or ill-meaning people: but always study the things which make for peace, and things by which both your husband and his colleague may edify one another, as well as those with whom they are connected. I hardly need to caution you against a proneness to take offence on your own account, or embarrassing your husband with any of your own squabbles. You must alter very much before you engage in any. Neither do I think you are in any great danger of contracting a meddling, gossiping habit, or giving countenance or encouragement to those that have. A more mischievous quality can scarcely be imagined: by which, instead of becoming her husband's helpmeet, a wife contributes more than any thing to his trouble and vexation. I should otherwise be cautious of of fering my next piece of advice, to make yourself acquainted with the several members of the congregation, their characters, occupations, habits, wants, &c. &c. I dont mean that you should personally know them all; but the more extensively the better. You can, at least, learn all the particulars which your husband has collected concerning each in his congregational common-place book. You will thus become acquainted with all the ways in which they can severally be of use to you, or you can render yourself useful to them; you will also learn, by this meaus, who are the persons with whom you can with the greatest mutual advantage, deal for the several articles you may want to purchase. For, certainly, all other things being equal, or even nearly so, it is a reciprocity which is only fair and reasonable that you should lay out among the congregation that income which you receive from them. You will thus, as well as by a mutual interchange of good offices in other respects, strengthen your husband's interest with his people. Even by knowing their places of abode, and at chapel, you will be prepared to receive and return the civilities of those who will feel entitled to offer them, and not incur the hazard of having it said by any, that their minister's wife was too proud to speak to them." But you may thus besides have various opportunities of assisting him, and often may even be a preferable sub " stitute: in various cases of sickness, and other circumstances of distress, especially among your own sex and children, the good offices of a female may be more essentially useful than those of any man. “It is not only in his own person," says an eloquent preacher, "that the conscientious minister of the gospel can answer the high purpose of his calling: in his wife, and even in his children, he may find the most useful auxiliaries in his holy employment. To the former, in particular, both himself and those entrusted to his charge are often, in the highest degree, indebted. I will not enter into a full detail of the various means by which the services of this invaluable partner of the cares aud duties of the ministerial office are dispensed throughout the district of the husband's labours: but the subject of this discourse (letter) would be treated very imperfectly, if so important a particular were altogether omitted. Let it be remembered, then, that it is to her assiduous co-operation that almost all the good that can be rendered to her own sex, out of the house of God, is principally owing. That quick perception, that nice sensibility, which are the natural characteristics of the female mind, peculiarly fit her for the occupation. It is she who can best win the confidence of her neighbours, and penetrate the secret wants and wishes, which modest poverty is often backward to reveal. It is she who can best enter into the detail of their domestic interests, and devise the readiest means of alleviating their distress or employing their industry. It is she whose familiar experience of the cares and duties which belong to them, as wives and mothers, aided by that superior intelligence which leisure and education naturally give, enables her to bring her counsels home to the hearts of her hearers, and to convince them that her precepts are practicable as well as just. In short, by appearing in the character of a friend as well as a benefactress, by engaging the feelings of respectful affection no less than of gratitude, she establishes over them an influence, which the harsher nature and dissimilar occupations of men disable him from acquiring. Now to those who bear in mind how much, under Providence, the success of every endeavour to implant religious feel ings, and to promote the habits of virtue in the most numerous class of society, depends upon the conduct of its women, how entirely almost the principles and the morals of the young of both sexes rest upon it, no argument will be necessary to prove the importance of that aid, which the wives, and often, too, the daughters, of the clergy, contribute towards the great purposes of the Christian ministry." Philpott's Sermon at St. Paul's, May 12, 1814. In various cases, also, of co-operation in the management of certain public charities, you may contribute those personal services which it will be out of your husband's line to offer. See Mrs. Cappe's excellent Paper on Female Visiters in Hospitals, in the Pamphleteer. But besides cheerfulness and active co-operation, fidelity to admonish your husband, if any case should occur of neglect or deficiency, and to remind him of duties, whether general or particular, will never, I persuade myself, be undervalued or ill-received by him. You may, indeed, be of great use to each other in maintaining your respective provinces regular, by keeping an exact account of the business of each day, and by comparing notes every night before bed-time, of what each has respectively done or omitted doing. I am far from pretending to claim a right, from having myself observed them, to give either to you now, or to your husband formerly, the advices with which you have both been troubled: but I persuade myself, you both will take them in good part; and will believe that there exists no jealousy of either of you excelling, as much as you please, the friends who have gone before you. With my best love, then, to yourself and your dearest friend, I will at length relieve you by subscribing myself, SIR, I Your affectionate Father, V. F. Aug. 28, 1817. T is with peculiar satisfaction I have observed in one of your late Numbers, (April, XII. 250,) that a benevolent fund has been