tional satisfaction were they to acquaint themselves accurately with Christian antiquity. And we are sure that in an age when, as now happens, attacks are made on the Christian Scriptures, and rash opinions are put forth regarding the moral worth of the Bible generally, no one can feel his feet to be on firm ground who has not gone to the fountain-head of information, or at least made independent and careful inquiries for himself, according to the best opportunities at his command. For ourselves, we cannot see how the Christian church at large can be in a sound condition, until its several members, whatever their position may be, shall have faithfully investigated and soberly considered the claims of the religion which they profess, and of the writings on which, at least in part, these claims must ever rest. Equally clear does it appear to us that no one has a right to assail the Scriptures, or the Gospel, who has not familiarized his mind with the facts which accompanied their promulgation at the first. Few may possess the opportunities which Mr. Johns enjoyed for this important duty; but wherever there is an enlightened Christian ministry, none ought, even in their unripe years, to be left wholly destitute of means of information. This is a question which by no means belongs to the professed "ambassadors of Christ." When the point at issue is the safety of the vessel, the meanest seaman has an interest equal with that of its commander. We know not a more effectual way for reviving or invigorating the life of a religious community, than for its members in general to study with care and with system the venerable records of the Christian faith. The Scriptures, when justly appreciated and rightly understood, need no other advocacy than what they themselves supply.

A few words will suffice to describe Mr. Johns in the moral features of his character, for he was one of those single-minded, upright and unconscious men, who, day by day pursuing noiselessly the even tenor of their way, in the discharge of their duty and in calm reliance on the providence of God, present to the eye of the observer little in prominent relief, and furnish few materials for a written portraiture. Inflexible adherence to what he considered right, unwavering integrity of purpose, directness and simplicity of

aim, steadiness of action, perseverance which no obstacle could turn aside and no opposition subdue, were combined in him with a very strong antipathy to every thing that was tortuous, insincere, untrue and unreal. If his own high and unbending probity, and his impatience of falsities of all kinds, ever gave a casual observer reason to think his disposition severe, a closer acquaintance was sure to disclose a genial goodness of heart which conciliated warm esteem. As, however, he was a man of few words, and by nature indisposed to let his deeper feelings be seen, so was it only in the sanctuary of domestic life that his character was truly appreciated. "The strong affections of that austere but tender heart, who can know but those who have been the objects of them? Their intensity was never divined even in his own home until the loss of a beloved daughter, some three years since, awakened the expression of them to the surprise of his mourning family."

Instances of the strength of Mr. Johns' domestic affections have already appeared in this narrative. A still more decided one was given when he charged himself with the office of bringing up three children, by the death of a brother left orphans, to whom he gave the best education in his power, and whom he treated with invariable and unceasing kindness.

Piety with him was a habit of the soul-something wrought into all his feelings, thoughts and actions, until it became the central and actuating power of his existence; through which it shed a calm, gentle light, making him at peace with God, with himself and with man. Hence it was impossible to look on him without observing in the equanimity with which he bore severe trials and heavy losses, and in his general and habitual composure, clear and pleasing evidences that it was on a far higher than any human power that the foundations of his peace were laid.

One feature of his character could escape no eye: in thought, word and deed, you saw he was an honest man; and this one feature was so marked and prominent as to determine the general impression, and has left in the minds of his friends a deep and lasting conviction that he was an Israelite indeed, in whom was no guile.

We subjoin an extract from a letter which he wrote to an old and intimate friend, only three days before

he was confined to that bed from which he was to rise no more, and which conveys a just and beautiful picture of his deep and heartfelt but unobtrusive piety. Speaking of his increasing indisposition, he says "It has incapacitated me for almost every kind of exertion, even what is necessary in my ordinary affairs. It has very much reduced me in flesh, and I am very much shrunk in my clothes. I cannot say, however, it has affected my spirits and produced dejection, as I am told it does in many cases; though I think it highly probable that I shall never get well of it. But at the age of seventyfour, this is no legitimate subject of complaint, but much rather of gratitude to the Great Author of our days, who has conducted me through the winding, difficult and stormy path of human life beyond the ordinary and average limits of it, threescore years and ten,' and has enabled me in some small degree to be useful in my day and generation. How many die at an earlier age than yours and mine, how few attain it, we see from the obituary list of every week. What abundant reason, therefore, have we, in full reliance upon the goodness of our Heavenly Father, and faith in the great distinguishing doctrine of the gospel of Christ, to wait the great teacher, Death, and God adore.'

