compares the bread of life to the manna eaten in the wilderness, and teaches His disciples that He is the bread of life." An infant baptism followed the reading of the Word. This is particularly described, after which the writer proceeds :-"Without selecting any passage of Scripture as his text, Mr. Gunton stated that the subject announced for their consideration was 66 THE BREAD OF LIFE. He com

menced by observing that his hearers were possessed of both a natural and spiritual being, and that as they could not have the natural life sustained without partaking of material food, so neither could the spiritual life be sustained unless they partook of the bread of life. Bread and water are the material elements which maintain the natural life of man, and they are used in the Word to represent the spiritual elements which feed the spiritual life of man. The great thing needed was a new birth- -a regeneration, which is recreation. The preacher from this proceeded to expound the doctrine of regeneration, and the soul's growth in righteousness, by the reception and appropriation of the bread of life; and the service was concluded by the administration of the sacrament of the holy supper, at which members of other denominations were also invited to join."

LEEDS. To keep pace with the times is one of the means of useful and solid progress. The Society at this town, though labouring under great disadvantages, has endeavoured to do this. Its large and commodious chapel has been kept in good repair, and from time to time improved in its appearance and comfort. During the present spring it has undergone a thorough repair, and the front and interior have been improved and beautified. During these improvements the church was necessarily closed, and the public worship of the Society for a short time suspended. On Sunday, June 4, the Church was re-opened, and it was determined to combine with the re-opening a short mission service. The services were commenced by a discourse on the religious instruction involved in the call of Elisha (1 Kings xix. 19 to 21), by the Rev. R. Storry, who followed this discourse with a series of three lectures. The subjects

of these lectures were, "The worship of Jehovah and the worship of Baal;" "The prophecies relating to the Second Coming of the Lord;" and "Modern speculations respecting the Future Life.' In the first of these lectures Mr. Storry pointed out the distinction between a true and a perverted worship, and traced the connection between all genuine wor ship and a life of obedience to the laws of God. In the second lecture the preacher showed, by a review and exposition of several of the prophecies of the Old Testament, that the language employed in announcing the second advent of our Lord had been already employed in predicting His first advent, and that the fulfilment of these prophecies yielded, therefore, a key to the prophecies relating to the second coming. From this exposition was pointed out the time of His appearing as indicated in the latter days" of Daniel, i.e. the end of the former dispensation; and the nature of His advent as predicted in His appearance as the Son of Man in the clouds of heaven, His coming to the Ancient of days, and the dominion, and glory, and kingdom, and people, and nations and languages, that "should serve Him." The concluding lecture reviewed some of the recent speculations that have appeared respecting the future life, and compared them with the higher and more important and trustworthy disclosures of Swedenborg. The attendance at these lectures was not so numerous as the friends had hoped. The largest congregation was not less than 200 persons, the smallest not quite half that number. Many of those who were present seemed interested in the subjects and instructed by them; and we may reasonably hope that some use has been accomplished in extending the knowledge of the truth and building up the Church in this large town. The lectures would be followed on succeeding Sabbath and weekday evenings by other ministers. Mr. Deans of Bolton, who was next in succession, discussed some of the leading phases of thought arising out of the Voysey controversy and persecution. The attendance was similar to that at the opening services.

LONDON.-Just as we are going to press, a correspondent sends us the following, in which our readers will be much interested. It is a munificent

effort to promote the cause of truth by providing the means of its public announcement to the world, and will be, we hope, crowned with an abundant success. 'To do good and to communicate, forget not; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.' The members of the New Church will rejoice to know that another munificent gift to the Conference is in course of arrangement. A gentleman, whose name is connected with large benevolences, expressed a desire that a church should be built or purchased in one of the western districts of London; and, the Palace Garden's

Church' (Presbyterian) having been offered for sale by auction at the Mart on Wednesday last, the subject with all its appendages having been duly considered previously, the same was purchased at a cost of £5250. It is capable of seating about 1000 persons, is admirably arranged for light and sound, and has a schoolroom on the same level, which will accommodate 200 children, and, in aldition, a commodious vestry. The nature of the locality and the suitability of the building seem to be all that could be desired; and the earnest effort of those who have promoted this proceeding will be, not only to establish a Society and Sunday school, but also to carry on extensive missionary operations in this populous and important district, that the sincere desire of the donor-an extended knowledge of the foundationprinciples of Christianity, may be realized, and mankind be thereby rendered wise and happy.."

From the communication of another correspondent, we have reason to conclude that the zeal and earnestness of our brethren in London are equal to the employment in the cause of righteousness and truth of the increased means so providentially supplied. Our correspondent writes: "I hope we shall have a useful and happy Conference. We have now seven churches in London, and I have never known so much unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, combined-with righteousness of life, prevailing amongst us. Our own little society has had many removals to endure, but it has been enabled to rejoice that it has thereby strengthened the Church elsewhere. Our own congregation has been partially made up by accessions from without. It also shows evidences of

internal growth. Still we lack the thorough earnestness which we ought to have, and pray to the Lord for.

