prudence and generosity almost until his solations of religion, and the peace which last hour. "To Mrs. Woolley. "Dear Madam,-As Members of the Strangeways Unitarian Congregation, assembled at our annual meeting, we beg most respectfully to tender to you our heartfelt sympathy and our sincere condolence on the irreparable loss you have sustained by the decease of your late Husband, our long-tried friend and fellowworshiper. "For more than twenty years Mr. Woolley had been a Member of this Congregation, in the prosperity of which he always manifested the deepest interest, freely contributing of his time, attention and means to its support. We shall long retain a vivid recollection of the many pleasant intercourses with him which we have been permitted to enjoy of his unvarying courtesy, his clear and independent judgment, his wisdom in counsel and promptitude in action. We feel that to our common cause his death is a heavy blow, and that it devolves upon us a greatly augmented responsibility. "It is grateful to us to believe that the solicitude which our departed friend invariably manifested for this religious society is inherited by his eldest son and representative, and that he will in every way prove himself worthy of his father, and be to you a solace and a stay. "We pray, dear Madam, that the con they alone can give, may be abundantly JOHN ARMSTRONG, Chapel-warden. Jan. 30, aged 4 years, PERCIVAL, youngest son of Darnton LUPTON, Esq., of Leeds. Feb. 4, at Bridge House, Bridport, aged 53, ELIZA TREBLE, wife of John HOUNSELL, Esq., surgeon. Feb. 6, at Tillicoultry, Clackmannanshire, aged 73 years, Rev. ARCHIBALD BROWNING, minister of the Unitarian Christian church in that place. Feb. 9, at his residence in Argyle Square, in his 84th year, JOHN CHRISTIE, Esq., late of Hackney and of Glan Usk, Brecknockshire, of which county he was twice High Sheriff. Mr. Christie was for many years the Treasurer of the Unitarian Fund, and was a zealous promoter of its important objects. We hope to receive from some one of his friends an account of his life and character. Feb. 11, SARAH, wife of John ATKINSON, Esq., East Parade, Leeds, aged 67 years. MARRIAGES. 1858. Jan. 5, at the Old chapel, Dukinfield, by Rev. R. Brook Aspland, M. A., Mr. CHARLES HADFIELD to Miss ESTHER HOWARTH, both of Dukinfield. Jan. 7, at Cross-Street chapel, Manchester, by Rev. Wm. Gaskell, M. A., THOMAS MAXWELL HUTTON, Esq., of Dublin, to ANNETTE LOUISE, fifth daughter of M. S. MEYER, Esq., of Smedley New Hall. Jan. 20, at Newington-Green chapel, by Rev. Dr. Cromwell, Mr. T. H. HOVENDEN to MARTHA, eldest daughter of Mr. E. W. LILLEY, of Dalston. Jan. 28, at the Unitarian chapel, Strangeways, Manchester, by Rev. Dr. Beard, Mr. ALEXANDER WYLDE THORNELY, Stockport, son of the late Mr. William Thornely, of Dukinfield, to ELLEN, second daughter of Mr. Thomas Cook, St. Mary's Gate, Manchester. sel's Green, near Sevenoaks, by Rev. John A. Briggs, Mr. HENRY PUCKNELL to ELIZABETH, daughter of Mr. Richard THOMAS. Feb. 13, at Bank-Street chapel, Bolton, by Rev. Franklin Baker, M. A., Mr. Geo. PERRY to MARY, daughter of the late Mr. L. BENTLEY, of Egerton, near Bolton. Feb. 14, at the Old chapel, Dukinfield, by Rev. R. Brook Aspland, M.A., Mr. HUGH BROADBENT to Miss SARAH LEES, both of Stalybridge. Feb. 15, at the Old chapel, Dukinfield, by Rev. R. Brook Aspland, M. A., SIMEON SEDDON to MARY MARSH, both of Dukinfield Hall. Feb. 17, at Dean-Row chapel, Cheshire, by Rev. R. Brook Aspland, M.A., of Dukinfield, Rev. JOHN COLSTON, minister of Dean Row cum Styal, to ELIZABETH, second daughter of the late Jeremiah LEES, Esq., Feb. 7, at the Old meeting-house, Bes- of Kelsall House, Stalybridge. CHRISTIAN ORDINANCES AND OFFICES OF WORSHIP. How fresh and new old questions appear to new people! What the world thought it had settled ages ago, or at least had discussed till nothing remained to be said upon the subject, turns up again, after five-and-twenty or fifty years, just as new as if it had never before been heard of. The young metaphysician of this day cracks his philosophical nuts as earnestly and confidently as his ancestors, who broke their teeth upon nuts of the same growth, and were often disappointed to find little or no kernel within. The young poet has many an original idea, in which he is afterwards surprised to find he has been anticipated