established at Birmingham, on the plan suggested by Dr. Thomson, of Halifax, which has for its leading object, the affording pecuniary aid to new congregations of Unitarians, as they may arise, with the view of procuring for them suitable chapels, and otherwise supporting them in their infant efforts, until they shall attain to sufficient strength to depend upon their own exertions. We need not experience to teach us the benefit which must arise from such institutions. It is evident, at first sight, that if infant societies of any kind can only be carried through the difficulties attendant upon that stage of their existence, as a child is carried through the helpless period of its infancy by parental care, many of the impediments to their arrival at maturity, may either be greatly lessened or altogether removed, their future permanence insured, and their usefulness greatly increased. these reasons I consider our friends at Birmingham entitled to the cordial thanks of their brethren at large, for their disinterested conduct on this occasion, and would gladly hope that their example will be speedily fol lowed by all other congregations of Unitarians, who find their circumstances such as will enable them to do so. For Were such societies more numerous, the general result would be great, probably beyond what we can at present conjecture, while the expense to individuals would be scarcely perceptible. We should then see Unitarian congregations more speedily formed, because their members would more readily be induced to abandon the Established Church, when they saw some prospect of establishing themselves immediately, instead of labouring for ten, twenty or thirty years, almost without hope and without friends, through an accumulation of difficulties, which few men are found firm enough to endure. But while I would recommend the example above-mentioned, I would at the same time propose to these infant institutions, the adoption of another plan, which, while it would tend to ensure to them the advantages of the benevolent societies already al luded to, would also greatly accelerate the accomplishment of the end in view. The plan I would recommend to them is the establishment of a fund, to be exclusively appropriated to the building of a chapel, in every case where such a measure shall be found indispensably necessary. Let them not wait in the hope that the day will as may hereafter be formed among AN UNITARIAN. Assumption of Dr. Chalmers's. [Extract from a Letter from a friend, dated August 8, 1817.] O the admirable Review of Dr. -426,] I should have been desirous to have added, if I had had the necessary documents, that the objection arising from the Newtonian philosophy, did not originally occur among the unbelievers, if it was ever brought forward by them, for which I have only Dr. C.'s information, and he quotes no authorities; but by the high orthodox, who make Revelation plaintiff against Plurality of Worlds defendant. Baker's Reflections on Learning, (Ch. viii.) is quoted by Parkhurst, under the word aɔɔ against the "delusive idea" of the moon's being inhabited but there is a book, under the title of Eis EOS, EIS MEσITYS, (written, I think it was said, by Mr. Nares,) reviewed in the Gent. Mag. fifteen or twenty years ago, the principal object of which is, to argue against the Plurality of Worlds, from the fatal consequence that would arise of the Addition to Names of Writers in the Cautus, 1, Rev. Newcome Cappe, York. Cornelius, 2, Rev. William Lillie, Bingley, Yorkshire. Eclecticus, 1, App. Rev. Dr. Calder (omitted by T. R. S.) Erastus, 3, Rev. George Walker, F. R.S. who republished this excellent article on the character of Judas in his Sermons. Vol. I. Sermons xi, and xii. p. 241–297. Eusebius, 1, 2, 3, Rev. W. Turner, Wakefield; whose Life is reprinted, with some important additions in the Universal Theol. Mag. Vol. I. p. 113; in p. 85 of which valuable Miscellany, is a correspondence between Mr. Turner and John Buncle, Esq. (T. Amory), on the meaning of 2 Pet. i. 19. Jodvadib, 6, Rev. Job David, Frome. Marmos, 6, Mr. John Marsom. This excellent refutation of the doctrine of an the Author's leave, by your present correspondent. Moderatus, 4, 5, Rev. Benjamin Carpenter, Stourbridge. Nepiodidascalus, 4, 5, 6, Rev. Gilbert Wakeneld. Philander, 2, A Dissenting Clergyman in the North of Ireland, at that time deceased: so that the Philander of Vols. 4 and 6, must be some other person. Pyrrho, 1, 2, Rev. Wm. Graham, M. A. of Halifax: an early and constant friend of Dr. Priestley, and author of several very valuable Sermons and Tracts. -r. The Rev. Jeremiah Gill, of Gainsborough. Theophilus, is Mr. Mottershead, of Manchester, and U, (not V,) Mr. Scott, of Ipswich. Of Verus, Mr. Brekell, and of W.W Mr. Willets, there will be found Memoirs in the Appendix to Toulmin's Life of Bourn. V. F. AM happy in being able to throw B. Rev. George Walker. Theophilus, Rev. Mr. Mottershead, Man chester. Pyrrho, Rev. Graham, of Halifax. V. Rev. Mr. Scott, of Ipswich. Phileleutherus Vigorniensis, Mr. Cardale, of Evesham. Cornelius, Rev. Mr. Lely. Barumensis, Rev. Mr. Badcock, of Barnstaple. W. W. Rev. Mr. Willetts, of Newcastleunder-Line. J. F. Rev. Jotham Foljambe. On Vitality. SIR, If organic matter is so impressed with vitality, that no separation can take place, it follows, that man's resurrection is not a calling into action the vital principle alone, but a recall to active exertions of the vitalized organic body. This resurrection presents innumerable difficulties in the way of our belief in it. To human reason, it is impossible; the believer in it has no ground to rest on, but the miraculous and more than creative power of Deity. But if the vital, conscious principle is as distinct from the organized matter it animates, as the mouth is from the trumpet, then all these difficulties vanish, the same mighty power of God is still employed, but we shall see that he cre ated with foresight, and looked forward before the birth to mau's future exis tence, and death was in the Divine intention but a mean for that muta tion the Creator designed should take place. The fear of death then ceases, It is looked to, by the believer in it, with expectation, it is the passage to a higher order of existence, and to a glory far beyond and exceeding that of this dispensation. Death becomes a stimulus to virtue, an