"The Society for promoting Christian knowledge distribute about 7000 such Bibles every year*. When I see this item in their annual account, I cannot help making to myself a companison, between the paper and print of these Bibles, and those of the printed Sermon which accompanies the annual account; and I ask myself, who would read this learned Prelate's discourse, if it was printed like the writings of the Apostles. and Prophets! But a nearer contrast presents itself; The Religious Tracts, published by the Society, for the same distribution, and for the same readers, are all of reasonably good paper, and print; those who run may read these, with ease and satisfaction; it is the Bible only that is reserved for typographical degradation; so little is thought, of setting up the word of man, and laying low the word of God in the very act of promoting Christian knowledge."

Mr. Reeves admits that "this unseemly degradation of God's word is no other, than the consequence of the best intention for makingit universally known."

It is shrewdly observed that if the poor came of themselves to purchase their own. Bibles, "it might be a public benefit to lower the price of an article so much sought; and there would then be less fear that the book would go unread, from the badness of its paper and print, among such forward and sincere students."

But the case here is widely different; you are anxious to court the poor to read the scriptures and yet by a very injudicious œconomy you destroy the good intention of your bounty.

"It is greatly to be regretted," observes Mr. Reeves," that so much money should be expended on the making of gifts, which are unacceptable to man, and are not suited, we must confess, to the honour of God. "If you offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not eyil? and if ye offer the lame and the sick, is it not evil? Offer it, now unto thy governor, will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person saith the Lord of Hosts.-And ye brought that. which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought, should I accept this of your hands? saith the Lord. But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and saerificeth to the Lord a corrupt thing; for I am a great king,, saith the Lord of Hosts, and my name is dreadful among the Heathen."Of all the offerings made to the service of God, in the promoting of Christian knowledge, it is the Scriptures only, that can be called the corrupt thing, the torn and the lame.. * Of these about 5000 are nonpareil Bibles, in 12mo. and 24mo.; the rest are in 8vo.

+ Malachi i.

You

You present your own writings, set off with every needful advantage of typography, and you guard them with solicitous care by notes, lest they should be misinterpreted; in comparison with these, you leave it for the prophane to say, "The table of the Lord is polluted, and the fruit thereof, even his meat is contemptible."-The word of God is a despised book; you heap upon it every disadvantage that can depress and degrade it."

Another thing of which our author complains is the want of annotations to render these bibles better understood.

"Can men of learning" it is asked " in our time, understand' the Bible without the guide of annotations and commentaries, in a course of study! It seems I think, a little strange, and unreasonable for a person, thus taught himself, to put into the hands of an unlettered person the bare text of the Bible, and expect, that he should undertake the laborious task of perusing, and the hopeless one of understanding it."

What Mr. Reeves proposes as a remedy for the existing errors is to print the Bible in a handsome manner, and divided into four volumes without the apocrypha; which handsome Bible might be given away at four times. If each of these four parts is bestowed yearly, or half yearly, or every quarter according as the donor has been used to make his gifts of the whole Bible, he will. expend, no more money, in giving away a handsome useful volume of the scriptures, than he does in giving away a mean and useless one.

"This mode of distribution will not only be a relief to the donor in point of expence, but also a considerable advantage. to the donee in point of instruction. The donation of a book is an invitation to read it; but in this method, there are four such invitations instead of one; and these four invitations are, each of them four times more likely to be successful, because the matter proposed for study, is four times less in bulk. How different must be, the feeling of an unlettered person, when the whole volume of a close printed bible is put into his hand for study, from the feeling of one who receives the New Testament in a well printed book, with a promise, that if he will make a proper use of the book then given, he shall, successively, receive the other three parts, in the order in which they ought to be read. The former is confounded both by the bulk and indistinctness of the matter; he knows not where to begin, nor how to proceed, nor does he see any hope of finishing his task. The other has his way marked out to him, he sees that the course is

easy and plain, and he sees to the end of it; here, he knows he shall have a breath, to recruit, and begin with fresh vigour upon the next portion. He will, in the remainder of his progress, have the encouragement of three visits from his Christian benefactor, which cannot fail of inspiring him with the most ardent desire to correspond with his benevolent intention in bestowing upon him the word of God. The Bible given away in this manner, seems likely to produce more reading and study of Scripture and to a better purpose, than can reasonably be hoped from the other mode that has hitherto been practised."

The following observation is of importance, sufficient alone to shew the great superiority, and we will add the necessity of the plan here proposed:

"The four volumes, when they are accumulated to their full number, will have another advantage over the common Bibles; for four persons may then be reading the bible at the same time; which brings it to the same point, as if a whole Bible had been given at each delivery of a fourth part; so that nothing is lost, ultimately, as to the number that may employ themselves in reading the scriptures. Upon this plan therefore, there will be, not only better books, but there will be the same number of readers supplied, at the same expence, as is now bestowed on Bibles that are not readable; and this in a method of distributition, which is more likely to make the reading of the Bible agreeable, and informing, and, for that reason, frequent and continued.

