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"moting Christian Knowledge:" for neither of these professes the precise objects to which you would confine yourselves. It does not seem to be possible to frame an objection to your establishment. When the design and the proceedings of your Institution shall have been fully made known, you may expect the support of the Episcopal Body, of the two Universities, and of every zealous Member of the Church of England.

It has been objected to that Grand Institution to which we have alluded, the British and Foreign Bible Society, that it is in its character universal; that it embraces all, and acknowledges no cast in the Christian Religion and it has been insinuated, that we ought not to be zealous even for the extension of Christ's Kingdom, if we must associate, in any degree, with men of all denominations. But, surely, there is an error in this judgment. We seek the aid of all descriptions of men in defending our country against the enemy. We love to see men of all descriptions shewing their allegiance to the King. Was it ever said to a poor man, "You are not qualified to shew your allegiance "to the King? You must not cast your mite "into the treasury of your King." My Brethren, let every man, who opposes these Institutions, examine his own heart whether he be true in his allegiance to "the King of Kings."

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For myself, I hail the present unanimity of hitherto discordant bands, as a great event in the Church; and as marking a grand character of Christ's promised kingdom; when "the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and "the calf and the young lion, and the fatling "together, and a little child shall lead them." I consider the extension and unity of that Society as the best pledge of the continuance of the divine mercy to this land; and I doubt not, the time will come when the nation will reckon the Bible Society a greater honour to her, as a Christian People, than any other institution of which she can boast.

We shall now conclude this discourse with stating to you the cause why so few comparatively co-operate in these sacred undertakings. Many, it is probable, are ignorant of their existence: some may be supposed, without any culpable motives, to question their expediency: but the greater part, it is feared, are restrained by a state of mind, which we cannot sufficiently condemn and deplore. It is not because they do not believe in Christianity, generally; but because they are strangers to Christ's spiritual religion. They have seen the light of civilization, but they have not seen the " Light "of Life;"" the light of the knowledge "of the glory of God in the face of Jesus "Christ."

And this is the great and important distinction on which the life of the soul depends. This was the great distinction in the time of the Apostle Paul; for even in the day of HIS ministration, the Gospel was hid from some, "If our Gospel be hid," saith he, “it is hid "to them that are lost." If then the light was hid from some when he preached, with a divine energy, and with the demonstration of miracles, shall we wonder that it is hid from some in our day?

There is nothing, my Brethren, worth living for, of equal importance with the diffusion of this light. Fulfil ye, then, the divine command, "Let your light so shine before men, "that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven."

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We must all meet again at a future day, in a larger Assembly than the present, when we shall behold HIM who hath said, "I am the

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Light of the world." Let every one of us, then, at this time," bear witness to the light;" by contributing according to our ability to its extension throughout the world for we know not how great a blessing may, "through the "tender mercy of God," result to ourselves and others, from the circumstances of this service.

THE

HEALING WATERS OF BETHESDA ;

A

SERMON,

PREACHED AT BUXTON WELLS,

ΤΟ

THE COMPANY ASSEMBLED THERE FOR THE BENEFIT OF

THE MEDICINAL WATERS.

ON WHITSUNDAY, JUNE 2, 1811.

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