Dissenters' Marriages.
The Times, 1824-12-06T00:00:00

IFrom a Corwr-eondent.I a eaterday mrnming was married, at the parish church of St. Setp hen, Colemaa.strcet, Air. &illiam WOods to Miss Sophia hodges. This wea the first instanee of presenting a protest agaius'r the marriage cereamony of the church since the rejection of the lUa..- quit of LanBdown's bill for granting rdief to Protestant Dissenters entertaining scr:ples with regard to the established ceremony, and the following scene trok place . The parties being assembled in the vestry-room, the minister in- quired of the bridegroom if he intended to present a protest against the cercrnony. U[on being answered in the afirmative, he said, " Then I don't marry you. I shtli not marry you if any protest is presented." One of the parties assembled then asked the minister if it was his intention to refuse to marry the party ? When he replied, " I have nothing to sayto rou, Sir if you interrupt, I shaU com- mit you into the cuatody of a constable." Upon which the party answered, that be was not guilty of any interruption; his presence, as a friend and neighbour of the party. b;ing recognized by the rubric, and consistent with the law of the land. Wlhen at the altar the bridegroom presented a written protest, which the minister, who was accompanied by the churchwardens, declared he would nut receive; repeating that a conrtable was in at- tendance to take into custody any party who should interrupt the ce. remony. The minister having on this occasion read t.he whole ofthe service, on their return to the vestry-room, the gentleman vho had given away the bride, addressed the minister as follows :-" Maly I now, Sir, say a few words to you ? Did we not wait on you on Fri- dsy last, to explain to you that the parties had conscientious scruples with regard to thesniariage ceremony?" " You did." " Did we not inform you that they woald present a pretest against thatceremonv ?" "Y'ou did." "Did you notatatethatyou would receivethatprotest?""I did." Whor thegeatlemai exclaimedI "Then. Sir, before what you esteem the altar of God, you have broIken YOur promise." In reply to which the minister pleaded that he had since changed his mmd. One of the parties present having exclaimed, " What' a minister of the church change his mind after having given a salemn pro mise !" The party who bad prevsously spokern, holding a Bible in his hand, asked the minister ir be respected that book, emphatically reading aloud the following p3ssage from the Pselms (d. 7.), "He that worketh deceit shall not dw within my house; he that telleth lies shaU not tarry in mny right." Aftes some strong remarks upon the thrcat vhich had been used of meeting conscientious scruples by an appeal to a constable, the whole party retired. The following has been handed to us as a copy of the protert delivered on this occasion:- " The undersigned members of the Church of God meeting in London, being Protetent Dissenters, and commonly known by tht name of Freethinking 'hristiasrt, in obedience to the dictates oftheir own consciences, ana in accordance with the i1tstructions oF the church to that effect, hereby protest, as wel on the pa&t of the Church as on their own part, against the use, it their instance, of the tpar riage ceremony arcontained in the Book of Commnon Prayek to which ceremony, though the sane be contrary to their belief, they are compelled to submit, as the only mnens of obtaining a legal mar- riage. They feel themselves compelled to protest again,st such ceremony for the following reasons:- "Lst.Because,whilstsdmitting the civilinstitutiont of the country, they deny the Sripture authority of the Church of England to decree cites and ceremosies; much lees to impose suoh on those who dissent from her community. " Mllr. Because whilst admitting the civil they do not admit the spiritual authority of the minister by. whom the marriage ceremony is performed,believing the Jewish priesthood to havebees superseded by Christianity, and none other to iave been insdtuted by Christ. '3dir'. Because they do not believe inthectoctrineofthe Trinity, in the n une of which the marriage cererony is solemnized,this doce tTine appearing to the, and being by the Christian church of which they are members, pablicly represented to the world, both in wrIt- ing andi discoure, as but one of the mauny lamentable corruptions of Christianity, alIlke repugnant to reason atid contrary to Scripure. (Signed) "W. WOOD uS. HODGii ' DISSENTTERS' MfARRIAGES