by Shakspere or Milton. And the young divine makes discoveries in theological knowledge, or offers suggestions for an improved culte, in which he has to be told he is only repeating the thoughts and efforts of fifty years ago. Very natural and genuine is all this; very right in itself (barring the ignorance which it sometimes betokens); very refreshing for those of us to witness as spectators who before mingled in the conflict; and very good for the world, which would not accept our settlement of the question as final, and will, at the best, only accept that of our earnest young friends until a still younger race than they shall rise up to "fight all their battles o'er again, and thrice to slay the slain." Amongst the free English Presbyterian churches and their free-minded and cultivated ministers, there was always some diversity of opinion and practice as to the religious ordinances and offices most fit to be employed, while the gravity of such subjects and the stability of habit (nowhere more strong than in matters of religious observance) saved them from the danger of rash experiments and frequent changes. Thirty, forty and fifty years ago, I have heard every question respecting Baptism, the Lord's Supper, and the modes of conducting Public Worship by Free Prayer and Liturgy respectively, discussed (if not settled) again and again, to revive as perfectly new questions among a new race of earnest minds. VOL. XIV. Infant Baptism and the Lord's Supper commanded the general, but not universal, assent of our ministers and churches in my younger days. We spoke of them as Christian Ordinances or Institutions; not as Sacraments, which the Church of England makes them, in imitation of the Romish Church, which has, however, five Sacraments more. Yet such is the pertinacity of habit, that it was not uncommon (nor is it even now) to hear Sacrament Sunday spoken of among those who neither regard the Lord's Supper etymologically as a Roman sacramentum or oath of allegiance, nor accept the Church definition of it as a "sure witness and effectual sign of grace and God's good-will towards us.' It has always seemed to me one of the strangest things in my experience as a minister, that, with our distinguishing practice of free communion, scarcely a larger number of communicants assemble round the Lord's table in our churches than in others where they are only permitted to partake after examination and licence by the minister and deacons. It was my ever-repeated practice, on communion-day or on the Sunday before, to propound more or less fully the nature and purposes of the ordinance, to invite to a cheerful and loving participation in it, and to say a word by way of precluding difficulties and objections which seemed to stand in the way of its more numerous celebration. I found to my surprise again and again, that it was supposed and taken for granted by many persons that no one could partake the Supper with us till he had "been passed" by the minister or deacons. So pertinacious are prevailing impressions! Accordingly, I explained again and again the history and merits of the free and close communion question, and expressed or implied thenceforth in my pulpit notices that the Lord's Supper was administered in free communion to all who were minded thus to hold Jesus in remembrance. Again and again I set forth the scriptural history of the institution as purely a memorial act; traced its foundation in natural human affection; and endeavoured, according to my poor powers of persuasion, to find a place for it in the affections of my hearers. I always avoided the kind of argument which I had sometimes heard employed, to shew that it was a positive duty incumbent upon every Christian to the end of time. That seemed a hard way of appealing to the affections, and not at all accordant with the tone of its institution by the gracious Master, whose "Do this in remembrance of me, sounds not like the command of law, but the loving appeal of friendship. The great difficulty, in my experience, always was, to get people to accept it on this ground of love and friendship; so long and pertinaciously have all other churches put it upon other grounds or hedged it round with other attempted sanctions. The fear of "eating and drinking unworthily," and so of "eating and drinking damnation to themselves," proved to be at the |