"We, the undersigned members of The Manchester District Meeting of Ministers,' are desirous of recording our sense of the great loss which we have sustained by the recent death of our highly-respected associate, the Rev. W. Johns. Honouring his unbending integrity, and highly appreciating the diligence and perseverance of his inquiries after religious truth, we cannot but feel it as an additional cause of regret at his removal, that he had not given to the world the result of his long-continued and learned researches into the opinions and doctrines of the early Christian Church. We hope, however, that the important work on which we know him to have been for many years engaged, will have been left by him in a state of sufficient forwardness to be laid before the public.

"While, therefore, we would convey to Mrs. and Miss Johns an assurance of our friendly sympathy with them in their bereavement, we would respectfully ask whether the hope just mentioned is well-founded; and if it is, we would farther earnestly desire the publication of a work so likely to be extensively and lastingly useful. We would at the same time offer such assistance as we can give, both in conducting it through the press and promoting its circulation.

"Manchester, Dec. 10, 1845. «W. Turner,

J. G. Robberds,
R. Wallace,
W. Lamport,
W. Whitelegge,
J. J. Tayler,
J. Taylor,
J. Layhe,

P. P. Carpenter,

F. Howorth,

R. Smethurst,
R. T. Minniss,
J. R. Beard,
W. Gaskell,
J. Colston,

W. Smith,
W. Scholefield."

THE REV. ROBERT ASPLAND.

Dec. 30, at his residence, the Grove, Hackney, Rev. ROBERT ASPLAND, in the 64th year of his life, in the 45th year of his ministry, and the 41st year of his pastorship of the Unitarian church at Hackney. For nearly two years, Mr. Aspland's important and varied public labours had been suspended by illness, which, though often attended by distressing sufferings, was and resignation. borne by him with admirable fortitude He was mercifully permitted to retain nearly to the last hour, in their accustomed strength, his mental powers. Although his death preceded the publication of our last No., he read all the proofs, and even the last half-sheet received the benefit of his accurate revision. He had ceased to conduct the Christian Reformer, but he continued to be its proprietor; and his affectionate solicitude for its reputation and success was, if we may be permitted to judge from some of his latest conversations, greater in the past year than in any one of the nine-andthirty years during which he discharged the Editorial duties. Long before his release, he foresaw the approach of death, and with tranquil hopefulness, worthy of the Christian, calmly awaited his dismissal. His end was remarkably peaceful. Amongst the last words on which bereaved affection loves to dwell, was a solemn declaration of the importance and reality of religion, and of the boundless mercy of God, revealed by Jesus Christ, his beloved Son. Al

though he had been so long debarred from his pulpit and from public life, as well as from all the enjoyments of society, his death appears to have made a deep impression, not only in his own immediate neighbourhood, but in most places in the kingdom where Unitarian Christianity is avowed and cherished. His bereaved flock met on the Sunday following their beloved Pastor's death, and passed resolutions of condolence with the bereaved widow and family, dictated by the most reverent and affectionate sorrow. The funeral obsequies, on Tuesday, January 6, were attended by nearly all the members of the Gravel-pit congregation, including the children of the school, by the Unitarian ministers of London and its vicinity, and by many neighbours and personal friends of the deceased. As the mournful procession passed through a portion of the village of Hackney, it was observed that many of the inhabitants, of different religious parties, had closed their houses as a token of their respect and sympathy. The funeral service was conducted by the Rev. T. Rees, LL. D., the associate in public life, and the close personal friend of Mr. Aspland, for nearly half a century. In the centre of the south portion of the Gravel-pit burial-ground, the congregation had, at their own charge, constructed a very handsome vault to receive the remains of their deeplymourned minister. He had during his life indicated the spot where he wished to lie, and his wish was reverently fulfilled, his head being placed towards a laurel-tree, which years ago was planted under his superintendence. The walks and shrubs and plants of this interesting cemetery were, indeed, all formed and planted under Mr. Aspland's eye; and for many years he made this ground, enriched with the dust of a generation of fellow-worshipers and friends, the termination of his daily walk. Profound was the grief of the wide circle of mourners who surrounded their Pastor's grave. Many, doubtless, were touched by the thought that, when living, he had stood with them in that ground by the open grave, and his manly voice-now, alas! hush

ed in death-had bid them "not to sorrow as those without hope."

