her Christian profession. She could scarcely be said to be well during the whole of last winter, and the severe weather appeared to prepare her for that fatal attack which was destined to take her home. About a fortnight before her death she was seized by inflammation of the lungs. From that time she appeared gradually to sink, but it was not until a day or two before her end that imminent danger was apprehended either by her friends or herself. Though her body grew weaker she was sustained by divine grace: her 'faith failed not.' She knew in whom she had believed,' and said, 'Jesus would be ready to receive her,' and spoke about friends who had gone before,' whom she expected to meet in heaven. As her dissolution approached her breathing became extremely difficult and her speech almost inaudible. Her last moments were spent in prayer, and she concluded by saying, AmenAmen-There;' and she laid down her hand upon the bed as the last words were uttered, as if conscious of having finished her earthly course and was addressing bright and happy

6

CONFERENCE.

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spirits who were present, ready to bear her away.

'She's gone to the realms of the blest, That country so bright and so fair, There she leans upon Jesus's breast, Freed from sorrow, affliction, and care.' At the time of her death, and for some time previously, she was in fellowship with the church which assembles in York Street Chapel, Manchester, under the pastoral care of the Rev. Richard Chenery. On Sunday evening, February the 3rd, a solemn and impressive sermon was preached by her pastor from Jeremiah xv. 9: She hath given up the ghost; her sun has gone down while it was yet day.' Mr. Chenery stated that during the month of January four of the friends had been removed by death, two in the first week and the other two on the last Sabbath in January, and of the four Miss Boardman was the youngest. 'So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.'

THE MIDLAND CONFERENCE met at Friar-lane chapel, Leicester, on Tuesday, December 17th, 1861. In the unavoidable absence through illness, of the Rev. Giles Hester, of Loughborough, Rev. H. Ashbery, of Sheffield, had kindly consented to preach. His text was Luke v. 4-11. The attendance was not large. At the afternoon meeting Rev. H. Hunter prayed, and Rev. J. C. Pike presided. From written or oral reports, it appeared that ninety had been baptized since the last Conference, that eighty-one were now candidates for baptism, and that seven had been restored to fellow

ship. After the singing of the doxology and the reading of the minutes of the last meeting, the following business was transacted :1. Address of condolence from the Midland Conference to our widowed Queen. It was agreed (1) That this Conference, sharing in the profound grief of the nation, on the decease of His Royal Highness the Prince Consort, requests the chairman, Rev. J. C. Pike; the secretary, Rev. J. J. Goadby; and Mr. J. F. Winks, to draw up an address of condolence to Her Majesty, expressive of our deep sympathy and loyal attachment, and also our earnest prayers that Almighty God would vouchsafe divine consolation to our bereaved.

3. Week of prayer in January, 1862. It was agreed: That this Conference cordially approves of the suggestion to hold during the first week in January next, united meetings of all classes of evangelical Christians for prayer to Almighty God for the revival and extension of religion; and recommends the churches of the Midland district to do what they can towards carrying out the suggestion in their own neighbourhoods.

4. An old rule revived. The secretary intimating that great inconvenience had been occasioned by the disuse of the old plan of appointing, not only some minister to preach, but some other brother, in case of failure; it was unanimously agreed: That in future the old rule be adhered to.

5. Smeeton. In answer to some questions as to the chapel property at Smeeton, it was announced that the trustees had acted under legal advice.

The next Conference to be held at Beeston, on Easter Tuesday, April 22nd, 1862, Rev. W. Taylor, of Castle Donington to preach; or, in case of failure, Rev. W. Jarrom, of Kegworth.

Rev. E. Stevenson, of Loughborough, preached in the evening.

J. J. GOADBY, Secretary.

BAPTISMS.

WHITWICK.-The modern history of the General Baptist cause at Whitwick dates back some seventy years, but so far as is known the ordinance of baptism had not been administered in the place until Lord's day, September 29, 1861, when we had the pleasure of using the baptistry in the new chapel for

the first time. The event excited

the greatest interest-the spacious chapel was densely crowded in every part. The profoundest attention was paid to the sermon delivered by the pastor, the Rev. J. Cholerton, and the utmost order and solemnity prevailed while the candidates, three young men, were baptized.

COALVILLE.-On Lord's day, Nov. 3, 1861, we had the first baptismal service in our new sanctuary; in the morning, five persons were baptized, and in the evening were received into the church. This being the first Lord's day upon which we had met for regular worship in the new chapel, great interest was felt in the services, which were well attended, were very greatly enjoyed.

LOUTH, Walker-gate.—On Nov. 25, we had great pleasure in adding two to our number by baptism, (the younger son and daughter-in-law of our senior pastor, the Rev. J. Kiddall.) The baptism was administered in the presence of a large and very attentive audience, and we hope good was done.

NOTTINGHAM, Stoney Street.—Thirteen friends were baptized and added to the church in this place on Lord's day, December 1. Amongst them were four scholars in our Sunday school, two of whom were quite young, yet they had given pleasing evidence of their conversion. We are happy to add that there are pleasing indications in our school of there being now several candidates a gracious revival taking place, from amongst the scholars.

