CHAP. XVII.

THE day appointed for the meeting of the Bible Society, as before mentioned, dawned. Mr. Howard took Edwin with him. He was exceedingly delighted with the proceedings of the meeting. As they were returning home, the same theme to which they had listened in the morning naturally occupied their attention.

"How strangely things are altered, papa," said Edwin, "in our highly-favoured land: are they not?"

"Yes, my dear, in many points. But to what did you particularly refer?"

"Did you not observe, that the chairman said that, about 400 years ago, in the reign of Henry the Fifth, a law was passed against the perusal of the Bible in our mother tongue, by which it was enacted, That whoever should be found perusing the Scriptures in their own language, should forfeit their land, cattle, and goods, from themselves and their heirs for ever.' And now, he said, we circulate the book

of God by millions, and almost in every part of the globe."

"This is, indeed," said Mr. H. "a blessed revolution-a revolution of God's making, and one pregnant with blessings to the human race."

"I wonder, papa, how any one can object to the Bible Society, since, as many of the gentlemen said, it circulates nothing but God's holy word, without any addition whatever."

"True, Edwin; it is very singular, that any who profess regard for the Scriptures, should object to their distribution. But no good was ever done without much opposition: witness the history of Christ and his apostles. The object of the Bible Society is most innocent and praiseworthy: it hails the whole race of man as friends and brethren."

"It is very pleasant, papa, as you said, that good men, of different communities, can meet together in love, for the promotion of one common object."

"To me it is. The Bible Society does not call on any one to sacrifice any thing but what it is their duty, their honour, and their happiness to part with their bigotry, their unkindness, their arrogance. For my own part, I cannot help regarding such a society as affording a lively picture of the happy state, where a Til

lotson, a Secker, and a Porteus, shall associate, without a shade of difference, with a Baxter, an Owen, a Penn, a Doddridge, a Watts, and a Gill; and where, to use the beautiful language of one of these distinguished characters,

Joy, like morning dew, distils,

And all the air is love."

"Such a society seems to have been greatly needed, papa, from the accounts which we heard of the scarcity of the Scriptures."

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Assuredly it was, Edwin. There was a great dearth of the Scriptures at home; but abroad there was an absolute famine of the word of life. It has been computed, that it would take a million of money adequately to supply the British poor with Bibles. In Iceland, Dr. Henderson tells us, the Scriptures were so scarce, that a clergyman had been seeking a copy in vain for seventeen years. I recollect his language is, I have been welcomed in that island as an angel from heaven, and have scarcely left a single cottage, without being followed by the benediction of its inhabitants.' In Hungary, there are a million and a half of Protestants with scarcely a Bible. In Ceylon, India, and every part of the East, the numerous inhabitants are perishing for lack of spiritual knowledge. In Russia, many millions of copies

of the Holy Scriptures are needed. In short, there is every where much need of the Holy Scriptures."

"You forgot Ireland, papa, about which so many things were said by the

Dublin."

gentleman from

"No, my dear, I had not. Whilst he was speaking, I thought of many things he had not time to name. One anecdote, especially, occurred to me. At Castlebar, a young man, who was accustomed to occupy many of his spare hours in the perusal of a New Testament which belonged to his master, when his time was expired, wished to know on what terms he might become the owner of the precious volume; and being told that he must serve his master for six additional months, he justly thought the demand unreasonable; but yet, as he was unable, after a diligent search, to procure the book he so much prized, he returned, served the period required, and bore away the boon he had so amply merited."

"It is not, I think, very surprising, papa, that the pope should anathematize the Bible Society; but it is very surprising that protestants should do so."

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True, Edwin. The Bible is against the pope and his system; therefore, he is against the Society which has determined to circulate it to

the very ends of the earth. The Bible is the breath of God's mouth,' by which antichrist is to be utterly destroyed. God's enemies may rage, but the kingdoms of the world shall become the kingdoms of our God, and of his Christ.""

6

"Has the society done any harm, papa, that it has so many opponents?"

"No, Edwin, never-nothing but good. It has instructed the young, and regulated their lives; it has comforted the aged, cheered and animated the dying; it has turned the current of the river of life into hospitals and prisons: the most friendless and wretched of mankind have drank of it, and lived for ever. We may hope, that what it has done is nothing to what it will do. I trust that, in a few generations, it will completely change the features of the moral world. But the glorious consequences of the Bible Society are not confined to the present state: they extend through eternal ages. has been well remarked by a good writer, that 'the honour of having co-operated with the Bible Society will then only be duly appreciated, when the evanescent distinctions of time shall be lost in the splendid and imperishable realities of eternity."

It

"But, papa, a penny a week is nothing in