flect that they are the cause of thousands hiding their talents in a napkin; and let the churches consider the loss they thus suffer; let them remember that they are accountable; let them blush when they think of the stationary state in which they are, as to improvement, and, arousing from their torpor, acquit themselves like men, and like Christians.

Before dismissing this subject, I must, in justice to the clergy, own that in one respect they have of late begun to make themselves useful; I refer to the countenance and support which they give to the Bible Society. From whatever motives this is done, whether it be because the institution is become popular, or from a real desire to promote the knowledge of Christianity, I pretend not to judge; but certain it is that they are exerting themselves with much apparent zeal in its service. In this way they may make themselves useful; for, when they exert their eloquence in favour of this society, they are labouring to convince the world, that it may do very well without priests; and, perhaps, they could hardly render the world a more essential service. The professed design of the Bible Society is to circulate the commonly received version of the scriptures, without note or

comment.

Now, if this resolution has any meaning, it must imply, that they consider the scriptures, simply as they are, without the intervention of any one, in every respect sufficient to make mankind what they ought to be. Not any comment; no, not a single note of explanation is to accompany this book; consequently, those who receive it are to be their own commentators; they must read, and think for themselves; they must exercise their reason, and put that construction on the text of scripture, which common sense dictates.

If, then, they are to be thus presented to those who have never before seen them, nor even heard of them, what is the reason why they should be deemed less potent in the hands of those who have read them from their infancy? Surely, if the dark and idolatrous nations of the earth may be reformed, and converted to Christianity by the scriptures alone, it argues dullness of hearing, with a witness, in the inhabitants of this country, that so few of them appear to know any thing about Christianity, except what they derive from priests and commentators. Perhaps, how ever, if, in this enlightened land, we had had the scriptures without note or comment, we should have known much more of Christianity than we do.

Some of the clergy seem to be of this opinion, as is evident

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from certain circumstances of recent occurrence. The ere tion of schools, for educating youth in the principles of the Church of England; the institution of Prayer-Book and Homily Societies, and Missionary Tract Societies, is evi dently intended to divert the people from bending their at tention to the scriptures. They profess to have no objec tion to the circulation of the scriptures, only they would not have them sent forth defenceless; they have no wish to prevent the apostles from travelling, to heal the diseases of the mind; but, that their cures may appear more miracu lous, they would have them to walk upon crutches. Thus both parties of the clergy, although in different ways, plainly acknowledge that the Bible, without note or comment, is quite sufficient to give the most ignorant a thorough know. ledge of the Christian religion. The one class openly de clare their persuasion, that the Bible Society is the noblest institution under heaven, inasmuch as it supplies men with that book, which exhibits, in its purity, the doctrine of the grace of God; and the other class, by the opposition which they shew to that society, give full proof of their be ing aware, that nothing more is necessary to lead the peo ple to despise every modification of the priesthood, than the understanding of the scriptures. It is to be hoped, that their endeavours to enlighten the people will prove extensively useful; and that Christians in general would enter into their views on the subject, and act as if they believed that the scriptures, without note or comment, are sufficient to furnish them for the performance of every good work. The Bible Society are employed in sending that book into every land where they can find admission for it; they send it to the nations of the world with the highest possible recommendation; they present it to them in their own language, as a book suited to the weakest capacity, as capable of affording the highest consolation; of dispelling ignorance and superstition; of introducing man to the knowledge of his Maker; of directing him as to his conduct in life, and as a light to lead him to eternal day. But, oh! let them spare us the disgrace of having it published in connection with all this, that in this small island alone, many thousands of priests have, for ages, been employed in explaining it to us, and that their services are still deemed as necessary as ever.

Certainly there exists a misunderstanding somewhere on this subject; either the Bible Society, or the clergy, are mistaken in their aim; for if the Bible, without even note or comment, is sufficient to teach men Christianity, then

there never was a society whose principles were more hostile to priestcraft in every shape, and which promised fairer to chase it from the earth, But if priests are still to be considered as necessary; if people are not to read the Bible as they read any other book, and interpret it according to the dictates of reason and common sense, the standard of all truth, then ought the Bible Society to send priests wherever they send the Bible, that the people may know in what sense they are to understand it. They are daily multiplying and widely circulating copies of the Bible, and many will by this means be made acquainted with Christianity who have never before heard of it; but what would such think of the exhibitions of Christianity which are made by many in this country, should they ever witness them? Let us however hope, that at any rate they will never feel disposed to copy our example; that the New Testament will teach them better things than to attempt to unite together murder and peace; that they will never so completely mistake the meaning of that book as to suppose that it sanctions intolerance, or warrants them to inflict bodily punishments on those who may differ from them in religious opinion; and that they will never imagine it necessary, far less attempt to justify the practice, by appealing to these writings, to set apart, and pay, and honour with a parcel of unmeaning names and titles, a number of their fellow men as spiritual guides. One thing is certain-if ever those who receive the scriptures, should fashion their conduct after the example of the greater part of the religious professors in this country, it must be the effect of" notes and comments," of false glosses and artful interpretations of scripture; for no two things can be more at variance than the spirit of the gospel, and the practice of the multitude who profess to believe it.