On the following Sunday, the funeral sermon was preached to the bereaved and sorrowing flock by Rev. Thomas Madge, and the discourse was a noble tribute of respect and affection, worthy both of the preacher's fame and his

subject. We earnestly hope that both the sermon and the funeral oration will be given to the public through the press. In the evening, the service was conducted by Rev. Joseph Hutton, LL.D., who with earnest sympathy, and with a sincerity that could not be questioned, consoled and instructed the congregation of mourners. At both services, some solemn, mournful anthems were sung by the choir, assisted by Professor Edward Taylor and some public singers. When the service began with the sublime dirge taken from the Last Judgment of Spohr, "Blessed are the Departed," the congregation, though accustomed to sit during the singing of the psalms, as with a general impulse of reverence for the memory of their departed Pastor, simultaneously rose. On the following Sunday, the Rev. T. Sadler offered a warm tribute of affection to his co-pastor and friend. The death of Mr. Aspland was also affectingly noticed in a considerable number of Unitarian pulpits: at MoretonHampstead, by Rev. John Smethurst; at Maidstone, by Rev. Wm. Stevens, both of whom were formerly pupils of the deceased; at Evesham, by Rev. T. Davis; at Collumpton, by Rev. M. L. Yeates; at Chatham, by Rev. J. C. Means; at Cross Street, Manchester, by Rev. John Robberds, of Toxteth Park; at Soham, by Rev. W. Clack; at Topsham, by Rev. J. B. Bristowe; at Chichester, by Rev. John Fullagar; at Stamford Street, Blackfriars, by Rev. Wm. Hincks; at Bradford, by Rev. J. H. Ryland; at Wareham, by Rev. John Cropper; at Newport, Isle of Wight, by Rev. E. Kell; at Leicester, by Rev. Charles Berry; at Dukinfield, by Rev. James Brooks; at Lewin's Mead, Bristol, by Rev. George Armstrong; at Worship Street, London, by Rev. B. Mardon, &c. &c.

Of the character of Mr. Aspland, and his unremitted toils in promoting knowledge, truth, liberty and righteousness, we dare not at present trust ourselves to speak; but must content ourselves with gratefully pointing attention to a tribute in prose, and another in poetry, contained in the first department of our present No.

There are, we believe, abundant materials in existence for the life and public services of Mr. Aspland; and, without venturing at present to pledge ourselves to any specific course, we think it probable that a full memoir will be hereafter given in this work.

We are informed that, at a meeting

of the Gravel-pit congregation, held on Sunday, Jan. 18th, a resolution was unanimously adopted, expressing their desire to print another volume or volumes of their late Pastor's admirable Discourses. To this request the family have returned their answer of grateful assent.

A large portion of the public press contained respectful and gratifying notices of Mr. Aspland's character. We select the following, as less likely, than some others that appeared, to have been seen by the majority of our read

ers.

The Morning Advertiser, after mentioning his death, says, "For the greater part of the last half century, Mr. Aspland maintained with increasing reputation a high character as a preacher among English Nonconformists. His forte, as a preacher, was in the successful handling and enforcement of practical subjects. His love of peace and exemplary Christian spirit rarely brought him into the arena of theological strife; but when provoked, he knew how to employ his strong talents in the defence of his own religious views. A memorable instance of this kind produced his celebrated Plea for Unitarian Dissenters, in justification of that body from an attack by the Rev. H. H. Norris, Rector of South Hackney. In all momentous political questions of his time, Mr. Aspland took an active and prominent part; he especially exerted himself to procure the repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts, and to frame the Dissenters' Marriage Act. He lived to witness the enactment of the Dissenters' Chapels Bill, during the struggle for which his views were consulted and acceded to by the supporters of that measure. During the battle for the Reform Bill, Mr. Aspland was very active in the Tower Hamlets. After the passing of the Bill, he frequently appeared on the platform as the energetic supporter of Mr. (now Sir William) Clay, whose success, indeed, was in no small degree dependent upon Mr. Aspland's powerful aid. In politics, his sympathies were with the Whigs, with many of the most distinguished of whom he was upon intimate terms, and by whom he was highly honoured for his consistency and unflinching assertion and defence of the great principles of civil and religious liberty. As a general writer, he was remarkable for conciseness and strength. In writing and speaking, he had at command a plentiful supply

of indignant, searching sarcasm, which he used with remarkable effect upon the party at whom it was levelled. As a man, he was honest, courteous, generous, plain-spoken, self-relying. He was, in short, a good man, for whom even his differing neighbours entertained a profound regard." "A more

The Sheffield Iris says, worthy minister or man, never perhaps formed the subject of an obituary. Of commanding talent and sterling honesty, he was the friend of every thing elevating, generous and pure; the distinguished and unwearied advocate of Political and Ecclesiastical Reform; the personal friend of Grey, Holland, Lansdowne, Parr, and Russell; the upright citizen, the faithful teacher, the devoted worshiper of God, the conscientious follower of Christ, the delight of home, the lover and beloved of universal man. Where can the denomination of which he was the glory find his equal? How is the gap left by his removal to be filled? He has gone to his imperishable home full of years, faith, hope, and charity. Requiescat in pace!"

