Sketch of Proceedings at a General Meeting for the formation of an Auxiliary Bible Society for the County of Warwick, held at the Court House, Warwick, on Tues day, the 2d Day of October, 1821. Merridew. Warwick. Observations on the Bible Society, delivered by the Rev. John Boudier, at a County Meeting holden in the Court House, Warwick, on Tuesday, the 2d October, 1821, addressed to his Parishioners, as Members of the Established Church. Warwick.

THE Controversy respecting the Bible Society had nearly subsided, before the Christian Remembrancer made its appearance. The arguments on both sides had produced their effect; and one set of men had become the decided supporters, and another the no less decided opponents, of the Institution. Among the latter were a large majority of the Clergy; among the former were the whole body of the dissenters, and of the churchmen who admire and resemble the dissenters; as well as a small list of clergymen of all ranks, whose orthodoxy and respectability were alike unquestionable, and who thought that they could discover the emblem of peace on the banner of the Bible Society. The laity were more equally divided; a considerable portion of them, without renouncing their claims to sound, churchmanship, came forward with zeal in the new cause, and gave it that effectual patronage which the gentry of England are always able to bestow. This is a brief outline of the state of that Society for the last six years; and we thought it best, under all the circumstances, to leave the subject where we found it. Fresh facts or fresh reasonings were not likely to be attended to, by those whom we desired to convince; and the example and advice of our Bishops and Clergy, and the gradual progress of truth, might be expected to ensure the ultimate

triumph of common sense. We de termined, therefore, not to plunge into those muddy waters, and we have seen no reason to lament or to change our determination. A few flagrant cases of unecclesiastical conduct, have been submitted to the attention of our readers; but we have never entered upon the general question. For that we refer to the many able treatises which were in existence long before the period of our humble nativity. Adhering to this plan, we shall venture to make a few remarks upon the recent proceedings at Warwick; the anomalies of which are not unworthy of notice. And without presuming to question the rea der's preconceived opinion in favour of the Institution in general, we anticipate his concurrence in the strongest censure that can be pronounced upon this particular case.

The first of the little pamphlets at the head of this article, has been published by the agents of the Society, and is the authorised document on that side of the question. Mr. Boudier has only printed his own speech; which has been reprinted and inserted at length in the Sketch. The first page of the Sketch contains the names of the officers of the Warwickshire Auxiliary, and of the president, the vice-presidents, and the other officers of the Parent Bible Society. The second page informs us that the meeting at Warwick was very numerous and highly respectable," and that Mr. Lawley, the newly elected member for the county was called to the chair, and introduced C. S. Dudley, Esq. one of the life-governors of the Society, to explain the plan and object of the Institution. Mr. Dudley concluded a common-place speech by introducing the Rev. Mr. Grimshaw, another stranger and another life-governor; who was succeded by the Rev. Mr. Burn, These three gentlemen" attended. on behalf of the Parent Society;" and were the principal speakers throughout the day. The former

having addressed the meeting four times-Mr. Burn thrice, and Mr. Grimshaw twice. As Mr. Boudier only spoke once, there can be no undue preference in extracting his excellent observations,

"I present myself to your notice this day, in the discharge of a duty imposed upon me, as I humbly conceive, by the situation I hold here, as Vicar of this extensive and populous parish. The avowed object of the present meeting being that of promoting the dissemination of the Holy Scriptures, the oracles of God, and the Gospel of our blessed Saviour; both public duty and private feeling dictate that I should not look carelessly on, and subject myself to an imputation of coldness or indifference to the good work in which you are engaged. It is clear, that if I approve the measures proposed to be carried into effect, I ought to be here to support them; and if I object, I conceive it to be equally my duty to explain the nature of my objections, and thus to prevent misconception of my motives and misconstruction of my conduct. You will, I am sure, readily give me a patient hearing of the few observations I have to offer. I see around me persons of various religious persuasions, all of whom are most justly entitled to my respect, and all of whom are responsible to themselves alone for the line of conduct they may be pleased to adopt; I have no right, and I have no inclination, to question their motives; I have no right, and I have no inclination, to dictate to them on such a question. I address myself to those only who are either Clergy, or members of the Established Church, and chiefly to such of them as are my own parishioners; and, therefore, I may and ought to speak freely in terms both of advice and exhortation. You have heard much that is exceedingly plausible, and its first impression perhaps convincing; you have heard much that exhibits, in a very favourable light, the warmth of heart, and the zeal of the speakers; you have heard a very strong and pathetic appeal made to your best feelings; but surely it behoves you on such an occasion and on such a question, not to be hurried away by the torrent of your feelings, without being sure that it will carry you down the proper stream; for nothing is more certain, nor a maxim more true, that when the passions and feelings are warmly cited, the judgment becomes proportionally weak. You have been urged to become members and supporters of a certain

