{6} The sentiments of the late venerable Dr. PORTEUS, Lord BISHOP of LONDON, are thus delivered to the world, in great part as recorded by the bishop himself, in his life written by his relative, the Dean of Chester. “A limitation thus absolute and unequivocal,” viz. “that the sole and exclusive object of the society should be the circulation of the Scriptures, and the Scriptures only, without note or comment,” removed from the Bishop’s mind all doubt and hesitation. He saw instantly that a design of such magnitude, which aimed at nothing less than the dispersion of the Bible over every accessible part of the world, _could only be accomplished by the association of men of all religious persuations_. He looked forward to great results from such a combination of effort. He entertained the hope that it might operate as a bond of union between contending parties; and that by bringing them together in one point of vast moment, about which there could hardly be a diversity of opinion, it might gradually allay that bitterness of dispute, and put an end to those unhappy divisions which have so long tarnished the credit of the Christian world. Whilst, therefore, he remained firmly attached to the original society, (for promoting Christian knowledge) whose exertions, as far as its limited sphere allowed, no one ever held in higher estimation, he gave at the same time the sanction of his name without scruple to the new one: _and the more he considered its object_, _and the longer experience he had of the spirit ant principles on which it was conducted_, _the more deeply he was convinced that it merited all the support which the Church of England could give_.