NORTHAMPTON.-At the quarterly meeting of the society in this town, held March 28th, the members availed themselves of the opportunity of presenting a token of esteem to their respected leader, Mr. Berry, on his removal to London. The testimonial consisted of Bagster's Polyglot Bible (English version, with index, references, and maps), in chaste binding and gilt-edged. The inscription is as follows:-" Affectionately presented to John Paxton Berry, by the members and friends of the New Jerusalem Church, Northampton, as aparting expression of their love, gratitude, and esteem, for his long and valuable services as leader of the church. Signed, on behalf of the church, Sam. T. Negus.-March 28, 1871." With this were also presented a few dozen carte-de-visite portraits of Mr. Berry, admirably executed, which the friends were desirous of possessing. The presentation was made by Mr. Negu, in an appropriate address, in which he expressed the regret of the members at the departure of Mr. Berry and their affection and gratitude to him as a loving friend and faithful pastor. The little flock under his guidance had been strengthened and renewed and led forward in the path of eternal life. They were unwilling, therefore, to part with him without some expression of their grateful recollection of his services; and desired that their offering might not be regarded as a formal act, but as affection's offering from a beloved people to a faithful pastor. Mr. Berry, in reply, expressed his high appreciation of the "Divine Word," and assured the kind friends who had chosen this beautiful copy of it as an expression of their love to him -that nothing else could have given him greater satisfaction, and that he should ever be reminded of them when perusing its sacred pages, and especially in his efforts to disseminate its blessed truths--as seen in the light of New Church doctrine.

WILTON.-Wilton is a small town, long celebrated for its carpet manufacture, situated three miles to the west from Salisbury, with which city it is

now most conveniently connected by two lines of railway. During Mr. Gunton's visit to Salisbury, advantage was taken of his presence in the neighbourhood to have a lecture illustrative of the doctrines of the New Church delivered by him in this ancient borough town. This lecture, which was on "The expected End of the World, and the Coming of the Son of Man in the Clouds of Heaven," was given on the evening of Friday, April 21st, at the Temperance Hall, and was listened to by about 150 attentive hearers, amongst whom were several local preachers of various denominations. Some questions were asked, and, we believe, satisfactorily answered, and several copies of Dr. Bayley's Brighton Lectures were sold to the audience, who manifested a great desire to learn more respecting the doctrines. Indeed, we know that there are now several persons resident in this town reading various publications of the Church, some of whom have already expressed themselves as surprised at the knowledge they have gained by their perusal.

Marriages.

At St. Cuthbert's Church, Gateshead, on May 24, 1870, Arthur Herbert Walpole, Esq., Surgeon, Newcastle, to Evangeline, eldest daughter of Mr. Henry Piper, 9 St. Cuthbert Terrace, Gateshead.

June 1. At the New Church College Chapel, Islington, by Rev. D. G. Goyder, Mr. Richard Wisedill, to Miss Marion Sarah Parsons, daughter of the late Mr. Samuel Parsons, and eldest granddaughter of the late Mr. James Shirley Hodson, many years the efficient secretary of the General Conference.

June 1st. At the New Jerusalem Church, Heywood, by the Rev. R. Storry, Mr. Alfred Fairbrother, to Miss Mary Ann Frazer.

June 22. At 109 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, by the Rev. John F. Potts, B.A., Mr. John M'Clure to Miss Lizzie C. Speirs.

Obituary.

On March 11, aged 37 years, Mr. Samuel Taylor, son of Mr. John Taylor,

of Moss Lane, Whitefield, passed from the present to a higher state of being. Cradled in the bosom of the New Jerusalem, his life was as spotless as his demeanour was meek and unaffected. Ever since he was able to render his loving Master any service, he has been constant and faithful in its discharge, having filled the office of superintendent of the Besses Sunday school for nine years, during which time he was unavoidably absent only three times. To the various institutions of the church he was a liberal supporter, and especially so to its periodical literature. Many of the weavers in their mill will miss finding in their "pin boxes," placed there by an unseen hand, their accustomed Juvenile Magazine or other publication intended to disseminate a knowledge of the heavenly doctrines of love and duty taught by the Church.

April 17th.-Very suddenly, of heart disease, Mr. Thomas Douglas, of 1 Kensington Place, Bath. He was a member of the Bath Society for many years; during the greater part of which time he made himself useful to the Church, by discharging the duties successively of treasurer and secretary, to the satisfaction of all with whom he came in contact. He also occasionally read the services for the Rev. J. Keene, and in many ways proved himself to be a sincere and consistent member of the church.

On the 24th of May, at Farnworth, aged twenty-four, Edward Partington passed into the spiritual world. Born of New Church parents, and educated under New Church influences in the Sabbath school connected with the Kearsley Society, he grew up in the doctrines, to which he became sincerely attached, as also to the interests of the Sunday school. He was an affectionate and dutiful son, having been the main support of his parents during a protracted illness of his father. The seeds of consumption, however, manifested themselves, and has added one more to the many victims which have fallen beneath its ravages.

At the house of his brother, Mr. J. T. Bates, Melbourne, June 9th, Mr. George William Bates, late of Derby, aged 37 years.