therefore, has been most successfully undertaken, under the direction of this Society; and a FAMILY BIBLE is now in a course of publication, of the most useful and important description, with notes and explanations of the most valuable kind, selected from the soundest divines, adapted to the capacity of every description of readers, and, by means of the liberality of this Institution, to be purchased at a price very inferior to that at which such works are usually obtained.

"These are the main and principal objects in which the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge is, and has been long employed: but, in order that its benevolent purposes may be still more generally known than they are, and of course its blessings still more generally extended, subordinate societies have of late years been formed in different parts of the kingdom, whose great business it is to facilitate the means of obtaining books-to receive subscriptions, and other payments, from those to whom it might not be convenient to transmit them to the Metropolis-to propose new Membersand to be the channel of communication of any hints or sugges-" tions which its friends might be disposed to make, in furtherance of the designs which the Society, as a body, might have in view.

"After this plain and simple statement of the objects of our Institution, it is perfectly impossible, I should trust, not to obtain for it from you your most zealous and cordial support-it is perfectly impossible not at once to acquiesce in the useful, important, sublime purposes it has in view, viz. to cheer with the light and blessings of Christianity those who are still in darkness and the shadow of death, or to illumine and strengthen those who, from youth or ignorance, have as yet been uninformed in the great truths

"Within the last two or three years, I understand, that through the zealous representations to the Board of Admiralty by the Chaplain General, Government has returned to the Society a part of what has been expended in this way.”

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and consolations of the Gospel. Let other Societies pursue, as they think proper, their various labours; it is no part of our wish to interfere with them. Long before they had an existence, we commenced our quiet, steady, unobtrusive course-the noiseless tenor of our way-and we still pursue it with all the anxiety and zeal which objects of so interesting and momentous a description must necessarily inspire." P. 22.

ART. X. Hints to a Traveller into Foreign Countries. By . the Rev. John Marriott, M. A. 12mo. pp. 82. Hatchard. 1816.

1s. 6d.

ALTHOUGH there is still within us that sense of moral and religious duty, which, in the minds of the well-educated, is fully sufficient to dispel the dangers which a month's excursion to the Continent might present; yet we are far from considering ourselves in such a state of security as to preclude the necessity of the most serious caution, and the most unremitting vigilance. Too much anxiety cannot be manifested against the contagion of foreign profligacy, from which we may confidently hope, that the general mass of our nation are at present free. It is in the fashionable, the diplomatic, and, we fear, in the military circle, that modern liberality, both in morals and religion, too fatally prevails. The disease, however, if not watched with the most vigilant attention, must gradually spread itself into the hitherto untainted portion of our community.

It is, therefore, with pleasure, that we see any attempt to fortify the minds of our travellers with just principles of moral action. The advice of Mr. Marriott is conveyed in as short a compass and in as compendious a form as possible, and cannot fail of having a happy effect. As he cannot enlarge upon many points, he chooses one, on which he considers, and with much justice, the whole matter to rest--the observance of the Sabbath. He urges this in various and in strong points of view. He first considers the effect which the example of an Englishman may have on the towns through which he passes.

"I need not expatiate to you upon the point of elevation, at which the British character now stands. The distinguished part we have been permitted to take in bringing about the restoration of liberty and tranquillity to Europe; the promptness with which we have extended the hand, whether of martial prowess or Christian charity, to avert or to heal the wounds inflicted on other lands by a desolating spirit of usurpation; the high privileges which we enjoy, let demagogues say what they will, in the way of lawful li-'

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berty, personal security, and the impartial administration of jus tice; the pure light of religion which is diffused amongst us, and our endeavours to impart that best of blessings to the most distant quarters of the globe, must constrain foreigners, whether they will own it or not, to attach a certain portion of respect to the name of a Briton. To be puffed up, however, with this consideration, and, satisfied with this adventitious claim to attention, would not only be a mark of weakness on your part, but a hazardous experiment. For, since this very feeling of respect carries with it a humiliating acknowledgment of superiority, and is a tribute paid, in most instances, rather from necessity than choice, a reasonable excuse for withholding it will be eagerly seized by those from whom it is exacted. A good name, like most other good possessions, is not only acquired, but maintained, at the expense of some exertion, and has duties and responsibilities attached to it, as well as advantages. The same circumstances which command respect, ensure also narrow observation; and the better name we have acquired, the more we have at stake National celebrity excites expectations of personal worth, which, if not justified, serve, by a natural reaction, to sink the scale of opinion as far below the real standardweight, as it had been raised above it. Nor will the disgrace attendant upon a line of conduct inconsistent with notions previously formed of you, rest with yourself. It will attach to your country. That men take a far deeper impression from what they see, than from what they hear, is an established axiom: and it may be regarded as certain, that the good opinion formed of our principles from report will not stand long against ocular demonstration of inconsistency in practice. Some of the feelings, too, which accompany this general good opinion, are not of the kindly nature which would be likely to produce a favourable, or at least a candid judgment of our proceedings, in particular cases, We have seen, in the instance of the slave-trade, how readily suspicion can surmise, or self-interest invent a motive of insidious policy for our conduct; and we may rest assured that there will always be a large party inclined equally to misjudge all those benevolent exertions, which are calculated to raise our national character. But what can tend more directly to strengthen their hands, and give currency and weight to their uncandid statements, than a practical dereliction of those high principles which we profess to hold, on the part of a large majority of those of our countrymen, whose conduct comes under the actual inspection of foreigners?

"The dereliction to which I allude is, as I have already hinted, that of the principle upon which the Sabbath is distinguished from other days, and kept holy: a principle that rests upon his word, who ، changeth not; and consequently a principle that has nothing to do with the variation of climate and manners. Such variation is, however, the plea commonly urged in defence of a transgression of all those rules abroad, by which the sanctity of the Sabbath is guarded in this country; a most convenient sys

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