Perhaps some may be disposed to attribute these remarks to a desire of bringing into contempt a body of respectable and useful men. But it is not for the sake of joining the common cry against the clergy that they make their appearance. The writer wishes to appeal to matter of fact; he is convinced that the existence of a distinct body of men, as the sole teachers of Christianity, is contrary to divine revelation; that if Christians in general acted as they ought to do, the supposed necessity of such an order of men would very soon disappear; that they are the cause of the great ignorance that reigns among the various sects professing Christianity, inasmuch as they keep back the exercise of the talents of thousands, whose united exertions, as members of the church

PEL. By preaching the gospel, the different sects mean calling the attention of the multitude to the opinions which they severally entertain of the doctrine of Jesus and his apostles; pointing out the happiness arising from embracing those opinions, and declaring in a state of enmity to God all who reject them. When the preacher is hired, he is bound down to promulgate, and, to the utmost of his power, maintain the peculiar tenets of the party employing him; if he departs from this agreement, they turn him off, and provide themselves with another who bas "the cause" more at heart. Thus all the different sects have their preachers of the gospel, and the preacher is reckoned useful or unsuccessful, according to the number of converts he makes to his sect.

Thus then, as preachers, priests may be very useful in promoting the interests of party, but this by no means proves that they are useful to Christianity, but the contrary. Sectarianism certainly requires their most powerful aid; Christianity is injured whenever they touch it. But let us ask if the gospel needs any preachers. "Certainly,' it is replied, "God has appointed a regular standing ministry; he calls to this work, and qualifies for the performance of it, whomsoever he will; he commands them to go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature, and promises to be with them till the end of time." This is the foundation on which the preaching scheme rests, and sure never was there one more glaringly false. This is the ignis fatuus that deludes thousands and tens of thousands, and leads them into all the quagmires of religious absurdity that overspread the face of the world. Is it not strange, is it not passing strange, that a man cannot read the commission which the Messiah gave to his chosen disciples, without working his imagination into the belief that Jesus is addressing him also? The preacher seldom fails to inform his audience that he is an ambassador of God, and is entrusted with a message from the Deity to them; and to complete the deception, every word descriptive of the work of an apostle, which he can possibly torture out of the New Testament, he applies to himself.

When the apostles received their commission to proclaim to the world the kingdom of God, they continued to execute it till they were called to seal their testimony with their blood. Previous, however, to their leaving the world, they had given the church a complete account of all things that Jesus did and taught; they put them in possession of every thing necessary to be known respecting salvation; and every proper means was adopted for perpetuating the

knowledge of these things throughout all ages. Hence the absurdity of men professing to be the successors of the apostles. Successors they need none; "being dead they yet speak;" and from what they say, any man who has the use of his reason may easily perceive, established by the most Juminous evidence, that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ of God.

Now, if the apostles are not at this hour preaching the good tidings in every city, town, village and family in this kingdom, what is the reason? If the voices of Jesus and his apostles are not heard in every village, it is not because they may not; have not the poorest of the people the scriptures? If they are unable to purchase them, they may obtain them gratis; and if they cannot read them, they may have them read in their hearing. If so, then I argue that they have the benefit of the preaching of Christ and his apostles, who, in a manner far superior to the best" pulpit preaching," declare unto men the way of life. They have these, and what need they more? has the modern preacher any thing to proclaim which the scriptures do not make known to us? Can he exhibit to us the Deity in a more exalted view than Jesus did? Does he imagine that he can, in greater simplicity, with more eloquence and power, reprove the wickedness of men, and point out the path of rectitude? Are the wild, the incoherent, and unreasonable ravings of modern preachers to be preferred to the calm and rational expostulations of Jesus? If not, where is the great necessity for such a host of preachers as Christianity is burthened with? Those who denominate themselves preachers of the gospel, would have us believe such is their utility, that, without their presence, we cannot have the gospel. Hence nothing is more common than to hear them asking one another if the gospel is preached in such a place; and to find in their journals accounts of their having introduced the gospel into this and the other town or village, although for ages the inhabitants of those places have been in possession of the scriptures. Instead, then, of these preachers being useful, they are manifestly injurious to the interests of Christianity; they lead the people to imagine that, without their assistance, the scriptures are of little use; nay, they even assert that they are a dead letter; they allow, indeed, that men may, by the exercise of reason, attain the literal, or, as they sometimes call it, "the natural meaning" of scripture, but without a spiritual man to open them, they affirm, no one can understand them aright. Such language is nothing short of " a scandalous libel" upon the Almighty. He has given us a