B. Y.

STALYBRIDGE. On Lord's-day morning, December 1st, 1861, three friends put on Christ by baptism. In the afternoon they were received into the fellowship of the church.

ANNIVERSARIES.

SMARDEN, Zion Chapel.-The anniversary services were held on the 17th and 18th November, 1861. On Lord's day, the Rev. E. Balley, of Staplehurst, preached morning and afternoon. The Rev. J. Sella Martin, the fugitive slave, pastor of the Baptist church, Boston, America, was announced for the evening, but was prevented by bodily indisposition from being present; his place was kindly and acceptably supplied by Harper Twelvetrees, Esq., of Bromley. The congregations were large, and the services were much enjoyed. On Monday, a tea meeting was held. Appropriate and effective addresses were delivered by the Rev. E. Balley, W. Jull, Esq., and Mr. Barling, of Staplehurst, and Rev. J. S. Featherstone. The chapel was crowded, and the interest of the audience was sustained to the close of the meeting. Mr. Featherstone concluded his address with a poetical tail-piece. On Tuesday evening, Mr. Twelvetrees delivered a lecture on 'The Travels and Explorations of Dr. Livingstone in Central Africa.'

OPENING.

COALVILLE. Opening of the New Chapel.-The first services in connection with the opening of this spacious and beautiful sanctuary were held on Lord's day, September 22, 1861. In the morning, a prayer meeting was held, at which a large number of friends assembled, and the Divine presence was greatly enjoyed. The Rev. J. Harcourt, of London, preached, afternoon and evening, to crowded congregations. The collections, including an offering' made at the close of the morning meeting, amounted to £50. On

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the following day, a large number of friends assembled for tea, and in the evening an interesting meeting was held, over which the pastor, the Rev. J. Cholerton, presided, and admirable addresses were given by the Revs. J. Salisbury, of Hugglescote; E. Bott and J. Holroyd, of Barton; W. Taylor, of Castle Donington, T. Mays, (Independent,) of Ashby; and Mr. J. Harrap, of Leicester. Further services were held on Lord's. day, October 20, when the Rev. G. Hester, of Lough. borough, and the pastor preached; and on Lord's day, October 27, when the Rev. C. Clarke, of the College, preached. All the services were well attended, and the collections, &c., amounted to more than £100. The chapel is a very elegant building, and is universally considered to reflect the greatest credit upon the architect, Mr. J. Salisbury, of Ashby. It will seat 550 people, and will be completed for a little more than £500. The friends have raised towards the cost £260, including the proceeds of a bazaar held in connection with a tea and music festival, on Monday, December 2, the latter being conducted by our excellent friend, Mr. H. Dennis, of Hugglescote, when we were favoured with the valuable help of many friends from all the region round about.'

REMOVAL.

Rev. T. Gill has resigned his pastoral oversight of the church at Melbourne, and has accepted an invitation to Shore, Yorkshire.

MISCELLANEOUS.

LINCOLN.-On Sunday and Monday, December 8th and 9th, 1861, special services were held in the Corn Exchange, in aid of the church funds. The attendance at each service was very large, and on Sunday night many went away. On Sunday morning the Rev. Charles

The

plans and elevations are prepared for a new chapel, which is to be both commodious and elegant.

LOUTH, North-gate.-On Monday, December 16th, a purse was presented to the Rev. William Orton, containing twenty guineas, which he was requested to accept from his congregation as a token of their esteem for him, and as a proof of their attachment to his ministry.

'STATE church Establishments are standing organizations of hopeless schism;' so writes Goldwin Smith, Professor of History in the University of Oxford, in a remarkable reply to Lord Stanley's recent speech at King's Lynn. He thinks the first qualification for a state-bishop is 'caution, the twin sister of cunning;' that there can be no true freedom of opinion until the church is liberated from state trammels; and that the fall of the papacy will very likely bring with it the fall of all State Establishments of religion. These are startling words from such a quarter. Meanwhile, petty bigotry is showing itself in the Establishment here and there: the Vicar of Scarborough has withdrawn from the Mechanics' Institution in that celebrated watering place, because the large hall of the institution is let to Dissenters for Sunday services; the Rev. Mr. Woodard, of Hierstpierpoint, whose middle-class schools the Chancellor of the Exchequer eulogised the other

day at Cambridge, abruptly left the mayor's table at a public dinner at Folkestone, because a Dissenter was asked to say grace; and three clergymen, who had agreed to deliver addresses at a soirée of the Carlisle Christian Young Men's Association, precipitantly left the meeting immediately after tea, because a Mr. Percival, formerly the Dean of Edinburgh's curate, was on the platform! In keeping with all this, is the account Sir M. Peto gives of the intolerance of a certain divine connected with a church in the Eastern Counties, which Sir Morton Peto had built at his own expence : the child of a dear friend of Sir Morton's was refused burial because it had never been baptized! This circumstance was the origin of the Dissenters' Burials Bill. A calculating Anglican proposes a new way of celebrating the approaching Bicentenary of Black Bartholomew's Day: conferring orders' on all respectable dissenting ministers, who, in 1862, will bring their chapels and people over to the parliamentary church, and be willing to be made