"It did not occur to the contrivers of a Bible in one volume, that while they made a book which one person only can read at a time, and that with uneasines and difficulty, they excluded three of the family from reading at all. Whether there is judgment, common sense, or economy in such a plan, every one can judge, who who will be at the trouble of reflecting on it."

The subject of annotations, so necessary to the right understanding of the sacred writings, Mr. Reeves refers to the society, which he hopes to see adopted for carrying his design into effect. In the mean time he requests: those who are willing to concur in measures for carrying it into execution, to signify their intention to him by letter, whereupon a meeting shall be called when discussions may be heard, that will lead no doubt, to the improvement of this proposal."

POETRY.

POETRY.

The following passages are extracted from the "Rural Sabbath," a Poem, by WILLIAM COCKIN, of which we gave a short account, vol. viii. page 448.

OW sweet the rising morn on Health's glad eye

HOW

Unveils her varied beauties, hid ere while
In shades of night, or but obscurely seen
From stars faint glimmering! Hill, and dale,
And stream, and cot, and fane, in golden day
Beam lovely; and the quicken'd spirit feels
Unusual ardour, as the restless foot
Along the dewy pathways of the meads,
Or on the mountain-tops, wanders at large
With light unfailing step. Yet still more sweet
On th' enquiring mind, studiously prone,
Fair Learning opes her long-extended roll
Of heavn'ly truth; whether immediate beam'd
From the pure Fount of Grace, or seen reflex
Adorn these lower energies of things;

Where, round the theories deep, by Science form'd,
And Nature's endless and more obvious laws,
Imagination chaste, oft soothing spreads
Her lighter graces; 'till th' exploring soul,
In transport lost, thro' all the tow'ring flights,
And humbler stoopings of her onward way,
Scarce feels th' oppression of a wearied wing.
But sweeter far, and of much dearer aim
(And what should still be present to the mind,
Where happy feelings and religious hopes
Claim due regard) are the pure joys inspir'd,
When Piety with Literature and Arts
Meet in fair union, and the God adore

From whence we are, and all these spacious scenes
Of wonder and of might; when all that charms
In Science, or in Nature's studious rounds;
Wisdom of ends, or artifice of means:
Goodness, or power, not only charms the taste
Of curious intellect, but fills the soul

With gratitude and love, no words can speak,
No heart estrang'd conceive. "Tis then we find
All we behold in Beauty's fair domain,
All we atchieve in Learning's flow'ry paths;
A book where some instructive item shines

In ev'ry page, which dies not in the grave,
But, of immortal growth, will form a part

Of

Of Heav'n's illustrious love; while, with our God
These lov'd inquiries, in their progress, form
A medium of communion, silent strains
Of praise and pray'r, of efficacy high,
Which ne'er by Virtue are indulg'd in vain.
Tis then Retirement yields her fairest fruits,
(And owns, as one, the Sabbath we display
Affections gently exercis'd, not torn,

Nor warp'd by too much struggling with the world;}
Calm Conteinplation, grateful for the joys

She now partakes, and happy in the hope
Of others in reversion, which will soon
Give to true Piety its full reward,
And heal all sorrows of this frail abode.

Nor in the grateful theme were overlook'd
(Tho' how inferior still their generous toils
To the high argument!) the lengthen'd train
And host of worthies, who, for fellow-men,
Ev'n with the martyr's zeal, strove to illume
And recommend this volume; urge its worth,
And win them to its favours. Teachers sage,
And holy saints, whose learned toils not more
Evince their inward sanctity of heart,
Than depth of intellect; where reason, truth,
Persuasion, each ingenuous aid of skill
In fairest union meet to manifest

The whole economy of saving grace.

O ye! who thus in your Redeemer's cause
Have stood forth zealous Champions; spar'd no toil,,
No danger fear'd, to vindicate his Faith

From the Gainsayers scorn; how great must be
Your final recompence!. how high your joy
(Inferior only to what constant warms
The sainted Martyr) oft to recollect,
Amid angelic hosts of kindred zeal,

"Twas yours, while here on earth to dedicate,
Well pleas'd, long studious labours in support
Of Heaven's Reveal'd Will; co-active with
The views of Him, whose once approving smiles
Contain, summ'd up, all blessings, all renown!
What if, amid your conflicts have escap'd

:

Some terms of harshness; warmth, that better might
Have been subdu'd? Such shade of mortal source
Annul not the fair purport, nor impair

The genuine lustre of th' attending truth.

The wrangler, who, on trivial points like these,
Grounds his dissent, but little comprehends

What