assured foundation for the hope of immortality. Paul, in his reasoning on this subject, appears to me most fully to argue on the ground of the most complete distinctness between the man and his pp. 210 342,] corporeal may not be expected from me than I have proposed to myself, I would observe, that it is not my intention to prove what is vitality, or of what it is composed, or how it acts upon matter, or whether it is material or immaterial, or if the Deity can impress organized matter with a principle of life and a thinking faculty, or to state what is the modus of its corporeal dominion, or how that dominion first took place, or how its separation from the decomposed body is effected, or where is its place after such separation; these, and many more curious questions, are conneeted with the subject, but do not come under this investigation, in which, I only purpose to inquire, whether this our organized corporeal form is one with, or distinct from the vitality which animates it and gives us the consciousness of our personal identity, and what is the Scripture doctrine concerning it. he asserts, that "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God;" and his after reasoning shews, that he did not mean these words figuratively in this place, that a man subject to carual appetites could not, whilst he was thus enslaved, be a Christian, by being a member of the kingdom of God on earth; though this may be true, the apostle was looking beyond this, to the next state of things, for he explains, "neither doth corruption inherit incorruption." These strong and direct assertions arise out of the premises, v. 35, “Some will say, how are the dead raised? With what body do they come ?”— stating in these questions the greatest difficulties there are against man's belief in the resurrection. The objector seems to imply by his question, how is it possible to raise the dead? Some bodies are consumed by animals, others by fire, others turn to vegetable mould and become the food of vegetation, after having been decomposed by the putrefactive fermentation, one way or other. Time dissolves every corporeal fabric, and their atoms are dissipated and dispersed through the elements, and not a vestige of their recrements can be found; how then is the body to be raised from death? This first question of the objector alone belongs to our subject. The apostle, in his reply, shews the objection was founded on the objector's ignorance of facts. "Inconsiderate man," replies Paul, "that which thou sowest is not quickened except it die; and that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body which shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat or some other, but God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed its own body." Without entering into a philosophical examination of this argument, which I think to be strictly analogous to nature, I need only observe, that whether Paul was right or wrong in his comparison, his conclusion evidently is, that we are not to expect the same body to arise from the dead, but though it is a medium for a future state of existence, when buried it is no more than a decayed and worn out garment waiting to be changed. Again, the same mode of reasoning we find 2 Cor. v. 6, “ Whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord." And that this at home in the body, signifies being in this earthly tabernacle, instead of being in a state of utility, glory and happiness with Jesus, is further evident from the 8th ver. "We are coufident, and willing, rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore, we labour, that whether present or absent we may be accepted of him." In the 1st ver. of this chapter he speaks similar language: "We know," says he, "that if our earthly house of this tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands." It was from this confidence that injury done to this mortal body does not affect the man farther than for the time being, that Paul was enabled to anticipate death with joy: thus, in writing to the Church of Philippi, Phil. i. 22, he says, "If I live in the flesh." Ver. 23, “I am in a strait between two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ which is far better; nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more useful to you." So to 2 Tim. iv. 6, "I am now ready to be offered, the time of my departure is at hand;" thus ceasing to be in the flesh, is departing from this earthly tabernacle to the kingdom of our Father. But without multiplying passages to shew that this was the general tenour of the language of the apostles, and endeavouring to prove from history that such were the consequences of this their teaching upon the primitive church, that for two or three centuries the early Christians courted death, in its most awful forms, from the most perfect conviction that martyrdom, whilst it destroyed the body, liberated the mind from mortality, and prepared it to receive an incorruptible organization that could not pass away, and a mansion in the palace of God, John xiv. 2:—instead of doing this, I shall now endeavour to shew that Jesus had the same ideas on this subject; probably both Jesus and his apostles derived them from the Jewish Church, and that church from primitive revelation. Mark relates, xii. 18, that the Sadducees came to Jesus, and stated a case, the decision of which they might think would overturn the doctrine of the resurrection. The case was this, seven brothers had, in succession, as one died after the other, married the same woman, in obedience to the law of Moses; and the question was, whose wife, of the seven brothers, the woman should be at the resurreetion? Obedience to the law of Moses was righteousness. Here was, then, a case of eight righteous persons who, in the most trying of all circumstances, obeyed unto death. To this question Jesus replies, that the difficulty of the case arose, first, from their ignorance of the Scriptures, and secondly, of the power of God. And first, The Scriptures call the Deity, "the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob." "God," said he, "is not the God of the dead, but of the living." Therefore, the consequence must be, that though Abraham, isaac and Jacob, died and were buried in the cave of the field of Macpelah, and that their bodies there mouldered into dust and past away, yet they them |