November 26, at Poole, Dorset, at the age of 33, after giving birth to a daughter, MARY, the wife of Mr. Alfred BALSTON. Shortly before she expired, she spoke with great calmness on the appointment of death, and expressed her willingness to depart, shewing her solicitude for the welfare of those most dear to her, and directing her remains to be deposited in the same grave with those of her infant daughter. May those who are left to mourn, find their solace in the conviction, that God in all his dispensations is wise, merciful and benevolent!

Dec. 9, at Colyton, Mrs. KINGDON, aged 92, sister to the late George Hirtzel, Esq., of Exeter, and mother-in-law to Captain Powell, R. N., of Colyton Cottage, venerable and esteemed for sound understanding, uncompromising integrity, humble piety and unostentatious benevolence; full of ardent love for the liberty and happiness of her country, and keenly sensible of its rights and wrongs. Her intellectual endowments, with their fearless exercise, not only exceeded the usual standard of her sex, but continued fresh and firm until the day of her death. Though the latter part of her life was spent in peaceful retirement, the cry of wrong-doing and wrong

suffering called forth her fearless aid and generous sympathy. With her, religion was not a mantle to be worn on special occasions, but a deep-laid principle, giving peace to her retirement and spirituality to her public devotions. She has fallen asleep in Jesus, leaving a memorial soothing to the hearts of those who now deeply mourn her loss. Her remains were interred in the burial-ground attached to George's meeting, where she had long been a regular and consistent worshiper. On the subsequent Sunday, an address of consolation to the bereaved was delivered by the minister, the Rev. James Taplin, from 1 Thess. iv. 13, 14, to a numerous and attentive congregation. The following notice of this venerable and excellent lady, from the editor of the Western Times, appeared in a recent number of that paper, to which she was an occasional contributor: "We regret to see in our obituary the death of that excellent woman, Mrs. Kingdon. She was mother of our neighbour, William Page Kingdon, Esq., sister of the late George Hirtzel, Esq., of this city, and she possessed to an eminent degree the sound health of that family. She was a woman of great original powers of mind, cultivated by much reading and observation; one of the best reformers in Devon, and equally remarkable for her sincere and unostentatious benevolence."

Dec. 10, aged 58, MARY, the beloved wife of Mr. J. GRUNDY, of Drayton, near Atherstone. During a very short illness, she manifested submission and those Christian graces which adorned her life; and with reliance upon God and trust in her Redeemer, she fell asleep, with a firm hope of a blissful re-union with those she loved in the heavenly kingdom.

December 23, at his residence, Altrincham, ISAAC HARROP, Esq., after an illness and gradual decay of strength, which, though of long continuance, were mercifully unattended by acute pain, bodily or mental. A good life and tranquil conscience, together with those affectionate attentions which none but the most devoted attachment could pay, smoothed his bed of sickness and eased his dying pillow. And now that he is removed from a sphere of eminent usefulness and respectability in this life, the consolatory assurances of that religion whose doc

He

trines he ever adorned, permit us not to doubt that he has exchanged earthly for immortal felicity and honour.-It appears from an entry in the register of Hale chapel, that Mr. Harrop was baptized on Feb. 23, 1774, by Mr. (afterwards Dr.) Enfield, then of Warrington. He was the eldest child of the late pious and worthy Mr. Harrop, who for six-and-forty years officiated as minister at Hale chapel, and for the period of two years conducted the services of the united Presbyterian societies of Hale and Altrincham. was educated for the law, and for some time practised as a solicitor at Altrincham. Circumstances, however, led, at a comparatively early period, to his withdrawal from his profession; and he passed the residue of his life in the honourable and graceful discharge of the duties and occupations of the country gentleman, combined of late years with those of the magistracy. In politics, he was a Whig of the old school; having imbibed sentiments of veneration for free institutions, and for civil and religious liberty in their most extended sense, not only in the course of the education he received from his excellent father, and at the Manchester College, but from the opportunities he subsequently enjoyed, when completing his professional studies in London, of listening to the eloquence of Fox, and to the luminous and able expositions of the jurisprudence of this country delivered by Mackintosh. To the liberal opinions he then formed, he through life consistently adhered, and was ever ready to promote them, not only by his best personal exertions, but by the aids with which fortune had bountifully supplied him. On his integrity, moral, religious or political, no spot ever rested. He was certainly what Pope describes as being the noblest work of God, "an honest man."Let religion, let virtue, let friendship hope, that with him are not interred his excellencies; that though the individual dies, the example survives; and that the character which it has now been attempted briefly to sketch, will be re-exhibited under more than one manly and attractive form, by those who, as they share his blood, should participate in his virtues.

C. W.

Dec. 30, at Bristol, in the 70th year of his age, Mr. RICHARD VICKERY WREFORD. Throughout a life of no ordinary trial and vicissitude, he held