\6o 



MINISTRY AT WARRINGTON. [Chap. IV. 



in expressing his convictions, felt that the example of Christ 

 led them to consider not so much what was His will, as what 

 was the will of the Father who sent Him. Philip seemed to 

 ignore the fact that it is impossible to say what were the exact 

 words of Christ, or what is their true meaning, or what is their 

 application to ourselves, with infallible certainty. Happily, if 

 "the letter killeth," "the spirit giveth life." 



A note to his sister Mary (July 1 1 ) shows how ready he 

 was to welcome the kindly advances of those who had opposed 

 his teaching, and to promote innocent mirth : " Last Monday 



I went to , a pleasant little party : strawberries and a grand 



supper, games on the grass, music, etc. The hosts very kind, 

 and people in good humour. Mr. S. proposed the run- 

 away's [Mr. W. Robson] health. He is much pleased with 

 Boston people, and is in the thick of Abolition and spirit- 

 rapping. We had to wait an hour and a quarter at the little 

 poky station, till quarter-past eleven, for the train ; and amused 

 ourselves by a game of chairs in the waiting-room, dancing 

 reels, singing ' Muffin-man/ etc., to the great astonishment of 

 the porter in charge. ... I have worked out a second new 

 genus of Caecidse, and have my monograph nearly ready for pub- 

 lication. I have been obliged to give my eyes a little rest from 

 the microscope. In all other respects we are in statu quo" 



On November 30, 1858, a public meeting was held, to receive 

 the report of a committee which had canvassed the inhabitants 

 of Warrington to know their opinions as to the Permissive Bill, 

 promoted by the United Kingdom Alliance for the Legislative 

 Suppression of the Traffic in Intoxicants. From the formation 

 of the Alliance, June 1, 1853, Philip had taken an active 

 interest in it : whilst he laboured to promote temperance in 

 every way in his power, he felt strongly that the laws of the 

 land should help morality, and not countenance and license 

 the incentives to crime ! At this meeting he stated that voting 

 papers prepared by the Alliance had been left at most of the 

 houses in the town, and the sub-committee in each ward had 

 collected them. All the labour, which was great, was gratuitous. 