society, and to join that society in the distribution of the Holy Scriptures, and so far all is well. To a Bible Society, as a Bible Society, it is impossible you can object; and God forbid that I, a minister of God's word, should throw impediments in the way of its support, or check your laudable zeal in this good work, provided the support given be really a support. of your own principles, and your own Church, and that your zeal be under proper controul. Far from restraining your pious efforts to disseminate the book of God or to place the word of eternal life in the hands of your poorer brethren at home, and of the poor heathen abroad, I would call upon you to strain every nerve to promote the dissemination of the sacred volume; but I would have your efforts. well directed; I would have your zeal a zeal of knowledge and understanding. I would have you open widely the hand of charity and universal love; but not without first considering how you may best scatter the seeds of your bounty, and how it shall best be bestowed in support of what you sincerely believe to be sound principles, and of that Church to which you conscientiously belong. It is my duty to endeavour to direct you, not to tell you, for it is a fact with which you are well acquainted, that there is another society which you have heard alluded to more than once this day-a society whose avowed object is also the universal diffusion of the Scriptures both at home and abroad; that this latter society is conducted by members of your own Church;

that its operations are in strict conformity with her doctrines, and her principles, and are zealously, but temperately and unostentatiously carried on for the promotion of Christian knowledge throughout the whole world. There are arrayed under its banner nearly the whole collected body of the established clergy; nearly, if not all the heads both of Church and State, together with a very great and commanding number of the laity, while its ramifications are daily extending, and its comprehensive objects carried more or less into effect, in almost every town and village in the united kingdom. Give this society but the means, and while its voice is heard, as it now is, in all nations, so will its blessed effects be felt in the remotest corners of the earth. May we not then, ought we not, call upon you, the members of our Church, not only to give it your support, but to support it, before, and in preference to every other? Your circumstances, and your inclinations, may dispose you to give

to other societies, but most unhesitatingly and most strongly do I say to you, that you are bound by every tie both of religion and duty, to support first and foremost, what may so properly be called your own. Following the precept and advice of the great Apostle, I would say to you," do good indeed to all men, but especially to those whom you conscientiously believe to be of the household of sound doctrine and orthodox of faith." I come now to my objections to the establishment of the proposed Branch Bible Society at Warwick. It is my most earnest desire to wave every thing personal, and to avoid drop. ping a single word which might be construed into a reflection upon any man, or class of men. I shall confine myself, therefore, in the first place, namely, to two points: the sufficiency of the District Committee of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, already established at Stratford, and the comparative small extent of our local wants. In regard to the first, the operations of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge are not unknown here-they have already been brought to bear to a certain extent in this place; it has been the means of diffusing very considerable numbers of copies of the sacred writings; and at this moment it is, and has for some time been in contemplation to establish a committee here. There is a plan in progress and nearly matured, not only of furnishing, through the medium of this society, a full supply of the Scriptures, but also of furnishing the poor with a lending Library of Books and Tracts for their reading at home. In the second place, speaking of our local wants, I believe them, as I have said, to be comparatively small. I speak, both from my own knowledge, and from information derived from a very respectable individual, who actually made, a few months since, a minute and full investigation into the extent of their wants, by personally visiting all, or nearly all, those within the Borough whose circumstances in life could place them in a situation to need, or to accept, a Bible as a gift. The result of this inquiry, I conceive, must be the same with the one to which allusion has been made, and I must confess that I have been greatly surprised by the statement of it which has been given. To the best of my recollection it is rated as nearly double. I had certainly understood that the number of Bibles wanted were not more than one hundred-but in order to reconcile the two statements, satisfied as I am that the statement of the larger number must be made on the conviction that it is REMEMBRANCER, No. 36.

correct, we will suppose that there are double that number wanted: I submit that the proportion is not, and cannot, be considered large in a population of at least 8000 persons. Taking, therefore, their own statement, there may be 200 persons ready to accept a Bible if offered, but of these not more than about one half were wholly unprovided; of the others, some complained of the smallness of the print of their Bibles, and the remainder that their Bibles were in some parts defaced. Farther it should be observed, that these persons reported to be in need were taken indiscriminately, without any guarantee that they were likely to make a good use of a Bible when given. I mention this on the authority of the same individual, who very fairly and candidly admitted that such was the case. This statement I conceive to be conclusive; it fully refutes any imputed attention, and accounts for any delay, on my part, especially when I add, that the very same persons of whom I have before spoken, for I must once more allude to him, has been in the habit, for a length of time, nay, for some years, of applying to me for Bibles, books, and tracts, on the Society's list, at the Society's prices; that such applications have been uniformly complied with by me; that he has been requested to mention to his friends, (and I know that his acquaintance with those amongst us who are disposed to charity of this kind is very extensive,) he has been requested, I say, to mention to them that every facility would always be given to supply even them, at their very reduced prices, for charitable distributions to proper objects. And further, that it such poor persons were pointed out who could not themselves raise the money, and had not friends to assist them, I would be responsible that they should still have a Bible. It is fair then to argue, from what has been done, or what is in contemplation to do, that the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge is amply sufficient to meet our local wants. I have now explained, I trust satisfactorily, my reasons for appearing before you. Confining my address solely to the members of the Established Church now present, I have thrown out snch cautions as I hold to be necessary before we identify ourselves with any, even the most praiseworthy, or charitable institution-I have observed on the duty of supporting the establishments connected with your own church before, and in preference, to all others—I have alluded to the very extensive operations of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge-and I have shown you, I hope, 5 C