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en répandre les merveilles par toute la terre. Vous unirez le bonheur de votre propre pays avec les prières et les bénédictions du monde; vous hâterez le moment si long-temps attendu où l'infidélité, la superstition, l'idolâtrie et le vice, seront chassés devant la lumière éclatante de la gloire de Jésus Christ, et où regnera le Roi des Rois et le Seigneur des Seigneurs aux siècles des siècles.

Pardonnez-moi, Messieurs, la chaleur de mes expressions; je ne puis rester froid et indifférent, quand je vois mes frères de tous les pays brûler d'un si saint zèle. Pendant dix-huit ans, j'ai suivi d'un œil de joie et de tendresse toute la marche des Sociétés bibliques, et je crois y entrevoir à présent l'aurore de ce glorieux jour qui doit se lever sur la terre. Dieu veuille que votre Société Protestante de Paris avance d'une telle manière, que la France devienne le centre de la pure religion, comme elle l'est des arts, de la politesse, et de l'esprit!

ADDRESS at the Tenth Anniversary of the CITY OF LONDON AUXILIARY BIBLE SoNov. 7th, 1822.

CIETY.

I CONCUR, Sir Claudius Hunter, most cordially in all that has been said on the character of the late Secretary of the Parent Society, Mr. Owen; and I will begin the very few observations I have to offer, by assuring this Meeting, that, not only at home, but in every place where our Foreign Societies have been planted, the talents and worth of that excellent man were duly appreciated. It is only a few weeks back that I was present myself at the Committee of the Paris Bible Society; and when I announced the unfavourable account, which I had just received, of the progress of his malady, every eye was filled with tears, and an involuntary burst of grief manifested the deep interest which was felt at the tidings. Having mentioned Paris, I may proceed to say, that never did I feel the unspeakable importance of the

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British and Foreign Bible Society so vividly, as during a visit of only a few days which I made to France. I landed from our channel islands, at Granville, in Normandy; and at Coutances, the very first place I came to, a city of ten or eleven thousand inhabitants, I could learn only of one Protestant, and not even of one Bible. At Saint Lo and Bayeux, towns of nearly similar magnitude, my inquiries were equally disappointed. Oh! I could not help saying to myself, Oh! that the Sacred Words of Life might be peacefully distributed amongst these thousands of my uninformed and superstitious brethren!" When I came on to Caen, a town of forty thousand souls, I first met with one of the affiliated bodies of the great French Bible Society. I conversed with almost all the members of the committee, and found the real work of circulating the Scriptures only just begun, and the infinite importance of it scarcely understood. Two thousand Protestants, with but a few copies of the holy guide of salvation, surrounded by nearly forty thousand Catholics, to whom that guide is forbidden-what a source of painful reflection to a British Protestant, and, at the same time, what a motive to zeal and activity in our sacred cause! At Rouen, I rejoiced to have the opportunity of assisting at a meeting of a French Bible Society committee; but I rejoiced still more to find

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love, zeal, determination. The President of the Consistory, M. Paumier, won my heart by his sweet and affectionate piety, and the interest he took in the business of the Society. I left the committee determined to subdivide the city of Rouen (eighty thousand souls) into districts, and search out the scattered Protestants, in order to furnish them with the Sacred Scriptures. But I was still further delighted, when I arrived at Paris, the spring and centre of all the French societies, and witnessed the enlightened and diligent proceedings of that meritorious committee; for they are covering Protestant France with kindred bodies-they publish monthly bulletins of their progress-they correspond with the chief Bible institutions on the continentthey emulate, in short, the exertions and ardour of our great parent society at home. Nor are they without encouragement. Almost in every part of France, a desire is kindling to possess and study the Holy Book-the piety of former ages is beginning to revive and the Roman Catholics themselves, are, in numerous instances, excited to inquire after the blessed words of Jesus Christ. It is impossible, I think, for any one to set his foot in France, and not bless God for the British and Foreign Bible Society. And yet France is only one division of Europe, and Europe only one division of the world; and our Bible institutions, in one hun

dred and forty languages and dialects, are gently making their way, and peacefully proclaiming the name of a crucified Saviour in almost every place; that is, they are every where silently preparing for the conversion of the Heathen and Mohammedan nations, and for the revival of primitive Christianity, with all its blessings, where it is already professed.

And here, Sir Claudius, a child may be qua lified to answer the chief objection raised in this country against the Bible Society; for what would our English Liturgy, and the devotional or controversial writings of our English Episcopal Church, avail in foreign foreign nations, and amongst foreign churches? What would the Evangelical churches of France say to us, or the Roman Catholic bodies, if we attempted to give our Prayer Book with the Bible? The attempt would be madness. And yet, who for a moment would hesitate, on this account, to give the inspired book of God himself, which is able to make wise unto salvation, to every human being in all these various countries? Who for an instant would compare, in point of value, the distribution of a human Liturgy, however excellent, (as that of our own Church most undoubtedly is), but which you cannot effectwith the distribution of the life-giving Book of Grace, inspired and dictated by the Holy Ghost himself, which you can? But, in truth, there

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