the clerk, the reading of the advices at that time, was undertaken by a female member of the select meeting, who, though the alfo difapproved of the advices, yet thought that it was better to condefcend to the wishes of others, who thought differently on this fubject, than to perfevere in then urging a deviation from the ufual practice.

On the twenty-fifth of the third month, 1797, the felect quarterly meeting for the province of Leinfter was held at Mountmélick. At this meeting the ministers and elders were informed of what had paffed in the felect monthly meeting at Carlow and alfo that at the select monthly meetings of Moat and Mountmelick, (both of which belong to Leinfter quarterly meeting,) the reading of the aforefaid advices had been difapproved of. The objections were, in fubftance, fimilar to those which had been stated in the felect monthly meeting of Carlow; although it appeared that there had been no previous concert among the members of these three monthly meetings; and that each was ignorant of what had been done by the others.

Several members of the felect quarterly meeting were much diffatisfied with this oppofition to a practice which had been enjoined, not only by the yearly meeting held in London, but alfo by the national half year's meeting of Ireland; and which had long been regularly complied with by the members of the select meetings in both kingdoms. But as the prefent difapprobation of the advices to minifters and elders, proceeded from perfons who were active and approved members in the execution of the difcipline, it was apprehended,

V

prehended that a change in their opinions could not then be eafily induced; and it was therefore deemed expedient by their brethren, not to profecute the subject further at that time.

On the twenty-feventh of the third month, the quarterly meeting of general discipline for the province of Leinster, was also held at Mountmelick. In conformity with the established practice of the fociety, certain queries were read at this quarterly meeting, and written anfwers were brought up by the reprefentatives from each of the conftituent monthly meetings.

One of these queries is as follows, viz.

Query fourth. "Do friends, endeavour by exam"ple and precept to train up their children, fervants, " and those under their care, in a religious life and "converfation, confiftent with our chriftian profeffion; "in the frequent reading of the HOLY SCRIPTURES, " and in plainness of speech, behaviour and apparel, "and are the remifs duly admonished ?"

On reading the answer to this query, from the monthly meeting of Carlow, it was obferved that the word HOLY (which, in the query is prefixed to fcriptures) was omitted. This omiffion excited confiderable emotion in the minds of several who were prefent; and enquiry was immediately made into the cause of it. To this enquiry it was replied, "that the fpirit of "truth, inwardly revealed in the heart of every man, " is that alone which can, and will, lead its followers

"into

❝ into all truth; that a difpofition has appeared among (6. many of our members in the prefent day, to lofe "fight of this fundamental tenet of the fociety, and "in place thereof, to set up the scriptures and affix an "undue value on them; that the diftinguishing of "them by the term HOLY, has a tendency to exalt "them in our estimation, as highly as the spirit "of truth itself; that this is an evil against which "the fociety has always been defirous of especially "guarding; and, in confequence of which, it has "iffued advices, and fanctioned publications, framed "for this express purpose ;-that many parts of the "fcriptures are truly excellent and inftructive; but "there are other parts, which cannot with pro66 priety be regarded as either authentic, or inftructive "to the general class of readers; that there are "fome paffages which it would be extremely diffi"cult, if not impoffible, to reconcile to, or render "confiftent with others; and that on various oc"cafions, in the old teftament, the infinitely wife and "all perfect God, is described as acting under the "influence of paffions and imperfections, like those "to which frail human nature is fubject; and the "facred character and attributes of the great Crea"tor are attempted to be pourtrayed by injurious "and degrading reprefentations." Thefe objections gave great pain, and were cenfured as bold and prefumptuous. It was urged that "the facred writings "ought to be regarded with very different sentiments; "that there was a divine harmony in them, and "that any perfon queftioning their truth, ought to be (6 very fure that he is therein led by the fpirit of "truth-that our pious ancestors, in framing the

"words

"words of the query then under difcuffion, had "fhewn their opinion of the fcriptures, by denomi"nating them HOLY ;-and that if any objected to “that term now, it could be fuch only as were out of "the unity of the body." To these remarks it was rejoined," that the fetting up the opinions or conduct "of our ancestors as limits, beyond which the fociety in the prefent or any future day ought not to pro"ceed, was inconfiftent with the liberty which belonged to the gofpel, and with the fundamental principle of the fociety itfelf;-that if the Scrip"tures were to be denominated HOLY, because sup"pofed to proceed from the Spirit of Truth, it must "follow that all other writings, proceeding from the fame fpirit, are entitled to the fame appellation ;-that

66

as the Society does not hesitate to believe that the approved writings of its own members have been "dictated by the spirit of Truth, it must be obvious "that the term HOLY would alfo be applicable to "them; and that if this appellation be given to the Scriptures in any fenfe which does not equally apply to all other writings iffuing from the fame divine fountain of all good, the expreffion must be regarded "either as having no appropriate meaning, or a fuper

ftitious one.". To thefe objections it was again replied, "That the declaration of the facred writings "themselves, ftates that all Scripture is given by "infpiration of God; and that boly men of God. fpake as they were moved by the Holy Ghoft;-that

though many things in the fcriptures were hard to "be understood, yet to the humble attentive mind, "whatever was convenient for us, would be made

known by the fpirit of truth from which the fcrip

❝tures

tures proceeded; and that this alone could explain "the myfteries which were contained in them." It was added, "that it was dangerous to hear fuch opinions "as had then been delivered; and that the confiftent "members of our fociety could not affociate, with those who held them." Great diffatisfaction was Occafioned by this difcuffion, and feveral members left the meeting before it broke up, in confequence of what had paffed there. Las

The declaration of the apoftle, that all fcripture is given by infpiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, &c. &c. 2nd Timothy, chap. iii. v. 16, has been not unfrequently adduced, as it appears to have been on the prefent occafion, to prove that the whole of the fcriptures ought to be regarded as

given by inspiration of God." It may therefore be not irrelevant to obferve, that there appears fufficient reason for believing, that it was not, by this text, intended to affert that ALL fcripture is given by infpiration, but that all divinely-inspired scripture is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, &c. &c. The paffage is interpreted in this fenfe by DR. BENSON, in his truly valuable paraphrase and notes on the epiftles:* and the fame meaning is given to it by DR. MILL, and by ether writers, of acknowledged refpectability. The late GILBERT

* Πᾶσα γραφὴ θεόπνευτος ὠφελιμος, all scripture divinely inspired is profitable &c. The word (xas, and) is not found in the MS. called Barb. i. nor in Clemens of Alexandria, nor in the vulgar, Syriac, and Arabic verfions, nor in Ambrofe; nor in the Scholiaft, which goes under the name of Jerome; nor in Theodorus Mopfuenfis, nor in Pelagius and others. Para phrase and Notis,&c. by George Benson, D.D, vol. i. p. 562.